From: bretcahill@aol.com   
      
   There are other factors at work here.  In the late 19th Century and much of   
   the 20th Century they didn't always have the money or tools for more   
   sophisticated designs requiring more components so mechanical design relying   
   on dove tails, i.e, using the    
   rims of a bicycle wheel for the brakes instead of a dedicated disk rotor,   
   seemed justified.   
      
   This is in stark contrast to the way electronic design has always been:  Most   
   every component has always been for a single purpose.   
      
   As the electronics industry has mushroomed and taken over a lot of the tasks   
   of of machinery, i.e., electric motors vs engines -- there isn't much out   
   there more multi duty than crankcase oil --, etc., it may have induced a   
   psychological "follow the    
   leader/winner" effect on mechanical design as well.   
      
   Using hot radiator water to heat your motor vehicle may be one great   
   exception, but it now seems ignorant/backwards to not go with dedicated   
   solutions, certainly when they are cost effective.  The emphasis last century   
   on clever double duty solutions now    
   seems to be an almost rinky dink low brow distraction than something that   
   really served the needs of society.   
      
   Even the usefulness of cleverness in _any_ field now seems to be in doubt.   
      
   I mention this because there are a lot of low-hanging-fruit innovations in   
   many fields that were overlooked until now that should have been successful   
   decades ago.  Why?  Obviously design mentality has changed.  Engineering is   
   more arbitrary and    
   psychological than many think.   
      
   Some of this may be fallout from electronic design relying exclusively on   
   dedicated components.   
      
      
   Bret Cahill   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)