Andy.. Are you implying that 45-year-old's tend to be deadbeats on welfare? Hmmm. I have 4 years to go before I fit your stereotype. Yikes, I hope Radio Shack is hiring by then... Have you ever considered that your level of knowledge may be equally as limited when compared to others? Wagner.. Going to Radio Shack with such questions is like asking an attendant in a car wash how the automatic wash bay computer works. The attendant will do a fine job washing your car knowing such detail or not. They are not there to answer questions outside of the scope of the packaged product or service. This applies to all fields and professions and at all levels, including yours. There is a good probability you do not possess all knowledge, and I bet you would not enjoy someone mocking you if you tried to comprehend a new circuit! Would you be an idiot too? ...and... If you are such a competent engineer, you would know enough about wire, current, etc, that you would not need to ask such a question of a non-engineer salesperson to begin with. Ask questions that the salesperson CAN answer (Wagner - do you have four conductor, stranded 28 gauge coiled phone wire that is 6 feet in length? Salesperson - YES, it is over here!). In effect, the Radio Shack salesperson is correct, typical phone line currents are less than 100ma. I have seen them as low as 4ma off hook (I should know, I built phone based telemetry equipment based on the PIC, have you?). Driving 800ma through a phone line will cause considerable line loss, and would not work well - as a phone line. Duh.. You may MODIFY the wire (i.e. parallel them) to increase current, but it is not a phone line anymore. Duh.. Apples and Oranges dude. Morale: Be more considerate with those of lesser knowledge. Maybe instead of laughing in his face you should of tried to explain to him your real purpose, how it could be used for your project, and what may work. Spread the knowledge, be a teacher, be a leader... But then, you may enjoy his ignorance. You can take your attitude and be-little any store clerk in any store, with mall mentality or not, for a good laugh. Just as I have done to you with this message (LOL). What do you think this discussion group is about? Do you also laugh at simple questions posted on this list? Jeez.... Give us a break.... ..Mark.. -----Original Message----- From: Andy Kunz [mailto:support@MONTANADESIGN.COM] Sent: Friday, July 02, 1999 9:30 AM To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU Subject: Re: [OT] A little help? or.... something else? >Morale: When asking for technical help, first ask the guy if he really >knows about it, had experience about it... or if he will just guess >about it... remember that you also can guess (that he's an idiot)... And he was either a 16-year-old on his first job (which he sees as "time + commission sales") or a 45-year-old deadbeat whose welfare ran out. At least that's what we have around here in the stores. Beware of a technical store who builds its business in the Mall Mentality. Andy ================================================================== Andy Kunz Life is what we do to prepare for Eternity ------------------------------------------------------------------ andy@rc-hydros.com http://www.rc-hydros.com - Race Boats andy@montanadesign.com http://www.montanadesign.com - Electronics ==================================================================