• Tar_Alcaran@sh.itjust.works
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    9 months ago

    Holy crap, it’s actually true.

    The quote, when talking about the carrier Gerald R. Ford (which does not have magnetic elevators, btw).

    They had almost a billion dollar cost over on the magnetic elevators. Think of it, magnets. Now all I know about magnets is this, give me a glass of water, let me drop it on the magnets, that’s the end of the magnets. Why didn’t they use John Deere? Why didn’t they bring in the John Deere people? Do you like John Deere? I like John Deere

    • grue@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Even if we pretended that quote were coherent and read what he intended (criticizing the electromagnetic catapults, not elevators) instead of what he actually said… he wants a fucking tractor company to work on them? John Deere knows fuck-all about high-tech linear induction motors; even under the most charitable interpretation possible his position is still asinine and nonsensical!

      Edit: I don’t know why I’m even surprised by this. I guess it’s just, of all companies he could’ve pulled out of his ass, John fucking Deere?! That’s a weird random choice even for him.

      • I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Well we’ve all seen the man struggle with a glass of water. Trump v Water Glass is a tough match. Also, he was campaigning in Iowa at the time. Anyone at that rally that wasn’t wearing a MAGA hat was wearing a John Deere one. Similar to the “man, woman, person, camera” incident. It’s a short trip from eyes to mouth with this one.

    • AggressivelyPassive@feddit.de
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      9 months ago

      This sounds more like an attempt to win a rural crowd and play with their “enginear stoopid, farmer smat” sentiment.

      • dudinax
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        9 months ago

        Farmers don’t give a crap about carrier catapults, and half of them know more about magnets the he does.

        Someone got paid to convince him to oppose magnets and managed to do it with really stupid arguments.

        He now repeats these arguments without thinking about it because it gets cheers from equally dumb rubes in his audience.

        • vrek
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          9 months ago

          It depends… Also a different skill set.

          If I’m asking about proper crop rotation to keep a high nitrogen level in my soil… I’m absolutely going to a farmer.

          If I need a database to store crop yields and sales… I’m absolutely going to a software engineer.

          If I’m looking for how to reset my forearm after I broke it snow boarding… I’m absolutely going to a doctor.

          If I’m looking for how to make a desk from reclaimed old natural wood… I’m absolutely going to a carpenter.

          Everyone has skills, one profession is not smarter than another. Each profession is smart in what they are trained or experienced in.

    • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Sounds like he confused magnets for cotton candy. Easy mistake, as both can stick to certain things. Why are people blowing this out of proportion? We all know what he really meant.

  • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    9 months ago

    This feels like someone tried to explain electromagnetism to him and his takeaway was that, like electronics, magnets can’t get wet.

    • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      New York City writer Fran Leibowitz said this of Donald Trump. “You don’t know anybody as stupid as Donald Trump. You just don’t.”

    • marcos@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      I don’t remember the details, because hell if I’ll waste my memory on that, but I do remember he was talking about an electromagnet, and insisted that it would stop working if sprayed with sea water.

      It’s not as outrageous as the literal thing he said, but it’s still quite dumb.

      • dudinax
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        9 months ago

        Maybe he has a point, but there’s probably some organization that knows how to keep electrical systems running at sea. Maybe they could help the US Navy out with this.

        • marcos@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          Nah, he didn’t have a point. It is still stupid in any way you look.

          It’s not some “those people know what they are doing” thing, there’s absolutely no problem to find there. If the wires weren’t insulated, they wouldn’t work in a coil at all.

          Still, it’s not at the level of “everybody should just inject bleach at their bloodstream”.

          • dudinax
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            9 months ago

            I’m joking. It’s just as dumb as his bleach idea. The USN keeps several nuclear reactors running at sea all day every day.

  • kbal@fedia.io
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    9 months ago

    Now they want to install these “transporters” on the latest flagship. Can you believe it! Transporters. That don’t work in an ion storm. Space is full of ion storms! They’re useless. I talked to a guy named Reg down in engineering. Good fellow, really smart, knows what he’s doing. I asked him, Reg, which would be better? Transporters or shuttlecraft? “Shuttlecraft” is better according to Reg, the man who knows all about how these things work. Transporters! Ha! Pour a cup of water on them and they stop working, and you have to be a Zephram Cochrane if you want to know how to fix them. Shuttles are what you want, solid tritanium alloy, that’s what you can trust.

  • Lumidaub@feddit.de
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    9 months ago

    You made me look this up, I hadn’t heard about it. Step on a lego.

    (good post)