Help an (aspiring) Hacker

4 24 18 years ago

2 tipjoys already, thanks so much!

yrashk• 18 years ago

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.

kajecounterhack10• 18 years ago

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.

skmurphy2• 18 years ago

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

kajecounterhack10• 18 years ago

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 :(

skmurphy2• 18 years ago

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.

mroman5• 18 years ago

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.

kajecounterhack10• 18 years ago

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!

mroman5• 18 years ago

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.

evanlong• 18 years ago

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.

kajecounterhack10• 18 years ago

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?

silencio2• 18 years ago

I'm quite fond of http://www.amazon.com/Ruby-Way-Second-Addison-Wesley-Profess... 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/

silencio2• 18 years ago

I think I have Safari Books access through either my ACM or IEEE CS membership, along with the other perks that come with (lots of things to read like magazines and journals, elearning materials). Although, if I remember correctly it's a lot limited (selection-wise as well as ability to print/download) than the paid subscription, but if your university/college doesn't have access to Safari it's definitely still better than paying upwards of $25/month. I think when I had a student membership for both it was ~$50/year.

(Okay, instead of being a lazy butt, I actually looked into it. I'm not sure what benefit you'd get from IEEE book-wise, but my ACM membership comes with limited Safari Books Online and Books24x7 access. Not sure if you get them as a student.)

But it's worth pointing out that there are some free online resources and certain books worth buying that may be worth more than paying for any of those. All depends on what kind of stuff you're looking for.

sysop073• 18 years ago

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

kajecounterhack10• 18 years ago

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 =]

Help an (aspiring) Hacker

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