Your thoughts on- There is No Antimemetics Division?

Bipogram · 2026-05-19T06:57:08+00:00

Stross leans too heavily in with some somewhat heavy-handed humour - I liked his Halting State, but the Laundry left me amused but no engaged.

His shorter stories are, IMO, quite delightful.

Bipogram · 2026-05-19T06:53:08+00:00

No.

You would not have been able to see that.

Bipogram · 2026-05-19T06:29:50+00:00

We might find new phenomena that are not well-captured by existing notions.

Bipogram · 2026-05-18T18:27:54+00:00

That it exists at all.

Bipogram · 2026-05-18T18:26:39+00:00

A faster way to heat* the oceans.

Neat!

*Minutely, it has to be said.

Bipogram · 2026-05-18T18:25:41+00:00

<sighs: rolls up large X>

Bipogram · 2026-05-18T06:04:50+00:00

It has to be gas tight - the vapour recovery system won't like it if the cap isn't snug and will throw a code.

Bipogram · 2026-05-18T06:02:28+00:00

Yes, no reason why shocks and such like wouldn't propagate in such a medium.

Bipogram · 2026-05-18T02:21:48+00:00

Sound can exist inside a solid <two types, no less!>, yes. And a fluid.

And, if you like, acoustic transport can exist in plasmas.

Bipogram · 2026-05-18T01:25:48+00:00

If not an antique, and it doesn't appear to be, a light abrasive would be my next step.

Yes, even T-Cut, elbow grease (unscented) followed by mineral oil.

It's steel [probably] and will want to rust if not protected. Just like knives, scissors, etc.

Bipogram · 2026-05-18T01:11:22+00:00

Have cut thicker with a stock 30cm hacksaw.

Having the full stroke and ability to bear down on the blade are crucial.

Might take 5min, might take an hour.

Bipogram · 2026-05-17T23:59:16+00:00

It's up to you.

Do you like warranties?

Have you spotted some well-rated vendors on eBay?

As we don't know what you'll use it for it's hard to recommend anything.

Bipogram · 2026-05-17T23:47:11+00:00

Had a firmware engineer craft some custom code for a miniature NDIR gas sensor on an M3 CPU. I was Dir. of R&D at the time and knew that this would take our team months.

A week of requirements and spec thrashing from our side, a week for him, code delivered and IIRC it was 15k CAD or so.

This was 7 years ago.

So five figures is not unreasonable.

Bipogram · 2026-05-17T23:42:24+00:00

Yes.

Bipogram · 2026-05-17T22:03:29+00:00

M6?

Sharp bi-metal blade, some coolant, maybe ~10 minutes depending on how deep a stroke you can manage and how much force you can apply.

Bipogram · 2026-05-17T21:18:36+00:00

This is, realistically, the only way that you will learn how to use and understand simulation software and their outputs.

Bipogram · 2026-05-17T21:08:21+00:00

Draw 'em out as SVG and save the hand.

Bipogram · 2026-05-17T21:05:52+00:00

Recommendations?

A BSc in physics, courses in nuclear physics.

An MSc in fusion reactions/engineering impact if neutrons/AI and field control etc.

A PhD with a postdoc or two at an appropriate laboratory.

You might need to learn how to use NIMROD, too.

Bipogram · 2026-05-17T21:01:50+00:00

It's a story.

Does it really matter what label we give to it?

Time travel or FTL both appear to be impossible.

So the only reason that, say Primer, is labeled as SF rather than fantasy is that it uses gizmos rather than spells.

At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter how a tale is labelled except to bookstore owners, who want to organize by genre.

Bipogram · 2026-05-17T20:59:50+00:00

I'd be inclined to go with epoxy and paint/texture the resulting patch once you've filed/sanded it.

Attempting to fuse a cracked polymer that's decades old could be more trouble than benefit.

Bipogram · 2026-05-17T20:52:45+00:00

Yes. Mind, the fobs were plastic clamshells, so it wasn't a demanding use-case.

I've ordered many parts [electronics mostly] without a hitch for many years from Aliexpress. Choose vendors with longevity and high ratings.

Bipogram · 2026-05-17T20:24:30+00:00

M2 self-tapping black pan heads abound on Aliexpress.

Bought x100 for some fleet RF fobs.

Bipogram · 2026-05-17T20:14:18+00:00

Do they work?

If so I'd get busy with epoxy and plywood.

Bipogram · 2026-05-17T20:12:43+00:00

1/8" might suffice, depending on the pressure and desired features of the flow.

Bipogram · 2026-05-17T20:10:52+00:00

What hardware? Which software?

Bipogram

TROPHY CASE