Joe Michaels
Diamond
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2004
- Location
- Shandaken, NY, USA
The roll-out of this new format for the Practical Machinist website has resulted in some obvious changes. I am wondering why the location of each member/poster, as well as information in our profiles has been deleted. I liked the fact I could see where participants on our 'board were located, kind of like 'Ham' radio operators collecting cards from other Hams with their call signs and locations. I suppose, like so much else nowadays, the concern about privacy trumps giving out the information such as a participant/poster's location or the information that used to be in the profile.
I will say that this 'Board has been a really good thing in my own life. It connects me with some great people, and during times when events in my life were a bit of hard going, this 'board really helped me with the sense of community and camaraderie. As I like to describe myself, I am a 'proud, stubborn dinosaur'. I do not always adapt or react well to change, so the new format for this 'board will take a little getting used to. The main thing is we are all still here, still participating, and that is what matters.
It just seems like the world and progress in 'technology' (as so much is lumped into this category) is moving ever faster. I am old enough to remember when the devices we take for granted nowadays such as 'smart phones' were the stuff of science fiction or seen in the Sunday 'funny papers'. While I profess to be that stubborn dinosaur, I realize the benefits of this modern technology in so many ways and accept and appreciate most of it. This 'board is one of the best examples of it, and enables us to have a community of like-minded (or so we hope) people in just about every corner of this planet. It's a special 'place' for me, and something I visit at least once a day. I am sure this 'board will endure in one form or another as the technology bringing it to us continues to evolve. It's hard to imagine, but the descendants of our generation(s) of members may one day be discussing CNC machining centers in use today as 'antique machine tools', and those descendants of our generation of members will be marveling at how we ever worked with such primitive machine tools. So, while I miss the old format of our 'board, I have to go with what we now have and be glad Practical Machinist is thriving as a website.
I will say that this 'Board has been a really good thing in my own life. It connects me with some great people, and during times when events in my life were a bit of hard going, this 'board really helped me with the sense of community and camaraderie. As I like to describe myself, I am a 'proud, stubborn dinosaur'. I do not always adapt or react well to change, so the new format for this 'board will take a little getting used to. The main thing is we are all still here, still participating, and that is what matters.
It just seems like the world and progress in 'technology' (as so much is lumped into this category) is moving ever faster. I am old enough to remember when the devices we take for granted nowadays such as 'smart phones' were the stuff of science fiction or seen in the Sunday 'funny papers'. While I profess to be that stubborn dinosaur, I realize the benefits of this modern technology in so many ways and accept and appreciate most of it. This 'board is one of the best examples of it, and enables us to have a community of like-minded (or so we hope) people in just about every corner of this planet. It's a special 'place' for me, and something I visit at least once a day. I am sure this 'board will endure in one form or another as the technology bringing it to us continues to evolve. It's hard to imagine, but the descendants of our generation(s) of members may one day be discussing CNC machining centers in use today as 'antique machine tools', and those descendants of our generation of members will be marveling at how we ever worked with such primitive machine tools. So, while I miss the old format of our 'board, I have to go with what we now have and be glad Practical Machinist is thriving as a website.