A DIY Origami Notebook to Keep in Your Jeans' Small Pocket - <AUTHOR> http://www.mostlymaths.net/2011/01/diy-origami-notebook-to-keep-in-your.html <comment><USER3> Also check out the _PocketMod_. It has similar foldings, is customizable with "mods" and has its own website since 2005: <http://www.pocketmod.com/>

<comment><AUTHOR> I got the idea from the pocketmod, but mine has more pages (more cuts) and is smaller. Or at least, that was the way it was when I last checked its website.

<comment><USER3> So you basically forked a piece of paper!

<comment><AUTHOR> More or less :) I wanted more pages, and I like it smaller, too.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> Nice idea, although technically it's not origami if you need to cut the paper.

<comment><USER5> Yeah it is Kirigami if you cut it. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirigami>

<comment><USER4> Oh, didn't know that. Thanks!

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> Nice article! If anyone is having trouble figuring out the pictures exactly what to do, my girlfriend did some illustrations for Poets and Writers Magazine that might complement them:

<http://www.pw.org/content/diy_how_to_make_and_bind_chapbooks>

I think the first one ("DIY: How to Make a Pocket-Size Book") is the same as what is illustrated here, but I linked to the top in case people are interested in the other stitched variations too. The first half is how to set up a template in Word, and the second half (starting at #13) covers what this article does in a slightly different style.

<comment><AUTHOR> In the link is the same as the PocketMod, only 8 pages. I got the idea from the PM, I just wanted more pages. As a side effect they had to be smaller, which was good because my to-do is usually pretty short, but I like to start a new one for each day.

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> Here's a simpler version. It has only 8 pages, but the pages are somewhat larger and the whole booklet sits flatter in a pocket. Here goes:

1) Fold (8.5x11) sheet of paper in half (like a hamburger, not a hot dog - <USER2> other words, don't fold it "lengthwise".)(Make all folds like this).

2) Fold in half again.

3) Fold in half again.

4) Now open (twice), so you're looking at the paper after the first fold. You should be holding it in landscape orientation in front of you. The fold should be at the top and the paper should be open at the bottom.

5) See the vertical line running down the center? Rip (or cut, but ripping works just fine) that line to the halfway mark (the center of the page). (You're almost done.)

6) Now open the paper all the way, and refold it once lengthwise (like a hotdog). You should be able to grab an end in each hand and see an open diamond shape (rhomboid) in the middle.

7) Gently push the two ends towards the center. You'll see the bottom page start to collapse and fold into the page in your left hand. Just keep folding the pages onto each other, and fold the 4th/last one to make the back page/cover. Voila!

Let me know if I need to clarify my instructions.

<comment><AUTHOR> This is the idea in pocketmod.com. I see I should have linked it from my own post, for people wanting bigger pages. Also, if you happen to have A3 paper (or "double Legal"), you can use my method to create a bigger version of yours with more pages

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> Thanks! Very simple and convenient, only problem I had was a little uncertainty with the folding direction after the last cuts.

There are 12 pages when complete (not counting front and back cover) for anyone wondering.

</comment><comment><USER9> Awesome! Not only useful but elegant, too.

My problem with Moleskins, etc. is that I always lose them, since they're either hard to stick in your jeans pockets or make you uncomfortable if you do so.

</comment><comment><USER10> Brilliant! Thanks for sharing this. I am going to make one of this.

The thing that makes it wonderful is that if I ever need an A4 paper, I can just unfold it!

Another activity for me to do with my daughter :)

</comment><comment><USER11> I tried but couldn't figure it out, so my wife had to help me (it helps click to zoom into the picture). After making it, I have to say it's pretty lame.

</comment><comment><USER12> I can't figure it out after "Pinch this side" near the end. I feel like there's a step he's not showing.

<comment><AUTHOR> Maybe I forgot to take a picture, I'll check tomorrow. Just try to make it flat, from the side it should look like a cross. Now I think about it, that picture is very misleading, I'll change it tomorrow morning, thanks for making me think about it!

</comment></comment><comment><USER13> If you like origami:

<http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/between-the-folds/>

<comment><AUTHOR> Nice site. I folded a simpler version of that "stacked thing" on the right side: it is very fun and looks very nice even done with cheap standard grade paper (although the depicted version is amazing). The design below-left is likely to be Paul Jackson's, he loves this kind of abstract "snake-skin-like" structures.

If you happen to like origami... These masks are terrific: <http://www.flickr.com/photos/origamijoel/sets/1783175/> I started to pre- crease a sheet with triangles to try to do one of these but got tired middle- way. It is amazing the work he does with these.

</comment></comment><comment><USER14> What happens when you forget it and accidentally wash it?

<comment><USER15> It becomes wet.

<comment><AUTHOR> <i>Really</i> wet!</comment></comment></comment>


More precise tracebacks via decompilation - <AUTHOR> http://rocky.github.io/pycon2018.co/#/ <comment><AUTHOR> Author here. Recently incorporated this into Python's traceback module: [https://pypi.python.org/pypi/loctraceback](https://pypi.python.org/pypi/loctraceback) and have used this idea in Perl (which from the help of perlmonks is where I got the idea).

I am curious if it has been used in other programming languages as well.</comment>


Architect: A Postmortem of a Short Story Generator - <AUTHOR> http://tra38.github.io/blog/t15-architect.html <comment><USER2> Repository: [https://github.com/tra38/Architect](https://github.com/tra38/Architect)

I wish the Readme.md had been computer generated.</comment>


The Integrative Human Microbiome Project - <AUTHOR> https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1238-8 <comment><USER2> Collecting stool is one of the main data gathering tools for the gut microbiome. For the this study, the portion that studied inflammatory bowel disease relied on 1,785 stool samples (self-collected and sent by mail every two weeks) for the temporal period.

Now, they did get intestinal biopsies at baseline and took quarterly blood draws so it's not exclusively stool based data.

However, recent work from Dr. Mark Pimenthal's lab at Cedars Sinai says something that could shake this data to its core:

"The gut microbiome is NOT represented by stool! The longest segment of the gut (20 ft of small bowel) is completely different."

They haven't released a paper yet, this was on a poster at a recent seminar, but if true, it could have huge implications for just about all of the gut microbiome research out there today as it uses stool samples as the workhorse for data collection and analysis.

This is still a nascent field and one I have experience in myself.

I saw first hand while at a biosciences startup how the tests we were using for stool samples of the microbiome were statistically unreliable calling in to question the validity as well.

After researching other labs practices at the time, it left me questioning the best practices of the day as well as the worth of the data being collected and reported.

Combining what I have seen personally combined with the implications of Dr. Pimenthal's lab's research and I have to wonder if there is any reliable and valid data out there on the gut microbiome yet.

<comment><USER3> Frankly I've never seen a single massive data collection project since the HGP that has had made any real consequential contribution worth it's investment since. That modencode fiasco still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.</comment></comment>


Ask HN: What's in your .vimrc file? - <AUTHOR> Other than the default stuff of course. As you can see, my additions are quite pathetic so far (only been into vim for a few months):

  set expandtab
  set sts=2
  if v:progname =~? "gvim"
    colorscheme twilight
  endif
 <comment><USER4> I just keep swap files and backup ones in my .vim/ directory

      set backupdir=~/.vim/backup
      set backup
      set directory=~/.vim/tmp

This to see line numbers on the left (i find it a bit more readable instead of watching at the bottom-right)

      set number

added a simple way to speedup my writing with (I know it's crappy but it works ...until you need to add just one bracket/quote)

      " autocomplete parenthesis, brackets and braces
      inoremap ( ()<Left>
      inoremap [ []<Left>
      inoremap { {}<Left>

      " autocomplete quotes
      inoremap	'  '<Esc>:call QuoteInsertionWrapper("'")<CR>a
      inoremap	"  "<Esc>:call QuoteInsertionWrapper('"')<CR>a
      inoremap	`  `<Esc>:call QuoteInsertionWrapper('`')<CR>a

      function! QuoteInsertionWrapper (quote)
        let col = col('.')
        if getline('.')[col-2] !~ '\k' && getline('.')[col] !~ '\k'
          normal ax
          exe "normal r".a:quote."h"
        end
      endfunction

and mapped f1/f2 to switch buffer

      noremap <f1> :bprev!<CR>
      noremap <f2> :bnext!<CR>

_Some of this wall of text was stolen from a nice, but a bit too big, vimrc i found somewhere_

If you need something specific try <http://vim.wikia.com/>

</comment><comment><USER5> Do this to prevent yourself from learning the arrow keys while learning:

      map <down> <nop>
      map <left> <nop>
      map <right> <nop>
      map <up> <nop>

      imap <down> <nop>
      imap <left> <nop>
      imap <right> <nop>
      imap <up> <nop>

(There's actually a recently reported bug that causes the up arrow to do some strange things, but you get the idea).

<comment><USER6> As you say, that's a good way to force your fingers to learn the way of h, j, k and l.

I started with vi so long ago that I remember being surprised around five years ago when I accidentally discovered that vim knows about the arrow keys. So I've never had to un-learn the arrow keys.

You may want to turn them back on eventually. It's nice to be able to move the cursor without thinking about it, whether your hands are on the keyboard, over the arrow keys or on the mouse, sort of like being able to play the chord you want no matter where your hand is on the fretboard.

As for my .vimrc, there are years of settings and commands I never use and can't remember what for, like junk DNA. I enjoy discovering and sharing the occasional treat, but I've gone pretty much meat and potatoes over the years.

Depending on your setup, your ruler (:set ruler) may or may not always show the file. This will make it always show:

set statusline=%<%F\ %h%m%r%=%-14.(%l,%c%V%)\ %P

I like the tabula colorscheme, which you can find on vim.org:

colorscheme tabula

I like smartcase: set ic set smartcase

and I like the ability to override it when I search: /\Cfindonlylowercaseinstances (:help, and then look in chapter usr_27.txt)

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> Most of what I use was copied from this excellent site: <http://www.vi- improved.org/vimrc.php>

<comment><USER8> I wonder why you were voted down (not answering OP question to the letter?) -- that's one of the nicest references I've seen.

<comment><USER9> Downvoting seems to be in fashion lately. I've noticed a lot of perfectly good comments voted down without any apparent cause, only to float back up later on.

This is something of the last two weeks or so, before that it was happening too, but much less frequently.

<comment><USER10> Could it have something to do with the mechanism for voting and the prevalence of iPhones? I think it would be the cats meow if when detecting the iPhone or any mobile browser the down vote arrow was moved to the right of the title bar area. I say this because my fat fingered attempt at upvoting a comment has the reverse effect of my intent on many occasion.

PG, Are you still looking for a specific iPhone interface?

<comment><USER11> Me too, I've done this on occasion on my iPhone. The arrows are so small and close together. If you see capitalized words in the middle of a sentence Like this, that too is the iPhone's fault.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> Didn't we have one of these threads a little while ago? Ah yes, here we go:

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=821100>

Here's a repost of my comment from that thread:

I've been using Vim for over ten years now, across several jobs and platforms and tasks, so my .vimrc and .gvimrc have gathered quite a bit of cruft. I keep them in a git repository along with my various other generically useful config files, and just check them out on each new machine I get an account on.

There's too much stuff in these files to describe what everything does, but there's a lot of comments, so along with the Vim online help you should be able to figure everything out:

.vimrc: <http://paste.ubuntu.com/270714/>

.gvimrc: <http://paste.ubuntu.com/270716/>

Highlights include a single key-binding for stepping through every buffer in every tab, consistent mouse-handling between console-vim and gvim, and code to automatically make gvim inherit the GNOME default monospace font.

</comment><comment><USER13>
      colors torte
      syn on
      set expandtab
      set tabstop=4
      set shiftwidth=4
      set ruler
      set ignorecase
      set autoindent
      set smartindent
      set hlsearch
      set incsearch
      set backspace=indent,eol,start
      set laststatus=2
      autocmd BufEnter * :syntax sync fromstart
      "set hidden
      set history=1000
      runtime macros/matchit.vim
      set wildmenu
      "set wildmode=list:longest
      set wildmode=longest:full,full
      set title
      set scrolloff=3
      autocmd BufEnter *.rb :set ts=2 sw=2

      "let c_space_errors=1

I'm kinda unsure what good posting this will do...

</comment><comment><USER14> This crap has accumulated over the years, so I'm not sure if any of it is obsolete or unneeded, but here's what I found in mine:

      set expandtab         " Convert tabs to spaces
      set tabstop=4         " <TAB> four spaces
      set shiftwidth=4      " Shift width four spaces (for auto indent)
      set noautoindent      " Turn off autoindent by default
      set smartindent       " Use smart indent instead
      set incsearch         " Use incremental searches (cool)
      set backspace=2       " Set backspace mode to allow backspacing in insert mode
      set ruler             " Show position of cursor in status line
      set showmatch         " Show matching parens/braces when writing code
      set wh=55             " Minimum window height
      set textwidth=78      " Maximum line width when writing comments

      " Speed up response to ESC key
      set notimeout
      set ttimeout
      set timeoutlen=100

      " Make completion more like bash
      set wildmode=longest,list

      " Cure hangs during compiles?
      set swapsync=

      " For fuck's sake, don't throw away the indent when i hit #
      inoremap # X^H#

      " Disable auto-commenting of // in C/C++
      au FileType c,cpp setlocal comments-=://

      " Highlight trailing whitespace
      hi TrailingSpace ctermbg=1
      au filetype c,cpp,python match TrailingSpace "\s\+\n"

</comment><comment><USER15> Nothing.

I work on many different systems from time to time. I don't like to get too used to things that aren't universal. I have found out (the hard way) that relying on convenience can bite you in the ass when it's 3AM and you've been up for 67 consecutive hours and you execute some keystrokes from habit and they don't do what you expected.

I'll admit, I probably cripple my productivity overall for working this way, but it's what I'm used to.

<comment><USER16> > _I have found out (the hard way) that relying on convenience can bite you in > the ass when it's 3AM and you've been up for 67 consecutive hours and you > execute some keystrokes from habit and they don't do what you expected._

You really could say that about anything. You could say that one shouldn't program in dynamically-typed languages because 'one day' you'll have to program in a statically-typed language and all your habits will 'bite you in the ass.' I think that you should really blame this part:

> _and you've been up for 67 consecutive hours_

Unless you're trying out for the SEALS, I don't think this is normally part of any job description. And I hardly think this is some sort of 'common case' that you should be planning for. There's a difference between preparing for the worst and _over_ -preparing for the worst.

<comment><USER15> Don't get me wrong, there are many conveniences that I DO use.

However, for editors I've just always preferred to stay as basic and reliable as possible. vi is quick, easy, simple and has been on every *nix machine that I've ever walked up to. Relying on customizitions beyond that is, for me, sub- optimal.

I have had more than a handful of workdays that spanned 2 or 3 or 4 continuous days with little or no sleep at all (although thankfully not in several years). In those cases we were usually recovering from planned maintenance gone wrong. In one case I was trying to edit/update some config files, force software upgrades into a bunch core switches and dispatch pilots with spare parts. It was helpful, to me, to be able to rely on the basics as I hopped through SSH sessions from server to server (but, I did use host keys to speed my logins).

My case is moreso for edits and small customizations and not long sessions of coding, so I really don't NEED a whole lot beyond the basics of what I can memorize.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> <http://bitbucket.org/natw/dotfiles/src/tip/.vimrc>

some parts I haven't seen mentioned otherwise:

      set statusline=[TYPE=%Y]\ [ENC=%{&fenc}]\ [ASCII=\%03.3b]\ [HEX=\%02.2B]\ [POS=%04l,%04v][%p%%]
      hi StatusLine term=bold,reverse cterm=bold ctermfg=7 ctermbg=0
      hi StatusLineNC term=reverse cterm=bold ctermfg=8

gives me a nice status bar with some good info

      set t_Co=256
      colorscheme railscasts

best color scheme I've found yet, and I don't know how I lived before 256 colors

      set noerrorbells
      set novisualbell
      set t_vb=

This might be redundant, but I hate error bells SO MUCH. This might be even more important than "set nocompatible".

      map ^P :set paste!<CR>:set paste?<CR>

in python mode at least, autoindent will usually mess up pasted text

Plus the usual 4 space soft tab, autoindent stuff. I also highly suggest keeping your dotfiles in some kind of version control. It is definitely fun to see them grow, and I can't imagine working on multiple systems without it.

</comment><comment><USER18> Mainly for python scripting, but works decently for most editing I do.

      syntax on " syntax highlighting
      set tabstop=4 " PEP-8 uses 4 spaces per indentation level
      set shiftwidth=4 " shifting (PEP-8)
      set expandtab " spaces instead of tabs (PEP-8, and just bettter in general)
      filetype on " file type detection
      filetype indent on " special indentation rules for file type
      filetype plugin on " auto-completion rules for file type
      set hls " highlight search terms (:noh to turn off temporarily)
      set ignorecase " ignore case for searches (:set noignorecase to turn off)
      set incsearch " search as you type
      colorscheme darkblue " slightly nicer colour scheme
      set scrolloff=15 " keep 15 lines of context on both sides of cursor when scrolling

[http://github.com/paulgb/settings/blob/9ebf793bcf202589c74f3...](http://github.com/paulgb/settings/blob/9ebf793bcf202589c74f387eda2cd7f88385a6bf/.vimrc)

</comment><comment><USER8> Some I like:

      " Keep cycled-away buffers open (preserving undo,
      " allowing buffer switch without write)
      set hidden

      " Facilities for handling pasting into vim, preserving
      " indentation of the pasted text.
      " This will make <F4> start paste mode and <F5> stop paste mode.
      " Note that typing <F5> in paste mode inserts <F5>, since in paste
      " mode everything is inserted literally, except the 'pastetoggle' key
      " sequence.
      map <F4> :set paste<CR>
      map <F5> :set nopaste<CR>
      imap <F4> <C-O>:set paste<CR>
      imap <F5> <nop>
      set pastetoggle=<F11>

      " Toggle line-numbers with key sequence Ctrl-N-N:
      nmap <C-N><C-N> :set invnumber <CR>

      " Consolidate swapfiles to keep working directories clean
      set directory=~/.vim/swap

</comment><comment><USER19> Been through some changes lately - this is the trimmed down of my .gvimrc (MacVim). " window settings set lines=70 set columns=200 set fileencoding=utf8

        set incsearch
        set ignorecase
        set hlsearch

        " make the status line more useful
        set statusline=%F%m%r%h%w[%L][%{&ff}]%y[%p%%][%04l,%04v]
        set nocompatible

        " backspace mode
        set bs=2

        " highlitt current line and add line numbers
        set cursorline
        set number

        " yummy
        set guifont=Monaco:h11.00

        " turn off the scrollbars and the rest of the crap
        set guioptions=eg

        ""set foldenable
        ""set foldmethod=indent
        filetype plugin on
        filetype on

        " autoindenting
        set cindent
        set smartindent
        set autoindent

        " display improvements
        set list
        " show indents
        set listchars=tab:\.\ ,trail:-
        set ruler
        set showcmd
        " i use tabs instead of spaces, wanna make something of it?
        set noexpandtab
        set tabstop=4
        set shiftwidth=4
        set softtabstop=4

        " temp files
        set backupdir=~/.vim/bak
        set directory=~/.vim/tmp
        " colorz
        syntax on
        colorscheme herald " molokai, zenburn, darkburn, vibrantink

        " PLUGINZ
         " allml settings
        let g:allml_global_maps = 1
        let g:HiMtchBrkt=1
        let g:SCMDiffCommand="/opt/subversion/bin/svn"

        inoremap <C-B> <ESC>:call PhpDocSingle()<CR>
        nnoremap <C-B> :call PhpDocSingle()<CR>
        vnoremap <C-B> :call PhpDocRange()<CR>

        " PHP specific fixes
        " highlights interpolated variables in sql strings and does sql-syntax highlighting. yay
        autocmd FileType php let php_sql_query=1
        " does exactly that. highlights html inside of php strings
        autocmd FileType php let php_htmlInStrings=1
        " discourages use oh short tags. c'mon its deprecated remember
        autocmd FileType php let php_noShortTags=1
        " settings for cake
        au BufNewFile  *.ctp set filetype=php
        au BufRead *.ctp set filetype=php

</comment><comment><USER20> set nocompatible

set backspace=indent,eol,start

if has("vms") set nobackup else set backup endif set history=50 set ruler set showcmd set incsearch

map Q gq

inoremap <C-U> <C-G>u<C-U>

if has('mouse') set mouse=a endif

if &t_Co > 2 || has("gui_running") syntax on set hlsearch endif

if has("autocmd")

      filetype plugin indent on

      augroup vimrcEx
      au!

      autocmd FileType text setlocal textwidth=78

      autocmd BufReadPost *
        \ if line("'\"") > 1 && line("'\"") <= line("$") |
        \   exe "normal! g`\"" |
        \ endif

      augroup END

else

      set autoindent

endif

if !exists(":DiffOrig") command DiffOrig vert new | set bt=nofile | r # | 0d_ | diffthis \ | wincmd p | diffthis endif

colors zenburn

:filetype plugin on

set et set sw=4 set smarttab set lbr

set t_Co=256

set backupdir=./.backup,.,/tmp set directory=.,./.backup,/tmp

set nobackup set nowritebackup

set number

compiler ruby

autocmd Filetype ruby source ~/.vim/ruby-macros.vim nnoremap <silent> <F8> :TlistToggle<CR>

let Tlist_Auto_Open=1

:set title titlestring=%<%f\ %([%{Tlist_Get_Tagname_By_Line()}]%)

set virtualedit=all

</comment><comment><USER21> Mine, though I've (mostly) moved to emacs these days:

      set nocompatible
      source $VIMRUNTIME/vimrc_example.vim
      source $VIMRUNTIME/mswin.vim
      behave mswin
      set tabstop=4
      set shiftwidth=4
      set gfn=Consolas:h10:cANSI

      set number
      set cin!

      colorscheme evening

      map <silent> :tabnext<CR>
      map <silent> :tabprevious<CR>
      map <F10> :browse tabnew<CR>

      set diffexpr=MyDiff()
      function MyDiff()
          let opt = ''
          if &diffopt =~ 'icase' | let opt = opt . '-i ' | endif
          if &diffopt =~ 'iwhite' | let opt = opt . '-b ' | endif
          silent execute '\"!C:\Program Files\vim\diff\" -a ' . opt . v:fname_in . ' ' . v:fname_new . ' > ' . v:fname_out
      endfunction

EDIT: Updated formatting.

</comment><comment><USER16> A good line to memorize:

      :set et sts=4 sw=4 ts=4

      et  = expandtab (spaces instead of tabs)
      ts  = tabstop (the number of spaces that a tab equates to)
      sw  = shiftwidth (the number of spaces to use when indenting
            -- or de-indenting -- a line)
      sts = softtabstop (the number of spaces to use when expanding tabs)

Also you might want to move 'colorscheme twilight' into the ~/.gvimrc file instead; it makes the .vimrc file cleaner when you separated out all of the gui-specific stuff.

My full vimrc and setup is here: <http://github.com/bsandrow/vimc>

{edit} Another good one:

      noremap Y y$

By default Y is mapped to the equivalent of yy. This makes Y act like the 'copy/yank' equivalent of D. {/edit}

</comment><comment><USER22> Here are just a couple things I find really useful day to day. I used to have a timeout that would revert to normal mode from insert mode after about 30 seconds if idle, but I got tired of that after about six months and just got in the habit of hitting Escape when I finished with an insert action. I did it just now, even though this is a textarea.

      " For (ab)use with :sp
      map <C-j> <C-W>j<C-W>_
      map <C-k> <C-W>k<C-W>_
      set wmh=0 so=999 winheight=999

      nnoremap i :noh<CR>i

      " \s is global-replace-this-word
      :nnoremap <Leader>s :%s/\<<C-r><C-w>\>//g<Left><Left>

</comment><comment><USER23> The one addition to my .vimrc that I can't live without:

      nnoremap <Space> :

<comment><USER24> This just made my day :) Thanks

</comment></comment><comment><USER25> Map some "leader" commands for common operations, eg:

      let mapleader=','
      let g:mapleader=','

      nmap <leader>w :w!<cr>
      nmap <leader>q :q<cr>
      nmap <leader>f :find<cr>
      map <leader>d :execute 'NERDTreeToggle ' . getcwd()<CR>
      nmap <leader>m :make<cr>

      " cut & paste
      map <leader>c "+y
      map <leader>x "+d
      map <leader>v "+p

Also quicker window navigation:

      map <C-j> <C-W>j
      map <C-k> <C-W>k
      map <C-h> <C-W>h
      map <C-l> <C-W>l

</comment><comment><USER26> The interesting stuff only:

        set showbreak=>\
        set wildignore=*.bak,*.pyc,*.swp
        set wildmenu
        set wildmode=list:longest

This is actually quicker than reaching for ESC most of the time:

        inoremap <C-s> <ESC>
        vnoremap <C-s> <ESC>

Tab switching:

        noremap <C-l> gt
        noremap <C-h> gT

Something useful for syntax file writing:

        noremap <F6> :echo synIDattr(synID(line("."), col("."), 1), "name")<CR>

</comment><comment><USER27> Most of my .vim folder and .vimrc came from andreiz and tomasr. I have it committed to github for easy download on any server I'm working on. <http://github.com/bnmrrs/dotfies> if anybody would like to check it out.

      map ,q :q!<CR>
      map ,s :w<CR>
      map ,w :x<CR>
      nmap <silent> <F6> :set number!<CR>

and ctags are especially useful

<comment><USER5> Consider doing this instead:

      let mapleader = ","    "
      let g:mapleader = ","

      map <Leader>q :q!<CR>
      map <Leader>s :w<CR>
      map <Leader>w :x<CR>

The mapleader is basically used to give your custom keybindings a separate namespace. It looks like that's what your doing here, but using the variable makes it easier to change later f you want.

<comment><USER27> Good idea, I'll have to add that.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER28> I think :set wildmenu is great, especially for relative newbies such as myself:

      command! CD cd %:p:h " change to current buffer's directory
      set incsearch " Incremental search
      set hlsearch " Highlight search
      set guifont=Bitstream\ Vera\ Sans\ Mono\ 12
      set nowritebackup " no stupid backup files
      set noswapfile    " no stupid recovery files
      set wildmenu " it's wild
      set visualbell
      set fileformat=unix

</comment><comment><USER29> Reformat hex-dumps into 32-bit words, 8 words per line.

nmap H :s/\v(\S{8})/\1 /g<CR>:s/\v((\S{8} ){8})/\1<C-V><CR>/g<CR>:nohl<CR>

</comment><comment><USER30>
      "tab completion of words in insert mode
      function InsertTabWrapper()
            let col = col('.') - <USER3>
            if !col || getline('.')[col - 1] !~ '\k'
                return "\<tab>"
            else
                return "\<c-p>"
            endif
      endfunction

      inoremap <tab> <c-r>=InsertTabWrapper()<cr>

</comment><comment><USER31> I used almost everything from thoughtbot articles :

<http://robots.thoughtbot.com/post/166073596/intro-rails-vim>

and

[http://robots.thoughtbot.com/post/159805668/2009-rubyists- gu...](http://robots.thoughtbot.com/post/159805668/2009-rubyists-guide-to-a- mac-os-x-development)

</comment><comment><USER32> I do a lot of copying/pasting from my browser (and other random places), so these mappings make my life easier:

      " copy/paste with the system clipboard
      map ^P "+gP
      map ^C "+y

Also this, for dealing with DOS-style stuff:

      " map <ctrl>+s to remove ^M from the ends of lines
      map ^S :%s\/^M\/\/g

<comment><USER16>
      map ^C "+y

Ugh. I couldn't do that. C-c is a shortcut to exit Insert Mode or to stop a command (similar to C-g usage in Emacs or mutt).

      map ^S :%s\/^M\/\/g

Be careful with that on terminals. C-s is usually mapped in with flow control on terminals.

</comment></comment><comment><USER33> <http://github.com/msanders/vim-files/blob/master/.vimrc>

Most of it's just my quirks but I think there's some useful bits in there. My vim setup is _heavily_ customized, for better or for worse.

</comment><comment><USER34> I like autocomplete in my .vimrc

function! InsertTabWrapper() let col = col('.')-1 if !col || getline('.')[col-1]!~'\k' return "\<tab>" else return "\<C-P>" endif endfunction inoremap <tab> <C-R>=InsertTabWrapper()<CR>

</comment><comment><USER35> Adopted from the mighty tpope's vimrc file, and somewhat dependent on some of the plugins (also in my dotfiles repo on github)

<http://github.com/csexton/dotfiles/blob/master/home/vimrc>

</comment><comment><USER36> someone mentioned listchars elsewhere, but I prefer these glyphs:

        set listchars=tab:»·,trail:·
        set list

this makes it so all your tabs and trailing whitespace is visible. note, this will make you hate almost every other developer.

<comment><USER37> Indeed! I can't do it any more, just filled me with so much hate... It's like people use the spacebar just to think.

/rant ;)

<comment><USER37> And to answer the poster, I tend to just use the default vim. I'm bouncing around machines so much that I don't bother setting anything up on my main one that I'll miss on the others...

<comment><USER38> My cure for that is putting my .vimrc on my site; then, from a foreign machine, I just do:

wget -O ~/.vimrc <http://lucasoman.com/vimrc>

And just like that, I'm in my comfort zone. Of course, this doesn't cover plugins and such, but I don't use those very often.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER39> It's a little outdated, but I spent some time on tweaking it: <http://amix.dk/vim/vimrc.html>

I specially like:

      map <space> /
      map <c-space> ?

And the parenthesis/bracket expanding.

</comment><comment><USER40> Mine's not very advanced; .gvimrc for MacVim:

      set guifont=Pragmata:h14
      set guioptions=egmrLt
      set nohlsearch
      set number
      set ts=3
      colors vividchalk
      syntax on

Pragmata is a delicious, delicious font.

<comment><USER41> 90 Euros for a font? Whoa.

</comment></comment><comment><USER42> Put your vimrc under revision control. Watch it grow from 5 lines to over 500 in the span of a year.

It seems like switching the developer bit in the brain for config files does wonders for environment personalization.

</comment><comment><USER43> <http://github.com/latortuga/personal/blob/master/_vimrc>

I've been messing with code folding lately, cool stuff.

</comment><comment><USER44> Lots: <http://github.com/cdmwebs/dotfiles/raw/master/vimrc>

Probably time to clean it up a bit.

</comment><comment><USER45> Emacs version here: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=856108>

</comment><comment><USER46> perhaps of interest:

      " for vertical split, with the pipe dividers hidden
      :hi clear vertsplit
      :hi vertsplit ctermbg=Black ctermfg=Black

      " quit quits all
      :nmap :q :qa
      :nmap :wq :wqa

      " H/L go to beginning/end of line without moving fingers
      :nmap H 0
      :nmap L $

      " turn off matching paren highlighting
      let loaded_matchparen = 1

<comment><USER47> Why don't you use paren matching?

</comment></comment><comment><USER48> <http://github.com/jcs/dotfiles/blob/master/.vimrc>

</comment><comment><USER49> Mine is a behemoth, so I have pasted it here:

<http://pastebin.com/f6e58888a>

</comment><comment><USER50>
      syntax on
      set background=dark
      set et
      set ts=4
      set ruler
      set shiftwidth=4

</comment><comment><USER51> Sorry about how long this is!! This is the culmination of about 1.5 years using VIM as my exclusive text editor for web development. When I started I was using PHP and now I'm using Ruby on Rails. If you have any general questions about VIM, specific questions about my .vimrc, or anything related, ask in the comments and I'll try to answer:

set fo=tcqln ic nohls nu sc scs sm tm=200 wim=longest,list nonumber

let g:explDetailedList=1

" store all of your vim swp files in one place, make sure this directory exists

set backupdir=/Users/{YOUR_USERNAME}/vim_swp

set directory=/Users/{YOUR_USERNAME}/vim_swp

set bs=indent,eol,start

set hlsearch

" Use incremental searching

set incsearch

" Set standard setting for PEAR coding standards

set tabstop=4

set shiftwidth=4

" Auto expand tabs to spaces

set expandtab

" Auto indent after a {

set autoindent

set smartindent

" Linewidth to endless

set textwidth=0

" Do not wrap lines automatically

set wrap

" DO NOT Show line numbers by default

set nonumber

" Jump 5 lines when running out of the screen

set scrolljump=5

" Indicate jump out of the screen when 3 lines before end of the screen

set scrolloff=3

" Repair wired terminal/vim settings

set backspace=start,eol

" This function determines, wether we are on the start of the line text (then tab indents) or

" if we want to try autocompletion

function InsertTabWrapper()

        let col = col('.') - <USER3>

        if !col || getline('.')[col - 1] !~ '\k'

            return "\<tab>"

        else

            return "\<c-p>"

        endif

endfunction

" Remap the tab key to select action with InsertTabWrapper

inoremap <tab> <c-r>=InsertTabWrapper()<cr>

" set list

" set listchars=tab:>-,trail:-

" set listchars=tab:>-,trail:-,eol:$

set ignorecase " caseinsensitive searches

set showmode " always show command or insert mode

set ruler " show line and column information

set showmatch " show matching brackets

set formatoptions=tcqor

set whichwrap=b,s,<,>,[,]

syntax on

" Added by chris

" from <http://items.sjbach.com/319/configuring-vim-right>

set hidden

set history=1000

nnoremap ' `

nnoremap ` '

set smartcase "is case sensitive only if there's a capital letter

set title

" enables matching if/elseif/else/etc., sort of works

runtime macros/matchit.vim

"from [http://blog.learnr.org/post/59098925/configuring-vim-some- mo...](http://blog.learnr.org/post/59098925/configuring-vim-some-more)

map H ^

map L $

" End Added by chris

let loaded_matchparen = 1

nmap <F6> <ESC>:call LoadSession()<CR>

let s:sessionloaded = 0

function LoadSession()

      source Session.vim

      let s:sessionloaded = 1

endfunction

function SaveSession()

      if s:sessionloaded == 1

        mksession!

      end

endfunction

autocmd VimLeave * call SaveSession() "Reopen your session with 'vim -S Session.vim'

<comment><USER43> I love the scrolljump and scrolloff, never seen those before...also I think you may have just changed my life by showing me how to use sessions.

</comment></comment><comment><USER52> syntax on

color zellner

set cursorline

set cursorcolumn

set nu

set autoindent

set tabstop=4

map <C-n> <ESC><ESC>:tabnew<CR>

map <C-left> <ESC><ESC>:tabprev<CR>

map <C-right> <ESC><ESC>:tabnext<CR>

map <C-down> <ESC><ESC>:tabclose<CR

</comment><comment><USER53> :set viminfo="" :set modeline ai et si sw=8 ts=8 :syntax off

</comment><comment><USER54> $ wc .vimrc

427 2342 16457 .vimrc

Way too much

</comment><comment><USER55>
      " menu for encoding
      set wildmenu
      set wcm=<Tab>
      set ts=4
      menu Encoding.koi8-r   :e ++enc=koi8-r<CR>
      menu Encoding.windows-1251 :e ++enc=cp1251<CR>
      menu Encoding.utf-8                :e ++enc=utf-8 <CR>
      map <F8> :emenu Encoding.<TAB>

</comment><comment><USER56> Characters. Lots of characters.

</comment><comment><USER57>
        set vi</comment>


ESPN Football Analyst Walks Away, Disturbed by Brain Trauma on Field - <AUTHOR> https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/sports/espn-ed-cunningham-football-concussions.html <comment><USER3> Good for him.

I stopped following football after watching League of Denial on PBS. If I'm at the bar or something and it happens to be on, I might passively watch it, but I haven't sought it out since. I just can't support the NFL.

I do feel torn though because I love hockey. I know they're dealing with similar controversies. My justification, however flimsy it might be is that I don't like the fighting (I might be in a minority, but I'd have no issue if the NHL eliminates fighting altogether), and the big hits aren't why I watch...I enjoy the stick work, the dangling and skills getting to the net. I can also appreciate that the NHL does seem to be doing a better job at cracking down on the dirty hits.

I also play hockey (in a non-check beer league) and am very aware about the risks. I'm also an adult who is old and mature enough to accept these risks. I don't know how much that can be said for the elementary/middle/high school kids playing sports like hockey and football.

<comment><USER4> >I just can't support the NFL.

I'm not sure what the NFL does that's wrong. Their players get significant fame, are consenting adults, and get pay checks that many would trade even more of their health for. It is the college level, and especially the high school level, that I see the major problems at. When you have kids, or even people who aren't paid, risking their health it crosses a significant line. If college players were paid, and if playing below 18 (or even 16) was banned, it wouldn't be a big problem for me.

Edit: As someone else pointed out, the suppressing information is wrong. I wasn't considering that side of things.

<comment><USER5> Would you be OK allowing two consenting adults to fight to the death for pay? Most people would not be for allowing this. A lot of people are willing to work in very risky environments because they feel they have no alternative. Should companies be allowed to have dangerous work environments because there are people desperate enough to be willing to work in them?

<comment><USER6> _> Would you be OK allowing two consenting adults to fight to the death for pay?_

Given that scenario as stated? Sure, I'm all for it. Take away the gloves in boxing and we're pretty close to that.

I'd be concerned about the negative incentives that could potentially exploit lower income people, but on its own I don't have a problem with it.

I personally wouldn't do it, and I don't think I'd enjoy watching it, but I'm of the opinion that:

1\. If it occurs a lot, there is a market for it,

2\. Given a market for it, we should explore allowing and heavily regulating it, including negative externalities, rather than banning it and pushing it to a black market.

<comment><USER7> AIUI bare knuckle boxing is less dangerous than the big time stuff. Gloves protect the boxer doing the punching from breaking their fingers/hands, enabling them to do more damage to their opponents. You ain't punching a skull with your bare knuckles and hurting the other party much.

<comment><USER6> Ah, my mistake I suppose. I understood bare knuckle boxing is dangerous for the hands, but I also believed it was dangerous for the other party.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> Speaking as someone from a rugby-playing nation, where mostly players wear no protection except mouthguards and shin pads, American Football is spectacular but insane.

Wearing protective helmets just ups the ante as players launch into each other with full force. In rugby, you don't tackle someone like that as you'll hurt yourself, and fail to stop the opponent.

Rugby is a plenty violent sport, and has its own health issues, but the lack of protective helmets and body armour (and rules preventing tackling without using your arms) means that attacking players think about their own safety before launching ridiculously high impact hits on each other.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F6POhAbAhE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F6POhAbAhE)

<comment><USER9> This is how I feel about boxing vs MMA.

Boxing gloves are huge and massively padded, meaning you take hit after hit after hit, bouncing your brain around like a ball. MMA gloves are only padded enough to maybe prevent you from breaking your knuckles, and maybe prevent your knuckles from breaking someone's jaw. If you threw the kind of punches people throw in boxing with MMA gloves on, you'd wreck your hands.

That one is safer than the other has been discussed before:

[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mixed-martial-arts- safer...](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mixed-martial-arts-safer-than- boxing-study_us_563ce23be4b0411d3070c8d6)

[https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/20/science/which-is-more- dan...](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/20/science/which-is-more-dangerous- mma-or-boxing.html?mcubz=1)

<comment><USER10> Of course, that's for classic boxing. I train muay thai and you're also liable to get a shin/knee/ankle/elbow from your opponent, and there's zero padding there.

However, as someone else commented, there are some crucial differences with football:

\- there's no injury unless it's an actual fight. Sparring is intentionally toned down, because the sport is not about the power but agility and speed. Those can be practiced with minimal danger (of course there are always exceptions and accidents);

\- there's the benefit of transparency. Hits may be heavier but are fewer and much farther apart than the repeated hits in football which may go unnoticed.

<comment><USER11> I could be mistaken but I thought a few concussions was enough to cause brain damage, once you get to three there's a marked increase in permanent, measureable damage in most people, if one is under 25, it doesn't take as much.

<comment><USER12> Any concussion is by definition a brain injury. Any brain injury is, by definition, damage to the brain. And we know that brain damage has an uncertain prognosis - it may or may not ever heal in any meaningful way, and might even get worse over time.

People handwaving around how much worse it gets under x or y circumstance just don't like the way the math adds up: brain injury is cumulative and progressive regardless of severity, age, repetition, or any other factor.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER13> Football's core problem is still denial that this is an issue. Until that happens, real, concrete steps won't be taken to address it. Here are a few suggestions:

1) No tackle football before a certain age (to be determined by scientists based on brain development and how damaging a concussion would be). You can learn a ton about football, running routes, learning plays, getting in shape, etc. without hitting people.

2) Ban hitting. Everything should be a wrap around tackle. No more players running full speed and launching themselves into other players. Look at how few players actually try to tackle people.

3). Put padding on the outside of helmets and maybe shoulder pads. Current helmets are not doing nearly a good enough job of slowing down energy. They are designed to protect against fractures, but future football equipment should be designed to slow down impacts.

4) Make neutral zone a few yards long. Much of the worst blows happen to linemen who fire off into each other, particularly on running plays. While big hits get the most notice, it is actually those who are suffering routine head blows that are at the most risk.

5) Ban the quarterback sneak and any other similar play where linemen dive into each other in short yardage situations.

6) Ban players for unsafe hits. 15-yard penalties are not nearly enough for something that could cause someone to die very young.

7) Ban players for PEDs. Steroids and HGH permanently alter your physiology. PEDs are making players unnaturally big, strong and fast. Suspensions are not enough, because even if a player stops doing them, he may have made himself unnaturally big, strong and fast.

8) Allow defensive backs to hand check and other ways of playing defense that don't revolve around big hits. The passing game has exploded in the NFL, partly because it's so hard to defend against receivers. Receivers get more separation these days. Allowing hand checking closes separation and would limit the amount of passing.

<comment><USER14> > 1) No tackle football before a certain age (to be determined by scientists > based on brain development and how damaging a concussion would be). You can > learn a ton about football, running routes, learning plays, getting in > shape, etc. without hitting people.

Good luck enforcing this with kids. We played flag football in school but full tackle with zero supervision after school in the park.

> 2) Ban hitting. Everything should be a wrap around tackle. No more players > running full speed and launching themselves into other players. Look at how > few players actually try to tackle people.

I get what you're going after but it's tricky when you're dealing with the boundaries. How do you push a guy out of bounds without "hitting" him?

> 3). Put padding on the outside of helmets and maybe shoulder pads. Current > helmets are not doing nearly a good enough job of slowing down energy. They > are designed to protect against fractures, but future football equipment > should be designed to slow down impacts.

I see no issue with this. If it's proven to be safer than I'm sure people would switch to it. Maybe pitch it to Riddell.

> 4) Make neutral zone a few yards long. Much of the worst blows happen to > linemen who fire off into each other, particularly on running plays. While > big hits get the most notice, it is actually those who are suffering routine > head blows that are at the most risk.

This would substantially change the mechanics of the game. I'm not sure if it would be more or less fun but it's be a wildly different game. Imagine the difference a speed player would have if there's an added 3-5 yard gap between the starting lines.

> 5) Ban the quarterback sneak and any other similar play where linemen dive > into each other in short yardage situations.

The end zone plays would be different indeed. Also, no more superman shots of Cam.

> 6) Ban players for unsafe hits. 15-yard penalties are not nearly enough for > something that could cause someone to die very young.

+1

It should be immediate and permanent if it's intentional. Accidental unsafe hits should result in an ejection . Bonus points if the crowd boos the player who committed the hit.

> 7) Ban players for PEDs. Steroids and HGH permanently alter your physiology. > PEDs are making players unnaturally big, strong and fast. Suspensions are > not enough, because even if a player stops doing them, he may have made > himself unnaturally big, strong and fast.

+1

I find it hilarious that doping doesn't result in permanent bans.

> 8) Allow defensive backs to hand check and other ways of playing defense > that don't revolve around big hits. The passing game has exploded in the > NFL, partly because it's so hard to defend against receivers. Receivers get > more separation these days. Allowing hand checking closes separation and > would limit the amount of passing.

I have to think this one through further. It's hard to imagine a situation where you can take down a power running back that doesn't involve _something_ like a hit. The truly power RBs are like tanks and the site of one dragging multiple defense players into the end zone is an amazing site.

<comment><USER15> > Good luck enforcing this with kids. We played flag football in school but > full tackle with zero supervision after school in the park.

Sure, kids will sometimes hurt each other just horsing around too. I think the idea here is for sanctioned children's leagues and school teams to not allow tackling.

<comment><USER16> This also comes back to the pads and helmets. If you watch kids playing full tackle on a playground the actions are very different than when they are lined up with 20 pounds of gear on. Kids are going to tee off with their heads when it is going to hurt like hell.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> It's become increasingly difficult for me to watch football as well. I really enjoy the sport, but the research is pretty unforgiving.

I can still justify watching the NFL because the players are getting paid very well, and at least at this point are aware of the risks.

But it is impossible for me to justify watching college anymore. I was always leary of the billion dollar contracts conferences were signing, while severely punishing the players for accepting a jersey from a relative (and at the same time refusing to ban coaches who systematically engaged in illegal activities). But throw in the brain trauma stuff and it's impossible to excuse an academic institution doing this anymore (especially since they also get tax benefits as well).

<comment><USER18> The NFL doesn't exist without the legions of unpaid, bodies-broken, brain- scrambled college ( _and high school_ ) athletes who get nothing for their troubles.

<comment><USER19> I would argue that the NCAA stands in the way of a true professional minor system similar to Baseball.

NFL doesn't prevent the minors from existing, NCAA does.

<comment><USER18> You can argue that, but it's not particularly true or relevant. The NCAA is the recruiting pipeline because the NFL wants it to be. No other reason. If it's not the recruiting pipeline, it's relegated to obscurity and general irrelevance--see NCAA hockey for an example. The NCAA is still a monstrously shitty organization, but don't try to excuse the NHL because of it--not least because minor leagues _still_ don't solve the problem that high schools and colleges, too, profit from breaking the bodies and the brains of their athletes as they hope to make it to the NFL. The NFL is the goal, and everyone else profits from young athletes destroying themselves to try to get there.

Football is intrinsically dangerous as a sport, intrinsically exploitative as a business at each and every level, and intrinsically immoral to watch or support in a way that no other American sport, not even hockey, can manage.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER20> I recently caught up with an old acquaintance. We interned together many years ago. He was on the college football team then, and quite proud of it. It hasn't been that long; he isn't that old. Yet at the end of a lunch (at which we had nothing to drink) he forgot _four times in a row_ that we had already paid the cheque. He complained of a recent lay-off. He believes he was targeted for forgetting appointments and missing details. This shocked me--he used to have a far better memory than I did.

Maybe I'm overfitting. But I can't help but imagine that if his school, one of the top in our country, hadn't let him destroy himself under their watch, we'd still have a sharp, productive young man with us.

<comment><USER21> For every one of those there are others who are still functioning at a very high level. I played in Junior High, High School, and a couple years in college. I have yet to see any ill effects. The problem with the science behind it is they never take other factors into account. Who knows if someone had some genetic cause that may have exacerbated the effects of hits in football.

<comment><USER22> >The problem with the science behind it is they never take other factors into account.

Yeah you know science, never controlling for other factors.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER23> Personally, I applaud his candor and backing it up by leaving association with the sport as we know it. I have shared the change of mentality from "Oh wow!" big-hit, Bill Romanowski/Ronnie Lott type viciousness to, well, cringing. Not to shy away from MMA or Boxing or Hockey - trauma is trauma - but the change feels like something I've witnessed in my lifetime.

With a personal twist, I've never been able to play due to handicap, and now, decades later, some who did play are suffering effects similar to my injuries. It's uncanny how brutal that sport actually can be to the body - <USER2> young, growing bodies and minds. I don't like watching rock heroes of mine dying, nor sports heroes like Junior Seau - but they can help change culture. When people won't let their kids play a sport, its days are numbered, save for some communities that will probably see it as a ticket out for a long time.

Oh, I almost forgot my idea/essay I put forward a while ago about re- engineering the equipment for the modern physics of the athleticism (speed + force):

[https://thelacesout.com/how-us-football-can-improve- player-s...](https://thelacesout.com/how-us-football-can-improve-player- safety-entertainment-via-technology-40fb97757e01)

<comment><USER24> I'm about in the same position. As a middle aged guy, the past 10 years I have watched more and more nfl football, and I'm becoming increasingly leary. I hate seeing a big hit. Take that part out and I can continue to watch. But it's hard to see how they can take the hitting out, it's such a part of the game.

<comment><USER25> Big hits in general aren't what is causing the long term injury. CTE seems to disproportionately effect linemen that seldom experience a "big hit" but hundreds of small impacts every day during practice and play.

The brain injury is most concerning, rules can adjust and technology gets better to mitigate the larger impacts, and outside of outlier catastrophic events I think many who have played will trade worn out joints and broken fingers for the experience of playing the greatest of team sports at the sub division 1* level but the mental harm is something entirely different and seems unlikely to be able to be fixed with it being anything like the gridiron football that's been played to this point.

*Caveat on level because D1 and above you're making all sorts of sacrifices and trade offs that aren't something those outside of it can appreciate or even understand.

<comment><USER26> Right, even a ball to the head can cause CTE. It almost seems like playing with heavy padding, helmets, etc has caused more injuries by encouraging players to deal and take this small injuries.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER27> An investigative piece was released yesterday from the Hamilton Spectator in Ontario where McMaster University researchers studied the brains of 20 living former Canadian Football League players. It didn't turn out particularly well.

"Study shows 'disastrous' damage in brains of retired CFL players" [http://3downnation.com/2017/08/30/study-shows-disastrous- dam...](http://3downnation.com/2017/08/30/study-shows-disastrous-damage- brains-retired-cfl-players/)

<comment><USER21> I didn't see anywhere if these were just randomly selected players or players who volunteered because they thought something was wrong.

I know there was another study where they found a shockingly high percentage of the people studied had issues. However, in that study it was all volunteers who suspected something was wrong. Well that doesn't mean that high of a percentage of players actually have issues just the ones who suspect issues actually have issues. The studies need a little more work before I believe that every person playing football has a brain worse than a non-football player.

<comment><USER28> I'm sure you could find that if you found the study rather than an article about it (though I'm not sure if there is a scientific journal paper attached to this or where or how it will be published). The article says they compared to "healthy control subjects of similar ages". Presumably, what they are controlling the for is the occupation of being a football player, since that is the entire point of the study. Also this part

"Noseworthy was asked if there's any chance the players' results aren't connected to football.

"No, this is football," he said. "That's the common denominator.""

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER29> There seems to be a lot of comments about the dangers and how many people will not play nor let their friends and family play football again. I thought I should chime in.

I have had 3 major concussions in my lifetime where I blacked-out for some period of time, maybe, not counting the other ones where I did not lose consciousness or notice the hits as badly. I still love those contact sports but have quit them too.

I'll detail some of the issues that I had with concussions and what it felt like to have them (names and places have been changed to protect the guilty/innocent). I only played rugby in college and wrestled in HS, so my experiences with concussions are not football related. However, I think you should read this article first before going on into the wall of text below as that writer is much better than I am:

[http://www.gq.com/story/the-concussion-diaries-high- school-f...](http://www.gq.com/story/the-concussion-diaries-high-school- football-cte)

So, I guess that's what happened to me too. Zac's issues with body image, his sleeping problems, the drug addictions and the dependency. These are the reasons that I don't ever mess with stuff. Because I know that I will end up like Zac, and that'll just make it all so much worse. It all fits for me. Yeah, the good little scientist in me says that there can be a million and one reasons why that is all crap, genetics, development, those little flies to be batted about in your mind, annoying you. That self-doubt of a mosquito. But yeah, it all fits. Occams razor and all that jazz.

<comment><USER29> One was in high school when a wrestling-mate punched me in the back of the head with his elbow while I was down. We were doing drills in the Mulituse room, the one next to the band rooms, on the mats. I was wearing an ungodly amount of clothes to cut weight. It was near the end of practice. I was sprawled out on the mat and my partner's job was to not let me up and make a 1 point escape. I just sat there until I could see a move out, as he was a much better wrestler than I was. He tried everything including putting his finger up my butt, a favorite move of his that I had expected I would have to endure, to get me to move at all so he could get a move to make. Near the end of the drill session, and I didn't anticipate this, he just got on top of me and slammed his elbow into the back of my head, as he was so frustrated, and just said 'Fuck you /u/Balgair!'. Thing is about these concussions, you remember weird things, and not all of it. I usually remembered the first few seconds to minutes afterwards, but then blanks fill it all out, like a floater in your eye, but in your mind. Not static, just, Nothing, and not even emotions too, just calmness at the nothingness. I hope that is what death is like, that it is calm too. So I remembered the first few seconds after the hit. I now know that it was a concussion, it didn't hurt at all. In fact the only sensation I remember is a chill shiver all the way from my crown of my head down into my lower back, taking about 3 seconds to complete. I don't remember if I could hear or see or talk in those seconds. Just that shiver of warmth and chill all at once. Then I remember that we were doing spawrl drills, all of us boys in all those sweat pants and sweaters. I remember in that sodium orange arc-lamp lighting of the room, "John" yelling at us to do thing, as he was the student- leader that day. I remember trying to do the drills, and then not being able to. I remember that John was yelling at us all and then yelling at me to do it. And I remember the shame that I felt when John made us do more because I wasn't doing them up to John's standards. I think we had to do another 1/3rd more. Then it all just goes blank.

I think I have written about this before, but memory is hard. I'll tell it again though, as another witnessing is probably good too as I don't think that all the stories will match up 100%. The other time was actually with John too. I think we both got concussions real bad that day. John is a goofy foot. So, when we were doing pipe drills, he was falling the other way from most of the people next to him, like me. A pipe drill is when the other guy has your leg between his legs and has his arms wrapped around your thigh. Then that guys tries to take you down to the mat and pin you. So, typically, you use leverage and then try to swing the guy you are holding onto down. You go to the same side usually, as the foot you are holding, so if you hold the right leg, you then will swing the guy towards that side, so he falls on his back to the right side. Now, John being a lefty, had the opposite led being held, and that meant that he fell to the left and not the right like everyone else. That meant he fell into me. Specifically on this particular drill, his head fell into my head. I only remember the sound that it made, like a pulse of lightening. Just a really low, loud, crack. Maybe like a sheet of metal being thrown into a flat-bed. Then it's just vignettes, or gifs, loops in my memory that I, to this day, just space out inside of. The chronology is shaky now, again, just different, files?, in my mind that are near that time period. You can put them in whatever order you want. I remember having my head in my hand, face down, I don't know if I was sitting or standing, I was the one that was screaming, but I wasn't telling myself to scream. I was listening to my voice scream, I wasn't in control of myself, maybe my amygdala was, who knows. I don't remember any sights or feelings outside of my hands and face and my hearing. Just numb otherwise. I remember sitting in the littler back room, I was back on the wall and legs bent upwards. I remember my fingers tingling really bad, like if you let them fall asleep on you for a hour. I remember spots in my vision, all purple and yellow, blue and brown, like a tye-dye shirt. Again, I felt like I was not me, like I was just watching a movie in theater of my eyes and my hands were these gloves of tingle sensations over whomever was remembering these things. I remember telling Coach about all this, like I wasn't me, and he said 'Get over it.' It was so mean, so hateful, but I was numb and not talking, someone else was being talked to and doing the talking. I remember, really vaguely, the other coaches whispering, but I had no sight then. I knew they were talking about me and John, but I'll never know what they said. I remember telling Coach I wanted to go to the nurse, who was literally the next door down from us, again, no vision in this memory. I remember Coach relenting and sounding exasperated, and I remember tasting vomit but not knowing if it was me or what had happened or why I tasted vomit, I remember finding it interesting that I tasted vomit and nothing more than interest. I remember the trainer, she was a smaller Asian woman, in a blue windbreaker and a white shirt, her black hair pulled back into a pony-tail. She was very tired of talking to me, like we had been talking for a while. She was looking up at Coach, so that means I must have been seated, though I don't remember feeling like I was. There were noises of people playing and thumping basketballs in the other rooms. I remember she said to Coach 'he has to go to a hospital' and that Coach was angry about that, not concerned or worried, but just angry that I had to leave and that I got to skip out on practice, like that I should be punished for this whole affair, not that I should be going to a hospital and be treated like a baby. I remember pulling up to the hospital, in the darkness, the lights were shining up onto the hospital from lights in the ground, giving it a strange glow. I do not remember who drove me there or anything about the hospital at all in any way. I remember going out, some days later, to a Mexican place near Orinda. All I remember was walking into that place with Mom and Dad, but not my siblings. I remember telling myself that I was not going to eat anything so that I could cut weight. I remember a really big sombrero on the wall outside the place. I remember telling Mom years later that I don't even remember that week or much of that month. I lost 25lbs in water weight later that week in order to make weight for a tournament. I failed at that, but that is yet another story.

<comment><USER29> The last one that I remember is the one in rugby at college. We were doing takedown drills and I was to tackle one of the guys and he was trying to break through and score a try. I came at him and wrapped him up, and I think that he then used his elbow to try and drive me away. This time, again, he hit me on the crown of my head. There was that familiar shiver of warmth and chill that went down my spine for ~3 seconds. It was raining that day, lightly, and the field was totally mud. I got up after a bit from the blow. I was ready and in line with the guys to go at it again. Bob, the volunteer coach for the club, was trying to give directions on another iteration of the drill. He asked if there were any questions. I was still out of breath from the drills, and I asked him a question. But I didn't have anything to say, all I knew was that I had to ask a question. I think a word salad came out of my mouth, that it was filled with stones or something. Bob looked at me like I was pulling his leg, like indignation at such a stunt. I again tried to say something, repeat myself through the huffs. Then I remember just falling down into the sloshy grey-brown mud , my arms at my sides, and just vomiting over and over and over just dry heaving in the middle of everyone and ruining the drill. I remember later, maybe 5 minutes?, one of the older and faster guys sitting me down in the try-zone and asking me who the president was (Bush). I still couldn't talk right. I was shivering, but I wasn't cold. They tried to cheer me up, saying it wasn't that bad of a hit, that it only counts as a concussion if you get knocked out. It made someone feel better, but that person was again not me, I was just watching impassively, as someone else in my head marionetted me about. I remember that I talked to my room-mate's neurosurgeon father on the phone. He said not to fall asleep for a day, or I would die. I was really tired though and slept anyways.

I still miss those sports, incredibly so. I miss the hitting, the drills, the camaraderie. I miss the parties and the fraternity of other men. No where else in life have I had those kinds of close friendships, that brotherhood really. The price is these kinds of concussions and injuries. But, if you are looking at it from the outside, I want to tell you that I walked away because I found the price too high. Other 'brothers' of mine, guys whose back I had, they did not walk away and they are doing alright, in our own ways. Still, I want to say that though the price of those sports and that friendship was these types of injuries, it was still a very hard decision for me. If I could have a magic pill that would take even one concussion away from me, give me one more chance, I'd be back on those fields and on those mats in a heartbeat. It's not that easy to explain, but at least one person on HN really would trade a concussion for one more blow of the whistle.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER14> I love watching football and each year I look forward to the start of football season. It's amazing game to watch and when played by great players, exceedingly entertaining and exciting.

I'm not blind to the research about what it does to the players brains but my reaction is the reverse of what I'm reading from most in this thread: _I 'm watching more football than ever_.

I think it's only a matter of time till the game is either neutered to nothingness or banned entirely and I selfishly want to enjoy every last minute that I can. There's a sibling comment referring to as "America's gladiator sport". I think that's particularly apt. Deep down we feel dirty watching it but we also don't want to turn it off.

<comment><USER16> I think in general more people would be okay with it as "America's gladiator sport" if people were not starting to play it at the age of 12.

</comment></comment><comment><USER30> What about the sponsorship of daredevil sports like free climbing, wing suits, etc., by consumer companies like GoPro and Redbull.

I feel that we are supporting these companies with our purchases, and then they in turn create social media spectacles by giving these people an incentive to do dangerous stunts. Recently a wingsuit daredevil died while livestreaming on Facebook, watched by his young daughter and wife. It was a horrific event. Of course, his broken body was festooned with the banners of various energy drinks and other bullshit.

What a wonderful time we live in. Are we not all entertained?

<comment><USER31> The risk profile is entirely different. When you go jump off a cliff you're saying "there's an x% chance I will die right now" but there's no chance that you die slowly 20 years later after surviving the jump. So it's much more fair to ask the jumper to evaluate the risk.

Playing football is a slow killer. After years and years of hits you may get serious brain damage. But there was no one particular moment, no single play, that you should have avoided. It's the sport as a whole.

<comment><USER32> Also even though Red Bull and other sponsors are making money off other's risk, they aren't actively trying to suppress and hide that info like it seems the NFL has been doing for years regarding concussion risk.

<comment><USER33> I agree with you point, but assume the NFL does admit fault and revise their position to be aligned with medical findings. Does watching the sport make is any more or less moral. I do not think so. You are right, the NFL is being dishonest and irresponsible, but viewing the sport is an act separated entirely from this fact.

<comment><USER32> I'm not sure what you are arguing. People watching doesn't make it any more or less moral, no.

People or organizations profiting off the risky behavior of others is potentially immoral. IMO a large part of why its either moral or not is in the participant's knowledge of the risk. If the group profiting on the other's risk is actively seeking to hide the risk then it is definitely immoral.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER34> My cousin played O line for Missouri. He loves football and I love my cuz. He's a college ref and was NFL chain crew for the Rams. I can't talk to him about this. Total denial. He's even mad that parents are voting with their feet by not sending their children into Pop Warner leagues.

<comment><USER35> I come from a CFB family, of sorts. My brother was special teams for a D1 school. One of my cousins was a DE for Clemson. Another two cousins played ball for a D3 school. This is all spanning from the mid 90s to the late 00s.

Of them, my brother and the two that played at the D3 school are still hardcore CFB and NFL fans but they do openly discuss the CTE issues and are not thrilled at the idea of their own children playing. My cousin who went to Clemson, though, is still a hardcore fan and is in total denial. Out of the four of them, he got the closest to going pro and I imagine that has something to do with it.

</comment></comment><comment><USER36> I grew up in Pittsburgh watching Steelers football. My dad died a couple years ago and it helps me feel close to him. He played football in college at a D1 program, but luckily didn't incur any brain trauma and was incredibly sharp until his last moments.

With that, I just can't stomach the damage this sport does to its players, all while the NFL continues to try to sweep the issue under the rug. I think I should stop watching and implicitly supporting this sport until something is done.

And sure, players are probably aware of the damage they can do to themselves; however, humans are bad at evaluating long term risks. I'd bet that many players either consciously determine that 'it won't happen to them,' or they ignore the risks in search of a big salary.

</comment><comment><USER37> "I don't feel that my being part of covering the National Football League is perpetuating danger," (Al Michaels) said in a phone interview. "If it's not me, somebody else is going to do this."

Wow. The drug dealer's response.

</comment><comment> rm_-rf_slash Football is America's gladiator sport. For all the fun, the money, the excitement, the money, the drama, the bombast, the cheerleaders, and even the money, we should remind ourselves that American football is a very violent sport rife with injury and long term disability, and our participation as passive spectators and consumers makes us just as responsible for the incentive structure that harms so many young men for the rest of their lives.

And yet we can't stop. Football is practically an addiction in this country, and I don't think there is one serious proposal that could reduce the size and scope of injuries and brain trauma in particular, and allows the game to continue in its current familiar form. So we tuck the problem under the rug and pretend it doesn't exist until moments of faux anguish pierce our veil of doped-up depravity.

Sorry if this post comes across as depressing and masochistic. After all, I am a Bills fan.

<comment><USER38> Is rugby safer? I'd actually be interested in watching rugby on tv. Never been a fan of football due to all the stopping and setting up plays, makes the game move too slowly to be interesting.

<comment><USER39> The scrum is definitely not good, and is the main source of degenerative spinal injuries. The bulk of other injuries are muscular (sprains, pulls) and bruises. The rules of the game enforce a direction of play that makes head on attacks far less (maybe even none) likely than American football. But it's still a brutal sport with lasting repetitive use injuries - they just don't tend to be head injuries as much.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER40> I feel like I've seen another slow switch, in that injury news is being emphasized more. I'm not sure that the rate of injury is climbing, but it seems like the tone of press coverage is increasing. I also wonder how much of a season's outcome can be attributed to injury luck. Like am I basically watching a tournament that is more about when what injury will happen to who, than it is about actual skill, strategy, and tactics?

</comment><comment><USER41> I am patiently waiting for the first bellwether Ivy league school to drop football with brain injury being the reason. I think the demise of college and then professional football would cascade after that, still a decade or two but it would be inevitable and possibly faster than people expect.

<comment><USER42> Yale cutting football has 0 chance whatsoever of convincing a single SEC school to cut football. The SEC would be around sponsoring football even if every other conference was shuttered.

Edit: Okay maybe Vanderbilt would leave.

<comment><USER41> I agree.

But, I was mostly suggesting that the social pressure that would result from the Ivy schools dropping for cause would snowball. The effects may be the most obvious at the lowest age groups, even more than now. I think that wave of decisions to not play or allow play, would march right up the recruiting pipeline.

I am in the Southeast and my county has no Middle school football, already. The only feeders for HS ball in my area is private leagues.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER43> "And you're going to have to make a decision about which direction you want to go." He raised his hand and pointed. "If you go that way you can be somebody. You will have to make compromises and you will have to turn your back on your friends. But you will be a member of the club and you will get promoted and you will get good assignments." Then Boyd raised his other hand and pointed another direction. "Or you can go that way and you can do something — something for your country and for your Air Force and for yourself. If you decide you want to do something, you may not get promoted and you may not get the good assignments and you certainly will not be a favorite of your superiors. But you won't have to compromise yourself. You will be true to your friends and to yourself. And your work might make a difference. To be somebody or to do something. In life there is often a roll call. That's when you will have to make a decision. To be or to do? Which way will you go?" -Robert Coram, The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War

</comment><comment><USER44> Switch to rugby-style tackling (like the Seahawks), get rid of facemasks (per Ditka), maybe introduce per-position weight limits, get rid of kickoffs, tweak the other rules a bit, and we can probably keep the game mostly intact and reduce concussions.

They'll never be fully eliminated, though. In any sport.

<comment><USER45> And if the worst damage comes from positions like lineman and linebackers repeatedly hitting their heads on every down during the course of normal play, how do any of those changes fix that problem?

<comment><USER44> > tweak the other rules a bit

Forced rotations, etc.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER46> I think the headline is much stronger than the story. Cunningham's professional life is still deeply intertwined with football:

> At first, Cunningham told ESPN executives that he was leaving to spend more > time with his sons, ages 3 and 5, and because of his workload as a film and > television producer. He was a producer for "Undefeated," a documentary about > an urban high school football team, and has a string of projects lined up.

I'd guess the truth is closer to "he decided to leave ESPN for several reasons, and his concerns over the brain damage was one of those reasons -- but not the biggest reason."

<comment><USER47> "Those are two of the issues," Cunningham said. He waited weeks before he revealed the third. "The big one was my ethical concerns."

<comment><USER48> The confusing part for me is his continued involvement in a documentary that glorifies the sport. As far as abetting the brain injury entertainment industry, that participation seems little different from his former announcer participation.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER49> Big hits and injuries aren't new to American Football. Some of hardest hits ever, as judged by other players, can only be seen in old black and white footage. After a lifetime of being front and center to the game he's only now walking away?

If any analyst, or anyone, should be walking away from a sport it should be boxing. In boxing giving your opponent a concussion and rendering them unconscious is a decisive victory and the most important statistic for ranking.

</comment><comment><USER50> As much as I loved playing football and now love watching, the risk/reward balance seems to be moving so much towards too much risk.

The backup plan for my five boys, for now, is to have them become really solid kickers so they can be part of the sport without having the risk of head, neck, knee, and other injuries I've had to deal with over the years.

</comment><comment> at-fates-hands The documentary on PBS? That just opened a lot of eyes to the dangers of concussions.

You know who else is at an incredibly high risk? Guys who skateboard and do freestyle BMX:

[http://www.espn.com/action/story/_/id/15614274/bmx-legend- da...](http://www.espn.com/action/story/_/id/15614274/bmx-legend-dave-mirra- diagnosed-cte)

Doctors say late BMX legend Dave Mirra had CTE

 _BMX icon Dave Mirra, who died in February, suffered from the type of chronic brain damage that has shown up in the brains of dozens of football players, a University of Toronto neuropathologist has concluded. Multiple neuropathologists confirmed the diagnosis._

Now think of all the skateboarders who DO NOT ride with helmets and eat shit on the pavement all the time. It's only a matter of time before that industry is awash in guys who have CTE.

Football and hockey? Just the tip of the iceberg man. . . .

</comment><comment><USER51> It's become increasingly popular to dismiss football as this barbaric, gladiatorial sport. Maybe it is. But it's a damn fun one.

The problem with football is that people love football. Not just watching football, but _playing_ football. I played for seven years, had three surgeries, and no doubt dropped some IQ points rattling my skull on the line. If I could go back in time, _I 'd do it all over again_.

We need to do something to save this sport. I don't really care if the NFL dies or if the NCAA loses its cash cow. I don't care about losing football as entertainment. I want my kids to also have the opportunity to play the sport I love and I want it to be safer for them.

</comment><comment><USER52> Boxing used to be one of the top US sports early in the 20th century. But it faded away, mostly. In the same way, football could start fading away. There are already some early signs, with parents starting to push their kids toward flag football rather than tackle.

[http://www.cracked.com/blog/i-quit-watching-nfl-and-why- you-...](http://www.cracked.com/blog/i-quit-watching-nfl-and-why-you-will- too/)

</comment><comment><USER53> Just out of curiosity, if the sport is so violent/unsafe for kids, why not ban it for under 18 players ? Or is it that, only a small subsection of the american population find it violent/unsafe and the rest are completely fine with it ? I find it difficult to understand how parents could allow their children to play a sport knowing it might cause permanent brain damage to his/her kid. Maybe we're missing something in this debate ?

</comment><comment><USER54> I'm in my second year of not watching/supporting the NFL for just this reason. Add the that the treatment of Colin Kaepernick and I'm not sure I'll look back. I'd be lying if I said I won't watch the super bowl, but my days of watching endless hours and going to games are likely over unless and until they make the players take off that ridiculous armor.

<comment><USER55> Same here, fall now has so much more time for activities!

</comment></comment><comment><USER56> I, too, experienced this. But following football in the South is a quasi- religion and you can get ostracized for being a non-believer.

</comment><comment><USER57> The NFL is going to be sued out of existence. There'll be a replacement league with different rules focusing on player protection in the aftermath.

It will take a long time because football holds such a key place in the culture that it continues to be largely exempt from negligence law but when the tide turns it will be a tsunami.

</comment><comment><USER58> Other parts of the world change the rules of their 'person holding ball and running' games to make them safer for players.

Rubgy union, rugby league, aussie rules. All have had rule changes over the years to make them safer.

And these are in countries with universal health care and without a 'sue everybody' culture.

</comment><comment><USER59> REDESIGN THE SPORT! Geewiz, everyone is standing around with their mouths open. Change the rules and goals of the game to get the desired results.

The problem with football is too many concussions. Stop concussions and save the game.

<comment><USER59> Here's a start.

[http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2015/12/we-should-radically- chan...](http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2015/12/we-should-radically-change-the- way-we-play-football.html)

</comment></comment><comment><USER60> Repeated hits to the head are not good for the head after all. Surprise!

</comment><comment><USER61> I honestly don't understand how football is still legal. I know it's popular but how can you see the evidence we've found and think people should still be allowed to play?

</comment><comment><USER62> This article is about american football. Not the actual 'foot'ball.

<comment><USER63> No shit. It's an article in an American publication; it stands to reason that it'd be written in American English.

</comment></comment><comment><USER64> We need to acknowledge as a society that we're ok with young men giving themselves brain trauma for our enjoyment. That's the truth. Denying it, pretending like we care or that it disgusts us, is just furthering the problem. In aggregate (US citizens) have spoken.

</comment><comment><USER65> I don't watch football for three reasons:

1) The focus on "hitting" instead of proper tackling.

2) The encouragement of obesity for linemen.

3) It's morphed into some sort of live action video game with graphics and sound effects.

It used to be fun to watch, but now I just worry about the future of all the players and can't watch it.</comment>


Ask HN: Does Facebook not delete your personal data along with the account? - <AUTHOR> See https://www.commerce.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/9d8e069d-2670-4530-bcdc-d3a63a8831c4/7C8DE61421D13E86FC6855CC2EA7AEA7.senate-commerce-committee-combined-qfrs-06.11.2018.pdf
Note the answer to the question 11:
"Mr. Zuckerberg, how does Facebook determine whether and for how long to store user data or delete user data?"
Answer: "In general, when a user deletes their account, we delete things they have posted, such as their photos and status updates, and they won't be able to recover that information later (Information that others have shared about them isn't part of their account and won't be deleted.) "
What an interesting way to phrase this. Why "what they posted", instead of "personal data"? This seems like a lawyerized answer telling us that facebook will delete what you posted, but they will not delete your profile, your tracking information (including all mouse cursor movements and ad engagements), your contacts and network, your e-mail?
Also, the answer to question 3 on page 21 confirms that you can opt out of ad-usage of your data, but you can not opt-out of collection of any data...
Finally, question 5 in the same section all but confirms that "Download your data" doesn't actually download all ad-relevant data. <comment><USER2> It might also be a technical problem, because there are a zillion foreign keys pointing to that user record in the database. It's a problem common to every application, worse at Facebook scale. All technical problems have solutions, one is to replace customer data with fake ones. Still, some patterns could give away personal information. Example: a spike in the number of posts on a timeline gives away the birthday date. And when I delete my account, should everybody's else posts on my timeline be deleted as well (maybe evidence about why I deleted my account and I'm suing some of my FB's friends for harassment), or my shares on other timelines, with their comments. Should they deleted the events I created, which other people joined and commented to?

<comment><USER3> Why would you even be able to retrieve the number of posts of a deleted account, much less other metadata? It seems like that is the most trivial to hide. The posts of a deleted account should be replaced with some sort of deleted marker and impossible to index from old profile or account. Technically trivial to implement even at Google or Facebook scale of replicated world since they do have a unique account ID. The contents would only survive if directly quoted. In case backups are restored, it would be scrubbed again from a blacklist of removed anonymous ids, and that would expire after a reasonable time when the backups should be gone completely.

Hiding behind "too hard" is a dumb cop out. Regulatory agencies should not buy it ever.

<comment><USER4> I think GP was referring to counting the number of OTHER people (I.e. still active users) who wrote a post on the deleted person's wall. Still, there is no way I know of to get posts an active account made on an inactive wall, and you would need to get those posts for a significant number of the inactive user's friends.

Probably a bit of a convoluted example but I see the point GP is making.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> Not a big surprise... I had a Facebook profile years ago and had to create a fake profile some years later. Needed to add my phone number for access tokens etc. and somehow the moment I saved my number all my old friends and family members showing up as friend suggestions

I think that even careful people on the internet would be disgusted when they could having an unfiltered look in the "real" data Facebook tracked about them

<comment><AUTHOR> Many have similar experiences, but let me quote facebook directly

"When the person visiting a webs ite featuring Facebook's tools i s not a registered Facebook user, Facebook does not have information identifying t hat individual, and it does not create profiles for this individual. "

So, I wonder: Is facebook triangulating you based on contact information from other users, or are they deceiving the senators in this response?

<comment><USER6> Is "profile" defined at the beginning of this document? Sounds like a lawyer worked on the document and said "A profile is defined as bla bla bla" (e.g. a description of the person accessible by other public users). And someone's ad profile is... something else.

FB probably would just have a classification of this person, e.g. where they stand on the left-right spectrum, how much they like particular things (e.g. cars, fashion, travel), their income level..

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> If you never sign up for Facebook they create a shadow profile about you. It sort of makes sense that if you delete your account it reverts back to the shadow profile.

<comment><AUTHOR> I am not so sure about that.

Almost any answer in that report is vague or circling the issue. Facebook does state, however, that they do NOT create profiles for non-users, nor track their history.

The vagueness implies that they do not want to lie to the senat. Yet, they state rather clearly that there are no shadow profiles.

Therefore, it seems there actually may be none.

<comment><USER8> What is a `profile` though? If they create an entry on a different database not linked to face book profiles, does that count?

My thought is this: as big as facebook is, they are probably curious about the people who don't have facebook accounts. "we know this person exists because of the activity we see on the internet but we can't link them to any facebook profile." Maybe this is too out there but if i was a company trying to get every user on the internet to have a face book account, the ones without would be as interesting as the ones with.

<comment><USER3> That is exactly a profile, constructed by collating metadata and protected by GDPR. Crosslinking and collating personal data such as your name is processing it.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> They make money off you personal data why would they delete their money? Have you ever try to delete your account on something you use on the regular? I had to lie to amazon and tell them my email address was hacked for them to delete my amazon account but they still keep all that data. With vultr a vps provider I had to do the same thing to get my account deleted. This isn't just a facebook issue this is a massive issue where data is worth more then gold.</comment>


Million Song Dataset of audio metadata - <AUTHOR> http://labrosa.ee.columbia.edu/millionsong/

<comment><USER2> This could be very useful to anyone participating in tomorrows Music Hack Day in NYC.

<http://nyc.musichackday.org/>

</comment><comment><USER3> anyone notice the example song? [http://labrosa.ee.columbia.edu/millionsong/pages/example- tra...](http://labrosa.ee.columbia.edu/millionsong/pages/example-track- description)

you just got rolled, a million times

</comment><comment><USER4> Also available on Infochimps =)

<http://infochimps.com/collections/million-songs>

</comment><comment><USER5> That's one of the most interesting dataset I've seen released. I know what I'll be playing with this weekend :)</comment>


How to Define Smart Contract Address Before the Deploy Using CREATE2 Opcode - <AUTHOR> https://blog.smartdec.net/how-to-define-smart-contract-address-before-the-deploy-create2-use-case-for-decentralized-exchange-52b7daa7873b <comment><USER2> Will it work after the Istanbul hard fork?

<comment><USER3> It will. The gas used by single CREATE2 transaction may increase due to EIP 2026 ([https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-2026](https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-2026)), however this prepayment is refunded upon selfdestruct (i.e. in the same transaction). To be honest, I still do not understand, whether the prepayment is refunded in ether or gas.</comment></comment>


Crash Chrome With Emoji - <AUTHOR>

A selection of 26 or more emoji characters, followed by a right click will crash Chrome almost instantly.<p>👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎💼 (Select, right click, induce crash!) <comment><USER2> You are obviously doing something wrong. [http://i.imgur.com/UxG5Vsa.png](http://i.imgur.com/UxG5Vsa.png)</comment>


Anonymous RIM Employee Blasts Company in Open Letter (2011) - <AUTHOR> http://allthingsd.com/20110630/rim-gets-its-peanut-butter-manifesto-as-employee-rails-about-internal-woes/

<comment><AUTHOR> _> 4) Developers, not Carriers can now make or break us_ [1]

Hindsight is 20/20, but this anonymous letter to RIM Senior Management Team, really nailed this point. The developer ecosystem, and the app for everything mind set, that Apple pretty much invented, and later emulated via Google with Android, is simply stunning.

Personally, I think RIM should turn itself into mainly a hardware vendor, cut its losses, agree that Apple and Google own the market, and join them. Ditch BlackBerry OS, install Android (with their custom BES encryption used in the enterprise [2]), and tap into the massive market of developers, just waiting there. Why on earth are they putting this effort into a losing battle?! I think there is a poker term for this ( _chase_ [3]), when you are in a bad hand, but you still have all this money invested, so you keep bleeding, hoping the situation will improve, till you get killed.

[1] [http://bgr.com/2011/06/30/open-letter-to-blackberry- bosses-s...](http://bgr.com/2011/06/30/open-letter-to-blackberry-bosses- senior-rim-exec-tells-all-as-company-crumbles-around-him/)

[2] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackBerry_Enterprise_Server](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackBerry_Enterprise_Server)

[3] [http://pokerterms.com/chasing.html](http://pokerterms.com/chasing.html)

<comment><USER2> I am sad because of QNX, not BB. I don't know what's the future of QNX if BB decides to follow the Android or Windows 8 route.

<comment><USER3> I'm assuming somebody else will pick up QNX, or it will be split off into it's own company. I don't think most people realise the value of QNX, maybe not as a phone OS, but in running so many other devices.

Interestingly, RIM doesn't say how much revenue QNX makes for the company. [http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/04/05/the-little-known- comp...](http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/04/05/the-little-known-company-that- controls-your-car/)

<comment><USER4> I'm guessing that QNX will soon face a run for its money as iOS and/or Android start seeing use in devices besides phones and tablets. A common UI experience from phone to tablet to automobile controls/navigation would be something consumers would appreciate.

<comment><USER5> I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that iOS and Android will never be running nuclear reactors.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> One of the funniest/saddest parts of how RIM treated developers was that initially there was something like a $250 fee to get into their developer program, and then you only got something like 5 app submissions/updates. You then had to pay for more submissions/updates. I believe they suspended this policy around the time they launched the BB Playbook, but compared to distributing through Google Play or the Apple App store, it was surprisingly ridiculous.

Also, Window's Store developer setup experience was pretty embarrassing as of a year or so ago.

If you want your ecosystem to do well, nail the developer onboarding experience, not just the getting started docs but the whole end to end experience. As a multiplatform developer, it makes a huge difference to where I want to develop for.

<comment><USER4> From their historical position as an "enterprise" phone provider, the dev program makes sense. It's like how being a Microsoft Windows developer used to be. You had to pay for all the tools. They may have felt that by having a price of entry it would help ensure that only "serious" developers would bother to apply.</comment></comment>