Large Scale Central

Something that puzzles me quite often

General Discussion
#1

Why are there so many who seem to be unable (or unwilling?) to make use of modern resources. I got my first computer in '92 (at a ripe old age) and remember the pre-Google days when it was more of a job to find the desired information on umpteen topics and subjects.

22 years on there is a flood of information if one has access to the Internet. Today’s problem isn’t finding the info, today’s problem is getting sidetracked by all the additional info that is served up at a click.

Hmmmm … just wondering.

#2

Information technology has never been greater, but sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes that information is not accurate or is misleading.

With Google, it is damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Plus, I rather get my information from such reliable sources as yourself and others up in here that have been doing this for a very long time.

Computers are over rated. jmo

Stacy

#3

Really?

Back in what is commonly referred to as “the good old days” it took a lot of time to do the research and it took a considerable amount of money to acquire the books resulting from that research.

Most of the stuff that is of general interest can now be gleaned from the Internet, if one is really serious about getting it right — ask Craig T — one can join specialized groups like historical societies on any number of subjects.

However there was/is one advantage of doing the research and buying the documents, one can now pay it forward to the group who wasn’t even born when X, Y or Z railway ran A, B or C equipment. Provided they are interested in the nitty-gritty and willing to look for the mundane stuff on their own time. And amazingly young people are, or at least some of them, they want to know why.

#4

Stacey,

Research is one item that regardless of the sources, the information must be confirmed through whatever means is appropriate. Sometimes that affirmation of validity can come from many sources.

As an example, I am researching an obscure short line railroad in my home area, the north west panhandle of Florida. This railroad ran between Chipley, Florida and Southport, Florida. Currently my research has been primarily the internet and the local library. What information I have located has been sparse and in some cases conflicting. I am finding that some information has been confirmed by some local families who had family that worked on the railroad. BTW, the railroad went bust and was scrapped in the late '30s. I am sure as I continue my searches in all mediums I will uncover more, and find it necessary to find corroborating documentation.

Hans, I often wonder will there be a group to pay it forward to? None of my children, and only two of twelve grandchildren even show any interest at all. And I wonder as they get into high school and college will that interest remain?

My tuppence…

Bob C.

#5

Bob,

Not necessarily solely within your family, there are other people who show interest (without considering us a bit wacky).

#6

Bob, big ditto on your first paragraph…

Greg

#7

i just go to gregs and georges website…

#8

John M. said:
i just go to gregs and georges website…

I do too … to get the precise URL for the answers to questions that pop up much too regularly in LS fora. Saves a lot of typing.

PS the same goes for the “How did you do that?”, set the URL to my website and let them do the reading.

#9

Hans,

My family example is only a representation of what I observe in younger people today. As has been commented by others here on this forum, the lack of interest in prototype railroads for whatever reason, will trickle down to the hobby as well. Combined with the ‘instant gratification’ society we live in, and model railroading is failing to even maintain its position over the adrenaline rush of some of today’s video games. This discussion came up over on the Bachmann forum some time back, and a senior member commented that his grandchild (I think) received the Microsoft Train Simulator video game and after a bit of a learning curve had lost hours of time ‘playing engineer’ before he had any notice of the time passed. Again, the instant gratification factor. I doubt this senior will desert his hobby for a computer game, but it does demonstrate the addictive nature of video games.

FWIW.

Bob C.

#10

I used to go the the library and bring home a stack of books although my imagination and needs were way beyond what the local library could offer most of the time. Now there is a whole world of information resources available at my finger tips I don’t know how I coped before. Books seem to lack a search engine. I go for the ducks guts. I don’t think I have ever read an entire book in my life. The speedy amount of education one can gain from the internet is revolutionary although much of it has to be verified. I don’t think computers and the internet are over rated at all.

Andrew

#11

Bob,

What I noticed in the FB railfan groups and out on the road, I’m an old man. As a relative commented in the birthday card she sent this year “You’re not that old, there are just a lot more younger people around.”

#12

Andrew,

I don’t think so, either. However, using search engines is like going to the clothing store, if you don’t know what you’re looking for you could end up with a funny outfit AND drive the sales people nuts.

#13

Hans, using a search engine does take a particular skill to get what you are after. You can’t always rely on it finding exactly what you want. One must make the correct inquiry otherwise you get some generic rot.

Andrew

#14

Garratt Steam said:

Hans, using a search engine does take a particular skill to get what you are after. You can’t always rely on it finding exactly what you want. One must make the correct inquiry otherwise you get some generic rot.

Andrew

Yup, that’s called GIGO. :slight_smile:

#15

Yep, fuzzy human logic is not the same as fuzzy computer logic. But careful thinking, savvy guessing and sheer luck usually save the day … in short order.

#16

HJ,
Your question is: “Why are there so many who seem to be unable (or unwilling?) to make use of modern resources?”

Answer: “Modern resources” are no longer in book-focused recognized locations. Public libraries, schools, university research centers, and corporate endowment research locations (we still use Caltech for earthquakes!) have given way to thousands of sources with addresses on the internet.
You got to know of them to use them.

In short, having done research under the college umbrella, the published research journals are now secondary sources for reaching a wide audience. Not unlike the Papacy, having journal blessing from publishing becomes the credential — then go after the internet sites for readership.

Conclusion:

  1. Knowing the internet sources that are “trusted” is not going to Google pot luck.
  2. Secondly, the mechanisms for how to use the internet are second nature to younger people who never knew otherwise.
#17

Some of what Ive seen from my friends, and even my folks, is that lots of people dont have a “This is garbage” filter, and read EVERYTHING that comes up on a search. You really need to fine tune your own brain to stay away from all the cruft pages that show up, and find the meat of what you’re looking for.

#18

Wendell Hanks said:

…
Conclusion:

  1. Knowing the internet sources that are “trusted” is not going to Google pot luck.
  2. Secondly, the mechanisms for how to use the internet are second nature to younger people who never knew otherwise.

Hmmmmm … isn’t there a saying “Never too old to learn”? Personal experience, based on question posed by people in my wider circle, tells me there is a certain learning resistance out there i.e. it is much easier to ask a "D oh"question than putting the brains in gear before the fingers start dancing. At least that’s my perception … and SWMBO tells me I’m very perceptive.

#19

Internet research only leads one to a certain point.

For instance from the internet I know that a majority of (I’d guess in the 80-90%) Northern Pacific records are held in two general collections; a smaller collection in Missoula, Mt and a larger one in St. Paul, MN. A google search is useless in finding documents on the MNHS website, instead you have to search the MNHS finding aids to see general topics. Then one must visit the physical archives to dig even deeper. Proper research takes time and work! I spend a week at the MNHS archive simply photographing and quickly reading documents and I barely touched the surface of what I’m researching. After leaving the archive and really reading the sources, one tends to discover that yet another document or path exists… It’s an endless cycle.

#20

I am one of those classed as a ‘silver surfer’ in the UK. My fist computer was 11 years ago after I had retired from paid employment. Wendell and H-J are right on the money, I am sure, with their observations.

Search engines and pc programme guesses can be quite interesting.

Try just typing models and see what you get: I bet it won;t have much connection to railroads.

I am on Facebook purely for a couple of railroading friends and one or two dealers and museums. As I did not give my location it kept asking where I went to school/college. All guesses were in the United States!

A search for a local company never gives me a location closer than 25 miles.

I am content with that and over the years have soon learned to sort the chaff from the wheat.

The great thing about the web is that it gives information when researching something. Some info can be suspect - historical or political slant for instance - but then so are newspapers. It is surprising how many people implicitly believe the newspapers. WOW! where have they been hiding.