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Speaking of Folding Rulers


kurt

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I collect old tools also. But after having been mildly chastised by a much older gentleman -- and I'm 53 -- for using the term "ruler" I quit using the term.

What he told me is that what you are holding is a folding rule. His point was that a ruler -- antique or otherwise -- was a member of some governing body.

But they built them well back then, huh?

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I collect old tools also. But after having been mildly chastised by a much older gentleman -- and I'm 53 -- for using the term "ruler" I quit using the term.

What he told me is that what you are holding is a folding rule. His point was that a ruler -- antique or otherwise -- was a member of some governing body.

But they built them well back then, huh?

You know, you're exactly right.

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Yes, somewhere here I have an antique folding Rule as well, but the numbers are worn off. I assume it was not a Lufkin.

In school, we were taught to use a "ruler", and if we were bad boys, never the girls, could get the teacher's "ruler" across the butt, or just a sharp crack to the back of the head. [:-graduat

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What he told me is that what you are holding is a folding rule. His point was that a ruler -- antique or otherwise -- was a member of some governing body.

A rather useless disambiguation. The question that naturally follows is, "Do rulers rule?"

Quite a few didn't 'measure up,' but I don't think that an adequate answer.

Like John K. we often got the ruler when we didn't follow the rules. Or a flying piece of chalk or eraser (they hurt).

Then I graduated to the eighth grade we had a teacher called 'fish.' No he didn't look like one, he had a 'fish stick.'

Nothing like the days of corporal punishment; what is the world coming to?

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I collect old tools also. But after having been mildly chastised by a much older gentleman -- and I'm 53 -- for using the term "ruler" I quit using the term.

What he told me is that what you are holding is a folding rule. His point was that a ruler -- antique or otherwise -- was a member of some governing body.

Brings back memories of Mr. Hubachek in 7th grade industrial arts. He insisted that we use "rule" and also admonished us when we said "drill bit" when we meant "twist drill."

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I collect old tools also. But after having been mildly chastised by a much older gentleman -- and I'm 53 -- for using the term "ruler" I quit using the term.

What he told me is that what you are holding is a folding rule. His point was that a ruler -- antique or otherwise -- was a member of some governing body.

Brings back memories of Mr. Hubachek in 7th grade industrial arts. He insisted that we use "rule" and also admonished us when we said "drill bit" when we meant "twist drill."

At least he didn't make you use an "auger bit". Or would that be an "auger"?

We had to perform complex calcs with that goofy contraption, the "slide rule". Nobody liked the slide rule very much, IIRC. Outside of Math class, a battery operated calculator worked just fine. [:)]

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The slide rule is an amazing calculator. I used one well into my 20's before purchasing my first electronic one.

I've still got mine. I tried to teach my kids to use it - a futile endeavor. The thing about using a slide rule is that it makes your brain model numbers in a different way that it does when you use a calculator. You see the "big picture" which is lost with calculators.

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Maybe so, but love affairs with slide rules and all the other outdated technologies, are sentimental as opposed to romantic.

Modern world, go digital or die.

Pics sent by wireless to a computer thence to the cloud.

I prefer the reliable pen and paper, and I've got shelves and boxes full of old tech items, including vacuum tube test equipment. But I can't expect my clients to be happy with old school reporting. Ditto with the slide rule. Let the bits and bytes sort themselves at a billion clicks per second.

I never liked the slide rule because it was the hard way to get the same answer. Why? I used to be angry at school, the teachers I had weren't cool. [:)]

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