Auk's recent activity
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Comment on Car maintenance/replacement advice in ~transport
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Comment on Cheaper ways to heat a log cabin workshop (UK) in ~life.home_improvement
Auk LinkAre you trying to keep the contents of the workshop warm or make it more comfortable for a person inside the room? I'm assuming the latter so would recommend getting something that puts out...Are you trying to keep the contents of the workshop warm or make it more comfortable for a person inside the room? I'm assuming the latter so would recommend getting something that puts out radiant heat and placing it near where she is going to be working. I'm thinking an overhead radiant heater would probably work best for a workshop (these are more commonly advertised for use outside on a verandah or BBQ area), even the heat lamp style ones aimed at bathroom usage would help.
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Comment on What to snack on (other than slices of parmesan) in ~food
Auk Link ParentHow about pickled onions? Different texture to olives but hit a lot of the same taste buttons IMO, and they also go well with cheese.How about pickled onions? Different texture to olives but hit a lot of the same taste buttons IMO, and they also go well with cheese.
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Comment on A Master and Commander prequel film is in development in ~movies
Auk Link ParentThe books (it's a long series) are worth reading, I would recommend them. I will note that the movie is a bit of an amalgamation of several books, so don't go in expecting to find all the plot you...The books (it's a long series) are worth reading, I would recommend them.
I will note that the movie is a bit of an amalgamation of several books, so don't go in expecting to find all the plot you know in either of the two books whose titles got put together for the movie. You will however recognise various characters and sections the movie drew upon.
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Comment on Looking for a Switch game thats fun but requires little commitment in ~games
Auk LinkI'm going to suggest Super Smash Bros playing bots (starting at low level) or World of Light. You can get a couple of matches in each day with that level of time ability, and while you can spend a...I'm going to suggest Super Smash Bros playing bots (starting at low level) or World of Light. You can get a couple of matches in each day with that level of time ability, and while you can spend a lot of time honing your abilities and getting really good at the game the basic idea is simple and it doesn't take long to get good enough to play casually. You can also play humans and the system should adjust to give you opponents at similar skill level - I'm just suggesting bot opponents to maximise your ability to just turn off and walk away when you need to.
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Comment on Lefties of Tildes: what are some items where the left handed version is most necessary? in ~life
Auk Link ParentAgreed, there's an awful lot of serrated or single bevel knives which won't cut straight easily in the left hand. I find this more annoying than using right hand scissors (which I don't find a...Agreed, there's an awful lot of serrated or single bevel knives which won't cut straight easily in the left hand. I find this more annoying than using right hand scissors (which I don't find a real issue unless using for long periods) and can definitely recommend double bevelled edges or checking which side the bevel is on when looking for knives.
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Comment on What vegetable are you? in ~food
Auk LinkI got onion initially, while some of it fits extraverted is definitely not a word I (or others) am likely to use to describe me. I tried again changing a couple of answers which I figured might... -
Comment on What small questions do you have that aren’t worth a full topic on their own? in ~talk
Auk Link ParentGreen, but specifically dark green like the various shades of British Racing Green or Land Rover Deep Bronze Green.Green, but specifically dark green like the various shades of British Racing Green or Land Rover Deep Bronze Green.
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Comment on What small questions do you have that aren’t worth a full topic on their own? in ~talk
Auk Link ParentIf I didn't urgently need to be anywhere I'd probably chuck his spare in the car, drive to the nearby town, and reinflate it with the servo air pump before taking it back. This has multiple...If I didn't urgently need to be anywhere I'd probably chuck his spare in the car, drive to the nearby town, and reinflate it with the servo air pump before taking it back. This has multiple benefits:
- Saves on spending anything more than the fuel/time
- You don't have to try and find a pump to buy at night in a possibly unfamiliar town
- The tyre will be inflated to a proper pressure. You can't trust someone without tools or a spare to do this right, particularly since the first tyre probably blew that badly due to them driving with it flat.
- If it turns out to be some pelican filming a prank video or a weird scam involving multiple people buying him pumps then either they get nothing but some free air or you get a free wheel if he's disappeared on your return.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival Weekly in ~games
Auk Link ParentYes, the path leading towards the jungle from town and its associated bridge(s) is stuff I built. I'm fine with people linking into it or modifying the materials/route, as long as some path in...Yes, the path leading towards the jungle from town and its associated bridge(s) is stuff I built. I'm fine with people linking into it or modifying the materials/route, as long as some path in that general direction remains all is good.
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Comment on What things do you have are surprisingly good / handy? in ~life
Auk Link ParentHave you tried one of the good quality multitools (e.g. one of the full size Leathermans)? The cheap multitools tend to be horrid to use but a good one gives you tools that can actually be usable....Have you tried one of the good quality multitools (e.g. one of the full size Leathermans)? The cheap multitools tend to be horrid to use but a good one gives you tools that can actually be usable. They are inherently a compromise tool but having something capable of doing the job already in your pocket instead of walking all the way across the building to get your toolbox (or potentially not having the tool at all if your proper ones are off site) has made my life so much easier over the years.
The Wave+ I have gets particular points in my book for having knives that are made of decent steel, good sized pliers that you can actually put a fair amount of force into, and bit drivers that both have interchangeable bits (and therefore can be replaced when worn) and are mounted in a location that allows you to undo screws without hating life.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival Weekly in ~games
Auk Link ParentYes, that was one I built. Thanks for connecting it in, I got that far and wasn't sure as to the best way to link in so hoped it would make sense as someone expanded in the area.Yes, that was one I built. Thanks for connecting it in, I got that far and wasn't sure as to the best way to link in so hoped it would make sense as someone expanded in the area.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival Weekly Thread in ~games
Auk Link ParentWith the observers you can at least reduce requirements by accepting some inefficiency and only observing a subsection of plants, for example I've built a mini bamboo farm with 8 bamboo plants...With the observers you can at least reduce requirements by accepting some inefficiency and only observing a subsection of plants, for example I've built a mini bamboo farm with 8 bamboo plants harvested when one of the plants reaches an observer. The bamboo grows at different rates so some will not be at max height when cut this way, but in a larger farm sharing the observer signal (potentially across much larger numbers of plants) would mean significantly less quartz is required to build it.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft server usernames in ~games
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival - Countdown and launch day in ~games
Auk Link ParentI had a bit of a hop around there this arvo and I'm thinking something like this seems like it'd work as a general junction idea, that point seems like a logical place for a path heading to your...I had a bit of a hop around there this arvo and I'm thinking something like this seems like it'd work as a general junction idea, that point seems like a logical place for a path heading to your house to cross the river and from there's it's pretty much a straight shot east to the village.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival - Countdown and launch day in ~games
Auk Link ParentThat would be my treehouse :) I got as far as making a path down the hill from the treehouse and across the river bordering the jungle with vague ideas to build or link into something heading...That would be my treehouse :)
I got as far as making a path down the hill from the treehouse and across the river bordering the jungle with vague ideas to build or link into something heading towards spawn at some point, but I didn't have any real plans as to how. Happy to do a bit of digging and whatnot if you have a route passing nearby that you'd like a hand with.
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Comment on Science fiction or fantasy recommendations for children in ~books
Auk LinkThe Belgariad is one I haven't seen mentioned yet, a reasonably long series but I think it's a good series to get into fantasy and I wouldn't have been much older when I first read it. Maybe a...The Belgariad is one I haven't seen mentioned yet, a reasonably long series but I think it's a good series to get into fantasy and I wouldn't have been much older when I first read it.
Maybe a little off target due to lack of magic and dragons but for a detour into more military sci fi the Honor Harrington series is good. I definitely liked the age of sail type of books (Hornblower being most the notable one) that inspired this series when I was a kid.
I'll second the mentions of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Discworld, Dragon riders of Pern, Mistborn, the Tortall books, and the Hobbit.
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Comment on Toyota’s bet on hybrids was mocked, then vindicated. Now it’s trying to repeat the trick with an unlikely bet on the combustion engine. in ~transport
Auk Link ParentI bought myself an Android Auto one a month or two ago (AAwireless), so far I'm happy with it. The dongle did initially act like it was stuck in a reboot loop when I first connected it but the...I bought myself an Android Auto one a month or two ago (AAwireless), so far I'm happy with it. The dongle did initially act like it was stuck in a reboot loop when I first connected it but the troubleshooting part of the companion app changed various settings and ended up with a stable setup. For long drives I'd still want to plug in the phone to maintain charge but for around town or shorter trips it's handy to just keep my phone in my pocket and not have to deal with remembering to both plug it in when I hop in and take it with me when I hop out.
I did also have a small issue with something in the combination of the dongle, its USB cable, and my cheap head unit creating enough electrical interference to intermittently fool my UHF radio into thinking there was an incoming signal and making a burst of static. That's a pretty edge case sort of situation though for most people and a clip on ferrite ring over the dongle cable sorted it out.
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Comment on If you had up to US$250 to get one person into a hobby you're interested in, what would you do to get them started? in ~hobbies
Auk Link$250 USD is ~$370 AUD at the moment, which can make this pretty easy or pretty hard depending on the hobby. Note I'll be using AUD for following numbers because I don't feel like converting...$250 USD is ~$370 AUD at the moment, which can make this pretty easy or pretty hard depending on the hobby. Note I'll be using AUD for following numbers because I don't feel like converting everything.
For film photography you can get a decent secondhand camera, some film and some developing done within that budget. I would go something like this:
- Secondhand SLR or rangefinder, I would go old school manual focus because it makes things different to what people are normally used to (and the cameras tend to be nice to hold). Around $150 should get you something reasonable, Something such as an Olympus OM series with the standard 50mm lens (a OM-1 or OM-2 can be had within that budget and they are good quality with rather nice viewfinders) would go well, or perhaps a Canonet QL or even one of the Leica clones if a smaller camera would suit. Ideally you'd get something with some sort of focus indication for a first timer, hence recommending a SLR or rangefinder instead of a scale focus camera.
- Some easy obtainable general purpose film, which pretty much comes down to something like Kodak Ultramax, which you can get a three pack of in shops for ~$60. Two of those are likely enough for someone to figure out whether they like the idea of film or not, so call it $120 for film.
- To keep it simple I'm going to say take the film to a shop for developing, I haven't actually done this in ages but looking at pricing in my area you can walk into a shop and get a roll developed for ~$20-30 depending on whether you want prints or just scans (personally I'd go for prints for at least some to get the feeling, but it works better for the budget if you just scan). Depending on where you go and what you get done this gets at least half of your film from the previous step developed and photos in your hot little hand (or email as it may be). That will hopefully be enough to get someone interested if they're inclined that way.
Motorcycling is much harder within that budget because bikes and gear will well and truly blow through that before you even get started.
My best bet to get someone interested in road bikes at that cost would be to pay for the learner motorcycle course (currently $107 in my state). This course provides a bike and a helmet and is geared towards people who've never ridden before, and while they never let you above 20km/h or second gear it gives you a bit of a feel for whether you might like riding. If you do like it you've now got the endorsement to take to the RMS and get an R added to your licence class - after paying for that the remainder of the budget can become the start of saving towards a bike and some gear (helmet/gloves/jacket at least, pants and boots strongly recommended).
For dirt you might have a slim chance of getting something assuming you have some private property you can ride an unregistered bike on. It appears you can get a super basic dirt helmet at around $150, with that, the cheapest of dirt gloves (~$30), and your sturdiest existing clothing that leaves you almost $200 to scour Gumtree/marketplace for a cheap pit bike. It's going to be hard to find something working at that range, but it's possible with a bit of dedicated searching and as long as it keeps working for a few days running a bike around in a paddock can definitely get someone interested in the hobby. I'd definitely recommend some MX boots and armour for anything much more than playing at low speeds on grass, but again the budget really constrains one there.
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Comment on What is the most reliable and affordable form of storage medium to use as a backup drive for your computer? in ~tech
Auk LinkThe most reliable digital storage for long term would likely be tapes stored in cool dry conditions, and if dealing with huge amounts of data tape backups become comparatively cheap. The cost of...The most reliable digital storage for long term would likely be tapes stored in cool dry conditions, and if dealing with huge amounts of data tape backups become comparatively cheap. The cost of tape drives though ruins the affordability side of things for home use (and the data amounts are small) so I would - and do - go for regular old spinning hard drives for backup purposes.
Are you sure it's a low oil level sensor and not a low oil pressure sensor? Only some cars have the former but basically everything has the latter (and looking at one owners manual for a 2014 CRV I only see mention of a low oil pressure warning).
The practical difference between the two is that with a low oil level warning you can generally assume you're safe to drive to somewhere to get the oil topped up, but if you see a low oil pressure warning you need to pull over immediately and turn the car off before doing anything else - if you're lucky you can get the engine stopped fast enough to avoid major damage.