What can I do about my Dymaxion?
March 31, 2008 9:23 PM Subscribe
What can I do about my Dymaxion?
I own a 1933 Dymaxion automobile. As you may already know, the vehicle was designed by Richard Buckminster Fuller. He was one of those crazy geniuses inventing geodesic domes and all kinds of strange and wonderful thingamabobs. When he designed the Dymaxion, Fuller modeled the car on the raindrop -- because water generally conforms to it's most efficient shape. So he made an aluminum, 20-foot raindrop-shaped chassis, set it on three wheels and I'll tell you it rides like a dream.
Well, anymore they don't make Dymaxion parts (if they ever did) so I'm always tinkering with it with my own tools, trying to improve its performance. I got it rigged up now as a diesel-electric hybrid and I've got a deal worked out with the local restaurants so I can fuel up from their grease traps.
Then one day I drove down to the put-put course. I got to looking at the golf balls and I was wondering why they have all those dimples. So I asked the girl behind the counter and she explained that each dimple creates a tiny vortext of air turbulence. Taken together, these form an envelope of air around ball which creates a better airfoil than a hard surface.
So figued, heck, I'll put dimples on my Dymaxion! So that's what I did. And I got much better gas mileage and I was really happy with that.
But here's my problem. I've got people laughing at my Dymaxion. I'll drive down to the Elias Big Boy for the Sunday brunch and people will say things like, "Hey Silo, how's your golf ball doing?" (I should explain, they call me "Silo" because I live in a silo. That's also real efficient but that's another story.) So anyway, they're making all these golf ball jokes about my automobile.
At first, I just laughed along with everyone, but after 5 years, the joke's getting kind of old. It barely even qualifies as a joke now. It's not a golf ball it's a Dymaxion!
I'm not an overly proud man. I just fear that when I'm in my garden of rest, people are going to say, "That was what's-his-name. He lived in a silo and he drove around in a golf ball." It's a pretty graceless epitaph.
I tried to go onto a local newscast to give one of those personal editorials telling people they shouldn't make fun of other people's cars. But the news people said they don't do that kind of thing anymore. I'm just hoping you guys could give me some advice. Any ideas on how to remedy my situation without giving up my favorite vehicle? I'm just tired of people making fun of my Dymaxion.
I own a 1933 Dymaxion automobile. As you may already know, the vehicle was designed by Richard Buckminster Fuller. He was one of those crazy geniuses inventing geodesic domes and all kinds of strange and wonderful thingamabobs. When he designed the Dymaxion, Fuller modeled the car on the raindrop -- because water generally conforms to it's most efficient shape. So he made an aluminum, 20-foot raindrop-shaped chassis, set it on three wheels and I'll tell you it rides like a dream.
Well, anymore they don't make Dymaxion parts (if they ever did) so I'm always tinkering with it with my own tools, trying to improve its performance. I got it rigged up now as a diesel-electric hybrid and I've got a deal worked out with the local restaurants so I can fuel up from their grease traps.
Then one day I drove down to the put-put course. I got to looking at the golf balls and I was wondering why they have all those dimples. So I asked the girl behind the counter and she explained that each dimple creates a tiny vortext of air turbulence. Taken together, these form an envelope of air around ball which creates a better airfoil than a hard surface.
So figued, heck, I'll put dimples on my Dymaxion! So that's what I did. And I got much better gas mileage and I was really happy with that.
But here's my problem. I've got people laughing at my Dymaxion. I'll drive down to the Elias Big Boy for the Sunday brunch and people will say things like, "Hey Silo, how's your golf ball doing?" (I should explain, they call me "Silo" because I live in a silo. That's also real efficient but that's another story.) So anyway, they're making all these golf ball jokes about my automobile.
At first, I just laughed along with everyone, but after 5 years, the joke's getting kind of old. It barely even qualifies as a joke now. It's not a golf ball it's a Dymaxion!
I'm not an overly proud man. I just fear that when I'm in my garden of rest, people are going to say, "That was what's-his-name. He lived in a silo and he drove around in a golf ball." It's a pretty graceless epitaph.
I tried to go onto a local newscast to give one of those personal editorials telling people they shouldn't make fun of other people's cars. But the news people said they don't do that kind of thing anymore. I'm just hoping you guys could give me some advice. Any ideas on how to remedy my situation without giving up my favorite vehicle? I'm just tired of people making fun of my Dymaxion.
This post was deleted for the following reason: We've been asked to surpress this question on behalf of the good, decent, hard-working American folks at the General Motors company. We're also confiscating your geodesic dome and your nanotubes, for bein' sassy. -- cortex
Before we answer this, we are going to need pics to asses the situation and make recommendations.
posted by bigmusic at 9:28 PM on March 31, 2008
posted by bigmusic at 9:28 PM on March 31, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by box at 9:27 PM on March 31, 2008