Dear Rupert - <AUTHOR> http://googlepolicyeurope.blogspot.com/2014/09/dear-rupert_25.html <comment><USER2> While I disagree with almost everything News Corp claimed, I do think this one has a ring of truth to it:

> willing to exploit [its] dominant market position to stifle competition

Google has, on multiple occasions, utilised its search engine to prop up or otherwise give an advantage to its own products over that of third parties. The most obvious example is Google+, however YouTube is also a prime example (the change to video search is fairly recent), as is Google Maps (which effectively wiped out the sometimes superior competition at the time), and Gmail (which was heavily advertised on Google.com).

While Google doesn't, as far as I know, "fix" search rankings to give themselves an edge they do sprinkle adverts for their products before search results (e.g. YouTube, Google Maps) or around the perimeter of the page (e.g. Google+, Gmail).

That all being said however: I'd take what Google does over what News Corp does any day of the week. Google might be a little corrupt, but News Corp is the poster child for abuse of position. Plus News Corp's lobbying has screwed up more than just their own specific market segment, it has had lasting effects on countries (and helped put innocent people in jail, literally).

At the end of the day as the internet stands in 2014, you have a great deal of choice. If you're tired of Google's shenanigans then hop over to DDG, Bing, or even Yahoo!

<comment><USER3> > Google has, on multiple occasions, utilised its search engine to prop up or > otherwise give an advantage to its own products over that of third parties.

Not in search rankings it hasn't. There is zero, zilch, nada, nothing wrong with google.com showing ads for other google stuff but not 3rd parties, same with the spaces around the search results.

And your "obvious" example is anything but. Google+ does not rank highly, and afaik never has. A search for "Wil Wheaton" turns up lots of results including his twitter and tumblr profile, but his G+ profile (which is fairly active) is no where to be seen on the entire first page.

<comment><USER4> I posted this on Slashdot: [http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=5671759&cid=47875989](http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=5671759&cid=47875989)

<comment><USER4> In fact, thinking about this particular antitrust case, I think a tutorial regarding the layout of Google search result pages might be a good idea as a settlement.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> That was brutal. Demolished pretty much all of the serious accusations in the original letter with facts that could not be true if the accusations would be solid.

It was also wonderfully mean to ignore the News Corp CEO who signed the letter and reply to Rupert instead, implying quite a lot about the role of the current CEO.

</comment><comment><USER6> LOL, News Corp bemoaning that someone's actions might "lead to a less informed, more vexatious level of dialogue in our society". I presume their objection to that is that Google is horning in on their gig...

<comment><USER7> I think you meant 'homing' but kerning helped your typo slip under the radar. :)

<comment><USER8> To "horn in" is an idiom meaning to participate without being invited.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> That last link... for Murdoch to accuse anyone of lowering the tone of the debate is truly laughable, well done Google!

</comment><comment><USER10> This had me in stitches:

> Undermining the basic business model of professional content creators will > lead to a less informed, more vexatious level of dialogue in our society

Newspeak indeed.

</comment><comment><USER11> Google's contributions to making the web safer, faster, and generally more awesome cannot go upraised.

But as a small business owner under a rather crushing Google link penalty since 2011 I thought I offer my perspective.

First, it's important to note my penalty was absolutely not of my creation — I never bought, sold or traded links, and followed Google Web Master guidelines to the letter.

Unfortunately loads of spammy links I never created came home to roost in 2011 and I've been penalized ever since.

I've done my best to clean up but so far no relief has come.

So that out of the way my points:

1\. People are certainly free to choose a different search engine and yes, plenty of alternatives exist. The problem is we don't appear to be using them anymore.

Although I'm just one example, last month's traffic numbers are quite telling:

328 hits from Google, 2 from Yahoo, and 1 immediate bounce from Bing.

Of the 328 Google hits, only 10 were for keyword searches. The rest we all for direct variants of my company name (rack forms, rack forms, and rack form).

The kicker: On Yahoo, Bing, and DuckDuckGo I'm page two or higher for keyword searches, on Google page 15 or lower.

Please let that sink in for a moment: despite being buried 15 pages deep in Google, I still got more keyword hits from them than I did from being a top result in three other search engines combined!

It was not like this just a few years years ago and it's frankly quite concerning.

Here's the rub: If you're a Google user, which over 98% of my potential users appear to be, because of my penalty you'll simply never know I exist, and if you're in the market for kick ass web form software that kinda stinks for you. I have a fantastic product!

Despite this living hell of a penalty I still believe in Google, and absolutely believe they mean well. I just really, really hope they can figure out a way to prevent spam without getting guys like me caught up in the middle of the fray.

For my business Google's market share is no longer academic, it's a tough reality that's becoming very difficult to ignore.

<comment><USER12> Did Google notify you of a link-based penalty? You should set up Google Webmaster Tools, if you haven't already. Then you can read notifications about suspicious links pointing to your site and disavow the ones that are spammy.

I am not so sure that you are under a link-based penalty. I know you did not ask for this, but I had a look at your website's link profile, source and index health.

1\. SEO: The online web form market is hugely saturated. You probably can not compete with Wufoo on terms like "web form builder". Honestly ask yourself if you currently deserve a top 10 spot for this term. Are you a top 10 player in this field? Explore more specific and longtail keywords. Create better targeted pages and page titles. "Documentation - NicSoft Software" is a missed chance. Create more content on the blog (inbound marketing).

2\. Links. You do not have enough natural links to beat competitors. They get linked from webdeveloper forums by real users of the software. You also should check out Google's stance on "Powered by"-links. If this turns in the majority of your backlinking profile, you get links from a lot of bad neighborhoods. These links may thus do more harm than good. It is not an editorial link, but probably in exchange for a free version of the product. Much safer to nofollow links created for profit or SEO/online marketing purposes.

3\. Site HTML is not well-structured for information retrieval. For every page on your site, the first heading is "Home". Browse your site with styles disabled. Reorder repeating boilerplate code below the relevant page content. Specify a canonical or make sure only one version is served to visitors with redirects (both www- and non-www versions of the site return duplicate content).

4\. Index health is poor. Robots.txt file is indexed. There are a few inactive subdomains, an unattended Wordpress and Drupal install in a subdirectory. Includes are indexed as separate pages "/inc/footer.php". Documentation (the content "meat" if the site) is off limits for bots. Over 90% of pages on the site are in the secondary index, which is not a good sign.

About 10 hits a day from Google is far too low for any commercial site to survive on. You could get more than 10 hits on a random wordlist.

Do not solely think about in-links. Are you even linking to reputable sources yourself? End-node sites are far less interesting for visitors than hub sites.

<comment><USER11> Didn't ask for it? If I've learned one thing from this whole affair it's how understanding and kind complete strangers can be. Your feedback is hugely appropriated.

That said, a few thoughts:

1\. The link based penalty stems from the fact the traffic drops correlate exactly with Penguin release dates. Also, the "official" volunteers and other good folks over at the Google Webmaster forms came to the same conclusion. Before those exact dates I had ranked on page 1 for "php web form software", and page 1 or 2 for "web form software", since mid-2008.

To that end, you're 100% correct the market is tough, but we're a very specialized form builder, made especially for developers.

As far as deserving Page 1 - Google used to think so for several years, as my product is pretty darn great if you need flexible form software. We have four versions, two of which are free, covering both self-hosted and SaaS models. No one even comes close to offering such a wide variety of solutions.

In short, if you need form software and you find my site you're guaranteed not to be disappointed. If nothing else you're able to choose between two pretty awesome free versions, something no one else offers. I'm also ecstatic to answer questions and help users out, even if they don't buy or use my software. I would think this would be of high value to Google -- and it certainly used to be before the penalty.

As far as the site recommendations: I'm taking these to heart for sure, though I have to say, the previously mentioned Google Webmaster forums -- the current site is a direct result of working with them for over 3 months, making the exact same types of changes and improvements. Nothing, and I mean nothing, worked.

I didn't know at the time, but it was recently stated by John Mueller from Google that a Penguin recovery is simply not possible until they refresh and release a new version of the Penguin algorithm.

So at the end of the day, sadly, (and please do not take this as dismissive as you bet I'll be making changes): my problem is not content or structure, it's that darn link penalty.

All the while, and again, I'm not sure who this benefits.

<comment><USER13> Let me first say that I am sympathetic to your situation. My startup was financially ruined by the Google penalties.

However, I'm not sure that anchoring yourself to "they used to think I was good enough" is a valid argument. Perhaps they were presenting bad results that benefitted you before, and have fixed that with better results now.

It honestly sounds like you're mostly upset because something was taken from you that you were used to having. That does not necessarily mean you deserved it previously.

<comment><USER11> Thank you for the understanding, and my heart goes out to you as well for your penalties. In a more just world real users would decide what succeeds and what does not.

My defense of the current site from a content perspective is simple: just go to it (www.rackforms.com).

I feel very strongly the look (clean professional), layout (easy to navigate), and technical details (fast, fully responsive, etc) are not causing it to be penalized from a content perspective.

My reasoning for why it should rank is also simple: it used to rank high, and none of that was an accident. I've always followed common sense methodology when creating it, such as creating content for humans, not search bots.

Never the less, since the penalty I've happily made dozens of changes, most of which were suggestions from kind and well meaning SEO folks -- none of them made a difference. Not a single one.

Conclusion -- my issue isn't nor has it ever been content, it's links.

Of course the irony is the vast majority of changes I made were to please search engine bots, not humans. Google has always said this is the opposite of what we should be doing.

For example, one guy suggested I used to word 'form' too much on my home page, and Google may consider this keyword stuffing. And so I pruned it from 23 to 12. Trouble is I sell web form software, and let's just say changes I made were, in many cases, a stretch -- many sounded decisively nonhuman. Who and what am I helping at that point? Google bot is clearly smarter than that. The kicker: the current page 1 site used the word 'form' 43 times. It's just silly voo-doo at this point, and no one except Google knows what the hell they're talking about.

Here's why this is all a bit scary: as link-penalized webmasters poke around the edges and make such changes, we're getting further away from a site that used to be looked upon favorably by Google from a content perspective.

The reason I cite "it used to be good enough" is common sense. Yes we can always improve our site and we should be: but a link penalty, mine especially, is so thorough and so unrecoverable so far, that making loads of other changes will very likely hurt more than help.

But again, just visit my site, visit the page 1 and 2's, and then consider I'm page 15 or lower. I have no doubt my site, should it's ranking be restored, would be a delight for Google users to visit.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER14> Love that last bullet.

<comment><USER15> Being in Australia, I consider any claim by Rupert that someone else is damaging the public discourse even remotely as much as him to be utterly ludicrous.

Yesterday was just another example of that. I'd qualify which yesterday, but it really applies to all of them.

</comment></comment><comment><USER16> > Google is a "platform for piracy and the spread of malicious networks"

So, like Sky Broadband in the UK, then?

</comment><comment><USER17> While they make many good points, they also show their cards by failing to substantiate their claims about search algorithm changes and Android Google Play lockin allegations.

<comment><USER3> How did they fail to substantiate the claims? There wasn't even anything to actual counter there, News Corp's letter had nothing of substance. Google responded by quoting Yelp, who has said that the algorithm changes have not harmed Yelp (aka, an independent 3rd party is also disputing News Corp's claims).

As for the Android Google Play lockin allegations, what more is there for Google to say? Android is open source and usable by anyone, this is simple fact. Google even calls out Amazon and Nokia doing exactly this. There literally does not exist a certification process for Android-related products. There exists a certification process if you want _GOOGLE PLAY_ , but not if you just want Android.

<comment><USER17> Links that actually detail the changes made to the algorithm, and links to the Google Play certification requirements would be useful substantiation; just like they did for all the good points they had above that.

Also, i don't understand why you felt the need to emphasize Google Play. That is exactly what i had said in my comment above.

<comment><USER3> > Links that actually detail the changes made to the algorithm

That's a joke, right?

> links to the Google Play certification requirements would be useful > substantiation

Irrelevant. You should re-read News Corps' claims, which is what Google is responding to. Google Play certification was not a complaint. Android certification was the complaint - and you can't link to something that doesn't exist.

<comment><USER17> You know, while i hate Murdoch and what he's doing, this doesn't mean that i'll be blind-eyed to the bad things Google is doing alongside the good things. You're being no better than Murdoch in your blind defenses.

> That's a joke, right?

Absolutely not. Why should it? There is no need to lay bare the entire thing, but a change log has no reason to be hidden.

> You should re-read News Corps' claims

I did, and while they do not say "Google Play" outright (since it involves actually MORE things than Google Play), they very clearly state that they are talking about things other than the core OS package:

        Google has developed a "certification"
        process for *Android-related products*</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment>


World Ships: Feasibility and Rationale [pdf] - <AUTHOR> https://zenodo.org/record/3747333 <comment><USER2> Why are we so certain we'll be sending human bodies?

All of sci-fi is steeped in interstellar transportation of human bodies, each with human brains and human biological needs and handicaps. I just don't get it.

There's no forcing function to make us go to the stars, establish permanent habitats on Mars, etc. They're not very hospitable or profitable enterprises.

I see us evolving human biology before we attempt this seriously. Genetically modified bodies that have different metabolisms, different mechanical gaits, changed oxygen metabolism.

Or perhaps we'll have brain uploads, and exist ephemerally. Living matter isn't ideal in outer space. We can always turn on biology again when we reach the destination - if we even want to.

Or maybe AGI just kills us.

In any case, I don't see human forms doing any of this nonsense. I think people fantasize about the familiar things they can relate to. I see a fundamental mismatch between the human body and outer space that would be served by optimizing humans for the environment.

<comment><USER3> It's simple. However unsuitable we may be for life in outer space, we do need a plan B, _any_ plan B, in case life on this planet gets obliterated by an asteroid, war or runaway climate change.

One would think the frailty of human life on this world would be top of mind right now, what with the once-in-a-century pandemic we're living through.

<comment><USER4> It's an interesting question though: Is plan B of succeeding in interstellar travel actually easier than a plan in which we figure out how to change our biological construct to survive in harsher climate-change or post-war conditions?

<comment><USER3> It is interesting indeed, and meant to add to my comment that it feels like finding a way to have a permanent settlement in Mars seems more near-term than changes to our biology.

I think the consensus is we generally "know" what to do to figure out a way out of this rock (so not necessarily interstellar travel), whereas modifying our biology seems magical in comparison.

Living outside of Earth, in a different gravity well, with different doses of radiation and likely in confined spaces is challenging, but at least you can put those things into comprehensible words. I wouldn't even know where to begin describing how we'd modify our biological construct, as you put it.

<comment><USER5> Human engineering can be put into words. It's just very scary. Genetic modification, cyborgification or mind uploading could give us any bodies we want, but also create new terrifying possibilities of control: imagine you've been genetically modified by a tyrant, or your brain lives in a robot body built by a tyrant, or your uploaded mind is in a computer controlled by a tyrant. Humanity isn't politically ready for human engineering tech - in other words, I wouldn't trust any of today's governments with it - but it's coming one way or another, and probably sooner than starships.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> I find Techno-Utopianism vaguely amusing.

We are currently residing on a better "Worldship" than we could ever engineer, and we've been knowingly destroying our life support systems in the face of ever-growing warnings from scientists. Ignoring the other planetary crises we face - biodiversity and ecosystem collapse - our continued existence on our planet depends on somehow sucking billions of tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere and storing it somewhere, somehow, forever. This is trivial compared to colonies in our solar system, much less interstellar travel.

Ignoring the question of technological and engineering feasibility I propose the hypothetical World Ship _Thought Exercise_ ( 100,000 people (on average), 10k year journey, each individual lives around 100 years). How would the population be structured? Would it be democratic? How would crime be dealt with? How would people decide who does what? Would there be castes? An underclass? Would there be rationing? Could there be homeless? What about birth control? What if a portion of the population simply didn't want to have kids or didn't have enough to replace the population? How would religion be dealt with? Would, could and/or should a 10k long civilization remain static?

</comment><comment><USER7> Deep in, one study suggested 10,000 to 14,000 individuals are needed to ensure a diverse and sustainable population when the destination is reached. Elsewhere in the paper, it discusses models of childbearing, ages, etc. However, is there any model that captures the possibility that many of these 10,000's can be frozen embryos, gestated at intervals within live females, to achieve diversity without having to build egregious (vs just plain large) ships?

<comment><USER8> Didn't the current population of Iceland come from some 360 or 400 people?

<comment><USER9> [https://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6392/1028](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6392/1028)

> Settlers in Iceland are thought to number ~8,000 to 16,000 individuals, with > the population rarely exceeding 50,000 until 1850 (3), after which there was > a rapid expansion to its current size of 330,000.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> > The emergence of alternative, less costly modes of crewed interstellar > travel at an earlier point in time might render world ships obsolete.

An interesting scenario would be the emergence of considerably faster travel after sending these ships. There could be ships catching up and even beating the old world ships to their destination.

<comment><USER11> This scenario is explored in an old pulp scifi novel I read.

World ships are sent, in the interim time-bendiness of the universe (100 years on Earth an 5 years aboard ship) FTL travel is developed and the occupants of the world ships are rescued and repatriated.

No clue who wrote the book.

<comment><USER9> "Time for the Stars"? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_for_the_Stars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_for_the_Stars) Not quite a worldship, but a large exploration vehicle.

<comment><USER11> Yes, that's it! I may just go buy it and read it again.

Thank you!

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> > "Studies in closed-system ecology are underway or have been demonstrated to > some extent with Biosphere-2 or BIOS-3."

And so far demonstrated that it's not feasible.

> It can be seen that regarding biological feasibility, in particular > genetics, population sizes in the 10^3 - 10^4 range are required

There is no mention of education. The assumption is that neolithic villages are a good model, but neolithic villagers didn't operate an interstellar ship.

Do all children in the ship need the equivalent of, say, a high school education? If so, the time needed to educate them takes away from time needed to raise food, manage sewage treatment systems, etc.

In Biosphere-2, the staff spent all their time on the biosphere, with no spare time for raising and educating children.

<comment><USER12> > Key roadblocks ... the development of a maintenance system capable of > detecting, replacing, and repairing several components per second.

<comment><USER9> Biosphere 2 had ecosystem failures which don't fall under that category. Like carbonatation of the concrete.

<comment><USER12> Well, hopefully in 200 years we'll have sorted out a few more details.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER13> I am a physicist but I think most of the questions around colonising other planets belong to biologists. Why send a world ship when you can send 20,000 frozen embryos? Or enough biological precursors for that, a database of genes and an AI smart enough to engineer humans to survive on this new world with different gravity/atmosphere/light etc? Why maroon people on a barren world with no other life when a machine in orbit can seed it with life but by bit for 10000 years and only print humans when there is a lush biosphere?

</comment><comment><USER14> Seems to me much more feasible to ship frozen embryos, artificial wombs, and android foster parents. Good artificial wombs might be a very difficult technology but they sound a lot easier (and certainly much less expensive) than building a reliable world ship.

</comment><comment><USER15> I can't figure out how to view the PDF full-screen without downloading it. This is frustrating.</comment>


On Social Media, Lax Enforcement Lets Impostor Accounts Thrive - <AUTHOR> https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/20/technology/social-media-impostor-accounts.html <comment><USER2> It's more than that; there isn't enough critical thinking.

How many things are read and more-or-less believed without so much as a follow-up question? We don't even ask who the experts are anymore, as opinion becomes fact. There is little thought put into statistics (just because 2 or 3 people are saying X in unison, is that _really_ representative of anything as far as how many people think X?).

<comment><USER3> That's a very old problem though, whereas automating misinformation globally is very new, and counts on the very old problem.</comment></comment>


Tony Santoro's Guide to Illegal Tree-Planting - <AUTHOR> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvtqKMxZ95s <comment><USER2> I planted a poinciana on my nature strip about 6 years ago along with 2 dozen or so native grasses and shrubs to fill the area along the fenceline. Legally it is council land so they could rip it all out if anyone complained.

What we found though was the council actually worked around all the natives even when they had to replace the mains water pipe. They also remove underbranches from the poinciana to keep it clear for pedestrians. A few people did break branches off when it was at an awkward height but not a problem now it's 30ft high. Makes a huge difference as it overhangs the driveway and out over the road.

If you're thinking of doing this, definitely plant natives and stay away from powerlines if it's a big tree and you shouldn't have any problems. Was hoping a few neighbours might have done the same but no luck.

</comment><comment><USER3> Love it, passion for his subject and a great message.

</comment><comment><USER4> You go guy! Trees are worth more than most people.</comment>


Show HN: The Year-Long Open-Source Sabbatical - <AUTHOR> https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-year-long-open-source-sabbatical

<comment><USER2> I have a bunch of admiration for this guy, especially because of his attitude towards software and _services_ as being tools that do a certain job - and not enforcers of political constraints.

For example, PDFy does not require an account or registration; there is a refreshingly honest ToS page if you care to read (I suggest you do) - [https://pdf.yt/tos](https://pdf.yt/tos)

I may not agree with all of his political ideas, but it is clear that the hacker spirit - writing code that is unencumbered by copyright and patents and other essentially restrictive BS, that simply accomplishes a certain task effectively, is something worth applauding and supporting.

There are few people in our 'industry' who are so ideologically motivated to write genuinely free software (many of his projects are under the WTFPL). Consider supporting him.

</comment><comment><USER3> "For about a year, I've had a paid open-source job, but this really didn't work out well - I became increasingly stressed and depressed, and I wasn't able to find enough time and energy to work on the things that I really cared about"

Sorry, but that's life. I leave work and am often too tired to hit the gym, much less come home and work on my side projects, but I find a way to do it (usually) and save money little by little. It's tough. For someone with his skillset he shouldn't have trouble finding a job elsewhere.

Who wouldn't like to have others pay their expenses while they take a year off to work on what they REALLY want to work on? I'd LOVE to quit my job and move to southeast asia to work on things like coding, writing, design, etc....but I'm not about to set up a kickstarter to get others to foot the bill.

<comment><USER4> It's really quite simple - if I'm not doing something I'm enjoying, I'm not going to churn out a good end result. That's just inherent to the creative process. My priorities lie with helping as many people as possible as much as possible, not with increasing the balance of a corporate bank account, so that result is unacceptable to me.

It's very easy to shout "just get a job!", but the reality is that the moral repercussions of "just getting a job" are far bigger than asking people for voluntary(!) contributions if/when they appreciate what you're doing.

My income is dependent on whether people appreciate what I do, not on whether I tick abstract checkboxes on a list of technical requirements that may very well not serve anyone. I consider that the better option of the two.

<comment><USER3> It really is quite simple --- find work that you enjoy. This should be pretty easy for someone with your skillset. Just because you "want to help people" or have some moral objection to working for the man does not mean you're entitled to have others fund your dream lifestyle.

There are millions of talented people (some of which I'm sure have noble intentions) out there who don't like their jobs, or at the end of the day are not producing a good result due to dissatisfaction with their jobs. If they want to take a year off, they work more, pick up side projects, cut expenses, and gradually save for it. Is that route really "morally" worse than asking others to pay for it?

<comment><USER4> > It really is quite simple --- find work that you enjoy.

I already did. That's what I'm doing now. That I'm not employed by somebody or running a commercial operation, doesn't mean it's somehow not 'work'. The parameters are just different.

> Just because you "want to help people" or have some moral objection to > working for the man does not mean you're entitled to have others fund your > dream lifestyle.

Who said anything about entitlement? This is a fundraiser that you can _voluntarily_ contribute to. It doesn't even have any material perks for that reason.

I'm just constantly amazed at the lengths to which people go to try and paint accepting _voluntary_ contributions as something immoral, while involuntary (that is, forced) payment is apparently perfectly fine.

> There are millions of talented people (some of which I'm sure have noble > intentions) out there who don't like their jobs, or at the end of the day > are not producing a good result due to dissatisfaction with their jobs. If > they want to take a year off, they work more, pick up side projects, cut > expenses, and gradually save for it. Is that route really "morally" worse > than asking others to pay for it?

I consider _forcing_ others to pay for something (by proxy) worse than _asking_ others to pay for it, yes. I also find it odd that somebody else wouldn't.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> Why not do a single freelance project and live off the money? With the products you've built you can easily charge $100-150/h or more.

<comment><AUTHOR> That would require compromising on his morals and values; I don't see him doing that any time soon.

<comment><USER3> And asking strangers on the internet to give him money to take the year off doesn't infringe on these "morals"?

<comment><AUTHOR> What's immoral about asking? The ball remains in other peoples' court. They are empowered to say yes/no, not coerced by economic pressure (i.e. "Pay me or go without").

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><AUTHOR> TL;DR - the developer of PDFy wants to take a year-long sabbatical to develop open source projects. Let's help him out!

</comment><comment><USER6> I had no idea the Netherlands is that cheap. I might move

<comment><USER7> It's only that cheap if you live like a student. I suppose it must be possible to live that cheap in almost any western country, how else would students survive on <1000$ per month income?

Anyway, I think Joepie is forgetting that he will have to pay 30% income tax over that $17.000, and possibly 21% VAT also (depends on whether this would be seen as payment for service I think, he should contact an accountant).

<comment><USER2> Yes, the taxes could be problematic.

@Joepie: Consider contacting organizations such as NLnet ([http://nlnet.nl/](http://nlnet.nl/)) for advice or support in these matters if you are in need of it. They support free software makers - the Unhosted ([https://unhosted.org/](https://unhosted.org/)) project comes to mind.</comment></comment></comment>


Surprisingly frank job ad - <AUTHOR> https://www.indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk=ebd8e268ea707cff <comment><AUTHOR> The first paragraph (below) outlines the precarious nature of freelancing in creative sectors, disorganization in some companies and flawed perspectives on labour (in this case with assumption of how 1 person would automatically efficiently execute what was previously at least 22 people's tasks). Talk about a real glimpse of the work environment that a job applicant would normally not detect during a job interview. I wonder what the response rate has been.

 _" Full Rationale: The current situation with the Photo team in the US i.e. Melissa Sinclair, is not a long-term solution. Currently, we have an agreed budget of $2,200 per issue for a freelance Photo Editor, 10 hours work at $22 p/h, which would normally be completely fine, however the issue is that Melissa physically cannot find good enough candidates to fill these freelance positions, and at the current rate of magazine production, she needs multiple people available to work on multiple cities, simultaneously. Because she can't find people for these freelance positions, she's been forced to do all of this work herself, and is currently completely swamped and overwhelmed, the design team has had to chip in to help her, which is not ideal, but has been required to get the magazines out the door on time. Joel is in agreement with Tom Hislop that for a considerably smaller amount of money, we could definitely solve this issue by replacing all these freelancers with a single full-time position. Currently, we're spending $48,400 per year on freelance Photo editors for these cities, 22 magazines in total, at $2,200 per issue. We could definitely hire a Photo Editor for 40-45K, and having them full-time in the office would make them a far more valuable asset than relying on Freelancers. Tom would like to address this asap, especially as we have a really busy magazine schedule coming up in October, and our current setup is not a long- term solution, I'm concerned about Melissa getting burnt out and potentially wanting to leave."_</comment>


Ask HN: What are the best blogs to read on how to run a business? - <AUTHOR>

If this is a redundant question, I apologize. I am looking to learn as much as possible and I know there are some great blogs out there that I may be missing. <comment><USER2> IMHO

<http://betashop.com/> by jason goldberg

<http://www.gabrielweinberg.com/blog/> founder of duckduckgo

<http://blogmaverick.com/> by Mark Cuban

<http://blog.pmarca.com/> Marc Andreesen's blog ( again start from the older posts)

<http://avc.com> "MBA mondays" by Fred Wilson( i get emailed as chapters via dailylit )

<http://www.joelonsoftware.com/>

<http://onstartups.com/> by dharmesh shah of hubspot

<http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/> by mark suster

"startup site:<http://calacanis.com/> " ( on google to find good older posts while Jason Calacanis used to blog )

<http://lsvp.wordpress.com>

<http://www.chubbybrain.com/>

<http://tom.preston-werner.com/>

apart from 37 signals, venturehacks, & lean startup blogs.

~B

</comment><comment><USER3> Blogs these days seem to be so over focused on linkbaiting articles that are shallow — if you're really serious I'd suggest to read books instead. As to what books you should read depends on what you want to learn and what type of business you want to build.

<comment><AUTHOR> I guess what I am looking for are things that are in line with the type of content Suster, Fred Wilson, PG and his essays...this type of stuff. Who else should I be reading?

<comment><USER3> In terms of that stuff I actually like to listen to entrepreneurs talk about what they're doing — my favorite podcasts are mixergy and TWIST.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> You should definitely check out Rework by 37signals. Although not in-depth, it definitely makes you think about the value of some of the more traditional notions.

</comment><comment><USER5> Mixergy is great for real examples, INC provides simple advice that just works and TechCrunch sites like CrunchBase keep you in the loop.

<comment><USER6> Thanks. My goal with Mixergy is to have founders tell the stories of how they built their companies.

<comment><USER5> Thanks, Andrew. Thanks for being the mentor you wished you had. Makes a difference. =]

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> Just don't get stuck in the research/reading trap- doing is the best learning ;).

<comment><USER5> True. Its a balance. I skipped school to build the best startup I could build. Doesn't mean I skipped an eduction. "I never let my schooling get in the way of my education." M.T.</comment></comment>


Saudi Prince Says He Owns 5% of Apple (1997) - <AUTHOR> https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Saudi-Prince-Says-He-Owns-5-of-Apple-His-2847592.php <comment><USER2> One of the interesting things that is opaque currently to everyone is where varied interests lie in investment, specifically in silicon valley.

We have the CIA/.gov investing in companies left-and-right, and their investment portfolio companies' tech being used in intelligence gathering activities by global intel/security operations.

The depth of investment in tech by parties who have less-than-perfect records on every aspect of rule is wide and deep...

Who has invested into what companies? Certainly there is money coming from funds that are seemingly US based - but backed and funded by foreign interests.

[0]: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-Q- Tel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-Q-Tel)

[1]: [https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/in-q- tel/investments...](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/in-q- tel/investments/investments_list#section-investments)

[2]: [https://news.crunchbase.com/news/heres-20-q-tel- investments-...](https://news.crunchbase.com/news/heres-20-q-tel-investments- said-taking-cias-money/)</comment>


Saw Safely: Spend a minute, save a finger - <AUTHOR> http://sawsafely.org/ <comment><AUTHOR> Here's 2 experienced woodworkers critiquing their own table saw accidents: [http://sawsafely.org/#retrospectives](http://sawsafely.org/#retrospectives)</comment>


This is how you write a reverse job application - <AUTHOR> http://www.thejohnnybrown.com/?p=21

<comment><USER2> You know, I'm not particularly famous. I'm not the best engineer, software designer, or manager you will find. I am certainly not the worst of these you will find, and I enjoy my work and challenging projects; these are aspects that employers seem to look for in employees.

I have no angry blog posts demanding I am hired, no complaints about how my work is under-appreciated splashed on a news site, and no demo work thrown out to the world like a challenge. And so, it surprises me that people feel the need to do PR stunts to get recruiters to call them. Too many call me. I write at least one polite rejection a week—the worst it's ever been was 6 in a week.

I'm not sure what I'm doing right and these people doing wrong, but there's nothing magical about having recruiters call you. Put your name where recruiters look, and they _will_ call you. But be warned, this is not as awesome as you might think... most companies are far worse at vetting how well you'd fit than you are. You end up wasting a lot of time.

<comment><USER3> Protip: timewaste comes not from the companies themselves, rather sneaky recruiters, who will, at some point in the conversation, offhandedly ask 1, to provide references (previous managers you've worked with), and 2, who's interested in you currently (usually dressed up as "how do you find the marketplace?" -type of questions).

Do not, under any circumstances, give out these datapoints early in the game (personally, I don't give them out at all, but I imagine some large corps to require at final stages). Recruiters will use this as lead-generation for potentials to sell candidates of their own. This will not only lower your chances in potential new places, but destroys your reputation with your existing clients.

For more information, see the book "Dirty rotten recruiter tricks" :)

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> I don't know about this. Something about Andrew Horner's reverse job application was amusing; I find this one a bit creepy. I find his demo application to be a disheartening demonstration of an oblivious sort of sexism that's all too prevalent in software development already. And using this to seek contract work (versus a FT job) also rings false; there are plenty of better ways about that, too.

What's more, the application needs work; this data isn't useful. Who cares where the ladies are right at this instant? They're not some foursquare- checking horde who zip from place to place en masse, and the statistics page (<http://nolaladies.com/pages/statistics>) shows just how few people use foursquare in New Orleans at all.

<comment><USER5> > a disheartening demonstration of an oblivious sort of sexism that's all too > prevalent in software development already

I don't think it's a demonstration of sexism in software development, but a reflection of sexual politics in the real world. He built a product people want.

If he built a product that helped people file lawsuits, would anyone claim that it's a disheartening demonstration of the litigiousness in software development? Or if he built a project that helped people find drink specials, would it be sign that alcoholism is a serious problem for developers?

<comment><USER4> Let's be honest, this is an appeal for work, or maybe a marketing ploy of some sort. As an appeal for work it reads "I can be part of the boys' club." But a product people want? Please. There is not nearly enough Foursquare data in New Orleans to warrant this effort, and even if there was, can you identify the user that would look at this for more than a quick amusement? Ratio Finder (<http://www.weeplaces.com/ratiofinder/>) is better for actual planning because it shows historical data, not current trends.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to pop over to Imelda's Fine Shoes and hit on the only female foursquare user in all of New Orleans.

<comment><USER5> Just because the thing you want isn't feasible doesn't mean people don't want it. (Example: bullshit diet fads. There's no healthy way to drop fifty pounds in 30 days, but people still google for it, and then try it.)

And regardless of whether it actually works or not, I think it demonstrates a familiarity with multiple skills necessary for web development - working with APIs, hosting a site without it coming crashing down, writing HTML, etc., etc., etc.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> Johnny is right in pointing out that this is simply called advertising, and is part of contracting. He's also entirely correct in pointing out that in the world of software all you really need to do is produce something.

I think the best way to go about writing a 'reverse' job application is generally "don't." Trying to copy The Oatmeal, adding in cute images, and other 'fun' gags to show you think freely (only when compared to an average 9-5er) doesn't make your software any better. Give me someone who wants to create software that they feel passionately about, and can also express that, and leave the XKCD comics at home.

The photographer Rick Sammon has said a few times "Before people care how much you know, they want to know how much you care." Personality is great in any application, but if you walked into an office with a comic strip, we'd point you to one of the city newspapers.

<comment><USER7> My industry background is primarily digital marketing and if you can walk into their office with good comic strips it's a guarantee of a great start. If you can produce something of quality comparable to The Oatmeal you'd have awesome chances of getting hired.

Creativity has its place but not as much in certain industries I suppose.

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> This person gets it. It took me a year after grad school to find a job I wanted. I tried a semester of teaching first, as an experiment, but eventually was hired when I could demonstrate the ability to produce new ideas.

That last article had me thinking the same. In one year why not demonstrate any sort of ambition or drive? Go out and make something. Unless you've signed a contract giving your current employer rights to all your ideas there's really no excuse. 4 hours a day looking for work, 4 hours hacking. There's your 9-5.

</comment><comment><USER9> Maybe, but one of the first things I look for in a prospective candidate is open source contributions. That is what I consider an ideal reverse job application. You're benefitting the community and I get to see your code.

<comment><USER10> His Github profile is right here: github.com/thejohnnybrown

</comment></comment><comment><USER11> Didn't someone alredy write this app a few weeks ago? Wasn't it called Where The Ladies At? ([http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/02/wheretheladies-at-shows- you...](http://techcrunch.com/2010/10/02/wheretheladies-at-shows-you-where- the-ladies-are-at/))

If you're applying for a job with this, I'd say one strike for ripping your idea off.

</comment><comment><USER12> Good example of PR. This is a nice example of how you take a story that is fresh in everyones mind and ride on it.

</comment><comment><USER13>
      > Aside from the fact that hundreds of thousands of people
      > and businesses are doing exactly the same thing as him
      > (we're called contractors and it's called advertising)

Thanks for pointing that out. The internet does offer a lot of genuine cleverness. Reverse job application with quirky little drawings, though? That's like one of these Steve-Carrell-pseudo-indie-movies that Fox Searchlight keeps churning out.

</comment><comment><USER14> Actually, Github may be the best place to write reverse job applications.

<comment><USER15> Doesn't it take additional proactive work, unless you write some awesome, popular software?

<comment><USER16> Works like this

Probability of Getting a Job = min((awesomeness of github) * (social skills) * (visibility at local tech events) * (salary expecting to pay / salary asked for),(1))

Where all variables range from 0.25 to 1.25.

<comment><USER17> Asking for a low salary doesn't really your chances, if you are obviously worth more. People will smell something fishy, justified or not.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER18> There is no doubt that this a great demonstration, but you could also borrow elements of Andrew Horner's approach. Something about Andrew's approach is fresh, and something about your approach is reliable, practical and clearly demonstrates your abilities.

THE reverse job application is probably a combination of both approaches, your skills and demonstrations presented in a fresh approach or format. Maybe kooky drawings aren't the answer, but something more unique than unformatted content buried in a blog post would grab the attention of recruiters.

</comment><comment><USER19> I don't put myself out there at all and I've always found it incredibly easy to find jobs in the tech industry. As a matter of fact I get calls from recruiters at least once a week and the most I've got is 5 calls in a week, for jobs that honestly are at least decently paid. It's even worse because I have being stalling a degree in finance (yeah I'm weird like that...) for the last 4 years, while working as a developer. So I don't even have a degree. At this point I'd probably explain this because I have work experience that 'proves' me but I didn't have it at the beginning and I still found it easy anyways.

</comment><comment><USER20> erm, no that is how you copy an app: <http://www.weeplaces.com/ratiofinder/>

</comment><comment><USER21> My friend has made four awesome sites like this, but everywhere he interviews at they disregard those sites and assume he can't program because he kind of stumbles around when answering coding questions. He told me it's a combination of being nervous and using a lot of notes while he works because doesn't have a good memory.

I always wonder who potential employers think made his web applications when they reject him saying he doesn't know enough programming.

<comment><USER22> Yeah I'm pretty terrible on the phone, and I have over 5 years of professional experience (plus coding since I was about 15). So when I get to the part of the phone call where they ask computer science questions I haven't thought about in a bunch of years, I usually just fumble about, get concepts confused, and generally completely blank out.

The better ones are the companies who ask you to do a coding assignment (and I'm not talking FizzBuzz). Sure I wouldn't want to end up having TOO MANY companies ask me to do it since it would be very time consuming, but certainly if you're taking your time to go through the process you should be able to put some time into writing a small demo app for companies you're passionate about joining.

</comment></comment><comment><USER23> OK, that sounds like a marketplace, honestly.

Like: i'm tired of looking for work, let the work find me.

Create an auction with "hire-me" apps. It may be half-baked/weekend projects/proof of concept things etc. People come over to that kind of a "marketplace", and make an offer, no CV/interview required.

<comment><USER24> In no time flat it will be filled with apps copied from someone else, and the people hired will be unable to do any useful work at all.

</comment></comment><comment><USER25> It is trivial that you should show some of your works in your job application/CV/website/reverse-job-application (does not matter for me how you call your pitch).

I think you can further improve this by:

\- Providing the source code. You created something technically quite trivial (you have to deal with much more complex beasts even at an entry level job at BigCo), so the fact that you could do this is less interesting than how you solved this. Your coding style speaks a lot about your programming abilities.

\- Or creating something technically less trivial (in that case the fact that you could do it is very interesting alone, so the source code is not that important). This may require more effort though.

</comment><comment><USER26> Hmm, when I complete my MSc in a few months I'll have a GAE web app to show for it. However I never expected that to get me a job, I figured I'd need to create about 5 webapps, and maybe a complex desktop app before I'd have a portfolio that screamed 'HIRE ME' (considering my lack of industry experience). I agree with the general premise but a borderline useless FOursquare app surely isn't going to impress much? (unless most graduates are a lot less able than I'm assuming)

</comment><comment><USER27> I expected that when I see a Google Map on a website that I am able to then click on it and drag it around. That is not the case here, I feel that it takes away from the website in general.

</comment><comment><USER28> There is of course always the option that instead of you going to _look_ for a job you _create_ a job.

<comment><USER25> I agree, but creating a job is much much harder than successfully applying for a(n average) job.</comment></comment>


An app to run creative sessions remotely or document presential ones - <AUTHOR> https://github.com/dalareo/design-thinking <comment><USER2> If it meets the guidelines, this might make a good 'Show HN'. Show HN guidelines: [https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html)

</comment><comment><AUTHOR> I've designed this app using Meteor and Interact.js. It is made for document creative sessions and also for running remote ones. Specially interesting for design thinking processes. Business Model Canvas and Empathy Map templates are included. This app is part of EduCaaS project. [http://educaas.io](http://educaas.io)</comment>


Show HN: HTML5/JS real time whiteboard [fabricjs & backbone marionnette] - <AUTHOR> http://tutorsbox.com

<comment><USER2> This seems to be priced incredibly aggressively. $20 for ten hours of use - per _month_ \- is the cheapest plan. Someone using this full time would be forced to buy the $100/month plan for 100 hours, since the middle tier, at 30 hours per week, would not be enough for them. For a collaborative whiteboard? Essentially, "Draw Something" but retooled for education?

</comment><comment><USER3> It looks nice. Can't you create the whiteboards so that the users don't need to login (except the creator of the whiteboard)? Maybe just creating a url that is a guid.

<comment><AUTHOR> We could create a guest account but usually the tutor knows the student and will give more than one lessons. We also simplified the onboarding process for the student to a minimum number of fields.</comment></comment>


What we mean when we say "hacker" - <AUTHOR> https://www.hackerschool.com/blog/12-what-we-mean-by-hacker

<comment><USER2> For a start you should read Hackers and painters: <http://www.paulgraham.com/hp.html>

At least for HN comunity that gives enough menaning, and I like it a lot. From other people, hacker means "cracker".

</comment><comment><USER3> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinker></comment>


How do you save a million people from a cyclone? Ask a poor state in India - <AUTHOR> https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/03/world/asia/cyclone-fani-india-evacuations.html <comment><USER2> Or, as the article mentions, Bangladesh.

For that matter, ask Cuba about hurricane preparations, eg, [http://accuracy.org/release/cubas-hurricane-preparedness- a-m...](http://accuracy.org/release/cubas-hurricane-preparedness-a-model-for- florida-and-the-gulf-coast/) .</comment>


Nerd entitlement lets men ignore racism and sexism - <AUTHOR> http://www.newrepublic.com/article/120653/nerd-entitlement-lets-men-ignore-racism-and-sexism

<comment><USER2> yuck. Please post less of these articles.

<comment><AUTHOR> Instead of complaining, post articles of your own & read them, I do.

<comment><USER2> I'm a regular reader of HN and this is just my opinion.

<comment><AUTHOR> _"... this is just my opinion. ..."_

What is stopping you posting articles you find interesting?</comment></comment></comment></comment>


Into the Bitcoin Mines - <AUTHOR> http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/12/21/into-the-bitcoin-mines/?ref=technology <comment><USER2> Whenever I see advances in mining rigs I just hope that someone invents a cryptocurrency where the mining actually does some useful work, like protein folding.

<comment><USER3> Mining does some useful work: it keeps the network secure. So it's not entirely useless. I agree that the proof-of-work could be built on a more useful algorithm rather then simply finding hashes smaller than a certain value.

Remember though that the proof-of-work calculation needs to be hard to generate and also easy to verify. If protein folding isn't easy to verify, it won't work as the basis of a decentralized consensus network such as Bitcoin.

<comment><USER4> Exactly. The cost of all the energy used to mine bitcoins and process transactions needs to be compared to all the financial infrastructure we have in place today. Think of how many much of the financial infrastructure today would disappear if the world operated mostly on Bitcoins. If an when that happens we'll reap enormous savings and it should end up being more environmentally friendly because mining operations do not require locality. It's very easy to put a mining operation in a region/country with access to cheap, renewable energy, whereas lots of our current financial infrastructure is located in places where the energy consumed is dirty and expensive.

I would love to see someone compare the energy costs of our current infrastructure and externalities vs how thing would be if Bitcoin or other compute intensive crypto-currency replaced all that.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> Couple weeks ago these photos from a Hong Kong based mining facility floated up, pretty crazy setup.

[https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=346134.msg3709913#ms...](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=346134.msg3709913#msg3709913)

</comment><comment><USER6> _" Today, all of the machines dedicated to mining Bitcoin have a computing power about 4,500 times the capacity of the United States government's mightiest supercomputer, the IBM Sequoia, according to calculations done by Michael B. Taylor, a professor at the University of California, San Diego."_

This is obviously wrong. Where did it come from?

<comment><USER7> I would guess from Michael B. Taylor, a professor at the University of California, San Diego.

<comment><USER8> And UCSD is home of the San Diego Supercomputing Center (SDSC), a major site for National Science Foundation computing research. So rather than 'obviously wrong' I'd weigh this assessment as 'presumptively right' unless/until other better evidence or testimony is presented.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> I used to hold the opinion that all proof-of-work systems were inherently flawed, because in order to protect against an attacker, you have to waste more resources than the attacker would have gained.

Now I think that in practice, the amount that the attacker could gain might be quite small compared with the total value of the system.

<comment><USER10> It's not that the attacker does _less_ work than the honest parties. Rather, it is that the honest parties must work _at least as hard_ as the attacker. If the attacker devotes a gigawatt, the honest parties must devote a gigawatt to defense.

What I like to say is this: Would you use TLS if that was how it worked?

<comment><USER9> I'm not saying proof-of-work is appropriate in all cases.

To use a more extreme value, a vault containing gold that was protected by proof of work would be useless, since the work required to open it would have to equal the value of the contents in order to discourage thieves.

My point was that in some cases, like bitcoin, it might be possible that the value to the attacker of a successful attack on bitcoin was significant, but still much less than the total worth of bitcoin.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> Not a bad place for a Bitcoin miner. There's cold Arctic air for cooling and cheap geothermal energy for power.

</comment><comment><USER12> Question: If BTC were to disappear overnight, could all these machines be retooled to do something else? Or are they so specifically made that their only possible purpose is coin mining?

<comment><USER3> They can be used to power another decentralized consensus system. Currency is only one application being used on the bitcoin network. If bitcoin dies for whatever reason (political or technical) the hashing power could still be used to secure and build another decentralized consensus network that could have many other functions other than being a currency: such as ways to send stocks, bonds, smart property and so on... in an entirely decentralized manner.

</comment></comment><comment><USER13> We seem to keep finding ways to fuck up the earth for pretty useless and unnecessary reasons. I lol'd at our obvious dumbassness.

<comment><USER14> Bitcoins require mining as a security measure, which is a lot more energy efficient than the security measures for traditional currencies.

<comment><USER10> Here's the difference: banks have every incentive to try to reduce their power consumption, Bitcoin miners have every incentive to increase their power consumption.

<comment><USER15> Not true. Since using more electricity costs more money, bitcoin miners have an incentive to use less electricity. Their incentives are to maximize hashes/s/watt.

<comment><USER16> This is true, but the reward is currently far larger than the electrical consumption, so mining is currently mostly a contest to bring more hardware online.

(kicking CPUs and GPUs out of the contest probably did a lot to lower power consumption, but I wonder if the growth of the network has overshadowed that)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> GPU or ASIC based mining?

<comment><USER18> Bitcoin mining is all ASICs now.</comment></comment>


Show HN: Fav.sh – a bookmark manager with Gist integration - <AUTHOR> A while back I saw a post on ProductHunt from Evernote Design promoting their bookmarks for designers (https://www.evernote.design/). Around the same time, I saw another collection of bookmarks for developers (don't remember what it was exactly but it was just like Evernote Design). At the time I thought it was really cool but it irked me a bit that all these bookmark collections used their own UI or were just thrown up on Github in the form of an awesome list.
I thought to myself, wouldn't it be great if there was a tool that could be used for these bookmarks, rather than having to build a UI to display them. I looked around and while I found several online solutions all had 2 major issues:
1. They were mostly aimed at scrapbooking, emphasizing visual over just displaying the data.
2. All required an account with the app and the app-controlled your data. If the app goes away in the future, so do your bookmarks.
So in response, I created fav.sh. Fav.sh lets you create bookmarks and keep them in your browsers local storage and then lets you either backup/restore your data via JSON upload/download or backing up to Github Gist. I tried to make it as agnostic as possible, opting for bookmarklets to achieve things like adding a bookmark or popping open a mini-window rather than a browser-extension approach. In addition, you can quickly share any created bookmarks.
Check it out if you're interested:
Main Site:
https://fav.sh
App:
https://app.fav.sh
Example of a shared bookmark collection (the guidon the end is a gist ID): https://app.fav.sh/view/ae2c91fda599f907cf157bf45631bccb
I'd love to hear from you guys in ways I can improve it. <comment><USER2> > 1\. They were mostly aimed at scrapbooking, emphasizing visual over just > displaying the data. > 2\. All required an account with the app and the app- > controlled your data. If the app goes away in the future, so do your > bookmarks.

I know that pain, so I've written an open-source tool myself, that is neither of those [1].

I like your approach, except for two things: A single bookmark takes a _lot_ of space. If I have 100+ bookmarks, the scrolling will become really tedious. I'm also missing a search to quickly find a certain bookmark.

[1] [https://darekkay.com/static-marks/](https://darekkay.com/static-marks/)</comment>


Power to the Plaintiff - <AUTHOR> https://medium.com/@JoshuaSchwadron/power-to-the-plaintiff-760137c1769f#.q4a8pc3hd <comment><USER2> This is a tricky problem.

We need to remember what courts are all about. They take someone who is accused of something, and if they decide it is appropriate to do so, then they take away possessions and/or restrict freedom. That is a serious thing to do, particularly since any old person can be accused, whether they did anything wrong or not.

Thus, there are good reasons why the U.S. justice system is all about protecting the defendant. And even if the defendant is a company for whom the situation is all in a day's work, the principles still apply.

So watch out for language like this:

> But plaintiffs — the party who did nothing wrong — do not enjoy comparable > protections.

On the contrary, you do not have to do something wrong to be a defendant. And the plaintiff may very well have done something wrong: false accusations, evidence tampering, etc. This is why we have court cases, and not simply mandated payment when one is at fault.

But the article is right about one thing: there is a problem here.

I wonder a lot why this issue is not solved at the level of judges. Surely, after years as a judge, one can tell when a defendant is BS'ing or needlessly prolonging a case. It seems simple enough to say, "Do this or be found in comtempt." Why isn't that the solution to so many instances of this problem?</comment>


Ask HN: Which Java Web Framework will stand out above others in 2012. - <AUTHOR>

Web has evolved and Java web frameworks are still in the 90's. What does the Hacker community think about which Java Web framework is going to nudge out the rest and really adopted by the masses.
Play is beautiful, Roo is confusing and seems like another me too. Struts, JSF are operating from coffins.
what will survive in 2012 and next few years? <comment><USER2> I think the question is really twofold as Java in the enterprise and Java for the general hacker have very different use cases.

The enterprise space is where java still lives and breathes, and in that area I don't see play making any immediate headway. Spring and JSF will probably remain top candidates. I wouldn't clump JSF with struts just yet, with the release of JEE6 and JSF2 it has gained new traction. I'm no fan though and would love to see Spring dominate.

In the personal hacker space Play is great, but grails is pretty awesome too.

As for the next few years, I think it really depends on how Java 8 is implemented. I think the JDK has a healthy future, but If java remains a part of it will depend on a healthy implementation of closures

</comment><comment><USER3> I have dropped the server side frameworks in favor of Dojo, jQuery and Backbone. I use JAX-RS as my service layer to provide RESTful services to the newer stack. I have seen more and more developers abandoning the server side page frameworks in favor of the JavaScript frameworks and a REST API. JAX-RS with the JPA is a pretty nice set up for developing modern web apps, and I think we will see it's adoption increase for those that elect to use Java for their back end.

<comment><USER4> I'm not the downvoter, but since I hate silent downvotes, this is probably more or less the reason:

This kind of app might be fine on the platforms where it's tested, but tends to have severe performance problems for others. Many of us have had our computers bogged down by very resource-intensive web apps, and this "Do everything on the client" philosophy is a common culprit. Exchanging ~50 ms on the server for ~250 ms on the client can become really user-hostile as you get further from the best-case scenario.

<comment><USER3> Inefficiencies are due to sub standard development practices or non-optimized technology. The fact is the client side frameworks have matured to the point, where if used correctly they can provide the same performance metrics as server frameworks. In some cases they provide patterns that lend themselves to better usability and can actually make the application feel more responsive. While it is true a badly designed server side page does not bog the client machine down, the fact that it is client side does not guarantee that it will bog down the client.

No matter which side of the fence you develop on, if you have a page that is not performing, you have a usability issue and it needs to be addressed. This is less of an issue with the technology and more of an issue with how the technology is being uses or rather misused.

I understand that people are dogmatic about this subject and that is why I received the downvotes, but to ignore the fact that it is the way the web is moving is to ignore a massive trend that is well underway.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> Play! framework is way above anything else I've tried in Java.

<comment><USER6> Rails/django like power, no need for IDE or XML configuration, container-less deploy (or WAR with one command), out of the box things like json rendering, file upload, capcha, better JPA, easy config = Play! is the winner. Version 2.0 with equal support for programming in Scala and Java and Scala-like statically typed html templates will be released around February.

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> My Favorite is thye Wicket framework. After having used JSF , which is a hellhole, I found wicket to be remarkably versatile and powerful. It integrates cleanly with Jquery. DOJO aw well as Spring. It is the only J2EE framework where designers can tweak HTML templates without the programmers having to worry about integrating those changes back.

</comment><comment><AUTHOR> I was hoping to see more responses :). Looks like hacker community already has ditched Java Web frameworks.

I personally like how Play has evolved, but adoption is severely thin. They just got typesafe backing but Spring with the muscle behind it might be able to shove the rest away.

</comment><comment><USER8> JEE</comment>


A Tricky Path to Quantum-Safe Encryption - <AUTHOR> https://www.quantamagazine.org/20150908-quantum-safe-encryption/ <comment><USER2> This stuff is all very interesting but, unless you're a researcher, has no immediate practical impact. What you would almost definitely accomplish by switching from (quantum cryptanalysis vulnerable) Curve25519 to a (supposed quantum safe) lattice or code-based algorithm is shipping something terribly insecure. It took a long time after the deployment of RSA, and an even longer time after ECC, to figure out the fiddly details of implementing it safely.

<comment><USER3> Why would you switch from one to t'other? Why not use both? That way, you get the best of both options that are available today.

<comment><USER4> In terms of usability and compatibility, you get the worst of both worlds. And if we take it as given that current QSE implementations are weak, it's not going to add much security.

<comment><USER3> In the context of PQ crypto, the primary objective is to implement a cryptosystem that is more resistant to cryptanalysis by quantum computer than a non-QSE algorithms like RSA. If that is indeed one's primary objective, usability and compatibility are far lesser concerns.

We can't say for certain whether any cryptosystem will prove to be strong, particularly in the face of a theoretical/hypothetical technology like quantum computing, but it seems logical to assume that, until it is broken, there exists at least some possibility that it will turn out to be strong. There's also the question of how much time must pass or how much analysis must an implementation be subjected to before we can start taking it "as given" that it is no longer weak.

I view this in a very binary fashion: You either care about being post-quantum secure or you don't. If you do, using both cryptosystems will either result in something that is either strongly resistant to cryptanalysis by quantum computer or is no less secure than the non-QSE cryptosystem. Either way, you're no worse off.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> This is an exceedingly good article on the current state of theoretical crypto. I would have liked to see a little more on the new things that we can do with lattices - e.g. obfuscation or homomorphic encryption - because that's really what is motivating a lot of new research.

</comment><comment><USER6> Is any of the lattice-based crypto faster than Bernstein and Peter Schwabe's code-based McBits? So far I've seen quite a few vulnerabilities for lattice- based crypto. They seem riddled with traps, so it could take a very long time before we are "sure" one is safe enough.

[http://binary.cr.yp.to/mcbits.html](http://binary.cr.yp.to/mcbits.html)

<comment><USER7> The problem with McBits is that it has really large keys. For a 128 bit security level you have one megabyte keys. That may be a reasonably conservative secure choice if you want post quantum cryptography today for certain applicatoins. But if you want to use it for something like TLS it's pretty much unusable. The lattice based systems look like they could be made to work in a real-world setting. The problem is of course that cryptographers will tell you that they aren't confident what works and what doesn't and what parameters are secure. And there are patents (both for ntru and parts of rlwe), which the article unfortunately doesn't mention. That's basically a dealbreaker for widespread use.

<comment><USER8> What about [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supersingular_Isogeny_Key_Exch...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supersingular_Isogeny_Key_Exchange), which seems to have reasonably small key sizes and fewer of the problems associated with lattices?</comment></comment></comment>


Choose your Force side – voting via Blockchain : - <AUTHOR> https://chooseyourdestiny.herokuapp.com/ <comment><AUTHOR> Hehe, intergalactic Blockchain voting for side of the Force. May the force be with you!</comment>


Defence of the GPL realm (Interview with Bradley Kuhn) - <AUTHOR> http://www.h-online.com/open/features/Defence-of-the-GPL-realm-1769121.html?view=print

<comment><AUTHOR> in the lwn comments (<https://lwn.net/Articles/529506/>) yet another time someone answers the question on what's the difference to nvidia's and afs' non-gpl kernel modules. (in short: without doubt not derivative works, because they had to be ported to linux).</comment>


Reddit's /r/forhire debates allowing jobs that pay only in Dogecoin - <AUTHOR> http://www.reddit.com/r/forhire/comments/213wy6/mod_post_do_you_want_jobs_that_pay_only_in/

<comment><USER2> Interesting reading the comments. You see the three big reactions people have to crypto-currencies: some people get riled up and are insulted it would even be considered, some people see crypto-currencies as the future and want to see it advanced, and some are pragmatists who view it as just another mode of payment like Paypal.</comment>


How I Hacked My Startup Visa - <AUTHOR> https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0LwotxL3Ql0SUZFU19kWERRVWM/edit?usp=sharing

<comment><USER2> Interesting story, wonder how it works for other countries.</comment>


Julian Assange Unauthorized Biography - <AUTHOR> http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/sep/21/julian-assange-autobiography-published-canongate

<comment><AUTHOR> You almost wonder if the irony of unauthorized release of info in not just an elaborate marketing scheme.</comment>


Ask HN: Would bootcamps for Advance software Engineering skills be useful? - <AUTHOR> Do you think it would be helpful to attend boot camps that offer advanced software engineering skills?<p>Conference workshops, hands-on sessions, hackathons, etc. are too short for anyone to learn advanced skills. <comment><USER2> Yes, absolutely. Some of us need structure to learn; and not all jobs provide the opportunity to continue to learn and level up. And for many whose employers have training budgets, it would be a justifiable and subsidized expense.

I for one would jump at the chance to attend a 1-2 week full time or 3-month evening devops bootcamp in NYC.

</comment><comment><USER3> Although it sounds less structured than this, I'm reminded of the Recurse Center: [https://www.recurse.com/](https://www.recurse.com/)

</comment><comment><USER4> Advanced, like what exactly?

<comment><AUTHOR> Focusing on Software Engineering principles, Software Architecture, DevOps engineering, etc.</comment></comment>


Granting Creative License  - <AUTHOR> http://upandrunning.bplans.com/2011/06/06/granting-creative-license/

<comment><AUTHOR> Joel Nielsen, founder of MediaShark, LLC, writes about overcoming the challenges of giving someone else creative control of a project. Have you had this challenge?</comment>


How to survive a lynching - <AUTHOR> https://www.buzzfeed.com/syreetamcfadden/how-to-survive-a-lynching <comment><USER2> .. confused by the title?

> Yet, just as Cameron prepared for the end, someone spoke up. In Cameron's > retelling, a voice "rose above the deafening roar of the mob," speaking > "sharp and crisp, like bells ringing out on a clear, cold winter day." The > voice — "feminine" and "sweet" — delivered a simple instruction: "Take this > boy back. He had nothing to do with any raping or killing."

i think it should be 'how to stop a lynching: speak out against hate'

<comment><USER3> Seems like that should read 'speak up for the innocent'.

I only say that because the word 'hate' gets thrown around a lot where it's neither accurate nor appropriate. Hate is an obsession level feeling that consumes a person. When people throw around the word, they lessen its meaning which causes people to dismiss it (and the person using it) when they hear it.

Certainly, in the case of a lynching, using the word would be more appropriate so don't take my comment as direct at you in particular but more at just the overall internet's use of the word.

<comment><USER4> This is so wrong. See, it did not matter whether or not the person was innocent. What mattered was that you don't take the law into your own hands.

And that person did speak up, but only after two people were already killed without any form of due process.

<comment><USER3> According to the story it mattered that somebody stood up and DECLARED his innocence. If the mob was just up for killing black people (aka - hate) there would be no reason for that to stop them. The mob was out for what they perceived as some deranged form of justice.

It's totally indefensible on all counts regardless. My comment was only around the use of the word "hate".

<comment><USER5> I see no reason why hate is not an appropriate term for that animating force which is compelling a mob towards vigilante action against a perceived wrongdoer -- a perception certainly rooted in racial bias. In order to get to the point where a lynching is possible, a person who cares about justice, law, order etc must convince themselves of the victim's guilt beyond all doubt. If the victim is already nearly subhuman to you, it's much easier to convince yourself that there's no moral risk in making the wrong judgment.

Just think about it from your own perspective: how certain would you have to be of someone else's guilt before you would feel comfortable attending their impromptu execution? If some neighbor came to you and said "we're gonna kill this guy, I heard he raped someone," you certainly would pass on that, if not stand up against it.

If we take away the hatred, what you appear to be saying here is that lynchings are well-meaning attempts at justice, which are inappropriately realized. This is silly, at least, to anyone familiar with the history of lynchings.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> If not for that one lady speaking up the story would have ended quite differently. Mobs are _very_ scary. Still, if not for recognizing his customer he'd have gone through with the robbery and he did give the gun back to the murderers.

Strange how the claim of 'rape' apparently is what set off the crowd to lynch, but the murder apparently was not nearly seen as being as heavy.

Surreal how there are people smiling in that photograph with the corpses hanging.

<comment><USER6> > Strange how the claim of 'rape' apparently is what set off the crowd to > lynch, but the murder apparently was not nearly seen as being as heavy.

It's not that strange - people in the US are much less tolerant of sexual violence than other forms. Rape is just more abhorred than murder.

Consider how there is a sex offender registry, but not a registry for those committing attempted murder or assault.

Also note how shows like Game of Thrones have 100x more murders than rapes, but the rapes invariably cause a public outcry. The murders on the other hand are just business as usual.

Not just in the US, either. Accusations of rape are a major factor in the migrant crisis in Europe, after the apparent mass sexual assaults on New Year's Eve and other instances.

<comment><USER7> "Rape is just more abhorred than murder."

I fail to see how this is true, unless you're only speaking about cultural depictions. The incidence of rape is double that of murder in the US.

[http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=311](http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=311)

[http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5366](http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5366)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> I often wonder what happens to the people in these types of photographs. Who are all these onlookers? Somebody must recognize them as their mother/father or grandmother/grandfather. Do they regret what they did or do they just remember it as something that happened "back then"?

</comment><comment><USER3> It's in hearing stories like this that we should better understand how brave men like this really were: [http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/crime- courts/2013-08-17/10...](http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/crime- courts/2013-08-17/100-years-ago-sc-sheriff-stared-down-1000-man-mob-save- black-inmate)

</comment><comment><USER9> The modern lynching is online. It very rarely results in murder, but it's the same behavior and motivation IMHO and it ruins lives.

<comment><USER10> you just need to read up on stories like the donglegate fiasco to show just how badly an online lynching can be for everyone involved.

</comment></comment><comment><USER11> It's scary how close we are as a society to this kind of a thing.

</comment><comment><USER12> What should be a crime is conflating mob justice with racism.

</comment><comment><USER13> So at best, assuming he was telling the full truth, he was part of a group who murdered someone in an attempt to rob them. He even had the gun.

Exactly how was he pardoned?

</comment><comment><USER14> Physical lynching is relatively common in India. And online lynch mob is responsible for a few suicides in western countries as well.

<comment><USER15> I would say that "online lynch mob" is not possible. There's a big difference between being consistently and doggedly harassed, and being physically murdered by a vicious mob.

<comment><USER16> By term "physical lynching" doesn't make sense. The act of lynching is physical in and of itself.

<comment><USER17> Its redundant, but that doesn't mean it doesn't make sense.

<comment><USER18> Right, it's redundant. Like this comment.</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment>


The Real Story Behind Jeff Bezos's Fire Phone Debacle - <AUTHOR> http://www.fastcompany.com/3039887/under-fire

<comment><USER2> Great read !</comment>


Ask HN: I have no use for these domains.. you can have em, if you want them. - <AUTHOR>

I have a few domains I planned on using for various projects but I changed focus and really don't need them anymore.
They aren't horrible names (IMHO) so I thought I'd ask on here, in case anyone wanted them. Otherwise, I'll just let them expire.
They are:
smartforces.com|.net|.org|.info wickedforces.com|.net|.org|.info songcrush.com|.net|.org|.info
email me if you're interested: kinimat at gmail.com <comment><USER2> the smartforces one would be good for an intelligent crowdsourcing venture...something like Mechanical Turk but with higher-level, vetted workers.</comment>


This Is the Biggest Mistake a Young Entrepreneur Can Make - <AUTHOR> https://medium.com/@garyvee/this-is-the-biggest-mistake-a-young-entrepreneur-can-make-448ba2df43ef

<comment><USER2> Would you agree that the TL;DR of this is ultimately, since things are so easy right now, you won't learn skills that you pick up only when things are less easy?

Not sure where I see the mistake. Sort of reads like its a mistake to not get experience from having things go badly?

How would you fix? The bullet points at the bottom, like "build good products" are pretty vague and don't really give the reader much.

I can't imagine some of these younger entrepreneurs don't want to "build good products" and "building teams", even if they have a lot to learn in those departments with regards to weathering bad times.

</comment><comment><USER3> I think the biggest mistake is to let guys like him step up and tell everyone vague generic tips on how to avoid failure. Even if he has some good points. This is a symptom of a hype where people are just talking instead of doing.</comment>


Ask HN: Senior Devs – how much time per week do you spend programming? - <AUTHOR> How many hours per week do you reckon you spend programming - whether its a side project, or learning a new library/framework?<p>Trying to get a pulse on how much Senior engineers spend (1) working on side projects, and (2) learning new technical skills. <comment><USER2> Before asking this note the following: The most senior engineer(s) should be on the least important projects. That leaves the second best to lead the important things thus growing to be the best. It also means that anyone on any project can interrupt without worry about the cost to flow: if their interruptions mean the senior engineer didn't get their project done nobody cares. In the end you are more useful as a 10x programmer who never writes code, but allows a dozen 7x programmers perform at a 9x level than if you were heads down as a lone 10x programmer.

The above is sometimes my only comfort...</comment>


Never-Before-Seen Alien Planet Imaged Directly in New Photo - <AUTHOR> http://www.space.com/21395-alien-planet-direct-image.html <comment><USER2> Images like this never got me excited about space as a kid. But I remember the first time I saw the images from Pathfinder, and it blew my mind:

[http://www-k12.atmos.washington.edu/k12/mars/nasa_jpl_mpf_pi...](http://www-k12.atmos.washington.edu/k12/mars/nasa_jpl_mpf_pics.html)

It's very weird, because on the face of it, it just looks like desert. But then you remember you are looking at the surface of a _totally different planet_.

<comment><USER3> This doesn't leave you awestruck? <http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0803/lh95_hst_big.jpg>

I remember looking at that picture a while ago and thinking that it sucks that we'll never get to visit any of those million/billion/unlimited planets. Maybe in 1000 years they will be able to jump between planets with ease, but I don't think anyone alive today will ever be able to set foot on anything except Earth, the Moon, and Mars.

<comment><USER2> Honestly? No. It doesn't. It's very pretty, but it's very abstract. The fact that hidden in there somewhere is a planet very similar to the one I know and love isn't apparent. Yes, I am capable of imagining such things, but it's a pipe dream compared to actual photos of a real landing.

<comment><USER3> I might be wrong, but I don't think those are individual planets. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but all of those represent solar systems, and that means that each one has the possibility to have at least one planet orbiting it with conditions similar to Earth.

Yes, it's a pipe dream, but 150 years ago, so was a metal vehicle (of weight ranging from 50 pounds to hundreds of tons) that can go 100 MPH by filling it up with oil/coal/hydrogen/corn juice/electricity, or bombs that can go to the other side of the planet and detonate with a force destructive enough to melt large cities instantly.

Instant learning requires pretty abstract thinking but it's being done today.

We're just beginning to under the basics of quantum physics, who knows what possibilities that field will open up.

Nanobots and terminator style machines are pretty close to being reality.

Artificial intelligence (and whatever awesome abilities come with that) is almost a reality.

Our current and incomplete understanding of physics (and quantum physics) only SUGGEST that we absolutely can't jump between stars with ease, so it might not be 100% a pipe-dream.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> Holy bad user interface Batman! Here's a direct link to the picture.

The planet is the blue dot on the bottom left. They removed the light from this star, which is the photoshopped "star" in the middle.

[http://i.space.com/images/i/000/029/551/original/exoplanet-h...](http://i.space.com/images/i/000/029/551/original/exoplanet- hd-95086-b.jpg?1370033710)

<comment><USER5> it's sad to see the kind of Ads science sites have to show.

<comment><USER6> space.com is particularly cheesy in this regard. I stopped visiting voluntarily (sometimes I get click jacked there)

<comment><USER7> I don't see adds on science.com thanks to AddBlock. I'm guessing this is what makes the UI work for fine for me.

<comment><USER8> Ad-blocking on the internet is kind of like recycling. Sure, it doesn't matter if _you_ do it, but if everyone did it we'd all be fucked.

<comment><USER9> Do you mean kind of like the inverse of recycling, or does recycling have some dark secret that I'm blissfully unaware of?

<comment><USER10> There is some conspiracy theory that recycling is actually a lie and is somehow more environmentally harmful than regular garbage. This is based on... well I don't know who comes up with this crazy shit really.

Or there's (some) Libertarians who think recycling is anti-free-market. Rand must've hated separating her trash or something.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> Go to the original ESO page instead of this retread teeming with hideous advertisements:

<http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1324/>

</comment><comment><USER12> I'm curious how close we are to being able to image planets to detect unnatural light. Searching for alien light pollution from planets found by Kepler would be pretty neat.

<comment><USER13> I once listened to a lecture/book from Neil deGrasse Tyson and he mentioned that for distanced over 500 lightyears, it is pretty much impossible to see any kind of artificial light from a planet. The telescope would have to be kilometers in diameter. I think the main problem is the local star and its brightness.

Similar information: [http://www.space.com/13514-alien-city-artificial-lights- extr...](http://www.space.com/13514-alien-city-artificial-lights- extraterrestrial-planets.html)

Interesting question regarding telescope limits: [http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/17881/is- there-a-...](http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/17881/is-there-a- limit-to-the-resolving-power-of-a-mirror-telescope/18276#18276)

<comment><USER14> Is building a Kilometer sized telescopes really that difficult? What about a formation of satellites.

Impossible is a pretty strong word to use for something that is possible but economically infeasible given current technology. I'd be curious to NDT reasoning on the subject.

<comment><USER15> There have been a bunch of proposals for telescope satellite arrays and there are a few in progress like ARReST at Caltech & Surrey (which uses cube sats)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER16> Okay I'm trying to understand exactly what we're looking at. So apparently the star has been blacked out in order to see the exoplanet which is on the lower left. It says here that the blue circle is the size of Neptune's orbit around the sun:

<http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1324a/>

But how big is the star in relation to this? Is the star the size of the blue circle or is it smaller like the size of the white flash shape in the middle? If it's the size of the blue circle, that's a REALLY close orbit for a planet. If the star is the size of the white flash shape in the middle, that makes more sense, except that the star looks almost the same size as the planet.

<comment><USER17> I would imagine that both the star and the planet if actually shown properly 'to scale' in the image would be tiny pin pricks. What you would see if you were 'standing there' is quite different to what you see in the image.

The fact that the planet and star appear much larger is probably caused by a few factors - firstly the planet is probably only taking up a few pixels on the telescopes CCD - The image has been enlarged and post processed.

Secondly the telescope will be affected by diffraction which means you will not get a proper single tiny point of light and instead will get something like this: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Airy-pattern.svg>

Finally you need to deal with all the air that the light has to travel through before hitting the telescopes CCD - this will distort the final image, like looking at the bottom of a pond through ripples.

</comment></comment><comment><USER18> I wonder if anyone ever peers back at us as intensely as we peer out.

<comment><USER19> It seems unlikely that they would be peering in a way we would expect, considering that out of the billion-year history of life on a given planet, 100 years ago we weren't looking at all and 100 years from now we may be looking in entirely new ways.

<comment><USER20> I think "a way we would expect" would be kind of precluded by the fact that, if something were looking back, it probably would've had to develop or evolve some sort of perception/method of observation that we don't have access to, otherwise we'd have a much easier time accomplishing said feat. :)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER21> See also: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Worlds_Mission> a proposed $3B space-based occluder, to be used to directly image exoplanets with space-based telescopes.

</comment><comment><USER22> I guess I'm the only one who read that as "Alien Plant" - I was excited to see that space.com was posting about alien life!

</comment><comment><USER23> is it my eyes or the image has some filament structure?

<comment><USER24> It could also be an artifact of the image reconstruction technique. It may be able to suppress high-spatial-frequency noise (salt-and-pepper) but not low- spatial-frequency noise (for example).

Or, the algorithm may introduce artifacts due to modeling errors (say, imperfectly suppressing scattered light from the main star).

Like the structures that you see in sonograms or some CT images.</comment></comment>