Google Baraza - <AUTHOR> http://www.google.com/baraza/en/

<comment><USER3> "What is Google Baraza?"

"I am a member of the Google Baraza team. One of Google's goals in Africa is to make the internet more locally relevant and bring more people online. One of the challenges of the internet in Africa is that there is a lack of local content online. At Google, we find that users search for information about local businesses, entertainment, health, etc but often don't find it because the information is not yet available online. In order to help bring more local content online, Google engineers have created Baraza to allow people in countries across Africa to ask questions and post answers to questions from others.

Here are some quick tasks to try out

\- Answer a question on your favorite topic - Find a question by browsing labels (e.g.,"Programming & Design") or Search (e.g., "Economics")

\- Ask a question that you have been wondering about [...]" [http://www.google.com/baraza/en/thread?tid=3084c339e2379cf8](http://www.google.com/baraza/en/thread?tid=3084c339e2379cf8)

<comment><USER4> Why should Africans use this instead of existing Q/A sites like Quora?

<comment><USER5> I don't understand why Quora seems to be a standard to some. It hides it's answers behind a registration wall and ask that you give it access to your Facebook profile on registration.

It's a creepy website from my perspective.

<comment><USER6> Not to mention quietly setting up a public profile page in your name that starts showing up among top results when people search for you. Creepy is right.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> How come Google releases new software that is __not __using https, and still I 'm logged in with my account.

I'm surprised google can still make that mistake, making my account vulerable after going to so much trouble of protecting it with 2factor auth.

<comment><USER8> Are you sure that the Google authentication token(s) sent over HTTP can actually be used to perform sensitive actions (e.g. reading/sending mail, changing settings)?

That is, perhaps Google require an HTTPS-only token for sensitive actions and the authentication token sent over HTTP is only used for basic personalization (like showing your username) and some unimportant actions?

Though I guess we know that someone who has stolen your HTTP authentication token could ask embarrassing baraza questions on your behalf ...

<comment><USER7> No, I'm not sure and your questions are valid. But wouldn't you be happier if they used https and the questions wouldn't have to be asked in the first place?

This practice of having a website respond to both http and https simply has to die. Google is not the only offender here, but I expected more from them, because they are very security sensitive.

Google, next time you accuse Chinese of hacking you, reconsider your practices.

<comment><USER8> I agree, it would be good to see Google setting the trend here by going HTTPS everywhere. Personally I think the next website I create will be all-HTTPS.

The main reasons I encounter for not going HTTPS everywhere are:

1) Possible negative effect on search engine ranking during transition period.

2) 3rd party content from analytics tools and advert networks not supporting HTTPS.

3) Slower initial page load over mobile due to SSL handshake.

4) No-one else is doing it.

Hopefully these reasons will become less valid over time!

<comment><USER9> Nr. 3 is very problematic for satellite connections, which have extremely high latency, making HTTPS websites unusable. I guess that is why Google went with plain HTTP in Africa.

<comment><USER10> This isn't only a consideration for Africa- I am in rural Missouri, USA, and I am stuck with a satellite connection. HTTPS sites are several times slower than their HTTP siblings. The problem, as I understand it, is that my service provider can't compress the pages before sending them over the satellite link.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> This looks like an attempt to mimic the Quora or StackOverflow format of Q&A, but the structure isn't there. There doesn't seem to be much organizational structure beyond the top-level "Government" or "Computer Software" categories. It appears to have been around since 2010 or so - there are some users that have been contributing for a while (e.g. ivan - [http://www.google.com/baraza/en/user?clk=tpct&userid=0708787...](http://www.google.com/baraza/en/user?clk=tpct&userid=07087875453522940748)).

What is the purpose of recreating English-language Q&A structure in such a poor form?

<comment><USER12> Gathering question answer pairs for training their answering algorithm in google search.

</comment></comment><comment><USER13> > Baraza is not supported on your browser

Displayed in Chrome-based Opera that sends Chrome's User-Agent string and deliberately doesn't even mention "Opera" in the header.

It's so annoying that Google keeps discriminating against other browsers even when there can't even be a vaguest technical reason to do so.

Why would even simple Q&A site need to require only handful of latest browsers? Why is Google still using User-Agent sniffing? (they have top-notch web developers who all know how stupid that is...)

</comment><comment><USER14> Will Baraza questions and answers be ranked higher than Quora and Stack Overflow in Google search? When Google starts adding more services with content created by users, will it be harder to rely on Google search?

<comment><USER15> This is a good question.

At one point is google "impartial" search engine or when does it become a funnel to their own services?

You can see it started to happen with the ITA flight software acquisition a few years back ([http://www.google.com/press/ita/](http://www.google.com/press/ita/)) - <USER2> google flights now beat out every booking engine for any flight query.

<comment><USER16> I doubt that Google will ruin the integrity of their search results because they want to push Baraza.

They do have widgets such as Google Flights pop up when it is clear the user if looking for airline tickets but that's not an indication that Google funnels all their own services for the heck of it. First of all, the widgets such as Flights and People Bios are not in the actual search results, but appear as separate sections. I believe the actual search results are sacred and are exempt from being tampered with, even for Google's motives.

Second, flights are a very specific and objective thing which makes their Flights widget extremely useful. If I'm searching for "flights from lax to ord", I'm going to get all flight times available without even leaving Google. The same cannot be said for most services such as Baraza, where the quality of answers/questions is very incomplete and subjective.

<comment><USER15> Their flight widget is the second thing in the search results (right under the ads) and above any actual results. That alone - says they're prioritizing the money-making options.

<comment><USER16> The place under the ads and above the search results is just where they put stuff like the calculator, sports stats, and other easter eggs. Yes they make money off the Flights widget, but that doesn't automatically mean it's bad for the user. My point was that the Flights widget is great and more useful than the actual search results when you query for "flights to lax" just like the calculator widget is more useful than the search results when you query "sin(50)*1234". They are prioritizing useful widgets, and this one happens to make lots of money.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> Note: this URL will be 404 if you're using an "https everywhere" extension. Revert to [http://](http://) URLs and it will work.

</comment><comment><USER18> I don't know which I feel sadder: that I'm logged in a service which I did not _agree_ for, or that I've lost will to try out anything from Google.

the NSA deal and (more importantly) Google Reader shutdown really did it to me. As soon as I find an alternative to gmail I'm leaving Google service wholly.

<comment><USER19> I hope you figure out a way to ensure that service doesn't also shutdown. Just because you pay for it, doesn't make it invincible.

I think you're mad at SaaS, not Google. I don't see the shutting down a CORE offering anytime soon.

<comment><USER18> I know I'm mad for irrational reasons. I think you are right that I'm mad at SaaS as well.

Yes, services shut down. That's just the way it is, or at least how I figure.

The thing about Google Reader was that it was one of the reasons that got me interested in Google other than the search engine; then I discovered gmail, and etc. I've felt that Google was one of the 'good guys', and lately, I just don't feel the same way. I guess I'm quoting the Google Reader shutdown as what symbolizes the change.

Having said that, I doubt I will try many things from Google, not because of the fear of them shutting down, but because it won't do much for me.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER20> That's new. /s

([http://blogoscoped.com/archive/2010-11-16-n46.html](http://blogoscoped.com/archive/2010-11-16-n46.html))

</comment><comment><USER21> It looks like Google Forums but with StackOverflow-style votes. I guess they didn't really use aardVark for it: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aardvark_(search_engine)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aardvark_\(search_engine\)). I wonder why they didn't try to make a bigger Q&A service, maybe integrated with G+.

</comment><comment><USER22> I highly doubt this is a serious product google will be pursuing. looks like a low level offering for developing countries/markets

</comment><comment><USER23> Where are the points coming from ? I seem to have 24 points while I never used this service. How about you ?

<comment><USER24> The 24 points seem to be the "initial sign-up bonus" and a "daily login bonus". I got my initial bonus in 2011 it seems, so this must be an older Google service that was just renamed and re-launched.

</comment></comment><comment><USER25> To me, I actually see this as Google crowdsourcing the data necessary to have "answers" appear rather than search results for those things that make sense to.

<comment><USER26> I was thinking more along the lines of upping their game against Siri.

</comment></comment><comment><USER27> Question for the Baraza team: The framework looks good, and I expect the engineering behind the scenes is impressive. What are your thoughts about content curation and acquiring a critical mass of (for want of a better term) moderators?

See (for example) this question and its answers [http://www.google.com/baraza/en/thread?tid=618ce3dee8dafc67](http://www.google.com/baraza/en/thread?tid=618ce3dee8dafc67)

</comment><comment><USER28> Whenever I hear of a product from Google, the first thing I wonder about is when they plan to retire it. I'd rather patronize alternatives.

</comment><comment><USER29> They shut down Google Reader, because it is "....unuseful" ?!? And now they launch Google Baraza, because it is ... what ????

<comment><USER30> Google Baraza was launched in 2010.

</comment></comment><comment><USER31> It looks like a row-rent version of SO, targeted at Africa.

The muffin stump of Q&A software: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eipl17WpOo&t=12](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eipl17WpOo&t=12)

</comment><comment><USER32> [http://www.google.com/baraza/en/thread?tid=6551f90c5ef62dc2&...](http://www.google.com/baraza/en/thread?tid=6551f90c5ef62dc2&msg=QUESTION_POSTED&qposted=1)

</comment><comment><USER33> An answer to the question "What is Google Baraza?":

[http://www.google.com/baraza/en/thread?tid=3084c339e2379cf8](http://www.google.com/baraza/en/thread?tid=3084c339e2379cf8)

</comment><comment><USER34> I wonder why they chose not to allow commenting on questions (possible on Quora or Stack Exchange). Allowing comments could help improve existing answers, but I guess it would add more noise.

</comment><comment><USER35> Without proper moderation, it's going to be filled with junk.

</comment><comment><USER36> What am I missing? Is this Google Answers under a new name?

</comment><comment><USER37> Don't want to log in, sorry. See no point for them to see my account if I want to use the thing in view mode.

</comment><comment><USER38> I like the one that asks "Why Google collaborate with the NSA?"

The one response is "you crazy".

</comment><comment><USER39> lol. first one on the question lost when i clicked

[http://www.google.com/baraza/en/thread?tid=76951fbe3c65173e](http://www.google.com/baraza/en/thread?tid=76951fbe3c65173e)

</comment><comment><USER40> Is it because Quora's questions are behind the walled gardens?

</comment><comment><USER34> also → [http://otvety.google.ru](http://otvety.google.ru)

</comment><comment><USER41> Oh, Oh... time-consuming website!

</comment><comment><USER42> 404

</comment><comment><USER43> Wow that is ugly.

</comment><comment><USER44> They shutter google reader, and this is what we get.

Fuck.</comment>


Tesla Hires Jim Keller as Vice President of Autopilot Hardware Engineering - <AUTHOR> http://electrek.co/2016/01/28/tesla-jim-keller-apple-processor-architect-2/ <comment><USER2> They hired a CPU designer. Tesla's going to design their own CPU? That's not the problem with their "autopilot".

<comment><USER3> I'm sure Tesla has little to no understanding of what they need or how to improve their product. They're probably just throwing darts in the dark, HOPING something works.

<comment><USER4> What makes you sure of this? Does something in their execution thus far indicate "little to no understanding of what they need or how to improve their product"? To me it seems quite the opposite, so I'm curious what you are seeing.

<comment><USER5> He was almost certainly being sarcastic.</comment></comment></comment></comment>


Ask HN: As a dev, how did you learn UI design? - <AUTHOR> <comment><USER2> Sounds horrible but is true: a lot of stealing and copying. Eventually you kind of start to develop a knack for it and learn to create your own flavour. You also start to recognise the patterns you see everywhere and why they work.

</comment><comment><USER3> I learn a lot of UI design by using what I make (going through entering data, pulling up screens, printing, etc. as if I were the end user) and seeing if it works, asking others who use it a lot what is easy and what is not, and comparing with interfaces on similar applications.

</comment><comment><USER4> I've been thinking about taking a classes to improve my UX/UI skills since they are becoming more important. I think it would really round out my skill set. Anyone have recommendation on more formal way of learning good UI/UX design process?</comment>


High speed M&M sorting machine - <AUTHOR> http://www.reviewmylife.co.uk/blog/2014/12/22/high-speed-mandm-sorting-machine/ <comment><USER2> That's low-speed sorting. _This_ is high-speed sorting:

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

That's a high-speed computer-vision optical pea sorter. Yes, each and every pea in that huge flow of peas is examined by a computer vision system. Tiny high-speed air jets are kicking out the rejects during the brief period the peas are in free flight.

Here's a blueberry sorting machine, throwing out anything that doesn't look like a round blue blueberry:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CyWvnh4YtE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CyWvnh4YtE)

That machine could sort M&Ms by color, easily.

The food industry has lots of machines like that. The technology was first applied to large fruit like tomatoes. It's now so cheap it's applied to rice and grains.

<comment><USER3> Ha, came here to post this as well. High speed is relative :] I've done similar hardware things in the past and my initial ideas when I read the orignal article were:

\- what kind of sensor are they using that they need _2 seconds_ to scan?

\- in comparision with 2 seconds, a phone camera with results sent over bluetooth is indeed fast. Not my branch at all, but I wonder what latencies he's looking at? Should surely be tens if not hundreds of mSec?

<comment><USER4> I develop sort/test software for a semiconductor manufacturer. The M&M sorter looks pretty fast to me :)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> It's a little M&M flow sorter! They even kind of look like cells. If you really want your mind to be blown, go read about flow cytometers: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_cytometry#Fluorescence- act...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_cytometry#Fluorescence- activated_cell_sorting_.28FACS.29)

Fluorescence-activated cell sorting uses the same idea as in the M&M sorter linked here, except with lasers instead of an iPhone camera and uses an electron gun to deposit charge onto a droplet containing exactly one cell as it falls through a magnetic field to sort it into bins. Madness!

</comment><comment><USER6> Very cool. I just picked up a couple Mindstorms kits and have been debating my first build challenge. This looks perfect (though it won't be as quick I'm sure)

Edit: Just playing with the math regarding the speed of this machine considering the M&Ms are in free fall. Nicely done!

</comment><comment><USER7> I'd like to see a variant of this capable of separating a mixture of M&Ms and Skittles.

<comment><AUTHOR> So it puts all M&Ms in one pot and Skittles in the other? Or so that it can deal with all the different colours between the two? The first would be tricky!

<comment><USER8> Weight them with enough accuracy; <1g → M&M, >1g → Skittle.

[http://www.scientificameriken.com/candy4.asp](http://www.scientificameriken.com/candy4.asp)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> This reminds me of a FACS machine ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_cytometry#Fluorescence- act...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_cytometry#Fluorescence- activated_cell_sorting_.28FACS.29))

</comment><comment><USER10> Is the code posted anywhere?

</comment><comment><USER11> Very nice. If you want to reduce the shadows for sorting browns, try backlighting the chute so that shadows can't appear on it. Basically, turn the chute into a photography light box.

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks for the idea. I had thought about lighting the chute - But I hadn't though about backlighting it. That sounds like it could work :)

</comment></comment><comment><USER12> oh the glue, the glue! M&M sorters are great projects though. I am impressed that the bluetooth link has the frequency response to actually get to the blue ones before they have fallen what appears to be a few inches.

</comment><comment><USER13> The sound is very rhythmic. One part of a sort machine band.

</comment><comment><USER14> Somebody buy this guy a 3d printer.

<comment><USER15> Hobby 3D printers are basically only good enough to print their own replacement parts before they break again.

<comment><USER16> Here is a Skittles sorter built from 3D printed parts: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSEHDBSynVo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSEHDBSynVo)

It looks like a hobby 3D printer was more than good enough.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> if only this existed back in Van Halen's heyday

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Halen#Contract_riders](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Halen#Contract_riders)

<comment><USER18> "This American Life" did a great segment explaining (as does your wikipedia link) why the M&M's were a legit safety concern--and not just a prima-donna move by self-indulgent rock stars:

[http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio- archives/episode/386/t...](http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio- archives/episode/386/transcript)

<comment><USER19> IIRC, the reason they have strange requests is so they know the crew actually went through the list and fulfilled all requests. Asking for only red M&M sounds silly but if you see a bowl of red M&Ms in your trailer, you know the crew was more likely to be diligent with the other requests. Those other requests being sound equipment and safty measures.

The point wasn't to have red M&Ms, though they taste good, it was a test to see how well the crew followed instructions.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER20> but can it sort Skittles?</comment>


Cryptography in the Browser - <AUTHOR> http://blog.opal.io/crypto-in-the-browser.html <comment><USER2> Client side cryptography is almost always about providing a solution that doesn't require server trust. This article mentions end-to-end encrypted messaging, for instance, which provides the nice property that not even the messaging server can read the message contents.

The problem with webapp-based javascript cryptography is that if the crypto code is delivered by the server, then the client is back to trusting the server. The server operator, an attacker who can compromise the server, or an attacker who can compromise the SSL connection from the browser to the server can modify the JS to spray plaintext wherever they'd like.

Basically, the JS crypto is reducible to the strength of the SSL connection. Anyone on the other end of the SSL connection, or anyone who can break the SSL connection, can get your plaintext. This makes the JS crypto nothing but overhead. It's just hand-waving at that point.

This is not a theoretical weakness. This is exactly happened to both Lavabit and Hushmail. The experiment has been tried and the hand waving didn't amount to much. There's no need (and no excuse!) to try it again.

<comment><USER3> While these known issues are true, and still need to be worked out, I don't think stopping all work on crypto in the browser is the best course of action.

There are technical ways we could mitigate these vulnerabilities (signing of JS downloaded from a site, for example). Maybe having crypto in the browser become a thing is the way that these features get the support to be implemented.

<comment><USER4> It always comes down to this; would you prefer security, or just something that makes you feel fuzzy? Crypto in JavaScript only gives the latter.

<comment><USER5> I disagree. Javascript cryptography can provide real security, it's just important to keep in mind what is being secured, and where the vulnerabilities are. Currently, js crypto is vulnerable in that its difficult to verify that the js a browser is running is the intented code.

Every day, millions of people are sending sensitive data over very insecure channels like email and DropBox because secure tools like PGP are to difficult for them or their friends to use. Clearly some security is better than none, as long as the limitations are known.

<comment><USER6> This is like saying a sign that says "attackers keep out" provides real security, as long as you keep in mind that it only works if attackers obey the sign. After all, Dropbox doesn't have an "attackers keep out" sign!

<comment><USER7> No, it's more like an imperfect lock is still more security than no lock at all on your door.

<comment><USER8> No, it's more like people thinking they have a high grade lock on their door, when in fact they have a broken lock. They can't see it's broken, but anyone who knows about locks knows it's broken, and how to bypass it with a bobby pin.

<comment><USER9> Is this supposed to be serious, because we want javascript to be better, or sarcastic, because most people DO live behind locks that are broken and can be bypassed trivially with relatively unsophisticated tools? Everybody break out your bobby pins!

<comment><USER4> You would have extreme trouble picking a lock with a bobby pin, they're much too fat to do anything outside of a movie.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> Please stop upvoting this article, it's misleading at best. It links to the article everyone should read on browser cryptography, the article that says exactly why browser cryptography does not and basically never could work.

The article then picks the least important of all security problems, that there isn't (wasn't) a secure way of generating random numbers, acts as if that was an important point and then carries on as if browser cryptography has been solved.

In their about page they claim: "As a result, Opal is able to guarantee that the only people who are able to read a secret file are the sender and recipients."

This is plainly not true. The people who are able to read these secret files are always those who control the browser. They might claim that they're able to guarantee it because they control the code that is sent by the server, but recent history has shown us that if they were to be forced to break that guarantee, they would not be allowed to let anyone know.

So what is their guarantee worth to anyone? Jack shit.

<comment><USER6> Part of the problem is that the JS crypto article they linked to isn't very good, but has for some reason become emblematic of the whole argument against JS crypto. It deserves an update.

</comment></comment><comment><USER11> Compiling nacl to javascript is probably a very bad idea without some further analysis. There are almost certainly specialized code constructs that will be lost in the transformation, like branchless code paths, that are designed to prevent certain types of attacks.

In fact this is a pretty insidious mistake since you think you are doing the right thing by using a high-quality library.

<comment><USER5> Emscripten compiles the input source with LLVM, then converts the LLVM bytecode to JS. Most of the optimization passes are done by the LLVM compiler. Are you suggesting that LLVM (or optimizing compilers in general) should not be used to compile crypto libraries?

I completely agree that further analysis is needed on js-nacl, but I hadn't considered that compiler optimizations might lead to vulnerabilities.

<comment><USER6> That's might be a sign you don't pay enough attention cryptographic research; compiler optimization side channels are not news.

Of course, the notion that the _compiler_ is a threat here is getting a bit ahead of ourselves, because you don't even know what side channels are in the _runtime_.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> The Chicken-Egg problem is Problem 0 with Javascript crypto. Until you can solve that, everything else is just farting into the wind.

<comment><USER13> Progressive enhancement is a real thing and as the browsers start to implement native support for the rest of Web Cryptography API the situation will only improve. We have to start somewhere.

<comment><USER14> Assuming that browsers have implemented Web Crypto, how do you know you're using it and not an evil polyfill?

<comment><USER15> Some JS engines already disallow security-violating operations from happening (such as inserting evil hooks into document.location). These same protections could apply to any Crypto object.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER16> _Moreover, the LLVM compiler can perform many optimizations during compilation, so the resulting JavaScript is highly optimized._

Optimization may actually be an argument _against_ C-to-Javascript translated cryptography.

NaCl was written in C, according to the constraints and degrees of freedom of a standard C compiler -- which are not the same as those of an interpreted or JiT compiled language.

I am not a cryptographer, but source-to-source translation of cryptography is looking for trouble.

</comment><comment><USER17> Say it with me: _browser crypto is bad_. But if everyone really wants to build crypto apps using front-end skillsets (which I can understand, because I've done it[0]), go for it! Who says you need a browser? Use Phonegap[1], or node- webkit[2], or appjs[3], or TideSDK[4] (well, not Tide, unless you're a masochist). If you don't want/can't use Node's crypto stuff[5], use SJCL[6] or OpenPGP.js[7] (the last two are _not_ battle-proof libraries, though, because _browser crypto is bad_ so few serious cryptographers have bothered to review them... hopefully that will change if enough people use them outside of the browser). Voila! The convenience of the tools you know, and automatic cross- platform access, without the badness of browser crypto.

0\. [https://parley.co](https://parley.co)

1\. [http://phonegap.com/](http://phonegap.com/)

2\. [https://github.com/rogerwang/node- webkit](https://github.com/rogerwang/node-webkit)

3\. [http://appjs.com/](http://appjs.com/)

4\. [http://www.tidesdk.org/](http://www.tidesdk.org/)

5\. [http://nodejs.org/api/crypto.html](http://nodejs.org/api/crypto.html)

6\. [http://crypto.stanford.edu/sjcl/](http://crypto.stanford.edu/sjcl/)

7\. [http://openpgpjs.org/](http://openpgpjs.org/)

</comment><comment><USER18> The negative response to this post is over the top.

At most, you can say that they overstated their case by neglecting to talk about server trust and using the word "comfortable" in an article about security. :)

To address a few red herrings:

Saying that no solution is better than a flawed solution is absurd. There's no such thing as impenetrable security. On that basis, we shouldn't bother with HTTPS. For that matter, we shouldn't bother with passwords, either.

We do these things because they make attacks incrementally more difficult and thus redirect attackers' efforts to more vulnerable targets, or make it expensive enough not to bother. Every little bit helps.

Saying that you can't do this because you have to verify everything on every page load utterly ignores the past decade of development of rich client applications.

Saying that you shouldn't do this because it's been tried before also ignores virtually the entire history of technological innovation.

This is important problem and constructive criticism from security experts is extremely valuable. But the only "sophistry" I'm seeing here is from the people who can help the most.

This is a beta, invite-only app bootstrapped out of the proverbial garage. Their blog post on the technical details missed a few things. If you've ever been in those shoes, you know how easy that is to do. I've seen billion dollar companies do worse. Most of the article was accurate, well-written, and probably helpful to a lot of readers.

Help 'em out, don't tear 'em down.

</comment><comment><USER19> Having the crypto code delivered by the server to provide real-time "end-to- end" security is surely a problem. But, I believe there is a specific use case where even not-so-perfect javascript crypto increases security in a significant way. Imagine you have a system where you want to send encrypted files _that are stored on the server_ to be downloaded later by other users. With javascript public key crypto a la PGP, the user could encrypt this file using keys stored locally. These keys are "uploaded" to the web page when they are needed but not actually sent to the server. The cipher text only is then uploaded to the server and stored. Recipient users can then download the file and decrypt in a similar manner.

So what does this help protect against? You are mitigating the situation where the server becomes compromised. In the event your server is compromised, any previously encrypted files are protected _as long as the keys are not used again_ after compromise (since malicious javascript could be delivered to obtain the key).

</comment><comment><USER20> Came to this thread knowing tptacek would be here, discussing what a terrible idea this was. Got moxie and tptacek. Was not disappointed.

This is effectively a me too, but as someone who has spent considerable time researching, understanding, and explaining this problem to customers, let me just say it is a very dangerous thing to do (try to implement a "secure" system on top of JS Crypto in the browser). Moxie and Tom are completely correct and I cringe every time I see one of these projects.

And if you aren't convinced after reading this thread: [http://rdist.root.org/2010/11/29/final-post-on-javascript- cr...](http://rdist.root.org/2010/11/29/final-post-on-javascript-crypto/) start here. He covers the topic exhaustively. I feel like anyone arguing about if this is a good idea should do some research and come to the discussion informed. Nate wrote this article over 2.5 years ago.

</comment><comment><USER21> All browsers already have crypto. Why the fuck are people trying to invent their own when it's built in?

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Security_Services](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Security_Services)

[https://developer.mozilla.org/en- US/docs/Mozilla_Crypto_FAQ](https://developer.mozilla.org/en- US/docs/Mozilla_Crypto_FAQ)

All you need is some kind of new "Web Standard" glue between the browser and the JS and do whatever you feel like using the native crypto functionality of the browser. You don't need to add more layers of complexity. But you can add a small bit of abstraction to what is already there.

<comment><USER6> How exactly do you think having built-in AES primitives solves a problem for browser crypto? Content-controlled Javascript still controls how those primitives are used.

<comment><USER21> First, not all JS delivery is subject to MITM. Having the ability for JS to use built-in, fast, reliable crypto code is useful in many cases. And it's going to be more reliable, and faster, and just better working in all cases by using what's in the browser VS someone's bleeding-edge library based on some other library based on etc etc.

Second, when we get down to it, if you can't trust your content, you can't trust your content. Do you second guess the crypto on your laptop because you might be subject to evil maid or other physical attacks? No, because there is some inherent trust, just like the people who do online banking and shopping. The integrity of the content is important, but not the only issue, and arguably not the highest priority.

Third, what we use the crypto for is completely subjective. Maybe someone using it doesn't care about the integrity of the instructions delivered; it depends on the case. You can't use one case as a yardstick for all of them.

People obviously want to do crypto from JS. I'm not proposing a solution for all the potential problems therein. But if you're going to do it, do it right and use the native code that _already is there_.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER22> We implemented a system where the key used to encrypt messages is generated in the browser and never leaves the browser. This ensures even we cant decrypt messages. The downside is the end user has to remember a 'Room Secret Key'.

You can read more here: [https://www.tesla.im/#encrypted_rooms](https://www.tesla.im/#encrypted_rooms)

We are just a few weeks into beta and have only a few hundred users. Been working well so far. However it's too early for us to give solid validations.

</comment><comment><USER23> It sounds like Lastpass is a goner, then.</comment>


Google Disavow used as threat against Seattle Bubble - <AUTHOR> http://timandjeni.com/blog/gordon-sands-threatens-seattle-bubble-google-disavow-comment-spam/

<comment><USER2> The Google search monopoly - such a flawed system. Its 'secret' search algorithms are gamed by insiders and blackhats alike. Competitors now attack each other by building bad links & pointing them at whichever site they choose.

In return, hard-working webmasters get hit by massive traffic drops with each algorithm update. Then Google releases the 'disavow tool' \- which supposedly 'helps' legitimate websites recover from these traffic drops, but only increases everyone's workload. All this to be in 'compliance' with Google. Yes, Google. Fuck you.

</comment><comment><USER3> The Internet: Enabling people to have the most minor of spats publicly since 1990.</comment>


Introducing the Grand C++ Error Explosion Competition - <AUTHOR> http://tgceec.tumblr.com/post/70134083864/introducing-the-grand-c-error-explosion-competition

<comment><USER2> A column in some old programming magazine— I think it might have been Dr. Dobbs'— had a similar ongoing contest. Some situations could cause a compiler's error-message generator to loop indefinitely, and some compilers would produce a fair amount of error text given a zero-length input, but ignoring these and only counting finite, nontrivial-input cases was still kinda fun.

</comment><comment><USER3> > tests will be run

> The maximum source size is 256 bytes.

256 bytes C++ busy beavers are going to run longer than the universe has existed. Expecting to _run_ the tests seems like a misguided way to do the judging.

<comment><USER4> Could you explain a bit more how the busy beaver problem applies to this context?

Are you proposing that the error messages generated are analogous to the tape in a busy beaver Turing machine, and the 256 bytes of C++ is the machine's state transition definition?</comment></comment>


Show HN: I'm Collecting Deals for Developer Tools - <AUTHOR> https://www.hackerpromos.com/ <comment><AUTHOR> Just an aggregation site for promotions/deals on anything useful for hackers.

Most deals listed right now are for college students only, so please feel free to contribute more :)</comment>


Slide rule mentioned in Pepys' diary entry of May 5 1663 - <AUTHOR> http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1663/05/05/#annotations <comment><USER2> Note that Oughtred developed the first slide rules circa 1622, based on earlier work by Gunter and Napier. Pepys mentioned seeing a very small one.

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


Google Refines Presentation Of Search Results - <AUTHOR> http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/google/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=216200575&subSection=Business+Intelligence

<comment><AUTHOR> > "We witnessed a significant increase in people who get to a page and stay on > the page,"

I thought that quote is very interesting. If people visit your page and then hit the back button to visit another result, you'll probably get penalized. Pay attention to that metric and try to do a better job at providing what people want for that particular query.</comment>


Vatican Economist: Recession caused by low birth rate - <AUTHOR> http://www.zenit.org/article-28289?l=english

<comment><USER2> Note that the Vatican's not the only one saying this. Others have pointed out that a larger proportion of elderly to young population results in smaller amounts of wealth creation, larger amounts of wealth consumption (healthcare and the like); and that old managers who are slow to retire give their companies an unnecessarily hesitant, cautious character. In fact, doesn't Paul Graham have an essay about this?

<comment><USER3> This jumped out at me:

> the cause is ordinary people who do not "believe in the future" and have few > or no children

The notion that the reason people are having fewer children because they _don't believe in the future_ is pure ideology. They may have accidentally landed at the right conclusion (I'm not persuaded of this, particularly given the opportunities related to immigration), but their reasoning is highly suspect.

<comment><USER4> Gotti Tedeschi is italian. While it's true that a low birth rate is typical of rich countries, it is also true that in Italy the hope for the future is currently at historical lows (sociologists are also writing profusely about this). Not that there is necessarily a causal link, of course.

<comment><USER5> I am italian and actually living in Italy and I can tell you this: Italy is in a very bad historical period, with corruption and organized crime spread in the government. I am one of the italians thinking that this country has no future and this is why I'm leaving.

Like me many italians (good and smart ones that are not part of the actual clientelistic system and are not able to get a good job) are leaving my country. I also have a lot of friends that are deluded and do not plan to have children, also because they can't get a decent salary to build a family.

I cannot tell if there is a casual link, though. Actually Italy is engulfed in a media regime, where the prime minister own three major TV channels and controls the three public ones. 80% of the people only get news form TV, and TV is not telling the bad news. So there may be a link and I think that hope for the future plays a big part, but I also think it's more than that.

I think that many things in the actual system contribute on the low birth rate. About vatican I can tell you that they primarily look at italian society and are very biased by their religion.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> The article ends with this sentence:

> Now, Gotti Tedeschi confirmed, "the only way to rebuild economic-financial > balance [in America] is austerity."

From wikipedia:

In economics, austerity is when a national government reduces its spending to pay back creditors. Austerity is usually required when a government's fiscal deficit spending is felt to be unsustainable.

Development projects, welfare programs and other social spending are common areas of spending for cuts. In many countries, austerity measures have been associated with short-term standard of living declines until economic conditions improved once fiscal balance was achieved (such as in Canada under Jean Chrétien, and Spain under Felipe González).

Private banks, or institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), may require that a country pursues an 'austerity policy' if it wants to re-finance loans that are about to come due. The government may be asked to stop issuing subsidies or to otherwise reduce public spending. When the IMF requires such a policy, the terms are known as 'IMF conditionalities'.

Austerity programs are frequently controversial, as they have an impact on the poorest segments of the population and often lead to a wider separation between the rich and poor. In many situations, austerity programs are imposed on countries that were previously under dictatorial regimes, leading to criticism that populations are forced to repay the debts of their oppressors.

</comment><comment><USER7> A low birth rate is not surprising in the Vatican, but they will have some trouble increasing it.

<comment><USER2> I'm not sure if this was meant to be humor or not, so if it wasn't, I apologize; but if it was, you win an internets.

(Is that an acceptable expression around here?)

<comment><USER8> > (Is that an acceptable expression around here?)

You're new around here, so I'll explain your downvotes. It's not that a particular phrase is or is not unacceptable here, it's that your comment as a whole did not add to the discussion. Use the up arrow instead of writing a reply if you think a comment was a good contribution.

<comment><USER2> I see. Thanks for letting me know.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> It is worth nothing that this "Institute for the Works of Religion", aka IOR, is basically the bank of Vatican. It is shrouded by absolute secrecy, much more than the swiss banks for instance. In the past it has been involved in rather shady stories.

</comment><comment><USER9> So, this person apparently thinks that the way to keep the economy healthy is for the population to keep growing without limit.

I fail to see why an unsustainable population bubble should be any better than an unsustainable housing / tech-stocks / tulip / South Sea bubble.

(Perhaps he believes that a population bubble would not be unsustainable because in the not-very-distant future God will step in and call a halt? Such predictions have been commonplace for a long time and their track record is not very good.)

<comment><USER10> Why would population growth be a bubble?

Do you think that suddenly everyone will die, and the bubble pop?

<comment><USER9> No, but I do think that it can't continue for ever. At least, not without a bunch of technological advances that don't show any sign of being about to turn up.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> The Vatican must be very happy with this "new kind of science" the blogosphere created; the one that allows for tons of opinion with scant evidence.

Well, truth be told, not even them endorsed Inteligent Design, yet.

<comment><USER12> The Catholic Church is scarily in tune with the latest scientific thought (I say this as a protestant).

I would not be surprised if they have an army of economists.

<comment><USER11> Right, and I am not calling the Catholic Church scientifically ignorant. You can point to lots of problems they had with science in the past (Copernicus, Galileo, Vesalius, etc). However they're the religion that best learnt (even if by force) that science must be respected. They even produced some very fine scientists (e.g.: Gregor Mendel).

My point is rather that without evidence and facts it gets much easier to manipulate debates with ideologies. I see the debates on forums and blogs as being mostly heavy on opinions and weak on facts. And I see religion as a form of ideology.

Disclaimer: I am well aware that I am giving an opinion with little factual evidence; the exact problem am pointing in others. So please feel free to call all of this self-contradictory garbage. ;-)

<comment><USER12> > However they're the religion that best learnt (even if by force) that > science must be respected.

The notion that there is (or must be) a conflict between religion and science is fallacious. It is an idea currently extremely popular with 20 y/o know-it- all angry atheists – but it is far from the truth.

Another popular related idea is that "you can't be religious and be a scientist" and that religious people are of lower intelligence (the latter is usually proved with a pseudo-scientific "statistical" argument).

> My point is rather that without evidence and facts it gets much easier to > manipulate debates with ideologies.

My biggest problem is that popular secular humanists try to pass of their ideology as "science" – and doing it on the public dime too (while working at educational institutions). Neither the church nor certain secular humanists have a monopoly on the truth or scientific fact.

> I see the debates on forums and blogs as being mostly heavy on opinions and > weak on facts. And I see religion as a form of ideology.

Most internet debates are nothing but a circle jerk. I increasingly see pop- atheism as an ideology too. Nothing ruins social sites (such as reddit.com, digg.com) as quickly as the influx of angry close-minded atheists.

That is one of the things that make ycnews nice – there aren't that many ideologues, and even those that are there, are well mannered and moderate.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER13> Uncertainty about the future causes me to spend less, not more.</comment>


OkCupid Takes Public Stand Against New Mozilla CEO - <AUTHOR> http://recode.net/2014/03/31/okcupid-takes-public-stand-against-new-mozilla-ceo/ <comment><USER2> This is ridiculous, shall we boycott Javascript as well, OkCupid?

</comment><comment><USER3> Ridiculous indeed. The more diversity we have in browser offerings the better. These retards seem completely oblivious to this issue.

</comment><comment><USER4> this bothers me as it is crossing a line from attacking a company that is acting in a politically contentious manner or acting a company in order to get it to take action against an individual who is acting in similar manner.

Is Eich changing the Mozilla hiring rules to prevent LBTG from joining or being promoted at Mozilla? Will his personal political views prevent him from conducting his duties as CEO? Yes they will influence him but it is hard to see _prevent_.

I would certainly like to see the political donations of say the Fortune 5000 CEOs as a comparator. In the end this seems to be crossing a line - it's a grey and fuzzy line and I am not sure where it is, but it bothers me.

I am also bothered at a 1000USD donation to the prop. 8 though - is that extreme by Silicon Valley standards?

Edit: I would say tried to make it clearer but I have not ...</comment>


Golang: CPU DoS vulnerability affecting P-521 and P-384 - <AUTHOR> https://github.com/golang/go/issues/29903 <comment><AUTHOR> I think it was found thanks to Wycheproof, which is quite cool.</comment>


Holographic 3D Calls - <AUTHOR> http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnr.it%2Fcnr%2Fnews%2FCnrNews%3FIDn%3D2941

<comment><AUTHOR> Unfortunately I couldn't find the news in English so I posted the link to google translate. A video with Italian audio is a [http://vimeo.com/95952928](http://vimeo.com/95952928) You can see how the holographic system looks like. A demo at 0:00, another one at 1:20 (the guy is remote there, the girl local). Skip to 4:00 for what looks like to be a different kind of hardware.</comment>


US to stop young migrant deportations - nick-dap http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18460894

<comment><AUTHOR> Is Obama authorized by law to do this?

<comment><USER2> Immigration laws have a ton of room for the enforcement officers to look at the specifics of a case and decide what action is appropriate. As the head of the executive branch, Obama can set policy which affects those decisions.</comment></comment>


Doing it right or doing it over? - <AUTHOR> http://bertrandmeyer.com/2013/02/23/doing-it-right-or-doing-it-over/

<comment><USER2> Infrastructure first is a constraint, not a feature. If we could build buildings where we didn't need to plan out the structure first, we would. But rebuild is horribly expensive when dealing with brick and mortar or airplane sized chunks of metal.

The interesting part for any given venture is WHAT pieces do you need to plan out first. You can't use "some other venture has high costs for rework" as an argument for your venture having high costs for rework.

The meta-structures apply relatively well across ventures - clean interfaces, modularity, exchangeability, but structures themselves don't necessarily.</comment>


Blue Screen – A computer science fiction novel about a hacker saving the world - <AUTHOR> https://bluescreenthebook.com/ <comment><AUTHOR> I am happy to send ANY HNer a free paper copy if you want to message me (email@example.com). Thank you very much for any feedback or reviews!

Website: [https://BlueScreenTheBook.com/](https://BlueScreenTheBook.com/)

Amazon Kindle: [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084GHLYSX](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084GHLYSX)

Free PDF: [https://bluescreenthebook.com/book/BlueScreen.pdf](https://bluescreenthebook.com/book/BlueScreen.pdf)

Free ePub: [https://bluescreenthebook.com/book/BlueScreen.epub](https://bluescreenthebook.com/book/BlueScreen.epub)

Blurb: Peter Gustafson wants to save the world. In the year 2984, Peter is an average kid with a secret; he's a well-behaved tenth-grader by day but cryptographic entrepreneur and hacker by night. When the electricity mysteriously goes out in his hometown, Peter takes it upon himself to investigate. The adventure leads the young hacker to a large transmitting station and into a battle of wits with the greatest AI ever created. The machine requires a human to help "throw the switch" and give it full control so engineered the power outage as a test to lure its latest recruit, Peter Gustafson.</comment>


Plunk - An easy way to test clicks on a mobile phone. - <AUTHOR> http://www.plunkapp.com/ <comment><USER2> They should replace the Flash uploader with something that works. It took me quite a while to work out what is going on as Flash isn't supported on most of my systems, and is blocked on the rest.

filepicker.io would seem to be a good replacement.</comment>


NSA created 'European bazaar' to spy on EU citizens - <AUTHOR> http://www.cso.com.au/article/539990/nsa_created_european_bazaar_spy_eu_citizens_snowden_tells_european_parliament/

<comment><USER2> I believe that the European elections are coming up in the next few months.

The Pirate Parties of Europe need to make this a priority.

We need to individually tell our MEPs and any people running for MEP that we want the NSA out of Europe.

Now is an opportune time for action on this.</comment>


Show HN: Glyph – Static Site Generator Powered by GitHub Issues and Pages - <AUTHOR> https://dbriemann.github.io/blog/2-introducing-glyph-static-site-generator-powered-by-github-issues-and-pages.html <comment><USER2> There's also a nice comment system based on Github issues that you can install on a static site: [https://utteranc.es](https://utteranc.es)

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks for mentioning this, I didn't know it yet. It looks really interesting.. I will have a look and see if I can use it or if I have to make my own simple integration script.

(it is one of my longer term goals to integrate the comments into the generated sites, for a coherent style.)

edit: I just saw the Haxe docs uses utterance for comments. That's awesome.. I saw when they added comments to the docs but I didn't know it's done via Github.. great!

</comment></comment><comment><AUTHOR> Author here.. relevant links:

[https://github.com/dbriemann/glyph-zero](https://github.com/dbriemann/glyph- zero) \- all instructions are here

[https://github.com/dbriemann/glyph](https://github.com/dbriemann/glyph) \- static site generator

If you have any questions or ideas just shoot!

</comment><comment><USER3> Thanks for sharing.

For those who might be wondering, using OP's GitHub repo as example, the first post in the issue thread[1] gets converted to a blog post[2].

That's pretty cool! Though, it will be tough to pry myself away from my blogging flow that uses Org mode as content source and uses all of the Org+Emacs functionality :)

[1]: [https://github.com/dbriemann/blog/issues/2](https://github.com/dbriemann/blog/issues/2) [2]: [https://dbriemann.github.io/blog/2-introducing-glyph- static-...](https://dbriemann.github.io/blog/2-introducing-glyph-static-site- generator-powered-by-github-issues-and-pages.html)

<comment><AUTHOR> Sadly I don't have experience with emacs/org mode. Would this feature help in any way: [https://github.com/dbriemann/glyph/issues/1](https://github.com/dbriemann/glyph/issues/1) ?

<comment><USER3> No worries, I wasn't suggesting that you support that. I have a very well established blogging flow and I don't have any reason to move away from it. I just happened to come across this HN post, and found your project interesting.

<comment><AUTHOR> I didn't want to convert you :D

I just wondered if the linked feature would be useful for orgmode users or if it isn't really relevant. Maybe it would help someone else to use Glyph in a similar manner.

<comment><USER3> The linked issue is probably useful if someone using Emacs/Org exports Org to Markdown format, and then uploads to a Github issue as that feature proposes. But then I fail to see the advantage of that flow vs just committing the Markdown file to any online git repo and letting Netlify etc. take care of publishing the blog.

Because.. uploading a Markdown file to a Github issue is one thing, but then what about refactoring, occasional post edits, etc.? Probably keep on overwriting the same Github issue with updated Markdown files?

You don't have to reply to these questions here.. just some thought if you do invest time in implementing this feature request.

<comment><AUTHOR> I just now saw your comment. You are right it takes away some benefits if you don't use the Github markdown editor to write/edit the issues.

The only "benefit" I can still see then is the great commenting system that is attached to each issue.

I added some more features to glyph over the last two weeks however I had not put any more thought into this feature so far. It is really low priority for me right now and I guess it's not THAT useful so that's ok :)

Thanks for your input however. It is always very welcome.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> This looks really cool! However I'm confused by in the article it says that one of the downsides us that the blog's style cannot be changed. Then in the glyph readme's, it talks about themes and templates. Can this be expounded upon/clarified? Thanks and very clever stuff.

<comment><USER5> I think you're referring to the part listing the drawbacks of using GitHub Issues for a blog in general. If you continue to the subsequent "How it works" section, you'll see this:

"Glyph removes all of those drawbacks for you."

<comment><AUTHOR> Absolutely correct! I was referring to directly blogging via Github issues.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> It might be hard to believe but just today morning I was thinking of writing a JS library that would provide access to the github issues/comments and crowd- sourced content can be loaded from Github onto websites. Nice work!

<comment><AUTHOR> Hehe sometimes people have similar ideas at similar times. When I was researching if something like Glyph already exists I found this: [https://github.com/mateogianolio/issuance](https://github.com/mateogianolio/issuance)

You can check it out.. I think it's partly what you described.

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> Really interesting. I wonder if something similar could be done with Fossil. You'd lose GitHub account integration and static hosting but gain real-time comment updates and a fully self-hosting platform.

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks. Just for clarification.. did you mean [https://www.fossil- scm.org](https://www.fossil-scm.org) ?

<comment><USER7> Yes.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> Just wondering, is this negatively taking advantage of Github Pages in any way?

I vaguely remember that Github Pages agreement mentioned not doing something like this, I might be wrong though and be thinking of something else.

<comment><AUTHOR> I don't understand where is the difference to hosting a blog via hugo or another static site generator in regards to Github Pages?

</comment></comment><comment><USER9> Will this lead to SEO issues due to content duplication?

<comment><AUTHOR> I really don't know. You need to ask some SEO expert on this. However I especially use SEO friendly links on the static site (slugified titles).</comment></comment>


Campus Bellhops is hiring hackers - <AUTHOR>

Campus Bellhops is a quickly growing, revenue generating, college labor service. We employ college students nationwide and provide them a platform to claim local moving and labor jobs. We're looking for hackers with web development experience or who are fast learners. We want someone to help us continue developing our labor management system. More information about available positions can be found on our careers page http://campusbellhops.com/careers/ <comment><AUTHOR> We're also offering a $500 finders fee for any referrals that lead to a hire, so if anyone has a friend that's interested in a web development position please send them our way and we'll pay you back in kind.</comment>


App feedback - new cloud alternative (http://airstream.io) - <AUTHOR> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nityaalabs.airstream Hello friends, we have our app on Google Play. Would love your feedback on this - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nityaalabs.airstream Especially on how you would perceive a private cloud solution, where the data-center is replaced by your PC.<p>Yesterday we crossed over 50,000 downloads :) <comment><AUTHOR> Hello, we have our app on Google Play. Would love your feedback. Especially on how you would perceive a private cloud solution, where the data-center is replaced by your PC.

Yesterday we crossed over 50,000 downloads :)</comment>


Twitter's Short URL domain - <AUTHOR> http://t.co/

<comment><USER2> From their help page: <http://help.twitter.com/entries/109623>

> "All links included in Direct Message notification emails currently pass > through our link service and are converted to a <http://t.co> link. We've > also begun testing this service for links in Tweets"

I'm curious whether they're going to outright put a blanket ban on "alternative" URL shorteners like they did with Twitter-based Ad services.

<comment><USER3> I hope not. I've grown attached to the metrics that other URL shorteners (e.g. bit.ly) offer. But if Twitter offered those metrics as well, then... goodbye bit.ly...</comment></comment>


Why are gas prices so high in California? - <AUTHOR> http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/11/01/why-are-gas-prices-so-high-in-california/ <comment><AUTHOR> The pie chart may not reflect the big fuel tax increase that began today[0].

[0] [http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol- alert...](http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol- alert/article147437054.html)

[http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-gas-tax- increase-p...](http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-gas-tax-increase- political-battle-20171031-story.html)

</comment><comment><AUTHOR> This version, different but by the same author, is on the front page of Wednesday's print edition:

[http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/31/pump-bump- california-d...](http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/31/pump-bump-california- drivers-to-pay-12-cents-more-per-gallon-starting-wednesday/)</comment>


500 Million Google Plus User ID Leaked - <AUTHOR> http://www.gstatic.com/s2/sitemaps/profiles-sitemap.xml

<comment><USER2> Leaked? It's a sitemap. That's being intentionally published.</comment>


Broadcasters Ask Supreme Court to Intervene in Aereo Case - <AUTHOR> http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303382004579129752289337822 <comment><USER2> No, fuck you. You're getting the rights to the airwaves for free, under the condition that the US people can get the programing over-the-air for free as well. The fact that aereo has prevailed twice now should be a hint -- stop being anti-consumer.</comment>


Live Current becomes official partner to the IPL for $50m - <AUTHOR> http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/17/digitalmedia.sportsrights

<comment><USER2> If I had a penny for every time I have heard about the BCCI setting up a website via selling rights to a company I would be a very rich man;-)

Congrats!

Can you share info on how you guys managed to win this deal?

Another interesting thing to note is the streaming rights were sold for 1/10 the price......

</comment><comment><USER2> Kul,

Which provider are you using for the live streaming on the IPLT20.com?</comment>


Reminder: Y Combinator Winter 2014 Application Deadline Tomorrow at 8pm - <AUTHOR>

Reminder to start/finish/submit your application for ycombinator - http://ycombinator.com/apply.html .<p>What is everybody else working on? We're making an alarm clock app (sounds dumb, right?). <comment><USER2> We're building a website that provides interactive grammar lessons, named Quill - [http://quill.org](http://quill.org). We are a nonprofit, and we've got some big plans to build an interactive textbook. Anyone else here applying as a nonprofit?

<comment><USER3> I love the site! My mother doesn't speak fluent English and is taking classes at a local college. She frequently struggles with grammar so I'm definitely going to show this to her, seems very intuitive :)

<comment><USER2> Awesome! We've got 30 lessons on the site now, and we are putting up new lessons every day.

We've been working with adult language learners, and there is a tremendous range in skill level. Is there a particular concept she would like to practice? We'd be happy to make a lesson for her as we're working on building out our library of adult literacy lessons.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> We're building a way for everyone to tell their story! [http://cove.im](http://cove.im)</comment>


Hacking the Papal Election - <AUTHOR> http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2013/02/hacking_the_pap.html

<comment><USER2> For a minute there, I thought I was reading Dan Brown instead of Schneier.</comment>