vfr2imc's recent activity
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~news
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Comment on What are you reading these days? #9 in ~books
vfr2imc LinkI've been reading the Sharpe's series by Bernard Cornwell. Super interesting historical fiction that teaches as much as entertains. I'm on like book 15 now in the series, but if you want to get...I've been reading the Sharpe's series by Bernard Cornwell.
Super interesting historical fiction that teaches as much as entertains. I'm on like book 15 now in the series, but if you want to get started, start with Rifles. There are some other books that are chronologically earlier in time that Cornwell wrote later on after the series took off, but since they were written later, they pre-suppose a certain familiarity with the series as a whole.
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Comment on Friday Health Achievement Thread - brag and talk about your accomplishments here! in ~health
vfr2imc LinkDid not work out once. Thought about buying a weight bench. Currently getting fatter and drinking wine.Did not work out once. Thought about buying a weight bench. Currently getting fatter and drinking wine.
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Comment on I would like to see a multi-player gaming company attack player-toxicity with an iron fist and see the results. in ~games
vfr2imc Link ParentThat's what I'm talking about. This isn't a democracy, this is a game. And if you have a huge amount of abusive players, you are driving away the "silent majority".... fuck the abusive players....That's what I'm talking about. This isn't a democracy, this is a game. And if you have a huge amount of abusive players, you are driving away the "silent majority".... fuck the abusive players. Tell them to sit for 30 days and go play another game.
The influx of gamers from other games in the same genre will more than make up for it.
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I would like to see a multi-player gaming company attack player-toxicity with an iron fist and see the results.
In multiplayer games where there is open chat between teammates or worse, among all players there is rampant toxicity. It is known. I think that most game companies believe that if they crack down...
In multiplayer games where there is open chat between teammates or worse, among all players there is rampant toxicity. It is known.
I think that most game companies believe that if they crack down too hard that they will lose their player base.
My belief is that the opposite would happen. A sincere effort (with human review) would require a HUGE initial outlay of resources but with the right punishment (30-day ban from ranked play for example) would nearly eliminate toxicity and also significantly reduce the need for human review.
DOTA did a half-assed measure in like 2015 or something and it worked really well for the time they kept it. But there was a serious change in people's attitudes when it got implemented. Games went from total-toxic to mildly-toxic.
I would bet that a game company that has a decent game (thinking mobas but FPS's probably involved too) such as Hots, Dota, or LOL, they would not LOSE playerbase, but instead gain a HUGE playerbase of people that just want to play games and know that if someone tells you that you are a non-team-playing motherfucker for choosing the hero you think best (but they don't).... they might get banned for 30 days... that might stop them from going off the rails and politely asking instead.
Anyway, I fucked your mom last night.
40 votes -
The Browns will win the Super Bowl this year
The Browns have the best receiving corps in the league right now (upgraded from the worst last year), the Browns have a Journeyman QB who doesn't throw picks (Thanks Kizer), and we have a...
The Browns have the best receiving corps in the league right now (upgraded from the worst last year), the Browns have a Journeyman QB who doesn't throw picks (Thanks Kizer), and we have a under-study QB who may be franchise QB in the future.
Furthermore, we have a better than average backfield with receiving backs and "downhill" runners (god I hate that term, it's like corporate speak for "let's circle back"....cliche cliche)...
4 votes -
Comment on US expected to disengage from UN's Human Rights Council in ~news
vfr2imc Link ParentI don't understand why Palestine is so vehemently defended. They blindly shoot rockets with the intent to kill civilians on a regular basis. They have a "martyr's fund" that rewards suicide...I don't understand why Israel is so vehemently defended.
I don't understand why Palestine is so vehemently defended.
They blindly shoot rockets with the intent to kill civilians on a regular basis. They have a "martyr's fund" that rewards suicide bomber's families. Their "government" pledges to destroy Israel.
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Comment on I flew from Columbus, Ohio to Ely, Minnesota in ~hobbies
vfr2imc Link ParentThe plane is a light sport airplane (2 seater, light weight). It's called a "Flight Design CTLS" They look like this:...The plane is a light sport airplane (2 seater, light weight). It's called a "Flight Design CTLS"
They look like this:
They burn about 5 gallons of fuel per hour which is extremely economical in the aircraft world.
Tanks hold max of 32 usable gallons of fuel which gives you about a 5.5 hour range with a 30 minute reserve. I generally refuel at about 4 hours.
The plane will fly approximately 100kts / hr which is about 115mph. Not super fast at all, but since you don't have to follow the roads, you go about 3x as fast as a car to most destinations.
However, wind can be with you or against you. Think of it like the moving walkways in an airport. If you run at 8mph through an airport and happen to get on a moving walkway going in your direction, your effective speed might be 13mph. But if you get one one going the other way, you might have an effective speed of 3-4mph. And if you get on a really wide one that goes sideways for some reason you might have an effective speed of 5-7mph.
Wind acts the same way, so our 30kt headwind was a huge pain in the ass. You don't normally get 30kt winds until you are up at 10,000ft or so... to get them at 3500 ft was very unusual. (It was the remainder of a hurricane that went up the center of the country after hitting the gulf coast).
Every once in a while you can catch a super nice tailwind instead of a head wind, and that is the coolest thing in the world.
Climbing high to 12,000 ft and catching 40kts of ass-kissing tail wind that effectively adds about 40% to your speed is a rush.
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Comment on I flew from Columbus, Ohio to Ely, Minnesota in ~hobbies
vfr2imc Link ParentNo inconvenience at all. In most of the USA (except out west) there are airports everywhere. Ohio has 300+ airports alone. Minnesota close to that number. If you need to take a quick break, just...No inconvenience at all. In most of the USA (except out west) there are airports everywhere. Ohio has 300+ airports alone. Minnesota close to that number.
If you need to take a quick break, just head to nearest runway and grab lunch and gas.
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Comment on I flew from Columbus, Ohio to Ely, Minnesota in ~hobbies
vfr2imc Link ParentThe other unfortunate part is that YOU'RE NOT FLYING THE PLANE!!! That's the best part about general aviation.... you get to fly a lawnmower with wings that somehow can take you places. It's so...The other unfortunate part is that YOU'RE NOT FLYING THE PLANE!!!
That's the best part about general aviation.... you get to fly a lawnmower with wings that somehow can take you places. It's so fucking cool.
Got another trip up to northern Minnesota later this month, can't wait to take pictures.
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I flew from Columbus, Ohio to Ely, Minnesota
I flew to Ely, Minnesota in August with my friend Jared. Hope the images work, I'll rehost if they don't. http://photosoverohio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/IMG_2631.jpg Me left, Jared right. He...
I flew to Ely, Minnesota in August with my friend Jared.
Hope the images work, I'll rehost if they don't.
http://photosoverohio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/IMG_2631.jpg
Me left, Jared right.
He takes a regular trip with his family into the Boundary Waters (BWCA) and my in-laws have a cabin on a BWCA lake. In order to avoid driving and to get some flying hours in, we took this tiny plane from Columbus, OH to Ely, MN.
http://photosoverohio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/flight-path.jpg
Red line is actual GPS route. Blue line is simply airport-to-airport route.
We were trying to avoid flying over large bodies of water because when you’re in a single engine airplane, you don’t have a lot of options besides swimming if your engine goes out (ours didn’t).
We meant to get fuel after Chicago but the day we were flying we had 30 (thirty!!!!) knot headwinds even low to the ground. It was stupidly impressive bad luck. So we had to stop in Gary, IN to grab some gas before heading up again.
http://photosoverohio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/IMG_2647.jpg
Gary, IN
After grabbing gas, we were off. We saw the Blue Angels parked on the north ramp of the airport as we were taking off but it was too late to grab a picture. Turned out they had a show over the Navy Pier in Chicago a little later in the morning.
We know because we flew through the TFR (before it activated).
http://photosoverohio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/IMG_2657-e1506799924440.jpg
Chicago, IL
We thought we only had about 15 minutes to get through the TFR which we thought we could barely make, but also thought if we’re going to get intercepted, would be pretty cool to get intercepted by the Blue Angels, then realized the time change to Central and that we had an extra hour still before the TFR went active. The Blue Angels did not intercept us.
Next we flew up towards Duluth. Still staying low because of the ridiculous headwinds, but that meant things were also super bumpy.
Jared puked for the first time ever in a small airplane. I always have a puke bag in the plane for emergencies but never expected to use it with two pilots on board.
So Jared pukes. The turbulence and motion wasn’t getting to me until then, but that puke-bile smell? Oh yeah. I could feel it.
The problem was that I only had one puke bag in the cockpit. If I had to hurl, it was going to be in the same bag Jared used earlier. Gross.
Furthermore, Jared told me point blank that if I hurled, he was going to need the bag back to go again.
Faced with the prospect of sharing a puke-bag and passing it back and forth, we decided to land and take a 45 minute break.
We felt better after taking off (and getting the back-up puke bag from the baggage compartment).
Anyway, here’s Duluth:
http://photosoverohio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/IMG_2675-e1506800330868.jpg
http://photosoverohio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/IMG_3147.jpg
After turning the corner at Duluth, we went along Minnesota’s North Shore to drop Jared off in Grand Marais.
http://photosoverohio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/IMG_2689-e1506800486520.jpg
Two-Harbors on the North Shore of Minnesota
Then finally, with the plane to myself, I flew over the Boundary Waters due west to land in Ely, MN.
http://photosoverohio.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/IMG_2716.jpg
Somewhere in the BWCA between Grand Marais and Ely. Endless untouched nature.
Was a fun trip. 9.3 hours in the plane due to the ridiculous headwinds. I was super happy to get a burger on the ground.
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Comment on Do you think the world is getting better or worse? in ~talk
vfr2imc LinkI don't think human nature is changing all that much. Some of our values are, but our innate desires do not appear to be not terribly different from those within reasonable historical reference....I don't think human nature is changing all that much. Some of our values are, but our innate desires do not appear to be not terribly different from those within reasonable historical reference.
If we accept that human nature is relatively constant then we need to look at other factors to determine if the world is getting better or worse.
Quality of life: While quality of life is certainly inequitable, the fact that a significant percentage of the population of the world currently lives in a first world environment and even the "poor" in those first world environments have an enviable quality of life compared to undeveloped nations or even developed nations of a hundred years ago, I would say that the world is getting better in this regard.
Technology, science, & medicine: Always improving. Unless there is an all out world war three that literally destroys a huge percentage of the world population, these areas of knowledge will continue to be improved upon.
Politics: There's a lot of corruption in the world. There's a lot in the USA. I think as a whole it is getting better as the internet connects communities and light is shed on corrupt dealings. As a supreme court justice (Learned Hand?) once said about political corruption: "Light is the best disinfectant."
Regardless of your feelings about the electoral college or Donald Trump, I believe that there is a LOT of merit in the fact that the USA has had over 200 years of regular & peaceful transitions of power. There are not a lot of nations (past or present) that can make the same claim.
So as far as politics / political corruption, as a whole, I would say the world is getting better. But probably not at the pace anyone would find ideal.
Our biases? I believe that we all are biased to find events in our own life to be more important than those of others, or of historical contexts. We don't protest or fight battles because we think they are trivial purposes.
In light of that bias, I do think that (for the USA) -- when some of our biggest social-political battles are about whether 2 men can get married, or whether NFL-kneelers are making a legitimate statement or simply disrespecting the country -- if those are the dominant social issues we have, we don't have many problems.
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Comment on Hobby Pic Thread - What's been going on with your hobby? Share a picture of it ! in ~hobbies
vfr2imc LinkRecently got back from a short rappelling trip. I have all the gear and take friends from time to time. I'm not a professional guide or anything. Here's a shot of one of my friends dropping over...Recently got back from a short rappelling trip. I have all the gear and take friends from time to time. I'm not a professional guide or anything. Here's a shot of one of my friends dropping over the wall.
It's an argument over such a tiny amount of money too.
There's a couple questions that can and should be argued about: Do we want a wall at all? Will it be be effective or not?
But the money is just so stupid. It could be $50 billion and it's still effectively just a rounding error in the total federal budget.