Readit Newsburger_moon commented on Daisy, an AI granny wasting scammers' time news.virginmediao2.co.uk/... · Posted by u/ortusdux
I applied for a mortgage today through my bank. Before the automated “next steps” email could hit my inbox my phone was already ringing and ringing and ringing. About 10 minutes straight of automated spam callers that are watching who knows what public ledger on now.
I guess it pretty much means retiring this number next year. I’ve inly had the number a little over a year and the spam has slowly crept up despite best efforts to give fake numbers where possible.
Still building with metal in my free time. This months project is an 8ft tall corner plant stand. Picked up some really unique looking boards from seconduse I need to sand and stain but still working on the shelf itself.
Also started tiling my guest bathroom and tiling the ceiling of the shower. First tile project I’ve attempted.
I’m a few days late to comment here but I’ve been creating metal furniture again this summer. Mostly tables, end tables, night stands, some benches and stools. It’s a hobby thing and my house is getting quite full, but I’ve also had a few commissioned pieces.
I like to mix different materials into the designs I cook up. For the tops I use cut stone which is prohibitively expensive for most hobby stuff but works really well for commission work because of all the different types (marble, granite, composite) and styles/ colors you can get. It gives it a very high end look and feel when combined with a sturdy metal frame. I’m also really into 3D printing so I try to incorporate that into the work as well. Using different pattern schemes to make inserts and accent pieces.
I’ve also experimented with incorporating IKEA furniture pieces into metal frames because I love the idea of doing modular furniture that can be swapped out for different colors and textures. I use the same idea for my 3D printed work.
I love the creativity and flexibility this gives me and my welding skills have ramped up significantly. It’s been years since I welded seriously and I really lost the techniques so getting that confidence back is great. I’ve been approached to do some big 5-6 figure home design jobs through the connections I’ve made acquiring stone pieces but I’ve only consulted on advice. I still feel a bit insecure about putting myself out there in structural work. I see how successful different design firms locally are building this stuff for tech companies and I’d love to eventually have my work featured like that but taking it slow for now.
burger_moon commented on Ask HN: What to do with a pallet of old electronics equipment · Posted by u/burger_moon
I'm probably stating the obvious, but eBay is a good bet for a lot of this stuff. Maybe just list a bunch of it, and if it doesn't sell in the limited timeframe you have, then you get rid of it through some other means.
That is a fascinating collection of stuff! I hope you're able to find a home for it.
Edit: there are also lots of retro arcade enthusiast groups out there. I don't know where you live, but I'd search for groups like that near you. This seems like something that would be a treasure trove for them.
Thanks for the tip that’s a good idea I’ll see if there’s any retro arcade groups or meetups and see if they want any of this. I’d love to give it away to a group like that.
I’m not too keen on selling this stuff on eBay due to my limited timeframe.
burger_moon commented on Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023 · Posted by u/Pietertje
This was a big reading year for myself, I got through 25 books. They are not technical books like most listed here. I focused on reading memoirs, literature, fiction stories, primarily women authors. I didn’t read any bad books in my opinion, I guess I picked well.
Standouts,
Convenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata
Lakota Woman - Mary Crow Dog
Beautiful Country: A Memoir of An Undocumented Childhood - Qian Julie Wang
Gather Around in My Name - Maya Angelou
The entire autobiographical series by Maya is a must read imo, but this one is my favorite. Maybe also my favorite book I read this year.
burger_moon commented on Physicist 3D-printed a Lamborghini because his son liked one (2019) autoblog.com/2019/10/07/d... · Posted by u/lelf
Hell yes. I mean it is super cliche but I hope that when my kids are older that I can restore a vintage car with them so we can do Sunday drives. This kicks it up several orders of magnitude.
As an off topic aside, I find working on vehicles highly therapeutic. I finally got into motorcycles several years ago and learned that motorcycle mechanics, compared to car mechanics, are few and far between are usually very busy. If you buy a used bike and don’t want to take it to the dealer for service, you better learn to wrench. Let me tell you, it has been a hugely empowering experience. Unlike modern cars, even modern bikes are relatively easy to work on. I got ones with carburetors, so the most sophisticated computer on them is the LCD clock/trip meter. My second bike came to me not running for $1300 plus a bit for delivery. I still can’t believe that with some hand tools, time, and a shop manual I not only got it working, but improved its performance. I didn’t grow up around any kind of vehicles so learning to do this is a personal achievement for me. Yesterday evening I went for a long random ride and it was really something when the machine you had on the floor of your garage in pieces not that long ago now runs just right as you literally drive into the sunset. Motorcycles really helped me deal with the weight of the past year and just the weight of life in general. They aren’t cheaper than therapy but they definitely are more fun.
I used to be a mechanic and owned a shop and was knee deep in car culture, but motorcycles really stole the spotlight as I've aged.
They're less fun to work on imo but so much more rewarding to own and drive. I get so much pleasure out of my bikes that other automotive types can't provide.
The dollar to smile ratio is also way better.
For items that I use once per month, I still keep handy, b/c driving 20+ minutes is just not worth it.
Their tools are also in good condition and there are volunteers that maintain them. They also help with bike repairs too.
Specifically, I am a member here: https://seattlereconomy.org/
I just think it’d be great to teach people how to hang a shelf or clean the filter in a mini split, fix a flat tire on a car, etc. All the stuff I have to regularly do for people now. I may sign up to do some instructor led classes.
I love the idea of a tool library, I own more tools than I can use at this point.
However I think if I could get paid a monthly service fee to list my tools I’d do it, otherwise the replacement costs for people misusing or losing the tools would make it not worth it. A single socket goes missing and suddenly it’s $30 to replace, wipes out the sharing incentive.