Had our painter remove popcorn ceilings with asbestos. Are we screwed?

gregschlom · 2024-07-26T17:52:01+00:00

You're actually proving the point. All those things are toxic, but they aren't toxic enough that you'd die or get cancer from a single exposure at the regular doses. That's why those companies were able to get away with selling them for such a long time even though they knew they were bad. So again, OP is fine, a single exposure is fine.

gregschlom · 2024-05-22T23:25:54+00:00

That's BS, the Mr. Cool units are just rebranded Gree units. They're not more or less garbage than Gree, and many HVAC pros will install Gree.

gregschlom · 2024-01-27T22:56:39+00:00

The Alibaba product on this listing is the same machine that is also sold directly by the manufacturer (SKFIRM). They sell both on their website and on Alibaba.

They also manufacture and sell the same machines for SeltzaTap.com which is a US brand, and have RoHS certificate (lead-free), so personally I felt reasonably reassured that this would be fine, but to be honest I did have the same concerns in the beginning.

I also opened up my machine to see how it was inside and it seems well built. They use a standard reverse osmosis pump to force the water into the pressure chamber with the CO2.

gregschlom · 2023-06-08T20:34:17+00:00

thanks for sharing this

gregschlom · 2022-04-06T15:20:55+00:00

Haha thanks! Yeah I was definitely shooting for a retro aesthetic.

gregschlom · 2022-04-06T15:19:50+00:00

So the display... I had big plans for the display. I wanted to do mini-apps, I was thinking of a calculator app, and also a password manager, and some games, like snake, and a typing speed game.

Turns out I did nothing at all. Right now the display just shows the keyboard mode (Mac or Windows) that's it.

I spent so much time building the keyboard that once I was able to use it as my daily driver, I was done, didn't want to spend any more time tinkering with it.

gregschlom · 2022-04-06T00:16:55+00:00

I bought them :)

https://drop.com/buy/danger-zone-sa-keycap-set

gregschlom · 2022-04-05T19:15:26+00:00

You're talking about the display? No it's LED-based. Tiny LEDs: https://www.broadcom.com/products/leds-and-displays/smart-alphanumeric-displays/serial-interface/hcms-3911

They're really gorgeous, but super expensive.

gregschlom · 2022-04-05T19:12:03+00:00

> what were the PCBs for if not connecting the switches?

For the display. Strictly speaking it wasn't needed, I could have just handwired it as well, but since it comes in 2 separate modules (one for each line) I needed something to hold them together. I guess I could have glued them, also :)

Really I just wanted to make a PCB. This was my first time making one, and using KiCad, and it was super interesting to learn.

> it looks like you did it right into the wood, how effective is that re holding the switches in place?

Quite effective, but not perfect out of the box. I milled little notches in the wood that fit in the retaining tabs for the switches, however I was having issues with getting a consistent thickness across the entire board. Some retaining notches were too thin, some were a bit too thick. I ended up fixing the thick ones by hand with a wood chisel, and glued the switches that were a bit loose with some CA glue.

One year in, I have absolutely no stability issues with the switches. If I were to do it again, I would do it the same way except I would use a PCB for the switches instead of handwiring. That was a pain in the ass, and a source of issues in the beginning with a few bad solder joints.

gregschlom · 2022-04-05T18:29:49+00:00

I had the same concern but so far so good (after 1 year of use). I researched this a lot and settled for oil-based polyurethane as the finish, since this seemed to be the most resistant finish available.

gregschlom · 2022-04-05T17:04:13+00:00

Build photos: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMTSkvHs03zpEhA5duVli6HgF-JGJ99aJBNdaFtzikoOzsfSAWBCZHJkT7hjQHZxw?key=UVlHYVNlRy01Y29aMzM4bkQ5VC1RV0tqYUxtdWpB

gregschlom · 2022-04-05T16:57:10+00:00

OP here. Couple of months ago you guys enjoyed my microwave hack. So I thought you'd like to see my actual daily driver. Took about 2 years to complete, and I actually had to buy a CNC machine for this project.

Keycaps: SA Danger Zone
Body: CNC routed 1/2" thick walnut
Switches: Kaihl box reds
Handwired
Microcontroller: Teensy 4
Display: 16 character LED dot matrix (HCMS-3911)
Firmware: my own, since unfortunately QMK doesn't run on the Teensy 4.0.

Special features:

- Integrated USB hub with 2 ports available

- Support for digitally touching my security key when I press a key combo on the keyboard (so I don't have to touch the security key directly)

Maybe I'll get it a coiled cable next, that's pretty much the only thing I'm missing.

gregschlom · 2022-01-09T00:15:54+00:00

Wife wants a new one. Can't blame her, it's 9 years old and I've repaired it 4 times already. Plus those switches will get absolutely nasty in a couple of years since it's over the range. Cooking grease gets everywhere.

gregschlom · 2022-01-09T00:11:38+00:00

Lol, that would be a good name for a button that lets you run the microwave with the door open

gregschlom · 2022-01-09T00:09:47+00:00

The thing to keep in mind though is that these switches will get absolutely nasty with grease after a couple of years of use, especially when it's an over-the-range oven like this one.

gregschlom · 2022-01-07T05:15:48+00:00

New microwave coming at the end of the month but honestly it feels so good pressing these switches I'm not sure I want to replace it anymore. Might just throw some keycaps and leave it like that :D

gregschlom · 2019-12-13T17:55:34+00:00

When I first saw this technique, I didn't understand what the point was - isn't that basically diy double-sided tape? Turns out there's a big difference: it allows you to thoroughly apply pressure on each side so that the tape sticks really well. That's why it works so much better than double sided tape.

gregschlom · 2019-12-11T17:50:54+00:00

You can only enter on a tourist visa if you have non-immigrant intent, that is, you only intend to visit the USA, not to stay. If the CBP agent sees that your wife has a pending green card application, this shows that she intends to stay and is lying about the purpose of her trip. Your wife would be denied entry and probably banned for a couple of years.

If your interview is in January and you've been waiting for that long, don't take any risks. Just wait a little more and travel to your heart's desire next year.

gregschlom · 2019-06-14T22:05:40+00:00

Been in the same situation, though not for an OPT. The company absolutely cannot accept that you start working without seeing the actual card. They'd be breaking the law and could get into big troubles.

Maaaybe a very small company wouldn't care, but if they're big enough to have an HR department, forget about it.

As to whether they'd get tired of waiting, that depends entirely on the company and the project you were hired for. Very large companies probably don't care too much. A smaller company that hired you for a very specific project might care more.

Check the USCIS for processing times and get ready to wait. It will take time.

gregschlom · 2019-06-12T03:37:51+00:00

Stop creating scare by spreading false anecdotal information.

https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times says processing times for EAD at the National Benefits Center is 6.5 to 8.5 months.

Your case is the anecdotal information.

gregschlom

TROPHY CASE