

Sparkplugs ... no laserplugs - delinquentme
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13160950

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CWuestefeld
Sorry to quibble about grammar, but this error transforms your headline into
its opposite.

What you really mean is "Sparkplugs ... no, laserplugs". You _really_ need
that comma following the "no", so it can stand alone rather than negate the
laserplugs.

~~~
hugh3
Sparkplugs! No laserplugs! Sparkplugs!

But yeah, I think the original BBC headline was perfectly good before it was
changed.

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plusbryan
Regardless if these plugs actually increase efficiency, their novelty will
make them a commercial success. Who doesn't want a car with a Laser-Powered
Engine(tm)?

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tedjdziuba
"The idea of replacing spark plugs - a technology that has changed little
since their invention 150 years ago - with lasers is not a new one."

There's a reason that spark plug technology has not changed in 150 years: it
works. The mechanism of a spark plug (and many mechanisms inside of an
internal combustion engine) are so simple that they leave little room for
mechanical failure.

Everyone likes to make the joke about "If Microsoft built cars", but there is
some amount of truth to it - automobile engineers value simplicity far more
than computer programmers do, as it has a direct effect on reliability. The
reliability of a car is far more important than the reliability of an online
chat application.

Spark plugs as they are now solve the problem, and are cheap. You can buy one
for about $5 where I live. That one plug will last years. If by chance it does
get dirty and start to fail, I can pull it out and clean it with a wire brush.

The "fuel efficiency gain" from a laser plug needs to be substantial to
justify the complexity and expense. Leave it to journalists to ignore the
practical side of a story and make it all 'science'.

~~~
hugh3
Indeed. And we've seen great improvements to engine efficiency over recent
years with technologies like direct injection
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_direct_injection>) but you'll see far
fewer articles about that because it's complicated to explain and doesn't
involve fancy sciencey things like fricking lasers.

