Old man, new member

[sharps4590]

How did you find PF?

Duck Duck Go search

I ended up here looking for an answer to a question and am extremely grateful for the prompt and informative answer.
I'm neither student, chemist, physicist nor engineer. My career consisted of 45 years as an electrician, 35 of those as an electrical contractor. Perhaps ironic to the web site, I live outside Rolla, Missouri, home of what used to be the University of Missouri - Rolla and is now called the Missouri School of Science and Technology. As a friend observed, "Vic, you can't throw a dead chicken in Rolla and not hit an engineer". For most of my hobbies and interests that has been a God send.

I doubt I'll be of any assistance but, at almost 73 I still like to learn. I expect I'll learn something from about anything I read on here.

 

[Hill]

How did you find PF?: Duck Duck Go search

almost 73

This is not "old."

 

[PeroK]

This is not "old."

Yes it is!

 

[sharps4590]

It feels old. Howsomever, my mind does keep writing checks my body can't cash!

 

[Hill]

As long as I make it in the estimated time range, I'm not old:

 

[jedishrfu]

There are old pilots and bold pilots but never any old and bold pilots.

 

[sharps4590]

There are old pilots and bold pilots but never any old and bold pilots.

They say the same thing about mushroom hunters...

 

[Hornbein]

How did you find PF?: Duck Duck Go search

I ended up here looking for an answer to a question and am extremely grateful for the prompt and informative answer.
I'm neither student, chemist, physicist nor engineer. My career consisted of 45 years as an electrician, 35 of those as an electrical contractor. Perhaps ironic to the web site, I live outside Rolla, Missouri, home of what used to be the University of Missouri - Rolla and is now called the Missouri School of Science and Technology. As a friend observed, "Vic, you can't throw a dead chicken in Rolla and not hit an engineer". For most of my hobbies and interests that has been a God send.

I doubt I'll be of any assistance but, at almost 73 I still like to learn. I expect I'll learn something from about anything I read on here.

In 1899 my Granddaddy was named Rolla after your town. He helped make the fuel for the first atomic bomb.

 

[jedishrfu]

They say the same thing about mushroom hunters...

and electricians...

 

[Hill]

and electricians...

I've heard it first in my SCUBA class.

 

[bhobba]

This is not "old."

God, I hope so.

My psychiatrist (I go for other reasons as well, due to depression associated with my autoimmune disease) has discussed ways to stay mentally acute. My GP always refers his patients (he retired a week ago at 78) over 70 to a psychiatrist at least once every 6 months. There is a lot that can be done to remain mentally acute, but a test she gives me each time shows there is no worry. Does anyone else hate the standard counting back from 100 in 7's as much as I do?

Thanks
Bill

 

[Hill]

God, I hope so.

My psychiatrist (I go for other reasons as well, due to depression associated with my autoimmune disease) has discussed ways to stay mentally acute. My GP always refers his patients (he retired a week ago at 78) over 70 to a psychiatrist at least once every 6 months. There is a lot that can be done to remain mentally acute, but a test she gives me each time shows there is no worry. Does anyone else hate the standard counting back from 100 in 7's as much as I do?

Thanks
Bill

I find it curious that my father when he was 92 could perfectly count back from 100 in 7's in spite of being unable to recognize me or to recall where he lives.

 

[jedishrfu]

There's an interesting corollary about a guy who developed a special computational skill for calendars. He wanted to know whether he was a savant.

A savant can solve certain types of problems very quickly because they somehow memorize the information and can access and search for the answers.

After testing, they discovered that he was a true genius because he developed an algorithm on the fly to solve that specific calendar problem. Something that calendar savants couldn't do.

I think the documentary was called The Foolish Wise Ones on BBC.

 

[eraserclam]

God, I hope so.

My psychiatrist (I go for other reasons as well, due to depression associated with my autoimmune disease) has discussed ways to stay mentally acute. My GP always refers his patients (he retired a week ago at 78) over 70 to a psychiatrist at least once every 6 months. There is a lot that can be done to remain mentally acute, but a test she gives me each time shows there is no worry. Does anyone else hate the standard counting back from 100 in 7's as much as I do?

Thanks
Bill

I gave up at -9,431

I'm older and have been retired since 2012, so I go down a new rabbit hole every few years. It's been quantum physics lately. I found this forum while looking up information on Thomas Marcella after receiving a book by him today. I then looked up reviews for this forum - they were great - and so today I joined.

 

[Chestermiller]

Was it also called the Missouri School of Mines, or is that something different?

 

[Hill]

I gave up at -9,431

How do you get to -9,431 counting back from 100 in 7s?

 

[nomadreid]

I am older/less young than the poster, and have been receiving answers from the wonderful people on this forum for many years for my inexpert dabbling in various subjects, mostly physics and mathematics but also chemistry, biology, and computers. They are always very patient with my foolish mistakes or elementary understanding and give great answers.

 

[sharps4590]

Was it also called the Missouri School of Mines, or is that something different?

When I was a kid it was always Rolla School of Mines. As I grew up a mere 40 miles from where I now live that's what it was known as all over this part of the country. However, I believe its official name was 'Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy". I don't know when it became part of the University of Missouri system. Duck Duck Go says 1964 but it was a decade before "UMR" stuck. Now it's "MS&T" and that took just a few years. I'm certain social media had something to do with expediting that name change.

 

[eraserclam]

How do you get to -9,431 counting back from 100 in 7s?

I call it 'Quantum Eraserclam' - a central tenet is that you don't question how I get my numbers or whether or not they are correct according to 'Classical Math'.