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Comment Re: So things are going to get real bad real fast (Score 1) 51

Trump advisors have already stated point blank they are actively working on ways to end run the constitution and have him run for a third term. Besides that, he hasn't paid any attention to the constitution up until now, and his base is totally fine with it. We're in a very interesting era now where the constitution, and the rule of law, no longer applies to the most powerful (unless of course they fall out with trump). If Trump runs for a third term, I can pretty much guarantee he'll run for a forth, fifth, etc, until he dies. And I fully expect he will announce his successor at some point.

Meanwhile a combination of Democrat incompetence and the culmination of GOP efforts to subvert voting through gerrymandering and other underhanded tactics (see North Carolina for a recipe) means we are unlikely to see any Democratic president for the foreseeable future.

If Trump bows out as he should, the next guy is definitely going to use all the power that Trump amassed, along with presidential immunity from law, to its full extent. That is very scary.

Comment Another Nail In Supersymmetry's Coffin (Score 1) 42

Just like the subject says, supersymmetry, an elegant solution to a number of problems, in particular the best theoretical extension to the Standard Model, slides closer to oblivion with each large scale and small scale (accelerator) experiment meant to find these large supersymmetrical particles.

Comment Bit surprised diquat is used in a consumer product (Score 5, Informative) 85

I have to admit I was a little surprised to learn diquat is used in a consumer home product. Diquat is a product I use in farming, but I've always considered it to be a bit more dangerous to human health than glyphosate, so I'm very careful to use proper PPE to avoid exposure when mixing and applying.

I guess I can understand why diquat might be useful in a home setting as it wouldn't kill lawns if you sprayed some on a weed in your grass. It's also unlikely to cause herbicide resistance. We use diquat to dry down perennial crops as it does not kill the plant, and is not systemic.

Diquat is also best applied at night. I've never had it work very well when applied during the day, so that's another reason I'm surprised it's in a consumer weed spray.

I've heard of farmers using acetic acid (vinegar) as an alternative to diquat, and it apparently works quite well, but it's quite a bit more dangerous than diquat as it can burn skin and lungs easily, and it's very hard on machines.

Comment 30 year old HP 48 rated worst iFixit has ever seen (Score 2) 71

Not everything was actually repair-able in the past either. My beloved HP 48G calculator is starting to have problems after 30 years, but fixing it right is very difficult if not impossible. I think iFixit rated the HP-48 calculators as the worst they'd ever seen for repair-ability. And they've looked at a lot of products over the years. Apple looks good by comparison. Everything is plastic welded shut. If you do manage to open it (I have managed to do this without destroying anything or pealing off the metal front), you have to break every one of the plastic heat stakes. And the keyboard itself is held in by about 20 little heat stakes. For a premium product of the day they sure made the thing as cheap as they could. And that was HP of 30 years ago when they actually built quality printers.

Comment Re:Require they provide STL print files for parts (Score 1) 71

Absolutely. I even hate it that people post STLs only on sites like thingiverse. Often I find myself manually recreating the object from the STL just to have a modifiable solid to work with. It's astounding to me how many people use mesh mixers to mixup STLs. I simultaneously cringe and admire them.

Occasionally electronics component makers release STEP files with their data sheets. For things like electrical plugs this is awesome to make sure you really are getting what you think you are. And I've been known to 3D print them in a pinch to make up a quick and dirty connector.

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