Things you always wanted to know the answer to [Vol. 4]

[Lazadude]

SCEtoAUX said:

Star Trek communication systems. How do people hear what's being said to them? If they have a little speaker built into the badge then that's going to annoy everyone else and rather compromise privacy.

You generally only use combadges for when you're not at a terminal / etc.

However in an alternate timeline in which Deanna Troi died in 2368, by 2408 Starfleet had replaced the combadge with devices that were implanted in a person's body. These devices allowed for greater security as only the recipient could hear the conversation. If a person wished they could whisper and not be heard by any bystanders, but clearly heard by the recipient at the other end.

Think throat mic and integrated ear piece.

[borcy]

Shakermaker said:

talksthetorque said:

StevieBee said:

nonsequitur said:

StevieBee said:

In Line of Duty, whenever they interview someone, they a) use a tape and b) there's a protracted beep before the machine starts to record. Assuming they mimic reality, what benefit is to be had using a tape and what purpose does the beep serve?

To give the viewer a definite sound that recording has begun. Otherwise. what's happening?

There's more elegant ways of doing this. Plus they say "for the benefit of the tape' a lot and I'm certain they're not referring video tape!

In Line of Duty another trick is when Steve and Kate expain the progress of their leads to each other.
They might as well just tap on the camera lens and go " Did you get that? Are you all caught up with the plot again now?"

Every show does that thing of having characters explain what they are doing to another character where in real life, no second person would be present in those circumstances.

The "for the benefit of the tape" thing is where they are doing something visual rather than audible, so if they point at someone in a photo, or show them a document, they can refer to it later? again, don't know if that happens in real life!

I think the term is 'plot catch up'?

[Shakermaker]

borcy said:

I think the term is 'plot catch up'?

I can't remember what I was watching but in whatever show it was, one of the characters was a lawyer and another was an actor, and the actor was trying to learn how to play a lawyer in a TV show. And then he explained it all, in some kind of Inception-esque view behind the lens in one of the scenes

"What are you doing?"
"I'm reading these notes on a case I'm working on before I go to court later this afternoon"
"On TV we would have you do that with a secondary character nearby so you could talk to them so that the audience know what you're doing"

[RizzoTheRat]

Hugo a Gogo said:

So the usb adapter is a transformer? How does it get low voltage output from the plug socket? This may be very basic elecktrickery

Old ones used to use transformers, modern ones are switch mode power supplies which are a lot smaller and lighter.

In simple terms a transformer is a couple of coils scaled so that the magnetic field generated by the first one produces the voltage you want in the other one, you then use a rectifier to stop the electricity flowing in both directions and therefore get a lower voltage DC from a high voltage AC.

A switch mode power supply flicks on and off really fast and only lets enough electricity through each time to give the voltage you want, think of it like switching a tap on and off really quickly to get a low pressure supply from a high pressure water main.

[Clockwork Cupcake]

RizzoTheRat said:

Old ones used to use transformers, modern ones are switch mode power supplies which are a lot smaller and lighter.

In simple terms a transformer is a couple of coils scaled so that the magnetic field generated by the first one produces the voltage you want in the other one, you then use a rectifier to stop the electricity flowing in both directions and therefore get a lower voltage DC from a high voltage AC.

A switch mode power supply flicks on and off really fast and only lets enough electricity through each time to give the voltage you want, think of it like switching a tap on and off really quickly to get a low pressure supply from a high pressure water main.

Interesting.

It's a sad fact that as you get older, your knowledge gets stale. I learned something new.

I've always associated switch mode PSUs as a big box inside your PC. I never thought of them as something that could replace a transformer.

[Frank7]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I have relatives in Aubagne, some 20 odd km to the East of Marseille, and visit the area occasionally.
Marseille does have the appearance of a carsey yes, to our Northern European eyes, but to be scrupulously fair to the inhabitants of France’s third city, the overwhelming population is Maghreb, (North African Muslim, Algerian, Tunisian, Moroccan), there are many from sub-Saharan areas, but it’s the Muslims who are in the majority.
This is NOT to say anything bad about les Muselmans (Muslims), but they do the lion’s share of the graffiti I think.
There are many “sans-papiers”, (without papers) in Marseille, predominantly from France’s old colonies in Central and West Africa, but a large tranche of them move north, to Lyon and Paris.

[98elise]

Clockwork Cupcake said:

Hugo a Gogo said:

So the usb adapter is a transformer?

Yup

Hugo a Gogo said:

How does it get low voltage output from the plug socket?

So, you're asking how it transforms 240V AC into 5V DC? That would be because it's because it's a transformer.
They've just got smaller, that's all.

I have an old late-model Nokia phone charger in a drawer somewhere that is the same size as a UK plug - ie. exactly the same size as a modern USB power adaptor.

Edited by Clockwork Cupcake on Wednesday 18th December 10:15

Yup, transforming AC to a Lower DC voltage is easy and very common in home electronics. It's only big power stuff with motors and heaters that generally run on mains. Some lower power stuff also used raw mains, but thats just for simplicity.

Old tech would be transformer + rectifier, new tech would be a switched mode power supply.

USB is no different, it's just become a common format for charging.

[RizzoTheRat]

Clockwork Cupcake said:

I've always associated switch mode PSUs as a big box inside your PC. I never thought of them as something that could replace a transformer.

Old PCs had transformer power supplies. Do you remember them having a little switch at the back labelled 110/240? You could switch the mains side coil to take a 110 volt (US) or 240 volt (European), and still output the correct voltage for the PC.
Unfortunately if you put 240 volts in to one when 110 volts was selected it didn't do things a lot of good.

Edited by RizzoTheRat on Wednesday 18th December 12:27

[21st Century Man]

Why would you work for the Villian?

In Bond films/action thrillers etc. Watching the Alexa advert and the villian kills three of his top people just by accident, it's not unusual for a villian to kill a their #1 over canapes just to make a point about how deranged he is to the good guy, or to kill say a pilot and other henchman because the hero is being escorted away in the helicopter with a bomb in it. Not to mention the hundreds of staff who get slaughtered defending the villians compound.

How do they get the staff?

[MartG]

SCEtoAUX said:

Apart from virtually unlimited computing power, what technological advances of the last 50 years would have made the Apollo missions easier?

Lighter/stronger materials - e.g. making interstages out of composite could save a lot of weight

Heat resistant materials capable of withstanding higher temps could improve engine performance/reduce engine weight

3D printing of engine ( and other ) components to reduce partcount & cost, while improving reliability and reducing weight

Non-destructive testing techniques have improved

SpaceX have demonstrated how densifying fuel can improve performance

[Shakermaker]

21st Century Man said:

Why would you work for the Villian?

In Bond films/action thrillers etc. Watching the Alexa advert and the villian kills three of his top people just by accident, it's not unusual for a villian to kill a their #1 over canapes just to make a point about how deranged he is to the good guy, or to kill say a pilot and other henchman because the hero is being escorted away in the helicopter with a bomb in it. Not to mention the hundreds of staff who get slaughtered defending the villians compound.

How do they get the staff?

Usually by promise of great wealth through the devious scheme they are up to, with the belief that nothing will actually go wrong.

It doesn't even really need to be in a Bond movie, look at all the people who "work" for drug dealers/human traffickers and so on.

[Clockwork Cupcake]

RizzoTheRat said:

Unfortunately if you put 240 volts in to one when 110 volts was selected it didn't do things a lot of good.

It tended to let the smoke out.

[Hugo a Gogo]

RizzoTheRat said:

Hugo a Gogo said:

So the usb adapter is a transformer? How does it get low voltage output from the plug socket? This may be very basic elecktrickery

Old ones used to use transformers, modern ones are switch mode power supplies which are a lot smaller and lighter.

In simple terms a transformer is a couple of coils scaled so that the magnetic field generated by the first one produces the voltage you want in the other one, you then use a rectifier to stop the electricity flowing in both directions and therefore get a lower voltage DC from a high voltage AC.

A switch mode power supply flicks on and off really fast and only lets enough electricity through each time to give the voltage you want, think of it like switching a tap on and off really quickly to get a low pressure supply from a high pressure water main.

Thanks, that's the answer!

[CaptainSlow]

21st Century Man said:

Why would you work for the Villian?

In Bond films/action thrillers etc. Watching the Alexa advert and the villian kills three of his top people just by accident, it's not unusual for a villian to kill a their #1 over canapes just to make a point about how deranged he is to the good guy, or to kill say a pilot and other henchman because the hero is being escorted away in the helicopter with a bomb in it. Not to mention the hundreds of staff who get slaughtered defending the villians compound.

How do they get the staff?

Beats working at the Amazon warehouse.

[ElectricSoup]

CaptainSlow said:

21st Century Man said:

Why would you work for the Villian?

In Bond films/action thrillers etc. Watching the Alexa advert and the villian kills three of his top people just by accident, it's not unusual for a villian to kill a their #1 over canapes just to make a point about how deranged he is to the good guy, or to kill say a pilot and other henchman because the hero is being escorted away in the helicopter with a bomb in it. Not to mention the hundreds of staff who get slaughtered defending the villians compound.

How do they get the staff?

Beats working at the Amazon warehouse.

That's the definition of working for a villain.

[anonymous-user]

Was just thinking the same thing!!

[MartG]

ElectricSoup said:

CaptainSlow said:

21st Century Man said:

Why would you work for the Villian?

In Bond films/action thrillers etc. Watching the Alexa advert and the villian kills three of his top people just by accident, it's not unusual for a villian to kill a their #1 over canapes just to make a point about how deranged he is to the good guy, or to kill say a pilot and other henchman because the hero is being escorted away in the helicopter with a bomb in it. Not to mention the hundreds of staff who get slaughtered defending the villians compound.

How do they get the staff?

Beats working at the Amazon warehouse.

That's the definition of working for a villain.

[SpeckledJim]

Shakermaker said:

21st Century Man said:

Why would you work for the Villian?

In Bond films/action thrillers etc. Watching the Alexa advert and the villian kills three of his top people just by accident, it's not unusual for a villian to kill a their #1 over canapes just to make a point about how deranged he is to the good guy, or to kill say a pilot and other henchman because the hero is being escorted away in the helicopter with a bomb in it. Not to mention the hundreds of staff who get slaughtered defending the villians compound.

How do they get the staff?

Usually by promise of great wealth through the devious scheme they are up to, with the belief that nothing will actually go wrong.

It doesn't even really need to be in a Bond movie, look at all the people who "work" for drug dealers/human traffickers and so on.

Same reason you work for any other start-up. Foolish dreams and share options in lieu of pay and security.

[fomb]

Nimby said:

Does it happen if they resume a recording? If just at the start of a new tape, maybe it has a lead-in section and the beep indicates you've reached the start of the magnetic bit.

My Policeman friend tells me it's exactly this. The tape has a few seconds start and end that aren't tape, and the beep is to ensure you're on the recordy bit.

[Flibble]

RizzoTheRat said:

Old PCs had transformer power supplies. Do you remember them having a little switch at the back labelled 110/240? You could switch the mains side coil to take a 110 volt (US) or 240 volt (European), and still output the correct voltage for the PC.
Unfortunately if you put 240 volts in to one when 110 volts was selected it didn't do things a lot of good.

Edited by RizzoTheRat on Wednesday 18th December 12:27

Those old supplies were switch mode, just without the ability to auto-sense the input voltage. Switch mode PSU use in PCs dates back to the original IBM PC and before (the Apple II brought it to the desktop market).