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How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40

davekiss.com

141–150 of 229 posts

Re: How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40

#141
post #66

I 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

Next time please submit a video of this...haha

Re: How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40

#142
post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This means that to improve one's chances to gain publicly, one should adjust their art to the exact requirements of the publicity-producing organization, and not let artistic whims like "inspiration" ruin the day. Or, better yet, has to learn how to reorient the latter slightly to check every box when a checklist becomes available. This requires a serious mastery of the art that allows to obtain exactly what's envisi…

in my experience, your submission does not have to be a carbon copy of what you end up making. you can check the boxes to make them trust your artistic ability - then you can make it yours, within reason. the money controls the art outcome, until you're banksy. a lot of great artists are able to stylistically and thematically change their art on a whim, by studying the materials/style and putting conscious effort in.…

Modern art may not require visible utter technical mastery, even though sometimes it's demonstrated, too. What I mean by mastery is the ability to produce such an oevre that checks all the right boxes, and does not check any wrong boxes. In this regard, being edgy and provocative is the right trait to demonstrate, while overstepping it and, say, showing something that can be seen as bigotry is not comme il faut. Navigating these boundaries efficiently is what I also mean by mastery.

Re: How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40

#143
post #123

I'm in the art scene, and when it comes to submitting proposals for exhibitions and being in art/film festivals and such, competing against other people being picked is surprisingly easy when you realise that most people don't study the brief that tells you exactly what the organisations is looking for. make sure you nail everything in the brief and you're in the lead, even if your art is terrible. I feel this is sim…

This means that to improve one's chances to gain publicly, one should adjust their art to the exact requirements of the publicity-producing organization, and not let artistic whims like "inspiration" ruin the day. Or, better yet, has to learn how to reorient the latter slightly to check every box when a checklist becomes available. This requires a serious mastery of the art that allows to obtain exactly what's envisi…

I mean, anyone's free to create whatever art they want on their own time and dime, and accept that it may or may not resonate with others and their pocketbooks. If you're applying for a specific thing for someone to give you money and they've said what they're looking for...yeah, you should probably conform to that.

Re: How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40

#144
post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 l…

> 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.

It was likely the solvent properties of WD-40 that helped. It dissolved the old, tacky lubricant or rust and left you with a cleaner lock. For a six month fix on a rental, that is probably fine. For a long term fix on a house you own, it may be worth using one of a plethora of lubricants designed for that specific use case (including a more specific variant of WD-40 that is designed for locks and leave behind a dry lubricant when it evaporates.)

> Because now there's something that can also unstick your lock, but with an even lower coefficient of friction?

WD-40 is decent at removing rust, but not great at repelling water and thus preventing rust.

There are a lot of things that go into picking the right lubricant for a specific application. It isn't just "which lubricant is slipperiest?".

WD-40 is indeed a lubricant, but much of the benefits of using it are due to its solvent properties and people often don't understand that applying it in the wrong circumstances can lead to removing the correct lubricant and result in less lubrication.

Re: How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40

#145
post #137

When I was visiting India for work back in 2006, I got my name published on The Times of India newspaper. I was reading it while having breakfast at the hotel, and I saw this sports related question, and all you had to do was to send an email with your answer. So, I did that. And apparently, only a few people did it. I got my name printed on the next issue. We're talking about a national newspaper with a circulation…

It’s what I tell my kids. Two things will put you ahead of most people doing most things: 1) show up and 2) try.

Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.

Re: How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40

#147

What people don’t realise is that the true competition he was trying to enter, was to get on HN by following the correct formula of including the keywords AI, maths, an amount of money, and a novel item (WD-40).

I too am only on HN for WD-40 content!

Re: How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40

#148

I wonder if the mispronunciation of "polish" as "Polish" had anything to do with missing out on a win with the fairy submission? Fun read!

I assumed it was just a bad look dumping WD-40 straight into the environment

I too think it was that combined w the fact of hurting insects with it perhaps.

Re: How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40

#150
doing the write up on the contest of course has its own benefits, it just seems to me whenever I read one of these things I think it isn't worthwhile. Not just this contest, this one seemed worthwhile, but this has to also be compared with all the other contests, payoffs etc. This seems like a big win that even if it took 20 hours (which seems the max of time it could have taken - given edits took 8 hours) would still be a good wage - do you pay taxes on context wins?

But for every contest he enters and puts effort in what is the overall payoff, seems unlikely to be this high, and with that I would think it seems like a bunch of stuff to do for little money.

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