h a l f b a k e r y"Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
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The car I own has an neat feature in that it monitors all the light bulbs in the exterior lighting system to check for continuity. Then if continuity is last it displays a small indicator to tell me when a light is out in one quadrant of the car. Many cars do not have such a feature making it very
difficult to know you have a lamp out. For many lamps testing them is simple, just turn on the lights and take a look, but then you discover that Brake lights are very difficult to test, you need to depress the brake pedal while also standing behind the car to check for function.
In addition to these external lamps there are also a variety of safety lamps in the dash board.
I propose that a momentary switch be installed in all cars that when pressed would light up all safety related lamps on a vehicle for a period of 1 minute. This would allow the driver to rapidly check for burned out bulbs unassisted. The switch would be placed behind a small cover to protect it from accidental activation.
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Annotation:
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A small piece of plexiglas, positioned to channel a bit of light from the lamp in question, could serve as well (and would work all the time). Some light planes use these to ensure the wingtip lights are on and working. |
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This would not tell you if the sensor that activates the light is functional. |
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I've solved this very problem by obtaining a building component normally used within the construction of vertical structures, and then optimising its well documented properties of inertial and temporal stability to act in conjunction with the brake lever in such a way as to activate the appropriate illumination. |
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This device can be stored very easily, and will blend into most urban environments, especially (in front of) walls - can also be used to keep doors open, act as a universal window-opener, bookend or convenient combined match-container and striking surface. |
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//This device can be stored very easily, and will blend into most urban environments, especially walls.// |
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But can you use it while stopped at a highway rest area? |
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Absolutely - it's preferable to keep at least one in the boot (trunk) as it can also be used in cases of emergency to:
a) arrest the downhill motion of a car with no working brakes.
b) operate as a means of gaining entry to a vehicle after the owner has misplaced their keys
c) double as a crude percussive implement
d) can be thrown at passing wildlife in an attempt to gather food
e) can be used as a small stool
f) deter criminals. |
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I wouldn't mind being caught in an XLR even if I wasn't dead. |
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Ah, talking of Cadillacs - I am considering taking a roadtrip from New York to Las Vegas towards the end of May; What would be the best motor to rent (selection criteria being a flat, open-topped thing with fins) and are there companies that will rent these kinds of cars on one-way journeys to complete strangers? Also, any suggested routes, places to drive through/avoid? |
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Sounds good - I have some recommendations, but email me, to avoid using this as a chat forum. |
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How about mirrors in your garage? I love the fiberoptic options, but don't like an extra switch. So just replace them all with LEDs and forget about it. |
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PS Try to see the Grand Canyon by the light of a full moon, it's Ansel Adams full size. |
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There was once a concept lighting system that used one single light source then all the lights on the car were connected via Fiberoptics to it. At least with that system it was an all or nothing thing. |
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Not entirely sure it was many years ago when I were young(say 15 to 20 years back) I remember being all agog about it as a youngster. |
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//I wouldn't be seen dead in a cadillac//
If you were to take a tablet, that caused
you to totally evacuate your bowels to
the point of near death, and that said
tablet was shaped like the famous car
named, would be it called the Ultimate
Cadillaxitive? |
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Sounds like it would be a hard pill to swallow. |
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We're glad you got that out of your system. Er... nevermind. |
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//There was once a concept lighting system that used one single light source then all the lights on the car were connected via Fiberoptics to it.// That is how SAAB used to do their dash lights. It was great if it burned out it took seconds to replace. I can't imagine that headlights could work this way or even brake lights. |
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Have we done the "Are my indicators
working?" "Yes. No. Yes. No...." joke yet? |
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No, not yet. How does it go...? |
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It starts "Three men walk into a bar." |
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// Absolutely - it's preferable to keep at least one in the boot (trunk) as it can also be used in cases of emergency to:
a) arrest the downhill motion of a car with no working brakes. //
So how do you get into the trunk when the car is barrelling downhill with no brakes? |
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I should have specified 'from a stationary position' you just put the brick (or bricks) in front of the wheel(s) - like the chocks they use to keep aeroplanes still at airports. |
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I put pretty much this on my list recently, but then I saw it
had already been posted ten years ago, so I guess I'll check
it off: |
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