OT:Shooting Ourselves in the Foot

have

think

One of the problems is the level of literacy.. can you read a university level book or Doctor Sues.. both are levels of literacy (if at the extreme)

Simon

and

So who is unqualified? I have no degree or formal university training. I went to a polytech and studied electrical. Now I design radios and interface them to a digital world.

Simon

Are you kidding ?

On the few occasions I've stayed in a hotel in Germany the buffet breakfast was awesome !

Graham

Depends on how you define literacy I guess. The ability to read a McDonald's menu perhaps ?

Graham

Well, since England has 3x the polulation of China maybe we could do with 3x less of us on this bit of land?

FFF Dirk

The Consensus:- The political party for the new millenium

I fail to see what the population has to do with this supposed decline.

Could you elaborate ?

Graham

Absolutely!

One time my wife spotted some fresh blackberries in a farmers' market in Baden-Baden. She took them down to breakfast to put in her cereal. Everyone was asking, "I can't find the blackberries on the buffet" ;-)

Me, I liked all the cold cuts, sausages and boiled eggs ;-)

...Jim Thompson

Naaah! How to press the buttons on a McD cash register ;-)

...Jim Thompson

Well it's not for a lack of interest on this European's part, I can tell you. Attractive, slim, intelligent, single women are scarce in the UK.

Maybe they don't have a problem with ugly fat stupid or married women in the USA?

I guess being slightly plump is the least of these turn-offs.

Perhaps that explains the high obesity rates in the USA?

Yes, I'd certainly welcome a decrease in population density. I might then be able to afford to buy a house here!

Yes, I do; I would even say that this rate is very low.

Best regards Piotr Wyderski

Richard Owlett wrote: [snip]

I had a corresponding experience in my first job (some 35 years ago). Newly qualified, I was asked to design a simple Colpitts oscillator: 1 transistor, around 2MHz. I fished out my slide-rule, & prepared for a heavy afternoon's maths. My mentor stepped in, & said (in effect) "I know that's how they teach you in Uni, but it's not how we do it in the real world". His design logic went:

1. Supply voltage = 9V (that's what we've got available)
2. Transistor = BC109 (the stores are knee-deep in them)
3. Ic = 5mA (known by experience to work well)
4. Bias chain current = Ic/10 (ditto)
5. Vb = Vcc/3 (ditto) Now solve out the resistors, & give me a parts list.

He signed the list, I took it to the stores & got the bits, & 20 minutes later, the oscillator was running.

Theory vs Practice.

"Theory: when you understand all about it, but can't make it work." "Practice: when it works, but no-one knows why."

- Seen in a German office, 1974 (translation mine)

Actually, whilst German cuisine doesn't really make the headlines they certainly do know how to start the day off !

The temptation is just too much.

Only other place I've seen the likes was in China btw. Again, an absolute feast. This one in fact...

Graham

Unfortunately that attitude includes that of the USA :-(

...Jim Thompson

But have incomes really been increasing over the last 20 years? My income is essentially the same as it was five years ago (actually less) and I don't have health benefits now as I did then (I contract off and on now). ...though I do have more free time at this point so I suppose you could say this was a willing trade. However, I talk to lots of people who really aren't making more than they were five years ago and have less benefits. To some extent, I suppose this fall in incomes is inevitable given the global pressure on wages. But people in the US now certainly feel that things are less stable than they were a decade ago (less permanent jobs, more temporary or contract jobs).

As far as other ways the US is declining: Well one of the big ones is that we have zero to slightly negative savings rates now. That's not sustainable longterm. Sure our real estate prices have gone up in the last few years, but that's mostly just paper gain (If you sell your house, you still need somewhere to live so if you buy another house you end up paying more anyway).

Phil

Hmmm... 'opinionionjournal' ! You do realise that the USA is very badly informed generally about the realities in Europe ? Also, I bet the writer has some spurious 'agenda' that influences his writing. It is simply *opinion* and badly informed opinion at that.

Graham

Don't the buttons have pictures of the food on them? In some overseas McD restaurants they have laminated cards with pictures of the food items on them so that illiterates who only know English and not the local language can order unhealthy food. I did some work for a major equipment supplier of a certain large clown related restaurant chain- they have very high standards on how simple the devices have to be to operate. I think the alphas are the ones at the counter- the epsilon-minus ones can, at times, if present, be found in back.

Thank goodness most of us use Arabic numerals at least sometimes, so most people on earth can understand them.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

Now you've got me going on reminisces ;} A later class required design of horizontal sweep for an oscilloscope. I was lazy and asked myself what portion of exponential met linearity spec. Lab instructor came by to view my test data. He said "Oh you chose a Miller run up." I said "NO. Just an RC". That semester was fun. My father was a practicing EE even though is degree was ME. [Back in 20's an EE meant 60 cps power but an ME got more background in what we now consider to be EE. If he were still alive, he would enjoy this discussion.]

Yes. My point exactly. Without the pictures your standard McD drone would be dead in the water.

BTW, I don't go to McD's. Last one I was in was 12 years ago in Germany. I was down to dollars only and needed some D-Marks. McD's would take dollars and give back change in D-Marks, so I walked in, bought a cup of coffee and handed over a $20 ;-)

My favorite stunt in a checkout line...

Cash register total shows (e.g.) $20.26

Hand boy/girl $21.00

After he/she rings it in, hand over 1¢

And watch 'em squirm ;-)

...Jim Thompson