Hacker News: aplc0r

New comment by aplc0r in "Finding Gene Cernan's Missing Moon Camera"

aplc0r — Sun, 07 Dec 2025 03:42:37 +0000

You're welcome! He has prints available as well, I've been meaning to get one for the office.

https://www.apolloremastered.com/shop

New comment by aplc0r in "Finding Gene Cernan's Missing Moon Camera"

aplc0r — Sun, 07 Dec 2025 03:14:15 +0000

Not sure about a site, but I would highly recommend the book "Apollo Remastered" by Andy Saunders: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/andy-saunders/apoll...

New comment by aplc0r in "WriterdeckOS"

aplc0r — Sat, 08 Nov 2025 20:54:21 +0000

While I don't have a use for this, I do like the idea of purposeful modes in computing. Obviously there is a lot you can do with shortcuts and preferences, but its nice to have a limited to base to start with.

I think this is even more important with a mobile platform since for one, battery and processing power is at a premium, and two anything with notifications could take you out of your desired "mode" if you don't wrangle them properly.

Something I've always wanted in a smartphone is to be able to boot into a "camera only" mode. There have been many times where all I need my phone for is as a camera, and I don't want it wasting resources/battery doing anything else. If this mode were light enough, it could boot up in the same amount of time as a normal digital camera, allowing your the phone to be truly off while you're not taking pictures. I do often take a digital camera with me, but sometimes I don't want the bulk or maybe I didn't initially plan to take a lot of pictures.

New comment by aplc0r in "You can still own music"

aplc0r — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 18:21:51 +0000

I've settled on Navidrome for the server, and Symfonium for the player on Android (not open source). Symfonium can sync with the server so I can have all my music even when offline.

https://github.com/navidrome/navidrome

New comment by aplc0r in "Carmack on Oculus, Minecraft, Meta and Microsoft"

aplc0r — Sun, 25 Aug 2024 02:12:50 +0000

I still get motion sick after a while when watching someone else play an FPS. If I'm playing myself there is no problem. I can also get motion sick as a passenger in a car, but have no issue driving.

New comment by aplc0r in "Sony Pictures Acquires Alamo Drafthouse Cinema"

aplc0r — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 03:07:40 +0000

The only location in Minnesota was also owned by this franchisee. It was a real shock when it closed since it always seemed to be busy. If there was a movie we really wanted to see in the theater, the drafthouse was always the first choice.

New comment by aplc0r in "Do not touch that computer. It is a biohazard"

aplc0r — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 16:22:59 +0000

I encountered many of these tar covered PCs doing retail computer repair. One of the worst I can remember was a wood shop PC of a heavy smoker. The combination of tar and sawdust absolutely glued everything in place. Dead mice and roaches were common. However, the only computer I remember saying we wouldn't touch was a slim desktop where someone had vomited into the vent on the top.

New comment by aplc0r in "Falcon 3.0 game manual (1991) [pdf]"

aplc0r — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 21:42:12 +0000

I recently went down a rabbit hole of playing early home flight simulators. One that stuck with me was Tomcat F-14 for the Atari 2600. A combat flight simulator on a system with one button seemed impossible.

I tried playing it without any information at first, but couldn't figure out the controls. So I looked up the manual and found that it used the Game Select and Difficulty switches for additional controls. Having the left and right difficulty switches for the arresting hook and landing gear felt surprisingly cool. I didn't have a lot of games for the 2600 growing up, so I'm sure there are lot of examples of clever controls, but this would have blown my mind as a kid.

https://archive.org/details/Tomcat_The_F-14_Flight_Simulator...

New comment by aplc0r in "Falcon 3.0 game manual (1991) [pdf]"

aplc0r — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 21:19:37 +0000

Thank you for reminding me! I actually own the printed zines for EXA Punks. They also came with a secret envelope to be opened at a certain point in the game. I ordered them mostly out of a love for anything Zachtronics did. I don't have the Shenzen I/O one, but should really get it printed. If I recall there was also a physical manual for TIS-100 at some point.

New comment by aplc0r in "Falcon 3.0 game manual (1991) [pdf]"

aplc0r — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 20:44:30 +0000

I recently picked up a copy of this from a retro game store while on vacation. The box was covered in dust and slightly damaged on the corners. To my surprise everything inside was in mint condition. Simulators obviously have a higher standard of documentation, but it really made me miss game manuals in general.

Tunic, a game released last year, contained an in game manual in the style of older games. I personally found it legitimately useful, and fangamer recently released a hardcover version that is now out of stock.

https://www.fangamer.com/products/tunic-hardcover-manual

New comment by aplc0r in "Espresso and Open Source Hardware?"

aplc0r — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 14:51:30 +0000

There are many manual espresso machines out there, one of the most iconic in recent years being the Cafelat Robot http://www.cafelat.com/robot.html. There are lever/piston machines going back to the 1940s.

New comment by aplc0r in "User Manual for the Harvard Mark 1 Electro-Mechanical Computer (1946)"

aplc0r — Sat, 25 Feb 2023 14:12:38 +0000

Here is one from 1958 in Japan that has been preserved. The whole video is worth watching, but here is a demo of a running calculation: https://youtu.be/_j544ELauus?t=1027.

New comment by aplc0r in "Siri pulled a false alarm at the gym, caused 15 armed police officers to show up"

aplc0r — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 02:54:22 +0000

Recently I was trying to take a picture of my sleeping cat. I used the double tap power button shortcut to open the camera as I normally do, but it didn't show up for some reason so I did the shortcut again. The phone started a loud siren and showed a countdown to calling 911. I was able to stop it before the call went out, but suffice to say capturing the peaceful moment was no longer possible.

New comment by aplc0r in "I’m a delivery worker in New York. Winter is the toughest time of year"

aplc0r — Sun, 25 Dec 2022 04:03:44 +0000

In my experience these wear out extremely quickly even when following the manufacturer's care instructions. Inevitably the touch functionality degrades leading to me ripping them off in frustration to do what I need to do in the moment. I've switched to fingerless gloves with a mitten flap.

New comment by aplc0r in "What is a Stave Church? (2019)"

aplc0r — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 01:00:26 +0000

We have one in Minnesota as well. Apparently there are quite a few replica churches in the U.S.: https://maps.roadtrippers.com/trips/19456115

New comment by aplc0r in "CIA museum: Inside the most top secret museum"

aplc0r — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 23:56:58 +0000

I'll always hold a grudge against the CIA HQ for taking the A-12 Oxcart we had displayed at the Minnesota Air National Guard Museum. Now very few people from the general public can enjoy it.

http://www.habu.org/a-12/06931.html

https://goo.gl/maps/9wj3JkUyN1gYBHgJ8

New comment by aplc0r in "The End of Manual Transmission"

aplc0r — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 03:42:37 +0000

Hill start assist is a thing in "modern" manual transmissions. It automatically holds the brake for you as you engage the clutch so you don't roll back. After burning the clutch in my previous car when I was stuck climbing a packed parking ramp, it felt like magic the first time it kicked in.

Stop and go traffic can still be brutal. At least one of your legs gets a free workout.

New comment by aplc0r in "Penmanship"

aplc0r — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 14:12:10 +0000

Eric Reinholdt has some worksheets for practicing architectural handwriting available for pay what you want: https://30x40.gumroad.com/l/VUsKl

New comment by aplc0r in "A YouTuber purposely crashed his plane in California, FAA says"

aplc0r — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 13:55:13 +0000

This plane was going to be scrapped before he purchased it. There was also an odd modified fuel selector visible in the cockpit that is unlikely to be allowed on a non-experimental aircraft. Seemed obvious that this wasn't a plane he intended to use regularly.

https://youtu.be/7PgGvl2ZMFs?t=248

New comment by aplc0r in "Planespotting with the ‘Avgeeks’"

aplc0r — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 01:08:31 +0000

My favorite feeds for virtual planespotting:

https://youtu.be/nPsaWA2HkCY - Reagan National Airport (DCA) - Occasional V22 Osprey and Blackhawks

https://youtu.be/bqiZ2xih6Jk - Prague (PRG) - Nice mix of big international jets and small local flights

https://youtu.be/z5lYsvOwxHI - Lake Hood Seaplane Base - Constant seaplane action during the warm months, and heavy cargo flights from ANC

https://youtu.be/7jMqwnKIfWA - Naha Aiport (OKA) - Constant traffic and the occasional fighter sortie from the JASDF airbase