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Computers, Oh Boy How They Help…
Am I the only one who fails to appreciate the “paperless universe”
computers promised? You know: digital this, digital that all aligning to
give us more time for vacation and fun, and less for work and worry. How
did that somehow turn one shorthand note into 30-pages of Excel
spreadsheet plus a 20-minute PowerPoint presentation? Closer to home,
how did boat design evolve from a couple handfuls of drawings and a
dozen calculation into a half a Gig of computer drawings and binders
full of unrecognizable documentation?
Trust me, I’m not the contrarian it might sound. I jumped into computers
early on and do still appreciate their abilities. Even so, I am often
perplexed by the time we spend with them, and I’m not always as sure
that the sum total represents true pay off. In my heart of hearts I am
certain that I can draw a set of hull lines as quickly on Mylar as on
computer. Well, I mean a good set. I can certainly create garbage
quicker with a computer. On the other hand I fully understand that a
computer will help me analyze structures, performance, and stability
quicker and produce a hefty bundle of documentation with much more ease.
All toll, however, I haven’t run into a single design that I believe
would have markedly changed as a result of this capability.
What has happened in 30-years is that time once spent drawing boats
(albeit slowly) has now been taken up rather aggressively by time spent
developing programs and spreadsheets, learning ever changing software,
moving from business cards to web design and beyond. Though the array of
design data we produce may appear more complete, I have often seen
forests missed simply because the vista was too heavily shielded by the
stand of trees towering in front. Remember, more isn’t always better.
But that’s just my opinion.
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