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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.

Are you here to participate in a specific proposal? Click on the proposal tag (with the dark outline) to see only posts about that proposal and not all of the others that are in progress. Tags are at the bottom of each post.

Posts by Olin Lathrop‭

49 posts
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Incubator Q&A How many megahertz of vibrations would it take to Shatter solid rock

The frequency of the vibrations is only one of many considerations. To "granulate" rock, the vibrations have to cause large tension forces in the brittle material. The wavelength of the vibration...

posted 2y ago by Olin Lathrop‭

Answer
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Incubator Q&A Walking 3 kilometres on a planet like Earth.

Yes, an infinite number of ways. Description Lundin and Monica have already described starting at the north pole, and Monica added a second method near the south pole. The south pole method can ...

posted 6mo ago by Olin Lathrop‭  ·  edited 6mo ago by Olin Lathrop‭

Answer
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Incubator Q&A Earliest first-person view multi-player computer game?

Today we take multi-player first-person view computer games for granted, but what was the first one? When was that? What did it run on? Who were the players? What was it like? Any interesting ...

1 answer  ·  posted 1y ago by Olin Lathrop‭  ·  last activity 1y ago by Olin Lathrop‭

Question video-games history
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Incubator Q&A What are reasonable limitations for probability-manipulating magic?

If you can do it with your mind, then why can't everyone do it, and why are there wizards with inherently different strengths? It is like many other abilities we are already familiar with. Some p...

posted 2y ago by Olin Lathrop‭

Answer
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Incubator Q&A Earliest first-person view multi-player computer game?

Tankwar, 1978 I created Tankwar in 1978 at the RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York) Interactive Computer Graphics Center (ICGC). The ICGC had two Prime 750 computers, each wit...

posted 1y ago by Olin Lathrop‭  ·  edited 1y ago by Olin Lathrop‭

Answer
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Incubator Q&A How do I search for d6 dice with a blank 6th face?

You're not really using these dice as dice, but as markers. It sounds like you won't be "rolling" these dice, and therefore expect an even outcome between landing on each of the 6 sides. Paint th...

posted 2y ago by Olin Lathrop‭

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Incubator Q&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 additiona...

posted 3y ago by Olin Lathrop‭

Answer
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Incubator Q&A Electrical switches: Does it matter which wire it's on?

Most everyday electrical wiring has two wires Well, no. Nowadays you usually get hot, neutral (or "return"), and ground. At least here in North America where houses get power from the secondary ...

posted 3y ago by Olin Lathrop‭

Answer
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Incubator Q&A Can you avoid monochromatic triangles?

Yes. One answer is the five exterior line segments one color and the five interior line segments another. The reasoning is that all 10 of the triangles you care about have both exterior and inter...

posted 2mo ago by Olin Lathrop‭

Answer
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Incubator Q&A Make 3 intersections for each line segment

There are probably many possible answers, but here is one: One answer

posted 4mo ago by Olin Lathrop‭

Answer
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Incubator Q&A Alpha and Beta play a game with marbles

Solution Beta can always win. Solution logic For a player X to win, there have to be 1-4 marbles left. For that to be forced, there need to be 5 marbles left before that for player Y. You ca...

posted 4mo ago by Olin Lathrop‭  ·  edited 4mo ago by Olin Lathrop‭

Answer
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Incubator Q&A Fill the circles so that consecutive numbers are not adjacent

Answer Solution method First note the number of connections each node has. Since the numbers at the end of the sequence have only one connection instead of two for inner numbers, place the e...

posted 5mo ago by Olin Lathrop‭  ·  edited 5mo ago by Olin Lathrop‭

Answer
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Incubator Q&A Subdividing a circle into 2 halves with equal number of letters A, B and C in each half

Answer Solution method First count how many As, Bs, and Cs there are, which is 6 each. That means we are looking for a break that leaves 3 on each side. There are a total of 18 letters, so ...

posted 5mo ago by Olin Lathrop‭  ·  edited 5mo ago by will.octagon.gibson‭

Answer
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Incubator Q&A Find the pattern in the fingers

Answer The pattern is 1, 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2-3-4.

posted 5mo ago by Olin Lathrop‭  ·  edited 5mo ago by Olin Lathrop‭

Answer
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Incubator Q&A What would be the pros and cons of a soldier having only mechanical arms and legs and a mostly organic torso and would be even be practical

What most instances of this trope miss is that the forces from these super fast and powerful limbs have to go somewhere. That rules out silliness like the Bionic Man and your super-strong soldier ...

posted 1y ago by Olin Lathrop‭

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Incubator Q&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 u...

posted 3y ago by Olin Lathrop‭

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Incubator Q&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 ...

posted 3y ago by Olin Lathrop‭  ·  edited 3y ago by Olin Lathrop‭

Answer
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Meta Duplicate puzzle solutions

Let users decide We don't need a policy for this. Personally, I wouldn't post a deliberate duplicate. Sometimes it will happen due similar answers being written at the same time. That's OK. I ...

posted 4mo ago by Olin Lathrop‭

Answer
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Incubator Q&A Place numbers around a circle to make all length 3 binary strings.

There is already an answer, so I'll show a way the answer can be derived with simple logic without requiring fancy math most here have probably never heard of. Since there are 8 unique patterns, t...

posted 7mo ago by Olin Lathrop‭

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Meta How can Worldbuilding successfully support creative exploration?

We have to understand that a Q&A worldbuilding site isn't going to support all things all worldbuilders want to talk about. We need to focus on what fits well with our Q&A format. One thi...

posted 2y ago by Olin Lathrop‭  ·  edited 2y ago by Olin Lathrop‭

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Incubator Q&A What would be the best way to breathe for a creature that shoots fire from its mouth?

Spewing fire is done while exhaling. The same mechanisms that push air out of the lungs push the acetylene out too, when the creature wants to. Since this is mutually exclusive with inhaling, the...

posted 2y ago by Olin Lathrop‭

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Incubator Q&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 wor...

posted 3y ago by Olin Lathrop‭

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Incubator Q&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 the...

posted 3y ago by Olin Lathrop‭

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Meta Supporters for a Worldbuilding community on Codidact

I would like to get a picture of the general supporters (those who are "okay" with this) for a Worldbuilding community. There is already a mechanism for this. Let's not confuse things by creating...

posted 2y ago by Olin Lathrop‭  ·  edited 2y ago by Olin Lathrop‭

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Incubator Q&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 ...

posted 2y ago by Olin Lathrop‭

Answer