Random Thoughts Part 4 - Split Thread

[Borg]

I stood up a web server a few weeks ago and immeadiately started getting hack attempts from all over the world. So I changed the port to a very non-standard one and the hacks stopped (the script kiddies just look for servers running on port 80 or 8080). Today, I was walking past a house that I walk past every couple of weeks when I noticed that the car out front had a license plate with just four digits and they were the exact four digits that I changed my server port to. Now the question that's bothering me is - was this just an interesting coincidence or did I subconciously remember the plate number when I picked a 'random' number?

 

[DiracPool]

I assumed all the Israelis were tough guys who could build a tank with a paper clip, a piece of wood and some duct tape, given they all go to the army

That sentence inspired me to do further research around the subject of "mandatory conscription." To my astonishment, it's actually a fascinating topic as to to how different countries view and constrain their "subjects" to perform military duties, both male and female.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_service

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription

For example, in North Korea, conscription is mandatory for all males for 120 months. That's 10 years! In South Korea, mandatory conscription is 2 years. The articles I posted are interesting in the exceptions and qualifications to these standards, as well as interesting "outlier" cases as with the South Korean pop star Yoo Seung-jun

 

[WWGD]

I stood up a web server a few weeks ago and immeadiately started getting hack attempts from all over the world. So I changed the port to a very non-standard one and the hacks stopped (the script kiddies just look for servers running on port 80 or 8080). Today, I was walking past a house that I walk past every couple of weeks when I noticed that the car out front had a license plate with just four digits and they were the exact four digits that I changed my server port to. Now the question that's bothering me is - was this just an interesting coincidence or did I subconciously remember the plate number when I picked a 'random' number?

I assume neither license plate numbers nor server ports start with 0 , so the numbers are from 1000 to 9999, so if all numbers equally likely, you have 1 chance in 9000. Not so low.

EDIT: This may be a bit tricky: there are a total of 9,000x9,000=81,000,000 pairs of numbers, of which only one pair ( of the two 4-digit combinations) is a hit. But if your number is selected, then there are 9,000 possible numbers to match it with.

 

[WWGD]

That sentence inspired me to do further research around the subject of "mandatory conscription." To my astonishment, it's actually a fascinating topic as to to how different countries view and constrain their "subjects" to perform military duties, both male and female.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_service

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription

For example, in North Korea, conscription is mandatory for all males for 120 months. That's 10 years! In South Korea, mandatory conscription is 2 years. The articles I posted are interesting in the exceptions and qualifications to these standards, as well as interesting "outlier" cases as with the South Korean pop star Yoo Seung-jun

EDIT :Is that the " Gangnam Style" guy (quickly forgotten; this was a big pop hit last year)?

Seems they may need to change things in the U.S, because not enough people are volunteering.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I stood up a web server a few weeks ago and immeadiately started getting hack attempts from all over the world. So I changed the port to a very non-standard one and the hacks stopped (the script kiddies just look for servers running on port 80 or 8080). Today, I was walking past a house that I walk past every couple of weeks when I noticed that the car out front had a license plate with just four digits and they were the exact four digits that I changed my server port to. Now the question that's bothering me is - was this just an interesting coincidence or did I subconciously remember the plate number when I picked a 'random' number?

I think there's a good chance you noticed the four digits on the plate if they are a "catchy" combination. For example, I would find 2536 to be "catchy" since it's two consecutive squares. And any four digits could be "catchy" for purely personal associations, not necessarily mathematical ones.

 

[WWGD]

They have this new coffee shop where , after you slide your credit card, you have to write (with your fingers) in a screen, your name, and the tip. The options for the tip are: 15%, 20%, 25% (all pretty high, given it is self-service) , or you can explicitly select " I am leaving no tip" . Nice way of laying on the guilt. Pretty sure it has been designed to do this, to induce guilt and increase the tip amounts. I got an ugly look after I selected to leave no tip. I just received my coffee and pastry and took it to my table. What would the tip be about?

 

[Borg]

I think there's a good chance you noticed the four digits on the plate if they are a "catchy" combination. For example, I would find 2536 to be "catchy" since it's two consecutive squares. And any four digits could be "catchy" for purely personal associations, not necessarily mathematical ones.

Perhaps. Although when I was deciding, I just decided to do simple addition and subtraction to 8080 to get to the number that I chose - I changed the thousands place by one number and changed the second 80 by another number.

 

[WWGD]

Perhaps. Although when I was deciding, I just decided to do simple addition and subtraction to 8080 to get to the number that I chose - I changed the thousands place by one number and changed the second 80 by another number.

Hey, you're narrowing it down too much by giving this info away. 8 choices for first 80 and 98 choices for the second , a total of only 784 combinations.

 

[DiracPool]

They have this new coffee shop where , after you slide your credit card, you have to write (with your fingers) in a screen, your name, and the tip. The options for the tip are: 15%, 20%, 25% (all pretty high, given it is self-service) , or you can explicitly select " I am leaving no tip" . Nice way of laying on the guilt. Pretty sure it has been designed to do this, to induce guilt and increase the tip amounts. I got an ugly look after I selected to leave no tip. I just received my coffee and pastry and took it to my table. What would the tip be about?

Yeah, I have to deal with this everyday in "gratuity crazed" America. Personally, I hate leaving tips. It's not because I'm cheap, it's because of the forced social constraint that you are faced with in the USA everyday, explicitly when you just want to go out for a cup of coffee or have a sandwich at the local diner. There's always this pressure on you to tip tip tip.

The barista stand I go to typically charges me about 2 dollars and 35 cents for a 4-shot "Americano." So, I usually just give them 3 scraggly looking dollar-bill singles left over from the strip club cache I assembled the night before, and they seem to be happy with the 65 cent tip.

Every once and a while, I'll show up with no cash and they pull out the iPAD with the gratuity scam. It's basically as you stated it, $1, $2, $5. or "No tip cause you're a cheapshit"

 

[JorisL]

Hah, I knew it!

RE: Doctor who opening scene

 

[WWGD]

Yeah, I have to deal with this everyday in "gratuity crazed" America. Personally, I hate leaving tips. It's not because I'm cheap, it's because of the forced social constraint that you are faced with in the USA everyday, explicitly when you just want to go out for a cup of coffee or have a sandwich at the local diner. There's always this pressure on you to tip tip tip.

The barista stand I go to typically charges me about 2 dollars and 35 cents for a 4-shot "Americano." So, I usually just give them 3 scraggly looking dollar-bill singles left over from the strip club cache I assembled the night before, and they seem to be happy with the 65 cent tip.

Every once and a while, I'll show up with no cash and they pull out the iPAD with the gratuity scam. It's basically as you stated it, $1, $2, $5. or "No tip cause you're a cheapshit"

Agree. Are you actually waited on, i.e., do you sit at a table or counter and have things brought to you?At least if you are actually waited on and with courtesy and a good attitude. But expecting $1.25 for just handing out a pastry and a solo? Sorry, I am not in the income bracket yet where I can afford 30% tips. If I make it big some day, I will spread the good stuff around, but now, it seems a bit much.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Agree. Are you actually waited on, i.e., do you sit at a table or counter and have things brought to you?At least if you are actually waited on and with courtesy and a good attitude. But expecting $1.25 for just handing out a pastry and a solo? Sorry, I am not in the income bracket yet where I can afford 30% tips. If I make it big some day, I will spread the good stuff around, but now, it seems a bit much.

I routinely tip a dollar on a small coffee at any coffee shop that is not Starbucks. The baristas like it and often give me free refills, sometimes free coffees altogether. I don't tip at Starbucks because they are a rapacious corporation and should not be encouraged. Strangely, the baristas there sometimes give me free coffees anyway. I always pay with cash, incidentally. It's so much faster than that card swiping business.

 

[DiracPool]

The baristas like it and often give me free refills

the baristas there sometimes give me free coffees anyway

Woah, you're quite the coffee stud. I have no problem not tipping at Starbucks, either. In fact, at the drive-through by my house, they don't even have a tip jar at the window. Plus, I pay by credit card there so I don't feel compelled to give them the loose coinage change. At the local family run barista stand which I usually go to just across the street, I get a better cup of coffee, it's about half the price of Starbucks, and I feel the people there actually appreciate my business, so I give them the loose change and still get out for less than what I'd spend at Starbucks.

 

[WWGD]

I routinely tip a dollar on a small coffee at any coffee shop that is not Starbucks. The baristas like it and often give me free refills, sometimes free coffees altogether. I don't tip at Starbucks because they are a rapacious corporation and should not be encouraged. Strangely, the baristas there sometimes give me free coffees anyway. I always pay with cash, incidentally. It's so much faster than that card swiping business.

True that paying cash is faster, but it also means a lot of time wasted in trips to the ATM. It adds up over time, and it interrupts your day. I also have a non-corporate coffee shop nearby, but they close down at...4 p.m. I mean, seriously. Still, you got to give Starbucks credit for allowing you to hang out in there for 5 hrs after just a cup of coffee. And remember that the tips go to baristas, not to Starbucks, so they are the ones that are affected by the tipping, not Schultz and company.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Still, you got to give Starbucks credit for allowing you to hang out in there for 5 hrs after just a cup of coffee.

Actually, the Starbucks near me let's high school kids hang out in there for 5 hours on a free glass of water. I don't hang out inside, anyway. I have to hunt down some rock or curb to sit on outside and off the premises where I can smoke.

 

[WWGD]

Actually, the Starbucks near me let's high school kids hang out in there for 5 hours on a free glass of water. I don't hang out inside, anyway. I have to hunt down some rock or curb to sit on outside and off the premises where I can smoke.

Yikes, teenagers. Wish they'd go somewhere else, but I don't know if there is anywhere else for them to go.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Yikes, teenagers. Wish they'd go somewhere else, but I don't know if there is anywhere else for them to go.

I'm thinkin' since they have no money to buy any Starbucks but plenty of time to hang out there, they might be encouraged to seek part time employment.

 

[WWGD]

I'm thinkin' since they have no money to buy any Starbucks but plenty of time to hang out there, they might be encouraged to seek part time employment.

Or, maybe more radically, go to the Public Library to get some work done. But you got the tempting beaches there in San Diego, much more attractive than a musty old library..

 

[zoobyshoe]

Or, maybe more radically, go to the Public Library to get some work done. But you got the tempting beaches there in San Diego, much more attractive than a musty old library..

There's actually a nice library a couple blocks away, and some kids do hang out there. As for the beaches, they're far away and these Starbucks urchins don't have trolly fare.

 

[HomogenousCow]

When lab equipment breaks, do they send it over to be used in the undergrad labs? Because that would make abundant sense.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I have successfully soldered together a joule thief.

 

[Ibix]

I have successfully soldered together a joule thief.

Watt is a Joule thief?

 

[Borg]

Watt is a Joule thief?

I had to look it up as well. A Joule Thief is a circuit that's designed to use nearly all of the energy in a single-cell battery.

 

[dkotschessaa]

Holy carp. I forgot to like, come here and post for a year or so.

 

[dkotschessaa]

Watt is a Joule thief?

Yes.

 

[WWGD]

Holy carp. I forgot to like, come here and post for a year or so.

Welcome Back!

 

[zoobyshoe]

I had to look it up as well. A Joule Thief is a circuit that's designed to use nearly all of the energy in a single-cell battery.

It's not limited to single batteries, though. It's basically a 'DC transformer' circuit that takes any DC input and gives you a pulsed output at much higher voltage. So, you can operate 3 volt LED's on a battery that's been discharged to under a volt. The output pulses are in the ultrasonic frequency range, so that the light appears to be continuous and not flickering.

 

[Ibix]

Yes.

He takes them from the Volt, I presume.

Welcome back from me too.

 

[Ibix]

It's not limited to single batteries, though. It's basically a 'DC transformer' circuit that takes any DC input and gives you a pulsed output at much higher voltage. So, you can operate 3 volt LED's on a battery that's been discharged to under a volt. The output pulses are in the ultrasonic frequency range, so that the light appears to be continuous and not flickering.

Thanks, Zooby. That was fascinating. I generally cause electronics to melt if I go near them with a soldering iron, so this is totally uninformed, but that feels like an ingeneous hack to me. Is it one of those off-the-wall ideas that someone wired together in a garage somewhere? Or is there a clear development path that's just invisible to a total layman?

 

[OmCheeto]

It's not limited to single batteries, though. It's basically a 'DC transformer' circuit that takes any DC input and gives you a pulsed output at much higher voltage. So, you can operate 3 volt LED's on a battery that's been discharged to under a volt. The output pulses are in the ultrasonic frequency range, so that the light appears to be continuous and not flickering.

Yay! I have scores of zombie batteries.

Holy carp. I forgot to like, come here and post for a year or so.

That's ok. Life happens. And I have thought of you once or twice, at least, during your intermission. Anything new going on?

 

[zoobyshoe]

Thanks, Zooby. That was fascinating. I generally cause electronics to melt if I go near them with a soldering iron, so this is totally uninformed, but that feels like an ingeneous hack to me. Is it one of those off-the-wall ideas that someone wired together in a garage somewhere? Or is there a clear development path that's just invisible to a total layman?

The circuit is attributed to one Z. Kaparnik, resident of the UK:

In the November 1999 issue of Everyday Practical Electronics (EPE) magazine, the "Ingenuity Unlimited" (reader ideas) section had a novel circuit idea entitled "One Volt LED - A Bright Light" by Z. Kaparnik from Swindon, Wilts, UK.

-wiki

He contributed the idea to the magazine, you can see, as a "reader" of it, and there is no information about his education or experience in the wiki article. He must, at least, have been an advanced garage tinkerer to have arrived at it, but he might also have had a lot of education in electronics.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Yay! I have scores of zombie batteries.

As far as I can tell, the only practical use for the joule thief is to operate LED lamps or flashlights. That is of interest to me because I am always in search of a better portable lamp to take with me to draw in coffee houses.

A couple years ago, the local 99 cent store started selling these awesome portable LED lamps for a dollar. I bought about 8 of them. They run on three 1.5v AA batteries and have 6 LED's. The problem is they're just not bright enough for my needs. I'm hoping to beef up the output with the joule thief, one way or another. They are pretty good as reading lamps, but even for that purpose you only get about 4 good hours of light before the batteries get tired.

 

[WWGD]

As far as I can tell, the only practical use for the joule thief is to operate LED lamps or flashlights. That is of interest to me because I am always in search of a better portable lamp to take with me to draw in coffee houses.

A couple years ago, the local 99 cent store started selling these awesome portable LED lamps for a dollar. I bought about 8 of them. They run on three 1.5v AA batteries and have 6 LED's. The problem is they're just not bright enough for my needs. I'm hoping to beef up the output with the joule thief, one way or another. They are pretty good as reading lamps, but even for that purpose you only get about 4 good hours of light before the batteries get tired. View attachment 93024View attachment 93025

How about taking a battery charger with you? Not too expensive. There is also wireless
charging now, though I have no idea how it works.

 

[WWGD]

I impressed everyone with my sophistication again. I had a Duck dish at the Chinese place and it
took me more than a minute to realize that the "napkins" that came with the dish were
pancakes to be eaten with the dish. I saw the waitress looking at me quizzically when
I was wiping my face with a pancake/napkin. That woke me up to the realization.

 

[JorisL]

I impressed everyone with my sophistication again. I had a Duck dish at the Chinese place and it
took me more than a minute to realize that the "napkins" that came with the dish were
pancakes to be eaten with the dish. I saw the waitress looking at me quizzically when
I was wiping my face with a pancake/napkin. That woke me up to the realization.

I laughed at that.
Definitely one to tell possible kids/grandkids, no?

 

[WWGD]

I laughed at that.
Definitely one to tell possible kids/grandkids, no?

I think evolution is not generally too generous helping "sophisticated" people like
me to reproduce. At best I may be hooked up with a female dolt :) .

 

[JorisL]

You should call it being eccentric and humorous.

 

[zoobyshoe]

How about taking a battery charger with you? Not too expensive. There is also wireless
charging now, though I have no idea how it works.

A battery charger only works on rechargeable batteries.

 

[WWGD]

A battery charger only works on rechargeable batteries.

Isn't it cheaper over the long run to buy these and recharge them? Sorry, just curious, don't mean to tell you what to do.

 

[dkotschessaa]

[

That's ok. Life happens. And I have thought of you once or twice, at least, during your intermission. Anything new going on?

Thanks Om.

I survived first semester of grad school, barely.
Successfully programmed my wife with my DNA, but being our third attempt after two losses, she is on bed rest, which means:
barely surviving my 3rd semester of grad school.

Just need to get through next week.

whew

-Dave K

 

[fresh_42]

You should call it being eccentric and humorous.

I find sophisticated not that bad, esp. in its slang meaning.

 

[rootone]

Isn't it cheaper over the long run to buy these and recharge them? Sorry, just curious, don't mean to tell you what to do.

I'm fairly sure that does work out to be economically favourable in the long run, although rechargeables are initially more expensive, and don't last forever

 

[fresh_42]

I'm fairly sure that does work out to be economically favourable in the long run, although rechargeables are initially more expensive, and don't last forever

Here you can buy a dozen of AAA in 99 Ct shops. My rechargeable ones are all broken. So, unfortunately, as long as one doesn't have especially high consumption, the one-way solution is far cheaper.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Isn't it cheaper over the long run to buy these and recharge them? Sorry, just curious, don't mean to tell you what to do.

You may be right. I just haven't looked into it.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Here you can buy a dozen of AAA in 99 Ct shops. My rechargeable ones are all broken. So, unfortunately, as long as one doesn't have especially high consumption, the one-way solution is far cheaper.

99 cent store batteries are really low quality and don't last nearly as long as the better brands. That's a situation where the joule thief is handy: you can use those cheap batteries much longer (if you're lighting LED's).

 

[collinsmark]

Holy carp. I forgot to like, come here and post for a year or so.

Welcome back, @dkotschessaa!

 

[collinsmark]

If you're an electronic tinkerer, and want to make a very efficient LED lamp, I suggest playing around with modern LED driver, integrated circuits (ICs).
https://www.google.com/search?q=LED+driver+circuit&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

The minimum voltage for these circuits might be higher than a single cell (e.g., 3 V is a typical minimum voltage for many of these circuits), but that can be managed easily enough by putting a few battery cells in series.

In simple terms, these circuits operate as a constant current source, dynamically outputting whatever voltage is necessary to produce the desired current. This is particularly advantageous to LEDs, since the LED's brightness varies more linearly with current rather than voltage. Like the Joule thief, they operate by "switching" circuits and can output a DC current (well, sort of a DC current) at a voltage higher (or lower if need-be) than the battery voltage, and without introducing a large amount of IR loss.

Advantages are:

• Wide range of input (battery) voltages. Without changing circuit components, you could connect three, four, five, whatever within reason, battery cells in series and it will not alter the individual brightness of each of the LEDs, nor will it greatly impact efficiency.
  
• Wide range of output (load) voltages. This means that you can connect one, two, three, whatever within reason, LEDs together in series, and it will not significantly affect the brightness of any given LED. The circuit will automatically adjust the output voltage such that the current through the LED chain is the desired current. [Edit: meaning you can adjust (reduce) the brightness of the lamp by merely shorting together some the output LEDs in the chain. The driver circuit will automatically compensate, and without significant loss of efficiency. (So long as the the LEDs are capable of handling a small transient in voltage, which they usually are.)]
  
• Usually requires a simple inductor rather than the transformer that the Joule thief requires.
  
• The desired current (usually the rated LED current) is simple matter of resistor value selection in the circuit design.
• Very efficient.

Similar to the Joule thief, when using these circuits ensure that the load (e.g., the string of LEDs) is connected to the circuit whenever powered on. Leaving the output open* can damage the circuit components just like what might happen with the Joule thief.

*[This might seem counter-intuitive if you're used to working with voltage sources. But with a constant current source, it's actually "safer" on the electronic circuity to short the output closed than it is to leave it open.]

 

[WWGD]

I think I had a bad trip from NyQuil. Could barely stay awake for like 3 days, together with feeling weird and depressed. Will look for something else to get a good night's sleep next time.

 

[fresh_42]

I think I had a bad trip from NyQuil. Could barely stay awake for like 3 days, together with feeling weird and depressed. Will look for something else to get a good night's sleep next time.

I know something that at least works well for me, but it's not OTC.

 

[WWGD]

I know something that at least works well for me, but it's not OTC.

I'll be sticking to my non-hard-core Chamomile compresses for a while now. Putting on my skin so they go directly to the bloodstream, I got scared straight.