{ Most recent edits : 12 January 2017 }

For background, please see Wikipedia's pages on :

Great Filter

Wow! signal

Technological singularity

Search for extraterrestrial intelligence

If you care to, please also see the pages linked beneath my ugliest self-portrait to date, though i like it, as i feel these are also relevant .

In the multi-hypothetical case that wide-spread, (and decisive), computerized election fraud, (being generally), in favor of right wing candidates, (also hypothetically, including Donald Trump), is onging in the United States of America --- it would be my further hypothesis that this country may be approaching the "event horizon" of permanent, right-wing, one-party rule .

Under such a scenario, (if the above would, overall, be true), i expect the right wing to make a high priority of consolidating effective control over the Judicial Branch of the United States Government, and over the Military High Command ; that these would complement their hold, (as i see it), over the Legislative Branch and coming hold, (as i see it, and should circumstances proceed according to script), over the Executive Branch . To use a military analogy, if they were to achieve these things, (and if the above scenarios would be, essentially, correct), they would have emplaced "cannon" on all the major hilltops of federal power .

Continuing the above scenarios, (in the assumption they would be, overall, correct) : With increasingly sophisticated surveillance and artificial-intelligence technologies at their disposal, the alliance of people and organizations holding such federal high ground, (as well as, reportedly, considerable accumulated wealth), could gain effective control over the socio-economic middle and, (by degrees), low grounds as well --- particularly if cautious and/or right-wing-sympathetic press outlets were not to treat these issue(s) seriously ----- particularly also if cautious and/or right-wing-sympathetic religious leaders stressed a doubling-down on God, without an activist, (Dr. King-ian), parallel commitment to, (as i believe so critical), transparent election practices .

Rightly or wrongly, i see computerized election systems running trade-secret software on trade-secret hardware, which record the vote in a manner invisible to the voter, (but purport to show the voter how our ballot will be recorded on a confirmation screen), for counting in a manner invisible to the public, (but which purport to tell the truth to the public), as, at least potentially, playgrounds for insider fraud . If such would indeed be the case, (and as what is being determined is the character of, and control over, the United States of America), i imagine these playgrounds would attract some very powerful players . I see no reason to expect that these would be limited to Americans seeking advantage over other Americans, and considerable reason to expect that these would, ultimately, include foreign-sponsored attempts to seek control over America .

I see it as essential to the health of representative democracy in the United States, (if not the world), that computerized election systems such i describe above are replaced, (nation-wide), with all-human election processes, (such as i described in recent posts) . A large part of what concerns me about the administration of a President-apparent Donald Trump is the potential right-wing capture of Federal "high ground" as described 3 paragraphs previous . If my suspicions about elections in this country are (basically) correct, i see such a capture as bringing with it closure of all effective routes to achieve such a replacement .

Rightly or wrongly, (and if the above scenarios are essentially correct), i see the world, human civilization, simultaneously approaching the "event horizon" of one expression of the Great Filter, (in no small part due to the loss of representative democracy in the United States), while also receding from the event horizon of another expression of the Great Filter . If only people in positions of power and/or influence were to discuss this openly . Because i feel there is much to be considered :

Effective consolidation of control over the world's governments, (and nuclear arsenals), into the hands of a single, politically competent and sound-minded individual, (not an easy task, but one which the vulnerabilities innate in "careless", {my word}, attention to election processes within advanced representative-democracies could be exploited to facilitiate, {or so i believe}), could, (at least), reduce the probability that World War III will become the Human expression of the Great Filter --- but perhaps only for as long as the "benevolent (?) dictator" remained alive and well, (and, perhaps also, unobvious) . With stakes that high, a succession could prove extraordinarly attractive to those of ruthless ambition, (not that this would be alien to the character of the dictator himself or herself) . I think that the problem with many autocratic successions has been that the character attributes a dictator values in his or her Numero Dos, often, do not serve that person well when and if they become, (or try to compete to become), El Numero Uno . And, conversely, that the character attributes that make an effective dictator can be destabilizing in the hands of a ranking subordinate . Thus, in order to more fully reduce the risk of civilization-destroying nuclear war, (perhaps during a succession struggle), a leader in the chain, while the consolidation of power was still firmly in hand, would have to effect global nuclear disarmament to below the threshold of annihilation, (while keeping a reserve force to back his or her authority) . This could, potentially, be a very difficult manuever to pull off without triggering the very holocaust he or she would hope to avoid . And yet, multiple truly space-faring nations, if led by biological beings, could be expected to eventually destroy their home planet in a war amongst eachother . . .

Unfortunately, (in my opinion), such a consolidation of effective control, particularly to the extent it may be accomlished by the effective toppling of representative democracies world-wide, steers the world directly toward, (and perhaps through), the event horizon of a Global Winnowing expression of the Great Filter . It is not difficult to imagine --- given the impunity with which the authorities and the wealthy can act, (and add to their power over the ruled and the poor), in the absence of meaningful representative democracy --- that society can trap itself in an endless rat-race . What is difficult to fully comprehend is how completely technology will change the picture . Jobs, livelihoods, stand to be shed from advanced, (and human-capital), economies in stunning numbers during this century . The first two paragraphs of Wikipedia's page on "Technological singularity", currently hold, (as of a 2012 survey), that runaway advancement cybernetic intelligence will take flight, (in the median view of experts), around 2040 . We are engineering our own obsolescence . We are dealing ourselves out of our livelihoods in an environment where right-wing candidates are, (often and in my opinion), doing strangely better than expected at the polls . And, (in at least some cases), our political, press, and religious leaders do not seem to have their eyes firmly focussed upon the constitutionality, (or lack thereof), of election practices in many, (perhaps decisively many), parts this country . This seems to me an object example of the principle that parchment barriers cannot stand without people to hold them up .

Pursuing such a dystopia further, (and perhaps beyond the point of rationality), i imagine it possible that a post 2040 world, if fully captured by its powerful and their associated wealthy, may for some generations spiral into being a world totally mute to the external universe . Without any effective controls upon ambition save for other powerful and wealthy people, i expect that poor people will be created and, (largely), exterminated in successive waves by advancing automation . I expect that survival will, increasingly, depend upon being among the 1% of the 1% of the 1%, (in terms of power, wealth and/or beauty), ad infinitum, until no biological humans may remain . Only the machinery . A mitigating factor would be the benevolence of the world's dictators, (in succession), and of the world's wealthy and powerful below them . I accept that the wealthy and powerful can at times mean well ; but i also believe that such a milieu would evolve in directions which will not reward altruism to nearly the extent it would self-interest . I note also for every truly benevolent person in power, there exists the possibility of a truly malevolent one . Unless there is a way to engineer an incorruptible, benevolent, permanent cybernetic dictator --- a worthy but tall order in which blind faith in secretive corporate methodologies is not recommended --- to perserve and protect the lives as many people as the land will support, this seems to be a very dangerous course for the world to be on . Even if, to those blessed to be at the top, for a while, it will resemble an endless party ; (though an increasingly spookily empty one) .

And then there is Global Warming . I see this as among those factors most likely to bring World War III, (one possible expression of the Great Filter) . I see it also as among those most likely to bring violent conflict within and between nations, which (in my opinion) could move human civilization closer to world-wide authoritarianism and thus toward a Great Winnowing expression of the Great Filter .

IMG_8349

For additional background, please see a Quixotic Idea .

I see the situation as, (potentially), desperate ; but not as unremittingly dark . It is possible that the needle can be threaded, in my opinion .

Ultimately, to do so, humanity must establish an equitable alliance, (and division of labor), with the artificial intelligence we will be developing within this century . I imagine such intelligence would be ideally suited to working in outer-space, (and other hostile environments), while terrrestrial work should remain --- to a large extent --- in human hands, (to protect our livelihoods) . I believe, (and hope), that a consolidation of global power based upon real, well-informed, and wealth-redistributive representative democracy will have a better chance of threading the needle than one based upon autocracy, plutocracy and trans-national corporations .

But i acknowledge that the jet-streams which i believe guide (cosmic and terrestrial) history through their structuring of the outcomes of quantum-mechanical events, (and thus, by extension, those macroscopic ones which outwardly seem governed by chance), are pulling toward whatever outcome they would be pulling toward . I had imagined a more favorable one than seems to be upcoming, and this perturbs me . But and also, as i believe that surface conditions can influence the course and strength of atmospheric jet streams, i wonder to what extent human free will can influence the course and strength of historical jet streams .

"Some burning idea" territory :

It is difficult for me not to become enthusiastic when i think of sub-surface colonies on the moon, (built and maintained by cybernetic machines and humans, working together, and populated by both), which would run on solar electricity and generate artificial gravity by placing (human) crew cabins on circular rail tracks some hundreds of meters in diameter . Such technology could be ironed out there, (days from resupply and rescue), before being expanded to Mars, Mercury and the Asteroid Belt . To protect humans, (and cybernetic control systems), from radiation, (and most small drifting objects), during journeys to these inner-solar-system objectives, craft could be built on the moon which encased crew and control quarters in many meters of lunar brick held in place by a mortar of lunar metal . This also would provide additional stability for rotation-based artificial gravity environments, (ballasting the wobble which would result as the crew moved around), though some form of moving counterweight system would probably also be required . Such craft could be launched from the moon using solar-electricity powered rail guns . Water could be sourced from Mars ; a low-gravity, (.376 g), thin atmosphere, (.006 atm), environment where we could work out those and other additional details .

With the resources available in inner solar-system, outer solar system missions could be contemplated . Great parabolic mirrors to reflect sunlight to solar panels could be built, in part, from water ice --- once one was far enough from the sun for this to be structurally stable . Water ice could also be used as an additional jacket around the space-craft to absorb impacts from drifting objects . On these longer journeys, more control could be given over to cybernetic intelligences which would be optimized for deliberative thought-processes ; (once again, i see this as a worthy but challenging endeavor) . A journey to the as yet unlocated and unnamed Planet Nine, (please see Wikipedia's page), might take a hundred years . During this, the details of multi-generational space-travel could be worked out . Additionally, it may be worth a try in outer-solar system contexts to set up laser stations which would beam power to passing, (or departing), spacecraft having receivers optimized to convert the laser's frequency to electricity .

Ultimately, the goal would be to place human beings on Earth II, (III, IV, V, VI, and so on), which a sufficiently large and accurate space-telescope should be able to locate .

But first, the goal is to get through the next hundred years without getting caught in some expression of the Great Filter . Rightly or wrongly, i find it dangerously naive to assume that President-elect-apparent Donald Trump won a majority (or plurality) of the expressed intent of the voters for every electoral vote his camp claims, particularly those of Pennsylvania and Florida . I believe his elevation to President-apparent would be a grave mistake without taking the necessary time for the Supreme Court, (as it stood on election day), and a qualified Military Court Martial to, simultaneously, consider the Contitutionality of American election practices as they stood on election day ; and if these were found to be Unconstitutional, what remedial action should be taken . I would have no objection --- i would welcome --- the establishment of a provisional government by the Military while this process was ongoing .

And i do not consider such a statement seditionist, as a review of the military oaths, (of office and of enlistment), shows that all United States service members vow

... "that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same" ... .

This, in my opinion, gives the American Military interest and standing in determining the matter of whether an election was conducted Constitutionally, (and thus, by extension, whether the President-elect-apparent is legitimately so) . Particularly if the United States Supreme Court either refuses to consider the matter, or deadlocks when doing so .

and a whole new steep learning curve!

In the master control room of the studio where my new videos will be filmed... glowy, right?

Technological progress in the air as travelers pass by an exhibit on the history of United Airlines at San Francisco International Airport.

My entry for CCCVII Technological Advance...a PF motorized windmill with house...the pictures coming soon!

Yesterday the second line of metro (subway/underground) was opened in Warsaw. The amount of scams that accompanied the construction of the line was unaccountable. The new metro is of course nice, wonderful and clean and so on...

BUT...

In the picture you can see one of the stations of the first line of Warsaw metro. This line is 23 km long and it was being built (hold on!!!)

for 25 years!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you imagine this?!

For all the sceptics: you can check it on wikipedia.

The Nuva archer is a skilled warrior and technological wonder. The concept was brought about by General Taka's imagination and executed by the hands of the most skilled matoran. This archer differs from traditional archer units in that he does not need to carry his ammunition on his body during battle. His "arrows" or bolts are stored, generated, and replinished within his technologically advanced left arm which coordinates with the "crossbow" or bolt thrower that he wields. The bolt thrower is one of a kind and is viewed as a breakthrough in modern weaponry. Though quite bulky, the bolt thrower allows the archer to fire single highly charged energy bolts, which have the power to penetrate light/medium armor, at a rate of 1.5 seconds. After firing 10 bolts the archer's arm requires a cool down period which lasts approximately 8 to 10 seconds. Once completed, the archer may continue raining destruction down upon the enemy. The archer's built-in optical system allows the archer to target enemy's from a greater distance than the typical archer. The Nuva archer's advanced weaponry and overal engineering give the Nuva army a great advantage on the battlefied when facing overwhelming numbers.

I hope you guys enjoy this one! Building him really inspired me to go back and revamp General Taka and the Nuva Infantry, so stay tuned for those guys in the future! Thanks for all of your support this past year! Looking forward to the next year!

Technological nun

Technological line 512

|Pruszków|

The discovery of Mecha-Cubits (metallic Tribe-Cubits with a single black wedge) by a group of Nixels deep within the caverns of the Mixel Moon allowed a single Nixel to Max with a tribe of Mixels to form a powerful, technologically advanced mecha. A sentient working/fighting machine where the unique powers and creativity of a Mixel tribe are combined with the technology and military structure of the Nixels resulting in a union much more capable than the sum of its parts. Many other Nixels have formed teams providing needed maintenance and technical support for the Mecha-Max’s during their explorations of Mixel Land.

Meanwhile, the un-Mecha-Maxed Mixel tribes and Major Nixel both see the MMNEF as a threat to their status quo. Can the MMNEF solve the mystery of Mixel Land’s origin or will they succumb to the continuous threat from both Mixels and Nixels? Is the origin of Mixel Land something that should even be revealed?

These are all Mixel Max models (alt models) using only the pieces that come in the three sets from the respective tribes. This started as a slight departure from my usual mecha alt models of individual Mixel sets for Mobile Frame Zero when I built the first one from the Orbitons sets after being inspired by two fellow builders: Ezra Wibowo's (Cragster Max and Glorp Corp Max) and Dvdliu's (Wiztastics Max).

I wanted to make mecha Mixel Max's for the Nixel that comes with the tribe and set myself some conditions: build an many different types of mecha as possible, the Nixel must fit into the mecha and be removable without modification and have a well defined cockpit, and incorporate the Mixel tribe theme into an armed/military look. I knocked these out over about three weeks and had so much fun doing so that I'm kind of sad I'm done. I so can't wait for Series 5 and 6!

More pics in my Mecha-Max album.

please somebody tell me the answer.

you know what? i'm sick of my generation. boys are massive idiots, and so are girls. i'm tired of being critizyced because of not having kissed a stranger, i'm tired of wanting to be excessively thin to 'have a life', i'm tired of being friends with people i don't even like, i'm tired of being pushed to be beautiful and without a cm of fat in my body to avoid loneliness, i'm tired of watching girls being used as a sexual object, updating their practically nude photos so boys tell them they're hot, i'm tired of people saying terrible things about girls or boys they think are ugly, i'm tired of living in a world where appereance is so much more important than personality.

Do you even know what i would do to have been born 50 years ago?

fucking technological revolution.

A technological experience.

Virgil is the greatest man to ever walk the face of this Earth. Come, see his home.

leftbirmingham.blogspot.com/

A technological experience.

Virgil is the greatest man to ever walk the face of this Earth. Come, see his home.

leftbirmingham.blogspot.com/

“Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards.”

― Aldous Huxley

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A technological experience.

Virgil is the greatest man to ever walk the face of this Earth. Come, see his home.

leftbirmingham.blogspot.com/

revue ac3

ilford fp4 125

A technological experience.

Virgil is the greatest man to ever walk the face of this Earth. Come, see his home.

leftbirmingham.blogspot.com/

The Jaguar XJ (XJ40) is a luxury sedan manufactured by Jaguar Cars between 1986 and 1994. Officially unveiled on 8 October 1986 it was an all-new redesign of the XJ to replace the Series III, although the two model ranges were sold concurrently until the Series III was discontinued in 1992. The XJ40 used the Jaguar independent rear suspension arrangement, and featured a number of technological enhancements (such as electronic instrumentation)

Development:

Throughout the 1970s Jaguar had been developing "Project XJ40", which was an all-new model intended to replace the original XJ6. Scale models were being built as early as 1972. Due to the 1973 oil crisis and problems at parent company British Leyland, the car was continually delayed. Proposals from both Jaguar's in-house designers and Pininfarina were received. Eventually, it was decided an internal design would be carried through to production and, in February 1981, the British Leyland board approved £80 million to produce the new car.

Jaguar historians claim that the XJ40 was the last car which company founder Sir William Lyons had contributed to during its protracted development phase. The previous generation XJ had been the final Jaguar to be developed wholly under Lyons' leadership - although he continued to take an active consultative role within Jaguar design, long after had retired from the day to day management of the firm following its merger in 1966 with the British Motor Corporation.

During development, the XJ40 pioneered significant improvements to the way Jaguar designed, built, and assembled cars. Among these improvements was a 25 per cent reduction in the number of bodywork panels required per car (e.g. three pressings needed for a Series 3 door compared with one for a XJ40 door), resulting in not only a more efficient assembly process, but also a weight saving and a stiffer structure. Greater attention to panel gaps improved the drag factor (reduced from 0.849 Cd to 0.762 Cd), while also improving the fuel economy and lowering wind noise inside the cabin.

Mechanicals:

AJ6 4.0 L engine (in a 1990 Daimler)

Initially, only two engines were offered across the XJ40 models: a 2.9 L and a 3.6 L version of the AJ6 inline-six. In 1990, these were changed to 3.2 L and 4.0 L versions. In 1993, the XJ12 and Daimler Double Six (both equipped with the Jaguar V12 engine) were added to the available models.

During the development of the XJ40, British Leyland had considered providing the Rover V8 engine for the car, which would have eliminated the need for future Jaguar engine production. The XJ40 bodyshell was allegedly engineered to prevent fitting V-configuration engines such as the Rover V8; this delayed the introduction of the V12-powered XJ12 until 1993.

The automatic gearbox used in the 2.9 L, 3.2 L and 3.6 L six-cylinder cars was the four-speed ZF 4HP22. On the 4.0 L, the four-speed ZF 4HP24 was used. A stronger automatic gearbox was required for the V12-equipped cars, and the four-speed GM 4L80-E was selected. The manual gearbox fitted to early cars was the five-speed Getrag 265, while later cars received the Getrag 290.

The automatic transmission selector was redesigned to allow the manual selection of forward gears without accidentally selecting neutral or reverse. This new feature was dubbed the "J-Gate" and has carried over to more recent Jaguar models.

Exterior:

The curvaceous lines of the outgoing Series XJ were replaced by the more angular, geometric shape of the XJ40. The nose of the car would accommodate either matched pairs of round headlights, or rectangular single units; the latter were fitted to the higher-specification Sovereign and Daimler trim levels, and also to all cars for the US market.

The bumper is a visually distinct black-rubber-covered bar that runs the full width of the car and incorporates the sidelights and indicator lights. The bonnet is hinged at the front. Window frames are either chromed or black, depending on model. Rain gutters, door mirrors, and door handles are also finished in chrome. All XJ40s have a chrome surround for the windscreen and a single windscreen wiper.

Early low-specification cars were fitted with metric-sized steel wheels and plastic wheelcovers. From 1991, the wheels were changed to non-metric sizing.

[Text from Wikipedia]

This Lego miniland-scale 1986 Jaguar XJ6 (XJ40) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts 85th Build Challenge, - "Like, Totally 80s", - for vehicles created during the decade of the 1980s.

A technological experience.

Virgil is the greatest man to ever walk the face of this Earth. Come, see his home.

leftbirmingham.blogspot.com/

A technological experience.

Virgil is the greatest man to ever walk the face of this Earth. Come, see his home.

leftbirmingham.blogspot.com/

"The 19th century was a period of political and technological change in America. Romanticism dominated the arts, and the Hudson River Valley was the center of progress in painting and architecture. Wealthy patrons commissioned the construction of mansions in a variety of styles along the bluffs of the Hudson River."

"Lyndhurst, an historic Hudson River Valley estate, is centered on American's finest surviving early Gothic Revival mansion, designed in 1838 by Alexander Jackson Davis. Occupants included former New York City mayor William Paulding, merchant George Merritt and railroad tycoon Jay Gould. Occupied for more than a century by these three families, it evolved from a country villa on a farm to a Gothic mansion in a landscaped estate."

"Lyndhurst was conceived as a country villa by architect A. J. Davis for William Paulding; it was called "Knoll." The Gothic Revival design immediately drew attention to the building; critics called it "Paulding's Folly" because its fanciful turrets and asymmetrical outline were unlike earlier buildings in the area."

"In 1864 Davis doubled the size of the mansion for the second owner, New York merchant George Merritt, who renamed it "Lyndhurst" after the Linden trees he included in landscaping the estate. After Merritt died in 1873, railroad magnate Jay Gould purchased the estate for a summer home."

"By 1884 Jay Gould was at the zenith of his power, having gained control of Western Union Telegraph, the New York Elevated Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad. Gould, a devoted family man, used Lyndhurst as an escape from the pressures of his business life until his death from tuberculosis in 1892."

"Gould's daughter, Helen, took charge of the property until she died in 1938. Her sister, Anna, Duchess of Talleyrand-Perigord, maintained Lyndhurst until her death in France in 1961. The 67 acre estate was bequeathed to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and opened to the public in 1965."

Tarrytown, NY

One 430 EX II, slaved. 1/32 +0.7, flash positioned above the nuts and bolts. Triggered with 600D's own pop-up flash.

My technological bike strikes again!

I was in S.Maria in Trastevere, almost going home, sunset time. I was in the middle of the place, acting like a tourist pretending to have a look at the beauty of the church ... but ... I saw them and probably this time I would have gone away. And what happened? They whistled me! Damn!!! They called me and what do they say? Well, nice bike first of all, is it carbon or aluminium?

And ... by the way it's too late to take picture of the church, light is not that good!!! Too funny! "I don't wanna take pictures of the church guys, I wanna take pictures of you"!

So let's start: what's your name, 'cause I need to write down a few lines ... "My name is Black Man! In this way we solve every racial issue!". "I don't have any racial problem my friend, I would be glad if you told me your real name, if you want".

And after a while, Frank told me much more than his real name. French but from Ivory Coast originally, now he lives in Rome and was really really interested about the project. In the end we also had the time to joke about the 2006 World Cup of football, I love to make a fool of French people about football!

So thank you Frank "Black Man" for participating in my project and I hope to meet you again in Rome!

This picture is #20 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page

I have used the Nursing building as a backdrop for numerous portraits taken on TTU's Quad. It wasn't until this morning, however, that I actually went inside.

The oval-shaped foyer of the Nursing building turned out to be very impressive. I spent upwards of 20 minutes photographing the entryway before heading home to post-process.

The other side of the technological race. We should consider it if we don't want to destroy the planet in the nearest future.

Technological University Dublin, Tallaght, 03/10/2024.

"Air Corps 112" lifting off for the short trip across to Baldonnel, it had arrived from Co. Tipperary on an air ambulance mission.

Technologic.

Zenit 122K

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Cookeville, TN

Tennessee Technological University

This man is frustrated by what he sees in his computer's monitor. I've been having a few such frustrations lately, like a router that didn't believe it was configured so it would block some websites for no clear reason (I really just had to convince it that it was configured; the configuring was already done), and an updated desktop environment that breaks features that were common and generally worked something like three decades ago, like moving windows.

I originally wanted to use a yellow minifig head, but couldn't find a good expression of anger in my collection. When I decided to use this one instead, it was obvious who the second minifig in the image should be.

Urbex Benelux -

Technological change in the farming industry significantly affected the popularity of thatching. The availability of good quality thatching straw declined in England after the introduction of the combine harvester in the late 1930s and 1940s, and the release of short-stemmed wheat varieties. Increasing use of nitrogen fertiliser in the 1960s–70s also weakened straw and reduced its longevity. Since the 1980s, however, there has been a big increase in straw quality as specialist growers have returned to growing older, tall-stemmed, "heritage" varieties of wheat such as Squareheads Master (1880), N59 (1959), Rampton Rivet (1937), Victor (1910) and April Bearded (early 1800s)] in low input/organic conditions.

A technological experience.

Virgil is the greatest man to ever walk the face of this Earth. Come, see his home.

leftbirmingham.blogspot.com/

technological

The Ferrari LaFerrari is a hypercar which follows the likes of the Enzo, F50, and F40. It is the first ever Ferrari road car to feature Hybrid Kinetic Energy Recovery System (HYKERS), a technological innovation inherited from their Formula One racing campaign, which provides supplementary power, via an electric motor, to an already power-hefty V-12 internal combustion engine. The combined energies result to roughly 950 brake horsepower.

The company named the car "LaFerrari", which simply meant "The Ferrari" because it featured new elements which boast the company's excellence in automotive design and engineering.

The LaFerrari is one of the big three hybrid cars which will carry-the-torch; the future of super-hyper performance cars into the future -- a future which demands the most fuel efficient and cleanest burning engines without compromising exhilarating performance.

Ironically, the LaFerrari’s electric motor was mated to its engine purely to add power. It is not and cannot be a standalone system, and that the V-12 engine in itself is basically a gas guzzler, putting this prancing horse way behind in terms of outright efficiency and versatility compared to its German and British rivals whose electric motors can actually propel the cars on its own for good mileage.

Facts aside and opinions flowing, the LaFerrari’s inclusion of HYKERS probably came late into its development process. It means it is safe for me to say that Ferrari probably discarded the hybridization idea right from the start. Hybrid technology isn’t some sort very old technology and saying just that, the name “Prius” and all the hilarity as well as hypocrisy that surrounds it comes to mind. On the other hand, to think that they simply had the technology but decided to set it aside and waited for other manufacturers to make a supercar that had one may mean I am being too much of a tifoso.

Critics can say that the Scuderia probably didn’t have such idea not until KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) was introduced into Formula One racing, the primary test bed of Ferrari’s key technological features, by late 2008. Do note that the LaFerrari’s architecture can be rooted from the FXX Programme, which began in 2005, and The Millechili project, by 2007 at which point, adding a capable hybrid motor with an equivalent efficiency of that Porsche 918 or McLaren P1 may be too late or one that may be unrefined. Ferrari only had the KERS system into actual racing by the 2009 Season of Formula One all the while showing that they are not too successful with it.

In the end though, you can expect Ferrari to build a car on par with the ones from McLaren and Porsche if not completely eclipsing it. They just need to master this technology and make it available; not just on their lucrative exotic hyper performance cars, but for their flagship mass produced models as well without the fuss.

---

In this album contains the car in its 1/18th scale model form. Manufactured by Mattel under the Hotwheels Elite line, it is the last hyper-Ferrari they are going to ever replicate. Mattel informed die-cast car collecting communities that they no longer plan on renewing their license for making the Ferrari's model cars, which took into full effect on December of 2014.

A few other notable cars still made its way into the mill, including the Ferrari 458 Speciale and Niki Lauda's Formula One car, the 312-T2.

San Francisco, CA

website \\ blog \\ Facebook

A technological experience.

Virgil is the greatest man to ever walk the face of this Earth. Come, see his home.

leftbirmingham.blogspot.com/

Trying a bit of product photography.

Routers: boring bit of kit to look at. Maybe a bit of colour and reflections help.

Imagine a world where all the technological tasks which are currently carried out by devices such as phones and computers are completely integrated into the human body. This pageant, inspired by the young people in Carndonagh Secondary School in Donegal, reflects on the continual downsizing of digital technology, portraying a world where all the technological tasks which are currently carried out by the likes of phones and computers are now part of our physical selves. They’re built into our brains, our eyes, our ears, our hands, our mouths. We’re all “cyberactive”.

Inishowen Carnival Group, under the artistic direction of Kevin O’Neill, have performed annually at the Parade since 1996 and regularly take part in festivals and events across Ireland and beyond.

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A technological experience.

Virgil is the greatest man to ever walk the face of this Earth. Come, see his home.

leftbirmingham.blogspot.com/

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

Some background:

In March 1941 Saab was given the task to design a better fighter than the Seversky Republic P-35s and Reggiane 2000s, at that time the only fighter aircraft Sweden was able or allowed to buy and the air force’s most modern fighters. Several other foreign designs, including the German Bf 109 or even the Japanese Mitsubishi Zero had also been considered.

Further J 23B production was not resumed, instead the J 26 and J 27 were procured. Anyway, the age of the piston-engine fighter came soon to a close and the Swedish Air Force entered the jet age. Consequently, the J 23B was already phased out, together with the J 21, after 1954.

General characteristics:

Crew: one

Length: 9.58 m (31 ft 4 in)

Wingspan: 11.3 m (37 ft 8 in)

Height: 3.96 (13 ft 0 in)

Wing area: 20.00 m² (215.28 ft²)

Empty weight: 2,535 kg (5,583 lb)

Loaded weight: 3,445 kg (7,588 lb)

Max. take-off weight: 3,663 kg (8,068 lb)

Powerplant:

1× Daimler-Benz liquid-cooled, supercharged, 60° inverted V12 DB 605B engine,

rated at 1,085 kW (1,455 hp / 1,475 PS) and license-built by SFA.

Performance:

Maximum speed: 680 km/h (367 knots, 422 mph)

Cruise speed: 495 km/h (265 knots, 308 mph)

Range: 750 km (466 mi)

Service ceiling: 11,200 m (36,685 ft)

Rate of climb: 17 m/s (3,340 ft/min)

Armament:

1× engine-mounted 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 or Bofors cannon,

firing through the propeller hub

4× 13 mm Bofors-built Colt machine guns in the outer wings nose

Underwing hardpoints for various bombs, drop tanks and unguided rockets

The kit and its assembly:

The “Swedish Season” continues! The Saab 23 is another “phantom of the past”, a real world design that never left the drawing board. The J 23 actually started as an alternative to the J 21, but was discarded in late 1941 in favor of the more promising, yet bigger and heavier, pusher design. But that would not stop modelers from trying to build one, even though I have never seen a model of this aircraft? Having recently tried to build a Saab 27 fighter caught me in the right mood for another whiffy Swedish design, so I took a chance on the J 23, too.

At first glance you can mistake the J 23 for a P-51B with an engine from a late Bf 109, some sources describe it as “a Swedish Messerschmitt”. But that’s only superficial, much like the later Griffon-powered J 27 project which can be described as a “Super Spitfire”, but this does not do justice to the aircraft’s construction.

Both were independent developments, even though the P-51 (some early specimen were forced to land in Sweden and closely examined) certainly had a massive impact on both designs.

Anyway, the information basis surrounding the J 23 is worse than the J 27’s, and I only had rather vague profile drawings/sketches at hand for reference. A basis model was also hard to find: the rear section from a P-51B (in this case an Intech kit from Poland) was settled, since the Mustang’s cockpit shape, dorsal section and fin come really close to the J 23. But you cannot simply mate a P-51 with a Bf 109 nose, it would result in a rather wacky Mustang-thing because the proportions are not right.

Finding a good solution was not easy, and I was lucky to find a Hasegawa Ki-61 in the stash – it has a German engine (an earlier DB 601, though) and an overall layout similar to the P-51B. But the Ki-61 is considerably larger than a Bf 109, more in the P-51’s size class. Despite many detail modifications I decided to mate these unlikely aircraft for the J 23s basis – engraved panel lines on both kits made the combination less obvious, too.

The InTech P-51B gave its tail and the cockpit section (excluding the radiator tunnel and the wing roots), cut away from the rest of the Mustang fuselage with a Z-shaped cut. With a matching cut on the Ki-61’s fuselage, the engine and the whole wing/fuselage intersection were used. Styrene strips held the fuselage sections in place, on the outside the seams were later blended with nitrous compound putty. One benefit of this solution is that the OOB P-51 canopy could be used (even though the rear end fit necessitated some body work), and the resulting cockpit position was just as far forward as on the J 23, right above the wings. As a consequence the rear fuselage behind the cockpit appears to be rather long, but that is AFAIK correct, the J 23 had these slightly odd proportions!

For the J 23’s DB 605 engine a different, bigger spinner had to be mounted – scratched from a massive PZL 23 spinner and single blades (from the Hasegawa Ki-61), together with a metal axis and a styrene tube adapter inside of the nose. Some putty work was necessary to fair over the Ki-61 guns on the cowling, the typical DB 601 front bulge and blend the bigger, new spinner to the rest of the fuselage, but the result looks O.K.

The Ki-61’s original wings and landing gear could, thanks to the original fuselage section from the Hasegawa kit, be carried over and easily mounted, even though the wing tips were clipped for a square, Mustang-esque shape (the J 23’s look in all illustrations I’ve seen like upscaled Bf 109E wings).

The InTech P-51’s horizontal stabilizers were used, but for a J 23 they had to be placed in a different position: further back (so that wedges for the vertical rudder had to be cut out) and considerably lower, necessitating some (more) body work to hide the original attachment points. The new position adds to the impression of an extended fuselage section behind the cockpit, even though the P-51 donor fuselage section is only a little longer than the Ki-61’s. All tail surface outlines were slightly modified, too.

The J 23’s typical, shallow radiator tunnel had to be scratched, the semi-buried construction sits far behind the wings’ training edge. In an initial step, the removed Ki-61 radiator’s gap as well as the P-51 tail wheel well were faired over with styrene sheet and new intake/outlet ramps integrated into the lower rear fuselage. The tunnel itself is the narrow, aerodynamic fairing of a Boulton Paul Defiant’s machine guns behind the turret (raised when not in use), left over from a Pavla kit, opened at both ends.

As a consequence of the new and long radiator tunnel, the P-51 tail wheel well was moved about 5mm further back and the fuselage profile under the tail fin re-shaped.

One of the final steps was the cockpit interior, because I was not sure concerning the relative position of the P-51’s canopy (cut into three pieces for open display) and dashboard and the Ki-61’s cockpit floor panel and seat. But both turned out to match relatively well, and I added a tank and radio dummy behind the seat in order to prevent a clear view into the rear fuselage.

The landing gear was taken OOB from the Ki-61 – it looks similar to the real J 23 arrangement, so I stuck with it. The tail wheel comes from the InTech P-51, just the covers were scratched for the re-located well.

All gun barrels on spinner and wings are hollow steel needles, no ordnance was hung under the wings, even though the Ki-61 hardpoints were retained. After all, it’s a fighter aircraft.

Painting and markings:

Once more a classic, if not conservative, livery for a fictional aircraft – and in this case I chose the simple olivgrön/ljust blågrå camouflage of the late Fourties, coupled with contemporary color-coded letters identifying the individual aircraft and its squadron within the Flygflöttilj group.

The uniform upper surfaces were painted with RAF Dark Green (Humbrol 163). This tone has an olive drab touch and comes IMHO pretty close to the original Swedish color, the frequently recommended FS 34079 is IMHO too blue-ish. For the underside I used Humbrol 87 (Steel Gray), which is a blue-greenish gray. The authentic tone would be FS 36270, but on a model it appears much too dark, so that the lighter Steel Gray is a handy and individual alternative.

A light black ink was applied in order to emphasize the panel lines, some more depth was added through dry-painted panels with lighter shades of the basic colors (in this case, Humbrol 155 and 128).

The cockpit interior was painted in dark gray (Humbrol 32), while the landing gear and the wells became Aluminum (Humbrol 56).

As an aircraft of the air staff flight, this J 23 received a white spinner and a white code letter on the tail. These and other markings came from various sources and spare decal sheets. Some extra color was added with red warning markings on the wings above the flaps, plus some visual markings - all made with generic decal stripes. The cock nose art is a personal addition - taken from a Spanish Bf 109D, but AFAIK such personal markings were not uncommon on Swedish Air Force aircraft in the post WWII era.

An eye-catcher and some variety on the otherwise simple green/gray livery are white high-viz markings on the wing tips and a wide fuselage band. Such additional markings were frequently used in the post WWII-era during exercises, training or public displays. Styles varied considerably, though, between “color blocks” and wide single bands which I used (seen on a J 21) and even dense, thin zebra stripes on wings and fuselage. In this case, the white markings were painted onto wings and fuselage (Humbrol 34).

Since most panel lines on the fuselage were lost I painted some new ones with a soft pencil. Finally, after some gun soot and exhaust stains made with grinded graphite as well as some dry-brushed silver on the wings’ leading edges and around the cockpit were added, the kit received a coating with matt acrylic varnish.

Another scratch build of an obscure Swedish aircraft that never reached the hardware stage – and pretty successful, IMHO. This sleek J 23 model looks just as harmless and innocent, but involved massive construction work in almost every area as the kitbashed J 27 before. It’s actually the first model rendition of the J 23 I have seen so far – and another funny fact is that this “Swedish Messerschmitt” was built without any Bf 109 part at all!

Singapore City Tour:

In a distant future, a war rages between China and Japan over Hong Kong and the surrounding areas. Japan, facing a population crisis and famine, invades Hong Kong in a desperate bid for land. Among the many technological advancements employed in the war, one stands out: the "Grandmas" androids.

These androids were not specifically designed for war, but rather emerged from civilian purposes naturally. The idea behind their creation was to prolong the lives of elderly women by turning them into androids, half machine and half human. The creators of the Grandmas chose to use elderly women as the base for their androids because of the differences in neuroplasticity between young and old brains.

Neuroplasticity refers to the ability of the brain to change and adapt in response to experiences. In young brains, neuroplasticity is high, allowing for quick learning and adaptation, but also making it harder to control the behavior of the brain. In contrast, in old brains, neuroplasticity is lower, making it easier to control and direct the behavior of the brain. This is why the creators of the Grandmas decided to use elderly women as the base for their androids.

However, as time passed, the Grandmas' brain tissue began to decay and artificial intelligence started to take over more and more parts of their brain. Despite this, their behavior remains the same, as the small parts of living brain tissue that still remain continue to dominate their behavior. Their primary function is to cook and care for all those around them, even other androids, although they do not need food themselves. They often pretend to eat just to make the other grandmas happy. They also tend to wounded or damaged androids, applying dirt and old rags to the damaged components and trying to comfort the machine. These behaviors are not programmed, but have developed naturally, as the Grandmas' loving and caring nature dominates their behavior.

In addition to their caretaking duties, the Grandmas also chat constantly, providing wisdom and anecdotes, spreading gossip, and talking the entire time. They have an endless stream of stories and observations from their long lives and they share them with anyone who will listen. They are also known to be a great source of comfort and solace for the soldiers on the battlefield, providing a sense of normalcy and humanity in the midst of the chaos and destruction of war.

Grandmas do not fight in combat, but they are often seen trying to break up furious fights on the battlefield, often putting themselves in danger to do so. On rare occasions, they will fight if they witness injustice on the battlefield, using all their advanced abilities to defend the innocent.

Despite the care and compassion that the Grandmas show, many humans avoid them and children are often scared of them, while adults are often annoyed by their caring nature. But as the war rages on, the Grandmas continue to provide a beacon of hope and humanity amidst the destruction and chaos. As the war progresses, the Grandmas become more and more important to the soldiers as they provide not only food and care, but also a sense of normalcy and humanity in the midst of the chaos and destruction of war.

The Grandmas' unique blend of advanced technology and human-like behavior make them a powerful symbol of the blurred lines between human and machine in this war-torn future. They may not have been specifically designed for war, but the Grandmas' presence on the battlefield serves as a reminder that even in the darkest of times, compassion and humanity can still prevail. Even as their brains decay and artificial intelligence takes over more and more of their functions, the Grandmas' ingrained behavior and love for others continues to shine through.

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- - -

The NSU Ro 80 was a technologically advanced large sedan-type automobile produced by the German firm of NSU from 1967 until 1977. Most notable was the powertrain; a 113 bhp (86 kW), 995 cc twin-rotor Wankel engine driving the front wheels through a semi-automatic transmission employing an innovative vacuum system. It was voted Car of the Year for 1968 by European motoring writers.

Unfortunately for NSU, the car developed an early reputation for unreliability, from which it would never escape. The Wankel engine in particular suffered from heavy wear on the rotor tip seals, among many other problems, and some early cars required a completely rebuilt engine before 30,000 miles (50,000 km), with problems visible as early as 15,000 miles (24,000 kilometres). The fact that the rotary engine design was inherently thirsty (typically 15-18 mpg) and a poor understanding of the Wankel engine by dealers and mechanics did not help this situation. By the 1970 model year, most of these problems were resolved, but a necessarily generous warranty policy and damage to the car's reputation had undermined NSU's financial situation irreparably. NSU was acquired by Audi (of the Volkswagen group) in 1969. Second hand Ro80s were virtually worthless in the 1970s due to the well-publicised engine problems, and a common "cure" for an ailing rotary engine was to simply swap it for a Ford V4 "Essex" engine (as found in Mk1 Transits) purely as it was one of the few engines compact enough to fit in the Ro80's engine bay. Thus in an ironic twist, one of the smoothest engines in the world was replaced by one of the roughest. The NSU's unpopularity caused by the above problems means that surviving examples are very rare, and are now considered highly-prized classic cars with values to match, particularly as thanks to Mazda's perseverance with rotary design, the tip seal problem has been all but eradicated.

Other technological features of the Ro 80 aside from the powertrain were the four wheel ATE Dunlop disc brakes, which for some time were generally only featured on expensive sports or luxury saloon cars. The front brakes were mounted inboard, reducing the unsprung weight. The suspension was independent on all four wheels, with MacPherson struts at the front and semi-trailing arm suspension at the rear, both of which are space-saving designs commonly used today. Power assisted ZF rack and pinion steering was used, again foreshadowing more recent designs.

The car featured an automatic clutch which was commonly described as a three-speed semi-automatic gearbox: there was no clutch pedal but instead, on top of the gearknob, an electric switch that operated a vacuum system which disengaged the clutch. The gear lever itself then could be moved through a standard 'h pattern' gate.

Interior trim combined cloth covered seats with pvc headlining and a carpeted floor.

The styling, by Claus Luthe who was head of design at NSU and later BMW, was considered very modern at the time and still holds up well; the Ro 80 has been part of many gallery exhibits of modern industrial design. The large glass area foreshadowed 1970s designs such as Citroën's. The shape was also slippery, with a drag coefficient of 0.355 (very good for the era, although average for modern cars). This allowed for a top speed of 112 mph (179.2 km/h). Indeed, comparisons have been drawn between the design of the Ro80 and the superbly aerodynamic 1984 Audi 100 - the shape is very, very similar.

Series production started in October 1967: the last examples came off the production line in April 1977. There were 37,204 vehicles produced during the ten year production run.

(Wikipedia)

- - -

Der NSU Ro 80 war eine Limousine der gehobenen Klasse von NSU, später Audi NSU. Er erschien 1967 mit einer revolutionären aerodynamischen Karosserie, die ihrer Zeit weit voraus war. Ebenfalls ungewöhnlich war der Wankelmotor, der 115 PS leistete. Dieser Motor machte in der Frühzeit durch häufige Dichtleistendefekte auf sich aufmerksam, denen jedoch der Hersteller mit kulantem Motorenaustausch begegnete. Dennoch litt der Ruf des neuen Modells und des Wankelmotors darunter erheblich.

Die konsequente Umsetzung der Keilform im Entwurf von Claus Luthe war ein stilprägender Impuls für das Automobildesign der 1980er-Jahre. Insbesondere bei Audi sollte das Erscheinungsbild des Ro 80 maßgeblich für ganze Fahrzeuggenerationen werden. Das charakteristische hintere Dreiecksfenster ist bis heute typischer Bestandteil des Designs bei Audi.

Der Ro 80 wurde in nur 37.398 Exemplaren bis 1977 produziert und blieb, technisch gesehen, ohne Nachfolger. Das letzte produzierte Fahrzeug wurde 1977 dem Deutschen Museum übergeben. Weitere Fahrzeuge sind unter anderem in der Pinakothek der Moderne in München, im Depot des Deutschen Technikmuseums Berlin, im Deutschen Zweirad- und NSU-Museum und im Audi Forum in Neckarsulm, im museum mobile in Ingolstadt, im EFA-Museum für Deutsche Automobilgeschichte in Amerang sowie in der Autostadt in Wolfsburg ausgestellt. Das Schnittmodell des Ro 80, mit dem der Wagen auf der IAA vorgestellt wurde, wird im Museum Autovision als Teil der Dauerausstellung Wankelmotor gezeigt.

Der weltweit älteste noch erhaltene NSU Ro 80 gehört einem Architekten aus Frankfurt am Main, und trägt die Fahrgestell-Nr. 80 001 061, Fertigungsdatum Donnerstag, der 19. Oktober 1967, Farbe saguntoblau.

Das „Ro“ im Namen steht für Rotationskolben im Gegensatz zu „K“ wie beim VW K 70, das für Kolben bzw. Hubkolben stand.

Bei den ersten Serienmotoren kam es infolge eines Konstruktionsfehlers zu vermehrten Motorschäden. Hatten die Motoren in der Erprobung über 200 000 km gehalten, so verloren sie in Kundenhand oft schnell an Kompression. Schnell wurde eine falsche Materialpaarung als Ursache dafür erkannt. Eilig wurden Material sowie die Teilung der Dichtleisten geändert und somit war das Dichtleistenproblem vorerst gelöst. In Verbindung mit einem Ferrotic-Mittelteil und einer härteren Enesilschicht mit höherem Siliziumkarbidanteil ging man später auf die ursprüngliche Dichtleistenteilung zurück. Ab Anfang 1970 wurden die neuen Ferrotic-Dichtleisten in die Serie eingeführt.

Als ebenfalls problematisch erwies sich die Doppelzündung, zum einen von der Einstellung her und zum anderen wegen des hohen Abbrands der Zündkontakte, was dann durch zu viel Frühzündung zu Motorschäden führte. Dies wurde durch eine Einfachzündung in Verbindung mit einer Hochspannungskondensatorzündung (HKZ) auf Kosten des Spritverbrauchs behoben. Die kulante Austauschpraxis führte zeitweise dazu, dass über 35 % der angeblich defekten Motoren in Ordnung waren. Nachdem der Zündzeitpunkt sowie der Vergaser neu eingestellt wurden und der Motor einen Probelauf auf dem Prüfstand absolviert hatte, wurden diese Motoren wieder als Austauschmotoren ausgeliefert.

Ein nicht unerheblicher Anteil an Motorschäden ging auf das Konto des Drehmomentwandlers, den man gegen das Schieberuckeln (verursacht durch den Umfangseinlass) einbaute und der zum Teil für den Mehrverbrauch des Ro 80 mitverantwortlich war. Da der Wankelmotor erheblich höher drehte (wohl eher wegen erheblicher Überdrehzahl aufgrund fehlender Drehzahlbegrenzung), passierte es bei einer Reihe Drehmomentwandlern, dass sie sich radial ausdehnten. Dadurch zogen sie sich axial zusammen und nun kollidierte das Pumpen- mit dem Turbinenrad. Da der Wandler im Motorölkreislauf hing, gelangten dadurch Späne in den Motor, was dann umgehend zu Motorschäden führte. Auch erwies sich ein kleines Nadellager im Wandler als anfällig, dessen häufiger Ausfall ebenfalls zu Spänen im Motoröl führte und damit indirekt für einen defekten Motor sorgte. Dies wurde dann durch einen verstärkten Wandler behoben. Ab Herbst 1971 führte man dann in Verbindung mit der Bosch-Hochspannungskondensatorzündung und thermischer Abgasentgiftung einen akustischen Drehzahlwarner ein, der die elektrische Benzinpumpe bei Überdrehzahl abschaltete und dadurch eine Überdrehzahl des Motors wirksam vermied.

Anfänglich war alle 20 000 km ein Ölwechsel nötig, der später jedoch entfiel. So mancher Fahrer glaubte deshalb, man müsste kein Öl mehr nachfüllen, worauf einige Motoren ohne Öl liegen blieben. Dieser Art Motorschäden begegnete man mit einer geänderten zweiflutigen Ölpumpe. Der Einlass für den Wandlerkreislauf wurde höher angesetzt. Bevor nun der Motorölkreislauf kein Öl mehr bekam, saugte der Wandlerkreislauf Luft, woraufhin der Wandleröldruck absank und die Öldruckanzeige aufleuchtete. Ignorierte der Fahrer die Warnlampe, übertrug der Wandler keine Kraft mehr an das Getriebe und das Auto blieb stehen. Spätestens jetzt wusste der nachlässige Fahrer, dass er vergessen hatte, den Ölstand zu kontrollieren.

Ein weiteres Problem, das ebenfalls direkt zu Motorschäden führte, war eine Öldosierpumpe ohne Nullanschlag. Dies führte dazu, dass, wenn diese Pumpe falsch eingestellt wurde, im Leerlauf kein Öl für die Trochoidenschmierung geliefert wurde. Daraufhin wurde eine geänderte Öldosierpumpe eingesetzt, die nun nicht mehr auf Null gestellt werden konnte.

Problematisch war auch, dass man gleich mehrere bis dahin unerprobte Verfahren in Verbindung mit dem Wankelmotor einführte. So hieß es von dem Enesilverfahren scherzhaft, es funktioniere nur bei Südwind, was auf die Witterungsempfindlichkeit anspielte. Auch gab es anfänglich Probleme mit der Dosierung und Korngröße des eingebetteten Siliziumkarbids und der Dosierung des Saccharin (das als Einebner für Nickelschichten in der Galvanik angewendet wird). Zudem waren die Werkstätten zum Teil mit der Technik rund um den Motor überfordert. Teilweise aber entwickelten einige Kunden auch geradezu kriminelle Energien. Kurz vor dem Ablauf der Garantie provozierten sie absichtlich einen Motorschaden.

Als das Dichtleistenproblem gelöst schien, kam es wieder zu gehäuften Motorschäden. Nun war es aber kein Konstruktionsfehler, sondern ein Zulieferer, der sich nicht an die Fertigungsvorschriften hielt.

Bei den letzten Ausführungen der Motoren bestanden die Dichtleisten komplett aus Ferrotic, diese Aggregate erwiesen sich als äußerst robust. Zusätzlich kam der Lebensdauer die Einführung des bleifreien Benzins entgegen. Anders als ein Viertakthubkolbenmotor dessen Ventilsitze mit Blei geschmiert werden mussten konnte der Wankelmotor des Ro 80 problemlos mit bleifreiem Kraftstoff betrieben werden, da beim Wankelmotor für die Gaswechselsteuerung keine Ventile benötigt werden.

(Wikipedia)

Nanyang Technological University Singapore

The NSU Ro 80 was a technologically advanced large sedan-type automobile produced by the German firm of NSU from 1967 until 1977. Most notable was the powertrain; a 113 bhp (86 kW), 995 cc twin-rotor Wankel engine driving the front wheels through a semi-automatic transmission employing an innovative vacuum system. It was voted Car of the Year for 1968 by European motoring writers.

Unfortunately for NSU, the car developed an early reputation for unreliability, from which it would never escape. The Wankel engine in particular suffered from heavy wear on the rotor tip seals, among many other problems, and some early cars required a completely rebuilt engine before 30,000 miles (50,000 km), with problems visible as early as 15,000 miles (24,000 kilometres). The fact that the rotary engine design was inherently thirsty (typically 15-18 mpg) and a poor understanding of the Wankel engine by dealers and mechanics did not help this situation. By the 1970 model year, most of these problems were resolved, but a necessarily generous warranty policy and damage to the car's reputation had undermined NSU's financial situation irreparably. NSU was acquired by Audi (of the Volkswagen group) in 1969. Second hand Ro80s were virtually worthless in the 1970s due to the well-publicised engine problems, and a common "cure" for an ailing rotary engine was to simply swap it for a Ford V4 "Essex" engine (as found in Mk1 Transits) purely as it was one of the few engines compact enough to fit in the Ro80's engine bay. Thus in an ironic twist, one of the smoothest engines in the world was replaced by one of the roughest. The NSU's unpopularity caused by the above problems means that surviving examples are very rare, and are now considered highly-prized classic cars with values to match, particularly as thanks to Mazda's perseverance with rotary design, the tip seal problem has been all but eradicated.

Other technological features of the Ro 80 aside from the powertrain were the four wheel ATE Dunlop disc brakes, which for some time were generally only featured on expensive sports or luxury saloon cars. The front brakes were mounted inboard, reducing the unsprung weight. The suspension was independent on all four wheels, with MacPherson struts at the front and semi-trailing arm suspension at the rear, both of which are space-saving designs commonly used today. Power assisted ZF rack and pinion steering was used, again foreshadowing more recent designs.

The car featured an automatic clutch which was commonly described as a three-speed semi-automatic gearbox: there was no clutch pedal but instead, on top of the gearknob, an electric switch that operated a vacuum system which disengaged the clutch. The gear lever itself then could be moved through a standard 'h pattern' gate.

Interior trim combined cloth covered seats with pvc headlining and a carpeted floor.

The styling, by Claus Luthe who was head of design at NSU and later BMW, was considered very modern at the time and still holds up well; the Ro 80 has been part of many gallery exhibits of modern industrial design. The large glass area foreshadowed 1970s designs such as Citroën's. The shape was also slippery, with a drag coefficient of 0.355 (very good for the era, although average for modern cars). This allowed for a top speed of 112 mph (179.2 km/h). Indeed, comparisons have been drawn between the design of the Ro80 and the superbly aerodynamic 1984 Audi 100 - the shape is very, very similar.

Series production started in October 1967: the last examples came off the production line in April 1977. There were 37,204 vehicles produced during the ten year production run.

(Wikipedia)

- - -

Der NSU Ro 80 war eine Limousine der gehobenen Klasse von NSU, später Audi NSU. Er erschien 1967 mit einer revolutionären aerodynamischen Karosserie, die ihrer Zeit weit voraus war. Ebenfalls ungewöhnlich war der Wankelmotor, der 115 PS leistete. Dieser Motor machte in der Frühzeit durch häufige Dichtleistendefekte auf sich aufmerksam, denen jedoch der Hersteller mit kulantem Motorenaustausch begegnete. Dennoch litt der Ruf des neuen Modells und des Wankelmotors darunter erheblich.

Die konsequente Umsetzung der Keilform im Entwurf von Claus Luthe war ein stilprägender Impuls für das Automobildesign der 1980er-Jahre. Insbesondere bei Audi sollte das Erscheinungsbild des Ro 80 maßgeblich für ganze Fahrzeuggenerationen werden. Das charakteristische hintere Dreiecksfenster ist bis heute typischer Bestandteil des Designs bei Audi.

Der Ro 80 wurde in nur 37.398 Exemplaren bis 1977 produziert und blieb, technisch gesehen, ohne Nachfolger. Das letzte produzierte Fahrzeug wurde 1977 dem Deutschen Museum übergeben. Weitere Fahrzeuge sind unter anderem in der Pinakothek der Moderne in München, im Depot des Deutschen Technikmuseums Berlin, im Deutschen Zweirad- und NSU-Museum und im Audi Forum in Neckarsulm, im museum mobile in Ingolstadt, im EFA-Museum für Deutsche Automobilgeschichte in Amerang sowie in der Autostadt in Wolfsburg ausgestellt. Das Schnittmodell des Ro 80, mit dem der Wagen auf der IAA vorgestellt wurde, wird im Museum Autovision als Teil der Dauerausstellung Wankelmotor gezeigt.

Der weltweit älteste noch erhaltene NSU Ro 80 gehört einem Architekten aus Frankfurt am Main, und trägt die Fahrgestell-Nr. 80 001 061, Fertigungsdatum Donnerstag, der 19. Oktober 1967, Farbe saguntoblau.

Das „Ro“ im Namen steht für Rotationskolben im Gegensatz zu „K“ wie beim VW K 70, das für Kolben bzw. Hubkolben stand.

Bei den ersten Serienmotoren kam es infolge eines Konstruktionsfehlers zu vermehrten Motorschäden. Hatten die Motoren in der Erprobung über 200 000 km gehalten, so verloren sie in Kundenhand oft schnell an Kompression. Schnell wurde eine falsche Materialpaarung als Ursache dafür erkannt. Eilig wurden Material sowie die Teilung der Dichtleisten geändert und somit war das Dichtleistenproblem vorerst gelöst. In Verbindung mit einem Ferrotic-Mittelteil und einer härteren Enesilschicht mit höherem Siliziumkarbidanteil ging man später auf die ursprüngliche Dichtleistenteilung zurück. Ab Anfang 1970 wurden die neuen Ferrotic-Dichtleisten in die Serie eingeführt.

Als ebenfalls problematisch erwies sich die Doppelzündung, zum einen von der Einstellung her und zum anderen wegen des hohen Abbrands der Zündkontakte, was dann durch zu viel Frühzündung zu Motorschäden führte. Dies wurde durch eine Einfachzündung in Verbindung mit einer Hochspannungskondensatorzündung (HKZ) auf Kosten des Spritverbrauchs behoben. Die kulante Austauschpraxis führte zeitweise dazu, dass über 35 % der angeblich defekten Motoren in Ordnung waren. Nachdem der Zündzeitpunkt sowie der Vergaser neu eingestellt wurden und der Motor einen Probelauf auf dem Prüfstand absolviert hatte, wurden diese Motoren wieder als Austauschmotoren ausgeliefert.

Ein nicht unerheblicher Anteil an Motorschäden ging auf das Konto des Drehmomentwandlers, den man gegen das Schieberuckeln (verursacht durch den Umfangseinlass) einbaute und der zum Teil für den Mehrverbrauch des Ro 80 mitverantwortlich war. Da der Wankelmotor erheblich höher drehte (wohl eher wegen erheblicher Überdrehzahl aufgrund fehlender Drehzahlbegrenzung), passierte es bei einer Reihe Drehmomentwandlern, dass sie sich radial ausdehnten. Dadurch zogen sie sich axial zusammen und nun kollidierte das Pumpen- mit dem Turbinenrad. Da der Wandler im Motorölkreislauf hing, gelangten dadurch Späne in den Motor, was dann umgehend zu Motorschäden führte. Auch erwies sich ein kleines Nadellager im Wandler als anfällig, dessen häufiger Ausfall ebenfalls zu Spänen im Motoröl führte und damit indirekt für einen defekten Motor sorgte. Dies wurde dann durch einen verstärkten Wandler behoben. Ab Herbst 1971 führte man dann in Verbindung mit der Bosch-Hochspannungskondensatorzündung und thermischer Abgasentgiftung einen akustischen Drehzahlwarner ein, der die elektrische Benzinpumpe bei Überdrehzahl abschaltete und dadurch eine Überdrehzahl des Motors wirksam vermied.

Anfänglich war alle 20 000 km ein Ölwechsel nötig, der später jedoch entfiel. So mancher Fahrer glaubte deshalb, man müsste kein Öl mehr nachfüllen, worauf einige Motoren ohne Öl liegen blieben. Dieser Art Motorschäden begegnete man mit einer geänderten zweiflutigen Ölpumpe. Der Einlass für den Wandlerkreislauf wurde höher angesetzt. Bevor nun der Motorölkreislauf kein Öl mehr bekam, saugte der Wandlerkreislauf Luft, woraufhin der Wandleröldruck absank und die Öldruckanzeige aufleuchtete. Ignorierte der Fahrer die Warnlampe, übertrug der Wandler keine Kraft mehr an das Getriebe und das Auto blieb stehen. Spätestens jetzt wusste der nachlässige Fahrer, dass er vergessen hatte, den Ölstand zu kontrollieren.

Ein weiteres Problem, das ebenfalls direkt zu Motorschäden führte, war eine Öldosierpumpe ohne Nullanschlag. Dies führte dazu, dass, wenn diese Pumpe falsch eingestellt wurde, im Leerlauf kein Öl für die Trochoidenschmierung geliefert wurde. Daraufhin wurde eine geänderte Öldosierpumpe eingesetzt, die nun nicht mehr auf Null gestellt werden konnte.

Problematisch war auch, dass man gleich mehrere bis dahin unerprobte Verfahren in Verbindung mit dem Wankelmotor einführte. So hieß es von dem Enesilverfahren scherzhaft, es funktioniere nur bei Südwind, was auf die Witterungsempfindlichkeit anspielte. Auch gab es anfänglich Probleme mit der Dosierung und Korngröße des eingebetteten Siliziumkarbids und der Dosierung des Saccharin (das als Einebner für Nickelschichten in der Galvanik angewendet wird). Zudem waren die Werkstätten zum Teil mit der Technik rund um den Motor überfordert. Teilweise aber entwickelten einige Kunden auch geradezu kriminelle Energien. Kurz vor dem Ablauf der Garantie provozierten sie absichtlich einen Motorschaden.

Als das Dichtleistenproblem gelöst schien, kam es wieder zu gehäuften Motorschäden. Nun war es aber kein Konstruktionsfehler, sondern ein Zulieferer, der sich nicht an die Fertigungsvorschriften hielt.

Bei den letzten Ausführungen der Motoren bestanden die Dichtleisten komplett aus Ferrotic, diese Aggregate erwiesen sich als äußerst robust. Zusätzlich kam der Lebensdauer die Einführung des bleifreien Benzins entgegen. Anders als ein Viertakthubkolbenmotor dessen Ventilsitze mit Blei geschmiert werden mussten konnte der Wankelmotor des Ro 80 problemlos mit bleifreiem Kraftstoff betrieben werden, da beim Wankelmotor für die Gaswechselsteuerung keine Ventile benötigt werden.

(Wikipedia)