What Did You Buy Today?

Think most of us have a love hate relationship with computers. They're terrible when they don't work or act up. They are great to help us get some stuff done, including work. Totally approve of @wachuko's setup, multiple screens are the bomb if you need to get stuff done. It's so nice when designing stuff to have one CAD view open, a browser to look up stuff, and maybe a datasheet or two all open and readable at the same time.
 
wachuko said:
I feel awkward :D:D... missing from the photo is the notebook... but you can see the docking station... I am stuck in front of them 8-14 hours a day...
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My space is a little smaller, I have stacked the displays:

IMG_5884_Radiant_Photo.jpeg

Not visible (the above is what I showed to my Ophthalmologist for my three-area glasses prescription) is an older MacBook Pro on a desk on the left side; needed for Bluebeam Revu that doesn’t support newer Mac OS and also a range of older USB connected items (label printers, 3D printer, A-to-D video, etc.).
 
WobblyHand said:
Think most of us have a love hate relationship with computers.
Click to expand...
I have extra qualifications to hate computers. I also wear the IT hat at work. Build/support of servers, PC's, software and network. I've been doing this since windows 3.1 and 3.11. Then add NIST SP 800-171 / CMMC, and MFA...

Multiple monitors are nice. I don't have three yet (on the same PC. I think I have 8-ish in the house, with one more coming for the garage.)
But, I keep looking harder and harder at these:
Or something similar.

The really irritating thing about computers isn't the hardware. It's the the OS's. The hardware advances are really neat. The (common commercial) OS's now all adhere to a model of CONSTANT change just for the sake of change. It's that constant level of having to learn something new just to do what I already know how to do that irritates me. It even causes me to have to make up new four letter word combinations.

But, the hardware is cool. The first time I calculated pi to a billion points, it took 9.1 days. The latest pc build did that in 24 seconds. Between hardware and software, that's 32760 times faster. (Wow, 2^15 times faster! That's neat!).
 
dkemppai said:
The really irritating thing about computers isn't the hardware. It's the the OS's. The hardware advances are really neat. The (common commercial) OS's now all adhere to a model of CONSTANT change just for the sake of change. It's that constant level of having to learn something new just to do what I already know how to do that irritates me. It even causes me to have to make up new four letter word combinations.
Click to expand...
Can't disagree with you there. There seems to be a lot of gratuitous changes for no apparent reason. It's not all that gratifying to have to relearn yet another way to do what used to work. But I guess it keeps us active...
 
WobblyHand said:
Can't disagree with you there. There seems to be a lot of gratuitous changes for no apparent reason. It's not all that gratifying to have to relearn yet another way to do what used to work. But I guess it keeps us active...
Click to expand...
Actually, it's what keeps driving me towards older and older machines for hobby stuff. Yeah, CNC is cool. But I love getting my hands on old manual machines. OK, maybe old machines with added stand alone (Not WiFi or blue tooth) DRO's, and maybe a VFD... ;)

I love the fact that my mill and lathe will operate the same 20 or 30 years from now as it does today. I don't consider learning those skills wasted.
 
dkemppai said:
I have extra qualifications to hate computers. I also wear the IT hat at work. Build/support of servers, PC's, software and network. I've been doing this since windows 3.1 and 3.11. Then add NIST SP 800-171 / CMMC, and MFA...

Multiple monitors are nice. I don't have three yet (on the same PC. I think I have 8-ish in the house, with one more coming for the garage.)
But, I keep looking harder and harder at these:
Or something similar.

The really irritating thing about computers isn't the hardware. It's the the OS's. The hardware advances are really neat. The (common commercial) OS's now all adhere to a model of CONSTANT change just for the sake of change. It's that constant level of having to learn something new just to do what I already know how to do that irritates me. It even causes me to have to make up new four letter word combinations.

But, the hardware is cool. The first time I calculated pi to a billion points, it took 9.1 days. The latest pc build did that in 24 seconds. Between hardware and software, that's 32760 times faster. (Wow, 2^15 times faster! That's neat!).
Click to expand...
Those are nice. I have similar ones (a bit smaller) in the office at work...

Had to change the images in the monitors to avoid showing anything from work...

Work Setup.jpeg
 
dkemppai said:
Actually, it's what keeps driving me towards older and older machines for hobby stuff. Yeah, CNC is cool. But I love getting my hands on old manual machines. OK, maybe old machines with added stand alone (Not WiFi or blue tooth) DRO's, and maybe a VFD... ;)

I love the fact that my mill and lathe will operate the same 20 or 30 years from now as it does today. I don't consider learning those skills wasted.
Click to expand...
This is why I still kind of regret the CNC conversion on the small mill... the minute I realized (already all installed) I will be spending even more hours in front of a computer for something that I use for relaxing... I went like "what the heck did I just did!!??" Pretty sure that feeling will go away when I am finally done with the conversion and start using for making cool stuff that would be difficult to do manually... but still...

 
wachuko said:
This is why I still kind of regret the CNC conversion on the small mill...
Click to expand...
The simple solution is to have both, you know. That's how I do it... ;). But lately the manual mill is getting more use. Some months the CNC is the busiest.

CNC and manual machining are different mindsets. It's good to be versed in both. It's not just being able to make different parts that makes them different. The whole mindset of feeds and speeds is different too. (Running 1/8" carbide 10k rpm vs 3/4 carbide at 2k rpm manually.)

When I get around to the Bridgeport upgrade that will have both. DRO and CNC. The servos can be fully disabled to manually move the mill. This hybrid approach is pretty common on 'conversational CNC'. For a home shop it's pretty close to a one size fits all approach...
 
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