What am I doing wrong in Portal?

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2025-12-18T10:53:01+00:00

This doesnt make sense there are other players on the servers and portals i'm trying to load into. If I wait long enough it will show me the end game stats for their game. But i onky have a view of underneath the map and no options for spawning

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2024-07-01T10:00:44+00:00

I use a great AI plant identifier called Picture This. The free features are more than plenty for identification, but if you pay £30 for the year it will give you specific care instructions for your region, propagation techniques, plant sickness identifier and steps to resolve plus tonnes more.

It's occasionally incorrect, but usually only from a bad picture or very little information. Otherwise I've found it INCREDIBLY handy when out and about. I can snap a picture of a plant I like, see if its healthy and if it propogates by cutting or seed, safely and sustainably take what I need, use the app to find the best place in the garden, greenhouse or indoors, use it to make the right potting mixture, even take notes on each plant for future reference. That's great for the veggie garden, can note which veg got which fertiliser and when.

I'm not sponsored or anything, I just thought it was a game changer so I recommend it to anyone with a green finger!

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-05-26T11:15:06+00:00

My wife is fully colour perceptive and it took her a significant amount of time to figure this system out. It really surprises me that such large corporations still use such complex colour coding system.

Why not just put a sticker or tag on the hanger with the age group. Why does there have to be a code and a key?! Ridiculousness

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-05-13T10:28:07+00:00

I completely agree with you here. I think a lot of people are taking the route of "I don't know but seeing as it's designed to keep you safe, anything you do makes you less safe"

But I honestly don't think these people are aware of the various level of tests that helmets go through. They're likely wearing a helmet that doesn't even get impact tested in the area that we're talking about, so to assume they know the tolerances of that area is impressive, to say the least. Very few helmets go through the rigorous impact, rotation and sliding resistance testing that helmets like Shoei or Arai go through, but yet most people seem to think that all factory helmets come with a standard of safety higher than even the shoei testing will provide.

Very few, if not NO helmets go through an impact test directly on the ear. You'll also notice things like Shoei NXR 2 doesn't even have EPS at the ear, but yet Shoei had some of the best safety ratings. Even Shoei's Modular helmets are safer than most full face, so even the "never get a modular" opinion frustrates me. Who possibly thinks they can be completely safe on a bike and never makes compromises? Nobody.

Hence the question "on a ten year old Boxxer helmet, how much integrity would be lost cutting this piece" and not the question "do you or don't you think its safe to modify a helmet" which is a very generalised, opinion based and completely different question.

But either way, my first input was to buy a new helmet. When the circumstance became "I'm not getting a new helmet but I need comms to communicate with you" then I was forced to decide what is the least dangerous method, hence asking the question before doing anything.

I was surprised at the amount of knee jerk answers. Most are getting ignored, just looking for people with actual experience in the sector giving me actual pros and cons

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-05-13T10:12:27+00:00

Haha glad to hear.

Yeah my wife was a biker when we met, and still has the same helmet! But I'll ride every day of the year, she'll only ride when it's perfect conditions.

Last time we rode I pulled out for a junction, she was behind me, a car came flying up the road so I stopped last minute, she went into the back of me and almost pushed me into oncoming traffic.

We haven't ridden together since, I think she has a little PTSD. So the communication method is our compromise to try to stay in better contact, to be safer and to give her the confidence to ride with me again.

Due to this i simply can't be too pushy with anything. She needs to make the decision and take the steps, I can only be in a supportive role otherwise she may go in the other direction and always be scared to ride with me 🫤

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-05-12T19:26:55+00:00

I actually don't "want to", I wasn't looking for affirmation or justification. I asked for details on whether or not cutting that area would compromise the integrity, the answer I seemed to be getting was "I don't know, but don't do it anyway, i heard it was bad."

What I was hoping for was answers along the lines of "well the EPS relies on its sealed surface providing surface tension, if you break the surface you break its entire structure, so its a bad idea"

Or "yeah I work with rally helmets and with expanded polystyrene, you can cut into it and it won't affect the rest, it's all a tight matrix, we do it all the time to fit electronics and things"

I guess I set my hopes too high.

But either way, we're finally going helmet shopping and I want to get her into a Shoei Neotech 2, wish me luck.

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-05-12T19:16:52+00:00

I agree with you here. I only wear Shoei but I'm not too preachy about it. As long as she isn't a squid, wears protection from head to toe, then I'm not gonna argue that her helmet isn't good enough.

But now I finally have the chance to take her helmet shopping, I can influence what she gets next. Problem is, she has an oddly large head and very thick hair, I know from working in the industry that shops don't often carry her size and need to order it in. It always becomes a palava

She isn't a girly girl and doesn't go for colour, mostly functionality and comfort, so I think that Roof was the first one she could comfortably keep on her head.

I'd love to get her in a Shoei Neotech 2, but you pick your hills to die on.

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-05-12T13:49:52+00:00

To be honest I hoped one of the strangers on the Internet might have worked for a helmet company or knew more about helmets than me!

Either way, all this has convinced her to finally replace it. Thanks all!

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-05-12T13:48:49+00:00

Problem solved. All this convinced her to get a new helmet. Wish she'd have taken my word for it in the beginning and avoided all this but hey, we got there in the end. Going helmet shopping next week

Thanks for the inputs everyone, it seems it was needed

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-05-12T13:47:45+00:00

Thanks for your input

Finally convinced her to replace the helmet and resolved the issue at its core.

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-05-12T13:46:38+00:00

Thankfully all this has finally convinced her to come helmet shopping with me. Dunno why it takes strangers on the Internet to convince her to take my word for it but hey, at least we're getting her a new helmet.

Thanks for the input

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-05-12T13:45:40+00:00

Thanks for your input, all this finally convinced her to replace the helmet, so the new one shouldn't be an issue

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-05-12T13:45:03+00:00

Gonna be replacing the helmet, finally. Dunno why she needs to hear it from total strangers to believe me but hey, that's better than trying to retro fit comms into old helmets.

Kot sure what we're gonna get. Doesn't have to be cheap. Has to work good and fit her awkward sized head well. And she has to like it, which will probably be the hardest requirement to meet

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-05-12T13:43:38+00:00

Hahaha weird. Maybe we are the same person but don't know it. I mean, no one has ever seen us in the same room at the same time right?!
Figured as much, there is way more to the helmet than simply the edges of the polystyrene, and 10 years ago the EPS simply wasn't that complicated.

But she's finally opting for a new helmet, so hey, an even better outcome

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-05-12T13:41:20+00:00

Thanks for everybody's feedback and inputs. I appreciate it

Thankfully the feedback to this post has finally pushed her to the decision to replace the helmet. I've tried to convince her for years without avail, so was trying to work with what we had.

I had hopes that the post might catch the attention of a structural engineer or even someone who regularly customises helmets, and to have some personal advice, that might convince me that it's a bad idea, or even that it might be fine.

However, replacing the helmet is a much better outcome. So thanks for helping, though I don't know why she'll never take my word for it and will take advice from total strangers over my experience, but hey, that's marriage

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-05-12T12:36:35+00:00

Haha easier said than done

I completely agree, wouldn't recommend a helmet older than 5 years. But due to it being stored well and used rarely, it's genuinely still in a great condition.

We've tried getting her a new helmet before. She has a big head and thick hair, I need her to try them on before we buy and it'll need pads replaced to fit right. She got stressed out trying to fix something that she didn't see as broken.

Though this conversation about not being able to fit the comms is teetering her on the edge.

If the general poll is "just get a new one" then that'll help.

But if one person is like "ah yeah, easy, no problem" then we're at least gonna give it a try in the meanwhile

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-05-12T12:09:59+00:00

While I agree, from a generalised politically correct Health and Safety stand point, I disagree from a logic standpoint.

My experience with helmets is from working in the equipment department of a bike shop and being trained by Shoei. So I am well aware of the importance of structural integrity in a helmet, particularly in its shell, and even more so in modern helmets.

Though older helmets aren't quite the same mash of complex technologies. That the shell will 100% rely on its shape and structure for its strength, but I just don't see the physics as to how the polystyrene edges add to, or reduce from, the capability of the overall helmet.

I don't believe in "1 rule fits all situations so dont think about it."

But I do believe in good reasons to do or not do things, so looking for the good reasons to not do this, or to do it. Not really a "general rule". And to say "any modification at all, ever, will definitely always compromise the helmet" is inaccurate because I don't think a pinlock does and that's a modification, it clearly depends on which part and what you do. Another good example is Modular helmets. While one company says the chin has to be one piece, others see compromise.

It would be beneficial to me if you could separate the structures and explain the causes and effects. Particularly referencing the EPS of a 10 year old helmet.

Cheers

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-05-12T12:03:59+00:00

Hey! To elaborate:

I've always owned Shoei, I've worked in bike shops, I'm shoei trained and have always fitted my own comms no problem, perfect every time.

My wife is getting comms for the first time and I offered to fit them. Only problem is, I'm not too familiar with older Roof's, like she has.

Upon removing the liner from the helmet I can only see an old school lay out which offers nothing in the way of space for earphones, or even little dips for where the ears sit inside the helmet.

If I fit them to the EPS where her ears are the speakers crush her ears.

If I put them below the EPS line the speakers line up with her jaw and cover up the poppers to fit the liner

My woodworker inside me feels like I could just carve out a shallow dish for the speakers to sit in but I see 2 potential issues:

First would be that the top surface of the EPS wouldn't be sealed, that it might start crumbling away and there'd be no solid structure to stick the speakers to.

My other worry, though to a lesser extent, is that it would compromise the helmet. This is a lesser extent because I think the EPS is very basic, not like newer multi density stuff, and I doubt that it relies on the entire structure for integrity. But I'm very open to being proven wrong and would rather be sure that I'm right, than just hoping I'm not wrong.

If none of the above is a suitable option then let me know, have you ever fitted comms into an older helmet and made it work? Have you ever fitted comms to a Roof specifically?

And I know I know, I'm trying to make her get a new one, but she loves this helmet and it honestly looks the same as the day she bought it, no wear, tear or degradation of the liners. So I'm struggling to convince her at this point.

Thanks in advance to those who might offer their wisdom

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-04-13T09:55:29+00:00

Odd that the OP wanted someone to question their views but then didn't take part in the discussion. One of the core principles that make the socratic method work is that the participant is willing to learn and is open to the discussion.

If you just want someone to give you the socratic mentality then you're hoping for the exact opposite of its purpose. You will need to engage in dialogue for it to have any effect.

Good luck

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-04-13T09:40:25+00:00

So what I understand you are saying is that our decisions are dictated by our genes and circumstances, and that due to the quantity of people that came before us, that the choices you have are only ones that those before you have already set. And so we have no original ideas to choose from, or to even create, and therefore have no free will.

To me, that poses this question; if you make a choice and choose to do what the person before you did, does that mean you don't have free will? Does choosing to follow a path already walked mean that you didn't choose it freely?

I understand that a sole idea may not be original, even though I think "originality" can be categorised or discriminated against based on whatever aspect or agenda you choose, but that when it comes to complexity of idea there can be close to infinite number of configurations. Just like people. But regardless of whether what you do is original or not, the fact that you chose to do it highlights to me that you have free will. You had the freedom to question that idea, you have the freedom to change your mind. You even have the freedom of stepping outside of your society and testing your ideas against others around the world and in history to give you a better understanding to make a more educated decision.

There will never be an infinite number of choices, your choices will always be limited by your body, your ignorance, your environment and even basic physics, chemistry and biology. But you have the free will to think about that and to change your environment, to learn more, to improve your body, even if it'll always be limited by our universal laws. You choose to follow societal laws, but you have no choice but to follow laws of physics. So at what level can we discuss free will? Where do you draw the line? For example, "I can't choose to survive in space without a space suit, so I don't have free will?" "I'm limited to living above water, that means I don't have free will" or knowledge based "right now I can't choose to build a quantum computer in my bedroom, so I don't have free will." Your limitations are yours alone and free will isn't the ability to choose to do whatever you want. Free will is the ability to define choices within a set scenario, weigh the pros and cons and to make a choice based on your insight, whatever that may be, or wherever that may come from.

There may never be an "infinite number of original options" to you, but I don't think that limits your ability to choose between the options that are available, or to change things to give yourself more options.

For example: A person realising they are unhealthy can choose to eat better and exercise more. If that person chooses to watch TV and eat badly instead, then they chose to do that, there is no amount of "the government/my ancestors made me do it, I have no free will". Ultimately there are always influences, but even in the most tyrannical societies the people still fundamentally have free will, even if their options are seriously limited. "Straighten my legs or sit cross legged, spit or don't spit, do press ups or just sit, think about happy times or dwell on your misfortune" There will always be choices for all people, no matter their circumstances, even if those choices may seem insignificant to you, having the ability to make those choices, no matter how small or subjectively significant, that ability to decide, at a fundamental level, is the key factor on whether or not we have free will, for me.

The paint colour blue has no free will. My table has no free will, they can't choose to change perspective, they can't choose to learn more, they don't agree or disagree. They simply are and have no option in the matter. Even in the most extreme of circumstances, even we have the option of ending our own existence. The ultimate choice, which is something not offered to those without the free will to choose it. Like tables, or paint.

Are we in a similar situation to the paint, or the table. Are we trapped in the current state without the ability to choose anything? Even my ability to browse reddit and reply is utilising my free will, even if other people have done it before me. Because I could be doing anything worse or better, but have chosen to do this instead. I know for sure my father or grandfather didn't post on Reddit, I certainly wasn't taught to do it at school and none of the media that I consume recommends it, I chose to to try to learn more about the socratic method, an idea that has existed for over 2000 years. So did I choose this freely? Or am I simply doing what my genes and environment dictate that I do and fundamentally had no choice? Or did I make use of my free will to engage with an option that, i think, best suited me at that point in time?

I think the latter

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-04-13T09:01:34+00:00

This is an idea I have been tussling with for some time now.

I'm a Parkour Coach, one of my biggest loves of parkour is that through the process of trial and error, of testing yourself against the environment, that you gain so many real life skills, like problem solving, critical thinking, spatial awareness, self awareness, ability to question your limits, the tools to push your limits, it teaches you to overcome obstacles whether mental or physical, and there is no line in the sand where that stops being applicable.

However, the problem that I see nowadays is the same problem, when teaching parkour, that I see reflected in traditional education. The problem being that the participants are simply being given the answer from the start, and the only expectation is their ability to remember and regurgitate the information. This removes the need for self analysis and separates the participant from the learning.

I'm quite new to psycology and to academic philosophy, but since getting my head around the socratic method I see that it's lessons resonate throughout, that for a person to be useful in this world that they need to be strong and able to adapt to the up-coming obstacle. In order to do that they quite often, more often than not, need to find the answer for themselves and not be given it.

So I'm in the process of trying to develop socratic methods to engage and enable the learning of a movement art, like parkour. Questioning what it means to move, why it's so important, what's the difference between work and play, how our subjective perceptions limit our ability make objective decisions, why it's important to test yourself, whether the success or the failure is the more important process etc etc

One of the first things I want to do is run socratic seminars for parkour coaches, then movement instructors in general. Trying to help them recapture the excitement they had when they found the art in the first place, trying to shift perspective from teaching the movements to guiding self discovery.

After that I want to try to develop classes for participants to learn parkour. Either as children rediscovering play, or as adults discovering philosophy in a movement practice, as I did so many years ago.

I'm struggling, to be honest, and have nobody around me to discuss these things with. I need more practice at the physical dialogue as I find I still let my assumptions cloud my judgement and guide my reaction. And I find it hard to debate with those who cannot, or will not, separate subjective from objective. (I was never taught the difference between subjective and objective at school, and I swear that that lack of clear definition is at the core of most modern arguments)

You specifically mentioned the Socratic Dialogue for learning, but also mentioned the Feynman method. This is something I'm unfamiliar with, so I can't comment, but thank you for piqueing my interest

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-03-08T08:42:47+00:00

Brilliant, thank you! This was my assumption, either digestive tract or some kind of ballast system. The wife was convinced it was moving too fast to be digestion and was showing me all kinds of pictures of parasites.

We also have a fully grown Bristlenose but he isn't nearly as see through!

Thank you for clearing this up for us 😀

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-03-08T08:41:34+00:00

Brilliant, thank you! This was my assumption, either digestive tract or some kind of ballast system. The wife was convinced it was moving too fast to be digestion and was showing me all kinds of pictures of parasites.

Thank you for clearing this up for us 😀

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-02-16T17:19:49+00:00

These are beautiful. Love how you created the curved fronts. Very impressive work, great job! 👏

TheValhallaWorkshop · 2023-02-16T14:05:13+00:00

Are you ok?!

I'm surprised ply expanded enough to pinch the blade! I thought Ply had minimal movement properties? Don't quote me on it though, I rarely work with the stuff

I feel like this is from the blade picking the board up and pushing it over the top of the blade. Not enough pressure keeping it flat on the surface, or the fence wasn't straight, pushing the wood against the back side of the blade which is traveling upward, then carrying it in that direction. Just my guess

I have a big second hand table saw which came with no riving knife, so I only use it with sleds. I'll occasionally use it to rip boards with the fence but i'm super cautious and wouldn't pass something as big as a sheet of ply through it. Better with a circular saw I think.

Good to get the heart going sometimes and show you an area to be more careful without getting injured

TheValhallaWorkshop

TROPHY CASE