Pink Think

In Lynn Peril's essay Pink Think the term is defined as "a set of ideas and attitudes about what constitutes proper female behavior." This Pink Think still exists, even thrives in today's society. As mentioned in an article a baby girl is placed in a pink blanket, which is supposedly a girl color. I personally do not like the color pink, I prefer black, red and blue, all dark colors, but society forces women into baby blue, pink, yellow and green. These colors are gentle and quiet, they reflect the stereotype also mentioned in the article of women "always being gentle, soft, delicate and nurturing." Advertisements use women as objects of beauty to attract consumers. Automotive companies do this constantly, what looks better then a tall blond model wearing six inch heals and three Pounds of makeup leaning on a corvette? When T Mobile introduced their anytime minutes they placed a young girl in a cheer leading uniform with a cell phone. The catch phrase was "Is 1500 enough for the biggest talkers?" This commercial stereotypes women as pretty, ditsy and obnoxious talkers. As the young girl continues speaking on the phone those around her tap their fingers impatiently with bored looks on their faces. Women in advertisements are free of wrinkles, acne, and scars. They are young, and thin you could call them perfect, but in reality no one looks perfect and these advertisements have a huge effect on society. They encourage the judgment of women, the idea that women are only good because of their visual assets not their intelligence or skills, a perfect example of Pink Think.
It is ridiculously difficult even today for women to take jobs as automotive technicians, welders, and carpenters. They can legally work where ever they want, however women are still not free from intense sexual harassment, a lack of respect from their co workers and even some family members. I remember telling my grandparents that I had chosen Auto Tech at school, the first words out of my grandmothers mouth were "well I'm so glad I have a grandson." I laughed the insult off, and realized that if I was to make it in my field I would have to grow a tough skin. My mother was an EMT, she was out driving the ambulance one day, when she arrived to help someone the lady inquired "who is going to help me?" Her partner indicated that my mother would be taking care of the patient and her response was "no, she can't be qualified, where is your male partner?" This woman was undoubtedly a victim of pink think, unable to see past my mothers gender.
Many people say that women have come a long way, this is true as far as job opportunities, voting rights and clothing choice, but what about the ever haunting insults? Women are put down on a daily basis. We are categorized as chatty, emotional, and weak. Yes we are given the same literal freedoms as everyone else, but emotionally we are tied down, held back by the fear of being called "butch" if we know how to throw a punch, fix a car, or wire a building.
Pink think engulfs advertisements, jobs, movies, and texts. It is evident that society for some unknown reason is incapable of rising above it. Women are continuously viewed as silly, and objects of pleasure, they rarely receive the respect they deserve. The only concept more sicking then this terrible stereotyping of women and girls is how complacent we have become to it. Pink Think has not disappeared, it is still a part of everyday life.

Magneto-Rheological Fluid...the coolest thing EVER!!

As a student in the automotive technology department I get to explore the many recent innovations in my field. Not the newest but arguably one of the most important is the use of magneto-rheological fluid in shock absorbers. This substantial part of any vehicles suspension system acts as a damper, without these dampers the oscillations of the vehicles springs (another suspension system component) would be prolonged. When a vehicle goes over a bump the springs would continue to expand and contract until they absorbed the energy if it wasn't for the shock absorbers.
Shock absorbers are hydraulic, they are filled with oil and sometimes Nitrogen gas. "A shock absorber works on the principle of fluid displacement on both its compression (jounce) and extension (rebound) cycles." (Erjavec Pg. 1116) They essentially consist of two chambers, a piston, and valve. The fluid is moved from one chamber to the other through the valve. When this transition takes place the piston moves either up or down elongating or shortening the shock absorber. An effective and common type of shock absorber is gas assisted. There are two pistons in this system, and as the oil is pushed upward the nitrogen is compressed. the gas aids in forcing the piston back up and returning the damper to it's original position. This system was one of the most technologically advanced.
Lord company has revolutionized the shock absorber, and blown the conventional gas assist shock out of the water. They use magneto-rheological fluid, composed of iron particles, and synthetic oil, mineral oil, water or glycol. When this mixture contacts a magnetic field it turns into a viscoelastic solid, resisting the pressure from the vehicle and road. The solid does not allow the shock to move providing a more comfortable ride. They are electronically controlled via a sensor and small wire connected to the shock absorber. This phase changing compound increases ride (the feeling of the car during turning and over bumps.) It almost disproves the rule stating that as ride increases handling decreases. "In an MR suspension, controllable MR fluid replaces traditional hydraulic fluid in each shock absorber. As sensors monitor road and vehicle conditions, a controller modifies the damping characteristics up to one thousand times per second. This enables dramatic improvements in both ride comfort and handling." (Lord Corporation)
This system is much more expensive however more effective. It is used on the Acura MDX, Audi TT, Audi R8, Buick Lucerne,Cadillac DTS, Cadillac SLR, Cadillac SRX, Cadillac STS, Chevrolet Corvette, Ferrari 599GTB, and Holden HSV Commodore. We are going over steering and suspension in shop (if you couldn't tell.) I find that writing about something helps me better understand it, so this was my attempt at understanding the system.