JoNova
A science presenter, writer, speaker & former TV host; author of The Skeptic's Handbook (over 200,000 copies distributed & available in 15 languages).
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Henry Ford always resisted developing a modern OHV V8 engine and kept the flathead V8 from 1932-1953. So Zora Arkus-Duntov developed the legendary “Ardun” head replacement to convert the engine to OHV improving horsepower from 100hp to 150-175hp with no further modifications, many more with the usual modifications. Then Ford eventually copied his ideas but wouldn’t admit to it. It didn’t look good for Ford engineering that an outsider could dramatically improve the power of their fundamentally flawed flathead engines by eliminating its basic design flaw.
Video:
https://youtu.be/NaXztjI_ayA
(Annoying AI voice but good information.)
210
An overhead valve block would be simpler to cast, not sure why they persisted with sidevalves for so long, maybe fears of dropping exhaust valves.
Henrys V8 was a good water heater due to the exhaust ports through the water jacket.
100
Well, the Ford Flat Head V8 when introduced the early 30s was revolutionary for it’s time. Before then eight cylinder engines were only available in luxury cars of the rich. Ford brought the V8 to the rest of us. A V8 Ford got 22 MPG, too.
The V8 Ford was also the prefered engine of the Hot Rodders crowd of which Arkus-Duntov was one. GM was still fielding staid six pots intil 1955. The Hot Rodders, Modders, customizers, and racers will always be one step ahead of the factory engineers, because they want to win. It’s true that racing improves the breed. The Small Block Chevy incorporated several engineering concepts discovered by Enzo Ferrari from racing.
So does war improve the breed. During the war, Ford developed the canted valve over head valve head concept but didn’t produce it except in Lincolns. After the patent pending expired, Chevy copied it on their Big Block V8 and International Harvester used it in their truck V8s.
But Old Henry. who passed away in 1947, was kind of the school of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” He kept to the Model T and resisted new models until his son convinced him that they needed the Model A or go broke. Chrysler’s Hemi V8 probably lit a fire under all their competitors feet during the early 50s.
The Ford Y Block OHV V8 wasn’t a bad engine, but it weighed 750 lbs supporting only 312 cubic inches. The Hot Rodders were switching to the Small Block Chevy. During 1963 Ford introduced the Small Block Ford. It weighed only 420 lbs and Shelbized it produced a reliable 360 Hp from only 289 cubic inches. It could turn 6,000 RPM all day long.
The SBF debuted at the Indy 500, where it finished on the podium. This was beginning of a long and successful racing career for the SBF. When I was younger it was known by those in the know that it took 350 Chevy cubic inches to keep up with 302 Ford Cubic inches. Ford did eventually bring out their WWII developed canted valve innovation with the Boss 302, the 351 Cleveland family, and the Australian 302 engines.
181
Ford built the massive GAA V8 engine for Sherman tanks. 500 HP, dual overhead cam, all aluminium.
80
Which was cut down from the original V-12, 1200hp aero-engine block, intended to serve the Mustang as a powerplant, but which lost out to the Merlin engine.
60
As a 14 y.o. too young to drive on public roads, I nevertheless was assigned a 1948 Ford F-5 as “my” truck during harvest. I recall the engine being rated 90hp, but it was a flathead v-8. In 1966 90 or 100 HP was not impressive to speak of, but that truck could haul corn, sugar beets or potatoes out of a rough field as well as any of the bigger ones. I loved it.
Using the engine as a compression brake going downhill would shoot flames out the exhaust clear to the road shoulder. Very fun for the last of the day in semidarkness.
10
Here’s a look at traditional windmills and the tremendous amount of labour-intensive work to build and maintain them.
There’s a very good reason windmills became rapidly obsolete as soon as Newcomen developed a commercially viable steam engine in 1712.
And now for political, not technical or scientific reasons, the stupid countries of the world, including Australia, have regressed to this primitive, unreliable and expensive technology.
https://youtu.be/0pCaAQono7E part 1
https://youtu.be/bK72gxSXfw0 part 2
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Thanks for finding and posting the links.
140
I hope you’ve sent this to Black-Out Bowen.
150
The regression to more primitive technologies leading to a reduced standard of living for non-Elites is exactly what Bowen and the anti-energy lobby want.
He would be pleased.
190
How about some genuinely useful (last century) Oz windmills:
Windmill Warriors of Penong
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We’d have to be allowed to cut down trees to build these. agriculture is also frowned upon now, so not much to mill.
good quality millstone is probably only found on sacred land now, not to mention the evils of quarrying, so they are out too.
Much better to just quietly hand the money over to China without asking awkward questions…
20
Medicine in Canada is developing some peculiar problems. Doctors just check the Health Canada recommendations. So my husband wanted to try a different (licenced) beta blocker. Doc said NO, Health Canada recommendations. My daughter had a blood clot 10 years ago. Now she needs meenopausal hormones. Doc says NO estrogen if any heart problems. BUT she prescribes progesterone, which doubles the probability of blood clots!!!
Do we even need a doctor at all once a diagnosis is obtained? We just need to check Health Canada “recommendations” and treat ourselves.
330
And if the problem is deemed too complicated or expensive to fix, “doctors” can always recommend euthanasia under Canada’s MAID program.
210
That sounds awfully nasty like.
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While reading Fran’s post, my thoughts were much the same. How primitive.
90
An article in the SMH about the investigation into Dr Rose and his treatment of drug addicts tuns out to be very critical of AHPRA.
Its is everything you would expect, a maverick doctor spending his life treating the peasants, the drug addicts, the sex workers and the small communities in the outback with no decent doctors, while AHPRA come across as a giant bureaucracy that spend years on an investigation to terrorise the doctor into resigning from medicine. He’s been basically cleared and AHPRA have an investigation of their own after they used an undercover agent to spy on him, something they don’t have powers to do.
Its too bad the journo didn’t do the same investigation into AHPRA during their Covid witch hunts!
https://www.smh.com.au/national/this-doctor-treats-patients-that-others-won-t-touch-ahpra-wanted-him-gone-20260112-p5ntf0.html
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Paywalled!
Can anyone find an open version of the article?
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https://removepaywalls.com/https://www.smh.com.au/national/this-doctor-treats-patients-that-others-won-t-touch-ahpra-wanted-him-gone-20260112-p5ntf0.html
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Thanks Gerry.
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Shutdown the AHPRA and all the other pen-pushing-ahead-of-patient-care bloated behemoths.
We need way more Patch Adams types!
50
Dr Rose is working 7 days straight, on call 24 hours, runs the desk at a clinic when a receptionist fails to turn up for a shift- and APHRA is critical of his record keeping? It seems his see-patient-treat-patient approach doesn’t comply with their bureaucratic standards. The tone of the article is critical of the drawn out process of APHRA investigations.
Go back one day and the same masthead seems to be lauding the legislation implemented by the Victorian government to fast track renewables projects by reducing planning approval requirements as well as the right of property owners to object to them. The Development Facilitation Program enables the government to forcibly enter farmer’s properties but there are no farmer’s POVs presented by the journalist. There is no “looking after the little guy” sentiment in this article.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/more-than-9-billion-in-renewable-energy-projects-fast-tracked-in-two-years-20260203-p5nz9h.html
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Why would you expect anything else from Pravda on the Yarra, they’ve been the unofficial propaganda arm of the Victorian ALP since the early ’80s at the latest.
Because that’s when the terms “Pravda on the Yarra” and “the Spencer St Soviet” became commonly used.
50
With all their recent advocacy for local Indigenous matters, perhaps they could also be referred to as the Naarmy Army…
20
Connecting the dots on Epstein.
https://www.rt.com/news/632045-epstein-russian-spy-squid/
30
I remain curious at the apparent lack of interest among the media and the powers that be into how Epstein became so wealthy and influential in one life time.
Throwing up a Russia smoke screen suggests to me that there is a serious effort to avoid investigation and disclosure. I speculate that this is a counter measure just in case the dump of material implicates those who do not want to be implicated.
And so my interest is directed to those who have collected and are now releasing the trove of material which clearly they have held for quite some time. And my interest is directed to those who have held the material without bringing down the whole house of cards. More specifically who wanted the house of cards to remain intact?
220
Security briefings for Australian diplomatic and military staff going to Washington and NYC included a warn off in regards to Epstein no later than 1997.
I wonder if, and when, that warn off was dropped.
It was quite unequivocal when I saw it, said do not associate with Epstein, do not be alone in a room with him, do not talk to him on the phone, etc., etc.
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Epstein attended Cooper Union and New York University but did not complete a degree. He briefly taught physics and mathematics at the Dalton School in Manhattan before starting his career in finance. The core of Epstein’s fortune came from a small group of billionaires and families with complex fortunes, notably billionaire Leslie Wexner, founder and chair emeritus of Bath & Body Works, Inc., and the principal in Abercrombie & Fitch, Victoria’s Secret and La Senza. Leon Black, Apollo Global Management Chairman, paid Epstein $158 million for tax and estate planning services. He met CEO Alan Greenberg, of Bear Stearns, while tutoring the son.
There’s more, but that’s the idea.
110
Very helpful John. My next question is why the people you name decided he was the vehicle for their ambitions; what they knew and when they knew of his apparently extensive empire building plans built on blackmail.
20
‘More specifically who wanted the house of cards to remain intact?’
The rich and fatuous.
20
They’ve got us in a tither over events that largely took place 20 years ago.
Over a fellow that we are told auto departed 5 years ago*.
And theorizing on if it was an intelligence operation.
Which we’ll never know.
Which is a pretty good marker for an intelligence operation.
I wonder what current operation will have us in a tither 20 years out.
That we don’t notice cause we’re in a tither about the one 20 years ago.
*Just as another intelligence operation was underway.
81
Would you like some pizza with that squid and grape juice?
10
I did not “get” that grape reference, but it all becomes clear now:-
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2026-02-08/post-epstein-document-dump-moment-left-right-populist-unity
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Connecting the dots on Bill Gates is easier! 😉😆
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Real situation is just opposite.
General public is disinterested while some media pumps the hot air into bonfire which does not want to flare up .
Add more fuel, you idiots and maybe we will look that way.
Have not we heard enough already about escapades of rich and powerful? Much of media, traditional and new one, dine of it and nothing else.
ABC mentioned in passing “hundreds, maybe thousands abused women”. Twenty nameless ones, they also said, are chasing Epstein estate.
So where are 40 court cases ? 80 ?
61
We have our own version here too-
“The tentacles of a satanic paedophile ring, allegedly operated by a group of Sydney men…have spread across the world with almost 150 suspects now being hunted by global law enforcement. Police say the allegations are “the most extreme we’ve seen”, and the content so “depraved” and “horrific” that magistrates and prosecutors are in shock.
Detectives from the NSW Police’s child exploitation internet unit alleged late last year that they had uncovered a paedophile network involved in the “online distribution of child sexual abuse material involving ritualistic or satanic themes”.”
…although no-one has been accused of committing physical acts, its all just posting stuff on the internet. I can imagine how AI will make seamless movies looking very real yet no person get abused. Where is the victim of this ‘crime’? Surely its just art when you portray your version of the world in a simulation? That’s what artists have been doing for thousands of year now.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/depraved-sydney-satanic-child-abuse-ring-the-most-extreme-police-have-seen-20260204-p5nzgp.html
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I for one always welcome your comments because you are often a contrary voice.
But isn’t what you say exactly what somebody would say if they wanted it all to go away?
So what would you have the great unwashed masses pay attention to at this point in time?
50
Is this comment what is called a “bullet point”?
Gregor seeks to have understanding.
10
Hi Gregor. My mind works in mysterious ways. I’m not familiar with the term “bullet point” other than what goes into word documents and powerpoint presentations.
10
Vlad – nothing will ever happen as the tentacles of depravity extend into every government, too-big-to-fail’s and every mega-organisation out there, and the power from blackmail is truly incredible.
Accuse british pollies of kiddy fiddling and the hard drive with evidence suffers an irreparable crash.
Aaawww…what a shame.
Ask Israel for an unredacted copy. 😆
40
FWIW – Grok’s first choice
“Can you show me an example of an “Awful”(affluent white female urban liberal)”
https://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2026/02/06/grok/
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“https://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2026/02/06/grok/”
“From Wall Street Apes”
The Obamas?
01
I’m a proud member of the Crowd. Conservative Respectful Old White Denizens (or Dudes if you prefer!).
20
Sky News host explodes: “enough is enough”
https://youtu.be/Vged8LF3s0Y?si=9Sn56z5TkyBjrQyz
Yes, the normals have had more than enough loony left BS and political malfeasance and incompetence in this country.
350k views in a day…
81
Ken Oath is alive & well here too.
Most excellent delivery: I wish him well.
20
Thanks JC II, and also thanks to Rowan.
But I’ve failed again – I tried so hard, but failed to find anything to disagree with in what Rowan said.
40
US navy mistake: Hobart (Tasmania) fried with EMP, now a smouldering wasteland, estimated 500,000 died instantly
Some survived, charred zombies!
Yes, “We bury our dead” is the name of this film, a masterpiece of scientific nonsense and more plot holes than a kilo of swiss cheese.
I watched it so you don’t have to.
Seriously, don’t bother.
I give it a 9 out of ten on the JC2 crudometer. 😁
20
We Bury The Dead
‘After the United States accidentally detonates an experimental weapon off the Eastern coast of Tasmania, the city of Hobart is destroyed, and victims on the island not caught in the immediate blast are rendered brain dead.
‘Soon it is found that some of the brain dead are regaining motor function, becoming undead, with some of them becoming violent.’ (wiki)
10
Presumably they became Greens.
60
I didn’t know the US tested an EMP device off the coast of Tasmania around 1980, but if they did, it fits. 😀
20
Zombie Land.
00
I don’t know who The Crewkerne Gazette are but they seem to have Keir Starmer in their sights.
The HMS Labour Party: Model of a Modern Prime Minister https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9YWY4YeM-w
But Today in Parliament: “You’re virtually a communist”, Kemi raps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wt5TpBZf4ws
20
Oh! Well done, love them both!
20
Could a party struggling for relevance gerrymander itself out of power?
Watching the blues and reds in the US outdoing each other with extreme gerrymandering, I’m wondering if the (D)s are playing a dangerous game. Putting ethics to one side, could the governing party shoot itself in the foot?
Lets look at Virginia:
Democratic candidates collectively received 47.64% of the statewide vote, while Republican candidates received 51.40%, resulting in a slight Republican advantage in the popular vote. Despite this, the partisan composition of Virginia’s U.S. House delegation remained unchanged: 6 Democrats and 5 Republicans, consistent with the pre-election balance.
In response to the Tx redistricting the (D) Governor proposes one of their own which will, theoretically, cause a 10:1 party split. This could misfire, here’s why I think so:
Every time you move a reliable (D) voter into an (R) district to win it, you lower your majority in the other. Eventually, to achieve a 10:1 party split, the reliable (D) donor districts have been stripped to the bone. To say that US politics is volatile ATM is an understatement so if there is a swing to the (R)s the last statewide (R) 4% majority could double and cause the (R)s to pick up a number of seats that they would not have with current boundaries.
‘Tis a dangerous game they play.
30
I crafted a comment on this yesterday, but deleted it.
I think this gerrymandering thing may be the fatal flaw in the US state patchwork election system.
(Recent SCOTUS may be really unhelpful, turning CA into a perpetual one party failure.)
The result in my state is there usually no opposition candidate to cast a vote for.
Hard to organize political opposition when there is no path to office.
All we can do is wait for the dominant party to become so malfeasant and corrupt that the ordinary folk are pushed to near open rebellion.
Happening in my state.
This happened in VA last cycle, but the Democrats were able to re-game the system and retrieve nominal power.
The serious problem is the disconnect between the intellectually inbreeding urban educated elite, which the gerrymandering system empowers and the normal functional Deplorable citizenry of the hinterlands that it disenfranchises.
A phenomenon also observable across the Western countries like the UK.
(I notice the UK is attempting to redistribute their newly imported urbanites into the countryside.)
It’s going to turn sour shortly, because of pre-ordained structural midterm Congressional turnover.
The Democrats can’t restrain themselves and will begin the TDS impeachment charade full bore.
And the cold civil/political conflict already 10 years simmering may get much warmer.
Unlike the climate.
20
I don’t know if this hasn’t yet been posted here but regardless, here goes:
Link to paper & pdf: https://doi.org/10.56098/vse7qq65
https://ijvtpr.com/index.php/IJVTPR/article/view/125
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Sorry, accidentally knocked red Skepticynic. Meant green.
20
“Of the 22 chronic disease conditions studied, proportional contrasts always favor the unvaccinated. The most dramatic contrasts occurred in asthma, autism, auto-immunity, ADHD, brain dysfunction, mental health disorders, behavioral disability, developmental delay, learning disability, intellectual disability, speech disorder, motor disability, tics, other disability disorder, neurological disorder, and seizure disorder. At ten years of follow-up, 57% of the vaccinated cohort had at least one chronic disorder, compared with 17% in the unvaccinated.”
So, not just mRNA vaccines destroying lives…
30
In New York USA late 1800s to early 1900s the battery electric vehicle was gaining in popularity and notably for taxi cab work, recharging power points were provided around the CBD by the Council.
And then Henry Ford revealed his internal combustion engine motor vehicle fuelled with petrol or “gas” gasoline and could be driven out of town carrying spare cans of fuel and refuelled quickly with retail price much more attractive to buyers.
120
“The electric automobile will quickly and easily take precedence over all other kinds of motor carriages as soon as an effective battery of light weight is discovered.” Los Angeles Times 1901
“Prices on electric cars will continue to drop until they are within reach of the average family.” Washington Post 1915.
90
This reminds me of one of the earliest cars built in South Australia by Albert Ohlmeyer (the “Jigger”) in 1904. Albert was a jeweler in Tanunda. He depended on a can of gasoline sent as rail freight every two weeks from Adelaide. The tyranny of distance?
50
Very handy for taxi cab work as battery changing centres meant drive in/drive out with minimal loss of time.
The other advantages for batteries was no cranking of the engine to start it. Women were keen on this.
40
Go look up when the first wind powered electricity and photovoltaic generators were built.
Then wonder why they didn’t catch on.
50
‘catch on’ ? as in ‘ignite’ or burn?
1st the BOOM … then the bust.
Natural cycles all the way down.
😃
20
What do you make of this short Epstein/Gates/WHO email?
https://youtube.com/shorts/PxxakzZHpD4
40
Yesterday 35℃, today dark and cloudy 20℃ with rain – typical Oz weather.
Not quite snowing but worthy of listening to Dmitri Shostakovich Piano concerto nº2 – II
Wouldn’t it be great if the Russkies made more music like this and not war…
40
Snow, you say? Funny you mention that: your govt BoM-squad are calling for exactly that on Thursday 12 Feb – admittedly on the offshore southern island of Tasmania – and then the very next day, Friday the 13th, the same summer snow storm is forecast to hit the South Island of NZ, the 3rd-to-be official ‘snowfall’ this month, what we used to call high/peak ‘summer’, before all this carbon nonsense began.
Turn the music up ✔️
10
The Coalition gets back together and both leaders agree that another split won’t happen again on their watch.
A marriage of convenience.
11
Feminists have no self respect.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/02/07/thousands-of-feminist-climate-activists-are-gathering-in-melbourne/
11
Barefoot, pregnant, in the kitchen… the world was such a better place!
Sex should be like race in the Govt’s eyes, completely invisible. It shouldn’t be measured or counted or have any influence. The best person for the job gets it, end of story, and no moaning afterwards.
50
Barefoot and cooking from scratch in the kitchen…yes. I’m a touch past the pregnancy bit nowadays!
10
FWIW
Re the life of solar power cells –
Some years ago a bloke from western Qld mentioned that they were only getting sbout 10 years from solar panels on bores
30
FWIW – the Bee
“Democrats Push For Death Certificates To Be Accepted As Voter ID”
https://babylonbee.com/news/democrats-push-for-death-certificates-to-be-accepted-as-voter-id/
50
FWIW
“Arkansas’ Lithium Jackpot: New Tech Turns Ancient Saltwater Into ‘White Gold’ ”
“Tucked beneath the pine forests and farm fields of southwest Arkansas, drillers have stumbled upon a critical mineral jackpot: lithium in the region’s ancient saltwater formations.
Last fall, the U.S. Geological Survey announced that an estimated 5 to 19 million tons of lithium are located in southwestern Arkansas. That is enough lithium to meet the world’s estimated 2030 demand for lithium nine times over.
The lithium is located in the Smackover Formation, a geological formation created by an ancient sea that extends across southwest Arkansas and several neighboring states. Back in the 1920s, oil was discovered in the Smackover Formation, setting off a boom in southern Arkansas.”
More at
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/02/07/arkansas-lithium-jackpot-new-tech-turns-ancient-saltwater-into-white-gold/
30
The lithium market still seems to be in the doldrums, though may be seeing a bit of an increase.
The engineering and chemistry involved in “direct lithium extraction” is interesting. Final output only has to be something like 15% lithium hydroxide (from brine containing in the order of 0.02% Li) to be marketable, but there’s lots of heating, cooling, pressure, and large pH changes along the way. Is the process economic now? I think considerably less so than 3-4 years ago.
20
FWIW
“A spectacular gathering?”
“Thousands of Feminist Climate Activists are Gathering in Melbourne”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/02/07/thousands-of-feminist-climate-activists-are-gathering-in-melbourne/
10
And the comments there
Plus
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IGcmHDzO0rofVO4xvsokmE51RP7pldKrPhs6KmLb5K6jHXD8Gvzd2JRIJUYXS-wCSqa9iVyDF2KhJ8YHQXz0Q0JZyMzp9-M_aysSLC2wkNu-amLR0ETznaQ4eF0goUFkpaG13jBNuHYL5Fj56mEo7b9IvoeYjg5rUC3QNHvjhU1dvy_-jUVPDUMIwFM/w325-h400/Meme%20-%20amendments.png
10
This is going to be a big news story !!!
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-power-bill-change-that-will-sting-low-earners-200-more-20260206-p5o068.html
There is now a push to move to fixed charging for electricity, rather than usage based, due to large revenue shortfalls seen by for grid operators, due to the big subsidies causing people to move to their own solar and battery solutions. Basically, the government have deliberately tricked people into buying the cheap subsidised solar panels and batteries, to solve their own net zero targets and the big midday oversupply issue they created, and (IMO) they have deliberately created this revenue shortfall problem so they could justify pushing through this communist style charging solution. It’s all very convenient and obviously this was planned all along. Has there ever been a more morally bankrupt government in our history ?
The user charge details are still to be determined but it’s possible they will hit people based on dwelling size or type, which is also a way of forcing people out of detached homes once they retire, as they will be unable to afford the power bill. This is exactly what the government wants as they now get to control what type of dwelling you live in, unless you are very wealthy and can afford their massive taxes.
Of course, this pricing shift would kill the entire home solar and battery industry overnight and in ten years from now when the batteries reached EOL, there would be an even bigger problem of midday oversupply and peak demand shortfall and it’s unlikely people would invest their own money in home batteries and solar panels ever again.
This article is behind a paywall but if you refresh the page and very quickly do CNTRL-A and CNTRL-C, before the subscription message gets loaded, you can then copy and paste the article into a word doc and read.
An extracts from the article
“However, the commission is grappling with a monumental shake-up of the energy grid due to renewable energy, with 4.3 million solar-powered homes dramatically cutting their electricity use and their bills, and is scrambling to find ways to pay for the grid upkeep.
In response to these challenges, the commission issued its Electricity pricing for a consumer-driven future report, which recommends variable charges be switched to a fixed daily connection charge. The recommendation is out for public consultation.”
50
https://archive.md/JaZb2
Thanks Serge for the link😀
00
UBI “fixes” this.
🙂
00