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Velvet Rollrim, Tapinella atrotomentosa

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I came across this striking mushroom in the forest and identified it as the Velvet Rollrim, Tapinella atrotomentosa . It has a broad brown cap with a distinctive rolled in margin. Underneath are yellowish to cream colored gills rather than pores. The stem is particularly characteristic, being dark brown, often offset to one side, and covered with a dense velvety texture. The mushroom has a surprisingly solid and heavy body for its size. When cut or damaged, it does not produce any milky latex, which is another useful feature when identifying it. Tapinella atrotomentosa is a wood decaying fungus that typically grows on conifer stumps, dead roots, and decaying wood. It is widespread across Europe and other parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Although it has historically been collected as food in some regions, it is not considered suitable for eating today. Reports of gastrointestinal poisoning exist, so it is best treated as inedible. An interesting detail is that despite having gills, Ta...
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How to Remove a Hole in FreeCAD

 If you have an existing solid with a hole that you want to remove, you can use FreeCAD's Defeaturing tool. This is especially useful when working with imported models where you don't have the original feature history. The process is straightforward. Select the cylindrical face of the hole and let FreeCAD remove the feature and close the opening. Switch to the Part workbench. Select the cylindrical face of the hole — not the circular edge. Go to Part → Defeaturing . Apply the operation. FreeCAD will remove the hole and close the resulting opening.
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Alone Season 6 Winner Seems Most Deserving So Far

For the first time in the series, I was genuinely impressed by and happy with the winner. If you judge contestants by overall wilderness competence rather than simply who endured the longest, Jordan Jonas has a very strong case for being the most deserving winner so far. What stands out in Season 6: Food acquisition: He didn't merely scrape by. He secured substantial calories, including large game. Broad skill set: Hunting, fishing, trapping, shelter, fire, tool use, navigation, and more. Adaptability: He wasn't dependent on one particular food source or technique. Psychology: He seemed unusually comfortable with isolation and hardship. Risk and reward judgment: He took calculated risks rather than just sitting in a shelter trying to outlast everyone. Condition at the end: The contrast with contestants who were progressively starving was pretty striking. And importantly, his success wasn't just the result of getting lucky with one big kill. His prior experience living...
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How to Cut a Section Out of a Solid in FreeCAD

If you want to remove a rectangular section from an existing solid in FreeCAD, you can use a Part Box as the cutting object and perform a Boolean Cut. This works similarly to using a cube to make a hole, except the removed section can extend through the entire object. Steps Create a Part Box Switch to the Part workbench. Create a Box . Position and size it where you want the material removed. Make the Box intersect the solid The Box must physically overlap the original solid. It can extend beyond the solid if you want to cut all the way through. Select the objects in the correct order Select the original solid first . Hold Ctrl and select the Box second . Perform the Boolean Cut Go to Part → Boolean → Cut . The result is: Original solid − Box = Cut solid The Box acts as the cutting tool and is removed from the result. Important The selection order matters: Solid first → Box second → Boolean Cut This is different from Boolean Union , where selection order does not matter. This method...
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How to Cut a FreeCAD Object in Half and Make It Longer

If you need to make an existing FreeCAD solid longer without rebuilding it from scratch, you can cut it into two pieces, move one half to create a gap, fill the gap with a new solid, and then join everything back together. Part Design → Create Datum Plane Position the Datum Plane where you want to cut. Switch to the Part workbench. Select the solid first. Hold Ctrl . Select the Datum Plane second . The selection order matters. Part → Split → Slice apart You should now have two separate solid pieces. Move one half Change its Placement → Position by the desired distance. Fill the gap Create a new solid with the same cross-section and the required length. Join everything Select both halves and the new connecting solid. Use Part → Boolean → Union . Key point Solid first → Datum Plane second → Slice apart. The Datum Plane is the cutting tool; it is not the object being sliced.
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Measuring Inflation Through Bank Deposits

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Inflation is commonly discussed in terms of rising consumer prices, but this approach can obscure the underlying driver: the expansion of money in the economy . Prices reflect inflation, but they are not a precise measure of it. I take a different approach—measuring inflation directly through the growth of money in circulation, specifically commercial bank deposits . Why Bank Deposits I use the Federal Reserve’s Deposits, All Commercial Banks (DPSACBW) series as the core measure. This series tracks the total deposits at U.S. commercial banks, including checking, savings, and time deposits. It represents money that has actually reached households and businesses—money that can be spent, lent, or invested. Unlike price indexes, DPSACBW reflects monetary expansion itself , rather than adjustments for substitution, quality, or other statistical treatments. It aligns with the monetarist definition of inflation: the growth of money supply driving economic activity and prices. https://fred...
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A trading strategy for long timeframe investors

In the realm of short-term trading, algorithms and bots dominate, rendering traditional reasoning less effective. However, the landscape of long-term investing remains grounded in fundamentals, demanding a comprehensive understanding of various aspects. Here are some key strategies that you can use in combination to have some predictive capability. Classical Technical Analysis: Utilize chart patterns, support and resistance levels, trendlines, and technical indicators to make trading decisions. Cycles Analysis (Bressert): Incorporate Bressert's cycles analysis to identify recurring patterns and trends in the market, considering time as a crucial factor. Sentiment Analysis: Analyze market sentiment through various indicators, news, and social media to gauge the overall mood of traders and investors. Fibonacci Analysis: Apply Fibonacci retracement and extension levels to identify potential reversal points and price targets in the market. Inter-market Analysis: Study the relationships...
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