7 ms·

Really? In my observations only 17 year olds have the time and patience to do crap like this.

by c22 4y ago

furyofantares 4y ago
Both things ring fairly true
mrexroad 4y ago
Only if their parents have blocked TikTok, most of YouTube, and PlayStation. </sarcasm of parent of kids faced with endless parade of distractions>
- WarOnPrivacy 4y ago
  What kids do depends on lots of things, including the makeup of the kid. None of my 5 were heavy into social media, even tho I was for 15 years. One followed my skillset and became heavy into computers/electronics (8y-now) and old cars (19y-now). The other 4 didn't pickup strong hobbies. I believe it's because there weren't available examples that fit their abilities. Two settled on gaming (one now a technician tho). One does music and graphic art.
- VLM 4y ago
  Ironically Minecraft would be good training for this level of dedication
- tqi 4y ago
  Have you seen the amount of effort and repetition it takes to make a TikTok?
throwaway14356 4y ago
which says a lot about the state of the industry. The best part to me is the large amount of designs one shouldn't bother to talk about because it is much more important to hysterically moan about potential perpetual motion than discus any motor/engine improvement.
mhh__ 4y ago
Lots of time but no money. Like the guy who makes his own chips. Super impressive but there's no way in hell I could've ever afforded to do that (I did look into it when I was 18)
todd8 4y ago
Back before the internet, in 1964, I read a brief Scientific American column on laboratory glass blowing (for making condensers and so forth). This set me on a quest; and I acquired supplies and primitive homemade equipment. I was years away from being able to drive so I took the bus downtown to the Detroit public library where I found several books devoted to the subject. I studied these for hours. I worked on this project for many days. I ended up being able to make a few primitive items from my tubes of glass, but of course, it was a silly pursuit that led nowhere. So I moved on to my next project, making a solid fuel rocket from scratch, then an arc furnace, then gunpowder, then a homemade gas-mask, etc. So it was for a curious kid in the 60's. I'm lucky I didn't burn down the house. This of course was made possible by the lack of an internet (and of course periodicals like Scientific American back when it was great and really about science). I admire the 17-year old in the article for coming up with something in this age when it is so much easier to entertain oneself by surfing the net.
- RHSeeger 4y ago
  > So I moved on to my next project, making a solid fuel rocket from scratch Remember when you could get the ingredients to do things like that easily; sometimes even in a "Science Kit for Kids!" one would buy at Caldor or the like? Man, how times have changed.
  - radicalbyte 4y ago
    I'm 42, when I sent my mom out with a shopping list for this stuff as a kid it ended up in her (almost) being arrested.
    - todd8 4y ago
      Yes, back in the 60's my buddy and I asked our parents to buy us some powdered aluminum and iron-oxide. We got in trouble because the chemical supply company warned them about our requested ingredients. That was the end of our homemade thermite project. So it was on to another project, homemade lock-picks.
ekianjo 4y ago
Most 17 years old don't have access to 3d printers. Equipment is a big factor in making something tangible.
- Consultant32452 4y ago
  One third of 17 year olds cannot read at grade level.
  - robotresearcher 4y ago
    Do you mean in the US, globally, or what? HN has lots of readership outside the US.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
- OJFord 4y ago
  Are you sure about that? I don't know when you're allowed to leave school in the US, but they're pretty popular in schools - relatively cheap tools & a lot safer than others. They didn't exist (in the mainstream at least) when I was at school, but we had laser cutter/engravers for example. I know which I'd pick if I were in control of the budget (and had to choose one).
  - crysin 4y ago
    My High School which was a fairly well funded public High School in Illinois, US hadn't upgraded their shop equipment since the 80s really it felt like. We had wood tools, saws, the basics only. The coolest thing we had was a smelting forge, but students weren't allowed to use it due to safety concerns. This was in the late 2000s.
  - digitallyfree 4y ago
    Whether you're able to use the equipment for tasks outside of the specific class (even if it's school related like a science fair project) is another issue. I've seen different schools in the same district do things differently - one for instance allowed students to say use the media lab to record a drama production and had a maker club where students could use the machine shop for personal projects. Others very strictly restricted the use of school equipment for the specific class in question (e.g. only shop class students can use the machine tools and only for projects related to that class). It really depends on the instructor and the school administration.
EvanAnderson 4y ago
I don’t know about “only”, but my observations are that they do. I’ve volunteered for a youth leadership camp every summer since 1998. Our attendees are 16-18 y/o males exclusively (there’s a female version of the camp but I don’t work there so I have no opinion on that side). Our attendees have been thru a selection process, so I’m not seeing a representative cross section of Ohio, US males of that age. In our sample, though, the number of focused and determined young men is very high. I’m not at all surprised a 17 y/o would have the drive and determination to keep trying over and over. Not all of them are that way— surely it’s a very small percentage. Nonetheless, that determination isn’t an anomaly in my experience.
Ekaros 4y ago
I kinda agree. That is around the age when you still can have the free time and energy to do what is essentially huge amount of grind. It is just question where the focus is. It might be games, books, music, anime and so on. Older you get less there is time and energy. And more responsibilities.
thehappypm 4y ago
You can both be right!
jhoechtl 4y ago
In a not so distant past state fund academia had the time to pursue their research without the need to deliver what economy donors deemed relevant. Then research got increasingly economy funded. Today we are at two, minutes two millions. Innovation doesn't always need the big team but time, deep understanding of a few (one?), patience, dedication and endurance.

Really? In my observations only 17 year olds have the time and patience to do crap like this.

by c22 4y ago

Really? In my observations only 17 year olds have the time and patience to do crap like this.

furyofantares 4y ago

Both things ring fairly true

mrexroad 4y ago

Only if their parents have blocked TikTok, most of YouTube, and PlayStation. </sarcasm of parent of kids faced with endless parade of distractions>

WarOnPrivacy 4y ago
What kids do depends on lots of things, including the makeup of the kid. None of my 5 were heavy into social media, even tho I was for 15 years. One followed my skillset and became heavy into computers/electronics (8y-now) and old cars (19y-now). The other 4 didn't pickup strong hobbies. I believe it's because there weren't available examples that fit their abilities. Two settled on gaming (one now a technician tho). One does music and graphic art.
VLM 4y ago
Ironically Minecraft would be good training for this level of dedication
tqi 4y ago
Have you seen the amount of effort and repetition it takes to make a TikTok?

throwaway14356 4y ago

which says a lot about the state of the industry. The best part to me is the large amount of designs one shouldn't bother to talk about because it is much more important to hysterically moan about potential perpetual motion than discus any motor/engine improvement.

mhh__ 4y ago

Lots of time but no money. Like the guy who makes his own chips. Super impressive but there's no way in hell I could've ever afforded to do that (I did look into it when I was 18)

todd8 4y ago

Back before the internet, in 1964, I read a brief Scientific American column on laboratory glass blowing (for making condensers and so forth). This set me on a quest; and I acquired supplies and primitive homemade equipment. I was years away from being able to drive so I took the bus downtown to the Detroit public library where I found several books devoted to the subject. I studied these for hours. I worked on this project for many days. I ended up being able to make a few primitive items from my tubes of glass, but of course, it was a silly pursuit that led nowhere. So I moved on to my next project, making a solid fuel rocket from scratch, then an arc furnace, then gunpowder, then a homemade gas-mask, etc. So it was for a curious kid in the 60's. I'm lucky I didn't burn down the house. This of course was made possible by the lack of an internet (and of course periodicals like Scientific American back when it was great and really about science). I admire the 17-year old in the article for coming up with something in this age when it is so much easier to entertain oneself by surfing the net.

RHSeeger 4y ago
> So I moved on to my next project, making a solid fuel rocket from scratch Remember when you could get the ingredients to do things like that easily; sometimes even in a "Science Kit for Kids!" one would buy at Caldor or the like? Man, how times have changed.
- radicalbyte 4y ago
  I'm 42, when I sent my mom out with a shopping list for this stuff as a kid it ended up in her (almost) being arrested.
  - todd8 4y ago
    Yes, back in the 60's my buddy and I asked our parents to buy us some powdered aluminum and iron-oxide. We got in trouble because the chemical supply company warned them about our requested ingredients. That was the end of our homemade thermite project. So it was on to another project, homemade lock-picks.

ekianjo 4y ago

Most 17 years old don't have access to 3d printers. Equipment is a big factor in making something tangible.

Consultant32452 4y ago
One third of 17 year olds cannot read at grade level.
- robotresearcher 4y ago
  Do you mean in the US, globally, or what? HN has lots of readership outside the US.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
OJFord 4y ago
Are you sure about that? I don't know when you're allowed to leave school in the US, but they're pretty popular in schools - relatively cheap tools & a lot safer than others. They didn't exist (in the mainstream at least) when I was at school, but we had laser cutter/engravers for example. I know which I'd pick if I were in control of the budget (and had to choose one).
- crysin 4y ago
  My High School which was a fairly well funded public High School in Illinois, US hadn't upgraded their shop equipment since the 80s really it felt like. We had wood tools, saws, the basics only. The coolest thing we had was a smelting forge, but students weren't allowed to use it due to safety concerns. This was in the late 2000s.
- digitallyfree 4y ago
  Whether you're able to use the equipment for tasks outside of the specific class (even if it's school related like a science fair project) is another issue. I've seen different schools in the same district do things differently - one for instance allowed students to say use the media lab to record a drama production and had a maker club where students could use the machine shop for personal projects. Others very strictly restricted the use of school equipment for the specific class in question (e.g. only shop class students can use the machine tools and only for projects related to that class). It really depends on the instructor and the school administration.

EvanAnderson 4y ago

I don’t know about “only”, but my observations are that they do. I’ve volunteered for a youth leadership camp every summer since 1998. Our attendees are 16-18 y/o males exclusively (there’s a female version of the camp but I don’t work there so I have no opinion on that side). Our attendees have been thru a selection process, so I’m not seeing a representative cross section of Ohio, US males of that age. In our sample, though, the number of focused and determined young men is very high. I’m not at all surprised a 17 y/o would have the drive and determination to keep trying over and over. Not all of them are that way— surely it’s a very small percentage. Nonetheless, that determination isn’t an anomaly in my experience.

Ekaros 4y ago

I kinda agree. That is around the age when you still can have the free time and energy to do what is essentially huge amount of grind. It is just question where the focus is. It might be games, books, music, anime and so on. Older you get less there is time and energy. And more responsibilities.

thehappypm 4y ago

You can both be right!

jhoechtl 4y ago

In a not so distant past state fund academia had the time to pursue their research without the need to deliver what economy donors deemed relevant. Then research got increasingly economy funded. Today we are at two, minutes two millions. Innovation doesn't always need the big team but time, deep understanding of a few (one?), patience, dedication and endurance.