The FORD Lounge

[Gary Lewis]

Interesting.

I left Boeing in '69 so didn't witness any of those things, although I did recognize where I worked in Wichita in the video.  And I certainly remember the Spirt spinoff.  In fact, the company I worked for at the time, Computer Sciences Corp, tried to get involved in that spinoff since it was a form of outsourcing and that's what we did.  They knew about my previous employment with Boeing and luckily didn't want me on the pursuit team and luckily we didn't win any part of the contract.

However, I recognize the management style because we did win the Sears contract and they were operating in a very similar fashion.  You can see how well it is working for Sears, just as it is for Boeing.  (I was on that pursuit team, and one of our competitors was HP.  The equivalent of my part of our pitch to Sears was handled by someone named Carley.)

I do have a soft spot in my heart for Boeing, but they've dug a deep hole and it is going to be very difficult to turn things around.  I hope they can, but I am not going to buy their stock hoping they will.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Interesting.... and elucidating.  😕
I feel bad that you have to witness this.

We've talked before about what 'Crazy Eddie ' did to Sears & Kmart.

I never realized you went head to head with Carly....
We see how well that worked out for the pioneering electronic test instrument company.

It was almost as if they had a license to print money.
Their products were everywhere from universities to the moon.

Today their legacy is that their printers are useless garbage that bleeds you like a vampire through it's proprietary consumables 'as a subscription' (see also IBM, Microsoft, etc al.)

The hole she dug comes right from the underworld IMNSHO.

[Gary Lewis]

I not only witnessed it, I lived it.  And it was a nightmare.

After we'd pursued Sears and were on the cusp of winning two of the company's presidents came up and asked the pursuit team if we thought we ought to win it.  All but two said yes, and the two that dissented were the two us that were going to have to run it while the others moved on to a new pursuit.  And I said "no" in spite of having been promised to become a VP if we won.

Janey and I took a MUCH-needed mini vacation to France, and on Valentine's Day while standing under the Eiffel Tower I got a call that we'd won.  I was elated and fearful, but the elation soon wore off.  In the role of service delivery manager I'd had many customers, including a major defense contractor, a major elevator company, a pharma company, etc.  But none like Sears.

As for Carly, HP really wanted that contract, although I never understood why.  They made computers, calculators, and test equipment, so why did they want into the IT outsourcing business?  But they did and it got down to them, IBM, and us.  IBM already had the contract so should have been a shoo-in, but they didn't really want it - and had told me that personally.  But Carly did and made the majority of their presentation, just like I did on ours.

But in November of that year, the day after moving into our new house, I was driving in at 6 AM and heard on the radio that Eddie had purchased Sears.  And when I got in that was all the talk, with a major theme that he did NOT like outsourcing.  I really didn't think he'd get out of the contract because of the huge poison pill that was in it, but somehow he did.

My life got better soon after that.  Janey said I'd aged two years in the short time we'd had the Sears contract, and I don't doubt it.  So I'm not mad at Eddie.

[ArdWrknTrk]

His reply to your question, that he's done IR efi setups says a lot about how knowledgeable Kelly really is!

Independent runner has almost always produced the best results, and we see that on vintage race cars like GT40, Jag 'gold head's with a brace of side draft SU's, Ferrari's and the Pantera intake I'd linked before. (race car at heart, if not reality)

[ArdWrknTrk]

I meant to say that you have to witness the fall of these once Titans of industry, when you have blood, sweat and tears invested in them.

Again, I appreciate your perspective!   😊

[Gary Lewis]

It felt like they were already falling when we got there, which is usually true when companies turn to outsourcing.  I kinda thought of us as vultures because we seemed to always be pursuing failing companies.  And I've always thought that's what Eddie the same way, although he bought whole companies and we just took the IT bits off their hands.

Which circles us back to Boeing and their spinoff of Spirit.  Seemed like a move made out of desperation to me.  But what do I know about running MAJOR companies?

[ArdWrknTrk]

Gary Lewis wrote

Yes!  That someone working out of his garage in Iowa has the capability to do that.  It takes a LOT of CAD work.  And serious knowledge of casting.  And then a CNC machine.

But look at all of the things he apparently made, like the tool that grabs the crucible and through a winch allows him to lift and position it.  The device on the CNC machine to rotate the part precise degrees.  Etc.  That guy is creative and good!

Blows my mind that he's pouring 30# of molten aluminum wearing loafers! 🤯

If you watch his earlier videos he does it all with hot wire and a handheld router, so the CAD/CAM is just to expedite making the form.
He still had to have drawings to make the patterns and templates he used back then.

[Gary Lewis]

I missed the loafers!  The guy is really talented, but pouring molten liquid in loafers isn't a good idea.  I won't even weld without making sure I have boots and cotton socks on.  Learned the hard way that having a piece of molten metal go through a Nylon sock and stick to your foot is not conducive to good welds.  Can't imagine what trouble you'd be in if you were pouring metal instead of welding.

[ArdWrknTrk]

I was welding up my muffler the other day.

I can't see because I have the hood down.
I feel a kick to my feet (which were the sticking out)

Huh?
Poke my head up and am greeted with "I've been talking to you for 3 minutes. Are you deaf?

No, I'm wearing ear plugs under the hood, because if you've ever had spatter drop IN YOUR EAR HOLE you will never do that again.

[Gary Lewis]

  Yes, I know that feeling, and the LOL is 'cause someone was trying to talk to you, not that you had spatter in your ear.

Yes, spatter gets everywhere, much like media when blasting outside - which I hope to never do again.  In fact, I "gave" my outside blaster to my brother and said "I'll know where it is if I ever need to use it again."  But spatter tends to be a bit more painful than a grain or two of media.  So it is best to plug all orifices and wear protective clothing.

But that does remind me of using a cutting torch on my '58 Chevy.  Felt strong hands on me and discovered Dad was pulling me out of the car as I'd caught it on fire.  He'd been yelling and I couldn't hear him, so out I came.

[ArdWrknTrk]

The smell of singed hair and burning ear wax is indelibly etched in my synapses!  😂

I can laugh now, but you better believe I sat bolt upright in a nanosecond and brained myself on whatever chassis that was that I was working on at the time.
Thankfully the welding hood took most of the blow to my head!  😉

[ArdWrknTrk]

OTOH Boeing's X-37B seems to have reached new heights

https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/02/us-militarys-elusive-spaceplane-apparently-found-by-sleuthing-enthusiast/

[Gary Lewis]

I hope it has all its bolts.  I doubt an iPhone would survive that fall.  

[ArdWrknTrk]

The last time it was up, it was up for over 400 days.

[85lebaront2]

As some of you know, I have had some severe lower back pain since late January. I am waiting for a call back to set up for surgery at the Jordan Young Institute at Norfolk VA's Sentara Leigh hospital.

As a result I am not doing anything in my garage, so in order to keep from going stir crazy, I have been working on this:

[ArdWrknTrk]

That's pretty cool Bill!
Are you able to sit for extended periods?

And some of you know, I was run over by a tractor trailer 40 years ago. (Mack DM900 for those that care)

I know all about broken spines, pelvises and excruciating sciatica.
Not to mention discs that don't exist anymore.

I can definitely relate. 🙄

So what is the cutters plan?

[BigBrother-84]

Cool!

What a mechanic man does if he cannot do mechanic, as a way to pass the time?

An engine Lego model, of course!



Take care, Bill.

[85lebaront2]

I can sit, standing and walking is a problem, and until my PCP gave something strong, getting much sleep was an issue.

Plan at present is, the lady who called me Friday will see the Dr. Laurent sees the X-ray and MRI information and either he or she will call me to discuss options and timing.

[85lebaront2]

Having spent 30 years at the biggest private shipyard in the US, and actually being the technician who tested the mechanical properties of the plate Dr. Ballard brought up from the wreck, the Titanic always interested me.

The USS Texas (built by NNS) used the same style engines (vertical triple expansion) steam engines.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Did you have anything to do with Savannah's decommissioning?