<rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>Hacker News: bregma</title><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=bregma</link><description>Hacker News RSS</description><docs>https://hnrss.org/</docs><generator>hnrss v2.1.1</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:52:35 +0000</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://hnrss.org/user?id=bregma" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"></atom:link><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "If coding has been solved, why does software keep getting worse?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>They made programming so simple any idiot could do it. So they do.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 24 Jul 2026 10:53:40 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49033722</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49033722</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49033722</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "Spider venom kills varroa mites without harming honeybees"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>"Ohh, soo cute! Here little kitty! OMG... RUN!!!"</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2026 10:28:50 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48843642</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48843642</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48843642</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "Spider venom kills varroa mites without harming honeybees"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>The catch is that native North American pollinators are adapted to native North American flowers and have a great deal of difficulty pollinating introduced species that are native to Eurasia. Given the vast majority of commercial crops are not native plant species, the only way to mass pollinate them is to use non-native pollinators.<p>Also, few native North American bee species are eusocial. That's another quality one would need to be able to use them the same way as commercial honeybees are used today.<p>The there is the issue of honey production.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2026 10:26:03 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48843612</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48843612</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48843612</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "Open Source Low Tech"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>You know what they say: ship a village 1000 bicycles and they ride for a day. Teach a village to make bicycles and they ride for the rest of their lives.<p>The counterargument is, of course, "but what's in it for me?"</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 10:14:43 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48730606</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48730606</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48730606</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "More evidence is consistent with possible ancient life on Mars (2025)"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>It's because the more important question of "how can I personally profit from this?" usually takes precedence.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2026 10:37:05 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48717409</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48717409</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48717409</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "Reducing tick density along recreational trails in Ottawa, Canada"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>"Lymne" refers to an infection by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, a bacteria closely related to syphillis. There are plenty of other tick-borne diseases (including localized staph infections at bite sites that can lead to necrotizing fasciitis)<p>Just like with syphillis, there is a cheap and simple cure that is more effective than any known vaccine. If it's caught in time. Prevention is even cheaper.<p>The standard treatment for Lyme also just happens to be the standard treatment for many of the other tick-borne diseases, so you're still better-off taking a course of doxycycline after a tick byte than getting a vaccination against Lyme.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2026 11:22:46 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48706387</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48706387</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48706387</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "Reducing tick density along recreational trails in Ottawa, Canada"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Ottawa summers are hot and very humid but the ticks disappear during that season.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2026 11:11:28 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48706334</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48706334</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48706334</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "Reducing tick density along recreational trails in Ottawa, Canada"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>The black-legged tick season in Ottawa is March through June and again September through November. Summer (deerfly season) is just too hot for them and they go to ground.<p>We do all the best camping in January and February. Why, you might ask, when it's usually colder than -20 C? No ticks. Also no mosquitos, blackflies, or deerflies but mostly no ticks.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2026 11:10:20 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48706329</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48706329</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48706329</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "Reducing tick density along recreational trails in Ottawa, Canada"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>You want the wrinkles to be conspicuous. It lets everyone know you can afford linen.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2026 11:00:25 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48706270</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48706270</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48706270</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "Reducing tick density along recreational trails in Ottawa, Canada"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Perhaps a nice relaxing week at my private Caribbean island will help cure you?</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2026 10:56:31 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48706245</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48706245</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48706245</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "CTOs Agree: Cognitive Debt Is the New Technical Debt"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I'm willing to wager most CTOs would agree with you.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 21 Jun 2026 12:29:45 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48618354</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48618354</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48618354</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "15-minute at-home Lyme disease tick test"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>A site to report tick bytes.<p>Is there a similar site to report mosquito bites? They also carry many debilitation or fatal diseases.<p>I live in prime tick country. During peak season (March through June and again September through November) I can get 3 or 4 tick bites a day. I don't always get them all because they're completely painless while they're embedded (although I react strongly after they've been removed) and I've been diagnosed with and treated for Lyme disease twice after developing all the classic symptoms. I am not alone in my area. If there was a site where you report tick bites here it would need to be pretty robust to handle the load and it would serve no purpose.<p>The local authorities have acknowledged the rampant outbreak of Lyme in the region. You do not need to provide the tick to authorities for identification. All you need to do is go to any pharmacy and tell them you've been bitten by a tick and they'll write you a prescription for Doxycycline on the spot.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 21 Jun 2026 12:29:10 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48618348</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48618348</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48618348</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "Renting a sewing machine from the library"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>It depends.<p>We have a few sewing machines that are finicky. Tension goes off rapidly, binds a lot, lint buildup constantly has to be cleaned, clunks mysteriously sometimes. We also have a Singer manufactured in 1899 that just does what it's supposed to reliably (and you can still get parts for it!). Now mind you, it doesn't do fancy stitches or buttonholing or anything but straight stitching and a basic zigzag and you do have to keep the treadle properly lubricated but it even works during a power failure.<p>Sewing machines, like stand mixers and vacuum cleaners, in the end are power tools as much as radial arm saws, hammer drills, and routers are. It's great to have all the fancy features, but sometimes lowest tech is the best.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 21 Jun 2026 12:02:45 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48618175</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48618175</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48618175</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "Emacs, how it all started for me"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>> I've never understood the fixation with avoiding them in favour of repurposing letter keys, something that is just a holdover from the very anemic terminal keyboard that vi was first developed on.<p>It's a holdover from the days when people used to type without looking at their keyboards or waste time and effort taking their fingers off the home row to find and stab around with some kind of multi-axis valuator device sitting on their desk somewhere.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 18:12:22 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48589237</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48589237</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48589237</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "Taxonomy of the Occlupanida (parasitoids on bread bag tags)"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>They're also used where I am with milk to keep the outer bag closed.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 10:25:56 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48583339</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48583339</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48583339</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "I hate compilers"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>It is my experience that it's the opposite. LLMs are very very precise but wildly inaccurate. They might give you 17 significant digits but be off by 10 orders of magnitude, to use a metaphor.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 10:14:14 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48583250</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48583250</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48583250</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "After AI takes everything"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Get used to it: I think we're going to be pretending to predict the future for many years to come.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 16 Jun 2026 18:40:24 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48559977</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48559977</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48559977</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "New pancreatic cancer drug might open the door to much longer survival times"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>The American political "left" is way to the right of centre compared with everywhere else in the world.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:45:59 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48545397</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48545397</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48545397</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "Firewood Splitting Simulator"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I live in Canada, winter is 6 months and we get a few weeks below -30 and deep snow November through March. It's a different story.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:44:34 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48545378</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48545378</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48545378</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bregma in "Firewood Splitting Simulator"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>My experience is it takes 100 hours to buck, split, haul, and stack the 7 or so cords of wood it takes to heat my house. A cord is 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet. The total time includes time it takes to sharpen the saw, and time it takes for trips to the gas station for gas for the saw and the splitter. Time for replacing the handle on the maul or the oil in the splitter is extra.<p>But that 100 hours is using a hydraulic splitter. Hand-splitting using a maul takes  several hours longer. But it keeps you twice as warm: it heats you once when you split it and once when you burn it.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:41:48 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48545351</link><dc:creator>bregma</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48545351</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48545351</guid></item></channel></rss>