TheMightyEthan

Thank Christ Almighty.

Yeah, my initial thought was that it was the PSU, but I really didn't want it to be the PSU because this PSU came with the case and is a weird shape and I was worried about finding another one that would fit. Upon closer inspection, however, I realized a panel can be removed and a regular sized PSU will slot in, so now I'm happy because that was probably about the cheapest component to replace.

After further investigation (read: turning it on for a while until the smell got strong, then sniffing around the inside) I think it's the PSU. So I ordered a replacement, since I can't think what else to do other than start replacing parts.

So my HTPC is making a kind of burning smell, and I can't figure out what's causing it. I opened it up and blew out the dust from everywhere I could find (there wasn't much), it functions normally and nothing is visibly wrong. I have no idea what to do.

Yeah, the Samaritan story was awesome.

Well that would have helped if I'd actually clicked on the article...

I'd wondered if that was the same Chris Evans, had to google to make sure it wasn't.

I came in here to post that! Also, there's a beta to sign up for, which confuses me. I hope it's not a portent of multiplayer (time trials are acceptable "multiplayer").

If you run into an impossible one you can fail it intentionally and then run back and solve the previous puzzle again which will generate a new random one for the one you failed.

I think you're right about this one being impossible. Certainly impossible in the amount of time you're given.

That's cheating!

I didn't know there was such a trick. I just knew that pausing reset the puzzles.

It requires activating all 11 lasers, solving the "certain challenge", and beating the game. It does not require solving every single puzzle.

I was just giving you a hard time.

w00t!

I believe the party votes on the major planks of their platform at the party convention? I'm not 100% sure how that works. Presidents when elected typically have their own platform that they campaigned on, so they will have their own agenda that will align with the party platform to varying degrees. That's where the de facto leadership comes in, because especially a newly elected president will have some momentum behind them to get support from the party for at least some of their goals, whereas an unpopular president may have trouble gaining support even from their own party.

They tend to be the de facto party leader when they're newly elected, or when they have good approval ratings, but a sitting president with low ratings can have a lot of trouble trying to "lead" their own party.

Nope, party leadership and candidates are distinct, though obviously the presidential candidate typically has a lot of influence in the party. *Edit - For example, though Obama is POTUS Debbie Schultz is Democratic party chair.

The caucus is for candidate election, not leadership election. Party leadership is elected at the party convention and not based on any kind of pretend popular vote.

Poorly explained? They're explained as well as any of the other puzzle types. *Edit - I think the Tetris area was the second laser I got.

Well, to be fair, it's only really going to seem like a densely packed time if Hillary wins. If she doesn't then it'll just be the two Bushes, which while father and son is pretty close as a one-off it doesn't seem super intense.

I've got my eye closely on that one. A little disappointed that they've said it won't support VR, because it seems perfect for it.

And they did a bang-up job of it.

Our whole presidential nomination and election system is completely fucked. For instance, when you vote in a primary, you're not actually voting for a particular candidate, you're voting to send a delegate who's said they'll vote for that candidate to the convention. However, that delegate is not actually required to vote for that candidate, they can vote for whomever the fuck they want, and there's nothing anyone can do about it. It works the same way in the actual presidential election system too, in the electoral college the delegates can vote for whomever they want regardless of who they said they'd vote for that got them sent there (though it's very very rare that one changes their vote). Another fucked up thing about the nominations (thank god this part doesn't apply to the actual election) is that there are so-called "superdelegates" who get to vote for who the nominee is going to be but aren't actually selected in the primaries, they just get it automatically because they're party leadership or hold other elected positions.