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#1
Disasters in Current Events / Re: The coming AI takeover...
Last post by Anianna - Yesterday at 06:07:06 PM
Uh, guys, limited power to support massive AI is one of the things inhibiting the even faster spread of AI, but...

AI's Energy Crisis Solved? A Revolutionary Magnetic Chip Could Change Everything

Also,

Scientists Develop Artificial Neurons That Mimic Human Perception

Oh, and

Google's cool with using their AI for weapons now.
Google's cool with using their AI for weapons now.  Crazy timing, right?  Right?
#2
Current Events of Note / Re: Bird Flu
Last post by Anianna - Yesterday at 12:22:02 AM
Without federal level data, it's difficult to follow patterns nationwide.  California is known to have cases of H5N1 in people, so I checked their patterns of infection for influenza.  Keep in mind that this data is for every kind of influenza and is not specific to H5N1 and is only data from California.  




Just FYI, H5N1 is one of many subtypes of influenza A.  There have been definite pet to human infections in California at this point, but it remains unclear if any of the cases are human to human.   There have now been multiple cases documented in a single household.  It's not clear if every affected member was infected by a pet or if there are now human to human cases, which would be the concern. 

I've seen a lot of people interested in getting their own chickens due to egg prices and low availability.  The worst H5N1 case in the US from which the infected person died occurred in Louisiana and was traced to their backyard chicken flock.  Several backyard flocks have tested positive.  I don't think it's a good time to get new chickens, but if you do, educate yourself and take the steps necessary to protect your birds. 

Here are some alternatives to eggs based on the purpose of the eggs in a recipe:
https://www.allrecipes.com/article/egg-substitute-for-baking/
#3
Disasters in Current Events / Re: M7.6 Earthquake - Cayman I...
Last post by NT2C - February 08, 2025, 06:00:36 PM
Tsunami alert for Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico as well as all surrounding countries

https://www.tsunami.gov/
#5
Transportation / Re: Folding E-Bikes: Brompton ...
Last post by tirls - February 08, 2025, 12:58:57 PM
Belated update on the bike front.
I've had my first major failure a week ago. My back rim ate the tire. I might require an entire new wheel for this, I'm not sure if it destroyed the rim as well.

That is the only major downside of the bike I've found so far.
The 16 inch wheels with rim brakes are not the best considering how much hill climbing and descending I do regularly. It heats up the rims when breaking and I'm too much of a wuss to go at high speed. I think that might be why my wheel failed, too much rim wear.

I need to put up some pictures next week.
It's still a brilliant bike, I adore it. But the wheels might not quite be cut out for the task.

Brompton now has a 20" version, however it is quite heavy and uses aluminium for the fork. I can't stand aluminium bike frames.
I'm thinking of upgrading my bike with custom parts to make it a 20" and allow disc brakes.
20 wheels mainly for the availability, a lot of kid's bikes and bmx use that size. Otherwise I love the 16" size.

On the other hand the bike has gotten me fit enough that one of my friends and me have a bike tour to Italy planned for next year or the year after. Not on the Brompton most likely, since it involves an Alp crossing.
Currently I'm torn between an Origami Swift folding bike or getting my old Gitane Mixte from the 80s in proper shape for it.
#6
Let There Be Light! / Re: Torque Test Channel review...
Last post by majorhavoc - February 07, 2025, 06:21:37 PM
Quote from: EBuff75 on February 07, 2025, 05:34:03 PMYeah, they've tested flashlights like this before.  I think that they mostly do it for the comedic value, since they rarely have any of the bigger name brands on there.  In this case, the only one that scored well (the Wuben) was also the only brand that is actually a known brand in the industry.  Okay, they had the one "Philips" but I wonder if it was legit, or just a company using the name without permission, given that it was as crappy as the rest. 
Yeah, I probably should have mentioned the Wuben in my "Cliff Notes" version because that definitely came out on top and also won the unofficial "truth in advertising" prize.  Humorously referencing the US Navy's HELIOS directed energy weapon (link now corrected in OP) was just too tempting.  :icon_crazy:

RE: Philips brand: I've often wondered the same thing about the Energizer and Eveready brands.  I occasionally see all metal LED headlamps on Amazon marketed under those brand names that don't seem to ever appear in mainstream retail outlets.  I bought one a while back and it's been a good performer.  So much so, I'm surprised I've never seen it available in bricks and mortar stores.  Which makes me wonder if Energizer just licensed their name to some generic Chinese manufacturer. 
#7
Let There Be Light! / Re: Torque Test Channel review...
Last post by EBuff75 - February 07, 2025, 05:34:03 PM

Yeah, they've tested flashlights like this before.  I think that they mostly do it for the comedic value, since they rarely have any of the bigger name brands on there.  In this case, the only one that scored well (the Wuben) was also the only brand that is actually a known brand in the industry.  Okay, they had the one "Philips" but I wonder if it was legit, or just a company using the name without permission, given that it was as crappy as the rest. 
#8
Let There Be Light! / Torque Test Channel reviews On...
Last post by majorhavoc - February 07, 2025, 05:23:46 PM
I guess Milwaukee, DeWalt and Harbor Freight must be taking a break from releasing new cordless torque wrenches because TTC shifted gears and reviewed those off brand superduper lightsaber flashlights you see on Amazon, eBay and elsewhere. 

Cliff Notes version: there's no such thing as a 2.5 million lumen flashlight or anything remotely close to it.  (Unless it's something mounted on a heavily modified Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer.)

#9
Off-Grid Living / Re: Grid-tie solar PV in the U...
Last post by sheddi - February 07, 2025, 04:45:21 PM
I'm not dead :) although it seems my Photobucket account is! I'll have to see about re-hosting those photos ...

Rooftop solar is still working well, more than 33MWh generated to date. The ground array is also going strong, although it's rather shaded at this time of year.

The original inverter died last year (after 12 years of hard work). The replacement has WiFi and an app, so I can see pretty graphs of solar generation on my phone :D

I've also replaced my homebrew LFP battery packs with one of these Fogstar kits, 16kWh for £1500 / US$1900.

And the Ripple wind farm in has been operational since the middle of last year!
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