In all seriousness, his lovingly and expertly crafted explainers are still going to age like a handcrafted heirloom clock in a world of plastic-clad quartz movements. But it’s absolutely incredible that we are now in an age where a computer can manufacture a serviceable interactive explainer on whatever niche topic you desire.
> So too, is his turn to be relegated to a relic of his time.
No, it'll be tasteful artifact, not a relic. Records, fountain pens and automatic watches did not die. They are used by people who discern things, and no, none of these things have to be expensive (i.e. Neither Seiko 5, nor Lamy Safari are expensive, yet they are as dependable as their 100x expensive brethren).
Human touch still has that finesse and warmth.
On the front page right now - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49980626
OTOH, I still believe the exploded view on https://ciechanow.ski/mechanical-watch/ is something else.
For one, it has real physics on the weight, and second it always shows the correct/current time.
FWIW, his all animations has proper physics to begin with.
The entry you posted is nice, but Ciechanowski is still peerless.
It’s all just surface level complexity with no intention behind it. A clumsy approximation at best.
Amazing work. Always excited for the next update. This was a human driven and created success.
You call it serviceable, but what purpose does this service? What do you now know about 7-speed bicycles that you didn't know before?
If the same explanation works regardless of whether the bicycle has 1, 7, or 21 gears, then the model probably hasn't understood what needs explaining.