Hacker News: TeaVMFan

New comment by TeaVMFan in "Book prizes don't work how you think"

TeaVMFan — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 22:57:35 +0000

As an indie author (https://frequal.com/novels), this makes me glad I haven't submitted my novel yet to any of these contests. The chance that a submission fee could be wasted by chance (not a match for the reviewer's interest or mood that day) is just too great. It seems that the larger publishing houses are more willing to shell out on the chance to win this lottery, according to the article.

New comment by TeaVMFan in "I Use HTML with Java"

TeaVMFan — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:47:22 +0000

I make modern single page apps with Java. They run in standard browsers, require no extensions, and perform great.

I Use HTML with Java

TeaVMFan — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:47:22 +0000

Article URL: https://frequal.com/Flavour/book.html

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48914855

Points: 9

# Comments: 2

New comment by TeaVMFan in "How to read more books"

TeaVMFan — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 23:00:30 +0000

Having books on several devices makes reading more convenient. DRM-Free books make that easy, so you can read whether you have your phone, tablet, or PC. For a list of DRM-free authors and publishers: https://frequal.com/Perspectives/DrmFreeAuthors.html

New comment by TeaVMFan in "How to read more books"

TeaVMFan — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 22:58:42 +0000

In several countries, you can find Little Free Libraries, a non-profit with a registry of small libraries like the book boxes in front of homes described in the article: https://littlefreelibrary.org/about/

New comment by TeaVMFan in "1 down, 1 to go: Aptera clears first federal hurdle"

TeaVMFan — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:47:33 +0000

Aptera's solar EV has obtained EPA certification, leaving just the FMVSS certification.

"This is a meaningful milestone for our reservation holders," says Aptera's Co-CEO Steve Fambro.

Get in line here with $30 off the reservation fee: https://frequal.com/aptera/reserve.html

1 down, 1 to go: Aptera clears first federal hurdle

TeaVMFan — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:47:33 +0000

Article URL: https://aptera.us/epa-release/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48839502

Points: 3

# Comments: 1

New comment by TeaVMFan in "Reparaible and open source paper printer"

TeaVMFan — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 22:24:50 +0000

Title Typo? Reparaible to Repairable?

New comment by TeaVMFan in "Return of the Nigerian Prince Redux: Beware Book Club and Book Review Scams (2025)"

TeaVMFan — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 05:46:11 +0000

Thanks for sharing this. New authors have enough challenges without getting scammed. I've written a (free) guide for the writing process here: https://frequal.com/forwriters/

The writing is just the first step, however. Promotion is a whole another set of hurdles. I can easilybsee an eager or despondent author falling victim to a promotion scam.

New comment by TeaVMFan in "The US Used to Demand the Best Tech. Now We Ban It"

TeaVMFan — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:52:34 +0000

Nice shout-out to Aptera in the middle of this article.

Aptera has built a working, production-intent solar EV. Recent tests showed it charging up to 46 miles per day from the sun alone.

Reservation referral link with discount: https://frequal.com/aptera/reserve.html

New comment by TeaVMFan in "Show HN: DRM-Free Books"

TeaVMFan — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 20:32:01 +0000

The bookshop.org filter works nicely. After searching for a keyword, pick "Formats/Ebook/DRM-free". I'll add a link and a note.

New comment by TeaVMFan in "Show HN: DRM-Free Books"

TeaVMFan — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 19:59:47 +0000

I added a link, thanks! Mr. Doctorow seems to include 3 formats in every purchase (PDF, MOBI, and EPUB), which should cover just about any device.

New comment by TeaVMFan in "Show HN: DRM-Free Books"

TeaVMFan — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 17:59:26 +0000

I added it to the list of DRM-free sources at the end, thanks!

Show HN: DRM-Free Books

TeaVMFan — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 16:58:56 +0000

After several years of mandatory DRM lockdowns from most commercial book sources, now authors have a choice when it comes to DRM for their books. Pick authors and books that are DRM-free, or download DRM-free classics that are out of copyright.

https://frequal.com/Perspectives/DrmFreeAuthors.html

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48709186

Points: 118

# Comments: 48

New comment by TeaVMFan in "The case for physical media ownership"

TeaVMFan — Sat, 27 Jun 2026 17:39:33 +0000

Even if you _can_ hold it, you may not own it if the player is internet-connected or even receives a firmware upgrade during maintenance or from a disc. New discs may not play unless you upgrade, and an upgrade can also remove keys, blocking you from watching discs you already have.

https://www.dell.com/community/en/conversations/windows-gene...

https://web.archive.org/web/20070430070403/https://www.aacsl...

New comment by TeaVMFan in "46mi/day: Free power from the sun in an Aptera"

TeaVMFan — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 01:32:53 +0000

Yes, they explained that's like parking facing the other way after driving at lunchtime. They also describe optimal parking strategies for no-move charging.

Forget hypermiling, now we have hypercharging.

New comment by TeaVMFan in "46mi/day: Free power from the sun in an Aptera"

TeaVMFan — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 01:26:52 +0000

Real world test results show up to 46 miles per day on a sunny day. No plugging in, no gas, just park it in the sun and your battery charges.

46mi/day: Free power from the sun in an Aptera

TeaVMFan — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 01:26:52 +0000

Article URL: https://aptera.us/solar-data/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48681325

Points: 4

# Comments: 5

Electrek Drives the Sun-Powered EV from Aptera

TeaVMFan — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 16:35:21 +0000

Article URL: https://electrek.co/2026/06/17/we-finally-got-to-drive-the-aptera-solar-electric-car/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48620297

Points: 4

# Comments: 1

New comment by TeaVMFan in "Pre-2022 Books"

TeaVMFan — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 05:59:34 +0000

Even though I started Means and Motive ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GYCZJVGX ) 5 years ago, and it was written without any AI use, I was worried people might have this concern, given the 2026 publication date.

For a sanity check, I did run the first page through an online AI checker and it confirmed what I already knew: 100% human.