The OLDER Photographers' thread...

And what are we going to do when the sky falls in?

Timphoto wrote in post #11844712
With all the electronics on the newer cars, it's not simple anymore, is it?

I have the same issue with my current motorcycle, I have to bypass the computer that controls a stepper motor in the throttle body so I can tune it properly. Or otherwise buy a very expensive BMW motorcycle engine tuning device, which doesn't tune it half as well as I can. It used to be a lot simpler, tweak the valves, set the timing, balance the carbs, and away you go.

Very accurate and how things are moving along in this technological world..

I've owned a couple of Beemers, a R90s and a RS65LS.. Dead easy to tune.. Also my Moto Guzzi LeMans MkV another bike well fettled and dead easy to service..

Especially with the Guzzi, I would gauge by how many bottles (335ml) of beer each job would take.. For example a complete oil change,, engine, gearbox and diff would take about two bottles.. If I changed the engine oil filter about three.. With the Guzzi, I had to unbolt the sump plate to get to the oil filter.. Valve clearences about two bottles..The Dell' Orto carbies were a snack to tune,, one bottle only..

I used to love getting into the shed with a few bottles and tinkering.. My wife would ask me how long I'd be.. I'd always reply two or three bottles..

I put the Guzzi down the road at 120kph in the wet returning from the Phillip Island World Superbike Races and sold it unrepaired for great money.. The bike had a bit of a reputation as a bit of a rocketship

I later had a Triumph Sprint RS 955i (2002 model).. All I could really do was change the oil and adjust the chain.. Electronic fuel injection and shim valve clearence adjustment stopped my tinkering..

The Guzzi never went into the shop for a service,, I did it all myself.. My mechanic mate helped me with ring, pushrod (titanium) and head gasket replacement.. It took a sixpack between the both of us..

Geezus,, I loved that bike!!

Roy Mathers wrote in post #11846826
And what are we going to do when the sky falls in?

We will have Chicken Little apply for a job at Kentucky Fried Chicken...

Part time, of course!

yogestee wrote in post #11846868
Very accurate and how things are moving along in this technological world..

I've owned a couple of Beemers, a R90s and a RS65LS.. Dead easy to tune.. Also my Moto Guzzi LeMans MkV another bike well fettled and dead easy to service..

Especially with the Guzzi, I would gauge by how many bottles (335ml) of beer each job would take.. For example a complete oil change,, engine, gearbox and diff would take about two bottles.. If I changed the engine oil filter about three.. With the Guzzi, I had to unbolt the sump plate to get to the oil filter.. Valve clearences about two bottles..The Dell' Orto carbies were a snack to tune,, one bottle only..

I used to love getting into the shed with a few bottles and tinkering.. My wife would ask me how long I'd be.. I'd always reply two or three bottles..

I put the Guzzi down the road at 120kph in the wet returning from the Phillip Island World Superbike Races and sold it unrepaired for great money.. The bike had a bit of a reputation as a bit of a rocketship

I later had a Triumph Sprint RS 955i (2002 model).. All I could really do was change the oil and adjust the chain.. Electronic fuel injection and shim valve clearence adjustment stopped my tinkering..

The Guzzi never went into the shop for a service,, I did it all myself.. My mechanic mate helped me with ring, pushrod (titanium) and head gasket replacement.. It took a sixpack between the both of us..

Geezus,, I loved that bike!!

That's why I still like my MG's. Simple to repair. Simple to maintain.

skygod44 wrote in post #11846602
Well of course it's biased, Roy - what can you think of that we can read which isn't biased? - but that's not the point.
What are we all going to do when oil has truly peaked and the prices begin to go up to the point where we think, "Nope...too much for me?!"

Sky, when Jimmy Carter was President of the USA back in the 1970's, he came on TV and told us plainly that "all the oil reserves on the earth would be depleted by the year 2000".

skygod44 wrote in post #11845384
Well, your weed-whacking/eating/strimm​ing/snow-blowing chat has been very detailed, but has anyone (in the USA or elsewhere) seen articles related to the Saudi oil reserves recently?

Simon, if you want to discuss diminishing oil reserves and future energy alternatives, as well as an alternative view to the solar energy person you referenced, you may want to consider reading this book by Robert Bryce: " Power Hungry: The Myths of "Green" Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future."

Hmm, no oil, means no petrol, means I cannot get to work, means retirement - YAY

L.J.G. wrote in post #11849629
Hmm, no oil, means no petrol, means I cannot get to work, means retirement - YAY

I guess that's one way to look at it.

L.J.G. wrote in post #11849629
Hmm, no oil, means no petrol, means I cannot get to work, means retirement - YAY

I'm with you on that, Lloyd.

In the mean time the obvious answer is to sell our cars, buy good boots and start foot zooming everywhere!

Roy Mathers wrote in post #11846826
And what are we going to do when the sky falls in?

My name is NOT Asterix, so I'm not worried about that!

richardfox wrote in post #11847044
Sky, when Jimmy Carter was President of the USA back in the 1970's, he came on TV and told us plainly that "all the oil reserves on the earth would be depleted by the year 2000".

Well, he was quite a character, yes, but oil is a limited resource, and I'm merely intrigued as to the thinking of everyone because (and I might be daft thinking this!) you are among the brighter people on the planet.

Timphoto wrote in post #11849558
Simon, if you want to discuss diminishing oil reserves and future energy alternatives, as well as an alternative view to the solar energy person you referenced, you may want to consider reading this book by Robert Bryce: " Power Hungry: The Myths of "Green" Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future."

Interesting read, no doubt, but if "The Future" is next year-onwards, I wonder what we'll be up to in the summer of 2012? Or even if it's 2018 or 2022, we should all still be here (I hope!)....
Just wondering, that's all.

That's the point of Bryce's book - there are realistic short term alternatives. The Wall Street Journal just reported that several large oil companies are expanding their natural gas resources while oil resources are on the decline.

The current happenings in the Middle East present more of an immediate challenge than the issue of known or unknown reserves, but oil discussions can quickly run into political discussions because it's almost impossible to separate the two, I have no desire to kill this thread or be banned, so that's pretty much it on this topic for me.

Timphoto wrote in post #11851526
That's the point of Bryce's book - there are realistic short term alternatives. The Wall Street Journal just reported that several large oil companies are expanding their natural gas resources while oil resources are on the decline.

The current happenings in the Middle East present more of an immediate challenge than the issue of known or unknown reserves, but oil discussions can quickly run into political discussions because it's almost impossible to separate the two, I have no desire to kill this thread or be banned, so that's pretty much it on this topic for me.

There's a very good article in a recent Scientific American about the kind of projects that will probably make a useful difference in our pursuit of alternative forms of energy.

The author spoke of the need for "scaleable" projects, rather than effective but expensive projects that need subsidising. Scaleable projects get cheaper as they spread, and this will be essential if Asian countries are going to take up the challenge as well. It was worth reading.

Ricardo222 wrote in post #11852832
There's a very good article in a recent Scientific American about the kind of projects that will probably make a useful difference in our pursuit of alternative forms of energy.

The author spoke of the need for "scaleable" projects, rather than effective but expensive projects that need subsidising. Scaleable projects get cheaper as they spread, and this will be essential if Asian countries are going to take up the challenge as well. It was worth reading.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This sounds positive!
And Tim, I don't want any political stuff coming in here, either....don't see the need to go in "that" direction!!!!!!
No. This is merely a ponder on what we'll all be doing if/when we can't rely on oil providing the backbone to what we now take for granted.

And, as the OLDER people, it's us who've used the most of the black stuff, so shouldn't we be coming up with positive ideas for our kids?

For me, my first aim (and this is 100% real!) is to get our home-building project underway this year.
Want to build using "old" Japanese and European methods combined, thus avoiding mass-produced components. And as a self-build project, any problems that come up in the next 10~20 years I should be able to fix myself.

We've just completed a remodel of our house and much of what we did was related to energy conservation like improved insulation, dual pane windows, more efficient lighting, and on demand water heating. It's a little too early to tell, but if the preliminary results hold up, we've reduced our energy needs by at least 28%.

20 years ago we installed a Geo-Thermal heat pump furnace. They were very new and had strict requirements to be able to receive government grants for them. We qualified completely so we got the grants. Dad said that it took less than 13 years for it to completely pay for itself in what we saved on electricity bills. And it has built in air conditioning. We didn't have A/C before then, so it runs year round as opposed to only when heating was needed.
Our whole house is run on electricity - heating, A/C, lighting, stove, dryer, water heater, water pump. We pay about $100 less per month for electricity than our neighbours pay for gas per month.