Marc Andreessen discusses BitCoin on Freakonomics - <AUTHOR> http://freakonomics.com/2014/03/27/why-everybody-who-doesnt-hate-bitcoin-loves-it-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/

<comment><USER2> "ANDREESSEN: It's a little bit like dogs watching TV. It's like, it's all very interesting, but like whatever until another dog shows up on screen and then the dog freaks out. Economists, like this stuff is all like, whatever, technology, geek, nerds whatever and then "currency" is the flag. And so the minute the word "currency" shows up, all the economists perk up because if there's one thing economists are all experts on it's currency… And they look at it and they say, "Oh my god, people are paying $600 for this thing, it's just a piece of fake digital currency, people have just lost their minds." I don't think that they are looking at the underlying substance."

Golden --- if a bit dismissive.

Its natural for entrenched systems to resist change, but as MtGox has demonstrated, the incumbents are not without their sources of value.

<comment><AUTHOR> Very well put. I had almost the exact same feeling after listening to the podcast.

Also worth nothing, I think I would have a different feeling about everything related to BitCoin, had I taken the opportunity I had to purchase $1000 worth of BTC at $1.75 :(</comment></comment>


Behind The Money: Iminlikewithyou's Charles Forman on selling virtual goods  - <AUTHOR> http://www.thedeal.com/blogs/video/behind-the-money/behind-the-money-iminlikewithy.php <comment><USER2> Quite a brave step walking out into the abyss that no other has gone before. Charles has a great head on his shoulders--even if he is an a-hole--and I can't wait to see where he takes his extremely unique and well executed product.</comment>


25-year-old questions about a card game - <AUTHOR> https://email@example.com/25-year-old-questions-about-a-card-game-36f5ce4f97bf <comment><USER2> How did you order the cards that you capture and place at the bottom of your deck? That could have an effect on the game. For example, it seems to me that you would maximize your chances by placing the cards in high to low order by value at the bottom of your deck.</comment>


How Kiva Robots Help Zappos and Walgreens - <AUTHOR> http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/apr2009/id20090415_876420.htm

<comment><USER2> These really are pretty amazing... I found watching the various videos of them was fairly mesmerizing</comment>


Its Electric Grid Under Strain, California Turns to Batteries - <AUTHOR> https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/03/business/energy-environment/california-electricity-blackout-battery.html <comment><USER2> There's 2 important measures of a battery storage system. How much power can it give you (kw) and how much energy can it store (kwh) when it is full, which tells you how long it will last. Articles like this seem to jump between the 2, not realising they are different things.</comment>


Gravitations - A free space puzzle game built around user generated content - <AUTHOR> https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id633721587

<comment><AUTHOR> You can play it on the web as well at: [http://gravitationsapp.com](http://gravitationsapp.com)

Gameplay Trailer: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZQIodj8bTE](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZQIodj8bTE)

Gravitations was made mostly in my spare time until I needed to bring it to the company I work for to get the Art done for it. My motivation for building it was so I can see what people will do with the tools that I build for them. I know that I will never be able to think of all the ways you can make missions or solve them and each time that someone does something that I never thought of it will make Gravitations a success.

Gameplay will be free as long as I have control over it. I want as many people to play as possible.

All types of feedback are always appreciated.</comment>


Apple Releases Final Mac OS X Mountain Lion to Developers - <AUTHOR> http://mashable.com/2012/07/09/apple-releases-final-mac-os-x-mountain-lion-to-developers/ <comment><USER2> I was looking forward to ML until I read the supported hardware and found that my 2006 Mac Pro won't be supported. This has happened in the past with other Macs, but this is the first time it has bit me.

My Pro is perfect for me, I have it maxed at 32 GB of memory, dual optical drives, and 4TB of local disk. Quad 2.66GHz cores is more than enough for me.

I understand that things like display Airplay mirroring depend on newer CPUs/GPUs, but ML should still be supported, just with fewer features.

And yes, I know this is a 6 year old system. But it's still a good solid system with a long life ahead of it. I'll keep running Lion on it until something dies (system board?) that's irreplaceable.

<comment><USER3> When 10.5 came out, a lot of unsupported systems only required a minor hack to make 10.5 install (copy the DVD to HD, edit a file, burn back to DVD).

With luck, there will be an easy hack this time as well. I believe the factor that decides which machines got cut off is the lack of 64bit EFI, which Apple requires for booting a 64bit kernel. Some people have already worked out how to use hackintosh tools to boot from Legacy Mode into a 64bit EFI and then into a 64bit kernel on the 2006/2007 Mac Pros, which apparently increases expansion card compatiblity (particularly making it possible to put unflashed PC video cards in the machine). Also, after doing this, some of the older MacPro video cards will be unsupported (such as the 7300GT). A suitable Radeon replacement is probably cheap though.

It is too early to tell, but with luck the same thing can be done by dedicated MacPro owners to get 10.8.

Personally, I'm very disappointed that my wife's MacBook is also on the unsupported list. I will probably end up just replacing her laptop rather than trying to hack it.

<comment><USER2> If the hacks progress to the point where I can upgrade to a card that supports display mirroring via Airplay, I may look into it. The video card on this system is its only weak spot in terms of reliability. Too much WoW burned out two prior cards, and replacement cards are outrageous.

EDIT: Now I see that it's a CPU issue, not GPU, so I'm screwed. Maybe I'll end up getting a new Mini to replace my old one for HTPC.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> Just bought a new Macbook Pro and have recently gotten my first taste of Lion. Two words: kernel panic.

Hoping for a stability boost on this one. No way my entire overpowered system should crash from running a browser, text edit, and Skype.

<comment><USER5> Check your hardware. xnu is incredibly stable. It may also be a 1.0 driver, considering what you're running it on. You _are_ on the absolute cutting edge of the universe right now, GPU-wise, after all.

Lion itself is rock solid.

<comment><USER6> Agreed. The only KPs I've gotten since at least ~Snow Leopard have been hardware-related. Off to the Genius Bar!

<comment><USER5> First, boot holding D. This will boot a special firmware-based hardware tester (or one downloaded from Apple on latest hardware) that will test all aspects of your system.

It's the first thing the Genius Bar will do.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> Can anyone comment if airplay is disabled on pre 2011 macs? I'm going to be royally pissed if airplay is disabled because I'm missing some BS drm chip. Hopefully the era of "Jailbreaking" macs has not started.

<comment><USER8> DRM Chip? What did that crazy rumour come from?

<comment><USER9> For a couple years, Apple shipped Macs with a TPM[1] chip from Intel.

1\. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trusted_Platform_Module>

<comment><USER8> Also false. They never shipped those and they were also nt Macs. those were developer only machines that you could lease and they were built using standard Intel boards which had that unused TPM module.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> Anybody know if Messages has improved? The beta I'm using is buggy as hell.

<comment><USER5> It's vastly better in the DPs. They haven't updated the beta _at all_ since it was released months and months ago.

<comment><USER11> But still no MSN integration, right? I still have some MSN contacts that forces me to stick to Adium.

<comment><USER9> iChat never had MSN support. However, there is a new plugin framework in Mountain Lion that would let someone write a MSN plugin for Messages.app.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> Still filing some radars against this, including the lingering text formatting issue in Mail.

If this follows the typical pattern there will be some sys update right after public release.

<comment><USER6> Apple .0 software always has at least one showstopper.

My favorite was the way the initial release of SL hosed fonts that it decided conflicted with the system ones. Like non-Apple versions of Helvetica. Thanks Apple! ;-)

</comment></comment><comment><USER13> Something very odd is happening at Apple. Either there is a massive shortage of developers (unlikely) or developers have been moved to a new project (AppleTV ?).

Because Mountain Lion and iOS6 are by far the most underwhelming updates yet in terms of features.

<comment><USER14> Eh. OS X has been on somewhat of a tick-tock update cycle since Leopard. Add features then refine them.

Also, it's _twenty bucks_.

<comment><USER13> I think I might have been misunderstood. I have no complaints with Mountain Lion and think it offers tremendous value.

My point was whether there had been a movement of developers to a new iOS/OSX based project e.g. like an AppleTV. Because it seems that iOS6 and Mountain Lion combined seem to lack the combined punch of previous releases.

<comment><USER15> Frankly, if the only punch Mountain Lion packs is "breaks way less", I am first in line.</comment></comment></comment></comment>


Remote Jobs, but WHERE? - <AUTHOR>

In the spirit of monthly job postings, I've scraped the jobs off We Work Remotely and showcased them on a map.
http://whispering-refuge-4514.herokuapp.com/
Even though remote jobs can be done anywhere, my expectation is that working full-time at a company based out of Italy is culturally different than one based in New York.
Has location (i.e. culture) influenced your remote job experience? (workflow, travel, promotions)? <comment><USER2> I have a few consulting clients and employers listed by country at [http://www.warplife.com/jobs/computer/telecommute/](http://www.warplife.com/jobs/computer/telecommute/)

While I've been successful with purely remote contracts, in which I never once met the clients, I far prefer clients that I can visit from time to time. It's kind of nice to show up in person with a deliverable.

</comment><comment><USER3> Not related to location, but still noteworthy: If you're not going to be part of a team, it's always going to be weird because the culture of the brick and mortar office will be so entrenched in everyone who works there. On the other hand, if you really want to do well - then try to integrate into the team and not be an 'outsider', or feel the need to brand yourself as 'the remoter'

</comment><comment><USER4> FYI, if I try to click London I get a 500. Thanks for the map

<comment><USER5> And some other locations as well. Otherwise map is super handy, well done

<comment><AUTHOR> Will fix this shortly and thanks!

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> The map really helpful to me, too, thanks for that

</comment><comment><USER7> absolutely, I agree that even though the job may be remote, physical location is still important to take into consideration.

Thanks for the map!!</comment>


Entrepreneurial podcasts - <AUTHOR> http://bizopy.com/2012/11/20/top-50-podcasts-for-entrepreneurs/

<comment><USER2> Making a list of 50 things is almost as useless as not making a list at all. Give me a list of 5 and that's useful. The key value in making a list is curation.

<comment><USER3> This Week in Startups This Week in Venture Capital Foundation Mixergy

I can't vouch for every single podcast, I don't have that much time, but those don't disappoint. I love the A Smart Bear blog, so I assume the podcast is of good quality.

<comment><USER4> Can you split those up with punctuation or something?

<comment><USER3> Interesting, I guess I put returns but it didn't go through. Anyhow: 1) This Week in Startups 2) This Week in Venture Capital 3) Foundation 4) Mixergy

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> One of my favorite business discussion program is The Bottom Line by BBC radio.

<http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/bottomline>

</comment><comment><USER6> One that I didn't see listed are the TechZing broadcasts on bootstrapping. They are no longer producing the podcast but some of them are classics.

[http://justinvincent.com/page/960/how-to-start-a- sucessful-b...](http://justinvincent.com/page/960/how-to-start-a-sucessful- bootstrapped-web-app-business)

<comment><USER7> 1\. It' still in production: <http://techzinglive.com/>

2\. It's on the list

Edit: Oh, you mean the specific collection of their previous casts. I guess you could say they're not in production any more because that list is a "best of"

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> I think I liked it better when Startups For The Rest Of Us put this list together 2 weeks earlier.

[http://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/episodes/episode-104-p...](http://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/episodes/episode-104-podcasts- for-startup-founders)</comment>


It's Time for Some Queueing Theory - <AUTHOR> https://kottke.org/19/01/its-time-for-some-queueing-theory <comment><USER2> Another fun surprising result from queuing theory is that if you have a buffer of pending RPC's that have some deadline, it is better to service them in a "unfair" LIFO order, as opposed to a fairer FIFO order. [0] goes into more gory details.

In the bank example from the article, LIFO would dramatically shorten the median wait time (~5 minutes), at the cost of really upsetting customers [1]. In the case of a support queue, where the waiters are blind to each other, this cost could be reconsidered ...

[0] [https://arxiv.org/pdf/1008.4895.pdf](https://arxiv.org/pdf/1008.4895.pdf)

[1] from the article, "We really, really hate it when someone shows up after us but gets served before us.

<comment><USER3> After a while people would grow wise of this tactic and start redialing after waiting for some time. We could build a whole lot of efficient and beautiful systems, if only not for the people...

<comment><USER4> Exactly. I've never had the time to dig into it, but these LIFO-optimality results always strike me as being non-physical or introducing some implicit hard-to-model effects.[1]

Like you say, people can just re-enter the queue, or (in meatspace) form a meta-queue that vies for entering the moment it has an open slot, reproducing FIFO all over again.

Furthermore, you get a _lot_ of pro-cooperation effects (necessary for queues to work at all) by giving people "skin in the game" in the form of valuing their place in line. Once people lose nothing by inventing a new name and re- entering the line, that's all gone, and they no longer have an incentive not to be disruptive, which throws off disproportionate negative utility onto the rest of the system.

One day, I promise, I will unpack this result.

[1] My comment from 2015 expressing similar reservations: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182781](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182781)

<comment><USER5> What's wrong with degrading from LIFO to a random queue due to client retry, when you're _starting_ from a FIFO that is _already_ failing client expectations?

<comment><USER4> Nothing, if it's just used for that (narrow, least-bad, degraded) situation. I was addressing the more general point that LIFO queues have some actionable superiority over FIFO in the general case because of the theoretical results cited in the literature.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> I'd definitely appreciate some 'next steps for the working programmer' that aren't a deep dive into math. What we need to be able to do is realize what sort of problem we're facing, how to describe it, and maybe what solutions might look like or where to learn more about them.

At a certain company, we were dealing with a limited number of phone numbers that could be used in on-line ads to get people to call for more information. Reuse the numbers too quickly and you wouldn't be able to track what people were calling about. Having too many idle numbers cost money.

Seemed like an interesting problem to me and it looked like "queuing theory" even if I didn't know the details. I suggested we could probably figure out a way to optimize our usage of the numbers. Blank looks and "let's just use 10 numbers per client and see how that goes".

I'm definitely someone who's wary of coding up a big, complex solution as the first iteration, so I could live with "let's start with a number", but I think that needed to feed into a further iteration using the knowledge we gained and a bit more thinking about the problem.

<comment><USER7> Maybe the next steps for the working programmer are, in fact, a deep dive into math.

<comment><USER6> Adam Smith's words about specialization apply to programming too.

One of the best places I ever worked, I sat right next to a guy doing computer vision algorithms. He had a PhD, and was extremely smart and knowledgeable and fun to talk with.

He also wasn't the most... practical programmer, and I was able to give him a variety of suggestions about how to improve his code, and of course I had ideas about data modelling and web programming that he didn't know much about.

Neither one of us knew much about the details of the firmware, or the optics (mirrors and lenses and such) that another colleague was working on.

I guess the point is that for some of us, the point is that we're probably not good candidates to become domain experts, but knowing enough to find help is probably a good move.

<comment><USER7> Not learning math because it's not what you want to specialize in is self- defeating. It's like not learning to read and write, or save money, or communicate with other people, because it's not what you want to specialize in.

Math isn't a domain. It's the technique of abstraction we apply to _any_ domain to make it tractable for computers, and it's the technique of reasoning we apply to any domain to figure out where our thinking has gone wrong. At least, any objective domain — except in rare cases, math isn't that useful for figuring out why your wife feels you don't love her anymore. But for you to program something on a computer, someone needs to mathematize it first. This can be done well or badly.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> Great article! I'm adding it to the queueing theory intro repo: [https://github.com/joelparkerhenderson/queueing_theory](https://github.com/joelparkerhenderson/queueing_theory)

</comment><comment><USER9> You should not stare blindly on the average. It's in the 1% slowest requests the dragons are hidden.

<comment><USER10> Not when you're looking at high utilization, as presented in the example in the article.

For that particular case (a M/M/1 queue with arrival rate of 5.8 customers per hour and a service rate of 6 per hour), even your median response time is 3.5 hours.

Unbounded FIFOs are _really_ bad once you get to high utilization.

</comment></comment><comment><USER11> If any one is interested in a diving into queuing theory as it pertains to vehicular traffic, check out chapters 11 and 12 of Traffic Flow Fundamentals by Adolf May. [1] Chapter 11 discusses shockwaves and moving queues. Chapter 12 discusses both deterministic and stochastic queuing.

[1] [https://www.scribd.com/document/253416450/Traffic-Flow- Funda...](https://www.scribd.com/document/253416450/Traffic-Flow-Fundamentals)

</comment><comment><USER12> From the article:

> We assume customer arrivals and customer service times are random (details > later).

Where are those details? I expected some math about the random distribution and how that adds up, but I can't even find the corresponding text passage to explain anything related to that.

<comment><USER13> They probably intend to discuss the Poisson distribution which is commonly used to characterize random customer inter-arrival times, and similar or other distributions for how long it takes to process the customer's request.

[https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Poisson_distribution](https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Poisson_distribution)

Queueing theory is a pretty common topic in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science curriculum related to scheduling or computer networks. Also part of Operations Research curriculum.

Probably worth reading more about Leonard Kleinrock's work if you are interested in this topic and the context where it was applied:

[https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Leonard_Kleinrock](https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Leonard_Kleinrock)

<comment><USER14> Reading that, years ago, was what led me to figure out how to approach congestion control. Everybody was reading Kleinrock and assuming random arrival rates. Klienrock had done a study of Western Union Plan 55-A, which was Sendmail for telegrams, built with paper tape for buffering and telephone switches for routing. That led to the original analyses of how the Arpanet should work.

The trouble with that approach is that it assumes packets just arrive randomly no matter what the network is doing. That was true for Plan 55-A; delays in the network had little influence on the submission rate for new telegrams. But it's not true once you put a protocol with backpressure, like TCP, on top of the raw packets. Now congestion becomes a feedback control system. I figured that out in the early 1980s and wrote RFC 970.[1]

The idea of having one big line was introduced by banks some time in the 1970s. It helped some. But the big breakthrough came from Walter Wriston [2], CEO of what is now Citibank, who pushed his people to develop in-bank terminals and then ATMs, to get rid of the lines entirely.

A classic piece of advice from retail consultants is "never place an obstacle in front of a customer who is ready to buy". Amazon's "one-click ordering" is the classic on-line example. Gap stores used to be noted for getting this. They had big, empty counters and more than enough people ready to check customers out. All that crap retailers put at checkouts? Few customers buy it, and it limits how much merchandise the customer can put on the counter.

The big queuing theory insight for line management is that if you don't have some idle time, in an open loop situation the line length will go to infinity. In the real world, you start to lose customers. That's how closed loop feedback reacts to retailer incompetence.

[1] [https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc970](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc970)

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

<comment><USER15> "All that crap retailers put at checkouts? Few customers buy it, and it limits how much merchandise the customer can put on the counter."

People select less stuff when they're shopping because they're concerned it won't fit on the counter, or they take a bunch of stuff there but end up not paying for it because it won't fit, or what?

<comment><USER16> I think the issue is that it slows down processing time, reducing overall throughput, for little to no gain

And the bigger the line, the more likely customers drop out (at least, I do, especially if the purchase is small/insignificant)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> There's a great Kubecon talk on Queueing Theory if you want a bit more:

[https://youtube.com/watch?v=yf6wSsOFqdI](https://youtube.com/watch?v=yf6wSsOFqdI)

</comment><comment><USER18> About a year ago, I was waiting in line at Dollar Tree (guilty pleasure), and I had to wait almost a half-hour in line. Even though there were two cashiers, they were constantly communicating back and forth, introducing a constant blocking factor and effectively reducing it one queue, and I was trying to think about how to model this with pi-calculus while I was waiting.

Obviously there's a math for basically anything, but reading this makes me glad I'm not the only one who has thought about this. This article has given me some reading fodder for this weekend...thanks!

</comment><comment><USER19> Not really any theory, but some interesting anecdotes and research results.

I'd wished the author at least explained the 5 hour average wait. I mean, if the queue started at 30 people, then I can see it, but not if we start at 0.

<comment><USER20> In that setting, the line queue is 30 people long, on average. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Because 5.8 people arrive an hour out of the maximum of 6 that can be served an hour, and 6/(6-5.8)=30, the average queue length is 30.

</comment></comment><comment><USER21> Relevant to queueing theory:

"Stop Rate Limiting! Capacity Management Done Right" by Jon Moore

[https://youtube.com/watch?v=m64SWl9bfvk](https://youtube.com/watch?v=m64SWl9bfvk)

</comment><comment><USER22> My favorite bit from queuing theory is the observation that if you execute the shortest tasks first, the average wait time for any one task is minimized.

<comment><USER23> Are you sure? Aren't you talking about the average wait time for all tasks combined (sum of wait times) instead of the wait time for _any one_ task. Obviously the optimal wait time any one task is 0, if you start right away. Intuitively i'd say if you sort the queue by size and always process the shortest task, you may indefinitely stall some long tasks.

<comment><USER22> I think that depends on whether your queue is a fixed data set or a stream of new entries.

I learned queuing theory in a class about multimedia, and I came away with a good theoretical understanding but my practical understanding was rubbish. When synchronizing two streams of tasks, the queue is not finite, but the pattern is fixed. For A/V it might be 22 frames per second, best effort, and _exactly_ one second of audio per second.

But any queue with even a vague notion of deadlines will only let so many tasks 'cut in line'. At some point the undesirable task gets scheduled, even in the face of a constant stream of other work. Or it gets dropped. From what I understand, in a realtime system a low priority, long task might just be aborted. Because it's never a good time to run it.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER24> I'm always annoyed that whenever someone purports to have an article or book on queue theory, no one actually has any math. So I'm just left with a bunch of anectdotes and no understanding.

</comment><comment><USER25> Myron Hlynka

[https://web2.uwindsor.ca/math/hlynka/queue.html](https://web2.uwindsor.ca/math/hlynka/queue.html)

</comment><comment><USER26> Does it get more light-weight than this? Grrr. It's time for fluff.

<comment><USER27> I had never heard of queueing theory until I read about it in a supply chain management textbook, and would have appreciated being at least aware of its existence much earlier than that. This is light, but it's a great way to introduce the topic to people who have never been exposed to it.

By the way, I also worked in a supply chain management department of about two thousand people for three years and I never heard anyone else mention queueing theory while I was there, so now I really wish at least this blog post were required reading for everyone in that department.

</comment></comment><comment><USER28> Thought I'd hear about some AMPQ... :)

<comment><USER29> What is there to hear about AMQP? Make exchanges, bind queues and send to routing keys. Add cluster and load balance for bonus points.

Now fast-food queues, that is an interesting problem.</comment></comment>


Idris: General Purpose Programming with Dependent Types - <AUTHOR> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkIlW797JN8

<comment><AUTHOR> A great talk by the creator of Idris, Edwin Brady. Slides here (but you miss out on the demo): [http://eb.host.cs.st-andrews.ac.uk/writings/idris- lhug0113.p...](http://eb.host.cs.st-andrews.ac.uk/writings/idris-lhug0113.pdf)

[http://idris-lang.org/](http://idris-lang.org/)

<comment><USER2> with HN and reddit submission I have a hint for why the website is sluggish.</comment></comment>


Ask HN: Who can rent me Google Glass in NYC for 3 hours this Saturday? - <AUTHOR>

I am going to a nerd meeting and to showcase various technologies and I committed to Glass. I was wondering if there is any owner in NYC who might be willing to lend me their between 6 and 10pm. I am in Gramercy Park, Manhattan. <comment><USER2> Did you find anyone? I guess there are not that many people willing to rent their glasses in NYC

<comment><AUTHOR> Unfortunately I didn't.</comment></comment>


How Xerox Invented the Copier and Artists Pushed It to Its Limits - <AUTHOR> http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-xerox-invented-the-copier-and-artists-pushed-it-too-its-limits <comment><USER2> Xerox has really fallen. Just a month ago I returned a $12,000 Xerox DocuMate scanner because it lacked the features a $500 Fujitsu scanner had. No joke, this is a fallen American company. They outsourced so much of their software development they don't have proper "auto-straightening" and have the most terrible "auto-crop to length and width" I've ever seen. I toyed with the $12,000 hunk of garbage for a week. Reading manuals, visiting forums. Turns out that's the way it ships. Twas returned and I learned a very valuable lesson.

This is why tech companies from Asia are winning, not only are they cheaper, they're better in nearly every way. This era of CEOs outsourcing and downsizing to temporarily increase profit and stock is going to have very long term consequences. Mainly the downfall of their own companies. This is what happens when you lack pride, lack loyalty, and lack long term vision.

<comment><USER3> The whole industry has been struggling with quality issues for years, printer software is atrocious.

<comment><USER4> 10 years ago I was hoping apple would get in to the printer business. It seemed(s?) ripe for disruption with a new entrant that simplifies aspects, has better hardware/software pairings and 'just works'. Given apple's swing in the last few years, it might not be a great idea now, but it felt like an area they should have entered 10 years ago.

<comment><USER3> Apple used to sell printers: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Apple_printers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Apple_printers)

<comment><USER5> Why their bedrock market is in the publishing/print media segment. The Mac had a companion printer that was set up to match the screen. Thus you got WYSIWYG editing of documents etc.

This i think was a massive contributor to the attention Apple got regarding their iPod, because it was a known brand for all the newspapers and such. And since then Apple has been basically leveraging that attention into what it is today.

But by ignoring what go them that attention, the near ubiquity of Macs in all manner of media production, they may well be in for a harsh fall indeed.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> I got to see one of the original prototypes, at the time it was sitting near the lobby of the Battelle Memorial Institute (who provided much of the R&D for the process and is often forgotten) across the street from the Ohio State University. It was an almost hilarious manual process, almost more like developing film with dry chemicals and powders than the hidden, clean, mechanical process we see today...but it still worked. I imagine it's still there, and if anybody is in the area, it's worth stopping by to see a demonstration of it -- I couldn't find one on youtube, but I did find this explanation.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZKbvPFrc0I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZKbvPFrc0I)

<comment><USER5> That video was annoying to listen to...

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> If you find this interesting you might find Risographs and their appropriation by artists interesting: [http://www.woollypress.com/the-riso- museum/](http://www.woollypress.com/the-riso-museum/)

I don't find a lot of people who know what a Risograph is. For jobs in the hundreds to 10,000 range it can be the most economical solution. The printing process is delightfully mechanical. The machines are, at the same time, very similar to network-attached laser printers, complete with Ethernet interfaces and printer drivers for common operating systems.

<comment><USER8> I used to work in DTP ages ago and this link brings back so many memories.

Also, our strippers were 50+ year old women with a drinking problem and a penchant for getting dirty.

</comment></comment><comment><USER9> A friend of mine once came upon Helen Chadwick photocopying a sedated badger (as you do) in Birmingham Art Gallery for an installation. A brief conversation ensued, constrained somewhat by the need to return the animal to its keeper.

I was a bit surprised at the lack of work discussed in the OA as I remember it being all over in small galleries in the 70s and 80s.

[http://quod.lib.umich.edu/p/plag/5240451.0001.003/\--copy- thi...](http://quod.lib.umich.edu/p/plag/5240451.0001.003/--copy-this-a- historical-perspective-on-the-use?rgn=main;view=fulltext)</comment>


Colbert tribute to Steve Jobs - <AUTHOR> http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/07/steve-jobs-2

<comment><USER2> One of my favorite Benjamin Franklin quotes is:

        I have sometimes wish'd it had been my destiny to have
        been born two or three centuries hence.

I wonder if Steve Jobs felt the same way. I would like to believe that the visionary that he was, his peaceful end was comforted by the fact that all that he envisioned was all on the right path. His few dreams that were not already made reality would soon reach millions. Not only that, but millions if not billions of people around the world now understand his vision, not just the beauty and application of his products, but the implications of a future of grand dreams and great taste.

I will forever regret never meeting the man. But I was never worth his time.

Now he has all the time in the world to relax with the greats: <http://bit.ly/ng7PmU>

He gave us platforms. Now it's in our hands.

\---

Steve knew his calling and thus the world took so much of his precious time. Less than 60 years of life: We shall forever make the best of it as he rests in peace.

The clip affected me more than anything thus far. I think I'm ready to move on now, he gave so much but the world demands so much more. For now, I think I'm done up-voting Steve Jobs.

</comment><comment><USER3> It's the comedians that always say it best.

Colbert's short little clip here (especially the very powerful ending) and the Onion's article are the two most touching pieces I've read on Steve Jobs.

It reminds me of the Onion's "Holy Fucking Shit" piece after September 11th. That did a lot to snap Americans back to reality and help us mourn.

Has it always been the case that the funny people are the best at helping us (group, nation, community) mourn? Or is just that, these days, the wisest and people (in media) happen to be comedians?

edit: grammar

<comment><USER4> Good comedians speak the truth that is apparent, but is possibly not being said. Breaking social morays and speaking freely is more of the comedians' strongest weapons.

<comment><USER5> 'mores', 'norms' would read better.

<comment><USER6> Less pedantry would read better :-P

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> This comment of mine is a bit off topic, since its not related to Steve Jobs:

I'm from Argentina and I've been watching Colbert and Jon Stewart for about 3 years now. I'm simply amazed every day when I see both shows. There's nothing I would like more than to see this format of television being brought to Argentina, but I doubt it.

What I want to say is: People in the US, you are VERY lucky for having these shows on air. Please, don't take them for granted. Treasure them!!!

<comment><USER8> Do shows sporting this kind of incisive deadpan exist in the Spanish-speaking world? I've been interested.

</comment></comment><comment><USER9> Really choked up in those final few seconds. It felt sincere. Very classy.

<comment><USER10> Yeah, it did. I watched it a few times to see if I could put my finger on what it was that made it come across that way, and I'm still not sure I can.

<comment><USER11> It gets me right when the live audience realizes that it's not a joke, and falls completely silent. He can barely keep it together on his last few lines.

<comment><USER12> His face changes. He drops the character. That's what gets me. He never does that.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER13> The TechCrunch video didn't work here on my iPad, I assume it's flash.

There's one on Gawker which works: [http://gawker.com/5847556/watch-stephen- colberts-tribute-to-...](http://gawker.com/5847556/watch-stephen-colberts- tribute-to-steve-jobs)

Edit: s/it/it's

<comment><USER14> The video on the link to Colbert's site from the TechCrunch article worked just fine on my iPad.

</comment></comment><comment><USER15> I've been dry eyed the past two days, but this put me over the edge. Classy, Colbert. Classy...

<comment><USER16> Same here. It was really unexpected, suddenly I went from laughing to almost crying like a baby.

</comment></comment><comment><USER17> Very good delivery. I like how he very tactfully conveyed, maybe not stories about the man or his accomplishments, but how it marks the end of those contributions-- there won't be any more one liner emails, new product announcements, etc. that the tech industry has become so accustomed to over the years. It's a new era now. I wonder how we'll come to define it.

</comment><comment><USER18> one of the better ones, in my opinion.

</comment><comment><USER19> There was something particularly touching about this. I think it was the words "Thank You", where you felt it wasn't coming from "The Colbert Report" Colbert, but the actual Stephen Colbert himself.

</comment><comment><USER20> How can I watch this clip in Canada? :(

<comment><USER21> It's very easy.

1\. Mute your volume.

2\. Go to <http://www.thecomedynetwork.ca>

3\. Struggle to find the Videos link, and click it.

4\. Then try to find the Colbert Report link, and click that.

5\. Click on the show for Oct 6.

6\. Go do something else while the ads play.

7\. When the show starts up, drag the slider all the way to the right.

8\. Go do something else while the same ads play again.

9\. When the second segment starts up, drag the slider all the way to the right again.

10\. Go do something else while the same ads play a third time.

11\. When the third segment starts up, drag the slider all the way to the right again.

12\. Go do something else while the ads play.

13\. When the closing segment starts up, unmute and try to enjoy it.

Brought to you by Bell Media.

<comment><USER20> What a mess. Finally found the section. For the next person who wants less of a headache, just load Part 3. The Jobs tribute is in there.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER22> The part where he is trying to "sexually" lick the ipad is hilarious!

<comment><USER23> In the studio, of course, it'd be even funnier to watch, because he'd be licking the air.

</comment></comment><comment><USER24> It is touching to see the human element from idols who have always put on a public face. In this case, Colbert's character put away for a moment, which let you see the person behind the mask. Steve Job's death adds the human element to his legendary career and persona, which is what has captivated me the most. I look forward to reading Steve Job's biography to better understand one of the people that I most admire.

<comment><USER25> Notice too the extremely slow push-in on the camera when Colbert gets sincere. There's a bit of cinematic wizardry at play to make it extra poignant. It emphasizes that Colbert was truly breaking character - the entire show broke character in a sense, by using some non-standard direction.

</comment></comment><comment><USER26> Anyone got a version that's viewable outside the US?

<comment><USER27> This one works for me: [http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report- videos/39918...](http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report- videos/399182/october-06-2011/tribute-to-steve-jobs)

</comment></comment><comment><USER28> If you click Learn More in SJ's bio on TC, it says things like "Steve Jobs added a position at Pixar."

Is this for real, or is this a scammy word game Crunchbase plays to add credence to the entries?

</comment><comment><USER29> Did he really type those 2 lines using 2 thumbs in 7 seconds?

<comment><USER30> Yes! :)

</comment></comment><comment><USER31> That was awesome.

</comment><comment><USER32> Quick wit. Deft touch. Well done.</comment>


A 400 Year-Old Shark May Hold the Cure to Aging - <AUTHOR> http://gizmodo.com/a-400-year-old-shark-may-hold-the-cure-to-aging-1785144189 <comment><AUTHOR> Pullout of most salient point: '"This article highlights just how little science still knows about the life histories of these and other magnificent creatures," said Kevin Perrott, a scientist at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and co-founder of SENS Research Foundation. "It also underlines how easy it would be to remain forever ignorant and lose this resource because of climate change and environmental damage."

By carelessly wiping out biodiversity, Perrott added, "we run the risk of forever losing the opportunity to study organisms with insight into humanity's most pressing medical challenge, the aging process."

Olshansky agrees. "Having another vertebrate living so long tells us that natural selection has successfully produced a species capable of avoiding or delaying diseases such as cancer or neurological disorders, for far longer time periods than humans are now capable of living."'</comment>


I created this startup in my lunch break - <AUTHOR> http://sugardaddy.gorgebox.co.uk

<comment><USER2> Since work has it blocked, what is it?</comment>


How to Automatically Back Up and Purge Your Gmail Every 30 Days - <AUTHOR> http://lifehacker.com/how-to-automatically-back-up-and-purge-your-gmail-every-1672481972

<comment><USER2> Was GMail compromised by the Sony attackers? I was under the impression Sony internal emails where leaked, not GMail.

If you really didn't want people to read your emails, why not just encrypt them instead of sending in plain text over the open internet using an ad driven service?</comment>


Show HN: Create, modify and render video templates at everywhere - <AUTHOR> http://www.seeshiontech.com/en-us/index.html <comment><AUTHOR> Hello HN! I am Zhiqiang Li, founder of Seeshiontech. We are so excited to post our product - VE (Violet Engine) on here.

VE is a solution that can help you to create, modify and render video templates at everywhere. It contains two parts - VE Exporter and VE SDK.

VE Exporter is an After Effects plugin. Designers can use it to export their After Effects design projects to custom project format -VE templates.

VE SDK is a cross platform SDK that can load, modify, preview and render VE template with high performance. It supports iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and Cloud Server platforms.

Advantages :

For designers: · VE Exporter can empower you to visualize your ideas without too many restrictions via VE's support of all important features from After Effects.

· The Exporter supports After Effects features such as AV layers, text layers, solid layers, adjustment layers, and 3D camera layers, layer animations, layer track matte modes, layer masks, layer styles, layer blending modes etc..

· You can use it with After Effect easily with no need to learn more required knowledge via it.

For developers: · VE SDK can bring the powerful yet easy to use template video creating functionalities to your products in short time.

· The SDK can empower your users to create outstanding and sophisticated video designs with no required professional ability.

· It can enable you to experience the same developing and has rapid and robust rendering performance on every platform.

If you want to create an app, a program or a website that can help users to create video contents by modifying your video templates, VE is exactly what you need!

Moreover, we would love to get your feedback! Thanks a lot for spending time reading this. Hope you all have a nice day.

More information on here[http://www.seeshiontech.com](http://www.seeshiontech.com) Twitter: @EngineViolet Facebook: Zhiqiang Li YouTube: Zhiqiang Li Or email me at email@example.com</comment>


Engineering Superheroes - greatest of all time? - <AUTHOR> http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/04/which-comic-book-character-is-the-greatest-maker-of-all-time.html

<comment><AUTHOR> Let's start a "superhero" meme for Engineering hiring. We all know superheroes would crush ninjas and rockstars without lifting a finger :)

But more seriously, I did always find the part of the Superhero origin story where they're also a brilliant engineer to be the most unbelievable - I mean, it's tough to be a good engineer much less having to worry about jumping roof to roof at night, building a superhuman physique and dealing with Lois Lane groupies :)</comment>


Conda now supports PyPy builds - <AUTHOR> https://conda-forge.org/blog//2020/03/10/pypy <comment><USER2> I'm curious, people who use conda, what's your reason for doing so? When I started using Python I used conda because people told me I would have a really hard time managing packages if I didn't. I used it for quite some time, but kept running into issues. For instance, new versions of packages would be released and it would be forever until they were available in conda. And it seemed every month or two conda itself would have some issue that I'd have to spend a while troubleshooting.

Then I discovered pyenv + virtualenv. I can't think of a single issue over the last 18 months. I can easily run any version of Python, virtual environments are way easier to deal with, and PIP has been so much better than conda for packages.

Is there something else I'm missing about conda? Or was conda something that was needed and great several years ago, but not so much these days?

I'd also love to hear if there's something better than pyenv + virtualenv I should look into.

<comment><USER3> > and PIP has been so much better than conda for packages.

> Is there something else I'm missing about conda?

Yes. You missed pip working perfectly well inside conda since day 1 (and integration is getting better). In the past, pip did not participate in conda dependency resolution (and I think it still doesn't, at least not perfectly). But it's not worse than using pip outside conda; and when you DO have a conda package, it is usually more dependable.

> I can easily run any version of Python, virtual environments are way easier > to deal with, and PIP has been so much better than conda for packages.

Can you run the latest Python 3.8 on your old extended-support Ubuntu Server 14.4 that you can't upgrade because reasons, on pyenv+virtualenv? Genuinely asking; you can with conda.

<comment><USER4> > Can you run the latest Python 3.8 on your old extended-support Ubuntu Server > 14.4 that you can't upgrade because reasons, on pyenv+virtualenv?

Definitely. If Python 3.8 isn't available from the package repository for ubuntu 14.04 you'll need to install it some other way -- either from source or from a binary package someone else compiled -- after which you can simply

        python3.8 -m venv venv

to create a python 3.8 venv. This also works the other way around. e.g. if you want to install an old python version on a recent system.

Of course anaconda provides python binaries itself which is mighty convenient but it's not like it's the only way to tackle the problem.

<comment><USER3> Ok, so that's another good feature for conda - decoupling from the underlying distribution. It packages Python, gcc and more. To collaborate, you just have to distribute your environment.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> On the subject of PyPy, I'd never used it until a month or so ago but I've been working on reinforcement learning models for a final year computer engineering project and slow training times were a serious problem until I found I could get a 10x speed boost without changing a line of code simply by switching from the default Python interpreter to PyPy. (Average training time dropped instantly from three minutes per episode to twenty seconds.) I'm seriously impressed by the work the PyPy guys have done.

<comment><USER6> Did you use any library?

<comment><USER7> Not parent, but in my experience, PyPy is much faster than CPython on regular scripts, but has slower C API interop (more overhead calling Numpy).

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> Just to be pedantic:

This is conda forge, which is very popular but it is not conda.

That said, I won't be entirely surprised if there is a fork in the next 1-3 years, with conda-forge releasing miniforge.

<comment><USER9> To be really pedantic, Conda is a package manager, and it doesn't really make sense to say "Conda supports PyPy" because Conda does not even know how PyPy is different from any other package it installs.

<comment><USER10> Technically correct, the best kind of correct!

Conda can in fact install pypy from conda-forge, which is close enough for most people.

<comment><USER11> It's not about installing pypy.

It's making sure each package has transitive dependencies that behaves well on pypy.

This is a huge effort.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><AUTHOR> Here is a good place to follow the effort of packages Migrations and PyPy support [https://conda-forge.org/status/](https://conda-forge.org/status/)

</comment><comment><USER12> Great news! Python needs more JIT love.

</comment><comment><USER13> Good news. Pypy is criminally underrated</comment>


How do you generalists out there divide your time? - <AUTHOR>

Although there's a lot to be said for specialization - of skills, careers, and interests - the historical figures I've always found most inspiring were generalists (polymaths, at the extreme). There's some debate around the topic, but I, and probably others, would love to hear from people who manage several different interests.
I'm not a real hacker, or programmer, or anything really, yet. But I've always thought of myself as more of a generalist than a specialist. Maybe that's why I'm not (or don't feel like) a "real" anything so far.
If anyone has any concrete experiences to share on this, I'm sure it'd be greatly appreciated. (E.g., to-do lists, schedules, mind maps, other organizational tools, etc.; but also ways of thinking and organizing your thoughts) <comment><USER2> I use a variety of things to GSD.

[http://www.workflowy.com](http://www.workflowy.com) for high level stuff / to-dos. [http://www.basecamp.com](http://www.basecamp.com) for actual projects - always. [http://www.evernote.com](http://www.evernote.com) for note taking - often I'll paste links to the Notes into workflowy. I tend to use separate mailboxes and calendars for different things (so [http://www.gmbl.io](http://www.gmbl.io), [http://www.granttree.co.uk](http://www.granttree.co.uk) and my PhD all have separate things), but it's amalgamated together in Google Calendar so I can turn them on and off depending on what I'm doing.

I also use HipChat for group chat (two versions, one in the client for work, one in the browser for personal projects.)

</comment><comment><USER3> I've found that I'm more productive when I focus on one thing per day, instead of trying to focus on multiple things at once. One day I'll do consulting work[0], another day I'll learn something new, the next I'll work on side projects[1], etc.

It helps to have task lists[2] and calendars for all your projects. This way you won't feel pressure to remember everything at once. If everything is documented and scheduled, you can focus on one thing and put everything else aside (temporarily).

[0] [http://www.gkogan.co](http://www.gkogan.co)

[1] [http://www.gagcartoons.com](http://www.gagcartoons.com)

[2] I really like Subtask for task tracking ([http://www.subtask.com](http://www.subtask.com)), though I rarely see them mentioned here.

</comment><comment><USER4> By generalist, do you mean somebody who has interests beyond a computer as well? For example, maybe you like doing carpentry work too, or you paint or play musical instruments?

I'm beginning to think that a generalist is an ideal entrepreneur. Somebody that can pick things up quickly but pick up "just enough" to make use of the skill without turning into a master.

Prioritizing is probably a good way to get things done. However, I am still trying to figure it out myself as well.</comment>


How to run a campaign, Internet Style - <AUTHOR> http://seantevis.com/kansas/3000/running-for-office-xkcd-style/

<comment><USER2> Holy crap - that is awesomeness in panel-form. Best of luck to you, creative citizen.</comment>


How to Pay Remote Employees - <AUTHOR> https://www.fredperrotta.com/pay-remote-employees/ <comment><USER2> I was really hoping this would go into some of the tax implications as well.

I was semi-recently denied a fully remote job because my state of residence would have caused the company to have a "sufficient physical presence" in the state, and meant that they would have to do a lot of extra work as well as paying extra sales taxes for sales in that state as well as setup the infrastructure to send the required taxes to that state.

It was enough of a hassle and cost that they decided to go with someone else over me, because they were in a state that the company already had employees in (at least that's what they told me...)

<comment><USER3> Why not mention the state?

You should contact your state representative (not member of Congress) and state senator (not US Senator) and let them know that you were denied a well- paying job because of the onerous standards your state has for remote work. They might be inclined to change it.

<comment><USER2> I actually thought I did (it's Florida by the way)...

I want to be clear, that I don't blame the state in the slightest. I honestly feel that companies should have to pay taxes where they operate regardless of how many employees live there, but what sucks is that a lot of states have difficult tax codes, esoteric and difficult ways of sending taxes in, have varying laws that make it extremely hard to follow the law unless you are a lawyer familiar with that area, and often won't help you if you need it.

I also don't really blame the company. I still feel like I would have been more than worth the extra hassle, but they aren't sure. And if they can avoid having to pay taxes in that state by not hiring me, and that can provide them a material benefit, then I'd probably do the same as them if I were in their position.

<comment><USER4> Blame the state! A complicated, unwieldy tax code is their/our fault. They created an untenable system that got in the way of you entering into a mutually beneficial contract with another individual(s). It is 100% their fault.

<comment><USER2> But it may not have been my state in particular, but the fact that they are all different.

Even the easiest tax system in the world won't make up for the fact that they need to record and charge for tax in that state, then send that money back to the state.

Short of not having sales tax, there really isn't a way that they can simplify it. And again, unless you are a lawyer that knows the tax laws in that area, you won't know how good or bad the local tax system is until you go to try and enter it.

<comment><USER5> Why not centralise it? Imagine a single account# that employees were paid to, where everything was taken care of? Lets say one earns $120K, an employer pays $10K a month to that number, and everything is taken care of, and the employee is responsible for the outcomes, e.g. if you move, you are responsible for changing your state of residence.

It is weird - and I say this as an Australian - that an employer can be on the hook for employee's moving. it would be much easier if this was managed centrally.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> For over five years, I have been offering my remote employees the option of payment, or partial payment, in bitcoin, or in more recent years in whatever other cryptocurrencies they choose. For crypto salary payments, I added about 3%-10% to the amount paid, because processing it was much easier for me, no hassles, no paperwork. It's a one click solution, like Jeff Bezos would say ^_-

I also prefer crypto payout methods for personal sentimental or ideological reasons. Moreover, many of my foreign and US contractors had difficulties with bank payments, severe local corruption, and bank account processing. These problems are usually happening because they are from traditionally unbanked social classes, they are not legally resident in their resident country, or they are in developing nations where good quality banking services are not aligned with their social class. But I would not deny that some could be attempting to avoid paying taxes or other such traditional obligations.

More than half of the international contractors tried cryptocurrency options. Many of them cashed out pretty instantly and I've heard they had no big problems doing it. Several kept their cryptos for years and they have made ridiculous profits now, even enough to retire. But I've also heard that a few timed the markets unfortunately or made bad side investments and lost a lot of the money they earned.

<comment><USER7> > because processing it was much easier for me, no hassles, no paperwork

Are you saying the payment was completely off the books? That doesn't seem to match "employees"...

<comment><USER6> I don't know how you would define employees, contractors etc. But the hard details of the deal have always been strictly an amount of payment for work completed. No more and no less than that. No written contracts, no sick leave, no government insurance, no paid holiday. All those expenses are their responsibility, and they know that.

But the real situation is a little softer, because of course I will be more flexible if a contractor seems to be good and of course they will be more flexible if I have been playing reasonably and fairly with them. Decent people feel happier behaving this way, and wouldn't we all be damn stupid if we didn't behave like decent humans? I try my best to avoid doing business with stupid people.

<comment><USER7> What I was going for was: if it's a standard contractor-like payment, what paperwork do you save by using cryptocurrency?

<comment><USER6> There's no paperwork. None. I'm working as an offshore company domiciled in a "tax haven"....

So that paperwork is one of the hassles that we save. Sending payment is one- click. Then it's done and there's no possible undoing.

Bank payments can be denied, reversed, routed strangely, delayed or something else. Bitcoin is more binary; either it works instantly or it fails and you know it. There's not so much doubt about it. Though high transaction fees for a few weeks last year did introduce more uncertainty, that is true.

Anecdote: Out of hundreds of small monthly salary payments I've sent out, I've only once had a big problem. What happened there was that the payee said she hadn't got it, but the blockchain said it was sent and confirmed.

Of course I certainly trust the blockchain to tell me the truth. More than I trust a bank. Who wouldn't?

I think the payee's computer had probably been malware hacked. (So I told her how to clean her PC and then I sent the same payment again as a one-off favor and that was ok, no further trouble and we still work together today).

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER3> Almost every link in the article is a referral or affiliate link.

<comment><USER8> It was like reading an advertisement

<comment><USER9> It was an advertisement!

It fact, it as an advertisement without a disclosure of financial incentives; which is in clear violation of FTC regulations.

[https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business- center/guidance/ftc...](https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business- center/guidance/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking)

<comment><USER10> I love the casual language of the page you linked! It's much more friendly to the broad population and does pretty much devoid of legalese.

<comment><USER9> Its good example of writing for your audience. The audience of that page is bloggers, YouTubers, and social media "influencers."

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> Most payroll processors handle this for you. HR and Payroll for teams under 50 should never be done in house, there are so many pitfalls. IMHO, until you can hire a full time HR person, use a company to process/collect taxes, handle on boarding paperwork, and your employee handbook. ADP, Zenefits, etc.. can provide what you need to get started. You can always go internal later on once you are setup and learn the risks. Payroll is like dental work, its best to trust a professional that isn't you.

</comment><comment><USER12> I worked for a 100% remote company for years. Although I wasn't involved in the payroll details, my impression was that the problems were just bureaucracy, and not as painful as this article implies. The answer to make it work was, "Hire a payroll processor."

</comment><comment><USER13> Article is kind of an ad, but didn't know about Transferwise so glad I read it. Anyone have any comments about Transferwise?

<comment><USER14> Works great in my experience. It comes out way cheaper than our business banking for paying our workers in Europe from the US.

It's also really easy and convenient, while setting up wire transfers with our Major Bank in the US was complicated and arcane. To date, Major Bank doesn't offer us online wire transfers, for a business account!

We also use TransferWise to accept customer bank payments in Europe, without having an actual presence there.

</comment></comment><comment><USER15> I'd recommend Square Payroll[1] for US based 1099 contractor payments. They handle sending the tax forms to the contractor at the end of the year and the ACH transfer. The only bummer is that they don't support recurring, i.e. each month send $X.

[1] [https://squareup.com/payroll](https://squareup.com/payroll)

</comment><comment><USER16> I would love to know how companies can grant equity (vesting over time) to remote contractors (i.e., without establishing a legal entity in the remote country.)

<comment><USER17> Signing an option contract with a vesting clause. Nothing about options or vesting is inherently tied to employment.

<comment><USER18> Hazards abound if you're a US startup and have employees in other countries that might treat ISOs significantly differently than the IRS.

<comment><USER17> I don't think you can grant ISOs to non-employees. That doesn't stop you from granting simple options. (It will probably be a tax headache, however. Derivatives usually are.)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER19> > Wire transfer fees are a set amount, usually around $40, not a percentage of > the total amount transferred. You can do the math to figure out at what > dollar threshold sending wire transfers through your bank becomes cheaper > than using Transferwise.

Absolutely do the math, but keep in mind that fees are not the only fees when doing FX: few banks will use the spot FX rate for wire transfers, they'll typically add a spread of about 3%.

<comment><USER20> yeah, you're getting skimmed hard between wire transfer cost and that spread. If you have access to an FX brokerage with reasonable fee, definitely use that.

I personally use Interactive Brokers, one free wire transfer per month, and you can get spot price on your exchanges. Only fees I pay are a couple dollars IB charges on exchanges, and twenty dollars or so my bank charges for receiving wire transfers. Only downside is that they hold the money for 3 months before allowing withdrawal into a different bank.

<comment><USER21> "...and twenty dollars or so my bank charges for receiving wire transfers."

For business accounts or personal? I received a single wire transfer to a personal account two months ago and didn't pay a fee. Maybe I get one free. Maybe there would have been a fee for a business account.

But I'm certain I've never heard, until now, anyone mention fees for receiving wire transfers.

<comment><USER20> Mine was for personal. The bank payment system has myriads of complicated rules/methods determining how they will charge you on a transfer, where the bank is located, wire vs ACH vs direct deposit vs other clearing mechanisms, international vs domestic, individual bank's progressiveness, your account type, etc.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER22> Hire as long-term contractors - they send invoices at the end of the month, you transfer the funds through regular wire transfer.

<comment><USER23> Yep, that's how it works for me, working from Canada. I invoice on the 15th and the last day of the month, wire transfer comes in a week later (just because of how the company chooses to do payroll).

</comment></comment><comment><USER24>
       Outside of the US, everyone is considered a contractor, even if they're a full-time member of the company

Wait, so they are not full time employee. For example they can terminate the contract and leave the company as they please

<comment><USER25> In the U.S. this is how employees work as well -- they can leave a company for any reason at any time. Conversely, employers can dismiss at employee for any reason and at any time as long as it's not illegal.

<comment><USER24> Are there contracts made so that the relationship between employers and employees is guaranteed/retained over a period of time ?

<comment><USER14> No, such limitations would likely be illegal (without additional compensation, beyond the wages, also being stipulated for the period where the employee couldn't leave / couldn't be let go) in many states. I have never seen such a guarantee / requirement in an employment contract, such a "key man" provision would likely be reserved for someone who is in possession of some critical knowledge to the company and company is willing to pay for it.

It's a double edged sword. It's easy to be let go (basically, pack your stuff and get out while escorted by security, just like in the movies), but it also makes it much easier for companies to take a risk and hire you. In Europe, hiring someone is a big risk and companies are extremely careful to hire since they're taking on a big responsibility. As a result, permanently contracted positions are even more common in Europe than the US as a result in my experience.

<comment><USER26> And yet US companies do homework assignments first round and 8 hour interviews second round if not even more. I have had jobs offered after a two hour technical interview plus 1 hour hr interview in Germany.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER27> Meantime transferwise.com from article is down for more than 6 hours already, be careful...

<comment><USER28> I was keeping an eye out for mention/discussion of TransferWise. Been receiving payments via their service for several months, and have found it to be a well-designed experience, useful service with competitive/low fees.

Didn't know they've been down - related post: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17364752](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17364752)

</comment></comment><comment><USER29> Isn't it better for your contractors to incorporate an LLC or S-Corp in Delaware and for you to send money to those companies, so that contractors can deal with their own taxes themselves? LLCs would work also for foreign contractors.

</comment><comment><USER30> Cryptocurrencies are a great way to pay remote employees or contractors with low fees.

<comment><USER31> what are the fees all-in? just buying the thing is say 1% then you have miner's fees of 0.3%? something like that?

<comment><USER30> Transactions in cryptocurrency can be zero-fee with NANO. Bitcoin transactions can be also free or almost free when using Lightning network. On-chain Bitcoin transactions are priced by markets and can be high when the network is congested, but are currently very low (about $0.2).

Exchanging to and from local currency depends on how you do it. Most of the cost comes from the volatility, which in general might turn into profit as well. Exchanging at ATMs or 'quick buy/sell' services can be pricey (5% or so). Transferring fiat currency to/from a bank account is generally free.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER32> Anyone know of remote companies that hire systems programmer not front end or backend for a web app?

</comment><comment><USER33> Quick callout: we're hiring at Gusto if anyone wants to join us...

gusto.com/careers

</comment><comment><USER34> Hilariously sad: The Last Day for Shipping to Europe (For Now) Will be May 24, 2018

Why in the world a backpack business would be so worried about GDPR?

<comment><USER35> Some are responding to the GDPR in a quixotic fashion akin to those who boast about not taking a raise because they "don't want to pay more in taxes" after getting bumped into a higher income bracket.

</comment></comment><comment> pope-mobile removed

<comment><USER36> I always find it funny when people say it's only 15USD when a wire transfer in Europe in free

<comment><USER37> It's 40USD to of from the US, and no European bank wants to deal with the arcane way US wire transfers are handled. If you want to deal with that crap you have to pay the premium. It's not that much of a burden, because US rates are much higher than European rates, so you are still winning a lot. Just banks hate it.</comment></comment></comment>


Long-Haulers Are Redefining Covid-19 - <AUTHOR> https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/08/long-haulers-covid-19-recognition-support-groups-symptoms/615382/ <comment><USER2> > _She says that experts and officials should stop referring to all > nonhospitalized cases as "mild." They should agree on a definition of > recovery that goes beyond being discharged from the hospital or testing > negative for the virus, and accounts for a patient's quality of life. "We > cannot fight what we do not measure," Alwan says. "Death is not the only > thing that counts. We must also count lives changed."_

I've definitely wished for months now that major media at least would work to include both not just a "mortality rate" figure in general reporting but side- by-side a "morbidity rate" figure as well. It's not as if this is some unheard of thing, the entire actuarial industry does detail morbidity rate calculations because it's critical to calculating proper premium costs. Death is certainly not the only thing that counts even from a pure cost perspective, ongoing complications and disability is a huge deal. Military planners have long considered it as well, again for heavily practical reasons beyond common humanity: just because soldiers have "survived" doesn't mean their fighting power is undiminished, or even exists at all any longer. There is a reason for the old saying that an enemy left disabled might be more militarily valuable then a dead one, since they may tie up multiple other enemy forces.

So it's really kind of odd, but for whatever reason "morbidity rate" doesn't seem to have entered the common discourse this pandemic. There's a lot of "1% mortality rate" (or whatever figure) tossed around without further stratification, naturally implying that the other 99% aren't a concern. But morbidity may well exceed mortality by quite a multiplier, and it's looked for months like there's enough evidence that at least it'd be worth funding some more rigorous and organized data collection including followup weeks/months later. It's unfortunate the general collection, graphs, maps and so on seem to pretty universally remain split between "infected" and "dead".</comment>


Protected vs Private Scope: Arrogance, Fear, and Handcuffs - <AUTHOR> http://www.vancelucas.com/blog/protected-vs-private-scope-arrogance-fear-and-handcuffs/

<comment><USER2> " _I know the right way to use this code and I have thought of all the possible use cases. If you don't agree, then you have to prove me wrong and wait until I either agree or figure out a better right way for you._ This is the real message developers hear when internal code is private scope or marked with the final keyword – a message that they have arbitrarily limited power and ability to make changes where they need to. But it doesn't stop there."

Maybe I'm missing something, but I kind of agree with the (italicized) straw man argument the article is trying to refute. My private implementation details should be irrelevant if I give you a public API, and it's likely that I _have_ thought it through enough to tell what'll be useful. Furthermore I can change the implementation without breaking you. If you need to muck around with the private implementation details, there's something missing from the public API. What happens if the original author wants to change the implementation later?

Hiding the implementation details just seems like reasonable encapsulation to me. Is there something specific to the PHP world which places less emphasis on this than I'm accustomed to?</comment>


Trader Arrested in Manipulation That Contributed to 2010 'Flash Crash' - <AUTHOR> http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/22/business/dealbook/trader-in-britain-arrested-on-charges-of-manipulation-that-led-to-2010-flash-crash.html?ref=technology&_r=0

<comment><USER2> apparently acted alone, and was responsible for 1 in 5 'sell' orders the day of the crash

must have had some tech skill to get his operation running. i suppose it's not surprising this came from a lone trader, as this behavior would have been caught at an organization.

</comment><comment><USER3> HFT and You ; Since the flash crash, there have been a number of other disruptive events that have unnerved the public, including the implosion of Knight Capital, after a faulty algorithm caused the company to lose more than $400 million in under an hour. Tax shelter for some (.5%) the under rule 1244.</comment>