ivy is a stranger in a strange land

[rydra_wong]

Everyone was nice to me, but I found it hard to participate in some of the conversations because everyone else there was fluent in Gearhead and I just don't care. It was all

One dude: "How do you like that model BLQ45Z?"
Other dude: "It's got pretty good flang, but the chimping bleederweep doesn't zerbert as well as I like in the corners."
First dude: "I heard that floppykush helps with the zerberting, tried that?"
Third dude: "My next squelch is gonna be a floppykush! Used to have a panpan bleederweep, but you know what they say about those oilsquirms!"
All dudes: [nod sagely and then argue]

Context is locked; QWP.

Comments

[rydra_wong]

Yes, the technical conversations are universal, it's just the subject matter that differs!

ETA: please note that it is taking heroic self-restraint for me not to go I CAN TELL YOU ALL ABOUT TRAD CLIMBING AND TRICAMS.

Which, I think, also illustrates the whole issue.

[jjhunter]

I'd be interesting in hearing more about trad climbing and tricams!

[rydra_wong]

OKAY SO, not sure how much of this you are already familiar with, but:

"Trad climbing" = rock climbing protected by a rope and assorted small cleverly-designed bits of metal which you have to wiggle and wedge into cracks in the rock yourself. Which obviously provides strong motivation to collect and geek out about the small cleverly-designed bits of metal.

This is distinct from "sport climbing" (rock climbing protected by a rope and bolts which have already been drilled into the rock), "bouldering" (rock climbing protected by being pretty close to the ground and also a big squishy mat -- boulderers get no shiny metal at all so have to compensate by being extra-geeky about the finer details of climbing shoes) or "free soloing" (rock climbing protected by nothing at all; see Alex Honnold).

Tricams = a kind of obscure trad protection gear, small bits of metal shaped kind of like a kidney with a pointy nose, attached to some stiff nylon or dyneema tape. Depending on who you talk to, either arcane, superseded and pointless (as well as a pain in the arse to remove from the rock afterwards) or indispensible (and a pain in the arse to remove from the rock afterwards).

If you're interested in climbing, the curious are always welcome in disobey_gravity!

[jjhunter]

Ooo, awesome!

Also, much amused that everyone can agree that tricams are a pain in the arse to remove from the rock afterwards, regardless of whether they think they're indispensible or superseded + pointless.

*googles for some images*

Those look like the kinds of things I hope explorers of new-to-human worlds bring with them just in case - they look as mysterious and all-purposeful useful as a swiss army knife looked to me the first time I saw one.

[rydra_wong]

Also, much amused that everyone can agree that tricams are a pain in the arse to remove from the rock afterwards

There's a special trick to it ...

*googles for some images*

If you google for images of "cams" (and add "climbing" so you don't get bits of car engines or webcams), you'll see what are technically "spring-loaded camming devices", which were invented by a guy who was literally a rocket scientist.

Cams are awesome! And the invention of cams has made much trad climbing much safer, especially on the gritstone which is where I do most of my trad. I love my cams.

However, tricams do essentially the same thing with no moving parts, which I find so conceptually elegant. And you can fit them into placements where regular cams won't fit. So sometimes a tricam will protect you when nothing else will.

[ixt]

Ooh, I love learning about things I didn't even know existed! Plus, as a mechanical engineering student, I share your love for things that lack moving parts, because of how they tend to be harder to break. And the tricam shape looks so simplistic, I approve of it on principle :)