Original static webpage version: https://what-if.xkcd.com/147/

Entering '30' in the "Number of days (optional)" field results in the following error:

Unable to ban user

Client error. Code: 400. Message: ban_expiration_in_past.

How can a positive number of days be in the past?

When the server closes, the communities will stay visible on other servers, but any new content posted to them won't federate to other servers. However, users on remote instances do not receive any indication of this.

As a result, lemm.ee communities will live on in a sort of "undead" state. (Example: https://sh.itjust.works/c/bertstrips@feddit.de (feddit.de shut down about a year ago))

To address this, I would recommend the following actions:

• Set each community to "only moderators can post"
• Include a link to wherever community decides to move to in a pinned thread and the sidebar of each community.
• Prepend the string "[Retired]" or "[Closed]" to the start of the display name of each community. This way, for interfaces where the name may be truncated due to length, it will still be obvious that the community is closed. Additionally, community names starting with “[” will appear in a separate section of an alphabetized list, setting them apart from the rest of the communities.

These steps will inform anyone who comes across the communities after the server closes on what the situation is and prevent them from inadvertently posting to a "dead community".

By request:

https://lemm.ee/comment/21066448

https://sh.itjust.works/post/39836009/19100725

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/39848586

Quebec’s government announced an award of $10 million Canadian dollars ($7.3 million) to Canadian rocket startup Reaction Dynamics and software developer Maya HTT.

The funding will enable Reaction Dynamic to continue working with Canadian software and engineering services firm Maya HTT to qualify the hybrid propulsion system and establish a testing facility.

Reaction Dynamics, founded in 2017, is developing the Aurora rocket to send satellites with a mass of 200 kilograms or less to low-Earth orbit. The first suborbital launch is expected in late 2025, followed by orbital flights in 2027 or 2028.

Quebec made this investment with commercial, civil and defense applications in mind. Legault alluded to the geopolitical instability that is prompting nations to seek sovereign space systems.

Canada can into space?

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/39836237

Recent Veritasium video on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

Original static webpage version: https://what-if.xkcd.com/111/

Video description excerpt:

I saw this great video of a rocket engine exploding during a test and discovered this was part of detailed scientific paper which looked at how the defects that destroyed the engine were the result of quality control during the additive manufacturing process. Rather than just repost the video as a short, here's some more detail on the problems in the manufacturing, and the consequences on the test stand.