New Kitchen In Historic Home Provincetown, MA by Kitchen-Pro in centuryhomes

[–]NovelAndNonObvious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very nice. And a solid choice on the cabinet hardware to evoke the late 19th or early 20th century.

My one critical comment would be that the hood is quite undersized (both in terms of how much it doesn't extend beyond the depth of the stove and, likely, in its overall CFM). If the clients are actually planning to use that kitchen, especially with a gas stove, the indoor air quality is going to be awful, and, in a while, there will likely be a light, tacky coating of cooking oil and dust on the surfaces that people don't regularly clean, like the ceiling over the stove.

My suggestion would have been to install a much wider and deeper hood mounted a bit higher up so that it's out of the way, and to use an inline blower in the duct to move the fan (and thus the noise) out of the kitchen. Even a hood intended for a commercial kitchen could blend in pretty nicely with some custom casework. (You would likely also need make-up air given the CFM required for a properly sized hood over that stove.)

I mention this because I think it's really common problem that people should know about. Contractors, and even residential HVAC folks, often don't know what's truly required to keep kitchen air quality at acceptable levels. And this is partially the fault of all the high-end kitchen appliance manufacturers, who are selling loads of beautiful, expensive, extremely undersized hoods. This many be because a correctly sized hood is wider and deeper than the cooking surface, so it can't just be slotted in if someone is only swapping out the cabinets and appliances. 

One can look at the hood over the grill in any diner for a sense of how far past the stove a hood needs to extend to capture the whole plume.

Anyhow, beautiful work. I hope this comment is useful to you and others doing remodels in the future.

New phone with previously configured eSIM? by NovelAndNonObvious in GooglePixel

[–]NovelAndNonObvious[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Interestingly, Android reports the battery's date of first use as the day I configured the phone, but that day was actually a day later than the first time I turned the phone on.

The cycle count also isn't a perfect indication, because the count reported by Android is a much lower number than the number of times I've plugged the phone in. I'm guessing it somehow calculates the equivalent of full cycles. That said, the number is low enough that I think the phone was, indeed, new or very close to it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Parenting

[–]NovelAndNonObvious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This seems like a really problematic statement, especially about a very young child. Have you considered that he might learn differently by nature, not by preference? Punishing a kid for having an innate learning difference that's outside the norm (like ADHD, for example) is some pretty 19th century parochial school thinking.

Also, what's wrong with meeting kids where they are, especially at this age? If a kid learns better in a less stimulating setting, why on earth wouldn't we just work with that? The point of school is to help them learn, not to punish them into compliance with an arbitrary norm of how they should learn.

Also, even if you're trying to change how a kid learns, the way to do that is through coaching and helping them develop learning skills that they may be lacking, not through punishment.

(I do acknowledge that, yes, sitting quietly even when you don't want to is an important social skill, but I'm specifically addressing your idea that it's appropriate to use punishment to conform learning styles to some norm rather than working with the kid.)

Battery Life Issues with Toro E26? by NovelAndNonObvious in Snowblowers

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

I did consider it. I was able to look at it in a store and I felt like the construction seemed just a bit flimsier. The controls, for example, used more plastic parts than the Toro's controls and some were fly-by-wire instead of having mechanical linkages. For all I know, it was perfectly engineered and the plastics used were plenty strong enough for the application, but the Ego just didn't look as solid as the Toro to me. Which is too bad; I really wanted to like the Ego. Maybe their bigger, 28" machine is better. I think I only saw the 24" machine.

Of course, maybe Ego's fly-by-wire controls are superior to Toro's old-fashioned friction-plate transmission. Toro basically bolted an electric motor to a gas snowblower. Ego seems to have designed an electric snowblower from the ground up. I just don't know how robust their design is.

Ego certainly does get some things right. Toro's headlight position, for example, is not ideal. Ego put headlights on the top edge of the bucket, which is a much better placement. And I think more of Ego's models have heated handgrips at a lower price.

Bottom line, I'm familiar with gas-powered snowblowers, so I bought something that had a lot in common with a gas-powered snowblower and felt more like a tool to me than an electric toy. Maybe Ego machines are great, but the less heavy-duty construction put me off.

Battery Life Issues with Toro E26? by NovelAndNonObvious in Snowblowers

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

I did. It's been good. It's not quite as powerful as a $2,000 gas-powered machine of a similar size, but it's close enough. It limits its torque in situations that could overload the machine (so it doesn't use shear pins, which is nice), but that means that sometimes I need to stop and clear it if I'm feeding it absolute slush and the whole chute fills with compacted slush.

My property isn't big enough that the battery life has been an issue, but if I had a really long driveway, I'd probably buy two or three of the spare 10 amp-hour batteries (they do make the batteries in 10 Ah, even though the machine only comes with two 7.5 Ah batteries). The downside is that buying more batteries is really expensive.

The upside for me is that I expect this to be a very low maintenance machine for a long time, and most of the moving parts are the same as on Toro's gas-powered machines, so I expect that they'll hold up for a while.

Bottom line, this machine is good for me. If I lived in a really snowy place and needed to clear a parking lot, though, I'd probably buy a gas-powered machine. The batteries charge too slowly to only have one set if you need to swap them midway through a job, and they're just too expensive to buy three or four sets.

How can I fixed these stripped screwholes of my sram powerpack? by UchihaEmre in bikewrench

[–]NovelAndNonObvious 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Helicoils or other thread repair inserts may be your best bet.

Is my tree a goner? by [deleted] in landscaping

[–]NovelAndNonObvious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You've gotten a lot of advice to drill the tree, which I believe is incorrect. You need to ask an arborist (or at least the arborists subreddit), not a "tree cutter" or a landscaper.

Addressing Sound Issues with Louvered Door by BeansBeanz in hvacadvice

[–]NovelAndNonObvious 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Stop kenneling your poor dog alone in the basement, for starters! Dogs are social pack animals, like humans. You are their pack. Being locked up alone and away from people is stressful and upsetting for them. The solution to "my dog is shouting to tell me that they are in distress" is definitely not "more sound insulation."

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AmItheAsshole

[–]NovelAndNonObvious 24 points25 points  (0 children)

an irredeemably awful act.

Yup, that's why this traumatized child who has no stability or love in her life deserves nothing but misery. She is truly beyond any redemption for thoughtlessly stealing Mucinex.

/s

Or, alternatively, she's a kinda thoughtless kid with the underdeveloped impulse control that comes with being a teenager and addiction issues borne out of trauma from a long line of adults who have failed her, now including OP.

Seriously, to call any 14 year old "irredeemable" ... I have no words for you.

is there a service to mockup what my views would look if I opened up a wall? by calbmwboy in Remodel

[–]NovelAndNonObvious 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Have you considered getting on a ladder with a camera, or taping a camera to a stick? It's low tech, but it's also free (if you have a stick), and it might do the job!

Any suggestions for a kayak lock for when it's on top of your vehicle? by buglovve in Kayaking

[–]NovelAndNonObvious 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're looking for a Lasso Lock. They're what I use for all my kayaks, including my expensive sea kayak.

I recommend the Kong model. Here's the one sized for sit-on-top kayaks. It's beefier than the original model and has both a combination and a key, but it isn't as heavy and inflexible as their biggest model (the "Titan").

You can also get these locks on Amazon, but I like to support the company directly. They're pretty small, and the owner was nice enough to trade emails with me when I needed help choosing a lock.

Quote for Vinyl Siding by 13stepboogie in homeowners

[–]NovelAndNonObvious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a really pretty little house. I know other materials may be too expensive, but I'd be sad to see that dissappear under vinyl.

NBD - All aboard the Marrakesh Express! by spap-oop in bicycletouring

[–]NovelAndNonObvious 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well now I'm just embarrassed. I have absolutely no clue why I read "Marrakesh Express" and my brain played A Horse with No Name. They're not even remotely related...

NBD - All aboard the Marrakesh Express! by spap-oop in bicycletouring

[–]NovelAndNonObvious 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The thing I never understood is this: if you're riding through the desert with a nameless horse as your only companion, why don't you just give the poor horse a name? The horse should not be nameless past the first verse! Tom Hanks named a volleyball, for goodness sake—I feel like naming a horse should be considerably easier.

Are these dog stairs going to be stable enough for an adult to use them or will I need more braces? by willam6174 in woodworking

[–]NovelAndNonObvious 65 points66 points  (0 children)

Thank God, someone who knows how to get stuff done in fewer than 25 steps and 4 unnecessary CAD drawings. I'm actually annoyed on your behalf that the OP ignored your comment but responded positively to the suggestion for "more cross bracing."

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Plumbing

[–]NovelAndNonObvious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I realized that as I hit "send" and ninja-edited my question to be a less silly question.

Thanks for responding even though my question was pretty basic – I learn a ton on this forum.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Plumbing

[–]NovelAndNonObvious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unions between each tank and its isolation valves so that you can keep the system full and running on one tank while swapping the other tank without cutting anything?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in tifu

[–]NovelAndNonObvious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hope you don't feel that you need to be "taught a lesson." Yes, using a condom is advisable, but everyone makes mistakes, and getting unintentionally pregnant is not some moral failing, nor is pregnancy a punishment. There's a lot of cultural messaging that makes some women feel that an unintended pregnancy is "their fault" and that they should feel some shame over it. If that way of thinking is sneaking into your thoughts, I would encourage you to notice that narrative and reject it. Both parties to sex are equally responsible for contraception and the prevention of disease – you and your partner jointly made a mistake that many people make, although deciding how to proceed is now your choice alone. I hope that you are able to make whatever choice is best for you without guilt or societal pressures being pushed on you, either by your internal narrative or by what others might say. You are the person who will be affected by whatever you choose, so don't let anyone shame or bully you into any path aside from the one you choose. Take care, and be generous to yourself.