> A motor with no input-HOW DO YOU TURN IT OFF? > ALL things are great to turn on-but oh- many times more important > to turn OFF!!!
Kurt Vonnigut resolved this problem long ago in his classic SF novel "Sirens of Titan". In Kurt's story a rocket ship was being built. It was fully automatic. All the passengers had to do was climb on board and hit the green (go) button to fire it up. The rocket ship being fully automated took care of everything else and was fully capable of delivering the passengers to their final destination. Psychological research however had done on the welfare of the travelers. Research indicated that in order to help them feel more comfortable and in control of their immediate environment it was useful to install a red (stop) button next to the green (go) button. The designers told the travelers to simply hit the red button any time they felt they needed to "stop" the rocket from completing its journey. Meanwhile, the designers made sure the red button was connected to absolutely nothing underneath the control panel. It was simply there to make the passengers feel more in control of their environment. Look for the red button! Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com
