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scaling the depths

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Posted under Miscellanea at .

Here’s a weird comment:

"But it is important to say we simply don't have any evidence in this paper to suggest that any carbon coming from these seeps is entering the atmosphere."

This quote comes from Professor Adam Skarke of Mississippi State University. Context: this is an article about recent research into releases of methane from clathrates in the seabed off the American coastline. As we know, a warming ocean is highly likely to lead to a greater trend of release of methane than has hitherto been the case, because the equilibrium level of clathrate formation and melting changes with temperature. The released methane mostly is oxidised in the sea, adding a 2:1 molecular ratio of water and dissolved carbon dioxide to it.

It’s understandable that Professor Skarke would want to hedge his comments a bit. But hang on . . . 

The fact that a strong solution of CO₂ is being added to the sea in this way is not unimportant:

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Поливокс (Polivoks) Notes

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Posted under Musical Technology at . Last updated 2023-02-12 21:22.

top front view, case open

Hey, got a Polivoks.

First, some points of nomenclature. I’ve had no occasion hitherto to consider it, but I now realise the correct English plural of Polivoks is Polivoksen. With that established, on the Polivoks:

  • Generator (Генератор) = tone generator = (audio frequency) oscillator = VCO.
  • Modulator (Модулятор) is mainly an LFO. (The control can select noise as well as periodic functions, so LFO would be incorrect . . . a less cumbersome term than Korg’s modulation generator.)
  • Glissando (Глиссандо) = portamento (a.k.a. glide).
  • Pedestal (Пьедестал) = sustain level.

I’ll use the Polivoks terms here, mostly.

This Polivoks was made in 1987, and came with lid, pedal and cables (5-pin and 3-pin DIN; don’t know what the 3-pin one was for . . . ). No power cable but has an IEC C-14 power socket mod. [1]


External Condition

Case: not great; sticky tape residues, heavily scraped and rather indented. So much for all the built like a tank guff. Built like a fake tank for to confuse the enemy, maybe. Sheet aluminium bends (like plastic, unlike steel) but doesn’t rebound. It seems to have had carry handles at either end; not sure if they were original, but gone now. The rubber feet on the underside are different sizes — presumably two were replaced at some point.

[...]

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MagSafe – the Last Straw?

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Posted under Other Technology at .

(The long-promised update. I had intended to take update photographs of the adaptor previously bitched about, but had no decent working camera for a while. Now I have camera and two adaptors worth a gripe, so here goes.)

This happened over the last 48 hours.

cable with a cracked sheath
my second Apple L-tip connector cable, with the sheath cracked

In 2013, after a long spell of financial difficulty during which it wasn’t an option, I replaced my laptop’s sadly deteriorated MagSafe [1] power adaptor. That adaptor (Nº2) went up on a high shelf in the interim. And the new adaptor (Nº4) was good. But early this year I noticed the onset of the same deterioration. I might have blogged about it all the way through, but the last few months have been intense . . . 

The progressive deterioration whilst in normal use of the new (c.2011 and on) cable for these adaptors seems to go like this:

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battery troubles

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Posted under Other Technology at .

Oh.

expanded battery (image 1)

Found this in my bag; at some point over the last couple of weeks my spare laptop battery has slowly exploded. Interesting . . . I suppose this is what happens to old lithium-ion batteries. It’s dated late 2007, which makes sense. So, about six and a half years old. Is that good or bad? The previously-mentioned battery in my Powerbook 145b (based on an older lithium compound?) hasn’t done this. It’s not actually working without mains power either, but it hasn’t changed shape or leaked or anything. Last time I looked, the hardwired PRAM Lithium Thionyl Chloride batteries on my Mac IIs were still working after 25 years. (I haven’t looked for a couple of years as everything’s in boxes, awaiting space.)

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Jen SX 1000 Nº2 Rehab, Part 1

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Posted under Musical Technology at .

(There will be a stage 2, as I’m not currently in a position to do the whole refurb. No decent working space for soldering right now.)

cleaned, with knobs

Jen#2 (not a Jenny, thanks) is a newly-arrived Jen Synthetone SX 1000, s/n3326, later-type keyboard, with veneer ends, in moderately poor condition.

After unpacking & supply lead check — 13A plug fuse replaced with 2A here '~' — external condition and basic audio function were checked. Minor issues: some knobs are scratchy, some are loose. This should be resolvable, but will require checks at stage 2.


External Condition & Issues

[...]

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upper storeys

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Posted under Miscellanea at .

In the news today, NASA adds weight to the common — but curiously inert — conclusion that ice sheets are melting and seas will be rising. One thing I’ve not seen much of is actual adaption strategies to this. Of course in the longer term it remains to be shown that there is any possible adaption which will avoid human extinction or reduction to a form of subsistence economy which makes the concept of adaption moot. We can hope.

In the short to medium term, though, say we are looking at a 4–5m rise in average sea levels. The timescale for this may be a hundred or two hundred years (the viability of current models for this is questionable; new points keep coming along to make it worse). I’m particularly thinking about the impact this will have on the town nearest to me. Much of the existing commercial centre will at some point be under water at normal high tides (rather than parts of it, every few years, at some high tides with a heavy swell). How can adaption work? Arguably there could be viable approaches which retain the existing town footprint — flood barriers are popular in some places, but I have doubts about it in this case; spending that amount of money for very small populations may not be an option. So perhaps a more sensible approach is to require all new buildings or refurbishments to take sea levels into account over their intended lifespan. (Though buildings are often used beyond their expected lifespan, especially during prolonged economic downturns.) At this point, if a given piece of work is only intended to last a decade, probably there is no new requirement. If fifty years, well, maybe occasional protection against higher storm surges than we’re used to for all but the lowest-lying or most exposed. Beyond that, we probably need to think bigger.

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