A new ruling worth a note?

ayn-rand-reason

Seattle Washington is ripe with Liberal thought, it is the tail that wags the whole dog here. A new ruling is worth a note? See the link below.  Now answer the question. If a Judge EVER accepts their argument, should he also accept that it trumps every right he has to rule on it?

Follow the Logic

Have a great Monday!

George B.

Posted in In The News | Tagged | Leave a comment

Today’s Challenge. Make sense out of this post.

Is there a more  honest environment to compare equipment and to access it’s value than an off grid site? I think the only challenge is the making of a complete inventory of your efforts and materials so you can know the true costs. The DIYer has a rather huge advantage, he can buy good used equipment when others upgrade, he can do all the labor himself.

I have to admit, I can’t make any sense out of the following  post, how exactly does his concerns spill into the off grid market? I only suggest I don’t understand, do you?

Is it something in the water?

Have a great day…

 

Posted in In The News | Tagged | 9 Comments

“All are equal, but some Pigs are more equal”

 

In a company far far away and in a past time: I remember a room full of brand new servers, VME buses, CPUs clocked for warp speeds, and perhaps the coolest front panels in the Galaxy. But there they sat in a brand new room, brand new raised floors, and the best  environmental controls money could buy.

There was just one tiny problem, a small detail for sure; and that was the server was not certified secure. What a blunder it was, no one made that part of the purchase spec? Time dragged on, I took a few friends into that room, it was like a trip to the bridge of the Enterprise, The cutting edge?

So it was.. from the Mail Room Guy to the CEO, no one could find a person who would sign off on putting the most benign information in those servers! So they were junked as scrap!

As an IT person you might ask… why is Hilary not in trouble when you were nearly threatened with your life for doing far less than she did?

We are living Animal Farm. What has come out already is enough to put a normal person in jail..”All are equal but some pigs are more equal”

Have a great weekend!

George B.

 

Posted in In The News | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

It really is too bad that DIYers are one percenters, it’s leaves the other 99% gullible?

As per the small boats in Iran

Only Josh Ernest would pedal this horseshit, and I do hope he wakes up in hell one day…

And for goodness sake, start correcting your friends, It’s not Iran, it’s not the Iranians! Under the direction of the Mullahs, the Republican Guard has tortured or Killed a large number of Iranians that opposed their direction. This Administration has chosen to ignore the Iranian people, and to deal with those who oppress them.

I trust his comments;
“Matt Bracken Former Navy Seal on the Iran situation.
I rarely pull out my dusty old trident, but in this case, here goes. I was a Navy SEAL officer in the 1980s, and this kind of operation (transiting small boats in foreign waters) was our bread and butter. Today, these boats both not only had radar, but multiple GPS devices, including chart plotters that place your boat’s icon right on the chart. The claim by Iran that the USN boats “strayed into Iranian waters” is complete bull$?#?it?.

Update, I read the CCN report, a real POS. Here’s a better report for the moment: http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2016/01/14/us-sailors-mistakenly-steered-into-iranian-waters/78796140/

We’re left to wonder, did the Navy crews disobey orders? Sorry… something is still fishy….

George B.

Posted in In The News | 5 Comments

2006 Duramax LBZ Sierra HD 2500 Pickup trans cooler hose leaks.

A lesson in KISS? You decide.

I couldn’t ignore it any longer those Leaking Trans Cooler hoses were leaving tracks under my 2006 Sierra.  This is a typical problem, but how to fix it right at least cost, how to ignore the hype of costly after market fixes?

Climbing up under the front, I noticed that the front frame rail passenger side was bare shiny metal, not a bit of rust, although the leak was small, it stripped a bit of paint over time.

If you haven’t looked, the stock trans cooler hoses are made up with pipes and fasteners at each end, the pipes (tubing) have a hose barb that slips inside the 5/8 ID hose, and then a piece of metal is crimped in place over a lip at the beginning of the hose barb, and towards the head of the barb.

stock hose crimps

 

 

 

 

Above: Here’s one of the stock hoses removed, the crimped on sleeves cut off over the tops of the hose barbs, and pried off

Step one of any fix is research, and of course there’s multiple ways to fix anything right.  But my approach is to do it KISS, and what’s simple has everything to do with your skills and the tools you have on hand.

But first we read the stories of people who went to the dealer for the fix, $500 for new factory hoses installed and they failed again at just over a year later according to some testaments online.

What causes the failure you ask?

I think it’s a materials issue, I’m not sure the hose is held in enough compression to resist leaking at below freezing temperatures, there’s way too many reports of leaks discovered when it is freezing and below. But once it does leak, it‘s possible that the outside of the hose degrades with ATF exposure, it may get spongy and the connection then leaks at above freezing temperatures? I think that is likely the case, but I’m not sure.

Now.. I’ve heard the Dealer knows the old assemblies are a problem, but will that stop them from putting another old one on your truck? I don’t know, one guy said he’s had three sets of bad ones. That’s about $1500 worth?

I invested some time to study after market fixes, some are very expensive at $350 plus for the hoses and ends, and then you do the work. This more expensive solution causes you to cut off the hoses and hose barbs, I’m not sure I like this solution since it costs more money, and you have a slight chance of contaminating the inside of the pipe with a metal burr?  Is that the smart way? Do you really need 3000 PSI hoses and fittings like some offer, and for big money?

I made a trip down to NAPA, what a disappointment, the guy offered me some heater hose, I then went to a second automotive place, and the guy said he could only look up by year make and model… are you kidding me?

Time to get serious, so I go to a place in the Kent Valley called American Hose. http://www.americanhose.com/inventory/index.php

With the help of the knowledgeable counter man, I chose a parker hose branded with these markings: Parker 801-10 WP 2, 1 MPA 300 psi  5/8 1407251736
T24AA174918

Yes, even 300 PSI is overkill, but this hose is rated for fuel the man says.., so ATF likely no problem. This is $3.50 a foot, way better price than other stuff people use at $15 and more a foot.  And a quality band type fastener is all you need.

In my case, the first hose I replaced was two clamps at $4 each, and 8 1/8 inches of hose. I’ll watch this hose for a bit, the counter man says no need for constant tension clamps, but I got them if I see a weep anywhere.

Now we get to the KISS part, I had a die grinder ready, with a composite blade mounted, I have a steady hand, and enough experience to keep it steady so not nick the radiator hose. You’ll need this or similar to cut off the crimp, and to make absolutely sure you don’t crush, bend or nick the tube with the composite blade. You need carefully insert a screw driver into the slot you cut, and expand it till you can peel it all back, and break that last tiny bit by the lip at the beginning of the hose barb. Once this is cut off, it’s all easy to fit back together.

Here's the old and the new for your compare

Here’s the old and the new for your compare

 

 

 

Above: The new hose is blue, old hose has the crimped on pipes, and at this joint they leak, first at low temps, and later at any temp according to many.

But maybe you ask, what were the marking on the hose that failed? Here’s all the markings on mine: 502U5F-1 CM, RY, CM 5/8 ID GM626OM DF

Some notes on this fix, there’s a plastic skid pan under my truck that comes off quickly with 15mm socket, this gives plenty of access to cut off the crimps, and do your work under the truck on a creeper, no need to remove pipe ends, just be ready to drain out the ATF in a catch when you remove the stock hoses, plan for about a half pint per hose.

Having read this post might save you a hundred dollars..

George B.

PS, I bet you thought I’d never post again…..

 

 

 

Posted in DIYer Skills | 25 Comments

A must read for the Engineer? I think so… “Unsafe by Design”

Unsafe-design

Unsafe-design

 

 

 

 

 

 Are you interested in Engineering?  Do you judge a book by its cover?

Most who frequent this blog have seen some real failures in engineering, at times we simply can’t grasp how it was allowed to happen.  Jack Belk is very much a ‘hands on’ man, and as many who drop in here  know;  that’s where the real learning happens.  We know first hand how little you learn from the text and drawings as compared to dancing with the parts, components, and the whole of it. And Jack has done that for a lifetime.

Jack’s book  ‘Unsafe By Design’.  I think it’s a most excellent read, but you need stick with his style for a bit, and perhaps set aside what you’ve heard from others.  Just like almost all of us, we are products of our environment, and Jack is no different.  As you read towards the middle, you get a better idea of his writing style, his roots and what all has   formed his expert view.

Many years ago, I bought a pocket pistol, I took it apart at least 20 times and marveled at the crudeness. I later saw a review of the same pistol in a Gun magazine. The reviewer talked about the small size, he mentioned the caliber, talked about the fact that it had wood grips.   Never did he mention cheap die cast parts or the fact that it didn’t feed right. Nor the poor finish.  So of course I thumbed through the Magazine, and there I found an advertisement for the same little Pistol.  At that time, I wondered, just where does one go to get an honest opinion as per the safety or quality of a firearm?

I really do think  this  book is a ‘must read’ for any Engineer or mechanic, and it’s a reminder that there are genius designers, and then there are the bean counters who engineer.  The latter a sad note about reality. I do recall being in the drive line tunnel of an an economy car and finding an ‘arm’ mounted off the transmission with pig iron weights attached. At the time I thought it was some type of weight added to counter some resoanance problem? To think this was an ultra light weight car with pig iron weights added? But the car was also known for it’s exploding gas tank when hit from behind. Not exactly an award winning design I guess.

But now.. in a world that embraces the probability of a failure as the measure of things safe? Does anyone think we really need a safe safety anymore? That’s a question that Jack Belk explores, and to my knowledge he’s the first person to explore and explain the difference between genius design, and what the bean counters design.  

Here’s something in the news today that should >NEVER< happen, but it happens all the time, why? I think Jack answers that question with a degree of certainity.

http://www.usatoday.com/…/police-officer-accident…/21267619/

Adding comments here is easy, just keep scrolling down and look for the comments tool. I’d love to hear waht readers of this book have to say.

All the best,

George B.

 

Posted in Critical Thinking | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

Witch Doctors

Yes, you can keep your Witch Doctor, but the fees he charges are near incomprehensible.

Just another Monolith? 

For all of human history Witch Doctors scheme and draft stories of our demise.. and reasons you need pay them for protection or a cure. But never has there been a worldwide coalition of Witch Doctors  till the UN and their IPCC.

Our clown Josh Fox, did he convince all of Europe that they need depend on Putin? Witch Doctors have so much power.

Posted in Buyer Beware, Critical Thinking, Fighting Propaganda, The New Green Movement | Tagged | Leave a comment

When Do You Know The Argument Is Over?

When do you know the Argument is over?
Free-Range-Chicken

When was it you learned of your bias? The concept that we all see the world through our filters and convictions? Are you an expert on warfare, but never been to a battle field? Maybe you think you’re an engineer, but you’ve never turned a wrench?

I really do think there’s two groups of people on earth, those who think everything is easy, and those who think most things not already done are more complicated.

What relationship is there between maturity and knowing your bias? Is it good manners to just look on as the world burns? When is it OK to torch your neighbor’s house to make a point? When is it that thoughtful men did things in a Partisan way and thought it wouldn’t lead to trouble?  It was ACA, and now the CIA?  Is it because they know their opponents are cowards, or that their base will support what history says fails every time?

How many Americans see America as a beast that needs to be carved up? To feast off the carcass, and then?

It was just the other day, I shared some figures shared by another, I think it literally enraged a reader, who quickly found two websites that contradicted that data. Just Minutes later, he explained how I had been snookered, how I was too ignorant to play the game? It took him just minutes to know the game and the reality of it.

I do remember a time, when I was younger, and most things were simple. But at my age, I am skeptical of most things. My filters do suggest it’s wrong when others think it right.  It’s wrong to yell rape just to injure your opponent, and take him out of the ring, like what’s her name did.   But it’s where we get our information that forms our filters that may be a nonpartison question?  It was once history we could count on, but now there’s such a big effort to re-write it.

So let me ask.. If you wanted to peddle your propaganda, what would you call your website? And what would you call the person who went there, and used that information as if it were handed down as the word of God?

Our founders did warn us, that our way of life, our liberties, our freedoms depended on an educated population, And there we need ask another question… Will you allow your children to be educated by those who make every effort to re-write history?

At this very moment, I think the battle is lost, and my filters suggest that all too many have never learned to think.

As a small example, you might visit politifacts.com, and then check out politifactsbias. Just which site will you tout as the word of God? And just what all does a free range chicken eat? And how free is a free range chicken allowed to range?  I do think Evan Sayet best.

George B.

Posted in Critical Thinking, In The News, Survival Skills | Tagged | 7 Comments