first-must-burn's recent activity

  1. Comment on What do folks carry in their hiking/backpacking/camping first aid kits these days? in ~hobbies

    first-must-burn
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    I don't really hike, but in the vein of my survival belt, I recently came across this strap wrap technique. Contrary to the instructions, you only need one free end. You don't have to cut it to a...

    I don't really hike, but in the vein of my survival belt, I recently came across this strap wrap technique. Contrary to the instructions, you only need one free end. You don't have to cut it to a predetermined length. Start wrapping it and go until the strap is fully covered (or you're ready to stop), then cut the end. Since I expect not to unwind it very often, I wove the free ends back under the loops rather than tying knots in the ends, Just make sure the far end actually captures the loop so it doesn't unravel.

    I had previously wound the handle of my suitcase with paracord (both to make it easier to spot and to have a hedge against the zippers failing), and I rewound it this way. It makes a pretty nice soft padding on the handle. I did the top handle of my backpack too.

    Obligatory Boondock Saints: Name one thing you're going to need that stupid fucking rope for (TW: gun violence and killing)

    1 vote

  2. Comment on What do folks carry in their hiking/backpacking/camping first aid kits these days? in ~hobbies

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    This is why I always bring someone on my hikes to carry a lightning rod.

    it's so unlikely that at that point you should make peace with the fact that God hates you and wants you dead. QuikClot won't save you from His wrath.

    This is why I always bring someone on my hikes to carry a lightning rod.

    5 votes

  3. Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    Holy forking shirt balls. New fear unlocked.

    Holy forking shirt balls. New fear unlocked.

    4 votes

  4. Comment on Is British English actually better than American English? in ~humanities.languages

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    I don't think they mentioned hard numbers, but it would be interesting to know!

    I don't think they mentioned hard numbers, but it would be interesting to know!

    1 vote

  5. Comment on Is British English actually better than American English? in ~humanities.languages

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    I don't think this is exactly the same thing, but I remember hearing a talk from someone who worked for an automotive manufacturer, talking about a system they built for minivans to pipe audio...

    Similarly, my understanding is that natural languages tend to be roughly equivalent when it comes to information density on the whole.

    I don't think this is exactly the same thing, but I remember hearing a talk from someone who worked for an automotive manufacturer, talking about a system they built for minivans to pipe audio from microphones in the front to speakers in back and vice versa, so people could hear each other better. He mentioned that different languages required different audio bandwidth to be intelligible, with Chinese being on the high end. Perhaps not surprising given that it is tonal, but I always thought that was an interesting bit of trivia.

    3 votes

  6. Comment on Advice/Venting: My car was destroyed by hail in ~transport

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    This was my general thinking too, BUT the last three cars we bought, the dealer beat our bank rate. I think having a number from the bank is good to drive the price of the loan down, though.

    Go to your personal bank, they will almost always have better financing options than the dealership.

    This was my general thinking too, BUT the last three cars we bought, the dealer beat our bank rate. I think having a number from the bank is good to drive the price of the loan down, though.

    3 votes

  7. Comment on What is your favorite dinosaur? in ~talk

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    Why can't you hear a Pterodactyl go to the bathroom? Answer Because the P is silent!

    Why can't you hear a Pterodactyl go to the bathroom?

    Answer

    Because the P is silent!

  8. Comment on What is your favorite dinosaur? in ~talk

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    A song I learned from my daughter's montessori preschool, to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it": Stegosaurus carried plates upon his back, clack clack, Stegosaurus carried plates upon...

    A song I learned from my daughter's montessori preschool, to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it":

    Stegosaurus carried plates upon his back, clack clack,
    Stegosaurus carried plates upon his back, clack clack,
    His brain was very small.
    It was barely there at all.
    Stegosaurus carried plates upon his back, clack clack,

    2 votes

  9. Comment on What’s the best thing you’ve done for someone else recently? in ~talk

    first-must-burn
    Link
    He who toots not his own horn, the same shall not be tooteth. (A saying in my family). So here's another one: A friend of mine was diagnosed with a huge aortic aneurysm - basically it could have...

    He who toots not his own horn, the same shall not be tooteth. (A saying in my family). So here's another one:

    A friend of mine was diagnosed with a huge aortic aneurysm - basically it could have burst at any time. He has a complicated relationship with health care, so initially he was not going to have the operation. Then he changed his mind and decided he did want to have it, but he didn't know how he would, because he wouldn't be able to pick his three year old up for six weeks, and his wife did not have enough time off to be home the whole time.

    So basically, he was going to potentially die -- not because they didn't know what was wrong, not because they didn't know how to fix it, not even because of his own worry, but because we have so little social safety net that he couldn't take 6 weeks to recover from a life saving surgery.

    It made me so mad. And mad as I was, and much as I care about him and his family, I knew I couldn't donald the work they would need on my own. But what I could do was plan and manage a project, and make that project his recovery.

    So I sat down with them and planned out everything they would need for 6 weeks - child care, meals, laundry, mowing the lawn, whatever. I made a schedule and was the point person for coordinating it. So when someone would offer to help, my friends would forward that person's info to me. I would send them the schedule, ask how them wanted to help, and get them signed up. I would send out a reminder email every weekend for the following week, and coordinate last minute hiccups.

    The amazing thing was the way that the community responded. Most people only volunteered one or two times, but together, they filled every slot for the whole 6 weeks. We had it settled two weeks before the surgery.

    Two years later they are all happy and healthy.

    I learned a few things:

    • People want to help, but sometimes it's hard to know how, and that creates a barrier. But we were able to break it down.
    • It's a lot easier for me, as a third party, to coordinate volunteers than it would be for my friends to do it themselves. For them, every interaction would feel like an imposition. For me, the volunteers and I all want the same thing - to help them as much as possible. So I didn't feel shy about asking for help, making suggestions, negotiating schedules, etc.
    20 votes

  10. Comment on I have a spondylolisthesis diagnosis in ~health

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    I'm sorry you're dealing with it too! It's not a very auspicious club to be a part of. Can you tell me more about not twisting the wrong way? I feel like I aggravate it when I stand too long with...

    I'm sorry you're dealing with it too! It's not a very auspicious club to be a part of. Can you tell me more about not twisting the wrong way?

    I feel like I aggravate it when I stand too long with my weight forward, like standing at the counter cooking or doing dishes. I have also found that there's one move in yoga that is sure to aggravate it (so I skip it) – lying on my back with one leg bent and one leg straight, and raise the straight leg to the height of the bent knee.

    1 vote

  11. Comment on I have a spondylolisthesis diagnosis in ~health

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    Thank you for sharing your story. I feel like each of these thoughts makes it a little easier. So thankful for you and the Tilde's community.

    Thank you for sharing your story. I feel like each of these thoughts makes it a little easier. So thankful for you and the Tilde's community.

    3 votes

  12. Comment on I have a spondylolisthesis diagnosis in ~health

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    I guess it's not that different from (benign) tumors in the sense that you just find out there's this weird thing about your body. Probably a mark of my good fortune that I've made it this long...

    I guess it's not that different from (benign) tumors in the sense that you just find out there's this weird thing about your body. Probably a mark of my good fortune that I've made it this long with few major ailments.

    1 vote

  13. Comment on I have a spondylolisthesis diagnosis in ~health

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    That is good to know. It makes me feel less ... broken. Thank you for your kind words!

    That is good to know. It makes me feel less ... broken. Thank you for your kind words!

    2 votes

  14. Comment on I have a spondylolisthesis diagnosis in ~health

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    Thank you! I am sorry to hear you were in so much pain, But glad you found your way out of it. I'm not very coordinated, so I'm not sure I can imagine myself skating, but I will take these things...

    Thank you! I am sorry to hear you were in so much pain, But glad you found your way out of it. I'm not very coordinated, so I'm not sure I can imagine myself skating, but I will take these things under advisement after I see the doctor again.

    2 votes

  15. I have a spondylolisthesis diagnosis

    ~health Ask (advice)
    I had been having pain in my "upper butt" when sitting for a few weeks, so I went to an orthopedic practice that has urgent care walk in hours. He diagnosed it as sacroiliac inflammation and gave...

    I had been having pain in my "upper butt" when sitting for a few weeks, so I went to an orthopedic practice that has urgent care walk in hours. He diagnosed it as sacroiliac inflammation and gave me an anti-inflammatory (meloxicam) and a PT script. The PT did not have an opening until week after next, but the medicine has has really helped with the pain.

    Them took xrays during my visit, and the side-looking one shows spondylolisthesis (one of my lumbar vertebrae has slipped forward). He pointed it out (casually) and didn't say much about it other than he thought it wasn't the cause of my pain. Maybe he thought I already knew about it?

    I have been having lower back pain off and on for a long time. I went to my doctor one time, and he diagnosed it as a bulging disc. He had given me some meloxicam and strengthening exercises to do at home. Since then, I would have pain in my lower back intermittently as well as occasional numbness in my leg, but I had just assumed it was a disc and tried to keep strengthening my core.

    I am overweight (280lb) and not very active (software engineer). I started a new job that is in office this year, so I'm a lot less sedentary than I was working from home. I have a fantastic yoga teacher, and I do that every week. My practice in between classes has been intermittent at best, but I am trying to make it more regular.

    Right now, I'm waiting for the PT to start, and I have a followup appointment with the spine specialist at the ortho in a fee weeks.

    My biggest problem is that whenever I think about the xray, and seeing that disc so misaligned, my anxiety really spikes to 11. I get the "heebie jeebies", the same creepy shivering feeling I get if a bug unexpectedly crawls on me. It's happening most days. I feel kind of betrayed by my body.

    I have talked to my therapist about the anxiety, and we are working on it. But in the mean time it is very stressful and distracting.

    If you made it this far, thank you for reading. I am not sure what I'm really asking for. There's plenty of information online about the treatments. I guess I am wondering if other people went through it, how did it affect your mobility, quality of life, etc? Are there things you wish you had known?

    Honestly, I think I could just use a (virtual) hug.

    30 votes

  16. Comment on What’s the best 3D-printed thing you have? in ~talk

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    Thank you for your kind words! They have said they are okay to have it shared on an individual basis. Let me get back to my computer and remove some identifying information from it, and I'll DM...

    Thank you for your kind words! They have said they are okay to have it shared on an individual basis. Let me get back to my computer and remove some identifying information from it, and I'll DM you a link.

    2 votes

  17. Comment on Where can I find the best lanyard? in ~life.style

    first-must-burn
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    If you don't care about being able to unweave it quickly, here are two nicely document documented techniques: Flat braid Double cobra knot belt Both of these have the advantage of working from one...

    If you don't care about being able to unweave it quickly, here are two nicely document documented techniques:

    Both of these have the advantage of working from one end. As long as you make the strands long enough, you can braid until you're happy with the length and cut ofd the rest. My technique, which I've tried to explain below, requires you to start with the warp loops about 120% longer then the target length, and if you get it wrong, you pretty much have to rip it out and start all over.

    Also, here's a video that details of a lanyard making process that's very similar to mine.

    First-Must-Burn's survival belt

    I sort of made it up as I went along, and I've never seen anyone else do anything like it.

    This video has a similar setup to the rig I use for weaving https://youtu.be/0BRRKFi9cdM

    The viedeo shows you how to loop the cord through the buckle to make the warp, then the free end becomes the weft. The ha seat thing about lopping the warp is keeping the strands from getting tangled.

    The difference in my technique than the video is that rather than taking the weft back and forth through the weave, I pass a loop through from one side. Each loop catches the end of the one before it.

    Here's a very bad illustration: https://ibb.co/XrvxLpvf

    The green, yellow, red are the same piece of cord, just using the colors to illustrate. The black marks show the alternations of the warp:

    • Pass a loop, the green loop, through the warp, going over/under. Because it's a loop, there will be two strands together. When you're done, there will be a loop sticking out the opposite side. Leave that for now.
    • Pass another loop (yellow loop) from the same side as before, but alternate the over under from the previous loop.
    • Hook the loop end from the green loop over the yellow loop, and tighten up the green loop. The yellow loop keeps the green loop from pulling through.
    • Now start a third loop, the red loop. You'll do the same over/under as the green loop. When you're done, pass the end of the yellow loop over the red loop, and tighten the yellow loop
    • Keep going until the end. At the very end, don't make a loop, but weave the free end in, use it to catch the previous loop, and weave the free end back through one final?time. It should be very tight by now. Having a lacing needle will help, but you can also do it with forceps/hemostats or narrow needle nose pliers.
    • I did find a way to make the keeper part of the weave, but the simplest way to add it is just to weave a little bit of extra paracord in on both sides and leave it loose enough to capture the free end of the belt.

    One other difference from the video: I found that to get the tightest weave, you must let the warp shorten as you weave. Think of it as going "back and forth" through the weft, so it can't be as long as it was origjally. So instead of zip-tying the buckle end, I'd secure it with some cord or a strap that you can lengthen as the belt shortens. I fins that the warp needs to start out about 120% longer then you want the finished length to be.

    Why go through this trouble?

    1. When you do a traditional weave, the whole free end of the cord has to be pulled through the alternating warp every time you add a row. Because my method pulls a loop up, you don't have to do that.
    2. Because a traditional weave goes back and forth like that, you'd also have to do that to unweave it. With my method, if you ever want to undo it, unweave that last end and start pulling. Because each loop secures the one before it, they will slip out one by one.
    2 votes

  18. Comment on Where can I find the best lanyard? in ~life.style

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    When I was elementary / middle school aged, I non-ironically carried all kinds of things around in a fanny pack that I wore everywhere for many years. We called it my "pouch". It started because I...

    When I was elementary / middle school aged, I non-ironically carried all kinds of things around in a fanny pack that I wore everywhere for many years. We called it my "pouch". It started because I didn't like wearing real pants, and putting lots of things in the pockets of sweatpants is a recipe for injury or embarrassment. But it survived the transition to jeans. I was very socially awkward, so while it certainly didn't help, this was probably not the weirdest thing about me.

    On the plus side, I always had bandaids, lighter, duct tape, pocket knife (ironic), pliers, trip wire string, etc.

    2 votes

  19. Comment on Where can I find the best lanyard? in ~life.style

    first-must-burn
    Link Parent
    My first iteration was a buckle from a belt where the strap had started to flake, later I used a belt buckle I ordered online. Here's a picture The warp and the weft are all one continuous piece....

    My first iteration was a buckle from a belt where the strap had started to flake, later I used a belt buckle I ordered online.

    Here's a picture

    The warp and the weft are all one continuous piece. It's hard to explain with words, but I start by making long loops through the buckle that become the warp, then I start weaving loops the other way.

    Pretty much any spot on the belt can hold the pin of the buckle, so it's very adjustable.

  20. Comment on Where can I find the best lanyard? in ~life.style

    first-must-burn
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    My key chain is a carabiner I got from Home Depot (not Nitize but I second @r3qn65 's recommendation). The rest is a woven section of paracord about 6" long which is perfect for pulling them from...

    My key chain is a carabiner I got from Home Depot (not Nitize but I second @r3qn65 's recommendation). The rest is a woven section of paracord about 6" long which is perfect for pulling them from my pocket. I'd say paracord is perfect for what you described because it will be very strong and unlikely to break. There are about 10 million paracord keychain videos on youtube you could adapt to your needs, so you can really customize how long, how thick (by braiding or weaving it), etc.

    Mine is a "survival keychain" because the weave is a kind of double interlocked crochet that is held close by a single knot. If I need the cord more than I need the keychain, I can undo that one knot and quickly unravel the whole thing. I made it ten years ago, so I'd have to sit down and figure out how again. But it's nearly perfect as a keychain.

    Offtopic, but I made my belt the same way. It's woven from paracord, but the weft is a loop pulled through, and then the free end is caught by the next loop, and so on. So in a pinch, I could pull it out into 160 feet of paracord. It's the most comfortable, durable belt I've ever owned.

    7 votes