Alternative to the NMRA Master Model Railroader?

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Where do you put the large number of us who were middle-aged adults when the internet came along? I'm in that category, and I still prefer to actually talk to people. The day we stop doing that, we can kiss our rear-ends good-bye. Communication is already a dying art, and almost entirely non-existent among the youth of today, who cannot function without a cellphone that Tweets, Twitters, Texts, Sexts and connects to the internet, usually while walking, driving or just breathing.

I doubt there is a high school kid in America who knows how to actually DO research anymore. Somehow, I don't see that as "progress", nor even beneficial.

Well, I'm only out of highschool for three years now, and i still have siblings in High school. While I know there are plenty of dummies out there, we were made to do large research projects. At least one or two books were usually required. Most other sources had to be Peer-reviewed, either from physical journals or online database subscriptions with peer-reviewed articles. Wikipedia and any generic website are not accepted.

I would say you are underestimating the average student, but then again i've always been singled out for researching ability ( though i wish i could retain "useful" information. Knowing the different kinds of rocks, species of bugs, or identifying features that differentiate one SW from another don't necessarily help with life).

That said, i'm also a stickler for accurate information, and we were forced to review our fellow student's research projects. I very rarely found anyone's sources to be illegitmate, even if i did not agree with what was being said. I've only gotten worse now that i've been in college for a few years, if you think i'm bad with giving advice on model railroading, I get much worse when i see inconsistencies in the lab, where precision is key.

Speaking of communicating, I haven't had any issue with communicating at all. My cell phone is just "new" enough to not look outdated. (I think its gotta be 6 or 7 years old now). I only text when it is reasonable to do so (like quick messages such as "i'm going to be late/early"). texting is also more private. Not to mention that the "internet shorthand" actually has a purpose. If you have a lot to say, it is inconvenient to send several messages. If you have to shorten "you" to "U" for the sake of fitting within the character limitations of a message (you can only put so many letters in a message), than so be it. As long as you don't type and write like that on a regular basis, then there is no problem.

In both the cases of research and communications, i don't think its so much that younger people can't do those things, as it is that its evolved to flow on a level that the "immigrants" unfamiliar or uncomfortable with.

thats just my off-topic rant on the subject.