« first day (863 days earlier)      last day (4337 days later) » 

11:02
This is DIY, but I'm not sure it's on topic for Home Improvement.
1
Q: Is it possible to make a heliostat with no moving parts?

ArtI want to place a couple of mirrors outside the house to direct some sunlight to the windows, which will make it easier to cope with the soul-crushing overcast winters here in Melbourne, Australia. In order to remain focused on a window, the position of the mirror would have to change to compens...

11:13
@Aaron bootstrap is more of a front end style / layout system - you can do this in strait up jquery - stackoverflow.com/questions/5293041/… - jquery is usually used along side bootstrap...
@Tester101 i dont think its a bad question though - hes trying to build something to provide more sunlight into the house - not sure its the most efficient way to do it - they have those tubes that you can run from the roof into a ceiling - that might be a better option
I think it's funny that Wikipedia calls it a "light pipe".
yes, thats it
that might be more efficient assuming he could run the tube to where he needs the light
 
2 hours later…
13:26
(removed)
realized it was a dumb question as drywall doesn't have much r-value
my family room has drywall over lath in the ceiling, which i didnt know about until after we refinished the floors - and i dont want to gut it now and risk ruining the floors, even though i know i can protect them...
.45-.56
Why is it a problem?
well, the bigger problem is the same problem i'm going to run into on the 2nd floor
as we've remodeled the 2nd floor bedrooms, replacing bedroom doors in the process, i'll eventually need to gut and drywall that hallway
which obviously the hallway runs into the stairs which runs into the family room
the question will be, where to cut the wall on the way to the stairs and blend new drywall into old lath
Yeah. And matching thickness could be tough.
ie: the walls are continuous - from family room to stairs to 2nd floor hallway
13:30
Just off the top of my head, could you install a false door frame or something at the top of the stairs for the transition?
Or plaster pillars or something?
well - in the dining room, when we removed the waynescoating, we destroyed the walls in the process (obviously, as plaster and lath cracks as soon as you look at it)
so we used a circular saw, cut a line around the room 4 feet high (height of old waynescoating and width of a sheet of drywall) - furred out the 2x4's with lath and used 1/4 in drywall
I'm aware of that problem. I've got plaster and gypsum lathe.
blended the edge and you cant notice the line other than the bottom half of the wall is perfectly smooth (brand new drywall) and the top half its what old plaster / lath looks like - some parts smooth, some parts a bit bumpy
So - will probably just do that i the upstairs hallways; furr out the studs and use 1/4 inch - the hallway isn't big - 6x9 feet ish?
same problem i always have - how far do i take it - although i like your idea; faux columns at the transition to the stairs - that might look cool
It might look tacky too. You'd have to sketch it out, and get approval from the Domestic Sergeant Major.
Or something like this:
But 2-d obviously
Even put the lintel up on the ceiling. It could look good.
You could easily build that out of stock lumber and a bit of crown moulding.
for sure
13:43
Now I have to do it at my place!!
the only problem would be, pillars aren't used anywhere else in the house - i'd have to put a few on the first floor to give the house that style
 
2 hours later…
15:18
@lsiunsuex no, I mean in a form submit. jquery.validate only takes action on a submit type button, but I don't want to POST or GET, I just want the button to do an ajax thingy
re-explain it to me?
I have a form, and I want to use jquery.validate docs.jquery.com/Plugins/Validation/validate to make sure the form is filled out correctly before submitting it
The problem is that it only seems to 'block' a SUBMIT, but I don't want to SUBMIT because I'm not doing a POST or GET, I'm just doing some ajax-y things when the button is clicked
drop the form tags, use a <button> instead of a <input type='submit'> and wire up an onclick event on the button and validate the fields that way
so $("#button_id").onclick(function() {
yeah but the validate doesn't seem to have a function to say 'here, go validate this and tell me what happens'
right, you'll need to do your own at that point
15:22
yeah I am using a button
so like...
drop which form tags?
field1 = $("#field_id").val();
maybe I'll try this actually
if(field1).val == ""...
sorry, if(field1.val == "") {...}
thats roughly what i'm trying to say ish
you "could" leave the form tags in, still use validate() and just always return false at the end of it
never submitting the form, just processing it
15:31
if ($('#field1').val() == 'whatever')
oh you did that up there
i like to assign the value of the field to a variable first, but you can write it inline like that - either way works
yeah but I don't want to rewrite validation routines
$('#mainform').validate(
{
rules:{
arouter : {
minlength: 3,
required: true
},
zrouter : {
minlength: 3,
required: true
}
Off topic. Belongs on StackOverflow.
15:35
so add the submit handler and always return false
from the same page:
$("#myform").validate({
errorLabelContainer: "#messageBox",
wrapper: "li",
submitHandler: function() { alert("Submitted!") }
})
drop the alert and add return false;
but those rules wouldn't be very difficult to re-write :)
no, but that was just a sample
wish i could show you the one i just did
0
Q: Is a pool part of you home?

ppumkinWhat are some common safety tips to have a safe swimming? Yup. Just was busy answering that question when it got closed seconds before I pressed save.. never mind. I didn't need those 10 minutes any way. So the question is a bit weird- But would it not have been better editing the title and ask...

i used that wizard bootstrap plugin; upon clicking the button to show it, i queried the mainframe over odbc in php, exported a json response, parsed that and did logic on it about what what to show in the wizard; then took the data i got from the mainframe and prepopulated the fields; if i got nothing from the mainframe, i read in a 2nd field and showed an empty form for them to fill it out fresh
@Tester101 I'm writing an answer (since I was one of the VTCers)
15:50
@NiallC. So I should close it before you can submit?
@Tester101 10 seconds before :)
16:07
Too slow! Just posted it: meta.diy.stackexchange.com/a/782/22
16:18
So if it was about sports.. then why was it moved away from sports. or atleas closed there. A sports mod just though to him self. Oh she means pool safety.. not actaully swimming safely- no cause we are a sports Q&A and not a DIY Q&A. WTF? — ppumkin 1 min ago
17:06
Hmm. Would this be considered an unlisted light fixture?
what do you mean unlisted? as in UL ?
no - because the pendent cords are individually UL listed
Listed. Equipment, materials, or services included in a list published by an organization that is acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction and concerned with evaluation of products or services, that maintains periodic inspection of production of listed equipment or materials or periodic evaluation of services, and whose listing states that either the equipment, material, or service meets appropriate designated standards or has been tested and found suitable for a specified purpose.
built that in my dining room last year with parts from Lowes - everything i built it with was UL Listed
let me know if you find those pendant cords - last time we wanted to do something like that, Ikea no longer sells them online and we couldn't find them in canada - and Lowes / Home Depot only had them in brown i think
17:15
314.29 Boxes, Conduit Bodies, and Handhole Enclosures to Be Accessible. Boxes, conduit bodies, and handhole enclosures shall be installed so that the wiring contained in them can be rendered accessible without removing any part of the building or, in underground circuits, without excavating sidewalks, paving, earth, or other substance that is to be used to establish the finished grade.
The box they built (if not considered a fixture), may violate 314.29
so... use screws instead of nails to mount the box to the ceiling cleats so it can be taken down easily ?
Also, I think they used the light can as a junction box.
looks like it
@lsiunsuex That's not the point. Screws or nails both make the box unaccessible, without removing part of the building. The only way around it, is to say the wooden box is a fixture. But then it has to be listed.
i just dont understand your concern i guess. wire nuts, electrical tape. make sure nothing is being over loaded and don't worry about it - i understand your concern for it being to code and listed, but come-on man - live a little and do something cool to your house?
17:24
NO.
That box just adds fuel to the fire, literally.
What happens if somebody yanks on one of the cords? Maybe it doesn't pull out; so it still works, but the connection is now bad. The bad connection starts to generate heat, and it's just a matter of time.
Then comes the insurance investigation. The insurance company stumbles upon the blog post, and denies payment.
Now you're homeless and broke, but hey, you did something "cool" to your house.
point taken
lowes.com/…-LightingCeilingFans--PendantLightsPendantShades-_-3774171&CAWELAID=1483817068&kpid=3774171&%22cagpspn=pla%22 prebuilt - just add glass vases
17:41
"ETL Safety Listing Yes"
New topic: Why are flag poles so expensive?
@Tester101 have you seen metal prices lately?
Still. $400.00 for a 25' pole!?
That's sectional.
Do you want 1 piece?
17:52
I'm looking for a solid flag pole.
That's what she said.
2
the top 5 starred comments now make this room look a bit... adult content based ish
DIY is not for children!!! Safety First!
neowin.net/news/… this guy is a d**k
I'd Star that, but it would just up the adult content of the sidebar.
The question they need to ask is: How does always on improve the customer experience?
18:04
download updates in the background; new content available as soon as you return
@ChrisCudmore unfortunately, it's not about improving the customer experience, it's about protecting against piracy. What they need to effectively communicate is 1. always on is optimal for achievements, seamless multiplayer game play, etc. And 2. how folks who don't have an always-on or spotty connection will be affected.
a question to ask would be - how many people that are in the market for a $300+ console are not within reach of an always on internet connection - which i would assume means dial up - because even DSL is "always" on
So my cable goes down. No TV. No internet. How shall I endure this era of darkness? I know. Vidya Games!!! Oh. Wait...
Internet is the least reliable of all the services I have.
i dont think its cable goes down - i think its an internet connection that needs to be made by the user - not always on
internet connections go down all the time - the concern is connections that need to be started manually (i think)
My internet provider is the cable company.
No. It means no internet connection, No game.
If I can't call home every 3 minutes, I'm kicking you out.
18:08
@lsiunsuex not many places in the US are left with just dial up as an option (hell the US actually offers subsidized satellite internet deals to you if you complain loudly enough about shitty broadband service)
and satellite + DSL + Cable + Fiber means that only people in very remote, heavily wooded areas aren't able to be served.
@waxeagle The internet in the middle of the US sucks.
@Tester101 I can imagine (I don't quite live in the middle of the US, but I live in a rural area of Georgia), but you're still likely to be able to get DSL through your local phone provider.
I shouldn't need to call home just to play a solo version of BattleToads.
It's almost tragic that DSL is the only option for some Americans.
@ChrisCudmore I agree with that. It's up to the game mfgr to prove to me that they need to.
18:14
other than updates though - why the need for always on - like @ChrisCudmore said, for what?
@Tester101 yes, my options are DSL (up to 5.0 Mbps, but I pay way to much already for 756k), a local WISP (not actually available at my house yet, up to 1.5 Mbps), or one of the sat providers
unless its distributed processing - they want to use all the consoles to distribute the load of the servers
I think Xbox live does a reasonable job in managing the online games. It's fine to enforce updates to make sure I'm not cheating in a MMO. And obviously, I"m online anyways.
@lsiunsuex Purely to enforce DRM.
I don't know how they get away with charging to play online.
@lsiunsuex it's the only real way for them to protect themselves from piracy. I understand that, but I think that ultimately they overrate the impact piracy has on their bottom line.
18:16
yeah, cause that worked so well for the new Sim City
@Tester101 same way any other service provider makes you pay your bill every month
@waxeagle not true though - xbox charges because microsoft runs the servers; sony doesn't charge to play online because the game company is responsible for their own servers
@waxeagle No I mean, I can't believe people put up with it.
I've got kids. I don't want them online. If I'm using microsoft as a babysitter, I want them jumping around playing kinect tennis or football. I don't want any Jerry Sandusky types interacting with my kids. I like to unplug the network cable.
@Tester101 it's a matter of creating something people are willing to pay for. I used to be opposed to the business model, but it obviously works. I still haven't paid for a monthly game and don't intend to.
18:19
What about a cool hat for your avatar?
I'm a Luddite though. I still buy CDs
i paid atleast 4 years of xbox gold subscription (maybe more) - if you want to play the latest and greatest games (halo, gears, etc...) with your friends - you have no choice - its a rit of passage
i have all 3 current gen systems and all 3 now sit in a closet cause i have no time for them
I last played a month ago.
They should start a new tradition. Every Flag Day, the government should send each tax paying citizen an American flag that is made in America.
Yah. That'll solve your budget issues.
@ChrisCudmore Well obviously they'll include the cost in taxes some how.
It would also create jobs.
It's really sad that all the flag production has been outsourced.
18:31
imagine if they screwed up someone's order and sent them a korean flag or something
This person must not get much company.
4
Q: What is this rectangular device on my apartment wall?

neubertSo on this particular wall in my apartment I have two fire detectors (one that's plugged in but seems to have some sort of internal battery and one that takes 9V batteries), a thermostat and... this: Any idea as to what it is? Carbon Monoxide detector? Something else?

There was a county in Texas that flew the Chilean flag by mistake.
oops!
"honey. when i say now, push the door bell" (waits patiently by the white box on the wall close to the ceiling) "ding ding" OMG ITS THE DOOR BELL CHIME
how long has he been starring at it questioning in his mind what it is before asking might be funny (or sad)
or it might make an interesting opening to a movie "Joe lays on the couch starring at the white box above his door. its been there since he moved into his new appt on the south side of the bronx. suddenly, one sunday afternoon, hot and restless from the summer heat, Joe gets up to try to take it off the wall. Joe climbs the ladder with a flat head screw driver in hand. Just as Joe is about to touch it, it makes a loud screatching noise and Joe nearly falls off the ladder killing himself"
@lsiunsuex You should write scripts.
You painted a picture in my head.
I pictured Tom Hanks.
When he was younger.
Most of the scene was shot from the perspective of the doorbell chime.
With a slight fisheye lens.
Hanks character was wearing a tank top, shorts, and flip-flops.
He was sweaty, and carrying a flyswatter (for some reason).
18:51
No. He was dressed as a woman, as in Bosom Buddies.
have thought about writing a movie script in the past - writers dont make shit though i hear
@ChrisCudmore I don't know what goes on in your head, but lets stick to the don't ask, don't tell policy.
@lsiunsuex You have to write, produce, and direct.
Meanwhile, In Canada:
Nasty buggers this time of year.
HAHAHHAAHAHAH!
I could take one down with a good kick, but I really don't want to have to.
You guys must get them in Buffalo.
18:56
love it when they crap on the sidewalks - looks like blood from an alien species - green and black spots
Yeah. They really mess up the putting greens too.
if i don't shake this cold by sunday, gonna be really pissed. expecting 30 people for my 33rd birthday party
if 30 people have 4 slices of pizza each, thats 120 slices, 8 slices to a pizza, i'll be making atleast 15 pizza's. if i can make 2 at a time and each pizza takes 5 minutes to prep and cook, i'll be cooking for 40 minutes. hmm...
Make your guests prep. It can be part of the "fun"
some do but it takes them so long they just get in my way, ie: apparently i'm the only one that knows how to roll out dough and make it so it doesn't stick to the pizza peel
i bought some aluminum 12 inch pizza trays; i think if i can roll out some dough before hand, i can just give them to someone to put the ingredients on them and then we can slide them off the tray into the oven
19:26
@ChrisCudmore this. I totally do this with smaller groups
I can't imagine Blacksburg, VA, home of Virginia Tech, does not have some form of high speed access
at those speeds, looks like its the network that runs between UB South and North campuses
@lsiunsuex looks like a fiber provider, looks like they might be a supplier to ISPs?
yeah, looking at their site now - looks like they control some backbones
19:33
@lsiunsuex they also look like they to commercial ISP work..
I'm adjacent to one of their future markets...wonder how they will compete with our power company
19:49
An interesting Friday afternoon video.
 
1 hour later…
20:51
you know, I don't actually even see a stackoverflow chat room
Oh goodie, in time for the weekend, ppumkin is back to give the mods headaches.
Not the correct answer to his question. He knows he should remove it all but he asked what to do in the event if he really needs to tile over the vinyl., Just because you answer is the correct way of doing it does not mean it is the correct answer to the OP question. Some times it just needs to be done to satisfy a condition at the time. He is not a contractor but a mad DIY'er so he can get away with it. — ppumkin 5 hours ago
They have 42 pages of them!
@BMitch wasn't he in the room for a while until something happened?
He lost the mod elections.
And left for a while.
@ChrisCudmore yeah, but I don't see one for SO programmy-type questions
20:57
@ChrisCudmore Yeah, he's been irregular since that election, and a bit moody. I hate to pass judgment on people, but that doesn't make for good mod qualities.
@Aaron It appears to be partitioned by language.
Ok now wtf
I think 'chat.stackoverflow.com' and 'chat.stackexchange.com' don't actually share information
21:09
Yeah, if I join rooms over there they don't show up over here, and vice versa

« first day (863 days earlier)      last day (4337 days later) »