The IRS Really Needs Some New Computers - <AUTHOR> https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-04-17/the-irs-computer-system-is-the-oldest-in-the-government <comment><USER2> The IRS _already nearly developed_ a system to automatically translate their mainframe assembler logic into Java and check its correctness, but the main developer was hired on some special kind of program (to bypass the government salary structure) which could not be renewed before the project was completed.

Related: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16377329](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16377329) (The IRS's Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java)

[https://federalnewsradio.com/tom-temin- commentary/2018/01/ir...](https://federalnewsradio.com/tom-temin- commentary/2018/01/irs-clutches-its-modernization-holy-grail/):

> Now, IRS is on the verge of solving this problem. The solution was > engineered by a group of about eight people. And not under a multi-hundred- > million-dollar systems integration contract. A leader of the group was Jian > Wang, a Chinese emigre who is now a naturalized citizen. Wang told me his > solution isn't a silver bullet but rather a carefully worked-out > methodology. It has three components so potentially powerful the IRS has > filed patent applications for them.

> I say "was" because he's left the agency, and the status of the project is > dark.

> Wang was working under streamlined critical pay authority the agency has had > since its landmark 1998 restructuring. It gave the IRS 40 slots under which > it could pay temporary, full-time employees higher than GS rates. Former > Commissioner John Koskinen pointed out Congress did not re-up this authority > in 2013, despite his entreaties to former Congressman Jason Chaffetz's > Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

> "The last one ran out this past summer," Koskinen said. The departures > included Wang. He says he applied to become a GS-15 or Senior Executive > Service member so he could see through the assembler-to-Java project. But > his approval didn't come through until a week before his employment > authority expired. By then he'd accepted another job. Wang says he had a > house to pay for, kids to educate. Koskinen confirms the agency wanted to > convert Wang. But the process of approval from Treasury headquarters and the > Office of Personnel Management simply took too long.

<comment><USER3> To explain the "special kind of program" further, the US government has a very strict salary ladder (the "General Schedule" and similar), necessary to keep the enormous federal workforce paid fairly and without corruption. However, the salary ladder has not kept up with the explosion of incomes for very specialized professionals. For example, the scheduled salaries generally lie below the $400k salary for the president; top engineers sometimes earn more than that, and top engineering managers often do. This makes it hard to hire those professionals.

The special kind of program here is a special allowance from Congress to hire people at salaries larger than the general schedule allows; Congress gives this right to some agencies for a limited time when it perceives a need (and politics allow). For another example, Congress gave the FDA the right to do this last year to allow it to hire more drug reviewers (a job pharma companies are willing to pay a lot for).

In this case, Congress allowed the program to run out too soon (perhaps due to budget negotiation issues, perhaps due to oversight). Often that leads to people leaving and a lot of social and organizational capital drying up, just like it did here.

<comment><USER4> Ha ha, "generally lie below $400k". Usually way below 400k.

<comment><USER2> Doesn't the president's salary define the statutory maximum, though?

<comment><USER4> Don't know; probably. Certainly it's screwed up as presidents are a dime a dozen. The guy mentioned in the article is not.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> The article made no real case for the replacement of the IRS' computers. Sure, there's a case for updating their software, but this isn't the same thing as what the title says.

I think people seem to forget that newer does NOT mean better, and that an old, slow computer which is reliable is infinitely better than a new, fast computer which is either unreliable or idiosyncratic (or both).

Contemporary IT seems to have forgotten some wonderful things about mainframes. Most projects to "modernize" working computing systems are just about companies grabbing contract money, and if a proper job happens to get done, it's more or less incidental. This is why we could go to the Moon in a decade but can't build a replacement for the Space Shuttle in that time. If we had to rebuild the Hoover Dam or the Empire State Building these days, there's no possible way it'd ever be done in the timeframes of the original projects. It's a bit sad, really.

<comment><USER6> I think the real problem here is that the mainframe assembler codebase is undocumented, and decades of idiosyncratic corner-cases and bug fixes are only present in the source code. If the system was fully documented, it could be trivially re-implemented in any language or platform of choice. That's why I think this kind of "modernization" project can be really useful, because it forces the organization to define its requirements.

Edit: Just to take this concept a little but further, I'd argue that "software" is an illusion. Most software, and nearly all 'enterprise' or 'business' software should be able to be fully defined and written on paper, by humans, before a single developer is engaged to translate those requirements to something a computer can run. The exceptions would be more elaborate things like video games, AI stuff, and things that rely on computers to do what they do. Anything that is automating what humans do (like the IRS here) should be written on paper first, code second. All too often non- technical management doesn't understand this, as it's boring and hard. It's easier to throw money at 'consultants' to pry the requirements out of them and then complain at how expensive the "software" is - while the real expense is just asking your business people what they actually do.

<comment><USER7> > Most software, and nearly all 'enterprise' or 'business' software should be > able to be fully defined and written on paper, by humans, before a single > developer is engaged to translate those requirements to something a computer > can run.

This was literally day one of my systems architecture class in college, over 20 years ago. It's probably done more often than you think, but the problem is the workflows change slightly over time, and rather than go back to the drawing board each time, they just tweak the systems software. The result, though, is a mess.

<comment><USER6> Surely it's not unheard of, but as a former 'consultant' I would always be amazed that the client hadn't documented their workflow by the time we showed up. We'd usually have a team of BA's work with the client for a few months before code was written, all because the management didn't know how their business ran. Reading between the lines here, it seems that perhaps the IRS is in a similar situation, and the only canonical source of truth for how things work is encoded in the assembler source code.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> We talk about scaling a lot, but rarely look past "more traffic" or "ten years from now".

This is becoming an issue for the first time because the concept of "massively complex computer system at the core of a business" has only been around for half a century or so. Every year it gets more and more expensive (in terms of both people-hours and $$$) to rebuild, refactor, or even improve the system. People who make decisions see the gigantic pricetag on fixing something that already works and opt for patches instead, which is understandable - why fix something that isn't broken (yet), especially when it would cost _that_ much?

But as the article describes, when it comes down to the wire and a ground-up refactor is necessary for a system which is 30-60 years old, there may not be enough people who understand the hardware/software, those people are too important to reallocate to the project, or there's simply not enough time/money left to make it happen. I would imagine this new dilemma will start to become much more common in the next 10 years as legacy systems age beyond feasible maintainability.

<comment><USER9> Are you one of the people who bring up [https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/04/06/things-you- should-...](https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/04/06/things-you-should-never- do-part-i/) ?

The big re-write seems to be what you are proposing...

</comment></comment><comment><USER10> The IRS has a $11,526,389,000 budget. Their Information Services division has a $2,237,659,000 budget, and 6,089 employees.

So the issue isn't a lack of funding or personnel, it's bureaucratic incompetence.

<comment><USER11> This is the only case in which I'm okay with bureaucratic incompetence.

<comment><USER12> You still owe them the same amount; their delay is just an adds uncertainty to the process.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER13> > Today, the average taxpayer has one chance in 200 of getting audited.

Does this mean 1/200 people get audited, or of the people who meet the conditions to be audited, only 1/200 of them will be audited? The article doesn't differentiate between whether people today should be audited but are not due to the systems in place, or perhaps that simply less people today meet the criteria to be audited and the computers are still doing their job just fine.

<comment><USER14> A good question. 145,070,000 tax returns were processed through September 2017[1]. If the rate was one return out of every two hundred, there would have been ~725,000 audits conducted.

Multiple sources I found online reported "just over 1 million audits were conducted in 2016" (~1/120) but the number was expected to go down in 2017 due to budgetary reasons.

It is reasonable to extrapolate this value and find it in line with the original "1/200 returns", out of the total population of filed returns.

[1] [https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/filing-season-statistics-for- we...](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/filing-season-statistics-for-week-ending- september-1-2017)

</comment></comment><comment><USER15> I think this article doesn't cover the actual problem. Majority of the people who work for the IRS are above 45 years old. We're looking at a pick around 50-55 years old. So if they change their system, they might have to get rid of a lot people at the same time. Which they can't or if they could, it would cost them way more than just electronics and electricity.

source: [https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-average-age-of-people- work...](https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-average-age-of-people-working-at- the-U-S-Department-of-the-Treasury)

<comment><USER16> The USA treasury can't do redundancies? Or indeed have their personnel reskill?

</comment></comment><comment><USER17> I doubt a lack of "new computers" is the problem, but [https://directpay.irs.gov/directpay/payment](https://directpay.irs.gov/directpay/payment) currently reads:

Direct Pay

This service is temporarily unavailable. We are working to resolve the issue. Please come back later and try again, or you can visit the Make a Payment page for alternative payment methods. We apologize for any inconvenience.

 _Note that your tax payment is due although IRS Direct Pay may not be available._

</comment><comment><USER18> Another strong reason to implement the concept of a simple flat tax, without the pages and pages of magic accounting trickery.

It really shouldn't be that complicated:

Salary wages * tax rate

Investment delta * tax rate

Why does that take thousands of lines on a tax return ?

<comment><USER19> "[T]housands of lines"? Really? How many private citizens have ever had a return that long? The base form is two pages. Schedule A for itemized deductions is one page. Schedule B for dividends and interest is one page. Schedule D for capital gains is two pages. So, six pages total for your situation. Barely qualifies as hundreds, particularly since many don't even need to be filled out.

US tax code is definitely more complicated than it needs to be, but the repeated assertions here that this complication extends to the simple case are bullshit.

<comment><USER18> Have you ever done a 990? I don't mean "paid for one" but I mean truly sat down and did it? It's ridiculous and each ridiculous line has more baggage attached to each.

So to you, I tell you that the tax code for the US is significantly bigger than the tax return a private individual like yourself files yearly [0].

Tax liabilities should be a simple event and should not require a tax professional and other accounting tricks to lessen the burden. In the current environment, those who pay top dollar for tax lawyers and accountants are able to maximize their taxes. The small business and individual is left a higher regulatory burden and are forced to eat the costs.

A regular person should be able to properly pay taxes in a quick, clear and efficient manner. It shouldn't require a professional who's job it is to deal with the gross mismanagement of government.

[0]:[https://taxfoundation.org/how-many-words-are-tax- code/](https://taxfoundation.org/how-many-words-are-tax-code/)

<comment><USER19> > Have you ever done a 990? I don't mean "paid for one" but I mean truly sat > down and did it? It's ridiculous and each ridiculous line has more baggage > attached to each.

No, but your post was about individual taxes. Form 990 is only filed by non- profit organizations, which certainly do not fit the formulas for individuals you posted above.

> So to you, I tell you that the tax code for the US is significantly bigger > than the tax return a private individual like yourself files yearly.

Your initial post was referring to individuals, so that is what I was replying to. You are being disingenuous by talking about corporate tax code complexity next to burdens on individuals.

> A regular person should be able to properly pay taxes in a quick, clear and > efficient manner. It shouldn't require a professional who's job it is to > deal with the gross mismanagement of government.

Like I said, it can be better. However, I have never used a tax professional. The burden is not nearly as great on individuals and small businesses as you are claiming, as evidenced by you talking about 990s (which do not apply to individuals and small businesses) and the overall tax code(the vast majority of which does not apply to individuals and small businesses).

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER20> This was recently discussed in [https://federalnewsradio.com/tom-temin- commentary/2018/01/ir...](https://federalnewsradio.com/tom-temin- commentary/2018/01/irs-clutches-its-modernization-holy-grail/) HN discussion [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16377329](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16377329)

</comment><comment><USER21> How do you think the IRS should go about updating? Do you thing something like AWS is stable and safe enough fro something this important?

<comment><USER22> Start with really simplifying the tax code, and then do a complete rewrite.

Or wait until the whole mess collapses, and start with really simplifying...

<comment><USER23> So how, exactly, would you simplify the tax code? And make sure it brings in the same amount of revenue, and isn't extremely regressive? And make sure it isn't trivially game-able?

<comment><USER22> Oh something like no tax up to a certain level, 3 or 4 bands from then on, similar with inheritance tax, but a firm no dodging it policy for the very high value estates. Crack down on all the trusts etc. Toss it into a decent simulation and make regional adjustments depending on local income, and actively try to address some of the regional imbalances over time with national funding for things like schools.

It is btw. far easier to game a complex tax system than a simple one. Talk to your current President about that.

At a certain point, the technical debt on this kind of thing is so large the only thing to do is toss it out, and start again.

<comment><USER23> "Oh something like no tax up to a certain level"

Already have that.

"3 or 4 bands from then on"

Already have that.

"similar with inheritance tax, but a firm no dodging it policy for the very high value estates."

Already have that.

"Toss it into a decent simulation and make regional adjustments depending on local income, and actively try to address some of the regional imbalances over time with national funding for things like schools."

How is that going to make figuring out taxes easier? What if I live in one cost of living area for a while, then move to an area with another cost of living? Now I have to keep track of what income I earned where?

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment> a-b I'm wondering if it is possible to make this code open source.

</comment><comment><USER24> The IRS is so behind. To receive data from the IRS, I have 3 options.

CD

Tape! TAPE! 70's style Tape

Paper.

<comment><USER25> Yeah, my friend works for a decent sized company that writes banking software. He mentioned that some of the larger clients send a person everyday by plane with a tape for their daily data load. Seems strange in today's world.

<comment><USER26> "Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurtling down the highway." \-- Andrew S. Tanenbaum

Depending on the amount of data and time of travel etc, it might be more economical/reliable to do this than do it over the wire.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER27> The IRS really needs to be shutdown. It is a toxic cancer.

</comment><comment><USER28> >> The downward trend (in audits) has led to concerns that the IRS needs more funding

BULLSHIT. There have been numerous threads on HN about private tax services lobbying for complex tax processes. The amount of time and the level of caution I have to go to to fill out IRS forms about income that the government already knows about is ridiculous. The number of people getting audited shouldn't be a linear measure of effectiveness. If anything it's the opposite.

</comment><comment><USER29> Quote from the article:

 _Today, the average taxpayer has one chance in 200 of getting audited. The downward trend has led to concerns that the IRS needs more funding to do its job correctly and competently. That's true ..._

Does anyone here believe that the IRS is a good thing? The tax code could be greatly simplified helping business owners to boost the economy. If you need more _auditors_ , perhaps you're doing it wrong.

Imagine a "Revenue Service" that actually helped companies increase their revenue instead of being a parasite. A one page form, simple questions, simple tax code. Make tax day a celebration instead of a confusing trick of loopholes.

<comment><USER30> I've always wondered: Is the tax code kept complex because large accounting firms lobby for it? Much profit (and many jobs) would be lost if it was simplified.

<comment><USER28> In case you missed the thread about H&R Block on here the other day, the _do_ lobby for it. It may not be entirely that though - there's also plenty of political capital to be had by pushing for special loopholes for special people.</comment></comment></comment>


Google is reportedly announcing a standalone Android VR headset next week - <AUTHOR> http://techcrunch.com/2016/05/11/google-is-reportedly-launching-a-standalone-android-vr-headset-next-week/ <comment><AUTHOR> Nope. :-(</comment>


Show HN: TextIt – Visually build SMS applications anywhere in the world - <AUTHOR> http://textit.in <comment><AUTHOR> Hi HN,

We've been working in Rwanda for the past three years building interactive SMS systems for NGOs. This is our take on how to build a platform instead of custom systems to handle a lot of the needs here. We think it probably has some uses in the west as well.

Happy to answer any questions and respond to comments, curious to hear everybody's feedback. (please be gentle, not in the face!)

<comment><USER2> Hi!

Thanks for submitting this. I'm a big telecom geek and I am curious about your connection to the phone network (specifically, how are you enabling these SMS to actually go out?).

Is this sitting on top of something like Twilio, or do you have an underlying switch? What's the magic here? Is this just an interface for laying out SMS strategies or is there more to this?

It looks visually appealing, I think you did an excellent job on the site, but the technical portion is difficult for me to divine.

Thank you for the hard work!

Edit: Wait, is this not SMS and actually just a messaging service delivered over the top? If so, calling it SMS is sort of dubious. Would adore some clarification.

<comment><AUTHOR> Just to build on what Eric said, we either use a single Android phone to relay messages for you or integrate with Twilio or another aggregator.

We work a lot in Africa and there are no Twilios here, and integrating with multiple carriers is both really expensive and really time consuming. So what we do instead is have the organization that is deploying a TextIt buy a cheap Android phone (they are less than $100) and load our app on it.

From then on SMS messages that are received by the phone are forwarded to TextIt and we route replies through it. It works amazingly well and lets people deploy apps literally anywhere in just a few minutes.

<comment><USER3> just curious, how much does it cost to send/receive SMS on a cell phone in Rwanda or other parts of Africa?

I see there is a limit of 30 messages in 30 minutes, is this carrier induced?

<comment><AUTHOR> The 30/30 limit is actually an Android limit, and one we get around if you install the 'message packs'. We've had handsets send around 1000 messages an hour without problem.

SMS prices vary a lot by plan and country, but here in Rwanda it is 10 RWFs per SMS on carrier, which translates to about 1.5cs. There are various promotions you can get to lower that further, in Kenya you can buy a message pack that brings the price down to less than .5c each.

Oh note that it is always free to receive calls and SMS messages in Africa, as everything is pre-paid.

<comment><USER4> That's brilliant! I've worked in SMS business and dealing with the aggregators and their shitty connections was really annoying.

If you have such low prices for messages you can't be on roaming right? So you have to have a phone in each of the countries?

Also have you considered the legal side of the business - there is massive amount of regulation in a lot of countries (not only western, I remember we worked in SA and it was regulated too) - would you just disable accounts after abuse or are you monitoring it?

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> Great landing page. The way it presents a use case from start-to-finish, integrating product shots to display how the interface works, is done very well.

</comment><comment><USER6> A very similar-looking product for phone applications, called QuickFuse, is here: [http://quickfuseapps.com/](http://quickfuseapps.com/)

I think the diagram-as-programming concept has some legs for certain high- business-value, low-complexity applications. One of them is voice applications, and another is probably SMS applications. You can imagine many others: email workflows, document workflows, query tools...

It comes down to the age-old problem of how to represent and store logic in a fashion that end users aren't afraid to manipulate.

Disclosure: I worked on QuickFuse.

<comment><AUTHOR> QuickFuse looks really nice, congrats! I very much like that you let people play with the interface without signing up, might have to ape that. Where's the pricing though?

Obviously we agree visual interfaces have some real advantages, especially for things that are conversations (SMS, Voice, USSD). The real trick is managing to keep things simple as complexity increases.

I think the most interesting aspect for us has been to see project owners, the ones who go out to the field themselves, build applications that fit their use cases instead of having the cognitive barrier of communicating their needs to a programmer first.

Anyways, fun stuff, thanks for sharing.

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> HN,

Interactive SMS systems fill a much needed niche that has been largely neglected in favor of "smart apps". It's great to see that someone has developed a platform for building custom applications. Great job.

<comment><USER8> Exactly, we have to realize that those countries where the mobile penetration is ridiculous high, more than 95%, like any country in Africa, Asia and Latin America is basically driven by feature phones, and that will be the scenario for several years more.

</comment></comment><comment><USER9> Well done! Plus, it is great to see an old Nokia instead of another iPhone on the hero shot. It is really intriguing in combination with this slick, modern design of yours.

</comment><comment><USER10> Hi Nic,

This is nice, I am the developer on Ureport Zambia and we are currently using RapidSMS http router. Thanks alot and good work on all. Now am off to look at textit!!

<comment><AUTHOR> Hey hey!

I think you guys should give a hard look at TextIt, it was very much built with UReport and the like in mind, essentially taking things that worked really well and polishing the hell out of them. Definitely reach out via email if you have any questions or if we can do something to help out, integrating with an SMSC is totally possible.

</comment></comment><comment><USER11> Just a heads up, your link to Android SMS Relay is broken here ([http://nyaruka.com/#open](http://nyaruka.com/#open)). I think you intended to link this one [https://github.com/nyaruka/android-sms- relay](https://github.com/nyaruka/android-sms-relay).

But great stuff! I'm going to try and play around with it over the next few weeks.

<comment><AUTHOR> Heh, actually both those links are wrong, that is a standalone relayer that we built before TextIt, it does simple polling instead of the fancy TextIt one that uses GCM. The one for TextIt is called 'TextIt' in the Play store.

But thanks, I'll fix it, didn't think to go update the corporate website.

</comment></comment><comment><USER12> I love this app! Textit should focus on small businesses/ people who cannot afford a developer to start a sms service rather than directly competing against Twilio for enterprise customers. Great job!

<comment><AUTHOR> We definitely don't compete with Twilio, rather we are built on them wherever we can. We only really recommend using an Android phone as the SMS bridge if you are somewhere that has no good aggregator.

You totally nailed our target customer though, we want to enable small the medium sized businesses, not enterprise.

</comment></comment><comment><USER13> That is very cool!

As a user, I'd be careful about throwing a lot of messages through a single phone though, you will likely trigger a carrier's anti-arbitrage systems. You might find your business cut off with no warning, complete with police raids.

Carriers are sensitive because they're seeing people throw 30-60 SIMs into a box and advertising cheap wholesale SMS and voice termination routes. (Google "SIM box fraud")

</comment><comment><USER14> Wow, perfect timing. Just last week I started teaching myself Android development just so I could write something like [https://github.com/nyaruka/android-sms- relay](https://github.com/nyaruka/android-sms-relay). Any chance for MMS support(receiving and sending) in the future?

</comment><comment><USER15> Ben Haggerty is macklemore's name...

<comment><AUTHOR> Was wondering if someone would notice that.

Eric and I are from Seattle and are big Macklemore fans. :) There are a few other easter eggs in a similar vain on the site.

<comment><USER16> You even gave him a 206 number, that's cute. :)

<comment><AUTHOR> Yep. Here's a hint, check out our API docs.

<comment><USER16> Haha that was great. I liked the follow up from the Web Hooks API to the Simulator.

<comment><AUTHOR> Glad someone enjoyed that. I think I had Thrift Shop on repeat while building the API pages one weekend. :)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> The perfect tool for "smart" apps on feature phones, good work guys!

</comment><comment><USER17> Amazing simplicity in a complex app-builder product, from the surveyor- perspective . From end-user perspective though, I think it's a difficult to do very long surveys through SMS's.

<comment><AUTHOR> I think that's a fair point for sure. You don't want to do 40 questions flows with this. But we've seen really good success with flows of 5-10 questions, even with recipients who have limited literacy and technical know how. But yes, there are of course limits and you have to be sensitive to your users. Really every context and use case is so unique it is hard to even give guidelines there.

</comment></comment><comment><USER18> First thing on web page is asking my mail for possible spams. No thanks. At least you could describe it first and then ask for my mail... to use in spams.

</comment><comment><USER19> Great! I'm not surprised to see that it comes from Africa, there are really huge opportunities there in term of SMS-only application.

</comment><comment><USER20> Wow.

Not only is the interface pretty, it's quite good, too!

Awesome work!

<comment><AUTHOR> Aw shucks, thanks guys. :)

</comment></comment><comment><USER21> Is the visual interface build from scratch or based upon an existing framework?

</comment><comment><USER22> Besides your graphical interface, will you expose an api?

<comment><AUTHOR> API docs here: [https://textit.in/api/v1](https://textit.in/api/v1)

We're adding a lot more APIs around flows very soon.

<comment><USER23> I added your API in Mashape! [https://www.mashape.com/community/textit#!documentation](https://www.mashape.com/community/textit#!documentation) Please email me at firstname.lastname@example.com so we can help you promote it to developers

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER24> Really cool. What's the technology behind this?

<comment><AUTHOR> Which part? We are a Django stack, though with our own framework over it: [https://github.com/nyaruka/smartmin](https://github.com/nyaruka/smartmin)

The main Flow UI leans heavily on JSPlumb. We use Angular JS for our analytics side and use the mad combination of HAML, Coffescript and LESS to avoid writing closing tags in anything at all.

</comment></comment><comment><USER25> Nice...so can we use our own SMS gateway on top???

<comment><AUTHOR> Yes, if you already have a relationship with a carrier or aggregator we can help get you hooked up. Just get in touch.

</comment></comment><comment><USER26> Very cool. Anybody do a CAT FACTS version yet?

</comment><comment><USER27> small typo: 'per mounth' instead of month for silver plan

<comment><USER28> Glad I'm not the only OCD. [https://textit.in/public/pricing/](https://textit.in/public/pricing/)

</comment></comment><comment><USER29> Awesome app for real

</comment><comment><USER30> Amazing!

</comment><comment><USER31> congrats guys!</comment>


Russian-Style Kleptocracy Is Infiltrating America - <AUTHOR> https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/03/how-kleptocracy-came-to-america/580471/ <comment><USER2> Amazing article and fitting that we should be at risk based essentially on what we used to bring the Soviet Union down.</comment>


Survey on Team Chat Apps for Market Research - <AUTHOR> https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/W28XPX7 <comment><AUTHOR> This survey is about team chat apps, and what people look for when choosing the right team chat app. This is made for market research only and has nothing to do with the company, and/or product the company is developing. The purpose of this research, as stated before, is to get an idea of what people want in a team chat app. The results will be collected and put into a research report.</comment>


Ask HN: What important truth do very few people agree with you on? - <AUTHOR> <comment><USER3> The idea that No One Is Coming.

No one is coming to fix your problem, help you out, give you the magic "tip" you need, point you in the right direction, throw you a rope, help pay your bills, show you "the way," etc.

"But if I just see the right specialist..." "If I could just hire the right consultant..." "If I could just..."

Bullshit.

No one is coming.

You own your problems.

Whatever your problem is -- raising money, finding the "right" therapist, quitting cigarets, finding the right partner, getting the right degree (if I just had an MBA...), learning the right skills -- whatever it is, it's your problem. It's okay to ask for help. But it's your problem. No one's going to fix it on your behalf, make you better on your behalf.

No one is coming.

"Yeah, but..."

No. No one, is, coming.

<comment><USER4> Fully agree as well.. Took me a long while to really believe it though. Yet once I did finally "get it", it provided me with a new sense of freedom.

</comment></comment><comment><USER5> I keep a few months of food/medical supplies in the house in case of emergency. People think I'm weird for it. And to be clear I'm not a doomsayer and believe I will not likely ever need it. But once I was looking at insurance and considered what I care about in the house. Two things I wouldn't want to lose, my photos and my family. So I got cloud backup for my photos and pulled together some suppliers that would keep the family going in case of emergency.

While I don't think I will ever need it, on a long enough time scale there is bound to be some emergency be it my generation or following ones.

I find it strange most people have contents insurance on their house, to protect tables/chairs/TV's and think I'm strange for this. The way I see it, is while I'm significantly likely more likely to lose my house contents via theft/fire etc, I don't care about these things. And there is nothing a few shopping trips wouldn't fix. However in the rare event food supplies were cut, then I really would care. Also its significantly cheaper than contents insurance actually saving money as I bulk buy food on special I already eat so a bunch of what we eat is on permanent special.

As a side comment the crazy test for people to prep seems to be ask them how the world will end. If they think they know how or when, they're crazy. Otherwise its just being prepared.

<comment><USER6> Make sure you have tons of honey I read somewhere that it never goes bad and it is an excellent source of energy.

<comment><USER7> Good luck finding bees. Most honey is corn syrup nowadays.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> Microsoft have turned multiple generations into the digital equivalent of abused spouses, constantly saying "this time is different" every time a new OS is released. They'll buy new PC's and downgrade to windows 7, or grit their teeth and use win 8.1. If you show them a shiny, modern KDE-based Linux distribution, their eyes glaze over while they proclaim "yeah, but Linux is hard." Even if you prove that it's easy as pie to use, they'll keep saying that, while they look uncomfortable from the cognitive dissonance they're experiencing.

<comment><USER8> >Even if you prove that it's easy as pie to use, they'll keep saying that, while they look uncomfortable from the cognitive dissonance they're experiencing.

I love Linux, and I think it has the potential to be the best operating system for end-users. Unfortunately, it is hard for the average person to use. Even the most user-friendly distro, Ubuntu, suffers from incompatibility issues and broken drivers after I update. It doesn't happen often, but the average person doesn't EVER want to spend hours fucking around with his / her computer just to get it working properly. The interface is user-friendly, but that won't matter if something breaks.

<comment><USER9> My dad installed Ubuntu for a friend of his - a non-computer-savvy poet - <USER2> she was quite happy with it. There's a distinction to be had between "use" and "administer" (I'm not sure how much administration of the box she did or didn't do).

<comment><USER7> I'd say windows is similar in this regard. Using Terminal Services on a Server 2008R2 computer as an unprivileged user is still going to hide all the administration tasks required.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> That morals and what's right and wrong are not universal, and up to each individual. That you can do whatever you want to do, if you feel it's right. However, when the onslaught of someone else doing something that appears right to them affects you, then, suddenly they aren't doing the right thing.

<comment><USER11> You think moral relativism and "if it feels good, do it" are unpopular minority views? Where do you live? Saudi Arabia?

<comment><USER10> On the contrary, I'm saying they are popular views accepted in public and I'm told I'm wrong. I live in India.

<comment><USER11> Are you saying "morals are not universal" or "morals are universal"?

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> I believe that people who don't vote can be just as patriotic as those who do.

When a person votes during a presidential election, all that is accomplished is the person is making a choice between 1 of 2 carbon copy shit-bags that have been hand-picked corporate lobbyists and other kinds of sociopaths. To make it even more ridiculous, its just a single vote out of ~40,000,000. I think it makes far more sense to vote in local elections and primaries, because, even though the effort is still futile, that's the closest you are going to get to making an actual difference.

<comment><USER8> The entire point of the thread was to discuss unpopular viewpoints. Apparently I won, because instead of intelligent discourse I just got down-voted.

<comment><USER9> I almost downvoted you for presentation, despite fundamental agreement on the content.

<comment><USER8> Honest question here. What specifically did you dislike about my original comment?

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> Sarcasm in any form is harmful to discourse and ruins communities.

I bristle whenever I see someone responding to a popular opinion on Reddit with a sarcastic "But... but...!" anti-comment.

</comment><comment><USER13> Ayn Rand was a brilliant thinker that most people are incapable of understanding today. Here are the essentials of Western thought;

Plato => Kant (Primacy of Consciousness)

Aristotle => Rand (Primacy of Existence)

Kant took Plato's work and removed all Aristotelian influence. Rand took Aristotle's work and remove any Platonic influences. The future of Western Civilization depends on rejecting the Platonic line of thought (which is dominant today) for the Aristotelian line of thought.

<comment><USER14> Let me guess: are you a young, idealistic intellectual? What position does fitness of the community occupy in that world view?

<comment><USER13> What important truth do very few people agree with you on?

QED

<comment><USER11> All you've shown is that people disagree with you. The question asks about truth.

<comment><USER13> Who's truth? Your interpretation of the question makes no sense.

<comment><USER11> The question is about truths, not about opinions. Just because you have an oddball notion that most people disagree with, doesn't mean you're the keeper of secret wisdom.

<comment><USER9> I think this gets at a question of the purpose of this thread. Is it to catalogue rare-but-strongly-held opinions or to try and educate everyone about truths we're missing?

If the former, demanding a vigorous defense is clearly counterproductive. Anything anyone posts would find more people leaping to object than affirm, unless it happens to be a point this crowd happens to hold that particular contrarian viewpoint.

If the latter, the usefulness of such challenge likely depends on how well other readers are expected to do at assessing veracity themselves.

Personally, I find it valuable to read clear statements of positions I disagree with, and would weakly rather this thread promote such - there are plenty of threads that are better places to argue the meat of things.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER15> I'm a generally disagreeable person, so I feel like this could be a long list. Here are my top five:

1) Democracy != voting 2) History is a science, with verifiable and repeatable results 3) Pacifist direct action (a la Ghandi or MLK Jr.) fails 4) History books that lack a 'methods' section shouldn't be taken seriously 5) Journalists are not qualified to report on the topics about which they are reporting

<comment><USER6> Democracy = voting if you take away propaganda, campaign funding, educate voters and design a fraud-proof voting system -- like maybe a 'blockchain' voting software?

<comment><USER11> I would amend this to say "if voters educate themselves". If _you_ (I guess meaning the government?) "educate" voters, the results are neither good for education nor good for government.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER16> Common cold does not come from exposure to cold weather but from bacteria/viruses. That humans are immune to 99,99% germs out there and that you should not be so much afraid of infections. And that carbohydrates in your diet don't and cannot change into fat. Fat is fat, sugar is sugar, period.

</comment><comment><USER17> Psychiatric drugs are not effective in treating mental illness---at least not more effective than placebo.

<comment><USER18> I totally agree; many drugs are a racket these days, made only for profiteering "sick care", and the government is totally on board with it.

Two examples I can personally testify to: treating people who don't yet know their life's purpose with mental drugs / electroshock, and treating people who are carbohydrate intolerant with.. more carbs.

</comment></comment><comment><USER19> > What important truth do very few people agree with you on?

That psychology isn't a science, although public perceptions are slowly catching up:

[http://arachnoid.com/science_of_mind](http://arachnoid.com/science_of_mind)

<comment><USER16> Excellent one. I'd add economics, sociology and, although I am just 80% sure - medicine.

There is a book out there called something like "Curing factors in psychoanalysis" which ends with a sentence: "Well, we know that talking to a person certainly has some impact, but what impact, how and why, we're not sure at all."

</comment></comment><comment><USER18> That overpopulation isn't binary, it's qualitative, and having more than two kids/family is reducing the well being of the rest of us.

</comment><comment><USER20> Is it still controversial that all 3 NYC skyscrapers were CD's? I remember when someone first mentioned it to me... I chewed him out.

<comment><USER21> This may be too late for you to see my reply, but what? First of all, there are far more than 3 skyscrapers in NYC. Also, what does CD stand for here? Obviously, I think I'm missing a lot here.

<comment><USER9> My guess, at substantial risk of being wrong:

CD stands for "controlled demolition", and "all 3 NYC skyscrapers" are World Trade Center buildings 1, 2, and 7.

And my understanding is that it _is_ still controversial, and still the minority opinion, although I'm not sure what the thresholds are for "very few".

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER22> \- Facebook is an excellent product and has never violated anyone's privacy.

\- Democracy is as arbitrary as monarchy.

</comment><comment><USER23> FIFA is better than the alternatives.

<comment><USER6> What are the alternatives?

<comment><USER24> Pro Evo

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER25> That web is a legacy platform that hinders innovation.

</comment><comment><USER6> The truth that security is a very expensive illusion.

</comment><comment><USER26> Control is an illusion.</comment>


Memo to GitHub: It's Time to Stop Geeking Out - <AUTHOR> http://readwrite.com/2013/09/11/github-for-everyone

<comment><USER2> Please no.

While I can't possibly speak for Github, why does it need "regular" people? It is a place for geeks by geeks, and that's one of the best things about it. Aiming for mass adoption more often than not dilutes a product, vision, and any meaning something has.

Someone ELSE should a more general tool for "collaboration". Github is for code.

</comment><comment><USER3> " _Plus, while GitHub is lauded for being open source..._ "

Since when?

For an article that focuses on GitHub, the distinction between " _git_ ", " _GitHub_ " and " _majority of the projects hosted at GitHub_ " must be pretty clear.</comment>


The Computer Language Benchmarks Game - <AUTHOR> http://benchmarksgame.alioth.debian.org/ <comment><USER2> While this is a great site for comparing "maximum language speed potential", I think in 2016 it would also be of interest to compare the performance of memory safe implementations as well. This would be particularly relevant for languages like Rust, C++ and Swift. Btw, memory safe C++ implementations of some of those benchmarks can be found here:

note shameless plug: [https://github.com/duneroadrunner/SaferCPlusPlus- BenchmarksG...](https://github.com/duneroadrunner/SaferCPlusPlus- BenchmarksGame)

</comment><comment><USER3> This page used to be a _lot_ more expansive (including nice charts!) before November 2015, when it was radically stripped down. I think the maintainer lost interest.

[http://web.archive.org/web/20151009090721/http://benchmarksg...](http://web.archive.org/web/20151009090721/http://benchmarksgame.alioth.debian.org/)

<comment><USER4> > nice charts!

The charts are nice; now!

(SVG instead of PNG bitmaps.)

[http://benchmarksgame.alioth.debian.org/for-programming- lang...](http://benchmarksgame.alioth.debian.org/for-programming-language- researchers.html)

[http://benchmarksgame.alioth.debian.org/u64q/which- programs-...](http://benchmarksgame.alioth.debian.org/u64q/which-programs-are- fastest.html)

The _instant without-thought comparison charts_ were removed to force readers to slow-down and (vain hope) think.

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> Anything specific catch your attention ?

<comment><USER5> > Anything specific catch your attention ?

It proves that implementations in C compiled with GCC are linked with the fastest times, higher than Rust, Go, and even Fortran code compiled with Intel's compiler.

Considering how many people criticize C for any number of reasons, these benchmarks indicate that the complaints contrast with the actual real-world performance.

<comment><USER6> There's lots of reasons for this that have more to do with the game than with "actual real-world performance."

<comment><USER4> Perhaps there are _reasons_ that effect both toy benchmark and "real-world" performance ;-)

<comment><USER6> There is one big one, but I mostly saw my comment being in line with your policies: the game is a game. You say yourself have this on pages like [http://benchmarksgame.alioth.debian.org/dont-jump-to- conclus...](http://benchmarksgame.alioth.debian.org/dont-jump-to- conclusions.html)

<comment><USER4> One delight of our conversations is the way we can so often find different meaning in the same words; or select differently from the same words to find our meaning ;)

> … the game is a game… on pages like…

There doesn't seem to be anything like that on the page you reference, but we can find some clarity on another page:

 _The name "benchmarks game" signifies nothing more than the fact that programmers contribute programs that compete (but try to remain comparable) for fun not money._

[http://benchmarksgame.alioth.debian.org/sometimes-people- jus...](http://benchmarksgame.alioth.debian.org/sometimes-people-just-make-up- stuff.html#name-game)

<comment><USER6> Totally! I just want to make it clear that I'm not trying to disparage the game itself.</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment>


The Rise of the Electric Scooter - <AUTHOR> https://blog.codinghorror.com/the-rise-of-the-electric-scooter/ <comment><USER3> I rode a non-electric kick scooter (Xootr) for three years working in downtown SF. It is by far the best form of transitional transport there is and superior to bikes for 99% of actual real world travel. It was easily 4-5 times faster than walking and more importantly suddenly made the entire city open due to how insanely efficient it was for "glueing" together various forms of public transport. I could hop from transport hub to transport hub insanely quickly and the entire system suddenly worked in a way that did not happen with walking or biking. Some people say walk, but it's too slow and a 1/2 mile "walk" section on a complicated transport route would be impractical on foot. Biking is fast enough for long trips but massively inconvenient for quick trips to a store or park or restaurant. A scooter on the other hand could be with me all day, I can take it into the store with me, I can take it on the bus. Transition cost from arrival to getting on the bus or walking into a store was seconds instead of minutes with a bike. The scooter had tons of upsides and the only downside was, at the time, that it was kind of embarrassing to be seen on. People talk to much about the "last-mile" as if the only travel people do is on massive transport corridors to and from work. The scooter solves the transport mesh, the hops and transitions of actual day- to-day living.

<comment><USER4> > It was easily 4-5 times faster than walking

I can walk a mile in 20 minutes which is 3 mph. This implies these scooters can maintain 12-15 mph?

Am I just underestimating how fast you can get going on these things? That seems kind of fast unless you are going downhill both ways.

<comment><USER5> I ride an electric scooter approx. 4 mi each way Caltrain <-> work everyday. I regularly maintain 15mph+ trip average.

<comment><USER4> Right, and the guy I was replying to was claiming that speed on a _non- electric_ "Xootr".

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> I am amused this is still a topic of discussion in America.

Visit China sometime, electric motor scooters (larger than the kids versions we have here[1]) and motorbikes are everywhere, the large majority of small vehicles on the road there are now electric.

It is super nice, the streets are far cleaner and quieter than just a few years ago.

One huge benefit China has is an existing infrastructure for smaller vehicles, there is either a grade separation or a fence that differentiates small vehicles from larger ones.

On narrow urban streets speeds are lower so the separation is not needed. This is actually a great example of how making streets smaller can increase throughput, if bikes + electric bikes + motor scooters + cars all share the same road, more traffic can fit on the street once people who would be in individual occupancy cars feel comfortable moving to more space efficient forms of transportation.

Meanwhile in America we paint a tiny narrow bike lane on the road and pretend the white line is going to stop accidents.

Bonus: Electric motorbikes / motor scooters can have canopies on top, helping alleviate some of the weather issues.

[1] [https://wiztem.en.made-in- china.com/product/hygJHVvFMlcN/Chi...](https://wiztem.en.made-in- china.com/product/hygJHVvFMlcN/China-Best-Selling-EEC- Approved-1500W-60V-Electric-Scooter-Harley-City-Coco.html)

<comment><USER7> > Meanwhile in America we paint a tiny narrow bike lane on the road and > pretend the white line is going to stop accidents.

Separated bike lanes can be equally dangerous and more inconvenient for cyclists. If you can swing around a slow/stopped hazard then it's not much better. It's only good for the newbie riders who are scared of the road.

The best arrangements are sharrows where both parties are sharing the road with constant reminders to cars to be aware of their surrounds and respect cyclists.

Otherwise I 100% agree with you regarding electric vehicles.

<comment><USER6> Depends on the speed limit.

Around here, on larger streets the speed limit is 35 mph. Riding a bike is considered a rather dangerous activity.

Drop the speed limit to 20 mph and maybe sharing the road becomes possible.

Seeing how other countries do it though, true separated bike lanes are the best. I agree that studies show painted bike lanes are actually more dangerous, but a physical barrier between cars and bikes is going to be the safest solution.

<comment><USER8> The dangerous place is not the straight road, but crossings where cars turn right and hit cyclists going straight. So the way these spots are handled is way more important than painted line vs fence.

<comment><USER6> This is true, but putting the stopping line for cars back a few feet largely fixes this. (Source: HN post a few months ago ;)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> Back in ca 2001-2005 I used to work my summer nights for a tiny electric scooter rental place that had about 10-20 working scooters at a given time, renting them out to tourists at a lake, and they were fun, especially after learning how to tune the controller for a nice speed boost (for staff use only, of course). There were no serious accidents in all the time I worked there, even though the main customers were flip-flop wearing tourists and kids, driving these for the first time in crowded pedestrian areas.

For all intents and purposes, they worked and felt like the modern scooters, except that they had quick swap, fast charge AGM batteries. If we wanted to run an errand the next town over that would exceed a 30-40min ride (30min was a typical rental period), we'd just pack some extra batteries!

Those scooters were custom inventions, but larger scale commercialization never got anywhere and the business eventually died because of the battery tech being too cumbersome for consumer use, and the same legal questions that still plague us today, though it seems like electric bike usage the past 15 years has allowed at least some legislatures to give alternative powered transport a chance. As they should, as replacing large lumps of metal moving through our cities at unsafe speeds with much smaller lumps of metal moving a lot slower can only be a good thing for residents, pedestrians, and the environment.

</comment><comment><USER10> Here in the UK they are illegal (unless used on private land), which is sad as whilst they are illegal as technically a motor vehicle, needing some form of test, insurance, mot.... That has not happened and in limbo as clearly a need for some standards control etc, but an unwillingness to address that and more so a periodic fashion stopping of people upon such vehicles in an apathetic way that causes many to get one, go months, even years without knowing they are breach of the law and driven past many police/traffic wardens, then suddenly one day they stop you and caution you saying you can't. They then go back to ignoring it as a low-priority issue and the limbo of not legal as no formal way to allow one, yet readily sold and accessible.

So for the UK, such rise is randomly curtailed and no progress upon legal avenues to use them as you would intend beyond private land - which many do not own in London, an area in which such modes of transport are most suited.

[EDIT ADD] A better read upon what I said :- [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48106617](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48106617)

<comment><USER11> I agree that it's sad that e-scooters are banned in the UK. I take the train to work and I have ~20mins of waking either end (1 hr 20 mins per day total). An electric scooter could save me ~40 mins per day....

Why are electric scooters banned when e-bikes are fine? What if they were capped at 20mph? Below the 25 for bikes

<comment><USER12> Ebikes are technically restricted to 15mph here. The micromobility laws in the UK are a complete joke and driven by car and tier 1 manufacturers lobbying (e.g Bosch via EU).

EBikes and scooters are hands down the best solution to London's pollution issue yet people are getting fined for using them.

There is a complete lack of logic in the rulings. The reason why escooters are illegal whereas EBikes are not: throttle. An ebike with a throttle is technically not legal and in the same boat as an escooter.

This distinction is ridiculous as an ecyclist/scooterist with a throttle is safer than someone going the same speed under their own effort.

The law in the UK should be: \- throttle is allowed \- fine if not wearing proper safety equipment \- Speed limit increased to 25 mph or current vehicle speed limit (e.g 20 near schools) \- no power limit (this allows heavier people to go the same speed as others, and it allows heavier cargo-type bikes to be much more useful) \- Innovate UK/BEIS grants specifically for electric micromobility projects (right now EBikes and scooters are generally barred from these grant competitions)

<comment><USER13> The speed limitation is down to the fact that they don't need insuring. Like pedal bikes the idea is that they will cause limited injury or damage to property in the event of a crash. Up things to 25mph, plus the frame/battery weight needed to add strength and safety to accelerate and brake swiftly, and suddenly you have plenty of energy to damage a car or other piece of property or hurt a human (yes I know cyclists also occasionally hurt humans).

So therefore they will need insurance, and therefore need registration. And guess what, you can ride an electric scooter or bike at the speeds you mentioned, you just need to register and insure it. It is entirely possible and people do.

What you are suggesting is a way to ride fast vehicles without the social contract of insurance and traceability.

<comment><USER14> The fact that you're suggesting insurance and registration are to be expected for any class of vehicle short of a moped is completely foreign to me.

<comment><USER13> Yup, it all needs insuring here - even the 35cc autocycle I used to have needed it - but it only needed a cheap daylight mot (no lights, indicators or speedo) and tax was £15 insurance was just £50 at the time.

Being hit by a moped could easily cause life changing injuries, so I'm pleased to see them insured.

<comment><USER12> No it doesn't.

There is already voluntary insurance for (e) cycling here. Making it mandatory for some makes no sense.

Ebike is not a moped. Mopeds can go much faster than the proposed limit of 25mph.

Mandatory insurance is a band aid.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER15> Perhaps it's because I have a motorcycle, but every time I come across the word "scooter" what comes to mind is a Vespa-like vehicle.

* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scooter#Vehicles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scooter#Vehicles)

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

* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scooter_(motorcycle)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scooter_\(motorcycle\))

I'm curious about the etymology for each type, and how both ended up using the same word.

<comment><USER16> This is something I rant about from time to time. The word scooter is ridiculously overloaded. I'm semi-interested in an electric vespa type scooter, but it's hard to Google for it, because everything about electric scooters online refers to kick scooters.

<comment><USER17> If you call them mopeds that should clarify any ambiguity.

<comment><USER18> Mopeds are sub 50cc motorized bicycles though.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER19> I've been riding a Micro Falcon X3 for a few months now. Almost all electric scooters are illegal here in The Netherlands, but Micro sells two models which were adjusted to be legal; the throttle has been disabled and you have to actually kick to start moving and keep kicking regularly to keep the electric motor going.

My experience with it is it's a very fun way to commute and I prefer it to my bike. Most of the time I'm moving faster than all bikes, but just like the article I do agree with the 15 mph speed limit, because I really don't want to be going any faster with this thing. When I just started riding and was still learning how to stand and keep in control, a couple of times it shot away from under my feet and I hit the road pretty hard (on my feet luckily).

I'm not wearing a helmet or any other protective gear, I don't think that is necessary anymore than when riding a bike in NL (we have bike lanes _everywhere_ ). But if I had to travel on the road with cars then I probably would wear a helmet.

As for the goofy look mentioned by others in the comments, I don't know if that's true and I'm not the type of person that cares. I do get a lot of people looking at me though, but that's probably because they hardly ever see an electric scooter around here, or they think I'm doing something illegal and in NL the rules are the rules and deviation is not acceptable! ;)

</comment><comment><USER20> Ok, I understand that there is a lot of benefits to electric scooters. They are fun, convenient, and allow to navigate quickly, and great for the environment, or at least better than cars. Why not driving regular bicycles? Obesity is a growing problem, because people don't exercise enough. Mechanical bicycle is a great low impact activity for modern life. Also, bicycles aren't generally allowed on a sidewalk, but I have seen people ride on them sidewalks. The author of the article, who is by the way the indoor enthusiasts, feels that scooters shouldn't be disallowed on the sidewalks. We need to place for people to walk without worrying about being hit by a scooter. We have roads for motor vehicles and we have side walks for people. Let's keep it this way.

<comment><USER21> _Why not driving regular bicycles?_

Where do you put the bicycle when you get where you need to go?

<comment><USER22> > Where do you put the bicycle when you get where you need to go?

Aren't there any light posts close to where you need to go? Not even talking about dedicated bike spots or racks – which may be available on your location. If you are not a bicyclist, you may not have noticed them even if they are present.

If you are commuting, surely there is some place at your place employment where you can leave it?

More worrying is multi-mode transportation. If you location's public transport doesn't provide space for bikes, then it is a big problem.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER23> Honest question: How do people lock these things if visiting a shop for a half-hour?

(Edited to add: Sorry for confusion! I'm talking about an owned model like the one in OP, the Xiaomi Mi M365 - I looked at some product imagery and it wasn't clear if this was possible.)

<comment><USER24> Depends on the scooter. On the Xiaomi in question, yes, I've found it to be problematic. The solution is the Masterlock handcuff lock. One end around the tube between deck and bars, the other end around a post.

The Boosted Rev I have now has exposed frame rails so you can use your favorite bike lock.

<comment><USER25> One of these? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SZiI2KhWfU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SZiI2KhWfU)

<comment><USER24> That's the one. Weighs a chunk (maybe a bit more than a Kryptonite cable lock?), but it's solid and it solves the "lock up my Xiaomi" problem. Super- quick to lock and unlock, too.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER26> I recently bought a Boosted rev and have been using it for my 1.8 miles commute. I strongly disagree with the author's 15mph limit. I think 25 mph is a more reasonable limit, otherwise you have cars aggressively trying to pass you on roads. At 24 mph (my scooters max speed), the cars on my commute (25mph speed limit), still try to pass me sometimes but it's a lot safer.

<comment><USER27> Or maybe cars should obey the speed limit, pass at a safe and reasonable distance, and not road rage at people? I mean, why does every new alternative travel mode need to work around the unacceptable and lawless US driver behavior?

That all said, 25mph on scooter wheels sounds terrifying. I've seen some escooters with tiny adorable disc brakes. What's your stopping distance at that speed?

<comment><USER24> _That all said, 25mph on scooter wheels sounds terrifying._

Meh, you work up to it. Time and place, though; I tone it down through the downtown part of the trail.

 _What 's your stopping distance at that speed?_

Faster than my car or motorcycle. And that's just using the regenerative braking of the motors. I've never tried a full-on-drop-anchor stop with both the mechanical disk and regen brakes.

<comment><USER28> > > What's your stopping distance at that speed?

> Faster than my car or motorcycle. And that's just using the regenerative > braking of the motors. I've never tried a full-on-drop-anchor stop with both > the mechanical disk and regen brakes.

Do you have a heavily modified scooter or something otherwise unusual? I looked up braking tests for cars, motorbikes, and e-scooters, and couldn't find a single e-scooter that's been tested that has the same stopping distance as a normal car let alone a sports or a motorcycle.

I don't think this is super surprising considering the relative size of the contact patch and what the "tire" is made of on most scooters.

In another comment, you said you have a Xiaomi scooter. In this brake test ([https://www.zdnet.com/article/mi-electric-scooter-review- com...](https://www.zdnet.com/article/mi-electric-scooter-review-complete- that-last-mile-commute-with-ease/)), it has a 13 foot stopping distance from 12.4mph even when using the disc brakes. This is similar to what other scooter tests show.

NACTO's suggestion for a conservative car stopping distance is 11 feet from 15mph, not including reaction time, which is the same as in the scooter test ([https://nacto.org/docs/usdg/vehicle_stopping_distance_and_ti...](https://nacto.org/docs/usdg/vehicle_stopping_distance_and_time_upenn.pdf)).

How are you getting your scooter to stop more quickly than a motorcycle?

<comment><USER24> Better brakes. The Xiaomi's stopping power isn't even close to the Boosted Rev, mainly due to weak regen braking on the Xiaomi.

But you caught me, it's all been measured on the seat-of-the-pants dyno. </shrug>

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER29> The last mile has been solved?

Now we simply need to make the 50-75 miles in-between more bearable. Hopefully, someday soon we'll be covering that vast distance at the incredible speed of 100 mph (160 kph)

[https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/china-driverless- maglev-t...](https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/china-driverless-maglev- trains/index.html)

<comment><USER30> > Hopefully, someday soon we'll be covering that vast distance at the > incredible speed of 100 mph (160 kph)

> [https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/china-driverless- > maglev-t...](https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/china-driverless-maglev-t…)

Intercity / regional trains are already a thing, and 160kph or so is a standard top speed for them e.g. Class 387, SNCF Class B 81500, …

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

[1] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNCF_Class_B_81500](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNCF_Class_B_81500)

<comment><USER31> In the US , the problem is dedicated Rail ROW to run intercity trains at a frequency where they are actually competitive with the car. Otherwise ROW acquisition tends to sink most proposals, and this not counting the actual construction costs

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER32> I'd love to get an electric scooter for commuting but my commute is a little long (and very hilly in Seattle). I occasionally commute on my electric bike though and it's a blast. It's also the fastest mode of travel hands down in the city, second only to my regular motorcycle.

The biggest thing with these low end electric bikes/scooters is that they have a hard time with the hills and really slow down and burn through power on them. My bike will do ~45mph but there's hills on my commute where I top out at ~19mph (with a running start of ~30mph).

But if you're commute in <5mi I think the scooter might be the best because as other have noted it's the most convenient, being able to take it inside with you to stores or hop on the bus or toss it in a car are extremely valuable features to me. Theft is my biggest concern but again with a cheap scooter you aren't out too bad if it gets jacked.

<comment><USER33> I think with hilly areas having regenerative breaking helps as you can regain some of the loss on the way down.

<comment><USER34> Regen is fairly common with direct-drive hubs, but it's not beneficial for range. You get something like 5% more range on a hilly route. The _vast_ majority of energy goes to drag unless you're puttering along at 10mph.

It is very useful, but more for saving brake wear.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER35> As much some cities are struggling to figure out how to regulate them I think my city has basically nailed it first try. Give a license or two to certain companies to allow their scooters and other wise just use them like bikes. Keep them off side walks that are for pedestrians and otherwise use bike lanes. Just makes sense.

<comment><USER36> >Keep them off side walks that are for pedestrians and otherwise use bike lanes.

this makes the assumption that your city has a functional bike lane network, which is the problem in a lot of cities. If you have bike lanes, it's really easy. If you don't have bike lanes, suddenly you have this friction where there's suddenly a whole lot more people trying to use the streets but not in a car.

</comment></comment><comment><USER37> I watched the same battery technology improvement play out in tools at the hardware store. There are now whole kits for the mobile contractor they call "wireless"...

</comment><comment><USER38> I would buy one right now if it had larger wheels and proper brakes. In my area such small wheels would turn any speed bump or road irregularities (pretty normal over here) into a fatal accident waiting to happen.

</comment><comment><USER39> Lots of places are not even bicycle safe and walkable. So I don't even see how Electric scooter will work in those locations. I notice it's adopted in places where people can walk and bike.

<comment><USER40> It's become somewhat popular in the US, despite the US having no cities with good bike infrastructure. Convenience is a hell of a drug.

The way I see it, this increased uptake could help drive greater investment in bike lanes and walkability. Politically, it's always easier to spend money on things people already do than on things they _might_ do if you spent enough.

<comment><USER41> Ideally, we'd have carless urban centers, with only buses, light rail, and small vehicles (bikes and scooters) allowed in a certain radius. This would allow greater density in the downtown area, eliminate most pollution, and promote general health, yet for some reason, nobody seems to propose it. It could even be coupled with free mass transportation in that region, since costs for running such a service would likely decrease (could probably even have it driverless since there aren't as many hazards).

The toughest nut to crack would be replacing trucks, which could probably be handled with either light rail handling goods or truck-only roads completely segregated from the rest of the roads (say, tunnel or overpass).

<comment><USER42> > The toughest nut to crack

And you somehow managed to completely forget that families with small children exist.

<comment><USER40> Every time we put my son onto or into a bike, I'm reminded of the impossibility of our existence.

<comment><USER42> "children" is plural not singular.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER43> Got my kid a FreeGoUSA.com scooter a year or so ago before he had his driver's license. This scooter is a dual motor version with a massive battery - <USER2> weighs 75 pounds, goes 30mph and has a 20-30 mile range. Once he got his license, I assumed he'd probably want to just drive a car, but he much prefers the scooter: Faster in traffic, no need to fill it with gas. In fact, the scooter has completely reshaped his perception of gasoline and cars - it just seems like a horrible waste of money while also polluting. Can't say I disagree with him.

</comment><comment><USER44> not sure where jeff got the the initial $800 price of the m365. even his camelcamelcamel chart shows a $600 ceiling. i bought mine at $500 and can confirm that getting it at $350 is a no-brainer.

as he says, it absolutely extends your range for all kinds of situations (yes, even carry one in your car). it's not very rugged so put slime in the tires as he says and expect some other things to break. i disagree about taking it in stores—it's awkward but totally acceptable in most places you'd ride a scooter to (grocery store, cafe, target, etc)

definitely looking forward to the pro!

</comment><comment><USER45> I ride a regular non-electric scooter regularly and the biggest problem with it is the weather. The scooter solves the "last mile" problem for me, but I can depend on it only for ~7 months in a year, which means I can't really plan my commute, choose the places where I live and work.

I don't see this problem discussed enough and can't imagine anything better than public transport for the winter. It's a real bummer.

</comment><comment><USER46> I have lived in Shanghai and had an electric scooter as my main mode of transportation for several years, its incredible for city traffic and i miss it.

However, I dont get why everyone is using these standup kickbike type scooters... those suck, clearly.

Scooters like Niu is where its at: [https://www.niu.com/en/](https://www.niu.com/en/)

<comment><USER47> I saw the scooter/motor bike craze in India and I have to say I was not impressed. It was a necessity, yes, but instead of everyone riding million scooters public transport should be the main mode of transportation for majority of people in big cities. The traffic is already too congested and with every oil-burning vehicle out there unsustainable.

</comment></comment><comment><USER48> I'm living in Tel Aviv

It's crazy to see how in 2-3 years there are thousands of people using electric scooters and bikes.

The only problem is that it grows in such a rapid pace that the city is not built to it. There are many small incidents, and in many cases, those incidents are pretty risky.

</comment><comment><USER49> It's weird how so much of the conversation about these is how they look. If everyone rode them, they'd look normal. If the looked normal, more people would ride them. Is the only solution to have early adopters who don't give a crap?

</comment><comment><USER50> I wonder why mopeds have never taken off in the US. Seems more practical than a scooter for medium to long distances within a city. I have relatives in Taiwan and mopeds are everywhere there (and other parts of Asia).

<comment><USER33> I think cars a cheaper relatively in the USA also a lot of places I believe you need to pass the test for a full bike licence. That is a 900 -1200cc super bike that can do a very good time round the TT course or the ring.

</comment></comment><comment><USER51> How steep of a hill can you get up with these things? My street is pretty hilly and I would hate to shell out for a cool device that I have to lug the last two blocks to my house.

<comment><USER52> Not very TBH, I use one to commute to head to the train station. On the way back I have to climb back up the hill omw home and its maybe ~5% grade, and I have to peddle to keep going uphill.

My scooter is rated at 250w (600w peak, which is on the low side) but is incredibly compact when folded, which is a huge plus. Considering upgrading to a more powerful one, but losing the compactness might not be worth the trade off to me — I can fit this scooter between my legs in a packed uber pool (!)

</comment></comment><comment><USER53> Isn't the best solution for "last mile" for all of us is to walk it?

<comment><USER54> Or bike it. Also healthy and infrastructure and laws are there.

People with disabilities cannot use these scooters anyway, they need something different.

<comment><USER53> I cycle a lot, but bikes are a pain in that you need somewhere to park them, something to secure them to prevent them getting robbed, they're horrid in the rain and you have to ride on the road or a bike path. I can see the attraction for scooters that avoid these problems, but for the length of journey they're good for, why not just walk?

<comment><USER55> How do scooters solve any of these problems? Do you not have to park scooters? Do they not suck in the rain? Do they not need some surface to ride on?

<comment><USER56> The great thing about the scooter is that it isn't mine, so I don't have to worry about it getting stolen.

That's it. That's the killer feature.

<comment><USER54> And a rental bike does not have this feature?

<comment><USER57> Sort of, but most bike rental places will charge you a fairly hefty fee (some places I know charge around $200-$300).

With the scooters, you just have to find a different scooter and continue about your business.

<comment><USER55> That's not a problem inherent in the bike or scooter.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER58> Personally I've enjoyed this new micromobility solution: [https://uniscoot.com](https://uniscoot.com)

<comment><USER59> Is this a new class of PEV of it's own? I've seen electric unicycles but not one you sit on and that seems like an unusually wide wheel.

</comment></comment><comment><USER60> a segway is not like a scooter at all.The segway uses gyroscopic technology to be stable even if it not moving or moving very slowly. This makes segways ideal for malls or anywhere there are a lot of people and speed is not paramount

</comment><comment><USER61> I wish they didn't look so silly to ride. I know that scooters will slowly become more ubiquitous and, as a result, will be considered more normal and less goofy to ride.

But for now, it just kinda looks goofy to a lot of people.

<comment><USER24> One looks like a complete idiot riding an 1880s highwheel bicycle (well, in the 1880s for sure, at least). Bicycles still caught on.

\--

Owner of an 1886 Columbia bicycle and 2019 Boosted Rev scooter

<comment><USER62> To use your own example, bicycles only caught on once they started looking reasonable. The huge front wheel on pennys was a huge damper to adoption.

<comment><USER49> Or is it that the modern version of a bike looks reasonable to you because it caught on and you grew up with it?

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER63> if we take the quantum of transportation how small can it get? A scooter?

</comment><comment><USER64> I'm sorry but really? Unless you live in California under a direct and major urban center, this is a joke. Canadian winters are -30 celcius. Future of transportation, no. Large vehicles and smaller forms of transportation should in no way "share the roadway". It's complete madness and dangerous. The Netherlands and Amsterdam in particular have this figured out long ago, smaller, separate lanes - not a white line. North America still doesn't get it.

<comment><USER22> I'm sorry but really? How many locations in this planet have -30 celcius winters? Just because it may not work for you doesn't mean it can't work for others. Plus, you are not in a permafrost area, are you?

> Large vehicles and smaller forms of transportation should in no way "share > the roadway". It's complete madness and dangerous.

Nah. It's only dangerous if traffic laws are not respected nor enforced.

</comment></comment><comment><USER65> As a suburban dweller who doesn't go into the city much, it's still surreal to hear so many stories about the electric scooter craze, to know its happening thirty or forty miles away... And I've literally never seen it.

I do feel its a good companion to public transit in theory, though it still lacks everything I want from you know, just having a car: Somewhere to put stuff. I never commute light enough to live off a scooter.

<comment><USER66> This is a great point. I see people bringing up lots of questions and concerns about these devices, but it's missing a critical point: these were designed with specific use cases in mind. They are only useful for people in cities to go short distances. And within that scope, they are an excellent addition to other transportation options.

What you mention is actually what I want to build next: micro-mobility for larger errands. If I buy a trunk load of groceries from the Wal-Mart 6 miles from me, I want to be able to bring it home. I'm hoping to start designing devices that fit this use case. Once they exist, they'll provide tons of benefits: more affordable than a car, the ability to perform trips faster than with public transit, and more compact "traffic" on roads compared to cars (to say nothing of emissions).

Another use of these devices is actually changing people's life decisions. I moved to my current address because it's very close to a subway and trolley line. But now that I use an electric scooter to get to work, I could move anywhere that's the same distance. I think there'll be tons of these little wins found as the devices expand more. (I should note, my city does _not_ have any rental scooters, but I see people riding their own all over the place)

As batteries get better, I think we're going to start seeing more variety of devices tailored for more use cases. The scooter will own the short trip into work, whereas larger devices will be used for cruising off-road, even hauling a sheet of plywood from Home Depot.

<comment><USER67> > If I buy a trunk load of groceries from the Wal-Mart 6 miles from me, I want > to be able to bring it home.

Have you considered an electric bike plus some kind of trailer, or an electric cargo bike? Or even an electric trike.

<comment><USER66> Yes, and that's a great general purpose solution. The problem comes when you try to market this as a replacement for a car, and then it doesn't work. The platform is too narrow, some require lots of fiddling to get right, you don't have a comfortable seat, you're open to inclement weather, you have to already have a decent e-bike, etc. Taking a lot of time to find your own solution is one thing, but providing everyone a one-size-fits-all (remember, the intention is to prevent people from needing a car) involves a lot of considerations. With every change you have to reconsider the whole design, because even small changes significantly affect the ride.</comment></comment></comment></comment>


Samba remote execution vulnerability (CVE-2015-0240) - <AUTHOR> https://securityblog.redhat.com/2015/02/23/samba-vulnerability-cve-2015-0240/ <comment><AUTHOR> This was discovered by Richard van Eeden of Microsoft Vulnerability Research ([https://lists.debian.org/debian-security- announce/2015/msg00...](https://lists.debian.org/debian-security- announce/2015/msg00055.html)).

<comment><USER2> Why are people from Microsoft looking into Linux (unix?) servers that try to emulate their services? One might think to cause reputation damage, but that sounds almost like a conspiracy theory to me... so then why do they do this effort?

Edit: and the downvotes are because..?

<comment><USER3> They're looking into Linux servers that try to emulate their services because we do a hell of a lot of interop work together, to make sure all consumer devices and networks 'just work'.

And I'm very grateful for it !

<comment><USER4> In fact: [https://technet.microsoft.com/en- us/library/security/ms03-02...](https://technet.microsoft.com/en- us/library/security/ms03-024.aspx) (notice the credit)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> Long time back when Microsoft released SMB2.0 with vista , they had a major(after having fixed another!) issue when you could send a packet with a header containing '&' negotiating an SMB connection, the remote computer would just crash with a blue screen![1]

A python poC was quite out in the open .

[1] [https://isc.sans.edu/diary/Vista2008Windows+7+SMB2+BSOD+0Day...](https://isc.sans.edu/diary/Vista2008Windows+7+SMB2+BSOD+0Day/7093)

</comment><comment><USER6> Is this only related to Redhat or is any smbd version affected? I am using Ubuntu for example... ?

<comment><USER7> Here's the CVE from Samba, itself: [https://www.samba.org/samba/security/CVE-2015-0240](https://www.samba.org/samba/security/CVE-2015-0240)

So it's not just Redhat. Debian testing/unstable currently has version 4.1.13. I assume Ubuntu will be similar.

I don't see a Debian patch yet—but then again they seem to patch stable first and unstable later.

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> Does the lack of comments correlate to everyone's utter lack of surprise on this one lol?

<comment><USER9> [[Just for the record, I didn't downvote you.] This is off topic, but I have read recently a few similar complains from another users.

Each community has it use and customs. Here most of the people don't comment unless they have something very interesting to say or to ask. So if the article doesn't have an obvious flaw and is not polemic, you may see that it has a lot of upvotes and no comments.

Also, try to avoid oneliners. It's very difficult to write good onliners and they will probably be downvoted. Explain the same idea with more words. [There is an "exception" for congratulations in post in acquisitions, marrying announcement of well known users and similar and similar happy occasions.]]

<comment><USER10> It could also be due to the fact that a lot of HN readers won't be affected by this issue. If you run a web server, you generally don't have samba running. You also don't generally have samba publicly accessible on your home/development network.

Generally the only people with access to samba are employees in your company, so the risk is much lower than for a service that is open to the public on the internet.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> >execution of arbitrary code as root.

How the hell is this still possible in this day and age? Why is this service running as root? It really is incredible how much bad decision making goes into your typical linux distro. This should be a non-root service with an ACL on whatever files samba needs to access. It doesn't "need" to be root. Reminds me of the Windows days where every service "needed" a System or Ring0 access and every application local admin rights.

Its just incredible how there's nothing between a buffer overflow (which are common and will never go away considering the languages used) and root. I wonder if SELinux could even do anything here or if samba is such a security nightmare that you just have to give it root and hope for the best.

Samba is the poster child of the ugly, hacky, security questionable code that we all should be working away from, not making excuses for:

[http://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability- list/vendor_id-102/S...](http://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability- list/vendor_id-102/Samba.html)

If you want AD, pay for AD. If you want to share files with Windows clients you have a million options nowadays. This reverse-engineered pig is just a liability and helps keep real solutions from emerging because you can just install samba and be done with it. The technical debt and liabilities here are just kicked down the road. I wonder how bad this is going to get in the world of the "internet of things" and cheap NAS's with poor firewalling being sold by the millions.

edit: downvotes dont suddenly make samba a good application

<comment><USER12> By the way, from just 10 days ago:

 _Microsoft just patched a 15-year-old bug that in some cases allows attackers to take complete control of PCs running all supported versions of Windows. The critical vulnerability will remain unpatched in Windows Server 2003, leaving that version wide open for the remaining five months Microsoft pledged to continue supporting it._

 _The flaw, which took Microsoft more than 12 months to fix, affects all users who connect to business, corporate, or government networks using the Active Directory service._

Bad, bad Samba! Just pay for AD! /s

[http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/02/15-year-old-bug- allo...](http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/02/15-year-old-bug-allows- malicious-code-execution-in-all-versions-of-windows/)

<comment><USER11> There's a world of difference between a local and remote exploit.

<comment><USER12> From the link:

 _" The vulnerability is remotely exploitable and may grant the attacker administrator-level privileges on the target machine/device."_</comment></comment></comment></comment>


The reason riding a unicycle is difficult - <AUTHOR> http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/07/the-reason-riding-a-unicycle-is-difficult.html <comment><USER2> That's only true if you learn unicycling purely by trying it until you get it. I've taught dozens of people how to unicycle, all of whom felt they were constantly making progress, all of whom could see the goal getting closer and closer.

I wonder if Seth actually unicycles, or if he simply picked this as a charicature of something difficult. Main lesson to learn - don't talk about something of which you're ignorant.

And even if he _does_ unicycle, clearly he doesn't know how to teach it.</comment>


Show HN: NestApart – Instant Book Modern Corporate Housing - <AUTHOR> https://www.nestapart.com/ <comment><USER2> The landing page feels very busy. There are multiple things that seems to want my attention.

The blue, is it "color: blue"? I haven't seen that since the early 00s when I personally first looked at HTML. It is very ugly and sharp.

The middle part, ignoring the blue button, has like 3 different typefaces, the middle one is hard to read (imo).

Apart from that I won't say anything as I am not the target audience from a use-case scenario.</comment>


Why Heroku Adopted a Code of Conduct Policy and Sponsored The Ada Initiative - <AUTHOR> https://blog.heroku.com/archives/2013/12/11/code_of_conduct

<comment><USER2> When I am bullied, I step up and speak out. This is a nice posting. I let you know that it is basically invisible. I've been more than once downvoted on HN, but I speak out in an educative way and turn the situation around. It's hard to know what to do, isn't it? Nobody wants to control the way a person responds, even if they respond in a bullying manner. That would ruin the site. Still, I can remember being much more shy than I am now. I think it is more than gender, more than ego, more than ignorance. Whatever it is that makes a conduct policy even be necessary, I don't think we have the tiger by the tail on this. More needs to be done. Much more. Conduct starts in the heart of our thought/impulses. Acting out in comment or in action (at a conference) is a demonstration of how we feel and think. I wish we could reach that part of ourselves and that a "conduct code" wouldn't be necessary.

</comment><comment><USER3> Thank you Heroku for your commitment to making our community a better place.

</comment><comment><USER4> This is a great move. Thank you.</comment>


The Skills Companies Need Most in 2020–and How to Learn Them - <AUTHOR> https://learning.linkedin.com/blog/top-skills/the-skills-companies-need-most-in-2020and-how-to-learn-them <comment><USER2> Why isn't "integrity" on the list?</comment>


The Problem With Disney Plus [video] - <AUTHOR> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFl1Z0Npz-M <comment><USER2> My problem with Disney+ is the 'cable-fication' of video streaming. Netflix was revolutionary precisely because it was a central repository for movie and TV streaming. Now that production companies see the value, they are slowly destroying it by separating their IP from Netflix and forcing users to buy separate 'Channel' services for each respective producer. They clearly didn't learn their lesson the first time - Piracy will be the preferred method of video consumption again, because it's not possible to justify spending $15/month for every individual service.</comment>


Elon Musk Is Now Richer Than Mark Zuckerberg After Tesla Stock Split - <AUTHOR> https://finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-now-richer-mark-160737138.html <comment><USER2> So now Musk doesn't need a rocket to get to Mars. He can just stack up his money and climb there.</comment>