How to Beat a Speeding Ticket: A Guide for Motorists

[collinsmark]

Ok so looks like it is my turn.

The word is: Alligator

And here it is in a sentence for contextual reference: I'm hunting the woodpecker tonight, when I find it that big alligator will be messed with.

Bonus points: Woodpecker

Happy hunting

I think I got it! Well, maybe. I'm not 100% sure. This is my guess though.

The subject involves amateur radio (a.k.a. HAM radio).

Alligator: A repeater that transmits further than it can receive, big mouth, small ears!

I imagine that an "alligator" would be an annoyance since (in some situations) one can't communicate with it in both directions. It's like trying to talk with someone who never listens and won't shut up.

"Hunting" is finding the source of transmission using triangulation. [Edit: see below for an alternate definition of "hunting".]

Woodpecker: A signal that sporadically transmits for seemingly unknown reasons, in effect acting as interference and annoyance for everybody else. It gets its name from the Russian Woodpecker described here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Woodpecker

Again though, these are just guesses.

[Edit: There was also a group of amateur radio operators called the "Woodpecker Hunting Club." Apparently the Russian Woodpecker (see link above) could be "screwed with" by jamming it with its own type of signal. So, a ham operator wanting to "mess with" this annoying Russian Woodpecker would attempt to find the channel the woodpecker was transmitting on (hunting for the frequency so to speak), and transmit previously recorded signal on that same frequency*. It would cause the woodpecker to change frequency. So the goal was to temporarily disrupt the annoying woodpecker. Anyway, I'll still stick to my original guess about the Alligator: a transceiver that transmits further than it can receive.

*Apparently it was tricky for a HAM radio operator to get the prerecorded signal to transmit at just the right frequency, and with the right timing. One had to know what one was doing. But like a determined hunter it was possible with perseverance. And you'd know if you "got" it because the woodpecker would immediately change frequencies, analogous to a wounded target.]

 

[Argentum Vulpes]

Yup you got it Collinsmark, and hit the bonus question.

Just a fun fact the opposite of an Alligator is an Elephant (big ears, small mouth)

 

[collinsmark]

I'll move back to sports.

New term: Anti-freeze.

Context: it is a term in a particular sport.

The sport itself does not involve planes, trains or automobiles. If you are thinking about engine coolant, you are on the wrong track.

Hint: "Anti-freeze" is a real term, but its use doesn't happen so often. The word "Freeze" is another term in the same sport with a more common occurrence.

Requirement: at the very least it is required to name the sport in question.

Googling is acceptable (as a matter of fact, I encourage it. It might help, maybe).

 

[collinsmark]

Hmm. No takers yet? Perhaps it's time for a hint.

Hint of the day:

Let's talk about shoes. The sport is played while wearing shoes. Novice to expert players (and sometimes beginners) will almost assuredly acquire special shoes crafted specifically for this particular sport. That said, it's not absolutely necessary to get these special shoes to play. I'm guessing many/most beginners and purely leisurely players play with whatever shoes they happen to have on at the time. But if you're planning on competing at a higher level you'll probably pick up a pair of these special shoes made for the sport.

Here's the thing about these special shoes that differentiates them from shoes of other sports: One of the shoes -- be it the left shoe or the right shoe -- has substantially different characteristics than the other (in addition to the obvious, mirror symmetry). In other words, a player's left shoe has very different characteristics than the player's right shoe. That's today's hint.

Clarification of the day:

I've mentioned that the term "Anti-freeze" isn't commonly used. That's probably because an anti-freeze doesn't happen very often. And that's probably due to the difficulty involved in an anti-freeze (it's very difficult, and rare). As a result, you might not see the term "anti-freeze" referenced as much as other terms in the sport. A "Freeze" on the other hand isn't as difficult and the term is more common.

 

[Argentum Vulpes]

Would you be referring to a defensive type of shot/position in Curling?

 

[Danger]

By Jove, I think he's got it! I'm a Canuck of Scots lineage, and have been casually watching curling for my entire life; I've never heard that term before. And now that I've looked it up, I can honestly say that I've never seen it done.

 

[collinsmark]

Would you be referring to a defensive type of shot/position in Curling?

Correct! Argentum Vulpes wins again.

The term Anti-freeze is a move in curling that's very rare. It's where the stone is curled to rest behind, and touching, an existing stone.

By Jove, I think he's got it! I'm a Canuck of Scots lineage, and have been casually watching curling for my entire life; I've never heard that term before. And now that I've looked it up, I can honestly say that I've never seen it done.

I'm guessing a) that's because it is rare, and b) it might not even be a practical move on a well maintained, modern curling sheet. But if you're playing on a makeshift sheet on a frozen lake, and if your stones aren't top quality, then I suppose something like an anti-freeze could happen from time to time.

A "freeze" on the other hand, is where the stone stops just touching a stone in front of it. Not at all "easy" either, but skilled Olympians are able to pull it off on occasion.

If anyone's not familiar with the sport, here's an introduction. I wish the video discussed the changing of direction strategies a little more, but oh well. If a slight spin is placed on the stone when released, or if a spin is induced by tactical sweeping (intentionally sweeping only on the left or only the right side of the stone), the stone can "curl" either to the right or the left accordingly. This allows the stone to take a curved path on the ice. [Edit: this sort of tactical sweeping can also be used to reduce spinning, straightening its path on the ice, if so desired. Mostly, sweeping is centered in front of the stone to control the stone's speed, but it can also, to a lesser extent, influence the stone's spin, thus direction.]

[Edit: I replaced the video with a different one. This video, although biased to the USA, does a much better job explaining the game than did the first video.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxCH8CGqx88

Argentum Vulpes, you're up.

 

[Danger]

Keep in mind that although he works for the Yanks, Ed Lukowich from the video is a fellow Canuck.
Anyhow, if you want to really learn the game, rent a copy of "Men With Brooms". :tongue:

 

[collinsmark]

really[/i] learn the game, rent a copy of "Men With Brooms". :tongue:

I just now put it in the Netflix queue.

 

[flatmaster]

From the clues it sounds like a way to do lap swimming.

Sorry I was away so long. This is indeed correct. In circle swimming, you swim down the right side of the lane like driving on a two lane road. You can get upwards of 15 people all using the same lane if everyone is about the same pace. In countries where they drive on the left, they usually swim on the left too. This can be contrasted with "splitting" the lane side by side. It only allows 3 people max but better accommodates swimmers of different paces.

 

[Argentum Vulpes]

Ok so here is the next term.

Alligatoring

Hint: It has nothing to do with the animal, or Ham radios.

 

[flatmaster]

Alligatoring is the drill in basic training where the GI's crawl under barbed wire. They look like alligators walking on their elbows.

 

[Argentum Vulpes]

Not what I'm looking for Flatmaster.

Next hint,
It is a defect to some people, and some people want it.

 

[Danger]

Please tell me that it isn't an S/M version of "scissoring" from the GLBT culture...

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Not what I'm looking for Flatmaster.

Next hint,
It is a defect to some people, and some people want it.

Paint cracking?

 

[Argentum Vulpes]

Yup you got it Ivan. It is a paint defect caused when the top coat is more rigid then the bottom coat, causing a regular cracking pattern resembling alligator skin.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Porpoising

Context -
Industrial

Additional clue
Mathematical

 

[Ivan Seeking]

2nd clue:
Proportional

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Next clue: Motion

 

[flatmaster]

Proposing is some sort of motion on a crankshaft. From the side, you may see just the top of the crank arm going up and down. The motion looks like a porpoise continually breaking the surface of the water.

When on the beach, proposing is the fastest way to move through intermediate depth water that is too deep for running, but not deep enough for swimming.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

another clue: Loop

 

[Ivan Seeking]

uh oh, too obscure?

big clue
PID

 

[Jonathan Scott]

I associate "porpoising" with the undulating motion of a servo which is supposed to be in a specific position but the feedback mechanism has sufficient delay in it to cause overshoot.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I associate "porpoising" with the undulating motion of a servo which is supposed to be in a specific position but the feedback mechanism has sufficient delay in it to cause overshoot.

Close enough!

Specifically, I was going for the sinusoidal oscillation that results in some process value for a system, when the proportional term is set too high in a PID [proportional-integral-derivative] loop or controller, for motion and other applications. It could refer to oscillations in pressure, temp, position, speed, solution strength, flow rate, or any variable in a dynamic system controlled with this type of algorithm, which in industry is pretty much any dynamic system where a set point value must be maintained. One common PID equation used is

where
K_p: Proportional gain, a tuning parameter
K_i: Integral gain, a tuning parameterK_
d: Derivative gain, a tuning parametere:
e: Error = SP - PV [set point - process value]
t: Time or instantaneous time (the present)
tau: Variable of integration; takes on values from time 0 to the present t.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PID_controller

A subject close to my own heart, the thing that sent me on the path to self-employment was a custom PID equation and algorithm that I wrote for a difficult problem. I also found an error in the Rockwell PID algorithm used in some of their industrial computers, so there is a firmware revision out their with my name on it [literally].

But you are correct that a number of problems can result in porpoising of the process value. And one that is often missed [that has made me a good bit of money in correcting] is not properly allowing for or calculating the feedback time. The PID loop update times are too short and are responding to data that you haven't actually received yet, so you continually get overshoots. So your example is a particularly good one.

Just fyi, another cause can be "windup" in the integral term, where either startup or some deviation in the normal process, or an abrupt change, can cause the value of the integral term to windup [continually add], causing a long delay in the recovery. This in turn can result in windup in other direction, which leads to long-term oscillations. Most controllers now come with anti-windup features but they still have to enabled, or some escape routine added to the code to prevent this if you're writing your own routine. Often you can just set a limit for the max/min value of the integral term.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

OK, next one is "shoe shine" used as an adjective.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

As could be guessed, this term relates to one of my primary interests

 

[Jonathan Scott]

"Shoe shine" is one alternative to the normal technique. "Hooked" is another.

 

[lisab]

Is that a bowing technique?

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Is that a bowing technique?

Yes, it is indeed. It is a string instrument bowing technique for alternating short and long notes, in a "di-dum di-dum di-dum" pattern.

The normal rule is that the stronger (long) note is a down bow and the short note is an up bow. However, in faster music, this can be awkward, mainly because they are different lengths.

One alternative is to use "hooked" bowing, in which the short note follows in the same bowing direction as the preceding long note (but the bow is stopped or lifted between the two notes so that they are not joined). This is very common.

A less common alternative is to use a down bow on the short note, bouncing to an up bow on the long one. This typically gives a very brisk effect of a rapid pair of notes followed by a gap, and gives a more uniform effect than hooked bowing because each pair is bowed in exactly the same way. This action of a short down stroke bouncing to an up stroke is known as "shoe shine" bowing because of the way the hand moves.

OK, you're next, lisab.

 

[Danger]

Is that a bowing technique?

That response made absolutely no sense to me any time that I read it. Then when Jonathan agreed, I realized that there was an "L" missing in what I thought you had typed. I really should wear my glasses more often.

 

[lisab]

OK, this one is petty obscure:

Cheese.

First hint: It's in the culinary realm but has nothing to do with dairy.

 

[Danger]

It's in the culinary realm but has nothing to do with dairy.

I'm not sure if that rules out a yeast infection or not...

 

[lisab]

I'm not sure if that rules out a yeast infection or not...

Yeast has its place in this process.

 

[lisab]

Yeast has its place in this process.

In the olde days, straw had its place, too. It provided a path of escape.

 

[OCR]

It's in the culinary realm but has nothing to do with dairy.

Stinky tofu?... I know, wrong!



OCR... lol