What is your speciality?

[Dirty Dog]

I think sometimes the US muscle cars can be awkward to convert the power into torque at the wheel. I always persuade owners to allow me to change their curves to actually make the motor less reactive under higher revs and more pumped at the lower end which helps away from in the traffic light drags And goodness Colorado must be offroad heaven. Your winches must be essential kit also. I would love to try those extremes and lol@mall crawlers.. we have Chelsea tractors here driven by posh mothers and Gordon Gekko types And so you all three of you are tweakmeisters in your own ends of the motor, I think then you can all work simultaneously! Rollbars and suspension takes loads of noodling around to get stiffness and damping just so and even then when it feels just right and you drive somewhere else it is all off again. You three sound like a great team. None of my friends give a hoot about my motor lol to them it is a 2+2 taxicab. And are forging skills not retained in your hands and mind do you think? Like old MA techs that we have not done in a while, they are still hardwired in? I think it is an almost poetic expertise to possess. And wow you do need a lot of skills to be a dive instructor in those environments. A cattleboat sounds pejorative.. I am guessing it is a kind of McDive tour then is that correct? And you are another language expert too wow. I am so glad you can see your huge skill base and experience as the expertise it is and better still that you can put it all to use going forward. I think combining work with pleasure in that way cannot be beat. I think you have it sussed as we say here. Or maybe you say there too Thank you for elaborating and doing so with courtesy. I am grateful as ever.

The TA was built primarily as a street car, so we wanted the flatest torque curve possible. If it were primarily a race car, it would have gotten less static compression and more boost. Currently, the static CR is 10.5:1 and it gets 9lbs of boost at the manifold (12lbs before the intercooler). For a purely race engine, I'd have gone with a static CR of 7 or 8:1 and 18-20lbs of boost.

All three are built around strokers for the low end torque. The offroaders especially, since you don't need high RPM power offroad. They're crawling... especially the Jeep. With the Atlas 4-speed transfer case, you get a 1:1 highway gear, a 2:1 low range (which is roughly what a factory 4x4 will have), a 5:1 crawler gear, and by engaging the 2:1 and the 5:1 you get a 10:1 superlow range. It's impossible to go fast, but at 5:1 or 10:1 with 5:13 gears in the differentials, it will crawl up pretty much anything.

I think relearning is faster than learning, but you certainly lose things when you're inactive.

The term cattleboat is certainly not complimentary... There are a large number of divers who, while certified, might only do one or two dives a year. Or less. And there are shops that specialize in taking large groups of these relatively unskilled and unpracticed divers out to shallow, low- or no-current reefs. A lot of these divers are doing what is known as a resort course or discover SCUBA course. These folks are not even certified. They're given an hour or two of very minimal training in a pool and then taken out (paired with an instructor, with no more than a 4:1 ratio) for a dive experience. 20-30 means a crowded reef. And since they're not very practiced, their bouyancy and trim is lacking. That means they bang into and kick the reef. That's not good for it. Reefs are quite fragile.
The best thing I can say about the cattle boat operators is that since they all go to the same easy sites, it keeps the crowds (and the reef damage) away from other sites.

While I'm not at all a fan of cattle boats, I am a fan of those discover SCUBA courses. They give people a chance to experience the underwater world without the expense of certification. I just don't think they should be done from cattle boats.

Our own addiction to diving came about in a fairly typical way, I think. We were in Cancun and took the ferry over to Cozumel one day to ride the Atlantis. This is a submarine which takes passengers down to a max of 100 feet. We thought it was cool, but you couldn't exactly see things up close from inside the sub. So we took a trip on something called a BOB. With these things, you sit on something like a stationary bike with your head in a big plastic bubble. They're neutrally bouyant at about 25 feet, so they sink to that level and stay there. They have an electric motor so you can scoot around. Better, but still not enough. So we took a resort course, with no cattle boat involved. A small boat with the captain, the instructor (who stressed the importance of bouyancy control from the first instant) my wife and me. A site that was NOT filled with a crowd of divers. Instant addiction. We're definately 'vacation divers', since Colorado isn't excactly a Mecca for divers, but even so we did about 75 dives in our first year certified.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

The offroaders especially, since you don't need high RPM power offroad. They're crawling... especially the Jeep. With the Atlas 4-speed transfer case, you get a 1:1 highway gear, a 2:1 low range (which is roughly what a factory 4x4 will have), a 5:1 crawler gear, and by engaging the 2:1 and the 5:1 you get a 10:1 superlow range. It's impossible to go fast, but at 5:1 or 10:1 with 5:13 gears in the differentials, it will crawl up pretty much anything.

FYI, when I owned my '46 Willys CJ2A, I was living in Golden, CO. It had the original Go-Devil four-cylinder flathead engine, but had been converted to 12 volts (the starter was still 6-volt, had to be careful starting it). It had locking front hubs and a PTO, along with a dash-mounted throttle control, a T-90 3-speed transmission. I do not know what the transfer case was or the final gear ratio in the pumpkins, but in low-low, with four studded snow tires on it, it could crawl up anything it could get traction on. I believe it would have climbed up a brick wall. It only had a top speed in high-high of 45 MPH, so it was definitely geared pretty low. I used to take it out where the guys with their jacked up CJ-5's were climbing to see how high they could get before losing traction (a local abandoned quarry in Golden) and I could often come very close to or tie their high-water marks by idling up the hill and even sometimes walking alongside it and steering from outside as it just thumped quietly along. Didn't need high RPM or high horsepower, just gears and tons of torque and not being in a hurry.

 

[oftheherd1]

I think we stomped on some of the same ground! I bought the $50 book that included the compilable source code for Minux, but could not get it compiled. I bought Coherent and ran it for awhile also. As you said, the first Linux murdered Coherent! I did my COBOL programming in college on a Utah COBOL compiler that ran on...get this...CP/M! My last computer before the Leading Edge 286 was a Kaypro I that I bought surplus in Computer Shopper (when it was a huge newsprint type magazine) for $99. My code compiled on my Kaypro, then I took it in to school and it compiled on the VAX I worked on, just changed the ID Division.

I had a Commy 64, didn't do much with it. Worked at Radio Shack for awhile, played with all the CoCo computers and the last of the TRS-80's before that. I did buy a Timex/Sinclair when I was in the Marines, but never did much with it.

I was never into games; still not; I only like to code, script, and otherwise geek out.

Sounds like we did. I wish I still had my password for my Coherent. Maybe I just need to try cracking it. CP/M, I know of it but was never exposed to it. I seem to remember it had some good points, and some quirks. I also had a Timex/Sinclair. Those could actually be turned into useful machines, especially if you learned Z80 machine language. They were a favorite with amature radio afficionados. They loaded up extra memory in banks, and with machine language could write long and sophisticated, as well as fast programs. I never did any of that, but did write a short program in basic to use administratively in my office while in Korea.

I typed all the Hapkido techniques on the Commodore some 20 years ago, as well as in Word on a 286 (memory joggers, not minute move by minute move). Fortunately I have printouts as I don't know if the disks are still good or not. I have the Commodor word processing programs, but I doubt there is anything that would read 20 year old MS Word in DOS. lol

 

[Dirty Dog]

Sounds like we did. I wish I still had my password for my Coherent. Maybe I just need to try cracking it. CP/M, I know of it but was never exposed to it. I seem to remember it had some good points, and some quirks. I also had a Timex/Sinclair. Those could actually be turned into useful machines, especially if you learned Z80 machine language. They were a favorite with amature radio afficionados. They loaded up extra memory in banks, and with machine language could write long and sophisticated, as well as fast programs. I never did any of that, but did write a short program in basic to use administratively in my office while in Korea.

I typed all the Hapkido techniques on the Commodore some 20 years ago, as well as in Word on a 286 (memory joggers, not minute move by minute move). Fortunately I have printouts as I don't know if the disks are still good or not. I have the Commodor word processing programs, but I doubt there is anything that would read 20 year old MS Word in DOS. lol

My first computer was a TRS-80 Model 1. 8K of RAM (or was it 4?) and no storage media at all. You typed in programs, ran them, and then they were gone. The first storage media was a cassette recorder. First modem was a 150 baud accoustic. Used to be a game where we'd dial up a BBS and try to sync and connect by whistling into the phone... Couldn't log in, but I could get a connection pretty regularly.

Your old MS Word files ought not be a problem. The problem will be the drive, not the files. After all, Windows isn't really an OS. It's just a shell program running on top of MS-DOS.

 

[Flying Crane]

My first computer was a TRS-80 Model 1. 8K of RAM (or was it 4?) and no storage media at all. You typed in programs, ran them, and then they were gone. The first storage media was a cassette recorder. First modem was a 150 baud accoustic. Used to be a game where we'd dial up a BBS and try to sync and connect by whistling into the phone... Couldn't log in, but I could get a connection pretty regularly.

Your old MS Word files ought not be a problem. The problem will be the drive, not the files. After all, Windows isn't really an OS. It's just a shell program running on top of MS-DOS.

my brother was a geek back in the 1980s, his first computer was a TRS-80 Color Computer, I think it had 16 K and a cassette recorder. He was on that thing all the time. Took forever to load game programs, gotta run that tape thru as long as it takes.

 

[clfsean]

my brother was a geek back in the 1980s, his first computer was a TRS-80 Color Computer, I think it had 16 K and a cassette recorder. He was on that thing all the time. Took forever to load game programs, gotta run that tape thru as long as it takes.

Wow... I remember those.

First BASIC program I wrote was on a TRS-80 with two floppy disk drives on it. One for the O/S & one for storage. They were the huge precursor disks that were prior to the 5..25 disks.

 

[Dirty Dog]

my brother was a geek back in the 1980s, his first computer was a TRS-80 Color Computer, I think it had 16 K and a cassette recorder. He was on that thing all the time. Took forever to load game programs, gotta run that tape thru as long as it takes.

He's a noob. The Color Computer came WAYYYY later.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Wow... I remember those.

First BASIC program I wrote was on a TRS-80 with two floppy disk drives on it. One for the O/S & one for storage. They were the huge precursor disks that were prior to the 5..25 disks.

8.5" drives. Basically a coffee table.

My first hard disk was about the size of a modern desktop tower. And held a massive 5 meg.

 

[Flying Crane]

He's a noob. The Color Computer came WAYYYY later.

Yeah, I remember him talking about the older TRS computers with the 2 and 4 K. Seemed like nothing, 16 was SO MUCH MORE! He was probably 12 or so when he started doing this, that would have been around 1982.

 

[shesulsa]

Do you make your teaching either elaborate enough or simple enough that everyone can understand, or do you tailor your teaching to suit the people you are instructing? Can I ask is teaching your profession?

I tailor to suit each person, and since the only paying gig I can get right now is martial arts and self-defense, yes, teaching is my profession. I am not a certified educational professional in that I do not teach academics, but I do teach skills.

I think you are correct in that where it controllable, positive outlets for obsessiveness are how we have our top athletes, thinkers and artists. Being able to correctly direct and channel how he works into what he likes will bring him satisfaction and income in measure. And can you teach to him the same way as you can teach and explain to others? I think it is not always easy to do with those close to us? If he were your student or client would that be different? I hope I am not being impertinent to ask. I know we are different in different situations.

Indeed, it is how we have people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and many other non-famous brilliant people who make a difference every day. Raising John has taught me how to teach to others through analysis, observation and understanding. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I'm honestly not sure if this is my failing (in that I am missing certain knowledge about learning in and of itself) or the consequences of his condition or both. I don't think it's very different whether he is my student or not. I have an autistic student who reminds me very much of John in ability and in functionality and I have been teaching him much the same way I taught my son. I am re-examining some tactics, however, as some clearly don't work and again, I'm unsure of the causation. I continue to search for things that work ... I can't, after all, know it all. ;-) And you are not impertinent to ask at all!

I did not know horses were so empathetic until I saw a little television show

. And but I am so glad you have your little Angel Ha, yes eating is her favourite thing and I am sure it is small price for the companionship. And the idea of hippotherapy sounds amazing too. I believe minds are seeking connections. I get a feeling that John will find his soon. I want to thank you again for sharing and doing so with such generosity.

Great thread because you pilot so well. :asian:

 

[Xue Sheng]

Wow... I remember those.

First BASIC program I wrote was on a TRS-80 with two floppy disk drives on it. One for the O/S & one for storage. They were the huge precursor disks that were prior to the 5..25 disks.

Hey, I'm looking at a Tandy 200 portable and a Dell 325Sli portable right now. We were cleaning out an office in preperation for a move and they had them in a drawer... and I thuoght the regional office that sent me a Latitude CPi for update, last year, was bad

 

[clfsean]

8.5" drives. Basically a coffee table.

My first hard disk was about the size of a modern desktop tower. And held a massive 5 meg.

Yeah ... that sounds about right. Something along that line. The CRT/keyboard/drives were all in a single case.

 

[shesulsa]

You techies got nothin' on me. My dad programmed the old IBMs that used punch cards.

That's right - PUNCH CARDS!

I used to go to work with him and pick up the scattered ones on the floor. Those had tape drives - reel-to-reel and my daddy programmed those suckers.

I too learned on TRaSh-80's and remember the first Apple and the then-coveted Apple IIe! Took Apple DOS and Applesoft Basic+ in college. Did a little binary coding, but had different interests; don't remember much of my COBOL nor PASCAL stuff, but could probably still write a subroutine in Basic.

I wrote macros in Microsoft Word 1.0 (for DOS, no windows back then) and in Lotus 1.2.3 for the accounting department of The Irving Company in So Cal. Back then you had to be somebody special to have a PC on your desk - now you have to be somebody special to NOT have one!

 

[Xue Sheng]

You techies got nothin' on me. My dad programmed the old IBMs that used punch cards.

That's right - PUNCH CARDS!

I used to go to work with him and pick up the scattered ones on the floor. Those had tape drives - reel-to-reel and my daddy programmed those suckers.

I too learned on TRaSh-80's and remember the first Apple and the then-coveted Apple IIe! Took Apple DOS and Applesoft Basic+ in college. Did a little binary coding, but had different interests; don't remember much of my COBOL nor PASCAL stuff, but could probably still write a subroutine in Basic.

I wrote macros in Microsoft Word 1.0 (for DOS, no windows back then) and in Lotus 1.2.3 for the accounting department of The Irving Company in So Cal. Back then you had to be somebody special to have a PC on your desk - now you have to be somebody special to NOT have one!

Just so you know my first computer programming class in college....used punch cards

 

[clfsean]

Just so you know my first computer programming class in college....used punch cards

One of my mentors here used punch cards back in the day.

I learned PASCAL. It was great. I hated (and still do but am resigned about it now) the C family of languages.

 

[jks9199]

Well... my first computer was a Commodore Vic20. I wrote a few programs for various things there, and nearly failed my first formal programming class because I'd learned to write programs in that tiny 3.5K total memory... Then I bought a C-64.

And, working for Sears in the late 80s and early 90s... we still had IBM Series I mainframes to run the cash register system. I actually had to add a few cards and the like on those... The registers? Programmed them with a cassette tape drive. When IBM rolled out the PS2 system, one of them took over for 4 or 5 Series I towers. Easily.

 

[elder999]

I think I've posted elsewhere that I did the punch-card thing in 9th grade, in FORTRAN, on the IBM 1620:



Near the end of that year, the school got a Digital PDP 11/something or other, and started programming in BASIC;


Making me officially older than dirt....:lfao:

 

[Steve]

I had a ti99a. Upgraded to a cassette drive.

Got into bbs in 89 and took my first steps onto the Internet about 93 after I got out of military and into college. not ashamed. I spent a ridiculous amount of time in my first couple years of college downloading individual uuencoded usenet posts, splicing them together and decoding them back to binary files only to find that they weren't nude ladies at all... At all!

But we did have fun in chat rooms. A buddy and I would drink beer and make bets to see how long we could troll the lesbian channels before they figured out we were dudes.

Saw the Www graphically the first time when I installed. Program on my uw shell account with twinsock. (a winsock emulator). Blew me away. Up to that point, the Internet was all text for me. That was about 93 or 94 if I remember right.
Sent using Tapatalk. Please ignore ty

 

[Ironcrane]

Does procrastination count as a speciality?
I've gotten to be pretty good at writing. I also use to be pretty good at medical, but not so much anymore. I'm also really good at listening. That doesn't sound like much, but I've helped a lot of people I knew sort through personal issues that they were struggling with (some were quite scary), as well as saving a few friendships from breaking apart.

 

[elder999]

Now how can that possibly be?

I dunno, Jenna-word round the campfire is that "Mr. Diesel" is battin' for the other team. Makes no nevermind to me, but I can understand your disappointment.....:lol:

Oh, you meant about the dirt? Firstly, one must consider the qualities of the dirt itself. A hint: I live in a volcanic area-actually on the rim of what could be considered a "live" volcano, or, at best, dormant. I also live near several caves inhabited by bats.

So it depends upon what one has at hand to mix with the dirt, like.....other dirt.

And/or, pickle juice.

Bwahahaha....haha, and all that......:lol: