Re: ??? ??? ???=the nature of students

[brian whatcott <inet@intellisys.net>]

At 22:58 9/7/97 -0500, you wrote:
> ... The activity was to give the students tools and have 
> them disassemble the things ( curling irons, blow dryers, toasters, 
> cassette players, electric brooms) looking for all the simple machines 
> they could find. Some of the girls had never had a screwdriver or pliers 
> in their hands! 
>
> As a precaution, I cut off the electrical cords before giving the items 
> to the students. And they were not allowed to cut any wires to avoid 
> being shocked by capacitors.
> ...
> Patti Mason
> Delphi High School
> Delphi, IN
You did not ask for feedback but I will not hold back from mentioning
just how valuable this seems to me.
 These are the 'fallen angels' of our civilization.
 They exhibit every kind of engineering  ingenuity directed to providing
most function for the lowest dollar.
 And too often we see the effects of designing close to the limit:
the plastic support web that cracks, the sintered bronze bush meant to be
permanently lubed - that wasn't, and the brushes worn down and only needing
replacement - perhaps even from the carbon core of a dry cell.
 Look at the technologies - the injection molded plastic, the pressure
die-castings; the extrusions and the tubes.

Regards
brian whatcott <inet@intellisys.net>
Altus OK