Bay Area Politicians Strangling the Region's Key Industry - <AUTHOR> http://reason.com/archives/2016/08/26/bay-area-politicians-strangling-the-regi <comment><USER2> > Five years after the boom, it's time for San Francisco to ask the tech > companies to pay their fair share.

I read a comment like this and I ask what the heck I'm paying taxes for? I'm getting ripped in _both_ state and federal taxes. If the cities aren't getting their fair share of the money then they should take it up with he state, because somebody is sure getting paid!

<comment><USER3> It's infuriating. Higher salaries = higher taxes. Tech is already paying more than its fair share of taxes. These same politicians are trying to blame tech success as the sole cause of high housing costs, ignoring their own failures to deal with poor regional transportation and the regulatory impossibility of building enough housing.

<comment><USER4> Who is representing your cause politically? Sounds like a good case for a political action committee

<comment><USER5> I suppose there would be:

San Francisco Housing Action Coalition [http://www.sfhac.org/](http://www.sfhac.org/)

San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association [http://www.spur.org](http://www.spur.org)

And there are smaller efforts such as:

GrowSF [http://www.growsanfrancisco.org](http://www.growsanfrancisco.org)

SF Bay Area Renters' Federation [http://www.sfbarf.org](http://www.sfbarf.org)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> The behaviour of the politicians is not a baffling as the _Reason_ authors make it seem. Money-making industries can be troublesome for their locales.

When I lived in London I thought it was a great city but felt there was "too much money" in it. I.e. finance people could drive up prices for the rest of us. But then again, it was that very money that made the place great.

So while zero-sum leftism is silly, it is still in the interest of San Fransicans to try and grab some of the IT bonanza through taxes. A vindictive one-indsutry only tax is ugly, but property-value taxes would get right to the heart of the problem.

<comment><USER7> London also has another problem, non-domiciled residents who only have to pay a flat fee income tax on global income and a non-existent property tax scheme. The combo leads to an explosion of real estate as bank account and very wealthy people moving into the key city of London, making it impossible for even the upper middle class salaried briton to buy property.

You might as well call the entire UK rainy Monaco.

On top of that, the finance types have been there for quite a while, but it's only in the recent few decades that have made london extra crazy.

Other regions of the USA have had economic booms, but it hasn't ended up with hyper growth in property prices because they have less supply restrictions in development.

<comment><USER8> I literally just saw a Russell Brand documentary on this. To be fair it was more galvanizing than factual.

<comment><USER7> As long as the non-dom resident income tax rule is real, that is enough to attract the non-british super rich to the UK in droves.

And we know the lack of property tax rule is real.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> This seems like a wildly outdated article. I haven't heard anything off late on the bus situation and I believe the tide is turning when it comes to housing. There are still some clueless opposition like the Aron Peskin and the Palo Alto mayor, but a consensus is rapidly developing that more housing is needed. Also, other than SF, most cities in Peninsula and East Bay go out of the way to court tech. Look at Mt. View granting land to LinkedIn or Fremont creating Warm Springs corridor.

<comment><USER10> Great! More deadlock on the 101.

<comment><USER11> They could also build a larger road for the most popular commuter route. Or even some form of public transport that's good enough for people to want to use. I realise that the idea of spending tax funds on improving infrastructure is considered radical in California, but I feel that it has some weight of historical evidence behind it.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> As someone that is soon moving to san francisco for a job, can someone explain to me why tech jobs are still located there? are tech workers really resistant to moving out of that horrible city and state? I will take a 10% reduction in salary to live in Miami, Atlanta or New York over San Francisco. All of those are cities with actual vibrant culture and the rent is actually lower.

<comment><USER13> The single unique thing about California, and therefore SF/Silicon Valley/the Bay area is that by _long_ standing public policy, non-competes are unenforceable for employees like you, making it a very liquid market for talent.

This Wikipedia item is on the front page right now: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12372315](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12372315) i.e. the "traitorous eight" ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traitorous_eight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traitorous_eight) ); we wouldn't even be here discussing all this if Shockley had been able to keep his dissatisfied employees from working in the brand new field of semiconductors when they could no longer stand working for him, ditto when they left Fairchild Semiconductor to e.g. start Intel, which besides the microprocessors was the first company to commercially sell DRAMs.

On the other hand, Texas Instruments managed to be a leader in all of the early stages of all this while based in Texas, even created the standard TTL logic family used by just about everyone to make computers until microprocessors became capable enough. And in several stages Motorola was competitive without as far as I know having a significant Silicon Valley base.

</comment></comment><comment><USER5> This article leaves out the people, and that makes it a weak rote-Libertarian rant. Very disappointing.

The politicians wouldn't have power without local support. In San Francisco, the power is centered in individual neighborhoods. Especially when you take into account campaign contributions, community organizations, and voter turnout.

The article mentions Campos, Mar, and Peskin, all representatives of majority old, rich, white neighborhoods. When David Chiu left to go to the California Assembly and Ed Lee appointed the business-tolerant Julie Christensen in his place, Peskin managed to out-spend and out-organize her and returned to the Board of Supervisors.

On the other hand, Supervisor Tang represents a district with a lot of Asian families who are discovering that without new housing nearby, their grown children have to stay at home indefinitely or move far away. I'm not sure what motivates Scott Wiener; I don't interact with his district much. So, there is diversity among the politicians, but the majority are propped up by narrow- minded local interests.

</comment><comment><USER14> Is it so strange that perhaps maybe the volatile tech industry that has had a spectacular crash before may have another one in the near future? And if so, wouldn't it be better that the tech industry not completely fuel the Bay Area economy and create a potential oversupply of housing at the same time? Would it not make more sense to tax this anomalous sector to keep things more balanced (i.e. disincentivize further growth) before the area ends up in a potentially similar situation as Detroit?

I don't live in the Bay Area, so I'm observing this from the outside. And I don't know much about the Bay Area economy either, so these aren't rhetorical questions, nor necessarily informed ones. But to me, the actions of these politicians, regardless of motivation, on the surface kind of seem rational in a long-term hedging-our-economy kind of way.

<comment><USER15> New York City's financial industry went through a devestating crash in 1929. Fifteen years later, would you have believed it better for the city to _not_ become the world capital of finance?

</comment></comment><comment><USER16> Excellent article. The only reason SF is an outlier is because the housing supply is an outlier. Japan is an excellent counter example as well.

</comment><comment><USER17> I hate to say anything positive about DC, but here we go. DC has grown significantly faster than San Francisco since 2000. And because it's relatively low regulation, that growth has been relatively painless. There is a ton of construction everywhere: 12-14 story buildings popping up left and right.

<comment><USER18> I cant say much about SF, since I'm rarely there, but in the South Bay there has been a ton of construction going on. Near where I live in Sunnyvale, there has been a dramatic amount within the past few years. 1 and 2 story buildings have been getting replaced with 4 or 5 story ones, and much of construction is near the rail corridor, major highways, or El Camino (a major non highway road).

Not all of the Bay Area is stuck with regressive development regulation. Caltrain electrification (supposed to be completed in 2020, which is probably realistic now that funding is finally in place), BART expansion (ongoing, not sure final completion date), and other various transportation improvements like bus rapid transit will all also help improve the region.

</comment></comment><comment><USER19> Shorter version: Bay Area politicians disagree with author, so market results must be ignored since they are not in line with his ideology

</comment><comment><USER20> Any other industry would threaten to leave town.

</comment><comment><USER21> HN's seriously voting up this libertarian wank?

</comment><comment><USER22> "If it moves, tax it. If it keeps on moving, regulate it. If it stops moving, subsidize it."

      - Ronald Wilson Reagan, talking about his competition

Some things never change.</comment>


Basic Design Principles for Software Developers - <AUTHOR> http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000853.html <comment><USER2> Great inclusion. Why? Well it has to do with software developers who have highly developed skills with algorythms, numbers and language but abysmal visual, colour, drawing and graphic design skills. So any book that 1) makes them see they have missed out developing these skills and 2) the basics of how to start and recognise what is required is good.

I can only think of a handful of developers who are hackers, programmers and artists. Just like maths, writing and playing music it's just another form of literacy to be learn.

</comment><comment><USER3> This is design as in graphic design, not software design. Just in case anyone else didn't realise from the title.</comment>


2010: The Open Source Tools that Made it Great - <AUTHOR> http://collectiveidea.com/blog/archives/2010/12/13/2010-the-open-source-tools-that-made-it-great/

<comment><USER2> I agree. Bundler is a gem that has changed the way I work.</comment>


[Offer HN] Code cleaning and other services - <AUTHOR>

Will clean code for $20 per 100 lines of cleaned code. The 100 lines does not include blank lines, lines with only a single bracket, or comments. Code can be HTML, JavaScript, PHP, JSON, CSS, or any mix. Can also do other types of reformatting on a case by case basis, contact me for special requests.
I will reformat the code and clean where necessary. I normally use a single tab for indenting code but will use two or four spaces if you would rather use spaces. I can either double space output code or single space it, whichever you prefer and the cost would be the same. I might use a script or regex in some instances but will also triple check the code to make sure it will still function properly.
Offering 10 lines of free cleaning to anyone who requests it.
Other services ($20 per hour): Minimization of JavaScript and CSS. Testing, and fixing JavaScript or PHP code. Creation of custom Twitter Bootstrap, JavaScript, jQuery, or PHP widgets and applications. Will clean unorganized websites file-structures (imgs, css, js, includes into folders).
Why am I doing this? The startup I was working for went under in December and it left me out of a job. Bills and rent are piling up, my small reserve fund has dwindled to pretty much nothing, and freelance web development has been harder to get started in than I thought. Any other work opportunities would also be greatly appreciated.
For more information about any service offered and to contact me please email firstname.lastname@example.com
Thanks everyone, this has been my favorite news community for the past couple years and I hope this message isn't too much of an advertisement or anything negative, I'm just looking for some work. Please don't hesitate to contact me or post here if you have any questions. <comment><USER2> I don't have anything to offer at the moment, but good for you for sticking your head out, I hope it pays off for you!

<comment><AUTHOR> Thank you! I was very hesitant to post this because I've always had the mindset of "if your product is good enough then you don't need salesmen" but have only recently realized otherwise.

I figured everyone has a few old sloppy projects that need cleaning up but it's not worth their time, it's worth my time at the moment though so I figured it would be a worthwhile to all parties to advertise my service.

If this gets enough response and I can't manage the workload, then I will probably consider creating a website to allow connecting people and trusted code cleaners.</comment></comment>


Learning Synths - <AUTHOR> https://learningsynths.ableton.com/ <comment><USER2> The best resource I've ever seen for learning synthesis is Syntorial: [https://www.syntorial.com/](https://www.syntorial.com/)

It teaches you step by step all the aspects of a synth engine: oscillators, wave shapes, amplitude, filters, modulation, unison, FM… But most of all it trains your ear, which allows you to replicate the sound in your head and build it from scratch.

<comment><USER3> That looks really great, but a little pricey. Any recs for someone who isn't sure if they want to invest the cash into learning synthesis?

<comment><USER4> Just fyi, Syntorial is currently on sale at VST Buzz for half price (~$65USD): [https://vstbuzz.com/deals/50-off-syntorial-by-audible- genius...](https://vstbuzz.com/deals/50-off-syntorial-by-audible-genius/)

<comment><USER5> Thanks for the link! Considering that I was about to buy Syntorial at full price, I'd like to donate $30 to a charity on your behalf. Reply here or email me with the name of the charity that you'd like the money to go to.

<comment><USER4> Hey! I'm not knowledgeable enough to endorse a specific national charity, so I'd suggest that you buy some local artist's merch or donate to your local/regional human or animal shelter!

<comment><USER5> Okay! I donated $30 to the SF SPCA. Thanks again for the tip! [https://www.evernote.com/l/ABLjCal10i5CnYiRvlMhlxj_vGjFWojD2...](https://www.evernote.com/l/ABLjCal10i5CnYiRvlMhlxj_vGjFWojD2Qg)

<comment><USER4> That's a fantastic choice! Glad I could help you save a few (dozen) bucks.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> If you have an interest in synths, you owe it to yourself to read _Synth Secrets_ by Gordon Reid. Published in 63 parts in _Sound on Sound_ magazine, it remains the definitive tutorial on synth programming.

[https://www.soundonsound.com/search/articles/%22Synth%20Secr...](https://www.soundonsound.com/search/articles/%22Synth%20Secrets%22?solrsort=ds_created%20asc&f%5B0%5D=im_field_subject%3A8106)

<comment><USER7> These are pretty technical articles, but absolutely amazing in terms of content. I remember reading them nearly 20 years ago when I first got into using synths.

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> Question: All of "learn synths" tutorials I've managed to dig up are really "sound creation" tutorials.

I have not found a good tutorial or paid online class on how to _play_ synths. Is taking a traditional piano course the best way to do so? Observationally, the play style seems quite different, even if some basics are the same. Most practically, I see synths typically played with right hand, left hand is on the modulator or knobs.

Basically, I'm finding it hard to find resources on how to play and make the most out of your synth (as opposed to piano), once you have dialed in the _sound_ you want...

<comment><USER9> Nothing beats a teacher but there are some problematic things with piano teachers IME. (I've had 2 over the past 20 years)

\- Piano is super super super biased towards classical music

\- Huge emphasis on reading music and playing it back even if you're not understanding it

\- Weakness on developing a sense of rhythm and playing by ear

\- Weakness on learning to play with others

\- The weakness on understanding leads to a difficulty in memorization AFAICT

All this stuff gets ironed out in piano lessons I'm sure but it seems to happen at a pretty late stage that isn't great for an adult beginner. It takes away some of the fun.

I have never taken classical guitar but in contrast to piano your typical guitar lessons are near 100% the other way around. Way more emphasis on using your ears, developing rhythm, playing with others, etc..

The only reason I mention this is a lot of synth music is pop music that has a lot more in common with guitar centric music.

The ridiculous thing is I haven't taken a piano lesson since 2015, I've been taking guitar. My sense of rhythm if I sit down at a keyboard/piano is way better now than when I was playing piano every day and taking classical style lessons. If I went back to some piano now I expect I would improve dramatically from where I was in short order.

<comment><USER8> FWIW (OP here), I've been playing guitar for years (not great, but fun enough:), have no knowledge of piano, and can have tons of fun with it just mixing up the basic chord progressions and playing around. I mean, compared to the guitar - the notes are in order! One after another, in a neat sequence! What a concept! :-) :-) :-)

So I think we're in agreement - I _feel_ (rightly or wrongly) that I could take two years of classical piano lessons, and get _no_ closer to what I want to do with a synth than I am today :-/. Whereas I feel just from playing the guitar, I can already do, say, 10-15% of what I want to do with a synth, and want to explore further in _that_ direction...

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> Possibly unpopular opinion, but IMO to learn a synth it's best to start with a simple physical subtractive monosynth.

Software synths are often built to model popular hardware instruments in both sound and interface. So learning the basic concepts on a "real" subtractive synth builds a foundation to learn more.

Plus a physical synth is far less distracting than a multitasking device. I find it much easier to create, experiment and learn when a screen is not involved.

<comment><USER11> Or go modular. Just be prepared to remortgage your house a year later. Seriously addictive

[1] [https://imgur.com/a/chegsO5](https://imgur.com/a/chegsO5) (my setup)

<comment><USER12> Non-snarky question: how much music do you _finish_?

Every time I think about getting more into synths, I worry that I'll just end up endlessly noodling and never actually complete any songs. Years ago, I bought a copy of Reason and had tons of fun playing with it, but eventually I realized that after every session, I was rarely any closer to having a completed work I could share with others.

<comment><USER13> This question comes up a lot with synths and especially hardware and Eurorack gear.

For me not being focused on finishing anything is what got me back into playing music (and eventually performing live sets).

Previously there was so much pressure to produce end results I couldn't even get started and lost all joy in the process. At some point I got some hardware to just play with and never really looked up how to save anything (was a Drumbrute, Meeblip and I borrowed a Beatstep). Was making odd acid tracks and silly sketches on my kitchen table every night that I'd lose as soon as I turned it all off. It was oddly freeing, and really fun.

A year later I was playing out gigs ranging from 20 mins to 3 hours. And one could even argue that I've still not finished any songs despite hours of recordings and performance as it's mostly improvisational.

Now I'm happily back in the noodling around and having fun stage again and loving it (though about to switch gears again).

Anyway - just figured I'd weigh in as there's often a lot of pressure to finish or record things when just playing around or building weird synths is in and of itself a really really fun (if expensive) hobby and maybe someone needs to hear that. :)

(also perfectly fine if your focus is on complete songs, of course)

<comment><USER12> This is useful data, thanks.

I'm going through a sort of mini-midlife crisis right now and one of the things I'm thinking about is whether I can make music part of my life again. I used to be in a rock band and it was _tons_ of fun, but I'm in my 40s with kids so the logistics of rehearsing with other people and playing shows at night make that unlikely.

Another path I'm considering is making electronic music. That's mostly what I listen to and I used to tinker with it before I started a band, so I have some experience with synthesizers, beats, etc. It's much more amenable to my life style now because I can do it after the kids go to bed. But also, back then, I had a lot of trouble getting anything done and often ended up feeling disappointed.

It's not enough for me to just noodle with a synth for a few hours. I want something I can share with other people, which implies to me that I need to be able to finish things. So I'm just trying to figure out strategies for that before I drop money on gear only to have it collect dust.

<comment><USER14> You don't need much money to get started with a MIDI controller and VSTs, assuming you have a good PC because most people do here on hn.

Even though the hardware people seem like the most outspoken on most forums, I enjoy doing everything in the box now and my hardware mostly just sits under its dust covers.

I have an Ableton Push2 and it's an amazing piece of kit, more like an instrument than a controller. The layout makes much more natural sense to me than a keyboard, I think because I used to play guitar.

I'm the same in that I would like to have something at the end that I can share with other people, but the finishing stuff part I haven't quite worked out.

So far that has required more discipline than I have been able to muster, but I do feel I'm making progress and my workflow is improving.

<comment><USER12> Yeah, I can definitely _afford_ to sink some money into this. It's more that I'm wired to hate myself if I spend money on something and don't use it. There are few things I despise more than feeling like I'm a poseur.

 _> Even though the hardware people seem like the most outspoken on most forums,_

Good point!

<comment><USER14> I don't like wasting money either.

Of course it's up to you, but if I were you I would just get a controller and just get started. It's never been easier, cheaper or better. If you want to save money you could just get something secondhand from ebay.

I am invested in and love Ableton but there are lots of good options out there.

Like I say, I don't think hardware is necessary these days. It is fun to have dedicated knobs for everything but if you get a good controller it's much more flexible overall.

I can put 10 instruments into a single instrument rack on a track in Ableton and immediately have 8 macro knobs to control whatever I want about all 10 instruments at once.

You can easily do crazy stuff like create mutant instruments that morph between completely different instruments or samples, and change effect settings according to how hard you play the notes, or what part of the bar you're in. The limit is really only your imagination!

Then if you want, you can just duplicate that whole complex track with a single keypress. It's crazy. You can't do that with hardware!

Getting it to sound musical is the hard part, and that's where hardware shines - because you're limited in options, you can usually just turn it on and get a good sound out if it immediately. But IMO that's not a real reason that hardware is better because of course you could limit yourself to that in software too.

You sound like you can afford it and have the desire. I would just buy something and get started. It's heaps of fun, as long as you don't put too much pressure on yourself!

<comment><USER12> _> if I were you I would just get a controller and just get started._

This is basically my plan. Except that I'm deliberately putting it on hold until I'm done with the book I'm writing because I really don't have the time and definitely don't need the distraction.

 _> It's heaps of fun, as long as you don't put too much pressure on yourself!_

But putting pressure on myself is like my #1 personality trait. :)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER15> If you like to create sound with software I can't recommend the Web Audio API[1] enough. It is a really low level API modeled after subtractive analogue synths where you create several nodes and connect them together just like you would do with voltage controlled synths.

When using it to create multiplayer online theremin[2] for fun, I got really impressed with synthesizers and inspired to learn more about them. That is, the Web Audio API inspired me to learn physical synthesizers.

Regrettably physical analog synths is an expensive hobby, so the only physical synth set that I've gotten so far is a LittleBits toy synth kit[3] (kind of like legos of synths), which I also do recommend, as an adult I can have tons of fun with it and learn and experiment, even though it is meant for kids

1: [https://developer.mozilla.org/en- US/docs/Web/API/Web_Audio_A...](https://developer.mozilla.org/en- US/docs/Web/API/Web_Audio_API)

2: [http://theremins.club](http://theremins.club)

3: [https://littlebits.com/products/synth- kit](https://littlebits.com/products/synth-kit)

</comment><comment><USER16> Just don't get into writing synths or effects if you want to make any money. Kind of like making games, it's flooded with people who do it for the love and willing to do it for salaries far less than other fields. The stereotypical musician has no money. There are currently over 3000 synths listed on KVR. It's tough to do something unique and stand out.

</comment><comment><USER17> I've read tons of books on synthesizers, I've built my own in Max/MSP and Reaktor (this drum synth for Ableton Live I still maintain [https://github.com/robenkleene/thwomp](https://github.com/robenkleene/thwomp)).

The best resource I've found for learning synthesis is Welsh's Synthesizer Cookbook ([https://www.synthesizer-cookbook.com/](https://www.synthesizer- cookbook.com/)). And it's not even close: A few years ago I went all in on ebooks, I got rid of everything. I recently went through a bunch of PDFs trying to find a replacement resource for this book (which isn't available as an ebook). Let's just say I gave up and now I own a physical copy of exactly one book.

<comment><USER18> Did you built that with some sort of IDE-ish interface?

Or do you hand-code Max? The .max files look a bit more like configuration files than code.

First time seeing the Max language:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_(software)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_\(software\))

<comment><USER17> Max is a visual programming language[1] (arguably the most popular/relevant one?). There are some good screenshots of what it looks like here [https://cycling74.com/products/max/](https://cycling74.com/products/max/) It requires using the Max app, an IDE-like environment, to use. The `.maxpat` files are JSON but not meant to be edited by hand (although I do it all the time).

Reaktor is also a visual programming language. Both cost money, a lot actually, I think Max and Max for Live (which you need to run plugins in Ableton and is sold separately) are $600 or so total.

Visual programming languages are especially popular for synthesis, I'm assuming there's a reason for that, but honestly I've never tried doing this stuff in another language (most "native" VST-style plugins are written in C++), so I can't really compare it to that or give a real explanation for if it's better. But it is simply an environment that brings me joy to work in (despite its warts), so beyond doing a bit of work in Reaktor, I've never even looked into other ways of doing these things.

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

<comment><USER19> I think sound design is one of the few domains that really really benefits from visual programming languages. You really can't work effectively without 1. instant feedback and 2. the ability to quickly alter the signal path. I know there are live sound textual programming environments, but anything more complicated than changing individual values is going to break the creative flow if you have to create new files, modify imports, etc. Doing this by dragging around nodes and edges in a graph is intuitive enough to allow you to stay focused on the act of creation instead of the implementation details. This, and the fact that DSP is fundamentally a data flow problem, make visual programming environments the ideal UI for advanced sound design.

<comment><USER20> I feel that text is actually more effective, even though I agree there's much to commend about visual dataflow languages for music. But all the dragging around boxes and connections can become irksome, not to mention the energy spent aligning stuff and trying to prevent the (inevitable) dish of spaghetti that you get above a small level of complexity. Other general advantages of text: faster editing (leverage the features of the IDE, keyboard vs mouse, etc.), easier to organize and comment code, generally easier to debug, version control, and some languages are much more flexible and powerful than anything graphical. See Supercollider, and its clients using various general purpose languages, csound, Faust, and many others. Max and PD are great though, with a nicer learning curve, fantastic projects done with them and a thriving community of users. Each to his/her own...

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER21> Wow weird coincidence, I've just started getting into Ableton and production, a sort of lifelong goal of mine, and just last night finally started watching some videos on Wavetable.

I was completely blown away by the infinity x infinity possibilities. Totally overwhelming! This tutorial is great for helping me understand the concepts, very fortuitous.

Now if I could actually sit down and make a song instead of just tweaking knobs on controllers...

<comment><USER22> I'm in a similar place as you. Best advice I got was that you learn to make great tracks by making lots of crappy tracks. Don't sweat it, just keep going, keep improving. So ignore your ego and just make a damn song already.

<comment><USER23> This is so true! I was the exact same when I started with abelton.

Someone told me you have to make 100 crap songs before your first good one. Best way to get better is to just start trying to make stuff and stop comparing your work to what you listen to on spotify. You'll improve faster than you think.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER24> This is very impressive. A ton of work went into it with all the interactivity and the explanation of what makes the sound sound like it does. Very impressive work and one of those things that really make me like the internet.

By the way, this thread is a goldmine of interesting links.

</comment><comment><USER25> Not the first time Ableton tutorial/informational content has been posted on here, and it's always a delight to see and use.

</comment><comment><USER26> Over in /r/synthizers, muffwiggler and gearslutz land (there might be other forums where the pretty hardcore hang out) they usually recommend getting a knobby synth and Ableton/logic/bitwig/reaper etc on an apple that won't overheat. So micro/mini brute, DSI mopho w/keys, monologue ($200 used or so), bass station2, ms2000, the Odyssey and ms20 recreations, there's a bunch.

Recommendations for my 2 favorite books, Snoman's book is great bc it covers the whole chain of what a EDM needs, samplers, sequencers, drum machines, DAW...: [https://old.reddit.com/r/synthesizers/comments/65o4r4/best_r...](https://old.reddit.com/r/synthesizers/comments/65o4r4/best_resources_for_learning_synthesis/)

[https://www.reddit.com/r/synthesizers/comments/80bmj3/pickin...](https://www.reddit.com/r/synthesizers/comments/80bmj3/picking_up_first_synth_recommendations/)

[https://www.reddit.com/r/synthesizers/comments/7g3uv0/best_a...](https://www.reddit.com/r/synthesizers/comments/7g3uv0/best_and_most_knobby_digital_or_hybrid_synths/)

</comment><comment><USER27> I am someone who loves music in all its forms (especially live music) but I have struggled to ever learn to play music. I don't have much natural rhythm, I have a bad ear, and I wasn't the best student when I took guitar lessons.

Recently I have gotten into synthesizers and electronic instruments in general and WOW. Suddenly music clicks for me. I think as an engineer there is something very appealing about deconstructing sounds. And thinking "this is a sine wave plus {x}" is easier on my mind than "this is an EMajor7 chord and here is the staff notation".

This is a world where you can spend a lot of money, but there's also really good cheap gear out there if you look for it. And you can learn something unique from almost any piece of gear.

While you can do it all in the computer these days (or almost all) I find that I need physical knobs and controls to unlock my creativity and make this something I look forward to after a long day of being on the computer coding.

<comment><USER28> While you can get along fine just playing around, if you are still at it after a couple of years learning music theory is very worth while. Its also something that someone with engineering skills should be able to pick up.

</comment></comment><comment><USER29> Check out audiokit [https://audiokit.io](https://audiokit.io) And our free synth app SynthOne [https://audiokitpro.com/synth/](https://audiokitpro.com/synth/)

<comment><USER30> looks cool, but that website is a bottomless pit of "learn more" buttons and pages of feature lists.

</comment></comment><comment><USER31> This is very impressive! I know the web audio APIs are not new, but this is a very slick user experience. The way the corners of the box move as you drag the controls around - _Italian chef finger-kissing gesture_

<comment><USER32> That drag-box UI does a great job of conveying the often-missed point that synthesizers can be very expressive instruments.

</comment></comment><comment><USER33> If you want to learn how to program synthesizers, I suggest reading some of the DSP code by Emilie Gillet (Mutable Instruments) [https://github.com/pichenettes/eurorack](https://github.com/pichenettes/eurorack)

</comment><comment><USER34> Not directly related, but do you know of recent achievements with a wow factor in the physical modelling synthesis field [1]? Just as some offline rendered 3d scenes are amazing, It'd be nice to have a pure virtual instrument with its string and resonance chamber model, inter-string effects, plucking mechanism, and so on.

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

<comment><USER35> Physical modelling peaked in 1993 with the Yamaha VL1 - which was an amazing synth that crashed right into the uncanny valley between sampling and real instruments.

PM is a complete nightmare to program - even harder than FM. Which was why the VL1 was a preset-only machine. The full programmimng system was never made public.

There are some modern remakes in the box, especially from TAS, but IMO they don't sound as impressive.

The appeal of analog isn't just the sound, it's the conceptual simplicity. Ditto for sampling. Almost anyone with an average-ish IQ can understand the basics.

There are plenty of alternative synthesis techniques, but they're not popular because most people find they're too much effort for too little reward.

PM, modal, spectral, and straight additive can all make some very wild sounds, but - ironically - they don't sound like most people's idea of a synthesizer, so they're used much less often, and usually only by people who are hardcore sound programming nerds.

<comment><USER36> > The appeal of analog isn't just the sound, it's the conceptual simplicity. > Ditto for sampling. Almost anyone with an average-ish IQ can understand the > basics.

But software can still the same, right? Albeit with a lot of distractions.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER37> only tangentially related, but ableton is a personal dream job . anyone have experiences working there?

</comment><comment><USER38> This is fantastic. Incredibly helpful, and really really cool animations. Great metaphors and art style.

Love this - if you're reading the comments and on the fence, it's worth going through if for no other reason than to appreciate how well this is put together.

Works flawlessly on Firefox on Windows.

</comment><comment><USER39> Check out Lorentz if you have an iOS device.

It's a virtual analog synth, similar to something like the Roland Juno 106.

</comment><comment><USER40> It's relevant also if you are interested in creating music and not specifically in synths because it very clearly explains many controls that you will find in popular music software.

</comment><comment><USER41> A not unrelated thread from 2017: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14299628](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14299628)

</comment><comment><USER42> This looks like a great addition to Ableton's own "Learning Music". Wonder if it's still written with Elm and Tone.js!

</comment><comment><USER18> This is just good web design in general. Bravo.

</comment><comment><USER43> I really liked the envelopes part. I had hard time grasping the idea back in the days.

</comment><comment> the-rc Uh, interesting Easter egg in there, Europe's The Final Countdown...

</comment><comment><USER44> Is there something like this but for programmers?

</comment><comment><USER45> This is awesome! Thanks

</comment><comment><USER46> This is delightful.</comment>


Apply HN – pnyxter – video app for debates and discussions - <AUTHOR> www.pnyxter.com
pnyxter - is a video app that allows people to discuss & debate on any topic by posting a video selfie talking about the topic or responding to existing topics via video selfie.
Today, people are used to hearing others talk on any topic via video selfies on youtube and facebook. However, the response to these videos are typically via text based comments. Text based comments  encourage easy troll and abuse (a problem faced by many in social media).  And meaningful comments are lost in the sea of 100s of useless comments on a FB post.
Real & meaningful debates & discussions happen over face to face - but that has the problem of location & time. With video one can discuss or debate with any person anywhere on earth, anytime. Moreover, a person's true emotions are expressed when he/she speaks - not when he types on keyboard!.
pnyxter is a place discover & aggregate video based debates & discussions for a topic. There is no provision of a text comment. Which means, Subject Matter Experts or people who actually have something meaningful to contribute to the discussion would be encouraged to post a video.
Debate clubs can host debates and participants would not have the restriction of location & time. Although, it would be a different & modern way of debating than the traditional face to face.
We are two developers (full time employees of other companies)  and developed this website in part-time to learn web technologies (we are primarily embedded system developers and did not know much about web technologies..up until now) and now are in the process of developing native mobile apps.
Traction is low - and we feel its mainly because of lack of mobile apps.  Eventually, we would also like to experiment with Live pre-scheduled Debates - but right now trying to find a product-market fit for offline debates & discussions.
We do need initial content - so feel free to "speak up" on topics of your interests or respond to existing topics. <comment><USER2> Design and UI look great. Honestly I'd prefer not to have to cycle through a bunch of videos when they don't seem to add much value. In fact they may even lead to certain biases. That's the whole reason why HN is just walls of text. It's easy to digest quickly.

<comment><AUTHOR> Thank you for the feedback. I do agree that this form of content consumption requires time - which many people don't have.

Some people like politicians like to debate on policies etc. and hopefully they don't mind talking.

</comment></comment><comment><USER3> I think live chat will be better. You should already try.

Blab is a little similar: [https://blab.im/martin-shkreli- shkreli-2-10-16](https://blab.im/martin-shkreli-shkreli-2-10-16)

but is not for debates.

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks for the feedback. Would you be interested to try out pnyxter and post a video on a topic?</comment></comment>


Web Design is 95% Typography - <AUTHOR> http://informationarchitects.net/blog/the-web-is-all-about-typography-period/ <comment><USER3> Web design is 95% typography and 100% content. I can't tell you how many times we have to design without knowing the actual CONTENT or text and we're forced to dropping Lorum Ipsum (fake text) in the designs. Not knowing the text stops us from knowing the USER, the target audience, and the entire REASON for the website. Actually knowing the subject, content and text makes the difference between 'nice' and 'functional'.

<comment><USER4> Honestly though, I think we need to take more responsibility in helping shape that copy. I've also had pretty bad experiences when the client had a dedicated writer assigned. My favorite approach is to, whenever copy is missing, go to a competitors site or Wikipedia, and copy/paste. At least you get an approximation, and it helps everybody who looks at the project start responding to and thinking about content. As UXers/designers/developers we might actually have a very good feel for content and are in a great position to get the process started.

An interface with Lorem Ipsum is like a portrait of a person without pupils drawn. It becomes abstract and all live is missing.

<comment><USER5> On the opposite end of this, no amount of organizing for the impending content by creating fake but ideal character counts (something I've done on nearly every site I've worked on) has led to those constraints actually being followed by the internal staff or external clients I've worked with. This is easily one of the biggest after-the-fact issues/time consumers I deal with in dev because often times, the content isn't finalized even after launch. At the end of the day my experience has been that the content provider would rather the layout be changed to accomodate their copy rather than them going back in and removing a few words they feel are vital/more appropriate for the messaging. Obviously YMMV, but be sure to calculate the effort vs. your understanding of how the business makes decisions or you may be in for some heartbreak.

<comment><USER6> With all due respect, neither the designer, nor the client knows what the right copy and the right layout is.

A/B testing does.

The layout _will_ be changed to accomodate the best conversion of customers to cash. Anything else is under-selling your client.

<comment><USER5> This is in situations where there isn't the time nor the budget for A/B and it's one person's word against another, which is a much more likely scenario for any website plucked at random.

<comment><USER6> If it's a website that makes money there is time and budget for a/b testing

if it does not make money how is there budget for professional designer and copywriters? Edit It's late, that post is more aggressive than I meant it to be and so, I apologise for snapping at you, I would like to suggest you have a look at @patio11's blog Kalzumeus if you want to be bludgeoned with AB test positivity, and bid you goodnight

But seriously, AB test your designs - in fact I might suggest that designers who offer a design-and-test service would make more cash and more leverage in negotiations than not

now there is an interesting counter to 99designs

<comment><USER5> I don't know where our disconnect is here, sorry. I'm not saying anything remotely negative about A/B. I'm saying that despite business owners understanding the potential, other things get in the way (other projects, time constraints, etc). For many people, their website isn't their primary means of revenue and their designers' and copywriters' time is best spent on the part of the business where shareholders have proven results of their effectiveness and value-add.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> Comically, here's how this is rendering for me using Chromium on Ubuntu:

[https://s3.amazonaws.com/1overBlog/screenshots/treat-text- as...](https://s3.amazonaws.com/1overBlog/screenshots/treat-text-as-a-ui.png)

<comment><USER8> I get this quite often (Chromium/Ubuntu here, too). It usually fixes itself by zooming out/zooming in. I always surf with 120% zoom, and I've kind of assumed the bug is related to that. Do you surf with a non-default zoom level?

<comment><USER9> Me too (Ubuntu + Chromium), and is really annoying, as more and more sites are starting to use webfonts :( The strange thing is that only happens around links and on Chromiun (Chrome works ok)

<comment><USER10> I think the bug was maybe fixed (I haven't seen it in a while), but Ubuntu ships an ancient version of Chrome (looks like Chrome 18, while I'm using Chrome 23).

<comment><USER11> Yep. Get it from Google (Chrome) not Ubuntu (Chromium).

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> "Choosing a typeface is not typography" I really appreciated this point.

Too often people confuse knowledge of fonts with typographic knowledge or skill. Understanding how to set type is far more important; correctly choosing a good measure (line length), margins, leading (line-spacing), and a meaningful hierarchy of font sizes (among other things) all have a huge effect on readability.

For anyone interested in learning more about typesetting, I recommend "The Elements of Typographic Style" by Robert Bringhurst.

</comment><comment><USER6> Yes, and it will radically change as the web stops being English / Latin alphabet dominated.

Typography for Japanese characters is fascinating - three different _languages_ almost, sitting in the same sentence, the cadence of language reflecting in the angles or spacing, the possibilities are an order of magnitude more complex than English - and an order of magnitude more rewarding.

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/esthet/3454734/> \- beauty in calligraphy

<http://www.kfstudio.net/himaji/> \- cute fontface for Kanji

<http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?111> \- a good primer

<comment><USER13> > _Yes, and it will radically change as the web stops being English / Latin > alphabet dominated._

It will never stop being English/Latin alphabet dominated for the English (Americas, Australians, etc) though.

So, it's not like english web designers will see any major change in their work, or english web users...

<comment><USER6> Well, I suspect we shall see words entering our lexicon from China - <USER2> right thinking 人 would agree :-)

<comment><USER13> Like in a Bladerunner/Neuromancer cross-culture like future. Maybe, maybe.

<comment><USER14> Don't forget Firefly!

<comment><USER6> I goram won't !

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER15> That website is impossible to get a quick overview on for me. Those centered lines looked like "thoughts" at first but it seems they are subheadlines? The whitespace feels all weird to me. The text is very huge and uncomfortable. The content itself is badly written (and to me, liking reading something is important. Surely the author's name is "Oliver Reichenstein" not "oliver reichenstein" as the font looks like. Rant over.

<comment><USER16> Regarding the type being large, iA have very good reasons for that being the case, which they outline very clearly in another article [1].

[1] <http://informationarchitects.net/blog/100e2r/> "The 100% Easy-2-Read Standard"

<comment><USER15> That says it is the browser default size and that is not correct. Here, check it out: <http://pastehtml.com/view/cc5nellwp.html>

First line uses your browser's default. Second line is their setting (~21px).

Such huge text is definitely not easy to read for me on any of my devices.

<comment><USER13> > _That says it is the browser default size and that is not correct._

It is correct, just slightly misleading. The size is made to look like the browser default size taking display density into account. It is adaptive.

The 16px font, in the screenshot you send, is not "browser default size". Or, it is, but not as it was intended by browser makers. See, when it was chosen as default, we used 14" 1024x768 monitors or worse. Anybody who wants to show this as it was intended, needs to take account the DPI of a modern screen and increase the 16px accordingly.

Trust me, those guys have gave a lot of thought into readability and font sizing.

> _Such huge text is definitely not easy to read for me on any of my devices._

Actually it is. You are just not used to it. Whereas you are used to fonts of exactly the same size (or very near) when reading books. Some people have been conditioned to stare at tiny fonts (a 12-14px font is a monstrosity on a modern display) and proper type jumps at them. Check also Zeldman's reasoning:

<http://www.zeldman.com/2012/05/18/web-design-manifesto-2012/>

<comment><USER15> No, the font is huge compared to a book. Yes, I did held a book infront of my face at reading distance to compare. The font here at HN is pretty much what a book is like. I use a 1680x1050 22 inch screen.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> 2006?, nice. So yeah these days typography is big on web design, but also obviously relative to the kind of site your building. Regarding Khoi Vinh's Web Site, I like this page in particular <http://www.subtraction.com/archives#column-b>

</comment><comment><USER18> I've been a proponent of this approach since I first read this article back in 2006, but I think it can be generalised.

The main case to be made is for a methodology of "content out", which is to design the primary content areas of your site before your worry about things like sidebars, global navigation and other decoration. In the case of text- heavy websites such as blogs and news, this means to start with typography - when the content is the writing, the typography is the design.

If you're making a video website, your first step should be to make a great video player, then presumably video description, comments, related videos and finally site-wide design. If you're making a to-do list, make the list look great before you do anything else.

</comment><comment><USER19> Am I alone in finding the fi ligature generally annoying/difficult to read in general? I see it in print occasionally and it always feels like a kerning mistake that is hurting my ability to quickly parse the letters.

</comment><comment><USER20> > 95% of the information on the web is written language.

Really? Youtube videos, Facebook photos, TV shows, movies, music, etc only 5%?

To be expected from a company that sells a text editor that's 95% typography.

<comment><USER21> Pretty sure the article was written before they started working on iA Writer.

</comment></comment><comment><USER22> I am no web designer, but I have made plenty of websites in my time. Right now I am rebuilding a site for a product that I sell. I decided to go with a one page web site with lots of javascript for clicking around and animated images. The words on my page that are typed out are: Available At, Contact Us, and F.A.Q. . . . the other content is my logo etc. While I do see that good typography can equate to good web design, I will also add that good images, code, colors, and usefulness also help.

</comment><comment><USER23> What exactly makes Khoi Vinh's website[1] notable? Not trying to be negative; I'm genuinely curious. I wouldn't have given it a second thought if I came across it in the wild. To my (untrained) eye, it's typography consists of a single font that is almost always too small to be readable.

[1] <http://www.subtraction.com/>

<comment><USER24> 6 years ago or so, when I first came across his website, it appeared as a revelation. His use of typography was very advanced at the time. I agree it looks rather ordinary and a tad busy compared to today's standard.

</comment></comment><comment><USER25> Web design is not 95% typography...

<comment><USER26> well, tbh, web design is not the kind of thing that can be characterized as 95% anything, except as a rhetorical flourish.

</comment></comment><comment><USER27> I don't see a link to it but this is a FANTASTIC little tutorial on web typography:

[http://www.dontfeartheinternet.com/css/don%E2%80%99t-fear- we...](http://www.dontfeartheinternet.com/css/don%E2%80%99t-fear-web- typography)

</comment><comment><USER28> Very interesting way of thinking.

Typography as an interface to the content you wish others to consume.

<comment><USER29> Typography is a primary user interface element of Microsoft's Metro paradigm. Typographic elements can more readily be culturally localized using standard tools. It is harder to do this with skuomorphic icons.

</comment></comment><comment><USER30> At least 50% is making a good fluid (not only responsive) layout, that handles things like large fonts, adjusts to dynamic text, etc...

<comment><USER31> Ironicly I tend to find "undesigned", plain sites handle such things best.

Doubly ironicly, TFA is not one of them, despite being just a plain piece of text. Fixed width is the tool of the devil.

</comment></comment><comment><USER32> This is sort of off-topic, but does anyone know what kind of theme/blogging software this blog is using?

<comment><USER33> Looking at the code, I'd guess Wordpress + iA4 theme

<comment><USER32> Any ideas where I can find this theme? Tried looking no luck =/

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER34> iABC is amazing font.

</comment><comment><USER35> well maybe, but then one should make a distinction between web application, and just plain websites. designing one may be 95% typography, but the other is about much, much more.</comment>


The Beginning of the Monte Carlo Method (1987) - <AUTHOR> https://fermatslibrary.com/s/the-beginning-of-the-monte-carlo-method <comment><USER2> The jewel of monte carlo methods is Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) for sampling from high-dimensional probability distributions. The math is more involved, but the problem it solves is really hard and really important.

<comment><USER3> While the math is complex, the algorithms are not necessarily. In its simplest form, MCMC sampling can be implemented in 10 lines of code (Metropolis- Hastings algorithm) -- an exercise that I recommend to everyone who's interested in the topic.

<comment><USER2> Yeah I've noticed that pattern when I implement numerical algorithms by hand. A lot of the time they're pretty simple. But you need the analysis to be confident that it will work. A point in favor of formal CS / applied math :)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> I've tried several times, but th page is just unreadable for me! I like to click the page and highlight words as I read. However, the interactive side bar moves the page and kills your (my) ability to read. So despite being signed up for the last few months, I haven't ever made it past the first couple of pages :(

Can I not just have the PDF to read? The problems ultimately stem from the desire to prevent people from consuming the content in their own way.

<comment><USER5> It's usually easier to just look for the paper somewhere else once you've decided you want to read it your own way. In this case, you can find it here [0]. As they often show kind-of-classic papers, many of them are publicly available through a Google search.

[0] [http://library.lanl.gov/cgi- bin/getfile?00326866.pdf](http://library.lanl.gov/cgi- bin/getfile?00326866.pdf)

<comment><USER4> Thanks for this solution! I had just assumed it would be too difficult to find elsewhere :/

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> At its heart, Monte Carlo is just trying something a bunch of times and seeing what happens, right1?

<comment><USER7> My wife and I used Monte Carlo to buy our second house. We were trying to sell a house, buy a new one, juggle a couple of other transactions, predict interest rates, all while trying to understand our new budget (we were newly together and hadn't lived together yet at that time).

So, there were a bunch of different variables that led to a final scenario of how big our final monthly payment would be. We were both conservative in our choices, too.

The trick with Monte Carlo is that if we had been conservative on our predictions on every single variable, I don't think we ever would have bought our house.

But by doing a Monte Carlo simulation - assuming each variable was roughly independent of the others, and picking a sane-seeming variance for each prediction - we were able to simulate 10,000 scenarios, and then pick the numbers that led to us meeting our budget in 95% of cases. They key number there was the "asking price" of the house we were looking for.

That asking price - that was safe in 95% of scenarios - was much higher than it would have been had we been conservative with every single variable.

And it worked great. The conservatism of the 95% estimate gave us some wiggle room, a couple of the other variables broke our way, and our combined monthly budget still allowed us to save more money than when we were living separately.

<comment><USER8> I'd love to have a web-app for that

<comment><USER9> Me too. Or a layman's level worked write-up.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> > The war ended before we finished our problems

Damn, how do you get a job like that? If something takes more than a couple hours I get criticized.

<comment><USER11> unsolvable problems require unmeasurable time to be resolved

</comment></comment><comment><USER12> In addition to the historical account of Mote Carlo Meothod, an accurate prediction of computing was given in 1987 at the end of the article...

> The miracle of the chip, like most miracles, is almost unbelievable. Yet the > fantastic performances achieved to date havenot quieted all users. At the > same time we are reaching upper limits on the computing power of a single > processor.

> One bright facet of the miracle is the lack of macroscopic moving parts, > which makes the chip a very reliable bit of hardware. Such reliability > suggests parallel processing. The thought here is not a simple extension to > two, or even four or eight, processing systems.

> Such extensions are adiabatic transitions that, to be sure, should be part > of the immediate, short-term game plan. Rather, the thought is massively > parallel operations with thousands of interacting processors-even millions!

</comment><comment><USER13> The neutron diffusion simulation seems simplistic and probably reflects the limitations of the time. Can one imagine what John Von Neumann would do given access a modern supercomputer?

<comment><USER14> Just imagine how many personalized ads von Neumann could get us to click on.

<comment><USER15> Few, for many, because digital ads aren't terribly persuasive.</comment></comment></comment>


Mind Constituted by a Rabbit Reading and Writing on Long Strips of Turing Tape? - <AUTHOR> http://schwitzsplinters.blogspot.com/2017/07/whats-likelihood-that-your-mind-is.html <comment><USER2> The rabbit part is pointless. It has to be a perfect rule-following rabbit that lives arbitrarily long. i.e., not an actual rabbit.

I'm not sure what the impossible rabbit adds to the argument, and it certainly takes something away.

</comment><comment><USER3> I'm not sure this argument is any more plausible than the "evil genius" argument from Descartes.

I think that all it's saying is that given our limited reference frame within the universe, we can't judge what is "normal" and what is not. And that's basically a definitional observation.

</comment><comment><USER4> I haven't read the article; is this the Chinese Room Argument?

[https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/chinese- room/](https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/chinese-room/)</comment>


Lil Brother: Open Source Client-Side Event Tracking - <AUTHOR> https://github.com/shutterstock/lil-brother <comment><USER2> Weird how a library that had its last commits over 4 years ago suddenly rises to the front page...

<comment><AUTHOR> Length of time is not the issue here but utility of something written earlier for web analytics today. There's not much that these guys are leaving off the collection plate.

</comment></comment><comment><USER3> why is this useful?

<comment><USER4> Many HN readers have no problem with 1st-party analytics (web developers collecting usage information on their own websites). Privacy problems become more of an issue for 3rd-party analytics providers, who can track browsers across all the sites using the same analytics provider.

Piwik is probably the most widely-known option in this space. It is a more complete solution (including the reporting side) written in PHP; it also requires MySQL. [http://piwik.org](http://piwik.org)

LilBrother may be a nice option for developers to include in their existing node.js backend.</comment></comment>


Cross-platform development with Xamarin - <AUTHOR> https://solidgeargroup.com/cross-platform-development-xamarin <comment><USER2> I used it in a couple projects, and it is a little difficult at the beggining, but then I think we saved much time and with great results

<comment><USER3> Maybe the hardest part is when you need native issues, you have to go into each platform development

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> Yes, doing common development in a PLC makes it easier and allows to have project under control</comment>


Show HN: Automatic Discovery for Let's Encrypt Certificate Monitoring - <AUTHOR> https://keychest.net/register <comment><USER2> A better link IMHO would be to the main page ([http://keychest.net](http://keychest.net)) to learn how the app works and see how it compares to it's main competitor, letsmonitor.org

<comment><AUTHOR> I kind of hoped that the background video would be better than text description. I try to think of the main reason for that but probably as we believe the main difference is the quick server enrolment and ongoing automation of that.

Still working on this - it's incredibly hard to reach out to people who need this kind of tool.

</comment></comment><comment><USER3> Could we see a demo before we have to sign up? Some explanatory material abou what the service is and how it works?

<comment><AUTHOR> Sure, sorry, I'm not quite sure how it should work here. The signup page has a background video what the account looks like inside.

BTW: if you signup and want to remove your account later, just drop us a line at firstname.lastname@example.com .

Demo video: [https://vimeo.com/228584972](https://vimeo.com/228584972)

It is a cert expiry monitoring tool (but it does more thorough checks in regular intervals as well). In terms of main features:

Spot Checks (no sign-up needed - you can test it at [https://keychest.net](https://keychest.net) \- an instant feedback to get the configuration of a new server right as quickly as possible. It will tell you if your server uses the correct certificate, whether it sends a complete trust chain, the HSTS configuration, or whether IPv6 works as expected (9-10 basic tests to verify your config).

Server/domain enrolment - a) a server at a time (URL & port), b) bulk enrol (50 servers at a time, one per line) c) "active domain" \- you set your domain name, KeyChest will automatically discover and keep discovering all servers/certs in all sub-domains.

Scanning & monitoring - DNS resolve, discovery of new certificates, direct tests of servers (TLS handshakes) - intervals are described in the User Manual inside your account.

Enterprise features (user management, internal networks, custom root certs, independent scanners) are not available here.</comment></comment>


Why older people don't like younger people's music - <AUTHOR> http://blog.khaliqgant.com/post/22716963915/why-older-people-dont-like-younger-peoples-music

<comment><USER2> I think the main reason older people don't like younger peoples' music is because over time you start to forget just how terrible most music for a particular era is. The crap of today is more readily apparent than the crap of the past.

Give this a try: Listen to the radio-top-100 songs of a particular decade and see how much of it is any good. 80% or more of it is utter crap. Its only possible redeeming quality would be the triggering of some nostalgic episode of your past which nobody else outside of your generation shares.

I have favorite songs going all the way back to the 17th century, but rarely are there more than 20 per decade (or 20 per century, going beyond 1920 or so), because most of the stuff was crap.

<comment><AUTHOR> 100% agree. The crap music gets forgotten and the classics are celebrated. Think now we are also over exposed to the crap music because it is much more accessible these days.

</comment></comment><comment><USER3> I think old people often lack context, which is part of what this post is saying but I think the post doesn't quite capture an important part of what I mean. Unfortunately, I am not sure I can explain myself adequately.</comment>


Google's Nyan cat obsession spills onto Google+ - <AUTHOR> http://www.geek.com/portable/geek_mobile_single.php?p=1442381

<comment><AUTHOR> <https://gist.github.com/1379492> \- bindings for Conkeror, you can now insert Nyan Cat by pressing "C-z N" in a textfield. ~=[,,_,,]:3

</comment><comment><USER2> he forgot to mention the nyan youtube player</comment>


Dear Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook is not, and should not be the internet - <AUTHOR> http://www.hindustantimes.com/technology-topstories/mr-zuckerberg-facebook-is-not-and-should-not-be-the-internet/article1-1337944.aspx

<comment><USER2> Reminds me of the "facebook-tunnel" project that appeared on the frontpage a few weeks ago[1], which _did_ effectively turn Facebook into the internet -- though perhaps not exactly the way Facebook would prefer!

[1]: [https://github.com/matiasinsaurralde/facebook- tunnel](https://github.com/matiasinsaurralde/facebook-tunnel)

</comment><comment><USER3> What is face book's exposure to antitrust legislation?</comment>


Computing with Trees Not Numbers - <AUTHOR> I came across this meetup page (https://www.meetup.com/FP-Syd/events/vcqlmpyzdbkc/) where one of the topics is "Computing with Trees not Numbers". The description look intriguing as well.
It talk about tree calculus. Has that been around for long? I can't find much about it on the internet
Full Description: Tree calculus is a calculus of combinations with a single ternary operator
(for building nodes) that has three reduction rules, according to whether
its first argument is a leaf, stem or fork. Its normal forms are the
unlabeled binary trees, which provide a better basis for computation than
the natural numbers: there is no need to encode and decode programs as
numbers, as the binary trees are simultaneously functions to be applied and
structures to be traversed. There are compositional, reduction-preserving
embeddings of the traditional models of computation into tree calculus. Also,
it supports self-interpretation without the need for quotation to convert
programs to trees. Tree calculus supports a type system that satisfies
subject reduction. <comment><USER2> well, instead of trees of the classical S-expression type that you are referring to here, which are what LISP is built on. I suggest you investigate a graph database like Neo4J which is way more fun than lousy S-expressions. But what are in the trees are numbers or strings (which are arrays of numbers). Frankly all the computer has are bits which form numbers, so that is not something you are going to get away from.

</comment><comment><USER3> Sounds interesting. I found some of his other work which seems related: [https://www.researchgate.net/scientific- contributions/707088...](https://www.researchgate.net/scientific- contributions/70708830_Barry_Jay)

</comment><comment><USER4> aren't binary digits conflated trees ?</comment>


Show HN: I want to give people surprisingly awesome book recommendations - <AUTHOR> http://authoralcove.com/

<comment><USER2> Why do I need to sign up? The "You are just a few clicks away from..." shows me that you don't have my best interests in mind. Please let me pick three books, provide a recommendation and then offer me to create an account.

Now I'm going to close my browser, get some sleep and completely forget about your supposedly awesome book recommendations.

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks, this is an interesting idea. I actually need more than 3 books to generate useful recommendations...more like 20 ratings. The other problem is that this is still beta stage and the algorithm to create your book list is very computionally intensive. It takes _days_ not seconds to compute everybody's recommendations. The choice is between good recommendations delivered after waiting, or not that great recommendations delivered instantly.

</comment></comment><comment><USER3> I'd like to see projects like this work, particularly because I haven't always been pleased with the recommendations from Goodreads.

That said, your site's going to need more information about why it's any better before I sign up for an account. What genres do you cover? How wide is your database of books? Is it possible to offer a trial w/o an account? E.g., enter some books and get recommendations -- and then ask if I want to create an account w/ these settings so I can continue to get more recommendations?

</comment><comment><USER4> I really like the idea of a more content-based approach to book discovery. It feels like a complex problem to me, since there are so many dimensions one could pivot on; and how to find them in the first place? As an example, I dislike first-person books even if they might seem like really good fits for the kinds of topics I read. There's also a clustering issue around "well, I like sappy space opera when I'm on vacation but more cerebral fantasy epics on the train". But good luck with solving that.

</comment><comment><USER5> Where we can see how's your service different from other recommendation services (there are a lot of it nowadays) and why it's better ?

</comment><comment><USER6> I got a CSRF verification failure on signup.

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks lox. That problem should be fixed now.

<comment><USER7> It's not. I'm getting it too.</comment></comment></comment>


Ask YC: is anyone attending OpenCoffee at Boston? - <AUTHOR>

I recently arrived to Boston and I'd love to exchange some ideas and get to know people around here.
It seemed to me that a great opportunity to do so is an event like OpenCoffee.
For those who are not aware of it, just google for "OpenCoffee Club", or take a look at http://boston.going.com/event-122245;OpenCoffee_Club
Thing is, I don't know if this is still going on (last message in the board was posted in May), and I don't know if anyone over here is interested in such event. Anyone has gone/is going/plans to go in the near future? <comment><USER2> Open Coffee's going strong and getting bigger lately (20 people or so at the last meeting). I'll be there in the morning, though I (and from my understanding, most people) arrive a bit later than the 'official' start time of 8:30.

If we're not in a big circle/clump right where you walk in the door, we're downstairs.

Hope to see you, and others, there!</comment>


Seth's Blog: How often should you publish? - <AUTHOR> http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/09/how-often-shoul.html <comment><USER2> I've often wondered what blogging strategy is best for building readership and credibility. Publish:

1\. Several times a day, like some of the "top" bloggers do. (This is not for me.)

2\. One/day, like Seth does. Generally, Seth's articles are short.

3\. One every week or two, but longer, better researched, and better written. (In the extreme, this would be Steve Yegge.)

My bias is towards #3 - fewer articles, but really high quality - but I wouldn't be surprised if #2 is a more effective strategy. My problem with #2 is that I think quality sometimes suffers. For example, some of Seth's posts are great, but I often feel like he's just putting a thought down in order to achieve his daily quota. For that reason, I don't bother to read Seth every day - I just read what I see here or what people pass on to me. But man, he has a lot of followers, shows up here a lot, and stays in peoples minds.

</comment><comment><USER3> _One book a year feels right, while three a decade...wouldn't work for me or my core readers._

He's right about not self-marketing his "backlist". I didn't even know he had books out.

At any rate, keep in mind that your posterity will be thin, almost surely. How much did Voltaire write? [1] How much do people read? [2]

[1] [http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/efts/VOLTAIRE/restricted/VOLTAIR...](http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/efts/VOLTAIRE/restricted/VOLTAIRE.bib.html)

[2] <http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19942>

</comment><comment><USER4> I think that this is an expression of a general business principle. Create income producing assets, maintain them, expand. This backlist and frontlist stuff is just the publishing domain version of real estate enterprise or any number of other ventures.

</comment><comment><USER5> Thanks so much for posting this! My thoughts here: [http://startuplessonslearned.blogspot.com/2008/09/seth- godin...](http://startuplessonslearned.blogspot.com/2008/09/seth-godin-how- often-should-you-publish.html)</comment>


How we conduct research at Niland - <AUTHOR> http://www.blog.niland.io/how-we-conduct-research-at-niland/ <comment><USER2> Nice work! I hear about these challenges in collaborating on research all the time. Developing a platform like this is a significant investment for most teams, and for many, the development and maintenance is a distraction from their mission. The company I work for, Domino Data Lab, has a language/ algorithm-agnostic platform that solves for this. We have a trial for teams who want to take a look and offer a free subscription for academic institutions.</comment>