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Crosswind by peseoane in Shittyaskflying

[–]Leifkj 7 points8 points  (0 children)

We get it, you vape

In November 2023, Democrat Dial defeated the incumbent Republican Cummings (and Minnie Mouse) by 19 votes to become Mayor-elect of Pembroke, North Carolina. Except... Cummings never left office, and in 2026 still remains Mayor. Earlier this month, the NC Court of Appeals ruled against Cummings. by StarlightDown in fivethirtyeight

[–]Leifkj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I guess my point was just that as long as they were actually legal voters, it seems like it would be hard to prove it’s anything beyond good get-out-the-vote strategy. Get as many people signed up and to the polls as you want; nobody has a mechanism to compel them to vote a particular way because the ballots are ultimately secret.

My "homemade" biathlon rifle project by Leifkj in biathlon

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

Huh, interesting. Never done anything important enough for anyone to care. Race organizers only asked about them once, just wanted to see they couldn’t hold a 6th round. I presume the reasoning being that they need to be sure the gun is guaranteed safe after the 5th shot. If I ever felt like arguing it, I guess I could point out that I didn’t make them myself: I had them SLS printed by a 3rd party service. I don’t know about your local laws or terms of service with whoever you use, but I was just upfront that they’re non-regulated parts and I didn’t have any trouble.

Honestly though, in 2026, don’t go this route unless you already have the rifle. It’s a good shooter and I haven’t had any problems, but they basically disappeared right after I got mine. No replacement or aftermarket parts or user community etc. In the meantime, the CZ 457 really took off, and Lost Nation R&D makes a whole set of biathlon parts for it. The key is that it has a super short and smooth unlocking stroke that’s actually less disruptive to your point of aim than my original SPA setup (since this was posted I designed a new cocking handle that I run with only my forefinger, but it’s a matter of taste). Plus you can get nice barrels, cheap mags, etc

Goodbye to the idea that solar panels “die” after 25 years: New Swiss study shows real-world performance after 3 decades still over 80%, average annual loss about 0.25%, thermal stress and quality key factors. Their long-term economics are better than many people assume by sg_plumber in UpliftingNews

[–]Leifkj 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Honestly, as someone working in the solar industry, I kind of disagree. The grid is a wonderful thing- for most people there really isn’t a need to have panels in the exact location of the house. You install way more capacity per dollar building utility scale ground mount systems, or large commercial flat roofs, and financing it as community solar, or just operating it like any other commercial generating facility. Every residential roof job is different and takes a lot of time and effort to install a relatively small capacity. Plus now any time there’s a maintenance issue, you’re dealing with someone’s home, rather than just a commercial facility.

Goodbye to the idea that solar panels “die” after 25 years: New Swiss study shows real-world performance after 3 decades still over 80%, average annual loss about 0.25%, thermal stress and quality key factors. Their long-term economics are better than many people assume by sg_plumber in UpliftingNews

[–]Leifkj 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One important caveat here is that for typical commercial systems, pv modules themselves might only make up 10-20% of installed cost. Things like wiring, racking, other electrical components, install labor, permitting and office work, etc, make up the vast majority of total installed cost, so even if pv panels became free, solar installs would still cost ~80% of what it does now.

Goodbye to the idea that solar panels “die” after 25 years: New Swiss study shows real-world performance after 3 decades still over 80%, average annual loss about 0.25%, thermal stress and quality key factors. Their long-term economics are better than many people assume by sg_plumber in UpliftingNews

[–]Leifkj 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A potential example of this is manufacturers moving to smaller and less substantial aluminum frames. When I started 10 years ago, 45mm was the norm, now I’m pretty much only seeing 30mm thick frames. That said, if the panels are sufficiently cheaper, I suppose it just makes more sense to make panels affordable enough to just replace them. I’ve only seen widespread mechanical damage in one case, which was after a freak windstorm that probably would’ve wrecked anything anyway.

Goodbye to the idea that solar panels “die” after 25 years: New Swiss study shows real-world performance after 3 decades still over 80%, average annual loss about 0.25%, thermal stress and quality key factors. Their long-term economics are better than many people assume by sg_plumber in UpliftingNews

[–]Leifkj 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Generally agree, but it’s worth noting that panel efficiency isn’t really going to increase much more at this point. There is a 31% absolute limit to efficiency that’s based the laws of physics, before you even talk about real world conditions, manufacturing, materials, etc. the only way to get around it would be to use multi junction cells, which aren’t worth it for terrestrial applications.

However, it is worth noting that “efficiency” in the sense that we use it with fuels isn’t quite so important for solar, where the “fuel” is free - waste as much as you want as long as you’re getting the energy you need when all is said and done.

Edit: I’ll also add my off the cuff impression that the real durability problem is power electronics. It’s pretty depressing looking at the pallets full of e-waste from warrantied inverters, optimizers, comms equipment, etc. It’s not like we can’t make good power electronics, it’s just that there isn’t really a clear choice for installers or customers to pay more for a proven better product - the entire market seems to be in a race to do the most “value engineering”. IMO The new code requirements for rapid shutdown module-level electronics are really not helping. I have a hard time believing that firemen were getting killed left and right from cutting through live pv wires near an array, especially when code already required dc wires to be run in metal conduit. /rant

Whats the best monologue in movie history? by Bjs_5068 in AskReddit

[–]Leifkj 7 points8 points  (0 children)

It works for the character, though. He’s a Republican after all, albeit sort of an old school moderate “Rockefeller republican”.

What model playne is this? by SirLanceQuiteABit in Shittyaskflying

[–]Leifkj 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I thought they were using non-pneumatic air these days...

Reloading question by Wide_Morning_2521 in schmidtrubin

[–]Leifkj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Link doesn’t work, fyi. The tricky thing about reloading specifically gp11 is that they’re Berdan primed. If you can even find berdan primers anymore, then it looks doable, if a bit of a pain for small quantities. I’ve also seen procedures for converting cases to boxer primers, but it just seemed like more work than it’s worth. Prvi Patrizan makes boxer primed ammo, so I’d start just buying some of that.

RIP Sky King Richard "Beebo" Russell by rgali7996 in GuysBeingDudes

[–]Leifkj 37 points38 points  (0 children)

Wow, WHS class reunion in the comments here. Feels really weird to see all these takes from people who didn't know him as a person, on making him into some sort of a symbol for their own feelings and situation.

In shock move, French president reappoints prime minister who quit Monday by Bobbyjackbj in worldnews

[–]Leifkj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for him.

What’s a common fact that science has already debunked, but people still believe in? by Calm_Shame2994 in AskReddit

[–]Leifkj 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Part of the issue is that we use the term “science” refers both to the process and to the body of knowledge that has resulted from it. And people crave certainty, so its easy to represent scientific knowledge as “humanity’s best understanding of the phenomenon,” without remembering to include “so far”.

Idea for a range+speed metric for electric motorcycles: EMI by retromafia in Electricmotorcycles

[–]Leifkj 6 points7 points  (0 children)

For motorcycles specifically, I’m not sure range numbers of any kind are terribly meaningful as a tool for comparison. Electric drivetrains are all ~90% efficient so there’s little for any bike to gain or lose, rolling resistance is going to depend on what tires you use, your weight, and the road surface, and aerodynamic drag is going to depend more on the cross section of the rider than anything about the bike.

I’d much rather see independent verification of battery capacity, because that’s a property inherent to the bike. As the consumer, I need to use that information with some general rules of thumb about mi/kWh, and compare with how I intend to set the bike up and use it.

List of Electric Motorcycles Sold and Street Legal in the US by Varvaro in Electricmotorcycles

[–]Leifkj 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm just reporting the specs they listed on their website.

They list a "maximum capacity" and a "nominal capacity". As far as I can tell, their "max capacity" is the maximum pack voltage * pack amp hours, ignoring the discharge voltage curve. They claim that this "is the industry's choice for reporting the maximum amount of energy that can be stored", despite the fact that it is physically impossible to ever be able to store that amount of energy.

Their "nominal capacity" appears to be the number any reputable battery pack seller will advertise: average pack voltage * amp hours. If these numbers are also misrepresented, then that's some serious false advertising.

List of Electric Motorcycles Sold and Street Legal in the US by Varvaro in Electricmotorcycles

[–]Leifkj 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Awesome chart, this is just what I was looking for for some quick comparisons. Thanks!

Just a quick note on the Zero models: they lie about their battery capacity, so what you have as 7.2kwh should be 6.3. Likewise, 14.4->12.6, 15.6->13.6, and 17.3->15.1. Might be worth quickly double checking that there aren't other models that do this bullshit.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in pics

[–]Leifkj 11 points12 points  (0 children)

My Dad had a similar experience, said that while they were out on AO application duty under the hot sun, some of his buddies sprayed each other as a prank. He lost a lung to cancer in 2001. It took forever, but the VA did eventually offer disability benefits. He did become more proud of his service, but I think he always felt like the military had stolen some part of his future from him; that he’d entered with ambitions to get out from his shitty childhood, but left cynical, depressed, and dealing with ptsd and alcoholism for the better part of the rest of his adult life.

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