Ask HN: What are you currently building?

I'm building a website for managing personal budgets for my girlfriend (existing applications do not meet her needs). I'm using Node and React for the frontend; this is giving me a chance to learn React, which I've never used before.

been working on a node/angular/react static site generator (graffiti engine) https://github.com/greengrowtech/graffiti-engine and now a complimentary HTML template/fragment editor (graffiti composer) https://github.com/greengrowtech/graffiti-composer

Bootstrapping Business #2. Well, actually bringing in revenue, since I started this a few months ago. Within about $200 of break-even at this point.

In summary, buy reliable used cars that are rough around the edges and with low asking prices. Spend leisure time doing necessary repairs to ensure reliability, safety. Spend time doing detailing work, which in the future may include repainting panels, and basic underbody rustproofing. Use as a car for 2 to 3 weeks as a burn-in to ensure I have something that meets my quality standards. Sell for 125-140% of cost. Limit yearly sales to keep under the transaction limits for a non-dealer.

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Pros:

* Excluding first car, cost me ~$2500 for good tools and safety/disposal equipment.

* Usefully leverages my vast knowledge of the automotive landscape.

* Improves my sales and negotiation skills, which will benefit Business #1

* Improves car repair skills and detailing skills, which is useful since I'm a hardcore car-nut.

* Turns a hobby into something that makes money. I'm having a blast and making money doing it.

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Risks:

* Unable to move a car, reducing profit, which means time not well spent.

* Poor assessment of a car I purchase for resale. Risk eating all profits or taking a loss.

* Losing interest. Though I'd have all the tools I'd ever need for my existing toy.

* My spare time I could spend on other things.

* Fraud, which I'm taking precautions against. This includes things like payment issues, or buyers not completing title transfer and doing terrible things.

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Where it goes next:

* Nothing exciting for a while. Sticking to things like Corollas, Civics, Camrys, Accords, CR-Vs, RAV-4s, F-150s, etc. Known quantities with easy parts availability and consistently strong demand that are easy to refine my process on (assessment/inspection, negotiation/paperwork, repair, pre-sale QA), and learn how to properly do bodywork at an acceptable level in a private garage.

* In 2 years the hope is to move into still easy-to-move cars with a higher profit-per-vehicle. Lexus ES, Lexus RX, Acura TL, Acura MDX, Mazda MX-5, etc.

* In 4 years the hope is to start going after cars people really desire on the used market. "Affordable dreams." Things like older BMW M cars, AMG Mercedes, Subaru WRX/STis. Late 90s Japanese sport coupes. This has the potential to bring in enough money to cover rent, utilities, health insurance/care, and groceries in full.

Business #1 will always bring in 4-5x as much money, but having a hobby pay the bills 5 or 6 years from now? I'm stoked. Since there's no pressure for this to pay the bills, I get to enjoy it too.

Neat idea, good luck with it!

I am in the beginning stages of creating a web application to interact with Bitmessage (a theoretically totally anonymous messaging platform). I am modeling it after Mega.co.nz, which provides varying levels of ways to be confident that the JavaScript it is serving you is not compromised, and relies on you having a private key it never intercepts.

I think the biggest barrier to privacy online right now is how inaccessible applications like Bitmessage are to the average user. Having to install a local python code base and store gigabytes of data that takes potentially hours to download sucks.

A browser application like this is not a fool-proof method of privacy, but it's pretty darn good, and is leaps and bounds better than Facebook which stores your data in plain text and proceeds to sell it or whatever. It's also better than something like a zero-knowledge service such as SpiderOak's Kloak where your data is still owned (but encrypted) by some random person who can revoke your access at any time and track your usage, who you're communicating with, and possibly serve you malicious JavaScript.

In summary, an application that: * Provides completely anonymous, encrypted, untraceable, uncensorable messaging between people and groups (using Bitmessage as the data store) * Is accessible like any other web application and provides pretty good security in doing so * Can be used as a browser extension if you want virtually guaranteed security/privacy * Relies on a data store that no one owns, everyone can access, and everyone can forever contribute to

There are questions about the security of Bitmessage, but I know it will be improved over time.

It is a struggle to decide how much time to dedicate to this application, though. I'm a somewhat underpaid developer with aspirations of actually making money to support myself with side projects, but at the same time wanting to contribute with open source applications like this to make the web a better, more private, place.