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Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list?

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41–50 of 72 posts

Re: Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list?

#41

I've always been interested in robotics, but I've never actually built one, so an Arduino, servos, and some sensors are at the top of my list. I really want to build an autonomous quadcopter.

if interested you can have my arduino if you cover shipping. been sitting in my closet for a year and never really got the chance to use it. email in my profile. cheers.

Re: Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list?

#42
What's wrong with socks? Seriously, socks are a great present - I always need some.

Failing that, t-shirts. Cotton whites are fine although I send along a few links to some 'funny' shirts I'd wear for those who want to get me something a little less generic.

Re: Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list?

#44
post #17

Is anyone else just kinda over Christmas by now? I dont see why we have to have a specific date to give someone a gift, or spend time with our family or enjoy a nice meal. Then again, everone calls me scrooge this time of year. PS: I made this site a few years back: http://whychristmasisbullshit.com/

People call you scrooge because you are just like scrooge... seriously, you made a website because you don't like getting off of work, getting gifts, and spending time with family?

You kinda missed my point, i dont see why you need a specific occasion to do any of those things, i like doing those things as much as the next guy, its christmas itself i cant stand.

Re: Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list?

#45
post #2

I'm trying to convince my girlfriend to purchase http://ardrone.parrot.com/parrot-ar-drone/usa/ for me

I've seen that before, but I found it disappointing that they limit the height to 10 ft above the ground. It also seems like it may have some problems flying in wind judging by their instructions for outdoor flight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7K0O0YJnFo

  > I found it disappointing that they limit the height to 10 
  > ft above the ground.
Time to hack it? Afaik, it has an ultrasonic range finder that it uses to maintain a safe distance to the ground (this could be tested by launching it from the top of a roof and observing its behavior). After that it's just a matter of finding the right pin and giving the onboard controller the right PWM signal. :)

Of course the radio might be too weak for any sort of serious teleoperation.

Re: Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list?

#47
post #17

Is anyone else just kinda over Christmas by now? I dont see why we have to have a specific date to give someone a gift, or spend time with our family or enjoy a nice meal. Then again, everone calls me scrooge this time of year. PS: I made this site a few years back: http://whychristmasisbullshit.com/

People call you scrooge because you are just like scrooge... seriously, you made a website because you don't like getting off of work, getting gifts, and spending time with family?

Those 3 things aren't really listed on his site, just some of the negative behaviors around them. If you'd care to refute the things listed, you'd have a point.

The prevalence of gift giving using consumer credit is just dumb, moreso when it's crappy gift cards that don't mean anything. Only spending time with family during Christmas doesn't feel genuine, and the arbitrariness of getting time off for the holidays is irksome to anyone who is aware of how fabricated the holiday is. Call me scrooge too if you like, but I agree with most of the stuff listed.

Re: Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list?

#48

What's wrong with socks? Seriously, socks are a great present - I always need some. Failing that, t-shirts. Cotton whites are fine although I send along a few links to some 'funny' shirts I'd wear for those who want to get me something a little less generic.

I have socks on my list. Smartwool. After trying merino wool socks I'll never go back to cotton.

Re: Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list?

#49

most of my family is trying to be more minimal, so we stopped giving each other gifts years ago unless it was something important (baby, etc), or something they needed but was easier for someone else to find. What I'd value personally: high quality outdoor clothing. I'd be happy if it was just a merino wool pair of socks. I'm tired of buying cheap jackets and want to finally invest in a good layering system for winte…

I discovered Browning brand wool socks at Fleet Farm (in Wisconsin; I'm not sure about where else they have stores) a couple of years ago. So far, they've been quite comfortable and durable, for me. Two years ago, they struck me as quite inexpensive, although I don't recall the price -- they might have been on sale. This summer, $6.99 a pair.

The ones from two years ago are still going strong, despite my walking around a lot in socks, at home.

Edit: Although the particular line I purchased are not the very heavy, thick socks that one may sometimes want for outdoor wear.

Re: Ask HN: what's on your Christmas list?

#50
I'm not a Christmas person. I don't want people spending hard earned money on me unless it's something I really want, otherwise I think it's a waste of money. I am fine with cards or trinkets. My dad is getting me a plane ticket to fly home, that works.
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