series_hybrid

series_hybrid t1_j6f7fuv wrote

The British called the capital of China "Peking" when they forced trade onto China, and it remained Peking in the west for a long time. In 1979, China requested that the west pronounce it a more accurate "Beijing", and it has continued since then.

When Alexander the Great took over Egypt, the people from that country called themselves "Kemet" (or something like that). The way we pronounce Egypt is a rough translation from the Greek.

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series_hybrid t1_j6f0kjq wrote

If you want your roof to be warm in the winter (for melting snow, etc), make sure its black.

If you want your roof to be cooler in the summer, make it white. Why don't we do this? Fashion, and the desire to make sure someone will be willing to buy the house a few years in the future.

I live in tornado country, and I've seen a DOT structure that is thick steel-reinforced concrete in a dome shape. Its the shape that is the most resistant to high winds.

Why aren't houses shaped like this? https://www.thestructuralengineer.info/storage/news/562/featured_image/1160/665e96c29d55b13435d7a8d39deafe53_XL.jpg

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series_hybrid t1_j68qvw1 wrote

There had been a home with a septic pit in the basement. When the road was widened by the government, that house was demoed like many others.

Then, someone decided to install a public water well in a certain intersection, near the old cesspit.

There was a water table that was refreshed by rain up in the hills. edit: a water table is a layer of sand with a layer of clay under it. Rain percolates down through the soil and hits the clay, then spreads out sideways to make a flat "table" of water. Digging a well is best done near a river, but not too close.

The sun caused tides once a day on the Thames River, and once a month when the moon was on the same side of the Earth as the sun, the double tide makes the Thames water level higher.

Under the right conditions, the water table flows back towards the land, instead of flowing from the land to the river. It flowed from the abandoned cesspit towards the well.

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series_hybrid t1_j6158yj wrote

Millwright, assembly-line mechanic. 24V relays, pneumatics, programmable logic chips PLC's

Robot arms on an assembly line are sometimes electro-hydraulic, or electro-pneumatic, or full electrical with synchros and servo motors. Stepper motors. If you want to impress people, build your own bomb defusing robot with a camera and robot arm. 6WD. Use RC components. Opto-couplers as a switch activator. Hall sensors, reed switches. Normally open, normally closed NO/NC...

Also basic 120V/240V motors and drives. 3-phase, single-phase...

If you can do one, you can do the other.

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series_hybrid t1_j5vy3l5 wrote

For 1/2, 3/4, 1.0, 1.5 screws, I usually get coarse drywall screws. They are so cheap they are hard to beat. I hate Philips, but...they are cheap.

for 1.0, 1.5 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 I get #8 deck screws with a T25 head.

https://fascofas.com/products/green-color-t25-torx-star-drive-deck-screws-deck-dock-fence-building-construction-fasteners

They take a 1/8th inch drill for a pilot hole, and you can get a cheap 3-pack of 1/8th inch drills with hex shank so they will work in a drill, and also in a 1/4 hex shank driver.

https://www.harborfreight.com/18-in-impact-rated-hex-shank-titanium-drill-bit-set-3-piece-64889.html

For bolts, I always keep some 1/4-20 in several lengths. Anything else and I just go to the store if I really need a different size.

I got the 18V Ridgid brushless compact driver specifically because it has the shortest head for getting into tight spots. Nothing wrong with DeWalt/MilwaukeeMakita/etc, but...You can always add an extension, but you cant make it shorter. Others are stronger, but this one will drive T25 deck screws all day.

https://www.amazon.com/RIDGID-Brushless-Compact-Impact-Driver/dp/B09PPZDK9N/ref=sr_1_5

1/4-drive and 3/8ths adapters allow you to drive nuts and bolts with a socket set the 1/2 inch drive never gets used.

https://www.harborfreight.com/hex-shank-socket-driver-set-3-piece-68513.html

I buy peanuts in clear plastic bottles to use the empty bottle to store screws and nails in. Look for a large opening screw-top lid. I prefer the square shaped bottles. Sams Club, Costco, Menards

https://www.menards.com/main/black-friday-2022/fisher-reg-dry-roasted-peanuts-36-oz/7069069824/p-1444436540856-c-13917.htm

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series_hybrid t1_j3myzyv wrote

In the 19-teens, the Ford Model-T cost around $400, back before financing was available, it had to be a cash purchase.

The first iteration had two forward speeds and a reverse.

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series_hybrid t1_j2ry3ed wrote

"In spite of Jane's financial success, she was so frugal that she shared her home with another woman to help with expenses. We can only imagine how lonely she must have been, having never found a man to share a life with her and her three cats"

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series_hybrid t1_j2dms26 wrote

I've always laughed at the trope of an infantry soldier who turns out to be a badass. I've met a LOT of infantry soldiers. Snipers however, are actually trained and go on exercises where they stalk and outmaneuver the enemy.

The snipers I've met (I am no sniper), were second enlistment guys with combat experience. They were mature and calm. They were wicked smaht. A good sniper is playing a chess game with the enemy. There are times when the task calls for a muscle-head, but not sniping.

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