Things you always wanted to know the answer to [Vol. 4]

[cuprabob]

V8mate said:

I always wondered how it actuated. Things were very mechanical back in those days, yet overdrive was initiated by a tiny slider switch on the top of the gear knob.

In some DB5s you have to be very careful when operating the switch on the gear knob

[Clockwork Cupcake]

cuprabob said:

In some DB5s you have to be very careful when operating the switch on the gear knob

[Allan L]

Clockwork Cupcake said:

V8mate said:

I always wondered how it actuated. Things were very mechanical back in those days, yet overdrive was initiated by a tiny slider switch on the top of the gear knob.

That switch would have operated a solenoid.

and that solenoid operated a hydraulic valve.
It was a hydraulic system that moved the cone clutch to operate the gear-change.

[shirt]

gregs656 said:

I am not sure it makes sense to say that natural talent that gets people to the top, because it is never the case that people go from nothing to the top. In all cases, their natural talent is exploited through training and experience to develop mental resilience and skill - usually (but not always) from a very young age.

It is often noted when people start late - and in some sports the pool is small enough to allow for it more easily than others - for example the talent finding for the Olympics that found people with a natural aptitude for the skeleton and so on (although I think even those people had a background in sport).

Natural talent doesn't get people very far, although it does give people the opportunity to.

Malcolm Gladwell’s book ‘Outliers’ is worth a read on this subject.

In the US system, most professional athletes are born within a few months of the start of the school year. They’re stronger and more developed so get selected for the school team and the pros are whittled down from that pool.

There are other good examples - bill gates being one - where ability, interest and sufficient learned skill all came together around the time that the opportunity and geographic location presented itself to exploit his talents.

[shirt]

borcy said:

glazbagun said:

borcy said:

I sometimes look at gridwatch and on there is the uk and french electricity figures. France has roughly the same population than us yet seem to need to generate much larger amounts of electricity?

https://gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

Are they consuming it or selling it to other nations? A lot of their power is nuclear so can't turn on/off like a gas plant can and they have a lot of land borders, so potential customers for their nuclear energy.

They do sell alot to other countries, but still it's alot more than here in the uk something like 20 odd GWs.

The average consumption per capita is about 1,800kwh higher in France vs UK. That’s before any exports.

[borcy]

shirt said:

borcy said:

glazbagun said:

borcy said:

I sometimes look at gridwatch and on there is the uk and french electricity figures. France has roughly the same population than us yet seem to need to generate much larger amounts of electricity?

https://gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

Are they consuming it or selling it to other nations? A lot of their power is nuclear so can't turn on/off like a gas plant can and they have a lot of land borders, so potential customers for their nuclear energy.

They do sell alot to other countries, but still it's alot more than here in the uk something like 20 odd GWs.

The average consumption per capita is about 1,800kwh higher in France vs UK. That’s before any exports.

Anyone know why, air con in houses, really old appliances?

[Blib]

shirt said:

gregs656 said:

I am not sure it makes sense to say that natural talent that gets people to the top, because it is never the case that people go from nothing to the top. In all cases, their natural talent is exploited through training and experience to develop mental resilience and skill - usually (but not always) from a very young age.

It is often noted when people start late - and in some sports the pool is small enough to allow for it more easily than others - for example the talent finding for the Olympics that found people with a natural aptitude for the skeleton and so on (although I think even those people had a background in sport).

Natural talent doesn't get people very far, although it does give people the opportunity to.

Malcolm Gladwell’s book ‘Outliers’ is worth a read on this subject.

In the US system, most professional athletes are born within a few months of the start of the school year. They’re stronger and more developed so get selected for the school team and the pros are whittled down from that pool.

There are other good examples - bill gates being one - where ability, interest and sufficient learned skill all came together around the time that the opportunity and geographic location presented itself to exploit his talents.

Matthew Syed wrote an interesting book in which he contends that structured, specific practice at an early age trumps natural ability.

He suggested that at least 5,000 hours of such practice was necessary. He gave as an example his own experience in international table tennis. At one time, the three top male table tennis players in the country lived in the same road.

Their secret was that they belonged to a club whose head coach had developed specific training drills that they adhered to. He gave many other examples, including that of Tiger Woods

I found his argument compelling.

Edited by Blib on Sunday 23 February 16:20

[djc206]

borcy said:

Anyone know why, air con in houses, really old appliances?

Method of heating homes perhaps? We are very heavy reliant on natural gas for our heating. I wonder if the French use electricity more?

[borcy]

djc206 said:

borcy said:

Anyone know why, air con in houses, really old appliances?

Method of heating homes perhaps? We are very heavy reliant on natural gas for our heating. I wonder if the French use electricity more?

good point, perhaps that's it. I think using as much NG as we do is unusual in Europe.

[popeyewhite]

Blib said:

Matthew Syed wrote an interesting book in which he contends that structured, specific practice at an early age trumps natural ability.

He suggested that at least 5,000 hours of such practice was necessary. He gave as an example his own experience in international table tennis. At one time, the three top male table tennis players in the country lived in the same road.

Their secret was that they belonged to a club whose head coach had developed specific training drills that they adhered to. He gave many other examples, including that of Tiger Woods

I found his argument compelling.

The deliberate practice model/s has been treated with wariness for a number of years. Syed's model 'reflected' and 'built upon' some of Ericcsons Theory of Deliberate Practise (10,000 hrs specific practice type makes an expert basically) which was published in 1993.

Blow to 10,000-hour rule as study finds practice doesn't always make perfect https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/aug/21/pr...

The problem with practice models is some people don'r need 5,000 or 10,000 hrs to be very, very good at different pursuits... .

[Rostfritt]

djc206 said:

borcy said:

Anyone know why, air con in houses, really old appliances?

Method of heating homes perhaps? We are very heavy reliant on natural gas for our heating. I wonder if the French use electricity more?

I think it is this. When there was an oil crisis in the 70s, France decided the solution was a huge amount of nuclear to produce cheap energy independent of oil and gas prices. This has worked pretty well and at times produces a huge glut of power that has been sold to other countries. In those conditions people would have been encouraged to get more electrical appliances like heating and cooking.

They also get warmer summers, have more industry and more electrified trains.

Minor point, but the UK and France both have a population of about 67 million. However that counts GB not UK, so UK would be a bit less. I'm not sure if France includes Corsica though, as that is not directly connected to France.

[konark]

borcy said:

djc206 said:

borcy said:

Anyone know why, air con in houses, really old appliances?

Method of heating homes perhaps? We are very heavy reliant on natural gas for our heating. I wonder if the French use electricity more?

good point, perhaps that's it. I think using as much NG as we do is unusual in Europe.

Gas (piped) is a quarter of the price of electricity per joule of heat

[Shakermaker]

Big-Bo-Beep said:

why do many big boxing fights always take place in las vegas in the middle of the f***ing night regardless of the participant's nationalities ?

and don't say money, as the pay per view tv companies, and those who gladly pay for such fights couldn't give a rat's fanny if it takes place in vegas, vancouver or vigo.

is it the mafia, do they control boxing ?

OK but if we don't say "money" we can't really give you the right answer.

[Dr Jekyll]

Big-Bo-Beep said:

why do many big boxing fights always take place in las vegas in the middle of the f***ing night regardless of the participant's nationalities ?

and don't say money, as the pay per view tv companies, and those who gladly pay for such fights couldn't give a rat's fanny if it takes place in vegas, vancouver or vigo.

is it the mafia, do they control boxing ?

Historically it was because a lot of the live audience wanted to gamble. Both on the match so they liked Vegas, and on other things before and after so Vegas liked boxing.

[talksthetorque]

Dr Jekyll said:

Big-Bo-Beep said:

why do many big boxing fights always take place in las vegas in the middle of the f***ing night regardless of the participant's nationalities ?

and don't say money, as the pay per view tv companies, and those who gladly pay for such fights couldn't give a rat's fanny if it takes place in vegas, vancouver or vigo.

is it the mafia, do they control boxing ?

Historically it was because a lot of the live audience wanted to gamble. Both on the match so they liked Vegas, and on other things before and after so Vegas liked boxing.

Yes - it would be unadvisable to say that both Vegas and Boxing are run by criminals.

[The Moose]

shirt said:

The average consumption per capita is about 1,800kwh higher in France vs UK. That’s before any exports.

Will some be consumed due to the geographically larger area?

What about industry? Farming?

I wonder if the actual average individual consumption is similar in France to UK, but geography, industry, farming etc consume more?

[borcy]

The Moose said:

shirt said:

The average consumption per capita is about 1,800kwh higher in France vs UK. That’s before any exports.

Will some be consumed due to the geographically larger area?

What about industry? Farming?

I wonder if the actual average individual consumption is similar in France to UK, but geography, industry, farming etc consume more?

Why would a larger country consume more ?

I wouldn't think they have many more people involved in industry/farming than the uk?
Unless those industries consume lots more electricity on a like for like basis?

[MartG]

borcy said:

Why would a larger country consume more ?

Transmission losses over longer distances ?

[BigBen]

borcy said:

Why would a larger country consume more ?

I wouldn't think they have many more people involved in industry/farming than the uk?
Unless those industries consume lots more electricity on a like for like basis?

I think France has more Chemical industry which uses a st load of electricity, a big chemical plant can use a hell of a lot (I am pretty sure a lady from ICI told us their plant in Runcorn used 5% of UK electricity! )

[The Moose]

borcy said:

The Moose said:

shirt said:

The average consumption per capita is about 1,800kwh higher in France vs UK. That’s before any exports.

Will some be consumed due to the geographically larger area?

What about industry? Farming?

I wonder if the actual average individual consumption is similar in France to UK, but geography, industry, farming etc consume more?

Why would a larger country consume more ?

I wouldn't think they have many more people involved in industry/farming than the uk?
Unless those industries consume lots more electricity on a like for like basis?

I was working on the basis of a larger country having greater transmission losses. Also having a more involved infrastructure- longer road networks to light, more cell towers to power etc etc etc.

I have no idea if this is the case or not, but what I was guessing on.

If the French have more agriculture that consumes energy, that would put their numbers above the UK (I don’t know if they do!). They wouldn’t necessarily require more people involved in agriculture, just more of if (doing something with the additional land they have)?

Basically, my post was useless