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Something of an unusual question: I have an alarm clock with a radium dial that no longer glows. It's my understanding that this isn't a failing of the radium, which should remain radioactive for more than a thousand years, but rather the luminous varnish breaking down. There are any number of luminous paints and powders on Amazon, but they're the usual modern sort that are supposed to be charged in the light and then glow for a time. Would the radiation emitted by radium cause them to glow perpetually? If not, what sort of glowy material am I looking for?
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Nov 30, 2020 22:31
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Gobbeldygook posted:Your understanding is correct. What you need to do is apply a thin, fresh layer of a phosphor on your dials. You're looking for something like zinc sulfide. And radium will make zinc sulfide or the stuff at esslinger.com glow all by itself, without it having to first be charged in daylight? That's really what I'm looking for--something that will glow perpetually (or nearly so) without being exposed to light.
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Dec 4, 2020 02:36
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I'm looking for a travel clock with a donor case. Specifically, I'm looking for a Westclox model 1819. It's very personal to me--it's traveled with me virtually around the globe since the '90s--but as you can see, it's much the worse for wear. Between smashing it in baggage, dropping it in customs, and all manner of things have happened to it, while the electronics works perfectly fine (even the two tungsten bulbs, which have never been replaced, they still light), but the plastic shell is smashed up and I've re-glued as best I could, which isn't very good. I've searched and searched, but no luck. Where can I get a new one? Or a used one? I'm just going to swap out the inner parts with mine, plus the face plate looks fine, so the tradition of it seeing the world will remain. Anyone have any pointers for where to get one?     I'm sure you can't read what it says on the bottom, but it: quote:MODEL NO
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Jan 1, 2021 01:06
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My mother tells me I'm a fool to waste my money that I should very well be laying by for a down payment on a house, and I very well know that I am fool, but nevertheless, I've got a bit under $400 burning in my pocket and am strongly considering buying a county from Sealand. Nothing stopping me from calling myself a count now, of course, she tells me, other than embarrassment factor. The Grand Duchy of Pomerania and Livonia is also an option, and a cheaper one, too, but they seem even more a scam in my mind. The one territory hasn't been recognized in 300 years and the other is across the continent. They're in no position to sell any land for the simple fact that they have none. What kind of Grand Duchy is that? Sealand at least has held onto Roughs Tower for more than fifty years. Its an actual place that, while I'll never set foot on or likely even seen, I can rest happy knowing exists, Are their other miconations or quasi-legal semi-historical nations selling counties? Any that are more real than Sealand? Are there any more persuasive arguments against Sealand besides it being a nutso scan to rob me of $400 -- which I'm all ready to concede is true.
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Feb 4, 2021 08:44
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Poldarn posted:I got a lordship of Sealand as a christmas present and I enjoyed it immensely. If purchasing nobility is something your interested in, I'd recommending researching the philosophies of each organization. Sealand is pretty much thumbing their nose at English nobility, because if I can make titles, how legitimate are historical English titles? Someone had to make it all up at some point, why can't I? When I was a kid, we had an island that I declared myself the prince of. If I ever get another, I'd be the grand duke of it. Never wanted to be a king -- that title never appealed to me. An absolute waste of money that could go towards a better cause, I agree, but I waste money enough on garbage and this would fleetingly make me happy. PersonFromPorlock fucked around with this message at 04:54 on Feb 7, 2021 |
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Feb 7, 2021 04:50
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Earwicker posted:i dont really understand the difference in appeal between buying a title in a pre-established unrecognized state for $347.49 vs simply founding your own unrecognized state and declaring yourself whatever title you want for free. Like I said, as a kid, we had an island, which we called the Principality of Richland, and I was the prince of it. If I ever got an island again (I haven't got any land now -- I live in town in an apartment), I'd either be the grand duke or maybe the archduke of it. I vacillate between the two. It's dumb -- I'm a forty year old man with little kid fantasies -- but I enjoy it. It would need to be an island. I know there are even legitimate landlocked states, but in my mind, island=independence. I've thought of buying a dozen or a hundred landlocked acres and having them publicly accessible to hikers and snowshoers (that might be odd elsewhere, but it's a very common thing to do here). That could be a grand duchy and/or achduchy, but it isn't an island and therefore falls short of legitimate in my eyes. An island would cost $30,000-$50,000. I can piss away $350 to make me happy -- I can't 30-50k.
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Feb 8, 2021 03:40
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Earwicker posted:sure i understand the desire to have your own private island, what i dont understand is what exactly you are getting for the $350 other than a piece of paper you could easily print out yourself. it's not like buying a title from the sealand people gets you an actual island, so how is that any more "legitimate" than simply declaring yourself the duke of whatever apartment you live in? It just seemed to me that, of all the micronations I've come across, Sealand seemed the most "real", for lack of a better word. I mean, they have held Roughs Tower for more than half a century. It isn't like more micronations that exist more in concept than actuality. The county does comes with a square foot of property of Sealand. Square foot of what? I don't know exactly, but of something. That was really the gist of my question -- are there any other micronations like Sealand in existence in that they, you know, exist. PersonFromPorlock fucked around with this message at 08:02 on Feb 8, 2021 |
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Feb 8, 2021 07:54
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Earwicker posted:sure i understand the desire to have your own private island, what i dont understand is what exactly you are getting for the $350 other than a piece of paper you could easily print out yourself. it's not like buying a title from the sealand people gets you an actual island, so how is that any more "legitimate" than simply declaring yourself the duke of whatever apartment you live in?
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Feb 9, 2021 02:03
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CrazySalamander posted:If you want a county get a county. Like I said as long as you make it into an experience of some sort it is likely to improve your well being. Or if you’re legitimately ok with doing the barony instead go with that. You’ve made it clear that it is an important subject to you- don’t let people bully you whether they are your mom or internet strangers. I will add the caveat that I am saying this because you have made clear it is not a financial imposition and you also aren’t asking about doing something like joining a cult or doing something dangerous. My mother's also not happy about my desire to change my last name, which only COVID has delayed. I need the town office to be open. It's spelled wrong, for one, and for two, I have a speech impediment that makes it really hard for me to say. Question now is whether I want to change it to the same name spelled correctly or something altogether different but similar that I rather like and I have some history with. I've gone by the correct-spelling version for more than a decade, since starting college, but I'm not adverse to a new name, particularly one that's common locally. I don't know why I keep a relationship with that horrid woman -- she tried to have me committed once for not wanting to move in with her -- but I do. I write under a different name and gender altogether, which ruffles my mother's dander enough. Edit: I'm not aware of a count ascension ceremony, but I suppose I could make one up, basing it on the monarch ceremony. I have friends more than willing to play along, especially if I make them barons, which, as a count, I'd be more than qualified to do. Maybe hire a small choir to sing Zadok the Priest. Small town -- choirs come cheap. High school choirs, especially. It could easily be done, after COVID. PersonFromPorlock fucked around with this message at 03:20 on Feb 10, 2021 |
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Feb 9, 2021 16:22
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Is there a subforum for asking about electrical circuits and the hobbyist modifying thereof?
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Feb 10, 2021 03:50
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Are there any programs -- free or low priced, I've not the budget for something hundreds of dollars -- that will take an MP4 file or whatever other video format and convert it to either MPEG dash of HLS files for streaming on devices such a Roku? It would be lovely if it has batch processing, but that's hardly necessary. Edit: And yes, I know you can do it with FFmpeg, but it's too many steps. I'd rather something that could take the video file and spit out the several MPEG dash/HLS format with little effort on my part. PersonFromPorlock fucked around with this message at 05:53 on Apr 28, 2021 |
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Apr 28, 2021 05:46
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Question the first: Is there any handy program, free to moderately priced (let's say, up to $150), that will take a video file (an MP4 or maybe ProRes or whatever) and spit out MPEG DASH files ready for streaming, at several resolutions and bit rates? I know it can be done manually from the command line with FFmpeg and MP4Box, but that's time consuming and quite frankly mind numbing. If I had a program that could just do it for me, it would be worth its weight in gold. If it can batch process, platinum. Question the second: I'm a amateur photographer (very amateur). Film photographer that is -- I simply could never get into digital. I typically process the film myself but I've run into a bit of a road block. I'm not keen on prints, I shoot reversal (slide) film. When reversing black and white film, you need a bleach bath between the first and second development stages. I have always, for the last twenty-five years, used concentrated sulfuric acid for the bleaching agent. Back in the day, I just went to the local camera store and bought it by the gallon. That place has been gone a decade or more. I can find nowhere that carries 100% sulfuric acid now, not even after filling out a DEA form. I could use battery acid, it's the same stuff, but it's only about 30% the strength of concentrated acid and it would throw off all my timing -- I'd have to learn again how long to leave the film soaking and that would be troublesome, as it's all really down to rote memory at this point. Does anyone know of a seller?
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May 5, 2021 04:45
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Great. I've never had much success with any of the alternatives to potassium dichromate and concentrated sulfuric acid as a bleach, and I'm completely out of my old stock of acid. I understand dichromate is illegal to sell in much of Europe and you've got to make due with the inferior permanganate. I do hope it doesn't come to that here. Enough chemicals already you've got to fill out DEA forms swearing you're going to use them for photographic film processing and not as drugs/weapons/bombs. Edit: And thank you to everyone else who answered as well. PersonFromPorlock fucked around with this message at 01:38 on May 7, 2021 |
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May 7, 2021 01:35
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Is there a thread for financial advice, particularly for my mother who wants to buy a house and who makes rather a good deal (rather a tremendously great deal for her area) but has next to zero in savings?
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Jun 29, 2021 17:06
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The Galaxi is one of the very few roller coaster I will ride. Once upon a time, Funtown had one (when I used to frequent there, 25 years ago). They've since since replaced it with the most horrify ride in existence.More lately, there was one at Palace Playland, but they've since replaced it with the Sea Viper (the Anaconda). Where is the nearest Galaxi to Maine (anywhere) these days?
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Jul 6, 2021 14:24
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