Hacker News: criddell

New comment by criddell in "Seven books I keep close because I love them"

criddell — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:53:24 +0000

I never knew Roget's was organized like that and I have had several different editions over the years. I'm one of those people who always used it as a compendium of synonyms.

New comment by criddell in "I requested a copy of my data from McDonald’s loyalty program"

criddell — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:04:17 +0000

You're right as far as health insurance is concerned. Life insurance is different. It is often contracted on an individual basis.

New comment by criddell in "I requested a copy of my data from McDonald’s loyalty program"

criddell — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:02:12 +0000

No, I mean connect to my home with Tailscale then turn on my work VPN so the office VPN endpoint sees my home IP and not the remote IP (usually my phone's IP because I'm using it as a hotspot).

As it is now, I have to call IT and give them my phone's IP to get it temporarily whitelisted so I can work remote. If I could go through Tailscale I wouldn't need to do that.

New comment by criddell in "I built a 500k-domain search engine for makers in a weekend for $10"

criddell — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 19:24:14 +0000

If this isn't something worth your time to write, it probably isn't worth my time to read.

Just post the part you did write - the prompt.

New comment by criddell in "I requested a copy of my data from McDonald’s loyalty program"

criddell — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 17:13:56 +0000

You aren't leaving a dealership with a car stuffed in your pocket.

Target has footage that shows somebody who looks like you appear to put something in their pocket, then walk around the store for 30 minutes and leave without buying anything. Their inventory system shows that they have fewer widgets on the shelf than they should have. They say they have records of you doing this 3 times over the past year. Do you try to make a deal or take your chances in court?

New comment by criddell in "I requested a copy of my data from McDonald’s loyalty program"

criddell — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 16:42:42 +0000

What about a well maintained, bright and cheerful fast food "restaurant" with really fast wifi?

New comment by criddell in "I requested a copy of my data from McDonald’s loyalty program"

criddell — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 16:41:47 +0000

I connect to work over a traditional VPN. Is there some way for me to send that tunnel through Tailscale? I want to do that because our VPN whitelists IPs.

New comment by criddell in "I requested a copy of my data from McDonald’s loyalty program"

criddell — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 16:38:55 +0000

I suppose also if they have video over months showing a pattern of a person appearing to steal it might be enough to get past any claims that you ditched the item before leaving many times over a period of months.

New comment by criddell in "I requested a copy of my data from McDonald’s loyalty program"

criddell — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 16:03:21 +0000

If you have a suggestion, you should give it.

New comment by criddell in "I requested a copy of my data from McDonald’s loyalty program"

criddell — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 16:02:09 +0000

I've seen a lot of stories about how Target's loss prevention staff will track thefts over multiple visits and don't get the police involved until the loss passes some threshold.

I've always wondered how they are able to get convictions from a theft months ago with no evidence that you actually possessed the item after you left the store? Is it really good enough to just have video that looks like you probably stole something and an inventory system that they claim shows lost inventory?

New comment by criddell in "I requested a copy of my data from McDonald’s loyalty program"

criddell — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 15:37:27 +0000

One of the people working at the coffee place my wife and I stop at after grocery shopping remembered my name and order and I thought it was pretty nice to be greeted by name. They aren't there anymore and I miss it.

New comment by criddell in "I requested a copy of my data from McDonald’s loyalty program"

criddell — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 15:35:45 +0000

> they're tracking us to increase their profits

That's not really all that nefarious is it?

From what was listed in the article it seemed like it was all data generated by the chain. If it included a lot of stuff from outside sources I would probably be put off, but this seems fairly benign.

I suppose they could be sharing that information with third parties and that could be bad.

New comment by criddell in "Picking berries is my meditation"

criddell — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 14:22:57 +0000

Part of that is right. Hunters, as a group, are closer to nature than most. Thanks to them, all kinds of conservation efforts have been started and maintained.

Ever wonder how Nixon was able to establish the EPA and sign into law the clean air act, the clean water act, the marine mammal protection act, the legacy of parks program, and the endangered species act when the green movement was (and is) mostly associated with left-leaning activists? Hunters. They were a big part of the conservative base and provided cover for Nixon and his conservation efforts.

New comment by criddell in "Picking berries is my meditation"

criddell — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 14:15:30 +0000

I lived in Portland for a while and had blackberries along the side of my street. I asked my neighbors about them and they warned me not to eat them because they are basically watered by street runoff.

New comment by criddell in "Picking berries is my meditation"

criddell — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:23:05 +0000

There are places in (or around) Las Vegas where you can operate heavy equipment in a playground setting. You can dig holes or smash cars or just push dirt around. I'm thinking about spending an afternoon there next time I go.

New comment by criddell in "Codex in ChatGPT desktop app for Linux is now in preview"

criddell — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 11:59:12 +0000

Works everywhere except Linux for a long time.

What better way to showcase their tools capabilities than to deliver apps that are native, efficient, and integrate well with the host system? By compromising with Electron and making mediocre, bloated software they are signaling that they just aren't there yet.

It would be like Ford buying Hondas for their company cars. It might save them money but it sends the wrong message.

New comment by criddell in "Mushroom behind 'tiny people' hallucinations identified"

criddell — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 11:46:37 +0000

I think the implication is that it would never get by the IRB.

New comment by criddell in "uBlock Origin Is Giving Up the Fight to Keep Ads Off Facebook"

criddell — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 16:06:16 +0000

Presumable the ads on Facebook are served by Facebook and they know who you are and what you are doing on Facebook.

New comment by criddell in "5th Heat Dome Expands Across Europe: 40°C+ Target Western and Central Europe"

criddell — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 15:27:05 +0000

> AC is a bandaid

Realistically, what else can be done to deal with the impact of climate change right now? Addressing the root cause would be great, but it's not going to move the needle for people suffering today.

New comment by criddell in "Newfoundland has a hard bread shortage, but why do they eat it?"

criddell — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 14:17:57 +0000

The GP provided a great example for why metrics are often shit.

Raising the price fixes the metric (is it in stock?) but doesn't fix the actual problem.