The 'Atlanta Magnet Man' is saving our car tires, one bike ride at a time (opens in new tab)

So many people are unhappy these days because they feel they aren't doing anything that meaningfully helps their community. We're a social species. We thrive when we feel we are helping our tribe thrive.

I volunteered at an animal shelter that was not no-kill, because of sheer demand, sadly.

Of new volunteers, they ask "What's in it for you?"

Inevitably, "I get to help animals find new homes, etc."

However they'd say "No - that's what you'll do here. But what do you get out of it?"

And they wanted selfish answers. "I feel better about myself", whatever.

Because what they'd found is when things were a struggle, it was the "what's in it for me" that often pushed people to keep helping and volunteering, rather than (solely) "the mission".

It’d go to a random company that never did anything related to trash pick up, but one of the board members would be loosely related to the mayor.

The mayor will then do a victory lap in front of journalists talking about this revolutionary project.

The winner would then sub-contract a series of shell companies to handle ‘planning the design and implementation’ of the vehicle used to pick up the debris.

3 months will pass and the first community board meeting about the pilot in the neighborhood will happen, where the project will hit vicious opposition from people citing gentrification, how this pilot will rip apart the fabric of the neighborhood, cause gridlock, be dangerous for kids (What if a kid runs infront of the magnet bike??), etc…

6 months and $5M later, the pilot gets extended and another $50M worth of funding having never picked up an ounce of trash.

Hello from NYC

Magnets don't pick up broken glass.

Possession of stolen property is still a serious crime. There is generally no exemption for vigilante people returning stolen goods. I honestly would not advise amassing stolen property in your garage no matter your good intentions. Batman wears a mask for a reason.

I have no problem telling / hoping someone would pickup the trash they saw and helped out even if a little. But not so much retrieving stolen bikes, those folks, their call.

Why didn't they want their bicycles?

An AWD has an additional center diff or transfer case that allows the combined rotation of the front (trans)axle and rear axle to be different (because unless you are steering dead straight on a flat non-cambered road they will always be slightly different).

A 4WD doesn't have that center diff and you have to manually engage 4WD to use it (that difference between 4WD and AWD). You will get transmission wind-up if drive in 4WD in anything other than a straight line on a normal road surface -- fine in the mud or snow because the wheels will slip easily enough to reduce the windup.

In fact if you get really stuck, you want a diff-lock or limited slip diff so you can prevent the power going all to one wheel (or two in an AWD/4WD config).

It's a myth used to sell more tires.

Shop asked if they could have it for their countertop display of weird stuff they pulled out of tires.

Anyway, they recommended replacing both front tires, but I only did the one and it was fine. I understand the reasoning, I just don't agree with it because tires simply don't wear at the same rate.

If it is one of the 'typical' ones you see on something like a Ford Escape or Chevy Blazer where it activates on slippage, you are probably OK on normal roads as long as the wear isn't extreme.

But if it's something with a 50/50 default split or other 'always on' fanciness, tires are cheaper than Diffs.

Used tires make sense for used car dealers where they have the equipment and can tell a mechanic to do this "when you have otherwise free time". In that case you can replace worn out tires with only half used tires and since you won't see the car again you don't lose anything. (nobody would buy the car with worn out tires so you have to replace them, but saving money on the replacement is a good idea)

Most people forget about the "tire insurance" and never claim, even if they could, so it's basically free money.

They give you new tires because it doesn't cost them anything, they get paid.

Discount considers it part of their marketing, so they actually have a pretty decent one: https://www.discounttire.com/customer-service/certificates

It IS limited to 3 years.

The swing did undergo some maintenance in the meantime, but somehow that one part is still loose.

For bonus points, their elections are often staggered separately from state and federal elections, which suppresses voter interest and turnout.

You get what the system is designed to produce.

What happens when the rear wheel locks up? Not much

What happens if the front wheel locks up? If it catches you off guard, you're launched face first into pavement.

Generally it's low, but in this case you are purposely steering toward the debris. Usually you avoid it if you see it.

That said, those are a lot higher off the ground; the video shows the sweepers are only an inch or so over the ground. If something catches, it's more likely to just make the cart buck instead of sending the driver.

Source: am Dutch, rode into a rock once, that was pretty bad.

When I visited the US and its highways, I was surprised to see how much things like exploded truck tires were littering the sides of the road.

The problem is, not all bureaucrats are evil, but all bureaucracy begins at neutral and tends towards evil, so there's a sad inevitability involved. And my hackles went up because even I, who consider myself pretty self-aware, ended up in some horrible conversations where I know I preferred the town having authority over something volunteers had historically done. We are all part-nazi, some of us just have more authority.

Switchable electromagnets which could automatically sense a large ferrous object (e.g., grates, covers) and deactivate or reduce strength over them might be another option.

A filtered reply to my earlier comment argues that electromagnets are "massive with generators". This ... is seriously misguided. Electromagnets can be tiny, you'll find them in small motors (electric toothbrush, the haptic vibrator in your mobile device). Given extant electric capabilities of a streetsweeper, a modest grid/array of magnets would be trivial to implement.

You'd think there would be better enforcement of having to have a tarp, etc. for open trailers that are carrying junk.