Nobreakdowns.com :: Blog - Equipment Maintenance Tips, Industrial Work Stories

How to Plan a Vacation

2007-08-08T12:16:00.000-05:00

Well, now it's my turn for vacation. Here's how I (a planner/scheduler in my past life) plan a vacation:

ID / PRIORITY: Need to plan 4 days worth of meals for a camping trip. Highly critical. Could even be a safety issue if not performed properly.

PLANNING: There are several things to consider. Buy-in from everyone involved in the trip is also very important. Not everyone likes Tofu. Make a note whether or not we will have electricity. This will impact what food is brought and how it is to be prepared. I account for each and every meal from day 1 until we return home. See my scratch sheet. For example, the first day we will leave home around noon, so breakfast and lunch will be eaten before we leave. This is a good day to use up any leftovers in the refrigerator that you aren't "planning" to take on the trip with you. I then continue to plan every other meal through the remainder of the trip. Depending on the mood, however, the "planned" meal may be prepared on a different day. Does this mean my schedule is now out of compliance? I guess so.

SCHEDULING: This takes time, too. We (my husband is an excellent resource) must pre-determine the right time to turn on the refrigerator in the camper. Based on this information, I set a date for doing the grocery shopping.

EXECUTE: Shop & Stock!! A little advise: Do NOT take any "helpers" to the grocery store or you WILL come home with excessive inventory!

GO CAMPING!

FOLLOW-UP: Results are based on my "happy-campers".
ANALYSIS: Review any gaps. If anything was missing add to SOP that will be used for the next camping trip!

"MEOW", says the Policeman

2007-08-08T12:14:00.000-05:00

Have you heard this one? Thai police officers caught breaking rules for littering or arriving to work late (to name a few misdemeanors) are being forced to wear a "cute" little armband with a picture featuring Hello Kitty™ for an entire day. Apparently this is supposed to shame them so they will abide by the rules. Click here to view one of many articles featuring this story.

Have you ever been shamed by someone at work? A supervisor? Share your story on our Blog.

Hmmm, I wonder what Dave would make me wear if I came into work late?

Drag Racing Receives An Electric Shock!

2007-08-08T12:12:00.001-05:00

Drag Racing Receives An Electric Shock!
It was just a matter of time before electric vehicles arrived on the scene of the motorsports industry. Check out the KillaCycle - The World's Quickest Electric Motorcycle. The current fastest quarter mile run is 8.168 seconds at 155.78 mph!

Unbelievable!

You see, the sparkies have known for a long time that electric motors can provide nearly full torque immediately from a standstill. Combustion engines cannot do that, and probably never will. So, even if you have a nitromethane fueled, 4000 horsepower V8 in your car, you can't compete with a comparable electric motor for acceleration. All that remains for the electric racers to do is find the best way to deliver the power to the ground. There are lots of records to beat, and most of them are still held by the conventional guys. This should be a fun thing to watch!

The weirdest thing about it is the eerie silence when these guys do a burnout. You have to see the video below to see what I mean.

See a video of the KillaCycle in action

Preventive vs Preventative

2007-08-06T08:20:00.000-05:00

Last week, I got into a discussion with some maintenance professionals about the usage of two words: preventive and preventative.

Have you noticed that both words seem to be used interchangeably, with no obvious difference? It is common to see both forms of the word printed in documents, even in the SAME document. So, what is the right way to spell out PM? Do you know, or have a guess? Do you care?

We went round and round about the wording, and found some references that said it was OK to use either form. But, since then, we found this reference, which we like. Therefore, since this is our newsletter, it is the law. At least, inside of our pitiful little kingdom :). Check out the attitude on the definitive statement below:

from the Harper Dictionary of Contemporary Usage (1985) by William and Mary Morris

PREVENTIVE / PREVENTATIVE: 'Preventative' is not a correct word. The form does exist as a mistaken variant of 'preventive.' It is what linguists call 'an irregularly formed doublet' and should be avoided. It is listed in the 'Oxford English Dictionary' and some American dictionaries but 'preventive' is always given as the preferred form. The great English word expert H.W. Fowler remarked that "'preventative' is a needless lengthening of an established word, due to oversight or caprice." Perhaps Americans have fallen into the habit of using 'preventative' because of its similarity to 'representative,' but it represents a serious trend in American speech. The use of 'preventative' for 'preventive,' of 'filtrate' for 'filter,' of 'experimentalize' for 'experiment,' and of 'finalize' for 'end' seems to be a part of a trend toward the elimination of simple, precise words in favor of flowery, pretentious gobbledegook."

Wow! I think I know which word I will be using from now on.

Get Joel Levitt's book on preventive maintenance now
$42.50

Safety - Live with It!

2007-07-25T09:29:00.000-05:00

I recently took a trip to the Washington, DC area. As I boarded the airplane, I noticed the pilots reviewing a checklist while seated in the cockpit. As I situated myself in my assigned seat, I was aware that the pilots were still going through their pre-flight safety checklist as the lights flickered on and off, as well as the flow of air and the other numerous lights above my head. This particular trip consisted of 4 segments and each time I boarded my flights I was pleased to see each pilot and co-pilot making sure that my trip would be a safe one.

As a "pilot" of my 4-wheeled vehicle, I wondered what safety checks I should be doing prior to starting my car? Is there a checklist I should be reviewing? I do the typical preventive maintenance on my vehicle to keep it from failing, but am I doing all the right things to keep my family and myself safe while on the road? I did a little research on the world wide web and found some very interesting checklists! I used the search term "vehicle safety checklist" when performing a Google™ search. I found that some of the items on my vehicle are not checked often enough and if not working properly, have the potential of causing an accident. I currently have a teenager who began driving 2 months ago. His permit license doesn't come with a safety manual, so it's up to me to make sure he understands not only how to drive safely but to make sure the vehicle is safe to drive - this makes me a "co-pilot", too. I challenge you to check out one of the lists I mentioned or check your vehicle owner's manual for a safety checklist and review with everyone in your family. Go to our DISCUSSION BOARD and let us know how it goes!

Also, this same Google™ search yielded a link to other websites that referenced OSHA safety training checklists. There may be some checklists worthwhile for use within your company in addition to those you already use.

7/18/07 - Just Another Day..fishing? maintenance?

2007-07-25T09:27:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, my husband and I were enjoying a sunny, fairly hot, morning of fishing. So far, though, the only thing I was catching were weeds. We had only been in the boat for about a half hour when we heard engines overhead. Looking up, we could see a rather large, yellow plane with the initials DNR on the side. The plane flew directly over the lake (and us) and began circling back around. All of a sudden it descended on to the lake and began skimming the surface of the water. The pilot immediately throttled the plane down. It sounded as if the plane was going to die right there! Within seconds water began spraying out of the plane just above the belly. Apparently, and I'm making an assumption here, this is some type of overflow to indicate the plane's belly was full. As quickly as the water began spewing out, the plane shot forward with a loud burst of power and lifted off the surface of the water. Another plane, smaller than the first, followed the same course and repeated this performance. Although we didn't see any smoke, we had to assume there was a fire nearby as these planes continued to swoop down upon the lake four more times over the next hour.

As I sat watching (and waiting for the fish to bite!), I couldn't help but compare the work of these pilots to a maintenance worker. Maintenance workers fight fires, too! In some organizations, break-in (fire fighting) is a way of life. I had to wonder if what these pilots were doing right now would be considered "break-in" work or because of the nature of their job would it be considered "scheduled" work? What kind of plans or procedures are used for fighting fires? What PM's are in place fires? What CMMS do they use? Wait a minute...I'm supposed to be at work daydreaming about fishing...not the other way around!!

Tug..tug..tug..A bite!

Nobreakdowns.com is currently looking for our next Maintenance Coach. If you are interested in swapping fishing stories and have an extensive background in maintenance please email your resume to our Human Resources department.

7/11/07 - BOOM!

2007-07-25T09:26:00.002-05:00

You folks know how I always mention that the details are what makes the difference between good and great performance. Well, sometimes it makes the difference between disaster and great performance too.

I had a friend who was a newly graduated mechanical engineer at a manufacturing facility. He was an excited and motivated person with a lot of good ideas. Like many of us at that stage of our careers, he was keen to make a name for himself as a solid team member.

One day, my friend (let's call him Spanky) was asked to design a system for unloading bulk chemicals in liquid form from railroad cars. One of the chemicals in question was really nasty stuff, and the idea was to make the unloading process safer. The new system would require no user intervention, and was sealed from leaks very carefully.

The design stage was completed without a hitch, and the job went into construction. Again, no problems were encountered, and the system was finished one morning just in time to unload a railroad car over the lunch hour. So far, so good.

You might imagine the excitement for both Spanky and the operators in the area. They happily hooked up the hose to the underbelly of the railroad car, opened the outlet valve on the tanker and started the unloading pump. Beautiful! So, Spanky went to his office for lunch, and the operator sat down at his desk to eat a sandwich while the railroad car was unloaded.

After some time passed, there was a thunderous BOOM!!!, followed by a lot of noises best left unrepeated. The operator ran out to the train shed to find a terrible sight. The unloading system had unloaded ALL of the chemicals, and then the little unloading pump merrily pulled a complete vacuum on the tank. There was no vacuum breaker on the system, so naturally, the pressure of the atmosphere around the tank crushed it as flat as a beer can on the interstate! Impressive, but not a happy sight, I can tell you.

$150,000 in damage was inflicted on the railroad car in a few seconds, rendering it useless. All of this damage occurred because a vacuum breaker was not included in the system design, and the operator forgot to open the top hatch of the tank before unloading the car.

Small details matter!

Does your maintenance program consider the "small details" like job plans, a well managed CMMS, proper work scheduling, training and a work flow process? No?

BOOM!!!

Can We Offer You Some Help?

6/27/07 - Longest Summer Day (or so it seems)

2007-07-25T09:24:00.001-05:00

June 21st....known as Summer Solstice...the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Well it's not any "longer" than any other day. It still has 24 hours in it! It's a day in which daylight lasts the longest. Did you know that daylight will last just 4 minutes shy of 15 HOURS in some areas of the Northern Hemisphere and even longer as you get closer to the Arctic Circle? This could also be among the hottest days of summer.

With that being said, make sure you and others you are working with are drinking LOTS of fluids. Whether it is at work or play. Gatorade™ is a great choice. It even comes in individual packets so you don't have to mix gallons of the stuff. A place I worked at actually stocked Gatorade™ in the storeroom. Many areas in the paper mill had those large, round coolers. You know, the type that you could stick your arm into until the cold , flavored water almost comes up to your armpit? Well, it DID come up to the armpit of one fellow. He decided on a quick and dirty method of mixing the Gatorade™ WITHOUT using a mixing utensil. Aargh!! After hearing this, we immediately did some research with the vendor that already provided the family size Gatorade™ we were stocking and found that miniature, single serve packets were available. This not only kept everyone hydrated as they were working long hours in the heat (and in good health), but also kept the "hairy-one's" arm dry.

To post a comment to this article or past articles, we invite you to share on Our BLOG or our DISCUSSION BOARD. Have a great and Safe Summer!

6/27/07 - Proactive Maintenance

2007-07-25T09:22:00.001-05:00

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to work in a totally proactive maintenance organization? Very few of us get that opportunity, and the reason is we are waiting for it to HAPPEN.

Well, if you want proactive maintenance, you have to build it, and that means making some changes. What changes, you ask? I would suggest to you that trying something, anything, even a small change would be a step in the right direction. Even if you make a mistake, you will learn something.

At the root of every great maintenance program is a system. A system with clearly defined descriptions of what is supposed to be done, who is supposed to do it and a procedure for how to do it. Go ahead, right now, draw a block diagram of how a work request travels from an idea in someone's head to completion.

Can you do it? Are you sure it is accurate? Do you see any disconnects or weaknesses? Do people REALLY use the system, or is it just a wish? Until you reach an agreement between maintenance and operations that the system is correct and supported, you will never achieve good results.

The system is the solution.

Would You Like Some Help?

6/20/07 - Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS)

2007-07-25T09:21:00.001-05:00

I'm sure many of you are familiar with some version of a CMMS, as there are hundreds of out there. Some companies even maintain their own "home-grown" version.

When I first started working in the maintenance field in the paper industry, we managed work orders by hand. A carbon form was used for requesting maintenance work. All the details were handwritten (I think we employed some wannabe doctors because I couldn't read their writing!). The originator kept a copy and sent the remaining carbon copies to the scheduler. The request was then entered into a spreadsheet. A backlog was created from which reports were printed and distributed to supervisors and maintenance coordinators for review. Ultimately the report was returned to the scheduler with another sheet attached with the title "Top 20". The "Top 20" was then scheduled for the following week using again, another spreadsheet requiring manual entry. A simple system, but not very efficient.

Then came our first CMMS. This program was used to manage our maintenance information such as work orders, planned work packages, labor and material costs, preventive maintenance information, equipment information and much more. In the "early" days, our system was not linked to Purchasing, Accounting or Stores. When requisitioning parts for a planned job a Purchase Requisition form was filled out (by those infamous wannabe doctors) and then sent around the horn for written approvals. At some point the Purchase Requisition ended up in the Purchasing department, but oftentimes after the parts had already arrived. Sound familiar? Eventually, as time would have it, these systems did become integrated with each other. This improved workflow efficiencies, made managing the maintenance of equipment and other assets easier, improved productivity for maintenance and operations and reduced costs. If you want to learn more about how a CMMS (no matter which system you use) will improve your reliability, sign up to attend one of our 5 Pillars: Maintenance & Reliability Professional Review workshops.

As I mentioned in a past article, I will be highlighting tips relating to Maximo in the upcoming months. You will be able to access these tips via our Nobreakdowns.com website, Blog or Discussion Board. Feel free to post questions, comments or even answers to other users' questions. I look forward to chatting with you soon.

6/13/07 - On the Level?

2007-07-25T09:20:00.001-05:00

How did the Bubble Get there?

Did you ever wonder how they got the bubble inside a level? If you know the answer go to Our Discussion Board and let the rest of us in on it!! Even if you don't, take a guess!!

By the way, the Discussion Board is open to all registered users of our site, and you can even add new topics if you like. Let's have some lively communication about whatever (within reason) you have on your mind. We especially like the comments from those of you who are "half a bubble off", like us!

By the way, registering to use the site is painless. If you visit the Discussion Board and do not have a login, don't panic. You will be given an opportunity to register online. It costs nothing, and we respect your privacy.

6/13/07 - Life in Breakdown Mode Case #127.3

2007-07-25T09:19:00.001-05:00

Naperville, Illinois - Bob Underhill, 46, lives to perform reactive maintenance. Aside from his generous contribution to excessive downtime at the plant, his personal life is completely reactive as well.

He eats whatever he wants and considers exercise to be optional. When it comes to seeing his physician for an annual checkup he gripes and groans about not feeling bad enough to need the doctor.

In fact, he's gotten used to feeling bad. It's normal to feel a little "green behind the gills" now. When he goes to work and the plant is running poorly it makes him feel better because misery loves company.

Bob had a bit of a scare a couple months back with that pesky "heart attack" incident. But, it was nothing a few days in the hospital and major surgery couldn't fix. It's a lot like when the main cooling tower goes down at the plant. You just deal with it and move on. All in a day's work.

Are you in breakdown mode?

Maintenance is the answer.

2007-07-23T15:34:00.000-05:00

I have a friend that has a standard answer for any type of equipment failure. His answer applies in most cases, regardless of the type of equipment.

He and some other close friends and I hunted and fished together, and we all had 4 wheel drive vehicles. The 4 wheel drives were essential to get us to the best places to hunt and fish. We all had snowmobiles for winter recreation.

When ever anything went wrong with the vehicles or associated equipment, such as shotguns and fishing rods, my friend's answer to why something failed was " no maintenance." After spending over forty years in maintenance, I believe in a lot of cases this same answer can be applied to industrial equipment failures as well.

It's amazing what a little attention to detail can do to keep our personal equipment running well. The same attention to detail applies to industrial equipment, and we at Nobreakdowns.com are here to assist you with keeping your equipment at peak performance.

Safety Suggestions From Elaina

2007-07-19T12:42:00.000-05:00

Six Year Old Public Relations Manager

Our Public Relations Manager, Elaina, asked us to publish her safety tip drawing to keep all of you out of trouble, and working safely.

She suggested that you don't play around with flammable liquids, as they are a fire hazard, know where the nearest exit is located in case you need to get out quickly and leave the fire fighting to the pros.

Elaina also said that we shouldn't ignore a machine that is making noise or acting strangely. If in doubt, shut it down, and find out what is wrong. Don't just walk away.

Not a bad batch of advice from a person who knows how important it is that we all make it home safely every day!

BOOM!!!

2007-07-10T19:32:00.000-05:00

LIVE!! 5 Pillars: Maintenance & Reliability Professional Review Course

2007-07-10T19:27:00.000-05:00

Hilton Garden Inn - Dallas, Texas Sept. 26-27, 2007 (Discounts end July 31, 2007)

This comprehensive 2-day workshop is designed specifically for busy maintenance professionals. The course is focused directly on the key elements of building a proactive maintenance organization from the ground up.

For those wishing to pursue the Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional (CMRP) exam offered by the Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP)*, this course covers all aspects of the Body of Knowledge. While no training course can replace hands-on experience, this course offers a strong review and reinforcement of the concepts of best practice maintenance methods.

Nobreakdowns.com is proud to offer an exclusive 2-for-1 Dealfor readers of The Drift and our website. Until July 31, 2007 you may register 2 students for the course for the price of a single seat. Limit one offer per company, and also limited by available seating. This is a $795 savings over the regular rates!

Learn More or Enroll Here

"...we had 5 folks, 2 Engineers and 3 Maintenance Managers take the class. It's no doubt the time you spent with us was very helpful to these folks, in fact one of the Engineers made a comment around how much the week helped him."
Tony B. - Pensacola, FL

Please join us for this fun and interesting class. You can expect good examples, great stories, ample opportunities to network with other maintenance professionals and a greater understanding of the hidden secrets to better maintenance.

*Nobreakdowns.com is not affiliated with SMRP and taking this course does not guarantee successful completion of any exam. SMRP does not endorse the course.

Maintenance Management Classes Start Aug 15!

2007-07-10T16:21:00.000-05:00

Did you ever wish you could find someone who could help you to implement a proactive maintenance program?

Maybe a coach who could help you solve problems and assist you with development of work control systems?

System in a Box™ is designed to do just that, without the high cost of live consulting services, and better yet, it leaves you in control of your own operation. System in a Box™ is a distance learning program that uses technology to accomplish great results. This is not a self-study course, but rather a carefully designed system that includes bi-weekly conference calls to keep you on track.

Compare System in a Box™ with traditional consulting

No matter what the current condition of your maintenance program is today, System in a Box™ is adaptable to your situation. We would be happy to assist you in building a strong and effective maintenance program.

We have space in the upcoming (August 15, 2007) group for a few more students.

Learn More or Enroll in System in a Box™

Maintenance Management Classes Start Aug 15!

2007-07-10T16:13:00.000-05:00

STUD of the Year Named

2007-07-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

Detroit Association for Maintenance Mediocrity Announces Winner

At their annual international conference at the Motel 6 in Hell, Michigan, the Detroit Association for Maintenance Mediocrity announced the winner of its prestigious STUD award (Specialist in Taking Uptime Down).

Out of thousands of nominations, Norman Sanderson, a Maintenance Manager from Bixby Manufacturing came away with the title and is now, officially, a STUD.

Through his 23 year career at Bixby Manufacturing, “Sanderson has shown remarkably dedicated defiance of accepted maintenance best practices”, chuckled Robert Cavanaugh, lead panel judge. “We continue to be impressed with how he manages to remain employed in light of his ridiculously backward beliefs about maintenance management and planning.”

Sanderson did have many tough competitors, and to help himself stand out, he claims his attention to activities unrelated to maintaining uptime, like leading three emergency repair meetings per day, kept him above the crowd. “I’m a busy, busy man. Believe me, I don’t have time to plan at all. That's why they pay me the big bucks, Rubberneck!”

The accolades from this award do not stop at receiving the title. Norman Sanderson, STUD, also received a $20 gift card to a local seafood restaurant, and 6 free issues of a magazine of his choice.

Longest Summer Day..A Safety Reminder

2007-06-21T14:49:00.001-05:00

June 21st....known as Summer Solstice...the longest day of the year. Well it's not any "longer" than any other, it still has 24 hours. It's a day in which daylight lasts the "longest". Did you know that daylight will last just 4 minutes shy of 15 HOURS in some areas of the Northern Hemisphere and even longer as you get closer to the Arctic Circle? This could also be among the hottest days of summer.

With that being said, make sure you and others you are working with are drinking LOTS of fluids. Whether it is at work or play. Gatorade is a great choice. It even comes in individual packets so you don't have to mix gallons of the stuff. A place I worked at actually stocked gatorade in the storeroom. Many areas in the paper mill had those large, round coolers. You know, the type that you could stick your arm into until the cold , flavored water almost comes up to your armpit? Well, it DID come up to the armpit of one fellow. He decided on a quick and dirty method of mixing the gatorade WITHOUT using a mixing utensil. Aargh. After hearing this, we immediately did some research with the vendor that already provided the family size gatorade we were stocking and found that miniature, single serve packets were available. This not only kept everyone hydrated as they were working long hours in the heat (and in good health), but also kept the "hairy-one's" arm dry.

Instrumentation Techs Drink 800.23% More Coffee

2007-06-19T08:17:00.000-05:00

Many Trade In Their Tools For Mugs

Instrumentation technicians have always been known to carry a cup of coffee wherever they go, much to the chagrin of their coworkers.

With the advent of gourmet coffees and blends of exotic herbal teas and other beverages, the temptation to devote more and more time to sipping java has apparently overwhelmed these maintenance team members.

One plant reported that they have found groups of instrumentation technicians huddled around the coffee maker for hours, mesmerized by the scent of a dark roasted French blend, completely ignoring the ringing telephone and squawking radios calling for help.

Still another facility has identified that only 1 in 8 instrumentation technicians even carries tools, while most have several coffee mugs.

This coffee consumption alarm is the worst threat to maintenance effectiveness since the infamous 1973 "Bottle at Every Break" whiskey fad that swept the millwrights and pipefitters across the country.

6/6/07-Where Do I Start?

2007-06-13T10:06:00.002-05:00

One of the most common questions we get from maintenance professionals is, "Where do I start?". If you are trying to establish a proactive maintenance program, and are struggling with reactive work, overloaded staff, a limited budget and competing priorities it makes sense to ask this question.

So what's the answer? Believe it or not, the answer is nearly always the same. You need to find someone at the highest level of the organization to accept a role as your defender and supporter. Without a leader on your side who understands the stakes and the challenges you face, your program is on shaky ground. The kind of person you need is rare. Very few corporate leaders have a background in maintenance.

As a maintenance professional, you can do yourself and your team a huge favor by identifying the most likely top leader for your initiative, and and spending the time to prepare him or her for the role. You don't need to turn them into a maintenance manager, but they do need to understand the basics, and the payback for focusing on reliability instead of short-term results.

It is a big shift in thinking to let go of a production oriented focus to one of reliability. Without it, your operation will never achieve optimum performance, no matter how hard you try. Show your leaders how maintenance can contribute to the bottom line.

We have worked with facilities that have doubled their monthly profits through proactive maintenance. That kind of result is what business leaders will notice.

Learn More in the 5 Pillars: Maintenance & Reliability Professional Review Course

6/6/07-Dwarf Mechanic Triggers Manhunt

2007-06-13T10:05:00.003-05:00

This is no joke. Recently, a woman in Germany witnessed a man throwing what she thought was a small child into the trunk of his car, and driving off. She immediately called the police, who located and stopped the car.

When they approached the car, the driver asked what was wrong, and the police officers confronted him with allegations that he had kidnapped a child, who was in the trunk of his vehicle.

The man opened the trunk to reveal that the person inside was in fact not a child, but a 27 year old dwarf. "Shorty" Mueller was a mechanic at a local auto repair shop, and he had requested that the driver place him in the trunk so he could diagnose a rattle coming from the rear of the car. Apparently he does this all the time.

1 - Hooray for the citizen watching out for our kids. We need more of that.

2 - It's great to hear about a maintenance mechanic who is willing to go the extra mile to fix a problem. It must have been a humbling experience to be a dwarf, and ask someone to toss you into a trunk and drive around with you in there!

3 - Thanks to the police for doing their jobs, but not shooting first and asking questions later. It would have made for a different kind of story if they had.

Google Map Street View

2007-06-13T10:05:00.001-05:00

Let's get right down to business. Here's some new technology that will blow your mind.

Google™ has just released their latest service, called Google™ Maps Street View. Right now, you can view 5 different US cities in real time (New York, Miami, Denver, Las Vegas and San Francisco). So what, you say? Go there now, and click the "Street View" icon on the top of the map screen.

You will be greeted with a map of the United States with some camera-shaped icons on it. Click one of them and zoom in to the city. Any street highlighted in blue is available. It is really strange to be able to open a live shot of almost any place in a huge city and then "fly around" using your mouse. Unbelievable!

You can literally go there and see if there are leaves on the trees in Denver, if the surf is up in Miami or the the Golden Gate Bridge needs a paint job.

More cities will be added to the system continuously. What does this have to do with maintenance? I am not sure, but I'll bet we will find some uses for it. In the meantime, this is more than a little creepy.
______________________________________________________

5/30/07-Don't Fall Into This Maintenance Trap

2007-06-13T10:04:00.002-05:00

It started just over two weeks ago. Something was not quite right with my reliable car. Lights and messages were flashing but nothing appeared to be wrong. The first indicator light to appear was the airbag. After grabbing the owner's manual and checking the section under messages, I discovered that when this light is on there is a malfunction with the airbag.

Thank you handy owner's manual for clearing that up!

When the low tire pressure light came on and my tires checked out fine I knew I had to take it into the shop. The mechanic hooked up his fancy analyzer and began searching for an explanation, only to discover four separate error messages.

A few days later (airbag light still on) I ran over a deer carcass instead of running into oncoming traffic. Driving in Minnesota is full of obstacles like this! What do you know, the low tire pressure light comes on again. I'm thinking, stupid false alarm, right? Unfortunately, not this time. I actually had a flat tire (darned roadkill). It turned out I had a bone sliver in my tire that caused the flat. With all the complicating electrical testing, the cause of all my problems was a simple fix. Replace the battery. Once a new one was installed the messages cleared, and everything was OK.

In the world of maintenance, I've seen many people get trapped into always assuming a problem is the same every time it comes up. They usually implement a knee-jerk reaction to quickly fix the problem leaving the real issue unresolved. Don't fall into this trap. Pay attention to each problem and look at it as it's own isolated event. Then work it backwards to find similarities (and differences). This is good maintenance.