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In a discussion in another part of LJ,[ to which I refuse to link because it wouldn't be fair to the person whose LJ is currently infected with the stupid and nobody needs to read another thread about how the simple way to solve the Palestinian issue is to kick them all out and kill the ones that won't leave] - there was a daft statement about nuclear weapons.
(Re-reads to check that that was roughly right and insane enough. I was.)
Anyway, in the thread there was a classic, and fairly common statement that once you knew how to do something, it was easy to get things done. The argument was being used to explain why Iran might be only weeks or months away from a nuclear weapon - on account of the hard bit being getting the materials.
They're obviously using a different use of the word easy to the one I learned as a young engineer. Because, frankly, knowing how to do stuff was a piece of cake compared to actually getting it done properly without the help of somebody who actually can do it.
So here's a list of some of the many many things I know in theory how to do, but wouldn't want to touch with a barge poll.
- Change a cylinder head gasket. Even of an older vehicle where it's "easy"
- Build any kind of explosive device
- Do my own plumbing - this is partly lazy, partly concern over the failure modes
- Weld Aluminium - seriously, nasty stuff, best left to the experts
- Build model airplanes - I know the theory, I know what they are meant to look like but I discovered that after about a decade trying all of mine had the same core set of features: an opaque canopy with paint on it and a fingerprint in glue on the wings
- Write software - I have taught myself enough to leave it to people who got beyond 10 PRINT "Hello world"; 20 GOTO 10 - one of the handy things I find about living in the now that is if I need something, somebody else has probably written it for me
- Build a rocket - ok, so actually I have built a sold motor rocket and it worked and it was fun - I don't feel the urge to do it again though
I could probably go on for a while.
I suppose, what I'm trying to say is that a better measure of your self worth is to understand what you actually can't do, rather than assume you can do everything and then do them badly.
And, with that in mind, today I am mostly trying to work on a pitch deck for a meeting next week, and while I know what the slides should be, getting them right is really really really hard.
(Re-reads to check that that was roughly right and insane enough. I was.)
Anyway, in the thread there was a classic, and fairly common statement that once you knew how to do something, it was easy to get things done. The argument was being used to explain why Iran might be only weeks or months away from a nuclear weapon - on account of the hard bit being getting the materials.
They're obviously using a different use of the word easy to the one I learned as a young engineer. Because, frankly, knowing how to do stuff was a piece of cake compared to actually getting it done properly without the help of somebody who actually can do it.
So here's a list of some of the many many things I know in theory how to do, but wouldn't want to touch with a barge poll.
- Change a cylinder head gasket. Even of an older vehicle where it's "easy"
- Build any kind of explosive device
- Do my own plumbing - this is partly lazy, partly concern over the failure modes
- Weld Aluminium - seriously, nasty stuff, best left to the experts
- Build model airplanes - I know the theory, I know what they are meant to look like but I discovered that after about a decade trying all of mine had the same core set of features: an opaque canopy with paint on it and a fingerprint in glue on the wings
- Write software - I have taught myself enough to leave it to people who got beyond 10 PRINT "Hello world"; 20 GOTO 10 - one of the handy things I find about living in the now that is if I need something, somebody else has probably written it for me
- Build a rocket - ok, so actually I have built a sold motor rocket and it worked and it was fun - I don't feel the urge to do it again though
I could probably go on for a while.
I suppose, what I'm trying to say is that a better measure of your self worth is to understand what you actually can't do, rather than assume you can do everything and then do them badly.
And, with that in mind, today I am mostly trying to work on a pitch deck for a meeting next week, and while I know what the slides should be, getting them right is really really really hard.
