Misc humor and interesting videos

[Paul Dobbin]

More of our Counties Road Dept. work.

[Jim Bollman]

Think about it....

 

[auburnseeker]

15 hours ago, Jim Bollman said:

Think about it....

 

Wonder who made that map.  Guess they didn't figure in Taxes.  I know NY has some of the highest.  So much i could buy a new truck and pay for it with the savings in property taxes if living in another lower tax state for the pleasure of living in Rural upstate NY which is controlled by urban downstate. 

[Jim Bollman]

You're thinking politics this is a humor thread. Keyword "TOP"

 

[SC38dls]

That makes Alaska the very TOP!  

[ply33]

3 hours ago, Jim Bollman said:

You're thinking politics this is a humor thread. Keyword "TOP"

 

Yes. I was wondering if they decided to only cover “the lower 48” if they would up it to “the top 13” states or simply pick either Pennsylvania (looks like it goes a trifle further north than Ohio).

[auburnseeker]

Usually all those maps and surveys tend to reflect purposed quality of life or best states to live in.  Found it odd that they were all at the North with that train of thought but didn't doubt someone would come up with logic or myth  to support it. 

[Jim Bollman]

Didn't think the Top 12 Map would be so controversial. I sent it to 3 of my Northern friends and 2 also missed the TOP part of the map and wondered what the criteria was. I thought about for 20 seconds or so, showed it to my wife and she was laughing in about 2 seconds. Oh well onward.

 

[Jim Bollman]

[Mark Gregory]

[auburnseeker]

Now for comparison can we get a list of what's made with rainbow dreams and unicorn farts?   That's all we are going to have in the near future. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, plymouthcranbrook said:

A bridge too far?

 Some people just couldn't wait to try out the new road.

[AURktman]

Since I am a rocket guy, these are VERY applicable and accurate.  I may have posted this before.  I can't remember.  

 

https://spacecraft.ssl.umd.edu/akins_laws.html

 

1. Engineering is done with numbers. Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

2. To design a spacecraft right takes an infinite amount of effort. This is why it's a good idea to design them to operate when some things are wrong .

3. Design is an iterative process. The necessary number of iterations is one more than the number you have currently done. This is true at any point in time.

4. Your best design efforts will inevitably wind up being useless in the final design. Learn to live with the disappointment.

5. (Miller's Law) Three points determine a curve.

6. (Mar's Law) Everything is linear if plotted log-log with a fat magic marker.

7. At the start of any design effort, the person who most wants to be team leader is least likely to be capable of it.

8. In nature, the optimum is almost always in the middle somewhere. Distrust assertions that the optimum is at an extreme point.

9. Not having all the information you need is never a satisfactory excuse for not starting the analysis.

10. When in doubt, estimate. In an emergency, guess. But be sure to go back and clean up the mess when the real numbers come along.

11. Sometimes, the fastest way to get to the end is to throw everything out and start over.

12. There is never a single right solution. There are always multiple wrong ones, though.

13. Design is based on requirements. There's no justification for designing something one bit "better" than the requirements dictate.

14. (Edison's Law) "Better" is the enemy of "good".

15. (Shea's Law) The ability to improve a design occurs primarily at the interfaces. This is also the prime location for screwing it up.

16. The previous people who did a similar analysis did not have a direct pipeline to the wisdom of the ages. There is therefore no reason to believe their analysis over yours. There is especially no reason to present their analysis as yours.

17. The fact that an analysis appears in print has no relationship to the likelihood of its being correct.

18. Past experience is excellent for providing a reality check. Too much reality can doom an otherwise worthwhile design, though.

19. The odds are greatly against you being immensely smarter than everyone else in the field. If your analysis says your terminal velocity is twice the speed of light, you may have invented warp drive, but the chances are a lot better that you've screwed up.

20. A bad design with a good presentation is doomed eventually. A good design with a bad presentation is doomed immediately.

21. (Larrabee's Law) Half of everything you hear in a classroom is crap. Education is figuring out which half is which.

22. When in doubt, document. (Documentation requirements will reach a maximum shortly after the termination of a program.)

23. The schedule you develop will seem like a complete work of fiction up until the time your customer fires you for not meeting it.

24. It's called a "Work Breakdown Structure" because the Work remaining will grow until you have a Breakdown, unless you enforce some Structure on it.

25. (Bowden's Law) Following a testing failure, it's always possible to refine the analysis to show that you really had negative margins all along.

26. (Montemerlo's Law) Don't do nuthin' dumb.

27. (Varsi's Law) Schedules only move in one direction.

28. (Ranger's Law) There ain't no such thing as a free launch.

29. (von Tiesenhausen's Law of Program Management) To get an accurate estimate of final program requirements, multiply the initial time estimates by pi, and slide the decimal point on the cost estimates one place to the right.

30. (von Tiesenhausen's Law of Engineering Design) If you want to have a maximum effect on the design of a new engineering system, learn to draw. Engineers always wind up designing the vehicle to look like the initial artist's concept.

31. (Mo's Law of Evolutionary Development) You can't get to the moon by climbing successively taller trees.

32. (Atkin's Law of Demonstrations) When the hardware is working perfectly, the really important visitors don't show up.

33. (Patton's Law of Program Planning) A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan next week.

34. (Roosevelt's Law of Task Planning) Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.

35. (de Saint-Exupery's Law of Design) A designer knows that they have achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

36. Any run-of-the-mill engineer can design something which is elegant. A good engineer designs systems to be efficient. A great engineer designs them to be effective.

37. (Henshaw's Law) One key to success in a mission is establishing clear lines of blame.

38. Capabilities drive requirements, regardless of what the systems engineering textbooks say.

39. Any exploration program which "just happens" to include a new launch vehicle is, de facto, a launch vehicle program.

39. (alternate formulation) The three keys to keeping a new human space program affordable and on schedule:
       1)  No new launch vehicles.
       2)  No new launch vehicles.
       3)  Whatever you do, don't develop any new launch vehicles.

40. (McBryan's Law) You can't make it better until you make it work.

41. There's never enough time to do it right, but somehow, there's always enough time to do it over.

42. If there's not a flight program, there's no money.
      If there is a flight program, there's no time.

43. You really understand something the third time you see it (or the first time you teach it.)

44. Space is a completely unforgiving environment. If you screw up the engineering, somebody dies (and there's no partial credit because most of the analysis was right...)

[Guest Mark McAlpine]

 

2 hours ago, AURktman said:

Since I am a rocket guy, these are VERY applicable and accurate.  I may have posted this before.  I can't remember.  

 

https://spacecraft.ssl.umd.edu/akins_laws.html

 

1. Engineering is done with numbers. Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

2. To design a spacecraft right takes an infinite amount of effort. This is why it's a good idea to design them to operate when some things are wrong .

3. Design is an iterative process. The necessary number of iterations is one more than the number you have currently done. This is true at any point in time.

4. Your best design efforts will inevitably wind up being useless in the final design. Learn to live with the disappointment.

5. (Miller's Law) Three points determine a curve.

6. (Mar's Law) Everything is linear if plotted log-log with a fat magic marker.

7. At the start of any design effort, the person who most wants to be team leader is least likely to be capable of it.

8. In nature, the optimum is almost always in the middle somewhere. Distrust assertions that the optimum is at an extreme point.

9. Not having all the information you need is never a satisfactory excuse for not starting the analysis.

10. When in doubt, estimate. In an emergency, guess. But be sure to go back and clean up the mess when the real numbers come along.

11. Sometimes, the fastest way to get to the end is to throw everything out and start over.

12. There is never a single right solution. There are always multiple wrong ones, though.

13. Design is based on requirements. There's no justification for designing something one bit "better" than the requirements dictate.

14. (Edison's Law) "Better" is the enemy of "good".

15. (Shea's Law) The ability to improve a design occurs primarily at the interfaces. This is also the prime location for screwing it up.

16. The previous people who did a similar analysis did not have a direct pipeline to the wisdom of the ages. There is therefore no reason to believe their analysis over yours. There is especially no reason to present their analysis as yours.

17. The fact that an analysis appears in print has no relationship to the likelihood of its being correct.

18. Past experience is excellent for providing a reality check. Too much reality can doom an otherwise worthwhile design, though.

19. The odds are greatly against you being immensely smarter than everyone else in the field. If your analysis says your terminal velocity is twice the speed of light, you may have invented warp drive, but the chances are a lot better that you've screwed up.

20. A bad design with a good presentation is doomed eventually. A good design with a bad presentation is doomed immediately.

21. (Larrabee's Law) Half of everything you hear in a classroom is crap. Education is figuring out which half is which.

22. When in doubt, document. (Documentation requirements will reach a maximum shortly after the termination of a program.)

23. The schedule you develop will seem like a complete work of fiction up until the time your customer fires you for not meeting it.

24. It's called a "Work Breakdown Structure" because the Work remaining will grow until you have a Breakdown, unless you enforce some Structure on it.

25. (Bowden's Law) Following a testing failure, it's always possible to refine the analysis to show that you really had negative margins all along.

26. (Montemerlo's Law) Don't do nuthin' dumb.

27. (Varsi's Law) Schedules only move in one direction.

28. (Ranger's Law) There ain't no such thing as a free launch.

29. (von Tiesenhausen's Law of Program Management) To get an accurate estimate of final program requirements, multiply the initial time estimates by pi, and slide the decimal point on the cost estimates one place to the right.

30. (von Tiesenhausen's Law of Engineering Design) If you want to have a maximum effect on the design of a new engineering system, learn to draw. Engineers always wind up designing the vehicle to look like the initial artist's concept.

31. (Mo's Law of Evolutionary Development) You can't get to the moon by climbing successively taller trees.

32. (Atkin's Law of Demonstrations) When the hardware is working perfectly, the really important visitors don't show up.

33. (Patton's Law of Program Planning) A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan next week.

34. (Roosevelt's Law of Task Planning) Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.

35. (de Saint-Exupery's Law of Design) A designer knows that they have achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

36. Any run-of-the-mill engineer can design something which is elegant. A good engineer designs systems to be efficient. A great engineer designs them to be effective.

37. (Henshaw's Law) One key to success in a mission is establishing clear lines of blame.

38. Capabilities drive requirements, regardless of what the systems engineering textbooks say.

39. Any exploration program which "just happens" to include a new launch vehicle is, de facto, a launch vehicle program.

39. (alternate formulation) The three keys to keeping a new human space program affordable and on schedule:
       1)  No new launch vehicles.
       2)  No new launch vehicles.
       3)  Whatever you do, don't develop any new launch vehicles.

40. (McBryan's Law) You can't make it better until you make it work.

41. There's never enough time to do it right, but somehow, there's always enough time to do it over.

42. If there's not a flight program, there's no money.
      If there is a flight program, there's no time.

43. You really understand something the third time you see it (or the first time you teach it.)

44. Space is a completely unforgiving environment. If you screw up the engineering, somebody dies (and there's no partial credit because most of the analysis was right...)

 

These are all great.  As a retired military guy who did a bit of operational planning, I especially like #33 ("A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan next week.").  Military planners have two other sayings:

- It's not the plan, it's the planning.  (Meaning:  no plan is executed as originally laid out--it changes because conditions change before the plan is executed and, for combat plans, it changes with first contact because the enemy gets a vote.  However, the effort that went into the planning, examining as many options and contingencies as possible, allows you to quickly adjust the plan.)

- Hope is not a plan.

Edited January 19, 2021 by Mark McAlpine
Added first sentence and corrected spelling of "executed"--added "d" (see edit history)

[Jim Bollman]

Another good one for a caption.

 

[3macboys]

34 minutes ago, Jim Bollman said:

Another good one for a caption.

 

Mechanical Snuffalufagus

 

 

[Larry Schramm]

14 hours ago, Jim Bollman said:

Another good one for a caption.

 

 

VW blowhard

[RAH]

On 7/21/2020 at 2:51 PM, Jim Bollman said:

First Street Rod?

 

With engine turning clockwise Goes like ^*)) backwards but NO forward!

[RAH]

On 1/9/2021 at 6:15 PM, Jim Bollman said:

It clearly says right here in the instruction manual.... OH Never mind this is the left phone not the right one.

[bdc]

3 hours ago, Larry Schramm said:

 

VW blowhard

More like VW sucks

[Jim Bollman]

Larry is close to what it really is.

[Jim Bollman]

Decked out Ford truck.

 

[Morgansdad]

1 hour ago, Jim Bollman said:

Decked out Ford truck.

 

Just because someone owns a circular saw, doesn't mean they should try to use it !

[auburnseeker]

15 hours ago, Jim Bollman said:

Decked out Ford truck.

 

Good for tail gate parties.

[Jim Bollman]

Another photo begging for a caption.

 

[JFranklin]

At that angle I'm glad it is strapped down!

[auburnseeker]

14 hours ago, Jim Bollman said:

Another photo begging for a caption.

 

A scene from the new and upcoming Transporter Movie.

[SC38dls]

Car haulers- you get what you pay for! 

[Morgansdad]

Never, I say never, go for the cheapest transporter.

[Marty Roth]

On 1/22/2021 at 5:42 PM, Jim Bollman said:

Another photo begging for a caption.

 

 

On 1/22/2021 at 5:42 PM, Jim Bollman said:

Another photo begging for a caption.

 

 

Pinetree Logistics, Inc,

Booking your Specialty Classics Transport with us is as easy as

"FALLING OFF A LOG"

[Jim Bollman]

[bdc]

On 1/22/2021 at 5:42 PM, Jim Bollman said:

Another photo begging for a caption.

 

Does this qualify as an Audi Woody?

[Jim Bollman]

[Gary_Ash]

The Clampetts meet Bernie.

 

[JFranklin]

I tell my wife if they are ever showing photos of her crimes to a jury to yell photoshop until they frog march her out!

[Jim Bollman]

Always carry a spare.

 

[Mark Gregory]

[Mark Gregory]

[Mark Gregory]

[Matt Harwood]