I'm that YouTube person who told you about how dishwashers work. Trying out this whole Mastodon thing.
Public Key
npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq
Profile Code
nprofile1qqsr3vllcszsr6cppfpdt2gejs0n36ad37uv6ujxzdkdhvwj4k852kcpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qullp4f
Author Public Key
npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Show more details
Published at
2023-03-27T15:36:12+02:00 Event JSON
{
"id": "765d0ea56c9e8acf39566c72df70698a056be7faebe545a7d97ce900cc42e452" ,
"pubkey": "38b3ffc40501eb010a42d5a919941f38ebad8fb8cd7246136cdbb1d2ad8f455b" ,
"created_at": 1679924172 ,
"kind": 0 ,
"tags": [
[
"mostr",
"https://mas.to/users/TechConnectify"
]
],
"content": "{\"name\":\"Technology Connections\",\"about\":\"I'm that YouTube person who told you about how dishwashers work. Trying out this whole Mastodon thing.\",\"picture\":\"https://media.mas.to/masto-public/accounts/avatars/109/322/052/660/944/600/original/aae3fb7490d08c57.jpg\",\"nip05\":\"[email protected] \"}" ,
"sig": "7b653e9ae1f9e8c2c3b70dcc22f69138f3c5674c6f7361cded212574ea989c03bcd77dbd9c59a062f85204cce87c2e278e570a3cef9191db8d71fb0e0a558e45"
}
Last Notes npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections WBEZ just had a pledge drive and didn't meet their goals. NPR has its problems, but your local station does really valuable journalism for your area and it's accessible to all. If you haven't listened to your local affiliate or checked out their website, see what you think of their work. If you find it valuable, and you have the means, I think it's good to support such work. Especially now, good, accessible journalism covering your local area and not just national news is important to preserve npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections I put my thoughts on the skeet place and I want to highlight this reply I got. I think a large number of people who are active here specifically need to hear this perspective. https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/253/819/823/578/815/original/c85ce728ed48b6a4.png npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections In the latest edition of "complicated communication misfires I want to pick at," remember that your knowledge isn't always common. People form simple opinions about complex issues. The mind you may find yourself arguing with doesn't necessarily have ANY awareness of the complexities and nuances of the thing they're arguing about. They may very well be parroting talking points which were fed to them. If you're arguing presuming they know the roots of a systemic problem, you could be wrong. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections I'm gonna try and post more fun stuff here because more fun and less *gestures broadly* is really what I'd like to see out of this place. But by golly ever since being enlightened to the term (and phenomenon) weak induction, it's been stuck in my craw like nothing else. I'm just seeing it happen over and over and over again. And I'm starting to wonder how much the prevalence of that phenomenon might contribute to the political polarization we're experiencing. Maybe it's starting to crack. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections "These words I'm reading aren't precisely 100% in agreement with my mental framework of the thing I believe you're talking about and I need you to know that" describes a solid two-thirds* of replies on Fedi. *can't wait for what that brings npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections wisdom of the elders: we used to make tiny little hard disk drives for ipods npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Hey! Remember those toots from yesterday of mine? I've got a name now for the phenomenon I've been picking at: Weak Induction I'm probably not using it correctly in this explanation, but this is when you're looking at something (say an online post) and, because you have a brain which is constantly looking for patterns and motives, you induce things about what the author means. But watch out for weak inductions! If what you assert isn't plainly there in the post, you might be on about nothing! npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections NOTE TO LITERALLY THE ENTIRE INTERNET: No thought is ever complete. There will always be holes to fill! RESIST THE URGE TO FILL THOSE HOLES If someone has said something which you largely agree with, especially if what they said aligns with your understanding of and goals towards an issue, then the LAST thing they need from you is someone playing devil's advocate. Nitpicking is annoying at best and, in a world where people are looking to drive wedges between allies, dangerous at worst. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Real talk time: "Just asking questions" is a weapon. We know full-well that some people exploit it to feign innocence when deliberately throwing noise into discussions. And it works in large part because it encourages otherwise earnest discussions which then contribute to the noise. So be careful. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections As someone whose previous line of work was in the hotel industry, I have to say I find it very funny how many people, with the backlash against Airbnb, are just now discovering that extended stay hotels with full kitchens and multi-bedroom suites exist. They're not new, folks! npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1nlt…t44t That took me a minute. As a Chicagoan, the thing that is the most jarring in that movie is some of the landscapes. Really hard to keep up suspension of disbelief when a giant dam appears supposedly in the vicinity of Chicago! npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections As we do our silly Chicago tradition of dyeing the river a violent shade of green, I think it's a good time to remind people that our ancestors *reversed the flow of the river* to provide safe drinking water from Lake Michigan and earlier, in the 1860's, *lifted the entire city* to improve drainage and public health. Remember that any time someone says heat pumps and renewable energy are hard. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Assuming enough Americans got the same middle school history classes that I did: Remember trust busting and muckraking? I think they're in for a comeback. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections A thought stirred by a jaded commenter: One of the many half-truths that gets perpetuated is that new cars have many more issues than old cars and that they're only designed to make it past the warranty period before they crumble apart. The average age of cars on the road keeps going up. That could not be possible if recently-made cars were in fact less reliable or repairable. I would submit that the actual problem here? It's mechanics who don't keep up with the times. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections So does the point even deserve to be made? Truly, I think it doesn't. The loss of any primary system becomes an emergency in extreme cold. And you'd be better-off to prepare for that. A gas-fired heating system is not preparation for that. It makes one consideration easier, sure. But first and foremost people need to make that consideration - which most don't. And there are plenty of backup options. I, for one, would rather have some propane on-hand for a portable heater when shit hits fan. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Got into an interesting discussion on what matters in communication. Nuance gets missed a lot when people tell half-truths. For instance, an astonishing amount of folks say they want gas as their heating system because of power outages. Most gas-fired systems still need electricity to operate. Which, anyone who has lived with one during a power outage, already knows. That half-truth is that a gas-fired system can more easily be supplied with emergency power. But most people don't have that. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections One of the more frustrating parts of my job is when it becomes clear I didn't press enough on one of the finer details. *so many* comments now are freaking out about how a right-sized heat pump leaves no room for error, when I thought I hedged against that by talking about supplemental heat sources (heat strips) and how they will work alongside the heat pump when needed. Alas. Tons of people didn't grok that. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Gotta new video out today. It's a long one. And it's gonna rub a few HVAC professionals the wrong way, but a good lot of them need a stern talking to. https://youtu.be/DTsQjiPlksA npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Listening to NPR this morning, and apparently there are now influencers who have discovered what generic brands are. The kids are calling private-label products "dupes" and they're excitedly comparing them. I've never felt so Midwestern and so old. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Ok, with the gas stove thread, people won't stop asking why I'm not considering an induction cooktop. So here's another thread where I try to answer this. Perhaps the bottom line is this: I'm a Midwesterner. It carries a lotta baggage. To elucidate, first you should understand that I have tried induction! Not the best experiences of it, to be sure, but I've used two portable burners and found them both to be impressive (with a few caveats). But on the whole, not a game changer to me. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections "Heat pumps don't work in the cold" Context: This is data from my mom and dad's new cold climate heat pump. While the system has been calling for heat continuously during this time, it has only needed to kick on the backup resistive heating in the deepest of cold, and even then only for a couple of hours overnight. For those of you who speak metric, -13°F is -25°C, and their desired setpoint is 21°C https://media.mas.to/masto-public/media_attachments/files/111/760/956/323/481/275/original/02d1835cd10c412d.png npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections I'm preparing for a test/experiment to occur with the cold weather we're about to have. That test involves mucking with my HVAC system and I needed to come up with a supplemental heat source for the crawlspace where my water comes in. Well, here's 105 watts! https://media.mas.to/masto-public/media_attachments/files/111/744/916/425/538/957/original/f9b7e7b54c82e49d.jpg npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections As the Dishwasher Man, but not necessarily known here for being the Dishwasher Man, here's a short thread to explain my whole thing about detergent pods: Dishwashers are simple machines. They fill with a small quantity of water, use a pump to force that water through spray arms, and those arms spray your dishes with the water. That's really all that's happening at a very basic level. Key to making this actually clean your dishes is chemical detergents to break down food stuff. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Corporate practices that favor executives over the needs of the rank-and-file should be called McKinseyan, rhymes with Dickensian. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Wait, you mean the thing that was obviously mislabeled and obviously dangerous and that I've been cranky about for however many years now actually /is/ dangerous? Who could have ever seen that coming. (Me! It me!) npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections While it will undoubtedly be used infrequently these days, and also I'm a little late to suggest this as a gift idea, a nice return address stamp is a pleasing thing to have. They're pretty cheap (like $15 for a self-inking one) and if you make a nice design with a standout color ink, it really jazzes up whatever it is you're sending! npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Wow. Talking about license plate registration stickers has actually caused me to stick up for one of those typically 'murican values. Do we really need a differently-colored sticker every year to signal the car is properly registered in this day and age of enforcement cameras with OCR hooked up to central databases? Strictly speaking, no. But it's a nice alternative to that sort of surveillance tech being everywhere which I'd rather not normalize. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections The replies on that post just keep on happening without an OUNCE of self-awareness as they're made. It would be funny if it weren't so serious a problem. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Actually, to borrow from @npub1xjq…62em, it's worse than that. It's like talking to someone who is in a crappy apartment as though they have the agency and skills to stake out a plot of land and build their own home. You have to be at peace with the fact that some people just want to exist and not worry about so many things. And they still have a right to complain about their situation. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Oh my gosh I just figured it out. Okay, all you open source evangelist people: your knee-jerk reaction to come at people who are talking about a problem with whatever commercial software they use and suggest Your Favorite Alternatives™ is exactly like saying "why don't you just buy a house?" to someone complaining about their landlord. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Huh. Pleasantly surprised this morning by the discussion occurring around my smart thermostat posts. Good job, Fedi! And it has been useful: apparently there are many, MANY different imaginations out there of what thermostats are and how they work (made even more complicated by technical/equipment norms across the world). If I'm going to try and illustrate my frustrations in a video, I'll need to do fairly substantial foundational buildup. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Real talk: It is utterly exhausting to look at my notifications every morning (which is a difficult slog as it is with this many followers) and see response after response saying "just mute/block those folks" again and again. I'm gonna make this as clear as I can: On Twitter, this. was. not. a. thing. I. had. to. do. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I had to block people because, get this, Twitter had a quality filter which caught most insufferable people npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections All right folks, let me just put this out there: Part of my persona is Cranky Old Man™ Sometimes I go a little too far with this, and I try to be conscious of that. But it seems that this is entirely incompatible with being here on Mastodon. I don't know if there's a way that I can preface my spicy posts so y'all know I'm mostly speaking in jest, or if it's just a lost cause. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections It remains utterly fascinating to me how many of you lot look at a 2700K light source and describe it as "not white" Y'all gotta stop staring at screens all day npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1kvt…0vtn just because you have to press it so many times? It's annoying, but I like it has so many speeds. I usually like running it on a lower speed when I'm using the oven npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections If a post of mine gets a boosted to a broader audience, I am subject to harassment. I'm not going to sugarcoat that, it's harassment. Sure, of the various kinds of harassment I have not been subject to anything serious. But it is exhausting and personally insulting, with one person telling me in no uncertain terms that they don't believe my job should be a job. This. Fucking. Sucks. And who's accountable for taming that? Nobody! Because it's between instances. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Whenever I encounter problems, I am inevitably told I should try different instance. Whenever anybody has problems, people say "maybe you should move instances" I do not know why so many people fail to grasp this, but we are experiencing mastodon between instances far more than we are on our own. I hardly ever look at the home tab for mas.to, I look at who I'm following on the Home feed. That in-betweeny space is apparently impossible to moderate. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections So. Three folks I follow are echoing pretty much the same sentiment I've been trying to express and are spending less time here. I'll preface with a reminder that you may very well feel my opinions are bunk. I am a successful YouTuber, after all, with all the privileges that entails. But here's the brass tacks: it's harder for me to be here comfortably than it was on the birdsite. And to be honest, I think Mastodon's always gonna be this way. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub178r…qekt "with so many tools at your disposal to curate your experience, if you're having an issue... sounds like a you problem" is an all-too-common sentiment around here. And just wait 'till you see how this toot is received! npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Hi, I'm stuck waiting on laundry to finish and am bored, so why don't I come on here and write some hot takes about YouTube? I mean, I can think of several reasons, but too bad I'll do it anyway. Knowing the leanings of the folks on this particular platform this is likely to spark some debate, but note that I'm not trying to paint YouTube as a saint - in fact, the first thing I want to talk about is a strategy they've taken which puts me and all YT creators in a weird place: npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1scj…pdxj I don't think that would accomplish anything useful. When standing by, it'll be a tank with two discrete temperature zones. And as soon as water starts flowing, the top T-stat will see that cooler water and switch on, meaning the incoming water won't be heated at all. If the flow rate were just right, you might get the bottom half up to the desired temp before it leaves, but once it's gone you're out of hot water altogether. So the capacity isn't really extended. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections In my last video, I probably should have included an image of what "in conduit" means. So here's the outlet in my kitchen island, and what's inside the cabinet. All electrical work around Chicago is done like this even in residential construction. Armored cabling is sometimes allowed and is much easier for a DIYer. I've worked with it before, though, and it still sucks compared to Romex! https://media.mas.to/masto-public/media_attachments/files/111/144/104/559/587/919/original/894b46f80c3312ce.jpg https://media.mas.to/masto-public/media_attachments/files/111/144/105/529/737/909/original/2ea3550ab0f22307.jpg npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Would you like a short thread on a weird internal conflict I have regarding a fairly widespread issue Hyundai/Kia E-GMP cars are having? That question was rhetorical. Strap in. OK, so my car can (in theory) charge at 48 amps. With our Freedom voltage, that's 11.5 kW. A fair number of owners are having problems charging at this speed because the charge inlet overheats. Now, initially, Hyundai had a very stupid strategy for this occurrence: stop charging entirely. That was awful. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1mdm…e2s5 honestly, this is really surprising to me. My brother has a home in San Diego and when I visited him I couldn't put my finger on what was off about the house. Then I realized it was the window sills that were weirdly shallow. I completely thought that was exclusively a California thing npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1mdm…e2s5 @npub1epu…603l what. Y'all're basically in the same climate. I don't think I've ever been in a home around here with four inch walls. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub14yr…8xwm my Default Preferred Temps™ are 68° in the winter and 74° in the summer. However, I don't sleep well when it's above 70 so I run AC more at night. Makes me the perfect candidate for moving most/all cooling demand to off-peak hours. 80% of the time it's exactly what I'd be doing anyway npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub14yr…8xwm keep in mind humidity, though. 76 with 70% RH (which it currently is inside) is quite a lot less pleasant than 80° at 25% RH In the Midwest you basically cannot get below 50% RH in the summer, despite having air conditioning. Hell, even after the AC was running for 10 hours straight, it was still 55% indoors. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub152n…tx6v it was holding at 67 until I turned it off at 10:00. That was about as cold as it could possibly get with the temperature outside what it was - about a 20° split npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1r8l…jdhr yes that's exactly what I'm doing! And you're right about newer equipment - often it runs more efficiently at lower outputs, so shifting demand around may actually take more energy (but of course if the cost difference is substantial that may not matter) I've just got your bog standard 13 SEER one-way air conditioner, though. It's either running or it's not, so it doesn't have any efficiency tricks up it's sleeve npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1epu…603l the air conditioner runs basically non-stop from 8:30 PM until I wake up. I like to sleep in the cold, and we have a lot of nuclear baseload power here in Illinois. So power is cheap and clean in the overnight hours. And yes, my home is new but not built far beyond code minimums as far as I can tell. Standard six-inch stud exterior walls and plain jane windows (though they have a Low-e coating, I think) npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Now, I live in a very new home built to recent codes. But I have very little shade, and in any case it shows what's possible! Demand-side energy management has a ton of potential when combined with a little brainpower. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections It's stupid hot out today (pushing 100°F/~38°C) and my strategy of using the house and its contents as a thermal battery is being pushed to the limit. But, it's still working! My air conditioner has been off for 8 hours and I'm still decently comfortable. 76°F is 24.4°C https://media.mas.to/masto-public/media_attachments/files/110/947/091/303/780/641/original/f3476f268624744a.jpg npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1d4n…r3f3 thanks for letting me know I guess? But, uh, if you think I have a loosey-goosey stance on electrical safety might I suggest that you've assumed a lot of context that isn't there from posts meant to be humorous. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1j6a…h8w9 And by normal, I mean staffed, well-lit, with bathrooms, food, and windshield squeegees. We really didn't have to reinvent the wheel. Tesla did because it's easier for them in a lot of ways - but I don't view today's band-aids as good. Far from it. I am eagerly looking forward to the days recharging at facilities like truck stops is normal. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1j6a…h8w9 I have charged my EV at night in the outskirts of a parking lot. Don't really like that. I charge at home mostly, but when I'm out on a road trip, I just want a normal place to charge. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1j6a…h8w9 Whether it "works" and whether people actually want that experience are very different questions. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub14ep…cpuj I dunno, most of the truck stops around here pay for billboards miles away which advertise their price. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub14ep…cpuj @npub185t…pwlf Your run-of-the-mill in-town gas station doesn't, no. But truck stops are 95% there. Make them a little bit nicer and boom. Done. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1kjy…9u5p Fair, but I'll reiterate my broadest point: I don't see the band-aids of today as the way we should move forward. Maybe you can make the case that built-in route-planning will minimize the number of charging locations we'll need out there. But honestly, I don't agree with that. Right now, charging isn't ubiquitous so it needs special considerations. Just as gas-powered cars did at the turn of the century. I'll be very surprised (and disappointed) if this is still the case in 10 years npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1kjy…9u5p Also, as was said elsewhere in this thread, is it really a great idea to hide away EV chargers? Imagine how much more confident the average person would be in the adoption of electric vehicles if they could actually see where are they can be charged. I didn't notice the EVgo station that popped up near me. Despite driving by it all the time, I saw no sign of it being installed or anything. It was just... suddenly there in the Plugshare app. This is kinda bonkers, no? npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1kjy…9u5p @npub185t…pwlf I personally really do not want us using the car's infotainment screen like that. Not just because it's my personal preference not to, but because there are loads of... steering opportunities there that give me the heebie jeebies. We don't actually need to reinvent the wheel, here. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub16cw…uxgx Put more plainly, most gas stations exist as a ploy to get people into the convenience store to by some food, lotto, booze, whatever - where the real money is made. Tesla cannot do this. They can, at best, offer charging purely at cost. Their best hope is that their vertical integration reduces the cost of each charger to the point they can hang on, but the moment there's a competitor that undercuts them sufficiently because they can /also/ sell them whatever else... it's bad for Tesla npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub185t…pwlf My gut says once signs that actually advertise charging cost are normalized (which, perhaps won't happen but time will tell) people will still view it more of a commodity than anything else and will look for the cheapest charge. But, I agree with you that niceties of the site will be a large factor. And personally, I don't think Tesla has a winning formula there (though others disagree with me). npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub16cw…uxgx Sure, but in theory (and actually in-practice in many gas stations) you could run recharging at /negative/ margin if your other business makes sufficient money. That's kind of my whole point. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1t2q…sggc They certainly won't /need/ to be, but whether they'll want to keep it up I don't know. If they're undercut on energy price, though, they'll have no reason not to abandon it. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub17du…y5k7 welcome to dystopia npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1axp…9nuy @npub13sh…jlwq Grocery stores are on of the few places I think medium-speed (~50 kW) charging makes sense. You might be able to take care of your needs that way if you can't charge at home. Still, though, charging at home is infinitely better. IMHO, we should be fixing that problem rather than forcing folks into spending more than they need to propping up another company. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1pqv…wa3v Sure, but 10-year-old cars aren't getting made anymore. Because they're 10 years old. That's what I mean by those cars are fixed in number. You won't need to cater to all that many of them once EVs are the norm. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1pqv…wa3v Those cars are relatively fixed in number (or will be, anyway) so they'll be less and less of a concern as time goes on. Besides, it's already a thing we deal with. Nobody likes seeing a Bolt at a full EA station! npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1pqv…wa3v The thing is, 30 minute charge times are already a thing of a past. 15 minutes is pretty normal, now, and I expect that to continue improving. Another reason I think looking at what makes sense /now/ isn't a great idea. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub13sh…jlwq Oh, to be clear, I think this only needs to (or should, anyway) be a thing along major highways. I /hope/ we are installing cheap Level 2 AC charging infrastructure all over the place because yes, charging at home or work is so, so much better. But for long-distance charging, I'll bet it looks just like today's truck stops and travel centers. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub120k…0pux Oh, for sure! That's why I think this it's ultimately a good thing that we switch. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1pkg…fjhw Are they actually run by those companies, or are they franchised? Here in the US, the name on the pumps means very little. That's just who the owners are buying their gas from. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections As soon as a big player like Pilot, Loves, whatever rolls out charging en masse they're gonna be able to do the same with electricity. Tesla, unless they want to learn the ins-and-outs of running convenience stores, won't be able to do that, so the cost of their charging will stay high. They aren't set up to subsidize it with other things. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections I don't know why it took me this long to articulate this thought, but Tesla's charging model is ultimately a trap for themselves: They rely on other folks to provide services near their charging sites. That's clever, BUT it means they do not make any money from those services. And that's precisely what keeps gas stations in business. They compete with one another to such an extent that the fuel is sold barely above cost, and the store/car wash/cafe is where they /actually/ make money. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1vtu…0crf @npub1cly…0c59 Voltage one variable among many, but it nonetheless matters /a lot/ and I'm honestly pretty exhausted making this argument again and again so I just won't. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1juc…p8cu Three-phase here depends largely on application. If you want a building with a basic three-phase service, it's gonna be 120/208. 120 for all convenience receptables, 208 for anything else. Many commercial buildings have this, plus larger apartment buildings. But if you've got a really big building or need to power really big stuff, you might have 277/480 and use step-down transformers for other things. And there are higher voltages, too! npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1vtu…0crf @npub1cly…0c59 Now you could, if you were trying very hard, touch one pin with your left hand and the other with your right and /then/ you'd have 240V with a path across your heart. But that's the thing - you almost have to try to experience that. Even if you were using two hands to handle this monster (which I wouldn't but maybe some folks will for added strength), both would have to slip and brush against the outer pins. A pretty unlikely scenario all 'round. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1vtu…0crf @npub1cly…0c59 I'm not quite sure what you're getting at, but if you were touching both hots you'd get a 240V potential across your hand, but that's it. Respective to the rest of your body, nothing is above 120V RMS. Thus, whatever fault current might flow through your body to ground only has 120V behind it. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub15es…xgl2 That's a different plug, though. You'd be using a 14-30 for a dryer, and this is a 14-50 npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1hpa…sfk9 eh, I figure the sort of person who is willing to do that is not going to be stopped by a better plug. They'll just take the receptacle apart npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1hpa…sfk9 honestly, plug design is not going to affect fire risk. If anything, the conductors on this plug are oversized. This will give you a nasty shock if you don't hold it right when you plug it in, though npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1cly…0c59 we have yet to fix that problem and I have little faith that we will, honestly. The design of most receptacles these days would scrape against any insulating coating and quickly ruin it, so without ripping out every single outlet in the wild, there's not much of a point. If we had 240V phase-to-ground, we'd probably take that step. But 120V just isn't dangerous enough to justify that (at least in my opinion - others, I'm sure, disagree) npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1cly…0c59 speaking as an adult who was once a toddler who stuck a screwdriver into an outlet, it tends to be a quick lesson in what not to do with a screwdriver. Alas, here I still am playing with electricity! These days, tamper-resistant outlets (which have shutters that need to be pressed simultaneously to open) are code for new construction, but outlet protectors (little plastic dummy plugs) were/are a common way to reduce that hazard. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1cly…0c59 we've been over this before (well, I have, not sure what you've seen) The brilliance of this system is that, while we have 240V, no single wire has more than 120V potential to ground. That means nearly any shock that might occur is far less likely to harm or kill you than it is in other countries. So while we pay far less attention than we should to things like plug design, we largely just... get away with it. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections BTW, folks who think the US standard plug is scary have clearly never encountered one of our range plugs before. https://media.mas.to/masto-public/media_attachments/files/110/917/877/630/987/151/original/b403bce294aefbe0.jpg https://media.mas.to/masto-public/media_attachments/files/110/917/878/115/856/798/original/422ad04034609361.jpg npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1m9q…7ssd no lies detected npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections And just for some proof that this was 240 https://media.mas.to/masto-public/media_attachments/files/110/917/769/730/208/232/original/bc715f97110c2f92.jpg npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1q7k…c5yf assuming you're incoming power is three-phase and you've got two leads on different breakers, yeah probably npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections And to explain for all my non-North American peeps, these two cords go to plugs that are on adjacent breakers in the panel. That means across the two hot wires you'll get 240V rather than 120V. So, in a pinch, you can just do this. Should you? No. But it's possible. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Need 240V for a test? This'll work. (Note: do not do this) https://media.mas.to/masto-public/media_attachments/files/110/917/641/809/322/230/original/c9b3dc3e0d7c4704.jpg npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1ay4…xka6 Oh absolutely, if it's already there, there's no reason to ditch it! I do think that in a situation where it doesn't exist, though, it's a lot of work for (mostly) diminishing returns. If we can get light rail going, though... then by all means! npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1ay4…xka6 I'll leave that to the transit folks. But, honestly... I'm not so certain it would truly be worth rebuilding overhead power infrastructure. There's a lot of headaches there (permitting, NIMBYs, engineering cost) which are sidestepped by $50k in batteries per vehicle - an added cost that's fairly marginal when that vehicle is a bus. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1fld…jfrc My understanding is that they currently have a functioning facility in Rochester and that what they're building now is expressly to scale that. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1f05…grer The answer you're looking for is in the video, and a word of advice: I know about all the things you've mentioned here, and agree. Don't take my excitement for this process as an endorsement that electric cars are some sort of panacea. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub16u5…xc6r yes, I truly believe that's the biggest thing and am pretty jaded by arguments that evil people are pulling strings. We humans seek stability and familiarity more than anything, and we bristle at the thought things might need to change. It's simply too comforting to believe that there's nothing wrong with things as they are. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections @npub1qla…3jzd careful, now. This is a yes and situation. And there are people who worry about the recyclability of batteries /period/ and see that as a reason to not bother with renewable energy. We need demonstrations that raw materials in battery packs are recoverable for far more applications than just cars npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Reading some comments, it's clear beliefs are stickier than evidence. There's a contingent of numbskulls who simply cannot (will not?) make the effort to envision a future in which this is scaled up. Trying to find a way to deal with that is one of the great challenges of our time. https://youtu.be/s2xrarUWVRQ npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections lololol, a comment on the video says something like "see, here's why plug-and-charge is so great. You don't always have your phone or wallet with you, but -" and I'm gonna need to stop you right there, bud. Yes. Yes I do. I do the ol' pocket pat every time I grab my cars keys. npub18zell3q9q84szzjz6k53n9ql8r46mrace4eyvymvmwca9tv0g4dszpqttq Technology Connections Suddenly I'm wondering something. I call disposable plastic grocery bags "Jewel bags" after the Chicagoland grocery store chain. I don't even shop there all that much these days, but any such bag is still a "Jewel bag" in my head. Anybody else do this? (Oh and, fun fact, an industry term for that kind of bag is T-shirt bag, despite it resembling a tank top if anything)