General Discussion Thread

[wavewright62]

Silicon carbide makes good polishing grit, but your massive sample is gorgeous!  I don't have a better guess, but I'll see if I can hold the photo up to my husband (this evening, if I remember) to get his ideas.

[Zami]

A moderate amount, I try to keep from trespassing though because part of the stalker challenge is to bring a firearm along, and having one usually kicks trespassing from a misdemeanor to a felony in most states. Aren't dangerous unless you do stupid things with them.... *is fairly certain I tore apart a uranite sample when I was a kid and may have chewed on one of the crystals*

It's easy to meet dangerous people in abandoned places, so at least you can feel safer with the firearm. Unlike me and my bunch of high school friends that just wanted to have picnics on the roofs of abandoned buildings for the heck of it 
Well, you're not a kid anymore  But it's one of the charms of childhood - you did so many dumb and dangerous things, and yet, you're still there.

[thorny]

It's easy to meet dangerous people in abandoned places

Actually, I suspect it's easier to meet dangerous people in non-abandoned places, as there are more likely to be dangerous people where there are more people.

-- abandoned individual buildings in the middle of a city may be another matter.

[Solokov]

Actually, I suspect it's easier to meet dangerous people in non-abandoned places, as there are more likely to be dangerous people where there are more people.

-- abandoned individual buildings in the middle of a city may be another matter.

Random staircases in the middle of the woods.

[Zami]

Actually, I suspect it's easier to meet dangerous people in non-abandoned places, as there are more likely to be dangerous people where there are more people.

-- abandoned individual buildings in the middle of a city may be another matter.

Yeah, I'm talking about cities mostly. One time we climbed like 10 floors to get to the roof and when we were done and we started climbing down the whole building was filled up with smoke; turned out homeless people on the ground floor decided to set their trash on fire and it went out of control XD so idk doesn't seem very safe

Random staircases in the middle of the woods.

...do you have a photo of that?

[Solokov]

...do you have a photo of that?

Not one that I took, no.... but I do have one of a half buried chimney.... somewhere. I'll have to figure out where it's stored.

[Róisín]

I used to do a lot of what you call urbexing, way back before the term for it existed. Both in and under cities (my particular fascination is drains, tunnels, sewers and other underground structures) and in old mines and industrial sites. Ghost towns are especially fascinating, especially those of the gold rush era. I used to live in Walhalla, one such in the mountains of Gippsland, and loved it. I and my mining partner actually worked a couple of the old mines, and made enough to live on. We explored a lot of old ruins too.

And you can meet dangerous people anywhere!

[Purple Wyrm]

Random staircases in the middle of the woods.

Whatever you do, don't go up them! Just ignore them and walk on by...

[Solokov]

I have a MIGHTY NEED for these wheels!

https://jalopnik.com/darpa-reinvents-the-wheel-1827112677

[Róisín]

Solokov, that is an amazing reconfigurable wheel/track!

[Solokov]

Solokov, that is an amazing reconfigurable wheel/track!

Just like everything Darpa develops and ultimately doesn't get fielded for 30 years.

[Zami]

reminded me of these wheels 

[thorny]

Zami, my first thought was that it was for stairs and uneven surfaces; but it's only shown on very smooth and level surfaces. Is this actually intended to be an improvement over standard wheelchairs, or does the developer just think it looks neat?

[Zami]

It doesn't seem very practical, I think they are just supposed to look cool and weird. But I know there are wheelchairs with wheels customized to move easily on uneven ground.

[urbicande]

Dear lord but job hunting is a grind.