The future of the automobile – doomed!

[Trog]

I work in an engineering office that employs about 75 professional engineers. A good 50% of Asian descent. Every once in a while, I bring my magazine collection to work to share with my coworkers. The collection includes a varied array of titles that includes; Excellence, Road and Track, Car and Driver, Collector Car, plus an array of photography magazines.

Within 24-hours all the photo magazines were scooped-up. And the car mags, not a single one was touched.

I can't believe my office doesn’t employ a single car enthusiast.

[Jim Richards]

Trog, are you sure you're working with engineers? It sounds like you work with a bunch of hair dressers.

[VincentVega]

How many Boxsters in the parking lot??

[Jim Richards]

...or Audi TTs?

[recycled sixtie]

Probably a lot of bicycles in the parking lot? Not a cheap place to live your Vancouver...

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Trog

I can't believe my office doesn’t employ a single car enthusiast.

Few of the engineers I worked with at GM were car enthusiasts. When I was a rocket scientist there were engineers in the lab who could not change a tire. One guy came to me to ask about a sound his car was making. From his description it sounded like a bad wheel bearing or a loose wheel. Walking up to the car I could see from 10 feet away that the lug nuts were loose on one front wheel.
Then there was the guy who was having trouble starting he early Honda Civic. I told him how to check for spark - check. Then I told him to pour a little gas in the carburetor to see if it would fire. He dumped a whole quart of gasoline down the carburetor.

[romad]

The thing is most of the engineers I work for, especially the younger ones, have no mechanical interest outside of work, let alone interest in cars.

I was racing go karts with my kid some years ago, building my own engines. At one setting at work I told them about building a flow bench and dyno in my basement , they were dumbfounded that someone would be doing that at home.

Sad really.

[VincentVega]

I'm interested in engineering because I like to get my hands dirty and see how things work. That's a lot different than someone good at math getting into engineering. Most engineers I met in school were the math/science kids.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by VincentVega

I'm interested in engineering because I like to get my hands dirty and see how things work.

Me too. I left the rocket science biz when they promoted me out of the lab and into an office.

[on2wheels52]

There's a lot of people who aren't mechanically inclined.
I can remember an episode in high school (late 60's for me). I was in a buddy's car and he was going to run it through the 1/4 mile on a country road. He's getting ready to start and pulls out the manual choke knob (I was 15 before I knew there was such a thing as an automatic choke). I said why did you do that. He said because it makes the engine run faster. I didn't pursue the subject with him.
Jim

[redstrosekNic]

Originally Posted by on2wheels52

There's a lot of people who aren't mechanically inclined.
I can remember an episode in high school (late 60's for me). I was in a buddy's car and he was going to run it through the 1/4 mile on a country road. He's getting ready to start and pulls out the manual choke knob (I was 15 before I knew there was such a thing as an automatic choke). I said why did you do that. He said because it makes the engine run faster. I didn't pursue the subject with him.
Jim

To be fair, it does make the engine run faster... but makes the car slower... haha

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by Trog

I work in an engineering office that employs about 75 professional engineers. A good 50% of Asian descent. Every once in a while, I bring my magazine collection to work to share with my coworkers. The collection includes a varied array of titles that includes; Excellence, Road and Track, Car and Driver, Collector Car, plus an array of photography magazines.

Within 24-hours all the photo magazines were scooped-up. And the car mags, not a single one was touched.

I can't believe my office doesn’t employ a single car enthusiast.

Sounds more like the planning dept. of the city of Portland, Oregon. I doubt you could find more hatred of the automobile anywhere.

[RWebb]

EE's?

EEE's?

EEEEEEEE's?

[Noah930]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Sounds more like the planning dept. of the city of Portland, Oregon. I doubt you could find more hatred of the automobile anywhere.

Hey, there aren't too many cities that own their own racetrack within a 15-minute drive from downtown.

[Jrboulder]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Sounds more like the planning dept. of the city of Portland, Oregon. I doubt you could find more hatred of the automobile anywhere.

You clearly have not visited Boulder lately

[trekkor]

Domed...


KT

[Chocaholic]

Domed?

[Jim Richards]

It's a hairdresser term, I think.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by Jrboulder

You clearly have not visited Boulder lately

Or, Portland, Oregon, for that matter....

[rusnak]

..these "photography magazines" are published by Larry Flint?