Motorheads for life! I'm now building a 1965 Jeep CJ5 4x4 using a Nissan Leaf electric motor and battery pack as motorvation. Continuing to learn getting older, especially electrical knowledge with Mike's tutoring.
I enjoyed your very interesting and well rounded career doing interesting stuff. I built a Tesla coil in high school as a science project. Pretty neat spark when I held a metal object near the coil (chicken to use my finger). However, one neon transformer, although doing pretty good, might do better with more transformers. So, I upped the voltage with two more transformers until sparks were going where they shouldn't like I was burning holes in the carpet. At 77 now, what fun I had back then flying USAF jets and Delta jets and now enjoying your interesting articles as we travel in our Tiffin Bus. Thanks, Mike!
I had missed this before. Great read. Both my wife and I are 76, we have been married 56 years. I too had an interest that after retiring from the business world became a new career - Dog training and rehabilitation which when doing it for owners and not at rescues became training dog owners and letting the dog participate. But, that said you are spot on, do something until the "sand runs out". God Bless and Happy New Year.
Mike, I enjoyed your story growing up. With your appeal to all things electrical and automotive, you just might like the apparent breakthru in ICE emissions by the Thunderstorm generator. I'd love to hear your take on it.
Dude, I would never have thought you were older than me. Here's to another year of giving out electricity knowledge, thanks for all you do.
I agree about the retirement thing, did 40 years in IT, and now double retirement, am working on Level 4 Master Tech certification and doing RV repairs and mentoring, told the wife, I will never "retire" :)
You indeed had a weird childhood lol, as did I. When I was 11 I took a locksmithing course via mail. I was fascinated by locks. I had a key machine and a wall of blanks. My parent's friends would all come over and have me make keys for them for cheap. The TV shop down the street hired me to install deadbolts on the shop doors. I got into electronics early also and in high school was installing under dash tape decks for people ( I worked after school at local Radio Shack so customers were easy to find) After high school spent the next 40 years working at and owning car stereo store. recently retired.
We stopped by the Corning Museum of Glass last year. Fascinating visit. Your younger years sound much like mine. We’re the same age. I did a lot of tinkering as a kid, mostly TVs with dad as a repairmen, to supplement his US Navy income. Also some house wiring. But I never delved into many automotive engines. Friends had dune buggies and cars, but we didn’t have that sort of money at our house. I got my first job washing dishes so I could buy motorcycles. That became a sink or swim hobby until the military got me in 72. Computer repair was job there, and was elementary.
Yes, so much to learn from doing things yourself. I also helped a friend build a dune buggy with a chopped VW frame. And I hot rodded the engine. I can’t believe we used to ride around town in a topless dune buggy in the middle of winter just to show off 🥶
That’s correct. I attended week long advanced seminars at Cornell in NY on machine control design and troubleshooting, plus they had remote EE classes in Maryland. Since I worked for Corning Glass I had a lot of engineering training for free.
A life well lived Mike! I’m sure these are but a few highlights. I tinkered in many of the same areas but I wonder if, like I did, you got into pyrotechnics? My experimenting with a chemistry set led to formulating gunpowder and fireworks and building devices like cannons, etc. Fortunately, I survived! Did you not get interested in blowing things up at some point along the way? And kudos to you about your current focus on giving back!
Motorheads for life! I'm now building a 1965 Jeep CJ5 4x4 using a Nissan Leaf electric motor and battery pack as motorvation. Continuing to learn getting older, especially electrical knowledge with Mike's tutoring.
Please send pictures!
I enjoyed your very interesting and well rounded career doing interesting stuff. I built a Tesla coil in high school as a science project. Pretty neat spark when I held a metal object near the coil (chicken to use my finger). However, one neon transformer, although doing pretty good, might do better with more transformers. So, I upped the voltage with two more transformers until sparks were going where they shouldn't like I was burning holes in the carpet. At 77 now, what fun I had back then flying USAF jets and Delta jets and now enjoying your interesting articles as we travel in our Tiffin Bus. Thanks, Mike!
I had missed this before. Great read. Both my wife and I are 76, we have been married 56 years. I too had an interest that after retiring from the business world became a new career - Dog training and rehabilitation which when doing it for owners and not at rescues became training dog owners and letting the dog participate. But, that said you are spot on, do something until the "sand runs out". God Bless and Happy New Year.
Mike, I enjoyed your story growing up. With your appeal to all things electrical and automotive, you just might like the apparent breakthru in ICE emissions by the Thunderstorm generator. I'd love to hear your take on it.
Reading this I feel you would have very interesting conversations with Steve Gibson of Gibson Research Corporation "grc.com".
Dude, I would never have thought you were older than me. Here's to another year of giving out electricity knowledge, thanks for all you do.
I agree about the retirement thing, did 40 years in IT, and now double retirement, am working on Level 4 Master Tech certification and doing RV repairs and mentoring, told the wife, I will never "retire" :)
You indeed had a weird childhood lol, as did I. When I was 11 I took a locksmithing course via mail. I was fascinated by locks. I had a key machine and a wall of blanks. My parent's friends would all come over and have me make keys for them for cheap. The TV shop down the street hired me to install deadbolts on the shop doors. I got into electronics early also and in high school was installing under dash tape decks for people ( I worked after school at local Radio Shack so customers were easy to find) After high school spent the next 40 years working at and owning car stereo store. recently retired.
We stopped by the Corning Museum of Glass last year. Fascinating visit. Your younger years sound much like mine. We’re the same age. I did a lot of tinkering as a kid, mostly TVs with dad as a repairmen, to supplement his US Navy income. Also some house wiring. But I never delved into many automotive engines. Friends had dune buggies and cars, but we didn’t have that sort of money at our house. I got my first job washing dishes so I could buy motorcycles. That became a sink or swim hobby until the military got me in 72. Computer repair was job there, and was elementary.
Good to talk to you this past summer.
Yes, so much to learn from doing things yourself. I also helped a friend build a dune buggy with a chopped VW frame. And I hot rodded the engine. I can’t believe we used to ride around town in a topless dune buggy in the middle of winter just to show off 🥶
When you mentioned Cornell. In upstate New York?
That’s correct. I attended week long advanced seminars at Cornell in NY on machine control design and troubleshooting, plus they had remote EE classes in Maryland. Since I worked for Corning Glass I had a lot of engineering training for free.
A life well lived Mike! I’m sure these are but a few highlights. I tinkered in many of the same areas but I wonder if, like I did, you got into pyrotechnics? My experimenting with a chemistry set led to formulating gunpowder and fireworks and building devices like cannons, etc. Fortunately, I survived! Did you not get interested in blowing things up at some point along the way? And kudos to you about your current focus on giving back!
I did a lot of pyrotechnics in my 70’s glam/rock band. Smoke bombs and flame walls and laser beams, oh my!