I can read and write in shorthand and I was wondering if this skill is still in use today. And would it be a useful skill in y2k. I think after my generation passes, shorthand will be a lost skill. I am remembering a lot of things that aren't taught now, like the slide rule. These lost skills just aren't needed any more for today's world. But what about tomorrow's world? If you remember a lost skill, please hone up on it and teach the young ones.

-- Carol (glear@usa.net), July 10, 1999

Answers

Carol,

You are too right here. If we Milne-out some or most of those "old time" skills are going to be extreemly usefull. I've been around the edges of the engineering trade a lot in my life. I have bought 5 slide rules and have copies of the basic engineering books to be able to manually do a lot of things which are lost arts to younger engineers. Think Smoley's Slopes and Rises, trig tables, engineering reference manuals, etc.

In 1994 I was chating with the young engineer who had an office next to mine. I came out in the conversation that he had never *seen* a slide rule. He had heard about them and seen pictures but never actually seen one!

-Greybear, who also has a solar calculator and mechanical watches.

-- Got reference books?

-- Greybear (greybear@home.com), July 10, 1999.