Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »

Welcome to the staging ground for new communities! Each proposal has a description in the "Descriptions" category and a body of questions and answers in "Incubator Q&A". You can ask questions (and get answers, we hope!) right away, and start new proposals.

Activity for Olin Lathrop‭

Type On... Excerpt Status Date
Edit Post #291462 Post edited:
6 days ago
Comment Post #291381 You haven't defined what notation like R1C4 means. Apparently that's "row 1 column 4"? Abbreviations need to be defined. It would also help to label the rows and columns in your picture. Are rows labeled 1-8 top to bottom or bottom to top?
(more)
17 days ago
Comment Post #291381 Then say so in the question.
(more)
17 days ago
Comment Post #291381 It's not clear what exactly we are seeing or what we're supposed to do to "solve" this puzzle. It seems like cells can be either empty, contain +1, or -1. Are all the cells shown with numbers known to be empty (like in real Minesweeper)? Is the point to figure out what is in all the squares that a...
(more)
17 days ago
Comment Post #291381 So what's the question?
(more)
17 days ago
Edit Post #291039 Initial revision 2 months ago
Answer A: How do I find a good dumb TV?
You haven't defined exactly what features are part of "smart" versus "dumb". What most people consider "smart TV" features require a network connection. No matter how smart a TV is, if you don't connect it to a network, then it won't present the smart features.
(more)
2 months ago
Comment Post #290802 Asking a bunch of strangers on the internet what you and a private party agreed to is silly. That said, Comcast is a large company that can afford good legal advice to write their terms of service. Surely they thought about and covered such a contingency. I can't imagine they left themselves on ...
(more)
3 months ago
Comment Post #290734 Way too broad..
(more)
3 months ago
Comment Post #290758 Your question doesn't make sense. I'm not aware of the electoral college having a mechanism such as "write in votes". States may allow write-in votes for electors, so maybe someone not offering themselves to be an elector could get chosen, but that's not what you ask.
(more)
3 months ago
Comment Post #288863 The topics you list that would be overlaps with the EE site are actually off-topic on EE. House wiring, electrical appliances, and safety codes are not about electrical <i>engineering</i>. If it's about something you'd call an electrician to have done for you, then it would fit here but probably no...
(more)
5 months ago
Edit Post #289920 Initial revision 8 months ago
Answer Invasive Species
Site Name Invasive Species Short Description What species are invasive, how to identify them, how they effect the native ecosystem, and how to deal with them. Background This section is long, but you can safely skip it if you are already aware of invasive species and don't care why I t...
(more)
8 months ago
Edit Post #289894 Initial revision 8 months ago
Answer A: What is the point of buying grounding wire?
I'm confused why you would bother buying grounding wire. Grounding wire is intended to only carry ground, which shouldn't ever be more than a few volts from other ground, like metal water pipes. There are many applications where it therefore doesn't need to be insulated. Not insulting it saves c...
(more)
8 months ago
Edit Post #289802 Post edited:
Changed to numbered list to make items easier to talk about.
8 months ago
Edit Post #289803 Initial revision 8 months ago
Answer A: Should recommendation questions be on-topic?
1 and 2 are OK, but 3 and 4 are not. Manufacturers and suppliers come and go too frequently and may be quite different around the world. These kind of "which brand is best" answers also tend to be emotional and based on very limited experience, so are more popularity contests than any real inform...
(more)
8 months ago
Suggested Edit Post #289802 Suggested edit:
Changed to numbered list to make items easier to talk about.
(more)
helpful 8 months ago
Edit Post #289781 Initial revision 8 months ago
Answer A: How can I test a monopole timer switch?
You can't test such a timer with just a voltmeter. It is possible that the timer requires the load to try to draw some minimum current, which a voltmeter probably wouldn't. Or, the timer might have a little leakage current, which would cause the voltmeter to read the full voltage even when the time...
(more)
8 months ago
Comment Post #289702 I think that math is included well enough in "science". I also would like to avoid the abbreviation STEM, since that can cause confusion over different geographic regions and time. "Everyday Science" seems to capture what you are proposing quite well. I can get behind this proposal if its name is ...
(more)
8 months ago
Edit Post #289762 Initial revision 8 months ago
Answer A: Why does water flow twist my shower hose?
The hose is probably coiled up normally. When there is no water pressure, there is little force trying to uncoil it. When water pressure is increased in the hose, the little extra diameter from uncoiling it provides a force to do just that. Try letting the hose uncoil when under pressure. If th...
(more)
8 months ago
Comment Post #289702 @#64656 Unfortunately "domestic" also means various other things. If you agree with "Everyday", then you should edit the proposal accordingly.
(more)
8 months ago
Comment Post #289702 "Domestic" can mean various things, and is confusing. What kind of STEM is limited to only my country or region? "Everyday Science" or similar would be a better name for this site.
(more)
8 months ago
Edit Post #289558 Initial revision 9 months ago
Answer A: Running cordless tools from the outlet
I've had some old cordless tools where the tool itself has a charger port. I've tried running these while plugged in (but with the battery drained) and they didn't work. That's because the charger is designed to charge the battery, not run the tool. The tool probably requires much higher power le...
(more)
9 months ago
Edit Post #289557 Initial revision 9 months ago
Answer A: How to properly store cordless tool batteries?
Current lithium ion batteries are best stored for long life at around 70% of full charge. However, getting there and maintaining that for typical home power tools may be more trouble than it's worth. If you happen to run down a battery to the 50% to 75% range, just leave it after use. However, a...
(more)
9 months ago
Edit Post #289546 Initial revision 9 months ago
Answer A: What stages are important for water filters?
What filter stages or combinations are important for an average residential consumer getting municipal water? None. Municipal water plants already do all that for you. They also have to test their water far more regularly than you are likely to, and have standards they must maintain. If somet...
(more)
9 months ago
Edit Post #289499 Initial revision 9 months ago
Answer A: LEDs flicker even without a dimmer
Maybe your switch is starting to wear out. The contacts might not be making solid contact when the switch is supposed to be on. To test this, replace the switch. If it now works, toss the old one. If it still flickers, you now have a spare switch. Another possibility is that your power has occ...
(more)
9 months ago
Edit Post #289458 Post edited:
9 months ago
Edit Post #289458 Initial revision 9 months ago
Answer A: Light fixture uses dimmable LEDs and a dimmer switch, but flickers -- how can I fix this?
The first thing I would try is to replace the dimmer. New dimmers work differently than old dimmers, at least the right kind of new dimmer. Old dimmers worked by turning on their output for part of each power line cycle. A power line cycle is a sine wave, and these dimmers kept the output at 0 a...
(more)
9 months ago
Comment Post #289360 I still think the question should be fixed to explain OSB. You've explained it to me, but not to everyone else that sees the question. By the way, the obvious answer is plywood. That's what we used to use before OSB was available.
(more)
9 months ago
Comment Post #289372 But that's not how people will see it. It comes across as a bit arrogant and elitist. Beside, if they knew what was meant by and abbreviation, maybe the post would be for them. For example, just because someone doesn't know the abbreviation OSB doesn't mean they don't know what the stuff is or t...
(more)
9 months ago
Comment Post #289372 Occasionally a new user might feel miffed when asked to define abbreviations. However, that has to be weighed against the many more that read such questions and feel alienated by what appears as elitism and *"If you don't know that, you don't belong here"* attitude.
(more)
9 months ago
Edit Post #289375 Post edited:
9 months ago
Edit Post #289375 Initial revision 9 months ago
Answer A: Home Improvement: Is it necessary to expand acronyms like OSB?
Some amount of jargon specific to the site domain is expected and necessary. However, "home improvement" is very broad and not a specialized niche. You don't go to college to get a degree in Home Improvement. People tend to overestimate how universal an acronym is that they happen to be familiar...
(more)
9 months ago
Comment Post #289360 Maybe I could answer it if I knew what OSB meant. But the broader point is that undefined abbreviations don't belong here unless they are very very common and universal. Specialized jargon is OK on specialized sites. However, "home improvement" is a broad category, and this site is international. ...
(more)
9 months ago
Comment Post #289357 "OSB" is undefined.
(more)
9 months ago
Comment Post #289359 "OSB" is undefined. That really should have been obvious.
(more)
9 months ago
Comment Post #289360 I have no idea what "OSB" is supposed to mean.
(more)
9 months ago
Edit Post #289102 Initial revision 10 months ago
Answer A: Should I buy down my mortgage rate?
Do the math! Calculate the present value of each loan. Add the buy down amount to the cost of the loan with the lower interest rate. Whichever is lower wins. That said, there are some additional considerations beyond the simple question you asked: Can you afford the larger up-front payment...
(more)
10 months ago
Comment Post #288865 It would be useful to start a new question, then write separate answers for each of your points. That way they can be voted on separately. I agree with some of your points, am on the fence about some, and disagree about others. An upvote to this answer means to me that I agree with everything, so ...
(more)
11 months ago