<rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>Hacker News: Steve44</title><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=Steve44</link><description>Hacker News RSS</description><docs>https://hnrss.org/</docs><generator>hnrss v2.1.1</generator><lastBuildDate>Sat, 13 Jun 2026 17:40:50 +0000</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://hnrss.org/user?id=Steve44" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"></atom:link><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "Two EA-18 fighter jets collide at Mountain Home airshow, pilots ejected safely"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Apart from the command ejection in two seaters like this one, where depending on the configuration when one person ejects it triggers the other seat, I can only think of one automatic ejection and that is on the F35B as used by the Royal Navy.<p>If it looses either the lift or main engine the resulting pitch change would be too rapid for a human to react to so the system triggers ejection.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 18 May 2026 14:04:34 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48180095</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48180095</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48180095</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "Two EA-18 fighter jets collide at Mountain Home airshow, pilots ejected safely"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p><a href="https://x.com/Brick_Suit/status/2056183711549608239" rel="nofollow">https://x.com/Brick_Suit/status/2056183711549608239</a><p>It doesn't look like a fancy manoeuvrer, just slow repositioning and they drifted into each other.<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QlJrUX1Ags" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QlJrUX1Ags</a> is probably a better link to the clip.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 18 May 2026 12:56:28 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48179127</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48179127</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48179127</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "The locals don't know"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I've lived in London, various places within the M25, for about 40 years now and still walk around looking up and enjoying exploring both new and old places.  We do the Hidden City treasure hunts which is a great way of finding new spots.<p>Tower of London is good, there is so much history in there and a number of exhibitions well worth seeing.<p>I've done most of the "tourist traps"[1] and really enjoyed them.  The London Eye gives you great views, especially at sunset; The Shard (cocktail bar, not done the viewing platform) is a bit expensive and style over substance but still worth doing once; Buckingham Palace is a world class historical living building; The South Bank has a lot going on and also gives great views of London; The Royal Albert Hall is a stunning concert venue; most of the big museums are free.<p>The one place I've not done as it really doesn't appeal to me is Madame Tussauds.<p>[1] Compared to other cites apart from the pedal rickshaws and the find-the-lady on Westminster bridge I don't think London is inundated with rip-off tourist traps like many other cities appear to be.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 11 May 2026 09:15:36 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48092751</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48092751</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48092751</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "The surprisingly complex journey to text-selectable client-side generated PDFs"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>We have a couple of large customers who will only send remittance advices as a PDF, the are several pages and a couple of hundred rows.  Apparently their system can not send XLSX or any other format.<p>I've been a happy user of Tabula[1] for a few years and it works really well, for my needs anyway.<p>I just import, auto-detect tables, select "Stream", and then export to a CSV.<p>[1] <a href="https://tabula.technology/" rel="nofollow">https://tabula.technology/</a>
[1] <a href="https://github.com/tabulapdf/tabula" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/tabulapdf/tabula</a></p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2026 12:55:54 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48062393</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48062393</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48062393</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "Mahjong: A Visual Guide"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I think the problem is that website shows NESW going clockwise, is should be the other way.<p>>   N<p>> E   W<p>>   S<p>(sorry about formatting)</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 26 Apr 2026 16:01:26 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47911342</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47911342</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47911342</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "Mahjong: A Visual Guide"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I've been playing a few times a year with family and once we got over the steep learning curve we really enjoy it and play for many hours several times a year.<p>What has helped a LOT is we've developed a double sided sheet we print out with the basic game mechanics, tiles, and scoring.  It still needs some tweaking but means our rules[1] are clear and we can quickly refer to them as we're playing.<p>We've a second sheet which shows the winds, once that's been decided we just just orientate it with the players.<p>[1] We're very aware there are lots of sets of rules, we've just decided on the ones we consistently play.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 26 Apr 2026 15:24:30 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47911069</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47911069</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47911069</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "Ping-pong robot beats top-level human players"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>> Also IT'S TABLE TENNIS, NOT PING PONG!<p>We can also add Whiff Waff to the alternative names!</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:10:36 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47874316</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47874316</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47874316</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "Tempest vs. Tempest: The Making and Remaking of Atari's Iconic Video Game"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I'm not sure about the specific Atari 2600 controllers but my hazy memory has at least three types of what appear to be rotary.<p>One is basically a self centring sprung up/off/down switch.  That would be similar to a car indicator stalk and simple left/right arrow keys.<p>Another would be rotary with a stop but it sent a physical position, presumably it was something like a variable resistor or very fine resolution rotary switch.  With these you could instantly position your character by the position on the ring/slider.  This could be interpreted as position 1, 2, 3 etc etc.<p>The third was a free spinning which moved the character faster the faster you spun it.  This would be how I remember Tempest playing, you could slowly nudge it or just do a fast spin & stop to quickly move around.  This would produce a signal such as clockwise+very slow or anti-clockwise+very fast.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:04:56 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47874278</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47874278</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47874278</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "A dot a day keeps the clutter away"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>> I have a rare brand loyalty for the brand of box I use - only the "Really Useful" stacking boxes.<p>Same here.  I've been using them at home and work for years and they are absolutely fantastic; we've probably got well over 100 and it's rare for one a year to break and even then it's usually just the lid.<p>I think they've been very clever in how they manage their range.  I generally use the 12L and 18L boxes, but I don't need to remember any dimensions because a different profile box would say be 11L or 19L.  All you need to do is remember the capacity and it'll be the right matching box.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 11:15:04 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47599342</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47599342</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47599342</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "Flash media longevity testing – 6 years later"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I was going to say registrars in too, I've a bottle of this I've played about with.<p><a href="https://www.diamineinks.co.uk/products/diamine-30ml-archival-registrars-ink" rel="nofollow">https://www.diamineinks.co.uk/products/diamine-30ml-archival...</a><p>> Waterproof archival quality fountain pen ink in Blue-Black. Initially writes Blue, then oxidises to Black over time as it bonds to the paper. Traditionally used to record births, deaths & marriages.<p>And from another source :-<p>> Permanent archival blue-black ink based on an iron-gall formulation, as used by registrars and the clergy for official documents.<p>> Iron gall ink formulations have been used for around 1,500 years, and many of the world's most historic documents have been written using it. This ink will remain legible for hundreds of years.<p>> Please Note: This is an iron-gall ink, which contains particles that can clog fountain pen feeds. It's also acidic, which can damage steel nibs. Use with caution, and at your own risk. Not for use in valuable pens.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 10 Mar 2026 14:33:33 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47323836</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47323836</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47323836</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "Why does Swiss cheese have holes?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>> I'll never understand how people can think 'Gruyère' and then imagine cheese with holes in it<p>I've put a lengthier response to the parent post, but look at <a href="https://classicfinefoods.co.uk/dairy/5713-french-gruyere-pgi.html" rel="nofollow">https://classicfinefoods.co.uk/dairy/5713-french-gruyere-pgi...</a> as that may solve our quandary.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2025 17:29:33 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45801687</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45801687</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45801687</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "Why does Swiss cheese have holes?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>> whereas Gruyère has no holes<p>TIL that Gruyere from France is different to Swiss and it must have holes.<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gruy%C3%A8re_cheese" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gruy%C3%A8re_cheese</a>
> The PGI documentation also requires that French Gruyère has holes "ranging in size from that of a pea to a cherry", a significant departure from the Swiss original. Peter Ungphakorn, a Swiss local and an international trade expert, comments that the French Comté cheese could be a closer match to the Swiss version.<p>And there is a good image of Gruyere with holes here,
<a href="https://classicfinefoods.co.uk/dairy/5713-french-gruyere-pgi.html" rel="nofollow">https://classicfinefoods.co.uk/dairy/5713-french-gruyere-pgi...</a></p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2025 17:28:26 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45801661</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45801661</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45801661</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "Why does Swiss cheese have holes?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>In the UK it's fairly common to use the term "Swiss cheese".  Most people would know you are talking about Emmental or Gruyere and it would have the bubbles/holes in it.<p>Although they are not the same cheese, they are quite close in texture and flavour and are fairly interchangeable to the point where I don't think a significant number of people could tell you which was which.<p>There is also the Swiss Cheese Model which is when several unfortunate events all line up to cause a major incident.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2025 09:51:55 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45797422</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45797422</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45797422</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "A man who changes the time on Big Ben"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>That was a TV presentor from a children's programme called Blue Peter.<p>If you think that looks dicey, search for the video of when another Blue Peter presenter,John Noakes, cleaned Nelsons Column in Trafalgar Square.  Note the overhanging wooden ladder and the entire safety equipment was a pair of flared jeans and platform boots!<p>He also climbed the mast of HMS Ganges which is possibly even more heart stopping.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2025 09:35:21 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45797340</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45797340</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45797340</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "What does it mean to be thirsty?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>We had an office worker who became obsessed about dehydrating, undoubtedly after watching too much social media.  She carried the bottle everywhere.<p>She arrived at work one day in a state of panic because her water bottle spilt in the car and she was terrified of becoming dehydrated during her 15 minute commute.<p>And no, there wasn't anything medically wrong with her.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2025 09:39:13 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44874234</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44874234</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44874234</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "What does it mean to be thirsty?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>>  food is included in this amount<p>When my wife was ill a few years ago the doctor suggested Angel Delight[1] to help maintain fluids.  Until then it hadn't occurred to me you're still effectively drinking half a pint of milk when you eat a bowl.<p>[1] It's an instant dessert / mousse that you mix up with milk.
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Delight" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Delight</a></p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2025 09:35:13 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44874205</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44874205</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44874205</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I don't have a lot to add other than I'm still using a T61p several times a week.  It's got by far the best screen[1] I've ever had on a laptop and the keyboard is also lovely.<p>It's running Win7 and I only use it for RDP onto work.  The battery is screwed, perhaps lasts 10 seconds so just enough to cover quickly moving it.<p>[1] 1920 x 1200 and very matt.  It's just stunningly clear and easy on the eyes with great colour rendition.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 05 Apr 2025 17:15:23 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43594980</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43594980</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43594980</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "Scientists break down plastic using a simple, inexpensive catalyst and air"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>> Finding it also odd that biodegradable plastics and safer alternatives are going quiet.<p>They tend not to be a good solution to anything.<p>There are a couple of ways of making degradable plastic.  One is to add something to their manufacture so they break down into shorter chains which their supporters tell you will then further break down.  These are generally referred to as OXO degradable.<p>Another is to use bio based plastics such as PLA or cellulose.  These both have poor performance compares to oil based plastics.<p>All of these also require industrial composting where they add no nutrition to the compost, effectively just bulking it out.  They [generally] do not break down when littered or even placed in a domestic compost heap.<p>There is also a problem because these plastics are virtually impossible to sort from recyclable plastics so if they get in each other waste stream the whole batch can be rendered contaminated and useless.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 27 Mar 2025 10:25:51 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43492057</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43492057</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43492057</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "Scientists break down plastic using a simple, inexpensive catalyst and air"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I believe the issue with straws is they were hard to recycle because they were lightweight and often mingled with other materials, such as cups, napkins, and food waste.<p>They were generally made from PP which is widely recycled as a material.<p>They are also commonly littered and as they don't break down in the environment led the not only being unsightly but also clogging up waterways and direct damage to wildlife.  Paper straws can still be littered, but break down so don't cause the same physical problems in the longer term.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 27 Mar 2025 10:18:39 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43492013</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43492013</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43492013</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by Steve44 in "Scientists break down plastic using a simple, inexpensive catalyst and air"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>>  Why we allow making packages (especially for take-away food from pseudo-paper (which is a paper with plastic coating), which is not recyclable at all and, in fact,<p>I agree that plastic is in most cases a better solution, however you are wrong to say the paper+PE board can't be recycled.  Currently here in the UK they are not collected in household waste, but many businesses are recycling them and there is a lot of capacity available.<p><a href="https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/news/ds-smith-makes-100-uk-coffee-cup-recycling-claim/564671.article" rel="nofollow">https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/news/ds-smith-makes-100-uk-coffe...</a><p><a href="https://www.thefirstmile.co.uk/online-waste-services/business-waste-and-recycling/coffee-cup-recycling" rel="nofollow">https://www.thefirstmile.co.uk/online-waste-services/busines...</a><p>Some of the issues are the collecting and sorting streams, then there are the commercial aspect of how to sell on the recycled material because it needs to be commercially viable.<p>> "Privatizing Profits and Socializing Losses"<p>The UK has recently introduced Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging legislation where the theory is the brand owner pays for the entire recycling and collection process of any packaging they put onto the market.  Note this isn't just takeaway & food packaging, it's everything.  The system though is an unworkable mess, it's so complicated trying to track every item of packaging and who is responsible for paying the tax down the entire supply chain.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 27 Mar 2025 10:12:22 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43491975</link><dc:creator>Steve44</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43491975</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43491975</guid></item></channel></rss>