Amazon link for convenience: https://www.amazon.com/Hardware-Hacker-Adventures-Making-Bre...

Thanks for not dressing it up with an affiliate link, seriously.

Would that be so bad that a fellow HackerNews user could get some revenue instead of having one of the richest person/corporation on Earth collect the full share of the sale instead?

It's less that one HN user could get a kickback, and more that if posting your own affiliate links was accepted practice, HN would end up being flooded with such links any time they were remotely tangentially on-topic.

If they were shady about it, perhaps. I have no objection to affiliate links that are disclosed.

Can you generate an affiliate link where the affiliate fee is directed to a non-profit?

If the non-profit has a known affiliate code, adding it to any random Amazon item should be sufficient.

There is also AmazonSmile, although I am not 100% sure whether affiliate links still generate revenue when using a Smile link.

Smile transfers a portion (0.5%) of the sale to a charity of the buyers choice. You can't force or even suggest one in the link and it only applies to smile.amazon.com links. I think St Jude's is the default though so they may come out ahead if you change the URL.

I have enough of a problem with the link essentially advertising Amazon, to be honest.

As an aside, it's kind of bizarre the hardcover edition is cheaper than the ebook and paperback editions.

I'd also suggest his blog is a goldmine for anyone even remotely interested in developing electronics projects.

Second this book for an insider’s look at the culture around Shenzhen and China’s position in the electronics market in general.