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teuobk

Re:Closure of the Weatheradio Service in Canada on Tuesday March 03, 2026 @09:58AM (#47233370)
Environment Canada assumes 60 km on their Weatheradio page ( https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services... ), so that's what I went with. Having said that, I very much agree that the range is probably considerably greater in many cases.
Re:Closure of the Weatheradio Service in Canada on Monday March 02, 2026 @06:42PM (#47225902)
Here's a map I put together of the Weatheradio (one "r"!) service coverage in Canada, assuming each station has a range of 60 km: https://www.keacher.com/files/dir12/weatheradio_map2.png Perhaps unsurprisingly, the coverage is most dense where the population density is also highest, with some exceptions.

And if anybody is curious, here's the coverage for the equivalent Weather Radio service in the United States: https://www.weather.gov/nwr/maps

Re:You can make smells with ultrasound on Saturday November 22, 2025 @05:49PM (#46019040)
That was exactly my thought when reading the article and my personal experience with Covid. For a couple weeks, I perceived a persistent smell of something burning.
Re:Amazon strategised about keeping water use secret on Monday October 27, 2025 @12:34PM (#45723011)
Golf courses in the USA used about 2.1 billion gallons of water per day circa 2004 [1]. In other words, the annual usage of Amazon's datacenters per the article, 7.7 billion gallons, is less than the amount of water used on just American golf courses in four days.

[1] https://www.usga.org/content/dam/usga/pdf/Water%20Resource%2...

Per NIST[1], the value is 0.7204% +/- 0.0006%, with the uncertainty representing one standard deviation.

[1] https://physics.nist.gov/cgi-bin/Compositions/stand_alone.pl...

Current evidence is that PSA tests don't actually save lives:

https://thennt.com/nnt/psa-test-to-screen-for-prostate-cance...

I wish they did, of course. I personally lost a close friend to prostate cancer last year. He was 41 and was, before the cancer, one of the healthiest and most athletic people I knew.

The first inkling he had that anything was wrong was a backache that wouldn't go away; a stage 4 diagnosis ensued. He held on for 21 months from the onset of symptoms before the cancer took him.

For what it's worth, /r/welding seems to think this claim is complete bunk:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Welding/comments/1khd9aj/this_is_co...

Re:The Epochalypse Project on Sunday May 11, 2025 @11:42AM (#43954543)
Goes back at least slightly before that, as I've had 2038epochalypse.com registered since March 2017, but I can't recall whether I thought I was being clever or whether I heard it somewhere else.
My first thought as well!

Here's the scene for those who are unaware: https://youtu.be/90eg_erObDo?si=E0ZbU_k-H7ANLqcZ&t=179

Awesome! I love seeing how the blocks are affected by twiddling bits.
That's as close as you can get to pi with a single-precision float.
Re:Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer? (March 2025) on Monday March 03, 2025 @01:27PM (#43245023)
SEEKING WORK | Remote (based in Denver, Colorado, USA) EMBEDDED FIRMWARE and HARDWARE

Got an embedded programming or hardware design challenge you need solved? I'll solve it!

15 years of experience consulting, and I've seen it all; for the past decade I've been exclusively consulting independently. Past clients have included companies large and small, with everything from green-field ideas for new products to tricky situations with existing products they needed fixed. Comfortable working under regulatory constraints; many of the projects I've worked on have been medical devices.

C is my bread and butter on the embedded side, and Python is my go-to for developing PC utilities and scripts, but I'm comfortable working in a lot of languages from assembly all the way up to Javascript when needed. I can even patch embedded binaries by hand when needed.

Architectures? Well, these days it's mostly ARM Cortex, but I've done everything from 8051 and 6502 to STM8 to PIC16/24 to all of the modern stuff, plus a handful of really obscure things. Specific chip families that I've dealt with a lot lately include STM32, nRF5x, and PIC16, but again, I've successfully worked with MCUs from ST, Nordic, NXP, SiLabs, Renasas, Atmel, Nordic, Microchip, and various other vendors.

Super comfy with Linux, though most of my practice is bare-metal or with true RTOSes.

Bespoke drivers need development? No problem. USB, I2C, SPI, CAN? Yup, all of those and more. BLE, LoRa? Expert. Power optimization for battery operation? That's a specialty of mine: I squeeze out every last nanoamp -- and quantify the improvement.

BS in EE. Designing analog and digital circuits, laying out PCBs, bringing up boards, debugging hardware, simulating designs (including EM simulations for antennas, transmission lines, etc.), and consulting on hardware improvements are all no problem. I have an extremely well equipped EE lab bench, including for RF out to 8 GHz, and am very comfortable doing fine-pitch soldering under a microscope as needed.

US citizen, masters from Stanford. Licensed professional engineer (PE) in Colorado.

Feel free to reach out and let's see if there's a good fit. Thanks!

[email protected]

Re:Ask HN: What Are You Working On? (February 2025) on Monday February 24, 2025 @11:53AM (#43161751)
Ultra-fast rise-time pulse generators! Yeah, hardware -- or, hooray, hardware!

A few months back, I got excited about pulse generators that had rise times on the order of 15 to 30 picoseconds. There aren't a lot of those available, and I was curious about what would go into their design. so I decided to build my own. https://voltative.com/pulser

Re:Avoiding outrage fatigue while staying informed on Wednesday February 05, 2025 @01:21PM (#42952852)
Indeed. I've unsubscribed from all subreddits that have become infested with political content, and I've "unfollowed" all of my acquaintances on Facebook and LinkedIn who post anything political. So much more enjoyable.
Under $100: a Knipex pliers wrench. Best hand-tool ever! I originally got just the 7.25" size, but now I own everything from even shorter ones to much longer ones. I use them all of the time. If you're cheap, you can even get a knock-off version from Harbor Freight now at about half the cost of the German-made Knipex ones.
Re:Our Longest Nerve Orchestrates the Mind-Body Connection on Monday September 02, 2024 @03:29PM (#41428146)
Unfortunately, that link between vagotomy and reduced risk of PD hasn't been supported by subsequent studies. In fact, it wasn't really even supported by the initial study[1]: although the point estimates of the hazard ratios were below 1.0, the confidence intervals did not exclude 1.0 -- or stated differently, at p<0.05, the null hypothesis cannot be rejected.

[1] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ana.24448

Re:Ask HN: How do you deal with an off-day? on Friday August 30, 2024 @12:34PM (#41402310)
On those days, I like to switch from work on the computer to work with my hands, like wrenching on a project in the garage. It won't get me any progress on my computer-based work, but it will give me a sense of progress on my garage-based projects, and it will leave me recharged for the next day.

That, and more coffee.

Re:Things I Won't Work With: Dimethylcadmium on Sunday August 11, 2024 @11:27AM (#41216860)
Still quite common to encounter elemental cadmium in other contexts, too. I'm around it all the time while working on my race cars where (at least in amateur circuit racing in North America), the use of cadmium-plated "AN" and "MS" fasteners is extremely common. Ditto for aviation.
Re:Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer? (June 2024) on Monday June 03, 2024 @11:11AM (#40563422)
SEEKING WORK | Remote (based in Denver, Colorado, USA)

EMBEDDED FIRMWARE and HARDWARE

Got an embedded programming challenge you need solved? I'll solve it!

14 years of experience, and I've seen it all; for the past decade I've been exclusively consulting independently. Past clients have included companies large and small, with everything from green-field ideas for new products to tricky situations with existing products they needed fixed. Comfortable working under regulatory constraints; many of the projects I've worked on have been medical devices.

C is my bread and butter on the embedded side, and Python is my go-to for developing PC utilities and scripts, but I'm comfortable working in a lot of languages from assembly all the way up to Javascript when needed. I can even patch embedded binaries by hand when needed.

Architectures? Well, these days it's mostly ARM Cortex, but I've done everything from 8051 and 6502 to STM8 to PIC16/24 to all of the modern stuff, plus a handful of really obscure things. Specific chip families that I've dealt with a lot lately include STM32, nRF5x, and PIC16, but again, I've successfully worked with MCUs from NXP, SiLabs, Renasas, Atmel, Nordic, Microchip, and various other vendors.

Super comfy with Linux, though most of my practice is bare-metal or with true RTOSes.

Bespoke drivers need development? No problem. USB, I2C, SPI, CAN? Yup, all of those and more. BLE, LoRa? Expert. Power optimization for battery operation? I squeeze out every last nanoamp -- and can quantify the improvement.

BS in EE. I have a fully equipped lab bench, including for RF out to 8 GHz. Bringing up boards, debugging hardware, and consulting on hardware improvements are all no problem. I do embedded hardware design, too, if that's what you need.

US citizen, masters from Stanford.

Feel free to reach out and let's see if there's a good fit. Thanks!

[email protected]

While well-intentioned, I wonder if this will lead to something like the "sesame" debacle[1], in which is becomes far cheaper and easier for companies to deliberately design digital devices so as to be absolutely unrepairable -- even by the manufacturers themselves -- rather than provide parts and instructions for 3rd parties to effect repairs.

[1] https://reason.com/2022/12/23/why-is-sesame-suddenly-in-ever...

Re:ICQ will stop working from June 26 on Friday May 24, 2024 @02:05PM (#40468810)
Haven't touched it in over 20 years, and kind of surprised ICQ was even still around, but so many memories from the '90s. Good night, sweet prince.

-- 10923345

Re:Cubic millimetre of brain mapped in spectacular detail on Thursday May 09, 2024 @06:12PM (#40313453)
The interactive visualization is pretty great. Try zooming in on the slices and then scrolling up or down through the layers. Also try zooming in on the 3D model. Notice how hovering over any part of a neuron highlights all parts of that neuron:

http://h01-dot-neuroglancer-demo.appspot.com/#!gs://h01-rele...

Re:Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer? (May 2024) on Wednesday May 01, 2024 @12:19PM (#40225369)
SEEKING WORK | Remote (based in Denver, Colorado, USA)

EMBEDDED FIRMWARE and HARDWARE

Got an embedded programming challenge you need solved? I'll solve it!

14 years of experience, and I've seen it all; for the past decade I've been exclusively consulting independently. Past clients have included companies large and small, with everything from green-field ideas for new products to tricky situations with existing products they needed fixed. Comfortable working under regulatory constraints; many of the projects I've worked on have been medical devices.

C is my bread and butter on the embedded side, and Python is my go-to for developing PC utilities and scripts, but I'm comfortable working in a lot of languages from assembly all the way up to Javascript when needed. I can even patch embedded binaries by hand when needed.

Architectures? Well, these days it's mostly ARM Cortex stuff, but I've done everything from 8051 and 6502 to STM8 to PIC16/24, plus a handful of really obscure things. Specific chip families that I've dealt with a lot lately include STM32, nRF5x, and PIC16, but again, I've successfully worked with MCUs from NXP, SiLabs, Renasas, Atmel, and various other vendors.

Super comfy with Linux, though most of my practice is bare-metal or with true RTOSes.

Bespoke drivers need development? No problem. USB, I2C, SPI, CAN? Yup, all of those and more. BLE, LoRa? Expert. Power optimization for battery operation? I squeeze out every last nanoamp -- and can quantify the improvement.

BS in EE. I have a fully equipped lab bench, including for RF out to 8 GHz. Bringing up boards, debugging hardware, and consulting on hardware improvements are all no problem. I do embedded hardware design, too, if that's what you need.

US citizen, masters from Stanford.

Feel free to reach out and let's see if there's a good fit. Thanks!

[email protected]

Re:Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer? (April 2024) on Tuesday April 02, 2024 @12:46PM (#39907877)
SEEKING WORK | Remote (based in Denver, Colorado, USA)

Got an embedded programming challenge you need solved? I'll solve it!

15 years of experience, and I've seen it all; for the past decade I've been exclusively consulting independently. Past clients have included companies large and small, with everything from green-field ideas for new products to tricky situations with existing products they needed fixed. Comfortable working under regulatory constraints; many of the projects I've worked on have been medical devices.

C is my bread and butter on the embedded side, and Python is my go-to for developing PC utilities and scripts, but I'm comfortable working in a lot of languages from assembly all the way up to Javascript when needed. I can even patch embedded binaries by hand when needed.

Architectures? Well, these days it's mostly ARM Cortex stuff, but I've done everything from 8051 and 6502 to STM8 to PIC16/24, plus a handful of really obscure things. Specific chip families that I've dealt with a lot lately include STM32, nRF5x, and PIC16, but again, I've successfully worked with MCUs from NXP, SiLabs, Renasas, Atmel, and various other vendors.

Super comfy with Linux, though most of my practice is bare-metal or with true RTOSes.

Bespoke drivers need development? No problem. USB, I2C, SPI, CAN? Yup, all of those and more. BLE, LoRa? Expert. Power optimization for battery operation? I squeeze out every last nanoamp -- and can quantify the improvement.

BS in EE. I have a fully equipped lab bench, including for RF out to 8 GHz. Bringing up boards, debugging hardware, and consulting on hardware improvements are all no problem. I do embedded hardware design, too, if that's what you need.

US citizen, masters from Stanford.

Feel free to reach out and let's see if there's a good fit. Thanks!

[email protected]

I've worked on the hardware and firmware design and implementation for many medical devices, almost all of which were approved via the 510(k) process. I always found it a mixture of amusing and bemusing that we'd have to tell the FDA, effectively, "Look at how similar this thing is to existing stuff!" while at the same time telling the Patent Office, "Look at how new and novel this thing is!"
Re:Ask HN: How many of you are self employed? on Monday February 05, 2024 @12:01PM (#39263468)
In terms of total compensation, I probably pay myself about what I would make at one of the big tech companies. (Side note: before changing to consulting, I did spend several years working as an engineer in a "real" job at a large medical device company.) The real appeal to me is twofold: first, I have strong control over my time; and second, I get to see and work on a very wide range of interesting projects and challenges. You can certainly get all of this in a traditional job as well, but my personal opinion is that it's easier to find it as a consultant.

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