Comments on: The Tinker Damned http://themoderatevoice.com/43519/the-tinker-damned/ An Internet hub with domestic and international news, analysis, original reporting, and popular features from the left, center, indies, centrists, moderates, and right Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:32:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: HemmD http://themoderatevoice.com/43519/the-tinker-damned/comment-page-1/#comment-205722 HemmD Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:00:47 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/?p=43519#comment-205722 I may be that the author doesn't grasp that the intellectual essence of being a tinker has morphed into other fields. Essentially, a tinker was asked to fix things that were broken with whatever technique and material available. Intellectually, that's troubleshooting and problem solving. Those traits are alive and well, they just tend to deal with more ephemeral materials.<br><br>For twenty years, I ran an Antique Restoration and Reproduction business, very similar to the old tinker's craft. When I first learned computer programming, the parallel between creating parts and then assembling them made that transition seem natural because the intellectual process between the fields is identical.<br><br>As outsourcing put strains upon the programming industry, I moved into Internet connectivity. It may not be readily apparent, but both fields, furniture repair and internet troubleshooting, require system analysis and creativity. I would submit that many old world tinkers could make good technicians today. The education is of course different, but the traits required are identical.<br><br>And of course, there are good and bad technicians today just as there were good tinkers and tinkers who didn't give a damn. Hope this isn't too far afield. I may be that the author doesn't grasp that the intellectual essence of being a tinker has morphed into other fields. Essentially, a tinker was asked to fix things that were broken with whatever technique and material available. Intellectually, that's troubleshooting and problem solving. Those traits are alive and well, they just tend to deal with more ephemeral materials.

For twenty years, I ran an Antique Restoration and Reproduction business, very similar to the old tinker's craft. When I first learned computer programming, the parallel between creating parts and then assembling them made that transition seem natural because the intellectual process between the fields is identical.

As outsourcing put strains upon the programming industry, I moved into Internet connectivity. It may not be readily apparent, but both fields, furniture repair and internet troubleshooting, require system analysis and creativity. I would submit that many old world tinkers could make good technicians today. The education is of course different, but the traits required are identical.

And of course, there are good and bad technicians today just as there were good tinkers and tinkers who didn't give a damn. Hope this isn't too far afield.

]]> By: Father_Time http://themoderatevoice.com/43519/the-tinker-damned/comment-page-1/#comment-205711 Father_Time Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:45:01 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/?p=43519#comment-205711 We make aircraft. We fix them too. We have aircraft mechanics and avionics technicians "trades knowledge" and aerodynamic, thermodynamic and monkey motion engineers "college knowledge".<br><br>So there. We make aircraft. We fix them too. We have aircraft mechanics and avionics technicians “trades knowledge” and aerodynamic, thermodynamic and monkey motion engineers “college knowledge”.

So there.

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