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Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: June 26th, 2023

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  • I think for people like me, it isn’t that we dislike math. It’s that we dislike having to work out the formulas without there being much instruction on what the formula is doing. I want to know the theory behind it. Explain, at least once in a while, what is happening in the formula. Without context of what the calculations and formulas are doing (including refreshers on the basics) it starts to become just a jumble of meaningless numbers.

    I find that my understanding of math is much better when I can see each step written out in long form. Once I understand what is happening, using the formulas is much easier.

    If the instruction is just a string of memorization exercises, I will pass the test when it is given, but would I fail that same test just a few months later because I will have no context to give it meaning and I will forget most of it.



  • Hard to say exactly what they did without taking it apart, but it kinda looks like the washers might be springs. Concave when loose and flat under tension. That would help to keep the blades close together even after heavy use and wear.

    I would assume that the inside face of the bolt has a square or rectangular profile that seats into the hole to prevent it from turning. The nut looks like it was custom made for this use.

    The nut and the bolt could be made in small quantities on a metal lathe. For large quantities they would likely be made on a screw machine. The washers are probably an off-the-shelf part but could also be made on a screw machine.








  • BillDaCatt@lemmy.worldtoNo Stupid Questions@lemmy.world*Permanently Deleted*
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    2 months ago

    Based on what I remember from my biology class, many traits are decided by dominant vs recessive genes. The genes in your DNA are arranged in pairs. Your parents each provide you with one half of that pair.

    • Recessive genes require both genes to be the same to be expressed.
    • Dominant genes only require one to be expressed.

    Let’s assume that tallness is the dominant gene and being shorter is the recessive gene.

    If your father has one gene for being more than 182 cm and one gene for being less than 170 cm, he will be tall because the gene for tallness is dominant. If your mother has two genes that both select for being less than 170 cm tall, she will be noticeably shorter than your father because she has two recessive genes.

    If your father gave you his recessive gene and your mother gave you one of her recessive genes, you would be noticeably shorter than your father.

    This can also happen when both parents are tall but each of them carries both the dominant (tallness) gene and the recessive (shorter) gene. If they each provide only the recessive gene to their offspring, the result is an offspring that is significantly shorter than their parents.


  • This is some of the goofiest shit I have ever heard. If these biblical Nephilim giants ever existed, and someone had evidence of that existence, what would be the motivation for hiding it?

    Scientists do not avoid biblical references because of some vast conspiracy. They leave that stuff out because those stories do not agree with their findings and/or do not add any useful information.

    A great many scientists are Christian, Jewish, or Muslim. If the Nephilim ever existed and evidence was found that proved it, scientists would not shut up about it. It would be impossible to keep it quiet.

    Can you imagine the museum traffic if such evidence existed? People would travel from all over the world to see even a tiny fragment. No curator in his or her right mind would pass up that opportunity!


  • Progressive lenses are complete garbage! The fact that you need to wear them for several days for your eyes (and your brain) to adjust to them speaks volumes. Keep in mind you will also see very poorly for the first few days.

    I got some progressive lenses for my second ever pair of glasses. My first pair did not have bifocal lenses. I wore the progressive lens glasses for a few minutes in the store. Took them off, drove home, and tried to wear them at home. I hated them so much that I went back the same day and returned them. I have had lined bifocals ever since and have not regretted it one little bit.




  • Can’t speak for anyone else, but here are a few reasons I avoid Ai:

    • AI server farms consume a stupid amount of energy. Computers need energy, I get it, but Ai’s need for energy is ridiculous.

    • Most of the implementations of Ai seem to be after little to no input from the people who will interact with it and often despite their objections.

    • The push for implementing Ai seems to be based on the idea that companies might be able to replace some of their workforce compounded with the fear of being left behind if they don’t do it now.

    • The primary goal of any Ai system seems to be about collecting information about end users and creating a detailed profile. This information can then be bought and sold without the consent of the person being profiled.

    • Right now, these systems are really bad at what they do. I am happy to wait until most of those bugs are worked out.

    To be clear, I absolutely want a robot assistant, but I do not want someone else to be in control of what it can or cannot do. If I am using it and giving it my trust, there cannot be any third parties trying to monetize that trust.