Now admittedly, back then only boys were interested in the Erector Set (could you imagine this being sold in the Bible Belt today with that suggestive name?) and electronics kits, according to the video. But how many kids started out playing with them who went on to become scientists and engineers? And how many today don’t because they get fps video games instead because lawsuits and laws (might cut yourself, become a potential terrorist, etc.) prevent them from being sold?
Every youth today, especially those who play video games, are just some degenerate punks with no interest in a career in technology or other sciences.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with teaching kids BASIC. I have written and maintained 40000+ line programs in x86 assemmbly, but given the amount of RAM, disk space, and CPU speed available today, it’s hardly needed anymore. Today I generaly use either C or Delphi depending on the application. That said, I am teaching my kids programming using DOS QBASIC.
The old saying was “Real programmers dont use BASIC, actualy nobody over the age of 12 uses BASIC”
Altair BASIC: the last good product developed by Microsoft.
I had the triple fold out chemistry set too. I still think test tubes, glass pipes and beakers are cool.
Thanks Les, I didn’t think anyone else still liked Delphi.
I just bought my son an Erector set, at a Walmart in TN. 634 pieces for $50. Admittedly most of those pieces are tiny nuts and bolts, but not a bad deal, compared to the cost of similar sets I’ve seen.
It’s sad to think our next generation of scientists will be brought up with educational toys like the “Tickle Me Elmo” doll.
I loved my Gilbert Erector Set, Gilbert Chemistry Set, as well as Lincoln logs as a child. I had Lionel trains instead of American Flyer. 1950′s era.
I had the erector set and chemistry set. I had the smaller chemistry set and it wasn’t that interesting. It did give me the ability to make a fine dye that I used on my sister and some stuff to watch ants die but nothing extraordinary. The erector set was actually pretty cool mainly because they gave you working motors. Honestly, if I could go back I’d have traded the chemistry set for the microscope.
I had both the Gilbert Erector set and the tri fold chemistry set. I also had the larger Lincoln Log set.
I loved these because I was such a tinkerer as a kid.
It’s incredible how much a youngster can learn from these sets and I relate much of my success today from them.
My dad had a lot of influence on me because he was the one that always brought home another set for me to tinker with.
Whats out there for a kid today, Grand Theft Auto, IPOD, Text Messaging. All brainless.
Oh well.
Love the memories.
JD
I also was raised up on Gilbert chemistry sets. I remember my favorite experiment of generating oxygen. It was magic to see a glowing splint burst into flames when plunged into the test tube. When Ebay came on the scene, I went nuts buying up all the sets I could find, as well as, some very exotic lab equipment. I miss being a kid.
I see these beautiful kits and see red with the current sorry state of this country. Now you got me started!
I had most of these sets (chemistry, engineering, erector, etc.) and they were profoundly formative for me. And yes, we sure as heck made explosives (lots) and plenty of other stuff that would freak-out the cowards of today’s world.
The greatest teachers and men I’ve ever had the privilege to know were my chemistry teachers Mr. Colin Wilson and Mr. Dennis Seesock who trained us on how to use the most dangerous stuff safely, to use the scientific method and then had the good sense to let us explore freely with anything in the lab, because that’s what real teachers and real parents do. True patriots!
Yet these patriots could never get a job today in any US public school because of their teaching talent, fearlessness and methods for learning. After all, they showed how to make explosive, yet make and use them safely – that’s considered a “crime” these days.
I became an electrical engineer, used my experience with home-brew explosives in the service of this country. I’ve worked on the biggest and brightest. I’ve started businesses in the sciences and engineering fearlessly because of my experiences with kits of this type and in doing so have added more economic and technology value to this country than any one of these cry-baby cowards have or ever will add in their entire lifetime careers!
The real traitors to America are each and every person who rallies for restrictions on chemistry sets, amateur rocketry and free access to knowledge and the tools of science out of their own ignorant fears and control neurosis.
Their cowardice is doubled by the fact that it is only men and women who determine the morality of inanimate objects like chemicals, not the objects themselves – restrictions are a tacit acknowledgment of an ignorant ideology and it’s the ideology of and for the coward amounting to a complete moral cop-out.
How many people have these traitors murdered with their actions? How many inventions and cures haven’t occurred or now won’t occur because some little boy or girl was made afraid of science when they tried to explore their interest and natural talents in science?
When will be send these traitors ‘to the wall’ for their crimes?!
Yeah, I know. I really need to learn to let go and get in touch with my feelings sometime.
Grrrr! Bastards!