I was watching a show consistent with how "everyone hates" Walmart for
some of the side effects they cause.
It occurred to me that Big Stores are just the result of "engineering
appled to retailing". It's perplexing that other engineering efforts
haven't drawn the same amount of attention. I visited a medium size
machining factory not too long ago, and none, I think, of the machine
operators needed to be craftsmen.
I think engineers will not create like craftsmen, so something may be
now missing from the loop. Just a thought.
Bill
On Fri, 13 Jul 2012 21:08:10 -0400, Bill <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>I was watching a show consistent with how "everyone hates" Walmart for
>some of the side effects they cause.
You mean side effects like a broad selection and low prices? Yeah, I hate
that.
>It occurred to me that Big Stores are just the result of "engineering
>appled to retailing". It's perplexing that other engineering efforts
>haven't drawn the same amount of attention. I visited a medium size
>machining factory not too long ago, and none, I think, of the machine
>operators needed to be craftsmen.
I'm sure they had some real machinists. Craftsmen? Not sure how that applies.
>I think engineers will not create like craftsmen, so something may be
>now missing from the loop. Just a thought.
Define "craftsmen". Artists? No, probably not. Not in the job description.
Fine, detailed, work? Sure.
On Fri, 13 Jul 2012 23:33:45 -0400, Bill <[email protected]> wrote:
>[email protected] wrote:
>> On Fri, 13 Jul 2012 21:08:10 -0400, Bill <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>> I think engineers will not create like craftsmen, so something may be
>>> now missing from the loop. Just a thought.
>>
>> Define "craftsmen". Artists? No, probably not. Not in the job description.
>> Fine, detailed, work? Sure.
>
>Yes, make sure the work pieces are attached firmly in place and the
>cutting bits are sharp. Then listen for 10 minutes in case this might
>change. Most of the cutting action does not even where you could see it.
> It's probably mind-numbing. Pay rate is approximately half of what
>you might expect due to supply and demand.
>
Was there a relevant point in that rambling?
[email protected] wrote:
> On Fri, 13 Jul 2012 21:08:10 -0400, Bill <[email protected]> wrote:
>> I think engineers will not create like craftsmen, so something may be
>> now missing from the loop. Just a thought.
>
> Define "craftsmen". Artists? No, probably not. Not in the job description.
> Fine, detailed, work? Sure.
Yes, make sure the work pieces are attached firmly in place and the
cutting bits are sharp. Then listen for 10 minutes in case this might
change. Most of the cutting action does not even where you could see it.
It's probably mind-numbing. Pay rate is approximately half of what
you might expect due to supply and demand.
[email protected] wrote:
> On Fri, 13 Jul 2012 23:33:45 -0400, Bill <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> [email protected] wrote:
>>> On Fri, 13 Jul 2012 21:08:10 -0400, Bill <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>> I think engineers will not create like craftsmen, so something may be
>>>> now missing from the loop. Just a thought.
>>>
>>> Define "craftsmen". Artists? No, probably not. Not in the job description.
>>> Fine, detailed, work? Sure.
>>
>> Yes, make sure the work pieces are attached firmly in place and the
>> cutting bits are sharp. Then listen for 10 minutes in case this might
>> change. Most of the cutting action does not even where you could see it.
>> It's probably mind-numbing. Pay rate is approximately half of what
>> you might expect due to supply and demand.
>>
> Was there a relevant point in that rambling?
That in a medium sized factor which, to my amazement, only required
about 40 people to operate, the only "fine, detailed work" was done by
QA-and no more of this than necessary (upon setup, etc.). I'm skeptical
whether a few years there would make one a better craftsman. I have
little doubt it would make him or her more safety-conscience, so perhaps
that counts for something.
On Fri, 13 Jul 2012 21:27:08 -0400, [email protected] wrote:
> I visited a medium size
>>machining factory not too long ago, and none, I think, of the machine
>>operators needed to be craftsmen.
>
> I'm sure they had some real machinists. Craftsmen? Not sure how that
> applies.
I once did a job for Kaiser Aluminum interfacing a large German made roll
grinder to their computer system. I commented that the new machine must
be a lot better than the huge lathes the machinists had been using
considering how much it cost. The answer was no, the machinists did a
better job, but they were all nearing retirement and replacements were
almost impossible to find.
Seems it's not a popular career choice for the younger generation :-).
--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw