On Tue, 07 Apr 2015 18:26:02 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Tue, 7 Apr 2015 12:31:43 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
. ..
On Mon, 06 Apr 2015 23:56:24 -0400, wrote:

(These were NEVER an "inexpensive" toy!!!)

No, but teaching/learning tools seldom are. They're an investment.
I learned how to cross-brace the structures to give them more
strength, learned about cantilevers, gears, pulleys, etc.


I've learned a lot from stuff that was free or very cheap because it
was broken.

Ayup. Dad taught basic physics to me early on, and always encouraged
me to dismantle things and figure out how they worked. This has
served me _well_ throughout my lifetime.


I learned very early not to get caught taking apart things
that weren't broken, like new Christmas toys.

Ditto here, when I was 4. I learned NOT to take apart electric
clocks. At that age, tiny things bend far too easily.
My childhood curiosity served me well.
If something ticked, i had to know how, and if it didn't, I had to
know why.
Being able to fix something requires you know how it is supposed to
work first.
"can fix anything but the crack of dawn, a broken heart, and Stupid -
you just CAN"T fix stupid!!"