I read the article about the "Radical Bra Design" (DN 03.26.01) and the editorial on the same subject, with some interest; technical, of course. Since this is an engineering journal, it might have been appropriate to mention that Howard Hughes, the industrialist and movie producer, was the designer of one of the earliest versions of the Uplift Bra, which was worn by Jane Russell in the movie "The Outlaw," to emphasize her important attributes. If your readers are interested in doing research on this topic, I suggest a trip to the video store for a view of the state of the art, circa 1943, in undergarment design.
Philip Snyder
Design Engineer, retired
Mt. Laurel, NJ
Carry on!
"If the bag fits" (DN Breaktime 03.12.01) made me chuckle. It made me remember my years of installing modified overhead bins during a long career with Pan American Airlines. The newer bins were designed to accept a military field pack and an M-16 rifle. That's because the airlines are required to provide military transportation in the event of national emergency.
John Barry
Design Engineer
Wired
The "By Wire" editorial (DN 03.12.01) failed to address the real disturbing potential in the Detroit design trend: loss of vehicle control if the system fails. While the mechanical designs in use today can fail, the electrical/
sensor solutions offer more opportunities for failure. There is nothing like the feeling of traveling in a vehicle with a sudden loss of steering and brakes. For those of us who have operated farm tractors with fully hydraulic steering and brakes, we know the unique feeling of going down hill when the engine suddenly stops operating and the accompanying loss of hydraulics causes the loss of both steering and brake systems.
Bill Gehm
Lisle, New York
Fired up over wire
I am appalled by the resistance to technological advancements in the automotive industry seen in the editorial about fly-by-wire control systems (DN 03.12.01). I beg to differ.
ITEM: Fly-by-wire throttle control? This was introduced in the Corvette in 1997. Place yourself in a 2001 Corvette Z-06 on a racetrack somewhere and tell me if it is void of a "driving experience." Remember when you could smash the gas pedal so fast that the carburetor would stumble? I wish to forget.
ITEM: Fly-by-wire braking and steering? We already have servo-assisted (power) brakes and steering, and I think most drivers wouldn't want to live without them.
The truth is these systems are making cars easier, and thus safer. Personally, I feel these advancements improve efficiency, something we can all use.
Kyle Verploegen
Mechanical Engineer
Rapistan Systems
Hybrid gets high marks
Having just turned 6,000 miles on my
Prius, I wanted to let editor Rick DeMeis (DNReaders Write 3.01.01) know that in suburban driving I average 52.3 mpg. My 23-mile commute is on hilly roads at speeds up to 60 (speeding, but in Atlanta this is just keeping up). My highest one-way mileage was 61.6 (Fed/State holiday) and I caught all the lights just right. Fuel mileage for a trip to Nashville (550 miles at sustained speeds of 75–80) was 47.4. All this on the manufacturer's recommended 87 octane fuel (not the 91 stated in the article).
In addition to the mileage, I love the room (everyone comments positively on the rear seat room), the higher view than my Subaru, and the strange looks going down the road with no ICE running. The car is fun to drive. Only complaint, the tires are not quite adequate under heavy braking.
Tery J. Evans
Project Engineer and early
technology adopter
Siemens Energy & Automation
Metric conversions
I do not know what confusion the introduction of the metric system has caused in Great Britain, but Derek Norfield's letter (DNReaders Write 2.26.01) gives me some idea.
I would like to inform Derek that there is no such thing as a "metric foot" except for shoe sizes. There is also no metric inch, metric fathom, metric bushel, or metric gallon. Lumber is measured in meters (m) or millimeters (mm). There is also no metric two by four (which in the English system is not two inches by four inches anyway). A piece of lumber that is 10 × 300 mm = 3,000 mm is said to be three meters (3m). It is as simple as that, and who cares how many inches that corresponds to?
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