The There Are No Stupid Questions Thread

Yeah, it kinda is.

Most people that go to it either get drunk or stoned and then enjoy the music all weekend long.

It's one of the biggest music festivals in the U.S.

I like music, but I wouldn't go to a music festival even if someone paid me to do it.

(I'm not a people person and I don't like standing for long periods of time.)

Yeah, standing for hours is tough at my age but the worst part of concerts today is standing next to a 12 year old and their dad. Kinda ruins the experience.

Nope, nope, not saying it… :smiling_imp:

Weed for recreational use just became legal in NJ. It’s still not in NY and CT… so you know, this is like a cocktail for disaster. While it should be treated like smoking in public venues, where smoking cigarettes is not allowed (restaurants, stores, buses, trains, etc.), I have a feeling we’re going to be smelling the stuff much more often. Since wearing masks has been normalized by COVID, I see this will be another reason to wear ’em. Second hand marijuana smoke is worse than cigarette smoke, according to CDC.

Btw, heard an NPR program about cannabis related issues. There was a woman who had worked for a company over 20 years and was nearing retirement, and a nice pension. She fell in the office due to unexpected debris. She was given a drug test at the infirmary and failed for THC. But she wasn’t using it recreationally. It was medical marijuana, which has very low THC so no mental influence. Her doctor had recommended it, but didn’t have an official prescription. Her boss had to fire her, because of the tight drug policies of the company. He didn’t want to do it, but was compelled because of the company’s laws. She lost her pension and because of the reason, couldn’t get another job. I think that’s such an extreme and unfair punishment, and I wonder how many other policy timebombs are set to trip up people who use cannabis recreationally. This has happened a number of times, purely by medical use of cannabis. HERE and HERE, for more examples.

Anyone else here see this legalization trend to be another one of those spaghetti against the wall decisions due to public pressure?

It’s legal in NY now also. Stores haven’t opened yet though. The US House passed a bill to legalize it but the Senate probably won’t. Pa gives it a lot of lip service but typically no action.

A lot of laws will need tweaking now concerning driving, gun ownership, work.

Marijuana has been legal in California for a while.

Considering it's probably one of the safest ways to get high, it's fine with me.

I think it's safer than alcohol or tobacco.

The one thing I don't like is that people sometimes drive while high.

Although it's not legal to do so, because weed is legal when you're not driving, it happens more frequently now.

That’s the thing. You can measure your blood alcohol level with a simple breathalyzer test. I don’t see anything equivalent for THC that doesn’t require taking a blood sample. That’s a real problem.

Also the nuances of getting high off of cannabis is different from alcohol. Whereas alcohol effects are rather homogenous and predictable, it's not the same with THC. I drink and rarely do it to excess. But when I've had a few, I know exactly how I feel and whether or not I'm safe to drive. I'm not a stoner and I don't do pot any longer because I just don't enjoy it. But when I did... gauging the effects was difficult. The "stoned" feeling doesn't wane on a predictable curve. It can "wobble."

Some people hallucinate under THC. Some don't. Some experience personality aphasia, most don't. That's the really dangerous thing about it. The very wide range of ways it affects people's minds.

It’s not like pot isn’t already available if you want it. The people that waited for it to become legal before trying are not apt to drive under the influence. Maybe a small increase in abuse. Frankly, I am more afraid of people driving under the influence of cellphone.

What's annoying is that buying weed illegally is cheaper than buying it legally.

I quit vaping and smoking in 2011, but it's still true today.

I agree. That happens far more than DUI of substances.

Yep. The extra middle men and the state all need to take a piece now. However, growing it is relatively easy, given how cannabis is like a weed. I’ll bet growing it without a license to do so is considered a crime, but in very small quantities (for yourself and friends, not for resale) I doubt police could be bothered.

My brother is enjoying and using the lights we got him for his B-day (M3-C, FC11) but he’s still looking for one that’s shaped like a Sofirn SF47 He doesn’t actually want an SF47 because he thinks the beam is too floody. And he doesn’t want a mult-switch design. (ruling out the SF47T)

Put plainly, he’s looking for:

  • 2 x 21700 in series (for form factor reasons)
  • smallish head/reflector (approx 2 inches)
  • somewhat focused beam (I think he hates flower petal beams too)
  • single button interface.

Im looking at picking up a D4SV2. Probably the dual channel version.
Its not going to be half as bright as the regular D4SV2 (using four of the same LED) is it?

Edit: Dual channel 5000k LH351D’s vs a single channel with 4 x 5000k LH351D’s

If I were to decide I dont like the 2nd channel very much, and end up primarily using it on the LH351D channel. Would I be gaining or losing anything compared to the single channel 4 x LH351D’s?

I think It would be nice to have the W1’s in the second channel, but also think its possible it wont be as useful as Id like.
Curious if I should just write that idea off now and go for a single channel with 4 x 5000k LH351D’s.

Is it safe to use my Alonefire X28 flashlight as a charger for my QB 26800s?

What would happen if a nonchargeable lithium or alkaline AA battery was charged in an AA charger? Would it blow up? Would it charge? I assure you I have no intention of doing it. AA’s are cheap. Just wondering.

My dad (an electronics technician and raido operator for nearly 50 years) used to recharge dead batteries that he brought home from work. I don’t remember if they were zinc-carbon or alkalines, but I know he had modified his chargers.

For the record, he was born in 1933, and grew up on a farm during the depression. So, he was what you might charitably call a cheapskate.

Also, wikipedia says about alkalines:

and Quora on recharging zinc-carbons

Without going into the details as this was sooo many years ago; Ray-0-Vac had these “Renewal” chargers for alkalines. Got one for AA and sure enough recharged some cells. And as stated in the above quote from manithree, didn’t fully bring back the capacity. Also, not all Alkalines would work. The older models of Duracell would, but they changed the chemistry (wouldn’t want to kill a very profitable disposable product line, would you?). These newer batteries wouldn’t do anything - no leakage nor any heat.
It was said the charge profile was a square form with periodic ‘rest’ periods. Either pulsed or other. Not well understood at the time.

Using a standard NiCad/NiMH charger I wouldn’t attempt. I’ve had so many leaky Alkalines that these “destroyers” are my main reason to convert about anything to Li-Ions.

Yeah, back in the day, there were “battery fresheners” that would indeed force back something of a charge to fading cells.

But cells had thicker walls back then, so even completely spent they’d rarely leak. C-Zn cells sometimes, alkalines rarely(!!).

Today’s “efficient” cells use so little material in the walls that it’s a race between developing a hole and thus a leak, or someone tossing moribund cells.

And alkaleaks are… alkaleaks.

And to add to those lines

Can’t fathom why manufacturers make modern-day meters with a 2.8 Volt threshold. Can’t use Laddas (NiMH).

Just found a small 13 x 48mm Li-Ion cell buried within a disposable Vape Mod – chucked alongside the sidewalk. Seems to be able to charge. Will be looking into adding a charging board and 3-volt regulator. It would fit in one of those meters, and then bypass the auto-off function (user selectable from the ‘ON’ button sequence).

I have some spare 219b and I am thinking about reflowing in a SP36 BLF.
Zeroair says the FET is about 13A so it should be fine right?

I see ”16.2+” in Zeroair review with sofirn cells (60mΩ) and LH351ds, 219bs having lower Vf will pull more current, and if quality cells (e.g GAs 30mΩ) are used then even more current, I’d say it will be too much for 219bs.