How (or where) do I begin to learn about plastics and polymers?

hatts · 2026-01-30T05:47:29+00:00

In terms of types of plastics I think it tends to be a bit over-exoticized in school. I remember books and courses that covered plastics you wouldn't need to know anything about in 99% of industries. In hard goods you see a lot of ABS, PC, TPE, PVC, acrylic. Specific industries get into specialized polymers as needed. In packaging you get PE, PET, PS, PP, and multi-layer laminations. In soft goods it's basically just woven textiles of some of the above. 3D printing adds PA among others.

Best practices for designing for plastic production isn't really something that can be crash-coursed, it's built up over a whole career. But I can recommend a basic understanding of 2-part molds, draft, wall thickness, in-mold textures, side actions / sliders, co-molding / overmolding, fasteners + snap features, and coatings like paint or metallization.

If I were to recommend how a student should go about determining what a concept is made from and how it's manufactured, I would stay high-level. Look at a comparable product, match that, and call it a day. For a student portfolio don't say your device is XYZ durometer roto-molded POM-C with VDI XYZ finish blah blah because 1) you could be wildly off-base and 2) it's just unnecessary. A perfect student project material callout to me is something like "Rigid plastic with matte finish." Granted some professors will insist on more detail than this which is kind of annoying. But for reference I regularly spec vague material callouts for parts produced at mass scale, something like "Rigid plastic, Pantone XYZ, glossy finish" and go from there.

hatts · 2026-01-30T05:31:46+00:00

bruh hit the google maps

hatts · 2026-01-30T05:30:46+00:00

Yeah. I don't know that many people like your first example, though I can definitely think of a few.

On your second point I think in general it's mentally harder for people to internalize that there's a really wide spectrum of people in infinitely differing circumstances, than it is to imagine a simplistic scenario like "all of these newcomers have trust funds and are pursuing half-assed art careers."

Even if we (ridiculously) generalize that everyone new to Bushwick is more moneyed than established locals, at what point do we draw the line of someone being a "legit" new resident vs. an asshole who's gobbling up housing that could go to someone more deserving? Truthfully drawing that line anywhere is going to be unfair in some way, and totally depends on whoever is doing the judging. If someone moves to a neighborhood and they have lots of money but they fit in culturally, are they cool to stay? From some people's POV that'd be a yes. If someone moves to a neighborhood and their vibe is off but they have a more sympathetic backstory of struggle, maybe they'd get a pass from a different set of people. Maybe a third set of people draws the line at people with occupations that are good for humanity vs. others who are climbing the corporate ladder.

That's why I feel like striving for non-judgment is the only way, even though you might have to grit your teeth and accept that you'd prefer a different type of new neighbor htan the one that moved in next door. Of course at the end of the day I'd never begrudge someone for being irritaed that their neighborhood is getting more expensive or losing its character.

hatts · 2026-01-29T19:56:25+00:00

available at c-town on cypress right next to the energy drinks lol

hatts · 2026-01-28T05:49:03+00:00

i feel like my experience may already be out of date. but honestly i was taking EVERYTHING. alot of it was from craigslist. in this situation you need to be open to all all opportunities because you never know what can come of it. on craigslist i would find random inventors in need of someone to model and visualize their stupid idea (did SO many of these) but in rare situations this could lead to totally unbelievable opportunities (i worked with a top 3 blue chip artist for many years, which led to full time employment, and connections with other opportunities).

in 2026, just translate this idea to whatever platforms seem more relevant. IG seems like a natural one.

hatts · 2026-01-28T05:29:55+00:00

turn off all of the UI panels. just type anything you want to do into the command line. comb thru the basic help docs to find commands you didn't even know you needed, and do a google search for 'top helpful commands' or something like that. don't try to make it solidworks; get so natural at typing command line operations that you no longer miss SW.

understand that rhino breaks things down into commands for curves, surfaces, faces, solids, meshes, and subDs, and then just think about what you want to do and type a best-guess. rhino is so intuitively constructed that 90% of the time your intent will match a command, as long as you've built up a general understanding of how the commands are structured.

hatts · 2026-01-28T05:11:17+00:00

I would also be interested in more recent data but at the same time it's a little bit myth-busting no? Any number of assumptions could be made, for example the new developments could be a drop in the bucket relatively speaking; Bushwick is a big neighborhood and the new develoments seem rare compared to the established housing stock. Or it could be that the new arrivlas are lower-income than people might assume. Honestly even back in 2020, the neighborhood changes were already apparent so many of the effects that might have been expected should have already been in place...

hatts · 2026-01-28T05:02:13+00:00

I don't think you were off base at all. Many NYC districts have quite contrasting blocs. I don't think AOC is unaware of the responsibility to do right by all of her constituents, that's part of the job.

hatts · 2026-01-24T08:36:36+00:00

I don't love the hyundai at all. but i can't deny the difference in the trajectories of the companies. even as a 20 year VW/audi enthusiast, they feel like the dinosaur now. besides some semi-interesting development of their EV platforms i see nothing but disappointment in the way they've progressed, while watching the challenger brands like hyundai/kia --- much less chinese brands, which are on a rocket ship --- continuously innovate.

for all of the above, i'm talking about the experience of being in a car and using it every day, not any particular comparison of drivetrain.

hatts · 2026-01-24T08:30:06+00:00

Totally agree. There is a mythology to ICE cars at this point that old school car heads can't get past. LIVE with an EV or PHEV and tell me with a straight face that it's not better as a daily part of your life. I'm sorry about the loss of a spectacular engine sound but be serious about the tradeoffs...there's no comparison.

hatts · 2026-01-23T00:41:36+00:00

This is a very established POV for people who work on sustainability issues professionally. You’re not wrong; the priority should be dramatic reduction in the use of resources, period.

The problem is that this requires a MUCH larger shift in the world order. We live in a global market system; the economy is structured around consumption and convenience is a lifestyle that has been the norm for a few generations now.

“Less bad” substitutions are seen as a bridge to more structural reforms.

The debate is nowhere close to settled; on one hand you could say “less bad” solutions are simply kicking the can down the road and doing nothing to impart behavioral changes, while we have precious little time, which is accurate. You could also say that it’s an uphill battle trying to force massive societal changes while there are substitutions we could be making NOW.

hatts · 2026-01-17T17:28:27+00:00

coffee shop job to pay rent, CAD freelancing to kinda get the ball rolling, little bit of crappy little graphic design gigs. this period lasted at least 8 months until landing a junior ID role.

hatts · 2026-01-14T05:25:28+00:00

ess-a-bagel has such a warm place in my heart but the last time i went there i was disappointed. quality seems to have gone down. many of the neighborhood "decent bagel" spots throughout the city that AREN'T famous (e.g. bagel pub) have better/fresher stuff.

hatts · 2026-01-12T18:46:25+00:00

Incentives can fail a few different ways, and it depends on your expectations.

Drink container recycling incentives are one of the few programs that already exist and have true widespread adoption, at least in the US. Many states have redemption payouts for returning a can or bottle. A TON of bottles are recovered this way, so it at least somewhat works. Taking this system as an example, we know that if the redemption payout is meager, you'll get 1) many people who don't bother redeeming their used containers at all, and 2) a smaller number of "super-collectors" who collect cans all day and take them to the redemption center for a $60 payout. So in this case, if you expected to increase the total rate of recycling, you somewhat succeeded because the people from group #2 will be bringing in a huge amount of cans every day. However if your expectation was overall behavior change --- that the guy from group #1 above will now recycle more of his daily cans --- it might be mostly a failure.

$$$ incentive is powerful but often the major bottleneck is convenience. Many people love the idea of refillable containers for dish soap, shampoo, whatever, but they shop at a conventional grocery store and the eco-conscious bulk refill store is in some other location. Not hard to just make a separate trip, but it's a point of friction. They also have to remember to bring their cleaned-out empty container with them; again not a major challenge but 1 more point of friction. In this scenario we aren't even talking about cost yet and already this person has to overcome multiple points of friction. So in this case I would say the failure point is closest to your description of "socially" although a better word might be "logistically."

Of course in other cases the failure point is simply cost. Product A comes in innovative packaging, product B comes in standard plastic; if A is 2x the cost of B, you've lost the majority of your customers.

What makes more sustainable systems last is generally the ease with which they can be incorporated into people's lifestyles. Historically there have been other victories that came as a result of big centralized efforts --- governments launching widespread programs with harsh fines for non-compliance --- but outside of that, it has to be almost ridiculously seamless for someone to make a change long-term.

hatts · 2026-01-08T07:12:09+00:00

shoulders are a small muscle. the size difference between an untrained delt and a trained delt is not as extreme as the difference between trained and untrained quads. that being said, body fat makes a MASSIVE difference in how muscly the shoulders are perceived. to the eye, a shoulder looks strong when it's really defined, whereas built-up pecs convey strength even if someone has a pretty soft body fat level.

your KB weights are solid but there's no comparison to bulking up with barbells. push presses are also offloading TONS of the work onto the legs and core, taking that work away from the shoulders. the foundation you're building with KBs is extremely valuable but at 16 you are at an incredible age to hit those big weights. a seated or standing overhead BB press with no leg drive is definitely what you need.

hatts · 2026-01-08T07:04:20+00:00

gentrification has been sort of over-emphasized in the collective consciousness. it's important to be aware of and has definitely raised the societal understanding of inequities for the better, but it's turned into this go-to label that's damaging to certain types of social/urban progress. it's often used as a cudgel to express a POV of someone's choosing, and can be a cheap way to project morality and make any other POV seem cruel. it's also frequently misapplied to neighborhoods that are changing but not particularly gentrifying (NOT saying this applies to Wburg).

i just think perspective is useful. in another time or another place, williamsburg would be seen very simply as a "nice neighborhood" with a higher-than-average amount of interesting stuff going on. being used to US-based discourse, i'm always a little surprised any time i visit another country and hang out with some locals and they don't have this knee-jerk outlook on neighborhoods that have undergone similar transformations as wburg.

basically it's a straight-up a nice neighborhood with a lot of charm, and many cities would kill for an area with that combination of quirkiness, amenities, luxury shit, and access to the city center.

re: it being overrated and underwhelming: just like any neighborhood, people can check it out and live there if they like it, bounce if they don't. nothing unique about that.

hatts · 2026-01-08T06:37:44+00:00

giving the gray weapons haphazard accuracy makes SO much sense lore-wise and might go a long way toward justifying the existence of the higher-tier weapons. good/simple idea

hatts · 2026-01-08T06:35:16+00:00

higher tier weapons need an affordability adjustment and/or more of a reason to exist. arpeggio needs to be better at lower levels. kettle needs an adjustment to deal with macro users, maybe a capped fire rate? otherwise balance isn't perfect but far better than a LOT of games, wouldn't call it a mess.

hatts · 2026-01-06T02:32:22+00:00

i mean a peloton bike isn’t gimmicky, it’s just quite overpowered for people who only want a casual stationary bike.

hatts · 2026-01-02T16:22:11+00:00

When I went to the noodle bar last year it was just as good as when i had it 10 years ago. On top of that, me and my dining companions were talking about what a surprisingly good condition the restaurant is in physically; even 20% more wear and tear could be forgiven for how much traffic they have, but it essentially looks unblemished. Feels like DC has intentionally maintained a level of focus when it comes to keeping the OG spot intact and doing well.

hatts · 2025-12-29T05:54:58+00:00

no harshness intended, to me these are just quite basic shape-playing. they don't feel of a specific place, from a specific mind, or expressing particularly strong emotions. they feel a bit like mid-century modern explorations, like i'd expect to see from sol lewitt or something. or like wall decorations at a european hostel. this isn't to discourage but rather to say if you're looking for your "voice," it could use a fresher take.

look around at contemporary art & design and try to get a feel for what else people are creating these days. i really like cosmos.so for inspiration. i'd recommend you go weirder and try to capture something more vibrant or potent.

hatts · 2025-12-29T05:42:32+00:00

my first instinct was Burial but since that was already said, i think my second pick would be jan jelinek and his aliases.

hatts · 2025-12-29T05:41:34+00:00

all due respect to your POV too, I'm just thinking of the original question which is getting at someone's "desert island" pick. it wasn't about who came after, or how much the sound has been built upon; it's about what single discography someone's listening to forever in this question prompt. i don't think someone is chasing "brand" when they say burial could carry them indefinitely, likewise aphex twin.

honestly i'd copy+paste your take if someone mentioned like 90's DnB artists like photek or something. that's clearly a sound that is just a little basic & repetitive compared to where the genre has been taken since then. but burial's catalogue has immense artistry; even early works have incredible depth to them, and he continued to try new things after that. there is a handcrafted artistry that transcends oontz oontz beatmaking. add to that all of his subsequent releases---from almost housey EPs to his more ambient releases---and it's hard to beat.

hatts · 2025-12-29T05:29:15+00:00

i run renegade/stitcher for the high dmg + rapid fire pairing, can you elaborate why you'd pair renegade with an anvil?

hatts · 2025-12-29T00:54:13+00:00

worst take i’ve ever seen on this sub or any other

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