Englerdy's recent activity
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Comment on My friend took me flying today! in ~hobbies
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Comment on UN votes to adopt new world map to reflect Africa's true size in ~humanities
Englerdy Link ParentAgreed. They use the globe on desktop, so it's bizarre to me that they haven't updated the app to also switch to a globe when you zoom out far enough....Agreed. They use the globe on desktop, so it's bizarre to me that they haven't updated the app to also switch to a globe when you zoom out far enough. https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/5/17653122/google-maps-update-mercator-projection-earth-isnt-flat
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Comment on Recommendations for noise cancelling, over ear headphones in ~tech
Englerdy LinkI have a pair of Bose QuietComfort 2nd gen over the ear headphones and adore them. When I was in the market a couple years ago I was concerned with comfort while wearing glasses and the Mic...I have a pair of Bose QuietComfort 2nd gen over the ear headphones and adore them. When I was in the market a couple years ago I was concerned with comfort while wearing glasses and the Mic quality for calls. The Bose QuietComforts at the time had a significantly better Mic than the Sony equivalent. I went to Best Buy so I could try wearing the headphones before I bought and found them to be the most comfortable headphones out of any of the ones there.
I can't speak to their noise canceling performance relative to other headphones since they're the only pair I've owned, but I can confirm that they work really well to cut out engine noise and baby crying while on airplanes and stay comfortable on long flights.
They also work pretty well when connected to 2 devices. Sometimes my computer or laptop will hog the connection and not release it for audio playing on my phone, but I'm not sure that it's a specific issue to these headphones.
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Comment on Donald Trump says he has secured a vast US stake in Venezuelan oil industry in ~society
Englerdy Link ParentI wonder how most every day Americans will feel about just giving everything back. I'm on the side of "yeah that was bizarre and beyond messed up, just give it all back and let the Venezuelan gov...I wonder how most every day Americans will feel about just giving everything back. I'm on the side of "yeah that was bizarre and beyond messed up, just give it all back and let the Venezuelan gov figure it all out and stop meddling," but I've learned I don't see most issues the way an 'average' American does. So maybe a bunch of people will feel like we're entitled to what we've taken since there is sunk cost and will be more cost to give everything back? Which is insane to me, so I hope that doesn't turn out to be the general sentiment.
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Comment on Any electric vehicle owners with an Android phone using the ChargePoint app? in ~transport
Englerdy LinkI remember encountering this a couple years ago when I got an EV. Even though I don't use my digital wallet, ever time I'd tap my phone, the Samsung wallet would pop up instead of the NFC...I remember encountering this a couple years ago when I got an EV. Even though I don't use my digital wallet, ever time I'd tap my phone, the Samsung wallet would pop up instead of the NFC connection for ChargePoint. I got a physical ChargePoint card that I keep I the car (and later one for EVGo chargers), so I haven't tried using my phone in a few years.
If I've used my phone, I usually figure out which charger I'm at in the app, and then use the app to unlock the charger first, then I can pull the cable and plug my car in.
So unfortunately I don't have a fix other than getting a physical card as a backup, but I'll be curious to see if someone else here knows how to fix it.
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Comment on How to write a short story in five sentences in ~creative
Englerdy LinkThanks for sharing! I have a strong desire to play with writing short fiction stories (just for fun and to potentially work out ideas for TTRPGs), which I feel sparsly little time to work on. Five...Thanks for sharing! I have a strong desire to play with writing short fiction stories (just for fun and to potentially work out ideas for TTRPGs), which I feel sparsly little time to work on. Five sentence short stories feel like maybe a great way to write something without having much time to commit.
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Comment on Being well prepared makes me feel 😌 in ~life
Englerdy Link ParentThanks for sharing! I'll look into these!Thanks for sharing! I'll look into these!
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Comment on ForeFront Power completes its first Erthos solar energy system for the city of Fresno in ~enviro
Englerdy Link ParentI definitely think there's strength coming from the interlocking. That said, wind not being able to get under them does alleviate the lifting issue, it potentially makes it worse too (worse in the...I definitely think there's strength coming from the interlocking. That said, wind not being able to get under them does alleviate the lifting issue, it potentially makes it worse too (worse in the sense that the force gets greater). It's the same affect that cause high winds (like from tornados) to rip roofs off houses. High speed air is at a lower pressure than the non-moving air (like under the panels) which created an over all upward force on the panels. The faster the air, the great the force. So if you have fast wind over the whole field, there would be the chance of it potentially getting lifted up if the overall weight of the panels and any anchoring isn't enough to counter it.
But again, maybe something about this design is enough to maintain enough downward force to prevent movement. That said, this is not my area of engineering experience by any means, so I'm sure there's something I'm overlooking. I'll have to think of if I know someone I can send this to and get their thoughts on it.
You point on flattening makes me wonder how the system will handle things like ground settling and erosion over time. Probably wouldn't take a lot of ground shifting to cause the system to buckle and shift which could put a lot of stress on panels towards the center. I don't think that's really a problem when you have a more typical design that has space between the panels.
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Comment on ForeFront Power completes its first Erthos solar energy system for the city of Fresno in ~enviro
Englerdy LinkThe marketing language makes it hard to tell how, if at all, these panels are secured to the ground. They make it seem like there's no ground anchoring and that's why they're cheaper to install....The marketing language makes it hard to tell how, if at all, these panels are secured to the ground. They make it seem like there's no ground anchoring and that's why they're cheaper to install. But from a practical standpoint it feels like they've got to be oversimplifying what's going on because no ground anchoring sounds insane unless these systems are really heavy. From what I understand, gusting wind can create tremendous force, and the local wind speed will be even faster without vegetation to break up the flow.
So surely there's some anchoring somewhere, right? O.o
Interesting to see a no row spacing system. Nothing can grow around the panels (compared to things like agrovoltaics which are super cool), but I guess you also need less land for power production, so that's nice.
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Comment on Vermont's largest energy source is now a virtual power plant in ~enviro
Englerdy Link ParentAquious Metal Cells look really promising. As far as I can tell they're basically self contained fuel cells. I've heard a presentation from this company, Enervenue, and one of the most interesting...Aquious Metal Cells look really promising. As far as I can tell they're basically self contained fuel cells. I've heard a presentation from this company, Enervenue, and one of the most interesting take aways to me was essentially "we couldn't figure out how to get these to combust." The cells produce hydrogen inside as part of the charging process, so theoretically there could be a failure mode that could cause a fire, but the company hasn't found a way to make it happen. Not sure if another company will be able to compete with them (can't remember if it's a trade secret or patent), but would love to see more stuff like this.
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Comment on Being well prepared makes me feel 😌 in ~life
Englerdy Link ParentOh that's neat, I can definitely see the case for a multitool when it's so compact like that as a "you have something when you're not carrying a pack with tools." That's going on my Christmas list...Oh that's neat, I can definitely see the case for a multitool when it's so compact like that as a "you have something when you're not carrying a pack with tools." That's going on my Christmas list for sure.
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Comment on Being well prepared makes me feel 😌 in ~life
Englerdy Link ParentIt's not a bad idea, though I'm always bothered by the waste that comes with a box cutter for cases that don't necessarily benefit from the disposable blade. I don't mind that my EDC knives get...It's not a bad idea, though I'm always bothered by the waste that comes with a box cutter for cases that don't necessarily benefit from the disposable blade. I don't mind that my EDC knives get dull over time since I don't usually need a razor edge.
That said, that little box cutter looks like a great tool! Definitely something I'm going to look at picking up even if it doesn't become an EDC for me.
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Comment on Being well prepared makes me feel 😌 in ~life
Englerdy Link ParentMy home air port does have the mail kiosk (though outrageously expensive to mail a knife all the same), so I've been fortunate to be able to mail a sentimental knife back. Another time the airport...My home air port does have the mail kiosk (though outrageously expensive to mail a knife all the same), so I've been fortunate to be able to mail a sentimental knife back. Another time the airport was slow and I found a sentamental shop worker who sold me some stamps and cardboard to make a package that I could toss in the nearby mail slot. Pure luck that time.
Is the modular multitool you're talking about a product, or something custom you're developing? Sounds cool!
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Comment on Being well prepared makes me feel 😌 in ~life
Englerdy Link ParentIt's funny because you're the second person I've encountered who also feels more anxious packing early instead of right before they need to leave. Do you also tend to end up running about 5...It's funny because you're the second person I've encountered who also feels more anxious packing early instead of right before they need to leave. Do you also tend to end up running about 5 minutes late because it feels better to try to arrive to things right on time rather than early (but then as a result end up a little late instead)?
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Comment on Being well prepared makes me feel 😌 in ~life
Englerdy Link ParentI still carry a knife with me on the daily, and yeah it's pretty soul crushing to have to throw away a knife at TSA. I think I've only had to throw one away, the other times I reached the airport,...I still carry a knife with me on the daily, and yeah it's pretty soul crushing to have to throw away a knife at TSA. I think I've only had to throw one away, the other times I reached the airport, realized I still had my knife and mailed it back. Was mailing it back more than what the knife was worth? Yes, but it's the principle of the matter!
Do you have a multi tool your recommend? I did some multi tool research a while ago while looking at putting together a work light gear/tool bag, but couldn't find a multitool that didn't feel like it'd be less useful than just carrying the individual tools separately in the bag (screwdriver, knife, pliers, etc). Curious if there's some functionality in a multitool I've overlooked though.
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Comment on The tantalizing possibility of locating consciousness in the brain in ~science
Englerdy Link ParentIt may be that I'm not understanding some of the nuance you're thinking of when you're describing patterns, but I don't see how desire fits into your conception of being a pattern matching machine...It may be that I'm not understanding some of the nuance you're thinking of when you're describing patterns, but I don't see how desire fits into your conception of being a pattern matching machine (I did look your comments below as well where you kind of touch on this, though not directly). For base level things like "I feel hungry (sensory input) so I should eat (output decision)" I can understand what you mean. But for abstract desires like wanting to do activities that are personally fulfilling and/or larger than oneself (art, music, potentially long term goal seeking), pattern matching feels like too simple of a model for consciousness.
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Comment on D6 TTRPG suggestions in ~games.tabletop
Englerdy (edited )LinkI don't have time for a long post unfortunately, but I've been playing Monster of the Week with a few friends and found it really fun. It uses the 'Powered by the Apocalypse' system which in my...I don't have time for a long post unfortunately, but I've been playing Monster of the Week with a few friends and found it really fun. It uses the 'Powered by the Apocalypse' system which in my opinion is pretty great if you want a tabletop game that still has some dice, but is more focused on collaborative story telling. Probably anything using the 'Powered by the Apocalypse' system would be similar in that regard, but MotW is the week is the only game I've played so far that uses it.
I played an 5e campaign a few years ago and felt like the complexity of keeping track of the rules got in the way of having a fun story experience as a new playing. So I feel your friends plight and wish you luck on your quest!
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
Englerdy Link ParentProject Hail Mary was very fun to read. I haven't tried reading Artimis, but as I mentioned in my comment, I couldn't focus on the audiobook for the life of me. I had a lot of fun reading Project...Project Hail Mary was very fun to read. I haven't tried reading Artimis, but as I mentioned in my comment, I couldn't focus on the audiobook for the life of me. I had a lot of fun reading Project Hail Mary though. So might be worth just skipping to that one and then going back to Artemis another time.
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Comment on DuckDuckGo’s anti-AI sunglasses won’t spy on anyone in ~tech
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Comment on DuckDuckGo’s anti-AI sunglasses won’t spy on anyone in ~tech
Englerdy Link ParentAs a daily DDG user I'm curious when you last tried using it. About 3 years ago I found Google's results becoming basically useless for most of my queries and switched to DDG. I've found it...As a daily DDG user I'm curious when you last tried using it. About 3 years ago I found Google's results becoming basically useless for most of my queries and switched to DDG. I've found it generally grabs pages that are a more literal match to what I typed and less of an interpretation with a heavy slant towards product pages and advertisements which is what Google's results were feeling like. I'm not saying DDG is phenomenal by any means, but it feels like search engine results have just gotten mediocre and polluted but SEO slop even before AI generated SEO slop was possible.
I also like that I can use !bangs to quickly divert my search to another engine if DDG isn't serving up what I wanted. So if I look through the results of a search and don't find what I'm looking for, I just quickly append !g, hit enter, and see what Google has. Pretty useful on that front for me and I still use Google when it's useful, it just doesn't feel like a great default anymore.
Oh how fun! I have a friend who's a pilot but needs to get his license current again (not sure what the right way to describe it is), but I hope to have the chance to fly with him sometime once he's current again. Or learn to fly myself if I ever have the time and money.