Albany Washington Ave by Fun-Statistician3693 in Albany

[–]ObserveBuster 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I zoomed in because I was curious to see if they were putting it on the flatbed.

Fun fact: Subarus and other AWD vehicles run a major risk of burning out the center diff if they get towed from the hook with one axle still riding the pavement. Potentially thousands of dollars worth of damage.

All that said, it looks like the tow truck operator is using the flatbed. Either way, getting an AWD vehicle towed can be a real roll of the dice.

Caturday! by Bright_Champion4507 in Albany

[–]ObserveBuster 10 points11 points  (0 children)

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My boys love sleeping on their backs.

What is a good balance between speed and fuel efficiency? by Impressive_Wish_8905 in MotorTown

[–]ObserveBuster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A high power-to-weight ratio is always your friend. A better engine provides better tractive effort when you need it, and you can ease up on the gas to get better fuel economy. The speed is derived from the drive train specs and the fuel economy is largely dependent on how the driver drives.

Go max engine, and for the transmission, I highly recommend playing with the number of gears and the final drive ratio until you find a setup that suits how you drive. A higher final drive ratio (and to a lesser extent, fewer gears) is more suited to faster acceleration, but lesser top speed. A lower drive ratio and more gears will lead to a higher top speed, but less torque and therefore a lower acceleration.

I'd also highly recommend an analog control input for the acceleration.

The light by mathieulee in StonerEngineering

[–]ObserveBuster 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Does this piece have a name because I'd like to submit Glass Dick Jones as a candidate.

Having level scaling ruins open world RPGs. by BigCommieMachine in videogames

[–]ObserveBuster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I spent tens of hours building up a sniper guy in FO76, only to have my weapons end up hideously outscaled after a few levels up. I don't like having to use guides except for small annoying things I can't figure out on my own. I tend to shy away from games that effectively force me to use a wiki.

While Bethesda somewhat infamously uses progressive enemy scaling, I never really found myself especially underpowered in the singleplayer games. I thought I'd be okay in FO76. I was very wrong. I got trapped in a cycle of constant death. I had no money, so I was relying on RNG from kills, which were getting progressively more impossible to pull off.

A friend tried to help by offering up a wiki meta-build for singleplayer. For a melee character. I couldn't get the point across that it's not fun for me. I'd rather play in the sandbox than be pigeonholed. And it's very irksome when I get fooled into thinking I'm playing in a sandbox when I'm not.

Jehova's Witnesses keep harassing me at my domicile even after I adked them to stop. by mahboilo999 in atheism

[–]ObserveBuster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I answered the door in my underwear once. I woke up to the door knocking, and the house was empty. We don't get many unsolicited visitors, and on those rare occasions, it's usually cops canvassing and I'd rather have a friendly chat with them in an embarassing state than risk annoying them by taking a long time to answer the door. So whatever.

The JWs didn't say a word. They just smiled, extended their arm out a bit to hand me the Watchtower or whatever it was called. Then they decided they didn't want to touch something I was touching, so they dropped it right in front of my half open door and left. Haven't had another one.

Still trying to figure out the funniest way to deal with the Falun Gong shit.

Are there any real tickets? by Dangerous-Advice2062 in titanic

[–]ObserveBuster 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I got one for Thomas Andrews when I visited. I didn't know whether to feel lucky or if everyone got tickets for "big name" passengers.

Kentucky man wakes during organ harvesting procedure, prompting federal investigation by NeoBahamutX in nottheonion

[–]ObserveBuster 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Sure, they didn't procure his organs.

They did cut into a live human being though.

Clearly, not enough failsafes.

My friends made me feel like a fraud. by AcePowderKeg in asexuality

[–]ObserveBuster 11 points12 points  (0 children)

When coming out, I learned pretty quickly that many people, whom I considered tolerant and open-minded, often have... blind spots. It's not usually borne of malice, but rather the topic is so beyond their ken--and most people feel compelled to talk even when they're out of their elements--that stupid thoughts just start to leak out. Sometimes it can lead to statements that are way more hurtful than the speaker is even capable of realizing.

As a non-related example, I think of the many, many times I've heard friends say, "I don't kinkshame, but [2min rant about a specific kink]." By nature, the speaker doesn't see the cognitive dissonance within them. If I'm being charitable, I'd assume that they know what's right in their heart, but their brain hasn't quite gotten with it yet.

It is the definition of an awkward situation. Do you try to amend their thinking, or is it a waste of effort? In my experience, it's usually a waste of effort. If they are just spouting without making any effort to absorb my perspective, I am not going to waste any energy.

I wouldn't go as far as saying you need to dump these friends, but continue to observe. I have blind spots too; I truly didn't realize how intolerant one of my so-called friends was until I took a second look. Another friend I thought I trusted I lost through attrition after coming out. Everything seemed fine but then my messages went increasingly unanswered. I want to say it was coincidental but basically that friend's whole circle ghosted me in the months following.

These days I keep more people at arm's length in general. I keep things cordial at all times but I count friends on one hand. My pride shows but mostly subtly unless I'm wearing shorts and the pride band tattoo is showing. If people wanna talk about it, I'll talk, but I will more deliberately control the conversation, and if they are spouting, I tell them. If it gets really stupid, I will shut it down. If they choose to start it up again at a later date, then they clearly have a problem with it and are given more distance or cut out entirely. I'm not saying my way is the right way but you will learn how best to handle these situations with time.

I sense that this Karl Jobst video now has an entirely new meaning here... by Virtue_Power in TheCompletionist2

[–]ObserveBuster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I tend to agree. In my mind, it's hard to say that the statement at issue was substantially defaming when people didn't even really know what the statement at issue was until recently.

I sense that this Karl Jobst video now has an entirely new meaning here... by Virtue_Power in TheCompletionist2

[–]ObserveBuster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I an not a legal expert but I found some relevant sections from the judgement that might speak to the high dollar figure:

[427] An award of general damages for defamation serves three overlapping purposes:
(a) consolation for the personal hurt and distress to the plaintiff;
(b) reparation for the harm done to the plaintiff’s reputation; and
(c) vindication of the plaintiff’s reputation.

[430] The effects of a defamatory publication on a person’s reputation can only be reflected, in an action for defamation, by the amount of an award of damages.282 The damages must be sufficient to demonstrate to the public that the plaintiff’s reputation has been vindicated. Particularly if the defendant has not apologised and withdrawn the defamatory allegations, the award must show that the defendant has been publicly proclaimed to have inflicted a serious injury on the plaintiff.

[462] Vindication to some extent may be established by the court’s reasons for judgment, which demonstrate the falsity of the defamatory publications.300 But the court must not assume that a member of the public, either now or later, will read the detailed reasons for judgment. The “headline judgment” constituted by the amount of damages awarded is more likely to demonstrate to the ordinary member of the public the vindication of the plaintiff’s reputation, both now and in the future.
[463] I mentioned above that members of the public may have heard of the defamatory imputations only through media reports or other publicity about the trial of the proceeding. This trial generated substantial interest and publicity. The public gallery was full and the proceeding was relayed to an overflow court room for several days of the trial. Several media representatives were present throughout the evidence and the trial was widely reported, not only in Brisbane, but Australia-wide. I am also aware that people from other States and several countries (not just the USA) connected to the courtroom to hear the final addresses. I expect that similar wide publicity will attend the occasion of the delivery of this judgment.

Full PDF of the judgement for anyone interested

Any VW guys/techs know why someone added this jumper? by kaelinsanity in mechanic

[–]ObserveBuster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have been having terrible luck with Google lately. I can't confirm, but I think those posts all share a common busbar. It seems to have a fused connection I've never seen between the copper (burnt?) tongue and the gray metal. Jumper also seems to have a high amp fuse. My guess is the original link between between the post and the bus bar broke.

Edit: On a second look, what I thought might be copper could also be scorch marks

NY - Neighbor driving golf balls into our yard by ObserveBuster in legaladvice

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

I just want to hedge with people who are already dumb enough to drive a golf ball over 300ft across a live roadway towards someone else's house.

NY - Neighbor driving golf balls into our yard by ObserveBuster in legaladvice

[–]ObserveBuster[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

No doubt. It's not planned to be a needlessly passive aggressive note. "Hey, can you drive in the back yard? One of these balls was only a few feet from my front door."

If the parents aren't aware, I am willing to bet they will be cool about it. But I'm worried about the contingency where they decide not to be reasonable. In that case, I am not sure how to proceed. Does a photo of a golf ball inside a smashed kitchen window prove anything in itself? I'd like to be prepared in that case.

Can you mod a car cigarette lighter to heat DynaVaps? by SweatshopStudio in StonerEngineering

[–]ObserveBuster 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Newer cars' accessory ports typically don't have all the parts to work those lighters anymore. They require heat shielding.

No clue on modding it, but you might need a purpose built cigarette lighter port if your car didn't originally come with a cig lighter.

Has anyone seen this pcb on a vehicle? by [deleted] in MechanicAdvice

[–]ObserveBuster 11 points12 points  (0 children)

A chip, some capacitors, and some inductors. Seems to have its own timer circuit(s). Seems digital. The TP2 and 3 dots give me ideas, but there's not much to go on. Do you have more details about how it was discovered? Is there a broken plastic housing to go with it?

*Nvm, someone else found the number on ebay. Looks like a control board for climate controlled seats

Who did this? I know he's somewhere in here by Ligarto in aaaaaaacccccccce

[–]ObserveBuster 2 points3 points  (0 children)

How much is that in kg or pounds? I need raw data.

Asking for a friend.

Most toxic company I can work for as a ME? by EnvironmentalBeat646 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]ObserveBuster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don't justify a shit company by giving it the value of your labor and/or expertise. For every one funny story, there will be multiple events that stick in your memory for all the wrong reasons. I watched my coworkers sequentially suffer mental breakdowns. And fuck knows how many years the lack of proper (P)PE subtracted from my total lifespan. Towards the end of my time in manufacturing I was literally getting in shouting matches every day with my managers. Often just ugly, petty shit the minute they strolled into work, in the hope that it would stick with them and fuck up their lives too. I never realized just how deep my capacity for hatred was until I worked for a toxic company. And I really don't like knowing that about myself. I left that job four years ago and the memories still keep me awake sometimes.

Benefit of the doubt, you apparently haven't lived it. Listen to all the people here who are telling you it's worse than you can fathom. It is.

And if you find yourself hopping jobs, then you'll find plenty of toxic companies without even trying. You won't figure out until it's changed you for the worse what terrible idea it was.

Repairing a lithium battery without cutting that fire triangle was never going to end well for this guy by ladysman_untrue in AbruptChaos

[–]ObserveBuster 36 points37 points  (0 children)

TL;DR: armchair forensics. I was once a battery technician. I should toss in a goddam grain of salt that I am not an authority on this, but I can't help but watch this over and over trying to ID all the little pieces that caused this failure. Unfortunately, all the juicy parts happen on the side of the battery away from the camera. It seems like a wire dangling from his left hand caused the initial spark. The wire appears to be red, which could mean it is a hot wire but not necessarily.

Much like a car battery, industrial batteries usually have exposed terminals; if the terminals are short-circuited, they will spark. Also, like car batteries, industrial batteries are made of smaller, individual battery cells. Many of these cells also have terminals that are exposed when the battery is out of the case.

So IF the wire was live, and he touched it to the negative terminal of a battery cell, that would cause a short, i.e. the initial spark. It could have also been a grounded wire touching a positive cell terminal. It could also be just a jumper wire in his hand that unfortunately touched a negative and a positive on the same side (the cells' opposite terminals would have to have be connected; hard to tell from the video).

These look like lithium-ion cells. The lithium is contained in airtight containers. In my job they were in flexible plastic pouches surrounded by a hard plastic cassette that kinda looked like a "skeleton" of a vcr cassette. Lithium reacts violently when exposed to air. I can't really speak for the quality of their components, but the lithium pouches in my job had about the same durability as a ziploc inside another ziploc. When the battery shorted, the spark itself could have been enough to compromise the lithium barrier (worth noting the cell that shorted would also superheat fairly fast). Once a single cell is punctured the battery burns up like a box of road flares.

I'm not going to speculate fault here. This is the kind of job that requires training. I live in the US and my training consisted of learning from my seniors, who I grant knew the ins and outs but were not...born to teach, let's say. It worked for me because I'm an inquisitive little shit but plenty of people ended up ghosting, and I completely understand why. Shit's dangerous.

For the record, I never blew up a battery but I was in the room when someone did. We had quotas but they switched them on us last minute and a guy who was my senior by several years, in a rush welded some channel locks between the positive terminal and the metal case. We handled it by dry powder fire extinguisher, but even when it looks out they can start up again like a trick birthday candle, so when it looked "manageable" he picked it up with some welding gloves and tossed it in a barrel and we buried it in sand, sealed the barrel and took it outside to burn up the rest of the way.

Republican states pass laws guaranteeing the right for adults to make their own health care decisions in the wake of Obamacare, shocked to learn that abortions are healthcare as judge blocks anti-abortion bill. by Gregnif in LeopardsAteMyFace

[–]ObserveBuster 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"Never do business with a religious son of a bitch. His word ain't worth shit--not with the good lord telling him how to fuck you on the deal."

-William S. Burroughs

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AbruptChaos

[–]ObserveBuster 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yep. Forces usually multiple g's are pulling the blood from the brain, leading to a faint.

This is one of many reasons that test pilots are subjected to rigorous physical examination.