Fantastic Unit Tests in JavaScript with Mocks - <AUTHOR> https://michelenasti.com/2017/04/07/fantastic-unit-tests-in-javascript-with-mocks.html <comment><USER2> > However, even if the db object is not reassignable, we can still modify its > internals, as long they are declared as let and var. That's why we will mock > single functions and not the whole object.

this doesn't work for the awful practice encouraged by eslint (at least when i last tried it) that consists of ignoring that there exists a keyword specifically for declaring functions, and abusing constants with arrow functions instead

sure, it prevents you from reassigning the function variable and using `this` but aren't those things what you use a linter for?

<comment><AUTHOR> Hi, I admit that finding the right balance between elegant mocks and effective coding is difficult. If you want to mock objects, using rewire, means that you should never use const for your internal modules. On the other side, one might choose to apply some dependency injection and pass modules via the "constructor" (let me pass the term). That's not good too. So, my default choice is to use const for modules and real constants, and let for the rest. This way I can elegantly test my code. For me, testing is more important than respecting rules chosen by others.</comment></comment>


Ask HN: Scan `ps ax` for malware - <AUTHOR> is there a service that you can submit output of ps ax to, to look for suspicious processes? <comment><USER2> Is it not trivial to simply change the process name, one or two lines at most in code? I'm trying to think about the logistics of running something like this and unless the process name is something like ./sshbruteforce 293849 ..

<comment><USER3> You would probably be better off will an artificial-ignorance[0] kind of approach where you frequently measure what's running on your computer in order to establish a baseline, and after that compare against the baseline to look for outliers in terms of memory/cpu usage. You will also want to use other tools to look at network and filesystem usage.

0 - [http://www.ranum.com/security/computer_security/papers/ai/](http://www.ranum.com/security/computer_security/papers/ai/)

<comment><USER4> The post from 1997 assumes /var/log is not vulnerable tampering; assumes that the syslogd or access to the socket or port it's writing to is not vulnerable to compromise; and assumes that all signifcant programs write to a log.

The world is much more familiar with UNIX in 2015; I trust that today no one would rely on /var/log.

My approach would be to look at periodic memory dumps and look for anomalies there.

And not to rely on the integrity of utilities stored the system that you are analyzing.</comment></comment></comment>


America Is a Sham - <AUTHOR> https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/03/coronavirus-tsa-liquid-purell-paid-leave-rules.html <comment><USER2> This is a low-quality article. The article begins their argument by saying that the TSA's increase of hand-sanitizer carry limits shows that the rule was arbitrary all along. There's likely good arguments to support that conclusion, but this is not one of them; a more reasonable conclusion is a balance of risks.

</comment><comment><USER3> "What kind of ghoul would argue that we shouldn't vaccinate everyone against a pandemic threatening the health of our nation? The same kind of ghoul, perhaps, who thinks that cancer treatment, or insulin, should only be available for those lucky enough to be able to pay for them."

probably the same ghouls upvoting the "price gouging is actually good" story and flagging this one, hiding their sociopathy behind shitty economics 101 scenarios and loudly advocating for the free market while the government pumps over a trillion dollars into it in an effort to keep it from imploding under its own contradictions.

america is a sham, and an exogenous shock like covid-19 is likely to lay it all bare. the only question is how we respond to the ugly truths revealed; do we acknowledge and strive to fix the issues facing the country, or do we avert our eyes and hope all this just blows over.</comment>


Scientists 'find cancer's Achilles heel' - <AUTHOR> http://www.bbc.com/news/health-35718491 <comment><USER2> Link to original article abstract: [http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2016/03/02/scien...](http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2016/03/02/science.aaf1490) Full text requires login.</comment>


What can we learn from our GitHub stars? - <AUTHOR> http://www.cockroachlabs.com/blog/what-can-we-learn-from-our-github-stars/ <comment><USER2> Shocking how many stargazers have 0 commits on GitHub.

Stars should be expanded to have different contexts. I want to be able to distinguish projects that I am likely to use from projects I just think are cool.

<comment> nv-vn Note that those commits they counted were only those to repositories with at least 25 stars, 10 forks, or 10 open issues, so those with small personal projects only or those working in private repositories only would end up with 0 commits.</comment></comment>


Thiel: Google has $50B, doesn't innovate (2012) [video] - <AUTHOR> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q26XIKtwXQ <comment><USER2> Not sure if what Peter thiel said is true or false. But it takes guts to say something like that on Eric's face.</comment>


IndexTank closes down in 24 hours, and Searchify has your back - <AUTHOR> http://blog.searchify.com/2012/04/indextank-closes-24-hours-searchify-has-your-back/

<comment><USER2> With today's acquisition news, I think this is a good reminder of what happens to a lot of companies when they get acquired.

IndexTank was a good product, and it's a shame that they didn't continue with it. Yeah they open sourced everything, but that just isn't going to be the same as if the original team was still developing it.

When an acquisition happens, everyone in the valley is happy, but so often the users lose out in the end.

<comment><USER3> The Searchify team grocked the code really fast and already started improving on it.

Would you have your children stay with their 1st grade teacher all through elementary, middle and high school?

<comment><USER2> I don't agree with that analogy. To me it's more like saying that your children should have different parents through elementary/middle/high school.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> I am not a customer but I feel for those who have to untangle their products from IndexTank.

I don't know the products well, but if there's parity between them I would be interested in an explanation of what likely went wrong at IndexTank (business or technology-wise) and why Searchify thinks it can avoid those problems.

<comment><USER5> Nothing went wrong. It was a good deal for everyone involved. The opportunity for Search as a Service is still there.

</comment></comment><comment><USER6> Hey guys, not only Searchify, but <http://IndexDen.com> also ready to support IndexTank users.

</comment><comment><USER7> Heard about you through jimmy in houston, wish you the best of luck.</comment>


China Adopts Law on Cryptography - <AUTHOR> http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-10/26/c_138505655.htm <comment><AUTHOR> > According to the provisions, the country encourages the research, academic > exchanges, conversion of academic achievements and application of the > technologies of commercial cryptography, but the scientific research, > production, sales, service and import and export of it must not harm the > state security and public interests or other people's rights and interests.

> Moreover, those who sell or provide commercial cryptography products and > services that are not examined or authenticated or fail either procedure > will also be warned, fined or have their illicit gains confiscated.

Good times ahead. I'm going to be a criminal very soon.</comment>


Deep learning  in the brain - <AUTHOR> https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2A1tnmq5zQdQU1YRFpwWFNISDQ/view <comment><AUTHOR> There is a pretty intriguing/troubling observation at the end (cf. [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14736254](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14736254)):

 _If our brains are doing gradient descent, and we can determine the signals used to indicate the gradient, then in the future (with good enough neural prostheses) we could do backprop through an AI back into the brain!_</comment>


Why Codeworkx ceased Development of CyanogenMod 10 for the Galaxy S3 - <AUTHOR> http://www.androidnext.de/schwerpunkt/codeworkx-cyanogenmod-interview-english/ <comment><USER2> This article highlights one of my frustrations with Android as a platform. As a longtime Linux user, I couldn't wait to get an Android smartphone. For some reason, I thought I would enjoy the same freedoms on a familiar and secure platform. But I shortly discovered that Google reinvented the wheel (poorly) for _everything_ , manufacturers went to great lengths to lock down devices, and carriers blocked security and version updates _even when the manufacturer had released them in other markets_. The Android I had to endure for the last two years looked nothing like the Linux I used on my desktop and servers; it was more reminiscent of Windows 95. So, in an ironic twist, I replaced it with a Lumia 920 running Windows Phone 8 this past December. It isn't Linux either, but it excels as a smartphone and the UI is fantastic (I much prefer live tiles over icons littering a desktop). When I use it, I get the sense that Microsoft paid close attention to the things users hate about Android and iOS. If they can resist feature creep and retain their focus on simplicity and security, they might have a real contender. It's too bad Google didn't exert more control over the user experience in Android and allowed manufacturers and carriers to create such a mess that exists today.

<comment><USER3> Sadly, only Nexus devices are actually good. And I mean _really_ good. I absolutely love my Nexus 4.

<comment><USER4> Have you used the Galaxy S3? You can root/unlock it and install CM. I'd say that's better than a Nexus 4, especially if you have LTE.

<comment><USER5> You seem not to have read the linked article, which is about one of the CM developers dumping work on one of the GS3 (there are a bunch of different phones labeled with the same name) devices because of unsolvable problems and poor support from Samsung.

Seriously: Buy. A. Nexus. Phone. Almost everything else is going to bite you.

<comment><USER6> Interestingly, I have a GS3 as well and have no problems with the things the developer is mentioning here.

The article is 3 months old. In that time, CM10 hit stable release for all US carriers (and international, IIRC) and is honestly rock-solid. All those "unsolvable" issues were solved. I'd recommend it without hesitation to every GS3 owner.

10.1 is buggy/crash-prone, admittedly, but the team's only been working on it for a few weeks. Bluetooth and Wifi tethering work solidly, some of the newer Google Apps (like Gallery and Photosphere) are a little hacky. Touch to focus works great.

Every issue Codeworkx cites as his frustrations with the S3 have been resolved by the great folks at the CM/TeamHacksung. The article is a non-issue.

<comment><USER5> I'm willing to bet that you have a US market "GS3". That's a Qualcom Snapdragon S4 phone, not Exynos (seriously: it's an _entirely different set of electronics_ in the same box). It works much better largely because it shares the same SoC as the Nexus 4.

And yet, in comparison with it's cousin the N4, it's not nearly as well supported or trouble free. Buy. A. Nexus. Phone.

<comment><USER7> Nexus 4 has one major flaw -- you can't tell people to buy a phone that is not on the market. :) I can wait until my n900 breaks down (which won't happen any time soon, that thing is built like a rock), but N4 would be so much better if it was, you know, there.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> I tend to agree with this. Samsung made a big event of declaring their support for developers of Exynos devices, but have stayed quiet and slow in showing that they meant it. The Mali GPU is one area where access is still locked down to a binary blob, and it doesn't look as if that will change.

The GPU is accessible under license to ARM partners according to ARM, though I've not seen it, and I think it's not Samsung's to give away unilaterally. There's competitive advantage issues involved no doubt, including the fact that Imagination GPU design, just down the M1 motorway from ARM, and used in the OMAP5, are locked down as well.

The Exynos 5 dual core is a great device, but as in so much to do with ARM licenses, the peripherals are the work of the licensee. Texas Instruments use dual Cortex-m4's along with A15's in the OMAP5 which is a very capable approach when combined with good peripherals.

I can see why Samsung would be cautious, but I do think they've been misleading in promising more than they could deliver. So far it just looks like a fork of Android Jellybean.

</comment><comment><USER9> The title is a little misleading, it led me to believe that it was about Android app developers, not custom distro developers.

That being said, I'm a bit thorn on this. From the developer side, Samsung seem a bit too prickly, specially when Android is touted as an "open" platform. On Samsung's side, it has no obligation whatsoever to provide all the data and source when asked.

<comment><USER10> Obligation, no. But they seem to have "promised" devices and support for the CM dev team (I may have misunderstood that though.). They got the devices, but not the support. So i think it's fair enough of that guy to call them out on it. Don't promise things you won't keep. At least not to people that you want to keep around. (Whyever they would care about CM...)

<comment><USER11> In fact, as far as I understood, they do have an obligation, because the (GPL licensed) kernel requires them to release source code for some parts of the system

<comment><USER12> They've released the stuff their obliged to release under the GPL, that's not the problem. However they also promised to release more, and now apparently have no intention on following up on that promise.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><AUTHOR> Here's the beginning of a detailed 10-part post on the topic: [https://plus.google.com/u/0/101093310520661581786/posts/ZgBQ...](https://plus.google.com/u/0/101093310520661581786/posts/ZgBQuZNzMZL)

Links to the other parts are contained in each post.

<comment><USER11> I agree, this is a great overview of the current and past events

</comment></comment><comment><USER13> Before blaming OEMs, look to Google for leadership, or lack of it, in supporting Android as an open system by encouraging open drivers and documented peripherals.

Google has wielded the "Anti-fragmentation Agreement" as a whip to keep Android OEMs from straying into temptations like Aliyun. Surely a bit of love for AOSP-based Android distributions that grow the system integration talent pool are within the scope of not being evil.

</comment><comment><USER14> I just hope that Motorola+Google will be a rolemodel in the future in this regard. The Google Nexus devices have been very good to go for modding. Now Motorola needs to do that as well. They could even make us of the modding scene to provide regular updates instead of what is currently the case with every manufacturer for non-Nexus devices.

</comment><comment><USER15> I wonder if this might end up as a trend towards the 'leaders' on the Android scene moving away from the Samsung stable to another manufacturer, and if so will that lead to the community following? Samsung is doing fantastically well at the moment so it doesn't make sense for them to start picking up a bad reputation for not playing ball.

</comment><comment><USER16> Is this a linkbait title or do I misundertand things? The article is about how Samsung does not _actively_ support Cyanogenmod. Translating that to "screwing over Android developers" is like saying that Nintendo screws over Linux developers by not making it easy to install Linux on a Wii.

<comment><USER17> Except Samsung promised they would work with developers, whereas Nintendo did no such thing.

Samsung is becoming very big and powerful, and seems to be acting very different than they have in the past, just like other big companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Google.

</comment></comment><comment><USER18> I understand his frustration. I can only imagine he spent many hours fighting to get his distro to work with his S3 and he now realized he has to give up. It's never a good feeling!

</comment><comment><USER19> A reason to support upcoming Ubuntu phone distro?

<comment><USER20> Ubuntu phones are DOA. Whatever they promise us now will not be what potential customers expect from a smartphone in six months, let alone a year+. The mobile market changes at such an insane rate. They have an incredible amount of ground to cover, deals to make, and markets to enter if they expect to get any ROI at all.

</comment></comment><comment><USER21> _"Qualcomm + TI = good chances for AOSP..."_

Um, isn't TI exiting the phone market?

<comment><USER8> That's partly it. TI is letting the OMAP5 out into the embedded market, where it has a lot more strength, through SOM partners like Phytec. This could look to some as a possible future subversion tactic.

<comment><USER21> Strength? Sure. Volume? No.

The only hope for OMAP in the open-source/AOSP world is if maybe Amazon picks it up. Or, as a longshot, maybe someone making automotive systems (although Freescale is doing better there).

If Qualcomm or Broadcom happens to want it, um, I wouldn't hold out for any new releases.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER22> It's extra bizarre when you consider that Daniel still seems to be (based on his G+) developing for the S3

<comment><USER23> He said he planned to switch to the Xperia T, but I guess he will want to leave something at least workable for the S3 before that.

EDIT: not sure about the current state of things, seems that this is a translation from an interview that happened several months ago, which explains why the Xperia T wasn't out yet.

<comment><USER22> Yeah, I've kept a close eye on this since I own an S3 and run CM and he's definitely still working on it from what I've seen. That might be related to Samsung saying they'd be more open going forward though

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER24> In this thread: everyone complains about carriers lock in and then proceed to play angry birds on their $0.99 phones locked into 2yr contract.

damn you all to hell.

</comment><comment><USER25> Samsung makes Android phones?

<comment><USER26> Yes, with heavily customized UIs. Rather distinct from the standard Android experience. Personally, I find it annoying, and it doesn't add that much value for me. I liken it to the bloatware installed on Windows machines in the past.</comment></comment>


The Urge – why do we (or at least I) have this urge to create? - <AUTHOR> https://amtunlimited.github.io/2020/06/14/the-urge.html <comment><AUTHOR> With the recent push on HN about blogs, I wanted to revisit my own. This is a post I had lying around about my own urge create. For me specifically, this is art and music, but it might ring true for some people here.</comment>


Intensional Equality ;=) for Continuations (1995) [pdf] - <AUTHOR> https://www.cs.princeton.edu/~appel/papers/conteq.pdf <comment><AUTHOR> This approach clearly influenced certain software in Volkswagon onboard computers, so it is known to work well in practice. :)

<comment><USER2> the final disclaimer looks like it was written for the case</comment></comment>


Ask HN: Why don't we try to boost the immune system? - <AUTHOR> The world is rushing the develop a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, spending billions of dollars in the process.  This is for a virus that is dangerous or deadly to some people, mostly older but also younger.  Many people's immune system (IS) is able to beat down the virus so effectively they are asymptomatic - the don't even know they have the disease.
Does anyone else find it strange that there is virtually no discussion or promotion by the health authorities (that I've heard) to boost the immune system.  At the end of the day, it's the body's immune system that will fight the virus and the vaccines are just try to teach it how to fight it (ala the Matrix - "Whoa - I know Kung Fu")
Vitamins A, B, C, and D, in addition to some micronutrients like Selenium and Zinc, are all known to boost immune function (for medical references just google "Vitamin {X} immune system" - there are plenty).
Wouldn't it make sense to recommend to people to supplement with safe dosages and, if possible, get blood work to see if there is a more serious deficiency which would call for higher doses?
Am I missing something? <comment><USER2> Hi :) yes I think that you probably are missing something. All the immune system helpers you've mentioned mighf very well work just as advertised, but that doesn't mean that the combined effect of several immune system boosters will be the expected sum of the individual effects. Things interact, and stimulating the immune system is not best done through special dietary regimes. The best way to enhance the workings of the immune system is to laugh, to find wonder in the world around you and to wonder at Love. Make others happy, play music, spend quiet time.:)

<comment><AUTHOR> >The best way to enhance the workings of the immune system is to laugh, to find wonder in the world around you and to wonder at Love. Make others happy, play music, spend quiet time.:)

Is there any science to back that up? I'm not saying these things are not helpful, but to say that "the best way" doesn't involved dealing with essential vitamin deficiencies, seems a little anti-science.

Also - I'm not suggesting that these chemicals are magical fairies that help just by eating them - if you are not deficient, it probably won't help to take more (with the exception of Vit C which is given in high-doses via IV to help)

Here are some articles to help understand that these compounds are important for immune function (the abstract is usually enough):

A: [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6162863/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6162863/)

B: [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7010964/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7010964/)

C: [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5707683/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5707683/)

D: [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3166406/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3166406/)

Vit D deficiency is widespread [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4018438/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4018438/)

<comment><USER2> I suppose "best" is something of a personal value judgement, for which I must apologise. However, the science is called "psychoneuroimmunology" and can be discussed with any doctor.

<comment><AUTHOR> Sure, mental state plays a big role. It could even be that if you had to "choose" between vitamin deficiency vs happiness deficiency, the latter would be more harmful. But, it would seem that vitamin deficiency is an easier technical problem we should solve regardless. And yet, I don't see any discussion of it coming from CDC or WHO, etc.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER3> It may well be that people are not killed by COVID-19 but are killed by a disordered immune response to COVID-19, the same is possible true about "chronic lyme disease".

Generally autoimmune diseases are a big problem: this lady probably had one

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadezhda_Krupskaya](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadezhda_Krupskaya)

so did Issac Asimov.

Thus you don't want to "activate the immune system" in general, rather you want to activate good immune responses and deactivate bad immune responses and that is not so simple.

<comment><AUTHOR> a "disordered immune response" typically means an immune system that is not working properly, which may be genetic, etc but is more likely a deficiency. This is how I understand it, but I'm open for counter-references.

>Thus you don't want to "activate the immune system"

This is exactly what the adjuvants in vaccines do. But I'm talking about "boosting" the immune system - make sure it's working effectively which means it's got the right molecules to do what it needs to. Vitamin supplements (specifically in the case of deficiency) should allow the immune system to "do its job".</comment></comment>


Ask HN: Do these services already exist - <AUTHOR> 1) Are there any websites that allow legislators to upload legislation for the masses to view it and comment? Something akin to twitter
2) are there any services that allow people to request podcasts? For example if users wanted to see Snoop and Martha discuss the rise and fall of ancient Greece is there a service that sets up podcasts between specific people and allows users to suggest topics
3) are there any vc firms that own building space in different cities and instead of providing funding to startups, provide free space for a set amount of time before collecting rent? <comment><USER2> Google is your friend

1\. Council/Local government websites sometimes include a comment thread.

2\. Probably not, usually it's done via social media, e.g. Twitter mention.

3\. Doubt it, that would be a personal arrangement.

<comment><AUTHOR> How likely would you be inclined to use a service that aggregates comment threads nationwide?</comment></comment>


One of the biggest mistakes parents are making when raising their children - <AUTHOR> https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/08/i-raised-2-successful-ceos-and-a-doctor-here-is-one-if-the-biggest-mistakes-parents-make.html <comment><USER2> It's as if survivorship and confirmation bias manifested physically into a book -- and she was the conduit.</comment>


Google Street View art - artist culls GSV for great images - <AUTHOR> http://aaronhobson.com/gsv1.html

<comment><USER2> These are beautiful. My first reaction was that these looked way too artsy to be direct grabs from street view cameras, and I wanted links for proof.

Here is the un-doctored version of the Utsira, Norway shot: <http://g.co/maps/th3bb></comment>


Private network to share your day with up to 12 best friends and family – Ourglass - <AUTHOR> Co-founder @ Ourglass here.
Curious to hear what people think: [app] https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ourglass-12-best-friends/id1020881577?mt=8 & [web] http://app.ourglass.co
The app lets people share their daily lives' events with loved ones in private network.
It avoids the anxieties of trying to accumulate more friends, followers, and likes. This is just for your inner circle; there's no like-counter, no pressure to get more followers. Subsequently people can feel comfortable frequently and authentically sharing their daily lives - not just the spectacular highlight once a month that thousands of 'friends' can see.
This is not meant to discredit other social networks - they are great for discovering all kinds of stuff on a global level. The thing is just that, when you open instagram, twitter, or Facebook, you get no real updates from the people you really care about. <comment><USER2> I've started using a private slack team for sharing with my partner and it's been brilliant. I'm not sure I really want a service where the communication channel is any less about integrating other services and rapid communication.

</comment><comment><USER3> I'm curious, how is this different from Path's original concept, or Life360, or eFamily, or Close etc? What's different about Ourglass?

<comment><AUTHOR> Good question. Pardon the long response :)

Path never had a friend limit consistent with a personal social network. As far as I know, Robin Dunbar's research suggests a person's inner circle is up to 15 people. Path's goal for a user's friend number of 50 - this put it in a murky spot that's not quite intimate and not quite open.

There a lot of UI nuances (such as not showing the number of likes or views, and not having a feed as the main screen) between the apps. These make big differences in how people use products. (Consider that you can basically post the exact same stuff on Facebook, twitter, and instagram, yet they are used in very different ways.) We really tried to create an experience that is as low pressure as possible, so people can feel comfortable sharing even seemingly mundane moments with loved ones. The goal is to make people feel closer to their loved ones. I feel that's a more important venture than letting people share funny videos or keep up with the Kardashians, which is seemingly what every social network with a broad social graph (d)evolves into.

Considering external factors as well, the way in which people use prominent social networks has changed a lot from 4 years ago. No one shares live status- style posts of what they're doing anymore.

Much of our underlying philosophy is shared with the original Path concept. I think their founding theory is super cool. The personal social network is a great goal, but it's a really tough nut to crack. I don't know if we cracked it either. We'll see!

Life360 and eFamily are more heavy duty family management or VPN-style tools. Ourglass is a very quick and simple experience in comparison.</comment></comment>


Watch: Engineers 3D Printed a Model Jet Engine, Then Started it Up - <AUTHOR> http://www.gereports.com/post/118394013625/light-my-fire-ge-engineers-3d-printed-a-model-jet

<comment><USER2> > In contrast to traditional machining methods that typically cut parts out of > larger pieces to get to a finished shape, additive manufacturing uses lasers > to fuse thin layers of metal on top of each other to build parts from the > ground up. This advanced technique means less material waste and more > complex parts that can be built precisely to optimize how they work inside a > machine.

Doesn't this usually come at a higher energy cost, even if you include the energy required to provide the wasted resources?

<comment><USER3> Probably. Traditional machining processes have become very efficient due to the enormous industry and many years of innovation. I think the more important part there is "more complex parts." You can have arbitrary complexity at no additional cost, which is really cool. Now you can do cooling fins and support ribs and impossible snaking holes* and all sorts of stuff without needing additional machine setups or tooling.

* such as the fuel injectors for some GE jet engines, which can now _only_ be made using this technology

</comment></comment><comment><USER3> My shop is looking at getting one of these 3D printers. The output quality is similar to a nice casting, and like a good casting, you can machine the relatively-rough surface and expose nice solid metal underneath. With technology like that, I'd be able to make so many things much more easily.. Just make the model, print it out, and machine only the important surfaces. Cool stuff!

</comment><comment><USER4> After printing, there was still some machining and polishing.</comment>


Ask HN: Who is flagging legitimate stories? - <AUTHOR> I don't know if this is a trend necessarily, but in the last 2 days I've seen 2 stories that I found interest in being flagged.<p>Does anyone monitor this sort of thing?  And if so does HN take away "flagging" privileges from those who abuse it? <comment><USER2> Yes, they take flagging privileges away. Happened to me (shadow-flagging, my flags made no difference anymore – but my flagging privileges seem to have been restored in the meantime), of course without merit. ;-)

I'm also flummoxed by some flags.

Like my election results submissions just a few minutes ago. Yes, it's not final, but projections are very accurate, and every major news outlet is reporting those.

Also a really bizarre medical story, which should fit HN's mission very well. People flagged it without comment. I thought, okay, it sounds outlandish, maybe people thought it was fake. So I submitted a bit later the peer-reviewed article in a reputable medical journal. Flagged without comments again.

<comment><USER3> > Like my election results submissions just a few minutes ago. Yes, it's not > final, but projections are very accurate, and every major news outlet is > reporting those.

The HN Guidelines say:

"Off-Topic: Most stories about politics, or crime, or sports, unless they're evidence of some interesting new phenomenon. ... If they'd cover it on TV news, it's probably off-topic."

Election results are (1) politics and (2) covered on TV news.

But I'm puzzled about why your medical story got flagged. Could you post the link in a comment so we can see what it was?

<comment><USER4> I guess one of the articles is [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20014408](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20014408) I think that articles for and against homeopathy are autokilled. Perhaps the OP can write to the mods.

The other article is [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20016826](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20016826) I'd blame also USA-centrism. A similar article about an election in USA would probably survive, and next year we will have an invasion of political articles. Probably it is a good idea to avoid posting all the election in all countries, but perhaps we can use a rule that says that we care about the countries that have nukes. (If it works in the UN, it can work in HN :).) (Hi from Argentina!)

<comment><USER3> > I guess one of the articles is > [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20014408](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20014408) > I think that articles for and against homeopathy are autokilled. Perhaps the > OP can write to the mods.

This article is marked "[dead]", not "[flagged][dead]", so it wasn't killed by user flags. Either the domain is banned, or the article was killed by a moderator.

Since that article looks OK (it's a summary of scientific research), I've "vouched" it, and it's now alive again.</comment></comment></comment></comment>


Walled Garden - <AUTHOR> http://kieranhealy.org/blog/archives/2016/02/18/walled-garden/ <comment><USER2> This is a very cynical and hostile view of Apple fighting for the privacy of its customers. If Apple were prioritizing defending their walled garden over privacy, they wouldn't have put strong encryption on iMessage and other services.

Apple's walled garden in itself is a privacy/ protection mechanism for their customers. iPhones and iPads were made to have the average in mind, so loading bespoke software removes the risk of spyware and adware that plagues devices without these protections.

</comment><comment><USER3> > As a sidelight to this debate, I want to ask why is it that Apple, of all > companies, is the one taking such a strong stand on this issue?

Eh... Because the shooter was using an iPhone?

If the shooter was using an Android device, FBI would be insane to ask Apple to decrypt data.

</comment><comment><USER4> > At its core, Apple knows it's a hardware company.

I am surprised by how often I see this statement repeated. No. Apple makes systems: hardware and software that work together. There are exceptions, of course, but to call them a hardware company misses the point. Dell is a hardware company that will never make a Windows machine as good as Microsoft would like them to. Google and Microsoft are now making hardware to go with their software so that their systems work as intended and they aren't at the mercy of hardware makers with different agendas, becoming more like Apple in this respect.

<comment><USER5> The ironic thing is that Microsoft is pretty universally considered a software company, yet their hardware is far superior in quality to their software.

</comment></comment><comment><USER6> > The twist, of course, is that for the longest time we've thought of that > metaphor in terms of a firm trapping everyone inside its own systems. That's > not what it means anymore.

That's never what it was about. But cool, I'm glad you're finally realizing the point of it all.

</comment><comment><USER7> Anarchists want control of the devices. Free software and hardware. Who are these soi distant Anarchists he is talking about?</comment>


Brainstorming does not work - <AUTHOR> https://medium.com/galleys/brainstorming-does-not-work-6ad7b1448dcf

<comment><USER2> I might suggest that the title read "Group Brainstorming does not work" or "Allocated time for group brainstorming does not work"

These titles have of course a bit less of a click-bait quality to them heh.

I think it would also be nice for the article to possibly suggest better alternatives or something (aside from the one little study they present).

For the most part, I would agree with the article. And if I were to propose an alternative suggestion, assuming the intent of this article is to enlighten / teach managers, I might give the team members an adequate amount of time off / away from the office to think about the problem and possible solutions in whatever environment the individuals feel most comfortable brainstorming.

This is based on the fact that I personally know the various activities, places, and/or mindsets in which I do my best brainstorming.</comment>


The OpenCoffee Club Movement - <AUTHOR> http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_open_coffee_club_movement.php <comment><USER2> Seattle has a nice one going (hosted by Andy Sack, CEO of Judy's Book). I haven't seen any actual VCs show up (other than an angel or two, maybe).

</comment><comment><USER3> Reminds me of the story by Charles Stross, 'Tales of the Dangerous Coffee Club'

Just remember, no genetically modified superior coffee.

</comment><comment><USER4> Anyone know of one of these in Cambridge/Somerville? Or want to start one?

</comment><comment><USER5> Seems like an awesome concept. Just what I have been looking for.

<comment><AUTHOR> It is great, I've been to the London one a few time and met great people. It's not all about finding investment too like the article suggests</comment></comment>


Bootstrapping Abroad: why we do it and why it's awesome - <AUTHOR> http://spreadsong.com/bootstrapping_abroad_why_we_do_it_and_why_its_awesome

<comment><USER2> I've done a similar thing as this guy, living in a number of countries for half a year or so, usually in connection with language study (doing remote contract work to pay my way). I've also observed American expats in those places, and in my home country (Poland).

I think it is laudable to live abroad, and in our field we're fortunate enough to be able to choose where to live. But with that choice I think comes a certain responsibility. You can live very well in a place like Thailand or China without engaging with the country past the minimum needed to get your needs met. Basically treating it as your private hotel resort. I've seen many people who choose this route, and I find it pretty repugnant.

If you are going to bootstrap abroad, be careful to remember that the country you choose does not just exist for your convenience. Be respectful of the place, and try to go beyond the role of a self-satisfied expat, which is very easy to fall into.

<comment><USER3> * Basically treating it as your private hotel resort. I've seen many people who choose this route, and I find it pretty repugnant.*

I assume that by this, you mean buying cheap food/beer and ignoring local culture? While it isn't my preference, I'm curious why you find it repugnant.

<comment><USER4> I understood it to mean that you don't treat people since you start living like a king. Instead of talking the local people and understanding the culture you only converse with them to get certain tasks done - maid, gardener, and so forth.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> ok, here's what i like and dislike about living in argentina and starting up a consulting business and building a product on the side.

first, yes, it's cheaper, and yes, the wine i buy is better 100 fold than the states, and yes, i would say i've cut costs by about 40%. my kids didn't belong to a private club and take swimming and tennis lessons in seattle... so we're not taking advantage of the cost savings we could.

but it's still hard: hiring is hard. getting a good cultural fit is hard. building a business that works within the legal framework is impossible. i'm deathly afraid of hiring local talent because it's VERY easy to be sued due to the employment laws of the country.

but it's great: you get a lot of time back in ways i can't explain. it's like you get to ignore a lot of the BS that working in seattle or SF can overwhelm you. explaining the details of why that is would be a longer post, but every tech expat i know in argentina talks about the same thing - somehow you feel more in control of your schedule and your life.

do it when you can hire foreigners, keep your team small, keep your relationships and contacts with people back in the states or europe, and get paid in dollars or euros (or build a product that makes dollars or euros), and can come back once in a while - anything else and it's not such a great deal.

<comment><USER6> I just pulled up your profile, but alas, no contact info :(

Going to Costa Rica next month but I'll be down to South America in January, we should definitely meet up when I'm in town.

<comment><USER7> I live in Ecuador 9 months out of the year.

If you plan on swinging through Manta, shoot me an email.

<comment><USER6> No email in your profile, but I'm really interested in your experience in Ecuador- we're planning on heading to Costa Rica at the beginning of next month, but Ecuador might be a way better option. Do you know of any good three bedroom rentals on the coast? Figure we could get 3G cards and be off to the hour a day of surfing races.

copla201 at gmail is my email- hit me back!

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> Doing this now, and also living in Budapest.

One of the biggest benefits of bootstrapping abroad is that you don't have the social obligations that you do back home. No friends calling to grab dinner, go to a movie, go for drinks, etc (this is also a drawback, of course). You truly are able to control your own time. I spend 10-12h a day working, and when I get off my computer, I'm somewhere cool (like Budapest, or Buenos Aires!)

Having social contact is important when you're not working, but meeting people on sites like couchsurfing is pretty easy.

</comment><comment><USER9> This sounds like a bad idea for exactly the same reasons as starting up in a startup hub sounds like a good idea.

1) Easy to find and hire good people from your own network

2) Easy to raise money from connections in your own network

3) Easy to find accountants, lawyers, office space from your own network

Starting a successful business is a fairly complicated and risky thing to do, why would you want to go live somewhere that makes it even harder? (Note: This does not apply if you're the only one building a product and just need a change to focus and get it out.)

Perhaps, starting and selling a business in the valley and then going on your world tour/vision quest is a better idea, no? :-)

<comment><USER6> Frankly, I don't give a shit about playing that game- success for me isn't being Mark Zuckerberg, because I don't want to live in Silicon Valley.

1) There are tons of people who would kill to work for a company that lets them live in interesting places around the world. We actually have some pretty seriously cool stuff going on in this area, but we're not quite ready to talk about it yet- I'll get a post out in a few weeks talking about exactly this.

2) Fuck that, we're already profitable.

3) Already have a great accountant, already working with a phenomenal law firm. Office space? Seriously? I'm not going to stick around the Valley because it's easier to find an office on Twitter.

I'm not sure if your last sentence is sarcastic or not- life is too short to spend seven years (average time to exit) somewhere you don't like.

<comment><USER10> I want to high five you after reading that ...

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> Seems the recruiting problem is a big one -- I wonder if there is a job board specifically for companies that are bootstraping abroad? Maybe there are too few companies doing this to make a job board worthwhile.

<comment><USER6> It's actually super easy to hire so long as this is something uncommon- our employees will find us.

<comment><USER11> Have you needed to expand yet? Do potential employees find you through your blog, or elsewhere? If you're not actively hiring, do you still get a lot of unsolicited resumes from people who are intrigued by the lifestyle?

edit: btw, your personal website gives me a redirect loop (Chromium and FF on linux)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> I wonder if you would end up with tax issues when doing this? As a US citizen would I pay tax abroad, or in the US, how difficult would it be to get the requisite visa, and most importantly, how many idea spots have fiber internet?

It does sound intriguing though.

<comment><USER13> The US is one of very few countries in the world that taxes their citizens who live abroad.

So yes, technically you'd be subject to pay income tax in both the US and the country you live in, but it is likely that there is a tax treaty with the host country that will let you deduct any local income taxes paid from your US taxes.

In practice, this means that you will pay only one income tax (but file two returns).

<comment><USER2> You do not have to pay income tax if you spend less than 30 days in the US that calendar year. You _do_ have to pay any self-employment tax, however. The rules are extremely complex and I highly advise consulting someone who understands them.

<comment><USER14> _You do not have to pay income tax if you spend less than 30 days in the US that calendar year._

Careful with tax advice from the Internet, folks. idlewords is talking about passing the Physical Presence Test for the Foreign Earned Income Exemption. If you quality for the FEIE via either the physical presence test or the bona- fide residence test (see the IRS docs, they are fairly easy to understand), you get to exempt the first X of your income from the _income_ tax. X is in the $80k range this year, check your friendly local IRS website.

Regardless of the FEIE, your income is not exempt from self-employment taxes, as idlewords said. Additionally, it has to be EARNED income, a distinction which has VERY IMPORTANT CONSEQUENCES for people here who are intending to sell their startup at some point. To oversimplify, earned income is the portion of your profit you gain in return for services rendered, but it excludes the return on invested capital -- including IP. So if you end up selling your business for $500,000, it is highly likely that large portions of that are not earned income, and will be taxed from the first dollar in the US.

Taxes are a minor headache for me every year, and this year my business gets to start filing with Japan, too. Yaaaaaay, more fun.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER15> Even forgetting the travel, the two parts about maintaining everyday wonder and what businesses _are_ really impressed and inspired me.

I hope you'll write more.

</comment><comment><USER16> I know it's completely off-topic and I'll burn some karma here... Using only titles on the current front page:

"Steven Frank Gets [...] strangers to talk to [...] Google App Inventor [...] Phil Schiller [...] in Chinese Language [...] and why it's awesome"

<comment><USER17> Please don't. Karma is not intended for burning.</comment></comment>


The Real Reason We Need to Stop Trying to Protect Everyone's Feelings - <AUTHOR> http://thoughtcatalog.com/ryan-holiday/2015/11/the-real-reason-we-need-to-stop-trying-to-protect-everyones-feelings/ <comment><USER2> tl;dr: Censorship of "being offended" is as bad as that of a tyrannical government.

<comment><USER3> As a response to your summary of the article and not you directly: absolutely fucking not.

In most of these instances, people are exercising their freedom of speech to shame people who are exercising their own. In many cases, it's students or parents publicly shaming a college.

That is absolutely not at all the kind of censorship of a tyrannical government. Private institutions caving to pressure from consumers or the media is what happens when everyone can speak freely. Some people have more power, and they use it to make sure that minority speech is ridiculed.

Tyranny isn't misuse of market power or the press, it's misuse of government and the law. When we see the US government telling people they can't teach novels about Nazis at universities, then someone can cry foul.

<comment><USER4> A valid point... But what about the many historical examples of the kinds of problems caused by "Tragedy of the Commons", "Tyranny of the Masses" etc. Not government tyranny but causing arguably just as much damage to society.

Best example off the top of my head is the "post emancipation pre civil rights period". The simple premise that "lots of people" can be just as tyrannical as a government is hard to argue against. There are lots of small examples where "the oppressed" have a much easier path to "freedom", from homeowners associations, to religious groups, to various community organisations and groups. Governments hardly have a monopoly on Tyranny.

Tldr- this issue is complicated, super short summaries are not a good idea for this topic ;-)</comment></comment></comment>


Lena (test image) - <AUTHOR> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenna

<comment><USER2> I majored in electrical engineering. This image was a core part of my curriculum. lol</comment>


Google now worth more than Microsoft - <AUTHOR> http://blogs.marketwatch.com/cody/2013/05/06/google-now-worth-more-than-microsoft/

<comment><USER2> I'm somewhat surprised it took this long. Given that google feels like 'the future' and Microsoft is still clinging to the past. Someone at IBM head quarters probably had a bottle chilled for this occasion, small consolation though it must be for them.

What would it take for Microsoft to pull an 'Apple', and what would it take for IBM to really rebound?

Yahoo is in the process of trying to turn tables on Google which is a an attempt I don't have much faith in (mostly because Yahoo never managed to capture much of my interest in the first place so I find it hard to imagine to see them work their way out of the hole). But Microsoft just _might_ have it in them somewhere to really come out swinging. But since Bill Gates isn't hurting in any way and more than content to let Ballmer do his thing it likely won't ever happen.

Microsoft was/is a large enough empire that it will take a very long time (many decades) before they're gone but this is a definite sign that their days of hegemony are over, they got surpassed rather than that they were out- competed.

<comment><USER3> Google doesn't even feel like the future anymore, it feels like the present and we don't have a clue what the future is yet.

<comment><USER4> idk. I think the reason there are so many overzealous investors is because google does feel a bit like Apple ~2005. If they have a hit product all their own, they seem to be set up perfectly to dominant in a variety of industries.

I can imagine that a motorola phone could be made perfectly to work with google glass, a nexus tv running games in a chrome browser or playing "tv" through youtube.

It will be hard for Microsoft and even apple to untangle themselves from services like Youtube or compete with those like search. On the other hand, it would be relatively easy for google to make an iPhone quality phone or free software that works just as well as office for 99% of users.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> That's cool, but as a consumer I don't care one bit. Market cap, sales, revenues, I just don't care at all.

These are much more important "metrics" to me personally (as a consumer):

* Innovation relative to peers.

* The value of their offerings to me in my daily life.

* How they treat their developers, developers, developers.

If you're looking at this from the lens of an investor, overall market cap/worth/whatever, it's a completely different story. However, I think most of us will be comparing the two companies by means that are more directly to us as individuals.

</comment><comment><USER6> Google has always been worth more than Microsoft (to me).

</comment><comment><USER7> That was a spectacularly badly written article. It was so bad I had to force myself to read it.

</comment><comment><USER8> It's been back and forth. GOOG was worth more than MSFT until quite recently, but MSFT was up 18% in April.

<comment><USER4> I think GOOG will fall back down to earth eventually. I'm not sure why Glass and self-driving cars seem to be driving it up. They seem like very long term projects and they're bound to have plenty of competition.

<comment><USER9> Google Fiber seems to be getting a lot of news lately as well.

<comment><USER10> Microsoft really should copy Google Fiber and call it Microsoft Optics! Then we can all have gigabyte internet for cheap.

<comment><USER4> Microsoft can't just copy Google and pretend that they're relevant. Playing second fiddle to Google is a pretty damning place for Microsoft to be.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> Google has been worth more than Microsoft for months...</comment>


UBS Global Real Estate Bubble Index - <AUTHOR> https://www.ubs.com/global/en/wealth-management/chief-investment-office/key-topics/2017/global-real-estate-bubble-index-2017.html <comment><USER2> I wish the page had a short explanation on how the bubble index was calculated.

From the PDF: _The Index score is a weighted average of the following five standardized city sub-indices: priceto-income and price-to-rent (fundamental valuation), change in mortgage-to-GDP ratio and change in construction-to-GDP ratio (economic distortion) and relative price-city-to-country indicator. The price-city-to-country indicator in Singapore and Hong Kong is replaced by an inflation-adjusted price index. The approach cannot fully satisfy the complexity of the bubble phenomenon. We cannot predict if or when a correction will happen. Hence, "bubble risk" refers to the prevalence of a high risk of a large price correction._

<comment><USER3> Banks loooove making indices. They're normally poorly researched and not carefully thought through.</comment></comment>


Show HN: Online SMS, My Weekend Project - <AUTHOR> http://fauzism.com/post/37587975976/once-upon-a-saturday Last Saturday, I made this app for sending SMS from your computer via your phone. It consists of an Android application and a Python GAE server. The source code is available on github. You can read more about it at [http://fauzism.com/post/37587975976/once-upon-a-saturday]a <comment><USER2> [Shameless plug] I also wrote one of these a couple of years ago. I wanted it to run entirely from the phone though rather than all my messages going through some third party. I ended up using Restlet (<http://www.restlet.org/>) as the server, and writing a client in Backbone (in the early days).

[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.stackednot...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.stackednotion.textjs.rosebud&hl=en)

(I haven't touched it for a while, I don't even have an Android phone any more so no idea if it still works :P)

</comment><comment><USER3> Definitely not useless!

Using an Android app as an SMS gateway is convenient for personal texting, but it's even more valuable for organizations working in developing countries -- where SMS is even more important, but services like Twilio don't provide local phone numbers and getting a shortcode can cost thousands of dollars.

My start-up (<http://telerivet.com>) works with a bunch of organizations that pay us for a more advanced version of essentially the same basic concept. (For example, Kiva.org uses our system to communicate with their borrowers in Kenya via an Android SMS gateway.)

</comment><comment><USER4> This is very cool-- send text messages easily without ever leaving your laptop or having to deal with the phone's keys. For anyone over 30, texting from a real keyboard makes a lot of sense.

<comment><USER5> Good for anyone sitting at a desk monitoring multiple social media and sms inquiries from sales contacts.

</comment></comment><comment><USER6> I was thinking of doing this exact thing, but I started another project.

Useless? I disagree entirely.

Having a place in the browser to text from is _priceless_. Perhaps the most obvious use case is texting without taking my phone out of my pocket? The next most obvious having a better and searchable UI to filter through texts?

It's a good project.

<comment><USER7> If you're on Android, such functionality can be gained by installing something like Airdroid[0] which gives you something approaching a desktop experience of the contents and functionality of your phone. I use it to type out messages from my browser rather than trying to do so from the much smaller and less practical keyboard on my phone.

[0] [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sand.airdr...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sand.airdroid)

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> Did you use Google Cloud Messaging? If so, any chance you could post a tutorial or at least your thoughts on setting it up? There are a surprising lack of those around.

<comment><AUTHOR> Yes I did. Right now I am using it in conjunction with Urban Ship, however, I will soon delink it. Would try to post some basic tutorial for GCM and let you know when its done. Tell me how I can contact you.

<comment><USER9> I'd also be interested in knowing more about GCM. Hit me up at email@example.com if you get a chance to write something up! Thanks for a view into a cool project, too.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> Ha I actually pay for BrowserTexting, which does this. Mostly because I want to be able to text at work without having my phone out.

</comment><comment><USER11> You might say it's useless (in your blog post) but would it surprise you to know that there's a venture funded startup doing pretty much what your weekend project does (with extra bells and whistles perhaps).

<http://mightytext.net/> <\--- This one

<comment><AUTHOR> Damn! Its quite similar. Thanks for the link :)

<comment><USER12> There's also DeskSMS, from the author of ClockworkMod and ROM Manager: [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdut...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.desktopsms)</comment></comment></comment>


F.B.I. Said to Find It Could Not Have Averted Boston Attack - <AUTHOR> http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/02/us/fbi-said-to-conclude-it-could-not-have-averted-boston-attack.html?hp

<comment><USER2> Is there a corollary to Betteridge's law of headlines that talks about completely self evident and obvious headlines?

<comment><USER3> Unfortunately this discovery seems completely breaking news to some pro-NSA circles in DC.

<comment><USER4> My worry is that they will read the lines about how wiretapping couldn't be used in that type of investigation, etc., and decide that the real lesson is that terrorism can't be completely prevented _unless we do even more surveillance_.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> This is an interesting take on it: [http://isteve.blogspot.com/2013/05/tsarnaev-todashev- story-h...](http://isteve.blogspot.com/2013/05/tsarnaev-todashev-story-has- immigration.html)

</comment><comment><USER6> Actually, eliminating all terror attacks is pretty straightforward - stop the endless sensationalist reporting that turns audience fear into the main event.

<comment><USER7> There's an even better way to stop terror attacks: Stop bombing innocent countries.

<comment><USER8> That didn't stop ETA, or the IRA, or the people who used to bomb Paris. China does not bomb the Uighur areas. The Indian gov't does not go about 'bombing' minorities. None of the target counties 'bombed' the perps. Now, the perps might have felt 'oppressed' or had some outstanding issues with said target govt's.

But it's not as simple as 'don't bomb'.

So it's not that simple.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> A fish does not always hover above the surface.

<comment><USER10> What does that mean?</comment></comment>


Show HN: We Built a New Kind of Marketplace - <AUTHOR> http://www.styckyd.com

<comment><USER2> There are a lot of companies offering this right now. How is styckyd going to stand out?

Right now, there are services that provide meta-listings to all of the other services that how to be the core classified system of the Internet. While auto dealers have picked up technology much faster than realtors, it seems like the systems are much more fragmented than the MLS.

<comment><AUTHOR> I don't actually see anyone offering what we are, can you point out a few?

Here's the key things that make us different than other marketplaces:

\- We control the flow of funds. When a buyer purchases a part we place it in a holding account until the package has arrived successfully. This is designed to eliminate a lot of the seller fraud that occurs.

\- We handle the shipping. Sellers need only identify the box they're going to place the part in. We then calculate the shipping costs, collect those funds from the buyer, and send shipping labels to the seller. At the moment, all they need to do is drop it off at the drop-off location. In the future we'll send the carrier to their house to pick up the package.

\- We integrate with message boards, and provide them with a new revenue stream.

There are a number of other things that are unique to our segment and revolve around product categorization but other marketplaces do indeed do those things for their markets. The above three things I believe are unique to Styckyd.

<comment><USER3> Aren't you going to have a really hard time being at all price-competitive with all that middleman-ness?

<comment><AUTHOR> I haven't seen evidence of that. Also note that this model opens up many potential revenue streams for us and our partnered forums.

For reference, to list a part on eBay Motors at the average value of a part in this market without any of their upgrades, and including PayPal fees it costs a seller about 13% to sell on eBay.

For buyers products purchased on Styckyd may end up being lower cost than on other sites. This is because we handle and pay for the shipping. When volume increases we will have the advantages of economies of scale and can pass savings in shipping costs to the end user. So selling on Styckyd would make it cheaper to the buyer than selling anywhere else (assuming the same sale value of the part).

With that said, we're not aiming to be the lowest priced.

Edit for clarity.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> I look forward to a site that integrates most forums/networks.

I don't see the value of the visual based browsing though. I drive a '90 Montero. When I need a part, I'm searching by word.

Would love to see digitized diagrams from service manuals. I was ordering a heater hose last week, but there are so many on my model the dealer wanted me to come in to verify the part on the diagram (sadly the closest dealer is 120 miles away).

What's your marketing plan for "integrating the forums"?

<comment><AUTHOR> I have improving the search interface high up on my list of things to improve. You can search by word and an advantage of our system over other more general marketplaces is that you can specify your vehicle which returns results that are only applicable to your vehicle so you're not browsing through hundreds of parts for Civics.

The digitized diagrams can be done, and I've seen it from a few dealers. But I believe the diagrams themselves come from the manufacturers, I'm unsure if it's available to third parties. I'd like to look into this in the future though.

My marketing plan for integrating with the forums is mostly a direct selling process at the moment. I'm talking with a few forum owners, have relationships with a few others and I am attending ForumCon next week to learn more about the community. I posted the link below but here it is again, this explains the integration itself a little better: <http://partners.styckyd.com>

</comment></comment><comment><AUTHOR> Our aim is to integrate with forums and replace their classifieds and offer a full-service solution:

<http://partners.styckyd.com>

</comment><comment><USER5> Some of the text on that front page is very low contrast against its background. It might be aesthetically pleasing, but it sure isn't easy to read...

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks for pointing that out. I'll work on it to make it better.

</comment></comment><comment><USER6> You guys should show off the real product and its potential without the signups. Work hard on the landing page!

</comment><comment><USER7> Hmm, you really should show off a listing on the main page and the ability to browse without sign up.

<comment><AUTHOR> I sense that you're right about the listing. I'm going to keep working on the homepage until I find something that works well.

You can browse without signing up at the moment. It's more obvious on every page that's not the homepage. I will make it more prominent in the future once there are more listings to display (we're just getting going and getting listings is a key challenge) and I've improved the search interface more.

Thanks for checking it out.</comment></comment>


Ok, Ok. All Of You (even YouTube) Invented Video Overlay Ads "First" - <AUTHOR> http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/08/23/ok-ok-all-of-you-even-youtube-invented-video-overlay-ads-first/

<comment><USER2> I actually invented video ads in 2002. I have no evidence to back this up, but have already filed the patent app.

<comment><USER3> Did you write/file the patent yourself?

<comment><USER2> Yes. I drew a picture of my dong and mailed it. Still waiting to hear back.

<comment><USER3> Congratulations.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> Now who's going to invent a Flash video ad blocker first, that's what I'm waiting for... :)</comment>


Drug lords make billions smuggling gold to Miami - <AUTHOR> http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article194187699.html <comment><USER2> You might also be interested in: [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/14/business/japan-gold- smugg...](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/14/business/japan-gold-smuggling- crime-rates.html)

Gold smuggling, which Japan is getting _mildly_ more serious about combatting, is largely just about tax fraud. Japan has a VAT-style consumption tax. When you buy gold you pay the seller 8% of the value of the gold you are buying. This includes if you buy it from e.g. a natural person.

When you legally import gold, you pay the same rate as a duty. So in the ordinary course of business, you import the gold (pay 8%), you sell the gold onto someone (who pays you the 8% back and holds that 8% on their own books), who sells it onto someone (who pays them the 8% back and holds the 8% back), etc ad infinitum. All gold in Japan essentially has an 8% tax asset virtually attached to it.

So if you can create gold in Japan which came "from nowhere", you get instant 8% of the gold created in profit, by selling it at market. Presto: join the ranks of smugglers by the simple expedient of buying $10k of gold abroad and selling it when you get home, collecting an easy $800.

$10k of gold is smaller and lighter than a Gameboy, and if you can bring a Gameboy into the country, you could bring in $10k of gold instead.

This is lucrative, simple, socially viral ("Did you hear that you can fly for free? All you need to do is buy gold abroad. It's always more expensive in Japan; taxes or some nonsense."), and never requires you to deal with the criminal element, other than yourself. Both transactions are with well- regulated gold firms in well-lighted commercial districts and don't strike either shop as being _at all_ out of the ordinary.

So the government is trying to be very splashy about educating people that a) this is, factually, smuggling and b) the kid gloves are coming off... at some point in the ill-defined future.

<comment><USER3> Hah, really interesting. I wonder how they do the money-laundering though. Perhaps they never do try to get the cash back into the legal system, but we've heard of people profiting >1m, meaning they've done 10m in cash transactions. At some point you want to use it, and need to account for it. Not sure what it's like in Japan, but typically notaries or even expensive car dealers will not just let you bring a bag of cash to buy an asset.

<comment><USER2> Japan has AML laws but, broadly, has a much higher tolerance for high-value cash transactions than e.g. the US does, particularly if you read as obviously socially established.

If you're in possession of $50k cash in the US, presumption is that you're crooked in at least one way. If you bring $800k cash to a real estate closing in Japan, presumption is heavily in favor of "Ahh, a traditionalist."

(This assumes, regretfully but accurately, that you don't have a complicating factor like being a foreigner while doing it...)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> Yes, Gold is the original smugglers currency. Yes, gold extraction is typically exploitative and often environmentally destructive. No, the gold in Miami is not used in your mobile phone or electronics, because those aren't manufactured in the US. Look at Africa and Asia for those sources... even though it's a global market.

Child labor in mining: [http://www.ilo.org/ipecinfo/product/download.do?type=documen...](http://www.ilo.org/ipecinfo/product/download.do?type=document&id=4146)

</comment><comment><USER5> > By using drug profits to mine and sell gold to American and multinational > companies, criminal organizations can launder "staggering amounts of money,"

Another disaster caused by making drugs illegal.

<comment><USER6> I absolutely think drugs should be legal or decriminalized depending on the drug. However, blaming this on US drug policy is an overreach. The United States has illegal drugs, but no encampments of slaves and child sex slaves destroying the environment to dig for gold. The culprits here are the corrupt and weak government of the countries like Columbia that permit such activities and, of course, the criminal gangs that execute these activities.

<comment><USER7> If you want to play the blame game, US is more to blame because that's where the money comes from. US could stop that by legalizing drugs and therefore cutting of source of cartel's income.

Columbia's sin is that it's poor and there's hardly anything they can do about it.

If you think that US is morally superior to "weak, corrupt" Columbia, consider this: during prohibition "Al Capone bought legal immunity by administering bribes to police and politicians. He practically paid off every law enforcement agent and politician in the districts in which he operated his illegal businesses." (source: [http://www.umich.edu/~eng217/student_projects/nkazmers/organ...](http://www.umich.edu/~eng217/student_projects/nkazmers/organizedcrime2.html)).

There's no escaping economics.

If your opponent (be it Al Capone or Pablo Escobar) can spend hundreds of millions of dollars on bribes, he will beat you unless you have billions to spend on counter measures.

And if you think that "it was then, it wouldn't happen in US today", consider Citizens United or net neutrality repeal, paid for with legal bribes by large corporations against the wishes of majority of citizens.

Comcast doesn't do anything illegal so they don't have to hide their activities the way drug lords do but the underlying mechanic is the same: they have millions to spend and they figured out a way to spend it to buy legislation that is good for them from "weak and corrupt" US Government.

To reiterate: the issue is not moral failing of Columbia or Mexico but a simple fact that rich and powerful always find a way to corrupt the system.

The bigger the imbalance of power, the bigger the corruption. In extreme cases you get extremely rich actors (drug cartels) operating in a relatively poor countries.

We should be thankful that US is a rich country so it can win at least against violent criminals but let's not kid ourselves: US is plenty corrupted.

<comment><USER6> It's a strange form of chauvinism to assert that the US is responsible not only for it's misdeeds, but also the misdeeds and deficiencies of others. By claiming that the US is more responsible for the problems of Columbia than Columbians are, you tacitly deny them agency.

I would never say the US is without corruption, but it is less corrupt than Columbia. I don't think that's a function of wealth, there are poorer countries less corrupt than the US.

However, regardless of the corruption of the US, Columbia - the government and cartels operating there, are responsible for their own misdeeds. The money comes from America - sure. So legalize the drug trade in Columbia and handle it that way, or stamp out the cartels. What's not acceptable is to allow the cartels to corrupt and corrode society and commit evil on innocent people.

<comment><USER7> Do you know why Columbia can't just legalize drugs in a meaningful way?

Because US won't let them.

Source: Obama Administration ([http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/world/americas/obama- says-...](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/world/americas/obama-says- legalization-is-not-the-answer-on-drugs.html)).

I imagine if Obama was opposed then anti-marijuana Jeff Session is super extra opposed.

Do you know why Columbia can't just "stamp out the cartels"?

Because US spent billions helping Columbia do just that and they failed. For decades they tried every tactic you can imagine: destroying crops, military raids etc.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.

By that definition trying to stamp out cartels by force is insanity.

We know you can't do it.

Columbia has as much chance of destroying cartels as US has getting Americans to stop doing drugs.

BTW: the really bad violence in Columbia started when US pressured Columbia to create a law allowing extradition of narcos to U.S. Escobar started a wave of violence against the government trying to pressure it into eliminating the law.

Let's not be naive here: Columbia agreed to US demands because US was even bigger threat to them than narcos.

My point is not to argue that Columbia has no part in the mess.

But I would assign much bigger part of the blame to US.

US was an architect and a sponsor of Columbia's failed war on cartels. A DEA agent participated in the raid that killed Pablo Escobar. US Special Forces were training Columbian anti-drug army. US supplied military equipment and billions of dollars to be used to fight drug lords.

Failure to eliminate drug trade in Colombia is as much U.S. failure as it is Columbia failure.

US, not Columbia, spent last 45 years championing failed drug policies internationally.

We won't have meaningful change until most countries legalize drugs and most countries won't do it unless U.S. also does it.

All roads lead to Rome. Or in this case Washington, DC.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> This is why I hope, really hope, that bitcoin or some crypto currency becomes a stable value store, pushing people away from the likes of Gold, diamond. Almost all these resource based value stores are exploited - gold, diamonds, oil, animal skins, etc. There seems to be no end in sight to check the illegal ways of extracting these resources, since the profits are so high. The only way ,in my head at least, to check the illicit activities is to shift that value to something else which is not amenable to such exploitative extraction.

<comment><USER9> Not sure what you mean by exploitive, but electricity is also usually rough on the environment.

<comment><USER8> True but we don't hear such atrocities committed in producing electricity. I am talking of large scale human exploitation not just the environment. Though I must admit the coal mining is heavily exploited in poorer countries.

<comment><USER10> Ever heard of mass forced migration for hydroelectric projectsa and air pollution in cities from coal burning causing asthma

<comment><USER8> Forced migration != slavery, forced prostitution and mercury poisoning of drinking water. Yes, I am well aware how electricity generation degrades the environment, but there is a ray of hope that renewables will kick in and take some or most of that degradation away. I don't see such a line of sight for the issues raised in that article.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> "Over the past two decades, as the U.S. war on drugs undercut the cash flow of narco-traffickers, kingpins diversified"

Unsupported. The war on drugs likely increased the cash flows for surviving traffickers. Either way, diversification always happens when making massive profits in a capped or risky market.

</comment><comment><USER12> "America's addiction to the metal burns as insatiably as its craving for cocaine."

Article is way to sensationalist to be worth spending time reading.

<comment><USER13> How? It's an interesting investigative piece that explains a serious issue.

</comment></comment><comment><USER14> The US does not charge import duties on gold. Why smuggle it?

</comment><comment><USER15> Why is the police destroying the machinery instead of shipping it off to the city and using it? Seems like a gross waste, especially since these mines are right on the river. Besides, aren't dead robots going to only further pollute the environment?

</comment><comment><USER16> That Miami gold import of 2% of USA gold reserves makes 2%8000=160 tons. That's roughly how much Russia is adding to it's reserves officially every year since about 2008. China seems to match that exactly. Is this where's real economy happens now?</comment>


Ask HN: How does a hacker balance work/personal life? - <AUTHOR>

Sometimes I feel I overwork, sometimes that I underwork, how many hours a week do you usually work? how many hours do you dedicate to yourself/family?<p>Any comments appreciated. <comment><USER2> schedule minimum work time, schedule minimum social time, and the rest is flexible.</comment>


News and Ads to Debut on Snapchat - <AUTHOR> http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/snapchat-discussing-new-content-service-with-advertisers-and-media-firms-1408486739-lMyQjAxMTA0MDEwOTExNDkyWj

<comment><USER2> Except it's already happening quite a bit, the news part at least: [http://www.niemanlab.org/2014/08/how-a-norwegian-public- radi...](http://www.niemanlab.org/2014/08/how-a-norwegian-public-radio- station-is-using-snapchat-to-connect-young-listeners-with-news/)

There are some parallels with Twitter here. See what users and companies on your service are doing, then find a way to formalize it as a feature.</comment>


Open Luna Foundation - <AUTHOR> http://www.openluna.org/ <comment><USER2> Open Luna Foundation = $500 million plan to build a moon station</comment>


Paul Allen's space company builds world's biggest aircraft - <AUTHOR> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3649882/Paul-Allens-space-company-nears-debut-worlds-biggest-plane.html <comment><USER2> "The largest plane ever to be built is creeping closer to completion"

So it's not actually built yet.

Non-story.</comment>


Confession of an Ivy League teaching assistant: Here's why I inflated grades - <AUTHOR> http://qz.com/157579/confession-of-an-ivy-league-teaching-assistant-heres-why-i-inflated-grades/

<comment><USER2> Like tipping, this is one convention that has to die.

There's far too much importance placed on grades. Inside the academic world, where you're jockeying for things like post-grad, they might be relevant. When you're applying for a job how do these even come into play?

I don't think I've _ever_ heard grades come up in an interview amongst anyone I've known, interviewed, or hired.</comment>


Microsoft Moves to End Secrecy in Sexual Harassment Claims - <AUTHOR> https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/19/technology/microsoft-sexual-harassment-arbitration.html <comment><AUTHOR> Ending forced arbitration was number one on Susan Fowler's list of "Five Things Tech Companies Can Do Better":

[https://www.susanjfowler.com/blog/2017/5/20/five-things- tech...](https://www.susanjfowler.com/blog/2017/5/20/five-things-tech- companies-can-do-better)

        1. End Forced Arbitration

        This is the single most important thing
        a company can do to prove to its employees
        that it is dedicated to acting ethically,
        legally, responsibly, and transparently.

Microsoft's change of policy makes sense when you consider that NDA's are losing their effectiveness in cases of sexual abuse:

[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-misconduct- agreements...](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-misconduct- agreements/sexual-misconduct-outcry-makes-u-s-lawyers-rethink-confidentiality- idUSKBN1ED1DM)

        Some states already have laws restricting
        confidentiality agreements that conceal "public
        hazards," such as product defects or environmental
        contamination.

        The same reasoning could potentially be used to
        invalidate non-disclosure agreements covering
        allegations of sexual misconduct, lawyers say,
        on the theory that some harassers could pose danger
        to others if their conduct is not revealed.</comment>


Reference Error in one line of JavaScript - hidden-markov http://jsfiddle.net/UHpD7/

<comment><AUTHOR> This parody/actual-showoff got too old.</comment>