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Joined 3 years ago
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Cake day: June 17th, 2023

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  • A lot technically are electric motorbikes (or would be under UK law, where I live).

    To be an ebike, it needs to have no more than 250W peak power, have a power assist speed limit of 25kph (15mph) and require pedaling for power assist.

    If it goes outside any of these, it becomes a electric motorbike, and requires a numberplate, insurance etc.

    These rules seem very reasonable to me. Though I can see an argument for a slightly higher power limit for electric cargo bikes (400/500W). They are also starting to be enforced more critically now.

    I’ve no issues with electric dirt bikes, but they belong with the road traffic at that point, not on the cycling infrastructure.


  • It’s a mix here. Those in private businesses tend to be open and easy to grab. The ones in a box on a street corner are code locked.

    I suspect it makes sense. The slight delay would be fairly minimal. You are likely on the phone to emergency services already.

    It’s quite effective at stopping people messing with them however. Unfortunately, it only takes a few idiots to ruin things. Both thieves and bored teenagers could take an interest in them, and render them useless. A simple code lock makes it clear it’s not to be touched without need.

    I’ve not looked closely enough to see if any have a “break glass” type access system as well.








  • It’s also worth adding, if your child comes to you, having fucked up, don’t berate them, they already know. E.g. sent nudes to someone who is now trying to blackmail them. It’s so easy to do, under the pressure, but you must resist.

    Instead thank them for coming to you, and let them know you can fix it together, they are not alone. You can discuss what they should have done, and what to do in the future once you’re both thoroughly past emotional reactions to it. Till then you’re in protection mode, not teaching mode.





  • Sometimes it’s an unpleasant balancing act. If you punish too excessively, then it causes more harm. Companies that would have cooperated, or even come forward voluntarily, will, instead, bury the info. This can slow/stop the recall process and lead to more harm.

    We don’t know enough details about what happened in the background to judge too harshly. They might have bent over backwards, behind the scenes to help fix the damage (or the regulators were lazy).







  • It’s worth noting that I think both should exist.

    No software dependence at all if possible, just a basic microcontroller and firmware.

    Agreed, I just want a ZigBee endpoint as well.

    As for the smart home stuff, I already have it in place, so it’s no additional expense.

    Control wise, your method would be fine for someone techie and motivated. It would annoy the hell out of some non techies, particularly if they had vision issues (think OAP). It would also close down the option of relatives helping out by monitoring it remotely.

    As I said, different target audiences. Both have their places. I just wish the smart option did its job properly, rather than the half baked options we keep getting.