doors_cannot_stop_me's recent activity
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Comment on The one-and-done pen? in ~hobbies
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Comment on Zoo CAD engine overview in ~engineering
doors_cannot_stop_me Link ParentHi there, I'm a professional user of FreeCAD! I started using it about two years ago at work, and it's the only CAD software I've used with any regularity. Yes, its interface is wonky and takes a...Hi there, I'm a professional user of FreeCAD!
I started using it about two years ago at work, and it's the only CAD software I've used with any regularity. Yes, its interface is wonky and takes a lot of learning to use well, and yes it almost certainly limits my options at times, but it's free.
One of my colleagues was using OnShape, but after a while they started calling him regularly trying to upsell him to a paid account.
We don't really have budget for a commercial Fusion or OnShape account, and at this point I've learned enough FreeCAD to not need it. I'm a long-time proponent of FOSS, and I'm putting my money where my mouth is on this one.
And yeah, I tried Zoo and also saw the red flags. Not for me.
If you're reading this and thinking of retrying FreeCAD, make sure to redownload as they've been making some small-sounding changes that have been very good for quality of life.
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Comment on Why Japanese companies do so many different things in ~finance
doors_cannot_stop_me Link ParentBall (the mason jar people) were very involved in aerospace tech, and General Mills has taken that word "general" very seriously, dabbling in high-altitude balloons and submarines.Ball (the mason jar people) were very involved in aerospace tech, and General Mills has taken that word "general" very seriously, dabbling in high-altitude balloons and submarines.
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Comment on What's your favorite personal gaming memory? in ~games
doors_cannot_stop_me (edited )LinkThe first time I got to the Minecraft end credits was on a friend's server and we fought the ender dragon as a team. It was so high-adrenaline, and in the comedown from it having such a surreal...The first time I got to the Minecraft end credits was on a friend's server and we
faughtfought the ender dragon as a team. It was so high-adrenaline, and in the comedown from it having such a surreal "ending" to the game felt so impactful. It was (and this feels silly, but whatever) almost a spiritual event for me. -
Comment on Tesla’s newest electric vehicle could jolt the trucking industry in ~transport
doors_cannot_stop_me Link ParentTo add to what u/Eji1700 replied, the Cybertruck in particular is essentially a toy. Around where I live, a big truck that looks very off-road capable in theory but is in reality just used for...To add to what u/Eji1700 replied, the Cybertruck in particular is essentially a toy. Around where I live, a big truck that looks very off-road capable in theory but is in reality just used for cruising around town and looking cool is referred to as a "pavement princess". Cybertrucks are a few steps past those on the "appearances over usefulness" spectrum.
Their exterior is glued on, and parts frequently fall off causing hazardous debris. The accelerator pedals are also glued on, and have come loose while driving causing uncontrollable acceleration. The towing components fail catastrophically under normal load conditions, while also circumventing normal safety measures (normal trucks have a space for chains that can keep a trailer loosely attached to the truck in the event of a tow hitch failure; the Cybertruck towing system fails at an earlier point, causing both the hitch and the chain loops to become detached at the same time). The doors literally fall apart if closed too hard. This list goes on a bit further, I'm afraid.
All of which is to say, this negligence has been largely excused by Tesla fans, I suspect mostly because these trucks are pavement princesses. They get driven tens of miles a day at most, and are almost never used for towing. Contrast this with semi trucks, which go hundreds of miles a day (very often much beyond the listed range that Tesla has provided and that I doubt, based on history, that they'll attain) at highway speeds (the worst speed for electric vehicles) 7 days a week, driven by employees that often pass the truck to a coworker for the next shift, all while weighing many tons even empty. I'm also very doubtful that Tesla will deliver at all, given their track record of moving the goalposts after people have paid for the vehicle. Consumers, especially the kind who have the money to support a vehicle that is essentially an oversized toy, can tolerate that kind of nonsense. Profit-driven companies won't. Even if they do get these things to market, I would want to see a lot of testing, and even then I wouldn't want to be on the road with them for at least a couple of years to see how they perform once their glue has all cured fully.
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Comment on New job advice in ~life
doors_cannot_stop_me Link ParentSo many times this! I was in this exact situation a couple years ago, with an instructor position that only (on paper) made demands of me for a few weeks of the first year I was to be there. I...So many times this! I was in this exact situation a couple years ago, with an instructor position that only (on paper) made demands of me for a few weeks of the first year I was to be there. I asked what else I was to do, and got the vague response that I would work on curriculum (but I didn't yet know anything that I could make changes to) and support the sales team.
I took it upon myself to listen to people around me, and when I heard someone say "someone really ought to just ___", I would write that down. Then, when one of those things either appealed to me or felt like something that I could easily accomplish, I would just go ahead and do that thing. When someone said (or I just noticed) that something sucked, I would brainstorm with coworkers about how to fix it and then fix it if I could.
I turned that first year with little to do into a very productive time where I established myself as the guy with a lot of decent ideas that was happy to help anyone. The ideas I had have led to me developing several successful product lines that we now sell, and (crucially) I now always have a back pocket excuse for any time I am lagging on a project that doesn't excite me, i.e. that I am working on a new product.
All of that to say: set your own goals (within the bounds of what provides value to decision makers and what you find interesting, satisfying or fun) anytime you get the chance. It's very freeing, and when done right makes everyone's lives better.
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Comment on Chaser 6 in ~books
doors_cannot_stop_me LinkThat's a fun short story. Reminds me of how people would spin up agents in Accelerando if I'm remembering correctly.That's a fun short story. Reminds me of how people would spin up agents in Accelerando if I'm remembering correctly.
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Comment on Proposed series of console discussion/retrospective threads in ~games
doors_cannot_stop_me LinkI'd be down for this! I didn't really game anymore, and the newest console I own is an N64, but my childhood was defined in many ways by the consoles my family had. Sounds fun!I'd be down for this! I didn't really game anymore, and the newest console I own is an N64, but my childhood was defined in many ways by the consoles my family had. Sounds fun!
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Comment on What was the best job you ever had? in ~life
doors_cannot_stop_me Link ParentRocks vs plants Blasting vs arranging Keeping people away vs working large gatherings Yup, that all checks out! Satisfyingly opposite indeed.Rocks vs plants
Blasting vs arranging
Keeping people away vs working large gatheringsYup, that all checks out! Satisfyingly opposite indeed.
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Comment on What was the best job you ever had? in ~life
doors_cannot_stop_me Link ParentThe logician in me can't help but wonder... What is the opposite of a florist? I'm imagining an anti-florist, burning down floral arches with a flamethrower, but it doesn't seem like a very...The logician in me can't help but wonder... What is the opposite of a florist? I'm imagining an anti-florist, burning down floral arches with a flamethrower, but it doesn't seem like a very marketable skill, nor does it seem like something one studies at university.
Please excuse my idle silliness.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
doors_cannot_stop_me LinkI've spent the past couple of weeks reading Worm, a web serial about a world where people can gain superpowers almost at random. It's... a stressful read. It's disrupted my sleep a few nights, and...I've spent the past couple of weeks reading Worm, a web serial about a world where people can gain superpowers almost at random. It's... a stressful read. It's disrupted my sleep a few nights, and the constant worsening of the situation left me feeling pretty hopeless throughout. Don't get me wrong, it's a pretty cool look at the genre. I just don't feel like I'll read it again.
I'm restarting the Cosmere books now, since it's been a minute and I've forgotten enough that I want to refresh before I get to the couple of new books I haven't read yet. It's funny, I usually don't have any problems reading multiple things at once and keeping it all straight, but my memory isn't that great once I've finished something. Oh well, hopefully it's a fun process to catch back up.
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Comment on Am I German or autistic? in ~health.mental
doors_cannot_stop_me Link40% German, 60% autistic. I'm inordinately pleased that they add up to 100%40% German, 60% autistic. I'm inordinately pleased that they add up to 100%
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Comment on 3D printers, do you use glue stick? in ~hobbies
doors_cannot_stop_me LinkJust to add data for future searchers: I've been running print projects at work for the past year and a half, mostly making tools for technicians to use in the field out of ABS (often multicolor)...Just to add data for future searchers:
I've been running print projects at work for the past year and a half, mostly making tools for technicians to use in the field out of ABS (often multicolor) on a Bambu P1S (well, on 3 of them now, as we've slowly ramped up production) with textured PEI plates. I've probably gone through close to a hundred KG of Bambu ABS in that time.
Never touched a glue stick or any other adhesive at work. We got to a place at one point of needing to flip the plates between prints, then clean the plates with dish soap after two prints, then wiping down with IPA after the wash. That got to be time-consuming, and for our money it was worth just buying new plates. That resolved the issue, and we've only had to do that once in the year and a half of running these machines. We now keep backup plates for if that happens again.
Notably, I and the other guys that do design work for our prints typically design with good bed adhesion and reliable printing in mind, as we often run the printers for 16 hours a day and need to have consistently usable prints that we don't have time to babysit while we work on our other job responsibilities. Few of our designs have delicate parts with small bed contact points, and when they do we use brims and supports to make them work.
On the other hand, I have a printer at home (another P1S) that I use for fun prints, like gifts for family, trinkets, and small replacement parts for stuff that breaks at home. I'm really pushing that machine to its limits sometimes, and even then I've only ever used glue (the green stuff that Bambu sells) for the most finicky prints. The only one that immediately comes to mind is an axolotl I printed for a Christmas present, which has delicate gills that start from a very small contact with the bed, and supports weren't working for me. Other than that, washing the bed in the sink with dish soap has usually fixed any issues I've had, using various PLA and PETG filaments on both textured and smooth PEI plates.
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Comment on Commonly misspelled words quiz in ~humanities.languages
doors_cannot_stop_me Link ParentChi-hoo-ah-hoo-ah checking in. Absolutely do this!Chi-hoo-ah-hoo-ah checking in. Absolutely do this!
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Comment on Commonly misspelled words quiz in ~humanities.languages
doors_cannot_stop_me Link ParentThis is my new go-to term for onscreen keyboard-related typos. Thank you.far-fingered
This is my new go-to term for onscreen keyboard-related typos. Thank you.
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Comment on The women leaving the new right in ~society
doors_cannot_stop_me Link ParentYou are not alone, and that feeling is evergreen. The version from the past that speaks to me the most is this quote from Tom Lehrer, a onetime satirical songwriter, on why he quit making music:...current events just feel like parody as a baseline
You are not alone, and that feeling is evergreen. The version from the past that speaks to me the most is this quote from Tom Lehrer, a onetime satirical songwriter, on why he quit making music:
"...political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize."
That was over 50 years ago. But everything old is new again.
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Comment on New York Times quiz: Who’s a better writer: AI or humans? in ~tech
doors_cannot_stop_me Link ParentThe lists of three thing really bothers me because it overlaps heavily with my own writing style. I've written long-ish texts to family who assumed I used AI to write it because of this sort of...The lists of three thing really bothers me because it overlaps heavily with my own writing style. I've written long-ish texts to family who assumed I used AI to write it because of this sort of thing. That, and the fact that I generally proofread what I write.
On a separate note, the copy editor in me has been noticing more and more basic errors in NYT reporting, and for a while I thought it was just lack of care. Lately I've begun to wonder if it's actually an attempt to stave off rumors of them using LLMs.
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Comment on British Columbia announces it is making daylight time permanent after years of promises in ~society
doors_cannot_stop_me Link ParentYeah, I remember the good times when Indy was smart about time. Can't stand that they changed. Then again, this is the state that nearly declared Pi to be equal to 3.2 legally.Yeah, I remember the good times when Indy was smart about time. Can't stand that they changed. Then again, this is the state that nearly declared Pi to be equal to 3.2 legally.
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Comment on California’s new bill requires Department of Justice-approved 3D printers that report on themselves in ~hobbies
doors_cannot_stop_me Link ParentFair enough! I personally thought it was kinda crazy the first time I found it there. And that just anybody could buy it, as at the time there was no procedure in place to age-restrict anything we...Fair enough! I personally thought it was kinda crazy the first time I found it there. And that just anybody could buy it, as at the time there was no procedure in place to age-restrict anything we sold.
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Comment on California’s new bill requires Department of Justice-approved 3D printers that report on themselves in ~hobbies
doors_cannot_stop_me Link ParentGunpowder is available at most hardware/home improvement stores for use in concrete nailers, though.Gunpowder is available at most hardware/home improvement stores for use in concrete nailers, though.
I would consider taking a look at County Comm. Not the greatest website, and not for everyone, but their machined titanium pens are very legit and under your price cap.
I have the first gen flight suit pen, which I love despite its weird operation. I kept it in a tool pouch in my back pocket for years as an on-the-road tech, meaning I've sat on it for hundreds of hours, with no damage. No clip might be a deal breaker.
I also have a couple of their embassy pens that I received as part of various mystery boxes, which I haven't really found much use for. I think they're weirdly balanced, and the fact that the cap can't post annoys me.
I also have a Pen-Go titanium mini pen from them. It is tiny, too small for me to use. Again, if the cap could post it would be a no-brainer for me.
Finally, I bought a Skilcraft B3 Aviator from them, which I love. While it is a metal body, it's not as durable as the flight suit pen since the walls are thinner. I've very slightly bent mine keeping it in that same tool pouch. But if you're not going to be sitting on it, it feels amazing in the hand and you get two colors and a pencil! This one you don't need to buy from CountyComm, as it's not their design and they were just reselling them. You can get them on Amazon.
Bonus: the pen that actually lives in my pocket all the time is the Aerocrafted Retract Click Pen, but it's a bit outside your budget. I haven't been able to hurt it yet, and its mechanism is fun.