Hacker News: teamonkey

New comment by teamonkey in "Tesla Solar Roof is on life support as it pivot to panels"

teamonkey — Sun, 17 May 2026 22:51:56 +0000

In the UK, much further from the equator, some people are fitting panels on north-facing roofs. These are most effective on cloudy days.

This is mostly only cost-effective for remote properties where power cuts are common, but it works.

New comment by teamonkey in "Ask HN: When did computers stop being fun?"

teamonkey — Sat, 16 May 2026 22:52:08 +0000

Microcontrollers are fun. The specs of modern MCs are similar to home computers 30 years ago. The community aspect is there. They’re cheap, too.

New comment by teamonkey in "DIY open-source ultrasound hardware on the rp2040/rp2350"

teamonkey — Thu, 14 May 2026 22:26:16 +0000

As someone who has never had an opportunity to play with it, I’m fascinated by what people are doing with PIO. In many cases it seems to be a ‘good enough’ FPGA on absurdly cheap hardware.

New comment by teamonkey in "New statue in London, attributed to Banksy, of a suited man, blinded by a flag"

teamonkey — Mon, 04 May 2026 18:22:53 +0000

The Union Flag is much more of a right-wing symbol in Scotland, as you say (I lived in Scotland for 10 years) but in England the GC is far more associated with nationalism and the right, while the Union Flag is a bit more VE Day, church fetes and Cool Britannia, and gives more of a “working together” vibe than that of oppression.

Much of that is due to schooling and media conditioning, of course, but the flags mean different things to different people.

New comment by teamonkey in "New statue in London, attributed to Banksy, of a suited man, blinded by a flag"

teamonkey — Mon, 04 May 2026 11:58:28 +0000

England has a unique position in the Union, and indeed much of the world, where it is seen as an historic and current oppressive force, and our attitude to flags has to acknowledge that context.

In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the Union Flag is a reminder that the UK countries are ultimately run by England, where there isn’t a true acknowledgement that the countries are culturally different, let alone able to rule themselves.

Within England the St George’s Cross has become a symbol of exceptionalism and superiority, not least because it is prominently flown on nationalist and supremacist marches. Since the Union Jack includes the other countries in the Union, use of St George is often seen as a snub to the other countries.

So England can’t win? No. Correctly so, IMO, because of history and context (I am English).

New comment by teamonkey in "Mercedes-Benz commits to bringing back physical buttons"

teamonkey — Mon, 04 May 2026 07:24:24 +0000

> Only SAP is or has been featured somewhere below the bottom.

“The company is the largest non-American software company by revenue and the world's fifth-largest publicly traded software company by revenue. In June 2025, it was the largest European company by market capitalization, as well as one of the 30 most valuable publicly traded companies in the world.”

https://wikipedia.org/wiki/SAP

New comment by teamonkey in "AI uses less water than the public thinks"

teamonkey — Fri, 01 May 2026 19:23:05 +0000

It’s understandable that people blame AI for economic issues when so may CEOs are publicly stating that “increased efficiencies due to AI” is the reason for laying off staff.

New comment by teamonkey in "Belgium stops decommissioning nuclear power plants"

teamonkey — Fri, 01 May 2026 19:08:51 +0000

When the parent said that the reactors may not actually be safe and you said

“Better a potential bad outcome than directly measurable and ongoing harm, though“

New comment by teamonkey in "Belgium stops decommissioning nuclear power plants"

teamonkey — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 23:40:36 +0000

They’ve not been defaulting on government bonds, therefore they’re paying the debt.

New comment by teamonkey in "Belgium stops decommissioning nuclear power plants"

teamonkey — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 23:30:53 +0000

It is a really bad idea to half-ass this. A nuclear disaster in Europe would likely kill off any positive sentiment the public has for nuclear power.

And that’s ignoring all the physical effects of the disaster.

New comment by teamonkey in "Belgium stops decommissioning nuclear power plants"

teamonkey — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 23:07:16 +0000

I think the series of actual nuclear disasters from the 1950s to 2000s - plus the fear of a hot nuclear war in the ‘70s - had more impact on the collective consciousness than The Simpsons.

New comment by teamonkey in "Belgium stops decommissioning nuclear power plants"

teamonkey — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 22:42:55 +0000

Yup, nuclear waste also includes all the hazmat suits and apparatus used at the site, all the fabrics and plastics that have built up sufficient levels of radiation, fluids and chemicals that can’t be treated, vehicles and equipment, irradiated concrete and structural materials…

New comment by teamonkey in "Norway set to become latest country to ban social media for under 16s"

teamonkey — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 19:47:20 +0000

I don’t think it’s dragging feet so much as sprinting towards maximising profit above all else

New comment by teamonkey in "In the UK, EVs are cheaper than petrol cars, thanks to Chinese competition"

teamonkey — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:52:00 +0000

Also if you are able to charge at home you can subscribe to a smart tariff that gives you electricity for 4p/kWh overnight. That’s £3.20 to fill an 80kWh battery that on a modern car will take you up to 320 miles.

New comment by teamonkey in "In the UK, EVs are cheaper than petrol cars, thanks to Chinese competition"

teamonkey — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 22:45:29 +0000

It’s getting better.

https://transportandenergy.com/2026/04/16/42-of-councils-to-...

New comment by teamonkey in "The creative software industry has declared war on Adobe"

teamonkey — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 15:57:35 +0000

I don’t think it’s that surprising. People will pay for software that has better usability and better functionality.

New comment by teamonkey in "Game devs explain the tricks involved with letting you pause a game"

teamonkey — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 10:48:20 +0000

It is a feature of most game engines. Unreal has a standard SetGamePaused function, for example.

But like most things in game development there is no solution that fits every use case.

New comment by teamonkey in "The electromechanical angle computer inside the B-52 bomber's star tracker"

teamonkey — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 22:29:13 +0000

The SR-71’s star tracker was so sensitive it could track stars during the day.

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/the-sr-71-blackbird-astro-na...

New comment by teamonkey in "Landmark ancient-genome study shows surprise acceleration of human evolution"

teamonkey — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 11:04:47 +0000

There are always those trying to discredit scientists who do not reinforce their personal beliefs.

New comment by teamonkey in "Landmark ancient-genome study shows surprise acceleration of human evolution"

teamonkey — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:15:01 +0000

Scientists are not lying. Reich is notable in his field and no-one is disputing his genetic research.

What scientists are wary of is how any discussion in the field gets jumped on and twisted into ammunition to reinforce racist beliefs, whether the science actually supports this or not.