Internet-Draft: JSON Hypertext Application Language (lean format for linking) - <AUTHOR> https://raw.github.com/mikekelly/hal-rfc/master/draft-kelly-json-hal-00.txt

<comment><USER2> The _links field may not be necessary. There is already an HTTP Link header proposal, and is already being used by API's like GitHub's: <http://www.w3.org/Protocols/9707-link-header.html>

From their examples, this is the equivalent representation:

        Link: <http://www.tld/orders/523>;rel=self, <http://www.tld/warehouse/56>;rel=warehouse, <http://www.tld/invoices/873>;rel=invoice

It also allows for multiple Link headers to be sent instead of the comma- separated version.

<comment><USER3> I agree with this personally, because this spec is adding meta-data to the body, and headers are pretty much made for that.

The practical problem is that you have to parse the link header, and it's not simple enough for common use. I think, if we want to use headers, we need to build some JS utilities for the different specs that abstract away any parsing.

<comment><AUTHOR> Already exists: <https://github.com/s3u/headers.js>

There are problems with using Link headers, I think you will find less friction in practice by treating links as 'proper data' and putting them in the content body using a media type like this.

<comment><USER3> Oh, awesome, thanks.

You may be right-- HTML employs meta-data in the header, and there are good reasons for it. I like to think that I can put my meta links in the headers and content links in the json, but I may be overworking for a minor gain in simplicity.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> This seems to be covered by json schema already does it not? <http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-zyp-json-schema-03> see section 6 - Hyperschema, which lays out a way of describing which parts of a JSON object contains href links. This seems more elegant to me.

</comment><comment><USER5> The HAL specification was created by Mike Kelly and a very readable introduction to it is here: <http://stateless.co/hal_specification.html>

We've been using it recently and we like it a lot.

</comment><comment><USER3> One suggestion that's probably way too late in the game: underscores are often used to indicate privacy, membership, or a special state compared to the non- underscore-prefixed key. I think a dollar-sign prefix might be a better indication of meta-data.

<comment><AUTHOR> Yes I'm loathe to change this. Some have even suggested removing a prefix altogether since underscores are 'not ruby-like'.

Hopefully it holds up even though this choice might not be to everyone's taste?

<comment><USER3> Yeah, it's not a big deal, so I wouldn't worry about it. Taste is really all it is.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> I'm biased but I like my own design better:

[https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!topic/restful-j...](https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!topic/restful- json/jDNhjfh9hfg) (Google Groups breakage; link is meant to go to first post in discussion)

Instead of requiring that objects have a special _links property, you can put links anywhere in a JSON structure, just like in a HTML document.

Everything of the form

       { "$href": <url> [,"rel": <token>] [,"type": <media-type>] }

anywhere in a JSON object is treated as a link.

<comment><AUTHOR> Personally I prefer HAL's model because it is couched in web terminology, i.e:

\- Resources \- Resource state \- Links

hal+json results in more uniform representations, which makes it easier to write generic client + server client libraries for

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> I love the idea of this being standardized and am immediately thinking that a generic browser of application/hal+json resources would be a great developer tool.

I tend to agree with the idea that self should be top-level, but the other thing I'd like to have in the specification is versioning for both the specification itself and the API. How about something like:

{ ... "_version": { "hal": <some HAL version string>, "api": <some API version string> }, ... }

Thanks for the thought you've obviously put into this ... we'll all benefit eventually!

<comment><AUTHOR> :)

already working on a browser: <https://github.com/mikekelly/hal-browser>

very rough demo here: <http://hal-shop.heroku.com/hal_browser.html>

<comment><USER7> Looks a lot like what I "saw in my head". Some code to get around SOP would let you point it at anyone's API ... a great way to learn an API is to see it with real data and you'd be able to navigate around the resources at will.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> Like the idea. One suggestion - the value at json._links.self will often be a unique identifier. Maybe some provision can be made for this to live at a top level, like json._id

There are strong arguments against that idea I'm sure, but consider the boon to adoption you can get by having the only required thing be a top-level element not a nested attribute

<comment><AUTHOR> point well made, thanks. I will probably incorporate this in the next version of the draft.

<comment><USER8> Maybe json._self is better than _id since _id is already used by apps where it's not always an href

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> Sorry to be off topic here but is there a standard for laying out specification documents like this that i can read up on? When ever I come across these they are always well thought out and nicely presented. It would be a nice way to present ideas due to the documents feeling well thought out and structured as apposed to a simple idea scribbled down.

<comment><AUTHOR> fwiw, I used xml2rfc for this, it inserts all the boilerplate for you

<http://xml.resource.org/></comment></comment>


How a Mathematical Superstition Stultified Algebra for Over a Thousand Years - <AUTHOR> http://nautil.us/blog/how-a-mathematical-superstition-stultified-algebra-for-over-a-thousand-years <comment><USER2> GeoGebra www.geogebra.org/ A geometry package providing for both graphical and algebraic input.

"Apparatus: A Hybrid Graphics Editor / Programming Environment" by Toby Schachman [http://youtu.be/i3Xack9ufYk](http://youtu.be/i3Xack9ufYk)

</comment><comment><USER2> History of Algebra is a fascinating topic (Symbolic Expression Programming)

I think this article mangles it badly, sadly. Way Lost and found in translation

The title is nonsense and does not help

<comment><USER2> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_algebra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_algebra)

Even wikipedia "gets it"</comment></comment>


What's your time worth? "Can you keep the change and I can leave?" - <AUTHOR> http://www.sebastianmarshall.com/?p=1312

<comment><USER2> OK, so I sorta get the point of the article, but I think this is a really bad example.

He is stopping for coffee. Stopping being the key word here. This, for most people, involves adjusting your commute to go into the coffee shop, place your order, pay, leave and resume your commute. The line-waiting time is probably a small fraction of the overall time such. The exception to this might be very dense areas like NYC where you can walk to work AND pass 4 Starbucks outlets. Then the commute divergence is very small. I think this is the exception though.

A better suggestion might be "buy yourself a K-Cup machine, then you can make a cup of coffee yourself in 30 seconds without having to leave your home/office/work RV/whatever.

Sure, time is money, but this is measuring it the wrong way, IMO.

<comment><AUTHOR> Coffee is irrelevent. It's any line.

I did it at a bakery right before I wrote the post. The guy who was tidying up seemed legit happy to get a bit of extra cash and I got out of there faster.

</comment></comment><comment><USER3> I was thinking about the 'time is money' meme the other day, as it's one that seems to get traction very quickly with a lot of people - I've used it myself in a few situations (regrettably) and discussed it with others.

There are quite a few fundamental problems I see with it:

* It is frequently used as a validation for not doing something undesirable or even just something unanticipated. Opportunities can and do arise in the strangest situations, and sure - sometimes it's clear that it's not worth pursuing a lead - but claiming that your _personal_ time vs. some calculated reward is the justification is often (I've found) just a quick exit clause

* The implication for people who do wait in line is that they are inferior to you, since they somehow fall below the 'worth' measurement - I would never want to even suggest to people that they're somehow less valuable, since I don't believe that people ever are

* It can quickly spread to other areas of your life - it's a gateway drug in the absorption of economics into daily life - are friends money? Are experiences money? Few people would admit to it, but for some people both of the above already apply.

* Personally, I find it an affront to the idea that services should be provided fairly. If it were possible to non-disruptively allow some customers to be served more quickly based on an open, public pricing scale, then perhaps I'd reconsider it (airline priority queues are a possible comparison) - but this is queue-jumping based on bribery. The suggestion that this behavior is, in fact, positive and likely to indicate success in life is one I find pretty disgusting.

<comment><AUTHOR> Just want to address this -

> The implication for people who do wait in line is that they are inferior to > you, since they somehow fall below the 'worth' measurement - I would never > want to even suggest to people that they're somehow less valuable, since I > don't believe that people ever are

You set the worth on your own time. If everyone pitches in an extra buck to move faster, Starbucks (or 7-11, or whatever) will hire extra staff or something.

I'd rather have less stuff, and more time to work on research, recruiting, building, staffing, reading, relaxing, family, etc. Most of my free time lately goes into either reading or thinking about the orphanage I'm building, so that's what waiting in line is screwing up at the end of my work obligations. It's a great trade for me, but everyone sets their own values.

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> I think pulling that off (the skip the line for coffee trick he writes of) without coming off as an ass would be difficult. But, at the same time, it could be argued it's the people that don't care how they come off and just go for their gold are the ones that really succeed.

<comment><USER5> Are they really the ones that "really succeed" or are they just really loud about it which makes it seem that way. That just sounds a lot like the sort of stuff you'll read in those "how to succeed in business" books. I could be wrong but I'm skeptical. There's a big different between going for their gold and being a totall asshole too. They don't always exist at the same time.

<comment><USER4> I agree with all of that. My comment was skeptical in nature. My personality is very aware of "being an ass" so sometimes I wonder if I should have been an ass in some situations. There is probably a good medium between the two extremes.

<comment><USER5> I know what you mean. I'm hyperaware of other people's feelings too and that can put you at a huge disadvantage. I think it's all situational though. It depends on who you surround yourself with. In the end I think that what's more important than being an ass or being respectful is the ability to gauge others' temperaments. If you can do that then you can adjust yourself to the situation. Some situations call for asshole behavior. Some people only respond to force. In other situations being humble will win over people.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> When faced with a long line I just pull out my smartphone, launch my e-book reader, and read a few pages while I wait. This is one of the few times when multitasking is a good thing, IMO.

</comment><comment><USER7> This "downtime" also gives us a rest away from work. I actually appreciate this time as I can plan my next "productive" time better.

</comment><comment><USER8> The spit in his coffee is just another bonus.

</comment><comment><USER9> I've tried actively thinking in terms of time-is-money before. It helps when you're in analysis paralysis, to force yourself to just make snap decisions and do impulse buys every once in a while (which often end up being the decisions I'm most happy with). It doesn't help at all in just about any other case. People have a limited amount of mental energy to spend each day. "While I'm wasting my time doing X I could have actually been doing the more productive Y" is usually a lie.

<comment><USER10> >> "While I'm wasting my time doing X I could have actually been doing the more productive Y" is usually a lie.

You also have to consider whether Y is cuter than X, and if she even likes you.

</comment></comment><comment><USER11> The first sentence of this post sounds ungrammatical, which didn't put me in a good frame of mind to read the rest of the post:

      "How much do you value your time at?".

Now I have to go and buy some Christmas Presents. How do I avoid waiting in line for that?

</comment><comment><USER12> What about the disutility from alienating everyone else in the coffee line?

Yet another example of how private incentives (to the cashier) trump public good...

<comment><AUTHOR> > What about the disutility from alienating everyone else in the coffee line?

You can believe this or disbelieve this, but by far the most common reaction is along the lines of, "I wish I had the balls to do that..."

</comment></comment><comment><USER13> As much as I would love to do this, I don't think I could ever bring myself to. If the line is more than about 4 people long I just turn around and walk out, unless I _really_ need whatever the line is for. I'll wait at the post office, but I ain't waiting for the soccer mom to recharge her Starbucks account using a bonded credit card from Mozambique or whatever. That's a simpler way to avoid wasting time that doesn't involve giving me special treatment.

But anyway, I think it is unhealthy, for lack of a better word, to think in these terms. You'll start stressing yourself out about how much money you're wasting (because time=money) in scenarios where wasting the time is unavoidable (traffic, spending time with in-laws, etc.)

<comment><AUTHOR> Actually, I cut traffic, people who don't treat me well, and all that stuff too. But it's not money, it's about time being the very most important thing.

I want to spend it all doing really amazing things with good people, and none of it on wasteful terrible uses of time that most people are under the mistaken impression are unavoidable.

It's not your duty to suffer stupidly for no reason. Really. Just because someone else suffers stupidly for no purpose doesn't mean you have to.

</comment></comment><comment><USER5> Everything I've ever read from this guy makes him look like an asshole. At first you think it makes sense, then you think about it for a moment and you realize that it isn't a good idea.

Paying extra is not the solution. Doing something while you wait may be one. But I doubt 30 to 60 minutes a week is really worth paying anything extra. Stay up 5 or 10 minutes later every week and you make up your "time saved by paying" except for free. Plus the 5 minutes really won't mess with your sleep pattern.

I remember the last post I read where he called his entire staff a bunch of jokers, tried to make a point about being exceptional, and made everyone involved look like jokers anyway. I think this guy might do this stuff on purpose. It really gets people talking and you know they say any press is good press.

<comment><AUTHOR> I like this feedback, this is good. Just two things I'd clarify -

> Everything I've ever read from this guy makes him look like an asshole.

I have like zero regard for traditional social decorum. I rub a lot of people the wrong way. But I'm also the guy that actually goes to bat for people when they crash, when times are tough, when something needs to get done. I've taken a lot of people out of the low point of their lives and built them up, and everyone around me does pretty well across the board - fun, work, wealth, social lives, experiences, getting out of the comfort zone, etc.

> But I doubt 30 to 60 minutes a week is really worth paying anything extra.

Depends on your goals in life. Most people would dislike my pace, but I get an immense amount done. Much of what I do has no direct gain for myself, it's just making the world more into the kind of world I think we ought to live in. 30 to 60 minutes is coming directly out of my reading or charity time if I wait around. Cutting sleep isn't the answer - I'm already slightly sleep deprivated; if anything, I need to sleep more to get to sustainable levels.

Anyways. Am I an asshole? Maybe. My feelings aren't hurt if you think so. But moving fast, being demanding, not pussyfooting around -- it has drawbacks, but leads to immensely more ability to do good big things in the world.

<comment><USER5> I think you are an asshole. But I can respect that. Honestly, being an asshole doesn't mean you can't be a perfectly likeable, great person. I'm willing to bet you're one of those guys who people say "you'd like him once you get to know him". What I like about your style is that you might come off at first as trying too hard. Trying for what? Some might say superiority, maybe to gain attention, maybe even love. But then when you get backlash you still defend your points to the end. A lot of people say they don't care what others say about them but I honestly think you're the real deal. I don't know how you did it but you just mindfucked me into liking you from thinking you were a dick. Bravo, man.</comment></comment></comment>


The time has come to stand up for the GPL - <AUTHOR> http://sfconservancy.org/linux-compliance/

<comment><USER2> Previous topic [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9156644](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9156644)

EDIT: Didn't notice they are still pledging for money, sorry for the previous claim of "duplicate topic".

</comment><comment><USER3> Crap, they still haven't reached their funding goal?

But it's so close! We can do it! I just donated 50 USD.

<comment><AUTHOR> I know. I was really surprised to see that there has only been ~1000 donations.

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> Now has haiku:

[https://savannah.gnu.org/forum/forum.php?forum_id=8241](https://savannah.gnu.org/forum/forum.php?forum_id=8241)

"Haiku of the month:

       Stand up for your rights.
       VMware does not comply.
       Hellwig goes to court.

([https://sfconservancy.org/linux-compliance/vmware-lawsuit- fa...](https://sfconservancy.org/linux-compliance/vmware-lawsuit-faq.html\)")</comment>


FastText embeddings of field headers to improve NLP - <AUTHOR> https://medium.com/gretel-ai/innovating-with-fasttext-and-field-headers-b3eb5eec5080 <comment><AUTHOR> Using FastText embeddings of field headers to improve our NLP for structured data. NLP can be tough in a structured environment as field values are often single words or numbers.</comment>


Ask HN:  Have you ever bought something off Google Paid search link - <AUTHOR>

I realized today that I've never purchased anything online via a Google paid search link.  To me, it seems ridiculous to click on a paid search link when Google returns the best search results anyway. I imagine that I'm not alone among my friend group but obviously, millions of people buy off Adwords.  Maybe the "average" American doesn't realize the difference between sponsored and organic results. <comment><USER2> Count me as someone who has never bought something via a Google paid search link. I have bought something via a facebook ad though...

</comment><comment><USER3> As consumers get more 'savvy' (aware that ads are displaying first) they will be less likely to click these ads.

One reason why I believe consumption is more and more likely to be based on our social graph (recommendations + referrals) rather than search.

<comment><USER4> And here, inherently, is the issue with this model of advertisement. IMO, if a user can be too "savvy" to participate, it isn't a good advertisement model. Anything that relies on lack of knowledge or "savviness" isn't very solid.

</comment></comment><comment><USER5> Not yet but I have increasingly been clicking on AdWords ads so I'm sure it's just a matter of time. The guy in marketing at the small company I'm working for spends $20k a day on AdWords campaigns and he tells me it's extremely lucrative if you know what you're doing so yes obviously a lot of people click on those ads. The affiliate program we have pays out six figures annually to dozens of affiliates who reinvest the bulk of that into their AdWords campaigns. Lots of people click those ads. The HN crowd, by and large, does not.

<comment><USER6> $20k a day on Adwords?

<comment><USER5> Yes. They seem to have it down to a science. Way beyond my area of expertise.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> I have never, but have actually made profits before from affiliate marketing using Google AdWords. I've never been inspired to click on any paid advertisements, but IMO, it definitely does work considering how many people obviously click on those ads.

</comment><comment><USER8> I don't recall ever _buying_ via a Google paid link, but there are a handful of sites that have made a multiple of their investment back via showing me ads.

</comment><comment><USER9> I click on them frequently, and buy from them frequently. Often times the ads are more relevant than the organic search results.</comment>


Intel Releases Security Updates, Mitigations for Multiple Products - <AUTHOR> https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/current-activity/2019/06/11/Intel-Releases-Security-Updates-Mitigations-Multiple-Products <comment><AUTHOR> Somehow I missed hearing about a number of these, and hadn't seen all of these individually discussed yet. Note that in some cases the mitigation suggested is to simply cease use of the product in question entirely, ie for INTEL- SA-00243 on Turbo Boost Max Intel says:

> _" Intel is not releasing updates to mitigate this potential vulnerability > and has issued a Product Discontinuation notice for the Intel® Turbo Boost > Max Technology 3.0 driver. [...] and recommends that users of the Intel® > Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 driver uninstall it or discontinue use at > their earliest convenience."_</comment>


How Rich People Think Differently - <AUTHOR> http://finance.yahoo.com/news/21-ways-rich-people-think-differently.html

<comment><AUTHOR> It's interesting to read this list of attributes after reading the Ventakesh Rao series "Entrepreneurs are the New Labor": [http://www.forbes.com/sites/venkateshrao/2012/09/03/entrepre...](http://www.forbes.com/sites/venkateshrao/2012/09/03/entrepreneurs- are-the-new-labor-part-i/)

In some ways the aqui-hire pathway is mentally supplanting the previous middle class road to economic comfort. The old script in medicine, law, and academia have been weakened by over-subscription and the middle class mindset is looking for a new sure thing.</comment>


Testflight Envy early access - <AUTHOR> http://blog.testflightapp.com/post/37787453396/green-with-envy What are other good android alternatives similar to what testflight is to ios today? <comment><AUTHOR> Are there any other good android alternatives to what Testflight (or Hockeyapp or whatever) is to iOS today?</comment>


What Is It Like To Be A Baby? - <AUTHOR> http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/09/what-is-it-like-to-be-a-baby/#ixzz10O7vTT6p <comment><USER2> Only a minor detail, but the author says the children need to learn to walk.

At some point I learned of an experiment that proved walking was an instinct, the only thing stopping a newborn from walking is the lack of support and strength. Unfortunately, I don't remember the details of the experiment. But there are many animals that walk as soon as they are born.

</comment><comment><USER3> Is this a well-understood model of a developing brain, or is this more "cutting edge?" I ask because it seems to contradict, at least to a certain degree, the concept of "attention deficit." How can a child be attention deficit when this "deficit" seems like a normal phase of development?

<comment><AUTHOR> I think it's more cutting edge but in light of what we're learning about the developing brain. The frontal cortex is critical for "focus" and yet it doesn't reach full maturation until 20-24 years old. We only know that, definitively, from brain scans which are still relatively new in developmental studies. And the longitudinal work just hasn't been done.

Keep in mind though that "deficit" is usually judged within ages. So a young child isn't expected to have the same focus as an adult, just within the range of other children their age. Context also matters.

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> If ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, does it also mean that animals see world more like babies (and vice versa)?

<comment><USER5> That's only loosely true. See: [http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/IIIC6aOntogeny....](http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/IIIC6aOntogeny.shtml)

<comment><USER6> I would go further and say that "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny" is misleading at best, just plain wrong at worst. Its an alluring concept that is unsupported by science.

<comment><AUTHOR> Careful. The development of the brain in utero absolutely recapitulates phylogeny.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> i was expecting this article to be about glenn beck</comment>


Google internet balloon spinoff Loon still looking for its wings - <AUTHOR> https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alphabet-loon-focus/google-internet-balloon-spinoff-loon-still-looking-for-its-wings-idUSKCN1TW1GN <comment><USER2> They've been at this for 8 years and it doesn't work yet? Uh oh. That's at the outer edge of Google/Alphabet patience.

<comment><USER3> > Its tennis-court-sized helium balloons have demonstrated utility. Over the > last three years, Loon successfully let wireless carriers in Peru and Puerto > Rico use balloons for free to supplant cell phone towers downed by natural > disasters.

Disc: Googler.

<comment><USER4> > But executives at five other wireless carriers courted by Loon across four > continents told Reuters that Loon is not a fit currently, and may never be.

<comment><USER5> They've been tested in Oz to gather nav data[0]. It would also make sense to consider them for outback connectivity, where I've heard many people are still using satellite uplink (thanks to the corrupt nerfing of the NBN).

[0] [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-03/balloons-floating- ove...](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-03/balloons-floating-over- australia-part-of-radical-internet-plan/8584738)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> As usual, Alphabet's success is in the algorithms and software space. The experience of building and operating Loon gives a distinct competitive advantage that they can help others with. That's why the deal between Telesat and Loon is not surprising in the least (they are using the knowledge from Loon to aid Telesat's LEO venture).

[https://www.telesat.com/news-events/telesat-partners- alphabe...](https://www.telesat.com/news-events/telesat-partners-alphabets- loon-design-network-operating-system-telesats-global-leo)

</comment><comment><USER7> I hate to be that guy, but won't this contribute to the depletion of our helium reserves? What would be so bad about hydrogen in relatively small balloons? It's not like they'd all be little Hindenbergs, right?

<comment><USER8> Not sure, I just imagine people attempting to shoot them down for absolutely no good reason. You would at least want to make them not blow up (especially aviation organisations).

<comment><USER9> The balloons will fly higher than anyone with civilian weapons can hit. And shooting a hole in a hydrogen balloon wouldn't cause it to blow up anyway. The gas would just leak out.

<comment><USER10> Can't someone just launch A cube sat with an incendiary attached? Don't know how they would hit it, but theoretically wouldn't that get you within reach with a weapon that mortals can afford?

<comment><USER11> Someone could shoot their neighbor, set fire to every kindergarten, or make a sequel to Titanic. But, luckily, people tend to use their energy and creativity for better endeavors.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> How would this be relevant with Starlink et el just over the horizon?

<comment><USER13> Balloons have the potential to much cheaper than shooting a armada of satellites into space.

<comment><USER14> An armada of satellites can provide coverage over the entire planet, whereas balloons are limited to a relatively small geographical area. If you consider the cost of covering the entire planet with balloons, I highly doubt Loon is cheaper.

If there's any advantage to be had by Loon, it's that they _might_ be able to better serve densely populated areas better thanks to their denser cell coverage, and that they are able to provide service over regular 4G signals rather than requiring specially designed (and slightly bulkier) radio equipment.

<comment><USER15> For anyone who is wondering, I looked up the operational height for both systems to compare. Project Loon is about 18km-25km, while Starlink is currently deploying at 550km high.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER16> Last I heard, the Loon balloons were just floating in the wind, across the planet.

Do they now have a way to keep them over Puerto Rico? If so, how?

<comment><USER17> I remember something about them using weather predictions, machine learning, and ballast to rise up to an air current that would blow them one way, then lower to a different current to blow it back to roughly the same spot.

<comment><USER18> Apparently this technique really works. From a blog post this morning:

[https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6551805...](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6551805844525326336)

Meet flight system P-496, which Loon's operations team brought to a controlled landing this Sunday in the Ica region of Peru, where it was collected for analysis. This balloon was launched from Puerto Rico way back on November 18, 2018 and spent 223 days in the stratosphere, breaking our previous flight record of 198 days. P-496 traveled over 180,000 kilometers, circled the globe once, and spent nearly 140 days of its mission testing navigational algorithms over a defined area off the coast of South America. This successful flight and landing is important for a number of reasons. Steadily increasing balloon duration means each flight vehicle can work longer, bringing more efficiency to our overall operations. Continuing to improve our ability to remain above one location for extended periods of time is key to providing consistent coverage to those below. Landing and recovering our balloons safely is part of our commitment to sustainability in our operations. And analyzing this and other balloons will help us understand the properties that increase balloon longevity, with an eye toward future flights that last even longer. The team is already working to break the 223 day record.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER19> This is what capitalism and the free market is all about! Adapting standard products to meet the needs of fringe customers by fundamentally changing the supply chain.

Without this crazy entrepreneurial spirit, the government has historically had to step in and subsidize utilities to close the gap (e.g. electricity in rural Texas).

</comment><comment><USER20> Here's a vision: growing hydrogen balloons at scale in the ocean.

<comment><USER20> Oh fine, I'll explain. The balloons are used as an offshore solar field that can gather energy even when cloudy.

These thin film solar balloons avoid the corrosion of the ocean because they are floating above the clouds, anchored to a ship below. A portion of the solar is used to generate more hydrogen.</comment></comment>


Ask HN: Where to go after Brexit - <AUTHOR> I'm a European software developer, I've been living in the UK for several years now. We are very happy here, but after reading the latest Brexit polls I'm considering moving again with my family in the event leave wins.<p>Which other European cities are good destinations for software engineers these days? <comment><USER2> [https://nomadforum.io/](https://nomadforum.io/) is a good place to ask similar questions.

[https://nomadlist.com/](https://nomadlist.com/) is a great way to filter and search different countries and cities by various criterion.

I personally think that the UK leaving the EU would make it more democratic and, in the long run, a better place to live than many EU countries which are governed by un-elected individuals.

</comment><comment><USER2> On a similar note, those who want to leave if the UK stays should know that Switzerland is one of the last democracies in Europe. (They also have nice watches and an amazing quality of life)

<comment><USER3> Switzerland is nice, but often overrated by expats ;)

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> I'm in a similar situation and I am thinking about the same thing.

Once Brexit happens I think there is a high chance that a lot of software development jobs will be lost, specially in the City of London.

This will depress wages and mixed with a lower sterling will make for a bad time for developers.

But even if this does not happen, xenophobia will most likely rise as it will be given political backing by whoever comes into power. It could become nasty for foreigners.

I hear good things about Scandinavia and Germany.

</comment><comment><USER5> Get permament resident status :-)

I don't think UK will exit EU, it sounds like their government is trying to get a better hand in negotiations that's all. UK leaving EU would destroy post-WWII order.

Having that said - it's right of their society to vote whatever they feel is right, permament resident status is the answer.

<comment><AUTHOR> I could get UK citizenship if I ask for it, and I would have done that if it was the other way around (my country leaving the EU, instead of the UK).

The way I see it, the main argument to leave the EU is to reduce immigration, it would be pointless if we stay in anyway :)

<comment><USER2> As far as I can tell, the main argument is about democracy vs un-elected individuals.

<comment><AUTHOR> I would rather not go into that, but I've heard this several times and I think it misrepresents the situation:

[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu- referendum-36429482](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu- referendum-36429482)

<comment><USER2> Unfortunately, the BBC is extremely biased. Far worse than it used to be. Probably best to read from other inversely biased sources too :)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> Tallinn is small, but seems exciting.

Estonians are on the forefront of trying digital services and e-government.

</comment><comment><USER7> It depends on what you need from cities. I'm traveling with family over Europe while working and all I need is good WiFi.

I can recommend Barcelona and Prague :)

</comment><comment><USER8> If we have a Brexit, Berlin will quickly become the startup capital city in Europe. Finance might be forced to partly leave London as well.

</comment><comment><USER3> What are the reasons you'd be considering this?

Any particular cities you'd consider?

<comment><AUTHOR> Well, if the UK leaves the EU my rights would be affected. Also I expect a few years of bad economy after the decision where it will be easy to blame other European countries for every problem. So the future doesn't look very promising if we stay.

I was considering Berlin, Amsterdam and Madrid (we are originally from there, so it's the obvious place to come back to, even if the situation there is less than ideal).

<comment><USER3> I admit, I am not familiar with all the details, but I as far as I know an exit should not affect the residency of foreigners already living there.

As for the economy, I'd wait and evaluate how things are going.

Have you considered Vienna as well?

<comment><AUTHOR> Yes, I've never been but I've heard that it's a beautiful city.

How is the job situation there? I don't know many software companies in Vienna.

<comment><USER3> I am afraid I cant comment on the job situation. Its probably not exactly the European counterpart of Silicon Valley :) but they nonetheless have a fair share of IT companies. Maybe check out [http://www.karriere.at/jobs/edv-it- organisation?states%5B0%5...](http://www.karriere.at/jobs/edv-it- organisation?states%5B0%5D=Wien)

As for the city, yes it's quite a nice one, good infrastructure, lots of cultural heritage, nice environment and so on .... for the past six years it ranked #1 in Mercer's list of quality of living survey. Though to be fair, last time I was there I do admit I had the impression some things changed and it seems it has become less safe recently. So that might be something to consider as well.</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment>


Keeping It Lean as Your Organization Grows - <AUTHOR> http://www.shutterstock.com/blog/keeping-it-lean-as-your-organization-grows

<comment><USER2> Interesting read, particularly the section on vanity metrics and process.</comment>


What happened on the Deepwater Horizon [pdf] - <AUTHOR> http://media.nola.com/news_impact/other/oil-cause-050710.pdf

<comment><AUTHOR> The RigZone site has had the best comprehensive set of pictures and diagrams of the incident.

<http://www.rigzone.com/news/incident_images.asp?inc_id=1></comment>


I spent a day in NY trying to pay for things with Gold and Bitcoin - <AUTHOR> http://www.businessinsider.com/trying-to-pay-for-things-with-bitcoin-price-gold-2017-10 <comment><USER2> its 2 or 3 paragraphs under a short video, hardly an article, may as well me a couple of comments on a youtube video.</comment>


SpaceX VTOL rocket Grasshopper hops 5.4m - <AUTHOR> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-VjaBSSnqs?

<comment><AUTHOR> This follows from the first test flight in late-September <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzXlUw2WhcE>.

> "Testing of Grasshopper continues, with the next big milestone -- a hover at > roughly 100 feet -- expected in the next several months." This is > preparation for the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) rocket SpaceX wants > to build <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWFFiubtC3c>

And the reason why they're doing this: [http://www.space.com/13140-spacex- private-reusable-rocket-el...](http://www.space.com/13140-spacex-private- reusable-rocket-elon-musk.html)

> But a fully reusable rocket could change the equation dramatically. Musk > illustrated the point by citing SpaceX's Falcon 9, which costs between $50 > million to $60 million per launch in its current configuration.

> "But the cost of the fuel and oxygen and so forth is only about $200,000," > Musk said."So obviously, if we can reuse the rocket, say, a thousand times, > then that would make the capital cost of the rocket for launch only about > $50,000."

(Resubmission of <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4751650>. I rarely resubmit, but this really is HN material and warrants quality discussion)</comment>


Andrew Chen: In a year, will Facebook be bigger? Or MySpace? Let's bet ;-) - <AUTHOR> http://andrewchen.typepad.com/andrew_chens_blog/2007/07/wanna-bet-in-1-.html While MySpace is over 2X larger (109MM instead of 47MM), the Facebook growth in the last month was 22% whereas MySpace's was about 4.3%. If this rate were to continue, then Facebook would pass MySpace in about 7 months.<p>Will Facebook overtake MySpace? How long will it likely take? <comment><USER2> While MySpace is very ugly, it seems to be considerably more interesting than Facebook. At least people can express their individuality on MySpace. The Facebook design, if it were black, would be suitable for funeral announcements.

So my guess is that MySpace will prevail. Maybe they can't even be compared, as they do different things.

</comment><comment><USER3> The average stay Facebook vs MySpace is what scares me. MySpace has an _insane_ average stay of almost 30 minutes. Facebook has a pretty embarrassing average stay of 13 minutes that tons of other sites beat.

[http://siteanalytics.compete.com/facebook.com+myspace.com?me...](http://siteanalytics.compete.com/facebook.com+myspace.com?metric=avgStay)

One year isn't very long. I wouldn't take that bet.

<comment><USER4> You know why MySpace's average stay is so much longer? It's slow, and you have to click around to every single one of your friend's pages to see if they've updated anything.

Facebook simplified this operation with the news feed and their handy yellow update hilighting.

Consider it "shrinking the market"...

<comment><USER5> They also have different demographic centers, which each use the Internet differently.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> Hmm, that is a tough call.

[http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details?site0=mysp...](http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details?site0=myspace.com&site1=facebook.com&site2=&site3=&site4=&y=r&z=3&h=300&w=610&range=3y&size=Medium&url=willitblend.com)

I think that if myspace starts doing publicity on the level that facebook is though, they still can stay on top.

</comment><comment><USER7> I've noticed facebook always reports 'active' user numbers. Any idea how many myspace accounts are active as opposed to abandoned or spam?

</comment><comment><USER8> You could always just build a bot that adds 20000 MySpace accounts per day in order to ensure that MySpace stays ahead.

<comment><USER3> You'd have to break their CAPTCHA system first.

</comment></comment><comment><USER9> I would take the same bet for Facebook

</comment><comment><USER10> i bet you like a gillion dollars. you have no idea!</comment>


Jacob Appelbaum Leaves the Tor Project - <AUTHOR> https://blog.torproject.org/blog/jacob-appelbaum-leaves-tor-project <comment><USER2> There appear to be rape accusations against Jacob Applebaum. But so far only 2 Tor developers have stated this. No outside verification. Hopefully more facts surface as time goes on. This is very disconcerting.

[https://twitter.com/puellavulnerata/status/73523010215444889...](https://twitter.com/puellavulnerata/status/735230102154448898)

[https://twitter.com/puellavulnerata/status/73858143289374310...](https://twitter.com/puellavulnerata/status/738581432893743104)

[https://twitter.com/maradydd/status/738802983173922817](https://twitter.com/maradydd/status/738802983173922817)

<comment><USER3> I can't believe this is still the top comment. If Jacob Applebaum is a rapist, then that is horrible and of course he should step down. But this comment links to 3 tweets that are all duplicates of each other.

Is there any reason to think that Jacob Applebaum is actually a rapist? I would really like to see some proof of that, before jumping to any conclusions.

<comment><USER4> Public rape accusations today from a female Tor core dev and her girlfriend aren't relevant to Applebaum's sudden departure?

EDIT: Tor doesn't confirm or deny the allegations drove the departure. [https://twitter.com/JackSmithIV/status/738857839402311681](https://twitter.com/JackSmithIV/status/738857839402311681)

<comment><USER5> If the truth isn't known, Tor could be shooting itself in the foot if they 'decided' that it's one way or another. Makes sense that they would say that.

<comment><USER4> They've now confirmed. [https://blog.torproject.org/blog/statement](https://blog.torproject.org/blog/statement)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> This explains his tweet from a few days ago: "Changing of the guards."

[https://twitter.com/ioerror/status/736259103790632960](https://twitter.com/ioerror/status/736259103790632960)

I' sorry to see him leave. I had the opportunity to attend his talks in Munich and Hamburg and he is a great explainer and so well spoken. I'm curious what he is up to next.

</comment><comment><USER7> I'm reluctant to pre-judge someone in a situation like this (having zero facts, only allegations from people, some of whom I trust by default), but stepping down when allegations like this happen, even if you dispute their veracity, is often the best thing to do for the organization (and yourself).

This has to be tough for everyone involved. Tor is unpopular with a lot of people, and there are both internal-to-scene and journalist-vs-securitypeople historical dramas here, plus people often do bad things.

I'm confident the Tor Project will survive this; I hope justice for the people involved is served as well.

<comment><USER8> Serious, straightforward question: what was Appelbaum's operational role with Tor, that his departure would be something they'd need to "survive"?

<comment><USER7> He was strongly associated with Tor from a PR/outreach perspective. Less critical than a year ago, and not particularly operational. Hence my confidence that Tor will survive.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> Meredith Patterson's pulling no punches:

[https://twitter.com/maradydd/status/738802983173922817](https://twitter.com/maradydd/status/738802983173922817)

</comment><comment><USER10> I hope The Tor Project and Appelbaum will make statements. Their reticence and the suddenness of the resignation raises concerns that there are problems at that very important project.

<comment><USER11> Or this is FBI related, and they're barred from giving details. I'm not saying his sudden resignation is a canary, but I'm also not sure that it isn't.

<comment><USER12> After what Snowden has shown us about the lengths the government is willing to go (on our payroll, that is), how can you really trust any technology? To me, the chilling effect is far stronger than we generally suspect.

<comment><USER13> Seems oddly reminiscent of the Julian Assange case.

<comment><USER14> That's what I initially thought, but time will tell. If the media starts hyping this like the Assange case, then yes, the alphabet mafia may have had a hand... After going through some crap with an outright psychopath working for a non-profit (the signs were there (classic ones), but it took a bit of time to put together a comprehensive picture), I have some insight into how organizations (or groups of humans, fundamentally) tend to deal with this stuff. Tor's terseness does not surprise me - 'he said, she said's never go well and it violates some unspoken social rules.

Giving people the benefit of the doubt, allowing for differences in temperament and personality, amateur psychoanalyzing trying to understand a person, compassion... these are all things normal healthy people do, in the interests of co-operation - which psychopaths consciously take advantage of. And overlooking things because person X is effective at their job... it is the same sort of pragmatism that underlies the legal system - e.g. you may be entirely in the right and the other person in the wrong, but the legal system only cares about money and really, which one has more - and more lawyers. At some point, the rational person decides this is stupid and a waste of time and not worth it to their personal life, especially when society, as complex as it is now, isn't going to care that much about a bad actor unless they are very very notable.

E.g. Bill Cosby still has his supporters and Jimmy Saville got away with all sorts of stuff for years while others consciously looked away - because the cost of standing up and fighting the Establishment wouldn't have been worth it. It's groupthink, plain and simple, and a lot of people can't jump that hurdle.

Eventually, you realise how fundamentally corrupt humanity can be, and become more conservative (re: that quote). But ... if you have integrity, you have to realise why "conservatives" value hypocrisy so much because it is the foundation of power, and then you begin to see the real Truth about the world.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> I don't even know what there would be to discuss with this story. It seems like the only possible outcome of it is a lot of personalized Internet drama. If there's an important story here, someone will eventually write it, and maybe that will have a place on HN. But this one-line page isn't that, and I flagged this story, and hope others do too.

<comment><USER15> Hmmm. Would you feel the same way if there wasn't so much ambiguity around his departure? There's often HN stories when notable people depart notable organizations/projects.

I definitely understand where you're coming from. This comment section certainly isn't even remotely productive and I can understand and mostly agree with your choice to flag it. But purely out of interest, I do wonder where you feel the line is. I do find it interesting to know when various people change their affiliations. It's one of the things I actually often find out about on HN, since I otherwise wouldn't end up keeping up with any of it.

<comment><USER8> I feel like most of the people commenting here probably don't know any other Tor project members by name, including the founder's, and don't really know what Appelbaum did or the project either. So the fact that we're off to these ridiculous races on this thread based on this one-line post is _especially_ galling.

Speculation can on rare occasions be interesting, when it's done by informed speculators. But that's not what we have here, is it?

<comment><USER16> The other comments had me rolling my eyes. But far as Tor and Appelbaum, remember that Appelbaum was the public face of Tor and defender of Wikileaks for many people. Also did lots of work on these issues. Was the fieldguy in many countries deploying the tech. Justifies a specific interest in Appelbaum over others where some, including me, were wondering if aomeone missed a writeup somewhere about why he left and what's his next plans.

All this other stuff seems tabloid. Not what we need on HN.

<comment><USER17> Evangelist. Not developer.

"did lots of work on these issues" is misleading. He was an imposter and that was precisely his official role in the tor project.

<comment><USER16> I didn't say developer. So, dont correct it. I also addressed broader issues than merely Tor code. He did lots of outreach plus helped deploy Tor in a lot of rough areas. Post Snowden, he took a role both informing and being an evangelist.

You can't unroll years of video presentations and writeups by one comment. So, please cite reputable sources saying all that was a hoax in his official job duty on Tor to hoax people.

<comment><USER17> ok. I am neither a fan nor a foe of jake.

His role was evangelism, he was successful with it, but it does not affect the technology in any way. Just as the death of your car salesman would affect your customer experience but not the way Ford builds cars for you.

I have no idea what "deploying Tor" means, but apparently it means loading an installation package on a machine. So come one, you could impress non-techies with that but...

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER18> FWIW, there is now a twitter account and website set up now dedicated entirely to completely assassinating his character. Whether there are claims made that are true or not, I'm not linking to either because I think the court of public opinion is the most fucked approach to getting justice (I personally know of one person sitting in prison now for 14 years for murder because his character was systematically assassinated in public leading up to the trial. He ended up pleading guilty to another crime that occurred while he was in solitary confinement awaiting trial in order to avoid life in prison).

For those curious, you can probably find both if you look hard enough, but there isn't anything substantiated or factual presented by either. If anything, they make the accusers look incredibly desperate and vindictive. Furthermore, the site references the "plagiarism" incident as one of the offenses which feels absurd after reading the thread with all the drama surrounding that "offense":

[http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.comp.security.otr.devel/1546](http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.comp.security.otr.devel/1546)

Gregory Maxwell's comment on there seems the best considered reply:

[http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.comp.security.otr.devel/155...](http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.comp.security.otr.devel/1554)

For those that found the site, I encourage you to file an abuse complaint for libel at [http://publicdomainregistry.com/report-abuse- complain/](http://publicdomainregistry.com/report-abuse-complain/)

For those that found the twitter account, I encourage you to report the account to twitter.

This is not what justice looks like.

</comment><comment><USER19> Is he now going to get back to creating sex toys? ;)

[http://www.wired.com/2007/10/so-who-wants- to/](http://www.wired.com/2007/10/so-who-wants-to/)

On a more serious note, sorry to see him leave. He seemed really deeply engaged in Tor Project, I saw him on CCC (Chaos Communication Congress, a huge hacker conference in Hamburg) a couple of times. See his talks here:

[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=appelbaum+ccc](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=appelbaum+ccc)

</comment><comment><USER16> Damn, that's a really short statement and notice. I was hoping for more details.

</comment><comment><USER4> I wonder what the backstory is on this.

<comment><USER20> He's pursuing a PH.d.

Think this is simply him dedicating more of his time to schooling.

<comment><USER21> As far as I know he never went to college, so he's going to have to pursue his BaCS and MaCS first.

<comment><USER22> There is generally no formal requirement to have earlier degrees; they're helpful for admission, of course, but if you can convince admissions and an advisor to take you on, you're in.

<comment><USER23> As far as I know, there _is_ a formal requirement to have, e.g., a BSc to get a PhD or a masters.

Put it this way: can you provide even a single example that proves this to be false?

I know of just one instance actually (guy who is now a professor from Hong Kong, whose incredible experience with farming was counted).

On the other hand, I do know some smart folks without college degrees whose professors fought to get them in and to get them designated in certain higher level positions but they lost that battle.

<comment><USER15> Well, Jake's listed as Tanja's PhD student, so there's one example right there. If you google for a bit longer you'll find others who hold PhDs who don't have undergraduate degrees. It's definitely rare to be admitted this way and then not all these students end up successfully defending after admission, but the formal requirement for an undergraduate degree does not exist at some institutions, or can be waived with some uncommonly used paperwork at others.

Most people are surprised to find just how many things universities have a form to do. There's very few rules at a university you _can 't_ get waived with the right signatures on the right paperwork.

My own time in academia required a lot of paperwork...

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER24> I wonder if this is related to the @isislovecruft story [1] from a couple weeks back. [2]

[1]: [https://twitter.com/isislovecruft/status/732593939719593984](https://twitter.com/isislovecruft/status/732593939719593984)

[2]: [http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/17/technology/tor-developer- fbi...](http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/17/technology/tor-developer- fbi/index.html)

<comment><USER20> More likely this story.

[https://twitter.com/ioerror/status/638735997396774912](https://twitter.com/ioerror/status/638735997396774912)

<comment><USER25> Please just quote the tweet;

      Today is my first day as a PhD
      student with @hyperelliptic and
      @hashbreaker at @tue_mcs. #pqc

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER26> Is it possible that this story was planted by the NSA/CIA?

I mean, I doubt it, but it's nowhere near beyond the realm of possibility.

</comment><comment><USER27> Working on the tor project sounds dangerous which is rather sad.

</comment><comment><USER28> I am going to guess that he is too busy being a Ph.D. student.

</comment><comment><USER29> Those who have worked with Jake won't be surprised at all by this. These are accusations coming from multiple people in the tech/privacy/infosec crowd, not from the government.

For those thinking these are government-sponsored lies, do you think [Meredith Patterson]([https://twitter.com/maradydd](https://twitter.com/maradydd)) of [Status 451 Blog]([https://status451.com/](https://status451.com/)) is working with the government?

[https://twitter.com/maradydd/status/738801590333624320](https://twitter.com/maradydd/status/738801590333624320)

> [blog.torproject.org/blog/jacob-appelbaum-leaves-tor-project > …]([https://blog.torproject.org/blog/jacob-appelbaum-leaves- > tor-...](https://blog.torproject.org/blog/jacob-appelbaum-leaves-tor- > project)) is a gross disservice to the Tor community. People deserve to know > why Tor evicted its resident sociopath.

[https://twitter.com/maradydd/status/738802325565755392](https://twitter.com/maradydd/status/738802325565755392)

> Tor had the chance to nip this in the bud back when Jake was just a > plagiarist. They ignored it, and he graduated to sexual assault.

[https://twitter.com/maradydd/status/738802983173922817](https://twitter.com/maradydd/status/738802983173922817)

> .@mmeijeri Jake finally raped enough people that Tor as an organisation > couldn't ignore it anymore.

I worked around Jake around 2009ish in the early years of the Noisebridge hackerspace in San Francisco. I've seen his charismatic pushiness routine that he uses to get what he wants. I joked that if you ever wanted to find him in a group photo, just look front and center. As time went on, I did hear more uneasy things about him. His name came up with a person I met at PyCon last year in Montreal, who then relayed a story that didn't go as far as sexual assault, but was very troubling. He's one of those people that you step aside and warn your friends about. Keep an eye on your intoxicated friends when he's around.

The stories I read on [http://jacobappelbaum.net/](http://jacobappelbaum.net/) fit exactly with the Jake that I knew. He is focused on his own wants and laughs off people's boundaries. Reading the stories on that site doesn't make me think of an elaborate conspiracy to discredit him but of how Cosby was able to get away with his crimes for years.

Before people start saying I'm a shill: I don't have any connection to the [http://jacobappelbaum.net/](http://jacobappelbaum.net/) nor do I know the people who made it (or, at least, I don't know if any people I know made it). [I wrote a book on cryptography, and 100% of the proceeds go to the Tor Project, the EFF and Creative Commons.]([http://inventwithpython.com/hacking/proceeds](http://inventwithpython.com/hacking/proceeds))

<comment><USER30> Latest developments:

"Three current Tor employees—two of which agreed to be named on the record—have confirmed that they personally know the authors of the alleged victim statements on the site, JacobAppelbaum.net. Although they continue to maintain anonymity for the authors of the stories, these Tor employees are now publicly vouching for the site's authenticity, which Appelbaum has called into question.

Andrea Shepard, a senior Tor developer, confirmed to the Daily Dot that she was in touch with at least one of the victims on the website several months ago. Alison Macrina, a Tor employee and advocate as well as the founder and director of the Library Freedom Project, also vouched for the authenticity of the anonymous victims' statements.

"It's related to something that started happening in earnest about three or four months ago," Macrina said. "Which is simply that people stopped being afraid to talk to each other about Jake. That's how I heard from some victims.""

[http://www.dailydot.com/politics/jacob-appelbaum-tor- project...](http://www.dailydot.com/politics/jacob-appelbaum-tor-project- suspension-sexual-misconduct-victims/)

<comment><USER31> As an outsider, I don't know what is going on at all, but since you linked to some people that are notable that are willing to go on the record, it seems appropriate to quote some of what they said,

"Andrea Shepard, a senior Tor developer, confirmed to the Daily Dot that she was in touch with at least one of the victims on the website several months ago. Alison Macrina, a Tor employee and advocate as well as the founder and director of the Library Freedom Project, also vouched for the authenticity of the anonymous victims' statements."

I feel like a conspiracy theorist by saying there are far too many rape allegations against people associated with wikileaks. Cui bono?

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

Edit: As someone that has almost exclusively hung out with educated/privileged people, I am just not used to anyone that would tolerate _any_ assault occurring around me. People have never even joked about it around me, and I am the most crude person IRL. I am aware that I could be wrong, this story just sounds difficult to believe.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER32> ioerror is one of most amazing activists I have ever met. This is definitively a loss for Tor.

<comment><USER33> > activists

While I'm sure you intended this to be a compliment, you should know that ioerror has strong opinions (which I agree with) about the word "activist". From a recent talk[1][2] he gave about journalism and the media:

        "Activism" is used as a pejorative term in order to suggest
        that participation in a democratic society is somehow
        outside of the normal behavior.

        Fuck that. That is wrong.

[1] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJValv4YQcY#t=78](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJValv4YQcY#t=78)

[2] I _strongly_ recommend everyone watch [1] - it's shorter than most of his talks (only 20m), and it has surprising revaluations about e.g. The Guardian. Jacob doesn't pull his punches, and he burns a few notable bridges.

<comment><USER32> I completely agree. However, the reality of things is that some people are more engaged than others when it comes to defending freedoms, advocacy, etc...

Edit : I have found this Tweet [0] I shared with ioerror himself about this same subject exactly a year ago.

[0] [https://twitter.com/Raed667/status/608297894651772929](https://twitter.com/Raed667/status/608297894651772929)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER34> bs.. so these people decided to tweet about it simultaneously ? k

<comment><USER35> 1) no: [https://twitter.com/puellavulnerata/status/73523010215444889...](https://twitter.com/puellavulnerata/status/735230102154448898)

2) waiting to comment until after your org has made an official statement is, if anything, erring on the side of being professional

3) Attempting to downplay rape accusations with an account that's 58 minutes old is not a good look.

</comment></comment><comment><USER36> Interesting to see the second response put his name in triple-parentheses. (ref: [https://mic.com/articles/144228/echoes-exposed-the-secret- sy...](https://mic.com/articles/144228/echoes-exposed-the-secret-symbol-neo- nazis-use-to-target-jews-online) )

<comment><USER9> It's an alt-right thing. Called an "echo". It's used to highlight Jews.

<comment><USER37> Oh is this why Andrea's reply to someone asking about the rape allegations is "fuck off Nazis"?

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER38> And nothing of value was lost. Those who know, know he's all talk and no skill.

<comment><USER39> Then share what you know.

<comment><USER38> As outlined elsewhere he's an "activist." He talks a lot but he's not a coder.

<comment><USER40> Having had several technical discussions with Jacob, I'm certain he's technically skilled.

(I'm a former Google engineer, have worked on privacy and security software [I created Disconnect, have contributed to HTTPS Everywhere].)

<comment><USER41> I will second the statement that Jacob is an able and skilled developer.

I have worked with him on projects long ago, however, so he can certainly have chosen where to focus his time and attention. Just because you don't see him code, don't assume he can't (replying to Grandparent of course)</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment>


Best metro areas for entrepreneurs - <AUTHOR> http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/05/0523_metros/index_01.htm <comment><USER2> I would exclude Austin from the list. Sure here are lots of startups, but Austin's startup scene is dominated by either dumb&boring; B2B Java-shops, or hardware/embedded startups dreaming of being "next Tivo". Neither of these two types of companies are especially exciting to work for if you are CS grad. Alot of ideas/people revolve around DELL/IBM/Motorola trio, not a very exciting group to say the least.

</comment><comment><AUTHOR> _'... Startups prosper in some places and not others. Silicon Valley dominates, then Boston, then Seattle, Austin, Denver, and New York ...'_

\- #1 Miami - Fort Lauderdale - Miami Beach, Fla?

\- #2 Atlanta - Sandy Springs - Marietta, Ga.

\- #3 San Francisco - Oakland - Fremont, Calif.

Interesting to see what bizweek thinks is best place for _entrepreneurs_. What type of 'entrepreneurs'? Especially when location is the number 2 reason for failure ~ <http://www.paulgraham.com/startupmistakes.html>

</comment><comment><USER3> They're just counting the number of businesses started per person, which is pretty irrelevant to high tech.</comment>


Ask HN: Best way to monetize newsletters? - <AUTHOR>

Are there ad networks for newsletters? Or is it better to just go the HARO route and sell your own ads? Just curious on what people's experience has been. <comment><USER2> To my knowledge there are no ad networks that exist for email newsletters. This in part because the inventory is difficult to standardize. You essentially have to hardcode images into the newsletter - you can't just "drop a line of code" like you can with a website.

<comment><USER3> This makes me wonder if there is a market for that. Idea: a newsletter / email marketing solution complete with an ad network. The content of the newsletter could be used for targeting ads. Some kind of mail chimp + adsense looking product. Thoughts?

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> I had (varying) success mostly by selling sponsor spots. It let me (crudely) target the ads depending what that issue of the newsletter was discussing.</comment>


What Hong Kong's Chinese papers say about Edward Snowden - <AUTHOR> http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1259304/what-hong-kongs-chinese-papers-say-about-edward-snowden

<comment><USER2> > "Snowden's case showed that the US was applying a double-standard on human > rights and freedom when it criticised China on the same issues."

I couldn't believe the irony when I heard that an American privacy advocate was taking seeking asylum in China. How has the land of the free fallen to such a low?</comment>


Europe to Australia in 5 Hours (The LAPCAT A2 Jet) With Video - <AUTHOR> http://www.designgeist.org/2008/06/europe-to-australia-in-5-hours.html

<comment><USER2> Is there a viable market for this type of transportation? What happened to the concord? Lets not forget that was during a time when face-to-face was the only way to conduct business.

<comment><USER3> "Is there a viable market for this type of transportation?"

Absolutely. It's a 24 hour commute from our Melbourne, AU house to our Brooklyn, NY house.

I've sat next to a fashion buyer who does the trip from SYD-NYC-SYD once a fortnight (that would be awful).

I'm hanging out for the scramjet.

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> Some windows would make it more convincing. (Not even windows in the cockpit!)</comment>


Pikazo - <AUTHOR> http://www.pikazoapp.com/ <comment><USER2> There seems to be a bit of confusion here between art and beautiful compositions.

Art is not art because it looks nice or because it looks like something else that is widely accepted as "art".

I see art as something produced by an artist combining genius + technique.

Genius usually implies being original, but also stating what the piece of art represents in contrast to the existing ones (what boundaries it breaks, what pre-conceptions it revolts against, what is its purpose (even if it's purpose is to have no purpose) etc.).

Technique means work and expertise. Sometimes genius is so overwhelming that there is little technique needed. Sometimes technique is so skilled that it overwhelms genius.

The makers of this app are probably artists (there's certainly a lot of genius involved in devising a way to produce such compositions, and work). What you create with your app probably not art though, regardless of how amazingly beautiful it turns out to be.

That's not to say artists may not make use of such tool to make art, but they'll have to find ways to be original. The fact that a button can be clicked to produce a result automatically destroys much of the artistic value of the outcomes. But hey, it's beautiful :)

<comment><USER3> If a computer makes up a joke and it's funny does it count? I think it does.

Art is a lot like humor, it works for people because it just 'works'. That is what matters. Not the hard work, and 'genius' of the creator behind it, that's just vanity.

Would bohemian rhapsody not count as art if it was made up by a machine?

<comment><USER2> No, it wouldn't count. Because then we would have some thousands of bohemian rhapsodies. An art expression would perhaps be the whole bunch of works together (if you managed to give them a sense of being), and the artist would be whoever devised the program that created them. But individually, it would be have the same art value as those pictures sold in IKEA. Beautiful yes, but not art by themselves.

Edit: art is not art because "just works" or because it's likeable. Art goes way beyond what just works or the search for beauty. See the Viennese actionism for example: [http://www.theartstory.org/movement-viennese- actionism.htm](http://www.theartstory.org/movement-viennese-actionism.htm)

<comment><USER4> > No, it wouldn't count. Because then we would have some thousands of bohemian > rhapsodies.

The computer broke after completing the work: now does it count? I don't understand your idea of art, isn't there beauty in the result? You give different value if the same result has been reached by a computer, chaos or a human?

Do you have to know how the piece has been produced to decide if it's art or not?

<comment><USER5> Yes. A rock that's been pleasingly shaped by desert winds is not considered art. But if we'd later find out that it was actually a man-made artifact, it would become a candidate for this label.

<comment><USER6> So then the computer software that generated the joke would be considered the work of art instead of the jokes that were generated? After all, the software was man-made, even though the generated output was computer-made.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> Is this done with the deep learning research that was published here a couple of months ago?

<comment><USER8> I was just thinking that. Seems it might be based on the description. Kinda interested how they'd do it in a speedy way on mobile devices. Hope they didn't just knock-off the open-source code though.

<comment><USER9> "Stiefvater [...] described it to me as 'black magic,' and doesn't even fully understand how it works. He downloaded it from Github, where a computer programmer he's never met posted it."

[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2015/09/1...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2015/09/14/heres- what-it-would-look-like-if-picasso-had-painted-the-presidential-portraits/)

<comment><USER10> Yes. That was back in September. Before Pikazo or Deepart even existed.

Let's refrain from making nasty implications about each other, shall we? Thank you.

<comment><USER9> No nasty implications sounds fair to me. Good luck!

<comment><USER10> Ok good.

Would you also mind retracting your claim below that we have "misappropriated" your technology? Perhaps we're having a language problem - "misappropriate" is a crime in English. If you honestly believe a crime has been committed, I would strongly urge you to discuss it with us (somewhere other than this public forum). We've tried a few times now to reach out to your team, and have not heard back.

Thank you.

K.

<comment><USER9> I am sorry, I didn't mean any legal accusation - it just feels a little odd that the description of the app sounds as if you invented the technology without ever referring to the original work.

<comment><USER10> Yeah - I think you're right - that's a fair complaint. In the original description I had a link to the paper - but somehow that got lost in the versioning. I'm traveling right now, give me a couple days to fix that.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> Two examples:

[https://goo.gl/photos/9Ujw2Ssb5EtQyvH59](https://goo.gl/photos/9Ujw2Ssb5EtQyvH59)

[https://goo.gl/photos/oHN4PqV6CRMgvssVA](https://goo.gl/photos/oHN4PqV6CRMgvssVA)

<comment><USER12> Two more examples:

[https://imgur.com/a/fwrfe](https://imgur.com/a/fwrfe)

I've been slowly coming back to this app for weeks. It works well combining a photo with a clear focus, and a patterned one.

A few weeks ago, they dropped the resolution of the photos. After seeing a preview of what a smaller resolution one looks like, I'd be happy paying extra for a large-sized one.

<comment><USER9> [http://deepart.io/latest/](http://deepart.io/latest/)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER13> Is it using this algorithm?

[https://github.com/jcjohnson/neural- style](https://github.com/jcjohnson/neural-style)

<comment><USER14> Maybe not? His other app(ituens) has a link to a youtube interview:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRL9J6DoCgs&feature=youtu.be](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRL9J6DoCgs&feature=youtu.be)

[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/joy-of-programming- painter/i...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/joy-of-programming- painter/id998696401?mt=8)

</comment></comment><comment><USER15> _Created by the image scientist behind landmark visuals seen in Myst, The Matrix, 300, and Second Life..._

I wonder who it is. The press-kit linked on the website just says "Developer: qarl".

<comment><USER16> Karl Stiefvater is a graphics programmer who's been involved in, among other things, Riven (Myst's sequel) and The Matrix. He's been playing with the neural algorithm of artistic style on his blog recently (e.g. [0]). In 2015 he also started a YouTube series, "The Joy of Programming"[1], although as far as I can tell only two episodes have been released.

[0]: [http://www.qarl.com/qLab/?p=144](http://www.qarl.com/qLab/?p=144)

[1]: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRL9J6DoCgs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRL9J6DoCgs)

</comment></comment><comment><USER17> So I guess I'm not alone wanting to do an app like this after seeing deepart.io. Kudos to Pikazo for getting it out there. I'm sure it will be a huge hit.

<comment><USER18> There's also [https://dreamscopeapp.com/](https://dreamscopeapp.com/) which is on App Store for at least 3 months (may be more, I am not sure)

</comment></comment><comment><USER19> I wonder if this could be the beginning of many artists being replaced by AI.

<comment><USER20> I don't think it is possible to replace an artist. The definition of artist, that I could find, is recursive so that's the first problem with that.

Then the appreciation is subjective; to replace an artist you would need something like; 'I like Rembrandt but now I like this guy instead'. I used to like Jean Michel Jarre then Beethoven then Iron Maiden then Slayer then ... etc. I still like all of these and can get excited when hearing any of them. No one of them replaced the other.

So we might have MORE artists. Once we accept that computers can make art 'without' humans. I am fine with that, but this example is definitely not a very good example. To me it looks like fancy filters.

<comment><USER21> > The definition of artist, that I could find, is recursive so that's the > first problem with that.

Huh?

<comment><USER22> The artist is someone who makes art. The problem is to define what is art. Its when the artist (or others) says so.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER23> This is scarier than I thought. For me this passed the Turing test for art.

</comment><comment><USER24> well, photos do not become "incredible artwork" or "art" just because means of expression change.

there are photos that are considered to be art, without applying such effects. and there are photos that are not considered to be an artwork.

latter will more likely become more tasteless and ugly with those filters applied, while former don't need such filters in order to be considered the art.

<comment><USER25> Of course a bad photo doesn't become art by applying a filter. But artists have always used tools to create art. Now they have another powerful tool that lets them do amazing things that wouldn't have been possible a year ago.

</comment></comment><comment><USER26> Question for someone who has this app. Can this convert a photo to anime-like or cartoon-like rendering a-la A Scanner Darkly?

<comment><USER27> I don't know Scanner Darkly and I don't have the app. But I have done a lot of my own images using the same algorithm as that used in the app. And, yes, it can definitely render photos is anime or cartoon like styles.

</comment></comment><comment><USER28> Anyone know the name of the song used in the video?

<comment><USER29> From the bottom of the page: "Music performed and written by Adult Fur."

<comment><USER28> Thanks!</comment></comment></comment>


Ask HN: Have I been flagged by HN moderators? - <AUTHOR> All my posts seem to end up at the bottom of the list rather than at the top now. <comment><USER2> "Please don't post on HN to ask or tell us something (e.g. to ask us questions about Y Combinator, or to ask or complain about moderation). If you want to say something to us, please send it to email@example.com." \-- [https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html)

^ I'd do that if you really want an answer.

</comment><comment><USER3> If they were all pinned to the bottom I would wonder. But they're not. Some of your recent comments are middle or top. Comment position is some combo of points+recency and might factor in overall recent karma.</comment>


Ask HN: Can I please get an invite to Atom if anyone else has one? - <AUTHOR>

My email is trueneverland over at gmail.com. Thanks <comment><USER2> I'd appreciate it too if anyone has an extra invite. :)

Email - me [at] vivek.im

</comment><comment><USER3> Can I have one? Really curious to try it out: mail [at] munimkazia.com

</comment><comment><USER4> Sent, have fun ;)

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks so much! Truly appreciate it.</comment></comment>


Inside the Ambitious 'Sleeping Dogs' Sequel We'll Never Get to Play - <AUTHOR> https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/inside-the-ambitious-sleeping-dogs-sequel-well-never-get-to-play <comment><USER2> Under rated my ass. That game, and its release were an unmitigated clusterfuck of epic proportions. Possibly less the original devs fault than the distribution, but lets not pretend the game was any good.</comment>


The Hidden Cost of Privatization - <AUTHOR> https://www.ineteconomics.org/perspectives/blog/the-business-of-government <comment><USER3> The problem in Keynes thinking on "social services" is that it's impossible to gather all of the knowledge necessary to ascertain what those would be. That knowledge is dispersed among ~320m citizens (in the U.S.) who each have particular wants and needs. And even if you could somehow attain that knowledge in one place, the likelihood of finding consensus on how a particular "social service" should be offered is next to zero. The end result? Nearly everyone disagrees with some of what government implements, which breeds resentment and causes gridlock much like we're seeing today in the U.S.

It doesn't have to be that way. By decentralizing decision making down to a level closer to the individual (if not the individual), more people get what they want. For example, right now there's a federal mandate for health insurance. Not everyone agrees with this mandate, so why not _at least_ push it down a level to the states? California can still have a mandate for health insurance, and Alabama can decide not to. And then, why not push it to the city/county level? If you don't agree with San Francisco's mandate for health insurance, simply move to Oakland. You don't even have to move states, let alone countries.

Why do so many oppose such a solution where everyone can much more easily find a place where they agree with the "social services" offered (or not)?

<comment><USER4> Because if you don't mandate insurance, then the entire system falls apart. Sick people need it, healthy people don't want to pay for it. You need everyone to pay to make it affordable.

<comment><USER5> You're confusing insurance with healthcare. Insurance is supposed to be for risk mitigation, rare but extremely damaging events. If everyone uses insurance for everything health related, like we all want to do now, it's impossible for insurance to be anything other than a premium you pay on top of your healthcare costs.

Insurance shouldn't be used for routine stuff, and people shouldn't be required to have it unless they want it.

<comment><USER6> _it 's impossible for insurance to be anything other than a premium you pay on top of your healthcare costs._

And yet each year there are millions of people that receive medical services in excess of their insurance payments (including premiums, copays, etc).

<comment><USER7> Which doesn't invalidate what the parent comment in any way, because we're talking about the aggregate costs.

So what was your point?

<comment><USER6> The premium on top of aggregate cost complaint would also apply to "pure insurance". Or else no one would bother selling it.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure they were saying that insurance didn't work, which is manifestly untrue. If they are complaining that it makes healthcare more expensive, well fine, but that is probably more about the principal agent problem than the administrative costs and profits of insurers.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> Article is a summary of others' thoughts (mostly Keynes) without a clear thesis.

Would have been nice to read, say, an analysis of why privatizing air traffic control is a bad idea despite the fact that the tech the gov't uses in that space is super antiquated, which in terms drives a bunch of inefficiencies and safety hazards in that particular sector.

<comment><USER9> Evidence that private air traffic control use/would use more modern tech?

<comment><USER8> I mean, I think it's self-evident as a general point...but in this specific case they don't have any satellite data driving their weather analysis because the government bureaucracy is mired in an ongoing process to upgrade. Anyone who has done gov't software contracting has probably seen cases like this.

<comment><USER9> Why a private company would invest on better technology if it doesn't have competitors? It's not profitable for a service provider to invest, and even if there are competitors, most of the time, like with cellphone carriers, they agree not provide a better service so they can all take their portion of the cake without expending a dime.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> Things like universal health care will become non issues when the country evolves from being a collective of economic interests with identity rooted purely in individual wealth and status to a country with a sense of collective identity that sees no conflict in having everyone's back and building a healthy educated society.

Individual excellence is as important as common structures and a collective sense of purpose and direction, no one achieves anything in a vacuum and one can't simply negate the other.

Collectivism is not about getting everyone down but raising everyone up at least to a basic acceptable standard and level of opportunities, so that anyone with the skills and talent can soar and not just those with privileged upbringing and backgrounds.

</comment><comment><USER11> Rebuttal: [http://www.heritage.org/budget-and-spending/report/the- impac...](http://www.heritage.org/budget-and-spending/report/the-impact- government-spending-economic-growth)

<comment><USER12> There are many defensible arguments against government programs from across the social and political spectrums, but they don't come from the Heritage Foundation. They have a severe beyond reason bias against government.

<comment><USER13> Do you think Institute for New Economic Thinking, a think thank founded by George Soros, is any less biased?

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER14> While it does cover a lot of interesting points the few things that I think it misses are research/innovation and unions/long term employment contracts of government employees. Not that there are easy answer, but those two things can effect whether a private company could get a job done cheaper.

Also, doesn't talk about software infrastructure. Take Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Apple, Facebook. Customer acquisition costs for lots of fledgling businesses are high because of the ad auctions paid for by consumer attention and net neutrality keeping bandwidth costs down for those companies.

<comment><USER15> Getting rid of unions will increase income inequality. Just compare for profit higher education with public higher education. The wages/benefits for workers former very much lag those of the latter. Private prisons pay way less too. But the people at the top get outsized pay. The cost savings to taxpayers are not sufficient to justify this inequity.

<comment><USER16> Imagine if unions were strong and IT were unionized. How would you imagine the progress we've seen in information technology?

The impact on progress should not be discounted as an externality. Imagine if taxicabs or any livery service of any kind had to have a union member associated with it. Would autonomous cars make the same progress (for example, we can have autonomous subways/trains but they have to be "personned" due to pressure from unions). Or, imagine if we had them in research (drugs discovery) --the added bureaucracy researchers would have to manage and devote valuable time to.

I am not saying unionization is absolutely bad --they have brought good things about to workplace improvement, but they also have externalities we need to acknowledge.

<comment><USER17> >Imagine if unions were strong and IT were unionized. How would you imagine the progress we've seen in information technology?

I'm not sure this is really a compelling point. Tech companies have made some cool stuff, but technology is also heavily driven by FOSS, which is not really driven by the same factors business are. Union or no union isn't really a question with FOSS, as these projects, many of which drive modern technology, were developed without traditional business incentives. Yes they're are businesses built around supporting open technology, but techs huge advances aren't driven only by companies. I think unionization would have less of an impact on tech advances than is being suggested.

<comment><USER16> I could argue that if unions were strong and everyone had to belong to a union to participate in an economy the unions could see an advantage to controlling how you contribute to FOSS because your "free" contribution to FOSS impinges on the rights to another unionized worker's right to work. The FOSS developer would theoretically be undermining the union worker.

<comment><USER17> Well, you certainly could, but that wasn't the argument presented or responded to. The argument you put forth was Technology's advancement was due to IT businesses, and what would the world be like if there were more Unions; but this is not really a sensible proposition because major technological advances, indeed the majority of which are driving the backbone of the world economy and technology as we know it, were developed without any of the incentives provided by a business structure. Union or not is irrelevant to such forces because they operate outside the realm of business.

The idea that FOSS would be quashed under a mandatory unionized economy is not what was being discussed, and I'm not sure of the relevance of such a theoretical world in the context of what was said. It's tangential at best.

What was being discussed, the advancement of technology as we've seen it, has happened independent of how employees are organized and employed. As long as there are inventive persons looking to try something new, there will be technological advancements.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER18> The non hidden problem is that profits need to be made.

We are told that from profits everything else will be optimised for the better, instead everything is optimised to make a profit.

</comment><comment><USER19> Look, I actually argue for social safety nets. I believe government's role can be defined simply as "ensure that the minimum expectations of society are met", with the full understanding that these expectations (running potable water, medical advances, etc.) increase over time and vary from place to place. I am totally fine with decentralizing government functions to the point of neighborhoods – many of you know that I'm in favor of more decentralization in general.

However, even someone like me can say this article falls far short of supporting its audacious title. It's mostly a paean to Keynes and his concepts. In addition, it contains some fallacies:

 _But, if the government covers the costs of the service, why not provide it itself? Why spend the time and money forming the partnership, and monitoring its outcomes, if it is going to pay for what is done anyway._

Because when providers compete, quality goes up and costs go down. (On the other hand, when buyers compete, costs go up, which is why single payer systems lower costs.)

 _The answers to these questions center on the greater efficiency of private enterprise and the consequent cost savings of public-private partnerships. Yet, studies of their use in infrastructure investment provide little support for this presumed cost saving_

Compare the VA to Medicare.

 _Yet, many besides the users of a road benefit from it – the businesses on its route to name just a few. These would be hurt along with its users if its tolls reduced traffic flows, so that while tolls can be charged, and the maintenance expense of the road depends on its use, fees for its use must not impede its use._

Well, as Hayek argued, everyone setting their own prices is a far superior system than central planning to set the price of a toll. And whoever would maintain a road would obviously want maximize their wealth by maximizing the number of cars that go through without a slowdown. They would not likely ignore the long tail of cars any more than, say, mobile phone companies ignore consumers who can "only" pay $20 a month.

In short, this is a _terrible_ reason not to have private ownership . In fact, by being a smaller, private organization, they might have moved faster to install EZPass - like solutions, as AT&T predicted back in the 1990s ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PJcABbtvtA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PJcABbtvtA))

Much better reasons include simply the guarantee I stated above: people expect to be able to access lots of roads, so they have to be public as a matter of policy. Another reason is standardization: they can expect roughly the same road rules on all roads. And so on.

Perhaps as technology improves, more things can be decentralized and privatized. Self-driving cars can perfectly adapt to local road rules. Communities will be able to install their own wordpress-like government systems that would handle voting, taxation, safety nets, single payer systems etc.

Governments are just management teams of organizations. That's all. Parks in a mall open to all visitors are not much different than public parks. Same goes for community rooms in a co-op.

Recessions can be most easily fixed by giving money to the consumers, to spend on what they need, thereby "voting with their wallet". This is basically "single payer systems" or UBI.

Here is a great debate on it: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo- Sk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk)

<comment><USER20> >Because when providers compete, quality goes up and costs go down.

Public Private Partnerships are not creating competition and that was never their intention. The legal set up of such agreements is set up, in fact, in order to purposely exclude competition.

In the NHS it tends to both drive up costs and filter out money to companies run by the friends of politicians. It's simple parasitism.

In general, if there isn't a chance to leech off a monopoly of some kind there is no political impetus to actually privatize. The railway system in the UK wasn't privatized in order to create competition. That was patently impossible. It was privatized precisely _because_ it was so well insulated from competition.

>Well, as Hayek argued, everyone setting their own prices is a far superior system than central planning to set the price of a toll.

Hayek made the same typical tired old assumptions that never hold - <USER2> competition, perfect information, etc.

<comment><USER19> And Keynes made the assumptions that there are no individual factors, cronies, and boosting aggregate demand won't have bad side fx.

<comment><USER20> He didn't make any of those assumptions. The latter is probably the most common misapprehension about what he said, in fact.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER21> The problem with privatization is a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation--look at Russia after the USSR caved in and how oligarchs came to own factories and all kinds of infrastructure simply because of the gold rush moment where they could get away with it. Privatization in the US works the same way--the insiders get the deals, the rest of us get nothing. If there was a way to randomize it, we might be able to make it work.

I don't like the current situation in DC where there is a permanent government workforce that is mostly unionized. It is bloated and out of touch and that's where the calls for accountability are coming from. Right-size that government workforce, make the employees actually work (I know many do, so don't downvote me--I was a state employee for awhile once upon a time, I damn well know how many people worked and how many read newspapers and napped all day).

I bet if we were to perform some simple reforms of the federal workforce that the calls for privatization would cease. It's about creating better outcomes, and the last Administration was more about creating a huge dependent class everywhere possible of people who would reliably vote their interests.

<comment><USER22> I'm a lobbyist in Washington DC and it is appalling The work ethic of federal employees. The governments hands are tied, they can't fire anyone, and if there's no work, they just sit around and do whatever they want. The federal bureaucracy is absolutely bloated, and there's really nothing anyone can do about it. They get amazing pay, amazing benefits, amazing retirement, and if they screw up, there is really nothing you can do to them.

<comment><USER23> > They get amazing pay

Who gets amazing pay? How much are we talking about? I don't know about the USA, but usually public employees don't earn that much (in exchange for high job security).

<comment><USER24> Fair point, the pay you can get elsewhere might be higher. I tend to think anything over $60k a year to be pretty good, which a GSA scale employee can get to in just a few years. Pay raises are almost guaranteed unless there is a budget issue, but even then you get it all eventually. They do max out at about $140k, though. The magic is to retire after 20 years, get the pension, and then get another job in the private sector and double dip. That's the real brass ring.

<comment><USER25> In DC/NOVA area $60k a year qualifies you for rent subsidy and other welfare benefits. That said $60k is not what federal employees in the DC area start at, nor is $140k what they normally end at. It's more around $80k - $155k ($180k-$190k if you hit management).

<comment><USER24> I'm in the NoVA area. Really? I've got to look into this. Thank you! I will report back with what I find.</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment>


The earliest domestic cat on the Silk Road - <AUTHOR> https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-67798-6 <comment><USER2> We could also name the country: Kazakhstan, the same people that gave humanity the apples.

</comment><comment><USER3> I'm reminded of an Arlo and Janis comic strip in which Arlo, talking to the family cat, observes that dogs are mentioned over forty times in the Bible and yet cats are never mentioned at all.

</comment><comment><USER4> I was __really, really __confused about what cats had to do with darknet- powered (drug) markets, lol. Glad to know they are not yet smuggling domestic cats there :-P

<comment><USER5> lol I was wondering the same thing... I wonder if having Silk Road in the title of this post is the reason it made the front page with only 1 comment too.

<comment><USER6> lol I was wondering the same thing. Are you trying to suggest that people upvote based only on headlines without reading the actual source? ¬‿¬</comment></comment></comment>