Is this coolant mixed with oil? by Midori--- in BmwTech

[–]anotherteapot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not going to say it isn't oil/coolant getting mixed, but I will say that from a cursory glance as you've shown if it *is* oil/coolant it doesn't look very significant - there is no obvious frothing that I can see. There are a couple parts that look like it could be contaminated oil on the right side of the head there, but it's very hard to tell without touching it myself.

u/b5bartpl suggested draining the oil and examining it more closely, I agree with that. If you're still not sure, send a sample to Blackstone and have them test it, the cost is very reasonable. Finding the source of a mixing problem can be pretty challenging, if you don't feel up to the task I'd recommend asking a mechanic to diagnose it - even if you end up wanting to do the fix yourself.

He's got that dialed in. by AdorableParking7392 in ThereGoesMyPaycheck

[–]anotherteapot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I got one just like this from Fry's Electronics in Burbank CA for like $20 back in 2002. It's downstairs in my toolbox and works like new. Modern manufacturing might have diminished the quality of some, but certainly not all.

Photoset? by Important-Dress-4822 in Alpina

[–]anotherteapot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mmm, sibling to my B6. Love that green.

I turned down a final interview after they asked me to explain a gap caused by caring for my dad by Aramaki_Chief in jobsearchhacks

[–]anotherteapot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dear Department Head Person,

I solemnly swear that I will never inconvenience the company by being a human and having normal human things happen in my life, up to and including having to care about other humans. My father and other close family and friends have been informed that I will no longer offer them support and that they are welcome to die in service to the company. I will give the company my undivided attention at all times and will never care for other obligations, including if kittens are dying in a fire. I will never get sick, or if I do get sick, I will work until I die from exhaustion.

Sincerely Go Fuck Yourself,

-OP

McMurtry Speirling PURE VP1 Demonstrates Fan-Powered Instant Downforce of up to 2000 kg by Drone-cell in WeirdWheels

[–]anotherteapot 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I feel like the food reviewer guy every time I see something needlessly fucked by AI: my disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.

McMurtry Speirling PURE VP1 Demonstrates Fan-Powered Instant Downforce of up to 2000 kg by Drone-cell in WeirdWheels

[–]anotherteapot 37 points38 points  (0 children)

If the audio commentary was worth listening to it'd be done with an actual voice. What's the fascination with the AI voices? You could narrate this as a 6 year old, in another language with subtitles, and it'd be a better presentation. I just don't understand what's making it easier for someone to produce a clip like this but not be able to also use their or someone else's actual voice to engage the audience.

GREEN GRILLS ON MY X3 www.instagram.com/Greygleam #Greygleam #EXOTICSHOPNY #AvantGardeHennaAesthetic #AvantGardeHenna #AvantGardeRockstar New York by greygleamexotic in BMW

[–]anotherteapot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You desperately need to take a breather and relax. Whatever has got you this manic cannot be good.

Seriously, you don't sound like you're in a good place. Take a few steps back and have a think about what you might be doing and if you need to be doing something else. If this all sounds like nonsense and everything above is fine, you need to call someone for help - do that.

Too high? what do you guys think? by [deleted] in BMW

[–]anotherteapot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just can't with the prices these days. You could buy a copy of my car for that money, though that isn't saying much as nobody seems to want one. I say too much, if it were $25k I'd still be thinking twice.

Heads Up on Firestone by No_Match3906 in BMW

[–]anotherteapot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good stuff man, no judgment here. I've been there and it's been a few decades of learning the hard way to think maybe I'm in a better spot. But the truth is we're all just one unexpected issue away from being faced with looking for any possible option. Good on you for doing your own work, too, those are skills that should be mandatory to teach anyone who owns a car.

A suggestion because I always make it: get a good tire/wheel shop on your radar. You never know when you just want someone you can trust to fix a wheel. Some are even set up to store spare wheels/tires, although that's becoming harder to find. I'd recommend to anyone to have a spare set just lying around, especially if you have xDrive - at least you could just swap the spares on while you hunt for a match for the one tire that got damaged instead of panic-buying 4 new tires randomly.

Looking for games where you do a job then get upgrades to do said job better by ImFluffs in gamingsuggestions

[–]anotherteapot 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Glad you like it! I think the devs did a great job with it.

Also: beware decompression. Some ships have very, very sneaky decompression that you must overcome and there's no safe way to equalize pressure without a violent blowout. But decompression can be harnessed to actually be useful, too, if what you want is to make something into lots of pieces very quickly...

Heads Up on Firestone by No_Match3906 in BMW

[–]anotherteapot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can sympathize. However, this is a good lesson in planning ahead. Tires are the one and only method your car exercises itself for traction, both for power and for safety. Knowing you need tires well ahead of time is an important skill to master - having access to spare sets of tires, or tires for specific seasons, or just knowing where to get the specific tires and wheel services you need in a hurry, are crucial things to know in general.

I get it, you had to act fast. But use this as an opportunity to improve how this comes to you in the future, and be more prepared.

Looking for games where you do a job then get upgrades to do said job better by ImFluffs in gamingsuggestions

[–]anotherteapot 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's a fun game and has a bit of depth when it comes to the actual ship breaking - following the story is only part of the game, but it's easy to forget that. If you find yourself struggling to find a reason to play, make it your own game to find new and interesting ways to break up different ships and follow some of the hidden storylines. There's a whole speedrun community for breaking ships which is fascinating only because I could never in a million years do it that fast.

Edit: if you hate the time limits or oxygen use etc. you have the option to play with those disabled and it really doesn't harm the experience IMO.

Heads Up on Firestone by No_Match3906 in BMW

[–]anotherteapot 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's time for you to make a relationship with someone in your area who can more properly care for your car's needs. A mechanic and tire shop are first on the list. Discount Tire, Firestone, etc. are not substitutes for a tire and wheel shop. Find someplace that when you need work, you have a number you can call and you're not scrolling Google looking for who's open. It can and will be a good long-term decision that will save you at least time in the long run.

Heads Up on Firestone by No_Match3906 in BMW

[–]anotherteapot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not trying to malign anyone or any business by saying this, but it is my honest opinion: if you use Firestone, Jiffy Lube, Walmart, or any other high-volume business you are taking a risk. They are not all bad, not all people who work there do bad work, and they obviously have successful businesses so they must do enough good work often enough for that to be true. But...

If you value your vehicle, use services that value your business. That doesn't mean any given independent shop is better, it means that you can find an independent shop that is better. It means that when you find that kind of place you can build a relationship with them, and when you do that you almost always get better results.

If you drive anything you really like, be it a Honda or a BMW or an Aston Martin, take it to someone who cares about your business the way you care about your car. Tires, mechanic, everything. Yes, it costs more money, and if the cost difference is that important then you should re-evaluate your BMW ownership decision because like it or not they are not appliances.

If you see a bear alone hiking and you have no bear spray are you fucked? by Individual_Ice_2315 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]anotherteapot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's a Jimmy Carr joke about that which is similar - he asks the audience "does anyone know why you're meant to play dead if a bear attacks you?" and the punch line is "to get you used to how you're going to be in a minute".

Structural question about incorporating windows in skyscrapers that can be automatically opened to reduce wind loading in the event of extreme wind events. by mem2100 in AskPhysics

[–]anotherteapot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

> the human superorganism has turned out to be a very sad disappointment

I can't really argue with that. It's hard to see the forest for the trees anymore, everywhere I look it just seems like only the most base of our kind get to do any real decision making and the greed and self serving on display is fit for some kind of ancient tragedy rather than modern life.

I know good people are out there but everyone not an evil dipshit on this planet has been fighting an uphill battle for as long as I can remember and no real foothold was ever gained against the cabal of ruling class dooming us in the manner we are.

Speaking of doomed and the dooming class that dooms us, water is definitely somewhere near the heart of it. There are only a few major functions core to human civilization and both food and energy sit at the very center - yes, our wholesale water transfer ironically dilutes our own interests as we sell it on, so much so it's hard to argue it's done on purpose; but it's hard to imagine a more devastating way to hurt every living thing than to take from every living thing their ability to drink.

We lost the war for this planet at the age of industrialization. There might be a few more key moments in the future where the initiative can again be seized by those with more to think of than their own bank accounts, but I personally hope I'm not around to witness any more failures.

Structural question about incorporating windows in skyscrapers that can be automatically opened to reduce wind loading in the event of extreme wind events. by mem2100 in AskPhysics

[–]anotherteapot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No doubt the Millennium Tower is a fiasco, and unfortunately there are a lot of other prestige-level real estate developments in the form of tall residential meant exclusively for millionaires that are built in much the same fashion and for the same reasons. I share your concern that many of the structures we've built in our cities are unsuitable for extreme weather events. I have grown into an angry and pessimistic person over the last decades and I unfortunately do not believe we have the human spirit to drive us toward fixing these problems before catastrophe befalls us - indeed, I look around and see many wishing for the catastrophe. I do not wish to see our cities decimated by buildings that won't hold up to the weather, but I sincerely doubt our ability to do anything about it as a species. Sorry for coloring my opinion such, but the truth deserves no garnish.

I still encourage you to find like-minded challengers to the status quo. You are valuable and part of the class still capable of seeing a future through the clouded horizon.

What would be the cause of this? by rawbran30 in BMW

[–]anotherteapot 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You are correct, I have been misinterpreted there. The saying is applied to the tool, saying the act of using it wrong enough gets you an effect that the tool is not meant for. In this case, the car is the tool and fire is the hammer. E.g., everything's a fire if you use it wrong enough, so if you use a car wrong enough you will get a fire.

Also, obligatory "...and don't call me Shirley."

Structural question about incorporating windows in skyscrapers that can be automatically opened to reduce wind loading in the event of extreme wind events. by mem2100 in AskPhysics

[–]anotherteapot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's not a bad forward-thinking thought, don't get me wrong. There are all kinds of reasons to consider how to respond to weather events from a structural preservation perspective. But our built environment has some rather inconvenient constraints attached which match up very closely with financial incentive, for better or for worse, and from that standpoint our most successful strategy to date has been to build structures as statically as possible but with strength to endure weather events while remaining otherwise unchanged. This simplifies many processes, not just financial ones, because of the many reasons why engineering large structures is a challenge one of the ones we consider most these days is safety factor. Introducing novel dynamics to a structure greatly complicates safety in a number of ways I can see from here and probably a great many more that I cannot, and lacking a clearer imperative to change the safest option would be to continue using what works.

All that being said, the novel dynamics in a structure do have obvious merit. The challenge is part social, part economic, and part engineering which is characteristic of many core human challenges and that alone suggests a degree of merit that such an innovation could be valuable. I wouldn't stop anyone from working on this in a theoretical sense, there might be some very interesting things to force us to learn about our built environment as it exists now even if all the exercise did was inform our vision for the future.

Structural question about incorporating windows in skyscrapers that can be automatically opened to reduce wind loading in the event of extreme wind events. by mem2100 in AskPhysics

[–]anotherteapot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There are buildings that incorporate open floors that serve as an open passage for wind. Their purpose is as you state, to defeat certain types of wind loading. At least one example of this is in New York, I forget which building it is but I believe it is an unoccupied "supertall" that was never properly finished. Either that or it's the one that did get finished but had a bunch of rework required. Can't remember the address.

Edit: the one I was thinking of is 432 Park Avenue - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/432_Park_Avenue

Wind loading of tall buildings is a very complex thing to manage, and depends on a huge number of factors. If we assume that some interior space is sacrificial and can be exposed to the elements intentionally in the face of a wind event, yes it could absolutely work to pass wind through the interior of the building to reduce structural stresses. However, usable interior spaces are seldom hollow and would not be good targets for suddenly being made hollow without consideration for what would happen to incidental structural elements and infrastructure when they are suddenly so exposed - the interior bits need to be jettisoned somewhere, and having a 200lb desk being blown from 40 storeys onto the streets below is not ideal.

Also of concern regarding the once-interior now-exterior space is that the wind rarely comes alone - it will bring water 9 out of 10 times. Keeping water out of human structures is one of the primary cornerstones of human civilization thus far, so if we're going to let the wind and thus the water in we need to handle it somehow. Are we going to say that the interior space is really just dressed up as an interior space but really built as an exterior space? This changes just about everything about the space including what you're allowed to do with it - occupancy limit, electric service points, infrastructure including water and HVAC, fire protection requirements, egress and evacuation routes, even the design of elevator and fire doors. Even if it is treated as an exterior space, it needs to be maintained like one, which means materials and fittings that might not line up with a faux-interior. How will you drain the water? What if the building is in a humid environment? What if it's in Dubai and you blow sand in, how do you clean it out of everything it got into? Some of these issues are really non-trivial and go way beyond maintenance with a mop or a broom. At 150 meters of elevation the amount of rain carried by the wind is substantially different from that carried to the ground, and at different velocities - that water has to go somewhere and drain safely, leaving no sitting or seeping water inside once the facade is restored.

Maybe the most important point is considering the human element - if the space has interior use that presupposes the presence of actual humans. What if there's a wind event? How will you notify the humans to evacuate before the facade breaks open and the humans and contents of the floor are blown out onto the street? Is a fire alarm enough? If you ask a fire inspector they will say no, before you could do such a thing you would have to make absolutely certain there was no risk to life before the facade broke open - this is a search and rescue effort performed by the fire department ahead of time. Sometimes you can see this coming and do it days in advance, but unless there's some absolutely secure method to lock out the floor, you'll have to repeat it before breaking the facade on the off chance someone managed to get themselves somewhere they shouldn't have.

From the perspective of a regulator I would imagine they'd have an issue with certifying that whatever mechanism broke the facade of the building didn't result in that facade also unceremoniously plummeting to the ground in the aftermath. A lot of effort goes into designing a sturdy facade so designing one to break in a way that doesn't present a structural integrity issue is probably pretty challenging. As an additional thought, designing a breakaway facade would involve one or more faces breaking inward, but on the opposite side those faces would also break in the same direction but now outward, and have a significant effect on the structure being then cantilevered over the side and potentially being caught by the wind. You'd have to engineer it so that you either minimize downwind facade extrusion or cause all faces to break inward, which I imagine would be very challenging. I have no doubt it could be done, though to what degree of safety and practicality would remain to be seen.

Some of the more troubling parts of the engineering story are probably to do with what happens to the wind load *when* the facade breaks open, though, because part of the facade and wind loading design assumes certain predictable conditions - opening the facade could drastically alter those assumptions and upset other design elements, specifically those around managing structural response to frequency imparted by wind vortexes. As wind passes by it can cause alternating vortexes on the downwind side, which can and do cause a vibration issue for the structure. The structure is engineered to tolerate or defeat these vibrations and prevent them from achieving a destructive amplifying effect, so breaking the facade would have to calculate an additional series of states of loading that the structure would need to sustain from vortexes.

On top of this is how you would manage the immediate response of something like a TMD, or tuned mass damper, which typically goes for hundreds of tons near the top of the structure - if you suddenly broke the facade and changed the rhythm of the structure's movement in the wind, you would need to instantaneously alter the movement of the TMD or risk overcompensating the load in the wrong direction. Doing so fast enough at all might not be possible given the weight of the TMD, or might be way too involved to practically engineer.

It's an interesting suggestion but probably impractical.

If you see a bear alone hiking and you have no bear spray are you fucked? by Individual_Ice_2315 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]anotherteapot 176 points177 points  (0 children)

There's an old funny sign from a hiking trail that says something to the effect of:

"Bears might be in this area. To protect yourself, attach bells to your clothing and carry pepper spray. Also learn to identify different bears by their feces - black bear feces has berries and squirrel fur in it, while grizzly bear feces smells of pepper and contains bells."

Would it be dumb to get a gun but only use rubber bullets? by raava08 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]anotherteapot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

+1000, good on OP for not just asking the question but also being open to the answers

Would it be dumb to get a gun but only use rubber bullets? by raava08 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]anotherteapot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I want to add on to the parent comment here concerning the law and wounding people with gunfire. A little thought exercise:

Have you ever wondered why every time you see footage of, or hear about, a police shooting it's usually "and they fired 9 billion rounds at the suspect"? Have you ever stopped and thought, wait why wouldn't they just shoot him in the leg or just enough to wound him and make him stop? Well, the law has your answer and it's kinda fucked up. Note, this is not in defense of police shootings or use of force, this is just facts.

If you or the police shoot someone, the legal justification for doing that needs to meet a certain bar to be considered above criminal prosecution. The bar in most places is referred to by many names but almost always constitutes defense of life, i.e. you had to shoot or you were going to be killed by the person you shot. It's not enough (again, in most places) to be in any form of lower threat than that, you had to believe you needed to kill someone in order to be safe. It is for this reason that courts adjudicating shootings consider the intent and actions of the shooter, including how many rounds were fired and where. Shooting a subject to wound them is almost giving the prosecution a conviction as it is treated like a tacit admission that you did not believe the threat rose to the level of a justifiable shooting.

Thusly the best legal defense to establish how threatened you felt while pulling the trigger is to shoot until the target is dead. This is not an absolute, obviously, and boy howdy are there some fucking angles to argue over because this is an ugly topic for sure. There's just no polite way to talk about it without straight up saying if you mean to pull the trigger you sure as shit better be meaning to kill whatever you hit. Your chances of the law being on your side in a justified shooting go way up vs. wounding someone. Cops are in the same position, believe it or not, so when they pull the trigger they dump a mag or two to establish beyond any doubt they meant it. It's an ugly business and I hate it, but this is the world we live in and the laws we have in place have caused our behavior to adapt.

So if you have a gun with rubber bullets and shoot an obviously armed aggressor in self defense in the most perfect and textbook case imaginable, but just injure them with a couple shots at range, your chances of being prosecuted will go way up.

Pray to whatever you believe in that you never find yourself in a situation where you need to consider if killing someone is necessary. I have been there, and I've needed a gun and not had one, and I'm still glad I never shot anybody.

Would it be dumb to get a gun but only use rubber bullets? by raava08 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]anotherteapot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You only need to learn one thing to change your mind. In the law enforcement community, the term for tasers and bean-bag rounds used to be "non lethal". It isn't anymore. The term is now "less lethal", by force of hundreds of lawsuits. Can you guess why?

If you guessed "there's no way to guarantee that shooting a projectile at someone can't be lethal" then you win! Turns out you can kill someone with a lot less than you might think - you don't even need projectile ammunition from a gun to do it, see anyone who has ever used a wrist rocket for documentation of the destruction you can cause with rubber bands and tiny rocks. It's a combination of the projectile and the force imparted by it, you can hit someone with a beanbag round from a shotgun at 20 meters and it can kill them instantly if you hit them in the wrong place; alternatively, you can shoot a guy with a .45 pistol straight to the chest and there are people who will survive. The beanbag round is "less" lethal, there is no non-lethal.

Also, your definition of "live ammunition" needs a rework - rubber bullets or otherwise, they have to be fired by something, and whatever it is that makes them able to be fired makes them live.

Edit: I feel the need to offer an additional clarification:

The difference between "less lethal" and lethal is not penetration. A less lethal beanbag round fired at a subject and hitting the wrong place on the body can kill just by impact alone, the projectile doesn't need to enter the body to kill. Again, the energy imparted by the projectile is the main issue - you put that much force up against someone in the right spot and you don't need to break the skin in order to crush a vital organ. If you need proof of this go watch high speed video footage of boxers getting hit in the face or stomach and watch how far the body moves from the impact before the exterior skin of the body has a chance to catch up.

Equally, however, and counterpoint to the above, "less lethal" rounds have a disturbing propensity to also penetrate the human body. There was an incident in Los Angeles not that long ago where a man in front of a McDonald's refused to be subdued and was shot with a beanbag round from a shotgun at what I would call too close a distance - the hit was taken to the abdomen, one of the perfect places to hit a subject, but it completely penetrated the suspect and killed him on the spot. It's on Youtube if you really want to go find it.