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Comment by B1FF_PSUVM | Hacker News Reader

"First you bought a Ruby Safety Reflector for the rear, so that your posterior would glow in another car’s brilliance."

Not bad either, the writer had a way with words. A likeable piece.

And I didn't know that "The Model T was distinguished from all other makes of cars by the fact that its transmission was of a type known as planetary". I believe it made a comeback in the Toyota Prius, used to combine electric and combustion engine power.

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The writer was E. B. White. Most schoolchildren in the US still read and love his Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little. And most secondary or post-secondary students in the US are given the style guide he wrote with William Strunk, Jr., The Elements of Style.

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing what he did with a piece like this.

You should read One Man's Meat -- it's all this kind of thing!

That looks tremendous. And the audio version is included with a membership I already have... that may be my dog walking material for the next few days.

> And I didn't know that "The Model T was distinguished from all other makes of cars by the fact that its transmission was of a type known as planetary".

They are referring to the planetary gear set which is found in every hydraulic automatic transmission since the 1960's. Nothing exotic by any means.

Also, The operation of a Model T transmission is very different from the modern manual gear boxes we are familiar with. I think it has two clutches and the brakes are part of the transmission. No clutch pedal but a lever I think. A friends father owns one and it's a challenge to get moving let alone drive. The whole thing is quite fragile. Lord help you on a steep hill...

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