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Articles Posted by Paul R.

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  • Problem soldering to inside surface of copper pipe

    03/14/2024 3:00:58 PM PDT · by Paul R. · 56 replies
    Me | 3/14/2024 | PaulR
    Is the inside surface of clear copper tubing, such as used in refrigeration systems, anodized or have some other finish applied to it? It appears to be impossible to solder to, even using acid flux, unless the surface is thoroughly sanded (or use steel wool or a wire brush). The inside surface "as is" looks clean, with no darkening or oxidation, but is smooth, lacking the tiny scratches of sanding with high grit sandpaper, or using steel wool on it.
  • At least 5 dead in Illinois school bus crash

    03/12/2024 9:17:37 AM PDT · by Paul R. · 42 replies
    ABC News on YouTube ^ | 3/12/2024 | ABC News
    Three children and two adults were killed when a school bus collided with a semi-truck on Monday in Illinois.
  • What My 10,000 Tenants Tell Us About The Economy

    03/11/2024 10:02:31 AM PDT · by Paul R. · 25 replies
    Ken McErloy on You Tube ^ | Mar 9, 2024 | Ken McErloy
    Ken McErloy dives deep into the economic landscape of 2024, drawing comparisons to the 2008 financial crisis through an analysis of over 10,000 tenants across the United States. He discusses the realities of inflation, unemployment, and the housing market, revealing the pressures on the average American's financial stability and lifestyle adaptations in the face of economic headwinds.
  • UPDATE: US and Coalition Defeat Houthi Attack in Red Sea Area

    03/09/2024 7:10:56 PM PST · by Paul R. · 29 replies
    USCENTCOM ^ | 3/9/2024 | USCENTCOM
    March 9, 2024 Release Number 20240309 – 02 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TAMPA, Fla. – Following further engagements through the morning, U.S. and Coalition forces downed a total of at least 28 uncrewed aerial vehicles between 4:00 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. (Sanaa time) on March 9. No U.S. or Coalition Navy vessels were damaged in the attack and there were also no reports by commercial ships of damage.
  • Massachusetts (SSN 798) Launch

    03/08/2024 9:09:25 PM PST · by Paul R. · 25 replies
    H11 - You Tube ^ | 359,479 views Feb 23, 2024 | H11
    Virginia-class submarine Massachusetts (SSN 798) was recently launched into the James River at Newport News Shipbuilding. Shipbuilders transferred the submarine from a construction facility to the floating dry dock, where it was later submerged and moved by tugboats to a submarine pier at the shipyard for final outfitting, testing and crew certification. Massachusetts is the U.S. Navy’s 25th Virginia-class submarine and will be the 12th delivered by NNS.
  • Dramatic rescue as truck dangles from bridge

    03/01/2024 6:00:26 PM PST · by Paul R. · 23 replies
    NBC News - YouTube ^ | 23/1/2024 | NBC News
    A three-vehicle crash left a semi-truck dangling from a bridge in Louisville, Ky., trapping the driver. She was rescued by a firefighter who rappelled down to the cab of the truck. NBC News' Jesse Kirsch reports.
  • Anybody (recently) familiar with lakes / rivers / fishing around Winnipeg, Canada?

    03/01/2024 5:09:51 PM PST · by Paul R. · 13 replies
    Me | 3/1/2024 | Paul R.
    Is anyone familiar with the area around Winnipeg, Canada, and bank access fishing opportunities in the immediate area? I think I'd be mainly after walleye - just good size to eat, as I'm not after a trophy, just a meal or two! This outing would only be a day trip from where we'd be staying in Winnipeg, so, a location not over 1 hr. from Winnipeg itself is much preferred...
  • German Warship Mistakes American Reaper For Houthi Drone, Shoots Missiles At It In Red Sea

    02/29/2024 8:11:57 PM PST · by Paul R. · 40 replies
    Hindustan Times on You Tube ^ | 2/29.2024 | Hindustan Times
    German frigate Hessen caused a blunder in the Red Sea as it led EU's anti-Houthi mission. The German warship opened fire at American MQ-9 Reaper drone as it spotted it flying in the area. The warship mistook it for being a Houthi drone, however, its missiles failed to reach the drone due to a reported "technical defect." RT News reported that the Reaper drone was flying in the area with its transponder shut off. Watch for more details.
  • Decatur native Harrison Butker donates jersey to family of victim killed in Chiefs parade shooting

    02/29/2024 7:59:59 PM PST · by Paul R. · 6 replies
    WSB-TV Atlanta ^ | 2/22/2024 | Courtney Martinez
    The family of a Kansas City DJ and Chiefs fan who was killed during a shooting at the Super Bowl parade had one request for her funeral: they wanted her to be buried with a jersey of her favorite player. He stepped up and delivered.
  • 23:30 / 26:04Can Prosperity Guardian Stop the Houthis?23:30 / 26:04Can Prosperity Guardian Stop the Houthis?

    02/23/2024 6:38:28 PM PST · by Paul R. · 4 replies
    Ward Carroll - You Tube ^ | 2/22/2023 | Ward Carroll
    Commercial shipping expert and host of the "What's Going on With Shipping?" YouTube channel, Sal Mercogliano, returns to discuss whether Operation Prosperity Guardian is actually deterring the threat posed by the Houthis and keeping the sea lanes open in and around the Red Sea.
  • Crew abandon British-registered cargo ship off Yemen after Houthi attack

    02/19/2024 5:28:27 PM PST · by Paul R. · 69 replies
    BBC News ^ | 2/19/2024 | David Gritten & Joshua Cheetham
    The crew of a Belize-flagged, British-registered cargo vessel have abandoned ship off Yemen after it was hit by missiles fired by the Houthi movement.
  • Toby Keith dead at 62 after losing battle to cancer

    02/06/2024 4:35:27 PM PST · by Paul R. · 29 replies
    Fox News on You Tube ^ | 2/6/2024 | Fox News
    OutKick host Tomi Lahren joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss the life and legacy of country star Toby Keith...
  • Voltage regulator behavior with a "weak" supply?

    02/05/2024 9:14:32 PM PST · by Paul R. · 32 replies
    Me | 2/5/2024 | Paul R.
    I am modestly(!) familiar with 4 types of DC voltage output power supplies that offer some degree of regulation to a load. Those are: Zener regulated supply: This has a resistor in series with the incoming / source unregulated DC voltage rail, and a zener diode to ground that fixes the output voltage at the zener voltage. Usually a capacitor to ground at the output is added to help stabilize the voltage, esp. if the load tends to vary a bit. Zener-pnp transistor regulated supply: This adds a transistor and a couple more resistors for more current capability and better...
  • Kitchen Faucet Flow Rate, Part II

    02/05/2024 6:08:41 AM PST · by Paul R. · 27 replies
    Me | 2/4/2024 | Paul R.
    As a follow up to my thread* discussing (among other things) wimpy kitchen faucet flow rates, I stumbled across this single temperature (almost always cold water) faucet at my local Menards: https://www.menards.com/main/kitchen/kitchen-faucets/plumb-works-reg-single-handle-drinking-water-faucet/5146ss/p-1444429309019-c-8509.htm That's more like it, as the faucet has a flow rating of 4.94 gallons per minute (18.7 liters per minute) at 60 psi. Now, that's getting somewhere! Somewhere on Amazon I found a somewhat similar unit from so "never-heard-of-'em" Chinese brand, said faucet rated at 6.something"gallons per minute. Unfortunately I did not save the item to my Amazon "list" or cart "save for later", and now I can't...
  • How much reserve needed in power supply diodes? Sunday Night Electronics...

    02/03/2024 5:48:43 PM PST · by Paul R. · 60 replies
    Me | 2/3/2024 | Paul R.
    I've built power supplies using full wave rectifiers in the past, and a couple circuits with single diode half wave rectification for non-critical supplies, but in all cases the power requirements were low and the diodes I had on hand several times overrated for the current and voltage / power involved.This time though, I want to add a half power function to a 1500 watt 120 volt quartz heater. (Over-simplification - see below comments. But ~half of the 1500 watts is the design target.)*So... I know a diode in series with the quartz element and no power supply capacitor** will...
  • Faucet, and Cell Phone Battery Fixes?

    02/02/2024 5:54:25 AM PST · by Paul R. · 74 replies
    Paul R. | 2/2/2024 | Me
    Faucets: Has anyone modified a modern faucet for higher flow? Cell Phone Battery: A possible fix for not taking a charge. I'll ask about the faucet first. Has anyone modified one of these new fangled / EPA limited flow rate kitchen faucet for higher flow rate? These damm things are just too slow, especially off a well system where you only have 40-45 psi water pressure to begin with, and that's after the pump just ran. At best you get close to 1/2 gallon per minute. Heck, us old types don't have a full minute to wait around while filling...
  • Red Sea Crisis: Houthi militants claim to hit USS Lewis B. Puller warship

    01/29/2024 2:30:13 AM PST · by Paul R. · 48 replies
    WION News - You Tube ^ | 1/29/2024 | WION News
    Yemen's Houthis claimed that they have launched a missile attack on the US Navy ship USS Lewis B. Puller in the Gulf of Aden. Watch in the report for more details...
  • Ukraine's Saker Drone Uses AI To Identify Russian Targets -- The First Drone of Its Kind

    01/27/2024 12:58:44 AM PST · by Paul R. · 26 replies
    YouTube ^ | 1/26/2024 | Suchomimus
    A new AI-integrated drone called Saker uses an AI program to identify up to 64 different types of Russian military target including heavy armour, trucks and light armour. The Saiker UAV can operate autonomously without the need of a controller and hit targets with its bombs. This makes it useful in areas with high electronic warfare and jammers.
  • Houthi missile strike ignites oil tanker in Gulf of Aden sending crew in life boats

    01/26/2024 7:19:08 PM PST · by Paul R. · 39 replies
    NBC - You Tube ^ | 1/26/2024 | NBC News
    A Houthi missile shot and ignited an oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden, forcing a crew on the commercial ship into life boats. The attack appears to have caused the most serious damage to any of the ships hit by Houthi missiles since the Israel-Hamas war started.
  • What the Ship (Ep98) | Red Sea Attacks | Trade, Ships & Mariners | Australia Ports | Alliances

    01/23/2024 9:51:14 AM PST · by Paul R. · 6 replies
    YouTube ^ | 1/23/2024 | Sal Mercogliano
    In this episode, Sal Mercogliano - maritime historian @campbelledu - discusses the Top 5 Maritime Stories as of Jan 23, 2024.