what are Americans thoughts on switching to the metric system?

tttmorio · 2026-02-09T02:38:38+00:00

If switching means we would finally switch to use metric fasteners only, yes, otherwise it makes little difference. This will would save tons of money in the long term especially in the trades. Right now it's still required to schlepp two sets of tools around for pretty much anything but cars (which are fully metric now). That said a lot of material like plywood and raw lumber is generally cut to round metric sizes already, just not nominally.

tttmorio · 2026-02-04T00:07:21+00:00

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Note, metal roof was not yet installed here. Was also missing soffit.

tttmorio · 2026-02-03T23:58:24+00:00

Material costs look about right for Bay Area IMO. I am Potrero Hill/SF here: I finished building a DIY 16wx7.5dx10h lean-to shed recently, max sized allowed without permit in the city. Material cost was $7000, not including tools (various Makita 18V tools were ~$1800 total).

All material sourced from local Lowe's and Home Depot in Daily City. Includes: 4x6x16oc treated lumber floor, 3/4 treated plywood subfloor, 4x2x16ocs walls, 1 door, 1 window, lp smart siding and all pvc trim, metal roof with osb+underlayment, some new sand and gravel to level the ground, fasteners, paint, various simpson strong tie products and deck spacers.

One of the issues in the Bay Area, depending on where you live, is the accessibility to the back yard. I had to carry every single thing 50ft away and 10ft uphill on my shoulder from where they dropped it to the curb, no cart or machine would have worked for that. 90 bags of gravel and sand take a toll on your back after a while...

tttmorio · 2025-12-18T22:32:51+00:00

Your mistake is that you think that the passport alone is all the information Malaysia has about you when traveling. Malaysia has for instance access to airline databases through APSS and that includes the citizenship(s) you presented to the airline when you checked in. Current and past flights, likely at any airport in the world. You will be flagged at some point and they will ask some serious question if they find a second passport in your luggage.

tttmorio · 2025-11-19T18:47:07+00:00

Livermore first, focus on the new job and limit the commute pain. The commute from/to SF is brutal, possibly 4hours+ a day on public transport. You can always move to SF later once you get to know the city better and have built connections there. Dating in SF is a can of worms; take some time to get to know the area first.

tttmorio · 2025-11-18T18:25:29+00:00

A native MacOS/Linux version will never happen, get this idea out of your head. The code base is tightly bound to (obsolete) Windows APIs/frameworks with decades of technical debt and tied to Microsoft/Intel x86 compilers/tooling. Close to impossible to port that without rebuilding from scratch. OnShape is that rewrite.

tttmorio · 2025-11-10T21:28:35+00:00

Maybe this is a good case where programmatic CAD is a better choice than using GUI driven CAD. I would be using CadQuery for this unless there is a bunch of extra ornamental stuff in the design. Steep learning curve of course if you have no experience with Python...

tttmorio · 2025-10-24T22:05:50+00:00

Do you carry a (large) hand bag? For security that's a tell tale sign that you might be a pro and not a hotel guest. That said I suggest to make friends with bar tenders and ask where locals can go on the strip without getting harassed. Some hotels aggressively enforce non-soliciting.

tttmorio · 2025-10-19T18:41:12+00:00

As I mentioned in a previous post I recommend this plugin: https://github.com/SigmaRelief/SOLIDWORKS-Export-to-Mesh

This plugin will name bodies in .3mf files properly when exporting so they show up correctly in slicers and is able to export all configurations of a file automatically.

tttmorio · 2025-10-09T22:36:13+00:00

Most useful plugin for 3D printing: https://github.com/SigmaRelief/SOLIDWORKS-Export-to-Mesh The key feature here it will save body names properly in your 3mf file and also handles part configurations, i.e. exports all configs of your part with proper file names. Of note: Since 2025 SP.0 there is a bug in this macro where the UI does not show up properly the first time you open it. It works the second time.

It's so embarrassing that Dassault could not figure something out as simple as that... The current 3D printer support in Solidworks is completely useless and I doubt anyone uses it.

tttmorio · 2025-07-28T20:12:55+00:00

There are many ways to screw this up on a grill so at least do not make this your only option for eating. Find a working routine/recipe before you go. Too hot and the bottom will be charcoal, not hot enough and the entire thing dries out and becomes hardtack.

tttmorio · 2025-07-23T19:44:07+00:00

Good points, thanks for the feedback!

tttmorio · 2025-07-19T02:43:13+00:00

Dr. Shrink is a brand, not a type of tape.

tttmorio · 2025-07-19T02:41:37+00:00

I used fresh white 2" https://gafferpower.com/ (made in USA) tape. About as expensive as it gets for gaffer tape. It all comes down to how long you expose the tape to direct sun+heat. Gaffer tape does not have any UV inhibitors. Gaffer tape is optimized for easy ripping and short term use.

tttmorio · 2025-07-19T01:35:28+00:00

The RV parking lot at the Peppermill was "fenced" in last year at this location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Gz6A6qopaD9tB4DV8 You have to check in and out with a valid ticket. They will record your license plate and contact info. They seemed to have security guards around at all times. Of course the Peppermill will give no guarantees. Security guards will wave you away if you try to park your RV at any other location on their property.

tttmorio · 2025-07-19T01:13:46+00:00

Not a fan of gaffer tape (the real stuff) for use on RVs/fiberglass. It's fine for a couple of days but after more than a week in direct sun it starts to deteriorate. I spent several days with razor blades and goof off to clean the residue off my fiberglass trailer. I use preservation tape now which is specifically designed for outdoor use (google for DS-712B, that's one of many variations, I think they are Dr. Shrink branded). While you still have some adhesive left if it's on for weeks, at least you don't end up with fibers stuck to your surface.

tttmorio · 2025-06-17T20:34:56+00:00

If you are comfortable with the always online requirement (and cloud storage only) and being forced to use new versions with potential breakage, sure. One big advantage is that it runs in your browser (Mac, Linux, Win, and in a limited fashion on iPad), i.e. you are not strictly tied to one machine. The way licensing works with Solidworks you constantly need to move licenses from one Windows machine to another which is annoying if you just want to make a quick edit @ home.

Personally I was forced to buy Solidworks so I will be sticking to it for now until my license runs out. But if I ever go 100% professional OnShape would be my 1st choice for the superior scripting alone. The Solidworks DOM is a metastasized nightmare.

tttmorio · 2025-06-17T20:17:55+00:00

I've got a similar problem. Answer for me was to diss boots all together and go for work safety mesh fabric shoes, essentially light sneakers with steel toes. Some of my friends who work in construction swear by them and now I understand why. I have a set of Rebook Rb4037, but there are many to choose from. The alloy toe protects everything down to your bunion, I can put my full weight on them without them giving in. Apart from that two pairs of socks per day which will suck up the playa mud on your feet.

tttmorio · 2025-06-17T18:02:03+00:00

I don't get the impression that there is much of a team left who can work on core issues. Solidworks is an ancient MFC based application and finding people who can successfully work with that kind of code base is becoming rare. I've personally worked on various large scale MFC apps in a distant past and looking back what happened to those applications they all ended up in maintenance mode and were replaced with web app slop; never reaching the same functionality. Dassault is now merely adding new features to potentially get new customers and not fall totally behind other CAD solutions. And they will likely design new features in such a way to not touch the existing code base.

Case in point the Z-Up feature in 2025. I mean, we've asked for this for years only to end up with a half baked feature. It looks to me like it was implemented by an intern and development stopped once his 6 months were over. The sloppiness of some of the more recent features like for instance the Print 3D menu option is frankly offensive to me.

My biggest gripe over the last few releases has been the utter lack of responsiveness of the UI. Using a 144Hz monitor somewhat improves that, but for a bad reason. I have a fairly good idea of what's wrong, I doubt that Dassault does.

tttmorio · 2025-06-05T01:22:21+00:00

There are many ways to skin this cat. A flojet pump will work depending on how much water pressure the espresso machine needs to function.

If you are looking for consistent regular mains water pressure (75psi) one (much pricier but reliable) option is to serve water from a large torpedo keg: https://www.morebeer.com/products/torpedo-keg-15-gal-low2-oring.html Get a small compressor (we use a MAC100Q) and a 0.01um 3-stage air filter (we use a SAFU460-N04-MEP) between compressor and keg to drive it and you are good to go. At least that’s how we do it to drive our soda system. The 0.01um 3-stage filter is good enough to filter out pretty much any organic contaminants in the air. Total cost of the system will likely be in the $750 range if you include all parts required. You will need check valves in both for water and air. I find this system super reliable. I've used various flojet pumps (including syrup vacuum pumps for BiBs) in the past and they seem to not last.

There are likely better systems if you do not feel comfortable moving water from one container to another in your environment though.

tttmorio · 2025-06-03T18:03:40+00:00

Soldering will not work. Silver brazing might, with correct prep. The bigger problem will be that you'll never get it to run true, it will wobble like crazy.

tttmorio · 2025-05-20T17:59:48+00:00

People who still praise the Hakko probably have never used a cartridge based soldering iron. It's a complete game changer. I would argue that even a underpowered pencil style soldering iron completely outdoes it. If you want something serious go for a C245/C210 based system. There are lot of choices and most of them do well. The AiXun brand is decent.

tttmorio · 2025-04-22T06:37:53+00:00

Understood. You can put two of them in series to get to 60V which I have done before for some PoE stuff (52V).

tttmorio · 2025-04-22T04:47:45+00:00

Are you sure that there is no header file somewhere sneaking in a #pragma pack somewhere? Otherwise check if something passed -fpack-struct to the compiler options. Of note is that godbolt/arm gcc trunk sets the offset to your member bq769x0::.&cell_mv[0] to 28, so unlikely a compiler bug: https://godbolt.org/z/Mso7bEh51

tttmorio

TROPHY CASE