I am suffering from coronavirus fatigue, like I suspect millions or tens of millions of other people are. I am not trying to minimize the significance of what has happened, the millions of infections and hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide. Remember, though, that unless the situation takes a horrendous turn for the worse, the vast majority of the world’s population will not become infected and the vast majority of those who do become infected will recover.
I am tired of washing my hands 20 or 30 times a day (or more) and since I have OCD, that behavior will probably continue for the rest of my life. I am tired of disinfecting the groceries and letting them sit on the kitchen island for two days before I will put them away, not including perishables, of course. I am very tired of having to wear a mask in public, although I always do it. (Has anyone invented a clear face mask, yet?)
I am not a young man with the promise of a long future. I hear the clock ticking and just want to go back to as normal a life as I can have while I can still enjoy it. Of course, my wishing will not change the situation one iota.
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Does anyone else besides me loathe “Auto-Correct?” Before I disabled it on my iPhone years ago, the damn thing would drive me crazy, granting that’s a short drive. NOT ONCE did the system ever actually give me the right word for my text or email. I would like to read your thoughts on the scourge of Auto-Correct.
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On the most recent Corvette Today podcast hosted by Steve Garrett (wish I could find the specific link and show it here, this is the link for the Corvette Today podcast in general), John Kraman of Mecum Auctions and the NBCSN telecasts of those auctions was the guest. As always, John was entertaining and displayed his immense knowledge of automobiles. I do have one bone to pick, though.
At one point John talked about the increasing percentage of Corvettes sold with automatic transmissions as the reason the new C8 is only available with an automatic, although it’s really a dual-clutch automated manual. He said that in the first model year of the C7, 2014, about half of the cars were equipped with a manual. According to The Genuine Corvette Black Book, only about 35% of 2014 Corvettes were equipped with a manual transmission. More Corvettes have been sold with an automatic than a manual every model year since 1972 although the split was close to 50-50 in 2009: 50.5% automatic, 49.5% manual.
Chevrolet/General Motors wasted an opportunity for revenue, in my opinion, by not recognizing the trend sooner. They did not charge extra for an automatic transmission until 2006, the second year of the C6 and the first year for the new 6-speed automatic that was available through the first year of the C7 in 2014. I haven’t shown any charts for awhile. Anyone miss them? <end sarcasm>
| YEAR | TOTAL | W/AUTO | PCT | ADD REV |
| 2006 | 34,021 | 19,094 | 56.1% | $ 23,867,500 |
| 2007 | 40,561 | 22,422 | 55.3% | $ 28,027,500 |
| 2008 | 35,310 | 19,136 | 54.2% | $ 23,920,000 |
| 2009 | 16,956 | 8,560 | 50.5% | $ 10,700,000 |
| 2010 | 12,194 | 6,913 | 56.7% | $ 8,641,250 |
| 2011 | 13,596 | 8,516 | 62.6% | $ 10,645,000 |
| 2012 | 11,647 | 7,586 | 65.1% | $ 9,482,500 |
| 2013 | 13,466 | 7,229 | 53.7% | $ 9,036,250 |
| 2014 | 37,288 | 24,088 | 64.6% | $ 30,110,000 |
| 2015 | 34,240 | 23,232 | 67.9% | $ 40,075,200 |
| TOTALS | 249,279 | 146,776 | 58.9% | $ 194,505,200 |
Note that the cost of the “optional” automatic transmission increased from $1,250 to $1,725 with the introduction of the 8L90E eight-speed in 2015. The sales figures for Corvettes were depressed beginning in 2009 because of the “Great Recession.” The C7 introduction in 2014 boosted sales, which reached 40,000 in 2016. I just wanted to show the first ten years that the automatic transmission was an “extra,” how much revenue that brought to Chevrolet/GM, and how charging for the automatic didn’t seem to affect the percentage of people who ordered them.
From 2011 through 2015, 64% of Corvette customers ordered their cars with automatics. In 2016, the model year for my Z06, that number jumped to 77% AND 76% for the Z06. I have an older copy of the “Black Book” so I don’t have any more recent data. Based on what Tadge Juechter, Corvette chief engineer, said during the C8 reveal last July, that number reached 85% by the end of the C7 in 2019.
Of course, since the only available transmission for the C8 is an automatic, Chevrolet/GM can’t earn additional revenue by charging for one. Note that the automatic brought almost $200 million in additional revenue from 2006-2015.
Anyway…waxing nostalgic here is a picture of my 2007 Corvette for which I gladly paid the additional $1,250 for an automatic:
#CoronavirusFatigue
#SayNoToAutoCorrect
#JohnKraman
#CorvetteAutomaticTransmission
#2007Corvette
#somanycarsjustonelife
#disaffectedmusings
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Disaffected Musings 
With respect to the panic-induced quarantine, I do not wear a mask for two reasons. One, I have respiratory issues, use a CPAP machine at night and a mask aggravates my breathing issue. Two, my rebellious nature pushes me to resist doing something that I am “told” I have to do, especially when the “experts” are still debating if those things are necessary. So far, I have not been admonished by the privately-appointed “mask police”.
I did read a news article that predicted there would be food shortages in third-world countries because of delays in planting food crops because of the quarantine restrictions. Similar restrictions have effected the food supply chain in our own country as well as sickness among workers. We have not yet seen the effects of the unintended consequences of the quarantine.
Auto-correct is the bane of creative writers everywhere. Such stupidity has been disabled on all of my digital devices. I have not yet been able to figure out how to disable the “feature” which underlines in red those words the software program “thinks” I misspelled. I am an engineer and use technical terms of which the software “knows” nothing about. I also use English/British spelling on some words just because of my sarcastic nature which results in red underlining. I shall end my rant here.
I drive an automatic transmission because my old left knee would object to the use of a clutch in order to drive the car. The last car I drove with a manual transmission was my daughter’s Mini Cooper when we would take the grandchild with us to church and she would loan it to me for the child’s car seat.
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Thanks, Philip.
Wearing a mask is inconvenient, for sure, but the best available evidence suggests that wearing them reduces transmission rates by 75 percent. I may wear one in public for the rest of my life. Of course, I have OCD.
I was “amazed” that Auto-Correct was NEVER right!
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I’m wondering if Phillip is my twin brother I didn’t know I had. I don’t wear a mask for pretty much the same reasons as he. I have COPD and a mask is a major obstacle to being able to breath adequately. Some of the COPD was self inflicted, cigarette smoking, some as a result of my work in industrial environments before OSHA enacted rules about air quality and lung protection. The rest is likely a result of my car building hobby; welding, body work, painting, working with toxic solvents, etc. The damage was done, before I even knew it was causing damage (70’s and 80’s). And I also hate being told I “have” to do something with unproven science on the masks. Seems now they are leaning toward them really not being very effective. But who knows, everything about whats going on is a guess at this point.
As for automatics, my split is roughly 75-25 in favor of manual trans. Didn’t really plan it that way, it just kind of happened. My trucks, F-350 Ford (for work) and 3500 Dodge (personal vehicle) are both automatic as they are more practical for towing. The only other automatic I have is one of my drag cars.
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Thanks as always for your comment.
You and Philip are probably representative of the dominant demographic among readers of this blog. I don’t think a 25-year old female who leans socialist is reading Disaffected Musings.
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I’m staying out of the mask debate. People will do what they are going to do. 🙂 However, on the topic of manual vs. automatic, I vote automatic with my dollars, though I have over the years driven my share of manual transmissions.
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I also lean libertarian, but no one has the right to get other people sick. No political paradigm is always applicable.
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I think auto correct has improved over the years. I tend to think it’s more helpful than hurtful at this point…or maybe I’ve given in to it. I do like getting 3 options when typing a word. That’s really helpful- not sure if that’s a part of auto correct system. It’s clear I’m out of my element.
Side note: I’ve read 2 books you authored and enjoyed both.
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Thanks for the words about my books. Although my blog is technically anonymous I am reminded of something Mark Twain is supposed to have said, “The only way two people can keep a secret is if one of them is dead.”
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