Q:
O.K.
Call me stupid.
Or just call me curious.
But I've just got to know...
How many of us who frequent z-car.com
are deep-into computer (PC) technologies as well?
Is this more-or-less a natural or predicable evolution?
The fact that computers are now deeply intergrated
into modern vehicles is no secret.
This process stated as early as 1973 on some cars
and in 1975 for Datsun/Nissan products.
For professional reasons, some automotive techs dive into
computer (PC) technology to expand their understanding
of the systems that are on cars. Some deeper than others.
Of course, there are other reasons too.
So...How many of us are into PC technology?
The more daring of you can be free to state just HOW! deep.
What say you all ?
___________________________________
Notation...
Even if asked, I will NOT! state how far I have or haven't gone.
If I did...
Then you would truely know the type of sick,
disfunctional mind that I REALLY! have.
....ase mat
Post Edited (Nov 19, 1:46am)
A:
I've always at least had a word processor in my cars - the '41 Buick came with one under the back seat complete with spell check and delete mode in-tact.
However - I had to sharpen the entry mode.
Note - Why is it, to look up how to spell a word - you have to know how to spell the word?
Why do English Grammar classes expect you to know at the beginning of the class what you're supposed to know at the end of the class?
Ed and Jeanne's
ZXelda 1981 280 ZXT: ZXena 1990 300 ZX
1941 Buick Special Sedanette (Betty)
1956 Dodge Royal (Dorothy)
1971 Buick Riviera (Rita)
1975 Ford F-150 Stepside (Fiona)
1992 Firebird (Frieda)
A:
Worked in Telecommunications field all my life, went from the old "key"
systems to the totally amazing computer based equipment.
Its been a really wild trip. 30 yrs worth.
But the computers we use are totally different then, say PCs.
without understanding the average PC, nowadays you dont stand a
chance.
82zxt /5sp /Fsm /Tools /Med Knowledge /Tampa /And a little Learned Luck.
A:
IT Director here. Computers make my living.
Mans Prayer "I'm a man.... But I can change..... If I have too...... I guess"
No matter how good she looks, some other guy is sick and tired of putting up with her.
A:
I'm a software development project manager
Phil
1981 280zxt
5-speed conversion,3.9 R200,Eibach springs,Tokico struts,Energy Suspension,K&N CAI,AutoMeter A/F, Boost, Fuel Gauges,Cusco Strut Bar,Greddy B Spec II boost control,Jeffp 3in mandrel exhaust,Magnaflow,Spearco Cooler, HKS BOV, 10 psi
A:
I was a Programmer for a local voip company (which didn't work out) then a fiber optic cable tech, and now I work for Sony (and yes I'm getting the BMG calls) as a tech rep...
fun stuff..
"The Z's disease won't make anything turn black, wither, and fall off, nor turn cancerous." - Tony D
"Take it to a track where BOTH drivers mean business or it's just one sided mechanical masterbation." - Hybrid77z
A:
Spent most of the last 5 years as a system administrator in an ASP type data processing business. My office was right in the data center. That Super big black out of the east cost a few years ago. We were up the whole time! Lots of Oracle databases. We used to have a pair of Alpha’s and two racks with Compaq shelves , MA 8000's, full of 15000-rpm ultra 3 SCSI drives.That was just for the databasse. Application servers were win-tel boxes.
I think I used to swap out bad SCSI drives in raid arrays about once a month. I need to get some more Unix under my belt. Mostly a win-tel tech myself.
-Pete
1978 Z ATK F54-P79
Drink Sobe No Fear Gold
Tokico Illuminas, Poly bushings,Techno Tuning TC rods. Bad Dog frame rails. Toyota 4 piston calipers & power slot rotors. MSA 2.5” turbo exhaust & K&N cold air intake. H4’s
A:
finishing my BS in computer science at georgia tech right now..will be starting as a grad student to work on an MS in intelligent systems (AI) soon. for a day job, i'm a sysadmin for the georgia tech school of math (just finished building a quad opteron with 8gb ram the other day, fun!). we support windows, mac, linux, and solaris desktops and all our servers are linux or solaris, depending on their purpose.
just to extend the original question a bit for my own curiosity, what is the z enthusiast's take on intelligent transit systems? computers may be pervading modern vehicles, but will it make a difference when the road you drive on is a computer, too? even little infrastructure changes could facilitate much better technologies in cars..for example, if they put magnetic material in the lane markings on the road, it would be much easier for a car to keep itself in its own lane (current lane-keeping systems use computer vision techniques, which are much more difficult in practice than sensing the magnetic lane marker).
a more drastic example: it is perfectly conceivable that future cars will actually have less computing ability than cars currently on the road. if you load up a car with nothing but sensory equipment and wireless networking ability, a smart infrastructure (read: compute grid in the road, basically) could take your vehicle's data combined with data from other vehicles on the road and from sensors in/around the road to completely automate the flow of traffic. The system knows more about the state of things on the road than any individual driver possibly could. Such a transit system could potentially eliminate pretty much all accidents, and since the "driver" isn't actually in control of the car, fault for the occasional glitch (accident) shifts over to whatever regulatory agency runs the road's computer. it also eliminates the possibility for things like speeding on such roads.
Of course, there are plenty of reasons to not use such a system. It pretty much kills the joy of driving, and there are myriad privacy concerns associated with it as well. But, the point is, we do have the technology to implement things like this, we just dont have the resources or motivation.
note: I am not advocating such technology, nor am I suggesting that this is what our transit system will be like in the future. I just think that it's a thought-provoking addition to the original question :D
------------------
1974 260Z
http://gumbo.sytes.net
Post Edited (Nov 19, 7:31am)
A:
Software Engineer (VB, C, C++, Java, and anything else I need to use on any project I learn it). I graduated 2 years ago. I also do Japanese Translation when my company needs it. We work with Japanese companies a lot. Looking forward to the day when they send me back overe there.
-------Senkyoshi
1973 240Z 4spd Dual Webers
"I spend too much time raiding windmills"
A:
I'm only 17 but I've been buliding PC's for friends and family for a couple years now...they tell me what they need and I try to build the best machine for what they want...plus I save them anywhere from $200 to $800
I'm also starting to work with different software programming languages...that all started when I took a JAVA based class junior year. I'm planning on going into college with an engineering major...so maybe it will help.
**********************
1978 280z
5 speed
3-2-1 MSA headers
140,000 original miles
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/585326
A:
You mean like the cars and roadways in the movie...
"Minority Report" ??
Or in "I, Robot" ??
I first saw stuff like this back in 1991 in some the
the ASE publications I get.
Serious, multi-page engineering/analysis articles examining
implimintation,manufacturing and social aspects.
I actually read the original Isaac Asimov story,
along with "Pebble In The Sky" in the 4th or 5th grade.
No...It was not required reading.
.....ase mat
Post Edited (Nov 19, 12:07pm)
A:
I don't know a damned thing about computers. For me, it's just a way to sell things, and chat to like minded people......Oh yea, I two finger type like a MAD MAN.
Black, bumperless, 78 Z with MSA superturbo system, K/N cone filter, ported intake, and exhaust manifolds.....15.9 @87 mph.
A:
I've been building and repairing computers since 96. Had 4 years worth of computer and electronics repair in high school. I have a master cert in Win 98 fundamentals a master in XP fundamentals and a normal cert in computer technical support and repair. Had certs in win 95/98 & 2000/XP network administration I've also been into linux now for about 5 months or so and i have to say it rocks. I'm as bad a computer junkie as i am a Z junkie.
Soon to be 86 NA to Turbo
92 240SX w/ 84 VG30ET (RIP)
A:
I do hardware, software and connectivity support for 75 laptops and 35 desktops for Direct Insurance. I can't wait to be able to get tuning software and hook the laptop up to the ECU and adjust it. Of course, I have to get the RB that I'm going to put in my 73, into it first.
God must love stupid people, he made SOOOOO many of them!
A:
Quote:
You mean like the cars and roadways in the movie...
"Minority Report" ??
Or in "I, Robot" ??
Not really, but I guess that is one place to which you might look for an example of an intelligent transit system. I was thinking more along the lines of systems people actually use today, just not in passenger cars (yet)..for example, some huge farms have completely automated harvesters that use GPS data and markers in/around the crop fields to know where they are and where they need to go.
The best thing to take from the movies is the human-centered design of the vehicle interface. I think that when these technologies start to see widespread use, the basic driver-vehicle interface that we all know will necessarily change.
Quote:
I first saw stuff like this back in 1991 in some the
the ASE publications I get.
Serious, multi-page engineering/analysis articles examining
implimintation,manufacturing and social aspects.
It has definitely been an active research area for a long time. The Arizona state legislature and Arizona DOT have been sponsoring a project since 1992 called VISTA (vehicles with intelligent systems for transport automation). See the PARCS site for some more info: http://tucson.sie.arizona.edu/PARCS/nfla/index.html
Quote:
I actually read the original Isaac Asimov story,
along with "Pebble In The Sky" in the 4th or 5th grade.
No...It was not required reading.
Asimov's stuff is fantastic, but it comes with the presumption that we will actually make human-like AI. The cars I'm talking about probably wouldn't even pass the Turing test. I suppose I should have been more careful choosing my original words; I didn't mean "intelligence" in the human sense. Rather, consider "intelligence" to mean "the computational part of ability to achieve goals in the world" (which would still apply to humans; this definition just makes it makes it easier to use the word "intelligence" when talking about a machine without starting a philosophical debate, lol).
------------------
1974 260Z
http://gumbo.sytes.net
A:
My first computer was a Commodore Vic 20 back in 1981 when I was nine years old...(remember those?!)
When I went through engineering school you had to be PC and UNIX literate...
I started doing CAD modeling (using Unigraphics) designing inpsection fixtures for turbine engine castings, reverse engineer models, inspection drawings for machine shops, models for casting pattern makers, etc.
Now I'm doing QA testing for a well-known CAD software company, on thier motion and stress analysis simulation applications
It's funny that the last thing I want to do is come home from work after 8-10 hours of staring at a computer monitor... is to sit in front of computer again, I'd rather work on my car. My buddie is a mechanic and the last thing he wants to do right after work is work on cars...he'd rather play vids or surf the net..hehe
-HughDog
A:
I'm a computer tech for the Marine Corps. Previously a hardware tech in the Army. (Pay is a lot better as a civilian)
______________________________________________________________________________
77 280Z - TEC3 Engine Management, Coil Packs, 3.1 Stroker, 550CC injectors, tripple throttle body FI intake, MSA Stage II Cam, etc...etc...
79 Fairlady - Rusty
81 280ZX - DD
A:
I started out as a computer junkie. Then, much later, I bought a Z and got stung by the Z bug. Now, I spend most of my time fixing my car than playing on my computer.
However, I will say one thing:
It makes me real nervous to see how much of a car is totally digital these days. A new car practically drives itself, and it does things for the driver that it shouldn't need to do, such as traction control, stability control, tire pressure monitoring.
The reason I get nervous is this: we're getting to the point where a car is basically a large computer. Throttles are electronic and not mechanical anymore. Soon brakes will no longer be hydraulic, they will be wirelessly activated solenoid brakes controlled by a computer. Everybody knows a computer can glitch. For example, my mom bought a G35 sedan the first week they existed on the market. Her digital climate control started going insane and would turn on the heat by itself in the middle of summer, etc. What happens when your throttle goes haywire? What happens when your brakes go nuts? these are serious safety and security issues.
What happens when a thief can HACK into your car to steal it? Once bluetooth really takes off, somebody may be able to start your car with their cellphone. Doesn't that make you feel weird? Computers have always been hacked. Software is always broken and cracked. When cars become this integrated with computers, cars will be no different. A hacker will be able to disable a cars security system and start the car without even needing to hotwire it.
As I said, I have been a computer junkie for a long time. I went through my own hacking/cracking phase, I know how capable a lot of these kids are these days with a computer. BUT, as much as I love computers, it really scares me to think of how insecure and easy to manipulate they are. On my personal computer at home I could care less if somebody wants to break in and mess it up... I can completely restore all the data on my computer within minutes. But if somebody stole my car, now thats a totally different story!!
----------
1985 300ZX n/a