NorthernDevo

I love to spend time reading - and turning blue from lack of oxygen because I'm laughing so hard - the Gallery of Regrettable Food. James Lileks is a chef, and has the odd hobby of collecting old cooking periodicals. He has a large list of bad cookbooks from the '40's though the '70's and writes hysterically funny write-ups on the offered recipes. I particularly like the 'Knudsen' section; I collapse in laughter every time. http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/

Thanks for your responses friends; I've taken your suggestions to heart. WOW but KSP looks good with a few graphics mods added; though it has suddenly developed a few bugs after installation...I can live with it. I'm currently building a Minmus rover with 8 science storage units (I can't remember the exact name right now) and enough electrical storage/gathering to keep me going on the Mint Frosted Moon indefinitely. KSP runs so fast now that I actually had trouble doing something I've done hundreds of times: landing on the Mun. It's easy in slow-motion; in real time it's a bit more challenging. Nice! A normal run to Minmus with a standard lander carrying every available science tool and 2 storage containers generally nets me around 2000 Sc points; I'm interested to see how a Munar lander with 8 (and 5 unexplored biomes) will fare. Cheers!

Ok; understood - I'll pass on RSS for now; I want to play the Kerbal system for a bit until I'm well familiar with it, though I will certainly be putting it in in the future. I'll pick up SVE and its mods first and proceed from there. Thanks!

Hi guys; thanks for the responses! I hadn't thought about adding graphics packs yet but I've seen pictures and they look wonderful. That's great - Ok then; let's talk specifics about the graphics. First, Kerbin: I love the shots of Kerbin as a fully fleshed planet with cloud layers, settlements et cetera. As I look up the list, can I confirm that is " RO/RSS with RVE +Scatterer"? Ok; that's what I'll look for first. Second, the moon textures seem to be pretty good to me; Mun looks quite decent; if there are better textures I'd love to see them. And of course Minmus is quite fine in its Dr. Seuss glory. Third - are there any mods that change the rather weak (IMO) re-entry effects? It looks good now but riding down in a Mk-1 inside a cone of fire would be thrillin'. Smile - I'm going to start looking at mods...the moment I can figure out where they are Thanks!

I'll be honest - I'm not joking when I say I can't relate the specs of this new computer; I have mental issues and cannot easily describe such details. But where technical ability fails pattern recognition remains and I can easily find it on Best Buy's website; I simply have no idea what the specs listed mean. It's this one: http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/cyberpowerpc-cyberpowerpc-gamer-supreme-slc9840-pc-intel-i7-6800k-2tb-hdd-240gb-ssd-32gb-ram-win-10-english-slc9840/10481223.aspx?path=54f64918d09948b884f0138743229493en02

Hallo! I just got a new computer! Now....PLEASE don't ask me what kind it is; I have no idea. As far as I'm concerned computers are squarish black boxes with magic pixies inside; I rely on people smarter than me to guide me through anything technological. Suffice it to say it's about 5 times larger than the little Acer Aspire I had; and the guy in the computer store - who is a competitive gamer - was seriously impressed. That was enough for me; I dropped enough cash to buy a cheap car on this thing; hauled it home (by taxi; since I bought it instead of a car) and plugged it in. Everyone here knows the frustrations and tribulations of setting up a new computer; I won't detail the last 24 hours but a few hours ago I finally got Steam running and re-installed my KSP. Oh - and I found I'd been upgraded to 1.2 (or whatever) without my knowledge...nice. Well; it's still KSP... Understand friends, that to this point I've played KSP about 4 years with the demo; only got the full version about 3 weeks ago and played on minimum settings; even then taking about 3 seconds to pass every game second with any ship larger than about a dozen parts. Struts absolutely killed my frame rates. Not that it mattered; KSP is terribly fun and I'd gotten as far as slamming a probe into Duna in what is euphemistically called a "Planned Uncontrolled Entry" (by the Kerbal Spin Department). So there I wuz; firing up KSP and starting a new game (because I forgot to save my saves from my old machine). The usual: select the two contracts; a capsule with a Mk.16 above and a Flea below; two Goo canisters and drag the contraption out to the launch pad. Cool...let's see how this new PC works. Press 'space'... WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! HOLLLLLLEEEEEEEEE SNAAAAAAAAKESSSS!!!!!! WAAAAHAGAAAAAAA MAAAAMAAAA!!!!! Er....Ahem. (straightens up) Incredible! I'd never seen KSP in its full glory until this moment - when all graphics and realism sliders are maxed out and I'm still getting well over 150fps - good Lord! For the first time, I've finally seen KSP as it was meant; fast - ridiculously fast - easy to use (a peeve of mine was how hard it was to build in the VAB; complex rockets seriously slowed my system down) and absolutely, hauntingly beautiful. OOOOOOOO I'm having so much fun - I launch Kerpollo Four after I finish this post: the first planned landing on Minmus; I've planned a slingshot around the Mun for the fuel savings and the sightseeing opportunities. (KSC Administration suggested taking golf clubs, considering the number of holes observed on the face of the Mun. It was voted down...barely.) Basically, what it boils down to is that I've gotten a new computer; it's easily capable of handling KSP's needs at max graphics, and I've fallen hopelessly in love with KSP all over again I LOVE THIS!!! Cheers!

(Drily) Thanks for the warning. I'm well aware of my issues and of the fact that discussions can become intense. My difficulties do not lie in that specific direction but I'll be sure to steer clear of any threads that might trigger me. I wouldn't want to lose my cool over phased-array antennas, after all.

Thanks folks. FWIW I just chatted with a moderator who was honestly confused about what I meant. I should mention that what I interpreted as bad was not - I just learned - by anyone else. No-one needs to understand it; it's a brain thing; it's dealt with and done. To those of us that ruck up and/or carry the coin; thank you lads - Made ready, pins clear and good to go.

A few months ago, I joined this forum as a new member. Looking back, I made some bizarre posts. A couple of months ago, I left this forum, with an equally bizarre exit message. At this time, I would like to apologize for those messages. Pardon me if I don't go into details about the psychological difficulties I am going through; in general terms I suffer from PTSD from multiple tours of duty in "Peacekeeping" missions around the globe. 3 in the former Yugoslavia and one in Afghanistan. But whatever personal difficulties I might face, they shouldn't reflect here in the forums. I entered this forum as a new member and then went so weird it is impossible to track the intent of what I wrote. That is inexcusable. I apologize deeply for anything I ever said or suggested that might have caused pain. KSP is probably my favourite game; your forum is fun and interesting. It bothers me that personal issue or no, I disrupted your relaxed enjoyment. This is a fun game and no-one playing it should have to deal with dark issues. I can say enough that I was experiencing illusions of grandeur; something I fight against right now. If the general KSP public will accept me back, I will thank them and attempt to be a good, supportive member. I can't say much more than that since I cannot determine when the troubles my PTSD create will force me to respond on a purely emotional level - which is precisely what I fight against. I am a flawed person and damaged individual; I know that. I thought a few years ago I could just slip back into my game-modification nerd history but there was far too much blood on my hands. Now, all I ask is permission to post and respond on this KSP forum. I'm not a good person, but I'm thorough, conscientious and smart in my answers. I can't guarantee perfection, but I can guarantee interest and smart support for anyone needing help. Humbly yours, Fling

Ohhhh crap... Just got back from my latest round of rehab, and now I get to cruise the web and deal with the simply hilarious results of my last..er...event. I have to visit every site I inhabit and make sure I deal with any weirdness I might've caused. I trust you'll notice the heavy irony of the word 'hilarious' above. I'm sorry for this post; I have the same opinion of dramatic posts as the above comment suggests. I just wasn't at my best. At least here I'm lucky; all I did was announce my departure which was - while true on the surface - otherwise quite unnecessary. On other fora there is much more damage to repair - though they know about my PTSD and related psychological issues. Please accept my apologies.

Hey all; I'm writing this to let you know that I won't be associating with this forum any more. Not for any reasons of ill-will or argument, nothing like that at all. I've enjoyed every moment I've spent in this forum. It's just that as a person with a very limited time budget, I found myself wasting time in unnecessary conversations online; taking me away from more important matters. (Which is probably the most important value of the Internet when you get right down to it.) According to web-forum principles; it is nothing for a member to simply stop posting; but in Human terms it would be rude to leave without a thank-you and a tip of the hat, so please let me say that for the brief time I was with you, I enjoyed the fun and camaraderie of our association. The problem is that my time is very limited, and I have to draw the line somewhere so I will thank you kindly and back out with a smile. You have a great, fun forum filled with wonderful, interesting people. Perhaps I'll have the opportunity to rejoin you one day. Thanks folks - a toast to you! Bye.

Of course, while I delight in the attention, I did hope that others would post their facepalm moments here. I did something stupid...others have too, and it would be fun to compare notes.

VERY good question - you're looking at the vid with a practical eye. You are exactly right: the roll of paper (which is properly called the web) is extremely fragile. It is nothing more than a piece of the same kind of paper you will find in a magazine or a supermarket flyer; the size of the press (That 966 was the biggest non-newspaper press in Western Canada. She has been decommissioned, and there is now nothing in North America that even comes close to her glorious size and power) determines the width of that paper. But the length is another matter; paper rolls come in standard sizes. Depending on the grade and quality of the paper, rolls are between 45 and 70 kilometers in length (and around $50,000 in cost, Print is expensive); running at speeds of over 80mph they can take between 30 and 50 minutes to run out. From the moment when the top layer of paper (called the 'spire') leaves the roll, there is 552 feet of paper inside the Press between the roll and the Carousel (the part that delivers the completed book to the conveyor). Running at full speed, it takes four seconds for the paper to go from the roll to the carousel. The web is under enormous tension during its travel - over 160lbs./sq.In. But don't be fooled: paper is incredibly fragile, right up until you consider it's grain. Paper is an astonishingly strong material along its grain. Paper is easy to tear, fold, spindle and mutilate...but a single piece of typing paper has thousands of pounds of tear strength. A single piece of typing paper can be used to tow the tractor cab of an 18-wheeler tractor-trailer. As long as it is pulled directly along its grain, basic, ordinary, everyday, plain paper is almost indestructible. You really do have to run a web press to truly appreciate just how amazing a material paper is. (Or be an engineering student. I LOVE watching the first-year competitions that build bridges out of newspaper.) I said above that I've never had a safety issue in 25 years and that is true - but I never mentioned that I don't include papercuts. I invite the group to imagine what an 80 mph. papercut feels like. That's a daily occurrence; I strongly doubt I've ever had a single day when I haven't felt the sharp heat of a paper blade moving so fast it cauterizes the cut. I've only ever lost skin and blood; I have friends who've lost fingers...and in more extreme cases, all the skin off their hand. But you asked what happens if the web breaks; the answer is BOOM!!!! (if you're close by. If you're in the control room chatting about the opposite sex, you might not even notice until the damn thing suddenly stops.) A web break is truly spectacular - the pulled end no longer has tension so wraps itself around the nearest ink-bearing (and therefore sticky) roller; the free end gallops gaily into the next printing unit and allows itself to be shredded into confetti. There's a lot of energy released in a web break and all that wood pulp has to go somewhere. Usually - in the close confines of a press - it goes into something moving; which means the press crew has to crawl into the machine and pick bits of paper out of the press. A web break - which usually happens on average once a night (several times if your Rolltender (the Crewman responsible for the web) is an idiot) generally takes between one and three hours to correct; not including the time it takes to web up again...that is, feed the fresh paper through the machine, which can easily take an hour. So the answer to your question is this: yes, the web is vulnerable, but very strong. But if it breaks, the crew is in for a very long night of peeling, cleaning, scraping, whining, moaning and blaming the Rolltender.

None at all - which means those poor, uneducated fools have to merely put up with faulty electronics, logistics issues, failed science experiments and problem equipment. They never have to deal with runaway damps or an exploding IDS...of which true heroes are made. (giggle)

...and for the record, I didn't for a second suspect otherwise. I'm just the type of person that will, upon meeting a NASA astronaut, say: "Oh...a flying pickup truck. Nice. Do YOU know how to set up a double-slit, glued and stitched back-run gate-fold? Hmm...didn't think so."

Well, I could make a Kerbal joke right back and would enjoy doing so, but in this single instance I should point out that the painted yellow lines do not indicate clear passways - those lines are more than a hundred feet forward. No-one without proper authority - which involves either the Red Seals of the various Trades that serve these behemoths or written permission from the office - passes the throat of a press without authorization. The yellow lines you see indicate control division for the electrical panels lining the wall between the 966 and the neighboring press; the M-1000BE. I know you were funning, but I take great pride in the fact that in 25 years, I have never once had a safety issue for myself or for my crew and Brad - a close friend with more than 40 years in the industry - has never had one as well. He and I are often considered to be overly strict on the floor; that is why. We can have fun, but we NEVER relax discipline for even a second - if so much as a rag is out of place, we raise the roof. Sorry - I know you were just having fun, but I've grown up knowing just what kind of damage presses can do if they're not respected - I've seen the results of carelessness far too often. I am proud of the fact that in my quarter century, I've never had to deal with a crew-related safety issue.

Thanks for the ideas...but the best idea is probably the most obvious one...don't lock the freakin' keys in the locker. This plant generally expects its supervisors to have at least two working synapses. Just for interest, when I talk about big presses, this is what I'm talking about: (Video offered for no reason other than I like talking about my job)

(Chuckle) I just hope people got a giggle out of it...comedy = tragedy + time.

Kerbiloid gave a great explanation, but I was referring to the fact that Orbiter is the 'new' space-sim while KSP Demo is the more familiar one in Spaceception's case.

The RSS (Rotating Service Structure) isn't for mounting the shuttle onto it's boosters, that's done in the VAB. It's used to mount the payload into the payload bay and (afaik) for technicians to conduct hands-on checks prior to launch. (Shakes head) Of all the pretty amazing things about the Shuttle, that RSS is one that fills me with wonder - just look at the size of the bloody hinges on that thing! You talk about building big.

Hallo! I really, really hope other people have stories to tell here because I don't want to be the only person on the KSP forum that comes off looking like I have the intelligence of fungus, but here goes... The place I work has rotating shifts, so two out of every six weeks I wind up on midnight shift, which ranks pretty close to influenza on the average scale of fun. It's impossible to really sleep during the day, not just because of the whole circadian rhythm thing but because the young family in the apartment above mine includes a kid I've taken to calling Thor: Child Of Thunder. He's a toddler who's just learning to walk, run and, if the revberations are to be believed, perform floor-exercise gymnastics. So in general terms, when I go into work for midnight shift, I do so bearing a remarkable resemblance to an extra in 'The Walking Dead'. Fortunately, on this shift I work in a supervisory capacity and given the fact that the Pressman operating the machine has a heck of a lot more experience in type than me, my job mainly consists of providing another set of eyes, a second opinion and (most importantly) a decision when things aren't going right, it's fairly easy. Not that I'm one of those supervisors we all despise: the 25-year-old in the spotless lime-green Dockers shirt saying things like "How can we correspond in a meaningful and forward-thinking way?" No - I've been working in this trade a long time and I know my business very well - but in a trade where twenty years is considered entry level, the senior crews work at a level that makes mere experience meaningless - they understand print and print publication on an unconscious level and during the shifts when I'm operating a press beside them, I'm honoured to learn from them any chance I get. In return, though I'm the least-experienced Pressman with only 25 years in the trade they treat me as an equal, and respect the different knowledge I bring from other forms of print publication. Therefore, when I've got the top slot on this shift, we work well together; discussing problems with colour-curve and ink density. Sometimes I'll go into the pre-press computer and try to fix an obvious file problem, but usually I just need to decide where a particular job's quality threshold should be, help the pressman work out solutions (Print is not easy) and make a final decision...and then have to defend the decision to the suit-and-tie brigade the next day. I get to deal with problems the pressman can't - such as a page with an ad for baby formula on one side and an ad for crushed tomatoes on the other, producing an amazingly life-like picture of a baby that's just been through a blender - and the like. Basically, I'm just trying to say I'm not a complete idiot here. The problem with being the one that has to do the thinking on the shift though is that I have to remember to not leave my brain on the nightstand when heading for work. So there I was, in the locker room at 11 o'clock at night, making 'Uuurrrr' sounds. One thing about working on the presses: Those machines are big - built along lines usually reserved for battleships and Mecha-Godzilla and they pump out heat like crazy. In other words, it's hot on the press-floor; easily approaching 40 degrees in summertime and far higher between the units and I don't sweat - I rain. I really didn't feel like carrying a lot of things I probably wouldn't need, so I left the things I usually carry (wallet, keys, knife, trimmer, Ph. tester, thermometer, caliper, loupe and a whole lot of other little doo-dads) in my locker, just taking my Ballpoint Of Doom and my glasses. I got as far as the door to the pressroom before I realized my mistake - it's a security door with an E-card reader and my passcard is in my wallet. Oops. So I had to turn around and return to my locker. I will now give you all the chance to re-read the above paragraph, to identify the true depths of my bone-headedness at this particular moment...(smooth jazz is deployed) Yup...keys. In the locker. Locked by a padlock. Insert facepalm here. Which means I found myself locked in the entry corridor with no way in or out...other than the (alarmed) fire door. Yeah...no thanks. Other people? Not at 11pm - the only people in the plant is the one crew, and me...you know, the responsible one. What makes it even better is that the door is nowhere near the press, so I had to hope that someone on the blasted machine would happen to look over and see me waving through a 1 foot square piece of glass from 100 feet away. At some point, one of 'em wondered whether or not I was going to arrive at work, and called me. I cannot possibly convey in mere words the frustration of listening to my locker play 45 seconds worth of 'Girl Anachronism' by the Dresden Dolls while I stood and steamed. Half an hour later (or thereabouts) someone finally noticed me doing excessively energetic hand motions and then the fun really started. Really - with an average age of about 40, you'd think these bozos individuals would be a little more mature than standing, laughing and waving cheerfully as if they didn't have anything better to do. I shouted at them: " !!!!!!" (Soundproofed door...fortunately) The individuals bozos (well...five bozos and one bozette) finally wandered over and opened the door, allowing me to enter with all the stiff dignity of a cat who's just done the through-the-kitchen-powerslide-into-the-chairs maneuver. Of course, after the obligatory laugh, I couldn't start work just yet, I had to do something about my locker. Would you credit it: a plant this big and not a single bloody pair of bolt-cutters in the entire place?!? Ahem. I had to make do with a crowbar. End result: one padlock still unopened without even a scratch and one seriously eviscerated locker, which I have just gotten home from having to explain to the building manager. He was not pleased. Fortunately, I'm rather bigger than he is. Yep...fun night. Well...bedtime; I hope I can get there without doing anything else ridiculously stupid, like hitting 'send' on this post before I'm finis

We praise His glorious antennas! Whoops...

By 'Spaceplane', I assume you're starting with the Deltaglider; an excellent choice to begin with - it's much easier than other options. Be warned that easy as it is, Orbiter has a very steep learning curve, but it flattens out quite quickly. If you can achieve orbit over Kerbin, you can do it from Earth quite comfortably. The stock DG is easy but a little twitchy - you're likely spinning out of control because you're overcompensating for the actions of the trace atmosphere in low Earth orbit; it extends far enough out to catch the unwary. First, check your control switches (Right side in the 2D cockpit, left in the 3D) and insure both switches are 'on'. Takeoff from KSC and aim for an orbit of around 150kms. If you start spinning out of control, use 5 on the keypad to null your rates and use very small input amounts in space. I can't really help more than that without seeing what you're doing, but after a little confusion you'll find yourself orbiting Earth in no time. For first-timers, the best tutorial/manual available is "Go Play In Space" ( http://www.orbiterwiki.org/wiki/Go_Play_In_Space ) - a superb resource to lead you through your introduction to Orbiter. Most important is keep trying and have fun - Orbiter is a blast!

In the long dark between the worlds, I love to listen to Paradis, by Keith Kouna. Space is dark and hauntingly beautiful, and so is Paradis. The lyrics aren't space-oriented, but that hardly matters. I like the fact that he sings just slowly enough that I can understand his French, but you really don't need to speak the language to love the song.

Ok, good job on CatastrophicFailure for the heads-up; sorry for an inappropriate offering. Well, there are 273 other pages to choose from; I'll find a more family-friendly one.