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OT: 10 Dumb Gadgets ...
- Thread starter Snuffy
- Start date
cheezyflier
Charter Member
not entirely dumb.
blocking out the sun in the summer lowers your air conditioning bill. especially if you live in an apt like mine. the front window gets sun all day. even though i'm in canada, i haven't used the heater in 3 years, not even once.
the smart for 2 is a good car for city dwellers, and it has pretty good crash test ratings for it's size. and 72 miles on a charge? for 90% of the north american population, that'll get you to work and back plus. most people max out at 40 miles round trip commute. in all truth, it's not meant to be a touring or luxury vehicle in the first place.
the rest of the stuff was pretty dumb though, i agree. maybe they just didn't like the sound of
"8 dumb gadgets" so they padded the list?
blocking out the sun in the summer lowers your air conditioning bill. especially if you live in an apt like mine. the front window gets sun all day. even though i'm in canada, i haven't used the heater in 3 years, not even once.
the smart for 2 is a good car for city dwellers, and it has pretty good crash test ratings for it's size. and 72 miles on a charge? for 90% of the north american population, that'll get you to work and back plus. most people max out at 40 miles round trip commute. in all truth, it's not meant to be a touring or luxury vehicle in the first place.
the rest of the stuff was pretty dumb though, i agree. maybe they just didn't like the sound of
"8 dumb gadgets" so they padded the list?
Moparmike
Administrator
Yup, I think most of them would rank right up there as dumb...except for #2 as cheezy and Bill mentioned. It's just a light-blocking curtain that is thick enough to also provide a bit of insulation barrier.
Most people are at work during the day (or if you're a night-shifter like me, sleeping)...so why let the summer time sun beat in all day and heat your house up just to overload the A/C if you don't need the free lighting. In the wintertime...heck, leave em open for some free solar heating.
Consumer analysts...pfffft!...that's why I don't read rags like Consumer Reports. Half of em don't live in the real world, just they're own little corner of "This is how I think it should be". :d
Most people are at work during the day (or if you're a night-shifter like me, sleeping)...so why let the summer time sun beat in all day and heat your house up just to overload the A/C if you don't need the free lighting. In the wintertime...heck, leave em open for some free solar heating.
Consumer analysts...pfffft!...that's why I don't read rags like Consumer Reports. Half of em don't live in the real world, just they're own little corner of "This is how I think it should be". :d
I agree.
City street operation, I think the Smart would be okay (under 35mph).
But start getting into Highway speeds, you're going to be in serious trouble with the thing.
For short trips to work, the grocery store, or the mall, it would seem pretty practical to have in a city, especially for parking.
Unfortunately, it just wouldn't work where I live.
Need to use a highway to get anywhere around here.
cheezyflier
Charter Member
well, here in toronto you need the freeway to get around the city too. it's just that they have this speed impediment (constant traffic jams) in place that never allows any car to reach speeds that might make some drivers nervous. however, if considered by comparison, the wheelbase of the smart, vs. a few other vehicles known to be quite stable at speed
smartfor2 = 71 3/8"
honda goldwing = 66.5"
suzuki swift = 94.1"
ford fiesta = 98"
the smart is pretty short compared to most cars. however, millions of goldwing owners travel more freeway miles than most of us could possibly imagine, on a shorter wheelbase. i can tell you from personal experience, the goldwing is rock-solid stable at well above legal speeds.
Moparmike
Administrator
I gotta side with Dain on this one...but then we live in the same part of the country too. It's just too far from everywhere for the Smart to work out except for an in-town commuter car. I agree that they would be an excellent choice in a metro area.
We do have a couple of them running around Jamestown ND and I know there are several in Fargo too.
Personally, I would get 3/4 of the way home and the battery would be petered out. 90 miles one way.
Funny (and scary) story on these little micro-commuter cars and winter driving...
It wasn't a Smart, but some other little micro-car, but the end result is the same.
I was heading down I-94 last winter from Jamestown to Fargo, had a little ground drifting going on so there were some rock-hard little pillow drifts on the roadway in places. I was punching through them pretty good with my little Nissan pickup so I was still driving about 65mph. Pretty soon this little midget car appears behind me and sticks right on my tail for a few miles...he was still doing at least 70mph to catch up with me. Around me he goes and not a mile later he finds his first "un-cut" pillow drift. That little bugger got bounced in the air at least 8", wound up half sideways, and as soon as the guy could get on the brakes he was pulled over to the shoulder. Not sure if he had to clean his underwear out or if the poor little thing died from altitude sickness.
After I seen that it wasn't gonna hit the ditch or roll, I darn near passed out from laughing too hard!
Nope...not practical in the upper midwest. :d
Actually I wasn't talking about wheelbase or the stability of it at all.
It is indeed a rather stable car.
My concern is at highway speeds, if it impacts something, or is hit by another vehicle at those speeds, it literally becomes a Ping Pong ball.
This has been rather graphically shown in test after test.
A good example is the YouTube video showing it hitting the concrete barrier.
Most cars impact and slide.
The Smart impacts and leaps into the air.
Unfortunately the sudden vector changes after impacts at these speeds cause severe damage to a victim's internal organs.
In the case of the Smart, its more severe due to its size.
It also seems to achieve a much greater yaw rotation rate in some circumstances as well, tied to higher speeds, I believe.
Of course, most impacts will do that anyway, but some independent studies I have followed show that the rate for fatal internal injuries can be twice as high with the Smart, in some circumstances, when highway speeds are involved.
At lower city speeds, it's about average for a vehicle that small.
At this point it's still pretty subjective as it has not operated on US roads long I agree, but from my previous experience I tend to agree with the testing result.
Sorry I wasn't clear on that, but that what was running through my mind.
Bjoern
worst developer ever
Huh?
There's a ton of Smarts using our highway network here and while 135kph top speed doesn't sound particularly impressive, the Smart can keep up pretty well - I've even seen some overtaking me. :d
I also don't see what's wrong with the LG MP...
Welll, you needed to completely read my response to Cheezy farther down this thread, Bjoern.
No where have I stated am I doubting the car's own abilities to be operated on highways.
Just the ability of the driver and passenger to survive a collision at highways speeds here in North America, based on some preliminary testing results here in the US.
To add to my previous response, this concern is furthered by data that North America generally operates vehicles that weigh twice as much as Europe.
Average weight for vehicles in the Europe is about 1100Kg from information I have obtained.
North America 2000Kg.
Also our Commercial Vehicles tend to be much heavier vs their European counterparts as well.
Possibly explains one reason why we consume more oil over here.
:Anyway I figure getting hit by a hammer that's twice as big, will probably hurt twice as much...
srgalahad
Charter Member 2022
"The reality is that the cars are way too small for any practical use."
Yes, People of WalMart, we realize you may have problems entering one, but it would make an ideal gift for your kids to use on the neighborhood streets instead of human-powered bicycles...
"Plus, the electric version in Europe only goes 72 miles before it needs to be charged."
So let's find the best mis-direction that emphasizes it's shortcomings. Thank you Fox for not mentioning that not-so-long-ago that same 72 mile distance would consume 1/3 of a tank of gas for some common Urban Assault Vehicles sold in the US. Not to worry.. there's lots of oil in the Gulf of Mexico.
-------------------------------------------------------
"Another product with a name that just makes you wonder, this high-heel shoe is actually a cell phone holder -- for those times when a belt clip just won't suffice. Er, you only get one per order, and they are not made for actually walking around in. Amazon customers, a shy and timid group to be sure, posted in a message thread that the shoe is "useless" and "cheesy" but someone else rated it 5/5 stars. Huh?"
OK C9G.. fess up!
Yes, People of WalMart, we realize you may have problems entering one, but it would make an ideal gift for your kids to use on the neighborhood streets instead of human-powered bicycles...
"Plus, the electric version in Europe only goes 72 miles before it needs to be charged."
So let's find the best mis-direction that emphasizes it's shortcomings. Thank you Fox for not mentioning that not-so-long-ago that same 72 mile distance would consume 1/3 of a tank of gas for some common Urban Assault Vehicles sold in the US. Not to worry.. there's lots of oil in the Gulf of Mexico.
-------------------------------------------------------
"Another product with a name that just makes you wonder, this high-heel shoe is actually a cell phone holder -- for those times when a belt clip just won't suffice. Er, you only get one per order, and they are not made for actually walking around in. Amazon customers, a shy and timid group to be sure, posted in a message thread that the shoe is "useless" and "cheesy" but someone else rated it 5/5 stars. Huh?"
OK C9G.. fess up!
Bjoern
worst developer ever
The Smart is rated with four out of five stars for crash safety here.
According to this video, a collision with an E-Class looks worse than it actually is for the dummies:
http://blog.mercedes-benz-passion.com/2009/04/mercedes-benz-e-klasse-crashtest-gegen-smart/
To add to my previous response, this concern is furthered by data that North America generally operates vehicles that weigh twice as much as Europe.
Average weight for vehicles in the Europe is about 1100Kg from information I have obtained.
North America 2000Kg.
Also our Commercial Vehicles tend to be much heavier vs their European counterparts as well.
Possibly explains one reason why we consume more oil over here.
And the problem is where?
...apart from the Smart taking a fairly long spin after getting hit by a US brick on wheels.
No. You will only have to account for twice the energy, a part of which will be absorbed by plastic deformation while the other part will be converted into kinetic energy ultimatively dissipated by friction.
You'll maybe have more stress on the body upon impact and you'll feel a bit more dizzy, yet I'm pretty confident the engineers at Mercedes have accounted for the former by other means (e.g. energy absorbing seats). Otherwise the Smart wouldn't even be allowed on US roads.
BTW, the US only checks front/side/rear impacts, rollovers, and off-set head-ons.
Usually at speeds below 50mph.
Well, back to the beginning...
I am referring to the secondary and tertiary impacts of the internal organs.
The brain impacts against the skull, the internal organs against the rib cage.
These are the injuries people die from mostly during a collision.
Especially during the "fairly long spin" as you stated.
So as the internal organs move forward, a spin is introduced.
Now combine that with what I stated about higher highway speeds and heavier vehicles in the US.
More energy being transferred at the point of collision.
That is where I see a possible problem.
That's my opinion, based on independent data I've seen, videos of Smart collisions, and my past experiences as an accident investigator.
And now I am all done discussing it.
Because at this point it's become ...
Usually at speeds below 50mph.
Well, back to the beginning...
I am referring to the secondary and tertiary impacts of the internal organs.
The brain impacts against the skull, the internal organs against the rib cage.
These are the injuries people die from mostly during a collision.
Especially during the "fairly long spin" as you stated.
So as the internal organs move forward, a spin is introduced.
Now combine that with what I stated about higher highway speeds and heavier vehicles in the US.
More energy being transferred at the point of collision.
That is where I see a possible problem.
That's my opinion, based on independent data I've seen, videos of Smart collisions, and my past experiences as an accident investigator.
And now I am all done discussing it.
Because at this point it's become ...
Prowler1111
Charter Member 2011
So, where can i find one of those cool looking Iphone hats??..and the cranium remote holder looks like the bomb!..can you imagine the loads of chicks that would come to me asking if i´m a mental patient? that ***t rocks man!
Prowler
Prowler
cheezyflier
Charter Member
i agree, thats a great one!
I have to agree most of those items are "Not Ready For Prime Time" that is for sure, but I do have to point out that many of the really useful items we have today have developed from some form of failure or really dumb idea. I would bet if we knew the back story on some of the things we find amazing today we would be surprised.
I work in the Office Products Industry and one of our most famous and enduring failures that made good is the "Post-it Note" love em or hate em, 3M has made BILLIONS off of that "stupid idea" as it was once labeled. The back story is, a chemist was trying to develop a super adhesive, one of the many failed test formulas was the adhesive that became the basis of the Post-it note. The story as I have heard it, the chemist found the failure interesting and decided to present it as a removable adhesive in a company brain storming session for product development, the idea was not well received. This Chemist didn't give up and began using it on small motes around the lab and "Posting" these notes on various surfaces and found it very useful, people noticed and the idea now slightly more developed was presented again for product development - and the rest (as they say) is history.
God Bless the minds that come up with these Dumb ideas and gadgets, they may not be good first off but who knows what dumb idea will turn into a better mouse trap or the next "Post-It Note".
I work in the Office Products Industry and one of our most famous and enduring failures that made good is the "Post-it Note" love em or hate em, 3M has made BILLIONS off of that "stupid idea" as it was once labeled. The back story is, a chemist was trying to develop a super adhesive, one of the many failed test formulas was the adhesive that became the basis of the Post-it note. The story as I have heard it, the chemist found the failure interesting and decided to present it as a removable adhesive in a company brain storming session for product development, the idea was not well received. This Chemist didn't give up and began using it on small motes around the lab and "Posting" these notes on various surfaces and found it very useful, people noticed and the idea now slightly more developed was presented again for product development - and the rest (as they say) is history.
God Bless the minds that come up with these Dumb ideas and gadgets, they may not be good first off but who knows what dumb idea will turn into a better mouse trap or the next "Post-It Note".