I'm Missing Summer Again. Can't Wait For May For The Outdoor Pools To Be Open Again! Or For The Beach

I'm missing summer again. Can't wait for May for the outdoor pools to be open again! Or for the beach to be the right temp!

Awesome comm by sonofan_oficial on Twitter. Now that they're back on their feet, they're putting out great work. https://twitter.com/CivilOtterneer/status/1763989314743287947?t=JQBIuCRak2wLNhf7wSSp4w&s=19

Got a great comm from Twitter based on my engineer model outfit!

Art by: https://x.com/sonofan_oficial?t=IyJ3kZk4aGsf1DenmAkojA&s=09

very interested in this world which seems to have both civil engineers and necromancers.

Two jobs which I would not expect to coexist.

(Do skeletons have to follow OSHA guidelines?)

Yeah, I'm not entirely sure why it's this way either. I guess the idea going forward is modern day except there's magic? Also necromancy is legal?

I do a lot of world building for DND sessions, so this is my outlet for "Seems too crackpot for my players but nothing stops me from doing it here". So one day Civil is handling septic plans for a client, the next Lye is protecting the city from kobolds or something.

Imma just see where the random inspiration takes me, logic be damned .

Also no, skeletons don't need to follow OSHA, that's the best part of using them as workforce. There's probably laws against throwing a loved one's reanimated bones into heavy machinery on purpose, though.

Hello! Engineering related question if you don't mind me asking:

I was doing some research on grey-water recycling, and am not sure why it isn't the standard in the majority of the world. It seems to reduce water usage by a reasonable amount (maybe 20%) without having significant downsides (maybe a small upfront cost?)

Despite this, it isn't very common. Why?

I don't mind, I love engineering questions!

The prime reasons are: cost and regulations.

Grey water recycling still takes tanks, pumps, and other filtration systems that require tending. While it's not particularly more expensive than a septic system up front, its still an extra cost that most clients don't want to pay for, plus long term maintenance costs (too which the client sees only these, not the reduced water bill, its just how most people see things: big number upfront bad). Plus, at least for American housing, the house would need special plumbing for grey water collection and use, which would cost you more from the architect or from a plumbing company for retrofitting an existing residence.

Second is regulation. I know some states and countries are changing this, but grey water still has limited usage. For Arizona, USA, it can only be used for gardening and up to a certain amount (400 gallons per day) (https://www.azdeq.gov/graywater) and worse again, only on non-food plants that aren't trees or bushes. Arizona is currently working on changing regulations for Direct Potable Reuse (taking wastewater and treating it enough to reuse as potable water) which would likely see some changes to the grey water reuse rules as well since our state is on the cusp of water scarcity.

Grey water reuse can be a huge help, and since it can be used for flushing toilets (one of the larger wastewater producers of the house), gardening, and some other minor uses, it tends to be a good reduction to water use. The biggest hurdles are regulations and cost, since unless regulations lighten, there isn't anywhere to go, and most clients want the cheapest upfront cost, not the cheapest long term cost. The best way forward would be for regulations to lighten AND for the government to offer rebates like they do for solar panels. That'd incentivize it financially and make it more legal, thus more would do it.

Do you have a favourite calculator?

*Insert Legend of Zelda Chest opening song*

You got the TI-36X Pro!

By far my favorite calculator if we don't include Excel as an option. It's got so many functions: statistics of data sets, easy dimensional analysis, powerful functions like logs and derivatives, variable solving, its just keeps going. Plus it's not a graphing calculator, so I used it for every test I took in college and got to use its powerful functions. It's only disallowed in tests where you have to use a very dumb pocket calculator, in my experience.

If we include Excel, it wins easily. No better tool for keeping math straight and doing iterative functions. Also making models in Excel that are easy to reuse for similar projects with a few changed variables are awesome. Sadly, you can't use Excel for tests, nor is it easy to use like a calculator, so the TI-36X Pro is my winner for a normal calculator.

The Railroad Tracks

"I heard there was an accident here where a guy got his legs cut off by a train here. And apparently it happened like a hundred years ago, too!" said Civil

"The only accident I'm about to see is you accidentally getting tetanus. Get down from there." replied Lye.

Character-less render and minor spoilers below.

Well, this week I was sick with something like the flu so I had the time to make this render. A couldn't find the image from Echo that inspired me, but I remember it being there.

This scene from Leo's ending was absolutely just heart-stopping for a multitude of reasons. Can't imagine that specific variety of pain and agony, from the event to the next several hours of suffering.

However, I do have to say that the foreshadowing was on point. The novel almost made me think they were about to escape after all the trial and tribulation they had gone through, and then...yikes.

Anyways, I've neglected continuing through Flynn's path, so hopefully I'll soon figure out what horrible thing happens in that one!

Here's the render without Lye and Civ. It makes an okay screensaver.