Hacker News: rlaabs

New comment by rlaabs in "Tell HN: YC companies scrape GitHub activity, send spam emails to users"

rlaabs — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 11:57:11 +0000

I've received the exact same email from the same company.

BBC website in US launches paid subscription service

rlaabs — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 14:04:59 +0000

Article URL: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2vgkn7w10o

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44387556

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

New comment by rlaabs in "Declining quality of consumer-grade products – 2009 fridge compressor autopsy"

rlaabs — Sun, 14 Aug 2022 22:55:01 +0000

Modern Vitamix benders (roughly within the last 8 years) have the same declining quality issues.

Newer models are typically much lighter. This means they now have far less internal material to reduce noise. I can't use mine without ear protection since it's about chainsaw level of noise. The reduced weight means I also need to hold onto it during use otherwise it will vibrate itself off the counter.

The company seems to be most interested in selling smoothie recipe subscriptions for their blender companion phone app. Aside from subscription selling the app is pretty much useless -- who wants a phone app to remotely control a blender?

New comment by rlaabs in "Apple is working on iPhone features to help detect depression, cognitive decline"

rlaabs — Sat, 25 Sep 2021 20:21:03 +0000

According to a security researcher[1], a 0-day in Analyticsd allowed any installed app to access the users health data.

[1] https://habr.com/en/post/579714/

EDIT: Found the link to the previous HN discussion about this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28637276

New comment by rlaabs in "Amazon third-party sellers reportedly hound customers who leave bad reviews"

rlaabs — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 12:55:27 +0000

The New York City council recently passed a bill that requires apps, like Doordash, to share the customers real name, number, email address.

Their reasoning is that this somehow "helps" small-business.

https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4...

New comment by rlaabs in "Apple's iCloud+ “VPN”"

rlaabs — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 18:41:43 +0000

BBC Select is another option for BBC documentaries if you have either Amazon Prime video or an Apple TV.

https://www.bbcselect.com/

New comment by rlaabs in "Leaked emails show crime app Citizen is testing on-demand security force"

rlaabs — Fri, 21 May 2021 19:28:17 +0000

Community based policing, cops on neighborhood patrols, has been on the decline for years.

Police funding is now more often used to to acquire military weapons/hardware.

"Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces" is a highly recommended study of this problem.

https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Warrior-Cop-Militarization-Ameri...

The salmon you buy in the future may be farmed on land

rlaabs — Mon, 26 Apr 2021 00:33:43 +0000

Article URL: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56829129

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26938130

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

New comment by rlaabs in "The Mythology of Red Bull"

rlaabs — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 18:09:06 +0000

Have you tried cape gooseberries (Physalis peruviana)? IMO they taste very similar to sugar free Red Bull.

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

The IRS Cashed Her Check. Then the Late Notices Started Coming

rlaabs — Wed, 03 Mar 2021 17:45:18 +0000

Article URL: https://www.propublica.org/article/the-irs-cashed-her-check-then-the-late-notices-started-coming

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26331872

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

New comment by rlaabs in "Sponsored Top Sites"

rlaabs — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 20:39:46 +0000

Unfortunately it seems like I was one of "small percentage of Firefox users" this feature is being tested on.

Contrary to what the article claims, there was no way to disable this feature from the menu: it wasn't possible to uncheck the 'Sponsored Top Sites' button.

I had search for 'sponsor' settings in 'about:config' to disable it. Sadly, I don't think most users will be able to figure this out.

I'm seriously reconsidering moving away from Firefox, or at the very least no longer recommending it to non-technical users

New comment by rlaabs in "Doomsday Ships Were Ready to Ride Out Nuclear Armageddon Before Doomsday Planes"

rlaabs — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 15:01:20 +0000

Daniel Elllsberg's "The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner" covers this (and other related issues) in good detail.

https://www.amazon.com/Doomsday-Machine-Confessions-Nuclear-...

New comment by rlaabs in "Police playing music while being filmed, seemingly to trigger copyright filters"

rlaabs — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 00:18:25 +0000

The lead singer died decades ago, but I think it is still very clear what the band would think: the lyrics of one of their songs are about very similar issues:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_29,_1992_(Miami)

TLDR : Sublime is about as "anti-cop" as you can get.

New comment by rlaabs in "How to lower the price of plant-based meat"

rlaabs — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 22:58:47 +0000

I would highly recommend 'The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America's Food Business'

https://smile.amazon.com/Meat-Racket-Takeover-Americas-Busin...

New comment by rlaabs in "The public has a right to know how companies that pay no taxes pull it off"

rlaabs — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 13:41:54 +0000

I would highly recommended reading "A Fine Mess: A Global Quest for a Simpler, Fairer, and More Efficient Tax System." It compares tax systems around the world, unpacks common issues and suggests a fix (in short a "broad base low rate" strategy).

https://www.amazon.com/Fine-Mess-Global-Simpler-Efficient/dp...