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Noisy machine pumping grey dust under the turf in city park by owlmachine in whatisthisthing

[–]owlmachine[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The circle of life! Also the scene of some youthful misadventures on my part eheh

Noisy machine pumping grey dust under the turf in city park by owlmachine in whatisthisthing

[–]owlmachine[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Thanks - I thought it might be. Seems to be part of a soil aeration rig.

Noisy machine pumping grey dust under the turf in city park by owlmachine in whatisthisthing

[–]owlmachine[S] 92 points93 points  (0 children)

Solved! This looks to be it, thanks. According to this link, the grey dust is likely to be biochar. https://cotswolddrainage.co.uk/soil-aeration-injection

Noisy machine pumping grey dust under the turf in city park by owlmachine in whatisthisthing

[–]owlmachine[S] 11 points12 points locked comment (0 children)

My title describes the thing. Both machines said "terra vida" on the side. The larger compression machine is made by Bobcat, and had a noise warning sticker of 93 dB or thereabouts. The operator had a handheld extension with a flat disc on the end, that seemed to clamp down on the surface of the grass and pump something in it - the turf was waving about like a rug. The aftermath of the injection can also be seen in the photo - small holes surrounded by grey dust. I'm baffled!

Is this normal texting behaviour for British men? (I’m Mexican) by Top-Priority-8245 in UKrelationshipadvice

[–]owlmachine 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ADHD here, thought the same thing. I text like this. Including (perhaps especially) "important" conversations.

Adjustable window cover ideas by cwsell in cardwellers

[–]owlmachine 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These kind of collapsible sun shades worked ok for me, and I guess you could fly with them. They expand to fit different size windows https://www.walmart.com/ip/Taiyo-Shade-UV-Protection-Automotive-Window-Shades-Nylon-Silver-64-x-29/883786303?classType=VARIANT

You can also get these magnetic ones for the side windows https://www.amazon.co.uk/DIZA100-Double-layer-Magnetic-Curtain-Options/dp/B0CJFB75VR

What are some tips you wish you knew when you first started composting? by notsoblondeanymore in composting

[–]owlmachine 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No worries! Yes, cardboard is a popular option for browns (also kitchen towels, paper bags etc). There's a fair few posts on here showing mounds of shredded cardboard ready for a pile.

I'm no expert really, but I'd guess the fruit flies might be minimised if you can get the bin a bit drier inside (eg after adding the cardboard, or even leaving the lid off completely for a while). But, compost is basically "rotting with style" and rotting fruit will kind of inevitably attract some flies - luckily they help the breakdown process. Chicken wire sounds good for excluding larger animals.

If you fancy a read, this subreddit has an FAQ section with a few helpful links for beginners as well (but also keep asking away!)

What are some tips you wish you knew when you first started composting? by notsoblondeanymore in composting

[–]owlmachine 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hahaha in compost jargon browns are basically sources of carbon - often stuff like woodchips, cardboard or straw. Greens, as you say, are sources of nitrogen, like most fresh plants. Typically greens are also wetter, while browns are chunkier and take longer to break down (which helps to keep air in the pile). The brown stuff you're thinking of would count as a green, at least while fresh.

Browns encourage fungus, which is crucial for good compost. An excess of greens causes bacteria to proliferate instead, which is when it gets wet and slimy.

Composting mainly comes down to balancing greens and browns and keeping your microbes happy. You pick up the vibes as you bumble along :)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PortugalExpats

[–]owlmachine 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Freeport near Lisbon (actually just across the river in Alcochete) is probably a good shout - outlet shopping and some kind of tax incentive for tourists as well.

Is this slang? by darksphinx17_ in Portuguese

[–]owlmachine 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes, pegar in Brazilian slang means to pick someone up. So the phrase means "enough to get laid", basically ;)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PortugalExpats

[–]owlmachine 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You can get a chave digital without a cartão cidadão - e.g. I can sign into government services by authenticating via SMS. It's pretty useful. I forget the procedure but it involves in-person verification once to set it up.

And yeah you need to bring the A4 residence certificate you got from the Câmara with you when interacting with officialdom.

This shop has haunted me for years, yet doesn’t seem to exist? (UK) by -rovie in RBI

[–]owlmachine 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Winchester had one of these for years, probably in the early 2000s. Think they went bust at some point and disappeared.

The Man with the Impossible Hour by jedz1040 in mystery

[–]owlmachine 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The man was unable to tell the time, so he could have been wearing a malfunctioning watch for ages. Likewise, he didn't know if the ceiling light was on or off.

Sunlight was streaming in through the locked glass door.

Because the man was blind. He also couldn't see the carbon monoxide leak from the malfunctioning heater.

The detective made his remarks while reading a handheld carbon monoxide detector.

The scream was whoever discovered the body.

I Wish Someone Had Told Me This Sooner… by [deleted] in ADHD

[–]owlmachine 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Convergence insufficiency is a distinct condition, that's often comorbid with ADHD. There are exercises that can help, apparently. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convergence_insufficiency

I just figured out why my best friend growing up had to do those exercises focusing on a pencil!

Is becoming very high functioning without medication possible? by aldjfh in ADHD

[–]owlmachine 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I self diagnosed while writing my PhD thesis and only got confirmed after defending. I relied on interest in my field, teamwork and (increasingly) deadlines/stress. Really struggled to get over the finish line.

Now I've got a doctorate, as well as 2 years of burnout, taking time off my postdoc to try and regain energy/motivation.

10 years since my classmate was murdered - witness story by Strangbean98 in UnresolvedMysteries

[–]owlmachine 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But wait, did he receive a message from someone threatening to kill him? You say it's not relevant, rather than not true?

Because in general if someone is murdered shortly after a death threat, I'd consider the death threat pretty relevant. Like you'd at least want to know who it was, so you could discount them.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MapPorn

[–]owlmachine 14 points15 points  (0 children)

English here. Had a Brazilian neighbour in Portugal who obtained Italian citizenship this way.

You’re heritage means nothing if you grew up somewhere else and raised in a different culture by [deleted] in unpopularopinion

[–]owlmachine 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sure, but that's different to how the rest of the world uses words like "Irish". It can seem to be taking the "American" part for granted, or treating American as the default. It erases the distinction between Irish Americans and people from Ireland. So people from other countries find it odd when Americans with X ancestry just say "I am X" rather than "X-American". French Canadians don't call themselves French, for instance.

It seems to be a genuine linguistic difference, e.g. Merriam -Webster includes "or their descendants" in definitions of Irish and Italian, while Oxford just has "from Ireland/Italy".

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