My Life in Pens (2009) - <AUTHOR> https://iamjamesward.com/2009/08/18/my-life-in-pens-part-1/ <comment><USER2> Love this. I too have had a passion for stationery for most of my life. To give you a sense of the kind of kid I was: Staples was my favorite store from ages 9-12.

I've been through gel pens and rollerballs and felt tips and every variation therein and thereof. Today, there's only one pen for me (sort of), and that's the Pilot G2. It's smooth, dries quickly on the pages of my always-around Leuchtturm1917 medium, gridded, softcover book, and retains its blackness for years. Notes written ten years ago look as good and as new as notes written ten days ago.

That said, I've been dabbling in the world of fountain pens and fancy inks (Noodler's is awesome) for some time, and though the writing experience is outstanding, I grew tired of walking around with ink-covered hands, leaving my pen home when I fly (which is often), and waiting too long for ink to dry in my notebook.

So back to the G2 I go, as always.

<comment><USER3> So not to get completely crazy here but about 5 years ago I settled on the Leuchtturm1917 medium, dot grid, softcover notebook + the Pilot Better Retractable ballpoint pen (black, 30000). It's a nice place to be if you want to consider a finer point and a freer page.

<comment><USER4> Considering the near uniform praise I see for Leuchtturm's offerings both here and elsewhere, I think I'll give them a go next time I need to stock up on writing materials. (Go-to notebooks for ages has been Moleskine squared hardcover small ones for the field, Rhodia dotted A5 for the office.)

For field work (workshops and offshore) either a pencil or a Fisher Space Pen does it; office? Mostly a fountain pen, a habit kick started when I was five or so and my grandfather gave me an old fountain pen and told me I'd better learn to write using one, as that would teach me how to write properly. I'm not convinced he was right, but it nevertheless started a life-long love affair with fountain pens...

<comment><USER2> I used Moleskines in college but haven't looked back since finding Leuchtterm (almost 10 years ago). I love the numbered pages and softer covers, but the best part is that the lines are MUCH lighter. You won't regret switching.

<comment><USER4> Numbered pages is a plus, but I've found the Moleskines to be brilliant field companions - there's always one in my boiler suit's breast pocket, and no matter how wet it has become, be it rain, seas or hydraulic oil, no matter how greased and dirty my fingers have been, the notebook holds up. I don't think I'll ever use anything else for jotting down notes while offshore.

My local dealer stocks Leuchtturms too; I'll pick up a few next week.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> I was a life long pen and paper freak for all of my notes for personal and professional life.

My goto setup was the Pilot G2 0.38mm pen: [https://www.officedepot.com/a/products/527870/Pilot-G-2-Retr...](https://www.officedepot.com/a/products/527870/Pilot-G-2-Retractable- Gel-Pens/)

And the Leuchterm 1917 dotted notebook: [https://www.leuchtturm1917.us/notebook- medium-a5-hardcover-2...](https://www.leuchtturm1917.us/notebook- medium-a5-hardcover-249-numbered-pages.html)

The pens have perfect flow, and are thin in stroke for precision work. The paper has a nice texture to it, not rough but not slick.

For quick work, I'd grab sharpies and computer paper, for stuff like quick UI sketches/rapid note taking.

But as of April this year, I've switched to the 2018 iPad and an Apple Pencil and have completely dropped using paper. Being able to find all of my notes on both my ipad and my computer, sketch things up when I'm traveling and send it to my coworkers quickly, and also have all my books and media all in one simple device is just a dream. And in iOS 12, the Notes app is actually pretty great.

It's also a great setup for sketching up ideas to then toss on an Apple TV to share with my team before investing time into making a polished version of something. Idea to presentation in minutes is just awesome.

My only two complaints:

1) the body of the apple pencil is shitty. It's slick and round, I'd prefer a hexagonal body with a textured finger pad and a nice textured surface. This has annoyed me enough to the point that I've actually looked into how to make an alternative barrel for the pencils.

2) I take all of my notes in outline form. I would LOVE an app that captures handwritten notes in outline form, but then adds interactivity like collapsing/handwriting to text conversion/etc while preserving all the format. I realize that's a hard problem to solve, but I'm hoping in a few years machine learning will catch up.

<comment><USER6> I just made a practically identical switch (down to even the 0.38mm g-2 pens).

What apps have you been using on iPad for note taking? I have tried several and haven't found anything that would fit what I am looking for. The best I have found is Good Notes.

<comment><USER6> Edit: I forgot to mention In terms of the Apple Pencil body being too slick, I picked this up on Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LY38UE5/ref=oh_aui_sear...](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LY38UE5/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) It's not quite perfect but it's a lot better than vanilla and has a magnet that attached it to the iPad as well.

<comment><USER5> Nice, I've almost ordered one of those in the past. My idea was to actually remove the original body of the pencil and have a better one 3d printed for it. The cost/effort is probably completely not worth it, but it does look feasible per the teardown looking fairly straight forward.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> "All these things make me unhappy. But why? Stationery is supposed to be used. They're functional objects. It is my tragedy."

I love that quote. I have the same problem with notebooks. For some reason I'm convinced that you have to do a perfect job when you are filling out a notebook. Even though, logically, that doesn't make any sense. People that do perfect things typically have practiced more throwing away things than I would consider likely.

<comment><USER8> It might be worthing buying a notebook with the intention of ripping out pages and scribbling nonsense in it.

The crossed out bits are the most important part of the notebook.

</comment></comment><comment><USER9> Over the last several years I've aspired to improve my sketching/drawing skills so this post caught my eye. It's the first of 3 and this one focuses solely on "pens" he used as a child. Parts 2 & 3 are more germane to my circumstances.

I like his writing style - his "voice" \- and so poked around some of the other articles and, wow, what a feast! Interesting topics and the perfect length for my increasingly ADD-addled brain. Not to mention the design of blog is quite well-done (perhaps it's a WP template though...?)

I'd not heard of James Ward before but he's now on my reading list.

Thanks for sharing!

<comment><USER10> He has a book "Adventures in Stationery". Sitting around my home office, started but not finished (too much travel on my side)

</comment></comment><comment><USER11> Kinda surprised no fountain pens were part of the journey.

<comment><USER12> I have always loved fountain pens. But I am currently using a mechanical pencil(Staedtler 925-25-05) only. I guess fountain pens are not suitable for note taking and drafting and maintenance makes using them a luxury for me. Mechanical pencils provide fewer options but still a great joy of writing experience(but nowhere near a proper gold nib pen).

</comment></comment><comment><USER13> Pens and pencils are a favourite topic of mine. Since the article is mostly about cheap mass market ballpoints, I'll take the liberty to mention some of my favourites too.

* Uni-Ball Jetstream: Just about perfect as far as I'm concerned. Comfortable, ubiquitous and works every time. Stylish, yet unassuming.

* Ballograf Epoca: Very common in the Nordics. My favourite specimen has a light metal barrel (aluminium, I assume) with what seems like a rosewood grip and button. Most ones are plainer with plastic barrels in retro colours. A design classic with refills easily available in craft and hardware stores.

* Parker Insignia: A slightly fancier one, though not really a true luxury pen. I inherited a couple of these from my grandma who always had a good eye for stationery. One is a half of a matching set with a mechanical pencil, in aluminium and brass. The other is branded paraphernalia for a facility maintenance company she was doing printing work for.

* UNIX Ballpoint: The only one of these I don't have on my desk at the moment. Nothing really notable about this one but hey, it's made by Unix. How could I not like a Unix pen?

</comment><comment><USER14> Waiting for a "my life in keyboards" post ...

</comment><comment><USER15> Pencils for me. Hi Uni HB is what is mostly use. There's just something about writing using something made of only three natural things. This pencil isn't cheap either.

</comment><comment><USER16> My favourite pen to date is the Zebra Sarasa[0]. It's a gel pen, but it really doesn't smear and 0.7mm nib means you're still writing sufficiently sharp.

[0] [https://www.amazon.com/Zebra- Pen-46871-Retractable-10-Count/...](https://www.amazon.com/Zebra- Pen-46871-Retractable-10-Count/dp/B0047EPFDC)

</comment><comment><USER17> This reminded me of an old website from about 10+ years ago. The guy would review artist pens, and would include a drawing of the pen, and whatever else he felt like that day.

Really nice website. I enjoyed reading it, does anyone remember what it was?

</comment><comment><USER18> I'm pretty sure 90% of the pens i've ever used or owned were bic. I'm not sure if i've ever really used berol pens. My writing's pretty messy so I've looked for a couple decent pens for my notebooks and such but that's about it. I like anything where the ink doesn't run and that helps me write more clearly. Some pens are definitely better than others.

That Wikipedia article about crayon colours though....the author wasn't lying...that is an amazingly detailed list with hex and rgb values for just about every crayon ever made. The standard colours also have hsv values and there's detailed history for everything. It makes me want to setup a bunch of colour palettes based on all the different crayon sets.</comment>


'Do I Need This Much Office Space?' Pandemic Emptied Buildings, How Long? - <AUTHOR> https://www.npr.org/2020/09/01/906767790/do-i-really-need-this-much-office-space-pandemic-emptied-buildings-but-how-long <comment><USER2> According to the latest CBRE data, the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus is expected to have a short-term negative impact on the global commercial real estate market, but the further course of the virus is difficult to predict.

In the event of the rapid spread of COVID-19 throughout the EMEA region, economic growth should be expected to slow down and, consequently, a possible decline in investment in commercial real estate. On the other hand, real estate investments are considered less risky, so some capital inflows are potentially possible. In addition, restrictions on travel and transportation between the EMEA region and China will mainly affect sectors specializing in supply chains and tourism.

The negative impact on the office market may be reflected in the forecast of the new proposal, as disruptions in the production and transportation of building materials will hinder development. In addition, in the short term, the business is unlikely to expand and be on hold, given the recent downturn and current turbulence in the stock markets. Business center Zug [https://www.matchoffice.ch/mieten/business-center/zug- city](https://www.matchoffice.ch/mieten/business-center/zug-city) constantly monitors the situation in the commercial real estate market.</comment>


Ask HN: How much would you give up to serve your customer? - <AUTHOR> Ex. sleep, too much time,and etc. <comment><USER2> I consider customers like fans. They're usually happy to give you money and they appreciate you. You also can't run a business (or have a job) without them.

So it's similar to how artists treat their fans - hang out with them, be friends with them, take selfies, thank them and ask their opinions.

That said, there's a limit. 80% of your trouble comes from 20% of your leads/customers. Some are tire kickers, some are bullies who get off on demanding more and often negotiate for the sake of negotiating. Find a way to cut those off quickly and focus on serving the other 80% better.

</comment><comment><USER3> Everything! It's important to realise that your customer IS your business. Most employees don't know/care about that but every business owner should. When your customers lose faith it's `Goodnight Charlie'!

[edit] O.K. It helps also to be aware who your KEY customers are. Suggest you get a sign made with this printed in LARGE letters --> PARETO [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle)

</comment><comment><USER4> Anything they genuinely need if they are paying users. There's a reason paid support exists in most businesses and it is so important because 'The customer is always right' (if they are willing to pay for it).

</comment><comment><USER5> What happened here? Did you sign a contract that you can't keep or something?</comment>


E-Commerce Is Head Over Heels for Pinterest, and for Good Reason - <AUTHOR> http://allthingsd.com/20120615/e-commerce-is-head-over-heels-for-pinterest-and-theres-a-good-reason-why/#

<comment><USER2> Please link to the top of the article, not to the comments, especially on sites that are a little slow to load, like that one. It is quite annoying to see the article come up, start reading, get a couple sentences in and then have to jump down to the bottom because the comments have finished loading and so it can finish following the link.</comment>


Exploring Neural Networks with Activation Atlases - <AUTHOR> https://distill.pub/2019/activation-atlas/ <comment><AUTHOR> OpenAI ([https://blog.openai.com/introducing-activation- atlases/](https://blog.openai.com/introducing-activation-atlases/)) and Google AI ([https://ai.googleblog.com/2019/03/exploring-neural- networks....](https://ai.googleblog.com/2019/03/exploring-neural- networks.html)) also posted updates related to this release</comment>


Infinite Visions Were Hiding in the First Black Hole Image's Rings - <AUTHOR> https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/28/science/black-hole-rings.html <comment><USER2> [http://archive.is/ArYf9](http://archive.is/ArYf9)

</comment><comment><USER3> Login/pay walled

<comment><USER4> If your browser has reader mode, that gets around it

<comment><USER5> Not true for mobile safari at least

<comment><USER4> It's true on my mobile safari. Many of these paywalled sites don't actually load the full text, but nytimes does</comment></comment></comment></comment>


China Sacrifices a Province to Save the World From Coronavirus - <AUTHOR> https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-05/china-sacrifices-a-province-to-save-the-world-from-coronavirus <comment><USER2> Just dropping a link here, anyone who is concerned about the coronavirus and has opinions about it should imo read the daily situation reports from the WHO: [https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel- coronavirus-2...](https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel- coronavirus-2019/situation-reports)

In 5 minutes a day you will have a better informed perspective than what any news sites provide, my own alarm has lessened considerably after reading these.

<comment><USER3> I just ran across this link ([https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3871594](https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3871594)) suggesting that the official numbers coming out of China may be significantly understated. I'm not familiar with the site, though - are they a reliable news source? Not sure how much credence to give it.

<comment><USER4> I don't know about those numbers but I think deaths may be considerably understated due to them only counting people who have been properly tested for coronavirus, found to have it and then died but there are probably many others who have died without being able to get a test such as the grandmother mentioned in the article. It's a bit worrying there are no figures for that - the local officials must have an idea how many extra bodies are turning up at crematoria and the like but it doesn't seem to be public.

<comment><USER5> ^ This exactly. They may be accurately reporting the actual number of diagnosed cases (which I'm on the fence about), but they are certainly not reporting "suspected" cases. I understand that's hard to discern, but they should have a decent idea about the average mortality rate in the area, and be able to see an uptick that will give them a rough estimate.

<comment><USER6> Honestly I think it is hard job to get an accurate reporting giving the scale of the problem. We are talking about a single digit accuracy at the scale of 10k+. Even in H1N1 outbreaks, the medical visits and death tolls in the US was estimated with a wide band. That being said, the death of un-confirmed patients could be intentionally ignored to make the problem look not so big. But this is not a unique thing to authoritarian governments.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> Back in the 60s, my father went to China to continue his study (our country was being ravaged by B52s every days). Just after he arrived, he and his classmates were put under quarantine for 1 month as a Meningitis epidemic was spreading. They spent the every days locked in the house, with a serving of guanzhong medicine in the morning. It was a shock to all the Vietnamese there, as it's basically house arrest. China has been using quarantine as a tool to prevent epidemic spreading for a long time, ignoring all the hardships of the people inside.

Oh and it was during the Cultural Revolution too, so they were executing counter revolutionary people behind the school every afternoon (this was after the epidemic). Needless to say it left a very bad impression of China gov on my father.

</comment><comment><USER8> Sacrifice my ass. Their incompetence led to a province and its people being hung out to dry.

They let this problem get out of hand—and now the people there suffer.

How?

They ignored the doctors who attempted to report the problem on New Year's day.

They (the CCP) take no precautionary measures until their political regime is threatened.

So many things done wrong—including maintaining wet market controls up a few years after H1N1.

<comment><USER9> Do not agree. Government everywhere makes mistakes under emergencies. Just look at past responses to hurricanes in the US and the current wildfire in Australia. Maybe you could say every government is incompetent. But the fact is that China reported the cases very early to WHO, get the genes mapped very quickly, and decisively locked down Hebei. So I would say so far China has shown competence and resolve, against a tough virus.

<comment><USER10> Did you miss the part when they arrested doctors who reported the virus because they didn't want to deal with the virus during a local government meeting and banquet?

<comment><USER11> Is it confirmed? I see just some YouTube videos; that + the description upthread triggers my conspiracy theory alarm.

<comment><USER12> Here is the news from Jan 1 in Chinese.

[https://www.guancha.cn/politics/2020_01_01_530191.shtml?s=zw...](https://www.guancha.cn/politics/2020_01_01_530191.shtml?s=zwyxgtjbt)

<comment><USER13> Reading the translation, this sounds like what police would say in a parody, yet this is real. Thank you for sharing it and I hope your family and we all make it through this in good health.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER14> When the dust settles from this event I suspect one positive will be that China will throw technology at the problem of more rapidly detecting viral outbreaks and more quickly locking down the affected areas.

<comment><USER4> And maybe refrain from arresting doctors reporting the problem?

</comment></comment><comment><USER15> The amount of up- and downvoting on anything China related feels insane. I wish someone at Hackernews will write a blog post about this some day (accounts, IP addresses, and whatever other data they have). From a casual reader perspective, I feel I have not seen this pattern on other controversial topics that sometimes show up here, e. g. gun control.

<comment><USER16> Dang posts explanations about this perception once in a while: [https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...](https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&query=by%3Adang%20brigading&sort=byDate&type=comment)

</comment></comment><comment><USER17> Well 2019-ncov is probably here to stay permanently, so while I appreciate the effort to slow it down, they're not going to save the world from it quite yet.

<comment><USER18> What are you basing this statement on? or is it just the flu of Reddit- inspired speculations on HN?

<comment><USER19> I think that this article ([https://www.theguardian.com/global- development/2020/feb/06/h...](https://www.theguardian.com/global- development/2020/feb/06/hidden-coronavirus-cases-could-thwart-containment- efforts-experts-warn)) illustrate that it is very likely that the symptoms in most people are mild and these people are not seeking medical advice while spreading it around them.

If this is really the case, it is going to be very difficult to contain it.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER20> Not really. China has the highest population on the world on absolute and relative basis.

It it very dangerous for China letting a new virus spread. They have lots of 5 Million inhabitants cities. On Norway or any low density country in which people live isolated in Winter anyway not so much.

China is not trying to save the world, it is trying to save itself.

</comment><comment><USER21> The amount of virulent (pun intended) hatred of the Chinese government really shows here. Can't say it's not well deserved but you can at least give them some credit for the quarantine.

<comment><USER22> Credit? They only acted because they had to. Doctors were arrested weeks before for "spreading rumors". Their inability to act has led to this thing spreading beyond their borders.

<comment><USER23> Would this quarantine happen in your country or any Western country? I doubt it.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER24> > Two new hospitals, with 2,600 beds in total, were completed in _10 days_ , > _built by more than 2,000 migrant workers_

China.

<comment><USER25> Per another HN thread on that, they're really not hospitals so much as warehouses with beds in them. Not that they necessarily need fully equipped hospital facilities for the purpose of housing and treating the infected, but it's still a mischaracterization to call them hospitals.

<comment><USER26> There are plenty of videos on Youtube showing that they are in fact not just warehouses with beds. What would they need to contain to qualify as hospitals in your opinion?

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

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER27> > China Sacrifices a Province to Save the World From Coronavirus

Bullshit.

The world would have been like exactly like Hubei, and Hubei no different if they didn't lock it down.

There was no "Sacrifices"

Putting in curfew reduced deaths if anything, they also added doctors and built hospitals.

If the 'sacrifice' is economic because of curfews, then fair enough, but they do not have deaths or illness worse because of the lock down.

<comment><USER6> It is not entirely true. This sacrifice entails two things. On one side, without a lockdown, people in Human can seek medical help in other cities and provinces when they get sick. After a lockdown, local medical resources are in severe shortage hence higher death rate. On the other side, it limits the spread of the disease for the good of other provinces and hence the rest of the world. If this isn't sacrifice, I'm not sure what sacrifice is.

<comment><USER27> > After a lockdown, local medical resources are in severe shortage hence > higher death rate

No, this is false. Supplies and doctors still came in after lock down. Lots of them because they were not needed elsewhere.

> On one side, without a lockdown, people in Human can seek medical help in > other cities and provinces when they get sick.

This is also false. As soon as they leave they spread the virus any other hospital will become swamped and just the same.

There sacrifice is they don't get to spread the virus and make everyone else as bad as they have it. Not quite true.... They would have it worse since they will lose resources if it spreads. But they do miss the comfort of being the same by not spreading it. That is all.

<comment><USER6> > Supplies and doctors still came in after lock down. You mean the government > get doctors from other cities to Wuhan because they are not needed, > regardless if Wuhan is in medical shortage? This is a weird logic that I > cannot agree. IMO, mobilizing doctors from hundreds of miles away, which > costs a lot money and management effort, is exactly an attempt to solve the > shortage issue. There are various video materials showing super crowded > hospitals in Wuhan and other Hubei cities. It is also consistent with > building not one, but two temporary hospitals with thousands of workers at > much pricier cost.

Based on the activity data from TV news, fever related medical visit stays in single digit nationwide. If lock down are not announced and enforced, people in Hunan that are richer will flood to other cities such as Shanghai and Beijing for better medical services, as this happens from several news reports. People would choose to travel since their immediate action will not cause medical shortage elsewhere before they are handled. The idea of seeking medical help elsewhere will make matters worse is correct, but it is a macro level insight and will not change these people's mind to grasp these resources before they are gone.

It is not deniable that without a lockdown, people in Hubei province will on average get medical help in the short run and everybody else is much worse off. This is why it's not a sacrifice.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER28> You can only lock down a city in a dictatorship. So I certainly would not approve of this behavior.

Additionally any speculation about the effectiveness of the quarantine is futile in my opinion.

<comment><USER29> What? US state and federal emergency responders have plans and tools for locking down a city, too.

<comment><USER30> Yup. Specifically, many people have speculated that FEMA has contingency plans where they would even be able to set up internment camps for as many people as needed, if required to quarantine an epidemic or other national emergency. Not too far from what's going on in Wuhan.

<comment><USER31> _Which_ people have speculated, and on what grounds? Anyone can speculate anything about FEMA's disaster plans to make internment of arbitrarily large numbers of people sound like a totally normal thing.

<comment><USER30> Look, there's a lot of material on this already, I'm not making up anything. Just google FEMA internment camps.

<comment><USER32> If you google that, you get right wing propaganda, the kind of sites which also claim Obama is a Kenyan-Muslim-time-travelling-terrorist.

But maybe you are one of them, now you're going to jump and down telling us FEMA is the Waffen-SS.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER33> Correction: China makes a show out of sacrificing a province to demonstrate to the world that no, they really are being serious about it this time, honest!

</comment><comment><USER34> Feels like the story of Dying Light

</comment><comment><USER35> Sacrifices?

The officers who announced the fact were punished for making rumors. If they didn't hide the truth of Wuhan at the beginning, everyone will be aware of the issue.

China is just paying for the price due to prohibiting freedom of speech

</comment><comment><USER36> Meanwhile, [https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific- news/408915/chin...](https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific- news/408915/chinese-embassy-in-suva-hits-out-at-fiji-govt-over-border-closure)

<comment><USER9> WHO clearly does not recommend travel bans. [https://www.who.int/news- room/detail/30-01-2020-statement-on...](https://www.who.int/news- room/detail/30-01-2020-statement-on-the-second-meeting-of-the-international- health-regulations-\(2005\)-emergency-committee-regarding-the-outbreak-of- novel-coronavirus-\(2019-ncov\)) : The Committee does not recommend any travel or trade restriction based on the current information available.

<comment><USER36> The point is that China implements severe travel bans within their own country, and yet are reprimanding another country for trying to do something similar.

China also claims to have it under control (in the same reprimand) yet Coronavirus has snuck through their borders numerous times and is now in a dozen countries.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER37> Bloomberg didn't get the memo to report only negatively on China?</comment>


RadPad Rent Checks Bouncing – Beginning of the End? - <AUTHOR> https://medium.com/@paulwithap/radpad-rent-checks-bouncing-beginning-of-the-end-dcc01662b7f3#.72m3cop7p <comment><USER2> Presumably RadPad owes this user their rent money since they didn't pay it. If the company goes into bankruptcy, what's the "seniority" of this type of debt?

It seems like if enough people are affected by this it might be a very nasty class action lawsuit for RadPad.

<comment><USER3> Anyone who is using RadPad would become a creditor, but if there's no money and no assets left, they're SOL.

EDIT: This is not to say RadPad is having financial issues, just a "what if" scenario.

<comment><AUTHOR> That's my fear and why I will never again pay my rent through them. If they go under, I'm out $1350.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> This article has apparently been deleted:

"410 Error: The author deleted this Medium story"

Link to Google cache:

[https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:gkIJNj...](https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:gkIJNjG8EnMJ:https://medium.com/%40paulwithap/radpad- rent-checks-bouncing-beginning-of-the-end- dcc01662b7f3+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us)

<comment><USER5> Medium somehow mangles this page, can't get article on mobile

</comment></comment><comment><USER6> Hey - I'm one of the co-founders.

If you reach out to us at firstname.lastname@example.com we can overnight a new check if necessary right away. We've only had 2 other reports so far of checks not going through.

You can also message me on twitter @tylergalpin

<comment><AUTHOR> Why would a new check make any difference? Why isn't there money in the account?

EDIT: You also claimed that this issue was resolved 8 days ago, and that the cause was simply due to a transfer from your processor going into the wrong account. If that was true, my landlord would not have had any issue depositing the check today. It seems way more likely that this is a cashflow issue and you are in fact dipping into the rent account to cover other bills

<comment><USER6> The money _is_ in the account. There's an API error. If you could send us your account email to firstname.lastname@example.com we can help your landlord get their money ASAP.

<comment><AUTHOR> I did email you guys, but I'm having trouble understanding this "API error" explanation. What API error? How is an API error affecting whether a check clears or not. I can understand an "API error" resulting in the funds being sent to the wrong account as you explained on Reddit 8 days ago, but not preventing a check from clearing if the funds are in the proper account as you say.

Please help me understand. Right now I'm very hesitant to ever use your service again.

<comment><USER7> said reddit thread, I assume: [https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/50q9zd/radpad_che...](https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/50q9zd/radpad_check_returned_due_to_insufficient_funds/)

(for context & to save other readers time searching for it)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> What's the benefit of paying via RadPad? It seems to be increasing the number of middle men (1. Credit card agency, 2. RadPad), and middleman's commission is often not commensurate to the service provided.

<comment> nommm-nommm Mentioned in the article, PayPal Business Debit MasterCard is a debit card connected to your PayPal account that earns 1% cashback. Until a few weeks ago it was free to pay with a debit card using RadPad. That's free money.

If you were having an emergency putting rent on your credit card could be a short term solution that makes sense. Its better than a payday loan and intro zero percent into APR card could mean you'll only pay 3% in credit card fees. Of course, this is super risky but its good to have that available.</comment></comment>


Cancer Research Points to Key Unknowns about Popular "Antiaging" Supplements - <AUTHOR> https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/cancer-research-points-to-key-unknowns-about-popular-antiaging-supplements/ <comment><USER2> "a molecule called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), a key player in the cellular production of energy. Often written as NAD+"

Just so you don't have to close popups and sift through the article for the popular anti aging supplement.</comment>


Chipotle Says Adios to GMOs, as Food Industry Strips Away Ingredients - <AUTHOR> http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2015/04/27/402632212/chipotle-says-adios-to-gmos-as-food-industry-strips-away-ingredients <comment><USER2> Remember that "GMO" opposition is anti-scientific nonsense, and has led to millions of children left blind or dead [1], making it probably worse than vaccine opposition, even if the vaccine opposition is more likely to affect you personally.

[1] [http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest- blog/2014/03/15/go...](http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest- blog/2014/03/15/golden-rice-opponents-should-be-held-accountable-for-health- problems-linked-to-vitamain-a-deficiency/)

<comment><USER3> I'm not sure the hyperbole is helping the debate. Chipotle using non-GMO foods probably isn't causing anyone to go blind, right?

<comment><USER4> Another company folding to bad science isn't helping people either...

<comment><USER5> Its called voting with your dollars.

<comment><USER4> Just cause something is popular doesn't make it good science. The fact that people vote against GMO's in this way is, if anything, depressing.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> It's frightening how many people don't understand the arguments against GMOs.

Read this: [http://fooledbyrandomness.com/pp2.pdf](http://fooledbyrandomness.com/pp2.pdf) and before making arguments, make sure your argument hasn't already been responded to in the "Fallacy" section.

Of course, there are many non-scientific arguments about GMOs. I'm not talking about those.

EDIT: Someone asked for a tldr. It's a useful skill to learn how to read a paper (start with the abstract and the conclusion), but I'm pasting the conclusion here anyway:

 _This formalization of the two different types of un-certainty about risk (local and systemic) makes clear when the precautionary principle is, and when it isn't, appropriate. The examples of GMOs and nuclear energy help to elucidate the application of these ideas. We hope this will help decision makers to avoid ruin in the future._

<comment><USER7> It is because the industry has done a great job as labeling the critics as anti-science. Yet the source of the controversy for anyone who spends enough time to look into it is other scientist.

It is somewhat ironic, that most everyone agrees the GMO companies are quite evil in nature when it comes to their business practices. Yet the same people say we should absolutely trust the same companies when they make claims about their products benefits or safety.

I think part of this is because progressive science fans see the potential of GMOs and latch on to the possibilities and ignore that we are still quite immature with our understanding and implementation of the technology.

<comment><USER8> > It is because the industry has done a great job as labeling the critics as > anti-science.

It's not "the industry" doing the labeling, scientific consensus isn't so easily bought - if it were oil companies (who have _far_ more money than Monsanto et al) would have made sure the science on climate change was on their side.

In another comment[1] I provided several links you may find useful in making a more informed opinion.

[1] [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9451873](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9451873)

<comment><USER7> I think you highly underestimate the influence of the this industry and the pressure it can exert. "U.S. Government Planned To "Retaliate & Cause Pain" On Countries Refusing GMOs" [http://www.collective- evolution.com/2014/07/30/wikileaks-cab...](http://www.collective- evolution.com/2014/07/30/wikileaks-cables-reveal-u-s-government-planned-to- retaliate-cause-pain-on-countries-refusing-gmos/)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> >"...They blame it (horrific profits) on consumers getting concerned about what they put in their bodies."

Even though health food has become fashionable (for perhaps less than rational reasons), I believe that greater awareness of what you eat is extremely important and I'm glad it's becoming mainstream. Now if only they would stop putting so much sugar in bread...

<comment><USER4> as much as I hate the anti-GMO stuff, cause in reality, we've genetically modified everything we eat through thousands of years of forced selection, I am all for better bread. I bake my own with minimal sugar and gluten, and it is soooo much better then store bread, and really makes a sandwich amazing(note, when I say minimal gluten, I mean no extra gluten, not gluten free flour).

<comment><USER10> I believe you, but I really think that has absolutely nothing to do with GMO, raher than the simple fact that fresh, homemade food is intrinsically better than store bought food, which is usually tuned for aesthetics and long shelf life as opposed to flavor.

<comment><USER11> Not really true! All of our grocery stores hereabouts bake every day, in- house.

And don't assume a restaurant does a worse job than you of managing their freshness. They buy from the same grocery most likely. In fact, the grocery you buy from is a store; their fresh food is managed quite well. In fact everything you make is worse than that, because you have to buy it from them, THEN make something out of it. So its not as fresh.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> Good, let's rely on random genetic mutation instead. Because we know that only produces healthy organisms that are safe to eat.

(/sarcasm)

<comment><USER13> Selective breeding, the ancient form of GMO, which these people interestingly don't seem to object to, uses inbreeding and other techniques that are in fact known to produce unhealthy organisms.

<comment><USER14> Because breeding is thousands of times slower at producing mutations and it gives researchers (and society in general) enough time to assess the health effects of a crop. In 2015 we are still learning about crops that has been around for centuries.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER15> >"I don't think this is about GMOs being harmful or not being harmful to your health," Ells tells The Salt. "It's a bigger picture.

That mentality is what kills me about all of this. Let's make decisions contrary to what the evidence shows. I know this is probably a smart move because I'm sure the anti-gmo movement people would love to have a company to crusade against like Chipotle. I still don't like it.

</comment><comment><USER16> Seems broader than just GMO's:

 _Pepsi announced it was getting rid of aspartame Kraft announced it was dropping artificial dyes McDonald 's said it would start sourcing chicken raised without antibiotics Nestle declared it would dump artificial colorings and flavorings_

It seems blanket statements are bad for _healthy GMOs_ but also have a secondary positive effect elsewhere within the food industry.

</comment><comment><USER17> Like many here, I'm confused with how people could be upset with GMOs but not random mutation. Either could result in the same vegetables.

It turns out - when talking to strongly GMO-opposed persons - it's usually not the genetic modification they're worried about. Instead, it's that a crop has been showered in roundup before we eat it. Saying "anti-GMO" has become a simpler way of saying that you're anti-roundup-sprayed-crops.

Even though I disagree with this redefinition, I've found it to be common among anti-GMO parties. I also consider their real argument much more respectable than actually being opposed to arbitrary genetic mutations.

<comment><USER18> When a seed is _genetically modified_ to support wide spectrum herbicide use, does the nuance really matter? A lot of people in this thread are poo pooing the anti GMO movement, when a lot of anti GMO folks are against genetically modifying food to support corporate greed. Monsanto isn't an angel sent from the heavens to feed the starving.

</comment></comment><comment><USER19> > "The strongest scientific evidence calls for Americans to increase their > intake of fruits and vegetables.

This. Hint: the problem isn't the GMOs in that Big Mac you're eating

</comment><comment><USER20> I'm glad this trend is so far limited only to a few companies that I can easily boycott. There's even a group on the "Buycott" app against anti-GMO companies.

It would really be great if there were a three-letter code we could use to demonize Monsanto and Syngenta's harmful patent practices and shift the discussion to where it used to be and still should be.

edit: just adding a link to a recent John Stewart segment, which will hopefully stop some of the fearmongering [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY- UPHLJ31A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY-UPHLJ31A)

</comment><comment><USER21> Just a reminder to the "all GMO is bad" crowd - you're condemning yourself to a life of needles or a mechanical implant if you have or get type-1 diabetes (lack of insulin production). With genetic modification, it's possible to transfect genes to start insulin production but that would make the recipient a GMO...

As people as written, this subject is nuanced. As best you can, try to understand what is involved rather than just listening to the noise.

</comment><comment><USER22> Is it just me or does this article look like native advertising?

</comment><comment><USER23> no GMOs while eating a burrito bowl with 1.5k calories

<comment><USER24> I think it's decently price for the amount of calories you get.

I get it's 1.5k but it's not the corporation's responsibility to regulate how a much a person eat. I'm glad that we have laws posting calories count and I think it's good enough. You can eat half and save the rest or if you work out for 2-3hours then 1.5k calories is pretty nice.

I did body building for a bit and I use myfitnesspal to count my calories. I had a food scale and a measure cup too. I don't get why we have to shame a food place for giving us a good deal. If anything have social programs to raise awareness to obesity.

<comment><USER23> No doubt, I agree with you 100% and think individuals should be allowed to make their own choices based on the information provided. That said, there is some definite marketing wizardry with this along with "organic" ingredients and not-so-subtle suggestions that both are somehow automatically healthy for you.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER25> Am I the only one who avoids Chipotle because it's crappy, even if they used organic/free-range/grass-fed/constantly-hugged meat and vegetables, only?

<comment><USER26> But do you eat fast food? In the fast food world, Chipotle is pretty high up on the "brand perception" scale. Sure, it's not incredible, but it "feels" better than eating Wendys/McDonalds/Burger King. (I don't eat fast-food much, but my bias is towards Chipotle when I do.)

<comment><USER27> > But do you eat fast food? In the fast food world, Chipotle is pretty high up > on the "brand perception" scale.

Chipotle aims for a fast casual ambiance (which can be a reason to prefer it), but to me the food quality seems to be between lower-end fast-food places like Taco Bell and better fast-food places like El Pollo Loco.</comment></comment></comment>


End of an Era: No Linux Desktop at Home (after 17 years) - <AUTHOR> http://blog.herlein.com/2011/01/end-of-an-era-no-linux-desktop-at-home/

<comment><USER2> Interestingly enough, for me 2010 was the first time in 10 years that I actually stuck with Linux on the desktop. Ubuntu really does Just Work for me, on every machine I own.

You can't beat Apple's industrial design or the quality of parts they use but I have never felt at home in their UI. I probably never will. That's too bad because I'd rather be seen with a Macbook than pretty much any PC. But that's just vanity :)

<comment><USER3> A macbook can run Linux.

<https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MacBook>

<comment><USER4> Dual booting here. The Mac constantly has the red optical light turned on under Linux. Temperature control can be a little off too.

It works, but not seamlessly.

<comment><USER5> You can turn the red light off with alsamixer (find the SPDIF column and hit M to mute, as I recall). There must also be a way to automate this on boot, though I don't know it off the top of my head.

<comment><USER6> Alsa settings can be saved using `sudo alsactl store`; most distros have their startup scripts configured to load up the generated config file when they start.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> I find this to be strange timing. For the most part stuff just works on Linux these days. I've had more trouble trying to get old printers working on Windows machines than I have had on Linux boxes. I've also had more trouble with buggy graphics drivers on Windows in the last 3 years than I've had on Linux. (Civ 5 still doesn't display right after 4 driver updates). Linux also seems to be the only place where innovation is happening on the desktop. We get small refreshes every 6 months, whereas the last time Mac users got a significant desktop refresh was for 10.5 in 2007, and Windows users get updates even less frequently. We've had KDE4 in the meantime, and Gnome3 is coming soon.

His real complaint seems to be that OpenOffice doesn't interact well Microsoft Office. There are several different good ways of running Microsoft Office on Linux (I recommend CrossOver).

<comment><USER8> No, sorry, you missed the point of the author's post. Read the last part again:

"My stress level of fighting machines to do basic things just got lower. And for that, I'll gladly pay Apple the premium over buying base hardware and doing it all myself."

That's right, there are at least two things even more valuable to the author than having more freedom or the saving a bit of money: His time and sanity.

If you've gotten a computer to, you know, actually get stuff _done_ , why spend any time fiddling with the software and hardware and get stressed out about it? Why even worry about drivers? Why not be able to double click and have stuff just open properly? Why spend hours trying to configure anything? Why not spend just a bit more cash and go from frustration to satisfaction?

This point is central to the reason why Linux, as it stands today, will _never_ become a mainstream desktop alternative.

You sight Windows as having more troubles now than Linux. Fine. But where in the article did the author ever mention Windows? That battle was 10 years ago. The author is not even _considering_ Windows. OS X has been a great desktop environment for years and now even the hardcore Linux enthusiasts are willing to pay Apple to kick the "battle your desktop" habit.

As for meaningful desktop innovation, there's been _one_ _thing_ that Linux desktops (Debian-based distributions, specifically) have that OS X doesn't. One killer feature: Package management with aptitude/Synaptic. Like it or not, aptitude/Synaptic is the best feature that Linux has been able to claim for itself. A one-stop-shop for all of those thousands and thousands of packages. And the upgrades. And the system upgrades. And the dependency management. Graphical, fast, categorized. It has been a wonder to use, truly.

Unfortunately, Apple now has the App Store for OS X and you can actually _buy_ real, usable, curated, and user-rated apps for the desktop and get your updates from the same place. Whoops. Linux doesn't have a killer feature for the desktop anymore, if it ever did.

<comment><USER7> No I didn't miss the point. My point is that you don't need to fiddle with Linux. You can, but you don't have to. You don't need to spend hours configuring anything.

Why worry about drivers? In Linux, all drivers come bundled with the operating system. On Windows or a Mac you have to install them yourself.

As for your App Store argument: what percentage of Mac applications are available on the App store. Adobe apps are the reason many people run Macs -- what are the chances we'll ever see those there?

<comment><USER9> "My point is that you don't need to fiddle with Linux. You can, but you don't have to. You don't need to spend hours configuring anything."

What are you basing that claim on, just your own personal experience? It's a pretty extraordinarily claim to say that linux on the desktop requires no configuration, and I think such a claim deserves at least a little bit of evidence above and beyond your own personal experience.

As a counter example to your claim, I just finished installing Ubuntu 10.10 on an Asus EeePC 1015. In the process I ran into the following issues: 1) Wireless doesn't work without additional drivers 2) Multitouch input doesn't work 3) Samba sharing with a windows pc doesn't work. The Asus EeePC isn't exactly an exotic piece of hardware, so it's difficult for me to comprehend why ubuntu can't get wireless working, let alone the other issues. Rewind back to Ubuntu 10.04, and in the default install, X won't even start.

"In Linux, all drivers come bundled with the operating system. On Windows or a Mac you have to install them yourself." In my experience the complete opposite is true. When installing linux I have to go download my wireless drivers using a wired connection, same goes for my printer. On a fresh install of windows 7 (from a RTM version - i.e. not what the manufacturer includes on the machine) everything works "out of the box", including wireless, the touchpad, and my wireless printer.

Now I'm not disputing the fact that linux has made significant gains in usability over the past 17 years, but I will strongly dispute the claim that everything generally works without additional tinkering and configuration.

<comment><USER6> _What are you basing that claim on, just your own personal experience? It's a pretty extraordinarily claim to say that linux on the desktop requires no configuration, and I think such a claim deserves at least a little bit of evidence above and beyond your own personal experience._

Depends on the hardware, mostly. Our university LUG does an event called Free Your Machine every quarter, and for most people, it's just defrag, install, show 'em how to use Synaptic, and they're out.

It also depends on what you're trying to do. The basic things have been mostly ironed out by now (wireless is still a bit iffy), but the more advanced things, sure, they'll take some time and swearing.

<comment><USER9> "it's just defrag, install, show 'em how to use Synaptic, and they're out."

I think it would be really interesting to see some statistics from this, for example the % of computers on which the default install works without additional configuration, the % of users who encounter problems a week later, the % of users who give up and reinstall windows within a month, the technical saviness of the users, etc. It seems like there's a lot of interesting data we could learn from an install-fest.

"The basic things have been mostly ironed out by now (wireless is still a bit iffy), but the more advanced things, sure, they'll take some time and swearing."

This seems to confirm my objection to the original point, no? I wouldn't consider wireless advanced. If my wireless connection, my printer, and my touchpad don't work out of the box (nevermind my entire graphics subsystem in 10.04) that's a show-stopper in my opinion.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> For me, it's continuation of an era: Still Linux Desktop at Home (for 17 years --thanks Slackware 2.0!)

The good news, for me, is that Linux apparently doesn't seem to care if its popular on the desktop or not. If my choices were Windows and OS X, my life would not be nearly as easy.

At least that's my takeaway from this article. When the author wrote "Error establishing database connection", I'm pretty sure that's what he was talking about.

<comment><USER10> Edit: after reading the cached article, I guess he's more like me than I'd anticipated. (Except I use a Mac to do iPhone dev, and I can't even begin to imagine giving up my Linux desktop for that. I do as much work on the Linux machine as I possibly can. But that's just me.)

Edit: reply/edit... man, I need more coffee.

</comment></comment><comment><USER11> As an Ubuntu user running the exact same hardware he describes (Dell XPS M1530), I don't understand his frustration, since literally everything in Ubuntu Just Works for me on it. I haven't had a single bit of trouble on that hardware in all the time I've run Ubuntu.

But then, Ubuntu has made tremendous strides in recent years on that front, and I wouldn't be surprised if other distros haven't kept up (though he doesn't say what distro he'd been using).

</comment><comment><USER12> Short version: Individual posts a story about how he personally doesn't use linux as a desktop anymore, then the inclusive title is copied from a personal blog to a news aggregator in a way that constitutes flamebait.

</comment><comment><USER13> cache: [http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?ie=UTF-8&q=...](http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?ie=UTF-8&q=cache%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fblog.herlein.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fend- of-an-era-no-linux-desktop-at-home%2F)

</comment><comment><USER14> I have a 15" MacBook Pro at home, and I tried very hard to use it as my primary Python/C++ development environment, but, it just felt completely awkward and kludgy.

Ubuntu is the distro I use and it mostly Just Works.

1\. Window management for Linux is much more mature than MacOSX's -- XMonad, dwm, Compiz' grid plugin, etc.

2\. emacs keybindings for everything in Linux actually works. kill-yank rings work as expected. I've had serious setbacks when using MacOS's emacs keybindings.

3\. apt for Debian based distros. (just phenomenal)

Sure, my sound may not work 1/2 of the time, flash applications may use all 4 cores of my crappy laptop, and wireless N is initially disabled by default, but, I'm willing to put up with all of this so the operating system doesn't get in my way when I am coding.

MacOS is there, but it's just not quite there, yet. Linux is making great strides as well, so we'll see how it plays out.

<comment><USER15> I

 _LOVE_

GRID

</comment></comment><comment><USER16> There is a problem with Macintosh-es too, you know, it's too damn expensive in Europe, for no apparent reason, that's why I'm still using Linux. The price difference is so huge that you might as well fly over to the US and buy one there.

I will buy one later on, though.

But back to the critism: \- I doubt that OS X has better driver support than Linux, for your setup maybe(good for you), but generally most stuff simply just work with Linux, I plug in my mouse, and it loads even faster than on Windows 7

\- You still(to my knowledge) can't tweak a Mac. Desktop the way you can tweak KDE, GNOME and many others.

In the end my advice is load up an Ubuntu CD and be amazed that Linux is not what you described.

<comment><USER6> _I doubt that OS X has better driver support than Linux_

Apple knows exactly what hardware you're using if you buy a Mac, and thus are able to accomodate you quite nicely. This of course doesn't count peripherals, but it's still quite significant.

<comment><USER16> You shouldn't compare the OS-es that way, otherwise Mac OS X is a clear loser, because it only supports Apple hardware.

If we are comparing the two OS-es the only fair comparison we can make is the peripherals, where again, I doubt that OS X would win, sure it has great support from a lot of descent vendors, but again Linux support is huge, not because of the companies interest but because the developer community does a great job in writing drivers at an insane pace, heck they even managed to make broadcom cards work using binary blobs created originally for windows.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> Was the database instance on that box?

</comment><comment><USER18> I dunno. I agree with some of the other posters here. I've been using Ubuntu pretty much exclusively for 2.5 years, and it's been great. I just research the hardware I buy to ensure that everything works out of the box. There are a few glitches, but nothing that really gets in my way. I keep Windows around for the games that don't work well with Wine, but other than that, Ubuntu works great.

</comment><comment><USER19> IMO, the reason desktop linux never took off is that you need to draw developers to the platform, and developing desktop linux apps completely sucks. I recently wrote my first large gtk app and was appalled at how painful it was. Gtk has been around for like 15 years and half of it's widgets are unuseable and the api is clunky.

I don't understand why kde/qt lost so decisively to gnome in terms of support by the distributions, although I will admit gtk apps tend to look better. Things may have been better if QT had gotten more community support, or at least more designers working on pretty themes.

There can't be many experienced linux desktop developers who would voluntarily do their next project on that platform. As Steve Ballmer famously bellowed in his drunken rant, "DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS!!"

</comment><comment><USER20> The big bottleneck for mass Linux adoption is that most of the mavens (tech nerds and early adopters) are Mac users. And since Mac is BSD-based, a lot of the draw of Linux (customizations, scripts, programming, etc.) is gone.

I find almost no reason to switch from a Mac to Linux. It's actually a lot easier to use Mac to develop for work (Rails) because I know every Mac has the same standard configurations and I do not need to make a configuration script to give to all the new kids.

</comment><comment><USER21> Same here... all Mac and Solaris here for the last few years, with VM's for the rest.

Linux boot/utility disks are still really nice to have around though, and my routers and other embedded devices run Linux.</comment>


Cryptocurrency arbitrage opportunity app - <AUTHOR> https://www.arbitrage.expert/ <comment><USER2> > Please note! The displayed arbitrage values ignore any related deposit, > withdrawal and trade fees.

What is also not displayed is the logistical possibility of executing some of these trades due to hidden KYC limitations.

For example, it currently shows a 2.02% spread between cex.io and GDAX for BTC/USD. Unfortunately, CEX.io does not provide an option to withdraw using fiat for United States citizens; the only way for United States citizens to get money out of CEX.io is buying crypto and transferring the crypto. This means that the "spread" turns out to be a premium for liquidity; if you bought 1 BTC on GDAX ($7880) and transferred it to CEX to cash out @ $8049 for a profit of $169, you would find that instead you'd have to buy some other similarly inflated crypto on CEX to bring your $8049 out.

This technically means that when CEX.io is the high market and GDAX is the low market, the trade would only work if you could naked short sell on CEX.io; then you could immediately get $8049 for an IOU for 1 BTC which you could satisfy by sending yourself 1 BTC you bought on GDAX. This might be possible using the margin trading facilities on CEX.IO?

Insidiously, CEX.IO accepts USD deposits but not withdrawals, so I found out about this the hard way.</comment>


Slack got four of its black female engineers to accept a startup award - <AUTHOR> http://www.theroot.com/blogs/the_grapevine/2016/02/watch_the_fastest_rising_startup_told_4_of_its_black_female_engineers_to.html <comment><USER2> Actual scientific studies proved that more diverse teams do better in problem- solving.

Listen to Reply All episode #52 for more info [https://gimletmedia.com/episode/52-raising-the- bar/](https://gimletmedia.com/episode/52-raising-the-bar/)

<comment><USER3> Also specifically wrt programming projects: [https://bvasiles.github.io/papers/chi15.pdf](https://bvasiles.github.io/papers/chi15.pdf)

<comment><USER4> Thanks for sharing that.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> That is a great move no matter how you look at it. I applaud the Slack team for this!

The very fact that this is newsworthy says a lot about the lack of diversity in our industry. As a society we should try to find more ways to encourage women and minorities of all sorts to get into this industry.

<comment><USER6> I agree with you that this is great but

> The very fact that this is newsworthy says a lot about the lack of diversity > in our industry.

I don't like this logic. The news media has their own agenda, we shouldn't use "what they choose to write about" as a barometer.

<comment><USER7> > The news media has their own agenda, we shouldn't use "what they choose to > write about" as a barometer.

I don't like this logic. It presumes that there's some dark cabal of web journalists conspiring to change the world.

Unfortunately their agenda is typically, 'will we get advertising revenue from our target demographic by publishing this?'

Nothing more sinister than that.

And given this was published to, uh, a _news site for and about POC_ and not a tech news site.... (take a look at the domain, maybe?) what nefarious agenda could they POSSIBLY be running? Maybe one that promotes POC, and responds positively to a company that celebrates its diversity?

<comment><USER8> Frankly, this is wilfully ignorant. To suggest that the production of media is devoid of political or ideological interest beyond ad dollars is, I think, stretching the boundary of believability to a breaking point.

<comment><USER7> Well, sure. It's pretty impossible to be completely unbiased.

But the parent of my comment couched the phrase as if there's some dark cabal pushing some evil agenda. It reeked of a cis-gendered cis-sexual white male privilege soaked persecution complex.

<comment><USER8> You lost me with your jargon, not sure what your point is there.

Regardless, being _biased_ is most definitely _not_ the substance of any interesting critique of media. Rather, it's trivially obvious that the production of media is intricately related to ideological beliefs and political agendas - precisely because media is the primary tool of mass persuasion. Look no further than the long, storied history of newspaper barons.

Fundamentally, media functions as a legitimation strategy for normative beliefs; a structure for the normalization of acceptable opinion.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> Diversity is so in right now. This is the just another way for white high- status individuals to show that's they're not just rich BUT also MORALLY better than you.

I can just see the execs at Slack, sitting back in their chair in some posh SF restaurant, recounting to their friends how they got four BLACK WOMEN to accept an award for them.

<comment><USER10> You're arguing that stories about racial and gender diversity overshadow some larger story about class divisions in Silicon Valley. Fine. I agree that there are real issues of class in tech startups.

But I'm left wondering: stipulate that class is an issue, would you prefer to see _less_ racial and gender diversity?

<comment><USER9> Honestly I'm not very well versed in this space to have a real opinion. On a personal level, I judge people by their abilities rather than their race or gender though I fully appreciate that there are difficulties with this.

It does seem to me that class isn't talked about though. Sorry but a middle- class Ivy league black woman is not of a lower status than a white working- class male.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> I don't use slack, I don't even like the idea of slack, but boy, are they killing it when it comes to trying to make the tech industry a better place. They also gave their employees MLK day off. Excellent work all around.

This is especially important given that only 3% of San Francisco's black population remains in the city, as economic pressure, along with intentional malfeasance on the part of the city government, has pushed most of them out over the last few decades.

It's neat that lots of high paying jobs are available in the Bay Area, but it won't really mean anything until the people who suffered through the hard times here are able to take part in the good times instead of being forced out of the way of progress.

So, thanks slack, it's a hard time to live in this part of the world right now but it seems like you all are really making an effort.

</comment><comment><USER12> I'm an male Ashkenazi Jew. I don't look stereotypically Jewish so I don't claim to fully be able to relate to these women and their experiences but if the startup I work for now asked me to accept an award on its behalf because I'm a Jew, I would feel incredibly patronized and would start looking for other work.

<comment><USER13> Would you feel differently if all young Jewish boys didn't know they could go into a tech field because there were no Jews or men in tech?

<comment><USER12> That's actually a really interesting angle.

I didn't start programming when I was 10 because there are Jews in tech. I never associated my race or ethnicity with any sort of permission to do anything. The thought never crossed my mind. I didn't grow up in a racialized community even though, yes, I was one of few Jews in the town I grew up in.

I appreciate this question because it gives further evidence that identity politics is detrimental to minorities and society at large.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER14> You all are tripping. You've decided that those women were being patronized? Thats where you start from, your own bias?

[https://twitter.com/EricaJoy/status/697237904662204416](https://twitter.com/EricaJoy/status/697237904662204416)

</comment><comment><USER15> Backstage interview with the Slack engineers: [http://techcrunch.com/2016/02/09/slack-wins-for-fastest- risi...](http://techcrunch.com/2016/02/09/slack-wins-for-fastest-rising- startup/)

</comment><comment><USER16> Nice.

Side question: Is slack really successful? I thought they were overvalued at 2.5 billion - 3 billion.

<comment><USER17> _> Side question: Is slack really successful? I thought they were overvalued at 2.5 billion - 3 billion._

Either way, those two things are far from mutually exclusive.

</comment></comment><comment><USER18> > "Tech companies, what's your excuse for your lack of diversity? We're > diverse and successful. Now what?"

Well minorities, as that descriptor might point out are _minorities relative to the population_. So there are less of them.

Also, less of the "underrepresented" classes of people are underrepresented because they didn't formally or informally study engineering.

I think it is pretty good that Slack did this. The cynical part of me of course sees it as a political stunt, but on balance it does serve a purpose. It does stand out as such an irregularity that 4 black women would receive an award for technology and engineering that it is actully very unexpected. While there are obvious reasons that these demographics are not regular recipients, it is still fairly disappointing that such a display is as shocking as it was.

I understand issues like this need visability, but many times the author comes to the conclusion (as does on of the speakers it seems) that we should just hire more minorities/women/lgbt etc.? Like from fucking where? There aren't X demographic in tech because there isn't X Demographic in tech. You can't move a finite number of something around and change a percentage. Obvious.

We have a shitty pipeline and we are working on fixing it. I think an alright job has been done, but no one will know how effective it was for 4-10 years as the people going through these programs grow and develop as people and engineers and become successful. I look forward to that. Affirmative action is rediculously stupid. Creating a fair playing feild, especially at the training level (school, society, norms, etc) is paramount to a strong society and it isn't just diversity for diversities sake.

edit: I want to share an anecdote, which is indicative of why I think this way.

Several years ago I went to a code bootcamp. I became close with another student who was one of the top guys in our class of ~40. He went to some shitty online MBA program IIRC but he had worked his ass off and paid for it himself as well as this bootcamp which was >10k at the time. He might of got like $500 off for being black.

Another student was also a minority. I know she received scholarship and significant tuition reduction. She also had a lot of trouble with the work, and I do not think she prepared as well as she could have. She took offense to a lot of the jokes and things and complained. I think some jokes were crass, not sure if it was racial but maybe some sexual harassment type stuff. Not physical, just general bro-type humor. A few other students also complained and we had a 2 hour talk about race and sexual harassment.

My buddy said some pretty funny stuff during that and we cleared it up. It was pretty evident though that:

* He was obviously aware he was a minority

* Didn't want to be treated differently and had grown up with people doing that his whole life (positively and mostly negatively)

* On balance, he was pissed off he had to waste 2 hours not coding and working talking about this bullshit.

He worked his fucking ass off, was the guy many people turned to for help and he was putting himself entirely through the program (quite a risk considering he had just left a good paying job and had a kid and another on the way).

He was later hired at a fairly prominent tech company as an engineer. He had to learn a new skillset quickly as they used a different stack than he was accustomed to.

It isn't fair to him to say he got where he was because he was black. Complaining and asking for people to accomadate you is not as successful of a strategy as outworking everyone. If you have been the victim of something that violates the law, that is quite different. If you see someone say "slut" or "bitch" in hipchat or whatever, I would try to ignore it and get to a point in your career where you can set the culture if you disagree with it.

<comment><USER19> God that statement made me roll my eyes. It felt so condescending.

Let's totally forget you know, us Asians (people of color and a visible minority in the West) who contribute to tech companies at a high rate and who also have had to overcome racism, stereotypes, and artificial ceilings. Oh wait, we don't count when it comes to determining what contributes to diversity! Somewhere in the 20th and 21st century, our skin colour turned white and we're no different than white people.

<comment><USER20> I'm South Asian. Asians certainly do deal with racism, but the stereotypes and artificial ceilings doesn't sound right to me. Where do you feel that any non- Muslim Asian minority is dealing with those things today?

The fact is that being black is the US is very different from being anything else. Black people were slaves from the 1500s to the 1800s, and the US government was actively discriminating against black people (and preventing them from building family wealth) as recently as the 1960s. That simply isn't true for Asians.

I recently met someone who went to Stanford and was arguing that black people are genetically less intelligent than white people, even though the entire concept of race has no objective reality. I guarantee you don't have to deal with anything like that. I could think of a million other examples.

<comment><USER21> >the entire concept of race has no objective reality

Come off it. Race _is_ an objective reality. Aside from the visually obvious large difference(s) in pigmentation of the skin, there are other hard biological differentiators, like facial shape, the frequency of certain diseases, and many others.

Taking the anti-racism movement into hard, blatant denialism is beyond ridiculous and will only create more people like the friend you're trying to avoid. When there's no one in the middle to temper and explain inconvenient objective realities, people feel like their only option is to go to the extreme that seems to align with their experiences. That hardening of extremity is really bad for everyone.

<comment><USER20> _There is no scientific definition of race._ People do differ genetically and sometimes those differences can be found in certain ancestral groups, but there is no scientific way to draw hard lines between those groups.

What is someone who is 1/4 African, 1/4 European, and 1/2 Vietnamese? What does their "race" tell you about them?

Even if you could do a genetic test of every single person who, say, applied for a job or a college, you _still_ wouldn't be able to determine their race with any certainty most of the time.

Race is just not an objective definition, and if you knew anything about US history, you'd know that. Most of the landmark civil rights cases were about proving that you can't identify race by appearance, behavior, or even ancestry, since so many blacks had mixed ancestry.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER22> As an introvert, for whom standing up in front of a crowd to receive an award and maybe even _give a speech_ would be the purest and most excruciating of torments, my first thought was "Sure, go ahead and give them the scut work, you racist, sexist jerks."

But then I remembered that other people actually _like_ doing that sort of thing.

Aside from that, I'm pretty antipathic toward identity politics. It's a lot like attaching a long lever to your own head that lets other people control where it points, which is often just a way to ensure you are _not_ looking at something genuinely concerning that is in a different direction. For instance, I heard on NPR's ATC a few days ago a segment on how feminists are pressuring women to support Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination _because she is a woman_. But that doesn't tell me jack squat about whether she shares or supports my values. It was just a bunch of people grabbing an identity politics lever and yanking on it.

So gestures like this make me nervous. It makes me feel as though _someone_ is trying to manipulate my emotions for their own gain, except I cannot fathom how anyone could possibly gain from it.

</comment><comment><USER23> As a minority, I have to admit that this new fad of "diversity" feels really, really wrong. I want to be judged by my contributions, not my race. I don't want to tell anyone (including white males) that they should take a step back so others can stand in the spotlight. If you're passionate about what you do and you're good at it, that's all that should matter.

I also find all this focus on "PoC" to be infantilizing, patronizing and objectifying. I'm a human not a pawn in the game of political correctness. I'm also confident enough in my skills that I don't want or need anyone making exceptions for me.

<comment><USER24> Why is this guy being downvoted? Why should companies hire based off skin colour and not skill?

<comment><USER25> Even with equal skills, minorities are still discriminated against:

[http://www.nber.org/papers/w9873](http://www.nber.org/papers/w9873)

>The results show significant discrimination against African-American names: White names receive 50 percent more callbacks for interviews.

<comment><USER26> It's a shame that study appears to have been comparing "weird" black names like Lakisha with "normal" white names like Greg. I'd be interested to see a study that uses "weird" white names like Track or Jairyd or Zaiden for comparison, because I suspect those would also suffer compared to Greg. (Even if an anti-"weird" name bias is all that's at work, this would still probably disproportionately affect black people, unfortunately. I'm just wondering about the causation.)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER27> Let me just be the devil's advocate here and suggest that (minority) engineers might not enjoy being asked to do public duties unrelated to their actual job in order to give their company an image of being progressive and diverse.

<comment><USER28> Or it could be that Slack are _actually_ progressive and have a diverse workforce and these developers were very happy to accept an award on behalf of their company due to working in a place that they love working for.

</comment></comment><comment><USER29> Cool. I hope they get equity too, not just award-show glory.

</comment><comment><USER7> This headline is editorializing (compared with the link) and kind of throwing the discussion off base, isn't it?

<comment><USER30> I'm not sure it is, since both the title and the story highlight the same detail. What do you suggest as a better title?

</comment></comment><comment><USER31> Watching this video actually gave me goosebumps.

</comment><comment><USER32> That's cool.

Now if only they could stop the slack client for OSX from crashing everytime on load with a spinning wheel of death and taking the rest of the system with it (only a force-quit will kill it) then that would be even cooler.

<comment><USER33> I have chosen Hipchat, solely based on the fact that I can sometimes type faster than Slack's web interface can update, causing typos. All the feel-good stuff inside the interface that wants to make me love it, just makes this worse for me, because now I am thinking "You have had time to add that?! Make it fast first! It is a text-based chat, goddammit!!!11"

Though Slack's mobile client is better.

</comment></comment><comment><USER34> Could someone explain me how more blacks make the product or company better. Why this isn't also directed to other races/minorites (Asians maybe)? We really should stop treating minorites like some special snowflake with this racism and sexism towards whites and men

<comment><USER35> Asians aren't really a minority in the tech industry. Hispanics, african americans, women and other demographic groups are still underrepresented relative to the general population.

<comment><USER34> >underrepresented The tech sector (or the industry/science/etc. sectors) aren't the senate or whatever that they need to "represent" anyone. They should hire based on skill/merit and try to produce the best product that they can. Please stop pushing these crazy leftist agendas everywhere

<comment><USER35> >Please stop pushing these crazy leftist agendas everywhere

This is simple math. Personally, after reading this bit of your post, I am starting to believe your posts deserve to be downvoted. I do pity you though.

<comment><USER34> Whites are a minority race when you take the world thus we should reduce the number of non-whites to combat this underrepresentation inside the human species. This is simple math. I also pity you for living in some delusion of botched equality</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment>


Sprint orders all OEMs to strip Carrier IQ from their hardware - <AUTHOR> http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/sprint-orders-all-oems-to-strip-carrier-iq-from-their-hardware-20111216/ <comment><USER2> I get the feeling Dan Hesse is one of the rare CEOs that has empathy for customers. Sprint used to have the worst customers service, and now it is actually pretty good. An action like this probably increases Sprint's legal liability for CIQ, but it is the best thing for customers. He probably made the executive decision against the advice of corporate council.

<comment><USER3> From the article:

"Sprint waited until there were lawsuits to start removing Carrier IQ from their network, where previously they had been defending their use of the mobile intelligence service. This could possibly even be seen as an admission of guilt, as them removing the software in an attempt to make amends for what they have been caught doing."

While I am sure that Hesse is a good person, there is no evidence that "empathy for customers" was behind this decision.

<comment><USER2> You are reading the news, I am trying to read between the lines. My assumption is that the in house council is saying the same thing the reporters are, and that the CEO is saying, "fuckit, let's do what is best for customers".

I could be completely wrong, but given that Sprint unfucked their customer service during Hesse's tenure, I speculate that he is actually a decent guy. I am obviously massively over extrapolating my own personal experience.

Having written this comment, I now realize how ridiculous my initial comment was. I based an opinion on the integrity of a company and its chief executive only on a CSR experience. You are absolutely right, I have no real basis for my opinion. --Though I did just buy some sprint stock... sometimes you have to go with your gut :)

<comment><USER4> If you are really reading between the lines, realize that he is not doing what is best for customers, but what is best for his business. In this case he is serving both, but his motivations lie with the latter.

Carrier IQ is getting a bad rap, so removing it shines a positive light on Sprint. However, if it was installed on their phones they have obviously known about it (and its nature) for some time. Why did they wait until now to remove it?

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> It'll take months. And it was Sprint who insisted this shit get installed in the first place, so let's not give them too much credit.

</comment><comment><USER6> They'll just replace it with some other software from some other company that does pretty much the same thing.

The bigger issue is how the heck this software -- dare I say malware? -- has infected just about every mobile device in the first place. There is some sort of institutional or cultural entitlement the carriers have on spying on their users. I think only legislation can really fix that, but given how much law enforcement relies on this kind of surveillance, I doubt that will ever happen.

<comment><USER7> This is probably how skynet started. Lets put surveillance software in every device... what could possibly go wrong...

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> Note...its not over yet as CarrierIQ is still running jobs ads for android developers

</comment><comment><USER9> Obviously it's a PR move, but still, a good one!

Congrats to Sprint for having balls!

</comment><comment><USER10> Does this mean they're going to push out an update to remove it from existing phones or that only new ones won't have it?

<comment><USER11> FTA: "each of the OEM's has been asked to quickly release binaries that do not contain Carrier IQ so that over-the-air updates can be pushed to those devices as quickly as possible. The eventual plan is to remove Carrier IQ from all of the devices on Sprint's network."</comment></comment>


Show HN: Chrome ext. for browsing GitHub like an IDE: jump-to-def, docs, refs - <AUTHOR> https://text.sourcegraph.com/browse-github-like-an-ide-with-the-sourcegraph-chrome-extension-9e279d2b98e9 <comment><AUTHOR> Sourcegraph CEO here. Excited to show this to HN folks. Huge credit to Farhan Attamimi and John Rothfels on our team for creating it.

Happy to answer any questions here about how we built the Sourcegraph Chrome extension, future plans, issues, etc.

We will be adding more languages soon (beyond Go and Java). Email me at email@example.com if you want to beta test JavaScript, Python, Objective-C, C/C++, Ruby, or Scala. Or just install the extension now and it'll be automatically updated with more languages in the future.

You can install it directly from [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/sourcegraph- browse...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/sourcegraph-browser- exten/dgjhfomjieaadpoljlnidmbgkdffpack).

<comment><USER2> What information does the extension send back to your servers?

<comment><AUTHOR> It doesn't send code from the GitHub page to Sourcegraph; it actually only works if the repo is already mirrored on Sourcegraph (which obviously requires your explicit permission for private repos).

It will send the name of the repo (e.g., "google/golang" or "JodaOrg/joda- time"), so that Sourcegraph can see whether that repo is mirrored. If the names of your repositories alone are sensitive data and you don't want to trust us, then you shouldn't use the extension. (Repo names can leak to third parties via the HTTP referer header, even in an alternate universe where this extension never existed.)

The unpacked code is available at [https://sourcegraph.com/sourcegraph/sourcegraph/-/tree/clien...](https://sourcegraph.com/sourcegraph/sourcegraph/-/tree/client/browser- ext) if you want to poke around. And you can always check the Chrome network inspector to see the exact data structures.

<comment><USER2> Thanks! That clears it up.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER3> I've tried this a few days ago (not sure if is the same version) and I liked it a lot, the problem is that when I click in a function or variable name it doesn't take me to the code where that function is defined on GitHub, but instead to a Sourcegraph page.

I imagine this is done on purpose, that you want people to use Sourcegraph and all its features, but I'm not familiar with Sourcegraph and do not want to use it now, thus I'm complaining like an ungrateful asshole.

<comment><AUTHOR> This update is precisely what changes that. It took some hard work to get it to stay on GitHub and make that smooth, but it's ready now.

<comment><USER3> Whoa, I'm installing it right now.

<comment><AUTHOR> Great! Send us feedback at email@example.com or at [https://twitter.com/srcgraph](https://twitter.com/srcgraph).

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER3> On the "Github as an IDE" topic, I would like to share my own extension that may act as a companion to this. It lets you click on module import statements (for Go, Python, Javascript and Ruby) and be taken to the imported module source or documentation: [http://fiatjaf.alhur.es/gh- browser/](http://fiatjaf.alhur.es/gh-browser/)</comment>


Entroic: Federated Package Registry - <AUTHOR> https://github.com/entropic-dev/entropic <comment><AUTHOR> Also, have a look at the speech that C J Silverio gave about it:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO8hZlgK5zc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO8hZlgK5zc)</comment>


PROJ (also known as PROJ4) gets a first major release after 25 years (PROJ 5...) - <AUTHOR> https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/announce/2018-March/000439.html <comment><AUTHOR> From the mailing list:

        For the first time in more than 25 years the major version number of
        the software is changed. The decision to do this is based on the many
        new features and new API. While backwards compatibility remains -
        except in a few rare corner cases - the addition of a new and improved
        programming interface warrants a new major release.

        The new major version number unfortunately leaves the project in a bit
        of a conundrum regarding the name. For the majority of the life-time
        of the product it has been known as PROJ.4, but since we have now
        reached version 5 the name is no longer aligned with the version
        number.

        Hence we have decided to decouple the name from the version number and
        from this version and onwards the product will simply be called PROJ.

        In recognition of the history of the software we are keeping PROJ.4 as
        the *name of the organizing project*. The same project team also
        produces the datum-grid package.</comment>


Fighting 'the Gawker effect' in the wake of Weinstein - <AUTHOR> https://www.cjr.org/first_person/amazon-roy-price.php <comment><USER3> I don't see the comparison. First the NYT apparently killed a story[1] which exposed Weinstein way before the Gawker case.

Two, the Gawker case was about the frivolous publishing of personal sex videos with no other redeeming value.

If you have info on a perv like Weinstein, and others in Hollywood, it's not comparable to the Gawker case in any way. You have a newsworthy story and you have lots of corroborating subjects.

It's about time the predatory and infamous "casting couch" comes to its demise and actors and actresses are evaluated on things beside their willingness to submit their bodies to the executive producers, casting directors and others.

[1][https://pagesix.com/2017/10/09/new-york-times-killed- weinste...](https://pagesix.com/2017/10/09/new-york-times-killed-weinstein- sexual-misconduct-story-in-2004/)

</comment><comment><USER4> This is a really well-written and fascinating article, but I think the author is stretching the term "gawker effect." In fact it probably should have a different terminology. On the one hand, journalist say they are frayed to publish something out of fear that a wealthy person will sue them. However, I think the real lesson from Gawker, was that publications finally excepted, or appreciated more, what is real news, and what is gossip. The Gawker Result is that journalism has gotten better, and is less prone to publishing gossip, or the happenings of someone's private life, and less it has actual news value.

</comment><comment><USER5> Unfortunately nothing jaw-dropping to this story.

Many women in any industry from movie production companies to simple restaurants, are being sexually abused every day. You could call it the industry standard, a perk coming with being at the top of any hierarchy where one has power over the other.

You'll need to eliminate hierarchy, money and power if you want to end this. And that is nearly impossible.

</comment><comment><USER6> I don't understand the Gawker effect here. Gawker published parts of a sex tape between consenting adults, then ignored a judge's order to take it down. That doesn't seem anything like a real reporter writing a real story about sexual harassment.

If I were a news outlet, I'd publish a vetted credible story if it has real news value, defend it with a minimum of legal power, and if a judge ordered me to take it down, I would. This way, the story goes out and we avoid the legal death blow Gawker begged for.

<comment><USER7> That's only half of the "Gawker Effect". The other half is Peter Thiel was pissed off that Gawker outed him as gay, then funded Hulk Hogan's case to sue Gawker out of existence, because Thiel couldn't sue them for publishing the truth about his sexuality.

I didn't shed a tear about Gawker's demise. But the fact that a rich man can sue a media outlet into oblivion, and create an ecosystem of fear and intimidation journalists and sources now have to navigate as a result, is what Masters is speaking of when she uses the term.

<comment><USER6> The only reason that Thiel could successfully sue them for such damages is that they did the whole "Publish a sex tape and refuse a judge's order" thing. Without that, or a similar action, then it's not clear that Thiel would have been able to destroy them.

If anything, the most problematic part of the story for me, is that Hulk Hogan had to get the backing of a billionaire in order to carry this case to completion. Hogan is a (or was a) celebrity, likely a millionaire, and he couldn't use our court system to press a suite when he had a real case. We seem to be on the exact other extreme of what you are afraid of - <USER2> people, even 1% types, or "Single digit millionaires" as I've heard Thiel say, can't afford to use our legal system. Gawker and the ilk are free from legal challenge except in the case of litigious billionaires looking for revenge.</comment></comment></comment>


De beers diamonds cartel - <AUTHOR> http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/02/have-you-ever-tried-to-sell-a-diamond/304575/?single_page=true

<comment><USER2> The price of diamonds has only gone up ever since they've "lost" their monopoly in the year 2000.</comment>