Thomas F. (hardtack) -
Helpful Score: 1
A friend---at least I think he is---lent me a copy of this book. The title alone took me several minutes to read.
Still, it has proven to be an interesting book. For example, when they recently repaved the roads outside the state park I volunteer at, I thought they were finished. Yet a month later they came back and repaved it again. Why? Turns out asphalt needs to be compacted. So road crews do a lot of work getting the road repaved, then walk away for a month to let cars traveling over the road compact it even more. Then they come back, add a binder and put down the top layer of asphalt. I didn't know that before, or lots of other things associated with asphalt.
And did you know the formula for cement was lost for 700 years? And that free parking really isn't free? In fact, free parking causes so many other important problems we'd be better off without it. And the real reason we're having such social and political problems in America today is due to the lack of front porches.
Ever wonder how traffic lights work the way they do? And how they make travel more efficient and safer? I learned a lot about that too. Some advice was really handy. My car is about 11 years old and I am thinking of replacing it. So it helped me to read:
"The inductive loops embedded in the pavement that signal to traffic lights that you are approaching are triggered by the metal components of your car. An all-plastic car or an elephant won't trigger the lights. (Oftentimes, bicycles won't rigger the mechanism either.)"
Now when I look for a replacement for my current vehicle, I won't even consider elephants. Even though the maintenance fees for elephants are far less than what my dealer charges every 5,000 for my current vehicle.
A lot of the stuff the author wrote about squirrels was old stuff to me. But I was disappointed that while he mentioned how squirrels like to run in front of cars, he didn't give the reason. Everyone who had a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries (such as yours truly) knows the reason why squirrels do this. It's simply part of a squirrel gang initiation.
Still, it has proven to be an interesting book. For example, when they recently repaved the roads outside the state park I volunteer at, I thought they were finished. Yet a month later they came back and repaved it again. Why? Turns out asphalt needs to be compacted. So road crews do a lot of work getting the road repaved, then walk away for a month to let cars traveling over the road compact it even more. Then they come back, add a binder and put down the top layer of asphalt. I didn't know that before, or lots of other things associated with asphalt.
And did you know the formula for cement was lost for 700 years? And that free parking really isn't free? In fact, free parking causes so many other important problems we'd be better off without it. And the real reason we're having such social and political problems in America today is due to the lack of front porches.
Ever wonder how traffic lights work the way they do? And how they make travel more efficient and safer? I learned a lot about that too. Some advice was really handy. My car is about 11 years old and I am thinking of replacing it. So it helped me to read:
"The inductive loops embedded in the pavement that signal to traffic lights that you are approaching are triggered by the metal components of your car. An all-plastic car or an elephant won't trigger the lights. (Oftentimes, bicycles won't rigger the mechanism either.)"
Now when I look for a replacement for my current vehicle, I won't even consider elephants. Even though the maintenance fees for elephants are far less than what my dealer charges every 5,000 for my current vehicle.
A lot of the stuff the author wrote about squirrels was old stuff to me. But I was disappointed that while he mentioned how squirrels like to run in front of cars, he didn't give the reason. Everyone who had a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries (such as yours truly) knows the reason why squirrels do this. It's simply part of a squirrel gang initiation.
