Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Fermat's Last Stand?

     I've got to dash; Tam had frozen door latches on her car this morning, which a Georgia-raised belle finds a lot more distressing than does a stolid Hoosier country gal.  I'm likely to find the same on my car, though, and it does purely annoy to have to hold the car door shut for most of my commute.  That's one hand to steer, one for the gearshift and one for the door-- Hey!  But one of the lesser skills my father taught (though not directly, only by example) was how to steer with a well-place knee and why that was a darned bad idea.

     That's all by way of explain why I'm leaving you with a link to Fermat's Last Theorem instead my usual deep, thought-provoking drivel.  Fermat's Last Theorem is a cross between a Gilbert & Sullivan musical, MGM's The Wizard Of Oz and a romp though the broader history of mathematics and, indeed, philosophy -- no, wait, don't go 'way!  It's got all manner of fun folk.  Heck, even Blaise Pascal and ol' Freddie Nietzsche put in appearances.  Naturally, Micheal Flynn found it first.

     Typical scene: "Markas puzzles out a solution to this problem [their locomotive has broken]  that shares several features with the party’s last stroke of genius. They place Pascal on a square-meter object to summon Newton.* Then they push a cart into Newton at one meter per second; Newton, surprised, pushes back, transforming him into James Watt (1 Watt = power required to push an object at 1 m/s against opposition of one Newton). James Watt is able to fix the train, allowing them to continue onward."

     A-hem.  Either you're chuckling by now, or you're wondering, What's all this, then?  If the latter, please to be turning your geek card, and thank for playing!
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* 1 Pascal = 1 Newton per square meter.  QED.  Also, LS/MFT.

7 comments:

Drang said...

I LOL'd. The Geek's version of "...see what you saw, pick up the saw..."

B said...

Silicone spray applied liberally to the latch mechanism keeps the water from sticking and prevents such issues (generally). But ya gotta grease 'em after summer returns to keep the wear down.

Of course, you gotta thaw 'em out and get'em more or less dry first.

Eck! said...

If it not supposed to move and does apply DUCT tape.

If its supposed to move and doesn't squirt WD40.

A does of silicone will keep them free.

For door seals, wax the metal/painted portion of the door so it will repel water.

Eck!

Scott Heiden said...

Keep a hair dryer and an extension cord long enough to reach all the car by the front door.

Roberta X said...

But that's at the opposite end of the house from the garage!

Chuck Pergiel said...

LS/MFT! It's been a long while since I heard that.

Windy Wilson said...

DANG! Drang beat me to it.
But then, I'm reading this a day late.