Carbon monoxide poisoning from 3D laser printer may have killed Berkeley couple - <AUTHOR> http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/01/27/source-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-killed-berkeley-couple/ <comment><USER2> Hi folks. Val and Roger were dear friends, and I am on the ground here, and I'd like to respectfully ask that you refrain from speculation. The press is rushing to print sensational items, and they don't know the actual facts.

I've been talking to the police directly, and nothing is conclusive yet. Nothing has actually been ruled out, nor determined to be the cause. They don't even have full toxicology reports yet, those take days and sometimes weeks.

On a personal note, I can tell you that there were two devices in the house, a small 3D printer, and a small laser cutter, that were used for building models and rigs for scientific research. Val was an immaculate engineer, and conformed to all safety rules in operating these machines. To the best of our knowledge, neither of the machines were operating the night they passed away.

Again, please refrain from fear-mongering and speculation. I know it's natural for engineers to attack unsolved problems, but you are not working with correct or full data. Once more data is available, we will write up a complete and truthful statement to try and provide closure on this issue.

<comment><USER3> Condolences for sure. Do you happen to know the size of their place by chance? CO becomes deadly at about 400 PPM or 0.04%. Doing the calculations I can't for the life of me figure out how a small laser cutter could produce enough CO under any condition to become deadly. Even with the smallest of places, lets say 24x20x7 studio, that's 3,360 cubic feet of air & at 0.0807 pounds per cubic feet of air, that means roughly 271 pounds of air. To become toxic, that would mean the laser cutter would need to output 0.1084 pounds of CO or roughly 1.7 ounces of CO in that area and then not get dissipated through air leaks, opening and closing the exterior door, etc. That seems exceedingly high given a laser is going to cut very little actual material and even getting to the point where it has cut 1.7 ounces of material, let alone produced 1.7 ounces of CO would seem to me to take weeks, months, or years.

<comment><USER4> Based on public records, appears the building is a fourplex and the total floor space for the building is 3328 square feet; as such, my guess is the their unit was 832 SQFT. Room height based on exterior photos roughly appears to be 8-10 ft.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> CO poisoning is cumulative. It takes a long time for CO to get unstuck from hemoglobin. (About 2 weeks, IIRC.) It could have snuck up on them slowly, then one evening with the cats "napping" they felt particularly tired and thought to themselves, "We must be in hibernation mode from the chilly weather," then they went to sleep then never woke up.

CO is odorless. You might get a headache, or you might only feel tired. What's worse: a lot of cheap CO detectors are pretty shoddy.

<comment><USER6> I recently started getting very interested in air quality in my house. I decided to take a similar approach to air quality that I do with the stock market: lots of small, well distribute bets whenever possible.

For context, our house is 3 levels with a furnace in the basement (cold climate; Canada) I ended up with 3 different brand of CO detectors, 2 different brands of smoke detectors and 1 radon detector.

By far the Radon detector is the most expensive at around $250 CAD, and least critical for the short term (but for the long term concerns, anyone with a below grade section of their home should have one!).

A decent Co + smoke detector (You can often get them in one unit) should cost you no more than $30-40 CAD. Testing a CO detector isn't super easy (not like smoke detectors - just make some well done toast), but I'm trusting that if i have several different kinds well distributed throughout the house at least one of them should save us.

I focused on keeping detectors both near and & inside bedrooms, as well as having a minimum of 1 smoke + CO detector on the other floors in open spaces.

Unrelated to these gasses, I also purchased VOC sensors. These are SUPER interesting. It's amazing how the VOC level rises after a few days, and all it takes is opening a window for a few hours to bring it back to lower levels. We were renovating recently and found that after virtually every contractor the house needed hours of windows open to bring the VOC level back down to something that the sensor considered "good quality" (lower than 450 ppm).

Hope that random rant was interesting to someone :)

<comment><USER7> Which VOC detector do you have?

After I purchased my new house (USA, Georgia) I put in the detectors. My wife is from China where people are rightfully paranoid about formaldehyde - due to low quality building material. It's basically the same in the USA, except people are a lot less knowledgeable and informed about it. My cabinets, drywall, paint all had high level of formaldehyde. Had to always had the windows open...otherwise it would rise above OSHA approved levels.

In the USA, there's no regulated levels for residence..but there is for office. Funny, isn't it.

<comment><USER6> Eve Elgato: [https://www.elgato.com/en/eve/eve- room](https://www.elgato.com/en/eve/eve-room)

Sadly they do not break it down by substance type (which the website almost suggests it does), but i find it very interesting to monitor and that the measurements are highly correlated with painting or opening a window.

<comment><USER7> Dang! Eve looks good, especially for the price.

I have Foobot ([https://foobot.io/](https://foobot.io/)) and looks like it cost twiec as much as eve but probably does the same thing. Though, it doesn't say if eve uses wifi..I just see it say bluetooth. I like how Eve is battery powered, you can bring it wherver you want - whereas Foobot is plugged in.

I have UNI-T UT-338C for on the fly readings. I like how the UNI-T can be portable, or plugged in and has a display. I get similar readings between the UNI-T and Footbot so I can somewhat trust it...

<comment><USER6> It's really rather decent, but I grow to hate the HomeKit protocol more every day (slow, buggy and not something I can mess around with) probably a wise move not going with something apple powered.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> "3D laser printer" probably means a Glowforge. Nobody else calls them that. Their documentation says "Lasers normally require some ventilation via a small tube out a nearby window. Our optional Air Filter that sits under Glowforge and ventilates using HEPA filters and charcoal, meaning no outside ventilation is required." That won't do much if you cut something that emits carbon monoxide when heated. That includes some common plastics, styrene being one.

There are lots of things you don't want to cut on a laser cutter unless you're cutting under an inert gas, or at least nitrogen. Polycarbonate, any of the chlorinated plastics (PVC, some synthetic leather), styrenes, and polyethylene, for example. ABS melts, and Fiberglas's glass component won't cut. Acrylics cut very well. Delrin cuts OK. Wood and cloth are OK. Techshop is careful to teach people about this.

TechShop's laser cutters have compressed air coming in, a big exhaust hose going out, and a fire extinguisher nearby. TechShop has an ad slogan, "Don't try this at home. Do it at TechShop". There's something to be said for that when you're using industrial-strength tools.

In addition to the two people, their two cats died. Operating these things in a closed room is a really bad idea.

<comment><USER9> The air filter costs an additional $750 extra when you buy the $3000 Glowforge, I could see students skimping on that and no realizing the implications. [https://glowforge.com/order](https://glowforge.com/order)

That said I watched the video for this product and I'm really looking forward to when these are widespread. It's a very exciting industry. I'd definitely buy one of these when it gets to around $1k.

<comment><USER10> The order page definitely doesn't have any warning about the basic - even I would go 'Nah, what's the $720 for? Upsell?'

How about:

Glowforge Pro + Air Filter: $5,995.00

Glowforge Basic + Air Filter: $3,745.00

Glowforge Basic: $2,995.00 Warning: You may die when using Glowforge inside without Air filter (link). You may also die when cuting these materials (link) inside even with air filter.

<comment><USER11> And all come with 2 co detectors, internal and external

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> This is so tragic. I used to work with Roger and he's about as gifted of an engineer as I've ever met. He was so nice and helpful too, even though he was miles beyond me in terms of skill.

He was so into his indy game, Shard, and even whipped out his laptop to show me and started explaining intricacies of the renderer when I met him at an industry event years later.

I didn't know his wife, but from the things I've read she was also a pioneer in her industry. Rest in Peace.

</comment><comment><USER13> I've always been wary of 3d printers and laser cutters because of indoor air pollution & VOCs. Though I didn't realize the amount they put out and the cumulative effects of CO as mentioned in the comments here.

My sense is that _laser cutters should be required to come with CO detectors_ , and more generally we should be looking to add the appropriate chemical detectors to 3d printers and laser printers to warn of other chemical output issues. These home machines are often advertised for use in confined spaces (size is one way manufacturers compete), which is why I think it should be regulated - its not like someone took a commercial machine home with them. Laser cutters are a fairly large capital expense and bolting on a CO detector is _very_ inexpensive (probably <1%), and it could integrate with the cutter's electronics to prevent usage if it exceeds a certain level.

Safety regulations are usually written in blood. Having two deaths with such a small # of these machines out there suggests there are probably others who have cumulative CO effects already. Very sad, my heart goes out to the friends and family of Roger & Valerie.

</comment><comment><USER14> Tragic. Recently California started requiring carbon monoxide detectors in most homes.[1] Make sure you have one.

That's a surprising cause though. How much CO can a laser printer/cutter produce, worst case?

[1] [http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Planning_and_Development/Housin...](http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Planning_and_Development/Housing_Code_Enforcement/Carbon_Monoxide_Devices.aspx)

<comment><USER15> New York has a similar law: [http://www.amandaslaw.org/](http://www.amandaslaw.org/)

As both a maker and a firefighter, I would be _very_ surprised if CO from a laser cutter was actually the cause here. Laser cutters can absolutely emit harmful fumes, but CO needs to be in the hundreds of ppm range to be fatal, and that's a _lot_ of CO.

For context, we had a call a while back where a guy was running a gas powered (two-stroke) rotary saw [1] for a couple hours in a poorly ventilated basement. CO levels were in the 300-400 range (and he was certainly feeling poorly).

[1] Something like this: [https://www.fastenal.com/products/details/0804841](https://www.fastenal.com/products/details/0804841)

<comment><USER16> My dad mentioned that he almost died from a wall heater in college. He was 'sick with the flu' and getting worse. One night laying in bed the wall heater fired up. He saw the light from the flame flickering on the floor and he thought 'that's odd it's orange not blue'

The exhaust was blocked with soot.

I also had a friend and his GF that died from an improperly installed furnace.

I also wonder about cyanide from cutting plastic as well as carbon monoxide. No idea, but they both seem about as toxic.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> Roger and Val's friends are trying to raise money to offset the family's costs for traveling to the funeral and making funeral arrangements. Contributions can be made online:

[https://www.gofundme.com/help-roger-hanna-morashs- family](https://www.gofundme.com/help-roger-hanna-morashs-family)

</comment><comment><AUTHOR> Related:

"According to a study completed by a team at the Illinois Institute of Technology, typical desktop 3D printers emit particles and compounds during printing that federal agencies say could cause cancer or other ailments."

[http://www.chicagotribune.com/bluesky/originals/ct-3d-printe...](http://www.chicagotribune.com/bluesky/originals/ct-3d-printer- emissions-health-risks-bsi-20160203-story.html)

<comment><USER17> At this point living seems to cause cancer...

<comment><USER18> I mean....it does

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER19> Makers are often exposed to many toxic compounds, from toxins in salvaged electronics to PCB etching compounds to lead solder and solder fumes. Unfortunately, they rarely have much if any safety training or awareness of the dangers they are exposing themselves to.

<comment><USER20> As a new hobbyist in the Maker community, are there any resources you'd recommend that covers basic safety that is aimed at Makers?

edit: typo

<comment><USER19> I'd start with digging up the material safety data sheets (MSDS)[1] for all the compounds you're working with, and reading over those.

I'd also search around for books and papers on electronics safety. It's really amazing just how little electricity is required to stop a human heart, if the conditions are right.

The same goes for chemical safety. College level textbooks on these subjects tend to at least give a decent overview of the issues involved, to a more thorough degree than books targeted at a popular audience. But I wouldn't stop there, and would try to find some more specialist literature dealing with safety in particular.

I'd also encourage you to take courses in these subjects, and talk to the professors about your interest in safety. Unfortunately safety is not a very sexy topic, and tends to get glossed over a lot. But you'll still be far better off with guidance from an experienced instructor than trying to go it all on your own.

[1] - [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_data_sheet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_data_sheet)

<comment><USER21> The trouble with MSDS is that the lawyers have got to them and they all end saying the same thing (look at the one for salt [1]) and so people become blasé about the really dangerous risks.

When I was an academic I had huge problems with students working with the truely dangerous chemicals in an unsafe manner because they couldn't tell the difference. I had to run little informal classes with my students where I would teach them which chemicals they had to worry about and which were not that dangerous.

1\. [https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927593](https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927593)

<comment><USER22> > Do not ingest.

> In case of Skin Contact: Wash with soap and water. Cover the irritated skin > with an emollient. Get medical attention if irritation develops. Cold water > may be used

Okay, you're right, these are overly alarming.

<comment><USER21> You should see the MSDS for dihydrogen oxide [1].

1\. [https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927321](https://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927321)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER23> Unclear what a "laser 3D printer" means--possibly selective laser sintering, but that doesn't produce carbon monoxide to my knowledge. Possibly a homegrown machine. Tragic reminder of the importance of proper workspaces.

<comment><USER24> Glowforge marketed their laser cutter as a 3D laser printer, didn't they?

As someone waiting for their Glowforge to ship, I really hope their device wasn't involved in all this.

<comment><USER25> From Glowforge's website, for their base model:

> It needs ventilation via the provided 4″ diameter (10.2cm) hose. We > recommend putting the hose out a window.

<comment><USER26> I'm guessing this is undergoing a hurried rewrite, to add something along the lines of 'or you may die.' they're gonna get sued out the yin-yang for this even if the dead couple totally ignored the instructions, on the grounds that the instructions didn't state the danger clearly enough.

Having said that, while good safety information is important, two MIT-trained engineers should really have known better.

<comment><USER27> Why should they have known better? He was a software engineer and she may have had exposure to lab technique but a Glowforge doesn't scream "needs an industrial hood" or anything. Yes, they clearly _could_ have known better, but 'should' seems to be making too-strong assumptions about their class work, MIT or other. They could have had economics degrees for all we know (less likely given their careers, but you get my point).

<comment><USER28> Yeah, while I get that the general public misses this, I'm surprised to see people who apparently think that "engineer" means a Star Trek-style omnicompetent generalist.

<comment><USER26> I dunno man, if something says you need to ventilate it by putting an exhaust hose outside, I figure there must be a good reason for that. I have a lot of hazardous chemicals in my house because I paint and a lot of artist paints have toxic ingredients. I read the safety warnings carefully even though I know little of chemistry.

<comment><USER27> It says you don't need to vent if you use the filter.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER29> PSA: Make sure you have carbon monoxide detectors in your home, and that you replace them every 5-7 years, as the detector goes bad over time. If you are in a home with a high chance of carbon monoxide buildup, get one with a digital display to help first responders understand your exposure level. if you have children, get one that talks.

</comment><comment><USER30> This is horrible.

Anyone with combustion sources of any kinds (gas heat, cooking, cars in a garage, many kinds of tools) should have a CO sensor properly placed. I'm staying at someone's house for a month, don't see one, so I just ordered a couple.

</comment><comment><USER31> I installed two carbon monoxide detectors at my mother's house over the holidays and really we all should, it's not a big cost. This is very sad for their friends and family but most of all for the poor couple. I think it's selfish but rather human to say that when something like this happens to 'people like us', in this case referring to background, interests, and hobbies it can feel extra shocking and upsetting.

</comment><comment><USER32> We've had so many fire false alarms but finally a real one happened. It was raining hard and maintenance closed the top vent to deter water intake. The unit is a 4 story multi-unit dwelling and luckily someone had a cheap $49 dollar CO detector. The fire came sans alarm and everyone had to evacuate. We were thinking ah man not this again. Someone had some burnt cooking that day. We could only return to our homes until all clear CO detection from the inspectors. My family opted in for the pulse oximetry that the nice fire folk were providing. Needless to say many, including myself, bought CO detectors that week.

</comment><comment><USER33> Everyone should read this, and forward to their loved ones. This is very close to home (not literally) because it could happen to anyone, and is something that many people do not consider. Have up-to-date CO detectors, do not operate large appliances without considering their byproducts. Literally, the environment matters more than anything, and this acts as a grave reminder of this. Take care of the environment, especially the tiny one in your home, as it could save your life.

</comment><comment><USER34> towngas or coalgas that is piped in for cooking is hydrogen and carbon monoxide, has all the other possible sources of carbon monoxide been ruled out before nailing it on the laser cutter or 3d printer? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_gas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_gas)

i'd prefer it that the 'authorities' do a thorough and scientific investigation and release the results in public on the internet, this needs to be _proven beyond all doubts_ that it is caused by the laser cutter or 3d printer

if this is not done, it would stir worldwide unnecessary panic about laser cutters and/or 3d printers by saying that laser cutters and/or 3d printers produces carbon monoxide and is dangerous and hence cannot be used

i'm not sure about laser cutters but normally 3d printers is more a fire hazard than do anything else, i.e. 3d printers main hazard is fire, but carbon monoxide is likely 'fake and invalid/assumptions/speculations'

</comment><comment><USER35> That's tough. Operating any sort of industrial equipment gets dangerous very fast; I know a plaintiff attorney who handles cases like this (injury due to improper exhaust), and the fact that it's actually an area of practice tells you something.

</comment><comment><USER36> Hi, i've a co2 laser cutting (40w) idle all the time (i do not use it anymore) since around one year in the room close to my bedroom. even when idle its dangerous ? i really don't know what to do, what do you suggest me guys. thanks in advance

</comment><comment><USER37> I lit a candle last night with a closed window and door. Then it hit me that there is no way there is no CO in this room. Immediately opened my window. After hearing this story, I am never sleeping with my window closed.

<comment><USER38> With one candle, you're in far more danger from it tipping over than from CO.

<comment><USER37> Yeah, I don't leave the room without the flame completely out.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER39> Very, very sad. Who knew that it created CO, but I have paranoia about stuff like that so I would only have it in the garage. Maybe that wouldn't be enough depending on how much CO it produced.

<comment><USER40> The hazards created by this type of equipment are well understood [1]. The problem is that many people do not know about, and are ignorant of those hazards.

[1] [https://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_iii/otm_iii_6.html#2](https://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_iii/otm_iii_6.html#2)

</comment></comment><comment><USER41> Might as well raise awareness of Radon, and laser printers.

It's a tragedy, and reminded me of Marie Curie (who eventually discovered her research was causing damaging levels of radiation exposure).

</comment><comment><USER42> Damn, I need to invest in some CO sensor. Very sad to read.

</comment><comment><USER43> Having tried one, I wouldn't trust a detector. That was money not well spent. I could generate lots of CO, and nothing would register. Maybe flawed units are super-rare, but I'm more than tempted to assume the industry is a fraud.

Why even bother? The device has one job, and it fails. All you get is a false sense of safety.

<comment><USER44> What most people miss about CO detectors is that they don't go off until CO levels have been elevated for a while. At low concentrations it can take multiple hours to trigger the alarm; at higher concentrations it can take 30 minutes. Even at dangerous concentrations it can still take 5 minutes to sound the alarm. So you can hold your detector in front of an exhaust pipe for a minute and it won't go off, but stick it inside an upturned pot with a candle inside and it will definitely go off eventually.

The reason for this is to prevent common false alarms like CO emitted due to cooking or smoking.

</comment></comment><comment><USER45> Roger was an inspiration to me. Now he's dead.

</comment><comment><USER46> This is as tragic as it gets, I suspect liability will fall onto whoever made their "laser 3D printer" if the ventilation warnings weren't good enough.

</comment><comment><USER47> do you have any news?

</comment><comment><USER2> Hi folks. Val and Roger were dear friends, and I am on the ground here, and I'd like to respectfully ask that you refrain from speculation. The press is rushing to print sensational items, and they don't know the actual facts.

I've been talking to the police directly, and nothing is conclusive yet. They don't even have full toxicology reports.

On a personal note, I can tell you that there were two devices in the house, a small 3D printer, and a small laser cutter, that were used for building models and rigs for scientific research. Val was an immaculate engineer, and conformed to all safety rules in operating these machines. To the best of our knowledge, neither of the machines were operating the night they passed away.

Again, please refrain from fear-mongering and speculation. I know it's natural for engineers to attack unsolved problems, but you are not working with correct or full data. Once more data is available, we will write up a complete and truthful statement to try and provide closure on this issue.

</comment><comment><USER48> Article and headline are incorrect: "Carbon monoxide poisoning has also been ruled out."[1][2][3]

Both MIT grads; one a founder of gaming company Glug Glug[2] and co-author of game Shard[4]

1\. [http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/01/25/berkeley- toxicology-t...](http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/01/25/berkeley-toxicology- tests-ordered-in-couples-death/)

2\. [http://kotaku.com/game-developers-mourn-sudden-passing-of- ex...](http://kotaku.com/game-developers-mourn-sudden-passing-of-ex-harmonix- dev-1791590027)

3\. [http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Two-people-found-dead- Be...](http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Two-people-found-dead-Berkeley- apartment-10878385.php)

4\. [http://shard-game.com/](http://shard-game.com/)

<comment><USER49> The articles you linked are older (24th & 25th) than the article from the headline ( January 27, 2017 2:15 PM ).

Further investigation and toxicology reports revealed carbon monoxide (fixed) poisoning. It appears the initial statements ruling out carbon monoxide poisoning were in error.

<comment><USER50> CO or CO2? Both are possible, CO2 poisoning is quite horrible though, whereas CO poisoning may go unnoticed.

<comment><USER51> Yeah really -- I can't imagine you could die of CO2 poisoning without noticing in time to GTFO. I've sucked a lungful of CO2 and it was awful.

<comment><USER52> There is a difference between high and low concentrations of CO2 and reactions. In high concentrations you get similar effect to lack of oxygen (as it completely replaces oxygen in the air), in low concentrations it prevents the HbCO2 from unbinding (only 7% of CO2 in air is enough to do that IIRC) and causes silent death. There are stories of miners sitting down for a lunch and never standing up again because of that.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER53> Off topic, but I've never seen the care-of symbol (℅) used in place of percent (%) before. I'm really curious how that could happen. On my keyboard I can type % as shift-5, but there's no way to type ℅ without selecting it from a list of characters.

<comment><USER54> We detached this subthread from [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13507997](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13507997) and marked it off-topic.

</comment></comment><comment><USER55> How in the hell can a 3d printer produce enough CO to kill people? A shitty woodstove I could believe, or the classic run the car in the garage technique</comment>


Hipvote, gamifying congress since yesterday - <AUTHOR> http://www.hipvote.us

<comment><USER2> Looks great, but please don't put "Show HN" in the title until the app is ready for everyone to try out: [https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html). Good luck!</comment>


Datavisualization.ch - <AUTHOR> http://selection.datavisualization.ch/

<comment><USER2> Nice set. I believe I was there already once (wasn't the address a bit different back then?), but managed to forget about it.</comment>


DependencyCheck 5.0.0 - <AUTHOR> https://github.com/jeremylong/DependencyCheck/releases/tag/v5.0.0 <comment><USER2> It took me far too long to go down the rabbit hole to see what languages are supported by this tool. It should be much more obvious that this is meant for primarily java code, with only experimental support for other languages.</comment>


Google Maps' location sharing will now share your phone's battery status, too - <AUTHOR> https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/02/google-maps-location-sharing-will-now-share-your-phones-battery-status-too/ <comment><USER2> But why so exact (84%)? It does not add any meaning for us humans, but enables fingerprinting/tracking. I'd argue four levels should be enough: >75% >50% >25% and <25%.

<comment><AUTHOR> Google is kind of in the business of allowing us to be tracked and identified as precisely as advertisers want.</comment></comment>


Ask HN: TypeScript 2 module import – ignore folder levels for external libraries - <AUTHOR> I have two repositories in TypeScript, one project and one library. Both of them have a src directory where all TypeScript files are committed.
I already have npm up and running in the project with the library as a dependency.
I can do from a .ts file in my project's src directory

  import { Foo } from "@vendor/my-lib/src/Foo";
 As you can see there is this annoying src directory in the import. Ideally a project should be unaware about the internals of a library, e.g

  import { Foo } from "@vendor/my-lib/Foo";
 Can this be solved?
Best would be if the library's tsconfig.json could contain the configuration so that all consumers of the library uses it the same way.
But if that is not possible, the projects tsconfig.json will suffice.
Any hints? Quite hard to find any solid up-to-date documentation for this.
https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/module-resolution.html <comment><USER2> This seems more like a stackoverflow type question, but...

Set the "main" option in the library's package.json to a bundle or index file that exports the public interfaces to your library. Don't expose every source file.

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks. Seems like most TypeScript projects creates as _index.ts_ file that just exports whatever is needed and the the compiled _index.js_ is exposed in the "main" option. And if I understand correctly that will give you a _index.d.ts_ that you can refer in the "typings" option in _package.json_.</comment></comment>


Ask HN: Minix 3 in go? to do or not do? - <AUTHOR> I am thinking of writing MINIX 3 in go. Is this idiotic or will be great? <comment><USER2> Sure. Why not?

It's idiotic if you think you by doing so you can replace MS Windows on everyone's desktops within 15 years.

It's great if you think it will give you an understanding of how to write a operating system.

<comment><AUTHOR> Yeah thanx .I am not doing it for the first Part though. I am just doing it for sake of understanding.

<comment><USER2> You might want to start with something like [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xv6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xv6) , which is more designed for educational purposes. MINIX3, unlike its predecessors, was not design with that as a goal.

<comment><AUTHOR> thanx for the link</comment></comment></comment></comment>


Grill Grates: Buying Guide, Reviews, and Ratings, and Busting the Cast Iron Myth - <AUTHOR> http://amazingribs.com/BBQ_buyers_guide/guide_to_grill_grates.html <comment><AUTHOR> I'm buying a new BBQ and was wondering what the difference is between cast iron and steel grates. Based on this article, sounds like cast iron is a no- go...</comment>


State of the World 2013: Bruce Sterling and Jon Lebkowsky - <AUTHOR> http://www.well.com/conf/inkwell.vue/topics/459/State-of-the-World-2013-Bruce-St-page01.html

<comment><USER2> _"Why these canny subversives have let idiots like the Koch Brothers buy the American government, I just dunno. The Stacks could buy the Republican Party, lock stock and barrel, with their pocket change."_

I'm sort of flabbergasted that the person who wrote _Distraction_ could say something so simplistic and naive about how money and political influence work. I guess he just isn't thinking of "the Rebpulican Party" as being composed of human beings?

Still, there were a lot of gems in there.

<comment><USER3> Like with a business, you could probably buy the party - the name, the branding, and anyone happy with your new policies or too lazy to leave. But the best and the brightest would probably go off and start a new one of their own.

<comment><USER2> I expect that most of the people in charge of the Republican Party are emotionally committed to the idea that they're the "good guys" in an important fight. That doesn't mean that they don't _have_ a price, just that it would tend to be very high. And since the Republicans is a voluntary association I'd expect that any rapid shift in policy big enough to be worth the investment would see the collapse and replacement of the Republican party.

Exerting the kind of influence that the Kochs do doesn't just require money, it also requires decades of hard and patient work. You've got to create institutions that attract people to work and publish on those issues where they happen to agree with you rather than where they disagree with you. You've got to make politicians feel that you're on their side and that listening to your spiel is just a matter of friendship, and you have to have a mountain of one sided evidence that lets them believe (and if you're their friend they'll be wanting to believe) that your proposition is Best For America.

But just buying a political party? I honestly think that if you're trying to accomplish a bunch of stuff quickly a coup would be cheaper and more realistic.

<comment><USER4> > _I expect that most of the people in charge of the Republican Party are > emotionally committed to the idea that they're the "good guys" in an > important fight. That doesn't mean that they don't have a price, just that > it would tend to be very high_

Huh? I expect the very opposite. That the scum of the earth is what gets involved into politics AND reaches the higher echelons of both parties. Greedy, power-hungry, amoralistic people. If they had those kinds of "ideals" they left them behind far before they progressed into the party ranks.

It's not like congressmen historically gave us any reason to think otherwise...

<comment><USER5> The scum of the earth are often the same people as those who deeply emotionally feel they are good guys, I suspect, hard enough as it is to believe for people who try to avoid cognitive dissonance. Human behavior is more complex than Hollywood would have you believe.

<comment><USER4> > _The scum of the earth are often the same people as those who deeply > emotionally feel they are good guys,_

Sure, but more often than not they are just scum. Thinking of most of Bush's cabinet.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> I can never read the well because I can never tell where anything's beginning or ending. Can someone explain the format? Are the two authors writing asynchronously adding to the bottom over some period of time?</comment>


A History of Punctuation - <AUTHOR> https://aeon.co/essays/beside-the-point-punctuation-is-dead-long-live-punctuation <comment><USER2> Might I also recommend Keith Houston's wonderful book "Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, & Other Typographical Marks":

[https://shadycharacters.co.uk/books/shady-characters-the- boo...](https://shadycharacters.co.uk/books/shady-characters-the-book/)

He also posts, with some regularity, to his blog on the same topic:

[https://shadycharacters.co.uk/](https://shadycharacters.co.uk/)

Employing the correct usage of hyphens, en dashes and em dashes continues to be a small daily joy for me.

</comment><comment><USER3> My favorite nearly-unknown punctuation mark has to be the interrobang. I like it so much I commissioned a local ceramic artist (Liz Crain of Capitola, CA) to make this piece:

[https://geary.smugmug.com/Art/i-qCBqjqb/A](https://geary.smugmug.com/Art/i-qCBqjqb/A)

Liz's husband is a retired typesetter, so a lot of her pieces feature typographic themes.

[https://www.lizcrainceramics.com/](https://www.lizcrainceramics.com/)

Any questions‽

<comment><USER4> TIL about cone top cans: [https://www.decades.com/lists/a-visual-history-of- the-beer-c...](https://www.decades.com/lists/a-visual-history-of-the-beer-can)

I like the knitted ceramics. They led me to both the masculine ceramic plate (for use in a plate carrier) and the more feminine [https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1y8NoXCRHhU/TEzv7MBIsxI/AAAAAAAAA...](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1y8NoXCRHhU/TEzv7MBIsxI/AAAAAAAAAEA/mn3wfLwsvoU/s1600/Porcelain+dress.jpg)

Not sure if business =.= or art project: [https://www.vollebak.com/product/full-metal-jacket- black/](https://www.vollebak.com/product/full-metal-jacket-black/) (it must be couture?)

</comment></comment><comment><USER5> So Isidore, encyclopedist and patron saint of the internet, is also the inventor of special characters? How appropriate.

</comment><comment><USER6> The article starts by mentioning single quotes but never says where they are coming from</comment>


Video Games Aren't Addictive - <AUTHOR> https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/01/opinion/sunday/video-games-arent-addictive.html <comment><USER2> Addictive or not, I think this statement is a sign that the authors didn't do much of an investigation:

>It is normal behavior that, while perhaps in many cases a waste of time, is not damaging or disruptive of lives in the way drug or alcohol use can be.

I've seen many people who ended up with serious relationship issues due to spending as much time as they did playing video games. Perhaps that was a sign of a deeper problem in the relationship, but in the cases I saw it didn't seem to be. When they were away from the games the relationship seemed great.

Likewise I've seen people calling in sick, coming in late after a late night of playing video games, etc. and ending up with work and longer-term career issues as a result of spending many of their waking hours playing games.

It can get well beyond "unwinding after work" and really start to affect your life. The same can be said for other activities, but to dismiss the idea that people who play games or do those other activities obsessively aren't harming their lives and couldn't use some kind of help seems disingenuous.</comment>


Ask HN: Masters from Analytics/Data Science Program to Entrepreneur? - <AUTHOR> Before one reacts to this question as a loaded question, hear me out:
I've just been accepted to the inaugural OMS Analytics program offered by Georgia Tech.  I was initially attracted by the $10K price tag, but I spent a large majority of my weekend thinking about whether it's still worth my biggest investment- time.
Apart from MBAs, I really don't hear of people who obtain Masters start their own companies.  It's not necessarily a goal of mine, but I wanted to see what the HN crowd thought.  Can one learn so much from this program (or similar) that one becomes empowered enough to start a "Data Science/Machine Learning/...etc. Company?" <comment><USER2> Master's degrees are almost uniformly a waste of time. MBAs especially so. I know investors who consider founders with MBAs to be a negative signal.

Maybe this degree is different. But generally the biggest hurdles to becoming an entrepreneur are (1) cash and (2) access to a target market.</comment>


An understated job advertisement - <AUTHOR> https://www.linkedin.com/jobs2/view/9887522?trk=job_nov&_mSplash=1 <comment><USER2> Soo...lots of responsibilities and a warning to probably not expect an adjusted salary to match them ('Annual Salary: Negotiable, but you should know up front we're not a terribly money-motivated group'), with these 2 as a minimum:

\- A BA/BS or greater degree in Computer Science or a related field

\- A minimum of 3 years in development and project management, preferably in a professional workplace

In Seattle no less, with the expectation that you'll be on call 24/7 should they need you to fix something. I don't live in the U.S, but I have a hard time seeing how a truly qualified professional with a minimum of 3 years of experience in all the domains they mentioned would sign up for such a job if they really cared about their career progression, even if it is for Penny Arcade. This type of position sounds like it was almost intentionally designed for a high turnover of employees.

<comment><USER3> " _preferably in a professional workplace_ "

But see...

"\- You should have no problems working in a creative and potentially offensive environment. _

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> This reminds me of:

Wanted--Acrobat capable of crossing a slack wire 200 feet above raging furnace. Twice nightly, three times on Saturday. 53 Salary offered &sterling;25 (or $70 U.S.) per week. No pension and no compensation in the event of injury. Apply in person at Wildcat Circus between the hours of 9 A.M. and 10 A.M.

See [http://diki.heliohost.org/parkinsonselection.htm](http://diki.heliohost.org/parkinsonselection.htm)

<comment><USER5> Thanks for sharing that, a fun read.

</comment></comment><comment><USER6> > PLEASE FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER AT @RKHOO FOR UPDATES IN CASE EMAIL GETS SENT TO > SPAM FOLDERS, ETC. ____

If you do not have a Twitter, please note that you can tune in to KCTS 9 public television at 11:35 pm every evening through December 20 for broadcast updates about the position.

</comment><comment><USER7> >> Annual Salary: Negotiable, but you should know up front we're not a terribly money-motivated group. We're more likely to spend less money on salary and invest that on making your day-to-day life at work better.

So I go to the local food store and tell cashier and store manager that instead of paying for their products with money, instead, "I could make their life better!"

Will it work? If yes, then I'll apply.

<comment><USER8> Salaries are always a range. If you are in the range and they provide good benefits it can work out.

</comment></comment><comment><USER9> This was covered on PBD:

[http://programmersbeingdicks.tumblr.com/post/68153753288/pen...](http://programmersbeingdicks.tumblr.com/post/68153753288/penny- arcade-yep-theyre-still-terrible)

</comment><comment><USER10> I came to make a snarky comment about the job requiring you to be ok with working with Mike Krahulik, who I consider despicable. But their job posting does the job for me:

> We're terrible at work-life balance. Although work is pretty much your life, > we do our absolute best to make sure that work is as awesome as possible so > you at least enjoy each and every day here.

*Edit: Originally reversed the author's pen names. Now using real name.

<comment><USER11> Why do you consider "Tycho" despicable?

<comment><USER10> Are you actually asking me why I consider Mike Krahulik despicable? If you are not aware of the issues surrounding him, I am happy to link you to some of the better articles.

If you are aware of the controversy and are baiting me, I am not interested.

<comment><USER12> _Jerry_ is "Tycho", the writer. _Mike_ (the one the issues surround) is "Gabe", the artist.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER13> Rule #1, never work for a company with Penny in the name.

</comment><comment><USER14> Is this a joke? Serious question. I was looking for the part where they go a little too far and spoil the joke, but it never happened.

</comment><comment><USER15> They may not get a lot of applicants, but at least they are being honest with the job description.

<comment><USER16> It's Penny Arcade. Even with the stern warnings laced into the advert, they'll get too many applications to sort through. They are the literal purveyors of geek cred....this is the geek version of "Devil Wears Prada". If I lived in Seattle, I might even think about applying.

<comment><USER15> Can't tell if you're being sarcastic, but I think the "geek cred" thing would wear thin pretty fast after having no work-life balance and being paid below- market for what your abilities are.

<comment><USER17> People are motivated by different things. "Below market" only matters if you judge yourself by how much you're paid compared to your peers. "Having no work-life balance" assumes that your "life" doesn't benefit from "work" in ways other than the size of your paycheck.

If you already have a house/apartment you like and will still be able to afford with this job, find the work you're doing interesting, have the appreciation of your co-workers and the freedom to do your work the way you want (because no one else who works there is an IT person); if you find playing video games with colleagues a reasonable facsimile of "life"; if being a visible member of a team that has a youtube channel with 10s of thousands of subscribers who look up to them is more important than owning a bigger TV; then this job may be worthwhile for you.

And why is it a problem that someone would rather have those things than a salary at market rates, or an ability to go home at 5pm and spend time with their family not thinking about work?

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER18> That is a lot to ask for, and my first thought is: what happens to the company if the person holding this position leaves?

Dividing this job into two positions will sound more reasonable.

<comment><USER19> They're certainly setting themselves up for letting someone get their feet under the table, have everything set up so that they're indispensable, and then turning round and saying, "So, NOW let's talk about that salary."

Which is probably exactly what anyone with the kind of brains and experience they're asking for is going to do.

</comment></comment><comment><USER20> Translation: not enough money to hire four peopls.

</comment><comment><USER21> I would love have an example of how they use a chunk of your salary on making your day-to-day life at work better...

> We're more likely to spend less money on salary and invest that on making > your day-to-day life at work better.

</comment><comment> artumi-richard It looks like they want someone clever, but they won't be getting clever people with expectations like that. Unless desperate.

<comment><USER22> or a liar

</comment></comment><comment><USER23> This sounds awful.

<comment><USER24> After I finished reading that the only thing I could think is the next guy is gonna burn out fast.

</comment></comment><comment><USER25> This thread is full of 9-5 crybabies. I've interviewed at so many places where all these requirements are implied, but never spelled out. At least PA isn't coy about who they want to hire.

<comment><USER26> I think I'm going to stick "9-5 Crybabies" in the "who we're looking for" section of my next job ad. Thanks!

<comment><USER25> Be sure to add in "Bed-wetters need not apply" or else you'll be sifting through a mountain of resumes.

<comment><USER25> HN has no sense of humor.</comment></comment></comment></comment>


Sen. Paul proposes bill protecting Americans from drone surveillance - <AUTHOR> http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/232489-sen-paul-proposes-bill-protecting-americans-from-drone-surveillance

<comment><USER3> Some things that would be banned under this bill:

• using a drone to patrol the freeway looking for drunk drivers (well, technically they could use a drone to look but they would not be able to send a ground officer to cite the drunk driver),

• using a drone to track the getaway car from a bank robbery,

• searching for a child who has been taken without authorization by a non- custodial parent.

In the first example, a drone COULD be used to patrol the freeway looking for disabled cars or accidents, but if any criminal activity were observed during such patrols the evidence from the drone could not be used against the criminals.

This is typical Rand Paul--it is designed to sound good and make it look like he is looked out for The People on some important issue, but the bill is written to be so overly broad that it won't have much chance of actually passing--which I suspect is fine with Paul.

Another example of that was an amendment he tried that would have made it so that former Congressmen who become lobbyists lose their benefits. Sounds like a good idea, right? Of course it does--but then when you check the details you find that "lobbyist" is defined so broadly as to include anyone who gets money from the Federal government or gets money by working for someone who gets money from the Federal government.

For instance, if a former Congressman is a physician, and after leaving Congress goes to work at a rural medical clinic--and that clinic accepts payments from Medicare, that physician would be a lobbyist under Rand Paul's amendment and would lose his benefits.

Of course that amendment went nowhere, but now Paul can paint himself if he wishes as a guy who tried to fight the corrupting influence of former Congressman becoming lobbyists.

<comment><USER4> I don't want _civilian_ police forces using _military_ equipment for _any_ reason. It's really that simple.

Rand Paul gets it.

<comment><USER3> Drones are no more military equipment than are guns, cars, and radios. All of those are equipment that is used both by civilians and by the military.

<comment><USER4> If your local police force started chasing after people using tanks, then well, tanks would no longer be military equipment.

Military equipment is any equipment that is predominantly used by the military and not so much by anybody else.

Drones are primarily used by the military. They are military equipment. If they start getting used by local police forces left and right, well, they would no longer be military equipment. And that would be unfortunate.

<comment><USER5> "Drone" is just a colloquialism for "unmanned aircraft".

"Tank" is a word that means "armored vehicle, likely fitted with heavy arms".

So the problem with your comments here are simple as far as I can tell:

There is a nationwide problem of police forces _using tanks_ as part of SWAT operations, and of manufacturers of what are effectively tanks starting to tailor products to police forces. This militarization of our police forces is a real problem and worth talking about.

But wow do you ever muddy the waters when you suggest that a straightforward technological advance --- small, remote-controlled unmanned aircraft --- must clearly be "military" because its first widely-known use was by the military.

There are already civilian drones. Drones were used during Fukushima to monitor radiation above the burning reactors. Energy companies apparently use them to monitor marine mammals in offshore drilling.

You are on extraordinarily shaky ground when you attempt to paint "law enforcement UAVs" with the "hellfire missile" brush. I think you should let this point go.

<comment><USER6> SWAT (special weapons and tactics) <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWAT> is specifically a group of police officers trained to use military weapons and tactics. They do use APC's (<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armoured_personnel_carrier>) but don't use 'tanks' because they don't fight people in armored vehicles.

PS: What separates tanks from APC's tank's are designed to be artillery pieces (aka Cannon) which can move while protecting their gun crew. Where an APC's goal is to transport infantry. It may have some built in armaments but it's more effective for people to get out when the fighting starts. This compares to a howitzer <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRF1> which is designed to be far enough from enemy lines that while it may be mobile it does not need to protect it's crew.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> I think looking too closely at "drones" in particular just makes the problem more obscured. What we are really dealing with is that technology in general is making surveillance so easy that police have started using it to go out looking for crimes to prosecute. When you add that together with a convoluted law system that criminalizes a great deal of the ordinary behavior of citizens and relies heavily on selective enforcement, you have a recipe for some serious abuses.

</comment><comment><USER8> Now how about a bill protecting _humans_ from drone surveillance? This is like a bill that says 'torture is okay, as long as you don't torture US citizens'. I don't have any strong opinion about the moral correctness of drone surveillance, but if you admit that it's not good enough for your constituents ...

<comment><USER9> Stop making sense. Next you'll start on about how people should be able to work, vote and run for office regardless of which patch of dirt their mothers delivered them on.

Turning away brown people from our shores and then slaughtering them in other countries is my God-given right as an American.

</comment></comment><comment><USER10> The discussion around the use of drones lately has risen out of the revelation that the EPA is using them to surveil cattle ranchers in Nebraska and Iowa to enforce the Clean Water Act ([http://news.yahoo.com/epa-drones-spy-farmers- nebraska-iowa-1...](http://news.yahoo.com/epa-drones-spy-farmers-nebraska- iowa-150411579.html)).

The recent panic around unmanned surveillance seems odd to me given the excellent quality of imagery from low-orbit satellites that have been around for much longer.

<comment><USER11> The problem here is that it's 100% certain that this technology is going to be used for 24/7 surveillance in major cities. It's guaranteed. It's a _giant_ leap forward in surveillance.

</comment></comment><comment><USER12> So US citizens will be afforded greater protection while foreign citizens living in the US will be possibly subjected to yet further scrutiny? Human rights seem to vary greatly on your nationality and it seems that the divide grows year on year.

<comment><USER13> the Constitution was written to protect the Citizens of the country.

</comment></comment><comment><USER14> I wasn't even aware this was happening. Frightening stuff.

</comment><comment><USER15> I doubt this will pass. Many have speculated that Rand is angling for the VP nomination by positioning himself as Romney's biggest competitor for 2016 (if Romney wins), meaning that nominating him as VP would be a smart way to take out his biggest competitor. He has been doing a bunch of things like this lately in order to raise his own profile.

<comment><USER16> Quite possibly you're right on both accounts. The interesting thing to me is that drones on domestic soil (and the TSA, another one of Rand's issues) has been around for years. Any politician could have made it an issue and introduced legislation along these lines at any point in time, and would have raised their profile in doing so.

But they didn't. They've been silent. Where's the legislation to repeal the PATRIOT ACT? I didn't see any, but instead its been expanded and extended.

Why isn't [pick-your-favorite-politician] vowing to take a stand against these evil things?

I wish Rand doing this were not at all news because there were 200+ people on capital hill raising similar issues and taking a stand against violations of people's rights.

<comment><USER17> Rand did give a pretty good speech against the renewal of the PATRIOT ACT the last time it was up for a vote. I think it was about two years ago.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER18> I understand that drones make aerial surveillance much cheaper and easier, but why specify drone surveillance and not aerial surveillance in general?

It bothers me that there is such a fear around drones. Please remember that many people would like to use them for far less nefarious purposes - <USER2> estate photography, farming, etc.

<comment><USER19> They could just pass a bill saying the Government is not allowed to use drone surveillance, and they can't get private companies to do it for them either.

Otherwise companies (and people?) are allowed to use drones.

</comment></comment><comment><USER20> If I remember correctly, the US just released a virus into the wild that is designed to collect all information it can possibly gather about anyone. How credible does that make any privacy protection laws?

</comment><comment><USER21> > ... would require the government to obtain a warrant to use drones with the > exception of .... or when there are risks of a terrorist attack.

Great now police will have to invent more terrorists to do their jobs as efficiently as allowed by modern technology.

> t would prohibit evidence collected with warrantless drone surveillance from > being used as evidence in court

That might lead one to funny case one day when they will have to let murder loose because there is no evidence except footage from police drone accidentally passing by. Everyone will forget about OJ.

</comment><comment><USER22> I support this

</comment><comment><USER23> Best of luck to him, but this really isn't Hacker News (flagged).

</comment><comment><USER24> Trying really, really hard not to make a sarcastic comment about the gov't protecting Americans from itself...</comment>


Apple Entrepreneurship Camp for Women - <AUTHOR> https://developer.apple.com/entrepreneur-camp/?cid=ec-e-en-001 <comment><USER2> Recent discussion:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18537211](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18537211)

</comment><comment><USER3> I don't understand what gender has to do with Entrepreneurship.

> Research shows that women face unique challenges in technology, especially > when starting and leading companies.

Which research? They don't even link to a source for that claim.

<comment><USER4> Also, "research" is a low bar unfortunately, with the amount of low-quality (or no-quality) papers being written.

</comment></comment><comment><USER5> This sounds like a great idea on paper, but with Apple being based in California who has some of the most strict anti-discrimination laws, this seems to violate the Unruh act by deciding who can attend strictly by sex? Is this not illegal? Wouldn't they have covered themselves better by saying underserved?

<comment><USER6> The third member of your team may be any gender.

<comment><USER7> If they would want equality, it should be symmetric (for example 2 women, 2 men, or 1 woman, 1 man, and 1 any gender). This is clear discrimination against men (though not the first one that we have seen in the past few years).

<comment><USER8> Have a sit back and think for a moment, honestly, about what you're trying to achieve with this comment.

Does it reflect a genuine worry that men are being excluded from the software industry? Does it stem from a belief that there are too many programs targeting women in software? Or maybe it's a belief that any gender-targeted support programs are fundamentally immoral?

I think, if you're honest with yourself, you'll realise that your goal isn't really to help or support anyone, or to end gender inequality, but instead to take the opportunity to engage in a little bit of reflexive and unhelpful "look how much men are discriminated against" complaining.

<comment><USER9> I am 34. I was raised in an era (esp. mid-90s) where we were taught color- blindness, gender-blindness, non-discrimination as the proper ways to approach eradicating sexism and racism. All are equal, and have equal protections under the law.

In the 2000s, it seems this message is changing. It is not enough to assume everyone can achieve the same levels of success. The emerging idea now is that those groups who show a statistical deficit are to be given extra opportunity that is not afforded to others.

The problem is that directly conflicts with what I and (I assume) others from my generation were taught and internalized. Hence the pushback. It is discrimination, plain and simple.

<comment><USER10> Yes, yes, yes, god, yes, I am from about the same demographic, and I have also internalized the message about plain and simple equality and celebrating individual merit. I am in a perpetual sense of bewilderment caused by the change in the message.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> This is cool! What I would really like to see from Apple, however, is for them to leverage their retail facilities to make this kind of training more accessible around the world.

With Today at Apple ([https://www.apple.com/today/](https://www.apple.com/today/)), they already have the technical infrastructure in place as well.

</comment><comment><USER12> Sexism is fine as long as it benefits women now huh? Crazy times we live in...

There would be completly different response if Apple (or anyone) would open "Camp for Men only".

</comment><comment><USER13> Why is this flagged?

<comment><USER14> Jeez. SJW mods?

</comment></comment><comment><USER15> I read it as Entrepreneurship Cams :)</comment>


Why am I not getting an internship? Seeking advice desperately... - <AUTHOR>

Hi. I am a CS student seeking an intern position in software engineering. Originally I wanted to work in a thriving start-up company, or a big company, but now I am willing to work anywhere in the U.S. I thought my resume was pretty competent, but I realized that might be false. What is the problem with my resume, or with me? I do not have much CS background, or software development experience, as I started learning CS in my junior year, and I know this is critical. However, my GPA is good, and I achieved so many things within just a year. Please give me some advice. Also, if I can choose to do, or learn just one more thing(e.g. basic HTML, PHP, more Java(Hibernate, Spring, etc), coding competition, Android app development, or Java software development) this year to boost up my possibility, what would you suggest I do? I attach the link to my resume<p>https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EIc0Q8LGD1C762qKVN_sKVLG80wvKufaEAoUcZxXQ7E/edit?usp=sharing <comment><USER2> >> I have been waiting for almost 2 weeks, but I am not getting any email or phone call. This is exhausting and dismal...

Man, I know this feeling well. I just ended a job search a few weeks ago after two months of looking. I'm hoping I can share a couple thoughts that might be helpful. While I was looking for a full time position, and I have a couple years of experience under my belt, I think these insights still apply.

First of all, how many new contacts are you making every day? When I first started, I felt pretty good about the fact that I was emailing two or three people about positions every day. When I told this to a friend who has been very successful he said that when he's searching for a new position, he tries to contact upwards of 25 people every day. While I was never able to get up to that many contacts in one day, I did get up to around 15 per day. His specific advice: "You should be emailing so many people, that when someone responds you need to look back in your notes to remember what they do." This helped me a lot.

Second, I'd like to know what exactly you're sending people. I didn't really have any success when I would just send my resume over email or submit it to a website. I found that my best results came when I emailed a person directly, told them why I liked their company, included three sentences about myself, and asked them if they had any positions available and could share some information about them. I didn't even include my resume, and I only passed it along if they asked for it. My goal was to make it as easy as possible for them to get back to me, and take the conversation from there. It's much more encouraging when you're getting a lot of small emails.

I'll admit that the process was soul sucking. But, with those two ideas in mind, in the last two weeks of my job search I sent emails to around 50 people, got around 25 responses, 10 first interviews, 5 second interviews and two job offers. I would be surprised if you couldn't do similarly well. Your resume certainly isn't your barrier. Your approach may be though.

To sum up my advice: Lots of emails that are easy to respond to. You can do it.

<comment><AUTHOR> Everyone gave extremely valuable pieces of advice, but your advice the strategy is going to be really really helpful.

I am going to follow what you suggested, but if you could answer some of my further questions, that would be great.

I have not been making contacts to much people. I did not even apply to positions in a daily basis. I just occasionally spent 3~4 hours applying to a bunch of companies on their career websites from either Google search or LinkedIn/Monster/Indeed etc.

I just copied and pasted almost identical cover letters always with my resume for every application ([https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e8rx0JiEGlpwxTa2-- 7rQvla...](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e8rx0JiEGlpwxTa2-- 7rQvlac4Rw8quakZ2C5zKnagI/edit?usp=sharing)), as writing in English was very time-consuming for me, and I was busy, and mostly, I knew they would not give a damn about my cover letter attached to the application even if I had put much effort on it. Thus far I had two (one on-campus and one phone) interviews, each with a good company, but neither of them were through a web application.(I got rejected from both, though..)

I did not care too much about the applications, and I kind of messed them up. One relief is that I have not applied to companies I prefer the most, which are start-ups and mid-sized companies in NYC, and I went to NYC to attend Columbia University Engineering job fair 2 weeks ago. I talked to people there, handed my resume(the original one that did not look very good), and got business cards from 7 people from different companies. Of those 7, I had memorable conversations with two, esp. with an entry-level engineer about my Rwanda project(he would at least vaguely remember me. but they only use web languages, so I may not fit..). There were quite many good companies based in NYC in the job fair, and I have some 'stories' to talk about when I contact them.

I would like to focus on the companies I want to go to, and I want to do well this time. Of course I will have to apply for 'safety' companies, too but I will put my time and effort in applying to 40~50 companies in NYC and Silicon Valley.

Here are some of my questions. First of all, you said you contacted people in the companies. Whom did you contact (HR? Engineer? Sr. Engineer? CEO? or someone else?), and how did you find their contact info?

Second, what do you think I should include in the three sentences about myself? Language(Java/C++)? Experience? or other soft skills and characteristics? Could you show me an example?

Lastly, although you made "it as easy as possible for them to get back to me, and take the conversation from there", it is not easy for a non-native like me to write a letter that is easy and simple. Particularly what made your letter easy for them to get back to you, not compromising the amount of necessary information?

Thank you so much.

<comment><USER2> Sure, I can answer some of those questions. I'll start off by saying that you're right that the process will be more difficult as a non-native English speaker. But, after you've sent the first few email, you should be able to see patterns between them, and you'll end up with a standard opening email and a standard set of responses. Also, it helps to have a friend glance over the email. I'm a native speaker and I still used my friends to occasionally proof read my work.

As for who to contact in the company, I would say that you try to contact the person who would be your direct supervisor in your new position. They're going to be the person who is best able to evaluate whether you are a good fit for the job, and if they decide they want to hire you, they'll make it much easier to go through all the paperwork. If you don't know who your supervisor would be and it's a large company, try to find a senior engineer at the company. If it's a small company you could contact the CEO. These people at least will have a decent idea of what positions are available and who you'll need to contact to talk about them. Avoid HR at all costs. Also, since most "email@example.com" email addresses go straight to HR, try to avoid those as well. Finding the email addresses can sometimes be tricky, but I was usually able to find something by googling peoples names/positions/companies.

When I say "make it as easy as possible for them to get back to me" it's less that I'm trying to write a simple letter, and more that I'm only asking them for a small thing. Asking someone for a job is a large thing to ask for. Even asking for an interview is a large time commitment. You simply want to ask them for information about the positions they have available. After you've received that first email it is much easier to turn around and propose a time to talk on the phone.

I'll give you an example, from start to finish of what this conversation could look like. I've written the first email such that you could fill in the blanks and send it off. I've structured it such that the person reading could read the first paragraph and immediately respond (the phrase "what follows is a brief description of a recent project" tells them that if they want to skip that paragraph and just email you back they can). The project is probably the best way to do three sentences about yourself, but if you wanted to change it to highlight more soft skills you could.

\</comment></comment></comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment>

First email to a company:

\</comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment>

Subject: What's happening at <Company Name>?

Hi <Contact Name>,

My name is Hyunwoona and I'm a Computer Science student at <College Name>, with a focus on <Technical Skill relevant to the job>. I've been looking for internships, and came across <company name>. I was particularly interested in <specific thing the company is doing>. I'm hoping you could tell me more about the work happening at <Company name> and about the positions you have available.

What follows is a brief description of one of my recent projects:

As a project for <company || open source project || personal reason || class name> I worked on creating a <what you crated> using <language>. My focus with this project was to <description of why the project was worth doing (like: it's never been done before, needed do it faster, or make it clearer)>. I particularly enjoyed getting to see <specific technical aspect of the project> up and running. <If possible, add a sentence with a link to the code>.

Best, Hyunwoona

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Response from company:

\</comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment>

Hi Hyunwoona,

The work we're doing at <Company Name> involves a lot of <stuff> and <other stuff> right now we're working on <some broad vision>. We are looking to hire interns in the coming <time period>

We're currently looking for interns for the following positions:

1) <Job Title A> \-- This position involves <Something related to what you're capable of doing>

2) <Job Title B> \-- This position involves <Something unrelated to what you're capable of doing>

If either of these are something you're interested in, we should discuss further.

Best, <Contact Name>

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Follow Up email:

\</comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment>

Hi <Contact Name>,

Thanks for the response. I think I would be a good fit for the <Job Title A> position and I'd love to talk more about it. Can we set up a time for a phone call? I'm available <times when you're available>.

Best, Hyunwoona

\</comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment>---

Of the emails that I sent that led to interviews, more than 2/3 went almost exactly like that. Occasionally, I would have sent it to someone who would pass my email along to a colleague, but from that point forward the response I would get would still be pretty similar. I hope this helps. Let me know if I was unclear about anything.

</comment><comment><USER3> Some superficial and not-so superficial thoughts:

Superficial things (not that big of a deal, but still things I noticed):

1\. Post a pdf so we can check whether you might have a problem with the format of your resume (because I hope your resume isn't formatted like in the Google doc)

2\. Some of those courses you list are ones that nobody is going to care about (Econ, for example)

3\. Move your Honors section to the bottom, either before or after Leadership Activities. Your education is most important, followed by experience. You should move Technical Skills above Leadership Activities, and below Projects. This isn't a set-in-stone rule - it's just that in this case, your leadership activities aren't that impressive, so the Technical Skills section is more important. The guidelines is that the most impressive and important things go first.

4\. Shorten the summary for your NSF Researcher position. 5 bullets is too much IMO. Also, 99% of people will have no idea what the first two bullets are even talking about - find better ways of phrasing what you are saying. When I read about " the Chung-Ross conjecture on a Clos network by simulating different possibilities of data sizes," my brain just glosses over that. Ignore this advice if you're confident that people at the firm you're applying to will know what you're talking about.

5\. You use a lot of vague action words like "Worked on," "Collaborated," and "Participated." Find better ways of saying exactly what you did.

6\. There are some minor grammar mistakes you need to fix.

7\. Ideally you should have your projects on something like Github, and then have a link to your Github profile at the top of your resume, under your contact info

8\. Your resume should be 1 page maximum. (One page, one side).

Some not-so-superficial things to consider:

1\. Have you thought about getting a personal website? You can put a blog on there (with technical blog posts), and you can put a portfolio there too. The blog posts don't even have to be that impressive - a well-written tutorial of a technology you just learned can get passed around over the Internet. I had an engineer at a really hot startup _reach out to me_ because of my website and blog. I've had engineers at a big tech firm (rhymes with Godzilla) follow me on Twitter because of a blog post I wrote. This can be time consuming, though, so I think it's more important to have projects than it is to have a personal blog (see #2).

2\. Also, it's hard for us to suggest things for you to learn because we don't know what you're looking for. When I look at your resume it looks like you have mostly a systems development background; is that what you're looking for? For example, I know I want to work in application development - so I focus mostly on web and mobile (iOS) development. What do you want to focus on?

<comment><AUTHOR> Thank you for your advice. The pdf version of my resume is : [https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7tZUA6L0bdtSGlVQXRMYVFFdEk...](https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7tZUA6L0bdtSGlVQXRMYVFFdEk/edit?usp=sharing)

I find 4, 5 especially helpful.

For the first not-so-superficial, I know that would be helpful, but it is not urgent. I will create and manage a personal website once I start an internship.

For the second, I am kind of open to do anything depending on what position I get, but I want to focus on Java(maybe C++). Additionally, I don't think I have much time left to start learning and become good at a new language(especially web.)

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> Don't seem to me like there's anything wrong with your background. It's maybe a little "classical" for a job in Silicon Valley, but, especially with internships, they don't usually give too much of a crap about specific skills, you'll be able to pick those up on the job.

I suspect it is the way you present yourself. Judging from your post, you seem pretty desperate. Don't be, there's plenty of jobs and people will literally try to hire you off the street when you graduate. Your accomplishments certainly seem better than mine, and I got a full time job pretty quickly. I'm also a foreigner, that's a little pay cut, but no deal breaker.

Try to tailor your CV to the company you're interviewing at. They'll know and appreciate that you spent the time and know what they actually do. Try to get a phone or personal meeting early. They might be worried about your English if you're a foreigner, and if they can talk to you in person and see that your English is fantastic, that's one problem out of the way.

Oh yea, are you in Korea, trying to get a job in the US? That can be pretty tough, as it's just so much easier when you're local. If you can, go to San Francisco on a tourist visa. You're not legally allowed to apply for jobs on that visa, but everybody and their mom does it. Just lie to to the border control guy. As soon as you land, get involved in hackathons, meetups (meetup.com, search for your favorite programming languages and topics there) and so on. Do couchsurfing if you don't have money to rent a room.

All in all, there's lots of jobs here for anyone even remotely interested in writing code. Even as a foreigner you'll be very well received and offered internships and jobs. People are wary of "remote hiring" though, because you just never know just from a sheet of paper. A lot in Silicon Valley depends on your relationships with the people you know, and it's hard to get to know someone from a CV.

<comment><AUTHOR> Thank you for your response. I am attending a college in U.S. on F-1, and I can legally authorized to work during the semester or vacation using CPT or OPT. I am considering flying to Silicon Valley this winter, but I am not sure if this is worth the cost. I don't think I can meet many people there if I do not have a network.

I have been waiting for almost 2 weeks, but I am not getting any email or phone call. This is exhausting and dismal...

<comment><USER5> Also did you send your CV to places that work on free software? I remember reading recently about how nice it was to work with Mozilla for your internship.

<comment><AUTHOR> I haven't consider doing so. I just looked up on Mozilla website, but they are only looking for students with web knowledge. I also visited Free Software Foundation's internship, but they only have unpaid internship. I am so desperate that I am considering this option, but my family would not be able to let me do this. Their HQ is in Boston.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> When you don't have a way of making an impression by talking to someone or meeting them face to face, your resume becomes critically important.

What I would like to say is that you do not know the audience that you are presenting this to and sometimes your name will make a bigger impression than anything on your resume.

It's unfortunate that these things still make a difference but it is what it is.

Looking at a resume such as your's and being somewhat jaded, I might think the following:

\- This is likely an immigrant. \- They may not speak English well and may have had their resume written for them. \- I'd rather hire someone who I can identify with rather this person who could be from a foreign culture.

Now, I do not know if you are an immigrant or whether you speak or write English well. The point is that with your name and without explicitly giving the opposite impression, this is what a reviewer of your resume may think. Choosing you versus someone named "John Smith" becomes much more simpler (ie. you don't get chosen).

So how do you counteract some of this? Well, for starters, you could use a nickname for your first name. Remember this is to just get you through the door. Secondly, if you did go to school here before University, you could list your high school. Basically, anything you could put that would let someone know that your verbal and written English is great would be good.

I am not saying that this is what is stopping you from getting an interview, but there are many employers who have become very jaded by having someone come in for an interview who was the perfect candidate on paper but couldn't sling a complete sentence together due to language issues. These types of employers would rather just not take the risk, especially for an internship type position when they could just as easily pick someone else that looks more safe.

<comment><AUTHOR> I've never thought this way. Thank you so much. I considered so many names in two days, and finally decided to pick Eric(after Eric Schmidt and Sony- Ericsson). I am even considering changing my name spelling from Na to Naa or Rah. They will know I'm Korean anyway from my work experience in Korean Army, but because of the first impression.

I went to high school in Korea, so your second suggestion does not apply.

Thank you!

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> >> The pdf version of my resume is : [https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7tZUA6L0bdtSGlVQXRMYVFFdEk...](https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7tZUA6L0bdtSGlVQXRMYVFFdEk..).

That's a lot easier to "consume" for me. The formatting/etc on the text file is just a bit much. When I try to "review" someone's resume, I find it almost impossible to only review for content. Presentation is so much a part of a resume that I don't think you can separate the layers into "content" and "presentation layer".

Couple of things (all superficial):

1) It doesn't say that you are authorized to work. The spelling of your name is the first thing people see - and their first thought is, "Is he a US citizen, on a visa, or what?" You need to be clear about what you are seeking rather than making people guess.

2) Why are you seeking an internship? Many people seek an internship b/c they hope it turns into full-time work. If that's you, then you might want to find a way to shoehorn something in that makes it clear that you really like this company.

3) The GPA - I'd flip it around so that the 4.0/4.0 is listed first

4) Better filename - include your name. resume.pdf in all lower case shows me that you weren't really thinking very deeply about me once I get your resume.

5) "Software engineering" is such a broad term - you want an internship in "software engineering". Is there a way to make that more specific, possibly for each company's specific needs?

6) Cover letters and targeted responses matter - the resume is only a part of the entire process

Good luck!

<comment><AUTHOR> Thank you. The reason I put the resume in a shared text was to hide my name and identity.

For 1, I think it is a good idea, but I do not find the spot to put it. Also, should I write "legally authorized to work during semesters and vacations", or "F-1 Visa OPT/CPT work authorization"?

I did 3, 4, definitely should spend more time to do 2, 5, 6. (All the items are very pertinent. Thank you.)

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> You have a decent resume (content-wise) but it can be vastly improved in terms of structure/presentation. I suggest you Google around for some good looking resumes.

Add English to your list of fluent languages. Normally, you don't need to since you are at a US school. In your case, due to your extensive International experience, people might incorrectly assume you don't speak English. I was hesitant to make this suggestion since it is not politically correct. But I'd rather help you than risk not being PC.

Put your technical skills at the very front. The first project you have talks about some theoretical work. Minimize the technical jargon. I work in research but even I thought you were "one of those math people". I realized you had programming chops when I saw Python and that you implemented a board game in Java. Those should be up front and highlighted.

If you can become a committer on a famous open source project that would really help. This is a lot of work so don't worry if you can't do this.

Basic HTML and PHP can be learned in a weekend. Frankly, I assume every tech person knows these things at a basic level or can learn them fast.

Maybe talk about SQL/Database knowledge. Learn if you don't have those skills. Mention git or some other source code control system.

Best of luck! Keep at it ... you are a contender!

<comment><AUTHOR> Thank you.

You said I have a decent resume content-wise, but is it possible that I am not getting an email from a single company because the resume is formatted or presented poorly?

Is it just the wording and the order of contents, or also the format(template) that need(s) to be improved?

Do you think it would look better if I change the name of the position from Researcher to Research Programmer, and focus as much as I could on the programming side(though there is not much)?

I guess it is a major flaw that I do not know Java related technologies, like Spring, (maybe) Android, and Hibernate.

I don't know about database. I haven't taken any course on database yet.

What do you think is the most urgent for me to learn and do during the 6-week winter break?

Also, if I have two options for my project: part-time contribution for one of Free Software Foundation(GNU) projects vs part-time developing an inventory management software for Rwanda and Tanzania, what do you think looks better?

Thanks!

<comment><USER8> When I say content, I mean you have done some interesting work and would get called for an interview if you presented it well. Looks like another comment below said the same thing ... your resume ordering is not reasonable at the moment. The same commenter said you should strive for 1 page and I agree with that. You should get rid of your courses as well and just focus on technical skills and work experience.

If you know nothing about databases, then I would say that this is the most important thing to learn. Setup MySQL, create a bunch of tables. Do this by hand as well as with GUI tools like SequelPro. Write some SQL. That should take you a week. The next two to three weeks, learn about concurrent access/locks. Learn how to use a cloud computing environment as well. E.g. Amazon web services. They give micro vms for free btw.

Regarding researcher vs research programmer, think about what job you are applying for. Since you want to apply for a programmer position, it makes sense to sell that aspect of the work as much as possible :-)

If you are really getting desperate, I'll make two more suggestions:

1) Go to meetups/hackathons in your area and network with people. I have a very strong CV and a few degrees from some top schools but even I get called for 1 out of 3 positions that I apply for "in the cold". Networking just means talk to people in a position to hire you or people who know people who can hire you.

2) This is a controversial suggestion so take it with a grain of salt. Consider getting some certifications in an area you want to focus in. I did these when I was younger and it definitely helped. Don't waste money taking classes IMHO. Your 6 week break is enough to get certified in one thing ... be it Java or databases or whatever.

<comment><AUTHOR> I really want to believe that I will have much better chance if I present it well. I am revising my resume according to the advice given here.

I think it was an excellent choice to change the title from researcher to research programmer.

I have heard database is important, and studying it is now one of the things I am planning to do during the winter. Thanks for the advice. I will get a certificate in either database or system, but after I start working as an intern. The reason is that I need to practice more algorithm to do well on the interview and putting more time developing something or doing coding competition will be more helpful.

Instead of going to meetups/hackathons in my area(I already missed hackathon and I did not find any tech group in meetup in my area that I can go without a car), what do you think of the option of going to Silicon Valley during the winter, taking the expensive cost into account?

Thank you so much for spending your time to give valuable advice.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><AUTHOR> I changed my research part to the following. Does this look better?

NSF-funded research Research Programmer January 2013 - December 2013 Buffalo, NY

• Automated an experiment process of searching for a case to increase the known lower bound for required number of colors in a graph theory problem

• Emulated functions in Python modules(numpy and Sage) into C++ to run on systems without Python, leading to approximately a 40% speed improvement

• Wrote C++ and Python programs with my team that randomly generated hundreds of a special kind of matrices in a minute, with forced conditions to avoid repetition in an equivalent class

• Implemented edge coloring problem in C++/CPLEX by formalizing it in constraint programming, enabling hundreds of matrices to be tested for coloring per minute

• The paper is selected for presentation at MCURCSM 2013 conference on November</comment>


Show HN: GrabDuck-Bookmarks with full text Search - <AUTHOR> https://grabduck.com/last <comment><AUTHOR> Hallo

We just want to drop in to let you know about our new view of idea Bookmarks with a full text search.

We are small team of developers and have a lot of experience with a search engine. This experience we decided to apply in our project GrabDuck (further GD).

The main our idea is to make the process of working with Bookmarks easy and simply. So in GD you don't find the folders or categories in general meaning.

Everything what you should do:

1 Send url to the GD 2 Ask GD what you need

So it would be great to hear all suggestions and feedback.</comment>


IETF 98 Chicago: Homenet, and the hunt for a name - <AUTHOR> https://blog.apnic.net/2017/03/30/ietf-98-chicago-homenet-hunt-name/ <comment><USER2> Hmm, easy to confuse IETF 98 with "IETF '98" (apparently that was IETF 42/43).</comment>


Show HN: Smartflix – Watch Netflix content from any country - <AUTHOR> Hey,
I've just released the first beta of Smartflix, a Mac app that lets you easily watch Netflix content from any country.
Here are some of the key features: - The ENTIRE Netflix library (~14,000 movies & TV Shows episodes) - 1080p support (Google Chrome and Firefox only support 720p) - Manual quality selection - Media Keys support - Mini-player (this one is pretty cool)
Screenshots: http://imgur.com/a/Hb94s
Download link: https://dl.devmate.com/com.smartflix.Smartflix/Smartflix.dmg (Security note: the app is signed).
How it works It proxifies some www.netflix.com requests when needed to bypass location restrictions. The stream and most of the heavy other assets comes directly from Netflix. It is WAY better and safer than VPNs and "smart DNS" services (both potentially routing and/or intercepting every requests your computer makes at any time).
There is a live chat inside the app for feedback or support, if you have any questions or suggestions we can talk there.
By the way, all the Back to the Future movies are available right now. That's what I will be watching tonight!
(PS: Windows version is coming soon) (PS 2: It is completely free for now, until you guys and I are satisfied with the quality of the app) <comment><USER2> I think you are missing an opportunity by making this only work on macs, even with a windows release. We use [http://www.adfreetime.com](http://www.adfreetime.com) which is a dns server that circumvents region restrictions and the value of doing it at that level is you can put it in your router and then _all_ your netflix devices are covered - only covering a computer just isn't representative of how we (prob. most people?) watch netflix.

<comment><AUTHOR> Yes, that's the trade-off here basically. The experience of browsing/searching/selecting a movie to then switch DNS is quite paintful, but works on TV. Smartflix is one-click-play, but doesn't.

But you are definitely right when saying that most people watch Netflix on TV.

<comment><USER2> Maybe you could set your software up so people can configure their router to point at the computer with your software so other devices can access it as the dns server?

<comment><AUTHOR> There are already plenty of services offering smart DNS solutions (Unotelly, unblockus), I think I will stay in my corner with my simple click-and-play desktop app :)

But yeah, your solution would definitely work, but would be impossible to understand/setup for the non-techy users.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER3> Hi! Maybe you can provide some technical details? What's "helper application" it tries to install on first run? Any source code available?

<comment><AUTHOR> The helper app is there to update proxies for www.netflix.com requests while watching a movie. As soon as you stop playing the movie it removes that specific proxy rule. It is better and safer than the common "smart DNS" trick because it does not route nor intercept requests to other domains.

Also, I will remove this helper in the incoming version (found a better way).</comment></comment>


What new programming language is likely to change they way we think of coding? - <AUTHOR> We went from structured programming to OOP. What new programming language is likely to change they way we think of software development? <comment><USER2> Ballerina and Pony.

</comment><comment><USER3> Witheve.com</comment>


The Inside Story of a Small Software Acquisition (2007) - <AUTHOR> http://www.softwarebyrob.com/2007/09/16/inside-story-small-software-acquisition-1-of-3/ <comment><USER2> ...."Knowing how to market software, which I'm convinced is some kind of freaky black art..."</comment>


New Google top bar replacement? - <AUTHOR> http://i.imgur.com/7iijo.png

<comment><USER2> This has been in testing for a while. It was announced two months ago:

[http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/next-stage-in-our- red...](http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/next-stage-in-our- redesign.html)

<comment><AUTHOR> Had a feeling, thanks for the link.</comment></comment>


Using Secure DNS .scom/.snet to secure communication - <AUTHOR> Secure domain names (secure DNS) and Gabriel Collaboration suite makes for secure communications, file sharing and more. A unique Gateway service aspect allows for the creation of a decentralized internet. You can't hack what you can't see. Easily host sites that can only be accessed using secure dns and Gabriel collaboration suite.
More can be found at Blacksite.Solutions
Great for IoT security. <comment><USER2> Is this an ad?</comment>


Tell HN: The conference I organized is livestreaming 7 new startups - <AUTHOR>

Last September I started to put together a conference for startups because FOWA left Miami - we're launching 7 new companies today & have 8 AWESOME speakers tomorrow!
We've got some awesome judges including Charlie O'Donnell from first round, Andrew Warner & Paul Hontz from startup Foundry.
Come check it out - http://superconf.net/live
Thanks! <comment><AUTHOR> link: <http://superconf.net></comment>