Hacker News: Prcmaker

New comment by Prcmaker in "The intracies of modern camera lens repair (2024)"

Prcmaker — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 10:11:39 +0000

I did some work recently while I was between jobs, designing and assembling camera lenses. It was so fascinating, and satisfying. Strongly disappointed they couldn't afford to pay me to stay.

New comment by Prcmaker in "Rumors of my death are slightly exaggerated"

Prcmaker — Fri, 08 May 2026 21:08:46 +0000

I'm truly saddened to hear this Cliff, the way you wrote of her in your book showed such relatable affection.

New comment by Prcmaker in "Splice a Fibre"

Prcmaker — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 21:38:57 +0000

In an old job I spliced a lot of fibre for our research, got the hang of it and got pretty proficient.

My research shifted, and I start making sensors using fibre and similarly sized capillary tube. It all got cleaved, spliced to assemble, cleaved some more, spliced again, then polished to spec. Getting the he process down was a pain, but the results were super satisfying.

New comment by Prcmaker in "Ask HN: What Are You Working On? (December 2025)"

Prcmaker — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 07:22:33 +0000

Currently doing the finishing touches on a ww2 era surface grinder, closing out a new little design, and ramping my fitness up again. Next up is some duct work, some reverse engineering, and finishing my part of a paper.

I haven't had this much time off in over a decade and it's amazing. I've been hoping to get inspire for some outdoors or running related mechanical design/prototyping projects, but nothing yet.

New comment by Prcmaker in "Ask HN: Any advice on pivoting out of VC-backed tech?"

Prcmaker — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 03:44:50 +0000

I've somewhat found the opposite. The cycle I've been in is has had a tight grip on my time and attention that's its been hard to keep up with anything not mission critical. Now I'm backing off, I've got time to get more up to speed.

For keeping challenged long term, I've got a few products I finally have the time to do prototypes for and some chances to work in new areas.

New comment by Prcmaker in "Ask HN: Any advice on pivoting out of VC-backed tech?"

Prcmaker — Sun, 05 Oct 2025 22:07:31 +0000

I quit my job. Its forced me out of the cycle of 'just a bit more' and made change the only option. Is it the smartest move, likely not, but so far I stand by it.

New comment by Prcmaker in "How to be a leader when the vibes are off"

Prcmaker — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 21:01:55 +0000

A very good synopsis. I recently had the chance to put myself as the intermediate member between those expectations and our technical team. It raised the expectations on me, but helped reduce the unrealistic side of those from impacting my team.

It worked brilliantly for a while, but since things were getting done fast, well, and cheap, the expectations increased. I gave notice two weeks ago without a job lined up.

New comment by Prcmaker in "Bootstrapping vs. Venture: Lessons from My Journey"

Prcmaker — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 08:51:22 +0000

Thanks for your input and your time. A lot to think about. Much appreciated.

New comment by Prcmaker in "Bootstrapping vs. Venture: Lessons from My Journey"

Prcmaker — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 21:45:59 +0000

My position is that I've been in a failing start-up for years. Public company, but has burned through all their investment and has reached its ending days spiral. Small amount of equity has declined to be worth next to nothing, passion for the work has declined, both myself and more broadly.

On a week of vacation leave, I went and helped an extended family member in their home business. It combines the best aspects of my past three jobs. High tech, optics, design and manufacture, it's hard, and it's fascinating. There's a clear path to profit, with demand. Might be weeks, might be months, but in the meantime I can't make enough to cover my costs.

I can't risk my family's security. Having loved out of my car while studying, despite over a decade passing, the memory is fresh.

A pay cut would be fine, worth it, but the risk feels so high.

New comment by Prcmaker in "Bootstrapping vs. Venture: Lessons from My Journey"

Prcmaker — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 12:36:28 +0000

I guess my only question is how do you keep yourself from going broke while starting these projects. I've a chance to do some great work now, but it would lower my pay beneath what I can live on.

New comment by Prcmaker in "My Workflow Is 70% AI, 20% Copy-Paste, 10% Panic. What's Yours?"

Prcmaker — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 11:50:33 +0000

50% existential crisis, 50% meetings, 50% work a grad should be doing.

I've just taken a week off to help extended family with a project, and it's reminded me what a good job is.

New comment by Prcmaker in "Solving `Passport Application` with Haskell"

Prcmaker — Sun, 29 Jun 2025 07:58:04 +0000

I think you can play, just much harder to get through the end game stage.

New comment by Prcmaker in "Cockatoos have learned to operate drinking fountains in Australia"

Prcmaker — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 21:32:19 +0000

And the means to achieve that destruction. Cockatoos are like flying bolt cutters.

New comment by Prcmaker in "A New Headache for Honest Students: Proving They Didn't Use A.I"

Prcmaker — Mon, 19 May 2025 00:50:39 +0000

Which, in my experience, almost never has any impact on anything.

New comment by Prcmaker in "Nickel Plating Handbook [pdf]"

Prcmaker — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 07:03:42 +0000

I do this a bunch at home, my setup has also migrated to work. Simple solution made with vinegar, salt and sodium laurel sulphate, then a couple of cheap nickel electrodes. Run current through both to make the nickel acetate, then you're good to go.

New comment by Prcmaker in "Phased Array"

Prcmaker — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 08:50:27 +0000

Doesn't WiFi AC do beam forming?

New comment by Prcmaker in "Ask HN: What are you working on (September 2024)?"

Prcmaker — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 01:28:50 +0000

Amongst a couple of guitar builds, I'm reverse engineering a bronze woodworking plane from the 80s/90s, a good friends dad used to make them. It's taken me over a decade to track one down, so I'm hoping to produce a set of models and drawings before passing on the original to my friend to hand down to their pending child.

New comment by Prcmaker in "NIST to forbid requirement of specific passwords character composition"

Prcmaker — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 07:29:14 +0000

In my experience, you get labelled as not being a team player.

New comment by Prcmaker in "Ask HN: Who is hiring? (September 2024)"

Prcmaker — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 21:10:02 +0000

Awesome, that sounds like a lot of fun. Good luck to your applicants.

New comment by Prcmaker in "Australian employees now have the right to ignore work emails, calls after hours"

Prcmaker — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 02:22:57 +0000

I would like to see that happen, however, the current available guidance from FWC is worded very with a vast deal of of flexibility in it, and is highly open to interpretation. A manager may, in theory, decide any person responsible for any task may be contacted outside of hours. I've not seen anything truly restrictive.