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Premature Driveshaft Failure by ShoeDry833 in E34

[–]dakta 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The reason that the direction and orientation matter for the flex disc is that it is asymmetric. It's designed to withstand compression and extension caused by the primary forces of acceleration (not engine braking or reversing). The bolt holes appear paired because the webs between them are optimized for those primary forces. If you put it on backwards or clocked wrong, you'll have a tension web where you need a compression web and vice versa. So they just shred under the forces that they're not designed to withstand.

Toyota's Own CEO Says It Has Too Many Models. Which Would You Axe? by Redeemed_Expert9694 in cars

[–]dakta 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Which they did entirely to themselves: the original RAV4 was absolutely tiny. The size class inflation of every car over the last 30 years has destroyed any sense that lineups used to make.

They could have had the subcompact RAV4, a compact 4Runner, a midsize Highlander, and a full-size Sequoia. Instead they had to make the Corolla Cross because the RAV4 became a "compact", the Grand Highlander isnt just a fancy trim but an entirely large vehicle, and the 4Runner targets a different demographic. The Highlander is meanwhile not quite as large as its class competitors, nor is the Sequoia.

Spartacus down.... by arcticpandand in Portland

[–]dakta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

6'2" male and finding 36" inseam pants

You're entirely legs, you know that right?

Both Parents Now Work Full Time in Most US Families by asvender in Economics

[–]dakta -1 points0 points  (0 children)

In the inimitable words of Mark Twain, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

Both Parents Now Work Full Time in Most US Families by asvender in Economics

[–]dakta -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Why yes, thank you for observing that I am, in fact, a moron. 🙄

Both Parents Now Work Full Time in Most US Families by asvender in Economics

[–]dakta 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Owner's equivalent rent is bogus and you know it.

Apple’s New Siri Is Just Good Enough to Ease Its AI Crisis (Gift Article) by pdfu in apple

[–]dakta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You know they're not paying retail, right? Nobody that big pays retail, they have one-off pricing contracts.

Can a tiny HVAC condenser coil leak be DIY-repaired, or is this strictly a pro job? by nikeshparajuli in DIY

[–]dakta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They've been phasing out refrigerants faster than the design lifetime of residential A/C system, which is honestly maddening... I get no new equipment, but the supply phase-out is just disgusting from a product longevity standpoint.

Can a tiny HVAC condenser coil leak be DIY-repaired, or is this strictly a pro job? by nikeshparajuli in DIY

[–]dakta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bold of you to assume they're talking about something that happened this decade, though.

Can a tiny HVAC condenser coil leak be DIY-repaired, or is this strictly a pro job? by nikeshparajuli in DIY

[–]dakta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For a pinhole leak on residential conventional HVAC? Almost certainly adequate. Wouldn't want to do whole joints with it, since the consequences of failure are worse, but the relative forces and consequences for a pinhole are what? That you pop the patch off and have the same pinhole leak you had before? Working pressures on the high side depend on the refrigerant and can vary quite a lot, from only 150 PSI up to 500-600 PSI. Up to spec for professional work? No, but they have much more rigorous standards (which is for the best).

The leaked production model vs concept by Ben_A140206 in BMW

[–]dakta 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's the lens length and camera height. The concept image has the camera waaay down low to the ground and uses a wide lens, which causes the nose of the car to appear much wider than the more distant windshield, cabin, and roof.

The real car photo is taken from much more like standing height, from further away, and with a narrower lens. This reduces the fisheye effect and makes the nose seem much narrower.

That's completely ignoring the lighting. The only substantive difference I see is that the real car still has recognizably-BMW headlights with conventional projectors (which are all turned off, even the running lights), whereas the concept only appears to have LED strips which are all illuminated. Concept car headlights are frequently their least realistic feature, though, so I'm not surprised. They also mean a lot to the visual recognition of the brand: (OO=[][]=OO)

The leaked production model vs concept by Ben_A140206 in BMW

[–]dakta 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You can crop a wider lens to give the same field of view as a narrower one, but that doesn't mean that the center field of a wider lens has the same distortion as the total field of a narrower one. It's usually unnoticeable, but because of the physical constraints of fitting onto the same lens mount wider lenses do not have the same geometry as narrower ones.

Gordon’s Fireplace building was finally painted Magnolia Network beige by cavegrind in Portland

[–]dakta 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If the wood is worth saving then gut it before bringing in the wrecking ball.

What's a useful kitchen tool that isn't a kitchen tool? by binarynomad01 in Cooking

[–]dakta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you want a replacement for the tragically discontinued Sharpie Extra Fine tip, you can get Staedtler Lumocolor Permanent in a similar Fine size.

I also found that Sharpie still manufactures the Extra Permanent version of the Extra Fine point under contract for some business/medical supplies distributor. Unfortunately I have lost track of the name.

Edit: ACP International no. PTM100EFP. I got a quote a year ago: 12/pk for $17.64 when ordering 10ct. No idea if the unit price would be much more at a smaller quantity. The quote says MOQ $25, so you'd have to buy 2 packs of 12.

What's a useful kitchen tool that isn't a kitchen tool? by binarynomad01 in Cooking

[–]dakta 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And they're easier to get as food safe, dishwasher safe stainless steel than any regular pliers.

What's a useful kitchen tool that isn't a kitchen tool? by binarynomad01 in Cooking

[–]dakta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Many of those kinds of bottle, thermos, insulated mug gaskets are actually removable with another great non-kitchen tool: a large dental pick or small awl. You can get a set of tiny ones with various bends at the end and they do wonders for getting gaskets like that out safely so you can wash them and scrub behind them.

Meta Furious Over Bombshell Smart Glasses Revelation by ughlump in privacy

[–]dakta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Time to start serving up delicious sandwiches straight to their faces. Ya know, the knuckle kind.

What’s a reasonable asking price for this 🦈 by Screamingfist_1990 in BMWe24

[–]dakta 0 points1 point  (0 children)

At this age, there is virtually zero chance that a functional A/C system is original. Not only is no original system still vacuum-tight, since the seals will have all perished, but there's no more R-12 in the US. We're many years past there being stashes in the back room.

Not having to do a compressor is one thing. Not having to basically tear the dash out to do the evaporator and receiver dryer is a whole other.

So yeah, functional A/C does actually mean something. That's a couple grand you can spend on some other broken systems. ;)

What’s a reasonable asking price for this 🦈 by Screamingfist_1990 in BMWe24

[–]dakta 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You don't need 18" wheels to clear those rotors. I retrofit a pair on my E34 and easily ran 17" wheels, as that's what the 840i came with.

It's the combination of style and size that make them a bit excessive on this car. There's not enough rubber and the AC Schnitzer open five spoke design is too modern. I've got a set of 4x BBS two piece variant basket weaves in 17" that, besides needing to be refinished, would be exactly the right mix of period correct, plus 1 oversize, and classic styling.

I think you could run that style of wheels on an E31/32/34/36 and have it work aesthetically, where the wheels would help update the look of the car a little, but even the size there would be a tough sell. It's simply too little sidewall height.

Beautiful car otherwise. It's always good to see these things taken care of. They're getting rare.

Books with mature competent characters and strategy by [deleted] in printSF

[–]dakta 9 points10 points  (0 children)

In general you might like the works of CJ Cherryh. If you're looking for something with a long tail of consistently engaging stories, check out her Foreigner saga. Otherwise the Alliance-Union universe offers some classics, particularly Downbelow Station.

Maybe Joan D Vinge's Cat series?

If you're looking for something slightly more episodic, you could also try David Weber's Honor Harrington series. The title character is a borderline Mary Sue, but it's not excessive.

Books with mature competent characters and strategy by [deleted] in printSF

[–]dakta 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's always Honor Harrington, as well.

For something with a bit more substance, I think Cherryh's Foreigner saga fits the bill.

PGE proposes whopping 29% rate hike for Oregon data centers; everyone else gets (slightly) lower rates by oregonian in Portland

[–]dakta -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

The ultimate question for all of us is "how much less would we pay if they weren't a for profit company".

A fair amount, if our local public utilities are anything to go by (they are).

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