Dimsum is like head or tail, but pulls randomly from the entire file or stream - <AUTHOR> http://blog.noblemail.ca/2012/11/how-to-get-random-lines-out-of-file-or.html

<comment><USER3> This doesn't come with an elaborate test suite, but it does pretty much everything that does in a few dozen lines of Perl.

<https://github.com/neilk/misc/blob/master/randline>

I've had this script (or versions of it) around for more than a decade. I didn't know the technique had a name.

<comment><USER4> it was an example in the original camel book.

[edit: i was going to delete this, but since you replied i'll leave it - <USER2> does appear (too?) in the camel book, on p 246 of my copy, but like you say, it's for a single line. hadn't opened that book in years, took me some time to find it...]

<comment><USER3> I believe it was an example in the Perl Cookbook, but for picking a single line only. (Ancient UseNet thread: <http://bit.ly/Thd4eE>)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> uses reservoir sampling -<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reservoir_sampling>

(so it presumably consumes the entire stream before giving any results; any alternative i can think of would not be "really random" unless you knew the length of the stream in advance).

<comment><USER5> Yep, though a feature request I've put in is to respond to a ctl-c by producing the results from the stream so far... that way if it's taking a while on a large file you can interrupt and still get something useful.

<comment><USER6> This breaks ctl-c in my opinion. When I ctl-c I want shit to stop, not dump (potentially large quantities of) output into my terminal.

<comment><USER7> It could accept another signal (e.g. SIGUSR1) and have this clearly documented.

<comment><USER3> I just added the SIGUSR1 feature to my hacky perl script (see my other comment).

e.g.

        $ (while true; do cat /usr/share/dict/words; done;) | ./randline 3 &
        [2] 93937

        $ kill -s SIGUSR1 93937
        declinograph
        brotheler
        woolpack

        $ kill -s SIGUSR1 93937
        lustrify
        brotheler
        bromophenol

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> uhhh. You mean like shuf -n NNNN ?

<comment><USER9> I wonder if the implementation of shuf would handle very large input efficiently? Reservoir sampling wouldn't need to keep the whole input in memory, which could be an advantage. But I don't know how shuf works.

<comment><USER10> Doesn't look like it. I just tried running "yes | shuf -n 1" (using the latest version of GNU coreutils, 8.20) and its memory consumption increased steadily until I killed it.

It seems like this would be a really useful improvement, and I'm surprised that it doesn't already seem to have been requested on the coreutils issue tracker.

<comment><USER11> did you try "yes | dimsum -n 1"?

In my hands, `top` shows resident memory increasing steadily too....

It is perhaps more instructive to compare output from, for example

seq 1 1000000 | valgrind --time-unit=B --pages-as-heap=yes --trace- children=yes --tool=massif --massif-out-file=massif.dimsum.100000.out.%p dimsum -n 1

with

seq 1 1000000 | valgrind --time-unit=B --pages-as-heap=yes --trace- children=yes --tool=massif --massif-out-file=massif.shuf.100000.out.%p shuf -n 1

in my hands, shuf is faster and uses less memory for this task.

How about you?

<comment><AUTHOR> sigh, memory leak. It's fixed in github. When camilo is around I'll get him to update the gem

<comment><USER11> thanks - looking forward to the patch

<comment><AUTHOR> try a `gem update`. Memory performance should be much better now but I'm still curious about speed

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> I _really_ don't like how this behaves for populating the array initially, and how it behaves for small inputs...

      $ seq 15 | dimsum  -n 10
      14
      12
      3
      4
      5
      6
      7
      8
      9
      10

<comment><USER13> Looks like a valid sample to me. Are you bothered by the ordering of the sample members? Then I'd continue the pipeline to include a call to shuf.</comment></comment>


RetroShare: secure communications with friends - <AUTHOR> http://retroshare.sourceforge.net/

<comment><USER2> Just wondering, are those MSN icons, or are these available in a free-to-use license somewhere online?

</comment><comment><USER3> You might also take a look at our project:

[https://echoplex.us](https://echoplex.us)

Somewhat similar idea, different execution, and not quite there yet in terms of decentralization

</comment><comment><USER4> I love the concept, but it has a disgustingly bad interface.

<comment><USER5> I agree, there's room for improvement, but:

We're talking about saving the very foundations of democracy, these days (things like: free speech). So I guess our UI sorrows will have to wait a few days...

<comment><USER6> The thing is without a good GUI software is hard to get adopted by the masses. With a good GUI even bad software shines.

<comment><USER5> 100% true, unfortunately.

But just a little bit of patience: the more users join the platform, the sooner somebody graphically talented is going to step forward and make this excellent piece of tech shine on the surface as well...

<comment><USER4> You underestimate how difficult it is for designers to contribute to open source projects.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> The final killer feature for this would be screen sharing, especially with a group. Anyone know of any plans for this?

<comment><USER5> I don't know, but:

What everybody can do is program any plugin they like, for this platform. So only the sky's the limit.

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> comes with claws mail built in...

</comment><comment><USER5> And to the [http://www.restorethefourth.net](http://www.restorethefourth.net) crowd:

You don't want to coordinate over Skype or Facebook or Twitter.

<comment><USER9> Why not? We're exercising our right to peacefully assemble and protest the government. We're not terrorists, we're patriots. Why play their game?

<comment><USER10> >We're exercising our right to peacefully assemble and protest the government.

Like the Occupy movement?

[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/25/nyregion/occupy- movement-w...](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/25/nyregion/occupy-movement-was- investigated-by-fbi-counterterrorism-agents-records-show.html?_r=0)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> 1\. Decentralized (real p2p, no central servers)

2\. Encrypted communication

3\. Easier to set up than encrypted email: Install -> Exchange "certificates" -> Done.

BONUS: it's open-source!

(Which means everybody is free to inspect the source code, which means any potential backdoors can 1) be discovered 2) removed -> impossible with Windows and Mac operating systems/software)

<comment><USER11> No, it is not impossible to discover backdoors and vulnerabilities in closed- source Windows and Mac software; there's a cottage industry of third parties doing that on a pro-bono basis.

<comment><USER5> Well, I guess, the source code sooner or later is accessible to _somebody_ at _some_ development stage or in _some_ version.

But can we really trust companies that work with the NSA to sell us the version compiled _without_ the backdoors?

Plus, always keep in mind that these companies have lied to us about PRISM - with straight faces.

<comment><USER11> By "closed-source", I meant "researchers don't have the source code". And yet they find vulnerabilities anyways. It's not 1995 anymore. Vulnerability researchers tend to have pretty good tools for reading assembly.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> Using it: People from all over the world... [http://www2.clustrmaps.com/counter/maps.php?url=http://retro...](http://www2.clustrmaps.com/counter/maps.php?url=http://retroshare.sf.net)</comment>


The Ultimate Guide to Getting a Software Engineering Job Out of College - <AUTHOR> https://www.careerdean.com/blog/ultimate-guide-software-engineering-job-college/

<comment><USER2> The best part about this is it's an 8,624 word guide - the submission here doesn't allude to the fact that this really is a pretty exhaustive guide. (Actually, I added 200-300 more words based on feedback from reddit, so consider it closer to 9,000 words now.)</comment>


Science Finds God  - <AUTHOR> http://www.newsweek.com/id/93188 <comment><USER2> I've always wrestled with the whole Science vs. Religion issue, and my conclusion is that we shouldn't necessarily question either group, but the debate itself.

Why can't Science and Religion complement each other? I don't believe in the 7-day creation, but that doesn't mean there's no higher power that played a role in the big bang, creation of life, and subsequent evolution.

The biggest problem Religion has is its resistance to change. The Bible was written thousands of years ago, across many centuries. It was written for its own time. As our knowledge and understanding of the world around us and the universe at large changes, so must our interpretation of the Bible.

It may sound lame, but the movie Dogma had a profound impact on my religious beliefs. Dick and fart jokes aside, the message that it is better to have a good idea rather than strict beliefs has stuck with me since I first watched it many years ago. The humor may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is worth watching once.

<comment><USER3> _Why can't Science and Religion complement each other? I don't believe in the 7-day creation, but that doesn't mean there's no higher power that played a role in the big bang, creation of life, and subsequent evolution._

Doesn't mean there is either. You can't disprove it & you won't prove it. It's a hypothesis that's no use in understanding the world.

<comment><USER4> I believe his point was that science and religion don't necessarily conflict with each other.

Yes, religion suggests things that have no use to understanding the world in raw science terms. Instead, it tries to find meaning. While I love science and the great benefits/improvements it gives us, it has not taken any steps (nor should it) towards finding true meaning in my life.

<comment><USER3> "Meaning" is an urge like any other. I'm sure we'll understand it as we learn more about the brain.

I think they conflict in the sense that people with that need to find meaning get strange ideas about the nature of the world. Of course it doesn't have to be this way, but it is often the case.

<comment><USER5> _strange ideas about the nature of the world_

You mean like string theory?

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER3> " _The more deeply scientists see into the secrets of the universe, you'd expect, the more God would fade away from their hearts and minds. But that's not how it went for..._ "

That's misleading. It does go that way for scientists as a group.

Such a worthless article. I coudn't continue reading after the first mention of quantum physics

</comment><comment><USER6> "This points to a very deep fact about the nature of the universe, namely, that our minds, which invent mathematics, conform to the reality of the cosmos. We are somehow tuned in to its truths. Since pure thought can penetrate the universe's mysteries, this seems to be telling us that something about human consciousness is harmonious with the mind of God"

Why is it surprising that our minds "conform to the reality of the cosmos"? They are, after all, part of the cosmos. Yes, our minds are harmonious with nature (call it God, if you must) because our minds are nature.

</comment><comment><USER7> religion = irrational belief (like lottery)

science = rational belief (like repeatable success)

<comment><USER5> It's dangerous to think that science can never equal irrational belief.

In fact, most scientific progress begins with a person's slightly irrational belief. The crazies move us forward because they constantly challenge the common wisdom.

That being said, this comment is not a defense of religion.</comment></comment>


Kindle: Most Highlighted Passages of All Time - <AUTHOR> http://kindle.amazon.com/popular_highlights

<comment><USER2> Is it just me that thinks it's a little creepy that Amazon knows what I highlight? (Well, theoretically anyways, I don't own a kindle)

<comment><USER3> I was considering buying a Kindle within the next month or two. This story literally just made up my mind.

No, it's not just you.

<comment><USER4> > I was considering buying a Kindle within the next month or two. This story > literally just made up my mind.

If you're a regular reader, get _some_ kind of e-ink ebook reader even if not the Kindle. It's been amazing for me getting all the out of print classics for free off Gutenberg.org and taking the time to read philosophy, history, the best fiction of all time, and so on. I've got a Kindle and am very happy with it, but get something even if not the Kindle.

I'm reading different, often deeper things than I used to read, I'm reading more, and it's _light_ \- I travel so that's a huge plus for me. Also, I never finish a book mid-airplane or mid-train and get stuck looking out the window any more.

<comment><USER5> I was considering to buy one, but a big drawback for me is that I can't read on it in the dark, which is almost all my reading time - my wife sleeps next to me and I don't want to switch on the light, so I current use a netbook (where I can also read Amazon or B&N books using their software). But I know there exist a small lamp which can be attached to a Kindle - but, can someone confirm it is convenient way to read that way?

<comment><USER4> > I was considering to buy one, but a big drawback for me is that I can't read > on it in the dark, which is almost all my reading time - my wife sleeps next > to me and I don't want to switch on the light, so I current use a netbook

That makes sense, yeah. You can read on your netbook for long periods of time without your eyes hurting, though? I've never really been able to read things that require a lot of studying to get through on the computer without breaks. Seneca's "On the Shortness of Life" took me like five sessions with short breaks to get through on my laptop, where I could normally read something like that in one sitting on paper or e-ink.

> But I know there exist a small lamp which can be attached to a Kindle - but, > can someone confirm it is convenient way to read that way?

I've been looking for something like that myself, could be quite a boon.

<comment><USER5> Maybe I am a minority, but my eyes don't hurt...as a programmer, I am used to a computer screen. But it's true that i don't read for long periods of time, usually 1-2 hours, max 3. But reading 2 hours on my netbook is not a problem for me.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> How do publishers and authors feel about this? Is Amazon giving away the sizzle or the steak?

For some deeper books this might impel me to make a purchase. For collections of shallow platitudes (e.g. my predilection for self-help books) the "top highlights" view is all I'll need.

Here's an example of a book I considered buying but didn't - _The Talent Code_. Now I've got the high notes in a free, easily digestable format: [http://kindle.amazon.com/work/talent-code-greatness-born- gro...](http://kindle.amazon.com/work/talent-code-greatness-born- grown/B001KTZNHA)

Edit: And here are the highlights from _Hackers and Painters_ : [http://kindle.amazon.com/work/hackers-painters-big-ideas- com...](http://kindle.amazon.com/work/hackers-painters-big-ideas- computer/B001CZLSWG)

</comment><comment><USER4> That's a lot of deep sounding pseudo-wisdom right there.

<comment><USER7> Just wait until 4chan starts highlighting things.

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> Now why did I know that most passages that have been highlighted by readers are from lowbrow popular books, with many of the highlighted passages being platitudes?

P.S. When you read a book that you own, do you highlight passages of the text, or do you keep a notebook (electronically or on paper) of the most important points in the book? At the risk of setting up a bogus dichotomy, I think many people who take notes from books seem not to highlight them, and perhaps the converse is true as well.

</comment><comment><USER9> Why is:

PRINCESS ON THE PEA (From the tale by Hans Christian Andersen)THE UGLY DUCKLING

at #19? or:

AND THE BEAN-STALK (Said to be an allegory of the Teutonic Al-fader, The tale written in French by Charles Perrault)JACK THE GIANT KILLER (From the old British legend told by Geoffrey of Monmouth, of Corineus the Trojan)LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD (From the French tale by Charles Perrault)THE THREE BEARS

at #22? And it shows the number of highlights - around 700 for each. Is this a case of accidental highlighting, some people organizing to highlight random sections of text from free books to mess up the stats, or a bug?

Edit: I have no idea how to use markdown. Argh! I thought two spaces at the end of the line added a line break?

</comment><comment><USER10> To verybody that is complainin about privacy: You have the choice, to turn off/on, popular highlights, backup or not your anotations, etc. They are clearly marked on the "Settings".

</comment><comment><USER11> There should be a way to disable it appearing from their website.

</comment><comment><USER12> Gladwell must be so proud to be nestled between Dan Brown and William P. Young atop these charts.</comment>


Who needs angel financing/help?  Testing hacker news for this purpose. - <AUTHOR> http://betashop.com/post/249983268/new-investments I'm currently evaluating potential new angel investments.  Checking out hacker news as a potential source of discovering interesting startups in need of some help. <comment><USER2> You didn't post an investment thesis, direction, or field. Just looking for engineers that think they are good, apparently. (One never sees investors who ask for people who iterate slowly and hate shipping.)

I find it slightly odd that you specify people who aren't just looking for any money, and then announce "Who needs some money?"

I suspect you are going to see a great deal of adverse selection with this strategy.

<comment><AUTHOR> we'll see. sometimes you just have to ship it and see what happens.

</comment></comment><comment><USER3> I think you should probably tailor the post a little bit more to the HN community. Right now this is the equivalent of you linking to an angel investor's "contact us" page. Interesting, since you are an angel investor, posting on HN, but otherwise a little bit too generic, since most of them have those types of statements.

I dunno maybe expand on what you are looking for in a founder, or what you are looking for in a company. Also focus more on what you can offer, angel money is the same, a dollar from you is the same as a dollar from the next guy, what differs is the advice and the connections you can give.

<comment><AUTHOR> Hi. I agree with everything you have written here. What I bring to the table is my recent experiences and network of contacts.

<comment><USER4> I'm with Joshua on that point. In Silicon Valley experience and contacts are in abundance. Why would someone want to bring you on board vs. other well connected people in the valley? How do you differentiate from the other great angels and early stage VCs out here?

<comment><USER2> I don't think he's in Silicon Valley. Possibly a big plus, or a big minus, depending.

Personally, I like to meet the people I'm investing in. Meeting your investors is probably good too. Network effect, etc etc etc.

<comment><AUTHOR> I"m currently Hamburg Germany based, but moving back to New York in the coming weeks.

<comment><USER5> Welcome back to US and HN, Jason. Are you transitioning away from SocialMedian? We're building a mobile startup now focusing on the iPhone, love to talk to you if iPhone startup does not scare you away :)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> This is a smart approach. If I were a founder, I'd certainly want to be pitching an angel/vc that was on a similar wavelength as the crowd on hn. X2 credit if they actually participate on a regular basis ala joshu. I would like to know some of the areas you're interested in. Your past experiences give some good idea of areas you like, but there are obviously other sectors.

</comment><comment><AUTHOR> Ok, in the first hour since posting this....

I've received about 15 emails so far from founders. All full of passion and belief in their ideas. 3-4 are definitely products I'm interested in exploring more.

<comment><USER2> They should post their projects. A lot of VCs and investors read HN.

<comment><AUTHOR> @joshu: I agree. We should create a simple way for HN readers to post their projects.

<comment><USER7> A lot of people post their projects under "Ask HN: Review my startup" type posts. See here: <http://searchyc.com/review+my+startup>

<comment><USER8> It seems that many of the review requests are ignored without any comment, as I learned by clicking on that link.

<comment><USER9> "Review my startup" posts are among my favorite aspects of HN. I generally find them valuable no matter what the submitted site is about. Time permitting I go out of my way to try to comment on them but unfortunately lately it seems that many of these posts don't get a lot of traction or thoughtful discussion. I wish I knew how to help the HN community keep these going. I'd trade 3 techcrunch posts for 1 "review my startup".

(Also, that link doesn't seem to list the most recent posts, or at least not at the top of the list. I think there have been more recent review posts than the top few on that list. Some use variations on the searched terms, for example "rate" rather than "review".)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> Maybe you guys looking for investment should test posting your response as a comment here instead of emailing privately. He isn't the only investor on hacker news.

</comment><comment><USER11> Here is my proposal, public for HN investors.

Enquires to tom at gridspy .co.nz

Gridspy provides an online realtime power monitoring system for homes and businesses. They are looking for both trading partners and investors, especially with marketing or sales background.

<http://www.gridspy.co.nz/>

The Pitch: Gridspy provides you with an interactive view of power, water, gas and other resource usage in your building. Gridspy allows you to access and monitor your consumption patterns in real-time using a standard web browser on your PC, laptop or mobile phone. The data is accurate and updated each second as you watch.

The power data is split into multiple channels so you can see which parts of your building are using the most power. Unlike a smart-meter, the Gridspy system can isolate the power usage within your building to individual systems such as AC, hot water, lighting or computers. This allows you to focus your power efforts where they really count. Learn how much you actually use on standby devices, or how changing to compact florescent lights will actually save you money.

Gridspy has passed the development phase and is a working product. We need your help to get to market. The team behind Gridspy bring years of experience creating smart hardware devices and off the shelf solutions and have supported a variety of customers that have succeeded both in New Zealand and internationally.

What sets us apart from our competition is our live data collection and display, our web based approach, and our low cost. We also offer high accuracy and can sample many different loads at once. We can also provide automation and control to any degree of complexity. The aim is to give people back control of their power usage, helping our customers measure and save power.

Accomplishments to date:

        * Development of a power monitoring prototype, with all the key technical hurdles overcome.
        * Manufacturing plan that will take us from prototype to fully automated production over three months grounded on previous experience.
        * Comprehensive manufacturing contacts.
        * Several sales leads with potential for large sales volumes over the next quarter.

Development plans:

        * Begin the electrical approvals process, including CE Mark, so our solution can be sold both domestically and internationally
        * Create staged runs of 25, 100, and 400 units to build our manufacturing pipeline
        * Design and test several related devices to round out our offering
        * Offer Gridspy to New Zealand industrial clients
        * Improve the look and feel of our website and general branding
        * Create a stock of rental and trial units to enable sales
        * Build a community of home and business owners who are proud to openly discuss their power usage and demonstrate their environmental credibility.

Key Challenges:

        * Cash to finance due diligence and further prototype runs so we are ready to handle future high demand.
        * Our current small production runs force us to adopt higher prices than we would like
        * Competition is entering the "Smart Grid" arena all the time. Our niche is unique and we need to continue to differentiate ourselves.

Principals & Previous Experience: Stephen Leys as 30 years experience as the managing director of Technman designing custom electronics solutions for a wide range of clients. He is an experienced electrical engineer and has seen many products through concept to large scale production.

Tom Leys is a software developer who has been working with firmware with Stephen for 9 years. Tom has a background in designing user interfaces for a number of applications. Since 2008 he has been spending all his free time making Gridspy a reality.

<comment><USER12> IANAL, but you might want to reconsider making such a public post, due to SEC regulations disallowing public notice of equity investment opportunities of private companies.

I've seen people point to Section 5: <http://www.law.uc.edu/CCL/33Act/sec5.html>

<comment><USER11> Gosh, I had no idea that asking for investment online was so filled with red tape. Consider this a request for you to contact me for more details, and a great way to get thoughts on my site.

Also, I can rest in confidence knowing that I am NZ based.

I can no longer edit my own post. If a moderator comes across this, please remove the body of my proposal message above, leaving only a gridspy business summary and a link to

[http://nzangels.com/2009/11/03/gridspy-an-online-realtime- po...](http://nzangels.com/2009/11/03/gridspy-an-online-realtime-power- monitoring-system/)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER13> I could really use some advice, but don't really need money at the moment.

<comment><AUTHOR> @davidw: ask HN, or email me directly

</comment></comment><comment><USER14> Interesting idea -- using HN as a forum.

E-mail me if you'd like to start a conversation.

</comment><comment><USER15> I decided to follow quellhorst's suggestion and post my product publicly (see it as a good little exercise).

My name is Leo. I'll try to keep this short and sweet. If any of you have specific questions or comments, you can email me or reply to the thread (firstname.lastname@example.com). To preface this: I have large ego, so please dont hesitate to speak your mind, share your thoughts, tell me how ridiculous this is, etc. I value everyone's feedback, most importantly the constructive kind.

Here are a couple links: \- Our website: www.groupie.mobi \- Download the app on iTunes: [http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftwa...](http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=330225210&mt=8) \- Facebook fanpage: <http://www.facebook.com/groupie> \- Screenshots of the App: [http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=121496&id=92527063...](http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=121496&id=92527063538)

What is it?

Groupie is a communication tool that allows you to create, join and manage social and professional groups on the iPhone. Designed specifically for a smart-phone, it is (arguably) the most efficient way to network and communicate with the groups and communities that share your interests. It does so by providing every group access to four tools: a group message board, live chat room, GPS-enabled map and member directory.

People like to think in terms of analogies so here are a couple: it's like yammer without the exclusivity and shared email domain requirement or a streamlined Facebook groups without the friending, pokes, status updates, etc. Of course there are a dozen other nuances that separate us from them but you get the gist.

What problem do we solve?

Groupie is the most efficient way communicate with a group of people from your smartphone (yes there are some exceptions). It is also a very practical networking tool. If you attend a conference, meetup, etc. There are a lot of people you meet and even more you dont. Groupie is an easy, practical, and informal way to do it from the device you keep on you considerably more than your laptop.

Monetization: we have a model we're very excited and confident in but this I would rather discuss in private.

About us:

My partner and I are Finance and Marketing guys from NYU. We launched Scriblink.com a couple years ago, now the leading online whiteboard (which operates at a small, but decent annual profit). It's a big fish in a small pond with over 60,000 visitors a month. We started Groupie about 10 months ago and just launched. We've invested $30,000 of our own money and will release a web and Android based version in mid 2010 (god willing).

While I would like to say we arent "winging" it in terms of marketing the application, to be honest we are. My partner and I are fanatically ambitious and will likely try everything possible to get the word out. That being said, we could use some direction. While we've come a long way in 10 months, we've made so many mistakes (and costly ones) that i can say with confidence that it always helps to hear from someone who walked down our path before.

<comment><USER2> This deserves its own thread.

(Quick feedback: put the screenshots on groupie.mobi. Screencasts are good too.)

<comment><USER15> Thanks joshu. I like the idea of a screencast. Will upload one to the site this weekend.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER16> Would it be a dumb idea to email this guy if I have a product that competes with one of his investments?

<comment><USER17> I don't think so, at least not if your idea is better.</comment></comment>


Small town non-profit offers 1GB broadband to residents - <AUTHOR> http://htl.li/nf9rE

<comment><USER2> This is a great model, especially for underserved rural areas. I wonder if the telcos opposed it.

<comment><AUTHOR> It's the recognition that fast, cheap internet access is good for the community - like water, schools and roads.</comment></comment>


How gamification and neuroscience help boost productivity by 50% - <AUTHOR> http://blog.yuktipro.com/gamification-and-neuroscience-to-boost-productivity-by-50/

<comment><AUTHOR> Just wanted to share our experience of translating scientific discoveries into the software with user experiences that help people teams achieve their goals in a more happy manner. I would highly appreciate any comments!</comment>


Ask HN: How to find cross-sell opportunities for a software/SAAS product? - <AUTHOR> <comment><USER2> What kind of product do you have?

<comment><AUTHOR> We have cloud computing product, which is an AWS devops tool.

</comment></comment><comment><USER3> what are you cross selling?</comment>


Unboxing Apple's 700 Dollar Wheels - <AUTHOR> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpEZFp_IZJs <comment><USER2> A company that can sell $700 wheels for a desktop case deserves to be worth $1 trillion. A truly remarkable brand. Who else could pull that off?

<comment><USER3> drug cartels

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> That was a very long video considering the content.</comment>


Thermometer Tells Your Temperature, Then Tells Firms Where to Advertise - <AUTHOR> https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/23/business/media/fever-advertisements-medicine-clorox.html <comment><USER2> > Kinsa sells its data to other companies under the name Kinsa Insights. While > Mr. Singh declined to share the names of other customers, citing > confidentiality agreements, ...

The irony.

<comment><USER3> They (claim) they don't sell the names of their Thermostat users either, it's all anonymized data. Where's the irony?

> It has promoted the usefulness of its "illness data," which it says is > aggregated and contains no identifying personal information before being > passed along to other companies.

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> For me the key is transparency of collection and use (which some will quickly point out is very GDPR-like).

I'm OK to anonymously share my car's position and speed of in return I get live traffic data from others doing the same. I'm less cool about people collecting my data without me knowing (or burying it deep in unreadable T&Cs) and then selling that for uses that I'm not aware of or didn't approve.

When you visit a free website or use a free service I get the "your the product" mantra, but for products I buy and put in my home... no.

<comment><USER5> Makes me wonder if we need the government to:

\- Require companies to register before collecting personally identifying information (what, why, from whom, etc).

\- Specify how & when privacy policies are distributed.

\- Audit companies to ensure they adhere to their own privacy policies.

<comment><USER6> I have long wanted to see a standardized data privacy table like food nutrition information on the side of most packaged food in the US.

<comment><USER7> I'd like to see America regulate chemicals too as they are in Scandinavia, such as requiring evidence proving their safety, but legislation such as TSCA grandfathered in thousands of compounds with zero safety data. If you think you're going to get a crumb from the klepto-plutocrats' table, I think you're gonna need a straight-jacket and a padded room.

People are still dumb enough that they willingly hand over their contact details for a "prize" car or something that no one ever wins in order for some company to sell their details to be nonstop marketed to. And post-Equifax, it's easier than ever to steal a person's identity by opening accounts in their name without them figuring out until collections come calling.

When/if political winds shift far enough, then it might be possible for Americans to gain identity protections as stringent as Germany's. Until then, Americans will continue being screwed and lied to, and it's their fault for being too compliant and not demanding better leadership.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> There's a fantastic little blurb about Tim Cook arguing in favor of privacy regulations:

 _"Today that trade has exploded into a data industrial complex. Our own information, from the everyday to the deeply personal, is being weaponized against us with military efficiency," he said. "These scraps of data ... each one harmless enough on its own ... are carefully assembled, synthesized, traded, and sold." He said algorithms, a major tool for competitors, were turning harmless preferences into hardened convictions. "If green is your favorite color, you may find yourself reading a lot of articles — or watching a lot of videos — about the insidious threat from people who like orange," Cook said._ [1]

I love this, almost to the point that I want to move off of the EvilCorp Pixel 2 and onto something that doesn't resell my personal data. It seems Apple is on a higher moral high ground.

1 [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-privacy-apple/apple- bo...](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-privacy-apple/apple-boss-takes- aim-at-weaponization-of-customer-data-idUSKCN1MY1DF)

<comment><USER9> Unless you're going to also stop using Tweedledum corp's browser and search, I'd not bother. And if you are then just use, say, Firefox and duckduckgo and ublock origin on your current os.

<comment><USER8> I use Firefox and DDG on my EvilCorp Pixel. I suspect there's a lot more than that - for example, it seems widely accepted that it funnels GPS data out even if you're not using a GPS-dependent app like GMaps in the foreground.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> Amusing that the story about unwanted side effects of information unwittingly exfiltrated contains numerous identical requests for me to disable my "ad blocker".

<comment><USER10> Agree. It's the same with anything, when push comes to shove and it means getting by or laying off writers etc the NY Times is going to fall back on basically the same behavior these cough drop or chicken noodle soup or whatever co's are using this health data: targeted advertising, whether that's displaying ads on its site or advertising elsewhere to try and get subscribers.

</comment></comment><comment><USER5> "Amazon has submitted a patent application, recently granted, outlining how the company could recommend chicken soup or cough drops to people who use its Echo device if it detects symptoms like coughing and sniffling when they speak to it, according to a report by CNET. It could even suggest a visit to the movies after discerning boredom. Other patents submitted by the company have focused on how it could suggest products to people based on keywords in their conversations."

Really glad I don't own one of these things. I don't know if Brave New World or 1984 was right. Looks like the future decided to split the difference.

<comment><USER11> What beggars believe is that in the novel, 1984, you didn't have a choice if you want a televisor in your home, or not.

But people put an always on spy device connected to Amazon (or Google, or Facebook [honest, we won't spy on you, maybe]) into their homes.

To each his own, I guess, but is the exchange of a little bit convenience to a potential privacy nuclear device really worth it?

<comment><USER12> > But people put an always on spy device connected to Amazon (or Google, or > Facebook [honest, we won't spy on you, maybe]) into their homes.

Do you not walk around with one in your pocket most of the time? (I don't have one of these devices either, just playing devil's advocate)

<comment><USER13> Your iPhone is not listening to you right now, but your Echo is. That's a big difference.

<comment><USER14> A software control prevents your iphone from spying on you, and a software control prevents your echo from spying on you.

In both cases you aren't really sure it's the case, you wouldn't know if it were suddenly disregarded or circumvented, and you're just trusting in the good behavior of your chosen provider.

<comment><USER15> You also don't know that you're not being tailed by a PI, that your neighbors are not focusing a mic on your home, or that your dentist isn't on the lizard- peoples' payroll.

However, we all make certain risk tradeoffs based on numerous things, including proxy signals. For instance, I would be intensely surprised to find out my downstairs neighbor was recoding me, based on multiple years of interactions. Likewise, I find the signal Apple sends ("We need a US-based GDPR") about privacy rather more compelling than the signal Amazon sends ("scour the mic for hints about product we can shift").

I mean, sure, while both $huge_bank and your hypothetical deadbeat relative might both steal your money, I bet I know which one you choose to to leave your money with.

<comment> 52-6F-62 > _You also don 't know that you're not being tailed by a PI, that your > neighbours are not focusing a mic on your home, or that your dentist isn't > on the lizard-peoples' payroll._

Totally tangential, so feel free to disregard:

This statement reminded me of my experience during my brother's TS clearance (Canada). CSIS readily had accurate data (in surprising detail) about my time spent during a short period they must have observed his family members to use during an interview with him. It was pretty fascinating, mildly disconcerting— but in this case didn't bother me (in the context, I understood why. I certainly wasn't interesting at the time). They only could have captured the data they had by a combination of tailing (however brief or otherwise more expensive much more technical means) and bank records. I was of course none the wiser.

Advertisers are another matter. I have a Google Home Mini. It remains unplugged 100% of the time we're not using it. My phone can always go in another room. If we decide to turn it on to play with it (search something benign or play trivia) then we'll have it on. It's good for that kind of thing, and those are useful enough we don't mind letting Google have the little data that might produce.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER16> To sum up something I've been thinking about: the panoptic dystopia of our future is evidently not Orwellian, but Molochian (shameless self-promotion: [1]). We aren't forced to install telescreens in our homes; we live within social and psychological incentive structures that subtly nudge us toward willingly having and using them. The network effects enmesh us all within the stickest of webs.

[1] [https://www.notion.so/The-Bottom-Up-Surveillance- State-8ea9a...](https://www.notion.so/The-Bottom-Up-Surveillance- State-8ea9a6e019e14ef7ae4f3ef0ffb35984)

<comment><USER17> A "new version of notion is ready" pop up that can't be dismissed without clicking "update" makes your link unreadable. I have no idea what Notion is or why a website would need me to click "update" on a pop-up.

<comment><USER16> Interesting, it doesn't show up for me. Mind posting a screenshot? I'll pass it onto them.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER18> After GDPR our next move needs to be a advertising category whitelist.

I say the EU makes a list of categories that you are allowed to categorize users in:

\- Age (only year, no month or day this is not relevant).

\- Sex

\- City or geographic area with at least 500,000 people.

\- 5 items selected from a list of hobbies / preferences..

etc.

Companies should simply not be _allowed_ to target people based on categories like being ill, being poor, being terminal, being depressed etc...

And here's the kicker: if every company is held to these same standards no one company has a disadvantage.

Well, except the entire ads industry scene which is now set in anarchy.

<comment><USER19> I like the sentiment, but unfortunately predefining a set of categories doesn't prevent the issues. Even without access to a specific attribute like "wealth" or "race", the learning algorithms used here can still be used to target poor people, minorities, etc. by leveraging correlations within the dataset. Without these features, the bias just gets dispersed through other correlated variables, and makes it harder to detect that an algorithm is disproportionately targeting poor people.

Additionally, even a modest list of attributes can be sufficient to uniquely identify someone.

I think limiting collection is a good thing in general, but to meet your stated goals, we unfortunately have to do more.

</comment></comment><comment><USER20> This use of data seems reasonable if the company is truly following the constraints described. The way I read it fever rates were sold to advertisers with zip code granularity. Advertisers could then target markets, but not individuals.

It doesn't sound like users would experience creepy invasions of privacy like "I took my temperature and then every website I visited had a NyQuil ad." Instead, there would generally be more ads in one city versus another.

<comment><USER21> It would be interesting to read their privacy policy, and then note if it has something like:

"We reserve the right to change the terms of this agreement at any time and only have to provide you notice."

That way, before the product is big, they can make those claims, but as soon as it has an entrenched niche, they can do the privacy bait and switch and collect all they want.

<comment><USER22> Looks like they can do exactly that:

      By using this Site or Application, you consent to the use
      of information that you provide to us in accordance with
      this Privacy Policy. We do update this Privacy Policy from
      time to time so please review this Privacy Policy
      regularly. If we materially alter our Privacy Policy, we
      will notify you of such changes by contacting you through
      your user account or by posting a notice on our Site or in
      the Application. Your continued use of the Site or
      Application will be deemed your agreement that your
      information may be used in accordance with the new policy.
      If you do not agree with the changes, then you should stop
      using the Site or Application, and you should notify us
      that you do not want your information used in accordance
      with the changes.

[https://www.kinsahealth.com/privacy](https://www.kinsahealth.com/privacy)

<comment><USER21> "If you do not agree with the changes, then you should stop using the Site or Application, and you should notify us that you do not want your information used in accordance with the changes."

I interpret that to mean "If you don't like what we are doing now, your device is a brick, too bad." I wonder if there is a legal way to fight back at that.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER23> So, would it be illegal to buy a large number of these thermometers and put them in a water bath at 105 degrees?

<comment><USER24> No, just watch the network -- I would bet $100 that the traffic is not secure. Once you figure out the protocol, write a little python script to send it random temperatures and locations.

</comment></comment><comment><USER25> This just throws gasoline on a raging inferno... But here in Indiana, I can legally walk into election central and ask for the voter registration of everybody in the county.

The data contains: Full legal name, address, phone#, email, and Drivers license OR last 4 of SSN.

This would be a breach notification anywhere else.

[https://www.reddit.com/r/bloomington/comments/9qqvmz/tilin_i...](https://www.reddit.com/r/bloomington/comments/9qqvmz/tilin_indiana_anybody_can_obtain_voter/)

Edit: seriously, why the downvotes? We're talking about a legal breach that leaks PII if you choose to exert your right to vote.

Buying listening posts is voluntary. Voting shouldn't leak your PII.

<comment><USER26> I think the downvotes are because people might consider this off topic.

Though, realistically the damage has already been done. It no longer matters if your SSN is stolen. A very sizable percentage of adults above a certain age already have this data purchasable for $10 a pop.

A credit freeze is your best option against identity theft.

I think we need to rethink SSNs being used in the way they are today. They were never designed to be your national identity number. We can do better.

</comment></comment><comment><USER27> So, when will this data be sold to your insurance company so that you pay a premium?

</comment><comment><USER2> > One model of Kinsa's thermometer plugs straight into phones, while another > child-friendly version looks like Elmo from "Sesame Street."

Elmo, a close relative of Joe Camel.

> The company said that most app users opt to share their location and that > Kinsa does not link the information to phone numbers or email addresses.

For now. The'll either do it later, or they'll be acquired by BigCo, or if they simply fold then that data will be an asset to sell during liquidation.

</comment><comment><USER28> It's always best to assume that any device billed as "smart" is actually intended as an advertising surveillance tool.

<comment><USER29> To be fair, it's not always intended that way, but sooner or later someone discovers the additional monetizing potential.

<comment><USER30> I think we should evaluate people and companies by the results of their actions, not by their intentions.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER31> I'll admit I'd be very interested in a data broker system that would capture my data and sell it to interested parties that I then can profit on. The amount of data each person generates grows and grows per year, even a small dollar amount would be beneficial I think.

<comment><USER32> There are several such products being built in the 'crypto' space. Civic intends to allow you to benefit from selling PII for authorization. Datawallet something similar. BAT intends to let you make money by looking at ads (or, to be paid for the data you hand over to advertisers). There are much more following this model of paying for data.

Whether one or more will succeed, wether they need blockchains and cryptocurrencies: the future will tell.

</comment></comment><comment><USER33> Amazon patents lots of impractical things. Don't read too much into them.

</comment><comment><USER34> This might be the first device I've purchased that has betrayed me in a way I didn't expect.

I don't use a Kinsa thermometer anymore having discovered the hardware was crap anyway and moved on to a Withings one, but I did not realise, despite probably agreeing to it in the T&Cs, that they were selling my data. I naively had assumed me paying for the thermometer was the business model.

I must say it doesn't feel good.

</comment><comment><USER35> This makes me sick. Now I need to take my temperature.

I can't wait for the toilette paper that transmits my poop analysis in real time directly to the good and helpful corporation. For my own good. Who wouldn't want such close attention to their well being. And it would only cost 10x more and will be mandated for insurance eligibility.

</comment><comment><USER36> > The data showed Clorox which ZIP codes around the country had increases in > fevers.

No, all it did was show you wealthy areas where people buy stupid crap.

These are really stupid devices. I have the thermometer in my hand when I take the reading, I can just glance at it to see the reading, why do I need it to sync to my phone?

<comment><USER37> > I have the thermometer in my hand when I take the reading, I can just glance > at it to see the reading, why do I need it to sync to my phone?

For persons with an uterus, reading a thermometer can be used both for getting pregnant (=have sex on the day where a slight increase in vaginal temperature indicates that an egg is released) and for preventing pregnancies... and the latter case is where the phone sync comes in handy. The pregnancy-prevention apps work by profiling the dates and volumes of periods, plus sex drive, plus temperature, to determine a window in which unprotected sex is risky (IIRC, it's seven days prior to egg cell release + 1 or 2 days after).

<comment><USER28> Syncing data to your phone doesn't require sending that data to a third party.

<comment><USER38> Who doesn't need a REST API to convert units?

<comment><USER39> You joke, but there's a ton of web devs who think this way.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER40> The irony is that people pay _for_ such a device. They should _get_ paid instead.

</comment><comment><USER41> I will leave this here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJklHwoYgBQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJklHwoYgBQ). It's comical and frightening when reality imitates art.

</comment><comment><USER2> Lemme guess, more affluent neighborhoods will have more illness spikes.

</comment><comment><USER42> If the data is properly anonymized, it is actually a good idea. Could also work for public health programs optimization / disease prevention.

</comment><comment><USER43> I'm failing to see the value add of this device.</comment>


Social Media Icons: Free Downloadable Icon Sets - <AUTHOR> http://stuartjdavidson.com/social-media-icons/ <comment><USER2> These look quite bad on a retina display. I wouldn't use any icon unless it was a font icon.</comment>


COVR Photo* – An iPhone Case with a Built In Prism Lens - <AUTHOR> https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1317724211/covr-photo-an-iphone-case-with-a-built-in-prism-le

<comment><USER2> I'd be interested if the Prism part folded flat when slide away from the lens but it looks from the photos that it's a permanent sticky-out bit which is going to be hellish in a pocket or bag.

<comment><AUTHOR> Yeah, that's the main question I have too. According to several PoC users it's no worse than having a small ring of keys in your pocket? Interesting concept though, and a good example of a non-tech "industry insider" (designer of this is used to be photo-journalist) using his connections to develop / market a product.

<comment><USER2> I don't even carry keys in my pocket though because they're too annoying and bulky. I'd also be concerned about breaking it off or filling it with pocket fluff.

Definitely a cool idea though - and some cool rewards.</comment></comment></comment>


Netflix Viewing Will Surpass ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC by 2016 - <AUTHOR> http://variety.com/2015/digital/news/netflix-viewing-abc-cbs-fox-nbc-1201527442/ <comment><USER2> Netflix's motivations align better with the end user.

You pay netflix a monthly subscription, and in order to keep you paying it is in Netflix's interest to provide a variety of high quality content that people want to watch.

On the other hand, regular TV channels main income stream is ads, so their main motivation is to provide low quality keep--you-watching style content that comes with some kind of artificial teaser every 10 minutes so they can trick you into sitting through an ad break. "......And the winner..... of [dance/sing/pop/talent]-factor 2015.............[dramatic tension music]........ Will be revealed after the break."

In the same way that we are seeing many 'news' websites just become click-bait content to get the most eyeballs for their ads with the quality of that content getting lower and lower, regular TV is becoming optimized to provide the highest possible ad/content ratio without losing the viewer.

<comment><USER3> Just out of interest, are you in the US?

Netflix UK content is average at best, with a slew of B films and TV series with missing seasons. I've given up searching for films I'd like to see (these are not even recent releases).

<comment><USER4> > _I 've given up searching for films I'd like to see (these are not even > recent releases)._

That's the wrong way to Netflix, at least for streaming content. You have to treat it more like a TV channel, except you decide when you want to watch the programs. So browse around and see what they happen to have available rather than deciding what you want to see ahead of time and then finding out if they have it (they usually don't).

If you treat Netflix this way, you'll have a better idea what what to expect from the service. You may still decide that Netflix isn't worth paying for, particularly if you already have cable or satellite TV with a good DVR. I watch about seven or eight hours of TV per week, so the limited selection I get from Netflix is sufficient.

<comment><USER5> That's no I use Netflix, too. Generally speaking, if Netflix releases one or two good shows per month, the subscription is worth it to me. Before Netflix had original content, I didn't feel a subscription was worth it.

Shows I've recently enjoyed on Netflix => Sense8, Daredevil, Bloodline, The Fall. I just like these shows better than 95% of stuff that is normally aired on commercial TV.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> One of the key reasons I use Netflix is the lack of ads.

Coming from the UK where we have historically been lucky enough to access quality content from the BBC, all without ads, the notion that I should pay $100 a month to access half decent programming that is saturated by ads seems bizarre.

I was more than happy to pay the marginal cost of Netflix on top of the TV licence tax to get access to their original content (which is generally very good quality as noted elsewhere).

Some of the 'Netflix original content' is however simply content produced by the BBC, that Netflix have contributed to in some way (They get a credit) - Take Peaky Blinders for instance.

One thing they are missing is a decent local news feed though..

<comment><USER7> Look for your local PBS station, which typically stocks good news. Frontline by PBS provides high quality in-depth video journalism. PBS is typically available through a standard antenna, no cable subscription required.

I also have a preference for CSpan when it comes to political news. All political news is biased, so I might as well get the bias straight from the politician's mouths... instead of filtered and hacked through TV Personas. Around where I live, CSpan is a radio station... I don't typically "watch" CSpan but I listen pretty often.

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> Plain and simple the major OTA networks haven't made it easy for me to watch their content. I cut the cord 5 years ago and watch everything online.

I get poor reception where I live and I'm not in the mood to install an antenna on the roof. I was hoping Aereo wouldn't get shut down so I could actually watch that OTA content.

The networks are going to have to embrace a real digital content strategy if they want to keep up with the trend of people consuming increasingly more content on their pocket computers.

<comment><USER9> That's a good point. I'd be more inclined to watch a network if all I had to do was go to their website (or app) to get a live feed.

I think it's CBS who charges you for such a privilege. lol

<comment><USER10> Netflix charge to watch too. When CBS, FOX etc offer an online feed or a "catch up" service it will come down to them either charging a monthly fee or plastering adverts all over it. Personally, I would prefer a monthly fee for the whole package or a pay-to-watch price for each show.

<comment><USER11> They did do this (Hulu Plus), and _surprise, surprise_ , the greedy bastards chose to __both __charge a subscription AND continue to plaster ads everywhere.

It kind of reminds me of Nokia and digital photography. Their inability to abandon their current business model is destroying the massive advantage they have (had?) in terms of access to existing paying customers.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> I haven't seen another comment that addresses this so I'm making this point:

I think it is important to remember that a lot of Netflix's streaming content comes from those, and other, traditional TV networks. If it wasn't for the advertising dollars paying for those shows to be produced, and then later licensed for streaming, then we would be worse off in regards to breadth of content.

So, while Netflix viewing might surpass those networks, a lot of those viewing hours are spent watching those networks' content.

</comment><comment><USER13> When people wonder why ISPs are trying to deliver as little as possible for as much as possible remember this.

The whole fight of net neutrality and ISP competition is about video. Right now, many people have cable and internet. Companies can sell you your data twice and no one would want to give that up. Fast internet means that in theory you could just buy one source of data. Services like Netflix that have apps integrated into TVs mean that it is a practicality.

</comment><comment><USER14> They'll have to lift their game in Australia then, their offerings are fairly stale and generally B-grade stuff. I've cut the cord, but the old guard are holding onto some of the content at least.

I suspect that is Uncle Rupert's doing though. For the last decade or so Foxtel have been trying to extort Australians by grabbing all the content and charging ridiculous rates, its good to see some competition.

I suspect the corrupt, wizened old greedbag's next move will be in some paragraph of the TPP, where it'll be against the treaty to do what Netflix do and he'll be able to sue the Australian government for anything that restricts his greedy ways.

<comment><USER15> Paying to own content is a big part of Netflix strategy. It takes time to build that up thought. Australia seems like a good example of the challenges trying to pay the owner a fee to show it for some time in some countries.

10 years from now Netflix will have a huge amount of content they own everywhere. It is kind of funny they don't even own the rights to show some of the content they are seen to own in some countries (because they allowed rights to be sold to others in various countries where Netflix didn't operate yet).

It seems like Netflix is either showing restraint about paying to license content in every country or those selling it are not willing to sell it.

And beyond that I do think Uncle Rupert has created extra problems for content in Australia (it seems Australia is the worst Netflix catalogue based on what people say - I haven't actually examined it).

<comment><USER14> Its fairly poor comparatively. The way things are going though, I wouldn't be surprised to see VPN's banned, or attempted to.

I'm not against paying for content I must say, there needs to be an incentive to make it after all. Just not one repulsively rich prick doing it. You'd think after your 2nd billion you'd pull back and think, "I've probably got enough now, I can live happily".

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER16> Hmm. I use mostly netflix and other streaming content almost exclusively. I wonder how many people like myself still pay for cable TV simply because the cost of internet by itself is _more_ than the _same_ internet plus cable TV. I can't remember the last time I actually watched television.

<comment><USER17> I've heard that for more than five years, and I've checked with Comcast, AT&T, and Charter in multiple cities in multiple states and I've never seen this be the case. I wish I could save money by bundling, but bundling for me always makes the Internet cheaper but the total cost is more than Internet without the discount.

-edit: I reread this and it looks like I'm doubting you: I'm not. I just have never seen it personally, and it sounds like a great problem to have, from my standpoint :)

<comment><USER18> It's not a good problem, it means they are over-charging you for internet, which feels very shady and exploitative.

<comment><USER19> They _are_ over-charging us for Internet. Comcast's margins on Internet alone are 90%[1].

[1] My brother-in-law works there. He also confirmed that they actually have the capacity to deliver several hundred megabit to most households. They just don't because they can get away with delivering 50 megabit for $70/month since their competitors are the telco's which have significantly more regulation than Comcast.

<comment><USER20> Good examples are Google Fiber cities. Once Google announced the _intention_ to come to our city, Time Warner promised to increase our speeds 5-10 times w/o price change within a few months.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER21> Are the "major broadcast networks" even the big dogs to compare yourself to now? It seems like the top-rated programs now are all on cable. Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, etc.

<comment><USER17> The major broadcast networks are who you compare yourself to if you want to talk about your reach. It only stands to reason that the free, over the air TV channels will have more viewers than a channel you have to pay to have the ability to view (cable), then pay _more_ before you actually get to see their content (HBO). Two different metrics.

Kind of like how Apple touts how much money they're making from iOS and the App Store, while Google talks about how many devices are running Android. Android has a lower barrier to entry, while the iPhone has a greater profit margin. Two different metrics for two different demographics.

</comment></comment><comment><USER22> Amazing since most of the content I view on Netflix is many years old. That is a market the OTA/cable services seem to have totally ceded at this point in time.

However at the same time I want OTA to prosper because ad supported television is free just like radio and to have content stuck behind paywalls is not my idea of ideal future; one of the reasons I am not happy with Apple's offering which could end ad supported internet radio

<comment><USER23> Except you're conflating your personal anecdote with the statistical story which is almost certainly based on the new content that Netflix is releasing and promoting.

</comment></comment><comment><USER24> Two days ago it occurred to me that I hadn't watched cable in approximately two months. I watch TV every day. I watch Netflix that much.

If I could get AMC and FX as standalone streaming services, I'd probably drop cable entirely. The few network shows that I watch come in great with a digital antenna and the rest is streaming content.

Things are going to get very interesting when we cross the tipping point.

</comment><comment><USER25> The best thing about Netflix is being able to unblock the full library using this [https://www.unblocknetflix.co.uk/us-vs-uk-netflix-how-to- swi...](https://www.unblocknetflix.co.uk/us-vs-uk-netflix-how-to-switch- netflix-country-with-dns-or-vpn-proxies/)

</comment><comment><USER26> I don't care how "successful" Netflix becomes: _I will not do business with spammers, and if you do business with Netflix, you are supporting a company that engages in spam._

References:

[https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/news.admin.net- abuse...](https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/news.admin.net- abuse.email/o2Ih9V2_tHE)

[http://use.perl.org/use.perl.org/_jdavidb/journal/18650.html](http://use.perl.org/use.perl.org/_jdavidb/journal/18650.html)

[http://web.archive.org/web/20050215120033/http://manatee.moj...](http://web.archive.org/web/20050215120033/http://manatee.mojam.com/~skip/netflix.html)

(And yes, I have _personally_ received spam E-mails advertising Netflix.)

</comment><comment><USER27> Netflix may be the biggest thing since the wheel. I don't care. I'm still not going to support the company which initially poisoned the HTML standard with DRM. I find it counter intuitive to reward such behaviour with money. And I advice anyone else in here which believes in an open web to do the same.</comment>


It Was Never About The Money, Stupid - <AUTHOR> http://torrentfreak.com/it-was-never-about-the-money-stupid-110724/

<comment><USER2> The industry still thinks music can be split into units of content. If they had their way they'd probably charge for "Youtube view" as well.

Rick Falkvinge is right that people don't put any value on "copies" anymore because they know a digital copy costs almost nothing, and it's very easy to share and it costs you nothing. It still had some kind of value when it was on CD's and DVD's because it was tied to the value of the CD itself. But now we're moving away from that model.

Netflix works so well, and will even pass torrent sharing soon because they don't charge people per unit of content anymore. And I think over the next 5-10 years we'll see music move from the iTunes model to the Spotify (Grooveshark, Rdio, etc) model, where people can freely share a song not having to worry that their ISP's are monitoring their traffic and telling on them to the copyright holders.

The copyright holders simply fail to understand there's a different world right now, and they're fighting against the wind trying to keep it the way it has always been - and they're failing.</comment>


Few things about Google Plus you didnt notice - <AUTHOR> http://sidgoyal.blinkk.me/few-things-about-google-plus-you-didnt-notice-37

<comment><USER2> "You can never create another social network by solving the problem of the Geeks."

Yeah, tell that to twitter.

</comment><comment><USER3> I have seen hot chicks request G+ invites on FB, so perhaps this speaks to your friend circle on FB. :P But you do have a point; the ratio of females on G+ is so far low and the few that have it are "unpopular" as the most popular users being mostly guys: [http://socialstatistics.com/?number=100&kind=user- circle...](http://socialstatistics.com/?number=100&kind=user-circles)

I doubt that G+ will fail for this reason, but with more well-balanced demographic it could probably get critical mass faster...

</comment><comment><USER4> For as rambling as this is, he might have a point.

</comment><comment><USER5> Once you get the early adopters you hit a tipping point and the rest of the market will follow, this is the way of the technology adoption lifecycle. This poorly written article has it exactly wrong.

</comment><comment><USER6> This is a poorly written article/rant.

Basically its only real point is that Google should've gone for "hot chicks with pics" rather than "techy geeks" since that's how one builds social networks (or rather, that's what Facebook did and ergo what Google should do).</comment>


Study finds that prayer helps people handle difficult emotions - <AUTHOR> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101214085328.htm

<comment><USER2> Study finds that talking to the rubber duck on your monitor helps people solve difficult programming problems.

<comment><AUTHOR> Absolutely.

And understanding why is potentially very useful.</comment></comment>


Why an Airline That Travelers Love Is Failing   - <AUTHOR> http://business.time.com/2012/10/25/why-an-airline-that-travelers-love-is-failing/?ftcamp=crm/email/20121031/nbe/AlphavilleHongKong/product#prclt-fOXHm21v <comment><USER2> Quite a few of these articles have come out over the past few months. This one has glossed over exactly why they aren't making money. According to almost every other article it's because of aggressive expansion. New plane orders, updates to their on board systems next year, new routes, more planes on their pre-existing routes and on and on.

This article has quite a bit more info: [http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Virgin-America-a- hit-...](http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Virgin-America-a-hit-but- losing-money-3762763.php)

Sounds like they are getting ready to slow down expenses next year and prep for an IPO.

Not really sure what's made this particular article stick and make the rounds but it's conveniently short on info seemingly to make a more dramatic story.

<comment><USER3> Now this is a case where a dismissive top comment was actually useful-- in fact more informative than the article itself.

<comment><USER4> And definitely a case where an automated "middlebrow dismissal" detection algorithm would fail. I looked into it and still don't think it is possible. What makes this comment different from the bad ones? It seems entirely dependent on the context of the article itself.

<comment><USER3> One thing I learned from spam filtering is not to underestimate what a statistical filter can find.

For example, the comment in question contains a url. I could easily imagine that turning out to be a valuable predictor. The defining quality of the middlebrow dismissal is that it's a cache dump of the writer's prejudices, and someone doing that doesn't even take the time to think, let alone look up urls; they're not even really writing to inform.

<comment><USER5> atpassos_ml told me an even cooler heuristic.

He was doing some research on detecting which comments are authoritative based upon textual analysis (no username or social analysis). They made a complicated topic model, but found that the following heuristic is almost as good for automatically detecting authority in comments:

 _Favor the person with the broadest vocabulary compared to other people in the thread._

This was evaluated on Yelp and Goodreads. IIRC it may have also been tested on HN data.

(reference: Alexandre Passos, Jacques Wainer, Aria Haghighi, What do you know? A topic-model approach to authority identification.)

The problem with disclosing these heuristics as part of your filtering algorithm means that people will try and game the system. They'll include URLs and expanded vocabulary to get higher-ranked comments. And then we win. (Relevant: <http://xkcd.com/810/>)

<comment><USER6> URLs and expansive vocabulary? That perfectly describes most spam I get, a viagra store link and a random Hemingway excerpt.

<comment><USER7> Sure, but spam is already reasonably under control here; post-spam-filter, those things could be predictive, along with other things nobody thinks of.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> Their frequent flyer program is basically subpar (and was only added relatively recently), which kept business travelers off. (I like the Virgin America product, but if I can fly United and get upgraded to First, lounges, etc. and earn miles toward flying in International Business or First to Asia for fun, I'll probably suffer through a United transcontinental over a Virgin America flight...)

They won the leisure market to/from SFO, but that's not a big enough market to be a successful airline.

<comment><USER9> My wife has been 1k for the last several years. Before we met I had no concept of mileage programs but traveling with her has really opened my eyes.

The funny part is at some point it feels a bit like playing a Zynga game, including the occasional "screw it, I'm so close I'll pay a little cash to bump up to the next level"

<comment><USER8> Global Services >>> 1K.

<comment><USER9> Both in terms of perks and barrier to entry, alas.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> Allow me to vent:

The airline industry is byfar the worst run, worst staffed, most inefficient excuse of business ventures. This is the second time I have been stranded at an airport because agents haven't a clue how to navigate the system, dick around and make customers wait, and are incredibly dishonest. I was told today that supervisors were telling agents to, and I quote, "blow off" the passengers today who are desperate to fly. They tell you one thing, make you wait hours, all the while knowing what they told you wasn't true just to avoid customer anger.

Someone needs to completely flip these morons on their heads. They're making flying such an unbelievably frustrating and inconvenient task. I now dread to head to the airport, nervous they'll screw up my reservation or find a way to make me wait unnecessarily. Not to mention how pricey it is now to fly for just 4 hours.

I'm seriously fuming, and this is far from the first time it's happened. The airline industry has consistently delivered the crappiest customer experience I have ever seen.

<comment><USER8> It's a highly-regulated, highly capital intensive industry, with a complex perishable product, extremely price sensitive customers (it's basically a commodity), with a history of state champion regulated airlines everywhere, and continuing operation of national flag carriers on that basis. International flights are politically regulated as well (i.e. which of the 9 freedoms you get depends on binational agreements), and various countries seriously subsidize their airlines.

Plus, extreme variation in demand with the economy, and cost due to fuel.

<comment><USER10> So what? That means absolutely nothing to me as a customer.

I'm here speaking with other passengers and am finding that we were all told completely different things. People have been stranded here for 2 days and are being told to wait while others who stroll in with the pilot hours beforehand are given priority standby seats. Let's say there's a valid reason for that, you're sill leaving many customers feeling as if they're being pushed to the side. Everyone feels lied to and ignored.

I'm aware that this is one specific incident, but things like this have happened a handful of times to me, and I'm absolutely certain to thousands and thousands on a daily basis. It's absolutely absurd.

<comment><USER9> The folks who strolled in earlier might have more status (miles/revenue) on this airline, and having that means a great deal to the airline's systems and humans. They know what you're worth to the company and whether it's worth bumping someone else lower on the totem. It doesn't feel good but it's generally pretty rational.

<comment><USER10> So rational, in fact, that I will do all I can to avoid flying this specific airline.

<comment><USER6> Losing customers in an overbook situation is not a faikure mode.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> I have flown a decent amount this year. Usually [SFO -> LAX, SFO -> LAS, SFO -> SAT]. Almost all my flights have been Southwest, because honestly it is the cheapest. The problem is that nearly every flight leaving or heading into SFO on Southwest is massively delayed. My last experience from LAX to SFO, the flight was delayed four hours. There obviously was a mob of grumpy Southwest customers.

On the other hand I have taken Virgin America a handful of times, and the experience is the opposite. It is a complete dream and pleasure. I love the lighting (feels so sheek).

So what is the problem? Their product is top notch, but they are losing money hand over fist. Normally, a company would just adjust their prices, but in the brutally competitive landscape that is air-travel, prices are everything (see my top paragraph). So, what is Virgin America to do?

I still to this day don't know how Southwest is able to offer flights significantly cheaper than everybody, and stay afloat, while the rest of the air-line industry can't. What is their secret sauce? Cheaper plans? Lower wages? Not sure, but Virgin America should figure it out and adopt it. I am sure it ins't their interior lighting and amazing customer service though.

<comment><USER12> Southwest is THE low cost airline. That's their secret sauce. Virgin is being "the best way to fly" or whatever. Southwest cares about nothing else.

They don't do assigned seating because they found that without assigned seats they were able to fill the planes faster, meaning less time at the gate meaning more time in the air, meaning more legs in a day, which makes them more financially efficient.

Back in the day they didn't pay travel agents the %15, and sold direct instead, etc.

Southwest treats their employees very well, and while there is occasionaly a union squabble of some sort or another, they have much less of a problem than other airlines. Why? Becuase its' cheaper to treat your employees well. Seriously.

This also means that customers are happier because employees are happier.

The attitude of a southwest steward compared to the big three (Delta, United, Continental) is radically different. The big three employees often give me attitude and seem to think that dealing with me is some sort of an imposition-- and so I am loathe to fly on them (it only takes a couple incidents.)

Awhile back southwest merged with a regional carrier (frontier? no, something else) but that carrier was known for a gimick where the employees would sing on landing or do the safety lecture in rhyme and the pilots would tell jokes. Southwest didn't change this practice, and it became optional and now it's not unusual to fly on SWA and have a landing limmerick.

Their ticker symbol is LUV.

Southwest flies into Midland instead of DFW. They fly into the older city airports, not the big fancy new airports. Why? Gate fees are a huge operating cost (basically a license for the local government to extort as much as they can from the airlines for the "priviledge" of providing air travel that boosts the cities tax revenues anyway) ... but soutwest doesn't pay to be in the glamorous locations. You may walk further to your gate and your airport may not be as nice, but it saves them, and -- here's the important thing-- they pass that savings along.

Southwest doesn't serve hot meals. They give you a bag of peanuts labeled "Frills".

They are one of those unique companies like Apple and Zappos and Crutchfield that really put the customer first, and were willing to go against convention to do it.

Nothing against Virgin- I think they're trying to do the same thing and taking the high end of the market, and I'd love to fly Virgin if they had ever had an option on a route I was going (they haven't yet, so I haven't flown Virgin yet.)

But Southwest filters everything they do thru their mantra. They are THE low cost airline. Does whatever help that? No? Then don't do it.

Southwest is a result of focus, and _that_ is a useful lesson for every startup.

I hear the book written by Herb Kehler (sp?) is well worth reading (I think it's called "Nuts" or something like that.)

<comment><USER13> > Awhile back southwest merged with a regional carrier (frontier? no, > something else) but that carrier was known for a gimick where the employees > would sing on landing or do the safety lecture in rhyme and the pilots would > tell jokes. Southwest didn't change this practice, and it became optional > and now it's not unusual to fly on SWA and have a landing limmerick.

My guess is that you're thinking of PSA (Pacific Southwest Airlines). They were the classic and original "funny" airline.

PSA didn't merge into Southwest, but Herb Kelleher did study them and use some of their ideas.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Southwest_Airlines#Corp...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Southwest_Airlines#Corporate_culture)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER14> I wonder what the solution is for an airline trying to follow this model of "better experience for a tiny amount more money".

It seems like you should be able to simply advertise the fact that yes, we cost exactly $20 more than the cheap guy. And here's all stuff you get for that (dignity, comfort, sodapop and your bags in the hold). And here's how small a fraction of your whole trip that $20 actually represents. And oh, here's how small a fraction of your whole trip the entire $179 you're paying for the flight is.

But there's just so much innumeracy and irrational behavior to overcome before you can get that message across. Try selling the above to the average flyer who will happily take the $159 seat on the airline that charges him $50 to check a bag over the $179 seat that doesn't have any added fees.

I hope somebody cracks it. It seems like you could do it with a whole bunch of published (and advertised) transparency in your pricing and value offered, combined with a campaign encouraging buyers to "sort by happiness" or whatever when browsing at kayak.com.

<comment><USER15> While not that explicit, that's exactly what Virgin America is doing.

For me it is an easy trade off. When faced recently with a 3 day jaunt out East, my pact with myself was to fly Virgin, or not to fly at all. It's the difference between an acceptable experience and a high chance of a very unacceptable one. Seriously - I have no idea why there hasn't been a mass rejection of the flying experiences in the USA.

Some folks like chasing Air points or status, but ask first - do you really want to spend even more time getting lousy service on a lousy airline?

I'm lucky enough to be based in New Zealand, and these days our flag carrier is simply great. Their Hobbit safety video just came out: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBlRbrB_Gnc>

<comment><USER16> Reason #2: no viable alternatives. We don't have a decent passenger rail system in the U.S. and our population centers are hours|days apart by automobile.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> _"So who is to blame if an airline that's comfortable and treats passengers well fails, while a carrier that annoys and nickel-and-dimes customers at every turn is a run-away success? We all are."_

All? Evidently many people (myself included) prefer Virgin America, otherwise its flights would always be empty. Blaming "all people" is not understanding how a market economy works.

<comment><USER18> Airlines generally fill their flights by charging the fares that fill them up. But in the case of VA that doesn't add up to enough to cover their costs: people don't prefer them enough to make the costs of their better service worthwhile. That in turn means that consumers' revealed preference is to prefer the value proposition offered by United/American/Delta/USAirways. People might prefer VA to the competition, but they don't prefer it enough to pay the difference in costs, which is why VA is hemorrhaging money.

<comment><USER19> Perhaps I'm one of the minority? If a VA flight is available, I'll definitely pay the difference (usually negligible). Every other time that I've HAD to fly some of the others (i.e. a VA flight is not available) I end up swearing I'll never fly that airline never again. I've never had that feeling with VA which is why I'll always choose it over any other...

But then again, I may be one of the minority...

<comment><USER18> Of course if there were enough people like you VA wouldn't be failing. But it is so that must mean there aren't.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER20> A counter-example - Singapore Airlines is consistently ranked the best in the world and is also cost effective. Here's a link to an HBR case study: [http://hbr.org/2010/07/the-globe-singapore-airlines- balancin...](http://hbr.org/2010/07/the-globe-singapore-airlines-balancing- act/ar/1)

<comment><USER21> Singapore airlines get access to a lot of the best long haul routes in the world because its government negotiates it for them as part of larger trade deals.

Singapore is also well situated politically (it has no real enemies anymore, so while China may deny a US airline they wouldn't deny Singapore), geographically and commercially in terms of global trade.

The lesson here is that if you want to run a super cheap airline, make sure you are backed by the government of one of the wealthiest countries and major trading hubs in the world.

<comment><USER22> Yes, it's kind of like comparing a state owned oil company to Exxon. Another example is Emirates. Can't blame the govt for backing the airline, though, as it leverages a huge strength: Dubai is within 1 stop of virtually all airports in the world.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER23> Off topic but is anyone else bothered by the typos in this article? I would expect more from something published by Time. Don't their editors proof read the online articles?

Edit: Here are the two sentences I found. They're small but they have the staff to check for this, don't they.

" _It's fairly remarkable than (THAT) any airline can generate positive feelings among customers in today's travel scene. But while Virgin America may be well-liked, it may not be well-suited to compete._ "

" _Because Virgin America is young, it doesn't have a (AS) large a network of routes_ "

</comment><comment><USER24> Virgin America is largely modelled off Virgin Australia, right down to the lighting in the planes, the uniforms and the in-flight entertainment. I'm not sure how much of this is borrowed from Virgin Atlantic.

Virgin Australia is a very successful company - started in 2001 by Richard Branson and a few others with about $4 million in capital, 2 aircraft and a single route, and they managed to be around when one half of the cosy duopoly of Australian airline industry went bankrupt in October 2001, as a direct result of the September 11 attacks and subsequent collapse in air travel.

As a result they expanded from 2 planes to 90 in 10 years, expanded from a domestic carrier to an international carrier and have progressed from being a budget airline to much more like the model that Virgin America now has - cheaper pricing but better service, two class cabins and business lounges.

I would expect that if Virgin America proves to be remotely as successful, then it is here to stay.

</comment><comment><USER25> Is it a good idea to be headquartered in San Francisco? That's halfway between EVERYWHERE, and the vast uninhabited expanse of the Pacific. Most airlines have hubs inland.

(Maybe I'm just bitter because I'll probably never take a Virgin flight due to their route layout. Also I hate SFO.)

<comment><USER8> I like the ground experience at SFO (it, along with PDX, has my favorite food), but I hate the runways, specifically the two parallel runways which get converted by daily fog into one runway for most of the morning. Which causes predictable many-hour delays.

OAK and SJC are far more reliable, although far less pleasant as airports.

<comment><USER25> I find SJC quite nice when it's convenient to my destination. I suppose it's not nearly as luxurious-feeling, but it's so much more relaxed. I went through OAK just once, and was surprised how much of a dump it was. Reminded me of Midway before it was renovated/rebuilt. But I'd still choose it over SFO.

<comment><USER8> OAK will be a lot better once the airport connector (to BART) opens in 2014, I think. That will lure a lot more ex-SF traffic, which will probably cause the traffic to increase, which will improve retail, which might cause the terminal itself to be improved.

There are already some great direct flights out of OAK -- Alaska and Hawaiian direct flights to Honolulu and the Neighbor Islands, etc.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER26> I'd fly VA all the time if I could, sadly they don't do my most common route, DEN <-> SFO :-(

<comment><USER27> Same here. Alaska Airlines goes SEA/DFW non-stop twice or three times a day. VX makes me connect through SFO or LAX and adds at least a two hour layover. Lack of non-stop is why I don't fly Southwest anymore, even though they're my all-time favorite airline for both price and service[1]. I'd fly VX if they had a non-stop or a one-stop that didn't connect via California. DEN or LAS or even ABQ would be preferable.

1 - 2014 is going to be a glorious year with the Wright Amendment going fully away. I hope to be on WN's inaugural non-stop SEA/DAL flight.

</comment></comment><comment><USER28> I'm from the UK and flew Virgin America for the first time last month from Orlando to SF for $120 (a 5 hour flight) and thought it was amazing value.

Flying from London 5 hours in any direction costs around 4/5 times more for airlines that have a significantly worse experience than Virgin America.

But saying that I booked a flight to LA a few days ago and picked Southwest because it was $50 cheaper than VA and if the Florida flight would have been $50 cheaper on Southwest I would have gone with them too.

The way I see it is that I can deal with slightly less comfort on a flight if it means I save enough money to buy myself something like a new pair of Converse when I land.

<comment><USER12> I thought if you flew in or out of London the UK government subsidized the flight costs significantly, as a form of economic stimulus.

Hence Ryan Air has $14 pound flights to Berlin, and stuff like that. (been awhile since we lived in europe, so I could be out of date.)

At my age, and 20 years of flying on Southwest, if I ever got a chance to fly Virgin and it was $50 more, I'd pick Virgin. Historically Southwest has been my favorite airline and most flown airline, but I'm getting too old for the cattle car.

<comment><USER8> Taxes on flights in/out of LHR, at least, are among the highest I've seen.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Passenger_Duty>

<comment><USER29> In fairness LHR is pretty much at capacity. Government needs to get on with building a third runway and/or Boris Island.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER30> Reminds me of Walmart - everyone hates on it but they absolutely rake in profits. On certain purchases, Americans love cheap prices above all else. Plane flights likely fall in this category for most.

</comment><comment><USER31> Are their any airlines that don't fail over the long haul? With the flux in fuel costs and the need to keep an aircraft in top shape combined with super low fares is seems to be a hard industry to stay alive over the long run. Over my lifetime I've seen a few entrepreneurs seem to crack the business (from Freddie Laker to David Neeleman) and they always seem to hit the wall after a point.

</comment><comment><USER21> It isn't failing in the same way Facebook wasn't failing when it wasn't making money in its first almost-decade. Virgin is pouring all of its resources into expansion before making a profit, a business model straight out of silicon valley.

It is only a risk and failing if their ability to raise new money is hindered, and Virgin are a long, long way from that.

</comment><comment><USER32> Airline business is never profitable imho, except if you're running it like Spirit, or AirAsia does. Charge a fee for every nitty gritty stuff that your consumer wants. Extra 10kg? That's $50 for you Sir.

<comment><USER22> I don't mind that as long as the potential fees are made clear before purchase. That way I can decide what my needs will be and determine if I can navigate that fare structure to minimize my costs. If it were up to me, all passengers and their bags would stand on a scale at check-in and a fee assessed based on total mass. That said, United almost always has the cheapest fare in my city (a hub -- although I think they've become much more expensive since the merger), and I get free checked bags with the Chase card and a solid rewards program.

</comment></comment><comment><USER33> I fly SFO <-> JFK very often. VX34 there and VX27 or VX29 back are my rides of choice, since I hate layovers and prefer redeyes. The wifi is passable too (don't try to SSH over it, though).</comment>


New Google Parent Company Drops 'Don't Be Evil' Motto - <AUTHOR> http://time.com/4060575/alphabet-google-dont-be-evil/ <comment><USER2> Prepare for a decade or two of people snarking about Alphabet breaking that motto if it does anything they don't like, and prepare for a similar period of a smaller group snarking about Google dropping the motto, despite neither being correct.

</comment><comment><USER3> Title is inaccurate.

\- The new Google parent company never had 'Don't Be Evil' as a motto

\- Google still has 'Don't Be Evil' as a motto

</comment><comment><USER4> It's been, uh, _interesting_ watching the idealism slowly erode from Google. They're a generic soulless multinational that doesn't want to admit it. They've now made a big step and ditched any remaining pretext of any social responsibility.

</comment><comment><USER5> I wish the news would shut up about this.

It's mildly interesting at best. Alphabet decided to have a barebones code-of- conduct to encourage its children to write their own, more tailored versions. This doesn't mean anybody is all-of-a-sudden OK with being evil. As any credible article has noted, Google still has Don't Be Evil in its COC.

<comment><USER6> So, you've never heard of a good person being led to do bad things by the superiors they answer to?

</comment></comment><comment><USER6> Anyone else read Animal Farm by George Orwell, and feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when you read this paragraph:

"Employees of Alphabet and its subsidiaries and controlled affiliates should do the right thing—follow the law, act honorably, and treat each other with respect,"

or is it just me?</comment>


Deep Learning Infiltrating HPC Physics Domains - <AUTHOR> https://www.nextplatform.com/2018/09/26/deep-learning-infiltrating-hpc-physics-domains/ <comment><USER2> Fluids and Thermal is my jam! Having a faster and more accurate model would be awesome. However, most of the cutting edge CFD tends to be extremely expensive. I look forward to a low cost (computationally and financially)program for the general public. However, using CFD tends to be pretty tricky since you have to define the boundary layers pretty carefully. GIGO. Currently, when a model does not converge, it's normally because one of your boundary condition does not make sense. I wonder how these deep learning model handles this.</comment>