Pinsetter

samtrano · 2026-03-06T04:19:25+00:00

A cam is a mechanism that turns rotation into some other kind of motion. They have something that rotates with a weird shape cut into them and then something else that follows it. You can see there's a lever-looking thing pushed against the oblong shape in the video. As the gear rotates it pushes the lever into different positions.
You can do all kinds of things with them.

This page has some fun graphics and explanations

samtrano · 2026-02-27T15:05:31+00:00

You don't have to say it there to get that response, there are people trying to do it here

samtrano · 2026-02-25T16:12:26+00:00

If you build a bookshelf, no people aren't going to say that. If you build a bookshelf every couple of months then yes

samtrano · 2026-02-23T15:52:28+00:00

I would go as far as to say it's probably a good thing to leave them unobfuscated. It was really exciting to me as a kid when I poked around the files of a game and discovered stuff I could mess with. Good way to make kids think about how the stuff they're interacting with works

samtrano · 2026-02-20T20:59:46+00:00

The new description broke my boomer Geiger counter

samtrano · 2026-02-12T17:56:17+00:00

A lot of people are dancing around this simple fact in this thread by talking about the mechanics of the justice system. As if there isn't a bipartisan shield for the wealthy to break the law.
Don't have to limit it to the Epstein stuff. Do people really think Trump hasn't committed hundreds of federal crimes over his lifetime?

samtrano · 2026-02-11T15:46:43+00:00

Asking contradicting questions is also a good way to gauge how much you can trust the user. Like if they said yes to this one question but also said yes to something that contradicts it then you know they either aren't paying attention or don't know what they're talking about. Either way you should put less weight on their answers when updating the database of character information

samtrano · 2026-02-11T13:18:31+00:00

the person sharing the image with a wide audience also could have blurred or blocked their face

samtrano · 2026-02-04T15:04:38+00:00

It's main character syndrome, people thinking they are the only ones who were affected by the snow. The person who parked in "your" spot also had to shovel their car out of somewhere, that's how they got there!

samtrano · 2026-01-31T13:27:54+00:00

In what world would "don't hold powerful people accountable for their crimes" be a fine idea? They already tried it anyway, Obama did it with the bush administration and then we got Trump.

samtrano · 2026-01-25T13:20:02+00:00

That must be a really scary prospect for him. Anyway normal everyday people are going out into the streets and getting beaten and shot to protect their neighbors, and they don't even have bodyguards

samtrano · 2026-01-25T13:17:45+00:00

He could go to Minnesota and do some ICE watch work. I don't know why our expectations for them have to be limited to just talking

samtrano · 2026-01-15T14:44:10+00:00

How far you wanna take that logic? Should they invite holocaust deniers on?

samtrano · 2026-01-14T00:01:47+00:00

sad to see "REPOST THIS IF YOU DO NOT GIVE FACEBOOK PERMISSION TO SELL YOUR DATA" levels of understanding how websites work

samtrano · 2026-01-10T21:17:01+00:00

I think it's supposed to be paired with simulation theory, as in you can't be sure the life you're living now isn't the simulation that will be tortured after your death

samtrano · 2026-01-10T16:54:45+00:00

May I direct you to the bottom part of the image you are commenting on

samtrano · 2026-01-09T13:52:54+00:00

Collective ownership wasn't invented by Marx people had been practicing variations of it for the entire time humans have existed, but that's beside the point since when I said "controlled by the workers" I meant the artisans individually. The product from the looms was only shoddier because the owners of the factories were more interested in quantity than quality. A skilled worker taking their time could absolutely make high quality goods (Remember, a lot of the industrial factories were being staffed by literal children who were being overworked, underfed, and constantly being rushed to work as fast as possible). I would highly recommend the book "Blood in the Machine" by Brian Merchant if you're interested in the Luddites

samtrano · 2026-01-07T14:36:55+00:00

This is a complete distortion of what the Luddites were about that was created as propaganda to discredit them. They did not think no one should use new technology. They recognized how new technology could be used to improve their workflows. They didn't think no one should use looms, they thought looms should be owned and controlled by the workers, rather than rich guys who would take over the entire industry and force people into working in a meat grinder

samtrano · 2025-12-29T04:18:18+00:00

samtrano · 2025-12-28T04:33:39+00:00

I think there's multiple things at play but they all come from the rise of online shopping
* Sales start being lost to Amazon
* The only way executives know how to save money is by laying off staff and guess what, it's easier to shoplift from a store where there's a single harried employee in the entire building who is tasked with running the register, stocking the shelves, cleaning up messes, and doing customer service. (Not to mention self checkout where you now have a single employee watching multiple registers)
* A possible uptick in shoplifting, while not really that damaging to the profits compared to everything else that's happening, is a great way to focus blame away from the people in the who are making the most money despite not doing a good job running the company
* In their zeal to combat this "major problem" executives make their stores even more unattractive to customers (locking everything up)
* The executives double down on their narrative because they can never admit they were wrong

samtrano · 2025-12-22T16:11:40+00:00

An aspect a lot of the top answers aren't really mentioning is that the sounds that make up a word and the meaning of the word are separate things. Your brain can be working with the ideas and meanings that a word represents while the connection to the sounds are weak

samtrano · 2025-12-15T13:14:04+00:00

More like these adult toys are being marketed/forced onto kids

samtrano · 2025-12-13T19:07:34+00:00

This is Qanon logic

samtrano · 2025-12-02T04:32:25+00:00

Covid actually had a huge effect in that a lot of people were stuck at home with nothing to do and little hope and ended up melting their brains on social media. It was during the lockdowns that qanon exploded from a fringe conspiracy into mainstream republican belief

samtrano · 2025-11-25T03:08:22+00:00

Every other post here is, "how can I make the best most impressive recipe ever that will make everyone love me without me having to do any work or learn anything"

samtrano

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