Humor Random Comments Thread

[Urwumpe]

I thought your employer is making his money by selling radioactive steam, not by selling electricity... who needs turbines, except for driving the feedwater pumps?

---------- Post added at 10:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:05 AM ----------

The IS again celebrates a glorious victory against a heavily defended ancient building in Palmyra. Only 5 IS fighters died in the battle, which took three days to encircle the towers and cut of their retreat.

 

[PhantomCruiser]

Nah, we're two loops. Our steam is clean.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

Nah, we're two loops. Our steam is clean.

FPL St Lucie?

EDIT: Duh, Tennessee. Watts Bar

 

[Loru]

I highly recomend this one:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckSoDW2-wrc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckSoDW2-wrc[/ame]

 

[Andy44]

I highly recomend this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckSoDW2-wrc

While the topic is interesting, I have seen that guy's videos before, and I find him to be highly irritating in speech and manner.

 

[Quick_Nick]

While the topic is interesting, I have seen that guy's videos before, and I find him to be highly irritating in speech and manner.

That's how I feel about vsauce. Can't stand hardly any vsauce (and vsauce2 and vsauce3) videos. But I like Hank!

 

[Loru]

So... I've been playing with 3ds max today and ended up with something that might be usefull. It's roughly DG sized crew shuttle (2 crew and 6 passengers) with APAS compatibile docking port.

Powered by 2 afterburning turbofan/rocket engines (Kerosene/LOX) with expansion deflection nozzle.

Launch probably by dedicated sidemount launcher (think HCLV but bit smaller)

For now it's early WIP but what do you think about this concept?

 

[Urwumpe]

Interesting design, though I am not sure if I would use such engines on them. I see too little advantages of the turbo-jet part there, though the ED could be interesting.

---------- Post added at 11:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:59 PM ----------

Not sure if this is the right place here, but I think it should be posted...

Six spectators died today when a car left the road during the Rally La Coruna in Spain.

A pretty sad day, but it should also be said that such accidents have become very rare in the past years.

 

[Fabri91]

As a filthy American who's looking at about 100k to round out his higher education, I thought that the norm across Europe was free College/University, or is it more of a 'get what you pay for' where the free schools are alright, but in order to get a decent education, you have to pay more for it.

I'll chip in regarding the system in Italy, specifically at the Milan Polytechnic where I'm currently studying:

1. one fee per semester
2. ca. 800€ for the first one in each academic year, applies to everyone
3. variable second semester tax, ranging from 0 to about 3000 € according to the student's economic situation (i.e, wealthy family pays more) determined by a standardized "Economic Situation Index" specifically for universities (ISEEU), which has to be made every year
4. incentives for those with a particularly high grade average (alas, I do not qualify here, so I'm not too familiar)

Keep in mind that this is a state university. Private ones are hilariously expensive as always.

If one has to rent a place in Milan, add about 300-600€ month.

On a random note: yesterday during a thunderstorm a lightning bolt must have struck very near, killing the interphone (no idea if it's the correct word: the doorbell-thinghy), internet modem, the gate's electric motor and at least the internet modem and gate motors of two neighbors, plus one's tv.

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

[*]ca. 800€ for the first one in each academic year, applies to everyone
[*]variable second semester tax, ranging from 0 to about 3000 € according to the student's economic situation (i.e, wealthy family pays more) determined by a standardized "Economic Situation Index" specifically for universities (ISEEU), which has to be made every year
[/LIST]

That is a really unusual system, why does it only shift for the second semester?

 

[Fabri91]

Italian bureaucracy works (sometimes) in strange and misterious ways. What the reasonaning (if any) behind this was, I do not know.

 

[Urwumpe]

Italian bureaucracy works (sometimes) in strange and misterious ways. What the reasonaning (if any) behind this was, I do not know.

The system is more important than the results. :lol:

 

[Andy44]

Okay, I just went for a bike ride in the DC suburbs. It's beautiful and sunny out, but I've had enough summer heat and humidity. I'm ready for some red leaves and cool air, please.

On a side note, my truck needs new brakes desperately but being a holiday weekend I can't get them fixed until tomorrow morning, so it was bike ride or sit at home today. I knew the brakes were getting old, but two days ago they went from quiet to a horrible grinding sound real quick. I have a warped rotor anyway, so I knew those were going to be replaced; I'm just hoping I didn't damaged the calipers. :facepalm:

 

[Urwumpe]

On a side note, my truck needs new brakes desperately but being a holiday weekend I can't get them fixed until tomorrow morning, so it was bike ride or sit at home today. I knew the brakes were getting old, but two days ago they went from quiet to a horrible grinding sound real quick. I have a warped rotor anyway, so I knew those were going to be replaced; I'm just hoping I didn't damaged the calipers. :facepalm:

If they really make sound, you are already braking metal on metal... which means your calipers can still be intact, but your disc is dead - but be aware...you are only a few mm away from grinding away your calipers now.

But since when have trucks disc brakes in the USA? :huh:

 

[Andy44]

If they really make sound, you are already braking metal on metal... which means your calipers can still be intact, but your disc is dead - but be aware...you are only a few mm away from grinding away your calipers now.

But since when have trucks disc brakes in the USA? :huh:

Since when have they not? I can't think of a single model of pickup truck that doesn't have at least front disc brakes. I imagine they've been standard since at least the 80s, especially for full-size pickups. I had a 1993 mid-size GMC Sonoma that had drums in the rear but discs in front.

 

[mojoey]

Since when have they not? I can't think of a single model of pickup truck that doesn't have at least front disc brakes. I imagine they've been standard since at least the 80s, especially for full-size pickups. I had a 1993 mid-size GMC Sonoma that had drums in the rear but discs in front.

I can back this up. My stepdad's late 90s F350 has disc brakes on the front wheels, and drums on the back. (and stiff as all hell shocks, but that's neither here nor there).

 

[Urwumpe]

I thought they still used drum brakes at the rear, and only for newer models also disc brakes for the front wheels...

 

[MaverickSawyer]

I thought they still used drum brakes at the rear, and only for newer models also disc brakes for the front wheels...

Fronts have been discs for a LONG time, but rear discs are the last 10 years or so, because of the heavier loads they wind up hauling.

As for damaging the calipers, I doubt it. you would have to either:
-warp the rotors so badly that they rub the calipers, which would seize the brakes up in a heartbeat, or
- wear ALL THE WAY THROUGH the pads and their backing materials... which would be rather remarkable.

 

[Urwumpe]

Fronts have been discs for a LONG time, but rear discs are the last 10 years or so, because of the heavier loads they wind up hauling.

The last time I had seen drum brakes here had been on a tiny, 750 kg, cheap car from 1992.

 

[Fabri91]

Rear drum brakes are still commonly seen on some variants of b-segment and smaller cars in Europe (think Fiesta/Polo/Ibiza) and light commercial vehicles.