R17
R17 may refer to :
R-17 may refer to :
Technology in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The fictional universe of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams is a galaxy-spanning society of interacting extraterrestrial cultures. The technological level in the series is highly advanced, though often unreliable. Many technologies in the series are used to poke fun at modern life.
Sirius Cybernetics Corporation
Most of the technology mentioned in the series are products of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation, a decidedly inept company which designs and manufactures a wide range of robots and labour-saving devices, such as lifts, automatic doors, ventilation systems, and the infamous Nutrimatic Drink Dispenser. In the novel So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish, the Guide summarises the problem with all the corporation's products:
The only profitable division of the company, its Complaints division, takes up all of the major landmasses on the first three planets in the Sirius Tau system. The theme song for the Complaints division, "Share and Enjoy", apparently becomes the theme for the company as a whole. The main office-building and headquarters for the company was originally built to represent this motto, but due to bad architecture it sank halfway into the ground, leaving the upper halves of the motto's words to read (in the local language) "Go Stick Your Head in a Pig."
R17 (New York City Subway car)
The R17 is a New York City Subway car class built in 1954 by the St. Louis Car Company. It was one of three car classes purchased in the mid-1950s by the New York City Transit Authority to replace much of the pre-World War II IRT High Voltage (Hi-V) rolling stock, which included the Gibbs cars, the Deck Roofs, and the Hedley Hi-V cars.
Description
There were 400 cars in this class, and all single unit cars capable of operating both independently or as part of a longer train. The electrical components were split between General Electric (cars 6500-6699), and Westinghouse Electric (6700-6899). Cars 6800-6809 actually had factory equipped air conditioning when delivered, but the air conditioning experiment was considered a failure and the cars were refitted with standard axiflow fans between 1962 and 1964. As delivered, R17s came equipped with low running lights at the ends. In 1957, sealed beam headlights were added to the cars.
As delivered, R17s came with very comfortable foam rubber seats. However, as time went on, vandals and wear and tear contributed to rapid and frequent damage to the seats, leading the Transit Authority to deem them unsuitable for service. Ultimately they were replaced with hard fiberglass benches similar in feel to the ones in use on New York City subway trains today.
