Posts by Gene Cash

Re: The Apollo Fecal Containment System

Legend has it that on the Apollo 8 mission around the Moon, Frank Borman didn't. For six days.

Re: Lock makers that you can trust?

> home IT system could detect your 'phone as you approached

Yes, I have an Android app that I wrote that tells the Raspberry Pi to open the garage door when I'm 70 meters from home. It also turns off the GPS and cell data on the phone, then turns on wifi. It then closes the door after I ride in, and unlocks the door from the garage to the house.

It uses TLS security that checks that the phone presents a valid certificate.

You have to root the hell out of the phone because Google don't want a regular app controlling the cell data connection and turning the GPS on/off.

It was borne out of the fact that the controller board and limit-switch system of my 25 year old garage door opener died, so I hooked up the Pi and some reed switches, plus the fact it's a pain in the ass to deal with a garage door opener on a motorcycle.

Of course if the power fails, or the phone dies, I have to dig out the key and try to remember where my front door is... (edit: not helped by the fact that my "front" door is almost around the back of the house)

Re: The most interesting use case

They're used by Kerbals in the latest release of KSP too!

Re: How about we....

That's pretty much how SpaceX actually works... there's a series of web vids by a NASA bloke assigned to SpaceX to transfer the PICA heatshield tech to them. It's on the NASA YouTube channel.

It was quite the culture shock for him. Whereas NASA would have done months of studies detailing every possible alternative, then months of meetings to decide between the alternatives, SpaceX looks at everything and as soon as they're "51% sure something will work" then Musk holds a meeting of everyone involved, they make a decision, then they run with that.

Imagine that, a top level meeting where decisions are actually made and followed through.

If it doesn't work, they go "whelp... didn't work" and back off and try something else.

The NASA guy was just left standing with his mouth open going "wow"

Re: Why California?

They got a hell of a deal on the plant when GM/Toyota packed up and left.

They only paid $42m for a 5.5m sq-ft building on 370 acres of land.

Re: Translation...

No, the main disadvantage of liquid hydrogen is IT'S HUGE. The tanks become so large, that their weight overcomes "the 40% more oomph"

This is why first stages (Saturn V, Falcon 9, etc) use RP-1 (aka highly refined kerosene)

Re: Isn't this all rather moot now?

> Consumers shun unsafe products

Right... after all the complaints I hear about Apple products by the people I know that use Apple...

They still use them.

These are the same people that complain about TSA security theatre... and still fly.

Re: Dig

"AOL has proven that they have the ability to send a CD or three to every chordate on the planet once a month."

-- Douglas Henke

> If I were Musk, I would quite happily stand a Falcon 9 that has returned from space in the Atrium of my Company

The first recovered F9 booster stands outside SpaceX HQ in Hawthorne.

Edit: and the first privately-orbited & recovered Dragon hangs just outside mission control and you can see it on every SpaceX webcast.

> the reason Space X was started, to get the ball rolling and fire up the competition

Similarly, Tesla was to get the ball rolling on electric cars and fire up the competition.

Now BMW and Audi are going "we're going to make EVs and kill Tesla, yeah we are!" and I'm sure Musk goes "OH DARN" and laughs all week.

Re: Deep space comms

Well actually, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is the current "comsat" for Mars. It relays info from all the rovers.

NASA's praying it keeps going, because there's no replacement in the pipeline.

https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/04/09/nasa-is-counting-on-long-lived-mars-orbiter-lasting-another-decade/

Re: amdgpu regressions?

> bug-reporting process through Ubuntu

Really? Debian just asks you to run "reportbug" with the argument of the failing package name.

They got in touch and helped me properly report a regression in the nvidia drivers to nvidia.

I did do some Googling about an ALSA sound issue recently. I discovered the Ubuntu forums are pretty elitist and entitled, at least about sound issues. I thought that sort of thing had gone away. The responses were angry "figure out your own hardware" replies, "read the FAQ", or "use pulseaudio you idiot!"

Re: Unicomp

NICE. Thanks, fellow commentards!

Now I have to decide between the US$60 USB one, and the US$80 Bluetooth one... or both...

> In practice almost everyone votes for the -R or -D after the name

This is even driven by law in states such as Florida, where if you register as (for example) Democrat, then you can only vote for Democrat candidates.

I personally don't see how this is legal, but this place is a steaming shithole anyway.

Re: "Ultimately..."

Unfortunately "safer than [the average] human driver" is a VERY VERY low bar, at least around here.

I went 4 blocks for lunch today, and had 3 people endanger my life.

It's like Facebook & backups. Nobody gives a shit until someone gets severely and publicly burned.

Re: Nothing will come of it.

Not usually. The FTC has real teeth and uses them. That's why the stock dropped.