Get off my LAWN! "Grumpy Old Farts"

[GonePlaid]

It all goes to efficiency in terms of maximizing fuel economy while not adversely impacting performance. Every engine has a place in its power band where it can most efficiently do its best work (so to speak) for any given demand and set of operating and environmental conditions. The job of modern power-train control systems is to manage the transmission and engine controls from a total integrated system perspective that can be fine tuned/optimized on continual basis to produce the best balance of performance, economy, and component longevity/system reliability.

More gears to choose from offers the system more flexibility to optimally match gear ratios with engine capabilities within the priorities established in the control laws/algorithms consistent with operator inputs demand. This is why well-designed CVT style transmissions can produce very impressive performance and economy with small power plants. They essentially get to have virtually any ratio at any time to best match engine performance at a given RPM consistent with operator demand.

Believe it or not some over the road diesel truck designs I've seen (which may be in production, not sure) actually have adaptive control logic that essentially anticipates road conditions (e.g. steep inclines) via GPS and adjusts in advance to ensure the truck has optimized it's power-train settings for the specific road (altitude and grade) as well as the prevailing environmental conditions and driver inputs. There is a good case to be made for utilizing complex control logic to optimize system performance when it's easily within current capability...and this leads to having systems with lots of "gear choices" and the ability to adjust or re-tune the engine multiple times a second.

FWIW, I still like having a Chevy big block with a Rochester Quadrajet sitting on top all backed up by a TH400...but those days are history!

Yup! That's the only way to get these "tiny" engines to move today's cars-which are made of Reynolds wrap

 

[beans-on-toast]

There's a company that ordered new trucks w/ auto trannies 'cos some of their new hires were burning clutches and grinding gears so much that it was better to take those decisions outta their hands.

Makes you wonder how much manual transmission training the new hires got before they tested for their license. I imagine that some schools can skimp on this.

I was told by a driver that if you take your test with an automatic transmission of any sort, you get a restriction on your license. Don’t know if that’s still the case.

 

[GonePlaid]

Makes you wonder how much manual transmission training the new hires got before they tested for their license. I imagine that some schools can skimp on this.

I was told by a driver that if you take your test with an automatic transmission of any sort, you get a restriction on your license. Don’t know if that’s still the case.

From what I've seen, a lot of "schools" skimp a lot of things. The vocational schools-through the local community colleges,etc.- seem to do the best.

 

[Al Kraft]

Because engineers can’t resist changing things.

In many product areas the customer expectations tend to evolve over time (for all kinds of reasons) and if you want to stay ahead of the competition, you have to keep changing. In my world, threats change and evolve constantly so we are always looking for the next disruptive technology and/or a way to counter it.

On the other hand, and more to your point, every project has that point in time when have to pry the design from the engineer's hands and get something into production. As you know, engineers are problem solvers by training (and probably by natural inclination) who will typically look for something to fix if even if it's not broken. When examining a new technology or product my eye is immediately drawn to anything that looks like it could be a weakness or vulnerability.

 

[BadExample]

disruptive technology

 

[beans-on-toast]

In many product areas the customer expectations tend to evolve over time (for all kinds of reasons) and if you want to stay ahead of the competition, you have to keep changing. In my world, threats change and evolve constantly so we are always looking for the next disruptive technology and/or a way to counter it.

On the other hand, and more to your point, every project has that point in time when have to pry the design from the engineer's hands and get something into production. As you know, engineers are problem solvers by training (and probably by natural inclination) who will typically look for something to fix if even if it's not broken. When examining a new technology or product my eye is immediately drawn to anything that looks like it could be a weakness or vulnerability.

An engineer will evaluate products by pushing them to their limits and identifying where the weaknesses are. Everyone likes to think that they can do it better.

At least the military doesn’t have to meet the same regulatory specs that consummer products are required to adopt.

 

[Al Kraft]

...with guaranteed on time delivery!

 

[BadExample]

...with guaranteed on time delivery!

To the correct address as well. USPS need not apply.

 

[Al Kraft]

To the correct address as well. USPS need not apply.

...and their "delivery trucks" are a little slower as well!

 

[BadExample]

...and their "delivery trucks" are a little slower as well!

Well, Al, if you ever send me a "special package," I request USPS, both for the speed of delivery and the (in)accuracy

 

[BadExample]

Oh, I just checked the bonsai experiment, and the largest one that was wilting seems to have responded very well to the extreme pruning. So hopefully that one will survive. I even decided to begin the training process without waiting for the roots to become established. We'll know soon enough if that was a mistake

 

[BassmanPaul]

Interestingly, as we are discussing delivery companies, yesterday I received a letter about a Class Action Lawsuit against UPS for ‘extra’ charges at the door. I try to use them as little as possible for precisely that reason. I have found over the years that their delivery guys are the most arrogant people I have ever met. When they won’t leave my parcel unless I pay them a fee the smirk knowing full well I will pay.

Once, sitting in my doctor’s office, I notice the brown truck reverse into a disabled parking spot. The truck, being big, actually took up two spots!! I pointed out that these were reserve parking and he just laughed at me. He did eventually move as I pretended to call the police.

I’m very against people without the required permit using these spots ‘cos when I was out with my quadriplegic son, many, many times we’d find someone unlawfully parked.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

I think we're fortunate in Sitka. All three carriers-- UPS, Fedex, and USPS are very kind and conscientious. During Christmas they all make a special effort and work late to get packages to families, often working late into Christmas eve. We have a place on our porch for deliveries and a small shelf for receipts. They carefully leave the receipts in the small paper tray I've provided. But then you've got to remember we're 8,900 people on an isolated island so we learn to be courteous to each other because we HAVE to....

As far as people parking in Handicapped Zones, I will confront anyone thinking they can park there "just for a minute." If they are able, they can park 20 feet away and walk. And I've told them to their face.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Oh, I just checked the bonsai experiment, and the largest one that was wilting seems to have responded very well to the extreme pruning. So hopefully that one will survive. I even decided to begin the training process without waiting for the roots to become established. We'll know soon enough if that was a mistake

Talk to your plants.

 

[BadExample]

Talk to your plants.

I yelled at them while twisting their youthful trunks into knots. I do stuff like this for MY outlet, not theirs!

Leaves look kind of droopy because they are wet from rain. Brownish looking leaves at the top are healthy, just underdeveloped. Little baby shooting off to the side gets a few days off before training because it had a root ball the size of a dime when I found it yesterday. The largest one has been cut nearly in half since I found the leaves were dry yesterday. It seemed healthy by noon today. This is my first deciduous bansai, so I'm not counting on it coming out well.

 

[Al Kraft]

I yelled at them while twisting their youthful trunks into knots. I do stuff like this for MY outlet, not theirs!



View attachment 3097878

Leaves look kind of droopy because they are wet from rain. Brownish looking leaves at the top are healthy, just underdeveloped. Little baby shooting off to the side gets a few days off before training because it had a root ball the size of a dime when I found it yesterday. The largest one has been cut nearly in half since I found the leaves were dry yesterday. It seemed healthy by noon today. This is my first deciduous bansai, so I'm not counting on it coming out well.

...and this is what happens when aviation electronics techs turn to gardening...no way to use a soldering iron or your favorite multi-meter to perform a miracle...

 

[GonePlaid]

...and this is what happens when aviation electronics techs turn to gardening...no way to use a soldering iron or your favorite multi-meter to perform a miracle...

 

[alaskaleftybass]

The S-42 Clipper was an experiment by PAA in southeast Alaska. It was short-lived. It turned out that the "Baby Clipper," the Sikorsky S-43, was the better performer (a military version JRS-1 seen below in the Smithsonian Air & Space restoration hangar)., especially in unsheltered waters.

 

[GonePlaid]

The S-42 Clipper was an experiment by PAA in southeast Alaska. It was short-lived. It turned out that the "Baby Clipper," the Sikorsky S-43, was the better performer (a military version JRS-1 seen below in the Smithsonian Air & Space restoration hangar)., especially in unsheltered waters.

View attachment 3097936

There were a couple of hulls of these things in Miami on a side street into the early 60s. No idea what happened to them. One day they weren't there any more.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Pan American Airways Sikorsky S-42 NC16736 at Lake Washington in Seattle. This plane made weekly flights to Ketchikan & Juneau during the 1940's. Walter Goodwin Sr. Collection.