February 3, 2026
Analog math, digital meltdowns
Ask HN: Is there anyone here who still uses slide rules?
Pilots, gamers, and dads are dusting off slide rules—and the comments are wild
TLDR: A simple question about slide rules lit up Hacker News with nostalgia, DIY hacks, and cockpit drama. Pilots defend their E6B, gamers 3D‑print tools, skeptics say skills fade—showing why tactile gear still challenges app-first habits and fuels real debates about learning and practicality.
Hacker News asked a simple question: do people still use slide rules? Cue an avalanche of nostalgia, snark, and surprisingly fierce loyalties. One pilot proudly sticks to the E6B—an old-school flight calculator—even though, as they admit, other pilots throw shade. Another commenter says their skills have atrophied: use it or lose it became a mini theme. Meanwhile, the thread’s quirky hero designed and 3D‑printed a rotary slide rule to crush math in the card-based roguelike Balatro, complete with wrap-around numbers and tactile satisfaction. He even shared pics and files here, and someone chimed in that twisting it feels like “operating a Stargate.” Practical types pushed back: inherited slide rules gather dust, and woodworking math isn’t exactly worth busting out plastic rulers. Others countered that the physical feel teaches intuition apps don’t. There’s even a supply-side scuffle—one person swears nobody makes them anymore, another drops a German shop link for the "Rechenschieber" here. Humor hit hard too, with a parent joking they whip out a slide rule to intimidate underperforming kids. Verdict? It’s retro meets rebel: part vibe, part tool, and totally comment‑section chaos.
Key Points
- •An Ask HN post queries whether people still use slide rules today.
- •A contributor built a custom 3D‑printed rotary slide rule to aid Balatro gameplay calculations.
- •The device features three octaves for different orders of magnitude and wrap-around scales; example: 353×24 yields 8.47 (thousand).
- •Project resources include a Printables page (.STL files), a GitHub repository, and plotting code via Marimo notebooks running Python over WASM.
- •Slide rules remain available for purchase in Germany, with a product link provided.