Hacker News: martin_a

New comment by martin_a in "Pebble Mega Update – July 2026"

martin_a — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 22:27:13 +0000

Just looked at mine and wondered whether I should 3D print a cover for the contacts from TPU. Thanks for the idea!

edit: Done. :-D Better safe than sorry.

New comment by martin_a in "Amazon without the knockoffs"

martin_a — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 20:19:31 +0000

Thank you for your work! Just installed the plugin, hope it will ease the pain of finding things on Amazon. :-D

edit: lol. tried searching for USB C flex cables. WHOLE search result page is gone. Love it! :-D

New comment by martin_a in "Microsoft Needs Windows Lite"

martin_a — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 16:53:00 +0000

Do these versions get regular updates or are they expected to run on air-gapped machines so nobody really has to take care of them?

New comment by martin_a in "Volkswagen started blocking GrapheneOS users"

martin_a — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 21:22:27 +0000

No problem!

Former colleague had an EQB and I nearly hit another car on the Autobahn because cruise control was not breaking when I got closer. That was really unexpected as that was a standard feature in my Hyundai...

New comment by martin_a in "Volkswagen started blocking GrapheneOS users"

martin_a — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 15:57:04 +0000

Each km/h over the speed limit can decide between coming to a stop at the right moment or killing somebody. Don't try to put it into the wrong perspective. The beeping is fine.

New comment by martin_a in "Volkswagen started blocking GrapheneOS users"

martin_a — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 23:38:40 +0000

Well, just don't drive fast than the speed limit and nothing will beep at you. Simple as that.

Positive side effect: No expensive photos will be taken, too.

New comment by martin_a in "Volkswagen started blocking GrapheneOS users"

martin_a — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 23:34:17 +0000

Mercedes is terrible for EVs. Adaptive Cruise Control for example is a paid feature with a recurring subscription. Don't encourage "Car as a Service" concepts.

New comment by martin_a in "Japan is gripped by mass allergies. A 1950s project is to blame"

martin_a — Wed, 20 May 2026 09:14:20 +0000

> There's no way it can cause local wood to become less competitive with imported wood.

But isn't that what we're seeing around the world? Be it cheaper labor, political control or whatever else, imported goods can be cheaper than locally produced goods.

New comment by martin_a in "Louis Rossmann offers to pay legal fees for a threatened OrcaSlicer developer"

martin_a — Tue, 12 May 2026 23:06:32 +0000

Yeah, I always thought that, especially after seeing that the producer is a beauty company... :-D

New comment by martin_a in "Louis Rossmann offers to pay legal fees for a threatened OrcaSlicer developer"

martin_a — Sun, 10 May 2026 21:36:23 +0000

Can you get 3DLAC in Japan? That's what I'm using with great success. Otherwise maybe try some hair sprays, that worked in 2011, too... :-D

New comment by martin_a in "Can I disable all data collection from my vehicle?"

martin_a — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 22:12:16 +0000

Lol, same thing for Android, too. It has full access to my contact list, but if I tell it to "Call Stephan Beier" I see the transcript for "Beyer" and then it fails. That sounds the same in German, now what shall I do. Stupid thing.

New comment by martin_a in "Can I disable all data collection from my vehicle?"

martin_a — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 22:09:23 +0000

> will re-enable itself every time you turn on the car

I think that's only for the speed limit alarms. Wouldn't have that if people would stick to limits, I guess...

New comment by martin_a in "Used La Marzocco machines are coveted by cafe owners and collectors"

martin_a — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 07:53:33 +0000

Or just buy bottled water. If you're only doing Espressi, a 1 liter bottle can take you a long way and comes in under 1 Euro.

New comment by martin_a in "New laws to make it easier to cancel subscriptions and get refunds"

martin_a — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 16:11:48 +0000

Yes, but you'll usually have to make an appointment for that and especially in larger cities or communities this might take quite a time. So, yeah, 8% on the hand, waiting for weeks for an appointment on the other hand...

There's more friction than needed...

New comment by martin_a in "New laws to make it easier to cancel subscriptions and get refunds"

martin_a — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:15:34 +0000

See! 12 o'clock! MADNESS!

New comment by martin_a in "New laws to make it easier to cancel subscriptions and get refunds"

martin_a — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:51:19 +0000

Hah! Try exiting the church in Germany then. ;-)

But besides that it's really okay.

New comment by martin_a in "Afroman found not liable in defamation case"

martin_a — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 02:27:02 +0000

This is all such a strange take. What do you think would happen, what's the expectation?

Everybody goes out and starts shooting down their local police force? The military?

I just don't get how people think this would work and if the government would be intimidated by that. I think they'd just shoot first and ask questions later and that's it.

New comment by martin_a in "Afroman found not liable in defamation case"

martin_a — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:20:52 +0000

Again, a bit naive, but that actually sounds okay to me. You'll learn to use the gun responsibly and in a controlled manner. What else would you want to do with it and why?

New comment by martin_a in "Afroman found not liable in defamation case"

martin_a — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 14:32:24 +0000

True!

What I meant is that I think German police, for example, are probably less worried that a traffic stop is likely to get them killed or have them escalate a situation to the use of lethal force.

I think this might be different in the US because guns are just much more common there.

New comment by martin_a in "Afroman found not liable in defamation case"

martin_a — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 14:28:14 +0000

> This kind of song would not fly in any other country on Earth. No other country has Freedom of Speech laws strong enough to defend against insulting the police.

What? There's lots of antifacist/rather left-wing music that heavily critizes the police and their work. Usually not the one police officer himself but rather the institution as being part of a state who behaves injust (is that a word? non-native here...). I think that's fine and is part of a democratic system.