120 points by tcfhgj 4 days ago | 164 comments
delichon 4 days ago
Somewhere along the line I read advice not to let objects become totems. I heeded that over the years and have let things go when they seemed to acquire power over me. But sometimes I wish I held on to a few more things from sentiment if not practicality.
WillAdams 4 days ago
I have a ceramic milk jug of my great-great-grandfather who was a Civil war veteran (alongside his son) which my daughter will take responsibility for when she gets her first home --- it may be that she will donate it to a library or museum --- her choice.
Similarly, I have thousands of books --- my will directs that any which my children do not wish to keep are to be taken to my memorial/funeral service and each person attending will be asked to take at least one, and to relate how they knew me and why they picked the book which they did. (A project for future me is to get acid-free bookplates w/ archival adhesive and apply them to all my books, or maybe I'll just print bookmarks on acid-free paper and put one in each book)
Unfortunately, none of the bikes which I had when I was younger survived/were kept (in particular, the Huffy Wind 15-speed had its frame bent on a rainy day because I was never taught to put your foot on the front wheel to slow down) --- currently have two, a folding Montague Swissbike and a Twicycle --- we'll see how they hold up and if I get a third (lusting for a Helix folding bike).
Lastly, while I don't have the exact bow (Bear Archery Little Bear) which I got for Christmas when I was 10, I bought one like to it for my son when he expressed an interest in archery, so at least he has that.
toomuchtodo 4 days ago
Also, strongly consider not waiting until death to pass along heirlooms. Give them when you can still enjoy someone else enjoying them, it keeps the memories alive through time. Possessions are fleeting, but we remember how something (or someone) made us feel.
graemep 4 days ago
WillAdams 4 days ago
Might make a nice tradition for bibliophiles. Somewhat evocative of the "I was a friend of <the deceased>." from Frank Herbert's _Dune_ which is where I got the idea from --- that and a friend's funeral where his nieces seemed somewhat taken aback by folks such as myself who were in attendance whom they had could not recall having seen before (the only one I had seen previously was a babe in arms at the time, and that didn't seem meet to bring up).
The kids are also supposed to take all the unopened bottles from my liquor cabinet and offer them to the Honor Guard/Chaplain as a thank you, with a request that they use them to drink a toast in my honor at some later occasion.
xandrius 4 days ago
techjamie 4 days ago
My mom died when I was 20, so I've had this wallet for a few years longer than I ever had with her.
somat 4 days ago
CobaltFire 4 days ago
My wife gave it to me about 18 years ago (when we were dating). We laugh about me looking for a replacement, but never do.
Freak_NL 4 days ago
She gave it to me a few years before her death because she couldn't lift it safely any more, and knew I would actually use it and appreciate it. Suffice to say that I still use it frequently, and hope to have it see its centennial jubilee in use.
bitwize 4 days ago
It was one of the most beautiful partings with a cherished object I'd ever heard of.
jamal-kumar 4 days ago
I definitely don't need them anymore but keep them around as a cool antique which I might need again someday and as a reminder that contemporary designs aren't necessarily better... Crazy that they've been in service for longer than anyone alive in my family.
UniverseHacker 4 days ago
For example, serious long distance cyclists mostly still use old fashioned hard leather saddles, which case a lot less pain and numbness on a long ride than the modern padded ones.
Gigachad 4 days ago
Those fat padded seats only come on those $200 bikes sold to people who don’t ride bikes because it looks more comfortable.
UniverseHacker 3 days ago
Modern race seats are molded material- plastic or carbon fiber, with a small layer of padding and then a covering. There may be race seats without padding, but most have a little. They have a small amount of padding that is then often used with padded shorts.
pandaman 4 days ago
wizzwizz4 4 days ago
UniverseHacker 2 days ago
quitit 4 days ago
fy20 4 days ago
One time I feel asleep in the other bedroom, with our old mattress which was a lot firmer, and I woke up without any pain. Tried a few times on both, and yes, the firmer mattress is better for me.
funkyfourier 4 days ago
The miracle is that the battery is still chugging along, my guess is that it must be around 70% capacity compared to new. I do realize this was quite a big gamble since who knows how much longer the battery will last.
I wish e-bikes was designed to be more modular and less proprietary so you could easily swap out for example (parts of) the motor and battery for a reasonable sum. As examplified in TFA the frame can last more or less forever and the rest of the parts are changeable and can also last a pretty long time.
Next time I get an e-bike I will probably convert an mechanical bike using a Bafang kit or something like that, since they seem to have more of those traits.
woleium 4 days ago
Ebikes can be repairable, but a lot of the prefab ones are truly awful, intentionally confusing wiring and controllers that are locked down, etc.
Better to build your own, check the endless sphere forums for some good guides.
this thread covers why prebuilt ones are unfixable https://endless-sphere.com/sphere/threads/tons-of-dead-1-2-y...
lb1lf 4 days ago
Their manic attention to detail is only surpassed by an almost fanatical devotion to documentation and standardization.
They still make replacement parts for 30+ year old designs, and sounded almost apologetic when explaining to me (very patiently) that a critical component for an embedded device manufactured in Western Germany was no longer available, so I had to upgrade the control to the next generation (introduced way back in 2012 or so...).
No sweat - the replacement device could be configured as a drop-in replacement.
I wish more companies were like that.
Gud 4 days ago
Devices built from the ground up to be modular, not because of regulations, but because of market forces?
Moto7451 4 days ago
Framework is solving the “I’d like something modular but slicker than a Clevo and with a support line that is willing to go a bit further than selling an ODM unit to a middle man like Sager.”
If you don’t know who Clevo is but you know who Framework is, that means Framework’s plan is winning.
For E Bikes there are a couple big brands with good support and some boutiques that will take care of you. The big box store stuff using Bosch parts are more of a Wild West.
Gud 4 days ago
Standard battery inter connectors, software APIs, etc.
wizzwizz4 4 days ago
What I really want is detailed schematics, ideally machine-readable, so I can attach things together at the lowest level that my use-case requires, while still able to use high-level interfaces if I need to.
When two devices that naturally speak the same, simple wire protocol have to interoperate via USB-C because of regulations, I cry a little. This isn't how things were meant to be, and isn't what the regulations were meant to achieve.
Gigachad 4 days ago
woleium 4 days ago
petre 4 days ago
ywvcbk 4 days ago
woleium 2 days ago
93po 4 days ago
I think front hub motor + internal geared hub on back + belt drive is the ideal bike for me. Only downside is not getting to do power wheelies :)
ywvcbk 4 days ago
whamlastxmas 3 days ago
tcfhgj 4 days ago
93po 3 days ago
dn3500 4 days ago
drzaiusx11 4 days ago
I enjoy working on my bikes as they're fairly standard as far as parts go. Swapped the original 26" tires for 640Bs, removed front derailleur for more rear gears, changed hand bars, etc. The bike has grown and changed along with me through the years.
zikduruqe 4 days ago