I sewed a pair of KKK hoods and placed them atop the bronze heads of a local Confederate monument. Less than a year later that statue and a few more like it were removed due to the “safety concern” created by myself and a ton of other activists. I like to the “the coolest physical thing I’ve made” is helping make those goddamned statues disappear.
Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?
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Re: Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?
#562Re: Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?
#563Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thanks for elaborating - that sounds really cool.
Thank you for asking! The art world is kinda funky.
Re: Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?
#564Re: Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?
#565I know, I am way late to the game on this one. But WTF. I made a Scanning Tunneling Microscope, in 2001, spent an entire year doing it. Coolest F-ing thing I ever did. No money. No reason other than my curiosity. I learned Sooooooooooo much doing it. I used to have a github on it but no one looked at it but, it was one of those things. It taught me something about patience, and a ton about so many things, controllers…
Re: Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?
#566I know, I am way late to the game on this one. But WTF. I made a Scanning Tunneling Microscope, in 2001, spent an entire year doing it. Coolest F-ing thing I ever did. No money. No reason other than my curiosity. I learned Sooooooooooo much doing it. I used to have a github on it but no one looked at it but, it was one of those things. It taught me something about patience, and a ton about so many things, controllers…
Re: Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?
#567I like building bikes. I have four now that are all frame up builds, and I've used it to get pretty good at fixing and diagnosing issues too the point friends come to me. I've also learned to build wheels though that's very much a work in progress. I also roast coffee. I exclusively buy green to roast for myself and friends and haven't bought roasted coffee in over a year! I learned to sew and made a frame bag or two…
I've been thinking of making my own frame bags. You got any pointers for me? Completely new to the hobby but it seems fun
https://bikepacking.com/gear/how-to-make-a-bikepacking-frame...
honestly I think just getting stuff like corners and seam allowances dialed, frame bags (with minimal features) are super fun and easy. I order my tech fabric from seattlefabrics but ripstop by the roll is pretty popular too. it's worth getting a nylon swatch to see all the fabrics next to each other because of all the fabric stores I've been to, almost none have tech fabric.
if you don't have a machine, it's worth going to a store. I tried the thrift store and got one running but the feed dogs were broken. I've only ever had amazing experiences at sewing stores asking for help or guidance.
Re: Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?
#568Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, I was actually really fascinated by the server and IT infrastructure in these types of operations and worked to make a career switch to programming. I’m a full stack engineer now professionally, and work on open source code on the side.
Really sorry to hear how things turned out for you career-wise. Just know that we all feel you and we are here whenever you need to talk about it.
The career path hasn’t been so bad. Applied my understanding of electrons to computer science, and have launched a number of apps and services since.
Currently working on a side project that’s a WordPress alternative built with Next.js and Tailwind :)
Re: Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?
#569Earlier quoted context omitted.
You seem ill-informed in your pet peeve. Miriam Webster defines civilian as "not military not police."
A dictionary reflects current usage. It does not reflect correct usage. Police in the US are not governed by the UCMJ and have no affirmative obligations in the way military do. They are also civilians under the Geneva convention. A professional police force only goes back about 200 years.
Re: Ask HN: What's the coolest physical thing you've made?
#570I made a turntable that spins cars around at 12 rpm, which doesn't sound like a lot but when it's your car spinning around at 12 rpm, it's a lot.