Hacker News: pseingatl

New comment by pseingatl in "FBI Arrests CIA Official with $40M in Gold Bars in His Home"

pseingatl — Thu, 28 May 2026 15:37:49 +0000

You don't take possession of 600 pounds of gold without a plan. Putting it in a hole isn't putting it to work. Sell it to a country where jewelry is manufactured, that at least gets it into the banking system. Lebanon loves gold. So does India. If this guy is under investigation, everything linked to him will be discovered. He can't really spend it. Aldrich Ames bought a Jaguar and was caught.

New comment by pseingatl in "FBI Arrests CIA Official with $40M in Gold Bars in His Home"

pseingatl — Thu, 28 May 2026 15:34:04 +0000

It's not just the acquisition costs, it's the employee payroll--two pilots, one flight attendant, engine overhauls every six months, other maintenance. See the Amalfi Jets video on costs.

New comment by pseingatl in "Green card seekers must leave U.S. to apply, Trump administration says"

pseingatl — Sun, 24 May 2026 08:44:46 +0000

No. This is a popular myth.

New comment by pseingatl in "Hindenburg’s Smoking Room"

pseingatl — Mon, 18 May 2026 11:18:01 +0000

If you wait until age 60 before you start smoking, you'll get all the benefits of nicotine--weight loss, more energy, appetite suppression--and you won't live long enough to develop tobacco-related disease.

New comment by pseingatl in "IIT Madras establishes Menlo Park Centre to help Indian startups scale globally"

pseingatl — Fri, 08 May 2026 09:45:59 +0000

It's just a jugaad way to get intra-company transfers past ICE and create more NRI's.

New comment by pseingatl in "(Author Is) Suing the DOJ and the FBI"

pseingatl — Tue, 05 May 2026 04:34:10 +0000

Of course, he will find US courts anxious to impose sanctions against US agents. Dickens was right: better to suffer any injustice rather than come to the courts.

New comment by pseingatl in "Spirit Airlines Begins Orderly Wind-Down of Operations [pdf]"

pseingatl — Sat, 02 May 2026 17:29:21 +0000

Biden's DoJ and Elizabeth Warren opposed the merger with JetBlue. Seems rather short-sighted now.

New comment by pseingatl in "Archive of BYTE magazine, starting with issue #1 in 1975"

pseingatl — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 14:58:46 +0000

Jerry Pournelle's column alone was worth the price of admission.

New comment by pseingatl in "College instructor turns to typewriters to curb AI-written work"

pseingatl — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 14:39:13 +0000

If you need a typewriter, there's a company in New Jersey that makes them for the prison trade in a lucite housing to prevent prisoners from hiding contraband inside. Not sure if China manufactures new machines. India supposedly still manufactures them.

New comment by pseingatl in "Ask HN: How do you handle chargebacks as a small merchant?"

pseingatl — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 10:57:51 +0000

A dispute is one thing. A chargeback another. My understanding is that under Visa/MC rules, a chargeback must be given effect. That comes from testimony given by a Visa security officer in a criminal case. If that is not true, I'd sure like to know.

New comment by pseingatl in "DIY Soft Drinks"

pseingatl — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:49:19 +0000

The Stepan company in New Jersey is the only entity legally allowed to import coca leaves (aside from the DEA, ICE, the FBI and a few others that buy and sell all the time) and extract the illegal methyl benzoyl ecgonine (C17H21NO4) leaving the flavor compounds. Query whether they would sell the de-cocainized product to a soft drink hobbyist. Friends in Colombia report that Sek Cola sold there has the ecgonine ingredient. Not sure how close the recipe replicates the original Atlanta beverage.

New comment by pseingatl in "DIY Soft Drinks"

pseingatl — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 09:48:53 +0000

Use Perrier glass bottles. They're designed for low-level carbonation and can be resealed.

New comment by pseingatl in "DIY Soft Drinks"

pseingatl — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 09:34:28 +0000

All gum arabica comes from Sudan. When the US imposed sanctions on Sudan, this product was exempted.

New comment by pseingatl in "DIY Soft Drinks"

pseingatl — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 09:33:20 +0000

Perrier bottles can be emptied and resealed. I didn't see anything in the article about carbonation.

New comment by pseingatl in "Americans still opt for print books over digital or audio versions"

pseingatl — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:33:38 +0000

Speak for yourself. Black text on white paper is unreadable. Too much glare. There is no dark mode for printed books with only a few rare exceptions.

New comment by pseingatl in "US appeals court declares 158-year-old home distilling ban unconstitutional"

pseingatl — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 06:22:25 +0000

Distillation of spirits is a necessary requirement for life on the Aramco compound in Saudi Arabia. Outside the compound, the locally-distilled "sid" is on offer. Both varieties have been available for a half-century with no reports of poisoning.

New comment by pseingatl in "Americans still opt for print books over digital or audio versions"

pseingatl — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 04:29:51 +0000

The problem with printed books is issues suffered by the visually impaired. It's not an issue solely with font size; printed books have no dark mode. If you're a digital nomad, weight is an issue as well.

New comment by pseingatl in "I'm Suing Anthropic for Unauthorized Use of My Personality"

pseingatl — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 07:05:23 +0000

I trust you found a wacky plaintiff personal injury lawyer with little to do who's taking this crusade on a contingency.

New comment by pseingatl in "Philly courts will ban all smart eyeglasses starting next week"

pseingatl — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 05:19:34 +0000

Florida allows cameras in the courtroom, as do other, but not all, States. You have no expectation of privacy in a Florida courtroom during a public trial. Trials are supposed to be public. Thanks to Doc Shepherd (Ohio, 1954) cameras are banned in federal courts, but the trials themselves are public. There's nothing stopping you from entering and memorializing a proceeding using a court reporter.

New comment by pseingatl in "Philly courts will ban all smart eyeglasses starting next week"

pseingatl — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 05:13:02 +0000

In Miami, writing "No English" on the summons does the trick. Or, tell them that you do not consent to be searched (courthouse searches are deemed to be "consent" searches) so please have someone escort you inside without being searched. A quick note saying, "only God can judge" gets you off the hook. They'll hustle you right out of there if you mention jury nullification. Announcing that "the defendant must be guilty because the police arrested him," or "plaintiff lawyers exaggerate injuries to get more money" usually work. "I'm prejudiced against [fill in the blank] people" works too. If this doesn't work immediately, serve up a stereotype in response to the judge's question. "Everyone knows that most crimes are committed by black people" will earn you an a quick excusal. I could go on. "I can't pay attention because I'm worried about..." "Maybe this case is important to these people but I've got my own problems and I can't concentrate on their while I'm worried about my own."