<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: ekr</title><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=ekr</link><description>Hacker News RSS</description><docs>https://hnrss.org/</docs><generator>hnrss v2.1.1</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2026 05:47:32 +0000</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://hnrss.org/user?id=ekr" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"></atom:link><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "Ask HN: Does anyone else notice that gas runs out faster than usual"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>That's very interesting to me. When I was a child, I used to love the smell of gasoline as well. Now I get a repulsion from it.<p>And it's not the only thing like that. Several things that I used to like now I can't stand. Pesto is another example that comes to mind.<p>As for the question in the post, it's probably been suggested before, but did you check tire pressure?</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:53:16 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47600899</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47600899</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47600899</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "How BYD got EV chargers to work almost as fast as gas pumps"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Indeed, I meant 10S. And what I meant by load being distributed along more cells, is that since you have many more cells, current drawn from each is lower. Which greatly prolongs the lifetime.<p>And hence the question I had with charging too fast. Since discharging faster clearly wears them more quickly, surely charging faster has a similar effect, since it's mostly the reversed process? A question probably easily answered with a query to a LLM.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 21 Mar 2026 15:22:48 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47467856</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47467856</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47467856</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "How BYD got EV chargers to work almost as fast as gas pumps"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Although the thought of getting an electric car has passed through my mind on a few occasions, I'm not 100% familiar with the intricate technical details. (for some reason, the tax incentives where I live are still in favor of continuing with the small petrol car I have. Taxes are primarily a function of weight in the Netherlands, and anything besides a lightweight Dacia Spring would imply significantly higher monthly expenditure for me).<p>What I'm wondering w.r.t. this article is: wouldn't such fast charging shorten the battery lifespan?<p>I have experience with ebike batteries. Bosch in particular, with very decent 29E samsung cells, that after 70k km or so, basically halved their capacity. I imagine this effect is severily reduced with a car battery because there are a lot more than 10p, so all the wear is distributed more evenly, and 29E are very old technology.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 21 Mar 2026 13:30:30 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47466856</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47466856</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47466856</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "How far back in time can you understand English?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>That's strange (i.e. different from my experience). I've been living in the Netherlands since 2021, speak some (~ B1) Dutch, but good English and German. Dutch language was from day one comprehensible due to German similarity. Many/most words either sound like the German equivalent to the point where you naturally match them in your thought, or they are written (mostly) like the German equivalent.<p>The connection between Dutch and English languages is far more minimal in comparison. In fact, when I first faced the language, I would have said it was a combination of ~80% German, 10% English, 5% French, +5% Others.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 22 Feb 2026 05:43:41 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47108551</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47108551</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47108551</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "Ask HN: I'm investing $100k in cool people with boring skills. Any leads?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I'd say just stick that $100k in a diversified all-world ETF, because putting it into some random's entrepreneur wannabe is unlikely to pay off (you'll probably not get anything back). Unless you're really wealthy, but then, isn't it better to just donate it to causes you care about?<p>If investment is what you're after, this approach doesn't seem likely to offer a good risk/return tradeoff.<p>I do have some things I'd want to start myself, some in those categories, but I'm more lacking time and energy than money. And a bit stuck by life problems?</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 17 Feb 2026 16:16:31 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47049143</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47049143</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47049143</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "How to carry more than your own bodyweight (2025)"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Not being rich per se, but probably stress. The body has no innate knowledge of how wealthy you are, outside of some information stored in the neocortex about financial details (which has little influence on the overall functioning and regulation of the organism as a whole). But it does keep track of a very important signal, and that is neuroception, or safety, absence of threats. And being wealthy, absence of sources of stress, or ability to avoid them, brings about that state of feeling secure, safe, which affects every cell of the body and leads to a good regulation of the whole organism.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 06 Feb 2026 10:18:25 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46911109</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46911109</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46911109</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "The hidden engineering of runways"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Not when installed properly, i.e. on a level, compacted base. Where I live, in the Netherlands, a great portion of streets, driveways, sidewalks, bikepaths are from klinkers, or bricks. Very rarely do you see any indentations in them (mostly when there was some roadwork and a part of them removed and then reinstalled. The whole reinstalled section sinks a bit, probably because there workers were not careful and did not compact the substrate to the same degree).<p>Some of these klinker roads see heavy traffic and they're perfectly fine. It's also nice to see the automated machines they have for laying them.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 27 Jan 2026 09:26:42 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46777562</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46777562</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46777562</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "Porsche sold more electrified cars in Europe in 2025 than pure gas-powered cars"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Well, fuel here is close to if not the most expensive in EU. That also contains a lot of tax. But I just don't drive that much.<p>And the insurance is cheap because of years of no incidents, and the fact that I'm over 30. But indeed, I wouldn't disagree if the government made electric cars cheaper from a tax perspective. They just reduced the tax discount to 25%, and it will be gone completely in a few years.<p>If they raise taxes significantly for me, I'll just sell the car and find a closer job. 20km one way to Amsterdam with an ebike, that's 2 hours per day. I don't have that much time to give away at this point in life.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 20 Jan 2026 21:08:48 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46697776</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46697776</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46697776</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "Porsche sold more electrified cars in Europe in 2025 than pure gas-powered cars"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Same here. Living in the Netherlands, I drive a 2008 Daihatsu Cuore, bought for 850E over a year ago, I pay 17E /month in mrb (road tax) and 38E/month insurance. It's basically close to the costs of a scooter. And I average under 4L/100km fuel usage, for my 200km/week commute. I did some calculation and no car comes close to these running costs. Definitely no electric cars, even if I were to get them for free, because road tax here is mainly a factor of weight.<p>Even a Dacia Spring with its 900kg is slightly more expensive overall to run (in my circumstances. I could charge at home, but don't have solar panels atm), and a lot more expensive up front to buy (used).<p>It has over 304k km already, and it runs perfectly well with some occasional maintenance and some mechanical sympathy, but I was considering alternatives in case something were to happen. Conclusion? Just buy another one. Suzuki Celerio is the only one in the same ballpark, but it's about 2k EUR more expensive. And I love my Daihatsu.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 20 Jan 2026 10:52:16 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46690439</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46690439</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46690439</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "Ask HN: Iran's 120h internet shutdown, phones back. How to stay resilient?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>It has been reported in the press that Starlink subscription fee has been waived for Iran, so people with receivers can use it for free.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 13 Jan 2026 22:29:23 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46609258</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46609258</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46609258</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "Show HN: Open-Source 8-Ch BCI Board (ESP32 and ADS1299 and OpenBCI GUI)"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Such a striking similarity to my own path. But I was in early 20s-mid 20s, going through some more difficult times and after a lot of research and study of the nervous system and trauma, I came to the conclusion that neurofeedback seems like the magic wand that had the biggest chance to actually produce a transformative effect.<p>I was experienced with soldering and electronics (mostly board repairs so not design), but not at a professional level. Initially I got an Analog Devices ADC, which they sent for free as I was still registered as a student at the time. I was trying to replicate some existing open source projects, but on an extremely low cost. Ultimately I got stuck in the weeds, and eventually gave up and just bought the ADS1299EEGFE-PDK evaluation board (upon which the original OpenBCI is based iirc). But eventually, again, postponed that, I was in the process of converting the LabView software to C, and to support real-time signal processing. After a short while I moved to the opposite corner of Europe and all those boards are sitting somewhere in my parent's attic. So the question in my mind still remains. Because neurofeedback does sound a bit too good to be true. But evidence is solid as well.<p>I will definitely give it another go at some point when life gives me more slack/spare time and space.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2026 21:48:10 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46505468</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46505468</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46505468</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "Ask HN: Loneliness at 19, how to cope?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I know I'm too being vague, like all other comments in this thread. But my suggestion would be to work on feeling well/good. The energy one emanates is what attracts or pushes other people away. It is of course a very complex topic, how to reach a state of emotional well-being, but you can start by taking better care of yourself, your health and your mood will also improve.<p>Once your general state of health/emotional well-being improves, you'll see that this state of craving others also fades.<p>So how do you improve your well-being/health? The cornerstone should be paying attention to your body, your sensations, feelings and listening. Resting well when tired. Eating well. Noticing your thoughts, especially negative thoughts about yourself. Learn to be kinder to yourself. If you do these things, you'll feel better and you'll become a bit more attractive to others.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2025 23:51:35 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46427596</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46427596</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46427596</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "Ask HN: Loneliness at 19, how to cope?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>After reading your comment, I'm left wondering. What exactly is actionable in it? How exactly does it help a person in OPs position? Apart from the part deferring to a therapist, which is more or less common knowledge in this day and age, there's nothing there thats ... helpful. Actionable.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2025 23:13:20 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46427199</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46427199</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46427199</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "CO2 batteries that store grid energy take off globally"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>What people care about when talking about EVs and consumption is generally how much distance they can cover. If you take away the distance factor and just report power, it becomes meaningless/almost useless.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2025 06:52:48 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46351941</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46351941</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46351941</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "The amount of fear in bullish investors and bubble companies is unreal"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>It's still a bubble, even if it doesn't or won't at all implode. It's a bubble because the underlying economic realities don't come anywhere close to the current valuation. I.e. it's all so inflated due to speculation.<p>6 months is nothing and doesn't say anything. But AI is just the frothing on top of the debt bubble, and all the cheap money that is still circulating around the economy. What I'm personally doing is taking on an asset allocation that would weather a potential downfall.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 06 Nov 2025 09:45:39 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45833307</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45833307</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45833307</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "Tesla appears to be building a teleoperations team for its robotaxi service"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>> The Uber we have today seems to be paying the third party drivers around cost price per kilometer<p>That doesn't make sense, as the drivers are obviously not operating at a loss.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 26 Nov 2024 09:02:05 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42243814</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42243814</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42243814</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "VanMoof, the e-bike startup, officially declared bankrupt in The Netherlands"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Bafang BBS series had only two wires (positive and ground) connecting the battery to the motor.<p>I think other motors by bafang have similar setups.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 18 Jul 2023 11:32:32 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36770673</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36770673</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36770673</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "Will Sentient AI Commit Suicide?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>> ADHD is the condition where there are many problems around and you cannot decide which ones are really worth solving, so you spend some effort on most of them but solve none.<p>What you described here has nothing to do with ADHD. You described a situation, a problem solving strategy and an outcome. That says nothing about the brain involved, or its functioning.<p>ADHD is a particular state of a nervous system, one of over stimulation/over excitation in one end and under stimulation in another. You can see it on an EEG, excess beta waves (among other things). You can see it as a neurotransmitter inbalance, neuroinhibitors not working properly.<p>But besides, the functioning of a brain and the environment it finds itself in are two interested things. But of course there is some influence between them.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 07 Jul 2021 21:10:17 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27765765</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27765765</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27765765</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "Ask HN: What languages should the Linux kernel accept next?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>From my POV, Rust is already a bad decision for the same reason Linus was against C++. There's a continuous trade off against complexity and this is just such a huge addition to what was already a behemoth. I think Linus nowadays is a lot less strict in imposing his own rigor and engineering esthetics than he used to be.<p>It's probably been a long time since he was trying to steer the project to his standard of perfection, he gave up on that. Like he grew apart from it, life got in the way, and steering Linux is now more of a job than anything else.<p>What I'm saying is, 2004's Linus would have never allowed Rust into the kernel.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 07 Jul 2021 20:26:05 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27765389</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27765389</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27765389</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by ekr in "Will Sentient AI Commit Suicide?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>No. Various manifestations of mental illness and diseases of the mammal nervous system are deeply linked to the whole body and not just the conscious part of the brain. They were arbitrarily sculpted by evolution and encode a lot of information from the ancestral environment of all ancestors. You can't replicate that by simulating a process of evolution of various AI implementations. The fact that the vagal nerve activation influences facial muscles and human interaction in general is not something you'd expect in what most people think of an AI. And yet it plays a crucial role in mental health.<p>Would you expect an AI to suffer from ADHD? PTSD? Almost certainly not. Because most of these conditions result from an interactions of brains of different evolutionary ages.<p>Unless of course you're trying to replicate a mammal nervous system its entirety. But then your goal is not singularity and you're definitely not optimizing for intelligence.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 07 Jul 2021 19:24:12 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27764843</link><dc:creator>ekr</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27764843</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27764843</guid></item></channel></rss>