Withdrawal symptoms, cylinder index, CPU index?

[Mike Arman]

I'm having withdrawal symptoms - Cody Forbes came and picked up my *entire* 
collection of five cylinder Audi cars and parts (well one car is still 
here, he has to make two trips, there is just *so* much you can put on a 
trailer, into the cars and into the bed of a dually . . . )

I was amazed at the quantity and quality of the stuff - NOS parts, hard to 
find stuff, all labeled, annotated and boxed, right down to what section of 
the Bentley covers it, reconditioned subassemblies ready to be installed, 
and all of a sudden I have ROOM in my garage, side and back yards, and can 
mow, trim, and generally move stuff around now . . .

I have not left the Audi fold - I still have (and am keeping) the V8 - and 
now I have room to accumulate goodies for it!!

My cylinder index, however, took a hit - down 13 points (yes, I know 13 
isn't divisible by five - he also got a Subaru Justy engine which I was 
going to convert to power a generator "someday"), and that moves me from 
"master of motors" down to "dilettante", and I don't like that. Somehow I 
don't think buying a V-12 Jag to get the CI back up is going to fly . . . 
or even run, if it is a Jag . . .

One item we never did resolve is the CI of a wankel engine. Is it "1", or 
is it "3" or is it "the equivalent number of cylinders in a recip engine 
which makes the same power" or something else entirely? My CI is now 
somewhere between 24 and 27, depending on how we count the rotary engine.

I propose, therefore, that we create an additional index as a measure of 
geekdom - the CPU index. How many computers do we have laying around? 
Ground rules - they all have to be assembled and working, parts in a box 
don't count. There are multipliers, as well - a working Linux system which 
you installed yourself is worth "2", anything with a 486 or less is worth 
".8", and anything that runs CPM is worth "3" and belongs in a museum. 
Hacked iOpeners that run are worth 1.5. So let's see, that puts my CPU 
index at 12.8, which makes me a candidate for propeller-head geekdom.

Best Regards,

Mike Arman
(Audi V8 . . . it isn't just a car, it's an ADVENTURE!)


-- 
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 266.5.0 - Release Date: 2/25/2005