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Does anybody read [books] anymore?

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,939
13,133
Portland, OR
I've always been curious if he is considered to be a good mechanic.

If you are extremely selective about your customers, naturally you will be thought of highly.

I think most repair shops take anyone they can, within reason, and naturally the feedback can be mixed.
I thought it was a great book, but finding ANYONE who can even wrench on an old BMW can be a chore. So as far as "good", beggars can't be that choosy you know.
 

boogenman

Turbo Monkey
Nov 3, 2004
4,290
973
BUFFALO
Depends, is it one like Cooks Illustrated where it goes through the process of testing different thinks to get to the best recipe?
Holy $hit! Yeah I read cooks illistrated all the time!

I read books!!! I always considered that a magazine?

FYI-Ministrone soup from the current issue is out of this world !
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
I thought it was a great book, but finding ANYONE who can even wrench on an old BMW can be a chore. So as far as "good", beggars can't be that choosy you know.
Well, I'll give you that.

My own experiences as a bicycle mechanic (I like one g/f who called it "My BoHo thing"), I have to deal with the general populous, for good or bad.

I have to read the book and see what I think.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,939
13,133
Portland, OR
Well, I'll give you that.

My own experiences as a bicycle mechanic (I like one g/f who called it "My BoHo thing"), I have to deal with the general populous, for good or bad.

I have to read the book and see what I think.
Potroast88 posted up about it, so I checked it out. It was one of the better philosophical books I've read in a while and an interesting take on outsourcing and the decline of trade labor as a positive option for students.

The fact remains that not everyone was meant to go to college, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing, either.
 

Racebike

Monkey
Jul 28, 2008
463
4
Sweden
Mary Roach - Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers.

Just finished it, great stuff if you are slightly morbid. :)
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
Potroast88 posted up about it, so I checked it out. It was one of the better philosophical books I've read in a while and an interesting take on outsourcing and the decline of trade labor as a positive option for students.

The fact remains that not everyone was meant to go to college, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing, either.
I certainly think that is a worthy topic to analyze.

However, I don't want a brainiac tinkering with my Suzuki when he said he would change the plugs by Thursday.

The other thing is that I am good at picking up weaknesses. Most people would be impressed that a philosophy fellow is also a mechanic, but I suspect that he is a dilettante.

While he may be even a talented mechanic, ultimately getting the job done when you say you will is what impresses me. While he may have the skill, I wonder if he has the fortitude to get the job done.

I just reserved the book at the library. I will have to read it for myself.
 

AngryMetalsmith

Business is good, thanks for asking
Jun 4, 2006
21,077
9,781
I have no idea where I am
Just finished this last night. Maybe it will help my text styling skills.




I'm about half way through this one and it is not a bunch of new age bullsh1t like I suspected. It is based off some ancient eastern thought.

 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,939
13,133
Portland, OR
I just reserved the book at the library. I will have to read it for myself.
He didn't go too much into his ability to work on bikes, or at least that's not what I took away from it. It is disappointing to learn that schools are killing shop programs along with the art programs as well.

I loved wood shop and learned a lot. I never took auto mechanics because I was in electronics. But taking 3 years of electronics (including time on the TRS80's and C-64's) is what got me thinking computers to begin with. But even though I never went into a wood craft line of work, I use the techniques and skills I learned back then on home projects.

Giant can outsource frame building to China. But if you need to have new cranks installed, you either do it yourself, or you take it to the shop. You don't box your bike up and ship it to China.
 

TN

Hey baby, want a hot dog?
Jul 9, 2002
14,301
1,353
Jimtown, CO
name 3 books we read ever?
or in the last week?

I am reading 4 books at the moment....
East is East by TC Boyle
A backgammon strategy book
A domino rule book & strategy guide
& a book on how to build saunas.
 

laura

DH_Laura
Jul 16, 2002
6,259
15
Glitter Gulch
I am avergaing about 3 a week right now. Gotta love the winter time. I am reading so many that I can't keep up and think I am going to have to start a reading journal this year.

Some of my most recent











I finished this one a few months back but it is too good to not share.
 

jdcamb

Tool Time!
Feb 17, 2002
19,799
8,383
Nowhere Man!
I have reached critical mass in the knowledge department. Reading anymore books would be a waste of time and money. I can't know anymore stuff then I already do....
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
He didn't go too much into his ability to work on bikes, or at least that's not what I took away from it. It is disappointing to learn that schools are killing shop programs along with the art programs as well.

I loved wood shop and learned a lot. I never took auto mechanics because I was in electronics. But taking 3 years of electronics (including time on the TRS80's and C-64's) is what got me thinking computers to begin with. But even though I never went into a wood craft line of work, I use the techniques and skills I learned back then on home projects.

Giant can outsource frame building to China. But if you need to have new cranks installed, you either do it yourself, or you take it to the shop. You don't box your bike up and ship it to China.
I think the blue-collar chic is cool when you can walk away from it whenever you want.

It is a little harder when you have to wrench on bikes or cars for a living. It is not as easy as working on computers or writing position papers.
 

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,861
4,159
Copenhagen, Denmark
I really do not like fiction

Second book on Cuba



Trying to understand this crazy country from different angles



700 pages of well written and history

 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,939
13,133
Portland, OR
I think the blue-collar chic is cool when you can walk away from it whenever you want.

It is a little harder when you have to wrench on bikes or cars for a living. It is not as easy as working on computers or writing position papers.
I agree, but I would rather do what he did and open a shop where I wrench on motorcycles (still hope to in another year or 2) rather than work in a cubicle for the man. Now working as a mechanic for someone else is almost as bad as what I do now, or could be considered worse because the pay sucks, too.

But I do this because I am good at it and it pays the bills. It's far from what i would consider passionate work, or a labor of love. I've said it before, I was happy driving a tow truck, but I wasn't happy with the pay or the hours. If I had my own tow company, it would be much different.
 

Demomonkey

Monkey
Apr 27, 2005
857
0
Auckland New Zealand
I've done loads of reading this last couple of years, mainly because TV is so crap these days. My GF got me into fantasy fiction and I must say that although the read like grown up childrens books they are a rollicking good time.

The Rift War saga (6 books) by Fiest has been great and I've finished Wizards First Rule by Terry Goodkind recently. This was the book the TV series Legend of the Seeker was based from but lets just say that alot of the things about the bad guys' in the book didnt quite translate over into prime time family viewing, like child torture and rape, and approximately 3 chapters of extreme sadomasochistic sexual torture of the hero.

I just finished last night The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stig Larrson. Quite brilliant, I'll be buying the other two books in the series.

I like non fiction also and read Naomi Kleins The Shock Doctrine late last year. Now that was a great history lesson into post WWII US foreign and domestic policy.