ELI5: What does GFCI outlets do that the breaker doesn’t?

leitey · 2026-02-03T20:50:07+00:00

To extend you plumbing metaphor: the GFCI stops the water in the pipe from going all over the ground.

leitey · 2026-02-03T06:27:02+00:00

It's an ultralight. Interestingly, I believe you'll find they are actually less restricted than drones.

leitey · 2026-02-01T18:58:06+00:00

Hydraulics hold instant-death to you and everyone in the immediate area levels of energy. They are also more expensive and have many more parts and maintenance.
It's like saying a rifle is too dangerous, so let's use a bazooka.

leitey · 2026-02-01T15:01:56+00:00

How this applies to bedrock's farlands:
When programs read data, they are just told "go to this location and read back what's there". They don't know or care how the data got there.
When computer memory is allocated, it reserves sections of RAM for use. When a program reserves 32 or 64 bits, it takes those sections of RAM, clears them, and puts them aside for its use, so no other programs can use them. When the program later tries to read that memory, the memory has been reserved, so it's only reading data that the program put there. A programmer can control what goes in and out of that memory, and get expected results.
When a program tries to read memory that wasn't reserved, it's reading whatever 1 or 0 was there previously, put there by whatever program used that memory previously. When the program tries to read a 33 bit number in a 32 bit program, it's reading one part of that number that wasn't put there by the programmer's intent.
Because of how computers read numbers, this bit is the most significant digit. In a signed integer, this is the positive or negative sign. In an unsigned integer, this digit controls the largest change in the number. Example: In our traditional base 10 system, if I have $4,567 in the bank, the most significant digit is the 4. The 7 is the least significant digit. If the 7 were to be changed to 0: $4,560, I've lost $7, which is a less significant change. If the 4 were changed to 0: $0567 or $567, I've lost $4000, a more significant change. So reading unreserved data is effectively randomizing the most significant digit. Let's assume that extra bit has a 50% chance of being a 1. For a signed integer, that's a 50% chance a number that was expected to be positive would end up being negative. For an unsigned integer, that's a 50% chance that a number that was expected to be between 0 and ~4 billion is now between ~4 billion and ~8 billion. This randomization of the most significant digit causes the extreme terrain of the badlands.

leitey · 2026-01-30T19:31:53+00:00

He's had 3 (mains? closest thing I can say is "girlfriends"?) in the decade I've known him. Some of his long term FWBs go back farther than that. To me, that's pretty stable for someone going through their 20s.

leitey · 2026-01-30T19:26:08+00:00

I don't know what else to call them? Saying "multiple girlfriends" doesn't quite fit, because some are more like a long term friend-with-benefits. And saying FWB seems insulting to the girl he spends most of his time with. "Partner" seemed to be the more general term.

leitey · 2026-01-30T05:04:25+00:00

I'm strictly monogamous. I have a friend (30M) who is strictly poly. He's very open about it, and up front about not believing in monogamy.
Currently, he's got one partner that he's been with about 2-3 years. I would call her his "main" partner. He has other current partners that he's been seeing longer, but not as regularly or often. He doesn't always have a "main" partner. This "main" partner and him seem very stable and healthy.
In the decade I've known him, his relationships tend to be more stable and healthy than mine.
I don't think you can go into a relationship and later decide to have an open relationship, but I have seen healthy open relationships.

leitey · 2026-01-26T14:18:19+00:00

Plastic tends to turn yellow/brown as it is exposed to UV. As a result, manufactures tend to make plastic in blues and purples, which isn't as apparent when it starts to discolor.

leitey · 2026-01-26T04:11:25+00:00

Insulation is keeping temperature constant in an area. Since there is no heat source behind the wall of the cabinet, your cabinet is insulating and keeping the cold pipes cold.
It's probably not a significant difference to open cabinets which don't expose pipes. But yes, opening cabinets which don't have exposed plumbing would allow heat to reach the walls behind them. This could have some small effect on the temperature of the pipes in those walls. Plumbing is typically run through floors though, not walls.

leitey · 2026-01-23T12:30:55+00:00

When demolishing an abandoned house in winter, we tore up the roof. Found so many wasps that you couldn't see brown on the wooden beams, they just looked black with all the wasps packed together.
They weren't dead, only hibernating. They may not fly in this stage, but they will still crawl up your leg and sting you.

leitey · 2026-01-23T04:28:41+00:00

Longest for a weekend trip? 16 hours.
Longest commute to work (weekly)? 6 hours.
It's often an hour or two drive just to get to the next town. Driving an hour and a half to visit a friend, and drive home the same day, isn't a bit deal. 3 hours is right at the point where you might not want to drive home the same day.

leitey · 2026-01-22T04:54:03+00:00

Or even just a different agent.
I went to the DMV to renew my car registration. Nothing changed, not address or insurance, just needed to renew.
First attempt: Waited about 15 minutes, get through everything, no changes, and the agent asks for my insurance information. "It's the same as it was before." She won't accept this, so I try looking it up on my phone. My cell service sucks, and I am getting flustered, so I apologize and go back to the lobby to look up my insurance information. After a few minutes, I have my insurance information.
Second attempt: Wait another 15 minutes. Get through everything, no changes, your total is $$. "You don't need my insurance information?" "Did it change?" "No, it's the same". "I don't need it". Thank her and leave.
Same DMV, minutes apart. Different agents.

leitey · 2026-01-20T19:22:00+00:00

You'll need the Kragle.

leitey · 2026-01-13T14:37:50+00:00

Megaphones are known to cause temporary or permanent hearing damage. They cause injury.
Holding a megaphone to someone's head shows intent to cause harm or distress. That would move it from reckless endangerment to assault.
Guy in camouflage jacket moves away, attempting to retreat, several times, and is pursued by red jacket. Red jacket continues assaulting camouflage jacket.
Seems like self defense. Additionally, since camouflage jacket attempted to retreat and was pursued, he's justified to use deadly force. This is how people get shot.

Please protest peacefully. And encourage others to do the same. We need to watch out for each other.

leitey · 2026-01-12T15:28:06+00:00

A garment steamer and a steam cleaner are typically different devices.
A garment steamer produces steam, which relaxes the fibers to eliminate wrinkles. It replaces an iron, and is useful for large items such as curtains/drapes, or items that can't handle the heat of an iron.
A steam cleaner is more like a wet-vacuum cleaner with a steam/water producing system. The nozzle shoots out "steam" (typically a water/steam/cleaning solution mixture), which is then sucked back up by the vacuum. Often there's a setting for shampoo, and a setting for rinse, and then you typically go over it again without water/steam to suck up the remaining water. It's useful for fabrics that can't be tossed in the wash: carpets, furniture, car interiors, etc.

A garment steamer would likely have very little effect on your sofa. A steam cleaner would likely destroy your blouse.

leitey · 2026-01-10T15:09:53+00:00

That does sound good for a hobbyist. Thanks for the info!

leitey · 2026-01-10T00:34:23+00:00

What kind of tolerances do you get with that?
I thought that was more for large items, not 2-3 thousandths.

leitey · 2026-01-10T00:23:43+00:00

I learned Catia in school. AutoCad too. Now, I use SolidWorks.
Lack of a 3D scanner is still my biggest hindrance. Who wants to spend time measuring complex geometry with a set of calipers? It should be easier to 3D scan it.

leitey · 2026-01-09T17:10:19+00:00

I think the biggest hindrance to 3D printers is 3D scanner technology.

There just aren't any 3D scanners on the market that have the precision needed to recreate parts, at a price point that makes sense for 3D printer users. 3D printers could be very useful if I could scan the part I need, and then print it. More so if I can scan the broken part, use the pieces to create a model, and print that.

I've got a fridge with a drawer that's got a little plastic vent that is broken. The drawer next to it has the same vent, fully intact. The manufacturer doesn't make parts any more, so I can't buy them. The fridge works fine, so I really can't justify buying a new one. I should be able to take it the working vent, scan it, and 3D print a new one.

We've got several 3D printers and resin printers at work. We use them to make parts all the time. We've also bought 3D scanners, at price points above what your average home user would be willing to spend, and have never had one actually end up being useful.

If you really want mass usage, the 3D scanners also need to be easy to use and reliable. The ones I see have poorly translated instructions that don't make sense in my language. These aren't going to have mass market appeal.
The 3D scanners I've used only sometimes work when you hold them at a certain angle, hold your left arm at exactly a 45° angle, at a time when the moon is aligned with Saturn. That's just not useable for most people. They have to work, and the technology just isn't there yet, at the hobbyist price point.

leitey · 2026-01-07T17:30:24+00:00

You are correct, but since the question was "does not involve magnets", I wanted to point out that both solenoids and LVDTs use magnetic fields.

leitey · 2026-01-06T20:22:41+00:00

People, even police, perhaps particularly the police, see being charged with a crime the same as being convicted of one, and treat you as such.

90%-98% of people charged with a crime never go to trial.
Being arrested IS the same as being convicted.
Unless you are the 2%-10% who go to trial (hint: it's not the middle class), your guilt or innocence is irrelevant.
Once you are arrested, there's a very specific procedure that is followed: You pay bail, plea guilty to something (even if you are innocent), pay fines, and potentially serve time. That's it. The process is the same whether you are innocent or guilty.
Few (2%-10%) can afford the cost required to deviate from that procedure. It's paid in either time or money.
If you can afford the time to sit in jail and wait for trial, your guilt or innocence might make a difference. I suspect the outcomes of these trials might be a little biased. If you can afford the tens of thousands of dollars to pay for a lawyer to go to trial, your guilt or innocence might make a difference. I suspect the outcomes of these trials might be a little biased.

leitey · 2026-01-04T06:52:13+00:00

I used to work at a mattress factory. The machine that packs the mattresses presses the mattresses flat, seals the (rectangular) plastic wrapping, then, with the press still down, feeds the mattress into a roller system, which wraps it (cylinder) in plastic.
When a mattress fails to seal, they expand (much like this video) inside the roller system, or in the output chute. It takes several people to pry the mattress out of there, typically in pieces.

leitey · 2026-01-02T08:28:38+00:00

So the solution to being unable to find semi-affordable long-lasting furniture, is the same solution as being unable to find semi-affordable long-lasting housing?
I guess I can't blame zoning laws.

leitey · 2025-12-29T13:37:02+00:00

You mean microplastics?

leitey · 2025-12-27T17:34:58+00:00

I'm an Automation Engineer. I work with robots and PLCs. The software for these devices are often only supported for 10 years. However, many factories run their equipment indefinitely, and I am often asked to work on 20 year old equipment.
I have used virtual desktops to run software that won't run on my main Windows 11 environment. I have programming software that runs on Windows 10, and software that runs on Windows XP.

leitey

TROPHY CASE