Google App Engine Scales and Develops Fast - <AUTHOR> http://www.coderoshi.com/2009/05/google-app-engine-scales-and-develops.html <comment><USER2> Ok, I'm the idiot who did the script injection attack. Sorry every one. Actually I figured it wouldn't work because he appears to be escaping the output in the code on the blog page ... but what do I know.

</comment><comment><USER3> As better outlined in A Berkeley view of Cloud Computing GAE and EC2 serve a different purpose/market. Comparing the two on prototyping time is rather silly. For instance, people are already building GAE alternatives running on EC2.

<comment><USER4> It seems like GAE is usable for displaying content and building a web interface, but any significant processing has to happen elsewhere. This is due to the limitations on a single request (I just read about the cron functionality, but it appears that the same restrictions are in place for cron jobs). Note that, even in the tutorial, the non trivial part (accepting text messages) is handled by an external service, and the app just stores and displays the data.

So, an architecture that leverages the strengths of GAE might push the processing intensive parts onto servers outside of GAE, interfaced through a services API (most likely something "RESTful"). GAE would then handle the data storage, templating, and UI logic. Note that these web services might already exist, and GAE is a good candidate for building an interface on top of them (this is the case with the text message service in the tutorial).

Does that make sense?

</comment></comment><comment><USER5> Is there any way to run background processes in the Java version of GAE?

<comment><USER6> Yes. <http://code.google.com/appengine/docs/java/config/cron.html>

<comment><USER7> "A URL invoked by cron is subject to the same limits and quotas as a normal HTTP request, including the request time limit."

The request time limit is 30 seconds. Yes, that means that you have to break your background processing in to 30 second chunks.

The GAE team is promising better support for background processing "soon".

<comment><USER6> I find that despite this limitation, there are clever/elegant ways to work around it. In general, look to increase the frequency of a job while decreasing the amount of "work" done per cycle.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> This doesn't actually show anything about the scaling behaviour of an App Engine application.

</comment><comment><USER9> This is pretty impressive. Can somebody tell me why I should even think about EC2 at the prototyping stage?

<comment><USER10> EC2 is more platform agnostic.

<comment><USER9> So I can deploy anything I want?

<comment><USER11> Exactly, <http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/#os> has a list of the OS's you can run and within those you can run anything they can run.

I have some servers running java applications, some running php on apache, some running php on fastcgi+lighty, some running ruby, and some that just run memcache.

<comment><USER12> How does EC2's pricing compare in the early stages? With AppEngine it seems basically free until you reach a certain threshold. Is Amazon comparable, or are you paying a little bit from the get-go?

I'm interested in having more smaller projects, with a higher rate of failure. GAE seems like a good fit, would Amazon's cloud offering work too, and be more flexible?

<comment><USER11> If you don't need the flexibility in environments than it probably is better for you. I don't develop is Java or Python though and the ways to run other languages aren't really ideal.

A small amazon instance will run you about $70 a month so at that level it might be worth it to go elsewhere unless you think you will need the ability to scale up massively fast.

In that case though it might be worth getting an Amazon instance configuring it exactly how you want then saving the image and turning it off. You'll only be paying for storage of the image than which is a couple bucks a month and in the event you do need to scale up fast you can bring up the instances and swap your original box into a temporary load balancer for your amazon instances.</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment>


From China, The Future of Fish  - <AUTHOR> http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_44/b4201088229228.htm

<comment><USER2> From an ecological point of view this is good news.

Unlike almost all food fish (which need to eat meat), tilapia eat plants.

Almost all animals - except fish - eaten by humans eat plants, and now fish will join the list.

By eating plants they are eating much lower on the food chain, this significantly reduces the impact and resources needed to grow the animal.

<comment><USER3> Here's a crazy idea

instead of eating fish, eat soy-and-corn mixture

<comment><USER2> Tilapia also eat algae. Are you going to suggest we eat that too?

<comment><USER3> we could call it nori or agar

[http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/economicbot...](http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/economicbotany/Algae/index.html)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> Chinese aquaculture is different from what you'd expect from a western / european / north american aquaculture operation.

The food pellets that the fish eat contains antibiotics to stop disease, and estrogen/progesterone (via excess birth control pills rejected for human use from the large pharma factories) in order to make the fish grow faster.

The fish grow in a chemical bath - containing both the minimally treated waste water from semiconductor / electronics manufacturing, as well as what's needed to counteract those chemicals.

Don't believe me? If food companies in China can put melamine in baby powder in order to save a few cents, what makes you think they care about what they give to the fish?

<comment><USER5> Comparing another case with another company isn't really the proof you need to make people believe you. Once you provide proof of your actual claims we can all honestly believe you.

</comment></comment><comment><USER6> > _Americans keep ordering more_

I hate statements like this, because they ignore the influence of what's being _offered_. If the fish are higher profit, many businesses will start selling them instead of better things which make them less money.

> _A decade ago, few Americans ate tilapia. ... Then demand surged in the wake > of the Atlantic cod fishery collapse._

Which caused Atlantic cod prices to skyrocket, I'd bet (I don't remember). Similar to how the oil spill caused shrimp prices to skyrocket.

None of which implies anything about _demand_ , merely _supply_. But "Americans keep ordering more" states a change in _demand_. "American companies keep ordering more" might be more accurate. Inundate the market with something non-offensive, and you're assured better sales than before.

edit:

Hah!

> _"China's track record in certain areas isn't perfect," says Bill Mardon ... > He singles out Chinese processors' use of a glaze ... contains carbon > monoxide, which preserves the color ... and can ... look fresher than it > is._

You mean like beef in America?

</comment><comment><USER7> What surprises me most about this article is that the author was able to gain some visibility (sugarcoated or not) into this industry, in China no less.

Slaughterhouses and meat processors in the US, in particular, are notoriously opaque about their operations in a way that would make Apple's practices seem lenient by comparison.

<comment><USER8> One of the reasons might be that there are a couple of publicly traded 'aquaculture' companies in China that are kind of desperate to show that they aren't frauds.

One is mentioned in the article, HQ Sustainable Marine.

So typically if investors show up to these small companies, they will try to do whatever they can to take them around their factories and show that the business is real.

</comment></comment><comment><USER9> I read that through but still don't get why "environmentalists hate it"? Wouldn't farmed fish be preferable, environmentally, than continuing to trawl the ocean?

<comment><USER7> Some farmed fish requires fish to feed them, which is unsustainable in itself when you're feeding N pounds of other fish to produce 1 pound of the edible type.

See: [http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/thegreengrok/farmedfish- pnas092...](http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/thegreengrok/farmedfish-pnas092009)

Recently, I've seen more of a shift to grains, but that reduces the nutritional value of the fish.

<comment><USER10> Why would shifting to grains reduce the nutritional value of the fish? Is cat more nutritious than lamb?

<comment><USER7> Fish feed consists of small, less desirable fish such as sardines and mackerel. These are rich in omega-3, so shifting to grains reduces the quantity available in the fish.

<comment><USER10> OK I get it. You didn't mean the nutritional value of a pound of fish.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> Print version: [http://www.businessweek.com/print/magazine/content/10_44/b42...](http://www.businessweek.com/print/magazine/content/10_44/b4201088229228.htm)

</comment><comment><USER12> I just cooked this for dinner less than an hour ago. It's really not a bad fish. It's no Chilean Sea Bass, but it's light, never gamey, and you can eat it without worrying about it going extinct.

I'd still take catfish over it pretty much every time if they were of equal quality, but you're often able to get tilapia that is considerably fresher.

<comment><USER13> I tried it back during my first trip to Sichuan in 2005. Luofeiyu, everyone seems to eat it there, at least in the rural part of Sichuan where I was. It was especially awesome barbecued with Sichuan spices. I think I liked it so much because it tasted unlike any fish I've ever had before. I used to live in Vancouver, so I like my fish. :)

</comment></comment><comment><USER14> Tilapia and catfish _are_ good fish to be eating over their carnivorous cousins (food input vs. food output), but the specifics of farm raising have something to do with an individual fish's greenness.

In the end, I hope that we push up production of tilapia here in the US, and I'm excited by programs that blend simple aquaculture with more traditional green growing: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qZPwBPAqks> (Will Allen is a boss!).

</comment><comment><USER15> Good article. My wife and I just got back from China and I noticed in the food markets that almost all seafood is sold live. Our guide said that is what consumers there demand.

<comment><USER16> That has a lot to do with the way they prepare most of their seafood dishes - steaming with mild seasoning. And since most people don't have access to ovens at home in China, steaming and pan frying are pretty much the only ways they do fish. They don't mind bony little fish so long the flesh tastes right which is crucial for steaming applications. That's why they demand live seafood. Us Americans on the other hand, when we think of fish, we think of fillets, with all sorts of crusts and glaze and whatnot, which often overwhelm the subtle taste of the fish itself.

</comment></comment><comment><USER17> There was an episode of dirty jobs at a tilapia farm. The farm rotated Chilean sea bass, carp, and tilapia through pools as the tilapia basically cleaned the bass waste. They were using the excess water to irrigate plants in a desert at the end.

<comment><USER17> update here is the video link: [http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/30832-dirty- jobs-s...](http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/30832-dirty-jobs-striped- bass-farm-video.htm)</comment></comment>


Facebook Went Down Today - <AUTHOR> http://dl.dropbox.com/u/30173937/Facebook%20Down.jpg

<comment><AUTHOR> Well this is a first! (Assuming the website I used to check it is accurate.) I first noticed about 5 minutes ago. It might still be down. Check for your self!</comment>


Microlino – small electric car at 12K Euros - <AUTHOR> https://www.micro-mobility.com/en/experience-micro/microlino <comment><USER2> Really cool,- I'd like to see some discussion on safety too- something I wish car manufacturers talked more explicitly about.

<comment><USER3> [https://www.micro-mobility.com/en/experience- micro/microlino...](https://www.micro-mobility.com/en/experience- micro/microlino#faq-container):

 _"Does the Microlino have a crash test?

The Microlino belongs to the category L7E, thats why he doesn't need to pass a crash test. But that doesn't mean that its not important for us to make the Microlino as safe as possible. After our crash simulations the Microlino passes the crash test with 50 km/h."_

I wouldn't bet on that. It doesn't weigh much, which means it will decelerate fast when hitting a 'normal' car head-on), and it has very little space for a crumple zone.

(Unrelated to your question: this design seems inspired by the BMW Isetta 300. [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isetta#BMW_Isetta_300](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isetta#BMW_Isetta_300))

<comment><USER2> Thanks for the answer. I couldn't figure if the seats are one behind another or side by side? If side by side the it seems 7ft should be enough crumple zone. If one behind another then I'd like the car to have just one seat for safety reasons.

The car does look sleek.

<comment><USER3> Side by side (watch the video, near the end). That increases the amount of room for impacts from the back, but not that for impacts from the front or the sides. I also couldn't find any mention of airbags on that site.

<comment><USER2> Good point about side impact. I wouldn't mind having one seat any way.</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment>


Experimental HTML to Sketch renderer - <AUTHOR> https://github.com/brainly/html-sketchapp <comment><AUTHOR> We were looking for an easy way to share our style guide between front-end and design teams. `react-sketchapp` by airbnb didn't really work for us (because it requires you to use React, only generic components (no HTML tags) and inline styles), so we build html-sketchapp. Video showing how it works: [https://twitter.com/kdzwinel/status/893242605009612801](https://twitter.com/kdzwinel/status/893242605009612801)</comment>


7 Falsehoods Programmers Believe about Place and Time - <AUTHOR> https://clojuresync.com/emily-ashley/ <comment><USER2> Click straight through to the speakers notes (.txt) in the GitHub repo if you don't want to do the video.

I have been bitten/educated by many of the points she brings up.</comment>


Ethiopia's planned railway network - <AUTHOR> http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34871074 <comment><USER2> Just to verify, railroads are the most efficient mode of transportation? We wouldn't want roads with electric vehicles instead, right?

As analogy, I guess I'd compare the electrical grid to solar panels with batteries (think Tesla Power Wall).

<comment><USER3> Freight rail is about 4x more efficient than freight trucks. Electric freight trucks are more efficient than gasoline ones, but are totally experimental.

<comment><USER4> And then you remember that electric trains have existed for a very long time. Rail wins hand over fist.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> This is a blatant land grab

<comment><USER6> What isn't?</comment></comment>


Ask HN: How to contribute to OSS? - <AUTHOR> I am a professional RoR developer for past two years. I never spent any time contributing to Open Source. However I would like to start with now. I am looking for populart projects where I could start contributing easily. No preference for any language. <comment><USER2> My advice would be to find a project you use enough to be familiar with what it does and vaguely how it works, and try to help.

You could start out by trying to reproduce reported bugs/issues. Report your results back to the issue tracker.

Then, (if you reproduced the issue) if you're able to, try to track down the cause of the issue. If you find the source of the issue, you can either report it to the maintainers (i.e. if its a language you're not comfortable enough to fix it yourself) or, if you can fix it yourself, (and TEST it after!) and then either send a patch, create a pull request, etc.

</comment><comment><USER3> Not sure if this matters to you, but keep in mind that there is a chance that "Open Source" projects can become closed source, taking all of the user's work with them. Users don't get as much protections as one would get from a free licensed project.

ie, there's a difference between "free software" and "open source".</comment>


The CEO of a $1 billion 'unicorn' startup admits we're in a bubble - <AUTHOR> http://www.businessinsider.com/1-billion-unicorn-ceo-yes-its-a-tech-bubble-2015-6 <comment><USER2> In my opinion the bubbleness will be reflected when the music stops. Back when the dot com bubble burst, the thing I found amazing was that people who had been customers just a month before, vanished. Not into chapter 11 (reorginizational) bankruptcy, but chapter 7 (liquidation). I vividly recall showing up for a meeting with a customer's VP of sales at their fancy downtown San Francisco office and getting off at the elevator to an empty floor with a broker taking pictures to put it on the market. From the previous wednesday, "Oh sure, lets talk monday." to Monday's "The previous tenant isn't here anymore." was really startling to me. Almost like the movie trope where the shadowy agency removes its front company over night.

For those companies, it was the fact that they were "pre-revenue" and so the only way to keep the lights on was to raise money. And right up until every investor said "No" and they couldn't make payroll with the money left in the bank, they operated like a company, and then they weren't, For companies these days that do have revenue, they basically have to try to shrink into a profitable place, which is keep as much of the revenue as possible with the fewest possible people / computers / real estate etc. Then they have a shot of surviving. But contracts like leases you can't get out of, can bite you and force you to go into Chapter 11 briefly to renegotiate those contracts.

What is unique I think to tech bubbles though is that the developers are often fine when the bubble bursts, they just go to companies that are built on better financials, its the executives that pay the price and have a harder time finding a new job.

<comment><USER3> _What is unique I think to tech bubbles though is that the developers are often fine when the bubble bursts, they just go to companies that are built on better financials, its the executives that pay the price and have a harder time finding a new job._

This is a rare form of corporate justice, since it's the execs responsible for building a business around a lack of business. :-)

<comment><USER4> Don't put too much faith into it. When the bubbles burst, there are always more developers than chairs at other companies.

<comment><USER2> Back to an earlier conversation here on HN at the time I didn't know any degreed developers who couldn't find work in the Bay Area. Yes, there was a surplus which held down wages, but part of that was mitigated by the fact that a lot of people with H1b visas ended up having to leave. It did put a stop to the folks with 2 years of experience out of college demanding "Chief Architect" type titles/roles.

If this is a bubble (and I share the feeling that it is) when it pops we'll all get to add "I was there when ..." to our lexicon of stories. It is a unique time/situation so be especially observant of things going on around you to get your own sense of how these things play out. The dot com bubble/crash gave me a much better sense of business value versus business flash, and a better personal take on the difference between being wealthy and being rich.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> 2010: Sorry, But This "Tech Bubble 2.0" Talk Is Ridiculous [http://www.businessinsider.com/one-big-reason-were-not-in- te...](http://www.businessinsider.com/one-big-reason-were-not-in-tech- bubble-20-2010-12)

2011: 11 Crazy Signs This Really Is A Tech "Bubble" [http://www.businessinsider.com/signs-of-tech- bubble-2011-8](http://www.businessinsider.com/signs-of-tech-bubble-2011-8)

2012: A Non-Tech Person's Guide To The Tech Bubble—And Why There ISN'T A Tech Bubble [http://www.businessinsider.com/why-there-is-no-tech- bubble-2...](http://www.businessinsider.com/why-there-is-no-tech- bubble-2012-5)

2013: Here's The Evidence That The Tech Sector Is In A Massive Bubble [http://www.businessinsider.com/evidence-that-tech-sector- is-...](http://www.businessinsider.com/evidence-that-tech-sector-is-in-a- bubble-2013-11)

2014: Here's The Evidence That The Tech Bubble Is About To Burst [http://www.businessinsider.com/evidence-that-tech-bubble- is-...](http://www.businessinsider.com/evidence-that-tech-bubble-is-at-a- peak-2014-10)

Have we reached peak, "Tech Bubble" talk yet?

PS. those last 2 articles were written by the same person basically regurgitating the same talking points, but just 1 year later.

<comment><USER6> All the URLs come from Business Insider. That's kind of like John Stewart's point how the News Media says year after year that this is the worst Allergy Season ever. Its the worst allergy season every year no matter what because pollen count increases every year no matter what.

<comment><USER7> Why do pollen counts increase every year? Global temperatures don't rise every year.

<comment><USER8> If the rising pollen counts are part of a process that is driven by the overall global temperature trend but which is relatively insensitive to annual variation around that trend, such that the output is smoothed compared to the input, that would produce the pollen counts rising every year with a rising global temperature trend, even if global temperatures don't rise every year.

One particular reason this might be the case is if the process driving the increased pollen count is a reaction to global temperature (or some other more direct product of global temperature) that moves to slowly compared to the average rate of global temperature change to ever reach an equilibrium point with the current global temperature, so that its always trailing well below what it would be at the current global temperature if that temperature were a long-term sustained average.

<comment><USER6> Could you ELI5?

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> > I had drinks with one of the $1 billion "unicorn" CEOs last night, in a > trendy Noho bar in London.

Where the hell is "Noho"? Is this some ridiculous attempt to Americanize London by trying to rename parts of it after bits of New York?

If the author means the area north of Soho, I am happy to point him in the direction of any map of London, where he will see that area labeled "Fitzrovia".

Also, who points out that they were in a 'trendy' bar without covering the word 'trendy' in a fetid, glistening layer of sarcasm? Business Insider journalists, I guess?

<comment><USER8> > Is this some ridiculous attempt to Americanize London by trying to rename > parts of it after bits of New York and San Francisco?

AFAICT, SF doesn't have any role at all in the source of names, but otherwise, yes [0]. Of course, lots of the place name in the continental US (and a number of other places) are a result of the same kind of thing in reverse centering around renaming every piece of the continent after parts of Britain, and particularly England, so turn about is fair play.

[0] [http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england- london-11305340](http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-11305340)

<comment><USER9> Well, I'm glad that Londoners have collectively decided to tell the rebranders where to stick it. I've lived in London for ten years and have never heard someone refer to "Midtown" or "Noho". Urgh.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> So many of these articles (and CEOs) fail to take portfolio theory into account.

Your chances of success are still very small. Almost infinitesimally so, and your valuation doesn't change that.A lot of companies will fail. VCs hope that the ones that are successful are successful in a big enough way to make up for all of the losses.

But the fact that a bunch of "billion dollar" companies are going to go belly up doesn't mean that everyone's acting irrationally. They're just going to subsidize the failure of the many with the success of the few.

A bubble bursting happens if on average the investors lose so badly that their LPs start to put money into something other than startups. Not if some "unicorns" fail.

And by the way, there are a lot more variables than even the success of the startups. Interest rates, success of other types of investments, etc. probably play more of a role in startup valuations than the success of most startups. Right now interest rates are essentially zero, and as a result people are throwing money at almost anything that has a vague promise of a return.

That being said, the entire VC slice of the economy is laughably small compared to other aspects. It's basically rounding error.

</comment><comment><USER11> My question isn't is it a bubble or not, the question is what would the effects be this time around?

Most people seem to agree the bubble (if it exists) is in privately held venture backed startup companies. Does the popping of that bubble have significant ramifications across the economy as a whole?

1\. Last time they were all public companies, including the big ones like intel,msft, being wildly overvalued. Everyone lost money, not just VC's

2\. It will certainly be harder to do a startup, but I suspect all these engineers won't be unemployed. They will go and work for AppGoogBook. AppGoogBook will welcome them with open arms.

To recap, at least I think/hope, VC's and founders are the only one's losing money compared to everyone who might be invested in S&P 500 (read everyone) and there shouldn't be any kind of major unemployment causing extra problems

Is this a reasonable view?

<comment><USER12> I don't think it's a reasonable view. Leaving aside the question of whether we're in a bubble or not, if a bubble existed and burst it would have a major impact at least on the bay area economy as a whole.

1) What makes you think there is room at AppGoogBook for those unemployed startup engineers? If the bubble bursts, it'll be because of a reality-check in the growth potential for consumer technology and advertising. AppGoogBook are chasing a lot of those same areas.

2) A lot of service industries in the bay area are being propped up by the software industry. All those new restaurants popping up in SF--how much of their revenues comes from VCs and software engineers whose salaries are paid by VCs?

3) Real estate values and rents in the bay area will plummet of there is a readjustment in the technology sector.

<comment><USER11> 1\. "bay area" is not in fact "everyone in america/world" hence, much less bad.

2\. I do not think that Apple, Google, and Facebook are significantly competing against many of these startups. Facebook maybe to an extent, by not Apple and Google. None of them are major phone manufacturers or search engines. The only reason a bubble bursting is a problem is for companies without revenue relying solely on VC money to run. Apple is not in fact relying on VC money to run. Apple alone can afford to employ every startup worked in SF (not that they would, but they could)

>3) Real estate values and rents in the bay area will plummet of there is a readjustment in the technology sector.

I can't imagine that as being anything but good news long term. certainly sad for those owners now though, i agree. Yet, still not everyone in america.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER13> Wait until we have the first 1 person startup valued at $1 billion (it is only a matter of time).

I don't think this is from a bubble, but how new technology can let companies grow very quickly (AWS for hosting, social networks for word of mouth, etc.)

<comment><USER14> what is the smallest billion $ startup at time of sale? Instagram?

<comment><USER15> WhatsApp, probably.

<comment><USER16> $22 billion / 55 employees SO $.35 billion / employee

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> So everyone agrees that the tech market is overvalued, but there's a pointless semantic argument over calling it a "bubble"? There's always going to be a downturn coming and it will always take some companies down with it. That's why it's called a business cycle.

</comment><comment><USER18> The one thing that's telling me it isn't a bubble is the sheer number of people calling it a bubble.

It seems the majority of people, inside and out of tech, see it as a bubble. This is what makes me think that it won't "pop" but instead deflate slowly and painfully.

<comment><USER19> Funny, people said the same thing leading into 2000/2001... past is indeed prologue when it comes to irrational exuberance.

Which is one of the main points of the article... many in the tech industry (and many here on HN) are too young to remember what a tech bubble looks like, or how painful it is when it pops...

</comment></comment><comment><USER20> > _Sure, he says, Uber is a great business and a great company. But $41 > billion? Now? Maybe in a few years time._

If that's the best evidence you can come up with, it's not a bubble, it's an overvalued market at best. Uber's valuation collapsing even to, say, 15B, is not a bubble popping in any meaningful sense, and nobody can deny that there's a business there.

In 2000, that we according to this mysterious CEO can't remember, companies with barely any customers, next to no revenue, massive deficits and not even a coherent business plan achieved billion-dollar valuations.

<comment><USER21> > _But $41 billion? Now? Maybe in a few years time._

Here's the other thing. If you're investing in a startup you're not putting your money in based on some current metric like 3x booked ARR and saying you expect it to throw off enough to cover your investment. The whole idea is that you think it can grow into the valuation you're putting your money in at, that's where the risk is.

If the market believes that Uber is going to grow into a $41B company then that's what it's going to get priced at right now, even if they're not currently "worth" that much based on some present value formula.

It's the same way that product announcements don't generally move stock values - those products were already priced in.

</comment></comment><comment><USER22> In order for it to be a "bubble", the collapse needs to be severe enough that it has a downward momentum. Enough so that even companies with good business models are affected & become undervalued.

I don't see that happening. There are lots of companies with strong business models (Google/Apple/Amazon/Etc) which will be fine if all the revenueless startups suddenly go away. They'll probably be happy they get to hire up all the newly unemployed talent.

Remember.. just because a downward correction is coming, doesn't mean it's a bubble.

<comment><USER23> People are more likely to refer to it as a bubble because of the 2000 "Dot Com Bubble." While 2008 was a "housing bubble" most people just refer to it as the 2008 recession. People are just most apt to draw comparisons between the tech industry now and the tech industry in 1998-2000, so referring to it as a bubble happens.

</comment></comment><comment><USER24> Why do people keep making the point that in this boom, tech startups actually have revenue? It doesn't mean anything if the company grosses $1 million or $0. What matters is the _valuations._ Even taking into account their revenues (in some rare cases, profits), the companies are wildly valued and investors are making extremely ambitious and optimistic growth assumptions.

<comment><USER25> If interest rates are at 7% (savings account returns you 7% annualy) who will invest in risky start-ups?

If you can just go to a bank branch deposit cash and get back 7% -- are you going to go and invest in Uber instead? Really? Because it has "great valuation" ?

<comment><USER10> > If interest rates are at 7% (savings account returns you 7% annually) who > will invest in risky start-ups?

Well, they're not. Interest rates are so extremely low right now that they don't even keep up with inflation. In several banks and several countries, the interest rate is actually _less than_ zero. Or, in other words, banks charge you to store your money for you.

Given that, is investing in technology really that bad of an idea? You have to put your money somewhere.

VCs are mostly funded by large stashes of money - some of it among the oldest and most secure money in the world - called limited partners (LPs). Think endowment funds, that type of thing. Those funds will diversify their investments across multiple aspects of the economy. For simplicity sake, we'll say 50% real estate, 40% stock/bonds, and 10% into VC funds. VCs take a small chunk, and invest the rest in tech companies.

In that way, some of the most institutionalized money in the world will, yes, be invested in Uber. Really.

<comment><USER25> You get it backwards.

austenallred 1 day ago | parent

>> If interest rates are at 7% (savings account returns you 7% annually) who will invest in risky start-ups?

> Well, they're not.

Well, in 2000-2006 house prices weren't going down. Wait a sec! In 1800-2006 house prices in the US weren't going down. Sure thing, do nothing but invest in housing in the US in 2006! I love that type of logic.

Interest rates can change very soon. The interest rates will go up. Sooner than many think.

>Interest rates are so extremely low right now that they don't even keep up with inflation.

If you use the same formula to calculate inflation that was used in Reagan times we have had inflation in 5-10% year-to-year basis for the past few years now.

> In several banks and several countries, the interest rate is actually less > than zero. Or, in other words, banks charge you to store your money for you.

Real interest rates are in negative territory: i.e. you can borrow at lower rate than the rate of inflation. That's _the only_ logical reason behind investors buying into treasuries or swiss debt with negative return: because investors understand that we currently have real interest rates that are negative vs. cnbc and government propaganda of low inflation. The only reason they invest in these is because they know we live in high inflation times. In times of high inflation (like nowadays) it is extremely hard to find investment that beats inflation, so investors tend to invest in "anything", they just don't want cash. Cash is toxic. Investors are afraid of cash. They want anything but cash. Even taxi start-up with valuation higher than all taxi companies in the world - Uber - is better than Cash. Everything is better than cash in high inflation times. People invest in Uber because cash is worthless. Not because Uber is a good value stock. Are you trying to tell me people invest in $32B "worth" "business" like Uber because there is no inflation? Good joke.

> Given that, is investing in technology really that bad of an idea? You have > to put your money somewhere.

"You have to put your money somewhere." you said it brother. Why I have to? If inflation is low as you claim? Why? Because even Uber is less risky than inflated USD. That's why. You have to put your money somewhere -- catch phrase heard often in high inflation times. Really. Not deflation times or even close to deflation. In deflation times you "dont have to put your money somewhere". Because your money gives you nice return without actually doing anything with it. If I can get the same amount of food, gas, housing, healthcare and vacation for the same amount as I did in 2010, why the hell I need to invest in risky taxi drivers start-up with $32B valuation? You don't make any sense brother! Apply some common sense here!

>VCs are mostly funded by large stashes of money - some of it among the oldest and most secure money in the world - called limited partners (LPs).

I'm tired of hearing about "the most secure money in the world". Heard enough of it when working for Capital Group back in 2007/08\. They finally shut up when their "assets" (very secure, very) went from $2T to $500B.

> Think endowment funds, that type of thing. Those funds will diversify their > investments across multiple aspects of the economy. For simplicity sake, > we'll say 50% real estate, 40% stock/bonds, and 10% into VC funds. VCs take > a small chunk, and invest the rest in tech companies.

Why? If inflation is so low? What for? Just keep it in the bank. With low inflation there is 0% logic in doing what you propose - investing in real estate, stock, bonds. Not to mention things that are start-ups with $32B valuation in taxi "niche". You'll see - we'll lough from this soon enough. You invest in Uber, because you recognize there is no return on cash (high inflation).

> In that way, some of the most inssttitutionalized money in the world will, > yes, be invested in Uber. Really.

Till the day even idiots at Fed who believe in their own cooked inflation numbers open their eyes and see they need to stop the madness. Raises the interest rates. Then the bubble pops. Like it did every time before. Really.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER26> You cannot "admit" a prediction of the future as if the prediction of the future were a fact. It can only be predicted.

</comment><comment><USER27> Related link

[http://www.businessinsider.com/sam-altman-y-combinator- talks...](http://www.businessinsider.com/sam-altman-y-combinator-talks-mega- bubble-nuclear-power-and-more-2015-6)

</comment><comment><USER28> > tech stocks are at an all-time high

The stock market has a positive return on average. Which means that on average stocks (not just tech stocks) are at an all-time high all the time, no?

</comment><comment><USER29> Who cares if we're in a bubble or not? A sound business strategy is sound regardless.

<comment><USER30> Everything has risk. During bursting of bubbles, there is a "flight to quality." If you run out of cash to fund your business and you cannot secure financing because the rate of return vs the risk is not attractive to investors, you will go out of business. Those businesses who can survive without outside investments will fare better, but even consumers can be affected by a bursting bubble via layoffs, media talking heads, etc. They may be less willing to spend on unnecessary expenses. This means less revenue and likely profit for the businesses.

<comment><USER29> I agree, but I think the problem you're highlighting is intrinsic to business models that emphasize growth over money making more than it's intrinsic to bubbles.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER31> The only point that I agree with is this one:

"Margin compression": A lot of tech businesses sell things, and because the market is good there isn't much price competition. My unicorn sees a lot of companies that appear to be dependent on customers paying what they're told to pay. These companies have yet to experience, or survive, a price war with their rivals.

All the other ones are BS.

> Entire generation of entrepreneurs under age 30 have no memory of 2000 or > 2008.

Lol wut? I'm 29. I remember both in vivid detail. I worked in tech in 1999. Sure I was young, but I had been seriously programming for already 4 years. Let alone 2008, that was the year I graduated university. I remember barely landing a job just as things went sideways.

Gen Y knows things can go wrong. Maybe some current 17 or 18 year olds don't.

> Interest rates: Central banks currently have interest rates [...]

Find me a bank that will lend me money so that I can invest in startups. It's impossible. Interest rates going up will depress assets prices that are frequently purchased with debt: Housing and Education.

> Valuations. [Specifically Uber]

If Uber wins it wins logistics as a whole. This is like talking about Amazon. Back then Amazon realized that books were the only thing that made sense to sell online because of the markups and the fact that customers don't need to touch a book to want to buy it. Then once customers got used to buying stuff online and Amazon worked out their distribution model they expanded to more and more things. Read "ecommerce is a bear".

For other companies, sure there are some winners and some losers. But Facebook, for example, has data on every person on earth that has real spending power. Super, super valuable.

In the 90s only us nerds were online. Today tweens sext. Completely different markets.

> Private valuations not matching public ones

1\. Sarbanes Oxley. 2\. Investors dump stocks that have no real growth left in them onto the public. The only exception was Tesla, and that was out of desperation, and look how well they are doing.

> Tech startups offering stock at a discount

This doesn't usually materially effect the valuations of a stock. 20% discount, 50% tops.

> Burn rates

If you aren't burning money then it is a huge red flag to investors. There is a very real risk that your money machine doesn't scale or that you can't recruit talent in the same numbers as before.

> Too many business models are dependent on "one thing not happening"

This would be a factor if there actually were a bubble about to pop. There isn't, so this will naturally work its way out. Also, it isn't like 1999 where all money flowed through Yahoo or Microsoft. The world has more real world businesses like arms contractors, that don't overlap business cycles.

I've been saying that there isn't a bubble for over 7 years. There still isn't a bubble. There will be one that starts to form soon when crowd investing starts to get underway world wide, but until retail investors invest in startups in a large and meaningful way, there isn't a bubble.</comment>


Microsoft Should Give Windows 7 Away For Free - <AUTHOR> http://i.gizmodo.com/5141443/why-microsoft-should-give-windows-7-away <comment><USER2> My XP laptop died permanently a little over a year ago, and there was a Vista Toshiba at Best Buy for $1100 on a model that was $1400 most other places. Maybe there'd have better value elsewhere, but I needed something immediate so my work wouldn't be delayed and I got it.

Vista: Not so bad. I'd love to see it less bloated with MS processes running invisibly, and I'd like to see it change the order things boot in so I turn it on and get up and running faster.

Second issue: Some driver issues and some poor backwards compatibility with programs that run fine on XP, which is quite ugly.

But beyond that, it's a good OS and a legit upgrade over XP. The UI is faster/better once you adopt to the learning curve. Security is legitimately upgraded, and I haven't been infected with any viruses or spyware, and I play around with random applications all the time. I like that I can easily stop non-MS programs from updating themselves without my blessing. Being able to choose giving a program default "Run as Administrator" vs. leaving it less privileges is really good.

Vista's not enough of an upgrade over XP to be worth buying, especially considering all the good SP2 did. But everyone I know that's run Vista for at least a couple months came around on it, unless the drivers thing bit them. The Vista-hate is a bit overblown, though Windows 7 does look like a legit upgrade.</comment>


The boys in the bunkhouse - <AUTHOR> http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/03/09/us/the-boys-in-the-bunkhouse.html

<comment><USER2> The Times has two really interesting pieces on mental illness running right now: this documentary, which is quite good, and Ron Susskind's piece on his autistic* son in the NYT Magazine.

The Susskind piece is more of a typical uplifting human interest story that you find frequently written about autism. It focuses on one [upper middle class] individual and that individual's story, without getting into too much depth on the real challenges.

The documentary shows the tip of the iceberg: what life is like for basically everyone else with serious disabilities. It's horrendous. Abuse and neglect come in many different forms, no matter which state you're in. Even some of the top programs for people with disabilities, which can be insanely expensive, are hard to distinguish from the type of untrained care described in the documentary. There is virtually no oversight or effective regulation and Medicare fraud is rampant.

Two pieces my father wrote speak to these topics:

Disability and the Invisible American 'Gulag Archipelago' [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neil-s-greenspan/disability- an...](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neil-s-greenspan/disability-and-the- invisi_b_4257301.html)

Failings in Mental Health Care for Adults With Autism [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neil-s-greenspan/health- care-a...](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neil-s-greenspan/health-care- autism_b_4422430.html)

It's also interesting to look at the federal court records of county-level disabilities boards, such as the one in Cuyahoga County, OH, where I grew up:

[http://www.plainsite.org/flashlight/index.html?id=5006872](http://www.plainsite.org/flashlight/index.html?id=5006872)

Not a pretty picture. And most communities are just as ignorant as the one portrayed in Iowa, if not more so.

* The word "autism" is virtually meaningless. See [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neil-s-greenspan/autism-concep...](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neil-s-greenspan/autism-conceptualizing-au_b_586546.html).</comment>


F-35 Boarding Ladder - <AUTHOR> https://i.imgur.com/wF1yALu.jpg <comment><USER2> "James Cook"

I'll bet his parents were happy he was a boy and able to get labelled with a famous name. Probably just like the Lears, who named their daughter Shanda, and the Banks family I knew that called their daughter Robin.

</comment><comment><USER3> I shudder to think how much that latter cost the US taxpayer.

</comment><comment><AUTHOR> No wheeled ladders for ya</comment>


When We're All Urban Planners - <AUTHOR> https://nextcity.org/features/view/when-were-all-urban-planners <comment><USER2> the liberal dream.

micro manage for your immediate interest.

if only people with kids donate to the new proposed school construction, as the article used as a passing example, then nobody really is a city planner, as that assumes future vision...

<comment><USER3> As someone who is ostensibly a planner, I'll agree that these examples seem like more short-run tactical neighborhood improvements. And that's no bad thing! But, I think you're right that these platforms are yet to provide a venue for resolving the sticky problems of planning that

\- require long-term coordination

\- require cross jurisdictional cooperation

\- have broad disagreement on the desired ends or means

\- require the kind of funding / financing heretofore only available to / applied by governments

But, I think this is the right direction! I'd love to see plans themselves developed in a more open source / open science kind of way. In my experience, most plans are some mix of carefully wordsmithed rhetoric combined with insufficient analysis that could bear a lot more scrutiny--all packaged up into a crisp looking document produced in InDesign with lots of inspirational photos taken from the area. Why not, for example, start with a jupyter notebook in github, and let people fork / issue pull requests?</comment></comment>


My Very Own Protocol Droid - <AUTHOR> http://37signals.com/svn/posts/3468-my-very-own-protocol-droid

<comment><USER2> There's no doubt Apple is playing catch-up with Android these days. Siri was their only real innovation in the last 3 iPhones, and Google leapfrogged it within months.

Meanwhile, Apple is still trying to implement a decent notification system, their auto-correct is garbage, there's no file manager, you can't set a default browser (or default anything, for that matter), there are no widgets, no app shortcuts, no custom keyboards, managing settings is a nightmare, and you can't side-load apps without jailbreaking. That last one is especially bad thanks to their cryptic app approval rules and the fact that their app store is the least intuitive to navigate -- if what you want isn't in the top 10 and you don't know the exact name, forget about it.

But hey, at least you get the privilege of spending a fortune on chargers and adapters. And other people with iPhones will think you're cool for owning one, right?

<comment><USER3> > "their auto-correct is garbage"

The last three people who switched from iPhone to Android asked me what was wrong with Androids auto-correct and why it didn't "work". They ended up having to install a third party keyboard to get anything they could stand to interact with.

<comment><USER4> yes, but they could install a 3rd party keyboard.

<comment><USER3> Yes, but that they needed to was my comment. Personally, even as a mobile developer, customizing my phone is not my hobby. I'd prefer a new foreign car that has certain limitations to a used Jeep that I can extend in any way I want.

<comment><USER5> But you need specific skills to customize your Jeep. On Android it takes 30 seconds and no skill to install the keyboard you want.

It's not a very hard thing to do, I'm sure as a mobile developer you don't mind installing apps other than the ones that come with your phone. A different keyboard is just another app to fulfil a need, go to the Store, click install, new keyboard. Done.

<comment><USER3> Not really. Parts are cheap and most are bolt on. It's just a matter of preference, which is why all of these droid vs apple discussions are circle jerks.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> > _Twenty years of using Macs conditioned me to think, "well, that's the Apple > way." It's such a small price to pay for such a user-friendly device._

Another Stockholm-syndrome patient cured! I recently took over a prototype project targeting the Mac. XCode is garbage. OS X itself actively works against improving your workflow. It's Apple's way or, well Apple's way. iOS is built to keep the user in a padded cell (aka Walled Garden) and OS X is moving in that direction.

Use Cyanogenmod. Be Free. Google Now is amazing by the way. Unfortunately I had to turn my google search history back on, but it was worth it.

<comment><USER7> > XCode is garbage

Once in a while I see an argument like this and I wonder - does this guy really do mobile development? For the better part of last year I was into Android development, in Eclipse. If XCode is garbage, I don't know what Eclipse is. Resource-hogging, buggy monster with seven heads with shit on them, probably. I could list annoyances of Eclipse that got me for hours. On the other hand, in last month I jumped in to iOS development. And XCode was a breeze. Sure, it has its own gotchas, but many of them either have fixes or workarounds, and the start/build speed is just fantastic, compared to slow Eclipse and Android emulator.

<comment><USER8> Well there's your problem. Use Intellij IDEA. It makes every other IDE you may have used look like garbage.

Also, the ADT bundle that Google now has works way better than downloading Eclipse and installing the plugin.

Although, I agree with you, I think Xcode works quite well. But, there are improvements that could be made...

<comment><USER7> As a matter of fact I tried IntelliJ. It was nice, but it had it's own set of problems. Two of them: \- compilation times of bigger Android projects sucks hard. It's just not fast enough. I even feel that using word fast in this sentence is a misuse. \- one of the selling points of the IDE (from their website) is Jabber integration for team coding. Tried for several hours, didn't get it to work. Even filed a ticked for it, which is still unsolved (the package is unmantained for years).

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> "With Android (and T-Mobile) I killed my contract. Now I pay just $30/month. For $30/month I have unlimited texts, unlimited data, free tethering, and 100 minutes of talk"

Anyone else have experience doing this? My monthly bill for an iPhone with AT&T is $76.40 which includes 300MB of data, 1000 messages, and a whopping 450 minutes (I do have ~2700 rollover minutes though).

I don't feel strongly about Android vs iPhone, but $550/yr is nothing to laugh at.

Edit: For comparison,

T-Mobile <http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/monthly-4g-plans>

$30/mo: 100 minutes, Unlimited text/web (first 5gb at 4g)

$70/mo: Unlimited everything

Verizon [http://www.verizonwireless.com/wcms/consumer/shop/share- ever...](http://www.verizonwireless.com/wcms/consumer/shop/share- everything.html)

$100/mo: Unlimited minutes/text, 2gb data ($10/mo per 2gb data extra)

AT&T [http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/plans- new.html#fbid=hfBE29q...](http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/plans- new.html#fbid=hfBE29q87kr)

$70/mo: 450 minutes, 1000 texts (plan not listed), 300mb

$90/mo: 450 minutes, unlimited texts, 3gb data

<comment><USER10> I have had the same T-Mobile plan for a while. I'm not sure what kind of information you want about it, but it pretty much works as advertised. The coverage and uptime is not as great as Verizon, but it's faster than AT&T (AT&T's network has been saturated since the iPhone lock-in). It's definitely not the worst choice for 4G data, and the price is obviously very competitive.

Note that unlimited data is, as you probably suspected, not actually unlimited. The $30/month plan gives you 5gb free over 3G or 4G, and then it downgrades to 2G for the remainder of the month unless you refill. It never actually cuts off data, but 2G is too slow for pretty much anything but (slowly) getting your HN fix.

<comment><USER11> Data point- I never have hit the limit on the $30 T-Mobile plan and use about ~3gb during an average month. I'm connected to wifi at work, home or friend's place ~18hrs a day.

Most iPhone users are limited to 2Gb right?

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> I've been true to the Droid since the G1, and recently offloaded certain duties from my Galaxy Nexus to an iPod Touch 5 (needed for Facetime, popular with the family).

When using iOS, I really miss the Intent subsystem. It seems like every app seems to offer different and restricted sharing choices (implicitly asking why I possibly wouldn't be using Instapaper...) [1]

I wouldn't be surprised if this is the next Android feature to make it over to iOS, after multitasking and a sane notification system. On the other hand, it would be churlish to not mention that Android took a boatload of inspiration from iOS. :-)

IMHO, Android got the OS basics right with the much maligned early models, and are now adding polish. iOS obsessed over a slick UI, and are now revisiting some of the basics.

[1] Apologies if there's something I'm missing here. I'm fairly new to iOS.

<comment><USER13> Any chance to convince your family to move to Google+ Hangouts? They work great on iOS devices and having multiple people in the chat is great.

<comment><USER12> Thanks, will try out the iOS client.....

We tried chatting with the Google+ Hangouts browser plugin, but at the time the performance didn't quite match Facetime on one-to-one chats when bandwidth was scarce.

<comment><USER14> My experience of hangouts is video is slightly jerkier (though in a controlled way if that makes sense - it felt like a deliberately lower frame rate rather than just breaking up), audio is more solid.

On a poor connection I'd go with hangouts over the alternatives at the moment. It's not perfect but I prefer the trade offs.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER15> They are still in the honeymoon phase. I've been through it twice before with Android phones.

Also, in regards to point #1, I never have this problem with my car. Sounds like more of an integration issue with the headunit in the car rather than the phone.

<comment><USER16> Still, having good integration with a wider variety of vehicles/head units seems like the sort of thing that could reasonably be described as an advantage.

<comment><USER17> Some units work better with iOS and some with Android. It's really hit or miss.

<comment><USER15> I agree. To me it really seems to depend on the age of the head unit vs the age of the phone. If they are significantly different then the chances of issues seems to be higher.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER18> Once you get past the disparity in app ecosystem, the top of the line Android phones (4.1+) definitely have the features to make switching easy.

For me, the killer feature is typing. I cannot get past how goddamn primitive the iPhone autocorrection is compared to even the default setup of Droid phones. The state of text input is just absolutely abysmal on iOS.

</comment><comment><USER19> Just reading the title I thought the guy created his own C3PO.

<comment><USER20> Me too. I feel disappointed.

</comment></comment><comment><USER21> the "Evangelist" bit about this post irks me. So you've found the light, stop trying "Evangelize" saying things like "I'd like you to switch too".

I've used the ipod since the beginning, but i've also used windows until it made more sense to me to start using OSX. today i still use the ipod touch and an android, and windows. each has it's upsides (love the battery life on the touch) and downsides (there is a ton on Android). I'm not in any "camp" or going around telling people why they should switch to my phone. definitely hate the "apple way" even though i love my macbook pro.

</comment><comment><USER22> Wow, 37signals is pretty lagging.

In my company I've seen the ratio iPhone/Android reverse as it reversed in the global market share.

<comment><USER14> 37signals are primarily North American so North American market share is more significant than global. They're also pretty well paid I'd imagine so you're likely looking at high end market share.

High end, North America, Apple is still kicking butt. Also worth noting that for North America over the past 12 months Apple's market share grew faster than Android's and Android's market share dropped in both January and February this year.

Installed user base overall still favours Android (about 70m to 50m against iOS) but I'm not sure it's reasonable to say that there has been a "reverse".

</comment></comment><comment><USER23> A common thing I have noticed in these recent Android switcher posts (and despite the disclaimer this is a fairly typical one): a shift in perceptive of who the phone should serve. Apple tends to make opinionated choose that works amazingly for the vast majority. Switcher tend to stop arguing for the norm and realizing that some people are different. When I used iOS and ran into a problem, I usually found that I just wasn't the typical user in that edge case. Which is fine to a point, but not when I rarely run into similar problems on Android.

</comment><comment><USER24> I guess android works pretty slick if all you do is stream from the cloud. But, if you want to sync music with the phone it's a disaster. The Google- supported way is for me to put MP3s in a folder? Really? And some of the android phones (like the flagship nexus 4) don't support transfer via USB? Really? I have to do it via slow-ass WiFi and a third-party program like doubletwist? Total disaster.

<comment><USER25> > And some of the android phones (like the flagship nexus 4) don't support > transfer via USB?

What? I have the Nexus 4 here and I'm 99% sure I transfered files over USB in the 1h before I installed a custom ROM. Additionally I've never heard that complaint before.

<comment><USER24> The android file transfer app does not work with the Nexus 4. At least, it doesn't if you're on Mountain Lion. Same goes for doubletwist. The Nexus 4 only supports USB MTP mode, not USB MSC (mass storage) mode. I think other newer phones are this way too.

<comment><USER26> It works in OSX Lion so your comment is a little misleading.

I do however think the Google transfer app is somewhat annoying as it tends to popup every time I connect my device to my computer.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER3> "Meh." <\- This article and all of the comments in this thread.

The Apple vs Android thing is pretty played out.

</comment><comment><USER27> probably one of the better lists of concrete "here is where android is innovating better than apple" examples i have seen yet. well put together.

</comment><comment><USER28> What's interesting to me here is that I don't see anything but the "Android" brand being mentioned. Several people on this thread mention having several Android phones, but not several "Samsung" phones, for example. This, despite the fact that Samsung seems like the only manufacturer "killing it" with the Android OS.

[http://www.asymco.com/2012/05/03/the-phone-market- in-2012-a-...](http://www.asymco.com/2012/05/03/the-phone-market- in-2012-a-tale-of-two-disruptions/)

This seems like a Google win and a Samsung loss.

</comment><comment><USER29> For what it's worth, issue 1 has proven to be the opposite for me. I had an iPhone 5 and it worked perfectly playing whatever app I had previously been using and not reverting to the standard iTunes library as it seems to for this guy.

Indeed, I switched to an Android phone (S III) and found the Bluetooth experience so poor (quiet, poor quality audio) that I bought an iPod Touch merely for listening to Spotify and podcasts in the car..

</comment><comment><USER30> Ars Technica did a series recently on things that Android should borrow from iOS and things that iOS should borrow from Android:

[http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/03/five-features-ios- shoul...](http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/03/five-features-ios-should-steal- from-android/)

</comment><comment><USER31> I found it surprising that he thought his android was better at audio-on-the- go, as this is the very thing that has been keeping me on iOS. Maybe its because my car doesn't have built in bluetooth, but the ability to buy an FM transmitter, iPod dock, etc. and just know that my iPhone will work with it is a huge plus. In talking with my Android using friends, I've also never run across anyone who thought that they could find a better music player for Android than the built in iOS music player. Has the music experience on Android been significantly updated in the most recent OS versions?

</comment><comment><USER32> Nice, but nothing compelling. Match irritates me no end, but I don't need to switch phone platforms to fix that. Showing me the way home is a neat trick, but I know my way home thanks.

</comment><comment><USER33> Makes you wonder if the iPhone 5 isn't the last device Apple ships under that name.

<comment><USER34> Apple is literally selling them as fast as they can make them. The iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4s were the #1 and #2 selling smartphones last quarter. So, I kind of doubt they are on the verge of shuttering the brand.

<comment> at-fates-hands Blackberry also did this and continued to sell the same technology through slightly modified hardware.

Look how long it took them to come out the nose dive they were in. Apple could very easily go down this path and never realize it until its too late.

<comment><USER34> I think they would start to realize it if sales fell. The fall in Blackberry sales was clear. iPhone sales are still rising.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER35> A good tip for new Android users now that I feel obligated to evangelize Android a bit:

Get cyanogenmod [0] and cyandelta [1]. First off your get:

Android 4.2.2/3 and

the swipable lockscreen widgets,

the alternative top right swipe to access the notification toggles,

the new 360/panorama camera,

and updating is simple since cyandelta runs a scrip where it downloads a delta file of the next cyanogenmod and automagically updates it in 2 minutes with the push of one button-- no need to manually update the zip file.

Another great thing is Android ADB [2] and how quickly it is to get up and running on a new Android device / Android ROM. iOS' Cloud sync is slow when syncing contacts. I remember I was testing between Paranoid Android [3] and it's expandable notifications [4]/ hybrid mode [5], Omega[6] with it's standard TouchWiz two apps at once feature (multiview) [7] and all the other TouchWiz features (gestures and popup browser--which I didn't really use), and Super Nexus [8] with it's pure vanilla Android experience on my I9300 (Samsung Galaxy S3) before sticking to CM and Android will sync my Google Contacts and Gmail first and fast.

Google Now is great by being proactive like the author said but he forgot to mention sports tracking for those who like sports.

Other than pushing apps from the market to the phone while you're at your PC, the chrome to phone extension [9], and the share feature [10] he nailed this list.

EDIT: Forgot about setting apps to default. On paper Android seems better but it's still a matter of polished skuemorphism and flat UI / extra MB added from HTC Sense, BLUR or TouchWiz. The low file footprint on iOS compared to these added slow layers make up the difference so I understand if you don't want to switch.

[0] <http://get.cm> [1] [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cyandelta&...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cyandelta&hl=en) [2] <http://developer.android.com/tools/help/adb.html> [3] [http://forum.xda- developers.com/showthread.php?s=bbf7229560d...](http://forum.xda- developers.com/showthread.php?s=bbf7229560df80c96b397380489d04ba&t=2172474) [4] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=V...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VnC1Wc2UHos#at=10) [5] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=iytFrPmbmeY#t=197s) [6] <http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1663656> [7] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=mjI1fDspHgU#t=19s) [8] <http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2076672> [9] [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-chrome- to-p...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-chrome-to-phone- ex/oadboiipflhobonjjffjbfekfjcgkhco?hl=en) & [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.and...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.chrometophone&hl=en) [10] [http://blogs.computerworld.com/android/21699/android- killer-...](http://blogs.computerworld.com/android/21699/android-killer- feature)

<comment><USER36> where is there a good overview of the jailbreak landscape for androids. I don't know if I want a rom, root access or what. I find the forums that many of the mods are described on to be scary, I don't want to get a drive by virus or malware.

<comment><USER35> If you're just starting out, you don't need to run any scripts, battery tweaks, or do any overclocking. A ROM is just another OS for your phone. In order to overclock, do mods, or run scripts you need SuperUser, in Linux that means Administrator. In order to get SuperUser you need to root your phone. So if you want Cyanogenmod the process goes like this:

Root phone->Check if SuperUser works->Check if you have a Custom Recovery->Download a ROM->Go to Custom Recovery and Wipe Data and Cache then Flash It (Install It)->New OS on your phone.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER37> Give me a break. This is so vein. People want to read about how 37signals... _gasp_ uses an Android phone!? Go outside people..

</comment><comment><USER38> Ok, (s)he lists four reasons why Android beats iPhone, my reactions to the four were:

1\. Meh

2\. Meh

3\. Holy shit, they are going to take over! Hail our new overlords.

4\. Meh

The Android is _aware of it's environment_ and consequently can take personalised action, and is allowed to by product makers.

I swear undying loyalty oh masters

<comment><USER14> 1 and 2 are in the realm of bug fix / minor enhancement. 4 very much depends on where you are in terms of both how much deals cost and how they're structured and what that money means to you but in any case it's not killer.

3 is definitely the most interesting one though it still doesn't feel enough like magic to sway me just yet. Basically it's worked out that he wants to go home and at that point has behaved the way a decent Sat Nav does.

The Sat Nav bit is neither here nor there, that's established technology. The interesting bit is how it worked out that he wanted to go home - get that sort of thing beyond lucky (slightly educated) guess and that is a big deal but without knowing how often it's making incorrect guesses it's hard to know.

<comment><USER38> It's the idea that a computer has a comprehensive view of an environment - location, personal owner, last purchase made, next appointment. At what point will it remind me to take my pills, call the doctor, ring the lead I met who just twittered something relevant.

Agent technology is going to be huge - as long as it can be standard interface agreeed somehow

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER39> At first I thought this guy really built his own protocol or something. But upon reading, it seems like it's just a rant about his experience with Android.

Disclosure: I'm an Android fanboy (4 HTC phones! 1 iPhone)

The sad part is, this is a heavily opinionated article fully about his own experience and it doesn't actually explain why Android is better than iOS yet. For example, he talks about integration issues with his car as an argument over his iPhone, which is just his own opinion. It would have been really great if he had pitched as to why Android is REALLY better than the iPhone. He doesn't talk about the actual reasons why Android is superior -

1) Choice of various Filemanagers

2) Better Bluetooth connectivity between other phones

3) No need for the memory hogging iTunes garbage

4) Better navigation and integrated Maps support

5) Choices between browsers and functionality (Some browsers even enable Flash even if your handset doesnt support it!)

6) Excellent Notifications menu and ease of access to important stuff

7) Better App. management (Move to memory card, etc) and true multi-tasking, install Apps outside of Market

8) Freedom to do whatever you want with the phone - Install any ROM you like, Root it, connect it to other electronic peripherals, etc.

This is just a short list, and I'm not sure if some of the features are now available on iDevices, but the last time I checked, they weren't..

<comment><USER40> Apologies for the following rant, but these topics annoy the absolute hell out of me.

That list isn't a list "...as to why Android is REALLY better than the iPhone." at all. It's a list of why _you_ think it is better. I have iPhone and a Nexus S. I despise Android device. It's a Nexus S running Jelly Bean, and I find it to be clunky as hell. I found it to be clunky as hell with Gingerbread too. Why the hell should I have to simply to have a satisfactorily functioning device? Reading into it, there is no guarantee that installing Cyanogenmod will improve things for me either. Of course, these are my opinions and they are worth little to anyone other than me, much like your list of 'facts'. What happened to live and let live? What happened to use the tool that works for you? Why do we have to endure the endless and meaningless pissing contests?</comment></comment>


Supercomputer leaders come together on new open-source framework - <AUTHOR> http://www.zdnet.com/article/supercomputer-leaders-come-together-on-new-open-source-framework/ <comment><USER2> I work on the astronomy side of these things (job workflow management), and it's kind of frustrating to develop against a supercomputer. We're still stuck with schedulers and batch systems as opposed to provisioning.

If you have a job and it just needs one core (your code is embarrassingly parallel), that's all well and fine, except you can't just get one core, you get 16 or 24 as the smallest unit. That's fine, except now you end up writing a task queue, and a system which spins up new workers whenever the old ones are killed due to wall clock time. But most of these supercomputing centers aren't too keen on having services running locally, so now your task queue is a remote system, and now you've got to do clever things wherever you can to make all this work the way you want it to (leverage any remote APIs, write SSH tunnel wrappers, etc...) Now you've got another batch system for a batch system.

The solution to this at the system level is to instead also provide serial queues which schedule one job to one core. But if too many serial jobs are in the works, especially if they aren't confined to a subset of the nodes, the true MPI jobs which will struggle to get scheduled. This isn't too much of an issue so long as everyone has a wall clock, but it's definitely not ideal.

Ideally, you'd provision your machines, run a few services, and have them as long as you need them, do a bunch of shit, and release your machines. But it doesn't work that way.

More pain comes around should you need to stage in/out your massive amounts of data.

<comment><USER3> My lab in computational structural biology has had to develop software to face similar challenges using HPC resources. One PhD student in our lab probably spent a year writing a client-server application to execute hundreds of compute jobs using the systems job scheduler (instead of working on actual problems in biology). Due to restrictions in the HPC environment, the code had to be fault-tolerant to clients and server being killed due to wall clock exceeding 24 hours. As you might expect, the student had no experience with distributed computing, so the "software" is actually thousand of lines of incomprehensible BASH and C code.

I do like the sound of an open-source framework for HPC though, I run computations across dozens of national supercomputers and they're all very different.

<comment><USER4> I don't have access to an environment like this, but wasn't GNU Parallel designed for job scheduling across clusters? I'm not sure how tolerant it is of having the processes on the remote nodes killed, since I've never had to deal with that. I'm curious how much of the problem it solves, though.</comment></comment></comment>


'09 FbFund Finalist Looking for Facebook Developer - <AUTHOR>

Our company, Life360 (life360.com), was recently named as one of this year's Facebook Fund finalists (http://tinyurl.com/plmmmo).  Facebook is currently a bit of a side focus for us right now, so we are looking for someone to become our lead Facebook developer and drive this forward.
As our lead Facebook Developer, you would attend all FbFund incubator meetings and sessions for us, and would get the full benefits of being a FbFund finalist, including any publicity that comes from our future Facebook efforts.
We need someone to start ASAP, and commit to working with us full time at least through the summer (hopefully longer if things work out).  Pay will be crappy, the equity comp will be decent, and the opportunity we think is awesome—probably the only way to get into the 09 FbFund incubator at this point.  We are based in Berkeley, and may be moving to SF in the near future.
We don't have any formal requirements, but in addition to doing Facebook app development, we will also want you to spend a lot of your time doing JavaScript intensive UI.  So please be able to show us you are pretty slick at doing cool AJAX development.
Send an email to email@example.com or give us a call at 415 462 0002 x706.
If anyone on this board has any other suggestions on where to find good FB developers, please let us know in the comments! <comment><USER2> The Techcrunch link was just the list of finalists but not the list of those who was actually accepted in the incubator program.

I'm curious who else made it. Do you have a link for that?</comment>


Headphone jacks are Not the new floppy drive - <AUTHOR> http://blog.greggant.com/posts/2016/06/22/modularity.html <comment><USER2> If I remember correctly, the very first android phone had only a mini USB port and required a dongle to use a 3.5mm audio port. This was almost a decade ago, and this struck me as a terrible design choice. The latest Moto phone does the same (with USB C instead mini USB).

If manufacturers are going to phase out barrel connectors for audio, they should do two things:

1) Use a single universal port standard, like USB Type C

2) Provide TWO of these ports. I want to charge my phone while playing music.

I know its unlikely, but I would rather Apple switch from lightening to USB Type C if they are going to abandon the 3.5mm port.

</comment><comment><USER3> agreed. Audio people will never accept some Apple(or other company)-driven non-standardized port for what everyone knows is a basic differential unbalanced output/input.

It's like making an electric guitar without a 1/4" jack... sure, you can, but you will be unable to tap into the world of effects pedals, amplifiers, pre- amps, and the rest of the guitar gear eco-system.

one can adjunct a digital control-plus-data port, to sort of upgrade SPDIF (the pro-standard was always AES-EBU anyway) but ditching analog-audio outputs and pushing folks onto ridiculously limited consumer audio "dacs on the phones" headphones and boomboxes is a step BACKwards for those producing content, which should be more and more people not less. Apple has been indicated already what it thinks "quality audio gear" amounts to with it's Beats purchase. It speaks volumes about Apple's lack of commitment to professional audio and standards that they are moving away from being the company that provided the bedrock for DAW and other audio software innovation. It's a pity. We shall go elsewhere.

</comment><comment><USER4> I don't think so. Floppy died because new storage media offered what people _desperately_ needed: storage space.

Usb-c is more likely going to offer what people don't really need for a price that they are very unlikely to agree spending.

Plus, if I sum up all of the euros I've spent on headsets... Well, a large part of that sum has been spent on sub-10 € headset.

Good luck making a good profit margin on that market segment.

<comment><USER2> > Usb-c is more likely going to offer what people don't really need for a > price that they are very unlikely to agree spending.

When your household uses exclusively devices that are powered by USB Type C, there is an impressive collective synergistic convenience that results. All of our tablets, phones, and laptops use Type C. Any of the power supplies for any of our devices can, in a pinch, be used to provide power to any other.

We can carry tiny trickle chargers when we're going to be by an outlet all the time, or a heavier rapid charger otherwise.

We can power any of our devices directly from any other device.

Further, we can use the same thumb drive on any device, no OTG adapter or usb size adapter needed. Several of our devices support slimport, so one set of high end cables can be used for video, data transfers, or power transfers.

For those that love convenience, USB Type C is great. And it gets even better the more devices you have switched over - when you can share cables, power supplies, monitors, and thumb drives between all of your devices so easily.

Apparently I'm one of the few that likes the idea of Apple's next notebook having exclusively Type C ports.

</comment></comment><comment><USER5> I am tried for charging all my devices and I am not keen to add another device to my charging list.

Floppy disk died due to better and more capacity substitute.

Bluetooth headset is an alternative to wired headphones.

</comment><comment><USER6> Pretty sure the author will end up buying an iPhone 7 headphone jack or not.

<comment><USER3> I know that I will not. I've never understood the need to have the latest mobile phone, as it's basically a poor tablet/reader and quite over-priced, not to mention feeding into one of the ugliest slow-motion automobile crashes in history as we witness apple waste any vision and sense it had accumulated in an orgy of hubris and foolish design choices... mind you, they will still earn plenty as they push their AI angle ensnaring more and more humans in their web of silly chromery...</comment></comment>


An overview of the Dolphin Emulator development infrastructure - <AUTHOR> https://dolphin-emu.org/blog/2015/01/25/making-developers-more-productive-dolphin-development-infrastructure/ <comment><USER2> The willingness to deal with the complexity and sheer ballsiness of the underground emulator scene is something to be in awe of .. really amazing what the guys get up to in this scene, just because they want to see it happen so the only way to do it is: do it. Whether its hard, or not.

My personal experience has been watching notaz, of the OpenPandora scene, get various emulators running on the Open Pandora hardware ([http://openpandora.org/](http://openpandora.org/)) .. with just a little bit of support from the hardware vendor (EvilDragon, of [http://dragonbox.de/](http://dragonbox.de/)) we've seen a plethora of emulators of various systems released for the platform: [http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=all&subcat=Emulator&s=new](http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=all&subcat=Emulator&s=new)

Notaz, in particular, has proven to be a veritable force in getting these old machines running on the Pandora hardware, and I'm constantly in awe of what can be done by a few motivated individuals, whose principle purpose seems not to be commercial success, necessarily, but rather: wow factor, and more in particular: what 'wow' can be brought to the community. I've come to the conclusion that if this were a commercial activity (which it is, in limited ways) instead of the community-oriented effort (which it is, in huge ways), then there wouldn't be as much progress .. but I think guys like notaz really make the headway they make because the community itself is so approachable, so willing to communicate, and so accessible to the elite individuals doing the hard work to make the community viable. Its hard to imagine something like Dolphin happening without the underworld community that supports it - and I raise my beer to the folks in this scene who work tirelessly to bring the community wonderful new products that push the limits of the hardware we've invested in, in spite of it not being mainstream.

(BTW, if you want a clear and concise insight into this scene, you need only look at notaz' own posts on various subjects - the man is a powerhouse of emulation productivity: [http://boards.openpandora.org/user/76-notaz/](http://boards.openpandora.org/user/76-notaz/))

<comment><USER3> I've never seen OpenPandora before. Thanks for linking. This made me think back on the time I had my R4DS (2007). The R4 wasn't a subnotebook but a storage device with quite a library of homebrew apps like MoonShell, SNEmulDS (I remember using this to play Earthbound), etc.

<comment><USER4> I am currently playing Earthbound on an R4 and this comment made me warm inside :)

<comment><USER3> Haha, Earthbound holds a special place in my heart.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> Very impressive. Even on many commercial projects, I've not had such fantastic tooling and build suite support.</comment>


Logic – Deductive and Inductive (1898) - <AUTHOR> https://www.gutenberg.org/files/18440/18440-h/18440-h.htm <comment><USER2> Another excellent book — notably better, I'd say — on the same topic is William Stanley Jevons' _Elementary Lessons in Logic, Deductive and Inductive_ [1]. It's written with simplicity and clarity, without any showing off of terminology for its own sake.

[1]: [https://archive.org/details/elementarylesson00jevo/page/n4](https://archive.org/details/elementarylesson00jevo/page/n4)

</comment><comment><USER3> If we're talking about inductive reasoning then it may pay greater dividends to go to a primary source that really set the stage for everything that came after him. This is David Hume in the form of his _Treatise on Human Nature_ [0]

[0] [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/4705/4705-h/4705-h.htm](http://www.gutenberg.org/files/4705/4705-h/4705-h.htm)

</comment><comment><USER4> This book predates many important developments of the 20th century. I'd say its value is nearly zero nowadays, except from a historical standpoint.

<comment><USER5> I agree, this document is really only useful for historical development.

However, it _is_ useful for tracking down some history. I've been trying to track down this expression: "All men are mortal; Socrates is a man; therefore Socrates is mortal". It's often quoted, but no one gave me a _source_. Using this old book I managed to track it back to at least _A System of logic..._ by John Stuart Mill, 1843, Book II Chapter 3 page 245. [https://archive.org/details/systemoflogicrat01millrich/page/...](https://archive.org/details/systemoflogicrat01millrich/page/244) The quote may be even older, but that was still a help.

If anyone knows an older source, I'd love to know. But that at least helped.

Anyway: while this document is only useful for its historical connection, as a way to investigate the history of logic it's interesting.

<comment><USER6> What a great snippet of info to know, thanks for posting this. I often use that syllogism as an example for some visual logic software I'm writing.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> > _Mathematics treats of the relations of all sorts of things considered as > quantities, namely, as equal to, or greater or less than, one another._

This was not actually true when this book was written: Euler's formula was discovered in 1748, which I would consider evidence that complex numbers were broadly "around" at least a century before 1898. Complex numbers are not ordered, (for example, is 1 less than or greater than _i_?), so this claim about math isn't right.

> _But, as we have seen, Logic does not investigate the truth, > trustworthiness, or validity of its own principles; nor does Mathematics_

It does now!

> _As a Regulative Science, pointing out the conditions of true inference > (within its own sphere), Logic is co-ordinate with [...] (ii) Æsthetics, > considered as determining the principles of criticism and good taste._

It is funny now that people would study up on logic so they could prove to their colleagues whether or not the latest production at the local theater was any good.

<comment><USER2> Your comment seems determined to take the least charitable possible interpretation of the material from the first few pages of the book. I'm sad that you chose not to engage with the value it could provide.

<comment><USER7> Least charitable? There's no way that the author could have been expected to anticipate how logic would develop over the next century, I'm just looking at it from a modern perspective.</comment></comment></comment>


New G.A. features : Analytics Intelligence and Custom Alerts - <AUTHOR> http://conversionroom.blogspot.com/2009/12/spotlight-on-new-google-analytics.html

<comment><AUTHOR> I saw this passing by and was immediately reminded of patio's landing-page bug @ <http://news.ycombinator.org/item?id=898854></comment>


Show HN: A Compiler from SQL to NoSQL Written in PureScript - <AUTHOR> https://github.com/KtorZ/purescript-ifrit <comment><AUTHOR> A side-project I did in order to get a bit more experience with PureScript / Haskell. The goal is similar to what CouchDB achieved with N1QL except that the module is focused on the compiler.

I am looking for any feedback on the module itself and / or its implementation :) Thanks guys!</comment>


Libr: An open source alternative to Tumblr - <AUTHOR> https://librapp.com <comment><USER2> "Completely free and open, apart from if you want to say things that might offend people who don't share your views"

If you're going to say that a platform is free and open, allow it to be so.

This seems like a quick rush to generate interest for a cryptocurrency (LibrCoin). Not buying it.

</comment><comment><USER3> Pretty bold and empty statements at the same time; site doesn't show anything but text+image placeholders and bulky design similar to pre-Material of Google.

</comment><comment><USER4> Designwise i'm not that sure the color combination on the website is the greatest to attract people from tumblr to librl. It also looks like it was quickly thrown together using simplest components. The idea behind it seems nice but to get mass adoption you need to focus on the presentation.

</comment><comment><USER5> Seems like a lukewarm marketing pitch with numerous generic photos sprinkled about. So much wonderbread!

Will librapp be a part of the fediverse at the very least (like PixelFed, Mastodon, etc)? Ratelimiting & the filtering outlined don't seem to be blockers to doing so...

</comment><comment><USER6> If I can't make an account it doesn't exist! :P

Of course any kind of feed readers are a welcome addition to the internet or fediverse...as long as you don't muck up image search like pinterest did.

</comment><comment><USER7> Not to be a wet blanket, I assume the website isn't accessible for some time?

[http://www.insprinto.com](http://www.insprinto.com)</comment>


Climate Change May Already Be Shifting Clouds Toward the Poles - <AUTHOR> http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/07/11/485314321/climate-change-may-already-be-shifting-clouds-toward-the-poles <comment><USER2> Plenty of news on global warming.. daily [https://news.google.com/news/section?cf=all&hl=en&pz=1&ned=u...](https://news.google.com/news/section?cf=all&hl=en&pz=1&ned=us&csid=a985a5a2ee2eddc9&siidp=6dd50a7e53ef843eb708df8ca9643ee0981c)

</comment><comment><USER2> Climate Change and Global Food Security: Prof David Battisti - for those who get high on anxiety [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YToMoNPwTFc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YToMoNPwTFc)</comment>


Apple silent amid iPhone 'chargegate' complaints: XS & XS Max charging problems - <AUTHOR> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-45707211 <comment><USER2> > Some users have speculated that the problem is related to a recent change in > Apple's security settings.

> Since iOS 11.4.1 was released, the lightning port on iPhones can be disabled > when the phone has been idle for a while. That could stop thieves, cyber- > attackers or law enforcement officers accessing it.

> "In some cases, it might not charge," the company advises on its website.

This change in iOS 11.4.1 and the device not charging applies only when the device is connected to a computer. Apple's support page clearly states that the device would charge when connected to the USB adapter.

> However, Apple has not yet commented on the issue.

> ...

> Apple has not yet responded to the BBC's request for comment.

One of the many things consistent about Apple as a company is its reluctance to respond to any issues or comment on them. Sometimes a comment may come later on, starting out as a denial. Its strategy is always to investigate it internally and understand the issue better (as any other company would want to, so that the root cause(s) are found and dealt with) and then decide what to do depending on the number of users who seem to be affected, where they are, and the chances of lawsuits being filed. Most of the posts on Apple's discussion boards may just help create noise. Apple may monitor some of the discussions, but never has anyone officially representing the company post or respond there (there are several reasons why responding there may not be a good idea either).

This charging issue seems like a software issue, and should be easier to fix. But I doubt if Apple would rush a patch out for this issue in the next few days. What's more likely is that this may get addressed in iOS 12.1, which may be released later this month. What's also likely is that the release notes for iOS 12.1 (or whichever point release fixes this) will not specifically state if this issue is one of the things that's been fixed. For reasons better known to Apple (probably to avoid lawsuits), many a times Apple just stays quiet and lets things burn.

</comment><comment><USER3> Apple apparently has a policy against speaking negatively about Apple. This has made some AppleCare calls frustrating as they would not speak or address some issues. I imagine this is at play here, as acknowledging a failure on Apple's part would be speaking negatively about Apple.

</comment><comment><USER4> Haven't seen any issues with charging on the XS Max -- neither when charging over Qi nor over cable. Didn't happen on iOS 12 GM, and doesn't happen on iOS 12.1 (beta).

Sure this isn't some stunt to get Apple to relax their security measures?</comment>


Will Garmin Pay $10m Ransom to End Two-Day Outage? - <AUTHOR> https://www.forbes.com/sites/barrycollins/2020/07/25/will-garmin-pay-10m-ransom-to-end-two-day-outage/#36b2da8e3164 <comment><USER2> If it matters, as a customer /user, I'd rather forego all my data on their cloud and wait whatever time is necessary for them to rebuild the systems, than have Garmin pay the ransom.

<comment><USER3> According to this TC article, it's basically illegal for a company to pay the ransom:

[https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/25/garmin-outage- ransomware-s...](https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/25/garmin-outage-ransomware- sources/)

I sort of agree with that since if companies start paying up then suddenly that thing will be more and more widespread.

<comment><USER4> Still it happens all the time, of course.</comment></comment></comment>


Sendicate - Simply send beautiful emails to people that matter. - <AUTHOR> http://sendicate.net/ <comment><USER2> Email is text, now and forever, so mote it be, amen.

<comment><USER3> So say we all.

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> As others have alluded to, Chrome for Windows is making fonts on this page impossibly hard to read.

I'm beginning to think that rendering horribly in Chrome for Windows is the Internet's latest "Built on a Mac" badge.

<comment><USER5> Is Chrome _EVER_ going to switch to the FF4 / IE9 style font rendering? I believe it's DirectWrite? [https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/forum/?fromgroups#!...](https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/forum/?fromgroups#!topic/chromium- dev/5BQYLaalCoY)

</comment></comment><comment><USER6> Cross-browser testing used to be to ensure layouts wouldn't break, now it's to make sure fonts don't look abysmal.

<comment><USER7> It's ridiculous that @font-face fonts look great on IE and Firefox, but jaggedy on Chrome.

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> This font: TiemposHeadlineLight - was VERY difficult to read and made me want to run for the high hills.

<comment><USER9> It looks very choppy to me in Chrome. I've noticed this with some of the more recent nicely designer blogs. Is there a special Safari font or something that is becoming common, that looks terrible in other browsers?

<comment><USER10> It looks good to me in Firefox 14.

<comment><USER11> Ha, It looked bad in chrome so I opened Firefox.

It looked just as bad in Firefox 11.

Then it updated to 12 and it looked bad still.

Then it updated to 14, and it still looks bad.

[https://www.dropbox.com/s/bi4mwp0abkyehjz/sendicate_Chrome21...](https://www.dropbox.com/s/bi4mwp0abkyehjz/sendicate_Chrome21.PNG)

<https://www.dropbox.com/s/vdfc86r8a5gy72g/sendicate_FF14.PNG>

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> At first (and second) glance it's not obvious to me whether this is a desktop app, a mobile app or a web app / service. Does it send emails for me or does it just make HTML? Does it mail-merge from a CSV? Can I bring in my own templates?

<comment><USER13> It is a web app. It handles subscriber management, templates, compose workflows, and of course sending emails. Sendicate is a full ESP.

Templates are very welcome. Have a look at the template docs <https://github.com/Sendicate/sendicate-theme-docs>

<comment><USER14> ESP?

<comment><USER15> Email Service Provider?

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER13> Wow that was quick. The site hasn't even been online for 24 hours yet.

I created Sendicate and if there are questions I'd be happy to answer.

<comment><USER16> Apparently if you ask for questions, what you get is critiques. I'll keep up the pattern. :)

This phrase struck me as out of sync with the style: "we have focused on creating compelling templates that drive influence." It's jargon-y, and the jargon is slightly creepy, at least the way all advertising talk is slightly creepy when it gets too specific about what it's trying to do. It's less about people [who] matter to me, and more about people who matter because they can be manipulated into doing something I want. I would suggest you think about how the phrase "drive influence" makes you feel, and then take out anything else in your site that makes you feel the same way. (Or go for whatever crowd you're going for that isn't me.)

Aside from that, I agree with another commenter that if your template design is what makes you special, I'd like to see some example emails before signing up. The world is too full of web startups to create an account for every one that claims to be better than MailChimp.

Anyway, thanks for your work -- looks like an awesome start.

<comment><USER13> Thanks for the thoughtful comment. I originally wrote "results" in place of "influence" but that sounded overused. I do believe that emails with better content, better design, and better accessibility will drive more visibility (and opens/clicks/etc), and that is what I was aiming for with influence. If you want your email to be seen and read then a focus on content and design will go a long way. I'll rethink how to express that better.

Also yes, totally agree on showing more templates. When the public beta opens there will be a handful for customers to play with, and we do intend to do something that stands out, and especially hoping that the community gets involved too.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> Your template docs are nice, I've been doing something similar for <https://templateria.com>. We have our own standard that serves as a base to generate HTML in other standards such as Mailchimp and Campaign Monitor.

Just signed up for beta, I want to try some of our templates there.

</comment><comment><USER18> I'm a little confused. Is this a mailchimp competitor or is this for sending email to "someone who matter", eg my boss, my fiance, my grandma?

<comment><USER13> It does compete with Mailchimp and other ESP's. We think that "people who matter" are your customers and subscribers. Bulk mail has a stigma of spam so we wanted to make a product that focused on the message, content, design and innovation rather just a tool that can pump out email.</comment></comment>