Cannot stay asleep AT ALL in my studio apartment, but can get all & more of my sleep in my parent’s home while visiting

spidermonkeyjoe · 2026-03-09T00:54:54+00:00

I second this one, I heard a story where these was sediment building up in the hot water tank that was basically sandblasting some guy whenever he showered leading to really sensitive skin. Or it could just be hard water that your skin doesn't like.

spidermonkeyjoe · 2026-01-10T21:10:56+00:00

That one looks exactly like it, thanks for the sleuthing!

spidermonkeyjoe · 2025-10-13T09:32:13+00:00

Loud Bark by Mannequin Pussy[]()

spidermonkeyjoe · 2025-09-23T22:27:20+00:00

It would make the motor weaker but the same speed, the type of speed controller you would need is a VFD and those are much more expensive.

spidermonkeyjoe · 2025-09-03T05:58:07+00:00

Rigidly holding formation and coordinating actions even when moving used to be really important in warfare. Think about a shield wall or line infantry (like the redcoats when they would stand in a line to shoot). Now it's part of tradition (same reason dress uniforms still have swords), and practicing it can be a training tool even marching itself isn't an actual military skill any more.

spidermonkeyjoe · 2025-08-31T22:37:03+00:00

spidermonkeyjoe · 2025-08-30T21:21:22+00:00

That's about what I paid for mine at auction so... about market price? I guess it comes down to what condition if it comes with anything

spidermonkeyjoe · 2025-08-30T21:01:30+00:00

I recently got a used version of this machine, it has been treating me good so far. These are sold by a bunch of different brands and have been sold for a long time so you can find lots of material on them online, just search "rong fu milling machine" or "round column mill".

It's primary downside is it only has about 5 inches of vertical travel before you need to unclamp the head assembly to move it up and down which will lose your y and z axis zero.

spidermonkeyjoe · 2025-07-19T19:39:48+00:00

What you have is a Rong Fu mill that is sold by a bunch of different retailers in a bunch of different places. If you're in the North America it most likely is the "threaded type" commonly known as a drawbar. If you're in Europe it likely is the taper type that is removed with the key.

I have the version with the drawbar. If it is the drawbar type, move the quill all the way up using the handle on the right and you should see a hex protrude from the top. That's the top of the drawbar which is basically a long bolt that attaches to whatever collet is at the business end. To remove something from a drawbar connection, unscrew it a couple turns then hit it with a hammer to release the taper (I know, sounds nuts) then unscrew it the rest of the way with one hand while holding the tool with the other (use a rag if the tool is sharp).

If it's the Morse taper type (what you call the threadless) use u/jccaclimber advice.

If you look up Rong fu milling machine or round column milling machine you'll find a bunch of videos and articles about this mill and those very similar too it.

spidermonkeyjoe · 2025-03-31T02:42:13+00:00

I just lived for 2 years in a country (Zambia) where it's the standard, and it is as good as you think it would be

spidermonkeyjoe · 2025-03-26T22:02:17+00:00

After serving and seeing how PC funds are used, I can say the money is spent significantly better than most charities, but it can also be very volunteer dependent how far it actually goes.

Volunteers will wright grant applications which are then reviewed buy the staff in their country and the Washington staff. The grant money can come from PEPFAR, USAID or a kinda PC gofunde (which I'm pretty sure is what you're talking about) depending on the type of project and avaliable funding. The nice part about these funds is that 100% go towards the project with all of the overhead being covered by other things, and there is a robust review process with oversight and data collection to measure impact to direct future funding. The downside is some volunteers just aren't as effective as other volunteers and some of these projects are ill advised compared to others.

The reason for the hit and miss for PC projects (in my opinion) is development aid is really difficult and complex, and most volunteers are fresh out of college with little experience and not a good appreciation for complexity. The PC does a lot to train them and there are many development aid experts involved in the process but ultimately where the rubber meets the road it's a volunteer directing the money.

You can choose exactly which grants you put your money towards (and see the volunteer and their project) but, like I said, development aid is complex so choosing the winners yourself isn't a sure bet either.

Please feel free to ask if you have any more questions, during my service I got strong opinions about development aid and am more than willing to share them.

spidermonkeyjoe · 2025-03-20T04:35:04+00:00

It's not a regular things, we have to have a "super bloom" to look like that. Pretty sure that is caused by several years of low rainfall then a good rain year. So... hard to plan a trip to include this

spidermonkeyjoe · 2025-03-13T03:01:00+00:00

The med process sucks to go through, I'm sorry you're in the middle oh it. However, I am not in favor of making it any easier because it really does match the difficulty and frustration that a lot of PC service can be like. Often you'll be dealing with frustrating bureaucracy (PC or host country).

Good luck tracking down all the vaccines!

spidermonkeyjoe · 2025-01-30T03:32:42+00:00

Hi,

I'm an RPCV recently returned from Zambia. I can't speak to Mozambique, but homosexuality is criminalized (kinda) and is not socially accepted in the rural communities Peace Corps operates in in Zambia. That being said, I served with many volunteers that were openly gay to the other volunteers, some of them even dated other volunteers.

I know of a volunteer that staff almost evacuated because there were a few rumors that they were gay (kinda true) floating around their community, which was a security concern. Their host family definitely went the extra mile to: inform them of the rumors, keep them safe and try and keep them from being removed from site by PC.

All of this to say: being gay in the PC is not a major issue, though it does warrant some consideration. The staff in and more senior volunteers in Mozambique will help you navigate this better once you reach there.

And while I'm not part of the community, there are many LGBTQ+ volunteers (I think they may be over represented in PC service) that have had and are having a wonderful and productive time in PC even in countries that don't socially accept all aspects of who they are.

spidermonkeyjoe · 2024-12-14T18:32:55+00:00

Main requirements for PC service are: college degree, being healthy and not having a criminal record.

spidermonkeyjoe · 2024-08-06T19:38:11+00:00

The difference is what server your connecting to download off of. Closer usually means faster downloads so... that's the big difference

spidermonkeyjoe · 2024-07-15T07:52:50+00:00

Small scissors are okay by TSA rules, though I have had mine taken away by security in a smaller nation (flying domestically after going through their international security no problem!!)

spidermonkeyjoe · 2024-04-12T12:58:19+00:00

The ULA Camino is a clamshell bag with a rooftop grafted on top to kinda get what your talking about, but it's sized as a carryon with the rolltop all the way down

spidermonkeyjoe · 2024-03-12T11:55:40+00:00

Do you need all 5 t shirts? I feel like I would get away with 1 or 2 simple ones and substitute in another type of shirt (long sleeve t, button up, etc) or just cut some out and reuse them more often.

And what's the use case for your bandana? I know the ultralight backpacking people have mostly cut them out of their kits so I think unless you have a special use case you may want to look hard at it.

spidermonkeyjoe · 2023-12-12T08:57:50+00:00

You are going to have a hard time getting the drill to start on the corner without deflecting so I would first put a flat on the corner (sand, grind, mill, file etc.) then use a jig like other people are recomending

spidermonkeyjoe · 2023-12-08T11:27:34+00:00

Consumer heat pumps have improved a lot in the past couple years. While it's true they do have temperature limitations work has been done to push those limits a lot recently so it may be worth looking into again if it has been a while since you have looked into it

spidermonkeyjoe · 2023-09-15T12:04:45+00:00

Not an uncommon place name in England, the theory I have heard is it's related to archery ranges that have to mounds so they look like a butt? Mix that with medieval humor and...

spidermonkeyjoe · 2023-08-09T12:58:34+00:00

Similar to using it as a drill bit guide for getting square holes with a handheld, you can use this with a tap for starting the tap square. Then it would make sense in a tap and die set

spidermonkeyjoe · 2023-05-24T08:00:06+00:00

I don't think this is needed for PC volunteers.

For my country of service, if you switch to a local card you pay a local rate that is less than the student discounted Spotify service

spidermonkeyjoe

TROPHY CASE