Interesting thread. I'm an NHRA fan and a friend was the clutch guy for an alcohol funny car team (Steven Gasparrelli) while Randy Anderson was the crew chief. I got to learn a ton by hanging out in the pits with these guys.
There is massive thrust from the headers. There is empirical evidence...
There are many good points here.
Personally, I don't think the trades have dwindled as much as they have been diluted and increasingly specialized. I think that is true in the engineering fields as well. Stating that one has a degree in Mechanical Engineering is as meaningless as claiming to...
I just use Windows Hyperterminal typically installed in the Accessories folder. Not fancy, but works fine communicating with my Mitsubishi controlled mills. And it's free.