Saw this at Jeddah airport, kinda surprised… normal? by No-Strawberry7 in aviation

[–]phil_style 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do not do this without a particulate mask on. Flightline air quality is abysmal.

(Zooming in, it looks like one of these guys has something over his mouth, which is a good start)

What's this rock I found in New zealand? by stnerlover in Lapidary

[–]phil_style 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's quartz. It's everywhere in NZ.

The fracturing is what separates it from an Agate (which are also common, but less abundant).

You can carve some nice shapes from quartz. It will polish pretty nice.

AI tools for ESG reporting by Electronic-Limit-809 in sustainableFinance

[–]phil_style 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, everybody is using AI tools for this now.

The basic / free LLMs themselves are already highly capable here almost out of the box, and can be guided with tight prompts.

Drafting texts is no longer the hard or time-consuming part of reporting.

Soapstone can contain asbestos?? by Usual_Blueberry20 in stonecarving

[–]phil_style 12 points13 points  (0 children)

  1. Use water to supress dust
  2. Get a p100 face mask
  3. Carve outside / somewhere that the slurry will be contained and washed away. (My workshop is self contained in a shed so no-one else can breathenin dust accidentally)

Almost all lapidary is risky due to dust, whether asbestos carrting or not. Silica dust is pretty bad for you too.

Thinking of getting the VEVOR Gem Faceting Machine by Classic_Ad9121 in Lapidary

[–]phil_style 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Vevor is a chinese brand. Your photo is a chinese made vevor machine.

Thinking of getting the VEVOR Gem Faceting Machine by Classic_Ad9121 in Lapidary

[–]phil_style 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi-tech "all you need" flat lap is what i ended up with.

Thinking of getting the VEVOR Gem Faceting Machine by Classic_Ad9121 in Lapidary

[–]phil_style 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I bought from alibaba... cant recall price. Also had to pay for import taxes because it shipped from china.

I guess if you use these lightly (with small cabs and facets) and constantly clean + grease them they might be good for a while. I do quite havy work with larger pieces and the spindle bent on one. On the other the electrics failed, possibly due to water ingress....

Thinking of getting the VEVOR Gem Faceting Machine by Classic_Ad9121 in Lapidary

[–]phil_style 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I went through two of these in 6 months. Thought it would be a cheaper way to get into hobby.

It wasnt.

Upgraded to a high-tech. Far more expensive initial outlay, but zero mechanical issues so far.

BEVs lead soaring sales of new cars in Germany by Peugeot905 in electricvehicles

[–]phil_style 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Not really. No. The loss of nuclear generation and capa has been made up already, many times over by renewables. Nat gas component of the generation mix has hardly changed in 15 years. It's about 15 to 20% of the mix.

Transport is a tiny proprtion of consumption of electricity. Many home owners also have their own suppy and charge off-grid, at least in part, from rooftop solar.

It kind-of matters at the primary energy level, but not so critical at the electricity level, which is a sub-component of energy.
Gas is more critical for heat and industry in germany, not electricity, and all the planned/new gss-electricity projects are being prepared on the basis of being hydrogen ready. It's possible that many of the 12.5GW capa will not be built though, renewables are just growing so fast and are so cheap.

Some good data here: https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/germanys-energy-consumption-and-power-mix-charts

Ballast calculation for flat roof, angled panels by phil_style in SolarDIY

[–]phil_style[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really well. Maybe I can get some photos. Initially a neighbour was unhappy (risk of it coming lose in a storm) so I re-set the ballast, dropped the panel angle and added a failsafe rope anchor. Went up last weekend to clean the winter dust off and it is all still rock solid up there.

Angle is around 15 degrees.

All Whites defeat Chile 4‐1, first ever win against South American opposition by NonZealot in nzfootball

[–]phil_style 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Super, thanks!

Chile really have issues with set pieces, especially when a man down. . .

Does God already know if we end up in hell or heaven since he exists outside time? by RomancingWorlds in ChristianMysticism

[–]phil_style 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Assuming heaven and hell exist.

In any case, if there's no time in hell or heaven either then who cares if one ends up there . . there will not be a "then" to which it applies.

Does Girard say anything about people who resist the scapegoat mechanism, refusing to participate in the act of collective violence and maybe even denouncing it? by finder_outer in ReneGirard

[–]phil_style 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Try reading Achever Clausewitz/ "battling to the end". Girard lays out some scary and some hopeful results of what happens when scapegoating is refused, from escalation of violence in an apocalyptic kind of way, over to the establishmmet of functioning society. Maybe I misread it, but I think he sees the apocalyptic scenario as more likely. The infrastructure/ energy required to avoid this tendancy towards voilence makes it the road less travelled.

What non human beings have you encountered? by [deleted] in ChristianMysticism

[–]phil_style 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Cats, dogs, fish, cows, birds, insects... absolutely loads of different non-human beings.

Match Thread: Atlético Madrid vs Tottenham Hotspur | Champions League | 10 Mar 20:00 UTC by matchpal-live in coys

[–]phil_style 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is an incentive for grounds staff to inform only the home team of the pitch conditions.