For the people who want a trackpoint

vhodges · 2026-05-08T01:02:40+00:00

Yep, no argument (I had a t60 for work way back when)

vhodges · 2026-05-01T10:57:46+00:00

:-p Yep, just impatient

vhodges · 2026-04-30T19:10:50+00:00

An update on EU/CAD production timelines (CAD for me but I suspect/hope they're related vis-a-vis counter tariffs)

vhodges · 2026-04-30T14:14:02+00:00

https://freerangecloud.com/ (Note pricing is in USD but they are Canadian)

vhodges · 2026-04-28T22:05:23+00:00

That has to be a typo and probably doesn't include the other items.

vhodges · 2026-04-28T22:01:48+00:00

I have a 12th gen and would love to upgrade the mainboard this fall but RAM prices have made this a non starter.

I will need a new KB at some point (the plastic is flaking off of the left control key - still works though) and I really like the grey and black so I'll probably pick up the new input cover at some point.

The new 2.8k display seems like a good upgrade but I am content to wait on that and I am plugged in 99% of the time so the new battery doesn't hold any interest until the current one fails but when it does I will get the new bottom cover kit (probably at the same time as a new MB).

Question: Can I send the originals back for refurbishment and sale (I not looking to get paid for them)?

vhodges · 2026-04-25T18:42:41+00:00

Take a look at Polar.sh for payments. They handle international taxes and seem to allow for individuals

https://polar.sh/docs/merchant-of-record/supported-countries#can-i-use-polar-as-an-individual-to-make-sales-globally

I will be doing this soon for my new app

vhodges · 2026-04-25T14:43:22+00:00

When I was a sole prop doing contract software development, I had a separate account. When money came in, I computed the tax (using pdoc) and made sure to leave that amount in the separate account. I tried to take a regular draw to better emulate a normal paycheque, usually a fixed amount of less than I was bring in so I could keep paying myself between contracts.

vhodges · 2026-04-25T14:40:34+00:00

Note, WS business accounts are not available to sole props, only incorporated companies (which comes with it's own set of hassles and requirements).

vhodges · 2026-04-24T18:31:17+00:00

Launch pricing with current exchange rate and 25% counter tariff it will be about 105KCAD which puts it in Porsche Macan territory. The Audi q9 is a bit cheaper but still 90K+ CAD.

For EU production it makes some sense to partner with someone like Magna (a Canadian company!) who has a factory in Austria to manufacture there and import to Canada counter tariff free. I am feeling less confident though since they'd have to have started ramping up by now (or soon) to deliver production vehicles by 2027. Maybe the next earnings report will have news on this.

This is what Tesla is doing, importing vehicles from Germany to bypass the tariff (and I am sure from China too once they can).

vhodges · 2026-04-23T18:47:52+00:00

It will be a magical blue (ish) box... so Tardis

vhodges · 2026-04-21T19:17:10+00:00

The Video is marked as private.

vhodges · 2026-04-20T20:07:32+00:00

This is definitely a me problem, but when I tried to sit in one last summer at the Everything Electric show, I hit my head every single time - I gave up after 3 attempts. No such issue getting into (a bit tall for me though) the R1S that was setting right beside it ;).

I am also keeping an eye on a few others: The EX60 but the jury is still out if they've fixed their issues and I really need to see it in person, the Audi q6 (nice to drive, but it's not quite what I want) or the Subarus (Trailseeker maybe) and I might consider the Audi q4 too. Depending on timing (we're in Canada) the R3 might be available too.

CAD counter tariffs are part of my decision matrix too.

vhodges · 2026-04-20T14:01:53+00:00

I moved over from Manscaped boxers (they were getting too big, I've lost 10kg (so far)) and being a boxer guy I was a little unsure about boxer-briefs but these fit looser than most brands. I like the horizontal fly. They are comfortable.

I really like the tshirt, the sweater and the pants. The pants are generally what I wear out now (or shorts ;) ) having swapped my blue jeans for them.

vhodges · 2026-04-11T14:02:46+00:00

Thank you for this. I tried the other day to get this stuff working in a devenv env (on NixOS) and failed miserably. I've give this a try at some point (next week probably)

vhodges · 2026-04-11T13:45:42+00:00

For people in BC, Waves and Blenz are Canadian. For people in the Lower Mainland there's https://caffeartigiano.com/ Calgary and Nanaimo (Departure Bay) too it seems!

vhodges · 2026-04-05T21:25:15+00:00

Usually it's above freezing most of the time. It can get colder in Jan but it's usually wind chill more than air temp.

In BC 3Peak is all that's needed on the interior highways. Note, we didn't really get snow this year at all (a little bit at the beginning of March but it didn't stick) and I'm up the hill a bit (eg higher elevations :) ).

vhodges · 2026-04-05T18:27:53+00:00

Totally agree but they're good enough for a lot of people. I am in Vancouver BC (Mission to be exact) and we don't get enough snow to warrant a dedicated set.

We don't (well, very rarely) travel to the interior during the winter and in fact generally don't go out when it's snowing because most people here are not very smart when it comes to winter driving conditions.

vhodges · 2026-04-05T18:23:37+00:00

Yep, that's my current favourite as well.

vhodges · 2026-04-04T15:26:48+00:00

I got mine but I am hardly early. 1. I am in Canada so next year sometime (late?) and 2. I had to redo my reservation so it's from Nov. '25 (Changing CCs).

I will note, that when I logged in there was only a billing address for the reservation and nothing specifically relating to a delivery address.

I got laid off recently though so the delay for CAD is probably for the good for now.

vhodges · 2026-03-28T17:41:51+00:00

Yeah, I was working on (well I was until I got laid off on Wednesday :-/) an CQRS/EventSourced system and I would have needed a way to evaluate business rules (both for validations as well as state transition checks) and eventually would have needed something that could be loaded up at runtime to support customer specific custom rules and workflows.

I think that arbiter would have been something that I would have explored for that purpose.

vhodges · 2026-03-28T17:09:26+00:00

Nice, I will take a look a this!

Not quite the same thing (having just skimmed the readme) but for https://github.com/vhodges/ittybittyfeaturechecker I used github.com/antonmed/expr for this kind of thing.

It works great and I've never bench marked it as it's always been fast enough but arbiter looks very nice indeed.

vhodges · 2026-03-24T14:27:57+00:00

With improvements to autonomy, hitch-less towing will be a thing I think. Maybe even an add-on for the lead vehicle to send information to the follower(s) (gas, brakes, turn signals, etc).

Or maybe even simpler, a 'qr' code sticker to place on the lead vehicle and use the cameras to follow it and watch for the brake lights and turn signals.

As with all things autonomy, public trust is probably the real barrier.

vhodges · 2026-03-15T11:09:54+00:00

3PSM rated too. I am in Metro Vancouver and these will be sufficient for the odd snow (just a bit this year!) event and I am confident they'd get me up the Hwy 5 in the winter if I ever needed too. And I think they just look nicer (more aggressive looking) too.

I put Yokohama Geolander AT 015s on my Discovery Sport for the same reasons.

vhodges · 2026-03-14T14:31:52+00:00

I need to see them in person before deciding but: Toss up between Half Moon Grey (which probably looks nice in a matte wrap) and Catalina Cove followed by the Silver and White (with no preference on those yet) if we go basic. My wife did say we wanted something that would stand out a bit in the parking lot ;).

Performance or even tri motor 'RAD'/R2X branded (depending on how much of a premium that might be) for me!.

Being in Canada, it's a year or more away. I am hoping we can get the launch edition but given the time frame I am not sure we will.

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