For some reason I was thinking about bail bonds and policemen this morning. It is a world very far removed from everyday America. Jay Leno was making cracks about $3 a gallon gasoline and all the profits oil companies are making. Everybody likes to complain about the price of gas, but compared to Europe, it is a pittance. Of course, America is very much bigger than Europe, so land is cheaper, we are more spread out and we have farther to travel. Paying European prices for fuel would put a definite crimp in our lifestyle.
My brother was looking at stock for a Norwegian oil exploration company. I looked up their web site and realized, for the umpteenth time, how much money gets spent on drilling for oil. It must be in the billions of dollars a year. Perhaps a trillion dollars in a decade.
Computer chip factories (fabrication facilities, or fabs) cost billions of dollars to build, so they can make zillions of chips that sell for next to nothing. I imagine the life cycle of a fab goes something like this. Five years of planning, one year to build, one year to get everything sorted out, and three years to make enough money to pay for building it. After that, someone else will have built a more efficient fab and yours will be obsolete. However, it is now paid for so you can continue making money as long as you can continue to sell the chips you are making. That may be another five years. After that it will either slide into abandonment, or it will need to be overhauled. I suspect that the big expense is in the equipment that goes inside, so it may just be easier all around to build an all new facility than to try and refurbish an old building.
And don't forget about trains. They are like something from the dark ages, nothing new going on there, but the investment in infrastructure is tremendous. There are the rail lines, and the engines and rolling stock, but the really big item is the land. Thousands of miles of rail lines are sitting on thousands of miles of land. I would not be surprised if the value of all this land in America was a trillion dollars.
So what does all this have to do with bail bonds? For many Americans, a bail bond is going to the largest amount of money they will every deal with. Last I heard bail bondsmen charged ten percent of the bond. If the judge sets your bond at fifty thousand dollars, that is how much the court wants, in cash, to let you out of jail until your trial. The bondsman will put up the fifty thousand, but you have to pay him five thousand. Pay him, mind you. You do not get the five thousand back. You give him the five thousand, it's gone. You show up for trial, he gets his fifty thousand back. You don't show up, he sends a bounty hunter after you. The bounty hunter gets the five thousand to track your sorry behind down and haul you back to jail. There may be variations in the details, but that is roughly the way it works.
So a few thousand dollars is the most many Americans are going to deal with, and it is going to be under the most unpleasant circumstances.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Gone Baby Gone
Went to see "Gone Baby Gone" at the Cornelius multiplex yesterday evening. Even on opening night the theater was not even half full. It was playing in a theater at the end of a long hall, which tells me it that they were not expecting a big audience. I was surprised. Guess that shows how much I know about America's taste in movies.
It was really good, very subtle, well played characters and situations. The ending really stunk, but then it gives you something to think about. Can a drug addict reform and become a normal beer drinking American? I imagine some people think so. I have my doubts. I have heard that some people do reform. Some can stay away from the stuff as long as someone is checking on them. But I suspect most of them die addicts.
There was one good scene in a bar when things turn ugly. The hero tries to talk his way out of the situation until someone makes an overt move, and then he pulls out a gun. That settles the issue. Very straight forward, no histrionics, no grandstanding, very real.
It was really good, very subtle, well played characters and situations. The ending really stunk, but then it gives you something to think about. Can a drug addict reform and become a normal beer drinking American? I imagine some people think so. I have my doubts. I have heard that some people do reform. Some can stay away from the stuff as long as someone is checking on them. But I suspect most of them die addicts.
There was one good scene in a bar when things turn ugly. The hero tries to talk his way out of the situation until someone makes an overt move, and then he pulls out a gun. That settles the issue. Very straight forward, no histrionics, no grandstanding, very real.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
An OHV Engine From Two Flathead Engines
One of my favorite pastimes is thinking of ways to make a machine without having to resort to complex machinery like lathes or milling machines. What could I construct using only mechanics tools, a drill, and perhaps a welder?
Internal combustion engines are one of my favorite interests. They are used to power everything cool, like cars, motorcycles and airplanes. There are innumerable variations on the original Otto cycle piston-and-crankshaft internal combustion engine, but for our purposes they may be classified into two groups: flathead engines and overhead valve engines.
Flathead engines are simpler and more primitive. Overhead valve (OHV) engines are more complex, more sophisticated and more efficient. Flathead engines are still used for some lawn mowers and other small, powered machines. OHV engines are used for all high power applications, and are even making inroads into the smaller machines.
Here are a couple of pictures from http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hemi1.htm that show the differences between the two engine designs. The Hemi is an overhead valve design.
Flathead engines suffer from one malady that does not afflict OHV engines. That is the accumulation of carbon in the combustion chamber. Due to the shape of the combustion chamber, flathead engines tend to accumulate substantial carbon deposits directly opposite the valves. Periodically the cylinder heads must be taken off and the carbon deposits removed. Failure to do this in a timely manner will result in damage to the engine as the valves will start to impact the carbon deposits.
Apart from the unfortunate cylinder head configuration, a flathead engine is otherwise perfectly sound and, this is the important part, cheap. If there were only some way to fit an OHV arrangement to the top of an inexpensive flathead engine, you could have the benefits of both. It took me a while to come up with an idea on how this might be done without having to resort to casting and machining.
Take two single cylinder flat head engines. Remove the cylinder heads. Take a piece of plate metal and cut two oval holes in it. Each hole would be big enough to accommodate both the intake and exhaust valves. When the valves open they protrude into the combustion chamber. The plate would need to be thick enough to accommodate this motion. The plate would be set on top of one (headless) flathead engine, one hole over the valves, and the other over the piston. The second engine would be inverted over this and set on top. The valves of the second engine would be positioned within the oval that is over the piston of the lower engine, and the piston of the lower engine would be positioned above the valves of the lower engine.
In cross section the combined engines would look something like this (Please ignore the line across the middle of the drawing. My computer picture editing skills still need some work):
The crankshafts of the two engines would be connected with a chain to synchronize their rotation. We would now have a horizontally opposed, two cylinder, OHV engine!
There are numerous details that would have to be dealt with, but I think that it could be done. First would be spark plugs, or rather holes to put them in. I do not imagine our new plate would be thick enough to accommodate a spark plug hole drilled from the side, but it might. Some other device may be necessary. Head gaskets would need to be fabricated, but they could be cut from a sheet of copper. As the engines themselves would be blocking access to the former bolt holes for the head bolts, holding the whole assembly together might require running long bolts from the bottom of one engine to the bottom of the other. The chain would be rather long and might be subject to stretching. For a small engine like this it might be possible to use a toothed rubber belt. That would also eliminate the need for the a sealed chaincase. (A chain would need lubricating oil.) If horizontal shaft engines were used, internal engine lubrication would have to looked at. It would not be a problem for vertical shaft engines.
Update December 2016 replaced missing pictures.
Internal combustion engines are one of my favorite interests. They are used to power everything cool, like cars, motorcycles and airplanes. There are innumerable variations on the original Otto cycle piston-and-crankshaft internal combustion engine, but for our purposes they may be classified into two groups: flathead engines and overhead valve engines.
Flathead engines are simpler and more primitive. Overhead valve (OHV) engines are more complex, more sophisticated and more efficient. Flathead engines are still used for some lawn mowers and other small, powered machines. OHV engines are used for all high power applications, and are even making inroads into the smaller machines.
Here are a couple of pictures from http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hemi1.htm that show the differences between the two engine designs. The Hemi is an overhead valve design.
Flathead engines suffer from one malady that does not afflict OHV engines. That is the accumulation of carbon in the combustion chamber. Due to the shape of the combustion chamber, flathead engines tend to accumulate substantial carbon deposits directly opposite the valves. Periodically the cylinder heads must be taken off and the carbon deposits removed. Failure to do this in a timely manner will result in damage to the engine as the valves will start to impact the carbon deposits.
Apart from the unfortunate cylinder head configuration, a flathead engine is otherwise perfectly sound and, this is the important part, cheap. If there were only some way to fit an OHV arrangement to the top of an inexpensive flathead engine, you could have the benefits of both. It took me a while to come up with an idea on how this might be done without having to resort to casting and machining.
Take two single cylinder flat head engines. Remove the cylinder heads. Take a piece of plate metal and cut two oval holes in it. Each hole would be big enough to accommodate both the intake and exhaust valves. When the valves open they protrude into the combustion chamber. The plate would need to be thick enough to accommodate this motion. The plate would be set on top of one (headless) flathead engine, one hole over the valves, and the other over the piston. The second engine would be inverted over this and set on top. The valves of the second engine would be positioned within the oval that is over the piston of the lower engine, and the piston of the lower engine would be positioned above the valves of the lower engine.
In cross section the combined engines would look something like this (Please ignore the line across the middle of the drawing. My computer picture editing skills still need some work):
The crankshafts of the two engines would be connected with a chain to synchronize their rotation. We would now have a horizontally opposed, two cylinder, OHV engine!
There are numerous details that would have to be dealt with, but I think that it could be done. First would be spark plugs, or rather holes to put them in. I do not imagine our new plate would be thick enough to accommodate a spark plug hole drilled from the side, but it might. Some other device may be necessary. Head gaskets would need to be fabricated, but they could be cut from a sheet of copper. As the engines themselves would be blocking access to the former bolt holes for the head bolts, holding the whole assembly together might require running long bolts from the bottom of one engine to the bottom of the other. The chain would be rather long and might be subject to stretching. For a small engine like this it might be possible to use a toothed rubber belt. That would also eliminate the need for the a sealed chaincase. (A chain would need lubricating oil.) If horizontal shaft engines were used, internal engine lubrication would have to looked at. It would not be a problem for vertical shaft engines.
Update December 2016 replaced missing pictures.
Monday, October 15, 2007
"Michael Clayton"
What movie did I go see Saturday night? "Michael Clayton". A fine film. Three movies in the theater in three days. Sensory overload, no wonder I could not think of the title right off.
It really reinforced my suspicions that assassination is a commonly used tool. The first murder was done almost to perfection, it really looked like a suicide, except to George, of course. The second one was really crude in comparison, and botched to boot. Thank our lucky stars they blew it (ha, ha, I made a funny), otherwise there would not have been a story, much less a movie. Perhaps they were in a hurry, which is why it was so crude.
Against a couple of billion dollars, what are a couple of lives?
It really reinforced my suspicions that assassination is a commonly used tool. The first murder was done almost to perfection, it really looked like a suicide, except to George, of course. The second one was really crude in comparison, and botched to boot. Thank our lucky stars they blew it (ha, ha, I made a funny), otherwise there would not have been a story, much less a movie. Perhaps they were in a hurry, which is why it was so crude.
Against a couple of billion dollars, what are a couple of lives?
As seen on CSI
There were two items on last Thursdays CSI TV show.
- The comment by Catherine that things get worse when the temperature gets above 110 (degrees Fahrenheit).
- License plate cameras.
In The Valley of Elah
John and I went to see "In The Valley of Elah" last night at 'Movies On TV'. He had a couple of passes so we got in free (!!!!). The theater was practically empty. I usually do not like going to Regal theaters because they are so crowded, so this was a shock. That is the difference between going on Saturday night and Sunday night.
It was a fine film. It fit together almost perfectly. I thought the woman detective played her part very well. I am not sure what the title has to do with the movie, except that perhaps moral tales sometimes do not hold up when they encounter the real world.
The only part that did not quit fit was the flag scene at the end. That smelt just a little like politics, but then again, maybe we are all desperate.
It was a fine film. It fit together almost perfectly. I thought the woman detective played her part very well. I am not sure what the title has to do with the movie, except that perhaps moral tales sometimes do not hold up when they encounter the real world.
The only part that did not quit fit was the flag scene at the end. That smelt just a little like politics, but then again, maybe we are all desperate.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
ADD
ADD is an acronym for Attention Deficit Disorder and is sometimes used to describe people who have trouble paying attention. For instance: children in class. I have wondered about the "Disorder" part of this, as order is what those in power are trying to achieve, and anyone who disrupts their orderly world or does not fit into one of their arbitrary places in society disturbs the established order, and so may be called disorderly. People who are easily bored with what passes for education and/or entertainment are labeled as being deficient in their ability to pay attention, and since they do not fit in their assigned slot, it is labeled as a disorder.
None of the accounts of ADD made much sense to me until I read this one:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Attention-Deficit-Disorder-1526/ADD-33.htm
It is from a woman who describes much of what I have been feeling. I never made the connection between what was going on in my mind and what was happening in my world until I read this.
I am still opposed to calling Attention Deficiency a Disorder. Rather, I regard the 95% of the population that do not have it as deficient. I suspect what is being labeled as Attention Deficiency is more of a survival trait. In the present day United States life is very orderly and survival is taken for granted, but fitting in is key. However, in warfare, adaptability, flexibility and the ability to instantly assess a situation and decide what action to take RIGHT NOW becomes more important for survival than the ability to stand in line and listen attentively. Nothing focuses your attention better than someone trying to kill you.
None of the accounts of ADD made much sense to me until I read this one:
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Attention-Deficit-Disorder-1526/ADD-33.htm
It is from a woman who describes much of what I have been feeling. I never made the connection between what was going on in my mind and what was happening in my world until I read this.
I am still opposed to calling Attention Deficiency a Disorder. Rather, I regard the 95% of the population that do not have it as deficient. I suspect what is being labeled as Attention Deficiency is more of a survival trait. In the present day United States life is very orderly and survival is taken for granted, but fitting in is key. However, in warfare, adaptability, flexibility and the ability to instantly assess a situation and decide what action to take RIGHT NOW becomes more important for survival than the ability to stand in line and listen attentively. Nothing focuses your attention better than someone trying to kill you.
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