Miscellaneous Discussion Thread II
a robot barista is making coffee and interacting with customers at this coffee shop
this is becoming more and more common
imagine what our world will be like in 100 years - mind boggling
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Quote: EvenBobQuote: DRich
I currently have a scar that is about 11 inches long and about a half inch wide down my abdomen. When I was younger I was very self conscious of it, now it is just another battle scar to me.
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Stop staring at your navel and check your PM'S. I've sent you two in the last 10 days and you haven't read either one
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I rarely look at PM's, the last one I looked at was in January.
I'm not a tremendous fan of classical music
but I've always been amazed by great classical pianists
10 fingers, each one doing something different
it almost doesn't seem possible
the abilities of some human beings are astonishing
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mELYcjK2M_E&list=RDmELYcjK2M_E&start_radio=1
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Quote: lilredrooster.
I'm not a tremendous fan of classical music
but I've always been amazed by great classical pianists
10 fingers, each one doing something different
it almost doesn't seem possible
the abilities of some human beings are astonishing
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mELYcjK2M_E&list=RDmELYcjK2M_E&start_radio=1
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My wife has been playing the piano for over 65 years and she still plays every day for a couple hours. She is certainly not classical but she can play any music just about that you put in front of her and I could never do what she does with her fingers and feet. Luckily for me we don't live together so I never have to hear it because I really don't like the piano in person it's too loud. She started taking lessons in 1957 and took them all the way through high school.
I jumped off the top of the Strat! 855 feet!
Wow that was fun!!! :)
Quote: KevinAAI just got back from a 5 day trip to Las Vegas. I played 99% 25c single line video poker for hours every day (won about $200 overall), played one session of 3 card poker (won $175), and....
I jumped off the top of the Strat! 855 feet!
Wow that was fun!!! :)
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Nice to hear that there is something fun at the Strat!
whirling dervishes in Turkey -
an ancient religious tradition
they whirl to achieve a spirtual connection or some sort of transendence
the link beneath the vid provides a greater explanation
in the vid they begin whirling at about 1:51
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https://www.historytoday.com/archive/whirling-dervishes
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Quote: KevinAAI just got back from a 5 day trip to Las Vegas. I played 99% 25c single line video poker for hours every day (won about $200 overall), played one session of 3 card poker (won $175), and....
I jumped off the top of the Strat! 855 feet!
Wow that was fun!!! :)
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I haven’t been back in Las Vegas since the pandemic. This year, I received free hotel offers from some LV casino, but their resort fee is $45 a night. This is still expensive. How much are the buffets there these days?
Quote: acesideQuote: KevinAAI just got back from a 5 day trip to Las Vegas. I played 99% 25c single line video poker for hours every day (won about $200 overall), played one session of 3 card poker (won $175), and....
I jumped off the top of the Strat! 855 feet!
Wow that was fun!!! :)
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I haven’t been back in Las Vegas since the pandemic. This year, I received free hotel offers from some LV casino, but their resort fee is $45 a night. This is still expensive. How much are the buffets there these days?
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Main Street Station is $25 for brunch.
Quote: AutomaticMonkeyQuote: KevinAAI just got back from a 5 day trip to Las Vegas. I played 99% 25c single line video poker for hours every day (won about $200 overall), played one session of 3 card poker (won $175), and....
I jumped off the top of the Strat! 855 feet!
Wow that was fun!!! :)
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Nice to hear that there is something fun at the Strat!
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Are the hookers no longer there?
Quote: DRichQuote: AutomaticMonkeyQuote: KevinAAI just got back from a 5 day trip to Las Vegas. I played 99% 25c single line video poker for hours every day (won about $200 overall), played one session of 3 card poker (won $175), and....
I jumped off the top of the Strat! 855 feet!
Wow that was fun!!! :)
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Nice to hear that there is something fun at the Strat!
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Are the hookers no longer there?
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Haven't seen any at the Strat. The Rio is the place to go to be propositioned by prostitutes. But I wouldn't recommend it- they all look like bad news, resemble genus Sus or genus Bos, and are the kind who are making their money by some means other than collecting a fee for the expected service. Either badger in some form, or outright violence.
But there are actually a couple of things I can do at the Strat. Not a fun environment though. Unless you are dressed up like a tourist the waitresses assume you're a bum who is going to stiff them so they give you a short pour or no alcohol at all. You have to tell them "I'm not going to stiff you, make it a real one" and they get the message and will bring you a decent drink.
Quote: AZDuffmanGot like the 9th hate PM from what has to be the same loser who keeps making socks to get banned within a day. Even after 35 years in various forums it still amazes me how many people seem to make this their life.
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9th? I swear I sent 10.
Never count on casino security to protect you from violence. Many of those guys have bad associations and a bad history. Remember- when you are in danger, the only one guaranteed to be there is you!
When cops get fired from police forces for brutality, corruption, poor performance, civil rights etc. what kind of job would you expect them to seek out next?
Quote: AutomaticMonkey
When cops get fired from police forces for brutality, corruption, poor performance, civil rights etc. what kind of job would you expect them to seek out next?
Priest?
I was dreading hauling a new generator from the back of the house to the front porch but this one was easy at 54 pounds. Even the price was a big surprise. Fourteen years ago I paid $350 for a 3500W generator this one is 4400 watts and cost $250. It's quieter more efficient weighs less and costs less. How often does that happen
Probably have to run the generator intermittently so 20 gallons of gas can last for 10 days. I'd recommend an upgrade similar to that listed in the above post for homes that can do it.
Quote: ChumpChangeHalf a million customers are without power in Chicagoland and NW Indiana after severe storms and tornadoes the other day. Gas lines for miles at stations that are still open until they run out. Expect blackouts to continue through next week. Trees and buildings are down so roads may be impassable. Shelter-in-place.
Probably have to run the generator intermittently so 20 gallons of gas can last for 10 days. I'd recommend an upgrade similar to that listed in the above post for homes that can do it.
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I thought I saw lights on east of Lake Station last night.
Hard Rock off Burr Street definitely had their readerboard lit up and cars in the lot, so I am assuming they're on generator. Nobody else in that neighborhood seemed to have power.
Quote: EvenBobOnce in awhile I am pleasantly surprised when I'm buying something. Home generators usually last about 10 years and I've had this one for 14 years and now it's not starting so I'm getting another one. I had no idea what had changed in the last 14 years. My current one weighs 125 lbs puts out unreliable current and runs 8 hours on 4 gallons of gas. The new ones are called inverters and they put out100% clean electricity, The unit weighs 54 pounds, and will run 14 hours on two gallons of gas at 25% load. Holy crap.
I was dreading hauling a new generator from the back of the house to the front porch but this one was easy at 54 pounds. Even the price was a big surprise. Fourteen years ago I paid $350 for a 3500W generator this one is 4400 watts and cost $250. It's quieter more efficient weighs less and costs less. How often does that happen
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I bought mine about three years ago after hurricane Ian and being without power for 10 days. I think mine is Westinghouse 4200w and I believe I paid $289 on Amazon. One thing I like about mine is that it is on wheels so no need to carry it. I was surprised that mine has a key FOB for remote starting which is nice in Florida when it is storming. It also runs on propane or gasoline although I have not tried running it on propane.
Quote: EvenBob
I was dreading hauling a new generator from the back of the house to the front porch but this one was easy at 54 pounds. Even the price was a big surprise. Fourteen years ago I paid $350 for a 3500W generator this one is 4400 watts and cost $250. It's quieter more efficient weighs less and costs less. How often does that happen
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The "old" generators relied exclusively on spinning a magnet inside a loop of wire to make electricity. It had to be big enough (and heavy enough) to handle the power. The engine needed to be big enough to hold speed with the load, or the motors wouldn't work right. (Motors want 60 hertz power, which usually means a generator spinning at exactly 3600 RPM - slower tends to burn out the motor.)
The inverter is an electronics pack. It does all the speed conversion and buffering. It outputs as much 60 hertz power as it can from whatever oomph the engine and the loop of wire in the generator can manage. It lets the engine bog down now and then, and just corrects the output with electronics.
It's more complex, but the modern inverters cost $50, not $2000 like the old ones, so it's fairly practical to downsize the mechanicals.
(This is grossly simplified.)
Quote: EvenBob
I was dreading hauling a new generator from the back of the house to the front porch but this one was easy at 54 pounds.
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Little red wagon or dolly works. Whereas single wheel, wheel barrels are an antiquated pain in the ass.
Quote: rxwineQuote: EvenBob
I was dreading hauling a new generator from the back of the house to the front porch but this one was easy at 54 pounds.
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Little red wagon or dolly works. Whereas single wheel, wheel barrels are an antiquated pain in the ass.
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I'd recommend a hand truck. Very useful thing to have around because it's also a lever. A team of experienced guys with hand trucks can do things that seem impossible, working together.
I knew nothing about the 'inverter' type and tried to look it up. Perhaps you are right that it doesn't use a magnet to force electrons along a wire loop, but I didn't find anything that stated that explicitly. The new system info mentions a 'sine wave' and 'microprocessors' which makes it sound like hocus pocus. Charging new smartphones etc now seems to be by inverters as well. A big host of advantages get listed including smaller size and the ability to generate more or less power according to the need, instead of blasting away when it's not neededQuote: Dieter
The "old" generators relied exclusively on spinning a magnet inside a loop of wire to make electricity. It had to be big enough (and heavy enough) to handle the power. The engine needed to be big enough to hold speed with the load, or the motors wouldn't work right. (Motors want 60 hertz power, which usually means a generator spinning at exactly 3600 RPM - slower tends to burn out the motor.)
The inverter is an electronics pack. It does all the speed conversion and buffering. It outputs as much 60 hertz power as it can from whatever oomph the engine and the loop of wire in the generator can manage. It lets the engine bog down now and then, and just corrects the output with electronics.
It's more complex, but the modern inverters cost $50, not $2000 like the old ones, so it's fairly practical to downsize the mechanicals.
(This is grossly simplified.)
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Still, at the basic level, doesn't something need to be propelling electrons?
Quote: ChumpChangeHalf a million customers are without power in Chicagoland and NW Indiana after severe storms and tornadoes the other day. Gas lines for miles at stations that are still open until they run out. Expect blackouts to continue through next week. Trees and buildings are down so roads may be impassable. Shelter-in-place.
Probably have to run the generator intermittently so 20 gallons of gas can last for 10 days. I'd recommend an upgrade similar to that listed in the above post for homes that can do it.
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I can run my whole house easily off my new generator. The window air conditioner in my bedroom, two freezers in the basement and two refrigerators upstairs. Plus all the lights which these days amount to nothing because they're all LED. In the winter I have the generator hardwired into the furnace which is not all that hard to do. The one thing you cannot run on these home generators is central air but oh well, you can't have everything.
Quote: odiousgambitI knew nothing about the 'inverter' type and tried to look it up. Perhaps you are right that it doesn't use a magnet to force electrons along a wire loop, but I didn't find anything that stated that explicitly. The new system info mentions a 'sine wave' and 'microprocessors' which makes it sound like hocus pocus. Charging new smartphones etc now seems to be by inverters as well. A big host of advantages get listed including smaller size and the ability to generate more or less power according to the need, instead of blasting away when it's not neededQuote: Dieter
The "old" generators relied exclusively on spinning a magnet inside a loop of wire to make electricity. It had to be big enough (and heavy enough) to handle the power. The engine needed to be big enough to hold speed with the load, or the motors wouldn't work right. (Motors want 60 hertz power, which usually means a generator spinning at exactly 3600 RPM - slower tends to burn out the motor.)
The inverter is an electronics pack. It does all the speed conversion and buffering. It outputs as much 60 hertz power as it can from whatever oomph the engine and the loop of wire in the generator can manage. It lets the engine bog down now and then, and just corrects the output with electronics.
It's more complex, but the modern inverters cost $50, not $2000 like the old ones, so it's fairly practical to downsize the mechanicals.
(This is grossly simplified.)
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Still, at the basic level, doesn't something need to be propelling electrons?
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Standard Generator: The motor spins an engine part at one high speed to make raw AC power.
Inverter Generator: The unit does a three-step trick. It makes AC power, turns it to DC, and then changes it back into clean AC power
If the cell service is down: my home internet, cell phone & TV reception will not work. But I've got a Bluetooth/USB battery powered boombox I can cast music to. Somebody else might have a portable DVD player with a screen from 20 years ago.
I can't really hook up anything to the power mains here, and extension cords are prohibited. My BackUPS could keep a 20 watt bulb on for several hours.
I have an old car jumper/air compressor and the battery just died on that after over a decade. I haven't decided on replacing it because I got a much smaller and lighter Lithium Battery version as a replacement awhile back. But if I'm going to use a 12 volt out to run a 120 volt inverter, I'll need something new.
The battery on my 14 year old laptop suddenly stripped a gear and won't charge past 56% which lasts hardly an hour. I don't have an adapter to hook that up to a car 12 volt socket, and the car turns off after 30 minutes anyway. So a battery jumper replacement should be able to recharge a laptop, maybe by plugging in a 120 volt inverter into the 12 volt DC socket. I'm just trying to download files from my dashcam and it takes far too long and uses up the laptop battery too quickly. I can't get the microSD card out of the camera. I'd have to dismount the whole thing and bring it inside instead of transferring files inside the car to the laptop.
Quote: odiousgambitI knew nothing about the 'inverter' type and tried to look it up. Perhaps you are right that it doesn't use a magnet to force electrons along a wire loop, but I didn't find anything that stated that explicitly. The new system info mentions a 'sine wave' and 'microprocessors' which makes it sound like hocus pocus. Charging new smartphones etc now seems to be by inverters as well. A big host of advantages get listed including smaller size and the ability to generate more or less power according to the need, instead of blasting away when it's not neededQuote: Dieter
The "old" generators relied exclusively on spinning a magnet inside a loop of wire to make electricity. It had to be big enough (and heavy enough) to handle the power. The engine needed to be big enough to hold speed with the load, or the motors wouldn't work right. (Motors want 60 hertz power, which usually means a generator spinning at exactly 3600 RPM - slower tends to burn out the motor.)
The inverter is an electronics pack. It does all the speed conversion and buffering. It outputs as much 60 hertz power as it can from whatever oomph the engine and the loop of wire in the generator can manage. It lets the engine bog down now and then, and just corrects the output with electronics.
It's more complex, but the modern inverters cost $50, not $2000 like the old ones, so it's fairly practical to downsize the mechanicals.
(This is grossly simplified.)
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Still, at the basic level, doesn't something need to be propelling electrons?
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Yes.
There is still a twirling magnet in a coil.
The magnet-coil pumps power into the inverter, the inverter does the step-up and frequency control.
The advantage is that the engine and the generator doesn't have to be oversized to maintain speed and voltage as load is applied.
Quote: DieterQuote: odiousgambitI knew nothing about the 'inverter' type and tried to look it up. Perhaps you are right that it doesn't use a magnet to force electrons along a wire loop, but I didn't find anything that stated that explicitly. The new system info mentions a 'sine wave' and 'microprocessors' which makes it sound like hocus pocus. Charging new smartphones etc now seems to be by inverters as well. A big host of advantages get listed including smaller size and the ability to generate more or less power according to the need, instead of blasting away when it's not neededQuote: Dieter
The "old" generators relied exclusively on spinning a magnet inside a loop of wire to make electricity. It had to be big enough (and heavy enough) to handle the power. The engine needed to be big enough to hold speed with the load, or the motors wouldn't work right. (Motors want 60 hertz power, which usually means a generator spinning at exactly 3600 RPM - slower tends to burn out the motor.)
The inverter is an electronics pack. It does all the speed conversion and buffering. It outputs as much 60 hertz power as it can from whatever oomph the engine and the loop of wire in the generator can manage. It lets the engine bog down now and then, and just corrects the output with electronics.
It's more complex, but the modern inverters cost $50, not $2000 like the old ones, so it's fairly practical to downsize the mechanicals.
(This is grossly simplified.)
link to original post
Still, at the basic level, doesn't something need to be propelling electrons?
link to original post
Yes.
There is still a twirling magnet in a coil.
The magnet-coil pumps power into the inverter, the inverter does the step-up and frequency control.
The advantage is that the engine and the generator doesn't have to be oversized to maintain speed and voltage as load is applied.
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I think the biggest advantage of that is you don't have to do everything at the awkwardly low frequency of 60 Hz.
There are some hybrid high voltage systems that work like that. They still have transformers, but you start with DC and that can be chopped at 100 KHz or so, allowing use of a much smaller, lighter, cheaper transformer for step-up. A PWM chop, where the energy put into the transformer is closer to a sine wave over time can give you more control over it.
Quote: DieterQuote: ChumpChangeHalf a million customers are without power in Chicagoland and NW Indiana after severe storms and tornadoes the other day. Gas lines for miles at stations that are still open until they run out. Expect blackouts to continue through next week. Trees and buildings are down so roads may be impassable. Shelter-in-place.
Probably have to run the generator intermittently so 20 gallons of gas can last for 10 days. I'd recommend an upgrade similar to that listed in the above post for homes that can do it.
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I thought I saw lights on east of Lake Station last night.
Hard Rock off Burr Street definitely had their readerboard lit up and cars in the lot, so I am assuming they're on generator. Nobody else in that neighborhood seemed to have power.
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Just went through again.
Everything was pretty dark from Cline Avenue (Hammond/Gary demarcation) down to Merrillville, and I swear that's not racist commentary. Hard Rock was indeed at apparently full power, but I didn't stop to check if they had a working grid feed or if they were on generator.
A handful of gas stations over on Grant (Richard G Hatcher) had some lights, so it may be possible to refuel in town.
Hammond was mostly dark, except for the hotels, making me think they either had an early restoration, or generators.
Last time I remember this sort of power outage, at least one grocery store in Gary closed for the outage, and about a week after. All their perishables had perished, and their cold cases needed a week of deep cleaning before they could restock and reopen.
Quote: DRichI just read that the voice actor that does Bart Simpson gets paid $400,000 per half hour episode. That number shocks me.
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She also does "Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum, Todd Flanders, Database, Kearney Zzyzwicz, and occasionally Maggie Simpson"
2 goats boarded a bus in Portland_____________:)
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https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tQAUL5kX7SQ
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Quote: lilredrooster.
2 goats boarded a bus in Portland_____________:)
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https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tQAUL5kX7SQ
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Where's the rest of the math problem?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgXLrmUjcj0
