moldybluecheesecurds

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

This one image comparing Google and Apple Maps provides a pretty...

This one image comparing Google and Apple Maps provides a pretty compelling reason why NOT to use iOS 6 if you like good mapping.

Seriously, different colors for highways and surface streets is so 1960 map tech.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Sleight of the 'Invisible Hand' - NYTimes.com

Sleight of the 'Invisible Hand' - NYTimes.com:

A very thoughtful piece on the false notion that Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” implies a lack of government intervention. Rather, he felt that the invisible hand was the unexpected social good from private action made possible by industrious hard-work and proper precedence of the public good in politics. In other words, he’d probably see Goldman Sachs as a bunch of lazy wastrels.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Why Buses Have Vertical Steering Wheel Columns

Did you ever wonder why a bus has a big, horizontal steering wheel instead of one more like a car’s? Me too, so I asked Metro Transit in Minnesota why bus steering wheels are designed that way.

Here’s their reply:

The answer to your question lies in the fact that the room available in the front of the bus is very limited. Because the engine, transmission and other driveline components are in the back of the bus, the front area is kept as short as possible in order to increase space for passengers. At the same time, this area has to be large enough to accommodate the bus driver and the equipment needed to operate the bus.

One way to help maximize the driver’s area while keeping the front of the bus compact is to mount the steering column in a vertical orientation. I believe that all transit bus manufacturers use this strategy to accomplish this. Just so you know, the steering wheel can be tilted and it also telescopes to fit the needs of various operators, so the vertical orientation is not as much of an issue as it might seem.

Thanks, Charles Wurzinger of Metro Transit!

moldybluecheesecurds