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That spigot seems to be mounted a bit low for washing balls... Unless it was intended for wee folks to use...

 

Blind to Disruption -- The CEOs Who Missed the Future


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Even with evidence staring them in the face, carriage companies still did not pivot, assuming cars were a fad. For carriage companies this was the “denial and drift” phase of disruption.

The Tipping Point: Ford’s Model T and Mass Production (1908–1925) The Ford Model T introduced in 1908 was affordable ($825 to as little as $260 by the 1920s), durable and easy to repair, and made using assembly line mass production. Within 15 years tens of millions of Americans owned cars. Horse-related businesses — not only the carriage makers, but the entire ecosystem of blacksmiths, stables, and feed suppliers — began collapsing. Cities banned horses from downtown areas due to waste, disease, and congestion. This was like the arrival of Google, the iPhone or ChatGPT: a phase shift.

Early Autos Were Niche and Experimental (1890s–1905) The first cars (steam, electric, and early gas) were expensive, unreliable, and slow. They were built by 19th century mechanical nerds. And the few that were sold were considered toys for other nerds and the rich. (Carl Benz patented the first internal combustion engine in 1886. In 1893 Frank Duryea drove the first car in the U.S.)

These early cars coexisted with a massive horse-powered economy. Horses pulled wagons, delivered goods, powered streetcars, and people. The first automakers used the only design they knew: the carriage. Drivers sat up high like they did in a carriage when they had to see over the horses.

For the first 15 years carriage makers, teamsters, and stable owners saw no immediate threat. Like AI today: autos were powerful, new, buggy, unreliable and not yet mainstream.

 

The article shown above reminds me of the current revolution in electric transportation ... I very much doubt it will end the reign of gas powered vehicles, but I'm sure it's creating some niches that are here to stay.

 

The article shown above reminds me of the current revolution in electric transportation ...

There was already a revolution in electric transportation -- 100 years ago -- and gas won.

 

There was already a revolution in electric transportation -- 100 years ago -- and gas won.

And the first hydrocarbon-powered cars were designed to run on renewable fuels: Ford's on ethanol and Diesel's on peanut oil.

 

There was already a revolution in electric transportation -- 100 years ago -- and gas won.

Rare earth magnets and lithium (and other techs) batteries did not exist back then

 

Rare earth magnets and lithium (and other techs) batteries did not exist back then

Neither did fuel injection or ECUs.

 

I guess the market is going to have to decide on this one.

And I honestly don't know how things will develop. On the one hand, the technology seems very promising, and on the other, it's been relying on subsidies that completely distort the relationship between supply and demand.

 

...it's been relying on subsidies...

Yes, and without poor people paying for rich people's cars, there would be no market for them.

 

You don't see or hear much about it but when Henry Ford started producing his cars something unexpected started happening. Almost every blacksmith shop and small machine shop replaced their steam engines used to drive their main pulley shaft used to belt drive their shop tools with a Ford engine. The little 4-cylinder engine became the goto scrap engine for a little bootstrap engineering revolution. Trip hammers, drill presses, lathes, grinders, metal saws, etc. all became gasoline engine driven instead of steam. It didn't require a licensed Steam Engineer to operate. No one had to come in early to get the fire up to get the steam up to operating pressure. Far less maintenance to keep it running. It became an immediate success! It also allowed small shops that could not afford a steam engine plant to put powered tools in their shops. Of course, the large plants kept running their steam plants until their machines were eventually electric motor powered but still using the steam plant to drive electric generators to provide power for their electric motors. Even into the 2000's, the Hercules plant that I worked for still had several steam driven pumps still in operation and generated 3.5MW of electricity using their boilers steam driven turbine to drive the generator.

 

Sure hope this gets under control quickly. Both sides have been acting IMO stupidly for decades.

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/thailand-cambodia-border-dispute-07-24-25-intl-hnk
Thailand launches airstrikes on Cambodian military targets as deadly border dispute escalates

 

Why they are attacking civilians is beyond me. Ordinary people. trying to go about their daily business and suddenly that is a torrent of rocket propelled grenades. Not that the F16 make much sense either.

 

Of course, the very first thing you do at the start of a conflict is to withdraw your diplomats.

 

Might as well. Conflicts are the result of failed diplomacy!

 

There are struggles internal to Thai politics at work here. One of these dark forces has been around since the first democratically elected prime minister was was elected 2001. We'll have wait and see how it plays out. In the mean time, I hope they find some military targets rather than a hospital, a convenience store, and people in their homes.

 

Might as well. Conflicts are the result of failed diplomacy!

Not always, sometimes militaries act without orders.

 

War is the continuation of politics by other means.
Carl von Clausewitz.

 

Another sign you are getting old: Lifetime memberships are no longer a good deal.

I've never been much of a joiner, but as I get back into competitive shooting, I've discovered that I really have no choice but to join a number of organizations. Thus far, the above has been true 100% of the time.

 

Why they are attacking civilians is beyond me. Ordinary people. trying to go about their daily business and suddenly that is a torrent of rocket propelled grenades. Not that the F16 make much sense either.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/thailand-cambodia-1.7593789
UN Security Council planning to discuss crisis, which has killed at least 16 and seen thousands flee

As usual this dates back to French colonial rule drawing borders per their wants rather that the people that live there IMO. The poor people on all sides suffer due to these old families playing games with innocent lives like set pieces in a deadly Chess game. Nothing has really changed since we were there in the 70's.