[ethhics]

I bought a newer K&E probably 10 years ago. I brought it to college and even took it as a calculator backup to a few exams. It’s still on my desk in the office.

But I find it mostly stays on my desk. Operating a slide rule requires intentionality, and most of the time I really only want a quick answer. An RPN calculator is probably a permanent fixture on my desk.

I should get more use of my slide rule, though, just to practice that intentionality: sharpening the estimation skills needed to get the order of magnitude right, and the planning skills of what scales to use, what order, etc. so that the calculation is quick and the result is accurate. These skills are still quite useful in the present day, and few times do they come up as well as when using a slide rule.