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Thaddeus Kosciuszko

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  1. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in Richmond VA was marked as the answer   
  2. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in the coriolis effect was marked as the answer   
    I like Coriolis! 

  3. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in Friday ride recap and photos was marked as the answer   
    It's one of the downsides of living in the Northeast, where mills arose at many locations where waterpower was available.  Successful mills grew to the extent waterpower would allow, then steam replaced waterpower, which allowed factories to replace mills.  Once electricity and motors replace steam power and belt-and-pulley systems, factory growth was limited only by what the utility could provide.  Across NY there are many waterfalls that have dams built on top, and most of the water is diverted to produce hydropower.  In many places, too, the factory site is abandoned, but the dam still remains.
    At that factory site you can see why the factory might have been placed there - a dive into local history would confirm the theory.  The short blue line is a small stream that shows up on Google maps.  I suspect this was the initial reason for locating a mill there.  Circled in the upper right it looks like there's a dam on the river, and the longer blue line parallels a gap in the trees which was/still is probably the millrace for the factory when it was water powered.  In the picture below it looks like the factory was expanded over time, with buildings tacked on to those originally there.  That's typical of a factory site progressing from water to steam to electric power.

     
  4. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in How was your morning? Take 2 was marked as the answer   
    Also on the bright side, it looks like you did remember to put on your pants. 

  5. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in Property tax was marked as the answer   
    It seems you could save a bunch of money if you disguised your car as a house.

  6. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in Beggers was marked as the answer   
    You know, if you were going to take my picture you could have at least given me a minute to get my hat on straight.
  7. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in Solar house? was marked as the answer   
    Listen to the KrAzY man.
    Many of these 'free' contracts install the panels 'at no cost to you'.  However, it locks you into a 10-15 year contract where they own the panels and the equipment and you give them the right to put the panels on your roof and the equipment in your house.
    Want to sell? You either buy out the solar contract or the people buying your house have to assume the contract, often with a 'transfer fee' to place the contract in the buyer's names.
    Need a new roof or have to fix it, and the panels are in the way?  You have to 'hire' the solar panel company - and no one else - to remove the panels and then 'hire' them to put them back.  If you have someone else do the work that's a breach of contract and, depending on the contract terms, the entire amount of the contract is then due immediately.
    Solar panels lose from 1-2% per year, so at the end of a 15 year contract the output could be down by as much as 30%.
    Most of these companies count on people not reading the contract because all they hear is 'free'.
    Beware.  Ask them for a copy of their contract for you to review.  If they won't give you one, then kick them out.
  8. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in Mattress in a box was marked as the answer   
    You could set it on fire.  The heat would pretty much sterilize the surface and the fire would remove the stains.

  9. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in Kirby in Biblical times was marked as the answer   
    Although it does seem that Kirby did come prepared for the emergency!

  10. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in I am going to happy hour today was marked as the answer   
    It looks like the Dallas Cowboys did some good trades and improved their tackles, guards, and center over what they had last year.
  11. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in A joke for DH was marked as the answer   
    Because if something is periodic, it re-occurs at regular intervals.
    Therefore, it becomes expected and it no longer contains the element of surprise.
  12. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in Blueberry was marked as the answer   
    Blueberries will work, but make sure you have the right assistants line up first:

  13. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in Well! was marked as the answer   
    I would suggest that when a thread gets pulled, you can see it but only after you pay $20.  The site would never have concerns again about money.
  14. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in Which was a bigger deal? The public internet or flashlights on cell phones? was marked as the answer   
    Actually, I was going to cast my vote for the Sham-Wow.

  15. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in Who here knows about Japanese culture? was marked as the answer   
    I don't get why you wouldn't show your Ryan Gosling face.
    I mean, what's good for the goose is good for the gander...
  16. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in TIB was marked as the answer   
    Genius, UB!
    I think I'll post this on the 'Suggestions' forum:

  17. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in Bank error in your favor? was marked as the answer   
    Dear Hip Dirty,
    We have deposited of the recent funds of the Prince Nigerian into account being yours, to being of more business doing to you.  Of this no mistake, please not this to confusing with regular transaction being by bank the yours.   Funds of many dollars extra being available to you, can of we transfer more into this account by of sending check to cash by you.  Please by cashing of this check to deposit these more many dollars into yours banking account, then by Union of the Western send small to us of the processing fee, and then we release can to you being the many of the dollars.
    Of sincerely most being,
    Nationale Banke Lagos
  18. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in So, will you be shopping at Bed, Bath and Beyond’s liquidations? was marked as the answer   
    I've generally found with these going out of business 'sales' is that the company marks everything up 100% and then runs a screaming advertising campaign that 'Everything is 30% off!' 
  19. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in Survey says was marked as the answer   
    Once you get the fence up, I would not put little speakers near the fence that would not play wildlife noises all night long.  That way you wouldn't give the impression to your neighbor that your new fence is not keeping the wildlife from not coming into her backyard.
  20. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in Laptop bags: Leather or Canvas? Other? was marked as the answer   
    Let's hope the manufacturing department is more on the ball than the marketing department...

  21. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in So, what will come of the Moscow meetup? was marked as the answer   
    Xi is there to tell Putin how Russia fits into China's plans.  Not ask, tell.  Of course, not so bluntly as that, but he'll outline to Putin the positives for Russia of them working together while revealing little of China's plans.  Xi won't be asking for cooperation, because Russia isn't critical for China to move forward with its plans.  But Russia's cooperation could remove complications for China - for example allow it to move some military resources off the Russian border to be used elsewhere. 
    Putin's no dummy so he will realize his choices are limited and what Xi offers provides gains for Russia, even if it places Russia in China's sphere and makes Russia obligated to China.   Putin will accept the 'offer' given his entanglement with Ukraine and that at the moment he needs whatever allies he can get, with the confidence he can extract Russia from any devil's bargains later on.
  22. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in The ultimate in entitlement was marked as the answer   
    It looks like a bunch of cri de babies.
  23. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in My cupboard is bare was marked as the answer   
  24. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in Apparently renewable energy will have to wait for a while?? was marked as the answer   
    It's what happens when the reality of physics catches up with phantasy-the wishful version of physics.
    Solar and wind energy sources are not consistent and reliable to the same degree that traditional energy sources are.  By their very nature and design, solar and wind cannot be because the sources that provide the energy to create solar and wind energy are themselves inherently inconsistent and unreliable.  
    Yet no matter how much unreliable energy utilities are required to accept, they are also still required to deliver power within rather narrow bands of voltage and frequency, which in turn demands that their sources must reliably produce power meeting those requirements.  When the wind dies down and wind turbines stop spinning, then some other means of generation has to step in to take on the capacity that the turbines used to, and it has to do it fast, nearly instantaneously.
    If not, the generation that is still producing power after the exit of the turbines tries to supply the load, but can't maintain the voltage or the frequency.  Voltage drops and frequency drops off to the point where protective relays kick in and start isolating sections of the grid or start isolating the generators to protect them from damage.  If the isolation protocols are too slow or the lack of capacity is widespread, then the protective relays across the system start isolating more and more generation until it cascades into nothing connected to the grid at all - fortunately a rare occurrence.
    So, you can again say what you want about the progress of renewable resources, the hope that one day batteries will have enough energy density to economically alleviate the situation, and how marvelous it will be when someday the whole electrical system is composed of nothing but microgrids each self-sustaining and self-supporting, and express faith in man's inventiveness that we will eventually attain all that; but the hiatus declared by PJM is crystal clear, undeniable evidence that we are not there today, and the 'hope' and 'wishes' for tomorrow's progress buy us nothing for the present electrical grid.
    When energy policy is driven by people who have no understanding of the basic operation of electrical grids, much less a basic understanding of science itself, they create policies and laws rooted in how they feel things should be, which in the end, can't be implemented because those policies and laws had no firm foundation in practicality in the first place.
  25. Thaddeus Kosciuszko's post in Northeast Winter Storm was marked as the answer   
    "High confidence of event occurance (sic) but the actual impact area may change."
    Translation from weather-speak: "We're pretty sure something is going to happen, and it's going to happen somewhere, but we can't tell you how bad it will be anywhere." 
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