Re: Historic gasoline prices, 1965-1978

In article <43093af2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Christina Peterson" <tinapetrsn@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>Now, I know I'm telling the truth,

No, actually, you *don't* know that. You *believe* you're telling the truth.
And I've never questioned your sincerity. But, since, by your own admission,
you are neither a scientist nor a mechanic, you are not competent to tell the
difference between truth and flim-flam in this field. And that's what I've
been trying to get across to you.

You've been taken in by a con man, dear. I'm sorry. But that's the way it is.

[snip]

>I'm not ashamed of my ignorance about engines and motors.

Nor should you be. But you *should* be ashamed of permitting your ignorance to
be taken advantage of.

>Nobody knows
>everything. But that I don't know what you know, doesn't mean I can't know
>something you don't know. This is new and very different. Can't you even
>acknowledge that it might be true? That there might be something you don't
>know?

Certainly I'll acknowledge that there might be something I don't know. There
are *many* things that I don't know.

However, the way automobile engines work is not in the category of things I
don't know. That's in the category of things I know very well. Well enough to
tear down and rebuild a V-8 engine that seized up for lack of oil (my son's
fault, but that's another story). He drives that vehicle daily now.

And I can tell you with absolute certainty that:
a) There is no such thing as a "variable compression ratio carburetor", nor
can there be. Compression ratio is a function of cylinder size and piston
stroke length. It has *nothing* whatsoever to do with the carburetor.
b) Nearly all vehicles manufactured in the last ten years or so don't have
carburetors anyway. Fuel injection is *much* more efficient.
c) There isn't any such thing as a "two-cycle four stroke" engine either. If
an engine is two-cycle, it isn't four-cycle (synonymous with four stroke), and
vice versa. The two are mutually exclusive. It simply can't be both.

>Don't you at least think it would be nice if I were right?

It would be nice if money grew on trees, too, but it doesn't. And you're
wrong. Sincerely wrong, I'm sure, but wrong nonetheless.

>Can't you at least wish me luck?

No. The only thing I can wish you luck at is getting your money back from
Walter the Con Man.

>After all, what if I am right? I'm very used to people
>(master mechanics more than any others) not understanding this.

No, what you're used to is master mechanics saying the same thing I am: that
this is a load of baloney.

>Walter is
>used to people needing to be convinced and watching the light dawn.

Uh-huh.
>
>I did invest in this. Not a lot and not recently (it was before my husband
>and I both became disabled). But that's not the point.

Actually, that is *exactly* the point. Because you have money invested in this
scam, you can't bring yourself to doubt what you've been told by Walter the
Con Man. To do so would mean acknowledging to yourself that your ignorance of
mechanics, science, and engineering has permitted you to be duped by a con
artist who speaks in fancy technical-sounding phrases -- phrases that are
immediately detected as nonsense by someone who *is* knowledgeable in those
areas.
>
>I do find this exciting. And I do believe in the joy of sharing excitement.
>That's all.

Thanks, but I think I'll pass. I prefer to get my excitement in other ways,
that have a lower price both in dollars and in self-respect.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.
.

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