3 ms·

Copy toner is the new cocaine!

hkmurakami 13y ago
Ironically, Tide detergent actually is the new drug currency: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5023204 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5023204
- jmspring 13y ago
  Here in Santa Cruz, bike seat posts and rims are recycled by junkies to get their next hit. Frames and other less desirable/recyclable parts are just left as trash.
  - michaelpinto 13y ago
    After Sandy in NYC some jerks were raiding houses for copper — just depressing...
    - aaron695 13y ago
      Why? It's just construction theft. Stealings not great but it happens, no reason to get depressed about it. Not like they were looting straight after the storm or any thing, perhaps that might be depressing but looting in natural disasters is just a myth. A strange myth people cling to, I can think of happier fables to believe in.
      - dylangs1030 13y ago
        What makes you say it's just a myth?
      - dmckeon 13y ago
        Trolling? Here's a fairly extreme example of looting: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/hurricane/archives/hugo89a.htm http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/hurri... Try googling <event name> and "looting" and look for verified or police reports rather than Nth hand rumor and "looting has been reported". You will find it is unfortunately less rare than one might hope.
    - Domenic_S 13y ago
      A certain segment has been raiding for copper for a long time. An old building I worked in in downtown Sacramento was flooded because someone stole the copper water pipes on the next building over -- shooting water into our building. This was back in like 2008/2009.
      - venomsnake 13y ago
        They were doing a subtle PSA - put plastic pipes in the house.
  - hkmurakami 13y ago
    What makes frames less desirable than seat posts, may I ask? (I guess if seat posts are steel and the frame is aluminum?)
    - frankacter 13y ago
      If i had to guess: 1. frames cost more so harder to flip 2. frames typically have a serial number (equivalency of a VIN) which make them trackable for theft.
    - minikomi 13y ago
      It's easy to put a lock through a frame.. A seat post not so much so.
    - jmspring 13y ago
      Seatposts and rims seem to be easier to transport and hide in transit. Common wisdom is a seatpost gets you about $10 which helps towards one's daily fix. Actually bike theft around here falls into two categories -- high end that are shipped out of area quickly and low end which are chopped up and "recycled" for a quick buck. Lots of the chop shops have been found of late due to a community effort to try and clean things up.

Ironically, Tide detergent actually is the new drug currency: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5023204 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5023204

jmspring 13y ago
Here in Santa Cruz, bike seat posts and rims are recycled by junkies to get their next hit. Frames and other less desirable/recyclable parts are just left as trash.
- michaelpinto 13y ago
  After Sandy in NYC some jerks were raiding houses for copper — just depressing...
  - aaron695 13y ago
    Why? It's just construction theft. Stealings not great but it happens, no reason to get depressed about it. Not like they were looting straight after the storm or any thing, perhaps that might be depressing but looting in natural disasters is just a myth. A strange myth people cling to, I can think of happier fables to believe in.
    - dylangs1030 13y ago
      What makes you say it's just a myth?
    - dmckeon 13y ago
      Trolling? Here's a fairly extreme example of looting: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/hurricane/archives/hugo89a.htm http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/hurri... Try googling <event name> and "looting" and look for verified or police reports rather than Nth hand rumor and "looting has been reported". You will find it is unfortunately less rare than one might hope.
  - Domenic_S 13y ago
    A certain segment has been raiding for copper for a long time. An old building I worked in in downtown Sacramento was flooded because someone stole the copper water pipes on the next building over -- shooting water into our building. This was back in like 2008/2009.
    - venomsnake 13y ago
      They were doing a subtle PSA - put plastic pipes in the house.
- hkmurakami 13y ago
  What makes frames less desirable than seat posts, may I ask? (I guess if seat posts are steel and the frame is aluminum?)
  - frankacter 13y ago
    If i had to guess: 1. frames cost more so harder to flip 2. frames typically have a serial number (equivalency of a VIN) which make them trackable for theft.
  - minikomi 13y ago
    It's easy to put a lock through a frame.. A seat post not so much so.
  - jmspring 13y ago
    Seatposts and rims seem to be easier to transport and hide in transit. Common wisdom is a seatpost gets you about $10 which helps towards one's daily fix. Actually bike theft around here falls into two categories -- high end that are shipped out of area quickly and low end which are chopped up and "recycled" for a quick buck. Lots of the chop shops have been found of late due to a community effort to try and clean things up.