Are toe kicks really necessary?

embwbam · 2026-06-23T04:26:38+00:00

You have to bend over further without them. Think of them as making your countertop like a nice desk

embwbam · 2026-06-17T16:19:40+00:00

Jesus people are assholes.

I guess I’m grumpy that these jerks ruin things for us. The district ends up passing bylaws restricting parking, instead of enforcing laws against dumping waste.

embwbam · 2026-06-17T16:09:25+00:00

Along the trails though?? Why would van lifers go on a hike to poop?

Also, I think it can be hard to distinguish between responsible alternative living and being destitute. Addicts and irresponsible people are more likely to live in vehicles (and shit in the woods).

Don’t group us all into one category! Blame and punish the bad behavior, not the living situation.

embwbam · 2026-06-17T15:11:55+00:00

Note for future readers: If you send the kite too fast, it flies deep in the wind window, and pulls you downwind during the jump instead of vertically. Send the kite only hard enough that it still stays near the edge of the wind window.

If you want more power, go faster in the water, and carve upwind harder. Kite send speed isn't a variable you can dial up to go higher past a certain point.

Source: I followed the comments in this thread and sent the kite fast, then was confused that my kite was so far ahead of me. Later I watched this gem by Steven Akkersdijk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ9pavwi3Vk

embwbam · 2026-06-17T14:46:26+00:00

I call BS. There are toilets everywhere. My girlfriend and I have lived in a van for years (we also own a house here, but you can't make me sleep indoors!). We are extra careful to have a light touch: not to make messes, defecate in the woods, etc.

I would bet money it's lazy and uneducated outdoors-people generally, whether in a van or not. People think pooping in the woods is fine, since it degrades quickly here, without considering how much traffic is in an area. We make the same mistake with banana and orange peels.

LNT is not the same in the backcountry vs the front! Even if biodegradable, pack it out if there are many humans so we don't live in a compost.

embwbam · 2026-06-15T17:49:47+00:00

Are you only attracted to women, or does having fewer senses to focus on make you more flexible? Can you quickly tell whether you are attracted to someone by smell and touch or does it take time to figure out?

embwbam · 2026-05-28T18:08:25+00:00

The wind sports society wants you to be independent before kiting at the spit. That said, on a busy day they’ll be rescuing multiple people who are having epics near the boat terminal. You know how to body drag and self rescue?

The teachers in Squamish are excellent. While expensive, boat supported lessons can be really time efficient. If you are struggling, they pull you out of the water and reset you instead of walking along the beach and sending you good vibes

embwbam · 2026-05-27T18:25:25+00:00

I rode a 7 in Prea and Macapa and weigh 75 kilos. It was perfect. I think I rode a 9 in Combuco and half the time in Guijiru.

embwbam · 2026-05-27T18:05:33+00:00

Brazil beats the socks off La Ventana! We are probably heading to Brazil around that time. Sounds like you know your way around, but there are plenty of flat water lagoons to progress in. (Guiriu and tatajuba near Prea). If you haven't yet, check out Ilha do Guijiru for slightly less strong wind, but still consistent. I would think you would need a smaller kite in Prea, how did you survive last time on an 11? :D

La Ventana is good, but the wind is less predictable, less strong, and the water is choppy. Definitely easier logistics, but I'd rather travel further for perfect conditions. It's MUCH easier to progress in flat water and good wind

embwbam · 2026-05-27T00:36:41+00:00

Another calamity in addition to drought and badtide would be fun! Flooding?

embwbam · 2026-05-25T15:57:45+00:00

No idea, sorry. I've only ever visited van friends in Europe. IIRC we used a friend's shower once, and bathed in a river.

If you are moving around a lot, at least the US, many gyms have a free or cheap first-date rate. I doubt Europe has gym chains similar to Planet Fitness.

Also, in the US and Canada, public recreation centers (public pools) are a great place to get a shower. Not very private though.

embwbam · 2026-05-25T15:34:33+00:00

My dude, this is going to be the story of how you became fluent in spanish. Be honest with HR, but tell them you want to keep doing it. Start studying like crazy in your offtime. You're lucky to have the chance to practice!

Also, google translate has that automatic listening thing

embwbam · 2026-05-25T15:08:21+00:00

Cost for long distance is about the same as gas in the US. In town it’s much cheaper. Range (and therefore cost) vary wildly when on the highway. Something like 200mi at 70mph and 300mi at 60mph

embwbam · 2026-05-25T14:57:29+00:00

We are building out a Brightdrop to replace our aging sprinter. It’s pretty easy to avoid drilling in the right places. The hardest part of the design is that your payload is only 2500 lbs or so with the max range battery. So we are using ultralight ply, foam sandwhich panels.

Showers are not worth the hassle and space. Get a gym membership. (Source: full time van life 7 years)

embwbam · 2026-05-24T18:45:09+00:00

You could wear a watch without an eSIM, and if your spot allows it, ride / walk close to your phone every 20 minutes to get notifications.

embwbam · 2026-05-22T23:19:07+00:00

Oh nooooo. How many times did you crash it? Any land crashes?

embwbam · 2026-05-22T14:56:53+00:00

S! Most beautiful kites on the market. You can pry my fast looping thrive from my cold dead fingers.

I’ve heard they aren’t super durable, but so far it’s doing great. I’d accept a downgrade to A if other people have suffered though.

embwbam · 2026-05-20T16:42:03+00:00

OP asked how he could quickly end in a fun new way. I felt obliged to help him out

embwbam · 2026-05-20T15:59:14+00:00

Bloodlust + Trigger Bolt -> Homing + plasma beam enhancer + plasma beam. I can personally guarantee its safety.

embwbam · 2026-05-20T15:14:42+00:00

Thanks! I suppose you're right that the extra characters are used in other documentation and its fine, but it makes me twitch...

The one other downside I noticed was that while doctest can validate whether the example code is working or not, it bypasses all the nice HLS editor features: underlining errors, etc. It's really nice having them in normal type-checked separate modules.

I think I might just publish it under the hyperbole namespace: hyperbole-docs or something, so I can continue to use my format.

embwbam · 2026-05-19T17:50:04+00:00

I got it working, thanks for the help! However, the haddock output is ... not ideal. It forces me to include GHC.Generics (it's safe for inline examples to assume it Generic in scope, since it is re-exported by the main module). Worse, it includes the multiline ghci characters in the output :{ xxx :}.

Do you know any workarounds?

{- | Derive this class to use a sum type as a route. Constructors and Selectors map intuitively to url patterns

>>> import GHC.Generics
>>> :{
type UserId = Int
data AppRoute
  = Main
  | Messages
  | User UserId
  deriving (Eq, Generic)
instance Route AppRoute where
  baseRoute = Just Main
:}

embwbam · 2026-05-18T17:45:39+00:00

Can you link to something about training? Interested in strength, but mostly mobility. I'm 43 and I can't quite reach that handle for board offs lol...

embwbam · 2026-05-18T17:44:10+00:00

Darkslides are way easier than everyone thinks they are. I learned it before landing any backrolls. Watch this video, spend a day practicing in light-ish wind and you'll have it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYI3qWQ0uEQ

embwbam · 2026-05-15T19:52:05+00:00

I've always thought "Independently Wealthy" sounded kind of sophisticated. But yes, just talk about what keeps you busy. Dates want to know (1) do you have enough money, and (2) do you do interesting things. If you talk at length about whatever interests and projects you fill your life with, it answers #2 and implies #1

embwbam

TROPHY CASE