Billions and glory to the man who invents a convenient way to route or install automotive wiring. It is the need to crawl around and follow the wiring that turns people off. And we took dead aim on that wiring, not on the parts that wiring connects. There is the rat’s nest behind the dash, or behind the handlebars on a scooter, but at least the wires are clean. The wires around the motor which are usually covered with grease and grit. Nor have I yet found this “self-powered test light” that is referred to in the shop manuals. I take it to be different than the probe I already own, as the probe does not have any internal power supply.
Today, I try to find a wiring harness. The purpose of this appears, I say appears because I don’t know, to distribute the power to the generally more robust connections “under the hood”. I will also examine styles of connectors themselves. A telling shame that wiring technique has not improved in a hundred years. No, printed circuits are not a simple solution. At least not to anyone who has tried to design, build, or repair them.
This is why I have been toying with the idea of a 3D printer that can create copper traces. With an occasional shot of insulating material, unlimited patterns become possible. I ain’t that smart so I know somebody has thought of this—but have they thought of it from a 3D computer printer? Then why can’t I buy one? There are several studies that involve copper nanoparticles but I gave up any in-depth study of nanotechnology last year as too complicated for me. Copper is a generic term here, any metal would probably do.
But I did learn a thing or two. What I have in mind is a laser and a “copper welding rod” that melts a tiny ribbon of plastic onto substrate controlled by printer technology and producing the circuit without the need for acid baths and such. Instance I know those RFID chips are printed, not etched. For a prime example of a useless web page, try Thermotrax. It is designed to tell you nothing until you give them enough information to check you out first. Typical bonehead business-grad level marketing.
Bingo. It pays for my weekend and that is good enough. We had a few new faces tonight who didn’t know what hit them. The bingo show is well-developed after all these years and a newbie who is expected a dry game for old ladies can be taken aback. Just a few extra players really makes a difference on the jackpots. So afterward, I went out for Chinese food. Bought a week’s supply, actually.
ADDENDUM
Music. My newest experiment may have failed before I started. It is beginning to appear as if paying guitarists to do it my way doesn’t work either. The egotistical notion that the guitar player is special and the center of the band is so ingrained into these people that even money can’t make them buck the bad habit. While in 14 years I have never seen a Florida guitarist learn even one of my songs (except Jag), on several occasions certain new tryouts would try to comp. That means they can fake it.
And I’ll pay someone to fake it. So what is the problem? Well, these jokers are figuring they are not the star of the show and they cannot deal with that. On any level. They would rather be unemployed and clinging to their hopeless fantasies than get out and play. If it looks like I’m covering the same ground once again, in a sense that’s correct.
You see, the few feelers I’ve put out are attracting the same pack of barfly deadbeat guitarists that I’ve already fired. I know who the losers and liars are in this town. That’s easy, every non-performing guitar player I ever met around here falls into that category. And many of the ones that are performing, too. They lie saying they want to “join” a band but refuse to learn any new music or any tune they don’t personally like. They criticize the “taste” of anybody who doesn’t worship the same music they do.
I’m going to give Billie-Bill a try but I see already he will likely bail the instant he discovers that comping makes him just another boy in the band. I’ll wave the cash under his nose but I doubt it will have much effect. To work around this, part of my plan is to focus on the money and the music rather than any specific tune. Guitarists are hung up on specific tunes, but will often play other styles if they think it is just in fun.
