some more random thoughts
Automatic toilets
21-May-05
Have you ever seen one of the public toilets which flushes automatically? There is a sensor built into the wall behind where you sit; I'm not sure if it's heat or motion activated, but they work most of the time.
This seems at first glance to be a great idea for several reasons: 1) You don't have to touch a potentially dirty handle of some sort; 2) You don't forget to do it; 3) Odors are cut down since the source disappears very quickly; 4) Cleanup is easier since material which might stain the bowl doesn't linger long; 5) Probably others which you may add as you think of them.
However, I have discovered one major flaw in this process. While bare skin overhangs the water, it's sometimes necessary to reposition your body in some small way. Maybe you need to lean forward to reach the paper dispenser. Right at the time when you do so, the flush process starts. Water enters at a high rate of speed and pressure, swirls around, and inevitably some of it splashes around. Remember the purpose of the toilet and what might be in there, and think about all that splashing up on you. Yes, it's part of the process that you will get "dirty" on at least one small portion of your body, butt (intentionally misspelled--if you don't "get it" then your sense of humor has been surgically removed at some time in the past) most people don't wish that small dirty area to be enlarged beyond to the total exposed posterior section of your body. I've seen bidets but never utilized one, but I'm thinking that the automatic flusher emulates one, although in an unexpected and unwanted way.
Let's realize that automatic isn't always better and work toward a return to the manual flush.
===============
Should you be nice to others?
24-May-05
I stopped for the night at the Welcome Center/Rest Area on EB I-64 in West Virginia last night. When I woke up and made the mandatory trip to the facilities, I noticed that a split-axle flatbed trailer had a brake chamber hanging loose and dragging the pavement. I went to the cab, but the driver was either out of the truck or in the sleeper berth. I returned to my truck and wrote a note telling him/her of the problem. I wedged it tightly into the gap between the driver's window and the rubber seal, knowing that it would be seen. While I waited for my mandatory 10-hour rest period to end, I periodically looked to see if the driver had seen the note. As I looked, I saw the driver open his door, remove the note, and read it. I then expected him to walk to the rear and inspect the fault. Instead, he wadded up the note and threw it to the pavement, started the engine, and drove away. The broken brake chamber was sparking as it dragged the concrete.
I have had many instances where I was nice to others and had it ignored or worse. Was this a bad fault? Well, having any of your braking system non-functional is not good, but on this trailer, it was only 25% of the capacity, and of course, there is more braking available on the tractor than the trailer, so it was a small loss. But, who is to say that it might not be the difference between stopping two feet short of a school bus or an elderly pedestrian in a crosswalk or stopping two feet past that hazard? I fulfilled my moral obligation to inform him of the problem. If something bad happens, I don't have any guilt. I suppose that if you wanted to be a real stickler, you might say I should have called the local authorities and reported it. That would have caused the trailer to be "red tagged" and immovable until repaired.
Did the other driver fulfill his obligations? To that I say an emphatic "NO"! Regulations require that every day you do a complete vehicle inspection, and even a cursory walk-around would have seen that problem. This is the type of driver which gives the entire profession a bad name to the four-wheeler community, and should be removed until properly trained. Would I want another driver to tell me of an obviously visible fault such as this? Of course, and it has happened, with the identical problem as described above. I was pulling an empty at the time, so I just used a bungee cord to tie up the hanging brake chamber and immediately went to a repair facility to have it replaced. Cost to me was an hour of down time, to the company, about $125 in parts and $100 in labor. Possible savings are as listed above: injuries or deaths prevented at the worst, fines and/or red-tagging at best.
Will I continue to be nice to others in such circumstances? Yes. It's not just the right thing to do, it's the only thing to do.
21-May-05
Have you ever seen one of the public toilets which flushes automatically? There is a sensor built into the wall behind where you sit; I'm not sure if it's heat or motion activated, but they work most of the time.
This seems at first glance to be a great idea for several reasons: 1) You don't have to touch a potentially dirty handle of some sort; 2) You don't forget to do it; 3) Odors are cut down since the source disappears very quickly; 4) Cleanup is easier since material which might stain the bowl doesn't linger long; 5) Probably others which you may add as you think of them.
However, I have discovered one major flaw in this process. While bare skin overhangs the water, it's sometimes necessary to reposition your body in some small way. Maybe you need to lean forward to reach the paper dispenser. Right at the time when you do so, the flush process starts. Water enters at a high rate of speed and pressure, swirls around, and inevitably some of it splashes around. Remember the purpose of the toilet and what might be in there, and think about all that splashing up on you. Yes, it's part of the process that you will get "dirty" on at least one small portion of your body, butt (intentionally misspelled--if you don't "get it" then your sense of humor has been surgically removed at some time in the past) most people don't wish that small dirty area to be enlarged beyond to the total exposed posterior section of your body. I've seen bidets but never utilized one, but I'm thinking that the automatic flusher emulates one, although in an unexpected and unwanted way.
Let's realize that automatic isn't always better and work toward a return to the manual flush.
===============
Should you be nice to others?
24-May-05
I stopped for the night at the Welcome Center/Rest Area on EB I-64 in West Virginia last night. When I woke up and made the mandatory trip to the facilities, I noticed that a split-axle flatbed trailer had a brake chamber hanging loose and dragging the pavement. I went to the cab, but the driver was either out of the truck or in the sleeper berth. I returned to my truck and wrote a note telling him/her of the problem. I wedged it tightly into the gap between the driver's window and the rubber seal, knowing that it would be seen. While I waited for my mandatory 10-hour rest period to end, I periodically looked to see if the driver had seen the note. As I looked, I saw the driver open his door, remove the note, and read it. I then expected him to walk to the rear and inspect the fault. Instead, he wadded up the note and threw it to the pavement, started the engine, and drove away. The broken brake chamber was sparking as it dragged the concrete.
I have had many instances where I was nice to others and had it ignored or worse. Was this a bad fault? Well, having any of your braking system non-functional is not good, but on this trailer, it was only 25% of the capacity, and of course, there is more braking available on the tractor than the trailer, so it was a small loss. But, who is to say that it might not be the difference between stopping two feet short of a school bus or an elderly pedestrian in a crosswalk or stopping two feet past that hazard? I fulfilled my moral obligation to inform him of the problem. If something bad happens, I don't have any guilt. I suppose that if you wanted to be a real stickler, you might say I should have called the local authorities and reported it. That would have caused the trailer to be "red tagged" and immovable until repaired.
Did the other driver fulfill his obligations? To that I say an emphatic "NO"! Regulations require that every day you do a complete vehicle inspection, and even a cursory walk-around would have seen that problem. This is the type of driver which gives the entire profession a bad name to the four-wheeler community, and should be removed until properly trained. Would I want another driver to tell me of an obviously visible fault such as this? Of course, and it has happened, with the identical problem as described above. I was pulling an empty at the time, so I just used a bungee cord to tie up the hanging brake chamber and immediately went to a repair facility to have it replaced. Cost to me was an hour of down time, to the company, about $125 in parts and $100 in labor. Possible savings are as listed above: injuries or deaths prevented at the worst, fines and/or red-tagging at best.
Will I continue to be nice to others in such circumstances? Yes. It's not just the right thing to do, it's the only thing to do.
posted by Trucker Dude | 9:53 PM
1 Comments:
Ok, so now you go into a toilet carrying a piece of "duck" tape to fix that problem. A new use for "duck" tape the Prairie Home Companion might be able to put on the air. Send it in.
So far as the problem of being "nice" and "doing the right thing" I suppose that will be with us until there no longer is an "us" to do any right or wrong. Truckers are just people, after all.
Hope you can get down this way one of these days again and visit. Put up a link to your Journal on ours. Probably won't generate much since Ala and I are likely 66 percent of the readers.
Post a Comment
<< Home