Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

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lake_wrangler
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

Post by lake_wrangler »

Opus the Poet wrote: Fri Nov 12, 2021 1:49 pmWell it's an interplanetary shuttle roughly the size of a 53' trailer and conventional cab tractor that I use to carry beer out to space people out in the Oort Cloud. Also I carry some CDs and DVDs out there, too, but the real money is beer. Basically a one-for-one exchange by weight in industrial diamond dust, pound of dust for a pound of beer. It's a living.
I understand that. Your previous post was clear enough. I was just having fun at the wording "space-faring beer truck", imagining a truck made of beer, just like a "cherry wood spoon" would be a spoon made from cherry wood, or a "paper cup" would be a cup made from paper fibers.

I've always said that language can be quite amusing if you take it to its most literal meaning possible.
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

Post by Opus the Poet »

This forum needs upvote emojis and smilies. :lol: :twisted:
I ride my bike to ride my bike, and sometimes it takes me where I need to go.
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

Post by Opus the Poet »

I just got a message from my customers in the Oort Cloud, they're out of beer again, time to load up the truck and make another run. I'll be back Wednesday.
I ride my bike to ride my bike, and sometimes it takes me where I need to go.
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

Post by lake_wrangler »

I think you're being too confident about the time of your return... Maybe just say you'll be back Wednesday Oort hursday... :mrgreen:
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

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lake_wrangler
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

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Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week. Remember to tip your waitress...
(And before anyone gets any wise idea... While you may choose to tip your waitress above and beyond the standard rate, you may not tip your waitress over...)
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

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"Opus, kin Ah see yer cr'dentils fer that ship's op'ration...? Only th' Library demands it when we gets space-farin' d'mentional hoppin' craft as such. Ah doan' give a flyin' roadkill 'bout yer likker license, thet ain't here n' there- but Ah ain't in no mood t' cross m' Stepmother none..."
Rule 17 of the Bombay Golf Course- "You shall play the ball where the monkey drops it,"
I speak fluent Limrick-
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

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Here you go," crooned Anna Howard, "LARGE Matzo Ball Soup with a short stack of latkes. Perfectly Kosher."

"Ausgeseichnet! Where did you learn such a thing? Are you Jewish?" Nicodemus exploded.

"Unfortunately, no- the Old Sargent," here she pointed at Greg, "HE taught me,"

"THE HILLBILLY?!? Forgive me, but one must admit, he does not come across as ... cultured... I hardly took him for a Mensch... yet he taught you?"

Annie sighed- "He actually has a library that outweighs most pickup trucks. He also has a degree in advertising. He is also a self-educated electrician, plumber, carpenter, auto mechanic... the only trade where he had a true apprenticeship and journeyman ship was as a gunsmith- and there he also learned blacksmithing, machine shop, woodwrighting... and Yiddish... as well as kosher cooking. His mentor was named Gilderschmied. He speaks fluent German, reasonable Spanish and can mimic nearly any dialect he hears."

"Then why does he choose to speak like a... a..." he struggled for a reasonable comparison, " a Jeff Foxworthy punchline?"

"... family..."

"He was raised in the deep South?"

"California, actually- hurry now, your soup is getting cold..."
Rule 17 of the Bombay Golf Course- "You shall play the ball where the monkey drops it,"
I speak fluent Limrick-
the Old Sgt.
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

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Sgt. Howard wrote: Tue Nov 16, 2021 11:47 pm "Opus, kin Ah see yer cr'dentils fer that ship's op'ration...? Only th' Library demands it when we gets space-farin' d'mentional hoppin' craft as such. Ah doan' give a flyin' roadkill 'bout yer likker license, thet ain't here n' there- but Ah ain't in no mood t' cross m' Stepmother none..."
Certainly, I've been certified for interplanetary shuttles since I got my orbital clearance in the late 1990's. Right after I was signed for soloing a J3 Cub. I probably couldn't pass an orbital match test without automatics, but I haven't had to parallel park since I passed my driver's license test in 1975, driving an LTD wagon. The mechanics are completely different but the concept is the same.

Anywho, basically the ship does all the flying, but I have to tell it where to go. Except re-entry, I do that myself. Coming in hot with a plasma trail, you can't say you've lived until you've done that on manual. Of course most of the time I do that out over the Gulf or the Pacific and come over CONUS subsonic. I can do a re-entry from synchronous orbit straight down but that puts NORAD in a tizzy so that one has to be pre-cleared for months and I still get chewed by some controller who hasn't read his NOTAMS for that day. Doesn't matter how much notice they have someone doesn't get the memo.

This was an especially profitable trip, someone was throwing a party, and nothing but Shiner Ruby Red would do as the featured swill. I mean it is a great beer, but they have shandies that are just as good or better with their own home-grown citrus juices. But I got paid double for this trip, so now I have about 40 tons of industrial diamond dust to peddle, 4000 grit. If you want a mirror made from tungsten carbide, I have the polishing compound for it.
I ride my bike to ride my bike, and sometimes it takes me where I need to go.
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

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(Taz breaking the 5th wall to report I picked up a week long 8 to 5 project rolling out new PCs at a Sci/Pharma joint and I'm otherwise consumed/distracted for a bit.
I'm trying to hold up my end of the log, cause I want to and I like it, but all I got is an armload of kindling at the moment...)
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

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Sgt. Howard wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 12:18 amAnnie sighed- "He actually has a library that outweighs most pickup trucks. He also has a degree in advertising. He is also a self-educated electrician, plumber, carpenter, auto mechanic... the only trade where he had a true apprenticeship and journeyman ship was as a gunsmith- and there he also learned blacksmithing, machine shop, woodwrighting... and Yiddish... as well as kosher cooking. His mentor was named Gilderschmied. He speaks fluent German, reasonable Spanish and can mimic nearly any dialect he hears."
If this is as true for the IRL person as for the online persona, I think I'm going to be jealous. Or at least, I would be, were I of a nature to get jealous. I envy/appreciate/am impressed by your knowledge of all those self-taught trades. I have always been too busy just making ends meet to have time to teach myself such trades. But my situation is gradually improving, so one can always hope. And now that I own my own home, I even have room to work on such endeavours.

Of course, I also have so many interests that go in so many directions (music, singing, computer stuff - database programming, recording, etc - leather craft, bicycling, and more), that I doubt I will ever have the time to invest properly in any particular area, unless it is to the detriment of all the others...
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

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lake_wrangler wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 11:21 am
Sgt. Howard wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 12:18 amAnnie sighed- "He actually has a library that outweighs most pickup trucks. He also has a degree in advertising. He is also a self-educated electrician, plumber, carpenter, auto mechanic... the only trade where he had a true apprenticeship and journeyman ship was as a gunsmith- and there he also learned blacksmithing, machine shop, woodwrighting... and Yiddish... as well as kosher cooking. His mentor was named Gilderschmied. He speaks fluent German, reasonable Spanish and can mimic nearly any dialect he hears."
If this is as true for the IRL person as for the online persona, I think I'm going to be jealous. Or at least, I would be, were I of a nature to get jealous. I envy/appreciate/am impressed by your knowledge of all those self-taught trades. I have always been too busy just making ends meet to have time to teach myself such trades. But my situation is gradually improving, so one can always hope. And now that I own my own home, I even have room to work on such endeavours.

Of course, I also have so many interests that go in so many directions (music, singing, computer stuff - database programming, recording, etc - leather craft, bicycling, and more), that I doubt I will ever have the time to invest properly in any particular area, unless it is to the detriment of all the others...
I have been divorced three times, twice in California- I could never afford to pay for those services. It was a matter of necessity. I once drove to work in a 1953 'Bread Truck', 1.5 ton capacity, spraying carb cleaner down the carb for it to run because the fuel pump didn't work... the engine sat right next to the driver in this rig. I purchased a fuel ump on the way to work and replaced it at end of shift under a light in the parking lot. At that time I worked 3:00 -11:30 and finished the task at 15 past midnight. Let's just say that my education was at a cost, just not a fiscal one.
Rule 17 of the Bombay Golf Course- "You shall play the ball where the monkey drops it,"
I speak fluent Limrick-
the Old Sgt.
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

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lake_wrangler wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 11:21 am If this is as true for the IRL person as for the online persona, I think I'm going to be jealous. Or at least, I would be, were I of a nature to get jealous. I envy/appreciate/am impressed by your knowledge of all those self-taught trades. I have always been too busy just making ends meet to have time to teach myself such trades. But my situation is gradually improving, so one can always hope. And now that I own my own home, I even have room to work on such endeavours.

Of course, I also have so many interests that go in so many directions (music, singing, computer stuff - database programming, recording, etc - leather craft, bicycling, and more), that I doubt I will ever have the time to invest properly in any particular area, unless it is to the detriment of all the others...
I have been divorced three times, twice in California- I could never afford to pay for those services. It was a matter of necessity. I once drove to work in a 1953 'Bread Truck', 1.5 ton capacity, spraying carb cleaner down the carb for it to run because the fuel pump didn't work... the engine sat right next to the driver in this rig. I purchased a fuel ump on the way to work and replaced it at end of shift under a light in the parking lot. At that time I worked 3:00 -11:30 and finished the task at 15 past midnight. Let's just say that my education was at a cost, just not a fiscal one.

I think the greatest thing the Army ever taught s this;- you never know what you are capable of doing until you have no choice but to do it.
Rule 17 of the Bombay Golf Course- "You shall play the ball where the monkey drops it,"
I speak fluent Limrick-
the Old Sgt.
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

Post by lake_wrangler »

As I am reading the previous post, my free account Spotify player starts to play an ad, for a new album by The Tragically Hip, called "Road Apples"... :lol:
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

Post by lake_wrangler »

Sgt. Howard wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 12:52 pmI have been divorced three times, twice in California- I could never afford to pay for those services.
While I can't relate to the three divorces part, I can definitely relate to the second part of that statement...
Sgt. Howard wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 12:52 pmIt was a matter of necessity. I once drove to work in a 1953 'Bread Truck', 1.5 ton capacity, spraying carb cleaner down the carb for it to run because the fuel pump didn't work... the engine sat right next to the driver in this rig. I purchased a fuel ump on the way to work and replaced it at end of shift under a light in the parking lot. At that time I worked 3:00 -11:30 and finished the task at 15 past midnight. Let's just say that my education was at a cost, just not a fiscal one.
Some people who think too highly of themselves will look down on people who work with their hands. If there is skill involved, I am actually impressed, instead. My hat's off to you, kind sir. (Of course, this is merely a form of polite conversation, not meant to elicit the "don't call me 'Sir', I work for a living" kind of response... ;) )
Sgt. Howard wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 12:52 pmI think the greatest thing the Army ever taught s this;- you never know what you are capable of doing until you have no choice but to do it.
I've never been in the army, nor did I ever feel like I should... But I do appreciate the service of others who have.

Honestly, I have no idea how I might have fared, had I been in the army... I can't see myself having enough discipline for that.

Again, my hat's off to you. :)
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

Post by Opus the Poet »

Now I know why they paid in diamond dust, small amounts are easy to sell, ton lots are very hard to sell for a decent price, 40 tons is almost impossible to sell without people wanting to know where it came from, for some reason "manufacturing byproduct/waste" is unconvincing.
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

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Live and learn?

Out of curiosity, what can diamond dust be used for?
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

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Most obvious use is as an abrasive.

I suppose you could burn it. Good luck designing a fuel delivery system that can stand up to it long-term though.
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

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Warrl wrote: Sun Nov 21, 2021 6:53 pm Most obvious use is as an abrasive.

I suppose you could burn it. Good luck designing a fuel delivery system that can stand up to it long-term though.
The finer grades are used to polish really hard stuff like the tungsten carbide mirror I joked about, but also used in lapping compound. That is a vital part of rebuilding a cylinder head for an ICE so that the valves seal completely. Lapping the valves matches the surfaces to produce a gas tight seal that works even at the pressures and temperatures of a racing diesel engine. I will have to check to make sure but I think the inner hatch of the airlock on my spaceship is lapped because I didn't see a gasket. The outer hatch uses a compressible gasket, because it depends on manual pressure from the latching mechanism.
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Re: Wapsaholics anonymous rides again...

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I suppose I should explain the previous post. The doors on the airlock both swing away from the lock so that if the pressure on the outside of the lock is higher than inside the lock the door is held closed by the pressure, the door from the outside swings out, the door to the inside swings in, and unless the pressure is equal or almost equal the door to the lock can't be opened manually because humans and spacers don't have enough strength to move the door against cabin pressure times the area of the door. For an example think of your freezer door a few seconds after closing when the warm air from outside cools off and the ideal gas law does its thing. it's only a fraction of a pound of pressure, but you can pull the freezer over trying to overcome the force times the area of the door. That's why this particular Space Nation don't allow inner airlock doors to the cabin to be powered, as a failsafe. In addition the air pressure holds the door seal tighter than mechanical latches can even though the cabin side of the airlock has a deadbolt to keep raiders from forcing their way into the cabin through the airlock.

Also the ship turns the artificial gravity off during sleep times because there's nothing like sleeping in freefall. There's no pressure points, no lumps in the mattress, no nothing to disturb sleep except for the fact that you are literally falling all the time, but once you are used to it it is like sleeping on a cloud. There is a practical reason for this, freefall sleeping uses a fraction of the floor space a bed uses, so more cargo can be loaded on the ship. My space on the ship when I'm not actively flying is about the size of a gym locker. I have a screen for entertainment on one wall, and all my clothes can fit on another wall with hygiene facilities on the back wall. If I feel the need to sleep in gravity I can just use the pilot's chair. But I normally turn off the gravity to sleep because it saves energy.

Also I need another liter of French press Kona blend, the person I was negotiating with was not in my time zone by over 12 hours and I need some caffeine and carbs if I'm going to function the rest of the day...
I ride my bike to ride my bike, and sometimes it takes me where I need to go.
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