I am looking for a book which will interest a 12 year old kid who is >fascinated by things mechanical.
The kind of kid who used to take clocks apart and put them back together >still working (when that was possible), build a telescope or put
together a radio, that sort of thing.
I remember seeing such a book and wishing I'd had it when I was twelve >myself, but I don't recall the name or author.
As for myself, that clock never worked again, so I'm not much of a
mentor here.
William Hyde
I am looking for a book which will interest a 12 year old kid who is >fascinated by things mechanical.
In article <vdk2tj$t76$1@panix2.panix.com>,
Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:
William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:
I am looking for a book which will interest a 12 year old kid who is >>>fascinated by things mechanical.
A fiction book or nonfiction?
When I was... younger than 12, might have been about seven... I got my >>father to buy me the Chilton's engine rebuilding annual. I still have
it. I spent months poring over it.
--scott
L. Sprague deCamp actually wrote a non-fiction book about engines.
Huh, it's actually called _Engines_:
https://www.amazon.com/Engines-L-Sprague-Camp/dp/B0006BZMX8
I am looking for a book which will interest a 12 year old kid who is >fascinated by things mechanical.
William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:
I am looking for a book which will interest a 12 year old kid who is >>fascinated by things mechanical.
A fiction book or nonfiction?
When I was... younger than 12, might have been about seven... I got my
father to buy me the Chilton's engine rebuilding annual. I still have
it. I spent months poring over it.
--scott
On 10/2/24 10:33 AM, William Hyde wrote:
I am looking for a book which will interest a 12 year old kid who is
fascinated by things mechanical.
The kind of kid who used to take clocks apart and put them back together
still working (when that was possible), build a telescope or put
together a radio, that sort of thing.
I remember seeing such a book and wishing I'd had it when I was twelve
myself, but I don't recall the name or author.
As for myself, that clock never worked again, so I'm not much of a
mentor here.
William Hyde
My son is an engineer, and 4 of my nieces/nephews are also engineers,
and when they were young, every one of them loved the book "The Way
Things Work" by David Macaulay. I'm just a math guy, but I enjoyed
flipping through it as well.
In looking for that title, I see he has also written a second book
called "The New Way Things Work". I am unfamiliar with that book.
Tony
If you can find a copy of the Audel's books (e.g. antique stores,
ABE, etc), they're fascinating reading. Particularly the
engineers and mechanics guide set which discusses steam engines.
In article <vdkebk$3cv3c$1@dont-email.me>,
Tony Nance <tnusenet17@gmail.com> wrote:
On 10/2/24 10:33 AM, William Hyde wrote:
I am looking for a book which will interest a 12 year old kid who is
fascinated by things mechanical.
The kind of kid who used to take clocks apart and put them back together >>> still working (when that was possible), build a telescope or put
together a radio, that sort of thing.
I remember seeing such a book and wishing I'd had it when I was twelve
myself, but I don't recall the name or author.
As for myself, that clock never worked again, so I'm not much of a
mentor here.
William Hyde
My son is an engineer, and 4 of my nieces/nephews are also engineers,
and when they were young, every one of them loved the book "The Way
Things Work" by David Macaulay. I'm just a math guy, but I enjoyed
flipping through it as well.
In looking for that title, I see he has also written a second book
called "The New Way Things Work". I am unfamiliar with that book.
Tony
Coming soon "That Should Have Worked!"
On 10/2/24 10:33 AM, William Hyde wrote:
I am looking for a book which will interest a 12 year old kid who is
fascinated by things mechanical.
The kind of kid who used to take clocks apart and put them back together
still working (when that was possible), build a telescope or put
together a radio, that sort of thing.
I remember seeing such a book and wishing I'd had it when I was twelve
myself, but I don't recall the name or author.
As for myself, that clock never worked again, so I'm not much of a
mentor here.
William Hyde
My son is an engineer, and 4 of my nieces/nephews are also engineers,
and when they were young, every one of them loved the book "The Way
Things Work" by David Macaulay. I'm just a math guy, but I enjoyed
flipping through it as well.
In looking for that title, I see he has also written a second book
called "The New Way Things Work". I am unfamiliar with that book.
On Wed, 2 Oct 2024 17:35:46 -0400, Tony Nance <tnusenet17@gmail.com>YHW81NGTD74KVZB0R9QT&pd_rd_wg=wmYbJ&pd_rd_r=2fefd4c5-6629-437f-ae7a-31f560538b43&pd_rd_i=0395428572&psc=1>
wrote:
On 10/2/24 10:33 AM, William Hyde wrote:
I am looking for a book which will interest a 12 year old kid who is
fascinated by things mechanical.
The kind of kid who used to take clocks apart and put them back together >>> still working (when that was possible), build a telescope or put
together a radio, that sort of thing.
I remember seeing such a book and wishing I'd had it when I was twelve
myself, but I don't recall the name or author.
As for myself, that clock never worked again, so I'm not much of a
mentor here.
William Hyde
My son is an engineer, and 4 of my nieces/nephews are also engineers,
and when they were young, every one of them loved the book "The Way
Things Work" by David Macaulay. I'm just a math guy, but I enjoyed
flipping through it as well.
In looking for that title, I see he has also written a second book
called "The New Way Things Work". I am unfamiliar with that book.
Judging from ><https://www.amazon.com/New-Way-Things-Work/dp/0395938473#:~:text=To%20help%20make%20sense%20of%20the%20computer%20age,%20David%20Macaulay>,
it adds 12 new machines -- including digital machinery.
Well, digital computers as of 1998, anyway. But basics are basics,
after all.
It may also have updates on items discussed in the original (cars and
watches are mentioned, and surely they were in the original).
It is being advertised as an updated version of the original, not a
second volume in a series.
Some might be interested in a price inversion: the paperback costs
/more/ than the hardcover.
And here we have ><https://www.amazon.com/Way-Things-Work-Now-dp-0544824385/dp/0544824385/ref=dp_ob_title_bk>,
a new version dated 2023.
It apparently extends the tech to touchscreens and 3D printers. No
doubt other recently introduced items are there as well.
Continuing the price-inversion tradition, the Kindle edition (unless
you belong to KindleUnlimited) costs more than the hardcover.
The original from 1988 ><https://www.amazon.com/Way-Things-Work-David-Macaulay/dp/0395428572/ref=pd_bxgy_d_sccl_2/142-6944350-7921335?pd_rd_w=BUSrl&content-id=amzn1.sym.f7fa8b58-6436-47b8-8741-9e90c231669e&pf_rd_p=f7fa8b58-6436-47b8-8741-9e90c231669e&pf_rd_r=
also has the hardcover costing less than the paperback.
Also in the same tradition of price inversion is ><https://www.amazon.com/Way-Things-Work-Kit/dp/078946506X/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=>
with 12 models and a CD-ROM to explore machines in (I presume) a
hands-on manner.
This makes me wonder: are Hardcover books falling out of favor to the
point that Paperbacks (presumably Trade Paperbacks) command a premium?
Tony Nance wrote:
On 10/2/24 10:33 AM, William Hyde wrote:
I am looking for a book which will interest a 12 year old kid who is
fascinated by things mechanical.
The kind of kid who used to take clocks apart and put them back
together still working (when that was possible), build a telescope or
put together a radio, that sort of thing.
I remember seeing such a book and wishing I'd had it when I was twelve
myself, but I don't recall the name or author.
As for myself, that clock never worked again, so I'm not much of a
mentor here.
William Hyde
My son is an engineer, and 4 of my nieces/nephews are also engineers,
and when they were young, every one of them loved the book "The Way
Things Work" by David Macaulay. I'm just a math guy, but I enjoyed
flipping through it as well.
In looking for that title, I see he has also written a second book
called "The New Way Things Work". I am unfamiliar with that book.
That may well have been the book I mentioned above.
Thanks for this, and all the other suggestions.
William Hyde
On 2024-10-03, William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:
Tony Nance wrote:
On 10/2/24 10:33 AM, William Hyde wrote:
I am looking for a book which will interest a 12 year old kid who is
fascinated by things mechanical.
The kind of kid who used to take clocks apart and put them back
together still working (when that was possible), build a telescope or
put together a radio, that sort of thing.
I remember seeing such a book and wishing I'd had it when I was twelve >>>> myself, but I don't recall the name or author.
As for myself, that clock never worked again, so I'm not much of a
mentor here.
William Hyde
My son is an engineer, and 4 of my nieces/nephews are also engineers,
and when they were young, every one of them loved the book "The Way
Things Work" by David Macaulay. I'm just a math guy, but I enjoyed
flipping through it as well.
In looking for that title, I see he has also written a second book
called "The New Way Things Work". I am unfamiliar with that book.
That may well have been the book I mentioned above.
Thanks for this, and all the other suggestions.
William Hyde
We're old enough so I bet you were originally thinking of a much earlier
_The Way Things Work_ . A very impressive book. I was disappointed in
the content of Macaulay's book in comparison, though his presentation
is better. Macaulay's book is more engineering of everyday things
while this is more technology, so Macaulay's book would probably be
more targeted for your purposes, though there is plenty for an
engineer-to-be here.
The early version is unauthored; it calls itself "an illustrated
encyclopedia of technology". It was originally written in German in
1963 and translated/published in the US in 1967 which must have been a
major undertaking. It's 580 pages of small type, with 1/3 of it being >diagrams. It goes from pumps to juke-boxes to electron microscopes;
I'm surprised leafing through it for the first time in decades about
how much technology was already well-developed in 1963.
Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:
William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:
I am looking for a book which will interest a 12 year old kid who is >>>fascinated by things mechanical.
A fiction book or nonfiction?
When I was... younger than 12, might have been about seven... I got my >>father to buy me the Chilton's engine rebuilding annual. I still have
it. I spent months poring over it.
L. Sprague deCamp actually wrote a non-fiction book about engines.
Huh, it's actually called _Engines_:
https://www.amazon.com/Engines-L-Sprague-Camp/dp/B0006BZMX8
On 10/2/2024 1:46 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
In article <vdk2tj$t76$1@panix2.panix.com>,
Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:
William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:
I am looking for a book which will interest a 12 year old kid who is
fascinated by things mechanical.
A fiction book or nonfiction?
When I was... younger than 12, might have been about seven... I got my
father to buy me the Chilton's engine rebuilding annual. I still have
it. I spent months poring over it.
--scott
L. Sprague deCamp actually wrote a non-fiction book about engines.
Huh, it's actually called _Engines_:
https://www.amazon.com/Engines-L-Sprague-Camp/dp/B0006BZMX8
That is a wild picture. I can tell you from experience, working on a >outboard engine in the middle of a lake or river is not fun when you
drop whatever you were working on in the drink. In my case, it was the >propeller after we ran over a log and broke the prop key. One should
always have a spare prop and several keys on board.
Lynn
On 2024-10-03, William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:
Tony Nance wrote:
On 10/2/24 10:33 AM, William Hyde wrote:
I am looking for a book which will interest a 12 year old kid who is
fascinated by things mechanical.
The kind of kid who used to take clocks apart and put them back
together still working (when that was possible), build a telescope or
put together a radio, that sort of thing.
I remember seeing such a book and wishing I'd had it when I was twelve >>>> myself, but I don't recall the name or author.
As for myself, that clock never worked again, so I'm not much of a
mentor here.
William Hyde
My son is an engineer, and 4 of my nieces/nephews are also engineers,
and when they were young, every one of them loved the book "The Way
Things Work" by David Macaulay. I'm just a math guy, but I enjoyed
flipping through it as well.
In looking for that title, I see he has also written a second book
called "The New Way Things Work". I am unfamiliar with that book.
That may well have been the book I mentioned above.
Thanks for this, and all the other suggestions.
William Hyde
We're old enough so I bet you were originally thinking of a much earlier
_The Way Things Work_ . A very impressive book. I was disappointed in
the content of Macaulay's book in comparison, though his presentation
is better. Macaulay's book is more engineering of everyday things
while this is more technology, so Macaulay's book would probably be
more targeted for your purposes, though there is plenty for an
engineer-to-be here.
The early version is unauthored; it calls itself "an illustrated
encyclopedia of technology". It was originally written in German in
1963 and translated/published in the US in 1967 which must have been a
major undertaking. It's 580 pages of small type, with 1/3 of it being diagrams. It goes from pumps to juke-boxes to electron microscopes;
I'm surprised leafing through it for the first time in decades about
how much technology was already well-developed in 1963.
On 10/2/2024 1:46 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
In article <vdk2tj$t76$1@panix2.panix.com>,
Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:
William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:
I am looking for a book which will interest a 12 year old kid who is
fascinated by things mechanical.
A fiction book or nonfiction?
When I was... younger than 12, might have been about seven... I got my
father to buy me the Chilton's engine rebuilding annual. I still have
it. I spent months poring over it.
--scott
L. Sprague deCamp actually wrote a non-fiction book about engines.
Huh, it's actually called _Engines_:
https://www.amazon.com/Engines-L-Sprague-Camp/dp/B0006BZMX8
That is a wild picture. I can tell you from experience, working on a >outboard engine in the middle of a lake or river is not fun when you
drop whatever you were working on in the drink. In my case, it was the >propeller after we ran over a log and broke the prop key. One should
always have a spare prop and several keys on board.
Lynn McGuire wrote:
On 10/2/2024 1:46 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
In article <vdk2tj$t76$1@panix2.panix.com>,
Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:
William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:
I am looking for a book which will interest a 12 year old kid who is >>>>> fascinated by things mechanical.
A fiction book or nonfiction?
When I was... younger than 12, might have been about seven... I got my >>>> father to buy me the Chilton's engine rebuilding annual. I still have >>>> it. I spent months poring over it.
--scott
L. Sprague deCamp actually wrote a non-fiction book about engines.
Huh, it's actually called _Engines_:
https://www.amazon.com/Engines-L-Sprague-Camp/dp/B0006BZMX8
That is a wild picture. I can tell you from experience, working on a
outboard engine in the middle of a lake or river is not fun when you
drop whatever you were working on in the drink. In my case, it was
the propeller after we ran over a log and broke the prop key. One
should always have a spare prop and several keys on board.
I had a similar experience but without the log (why it broke I do not
know).
It's amazing how long it takes to move a 10 foot boat a mile with only
one paddle. If there had been any kind of current the other way I'd
still be out there.
I could have swum back faster.
I never went out again without checking the spares, even if I absolutely
knew they were there.
William Hyde
In article <lm5t3jFbuivU1@mid.individual.net>,
Ted Nolan <tednolan> <tednolan> wrote:
In article <vdkebk$3cv3c$1@dont-email.me>,
Tony Nance <tnusenet17@gmail.com> wrote:
On 10/2/24 10:33 AM, William Hyde wrote:
I am looking for a book which will interest a 12 year old kid who is
fascinated by things mechanical.
The kind of kid who used to take clocks apart and put them back together >>>> still working (when that was possible), build a telescope or put
together a radio, that sort of thing.
I remember seeing such a book and wishing I'd had it when I was twelve >>>> myself, but I don't recall the name or author.
As for myself, that clock never worked again, so I'm not much of a
mentor here.
William Hyde
My son is an engineer, and 4 of my nieces/nephews are also engineers,
and when they were young, every one of them loved the book "The Way
Things Work" by David Macaulay. I'm just a math guy, but I enjoyed
flipping through it as well.
In looking for that title, I see he has also written a second book
called "The New Way Things Work". I am unfamiliar with that book.
Tony
Coming soon "That Should Have Worked!"
I am waiting for "The Way Things Would Have Worked If GM Hadn't Screwed
Them Up."
--scott
In article <lm5t3jFbuivU1@mid.individual.net>,
Ted Nolan <tednolan> <tednolan> wrote:
In article <vdkebk$3cv3c$1@dont-email.me>,
Tony Nance <tnusenet17@gmail.com> wrote:
On 10/2/24 10:33 AM, William Hyde wrote:
I am looking for a book which will interest a 12 year old kid who is >>>>> fascinated by things mechanical.
The kind of kid who used to take clocks apart and put them back together >>>>> still working (when that was possible), build a telescope or put
together a radio, that sort of thing.
I remember seeing such a book and wishing I'd had it when I was twelve >>>>> myself, but I don't recall the name or author.
As for myself, that clock never worked again, so I'm not much of a
mentor here.
William Hyde
My son is an engineer, and 4 of my nieces/nephews are also engineers,
and when they were young, every one of them loved the book "The Way
Things Work" by David Macaulay. I'm just a math guy, but I enjoyed
flipping through it as well.
In looking for that title, I see he has also written a second book
called "The New Way Things Work". I am unfamiliar with that book.
Tony
Coming soon "That Should Have Worked!"
I am waiting for "The Way Things Would Have Worked If GM Hadn't Screwed
Them Up."
--scott
Is there "Things That Work Intermittently"?
Those give me the most trouble.
--
Kevin R
On 12/10/2024 12.48, William Hyde wrote:
Kevrob wrote:
On 10/5/2024 2:07 PM, William Hyde wrote:
Lynn McGuire wrote:
On 10/2/2024 1:46 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
In article <vdk2tj$t76$1@panix2.panix.com>,That is a wild picture. I can tell you from experience, working on >>>>> a outboard engine in the middle of a lake or river is not fun when
Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:
William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:
I am looking for a book which will interest a 12 year old kid
who is
fascinated by things mechanical.
A fiction book or nonfiction?
When I was... younger than 12, might have been about seven... I
got my
father to buy me the Chilton's engine rebuilding annual. I still >>>>>>> have
it. I spent months poring over it.
--scott
L. Sprague deCamp actually wrote a non-fiction book about engines. >>>>>>
Huh, it's actually called _Engines_:
https://www.amazon.com/Engines-L-Sprague-Camp/dp/B0006BZMX8 >>>>>
you drop whatever you were working on in the drink. In my case, it >>>>> was the propeller after we ran over a log and broke the prop key.
One should always have a spare prop and several keys on board.
I had a similar experience but without the log (why it broke I do
not know).
It's amazing how long it takes to move a 10 foot boat a mile with
only one paddle. If there had been any kind of current the other
way I'd still be out there.
I could have swum back faster.
I never went out again without checking the spares, even if I
absolutely knew they were there.
William Hyde
I used to put my Great-Uncle's 3.5 hp Evinrude (a 1956, IMS) on the
back of my family's 10-ft aluminum dinghy,
We also had a 3.5 Evinrude, and the year is about right.
Also an aluminum boat. It usually had oars, but for some reason they
were gone that day and only a paddle remained. I could have rowed it
back easily enough, but paddling is for canoes, not boats.
My uncle was well off, and every year he had new and stronger engines.
the last I recall were twin 80 mercs.
Hopefully, they weren't on the same old aluminum rowboat.
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