Ask HN: So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?

#81

Post by JimmyL » Fri, Dec 25, 2009, 9:58 PM UTC

andrewljohnson wrote: post #47

maxklein wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The entire skin. Quite thick - not really wearable.

It actually might not be illegal. I was on safari last year and I was told you could buy a license to hunt leopards, just they are very expensive. You can also hunt lions and other big game.

Depends on the country it was shot in, and if the animal was wild or not.

Wild Leopard is a CITES Appendix I species, meaning that it's pretty much illegal to trade in or to move across borders. It's possible to do it legally, but in order for that to be the case your family would have needed a special export permit from where they hunted it, and they would have had to get a similar permit from the Fish and Wildlife Service to bring it back into the US - and this is quite difficult.

If they can prove that it was bred in captivity, then it only requires a FWS import permit (since captive Leopards are CITES Appendix II), which is reasonably easy to get.

Re: Ask HN: So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?

#82

Post by JimmyL » Fri, Dec 25, 2009, 10:01 PM UTC

Several nice sweaters, a suit, some decent stationary, a watch, and a plane ticket home to see my family.

Re: Ask HN: So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?

#83

Post by mattiss » Fri, Dec 25, 2009, 10:09 PM UTC

maxklein wrote: post #16

I got the skin of a leopard. Completely unasked for, totally illegal and now I'm feeling very guilty, but unsure what to do. It's not good to have naive family members go on safari.

That's pretty disgusting. Good on you that you are figuring out a noble way to get rid of it.

Re: Ask HN: So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?

#84

Post by Flemlord » Fri, Dec 25, 2009, 10:09 PM UTC

My present was my extended family agreeing to play Werewolf for the first time. I've been dying to play ever since I heard about it, but haven't had enough people to try it. (It requires at least nine; eight players and a moderator.) It was a huge hit and we're playing it again tonight with even more people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia_%28party_game%29

I also got a kegerator.

Re: Ask HN: So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?

#85

Post by Flemlord » Fri, Dec 25, 2009, 10:11 PM UTC

maxklein wrote: post #58

vaksel wrote: post #28

I just got cash. I'm impossible to shop for, since I just buy whatever I want. So about 5 years back we just agreed that I just get cash, since that allows me to buy the stuff I really want, when I get the itch.

My rule is exactly the opposite - I have cash and I can buy anything I want basically, and I can always save for more expensive things. So the rule is simply - I neither give nor receive cash or gift certificates. That way I get things I may not have known I wanted, or unexpected things. It also brings a lot more fun into unwrapping presents.

Gift certificates are like being given a ToDo list.

Re: Ask HN: So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?

#86

Post by Scott_MacGregor » Fri, Dec 25, 2009, 10:22 PM UTC

maxklein wrote: post #16

I got the skin of a leopard. Completely unasked for, totally illegal and now I'm feeling very guilty, but unsure what to do. It's not good to have naive family members go on safari.

I think I would like the Leopard Skin a lot better with the Leopard still in it. Not a very practical pet but they are a beautiful animal.

http://www.fugly.com/media/IMAGES/Strange/leopard_skin_sheet...

Re: Ask HN: So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?

#87

Post by maxklein » Fri, Dec 25, 2009, 10:23 PM UTC

maxklein wrote: post #16

I got the skin of a leopard. Completely unasked for, totally illegal and now I'm feeling very guilty, but unsure what to do. It's not good to have naive family members go on safari.

Okay, on further research and a bit of help from Wikipedia - I believe it's not leopard fur, but rather 'serval' fur:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Serval_in_Tanzania.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serval

Servals are not endangered, does not mean I'll be making myself a cape out of it though!

Re: Ask HN: So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?

#88

Post by daeken » Fri, Dec 25, 2009, 10:25 PM UTC

ropiku wrote: post #69

jarsj wrote: post #62

Kindle ;-)

Kindle 2 or DX ? Any idea how are the PDFs on Kindle 2 ?

PDFs on the Kindle 2 are effectively unusable in 99% of cases. There's no zoom function, so unless you break out a magnifying lens, you won't be able to read a damn thing on most PDFs. Quite sad, as I was looking forward to the update :(

Re: Ask HN: So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?

#89

Post by DanielBMarkham » Fri, Dec 25, 2009, 10:29 PM UTC

daeken wrote: post #88

ropiku wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kindle 2 or DX ? Any idea how are the PDFs on Kindle 2 ?

PDFs on the Kindle 2 are effectively unusable in 99% of cases. There's no zoom function, so unless you break out a magnifying lens, you won't be able to read a damn thing on most PDFs. Quite sad, as I was looking forward to the update :(

With a DX in rotated mode I've never had a problem -- and I've downloaded and read dozens of different PDFs, including e-books with lots of diagrams.

Re: Ask HN: So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?

#90

Post by daeken » Fri, Dec 25, 2009, 10:29 PM UTC

Capicola and some Italian bread dipping sauce from my Mom, with a bottle of raspberry ice wine (yum!) on the way. New York hard rolls (oh how I miss New England sometimes) from my dad. Investments by Bodie, Kane, and Marcus and a hangover from myself. It's been a good Christmas already.