Star Party in 1906 (o:

http://www.nebraskastarparty.org/wp-...stronomers.jpg

On Wednesday, July 20, 2016 at 8:31:17 PM UTC-4, StarDust wrote:
http://www.nebraskastarparty.org/wp-...stronomers.jpg

Nothing but newt.

On Wednesday, July 20, 2016 at 6:31:17 PM UTC-6, StarDust wrote:
http://www.nebraskastarparty.org/wp-...stronomers.jpg

LOL! A Dobson and a laptop computer. Clearly photoshopped. I doubt not including SCTs was an attempt to fool anyone.

John Savard

On Wed, 20 Jul 2016 17:31:15 -0700 (PDT), StarDust
wrote:

http://www.nebraskastarparty.org/wp-...stronomers.jpg

I wonder if that's a roll-off sod observatory.

On Wednesday, July 20, 2016 at 9:22:07 PM UTC-7, Chris L Peterson wrote:
On Wed, 20 Jul 2016 17:31:15 -0700 (PDT),
http://www.nebraskastarparty.org/wp-...stronomers.jpg

I wonder if that's a roll-off sod observatory.

Yes, all natural and organic, not plastic like yours!

On Thursday, 21 July 2016 07:59:38 UTC+2, StarDust wrote:

Yes, all natural and organic, not plastic like yours!

Be careful of your careless slurs. The plastic today is not remotely the plastic of yesteryear. Plastic was a material slur when I was a kid. Most of it was fragile and brittle and came from Hong Kong in the way of toys. It made toys affordable long before the Chinese industrial slavery revolution.

The older alternative was garishly painted "tin plate" for toys. Which were pressed into shape and held together with small tabs in slots. Both plastic and thin metal toys were razor sharp and often unforgiving in the hands of a child.

The alternative was die cast metal toys but these were priced well above the norm back then. Plastic construction kits were incredibly popular when I was a teenager but never really cheap considering their modest, mass produced content. At least they provided a learning curve for manipulation, assembly, decoration and patience.

These days plastic is used for computers. Where kids sit passively becoming ever more unhealthy through lack of exercise and external stimulus. Often while over-stuffing their faces with non-food crap. Hope this helps?

On Thursday, July 21, 2016 at 4:46:40 AM UTC-7, Chris.B wrote:
On Thursday, 21 July 2016 07:59:38 UTC+2, StarDust wrote:

Yes, all natural and organic, not plastic like yours!

Be careful of your careless slurs. The plastic today is not remotely the plastic of yesteryear. Plastic was a material slur when I was a kid. Most of it was fragile and brittle and came from Hong Kong in the way of toys. It made toys affordable long before the Chinese industrial slavery revolution..

The older alternative was garishly painted "tin plate" for toys. Which were pressed into shape and held together with small tabs in slots. Both plastic and thin metal toys were razor sharp and often unforgiving in the hands of a child.

The alternative was die cast metal toys but these were priced well above the norm back then. Plastic construction kits were incredibly popular when I was a teenager but never really cheap considering their modest, mass produced content. At least they provided a learning curve for manipulation, assembly, decoration and patience.

These days plastic is used for computers. Where kids sit passively becoming ever more unhealthy through lack of exercise and external stimulus. Often while over-stuffing their faces with non-food crap. Hope this helps?

Thanks, now I know to stay away from Chines plastic telescopes!

On Thursday, July 21, 2016 at 5:46:40 AM UTC-6, Chris.B wrote:

Be careful of your careless slurs. The plastic today is not remotely the
plastic of yesteryear. Plastic was a material slur when I was a kid. Most of it
was fragile and brittle and came from Hong Kong in the way of toys.

I must have been a child slightly later than you, since things made from
plastic tended to be soft and flexible, not subject to shattering or cracking
so much. Common plastics of the era were polystyrene and polyethylene. There
were better-quality plastics too; I had a set of LEGO bricks as a child, and,
then, as now, they were made from ABS - Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene - which
is rigid and durable.

LEGO bricks were first made in 1949, but they no doubt became popular as a toy
in North America somewhat later.

Of course there have been advances made in materials science: look at Gorilla
Glass, for example - but even nowadays you don't see too many things made out
of plastics that much better than ABS.

John Savard

Quadibloc wrote:
On Thursday, July 21, 2016 at 5:46:40 AM UTC-6, Chris.B wrote:

Be careful of your careless slurs. The plastic today is not remotely the
plastic of yesteryear. Plastic was a material slur when I was a kid. Most of it
was fragile and brittle and came from Hong Kong in the way of toys.

I must have been a child slightly later than you, since things made from
plastic tended to be soft and flexible, not subject to shattering or cracking
so much. Common plastics of the era were polystyrene and polyethylene. There
were better-quality plastics too; I had a set of LEGO bricks as a child, and,
then, as now, they were made from ABS - Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene - which
is rigid and durable.

LEGO bricks were first made in 1949, but they no doubt became popular as a toy
in North America somewhat later.

Of course there have been advances made in materials science: look at Gorilla
Glass, for example - but even nowadays you don't see too many things made out
of plastics that much better than ABS.

John Savard


The first Lego bricks were made of rubber. A friend of mine had a set.
Modern plastics can be just as bad as the old types. I have a Microsoft
bluetooth mouse which works perfectly but would be unusable without the
insulating tape covering the original plastic sides which are now sticky.
We don't know how long plastics will last until time has passed.

On Thursday, July 21, 2016 at 8:01:21 AM UTC-7, Mike Collins wrote:
Quadibloc wrote:
On Thursday, July 21, 2016 at 5:46:40 AM UTC-6, Chris.B wrote:

Be careful of your careless slurs. The plastic today is not remotely the
plastic of yesteryear. Plastic was a material slur when I was a kid. Most of it
was fragile and brittle and came from Hong Kong in the way of toys.

I must have been a child slightly later than you, since things made from
plastic tended to be soft and flexible, not subject to shattering or cracking
so much. Common plastics of the era were polystyrene and polyethylene. There
were better-quality plastics too; I had a set of LEGO bricks as a child, and,
then, as now, they were made from ABS - Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene - which
is rigid and durable.

LEGO bricks were first made in 1949, but they no doubt became popular as a toy
in North America somewhat later.

Of course there have been advances made in materials science: look at Gorilla
Glass, for example - but even nowadays you don't see too many things made out
of plastics that much better than ABS.

John Savard


The first Lego bricks were made of rubber. A friend of mine had a set.
Modern plastics can be just as bad as the old types. I have a Microsoft
bluetooth mouse which works perfectly but would be unusable without the
insulating tape covering the original plastic sides which are now sticky.
We don't know how long plastics will last until time has passed.

Now days among all the plastics, PVC is the most dangerous. That's why it's only used mostly in sewer pipes.