What is a tube?

  • Thread starter Thread starter jerberson12
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Interesting stats. By my back-o'-envelope calculation, that must mean about 3% of their population becomes engineers. Clearly, they cannot be as smart as the average US engineer. Also, I have read that Chinese education is still heavy on rote and lean on creativity, probably a further disadvantage. Fortunately, they are all willing to work for $5,000 per year, so even if it takes 10 of them it's still cheaper to outsource.

I will also say that it doesn't seem too many Chinese microphone companies employ qualified designers, because many of their circuits are appallingly bad. They still need someone like Brent Casey to straighten them out. Brent Casey is a LOT smarter than I am.

Interesting article here:

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/dec2005/sb20051212_623922.htm

Of course they don't mention what % of US engineering grads are US citizens (.007325% :D ;) )

Bottom line, I ain't driving over no bridge designed by somebody stupider than me. Especially since I have no idea how to build a bridge :eek:

Finally, "saturation" doesn't mean the same thing for all components. Saturation has a very certain meaning for a FET, for example. Although not everybody seems to agree on the meaning . . .

Another interesting point and not surprising point about regression analysis and engineers. Every accountant should understand regression analysis as it was part of their coursework, but since it is almost never used in practice if you asked them to perform a regression analysis on a data set they would stare at you like you had three heads. Never mind that there is built-in functionality in their favorite spreadsheet program that does it for them, they don't know that.
 
mshilarious said:
Bottom line, I ain't driving over no bridge designed by somebody stupider than me. Especially since I have no idea how to build a bridge :eek:

Finally, "saturation" doesn't mean the same thing for all components. Saturation has a very certain meaning for a FET, for example. Although not everybody seems to agree on the meaning . . .

.
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I live in Cleveland. Did you know that Cleveland has more drawbridges than any other place? Nevermind that only 3 of them actually work... but the rest lend a nice orange rusty elegance to the landscape, which brings to mind a random thought on chuck-dams... revered by civil engineers. As you know, they consist of 3 bails of straw, tossed in a ditch, thereby reducing erosion. Common sense and utilizing materials at hand and all that Frank Lloyd Wright stuff...
Anywayz, yes on the saturation thing. Let's call it "digital" saturation brought on by dopants, which brings us back around to being stoned for the SATs, where 'Field Effect' is all about home field advantage and the number of beers far exceed the number of bytes.
:D
 
bunt said:
well just to keep things in perspective, back in the day, every drug store had a little combo-cupboard full of tubes with a tester on top. This is where the mica meets voltage, and the "wiggle" factor came into play. Speaking of, there is much wiggle factor in an IQ test, as these are largely based upon what you know.... not what you are capable of knowing, so "IQ" becomes more of a data storage ideal instead of a neuron count, which as we know is pretty much a done deal by the time you are 5 years old or thereabouts.

Since I just made up 71.547026% of my statements above, I'll make up another... or at least prompt someone to go look it up. China is presently graduating 450,000 engineers each year. This is larger than the total number of engineers in the US. If I believed that on average, these 450,000 had IQs in the 140-145 range, I would also believe that a saturated transistor sounds the same as a saturated vacuum tube, and that the saturated brains of our sigma black belt engineering ranks, who, by the way depend heavily upon regression analysis to depict productivity and cost savings.... never ever meet their statistical mark. Why? Variation, of course. This is also why tubes have to be matched by non-engineering folks who look at uncalibrated meters and write values on the boxes.:D

an PS... I'm just havin fun... so please don't take this too seriously
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Are you sure they are writing down the values or there IQ's they are such show offs
 
bunt said:
I live in Cleveland. Did you know that Cleveland has more drawbridges than any other place? Nevermind that only 3 of them actually work... but the rest lend a nice orange rusty elegance to the landscape, which brings to mind a random thought on chuck-dams... revered by civil engineers. As you know, they consist of 3 bails of straw, tossed in a ditch, thereby reducing erosion. Common sense and utilizing materials at hand and all that Frank Lloyd Wright stuff...
Anywayz, yes on the saturation thing. Let's call it "digital" saturation brought on by dopants, which brings us back around to being stoned for the SATs, where 'Field Effect' is all about home field advantage and the number of beers far exceed the number of bytes.
:D
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This thread has now reached a state of tantric bliss :D :o


In the meantime, I realized that it is impossible for my argument to be defeated. To sum up, my hypothesis is that engineers are smarter than I am. If I am wrong, it means that I'm stupider than I thought I was, by virtue of being wrong. That would make me again correct, as the engineers would still be smarter.

Of course, the fact that I realize this makes me smarter, which means that the engineers are stupider, which makes me wrong and thus stupider, which makes me smarter and thus correct :confused:

Truly, I have a dizzying intellect ;)

PS Wasn't C3P0 a rather useless protocol droid, whining and worrying while R2D2 did all of the actual work? OK, yeah, I am C3P0 :(
 
Don't be so hard on yourself. You'll probably be fine, if you can learn to relax and enjoy what you do, instead of worrying about silly statistics. :)

Happy New Year!

Dr. V
 
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I know some very high IQ people who are really stupid.

I wouldn't put any stock in the concept. Lots of people who history would think of as brilliant might not have had very high IQ's.

The test measures only one tiny aspect of the human brain - anyone who puts much stock in it is an idiot.
 
dintymoore said:
I know some very high IQ people who are really stupid.

I wouldn't put any stock in the concept. Lots of people who history would think of as brilliant might not have had very high IQ's.

The test measures only one tiny aspect of the human brain - anyone who puts much stock in it is an idiot.
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Very... Well... SAID!

Dr. V
 
Dr. Varney said:
Don't be so hard on yourself. You'll probably be fine, if you can learn to relax and enjoy what you do, instead of worrying about silly statistics. :)

Happy New Year!

Dr. V
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This is what I do. What do you do?
 
dintymoore said:
I know some very high IQ people who are really stupid.

I wouldn't put any stock in the concept. Lots of people who history would think of as brilliant might not have had very high IQ's.

The test measures only one tiny aspect of the human brain - anyone who puts much stock in it is an idiot.
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IQ is a very, very, very good measure of how well people can learn higher math.
 
mshilarious said:
IQ is a very, very, very good measure of how well people can learn higher math.
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No doubt.
I was one of those weirdos who, for whatever reason, without lifting a finger, always got perfect (well maybe 1 wrong) in algebra, trig etc... I was always top of the class in math, and I'm telling you, it doesn't mean shit in the big picture.

To me they don't test the big one:

Do you think for yourself or are you just playing "Follow the Leader"?
 
dintymoore said:
No doubt.
I was one of those weirdos who, for whatever reason, without lifting a finger, always got perfect (well maybe 1 wrong) in algebra, trig etc... I was always top of the class in math, and I'm telling you, it doesn't mean shit in the big picture.

To me they don't test the big one:

Do you think for yourself or are you just playing "Follow the Leader"?
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I stated about as much in my early post on the topic, which is electrical engineering, not life skills. Most engineers fail at personal hygiene (I do too).
 
dintymoore said:
You never smelled too bad from this end :)

I know this was a tangent, but if everybody "followed the leader", there would be no tubes.
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... but there would be a lot of rats. The Pied Piper is a matter of 'record'. You guys on the islands could use him to help with those noisy frogs...:rolleyes:
 
bunt said:
... but there would be a lot of rats. The Pied Piper is a matter of 'record'. You guys on the islands could use him to help with those noisy frogs...:rolleyes:
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yes, society functions because there are few leaders and many followers.

we haven't got frogs where I am (yet), thankfully.

Hey, what's up with the "Hand-crank mixer"... myself I'm looking for a key wound A/D converter
 
dintymoore said:
yes, society functions because there are few leaders and many followers.

we haven't got frogs where I am (yet), thankfully.

Hey, what's up with the "Hand-crank mixer"... myself I'm looking for a key wound A/D converter
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You're lucky the frogs didn't hop a flight to Oahu... heh.. Big Island is overrun, but the roaches still rule.

umm yeah... "Hand Crank Mixer" involves no math whatsoever, no IQ, no tubes or transistors and no key for winding like your elusive A/D converter... although that one is thought provoking like core-wound memory or something. (The old guys will get that...) It does, however, require one good hand and a semi-sharp needle or a bird's beak. Whichever is more readily available. It also requires a spring and a flat circular substrate that spins really fast then slows down about halfway through a bakelite disc with grooves of various heights and widths, kinda like Waipeo Valley. Purely mechanical like an eardrum, so I have no issues with power outages.:D
 
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Dr. Varney said:
I think you should read this: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427321.000-clever-fools-why-a-high-iq-doesnt-mean-youre-smart.html

an interesting article no doubt... and while i agree for the most part it still smacks of some kinda sour grapes for those that wanted to be smarter than they are... or perhaps over achievers vs underachievers... reminds me of taking part in experiments reguarding the so called culture fair tests they were dreaming up in the '70s... i was offered a pass on general studies psych if i would participate... gave me 10 more hrs /wk to practice,get stoned. and hang with the profs...
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Dr. Varney said:
I do a lot of things... Do you mean for a living? If so, I make stuff... With my hands (and brain).

Dr. V
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I only do two things: I make things with my hands for a living too, but I try not to use my brain too much. As Homer once said, "Hey, I was using my whole ass!"

The other thing I do is post on web fora.
 
Dr. Varney said:
I think you should read this: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427321.000-clever-fools-why-a-high-iq-doesnt-mean-youre-smart.html

Is kinda all I have to say, really.

Regards

Dr. V
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OK, now you can explain how that article, maybe specifically this quote:

The problem with IQ tests is that while they are effective at assessing our deliberative skills, which involve reason and the use of working memory, they are unable to assess our inclination to use them when the situation demands.
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conflicts with my statement:

I stated about as much in my early post on the topic, which is electrical engineering, not life skills.
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