I love the internet!

[John T Barker]

I found a little job on craigslist for a little extra cash drilling a few thousand holes to a set depth, spaced evenly, etc. Went to my shop and realized the depth stop was not on my drill press (I bought it 25 years ago and never had a need for the depth stop. I couldn't remember what it looked like so I google imaged it and the picture looked familiar. Sure enough I found the depth stop rod but not the quill yoke (locks around the quill). An the beautiful internet comes in. I download the owners manual, get the part name and number and start hunting up sources. I go to...you guessed it...ebay and there it is. I pull the trigger and it comes in the mail IN ONE DAY! Unbelievable.

Remember when you would have to go through magazines and phone books to find the manufacturer and you might wait weeks just to get the old manual? Then you have to try to find someone with old parts? Then you might find it, send a check and get it in another two or three weeks? I went from figuring out what I needed to ordering in one day and then getting it the next. Amazing! I love the internet!

[John K Jordan]

Remember when you would have to go through magazines and phone books to find the manufacturer and you might wait weeks just to get the old manual? Then you have to try to find someone with old parts? Then you might find it, send a check and get it in another two or three weeks? I went from figuring out what I needed to ordering in one day and then getting it the next....

I needed a parts diagram to figure out how to get a 1966 farm fuel pump apart to rebuild. I found it in 10 minutes.

We are all getting spoiled. Long live King Ebay. Long live King Amazon.

This may also have a downside. The generation growing up now will never know anything but instant gratification.

JKJ

[Kevin Womer]

The Internet has made our lives easier in many ways. We have become a society that does not interact through face to face conversation as much anymore, a negative impact in my opinion, especially in our younger people.

[Justin Ludwig]

Remember when you would have to go through magazines and phone books to find the manufacturer and you might wait weeks just to get the old manual? Then you have to try to find someone with old parts? Then you might find it, send a check and get it in another two or three weeks? I went from figuring out what I needed to ordering in one day and then getting it the next. Amazing! I love the internet!

I always wondered how "old" people got new stuff.

I spent 15 years getting my degree. When I started, writing papers required spending hours upon hours in the library and some weird system called Dewey Decimal. The last paper I ever wrote I never left the comfort of my living room and had umpteen more sources on the references page.

[lowell holmes]

I know, but I still enjoy going to the hardware store, but I probably will go on line to decide which one I'm going to.

[Ben Rivel]

Yes, the internet is a wonderful thing!

[David Eisenhauer]

Old style "real" (pre-borg) hardware stores and ranching supply stores were like heroin for me when I was a teenager and in my 20's. Old style feed stores and lumber yards were in the same category. Agreed though, the Internet is one of the wonders of the world and Amazon is the king of the jungle.

[John T Barker]

I wish hardware stores had parts of 40 year old drill presses but in this area they usually don't even stock drill presses. I think the greatest place I ever saw was Rudolph Bass up in north Jersey. They sell used ww machinery and I went to won of their big sales and saw what they had. A huge building full of every ww machine you could imagine...and some were pretty damn scary looking. Theyhad a ton of parts too. Not too many places left like that.

The part I mentioned above happened to be in Pa., where I live and when I realized that I thought I might drive and get it (1 to 2 hours.) I was still thinking about it when it came in one day. I don't know who to thank for that but I've got tp go to ebay and give this guy a good write up.

[John T Barker]

I always wondered how "old" people got new stuff.

I spent 15 years getting my degree. When I started, writing papers required spending hours upon hours in the library and some weird system called Dewey Decimal. The last paper I ever wrote I never left the comfort of my living room and had umpteen more sources on the references page.

I was in college from '76 to '80 and I remember those days of library time and those antique things...oh yeah, books. (I actually used to spend more time in the library researching stuff I wanted to know then on my school work.)