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Comment by superkuh | Hacker News Reader

Run the defroster for 15 minutes then used a credit card to release the suction cups. Students figured this one out many years ago when they first came out.

ref: https://driving.ca/auto-news/news/students-defeat-new-barnac...

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From the article: "Barnacle Parking has since upgraded the design of its device, with its latest generation featuring a suction engine that constantly adjusts PSI based on ambient temperature"

That statement from the company is definitely not the final word! Seems like the delta between the air temperature sensor and the suction could still be exploited. If there is one sensor for each suction point, maybe mess with the temperature and the air intake for the pressure relief. (I’ve not seen one in person and am just interested in the hacking for fun aspect.)

What about just applying a defensive coating of an oil to your windshield. Maybe WD-40 or graphite lubricant. I imagine that'd make it pretty hard for the thing to stick. Or perhaps clear lamination strips in parallel rows thick enough to keep it from achieving suction. There are so many plausible physical protection measures against this intrusive obnoxious device. Even better, how about skipping spending money on barnacles and instead spending it expanding parking so that there is less incentive to park illegally? I will never understand the fixation on punishment over solving the underlying problems that cause misbehavior.

Or maybe don't park illegally.

I've attended four different colleges in several different states and I've never seen a college campus with enough parking. They manufacture this problem and then profit off of it. Students are a captive market. They have to attend class and end up playing musical chairs looking for a parking spot. It's absurd and yet another example of predatory behavior. And it's wild to see so many comments that just blames the victims without any deeper thought on the subject.

A feature not a bug of American gotcha capitalism that goes unchallenged because Americans are wimps and worried they might be labelled "communists".

I would suspend or expel those students. Not for the hacking, but for the sociopathic way that hacking was applied, and the halfwit quotes.

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