[mdlug] OT: CompUSA, R.I.P.

[Jeff Hanson]

On Dec 10, 2007 12:59 AM, Michael Rudas <audiotech50 at gmail.com> wrote:
> There used to be a LOT of electronics distributors in this area, but
> not any more, "Popular Electronics" magazine is gone... as a long-time
> electronic technician, it seems kinda sad.  Where WILL the next
> generation of electronic experimenters come from?

That's an ongoing issue with electronics in general.  It's because of
the declining cost of consumer electronics and increasing integration.
 In the tube days the components were big and clunky and easy to
handle.  Consumer devices were expensive and kit building was
economical and fun.  Now it's 0.5mm pitch MSOPs, QFNs, and BGAs and
it's cheaper to throw consumer electronics out than to clean them, let
alone fix them.  Heathkits are gone, the Active Electronics store in
Redford closed, and Radio Shack is a shadow of it's former self.  Kids
are too distracted by game consoles to even bother learning how to
build a PC, and forget about component-level construction.  Many EEs
today have rather limited design skills and usually rely on copying
examples out of application notes to design systems.