Manual chokes: why not?

Maintenance/Repairs
181

I invented logarithms. Yes, I am well aware someone beat me to it by several centuries, but I didn’t know that at the time. The upside was, I can still run most scales on a slide rule just by looking at them and thinking of the log base for them.

You may wonder why I think it’s important to know how to use an obsolete device. If we get another solar coronal mass explosion like they had in 1859, whoever has a slide rule will be king. Ditto for people who have cars with the old Kettering ignition system. Though, I can also make an argument that the most important thing will be to know how to start a fire without matches.

I have wondered why the luxury market folks don’t make nuclear hardened engine computers for the most popular car models. Or, maybe the entire computer need not be hardened. Make a plug-in adapter which takes care of the large input pulses on the wiring harness. Probably dumb, but that is what I have been thinking about as we hear more about crud coming from the sun. Not to mention terrorists with A-bombs wiping everything out.

I was remembering my star English student. She is 14 now. When she was 12, she and her older sister started as part of a 4 girl group. When we finished the Laubach ESL books, the two sisters wanted something on computers. I had to really hustle each week to make up materials, since I couldn’t find anything.

I did make up a lot of study material. At one point, I decided to teach them how cars operate. I included EFI and OBD-II. I think I had to ask on here for some way to induce an OBD-II code. I remember those sisters crawling under the dash to connect the scanner cable to read the failure, but can’t remember what the failure is. I had to take a blanket from my bed to put on the car floor so they didn’t mess up their nice clothes.

For the life of me, I cannot remember what I did to induce the check engine light for that class. It had to be simple and rapidly fixed again after class.

I also taught them simple programming in Basic; C++ (including showing them the defective random number generator only fixed in 2011); and Java. Then, the older sister asked for information on Povray, which I found and made a couple classes on that.

That 12 year old never blinked. Then we started reading reader books. Her sister had to bail to work. We are now reading Heidi, the classic Swiss fiction book series. I will be going back to the States next week, and have ordered GIRL OF THE LIMBERLOST and ANNE OF GREEN GABLES.

I have to ask her if she remembers anything about cars and EFT and OBD-II.

“Older people often simply aren’t computer compatible.”

Reminded me that in the late 90’s, I introduced Linux into a Mexico City government office. One guy said he didn’t know how to use Linux but did know UNiX. I told him you know Linux… I put Mandriva dual-boot into his computer and my nephew said he didn’t go home when it was time, he was so excited with Linux.

They tried to make the change, but it fizzled. My nephew told his mom the older people simply didn’t want to learn, because they were too old. She heckled him, pointed out I was much older than anyone, but ran Linux. Heh, heh. I had an explanation but chose not to make it, based on false modesty…

Later, he moved to what we would call City Information and Referral. They needed new computers and didn’t have the money. They called the entire staff together and told them we are changing to Linux. If anyone thinks they don’t want to learn, or can’t learn, please have your resignation in by Friday. Almost everyone learned Linux. They started with Mandriva, but later changed to Ubuntu. Special, important programs, they had programmers compile for Linux.

182

That guy looks like the Marigold Dairy milkman but got a new job as a cab driver.

Just this week around here the taxi drivers say they can’t make any money anymore because of Uber. One guy said he had two fares all day operating out of the airport and after expenses made $25. The drivers are mainly immigrants or refugees. So I wonder if the self-driving cabs would ever be cost effective with Uber competition. People seem to like Uber more than cabs with the driver speaking English, cleaner and newer cars, and people familiar with the area. When you think about it, it is using excess auto capacity and spare time much more efficiently than a dedicated cab.

183

It’s the programming that’s the problem. Why they do ut - I don’t know. But a simple program change can fix it. Problem is - do manufacturers want to

184

No, a simple program change will just change the manifestations.
The program is fine. The fact that the ducts, radio, etc. are controlled by programs is the problem. .A program change will not change the need to go through the same multilevel filter process to get the result I seek, nor will it eliminate the need for “reinitializing” everything, or make it again possible to rev the engine quickly and easily from under the hood.

The more programs there are is the more complicated things get. A simple program change would not have made it easier for my mom to operate her controls, nor will it make it easier for other elderly people to do so. What’s in the program isn’t the problem. The fact that the programs exists is.

1 Like
185

Then try it with mittens or gloves on when its 20 below out. I suspect though that little computers are cheaper and lighter than the mechanical devices. Plus when it goes into the shop, the tech just swaps out a computer instead of needing to fix anything. I was kind of surprised though that the touch screen in my Riv still worked with gloves on, if you could touch the right place.

186

Sure it will. If designed correctly it’s just a workflow change. I’ve designed/written systems that are workflow driven. We have everything in place and can easily change the workflow with just a few lines of code, and the whole flow from screen to screen changes.

187

You’re totally missing the point. Program driven systems that cause confusion for old folks, that require reinitialization after a power loss, that prevent being able to pop the hood and rev the engine, that require menu-maneuvering for elderly people who get confused by screen menus, will not eliminate the problems by changing the program work flow.

Computer programs are not the answer to everything. There are many things that when manual control is replaced by computer menus become very difficult for many elderly people to operate. Rewriting the program won’t solve this problem.

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188

I feel your pain, My old 2007 Motorola ‘candy bar’ cell phone was going to become inoperable Dec 31st so I replaced it with a Nokia Lumia ‘smart phone’. My Motorola came with a manual 4 times bigger than the phone. The Nokia came with the manual installed on the phone. I had to install adobe reader to access it. I had to enter my MSN email address and password to load adobe. My password was not accepted! Nokia is introducing a small phone with voice and text only. They were describing it as nostalgic. No. It is being produced so old timers have a phone they can operate. My Kia has a display below the speedometer which I normally leave on average MPG. It contains several choices. Engine temperature is about the only other one I use. To scroll to it I have to locate a dash button conveniently hidden behind the steering wheel and push it multiple times take 1 hand off the wheel and my eyes off the road to display engine temp. What could possibly go wrong? I think I could pre-flight, program, and operate an inertial navigation system occasionally while upside down. Of course I had a driver to fly the airplane but I still had to frequently look outside to maintain situational awareness.

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189

Sarge, you’ve described my complaint (and my mom’s before she passed away) perfectly.
A tip of the hat to you. :thumbsup:

It’s also my contention that multilevel menu-driven controls require drivers to take their focus and their eyes off of their driving to operate them, contributing to distracted driving accidents. Your description of the process for checking your engine temp is a perfect example. I have to do something similar to change the configuration of my heating/AC ducts. I have to look down at LCD images in the “waterfall” in the center console while I scroll through the menu. If I accidentally push the button one time too many, I have to go all the way through the choices again. In the old days I could change and adjust all the different settings and options without ever taking my eyes off the road. That IMHO was a lot safer design.

Aircraft controls in our aircraft were designed of a variety of shapes and sizes. Even with gloves on you could know by feel exactly what button.switch/knob you were using. If you grabbed the wrong knob you knew immediately just by the feel without having to look. That was all done intentionally… and it works. After grabbing these knobs thousands of times getting your training and your flight time in, the feel of each knob became engrained in your brain. It’s analogous to knowing immediately if you put a shoe on the wrong foot.

190

Am I among an insignificant and inconsequential few who can actually orient a topographical map and determine where I am and which direction to go to get home? A GPS is great but have they made the current generation ignorant of recognizing where they are and which way they need to go. Do the Boy Scouts still teach boys how to use maps and compasses?

No doubt the choke on IC engines will some be as anachronistic as a churn soon without resulting in any great hardship but will the GPS relegate coming generations to seeing their world as a cursor on a 5x7 green screen that doesn’t know up from down or north from south and points in the direction of the most recent significant movement. DUUUUUUH. If I can only get myself to 35Nx89W with a bottle of water and a few candy bars I’ll find my way home on a pretty day like today.

2 Likes
191

Nope. I just don’t do it while driving. :grin:

4 Likes
192

I have never used a GPS while driving or for driving directions. I tried google maps 5 times and it directed me to dead ends 3 times. The only times I have had trouble with paper maps is in European cities where there is rarely a place to park and read one.

193

Paper maps are great…GPS is better. Live traffic updates and alternate routes while you’re driving.

I use the GPS from my phone and it’s easy to just ask SiRi directions to closest gas station. Maps don’t have that much detail.

As for getting loss with GPS…yup it has happened. Also happened to me with maps. The map was 2 years old and didn’t have the info about the new road the town built.

194

Are you referring to the Smartphone-based Google Maps, or the version that you access on your home PC, and then print?

While I haven’t had any significant problems with the PC version, I gave up on using the Smartphone version f Google Maps after using it 3 or 4 times, and having it direct me to the wrong place each time. The most bizarre example was when I used it to try to find a municipal park in another town where a festival was being held. Besides directing me to a town (with a totally different name) about 15 miles south of my desired location, instead of a municipal park it actually took me into a cemetery, and then announced, “you have arrived at your destination”. :unamused:

So, I have reverted to using the onboard GPS that came with my car, and in the rare instances when that GPS doesn’t recognize an address that I input, then I use Waze on my phone. Waze is a really excellent Smartphone-based GPS.

195

Yep, map reading and use of a compass is still taught the Boy Scouts. It also included in basic military training. For everyone else, just make sure to always charge your phone up.

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196

For SOME people

It’s not so great for neighborhoods that suddenly have seen a TREMENDOUS increase of thru-traffic, because of Waze. Their quiet neighborhoods are now so busy, they can’t even cross the street without nearly being clobbered

197

I’ve found that GPS is great once underway, but I can almost always do a better job of route-planning than a GPS can.

My experience is that GPS loves to put you on interstates, even if the interstate takes longer, has more miles, and requires a toll. It seems that some GPSs have “logic” that rules out “other than interstate” once trip length exceeds some value. EXAMPLE: Going from Pittsburgh, PA, to Las Cruces, NM, my Garmin insisted I stay on I-40 until outside Albuquerque, then head south on I-25, even though I KNEW it was both shorter, and quicker, to get off I-40 around Amarillo, then “cut the corner” on US-60/US-70 via Hereford, TX; Roswell, NM…and catching up with the interstate route in Alamogordo, NM.

Also, GPS won’t have the presence of mind to route you on a “weather-avoidance” route, unless you pay for the latest and greatest…and even then, it usually only works with current weather, NOT forecast.

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198

I still use maps and atlases. I prefer them.

3 Likes
199

Using a GPS exclusively brings to mind a Laurel and Hardy film about carrying a piano up a long steep hillside stairway to a house then finding out there was a street level with the house a block further than they had driven the wagon.

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200

Yup, wasn’t that called “The music box” or something to that effect?

The ridiculous thing was that the noise that thing was making clearly wasn’t from a piano

There is considerable disagreement, as to exactly WHICH flight of stairs in Los Angeles was actually used for the movie