jawfish

The Japanese Earthquake, Carmakers, and Globalization
john posted in other, technologies, What Iceberg? on March 28th, 2011

As many predicted there are a number of delays and problems in the world-wide system of auto manufacturing caused by the recent Japanese disaster.

These reports show whats really behind so-called Globalization of the auto business. The industry is totally interlinked in a complex mesh of shared suppliers and internal sources. For instance, loss of one nuclear power station in Japan affects jobs in North America. In other words, the great efficiencies of the network are also its greatest vulnerability. This echoes a historical point made by Joseph Tainter ( see this commentary on his ideas) that increasing complexity in civilization leads to its downfall. In scientific terms, it takes ever-increasing energy to maintain the network of civilization, and eventually it takes more energy to prop it up than is produced, and the civilization itself collapses.

The following quotes are all from one source: Automotive News, an industry website. It’s an interesting source because of its specificity. from here:

Japan Automakers Brace for Looming Shortfall Not enough electricity to run plants.

Quake delays Honda r&d by at least two weeks

Ford:

• Restricted dealers from ordering vehicles in 10 paint colors (brilliant black, blackberry, deep cherry red, redline, inferno red, bronze star, rugged brown, hunter green, ivory and billet metallic) produced at factory in Japan.

Chrysler:

• Restricted dealer orders for “tuxedo black” and three red paint shades; affects F-150 and Super Duty pickups, Explorer, Expedition, Focus, Taurus, Lincoln MKS and Navigator.
Europe:
•Will idle Genk, Belgium plant (S-MAX, Galaxy and Mondeo) for five days starting April to conserve parts

Subaru:

U.S.:
• Canceled overtime shifts at Subaru of Indiana (Legacy, Outback, Tribeca and Toyota Camry) until April 1; no parts shortages reported

Japan:
• Extended production suspension through March 31; facing rolling blackouts and supply shortages
•Will restart limited mini-vehicle production March 31

Honda:

U.S.:
• Likely disruptions in North American production beginning April 1 because of parts shortages.
• Orders suspended from U.S. dealers for Japan-built models including the Fit, Insight, CR-Z, Civic Hybrid, Acura TSX and Acura RL. Also affected are a small number of CR-Vs
• April U.S. launch of the redesigned 2012 Honda Civic on schedule

Japan:
• Production halted at Sayama (CR-V, Accord, Fit, Acura RL and TSX), Suzuka (Fit, Civic, Civic hybrid, Insight and CR-Z) until April 3 at the earliest;
•Resuming motorcycle and power product production at Kumamoto Factory March 28
• Expects product development to be delayed at least two weeks; transferred some employees from damaged tech center in Utsunomiya to other sites; expects several months to reopen center
• Hamamatsu (transmission and engine), Ogawa (engine) and Tochigi (powertrain) plants may begin limited parts production before March 27

Toyota:

U.S.:
• North American vehicle and engine plants (13) running; overtime curtailed
• Sent memo to workers in U.S. and Canada March 23, warning thinning supplies will cause some interruptions in production; no definite time frame for stoppages
• Prius availability in the U.S. could be affected by damage to a hybrid battery plant; RAV4 crossover also affected

Japan:
•Resumed limited production of Prius at Tsutsumi plant; Lexus HS250h and CT 200h hybrids at Kyushu plant March 28
•Will halt production of hybrid vehicles in Japan March 30 to check for adequate parts supply
•Will resume production at its Tsutsumi and Miyata plants on March 31
• 18 assembly plants closed indefinitely
• Resumed production of replacement parts for vehicles already on the market on March 17; resumed production of parts for overseas production on March 21
• Damaged: The Central Motor plant in Miyagi, which manufactures the Yaris; the Kanto Auto Works Iwate plant, the Scion xB and xD models; parts plants in Hokkaido and Tohoku
•Delayed Japanese launch of wagon-style Prius; not expected to affect U.S. or European launch

Rapturous Debate
john posted in Fin de siècle on March 23rd, 2011

Oh the Rapture, the Rapture!

A friend sent a link to a rapture site – you know, the capital R Rapture where anointed folk fly up to heaven, with or without their clothes and bodies is not clear. And we smirked and giggled for a while, I have to admit without compassion or respect.

First I went out and looked at it, Rapture Letters, their shtick is to ask for your name and the email of a recipient, and then promise to send a special canned “letter” that is actually email, to the recipient when you are gone. Yes the “letter” has that sticky pious quality of praying hands and sacred hearts,

and no mention of just how they know you were sure to go, or when the rapture happens. Is there a Jew left behind to send off the emails when the Rapture happens? Just why would you want to let people who didn’t get into heaven know that you did? What if they gave a Rapture and nobody went? And so forth. It’s all just too easy to mock, and there are lots of rapture sites to pick on.

Then I looked at it and realized that I could put up such a site in one evening, and like the site in question, ask for donations, and sell some candles and DVDs and such. There is probably some real money in it. But I’d never be able to look myself in the eye again.

Then I passed it on and we started talking about all the wacky smartphone apps- how to commit suicide, what’s up with the royal wedding, 99 bottles of beer song, how to boil water and so forth. And again we contemplated making a 99cent app that does some bogus rapturous thing.

Then, I thought, “Maybe all these silly religious sites are cons. Maybe at some of them there are professional preachers who con themselves into thinking, that they are selling a Good Thing, and at some utter cynics.” This view would tally nicely with my prejudices about the white-shoe preachers of my youth in the South. My friend says, “All applications are cons.” Which I assume means applications are just digital window dressing in the end. But that argument seems jaded and flip – lots of apps do something useful or just entertaining, and a con is something that not only fails to provide what you expect, but actually takes away more than you expect.

But Rapture Letters probably provides exactly what the members expect: they get to feel superior, and get to feel even better if they give money. After all people feel good about giving money to panhandlers, or at least they feel less guilty, and they don’t at all think the money is going to be actually good in some absolute sense.

I don’t have any ethical feelings about folks who sell $400 shoes, or porn, or Bibles, or ammo, or religious icons. So why get wrought about a service thats free? It’s really no more ridiculous than the smartphone video bonanza that I hope will be paying my wages indirectly for a long time to come. We’ve been watching a fussy BBC show about upstairs-downstairs relations lately, Downton Abbey, and I am starting to think that my squeamishness about selling indulgences, is no less ludicrous than the mewing and bleating of servants at the Big House about the tiny perks of their work, so like the whining and smug braying of the upstairs classes about their circumscribed life.

In the end I suppose it’s all just jostling on the way to Armageddon.

Psst! Hey mate if you buy a tshirt I make a buck. fair deal, right?