"Better to make your mark on the world, than on the bed"
Do quotes happen naturally, evolve and bubble up into the collective consciousness as in times of yore, or like everything else these days can it be forced and sculpted and corrupted?
Saturday 20 August 2011
Saturday 13 August 2011
Wednesday 3 August 2011
No-one expects inquisition
Curiosity may have killed the cat, but I'm certain it also led him on some fascinating and exciting journeys prior to his untimely demise.
It's something both organised religion and rulers of countries have in common, in that they would rather people simply accept what they are told as fact rather than seeking things out for themselves.
I find myself in an odd position as I rapidly reach the end of my early 30s, of having to stop myself sounding like a grumpy old git at times. This is generally based on the fact I am of a generation that grew up with the birth of home computing, can remember a time before mobile phones and who watched with fascination at the stumbling origins of the internet. Now all three are happily combined in one portable device available to one and all, and the answers to all life's questions are but a click away, I get the impression that there is a lack of curiosity about how any of it actually works.
Now you may rightly say that many people who drive a car know little of it's detail, though I would perhaps respond that I don't drive but still have at least a working knowledge of the mechanics, but I have yet to lose the fascination with all things that I had as a child.
Watching Tomorrows world in it's hayday, or the fantastic Tim Hunkin in the Secret Life Of Machines, this curiosity was sated and even encouraged. Now it seems whilst there is an apparently limitless source of shared knowledge available to almost all, so few actually care to spend the time to make use of it.
I have spent a vast amount of my life on the inside of TVs, computers, 'phones, cookers, bikes etc etc without being trained to do so. It is a combination of curiosity (as well as a healthy respect for electricity and it's friends) that allowed this to be possible.
A friend of mine was once asked by a female colleague (whom he had quite a crush on) to help her out with her car as one of the headlights had failed. There was some suggestion that this may have been partly an excuse on her part for communication, but in any case his manhood had been called upon. Some time later, having examined every inch of the front of the light but being unable to find a way of removing the headlamp assembly, he is accompanying her to a well known car supplies shop texting me the sorry story.
In 3 minutes, a man had opened the bonnet, undone a couple of bolts BEHIND the light and replaced the bulb.
Now of course you could argue that he was a proffesional and highly trained etc etc however I would say that a lack of curiosity and literally not looking at things from every angle resulted in the inability to spot the resolution.
To support my theory, a friend of mine's gas cooker was not staying on and would cut out regularly. It got to the point where it would only stay on with the ignition knob held in, and clearly needed something doing. Now of course here I hit a snag, as with curiosity comes great responsibility! I cannot suggest that everyone tried fiddling with everything to see how it works, as this would lead a sharp increase in the number of explosions and electrocutions dealt with by emergency services, but even purely as a thought process it was trivial to imagine the cause. As it remained lit while the ignition button was held, this must mean the rest of the system, gas supply, igniter etc are working. Something is cutting out the gas supply. Now assuming, as most thing do, the cooker has some sort of safety device to cut the gas supply in the event of a problem then what form would this take? The most logical way would be that if the flame is extinguished, its cuts the gas supply. How would it know the flame is out? The lack of heat would be the biggest clue.
So with just logic and curiosity, it would seem likely there is something near the flame which regulates the gas flow as a safety device, and on inspection a rather charred metal device was sat close to the flame outlet, but was bent up (possibly from a shalf or tray having mae contact with it at some point). This was confirmed by the gas engineer who explained a little more about the "flame failure device" which when heated allows the gas to flow, but cuts the supply otherwise.
Again, I accept that many people would have little care as to what this was, how it works or why. Their only care would be calling someone out to fix it and hopefully not costing too much, but I think there is a wealth of examples where people could excercise their minds or just prod their curiosity for a moment.
Try it next time you are faced with something you just accept, your inner child will thank you for it.
And as for the old saying... personally I think someone had the cat killed for being too curious.
It's something both organised religion and rulers of countries have in common, in that they would rather people simply accept what they are told as fact rather than seeking things out for themselves.
I find myself in an odd position as I rapidly reach the end of my early 30s, of having to stop myself sounding like a grumpy old git at times. This is generally based on the fact I am of a generation that grew up with the birth of home computing, can remember a time before mobile phones and who watched with fascination at the stumbling origins of the internet. Now all three are happily combined in one portable device available to one and all, and the answers to all life's questions are but a click away, I get the impression that there is a lack of curiosity about how any of it actually works.
Now you may rightly say that many people who drive a car know little of it's detail, though I would perhaps respond that I don't drive but still have at least a working knowledge of the mechanics, but I have yet to lose the fascination with all things that I had as a child.
Watching Tomorrows world in it's hayday, or the fantastic Tim Hunkin in the Secret Life Of Machines, this curiosity was sated and even encouraged. Now it seems whilst there is an apparently limitless source of shared knowledge available to almost all, so few actually care to spend the time to make use of it.
I have spent a vast amount of my life on the inside of TVs, computers, 'phones, cookers, bikes etc etc without being trained to do so. It is a combination of curiosity (as well as a healthy respect for electricity and it's friends) that allowed this to be possible.
A friend of mine was once asked by a female colleague (whom he had quite a crush on) to help her out with her car as one of the headlights had failed. There was some suggestion that this may have been partly an excuse on her part for communication, but in any case his manhood had been called upon. Some time later, having examined every inch of the front of the light but being unable to find a way of removing the headlamp assembly, he is accompanying her to a well known car supplies shop texting me the sorry story.
In 3 minutes, a man had opened the bonnet, undone a couple of bolts BEHIND the light and replaced the bulb.
Now of course you could argue that he was a proffesional and highly trained etc etc however I would say that a lack of curiosity and literally not looking at things from every angle resulted in the inability to spot the resolution.
To support my theory, a friend of mine's gas cooker was not staying on and would cut out regularly. It got to the point where it would only stay on with the ignition knob held in, and clearly needed something doing. Now of course here I hit a snag, as with curiosity comes great responsibility! I cannot suggest that everyone tried fiddling with everything to see how it works, as this would lead a sharp increase in the number of explosions and electrocutions dealt with by emergency services, but even purely as a thought process it was trivial to imagine the cause. As it remained lit while the ignition button was held, this must mean the rest of the system, gas supply, igniter etc are working. Something is cutting out the gas supply. Now assuming, as most thing do, the cooker has some sort of safety device to cut the gas supply in the event of a problem then what form would this take? The most logical way would be that if the flame is extinguished, its cuts the gas supply. How would it know the flame is out? The lack of heat would be the biggest clue.
So with just logic and curiosity, it would seem likely there is something near the flame which regulates the gas flow as a safety device, and on inspection a rather charred metal device was sat close to the flame outlet, but was bent up (possibly from a shalf or tray having mae contact with it at some point). This was confirmed by the gas engineer who explained a little more about the "flame failure device" which when heated allows the gas to flow, but cuts the supply otherwise.
Again, I accept that many people would have little care as to what this was, how it works or why. Their only care would be calling someone out to fix it and hopefully not costing too much, but I think there is a wealth of examples where people could excercise their minds or just prod their curiosity for a moment.
Try it next time you are faced with something you just accept, your inner child will thank you for it.
And as for the old saying... personally I think someone had the cat killed for being too curious.
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