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kbaker

1,412 karma · joined February 9, 2012

Embedded systems engineer + software developer... My 'full stack' means PCB design and layout, RF + RFID, components + sourcing + product design (even some mechanical), kernel dev + bare metal embedded OS distros, add more layers of C, Python, Java, or .NET to tie it all together, then a nice-looking web frontend to top it off. Lots of fun to be had at every level!

send me email! username at gmail. [ my public key: https://keybase.io/kbaker; my proof: https://keybase.io/kbaker/sigs/sGOx8W59UuZWbo2z0B_5fbOKqvu0qyn42orx8wi2x_I ]

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kbaker··on Commercial jet collides with Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan airport
Another problem is the maximum entry age for the ATC school - if you are over the age of 31 you can't apply.
kbaker··on Using the Rust standard library with the NuttX RTOS
https://arewertosyet.com/

has a big list. The definition of what is an RTOS and how much is in software vs hardware is a blurry area.

https://rtic.rs/2/book/en/#is-rtic-an-rtos

kbaker··on Track your devices via Apple FindMy network in Go/TinyGo
Hopefully the next few years will see Bluetooth Channel Sounding take off more. Promises to give every BLE device a similar (but less accurate than UWB) distance estimation feature.

https://www.bluetooth.com/learn-about-bluetooth/feature-enha...

kbaker··on PlasticList's Advice for Food Companies
hmm, I think some of your ratings might be very misleading. One of the ideas behind plasticlist was looking at things like plastic packaging leaching into the product itself, which wouldn't be in the ingredients list.

For example, you list Fairlife Core Power Chocolate Protein Shake as 100/100 but it is on the plasticlist report as containing levels of DEHP and DEHT, likely coming from the packaging. Not sure what an accurate rating would be, but not 100 for sure.

Maybe it works for non-food items better, but for food it might be counterproductive.

kbaker··on Claude AI built me a React app to compare maps side by side
Where the libraries are new/not known to the LLM yet, I just go find the most similar examples in the docs and chuck them in the context window too (easy to do with aider.) Then say 'fix it'. Does an incredible job.
kbaker··on Everything I built with Claude Artifacts this week
You may want to peek at the system prompts Aider uses. I think this is part of the secret sauce that makes it so good.

https://github.com/Aider-AI/aider/blob/main/aider/coders/edi...

excerpt: """ Act as an expert software developer. Always use best practices when coding. Respect and use existing conventions, libraries, etc that are already present in the code base. {lazy_prompt} Take requests for changes to the supplied code. If the request is ambiguous, ask questions.

Always reply to the user in the same language they are using.

Once you understand the request you MUST: """ ... etc...

kbaker··on Effects of Gen AI on High Skilled Work: Experiments with Software Developers
Yeah, Copilot is meh. Aider-chat for things with GPT-4 earlier this year was a huge step up.

But recently using Claude Sonnet + Haiku through OpenRouter also with aider, and it is like a new dimension of programming.

Working on new projects in Rust and a separate SPA frontend, it just ... implements whatever you ask like magic. Gets it about 90-95% right at the first prompt. Since I am pretty new to Rust, there are a lot of idiomatic things to learn, and lots of std convenience functions I don't yet know about, but the AI does. Figuring out the best prompt and context for it to be effective is now the biggest task.

It will be crazy to see where things go over the next few years... do all junior programmers just disappear? Do all programmers become prompt engineers first?

kbaker··on WatchYourLAN: Lightweight Network IP Scanner
Don't they all come from here?

https://regauth.standards.ieee.org/standards-ra-web/pub/view...

Just download the latest of all of the MA-L, MA-M, MA-S to embed in your app.

kbaker··on Aerc: A well-crafted TUI for email
For anyone else wondering, it is written in Go.
kbaker··on Google is a monopoly – the fix isn't obvious
Mozilla is a bit of a stretch for sure, but I could see Chromium and maybe Android moved off onto their own independent organizations so they are not beholden to Google/Alphabet's whims. I am imagining something like the Linux Foundation.

Chromium especially is so core to being a building block for applications and the modern Internet nowadays, it does seem like this core infrastructure piece should be more collectively owned.

kbaker··on A hydrogen-powered air taxi flew 523 miles emitting only water vapor
N542BJ is the tail number (not N542B,) flightradar24 has the Mode S code listed even though the flight data is locked there. https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n542bj#

Some test flights around 6/23 - 6/27. Looks like a pretty boring way to get 523 miles. They should fly the loops over the Indianapolis Speedway instead.

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a6df7c&lat=36.689&lon=-...

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a6df7c&lat=36.689&lon=-...

kbaker··on Home Assistant: Three years later
We installed a Lutron Sunnata to replace a 3 way and dimmer. They are awesome, with a capacitive-touch LEDs bar graph replacing the slider. They feel really like the right solution.

https://residential.lutron.com/us/en/stand-alone-controls/su...

kbaker··on .ai website registrations are a windfall for tiny Anguilla
Cameroon .cm is a good one. Close to a typo squat like .co
kbaker··on Fired comedian ordered to get day job back after jokes ruled 'simply funny'
Maybe we could have a different upvote system, like marking a post +1 Funny vs +1 Insightful. Then users could adjust their own personal scoring if they don't want to see humorous posts.

Ahh, maybe too complicated. (/s)

kbaker··on Smallest Typeface
https://dotsies.org/ maybe?
kbaker··on Can Microsoft Flight Simulator help me learn to fly or make me a better pilot?
I found X-Plane VR useful for practicing basic traffic pattern work.

But it definitely needed to be VR to be helpful, to see your relative position vs the airport and runway, pattern altitude, etc.

Did not help with stalls or landings, which are more based on the feel of the aircraft.

kbaker··on Nobody knows what's happening online anymore
I really enjoy the Garbage Day email newsletter. (disclaimer, I am a paid subscriber.)

Distills the cesspool of the algorithmic feeds to present up-to-date trends, popular memes, etc. as well as a general commentary of the sad state of the modern Internet and our engagement-driven AI-training future.

I don't have a desire to join all the 'socials' myself, but it is nice to try and view at arm's length what 'the new generation' is seeing and thinks is popular.

kbaker··on If you can use open source, you can build hardware
Agreed. Also, the kinds of passive safety needed to not burn your house down in the event of a code error or other design issue.

The hardware design is the last line of defense before you can do real-world damage.

Things like fuses, ESD and surge protection, watchdog timers, often get overlooked in a hobbyist or even open-source design... it takes (sometimes hard-won) experience to know when these things are required.

kbaker··on Tell HN: t.co is adding a five-second delay to some domains
Is that pronounced like "Shitter"? Huh.
kbaker··on Unicorn – A full-stack web framework for Django
This is correct. It looks like there is good integration with existing Django models: https://www.django-unicorn.com/docs/django-models/
kbaker··on How and when the chip shortage will end
The worst parts of the chip shortage are not affecting the newer modern lines.

It is the older lines, making voltage regulators and power management chips, making it difficult to put the whole solution together.

While some of these chips could be redesigned to use new processes, or older designs with larger format fabs brought up to accommodate demand, both of these situations are short-term and thus no one wants to invest.

kbaker··on Launch HN: CodeComplete (YC W23) – Copilot for Enterprise
MIT only needs attribution for redistributing "all copies or substantial portions of the Software".

Juat reading the code shouldn't be illegal, and producing a short snippet based on the code but not identical shouldn't count as a "substantial portion", but IANAL...

kbaker··on Nobody needs a faster dishwasher – solve real user needs
I've switched over to using Cascade Gel in the prewash and a Platinum pod in main wash after watching the video a couple months ago. I felt the powder stuff gets kinda messy amd the gel is easier.

I don't need to pre rinse and scrub anymore. Silverware, dishes, and pots go straight in even with food residue dried on, so I save a bunch of time.

Everything comes out perfectly spotless and squeaky clean. Older GE dishwasher on auto.

kbaker··on Starlink V2 Mini Satellites with 4x the bandwidth, E-Band, and Argon thrusters
Not only those good times, but these V2 satellites will enable direct-to-satellite LTE connectivity on T-mobile, using existing cell phones. Cell coverage anywhere you can see the sky!

A huge benefit to safety in rural and other areas without existing cell coverage.

https://www.shacknews.com/article/132035/spacex-tmobile-star...

kbaker··on Buy hi-resolution satellite images of any place on earth
https://openaerialmap.org/ exists!
kbaker··on Wasmer 3.0
In your view, why does it not make sense? It certainly seems appealing as a universal runtime, and lives up to its claims as long as things like WASI get standardized.
kbaker··on The Tesla Cyberquad for kids has been recalled for not meeting safety standards
My headlights were shooting straight out when I picked it up (Oct 2020 Y) and I needed to lower the angle myself in a settings menu to not be blinding to oncoming cars.

Maybe this is a more common thing that people need to adjust...

kbaker··on Ask HN: Who is hiring? (September 2022)
Venture Research Inc. | Senior Software Engineer | Plano, TX (Dallas, TX, DFW) | On-Site/Hybrid/Remote | http://www.ventureresearch.com

Interested in RFID and IoT? In improving inventory and replenishment processes in hospitals, labs, and clinics and Aerospace?

Venture Research is a leader in the RFID/IoT industry and is consistently pushing the leading edge of what is possible using RFID/IoT technologies. We have a variety of opportunities available for both fast-paced new product design and development as well as for development on some of our long-term stable products. >20 year old small but growing company, privately held, with excellent benefits, 401K matching, paid health insurance and highly competitive salary and bonus structure.

We are hiring for the following positions:

* Senior HTML/CSS/JS - .NET Core 6 / Front End developer

* Back end / API developer - MSSQL, Oracle, Postgres.

Please email resumes to hr@ventureresearch.com, or use the email in my profile. Thanks!

kbaker··on Take more screenshots
Fellow TimeSnapper user. I combine it with a script that collapses it to a daily archive video. 4kx2 monitor setup, at 5 second intervals, have also been saving things for >5 years now.

It feels like a superpower sometimes... Reviewing the exact research steps of projects from years ago based on a timestamp from browser history, digging up an archaic screenshot of just the right configuration screen based on a file modification date, etc.

Sorry you find it useless...

kbaker··on Ubuntu Core 22 is now available – optimised for IoT and embedded devices
We switched our base server build OS to Debian. Has been great so far and runs with very low resources / extra fluff.
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