Sermil and the Banter of Randomness: Random Banter #228

[Bartmanhomer]

Huh. That's not too bad. I should look into getting a job over there sometime.

Not as different as you might think. A pound right now is only like a buck thirty.

Really? No kidding.

[Peelee]

Really? No kidding.

Yeah. So really, just take out your wallet, drop a twenty, convert it to sterling, and your weight loss goal will be complete!

[Aotrs Commander]

I'm fairly certain I'd notice him sneaking mechs into the chat. Touching ground from orbit tends to be somewhat noticeable.

Evenin' all. Move along, nowt to see here, just saunterin' past...



LOOK! BEHIND YOU! A THREE-HEADED MONKEY!

Quick, Hopereaver, march them through!
On it, boss!

Spoiler

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Whoops, no, my mistake, it was just Baldrick carry a pair of turnips, carry on.

[Rater202]

I forgot about the spider-walkers that turn into giant Daleks.

[DataNinja]

Evenin' all. Move along, nowt to see here, just saunterin' past...

Spoiler: Inconspicuous is the word of the day, I see.

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I forgot about the spider-walkers that turn into giant Daleks.

I approve of any and all spider walkers. And spider tanks. And I guess I can allow scorpion tanks in there, too.

[Jasdoif]

I approve of any and all spider walkers. And spider tanks. And I guess I can allow scorpion tanks in there, too.

I wanted to like Total Annihilation's spider tanks, but the whole "too flimsy to survive getting close enough to stun any unit worth using their stunner on" thing was just depressing....

[factotum]

Yep, so Dad is pretty convinced it's likely the stepper motor, and I'm pretty convinced a Prusa i3 won't fit on the current stand.

Of course.

OK...if he's convinced it's the stepper motor, why not just replace that part? Seems slightly absurd to replace the entire printer, with all the hassle involved, when you know what the problem is and should hopefully be able to source a replacement part.

[DataNinja]

I wanted to like Total Annihilation's spider tanks, but the whole "too flimsy to survive getting close enough to stun any unit worth using their stunner on" thing was just depressing....

Aw, that's disappointing.
Such a cool (and mildly more practical than bipedal walkers) concept should be supported!

[Wizard_Lizard]

Evenin' all. Move along, nowt to see here, just saunterin' past...



LOOK! BEHIND YOU! A THREE-HEADED MONKEY!

Quick, Hopereaver, march them through!
On it, boss!

Spoiler

Show

Whoops, no, my mistake, it was just Baldrick carry a pair of turnips, carry on.

I think I failed a spot check....

[Aotrs Commander]

OK...if he's convinced it's the stepper motor, why not just replace that part? Seems slightly absurd to replace the entire printer, with all the hassle involved, when you know what the problem is and should hopefully be able to source a replacement part.

Because as Dad rightly points out, the printer is seven years old and it is getting to the point where any significant part cost is a goodly chunk of buying a new printer; we are more or less at the "old clamped out car costs more to maintain than buying a new one" stage. We've already spent about £35-40 on a build plate and replacing the some wires this problem cycle - another even £20 and we're looking at 10% of the cost of a new (more modern) printer.

It likely just means faff for me, since it means all the print times on my stuff will be invalid (by what error margin I would have to see) and potentiall means I would have to re-put supports on everythinhg.



Dad had a thorough examination and we now suspect is is most likely wear on the y-axis belt (which would explain why we got away with small prints if they happened to be on a bit where it WASN'T worn). He's still seeing what he can do (e.g. move the belt around so that the worn bit is on and extreme edge where we don't print stuff), but he's now pretty much decided at this point that he wants to replace it (as this is the second part that's definitely gone this failure period) and in mostly tinkering to see if we can get some functionaloty while the new one comes (and he assembles it).



Edit: Dad located a clone belt from China for a tenner, including postage, so that MIGHT see us through until we get a new printer (which will be a Prusa i3 mk3, as my mate's got one of those and so he's been the guinee pig!), which currently has a lead-time of 3-4 weeks (plus postage time?) from the point Dad sorts stuff out to get started.

At the moment, I can just about manage...

Nope.

*sigh*

While I was composing this edit, after we got about four 28mm hex bases off the extreme edge of the building plate (one by one), it's now so knackered that it's not even taking the head to the corner to splurge the gunge off when it starts printing.

It are dead, Jim.

(the belt may provide a brif window of zombie-like lurging unlife, but no more.)

[Jasdoif]

Such a cool (and mildly more practical than bipedal walkers) concept should be supported!

Well I can't fault them for trying...where there's equivalents, wheeled and tracked vehicles are faster, tougher, and cheaper; while walkers kbots are far less affected by inclines and inertia. When "build the base immediately behind the hill, so artillery on the other end of the map will hit the hill instead of your base" is basic strategy, being able to walk over that hill instead of drive around it has definite advantages; and the Spider's main selling point is that it can climb any incline, no matter how steep. If only it wasn't so hard to accomplish stuff after that....

[LaZodiac]

Mechs with legs make sense! I'm glad to see other people here are men, woman, and others of culture as well.

Also it was raining all this morning, which rules, but I keep my windows open to avoid melting to death in the heat so I woke up with rain splattering my face, which... rules less.

[Rater202]

The ideal would be a mech that can reconfigure itself between Humanoid/Chicken-Walker, QuandroPedal or higher(Spider-Walker,) and wheeled depending on circumstances. Of course, being able to do that in the field would require technology advanced enough that by the time you can do it would can probably make your vehicles and mechs look like whatever you want and it won't meaningfully impact their effectiveness.

Of course, while Mech's are cool I'm more info favor of advancing bio-mechanics(machines made of organic matter and/or imitating organic life-forms) and techno-organics(machinery that has the properties of biological life or is blended with organic matter at a level where you can't easily tell whats what.)

I wanna do the Apocalypse thing where the cyborg has advanced nanomachines that are technically alive integrated into the body at the molecular level instead of replacing meat bits with robo-bits and can just splotch out whatever tech they're programmed with the plans for... And or have absorbed into themselves and integrated straight into their flesh.

Let me be the mech if I want to.

[Aotrs Commander]

One thing even the Aotrs occasionally have had to re-learn - in the end, there's just no substitute for a conventional grav-tank. Everything else is just too TALL to hide behind most terrain, and you can go hull-down behind terrain a tracked tank can't.




The new printer is ordered, at least, though it's a 3-4 week lead time. Upstairs mini-printer will be getting some hammer.

[DataNinja]

Mechs with legs make sense! I'm glad to see other people here are men, woman, and others of culture as well.

It's sadly impractical, but, it's so, so cool. So, that doesn't mean that I'll vouch for them any less.

[Tvtyrant]

It's sadly impractical, but, it's so, so cool. So, that doesn't mean that I'll vouch for them any less.

I always liked the 40K solution where the mechs walk on their forcefields, spreading the weight across the ground.

[DataNinja]

I always liked the 40K solution where the mechs walk on their forcefields, spreading the weight across the ground.

The problem with that is that you literally have no traction, then. It's like ice skating, because you've got repulsion energy.

[Jasdoif]

The ideal would be a mech that can reconfigure itself between Humanoid/Chicken-Walker, QuandroPedal or higher(Spider-Walker,) and wheeled depending on circumstances. Of course, being able to do that in the field would require technology advanced enough that by the time you can do it would can probably make your vehicles and mechs look like whatever you want and it won't meaningfully impact their effectiveness.

These kinds of transforming vehicles almost always run into other problems. Both the logistical "Is it better to have a tank that can transform into a jet fighter; or to have a tank, and a jet fighter, and whatever else the cost of transforming components could buy", and the target-prioritization "Destroying a tank-jet means they're down a tank and a jet". And the two kind of amplify each other.

So usually it's best for overly expansive organizations, that can withstand the overhead and have logistical nightmares to such a degree that maintaining fewer types of vehicles is more efficient in the long run; or tiny organizations, where pilots are the bottleneck and having more vehicles doesn't matter because there aren't more pilots available to operate them.

[Rater202]

These kinds of transforming vehicles almost always run into other problems. Both the logistical "Is it better to have a tank that can transform into a jet fighter; or to have a tank, and a jet fighter, and whatever else the cost of transforming components could buy", and the target-prioritization "Destroying a tank-jet means they're down a tank and a jet". And the two kind of amplify each other.

So usually it's best for overly expansive organizations, that can withstand the overhead and have logistical nightmares to such a degree that maintaining fewer types of vehicles is more efficient in the long run; or tiny organizations, where pilots are the bottleneck and having more vehicles doesn't matter because there aren't more pilots available to operate them.

I was thinking more "a tank that can get up on legs if it needs to go on terrain where treads aren't viable."

Maybe a chicken walker with treads built into the legs?

[Aotrs Commander]

Again, grav-tank solves both problems. Actually, a full grav-tank capable of (granted, cumbersome) flight also to some extent solves the "fighter/tank" thing too - but again, a flying tank is not really a substitute for a fighter (at least, not if you intend one to fight 'tother).

The age old-adage applies - specialisation beats generalisation every time (and the only place it doesn't is where rule of cool holds dominace (c.f. BattleTech)).

[Peelee]

Spoiler: Somewhere on the interstate in Mississippi...

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That was (emphasis on "was") a brand new tire. Like, less than three weeks old. Also, I have some choice words to say about the (un)helpfulness of Uber, Lyft, local taxi companies, and the state's highway patrol phone operators. Fortunately, the second tow place I called was awesome.

Should have arrived at our destination an hour and a half ago. Still have 90 miles to go, and that's once they get the new tire on (tire place is also great).

On a related note, I should get AAA.

[Tvtyrant]

Spoiler: Somewhere on the interstate in Mississippi...

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That was (emphasis on "was") a brand new tire. Like, less than three weeks old. Also, I have some choice words to say about the (un)helpfulness of Uber, Lyft, local taxi companies, and the state's highway patrol phone operators. Fortunately, the second tow place I called was awesome.

Should have arrived at our destination an hour and a half ago. Still have 90 miles to go, and that's once they get the new tire on (tire place is also great).

On a related note, I should get AAA.

Oof, that is a bad day. Sorry to hear about that.

[DataNinja]

Again, grav-tank solves both problems. Actually, a full grav-tank capable of (granted, cumbersome) flight also to some extent solves the "fighter/tank" thing too - but again, a flying tank is not really a substitute for a fighter (at least, not if you intend one to fight 'tother).

The age old-adage applies - specialisation beats generalisation every time (and the only place it doesn't is where rule of cool holds dominace (c.f. BattleTech)).

Hover-tanks are indeed cool, and more practical... but, hey, sometimes you're just in the mood to want to see 30-foot-tall robots striding across the land.

Spoiler: Somewhere on the interstate in Mississippi...

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That was (emphasis on "was") a brand new tire. Like, less than three weeks old. Also, I have some choice words to say about the (un)helpfulness of Uber, Lyft, local taxi companies, and the state's highway patrol phone operators. Fortunately, the second tow place I called was awesome.

Should have arrived at our destination an hour and a half ago. Still have 90 miles to go, and that's once they get the new tire on (tire place is also great).

On a related note, I should get AAA.

Oof. That sucks, Peelee. Glad that you were able to get it sorted out, but frustrating that it was the second, and not the first.

[Peelee]

Oof. That sucks, Peelee. Glad that you were able to get it sorted out, but frustrating that it was the second, and not the first.

First didn't pick up. They did try calling back twice shortly after, but it was while I was already on the phone with the second. Hope they couldn't pick up because they were on with another job or something, they had great reviews online.

Also, internet-enabled mobile phones changed the world. That was so much better than when my alternator died when I was like 17.

Also also, a lane closure is never as long as it is when you run over something, know you blew a tire, and cannot pull over until the road work ends.

[DataNinja]

Also also, a lane closure is never as long as it is when you run over something, know you blew a tire, and cannot pull over until the road work ends.

Oh, sheesh. It just goes from bad to worse, doesn't it?

[Peelee]

Well, it took twice at long as normal, but in safely arrived in Louisiana.

Every season that isn't crawfish season is pointless.

[DataNinja]

Glad to hear you've arrived safe and sound, though. It's always frustrating, but... at least it's over.

[Aotrs Commander]

Hover-tanks are indeed cool, and more practical... but, hey, sometimes you're just in the mood to want to see 30-foot-tall robots striding across the land.

Considering the amount of pennies I've sunk into BattleTech (and am building towards even more), there is no disagreement here.

[LaZodiac]

My only issue with Battlemechs is that they are way too walking-tank for my tastes. They're cool, don't get me wrong, an Annihilator wading through laser fire to deliver like, a dozen AC20 rounds into some fools skull is great, but I prefer me some anime robots.

[BisectedBrioche]

So...Wednesday my brother very generously came down to give me a lift up to Birmingham (about an hour and a half's drive away from the part of the UK I call home) so I could view a light blue Suzuki Celerio. Which I wound up putting a deposit on to pick up the next day (with a polish and half a tank of petrol thrown in).

Yesterday, we went back down, I bought my first ever personally owned car with my savings, and drove back down the motorway for the first time (despite the events of Wednesday, it's a lot safer than driving on the smaller roads, despite the speeds). Despite the hour and a half of driving, the fuel gauge stayed at three notches (and is still there after driving too and from work this morning).

Anyway, I've called her Badadee:

Spoiler: <3

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