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I have a 109 that is original unimproved just as I bought it 50 years ago but never used it. Basically new, shiny and lovely, a time capsule. I actually have a couple of 109s that have never been wet, along with the 109/MkV combo that I used a great deal for years and years. This combo has...

I sometimes carry a small Dacor knife that I found bright and shiny on a coral head in Negril back in the 70s after Dacor did a catalog photo shoot there. Purely nostalgia. I also carry two line cutting devices.

Simple, streamlined, least effort, foolproof, purge valves leak eventually, are bulkier.

Serious snorkelers avoid purge valves. The old style blow clear upon surfacing is still the best way to go for a diver. Kids just floating at the surface use purge valves.

You overlook the fact that a diver well steeped in dive theory is a better more righteous human being with exemplary personal qualities and consequently more deserving of divine favor than those who dwell in darkness.

I completely agree that "A quality online program built by experts with a big budget, specialized software and lots of time" can be an excellent pedagogical instrument. These are, however, few and far between, especially where budgets are an issue and most especially where profit-making...

Citing one's relevant experience is not an appeal to authority. I mentioned my experience in the context of the efficacy of computer instruction, not teaching about the tables. Appeals to legitimate relevant authority are, in any case, certainly not illogical.

I did write seldom taught (in a classroom setting). I did not write never taught in a classroom. I'm a retired university faculty member with 40+ years of classroom experience. I know whereof I speak. Learning about the tables is a valuable thing. Reciting the technology of modern fuel...

Change is not always for the better. Web based learning is useful, but not on the same level as direct personal connection. Carburetors were seldom taught, they were learned from use and from doing. Fuel injection is nothing new, it was used in some vehicles and aircraft back in the 1930s. Some...

No, a learner as opposed to someone dumbly following instructions with no understanding or context. I've come across a few 'five minute fools'. Just push the button and do what it says.

We no longer teach Civics, either. Use of an abacus sharpens and informs mathematical perception and insight. In a learning context understanding is better than pushing buttons to get an answer.

The abacus is still used, especially in certain Asian shops.

The Sea of Tranquility is world renown.

It certainly does not. Just general knowledge that is not always there. In any case, people who live on the moon have a different perspective on the topic.

Neither can I.

What are you talking about? What knowledge? Everyone knows that an emperor heads an empire, and that the Imperial linear foot is based on how far a one-legged frog can jump in a sand box. Interesting thing about the metric system, though is that it's so limited. Why do we have 7 day weeks, 60...

I would expect you to know something so basic. O que 'e "kings foot"? Do you mean the Imperial system of measurement? Imperial monarchs are emperors, not kings.

The rudiments of the tables should be learned, though not to the thoroughgoing extent based on any expectation they will actually be used. I've talked to certified divers who don't know that 33 feet is two atmospheres, 66 three, or what the computer is actually measuring. I understand that my...

All analogies are flawed to some degree. I use a dive computer because it's more precise and requires less unnecessary effort. Still, I'm glad I'm familiar with the tables because I understand what the DC is doing and can contextualize its input. Understanding is invaluable; it's like knowing...

Most of my dives are solo. At my age I don't need other people's complications: forgotten gear, parking issues, spousal problems, schedules, etc. Solo is peaceful, contemplative, simpler. To hell with the self-appointed (this includes agencies) rule makers.