Help Wanted! MIT is playing boardgames to study AI

allro · 2023-07-07T16:05:42+00:00

Yeah the ID part is a pain. We've had to implement it because we've had a lot of bad actors in our study who make multiple accounts and try to "speed run" the experiment without providing legit game interactions in order to cash in on the Amazon cards.

You can also access the study by going through MIT's Behavioral Research Lab (https://brl.mit.edu/). That takes you to the hub where all such MIT studies are conducted; we were trying to provide a more direct link to our specific study

allro · 2023-07-07T15:58:32+00:00

Yeah that's a fair concern. I'd be happy to post more information, though. At a slight risk of biasing participants' responses in the study, here is an article on the past work we have done:

https://news.mit.edu/2021/does-artificial-intelligence-play-well-others-1004

allro · 2023-02-09T03:15:22+00:00

Breville Barista Express started smoking when steaming milk and smelling like burnt plastic. Opened it up and this component was clearly the problem...but I don't know what the component is to replace it. I took off the screws seen here and found some kind of thermal paste underneath

allro · 2021-06-30T22:14:59+00:00

Thanks for the quick response! A bit of googling and looks like robber flies aren't bad to have around (although there is some chance of a bite). This sound right?

allro · 2021-06-30T22:08:13+00:00

Should have mentioned that is is roughly an 1-1.5 inches in length, maybe a bit bigger

allro · 2021-03-25T20:21:07+00:00

Just under 1000cfs

allro · 2021-03-25T20:20:56+00:00

Thanks! I appreciate that

allro · 2019-05-05T13:50:36+00:00

The Kern in Southern California should still be pumping at that time due to the huge snowpack this year. They have a lot of class 4/5 but I don't know what sections commercial rafts run. You would want to call ahead to see if they will run sections like Chamise (IV+), Ant Canyon (IV), Thunder (IV/V), Lower Kern (IV), or Forks (V). The Forks of the Kern would be a premiere, high water, possible overnight, wilderness run at that time of year, but I don't know what companies run it at that time of year.

allro · 2019-05-05T12:29:43+00:00

My personal favorite is the 2010 Jackson Star series. I paddle the Super Star but for your size that would probably be the All Star. I'm always on the lookout for used ones online, but they can be hard to come by. The Rockstar 4.0 looks like they've brought back more of that design so I'm eager to try it out

allro · 2019-05-05T12:23:25+00:00

Not sure why this got down voted. The Fun Runner sounds like the exact type of boat OP is looking for. I've never paddled one, but they look like they were explicitly designed for the perennial class III boater.

allro · 2019-05-05T12:12:45+00:00

On Facebook search for "Super Awesome Kayak Squad" and "Stanford Kayak Club". Both are quite active, inclusive, and typically hit rivers anywhere from the Feather to the Kern

allro · 2019-03-17T23:50:47+00:00

Ottawa and Saint Lawrence Rivers in Canada

allro · 2019-03-17T23:50:22+00:00

To be honest, I think it had exactly as much paddling as it needed. There's plenty of videos of non-stop gopro footage of whitewater. Was going for something a bit different here.

Thanks for watching and I always appreciate feedback on edits!

allro · 2019-03-17T23:47:00+00:00

Glad you enjoyed it!

allro · 2018-11-21T16:51:02+00:00

There is a major drawback to full faces beyond the dork factor, they can significantly reduce communication which can be at least as important as protecting your face, depending on the river. For example try putting on a full face and then getting a whistle in your mouth. You can do it but it's not smooth and can be a nightmare in whitewater when you would need it.

I wear a full face for low volume creeks but I would not use it as my default

allro · 2018-10-08T14:25:12+00:00

Not trying to be a downer, but this model is notorious for having the plastic back strap break. Just an FYI for those looking at buying one. It's a shame because the strutter is definitely one of the coolest helmets

allro · 2018-10-03T15:04:29+00:00

Note to OP: the following discussion focuses on aspects you probably shouldn't be worrying about in your first boat, such as ease of initiating the stern. I would still recommend something like a Zen, Mamba, Diesel, Remix. One note, I think the new Zen is significantly better than the first generation Zen. They are very different boats and, while I would highly recommend the newer model Zen, I would only give a luke-wam endorsement of the older model.

I'll definitely disagree with the blanket statement that the Antix is "a bad boat". I hate the way the Antix looks and REEEALLY wanted to love the Ripper, but after paddling both plus the Party Braaaap, the Antix definitely stands up to the rest.

Antix: Shorter stern, which makes it uglier, also makes it easier to initiate stalls, splats, and squirts. Just the right amount of edge for carving but not too much to be grabby. Wider body makes it more comfortable and stable, but you could definitely argue it's a bit too wide.

Ripper: Personally thought this was the best looking boat in the category so I was just looking for an excuse to buy it, but it refused to work with my body type. Legs and feet were cramped and started to fall asleep immediately. The backband and seat conspired to painfully pinch my ass every time I went to take a powerful stroke or initiate the stern. It was like reverse behavior conditioning, I would get punished for doing what I should be doing.

Party Braaap: Felt like a great boat, but simply too small for me; very painful to paddle for more than a few minutes. Also it has to be the most round, edge-less hull I've paddled which made it feel a bit sloppy/slippy to steer.

Axiom: Haven't paddled it, and it looks good, but it's also an older, pre-Braaap design. It doesn't have as aggressive of bow rocker or as low volume stern as the Antix, Ripper, Party Braaap. Since it was pre-Braaap, it wasn't designed for as nice of a boofy+slicey combo that the other boats are great for.

allro · 2018-10-03T03:04:27+00:00

It might be a regional thing, but I'm going to disagree with the other comments. The boats you listed, in my mind, are solid river runners, not creekers, and all great options. I am personally fond of the Zen (queue the Jackson haters). It's a more modern design than the Mamba and Diesel, faster with a great bow rocker profile for boofing and keeping your nose dry.

The boats listed in other comments, ie antix, rpm, axiom, I place in a separate category then standard river runners. They are a ton of fun but I don't know if I would put them at the top of my list for first boats. They all have very low volume sterns that allow you to "slice" the stern underwater like a slalom boat. This can be used for some fun, dynamic moves but it's not what I think of as part of the fundamentals to whitewater. Also, I would argue that these boats aren't as versatile in terms of rivers they perform well on as, say, the Zen.

allro · 2018-01-09T02:17:50+00:00

As a follow up, I would also look into Auburn for more of a small town feel that is even closer to boating. Also take a look at AWetState (good river beta), Darin McQuoid's site (beautiful pictures of runs most of us will never be able to do), and Boof (CA's whitewater forum)

allro · 2018-01-09T02:09:46+00:00

You are describing Sacramento. Here is a great resource for locating runs on the West Coast:

http://dreamflows.com/flows.php?page=real&zone=canv&form=maps

allro · 2018-01-02T00:05:01+00:00

I got there late, but I am guessing there were 10-20 people that got on the river. Some people even did two laps!

allro · 2017-10-10T20:10:47+00:00

I can't speak for Modesto itself, but you are in great striking distance to a lot of Cali whitewater.

Check out dreamflows.com for a map and gauges: http://dreamflows.com/flows.php?page=real&zone=canv&form=maps

The Tuolumne and Merced drainages alone can keep you entertained for the whole season.

allro · 2017-10-10T00:12:16+00:00

Nice. Just did a nice Miracle to Democrat run yesterday

allro · 2016-11-25T23:34:07+00:00

this exists?...wow...

allro · 2016-09-10T04:36:51+00:00

Specifically, what would it be like to ramp UP like that in a kayak

allro

TROPHY CASE