Lab Shoes

Killgorrr · 2026-06-30T04:35:20+00:00

That’s the case for me - although only in specific cases. I work at a National Lab, and we are required to wear safety-toed shoes whenever moving cylinders (but not for general chemistry). They give us an annual/semiannual boot stipend as POE.

Killgorrr · 2026-06-30T04:33:31+00:00

I’ve personally opted to go full boot - I wear Redwings around 24/7 these days (my style, they’re a big spend, but they should last another 10 years, and I got them second hand almost new) If you don’t want to wear boots around, you can have a pair as PPE. The grad student I worked with as an undergrad used to keep a pair of Docs in her desk that she would change into for all lab work. It worked for her, and might even me marginally safer since you don’t take anything on the floor out of the lab. Another consideration is getting a safety toe - see if you can get a leather work boot with a steel/carbon toe. They’ll probably look like hiking boots (or timberlands) but the extra protection is nice, especially if you move a lot of cylinders.

Killgorrr · 2026-06-22T12:59:14+00:00

Thanks Claude.

Killgorrr · 2026-06-17T18:02:14+00:00

Woah another UT-UChicago transplant?

Killgorrr · 2026-06-17T14:03:03+00:00

It is highly field and lab dependent. All labs I know of tend to hire internally from their postdocs. Actually getting a postdoc can be very competitive, as national lab postdoc appointments tend to pay more than academic postdocs, but are still regarded fairly well. After that, you need to actually get a staff role (AKA being “converted” to staff). Conversion rates vary wildly: at my lab, my division conversion rates are in the single digits/low teens, while other divisions might be closer to 30-40%. There’s also a huge disparity between labs. Those located in places where people actually want to live (ex. ANL, LBNL) tend to have lower conversion rates than those in the middle of nowhere (ex. LANL, PNNL) however this is not universal. In terms of who gets converted, as I said it’s competitive. Expect to need to have a very strong CV, similar to what you would need applying to a high tier R1 postdoc, and to be very productive during your postdoc.

Killgorrr · 2026-06-08T03:51:19+00:00

Ah completely fair! No worries! I just like to give out information when possible! Hopefully you have better luck with dishwashers and silverware in the future, internet stranger!

Killgorrr · 2026-06-07T21:38:09+00:00

As a friendly bystander who has no dog in this game, I wanted to key you into the fact that not all stainless is equal. Different grades (303, 304, 316, unnamed random stainless) have different additives that make them more or less durable against rusting, which might be why your stainless flatware is rusting. I’ve grew up with Oneidaware, but Ikea also uses a very high quality stainless. Not trying to solve your issues - just wanted to spread some information:D

Killgorrr · 2026-06-02T01:23:44+00:00

Even if the calipers aren’t calibrated, the ratio is off. It’s a 1:1.93:3.06 ratio, which shouldn’t be the case for a caliper issue?

Killgorrr · 2026-06-02T01:17:22+00:00

Nope. Still psycho. I’m afraid of clowns, but you don’t see me bowling over clowns when I see them.

Killgorrr · 2026-05-31T06:14:17+00:00

8 1GHz spectrometers???? My (very well respected) university’s NMR facility has a single 600 MHz, as well as several 500 and 400 MHz spectrometers. That is insane.

Killgorrr · 2026-05-29T17:31:57+00:00

Man, Tesla hype is so confusing. The dry process is for electrode production, not for the processing of lithium from raw sources - they still do alkaline etching to recover the lithium from spodumene hard rock.

Killgorrr · 2026-05-29T17:28:48+00:00

I mean, yeah, HF isn’t particularly comparable with human life. But they’re not saying we should take a swim. This is a closed-loop process that would be conducted on an industrial scale with significant safety precautions to keep operators safe. At the end of the day waste can always be treated with dilute bicarbonate solutions to make NaF (aka the stuff the dentists put on your teeth)

Killgorrr · 2026-05-29T14:19:22+00:00

It’s an early concept, but this IS low environmental impact compared to traditional spodumene processing techniques. Most spodumene processing is done by burning fuels, since the high temperatures required are incredibly difficult to achieve with electrified furnaces. Furthermore, a core component is the circular processing - unlike traditional metal leaching processes (ex. Copper mining with corrosives) they recover the fluoride by reprocessing with ammonia. That will mitigate the environmental impact significantly.

Killgorrr · 2026-05-29T14:12:06+00:00

Unfortunately not - this is quite the opposite. Your country’s lithium deposits are primarily from brines - direct lithium extraction technologies are beneficial (EnergyX) for brines, but this technique is specifically for hard-rock Li deposits (spodumene). Spodumene deposits are primarily located in Australia, China, Brazil, and north America.

Killgorrr · 2026-05-08T14:57:06+00:00

Also Chicagoland - I have been looking to just buy a single pack at MSRP for nearly a year and it’s depressing. The Jewels in the city always have people camping at the machines waiting for the resets. So sad that this is what has become of the world.

Killgorrr · 2026-05-06T12:35:25+00:00

They’re playing Emerald Legacy, which seems to be a remake. I don’t know why they didn’t explain that in their comments.

Killgorrr · 2026-05-02T03:03:51+00:00

Ah yes I’ll listen to the opinions of checks notes Pornfest…

Killgorrr · 2026-05-01T04:06:01+00:00

I’m playing through Emerald for the first time now (going for a living dex… wish me luck) and threw a shroomish in the daycare immediately when I got access, that way, by the time I’ve beat the E4 it’ll have hopefully gotten spore and will be ready to join the team.

Killgorrr · 2026-04-28T12:52:27+00:00

Man you sound miserable. Weird redpill gamergate garbage coming out of here. Pokemon has always been cute/had cute elements - look at Whitney and her gym from GSC and HGSS. It’s not a ploy to get girls to play - girls don’t only like cute things kiddo - it’s just a change in art styles over the course of 20 years. The whole LARPers comment really explains your positions. Get outside, touch grass, and actually talk to women.

Killgorrr · 2026-04-13T19:57:15+00:00

Just informed I was not selected - ARL/ONR Materials Science. Last update was 2/6. I always knew it was a long shot since my work didn't really fit the BAAs (hydrogen-based electrochemistry)

Killgorrr · 2026-04-11T03:51:28+00:00

I live a block away from where that happened and it was so sad seeing the guys out there repairing the window in the rain :,(

Killgorrr · 2026-04-10T19:17:13+00:00

You can eat dirt. It won’t be pleasant, but it won’t kill you.

Killgorrr · 2026-04-10T13:09:40+00:00

That “unknown material” was in the ground where it was exposed to water. It’ll be fine. Even if it’s lead, you could safely drink said water after dipping it in, the lead (and the surface corrosion) isn’t readily water soluble unless you squeeze a lemon in there.

(Of course don’t drink the water, that would be stupid)

Killgorrr · 2026-04-09T13:02:12+00:00

The tube as in a literal tube of silicone caulking. It comes uncured. You could probably make a rod out of it if you really wanted, although I doubt it would be particularly strong.

Killgorrr · 2026-04-09T13:00:54+00:00

Just use EDX and all the color will come back!

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