Despite observing it for seventeen years, my wife still can't believe that I enjoy reading and making sense of instruction manuals.?ÿ
Growing up, Dad liked all the new electronic stuff that hit the market in the 80s, but he didn't have the patience to learn how to set it up.?ÿ It became my duty to connect the VCR (remember the old top loading ones?), reset the digital clocks (VCR, microwave, oven, alarm, vehicle, and his Timex) in the spring and fall and after power outages, get the video camera to play on the TV, figure out how to record through the VCR etc..?ÿ Dad was a smart dude, but I watched him ruin more gadgets by his refusal to read instructions.?ÿ I still find it odd that people take a prideful (or pridefool) stance against reading instructions.
...Dad was a smart dude, but I watched him ruin more gadgets by his refusal to read instructions.?ÿ I still find it odd that people take a prideful (or pridefool) stance against reading instructions.
Same story with my father.?ÿ The man couldn't read written instructions if you had a gun to his head.?ÿ And he was full of "pride".?ÿ My hunch is he thought he was smarter than the guy that wrote the instructions.?ÿ Or maybe the fact he was an engineer made him think needing instructions was a sign of inferior cognitive skills.
He used to say proudly, "Directions are what you read while the paint is drying.."
Once he was assembling a metal kitchen cart.?ÿ It had axles.?ÿ The axles required a washer and and a lock tab to be installed on each end of the axle BEFORE placing the axle into the frame.?ÿ He got it almost finished before he realized the error.?ÿ I read the instructions and there was (in bold print) a warning of such.?ÿ It was the second paragraph...
Dads
Dad is 93.?ÿ
The last time out surveying, with me, I went to set up the base station. He asked "what are we doing way over here, our job is that way...." I explained it. (That evening, when putting it away, I found I'd neglected to properly center the base over the base station, by 0.14')
I had made temporary coords, to search with. I started at one end, found some pins, etc. Dad went out ahead, trying to find stuff, and yelling at me. He was not "getting it". Finally, early afternoon, he gave up. I systematically went through, digging out rebar, some a foot deep, and tied it all.?ÿ
The point is, learn early. When you are old, it's much harder to learn much.
I don't like new cars. Too complex.
Thanks,
Nate
