Englerdy's recent activity
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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
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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
A real tragedy -
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!
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Comment on Study suggests that the Universe's expansion 'is now slowing, not speeding up' in ~space
Englerdy Link ParentDo you happen to like cooking by chance? That feels like a place where that mindset works well.Do you happen to like cooking by chance? That feels like a place where that mindset works well.
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Comment on Hate-reading? in ~books
Englerdy LinkI only started free reading again as an adult after I gave myself permission for two things: I can read fun fiction, and I never have to finish a book I realize I'm not enjoying. That last one was...I only started free reading again as an adult after I gave myself permission for two things: I can read fun fiction, and I never have to finish a book I realize I'm not enjoying. That last one was a bigger deal coming from a mindset that felt like if I didn't finish a book, that was somehow a failure on my part. And in the end I just stopped reading.
So yeah, I'm pro team "put the book down, it may not be for you and you can always come back to it later." I think maybe some brains do well with the "I have to finish everything book I start," but for me it just made me hate reading. And I've finished substantially more books giving myself grace to put a few down along the way. That said I try to give a book 20-50% before I give up, and there were a couple I pushed through hoping in vein they were going to turn it around and catch my attention by the end. But there were also a few I got maybe 4 chapters into and knew pretty quickly it just wasn't a book for me.
So you say you're going to push through, but this internet stranger votes that you should table it for now because you could instead be reading something you really like. There's only so much time you'll get to spend reading in life after all. Why waste more than you need to "fun" reading stuff you don't like?
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Comment on Paris had a moving sidewalk in 1900, and a Edison film captured it in action in ~transport
Englerdy Link ParentI understand what an absolute maintenance nightmare this system probably was, but what an absolutely delightful thing to have existed. I feel almost mournful I'll probably never get to experience...I understand what an absolute maintenance nightmare this system probably was, but what an absolutely delightful thing to have existed. I feel almost mournful I'll probably never get to experience seeing something like this in person. Like, it was borderline an instant messaging service ahead of its time. Very steampunk kind of vibe to it. And obviously it's so impractical in a modern context, but I so badly want pneumatic tube messaging to still be practical somewhere and to get built again. It's just so cool!
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Comment on Making liquid nitrogen from scratch (an absurd amount) in ~science
Englerdy Link ParentMy best guess is it would probably introduce a significant thermal bridge at the part of the tank you would want to stay the coldest. Heat would be able to conduct along that out let's pipe wall...My best guess is it would probably introduce a significant thermal bridge at the part of the tank you would want to stay the coldest. Heat would be able to conduct along that out let's pipe wall straight to the bottom of the liquid and significantly reduce its insulating characteristics.
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Comment on Making liquid nitrogen from scratch (an absurd amount) in ~science
Englerdy Link ParentThat's a pretty good point, it's not super obvious how it was designed to have its contents removed. And I'm not disagreeing that a suction pump could work. Surely there are pumps designed to...That's a pretty good point, it's not super obvious how it was designed to have its contents removed. And I'm not disagreeing that a suction pump could work. Surely there are pumps designed to handle pumping cryogenic liquid, though probably also expensive. But the way I'm thinking it through I see it introducing a new logistical challenge, at least for the high nitrogen purity he seems to be prioritizing. If you're going to suck liquid out you'll need to still balance pressure in the tank. The Dewar must have been designed with some kind of system in mind to balance the pressure (maybe from a similar gas air separation system to the one he's using), or it wasn't designed with maintaining such a high purity in mind in which case you could balance pressure with ambient air as you pump the liquid out.
Honestly it's weirder to me that it wasn't designed to be used with some moderate level of pressurization. Pressurizing it (positively or negatively) seems to make it much easier to use.
As for the output stream, I think part of the issue is a lot of his liquid is probably vaporizing once it's in contact with the hose walls. I think if he ran it long enough the liquid flow rate will probably go way up as the hose chills down. For being a remarkably clever accidental mechanical engineer, he seems overly ignorant of the heat transfer at play (such as most of his initial liquid vaporizing at the bottom the Dewar for the first hour until the Dewar walls cooled down to match the temperature). Like, surely he realizes things need to cool down and it's going to take a while because he's going to such low temperatures, right? O.o Maybe he's just doing a bit.
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Comment on Making liquid nitrogen from scratch (an absurd amount) in ~science
Englerdy Link ParentI mean, he was slightly pressurizing the Dewar to pump the liquid through the siphon, though to your point it's really just a hose and not really working like a gravity siphon. It looks like about...I mean, he was slightly pressurizing the Dewar to pump the liquid through the siphon, though to your point it's really just a hose and not really working like a gravity siphon. It looks like about 4 psi gauge pressure was just enough to overcome gravity up the siphon tube. I don't think suction is really an option is this setup as it would require pulling a vacuum on the Dewar instead (which at that point positive pressure is probably just as dangerous and doesn't require an extra piece of equipment), or submersing a pump that could handle the cryogen pressure at the bottom. I think for the setup he has, his only option is to use a different Dewar that can handle higher pressurization which would give him a higher flow rate out of the hose.
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Comment on Bipartisan plan to get money out of politics in Montana in ~society
Englerdy Link ParentIf it succeeds in Montana hopefully other states will be able to use it as a framework to imitate.If it succeeds in Montana hopefully other states will be able to use it as a framework to imitate.
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.