

Help an (aspiring) Hacker - kajecounterhack
http://sammyliu.com/help

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sysop073
So, for those of us that got here too late to actually see the site live, what
was this?

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kajecounterhack
Ah sorry about that, basically I needed a computer cause my old one was dead
and couldnt afford it and the kind folks here at YC News helped me out. Though
skmurphy did have a point, and its probably not very entrepreneurial to ask
for donations for something like this. Its resourceful though? :D Yeah. But
thanks to all anyway and will pursue my dreams to have a tech startup =]

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skmurphy
The essence of entrepreneurship is quid pro quo, I worry by seeking a handout
you are putting yourself on the wrong path.

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kajecounterhack
Truth, but if your company doesn't have the tools to work or startup capital,
what do you do? Find venture capital? Yeah I know, you pay back those people
with interest. I guess I could do that, except not for a long time :(

~~~
skmurphy
Work for pay. Save your pay. Buy your tools. If you can't save money when you
are living with your parents at home you will never be able to.

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evanlong
A lot of time Universities have access to different subscriptions ACM, IEEE,
and sometimes Safari Books online. So it might be possible to VPN into your
dad's university to access reading material. It's worth looking into.

~~~
kajecounterhack
Thanks! My dad actually brings home those magazines (when he is working) cause
he gets them at school. He also got me a Rails book.

Any recommendations for ruby books?

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silencio
I'm quite fond of [http://www.amazon.com/Ruby-Way-Second-Addison-Wesley-
Profess...](http://www.amazon.com/Ruby-Way-Second-Addison-Wesley-
Professional/dp/0672328844/) while there are some people who love the pickaxe
book (first edition is free on <http://www.ruby-
doc.org/docs/ProgrammingRuby>)..and others.

As for free guides, I love pointing people to <http://poignantguide.net/ruby/>

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kajecounterhack
2 tipjoys already, thanks so much!

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yrashk
though don't rely on that too much, better do some extra work. that's probably
what lots of us did when we had financial issues in our youth.

~~~
kajecounterhack
you betcha, I have a job! It just...doesnt pay very much, and I need my
computer to do my job ;_; cause I'm a web designer lol

iono what I'm gonna do if I dont get enough though..

we'll see, dealcatcher.com has cheap laptops sometimes =DDD

thanks again.

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orib
Ask work to pay for (or at least subsidize) a computer for you. Even if they
say no.. well, they'll have said no. You're no worse off than you were, and
they should theoretically be paying for everything you need to get your work
done.

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mroman
I second this suggestion.

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kajecounterhack
hmm my boss might let me use his computer (its like a 4-man web design team)
but I dont see him buying me one -.^

though I will ask, can't hurt. thanks for the suggestion.

~~~
orib
Another good option is to ask around schools or businesses for computers that
they're going to throw out. You won't get a blazingly fast quad-core machine
out of this, but there's a good chance you can get something usable, or at
least get the parts to put together something that will work. I've actually
managed to get a couple of 1 GhZ machines with 512 RAM out of this sort of
thing. Sufficient for work, but not amazing. (I use them for testing some
hardware hacking I do occasionally, or for messing around with obscure OS
stuff.)

It's not a laptop, but desktop machines are relatively easy to get on the
cheap (or free) these days.

Good luck, and happy dumpster diving.

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kajecounterhack
Thanks so much!

I didnt realize how much I collected until I looked at my jar again now. Some
really nice guy donated $500. (to put it in perspective, I only had $30 or so
before he donated). Thats enough to get an okay laptop for work/coding, so
thats it. $530 bucks it is.

Small problem being I have to buy from amazon.com...didnt realize that till
now...guess I'll figure it out somehow

I'll keep the dumpster driving tip though, never know when I'll need to do
that in the future.... 0.0

Thanks to everyone that helped and made this possible for me.

~~~
mroman
Hey right on, congrats. Try newegg.com - I have seen decent everex laptops
there.

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mroman
If you know how to build/install/repair/maintain windoze boxes, I say go for
it and advertise yourself. You MIGHT just end up running into a user that
wants to throw out a system that simply needs to have the HDD formatted - I
have seen it happen. You might also (seriously) go dumpster diving around
apartment buildings where college students are known to live. Do not allow
your mind to limit your options, as long as you are not stealing man, you are
ok.

MR

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kajecounterhack
I wish I had a car :P I'm 17 and live in the middle of nowhere lol.

But does anyone by chance know where I can find boxes like that? That would
work ok I think. I just need to know where to get them!

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mroman
I see . . . ok, try craigslist and other analogous free ad places. Be upfront,
say to readers that if they have hardware laying around that is not being
used, or are considering/about to throw out some hardware, that you will take
it off their hands. This is simply an online free ad twist to orib's post.

Back to dumpster diving: I have heard and read that college students are known
to throw out laptops and other hardware come the end of the school year,
granted, we are nearing the beginning of the year, however, it's worth a try.

Once upon a time, dumpster diving for electronics equipment/other
hardware/whatever might be waiting to be found was an honorable hacker
pursuit, kid. :)

I wish you the best of luck, and I have a feeling that you will succeed in
your quest.

~~~
kajecounterhack
Hmm will try for fun, when I get a car =D

I live in a suburb though. do you know where I should go for a good dumpster
drive? I live an hour from NY, though I have a feeling thats not exactly the
place to go...

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mroman
Well, I can't provide any info for your area, but there is:

<http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/5.09/es_dumpster.html>

and

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumpster_diving>

Wish I could go, yet where I live (third world country) there's just no way.

Luck,

MR

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kajecounterhack
Ah thanks

I actually read the wiki right after you mentioned dumpster diving lol

shows a lot about my culture as a teen in this day and age... x.x

