Google Reader announced its shutdown exactly a year ago - <AUTHOR> http://blog.newsblur.com/post/79491002325/google-reader-announced-its-shutdown-exactly-a-year-ago <comment><USER2> Immediately after reading this post I thought: "Damn, I use them for half a year and I'm really happy, I should support them" and went to website to upgrade to premium and... I couldn't find it! It was hidden as 4th option from top menu under small settings cogwheel on bottom. Instead of all those useless (for me) statistics on front page you should put a small note like "Like us? Go premium!" to remind us that making something great needs support.

<comment><USER3> The entire frontpage should be A/B-tested with some conversion experts. There is a lot of room for improvement if you look at the CTA's, buttons, comparison between free and premium, etc.

<comment><USER4> I agree. If I stumbled on the Newsblur landing page, I wouldn't have even recognized it as a replacement for Google Reader.

For instance, my eyes end on "Training". I now get that the software can be trained, but at first you wonder if Newsblur offers training.

I also expect the pricing is too low. RSS is no longer mass market, but the people who use it tend to use it professionally. I will pay a LOT for something business critical that works well.

As an aside, anything that is a business expense can be 50% higher, assuming a 33% average tax rate. You must earn $150 to buy a $100 consumer good, but only $100 to buy a $100 business item.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> Hey HN, NewsBlur's founder here. Just wanted to clear up a misconception about revenue.

1\. The revenue (income/expenses) graph shows 16 months, not 12. Cut it off at March 2013 and you'll see a much healthier picture of NewsBlur's revenue.

2\. Expenses are where they are because I let them get there. Notice that it's over 2/3rds payroll and subcontractors. That means it's all being invested back into NewsBlur. If I had to, I could easily cut down expenses, but then I wouldn't be building a better reader. I'm paying myself and my few subcontractors a healthy salary, which means we are sustainable at this rate.

And even with expenses where they are, as I've seen somebody do the math, revenue (which is recurring and will spike this month) far outpaces expenses. I don't show the dollar figures here, but there's enough in profit to hire a full-time engineer, which is something I plan to do with that secret project I alluded to at the end.

<comment><USER6> I'd month-normalize this chart. Otherwise it looks to support the opposite conclusion of what you are trying to say.

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> > all the air sucked out by Google

I don't think that's fair.

Google Reader was Blockbuster Video. It lacked the personality of all of the RSS Aggregators (aka mom'n'pop rental stores), but it looked nice, it had most of what you were looking for, and the price was fair (lol). But it was a giant, faceless and unchanging monolith.

Well, the brick and mortar rental DVD market is dead. And so is the cloud RSS aggregator market. Is it Blockbuster's fault that DVD rental died? No. It got replaced by better things. Netflix, Amazon Instant, Hulu+...

Cloud RSS Aggregation sure felt nice, but as a business, I'm not convinced it was at all sustainable. Being an inherently read-only medium, where you have to maintain a huge library of content to be useful, is shaky ground to me.

We like the technical idea of RSS, but we all read Facebook, Reddit, and HN. Why is that?

<comment><USER8> I think it's entirely fair. They came into a thriving market and killed it with a subsidized product pushed by an enormous brand. And then they did nothing with it.

I read Facebook and HN, but I subscribe to Newsblur because there are other good ways to get news. To me, Newsblur is the text equivalent of my podcast app: My tool for paying attention to particular sources and making sure I don't miss anything. Podcasts are also an inherently read-only medium, and just like newsreaders, people making podcasting apps don't really have to maintain a huge library of anything; it's the podcasters who do that.

<comment><USER7> If I understand you correctly, big-brand companies shouldn't introduce new products in thriving markets.

Or if they do, they shouldn't get to subsidize them.

Or if they do, they have to switch to profitable or exit the market really quickly, so as to not screw up the market.

Or if they aren't profitable, they have to just keep adding features and hope to one day get profitable.

I honestly don't get what people think Google should do. I mean, people are PISSED at Google over Google Reader shutting down. WHY? Companies fail with their products, all the time.

<comment><USER8> If you keep taking a single point and drawing a line through it, you'll regularly fail to understand people.

I think Google Reader should have either a) taken their product seriously, or b) shut it down as soon as they decided it wasn't a priority.

Put another way, Google should have recognized much earlier that their giant presence means that they can accidentally ruin markets and done the responsible thing. The more power you have, the more responsibility you have.

<comment><USER7> If you don't understand the consequences of your argument, people will regularly complain that your argument makes no sense.

They spent large amounts of money preparing and operating Google Reader. There is no other way they could possibly prove to you that they took it more seriously, short of throwing MORE good money after bad.

They watched the growth curves, they added features (reader.google.com/play for one), they integrated with other products (Buzz), they waited for new products to be released and integrated with them as well (Google+).

At some point, they decided to leave the market.

Or they should have shut it down sooner? Before they added those features, before they integrated with other products, before the other products were released and before they integrated with them?

Taking it seriously = more time, more money.

Shutting down sooner = less time, less money.

It's apparently OBVIOUS to you exactly how much money they should have spent on it, how they should have prioritized their new features and integrations, and the precise date at which they should have shut down.

And it's so obvious to other people, that they get ultra pissed about it, and abandon all other Google products out of spite.

I wish I had your crystal ball.

<comment><USER8> Do you find that being a dick generally makes you more persuasive? Because it isn't working for me here.

Google Reader was well known within Google as an orphan project for a long time. Years before they shut it I was chatting with some Googler and Reader game up. He mentioned how impressive it was that it was still alive given how starved for resources it had been. I think he said that it was just one guy. And here's Reader's creator in 2011 acknowledging it was understaffed: [http://massless.org/?p=174](http://massless.org/?p=174)

So yes, they should have shut it down way sooner rather than starving it. That was irresponsible both internally (because it's a management failure) and externally (because they were harming a market that they weren't serious about).

<comment><USER7> I'm sorry I thought you started it, when you claimed that I was too stupid to understand you.

> He mentioned how impressive it was that it was still alive given how starved > for resources it had been.

Everyone's pet-project is understaffed. That's how passionate people will always describe their favorite projects.

If you divide man-hours by revenue, you'll note that Google Reader was getting pretty close to infinite resources.

> rather than starving it.

Most, if not all, RSS aggregators don't DREAM of having the software tooling, crawling and storage resources, DevOps, and visibility that Google Reader had.

I say again, I wish I had your crystal ball for the correct amount of resources, and the correct amount of time to spend on a project.

It's pretty easy to armchair quarterback, though.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> I don't quite get what is he trying to communicate here. The graph shows that there was some profit during the last summer but since then the income has failed to pay for the expenses. The text reads partially like a post-mortem of a failed project, partially like that of a success. Is he happy or not?

For the record, I'm a happy NewsBlur subscriber and will definitely renew my subscription.

<comment><USER10> They'll hit another spike when users from the google reader shutdown renew their yearly subscriptions.

<comment><USER11> I think a bit of buzz around renewal time is good. The best new signups come from referrals, and the best time for referrals is shortly after a customer has made the decision to pay for the service.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> Since NewsBlur's pricing model seems to built on annual recurring payments, It would seem that the interesting part of that graph is hidden just off to the right.

How many of those panicked conversions are going to stick with the service, now that all the excitement has died down and they've had a whole year to really make up their mind as to whether a newsreader is something they need to be paying for.

Here's hoping the answer is yes. Looking forward to a followup in a few months time!

<comment><USER13> Speaking only for myself, I know they lost me as a customer primarily because the system was buggy at the time they launched and promoted themselves on HN. I know there wasn't much time to respond to Reader's shutdown, but it just reminded me that when you get that first burst of traffic, you better be sure you can retain the folks you get.

<comment><USER5> No kidding it was buggy. But a year of work has moved NewsBlur far ahead. It's quite stable now. And it's the fastest reader on the market. That's why I graph average load times on the dashboard. The re-design also didn't launch until May, so your first impression last year will be quite different than this year.

<comment><USER14> Is it better than feedspot?

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER15> I've been really, really happy with Inoreader (It's free). They just revamped their UI too! Link: [http://beta.inoreader.com/](http://beta.inoreader.com/)

<comment><USER16> Their page shows no examples of the app itself, and no demos. Everything seems to be hidden behind a registration. That's incredibly unfortunate.

</comment></comment><comment><USER17> As someone who joined news blur after the reader shutdown, I hate to say it, but this seemed inevitable. The design was incredibly confusing (not to mention hideous) and there were so many options nested in so many menus that any time I needed to change something I could never find the option. I switched to feedbin since it had some semblance of design, was easy to understand and synced with many more apps.

Also, I was credited three free years for being an early adopter and I suspect many others were as well, so I really doubt a big revenue bump anytime soon.

<comment><USER18> Check out [https://kouio.com](https://kouio.com) if you're looking for something visually clean and simple.

<comment><USER19> Yeah, I'm really enjoying Kouio. Even the very Mac-style UI has stopped bothering me. Still a few missing features around the feeds list sidebar, but nothing critical.

I really wish they'd start charging for it.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER20> I wish them good luck, but I'm happy to have gone with Fever and hosting my reader on my own.

I am more and more glad that self-hosting alternatives for applications I use exist. For me, the compromise between the technical challenge to install your own app vs. paying to have it installed shifts towards self-hosting almost every day.

<comment><USER21> NewsBlur is open source and you can set up a self-hosted version of it as well. See [https://github.com/samuelclay/NewsBlur](https://github.com/samuelclay/NewsBlur)

<comment><USER22> It's a bit of a hassle to set it up correctly though (I'm not complaining or anything. It just is, compared to other hosted options. I love the fact that it's open source)

<comment><USER23> Is it possible to use the iOS/Android NewsBlur apps with a custom set up server?

<comment><USER22> I don't use them, so I'm not sure. They are open source [1] so in the worst case, you could still make them work with a bit fiddling I guess.

[1]: [https://github.com/samuelclay/NewsBlur/tree/master/clients/](https://github.com/samuelclay/NewsBlur/tree/master/clients/)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER24> > Why spend all that money on subcontractors and new tools? Because I'm > investing in building an even better news reader.

Do people want a "better" news reader? I feel this would be profitable if you stopped wasting so much money.

<comment><USER25> Not to mention, are there that many people that even write blogs anymore, or is there maybe another more modern use for news readers that I'm not aware of?

<comment><USER26> There are thousands upon thousands of people who write blogs on wordpress.com, Blogger, and even older sites like LiveJournal and Xanga. Not to mention all the technically inclined folks who run their own with self-hosted WordPress, Jekyll, and friends.

The number of blog producers doesn't even need to be that large (relatively speaking) in order for a newsreader to be beneficial to blog consumers. Say that there were 10,000 blogs in the world. If you were interested in more than ten or so, it would be a hassle to visit each one on a regular basis to check for updates.

And yes, RSS is used beyond just blogs. Mainstream news sites often publish RSS feeds of their categories. News aggregator sites like HN tend to have RSS feeds as well.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER27> My initial reaction upon seeing the chart was that NewsBlur would be shutting down because of dropping income, but the chart period is only up until the Google Reader announcement to shut down. NewsBlur seems to be doing well, and that's great!

<comment><USER28> This confused me, but I think it's because annual subscription revenue was recognized in the month of the payment.

<comment><USER29> Exactly. If people renew there should be another peak about now. I have been happy with Newsblur so I have just renewed my subscription.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER30> As a satisfied newsblur user, I'm hoping that there will be another peak in April when all the people who joined last year renew their yearly subscriptions. Otherwise this doesn't look sustainable to me.

</comment><comment><USER31> I have stopped consuming news through RSS readers because no one organize can produce quality work on a consistent basis. With limited amount of time I need a system that would tell me newsworthiness of an item. I have come to a conclusion that crowdsourced news is the best form of news reading. I have been slowly trying to read all my news on Google+, HN, and Reddit.

<comment><USER8> What this misses for me is solid pieces that aren't hugely popular.

There are a number of sources that I don't want to miss. This includes things that friends write. But the ones I really treasure are the people who are interesting alternative voices, the ones who in 5 years time might turn out to have been 5 years ahead of everybody else.

If you read what everybody else is reading, you'll only know what everybody else knows.

<comment><USER31> I tend to fall into I-have-to-follow-everything-category stealing time that I could spend creating stuff that other folks might have not imagined.

<comment><USER8> Yeah, that's a risk. It's not a big problem for me now, but then my must-read category is pretty small.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><AUTHOR> I should mention I'm one of the happy NewsBlur users who jumped ship from Google Reader, and I'm definitely going to renew my subscription.

</comment><comment><USER32> My favourite aggregator Feedbin had its 1st birthday a few days ago. [http://blog.feedbin.com/2014/03/11/feedbins-first- year/](http://blog.feedbin.com/2014/03/11/feedbins-first-year/)

</comment><comment><USER33> I don't get it? what windfall is he speaking of and he never addressed why he will continue even though it's loss making.

<comment><USER34> Well if those were annual payments it might be profitable spread over the whole year (my visual integration skills can't quite tell) and there should be another massive spike just about to start as all those people renew their subscriptions.

<comment><USER26> My subscription to Newsblur just auto-renewed. :-)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER35> _and in a world of casual readers who don't care where their news is coming from so long as it's in their interests and matches their biases, NewsBlur is the coffee equivalent of the AeroPress._

What rot. Using an RSS reader doesn't magically free you from your own biased news sources. If anything, it insulates you more into your own bubble.

<comment><USER8> He's not saying RSS readers magically free you from your own biases news sources. What he's pointing at is people's indifference to source as long as it's comfortable. That's in contrast to a newsreader, where you hand-select your sources.

I think the group he's talking about includes people who get all their news from one comfortable source and those who get all their news socially, which is also generally comfortable.

Hand-selecting sources for a feed reader doesn't guarantee that you'll end up with stuff that doesn't match your biases. In my case, though, I specifically include sources that are solid ones but that don't match my biases. So an RSS reader at least makes that possible.

</comment></comment><comment><USER36> I just have to tag on this post and mention the replacement that I stuck with: [http://goread.io](http://goread.io)

It's open-source with a free hosted service. It works really well for me. I have been very impressed with the progress since inception and am subscribed to a monthly donation.

<comment><USER37> I'm going to write a similar year-in-review story for goread.io.

</comment></comment><comment><USER38> With Reader's departure my Google use has dropped 50-90%. I don't think it was the best move.

</comment><comment><USER39> One thing I really miss since google reader shutdown is a cross-platform (including Windows & Linux) native reader with ability to sync. I used to use RSSOwl. If any of the premium RSS services could support this I'd subscribe in a heartbeat.

<comment><USER40> What do you expect from a native desktop app as opposed to web app? I think most of it could be done via extension(s) over existing web reader. Notifications, offline mode, what else is there?

<comment><USER41> Responsiveness. Newsblur takes about five seconds to respond sometimes, and can't buffer any feeds for offline use.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER42> I'm very interested to see the absolute expenses and income. Since server hosting is very cheap these days, they are probably not making a lot of money? Or they are paying too much for hosting?

<comment><USER43> RSS readers are quite resource intensive. They need to continuously update feeds (even when you're not using the site) and when you reading they need to remember each post you've read. It's write heavy load that most databases do not handle well. So you need to shard and use more servers even with comparatively small number of users.

</comment></comment><comment><USER44> I'm a premium newsblur user and it feels slow and sluggish (with +/\- 800 feeds and about 10k unreads right now), and I really wish it had search, but I'm sticking with it for now.

<comment><USER43> Try bazqux [https://bazqux.com](https://bazqux.com) quite fast and has search.

<comment><USER45> I'll forgive your self promotion because I've been trying it for the last thirty minutes and I like it very much. Good job.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER46> I misread the headline, and thought it was saying NewsBlur is shutting down one year after Google Reader.

I used NewsBlur for a while, but didn't like the UI. I switched to InoReader.com, and love it.

</comment><comment><USER47> I really wanted prismatic to be the replacement for google reader, but after a year with it I still feel like I have lots of unmet needs.

</comment><comment><USER48> what's funny is i remember last year, crying and moaning about the google reader shutdown and scrambling to find a new newsreader. never really found one that fit the bill like google reader did.

its been a year now and i honestly don't miss google reader one bit. HN has become my news readers now :)

</comment><comment><USER49> and I havent missed it a single day. I'm sure 98% of google's users feel the same.

</comment><comment><USER50> how much is worth the peak?

<comment><USER40> If my calculations are correct (done by paint.net, so...) the income/expenses for that period are about 185/139\. So the peak managed to cover all expenses and more.

</comment></comment><comment><USER51> I wish there were a newsreader that looked good without the fancy algorithms, like a newsblur without the terrible UI. Like the old Google Reader</comment>


Netdata, the FOSS real-time performance and health monitoring released v1.10 - <AUTHOR> https://github.com/firehol/netdata/releases <comment><USER2> I use netdata on a single server at work, and it is great. However, I wish it had a easy way to downsample historic stats and save them somewhere for analysis. Say per sec stats for one hour, + optional per min stats saved as a file loaded on demand, + per hour stats for a week stored as a file load able on demand, and so on. That would make it incredibly more useful.</comment>


Defining New LaTeX Macros - <AUTHOR> https://olivierpieters.be/blog/2016/09/09/defining-new-latex-macros.html <comment><USER2> Nice intro to making writing in latex easier. Some other good stuff about latex on this blog too.</comment>


World's fastest supercomputer unveiled in China - <AUTHOR> http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-10/28/chinese-supercomputer <comment><USER3> While this will probably cause a certain amount of hand-wringing in the US, it's nothing to be too concerned about. The bragging rights for "World's Fastest Computer" are pretty cheap, even cheaper than the bragging rights for "World's Tallest Building", so you can expect 'em both to be fought over by secondary countries with something to prove.

All I know about supercomputers based on GPUs is that they're very cheap, very theoretically fast, and very hard to program for effectively. Any experts in here who can enlighten us?

<comment><USER4> I work in an HPC facility. We are all a bit skeptical of LINPACK running on a hybrid system.

LINPACK in general is an interesting benchmark. We recently bought a new cluster. We were faced with an interesting decision. Get 4,000 cores with Infiniband, giving us a spot on the top500 list (We've been on there for the past 5 years) or get a 6,000 cores with gigabit ethernet, losing our spot on the top500. (We get %90 of our theoretical max over infiniband. Gigabit drops that down to 50%). We did a survey among our users and very few of them ran multinode jobs. Most used 8 or 12 threads, which runs fine on a dual socket hex core westmere. So we dropped infiniband. So even though we technically have a slower cluster than we could have had, we have more efficient utilization and are able to offer our users more resources.

Since very few comercial applications can currently take advantage of a hybrid system, it seems to me this cluster was built with the top500 in mind, rather than being efficiently used. As far as useful results, I wouldn't be surprised if it only accomplished 2 or 3 times what we do, and we're a 10,000 core shop that probably won't be on the next top500.

</comment></comment><comment><USER5> Adding GPUs seems a no-brainer in retrospect. Have top500 institutions outside China been trying this approach?

Except one thing. Until recently GPUs have only done single-precision calculations. Double precisions has been added with the latest architectures but double is, I believe, still very slow. So this means that single precision results are sufficient for the top500 tests as well as the particular applications (in the Tianhe's case: weather and oil exploration)?

<comment><USER6> Double precision is half the speed of single precision on the GPUs used here (GF100).

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> This list and China's place on it are both irrelevant for the following reasons:

1\. Any entrant that extensively relies on GPU's for its performance should not even be on the list or at least appear with an asterisk. The "G" in GPU does not stand for general. Consequently this machine is principally applicable to specific problem sets that are designed to take advantage of the processing power provided by the GPU.

2\. Primary attention in the supercomputing space has shifted focus from using pure flops as a metric to flops per watt as the primary concern. Beyond that, focus has also shifted towards interconnect technology to keep all those flops well fed with data.

Just like the Chinese to be a few steps behind the thought leaders but front and center for biggest and most easily duplicated.

</comment><comment><USER8> In this age of clustered, load-balanced, plain-old-computers in racks, who cares about a "supercomputer"?

I'm sure Google could claim to have the largest "computer" if they wanted to, or if the definition of "supercomputer" were stretched a bit.

</comment><comment><USER9> "hurricane and tsunami modeling, cancer research, car design, even studying the formation of galaxies"

Yeah, I only use bittorrent to download linux distros as well.

</comment><comment><USER10> "Car design"? So that means when they start selling Cherry Motors cars over here they might meet federal safety standards on the first try?

<comment><USER3> It's called Chery, and... no, probably not.

</comment></comment><comment><USER11> Very cool, and good on China for developing this. However, I would imagine that it matters less in the modern era of distributed computing how powerful the biggest computer is, but how powerful the biggest group of computers is. Isn't folding@home up to about 6 petaflops now?

<comment><USER12> Even in the "modern era", most interesting apps can't run on F@H.

</comment></comment><comment><USER13> See also:

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1843248>

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1841807>

<comment><USER3> Since neither of those has any comments yet, I'm prepared to declare _this_ the official thread.

<comment><USER13> There's another one here:

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1844338>

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> I think uses those Loongson MIPS processors.

Edit: According to the PCMag article they're Xeon processors.

<comment><USER14> One of the articles mentioned they may try to move THIS machine over to the Chinese made processors in the future.

<comment><USER10> Yeah, I just finished the Business Week article which also stated that the interconnects are currently a Chinese design.

<comment><USER15> Anybody can go out and buy 10,000 CPUs/GPUS and put them in a box - <USER2> interconnects are the clever part.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER16> What is the operating system they run on this super computer? GNU/Linux?</comment>


Best Firefox Add-ons of 2013 - <AUTHOR> https://blog.mozilla.org/theden/2013/12/04/13-best-firefox-add-ons-of-2013/ <comment><USER2> A few less-popular addons:

[https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/findbar- tweak...](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/findbar-tweak/) replicates the scrollbar find result highlights you see in Chrome and IDEA

[https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/mozilla- archi...](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/mozilla-archive- format/) saves pages to .mht or .maff format, with a reasonable pre-filled filename. Also reads .mht files.

[https://addons.mozilla.org/en- US/firefox/addon/autopager/](https://addons.mozilla.org/en- US/firefox/addon/autopager/) loads all pages of paginated content in the current tab. This also works great with Mozilla Archive Format for saving entire forum threads/articles/user comments.

<comment><USER3> Autopager is amazing, I never have to click the next buttons anymore.

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> I highly recommend one of the plugins on this list, "Google/Yandex search link fix". It rewrites Google's tracking URLs in search results on the fly.

This to me is offers both convenience and privacy benefits - (a) I can right- click and copy actual URLs from a Google search instead of gibberish, and (b) Google does not get to know which links I'm clicking on from its search results.

<comment><USER5> Is there a similar Chrome extension?

<comment><USER6> If you are concerned about google tracking you then the links in search results are the least of your worries when using chrome.

<comment><USER5> I was wondering when someone would make a comment like this. I don't have a problem with Google tracking me, but I do have a problem with not being able to right click and copy links from a search results page.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> For Me:

Adblock Plus - [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/adblock- plus/](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/adblock-plus/)

Tab Mix Plus - [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tab-mix- plus](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tab-mix-plus)

iMacros - [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/imacros- for-f...](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/imacros-for-firefox)

SearchLoad Options - [https://addons.mozilla.org/en- US/firefox/addon/searchload-op...](https://addons.mozilla.org/en- US/firefox/addon/searchload-options)

DownloadHelper - [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/video- downloa...](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/video- downloadhelper)

DownThemAll - [https://addons.mozilla.org/en- US/firefox/addon/downthemall/](https://addons.mozilla.org/en- US/firefox/addon/downthemall/)

Dictionary Tooltip - [https://addons.mozilla.org/en- US/firefox/addon/dictionary-to...](https://addons.mozilla.org/en- US/firefox/addon/dictionary-tooltip/)

FoxClocks - [https://addons.mozilla.org/en- US/firefox/addon/foxclocks](https://addons.mozilla.org/en- US/firefox/addon/foxclocks)

IE Tab 2 - [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ie- tab-2-ff-3...](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ie-tab-2-ff-36)

Memory Fox - [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/memory- fox](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/memory-fox)

All-in-One Sidebar - [https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/all-in- one-si...](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/all-in-one-sidebar/)

<comment><USER8> For me:

FirePicker for Firebug to quickly adjust colors in CSS [https://addons.mozilla.org/hu/firefox/addon/firepicker](https://addons.mozilla.org/hu/firefox/addon/firepicker)

Yet Another Smooth Scrolling to make scrolling smooth like on touch devices [https://addons.mozilla.org/hu/firefox/addon/yet-another- smoo...](https://addons.mozilla.org/hu/firefox/addon/yet-another-smooth- scrolling)

NetVideoHunter to download videos from YouTube and music from Grooveshark [https://addons.mozilla.org/hu/firefox/addon/netvideohunter-v...](https://addons.mozilla.org/hu/firefox/addon/netvideohunter- video-downloade)

Omnibar [https://addons.mozilla.org/hu/firefox/addon/omnibar/](https://addons.mozilla.org/hu/firefox/addon/omnibar/)

</comment></comment><comment><USER9> I made a Firefox add-on recently [1], and it was horrible. The API is underdocumented and obtuse, and the dev enviornment is annoying to get set up. On top of that, AMO review times are on the scale of months. Writing the equivalent Chrome extension [2] was a considerably better experience.

[1] [https://github.com/MediaCrush/Firefox](https://github.com/MediaCrush/Firefox)

[2] [https://github.com/MediaCrush/Chrome](https://github.com/MediaCrush/Chrome)

<comment><USER10> Very different experience here while developing a Firefox add-on [1] with the Add-on SDK [2]: I think that the API is nice and well documented, the development environment - based on virtualenv - is very easy to set up (I work under Ubuntu), and AMO review times are in the order of weeks - not months.

[1] Google Plus Follower Stats for Firefox [ [https://github.com/vannitotaro/gpfs- firefox](https://github.com/vannitotaro/gpfs-firefox) ] [ [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/google-plus- followe...](https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/google-plus-follower- stats/) ]

[2] [https://addons.mozilla.org/en- US/developers/docs/sdk/latest/](https://addons.mozilla.org/en- US/developers/docs/sdk/latest/)

<comment><USER9> Did you write a similiar extension for Chrome? My opinions may be made skewed by my experience with the Chrome extension. Chrome extension development is sublime, the APIs are great and well-documented, and the enviornment couldn't be better.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> I switched back to Firefox from Chrome last week and I'm loving it! It may be the SSD I recently upgraded from a traditional hard drive, but it feels really really snappy. Unfortunately, I don't find use for any of the addons mentioned here or in their top lists. I just don't need 'em. I only have Adblock Plus for most websites which I disable on websites I use regularly.

A lot of the addons in this list just seem like bloatware to me, trying to create a problem that allows their fix to exist.

<comment><USER12> It isn't only the SSD... Firefox is alot faster then it used to. Also, those are new addons, not necessarily the best.

</comment></comment><comment><USER13> Regarding #1: Even without the plugin you can drag a highlighted URL to a new tab and presto it opens.

Regarding Video Resumer: I watch a lot of longer video lectures online, and being able to resume where I left off is a great feature. Why the dudes at Google haven't added this themselves is beyond me--it's how TiVo worked since 1999. Maybe a patent issue?

<comment><USER14> Firefox actually lets you select a URL and right click to see the normal link options. I assume the addon makes even malformed URLs work though.

</comment></comment><comment><USER15> There is also Adblock Edge which is a fork of Adblock Plus without the "acceptable ads" feature:

[https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/adblock- edge/](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/adblock-edge/)

</comment><comment><USER16> I made this one when I was trying to learn JavaScript: [https://addons.mozilla.org/en- US/firefox/addon/budaneki/](https://addons.mozilla.org/en- US/firefox/addon/budaneki/)

It's an on-the-page look up and translation extension, I believe it was the first of it's kind when I made it and didn't use any JS framework but pure JS. I am kind of proud of it.

Still have users regularly asking me to implement it for Chrome :)

</comment><comment><USER17> It's so refreshing to read an end-of-year list that isn't a slideshow. One of the many things to love about web-friendly companies like Mozilla.

</comment><comment><USER18> I try to consult the Firefox /g/uide: [http://www.logicalincrements.com/firefox/](http://www.logicalincrements.com/firefox/)

</comment><comment><USER19> If you use Firefox in a corporate environment that requires you to change an LDAP password every couple months, the "Mass Password Reset" add-on lets you change multiple saved passwords at the same time:

[https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/mass- password...](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/mass-password- reset/)

</comment><comment><USER20> For me it's these:

        AdBlock Plus
        Firebug
        HTTPS Everywhere
        JSONView
        Markdown Here
        PDF Viewer (former pdf.js)
        Readability
        SPDY Indicator
        User Agent Switcher
        Web Developer

And in case you use Firefox, but like Chrome's UI: FXChrome + Omnibar

<comment><USER21> For me, in addition:

      TreeStyleTabs
      TabMixPlus
      Status-4-Evar
      RefControl
      Element Hiding Helper for Adblock Plus
      Export Cookies
      FireGestures
      Flashblock
      FoxyProxy
      Image Zoom

<comment><USER22> > Image Zoom

It's such a simple add-on, but I use it daily. Along with NoScript, it's one of the reasons I switched back to FF from Chrome.

<comment><USER23> There are so many Chrome options for the same thing. Hoverzoom was the original, but became commercial-fied and was forked to create Hover Free. The Hover Free devs were recently impressed with a couple other guys' great work on a competing add-on, Imagus, and abandoned their own work to help on Imagus. I have to say, Imagus is pretty awesome -- it even lets you page through (arrow buttons) imgur galleries inside the popup.

[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/imagus/immpkjjlgap...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/imagus/immpkjjlgappgfkkfieppnmlhakdmaab?hl=en)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER24> This is not for everyone, but I recommend vimperator[0] for anyone who wants to use vim in their browser.

0 - [https://addons.mozilla.org/en- US/firefox/addon/vimperator/](https://addons.mozilla.org/en- US/firefox/addon/vimperator/)

<comment><USER25> Or Pentadactyl ([http://5digits.org/pentadactyl/](http://5digits.org/pentadactyl/)) -- the nightly build works on the latest version of FF.

</comment></comment><comment><USER26> Nice to see New Tab Plus, a new tab replacement add on mentioned.

We have a new tab replacement out as well as well. Unlike NTP, it's similar to the old style Chrome new tab page: [https://addons.mozilla.org/en- US/firefox/addon/starthq/](https://addons.mozilla.org/en- US/firefox/addon/starthq/)

The functionality is pretty basic for now, but we're slowly rolling out much cooler features like deep links, multiple screens and Greplin like cloud search.

</comment><comment><USER27> I've been enjoying Ghostery. Nicer / cleaner than most privacy plugins, and it speeds up pages noticeably (same as adblock, mostly through killing iframed social things).

</comment><comment><USER28> It shoud be all privacy plugins, such as:

HTTPS Everywhere

Flashblock

Disconnect

Noscript

AdblockPlus

Duckduckgo

<comment><USER29> What is the benefit of Disconnect if you are using Adblock Plus and HTTPS Everywhere already?

<comment><USER30> Disconnect, which I work on, is designed to filter requests faster: [https://disconnect.me/faster](https://disconnect.me/faster).

Disconnect also does some fancy visualizations, if you're into that sort of thing: [http://youtu.be/Lvem1Z66C7Q?t=40s](http://youtu.be/Lvem1Z66C7Q?t=40s).

<comment><USER31> From the Disconnect FAQ:

 _On Firefox, if Disconnect is the first blocking extension you install, then Disconnect will work even if you subsequently install other blocking extensions. On Chrome, Safari, and Opera, it 's the opposite: in order for Disconnect to work on these browsers, it must be the most recent blocking extension installed._

Do you know what effect this has on extensions like Adblock Plus and NoScript? If I install Disconnect first, are those addons going to do less for me?

This is the first I've heard about installation order affecting how well the addons work. I'd like to make sure I've got the right info before informing others.

<comment><USER30> Hmm, that FAQ isn't the best (will fix). This explanation is better: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6888514](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6888514).

If you install Disconnect first on Firefox then install other filtering add- ons (ABP et al.), you should get faster overall performance. The reason is Disconnect filters faster, so requests that Disconnect blocks won't have to be processed by your other add-ons. All other requests will still be processed by them.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER32> I'm always amazed at how many people never heard or don't use Tree Style Tab. This is the only plugin that makes Firefox a must have.

<comment><USER33> Completely agree. It makes it a cinch to nicely organize one hundred active tabs or more within a single modest sidebar.

Last time I checked there's nothing for Chrome that's as good. Tree Style Tab is one of the things that could keep me on Firefox forever.

</comment></comment><comment><AUTHOR> Hackernews OP here: I am so glad I shared this on hacker news. I think this is great because you guys put time into listing things you use and provide food feedback, way better than some of the review feedback one would find in an addon.

</comment><comment><USER34> No mention of GreaseMonkey? I'd put it at number one, simply because it gives you a way to write extensions that run on every browser with a *Monkey compatibility layer. Half the stuff I use is just userscripts.

</comment><comment><USER35> I would recommend tor button, which makes it easy to use firefox with tor

</comment><comment><USER36> Can we have a chrome edition as well? :)

</comment><comment><USER37> wise of Mozilla to milk that add-on lock-in while they still can

</comment><comment><USER38> Mostly bloatware. :(</comment>


Pinterest Adds More to Your Marketing Arsenal | Viraliti - <AUTHOR> http://blog.viraliti.com/pinterest-adds-more-to-your-marketing-arsenal/ <comment><USER2> Any news on Pinterest's api?

<comment><AUTHOR> nope!!! but hoping that they'll one very soon. I read a recent article saying that "the wait will be over soon"

</comment></comment><comment><USER3> This was long due!!!</comment>


The Knightmare of Initialization in C++ - <AUTHOR> https://quuxplusone.github.io/blog/2019/02/18/knightmare-of-initialization/ <comment><USER2> A good rule of thumb to follow when writing C++, esp C++11 or later:

Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.</comment>


Six Foods Bill Marler Never Eats - <AUTHOR> http://www.foodpoisonjournal.com/food-poisoning-information/six-foods-bill-marler-never-eats/#.VqeGABgrIy4 <comment><USER2> things ole lint will never do: walk outside. since 1973, at least 55 people have died while walking not inside.</comment>


Transforming to an Open Businesses - <AUTHOR> https://www.brianchristner.io/transforming-into-an-open-business/ <comment><USER2> I went for Fathom [https://usefathom.com/](https://usefathom.com/) because you can self-host it.

I always thought I could never get rid of Google Analytics, but it's actually really easy. I never cared about deep analytics and stuff. I just want to know what page people are seeing and how many people see them.

Good luck for the next steps!

</comment><comment><USER3> Nice! Hope to see more people ditching Google Analytics in the name of privacy!</comment>


Bubble warning - <AUTHOR> http://www.economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?story_id=15213157&source=hptextfeature <comment><USER2> The Economist used to be a good publication. Now however they seem to specialize in closing barn doors after the horses have already gotten out.

<comment><USER3> I think it is still a great publication. Maybe you know more than you used to so your perspective has changed. I'm where you used to be. Partially ignorant of these issues.

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> The Economist is the same magazine that endorsed George Bush as being the economically sane candidate in 2000. Whoops!</comment>


College can be tuition-free.  We did the math. - <AUTHOR> http://strikedebt.org/how-far-to-free/

<comment><USER2> Interesting argument, but the remedy will never be applied from the top (i.e. by means of laws). The reason? Ivy League schools are expensive for a reason -- to reinforce the illusion that being born rich means you're a better, higher-quality person, not part of the riff-raff. Harvard will never accept this.

Also, the declining economic benefit of an advanced degree might by itself reduce the cost of higher education, by means of well-understood economic forces.</comment>


Scientist's analysis: oil spill could be order of magnitude worse - <AUTHOR> http://www.npr.org/tablet/#story/?storyId=126809525

<comment><USER2> The analysis as reported didn't include a statement about the environmental impact of a larger spill. Any environmental scientists in the audience?</comment>


My experiment with smart drugs (2008) - <AUTHOR> http://johannhari.com/2008/05/06/my-experiment-with-smart-drugs/ <comment><USER2> I've been taking 200mg of Modafinil probably on average of 3 times a week for the best part of 4 years now and it has certainly changed my life for the better. It is very effective at raising my mood and motivation. I disagree that it doesn't have a stimulant-like effect though. Before taking Modafinil, I had a very high caffeine tolerance (I could drink as many cokes or coffees as I liked and not even notice the effect). I usually have to limit the amount of caffeine I drink to one coffee these days, or my heart rate goes through the roof. It also makes my jaw tense (a common side-effect of stimulants, apparently). I am quite a clumsy person at the best of times, but I've also noticed that my co-ordination seems to be adversely effected (poor judgement of space, etc) although my reaction times do seem to improve (I've surprised myself sometimes catching falling objects that I'm sure I'd never catch if I hadn't taken Modafinil). I haven't seen this effect documented anywhere though.

<comment><USER3> Where do you get it? I'm very, very curious.

<comment><USER4> Not affiliated, but modafinilcat.com is amazing. 2 successful orders. Subreddit with reviews and such here: [http://www.reddit.com/r/ModafinilCat/](http://www.reddit.com/r/ModafinilCat/)

<comment><USER3> Thank you. My curiosity has been satisfied.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> Modafinil and Startups (Daniel Tenner): [http://swombat.com/2012/2/27/modafinil-and- startups](http://swombat.com/2012/2/27/modafinil-and-startups)

Here is the conclusion:

 _" I will come strongly on the side of saying that anyone who wants to build a startup should stay away from any regular or semi-regular Modafinil use, as it will impair their judgement enough to make up for any apparent gain in productivity, and I would further posit that any founder who takes Modafinil regularly has a habit (as I did) of taking on potentially large, unknown long- term liabilities for small short-term gains, which is not a good thing."_

<comment><USER6> The impaired judgement he experienced could just as easily be attributed to his prolonged sleep-deprivation rather than the Modafinil.

<comment><USER7> Neither is recommended.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> Modafinil/armodafinil are great, but you can easily abuse them for replacing sleep.. That was a long dirt road to come back from.

<comment><USER9> I'd like to hear more about it, if you're willing to share.

<comment><USER10> I've had a Modafinil prescription for more than a year. I've used fewer than 60 tablets in my whole life.

I needed every single one of those tablets though.

I travel extensively for work and I'm often called upon to be "on" when I arrive somewhere, in their time zone, and/or drive to a final destination when I arrive. Since sleep deprivation is something that has twice almost killed me (or others) while operating a vehicle, I decided to get that prescription and deal with the problem rather than continue to be unsafe.

What I can say is this: Modafinil works. The effect is very subtle but it very clearly eliminates what might be termed "sleep pressure" or the effect of the body trying to FORCE you to sleep. It doesn't actually do anything for your sleep REQUIREMENT.

One nice thing about Modafinil: you can sleep on it. If you take a pill and then have an opportunity to sleep, you can. It doesn't FORCE to to stay awake like other stimulant drugs do.

So it'll keep you from nodding off at the wheel of a vehicle, but won't do anything to help you perform at your BEST when you use it for an extended period of time.

I take it very occasionally (say, once every month or so) and only for a 24 hour period. That kind of on-/off cycle is designed to minimize any side effects and keep me from using it to replace sleep.

On another note: the US special operations community has been using Modafinil (along with other stimulant drugs) to help solidiers/sailors/marines/airmen to overcome the effects of extended sleep deprivation. I've confirmed this directly with members of those communities and their experience mirrors mine. Modafinil is a useful drug, with minimal reported side-effects, that is better than other stimulants because of its low abuse potential and non-euphoric profile.

<comment><USER11> My experience parallels yours.

I occasionally take prescribed Modafinil for daytime somnolence resulting from sleep apnea. On the occasions I use it, it's the difference between having the energy and clarity to contribute or not being able to bring much at all to the table.

The only side effect I've noted is a minor increase in anxiety, not enough to be problematic.

It's been exceptionally helpful for me. YMMV.

<comment><USER3> How did you get it prescribed?

<comment><USER11> It's part of my treatment regimen for sleep apnea, which includes a CPAP breathing assist device. That's usually enough to reduce the low energy and daytime sleepiness that come with sleep apnea. When it isn't, modafinil works very well. So I was prescribed both the CPAP assist and modafinil after a brief sleep study disclosed sleep apnea. The two other on-label uses for modafinil (IIRC) are for narcolepsy and daytime sleepiness due to shift work. Being prescribed for an on-label use is often important for insurance coverage.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> Anyone interested in "smart drugs" must read HN's own gwern on the topic:

[http://www.gwern.net/Nootropics](http://www.gwern.net/Nootropics)

</comment><comment><USER13> I tried modafinil for about a month -- maybe a bit longer; I don't remember -- and believe it had the desired effect (although I'm not convinced that wasn't a placebo). I felt more focused and, importantly, less prone to anxiety and depression, without the unstable skittishness that, say, caffeine gives me. (That said, it made my pee smell rather funky!) After researching as much as I could, I felt the risk was acceptable. The only reason I didn't continue my "experiment" was that it's a bit too expensive for the relatively mild improvements. (e.g., A good holiday, as the article mentioned, has a similar effect.) I considered trying to get it on prescription -- as it definitely seemed to help with my anxiety -- but felt that, besides that being off-label and therefore unlikely to be approved, it would be an somewhat unethical use of NHS resources!

<comment><USER14> L-tyrosine may have a similar effect but cheaper. It certainly can replace the daily cup of coffee for focus.

<comment><USER13> I always suspected cheese was the answer

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER15> L-theanine is #1 recommended by [http://www.reddit.com/r/nootropics/faq](http://www.reddit.com/r/nootropics/faq)

<comment><USER16> Worth mentioning but hardly comparable to Provigil

<comment><USER17> Not even the same ballpark.

L-theanine is meant as an addition to high levels of caffeine to reduce the negative effects of caffeine.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER18> On so many levels I am so tempted to try this, but I just can't bring myself to - but I am in constant envy of co-workers who 'juice' and watch their productivity soar.

<comment><USER19> What exactly do you mean by juice? I'm guessing not the fruit/Veg kind...

<comment><USER20> "Juice" or "being juiced" is a pretty common term for any kind of steroids or performance enhancing substances.

See for example: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juiced:_Wild_Times,_Rampant_%27...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juiced:_Wild_Times,_Rampant_%27Roids,_Smash_Hits_%26_How_Baseball_Got_Big)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER21> These things make me wonder how soon until all of our life will be based on medicated states. Take a smart pill for work, and a fun pill for the pub... While Modafinil and similar "smart drugs" currently don't actually improve cognitive functions all that much and are most like a nanny for your brain telling you to stop watching cat videos and work what happens when a smart drug will actually hit the market? It only takes a tiny fraction of the workforce to be taking those to create an avalanche. If true smart pill will hit the market that say increases your cognitive function and concentration and straps say another 50 or 100 IQ points (i know it's a bad measurement unit for this but i don't have a better one) on you then even a single average guy in your workplace is enough to trigger this. This is the same reason why we do not allow performance increasing drugs in (most) sports, it's not because it's unsportsmanlike or because they are scared people will stop watching, it's because even a single athlete on those forces everyone else to take them just to even out the playing field.

<comment><USER22> More of a side note; your comment sounds a little naive regarding PEDs in sports. The idea that you can compete at the highest level and be drug free is practically a myth. Anti doping in sports is laughable and anyone with a intermediate knowledge on the subject could pass an olympic level drugs test. Plain and simple, when there's vast sums of money and fame involved people will cheat. (Whether it be an athlete taking PEDs or a banker insider trading)

<comment><USER21> I know that and you can see it in Olympic sports every time they introduce some new drug testing method all the results go down a notch or 2. On that level it's more about who has better technology and scientists than who has better genes and works harder. But it doesn't mean we want this attitude proliferating to the work force, no one should be forced to become a hyper focused drone so he could code better to get a job, and if things continue this way it might as well happen.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER23> Modafinil has actually been shown to have negative effects in high performers. It is a wakefulness agent that promotes alertness and not necessary memory formation. For the ladies out there regarding modafinil, provigil, and adrafinil (an upstream analogue that requires no prescription in the us) watch out as it can interfere with birth control.

I think what most healthy individuals looking into substances like this actually want, are nootropics. I want to draw a line here between cognitive enhancers and nootropics though. All nootropics are cognitive enhancers, but not all cognitive enhancers are nootropics. Nootropics have to enhance learning and memory, while being extremely safe and actually neuroprotective (from the disruption of memory formation from chemical and physical damage). Nootropics are generally safe and beneficial for everyday use and with the racetams, Rhett actually have a better effect overtime.

</comment><comment><USER24> So what's the modus operandi when going to the doctor? I've got some legitimate symptoms - lack of energy, focus..especially in the afternoon, but I'm wondering what people are saying to their doctors? Are you suggesting Modafinil?

Also, what's the cost for a monthly supply with insurance?

<comment><USER25> A nap in the afternoon might be as helpful. I found taking an hour nap or hour run after lunch helps with my focus/drive. Lifestyle changes shouldn't be downplayed.

<comment><USER24> Unfortunately or fortunately, I don't live in Spain so that's not an option ;)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER26> I have a prescription for Provigil for jetlag, but like the author, I'd found non-prescription channels for it before.

I've found it excellent for combatting tiredness, and it can improve my focus, but nothing like the Limitless-esque drug the author talks about. Admittedly I've only taken 100mg at a time, but still - about 5 hours after I take it, I tend to become cranky. I get obsessive about things, rather than focus, and if my obsession falls on the wrong thing, I find myself having wasted 6 hours on writing up or investigating some hare-brained business scheme, rather than my work.

I have easy, legal access to it, and I only take it these days if my sleep is majorly disrupted. If I was getting the benefits the author was, I'd take it every day.

</comment><comment><USER27> The story tells of how some guy took some drug and apparently had positive effects. How does this anecdote affect me? Any medication _I_ use should be tested in clinical trials and be prescribed to me personally, _or_ be deemed safe for sale over the counter; i.e. non-prescribed use. Are other people using these anecdotes as sufficient reasons to actually take random drugs? I have to ask: Are these people _insane_?

If you have " _an Everest of work_ ", the solution is to _get less work_ , not to take drugs. Be the person you are.¹

① (Not applicable to actually prescribed medication or care from a licenced professional.)

<comment><USER28> Does your doctor prescribe your caffeine and alcohol? How about your artificial light and your exercise? Or perhaps your intake of B-complex vitamins or various edible oils? The various natural dietary supplements available at every Walgreens and CVS? All of these have known effects on mood and productivity, and pretty much everybody just tries 'em and sees what happens.

Nearly as many people have the experience of going to a doctor, getting diagnosed with something moderately uncommon, and going through a trial-and- error treatment process where they are guiding what happens as much or more than the doctor.

So no, they are not necessarily insane. What is covered by prescription varies a lot from country to country, and the line is at least as much about medical economics as it is about safety. There are plenty of things that aren't available over the counter not because they're more dangerous, but because they were discovered after the FDA was created and because the financial incentives are to keep them as prescription drugs.

<comment><USER27> > _Does your doctor prescribe your caffeine and alcohol?_

Strawman. I _said_ " _or_ be deemed safe for sale over the counter".

> _many people have the experience of going to a doctor, getting diagnosed > with something moderately uncommon, and going through a trial-and-error > treatment process where they are guiding what happens as much or more than > the doctor._

The key word here are, I think, " _going to a doctor_ ", as opposed to unsupervised self-medicating, or at least without supervision of a trained and licenced professional.

> _What is covered by prescription varies a lot from country to country_ […]

Yes; see my other comment. ([https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8869314](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8869314))

<comment><USER28> That is not a straw man. My point is that the distinction between "thing I am doing to my body alone" and "thing I am doing to my body with the involvement of a licensed professional" is somewhat arbitrary.

Alcohol is not in fact safe for sale over the counter. But still, we sell it over the counter. Having a licensed professional involved on average makes some things better, but only on average, and only for some things. You don't have to be insane to say, "For X, I know better than my doctor." Indeed, that's an important component of people getting optimal treatment outcomes, doctor or no.

<comment><USER27> > _My point is that the distinction between "thing I am doing to my body > alone" and "thing I am doing to my body with the involvement of a licensed > professional" is somewhat arbitrary._

Then you should have made that point explicitly. Instead, it looks like you are arguing against something I did not write.

And yes, the line is very arbitrary. However, that doesn't mean that it does not exist, or that you are free to set it anywhere you feel like without worry or care. Unless you have the enormous resources to research on your own (but you don't, nobody does), you should pick some other party which _has_ done so (scientifically) and has subsequently set the line somewhere. And unless you have reason to doubt their veracity, you should adhere to that line. No, " _I feel like it, it could be fun_ " or " _I could make more money by using these performance-enhancing drugs_ " are not good enough reasons.

<comment><USER28> The point was made by the comment taken together. But I did make that point explicitly in the last paragraph. That you took the first sentence as if it were a standalone argument is not something for which I feel responsible.

> that doesn't mean that it does not exist, or that you are free to set it > anywhere you feel like without worry or care

Speaking of arguing against something I didn't write...

<comment><USER27> I still have trouble seeing it – it still looks very much like a classic strawman attack to me. I'll believe you when you say that this is not what you intended, and that this is not what you see when you read it, but it is not what I saw or see. I think we can respectfully agree to disagree here.

> > […] _that you are free to set it anywhere you feel like_ […]

I didn't really mean you personally; I probably should have written "one" instead of "you". The reason I didn't is that it flows much worse, and "you" is also often used in that sense.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER29> Modafinil is fantastic if you want to super-procrastinate on steroids. Rabbit holes go on forever.

You have to have tasks all lined up and the interwebs unplugged (selfcontrol doesn't help if you know how to disable it)

<comment><USER30> > You have to have tasks all lined up

I rarely see this mentioned, but I cannot agree more. In my experience with Modafinil, if I had tasks lined up before the effects took hold, I was golden and would obliterate that to-do list/etc. But if I were left with 'nothing to do', it was just like you described...the rabbit hole just got deeper.

So many people have had wildly different experiences with modaf (as with any drug really)...for me it's biggest positive was that context switching, mentally, became nearly 'free'. Generally my biggest hurdle in completing tasks through the day is when I finish with one task in one context and am tasked with unloading all of that information and jumping into something new...this is where I procrastinate, or generally just struggle with maintaining pace. While taking modafinil that penalty was seemingly non- existent. I was able to bounce from problem to problem, project to project with no mental penalty or friction. Quite amazing really.

Though I generally just don't find the sensation while taking them enjoyable or even worth it in many cases...increased heart rate makes me and my hands sweat (and smell), tight jaw and general inability to just 'relax'. I bought 60 nearly two years ago and have taken maybe 10 of them. I'm also a contractor who doesn't work under any or much stress/pressure, which may have something to do with my apathy towards their positive effects.

To each their own, I can absolutely see how this drug has and can change people's lives.

</comment></comment><comment><USER31> In the past I mostly used modafinil for driving long distances, which it was exceptional for. Now, I simply sip Yerba Mate the whole time and get a very similar effect.

<comment><USER32> I can definitely recommend yerba mate to anyone trying to stop drinking coffee or just people in need of a longer lasting stimulant with no crash afterwards.

</comment></comment><comment><USER33> I would describe modafinil as an internal task-switcher disabler. For this reason, I don't use it often. For example, if I accidentally start reading reddit, on modafinil this will probably end in writing long, thoughtful comments for the whole day. The thought of stopping simply doesn't occur. My stomach will rumble, but I won't feel hunger. Conversely, changing tasks in response to external input becomes much easier.

This uncontrollable concentration applies to all levels on all tasks, which is why modafinil kills creativity, at least for me. If I have lot of grunt job that doesn't require creativity, sure, modafinil will make me plow through it. However, in today's world valuable grunt work is rare, so it's not that useful. It kills task-related mind wandering, it kills daydreaming, it kills original thought. Sort of a zombie state really.

Constant use would probably make me a top burger-flipper at McDonald's or similar, but that's it.

Another very big cons is its long half-life, which eventually results in sleep deprivation. Sleep at normal hours becomes next to impossible.

Good for emergency situations when I have to be able to function despite severe sleep deprivation (like not sleeping for one or two nights).

<comment><USER34> > The thought of stopping simply doesn't occur. My stomach will rumble, but I > won't feel hunger. Conversely, changing tasks in response to external input > becomes much easier.

This sounds like my daily life, actually. (I'm pretty sure I have ADHD). I've tried modafinil a couple of times, and interestingly, I have the opposite reaction- I find that it makes me quicker on my feet, more 'on edge'. I respond and react to things faster.

Interesting.

</comment></comment><comment><USER35> 1) Well, its in vogue [http://www.vogue.com/946795/provigil-adderall-silicon- valley...](http://www.vogue.com/946795/provigil-adderall-silicon-valley/)

2) Arrington also has an article on it [http://techcrunch.com/2008/07/15/how- many-of-our-startup-exe...](http://techcrunch.com/2008/07/15/how-many-of-our- startup-executives-are-hopped-up-on-provigil/)

</comment><comment><USER36> As someone with ADHD who takes Ritilin, this seemed interesting to me as a non-stimulant alternative. However, it appears that Modafinil is a "pro- histamine" which would mean that it could aggregate allergy symptoms. I wonder if anyone has ever studied the correlation between anti-histamine use and the development of ADHD.

<comment><USER37> You should ask your doctor about Intuniv. It's a non-stimulant option only approved for ADHD in children in the US right now, but my psychiatrist has been using it off-label with adults pretty successfully.

In my experience, I've found it to be a very pleasing but subtle option, and when taken with stimulants, reduced some of the unwanted side effects I experienced. The only negative side effect I had from Intuniv was noticeable hypotension, but since I didn't experience much ADHD-related change between doses, I probably could have stepped down to a lower dosage to combat that. I only stopped because I was trying to get pregnant, and once it's okay again, I'll start back on Intuniv most likely :)

There's also Strattera, though I have no personal experience with that.

</comment></comment><comment><USER38> Very provoking article. A little correction though, although Sartre found inspiration for his writing from his mescaline experiences (especially for Nausea) he did not write on mescaline, he rather preferred amphetamines. On the same note the lobsters only(!) stayed with him a few years not for the rest of his life.

</comment><comment><USER39> For mild depression, anxiety and ADHD, I've been using an all natural vitamin supplement called EMPowerPlus from Truehope for the last three months. I've noticed mild improvement in my mood. I've been on anti-depressants before that didn't work.

Last week I went off of it for two weeks just to see if I could discern any difference. I felt my mild depression return and I couldn't lift myself out. With the supplement, I can.

Very expensive, but I'm going to keep using it as I feel the results are worth it. Their website cites published clinical studies to it's efficacy.

Disclaimer: I have no relationship with the company other than being a customer and I don't derive any direct or indirect benefits from sales of their products. Just sharing this in case it helps someone and to see if anyone else has experience with their products.

<comment><USER39> I've been mostly a lurker here on HN for the past few years, and haven't made many comments.

So for the sake of my learning curve, can anyone clue me in to the reasons for down votes? I don't take them personally. Just curious and wanting to learn. Is it because the comment seems spammy? Or is it off topic? Sloppy writing?

<comment><USER40> I didn't downvote, but: it seemed alightly off-topic; also it's in the worst possible range of anecdote/bad science (N=1, no blinding, it's a vitamin supplement so I suspect it contains no active ingredients anyway, you claim anti-depressants don't work on you†).

gwern's articles on how they try out drugs is very good at explaining how to do blinding etc. and is actually credible. Do something like that and you'll definitely get upvotes.

† No judgement here, but the burden of proof is quite high when you're claiming a properly tested medicine doesn't work and a supplement does.

<comment><USER39> Thanks for the feedback.

Really my purpose in the comment wasn't to convince anyone they should take this. My intention can be summed up by "Hey, I tried this and it seems to work for me and is safe; it's just vitamins. If it piques your interest, do your own research on it and decide whether you want to try it"

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><AUTHOR> The wikipedia article on Provigil[1] mentions toxic epidermal necrolysis[2] and Stevens-Johnson syndrome[3] as possible side effects. That's enough to scare me off trying this particular drug.

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

[2] - [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxic_epidermal_necrolysis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxic_epidermal_necrolysis)

[3] - [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevens- Johnson_syndrome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevens-Johnson_syndrome)

<comment><USER41> This was found as a part of an ADHD study of close to a thousand young children, in which one kid _may_ have had SJS, and another kid had a non- serious suspicious rash, and that was enough to kill the whole study with no such repeat studies being done since.

So yeah, 1/1000 chance going by that study alone, which doesn't say much since the drug has been prescribed millions of times in the US and abroad with no significant mention of SJS outside of the study. In short, it's just ass- covering medical paranoia.

What has been shown is that modifinil can mess with liver enzymes over time, and that should be scary enough to tell people not to use the drug long-term.

My own experience with the drug is pretty similar to the article's, but without the strange addition-like component this guy seemed to have. I was able to quit cold turkey after a month without so much as an after thought, and I still use it from time to time when my autoimmune disorder flairs up and causes fatigue and brain fog that not even ten cups of coffee can cut through.

</comment></comment><comment><USER42> I tried Provigil two years ago and it came in powder format and I had to mix it. It tasted bitter and had no pronounced effect me. I had better response to coffee but then again they say placebo is hell of a drug.

<comment><USER43> That doesn't sound like modafinil at all. I've never heard of it being sold outside of pill form. Typical dosage is 75-150mg, making a powder easy to mis- dose. Although overdosing on modafinil isn't possible, too much would result in unpleasant side-effects: stomach pains, headache, nausea, insomnia, etc.

Also, the effects of modafinil are obvious. In addition to being coffee++, the metabolites make your urine and sweat smell weird. If someone says modafinil didn't work on them, it's probably because they ordered it illicitly and got counterfeit drugs.

Are you perhaps thinking of a different nootropic? From your description, piracetam seems much more likely. It typically comes in powder form, and its effects can be charitably described as subtle.

Side note: If you're interested in nootropics and modafinil, I highly recommend gwern's articles on the subjects[1][2].

1\. [http://www.gwern.net/Modafinil](http://www.gwern.net/Modafinil)

2\. [http://www.gwern.net/Nootropics](http://www.gwern.net/Nootropics)

<comment><USER44> > I've never heard of it being sold outside of pill form.

Powder is not unheard of: Air Sealed use to sell modafinil powder sourced from Sun, which was apparently legitimate and quite competitive on a per mg basis.

But as far as I know, they were the only powder source and they shut down quite a while ago (maybe 2011? I'd have to check my price-tables to see when I dropped them), and only in the past few months have any new powder vendors showed up (on the blackmarkets). So unless one of us is considerably off on dates or my knowledge of modafinil sellers is less complete than I thought, I'm not sure where noname123 could've gotten modafinil powder.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER45> I took dexedrine from middle school through college and my early work years. Once I learned how to use it (which took a long time), it was an incredibly fun drug that I could also use very effectively.

But I felt like it stole time from me, I could be productive and happy all week on it, and then I'd be depressed and tired all weekend as a I took a drug holiday. It was worth it to me when I was younger, but now that I have kids, I can't trade time like that.

</comment><comment><USER46> You know what the worst thing is? I'm depressed, on antidepressants, can't sleep, can't concentrate, always tired, unproductive, unfocused. I fall asleep in meetings. I am not quite the target audience for this drug (I'm not actually narcoleptic) but I'm pretty darn close.

And, as far as I can tell, it doesn't work on me. Ordered some from an online pharmacy, took it for ten days straight... no detectable change.

:(

<comment><USER11> I strongly recommend you get a prescription to try known real modafinil. You simply cannot trust online Rx unless you have HPLC/NMR analysis capabilities at your disposal.

</comment></comment><comment><USER47> It's apparently also been shown to have positive effect on depression, when taken with anti-depressants[1]. That alone makes it very attractive to me. Who knows, maybe I'll try it some day if it gets proven safe but I can't bring my self too at the moment.

[1] [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17729016](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17729016)

</comment><comment><USER48> I tried Modafinil (provigil). Its effect was mild at best, and it was hard to determine whether this was a placebo effect or not. Ritalin, on the other hand, was very effective, but it gives a bit of a cocaine-like high, which scared me enough not to use it for more than a week. Luckily that was enough to get me through that seemingly insurmountable pile of work I had to do.

<comment><USER2> How much did you take?

</comment></comment><comment><USER49> I tried some indian knock-off in 2009 and some piracetam manufactured locally (in Belarus,) none had any effect on me. I wonder if indian knock-off wasn't modafinil at all. I had no any side effects even after bumping to 500mg. I wonder if these drugs have selective effectiveness?

</comment><comment><USER50> If you think Modafinil and Provigil are controversial today, wait until we have genome-editing techniques for increasing intelligence. Transhumanism is inevitable. I really do not understand the opposition to allowing individuals to increase their intelligence.

<comment><USER2> I don't think there's an opposition to it. People just don't want to shoot themselves in the foot by gambling on Modafinil having no long term effects.

<comment><USER51> >I don't think there's an opposition to it.

There is _definitely_ opposition. It's mostly on religious grounds, a la "My beliefs dictate that I should prevent _you_ from 'playing god', because that privelege is reserved for my deit(y|ies).".

<comment><USER52> I bet they all consume copious amounts of coffee while saying it.

<comment><USER53> Don't forget alcohol! Watching people climb up on a pedestal and try and tell me that alcohol is somehow not a drug makes my blood boil every damn time I hear it. I think it's hard to correct these people's thinking because our society drills the very phrase "drugs AND alcohol" into children's brains from a very early age including in the DARE programs in our schools. Somehow everyone is okay with casual abuse of alcohol because they don't think of it as a drug. "What else can you take into your body that fucks you up like alcohol does, but is not a drug?" is the retort I've been using in recent years.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER54> I can only compare this to my coffee habit. I _have_ to have it. No project, especially a physical one, can start without it.

But, gotta be careful with stuff like this. It sounds great, but is it really gonna be you who controls the drug ?

Maybe, but it might not always work out that way...

</comment><comment><USER55> The U.S. gives it to fighter jet pilots often, to make sure they stay awake.

</comment><comment><USER56> Where can I buy Modafinil?

</comment><comment> a-b [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modafinil#Adverse_effects](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modafinil#Adverse_effects)

</comment><comment><USER57> I'm just wondering how people can order this stuff over the internet and expect it to be the genuine thing...

It just sounds extremely incautious to me.

<comment><USER33> It sells in India for about one eighth of online's price. The price of ten 200mg Modalert pills is about $2.5. Counterfeiting simply doesn't pay, as it would kill any return business for minuscule one-time gain.

</comment></comment><comment><USER58> Worth reading:

[http://www.gwern.net/Modafinil](http://www.gwern.net/Modafinil)

</comment><comment><USER16> Sounds to me like a guy who's never taken adderall before

<comment><USER59> The effect is actually quite different. Much more subtle and therefore more effective in a way - less intrusive. It's very much a _drug_ , though.

</comment></comment><comment><USER60> Not so smart: getting busted for plagiarism: [http://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jan/20/johann-hari- qui...](http://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jan/20/johann-hari-quits-the- independent)

<comment><USER61> How is this related to the original article? Are you saying he might be lying about his experiences ?

<comment><USER62> It's the same author. There's a pretty big overlap between plagiarists and fabulists, so it's hard to put much stock into a subjective article like this.

<comment><USER63> Perhaps the drug made him a more prolific plagiarist.</comment></comment></comment></comment>


Chosen - Simple and Better Select Boxes - <AUTHOR> https://github.com/harvesthq/chosen

<comment><USER2> There's also select2, chosen's big brother: <http://ivaynberg.github.com/select2/>

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks! These keep getting better and better.</comment></comment>


About the Systemd Controversy - <AUTHOR> http://blog.erratasec.com/2015/08/about-systemd-controversy.html

<comment> vezzy-fnord I suppose I'll repost my comment from the previous thread...

\</comment><comment>

Firstly, the age-old canard of microkernels being "too slow for the real world" is decades out of date, and L4 and QNX today are ubiquitous.

One should not make the mistake of using the term "init" to refer to a particular implementation. init(8) is simply the first process. There never was a single "Unix init system", though the BSD rc was always the superior one out of the originals. This is reflected to this day by its ridiculously short init scripts and the fact that a dependency system (rcorder(8)) was easily retrofitted.

The issue of boot speed is a misunderstood one. Properly benchmarking and having a deterministic boot process has always been difficult. Linux distros were by and large using the same tricks with sysvinit (startpar, insserv, Makefile-style concurrency, etc.) that systemd centralizes to get the same speed benefits for a while. Further, systemd introduces failure points in the boot process of its own, particularly with how it handles job scheduling and states, the occurrence of dependency loops and so forth. A lack of proper integration (which is still common, it turns out having a full proper systemd- based init configuration is hard [1]) can exacerbate this, and I've had experiences of >2 minute-long booting on Fedora 20.

It must be stated that the problem with systemd isn't its violating the "Unix way". The problem is with systemd itself, _a priori_. It's a landmine of an architecture with chronic mission scope issues and lack of proper creative direction.

I can also understand why a security researcher like Rob would be wary of systemd. The risks of systemd are indeed exceptionally great compared to previous systems. systemd's PID1 handles things like configuration parsing, cgroupfs writing, supervision, system state management, mount/automount points and its coverage is much higher than even something like launchd or Solaris SMF. The central I/O bottleneck of something like the journal (which by far has been the buggiest systemd component) is also noteworthy.

[1] [https://wiki.freedesktop.org/www/Software/systemd/Optimizati...](https://wiki.freedesktop.org/www/Software/systemd/Optimizations/)

</comment><comment><AUTHOR> Note: I removed the weird part of the link from this submission [0].

[0] [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10144891](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10144891)

<comment><USER2> That hash didn't really hurt anyone. E.g., it wouldn't allow one to impersonate the OP in a comment on TFA, since Blogger has its own auth cookies. (That would be an embarrassing vuln for a security blogger.)

<comment><AUTHOR> I agree with you.

When in doubt I publish the nice links.</comment></comment></comment>


How to Get a Nuclear Bomb (2006) - <AUTHOR> http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/print/2006/12/how-to-get-a-nuclear-bomb/5402/

<comment><USER2> Nuclear is not as scary as bioterror.

I'm a college senior, and last spring I and two class teammates were able to re-engineer virus Phi X 174 in only 10 weeks, starting from zero knowledge of genetic engineering. Then we payed DNA 2.0 (a DNA synthesis contractor) to build us the custom virus for only $2k.

Also: on the third day of class, the prof showed us the complete genome of Ebola, and that based on DNA 2.0's price per length, it would only cost $20k to make.

<comment><USER3> Not a great comfort, but companies like DNA 2.0, Invitrogen, etc. have pretty intensive safety checking of what they're synthesizing. No sending off for smallpox.

<comment><USER4> So all a terrorist would have to do is get a job there and smuggle an order past the checklist?

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> >and the use of even a single fission device could pose an existential threat to the West.

Hardly. There was some "let's drop a bomb and see what the effect roughly is" emulator online that I used about a year ago -- and I was shocked how _tiny_ the effect of neuclear weapons was. A Chinese 15 Kiloton weapon dropped in the middle of the city I was in wouldn't even result in elevated radiation were I lived unless the wind was in the wrong direction.

The tiny suitcase bombs they are shitting themselves that the terroists might get their hands on?

Yeah, those do so little damage that you would be better of with a large van conventional explosives.

</comment><comment><USER5> I strongly considered stopping reading at "Uranium is the heaviest element on earth"...

<comment><USER6> It _is_ the heaviest _naturally occurring_ element (source:[http://chemistry.about.com/od/elementfacts/f/heaviest- elemen...](http://chemistry.about.com/od/elementfacts/f/heaviest-element.htm))

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> While they busy groping millions of people each year in security theater, the next attack would likely come from one of the hundreds of thousands of shipping containers that have zero security and plenty of storage and mobility.

</comment><comment><USER8> "Hiroshima was destroyed in a flash by a bomb dropped from a propeller-driven B-29 of the U.S. Army Air Force, on the warm morning of Monday, August 6, 1945."

Nice use of subtle patriotism here. Wouldn't it have been a little more impartial to write it as below?

"Hiroshima was destroyed in a flash by the U.S. Army with a bomb which was dropped from a propeller-driven B-29, on the warm morning of Monday, August 6, 1945."

<comment><USER9> I don't agree that the difference between the two phrasings changes the partiality of the sentence.

<comment><USER8> In both sentences Hiroshima is the object. The subject in the original sentence is the bomb but in my edited sentence the subject is the U.S. Army.

Talking of partiality (and the sentences use of passive voice)

"Merriam Webster's Dictionary of English Usage (1994) recommends the passive voice when identifying the object (receiver) of the action is more important than the subject (agent), and when the agent is unknown, unimportant, or not worth mentioning"

<comment><USER10> I think this is a really small nitpick which does not change the partiality of the sentence. Both phrases attribute the ultimate responsibility to the US Army Air Force (not 'US Army', which is incorrect) and it could be argued that as it was the bomb itself which did the actual destroying it should be the primary subject.

<comment><USER8> Oops, right about the US Army Air Force mistake. My bad.

Also, agree it might be nitpicking but for me the dropping of the A-bombs and associated killing of a crap load of civillians is one of last centuries most conveniently forgotten topics. So treatment of the subject has a tendency to get me riled up!

One last question though...Can inanimate objects really be responsible of anything?

<comment><USER10> I agree that the topic is worthy of discussion, it's just that I disagree that the phrase you highlighted was more biased in favour of the US than your suggested edit. In both it is clear that the USAAF dropped the bomb.

The answer to your question is yes, inanimate objects can be responsible for outcomes. On a philosophical level, a rock that comes loose from a cliff face and kills someone driving on the road below is responsible for his death even though there was clearly no intention involved.

In terms of language, it's also common for an inanimate object to be the subject even if it was not the responsible party, i.e. 'the car hit the boy', 'the plane crashed into the tower', 'the house was destroyed by a bomb', etc. In none of those cases was the primary subject the entity which decided to cause the action.</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment>


Gently Rippling Ambient Background - CSS3/JS (Chrome/Firefox/Safari) - <AUTHOR> http://oathoffive.com/ripple/

<comment><AUTHOR> Open to questions and all that- you can download the source just by, well, viewing it, it's not obfuscated, and it's totally free to use. If you use it and want to credit, the name's Laurence Smith - and if you do, please link me so I can have a peek at what you've used it on.

Well, anyway; this thing relies on CSS3 transitions with a 3 second linear transition time. JS changes the opacity of every block within a random range every 0.5 seconds, but since it takes ages to transition, it's quite a soft effect.</comment>


Training a CNN using pictures of faces just got patented - <AUTHOR> http://patents.justia.com/patent/20160140436 <comment><USER2> No it hasn't. It's a pending patent application in the process of being examined by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

</comment><comment><USER3> Google Patents link: [https://patents.google.com/patent/US20160140436A1/en](https://patents.google.com/patent/US20160140436A1/en)

</comment><comment><USER4> That's it, I quit.

<comment><USER5> Maybe you could build a book reader that simplifies text or alters the wording of ads based on the eye movements and facial expressions of the user instead :D

</comment></comment><comment><USER6> This appears to be a pending patent, meaning it will not necessarily be granted. It shouldn't be, because the application describes only bog-standard machine learning techniques with no advances on the state of the art as it was when it was filed.

</comment><comment><USER7> So I guess all babies will infringe on this as they train their neural networks

</comment><comment><USER8> Claim 1 is as broad as a barn. They'll bounce it.

Surely.

Won't they?

<comment><USER9> My understanding of patents (having made a few): as long as you have strong lawyers (and good copy writers), you can almost patent anything. I was shocked by what we could get through.

<comment><USER10> Well, you can possibly patent anything as long as you respect articles of the Patent Law, but if your claims are super narrow, it is worth nothing, as it would be easy to design around and not infringe.</comment></comment></comment>


Ask HN: My home was burglarized today but my computer is still here - <AUTHOR> I was burglarized today--they broke in while I was at work. They took lots of stuff from my living room and garage. They ransacked all of my house going through drawers and cabinets. It sucks, but it could have been worse.
Here is the weird thing, my office room while having been thoroughly searched still contains all of the electronics. The computer (a really good gaming machine), dual monitors (large), keyboard, mouse are all still here.
Also, my computer was on and I don't have a lock screen on it (I live alone and don't do any work from home on it--though I regret now that it didn't have the lock-screen activated).
So I'm feeling super paranoid. I'm in the process of updating all my site passwords (mostly managed by lastpass). But I'm concerned some kind of keysniffer or other invasive software could have been installed.
It seems unlikely--but this room remains too intact for it not to be suspicious.
I'm on win7, SP1. What are some good (trustworthy) tools I can scan my computer with.
Does anyone know of any concerns or precautions I should take, short of reformatting (which now that I think about it sounds really good).
Thanks in advance. <comment><USER2> Have you done a risk analysis?

Some things for you to ask yourself: Do you work for a government agency? Is it possible for secret documents to be on your machine? Do you work for a high profile company? Is it possible for trade secrets to be on the machine?

What's the worst that could happen if the data is compromised? Will you die? Will you go to jail? Will your company lose millions of dollars?

> What are some good (trustworthy) tools I can scan my computer with.

There are none. Once you think your machine has been compromised the only safe course of action is to wipe and re-install, and then very carefully restore data from back-up.

Check for hardware tampering too - hardware keyboard grabbers are cheap and easy to fit.

Don't forget that burglars have different styles - they don't just rob everything. Some burglars will just steal jewellery and leave everything else; others will grab everything technical and leave everything else. And the burglars might have been disturbed in the process of robbing the house.

<comment><USER3> In addition to checking added parts, do check your USB peripherals carefully (keyboard, mouse, game controller) if they have been exchanged/tampered with.

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> Copy all data to an external hard drive. Wipe current drive, reinstall OS, selectively copy back the files you need.

Any time you're infected with malware or strongly suspect you are, this is what you should do. It doesn't take that much time, plus you'll probably notice a big speed boost after you install the OS from a clean slate.

It'll take you way less time and effort than being paranoid and downloading all kinds of virus scanners and rootkit finders, while also being way more effective.

A hardware keylogger or spy device is extremely unlikely. If you don't see anything between the keyboard and the computer that shouldn't be there, odds are you're fine.

</comment><comment><USER5> I would guess that desktop computers are just much harder to fence than, say, TVs, and that you're just a bit paranoid (I don't blame you, considering the situation). A smart thief would also be wary of LoJack-type software on the computer.

</comment><comment><USER6> Desktop computer? They probably decided it was either too big to carry away without being caught, or that it wasn't something easy for them to sell. I would guess that cameras, cell phones, and tablets are easier to sell. They're all one piece, don't look very different "used" or "new", and you could probably re-package them with some bubble wrap and an envelope. A desktop computer with lots of parts, some of them obviously used, is going to be a lot more obvious and harder for the thief to deal with.

</comment><comment><USER7> Can you give some examples of what was taken from the garage and house? This would help paint a picture of what the robbers were interested in.

That activity could always be a decoy, of course, to throw you off the scent; or it could simply be that the thieves really were interested in those items that they took and not your computers and electronics.

There are good reasons not to take large electronics: they are not that easy to turn into cash, and they are bulky items: poor dollar to volume/weight ratio. It's much better to steal actual cash. Or traditional valuables like gold.

What's better: a computer monitor you can hawk for 50 bucks at most? Or 4 grams of gold from an 18K ring, worth some 100 bucks? Or an actual $100 bill? This is why thieves went through drawers and cabinets: they want small things that are dense with value, and cash.

As far as electronics goes, small stuff like smartphones and tables packs more value.

I wouldn't get all paranoid. One thing to do, though, is to monitor your network traffic, especially outbound, to look for any suspicious activity.

</comment><comment><USER8> If being bugged presents risk to your life or career (i.e., you're no average Joe) then you should just buy a new machine. If they bugged your hardware, bios, or other equipment, you might never know and it might not be removed after reformatting.

Also it could be that with a super custom and nice gaming machine, thieves didn't want it as it's too easy for you to recognize on the black market. And additionally, they might have worried you had a GPS or software which will phone home after it's been stolen.

And take a peak at the system logs too and your wi-fi logs.

Btw, a system lock won't keep any determined criminals out of your machine if they have physical access to it. Although, an encrypted drive and system locks would help, but maybe not in the case of a hardware bug.

</comment><comment><USER9> Remove hard drive and store it as evidence. Obtain new HDD. Install your OS of choice. Restore data from off-site backups.

Moderate risk - mount the both the old HDD and the new HDD (with Windows already installed) under Linux. Copy the data in Linux environment from old drive to new drive. You can use [http://puppylinux.org](http://puppylinux.org) to access Windows drives from Linux. It has a nice graphical file manager for that, so you will find it easy to do. Once done, remove the drive and store as evidence.

</comment><comment><USER10> A potentially compromised computer can never be secured for future use.

If something like that happened I would likely sell all the equipment and buy fresh. Really. It's pretty suspicious, and examples of malicious code which can stay persistent in practically nearly any peripheral with accessible memory have been shown.

Burglarizations suck. Hope you recover from it well.

</comment><comment><USER11> How do we know you're not the burglarizer posting under the unlocked account ?

<comment><USER12> That's how pentesters think - nice one</comment></comment>


A Google A Day - <AUTHOR> http://agoogleaday.com/

<comment><USER2> When I tried to connect it to my G+ account, I found the app apparently owned by some random [name][birthyear]@gmail.com account which I honestly find a bit suspicious..

And while it seems like a credible product with plenty of Google-like branding, I can't seem to find anywhere it actually states explicitly that it's in fact a Google product. Am I missing something?</comment>


Chicago Bus Company Ad Attacks Chinese Students - <AUTHOR> https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/12/04/bus-company-ad-attacks-chinese-students <comment><AUTHOR> " The ad was for a bus service to take students to the Chicago area at the end of the semester.

Suburban Express, the bus company, sent out the ad via email. The ad noted various reasons to ride with Suburban Express, including that the company:

"Serves passengers like you. You won't feel like you're in China when you're on our buses."

When people complained, the bus company apologized, saying, "The remark is being interpreted as a slap in the face of all non-Caucasians for some reason, and that it not how it was intended."

The apology went on to say that 20 percent of the university's students are from China and that the company disagrees with "selling our university to the highest foreign bidder." In fact, only 12 percent of the university's students are from China.

The university issued a statement that said in part, "We cannot prevent a private company from operating in our community.

But we can, loudly and unambiguously, say that the opinions expressed by Suburban Express are offensive, bigoted, insulting and in direct opposition to the values of this university. And we would encourage any potential future customers of this transport company to carefully investigate its record and customer concerns before using its services.""</comment>


Best Job in America: Software engineer (2006) - <AUTHOR> http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/moneymag_archive/2006/05/01/8375749/index.htm

<comment><USER2> I work from anywhere in the world and can move to most large cities and get a job! Life is pretty cushy and safe.

Irony is I reject this security for starting companies and working for no pay.</comment>