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Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: July 3rd, 2023

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  • That’s generally true for most HVAC applications. Bang-bang control creates limit cycle behaviour and as long as a small oscillation in temperature is acceptable, it’s a nice simple solution.

    OPs problem seems to be a discontinuity between the two limit cycles, heating and cooling. The way to tackle this is to make time series vectors of all measurements and compare them with the subjective sensation of the room temperature. That should inform the relevant set points for the control actions.






  • How is this even a question? If you believe someone is good and they decided to do something against the law but for good reasons, are you going to punish that person? We know rules are important in society and we all aspire to be good citizens but sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we have to abandon our principles or break the law. Nobody is obeying the speed limit when carrying a dying child to hospital and nobody is condemning that person for breaking the law, to give a completely fatuous example.

    The reason jurys convict ethically sound defendants is the same reason people fail to make the ethically sound choice in the Milgram experiment.

    It doesn’t matter what the legal statutes say, you still have to think for yourself and others to make compassionate choices.





  • If you think about, the benevolent dictator model of governance is pretty much the best type of hierarchy. It avoids the indecision of a democracy, the corruption of oligarchy and the tyranny of autocracy.

    Rare to see examples of this form, especially at large scale. One notable exception is Thailand, a country that is one of a handful that has never been colonised. The Thai people revere their king but they also have a democratic process, which occasionally comes under some corrective influence, backed by the army. It’s definitely not a tyranny but it’s not a democracy either.





  • Managing time and priorities is absolutely huge. You can get better at this stuff but you will probably never be great at handling competing demands on your time. I use a lot of phone timers and task lists to help me stay on track but ultimately I will always struggle. The difference with having a diagnosis was also a game changer in terms of how I felt and losing the shame of not being able to cope. On the other hand it also radicalised me and made me resentful of how I was being treated. I had long suspected that there was something unreasonable about the way people expected me to behave and now I knew why.

    I began defending my choices and setting boundaries. Ultimately this destroyed my marriage but I couldn’t go on pretending to be normal and if she can’t accept that, it’s her loss. I think it was a co-dependent relationship. We tend to attract people that seek to control us (not usually consciously or maliciously but, yeah) and this is a recipe for burn out. At work it has been much better, my employer makes allowances for me and work relationships have improved dramatically. They give me tasks where I can play to my strengths and make a positive difference.

    In short, getting a diagnosis has been an absolute game changer. The medication is a significant component of the recovery process but it shouldn’t be viewed as a silver bullet. Meditation and learning about the condition has been huge. I can accept who I am, stop hating myself and have compassion for myself.



  • LED technology has progressed massively and is now at the state where you can carry a device with the lighting power of a car headlamp but it only consumes 10W, weighs 200g and fits in the palm of your hand. I can ride my bike through the woods at night, as if it were daytime. All we need now is some technology that makes the woods less creepy after sundown and we’ll be all set.

    Another big one for me is Wikipedia and the information sphere in general. I forgot what it’s like to have to physically go to a library to look something up or learn a new skill, amazing power at our fingertips. Showing my age a bit here.

    What else? Computer aided engineering tools, cordless power tools, phones and computers in general, lithium ion batteries, my automated coffee maker kills it, drug technology, I like it all.