This is actually wisdom. I use a 4x fudge factor.

Again, intellectually, I get it. I’d read about Nazi Blood Libel, Mao and the Great Leap Forward, the Khemr Rouge, Rwanada, and so on. It’s just difficult to comprehend when you see it happen all around you.

As for myself falling for transparent propaganda, it’s possible but unlikely. I think it’s likely that I’m somewhat immune to it at this point. Religion, politics, hatred of outgroups are the main levers used and I’ve pretty much had that burnt out of me. I have a finely honed bullshit detector. I can certainly be tricked, at least for a time. However, I believe in so little, at this point, that I think it would be pretty difficult to uncouple my reality from the real world.

That was a forgiveable mistake the first time around. Howver, the insanity and utter bullshit I saw during COVID was not so forgiveable. And then, electing him a second time? I don’t think there’s any way back.

It’s such transparent propaganda, it will probably always astound me that people were so easily fooled. Pepple I thought were intelligent, wise, and that I respected. The Qanon stuff, the COVID conspiracy stuff, antivax, climate change. They have ended up in a false reality that most will never escape, and it was so obviously a lie. I’m still in a mild state of shock from time to time, I still grieve it.

Intellectually I know how it happened, but my gut cannot make sense of how they fell for it.

Not who you were replying to. I have sort of similar roots, angst, and anger. My grandparents grew up sharecroppers, entire extended family are fundamentalists.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with being ignorant. It’s just a matter of education. Willfull ignorance, on the other hand, is the greatest sin.

The part I still can’t wrap my head around is falling for a New York, city slicker, orange ass, conman. My people used to dislike cops, hate the government, guns were just a fun tool for farm and hunting, and were suspicious of military jingoism and flag waving.

I wasn’t able to get a single friend or family member to see how they were being manipulated, how they were changing. I changed some, especially when I lost the religion, but I feel like I’m closer to our roots than they are. It’s profoundly alienating. I hate my own people a lot of the time. I’m so angry at them for fucking falling for such transparent bullshit. Fuck the evil bastards that lied them into it.

Small squares as pixels would be time consuming, but would allow high detail even without a CNC.

Drag knife on a cricut wouldn’t be strong enough for thick tile.Mill with a O-flute single flute plastic routing bit would be the way to go. 1/8" diameter, carbide, as fast the spindle will turn. Flute length as short as the tile thickness will allow. You’d want a few spares, you’ll probably break a couple getting it tweaked. Start at .030 chip load, full width and depth, probably don’t need a finish pass as the edge roughness will increase adhesion and won’t be visible. Don’t use coolant, don’t breathe the dust, wear a P99 or P100 respirator, shop vac with HEPA for cleanup. Some tile may have abrasive fiber in it and will shorten tool life.

For fixturing, I think I’d use strap clamps and bars around edges. Use tabs between pieces almost like a stencil, lot of CAM software has a setting for auto tabs on profile cuts, cut from center to edges. Vacuum tables can be real temperamental, slow way down and still tab if trying to hold with vacuum. Double sided carpet tape can do it but has to be removed with acetone and IDK if that would effect the tile.

Just spitballing, I’d be afraid metal mesh might cause de-adherence over time, especially if it corordes. I really like the mesh idea. Loose cotton fabric like cheese cloth or maybe a little tougher would absorb the tar and might make it even stronger, just have to pour at a high enough temp. Fiberglass sheet might also work.

Defacing postal boxes is destruction of federal property. Up to 3 years and $200k. Also, postal inspectors will absolutely dick you down and make local Florida cops look even way more dumberer.

Postal inspectors are kind of like game wardens. They are cops, but, they mostly get a pass and they do a lot of good.

I’ve never seen one, but have read about them.

Really interesting from a guerilla art perspective. Also, the durability is innovative.

fsck

This is a very sharp article. Think I first saw it on Hackaday. I should be using the checklist more often. If there is to be a 3D print bible like Machinery’s Handbook, this article is foundational.

In particular, chamfers and fillets and their relationship to strength by reducing stress risers is often missed on amateur designs.

I need to look at crush ribs and ribs for screws/bolts more.

The idea of a sphere being the most efficent shape is counterintuitive when most mechanical design is inherited from subtractive manufacturing. Also, speed holes reducing strength and increasing material usage is wild. These are powerful ideas that are going to cause almost a philosophical change in manufacturing. It’s going to take decades. Absolutely mind-blowing stuff when you really think about it.

DFM, in general, is a woefully underappreciated aspect of engineering. One of the great things about 3D printing is that the designer is generally forced to eat their own dog food.

MEs should recieve more education about DFM. 3D printing would be an easy way to force them to understand the difficulty poor design causes. Of course, DFM for subtractive is a larger and more complex subject, but printing would at least teach the lesson with a little sting.

From the totally opposite side of this. I think that people should be required to kill and butcher an animal at least once if they’re going to eat meat.

That would quickly end factory farming, which needs to be abolished anyhow. We’d have a lot more vegans.

That’s really fucking funny, if true. (black humor, dead baby funny)

You got a sauce on this?

Aluminum oxide. Pretty damn inert.

Seems like there used to be something like that for officals that were getting a little big for their britches. You’d grab them and dress them up like big chickens.

Guess you’d need some feathers, maybe some tar to make sure it sticks real good.

I would think so. Another factor would be dropping leaves in the fall and winter so less shade, a good thing, in this case.

Nice source! Thank you kindly.

Planting trees and shrubs close by a condenser may actually reduce system efficiency due to impedance of effective air movement. We conclude that any savings produced by localized AC condenser shading are quite modest (<3%) and that the risk of interrupting airflow to the condenser may outweigh shading considerations. The preferred strategy may be a long-term one: locating AC condensers in an unobstructed location on the shaded north side of buildings and depending on extensive site and neighborhood-level landscaping to lower localized air temperatures.

Tracks with the gut feeling. Shade will only marginally improve efficiency but constricting flow definitely hurts. Units are best installed on the North/Northeast sides of houses in the northern hemisphere.

This is interesting. Gut says that it does increase efficiency. Thing I’m questioning is by how much?

Anybody got numbers or a good educated guesstimate?

Wow! That’s amazing, I’ve never heard of a blue bee. That’s just really cool. I bet it was confusing when you first saw it. I’ve heard of/seen solitary bees but didn’t think about it. Did a little beekeeping work as a kid.

We’ve got a couple weird ones on the other side of the pond that I’ve been around. (wasps, actually)

Cow killer/Red velvet ant it’s sting is in the top 10 for most painful. They’re beautiful.

Cicada Killers are huge, 5cm/2in long. I had one fall out of a tree with a cicada right next to me. I thought it was birds fighting.

Didn’t even think it about it not being a honey a bee. You’re right.

Drones don’t have stingers. Queens and workers have stingers. Queens are from worker larva that are fed royal jelly that transforms them into a queen that is capable of reproduction. Workers are technically female but they’re closer to asexual.

So, that badass enby ace bee gave that motherfucker what for.

The whole Tankie thing. Just like MAGAts but on the other side. They’re authoritarian left with lots of Chinese and possibly Russian influence. Far left most of us support are on the opposite end of the authoritarian/individualistic axis from both Tankies and MAGAts.