Osmiumacre

Thread for anything heavy enough to have warranted a bookmark for potential future looks from me. Willing to discuss quite a number of these. Will probably alternate between serious and not-so serious posts so as not to overwhelm readers as subsequent posts accrue. Note that links may become nonworking links over time as the Internet is a rapidly changing place.

Ben Goldacre
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RKmxL8VYy0M

Serious opener.

Above is a Ted Talk warning that, because negative trials often go unpublished, doctors and scientists can be misled into thinking bad drug choices or program treatments are good ... sometimes with alarmingly severe consequences.

Won't offer any descriptions of this one; if it's viewable it will speak for itself.
If it's not, it wasn't the serious kind of weighty that categorizes the 1st submission.

(INVOLVES some serious weight, though ... Could scarcely comprehend her being able to do this; certainly beyond what I'd personally seen people do in real life before her at any point in time)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R8TYPqPNcmk

troll thread

History Buff(s). Historicity versus Authenticity of Saving Private Ryan.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h1aGH6NbbyE

Craig Ferguson Speaks from the Heart

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZVWIELHQQY

I feel like you lose credibility when you are posting Ted Talks videos.

Unless you are doing it to laugh at them, which..if you want a laugh? Go watch their videos on rape culture.

You might say their thoughts on the rape culture are a bit...

( •_•)

( •_•)>⌐■-■

(⌐■_&#9632😉

forced.

Originally posted by Surtur
I feel like you lose credibility when you are posting Ted Talks videos.

The quality of any Ted Talk video depends on its presenter or presenters.

Perhaps I am mistaken, but Ted Talks organizers are roughly equivalent to the organizers of college campus or business event organizers at their most involved, and the equivalent of a Marriott Hotel ballroom at their least involved.

Except for the power to censor, I don't think Ted Talks uses any great power to control the content of what we see on many of their YouTube videos. Actually, if memory serves, there's even a division called Ted"x" whose content is expressly that banned from whatever passes for "mainstream" Ted Talk, that allows more "radical" people to express unfavorable views.

Whoa, subject(s) i dont give a shit about and links i'll never open.
This seems more like a GDF thread. 😂

Originally posted by riv6672
Whoa, subject(s) i dont give a shit about and links i'll never open.
This seems more like a GDF thread. 😂

Man, you don't care SOOO much, you have so little f*cks to give you felt the need to post and tell us just how much you don't care.

I mean damn, that's a whole lot of not caring going on.

You're like the King of Not Caring.

Weighty matters/ matters of weight, serious and non-serious covers a pretty large swath of topics. If this thread lasts any length of time, I suspect even you will be participating with the best of them, Riv ...

No cohesion in World History ... (Thailand versus World War II )

http://siamandbeyond.com/what-do-superman-batman-and-hitler-have-in-common/

Bantamweight!

JanoskianFour versus Miesha Tate

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mf6SGfLs9cY

Potential bonus vid:

http://fightvideo.mmatd.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=85276

Foreman/Jai/Ali

http://www.killermovies.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=638433&from=thread&pagenumber=1#post16071273

I chose the title of this thread because osmium is the density naturally occurring element, and therefore one of the heaviest materials known as well.
It reflects the theme of weight, as nearly all submissions in this thread do, either physically or metaphorically.

The following is an instance of the latter, and important enough that I'm not content to leave it on another webpage vulnerable to the risk of loss due to link breakage. It is a short passage from one of Stephen Covey's books.
I believe the title was/is Principle-Centered Leadership, and the chapter it is from is entitled 30 Methods of Influence. I look at it as a reminder that one should never give up merely because he or she is experiencing problems; that is, in fact, one reason TO keep on living.

------------------------------------------

28. Involve people in meaningful projects. Meaningful projects have a healing influence on people. However, what is meaningful to a manager may be meaningless to a subordinate. Projects take on meaning when people are involved in the planning and thinking processes. We all need to be engaged in a good cause. Without such projects, life loses its meaning; in fact, the life span is short for people who retire, looking for a tensionless state. Life is sustained by tension between where we are now and where we want to be -- some goal worth struggling for.

http://www.nscblog.com/miscellaneous/30-methods-of-influence-28-involve-people-in-meaningful-projects/

Amanda Palmer. The art of simply ... asking.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xMj_P_6H69g

Health and Fitness

Carrie Swidecki.
The best reaction to malicious laughter.

http://www.turnto23.com/news/local-news/bakersfield-teacher-seeks-more-world-records-for-dance-themed-video-games

Stacie Tovar. Professional cross fitting in Omaha, Nebraska.

http://www.omaha.com/livewellnebraska/blogs/stacie_tovar/what-it-takes-to-be-a-paid-crossfit-athlete-according/article_d65545ce-1f7b-5eff-a8e7-82253122d759.html

Eda Marbury. Frank discussion of background, challenges, and goals for 2017.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ88Og4l_-I

Due to limited resources we are only able to do restorations / repairs on OUR OWN inventory and unable to take OUTSIDE / CUSTOMER repairs.
If you need work done to your gear,
>TRY SOME OF THESE RESOURCES<

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

ATTENTION: We recommend you DO NOT DISASSEMBLE or ATTEMPT TO REPAIR OR REPLACE ANY PARTS ON ANY ELECTRONIC / ELECTRICAL DEVICE without proper, technical training and repairs / modifications should always be left to qualified technicians.

"WARNING: PLEASE USE CAUTION WITH ANY ELECTRICAL DEVICE. ANY REPAIR AND / OR RESTORATION SHOULD BE UNDERTAKEN ONLY BY A QUALIFIED TECHNICIAN. DO NOT OPEN OR ATTEMPT TO REPAIR ANY ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITHOUT PROPER INSTRUCTION, EXPERIENCE, BACKGROUND, TRAINING OR KNOWLEDGE, OR TAKING PROPER SAFETY PRECAUTIONS. THERE ARE NO 'USER SERVICEABLE' PARTS, SYSTEMS OR CIRCUITS INSIDE. POTENTIALLY HARMFUL, INJURIOUS AND / OR LETHAL ELECTRIC VOLTAGE AND CURRENT INSIDE."

The following information is for 'entertainment value' ONLY and not intended as 'how to' / DIY instructions, and by NO MEANS is it instruction on how to repair, nor intended as incentive nor encouragement to tackle any electronic repairs yourself!

These are some of the more common issues we get emails and calls about.
Most of these issues can be solved by the user, for little or no money and using a logical 'process of elimination'.
This is not meant to substitute as instructions, advice, nor in any way, training for anyone not already correctly and competently qualified in electronics repair / restoration for issues / repairs that require proper training or a qualified electronics technician.
When in doubt, don't do it yourself and consult a professional.

Stereo Receiver / Integrated Amplifier
/ Pre-Amplifier / Audio-System Q&A:

Issue: My Stereo Receiver / amplifier / system will not power up or 'turn-on'...

A: Assuming you've done the obvious of making sure you have a 'good' (hot) AC outlet to connect to, and you've paid your utility bill, there's not much that falls into the realm of 'user serviceable' solutions. Of course there could be an 'externally located' AC / Mains fuse on the rear of the unit. Easy enough to check (make sure that the unit is disconnected from AC power prior to removing the fuse cap). More likely there are 'internally located' AC / Mains fuses, along with others. That becomes a bit more involved to locate and change, and may not fall within the 'skill set' of many users. Beyond 'fuses' there's not much you can do, except find a service station that would be willing to take a look.

Issue: The sound on my Stereo Receiver / amplifier cuts out at any volume and on any source...

A: The most common cause of sound intermittently cutting out on one or both sides of a receiver / amplifier is a dirty 'Tape Monitor' switch(es) followed next by a dirty / corroded 'Input Selector' switch.
To troubleshoot, individually manipulate each ‘Tape Monitor’ switch rapidly numerous while monitoring the sound until you find the switch that affects / improves the performance. If that affects it, then the switch needs to be cleaned or ultimately replaced if cleaning does not fix it sufficiently. If the ‘tape monitor’ switches have no effect, then examine the ‘input / source’ selector with the same procedures. If still no effect, then start touching / manipulating the rotary controls such as Volume, Balance / Tone etc, Loudness, Audio-Mute, Stereo / Mono switch etc. Also check the ‘source’ connector cables (RCA) for connection integrity / quality.
If the sound tends to cut out only at lower volumes, then it is likely corroded contacts in the ‘Speaker Selector’ switches. This can usually be deduced by carefully manipulating the speaker selector(s) while listening at a lower volume. If the sound tries to come back while pushing / turning / flipping the speaker switches, then that is the likely culprit. Cleaning a 'speaker selector' switch with a liquid agent might address it, but it usually requires a more aggressive method such as disassembly of the switch to allow ‘burnishing’ of the internal contacts. They have likely been ‘arcing’ due to the higher current that passes through the speaker selector switches and liquid cleaners will not fix that. If the arcing has severely ‘pitted’ the contacts, they may need to be replaced.

Issue: Volume, Balance, Tone controls have static when turned or moved on my Stereo System...

A; This is one of the most common issues with any unit over about 5 years, old and certainly most any unit that would be considered ‘vintage’. The problem is usually solved by a thorough cleaning (by someone qualified) with an appropriate cleaning agent such as GC Electronics-De-Ox-Id, Caig DeoxIT D5 or G5, De-Oxit, Chemtronics, MG Chemicals 'Electrosolve' Contact Cleaner, TechSpray contact cleaners / tuner cleaner spray, or similar (beware of the ‘super cold’ cleaners on some of the older internal plastic / nylon components, as they can be ‘shattered’. Also, some cleaners / solvents can 'melt' plastic parts or react with plastic internal and cosmetic parts). All the controls and (and switches as possible) should be cleaned at the same time while a tech is in there. If after repeated cleaning the problem persists or it only works for a limited time after a proper cleaning, then ultimately the control / switch may need to be replaced. PS. I have folks tell me all the time that they “removed the knobs and squirted some of that cleaner back in there and it didn’t help at all”. That would be akin to opening your fuel tank door on your car, pointing the nozzle at the gas cap and pulling the trigger. Unless you remove the cap and actually ‘insert’ the nozzle, nothing gets in. Unless you go into a control potentiometer (sometimes erroneously referred to as a 'rheostat', which is a different kind of 'attenuation' control, usually used for larger amounts of current, than a 'variable resistor / potentiometer'😉or switch from ‘typically’ rear-located access ports and flood the control internally, no cleaner gets to where it should.

A note about sourcing replacement switches, pots / potentiometers / controls for vintage stereo / audio gear.
Most parts are fairly to VERY specific not only to a particular brand, but specific down to a ‘handful’ of models and sometimes unique to ONLY ONE MODEL. There are many parameters to finding a replacement part, especially potentiometers. Besides the resistive value, there’s ‘taper’ as in ‘Audio taper’ or ‘linear taper’, some potentiometers such as ‘balance’ pots have a ‘center detent’ / notch, some are double stacked, some are quad stacked, the legs / terminals usually need to be of the same dimensions (although you may be able to 'scab' on leads), the metal ‘body’ may need to be of a particular dimension (some are large and some are small(er), the mounting thread diameter and length are likely critical, the shaft length, shape and design are almost ALWAYS critical, there may be an unusual current value assigned to it, it may have multiple ‘jobs’ and have other terminals on top etc.
Bottom line is, you probably ‘ain’t gonna go to Radio Shack and pick one up’. If fact probably the only place you’re going to find a suitable replacement is from a salvage / donor unit (unless you don’t care about the originality of the unit, exact performance, exact look etc, then hey, you could probably make ‘spit, some old carpet lint and duct tape’ work). Potential sources for parts you could ‘make fit’ might be: www.oaktreevintage.com/Stereo_Parts_Salvage_Units.htm , www.dalbani.com , www.electronix.com , www.mcminone.com , www.newark.com , www.studiosoundelectronics.com , www.suburban-elect.com , www.tedss.com
If you have a parts source to suggest, or 'are' a source for potential parts, let us know and we'll consider adding the info.

Issue: When I ‘touch’ the: ‘Volume’, ‘Balance’, ‘Bass’, ‘Treble’, (etc) controls the sound cuts out. I don’t even have to turn them. Actually they sound fine when I turn them, only when I ‘push’ / ‘pull’ / ‘touch’ / 'jiggle' them does the sound cut out...

A: That is a less common issue and if we rule out ‘dirt’ or corrosion, then the next likely suspect would be bad solder joints or ‘cold’ solder joints. Re-flowing the solder joints by someone qualified usually is the fix.

Issue: The sound on my stereo cuts out, but only at ‘higher’ volumes...

A: If everything is generally OK at lower volumes (say below 8:30AM or 9:00AM, if you imagine a 'clock face' on the stereo units' volume control), and you’ve ruled out the above issues, then consider some of the following possibilities as potential causes;

-A single strand of speaker wire just ‘touching’ a neighboring strand can allow an amplifier to function, but likely at an elevated temperature, which will reduce it’s ability to perform at elevated volumes. Since ‘higher’ volumes means higher temperatures, any unnecessary increase reduces the amount of ‘leeway’ an amp has to do it’s job. The amplifier will run hotter than it typically should.
Solution; Inspect and rectify speaker wire connections.

Possibly the name of the person above is Bogdanov.

I've got to check sometime, possibly even after I submit this post.

Below Bogdanov, though of course above this sentence, is a favorite shot from a show I watched religiously during its first season.

Loved some of the dynamics and Easter surprises it held, along with adoptive father/adopted daughters theme, adopted/adoptive sister interaction, good mentor models, inventive action, surprise reveals ...

The subject needs no ID-ing, of course.

Late 2015 - early 2016, overall, was a good time time to be a fan.

Item #: SCP-002

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-002 is to remain connected to a suitable power supply at all times, to keep it in what appears to be a recharging mode. In case of electrical outage, the emergency barrier between the object and the facility is to be closed and the immediate area evacuated. Once facility power is re-established, alternating bursts of X-ray and ultraviolet light must strobe the area until SCP-002 is re-affixed to the power supply and returned to recharging mode. Containment area is to be kept at negative air pressure at all times.

Teams including a minimum of two (2) members are required within 20 meters of SCP-002 or its containment area. Personnel should maintain physical contact with one another at all times to confirm there is another person present, as perception may be dulled, skewed, or influenced by proximity to the object.

No personnel below Level 3 are permitted within SCP-002. This requirement may be waived via written authorization from two (2) off-site Level 4 administrators. Command staff issued such a waiver must be escorted by at least five (5) Level 3 Security personnel for the duration of their contact and must temporarily surrender their rank and security clearance. Following contact, command staff will be escorted at least 5 km from SCP-002 to undergo a seventy-two (72)-hour quarantine and psychological evaluation. If deemed fit for return to duty by psych staff, rank and security clearance may be restored when quarantine expires.

Description: SCP-002 resembles a tumorous, fleshy growth with a volume of roughly 60 m³ (or 2000 ft³). An iron valve hatch on one side leads to its interior, which appears to be a standard low-rent apartment of modest size. One wall of the room possesses a single window, though no such opening is visible from the exterior. The room contains furniture which, upon close examination, appears to be sculpted bone, woven hair, and various other biological substances produced by the human body. All matter tested thus far show independent or fragmented DNA sequences for each object in the room.

Refer to the Mulhausen Report [cross-ref:document00.023.603] for details related to object's discovery.

Reference: To date, subject has been responsible for the disappearances of seven personnel. It has also in its time at the facility further furnished itself with two lamps, a throw rug, a television, a radio, a beanbag chair, three books in an unknown language, four children's toys, and a small potted plant. Tests with a variety of lab animals including higher primates have failed to provoke a response in SCP-002. Cadavers as well fail to produce any effect. Whatever process the subject uses to convert organic matter into furnishings is apparently only facilitated by the introduction of living humans.

[i]view Mulhausen Report docid:00.023.603

Mulhausen Report [00.023.603]

The following is a brief report detailing the discovery of SCP-002

Subject was discovered in a small crater in northern Portugal where it struck the Earth from orbit. Encased in a shell of thick rock, the fleshy exterior of the object was exposed by the impact. A native farmer happened upon the site and reported his findings to the village elder. Subject gained SCP attention when a Level 4 agent posted in the area detected a small radioactive anomaly generated by the object.

A collection squad of SCP security personnel led by General Mulhausen was immediately dispatched to the area where they quickly secured the subject in a large container and performed initial testing with subjects recruited from the nearby village. Three men individually sent into the structure subsequently disappeared. Upon discovering this deadly property of the subject, General Mulhausen issued a Level 4a Termination Order of any witnesses (roughly 1/3 of the village) to ensure no outside knowledge of the object and initiated its transport to SCP facility [DATA EXPUNGED].

During preparation for transport, four SCP security personnel were inexplicably drawn inside the object where they too immediately disappeared. Following inspection, it appeared as if the object had "grown" several new furnishings and was beginning to look like the interior of an apartment room. General Mulhausen immediately ordered the requisition of several Class III HAZMAT suits for the remaining security team members, who proceeded to lift the container onto a waiting freight ship for transport to the SCP containment facility.

[DATA EXPUNGED]

[DATA EXPUNGED]

Following the termination of General Mulhausen, SCP-002 was re-secured by SCP staff and brought into special containment in [CLASSIFIED], where it currently resides. Staff with clearance below Level 3 have been denied access to the SCP-002 container without prior approval of at least two Level 4 staff after the Mulhausen incident.[i]