[BC] Old Farts and the Future

[Larry Bloomfield]

I'm not sure anyone reads what I post, but I sure do read most of what 
you folks do. I have been most intrigued with the Old Fart - The Future 
threads. It exemplifies my complete philosophy in life.As Grady said in 
one of his posts " I think it is the responsibility of the old guys 
(like me now) to put out the effort to prove our value to the younger 
folks, so that they'll want to work all night for free to learn anything 
they can (just as I did, back in the day)."

This is exactly why I do the Tech-Notes. As I said in the Editorial in 
the most recent: "It is our opinion that if the technical aspects 
relating to the history of broadcastings involvement isn't documented 
somewhere, it will be lost to future generations who may just ask: 
?How?d they do that??"

Jim Tonne put it quite well: "...one of the responsibilities of kn owning all about a subject (like some of us old geezers) is that when a kid asks a question about it you have to be helpful and give a straight answer.  Someday, if'n the creek don't rise, that kid will pass that knowledge on to another kid."

I recall, as did Larry Lamoray, about my electronics training at Treasure Island in San Francisco in 1958. Like Larry, we also had a lot of tube training and only one week on transistors. I don't recall any mention of integrated circuits.  Or instructor also said, and I quote Larry Lamoray: "with the promise that "you may be seeing some of these in the future"."

I too miss the days when I could see, as Nat put it: "the romantic glow of big glass bottles and mercury rectifiers.  And perhaps most of all- the styling and sturdiness of the old transmitters."

I completely concur with Dave Dunsmoor when he said: "I owe it to not only the ones who follow me, but to also myself to continue the practice (of passing things on), and it's usually quite satisfying to do so."

This is why, when I can get guys like John Silva and Don McCroskey to share their experiences in the Tech-Notes, especially with lots of pictures, I do so. 


I find, as Nat put it: "I'm often nostalgic for the older days of 
broadcasting." I believe this is why we have guys like Chuck Pharis who, 
with his own money has built a 3 story building near his home in Sylmar, 
CA, has got over 150 vintage television cameras and associated 
equipment, is restoring it to its former glory and sharing it with all 
of us at some of the NABs.

I also believe this is why guys like Barry and Scott Fybush have places 
on the internet where we can see how things were done. We owe all those 
kinds of folks a great deal in their efforts to preserve history.

There is one adage that must be shared, though: "Those who don't learn 
from history are condemned to repeat it." Unfortunately, there is one 
thing is life we can be guaranteed of and that's change! NOTHING ever 
remains the same, and perhaps that's for the best or worst, but I'd like 
to think of it as for the best.

So it is us "Old Farts" responsibility to learn, share and move on. I 
hope that's what I'm doing with both the Tech-Notes and the Taste of NAB 
Road Shows.

-- 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Larry Bloomfield, KA6UTC
1980 25th St.
Florence, OR 97439
(541) 902-2424 ? Everything
http://www.Tech-Notes.tv
See you on the Taste of
NAB 2007 Road Show