Episode #722
December 3, 2022
“Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.”
Focus on the moment slows Time.
Slowing of Time projects the Mind into the Future where you arrive ahead of schedule.
“Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feeling groovy
Ba da-da da-da da-da, feeling groovy
Hello lamppost, what’cha knowing
I’ve come to watch your flowers growin’
Ain’t you got no rhymes for me?
Doo-ait-n-doo-doo, feeling groovy
Ba da-da da-da da-da, feeling groovy
I got no deeds to do, no promises to keep
I’m dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morningtime drop all its petals on me
Life, I love you, all is groovy.”
— Simon and Garfunkel, “The 59th Street Bridge Song.”
I am learning how to optimize the milage on my new hybrid car.
There is a graphic on the dash that shows me when the gasoline engine is engaged and when the electric motor is engaged. The more I use the electric motor the better gas milage I get.
Slower acceleration uses the electric motor almost exclusively. Fast acceleration and steep inclines invariably kick in the gasoline engine. My neighborhood has a 25 MPH speed limit. I have found that the cruise control can keep me on the electric motor 90 percent of the time. I set cruise control at 25 MPH.
When I brake for stop signs or coyotes the cruise turns off. When I resume the cruise the acceleration to speed is slow, but steady. My gas consumption is nearly zero. Slow acceleration only adds a couple of minutes to my 3 mile trip through the neighborhood.
The engine – motor – battery graphic on the dash provides real time visual feedback to the driver. If I am too heavy on the accelerator, I can ease off to engage the electric motor and turn off the gasoline engine. This almost always results in electric vehicle or hybrid operation. Better gas milage. It also does not slow the car. Less is more.
After a few hours of interaction with the power graphic, my driving habits have changed. I now operate the car more efficiently by instinct.
A slightly slower driving style has improved the smoothness of my ride. It has increased my safety and saved me cash at the gas pump.
The trade off of a few minutes in my drive affords a heightened calmness and thus a more enjoyable trip.
Because I anticipate a safe arrival at my destination, I have already arrived at the speed of thought. The future is more certain.
“Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.”
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ALSO AVAILABLE:
“Technically Human” by Ricki T Thues, the iMentor, is now available on Amazon.
It is a compilation of selected episodes from this bLog which tell the story of Humanity through the eyes of the iMentor.
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One of my retirement activities has been throwing ceramics and every single time I think I’ve got an easy project and rush it gets ruined. Going slow has always worked for me.
Nice job
This concept, sometimes called “hypermiling”, is especially effective in fully gas-powered cars. They don’t have a direct, instant visual feedback system like your hybrid, but driving so as to minimize the need to use the brake pedal adds significantly to realized gas mileage. This is because braking “wastes” some of the fuel used to get up to speed in these vehicles.
It’s also a useful concept in formation skydiving 😀 (smiley)