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It is physically impossible to exceed the weight limit for a Small Flat Rate Box

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Re: It is physically impossible to exceed the weight limit for a Small Flat Rate Box

#241
Did in person deliveries via plane quite a bit in the 90s. Was working for the worlds largest semiconductor company.

Most staggering example was trying to get a very very small box of engine controller CPUs from Penang Malaysia to an auto plant outside of Philadelphia to get there before 8am shift start. Only way to make it work was hand carry from Penang through Singapore to Anchorage, clear customs and then rented Learjet to Philly.

Penalties for late delivery were massive. In this case had we been a couple hours later would have resulted in cascading loss of production resulting in auto union people needing to work during their summer shutdown and quite large cost.

Semiconductors are different from other parts. They take a long time to manufacture. And, sometimes you think you've made them but they just die for whatever reason. If you want to make a new factory it takes years too. I wonder if the auto companies have learned to keep some semiconductors around just in case. Oh wait. No.

Re: It is physically impossible to exceed the weight limit for a Small Flat Rate Box

#242
post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are those actually free? They recoup the cost when you post it?

Yes, USPS offers a range of free Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express boxes and envelopes. You only pay postage when using them; sometimes flat rate (as in the box being discussed here), and other times by some combination of distance and dimensions/weight. Flat rate is particularly interesting because the single rate applies, as implied, regardless of weight or distance . I sell a product that is 3 lb and fits in…

Cool, thankyou for the insight.

Re: It is physically impossible to exceed the weight limit for a Small Flat Rate Box

#243
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does lead actually absorb through the skin? I always heard the main pathway was getting lead dust on your hands and then eating/inhaling that.

Seconding this question, as unplated lead is very common for handgun-caliber bullets.

Yes, wash your hands after handling gun rounds (especially after firing them). Both the bullets and the primers are usually manufactured with lead. Also, don't use shooting ranges with inadequate ventilation.

Re: It is physically impossible to exceed the weight limit for a Small Flat Rate Box

#244
post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have occasionally thought of writing code to allow this (sort of a 'burst' feature for occasional exceptions) but the 80 char limit is not a real problem in practice. In fact it functions as a classic creative constraint.

> In fact it functions as a classic creative constraint. If I might play devil's advocate a bit—aren't submitters not supposed to be creative in titles? "Unless it's misleading or clickbait", yes, but I don't think there's a correlation between click-bait and length. I feel like a lot of titles get edited because of the character limit.

I don't have a number handy but I'd guess fewer than 10%. That's not so bad, and titles are often better with needless words omitted.

Re: It is physically impossible to exceed the weight limit for a Small Flat Rate Box

#245
post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If somebody pulls strings like that for you, you need to use the aluminum wheels.

Depends on whether Chuck confirmed they wanted to do a thing like that first.

I imagine it was identified as one of several possible solutions, and the team pursued more than one solution in parallel. As a non-mechanical engineer, I personally would have voted for the aluminum.

Re: It is physically impossible to exceed the weight limit for a Small Flat Rate Box

#246
post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depends on whether Chuck confirmed they wanted to do a thing like that first.

Fair enough, but I think I still would have used the Al wheels. They used known defective wheels, wrecked their project, didn't cross the finish line and potentially upset a big supporter. Not the kind of thing I'd do in a startup, at least. Look at me though, judging people's decisions on the internet through a second hand story.

Chuck actually recently published a book, documenting his career within CNC machining. He started a company whose product became the gold standard for CNC software for decades.

https://www.amazon.com/Tech-Cold-Steel-Computer-Aided-Manufa...

Re: It is physically impossible to exceed the weight limit for a Small Flat Rate Box

#248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seconding this question, as unplated lead is very common for handgun-caliber bullets.

Yes, wash your hands after handling gun rounds (especially after firing them). Both the bullets and the primers are usually manufactured with lead. Also, don't use shooting ranges with inadequate ventilation.

Yes, I do wash my hands with lead-off. That's to prevent me from ingesting the lead. My question was about skin absorption, not whether or not the lead actually gets on my hands.

Re: It is physically impossible to exceed the weight limit for a Small Flat Rate Box

#249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fair enough, but I think I still would have used the Al wheels. They used known defective wheels, wrecked their project, didn't cross the finish line and potentially upset a big supporter. Not the kind of thing I'd do in a startup, at least. Look at me though, judging people's decisions on the internet through a second hand story.

Chuck actually recently published a book, documenting his career within CNC machining. He started a company whose product became the gold standard for CNC software for decades. https://www.amazon.com/Tech-Cold-Steel-Computer-Aided-Manufa...

Thanks for posting that. I'm totally grabbing that book.

For anybody else interested I did some search-engining on Chuck Hutchins' name and came up with this neat blurb about him: https://www.machinedesign.com/archive/article/21818368/the-c...

Re: It is physically impossible to exceed the weight limit for a Small Flat Rate Box

#250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This sounds fascinating -- do tell more! Was this for a large cap company CEO?

The existence of these kinds of things makes me both happy and sad. Happy - human technology is capable of these things. Sad - only the hyper-wealthy can afford it. Hopefully in 20 years treatments like these will be accessible to 'commoners'. So much progress has been made in the last 50 years that I wonder what the next 50 hold.

> Hopefully in 20 years treatments like these will be accessible to 'commoners'.

And we will have clean fusion energy while our General AI robots take care of our needs. Maybe just bigger smartphones, who knows?

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