<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: bsammon</title><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=bsammon</link><description>Hacker News RSS</description><docs>https://hnrss.org/</docs><generator>hnrss v2.1.1</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 13 May 2026 15:34:19 +0000</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://hnrss.org/user?id=bsammon" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"></atom:link><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "Googlebook"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>When I was actively hacking my chromebook, there was tons of advice like this, and 90% of it didn't work on both arm and intel-based chromebooks, and the advice-givers never mentioned which category it worked on.  Sometimes it was buried 5 paragraphs into the webpage you were sent to for downloads, sometimes not.<p>Has any of this changed?<p>Also, I tend to take with a grain of salt any comment that starts with "it's easy/simple/obvious", especially if it doesn't provide details or a link.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2026 19:17:00 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48113062</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48113062</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48113062</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "Canadian fiddler sues Google after AI Overview claimed he was a sex offender"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>His wikipedia (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashley_MacIsaac" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashley_MacIsaac</a>) mentions (with citation) a particular kink he has self-reported.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2026 22:50:44 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48069724</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48069724</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48069724</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "PC Gamer recommends RSS readers in a 37mb article that just keeps downloading"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Actually, this is based on my personal experience.  I don't use a smartphone for internet.  Many of the places where I've tried it, the "free wifi" doesn't work.  Maybe the wifi is there, but the uplink is 2G speed, or it has a web sign-in that doesn't work any more.   Or maybe an employee accidentally unplugged the router.  Days/weeks ago.  And "no one complained about it".<p>I've traveled Greyhound and Amtrak recently.  They both advertise free wifi, but it's quite clear they no longer prioritize keeping it working.<p>Libraries are (probably/hopefully) an exception.  But, seeing as Starbucks has been wanting to discourage people from hanging out in recent months, I wouldn't count on Starbucks wifi being reliable.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 17:27:01 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47492494</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47492494</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47492494</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "PC Gamer recommends RSS readers in a 37mb article that just keeps downloading"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I think you may be a bit out of date.  There <i>was</i> free WiFi in basically every town.  Now it's frequently a vestigial, no-longer-maintained free WiFi that works like crap, because there's no maintenance, because "everyone has cellular data nowadays".</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 22 Mar 2026 23:58:12 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47483704</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47483704</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47483704</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "Playing Arcade Mahjong at Home? Or is it just a Mirage?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>If the sibling comment isn't enough detail, see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperGun" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SuperGun</a></p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 16 Jan 2026 05:16:08 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46643217</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46643217</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46643217</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "Tiffany lamp coveted by Steve Jobs sells for $4.4M"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Ah... okay, some quick research says the Apple IPO was in 1980, so he was (at least somewhat) rich in 1982.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2025 19:08:13 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46304041</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46304041</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46304041</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "Tiffany lamp coveted by Steve Jobs sells for $4.4M"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>The article says that Jobs owned a lamp like this in 1982.<p>Questions that come to mind:<p>Was Steve Jobs rich in 1982?<p>In 1982, was the cost of a "real" Tiffany lamp within the reach of someone at Jobs's 1982 wealth/income level?<p>What are the chances that the item Jobs owned was a knockoff or a mass-produced item?<p>I imagine that Steve Jobs was the kind of person who would buy a $5000 lamp even if he was only making $20,000 a year.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2025 19:02:42 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46303957</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46303957</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46303957</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "Tiffany lamp coveted by Steve Jobs sells for $4.4M"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>This headline sounds like "this specific (one-of-a-kind?) item that Steve Jobs owned/wanted to own"  when the article is really about "this lamp that is the same design as one Steve Jobs owned"<p>So not the "someone paid $4million for an (specific) item with a celebrity connection" that I thought it was.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2025 18:53:55 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46303824</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46303824</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46303824</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "A 4k-Room Text Adventure Written by One Human in QBasic No AI"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>However, it <i>should</i> be playable on Linux or OSX, both of which are (reportedly) supported by QB64.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Oct 2025 21:09:59 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45622116</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45622116</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45622116</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "Ruby core team takes ownership of RubyGems and Bundler"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>A very specific denial.  "I didn't propose this specific type of monetization".  Would be better if he followed up with "Yes, I proposed monetization, but what I had in mind was this more specific, benign form of monetization:"</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 17 Oct 2025 17:53:50 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45619706</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45619706</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45619706</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "Gem.coop"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I think a lot of people don't know why being Danish is relevant.  Is there some reason why controversial views on immigration might be less suprising coming from a Dane?</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 06 Oct 2025 18:08:11 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45494280</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45494280</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45494280</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "The 16-year odyssey it took to emulate the Pioneer LaserActive"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellaview" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellaview</a> (for anyone who's interested)</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 03 Sep 2025 18:19:38 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45118887</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45118887</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45118887</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "Toronto’s network of pedestrian tunnels"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p><i>Why aren’t there pedestrian metros in Manhattan...</i><p>While there is nothing nearly as extensive as the Path, there are a few isolated underground plazas that each connect to a handful of adjacent high-rise buildings.  The ones that immediately spring to mind are the Penn Station complex under Madison Square Garden (and Penn Plaza office building among others), and Grand Central Terminal.  I think i've seen others, but I can't remember details.<p>I don't think they're as commonly thought of as a "I'll use this to walk from point A to point B while avoiding traffic/weather" option, but for people in the connected office buildings, they provide (somewhat overpriced) options for lunch/shopping as well as public-transit access without the need to go outdoors.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 02 Sep 2025 22:38:35 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45110027</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45110027</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45110027</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "Mkosi – Build Bespoke OS Images"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Or "something that nix already solve, but with documentation"</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 16 Jul 2025 18:32:45 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44585436</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44585436</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44585436</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "Bruteforcing the phone number of any Google user"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Are you saying it's as simple as clicking the "proceed without a google account" button and I've just failed to notice the option each of those times?<p>If there's a non-obvious workaround, why not post a link to it?<p>"Just Google it" isn't as easy as it used to be...</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 10 Jun 2025 04:37:16 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44232571</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44232571</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44232571</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "Bruteforcing the phone number of any Google user"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Their own policies place a limit on how "demanding" they can be.<p>Initializing a new (or power-washed) android/ChromeOS device _requires_ a Google account, so if you don't have one (or claim not to) they device initialization process will generate a new Google account for you.  Even if there's no phone number or SIM card in the device.<p>I've had a number of Android/ChromeOS devices over the years, and I've had each one generate a new Google account.  None of these accounts have phone numbers associated with them.<p>I generally don't use these accounts for much more than downloading free apps from the Google Play store -- maybe more extensive use would trigger a "You must add a phone number to this account to proceed"?</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 09 Jun 2025 22:18:39 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44230167</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44230167</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44230167</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "A senior Apple exec could be jailed in Epic case"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I realize you're probably referring to PC gaming specifically here, but it's interesting to note that Portal and Portal 2, at least, (haven't checked on the others) are available on the Nintendo Switch store.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 01 May 2025 18:36:12 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43861648</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43861648</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43861648</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "Bocoup Is Now Worker-Owned"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>According to their Wikipedia (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REI" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REI</a>), REI is a "consumers' co-operative".  This is a different thing than a "workers' cooperative".  My understanding is that most grocery co-ops are organized as consumers co-ops, or something close to it.<p>The grocery co-op near me has occasionally faced the prospect of the formation of an employee/worker union.  I imagine that unionization is a thing that doesn't happen (or get seriously discussed) in a workers' co-op.<p>I find this distinction vaguely fascinating, but (apparently) not enough for me to actually get informed about it.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 03 Mar 2025 20:01:28 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43245992</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43245992</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43245992</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "Debugging: Indispensable rules for finding even the most elusive problems (2004)"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Alternatively, I've found the "Maybe it's a bug.  I'll try an make a test case I can report on the mailing list" approach useful at times.<p>Usually, in the process of reducing my error-generating code down to a simpler case, I find the bug in my logic.  I've been fortunate that heisenbugs have been rare.<p>Once or twice, I have ended up with something to report to the devs.  Generally, those were libraries (probably from sourceforge/github) with only a few hundred or less users that did not get a lot of testing.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 13 Jan 2025 18:59:08 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42687169</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42687169</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42687169</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by bsammon in "Pelicans on a bicycle"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I'd have to agree here that success at this drawing test/challenge is strongly correlated with experience repairing/maintaining (one or more) bicycles, a lot more than it is correlated with riding them.<p>I also suspect it strongly correlates with knowing the term "diamond-frame".  In addition to bicycle-repairers probably knowing the term, it's also used among people who like/know other frame styles--in my case recumbent bicycles.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:01:17 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42434767</link><dc:creator>bsammon</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42434767</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42434767</guid></item></channel></rss>