[NoPedantsThanks]

Interesting! This was long before the Internet, so all I had to go on was books I checked out from the library about how to build stuff. They presented the clutch as a basic component.

The other topic I repeatedly checked books out on was movie special effects. Of course I wanted to make "laser beams" in my Super-8 movies. This, not surprisingly, was even less practical than a go-kart because it required an optical printer. Books offered the idea of drawing on or scratching the film as an alternative, but even as a kid I rejected that as utterly impractical and lame on a tiny 8mm frame.

I did make a bunch of movies, and do and build cool stuff as a kid. I wonder how much more I would have accomplished with access to all the info and 3-D printers and video capability kids have today. Would I do more because of all that, or less because of the massive distraction of the media now?

[kolektiv]

That last question is one I think about often! It sounds like your childhood was pretty well spent. I wanted to make lasers too - just not on film! I built most of one, but only lacked a decently sized ruby, for some reason. Probably just as well, as my childhood electronics would almost certainly have been at least as lethal as your kart...

[NoPedantsThanks]

To an eyeball or two, at least!