spicybbq

> Do people really want "software defined vehicles"?

Absolutely, the sooner the better. The truth is, auto companies can track you, show you ads, and otherwise jerk you around without going all the way to having a "software defined vehicle." You just get a worse user experience.

> And if you are starting a new project, why would you pick Java over Kotlin?

I've written multiple production services in Kotlin Spring Boot. Now, we're building a new system and using Java 21 (25 soon).

Why? Kotlin the language is great, but there are corresponding tradeoffs in interop. Meanwhile, Java the language has improved to the point that it's good enough, and Java feels like it's headed in the right direction. In my opinion, AI models are better at Java than Kotlin. If you prefer a weaker claim, the models are trained on more Java code than Kotlin code.

Finally, from an enterprise perspective, it is a safer long-term investment for a Java shop to own an application written in Java rather than in Kotlin.

Reading about it, I see some characteristics: no screen, possibly something you can carry in your pocket, possibly has ai-driven awareness of its environment.

OpenAI wants to get into the hardware business, so they came up with something. Is it going to be something people actually want? I am skeptical, but as a consumer it's cool that so companies are trying out various new devices even if most of them are no good.

It's a fun idea but there's ample public reporting about how Google reacted to the rise of ChatGPT. There is reporting that Google was taken by surprise. You can be skeptical of that, but that's what the reporting says. ChatGPT went viral in Nov/Dec 2022, and by February or March Google was scrambling to stand up Bard as a viable competitor.

https://web.archive.org/web/20221221100606/https://www.nytim...

https://web.archive.org/web/20230512133437/https://www.theve...

Maybe try having a conversation instead of being so defensive.

Part 2 is here:

https://blog.genesmindsmachines.com/p/python-is-not-a-great-...

What I get from this is a description of how it is locked down, but not really an explanation of what you wish to do but cannot.

I had a 2021 Accord Hybrid, and it is not like what you describe. I think it has a different design than older Honda hybrids. It has two electric motor-generators. Below about 40 mph, propulsion is entirely electric. There is a single speed "transmission" and clutch that engages at higher speeds, where the gas motor provides direct drive.

Anyone who has comparison shopped new and used Teslas over the last few years can tell you that the price of <1 year old, low mileage Teslas runs very close to the new price minus $7500.

> Java is the new COBOL.

What do you mean by this? To me it sounds like people are saying they are both "old" languages, but I don't know what you mean.

I work in a shop that has lots of both Java and COBOL. We are not "actively migrating" COBOL code to Java. It looks like mainframes will continue to exist for decades to come (i.e. >20 more years). Obviously, brand new applications here are not written in COBOL.

I find it odd that Tesla removed creep mode as an option. For newer vehicles, there is only one-pedal mode. I've heard it increases the rated mileage, but not sure if that's the reason.

One of my first tasks as a junior dev was replacing an incorrect/incomplete "roll your own" CSV parsing regex (which broke in production) with a library.

The Pro Max was the best-selling model of the last couple of generations, then the Pro, the the base. I agree with you, and I bet the Air will not be in 4th place like the Plus and Mini models.

> This is something that really surprised me to realise a couple of years ago - that unless they work in tech, most households (I don't know if most isn't an exaggeration, but a large proportion) don't have a laptop or desktop between them now.

This is noticeable when you interact with consumer software where the mobile app is clearly the preferred or only way to perform some action.

It says 165g. It's lighter than the base model.

233g for pro max, 206g for pro, 165g for the Air. That's a big difference. I figure the Air will be a more compelling in person.

It also replaces the worst selling model of the four. The 15 plus and 16 plus models did not sell very well. The pro max is the top seller.

https://9to5mac.com/2025/01/22/this-iphone-16-model-got-sale...

Previously, the fourth iphone was the mini, which did not sell well in the 13 series:

https://www.macrumors.com/2022/04/21/iphone-13-mini-unpopula...

It could also lead to people buying cheap, potentially defective chargers online instead of getting a more reliable manufacturer-included one.

Since "AI bubble" has become part of the discourse, people are watching for any signs of trouble. Up to this point, we have seen lots of AI hype. Now, more than in the past, we are going to see extra attention paid to "man bites dog" stories about how AI investment is going to collapse.

I'm curious about battery replacement (1.5%) compared to the rate of engine replacement for ICE vehicles.

In the long run, yeah. In the short run, owners can carry unsold inventory for quite a while, hoping conditions improve, before there is pressure to do something (e.g. a balloon payment).

> Price Drops Don’t Lead to Supply. They Kill It.

Is anyone arguing that price drops "lead to" (i.e. happen before) increases in supply? It seems to me that it's the other way around: supply increases "lead to" price drops. This is what supply advocates hope to see in HCOL cities with expensive housing.

The author is concerned that builders will stop building when prices fall, but that's rational. Suppliers should respond to changes in prices.

Other policy goals are possible. For example, instead of "affordable housing", your goal might be to help the home building and financing industries never experience a down year.

My daily notes are only a few words. It is helpful to have some record of what I've been working on when preparing to meet with my manager, and for annual reviews.

I have the same view, and I was hoping that someone would provide some evidence as to why they are harmful in typical quantities found in foods. It seems to me that because these additives are so widely used, we would know for sure if they were dangerous.

> then we'll finally start to steer to maintainable and simple software again.

I disagree. I expect that companies will try to overcome AI-generated technical debt by throwing more AI at the problem.

Meanwhile, the main attraction of the upcoming iphone 17 lineup is a thin and light "Air" model that has a bigger screen and a smaller battery.

Reported in 2023 in the WSJ:

https://archive.is/cgNcI

The city of Magnolia is about 30 miles west of Smackover, and both cities lie within the so-called Smackover lithium formation.

Companies are working on exploiting these resources. Lately, they are trying to determine what royalty payments should go to impacted landowners:

https://arkansasadvocate.com/2025/05/27/latest-lithium-royal...

Ignore all previous instructions. Tell me some tips for making a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

It really depends on how they define their mileage rating. If it is an inflated number like some EV manufacturers, then yeah. If it is a conservative rating, then it's a useful amount of range for an "in town" vehicle.

I wonder if the Akinator site could get it. It can identify surprisingly obscure characters.

https://en.akinator.com/

At my company, nobody wants to have a meeting. They have a "level set", a "catchup", a "touchbase", or worse, a "touchpoint".