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I've been bested by an old coot

Started by RolandC, 08/06/2009 09:41PM
Posted 08/06/2009 09:41PM Opening Post
Had a short but interesting conversation on a blog yesterday with an elderly gentleman who claims to be a retired engineer and was asking about my qualifications. We were talking about manufacturing in America and other stuff. Anyhow, here is the exchange:

HrrPa9 3:56PM Aug 5 2009
Stick to your phony BS Chris1011. You still have not answered any of my questions put to you. I do enjoy amateur astronomy a good bit. Enough to go to my property in the country to view(no city lights). Do you sell geosynchronous units? Do you sell photo adaptive units or are the systems built in. Can I view thermals with your equipment. Do you have solar adapters for projection images. How do I view your models or if they are all made to order what spec range do you make. Are yours lensatic or mirror optics. Do yours come with GPS and starlight locators? Right now I am in shopping mode as I just purchased another high end toy for my wife's gym and me some new running shoes. So tell me whatcha got?

Chris1011:
I'm not sure that you would want what we sell. You sound like a newbie in the astronomy hobby, so I would suggest that you visit a local dealer, or go to the Celestron or Meade website and read about their products. The cheapest setup we make is on the order of $10,000, and there is a long waiting list. Our stuff is handcrafted and takes a while to make - long while. If, after you see your local dealer or these websites, you can't find what you're looking for, give me a heads up.

By the way, if you have a nice dark site away from city lights where you can see the Milky Way, you might want to just view the stars with a good pair of binoculars 7x50 or 10x50. This is the best way to observe the heavens for a beginner. The summer Milky Way is spectacular, so go out and enjoy the view.

HrrPa9:
Well Chris if your stuff is hand crafted then what are you doing with CNC machines. That's machining automation ******* finest. NOT HAND MACHINING. With hand machining the machinist must be very skilled at reading a micrometer, and a caliper. They also must be able to use dial indicators accurately. Just how accurate do you machine to? Since I'm a newby why don't you tell me how to calculate deflection..hmm. Why do you care if I'm a newby...a sale is a sale. So what if I have to go on a waiting list. Why do you care. Question forya Mr. veteran telescoper..how do you tell the difference between a star and a planet with the naked eye? There is a simple answer. Why don't you go Google that one. Look forward to your response.
The guy is recommending that I view the Milky Way with a pair of binos. He's a riot. We live in the Milky Way. Chances are that if you stare ata starry sky on a clear night ALL YOUR GOING TO SEE IS THE MILKY WAY!


Posted 08/06/2009 09:57PM #1
Roland,

You should provide that coot with a link to the Politics Forum right here on Astromart. Sounds to me like he'd have a lot in common with the cast of characters residing there. grin

Brian
Posted 08/06/2009 10:27PM #2
Amazing. I think almost anyone with an interest in astronomy and any sort of public exposure winds up with strange calls from time to time. We often used to get thick envelopes in the mail once in a while. "Dear Sir, I have a theory about the formation of the universe. The pro astronomers don't want to look at it. Would you please look it over and let me know what you think."

My favorite two from over the years...
"Do you know anything about the secret UFO files at Dudley Observatory?" He was quite insistent we had some (I was and am on the board).
"Where can I get photographs of all the galaxies in the universe?" When I tried to explain the difficulty here, "Who could I pay to take photographs of all the galaxies in the universe?"

Clear skies, Alan
Posted 08/07/2009 01:38AM #3
What a hoot! I would love to see some of the goings-on in that forum. Thanks for sharing, Mr. Veteran Telescoper. wink

Oklahoma State University--The University of Oklahoma!--GO POKES!! GO STATE!!
Posted 08/07/2009 05:15PM #4
I've heard some pretty dumb things that started with "I'm an engineer...." For instance, I heard one claim that there was a momentum equivalent in thermodynamics and that was why hot water will freeze faster than cold water. "Hot water gets cooling off and just blows right through the heat of fusion."

Clear skies, Alan
Posted 08/07/2009 11:15PM #5
Roland, Kudos to you for your patience. This retired engineer seldom admits that he is. My wife, however, is another story, offering up the excuse for any manner of my aberrant behavior from over-analyzing a purchase to wearing socks with sandals. She could start a retired engineer's wives club. grin

Milt
Posted 08/10/2009 01:09AM #6
Real Men of Genius
"We salute you, Mr expert telescope buyer guy"....

Kevin
Posted 08/10/2009 02:07AM #7
Try being one of these guy's doctors. I must have two dozen of them. One has an electric motor on his exercise bike. "It exercises me!" Another is convinced he's "scaring off" UFO's by watching them as they come over his backyard. "That one that comes out of the southwest, he don't like me." When their legs get swollen, they drink a ton of fluid trying to get rid of their edema. Some of them split their pills into sixteen pieces and take however many sixteenths they think they need on a given day. Like Casey said about the '69 Mets, "they're amazing."
Posted 08/11/2009 09:35PM #8
Roland Christen said:
The guy is recommending that I view the Milky Way with a pair of binos. He's a riot. We live in the Milky Way. Chances are that if you stare at a starry sky on a clear night ALL YOUR GOING TO SEE IS THE MILKY WAY!

By gum, I think he's got a point! (also I've never agreed binos are a good starter instrument: too hard to hold, and by the time you get 'em mounted on something usable, you might as well get a Star Blast)

Greg N


"Scope will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no scope." --Freewheelin' Franklin