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TMI - Too Much Information in the digital age

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by NYCAP123, Oct 5, 2020.

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  1. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    It s a fine line between TMI and usefulness. Detailed data like what we get on modern engines can be great to spot trends and diagnose issues. If you know how to interpret the data which I Don’t think most casual owners are able to
  2. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    I use gizmos for what I don't have the name on the tip of my tongue for or when there's several items in the category and naming them all individually would be laborious and unnecessary, and some might grab on one used as only an example and drag the conversation off topic. You knew exactly what I was referring to as I knew you would. Trucks, tractors, motorcycles, boats; it's the same issue with almost everything motorized or electronic. TMI. Manufacturers have complicated what didn't need to be complicated to create a need for the solutions they want to sell. And there are constant changes. I remember J writing about the Chart plotters, radars and sounders he doesn't like to use cause you have to scroll through so many menus to get what you want. The topic is the same. TMI makes it less user friendly and drives up prices.
  3. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    Only drunks find drunks fun and entertaining. And you obviously find this "bitter old New Yorker" entertaining or else you wouldn't continually engage him.
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2020
  4. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    Exactly. I happen to love detail and data. Most people just want to enjoy their boat, and to be able to afford it.
  5. Oscarvan

    Oscarvan Senior Member

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    For years I was the funniest guy at the party, just ask my lovely bride...... And as a Dutchman I have very little ground to stand on criticising New Yorkers for their directness. :D I just feel that slinging mud on a forum is like pissing into the wind.......

    And since we've talked about marine, truck and farm equipment I will now broaden the scope of the discussion by throwing in aircraft engines. I started with JT8D's which at the end of the last century required a very expensive hush kit to meet increasingly restrictive noise standards and were thus phased out. But, not unlike my DD's they (usually) ran as long as they had fuel, air and lubrication.The Rolls Royce RB211's and GE CF6's I ran for the latter part of my career were much more powerful and quiet. And they had electronic controls that allowed much increased efficiency and sophisticated maintenance programs. And I welcomed all the information they gave me, as I had a much better eye on what they were doing.

    But when the gremlins got loose I just called maintenance and packed my bag. Or maintenance would just show up and kick me off because the engine had talked to them in flight (it did so every so many minutes) and told them it had an issue. I guess I would like a more sophisticated engine in my Hatt if I had the budget to pay for an engineer. But again since it's me and my Craftsman tools I like their relative simplicity.

    And they just sound nice in a Harley sort of way. I am probably the last generation that will legally be allowed to make some noise and burn fossil fuels with reckless abandon.....Might as well enjoy it.
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2020
  6. NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    I learned early in life that turning the other cheek tends to leave one with two bruised cheeks. Plus when someone tries to be a bully or smartass it's just fun to smack them down. (NY state of mind) As for the Harley noise, you couldn't get me to own a new Harley if you gave it to me free. They sound like Hondas. I'll keep my '04.:cool: As for the advancements, if you can afford to have an engineer and professional captain on board it's great. If you have a commercial operation it's necessary. But if you're a regular guy or girl who just wants to enjoy their 20 y.o. 40 footer it's just expensive things to break down with a too steep learning curve for most people who work land jobs 6 days a week to understand. One thing I've learned about boaters is that if it's inconvenient, too complicated or too expensive they just won't buy in. Soon all these boats that people keep for 3 years will be those 20 y.o. boats and the market for them will be small because what weekend boater wants to spend his weekends reading manuals or paying someone to figure out if something is wrong or it's just a sensor failure, and then the sensor costs them what they had put aside from their budget for fuel. What happens when the guy who owns that 20 y.o. 40' boat wants to move up but can't find a buyer for his old boat? There's now someone who can't sell his 50'. Now that won't ever move up to the guys with the 100'+ cause they'll just scrap their old one for a tax write off, but there's a whole industry below them that will suffer when boating becomes not worth the trouble and expense.
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