Your Most Disturbing Realizations

[tonyb]

We've all read "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," right?

 

[tonyb]

Huck knew it was a sin to make off with Miss Watson's lawful property, and he knew that for so doing he would burn in Hell for all eternity.

He considered all that and decided he would go to Hell.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Our "Eurogendfor", here in Europe.

 

[Fading Fast]

If only there were an absolute standard of right and wrong. Nothing is quite so dangerous as one who is convinced there is.

The problem, IMHO, is there is no definitive answer for almost any question or any situation. Sure, we can all say premeditated murder is wrong, until we find out that the wife was abused for years physically and mentally, was effectively a prisoner before she killed her husband. But to your power point (tee-hee), I think it's all an Aristotelean balance: absolute power in the hands of authorities will lead to absolute corruption, no sanctioned authority is the law of the jungle; so we check-and-balance, trial-and-error are way to some form of policing that protects the innocent, punishes the guilty and circumscribes the authority. It's an always evolving, always shifting, always far-from perfect system. And that's the problem: we want perfect, we want right, we want justice, but too much concentrated power leads to corruption / not enough leads to chaos.

 

[MisterCairo]

A disturbing realization recently - I was upset that gas crept up in price to about 89 cents Canadian a litre.

A year ago it was $1.30.

 

[Zombie_61]

A disturbing realization recently - I was upset that gas crept up in price to about 89 cents Canadian a litre.

A year ago it was $1.30.

Depending upon the octane level, gas is hovering just below $3 (U.S.) a gallon in this part of southern California. It can be had a bit cheaper, but probably isn't good for your engine.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Still below $2 here, and the advantage of owning an old car is that you can burn just about anything short of old french-fry grease in it without hurting the engine. Premium is for chumps.

 

[tonyb]

It was as low as $1.34 here a couple three weeks ago. Now it's around $1.80.

 

[2jakes]

On my ’46 truck, I use regular gas & although it doesn’t hurt the engine, my plugs turn black
within a month.
I was told that the mixture was too rich on the carb.
I made adjustments & still the same problem.

Someone mentioned that my 40’s straight six requires “gasoline”
which is no longer available at the pumps.
He suggested to use an additive along with the “modern” gasoline.

So far the plugs are doing ok.

 

[Zombie_61]

...Premium is for chumps.

I've spoken to a number of mechanics over the years who have said essentially the same thing. Unless the engine in the car you're driving has some specific need for that higher level of octane, you're just throwing your money away.

 

[MisterCairo]

I don't know anyone who uses premium (platinum, gold, supreme, whatever) who doesn't drive a high end sports car or super-charged luxury car.

| have never been to a gas station, particularly self-serve, that pressured me to buy premium.

Is this still really an issue?

 

[Stearmen]

Still below $2 here, and the advantage of owning an old car is that you can burn just about anything short of old french-fry grease in it without hurting the engine. Premium is for chumps.

A friend of mine has a Mini Cooper that is suppose to use premium. I pointed out in his factory manual, he could use regular, because the computer will sense any knocking before he could and detune the engine accordingly. He now uses regular and told me, he can not really tell if there is any loss in power! The boys from marketing, only buy the best, translation, most expensive.

 

[LizzieMaine]

My Plodge was designed to run on 60 octane gasoline, so 87 -- the lowest you can buy at the pump today in the US -- is super high test as far as it's concerned.

Modern gasoline with alcohol in it will burn OK in an old engine as long as all the rubber parts in the carb and the fuel pump are replaced with neoprene.

 

[Trenchfriend]

My Plodge was designed to run on 60 octane gasoline, so 87 -- the lowest you can buy at the pump today in the US -- is super high test as far as it's concerned.

Modern gasoline with alcohol in it will burn OK in an old engine as long as all the rubber parts in the carb and the fuel pump are replaced with neoprene.

Aaaah, like I thought!:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Canada

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I read a test in a magazine a few years ago with a sports car & the difference between regular & premium was 5 horsepower.

 

[vitanola]

Well, our "grocery getter" is a little old Benz C280 that had been traded in to the local Ford dealer toward a Lincoln MKZ. Of course here in Southern Michigan an imported car is not in high demand, so we picked the little thing up very cheaply. It is a delight to drive, but the owner's manual specifies Premium fuel. When we use anything other than Premium the "check engine" light glows. Now a 200 HP six in a 3400 pound car moves pretty well, but it also sips fuel. At 37MPG (our highway mileage at 65) I for one don't mind feeding the little beast Hi-Test.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Woohoo, 2016, I'm 20 years on the WWW!

 

[Stearmen]

It's official, I can't live without texting! Never thought I would say that. As you know, I am having trouble getting workers out to my house, when I do get them on the phone, I can barely understand them since they are calling from a job with all the background noise. So I have to give up and say text me. Before you say you would never do that, I have to make each call count, or I may not get anyone to come and make a quote, and I will never finish this house!

 

[Fading Fast]

It's official, I can't live without texting! Never thought I would say that. As you know, I am having trouble getting workers out to my house, when I do get them on the phone, I can barely understand them since they are calling from a job with all the background noise. So I have to give up and say text me. Before you say you would never do that, I have to make each call count, or I may not get anyone to come and make a quote, and I will never finish this house!

I like both texting and email as both are much quicker than old fashion mail, but not as invasive as a phone call. What I don't like, but the genie ain't goin' back in the bottle, is the "you should always be accessible 24/7" cultural mindset. You can say, "I'm not participating," but that doesn't change the fact that the meme has changed.

Before, when you left work, had a weekend or vacation, work only reached out if it needed you (I had to leave numbers where I'd be), but now the assumption is you are always avaialbe or will respond shortly. Again, you can say, I won't play that game, but the cultural norm has still changed. That not aside, I do like texting and email for their immediacy but with less direct invasiveness than a phone call.

 

[Zombie_61]

...What I don't like, but the genie ain't goin' back in the bottle, is the "you should always be accessible 24/7" cultural mindset...

For some people, this isn't a new trend.

I worked for a cement contractor from 1979-81 as a delivery driver, i.e. it was my job to pick up tools, supplies, and materials, and deliver them to the job sites. I once got an unexpected phone call at 2:00 a.m. from one of the job supervisors, who proceeded to give me a detailed list of what he needed me to bring to "his" job site and stopped just short of ordering me to have the items there no later than 7:00 a.m.. I was accustomed to having to meet some unusual demands while working for this company, but I was 18 or 19 years old at the time and still living with my parents, so the call interrupted their sleep as well. I did as he requested, but immediately upon returning to the office reported the incident to the owner/President of the company (the company was small and rather informal) and expressed my displeasure with as much diplomacy as I could muster. He apologized, assured me that it would not happen again, and immediately called the supervisor in question to "tear him a new one". The supervisor never apologized or explained his actions, but it didn't happen a second time so I was satisfied with that.