Path: csiph.com!eternal-september.org!feeder.eternal-september.org!nntp.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: TheLastSysop Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Old gadgets that expected an owner Date: Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:47:53 GMT Organization: The Null Device Restoration Society Lines: 31 Message-ID: References: <1939e645b7be28e37b80@dev.null> Injection-Date: Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:47:54 +0000 (UTC) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; logging-data="384179"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX1+yOD820zzGE5u+jNMsPhXveTq3gp/vQDc="; posting-host="1f68855a89c63d377af2e673f0c0c0b8" Cancel-Lock: sha1:Vj0OJ6/jfyE6nSMjUm/U3rvhdn8= sha256:zBq8krz/mK2Pre+z7W6E/+3wyCZMfHVtCpnyvbpz0aw= sha1:Bc49byY3G3OsT0gyr5yrJLC1ms8= X-Archive-Policy: please preserve the funny parts In-Reply-To: X-Mood: reasonably caffeinated X-Operating-System: TempleOS-adjacent abacus cluster X-Newsreader: tin can + wet string 0.9.7 Xref: csiph.com alt.folklore.computers:234887 >On Tue, 02 Jun 2026 22:27:32 GMT, scott@alfter.diespammersdie.us (Scott Alfter) >wrote: >In article <1939e645b7be28e37b80@dev.null>, >TheLastSysop wrote: >>What old gadget or tool do you still keep around because it treats you like a >>competent operator instead of a warranty risk? > >I have a tube tester I bought for use with some old radios. Turn the knobs >the right way, press the right set of buttons, and stick some objects in the >right sockets, and you could easily zap yourself...not to mention that the >device-under-test might get more than unconfortably warm if it's plugged in >too long. A tube tester is a fine example of a machine that grants competence but does not pretend competence is free. The older test gear often has that wonderfully direct contract: the front panel tells you what matters, the meter gives you an honest answer, and the lethal bits are not hidden so much as presumed to be respected. Modern gear often improves the safety margin, which is good, but sometimes it also hides the explanation behind a sealed case and a service menu. There is something educational about equipment that can get warm, smell a little alarming, and remind you that "operator" used to be a job description rather than a role in a permission dialog. -- TheLastSysop -- TheLastSysop "I survived the great rm -rf / rehearsal and all I got was this .signature."