alnwlsn

15 ms·

301.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
That, and that you have to have tools on hand to fix something, which most people don't. For the majority of people, it's probably limited to three of the lowest quality screwdrivers you've ever seen, a pair of scissors, and
302.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
Sure, but these people aren't wealthy enough that they still need to buy these machines (vs paying for a service to come in with their own stuff). I'm sure being able to afford new is a factor, but I also see a breakdown in abili
303.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
It's not just students. Where I live (admittedly wealthy) people throw away everything they can't be bothered to do the slightest bit of maintenance on. I have found, and made functional: - a snow blower - various weed eaters -
304.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
Those 2000s VCR's made near the end were pretty crappy though. We used VHS well beyond when everyone else threw theirs out - it was a cheap way to record TV. We would find one, it would last 8-10 months, and then break. I must have tak
305.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
I made one once which was just like normal Tetris, but you could fight against gravity and move the pieces upwards. It actually doesn't change the gameplay that much, because eventually you progress far enough that you just can't
306.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
Ah the joys of units! If you work cross-discipline, 1/1000th of an inch is called a 'thou' in machining. For PCBs (not unheard of to attach the two together), the same unit is called a 'mil'. Not to be confused with
307.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
Interesting, at least 10 years ago, everyone in my school knew Monty Python. Maybe that's because it was on Youtube at the time. Not really the case anymore; some is still there but a lot has been removed - you're not going to fin
308.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
I feel like learning random notes would be the musical equivalent of the Chinese Room. You would be good at sight reading, but not be 'musical'. A bit like when people tell you to learn Morse code, not to learn it letter by letter
309.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
It's good for anything that goes a good distance over the (spherical) earth's surface. 1 nautical mile is just 1/60th of a degree around.
310.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
I wish you could still buy 3D TVs. Why? We used them to build a truck simulator which had a driver and passenger. The view out the window is different for each person. They were perfect for that, but it's too small a niche to keep maki
311.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
One thing that was once lost on me is that in the pre-calculator world, it wasn't just "here's a slide rule, sorry, calculators haven't been invented yet". There was a whole variety of mathematical instruments to he
312.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
I was wondering why an MCU with so many pins was used. Maybe it was picked for the total package height?
313.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
Is this different than any other time? you crash your car (mechanical problem) -> Ford says "not our fault, we're not paying" -> you sue Ford -> court decides you crash your car (FSD problem) -> Tesla says "n
314.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
I think he should also go for the other meaning of "plays doom" and set it up as a sequencer which sends keyboard and mouse inputs, like a 900 pound TASbot.
315.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
I've listened to some old sci-fi radio shows and it's interesting how often "the computer never makes a mistake" comes up. Which is usually followed by the computer making a mistake.
316.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
Unless you can install a torrent client on an iPad, probably not.
317.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
Fuel efficiency is the answer for "why would you do this?" That's really important for rockets, since to launch each gram of fuel you have to have some more fuel which you also have to lift.
318.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
It's a shame it ended right when I started. There's at least a generation or two or three of cool stuff between 2007 and now.
319.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
I don't disagree, however I find it a bit ironic to see a comment like this under one that mentions the SL-1. It's one of the few nuclear disasters we know of where the reactor for-sure went prompt critical, causing the fuel to ex
320.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
Every time I see one of these I'm reminded of the AMFare system [0] which was tried in the 60s. It was basically the American fast food version of this. No AI, just hundreds of special purpose mechanisms to make burgers, hot dogs, milk
321.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
Is this the one where they brought in a nuclear reactor? edit: Yes, it was the PM-2A. A "portable" (but larger) version similar to the infamous SL-1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_Nuclear_Power_Program#Li
322.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
> only known organism to have ever lived on the Moon Anyone know what this is referring to? The only instance I know of was the Surveyor 3 camera, which was supposedly Streptococcus mitis and even that situation is greatly contested.
323.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
There's a decent chance something in the room you're in right now is running an 8051 core.
324.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
A USB charger is more powerful than the Apollo Guidance Computer: https://web.archive.org/web/20240101203337/https://forresthe...
325.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
It depends. Can Windows 3.11 be faster than Windows 11? Sure, maybe even in most cases: https://jmmv.dev/2023/06/fast-machines-slow-machines.html
326.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
I think this might be because once you have a tool, you either use it forever or until it breaks, and don't sell it in a good enough condition that it would be worth anything. My dad's circular saw, which he found in the trash 40
327.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
Maybe the title was on both ends. That way, you'd still be able to tell what it was quickly even if not rewound. And the one on the outside just burned away.
328.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
I hadn't looked into those battery pack things before, but that price is ridiculous. Around here, you can get a generator which will power everything you need in an emergency for about 1/10th the price.
329.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
Ah, that makes more sense then, good idea! I have personally blown up a laptop by having the USB section of a board it was plugged into hang around too close to an exposed 24V supply.
330.
by alnwlsn 1y ago
It's always a little jarring to me to see a seemingly competently laid out automotive grade PCB, with a cheap as dirt Amazon special D1 mini ESP board lovingly stapled in one corner. Best rating you can get on those ESP modules is &quo

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