Page 65 - Issue 49

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Expiration date? Like all cars are going to Personal computing as a hobby started
explode into a pile of molten metal, plastic with something only techie men and women
and rubber one day? Like there will be a time would buy in a box and solder together. The
where you would only be able to see cars and initial belief was no one would ever want
trucks powered by combustion engines in something this time consuming or clunky
museums? I left the conversation bewildered to use. Fast forward to the present were
trying to decide how many others felt the same most of us carry a pocket-sized computer
way. Sure, some technology has gone by the wherever we go. Now, many make a nice living
wayside as improvements are made, however, repairing these for others, and still others are
there are always exceptions to this historical buying computer speed parts to hop up their
rule, and I feel our hobby will be one of them. desktop’s performance. Swapping out a slow
Two hundred years ago, the horse and processor for the newer, faster model or adding
buggy was the law of the land. One hundred a dedicated graphics card is just as easy to
years ago, cars began to take over in urban some as bolting on a new set of rims. I see no
areas where roads and fuel were easily slowing of this hobby.
accessible. It really wasn’t until the 1940s Cars will always be the main mode of
that cars and trucks completely replaced our transportation for everyone living outside of
beasts of burden. Today, horses are still kept a major metro area. Urban living is a pain
Expiration Date horse-powered transportation. My equestrian am saying this) a car if you do not have a place
to park, and with all the mass trans options,
but mainly for leisure and usually for off-road
use, although some religious groups still rely on
maybe it is easier not to own (I can’t believe I
to park it. You can always rent a storage space
friends haul their horses to the riding trail. I
or a garage stall, though I don’t know how
have to admit the parallel here to trailering your
drag or drift car to the track. Unfortunately,
much I would like taking a taxi to my garage
this may be the future for all liquid fuel burning
just so I could drive my car. Even if I could
engines; I just can’t imagine this happening in
our lifetimes.
bookstore, I will think I would want something
in the back of the garage, under a dusty tarp,
Hand-built homes, specifi cally log cabins, walk to work, the grocery store and my favorite
were the norm when every prairie was dotted to work on.
with little houses. While milled lumber, I personally feel there will be some that will
hurricane straps and steel siding reign today, never want to transport their families in a self-
many log cabins are still being built by driving electric car. Current regulations offer
experienced hands. Some small examples are a tax break on the cost of hybrid and electric
constructed by and for our off-the-grid friends. vehicles. Some countries are working to ban
Other more majestic examples are constructed diesels in metro areas. When will this become
for those that can afford a truly unique place to the norm for gasoline, too? I do understand,
live with highly skilled crews making everything in some parts of the country, electrics will
fi t like it should. Modern technology has become the only method of getting from point
replaced most of what went into constructing A to point B unless mass transit is used. I can
the hand-built homes of old, yet these envision major metropolitan areas and certain
woodworking skills are easily transferable to freeway stretches experimenting with this
any contemporary construction or cabinetry within the next decade. I guess that’s ok with
position. me: I prefer the back roads anyway.

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