Englerdy's recent activity
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Comment on Windows 11 cleanup/configuration script(s)? in ~comp
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Comment on This life gives you nothing - Your attention is all you have. Wasting it is annihilating in ~life
Englerdy Link ParentHonestly the backlight turned out to be a big thing for me. And the reason I upgraded to a nicer device after a year. I wanted a dark mode and warm back lighting for when I stay up reading while...Honestly the backlight turned out to be a big thing for me. And the reason I upgraded to a nicer device after a year. I wanted a dark mode and warm back lighting for when I stay up reading while my wife is falling asleep. I find the adjustable backlighting super useful depending on the environment and like that I can get it just right for comfortable reading. I still mix in the occasional book, but it's a bit of a hassle since I read a lot before bed. Part of the charm I guess.
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Comment on This life gives you nothing - Your attention is all you have. Wasting it is annihilating in ~life
Englerdy Link ParentIf you haven't tried an ereader yet, I'd highly recommend it! I hate reading books on my phone and computer, but e-readers (with an E-Ink display) run a really happy medium for me. I scooped a...If you haven't tried an ereader yet, I'd highly recommend it! I hate reading books on my phone and computer, but e-readers (with an E-Ink display) run a really happy medium for me. I scooped a cheap used kindle to try it a few years ago and it was exactly what I needed to start learning to fun read again. Paired with a local library card you can get ebook loans for free really easily! Usually the use the libby app which is a pain, but again, it's free.
Might be a great way to dip your toes in. I also like that I can juggle a few books depending on what sounds interesting, and it takes the pain away if I don't like a book and want to put it down. It's harder to me with a physical book because it feels like I've wasted time running to library to pick it up or because I paid money for it.
Good luck!
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Comment on Meet the biggest heat pumps in the world in ~engineering
Englerdy Link ParentHistorically it was miles of steam pipes which to my knowledge was actually trickier to manage. That said, steam comes into a building at a really high temperature so I think it was about having...Historically it was miles of steam pipes which to my knowledge was actually trickier to manage. That said, steam comes into a building at a really high temperature so I think it was about having high energy density delivered to high rise buildings to reduce the need for that onsite heat generation. But steam networks have a ton of maintenance overhead and struggle with efficiency because every small leak is wasted energy. However, leaks for that big a system are also inevitable. Hot water is easier to manage because the system can run at a lower pressure. The flip side is that it's at a lower temperature so you can't swap a steam system to a hot water system very easily.
You don't have to move hot or cold water though for a district loop. You can actually move relatively neutral temperature water (65-75 °F) and then use a heat pump in each building to adjust the temperature to where you want it. This gives you the option of running one loop and buildings being able to use the loop for either heating or cooling. With a known, steady temperature you can design a system that almost always is running at its design point which is much more efficient. At least compared to an air-source heat pump (like a typical home AC unit or heat pump) that is subject to variable outside air temperatures.
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Comment on Disney inks blockbuster $1b deal with OpenAI, handing characters over to Sora in ~tech
Englerdy Link ParentIs it wrong to hope the wheels come off right out of the gate with something like this? Like, this feels like the perfect kind of drama to want to see go sideways in the midst of so many other...Is it wrong to hope the wheels come off right out of the gate with something like this? Like, this feels like the perfect kind of drama to want to see go sideways in the midst of so many other things going wrong in a not fun way.
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Comment on These travel influencers don’t want freebies. They’re AI. in ~travel
Englerdy Link ParentI wondered about that as well. How easy will it be to get any of these to gain a following considering how hard it is for a real person? That's the other thing that I think will make AI...I wondered about that as well. How easy will it be to get any of these to gain a following considering how hard it is for a real person? That's the other thing that I think will make AI influencers an up hill battle (and I'll be very disappointed if these somehow become more popular than humans). That said, I'm not sure the accidental death of influencer culture would be an inherently net negative to society either. Bit of a toss up for me and hard to know how to feel.
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Comment on These travel influencers don’t want freebies. They’re AI. in ~travel
Englerdy LinkI'm left to wonder how effective an AI influencer is the moment people realize they're fake. Even if you know a person is being paid for a promotion, you still know it's a person delivering the...I'm left to wonder how effective an AI influencer is the moment people realize they're fake. Even if you know a person is being paid for a promotion, you still know it's a person delivering the message. I feel like there's a level of trust between influencers and their audience (regardless of how well placed that trust is). If I was watching a video or reading a post and I realized the whole thing was AI generated, I'd immediately disbelieve everything I'd heard because I don't trust AI to be factual, especially if I'm looking for opinions and first hand experiences. I imagine that's a lot of the value a travel influencer provides for their followers and I have to wonder if that same people who pay attention to influencers (a demographic I don't really fall into) will actually pay attention to these AI accounts.
Part of me feels like an idea like this is dead on arrival, but I've been surprised so often at how people choose to engage with AI so far (like people who "date" chat bots) that I won't be surprised either way. Strange times.
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Comment on Tweaks to state laws mean many Americans will be able to benefit from small, simple plug-in solar panels in ~enviro
Englerdy Link ParentOh! I see what you're saying now, my mistake. Yeah I suppose you could exceed the rated load on a circuit if it had generation on it. Not sure how to fix that, that's an interesting problem.Oh! I see what you're saying now, my mistake. Yeah I suppose you could exceed the rated load on a circuit if it had generation on it. Not sure how to fix that, that's an interesting problem.
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Comment on Tweaks to state laws mean many Americans will be able to benefit from small, simple plug-in solar panels in ~enviro
Englerdy Link ParentYeah, these are designed to just plug straight into a wall outlet. These systems tend to be pretty small (just a couple panels) so exceeding the current on a 15 Amp breaker would be really...Yeah, these are designed to just plug straight into a wall outlet. These systems tend to be pretty small (just a couple panels) so exceeding the current on a 15 Amp breaker would be really unlikely. An in Utah's case it looks like they're going to be limited to 1200 Watt installations which is about 12 Amps, so well below exceeding the breaker.
From my comment below:
I think these inverters are usually designed to follow the frequency of the grid and to stop outputting power as soon as there's no power coming in from the grid. So I'd imagine as a regulatory point, states would be interested in only allowing systems that automatically cut power as soon as grid power drops for safety.
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Comment on Tweaks to state laws mean many Americans will be able to benefit from small, simple plug-in solar panels in ~enviro
Englerdy Link ParentI think a big thing with plug in solar is that the generation from these (at least in the context of apartment sized living units) will be lower than the residence's total base load, so for most...I think a big thing with plug in solar is that the generation from these (at least in the context of apartment sized living units) will be lower than the residence's total base load, so for most of the people who would want this, back feeding is pretty unlikely. And in Utah's case, it looks like the law change limits these to pretty small systems.
Not to say that back feeding to the grid would be impossible, but not as likely as with a larger home solar installation.
That said, I think these inverters are usually designed to follow the frequency of the grid and to stop outputting power as soon as there's no power coming in from the grid. So I'd imagine as a regulatory point, states would be interested in only allowing systems that automatically cut power as soon as grid power drops for safety.
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Comment on Tweaks to state laws mean many Americans will be able to benefit from small, simple plug-in solar panels in ~enviro
Englerdy Link ParentThis would be so cool living in a multifamily unit. I own my unit, but it's basically impossible to get a loan for solar on a multifamily roof with multiple owners, so rooftop solar even just for...This would be so cool living in a multifamily unit. I own my unit, but it's basically impossible to get a loan for solar on a multifamily roof with multiple owners, so rooftop solar even just for my portion of the roof is challenging to do. And then the HOA has to get involved because they manage the roof and sidings for the buildings.
But plugin solar panels? It would be SO EASY! No HOA involvement needed and easy to pay for out of pocket. And even a few hundred watts would satisfy a big chunk of my base load at least in summer when I have good sun over head on my back patio. Crossing my fingers to see this catch on nationally.
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Comment on How to brew solar powered coffee in ~food
Englerdy Link ParentI honestly feel like a solar reflector design would be more efficient too since the desired output is heat. That solar panel has anywhere from a 15%-20% conversion efficiency. So their 100 watt...I honestly feel like a solar reflector design would be more efficient too since the desired output is heat. That solar panel has anywhere from a 15%-20% conversion efficiency. So their 100 watt panel (which is probably outputting closer to 80 W), is getting hit with about 500 W of solar energy. And you can heat/boil water a lot easier with 500 W than you can with 80 W.
Though there is an elegance from being able to position the coffee maker independently of the solar receiver.
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Comment on Project Hail Mary | Official trailer in ~movies
Englerdy Link ParentWhen The Martian was about to come out I sarcastically grumbled to friends that Matt Damon was too pretty to be Mark Watney. Then watched it and had to reluctantly admit to myself and friends that...When The Martian was about to come out I sarcastically grumbled to friends that Matt Damon was too pretty to be Mark Watney. Then watched it and had to reluctantly admit to myself and friends that Matt Damon really killed the part. I have similar feels about Gosling and am optimistic he's probably going to nail the roll as well.
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Comment on A Cloudflare outage is taking down large parts of the internet - X, ChatGPT and more affected in ~tech
Englerdy Link ParentNO! I missed that. My original comment was accidentally almost a haiku and so I tried committing to the bit. But apparently was still waking up. Thanks for catching what I was going for though!NO! I missed that. My original comment was accidentally almost a haiku and so I tried committing to the bit. But apparently was still waking up. Thanks for catching what I was going for though!
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Comment on Project Hail Mary | Official trailer in ~movies
Englerdy LinkOh man, I didn't know this was going to be a movie. And it looks GOOD! I read the book last year and was blown away. Artemis didn't really catch my attention so I didn't expect much going into it....Oh man, I didn't know this was going to be a movie. And it looks GOOD! I read the book last year and was blown away. Artemis didn't really catch my attention so I didn't expect much going into it. I'll probably have to give Artemis another shot at some point. The Martian was a phenomenal film adaptation, so I feel like the bar is set pretty high for this.
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Comment on A Cloudflare outage is taking down large parts of the internet - X, ChatGPT and more affected in ~tech
Englerdy Link ParentI'm up again! Probably came back up a few minutes after I posted this, but that's a few minutes after I could have gotten some farm time in with breakfast. 😤I'm up again! Probably came back up a few minutes after I posted this, but that's a few minutes after I could have gotten some farm time in with breakfast. 😤
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Comment on A Cloudflare outage is taking down large parts of the internet - X, ChatGPT and more affected in ~tech
Englerdy LinkFarmRPG down Can't harvest my crops in morning A real tragedyFarmRPG down
Can't harvest my crops in morning
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Comment on Pennies are being canceled and the US Mint won't make any more. What does that mean? in ~finance
Englerdy Link ParentI do agree about cents. I basically only deal in whole dollar amounts when buying or selling in cash. And when buying or selling used stuff and paying someone digitally I've only dealt in whole...I do agree about cents. I basically only deal in whole dollar amounts when buying or selling in cash. And when buying or selling used stuff and paying someone digitally I've only dealt in whole dollar amounts, because honestly why wouldn't I just round up or down?
And if I pay for food I'll probably just leave change as part of the tip as well.
I traveled to the Czech Republic and Austria (and Munich Germany for just over a day) this summer and was very surprised how often people preferred to deal in cash. I initially suspected it was due to me being a foreigner and they had no way to know if my card had high transaction fees, but I noticed most locals paying cash as well. I'm left to wonder how much that varies regionally within even a small country though.
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Comment on Pennies are being canceled and the US Mint won't make any more. What does that mean? in ~finance
Englerdy Link ParentA young American millennial checking in that still pretty regularly pays cash. 🤷 There's definitely large groups of people who do still pretty regularly deal in cash even with an abundance of...A young American millennial checking in that still pretty regularly pays cash. 🤷 There's definitely large groups of people who do still pretty regularly deal in cash even with an abundance of digital options. I think there's still a lot of value to cash transactions especially for small purchases like food from street vendors or buying used furniture from strangers on Facebook marketplace/Craigslist. And I encounter a lot of people buying and selling used stuff that still prefer cash. I sold a car two years ago and did the transaction in cash.
Not sure if you're being sarcastic, but cash has a lot of utility for a lot of people still. Especially in cases where credit card transactions are eating into the margins of small businesses.
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Comment on Cell phone advice in ~tech
Englerdy Link ParentAs someone who's also started phone shopping I really appreciate you bringing this up. I've been hanging onto my Refurbished Galaxy S10 but it's battery and GPS are starting to go. I was pretty...As someone who's also started phone shopping I really appreciate you bringing this up. I've been hanging onto my Refurbished Galaxy S10 but it's battery and GPS are starting to go. I was pretty disappointed at the thought of losing the SD card slot and had no idea Samsung made a business line of phones like this! This checks almost every one of my boxes for desirable features!
Thanks to everyone who responded to this thread! Life picked up shortly after I made this post, but y'alls collective feedback helped me arrive at a configuration that I liked and that was familiar enough to my existing workflow. Thank you so much for taking some time to share your advice and links!