Until #47, I used to describe to people from other countries how Checks and Balances and respect for Rule of Law made US democracy more enduring than elsewhere. Now I understand that our controls are set on Intermittent.
What I’ve always said about checks and balances holds true, just with direr results these days. If Congress writes blank checks, no one should be shocked when they check the balance.
For my high school 50th reunion we were asked various questions, one of which was what technology product do we recall from 1963 (the year we graduated). I responded, fire.
Having been chastised countless times over the years for driving too fast or making the wrong turn, or honked at for the temerity of allowing someone waiting patiently to enter traffic in front of me, I internalized the notion of sound-inducing control, one way or another, while in a vehicle. Then GPS happened. Calling it stupid had no effect --- eliciting only what I assume is the electronic equivalent of a patronizing sigh. Then Waymo happened. I previously wrote of my first and only robotaxi experience --- and abject terror. Here too, sphincter clenched, I had no control; despite yelling, "Jesus Christ!" repeatedly at the top of my voice Waymo remained indifferent. So, while I can smile condescendingly at not knowing about wiper frequency control, it pales by comparison to finally realizing we're slowly losing control --- of everything. And shouting no longer helps. Sigh.
OK, I don't want to cause a stroke for anyone [Gene] but I am now driving a 2024 Civic, and it has all those things PLUS - and this made me jump up and down in my seat - the window washer fluid comes out of the wipers themselves!! Yes! I know! This doesn't really fall into your request, as I just started driving this car and found it within a week, so I'm putting this here in comments. No more shooting washer fluid out into the ether, or onto the car behind you, or even into the open windows of everyone's car including your own! Thank you Honda, and f the tariffs.
WOW. I am not sure how vastly this improves matters, but it certainly seems to be spiffy UNLESS IT INCREASES THE COST OF YOUR REPLACEMENT WIPERS SIGNIFICANTLY. It reminds me of those spiffy molded bumpers all the car companies went to about 20 years ago, the ones that cost $2,500 to replace, instead of, like, $300 for the old simple better metal ones.
The washer nozzle is not attached to the windshield wiper itself. It is attached to the wiper arm. The windshield wiper itself is the same standard model that can be used on any compatible wiper arm, regardless of whether the wiper arm has a washer nozzle.
So far the wiper-mounted nozzles beat the old style nozzles that are mounted in the hood. I'll update you when I have to clean out or replace the nozzles.
It seems that you have two different subjects here, to which the word “intermittent” might apply: (1) windshield wiper actuation, and (2) frequency of underwear changes. Since I already addressed the underwear issue in a separate post, I’ll address the general concept of overly complex automotive features here. Our newest car is 33 years old. Yes, nearly a third of a century, and we’re planning to keep it until we die. I have made it a principle of my life never to buy a car that has an audio (or other) system that requires more than five minutes of my time to learn how to use.
My guiding principle is that I won't buy anything that comes with a manual.
Obviously, I had to ignore that principle when I bought my car. But the "manual" weighs about 8 pounds and I refuse to deal with it. If I have a question, I drive to the dealership and ask them to show me how to do whatever -- and sometimes have them actually do the whatever.
Does hiking the John Muir Trail constitute an emergency? I didn’t think so. Anyway, that’s my excuse for lengthy periods between changes. That, and there were times in Viet Nam when I couldn’t change as often as I would like (and needed to, considering how I had the $#!T scared out of me on occasion).
We got to Vietnam (First Infantry Division) in 1966 and had no jungle fatigues. But we got one or two pair and compared to the heavy cotton fatigues, we wore them as long as we could get by, and I was scolded after a trip on a very dust road. Several times.
Trips to the dealership for accessory related issues on a 10-year-old van: (1) oh, you have to hold the button down for a few seconds to get the sliding door to open; (2) there's a button you can accidentally push (by your left knee) that deactivates power doors. That was recently learned. Had to Google where the spare tire was hiding. My son had to explain why the headlights didn't go off when I turned the engine off. It took me years to learn there is a setting to change to DST and back. That's probably not all. Don't get me started on the household learning curve fifty years in the making.
I assume many of us (not that any of US would, of course...) know someone who, having read somewhere about somehow conserving the --- I dunno, "car-ness" of their car? --- refuses to use the wiper blades until the windshield is completely opaque. The same individual who, for undoubtedly the same reason, refuses to use their brakes and turn signals, but does regularly use the horn. Must be to release pent-up horn energy, a little understood automotive phenomenon. Then there is the long-forgotten ritual, once kept alive by the oral tradition, of changing the wiper blades before they begin to sound like nails on a blackboard.
The frustrating thing for me is that in my spouse’s Subaru and my Ford Maverick the wiper control and the intermittent control are exactly opposite. In the Maverick, you lift the arm one click for intermittent, two for slow and three for fast. You turn the handle clockwise to raise the rate of intermittent. On the Subaru, you lower the arm those three clicks and turn it counterclockwise. Seems like something so basic could be standardized?
Mine also has to do with a car. I had a 2015 Accord, which had a rear-facing camera that turned on when you signaled for a right turn (to avoid blind spots). I’d been driving the car for six years before I found out you could turn the camera on manually, and keep it on, by pressing the button at the end of the directional.
NONONO. I AM NOT WRITING ABOUT INTERMITTENT WIPERS. I am writing about a separate, auxiliary control that allows you to vary the frequency of the intermittent wipe. i will be overjoyed to learn you did not KNOW of this.
In the original patent, the “dwell time” (period between wipes) is controlled by the setting of variable resistor (i.e. potentiometer) 80. The patent does not seem to specify who or what sets the value - but it doesn’t touch on other parts of the user interface either. It remains an open question whether the intent was for somebody to put ‘80’ at a preset value in the factory or to make it adjustable by the driver (why not though?). Also, since this is just the patent, it doesn’t specify how this variance was actually implemented in cars (whether there was a knob for the driver to turn or not). But I think we can say that it was actually included in the first invention, which was my point.
Was this a pointless and obsessively deep dive? Absolutely. But you made me want to know.
Okay. That’ll be harder to look up, but I know the first car I drove was an ‘85 model and it had the variable control. Unless the feature is so ubiquitous I’m remembering wrong.
My 2012 Mazda3 doesn’t do that. But the windshield does have a handy feature to let me know when I should deploy the wipers by making it harder to see.
Until #47, I used to describe to people from other countries how Checks and Balances and respect for Rule of Law made US democracy more enduring than elsewhere. Now I understand that our controls are set on Intermittent.
What I’ve always said about checks and balances holds true, just with direr results these days. If Congress writes blank checks, no one should be shocked when they check the balance.
For my high school 50th reunion we were asked various questions, one of which was what technology product do we recall from 1963 (the year we graduated). I responded, fire.
I graduated in 1962, and I struggle to remember any technology at all that we had then!
Gene, we already knew that you are a hapless feeb. It’s what makes you so endearing!!!
Having been chastised countless times over the years for driving too fast or making the wrong turn, or honked at for the temerity of allowing someone waiting patiently to enter traffic in front of me, I internalized the notion of sound-inducing control, one way or another, while in a vehicle. Then GPS happened. Calling it stupid had no effect --- eliciting only what I assume is the electronic equivalent of a patronizing sigh. Then Waymo happened. I previously wrote of my first and only robotaxi experience --- and abject terror. Here too, sphincter clenched, I had no control; despite yelling, "Jesus Christ!" repeatedly at the top of my voice Waymo remained indifferent. So, while I can smile condescendingly at not knowing about wiper frequency control, it pales by comparison to finally realizing we're slowly losing control --- of everything. And shouting no longer helps. Sigh.
OK, I don't want to cause a stroke for anyone [Gene] but I am now driving a 2024 Civic, and it has all those things PLUS - and this made me jump up and down in my seat - the window washer fluid comes out of the wipers themselves!! Yes! I know! This doesn't really fall into your request, as I just started driving this car and found it within a week, so I'm putting this here in comments. No more shooting washer fluid out into the ether, or onto the car behind you, or even into the open windows of everyone's car including your own! Thank you Honda, and f the tariffs.
WOW. I am not sure how vastly this improves matters, but it certainly seems to be spiffy UNLESS IT INCREASES THE COST OF YOUR REPLACEMENT WIPERS SIGNIFICANTLY. It reminds me of those spiffy molded bumpers all the car companies went to about 20 years ago, the ones that cost $2,500 to replace, instead of, like, $300 for the old simple better metal ones.
The washer nozzle is not attached to the windshield wiper itself. It is attached to the wiper arm. The windshield wiper itself is the same standard model that can be used on any compatible wiper arm, regardless of whether the wiper arm has a washer nozzle.
I'll let you know about the wipers price. But so far I love it.
So far the wiper-mounted nozzles beat the old style nozzles that are mounted in the hood. I'll update you when I have to clean out or replace the nozzles.
Isn’t an intermittent wiper someone who poops a little, wipes, poops a little, wipes, etc?
Jack M.
It seems that you have two different subjects here, to which the word “intermittent” might apply: (1) windshield wiper actuation, and (2) frequency of underwear changes. Since I already addressed the underwear issue in a separate post, I’ll address the general concept of overly complex automotive features here. Our newest car is 33 years old. Yes, nearly a third of a century, and we’re planning to keep it until we die. I have made it a principle of my life never to buy a car that has an audio (or other) system that requires more than five minutes of my time to learn how to use.
My guiding principle is that I won't buy anything that comes with a manual.
Obviously, I had to ignore that principle when I bought my car. But the "manual" weighs about 8 pounds and I refuse to deal with it. If I have a question, I drive to the dealership and ask them to show me how to do whatever -- and sometimes have them actually do the whatever.
I haven't changed my underpants since my car accident in 1996... :-)
"armor all?"
I’ll admit that I just learned what a feeb is.
I’ve known about the intermittent wiper control for years, but I have never been able to remember how to set it properly.
Jack M.
Does hiking the John Muir Trail constitute an emergency? I didn’t think so. Anyway, that’s my excuse for lengthy periods between changes. That, and there were times in Viet Nam when I couldn’t change as often as I would like (and needed to, considering how I had the $#!T scared out of me on occasion).
We got to Vietnam (First Infantry Division) in 1966 and had no jungle fatigues. But we got one or two pair and compared to the heavy cotton fatigues, we wore them as long as we could get by, and I was scolded after a trip on a very dust road. Several times.
Trips to the dealership for accessory related issues on a 10-year-old van: (1) oh, you have to hold the button down for a few seconds to get the sliding door to open; (2) there's a button you can accidentally push (by your left knee) that deactivates power doors. That was recently learned. Had to Google where the spare tire was hiding. My son had to explain why the headlights didn't go off when I turned the engine off. It took me years to learn there is a setting to change to DST and back. That's probably not all. Don't get me started on the household learning curve fifty years in the making.
I assume many of us (not that any of US would, of course...) know someone who, having read somewhere about somehow conserving the --- I dunno, "car-ness" of their car? --- refuses to use the wiper blades until the windshield is completely opaque. The same individual who, for undoubtedly the same reason, refuses to use their brakes and turn signals, but does regularly use the horn. Must be to release pent-up horn energy, a little understood automotive phenomenon. Then there is the long-forgotten ritual, once kept alive by the oral tradition, of changing the wiper blades before they begin to sound like nails on a blackboard.
The frustrating thing for me is that in my spouse’s Subaru and my Ford Maverick the wiper control and the intermittent control are exactly opposite. In the Maverick, you lift the arm one click for intermittent, two for slow and three for fast. You turn the handle clockwise to raise the rate of intermittent. On the Subaru, you lower the arm those three clicks and turn it counterclockwise. Seems like something so basic could be standardized?
Mine also has to do with a car. I had a 2015 Accord, which had a rear-facing camera that turned on when you signaled for a right turn (to avoid blind spots). I’d been driving the car for six years before I found out you could turn the camera on manually, and keep it on, by pressing the button at the end of the directional.
Me too!
Christ, Gene. My oldest has been learning to drive and we made sure he knows about this feature.
So maybe you can blame your parents.
My parents were dead long before the intermittent wiper speed control was invented.
How old are YOU, Sam? 29? And you had your kid when you were 13?
48. I know what I was up to when I was 13, and there’s absolutely zero chance any kids would have resulted.
Apparently intermittent wipers were patented in 1964, and started showing up in 1969.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kearns
NONONO. I AM NOT WRITING ABOUT INTERMITTENT WIPERS. I am writing about a separate, auxiliary control that allows you to vary the frequency of the intermittent wipe. i will be overjoyed to learn you did not KNOW of this.
In the original patent, the “dwell time” (period between wipes) is controlled by the setting of variable resistor (i.e. potentiometer) 80. The patent does not seem to specify who or what sets the value - but it doesn’t touch on other parts of the user interface either. It remains an open question whether the intent was for somebody to put ‘80’ at a preset value in the factory or to make it adjustable by the driver (why not though?). Also, since this is just the patent, it doesn’t specify how this variance was actually implemented in cars (whether there was a knob for the driver to turn or not). But I think we can say that it was actually included in the first invention, which was my point.
Was this a pointless and obsessively deep dive? Absolutely. But you made me want to know.
Okay. That’ll be harder to look up, but I know the first car I drove was an ‘85 model and it had the variable control. Unless the feature is so ubiquitous I’m remembering wrong.
I looked the part up online because I was curious about my memory. Yes, it had a variable delay.
And I do not need it. My 2014 Mada3 will sense the rain and move only when needed.
My 2012 Mazda3 doesn’t do that. But the windshield does have a handy feature to let me know when I should deploy the wipers by making it harder to see.
And?