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  1. X

    Collection of Favorite Movie Phrases

    Hope you'll forgive "cheating" a bit by offering a TV quote instead of a movie quote, but I think my favorite of all time is "The freedom to make my own mistakes was all I ever wanted" (Mance Rayder from Game of Thrones).
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    B Are these AC circuits different? And does grounding change the voltage?

    Some things that might make it easier for folks to answer your question: 1. What do you mean by a "regular" AC circuit? 2. What do you mean by a "different type of circuit"? 3. What specific ground connection are you making? 4. What do you mean by "alternating voltage changes from...
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    Does it irk you when journalists don't do units properly?

    I agree wholeheartedly that it's annoying, but I would add the caveat that this is not a new phenomenon, and it's not restricted to the media. The reason the term "horsepower" exists is because James Watt needed a way to advertise his steam engine and found the most convenient method was to...
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    What Sci-Fi clichés do you resent?

    My biggest general sci-fi beef has always been the speed of shots fired. From Star Wars blasters to Star Trek phasers and everything in between, you always see slow-moving energy emissions that the target (especially if it's a "good guy") can easily duck away from. My assumption is that rounds...
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    Star Wars: Episode IX (upcoming) wish list

    I doubt we'll see Thrawn or any of Zahn's creations. Pity, because Mara Jade was always my favorite SW character (I'm also a big fan of Thrawn himself). Maybe one day they'll make a standalone movie for her (or him). My guess for the plot Episode IX is that the First Order will be preparing...
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    Solo: A Star Wars Story (Upcoming)

    I'm definitely looking forward to this movie. Han Solo was always my favorite SW character, excluding the EU/Legends (in which case Mara Jade becomes the best). I think the movie is going to come down to how well Alden Ehrenreich can capture the "essence" of the pre-New Hope Han Solo that...
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    Modify Phone Battery: Is It Safe?

    I would say the only two batteries that could be successfully paralleled would be if they are the same model and both brand-new. Even then, I would contact the manufacturer to ask if they recommend this.
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    What happened at Heathrow airport on Star Wars Day?

    What's ironic is that that's the exact reason I dislike Rey. She's the "perfect" Jedi despite not having any working knowledge OF the Jedi.
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    What happened at Heathrow airport on Star Wars Day?

    If that was the case what's the point of even having a Jedi Academy, or even a Jedi Order at all? That statement is completely contradictory to the first six movies. If no one has to teach you how to use the Force, why do they even bother having Masters and Apprentices in the first place? I...
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    What happened at Heathrow airport on Star Wars Day?

    A T-16 is a smaller aircraft made by the same people who make the X-wing. We don't know it, but they do, hence Biggs' line. Seriously, watch the extended version of ANH. Biggs Darklighter, Luke's childhood friend who flew with him on Tatooine, and who already IS an expert fighter pilot...
  11. X

    What happened at Heathrow airport on Star Wars Day?

    "It's not impossible, I used to bulls-eye womp rats in my T-16 back home, they're not much bigger than 2 meters". In addition, the expanded version of ANH shows Luke's childhood friend Biggs Darklighter (Red 3) explaining to Garven Dreis (Red Leader) that Luke is the best canyon flyer in the...
  12. X

    What happened at Heathrow airport on Star Wars Day?

    Luke grew up flying a T-16 Skyhopper through Beggar's Canyon (long, windy, narrow terrain) on Tatooine shooting unguided weapons at small targets. The T-16 is manufactured by the same company (Incom Corporation) that builds the T-65 X-wing Luke flew down a trench (a straight trench nonetheless)...
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    What happened at Heathrow airport on Star Wars Day?

    It was very contrived. That was the whole point of Rogue One. It was put there on purpose by one of the Death Star's designers, essentially as an act of sabotage. Of course that conflicts with the novel "Death Star" in which it's a construction oversight, but that's Legends.
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    What happened at Heathrow airport on Star Wars Day?

    In what is now Legends, Corran Horn was able to absorb a barrage of hundreds (possibly thousands) of blaster bolts in a short period of time; he still got beat shortly thereafter in a lightsaber duel. Having skill over blaster weapons does not make a Jedi invincible. Admittedly that's the...
  15. X

    What happened at Heathrow airport on Star Wars Day?

    1. We don't know it was seawater. Maybe that island's in a big freshwater lake. It is an alien planet after all. 2. It was submerged on Dagobah, didn't stop him from flying off to Bespin 3. You'd think a Jedi Master could get his timing right. Considering this is sci-fi there is no right...
  16. X

    What happened at Heathrow airport on Star Wars Day?

    The bomber was moving across the surface of the Dreadnought at a fairly consistent distance. If the bombs did anything they should have kept moving in that direction. They instead moved perpendicular to the bomber's motion. I understand that it's Star Wars and so you have to take it with a...
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    What happened at Heathrow airport on Star Wars Day?

    I just saw it last night. Sorry, but I thought it was terrible. I'm not sure if it's quite on the level of Phantom Menace terrible, but terrible. *scrolls up the screen to re-read and make sure spoilers are OK in this thread* -Turning first Snoke, then Rey's parents into throwaway characters...
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    What is your favorite Star Trek series

    1. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan I I I [empty space to emphasize how far above the rest ST2 is] I I I 2. Star Trek: Insurrection 3. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
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    Which interstellar "empire" do you like the most?

    I agree the Star Wars Galactic Empire, but under Thrawn's leadership rather than those two totalitarian nutcases. If it weren't for Rukh, Thrawn's campaign probably would have been successful, the Empire and New Republic could have been united, they would have been ready for the Vong invasion...
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    Two Planets Touching: Is it Possible?

    Just thought I'd chime in here; since the planets in question are of unknown composition I would say it's anyone's guess. For example, in Star Wars Legends there's a system called Anoth where two large planetary bodies are almost touching each other; they're basically orbiting each other in...
  21. X

    Understanding how electromagnetic pulse works

    I honestly haven't heard such a story; if you can post it I'd love to read it. An automotive alternator can certainly drive a device capable of producing low-level pulses, but that's barely enough to worry about even on a trivial level. I rebuild and test alternators with credit cards in my...
  22. X

    Understanding how electromagnetic pulse works

    When you ask about the "threat" my assumption is that you're referring to a weapons system rather than accidentally creating a harmful EMP from a household tool. If that's the case, no, an "ordinary" person cannot produce such a device because the materials required to do so are highly...
  23. X

    Increasing the number of pole shoes on an alternator rotor

    No, it's just a three-phase stator, no ignition component. On a bike it's just floating three-phase, no ground/neutral, anything like that. Here's the microfiche of the 1000 (18-pole): https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/honda/motorcycle/2007/cbr1000rr-r-2a-repsol-edition/alternator and the...
  24. X

    Can Economics be guided by science?

    The basic problem I see with the premise is that economics is inextricably linked to things like politics, philosophy, etc. which can't be quantified. Science is about what can be observed and empirically recorded. Take for example the current tax reform legislation (not offering an opinion on...
  25. X

    Increasing the number of pole shoes on an alternator rotor

    Hope this satisfies as an experiment; I had a situation like this a couple months ago. Someone had a 2007 CBR1000RR bike and couldn't figure out why they weren't getting any AC voltage across the 3-phase outputs. They had tried a couple different stators and all did the same. The problem was...
  26. X

    Why you can't measure voltage and current at the same time?

    If the ammeter is in fact creating a voltage drop*, then it has a resistance value and the light bulb is no longer the only load in the system. In D, your voltmeter will be equal to the battery voltage since it's connected across both loads. In C, it will read battery voltage minus voltage...
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    Music Tom Petty: Music Icon & Rock Legend RIP

    I was so sad to see the news. I grew up listening to Tom Petty so his music is permanently imprinted in my mind. I still have my autographed cassette cover of Full Moon Fever, and "The Waiting" is the ringtone on my cell phone. RIP Mr. Petty. Loss of a legend.
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    What are Some Famous Scientific Razors and How Do They Shape Our Thinking?

    I think it really comes down to a difference between ignorance and willful ignorance. Unfortunately there are some people who simply refuse to accept they can be wrong about anything. I know a guy who thinks that connecting a generator wind to a light via a vehicle chassis is electrically...
  29. X

    B Brainstorm: Is absolute zero relative

    I could be (probably am lol) mistaken but my understanding is that absolute zero would occur when there is no atomic motion relative to the environment being measured. For instance, if you're studying it in a lab's self-contained unit the Earth's rotation would be irrelevant to the temperature...
  30. X

    Multimeter Peak Voltage Reading

    It would really help if we knew what bike you were working on
  31. X

    Are We Living in a Simulation Beyond Our Understanding?

    Since you're using The Matrix as the inspiration for the question, how do we know that the machines aren't living in another Matrix? That's a question I always had about that movie. Morpheus states that the early 21st century was when mankind created AI. Since the Matrix is based on the late...
  32. X

    Staged Blackouts: A Solution to Reduce Power Outage Consequences?

    My first thought is I love this idea. I agree entirely that in America we take for granted luxuries that in other parts of the world are not nearly as common. We have a tendency to treat these systems as infallible until something happens to them. It's a form of self-denial that we see across...
  33. X

    Multimeter Peak Voltage Reading

    When you say the sensor attached to the alternator I'm assuming you're referring to the crank position sensor (some service manuals refer to is as the pickup coil, signal generator, and numerous other names)? If so you can't conclusively rely on simply multiplying your meter's Vac reading by...
  34. X

    Reversibility of Two Stroke Engines: Exploring the Impact of Crosshead Bearings

    I've very rarely seen a British bike that old and on the rare occasion I do it's usually because someone's freaked out by the positive ground system, but I've had it happen on older dirtbikes (70s/80s). A buddy of mine once tried to start it on a hill while pointed uphill; you can probably...
  35. X

    Reversibility of Two Stroke Engines: Exploring the Impact of Crosshead Bearings

    2-stroke engines can be run backwards if the ignition timing is off (or deliberately by design as Nidum pointed out). I'm not sure how you're factoring a cross-head into the timing mechanism.
  36. X

    Star Wars Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (upcoming)

    Definitely; I've already heard all kinds of theories about her being a Gray Jedi. It still doesn't answer two questions though: 1. How does she know advanced techniques with no training? On this point, I'd like to emphasize the distinction between technique and power. To draw an analogy...
  37. X

    B Did the big bang create something from nothing?

    This is one of those things that's always busted my brain. If energy/matter cannot be created or destroyed, how'd it get here in the first place? Please, anyone with a better understanding of QM than me (which is pretty much everyone on this forum), I'd love to know the answer to this. I've...
  38. X

    Star Wars Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (upcoming)

    I respectfully disagree. You're basing everything on Kylo Ren not knowing who Rey is. The Star Wars saga is replete with Force-users not knowing each other. Darth Sidious ran the Republic for years, regularly interacting with the Jedi Council, and no one knew who he was. And in case the...
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    Job Skills About half of college grads underemployed => disaster?

    I seriously hope you're being sarcastic...
  40. X

    Job Skills About half of college grads underemployed => disaster?

    I think in the sense of the thread the point is "underpaid", however underemployed could certainly also mean being in a lower level position than you'd like. However, I would just point out that in most fields you usually have to start at the bottom and work your way up. I have no idea what...
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    Job Skills About half of college grads underemployed => disaster?

    I never said it should be mandatory (why do you keep claiming I made statements that I didn't?) You seemed to be derisive toward the idea of a foreign language having a direct value. I was pointing out how absurd that is in today's world. I highly encourage learning a foreign language. It's...
  42. X

    Job Skills About half of college grads underemployed => disaster?

    I did not say that. What I said was: In an increasingly interconnected world where we can speak to any other country (except perhaps Iran and North Korea) with the touch of a button you're asking what is the purpose of learning a foreign language? Is this even a serious question? Music...
  43. X

    Job Skills About half of college grads underemployed => disaster?

    The answer to all three of your questions is "in what way did his Ph.D in philosophy result in 'promotion after promotion until he buys his own restaurant and becomes a successful businessman making as much money as, say, an engineer.'" If it didn't, what was the purpose of it? Is his success...
  44. X

    Job Skills About half of college grads underemployed => disaster?

    I'm not "putting myself down for no good reason". I'm simply being honest about much of advanced physics being far beyond my current knowledge level, hence why I read more basic-level physics books instead of quantum mechanics. I've found that a little humility goes a long way in life. EDIT...
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    Job Skills About half of college grads underemployed => disaster?

    First of all, we'll have to agree to disagree on parroting. My personal opinion is that in these types of courses, that is exactly what's being asked of students. Obviously this is an extremely broad statement and thus is not technically correct for every case, but as a general rule that...
  46. X

    Job Skills About half of college grads underemployed => disaster?

    Here's the issue with STEM vs. performing arts, humanities, liberal arts, etc. The basic reason you get an education is to acquire a skill set, preferably a skill set people will pay for, even more preferably a skill set that is in as low a supply as possible. Unlike most people on here, I'm...
  47. X

    Should Algebra Be Required At Community Colleges?

    Of course not. College algebra may be the topic of the thread but the post I quoted didn't mention it, it simply said: It was the broad statement of "anyone can learn anything" I was objecting to. I was using the two points to illustrate that even the most brilliant people still have...
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    Should Algebra Be Required At Community Colleges?

    I'm sorry, but this is ridiculous. This sort of "let the inmates run the asylum" attitude is what is resulting in college administrators kowtowing to students who have no respect for authority. As for a "debilitating fear of math", even if I stipulate to that, it's well established that...
  49. X

    Should Algebra Be Required At Community Colleges?

    You're kidding right? No one "can learn anything". Everyone has different aptitudes. Ask Stephen Hawking to compose a symphony or Mozart to do quantum physics (if he wasn't dead and all...)
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    Should Algebra Be Required At Community Colleges?

    Yes, opportunities that require at least some math proficiency in order to perform correctly. If you'd like to suggest alternatives I'm all ears, and we can debate their merits relative to algebra. I'll stipulate that there are other methods for learning critical thinking skills. IMO, the...
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