It only takes a minute to plant a seed. When I was a little boy, maybe just a bit older than that kid, a Sears repairman came to fix our TV. He let me watch and described what it needed to be fixed. Fast forward to 1989, I got a job at Sears as a TV repairman. I had taken Electronics in High School many years after I saw that TV guy, and had kept at it ever since I watched that TV guy fix our TV. I was hired because the road tech was retiring, the same TV repair guy. I got to work with him for about a year before his retirement. I worked in the electronics field my entire life. Now retired at 59. I chose that career because a guy took a minute to be kind when I was a kid. And yes, I got an awesome set of tools.
I think I know just how you felt. When I was a little older than you were, we had a Sears appliance repairman come to fix our washing machine. I helped the guy and asked a lot of questions, so that by the time he was done I knew how to fix the problem when it happened again years later. There was no hesitation to share his knowledge.
Back in the '70s when computers were first coming out I learned what it took to build one...I have NOT BOUGHT A COMPUTER SINCE THE '70s and HAVE just finished a Windows Server 2022 build with 8 HDDs and ONE VERY NICE MOTHERBOARD AND 8 RAM STICKs w/256k per stick!!!!!!!!
I paid it forward with a lot of kids watching me the same as I did. I never minded anyone watching me, especially on projection TVs. You could go into someone's home and see the screen and gun lenses were filthy. You'd clean the lenses, the mirror, and the screens, adjust the convergence perfectly. The thanks I used to get when it looked like a new picture again was just as good as the money, probably more so.
My dad spent A Lot of time building a Heathkit TV. I decided, as a child, to take it apart, he decided that I would rebuild it. It took me longer than him, but he made sure I did it.
That tv was in our living room from the mid 70's all the way up until they bought a Mitsubishi big screen somewhere in the mid 80's. Noone was stealing it, I can guarantee that. Sucker weighed more than the 69 Chrysler in the driveway.
I worked for the county road department during summers in 9th grade, and for a road construction company during summers of 10th, 11th grades.
When working for county, spent lots of time working on a Bullgang. The country road department was during my childhood a prison. The trucks that we road in was just like the trucks in Cool Hand Luke movie, and the truck foreman was the same guy who worked the prisoners not to many year back. Became an expert operator of the Shovel (we called it a Yankee Dragline), Bushhook, and Sling lol.
I occasionally got to run some frontend loaders, and a D9 Bulldozer, but not enough to get good on them. But we had some operators that were really good on everything they ran. I remember it was said of one guy that he could pick up a dime off of hot asphalt with a 950 Cat frontend loader or backhoe and not scratch the pavement.
I frigging tired of seeing videos, (not you fault) of foreign skills workers doing their jobs when we have plenty of amazingly skilled American workers doing things.
Search YT and can't find one video of an skilled American worker. All stories are negative on Americans.
When "How it's Made" was on TV, any black or Mexican worker was always described as the expert or skilled worker. The white man...never. It was DEI before DEI was cool.
It only takes a minute to plant a seed. When I was a little boy, maybe just a bit older than that kid, a Sears repairman came to fix our TV. He let me watch and described what it needed to be fixed. Fast forward to 1989, I got a job at Sears as a TV repairman. I had taken Electronics in High School many years after I saw that TV guy, and had kept at it ever since I watched that TV guy fix our TV. I was hired because the road tech was retiring, the same TV repair guy. I got to work with him for about a year before his retirement. I worked in the electronics field my entire life. Now retired at 59. I chose that career because a guy took a minute to be kind when I was a kid. And yes, I got an awesome set of tools.
What was it like getting to work with an early hero of yours?
It was an awesome experience, he was from the old school tube days. Me, from solid state world. We learned much from each other.
I think I know just how you felt. When I was a little older than you were, we had a Sears appliance repairman come to fix our washing machine. I helped the guy and asked a lot of questions, so that by the time he was done I knew how to fix the problem when it happened again years later. There was no hesitation to share his knowledge.
You two sound like my kind of guys...
Back in the '70s when computers were first coming out I learned what it took to build one...I have NOT BOUGHT A COMPUTER SINCE THE '70s and HAVE just finished a Windows Server 2022 build with 8 HDDs and ONE VERY NICE MOTHERBOARD AND 8 RAM STICKs w/256k per stick!!!!!!!!
I paid it forward with a lot of kids watching me the same as I did. I never minded anyone watching me, especially on projection TVs. You could go into someone's home and see the screen and gun lenses were filthy. You'd clean the lenses, the mirror, and the screens, adjust the convergence perfectly. The thanks I used to get when it looked like a new picture again was just as good as the money, probably more so.
My dad spent A Lot of time building a Heathkit TV. I decided, as a child, to take it apart, he decided that I would rebuild it. It took me longer than him, but he made sure I did it.
Heathkit made really good stuff. Depending on how good the assembler was they were easy to fix, well laid out and engineered very well.
That tv was in our living room from the mid 70's all the way up until they bought a Mitsubishi big screen somewhere in the mid 80's. Noone was stealing it, I can guarantee that. Sucker weighed more than the 69 Chrysler in the driveway.
Great story.
this operator has some skill
Yup no DEI hire there.
You don't realize the skill involved ---- unless you've tried it yourself.
I would have smashed the little dude's truck.
I worked for the county road department during summers in 9th grade, and for a road construction company during summers of 10th, 11th grades.
When working for county, spent lots of time working on a Bullgang. The country road department was during my childhood a prison. The trucks that we road in was just like the trucks in Cool Hand Luke movie, and the truck foreman was the same guy who worked the prisoners not to many year back. Became an expert operator of the Shovel (we called it a Yankee Dragline), Bushhook, and Sling lol.
I occasionally got to run some frontend loaders, and a D9 Bulldozer, but not enough to get good on them. But we had some operators that were really good on everything they ran. I remember it was said of one guy that he could pick up a dime off of hot asphalt with a 950 Cat frontend loader or backhoe and not scratch the pavement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW90TFmRn2Q
also open a beer with a helicopter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev7K8GtWnks
I frigging tired of seeing videos, (not you fault) of foreign skills workers doing their jobs when we have plenty of amazingly skilled American workers doing things.
Search YT and can't find one video of an skilled American worker. All stories are negative on Americans.
When "How it's Made" was on TV, any black or Mexican worker was always described as the expert or skilled worker. The white man...never. It was DEI before DEI was cool.
it isnt hard and can be learned in a morning. you could easily fill the toy truck by afternoon.
That little subtle shake at the end ---- I don't think you get that right the first time -----after one day of practice.
Right, thats not easy to do.
A smooth operator and a well maintained machine can do wonders.
100% that kids going to be a heavy equipment operator! 💲💲💲
reminds me of this
https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/6vubxc/this_big_truck_hauling_this_little_truck/#lightbox
I wish that could be true, but by the time he gets out of knee britches AI will have taken over that job I fear.
And 17 seconds, too!
Love seeing the little ones so excited, pure joy coming from that little dude.
Love it.
That brought tears to my eyes. How very precious!!!
I had to watch this three time over!
My stupid eyes are watering.
GOD BLESS AMERICA
Awww. Love that.
that little guy will remember that moment forever
A lot more of that is fixing to happen when President Trump's tariffs force construction projects throughout this great country!
cute, but could have been dangerous.