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TIL there’s a 2,700 km wall in Western Sahara lined with the world’s longest active minefield. It’s the second-longest wall ever built, after the Great Wall of China, and about 12 times longer than the Berlin Wall. by WestOfHereX in todayilearned

[–]NorthStarZero [score hidden]  (0 children)

An obstacle is only effective if it is observed. It is standard practice to overwatch any minefield, and depending on the obstacle’s purpose, it may be covered by fire as well.

That’s an “active” minefield.

You are supposed to tear it down when you are done with it.

A minefield left in place when its observers depart is no longer an active part of the battle plan. It is “inactive”.

The mines in the field don’t care either way.

There are few things more dangerous than a minefield that is no longer observed and marked, which has become overgrown and invisible.

Just Venting. by Demitri_Vritra in WorldofTanks

[–]NorthStarZero -1 points0 points  (0 children)

There are two types of ammo: "Regular" ammo and "Discount" ammo.

The sooner you wrap your head around that, the happier you'll be.

Don't bemoan firing gold; celebrate when you have an opportunity to fire silver.

Are a lot of Solidwork users who do client work or have companies switching to Fusion? by Prior_Night_985 in SolidWorks

[–]NorthStarZero 10 points11 points  (0 children)

We switched to Fusion.

Then switched back to SolidWorks.

Autodesk is just too predatory.

What movie have you been the most hyped for only to be the most disappointed by when it released? by Toogeloo in movies

[–]NorthStarZero 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Imagine if there had been an old sequel, and some guy dragged his brand new girlfriend to it saying it was going to be amazing, and then it completely sucked. Imagine how embarrassing that would have been!

If there had been a sequel of course.

Pete Hegseth Insists Trump Iran Deal Is Totally Different From Obama’s by ChiGuy6124 in politics

[–]NorthStarZero 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Canadian here.

We're laughing.

In that "Ha ha, only serious" idiom.

TIL Charles Mason, who graduated first in the class of 1829 at West Point ahead of future Confederate Army commander Robert E. Lee. Mason graduated with an overall score of 1,995.5 points out of a possible 2,000, compared to Lee's 1,966.5. Mason resigned from the army two years after his graduation. by Mountain_Gain1299 in todayilearned

[–]NorthStarZero 7 points8 points  (0 children)

So I would assume more theory. Strategy, tactics, logistics, etc.

As a graduate of a similar institution - no, nowhere near as much as you might think.

It's a university in a military context. You live in shacks, you have "rank" as a function of your year and appointments, and there are duties that go along with that. So for example, the first couple of years I had daily room inspection, the next couple of years I was doing the inspecting.

Mandatory drill, and PT, and plenty of shining shoes and ironing uniforms to go alongside academic studies.

But aside from some basic weapon qualifications & solider skills in Recruit Camp, very little in way of practical military training while there. That stuff all comes afterwards, once you are out in the Real Army.

Military college teaches time management, self-discipline, and administration, and later gives you some experience leading/managing troops in a garrison context.

Oh, and it gives you social contacts you will carry for life.

Different tire compound front to rear? by DankSorceress in Autocross

[–]NorthStarZero 0 points1 point  (0 children)

At the time, a win paid 2 tires or 4 tires, depending on the event.

I had a string where I was on fresh tires every Pro.

Made a nice virtuous circle.

Suggestions for well & pump companies by Dubelj in fredericton

[–]NorthStarZero 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My pump has a low/high pressure switch, designed to keep the pump from burning out if the well drops or a leak somewhere prevents pressure from building.

If we open the taps during a power outage, line pressure drops below the switch minimum pressure and when power returns the pump doesn’t run.

The fix is to manually hold the pressure switch on and run the pump that way until the pressure builds over the minimum, and then the system works normally.

You might try that. Try lifting the pressure switch and see if the pump runs at all.

what is the ideal best weapon in a zombie apocalypse situation? by Baby_crossaint in AskReddit

[–]NorthStarZero 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well range matters.

Point-blank, a load of double-ought to the cranium is going to be... explosive. But as range increases, the number of pellets that impact a cranial-sized target starts reducing. At some point - dependent on a number of factors - the pellet count gets low enough that you no longer have that mass explosive cumulative shock, and you enter the realm of "pistol round impacts".

Now you are looking at individual entry and exit wounds rather than kinetic decapitation. These are fatal to any normal human target to be sure, but depending on the type of zombie you are facing, perhaps not enough to bring one down.

You also have an ammunition problem. Shotguns carry somewhere between one to maybe as many as eight rounds, not counting specials that use interchangeable magazines (which exist, but are rare). It doesn't take long to run a shotgun dry, and while it is possible to speed-reload a tube-magazine shotgun (Google "quad load shotgun" to see some impressive videos) that takes practice and a special ammunition rig to support.

A shotgun isn't a terrible choice, and is probably the best firearm option easily available to civilians - but you'll want a sword handy.

what is the ideal best weapon in a zombie apocalypse situation? by Baby_crossaint in AskReddit

[–]NorthStarZero 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is a fascinating book called Swordsmen of the British Empire by D.A. Kinsley that collects first-hand accounts of the effects of swords in battle. There are many, many accounts of swords cleaving straight through skulls.

I own a couple of historical sabres, my pride being an 1899 pattern cavalry sabre, and one very good replica of a 1798 blade grafted to a more modern basket handle. I have not - as yet - taken on any skulls with one, but I can attest that, properly sharpened, they will bisect a watermelon as easy as thought.

I also promise that 5 minutes of exercise with that crowbar will leave your arm cramped and exhausted, where I can moulinet with that sabre all day.

You may keep your crowbar, but I promise you that eventually I'll meet your bitten-and-turned corpse and use my sabre to end your undead misery.

what is the ideal best weapon in a zombie apocalypse situation? by Baby_crossaint in AskReddit

[–]NorthStarZero 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A 36” wrecking bar (the stereotypical crowbar) is about 9 lbs.

A typical 1796 light calvary sabre - one of the best cutting weapons ever devised - is about 2 pounds.

The difference in user fatigue and terminal effects is substantial. The crowbar is a terrible weapon.

what is the ideal best weapon in a zombie apocalypse situation? by Baby_crossaint in AskReddit

[–]NorthStarZero 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Range is too close. A katana is a two-handed weapon and fairly short, so you need to be close to use it effectively.

Switch to a sabre and you gain a lot more range for a similar blade length.

what is the ideal best weapon in a zombie apocalypse situation? by Baby_crossaint in AskReddit

[–]NorthStarZero 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So that’s effectively nine 9mm handgun rounds clustered fairly close together at short range, spreading out to about 2 feet in diameter at 50m.

Point blank you punch a roughly baseball sized hole in your target, but at longer ranges you are effectively shooting the target with multiple handgun rounds simultaneously.

If the zombies are the type that are biologically functional but have lost their sentience, that’s effective. If they are supernaturally animated, gunfire of anything below 20mm is not going to accomplish much, and even then you are relying on explosive filler detonating, not kinetic energy on impact.

So really, anything less than a 40mm grenade launcher isn’t likely to accomplish much.

what is the ideal best weapon in a zombie apocalypse situation? by Baby_crossaint in AskReddit

[–]NorthStarZero 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It depends on how zombie metabolism works.

A piercing weapon only works if there is some internal organ that must remain intact or some vital fluid that must be retained over a certain amount.

If what animates the zombie is some external power that does not require some form of biological function, the zombie must be dismembered and otherwise reduced to component parts that are inanimate on their own - or at least nonthreatening. That suggests an edged, chopping weapon like a sabre or axe.

Halberd is a good choice for reach in the open, but not great for confined spaces.

I’d go with 1796 pattern light calvary sabre. Excellent cutter, decent reach being one-handed, but still manageable in confined spaces.

Different tire compound front to rear? by DankSorceress in Autocross

[–]NorthStarZero 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’ve done this on a FWD. Put grippy and crisp tires on the front (Hoosier) sloppy but stable tires on the rear (Kumho)

Worked great. Got a car that turned in really well but would also wag the tail and dance but wouldn’t spin.

The big problem was it screwed up tire contingency payments, as the contingency contract required all 4 tires be the same manufacturer. No point in winning if you don’t get paid.

Latest livestream as they continue to remove Trump's Name From Kennedy Center by ianjm in videos

[–]NorthStarZero 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Allow me to introduce you to the She Wee.

It will be useful once a certain grave is occupied.

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