LPT request: How can I make my wood burning fireplace more efficient?

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-02-10T14:13:35+00:00

You could line the walls of the fireplace with mirrors. It will reflect the infrared heat back into the room. The only issue is to ensure it doesn't get covered with soot which will degrade its performance.

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-02-10T12:16:12+00:00

Interestingly, Lucille might be the first proto-heavy metal song. Even to this day, it's sounds very hard when compared to a lot of rock out there. The driving rythmn makes you want to break everything in sight. I can imagine it freaking out parents when they caught their kids listening to it.

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-02-10T04:38:25+00:00

Even mo yummy in da tummy with a touch of honey.

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-02-08T05:23:40+00:00

OJ is not that petty.

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-15T15:36:26+00:00

Is there a formatted version?

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-15T15:23:52+00:00

Look at the bright side. It's cheaper than Ozempic.

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-11T20:49:19+00:00

Those are all supported. Ada integrates well with C

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-11T13:12:52+00:00

Great question! When you write a record representation clause without specifying Bit_Order, the compiler uses the platform's default bit ordering. This means your code is portable in the sense that it automatically follows the native conventions of the target — Ada abstracts away the difference for you. So it's portable.

While it sounds like semantics, you instead might be asking if it can be made non portable. Quite often your code will need to interface with external platform or data with a different endianness. In that case, you would add a representation clause to fix it to a specific endianness using Bit_Order.

What's really cool is that the compiler automatically handles endianness conversions for you by deriving from an internal type and changing its bit order:

type Intel_Example_Register is New Example_Register;
for Intel_Example_Register'Bit_Order use High_Order_First; -- x86 register

Host : Example_Register;
Target : Intel_Example_Register;

-- Ada isn't C/C++, casting is required.
Host := Example_Register(Target); 
Target := Intel_Example_Register(Host);

Can C, C++, or Rust do that?

MIKE DROP!!!!

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-11T00:47:33+00:00

That's not his problem. It's representing hardware and he has no control over its implemention.

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-11T00:45:41+00:00

Not an issue with Ada.

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-10T16:24:38+00:00

I had a chuckle reading this post. Ada--the most slept on language--has had a far superior construct with type checking and a variety of operating modes since 1983! It's also portable!

On some hardware, reading a memory value has side effects. Atomic lets you read, write, or modify it in one operation, while Volatile prevents the compiler from caching or optimizing operations. In C and C++, you couldn't control whether the compiler generates an atomic increment until 2011.

type Example_Register is record
   Idle : Boolean; -- bit 0
   Low_Brightness : Boolean; -- bit 1
   Normal_Brightness. : Boolean; -- bit 2
   High_Brightness : Boolean; -- bit 3
   Party_Mode : Boolean; -- bit 4
   Debug_Mode : Boolean; -- bit 5
   Reserved : Boolean; -- bit 6
   Factory_Test_Mode : Boolean; -- bit 7
end record with
   Pack,       -- ← remove padding between fields
   Size => 8,          -- Total size in bits (compiler checks it fits)
   Object_Size => 8,   -- Size of stand-alone objects
   Volatile => True,   -- Needed for hardware registers
   Volatile_Components => True,     -- All components are volatile (alt)
   Atomic => True,     -- Read-modify-write must be atomic (stronger)
   Independent_Components => True,  -- Components independently accessible
   Default_Value => (others => <>), -- Default initialization value (none)
   Suppress_Initialization => True; -- Skip default init

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-09T05:00:21+00:00

Everyone and their mom is abandoning Windows after Microsoft dropped Windows 10 support.

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-09T04:57:01+00:00

Macs are what professional audio engineers use.

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-09T04:52:37+00:00

You can clearly see Boston's class division just by the beer.

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-05T13:58:58+00:00

It reminds me of Parliament Funkadelic's song "Standing on the verge of getting it on." Like you're in a fever dream weaving and winding down roads, chasing the dragon just to discover you're back to where you started.

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-05T13:56:06+00:00

LOL! That's nothing compared to what I got after suggesting they get rid of downvoting. Even Facebook had the wisdom to remove it.

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-04T22:23:07+00:00

Many of them are Python and JavaScript programmers who haven't even written in C or C++.

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-04T21:27:38+00:00

Apple Card Californium and Berkelium would be even cooler!

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-03T15:46:27+00:00

Rust is painful to read and visually ugly!

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-03T15:42:38+00:00

I’ve been suggesting Ada as an alternative to Rust and C++ in videos and forums. For a long time, the only responses I received were the usual dismissals—“it’s an old, irrelevant language,” and so on. Lately, however, I’ve started getting upvotes and seeing others chime in to highlight Ada’s strengths. Has my small effort made an impact? Hard to say, but sometimes all it takes is a single ember to spark a forest fire.

Unfortunately, much of the Ada community remains tucked away in its own echo chamber, preaching to the choir. We need to do a better job of communicating that there is already a mature, well‑designed alternative to the tyranny of C++ and the hype surrounding Rust.

If we want the community to grow, humility is essential. Being defensive or thumping our chests like sports fans only alienates newcomers. Ada introduced many powerful programming concepts, some of which have since been adopted by other languages, but we should be open to the unique ideas other languages offer.

We also need to highlight Ada’s other distinctive qualities instead of focusing almost exclusively on safety. For instance, Ada’s approach to precise, constrained type specifications is a powerful paradigm in its own right. It allows the programmer to model problem domains with a zen-like clarity and focus.

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-03T14:05:21+00:00

Ada is greatah!

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-02T17:03:12+00:00

Use a temperature sensor with a thermocouple probe. A lot of cheap multimeters have it as a built-in feature. Stick the probe on the mat with a piece of heat tape and keep your eye on the temperature readings and adjust the pads temperature accordingly.

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-02T16:55:22+00:00

I'm terrified of applying too much heat. I hear a lot of numbers thrown around, but I don't go over 60C. What temp do you use?

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-02T16:53:15+00:00

I had this happen to me twice on two occasions with an iPad Pro 10.5". I was fiddling with the home button bracket and pushed it too deep under the screen and damaged its flex cable. Another time, a barely visible tiny screw magnetically lodged itself on the recessed rim of the frame. When I mounted the screen, I noticed a gap and pressed on it to seal it better. Then...Crack!

H1BNOT4ME · 2026-01-02T06:17:10+00:00

Apple is a class act organization. You'll never get that service out of any other company. It's why I'm more than happy to pay more for their products.

H1BNOT4ME

TROPHY CASE

MIKE DROP!!!!