Things that kind of bother me

[bobbyfairbanks]

People driving up mountain passes with under powered trucks. Saw a F150 trying to pull a pop up trailer and a small fishing boat with trailer. Guy was doing 25 most of the way to woodland park. ��

[Great-Kazoo]

You are savage in this thread!

Give him a break. Rumor has it he's going through manopause

[fitterjohn]

Had one of the early solar efficient houses in 1980.
The solar panel pre-heated the water supply to the water heater, which saved energy by the gas water heater only needing to raise the temperature a few degrees versus the difference from the cold water from the source.
So, is that a hot water heater or a pre-heated water heater?

Most of those I have seen had a boiler with a water to water heater exchanger for the domestic. Lol but you can have a pass on saying hot water heater

[earplug]

Its not the lack of power, its the desire to sling stuff around.

[BlasterBob]

Going to the movies alone, but still cutting a hole in the bottom of the popcorn.

One of my coworkers told about taking a girl to the movies. She asked him to buy a large popcorn which he did. As soon as the lights went out and movie started, she dumped the entire contents on the floor and punched the bottom out of the container. He quickly learned the benefit of her tossing the popcorn.

[Circuits]

I believe I understand your points.
When you state, "shortest possible disruption," are you referring to time or distance?

I understand that the zipper merge will shorten the distance of disrupted traffic measured from the merge on back. However, if only 1/2 car per second is the max capacity - usually due to posted reduced speed limits in merged zones - it makes no difference in time whether cars merge early or late. With the exception of the previously mentioned assholes who rush to the front of the polite line.

It reduces distance, and reduces time.

Reducing distance reduces the total amount of wake effect and backpressure experienced. There may be drivers who want to turn off before the merge who will not be delayed by the long single-lane queue if both lanes are being used. That doesn't apply on an interstate, perhaps, but not all lane merges occur on a limited-access highway.

Is it wrong if everyone's stacked up in one lane at a red light, with another lane mostly clear? I will get through that red light faster by taking the mostly-clear lane than those waiting in the "polite line", but I've done nothing wrong, just used the lanes available more efficiently.

Reducing the distance of the disruption also minimizes time for human foibles (or "do-gooder asshats" as an alternate term) to further delay and slow things down with their grade-school hall-monitor actions. The objective of a merge is not to get through the merge point in-order, but to get through the merge point in the least amount of time for all drivers possible.

Further, merges are not always marked, or not always well-marked. Why should cars stay in the non-moving lane when the obstruction is a stalled car or an accident up ahead? For all the drivers in the lane that's moving know, you just slowed down or stopped because the car in front of you did, instead of changing lanes and moving on. The guy in front of you could be a moron, or someone having engine trouble or towing too much load, or a new driver who's scared, or someone fussing with the radio or trying to read a map or look for mile markers, or a slow truck that just can't keep up speed on a mild grade.

As for me, I go the speed limit, and change lanes only to pass, which still has me passing an awful lot going around tourists or RVs or trucks. And if the lane ahead of me is slowing and the lane next to me is moving, I change to the lane that's moving until the cars on my right are going as fast or faster than me, and then I switch back to the right lane, having completed my pass. If I come upon a merge while in a faster-moving lane, I proceed to the merge point, merge, and go on about my business. If I come up to the merge point in the through lane, I politely allow the next car from the merge lane to go in front of me before proceeding, because that's the way it's supposed to go.

[Skip]

Give him a break. Rumor has it he's going through manopause

I think I am too. I cursed out a YouTube video yesterday.

[Gman]

I think I am too. I cursed out a YouTube video yesterday.

Setting the bar kinda low, don't ya think?

[Skip]

Setting the bar kinda low, don't ya think?

Only way to keep up my self esteem.


ETA: Do I think I see what you did there?

[cstone]