The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #123536   Message #2721775
Posted By: Amos
11-Sep-09 - 02:41 PM
Thread Name: BS: Useful / Useless things learnt at school
Subject: RE: BS: Useful / Useless things learnt at school
I learned all kinds of useful things, but most of them not in ordinary schooling; but a lot of good stuff came from there, also.   Algebra and trig have stood me in good stead through my whole life, and more than anything else I value the lessons in Logic and Boolean Propositional Logic which were taught by a silver-haired old gal named Ruby. At the time, no-one had heard of computers, but, lo! when they appeared, I understood exactly what they were doing thanks to being drilled on boolean reasoning, set theory, and other logical disciplines by this quaint, stern woman. My thanks to her, wherever she ended up.

I also learned to love language and its myriad forms, to respect spelling and grammar in their place and to abuse them when needed.

I learned from Harry Golding why ice expands as it freezes (hydrogen bonds) which has always impressed me with a respect for science.

And from Mister Berkowitz, I learned chamfering, planing, woodburning, and how to use a bandsaw safely.

On my own, I learned that moist people are philosophically disinclined to ask too many questions, and not to bother them.


A