I'm sure I did see Osmium plated connectors once in the 80s but that may be memory playing tricks with me.
Back in the 90s there was a change in the plating of some RF connectors for low frequency (Coupla GHz levels). Silver plate was causing corrosion problems in the field and the iron content in some nickel plate was causing IMD issues. The suppliers came up with a new formulation with usual trade names but I think were related to the class of Cu-Sn-Zn plating that is often called white bronze and comes with some great names like 'Optalloy'. It was shiny, hard enough for our needs, corrosion resistant and gave the IMD performance we needed. Never seems to have done the crossover into audio. I guess because actual performance doesn't really matter
I do recall that period, actually an outgrowth from the 1980's when Detroit was trying to substitute as much iron as feasible in Cu-Ni-Cr plating of car bumpers, back when nickel prices went thru the roof & scrap iron was cheap. Problem was / is, iron and nickel electrochemistry are sufficiently different that there is a very small plateau at the apex of most any n-dimensional operating variable process such that yields go down the tubes without tight (think expensive) automatic control. Not to mention corrosion resistance went down significantly. Made some really cheap cars back then...
I was working with several firms developing high-phosphorous nickel alloys (>16%) as undercoats for pc board fingers and such, minimizes amount of gold required for corrosion resistance, just enough to lower contact resistance. Also developed nickel-tungsten alloys along with nickel- manganese, etc. for high end applications.
I like the peaty ones - agree it is a bit of an acquired taste though. My other half tells me I smell like I’ve been gargling with TCP when I’ve had one of those.
Dalwhinnie also very smooth as is a Balvenie.
The Dalwhinnie distillery was the only one where my other half liked the smell, that and balvenie are aslo tasty
Same thing as Apollo used, use core memory. Put your ROM into core rope. Maybe you could get an original by sneaking into a museum...
I've never heard an audio system using Rhodium, so I honestly can't say.
Again I don't know, but with this I wouldn't take a chance.
Since you're going up there, maybe you could grab an asteroid and bring it back. It would be nice to have a lot more rhodium and such metals on Earth at, say, copper prices.
Some people don't like the idea as lower-cost rare earth elements would disrupt the catalytic converter theft industry.
Good stuff
Was just over there in September for a few weeks.. brought back a few bottles of smooth single malt... and made some new friends
Was just over there in September for a few weeks.. brought back a few bottles of smooth single malt... and made some new friends
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Dalwhinnie is one of the nicest-looking highland distilleries, situated in the Cairngorms national park. I only saw it from the train from Perth to Inverness but it was quite striking.
For peaty whisky I favour Talisker, from Skye, but the price has got silly. I like the less peaty Highland malts like Old Pulteney, though that one is for nostalgic reasons. Tomatin is very nice, though they are one of those distilleries that insist on making multiple "expressions", various ages and various casks (new oak, ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, etc etc).
For peaty whisky I favour Talisker, from Skye, but the price has got silly. I like the less peaty Highland malts like Old Pulteney, though that one is for nostalgic reasons. Tomatin is very nice, though they are one of those distilleries that insist on making multiple "expressions", various ages and various casks (new oak, ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, etc etc).
Auchentoshan is an unpeated malt with a delicate and sweet flavout.
Highland Park is given its distinctive aromatic flavour by the densely compacted heathery peat of Orkney.
Laphroaig is a strongly peated Isla whisky which has the medicinal flavour of iodine and seaweed which, to me, is an acquired taste.
Of course, the different types of casks, butts or barrels in which the spirit matures greatly defines the final flavour of all three of these whiskies.
When I was in a pub on Orkney, in the row of bottles mounted head down, ready for consumption,
the first two - horribile dictu - were Jack Daniels!
< 20150628_200456 | Grillteller Orkney Art. Nix fur Veggies. L… | Flickr >
I noticed that only after I had taken the food porn photo.
Gerhard
the first two - horribile dictu - were Jack Daniels!
< 20150628_200456 | Grillteller Orkney Art. Nix fur Veggies. L… | Flickr >
I noticed that only after I had taken the food porn photo.
Gerhard
Since October, more than one ton of 83% pure cocaine was discovered on many beaches of the south west coast of France. In their original packages. Despite the cold and rainy weather, hundreds of walkers and cops showed a sudden passion for mussel fishing. Do-you think the market will be disrupted as well ?
That's for the ladies*. Although I would never have said that if Lemmy were still alive
.*Yes I have dated women who drank jack and coke.
My first summer job as a student was at the Cutty Sark bottling plant near Glasgow.
My job involved loading boxes of Cutty Sark blended whisky, destined for the American market, into container lorries. That, and sweeping up!
I was told never to enter the bottling plant proper as it was the domain of spirited female employees who, I was warned, would value the distraction of a young innocent such as I!
The highlight of the day was the break around 4pm when the men would assemble for their gratis glass of whisky. This was extracted straight from the barrel and well exceeded 100 proof! It certainly made the subsequent run up to clocking off time much more bearable!
My job involved loading boxes of Cutty Sark blended whisky, destined for the American market, into container lorries. That, and sweeping up!
I was told never to enter the bottling plant proper as it was the domain of spirited female employees who, I was warned, would value the distraction of a young innocent such as I!
The highlight of the day was the break around 4pm when the men would assemble for their gratis glass of whisky. This was extracted straight from the barrel and well exceeded 100 proof! It certainly made the subsequent run up to clocking off time much more bearable!
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I remember that > 10 years ago, there was a blind test in the German
subnet of the usenet. They managed to get large amounts of neutral small
bottles, numbered them, filled them with exquisite and not so exquisite booze,
distributed the collection to the participants and collected the verdicts.
That was fun reading. The wording was not unlike high end audio.
I don't remember the exact outcome, but a blend of the mass discounter ALDI
@ €9,99 per bottle got high into the rankings. Not top notch, but quite respectable.
Designed to deliver the RPM and not to hurt anybody.
Oh, and some connoisseurs, how they were off!
Gerhard
There is no problem I can't fix
'cause I can do it in the mix.
and away goes the trouble down the drain! wschhhhh
subnet of the usenet. They managed to get large amounts of neutral small
bottles, numbered them, filled them with exquisite and not so exquisite booze,
distributed the collection to the participants and collected the verdicts.
That was fun reading. The wording was not unlike high end audio.
I don't remember the exact outcome, but a blend of the mass discounter ALDI
@ €9,99 per bottle got high into the rankings. Not top notch, but quite respectable.
Designed to deliver the RPM and not to hurt anybody.
Oh, and some connoisseurs, how they were off!
Gerhard
There is no problem I can't fix
'cause I can do it in the mix.
and away goes the trouble down the drain! wschhhhh
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