Thanks for sharing your comments and perspective. I read an article on HN this morning about housing and the need to build more of it. One of the comments mentioned that social housing construction in Canada dropped significantly in 1995—presumably due to the fallout from Quebec's referendum and the broader context you described.
Great article—thanks for sharing! I did something similar nine years ago with a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B. It stayed online for nearly a decade until it went offline at the end of 2024, following Google's decision to sunset my OnHub router.
Initially, I used it as a CUPS server to turn a non-networked Brother printer (HL-2240) into a wireless printer after Google discontinued Google Cloud Print.
The printing project was a lot of fun and inspired me to dive into another challenge: self-hosting. Along the way, I learned a great deal about Apache, SSL certificates, security, and just how fragile SD cards can be!
The print server still works well, though I’ve since downsized to a Raspberry Pi Zero W.
I'm also really into collecting swag from defunct companies—Enron, Lehman Brothers, and Nortel are my favorites. Lately, though, it feels like it's getting harder and harder to find anything from these companies on eBay or Etsy.
