Hacker News: joncrocks

New comment by joncrocks in "How to carry more than your own bodyweight (2025)"

joncrocks — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 11:32:38 +0000

I think people might be able to support more than they think, but I'd also be sceptical that they could unrack 2x bodyweight without _some_ training.

Could they use a machine to load up to that point? Cushioned and loaded in a way that doesn't use traps/a barbell? Maybe.

I say this as someone who deals regularly with weights around that level, at a similar weight.

Having said all that, I do 100% agree that loading your back and getting the weight there are two different things!

New comment by joncrocks in "The WiFi only works when it's raining (2024)"

joncrocks — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 10:00:39 +0000

It's worth noting that sometimes (incorrect) keyboard maps can get in the way.

If it's a key that you may not often type and one that is often transposed between regions, the fact that the entered char is not shown can lead to frustration.

e.g. " and @ are in different positions in UK vs. US keyboards. So user thinks they are typing @, but " goes into the box.

New comment by joncrocks in "3D printing my laptop ergonomic setup"

joncrocks — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 17:26:12 +0000

I don't think this was limited to Thinkpads, where I worked heavily used laptops that had similar features but were Dell laptops.

The laptops had connections at the bottom that clicked into the docks/stands, which you could connect external screens/peripherals.

New comment by joncrocks in "Apple is fighting for TSMC capacity as Nvidia takes center stage"

joncrocks — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 13:09:33 +0000

Do you mean AMSL?

There was a great video recently on the company + techniques used for cutting-edge lithography.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiUHjLxm3V0

New comment by joncrocks in "Opus 4.5 is not the normal AI agent experience that I have had thus far"

joncrocks — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 11:09:12 +0000

This was/is the plot to a movie - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_Dealer

New comment by joncrocks in "ICE is using facial-recognition technology to quickly arrest people"

joncrocks — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 09:10:08 +0000

There used to be a scheme in the UK - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_Recognition_Immigration_S...

New comment by joncrocks in "Kroger acknowledges that its bet on robotics went too far"

joncrocks — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 13:06:33 +0000

Ocado (at least in the UK) pack items into plastic bags inside the crates, which makes unloading easier at the doorstep.

You are charged for the bags (in the UK you have to charge 5p for plastic bags) but are refunded when you return them (during a later delivery).

New comment by joncrocks in "Britain's railway privatization was an abject failure"

joncrocks — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 16:01:18 +0000

Often you are limited by dwell time + track separation.

New comment by joncrocks in "Reasoning models reason well, until they don't"

joncrocks — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 12:44:00 +0000

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_ape_language#Criticism_a... - Not word for word, but certainly casting doubt that apes were ever really communicating in the way that people may have thought.

New comment by joncrocks in "Rivian's TM-B electric bike"

joncrocks — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 10:11:35 +0000

Did they make it illegal, or did they say that this now pushes you into the 'powered vehicle' category and the need to meet the requirements that come along with that?

New comment by joncrocks in "4Chan Lawyer publishes Ofcom correspondence"

joncrocks — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 16:13:44 +0000

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship_in_the_Uni...

New comment by joncrocks in "Betty Crocker broke recipes by shrinking boxes"

joncrocks — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 09:44:04 +0000

Just to push back on this slightly, I'm sure I've watched Youtube videos with someone who bake cakes for a living who said they used boxed mixture for most of their baking.

As others have said elsewhere, some of the ingredients involved are not easily available/cost-efficient for the home baker. This means it's more than possible that you will get an objectively better cake from a mix, e.g. from blind tasting.

This does depend on the type of cake you're baking and your expectations of 'better' though.

New comment by joncrocks in "Betty Crocker broke recipes by shrinking boxes"

joncrocks — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 09:21:35 +0000

I think another option is chocolate 'malted milk' (in the UK) - depending on your preference for ratio of biscuit to chocolate to marshmallow. Leibniz will have more/thicker chocolate, but malted milk will break a bit easier in the mouth (softer/crumblier biscuit).

New comment by joncrocks in "Becoming the person who does the thing"

joncrocks — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 14:16:31 +0000

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_stages_of_competence

New comment by joncrocks in "How can England possibly be running out of water?"

joncrocks — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 15:49:47 +0000

I think that this might be some useful context.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jun/30/in-charts-h...

Overall the debt held by the company has ballooned since the 90s, meanwhile large dividend payments went out to shareholders. This appears to be extraction of value out of Thames Water (TW).

It's hard to see those graphs and then take TW seriously when they complain they need money for investment.

New comment by joncrocks in "Counter-Strike: A billion-dollar game built in a dorm room"

joncrocks — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 12:13:47 +0000

Ah, I just Ctrl-F-ed to see if anyone else had mentioned. That mod was a little mad!

New comment by joncrocks in "Wikipedia loses challenge against Online Safety Act"

joncrocks — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 14:46:17 +0000

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duverger%27s_law - in political systems with single-member districts and the first-past-the-post voting system, only two powerful political parties tend to control power.

New comment by joncrocks in "The Rising Cost of Child and Pet Day Care"

joncrocks — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 15:15:20 +0000

I think the theory is that they buy up a significant portion of the market, i.e. consolidate lots of independents. Then they raise prices in concert, and take advantage of reduced competition.

New comment by joncrocks in "Checklists are hard, but still a good thing"

joncrocks — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 09:37:04 +0000

For your 'Dopp kit' - do you have duplicates for things that you use on a daily (or more frequent) basis? e.g. Toothbruth, hair gel

While I follow this approach generally pre-travel, I find that on occasion I can end up taking the 'regulars' out of my travel kit for use and absentmindedly place them back in their 'normal' locations when using them as part of my regular routine.

New comment by joncrocks in "Gmail/Google starts disabling features unless you agree to data processing"

joncrocks — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 12:35:25 +0000

"I am altering the deal, pray I don't alter it any further."

Remember don't be evil? Those were the days.