Tractor-pr0n

[hirez]

Rather inspired in exactly the wrong direction by steer opining that children have no business understanding the mechanics of flax production, I discovered the following Youtube gem.

In no particular order: Ploughing! Bicycles! Roadless 4WD Fordson Major! Boiler suits! Startling bobble hats! Roll bars are for silly feckers!

Comments

[steer.livejournal.com]

If parents or teachers make children watch that footage for entertainment or education purposes the children should be taken into care for their own good.

[solipsistnation.livejournal.com]

Whoops.

My 2-year-old, sitting next to me, just watched in rapt fascination as the tractors rolled back and forth across the field pulling their various agricultural implements. He likes tractors.

[steer.livejournal.com]

I'm dialing social services.

Children are strange. A friend's two year old thanks to extensive youtubage can now recognise and name dozens of types of helicopters but fled in tears and had to be consoled for an hour after accidentally watching some of a lecture about C++. (Not making this up... his speech isn't quite good enough for me to recognise but his mum was going "yes, it does look just like a Sikorsky S-64, good drawing..." -- it did look like one too).

[hirez.livejournal.com]

I would imagine that a generic C++ lecture would drive most people to tears.

[steer.livejournal.com]

That's a "template <typename Generic> Generic" C++ lecture please.

[solipsistnation.livejournal.com]

*WEEP*

[nmg.livejournal.com]

I was dead pleased when the garklet drew his first recognisable English Electric Lightning. He can also do a reasonable Apollo Lunar Module. He used to be able to distinguish a Spitfire from a Hurricane about 75% of the time, though that ability seems to have waned over the past year.

Maybe I should try and teach him the difference between Victors, Valiants and Vulcans?

[steer.livejournal.com]

Gosh... I'd forgotten the existence of the lightning despite being pretty sure I've made an airfix kit of one before now.

He used to be able to distinguish a Spitfire from a Hurricane about 75% of the time, though that ability seems to have waned over the past year.

Wow... he's losing his faculties at an early age.

[nmg.livejournal.com]

Now there's a question - what did small boys get excited about before rockets, cars, lorries, tractors, diggers, aeroplanes, helicopters, tanks, submarines, ships and trains?

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

Horses.

[nmg.livejournal.com]

Well, yes. Should have seen that one coming.

Also, ias reminded me of this object (http://www.ashmolean.org/ash/objects/makedetail.php?pmu=138&mu=150&gty=brow&sec=&dtn=20&sfn=Catalogue%20Number&cpa=9&rpos=171) from the Ashmolean (collected by T.E. Lawrence, which makes it doubly cool).

[hirez.livejournal.com]

I believe so.

My grandfather used to tell stories of joyriding horses as a lad, just pre WWI.

[solipsistnation.livejournal.com]

Sticks.

They still get excited about sticks. They just ALSO get excited about "Tractors" and stuff.

[nmg.livejournal.com]

WiReD put it best (http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/01/the-5-best-toys-of-all-time/all/1).

[solipsistnation.livejournal.com]

Yup, exactly that. All those things!

[andrewducker]

Swords.

And Pirates.

And Pirates _with_ Swords. They were the best.

[solipsistnation.livejournal.com]

Mine isn't quite THAT far in, but I bet it's not long until he is. At this point he has a sort of generic category of "Tractors!" which includes everything from a 4WD Fordson Major or a Bobcat to Panther tanks and Shermans and things, which he's seen quite a lot of in my gaming and youtubing.