Heartbleed Update v3 - <AUTHOR> https://blogs.akamai.com/2014/04/heartbleed-update-v3.html

<comment><USER3> Good politics: they had custom code for parts of OpenSSL, they published it when it seemed needed, open-source community told them what was wrong, they fixed it and apologized. No bullshit.

<comment><USER4> Also: the way this played out makes an _awesome_ story for the next time Akamai experiences internal pushback against participating in open source. "Remember that one time it saved our bacon" is a political goldmine.

<comment><USER5> They are only in problem now, because they have released the patch. If no one outside the company saw that patch, they could spot the problem and fix it without anyone noticing and creating a PR disaster. They probably wouldn't, but they could. That is one argument someone could use against "participating in open source".

It's a bit to late for saving bacon, patch should be publicly reviewed before it went into production. So no bacon saved, but there is a hope for a smoke detector.

<comment><USER6> If they had not released the patch, then it's entirely possible that black hats would have been able to make off with the keys from their customers - <USER2> _that_ would have been a real disaster.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> Willem's letter to Akamai addressed three areas where their patch was likely insufficient:

(1) First question is then, are 'p', 'q' and 'd' the only sensitive parameters? NO. (The Chinese Remainder Theorem parameters are included in OpenSSL private keys by default and they are enough to recover the private key).

(2) Second question: Does OpenSSL ever copy the private key, or parts, after the key has been read? YES.

(3) Third question: Does OpenSSL allocate temporary variables for intermediates when performing operations with a private key. Can they be used to recover the private key? YES and YES.

(Willem's post submitted to HN: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7582990](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7582990) )

This update from Akamai only addresses (1), AFAICT.

<comment><USER8> We are, in fact, evaluating those other claims, and testing them in our labs. We are also evaluating claims made by other researchers, both publicly and privately; and we hope to end up with both a better library out of this, as well as a better understanding of the hazards we do and don't provide safeties against.

Validating his first claim was sufficient to undermine our belief in key safety; the others are therefore only relevant for protection against future attacks. In that light, it was important to advise our customers and the community at large.

<comment><USER9> I think it is important to remember when validating flaws, that we show that attacks are possible not they are necessarily demonstrated. Just because one cannot construct an exploit doesn't mean that something is secure.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> The part I still don't get because I haven't seen it discussed so far is that their original patch mentionned they had been using a variant of the patch "for a decade" but I never got why they didn't seek to get it merged upstream a decade ago. Or why they released "a variant" of their patch instead of the real thing to begin with.

</comment><comment><USER11> What's interesting is that I just watched a video that strongly relates to this problem last night (from DJB at CCC):

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuSnY_O8DqQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuSnY_O8DqQ)

[http://facthacks.cr.yp.to/](http://facthacks.cr.yp.to/)

It is only part of the video, but they talk about searching Google and finding partial private keys, e.g. ---- BEGIN PRIVATE KEY ---.

Even with text missing, it is trivial to recover the entire key, because of redundancy that Akamai neglected to take into account. I never really thought about how those ASCII strings are encoded, but it's actually the 6 or so values encoded. If some are missing, you can recover the others.

In retrospect, why shouldn't the private keyh have RFC 822-like key value format so this is obvious? I don't see why it has to be encoded at all; the format is unnecessarily obscure.

The rest of this talk is also great. Most of it is accessible to non- cryptographers (like me), as long as you understand basic arithmetic and have an undergrad-level overview of public key crypto (which they give). They provide very readable and runnable Sage scripts.

I really like the batch GCD attacks. Very elegant and effective.

<comment><USER12> Great talk, thanks for the link. I've used DJB's software for years, but this was the first talk I've seen.

</comment></comment><comment><USER13> Right before this all came out our Akamai rep came on site and swore up and down they were not vulnerable. They need to quickly communicate internally as well that a vulnerability existed and send account managers back out to work on high priority cert rollovers.

<comment><USER14> Our rep said the same thing even when we insisted they rotate our certs on day 1.

Of course we're still waiting. I don't know who's decision it was to not reissue all certs on day 1, but this is an epically bad decision bordering on gross negligence.

Heads should roll.

</comment></comment><comment><USER15> Interesting to note that if Akamai hadn't open sourced their modifications, they never would have realized their certs actually had been compromised.

</comment><comment><USER16> Good response from Akamai. No beating around the bush there.

<comment><USER17> No, this was not a good response. It was well written and took responsibility for bad code, but it failed to address the elephant in the room: why were keys not _immediately_ rotated?

I've said this a number of times lately, but it bears repeating that the golden rule of security is: If a compromise occurs, assume that everything is compromised. Even if their approach was tested to be perfect, they shouldn't have made the assumption that that actually reflected reality.

They were extraordinarily irresponsible. There's simply no other way to slice it.

<comment><USER18> No, that goes too far the other way. If I have legitimate reason to believe that an exploit does not affect me (especially if it's because I acknowledged its possibility and programmed defensively against it), why would I automatically act as if I were breached too?

Your argument is totally correct if I am simply unsure---if I don't know whether an exploit affects me but I suspect it might, I assume the worst and act accordingly. But in this case Akamai had good reason to believe they were unaffected. (And, when someone demonstrated otherwise, they responded responsibly.)

<comment><USER17> > If I have legitimate reason to believe that an exploit does not affect me > (especially if it's because I acknowledged its possibility and programmed > defensively against it), why would I automatically act as if I were breached > too?

If you have a memory read out of a process that contains sensitive data, you should _always_ assume that the sensitive data was breached, even if you "programmed defensively against it". Period. No exceptions.

They had good reason to believe they were unaffected, which is why they shouldn't have hit the "oh shit, the world is ending" button. But the decision to not roll their keys in the face of a breach was a massively irresponsible one. We have how many years of major bugs to look at? And in how many cases are the likes of Akamai (that is, organizations with theoretical mitigations in place) actually safe when they think they are?

Always, always assume your protections are faulty in a way that a motivated attacker will figure out.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER19> I'm so grateful we have people like Willem Pinckaers uncovering these things.

</comment><comment><USER20> This is the perfect example to point people to when they ask why the company shouldn't just maintain an internal fork or write its own version of an open source project.

Actually contributing the code you write is helps _everyone_.

</comment><comment><USER5> I would like to know how many security related patches they are keeping for themselves? And I think not only Akamai did this. I hope that this situation will prove that security needs a bit more patch reviews and a bit less of secret sauce.

<comment><USER21> I suspect their patches are oriented toward paranoia. Their particular patch (keeping what they believed to be all critical values in a special region of memory used only for critical things) had no obvious necessity -- it didn't obviously provide more security -- but was just paranoia. Paranoia isn't always necessary, or even desirable; hence, the remainder of the patches have no obvious external utility, so they presumably haven't released them. <p> They may also have performance improvements, conceivably, and those have a more obvious rationale for keeping secret.

<comment><USER22> As Andy tweeted, we built that particular patch to keep unencrypted secrets off disk -- it actually was intended to provide tangible security benefit, it wasn't just paranoia: [https://twitter.com/csoandy/status/455307255895060480](https://twitter.com/csoandy/status/455307255895060480)

<comment><USER23> If you folks have used this technique for years as I believe it has been stated, any particular reason why it wasn't contributed back to OpenSSL earlier?

<comment><USER22> Licensing issues, primarily. See [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7581509](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7581509)

<comment><USER23> Thanks for the info! Sorry that I didn't reply back earlier, I missed seeing that you had replied :)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER24> Why people are only talking about SSL keys? Because Heartbleed allowed to fetch any data, that could have also included SSH keys and or any other authentication credentials / information the server got, for itself or to other services. As example if your site got Facebook API keys it's possible that those have been leaking too.

<comment><USER25> Unless your web server makes SSH connections from some kind of in-process application, why would this bug allow SSH keys to leak?

<comment><USER26> Is memory wiped with zeros by malloc/free in libc or in the kernel? If not, you're at risk.

<comment><USER27> Yes, it is. Leaking memory contents across processes would be a pretty serious bug in the kernel. So when your process asks the kernel for memory (via sbrk or mmap) the memory it gets is zeroed out.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER28> I don't know akamai's relationship with open source projects, but it sounds like they had local changes and tried to karma whore them as, "trust us, our customers were protected, and we contribute to open source." I hope I'm wrong, or they deserve the public shaming they are receiving. Ultimately, we need more engagement from commercial organizations benefiting from open source projects.

</comment><comment><USER29> This does not inspire confidence in akamai for me. These days people on the internet seem to get super excited when various companies write post mortems on how they screwed up. Yay, they screwed up and were honest about it!!! I find those to be wildly overrated. I'd rather there no be a screw-up to begin with. And I don't particularly care if you come clean or not.

I know bugs are written and bugs happen. It's an unfortunate fact of life. And anyone who posts their code will likely have holes poked in it by the community. But the akamai thing really sets of warning flags. The fact they thought it would work and it doesn't, at all, does not sit right.</comment>


Soekris Engineering, Inc. has suspended operations in the USA - <AUTHOR> https://soekris.com/ <comment><USER2> As near as I can tell, they haven't released a new product in at least 5 years. Their top line router product appears to be based on an Atom platform from 2010. Not too surprising their sales declined.

I wonder what the story was.

</comment><comment><USER3> I'm sorry to read this. I've watched the single board computer space slowly lose ethernet; the connector is too large. I'd love a board with two built-in ethernet connectors so I could route traffic. With Soekris exiting the market, what options are now available?

<comment><USER4> [http://www.pcengines.ch/](http://www.pcengines.ch/)

Have had several apu1d4 OpenBSD routers running 300mbps+ connections for years with no issues.

<comment><USER5> I'll second pcengines. Just built a apu3a4 with openbsd as the firewall/nat for my gigabit connection and it was a fun little experience.

It was ridiculous how easy how few lines it took to get openbsd configured.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> Bummer. Their products were absolutely bulletproof.

<comment><USER7> That hasn't been my experience. I inherited a net5501 that encountered what seemed to be temperature dependent random hanging, on both Linux and BSD. I also found that the case was mildly frustrating to put together with all of the addon features in use.

It's a box that I initially found charming, but my patience with it wore thin over time until I was dreading having to support it and finally replaced it with a workstation board.

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> Sad to hear, I remember some people in the Seattle Wireless project used their gear and at a previous company we used their 4521s for some of the original prototypes around 2003. Worked great.</comment>


Happy New Year Hacker News, what are your plans for 2011? - <AUTHOR>

I'm curious what you're planning on doing in the next year, my plans are to (1) get a reprap and make some stuff with it and (2) to move to a place that is a bit more in touch with humanity.<p>What are you going to do? <comment><USER2> Finish techpreview2 of Neddick (<https://github.com/fogbeam/Neddick>)

Finish techpreview1 of Quoddy (<https://github.com/fogbeam/Quoddy>)

Finish techpreview1 of Heceta (<https://github.com/fogbeam/Heceta>)

Get out of the office (well, my apartment) and get in front of some potential customers and start soliciting feedback. Use Steve Blank's Customer Development Methodology.

Spend some serious time researching the competition in this space; figure out how my vision fits in with Microsoft Sharepoint... am I building a Sharepoint complement or a Sharepoint killer (so to speak)?

Decide if there's going to be a SaaS model for this stuff, and - if there is - what goes into it, and start exploring building out the SaaS version (probably on Amazon's infrastructure, but we'll see.)

Depending on the results of some of the above goals: Maybe find a co-founder to work with. If things go bloody smashingly well, maybe look for investment dollars.

Eh, there are goals beyond that, but I don't want to project out to far, because I've never been terribly good at predicting the future. "Close a sale," for example, would be a nice goal. But I don't know if it's realistic for 2011 or not.

</comment><comment><USER3> My #1 goal for 2011 is to put the house in order.

I'm a good programmer. You'll just have to take my word for it, as I have no proof. I have no links to offer to which I can say "I did this".

That's the problem. I've spent the last 10 years toiling away as a random code monkey. A well appreciated code monkey who can solve problems and learn new things quickly, mind you. But not so outside the hours of 9-5.

A recent event has led to an epiphany where I've realized that I'm not working to my (albeit perceived) potential and that I should stop wasting my evenings and weekends and work toward something more fulfilling. I've spent the last 3 months working hard on ramping up on relevant technology and beginning work on my first startup.

2011 will ideally see me release this thing to the world at large. Wish me luck.

<comment><USER4> hey, sounds like me. good luck.

</comment></comment><comment><USER5> Keep learning to program.

Keep working on <http://www.willitfreezetonight.com>

Get rid of fatness on my body.

Find a way to mix my license in Real Estate with my love for programming.

Do some co-working at C4 Workspace in San Antonio.

Be more social.

Generate a decent income.

Do more things that scare me.

Learn to scuba dive.

<comment><USER6> maybe you can just use geo-ip by default, so you don't need to prompt the user for anything. (maybe provide a link to the prompt if the location is wrong)

<comment><USER5> I may have to play with that. My initial thinking was to leave it blank so that users could fill in the place they may be heading to. I tried to make it as easy as possible to type too with autocomplete of US cities and states. Also, the geolocation is pretty awesome on a smartphone. Is geo-ip very reliable on phones?

 __Edit: I'm making the geo-location button add zipcode as well to get a more accurate answer.

I love the feedback. Maybe I should add a feature suggestion box to the site itself. Thank you.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> I am going to build and release an app/project every month in 2011. Have wasted enough time on HN and reading my RSS. Have read about lot of cool things that I wanted to build stuff with.

<http://appamonth.blogial.com/>

</comment><comment><USER8> i'm gonna develop a facebook application that focuses on user engagement through positive reinforcement, get rich and buy a Porsche. And quit smoking.

</comment><comment><USER9> \- lose some of the excess fat on my body

\- make more time in my life for the people i love

\- take up a physically exerting, mentally calming hobby

\- generate more income

\- constrain spending

\- position myself to leave the country for more than 50% of 2012

</comment><comment><USER10> 1\. Launch a social game project I've been working on a for a bit now.

2\. Produce another short film, this one based on a Hugo nominee short story.

3\. Climb Mt. Shasta.

I started on all of these in the last few months, 2011 is just when I'll complete them!

</comment><comment><USER11> I lost my job a few weeks ago (company I was with went bankrupt). I'm planning to transition to doing more python contract work while learning haskell and more AI.

Wouldn't mind finding a start-up to work with if something interesting comes up.

</comment><comment><USER12> Have atleast 1 MVP out for every 3 months (for-profit or non-profit)

Get more social

Learn to get "wired in" <\- Social network ah!

Program more!

Learn other tricks (marketing is very high on that list)

And, most, importantly make sure to stay on track with my plans!

</comment><comment><USER13> Work my ass off to finally get a startup (my startup - not someone else's) fully off the ground.

</comment><comment><USER14> \- Learn Python and GAE and make a simple MVP one page website just to get some web dev experience (since I'm mainly a desktop C#/WinForms/WPF dev at work)

\- Learn more about fundamental analysis and incorporate that with the current technical analysis style trading I currently do to get a better return in 2011 than 2010 (if it weren't for that speculative BP catching-a-falling-knife trade I would've beat the S&P)

\- Learn more functional programming like F# (which might also help with starting up on automated trading again)

</comment><comment><USER15> My goals for 2011,originally posted in another thread - <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2035432>:

\- Top 100k pageviews/month average on my tech blog

\- Write first book

\- Write first webapp or mobile app

\- Create something for sale (eBook, tutorials, etc.) for passive income

\- Graduate from college

\- Spend more time with family and away from the computer

\- Something exciting and unexpected ... that's what makes life special, after all!

</comment><comment><USER16> Learn Node.js, learn RoR, learn CoffeeScript. Read the Dragon Book. Lurk moar.

</comment><comment><USER17> Release 2 more iOS games, pay more attention to myself.

</comment><comment><USER18> Are you specifically planning to get a RepRap or are you considering one of the MakerBot line?

<comment><AUTHOR> Which would you pick and why ?

I was thinking of starting out with a makerbot and then using that to build something a bit more ambitious.

I've had a 3D milling machine/plasmacutter with an 10'x5' bed so I'm a bit spoiled in the size department (cutting 3/8" steel from full size sheets to assemble your prototypes with is a really nice capability to have) but I currently can't house a machine that size, also plasma cutting is not safe without a lot of precautions so that's why I've decided to approach this from the other end of the spectrum.

<comment><USER18> Yeah, my impression is that the MakerBot line is a much easier way to get started, so that makes sense. What you are thinking of was essentially the approach I was going to suggest. :)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER19> I'd like to improve my language skills so I could much easily move somewhere else.

<comment><AUTHOR> Neat one :) Which language do you want to learn next?

<comment><USER19> German and Finnish. (I've already had some classes at high school and college respectively, but that weren't even basics.)

<comment><AUTHOR> Finnish eh? You pick your battles, that's a tough one, next to Hungarian probably one of the toughest you could pick.

That's pretty brave, I hope you succeed in making significant headway with it.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER20> 1\. put on some weight 2\. meet lot of people 3\. launch my startup

</comment><comment><USER21> Ship <http://canv.as>

</comment><comment><USER22> Work on a product with another dev at office and hope it takes me closer to being self employed. Fill the gaps in my CS skills due to a lack of formal CS background

</comment><comment><USER23> I am on my path to get better on the business aspect of an app, I've been focusing too much on designing and developing on my previous projects. So for my just-launched whiteboarding Chrome Web App, OhBoard (<http://ohboard.com>), I am going to learn as much as I can about business by experimenting different approaches.

</comment><comment><USER24> Enjoy our new born and work

</comment><comment><USER25> Get a girl

<comment><AUTHOR> Suggestion: stop thinking about it as 'getting a girl' start thinking about it as 'find someone to share and do stuff with'.

</comment></comment><comment><USER26> 1) Run a marathon in under 3 hours 2) Earn some money 3) Start publishing my projects/works online 4) Be better with my social interactions 5) Quit alcohol 6) Do more hiking and fun travelling 7) Help people around me to the best of my capabilities

</comment><comment><USER27> Get myself to a more civilized country in which good programmers get what they deserve.

</comment><comment><USER28> Keep working on my startup class.io, travel more and get married I hope :)

</comment><comment><USER29> finish learning python, build a project and ship it!

</comment><comment><USER30> Launch my first app. Finally.

</comment><comment><USER31> 1\. Grow my company - FrontCube 2\. Getting married 3\. Launch our non-techie start-up 4\. Launch our first Saas app 5\. Work more on products and fewer clients' project. 6\. Burn my fat 7\. Blog more often 8\. Produce More Screencasts 9\. Buy a new house 10\. Release Speedy 2.0 supports Mac and Linux distors.

My complete list of plans and the 2010 review can be found here [http://aslamnajeebdeen.com/blog/it-was-a-good-year-the- best-...](http://aslamnajeebdeen.com/blog/it-was-a-good-year-the-best-is-yet- to-come)</comment>


Biologists napping while their work is militarized - <AUTHOR> http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v460/n7258/full/460950a.html <comment><USER2> I agree that biologists shouldn't be actively developing weapons of any kind, but its really not their job to ensure that their work isn't militarized.</comment>


Study: Staying off Facebook can make you happier - <AUTHOR> http://qz.com/546799/a-study-forced-people-to-quit-facebook-and-they-were-happier-for-it/ <comment><USER2> Agh, this thread is just full of people boasting about their immunity to interest in Facebook. Congratulations, you're fantastic, oh that we could all be as enlightened as you.

Personally, I find that Facebook has become my address book - while I still text people I see every day, Messenger group chats are often used instead. Plus the voice and video calls have been a great way to keep up with people further afield. Yes, Skype exists, but Facebook is easier - which is huge with older relatives.

 _That said_ , this study doesn't surprise me. In terms of public posts everyone projects their "best life", so you're browsing through a catalogue of amazing experiences while you sit at home feeling a little fat.

I'm not sure what the answer to that is. Some say Snapchat is a much better place for people to be their true selves - I can believe it.

<comment><USER3> [http://messenger.com/](http://messenger.com/)

The best thing Facebook ever did was separate the useful messenger from the terrible main site.

<comment><USER4> I am not so sure that was the most useful, I sure liked the main site chat to work on mobile even if I didn't want another app (messenger to be installed). Yeah i'm one of those few who prefer simple single app experience. I prefer if companies could try keep things a little more backward compatible. /rant

<comment><USER3> I agree with you. It must have been annoying for people who use the site and messenger. I meant I like that they can act as two separate things.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> I deleted my Facebook account after realizing that every time I would go on it, the clickbait and mindless minutia would irritate me more than entertain me. between the advertisements, there would be 'you'll never guess what happens next!' posts, then political propaganda, then children/marriage updates on people I hadn't interacted with in years. At a certain point, I realized that it wasn't even fun to me anymore, so I bid farewell to everyone, backed up my contacts & pictures, then deleted my facebook. It's been about two years since I left and, for the most part, I don't really regret it.

With that said, what I do regret is missing out on my growing family. My cousins from out of state as well as my siblings are getting married and having kids. I was helping my mom log into her facebook the other day and I saw pictures of my niece's first day of ballet class and my nephew's first day of kindergarden. It made me light up and think "Ah shit, I'm kind of missing out on these things." Although I see them every now and then, stuff like that is the only reason I would even consider getting back on FB. I find it funny that it's for a completely different purpose from when I first joined in college.

<comment><USER6> I just found News Feed Eradicator the other day and it has changed my Facebook habits drastically. It lets you use all of the useful features of FB (messages, groups, pages, etc.) and replaces the newsfeed with a quote about procrastination or productivity. 10/10 would recommend - [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/news-feed- eradicat...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/news-feed-eradicator- for/fjcldmjmjhkklehbacihaiopjklihlgg)

<comment><USER7> I used this for a while but noticed it greatly slowed down my Facebook in general. Ended up uninstalling it after a few days. Wish they had a lighter weight one.

<comment><USER8> I know this might sound like a really non-efficient thing to do, but you can individually unfollow every single one of your contacts. I only have around ~200 friends so unfollowing them wasn't that hard.

Nowadays, I love going to Facebook. My news feed is completely empty.

<comment><USER9> I don't go to that extreme, but I did find Facebook was much more manageable when I started just unfollowing anyone whose posts/reshares annoyed me more than a couple of times.

I've probably only unfollowed about 10% of my total friends list, but the difference is immense, a lot of the noise tends to come from a small subset of the people, in my experience.

<comment><USER10> This is a missed opportunity. As Shirky points out, social media is "publish, then filter", and you've found a powerful filter that lets you reap the benefits. (And he also points out power laws--10% of the people in your feed post 90% of the garbage.)

While I don't log in to Facebook more than once every six months, your observation gives me hope that I might be able to find some utility in it.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> Facebook was a great form of communication in high school and college, for events and meeting up with classmates and things. Afterwards, people drifted apart and it became kind of an empty place - hundreds of friends but only a handful I kept in touch with.

As time went on and as my friends list stagnated, facebook kept me attached to the past ("that was so much fun, wasn't it?"). It covered some 7-8 years of my life. Logging on was a bit like falling backwards in time. It makes me remember mistakes I can never undo and moments I can never relive. I was following the events of very old friends I'll most likely never see again. I decided this was not very valuable, so I stopped using facebook.

Deactivating facebook brought my attention back to the present and the future. I'm a bit less distracted. There's no more thoughtless, routine clicking of the facebook link in my bookmarks. I focus a bit better at work. I've put better effort into my proximate relationships (family, friends, coworkers). I've put a bit more effort into my own health and fitness.

These are all small changes, mostly due to a change in my own mindset. But, while it was easy because my close friends and I post very little, deleting facebook was a good first step.

<comment><USER12> > Afterwards, people drifted apart and it became kind of an empty place - > hundreds of friends but only a handful I kept in touch with.

Welcome to real life as it always was. It's actually healthy to not keep touch with all the people you've ever known.

</comment></comment><comment><USER13> I used to think I should stay off Facebook, because I knew of such studies and felt the effects myself.

But I now view Facebook as an exercise in internal self-worth: Can I browse through everyone's posts of their 'best life' and be genuinely happy for them? Can I take in their stories without comparing my life to theirs?

I know that I would likely feel better if I didn't put myself through that exercise, but I think it'd be valuable for me if I can actually get to the point where I can browse Facebook and remain as happy, if not more. I'm not there yet, so time will tell.

<comment><USER14> There are a few people I barely knew in High School that I follow on Facebook specifically because their posts include many about how they are struggling. "Today I tried to not drink, but I failed. I need help and I never knew how badly until today." I am grateful for these people. They remind me of what it is to be human. I comment from time to time, or send them messages both on that topic and off.

</comment></comment><comment><USER15> I deleted my Facebook account and I believe doing so did (marginally) increase my quality of life. It has forced me to focus more on real-world interactions with people.

I also find it emotionally draining to be in constant contact with people you never actually see... it feels as if Facebook allows fake or weak friendships to continue that would naturally die off without it.

The only thing I do miss is the ubiquity of Facebook Messenger and the features it provides over SMS, which I have now reverted to for communicating with friends.

<comment><USER16> > I also find it emotionally draining to be in constant contact with people > you never actually see... it feels as if Facebook allows fake or weak > friendships to continue that would naturally die off without it.

I agree. One of the reasons I left is because constantly checking FB (ironically) made me feel really lonely.

</comment></comment><comment><USER17> Browsing Facebook, or for that matter any other similar network (including HN :)), is like anti-meditation. They rattle your mind with so much information in such quick succession that it becomes almost impossible to think through or about any one particular thing. Like alcohol, it is simultaneously addictive – the mind craves information – and depressing – numbs the mind preventing it from engaging in deep rational thought.

I think we can have the best of both worlds – enjoy our whiskey and discuss philosophy too :) I think there is a future for a social network that can slow things down a little, maybe also summarize, organize and filter an apparently disparate group of things, allowing the user enough time to digest and process the information before moving ahead in leisure.

</comment><comment><USER18> Note that the study only tracked people for a single week, so it's likely that while it does show a positive improvement on moment-to-moment happiness, it neglects other longer-term effects like, possibly, social isolation from cutting yourself off from a major communication medium.

<comment><USER19> This "study" isn't a study at all. One week provides factually meaningless data. You'd need a minimum of 3 months just to register a new baseline, and another 6-12 months to see if those participants who originally found a higher baseline at 3 months maintain it or fall back to previous levels as the novelty of the situation wears off.

You want to know why people reported feeling better? Because they changed a habit. When you change _anything_ in your life for a single week, you will feel better because you have pulled yourself out of your everyday routine and are experiencing something NEW. This is the result of a change; what changed - Facebook in this case - does not matter.

The novelty of a change in habit for a single week does not even begin to offer evidence of anything. This isn't even a case of "not enough evidence", but rather "no evidence whatsoever". This novelty is similar to the kind of high you get from buying a new expensive toy/gadget. A temporary boost of "happiness" that quickly fades as the new item just becomes another object in your day-to-day life.

</comment></comment><comment><USER20> "How do you know if someone doesn't use Facebook? Don't worry they'll tell you" should be the new, "How do you know if someone doesn't own a TV..." joke.

</comment><comment><USER21> Pretty polarizing thread.

I deleted FB two years ago. I'm a social 20-something. It hasn't impacted my social life at all, actually, and I do feel happier.

I18n friends, my family, or college acquaintances or x-coworkers who I care about are on WhatsApp, Gmail, or Skype. Close friends or dating prospects I text.

YMMV.

No need to crucify people for leaving FB. No need to act like you're superior for leaving FB.

I'll reiterate, I _am_ happier two years later after leaving FB and I feel like I got more time back.

</comment><comment> nommm-nommm The big reason why Facebook depresses me is extreme narcissism.

<comment><USER22> Unfollow those people and engage more closely with those who enrich your life.

<comment><USER23> Facebook is kind of a bad medium for that as it's not very private. And if you are going to have a 1-on-1 convo with some people, you might as well use IM.

<comment><USER22> Messenger is actually my primary use-case for Facebook. Talking one-on-one, contextualized by whatever each other are doing publically, is a great way to engage with someone meaningfully. There's always some fodder to initialize a conversation.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER24> It's a form of real time "keeping up with Johnson's".

<comment><USER25> Except for the fact that most of what the Johnson's _appear_ to have is contrived.

<comment><USER26> Was it ever not thus?

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFMwYNX5qUk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFMwYNX5qUk)

<comment><USER25> To a large extent, yes, but social media has made faking a lifestyle you don't lead even easier. Anybody with a smartphone and a desire to portray themselves in a particular light can do so pretty effectively with very limited intelligence and skill required.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER27> I deleted my FB account almost a year ago for a couple reasons. One of which is the sheer insanity of a single corporation knowing so much about us all and our relationships. Another is that checking Facebook all the time became a bad habit, like a twitch, something I felt the urge to do but then got no relief through doing. Another is probably spite - a rejection of the idea that having a FB account is necessary, something to be taken for granted.

Some observations:

\- I have no idea what's going on in the lives of many people I'm not in close contact with. I have no problem with this.

\- My wife tells me about extended family stuff, and shows me the occasional photo. I'm okay with this.

\- Instagram has replaced FB to a great degree, for me. But instead of being built around a growing social graph, my Instagram experience is built around a handful of friends and networks of interest. But my usage is nothing like the way I used FB. I post only when I have something to share, and I open the app probably once a week to peruse. I miss tons of stuff, and I'm okay with that.

\- I'm involved with a bunch of athletic groups that use FB for events and communication. This is a problem. The degree to which FB has replaced email in this regard is crazy to me. I hope Slack etc. will prove effective at minimizing this.

\- I'm launching a business soon and I was concerned that I'd _need_ to be on FB in some commercial capacity. But I honestly think that era is over. Other companies in my industry have anemic feeds that point to the low, low level of engagement through that channel.

\- When I feel the need to waste time, some remnant of the FB 'twitch', I look at old faves like englishrussia.com or subject-matter porn like landandfarm.com or everydaycarry.com

\- I call/FaceTime my mom more often.

</comment><comment><USER28> The qz report suggests that users were more happy and less worried/sad if they stayed off Facebook, but it doesn't mention the (imo) more important part of the study.

The study says that most people _" post their good sides on Facebook"_

The study also says that many facebook users _" envy"_ the amazing, happy and success related notes posted by their friends on facebook.

So it seems like you can stay happy on facebook and not feel worried if you

(a) understand that you should not envy your friends

or/and

(b) understand that you shouldn't take all facebook posts as face value and understand that you shouldn't assume that these posts represent your friends lives in entirety. You shouldn't assume that life is a bed of roses for your friends just because they posted the best parts of their life. It is likely that they have just as many problems and troubles as you do even thought their facebook posts may not capture all of these problems.

</comment><comment><USER29> I have stayed 1 year away from facebook. I restarted using it about 6 months ago. I can't evaluate if I was happier during that year as it is very hard for me to quantify being "happy". Although there are a few points i take from that time:

\+ loads of free time

\+ more focus on stuff that i think is more productive

\+ no need to manage so many events

\+ spent time talking to relatives instead of typing with them (in person and/or in phone)

\- loss of conectivity with friends (if you are not on facebook you won't get invited to many events)

\- not being aware of small trends (like the new meme or the current 'internet localized scandal' as in 'the host of the show x was caught drunk')

\- lost track of certain creative friends that only publish stuff on facebook

~ being regarded as a anti-social by certaing groups

~ not caring about stuff that are not that important and is not actually worth the time

~ looking at people using facebook and thinking "i once was a zombie just like you"

</comment><comment><USER30> Also, based on the research as noted in the "Rational Optimist" one of the keys to remain happy is to simply withdraw from competition and set your own goals for happiness.

Example given is of a Doctor who always dreamed of becoming an amazing doctor healing people and succeeded but one day happened to attend a conference where many of his past batchmates were also present who were making insane amount of money by working for insurance companies. This doctor now felt unhappy and jumped the same bandwagon making even more money that before but the cost of happiness. While the example is anecdotal, the research does show that competition for social status makes people unhappy.

There is nothing wrong about Facebook and our need to use it but the fact that it might make us unhappy might be true.

</comment><comment><USER31> It's a sort of drug, isn't it? I went perhaps 6 months without Facebook a few years ago, and I was very happy. I went to less social events, which were actually mostly events where I drank to feel more socially adept. I did not really miss those events. I was also working on a side project regularly. I created a Facebook Page and new account to try to spread the word of my side project with people I knew... and I ended up going down the rabbit hole. I haven't really been able to leave it, and I never did make any more progress on that side project.

</comment><comment><USER30> Value of Facebook to me has eroded over last 2 years or so primarily because of messengers such as whatsapp and privacy concerns.

I use linkedin to stay in touch with colleges, WhatsApp to stay in touch with close friends and family, share pictures etc. and I ignore most other people in my life.

Facebook remain the source of news and interesting links that people share but I am pretty sure someone will fill that need better than facebook sooner or later.

P.S. I use Facebook extensively to run ad campaigns for my apps. But I am not counting that as use.

</comment><comment><USER32> I love Facebook. Definitely makes my life a lot better. I use it to:

* stay in touch with friends

* know what events are up (my group of friends create events even for very small gatherings)

* find out about new music from the artists I like

* find interesting links and news about programming/tech (from a group I follow)

* read interesting discussions about programming/tech (same group)

* see interesting posts about indie games and indie game development in general (another group)

* see what people I've long lost contact with are up to nowadays

<comment><USER33> It's scary how facebook managed to replace the internet in the language as if those people thought that it was facebook that making all this happen when it actually is the internet.

This is a dangerous confusion to make for people born in the internet era.

</comment></comment><comment><USER34> Same goes with TV: [http://lifehacker.com/5095892/happy-people-watch-less-tv- stu...](http://lifehacker.com/5095892/happy-people-watch-less-tv-study-shows)

Is it about social status? Or is it the ADs? ADs seek out holes to fill with product. Ad-support-media use analytics to more effectively show me my particular holes. After a while, I begin to feel empty.

<comment><USER35> It might also be the passive nature of the two activities.... browsing facebook and watching TV are very passive activities. You do not use your creativity or skills to do them; happy people tend to do more creative and constructive things.

<comment><USER36> A lot depends on the way one uses it. Personally, I (and many of my friends) use it the same way I use HN - I post interesting stuff and engange in long, asynchronous discussions that sometimes span many days.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER37> Every time I see one of these studies I just laugh. As if Facebook is something that is used universally in a single way and can be determined to be good or bad.

Speaking as someone who has a ton of friends (actual friends) who I only get to see once or twice a year, Facebook is a godsend. It let's us stay in touch with people we care about who live on the other side of the planet.

Yeah, if you use it as a meterstick on how "good" you're doing at life, of course it's going to make you depressed. Same goes for if you watch HDTV and do that. If you spend all your time looking at the things and lusting after the things you DON'T have, how the hell could you possibly be happy!?

And to the people complaining about clickbait, the simple fact is Facebook wants you to stay on Facebook which means if you get a shitload of clickbait, you're probably clicking a shitload of clickbait. I dedicated about a month of my daily use and deliberately hid every single clickbait-y link, photo, etc. as well as unliked pages that posted that shit at ANY time. This culled me down to a selection of pages that actually post interesting stuff, and to the friends (and what they post) that weren't clickbait. Sure, I get one every once in awhile but I'd say it's down to about 1 in 40 posts are something crummy, and every time I get it, I hide it. Facebook's news feed is actually extremely well curated, it's just designed to give you things that you will pay attention to, positive or negative attention counts.

Just my two cents of course, your mileage may vary, etc.

</comment><comment><USER38> I still have an account, but I only check in maybe once or twice a week now (via Tinfoil for Facebook) for a less than a minute to see if I have any private messages or invites to events from friends.

Feels like one less thing to think about that didn't actually offer me anything of real value in the end.

</comment><comment><USER39> I found Facebook to really affect my moods in a distressing manner.

I use Facebook occupationally and like its Messenger and Groups a lot so leaving was out of the question. So I bit the bullet and unfollowed all of my friends. Now Facebook is a glorified News Feed for me and I am noticably more serene.

</comment><comment><USER40> I just simply unfollow all my friends and keep the ones that I want to follow in groups.

That way, my newsfeed is not polluted and it is up to me to decide who I want to check up on.

I could never totally give it up because it has become an indispensable hub of communication with people I know with Messenger.

</comment><comment><USER41> > "That said, the results are based on self-reported answers"

Uhuh. I'm gonna go ahead and take this whole article with a massive chunk of salt; this breaks one of the main rules of how to do a statistically meaningful survey, so I don't see much value in the numbers.

<comment><USER42> What is the main rule, exactly? The only way to measure happiness is self- report. Most psych studies in general are self-report. Very hard to get at people's mental states without it.

</comment></comment><comment><USER43> Maybe its not so much getting off Facebook as it is a change in lifestyle.

I'm curious if someone conducted a study to see the effects of a group of people who have never used facebook use it extensively for a week. Maybe their happiness levels also increase.

</comment><comment><USER44> Why not have a third group of people that never had facebook and compare their outlook too? Comparing against only people that use facebook regularly doesn't provide an adequate control group.

</comment><comment><USER45> I wonder what would happen to our collective happiness level if people posted their bank-account balance on a daily basis to facebook.

(All those nice vacation pics must be financed somehow.)

</comment><comment><USER46> Quitting for a week, and quitting forever are two different things. Life off facebook has its own challenges too. How does a 1 week study draw such categorical conclusions?

</comment><comment><USER25> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxVZYiJKl1Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxVZYiJKl1Y)

This is social media.

</comment><comment><USER47> Is Facebook one of those social networking sites? Meh.

</comment><comment><USER48> By making Facebook a scapegoat humans have once again conveniently avoided talking about an uncomfortable truth about themselves. People give off inauthentic expressions all the time -- take women putting on makeup for example -- and this tells us more about human nature than Facebook or corporations.

</comment><comment><USER49> But how fraction of the (happier) non-users have returned to Facebook?

</comment><comment><USER50> I wonder, how many people shared it on Facebook?

</comment><comment><USER51> depends on how you're using facebook, as long as it's not voyeurism you should be fine

</comment><comment><USER52> as much as you are right (or suppose to), but sorry, I not leaving facebook for real

facebook is where i learn more things in than any other places.

okay fine, there's wikipedia and youtube too

<comment><USER38> I would be more than a little concerned if Facebook, Youtube and Wikipedia is where you gain most of your knowledge.

Wikipedia is slightly understandable but it should not be any more thnan a quick reference guide on a given topic, but taken with a grain of salt. It certainly shouldn't be taken as gospel truth.</comment></comment>


15 Days Notice Or a Ban: Indian Government warns Google, Skype and RIM - <AUTHOR> http://www.pluggd.in/google-skype-and-rim-to-blocked-in-india-297/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+pluggd+%28pluGGd.in%29&utm_content=Google+Reader <comment><USER2> What would be the impact if Google, Skype, and RIM were to abandon the Indian Market?</comment>


Ask HN: Do you have a CD PhD and use Dr. as opposed to Mr./Ms./Mrs.? - <AUTHOR>

It's a random question, but I've never met anyone who does, so I'm curious. <comment><USER2> CD PhD?</comment>


Smart luggage with lithium batteries are facing new travel restrictions - <AUTHOR> https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/12/smart-luggage-with-lithium-batteries-are-facing-new-travel-restrictions.html <comment><USER2> It's interesting that the article doesn't mention what I think of as the killer app for smart luggage, especially smart luggage with batteries that are difficult to remove: phoning you to tell you it's been stolen, with the GPS coordinates and a bunch of high-resolution photos of the thieves.

<comment><USER3> "They weigh themselves, _report their locations_ , provide power and Wi-Fi signals for gadgets, offer rides to the gate and even follow travelers around." -The article

<comment><USER2> Yup, I missed that part, sure enough.

<comment><USER3> Glad I could help! It is an insanely awesome use of "smart luggage" though! I didn't even realize there was such a thing until I read the article! Cool stuff!

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> Hopefully this will put pressure on battery makers to research and switch to (fully) solid-state batteries as soon as possible. I think the technology is almost ready, but of course it will never come to market unless the whole industry pretty much decides to switch to it within a span of a couple of years in order to make it price-competitive with Li-Ion.

<comment><USER5> I don't think it will. Smart luggage market is tiny [1] to put any pressure on Li-Ion batteries [2].

[1] Projected to be $2b in 2024 - [https://www.gminsights.com/pressrelease/smart-luggage- market](https://www.gminsights.com/pressrelease/smart-luggage-market)

[2] Projected to be $67b in 2022 - [http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/Global- Size-f...](http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/Global-Size-for- Lithium-Ion-Battery-Market-Growth-Worth-over-USD-67-70-Bn-by-2022Global- lithium-Ion-battery-market-is-expected-to-grow-at-a-CAGR- of-13-70-between-2017-and-2022-The-market-revenue-1013089580)

</comment></comment><comment><USER6> Call me old fashioned, but what's the point of smart luggage? What's wrong with the dumb luggage that we've been using for decades?

I travel with an army surplus duffel bag, it cost me $20. It's probably 40 years old, and will last another 40 years with any luck. It's so convenient that it's literally the only luggage I brought with me (apart from my carry on) when I moved countries. It also has the advantage that it's unlikely to be stolen, since it looks so cheap.

I do understand why people want nicer suitcases with wheels and hard exteriors. But do you really need a suitcase that will follow you? It's just extra weight that you could use for actual luggage.

</comment><comment><USER7> I thought these "smart suitcases" were sort of gimmicky anyway... If you want a portable battery, just get an Anker! They work great and they fit in your carryon.

<comment><USER8> I can see the appeal, if pricey right now. Portable stuff is portable so it gets 'ported' lots of different places that don't always include being back in my suitcase when I leave for the airport.

To date I have solved this by buying tons of portable batteries and playing the averages that one of them will end up in my suitcase at all times. But my suitcase is probably always going to be in my suitcase, so that does solve a real problem for me.

<comment><USER9> Sorry, a bit off topic.

I travel a fair amount and some years ago I came to the conclusion that I needed to put together a "kit" of adapters, chargers, a portable battery, etc. that never leaves my travel backpack. While it seems a bit wasteful to have these things in duplicate, it made the night before travel so much more peaceful.

I took this concept a bit further and packed up common things like a belt, workout clothes, underwear, etc. that when not being worn or washed always stay in my luggage. Again, made the night before a trip much better. Now it's only a matter of finding and packing my shirts and pants.

My most recent experiment is a bit more extreme. I visit an office in China every other month and I packed up an entire bag with everything I need for a week stay - everything. I've made arrangements with the hotel I stay at to do my laundry when I leave and it's ready for me to grab when I return the next time.

There is nothing more convenient than getting ready for a long international trip when realizing that all you need to do is grab your laptop and go.

<comment><USER10> This is pretty similar to what I've been doing for work travel.

I have a single medium sized backpack that fits a few days worth of clothes as well as things like laptop, Switch, etc.

The biggest space saver is bringing some travel detergent and washing clothes in the sink/bath if needed. I also use my after work t-shirts as undershirts during the day. I generally only carry one or two pair of pants as they are the largest single item.

For work specifically, having wrinkle-free clothing goes a long way.

I've also done the same thing as you for cables and a few other things by just always leaving them in the bag. Cables are cheap enough to have dedicated ones (especially if you consider the cost of buying extra ones anyway when you forget one).

Not only does packing take me less than 10 minutes, I generally don't feel like I've forgotten anything.

On top of all that, actually traveling is way less stressful. It's easier moving around the airport (even just going to the bathroom is annoying when you're dragging around even the smallest of suitcases). I can also generally disregard when I board since I do not care about overhead space (my bag fits under the seat in front of me).

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> Does anyone know why does checked-in luggage presents more risk than carry on (presumably). Is it temperature and pressure difference or just visibility and accessibility for someone with a fire extinguisher?

<comment><USER9> "...if a laptop [battery] catches fire in the cabin, it will be noticed immediately and steps can be taken to put it out. And though there are fire safety systems in the hold of an airplane, they aren't well-equipped to deal with the type of fire that lithium-ion batteries generate."

[https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics/problem-with- sto...](https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics/problem-with-stowing- lithium-ion-batteries-on-planes/)

</comment></comment><comment><USER12> "Smart luggage" seems like a dumb idea. If I want a battery I'll just buy a battery. I don't see what you gain from having your battery physically attached to your suitcase, aside from the gimmickry. Unfortunately there are a lot of people who love gimmicks and will probably buy it anyway.

<comment><USER13> They can do more than charge gadgets. from the article: "They weigh themselves, report their locations, provide power and Wi-Fi signals for gadgets, offer rides to the gate and even follow travelers around."

<comment><USER12> Sounds like a terrible idea.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER14> Why not use NiCads for the luggage?

<comment><USER15> NiMH is probably more reasonable? But still, about half the energy density compared to Li-ion.

[http://www.epectec.com/images/battery-comparison-energy- dens...](http://www.epectec.com/images/battery-comparison-energy-density.jpg)</comment></comment>


"Yarn is good. Yarn works" – Make Yarn default in Rails - <AUTHOR> https://github.com/rails/rails/pull/27300 <comment><USER2> Maybe anyone with yarn experience can tell me what this means for the avarage rails dev that was ok with the asset pipeline.

Basically we get a Gemfile for css und js stuff?</comment>


Ask HN: How do you close your side projects? - <AUTHOR> I have worked on various side projects involving design, development, music, etc. over time and generally kept the remnants living on somewhere (DropBox folders, word docs, random repositories).  I like to have reference for nostalgia or to reflect on the lessons learned before my next pursuit.  Recently, I have been considering creating a blog or documenting the key parts like screenshots along with a write up recap in an Archive folder somewhere and then purging the content such as code, mockups, assets, etc.  I would partially like to write a post-mortem about a side startup but the rest are not as valued.<p>I was just curious if you have any personal examples or practices for closing out your cancelled or completed projects (Archive - Purge - Blog Post - Open Source - viking send-off)? <comment><USER3> > and then purging the content such as code, mockups, assets, etc.

Why? I would never destroy anything I'd created like that. Unless you're doing it for some sort of closure, the way people throw things into the ocean in books and movies, I don't see the benefit. On the con side, you never know when you might start it back up, or just have some use for it. More than once I've gone back to a project I hadn't touched in years and either used it again (e.g. a "one-off" utility script), or just copied pieces of it to use in something current.

I think open sourcing something you're done with (that wasn't already open source) is a great idea in general.

<comment><USER4> Although bear in mind that open sourcing it might require you to spend some time on the project answering to bug reports and stuff. You might not even intend to add any new features, but if someone else comes in with a new PR, you'll probably (atleast I will) be inclined to review it out of courtesy. Do this for enough projects and you'll be spending a considerable chunk of your time on the weekends on this.

However you might, of course, choose to ignore everything: bug reports, new PRs, users asking for help, everything.

<comment><USER5> I wouldn't worry about it. I have _tons_ of free software projects that nobody has ever asked about :-) My one project that had a significant number of users (a Japanese language drill program) I recommended that people move to Anki. I occasionally get people asking about various things, but it is never more than I can handle in an adhoc way. I suspect most other people will be the same. Wildly successful side projects are the exception, not the norm.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> My original method was to just move my project to I:\home\projects\dead.

After accumulating a few hundred of these, I started going back and reviewing what I'd accumulated - a short one-line description, and a screenshots folder, following a naming convention under a ".projnfo" folder (description.txt, visibility.txt, screenshots\\*.png, etc.), with a quick program to accumulate these into a single HTML page overview. My latest iteration of this actually adds shortcut links to launch VS, git shells, etc. and dynamically updates, but ditched the screenshots (for now): [http://i.imgur.com/gbj1Cr5.png](http://i.imgur.com/gbj1Cr5.png) . I keep telling myself I'll eventually spin off a public version of that page, but so far I haven't. But a common goal: Make it absolutely trivial/low friction to give something a quick summary.

Most recently, I'm now also trying to embrace the idea of "always be shipped (tm)" as a means of combating my tendency to get hung up on perfectionism - <USER2> the most extreme form, this means a public github project and an empty initial commit is my first push, the second commit maybe adds something that's actually usable, and the third commit is a .nuspec so I can package it and reuse it at a whim (completely ignoring the question of if it's even worth reusing.) This also encourages me to pick up an old project against instead of rewriting a whole "new and improved" version - easier to just fix the old one than go through all the effort of .nuspec s and new github projects etc etc etc... and in this state, "closing" a project is a simple matter of no longer committing to it. No cleanup necessary before making it public - it already was public!

I still have some projects that I never make public, or only make a github page public for though.

<comment><USER7> Cool, always had a smiliar idea, just didn't do it yet.

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> I usually push things to GitHub. When I replace my laptop every 3-5 years, I'll download the things I want to work on and leave the rest.

I also try to always put up a paragraph or two and maybe a screenshot on nfriedly.com/portfolio.

My projects are rarely "done", but "good enough to include in my portfolio" is a major milestone that often coincides with when I stop working on it so much.

</comment><comment><USER9> For code: create a readme (for your future self) that documents the state of things and dump the whole folder/project on github.

Often times, you'll have a hard time running old stuff you wrote (finding the same versions of the compiler/libraries/tools/etc.) so try to vendor your dependencies if that's an option. Even if you can't run your code down there road, having the source file can be a fun read or useful.

For non-code stuff: convert to a plain file, PDF or screenshot and file it away in your Dropbox/Google drive/whatever.

</comment><comment><USER10> It takes work to prevent things not just die due to oblivion and inactivity.

I had a bunch of Java applet computer games that ran for more than a decade but eventually were killed by applets becoming obsolete.

I ended doing the following:

1\. Putting all code on github.

2\. Making a series of youtube videos of the gameplay.

3\. Writing a blog post.

Obviously this was a lot of work; but so was creating the games.

It felt good doing the "archive" of them even though no one else cares. I suppose it is a bit organising a box of old photos; makes you think about what you have been doing.

<comment><USER10> And also: Publish it.

Eventhough no-one will use it; this forces you (at least that's how I work) to make things look decent. Make sure you code actually compiles and it is complete.

</comment></comment><comment><USER11> Keep all the code, mockups, assets, etc. Running a web dev/design shop for 6 years, many clients have come back even years later asking for a specific file, or a small variation in an old asset. I kept the code on GitHub and the assets on Google Drive. If you want to delete things, send the client the .zip archive first so the ball is in their court when they need something from the past. I didn't put too much value in post mortems or recaps.

</comment><comment><USER12> I am a digital hoarder... I have folders on my hard drive with stuff I created 25 years ago still on there... AND backed up on multiple cloud locations too!

</comment><comment><USER13> I don't. Mine just lapse into torpor, sometimes indefinitely, but more often I end up cycling back when my interests cycle back around to whatever they were about. They seem to be roughly seasonal. So if I look at created/modified dates on one of my old unfinished projects I'll see something like:

file_a 2014-05-04

file_b 2015-04-17

file_c 2016-03-23

Clearly that's something that my mind gets interested in around springtime (for no consciously apparent reason). I wrote it in one language in 2014, redesigned it in 2015, and rewrote it in a different language last year. Who knows what I'll do with it this year or next?

I don't purge because I know I'm likely to want to take it up again, or at least pluck part of it out to use in something new.

</comment><comment><USER14> I personally have a repo full of old code and move projects there once I'm done with them: [https://github.com/Xe/code](https://github.com/Xe/code)

<comment><USER15> Why'd you want to do that? You loose your history etc.

<comment><USER16> I don't understand that fixation on "history", it was helpful couple of times to find who did change and if there is ticketing system with attached ticket then I get some context. But bunch of diffs does not matter and for side project that I am doing on my own what I care for is current state not that I changed name of class and then changed it again two days later. Maybe I am missing something?

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> Do film directors delete their old films? Musicians delete their old music? Photographers delete their old photos? Why would you delete your old code?

</comment><comment><USER18> When I was a homeschooling parent, it occurred to me that kids in public school were "done" when the school year ended, even if they had not read every page of every textbook issued to them. Up until then, we had been struggling with this sense of failure or something for not finishing all textbooks or whatever. After that, I began deciding on certain metrics for "done" and then coming up with small rituals to give us all closure. When they were no longer below grade level, I had them pack up the phonics program they hated so I could mail it to their cousin. That way they knew they were "done" and could be happy with it.

You can do whatever floats your boat here. You are probably the best judge of which pieces have residual value worth preserving in some manner and which things are just basically leeching your time, energy, mental space and hard drive space (or whatever).

</comment><comment><USER15> I like the idea of creating a memorial blog post.

I don't understand though why you mention "open source" as a method. Although some people do this, I don't think github etc. should become graveyards of abandoned projects. Open source should rather be a method of developing a project. (When you're done with it put a note at the top of your README.)

WRT to (digital) archiving etc., I'd like to take a slightly different take on that topic: Every project is of limited interest. Sooner or later your interest will wane. Let's organize projects (or rather their digital artifacts) in a way that incorporates this fact. E.g. put all files related to project X, you created this year, into "Projects/2017/X" and create a symlink to that folder in "Projects/now", where you keep your references to projects that you're working on now. No need to archive anything later on. Just remove the symlink.

<comment><USER19> > I don't think github etc. should become graveyards of abandoned projects. > Open source should rather be a method of developing a project.

Ending a project by releasing it as open source is a reasonable form of "closure" for the developer. For future viewers, a reasonably well-documented- but-abandoned project still offers insights for future developers to draw from.

</comment></comment><comment><USER20> I don't understand why should you delete any piece of your work. Disk is so cheap you can keep it forewer.

</comment><comment><USER21> Depends on the situation, but generally some fairly bad ideas... "node.js left-pad" and "Mark Pilgrim 410"

</comment><comment><USER22> I zip it up (makes it easy to manage, especially with node.js) and throw it onto my backup server (With mirroring to B2).

</comment><comment><USER23> I still keep my high school project online. It's not a lot of effort.

[https://www.szatkus.pl/oki/](https://www.szatkus.pl/oki/) [https://github.com/szatkus/oki](https://github.com/szatkus/oki)

</comment><comment><USER24> I put code, data and other files on trusted cloud services like Dropbox or Google Drive. I also make a copy on a external hard drive in case any of these cloud services go down one day. A README.md is the essential index to organize the files.

</comment><comment><USER25> When I finish a side project I check it off my to do list and then put it on my public portfolio. The process is very gratifying.

</comment><comment><USER26> I keep the landing page up but show an alert that the project is discontinued.

</comment><comment><USER27> Archive folder works. Disc space is cheap and plentiful!</comment>


Ask HN: How did they get my email? - <AUTHOR> Hi,
I was searching for an image on google and went to Price Minister (http://www.priceminister.com/) on the specific product page of what I was looking for.
I shared the image to a friend and closed all the tab related to my search.
Half an hour after, I received an email from Price Minister suggesting me to buy or sell that specific product I viewed.
Now I know this is kind of "normal" for a e-commerce shop, but what is really interesting/troubling is that, even though I have an account with the correct email :
* I did not logged in that website since at least 2 years * I formatted my computer a few times since the last time I connected to Price Minister * The IP provided by my ISP is changing in a week basis * I took a look on their website, I'm not logged in (of course!)
That's the reason I'm turning to you.
Do you know how they did to know it was me ?!
Thank you for your insights. I believe they will be interesting ! <comment><USER2> Among other things, they're using Criteo Email, which can supposedly identify an e-mail address for up to 30% of a site's unregistered traffic.

[http://www.criteo.com/what-we-do/products/](http://www.criteo.com/what-we- do/products/)

You'll find that, along with a dozen other marketing/tracking related products, by observing all the JavaScript tags the site loads through your browser's network inspector. You won't find some of them in the HTML source because they're using tag managers to inject additional script tags into the page after it's loaded.

<comment><USER3> That's very creep. Would adblocker stop that kind of script injection?

<comment><AUTHOR> There is a nice article in LifeHacker that may come in handy for the problem here : [http://lifehacker.com/the-best-browser-extensions-that- prote...](http://lifehacker.com/the-best-browser-extensions-that-protect-your- privacy-479408034)

I personnaly went with Disconnect ([https://disconnect.me/](https://disconnect.me/) \- [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/disconnect/jeoacaf...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/disconnect/jeoacafpbcihiomhlakheieifhpjdfeo/related) ) but the LifeHacker post is a must read imho.</comment></comment></comment>


Ask HN: How to you share url with your team? - <AUTHOR> There are many tools to share url publicly or store/bookmark privately. But how do you share url with a a team or team members? <comment><USER2> Funny you ask this -- I'm working on a project that solves this exact use case:

[http://www.curabase.com](http://www.curabase.com)

We were just on Show HN [1] and Product Hunt earlier this week.

[1] - [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11629489](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11629489)

[2] - [https://www.producthunt.com/tech/curabase](https://www.producthunt.com/tech/curabase)

Wow, there must be something in the ether as there have been a string of Ask HN/Show HN questions around links and bookmarks...

<comment><AUTHOR> Looks like papaly.com

</comment></comment><comment><USER3> Slack, and even good old-fashioned email, are pretty helpful for quick shares. If you're looking for something more persistent, there's a lack of great solutions at the moment.</comment>


YouTube and Facebook escape billions in copyright payouts after EU vote - <AUTHOR> https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jul/05/youtube-could-escape-billions-in-copyright-payouts-after-eu-vote <comment><USER2> Again with the "copyright math". If the copyright holders could, they'd ask for a license for breathing air, claiming they wrote about breathing air first.

TheGuardian seems to be rooting for this law pretty hardcore. I wonder what they've been promised by the law's lobbyists.

</comment><comment><USER3> This seems to be a pretty one-sided article in favour of the law, I guess all these talks about independence of journalism go down the drain when your financial interests are not aligned.</comment>


Ask HN: How do you organise and de-duplicate photos from old storage? - <AUTHOR> I have reached a point in my life where I have 7 HDDs (ranging from 60GB to 500GB) filled with family photos and other stuff.
They have been gathering dust in my "bits and junk box".
I have started copying them over to a newer 2TB external HDD.
The problem is that there is definitely duplication and junk files coming through (MacOS hidden files, thumbnails generated by image software etc.)
Any advice how to decant all these photos, videos and other media to one storage location?
I tried copying over and then running dupeGuru. However it didn't seem to be smart enough to tell the difference between a live version of a song, versus the same studio recording. Therefore I wasn't confident in its de-duplication capabilities.
So HN, how do you go about solving this problem? <comment><USER2> For myself and my family, I wrote my own tool [1] that runs everyday on an "input folder". A quick google on "github photo organizer" shows a lot of others having done the same :)

It organizes all traversed photos by date (extracted from exif or from filename), and puts them in a "failed" folder if it can't parse the date.

If any photos get the same name, they are either deduped because they are exact duplicates, or are marked as conflicts (e.g. A.jpg and A_conflict1.jpg) if they are different.

Last time I used it for a large input it took 3h for 200GB, though I suspect network latency was the main bottleneck.

It's around 300 lines of python - verify the code for yourself if you want to use it! You probably also need to fork it if you don't intend to run it on a Synology NAS.

However, as I mentioned last time I pitched this, elodie [2] might be more suitable for others than my little hack. Haven't used it though!

1: ([https://github.com/johan- andersson01/photo_organizer](https://github.com/johan- andersson01/photo_organizer)

2: [https://github.com/jmathai/elodie](https://github.com/jmathai/elodie)

</comment><comment><USER3> Problem? What problem?

If I have two copies of an image it is easier to find and less likely to be lost. Storage is cheap. Time is finite. And anyone who judges me for having duplicate photos has bigger problems than me.

Over the years I've learned that I can make mistakes when deleting and I've had much deeper regrets over things I've lost than irritation over multiple copies of the same thing. Maybe because when I am looking for something I usually stop searching when I find the first copy.

Sure in a business environment with multiple team members and staff turnover duplicates and haphazard disorganization are often problematic. But that's not my use case. It's not costing me money beyond a couple of pennies per gigabyte.

YMMV. Good luck.

</comment><comment><USER4> For photos and videos, you can try PhotoStructure. I wrote it because I was in exactly your situation: a pile of hard drives, and no coherent organization. It won't handle deduping other files types, though.

[https://photostructure.com/about/introducing- photostructure/](https://photostructure.com/about/introducing-photostructure/)

</comment><comment><USER5> rmlint[1] works extremely well for duplicated files (including photos)

[1] [https://github.com/sahib/rmlint](https://github.com/sahib/rmlint)</comment>


On Portland's streets: Anger, fear, and a fence that divides - <AUTHOR> https://apnews.com/1dd1bb39093a3691f4e78093787ab877 <comment><USER2> > The nation is seething with anxiety and deeply divided about the role of > police, the value of Black lives and the limits of federal authority in an > election season like none other.

This sentence hits at the heart of the issue, but not in the way the author intended.

Our politics is no longer about persuasion, but is entirely about division. The author here is a participant, unwitting or otherwise, in this division. He writes "The nation is seething with anxiety and deeply divided about... the value of Black lives". _There is no division about the value of black lives._ The division is about specific policies and their affect on black lives.

Do we need less policing in black neighborhoods, or more? Do we need to change the rules of engagement for police officers? Do we need laws about the use of body cameras? Do we need more community outreach?

But these aren't the questions that are pervading the public discourse. Why? Because politicians and journalists are intent on obfuscating the real issues. Because the goal isn't to solve the problems, the goal is to harness the outrage that these problems generate, and channel that outrage into clicks and/or votes.

<comment><USER3> This is very well put, and why I am one of many who are just rolling our eyes at most news coming out of long-time established news sources. The pushing of narratives has reached levels that make almost all news regarding politics untrustworthy.</comment></comment>


Chandrayaan-2 Update: Lunar Orbit Insertion - <AUTHOR> https://www.isro.gov.in/update/20-aug-2019/chandrayaan-2-update-lunar-orbit-insertion <comment><USER2> Here's a nice orbit simulation for Chandrayaan-2 mission: [https://sankara.net/chandrayaan2.html](https://sankara.net/chandrayaan2.html)

<comment><USER3> It's a really nice tool, I had several ah-hah moments!

Does anyone know what the teleportation glitch is right at Lunar capture?

<comment><USER4> n-body problems are hard, 2-body problems are easy (can by analytically solved)

One pretty accurate way of approximating orbits is the patched conic method where you break your n-body problem into multiple 2-body problems picking the most influential body for specific parts of a journey.

Interplanetary journeys will have three parts ex. earth-craft, sun-craft, and mars-craft.

The glitch might be some noise switching between two different patches.

<comment><USER5> > One pretty accurate way of approximating orbits is the patched conic method > where you break your n-body problem into multiple 2-body problems picking > the most influential body for specific parts of a journey.

So, KSP's "Sphere of Influence" ?

<comment><USER4> Yup, that's the term used in engineering as well.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> I love the fact the chandrayaan uses earths gravity for most of its journey. This is simply amazing idea of saving energy and realying alot on maths. That's incredible achivement over thousands of kms.

<comment><USER7> Not to be a thorn in your excitement but gravity assist is a standard technique for more than 40 years in space exploration. Literally every spacecraft uses it in some way or the other.

<comment><USER8> Not to be a thorn in your excitement but as an expert in orbital mechanics (I have a certificate from University of Kerbin) there is absolutely no assist anywhere in this manouver. The pattern is just raising apogee of the orbit around Earth by performing prograde burn close to perigee.

The only reason this could have any mechanical advantage is due to Oberth effect if the engine was low thrust type. With low thrust it takes long time to perform the burn and so part of the burn would be performed away from perigee which makes it less efficient. Splitting it would allow them to overall perform it closer to perigee.

Other than that it has no advantage over straight burn (ie. directly from LEO to Moon using Hohmann transfer), mechanically, but it could have other advantages. Making last burn shorter makes it likely more precise than single long burn. It also probably allowed them to perform some burns to test the craft before the most important one. There might be other reasons like testing communications equipment which might be difficult in LEO but they might not want to perform it before committing to insertion.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> I will get downvoted for this but man that website is pre 1980s

<comment><USER10> Many Indian government websites are old and some of them don't even have a proper HTTPS certificate.

</comment></comment><comment><USER11> > The orbit achieved is 114 km x 18072 km.

Are there plans to circularize this orbit, or will the lander be the only part that enters an orbit that isn't highly elliptical?

<comment><USER12> From the _linked article_ :

"Following this, a series of orbit maneuvers will be performed on Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft to enable it to enter its final orbit passing over the lunar poles at a distance of about 100 km from the Moon's surface.

Subsequently, the lander will separate from the Orbiter and enters into a 100 km X 30 km orbit around the Moon. Then, it will perform a series of complex braking maneuvers to soft land in the South polar region of the Moon on September 7, 2019."

<comment><USER11> This doesn't answer my question of whether the orbiter will remain in its highly elliptical orbit or not.

<comment><USER13> "On entering Moon's sphere of influence, on-board thrusters will slow down the spacecraft for Lunar Capture. Subsequently the orbit of Chandrayaan-2 around the moon will be circularised to a 100x100 km orbit through a series of orbital maneuvers."

<comment><USER14> The series of 4 planned orbital maneuvers are outlined here [https://www.isro.gov.in/update/14-aug-2019/chandrayaan-2-suc...](https://www.isro.gov.in/update/14-aug-2019/chandrayaan-2-successfully- enters-lunar-transfer-trajectory)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER15> Go go go go go!!!!!

</comment><comment><USER16> To the moon and back! :-)

</comment><comment><USER17> Any country that can build (or buy) rockets can do this now. So, why even bother?

<comment><USER18> So which country do you think can do it and still isn't doing it?

How many countries do you think are capable of doing it?</comment></comment>


George Orwell's Biggest Fear Went Far Beyond Big Brother - <AUTHOR> http://www.businessinsider.com/george-orwells-biggest-fear-went-far-beyond-big-brother-2013-6?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+businessinsider+%28Business+Insider%29 <comment><USER2> A surprise is that they don't mention his "Homage to Catalonia", which tells Orwell's experience of fighting in the Spanish civil war. It may have been the first time that he encountered the ugly face of the Soviet Union's totalitarian system, making him question the ideology behind. "Animal Farm" and "1984" look to me like they were heavily influenced by Orwell's experience in the civil war.

The big brother surveillance part in "1984" is really only part of the story - there is a lot more in the book, and it wasn't science fiction either.</comment>


A Game of Shark and Minnow (2013) - <AUTHOR> http://www.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/2013/10/27/south-china-sea/

<comment><USER2> tl;dr Spratly Islands, yet another contentious SouthEast Asian island network. This time between the Philippines and China. Lots of pictures and video.</comment>


Negotiating to a $300k Offer at Google, Uber and Snap - <AUTHOR> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CxSvqyEjNE&t=1s <comment><USER2> humblebrag much? Also if you're not making at least 300k in the bay at one of these companies you're probably not doing a good job.</comment>


Is the Jump Box Obsolete? - <AUTHOR> http://radar.oreilly.com/2014/01/is-the-jump-box-obsolete.html

<comment><AUTHOR> The author seems to have a solution to sell so that puts me on alert, but this is the only post I could find suggesting bastion hosts are not a good idea.

This HN thread has a lot of back and forth on bastions vs VPNs: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8637154](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8637154)

Basically, I'm trying to migrate our bare metal servers into an AWS and am looking for best practices. I've more or less followed this guide so far: [http://blog.bwhaley.com/reference-vpc- architecture](http://blog.bwhaley.com/reference-vpc-architecture)

<comment><USER2> I think jump servers are like app pools in IIS - they're not necessarily a good idea anymore, and can introduce problems, but they're not "considered harmful" yet.

</comment></comment><comment><USER2> These days, I see jump boxen used for routing reasons more than security. VPNs won long ago.

A user may be permitted to connect from their laptop to a specific server, but not be able to route there. This is common when navigating dispirate networks - i.e. VPN to router to VDI to virtual switch to office to datacenter to managed appliance to VM. It's usually cheaper and easier to have users RDP thru a middle server than have a network architect troubleshoot.</comment>


How Apple should have implemented the controls on the new iPod Shuffle - <AUTHOR> http://www.robotification.com/component/content/article/61-controlsnewipodshuffle.html

<comment><USER2> Once again I am glad that Apple does not do what it supposedly "should" do. Current design has some advantages: namely your controls are always more or less in the same place. You don't have to reach in your pockets, grab around yourself looking where did you clip that damn shuffle — just grab the wire and you are done. Proposed design has more flaws than advantages, not to mention the cost of such interface.

<comment><USER3> Depending on you wear your shuffle, the proposed design could be downright embarrassing! (I can imagine a variety of situations where it would look like I'm itchy or compulsive.)

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> Here's what I've learned about second guessing Apple's design on just about anything: don't.

...or at least, if you're going to do so, you first have to acknowledge the degree of success they've had in the past. Don't go declaring the shuffle's controls "flawed" until you have some hard evidence to back up that claim because, chances are, if it's your guess against Johnny Ive's, I'll trust Ive thankyouverymuch!

<comment><USER5> Well, you can try to find the problems in their occasional bad designs. And if you're a real UI guru, maybe you'll have a good criticism for even a good product.

But the rest of the time? _Yeah._

</comment></comment><comment><USER6> I really like this design - the controls are far more intuitive than those actually present on the new Shuffle. They also permit the use of non-Apple headphones, or other speaker systems, a major criticism of the current system.

That said, the headphone controls should also be kept as an optional extra - they are easier to use when you're running, wearing a heavy coat etc).

<comment><USER7> The moment you admit to "optional extras", you've already lost the war.

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> Step 1) Remove the proposed device from your pocket without altering its current state (don't interrupt playback, or start playing when silent). Step 2) Operate all of the functions of the device one-handed.

If you can do that, the controls work. If not, punt.

</comment><comment><USER9> His thesis: The Shuffle's controls should mimic the iPhone/iPod Touch/Trackpad's gestural interface. I think that's interesting, but sop short of saying this is what they _should_ have done. But as long as we're using Apple's ideas to make suggestions to Apple, how about a shuffle that has an intertial interface like the iPhone/iPod Touch?

* Shake to re-shuffle the playlist

* Flick in one direction to advance to the next song

* Flick in the other direction to regress to the previous song

Just kidding... I like the Shuffle :-)

<comment><USER10> can you imagine how pissed joggers would be if it worked like that? :-P

</comment></comment><comment><USER11> Kinda like bezel in Garmin 405? Please don't. It's a pain, extreme pain to control using touches because it is often not reacting as it should, and on a drop of rain, or motion against wall can do lots of harm.</comment>


Repo Meltdown Shows Budget Deficit Has Limits - <AUTHOR> https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-09-26/repo-meltdown-shows-budget-deficit-has-limits <comment><USER2> Someone is broke you just don't know who it is yet. Repo rates go to the moon when you have no collateral to post for overnight repos loans.</comment>


Why I Invested in Bitcoin  - Chamath Palihapitiya - <AUTHOR> http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-30/bitcoin-the-perfect-schmuck-insurance.html

<comment><AUTHOR> What are some good stats available to analyze Bitcoin market? I would like to ask to HNers what do you think about Bitcoin future.

</comment><comment><USER2> He did list one good reason to invest: schmuck insurance.</comment>