Comments for Pragmatos

Comment on Timeless universe by Amrit Sorli

Amrit Sorli — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:18:45 +0000

Yes, universe is timeless.
Eternity is Now.
yours amrit

Comment on Why “Toyota” by Jonathan

Jonathan — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:41:06 +0000

OTOH, Toyota doesn’t sound very western.

Matsushita (under the pine(s)?) abandoned its corporate name quite recently in favor of its Panasonic brand (I recall them using National a lot c. 1960, at least in Japan).

My favorite Japanese car name, in the context of translation, is Subaru.

Comment on Why “Toyota” by Loren

Loren — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:00:36 +0000

My surmise has been that for high-tech products, old traditional Japanese family names were set the wrong tone and something more Western was desirable. Nissan was Datsun in the old days (the “Ni” of Nissan is the “Ni” of Nippon).
Best example would be Bridgestone Tire founded by Mr. Ishibashi where in the English name he reverse the order (ishi=stone, bashi=bridge). Of course, Honda is the exception, but he was a true revolutionary type, and it does happen to sound fairly modern and global like Sony.

Comment on Digression by Jed Wormhoudt

Jed Wormhoudt — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:03:34 +0000

A further digression- the Lister Jaguars come to mind. For a time, in the late 50s, the likes of Jim Hall and the sainted Caroll Shelby, tried the then unrefined push-rod 283 Chevy, in the Lister ladder frame and found it relatively (compared to the Jaguar inline 6 XK engine) unreliable. The rear main (crank) seal of the untamed V8 was inclined to leak, at times catastrophically, laying waste to the general purpose.

Comment on We are not going to be second to none by mahboud

mahboud — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:20:04 +0000

When the “the Japanese, Mexicans or Indians …” master the English language as Mr. Atkinson has, then we’re in real trouble. But wait…

Comment on Incandescent lights forever by Loren

Loren — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:23:54 +0000

Interesting perspective. The heating system of my house (excepting the digital LCD control panel) is also recognizable to engineers of the late 19th century.

Perhaps the least recognizable form of an old technology would be the telephone.

Comment on Health spending vs longevity by Scott

Scott — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 03:59:20 +0000

Having just finished Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, it’d be interesting to tease this apart a bit. He outlined other factors influencing life expectancy. see http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/books/chapters/chapter-outliers.html

What would such an experiment look like? How do you isolate those with coverage from those who don’t when the underlying interest has to do with sociological factors?

Comment on Costing out Caltrain by Jonathan

Jonathan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:26:24 +0000

At least with my insurance (State Farm), there’s a relatively low-annual-mileage infection point, and beyond that it’s a flat rate.

I do prefer the train, though audiobooks have transformed my driving experience.

And yes, the IRS rate is much higher than my rate. But it doesn’t do me any good.

My conclusion is that public transit should be cheaper. Caltrain’s response to higher costs, understandably given their budget, is to reduce service and raise fares. That’s not great public policy.

Comment on Costing out Caltrain by Avi Rappoport

Avi Rappoport — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:06:58 +0000

Your case — fully paid-for car, 30 mpg — is quite unusual. Also, insurance rates usually reflect usage, so less use will lower your rates.

There are also the non-monetary issues. You may like driving, and enjoy the challenge every day. I prefer trains with power outlets at the tables, because I find driving boring and stressful.

BTW, the IRS official mileage rate for 2009 is $0.55 per mile, so I see $24.75 per day.

Comment on The Beaker Folk of Husborne Crawley by Archdruid Eileen

Archdruid Eileen — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:38:27 +0000

Non Angeli sed Anglici…