<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: paulgerhardt</title><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=paulgerhardt</link><description>Hacker News RSS</description><docs>https://hnrss.org/</docs><generator>hnrss v2.1.1</generator><lastBuildDate>Sat, 25 Jul 2026 23:54:43 +0000</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://hnrss.org/user?id=paulgerhardt" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"></atom:link><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "How Has Roman Concrete Lasted for Millennia? 1,900-Year-Old Latrine Offers Clues"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I just restored an 1800’s house and we redid the paint in limewash as part of that process. (Effectively zero VOCs but pretty caustic when wet.)<p>Historically (for interior paint) you would use regular limewash in dry spaces and add casein/milk in high traffic/wet spaces. It works in a bathroom but wouldn’t hold up in a shower (for that you would want to use “tadelakt“ - especially if you’re going for that Aman spa look).<p>The contemporary solution with modern limewashing is to use “mineral shield” - it uses silicone instead of casein - it makes water droplets bead up but still lets water vapor breath through.<p>It also doesn’t flatten out the nice velvet texture one gets with limewash paint from the calcite crystals.<p>That said, it’s extremely obvious if one touches up a patch of wall with limewash. No two batches are the same color unless you’re going pure white and even then…</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2026 14:45:51 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48948018</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48948018</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48948018</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "Pebble Mega Update – July 2026"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Seeing the index in action next to an oura I appreciate how much smaller/thinner the index is (or at least how much less it seems to “spread” my fingers apart with of a width of 6.5mm vs 8mm).<p>It’s effectively a regular ring with a button on it that’s smaller than a typical 1ct engagement ring. The oura by contrast (even the 4) is a chonker compared to “regular” wedding bands. I’ve tried in the past but personally a very thick ring is a non-starter for me. Might just be a personal sensitivity thing. Clearly the oura sells.<p>From a V1/MVP/founder lens I am sensitive to the value in shipping a product that just works rather than doubling the complexity with a bms, custom charger, wrap around flex pcb, and associated engineering effort to mitigate ignition hazards. Especially when there’s platform risk in seeing if this thing even gets used. There’s no platform risk on the watch side which has comes miles from my first pebble/Alerta that was one day charge and blackberry phone compatible only.<p>As for the ewaste argument? If the market demands a rechargeable product then that’s the right move. But from a weight perspective? This feels performative. Even pessimistically three-four 5g device that are 0% recyclable will generate less ewaste than a 200g phone with 55% recovery and a 5% recapture rate of obsolete devices thats turn over every 3.5 years. It’s like 10x less and probably in the ballpark of what a hypothetical “rechargeable” index would look like.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2026 13:45:47 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48947361</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48947361</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48947361</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "Collection of Digital Clock Designs"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Sounds like a kanji version of their Big Tic line.<p>You can find old copies of the JR-1999/JR-8034/JR7978 on eBay but if you’re curious about fashion history (as I am) the backstory is more interesting[1].<p>You may be pleased to know that fossil is rebooting the big tic series of watches.<p>[1] <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVMOp_HDixh/" rel="nofollow">https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVMOp_HDixh/</a></p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:27:37 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48929016</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48929016</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48929016</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "Why the smart home bubble popped"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Recurring revenue, K-factor, long shelf life and low actuation rate.<p>Few verticals outside of video storage could support a monthly subscription putting negative pressure on supporting a shipped product.<p>Most smart home products are anti-social and had a low k-factor. You don’t want to share access to your scale to more than a handful (2?) people. This makes market adoption slower than a social networking app.<p>Touched on in the video but median shelf life for these $200 products is 8 years. Thats very “bad” relative to most other consumer hardware. Especially say a $1500 smartphone that’s replaced every 2 years.<p>Actuation rates on many categories are abysmal. Your smart smoke detector may go years without sending you a message. Compare to say screentime for ChatGPT on mobile averaging hours per day.<p>Interestingly a lot of those floundering smart home products became thriving businesses when pivoting to smart office focus. Subscriptions go up, user counts go up, utility goes up.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 26 May 2026 06:00:45 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48275588</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48275588</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48275588</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "AI is just unauthorised plagiarism at a bigger scale"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Some lesser god of protein folding is big mad we just copied her homework instead of spending 6 billion years in the lab like she did.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 21 May 2026 14:41:52 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48223504</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48223504</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48223504</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "Nobody understands the point of hybrid cars [video]"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Watched this when it came out. I felt like it had that typical Technology Connections problem where it will take one under explored point along a Pareto frontier and conflate it for the global optimal design.<p>At least that was my experience with the toaster, microwave, and dishwasher detergent episodes.<p>While Hybrid System II is very clever and non-intuitive coming from an ICE or EV frame of reference there are reasons even Toyota hasn’t placed all their chips on this bet. In fact as Japan’s largest manufacturer they want to have a bet on every point of Pareto frontier which is why Toyota makes cars with their own competing iForce hybrid design (I’m a big fan of the generator + torque assist), hydrogen cars, electrics, plug in hybrids, diesels, propane and yes gas.<p>Specifically Hybrid System II is best if you can 1) only have one car 2) don’t have a place to charge it 3) do lots of starts and stops driving around town.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 13:40:50 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48207611</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48207611</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48207611</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "Details of the Daring Airdrop at Tristan Da Cunha"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>This recent article[1] answers a lot of these questions with great photos too. I would go so far to say it’s the most authoritative piece to date. Previously [2].<p>[1] <a href="https://apps.npr.org/life-on-tristan-da-cunha/" rel="nofollow">https://apps.npr.org/life-on-tristan-da-cunha/</a><p>[2] <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47640431">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47640431</a></p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2026 18:48:44 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48152327</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48152327</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48152327</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "Neanderthals ran 'fat factories' 125,000 years ago (2025)"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Pretty clever solution to rabbit starvation.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 03 May 2026 02:52:37 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47992855</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47992855</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47992855</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "Clay PCB Tutorial"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Some napkin math suggests July 11, 2478 AD assuming 1% annual growth and utilization of PtL /     Fischer–Tropsch.<p>Closer to March 19, 2063 if you just mean crude oil supplies only.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 26 Apr 2026 17:48:40 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47912248</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47912248</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47912248</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "Artemis II safely splashes down"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>First couple of crews to orbit the earth at 0’ AGL had mortality rate of 9 in 10.<p>I’d say we’re doing better!</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 11 Apr 2026 01:27:55 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47726291</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47726291</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47726291</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "Honda is killing its EVs"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I mean there are multiple, multiple boundaries in place for this reason. I’d start by saying most “in the middle of the night” updates target non-safety critical systems in the car like the IHU. The update I received last night has a build date of 2024 reflecting extensive validation before general availability in 2026. It was field tested in limited markets after factory validation and had staged rollouts through dealers before going to general OTA availability.<p>Independently, I had to take my car into the dealer to get a safety critical recall installed via Ethernet that affected a braking system in certain edge cases and this was not installable OTA “in the night”.<p>While, yes, I am annoyed that the dealer price for my “infotainment” unit is $2k and reflects the technical specs of a 2016 mid tier android tablet running <i>Intel</i> cores; I do feel that vehicle is far safer with its airbags, 360 camera, lane keeping, and AEB on net than my 1970’s classic.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 20:46:47 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47418061</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47418061</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47418061</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "The Sharp PC-2000 Computer Boombox from 1979"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>“Cyberfunk”</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 21:09:55 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47007867</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47007867</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47007867</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "Show HN: If you lose your memory, how to regain access to your computer?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Just went through this. Sample size one:<p>While the fire resulted in the total loss of the house it was actually the water from the fire department not the heat that did proportionally more damage.<p>As a mental model you shouldn’t think of it as “what if my house burns down?” so much as “what if nice strangers roll up to my windows and chainsaw through my roof and spray 50,000 gallons of water in here?”<p>Yes everything in the mechanical room melted but everything in the rest of the house got hot, smoky, soaked and then moldy.<p>For root of trust materiel like social security cards, cash, passports put in a ziplock bag in a fireproof, waterproof safe. But for other storage I use clear “Ezy Storage” brand stackable 50L tubs labeled with Homebox QR codes. In the US, Target and Home Depot frequently stock them. I am very anti black and yellow tubs.<p>The majority of work post-fire goes to itemizing your house inventory for insurance. Even cataloging all your bathroom’s soaps by brand name rather than generic can make $100 difference. Multiply that by 500x different things.<p>From a threat model perspective I look at rooms from a “what would be salvageable in here if I emptied a swimming pool’s worth of water from some fire sprinklers”. Furniture and TVs are easy to replace. Other stuff less so.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 07 Feb 2026 00:12:47 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46919920</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46919920</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46919920</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "A sane but bull case on Clawdbot / OpenClaw"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I’ve seen it a lot in ‘90’s hacker / net adjacent cultures. It always reads as gen-x/elderly tech millennial to me - specifically post 1993 net culture but prior to mass adoption of autocorrect.<p>It was the norm on irc/icq/aim chats but also, later, as the house style for blogs like hackaday.<p>Now I read it as one would an hear an accent (such as a New England Maritime accent) that low-key signifies this person has been around the block.<p>Even more recently is a minor signifier that this text was less likely generated by llm.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 16:27:54 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46887853</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46887853</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46887853</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "Total monthly number of StackOverflow questions over time"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I would imagine the endorsement requirement reduces submissions by a few orders of magnitude.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 04 Jan 2026 02:06:02 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46484051</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46484051</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46484051</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "Koralm Railway"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I was curious about the forecasting success story here too. The German LOK article is better in this regard: <a href="https://www.lok-report.de/news/europa/item/62410-oesterreich-koralmbahn-punktlandung-bei-investitionskosten.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.lok-report.de/news/europa/item/62410-oesterreich...</a></p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2025 13:32:40 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46243963</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46243963</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46243963</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "Unusual circuits in the Intel 386's standard cell logic"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>That unreplicability between chips is actually a very, very desirable property  when fingerprinting chips (sometimes known as ChipDNA) to implement unique keys for each chip. You use precisely this property (plus a lot of magic to control for temperature as you point out) to give each chip its own physically unclonable key. This has wonderfully interesting properties.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 23 Nov 2025 17:14:30 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46025195</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46025195</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46025195</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "Weighting an average to minimize variance"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Thanks. Higham explicitly addresses the authors substitution crime in section 2.5. Wonderful resource.<p>My complaint stems more to the general observation that readability is prized in math and programming but not emphasized in traditional education curriculum to the degree it is in writing.<p>Bad style is seldomly commented on in our profession.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 16 Nov 2025 20:03:55 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45947960</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45947960</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45947960</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "Weighting an average to minimize variance"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I wish there was a Strunk and White for mathematics.<p>While by no means logically incorrect, it feels inelegant to setup a problem using variables A and B in the first paragraph and solve for X and Y in the second (compounded with the implicit X==B, and Y==A).</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 15 Nov 2025 17:05:52 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45938833</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45938833</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45938833</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by paulgerhardt in "New gel restores dental enamel and could revolutionise tooth repair"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Because it keeps coming up there is an anti-Novamin crowd that says it’s useless and Biomin is the true re-enamelizer.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2025 20:16:50 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45827377</link><dc:creator>paulgerhardt</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45827377</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45827377</guid></item></channel></rss>