On the agenda today: Ukrainian Drone Technology and Ford Technology.

In our first segment, we discuss the latest technology Ukraine is using and how it's turning the tide of the war in its favor.

Following that, we visit the Ford Motor Company "Driving America Forward: A Ford Experience" presentation. Guest Ted Ryan joins us from the event floor.

William Sikkens, Bill Snodgrass, Gretchen Winkler

Welcome to

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User Friendly 2.0 with host Bill Sikkens.

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Technology architect.

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And this is User Friendly 2.0

I am your host Bill Sikkens.

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Joining me Gretchen.

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Bill welcome to this week's show.

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Hello. Hello.

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So we are in the process

for our American listeners,

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especially of celebrating America's

250th anniversary.

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The Independence Day

just happened last weekend for us,

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and we are lucky enough this week

to be able

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to look at some of the celebrations

that are going on with that

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being brought to us by Ford Motor Company

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and our next segment,

we're going to be going

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live to an exhibition they're doing

on their history of the automobile.

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So that's going to be kind of a fun one.

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We're also going to be talking Ukrainian

drones a little bit later in this segment.

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So let's go.

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Going to be another fun one.

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But before we all do

that let's go ahead and just jump in.

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What do we have new this week.

22

All right NASA's new horizon spacecraft

23

wakes from hibernation in good health.

24

So it's been in hibernation

for nearly a year.

25

Let me actually start

with the beginning of this a little bit.

26

To put it in the context,

this has been reported by NASA.

27

So the journey for horizon

28

So 20 years ago,

29

it considered the fastest

launch on record,

30

did a flyby of Jupiter

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Pluto in 2015, and has left

and actually gave us

32

our first actual image of something

33

Six since then, because I've been told

these distances are kind of vast,

34

it's more than a couple of clicks

to get from one end to the other.

35

They put the unit into hibernation,

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and there's always a concern

with these type of things, because when

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you lose contact to a remote computer,

which is basically what this is,

38

sometimes you don't get it back

unless everything goes right.

39

And doing a service call would require

the help of terrestrials on this.

40

So that being the case,

they might charge a big fee.

41

Well, the server I can imagine the service

called feeling something like that.

42

Right. So.

43

So anyway, everything went well.

44

It came out of hibernation.

45

And it's going to be interesting

to see what imagery and other details

46

we get back.

It's not just cameras on this.

47

There's all kinds of different instruments

that send back

48

different information, and it's an area

that we have not seen yet.

49

So this will be cool.

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Well is it call back to the 70s and 80s.

51

There's a satanic panic around

new Minions and monsters movie. Yes.

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So, you know, I look at this kind of stuff

and then I think, okay,

53

so somebody complaining about this,

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I sort of remember Harry Potter

55

and it was The Nightmare Before Christmas

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was another one that had controversies

like this, the Lucifer series.

57

And you're looking at a situation here

58

because what's happening

here is really not the movie.

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It's just how parents decide

what's appropriate for their children

60

and what gets focused on. Now.

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Obviously, parents completely

have the right to raise their children

62

in any way that they like,

63

as long as it's in line with the law

and you know all of that.

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And there are definitely

some people out there that would prefer

65

not to have their children

exposed to some of these themes,

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and that's all fine and well, it's

just interesting to me that what they're

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looking at here is something that has been

in a lot of different movies

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and a lot more focused in different movies

69

than this one, and this one seems

to be getting a lot more pushback.

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So specifically, what's going on here?

71

And what the concern is, is that

the movie contains references to magic

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spells, supernatural creatures,

love craft inspired creature.

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Yeah, love craft.

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And just which is a fictional, you know,

a guy who wrote fictional creepy stories?

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Yes. Yes, definitely.

76

But again, the point of it

is, is that might be the one component

77

that is kind of setting this one off

outside of some of the rest,

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although the rest did get pushed back to

that had some of these things.

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Critics argue that these elements

normalize occult ideas for young children.

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Supporters counter

that their fictional fantasy devices

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used for comedy,

not religious or ideological messages.

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And I think the answer here lies in to do

what you feel is right for your children.

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And if this is something

that you do not want them

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to be exposed to, then just make sure

that you have other things to do.

85

Then go and see this movie

or the other thing you could do.

86

If it really becomes a situation

where your kids want to see it,

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go see it first by yourself.

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Decide for yourself

what's in it, and then, you know,

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make your decision from there.

90

Yeah, I don't always trust movie

reviewers,

91

you know, like decide for myself.

92

Okay.

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And vacuum sold by Amazon, Walmart

94

and others recalled over fire risk.

95

So basically what's going on here?

96

And I'll get into the details in a moment.

97

It's as you said, we just had Amazon

Prime Day, which is one of the reasons why

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this is important.

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But this goes down to the battery.

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So it's a voluntary recall.

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There's about 3600 units that were sold.

102

The battery can overheat and ignite.

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And that's of course a bad thing.

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Lithium batteries are usually very safe,

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but if they're done wrong,

they can cause a lot of problems.

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And you'll get chemical fires

and different things like that.

107

We've heard stories

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because these are used

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in a lot of different things

from Samsung a number of years ago,

110

having their phones spontaneously combust

to other things that have happened,

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cars that use lithium batteries

like the EVs and stuff.

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So little powered skateboards. Yeah.

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Oh yeah. Well, everything,

you know, pretty much everything.

114

Gretchen, you and I are starting to work

with some drones.

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Those are lithium batteries.

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It's it's

because it's a good way to hold energy.

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They're pretty cheap to make,

and they last for a fairly long time.

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So from all of those

standpoints, it's great.

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But if one gets punctured or something

like that, or in the event like here

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where they're made wrong,

you can really have some problems.

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So it is something to be aware of.

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In this case, what you're looking at

is equipment that was sold between

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July of 2023 and January of 2026.

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They were sold for between 250 and $550.

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And as you said, retailers

like Amazon and Walmart,

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they also had a craft and barrel stores

and some other places.

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And basically what they're saying to

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do is remove the battery from the handle.

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The vacuum itself is not the problem.

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It's the battery.

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And then go ahead

and get those out of the house.

132

That's the first and foremost thing.

133

And then go to the company is to

if I'm saying that right.

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Roadway NTA yeah that's interesting.

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That's a and they'll tell you how to get

a new battery and get rid of the old.

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They make irons.

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What like, you know,

your iron your clothes into okay.

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Yeah okay I didn't know they made vacuum.

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I enforce them in the 1%

that I've never done housework.

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So I don't know anything

about iron or vacuum, so.

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Well, I like tires for when I did sewing.

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You know, it's it's a useful tool

if you want things to turn out right.

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I know just as a side

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that if you're ever curious,

there is like online resources.

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Plus if you go to those stores,

they usually have a bulletin board

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of recalls.

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Yes. For people who are interested.

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Yeah, that's

that would be one place to check it out.

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Find out if you're vacuum happens

to be one of the ones that's effective

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because the ones made after that

we're okay.

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But that doesn't mean

that you just bought one.

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And it wasn't one

that was in inventory for a while.

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So you do want to check.

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And like you say,

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that you can check the bulletin boards

and actually most bigger store websites.

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You can see that as well.

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I know at Walmart

it's in the customer service area.

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They all have them and the other options

that go to the manufacturer's website

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where you can punch in things

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like the serial number and find out, yeah,

if you're in all of that.

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Yeah.

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So anyway, but something to check out

because this is something

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you don't want to mess around with.

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Again,

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lithium batteries are usually very safe,

but there are circumstances

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where the potential

there is to really have a problem.

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And if something's done wrong,

you can have this kind of a situation.

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Yep. Want to live like a deep space

columnist for a year?

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NASA will pay you to do it.

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Yeah, this sounds interesting.

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I wonder if it'd be, like a year off.

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Probably not.

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Probably not.

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Because, you know,

I could use the sabbatical.

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All right, what do you have to be?

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Well, if you want to do this,

here are the requirements.

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You have to be aged between 30 and 55,

no taller than six foot two inches,

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and ready and willing to participate

in a mission for a total of 14

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months, of which 12

you'll be confined to the habitats.

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And this is an idea of trying to see

what it would be like to live off world.

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They're looking for people that have

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astronaut like qualifications,

is how NASA put it.

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So good qualifications will be likely

to have a degree like a PhD,

184

or extensive Stem experience

and or military experience,

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and probably not have a personality

like Sheldon Cooper.

186

I'm sorry.

187

All I can think of as Pauly Shore

and Biodome.

188

Yeah, those are both things from that.

189

I just thinking about the fact

I actually do meet this qualification.

190

So if I disappear for a year or report

191

from Mars, do you think that'd be okay?

192

No, I'd be kicked.

193

For those of you listening on our radio

only version,

194

I just got the look of death.

195

So anyway, we shall move on.

196

Because I'd have to take care

of your mother and my mother.

197

Yes. What's next in the news?

198

Well, something.

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Something a little more.

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Up our alley is Ukrainian drone pilot

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training program turned into video games.

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So anyone can feel

the rush of modern warfare.

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All right,

204

so this is something

that's kind of been interested.

205

And this is widely reported.

206

This particular report

comes from CBS news.

207

Archie Clark is the person who wrote this.

208

And what it comes down to is that Ukraine

209

has a piece of software

designed to train the drone pilots.

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That's nothing new.

211

Military resources

use this kind of technology

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for training, and not just with drones,

with all kinds of different things.

213

But in this particular case,

they've created a toned down version

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that doesn't contain the classified stuff,

basically, and are releasing it

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so that you can get on it and see what

it is to actually fly the drone storms.

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And I think this kind of a thing

could be really interesting.

217

Now, this is not interest game.

218

You're not actually going on and actually

flying real drones for Ukraine.

219

If you want to do that

there's several PMCs you can apply to.

220

But from the standpoint of anybody

221

just wanting to see what it is,

this is kind of cool.

222

It's available to buy online

for about $30, and has all of the ultra

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realistic physics and piloting controls

that are used to actually train

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Ukrainian drone pilots to seek out

and destroy the invaders tanks,

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the monsters, missile launchers

and the Russian troops.

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And no, I don't have an opinion on this.

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The full is available for free to all

members of Ukrainian Armed forces for use.

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I'm sure it is.

229

So let us know if this is something.

230

If you check it out,

let us know in the comments.

231

Because I'd love to see

how people feel about this.

232

And now that I know about it,

I'm going to check it out for myself.

233

User friendly Dot show is where you go

to ask questions and send comments.

234

We'd love to hear from you.

235

Well, do you have to have special

equipment to do it or just a computer?

236

It looks like

from what they're saying in here

237

is that it will run on most platforms now.

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It doesn't define

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it beyond that, but that would look like

it would include a PC or Mac, and there's

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probably a version for the consoles,

but it doesn't specifically say that.

241

So I'll do a little research into that

and see where we can run it.

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I was wondering if if if my Oculus,

if it were working again,

243

that would be interesting

if it would work on a VR headset.

244

You know, that's a good question.

245

All right. We've got some research to do.

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We'll figure it out and let you know.

247

Talking about interesting

248

things, why the French people are painting

chalk on their windows in the heat.

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Yeah.

250

When I first saw this, you're kind of

thinking, okay, you know, what is it?

251

What is it they're doing here? Reading.

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Reported by BBC.

Sophia Hardwick wrote this.

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And basically what's going on here is

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if you haven't heard, in France,

they're having a huge heat wave.

255

Most of Europe is.

And a bunch of people die.

256

A lot of people have died from it.

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And in a lot of European countries,

French be no exception.

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They don't have a lot of air conditioning,

not like in the United States or Canada.

259

So you have a situation here

where these heat waves used to be unusual,

260

and that's why.

261

So I know from my own standpoint,

I have a room in my house

262

that when we get hit with a lot of heat,

I was having problems.

263

So I put window tinting.

264

And I think what this is, is it's just

a low tech version of something like that.

265

It is you mix the chalk with the water

and it creates a haze over the window.

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White haze.

267

I mean, you're using white chalk

and from what everybody says, it

268

does seem to work.

269

Yeah.

270

Isn't there something in the chalks

ingredient that just

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basically reflects the sun's light away?

272

Yes.

273

Yeah. And the white color too.

274

I mean, you know, both you

275

you have all the things going there

that would reflect light.

276

So it does make sense

if it gets hot again.

277

I might have to try that here

and see how it works.

278

So I'm sure your HOA would have a tantrum.

279

I'm sure they would too,

but that's a whole nother topic.

280

Oh dear.

281

Nice low tech topic.

282

Microsoft to cut 3200

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jobs in X-Box restructuring.

284

Yeah so this is an interesting thing.

285

So Microsoft basically since Covid

a little bit before

286

started ramping up their X-Box division,

they acquired

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a number of studios including Activision

and Blizzard and others.

288

And we're trying to bring

a whole bunch of stuff in house now.

289

Microsoft does some things very well,

but it seems like breaking

290

into other areas that they're not normally

into outside of operating system

291

productivity software and online hosting,

that kind of thing.

292

Things like AI don't do too

well their phones.

293

Yeah, the Windows Phone.

294

Well, they tried to have their browser be

295

the one everybody used

and even including it in windows.

296

They got a good market share, but

it still wasn't quite what was expected.

297

So this isn't X-Box going away,

but it is a consolidation where they're

298

spending some of these studios off

and making some changes.

299

Where the question kind of comes down to

it is, is legacy hardware

300

what they're calling it

301

like a game console, something that we're

going to see going forward in the future.

302

Now, Sony just mentioned in a press

release

303

that they're going to discontinue

all physical media for the PlayStation.

304

So again, when you look at this

kind of a thing, is there still a need?

305

And I know

we've had this conversation here before,

306

and I know one of my things on

it is most of the stuff I do is on my PC.

307

I never did get a PS5.

308

I had a PS4, but I can pretty much run

everything I want on the computer.

309

So you know,

310

and with modern televisions with HDMI,

I can just plug it straight into my

311

big screen. So I have the same capability.

312

I can even use the Xbox

or the PlayStation controllers if I want.

313

So, you know,

everybody has their opinions on this

314

and that's all fine, but it is interesting

to see where this is going.

315

And 3200 employees

316

are the number

that are being affected by this laid off.

317

But again, like I say,

318

it isn't just Microsoft

for seeing it kind of across the board.

319

And a big part of

it is the amount of people

320

they hire

during Covid is starting to tone down.

321

So that's a bit of it to

322

the one

thing that's interesting with Microsoft is

323

this does not seem to be

AI replacing the workers.

324

So, you know, kind of a good question

is this mostly happen?

325

Did it say

whether it's mostly happening in the US

326

or is it like all over the world or.

327

Well, we're seeing this kind of trend

all over the world.

328

Okay.

329

X-Box primarily is in the United States.

330

I don't think it

all is in the United States, but

331

there are studios

all over the world that are downsizing.

332

It's not a unique thing

to Sony or Microsoft or anybody specific.

333

I just think that Microsoft is badly

334

mismanaged their systems for Xbox.

335

There are a lot of people

that would agree with you on that.

336

And, you know, so

let me ask this question.

337

Would you rather have one company

owning dozens of game studios

338

under one roof, or the industry,

or is the industry healthier

339

with smaller independent studios

when they compete and innovate?

340

I think there's a kind of, in my opinion,

an obvious answer to that,

341

although there is an argument

for both sides of that coin, and

342

I would like all of the equipment

to be the same.

343

But I like to have different artists

creating the software

344

that runs on

like if the is standard, right.

345

You know, and not saying that everybody

one person makes the equipment.

346

But if there was like standards, you know,

like and this is one of the inputs,

347

like an X-Box or a PlayStation

or even a mac is

348

the developers are developing

for one specific set of hardware,

349

and it does make it easier

because you can target specific things.

350

And from that standpoint, you can have

a computer that has the same power

351

and capability as a PlayStation five or,

you know, or modern Xbox or whatever,

352

but get more from the game console

353

because you're able

to specifically target certain things

354

and know that everybody that's using

it has that capability to run it.

355

So there is an argument for that.

356

But to your question, Bill,

I think it's actually statistically shown

357

that when there's consolidation

like EA or things like that, it

358

screws up everything.

359

It destroys games, it destroys creativity,

360

and it really does destroy the market.

361

Yeah, I think that there, there,

362

the influx of indie studios

that has happened

363

since Covid has really helped

revitalize it on the lower end.

364

It, while showing that AA gaming

has stagnated.

365

In that sense,

that's basically the way I feel too.

366

I think the one argument from the those

that would say that the consolidation is

367

good is the fact that Triple-A games cost

hundreds of millions of dollars

368

to develop now, and hard

not to crack for any studio.

369

But that being said, and Bill, like you

just said, there's a lot of amazing games

370

that have come out in recent years

that are not under that header,

371

that are just as good in my opinion.

372

So yeah, I think having a variety

of creative groups is is a good thing.

373

So it seems like innovation

always does come from that type of thing.

374

When more people are involved,

375

if you don't have to compete,

you don't have to innovate.

376

So things do stagnate.

377

And I think that's what we're seeing

with a lot of the Triple-A games, like

378

like you just said. So yeah.

379

All right.

380

Well, speaking of such things,

381

we were just talking about the software

where you can fly Ukrainian

382

drones, and we've had a lot of questions

on this topic.

383

So I've done a little research

to see what's going on here.

384

Because if you're following

the news recently, the tide of the war.

385

Excuse me, special

military operation has changed a lot

386

in Ukraine's favor this year.

387

And as a result of that, it's interesting

to look at and see why.

388

And drones

are basically the reason for that.

389

So classic warfare is based on the idea

of you either attack with things

390

like missiles or tanks or whatever,

and you defend in a lot of ways

391

with the same thing.

392

And these systems are not designed

for a 50 pound small airplane

393

that flies at under 90 miles

an hour to target.

394

It's like using your supersonic jet

to swat a fly, and that's a problem.

395

So the countermeasures

that are taken towards drones are things

396

like blocking the GPS signal or blocking

397

the ability to fly it by the pilot,

and that type of a thing.

398

And this is where

399

the innovation in Ukraine has been

quite amazing to make these things happen.

400

And some of what's going on here

is really kind of cool.

401

There's a fiber optic drone that somehow,

and I do not know how this works, has

402

a fiber optic cable

that is literally connected to it

403

while it's flying back to its base

station.

404

That's weird.

And obviously you can't jam that.

405

There's a physical connection

406

between the drone and the pilot,

and these are hitting targets far away.

407

I mean, you know,

408

so that's a long fiber optic cable,

however that's actually working.

409

But you have other things

to wear with things like what

410

Gretchen, you would call mechanical

AI and stuff.

411

You can build the targeting system

into the drones brain.

412

So you launch it

and it's able to figure out where it is

413

based on what's on the ground,

using things as elements to be able

414

to figure out navigation

and that type of stuff so that if the

415

drone does not have GPS capability,

it doesn't matter, it doesn't need it.

416

And what they'll do is they'll take these

drones, send them out in swarms,

417

have some decoys, so that what's happening

is that the Russians will fire a missile

418

that's $100,000 or more in a lot of cases,

the or more against a drone

419

that costs maybe $55,000 to manufacture,

if not a lot less.

420

So the idea is to waste that ammunition,

and then what ends up happening

421

is the rest of the swarm that's sent in

will usually hit its target.

422

And this is starting to cause problems

because they're hitting targets

423

as far away as Moscow and Saint

424

Petersburg and stuff that were considered

originally to be untouchable.

425

So that is an interesting thing.

426

And Russia is having a huge fuel shortage

as a result of that right now.

427

Now, while Ukraine will not attack

civilian targets, Russia will,

428

but Ukraine will not.

429

What they are doing is targeting things

like the oil refineries

430

and other infrastructure

431

that's being used for the military

and doing quite well at it,

432

and go on YouTube and search for something

like fights at Russian gas stations.

433

It's kind of amusing to see how people are

434

attacking each other in things

when they can't get fuel.

435

Some guy brought a gas can

and that almost sparked a riot.

436

Again, you know, kind of amusing to see.

437

So it is interesting to see where

these kind of technology is.

438

I love drones myself.

439

I have a lot of fun with them. Gretchen,

you just got your certification.

440

So we're going to go out and fly

some basic ones here pretty soon.

441

But the technology

is really being developed

442

and there's not a lot of countermeasures

for them yet.

443

All right.

444

This is user friendly 2.0.

445

We'll be back after the break.

446

He's from the future.

447

He's got a really big computer

448

and uses it uses it every day.

449

And he uses it uses it in every way.

450

What she uses for you know, I'm

not that sure because he's in here.

451

Welcome back.

452

This is user friendly 2.0.

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so check it out.

464

So we talked about in the first segment

a little bit, America 250

465

is celebrating 250 years of independence,

and Ford Motor Company

466

has put on a presentation

that is really kind of cool.

467

And joining us

now is Ted Ryan with Ford Motor Company.

468

And it's going to tell us a little bit

469

about what they're doing

and how you can check it out.

470

All right.

471

So let's dive right in.

472

What is driving America forward

and what can visitors expect

473

when they walk into Union Station?

474

Absolutely.

475

This is a really cool

display here in Washington, D.C.

476

basically, our nation's front door

right at Union Station, where there's ten

477

different vehicles on display

478

that represent the way America

and the automobile have developed

479

as basically half of the country's

250th birthday.

480

We've had an automobile on the road,

and many of them were Fords.

481

And a lot of those really cool beats

in our history are here on display,

482

public free

public display until July 14th.

483

So why did Ford decide

to create this experience now

484

ahead of America's

250th anniversary celebration?

485

You know, I think it's a really great way

to to help amplify

486

the many ways we can celebrate our history

and our heritage.

487

And the automobile really

brings us all together, knits us together,

488

you know, one of America's most like,

impactful aspects of our history

489

is the car, how it shaped our cities,

our roadways, motor sports, you name it.

490

Automobile has been there

for so much of our history.

491

It's really a fun way to interact

with that and celebrate America's 250.

492

What's the

493

one vehicle visitors

absolutely need to see?

494

Well,

there's a really special Mustang here.

495

So as you might know,

the Mustang was revealed in April 17th,

496

1964 at the World's Fair at that time.

497

And so one of the Mustangs

498

but it was there at the World's Fair.

499

The visitors got to ride in and helped

launch the mark that has become such

500

an important part of American history.

501

So do you have a favorite artifact

in the collection?

502

Well, I mean, that Mustang is

is certainly up there.

503

There's also a 1927 model T

that was part, part

504

of the the revolution of the model

T that really put America on wheels.

505

This is the last model T ever built,

ceremonially driven

506

off the assembly line by Henry and Edsel

507

kind of an end of an era

as as Ford began to develop the model

508

A, so really an important aspect

of our history that put America on wheels.

509

So families

are traveling for the 4th of July.

510

Why should they add this

stop to their family plans?

511

Absolutely.

512

If you're coming out over to DC,

you know, to celebrate the 4th of July,

513

to celebrate American history, you know,

there's all sorts of amazing museums here

514

that are free and open to the public,

all the Smithsonian Institution's.

515

But you're probably going to make a stop

in Union Station.

516

Beat the heat.

517

You know, it's very warm

here in DC this week.

518

You know, come see learn a little bit

about American history while you're here

519

learning about other aspects

of the country's history.

520

This exhibit celebrates the past.

521

But what does it say about Ford's future?

522

You know,

I think it's all about embodying

523

that passion and innovation

and celebrating that.

524

Moving on.

525

Whether it's motorsports

or personal personal mobility,

526

there's a lot of lessons

we can learn from the past.

527

You know, how much devotion and care

went into creating these vehicles,

528

and you know how it intertwined

with American history and our culture.

529

All right.

530

Great Union Station,

until I think you said July 14th.

531

July 14th. That's right. Absolutely.

532

Is there a website or anything

people can go to to get more information?

533

Yeah.

534

Check out Ford from the road

or from the road. Com.

535

Yep. All right.

536

That works great.

537

Thank you so much for joining us today.

538

So that's something really cool.

You can still check it out.

539

It's closing in a couple of days.

540

But if you're in the area have a look

and take us user friendly show.

541

Let us know what you think of it.

542

You know, vehicle technology,

like anything else, has evolved

543

and we have seen a huge difference

in transportation

544

over the past

100 years, 250 years, certainly.

545

And when things started looking back

546

at the beginning of this,

people were getting around on horses.

547

So today you think of transportation.

548

What's coming next?

549

Electric vehicles,

something we've talked about self-driving

550

cars, artificial intelligence,

all that kind of stuff.

551

But there's a lot more to it

than just these things.

552

And you look at engineering,

manufacturing, safety, communication

553

and really how technology

has changed quality of life.

554

And there's good and bads

to all of this type of a thing of big

555

part of the adoption or want to be

adoption of electric vehicles is due to

556

the fact that these things cause pollution

and that kind of stuff.

557

But on the flip side of it is, as we're

getting those things under control,

558

what this has done for the modern world

is really, really kind of cool.

559

So again,

before the automobile transportation

560

is kind of been the same thing

for thousands of years,

561

how did many people get to

where they're going?

562

Well, they walked that was the primary

mode of transportation.

563

Horseback were strong wagons.

564

If you had the money

for such a thing, and then a

565

bicycle turn century.

566

Yeah. Empowered railroads.

567

That was another one that was in that era.

568

Railroads were kind of the first

mechanized, long term thing that you could

569

do. But when you think about a trip today

that takes 20 minutes

570

could easily consume an entire day.

571

So speaking of that,

from the Pacific Northwest,

572

you look at some of the history,

and there's the city of Portland

573

and nearby

there's a city called Oregon City,

574

which for a while

was the capital of Oregon.

575

And today you get on Interstate

five or Interstate 205,

576

and if you don't have bad traffic,

you can be from downtown of one to the

577

downtown or the other in like 20 minutes

and give or take, right?

578

If the traffic is good.

579

The good you have, the traffic is bad.

580

It takes a little longer.

581

But even if it took an hour

because you had bad traffic

582

and we're driving at 5:00 back

not so long ago, that trip.

583

And you look at some of the history

of these things and logs and other stuff

584

is if you needed to travel to Portland,

it would be a day to get there.

585

From Oregon City, you would book a hotel

for at least one night.

586

You usually also didn't have an arrival

time.

587

Like you tell somebody,

now I'm going to be there at 4:00.

588

No, it's just I'll be there tomorrow

at some point because you didn't know,

589

you know,

and you would get in and do your business

590

and be there

for however long you needed to be there.

591

And then the same thing going back.

592

So and lacking things

like modern communication

593

and all the rest of it, that was.

594

And you also had to consider

that if you were doing a horse

595

or horse and buggy,

you had to find a place like a stable.

596

Yeah.

597

To put your animal in your buggy,

you know, food,

598

veterinary care, stables,

you know, all that kind of stuff.

599

And the other thing of it

is, is horse waste.

600

It had become a sanitation problem.

601

That was an issue

602

so late.

603

1800s is where automobiles started

and interested experimenting

604

with horseless carriage

with different technologies.

605

Some were powered by steam,

others used electricity.

606

So electric cars

isn't actually that new of a thing.

607

Way we do it now is.

608

The batteries weren't there yet,

but they had electric cars.

609

But ultimately

610

gasoline engines were adopted

because the fuel could be stored

611

efficiently and offered longer

driving range.

612

As your fuel tank was on your vehicle,

you didn't have to recharge it.

613

It's still a problem today in some ways.

614

Yeah.

615

You know, but in the day,

early automobiles were impractical.

616

They were expensive,

difficult to maintain.

617

You had to practically be a mechanic

yourself to even start the thing.

618

You know,

reliability was always a question.

619

They were almost always built by hand.

620

And that's

where when you look at the technology

621

and the people of our interview

today, Ford came into place.

622

I thought it'd be interesting

623

to look at the background

of this kind of thing,

624

because it is an interesting story

where this comes from.

625

Henry Ford,

founder of Ford, made a lot of changes,

626

and I say changes because he was

not the inventor of the automobile.

627

No, but what he did do was created

a system that made automobiles affordable.

628

Quote from Henry Ford is to build

something that is stable, of

629

good build quality that anybody

making a normal income could afford.

630

So I have a question. I'm

going to interrupt you.

631

Where was the automobile invented?

632

Was it Germany?

633

Well, ask me a question like that.

634

I'll answer that. No.

635

Oh, okay.

636

That's a good question.

637

Where was the mobile eventually?

638

You know, while we're talking here,

one of you could look on the internet

639

and find the answer to that question.

640

Not that we do

things like that around here.

641

Sorry to throw a monkey wrench in your or

642

or a, I don't know, a tire in your path.

643

Let me figure that out.

644

It was time.

645

Germany by Karl Benz in 1885. Karl

646

like as a Mercedes Benz. Yeah.

647

Okay. Yes.

648

Okay. There's the answer

to your question, Gretchen.

649

Thank you for that.

650

Now, what I can tell you is in 1908, Ford

introduced the model

651

T, which was their first production

automobile

652

that was not invented in Germany

or anywhere else.

653

No car was durable, easy to repair,

and well suited for America's rough roads.

654

And that was a big thing because there

wasn't the interstate system at that time.

655

And you drove around

and it was, you know, an experience.

656

And the Ford vehicles

a little more, less luxury.

657

So they were more practical

and affordable.

658

Yeah, they were designed for that.

It wasn't. Yeah.

659

You know, with all the stuff on it.

660

And the one thing

that did make the big difference,

661

and this is something Ford came up with

was the assembly line.

662

So previously

a lot of this stuff was built by hand.

663

In fact, all of it was built by hand.

664

But bringing in the assembly line

and allowing

665

workers on that assembly line to have one

specialized task they were trained for.

666

And having it moved down

667

that line created modern manufacturing,

and not just for cars.

668

And the impact of this caused

the time required to build the model T,

669

it was reduced dramatically.

670

Production costs fell,

which means prices dropped.

671

And that's how an average working family

could now afford an automobile.

672

And like I say, it

transformed manufacturing, not just cars.

673

So today when we look at a modern whatever

it is, you go by a refrigerator or

674

an airplane even, or something like that,

it's probably done on an assembly line.

675

My understanding is jet

suits are still handmade, but,

676

you know, someday

that might change to an assembly line too.

677

We'll see.

678

But it is definitely

one of the most influential

679

industrial innovations

of the 20th century.

680

It things wouldn't work

the way that they did.

681

Now, the other thing

that Ford did at the time, boy,

682

this is a difference between that

and modern companies in a lot of cases

683

is he dramatically increased workers pay.

684

So in 1914,

the company introduced the famous

685

$5 workday, which at that time was double

the average wage.

686

Just to give you an idea of comparison.

687

So you could go here

and this would reduce turnover.

688

It attracted skilled labors,

689

created the middle class that could afford

things was kind of a good idea.

690

And again, I would recommend that

a lot of modern businesses

691

maybe should think about looking at it

from this standpoint again,

692

because I know as a business owner,

turnover

693

costs are one of the biggest things

that can really hurt.

694

You have to retrain people

and find good people.

695

Yeah. So pay them well. Keep them.

696

You know, some of the things that came out

of this is communities expanded.

697

We got suburbs later,

we got malls and things like that.

698

Roadside restaurants, you know,

things like route 66 came into being

699

hotels and hotels, places

to stop all kinds of new businesses.

700

And economic growth happened

because people were able to do this.

701

But now think about difference here

in the very original cars like the model

702

T, and for some reason, my Toyota

703

No heater, might not have a heater,

no air conditioning, no radio,

704

no power steering,

no automatic transmission.

705

It was different.

706

But of course you didn't have to pay

for all that either, you know?

707

Yeah.

708

So it just was a different thing.

709

So what came out of that?

710

Well, you know, development

of any other kind of technology,

711

you got your automatic transmission, power

brakes, power steering,

712

cruise control,

steering was a really big deal.

713

Yeah.

714

You know,

715

electric locks, power windows, you know,

and all of these different things.

716

But one of the things that we've talked

717

about in the show on the past

718

and I think we touched it again,

since the average transaction price

719

in the United States for a new vehicle

hit $50,000.

720

And that's a problem

because that's not a number.

721

Most families making,

you know, middle class wages can afford.

722

And a big part of this

723

is because of all of these additional

things that you have on them.

724

Now, all of that costs money.

725

And the idea that Henry Ford

had was make something

726

that people could have access to.

727

If you make it too good.

728

Yeah, it's a luxury thing.

729

But so what if you can't get it,

it might as well not exist.

730

You know,

731

that's where the folks wagon came in.

732

Yeah, yeah. Was supposed to be the car.

733

Now I'd have to look at them.

734

That's trying to make a truck.

That's very basic.

735

We're hitting a price point

of about $25,000.

736

And this just goes

to show where inflation's at.

737

But this truck would run.

738

But again it's a manual transmission.

739

It doesn't have a radio

that kind of thing

740

I think it might have to have an Am radio.

741

But you have to have an Am radio.

742

And you have to have a heater

743

so that you can defrost your windshield

outside of the basics.

744

Yeah.

745

Now one thing that has developed over

time is safety.

746

And this is, I think, a good thing.

747

We have, you know, things like seatbelts,

collapsible steering columns.

748

That was a big thing in the 70s

and before.

749

The steering column was a rod.

750

And the one of my Toyotas like this.

751

So if you get hit, you get impaled.

752

If you get hit the right way

because that thing just goes through you.

753

Oh, modern cars

that will crumple crumple zones.

754

Being a part of that to anti-lock brakes,

that's a big safety thing.

755

Airbags.

756

There's some arguments on that,

but we see that.

757

And then you get on

758

to things like electronic stability

control, traction control, backup cameras,

759

blind spot monitoring, emergency braking,

which I have my issues with,

760

you know, so some of these things are,

I think, a big improvement.

761

Seat belts is a, for

example, have saved a lot of lives.

762

There's no question about that.

763

Anti lock brakes.

764

You hit your brakes and the brakes

don't lock up and you start skidding.

765

You know that's kind of nice.

766

Automatic emergency braking on paper

767

I could see where that's a big thing

I know Gretchen,

768

you were involved with this

when we had a rental truck.

769

And because your driveway was on a hill,

every time we would back out,

770

the thing would take up the hill

771

on the driveway, and all of a sudden,

the thing would lurch to a stop.

772

I was pretty intense. It was awful. Yeah.

773

You know, so

some of that still needs to be developed.

774

Fortunately,

there was an off button, you know,

775

and you look at fast forward to 2026,

modern vehicles

776

are monitoring things

like wheel speeds during angle braking,

777

pressure, acceleration,

surrounding traffic in some cases.

778

So the car can react

before the driver does.

779

And this I like the the little lights

on the rear view the side mirrors.

780

Yeah you know that pop up

and let you know that there's somebody,

781

you know being stupid

and driving in your blind spot.

782

Yeah I like that.

783

Those kind of things are good, I think.

784

Stuff that warns the driver.

785

I'm all for that now.

786

Stuff that takes control from the driver.

787

I still have a little bit of an issue

with that.

788

If I knew that it would work all the time

in the way you were expecting it to.

789

But if you have, you know,

790

machinery can have problems, even if it's

designed well and put together

791

right, stuff can break down and, you know,

that can create some kind of problems.

792

So and this is some of the things

that we're looking at now

793

again, in 2026, computers have taken over

like anything else.

794

We have things like electronic fuel

injection, computer controlled

795

ignition sensors

monitor about everything in the car.

796

And the one problem with that is

797

is on your model T, or even my early 80s

truck and bill, I know you do

798

mechanical work of your own to

all of these things are fixable now.

799

Well, I'm going to ask you

800

because you're the most experienced

in this stuff out of any of us here.

801

If you were to look at a 2026 truck,

whatever model

802

that would be,

do you think you'd be able to repair it?

803

Parts of it.

804

But a lot of it requires having the

805

OBD or whatever they use now,

806

system reader, to be able

to even diagnose what the problem is,

807

because there's so many sensors

that are going to

808

tell you this and that, and half of them

usually tend to go out still.

809

So it's a mess nowadays.

810

Yeah,

811

I think that's why people like the older,

the people who like to do their own work,

812

they really like the older vehicles

813

because everything

is very straightforward, you know.

814

Yeah. Would you agree with that?

815

Not only is it more straightforward,

it is accessible.

816

The older you get the more accessible

vehicle is.

817

To be honest,

working on my 67 was a comparatively a.

818

Just the easiest thing ever

819

compared to working on my 2005.

820

One of the issues that you run into

with that, too,

821

is not only the fact that in addition

to being skilled as a mechanic,

822

you also have to be skilled in electronics

because so much of it is built that way.

823

Is a lot of the proprietary parts now?

824

Not so much with Ford, they've got some,

but there are other vehicle manufacturers

825

out there, electric vehicle manufacturers

specifically, that are building things

826

in such a way that it will actually lock

you out of the computer and Rick the car.

827

If you start trying

to do things on your own.

828

And that is an area that I really do

have a problem with.

829

Yeah.

830

You know,

831

and just as an aside,

as someone that works on electronics,

832

I run into stuff

with a lot of newer equipment.

833

I was fixing a drill the other day,

and the drill

834

has MOSFETs in it, which turned the motors

on and off and control all of that.

835

Those are pretty straightforward,

but then it has a microprocessor,

836

and the microprocessor on this particular

one had shorted out and burned out.

837

Okay.

838

So it needs a new microprocessor

that for somebody that does

839

electronics is not that difficult

to do its surface mount.

840

You have to have the skill to do it.

841

It is a lot more complicated,

but it is doable.

842

But what made it impossible for me to fix

it is that microprocessor has a program

843

that makes it work in that drill,

and you cannot get the software.

844

The company would not release it

outside of that.

845

So you could replace the component

all you want, but without the software

846

to run it that's embedded,

it's just going to sit there.

847

Let me guess.

848

The company won't sell you

the microprocessor with the green stuff.

849

That's correct. Yeah.

850

And they claim

intellectual property for it.

851

And so so now your drill

852

is garbage, basically.

853

Yeah.

854

Because you can't that's that's terrible.

855

So now in this particular case, they did

856

I have to say

since we're talking about this,

857

it was still under warranty and they are

repairing it under warranty for me.

858

Even though I took it apart, I didn't know

it was under warranty at the time, but

859

even so, it still prevents the end user

the freedom to repair their own equipment.

860

And you know that kind of a thing.

861

And, you know, going a little bit of what

what happens

862

if you're in the middle of nowhere

and you are a person who is knowledgeable

863

and you could fix your car or repair

whatever's wrong if it's an easy fix

864

and then have the machine brick you.

865

Well that's terrible.

866

Yeah, well, it's called John Deere.

867

And how they like to handle their tractors

up until recently.

868

Yeah, yeah,

869

that was

870

that was exactly

what I was going to bring up

871

because you have a situation

872

John Deere is one of the most

873

controversial manufacturers

because they do.

874

This is farmers

and people in those type of industries

875

like you say, Gretchen, don't

you know, something breaks down.

876

You can't just go to the dealership.

877

You're out in

the, you know, your arm. It's

878

nowhere.

879

You know,

when you're dealing with a situation

880

where the farmer is quite capable

of repairing their own equipment,

881

except they can't because

of these kind of limitations.

882

And you have something we've talked

about before, a situation

883

where that kind of an industry you have to

harvest as a, for example, in a window.

884

And if your breaks down and, well,

we can't fix it for a few weeks

885

or we'll get around to it and we can

I can screw up your entire year's product.

886

So if you if you want to break into the

the tractor industry,

887

you develop a tractor that the farmers

888

can fix on their own

and make sure they all know

889

that you're allowed to fix it,

and you'll support them with the

890

with the parts

you'll take over the tractor industry.

891

Yeah, probably would be the case.

892

Of course, having the money

to put together

893

your own tractor company would be a

an interesting thing to try to do.

894

But a lot of tractors back in the day

before that came with their manuals

895

and not not just a manual of like

how to operate it.

896

I mean, a manual of the breakdown,

the part requirements, the part numbers,

897

how to fix it.

898

Yeah, I remember the older car

manuals had more descriptions in them to,

899

you know, this is a fairly recent change

because I even like my motor

900

dome pinball machine,

which I complain about periodically.

901

The stuff that came with at the

documentation includes a full schematic,

902

a full parts list, and the ability

to get the comparison parts

903

for modern day replacements.

904

And everything in their including

the microprocessors are still obtainable

905

and you can replace them.

906

And they do use what it's called ROM code

or the code to run the microprocessor,

907

but it's in those cases on a separate chip

that you can program.

908

If you have the equipment

and you can get access to it.

909

And in the case of the motor

dome, it's provided by the manufacturer.

910

I can go to their website

and download the code.

911

But that was made in the 80s, you know,

so it's a difference in attitude.

912

And one of the reasons for that is because

especially with things like automobiles,

913

a big part of the money

that's made by the dealerships

914

and so on is the repairs, in some cases

more so than the sales.

915

So if you have a situation

where you have to go back

916

and have it repaired at a shop,

917

you know, that's kind of a problem there.

918

And while it

919

seems like every automobile manufacturer

and some extent is doing this,

920

there are some that are doing it

less Mazdas.

921

One Ford is one, you know,

so you still have proprietary things

922

and that kind of stuff.

923

But if you have an F-150, it's

actually easier

924

to work on than some other trucks

that are on the market,

925

especially things like the

what was it, Nissan,

926

I want to say frontier or something

like that.

927

They've discontinued it now, but

928

it was a situation for my understanding,

and this is not firsthand.

929

I have a

I have a rogue, which is a similar system

930

and did have some of the similar things,

though, is that, well, you could go

931

do a great job or,

you know, change the oil, stuff like that.

932

If you had to go into

any of the control systems,

933

it was very difficult to be able

to get things back and up and online.

934

And I had a ECM, which is a control

unit in the Nissan Fail, and they wanted

935

like $1,000 for this thing,

a little, you know, computer with board.

936

So I'm sitting there going,

okay, I pulled it out, reflow the solder,

937

and it started working again,

which was kind of cool.

938

But the thing of it is,

is if it was a problem

939

with that component that a piece of it

had been burned out or something.

940

There's no other way to get it

than to replace it.

941

And I'm lucky that I can get the component

and put it in myself.

942

And there's also this

you said you you read something.

943

How many people can do that?

944

You're not going to have a lot of people

raising their hand.

945

Yeah.

946

So you could have a car repair

947

that is a deal breaker

that you are now stuck without a vehicle.

948

And what are you going to do?

How do you get to work?

949

How do you buy groceries?

950

How do you go to take your kids

to the doctor or school?

951

You're up a creek.

952

Well, send us your questions

and your comments.

953

User friendly dot show is the place

to stop on that until next week.

954

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955

Keeping you safe on the cutting edge.

956

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957

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958

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959

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960

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961

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962

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963

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