Is it common for contests to post all the entries before the contest is over? Even if they do, why wouldn't smart competitors enter at the last minute in order to prevent their competitors from benefiting from their work?
How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40
101–110 of 229 posts
Re: How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40
#102Love the use of Playwright for the contest intel...I am currently using Playwright to redo some prior scraping projects and seeing real world examples such as these is a big help.
You attack the problem like blackjack card-counter would. You assess the rules, make mathematical odds projections when possible and logical ones when not, and keep a keen eye on what you are up against as to judge how to best attack the money.
Thanks for the smart write-up...its been a big inspiration for me.
Re: How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40
#103Lubricating a sliding door Quieting a squeaky door hinge Lubricating an HVAC register lever Wd-40 is not really a lubricant. You can use WD-40 to clean gunk out of things, but you really need to follow it up with a proper lubricating oil
It's a mixture of light mineral oil and light mineral spirits. As a lubricant, the mineral spirits carry the mixture into crevices, then evaporates, leaving an oil film behind.
This is either useful and appropriate for a situation, or it's not. Also, the oil might not be a specialized oil for any particular use, but a lot of applications don't need a high performance oil.
In my view, the drawbacks are:
1. Controlling overspray. This is why, even if I liked the stuff, I'd prefer to apply it with an eyedropper in many if not most cases.
2. General ignorance about lubrication needs, where something else is preferable, such as grease, a suspension of wax, penetrating oil, etc.
On the other hand, keeping a supply of every possible lubricant can be a storage problem, and I've gradually come to prefer using the "wrong" stuff than buying yet another oversized container of something that I have to keep forever or dispose of.
Re: How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40
#104That 8th entry pouring loads on WD40 on trees is just crazy, that thing is petroleum distillate !
>> pouring loads on WD40 on trees
not really the same thing as spraying a bit of WD40 on a dead stump.
Re: How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40
#105A gamed a contest into a brief TV career once.
A British computer TV show ran a content on their web site, but it was a fast-paced multiple-choice Flash game. I just opened three accounts. Ran through it with the first two to figure out all the right answers, then got perfect scores on the third.
The prize was to co-present the show one time, but apparently they got so much positive feedback they made me permanent, until I found a new job. I never let them know I cheated :/
This is the show. I only did it because I had a huge crush on Kate Russell:
Re: How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40
#106I once ran an ultra marathon distance and had no lubricant but getting a bad rash so I sprayed my thighs and balls with WD-40 which I found outside someone’s garage. It lasted me almost 15 miles until I could buy some Vaseline. Off label use probably
You should've submitted a video to the competition!
Re: How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40
#107[flagged]
It just got to the front page of HN, which includes a large percentage of users who buy and use WD-40 [1]. That alone might be worth the price of admission. You could also think about this as a collab between WD-40 and Javascript, which is pretty funny. The author is presumably posting this video and blog everywhere, which only further amplifies WD-40's outreach. And they themselves now have a positive brand associat…
Maybe he just needed to buy a small can to open up his normal can of WD-40 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9PFZTPSOkdY
Re: How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40
#108Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Wd-40 is not really a lubricant And yet, it lubricates! I've heard your claim a lot, but the fact remains, it makes machinery work more smoothly, by reducing friction, and it is effective over significant time periods. By any definition, it is a lubricant. https://www.wd40.com/myths-legends-fun-facts/ > Myth: WD-40 Multi-Use Product is not really a lubricant. > Fact: While the “W-D” in WD-40 stands for Water Displa…
Water is a lubricant as well. And yet it is not a good lubricant for all applications. WD-40 is absolutely spectacular for certain things, but if what you want is a lubricant there are much better options. For instance, there is a silicone version that will make a sticky old lock work like new. https://www.wd40.com/products/silicone-lubricant/ You could probably burn WD-40 in a propane stove, but that doesn't mean it…
> And yet it is not a good lubricant for all applications
seems like a bit of a straw man, no?
> a silicone version that will make a sticky old lock work like new.
In my apartment, my deadbolt was so sticky that it was hard to turn even with the door half open. Two spritzes (keyhole and the bolt) with WD-40 classic, and it moved easily, and continued to turn easily for the remaining 6 months in my time there. Could lubricant-X have done a "better" job? Maybe, not that it mattered in practice.
If NASA designed an even better lubricant, would lubricant-X no longer be a lubricant at all by your standards? Because now there's something that can also unstick your lock, but with an even lower coefficient of friction?
WD-40 contains lubricants, and it can be used as a general-purpose around-the-house lubricant. Proven by my years of personal experience. Trying to claim that it isn't a lubricant is like trying to convince me that my lightbulbs are dim. I just laugh and move on.
Re: How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40
#109A gamed a contest into a brief TV career once. A British computer TV show ran a content on their web site, but it was a fast-paced multiple-choice Flash game. I just opened three accounts. Ran through it with the first two to figure out all the right answers, then got perfect scores on the third. The prize was to co-present the show one time, but apparently they got so much positive feedback they made me permanent, u…
In that video, Nigel pronounces www as "world wide web" and I have not heard that in decades. It's so much better than actually pronouncing the letters, I can't believe we ever stopped using it
Re: How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40
#110A gamed a contest into a brief TV career once. A British computer TV show ran a content on their web site, but it was a fast-paced multiple-choice Flash game. I just opened three accounts. Ran through it with the first two to figure out all the right answers, then got perfect scores on the third. The prize was to co-present the show one time, but apparently they got so much positive feedback they made me permanent, u…
A fellow super brain finalist on hn?