Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[grizewald]

I'd estimate that the storm I was watching was around 30Km away - hopefully far enough away not to worry too much if it started to rotate. The locals appeared unconcerned at least.


On a slightly on-topic note, I had some fun building myself a small cluster last year to get a feel for what can be done with Proxmox and some cheap hardware. The cluster summary is quite fun:



and the hardware is definitely on the small side:



With the current price of electricity though, it's still not small enough to justify the cost of leaving it on 24/7.

[bd139]

I did exactly the same. Had a 4 node cluster on Lenovo mini PCs 

Eventually I got bored and sold them and now just futz with sandbox clusters in EKS and bill that out 

The Lenovo tiny series are really top notch bits of kit though.

[grizewald]

I did exactly the same. Had a 4 node cluster on Lenovo mini PCs 

Eventually I got bored and sold them and now just futz with sandbox clusters in EKS and bill that out 

The Lenovo tiny series are really top notch bits of kit though.

They really are rather nice aren't they? All have Intel i5-6500,6600 or 7500 CPUs with management interfaces except for node 1 at the top of the stack which got treated to a Xeon E3-1275L-V3 upgrade, just for the fun of it. All the storage shown in the summary is SSD and the switch and supporting network is all gigabit speed.

Being able to get them all running and installed via the management interfaces saved a bucket load of time and hassle.

[Saskia]

need to order wood for heating for winter. prices are going through the roof. will try to obtain a chainsaw later this week ...
probably a Husqvarna ...

[mnementh]

having had 2 minor hurricanes (average wind speed 160 and 165 mph, gusts to 190 / 195) coming my way I cannot concur. This is nothing you want to experience first hand.

[video]

You do NOT want to be caught in that ...

Totally agree. I have no desire to be anywhere in the path of a hurricane. Experiencing a Texan mega storm from a respectable distance is another matter though. Just the sheer ground shaking volume of almost constant horizon to horizon thunder and lightning is a truly visceral experience.

Yes... as is watching a dumbass in a shoebox car get washed off into the guardrails trying to drive through a flash-flood passing over the highway. 

mnem
The plains are unforgiving of fools; just like mother ocean.

[tggzzz]

In the interests of science you should now go and get absolutely plastered, test your hydration and report back.

Fortunately such testing is easy: just look at the colour as you piss up a rope.

[grizewald]

need to order wood for heating for winter. prices are going through the roof. will try to obtain a chainsaw later this week ...
probably a Husqvarna ...

Swedish chainsaws FTW!

[GreyWoolfe]

having had 2 minor hurricanes (average wind speed 160 and 165 mph, gusts to 190 / 195) coming my way I cannot concur. This is nothing you want to experience first hand.

[video]

You do NOT want to be caught in that ...

Totally agree. I have no desire to be anywhere in the path of a hurricane. Experiencing a Texan mega storm from a respectable distance is another matter though. Just the sheer ground shaking volume of almost constant horizon to horizon thunder and lightning is a truly visceral experience.

Yeah, hurricanes are not fun, and I say that based on what we get here which is usually on the wane compared to when they make landfall further south.

-Pat

Been through a few of them including Andrew.  I owned a mobile home in Hollywood Florida then and had an old convertible.  Went further north to stay with friends and we put the convertible under the overhang on the front of the house and wrapped it up with a tarp.  Got back home afterward and was fortunate to have no damage but did have a piece of roof from someone else's house on my porch.

Mrs GreyWoolfe was chased twice by tornadoes when living in Texas.  She much prefers hurricanes as would I.  She says you have days to prepare, not a blink of an eye.

[tggzzz]

For the record, the temp here in Chelmsford, UK is 37C in the shade.
Edit:
Just picked SWMBO up from work and its now 39C  And its currently 32C in my lab with all the windows and curtains closed.

37.1 in Brizzle. My temp is 37.

Just about to walk to the local shop to get some sparkling water. I expect the tarmac is ~55C. I may be some time[1]

[1] after Warren Oates, who followed that idiot Scott to his death.
But Scott was well-bred, so he was a better example[2] of a hero than Shackleton - who stunningly managed to lead his men to safety.

[2] Bloody "Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori" attitude.

i really hate to be that guy.  but was just watching an episode of "gunsmoke" and saw warren oates.

you probably meant lawrence oates?

Clearly my brain is melting.

[grizewald]

having had 2 minor hurricanes (average wind speed 160 and 165 mph, gusts to 190 / 195) coming my way I cannot concur. This is nothing you want to experience first hand.

[video]

You do NOT want to be caught in that ...

Totally agree. I have no desire to be anywhere in the path of a hurricane. Experiencing a Texan mega storm from a respectable distance is another matter though. Just the sheer ground shaking volume of almost constant horizon to horizon thunder and lightning is a truly visceral experience.

Yes... as is watching a dumbass in a shoebox car get washed off into the guardrails trying to drive through a flash-flood passing over the highway. 

mnem
The plains are unforgiving of fools; just like mother ocean.

I still remember wondering why the drains at the sides of the road were so huge the first time I visited Texas.
Later that week it rained....

 

I have a great respect for the settlers who, long before air conditioning, made their new homes in Texas. It's a brutal, unforgiving place and I can imagine that the only people who survived at the start were as tough as nails.

[Saskia]

those 2 hurricanes were cat 5 and fortunately turned away from the island about 300 km down south.if they had not it would have been a disaster.

[tautech]

need to order wood for heating for winter. prices are going through the roof. will try to obtain a chainsaw later this week ...
probably a Husqvarna ...

Swedish chainsaws FTW!

Yep hard to beat.

40+ years ago Jonsered were all the go in this part of NZ, I know as it was my job to service most of the pro cutters saws in this area however when Electrolux acquired Husky, Partner and Jonsered most of all of their R&D went into Husky and not long after Husky was and still is the leading brand.

Have a few of their classic models here. 

[tggzzz]

Just so.

I suspect the concept of dehydration stems from conflating a headache when you've drunk too much or are dehydrated. The Delicious impurities in the dilute alcohol are more likely culprits than the alcohol itself.

Definitely agree with this. Observations from experimentation with remaining hydrated and pissed at the same time:

Bottle of wine -> banging headache.

Several beers -> banging headache.

Bottle of port -> worst headache I have ever had.

Litre of Pepsi Max -> banging headache.

Couple of glasses of absinthe -> banging headache.

Way too much vodka -> no headache.

So the answer is to drink vodka and remain hydrated. To celebrate that discovery I'm going to ignore the findings and crack open another Punk IPA

Vodka yes, provided it has been fully distilled. If not there can be a tendency to wake up into twilight or darkness. Never seen the point of paying more than the absolute minimum for (pure) vodka; the whole point is it has no distinguishing taste!

Rum is supposed to be particularly bad, but I wouldn't know. Would "white rum" be an attempt to avoid the issue.

And that's why Tito's Handmade Vodka (whatevs, man) is my choice when I need a toddy for my body. I don't like the taste of most forms of alcohol... and Tito's does not color the flavor of anything you mix it with until you start to approach unity gain. Right now my poison of choice is a couple fingers in the bottom of a glass of the local brand of brewed/not-from-concentrate diet iced tea.

mnem
*currently approaching unity gain*

After distillation toddy is known as arrack/arak, and that kills/blinds quite a few people annually.

[grizewald]

After distillation toddy is known as arrack/arak, and that kills/blinds quite a few people annually.

Blimey, they even have bottles of arak at the Swedish alcohol monopoly. One of them, from Lebanon is 53% alcohol!



It probably still kills people today!

[mnementh]

It is my understanding that a toddy however is another thing altogether. A hot toddy is usually some form of tea, coffee, or cider with additional alcohol, drunk after dinner or before bed to aid sleep, or to take the chill off a cold evening. But it doesn't have to be hot; just that it's something alcoholic you like the taste of. The point in general being that it is some alcoholic concoction you make just for you, like some dishes are "comfort food".

I'm certain C will be along to correct this assumption shortly... I am, after all, a wine/whiskey/liqueur heathen. 

mnem
 

[tautech]

It is my understanding that a toddy however is another thing altogether. A hot toddy is usually some form of tea, coffee, or cider with additional alcohol, drunk after dinner or before bed to aid sleep, or to take the chill off a cold evening. But it doesn't have to be hot; just that it's something alcoholic you like the taste of. The point in general being that it is some alcoholic concoction you make just for you, like some dishes are "comfort food".

I'm certain C will be along to correct this assumption shortly... I am, after all, a wine/whiskey/liqueur heathen. 

mnem
 

After signing out last evening a toddy of vodka and dry was the plan and a few minutes in front of the goggle box before retiring however there was Callahan from '76 with his 44 Mag and not to watch it would've been plain rude.
So Monday nights are Dirty Harry nights for a few weeks here, ain't watched that stuff in years. 

[grizewald]

To truly melt your brain, I reckon this is probably the best choice:



The understated description reads:

"Spicy flavour with hints of wormwood, star aniseed, fennel and citrus peel. Serve with water as a digestif."

[tautech]

To truly melt your brain, I reckon this is probably the best choice:

Nah, it's made in Frog land and after they put mines on a protestor boat and killed 2 last century at Auckland port we boycott any of their products.....wars have started over less !

[Cerebus]

these "environmental activists" have glued themselves to the streets over here. Preventing EMTs to get critically ill patients into hospital.

As far as I am concerned, they are terrorists. Funded by Soros btw.

Poor old George Soros, the poor lad can't have two shekels left to rub together if he's actually funded all the things people say he has.

That reminds me, my Illuminati membership is up for renewal next month, and I still haven't paid my subscription to the Trilateral commission.

[mnementh]

Yes, but your membership to the Grand Council of the Elder Wyrms is paid in full... Thank you for your support! Will you be wanting a scale or a claw as your premium this session?

mnem
*toddles off in search of a nail file*

[Cerebus]

And yes, they are forming and convecting rapidly. Red patches just west of Kingston/Poughkeepsie.

I love a good storm! I hope yours are not quite as violent as they can be elsewhere in the USA.

I had the pleasure many years ago of watching a massive storm rolling over the Dallas/Fort Worth area and it was a real treat to watch such a terrifying and awe inspiring display of thunder and lightning of a magnitude that many who have never been to Texas would have trouble comprehending.

My Uncle Jack's house was on the top of a hill overlooking Vazon Bay in Guernsey. It had a big family room on the topmost floor with windows along the whole length of both sides with a perfect view out to sea beyond Vazon Bay in one direction, roughly towards the Atlantic, and the sea between Guernsey and the UK in the other.

One late summer evening we sat up there with the lights out watching an isolated lightning storm out at sea make its way from the Atlantic and up the English Channel. It was still dry where we were giving us visibility for miles and miles. Best storm I've ever seen, forked lightning crashing into the sea every few seconds. The sort of storm that you normally only see recreated in CGI for some movie. It was brilliant!

[bd139]

these "environmental activists" have glued themselves to the streets over here. Preventing EMTs to get critically ill patients into hospital.

As far as I am concerned, they are terrorists. Funded by Soros btw.

Poor old George Soros, the poor lad can't have two shekels left to rub together if he's actually funded all the things people say he has.

That reminds me, my Illuminati membership is up for renewal next month, and I still haven't paid my subscription to the Trilateral commission.

Yes. I wish I had enough of a reputation to be blamed for stuff I’m not responsible for. I’m still at the phase of trying to cause enough problems to be recognised for anything!

The environmental protesters are spot on in principle.  However they aren’t marketing experts. Deciding to glue yourself to shit is what tends to come from student union pub nights. It just makes you look like a bit of a wally.

[Zenith]

Poor old George Soros, the poor lad can't have two shekels left to rub together if he's actually funded all the things people say he has.

That reminds me, my Illuminati membership is up for renewal next month, and I still haven't paid my subscription to the Trilateral commission.

Apparently he has $8 billion left, having put $32 billion into The Open Society Foundation. It doesn't cost that much to create a lot of mischief.

[grizewald]

After signing out last evening a toddy of vodka and dry was the plan and a few minutes in front of the goggle box before retiring however there was Callahan from '76 with his 44 Mag and not to watch it would've been plain rude.
So Monday nights are Dirty Harry nights for a few weeks here, ain't watched that stuff in years. 

The .44 Magnum. A truly insane cartridge. Having shot them from a genuine Dirty Harry S&W Model 29 revolver with the 8 inch barrel, I wouldn't think of using just one hand when firing it. The recoil is like stopping a train! It's quite easy to be accurate with it though, as long as you take single shots to allow some time to recover your senses before the next deafening explosion!

 

The contrast when shooting .45 ACP cartridges with the classic Colt M1911 pistol and its comparatively stubby 5 inch barrel couldn't be more striking. I could get good groupings at 25 metres standing with the Model 29. Hitting anything smaller than a barn door at 25 metres with the M1911 was a real challenge. Partly because of the short barrel, but also because despite the fact I'm right handed, I shoot left handed which means I end up dodging the cartridges as they get ejected from the side of the Colt and fly past dangerously close to my eye.

[Vince]

Getting worse here.... now 01H30, and it's still 30°C outside, 29 inside.... can't sleep with that kind of temperature...

Forcast says should decrease to 23°C in the morning when the sun rises... though it says it will feel like 28°C, probably because of humidity.. .so not sure that will improve things at all....

Summer sucks !

And a cockroach just landed on my desk !!