(Len Over 21) wrote in
:

In article , Leo
writes:

Very well said, Dee - anything is possible if you want to do it badly
enough..

Yeah, riiiiiight, "Leo." :-)

Want to be a world-reknowned theoretical astrophysicist? No
problem, just contract some bad neural disease, go to an ivy-covered
UK college and write a few books. All you have to do is WILL
yourself...for about 3 millenia. By that time, astrophysics will
have become "easy" for you.

Want to be a famous artist and be featured in national magazines
even though you don't have have any art talent at all? No problem.
WILL yourself to draw/paint, spend hours at it...but hire a very
good publicist so you can become a "Grandpa Moses." [we've already
had a Grandma]

I am certainly no prodigy at morse, electronics, martial
arts, cooking, business management or anything else - but I have always
been able to accomplish the things that I was motivated to do.

...or conveniently FORGET those things you were not able to do...

Mind you, it took me until I was 45 to become motivated enough to
learn morse code - but I wanted to get on HF, focused on the goal,
bought some training software online and passed the 5 wpm test four
weeks later.

Oh, my. At age 20 I was ALREADY ON HF...and on VHF, on UHF,
on microwaves in Big Time communications before reaching 24...all
without any sort of morsemanship.

At age 26 I thought it might be a fun thing to learn morse code and
get a ham license to augment my First Phone license passed in '56.
Wasn't WORTH it to listen to all that beeping. I'd already done
three years of communications in the US Army, all of it
trans-Pacific, all without using or having to know morse code.

Doesn't make sense to me that, in this new millennium, AMATEURS
still DEMAND that everyone know morse in order to get a HAM license.

Conversely, I have wanted to learn to play the guitar
since I was a teenager - not sufficiently enough, though, as I never
did do it. Which, in retrospect, is probably a good thing....

What?!? NO MOTIVATION!?! Terrible!

Can't you even do simple chords on a git-box?

I never had that problem. Next door neighbor was a part-time
guitarist. Designed and built a portable amplifier to fit inside his
guitar. Not a big boom-box with 5 KW of acoustic power...was way
back in '63 when guitars were first getting popular. Design from
scratch was no problem for me, nor the hardware. I liked drums
better.

Talent has very little to do with accomplishment (it does relate to
the level of excellence that one can attain, but to become reasonably
proficient in anything talent is not a factor), especially in ventures
based primarily on rote repetition like morse, Karate, or learning a
language.

HAH!!!!

I happen to have a talent for languages and have the physical
equipment to speak with very little "English" dialect. I know
others MORE literate (through formal schooling) in the same language
as I know but have atrocious accents and can't always form written
sentences in that language. They can spend decades of such study
and will never get it down properly. Not a problem for me.

I just don't see any sense in maintaining a federal morse code test
in this day and age for a HOBBY activity. I've been doing REAL HF
comm long before nearly all of these old-timer morsemen without
needing any HOBBY code test.


Blaming a lack of talent for failure to accomplish something reflects
on a persons' own inability to accept responsibility for their own
actions - successful people, quite simply, go out and get what they
want. Or, in the words of Albert Gray:

Yes, WANT violin playing ability on par with Itzak Perlman badly
enough and it can be done?

WANT to be a baseball great like the Mariner's John Olerud and it
can be done just by determination and practice?

"Will and idea" (and determination) is all that is necessary?

I don't think so.

The existance of the morse code test for an AMATEUR radio license
is NOT some moral bull**** thing of "will and determination."
There's NO divine idea that the morse code test must always be.
AMATEUR radio is a hobby, not a Premium Life Accomplishment.

I think some of you have wigged-out too far and need investigation
for Illegal substance abuse...

LHA




Exactly my point, although more eloquently stated

Alun,

It would be a challenge indeed to be less eloquent than the poster
that you refer to below - I'd certainly be interested in knowing how
one would go about achieving that!

Be Well,

73, Leo

On 21 Sep 2003 04:54:16 GMT, Alun Palmer wrote:

(Len Over 21) wrote in
:

snip

I think some of you have wigged-out too far and need investigation
for Illegal substance abuse...

LHA

Exactly my point, although more eloquently stated

In article , "Dee D. Flint"
writes:

"Larry Roll K3LT" wrote in message
...

All of the above makes my point about attutude.


Attitude is the key in almost every endeavor. I've succeeded in a number of
things for which I had no talent but had sufficient reason to pursue. These
include Morse code, music, and karate. I had no talent for any of them but
did quite well simply because I wanted to.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

Dee:

Well said. I can say the same with regard to Morse code, music,
cooking, photography, shooting, and any of my other interests. My
"talent" seemed to increase in direct proportion to the amount of
effort I was willing to apply to learning and mastering techniques used
by these activities. A lot of people think that "talent" makes it easy
for people to make certain achievements in their life, whereas, what
they are really seeing is the simple result of strong desire to achieve.
In fact, a lot of people with true, pure "talent" tend to become bored,
jaded, and detached from whatever it is for which they have this talent.
It was that way for me with music. I started on the clarinet, but
quickly learned how to play over 20 different instruments. Therefore,
I must have had some kind of "talent," but the fact that it was easy
for me didn't mean I had any particularly overwhelming desire to become
a performance-grade artist in any of the instruments I could play.
Therefore, I didn't. Had I picked one, stuck with it, and became it's
true master, perhaps I'd be sitting in a symphony orchestra instead
of driving a bus. But sitting in my high school and college bands and
orchestras didn't inspire me to do that for a living. Go figure.

73 de Larry, K3LT

In article , Alun Palmer
writes:


You mean like becoming president despite a lack of talent, for example?



Let's leave Jimmy Carter out of this.

73 de Larry, K3LT

Alun Palmer wrote:


(Len Over 21) wrote in

I think some of you have wigged-out too far and need investigation
for Illegal substance abuse...

LHA


Exactly my point, although more eloquently stated

Care to put your accusations in writing and signed, guys?

Pretty pleeze?

You align yourself with a fine group Alun. We who like the idea of a
Morse test are accused of being jacbooted thugs N****S, and now illegal
drug abusers.

- Mike KB3EIA -

Leo wrote:
Alun,

It would be a challenge indeed to be less eloquent than the poster
that you refer to below - I'd certainly be interested in knowing how
one would go about achieving that!

SPANK! I knew there was something about you that I liked, Leo! Well
stated. Squelch of the week!



On 21 Sep 2003 04:54:16 GMT, Alun Palmer wrote:


(Len Over 21) wrote in
:


snip


I think some of you have wigged-out too far and need investigation
for Illegal substance abuse...

LHA

Exactly my point, although more eloquently stated

It's probably a good idea to keep this in the realm of fun argument
guys. This crosses the line. If you think that accusing CW affecionado's
of drug abuse is amusing, I might beg to differ.

- Mike KB3EIA -

Dick Carroll; wrote:
Ah, that nocode eloquence!

Dick, We're N***'s, Jackbooted thugs, liberals (apologies to the
liberals out there) and now drug abusers. There's only one accusation
left. That one will probably come soon.

- Mike KB3EIA -

"Larry Roll K3LT" wrote in message
...
In article , "Dee D.
Flint"
writes:

"Larry Roll K3LT" wrote in message
...

All of the above makes my point about attutude.


Attitude is the key in almost every endeavor. I've succeeded in a number
of
things for which I had no talent but had sufficient reason to pursue.
These
include Morse code, music, and karate. I had no talent for any of them
but
did quite well simply because I wanted to.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

Dee:

Well said. I can say the same with regard to Morse code, music,
cooking, photography, shooting, and any of my other interests. My
"talent" seemed to increase in direct proportion to the amount of
effort I was willing to apply to learning and mastering techniques used
by these activities. A lot of people think that "talent" makes it easy
for people to make certain achievements in their life, whereas, what
they are really seeing is the simple result of strong desire to achieve.
In fact, a lot of people with true, pure "talent" tend to become bored,
jaded, and detached from whatever it is for which they have this talent.
It was that way for me with music. I started on the clarinet, but
quickly learned how to play over 20 different instruments. Therefore,
I must have had some kind of "talent," but the fact that it was easy
for me didn't mean I had any particularly overwhelming desire to become
a performance-grade artist in any of the instruments I could play.
Therefore, I didn't. Had I picked one, stuck with it, and became it's
true master, perhaps I'd be sitting in a symphony orchestra instead
of driving a bus. But sitting in my high school and college bands and
orchestras didn't inspire me to do that for a living. Go figure.

73 de Larry, K3LT


I have seen much the same thing. The talented find it too easy and drop by
the wayside. I particularly saw this in the martial arts. I saw several
students, including some of my own, who could have, if they continue,
dramatically overshadowed me and the other instructors. Yet after a few
months, they dropped out. It was us untalented but hardworking people who
went on to the national tournaments and brought home the medals.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

Dee D. Flint wrote:
"Larry Roll K3LT" wrote in message
...

In article , "Dee D.

Flint"

writes:


"Larry Roll K3LT" wrote in message
...

All of the above makes my point about attutude.


Attitude is the key in almost every endeavor. I've succeeded in a number

of

things for which I had no talent but had sufficient reason to pursue.

These

include Morse code, music, and karate. I had no talent for any of them

but

did quite well simply because I wanted to.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

Dee:

Well said. I can say the same with regard to Morse code, music,
cooking, photography, shooting, and any of my other interests. My
"talent" seemed to increase in direct proportion to the amount of
effort I was willing to apply to learning and mastering techniques used
by these activities. A lot of people think that "talent" makes it easy
for people to make certain achievements in their life, whereas, what
they are really seeing is the simple result of strong desire to achieve.
In fact, a lot of people with true, pure "talent" tend to become bored,
jaded, and detached from whatever it is for which they have this talent.
It was that way for me with music. I started on the clarinet, but
quickly learned how to play over 20 different instruments. Therefore,
I must have had some kind of "talent," but the fact that it was easy
for me didn't mean I had any particularly overwhelming desire to become
a performance-grade artist in any of the instruments I could play.
Therefore, I didn't. Had I picked one, stuck with it, and became it's
true master, perhaps I'd be sitting in a symphony orchestra instead
of driving a bus. But sitting in my high school and college bands and
orchestras didn't inspire me to do that for a living. Go figure.

73 de Larry, K3LT



I have seen much the same thing. The talented find it too easy and drop by
the wayside. I particularly saw this in the martial arts. I saw several
students, including some of my own, who could have, if they continue,
dramatically overshadowed me and the other instructors. Yet after a few
months, they dropped out. It was us untalented but hardworking people who
went on to the national tournaments and brought home the medals.

It's called DRIVE, Dee, and without it, all the talent in the world
means nothing. I'd hire a driven person before a talented person any day.

- Mike KB3EIA -

Mike Coslo wrote in
:

Alun Palmer wrote:


(Len Over 21) wrote in

I think some of you have wigged-out too far and need investigation
for Illegal substance abuse...

LHA


Exactly my point, although more eloquently stated

Care to put your accusations in writing and signed, guys?

Pretty pleeze?

You align yourself with a fine group Alun. We who like the idea of a
Morse test are accused of being jacbooted thugs N****S, and now illegal
drug abusers.

- Mike KB3EIA -



You are now quoting me out of context, snipping everything I agreed with,
leaving in the inane joke at the end, and leaving in my apparently
agreeing only to that.