Phil Landmeier @shuttersparks@qoto.org

Good fortune has always followed me around. I'm reminded of it tonight. I'm working on a design that involves a thermistor. Modern thermistors are marvels of accuracy and repeatability. Wonderful things.

So, in the 1960s I lived in the Hillcrest area of West Los Angeles. We also had a beach house in Venice Beach. Our next door neighbor was the Link family, as in the child actor Michael Link. Michael's father was a chemist and retiring. He gave his entire personal laboratory to me, which we transported to the basement of our house in West LA and I added chemistry to my studies. Tremendous fun, very educational, even though I didn't become a chemist. Fortunately, he chose someone responsible because, while I was a crazy youthful experimentalist, I wasn't crazy enough to kill myself. The lab included lots of supplies and plenty of very dangerous reagents. Like I said, fun. This was not a child's toy or chemistry set and I was determined to learn how to use it properly. I mainly focused on chemical assaying. As in you give me a rock and I'll tell you what it's made of.

At the same time, one of my parent's many friends was Dr. Samuel Ruben. He visited Los Angeles from time to time. He and I would hang out and discuss chemistry. When he wasn't around, he was at his lab in New Rochelle, NY and we corresponded by written letters. He was my chemistry mentor. At that age and education level, I was not yet qualified to understand all that he had done. As time went on, I learned more about who had been teaching me.

Which brings us back to the thermistor. Dr. Ruben was an expert in electrochemistry. He held around 200 patents including the invention of the modern thermistor. He also invented the dry electrolytic capacitor, the modern alkaline battery, the mercury battery, the tantalum capacitor... on and on. Ruben co-founded with Mallory the Duracell company.

So I'm getting a kick out of closing the loop and holding a thermistor in my hand tonight.

#science #technology #chemistry #inventors #electronics #history

Funny story...

EV's are not a thing here in West Virginia, yet. I *think* I spotted a Volt one time a few years ago but am not sure. I did see a Rivian downtown about a year ago. But that's it.

Here it's RAM diesel pickups rigged for smoke, SUVs, and 1960's, early 70's muscle cars, fully tricked out, 3/4 race cams, open exhaust, being driven on the street. Doing a burnout on the street with a 60s muscle car is fine. The cops don't seem to notice. Hah. Wish I had my 'rod from the 70s again (a tricked out '67 Chevelle SS that I sold for 50 bucks because I was sick and tired of building engines and car & boat drag racing.) I'd kill to have my Chevelle again -- 10.94 in the quarter mile.

Anyway, never seen a Tesla...until a few days ago. Called for an Uber ride to escort a friend and her kid to the dentist and here rolls up a maroon colored car. Didn't pay attention to the type of car. Didn't care. Didn't seem unusual because the car was quite noisy with fan noise, etc. After riding for a minute I realized it was a Tesla.

The driver was an old guy like me and he had the heat turned up to like 90 degrees in the car. I didn't complain because the ride was just ten minutes. But there it was, a Tesla. It behaved like an ordinary car but the external noise was off-putting. I would expect silence from an EV, like the electric buses and trolleys I grew up around in Los Angeles 65 years ago. What's with all the noise? The thing sounded like the fans in a data center, which is why I didn't notice it was an EV until I got in and recognized the Tesla escutcheon plate.

Anyway, so I've finally seen a Tesla and ridden in it. I didn't have time to talk with the driver about his impressions, unfortunately. I was too busy talking with the person I was escorting and translating for. (She doesn't speak English).

:-(