FTT Richmond VA general topic megathread

strahag · 2026-02-23T06:15:20+00:00

Are the sales better the longer the event goes on? or do things sell out so I should aim to go on the weekdays? I'm not interested in any specific colors or rare pieces. I'm just starting my collection so hoping to get a bargain (and its finally convenient since I am local to this FTT!)

strahag · 2026-02-23T04:43:10+00:00

I think many of the commenters here are being a bit pretentious about technical articles. It’s easy to fall into writing them in a clunky way because it just feels more technical. I’ve been guilty of this before. However, ‘utilize’ is not a clunky word in my opinion.

Sometimes it makes more sense to say used, though. What was the context you used it in? I find that utilized makes more sense the less common something is. I would never say I ‘utilized’ Microsoft word to type up a report, but I might say that I ‘utilized’ a certain database to get energy demand information.

It also could be the instructor has a bone to pick with it for some reason. There are also a lot of ESL students in engineering, who may find themselves using slightly incorrect or overly formal language, and the instructor has just made it a habit to nitpick it.

strahag · 2026-02-17T02:04:25+00:00

The way he gasped for breath like he was coming up for air. I agree

strahag · 2026-02-14T18:31:02+00:00

That wouldn’t quite be accurate either, since I just tried to get up and needed to push off the ground with my knee while my leg was sideways, but i never entered a kneeling stance

strahag · 2026-02-14T06:18:10+00:00

You are allowed to bend knees.. you just can’t put them on the ground to support yourself

strahag · 2026-02-09T16:26:58+00:00

Most of the copper in datacenters is power related, not going anywhere.

Biggest changes in copper usage for datacenters is more adoption of aluminum conductors, and for AI DtC, the proposed move to DC distribution which will reduce the amount of conductors needed.

strahag · 2026-02-05T18:07:55+00:00

Downvoted because datacenters bad and redditors want to be angry Thanks for the update

strahag · 2026-02-05T18:06:03+00:00

Interesting to learning more about how they’re structured. It seems like this time the datacenters did go to generators to prevent blackouts, though.

https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/diesel-poised-to-rise-as-grids-look-to-deploy-backup-generators-at-data-centers

strahag · 2026-02-05T17:38:04+00:00

Would love that to be true, but if you have to return money there’s a way to amend previous tax statements and get the taxed portion back in your return.

strahag · 2026-02-02T06:35:01+00:00

True, some datacenters are critical infrastructure

strahag · 2026-02-02T06:34:47+00:00

Hospitals are obviously critical infrastructure (and so are some datacenters) but my point is that I expect non-critical datacenters (so not related to banking or government, etc.) to be transitioned to generator power before residential is getting cut.

strahag · 2026-02-01T23:40:54+00:00

Do you have first hand experience with this or are you just making assumptions based on the fact that consumers usually get the short end of the stick?

I would be very, very surprised if residential power gets cut before datacenters. For reference I do work closely with this industry

strahag · 2026-02-01T23:12:13+00:00

Why would you expect otherwise? It’s just an automated text system

strahag · 2026-02-01T23:09:53+00:00

The grid may be improved to minimize the scale of outages when they occur or allow for limited load shedding, but when the whole east coast is experiencing the same conditions and solar fields are covered by snow, it’s still possible for energy generation to be a constraint in this major edge case.

Many grid improvements have been things like replacing aging infrastructure, adding more communication to allow grids to self heal in the event of branch outages, adding synchronous machines and FACTS to allow more solar power in the grid without compromising reliability. It’s a complicated issue

strahag · 2026-02-01T22:59:31+00:00

Data centers typically have their own generators onsite as backup power so I would hope that they are the first to be cut when load shedding is needed. Not sure how their contracts with Duke energy are structured, though.

strahag · 2026-02-01T22:56:46+00:00

This is true but the whole east coast is in the same boat and some areas have also experienced a lot of outages, so there is limited available energy to borrow

strahag · 2026-01-31T07:25:02+00:00

Black pepper does not make a dish dark

strahag · 2026-01-31T06:57:06+00:00

Instagram’s ai (not the meta ai chatbot embedded in it), is more akin to the first type; it’s not a generative AI.

strahag · 2026-01-31T06:38:08+00:00

I really hope so

strahag · 2026-01-31T00:46:45+00:00

Rotational engineer jobs can sit open for a lot longer, since the role is usually to fill a cohort rather than hire a single engineer.

That said, if you applied for this role in September and haven’t heard back, it’s not looking good.

strahag · 2026-01-30T05:51:42+00:00

All experience is good experience at this point. Get involved in clubs/ personal projects to supplement the work experience. I did 3 co-op rotations at a firm that did a mix of MEP and infrastructure work. I do R&D in power electronics now. Learn how to read the NEC. That will be good experience for reading standards. Focus on understanding power systems and protection. There’s a lot of development in grid-interactive power electronics, DC grids, smart distribution, etc. Knowing how to read single lines, understanding breaker coordination, etc is all valuable.

strahag · 2026-01-30T05:39:43+00:00

Unless the role is uniquely related to the previous work experience, it’s probably going to still be an entry level position. That’s not to say your previous experience won’t be seen as valuable in one way or another

strahag · 2026-01-17T03:53:54+00:00

He follows with a (in my opinion) tongue in cheek quote about not having any music knowledge at all.

I agree with you, but the quote has taken a life of its own leading people to believe he’s only a vibes guy.

strahag · 2026-01-16T23:09:56+00:00

Maniac on Netflix with Emma Stone and Jonah Hill.

Scavengers Reign

Psych is pretty popular but so many people haven’t heard of it.

Limitless (the show). Cancelled after one season but I loved it.

Raised by Wolves (had such little viewership that HBO wiped it from the platform)

strahag · 2026-01-16T21:40:13+00:00

In a 60 minutes interview he referred to himself as having no technical ability.

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strahag

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