cars are too complicated

I recently noticed that most cars are just way too complex to upkeep. In Europe diesel cars where hugely popular and some of the 2000-2008 or so are quite easy to upkeep.(pre DPF era) Of course they still have turbo’s and injectors and sensors, but still they are possible to keep without breaking the bank. Most realible cars are gasoline 4 cylinder cars from 2000 up, there was an era, where cars had twin cam, naturally aspirated engine(no turbo), multiport injection(no choke and no carb related issues). Still basic ABS and airbag so quite safe. Good( brands like toyota avensis/corolla, nissan primera and such are still usable, Friend of mine, drove 16years with avensis, up to 240tkm and no issues. Just basic maintenance. With modern cars this is impossible.

Modern gasoline cars have always turbocharger, most have even two. GDI, gasoline direct injection makes problems with intake valves carboning up. Modern diesel cars are even worst, as they have DPF, diesel particle filter, (most cars from 2008 have DPF). Complex turbo charging systems and Piezo electric injectors and huge amount of electronics to control it all.
Common issues:
EGR: (exhaust gas recirculation) issues, carboning(sooth) of intake track
swirl flaps: intake tracks are moderated with flapper valves that are many times plastic or controlled by plastic parts that brake, EGR sooth blocks these
Turbo: turbo failures or failures to control turbo, Variable vain turbo chargers get stuck because of sooth. Or control modules, servos or vacuuam actuators fail.
Injectors:
Extreamly high injection pressures and up to five injections each piston stroke need piezo injectors that are prone to failure.
DPF:
DPF collects diesel sooth during normal driving and needs to cleaned with regeneration that happens automatically between 200-500km. During this 10-20 minute period car smells like burning rubber. Car needs to preferrably be driven at highway speed during this and not to shut down. How ever there is no notification that this is taking place. So short driving can get the DPF totally blocked. DPF regeneration is started with excess diesel fuel injection that goes to exhaust and burns and raises the DPF temperature to 650 celcius. This fuel can go past the piston rings and oil dilution and raising oil levels are very common in these cars.

To sum it up, modern diesel car is too complex, it can work in long distange driving, but upkeeping it by individual the cost is too high and it has too complex technology.

Gasoline cars where simpler for a long time, but newer ones with GDI and turbos are almost as complex as diesel cars. The era of simple cars is pretty much over.

Another issues is accessory computers, Modern electronic transmission, they all add to the complexity. Many cars have computer in every door. I think the ideal point was one computer ECU, which controlled the EFI. beyond this more computers don’t add much. Just complexity.

If we think about hybrid cars, they are even worst, they have the complexity of normal car and then add the electric engine and batteries that degrade. Long term ownership is impossible, they can be leased for a while, but owning these long term is just not financially feasible.

Fully electric car is simpler in some sense, but there is a problem with battery, normal people cannot take financial risk that would bankcrupt them. With electric cars the battery failure could cost more than new car, at least 10t to 30t euros. It is a risk that no sensible person would take. Only possibility is full battery coverage. The risk would be similar financial risk as to drive 30ke car without any insurance. You could loose it all.

I would buy well known brand, that is recogniced making quality. Buy a model that is been at the market for some time so technology has matured and problems have been found. Never buy CVT transmission, Prefer Gasoline cars. No GDI gasoline. Prefer cam chains no cam belts. Two wheel drive car is much simpler that than 4WD car, and the extra maintenance and difficulty of 4WD transfer box being at the way of other work, like clutch change or exhaust work.

I drive W212 merceds with Diesel V6 2009, and yes it has issues. My luck is that it’s not 4WD as they have problems with front differentials. My car is a sedan which doesn’t have air suspension rear strut issues that Station wagon models have. This car is pre addblue, so no issues with addblue frozin, leaking, cracking reservoirs. This car how ever needs long driving to burn to DPF, it has computer for engine, entertainment, rear computer, i think each door has own computer. Without full diagnostic computer it’s a total nightmare to work with.

Happy motoring.

Triple

Gs

Here we go

Artsy speed triple

MacGyver analysis

Many companies search for MacGyver style persons. It has become epitome for intelligence and quick thinking and unorthodox problem solving. However we would analyze what kind of person MacGyver really is what would we find out?
MacGyver is not a planner. He doesn’t prepare forehand, he faces problems unprepared with only minimal equipment. Every solution he makes is really a hack, quick and dirty, it is never meant to work for a long time. Usually it’s made to get him or some other person out of trouble. He doesn’t fine tune, or search for perfection, if something works, he doesn’t mess with it.
If we look at MacGyver’s life, he is not aiming for perfection. His car is not his pride and joy or the focus of his technological improvements, it’s just a beaten up, un-washed old jeep that has no extras, it has nothing. Only hobby seems to be playing hockey.
MacGyver is usually working alone. He has good communication skills, but he works alone, lives alone. Sometimes even plays hockey alone. He probably cannot tolerate normal job, as he does projects, and between those projects, he just spends his time living laid back life and helping people.
MacGyver is environmentalist, a vegetarion and he doesn’t use guns. This environment mentality most likely is one of the reason he is not working for major companies, but for Phoenix foundation which seems to be more like charity organisation dealing with environment protection and other issues.
MacGyver has no career ambitions, he has been ‘found’ by Pete Thorton, but he is in no need to start a business or take part in one. He never talks about money and probably uses very little as he never updates his car or even housing.
MacGyver has no ego. He doesn’t show off with watches, cars, motorcycles or housing. He doesn’t even want to appear enthusiastic. Even against top leaders he appears casual and walks his laid back low paced walk.
However he always thinks there is a way out. No matter whats the situation, he faces usually life and death situations with calmness, like someone who has faced it so many times, that it is normal for him.  However dealing with other people, and working in security makes him very anxious, almost manic. He obviously cannot handle this kind of stress well.
There is nothing tactical about Macgyver, he doesn’t prepare for the worlds end, he doesn’t wear any tactical gear even he probably has military training. Only tool he usually uses is his swiss pocket knife, and even that one is one of the cheapest models available.
MacGyver has quite low interest of latest technology, He uses computer if he needs information, but nothing more. He drives old cars, fixes old stuff. He has old Harley, never tunes it or even drives it. He is probably not motivated by money and mostly likes laid back tasks, which usually just seem to turn against him. At this point he finds a hack to get him out of the problems.
So you want to hire this man? Just be sure that you know what you are getting.

JP

How to destroy work

Previously when someone wanted to start a business, it was most often to develop a new product and produce it. This kind of entrepreneurship created work. Now many companies are actually in business to destroy work. To make some business obsolete or automate the work so there is less need for people in this work.

Automation is the way to go and I know there is no stopping it. But the believe that new jobs will be created forever to replace the lost jobs is a pipe dream. Agriculture was the first area to be automated. Jobs in agriculture have been decimated. Still it produces more food than ever before. This was one of the first areas of basic human needs to be automated. In many countries only 3% of workforce work in agriculture anymore. Human work is leveraged with big machines and diesel oil. How ever machines that are able to leverage manual labor have no intelligence.

Today when machines have simple decision making skills, they have started to replace workforce in areas that need little intelligence. Machines can make small daily decisions that are always the same from day to day. And they do this without ever getting tired and they don’t need rest, holidays or pensions.

What is going to happen is that machines slowly develop to handle even higher IQ jobs. Human IQ stays the same. At this point machine IQ is probably 70, Machines are still idiots, but they are hard working and predictable idiots that can be programmed. At this point they can replace most works that would have needed IQ of 70, like packaging stuff of working in assembly like doing one part assembly.

When machines now develop slowly  up to IQ of 80-90, they can do most of the work man can do. Most jobs don’t demand creativity of high self awareness. Even if they are now done by people with IQ’s of 100, they don’t need it all. Hard working, programmable, predictable outcome is more important and it’s hard to beat a machine in these areas.

Creative and special jobs will last probably almost forever, because human can always invent something new. So IQ 110 Jobs and higher will last for a long time.

The whole working life is going to change. At some point there is going to be so many people unemployed or at pension that their number is enough to change the political system in democratic countries. They are going to vote to power parties that promise citizen pay. Minimum pay that is payed to every citizen, even if they don’t work. This will provide basic housing and food. And many people will live at this level. People that wan’t more and have the IQ to do it, can certainly do work and invent new ideas or work at high IQ jobs or even at some unpleasant jobs that machines cannot handle. And so they can reach higher level of living by selling their time.

People that have no jobs will have to find new meaning that is not from goals set by their employer. People need to develop ways to spend their time to pursuit their own goals. Self development.

Star trek

The outcome is pure math. Machines are developing faster than people. Human IQ cannot raise much at 50 years, but automation is going to do most work in 50 years.

JP

 

How to Remember the Ohms law forever!

I have went through electrical engineer schooling, and one of thing any person needs to remember is the Ohms law. So how current, voltage, resistance and power work and effect each other. This is how I remember it.

PUIMURI   =   this means harvester in Finish, IT’s the only thing you have to remember. Now when you need to use it, draw it like this. If you want to use V and Not U. It’s PVI M VRI. But that is much harder to remember at least to Finns.

P=UI     U=RI

Draw it at the top of your exam. Notice that the M forms these triangles. From this you can easily read fast, that I = P/U, U=P/I,   P = I x U .    I = U/R, R = U/I, U = R x I .

So it someone askes, how much currect will be drawn if Appliance has 2200Watts. You know the Power=P, You know the mains voltage, 220Volts= U.   Now just remember the PUIMURI, and This triangle and you know that the I = P/U. 2200W/220V = 10 Amps.

And ones you use this triangle for some time,  at least I can remember it and draw it inside my head and solve any outcome out of it. And calculate these quite fast in mind.

It’s also possible to combine these two, so if you don’t know the voltage. You can solve the other side first that U must be I x R. Then Add this to the U at PUI triangle. So you get P = I x I x R = ->   P = I^2 x R

 

JP

 

 

 

Common trader mistakes

These are some point’s I have learned and also heard from experts.

1. Having no plan or edge over the market. You need to have a system that has a positive outlook and it’s repeating.
2. Thinking it’s about the ‘one’ trade. Thinking about one trade is a warning that you are risking too much, because no one trade should risk your existence. And it’s impossible to find systems that are right always. You just need to be right more times than wrong. The result is the outcome of many trades over given period(month/year)
3. Wrong position sizing. Risking too much or too little for individual trade. You should calculate the risk for your account and make positions that don’t risk your existence, but they still need to be big enough to make a positive impact too.
4. Style drift. Beginner traders style drift, they may take a day trade, but after successful start they want to extend it and drift to swing, or take wait for swing for weeks, and then just take profits within the same day. Usually problem is that they don’t have a written system/verified edge and mental issues make them change the style. You can have multiple styles, but decide the style you are using before making the trade and write it down.
5. Not understanding stop loss usage and it’s effect to accuracy. Cutting losses short is very important, but using stop loss makes your accuracy lower. It’s not possible to use very small stop loss, because it’s going to hit always because marked movement. You have to limit big mistakes by selling losers, but if trade is solid, company has not changed and your entry is good. You need to give it room to breath a little bit.
6. Not having daily / weekly stop loss. Most expert traders have these. They limit the death spiral and revenge trading, where trader start to win back the losses in aggressive manner. Usually just generating more losses.
7. Not keeping Records and statistics. To improve your skill, you need to have records. Without these it’s very hard to even verify you have working edge over the marked. And what trades should be eliminated to improve the returns. Google docs spreadsheet is a good way, enter stock name, entry price, exit price, stop loss level of method, profit/loss, used method(important if many systems in use, you need to compare your day traders to your swing trades), reason for entry, reason for exit, and lastly feelings(to understand if the issue was a mental state).
8. After loosing, most people are too fast to take small profits on winners, Good idea is to use rules, in swing trades you can use days(don’t sell before 6 days). Or sell half of the position to satisfy the greed and let the other half room to run, just raise the stop loss slowly. <-common expert trader method.
9. Unrealistic market expectations, market doesn't understand your needs, you are trading against experienced professional traders, and winning consistently is very hard even for experts that work full time. Fighting for profit in that market is very hard. getting away consistently even with small profits is a real skill.
10. Not having written down rules, playbook. You need written down rules that you must obey while trading. This limits the mental issues while under stress. And you need playbook, this is trade methods, with rules, what to look for, how to take it, how to size the position, how to manage possible loss, when to exit if it goes south, or if it wins, and even if it's not going anywhere. And after testing these methods you can fine tune the method, improve it.
11. spending time while trading, you don't need to take trades, you don't have to have positions. If you don't see good trades, don't take any, Most likely you can occasionally win but without real focus you are just standings still and causing commission fees.
12. Following other people trades, This is beginner mistake, find your own setups, and know what makes your edge.
13. Trading unknown instruments, You have to know what you are trading, in most styles you need to know the stock individually, how many times it's generating certain trade in a year, what are ways to find out the position.

Some of these are my own findings and some these are taken from various sources, one of the best resource is 'chat with traders' youtube channel. Check it out!

Thunderace flipped clip ones

Trying to improve comfort I first tried higher clip-on bars, but the lighter weight caused numb fingers as Thunderace has vibrations through the bars. So I wanted the stock heavy clip ones, but little higher. So I flipped the handlebars and also moved left to right and right to left. This gives higher driving position with stock handlebars.

JP

Peugeot exhaust rubber.

Peugeot 508 SW redundancy.  If the rubber fails the canvas belt takes the force and exhaust doesn’t drop. also it probably provides over extension support, so the rubber doesn’t get over extended and fail.

JP