New Mac ransomware spreading through piracy - <AUTHOR> https://blog.malwarebytes.com/mac/2020/06/new-mac-ransomware-spreading-through-piracy/ <comment><USER2> Apple puts so much pressure on security, shouldn't it be possible to block ransomware somehow on the OS level, possibly on all platforms?

I mean not many apps need to modify millions of files on all drives including network drives and dongles... It should be fairly easy to spot, something like:

1\. If xxx wants to modify more than 50 files in 24 hours go to 2.

2\. If some of the files were modified more than a week ago or if the files are in directories across multiple drives go to 3.

3\. If some of the files are images/documents it's a no go, prompt user to accept and list the affected files.

I'd love something like this for my Synology, it's connected to my Macbook as a network drive and I store my backups there, if anything modifies these files without my knowledge I'm doomed. I need to access some of my backups on daily basis so it's kinda hard to disconnect te drive all the time :/

<comment><USER3> Windows 10 has just what you describe: [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/how-to- enabl...](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/how-to-enable- ransomware-protection-in-windows-10/)

Of course, bad guys still can 1) create encrypted copy and delete originals instead of modifying files in place; 2) disable protection alongside with A/V and proceed as usual; and my favorite 3) rely on built-in disk encryption mechanisms and simply overwrite encryption keys & salts.

<comment><USER4> > Windows 10 has just what you describe [link]

I've looked into this, but it feels limited to me. It's all or nothing. I can't have App1 only access Documents and App2 only access Pictures. Once I give any one app access to the "protected folders", it has access to all the protected folders.

<comment><USER5> You should check out Qubes OS. [https://www.qubes-os.org/](https://www.qubes- os.org/)

All applications run inside a VM, and you set up different VMs for different tasks. The windows are all composited onto one seamless desktop environment, with the colour of the window decorations telling you which VM it's in. You can copy and paste between the VMs with a special keyboard shortcut, and you can manually copy files between them as well, but otherwise they have no access to each other.

If you open some ransomware in one VM, it can't touch (or read, or know of the existence of) any of the data in other VMs.

<comment><USER6> How is usability? It's a very appealing model but it sounds confusing

<comment><USER3> It's great at what it does. Much more useful than I expected, feels more thought out than some commercial alternatives.

XEN Virtualization with their custom X-passthrough driver is super fast as well. No hardware acceleration of course, but it didn't feel choppy at all. As long as you have enough RAM (I'd say 16GB at least), it works pretty much like bare metal (even though there are several VMs running in background at all times for network, fw, usb, etc), way faster than Spice, VNC, RDP or Virtualbox (talking about UI not number crunching).

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> Has anyone tested whether this can be detected with RansomWhere? [https://objective-see.com/products/ransomwhere.html](https://objective- see.com/products/ransomwhere.html)

It's a program that warns me whenever programs are locking files. In practice it's a minor annoyance when using brew or pip. Similarly, Oversight tells me when my camera and mic are being used. [https://objective- see.com/products/oversight.html](https://objective- see.com/products/oversight.html) It's a minor annoyance whenever I have a video call and plug in a microphone. But it's "for my protection", and sometimes can be useful to know whether it's really my sound settings that are the problem, or that my headphones are unplugged. These two also seem more trustworthy than anti-virus for Mac, because they don't claim to keep me safe, just warn me when there's a problem.

<comment><USER8> I'd be very curious to audit the codebase for the tools you mentioned.

<comment><USER7> I'd be very curious to read your review!

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> I don't understand how people dare to run executables downloaded from a pirate site...

<comment><USER10> > I don't understand how people dare to run executables downloaded from a > pirate site...

Pirate sites have reputations the same as anybody. The more reputable ones actively remove spam and malware.

So it's kind of like saying, I don't understand how people dare to run executables downloaded through the internet. Depends a lot on where on the internet you downloaded it.

<comment><USER11> I'm on several private torrent sites and I still wont run software out of a VM. The problem is the users are trusted but unless they packaged the crack themselves they don't even know if there is malware bundled in. Its easy to verify that audio or a book is high quality but verifying software is next to impossible.

<comment><USER12> One of the things I miss in Windows 10 I don't have on Ubuntu is 'Windows Sandbox'. It's great for testing software out. It loads pretty much instantly.

<comment><USER13> Look into Firejail.

[https://firejail.wordpress.com/](https://firejail.wordpress.com/)

<comment><USER3> There are so many ways to escape Firejail, that no one should seriously rely (solely) on it for security. Please, just use proper virtualization for trying shady software/suspected malware.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER14> _Play stupid games, win stupid prizes._

If you cannot afford Little Snitch or don't want to pay for it or just prefer open source, install LuLu. It's a free and open source alternative to LS application firewall. [1] You can install it through Homebrew or download binaries manually [2].

[1] [https://github.com/objective-see/LuLu](https://github.com/objective- see/LuLu)

[2] [https://objective-see.com/products/lulu.html](https://objective- see.com/products/lulu.html)

<comment><USER15> Am I the only one who uses piracy to explore new technologies? For example, I pirated ZBrush and spent about a month learning it. At that point I felt I had invested enough time / gained enough skills to justify buying a full license, if I ever need to do more 3D modeling.

I had the same experience with Visual Studio back in the day (aka Visual C++ 6.0; fond memories...), and of course photoshop.

It's a stupid game, but quite a personal growth vector.

<comment><USER16> This is why a lot of software houses don't come down _too_ hard on individual pirates -- they often become your fans and they might result in business in the future. It's like selling concerts and merch as a musician.

Since software dev isn't the domain of lifelong nerds anymore I don't think most folk are as understanding or knowledgeable about the positives of piracy (or related issues around software freedom or the economic properties of digital data), hence your unfortunate downvotes.

It's a shame... there are many of us who would not be where we are today, as productive, value-creating citizens, without having learned our trade with pirated software.

<comment><USER15> Exactly. I remember begging my mom for Visual C++ 6.0 from eBay for $60 whole dollars when I was like 12, because I had heard that's what real gamedevs use, and I was determined to become a real gamedev. It's weird... you can trace that moment to present, and her saying "yes" or "no" would have dramatically changed my economic outcome.

Piracy is a wonderful equalizer in that regard. Companies have every right to come down on piracy, but it often works against you if your software is a tool.

<comment><USER17> What did she say? Don't leave us hanging...

<comment><USER15> She said yes :) I owe a lot to that decision. It's also helped me understand what "privilege" is – many, many parents would have been like "no, now go do your homework." (I wasn't a very good student.)

But, for example, Visual Studio 2003 Architect Edition was so expensive that I think it was a few thousand dollars at the time. Piracy enabled me to learn that, too. And surprise surprise, when I got into the gamedev industry, that was what they used.

From Microsoft's standpoint, it was nothing but benefit: in addition to adding +1 productive programmer to the world, the piracy also caused me to become something of a Microsoft evangelist, similar to Carmack. It helped me appreciate a good IDE back before Webstorm made it a reality for Javascript.

Of course, that eventually led to discovering Emacs (or rather being forced to learn it due to a twist of fortune) and then evolving into my bearded open- source devil form... Now if only there were an Emacs equivalent for 3D modeling and music, I'd be happy as a clam. Blender is great, but it just can't compete with ZBrush.

EDIT: By the way, I was _delighted_ to discover that Photopea ([https://www.photopea.com/](https://www.photopea.com/)) is a completely free, browser-based alternative to Photoshop. It has almost an identical UI, and it does 100% of what I need out of photoshop. We've been paying the $35/mo creative suite license, but I imagine lots of people still pirate it.

<comment><USER18> If you're wanting desktop software, Affinity[0] sells one-time-purchase licenses for their Photo, Designer, and Publisher software. I've never used Photoshop/Illustrator and generally do rather light work when I do need to edit/design, but I've been very happy with my purchase. Each license is $50, and the recently went on sale for $25 (but that's over now).

[0]: [https://affinity.serif.com](https://affinity.serif.com)

<comment><USER19> (I cracked those back in high school and then purchased them because they were so good…)

<comment><USER18> Exactly what I did.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER20> I really appreciate you reporting this, and understand that it's too late now but you should try to keep your source anonymous in a cases like this in case they get bad publicity where they live.

<comment><USER21> Why would they need to keep a source anonymous if they mentioned them in a public tweet?

[https://twitter.com/beatsballert/status/1277557875888533504](https://twitter.com/beatsballert/status/1277557875888533504)

I'd assume they wouldn't post the full name if someone sends them a private email.

<comment><USER20> It's a psychological matter, the more increased publicity the higher the likely hood of an illogical backclash against the person, especially if they live in places where the rule of law doesn't protect them well.

<comment><USER21> The likelihood of a person getting in trouble for posting information about a badly written malware in some pirated copy of a software seems very slim. It's not like they are exposing some nation state's surveillance plan.

<comment><USER20> They could be screwing over a local company that developed the malware and, it's just good journalistic practice in general to protect your source.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER22> They only want $50 to decrypt the files?

I wonder if they actually decrypt the files for that amount or if they demand more. I keep backups, but if I somehow got hit by this, I think I'd pay the $50 to avoid losing the few days of work. (I'd have a bit of an ethical quandary about it, but I'd still probably do it if I'm being quite honest.)

<comment><USER23> What? You have to start from scratch to trust the machine again, don't you? So if you're pulling backups anyway...

<comment><USER24> This. The whole network and everything on it are getting nuked. And due to the delay these things have, you have to assume the backup may restore the malware.

Everything gets a clean install and only non-binaries get restored from backup.

<comment><USER22> > Everything gets a clean install and only non-binaries get restored from > backup.

I can do that more easily if I don't loose ~2–3 days of work though (or whatever amount of time has passed since the last offline backup). Even if I need to manually go through the documents so that only non-binaries are restored, just having them would _probably_ be helpful.

I don't know, I guess it depends a lot on the actual situation: what I was working on at the time, etc. But that $50 price tag seems alluring.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER25> Someone emailed me my password from two decades ago, and said they were going to ransomware my box, but that my porn habits were so uniquely interesting they just had to make a collage including screenshots and pics from my webcam (in the attached pdf, presumably). They'll delete it for $1500 BTC, which is really a steal if you think about it.

Is there a chatbot I can point at this chucklehead?

> _I really want to pay you BTC, but my computer says bit torrent was made by > an unverified developer. I called my bank, and they said to ask what other > ways you can accept payment. Do you know what a "Wire Transfer" is? We're > saving up for our first house, so I have the money and Ashley won't miss it. > Is $2000 OK? Please please please don't out me!!!_

And then I want it to send a dozen more of these until the scammer gives up or sends it bank account info.

<comment><USER26> I had someone try that on me about a year ago (shortened as it was a _long_ email):

> You probably noticed your device is acting strangely lately. That's because > you downloaded a nasty software I created while you were browsing the > Ƿornographic website...[...] If you do not do what I ask you now, I will > upload this ugly video file with you ... and the stuff you were watching to > several video upload sites and I will send the links to all your friends, > family members and associates.[...] I think 2,000 USD is a fair price for my > silence. I know you can handle to send me this money - and it is enough for > me to get lost. So how do you send the cash?? Bitcoin.[...]

> Ok.. so what if you decide not to pay ? Well if you want to test my patience > - go on. I will destroy your social life, you can count on that. You think > that visiting Police is a good idea ? Nope. I don't live in your country and > I know how to stay Anonymous. I will send the compromising video to everyone > you know! Just send me the 2,000 USD and we forget about the whole thing. I > have family to feed too.[...]

> The time starts ticking after you open this letter (I included a pixel in > this message and I will know when you read it).

Oddly enough, nothing ever happened.

<comment><USER27> I received the exact same template mail. They had also included an old password that I presume was leaked in the Adobe hack or something. Didn't really feel worried though, cause on my device (a MacBook Pro with the T2 security chip), it's physically impossible to enable the webcam without the status LED getting activated.

<comment><USER28> _> it's physically impossible to enable the webcam without the status LED getting activated_

People put way too much trust in webcam LEDs. Not because they don't work or could be bypassed, but because it's super easy to just _not notice it_ if it only comes on for a split second. It doesn't take much time to grab a single frame; maybe you've been staring... _intently_...at the screen and get tunnel vision, or you just look away, or whatever.

Even if the LED was forced to light up for half a second before and after the camera became active as a sort of safety interlock, what's the average user gonna do with that information if it's unexpected? Panic and close the lid?

I'm not _super_ paranoid about this but I'm just paranoid enough that I use Oversight[1] and manually approve whichever app is asking for access at the time. You can do this halfway natively in Catalina, but as far as I know it's binary - either the app has access or it doesn't, you can't set it to ask each time.

1\. [https://objective-see.com/products/oversight.html](https://objective- see.com/products/oversight.html)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER29> Riddle me this:

I wonder what ROI would look like in comparison if the schemers targeted $49.98.

</comment><comment><USER30> It sounds like whoever wrote this malware is just as crappy as a programmer as I am. Reassuring, I guess.

</comment><comment><USER31> > However, Chrome will see that the files have been modified, and will replace > the modified files with clean copies as soon as it runs, so it's unclear > what the purpose here is.

The programs mentioned run in background almost continuously, right? If the malware modifies these, couldn't they execute it themselves so they could have a non-suspicious looking process?

</comment><comment><USER32> Admins should fix the link title. It should read "New Mac ransomeware spreading through stupidity".

Installing pirated software you find "on the internet" in 2020 is the equivalent of spending a few hours in a confined space full of other people, none of them wearing masks. Don't be surprised when you get sick.

</comment><comment><USER33> Couldn't you run the Mac equivalent of a Windows Sandbox to restrict access if you had concerns about an app?

<comment><USER34> You can `sandbox-exec`. But that probably wouldn't be useful for a program like little-snitch, which needs rather broad permissions normally.

<comment><USER35>
             The sandbox-exec command is DEPRECATED.  Developers who wish to sandbox an app should instead adopt the App Sandbox feature described in the App Sandbox Design Guide.  The sandbox-exec command enters a sandbox

<comment><USER22> Does it work though?

<comment><USER36> It works, but you have to supply your own sandbox profile (list of allowed/denied operations) and it won't create a virtual home directory for you like App Sandbox does. I'm not sure whether there's an easy way to forcibly enable App Sandbox, but one possibility is to compile your own sandboxed app that simply execs the untrusted one. (Sandboxes are inherited by child processes, as they must be for security.)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER37> It seems to me that the way to solve the encryption ransomware problem is to impose an immutable file system at the OS level + undo for X time and to ask for permission to write files outside a regular folder, just like microphone or screen share access.

<comment><USER38> The problem is that people will often grant that kind of access, particularly to pirate software. For example modification of hosts files (to prevent phoning home) is generally something that lives in /etc which requires sudo to edit. OS X will refuse to run most unsigned software anwyay, unless you explicitly allow it. Though that could (should) be in parallel with some kind of sandboxing.

</comment></comment><comment><USER39> > Worse, the installer package was pointlessly distributed inside a disk image > file.

Pirate torrent tracker forum rules often demand every single Mac app uploaded must be encapsulated in a DMG disk image file.

</comment><comment><USER40> Thumbs up. Pay for your damn software.

</comment><comment><USER41> You tend to get what you pay for.

</comment><comment><USER42> just try

</comment><comment><USER43> Why are these people trying to steal "Little Snitch" software? That's not right, either. There are no clean hands here.

<comment><USER44> As Little Snitch is a tool often used for the _purpose_ of blocking cracked apps from calling home, it should come as absolutely no surprise that Little Snitch itself often ends up pirated.

14-15-year-old me whose parents would not allow me to use their credit cards, along with the thousands like me in that situation; either have the option to pirate Little Snitch alongside whatever else they are pirating; most likely to learn how to use; or not pirate and learn at all. Piracy is a non-option for a lot of people in this critical age group who still have a great drive and initiative to learn.

Blocking people like this out, stopping them, or shaming them; is stomping on our future.

<comment><USER45> Huh? If an app depended on remote authorization, why wouldn't it simply disable itself after a grace period?

Also, piracy of proprietary software hurts free software, which is means it is worse existential harm to computing than not having access to Photoshop.

<comment><USER36> > If an app depended on remote authorization, why wouldn't it simply disable > itself after a grace period?

Because some people still use computers without internet connections – especially users of "pro" applications (widely defined, e.g. anything made by Adobe), which are some of the most commonly pirated applications. I can confirm from experience that cracks telling you to prevent the program from connecting to the Internet are a thing.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER46> Viruses & malware is the price of software piracy. If you don't have money to pay for the soft, you need to be ready to be infected with all possible consequences. It was obvious decades ago when piracy become a business. I understood piracy 10-15 years ago when price of the soft was too high for Russia comparing to US. Right now most everything is subscription based and you pay only if you get enough from it, and usually regional prices are pretty sane.

<comment><USER47> Even if you pay, software are packed jammed with telemetry that reports on every single thing you do (Windows 10, Amazon Alexa, Siri ...) under the pretext of "convenience" and "improving experience".

<comment><USER46> I'm not talking about free soft at all, it's completelly separate universe. If you choose paid soft: as for me, if you steal it you are at risk. Also you can always setup firewall and block certain type of requests. Sometimes you can even disable telemetry if that's supported.</comment></comment></comment>


'They don't care': Facebook fact-checking in disarray as journalists cut ties - <AUTHOR> https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/dec/13/they-dont-care-facebook-fact-checking-in-disarray-as-journalists-push-to-cut-ties <comment><USER2> I am extremely torn in a couple ways.

On the entire fact-checking ordeal: Why do we even need this? I haven't used Facebook in the last year, but even during the time of the election, I would see outrageously incorrect "news" posts and just keep scrolling. They almost reminded me of those pervasive ads at the bottom of websites after an article. "This ancient paper folding technique will get rid of crows feet!" kind of ads. You just didn't click on it because you know it is just a scam. Yet at the same time, people were (not sure about recently) using Facebook as a news source. I imagine if they saw "[Politician] revealed as lizard man" had millions of likes/shares it would be hard to accept that millions of people are wrong. Personally, that is not how I view social media but after these last few years, it seems like not everyone shared my approach.

On Facebook: Fake news will be the death of Facebook. The harder it cracks down on it, the more we will realize how ingrained it has become on the internet. It really is a lose-lose situation. If they remove these outlandish posts, people will begin to cry censorship and leave the platform. These same people will just get their "news" from another site. If they don't crack down on it and just ride the "Fake News" wave, they will be seen as accomplices in the entire fiasco and once again, people will leave the platform. I would like to imagine the second scenario would equate in more people leaving but at this point, I really have no idea.</comment>


Bundler Makes Contributing to RubyGems Easier - <AUTHOR> http://collectiveidea.com/blog/archives/2011/04/11/bundler-makes-contributing-to-rubygems-easier/

<comment> clark-kent I think a better title for the post is "Bundler makes it easy to fork RubyGems for your project."

Its great info to know that bundler allows this:

gem "gem_name", :git => "git://github.com/your_github_username/your_fork.git"

<comment><AUTHOR> I had a buddy also respond on the title thinking I was writing about contributing to RubyGems.org itself. I should have worked on the title more.

If not for a link-title mismatch, I would change it now.

Edit: URLs are still the same, but this seems to declare intent a little clearer: Bundler makes contributing to ruby gems easier.

I do want to point out that using bundler to depend on a project fork is all well and good, but I feel the big win is contributing back and eventually moving back to the latest gem. No one wants to manage a slew of forked projects.</comment></comment>


The Muddle Machine: Confessions of a Textbook Editor (2004) - <AUTHOR> https://web.archive.org/web/20100107152825/https://www.edutopia.org/textbook-publishing-controversy# <comment><USER2> I immediately thought about Richard Feynman's account of being part of the textbook selection committee in California: [https://web.archive.org/web/20020617183211/http://www.textbo...](https://web.archive.org/web/20020617183211/http://www.textbookleague.org/103feyn.htm)

<comment><USER3> Yeah me too. "Judging Books by Their Covers" = story about how committees sometimes select book that haven't even been written yet (just based on the book cover images)!

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> This article, or perhaps an update of it, is still up. [https://www.edutopia.org/textbook-publishing- controversy](https://www.edutopia.org/textbook-publishing-controversy)

</comment><comment><USER5> I love it when the problem solving approaches found in software engineering are applied to other domains. The suggestions at the end are basically UNIX principles applied to education.

<comment><USER6> I've found the reverse to be similarly gratifying: when some knowledge from another domain turns out to be applicable to some software engineering problem.

Oftentimes when this has happened for me, it's some knowledge that I'd absorbed in a Wikipedia rabbit hole (or some such) and thought was trivia that would be useless to me. Then suddenly I noticed some sort of congruence with a problem I was working on, and that knowledge proved not so useless after all.

This sort of cross-domain application has lead me to an intuitive and elegant solution on more than one occasion. Biology and linguistics have been especially fruitful in this regard, but perhaps that's only because those are fields I'm better acquainted with.

<comment><USER7> You sparked my curiosity, do you have examples you can share?

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> FWIW, you can get a copy of "Deschooling Society" by Ivan Illich here: [http://www.ecotopia.com/webpress/deschooling.htm](http://www.ecotopia.com/webpress/deschooling.htm)

</comment><comment><USER9> Wow, it's amazing how close this article comes to describing the present day situation of the big 3 textbook companies!</comment>


Show HN: Touchable augmented reality on your phone, 3 years in the making - <AUTHOR> https://portalble.cs.brown.edu <comment><USER2> Looks quite interesting. I remember when the Leap Motion was first being released but I haven't seen a great deal in the wild that use it.

I signed up to get an early dev kit of their technology when I was working at an old job. We were a non-profit agency that helped educate individuals with disabilities - often having difficulty with their motor skills (using a typical mouse/keyboard was impossible for most of them). The idea was we'd use Unity3D or a similar game engine to create minigames that used the leap motion as the input device. The games would educate the individuals on many things from normal daily hygiene to cooking, etc.

In the end, our tiny team (of 3-4 people) bit off more than we could chew and nothing substantial was ever materialized. The leader of the team moved on to another company and the project dissolved. It was definitely one of the more interesting projects I worked on at that company.

</comment><comment><USER3> Cool. But you shouldn't need Leap for this these days, you can do hand tracking with ML: [https://ai.googleblog.com/2019/08/on-device-real-time- hand-t...](https://ai.googleblog.com/2019/08/on-device-real-time-hand- tracking-with.html)

<comment><AUTHOR> We have directly tested the MediaPipe one and it's less accurate than the Leap. Like it's completely unusable in practice, especially when the palm is not facing the camera. Also there's an HCI problem, which is that people often go offscreen when interacting with objects (your brain assumes things can happen outside the field of view), but even a moment outside the field of view breaks the interaction.

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> Try checking out [https://ai.googleblog.com/2019/08/on-device-real-time- hand-t...](https://ai.googleblog.com/2019/08/on-device-real-time-hand- tracking-with.html) this might remove the need for any hardware apart from the phone & its vibration motor.

<comment><AUTHOR> Yup we've looked into that. It's not accurate enough to feel good to use, and often you go off screen for a bit which breaks the interaction. The infrared sensor actually has a field of view wider than the camera and helps maintain the connection in that brief offscreen moment.</comment></comment>


Sketch Announces Sketch for Teams - <AUTHOR> https://twitter.com/sketch/status/1136327873109737472 <comment><USER2> Bill Hicks on Marketing and Advertising: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4Mn2NbjlqU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4Mn2NbjlqU)

<comment><AUTHOR> I don't think describing a productivity features for a (relatively) new creative medium is what Bill had in mind with that bit...</comment></comment>


Apple CarPlay, Android Auto distract drivers more than pot, alcohol, says study - <AUTHOR> https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-carplay-android-auto-distracted-driving-pot-cannabis-alcohol-texting/ <comment><USER2> I believe a few automotive companies agree with touch screen being a bad interface [https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1121372_why-mazda-is- pur...](https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1121372_why-mazda-is-purging- touchscreens-from-its-vehicles)

</comment><comment><USER3> This article was kind of misleading and only keep the important stuff at the end.

> Instead, they were told to play a song on Spotify, react to receiving a text > message, make a phone call or navigate to a gas station.

For sure doing anything more advanced will be more dangerous, even more so on a touch screen (but still doing complex tasks are the dangerous things). This article is misleading because we could easily replace all the words Apple Carplay and Android Auto with "having passengers". Doing complex tasks in a car setting, whatever how, will distract you, including with someone else, believe me, if I play rock paper cissor with someone else while driving, that's going to be dangerous.

Android Auto isn't the issue, it's the tasks that people does on it. Even on a red light I tend to avoid chaning song on it.

</comment><comment><USER4> I don't have any scientific proof but only a personal observation on this. This is the exact reason why I stopped using Apple CarPlay on my car but instead relying on (iDrive) integrated navigation. Here's my comparison with BMW's iDrive system:

\- Apple CarPlay (or Google Maps) show you a very focused view on the current road. This will cause a massive distraction as the screen is updated very frequently with changing road conditions. However with the car's integrated (iDrive) system I zoom-out and see the overall path.

\- CarPlay and Google Maps have way too many voice directions compared to iDrive. If I have to go straight, navigation should keep it quiet. This way I can focus much more on the road and the signage rather than looking at the screen.

\- As a downside, CarPlay or Google Maps seem to suggest better routes time to time, but the total trip duration will not change any more than ~5%, which I'm completely fine with considering the above pro's it provides.

</comment><comment><USER5> IAM RoadSmart page (and link to actual study): [https://www.iamroadsmart.com/campaign-pages/end-customer- cam...](https://www.iamroadsmart.com/campaign-pages/end-customer- campaigns/infotainment)

<comment><USER6> We've merged this thread into [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22644644](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22644644), which posted that original source, and also was earlier.

(From the site guidelines: " _Please submit the original source. If a post reports on something found on another site, submit the latter._ ")

[https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html)</comment></comment>


Transfers a hot commodity for colleges - <AUTHOR> http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10087/1046224-298.stm

<comment><USER2> "In the hyper-competitive world of college admissions, transfer students have become the latest sought-after commodity, viewed as increasingly important to keeping seats filled and diversifying the student body through their varied backgrounds."

It was the superior treatment of university as a business at the cost of education that made me weary of post-secondary education here in The United States. I watched the shift happen at the turn of the century, especially at the university I attended in Philadelphia, PA.

I am all for running anything (for profit or not) as a business to financially sustain and grow success and value, almost nothing is free, but I don't believe you do it at the expense of the true purpose--in this case: education.

So, when I see things like this, it makes me even more disappointed and rehashes my thoughts on creating a co-op university not influenced by the "business of post-secondary education"; self-sustained and grown through the fruits of the student and faculty body labor by intertwining education and real world experience from beginning through the entirety of the curriculum. In other words, each program in the university is actually a business, creates product, sells product, etc. I could go on and on, but I think I have already been a little long in the tooth.

<comment><USER3> Similar frustrations, similar daydreams.

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> _In the hyper-competitive world of college admissions, transfer students have become the latest sought-after commodity, viewed as increasingly important to keeping seats filled and diversifying the student body through their varied backgrounds._

One can also see the transfer students with high GPAs as "proven performers."

</comment><comment><USER5> I knew two men in my Baby Boomer generation who each managed to attend four different undergraduate institutions in pursuit of an undergraduate degree, finishing their degree programs in four years. They kept trading up year by year, transferring their credits to each new college they attended. They have both had successful careers in what they have chosen to do. Don't give up. Keep pushing forward.

</comment><comment><USER6> Law schools often use transfers as a way to increase head count without lowering admission standards.</comment>


Epistemic Network Analysis: visualizing patterns in coded data - <AUTHOR> http://www.epistemicnetwork.org/ <comment><AUTHOR> I like that they have a technical paper on how to format your data for epistemic analysis: [http://www.epistemicnetwork.org/wp- content/uploads/2018/04/E...](http://www.epistemicnetwork.org/wp- content/uploads/2018/04/ENA-data-formatting.pdf)</comment>


Can One Write Readable and Maintainable Perl? - <AUTHOR> http://programming.oreilly.com/2013/12/can-one-write-readable-and-maintainable-perl.html

<comment><USER2> My perl experience was brief and a long time ago, so apply a large grain of salt.

I find perl to be a language that makes it easy to write bad, incomprehensible code. I'm sure it's possible to write good perl. If you're going to take the trouble to write good code, why not pick a language that actually supports that goal? I don't understand why perl would be the starting point, when there are alternatives like python and ruby available.

<comment><USER3> _I find perl to be a language that makes it easy to write bad, incomprehensible code._

Did you read a book or tutorial which explained the two types of context (value and type) in Perl, the topic variable, or operator monomorphism?

<comment><USER2> It was a very long time ago (< 2000), so I don't remember if I ran across these topics. I worked through one of the popular perl books of the day, cover to cover. If the topics you mention are basic, and existed at the time, then I probably ran into them.

The language struck me as a poorly integrated collection of features. I found that it was a language that needed to be memorized more than understood. I suppose that if I had stuck with it long enough, I would have internalized the idioms and been productive with it.

Python was much more what I was looking for. I found it effortless to learn, and that my intuition was usually correct. If I thought something should work, based on my understanding of the language's key concepts, then it usually did just work.

<comment><USER3> _I suppose that if I had stuck with it long enough, I would have internalized the idioms and been productive with it._

Yes, and that's my gravest concern about most Perl tutorials. Perl's theoretical basics are sufficiently different from other Algol family languages that they should be taught explicitly. Expecting people to intuit them over time leads people to conclude that Perl is "a poorly integrated collection of features."

The language _does_ have its warts, but it's much easier to work with when you understand its underpinnings and work with them rather than against them.

(I apologize for the late reply.)</comment></comment></comment></comment>


Ask HN: Can a machine learning engineer switch to a web development career? - <AUTHOR> <comment><USER2> My question is why would you want to switch to web development. IMO ML Engineering is an exciting field, I am curious to hear what your struggles are or qualms with the field.

</comment><comment><USER3> "There is no such thing as stupid questions". This however, is a stupid question.

Solely depends on your effort/motivation to pick up a new skill. As with anything...</comment>


Show HN: I built this (my first) Facebook application in 5 hours. Is that slow? - <AUTHOR> http://apps.facebook.com/asyoungasyoufeel/

<comment><USER2> Why does it matter how long it took you to make your first application? And why do you care what others think about that?

</comment><comment><USER3> You are younger than NaN% of your 0 friends who agreed to share their birthdays with us.

<comment><AUTHOR> shit. i should have debugged properly :(

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> What's with the false modesty?

<comment><AUTHOR> see my reply to cleverjake. This is not false modesty. This is really first try with facebook sdk.

<comment><USER4> Not sure what your other reply has to do with this, but maybe I overstated and your title is just pandering and fishing for compliments.</comment></comment></comment>


Scribd and Apture herald a new more usable web  - <AUTHOR> http://scobleizer.com/2010/10/19/scribd-and-apture-herald-a-new-more-usable-web-new-wave-of-semantic-services-arrives/

<comment><USER2> Love Apture. They just keep pushing the envelope.</comment>


Gift for a 10 year old - <AUTHOR> I'm after ideas for a birthday gift for my 10 year old son. He has an interest in technology, I've tried to teach him a little programing of late, and he is kind of interested. Anyway open to any ideas, not just tech ones. <comment><USER2> Get him an awesome mountain bike or a BB gun to terrorize the neighborhood cats. He's got about 4 years left before life starts to get real serious, so let him be a kid. No one wants to spend all day sitting in front of a monitor, especially a 10 year old.

EDIT: Apparently it needs to be stated clearly that despite my tongue in cheek comment, I don't actually condone the firing of projectiles at small feline animals, be they feral or domestic. It should also be noted that I do not condone the "arming" of minors with the intent of allowing them to commit acts of violence on animals, other persons, or even plants for that matter. From here on out, if asked for gift ideas for a child, I'll simply ask a child what they prefer and relay their answer, unless of course they suggest an item not on an "approved" list.

<comment><USER3> I completely agree with encouraging him to be a kid and keep him away from a monitor as long as possible, but to suggest equipping a kid with a BB gun to terrorise the neighbourhood cats is appalling. You may or may not like them, but they're living things and they feel pain and fear just as much as humans do, and they have just as much right to go about their lives without being shot at.

<comment><USER4> Another cat apologist. They shit in my garden, kill all the local wildlife, piss everywhere, try and break into your house, scratch your kids up, lick their worm-ridden arses and only show intelligence with respect to jealousy and self interest.

Fuck 'em all.

Kid with a BB gun is a natural predator.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> Technical Lego.

Edit: Seems it's called 'Lego Technic'. I just remember calling it technical lego as a kid. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_Technic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_Technic)

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks, yep I ended up going with this. Got a pretty sweet set ( [http://shop.lego.com/en-NZ/Excavator-42006](http://shop.lego.com/en- NZ/Excavator-42006) ) with the motor add on. Just trying to overcome ridiculous regional pricing now if you don't live in the states you pay though the nose ( [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6403660](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6403660) )

</comment></comment><comment><USER3> Get him something that just the two of you can do together, ideally outside or in the wild. It doesn't really matter _what_ it is, just so long as it's something you do together. He's at an age now where he worships the ground you walk on, which won't last much longer. Make the most of it whilst it lasts, and give him some great memories at the same time. That's going to be worth way more to him than $TOY or $GADGET.

</comment><comment><USER6> A makey makey is awesome! I got one for my 6yo daughter, and we make crazy stuff together like this chair piano: [http://www.dirktheman.com/tutorials/makey-makey-chair- piano....](http://www.dirktheman.com/tutorials/makey-makey-chair-piano.html)

When you've explored the 'standard' makey makey options you can convert it into an arduino board, opening up a whole new world of sensors, electronics and programming. In my opinion, the makey makey is a great way to get into electronics/programming because it's more accessible than just an arduino or a raspberry pi. You can do stuff with it out of the box and there are cool projects for children to do together.

<comment><USER7> [http://www.dirktheman.com/](http://www.dirktheman.com/)

Google translated the Dutch for me!

"220.127.116.11

Note to the owner of the following domain : This domain is not linked to your web hosting package, reseller hosting package or virtual server. You have in your customer panel DNS management enabled for this domain name. Change the DNS records for the IP addresses of your DNS server or move management, and change the name servers to the name servers of your hosting package, reseller hosting package or virtual server."

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> If you want to get him something technology related, think about a Mindstorm NXT kit. I know that's what I wanted at his age (And my parents never got it for me grrr). There are plenty of other ways to encourage your kid to "go outside" and "act a kid" so if he WANTS something tech relate for his birthday, get him what he wants. Now, if he's more interested in a mountain bike or a football, get him that. (If you haven't yet, you should ask him what he wants. At that age they're usually still honest about it.) I also think the suggestion another commenter gave about a rasberry pi is a good one. At his age, he'll probably really enjoy something that is hands on and he can build with.

</comment><comment><USER9> [brainstorm] The Dangerous Book for Boys Snip, Solder and Burn Basic robotics stuff, something related to Arduino? They're cheap enough. Introduce him to Scratch or some other development tutoring environment for kids. Subscription to Wizard 101 :) A trick bike? Nerf is a nice alternative to BB. You don't get to shoot cats with it though. Build a water rocket. Did that with my boy. He was suitably impressed.

Look, you don't have to leave off with a gift. The stuff you do together leaves the best memories. Stuff passes away. Good memories, especially after 10 years of age, tend to stick.

</comment><comment><USER10> I would incentive the kids to make sport instead of coding.

<comment><USER11> Why not both? It is true that maybe 10 years it's a bit early for serious coding, but I don't see anything wrong with it, when my time came, I was like 16 and I always practised sport(still do) had time to code and for friends.

<comment><USER10> It's true and but I think both things can have a negative side, one it can be, coding seen as a homework, something the kid do every day, exercises, plus, the school I think they will not be motivated at all. The second is the kid loves coding, being at home in the computer and avoid sports. I think you can try to incentive both, but one will eventually take out the other.

Also, I think sports in general are more important in that age than anything else. A healthy body when is growing could be a life changing later, you can train yourself into coding at any age and eventually, master it, but a good body could give you access to other professions that require a fit body. I couldn't apply for air force because of my bad fit, as an example and I think the kid, at his age, still doesn't know what to do, better to teach him something cool as coding when he's about to exit is growing period and know more or less what he wants to do for a living (17-18).

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> At his age, I would love to have a proper RC plane/boat/car. You can get a starter kit for quite cheap from HobbyKing and can provide an introduction in a world of technology, electronics, physics, etc. Also, a lot of fun :)

</comment><comment><USER13> I have a 10 year old boy

Maybe ask him what he wants

A lot of boys that age like Minecraft and other videogames on xbox or pc. You might get him a small android tablet or else an old smart phone or laptop to play games. A bike or scooter.

<comment><USER14> Plus, Minecraft teaches basic circuit design and gate logic.

[http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Redstone_circuit](http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Redstone_circuit)

</comment></comment><comment><USER15> How about that:

[http://www.amazon.com/SmartLab-Toys-ReCon-Programmable- Rover...](http://www.amazon.com/SmartLab-Toys-ReCon-Programmable- Rover/dp/1603800859)

Seemed interesting to me.

</comment><comment><USER16> A book idea : "A Little History of the World" by Ernst Gombrich, the author of "The Story of Art". The book is aimed at children ("für junge Leser" in original title) but not too much and may let him discover new topic of interest (History in general or a specific period/civilisation).

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

</comment><comment><USER17> Scott Hanselman just posted his experience with Snap Circuits. They look awesome and there are plenty of kits to keep curious kids busy exploring and building stuff. [http://www.hanselman.com/blog/TeachingKidsElectronicsCompute...](http://www.hanselman.com/blog/TeachingKidsElectronicsComputersAndProgrammingFundamentalsWithSnapCircuits.aspx)

</comment><comment><USER11> A microscope. God I loved my first microscope.

<comment><USER18> This is what I am going to buy my 4-yr old son when he turns 5. The look of wonder in his eyes, the thoughts that must be buzzing in his head when I explain things he cannot see. Buy him a microscope.

But also get him something he can socialize with - like a rugby ball or cricket bat, whatever for whatever sport you play in your area.

<comment><USER11> I totally agree with the addition of a social element!

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER19> Petzold's "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software" aids in the understanding of how computers work at the lowest levels.

[http://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware- Softwa...](http://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware- Software/dp/0735611319)

</comment><comment><USER20> When I was about that age I got an intro to electronics kit, I absolutely loved it. Just making little LEDs light up, speakers buzz, nothing that complex just things I could understand, think through, and make work myself.

</comment><comment><USER4> I'd go for:

[http://www.korg.com/monotribe](http://www.korg.com/monotribe)

Relatively cheap and can lead into an interesting hobby (plus you can take them to bits and modify them!)

<comment><AUTHOR> Oh sweet. Have bookmarked for his older brother. Could be a good Christmas present.

</comment></comment><comment><USER21> Raspberry Pi with CODER pre-installed.

[http://googlecreativelab.github.io/coder/](http://googlecreativelab.github.io/coder/)

</comment><comment><USER22> Give him your time. Thats all he wants.

</comment><comment><USER23> Possibly a raspberry pi (with camera)? A fun project might be to make a bird house webcam or similar.

</comment><comment><USER24> www.play-i.com would have been perfect. They just don't have it yet.

edit: From play-i => Using a tablet or other mobile device running compatible software, the child will be able to program his or her robot to perform certain actions. The bots are expected to cost under $100

</comment><comment><USER25> Well you can give him collection of memories beautifully stored and organized on [http://www.joognu.com](http://www.joognu.com)

It's one of the best gifts you can ever give it to your child.

Disclaimer: I am the product manager and part owner.

<comment><USER25> Dear HN Community: I really could not understand what is bad in this suggestion of mine. Just because I put my startup as a suggestion does not make it bad.

Who would not love to cherish old memories with parents? And the author is also open to all ideas not just the tech ones.

<comment><USER26> It's a shameless plug, for one thing.

<comment><USER25> What if I would not have put a disclaimer? Will you still call it that?

<comment><USER26> It's a shameless plug, disclosure of the conflict of interest or not.

<comment><USER25> With all due respect I disagree. What if this link would have been shared by a parent who uses Joognu.com? Would you still call it a shameless plug?

Just because I put up a disclaimer, you knew we are part of this else how would you have known?

If I wouldn't have put the disclaimer then it would have been the shameless plug.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER25> One more idea:

May be it is little early but you can give this a thought.

Gift him a Designer Signature from [http://www.signinstyle.com](http://www.signinstyle.com)

So that he can start doing it from now before the current signature (if he has any) becomes official at too many places.

Disclaimer: I am the co-founder of Sign in Style.

<comment><USER11> Man, you should choose better your target audience...

<comment><USER25> Well that's why I mentioned that it may be too early and also posted a disclaimer. But the idea isn't that bad, is it?

<comment><USER11> No it is not, I have to admit it, because my signature is the worst that could ever be, but I think that is related to the fact that my calligraphy is horrible. So, wouldn't it be funny if someone has a crappy calligraphy and a great signature? are you even sure that it's possible? not saying that you didn't your research or anything, just throwing questions. Still, point being, when I was 10 having as a present a designer signature would have disappointed me greatly.

<comment><USER25> I agree with your concerns about calligraphy and all. But with practice I am pretty sure you also can have a nice signature.

"I was 10 having as a present a designer signature would have disappointed me greatly."

\- with all due respect, it is subjective.

PS: Right now I am really disappointed that my comments are getting negative ratings. Sorry if I have offended the HN community but shameless marketing was never my intention.</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment>


Private Equity company acquires .org registry - <AUTHOR> https://domainnamewire.com/2019/11/13/breaking-private-equity-company-acquires-org-registry/ <comment><USER2> This is very troubling. I can't imagine why this would be done if they had good intentions. Makes me want to check their financials.

Here's their most recent public tax forms which includes revenue, executive pay, board member info, and more

PIR: [https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/331...](https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/331025119/201841569349300514/IRS990)

ICANN: [https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/fy18-irs-tax- for...](https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/fy18-irs-tax- form-990-return-organization-exempt-income-tax-27may19-en.pdf)

Looks like they're paid quite generously.

<comment><USER3> We should support public goods like the Ethereum Name Service [https://ens.domains/](https://ens.domains/)

You can register a domain at [https://app.ens.domains/](https://app.ens.domains/)

<comment><USER4> alternative DNS roots have been a thing for a while:

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

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> I work at Namecheap and we've been vocal about ICANN's decision to lift .org price caps. Happy to answer any questions from an industry-insider perspective.

P.S. Only upvoting for exposure, not endorsing the acquisition.

<comment><USER6> Are there any TLDs where the management are elected by the domain holders ? The real world analogy I can think is HOA where the association (body corporate) is run by trustees/directors who are elected by the property owners. The association is incorporated as a non profit.

<comment><USER5> No there is no registry "coop" afaik but this would be very cool. Maybe in the next round of TLD applications?

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> Does anyone know what policy at ICANN justifies this action? My understanding was that certain TLDs are historically non-commercial and this free from commercial constraints on registration.

<comment><USER8> Adding to this, does anyone know if there is a procedure in place to submit a protest of an ICANN decision? There has to be a way for the public to issue a request for re-evaluation, right?

</comment></comment><comment><USER9> Definitely a case of capital being earned and not a power differential being used to rip off the public writ large /sarcasm

</comment><comment><USER10> How...is this even allowed? Do people like us not get any say in this?

Fuck the ICANN.

<comment><USER11> To be fair, you seem to be quite explicit.

<comment><USER10> Yes because I feel like I was fucked with. Of course I'm mad.

Especially if they remove the pricing protections it might price me out of owning my own domain.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> PE firm appoints former ICANN executives to top positions. ICANN lifts price caps on .org registry. PE firm acquires .org registry. ICANN executives acquire stakes in PE firm.

I don't know how this kind of behaviour is qualified legally. Probably something like "free market capitalism". But on a personal level this feels just disgusting and corrupt. Things like the .org registry that are unique and as such cannot be subject to competition should be controlled by a public entity in the common interest. I say that as a long-time owner (or rather renter) of a personal .org domain.

<comment><USER13> I feel that's something the EFF could sue against

</comment></comment><comment><USER14> Well, that's the end of .org. Private equity just wants to collect rent, they'll raise prices year after year just _because_.

<comment><USER15> Not sure why this is being downvoted, it's the truth.

Rent seeking is a disease that stifles progress. I don't understand how the same people who rail against overly aggressive patent, DRM, and copyright protections can justify supporting rent seeking in the physical world.

</comment></comment><comment><USER13> Time to fork ICANN. We knew this day would come, it is time for a DNS schism.

<comment><USER16> There's no absolute law that icann will always be the one true registry. It's mostly convention, inertia, and an expectation that they won't try to pull any shenanigans. But I'm seeing an awful lot of shenanigans lately...

Remember when the browser vendors decided to make an example out of Symmantec by revoking their root CA after repeated bad behavior?

At the end of the day, it's a bunch of private equity weenies who paid a _lot_ of money for a piece of paper, vs. the engineers who actually control which piece of paper everyone's computer looks at.

We'd have to be willing to stare down a lot of angry people, but we could absolutely win this fight if we really wanted to.

</comment></comment><comment><USER17> What's the most equitable TLD for now, and for the future?

<comment><USER18> .sucks

<comment><USER17> That's actually a pretty interesting example — is this some sort of stick-it- to-the-man anti-corporation performance art?

"[...] lawyers are infuriated that the dot-sucks registry was charging trademark holders $2500 for domains and everyone else $10."

"The .sucks domain registrar has been described as "predatory, exploitive and coercive" by the Intellectual Property Constituency that advises the ICANN board. When the .sucks registry announced their pricing model, "most brand owners were upset and felt like they were being penalized by having to pay more to protect their brands." Because of the low utility of the ".sucks" domain, most fees come from "Brand Protection" customers registering their trademarks to prevent domains being registered."

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICANN#.sucks_domain](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICANN#.sucks_domain)

It feels like many of the new TLDs are a shakedown on brands to force them to land-grab their trademarks. At least .SUCKS is honest about it?

EDIT: oh my, this is juicy! Some real internet counter culture. This excerpt from a letter of complaint from the .SUCKS registry to ICANN:

"[...] ICANN appears concerned that registrations on the .SUCKS registry will be used to aggregate uncomplimentary commentary about companies and products-- the very purpose for the registry that Vox Populi identified in the application it submitted to ICANN, and that ICANN approved."

[http://www.circleid.com/posts/20150511_vox_populi_registry_s...](http://www.circleid.com/posts/20150511_vox_populi_registry_says_enough_about_sucks_accusations/)

EDIT2: I am reminded of some more domain history here, regarding Diageo seizing the Guinness-Sucks.com domain names (also a nice blast from the past: who remembers the _Your Rights Online_ section of SlashDot?)

[https://m.slashdot.org/story/14513](https://m.slashdot.org/story/14513)

[https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2000/d200...](https://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisions/html/2000/d2000-0996.html)

<comment><USER19> The idea that the expansion of TLDs, sold as some sort of democratization of domain names, was anything other than a money grab is a joke. It's exemplified by ".sucks" forcing trademark owners being extorted to pay to protect their brand. As soon as ".sucks" is played out financially, look for ".isshit", ".killsbabies", ".molestspets", etc., etc., to spring up to monetize hedging haters.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER20> Yikes. F This.

"ICANN made this deal much more valuable by removing all price controls on .org."

Just thinking of all the Non Profits who have .Org and are going to get conned out of fees in the name of capitalism. Obviously making price increase assumptions here but this sucks. Is there anyway to stop this?

<comment><USER21> Doubt it. Looks like a done deal. I think either the government or a collective of citizens would have to sue on antitrust grounds, which seems reasonable considering they control the entire .org TLD. But other than that, don't see much of a way.

And considering it was controlled entirely by a single entity before, nothing has really changed except the structure of the entity (profit vs non-profit). Technically speaking, I don't think there is a requirement to prove consumer harm from antitrust activity, but I could be wrong. Which would, in theory, make such a case easier to win. Someone who knows a lot more than me on this once told me that requirement was left out of the antitrust laws because it was difficult to prove and there doesn't actually need to be harm to the consumer for their to be harm in general (meaning at least to other competitors). For example, a company can subsidize losses in one line of business with profits from another and keep prices reasonable/competitive in both areas while simultaneously stifling competition in the line of business that's losing money. Consumers still receive a good price but the harm is to the competition, which will cause company bankruptcies down the line and have longer term consequences. It also creates a barrier to entry for any prospective competitors. I think this was the real-world scenario that was used to leave out a requirement of proof of consumer harm. In fact, I also believe they don't even have to technically succeed they just need to merely attempt to monopolize something to be guilty of a felony. But again, since it's just changing hands from one entity to another, that might not fly.

<comment><USER22> Imagine if they raise prices exponentially for organizations they don't like, imagine if like the aclu or eef can't renew their .org because those organizations run counter to their interests.

<comment><USER21> That's an apocalyptic scenario and not one likely to survive legal challenge. But if something like that were to happen, then I'd say that there is still a workaround. I forget the name of the browser extension but there is definitely something that exists that circumvents domain blocking by storing the domain to IP list. I believe this is/was used mostly in the UK to get around their governmental laws blocking certain sites so if you had a link to www.blockedsite.com/article it would take www.blockedsite.com and replace with the known IP address and route you there directly instead.

<comment><USER23> > not one likely to survive legal challenge

Can you elaborate?

<comment><USER21> I mean if they really did that there would likely be numerous paths to successfully sue the private equity company now controlling the .org TLD. Basic consumer protection laws require, for example, that buyers of like kind be charged the same price. I think that law applies to physical goods and commodities, but there is an argument to be made that domain registration is not as much of a service as it is a commodity loaning program. Another avenue could potentially be predatory pricing and price gouging laws. IANAL but I'm sure there are many, many things they could cite in a civil suit to stop such blatant ripoff schemes. In fact, I think if they did gouge them so obviously and in such a targeted fashion, it would probably be a great case for getting them torn apart under antitrust law since there is literally nowhere else you can register a .org TLD.

<comment><USER24> They could maybe add a mandatory arbitration agreement for future domain renewals? And then do this.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER25> fuck you ICANN.

</comment><comment><USER26> Does this mean non profit organizations will end up paying more for domain names? That seems sketchy.

</comment><comment><USER27> On an unrelated note, I've been dying for .sea TLD for a long time now (for Southeast-Asia). Reckon many unicorns wanting to appear "regional" would love this too.

Unfortunately, it's owned by the Principality of Sealand... an offshore platform.

<comment><USER28> Why?

These regional vanity TLD's don't have are real day to day use

</comment></comment><comment><USER19> Time to wind down all the .org domains of more than trivial import.

</comment><comment><USER29> First thought: Sketchy.

Second thought: Actually I hope that they do raise prices. Sucks for the squatters and the legacy owners, but the squatters more so given how many more names they own.

<comment><USER30> > Second thought: Actually I hope that they do raise prices.

Can't wait for that price hike for my ~VIP~ 3-letter dot org domain that I've been actively using for 11 years!

<comment><USER29> That's kind of the thing though, I want one as well. If you didn't get one 11 years ago you have been out of luck since then.

<comment><USER31> So? Should only people who can afford high costs be allowed to own three- letter domains? Worthiness is not defined by income.

<comment><USER29> I agree! Especially when it comes to dot org. The thought was more about how first one there gets to keep it forever because it's cheap enough to hold out doesn't feel great either.

<comment><USER31> As long as they're actively using it, I don't see the problem. If someone is squatting on a domain without using it, that's a different problem and should be handled in a way that doesn't punish legitimate users.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER32> So I've been trying to buy my-name.org for years, but it's held by some domain squatter. No idea where or why they are holding it and paying for renewals for at least the last 15 years.

Maybe now they'll think it's cost-prohibitive?

It expires next year, any idea on how to buy a domain these days?

</comment><comment><USER33> Doesn't Craigslist have an .org as well?

</comment><comment><USER34> Is there a reason _any_ domain has to be in private hands? Other than allowing more rent-seeking.

<comment><USER35> I believe that _technically_ generic top level domains "belong" to ICANN, and the registry operators (who collect most of the money) are just contractors operating the infrastructure on behalf of ICANN. So PIR doesn't actually own .org, ICANN could find a new contractor if they abuse their power.

Of course, that's in theory. In reality ICANN's contracts are very controversial, and there have been plenty of accusations of corruption.

Honestly, I don't see why the GTLDs couldn't be operated by a non-profit. They could charge as much as necessary to maintain the extremely high availability the service requires without needing to enrich any shareholders.

</comment></comment><comment><USER36> Time to sunset it.

<comment><USER37> And remove it from the email whitelist.</comment></comment>


All blue-eyed people have a single ancestor in common - <AUTHOR> http://www.businessinsider.com/all-people-blue-eyes-have-common-ancestor-2017-9 <comment><USER2> Ten years ago on HN:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=111628](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=111628)

Also, somewhat more recently:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15194123](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15194123)

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14309525](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14309525)

None have much discussion, but there were fewer people here ten years ago, so perhaps the five comments that are there are more valuable.

Then again, maybe not.</comment>


Founder Stories: Detroit Water Project's Tiffani Ashley Bell - <AUTHOR> http://themacro.com/articles/2015/11/qa-with-tiffani-ashley-bell/ <comment><USER2> Great profile. I'm a contributor; if you'd like to be one as well, you can do it here:

[https://www.detroitwaterproject.org/#donor- form](https://www.detroitwaterproject.org/#donor-form)

It's great to see people with an entrepreneurial spirit tackling problems like this.

</comment><comment><USER3> "Meanwhile, I had been clicking all around on the water company's website, and I found a 400-page PDF document that was a list of account numbers of people who owed money that the water company supposedly couldn't deliver bills to by mail. We took one of the account numbers and plugged it into the utility company's website, and it showed a lot of information: How much was owed, consumption history, payment history. And there was a payment button. "

Surprised that information was out in the open, I don't think it should have been. Props to her to make something good out of it. It's also quite strange that the water company would be able to deliver water but the postal service can't deliver mail. Both appear to be tied to the same physical location.

<comment><USER4> It's Detroit. The entire city is dysfunctional. At one time the policy of the Fire Chief was to just let buildings burn if they were uninhabited, to save fire department resources.

<comment><USER5> That seems like a decent policy if the resources are truly so limited.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> Great to learn about this.

see also their Baltimore project (mentioned in passing): [https://www.detroitwaterproject.org/baltimore](https://www.detroitwaterproject.org/baltimore)

</comment><comment><USER7> Every city water utility has this same problem. Having close knowledge of the problems, I don't think this is a good solution. Many of the customers get shut off and then immediately pay their bill along with the penalties (approx 3/4). This is often cyclical with the same people getting shutoff every couple months. Appears to me to be administrative. Should have financial people show them how to budget or organize their bills to prevent getting the fees so it doesn't happen again in the long run. Another thing the article points to is a $250 fee for turning on the water. Often when the water is turned on without authorization the utility equipment is damaged. The fix can involve calling out trade workers to saw out parts of streets and sidewalks and replacing expensive brass lead-free parts. $250 would be in the neighborhood of the cost.

<comment><USER8> When regularly there's a significant probability that a person's periodic income will be less than their periodic expenses, budgeting becomes an exercise of choosing which bills _not_ to pay.

The important reason the damaged equipment due to illegal restoration of service is problematic is same reason that public water service is important. Public water service exists to protect public health. It keeps people from dying of diseases like cholera.

Punitive policies in regard to water service put people in life threatening situations. It's poor public policy.</comment></comment>


bladeRF, a USB 3.0 SDR platform looks to be the RaspberryPi of radios - <AUTHOR> http://nuand.com/bladeRF

<comment><USER2> look at HackRF, it may be better, if it gets released</comment>


Ask HN: If neanderthals existed today, how would they be societally integrated? - crypto-jeronimo <comment><AUTHOR> I suspect they wouldn't be integrated and perhaps even be persecuted like we do to those who have a different skin color or funny accent. Perhaps we might even see movements like Neanderthal Lives Matter.

<comment><USER2> There was a science fiction story/series in the '90s that addressed this issue. Neanderthals (derogatorily called "slopes" because of their foreheads) were considered sub-human and widely employed as slaves. The story was pretty brutal, I couldn't make it all the way through. Tried to find the name of the story/series/author for this thread, but my Google-fu was insufficient.

</comment></comment><comment><USER2> Recommended: [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fantasy/5-sff- nov...](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fantasy/5-sff-novels-about- neanderthals/)</comment>


Orchestrate replaces multiple NoSQL databases with single API - <AUTHOR> http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/04/orchestrate-replaces-multiple-nosql-databases-with-a-single-api/ <comment><USER2> I received three duplicate registration emails when signing up. Looks great though. Looking forward to playing around with it.

<comment><USER3> Justin from Orchestrate, here. Just wanted to let you know that we have tuned down the excitability levels of our welcome bot -- he should just send one email from now on. :)

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> Dig the simple pricing</comment>


The Death of the R.S.V.P  - <AUTHOR> http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/15/opinion/15cooper.html

<comment><USER2> This falls on both sides, imo. With it being so easy to send out hundreds of "e-vites", as opposed to the effort/expense involved in sending nicely printed or handwritten invitations by mail, I can't be sure that the invitation was actually intended specifically for me, with any modicum of thought involved, as opposed to just being an email blasted out to someone's entire address book. So I tend to only respond to the ones where either I actually am going, or I have some reason to believe the sender wanted me in particular to come or give regrets if I can't (e.g., if it's a close friend, or I know I'm part of a smallish group of invitees).

I do agree that not RSVPing _and still showing up_ is a breach of etiquette; a non-response ought to be treated as an implicit no, imo. But to help that along, it does pay to make sure to explicitly request an RSVP fairly prominently. Among the flurry of emails I get, an invitation that requires an RSVP, versus an open invitation that I can just show up to or not, aren't always that easy to distinguish (for example, I don't have to RSVP to show up to visiting speakers that my university sends me email "invites" to).

<comment><USER3> Would you say that the only way to be entitled to RSVPs is for the host to mail a physical invitation? What if I want to throw a small dinner party (say, 8-12) but I don't decide until the 3 days before, so that snail mail isn't an option but RSVPing by email is easy.

<comment><USER4> In that situation with only 8-12 people you just need to pick up the phone and personally invite them. Will take all of an hour and you'll know the picture instantly, as well as make people feel wanted.

When I'm having a dinner party, or even a small party, I still call everyone personally. The difference it makes to getting people to come is enormous, it makes people feel wanted. Failing that, a personal email (rather than a batch send) also makes a big difference.

I agree that this works both ways - people are getting lazier at inviting people in the same way people are getting lazier at responding.

<comment><USER3> Huh. See, I don't like it when other people invite me by calling because it puts me on the spot (and no, it's not because I'm deluded with so very many invitations...). I hate trying to remember if I have any conflicts and I hate trying to come up with a polite excuse if I don't feel like going.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> I'd love to see a simple RSVP web app done.

1\. Needs universal login features that are amazingly simple.

2\. Needs a Google Mapping system with automatic directions from your Geo or IP address general location.

3\. Needs to exist on a single page in a very simple non-tabbed view.

4\. Needs to be extremely sharable.

 _EDIT_

5\. Use Disqus for commenting.

6\. Take a leaf from Vark and make it integrate with Instant Messenger, SMS, and E-Mail.

 _EDIT_

Revenue? Perhaps charge for repeating events or more events than 4 per month. Something like $1.00 per repeating event, or 3 events.

<comment><USER6> This should be completely automated so advertizing should work. IMO, the best way to monetize should it take of is selling your own advertisements for stuff people want when going to or hosting a party. AKA, Sara's 7th birthday bash invite linking to popular toys for that age range. Inviting 50 people how about local catering companies, or perhaps a local cleaning service.

Edit: Also, there are plenty of sites that do this, I would suggest starting with a facebook app and keeping some sort of score, aka number of events hosted, average gathering size etc. You could even add some sort of avatar based on unlocked achievements.

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> "We prefer to remain flexy, solidifying our plans incrementally as the date approaches."

As a young person, I read this as: I'll come to your party if nothing better comes up.

</comment><comment><USER8> Maybe a little education is in order - meet everyone at the door and tell the people that didn't RSVP to leave as you don't have enough food. I'm sure they will RSVP to the next party.

</comment><comment> loup-vaillant Too bad it ended up with a grammar error. :-) It should have said "Répondez Vite — ou Mourrez!" (instead of "mourir").

</comment><comment><USER9> Had similar problems when I got married a few years ago, as did a friend. No tech issues - these were physical invites, with an RSVP card and stamped and addressed return envelope included. IIRC response rate was about 60% of attendance. The only thing I think I could have done to improve that rate was to ask guests for a meal choice - no response implies you won't eat. :)

<comment><USER10> A tip for anyone else with an upcoming wedding to avoid this situation: Keep track of all your RSVP's in a document (excel, google docs, etc), assign one "bully" on each side of the family (mothers, aunts, etc), when the "RSVP due by" date hits give the bullies the green light to get those answers.

<comment><USER11> I agree, the "assigned bully" method works marvelously.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> I thinks it's combination of technological and social aspects.

Some non-tech people said to me that they couldn't figure out how to RSVP to Google Calendar invitation (link is provided in email).

Social aspect plays when other people see who and how many people have responded. Some people don't want to RSVP first because they don't what to seem like desperate people sitting at computer all the time. Some people don't want to RSVP because everybody else includes some witty comment and they can't invent anything witty enough. Some people don't want to RSVP 'No' and think that no answering at all is less antagonistic.

</comment><comment><USER13> For me, I never respond to e-vites. Instead, I RSVP via an email to the actual person.

The Automated Invitation sites are very unattractive to me not for ease-of- use, reasons. I don't use those channels because to do so is not only sending an RSVP to the host, it's also telling the website that you'll be attending, as well as their advertisers, their business partners, and other downstream marketers, etc.

Let's not confuse social conventions and etiquette with usage of the Ad Revenue oriented vehicles through which were asked to attend.

</comment><comment><USER14> I would be curious if the author would have followed the frequently cited studies in business and self-help books about increasing urgency by significantly reducing the amount of time allotted to perform a task--in this case to respond--would have helped.</comment>


Huawei built to withstand international pressure, can it handle US indictments? - <AUTHOR> https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/episode-427-mcarthur-pleads-guilty-quebec-tofu-shortage-huawei-indictments-youth-climate-strikes-and-more-1.5001950/huawei-was-built-to-withstand-international-pressure-but-can-it-handle-u-s-indictments-1.5001956 <comment><USER2> > China-based Huawei has been under increasing scrutiny in the West over > allegations of spying

Are these legitimate allegations or just negotiation tricks in the context of trade agreements?

<comment><USER3> [https://www.npr.org/2019/01/29/689663720/a-robot-named- tappy...](https://www.npr.org/2019/01/29/689663720/a-robot-named-tappy-huawei- conspired-to-steal-t-mobile-s-trade-secrets-says-doj)

This was big news last week and gave a lot of legitimacy to the allegations.

      Huawei China allegedly continued to pester Huawei USA   employees to dig up the intel, and they   in turn continued to ask T-Mobile folks about Tappy's design. One of the Huawei engineers, known in the indictment only as "A.X.", took and sent unauthorized photos of the robot to Huawei China, but it wasn't enough, and they asked for more.

<comment><USER4> That's not what everyone's worried about.

That's just low-level corporate espionage, some people are worried that Huawei are building back doors for the CCCP to hack anyone using Huawei hardware.

<comment><USER5> > That's just low-level corporate espionage,

Considering the national security implications, I wouldn't be surprised if this was the only thing that could be readily disclosed to score public legitimacy without revealing sources/methods.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> The current Huawei situation and earlier sanctions (quickly revoked) vs. ZTE really highlight how powerful the US still is on the world economic stage.

There has been lots of ink spilled regarding the US backing away from global affairs and China's inevitable rise to overcome the US. But if the US can put this much pressure on two huge Chinese multinationals, some of the few that have been able to have success internationally, it says a lot.

</comment><comment><USER7> Huawei was already banned from participating in Australia's National Broadband Network (NBN) infrastructure many years ago due to similar security fears.</comment>


Silicon Valley NYC Mayor launch political push to increase immigration - <AUTHOR> http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/02/25/silicon-valley-and-nyc-mayor-bloomberg-launch-march-for-innovation-to-help-reform-us-immigration/

<comment><AUTHOR> [http://www.npr.org/2013/02/19/172373123/older-tech- workers-o...](http://www.npr.org/2013/02/19/172373123/older-tech-workers- oppose-increasing-h-1b-visas)</comment>