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Comment by ben1040 | Hacker News Reader

Raise your hand if you tasted a Nintendo Switch cartridge because you read the plastic was infused with a bitterant to mitigate choking hazards.

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Back in the day when I worked desktop support, we would use a lot of canned air. And when they added bitterant to that stuff in order to keep kids from huffing it, it became almost unusable for its intended purpose because it turns out that nobody wants to have to breathe the bitter air after they clean out a PC. So, I went to the office supply store and sampled some different brands to see which ones didn't add a bitterant. The irony that their anti-huffing measure led to me (essentially) huffing canned air at the store was not lost on me.

We just bought an air compressor.

And ran the hose outside, because nobody wants to breathe the dust, either.

And if you don't want to buy an air compressor, an electric computer duster saves you money in the medium and long term. I haven't bought a can of compressed air in years.

I learned the hard way that if you're using canned air upside down as a method to cool something down rapidly, the bitterant stays behind.

I found this out accidentally. I have a habit of holding the cartridge between my lips when I switch cartridges (my hands are occupied with the case). Then minutes later I'd notice a bitter taste when drinking water or licking my lips, and have no idea why!

Telling people not to do something is a sure fire way to get them to do it. Human curiosity is strong.

Case in point: in Germany, there are occasionally "Durchgang verboten" ("passage forbidden") signs next to driveways leading to e.g. an inner courtyard. These are most of the time a sure sign that it's possible to take a shortcut through the courtyard to the other side of the block. Of course, this is a country where you can be reasonably sure of not getting shot for trespassing...

> where you can be reasonably sure of not getting shot for trespassing

How exactly does that make it OK to be disrespectful of other people's property and privacy?

Do you hate Hawaii’s protection of beach access even if it requires passage through private property? Legalized disrespect?

I couldn't find anything to support the idea that Hawaii’s protection of beach access allows anyone to traverse private property except where a specific rights-of-way easement exists on that property. I don't think the gp would consider use of land via an easement to be disrespectful as the easement holder has rights to the land that must be respected as well.

Various legal systems have varying definitions of what is and is not a legal infringement on property rights.

For instance, in (some parts of?) the UK there's the Right to Roam, I believe, which grants the public limited rights to pass through certain private property (such as an open field). Obviously this doesn't extend to harming anything. The point is, passing through someone's private property without causing any damage or inconveniencing them is not automatically considered unethical.

For the record, freedom to roam in England and Wales is rather limited in scope; the quintessential right-to-roam countries are the Nordics (and to an extent Scotland, but it’s an honorary Nordic country anyway). For example, in Finland the customary rights extend beyond just hiking to activities like gathering wild berries and mushrooms.

The courtyards of apartment complexes/condos are usually considered either semi-public or semi-private spaces, and their status with regard to passing through is not clear-cut either legally or morally.

In the US, “NO THRU TRUCKS” is a dead giveaway that you are staring at a shortcut route. And as it isn’t “PRIVATE ROAD”, you are not trespassing.

If it’s not someone’s home, and you are not engaged in nefarious activity, you will not be shot for trespassing. You will be told to leave.

PSA: Don't try this in rural Wyoming...

Even in cattle country, if you make no attempt to hide your presence, I would expect no trouble. I have pulled a gun on someone and had one pulled on me. It was fine both times. Just needed to be explained.

... if you got to the point where gun was pulled on you, that was already a situation where it's so fine? I'll be honest, I don't understand how can you be so calm.

I had a buddy who said the way you knew it was a good fishing spot was because you got pistol whipped by an AK-47 the last time you were there.

I live in a mostly rural state. Guns are common. Dealing with some person who doesn’t know you, doesn’t know what you want, and is an hour away from law enforcement support has to have some self-reliance. Hands up, explain why you are there, and you can be friends. High-visibility vests help, but you might ditch them.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/wp:beans

Well.... how did it taste?

Well, I can say that you definitely won't want to taste it twice.

I was disappointed that it was a bit bitter, yes, but not in the category of “won’t do it twice”. Such that I even tried multiple cartridges. I’m retirement age, though, so maybe my taste buds are shot.

I thought it tasted like quinine/tonic water or maybe grapefruit rind (the ingredient in the Beverly soda from Italy). Coin batteries sometimes have a bitter taste coating which is similar to the Switch cart.

It tasted like that time I popped a Smartie/Rocket in my mouth and began chewing casually only to realize that it was an uncoated Tylenol pill.

Extremely bitter

I stuck just the tip of my tongue on there, and it was so bitter that it was more of a sensation than just a taste. Enough that I reflexively pulled away.

Which in that case is Denatonium Benzoate.

The brand name is Bitrex. They send samples to parent groups to demonstrate why it's a good idea to put it on things kids might swallow.

Kindle charging cables were a favorite among some of my friends, for similar reasons.

<raises hand> .. It really was grim

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