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peter gabriel posted:Yup, can't even remember the last time I fired up the old robutt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhHo6CUq4-o Definitely your loss. E: content for the new page: the awesomely analogue Transcontinental Airway System, which led airmail planes across the country by pointing the way with giant concrete arrows and light beacons every ten miles in a line across the girth of the continent. 
HookedOnChthonics has a new favorite as of 03:21 on Jun 2, 2016 |
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Jun 2, 2016 01:47
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Alternatively: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcOWum8S3qA
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Jun 2, 2016 03:27
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Toast Museum posted:Oh, no, I'm talking about that sort of information being available on demand. Having all of it in your face all the time is obviously way too much to deal with. Depends on the person, I guess. For me though? AWWWWWWWESOME!
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Jun 2, 2016 09:43
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twistedmentat posted:I remember when my dad got a car that would say "The Door is Ajar" when a door was open for more than 10 seconds. My sister and I thought it was hilarious. A buddy of mine in high school had some car with one of the early voiceboxes, and a REALLY twitchy wiper fluid sensor. Finally, after hitting ANOTHER bump and hearing "Wiper fluid is low!" just ONE MORE TIME, he quietly pulled to the side of the empty mountain road, grabbed a screwdriver and needlenose/wirecutter out of his glove compartment and ended up dismounting the box from under the dash. He then happily yelled "gently caress IS AJAR!" as he sped up and threw it out the driver side window.
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Jun 2, 2016 09:46
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Zereth posted:"Why are you insisting on wearing your glasses while we have sex?" You know how nearsighted I am! I just want to revel in your beauty and scope out your banging bod, baby!
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Jun 2, 2016 09:48
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Samizdata posted:Depends on the person, I guess. For me though? AWWWWWWWESOME! Assuming the technology really takes off, it'll be interesting to see what the tipping point is between helpful and distracting. If everything requires user input, the device might take too much effort to be worth using. If it's a constant firehose of information, it becomes difficult to separate out the relevant bits. I'd guess that AR devices will use a digital assistant to try to predict what you'll consider relevant in a given context. And now I'm just imagining Clippy trying to be helpful throughout my day.
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Jun 2, 2016 12:55
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HookedOnChthonics posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhHo6CUq4-o This is a deliciously gritty and low-tech solution.
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Jun 2, 2016 13:47
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GOTTA STAY FAI posted:This is a deliciously gritty and low-tech solution. Plus you can use them as keys to giant doors!
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Jun 2, 2016 15:27
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I am a bit of a sucker when it comes to old mechanical calculators. Here is my latest acquisition:  A Cellatron R 44 SM electromechanical calculator. Made in the DDR in the 1960s to the 1970s. Just before digital calculators started to become A Thing.  Seen below calculating the meaning of life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op6jho-KJbo My IKEA coffee table is no match for this machine. It weighs 23 kg or 50.6 lbs. Spy_Guy has a new favorite as of 19:45 on Jun 3, 2016 |
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Jun 3, 2016 19:37
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That's pretty neat! I am pretty sure the same factory churned out the Robotron series of East-German Z80 clones in the 80's. Expat from (East) Germany here.
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Jun 3, 2016 19:44
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Spy_Guy posted:It weighs 23 kg or 50.6 lbs. Did you calculate that on your calculator, NERD?? You better have.
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Jun 3, 2016 19:54
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Haine posted:Did you calculate that on your calculator, NERD?? On the Walther, yes. 
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Jun 3, 2016 20:04
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You Are A Elf posted:Alternatively: I have to watch this movie now.
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Jun 4, 2016 02:33
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Spy_Guy posted:On the Walther, yes. I'm obsessed with old business machines too. This is the desk calculator that I use  Mine has the shiny finish but it looks almost the same. I think mine's a little older but it's super handy and you never need new batteries. You just have to get used to doing subtraction via the reciprocal. I used to use a Burroughs portable, but my kids kept messing with it and I didn't want them to break it. I'll hall it back out in due time. Someday, I hope to find a working Marchant at a reasonable price.
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Jun 4, 2016 12:28
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mostlygray posted:I'm obsessed with old business machines too. I was gonna ask why you were doing reciprocals on the Walther, but then I saw there was a picture in there. Seems like a broken link. My uncle had an Original Odhner pinwheel calculator. One of those shiny black ones with golden lettering. I was completely enamoured with it as a kid, so I guess that's where this interest stems from. Now I have my own.  For some other obsolete technology, here is a video demonstration I did of my parents' old typewriter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXAiUdrqTeo They bought it in the 90s, maybe six or so months before getting a PC became a serious opportunity. They thought they were going to use the typewriter to write letters and stuff, but it literally became obsolete overnight. Interestingly enough, since it is such a late-generation machine it came with a lot of rather uncommon features. For instance it does automatic underlining, centering, decimal tabulation, temporary indentation and the coolest part: automatic printing templates.
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Jun 4, 2016 16:04
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Typewriter symphony Orchestra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZCh4EY_kug
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Jun 4, 2016 16:47
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Vanagoon posted:Typewriter symphony Orchestra This is an absolutely pro click.
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Jun 4, 2016 23:20
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It's obviously not what happened, but I like to imagine the guy typing "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" over and over and over.
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Jun 5, 2016 02:07
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Intoluene posted:This is an absolutely pro click. There's a reason why Leroy Anderson is one of my favorite composers. He had fun with his music. Waltzing Cat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOlG8Ut-gTc Bugler's Holiday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAj01fFVYVI Syncopated Clock https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XculUOVU3sw This is my personal favorite, Arietta. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpXfYm_uh3A
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Jun 5, 2016 09:14
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This is pretty interesting, I wonder why it didn't see widespread usage. Probably due to licensing costs, or maybe it was just too little, too late. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qtxPSR8q98
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Jun 5, 2016 17:25
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KozmoNaut posted:This is pretty interesting, I wonder why it didn't see widespread usage. Probably due to licensing costs, or maybe it was just too little, too late. I love teachmoans videos - it's either random chinese junk cameras or interesting tidbits of A/V history.
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Jun 7, 2016 09:15
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HookedOnChthonics posted:
Not obsolete. This is how I find my way back in minecraft.
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Jun 7, 2016 10:25
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Here's some freshly failed technology: the Keurig Kold. A pod based soda machine that was gigantic, loud, and cost $300. The soda itself cost at least 99¢ for an 8 oz glass, meaning that it was more expensive to use than just buying it from a store. I hope the single serve juice and tortilla guys see this and quit while they're ahead.
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Jun 8, 2016 02:18
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Gann Jerrod posted:Here's some freshly failed technology: the Keurig Kold. A pod based soda machine that was gigantic, loud, and cost $300. The soda itself cost at least 99¢ for an 8 oz glass, meaning that it was more expensive to use than just buying it from a store. I hope the single serve juice and tortilla guys see this and quit while they're ahead. I remember about 5 minutes after they announced that, Sodastream announced a partnership with Pepsi that works out much cheaper.
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Jun 8, 2016 02:24
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My friend who works at ubisoft told me how they were given one and what a hunk of junk it was. But aren't we not supposed to buy soda stream because they murder babies or something?
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Jun 8, 2016 17:53
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The company is Israeli, their factory is in the West Bank, and they apparently treat the Palestinian workers there like crap. They're closing that factory and moving operations into Israel proper, but only because it saves money.
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Jun 8, 2016 18:01
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twistedmentat posted:My friend who works at ubisoft told me how they were given one and what a hunk of junk it was. By way of being supporters of apartheid in Israel, yes. Coincidentally Keurig announced it is stopping production of the Kold today. Customers are receiving full refunds, so they're really admitting they laid an egg.
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Jun 8, 2016 18:02
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The Swedish industrial gas company AGA sells both a sodastream clone and CO2 refill bottles here, and I don't think Sweden has done much illegal occupation the last century. We picked one up a while ago - I wonder if I can find anyone here who will sell me a single box of soda machine syrup?
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Jun 9, 2016 01:00
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You can usually buy stuff like that from restaurant supply stores, if you have any of those there.
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Jun 9, 2016 01:20
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Aphrodite posted:You can usually buy stuff like that from restaurant supply stores, if you have any of those there. Seriously, man, we're talking Sweden, not a REAL country. :whateverthesmileyiswiththeeaglewithguns:
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Jun 9, 2016 03:24
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Aphrodite posted:I remember about 5 minutes after they announced that, Sodastream announced a partnership with Pepsi that works out much cheaper. Getting a taxi to a restaurant every time you want a Coke also works out cheaper.
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Jun 9, 2016 03:53
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Arivia posted:By way of being supporters of apartheid in Israel, yes. Do they actively go out and knock down Palestinian houses or do they just give money to the government? I know people who use Kosher Salt but won't buy any that is made in Israel because of the governments treatment of Palestinians, even though the salt was just made there.
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Jun 9, 2016 06:43
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Arivia posted:Coincidentally Keurig announced it is stopping production of the Kold today. Customers are receiving full refunds, so they're really admitting they laid an egg. I still don't understand why this existed at all, unless it was supposed to be some kind of social experiment on people with more money than sense.
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Jun 9, 2016 07:45
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ElwoodCuse posted:I still don't understand why this existed at all, unless it was supposed to be some kind of social experiment on people with more money than sense. Stuff like that often sounds better in the proposal face but as more unforseen challenges show up the executive are reluctant to back out of something they already agreed on. Competing with soda stream using name brand soda sounded awesome on paper.
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Jun 9, 2016 07:59
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ElwoodCuse posted:I still don't understand why this existed at all, unless it was supposed to be some kind of social experiment on people with more money than sense. I think it was just an overextension, like they didn't understand the reason why their K-cups were popular. The Keurig K-cup machines are very popular because they provide an extremely fast and no-effort way to make a hot drink like coffee or hot chocolate. These are drinks that normally require separate steps to heat water, mix, etc. or put the loose ingredients in a coffee maker and wait a while for everything to percolate (this is obviously discounting instant coffee and ready-made canned or bottled coffee drinks, which usually sacrifice flavor for convenience). The K-cups do everything for you, with the user not having to do anything other than make sure there's water in the tank and a K-cup under the hatch, and it only takes about a minute to get your cup. Having had one in my house and one in an office I sometimes work in, they really are convenient for those people who just want an occasional mug of coffee or hot chocolate and can't be arsed to pour grounds out of a can, or when you don't want to make an entire pot of coffee. The Kold was trying to apply the same concept to a product that's already cheap and no-effort to get: buying it from the store in huge quantities. Even if they fixed all the other problems the Kold had (up to 5 hours to cool after plugging in, huge, noisy, expensive, etc.), it didn't change the fact that the customer was now paying $1.25 for less than a full can of Coke when they could get 2 liters for $2 for the same amount of effort. Sodastream has been sticking around because people who drink a ton of carbonated beverages every day manage to save money by "homebrewing" their cola, but the Kold made the act of drinking soda more expensive. I'd guess that Kickstarter tortilla pod is also doomed to fail for similar reasons. As a lot of people pointed out, pre-made tortillas are incredibly cheap and can be bought practically in bulk from normal grocery stores. Only a tiny minority of potential customers would actually be willing to pay more for tortillas of basically the same quality.
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Jun 9, 2016 08:06
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Computer viking posted:The Swedish industrial gas company AGA sells both a sodastream clone and CO2 refill bottles here, and I don't think Sweden has done much illegal occupation the last century. We picked one up a while ago - I wonder if I can find anyone here who will sell me a single box of soda machine syrup? Awesome, I didn't know there was a decent alternative to Sodastream. I've been kinda wanting a carbonator for a long time.
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Jun 9, 2016 08:12
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K-Cups are also useful if you're of the grid, they use a lot of power, but for a very short amount of time, where the traditional coffee pot heating element on the bottom uses more power over 4 or so minutes.
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Jun 9, 2016 08:18
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Pokey Araya posted:K-Cups are also useful if you're of the grid, they use a lot of power, but for a very short amount of time, where the traditional coffee pot heating element on the bottom uses more power over 4 or so minutes. Lifehack: burn hydrocarbons or biomass for heat.
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Jun 9, 2016 08:40
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Gann Jerrod posted:Here's some freshly failed technology: the Keurig Kold. A pod based soda machine that was gigantic, loud, and cost $300.  "Karbonator beads"  Oh gently caress I thought the Kold was just a SodaStream knock-off, that used syrup pods for single servings of drink. Who the hell thought this was better than just using a gas canister?
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Jun 9, 2016 09:19
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wayne curr posted:
You can transport those beads wherever you want and no one will give you grief about it. Pressurized gas canisters on the other hand have all sorts of rules applied to them.
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Jun 9, 2016 09:46
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