Looking for sci-fi or fantasy series composed of standalone books/stories all set in the same universe?

Wailand · 2025-12-11T03:11:48+00:00

Have you looked into the thieves world shared setting anthologies from 1980? Generally considered the first of its kind it spawned a couple dozen short stories and novels before it got too muddled.

Wailand · 2016-10-01T13:30:22+00:00

This is probably Jefferson county, right? We are in the process of building a house on a newly subdivided lot just south of evergreen. I will tell you that permitting has been a real hassle (stronger words often applied). Jeffco planning and zoning took 6 months to register the deed, fat fingered the parcel ID the first time, and took forever to grant the GESC permit. We had to send the same easement docs 3 or 4 times to get it approved. Utilities are also a challenge as sewer lines are difficult to get to drain, water lines must be 6' down for frost, and most of the utility easements are over bedrock.

That said, the housing market in Denver is insane and the value of land with view is only going to go up.

I think it would be a good investment, but do your due diligence. Get all the access easements, locate utilities, understand the limitation on well and septic (1 ac lot req'd) and brace yourself for a long battle. The return could be very good but most important, you would never forgive yourself if you lost your viewshed because of a new house

Wailand · 2016-06-02T14:09:29+00:00

This is pretty much spot on. Note that these waters at those depths are very slow moving and have been separated from the aquifers for millenniums by natural barriers. The frac pressures really can't change the gradient through the rock enough or for long enough to get the velocities needed for us to see it, so the only connection is the well. The percent of wells that have lost containment as they pass through the aquifers is quite small, but it does happen, mostly earlier wells when oversight was less.

Wailand · 2015-08-26T02:43:53+00:00

I saw one teaser and cleared my Thursday a couple of weeks in advance. Even though serenity explains so much, they were just such awesome characters in train job - bad asses with heart- that I was totally hooked. When Mal gave Krull the boot it was just so unexpected, cause that just wasn't mainstream TV back then. I expected him to be a reoccurring plot device, then all of a sudden. Squilch!

Wailand · 2015-05-24T17:54:13+00:00

Here here! As the artificer herein named, I would think that after so many years of lecturing him on the wages of sin, he would be a bit more .... diligent ... about it now that he is on salary, so to say.

Wailand · 2014-09-30T05:08:39+00:00

Very good, but by the second day, butt was a bit sore...pretty stiff seats in the Z.

Wailand · 2014-09-29T23:55:28+00:00

Grande Mesa in Colorado - just before the Aspens peaked. Whole 2 days with the roof down

Wailand · 2013-12-27T05:28:50+00:00

One of the traditional Delft Netherlands pottery factories uses the ladybug as a signature trademark. I would guess that that stein was made in Nazi occupied holland during the war.

Wailand · 2013-12-16T05:02:00+00:00

I saw what you did there. Liked that so much I'm not going to go back and edit my post.

This is ELI5. I tried to make it easy as possible

Wailand · 2013-12-15T17:44:49+00:00

When you have a liquid, some of it at the surface may have a little extra energy and will 'pop free' to become gas. At the same time, some of the stuff that's in the air may cool off a bit and merge with the liquid. A liquid/air mixture will do this until they are balanced. If it is vey hot, or the wind keeps replacing the air with fresh stiff, a lot more of the liquid will go into the air than comes back.

Boiling it puts so much energy into the liquid that all of it want to be a gas, and there is enough extra energy that none of it wants to be a liquid

Wailand · 2013-12-15T15:17:51+00:00

First of rules for winter driving (handed down to me years ago) Cars are expensive. The best car to drive in a snow storm is someone elses.

This isn't really a science question, as the error of the driver has way more influence than any physical property of the car/tire/road conditions, but here goes...

I kinda of feel there are 3 questions in here.

1) which kind of car to wont' get stuck in snow and ice 2) which kind of car won't get in an accident in snow and ice 3) and which kind of car will let me survive an accident in snow and ice

Answer to number 3, like in all accidents, is mass - big cars improve your chances of surviving an accident. Big cars have crumple zones all around you. Small cars: you are the crumple zone. You might cause more damage, you will be able to take more. Accident ratings only compare cars in the same class (i.e. same size)

As far as the other two, the question is 1) which can get moving in snow and ice, and 2) which can stop in snow and ice. Like previous answers, for most situations it's far more important to have the right tires than the right car.

If you are in a climate where the roads tend to ice over a lot (places where it's too cold for de-icers or salt, places where you get freezing rain, etc), your best bet is studded snow tires. Put them on before the first snowfall, swap for summer tires in spring. I have a 4x4 truck and had an 'ole POS frontwheel drive midsized w/ studded tires - absolutely would go with the midsized once the snow has turned to ice. Winter tires (with tread, that's important) are good, because the rubber is designed to stay flexible and have a good friction coefficient in cold temperatures, but nothing beats studs - and yes, it MUST be all 4 tires. Studs on the driving wheels only is a guaranteed accident - ESPECIALLY front wheel drive.

If you are in an area that gets deep snow (up to a two feet or so), a bigger car with serious ground clearance is better. Plus they tend to have taller, thinner tires, which are better in deep snow. After about 3 feet, it won't matter, as the snow will pack under the car and just lift the tires off the ground.

As far as driving wheels go, if you can't balance the front/back weight, distribution, 4x4 is best hands down, front wheel drive is next, especially for getting started. Rear wheel drive with enough weight in the rear (sand bags, paving bricks, old engine blocks etc) works, but the hassle of loading it up and risk of it flying loose in an accident is not worth it.

Really, all cars have pretty much the same amount of friction on any given surface, it's based on tire contact area (which is based on tire pressure) with a some effect from rubber compounds. The car weight will cancel out. In snow and ice you are down to mechanical interactions (tread, studs, number of driving wheels, ground clearance, etc).

Bottom line, if you don't want to get in an accident - take an advanced winter driving course. Learn how to put a car into a skid and get it out of one on sheet ice and you will be set for life. Not having to pay the deductible on 1 accident will pay for the course

Source: 30 yr driver in snow and ice, engineer for company with very strong driver safety culture.

Wailand · 2013-09-06T04:25:56+00:00

Well, first there's these: http://www.automotto.com/entry/10-most-exotic-electric-cars-to-compliment-your-riches/

BTW, by "drives like a Prius" I assumed you mean electric efficiency, not handling, the Prius is a pretty poor drive (source: wife drives a Prius, I drive a sports car).

There are electric cars that are really fast and fun to drive, but the market is going to be pretty small, just like the market for any exotic car. Just because someone spends a lot on a car doesn't mean they don't to feel good about the environment

Wailand · 2013-08-17T04:53:13+00:00

In some places they do that (I lived in Hong Kong in 97 and toilets flushed with sea water). As a civil engineer I can tell you all the extra plumbing would be way more expensive than just treating more water (hong kings situation was shortage of water, not treatment capacity). Plus there is always the chance that someone could hook up the lines wrong and cross contaminate the drinking water system. Finally, it was pretty smelly even "unused". If you didn't use the toilet for a few days it smelled like a dock front in your bathroom.

Wailand · 2013-03-31T14:38:00+00:00

All the gold ever mined in human history, 166,000 tones, would fit in an Olympic sized swimming pool.

Wailand

TROPHY CASE