pbmonster's recent activity
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Comment on Pebble/Core Devices (hardware and software open source update) in ~tech
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Comment on Why humanity needs a Lunar seed vault in ~space
pbmonster Link ParentJust imagine it. Somewhere, underground, a perfectly functional heavy lift rocket sits ready - meretriciously mothballed, but ready to go now or in 100 years. On top of it sits a lunar lander,...Just imagine it. Somewhere, underground, a perfectly functional heavy lift rocket sits ready - meretriciously mothballed, but ready to go now or in 100 years. On top of it sits a lunar lander, capable of reaching the moon, landing precisely on top of an underground base, accessing the deep vaults, loading up with a few hundred lbs of seed material, and returning to earth.
At the same time, on the surface, NASA burns through literally 100 billion dollars to build a rocket that physically cannot reach the moon, with a lander that doesn't have a working heat shield and that's so tall it needs a lift for people to exit on the moon - that is, if thoughts and prayers are enough to hold it upright after touchdown.
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Comment on Around the world in 80 days ... sustainably in ~talk
pbmonster Link ParentI'm contesting the "easily". Crossing Eurasia and/or America on a muscle powered vehicle at an average speed of 14 mph is going to be difficult. The cheapest way would be a tandem bike pulling a...I'm contesting the "easily". Crossing Eurasia and/or America on a muscle powered vehicle at an average speed of 14 mph is going to be difficult. The cheapest way would be a tandem bike pulling a trailer for at least one sleeper, and then rotating people to pedal, possibly hiring new pedal-ers frequently. But 14 mph long distance with a large bike trailer excludes large portions of the population, you'd basically need to pre-arrange fresh cycling athletes (and food, water and shelter for them) all along the route - without emissions. And both America and Eurasia have some very remote areas you'd need to cross. Also, the pace is fast enough that even world class athletes won't be able to follow you on their race bikes for long. Doable at large effort and expense for North America and Europe, but logistically close to impossible for large parts of Asia - just because of road conditions.
I think we can exclude draft animals, 14 mph would be a permanent fast canter for a horse. This means switching horses hundreds of times along the route, and horses are more difficult to hire and transport than humans.
With the racing catamaran, you'd at least have to do the hiring/renting only once, and logistics like bringing food and water are trivial.
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Comment on Around the world in 80 days ... sustainably in ~talk
pbmonster Link ParentAh no, I was just pointing out that we'll spend millions anyway, so my vote is doing something new!Ah no, I was just pointing out that we'll spend millions anyway, so my vote is doing something new!
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Comment on Around the world in 80 days ... sustainably in ~talk
pbmonster (edited )Link ParentIf you start doing any kind of driving, let alone cycling or riding horses/elphants/dog-sleds, it gets difficult. The numbers go up to 25-40 mph the moment you're stopping to sleep/rest. If you're...25,000-ish miles around the world, 80 days ... that works out to an average of only 13-14 mph ... so it's not as difficult as it might sound.
If you start doing any kind of driving, let alone cycling or riding horses/elphants/dog-sleds, it gets difficult. The numbers go up to 25-40 mph the moment you're stopping to sleep/rest. If you're going for the "everyman" perspective, you also don't gain time during sailing the oceans between the continents. Doing an Atlantic/Pacific crossing in an "everyman" sail boat will certainly drop you below 14 mph, too. Hull speed of a 40' yacht is only 9 mph, so you'd need a fast catamaran or a hydrofoil monster (or a >80' mega-yacht).
So we'd have to get more creative. I like the original air ship idea, so I vote solar powered helium/hydrogen Zeppelin. That thing should make good time, so you probably can cycle across Europe or sail across the Atlantic at a more leisurely pace.
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Comment on Jenny Chase 2025 “opinions about solar” thread in ~enviro
pbmonster Link ParentWe got 5 kW of panels in 1999, when the very first feed in subsidies where available. Last year, another round of subsides was available for new panels plus a battery, so we upgraded the system....Does anyone know what happens at the end of life for solar panels? Do they break?
We got 5 kW of panels in 1999, when the very first feed in subsidies where available. Last year, another round of subsides was available for new panels plus a battery, so we upgraded the system.
The new panels went onto the south facing roof, but because the 25 year old system there was still delivering power (a bit less then 4 kW peak), we moved those panels onto the east/west part of the roof (where they probably make a bit more than 1kW peak, spread out longer across the day - but I don't know, the old inverters don't tie into the fancy battery management software, so the power gets used up in the house without getting measured anywhere).
I expect 20%+ degradation on a solar park would quickly justify re-panneling the racks financially.
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Comment on Upgrade desktop to win11 when hardware isn’t supported? in ~tech
pbmonster Link ParentNot terribly unlikely. You need a CPU with TMP 2.0 support. I have a first generation AMD Ryzen I bought in 2019 and a Intel Kabby Lake CPU from 2018. Both are not supported, and yet are perfectly...It's very unlikely you need any new hardware.
Not terribly unlikely. You need a CPU with TMP 2.0 support. I have a first generation AMD Ryzen I bought in 2019 and a Intel Kabby Lake CPU from 2018.
Both are not supported, and yet are perfectly fine machines. The former one sits next to a 2 year old GPU and runs all modern games on high settings, the latter one is inside a Thinkpad X1 Carbon which is an outstanding work laptop after all those years.
Wouldn't surprise me if both machines see the end of Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC in 2032.
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Comment on I tried to protect my kids from the internet. Here’s what happened. in ~tech
pbmonster Link ParentI tend to agree. But then I'd like to have a ban on private corporations demanding you send them your face and ID electronically. Because this is worse. The only good thing about it is that today,...I tend to agree. But then I'd like to have a ban on private corporations demanding you send them your face and ID electronically. Because this is worse. The only good thing about it is that today, the entire process introduces so much friction and costs that it's not very common yet (only banks and mobile phone providers have asked me to do that until now).
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Comment on I tried to protect my kids from the internet. Here’s what happened. in ~tech
pbmonster (edited )Link ParentI understand the sentiment, but all alternatives are worse. The Swiss are voting about introducing e-ID now, and the proposed law is... decent. Completely voluntary, the system includes zero...I wouldn’t trust any government to run this ever.
I understand the sentiment, but all alternatives are worse.
The Swiss are voting about introducing e-ID now, and the proposed law is... decent. Completely voluntary, the system includes zero knowledge proofs of things like age (where only the binary information "is above or below age x" is transmitted, cryptographically signed and anonymized so even the same provider can't trace back multiple age verification calls to the same e-ID to build a profile).
You might not trust a government to do something like that, but you cannot possible trust a private corporation o take over that responsibility either. And you don't want to send photos/videos of your ID and face to private corporations, ever.
You can debate whether anyone would want e-ID in the first place, and whether the existence of a well-designed and voluntary e-ID system would be a slippery slope towards mandatory e-ID everywhere in 5 years... but if you want age verification to protect kids on the internet, you really can't do it any other way.
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Comment on iPhone 17, 17 Pro and Air announced in ~tech
pbmonster Link ParentStill firmly team 'mini phone'. And I'm not talking 3.5" Chinese nano phone, 5" bezel-less was always the perfect size. Now 6" is the new "compact". I hate it - love everything else about my Pixel...Still firmly team 'mini phone'. And I'm not talking 3.5" Chinese nano phone, 5" bezel-less was always the perfect size. Now 6" is the new "compact". I hate it - love everything else about my Pixel 8, but the screen is to large to comfortably one-hand everything.
having the extra screen real estate makes everything significantly easier
This is true, of course. But going from 5" to 6.5" or 7" doesn't actually give you all that much real estate. Not enough to meaningfully run apps side-by-side. Not enough to use the often-superior desktop version of a site. Not enough to give you a quick way to switch between open tabs. In the end, "real" research (restaurants, hiking trails, ect.) needs 14" - and a keyboard.
pulling up legal or event ticket pdfs, reading an eBook when I'm on a bus, and so on.
Never had a problem with that on my 5" phone. And I did the majority of my reading on public transit on that screen. But I have 20/20 vision and a steady hand...
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Comment on $30K Ford EV truck due in 2027 with much-simpler production process in ~transport
pbmonster Link ParentThere will probably be and Id.Golf in around 4-5 years, based on VW's Scalable Systems Platform (the future successor to the MEB-platform). But knowing VW, that car will not have many parts in...One I’d like to see make a comeback is the EV version of VW’s Golf.
There will probably be and Id.Golf in around 4-5 years, based on VW's Scalable Systems Platform (the future successor to the MEB-platform). But knowing VW, that car will not have many parts in common with old or current ICE Golfs, they're just going to reuse the legacy name. That's what all the German brands are now moving towards with their EVs.
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Comment on $30K Ford EV truck due in 2027 with much-simpler production process in ~transport
pbmonster Link ParentAh, I see what you mean. I also just realize that they don't sell the VW Id.3 in the US. Apparently almost everybody just decided that this market is not attractive for small hatchback EVs. So the...Ah, I see what you mean. I also just realize that they don't sell the VW Id.3 in the US. Apparently almost everybody just decided that this market is not attractive for small hatchback EVs.
So the Kia Niro and the Chevy Bolt are holding the fort. There's also the Nissan Leaf and a Mini Cooper, but I wouldn't consider buying those...
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Comment on $30K Ford EV truck due in 2027 with much-simpler production process in ~transport
pbmonster Link ParentInteresting. That should make the market for Kia, Hyundai and VW even more attractive - if Americans had any demand for hatchbacks or sedans. For what it's worth, I think the EV6, IONIQ and Id.x...We don’t get Renault, Citroen, or Peugeot in the US
Interesting. That should make the market for Kia, Hyundai and VW even more attractive - if Americans had any demand for hatchbacks or sedans.
For what it's worth, I think the EV6, IONIQ and Id.x are all perfectly good small-ish EVs.
Nor do we get Skoda, Seat, or Cupra
Pitty. In the end, those are all EVs built on VW's MEB platform, but significantly cheaper than the respective Id.x VW sells under its own brand.
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Comment on $30K Ford EV truck due in 2027 with much-simpler production process in ~transport
pbmonster Link ParentIs this a US thing? Don't you get the cheaper Korean/French sedans and hatchbacks? Kia, Hyundai, Renault, Citroen and Peugeot all built relatively cheap EVs. Small and midsize hatchbacks, sedans,...Ioniq 6 and the Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes ones
I guess the family and compact economy sedans are just going to die.
Is this a US thing? Don't you get the cheaper Korean/French sedans and hatchbacks? Kia, Hyundai, Renault, Citroen and Peugeot all built relatively cheap EVs. Small and midsize hatchbacks, sedans, they all have offers in those segments.
Then there's the VW group, they have plenty below $100k - even inhouse, the ID.7 is cheaper than that (still expensive for what you get). Skoda, Seat and Cupra are part of the VW group and serve significantly lower prices than Audi/Porsche. They all have small EVs.
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Comment on What's an atypical thing you do that you'd recommend to others? in ~talk
pbmonster (edited )Link ParentNot even close. But this might be characteristic for a specific type of person and a specific type of work. I type, a lot. All day. If I'm sitting down at a computer, all 10 fingers instinctively...For me a really good trackpad negates the need for a mouse or nub.
Not even close. But this might be characteristic for a specific type of person and a specific type of work.
I type, a lot. All day. If I'm sitting down at a computer, all 10 fingers instinctively park in their resting positions on the keyboard, both index fingers searching for the little nubs on the F and J keys. When I'm forced to work with a touchpad or a Real Mouse^TM, I have to expend effort to return my right hand to JKL; after. And because I primarily use the mouse to quickly reposition the text courser or choosing the next email/file, repositioning my hand ads significant friction.
Compare that to using the ClitMouse: You type, you give the clit a flick with the right index, click with the left thumb, leave the mouse pointer where it is and go back to typing. No wrist movement, no searching for the J key.
It is, of course, absolutely essential that you have practice/muscle memory with the clit mouse. If each course placement takes 5 seconds because you've overshot your target and need to move back the other way - using your eyes as a closed-loop feedback system - working with the hardware becomes pure pain. But you get use to it quickly. I think I can get to any word on the screen with two flicks and a keyboard shortcut (e.g. cursor target beginning/end of word).
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Comment on Google’s Taara is launching a new chip to deliver high-speed Internet with light in ~tech
pbmonster Link ParentIt won't have LOS between the phone and the cell tower, no. But you can connect cell towers that way. Which is very important, because once you serve a few 7G connections, you'll need a fat pipe...It won't have LOS between the phone and the cell tower, no. But you can connect cell towers that way. Which is very important, because once you serve a few 7G connections, you'll need a fat pipe to the rest of the internet. This means fiber to every single microcell - or something like a Light Bridge.
I can see it for microcells on rooftops in the city, or for larger cells out in the country.
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Comment on Apple debuts iPhone 16e in ~tech
pbmonster Link ParentNo, you can't, unfortunately. This is exactly what I call "Chinese C-Tier phone with a slow processor, bad camera and questionable integrity of the Android install". Seriously, it has an outdated...No, you can't, unfortunately. This is exactly what I call "Chinese C-Tier phone with a slow processor, bad camera and questionable integrity of the Android install".
Seriously, it has an outdated Mediatek CPU with 4GB RAM and a 13MP camera module of unknown origin capping out at 30fps video.
I'd be extremely surprised if that thing runs stock Android 11. I bet they heavily customized it, all Chinese OEMs do.
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Comment on Apple debuts iPhone 16e in ~tech
pbmonster Link ParentI recently had to begrudgingly upgrade my phone after waiting for years for a modern, compact phone, and it looks bleak. If you want a compact (sub 5" screen) phone, you only have crap choices: a...I am concerned about phone sizes though. I'm going to hold on to my iPhone 13 Mini for as long as I can but I don't know if there will even be a comparable Android model with a reasonable size in a few years.
I recently had to begrudgingly upgrade my phone after waiting for years for a modern, compact phone, and it looks bleak. If you want a compact (sub 5" screen) phone, you only have crap choices:
- a flip phone with a good front screen (e.g. Samsung Flip 6)
- a Chinese C-Tier phone with a slow processor, bad camera and questionable integrity of the Android install (e.g. Unihertz)
- a legacy phone with no or very short software support (Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact with a custom ROM or iPhone SE3)
- accept that 6" is now the new compact.
I have big hands, so I chose the last option. I still can one-hand that screen, but it's not comfortable. I miss my 5" phone every day.
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Comment on Firebrick thermal energy storage could reach 170 GW in the US by 2050 in ~enviro
pbmonster Link ParentUnfortunately, much of the energy in a furnace is not used for heating the metal, but for melting it. The enthalpy of melting is significantly higher than the heat capacity. But sure, there's...a process that depends on drawing in material externally, heating it up, and then moving it somewhere else, using the stored heat in a preheat step would substantially reduce the peak energy demand
Unfortunately, much of the energy in a furnace is not used for heating the metal, but for melting it. The enthalpy of melting is significantly higher than the heat capacity. But sure, there's double digit percentage points of efficiency gains just in preheating the furnace and the charge.
round trip efficiency is 60-70% which is pretty good for electric -> heat -> electric
There is no way they're significantly past 50% for the heat-electricity step alone. They would make billions selling a 70% carrot efficiency process to classic thermal power plants.
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Comment on Firebrick thermal energy storage could reach 170 GW in the US by 2050 in ~enviro
pbmonster Link ParentNo, this is all about industrial process heat. I'm surprised, too. I guess I can see the potential in low temperature processes like food processing, and even mid temperature processes like...No, this is all about industrial process heat. I'm surprised, too.
I guess I can see the potential in low temperature processes like food processing, and even mid temperature processes like chemicals production. But we use a whole lot of steel and concrete, and those run hot...
I think most have pretty low trust in Eric. They see themselves as the lifeboat of the community if/when Core Devices gets sold/goes bankrupt.
Keeping this lifeboat afloat has now become a whole lot easier than last time, since all the work is now properly open source and the mobile app already comes with the option to switch to a backup repository for getting apps and watch faces. So users wouldn't even have to patch/side-load once Core disappears.
If I understand them correctly, this wasn't so clear last week. The companion app wasn't open source yet, and if Core would have switched it over to their own, proprietary app repository, a whole lot of effort would have been necessary to save the watch apps/watch faces if Core would have switched of their servers.