NaraVara's recent activity
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Comment on Help me choose a small electric car in ~transport
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Comment on Help me choose a small electric car in ~transport
NaraVara Link ParentOr be like me and just play enough Gran Turismo that you get used to it. I’m being serious too. I was car free for about 12 years before I got a car again and, when I did drive before I was a...Frankly if driving scares you then you need to go and take a driver training course beyond whatever is mandate for your driver's license.
Or be like me and just play enough Gran Turismo that you get used to it.
I’m being serious too. I was car free for about 12 years before I got a car again and, when I did drive before I was a reckless teenager who drove like an asshole. When I started driving again as an adult I was super-out of practice and living in a big city with narrow roads and complex traffic patterns with lots of bicycle and pedestrian traffic, which all made me very nervous about driving. Playing a driving sim for a while actually did just get me way more comfortable with the idea of driving and, I think, made me an objectively better driver than I ever was before just because it helped me understand gearing and traction and all these other things I didn’t used to think about from a purely driver’s ed level of driving knowledge to get a license.
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Comment on Anyone have a pebble? in ~tech
NaraVara Link ParentMy son picks up an interesting rock and carries it around with him basically any time we leave the house so it’s definitely a thing. Dude just wants to keep a pebble with him at all times.My son picks up an interesting rock and carries it around with him basically any time we leave the house so it’s definitely a thing. Dude just wants to keep a pebble with him at all times.
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Comment on Anyone have a pebble? in ~tech
NaraVara LinkSheepishly puts his rock back in his pocket and walks away.Sheepishly puts his rock back in his pocket and walks away.
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Comment on Help me choose a small electric car in ~transport
NaraVara Link ParentOh I misunderstood, I thought you mean like an EV wheelchair. Right now they just have an e-bike, but the focus of the company is micromobility generally so stuff like wheelchairs and strollers...Oh I misunderstood, I thought you mean like an EV wheelchair. Right now they just have an e-bike, but the focus of the company is micromobility generally so stuff like wheelchairs and strollers are in their remit.
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Comment on Help me choose a small electric car in ~transport
NaraVara Link ParentHold up. Here comes a new challenger. The Chevy Bolt is back. I didn’t realize that was out already. This might actually fit your case perfectly. It’s like a roughly VW Golf sized hatchback and...Hold up. Here comes a new challenger.
The Chevy Bolt is back. I didn’t realize that was out already. This might actually fit your case perfectly. It’s like a roughly VW Golf sized hatchback and it’s under $30k.
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Comment on Help me choose a small electric car in ~transport
NaraVara Link ParentEV batteries have outperformed all expectations. The first generations of them are in the 10 years old range now and they mostly seem to still be in good shape. The battery conditioning measures...EV batteries have outperformed all expectations. The first generations of them are in the 10 years old range now and they mostly seem to still be in good shape. The battery conditioning measures they started introducing have been very effective so I really don’t think it’s worth worrying about. Like you said, other parts will wear out first, and even an ICE car is going to start needing serious work after that amount of time that’ll be well over the $10k-$20k lump sum you’d pay to fully overhaul the battery.
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Comment on Help me choose a small electric car in ~transport
NaraVara (edited )Link ParentThe Ariya is the SUV version. The Leaf is more like a weird hatchbacky thing, similar to the Ioniq5/EV6 but with a slightly smaller footprint. It looks kind of a like an SUV in pictures because...The Ariya is the SUV version. The Leaf is more like a weird hatchbacky thing, similar to the Ioniq5/EV6 but with a slightly smaller footprint. It looks kind of a like an SUV in pictures because EVs are often just kind of like that, with slightly raised floors and long body panels that make them look tall/chunky. But if you park it next to a sedan it’ll take up about the same space.
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Comment on Help me choose a small electric car in ~transport
NaraVara Link ParentYou should get in touch and tell them where to send your royalty check. (ALSO is spin-off company of Rivian’s for developing various micro-mobility vehicles.)(unless I convince them of my "all electric wheelchair vehicle" PR idea)
You should get in touch and tell them where to send your royalty check.
(ALSO is spin-off company of Rivian’s for developing various micro-mobility vehicles.)
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Comment on Help me choose a small electric car in ~transport
NaraVara (edited )LinkCheap electric sedan that isn’t a Tesla basically constrains you to the Hyundai Ioniq 6 or the Nissan Leaf. Of the two the Ioniq is the way to go despite costing almost double the Leaf because the...Cheap electric sedan that isn’t a Tesla basically constrains you to the Hyundai Ioniq 6 or the Nissan Leaf. Of the two the Ioniq is the way to go despite costing almost double the Leaf because the Leaf is reportedly very lame.
If you’re willing to go used you can probably get a used BMW i4 without too many miles on it for about $30-$40k, roughly the same as a new Ioniq 6. A used Polestar 2 would come in even cheaper, maybe $25-$30k.
If you’re willing to scale up to a crossover that opens up a lot more options for you. The Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 are well reviewed, and a used Mustang Mach-E would probably come in at $20-$30k.
Reviews on the i4 have been fantastic BTW. If I didn’t have kids and a dog I’d be getting one certified pre-owned. A lot of people are trying out EVs and returning them with very few miles right now so you can find great deals on ones that are basically new but with the new car depreciation shaved off so it’s a steal.
But alas, I had to follow Colonel Guile’s advice so I’m leaning to a Rivian R2 when my pre-order ticket is called up.
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Comment on Apple announces iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone in ~tech
NaraVara Link ParentOn a 2D plane yeah, but thickness is like 1.5 of my 15 Pro and I already find this think kind of chonky with a case on. If I had the fold I might be tempted to go caseless though.On a 2D plane yeah, but thickness is like 1.5 of my 15 Pro and I already find this think kind of chonky with a case on.
If I had the fold I might be tempted to go caseless though.
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Comment on In search of the hypothetical iPhone Duo buyer in ~tech
NaraVara Link ParentI’m assuming you’re based out of Brazil? If so I think you basically just don’t understand how rich upper-middle class Americans are. $2k for a phone is a little steep but it’s not actually that...I’m assuming you’re based out of Brazil? If so I think you basically just don’t understand how rich upper-middle class Americans are. $2k for a phone is a little steep but it’s not actually that painful amortized over a couple of years.
I’m not even in that class and it wouldn’t have been that gobsmacking for me before having kids.
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Comment on Apple announces iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone in ~tech
NaraVara Link ParentThe top-level niche phone is also not a regular consumer good. You can replace it with anything. If you don’t want a $60k BMW you can buy an Accord. It doesn’t make sense to get mad at the...The top-level niche phone is also not a regular consumer good. You can replace it with anything. If you don’t want a $60k BMW you can buy an Accord. It doesn’t make sense to get mad at the Bavarians for making the BMW, or even for Honda for making an Acura TSX.
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Comment on Apple announces iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone in ~tech
NaraVara Link ParentYear over year getting thinner isn’t noticeable. But those year-over-year improvements add up so after 3 years you have a lot more battery or a thinner phone. Also a few extra millimeters matter...Year over year getting thinner isn’t noticeable. But those year-over-year improvements add up so after 3 years you have a lot more battery or a thinner phone.
Also a few extra millimeters matter if you care about how your clothes fit.
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Comment on Apple announces iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone in ~tech
NaraVara Link ParentThen you don’t want “modern” features. You want a 5 year old phone.Then you don’t want “modern” features. You want a 5 year old phone.
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Comment on IKEA Kallax “Storageborn” in ~games
NaraVara LinkThe voice actor has an English accent!? The game takes place in a fantasy Scandinavia and it’s a Swedish company but instead of getting a Swedish or Norwegian VA they got a British one? I’m so...The voice actor has an English accent!?
The game takes place in a fantasy Scandinavia and it’s a Swedish company but instead of getting a Swedish or Norwegian VA they got a British one?
I’m so confused.
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Comment on Apple announces iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone in ~tech
NaraVara Link ParentMost of those niche form factors people want they usually want sort of cheap. Like I’d like a mini, but mostly the iPhone Minis are quite expensive with old hardware. This is a result of how...Most of those niche form factors people want they usually want sort of cheap. Like I’d like a mini, but mostly the iPhone Minis are quite expensive with old hardware. This is a result of how returns to scale work. It costs a lot of money to get these production lines up. At the volumes they sell more niche product lines they can’t set up a new line so they end up using the tooling for older generation products to give those manufacturing lines longer lifespans as they depreciate.
They CAN afford to blow a lot of money on stuff like this because it’s very high margin, so it can justify getting the tooling up. Then they can reuse that tooling now that they’ve figured it out for future product lines.
For example, this very fancy hinge technology? That’s probably gonna be useful for other devices that need durable hinges with a display in them like, perhaps, a folding set of VR goggles. The iPhone Air helped them figure out how to fit all the iPhone’s brains into a tiny thumb-sized chunk of the phone. That came in handy later for the folding phone. It’ll come in handy again for all sorts of wearables they might be experimenting with.
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Comment on Apple announces iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone in ~tech
NaraVara Link ParentYeah I basically wouldn’t buy an Apple product if there wasn’t at least a licensed service center within a tolerable distance. At least a battery servicing is a non-essential thing though. So you...Yeah I basically wouldn’t buy an Apple product if there wasn’t at least a licensed service center within a tolerable distance.
At least a battery servicing is a non-essential thing though. So you can sort of drop in if you’re ever in a city if you can plan ahead enough to set up an appointment. I’m planning on taking my 15 Pro instead of upgrading this year.
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Comment on Apple announces iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone in ~tech
NaraVara Link ParentIt’s a smaller battery than an equivalently sized unfolded device (iPad Mini), but it’s a slightly larger battery than a folded one (it has I think an hour of extra use time over the 18 Pro).It’s a smaller battery than an equivalently sized unfolded device (iPad Mini), but it’s a slightly larger battery than a folded one (it has I think an hour of extra use time over the 18 Pro).
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Comment on Apple announces iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone in ~tech
NaraVara Link ParentYou realize silicon and RAM costs have skyrocketed due to data center demand right? You can still get featurephones that are much cheaper than the flagship smartphones, but the ones that can still...You realize silicon and RAM costs have skyrocketed due to data center demand right?
You can still get featurephones that are much cheaper than the flagship smartphones, but the ones that can still run Android apps that are any good will still run you about $300-$500.
It varies a lot by dealer network in your area is my understanding. (Which is true of all makes, but I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about Kia and Hyundai specifically as having really shitty dealer experiences.)