Live data from Hacker News

Fixing Macs door to door

matduggan.com

71–80 of 213 posts

Re: Fixing Macs door to door

#71
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not an American city thing. It’s a bad neighborhood while carrying an iMac box thing. There’s plenty of cities worldwide with rough neighborhoods where I would absolutely not want to be lugging apple branded stuff through at night.

Even by day it can be harrowing. By far the sweatiest walk home I’ve ever had was the 20 minute walk carrying home my 5K iMac through the outskirts of a less than fancy neighborhood. They wrapped it in nondescript cardboard to conceal, but the shape unmistakably said “new iMac walking”. It didn’t help that it was a warm day and those 5Ks are deceptively big and heavy. Shouldn’t have cheaped out on calling a cab.

I once bought a new laptop and walked out of the shop realising I had walked into a riot of Millwall football fans facing down Greater Manchester Police’s finest (including dogs and horses).

I and the laptop got out unscathed thanks to me knowing shortcuts and back streets.

Fun times.

Re: Fixing Macs door to door

#74

> I was directed to park across the street and told even though the signs said "no parking" that they had a "deal with the city". He said he didn’t have a car a few paragraphs before. Has he earned enough by then?

He then proceeds to specify that it was a borrowed one

Re: Fixing Macs door to door

#76

> I was directed to park across the street and told even though the signs said "no parking" that they had a "deal with the city". He said he didn’t have a car a few paragraphs before. Has he earned enough by then?

He then proceeds to specify that it was a borrowed one

Yeah, just got to that part.

Re: Fixing Macs door to door

#77
post #42
post #2

My favorite bit, "Threats quickly lost their power when you realized nobody at any point had asked your name or any information about yourself. It's hard to threaten an anonymous person."

I don't get this part. Thet could just phone Apple and complain about some contractor and Apple could get his name from some records.

> They could just phone Apple

That's the thing. Once they realise that they have to put effort in it, the threats stop.

Re: Fixing Macs door to door

#78

I did this in the mid 90s. It was really fun to see inside a lot of rich people's houses, the sort that have libraries so big they need those ladders with wheels on to scoot around. I was hit on by several bored housewives, including one that answered the door in her open robe. One American woman had brought her inkjet from the USA and I hooked it up to a decent convertor, but it wasn't one that converted the frequen…

> That job put me in contact with a criminal gang who went on to supply with me dozens of GBs of stolen hard drives that I used to create what was probably the largest warez FTP Statements like this seem to agree with the anti-piracy groups' narrative about piracy being closely related to organized crime, a claim that initially seemed questionable to me.

That narrative is idiotic, sure pirates might buy stolen drives, same as gangs use knives. Stopping one won't affect the other.

Re: Fixing Macs door to door

#80
post #50

The experiences of people who meet a wide range of customers are always interesting. I had read a similar story of a man who worked at car showrooms of various brands (such as Honda, Toyota). > Look it's important that if you see Oprah, you act normally, please don't ask her for an autograph or a photo I never understood why people drool when they see celebrities. Movie actors, musicians, sportspersons etc — I like w…

I think its a para-social thing. We are not build to see somebody everyday in a certain context and only passively interact with them. This crosses a couple of wires I think.

I have similar desires to not meet them but its mostly because I do not care that much and they probably have enough randos bothering them. I would probably dive under the table as well as in the article :)

Post reply on HN