John Baymore on sun 16 may 04
I am thinking about the use of tools/instruments and how they can assist
us....and how they sometimes can hinder or negatively alter our
development.
In learning to fly an aircraft..... there is a VERY important instrument =
on
the main panel called the "Attitude Indicator" (AI). It is an artifical
horizon.....it tells you when the wings are level and whether the nose of=
the aircraft is pitched up or down. Early on, a new pilot in training
tends to be really focused on this particular instrument as a means of
telling what the aircraft is doing.... particularly when certain visual
cues are missing or are difficult to read. It is a "magic" little device=
.
An pretty un-skilled new pilot will tend to rely on this particular
instrument so much that if the instrument malfunctions thru an equipment
failure and reads incorrectly....... they will lose their understanding o=
f
what the aircraft is actually doing ......... and can inadvertantly fly t=
he
aircraft right into the ground or pitch it up into a stall... or end up
doing some other "bad thing". Not good in a plane . An experienced
pilot on the other hand will be using MANY instruments and senses to asse=
ss
what the aircraft is actually doing. Continually cross checking the
information from one instrument against another that has related
information is the mark of an experienced and skilled pilot. If the AI
says the nose is pitched up but the altimeter says the altitude is
decreasing...... there is really important information there. (I'd be
looking over at engine RPM's fast. )
In training new pilots...... flight instructors deliberately set up
"equipment failures" to train a pilot how to deal with these kinds of
things. Having the skills needed to assess situations and respond
appropriately are considered very important. SO....... 99.999 percent of=
the time..... that good ole' AI on the panel works just fine and tells yo=
u
the truth. But you still want to have the skills to NOT need that workin=
g
correctly sitting there in your back pocket. It is what makes you a good=
pilot.
So I think using the bubble level BEFORE you have the ability to assess
"centered and level" by other means can tend to put you in that position =
of
the "pilot in training". You can get so dependent on that one
instrument.... that you tend to exclude information from other sources an=
d
don't use the other senses that god gave you. If you use the bubble leve=
l
to help you to DEVELOP the skills necessary to not NEED the bubble level
.... that is a great use of the tool. Once you don't NEED it...... is a
great time to decide to use it if you want to.
If you always depend on that one instrument (bubble level) to get the job=
done by itself........ if the bubble level fails....... or you don't have=
it around........ you won't have the skills to safely land the pot
........uh....level the wings in the chuck ........ uh........ you know
what I mean .
best,
.......................john
PS: 5 days til my next noborigama firing. Only 13 days left before I
leave for almost two months in Japan!!!!
I, like Tony, am in a bluuuuuurrrrrrrrr.
John Baymore
River Bend Pottery
22 Riverbend Way
Wilton, NH 03086-5812 USA
JBaymore@compuserve.com
http://www.JohnBaymore.com
603-654-2752 (studio)
800-900-1110 (studio)
"Earth, Water, and Fire Noborigama Woodfiring Workshop: August 20-29,
2004"
Lee Love on mon 17 may 04
John Baymore wrote:
>great time to decide to use it if you want to.
>
>If you always depend on that one instrument (bubble level) to get the job
>done by itself........ if the bubble level fails....... or you don't have
>it around........ you won't have the skills to safely land the pot
>........uh....level the wings in the chuck ........ uh........ you know
>what I mean .
>
>
I think the digital pyrometer is a lot like the altitude gage in
an airplane.
My digital pyrometer is a great assistance in firing my
woodklin. Not so much for telling me how hot the kiln is, but to show
me what happens when I overstoke. This is especially useful for new
stokers: There is nothing like showing them on the readout how too
much wood can choke the heat in the kiln.
But I find, if I am too glued to the digital readout, I have
difficulty allowing the kiln to rise, because I am not paying attention
to the other things happening to the kiln that are clues to the state of
the firing. Seems better to consult the readout to affirm what I am
seeing with my own eyes. The "second opinion" is especially helpful
when you are wood firing alone
--
in Mashiko, Japan http://mashiko.org
http://potters.blogspot.com/ Commentary On Pottery
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