Friday
Aug012008
Memories of my childhood
Friday, August 1, 2008 at 7:46AM
I don't remember being any specific age. In my mind I've always been the person that I am. From an early age I was an exploratory information sponge, who's self-reliant and always wanting to be somewhere I'm not.
by JonF119
I built a lot of stuff as a kid. I would build more and more powerful electromagnets out of D size batteries, magnet wire, and large iron nails. I'd try different winding techniques, different wire sizes, and different coil thicknesses in an attempt to improve the strength of the magnet.
Eventually I realized that if you were to line up a bunch of electromagnetic rings and turn them off and on in sequence you could propel a small piece of steel to very high speeds. I didn't know it at the time, but that is essentially how a linear accelerator works. That's right, I was always this smart. And this modest.
by Ben Shepherd
Other dreamed up creations included a toy boat which would be propelled by steam escaping through a small hole in a horizontal tube, with the water inside heated by candles. And I tried to figure out if it would be possible to use a series of convex lenses to produce a laser-like beam by continuously magnifying sunlight. It's not. Laser light is polarized and all the same wavelength, that's why the beam stays so tight.
by Laughing Squid
I was obsessed with forts. I'd read through all books in the library that showed medieval castles. My own forts were always just made from small trees and not nearly as sturdy. But it was more about building the fort than actually using it for anything.
I drew up plans for an underground lair. It would be a big hole covered by old wooden pallets. I told my dad and he said sure and handed me a shovel. I got about a foot into the ground before getting tired and losing interest.
by SaltyGrease
It was also very important to have a secret fort that my brother didn't know about. Under no circumstances was my brother allowed to find out where my fort was. In retrospect it's kinda funny, I had no real motivation for hiding it, other than to conceal something from someone.
I spent a lot of time alone in the forest, building things and exploring. After reading about how the natural range of puma's once extended into southern Ontario, I became paranoid that I'd run into one. For awhile I'd steal a knife from the kitchen before leaving the house. As if a skinny 10 year old with a paring knife would be able to successfully defend himself against a mountain lion. It made me feel better.
by ntang
Living in rural area I spent a lot of time alone, but it never bothered me, and I never really had a strong desire for other peoples company. Until I hit puberty of course, and then I had a strong desire for a very particular kind of company.
Girls always made me feel weird from a very early age. I'd be instantly awkward and shy, saying stupid things and falling in love if they paid me the littlest bit of attention. Some would say that that is still the case. I still remember a cute girl from summer camp who asked to be my girlfriend when I was like 10 or 12. I told her no because I liked another girl who I met once year and lived in Saskatchewan. I thought it would be cheating. She nicely said ok and never talked to me again. I've regretted it ever since.
by nathalie pahud-briquet
We went to Saskatchewan once a year for a few weeks, every year from when I was born until I was 19. My parents had a cottage there. For three days I'd ride in a van with my parents, my brother and a dog. Once there it was 21-28 days of fun. There were about 10-12 other kids our age within about a 3 minute walk. Cops and robbers at night. Swimming all day. And various crushes that were never acted upon in those 19 years.
by eschipul
Memories of travel to Germany aren't as clear. We went 3 times before I was 12, but all I remember is lots of sandwiches for lunch, diesel fumes, lego, people smoking, chocolate, and cobblestone streets. And there was a cat that no one owned called "Mushy", which is German for "Kitty". I can count to ten in German and say the word for milk, it's pronounced "milche". That's all I've retained.
I could go on, and maybe another time I will. Once I open the tap it all starts pouring out and it's hard to know where to stop. But generally I'd say that I'm the same I've always been. A bit of a loner who worries about girls, cannot stop engineering things, and desperately wants a secret fort.
by eyes and ears
by JonF119
I built a lot of stuff as a kid. I would build more and more powerful electromagnets out of D size batteries, magnet wire, and large iron nails. I'd try different winding techniques, different wire sizes, and different coil thicknesses in an attempt to improve the strength of the magnet.
Eventually I realized that if you were to line up a bunch of electromagnetic rings and turn them off and on in sequence you could propel a small piece of steel to very high speeds. I didn't know it at the time, but that is essentially how a linear accelerator works. That's right, I was always this smart. And this modest.
by Ben Shepherd
Other dreamed up creations included a toy boat which would be propelled by steam escaping through a small hole in a horizontal tube, with the water inside heated by candles. And I tried to figure out if it would be possible to use a series of convex lenses to produce a laser-like beam by continuously magnifying sunlight. It's not. Laser light is polarized and all the same wavelength, that's why the beam stays so tight.
by Laughing Squid
I was obsessed with forts. I'd read through all books in the library that showed medieval castles. My own forts were always just made from small trees and not nearly as sturdy. But it was more about building the fort than actually using it for anything.
I drew up plans for an underground lair. It would be a big hole covered by old wooden pallets. I told my dad and he said sure and handed me a shovel. I got about a foot into the ground before getting tired and losing interest.
by SaltyGrease
It was also very important to have a secret fort that my brother didn't know about. Under no circumstances was my brother allowed to find out where my fort was. In retrospect it's kinda funny, I had no real motivation for hiding it, other than to conceal something from someone.
I spent a lot of time alone in the forest, building things and exploring. After reading about how the natural range of puma's once extended into southern Ontario, I became paranoid that I'd run into one. For awhile I'd steal a knife from the kitchen before leaving the house. As if a skinny 10 year old with a paring knife would be able to successfully defend himself against a mountain lion. It made me feel better.
by ntang
Living in rural area I spent a lot of time alone, but it never bothered me, and I never really had a strong desire for other peoples company. Until I hit puberty of course, and then I had a strong desire for a very particular kind of company.
Girls always made me feel weird from a very early age. I'd be instantly awkward and shy, saying stupid things and falling in love if they paid me the littlest bit of attention. Some would say that that is still the case. I still remember a cute girl from summer camp who asked to be my girlfriend when I was like 10 or 12. I told her no because I liked another girl who I met once year and lived in Saskatchewan. I thought it would be cheating. She nicely said ok and never talked to me again. I've regretted it ever since.
by nathalie pahud-briquet
We went to Saskatchewan once a year for a few weeks, every year from when I was born until I was 19. My parents had a cottage there. For three days I'd ride in a van with my parents, my brother and a dog. Once there it was 21-28 days of fun. There were about 10-12 other kids our age within about a 3 minute walk. Cops and robbers at night. Swimming all day. And various crushes that were never acted upon in those 19 years.
by eschipul
Memories of travel to Germany aren't as clear. We went 3 times before I was 12, but all I remember is lots of sandwiches for lunch, diesel fumes, lego, people smoking, chocolate, and cobblestone streets. And there was a cat that no one owned called "Mushy", which is German for "Kitty". I can count to ten in German and say the word for milk, it's pronounced "milche". That's all I've retained.
I could go on, and maybe another time I will. Once I open the tap it all starts pouring out and it's hard to know where to stop. But generally I'd say that I'm the same I've always been. A bit of a loner who worries about girls, cannot stop engineering things, and desperately wants a secret fort.
by eyes and ears
Reader Comments (5)
Thanks for sharing your memories - that was great! Love the part about the secret fort - why do we do that? Its like all the elaborate "clubs" you make up when you are little with secret pass words, membership cards and special names - and its usually only you and the kids next door in the club anyway! Or maybe that was just me lol!
Yeah I totally did the same thing. I guess as kids you don't need a reason to do things. You didn't think about it or analyze it, you just did it for the sake of it.
Now I'd be like "Well do I really NEED a secret fort? How is it going to effect my relationships with other people? How long do I really expect to be able to keep this a secret? Is there even a point to a secret fort?"
Instead as a kid I was just like "Yay secret fort!"
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