Better to keep things running at a low level than fully idle I'd think. Even if the outputs are consumed by testing, development, or even just stockpiled. Lots of things can get lost by not making parts for a while, including the knowledge involved in troubleshooting or replacing parts.
Of course then people would complain about all the money wasted not utilizing the equipment/space enough.
Also the DoE having to figure out how to make Fogbank again (a classified material used in weapons which they lost the manufacturing documentation for)
>By now, its battlefield lethality exceeds that of small arms and artillery shells.
The war in Ukraine seems to be showing this to not be true. Drones are used as much as they are because they do not have enough artillery. Are they useful, yes. But they do not replace artillery. Maybe in another type of war, but that is another issue, what is the next war we expect to find ourselves in? For all the talk of China deterrence, we're seeing a pivot away from China now.
The key advantage of the drone ecosystem is that it spans from tactical to strategic applications, from short to long distance, at very low-cost compared to traditional multiple platforms. It's not an artillery alternative, or at least not in the way you think. There are ambush-drones that go behind enemy lines, land on the ground, and wait. There are 10 flavours of FPV stuff, and by now none of it is "off-the-shelf." There are of course the fixed-wing stuff that would completely overwhelm enemy air defense and hit key strategic manufacturing and oil processing plants. There was operation Spider Web where a handful of FPV drones took out 20 or so russian strategic bombers (sic!) many thousand kilometers behind enemy lines. Most importantly, drones present a major advantage in that the operator does not have to be physically present in the target area. Moreover, the operator himself is no longer necessary in many modes of operation, like "last mile targeting"
Your opinion reads like it has been formed by exposure to some contrariant analysis by BigBrain western analyst that would go for soundbites like "drones are artillery."
I've been using the UHK with a trackball thumb module[1]. I haven't touched a mouse since I got it. It's not as eye catching and futuristic, nor wireless, but a sturdy keyboard and it paid for itself by not having to go to physiotherapy for the past five years (for RSI).
Interesting, that looks too spendy for my taste honestly but I can see a way to justify it. I use a trackball for some of my CAD work but on another PC I sometimes have to check things in CAD, rather than real work, and a ball like that could be a good way to do it.
Mode feedback is the only thing I can think of, especially when you're getting used to the keyboard and/or have mode toggles set up. I don't have much use for my keyboard screens personally. Cool place to put a logo I guess.
Probably has to do with a decade of hobbyist keyboard culture centered around separate small-batch group buys where specialized switches, keycaps, and boards and maybe even stabilizers.
> is it common to price them without key caps and switches?
Yes, it is for the enthusiast mechanical keyboard community. Everybody has their own preferences for switches and keycaps and there are hundreds of varieties of both.
Was this during a storm a few years ago? I used to fly Southwest a decent amount but I haven't in several years now. I've heard worse things about them in the last couple years.
I struggle with the music one. I listen to a lot of different music, used see live music at least once a week, and have some strong opinions. I still struggle to explain music to others or why I enjoy certain artists/songs.
It is like the details don't register in a usable way, where one of my good friends will tell me he likes a band because of the guitar tone or the drummer's technique or something else that I struggle to explain or even pick out of the music. I wish I could explain my preference better.
Baker's lung is a thing too. I think about that when I see the dust from my spice grinder when making various powders. No matter what there is airborne dust when I open the grinder.
I try to do my wood cutting outside but I am not sanding much. When I refinished my floors I wore dust protection and a loose tshirt over the dust protection to make clean up at the end of the day a bit easier.
Interesting, I had some vermiculite removed recently and got a response from the ZAI trust that the samples had fibers but they couldn't say specifically that it was asbestos. I assumed that was a legal distinction, it didn't occur to me that it might be from different test methods.
Yeah, for a PCM test we only count 100 fields, and identify the number of fiber end points (upto 2) which with math can give an approx number of fibers/cc2 - helps determine approx how much potential can be in the air (this is usually done during abatement - when it's being cleaned up).
A PLM analyst will use multiple methods to determine if the sample has asbestos, and takes a much longer time.
There are even more expensive tests that can be performed but I'm not so familiar with those.
When I had mine I got the form with warnings about side effects. When I saw the allergic reaction I was a bit concerned, I asked the tech and was told it wasn't a big deal. Since I was in the basement I didn't have service and I decided to trust them given the large number of my friends who've had MRIs. It was fine, but it seemed like a major thing to toss in the patients lap right before they get strapped down in a tube.
But there’s a potential risk of an allergic reaction to any drug you take, any food or drink you consume, even environmental substances - perfumes; hayfever is an allergic reaction to pollens. You don’t know you have one until you have the reaction. I didn’t know I was allergic to penicillins until I needed them for an infection and it turns out I am.
Good point, I wasn't clear. The warning was about the systemic reaction inside the veins and arteries. Or something along those lines. Whatever it was the warning struck me as much more drastic than the usual allergic reaction warning.
Of course then people would complain about all the money wasted not utilizing the equipment/space enough.