acwell's recent activity
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Comment on What computer/programming/etc. project are you working on this weekend? in ~comp
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Comment on Huckabee-Sanders Defends Ripping Children From Parents, Because It's "Very Biblical to Enforce the Law" in ~news
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Comment on Anybody here interested in ham/amateur radio? in ~hobbies
acwell Link ParentGPS jammers, like any radio jammer work by emitting radio waves at the same frequency as they are trying to block. Because GPS satellites are very far away (they orbit at approximately...GPS jammers, like any radio jammer work by emitting radio waves at the same frequency as they are trying to block. Because GPS satellites are very far away (they orbit at approximately 12,500mi/20,000km high), the signal strength when they reach earth is very, very low. So, even a relatively low powered transmitter like a jammer can interfere with signals quite effectively. The difference in the height of a flying aircraft (up to maybe 6mi/10km or so) is almost irrelevant when compared to the distance the GPS satellite signals come from.
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~comp
acwell Link ParentI would second using chrony. If nothing else you will get nice stats, so you dont have to try and compare to a website: Ref time (UTC) : Sat Jun 16 16:21:12 2018 System time : 0.000049878 seconds...I would second using chrony. If nothing else you will get nice stats, so you dont have to try and compare to a website:
Ref time (UTC) : Sat Jun 16 16:21:12 2018 System time : 0.000049878 seconds fast of NTP time Last offset : +0.000148207 seconds RMS offset : 0.024241729 seconds Frequency : 2.966 ppm slow Residual freq : +0.015 ppm Skew : 0.530 ppm -
Comment on The health gap: How women experience the medical system in ~talk
acwell Link ParentJust about any radiowave emissions can be potentially dangerous, though it is highly dependant on the power levels. A WiFi router (1W) won't do much, whereas a cell phone tower (1000W) can be...Just about any radiowave emissions can be potentially dangerous, though it is highly dependant on the power levels. A WiFi router (1W) won't do much, whereas a cell phone tower (1000W) can be dangerous. Any area of high RF emissions should have a warning sign and be restricted access, though.
One thing to keep in mind is that radio power falls off with the square of distance, so, for example, standing 100 feet from a cell site will have 10,000 times less RF energy than standing 1 foot from it.
Also, RF energy is non-ionizing and and does not case radiation sickness.
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Comment on Anybody here interested in ham/amateur radio? in ~hobbies
acwell Link ParentMaking signal jammers isn't all that trivial and you must understand the idea of radio waves and interference, at least on a basic level. I'd have a hard time believing people didn't know what...Making signal jammers isn't all that trivial and you must understand the idea of radio waves and interference, at least on a basic level. I'd have a hard time believing people didn't know what they were getting into if they were actually building them.
GPS jammers, though (aka the little magic box you can buy on the internet to stop tracking systems installed in vehicles, usually by employers), don't require much in the way of understanding and can have pretty bad consequences such as interfering with aircraft, which is a big no-no. Those people absolutely deserve the fines and/or jail time they get.
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Comment on Name a cool, mostly unknown feature of your OS of choice in ~tech
acwell Link ParentOn Win10 you can just right-click the start menu to get to Device Manager and a bunch of other handy shortcuts.On Win10 you can just right-click the start menu to get to Device Manager and a bunch of other handy shortcuts.
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Comment on What's a binge-worthy show? in ~tv
acwell Link ParentDoes Person of Interest get better after season 1? I got through the first few episodes, but it definitely seemed like a "typical crime procedural", and not a particularly interesting one either.Does Person of Interest get better after season 1? I got through the first few episodes, but it definitely seemed like a "typical crime procedural", and not a particularly interesting one either.
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Comment on What's a useful skill that only takes an afternoon to learn? in ~talk
acwell Link Parent4-4-8 breathing I've found to be very good for anxiety and takes nearly no time to learn. Breath in for a 4 count, hold for a 4 count, and breath out for an 8 count. There's other variations like...4-4-8 breathing I've found to be very good for anxiety and takes nearly no time to learn. Breath in for a 4 count, hold for a 4 count, and breath out for an 8 count. There's other variations like 3-3-6 and so on but the point is to breath slowly, deeply, and in a consistent, intentional pattern.
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Comment on Steam Spring Cleaning Event (May 24th - 28th) in ~games
acwell Link9 decent games are free to play this weekend as part of the event too: Dead by Daylight Cities Skyline Dont Starve Together Dirt 4 Left 4 Dead 2 Tyranny Borderlands 2 Shadow of Mordor Castle Crashers9 decent games are free to play this weekend as part of the event too:
- Dead by Daylight
- Cities Skyline
- Dont Starve Together
- Dirt 4
- Left 4 Dead 2
- Tyranny
- Borderlands 2
- Shadow of Mordor
- Castle Crashers
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Traumatic license: An oral history of Action Park
6 votes -
Comment on Can a solution to massive carbon emissions include nuclear energy? in ~talk
acwell LinkThe two questions that come to my mind with regards to nuclear power in the US: Can we figure out a long term waste storage solution? Yucca mountain seemed like a reasonable long term solution,...The two questions that come to my mind with regards to nuclear power in the US:
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Can we figure out a long term waste storage solution? Yucca mountain seemed like a reasonable long term solution, but has been derailed largely because the people of Nevada don't want it in their "back yard", and to a lesser degree that people didn't want waste being transported through their cities or states. As far as I can tell, its not a financial problem, the Nuclear Waste Program has tens of billions of dollars in unspent funds: https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/12/f34/OAI-FS-17-04.pdf
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Can we figure out how to do nuclear safely for a reasonable cost? Current reactors are so expensive they are virtually guaranteed to never break even. Both construction and operation require massive subsidies. Given that ample wind and solar resources exist in the US, its hard to justify massive government expenditures on nuclear just to reduce emissions.
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Unreal is free to celebrate its 20th birthday
8 votes -
Whats your exercise routine?
I've recently started exercising pretty much every day for health & mental-health reasons. I've been running 3 times a week (I'm doing a couch-to-5K plan, which I would highly recommend), hiking...
I've recently started exercising pretty much every day for health & mental-health reasons. I've been running 3 times a week (I'm doing a couch-to-5K plan, which I would highly recommend), hiking once or twice a week, and usually taking walks the other days. Overall its really improved my mood and energy levels.
What does everyone else do to stay active?
12 votes -
Comment on Let's talk about that annoying thing we all don't want to think about: funding. in ~tildes
acwell LinkI think $1-10/year is reasonable for a site like this, at least if it reaches critical mass where it is interesting enough to visit on a regular basis. While I'd lean towards posting abilities...I think $1-10/year is reasonable for a site like this, at least if it reaches critical mass where it is interesting enough to visit on a regular basis. While I'd lean towards posting abilities requiring a donation (though not a subscription, necessarily), it sounds like the powers that be are pretty against that, so I won't try to argue for it here.
What would incentivize me for a donation/subscription would be strong moderation -- forums or sites that this that fill up with shitposting or low-quality discussion just aren't worth my time, and certainly aren't worth my money.
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Comment on Post your setup! in ~comp
acwell Link ParentWhats that icon theme in nautilus? Looks nice.Whats that icon theme in nautilus? Looks nice.
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Campaign for postal banking
9 votes
Wireguard is a revelation on Linux. A ~10 line config and a single CLI command to bring a tunnel up/down. It even automatically restores the tunnel when resuming from sleep.