Posts by Zachary Rodriguez32

a clone of Torcida_ZG said:Well, I just gave it a shot. It’s honestly terrible. I don't usually drink tap water, but maybe the filter on my intake valve is failing—it doesn't seem to be purifying properly anymore. Under the light, you can see all these tiny particles floating around, and the taste is just... unpleasant.

I find myself reaching for Jane more often than this water. It really is 🙂

What about the rest of you? And if you don't mind me asking, what city are you all located in?

Those particles might just be tiny air bubbles. You probably shouldn't worry too much about them. Personally, I never drink anything straight from the tap unless I've run it through a filter (like an Atlanta filter)!

Edward Turner27 said:I just can't wrap my head around how citric acid—which is found in almost all fruit—could possibly be one of the most dangerous additives??? And apparently, it causes cancer....

How is that even possible?????

Honestly, those claims are just nonsense... I spent some time searching for data on this online a few years back (you’ve probably seen those lists of harmful substances floating around). While citric acid is indeed E330, the reality is that it DOES NOT CAUSE CANCER!
Allow me to offer a few biological facts:
Our bodies undergo a process known as cellular respiration. It is quite a complex mechanism, and during the complete oxidation of glucose (specifically via pyruvic acid, which results from glycolysis—the breakdown of glucose within cells), we engage in the Krebs cycle. During this cycle, a series of organic acids are produced, one of which is citric acid; consequently, this whole process is often referred to as the citric acid cycle. Therefore, if citric acid were truly CARCINOGENIC, then every single one of us (and all animals, for that matter) should have been dead a long time ago because of it. Furthermore, why would the vast majority of fruit contain such a "carcinogenic" compound? I suppose nature's goal is for an animal to eat the sweet part of the fruit while leaving the seeds behind for reproduction. If that holds true, why would plants store a "carcinogenic" substance just to kill off the very animals they need? Those animals facilitate reproduction and, well, provide fertilizer through their waste... it wouldn't make much sense for such a "defense" involving citric acid to evolve, as it would ultimately harm both the animals and the plants themselves!

If you find this hard to believe... here is a link regarding the subject: http://www.ukfoodguide.net/e330.htm
Take a look at the penultimate paragraph on that site! Citric acid DOES NOT CAUSE CANCER; it is one massive misunderstanding (it seems people mistakenly associated the German scientist named "Krebs" with cancer, leading them to misinterpret the "Krebs cycle" as some sort of cancer cycle)

Chloe Morris12 said:I'm heading to see Metallica—I've been waiting for months, and I am seriously losing my mind!!!

I just hope the weather doesn't turn nasty, that nobody decides to smash a bottle over my head, and that they don't play too many tracks from the new album. Though, if I'm being honest, I really want to hear both versions of The Unforgiven. 🙂

Honestly, everyone, why the intense worry? I think I mentioned before that they only ever play TWO songs from St. Anger at their shows (Frantic and St. Anger). And, while the St. Anger material sounds... well, let's say "challenging" on the actual album—due to that awful production, those tinny drums, and the lack of solos—they actually composed solos specifically for the live performances. So, once again, everything is fine; the production isn't an issue, the drums sound great, and now the songs actually have guitar solos! If anyone is curious about what they played, here is the setlist from a concert in Denmark - 26/05/04:

Blackened
Fuel
The Four Horsemen
Kirk Doodle #1
Fade to Black
Frantic
Holier Than Thou and Disappear st.
St. Anger
Sad But True
Creeping Death
Battery
Wherever I May Roam Melbourne (this is Kirk Hammett's solo, or at least that's how he referred to it)
Nothing Else Matters
Master Of Puppets
One
Enter Sandman
The Wait
Seek and Destroy

So, it is MOSTLY the older material!

EDIT:
As for The Unforgiven I and II, I suppose I'm not entirely sure when they last performed either of those songs.

They generally perform about 18 songs at every show—most of which tend to run longer than five minutes. Usually, the whole set lasts just a bit over two hours.

EDIT:
Oh, and they might throw in maybe two solos—either on the bass or guitar—somewhere between the tracks.

Their concert back on May 15, 2004, actually clocked in at exactly 2:06:24!
http://www.livemetallica.com/show.asp?show=34

Before anyone starts posting such nonsense, I think it might be best to just stay quiet. At all of their recent shows, they stick to the classics—with only two tracks from St. Anger, specifically Anger - Frantic and St. Anger. They seem to play these staples at every single concert: Creeping Death (from the 1984 album), Battery (1986), Master of Puppets (1986), Blackened (1988), One (1988), Enter Sandman (1991), Fuel (1997), plus those two from St. Anger—Anger - Frantic and St. Anger. Those songs are absolute legends, whereas the rest of the setlist varies from show to show, though it remains mostly older material. These guys truly are legends. For those of you who won't be able to make it, here is a helpful tip. If you want a recording of the concert (audio), you can head over to http://www.livemetallica.com; once the show is over, you can purchase it and select your preferred audio format (either mp3 or FLAC)—the quality is perfect!

BTW
I am heading to see Metallica—I bought my ticket the very moment they went on sale, and I will definitely be grabbing a recording of the concert online! 🙂

EDIT:
Oh, right—it looks like there won't be an opening act. The guys are currently touring America, and from what I've heard, they haven't been using openers lately. Which, if you ask me, is just how it should be!! 😁

EDIT 2:
Darn it... I clicked "quote" instead of "edit"!!!!!!

Kierlan said:Yeah... I honestly feel like giving $110 for Metallica, especially since they're mostly just playing stuff from St. Anger and a handful of classics from The Black Album anyway.

$110 That money could probably be used for much better things... 🙄

Before anyone starts posting nonsense like that, maybe they should just stay quiet. At all their recent shows, they play the old hits, plus two tracks from St. Anger—Frantic and St. Anger. Every single concert features: Creeping Death (from the 1984 album), Battery (1986), Master of Puppets (1986), Blackened (1988), One (1988), Enter Sandman (1991), Fuel (1997), along with those two St. Anger songs—Frantic and St. Anger. Those songs are absolute legends, and while the rest of the setlist varies from show to show, it’s almost always older material! These guys are true legends. For those of you who won't be able to make it, here is a tip: if you want a recording of the concert (audio), just head over to http://www.livemetallica.com once the show is over, buy it, and pick your audio format (MP3 or FLAC—Free Lossless Audio Codec); the quality is perfect!

BTW
I am going to see Metallica—I grabbed my ticket the very second they went on sale—and I will definitely be getting the concert recording online! 🙂

Does anyone happen to know of a company in the Chicago area that provides more professional-grade electromagnetic field strength measurements?

I took a quick look at that website—and I noticed they were conducting animal studies using a 60 Hz magnetic field at a strength of 2.3 mT (militesla), which is significantly higher than what the guy actually measured—but I suppose, just to be safe, I should arrange for a more "professional" measurement...

EDIT:
Personally, I feel it might be MUCH more dangerous to live near high-voltage transmission lines, given that many of them exceed 300 kV, and there isn't really any buffer "between" your house and those lines—whereas a substation is at least "shielded" by a wall...
But if it turns out that the Full Point Biodisp doesn't work, and the field is (actually) ten times stronger than the legal limit, then I guess the apartment is a lost cause...

Casey Palmer5 said:I stated quite clearly that... maybe...

When you hold a standard magnet in your hand, you can actually feel a pulsing sensation—not just in your palm, but extending out a few feet from the device itself.

The average operating value sits at about 20mT. I was just reviewing the specifications for one of those units, and most others seem to follow a very similar pattern.

That really is quite high—but I wonder, would 250 nT (nanotesla) be considered a lot, considering that's where I'll be living...

70-100 mT

Did they mean millitesla or nanotesla?? Because if we are talking about 70 to 100 MILLITESLA, then that is far too much—I mean, nano is 1E-9 (ten to the power of negative nine), whereas milli is 1E-3 (ten to the power of negative three)... so there is a MASSIVE difference there, isn't there?

I actually spent a significant portion of my career working with power systems—specifically 6 and 35 kV—and even pulse power radars at 1 MW operating on 3.5 GHz; so, if I may say so, I am quite relieved to have been distanced from that field for the last few years.

Please, do tell me those reasons—I am genuinely curious!

When you eventually run your tests with the Full Point mat, you really ought to measure against a standard wool blanket as well.

No, no... I don't mean measuring how the mats themselves function, but rather testing them alongside "Biodisp"—you know, that stuff you put under your mattress which supposedly uses magnetic strips to deflect EM radiation and such... here is a quote taken directly from the Full Point website!

Biodisp is a product that, for good reason, attracts immense interest. Its primary purpose is to protect against the adverse effects of electromagnetic pollution as well as natural terrestrial radiation (such as water currents or the Hartmann network...). Currently, there are various products on the market claiming to shield against these radiations, but only Biodisp can boast international professional accolades (like Eureka Brussels or Inova Chicago) and tens of thousands of satisfied users throughout Europe. Its uniqueness stems from two fundamental characteristics: being an active form of protection and having a measurable (instrumental) proven effect.

The protective action arises from a permanent magnetic field which, through its energy, repels external influences and provides effective shielding. The Biodisp is designed to be bed-sized so that the entire body remains within its magnetic field, which I suppose is a prerequisite for any successful protection.

In addition to protecting against natural and technical radiation, Biodisp possesses three other vital properties that contribute to healthy and restful sleep:

1. Stabilization of the north-south field
2. Calming the energetic field
3. Stimulating and balancing bodily energy

The Biodisp is constructed so that the head area maintains a north magnetic pole; this way, regardless of the Earth's natural magnetic field, our bodies—when lying on the Biodisp—will always have the head positioned toward the north magnetic pole and the feet toward the south.

Biodisp neutralizes irritating and harmful radiation effects, promotes full-body relaxation, improves mental control, stimulates the body's immune system, and activates cellular metabolism.

For the body to rest, it requires an energetically calm field, which is often not achieved. Distortions and irregularities are introduced into the field by mattress springs, various electronic devices in the bedroom (lamps, digital clocks, TVs, radios...), electromagnetic fields from external sources, natural radiation from water flows, or the Hartmann network... Biodisp calms the field around the bed, allowing for relaxation and thus providing the body with favorable conditions for rest.

The effects of calming the specific bed field are best illustrated by the measurement results shown in the two images below. In the background of the first image, we see an energetically turbulent field recorded on the bed without the Biodisp, while the foreground shows the state of that same bed after placing the Biodisp. The right image displays the average energetic state measured over time for the case without Biodisp (shown in purple) and with the Biodisp installed (shown in blue). The calm energetic field created by the Biodisp is quite obvious.

What I have "bolded" is exactly what I intend to prove... once I have completed my checks, I will let you all know!!

EDIT:

Which specific device did they use to measure the field for you?

I am not entirely certain—perhaps it is listed under "Instruments" on the Full Point website, but you might be able to infer it from this...
We actually called a technician from Full Point to come out and take a reading (this was after a previous measurement showed an intensity of roughly 250 nT). The first guy arrived and insisted the apartment was perfectly fine. To be honest, I found that quite hard to believe—given that this is a massive substation, it just didn't seem right. So, we decided to call a different representative from Full Point. This second individual performed the measurement and concluded that the apartment was definitely *not* okay if the electromagnetic field strength is hovering around 250 nT. He mentioned that according to European Union standards, that level is about ten times higher than what is permitted—he said the limit is somewhere around, I don't know, 20 or 30 nT? When we pointed out to him that someone else had used that exact same device and claimed everything was fine, he seemed genuinely surprised. We explained that it was an older gentleman who had done the initial testing, and then he recalled that he had actually lent that specific instrument to that man two or three weeks ago—and apparently, the older gentleman still isn't quite sure how to operate it properly. It turns out he had been measuring electric field strength (in volts per meter) rather than the actual electromagnetic field strength.
My impression from all this is that it must be a newer device... especially since it isn't even listed on the Full Point website (yet).

boldsailor32 said:They don't actually work—unless they provide a psychological boost to your resilience, provided you believe in them. 😁

A reading of 250 - 300 nT is already quite a strong magnetic field, though I highly doubt a transformer station is the culprit here; it’s still 20 meters away, and I honestly haven't the slightest clue what else could be causing it.
That said, I am skeptical about whether the Full Point staff is being honest—measurements like that can be easily faked using a tiny battery-powered oscillator with a magnetic core tucked inside the meter, or even by tampering with the device itself. It is rather peculiar that the Full Point employees won't even provide a written report upon request 😁.

If you truly want to be certain about these readings, I would suggest following Kate Diaz's advice and finding someone at the College of Engineering who can professionally measure and pinpoint the radiation source, or perhaps you could check this page:

*********************************************
Is there an independent agency in the US that can test this type of radiation?

Yes. This type of radiation, much like many others, can be tested by Underwriters Laboratories based in the metropolitan area. They are an independent testing house that isn't subject to any financial, political, or other outside influences. They hold all the necessary authorizations from NIST and deal exclusively with measurements and quality testing.

You can find more information at info@zik.hr, or by calling +1 555-123-4444

UL

**************************************************
It is likely expensive, but when you are talking about buying a home, it might just be worth it.

V.

Oh, I should mention one more thing—we went (with that guy) to another small transformer station (about the size of two portable toilets joined 🙂 ) and used the device there. The man walked up to the station, leaned the device against it, and the unit just stopped working entirely—he claimed it couldn't read anything above 2000 nT. Then, he pulled the device back about 20 cm from the station, and it showed roughly 1500 nT...

And boldsailor32, thank you so much, you've been incredibly helpful. However, I think I might have figured out why the device in that apartment near that MASSIVE transformer station (and I mean massive—it covers a huge area, I'd guess it's larger than 65 ft x 65 ft) was showing such high numbers... it could be because of that transformer, or perhaps it's because there were four of us present and we all had our cell phones on us...
I do have one idea, though... we might call that guy back, leave all our phones behind, and take the measurement then. I'll also bring a Full Point cover (the one with the magnetic strips) to see if I can test the Full Point "in the field"!

But, what do you think, boldsailor32... should I go ahead with the apartment purchase, given that there is a 32 kV transformer station just 65 feet from the building?

Casey Palmer5 said:By the way, the folks over at Full Point are essentially salespeople—not engineers trained to actually measure these kinds of fields. I had the chance to see that "miracle" device they use to measure "biopotentials," and honestly, it seems completely disconnected from reality. It probably just measures resistance or something similar.

The people at Full Point are primarily traders, and I suppose they’ll tell you to buy just about anything they have in stock. However, the individual didn't actually use that "biopotential" gadget; he used a different device which—in my estimation—measures both electromagnetic and electric field strength, so I don't doubt that part. But I do have serious doubts regarding his claim that the cover would actually protect you—he is a salesman, after all, and he wants to move his inventory... I mean, would an experienced professional tell you it's perfectly fine to buy an apartment if there's a 32 kV substation sitting only 20 meters from the building? I certainly wouldn't think it was okay.

Bottom line—if you’re looking at an apartment near a transformer station, just don't buy it.

If you happen to be interested in the technical or perhaps even the psychological reasons behind my advice, I suppose I am available to discuss them.[

Please, could you share those technical and psychological reasons? It feels quite important to me! Regardless, thank you for such a direct answer!

EDIT:

Full Point uses these free "measurements" of some supposed "biopotential" in shopping malls to trick people into letting them measure the "radiation" in their homes for free—and once they arrive, their primary goal seems to be scaring the residents enough to sell them those "protective" covers.

Do those covers actually do anything, though?

EDIT 2:
I just remembered which units were used when measuring that apartment. What the guy from Full Point was measuring—and I think he did it correctly—were readings fluctuating around 250 (sometimes hitting 300) nT (nanotesla). I did a little digging online and noticed that the average magnetic field strength in the USA is roughly 60-70 nT, while in the United Kingdom it sits around 36-39 nT. Well... I suppose if anyone here has more expertise or experience than I do, perhaps you could tell me if 250 nT is considered acceptable, or if those "covers" from Full Point actually provide any real help!

I have a bit of a dilemma—my parents have been searching for a place to buy for quite some time now, and we finally stumbled upon an apartment that seems perfect. However, we just realized there is a MASSIVE substation located only about 20 meters from the unit (I believe it’s roughly 30 kilovolts). I have heard various claims that people living in close proximity to substations and high-voltage power lines face higher risks of cancer or leukemia. We actually hired someone to come out and measure the electromagnetic field strength in the apartment, and I noticed the reading was around 250—though I am not entirely certain if that was in Tesla or millitesla. That said, the technician mentioned that within the European Union, the recommended limit shouldn't exceed 20, which would mean the field in this apartment is ten times stronger than what is "recommended." He also suggested that these fields don't really impact a person while they are awake, but rather only during sleep, and he is from Full Point. He mentioned that a mattress cover equipped with magnetic strips could potentially deflect the electromagnetic field, implying that since the issue primarily affects us while sleeping, such a cover might solve the problem. I suppose I am feeling a bit uncertain, though, and I won't be able to rest easy until I hear what you all think about this—specifically, whether EM fields affect humans during waking hours, and if a magnetic field actually shields against EM radiation. If anyone has further insights on this matter, you're welcome! 😁

EDIT: Are there any other effective ways to reduce EM radiation exposure?