Hacker News: HeyLaughingBoy

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "Twin brothers wipe 96 government databases minutes after being fired"

HeyLaughingBoy — Wed, 13 May 2026 21:24:32 +0000

Next time I'm bored and need a project, I'm building that ;-)

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "Residents furious as Utah approves datacenter twice the size of Manhattan"

HeyLaughingBoy — Wed, 13 May 2026 18:21:14 +0000

That URL makes me shudder: an entire county full of Box Elder bugs!

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "I want to live like Costco people"

HeyLaughingBoy — Fri, 08 May 2026 19:51:52 +0000

This has to be sarcasm, right?

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "Can I disable all data collection from my vehicle?"

HeyLaughingBoy — Fri, 01 May 2026 18:58:01 +0000

I'm sure they are, but I live in rural MN and Teslas are fairly common here, including the (barf!) Cybertruck. I'm seeing an increasing number of Rivian SUV's now.

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "Can I disable all data collection from my vehicle?"

HeyLaughingBoy — Fri, 01 May 2026 18:56:05 +0000

Sure, but you have to realize that everyone isn't you. Many people are quite comfortable messing with the deep internals of their vehicle, to the point of changing code in the ECU. Others won't even change an air filter. Takes all kinds.

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "Can I disable all data collection from my vehicle?"

HeyLaughingBoy — Fri, 01 May 2026 18:49:40 +0000

Not disagreeing with you in general, but as another datapoint, in MN a vehicle only needs a theft inspection (no charge) to clear a Salvage title. DMV explicitly states that it's not a safety inspection. They really only care that you didn't repair it with stolen parts. IME you show them receipts for parts you bought, and the inspection is over in less than 5 minutes.

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "How Mark Klein told the EFF about Room 641A [book excerpt]"

HeyLaughingBoy — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 21:39:16 +0000

Trolls get bored sometimes.

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price"

HeyLaughingBoy — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 19:25:22 +0000

First farm death I ever knew of was related to me by a friend who used to live on the farm next to the dead person. He had PTO engaged but engine running while he was fixing a (I think) thresher. Clutch must have engaged and his dead, flailing remains were found by his wife when she came to call him in for dinner.

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "I'm done making desktop applications (2009)"

HeyLaughingBoy — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 18:24:13 +0000

It's hard to believe not only that this is 17 years old, but that I remember when he posted it!

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "3.4M Solar Panels"

HeyLaughingBoy — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 20:59:16 +0000

I was going to say that's weird because around here (I live in a rural community), all the new barns going up and many new houses, have solar panels on the roofs. Given the cost to run power hundreds, if not thousands of feet to an outbuilding, it's no wonder people are putting up solar.

However, my general area is somewhat upscale, so that might account for it.

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price"

HeyLaughingBoy — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 19:27:32 +0000

The problem with your argument is that the smarter farmer does indeed need all that tech if they're expecting high productivity.

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price"

HeyLaughingBoy — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 19:24:25 +0000

You still can. My 26-year-old took automotive shop when he was a Junior in HS. Of course, we live in a rural school district...

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "Alberta startup sells no-tech tractors for half price"

HeyLaughingBoy — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 19:20:56 +0000

Toyota marketing says that they're selling you a worse engine?

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "How Motorola’s 2N2222 and 2N3904 transistors became the default NPNs"

HeyLaughingBoy — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 19:59:26 +0000

> I guarantee you the cheaper transistor works just fine

From -50C to 70C? How much shock & vibration can it withstand?

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "How Motorola’s 2N2222 and 2N3904 transistors became the default NPNs"

HeyLaughingBoy — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 19:55:08 +0000

I die a little inside every time I see a 741 being used in a circuit created in the last 10 years. I'd say last 20 years, but then I'd be really dead by now!

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "Ask HN: Building a solo business is impossible?"

HeyLaughingBoy — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:39:12 +0000

> I just don’t know how to find the people who have problems

They are all over the internet. Including in this thread, if you read carefully. e.g., OP is clearly stating a problem.

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "The "Passive Income" trap ate a generation of entrepreneurs"

HeyLaughingBoy — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 22:23:41 +0000

Right? That's my ultimate goal.

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "The "Passive Income" trap ate a generation of entrepreneurs"

HeyLaughingBoy — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:42:51 +0000

> thought it was unethical for me to place wealth building ahead of career building

Twelve year olds?

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "DIY Soft Drinks"

HeyLaughingBoy — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:52:30 +0000

Bottles are easy to find. I homebrew my own ginger ale and use Grolsch-style sealing caps to withstand the pressure. Buy them on Amazon.

New comment by HeyLaughingBoy in "How NASA built Artemis II’s fault-tolerant computer"

HeyLaughingBoy — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 22:08:18 +0000

There really is. We designed a redundant system (software, hardware and mechanisms) a couple years ago. And the problems around figuring out who's in control and how to keep things synchronized across a number of potential failure modes gets really hairy. Sadly, the project was cancelled before we could complete the implementation.