Hey ya John

Sorry, but I had to hit the sack so the disconnect in real-time. I've been asking around and got some info...magenets lose their proerties as they get heated, and way below their Curie temperature. The Curie temp is the point where they become completely non-magnetic. How about that!

Here's a short primer of magnets sent to me:
http://www.meder.com/PDF/Reed%20Switch%20Intro/Magnetics.pdf

I'm still wondering how magnets will do in waves or seas or on the car roof. What have you heard on this?

BTW: my first degree was mechanical engineering way back...what I've forgotten is amazing, almost as much as the hair on my head....speaking of

Want to hear a funny story? I've been thinking to cut the hair real short just for the hell of it, so I've mentioned over the last several days that with the potential war in Iraq, the need of pilots will probably result in my being called up (yeah, right, nobody wants far-sighted old farts). Still, that set the stage so when Rikki asked how will I know, I said that she'd come home and find me packing with a buzz cut hair-doo. Well, yesterday I had my neighbor give me a buzz cut and when Rikki came home, I was waiting, then got busy tossing the gear bags around. She jumped seeing me, then stared...then said "Right. Well, you were called up. Right then." So in that long moment of silence I had to tell her it was a joke just to get her going. The consequence of which was that she smirked, and looked the noggin over carefully. Then she said "Well, it'll take getting used to. I need a drink to steady myself. Want a beer?" So I said "sure" and put the gear bags in a corner, and joined her in the kitchen, and opened the can she handed me. So as I popped the top, she jumped back, and the beer sprayed all over me. She just beamed at me and said "ha!" She grabbed a beer and must have shook it like a paint-mixer...talk about quick thinking!