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by schiffern 7 hours ago

  >In my dreams, my ultra-advanced car would open the windows when braking to get two benefits in one.
Or use those triangular vent windows / wing windows, as seen on old trucks and classic cars.

https://www.fastlanecars.com/blog/wing-windows-history-and-c...

https://www.ccjdigital.com/trucks/article/15749837/the-story...

You could quickly flip it open with a servo when braking, controlled by a differential thermostat so it only pulls in air when the outside isn't too much hotter than inside. I think you actually want a negative thermostat offset, because even if it's a couple degrees warmer you still get moving air.

Compared to rolling down the window you don't get the loud buffeting sound, it acts as a really good aero-brake, and it pulls in huge amounts of air. There's the downside that it will preferentially pull in air around intersections, where traffic pollution tends to peak due to braking and accelerating (EVs help but there's still brake and tire dust).

Love this honestly. It has definite "shitty project" potential...

1 comments

Planes generally avoid braking. Many are equipped with explicit "speed brakes" and all can use their control surfaces to create inefficient aerodynamic configurations, but fuel is expensive so they avoid it unless there's a situation like getting cleared for a shorter approach than expected. Ordinarily, they plan a descent path which can be accomplished naturally with a lower than normal thrust. The standard is three degrees below horizontal. Of course they also activate all braking possibilities upon touching down, but you can't keep the fridge cold by cooling it only upon landing.

When cruising (most of the flight), smooth aerodynamics are extremely important, and you wouldn't mess them up just to keep the galley fridge cold. Example: whenever a plane has the landing gear out it burns 2-3 times as much fuel, because that's just how much it costs to not be smooth. That's why they retract the landing gear almost the moment the plane leaves the ground, and why a plane with its landing gear stuck has to return home (despite not being a serious emergency).

For cars not planes, but apparently you're an LLM so....
Am I? Uhhh, I mean, you're absolutely right! Honestly, that's load-bearing. It's not a bird, it's Superman.

Punchy sentences. Stupid metaphors. No substance. 100% pure LLM slop delivered straight to your retina.