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To Prevent Upskirts, Japanese iPhone 3G Always Alerts When Taking Photos - ksvs
http://nobi.typepad.com/blog/2008/07/available-only.html
======
rkowalick
Why Japan is at once one of the most hilarious and one of the most disgusting
places on earth:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDSdcxzz6uE>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enjo_k%C5%8Dsai>
~~~
pavelludiq
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrAyXyqCXeY&NR=1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrAyXyqCXeY&NR=1)
This is even funnier :D It would be cool to make my toilet like that, i could
get my head up for some fresh air.
~~~
mynameishere
_Countadown keishi!_
The two sweetest words in the Japanese language!
~~~
pchristensen
I don't even have to see the video to laugh when I hear it!
_Countadown keishi!_
------
jsmcgd
Presumably people who like taking upskirt shots won't use the new iPhone and
less nefarious iPhone users will all have to suffer the obnoxious shutter
sound. This is nothing more than tokenism and hence I won't be dispensing any
brownie points.
~~~
sant0sk1
If upskirts are so endemic to Japan that the manufacturers are taking
proactive measures with iPhones, its safe to assume they will be doing
likewise with other camera phones as well.
~~~
danw
As far as I'm aware all manufactures of camera phones are required to produce
a noise when taking a snap
~~~
jsmcgd
Presumably there are other digital cameras that do not make a sound when
taking a picture and these are the ones that are used. My gripe isn't with
Apple but the legislation which I imagine hasn't really amounted to much.
~~~
aardvarkious
my possibly wrong understanding isn't that this is law, but that consumers
boycott phones without this "feature"
~~~
mechanical_fish
And that makes perfect sense. In an environment where the typical phone makes
a noise, carrying a phone that takes photos silently is like wearing a sign
around your neck that says "pervert".
The bad news for birdwatchers everywhere is that this trick doesn't work with
binoculars.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Docker 1.6: Engine and Orchestration Updates, Registry 2.0, and Windows Client - bfirsh
http://blog.docker.com/2015/04/docker-release-1-6/
======
mpdehaan2
I'm finding that the distinction between Swarm, Compose, and Machine is not
_immediately_ obvious. Docker would probably benefit to "you should use this
when", kind of logic, between the two.
Clearly, Swarm is the lightweight "cloud" thing (yay!), but if I'm deploying
to Swarm, do I use Machine or Compose? Etc.
Possibly too many nouns would be made simpler by a single command line tool
with subcommands, that were less skeomorphic, and instead were named after
what they did.
Just my two cents, but the documentation needs to explain a bit more of the
basics at a high level before going into the weeds, IMHO.
The other gotcha page is "if I'm on Amazon", when would I want to use swarm,
if at all, when I had ECS, and how much remains relevant? I'm guessing not so
much still applies, but perhaps I'm wrong.
Another good article would be what parts of these new tools remain relevant if
I'm using, say, CoreOS (fleet), Kubernetes, or Mesos, or OpenStack with
Docker. I'm not saying the others are better, it's just difficult to visualize
how they interplay.
~~~
chatmasta
Maybe they should adopt the same content marketing strategy of Digitalocean:
pay $100 per article for "how to" tutorials targeting specific use cases.
~~~
afarrell
I can't tell if you are snarking or not, but I find DigitalOcean's support for
documentation to be helpful and haven't yet really noticed a quality problem.
~~~
benologist
It's a real content marketing campaign DO has been doing for years and it's
made their website slightly more popular than Hacker News according to Alexa.
Lots of startups could learn from this.
[https://www.digitalocean.com/community/get-paid-to-
write](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/get-paid-to-write)
~~~
cheepin
Add an 'e' to the end, and it makes a lot more sense!
[https://www.digitalocean.com/community/get-paid-to-
write](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/get-paid-to-write)
~~~
benologist
Thanks!
------
languagehacker
I've got a bone to pick with the new Docker Compose.
Take a look at this issue:
[https://github.com/docker/compose/issues/495](https://github.com/docker/compose/issues/495)
Back in January I went through the effort of outlining a solution that was
approved by the maintainers before implementing it. After I provided a PR, I
responded to revision requests by the maintainers, and still haven't seen this
change go into the project.
It's a simple change. If this feature isn't the architectural direction Docker
wants, they need to close the issue and reject the pull request, instead of
changing the project over and over again so that I have to maintain a PR
that's over three months old.
Very uncool.
~~~
msane
The fact that it's still open probably means it is under some level of serious
consideration. It was opened before they released Machine (and Swarm?) so
maybe they just didn't know how/when it should fit in until the dust settles.
Agree that they could have said something to this effect though.
------
XorNot
So I'm not sure I like Docker so much anymore. In most ways the systemd-nspawn
system seems _a lot_ easier to use practically and to move into normal host
deployment. The docker model shines when it comes to image setup, but the
runtime and management aspects leave a lot to be desired.
~~~
eropple
So I work in this space and, I'll be honest: I'd never seen systemd-nspawn
before. I'm interested. Thanks for the heads up.
------
omni
So excited for Registry 2.0, the slowness of the current registry is a real
pain point. Anyone who writes an article benchmarking the two against each
other will receive my upvote.
~~~
Sirupsen
We put our registries behind a caching Nginx, also has the nice side-effect of
HA if you push to all of them.
~~~
toomuchtodo
Behind ELBs with S3 as the backend store is where its at :)
~~~
omni
That is actually how I'm deployed right now. Still pretty slow, and S3 has its
own downsides (mostly you can get false 404s after you've pushed an image but
before it's fully propagated).
~~~
toomuchtodo
> and S3 has its own downsides (mostly you can get false 404s after you've
> pushed an image but before it's fully propagated).
Only happens in us-east-1 due to it having eventual consistency (whereas all
other S3 regions have read-after-write consistency). Use another region and
the false 404s will go away.
[http://shlomoswidler.com/2009/12/read-after-write-
consistenc...](http://shlomoswidler.com/2009/12/read-after-write-consistency-
in-amazon.html)
------
bsrx
The logging drivers reduce a major production pain point - standardized
centralized logging that doesn't require modifying the underlying image.
Docker has a bad security reputation; this is one more step in the right
direction.
~~~
ploxiln
It's crazy that (until now) docker always logged stdout/stderr to a file, and
never rolled it. Without a separately configured logrotate (in copy-truncate
mode), these log files will grow without bound, until the container is removed
(usually replaced).
~~~
amouat
Reminds me of the day I foolishly did "docker run -d debian yes" so I could
play with some of the inspection commands. I forgot about it and an hour later
it had eaten nearly all of my hard disk space...
------
ekidd
I've been several docker components heavily, on a real system. This was the
state of play just prior to the Docker 1.6 announcement:
\- Docker registry, the old pre-2.0 version: I hate it. It's incredibly slow,
and it raises lots of errors.
\- Docker 1.5: Mostly stable and usable if you're on the right kernel,
occasionally does something weird.
\- docker-machine (from git): Very nice for provisioning basic docker hosts
locally or on AWS. Nice feature: it's capable of automatically regenerating
TLS certificates when Elastic IP addresses get remapped.
\- docker-compose 1.1.0: Kind of a toy, but a fun toy, and it generally did
what it advertised.
\- docker swarm: With docker-compose 1.1.0 and docker 1.5, it was pretty much
unusable. Simply running "docker-compose up -d" twice in a row was enough to
make it fail with random errors.
I'm going to re-evaluate swarm with docker 1.6 and the new docker-compose.
------
tracker1
Yay for a windows docker client... though, I'm already just SSHing to a server
with docker on it.
My workflow is pretty much a samba share to my account directory in an ubuntu
server, and a couple SSH shells on said server... easy enough to edit/run that
way. (though my VM image started crashing, I'm now just remoting to an actual
hardware server).
------
languagehacker
Oh cool, another change to fig/docker-compose that doesn't include the most
requested feature:
[https://github.com/docker/compose/issues/495](https://github.com/docker/compose/issues/495)
As the person who wrote the PR for its solution and have been waiting for it
to get merged for months, this is super, super frustrating.
If you guys don't want to put the logic in, reject the PR and close the issue
as won't fix. Quit stringing the community along.
~~~
omni
Did you really need to grind your axe in two separate comments on the same
story? The first was sufficient.
~~~
languagehacker
Whoops, sent it when HN went down and didn't think it had posted.
------
beagile
Everybody who is interested in test-driving Docker 1.6 in a really easy and
fast way and has a Raspberry Pi lying around should have a look at our
prepared Docker SD card image.
Get it here: [http://blog.hypriot.com/post/docker-1-6-is-finally-
released-...](http://blog.hypriot.com/post/docker-1-6-is-finally-released-
into-the-wild)
~~~
jimmcslim
Not sure if images on the registry also support the new labels functionality,
but that might be a way to avoid to obvious image architecture (x86 vs ARM)
issues.
------
mjhea0
See Docker 1.6, Compose 1.2, and Machine 0.2 in action at
[https://realpython.com/blog/python/dockerizing-flask-with-
co...](https://realpython.com/blog/python/dockerizing-flask-with-compose-and-
machine-from-localhost-to-the-cloud/)
Cheers!
------
jfoutz
I still don't understand multiple host networking. I'm not sure if i'm missing
something super obvious, or if it's just complicated. I like the openvswitch
approach, but it's a pretty traditional approach, and won't really work on
aws/gce. Weave seems super neat, but i still want the option to run on
aws/gce, and weave (afaict) precludes that.
Ambassador containers i guess? I dunno. There's just no easy answer.
~~~
bboreham
Weave Network works great on AWS, GCE, Azure, your laptop, ... Pretty much
anywhere you can run a (privileged) container, you can run Weave.
Here's some use-cases for each (and in one case both!):
[http://weaveblog.com/tag/gce/](http://weaveblog.com/tag/gce/)
[http://weaveblog.com/tag/aws/](http://weaveblog.com/tag/aws/)
Did you mean to write something else? I would love to know where you got that
idea.
Note: I work for Weaveworks.
> Weave seems super neat
Thanks!
~~~
jfoutz
Wow. that looks really great. I'll check it out this weekend.
> Thanks!
no, thank you!
------
chatmasta
Any possibility of a boot2docker equivalent for windows, i.e. run docker in
minimal linux VM? Seems like this would open new possibility for distributing
client side apps via docker containers. Cross platform apps with http frontend
would be viable with easy tooling around VM and docker.
~~~
SideburnsOfDoom
You won't run windows docker images on a linux host. That's not how docker
works.
If you're looking for a minimal _windows_ host for VMs and containers, that's
"nanoserver" in the works:
[http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-
systems/mic...](http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-
systems/microsoft-s-stripped-down-nano-server-is-on-the-way-1290666)
[http://www.infoworld.com/article/2909650/devops/microsoft-
na...](http://www.infoworld.com/article/2909650/devops/microsoft-nano-server-
and-the-future-of-devops.html)
~~~
chatmasta
Doesn't boot2docker run images on a linux host? It boots a minimal Ubuntu VM
in virtualbox. How would that be different on windows?
~~~
ahmetmsft
Boot2Docker also comes with a docker client for Windows. In that case you
don't have to run or install VirtualBox at all. You can just point it to your
existing Docker host.
------
ftcHn
Does anyone know if/when AWS will support docker on Windows?
~~~
flurdy
I am sure there may be one but I don't quite see any reason for running Docker
inside a Windows VM in AWS?
Run Docker with ECS or with Machine with EC2, or any native linux VMs. Adding
another abstraction layer seems pointless. Unless it is for Azure.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
How the pandemic should make us rethink college financial aid - hhs
https://nypost.com/2020/06/12/coronavirus-should-make-us-rethink-college-financial-aid/
======
remotists
College financial aid is not feasible at the moment. The world should strongly
look at alternatives to the regular college with so many people now accustomed
to online learning.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The Windows Driver Frameworks are on GitHub - canacrypto
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/windows_hardware_and_driver_developer_blog/archive/2015/03/18/windows-driver-frameworks-source-on-github.aspx
======
kriro
There are actually some strong OS voices in Microsoft. I was at Solutions
Linux in France (around 2006 iirc) and there was a Microsoft booth. Since our
booth had some downtime I talked to the guy manning their booth who was kind
of stranded between Linux distros and FLOSS companies.
He was pretty cool and genuinely trying to advance OS within Microsoft but
said it's a pretty frustrating experience overall (his descriptions of the
internal processes at Microsoft were pretty interesting). Seems like they have
come a long way since, I hope he's still working there. I should have his card
somewhere at home :)
So as far as I know there have been developers who were pushing to open source
a lot of infrastructure/language stuff for quite some time.
Edit: I think it's no coincidence we see this happening now that Ballmer is
gone. He was kind of the villain in the "let's open source stuff" stories I
heard.
~~~
brudgers
Scott Hanselman has been talking about the process of changing Microsoft's
culture toward open source on Hanselminutes since he started working there
about five years (and a couple of hundred episodes) ago.
The move to open source has been in the works a long time and appears (to me
at least) as part of Ballmer and Gates long term strategic plan for the era
when they were no longer the largest and second largest shareholders and the
company was more beholden to Wall Street.
The new post-founder (ok Ballmer wasn't technically a founder) era at
Microsoft has been set up so that Microsoft can operate like a software
company again. That means embracing current industry culture. Practices that
made sense when software came in boxes and was sold through magazines and
connecting meant squawking over POTS, needed to be looked at with an eye
toward long term.
Nadella was set up by Ballmer to fall into the pit of success. The super
tanker's rudder was changed years ago. The move toward open source is no more
overnight than the hardware build quality of the surface.
~~~
igorgue
Also, I bet having Phil Haack working at Github changed the mindset of a lot
of people, either way, even from the days from Novel and Mono, Microsoft was
always cool with opensource.
------
aceperry
I must say, I'm very impressed with all of the open source moves that MS has
done lately. I wonder if that will drive more adoption of C# and cause Oracle
to open up Java. I'm not a fan of C# because it's basically only used on
windows systems, despite xamarin and et al.
~~~
pjmlp
I like both eco-systems a lot, however Java is currently more open than .NET,
specially if you look around for available certified JVMs.
~~~
NicoJuicy
In this particular case, i'd prefer Windows above Oracle (Java) anytime,
considering they deliver malware with their Java Setup...
Edit: Some people give a link to an alterantive download without malware...
You know 99% of all Java downloads don't know that, do you?
~~~
pjmlp
There isn't any malware when downloading from
[http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/inde...](http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html)
Or when packaging the Java application with the runtime
[http://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/tools/windows...](http://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/tools/windows/javapackager.html)
Or using one of the commercial JVMs that compile Java to native code
Or just bothering to read the dialog when installing it from Java.com.
While it is true the bundling shouldn't exist in the first place, any
knowledgeable Java developer knows how to get applications deployed without it
being an issue.
Actually my biggest problem with Java is Google dragging its feets and making
the Android fragmentation a return of the J2ME headaches. Sun and Oracle were
right all along.
~~~
brudgers
My son gets the Ask crapware whenever he updates Java to play MineCraft on his
computer. He's a child, not a Java Developer. He just wants to play MineCraft
and Java is in his way and the Crapware loads by opt out.
~~~
pjmlp
You might see it differently, but I never let kids update software on their
own.
~~~
NicoJuicy
If you are always holding their hands, they are going to be unknowing when
they grow up.
Let them see for themselves why they shouldn't install the Java runtime and
explain to them why it's bad.
------
NamTaf
What effect will this have on the ability to boost driver support in Linux, if
any? FreeBSD has ndisgen [1], but would this help improve that or a broader
set of driver use in Linux?
Secondly, what about WINE?
[1]:
[https://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=ndisgen](https://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=ndisgen)
~~~
ikonst
It means nothing. WDF is a high-level framework for drivers on top of Windows
NT – basically a convenience library you link with. While using WDF, you can
freely call regular NT functions too.
It's like MFC to Win32.
~~~
NamTaf
Thanks for the information. I'm not at all involved in driver work so I have
no clue. :)
------
maguirre
This is slightly off topic. However maybe someone on this thread can point me
in the right direction. Can anyone recommend some good resources to get
started writing low-level drivers for windows (books or open source examples)?
I work mostly with embedded software on custom project. From time to time I
need to interface with Windows machines and the information of this topic has
always been limited.
~~~
galaktor
I too have been finding it hard to find a single reliable and up-to-date
source for learning windows drivers. There's a plethora of info online, but
lots is out of date and/or scattered and redundant. Even decent paid training
is hard to find, at least in my part of the world.
There's a book, but it's old [1]
There's samples, which are fresh [2]
There's a multi part series on Code Project, but it's old (yet much of it
still applies conceptually; samples not so much) Part 1 of 6: [3]
If anybody has a good one-stop-shop and updated source of learning I'd very
much appreciate it (I'd love a nicely written book on the matter that's not
older than, say, 3 years old)
[1]: [http://www.amazon.com/Developing-Drivers-Foundation-
Develope...](http://www.amazon.com/Developing-Drivers-Foundation-Developer-
Reference/dp/0735623740) [2]: [https://github.com/Microsoft/Windows-driver-
samples](https://github.com/Microsoft/Windows-driver-samples) [3]:
[http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/9504/Driver-
Development-...](http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/9504/Driver-Development-
Part-Introduction-to-Drivers)
------
ximeng
One barrier to developing drivers for Windows is the driver signing policy
[https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/windows/hardware/ff...](https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/windows/hardware/ff548231\(v=vs.85\).aspx) which requires you to
pay for a software publisher certificate.
~~~
frozenport
I can live with this. Buggy software drivers wreak havoc and security
vulnerabilities. I routinely use expensive industrial equipment without signed
drivers, and the problem seems to be a warning from the installer.
~~~
stinos
This seems to be the case indeed. The couple of times Windows BSOD'd on me was
always because of faulty drivers and more often than not the unsigned ones.
~~~
dfox
IIRC the only BSOD I got on XP on my thinkpad since 2006 was caused by not
even driver bug, but by driver that seems to have intentionally caused BSOD.
------
MrZipf
The open-sourcing is a sign that MSFT is in a tricky spot (BYOD, mobile,
tablet, games) and desperately needs to improve relations with the outside
world. Expect we'll also see MSFT using more open source in products to
compete effectively though I wonder what'd happen with internal best practices
that the outside world doesn't have, e.g. SAL. Will they contribute back?
Let's see.
Inside MSFT there used to be minimal credit for releasing source which was a
strong inhibitor in the employee review process. And a gratuitously awkward
internal process for open sourcing code with no path for accepting
changes/contributions. Attitudes are definitely improving.
The major benefit of this particular move will be when you're working on
Windows drivers - now you can see and completely grok what a piece of code
does until it transitions into the kernel proper.
~~~
threeseed
It's also a sign that Microsoft sees its future in services.
Which in that case means that protecting the former "company jewels" of
Windows and Office ceases to be less important.
~~~
cookiecaper
I don't think it's about Windows and Office becoming less important as
concepts or products, but that their old sales channel and use cases are
outmoded. Windows and Office will still be Microsoft's cash cows; they'll just
collect the fees through Azure, OneDrive, and other software-as-a-service
packages. Open-sourcing is about keeping Microsoft's platforms competitive so
that people will rent Azure nodes.
Microsoft realized they were becoming to FOSS as OS X is to Windows and is
trying to counteract that. Microsoft's vision is still valid; they want
Microsoft technology running every computer in the world.
~~~
wslh
Indeed it's clear that Office is very important, they are just unifying
products and services. Now you have a unified subscription of $ 9.99 per month
for Office 365 + Office Desktop Apps.
------
baxter001
"we understand there’s no substitute for having OS source available" Ho ho ho.
------
shmerl
Will it help making drivers for filesystems which MS doesn't care to support?
~~~
Sanddancer
Probably not. The filesystem API Microsoft uses, Installable File System, has
been in place and used by a bunch of people since the OS/2 days. Support for
filesystems like zfs is lacking more due to apathy than anything else.
~~~
andreiw
The IFS kit was a separate purchase from the DDK, even. There's a pieced-
together header floating around on the web (as well as some OSS drivers for
things like ext2)...
------
monocasa
I don't see a patent grant...
------
elchief
Whiny ass comments so far. Bravo Microsoft!
------
throwawaymsft
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you
win." -Gandhi
~~~
crazychrome
why this quote got down voted? it's exactly how Opensource progresses.
~~~
0xFFC
1.Because MSFT doing good job 2\. Gandhi was sick person, you can search about
it , He was afraid of money/tea and so many things.Those good thing we hear
about Gandhi I think most of them are propaganda.
~~~
throwawaymsft
1\. Sure, Microsoft is doing the right thing after exhausting every other
possibility. Closed source didn't work, FUD against open source didn't work
([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty_and_doubt#Mic...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty_and_doubt#Microsoft)),
now they need to stop people from leaving their platform and tools in any way
possible.
2\. Ad hominem. The behavior of an individual doesn't change the truth of what
they say.
~~~
crazychrome
the behaviour of an individual does affect his creditability though.
------
vortico
I hope Microsoft knows this, but Open Source doesn't imply putting your source
on GitHub (and vise-versa). If Microsoft dev teams served source tarballs
along with their releases, we'd be just as happy. But perhaps they will
actually use the GitHub issue trackers and other neat features, as they are
pretty useful.
~~~
MichaelGG
Uh, publishing your source under a usable license is sorta really the
definition of open source. Whether or not you like their dev style or other
things is separate and trying to make new definitions. You shouldn't just
throw caps on a common description then claim no one is that common thing
because you've redefined it.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
ICANN gTLD director resigns - larrys
http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-3-21jun12-en.htm
His linkedin page:<p>http://www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-salazar/3/136/314
======
makecheck
I actually wonder why they need a "director" of something that probably should
have been managed more like an RFC system. It's not like there has been much
proven benefit from ICANN's oversight so far.
Imagine if it had been community-driven. For instance, someone proposes
".foobar" as a domain root. Various contributors then submit comments on the
proposal, including suggestions on established groups that ought to manage
that domain and what the limitations are on sites in the domain. Refinements
are made (perhaps someone observes that ".foo" would be a term that is
recognizable in more countries and something that avoids offending anyone).
Finally a reasonable consensus is reached that having ".foo" is actually more
valuable than not having it, and its guidelines are made public under "DNS RFC
#613" or whatever. If that process can work for widespread things like
protocols it can definitely work for deciding which domain roots are sensible.
We don't need an ICANN.
------
ecaron
Now if only Patrick L. Jones (Senior Manager of Continuity & Risk Management)
would step aside. His involvement in the gTLD continually sides with "what's
best for corporations and $$" rather than "what's best for the future of the
internet" (which I would argue is ICANN's first responsibility.)
A list of Jones' gTLD involvement can be found at
<http://www.icann.org/en/about/staff/jones.htm>, and an quick example of his
corporate-bias is at [http://forum.icann.org/lists/jobs-phased-
allocation/msg00315...](http://forum.icann.org/lists/jobs-phased-
allocation/msg00315.html).
------
ecaron
ICANN's appointment of Kurt Pritz actually bodes well for the future of the
[seems to be a doomed endeavor] gTLD process, given his no-nonsense approach
in the previous train wreck that was the .jobs TLD (<http://news.dot-
nxt.com/2012/01/11/dot-jobs-could-kill-icann>)
------
leeoniya
I'm guessing somebody needed to get shitcanned for the mailing address leak,
lots of serious people must have kicked their dogs that day. Of all the things
$185,000 can buy, apparently Security 101 ain't one of 'em.
------
larrys
Salazar's linkedin page:
<http://www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-salazar/3/136/314>
------
goombastic
I just hope he isn't setting up his own company after making the rules.
------
wmf
His job here is done.
------
ktizo
ICANN, ICANT
[edit] In all seriousness though, is there any actual news about the specifics
of why he resigned?
~~~
Rastafarian
There were some very shady deals around the hundreds of new TLDs.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Right now is the worst time to buy a new laptop - TBloom
http://blog.travisbloom.me/post/16983058458
======
simon
It's always the worst time to buy technology hardware. Just go ahead and buy
if you need something and don't look at the adverts for a few months so you
don't kick yourself silly for not waiting for the all the shinier toys that
come out immediately after your purchase.
------
Destroyer661
If you're looking for power with 7-8 hours of battery life, checkout the Y570
from Lenovo. Seems like this "aspiring IT professional" needs to do a LOT more
research than just checking out whatever new macbook is out. I spent $700 on
my laptop, and put a 120GB SSD in for another $100 and I do have the 8 hours
of battery life and instant wake up (arguably almost instant boot as well, it
only takes ~10 seconds). I don't disagree that laptops aren't about to get
better (ivey bridge is going to be huge), but they're always getting better.
------
SamReidHughes
You can already get 8-hour-plus laptop battery life, with plenty more options
than just the mentioned Y570. This is at all ranges of size from 12" to 15".
Wake-up from sleep is easily under 4-5 seconds, the cooling fans are not
obnoxious.
Better reasons this is the worst time to get a laptop: hard drive shortages,
the coming Ivy Bridge laptops, and of course, almost everything has already
moved over to 16:9 screens :)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Panic – Nova Private Beta - sergiotapia
https://panic.com/nova/
======
steve_adams_86
I'm a heavy user of VS Code and recently RubyMine (JetBrains does a wonderful
job on their IDEs), but I'm really excited about this.
I wonder mainly about two things.
One, how can Panic compete with a free tool like VS Code? Its extensions are
stellar, free, and well maintained. The core product is _extremely_ well
maintained and constantly improving.
Two, if they're competing with products like WebStorm or SublimeText, again...
How?
I don't doubt that they can do it and that they have a solid plan, and that's
exciting. Panic delivers on polish and that alone is very appealing. RubyMine
for example is really great in terms of function, but it feels clunky as hell
at times. It feels like the beastly Java app that it is. I respect the work
JetBrains does on their platform more than enough to pay for it, but there's a
ton of room for polish!
I'm eagerly waiting to give the beta a test run anyway. The prospect of a new
tool to play with is always exciting, and I've never used a tool from Panic
that I didn't enjoy.
~~~
pvg
Panic's tools are native and have real macOS UIs. This is a very well-trodden
path for small companies to make money selling tools in fields that are
typically not huge moneymakers because of free competition.
~~~
craiga
This is why I'm excited about Nova. I'm still using TextMate despite
Sublime/VS Code/whatever having way more features just because a non-native UI
makes me feel icky.
------
joshstrange
I LOVED Coda, it was my first "real" editor (a step up from NP++) but now that
I'm using IDEA I can't imagine going back to something with such a small
market cap/plugin developer ecosystem. I wish Panic the best (and I still love
them as a company) but I just don't see Coda/Nova being worth it (price or
ecosystem-wise) just to have a beautiful editor. Maybe I'll try a trial when
it comes out but it just looks... less powerful... that I really need from my
editor.
All that said Panic is awesome and the breadth of what they do (Mac Apps, iOS
App, Games, handheld gaming hardware) is crazy. I wish they would show Prompt
some more love as I fear that is slowly being abandoned and I'll have to find
an alternative SSH iOS client.
~~~
irq
Termius is an excellent alternative. (I am a happy user, and unaffiliated.)
[https://www.termius.com/](https://www.termius.com/)
~~~
joshstrange
If it was a one-time purchase I'd be interested but I don't want or need a
full terminal replacement across all my platforms. I just want a solid iOS SSH
client and I'm willing to pay (I already paid for Prompt and Prompt 2 along
with a handful of other SSH clients that I've since discarded).
------
lcnmrn
VS Code + fork.dev + TablePlus + Insomnia lets you achieve a lot more for
free.
~~~
norswap
Didn't know TablePlus, so looked it up. Looks very interesting, but it isn't
free: [https://tableplus.io/pricing](https://tableplus.io/pricing) (doesn't
even seem to be trialware).
~~~
lcnmrn
It's free and has limited tabs (2). But it's fast and works better than
DBeaver or other Electron based solutions.
------
GlenTheMachine
Honest question here:
I was a user of Textmate for Mac for years. I'm not a web developer, so I just
needed it as a programming text editor. But it wasn't updated for, like, a
decade.
Then I discovered Atom. I know a lot of people who don't like Electron apps,
but honestly, it's been fabulous for me.
At this point is there any reason to go back to a paid text editor like Coda
or TextMate?
~~~
whywhywhywhy
> I was a user of Textmate for Mac for years .... But it wasn't updated for,
> like, a decade
Still a Textmate user, it was updated 16 days ago.
Honestly I'm so close to moving full time to Windows on all machines for
performance reasons, Textmate is the only reason I use a MBP for my laptop.
~~~
GlenTheMachine
It’s good that they’re updating it again. I stopped using it about two years
ago.
------
rcarmo
I like the idea of a Mac-native code editor (although I spend most of my time
inside vim or VS Code). Regardless of all the alternatives, it might be worth
pointing out that Coda was really good, but that its extension ecosystem and
language support was... well, limited.
I hope they have a real solution for that this time around, since I eventually
stopped using Coda even for relatively common stuff like Python.
------
MatekCopatek
TBH screenshots look very similar to Visual Studio Code/Sublime Text/Atom as
far as functionality goes (there's a terminal, code outline, file browser,
linter errors, quick command popup, ...).
Not saying that's a bad thing, far from it, but they're calling it "totally
rethought". What am I missing?
~~~
pvg
They've rethought their existing editor product, 'Coda'. They're telling you
it's not just what they have now with some tweaks and features.
------
parliament32
Meta but about the design on this site: that slanted line/text format made me
super uncomfortable for no good reason. And all the pink-on-black... ugh.
~~~
hombre_fatal
Counter-opinion: I loved both of those things. And love the idea of having
completely different themes depending on context (local vs remote editing).
------
mfrye0
Idk if it's just me, but it hurt my eyes to look at that site. The dark
background and red/pink font were too much.
Apart from that, it looks awesome.
------
jhbhjjhvhjkgh
I get that Panic is a mac shop, and they make great platform-specific software
but...
I recently ditched macos as a dev alongside a handful of my friends. The wall
is cracking due to a combination of Apple's poor hardware (mbp kb) and
Microsoft's frantic efforts to catch up.
The fact of the matter is that if you work on a team, you probably have a
pretty standard set of tools and runtime environment. And, mac only tools
exclude both linux and windows users, but also people who have existing
configurations.
But the biggest barrier, as I see it, is that there's no midrange space. You
have the "low end" of free tools, like vs code, and high end (IdeaJ). I just
don't see value in paying for an editor if it doesn't go "all the way".
So yeah, it's easy to armchair strategize, but I just don't see who this is
for other than existing coda users. Or maybe, that's enough. They know better
than I do, after all.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Tool to post new referrers from Google Analytics to Slack? - mmohebbi
I'm starting to build a tool that I imagine already exists. I want to have all new referrers from the real time section of Google Analytics be posted to a Slack channel. Hard requirements are:<p>1. Based on the real time data from Google Analytics. E.g. no one day time lag. No data from crawling the web.<p>2. Use Google Analytics Real Time API or something else approved by Google so it isn't going to get Google blocking my analytics account.<p>3. Only posts referrers that have never been seen before, or never been seen for some trailing X day window.
======
omgmog
The way I'd approach this would be something like this:
\- Set up a cron job to check the real-time API for changes to your referrers
\- when a new referrer is detected, talk to Slack via their WebHooks
integration service
You could use Google's App Engine (and Scheduled Tasks with Cron for Python)
for the cron job,
[https://cloud.google.com/appengine/docs/python/config/cron](https://cloud.google.com/appengine/docs/python/config/cron)
Read more about the WebHooks integration service here:
[https://slack.com/services/new/incoming-
webhook](https://slack.com/services/new/incoming-webhook)
~~~
mmohebbi
Thanks for the response. totally agree that it's quite possible and with
AppEngine it would be pretty easy. The reason I was asking here was to see if
someone had already built it.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Hackers crack Apple's iTunes gift card algorithm - sahaj
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/03/10/hackers_crack_apples_itunes_gift_card_algorithm.html
======
eli
Why does this need an algorithm at all? Why not make them all random numbers?
People have to connect to your server to redeem them anyway.
Sounds like sloppy design.
~~~
dkokelley
_Sounds like sloppy design._
Possibly. It looks like they've found a way to accurately 'guess' the codes
Apple has already generated and distributed to be sold. The only thing for
Apple to do now is recall the cards with the possibly compromised numbers and
re-issue new ones with a randomly generated number.
This reminds me of when Vista came out. Someone found a way to get legitimate
activation keys to activate their pirated copies, which meant that people
buying them off of the shelf couldn't activate because that key was already
used.
~~~
eli
Well, if they're actually random, that would be impossible beyond, perhaps,
brute forcing the validation server.
------
aneesh
Suppose you're running the team at Apple that works on the iTunes gift codes.
What do you do here to cut your losses?
Obviously change the algorithm used to generate the codes for a start. And
even though the codes themselves are indistinguishable from real codes, you
can probably detect patterns in their use (ie, someone from a town in China
who's never had an iTunes account before suddenly buys $100 of music) and
prevent a subset those codes from being redeemed (with some very small amount
of false positives).
What else would you do?
~~~
huhtenberg
It might've been not the _algorithm_ that got broken, but, say, a private
(RSA) signing key was recovered. It all really depends on how exactly the
whole thing is designed.
------
zyb09
I'm really surprised they don't store all sold gift keys in some kind of
database and rely solely on an algorithm.
~~~
anamax
What do you think that Apple should do when it detects someone trying to
redeem a "bogus" gift key?
If they reject it, there's now a good chance that they've rejected a
redemption request by a legit customer.
~~~
zyb09
What? No, just store every key that you officially sell in an internal
database. Now if someone enters a key you check if it's in your DB, therefore
if the key has been legitimately issued. Everything else gets rejected and
your now 100% counterfeit safe, unless someone hacks your database, which is
unlikely. Don't wanna pick on apple, but that's pretty much how things like
that are done.
~~~
whughes
What's your definition of 'sell'? Should Best Buy report back to Apple
whenever a card is sold? Or are we just talking about shipping to retail?
There's also probably a chance of collision, considering the volume of iTunes
certificates Apple probably sells.
~~~
zyb09
Well, in case of retail cards the keys are registered before shipping. You
give the manufacture a set of registered keys, which are then printed on the
cards. If done right you won't have any issues - that's exactly what people
are doing with CD-Keys or Prepaid-Cards. However, if you mess up (can't always
avoid mistakes) and have shipped invalid keys or may be the key-printer didn't
work right, you have the customer send you the certificate card and you can
refund him.
It's by far the better system than using just a algorithm-based genuine check,
especially for things that directly translate into money, like gift
certificates.
------
rscott
I saw this story earlier today and I must say I'm still very skeptical about
the truth behind it. I don't really buy it, sorry.
~~~
modoc
What don't you buy?
Many serial number protected commercial applications have had their algorithms
for validating a SN cracked and Key Generators spit out any number of valid
serials for them.
Why would they use an fixed algorithm like that instead of using a good random
generator and maintaining a database of valid codes? Perhaps they want the
redemption side to not be reliant upon a backend code lookup and validation
system (due to uptime, performance, etc...). Perhaps they thought no one would
break it, and that would save them from having to build a high availability,
low latency, high throughput, lookup system with some amazingly large database
tables.
~~~
rscott
I don't buy it because I don't think that these iTunes gift cards are
activated until you purchase them.
------
mhb
Is it possible that Apple might not mind so much if this encourages people to
buy more iPods at the expense of music sales? Depends on the relative margins,
I guess.
~~~
mlinsey
A $200 gift card going for the equivalent of $2.60 (and zero of that 2.60
going to Apple)? I would expect that right there is higher than the profit
margin of an iPod.
~~~
lukifer
Since Apple has to turn around and pay 70% of that $200 to the copyright
holders of the purchased content, I'm sure they stand to lose quite a lot more
than they could possibly gain.
------
fatbat
I am more curious as to how the hacker even start on cracking the algorithm.
Do you suppose the hacker spent alot of $$$ on the real gift cards in the
first place then go from there?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Arianna Huffington: Sexism isn't a 'systemic problem' at Uber - ZoeZoeBee
http://money.cnn.com/2017/03/20/technology/arianna-huffington-uber-quest-means-business/
======
seijaku
Given everything that has happened over the last few months this unfortunately
comes across as sounding pretty apologist...
------
draw_down
Trash.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Any point in opening up bank account prior to forming company? - a_lifters_life
I mean opening a business bank account prior to actually legally forming a company?
======
code_Whisperer
It's likely that you won't be able to open a business account UNTIL the
company is formed. Most banks will ask for copies of your articles of
formation/incorporation, documents showing your right to do business in the
state you're in, etc.
~~~
cimmanom
This.
On the flip side, if you're working on a side project you want to monetize but
don't want to bother incorporating until you get a bit of traction, then yes,
in the interim it can be worthwhile to keep the finances separate in a
separate personal bank account for accounting and tax purposes.
~~~
code_Whisperer
Agreed, but caution is warranted here. (IANAL, but...) Ask yourself if you are
willing to risk personal liability at that early stage by essentially
operating as a 'sole proprietor' instead of taking the steps to create a new
entity that is separate from yourself. For some businesses this may be fine,
but it's certainly something to evaluate. For example, if you are (e.g.)
aggregating information from various places on the web and then simply
presenting it to users, that has a much different liability footprint compared
to (e.g.) a dog walking business (what happens if a dog you're walking is run
over by a bus?) or (e.g.) catering (what happens if your clients get food
poisoning?) etc. In short, it would behoove you to ask a business attorney
this question so that she can evaluate your business model and give you a
recommendation.
~~~
cimmanom
Also a very good point!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Hacking the CloudPets Unicorn with Web Bluetooth - pdjstone
https://www.contextis.com/resources/blog/hacking-unicorns-web-bluetooth/
======
mikekij
It's amazing how many BLE devices are this easily hackable. I'm not a software
engineer by any means, and I've been able to make at least 6 different BLE
devices in my house do bad things using this sort of approach.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Is Hainan the new “blockchain island?” Meet the contenders - HipGeeks
https://decrypt.co/12887/is-hainan-the-new-blockchain-island-meet-the-contenders
======
pretfood
My money is always on China.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Software Update changes in the latest macOS releases - bangonkeyboard
https://lapcatsoftware.com/articles/software-update.html
======
bangonkeyboard
Ignoring software updates is deprecated.
The ability to ignore individual updates will be removed in a future release of macOS.
Fuck this.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ruling Passions (an essay on David Hume) - gruseom
http://www.philosophypress.co.uk/?p=1941
======
quinndupont
Wow, HN just combined two of my loves: computers and philosophy. How many
others are interested in philosophy on HN?
~~~
noblethrasher
Triple majored in mathematics, history and philosophy; now working as a
developer. Hume is among my favorite philosophers and I'm working on a web app
inspired by his stuff.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Thinking critically about and researching algorithms [pdf] - lainon
http://futuredata.stanford.edu/classes/cs345s/handouts/kitchin.pdf
======
rodionos
It's an essay on algorithms in general, not related specifically to computer
sciences. They talk about algorithms in journalism, for instance. The
difference between algorithms, techniques, approaches and other terms they use
is rather blurry.
------
jasode
The "critical thinking" Rob Kitchin is talking about is analyzing algorithms'
impact with a _social_ lens. Because algorithms affect people's lives, we
shouldn't be content with letting them be opaque black boxes.
It seems to have overlap with the themes in the book by Ed Finn _" What
Algorithms Want - Imagination in the Age of Computing"_.[1]
Both say that algorithms are intensely studied from a _technical_ perspective.
E.g. O(log n) is better than O(n^2), etc.
Their idea is that the algorithms themselves are creating their own "culture"
or "reality" and this should be studied through the lens of "humanities" or
"sociology" instead of just "mathematics".
E.g. neural net or statistics algorithm computes that Person A is better
credit risk than Person B. However, observers notice that Person B is always
black and therefore claim that algorithms are (re)creating racial inequality.
Or algorithms that provide sentencing guidelines for convicted felons. Or
algorithms that diagnose medical problems.
Other writings with somewhat similar themes:
\- Cathy O'Neil, _" Weapons of Math Destruction - How Big Data Increases
Inequality and Threatens Democracy"_[2]
\- Eli Pariser, _" The Filter Bubble"_[3]
There doesn't seem a universal term coined that generalizes the ideas in all 4
of those books but nevertheless, I'm sure more and more writers will notice
they are talking about similar ideas.
Side observation about language usage... What I notice in all 4 books is that
authors are using the word _" algorithms"_ as a catch-all term for _" machine
learning"_. They're not really concerned about building-block algorithms such
as "quick sort" or "discrete Fourier transform". What they're all talking
about is "Facebook machine learning" is imposing X on us, or "Google's machine
learning" is making us think Y. For some reason, the word "algorithm" has
gained more currency than "machine learning" in these pop science books.
[1] [https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/what-algorithms-
want](https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/what-algorithms-want)
[2] [https://www.amazon.com/Weapons-Math-Destruction-Increases-
In...](https://www.amazon.com/Weapons-Math-Destruction-Increases-
Inequality/dp/0553418815)
[3] [https://www.amazon.com/Filter-Bubble-Personalized-
Changing-T...](https://www.amazon.com/Filter-Bubble-Personalized-Changing-
Think/dp/0143121235)
~~~
gatlinnewhouse
There are some books which are more concerned with algorithms (in the correct
sense of the term) within the field of Software Studies/Digital
Humanities/Critical Code Studies.
Some books and articles:
[1] _Protocol_ by Alexander Galloway
[2] _10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1));:GOTO 10_ by Nick Montfort et al
[3] _On "Sourcery" or Code as Fetish_ by Wendy Hui Kyong Chun
[4] _The Exploit_ by Alexander Galloway and Eugene Thacker
I can list many more.
There was also a doctoral seminar taught by Alexander Galloway at NYU in 2010
called The Politics of Code. The reason Galloway's name pops up a ton is that
he worked with r-s-g.org and has a fair amount of experience coding in
addition to his academic credentials in literary theory.
------
pzh
This is probably off-topic, but I find it a bit irritating that in an article
about 'critical thinking' the author is quoting a 2012 paper by some Miyazaki
to explain the origin of the word 'algorithm'. I thought we knew about al-
khwarizmi long before 2012 and that it is good form that when you present a
new fact or discovery, you should try to cite the original research rather
than somebody who wrote about it last week.
~~~
gumby
He's doing it because he uses the word "algorithm" in a broader sense than
simply mathematical formalism.
I am not particularly sure I agree with this approach but his use of that
particular reference is appropriate in this case. In fact good, since he has a
non-standard (or at least nonstandard outside _his_ discipline) usage of the
term. Domain-specific jargon that is still too new to have become completely
institutionalized.
~~~
theoh
No, I disagree. I think he's doing it because he is building on Miyazaki's
work (he refers to it multiple times).
What's sad about this work is that Kitchin isn't really interested in having a
technical discussion. Github is apparently "a code library", and where
decompilation should have been mentioned, it is absent.
A technical collaborator would have improved the paper in those ways, and
assuredly others.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
From Zero to Podcast in 10 Hours - phprida
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/from-zero-podcast-10-hours-john-valentine?trk=hp-feed-article-title-publish
======
chenster
10 hours is a long time.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
A Google bot scrapes pricing info by adding items to carts - psim1
https://www.wsj.com/articles/who-is-the-mystery-shopper-leaving-behind-all-those-online-shopping-carts-11593617464
======
whoisjuan
This bot is simply trying to get the final price (with tax and shipping) which
is ridiculous because e-commerce storefronts should do that in the first place
without going through the whole checkout process.
I always have found that kind of shady but it's probably known to increase
conversions.
What I found interesting is that this an open attack vector for e-commerces.
Multiple bots can hit a website and start adding items and start the checkout
process. This basically creates an unprecedented cart behavior data influx
that ruins any possible usage for data coming from legit customers. Maybe
cleaning the data wouldn't be that hard but if someone knows what they are
doing they can really make it hard (separate IPs, emails and cart behavior)
I doubt Shopify or Magento have anything to prevent this.
~~~
mmcconnell1618
Not all shipping charges can be calculated ahead of time. For example, you may
offer free shipping on orders over $50. You may charge $9.99 for the first
item, $5.99 for each additional item. You may charge by weight of the whole
order. You may have oversized items or packages that can be combined to reduce
shipping charges. Some items may ship together as OTR Freight, while others
can go via the local postal service. Buying multiple items changes this
calculation.
So, yes, you can estimate shipping for a single item but you can't always
present the per-item shipping charge as it depends on the context of the whole
order.
~~~
chrisan
How does that change by having the bot add items to the cart? You haven't
solved anything
You are still left with the same scenario as if the store listed the
individual shipping price on the front page
Google isn't going to know what other items you _might_ add to show you a
"real" shipping cost
~~~
hrktb
I’d assume parent’s point is regarding the “which is ridiculous because
e-commerce storefronts should do that in the first place without going through
the whole checkout process.” part.
There’s a lot of legitimate case were showing shipping price upfront is just
not doable or valuable to the customer.
BTW there are a surprising amount of shops for specialized goods that won’t
even list the final price at the end. The customer places an order, and they
update it with a finalized price after a human looks at the content, and from
there the customer is free to pay the transaction or give up the order.
~~~
zoomablemind
Even the Y2K-style ecommerce stores usually had a separate S&H section for
some guidance. These days the H part (handling) seems less in vogue (perhaps
still common on ebay), while S part is pretty predictable if not free.
It's the T (taxes) part that may be still a tipping point these days, but it's
just between vendor and your state,
~~~
hrktb
We are in agreement that there needs to be explanation on what's going on, and
not just "we'll set some price yon won't know why".
In my experience, the most fluctuations were on international shipping by
small vendors. Lego bricks for instance, where it makes a big difference if
you request 5 small pieces that weight 20g total and can wait 3 months, or if
it's 500+g in a middle sized box and you want it in 2 days.
Even with average indication on what to expect, depending on the combination
you are requesting the vendor might use a different carrier, different
shipping method and so on. They could make it more simple with a range of
arbitrary standard fees, but then it costs a lot more to the customer, putting
the vendor at a disadvantage price wise. In particular people have visceral
reactions to overly high shipping prices.
------
soganess
For people saying this to calculate the final price with shipping and tax,
it's not (or at least not entirely). It is for this new sales conversion dark
pattern where prices aren't listed until you add to cart.
Ebay sellers are particularly bad offenders: [https://www.ebay.com/itm/Open-
Box-Certified-Samsung-Galaxy-1...](https://www.ebay.com/itm/Open-Box-
Certified-Samsung-Galaxy-13-3-4K-Ultra-HD-Touch-Screen-
Chromeboo/203028862820?epid=21037915306&hash=item2f45769764:g:IM4AAOSwq4Nesuii)
~~~
abiogenesis
Google disagrees with you:
> When The Wall Street Journal contacted Google in June, a spokesman at the
> internet giant, after a few days of digging, provided an update: The mystery
> shopper is a bot of its own creation. The purpose: making sure the all-in
> price for the product, including tax and shipping, matches the listing on
> its Google Shopping platform or in advertisements.
~~~
leeoniya
this is what we've seen as well. it validates that whatever price, promo,
shipping and taxes you've put into your feed is what ends up in the final
checkout and there's no bait-and-switch going on between the feed and reality.
it's rather annoying because it creates dozens of "abandoned" carts per day
which we have to continually clear out (based on Google's known ip address
ranges) so our reps can go through actual abandoned carts.
------
vmception
That sparked a funny idea in my head, what if we tricked product managers
industry wide to follow KPIs and A/B tests that resulted in a better user
experience for consumers, instead of experiences that coincidentally slightly
upticked "engagement".
Because it seems like this mystery shopper is already doing that.
~~~
maltelandwehr
„Messing up your competitors A/B test“ is not unheard of as a tactic in highly
competitive ecommerce settings.
~~~
withinboredom
Do software engineers actually implement that? That seems pretty immoral. I'd
rather let them run the a/b test and steal whatever solution they end up with.
~~~
st1ck
I can't find reasons why would this be immoral. I'd say it's rather aggressive
and won't earn you good reputation for sure. But it's sort of fair game.
Compared to many business practices (lobbying, forced arbitration, patent
trolling, DMCA, price dumping etc.) this is extremely mild one.
~~~
habosa
Generally active sabotage is frowned upon as opposed to winning in fair
competition.
------
advisedwang
[http://archive.is/YRkQe](http://archive.is/YRkQe)
~~~
maltelandwehr
Thanks! I was not aware you could use Web Archive for that. All the more
reason to Love that site!
~~~
kqr
I'm not sure archive.is and archive.org are the same site.
~~~
mobilio
They're not same!
------
yongjik
robots.txt, man, if you don't want search engines to visit certain part of
your page, use robots.txt!
Once heard a tale of an angry site owner calling Google (back when Google
itself was novel) - Google deleted his whole website! Turned out he had
"DELETE" button in each page, which generated plain GET request. So Googlebot
visited the site, followed links to every page, and then of course followed
every link that generated GET requests - because they are supposed to be safe.
Don't be like that site owner.
~~~
YetAnotherNick
How do I use robots.txt to tell google to not add item to the shopping cart?
~~~
yongjik
Erm... hide the shopping cart page behind robots.txt?
~~~
kabacha
As someone who has seen way too many robots.txt files that's exactly how you
do it.
------
justinwp
Protip: You will often get a discount coupon if you go through most of the
checkout process(need to provide email), but wait a couple days. Many stores
automate abandoned checkout promotions.
~~~
bradlys
Yes! This is also something that is common with smaller online retailers.
Don't expect this with B&H, Adorama, or Newegg. Frequently these small
companies give one time codes you won't see or be able to gain elsewhere.
------
danimal88
It's just price data collection. In particular, MAP policies can be skirted by
not publishing a final price but having a price below MAP in the cart which is
a common tactic that online sellers utilize. By pretending to walk through the
cart, all sorts of data about pricing, taxes, etc. can be learned. It's not
entirely uncommon to see different prices at different times, for different
user agents, for different locations, etc. Used to work for a company that
build huge price collection systems and built many of them...
~~~
Drdrdrq
MAP == Minimum Advertised Price
------
Alupis
The real problem with this is from the merchant side of things.
This bot generates thousands of "Abandoned Carts" on one of our sites...
thousands...
We send cart reminders to Abandoned Carts after a few days, sometimes with a
coupon offer to complete checkout.
This bot is responsible for thousands of bounced emails each week, which
impacts our metrics with Mandrill among other things.
Maybe we shouldn't care, but it's sloppy and ruins all sorts of stats we keep
track of regarding cart abandonment rates, recapture rates and more.
~~~
SquareWheel
>We send cart reminders to Abandoned Carts after a few days, sometimes with a
coupon offer to complete checkout.
I consider this spammy behaviour, and mark the emails as such. I can only hope
this discourages such practices in the future.
~~~
Alupis
It doesn't. If you mark it as Spam through most email programs, it's reported
to the sender (Mandrill in our case) and Mandrill automatically black-lists
your email address so we don't continue to send to someone that doesn't want
the emails.
That's a win-win.
~~~
matchbok
Still an annoying and anti-consumer practice. Another "growth marketing"
tactic that doesn't take into account the number of people who never visit
that site again because of the spammy stuff.
~~~
Alupis
The overwhelming majority of folks aren't so principled as to black-ball a
website they like, selling products they like, from brands they like, and
prices they like all because they received a cart reminder email with a
special coupon inside.
Maybe you are? Just don't project that onto everyone else.
------
rkagerer
Are there legal implications to Google bots transacting with websites under
false pretenses?
I mean their normal web crawler identifies itself as such. Here, I feel like
they're committing (very) minor fraud by putting in fake shopper information
and actively hiding their identity. Not a big deal if it were just some Joe
Schmoe somewhere, but at their scale might it border on harassment? The robot
equivalent of a prank call?
~~~
the_pwner224
Probably a violation of the CFAA. Lots of people hate it because they think
it's overreaching, and lots of companies use it to legally threaten scrapers
and security research. But in this case Google is doing mass unauthorized use
of other people's computers.
~~~
shadowgovt
If I'm doing price comparison between online vendors, I will---as a human---
put some items in the cart and get right to the edge of checkout to determine
what my final bill would be. I may not close the sale if I'm looking at a
better option elsewhere.
How is what I'm doing materially different from what Google's doing? Is scale
a factor that matters for CFAA?
~~~
lmm
Maybe you _are_ violating the CFAA by doing that? It's a very broad law.
------
vmateixeira
Genuine question, is this not considered a DoS attack?
Let's imagine I have my online stock linked to limited physical items/assets,
ex tickets for a show, which will get reserved for a period of time. This will
be preventing genuine clients from buying them.
~~~
Mizza
I'm thinking - if I forbid this in my site's Terms of Service, will DoJ go
after Google for CFAA violations like they did to Aaron?
~~~
vmateixeira
Yeah.. probably depend$ on how _loud_ you can make yourself heard..
RIP Aaron
------
tacon
Would it be too much for Google to program the bot to get the final price, and
then delete all the items from the cart? Seems rather rude, even for Google.
~~~
disposekinetics
Is abandoning a cart really rude behavior? I sometimes do it just to see if
they'll spam me as a test of if I want to do business with a site.
~~~
jawns
It's not rude at a consumer level, where (in general) you're at least
considering making the purchase. It's arguably rude at a bot level, depending
on the frequency, where there is 0% chance of conversion.
~~~
dragonwriter
The entire purpose of the bot is to provide listings to consumers who are
looking to buy.
If it was consumer journalist doing it to get the price for a news article (in
a for-profit publication) about the product, would it be “rude”? If not, how
is it for Google bot?
~~~
jsnell
Because bots will do it at a much larger scale than individual humans. The
first law of web robotics applies here: the bot should not harm the website
it's crawling, or through inaction allow it to come to harm.
I didn't read the article due to the paywall, but I assume that the problem is
that the problem is that these goods are reserved for that (non)-customer
until the shopping cart times out? That is directly costing the merchant
money, either in lost sales or having to maintain extra inventory.
So yeah, that bot really should have been programmed to end the session with
an empty basket one way or another.
------
leoh
Such a bot could be used to damage ad tracking
------
doe88
I wouldn't fault them for that, I've observed some sites most likely are
gaming the system by detecting and providing Google bots with artificially
lower prices so that they would appear in indexes summaries and then when you
access the product, its real price is always higher than the one reported in
the index.
~~~
dylz
yep, I see this type of behaviour constantly - faked prices for Gbot, fake
prices on Cache, significantly higher price for end user.
It's also infuriating to sort by price and get inflated fake shipping prices
to "make up the total"
------
madmax108
I used to work at a company that provided APIs used for
search/personalization/autosuggest for a whole bunch of huge e-commerce
companies. Since the entire integration with the customer site was API based,
we worked off of tracking pixels, API requests and cookies to determine
shopping behaviour. A lot of this went into determining things like ranking
(If someone searches "Tshirt" what shows up on the first page and in what
order etc.)
Since we were only running search and not payment processing, the tracking
pixel/API for "Add to Cart" was a big thing for us. The whole product ran on
revenue-share so we were paid per X ATCs
Interesting to see if any of the customers were affected by bots doing ATC and
how it was handled if it was.
------
aaron695
Digital shopping cart abandonment/Inventory Exhaustion/Hoarder bots is an
interesting type of DDOS.
There's a popular moment of people using it atm
[https://heavy.com/news/2020/06/shopping-card-abandonment-
tik...](https://heavy.com/news/2020/06/shopping-card-abandonment-tiktok/)
------
amelius
It would be cool if Google could manage to become a storefront for the entire
web, thereby eliminating Amazon.
~~~
murgindrag
For Google (or anyone) to become a storefront for the entire web, they'd need
to handle scams (and errors) well.
eBay is a cesspool. Aliexpress is worse. Random web sites are bad. Amazon
isn't perfect, but it's better.
Amazon also has customer service; they've always made me whole. Random web
sites, I'm basically SOL. Aliexpress and eBay are random. Someone flips a
coin, heads seller wins, tails buyer wins, regardless of who the scammer is.
I mostly buy from Amazon since my odds of not having problems are that much
higher.
~~~
ihumanable
Exactly this, the customer service for the average consumer from Amazon is
very difficult to beat and is Google's biggest weakness.
Bought some cables from Amazon Basic, one ended up not working, another had
some cosmetic damage but works fine. They refunded both, sent out
replacements, and just told me to discard them, it wasn't worth it for Amazon
to pay to have it shipped back.
Of course if you abuse this too much Amazon will ban you. If you are an honest
consumer though, their customer service generally provides a great experience.
I still remember a time when everyone was afraid of purchasing stuff over the
internet, Amazon has so greatly reduced the friction and concern that
sometimes I find myself going from "hmm, I need something" to "it will be here
tomorrow" in the matter of a minute or two.
Although more competition in this space would ultimately benefit the consumer,
it seems unlikely that Google is going to be the source of that competition.
They've got shopping results integrated into their search engine, and it's a
feature I've maybe browsed from time to time, but I often just end up
searching and purchasing on amazon directly. I don't know if I would be super
comfortable purchasing from Google in the same way that I am with Amazon, too
many horror stories of App Developers / YouTube Creators / etc getting caught
in some sort of Machine Learning Customer Support system.
Curious if others use the Google Shopping thing in the search engine and what
their experiences are with it.
~~~
amelius
> Exactly this, the customer service for the average consumer from Amazon is
> very difficult to beat and is Google's biggest weakness.
Amazon's customer service is a robot, which switches to someone in a
callcenter in India, and then finally switches to a local person. I know
because I recently had to contact them.
Not sure how this is "difficult to beat".
~~~
murgindrag
It's difficult to beat because prices are a race to the bottom, and small
players have no effective way to build up and manage reputations.
If I need a widget, and Vendor A charges a buck, while Vendor B charges two
bucks, all else being equal, I'll buy from Vendor A. Bad customer service
helps both vendors compete with each other, but prevents small companies,
collectively, from competing with Amazon.
On eBay, small players do manage reputations, but only for a few weeks. If a
product fails (or is discovered to be a fake) after 60 days, the seller is all
good. Next sucker! There are things I'll buy there, but far more I won't.
Google itself has the problem that culturally, it relies on algorithms which
know better than you do, and is not a service company. It does great tech, but
holds human being outside of Google in open contempt. That's find for running
a search engine, adwords, or gmail, but it crashes-and-burns for ecommerce.
------
caser
This feels like a great way to get data on how all these different e-commerce
companies approach remarketing.
------
Keyframe
I think I've seen most Google's technologies dissected and/or explained in
detail over the years. Lots of their own papers too. If you look into how and
what they're doing regarding data collection, including scraping, there's
nothing.
------
baybal2
Funny, a one quick gig I did in my college years was to write a shopping bot
protection against "guaranteed lowest price" scraper like tigerdirect, or RFD.
Back then, the goal was exactly the opposite.
------
Youden
When and why did news cease being news and start being short stories and
opinion? This entire article could have been cut down to the last few
paragraphs and nothing of value would have been lost.
Look at The New York Times in 1921 [0]. Generally the stories are factual and
to the point. The entire front page seems to be pure news. There's very little
storytelling here, at most there are a few timelines of events.
Look at The New York Times today [1]. There's a bunch of factual and useful
Coronavirus information but ~15% of the page is dedicated to "Opinion", the
second article appears to be pure speculation, the third article is a bunch of
storytime fluff around a little bit of news and the front page has a mix of
actual news and opinion pieces being passed off as news.
When did this happen? Why? Did people lose interest in actual news? Is there
less actual news to report?
Perhaps this is regional? Take for example the story about the San Quentin
prison. NYTimes [2] has the same drawn out nonsense as this Google story while
Aljazeera [3] adds a lot of background but sticks to factual reporting.
[0]:
[https://archive.org/details/NYTimes_jul16_31_1921](https://archive.org/details/NYTimes_jul16_31_1921)
[1]: [http://archive.is/oiiXU](http://archive.is/oiiXU)
[2]: [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/30/us/san-quentin-prison-
cor...](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/30/us/san-quentin-prison-
coronavirus.html)
[3]: [https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/07/san-quentin-prison-
se...](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/07/san-quentin-prison-
sees-600-coronavirus-cases-5-days-200701192059040.html)
~~~
supernova87a
Maybe you don't know this, but the "A-hed" article of the WSJ is the humorous,
light-hearted take on some cultural phenomenon that appears every couple of
days. It's got a distinct separation (graphically) from the rest of the news,
and is written not to be taken too seriously. (It's not so apparent in the
online version, if you haven't read it before).
So you don't have to worry that it's some broad decline in journalistic
standards (at least based on this)... The WSJ is one of the few quite
reputable news rooms out there.
You can read about A-hed articles here:
[https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303362404575580...](https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303362404575580494180594982)
And there was even a book published a few years ago with collections of these
kinds of amusing stories: [https://www.amazon.com/Floating-Off-Page-Stories-
Journals/dp...](https://www.amazon.com/Floating-Off-Page-Stories-
Journals/dp/074322664X)
~~~
harry8
> The WSJ is one of the few quite reputable news rooms out there.
The WSJ is owned by Rupert Murdoch. The credibility of their newsroom begins
being compromised by his owning it. He will destroy its credibility utterly by
selling it for politicial influence in news reporting. Just as he has
everywhere he has bought media. The particular example of compromised
credibility that comes to mind is the Times of London which is now Murdoch
propaganda (all be it vastly more polite than fox news) where it used to do
credible news reporting. Times reporting now can still be excellent but has a
"be cautious" flag on it that it used not to have in the days prior to Mudoch.
The man has become vastly worse in the past couple of decades as has
everything he touches.
~~~
amadeuspagel
Murdoch bought the WSJ in 2007. When is he going to start destroying its
credibility "utterly"?
~~~
SquishyPanda23
Uh have you read their commentary/opinions? Half the time they come off as if
they're trolling.
I'm sure at one point they were a thinking man's newspaper. At this point
they're just fan service for people who have drunk the koolaid but can't
stomach Fox's mass market approach.
~~~
harry8
To be fair the WSJ has always had some pretty outlandish opinion pieces. The
tradition was that these were separate to the news reporting and the news
reporting was untouched by them. But now it's in Murdoch stable. Sad.
------
ycombonator
Google product Growth hack: Fake it Until you make it
------
hbarka
Didn’t some #tiktokteens do the same with some guy’s web store?
~~~
moneywoes
Sorry, what is the context here?
------
s1k3s
Is this supposed to intrigue me? Good bot
------
tudorw
Nice, I think it has my CC details )
------
ardy42
> When The Wall Street Journal contacted Google in June, a spokesman at the
> internet giant, after a few days of digging, provided an update: The mystery
> shopper is a bot of its own creation.
> The purpose: making sure the all-in price for the product, including tax and
> shipping, matches the listing on its Google Shopping platform or in
> advertisements. It wasn’t to cause angst to merchants due to thousands of
> abandoned carts.
> “We use automated systems to ensure consumers are getting accurate pricing
> information from our merchants,” a company spokesman said. “This sometimes
> leads to merchants seeing abandoned carts as a result of our system testing
> whether the price displayed matches the price at checkout.”
You'd think they could have better identified themselves in accounts they were
creating rather than creating this mysterious "John Smith" persona. Maybe
"GoogleBot PriceVerifier" would have been a better choice.
edit: remove my inaccurate confusion about something, and fix quotes that I'd
copied from a plagiarized version of the article.
~~~
bluGill
They need to be non traceable. If I'm doing something underhanded with pricing
information I want to detect Google and other such bots and give them
different information.
~~~
inetknght
You really think it's wise to lie to your customers?
~~~
its_dario
No, and that's not their point.
They're saying if they were to lie to their customers, they'd want to make
sure they're deceiving Google. In that case, having an easy way to detect that
it's Google would make that trivial.
------
Animats
Now even the WSJ has clickbait titles. Should have been "Google price-checking
system annoying merchants".
~~~
hyperrail
This is an A Hed, one of the Wall Street Journal's daily funny news stories on
the front page. Other recent ones include:
* Baseball Stadiums Are Closed to Fans - but This Guy's Balcony Is Open for Business
* Americans Craving Contact Ponder New Rules for Throwing a Party in Real Life
* When Your Best Friend in Quarantine Is a Squirrel, You May Be Going Nuts
* Beware of Falling Tofu: China Takes on High-Altitude Littering
* Did You Forget Things During Lockdown? So Did People With Superior Memories
In that context I don't have a problem with the title "Who Is the Mystery
Shopper Leaving Behind Thousands of Online Shopping Carts?".
~~~
agustif
Hahaha That's the NYT website headlines nowadays LOL
------
abofh
Google.
Saved you a click.
~~~
lawnchair_larry
Thanks. “A Google bot scrapes pricing info by adding items to carts” could
have replaced that whole fairy tale that they wanted us to pay for.
~~~
dang
Ok, we'll use yours. Thanks!
I kind of liked the mystery shopper angle, but since there's more than one
complaint in the thread, the guidelines win (" _Please use the original title,
unless it is misleading or linkbait_ ")
[https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html)
------
bravoetch
TL;DR - it's a google bot
~~~
whoisjuan
This is the problem that I have with HN editorializing titles. This comment
made perfect sense and was useful before they changed the title, but now that
is changed it looks like the poster is an idiot who is just saying what the
title says and some people downvote it.
I know HN is not very keen on adding features, but this is one that is missing
for the sake of transparency (seeing if the original title was editorialized)
I understand that the original title was click-bait trash and this one makes
sense, but it would be nice to understand how it changed so certain comments
don’t get de-contextualized.
But I guess is the same problem with editing comments.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
What I Really Do When I Work From Home - johnjlocke
https://medium.com/philosophy-logic/68d1846ddc41
======
poseid
not sure if I get the point, working from home increases the work motivation?
Work from home makes you work less?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Mindstorms: Children, Computers and Powerful Ideas [1993] - ValentineC
http://books.google.com/books?id=HhIEAgUfGHwC&printsec=frontcover&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
======
mflindell
This is probably the most important book I have read in my entire life.
The book started out talking about how to teach children programming but for
me it was more an adventure into how adults minds work and how computers can
be powerful tools to shape society.
Check out some of Marvin Minskys work too, its really eye opening but in a
different kind of way.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: Q&A for HN users - shazad
http://www.askolo.com
======
darxius
I would suggest having MUCH more information about what I'm signing up for
before I actually hand over my information. All I know from the homepage and
the about page is that its some form of Q&A website. You should have
screenshots of what it looks like once you're logged in, better yet, let us
see the questions without being logged in.
~~~
RegEx
Comments like this are almost always the top comment...yet people just can't
seem to get the basics right. I'm not a designer, so I know it's much easier
said than done, but what's up with the blatant refusal to learn from others'
mistakes?
~~~
staunch
Because the complaints are those of a vocal minority. Most people don't worry
about "handing over" their information, viewing screenshots before they sign
up, or if Facebook login is the only option.
Most people just aren't very picky.
~~~
waterlesscloud
I don't mind the handing over information part, but I will almost always leave
a website that wants me to register without showing me what they do. It's
laziness on my part, and I don't complain about it in public, I just don't
sign up for those websites.
Sites like this are just throwing away users for no good reason.
------
gruseom
This is exceptionally well designed and thought through. It seems like it
could be a lot more valuable than just Q&A for HN users, though that's a smart
place to start. I'm impressed with the attention you've paid to some of the
details, like the "Curious" counter.
One thing that has held me back from Quora (apart from needing no new ways to
spend time online) is that absolutely everything seems public, such as who
upvoted what. That makes me uncomfortable, like I'm under a harsh spotlight
all the time. Most of the things I think, or say in conversation, are
tentative and exploratory. I don't want to be publicly committed to them by
default; I want to make that choice myself and be aware that I'm making it,
like posting on HN. I'd be surprised if lots of users didn't feel this way, so
maybe that's an opportunity for you to differentiate yourselves. In any case,
I'd be interested to hear what you've made public and private by default and
what your ideas are on the subject more generally.
It will be interesting to see what this grows into!
~~~
shazad
Thanks for the feedback!
------
shazad
We wanted to a create an interesting space where people can find out about
other users on Hacker News. Let us know your thoughts!
~~~
rednum
I like it and I hope more 'interesting' people will register soon; I think I
should say that before I start whining.
Why didn't you put this (or some sort of similar) information on the landing
page? If I was randomly sent link to your site (ie. without context such as HN
comments or relatively high score) I would have no idea what it is, and leave
forever.
Also I don't like the bar saying ASKOLO on the top - there is no content on
it, and it just takes precious vertical space from my small laptop screen. I
already know where am I, no need to repeat that. The second bar, nagging me to
signup or login is kind of distraction too.
Also, I hope for some filtering features for questions (hide unanswered, hide
comments, hide answers - so I can quickly skim only through the questions - I
think this could be handy when there is more content on the site).
~~~
shazad
Hey rednum, thanks for the feedback. You can do some basic filtering on both
the newsfeed and the individual page if you look right above the questions
section. It's set to show all by default, but I think we can probably do a
better job of making that more prominent.
------
sgdesign
Weird that nobody mentioned AnyAsq, which is pretty much the same thing:
<http://anyasq.com/>
Although Askolo looks better and nicer to use, so hopefully it'll stick
around. I just created my profile, ask me some questions about design!
<http://askolo.com/sachag>
~~~
shazad
Hey sgdesign - thanks for the comments! We wanted to take a different focus
and offer a more conversational format for users vs. an iAmA style site.
We talked to the guys behind AnyAsq a while back and they're working on some
other cool things not in Q&A - we're big fans of the team.
------
rdl
My favorite feature of this site, by far, is "wish". I wanted a service where
you could do exactly what it does -- write a note or ask a question to
someone, without figuring out his address. i.e. I can ask a question to Dan
Loeb, savior of humanity _, without trying to find his email address or get an
introduction; ideally the people at Askolo will go through that effort on my
behalf.
(_ He's the Third Point Ventures investor who has been trying to fix Yahoo's
board for a while, and is about to go to war with Scott Thompson, ideally
resulting in the end of their stupid patent troll misadventure.)
Bringing in top quality experts from outside the Silicon Valley bubble is the
main thing Quora has failed to do (Larry Summers is on there since he's
friends with Marc Bodnick, but not a whole lot of other people like that).
Askolo is probably a better format for that kind of person than Quora is.
~~~
caoxuwen
Thanks rdl! Credit to gschmidt who suggested this feature
------
OmarIsmail
This solves a big pain point that I have with Quora. In the early days when
Quora was in private beta, it was great because "celebrities" like Zuckerberg,
Evan Williams and people like that would answer questions. But as it grew,
particularly after becoming public it just didn't scale and all the elite-
members left for the most part.
By focusing on people it seems like askolo will be able to avoid that fate as
the celebrities won't get drowned out. One danger is to make sure the
celebrities don't get annoyed/hounded too much. Need to strike a balance
between feeding their ego (hey lots of people want to ask me things, sweet!)
and annoying (ugh.. ANOTHER friggin question email). I'm sure you guys will be
able to figure it out.
~~~
shazad
Thanks Omar!
------
jcfrei
had a similar idea a long time ago (ie. ~2 years) and it was called askcue.com
(still online). question sites like these face a huge chicken and egg problem,
because you need people asking and answering... sorry to break it to you, but
you've ventured into a very competitive and difficult (answers.com,
answers.yahoo.com, quora.com, askreddit, formspring.me) section on the
internet. still, best of luck to you!
~~~
shazad
Thanks for the feedback - we're interested in not just Q&A, but really the
idea of people search. We see Q&A as just the medium through which users can
find out more about other people.
------
duggan
Suggestion / Question: the "suggested users" list disappeared after my first
follow, so discovery has become a little tricky.
Does it exist elsewhere? If not, might be a good idea to put it back in.
~~~
caoxuwen
Hi duggan, it is somewhat buggy indeed. People/Content discovery is a major
feature we are working on right now, it will be out next week.
------
eps
_See other profiles_ at the bottom of someone's profile frequently includes
the person him/herself. In general though - it's an excellent idea, but it
appears to be difficult to browse people and/or to search for someone
specific.
(edit) Also I am not clear if everyone's treated equally on the site or if
there are people how are willing to answer questions and the rest - who asks.
I'd say that latter would be a more natural arrangement, and it'd be also
sensible not to require an account to ask a question.
~~~
shazad
Thanks eps. We wanted to limit who could ask questions primarily to keep
quality high and to alert users when their question is answered, but this is
something that we might open up if people prefer it.
------
dot
How did you get so many people to sign up pre-launch? Well done!
------
deepkut
For some reason, this is more friendly / easier than Quora. I can't quite put
my finger on it. Maybe it's Quora's red, I've never liked that.
On a more specific note, have you considered making the answer textarea not
highlighted upon focus? It seems to clash with the surrounding divs.
I also love how I can follow who is in YC right now considering they somehow
gained word before everyone else :)
~~~
tathagatadg
The missing vertical line separating the main content and the sidebar in Quora
always makes me uncomfortable - it makes the right end of the each section
very jagged. Huge turn off. Then again Quora UX design guys must have seen a
good reason to leave it that way ...
------
jfarmer
It's hard to find people to follow, even though I'm well-connected to the
initial group of users (lots of friends in YC, started using Quora in 2009,
etc.).
It's made worse because the Facebook Connect prompt on the homepage shows ~12
friends using the site, but once I log in I can't find them. There should be a
word for that. Soup Nazi UX or something. "Here's some soup. NO SOUP FOR YOU."
~~~
shazad
Hey jfarmer, thanks for checking out the site. That looks like a bug - you
should automatically be following them if you used Facebook. We'll look into
it right away.
~~~
jfarmer
I didn't connect with Facebook because I know all the dirty tricks people
play. ;)
I can't connect now, after the fact. There are also some simple design
oversights. For example, any time I see a list of people, there should be a
"follow" button next to their name.
It's actually quite hard to find people to follow starting from nothing,
unless I want to follow some of the 8-10 people you suggest automatically.
I'd give the first-time experience a C+.
~~~
shazad
Good feedback. We have a feature to connect with FB after the fact, but it's a
bit hidden so we'll make that more prominent.
------
jazzychad
Quick nit: your facebook connect icon is a big letter "C" instead of "A" like
your favicon... caused some cognitive dissonance, for a minute.
~~~
shazad
Thanks we'll fix that.
------
ankeshk
Like the clean interface. Much better than formspring.me
However, each question requires its own permalink. So that people can share a
particular Q&A.
Another idea suggestion would be, create a popular answers tab on all users
page. So that if someone has answered 101 questions, his best answers don't
get lost.
~~~
shazad
Great suggestions. You can actually share an individual Q&A using the "share"
link right below the answer.
------
jazzychad
Another quick nit: please update your From address for your notification
emails to include a friendly name (like Askolo or something). Right now, since
no name is specified, GMail only displays the part before the @ symbol as the
sender, so I get "notification" as the sender... and that looks like spam.
~~~
shazad
Thanks - we'll get that fixed up.
------
tersiag
Interesting idea (I especially like the wish feature)! Great implementation!
How do you plan on getting users to come back after they've read(or asked)
what they needed to read? Perhaps you can have a daily/weekly interesting
thought-provoking question that will get users to come back...
------
michaelkscott
Please, please include the timestamps for questions, answers, and comments.
I'd love to know when some of the questions were asked and answered. If the
time is already there (and I'm just not looking hard enough) please tell me
where it's at.
------
instakill
A few things:
\- How can I see the questions I've asked? \- Why aren't the questions I've
asked not appearing on the askee's profile? \- Is there a person discovery
after the initial one on sign up? \- What features are coming up next?
~~~
caoxuwen
hi instakill, person/content discovery is a major feature we are working on -
it'll probably be out next week. Regarding why you can't see you questions on
askee's profile - the askee may have made all unanswered questions invisible
(you can do that too in your settings page) or deleted your question. Right
now there's a short text under the "ask" box that explains it - we should have
made it more obvious.
------
kingsidharth
So Quora for Hacker News?
~~~
smdennis
I'd interpret more as Quora for people - I think there's huge potential in
this space.
------
Bootvis
One small thing: when I signed up using Facebook it showed the e-mail field as
'undefined' and didn't allow me to create an account. When I tried again every
did work as expected.
------
tathagatadg
Two questions (1) How did you get active profiles of so many awesome people on
your network?(2) Is there a way to map the HN handles to profiles in this
site?
~~~
shazad
(1) We reached out directly to a handful of people that we admired and a
number of them were nice enough to take the time to sign up. (2) Not as yet,
although a number of people use the same handle for their Askolo reserved
name. This is something we'll definitely look into.
------
zeantsoi
It would be nice if you added the date and time that questions are asked and
answered. That would help users gauge recency and temporal relevance.
~~~
shazad
Hey zeantsoi - thanks for the feedback. Right now questions are automatically
sorted by recency. We left out timestamps to try to create a more permanent
space for answers, but this might be a useful thing to display since we've
gotten a few requests for it today.
~~~
zeantsoi
Right. IMO, here's an answer by pg where a timestamp would have provided a lot
of context:
A: Not yet. I haven't spent much time reading the next batch of applications
yet.
------
bhousel
Nice site! I think the questions and answers need some kind of visible
timestamp though. Q&A, by its very nature, can go stale quickly.
~~~
shazad
Hey bhousel - thanks for the feedback! Right now questions are sorted by most
recent so you can see new questions at the top of a page, but we're looking at
rolling out timestamps as well.
------
volaski
It's really impressive how you guys got so many YC people on board before
launching. I really hope you're not a YC company because that would make this
post dishonest. (I know many YC alums help out each other but have never seen
them do it in stealth yet) I'd like to assume that you're not. Could you
clarify this? I'm asking because I noticed far too many YC alums and faculty
on the profile.
~~~
ashraful
They are YC-funded. PG answered a question as such:
<http://askolo.com/pg>
~~~
volaski
That's disappointing. I had guessed they might be, but was hoping they were
not, because they commented below "(1) We reached out directly to a handful of
people that we admired and a number of them were nice enough to take the time
to sign up." I think this is dishonest, and even makes me question the
credibility of some of the other occasional posts that come up on the front
page. Although I can understand why they are not mentioning YC, something
about this makes me uncomfortable, unlike other YC launch announcements on
Hacker News.
------
flaviojuvenal
What is askolo technology stack?
~~~
shazad
Hey flavio - we're using node.js, mongodb, and redis.
------
ajaymehta
Just emailed these guys a bug report and got a response in <2 minutes. Props.
------
psawaya
This site feels like a classier version of Formspring. Nice job!
------
swombat
Well, I signed up. Let's see what happens...
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Getting started with OpenWrt - fcambus
http://www.cambus.net/getting-started-with-openwrt/
======
malandrew
I looked around and couldn't find any real good information on OpenWRT support
on the Ubiquiti UniFi UAP-AC[0]?
In a previous thread, when I asked about the best devices to use with open
router firmware, Ubiquiti was the most upvoted solution [1], but when checking
out the OpenWRT wiki there is very little information on using them with
OpenWRT and none that I could find on the AC model specifically.
Does anyone heavily involved in OpenWRT have any advice on how to figure out
whether the Ubiquiti UAP-AC is going to work with OpenWRT before I drop money
on it?
[0] [http://www.ubnt.com/unifi#apac](http://www.ubnt.com/unifi#apac) [1]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6828699](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6828699)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Don't follow your passion - joe_developer
https://80000hours.org/articles/dont-follow-your-passion/
======
yellowapple
> If your passion is dealing crack cocaine, should you do it?
I actually think so, if the passion is indeed that specific. If not, then
perhaps it's a passion for dealing in general, in which case a job as a sales
rep or a startup founder would be the best bet :) (or, perhaps it's a passion
for crack cocaine, in which case whatever, don't let me judge your life
choices).
Also, the article assumes that social impacts must be "good" (which further
begs the question of what "good" means). A crack cocaine dealer can certainly
have a "social impact", even if that impact is "more people addicted to crack
cocaine".
> We found that the most important four factors for being satisfied in your
> work are:
The first three out of four reasons go hand in hand with passion for one's
work. If I'm passionate about being a crack cocaine dealer, for example, I'm
more likely to find my work meaningful, I'm more likely to form meaningful
relationships with my colleagues (depending on how you define "colleague",
granted), and I'm more likely to be good at my job. Incidentally, observation
#4 tends to also exist for being a crack cocaine dealer; from what I
understand, it pays well and has excellent job security, so long as you can
dodge the fuzz sufficiently well.
> Finally, “follow your passion” encourages the idea that there’s one perfect
> path for you
Only if one believes that one may only have a single passion. I have multiple
passions, like writing programs, watching cartoons of magical technicolor
miniature equines, making fun of hipster ninja rockstar web-scale Wangular.js
Ruby on Fails ThongoDB devops on Hacker News, and - of course - getting people
addicted to crack cocaine (in roughly that order). That would mean at least
four perfect paths for me, maybe more.
Now, if this were a cartoon of magical technicolor miniature equines, where
once you hit puberty a tattoo of some abstract concept gets magically and
permanently tattooed onto your buttocks to visually remind everyone of what
you're now permanently destined to do for the rest of your life, then perhaps
this argument would have some merit. Luckily for humans, this is not
necessarily the case.
> At the start of your career, explore your options, learn about yourself and
> try out different areas.
A.k.a. "figure out what you like doing", a.k.a. "find your passion".
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: which of JavaScript's features slow it down the most? - yangjerng
I'm trying to sketch out a spec for a "restricted JavaScript" which throws out a few features, and in return compiles to much faster machine code. I'll get the ball rolling:<p>1. Throw out dynamic typing.
2. ... (your answer here)
======
phihag
Dynamic (prototype-based) typing is so fundamental to JavaScript that you'd
have to throw out so much that the resulting language wouldn't bear any
semantic resemblance to JavaScript. Additionally, interpreters have evolved in
the last decade.
Finally, ECMAScript Harmony (~ the next version of JavaScript) may have type
annotations like var x:Number;
Why don't you design a new language from the ground up? If you want, you can
make it look like JavaScript. Bear in mind that it must be faster to execute
than JavaScript, and easier to write code in than, say, C++, C#, or Java.
~~~
yangjerng
Here I'm really interested in lowering barriers to mathematical education.
Target:
I'd like to see created for the JavaScript community, an equivalent of the
Python-based/linked scientific and high-performance computing libraries (great
lists of which are available at <http://sagemath.org/download-packages.html>,
<http://wiki.python.org/moin/NumericAndScientific>). And I want that, because
I'd like to make it easy for people who learn JavaScript to get into
scientific and numerical computing without having to learn Python (& company).
(I know it's easy to learn Python, as I basically did it at some point, but
this suggests that perhaps it'll be easy to compile some restricted subset of
JavaScript to Python.)
Hypothesised method:
I'm primarily interested in a new language with minimal difference from
JavaScript, because the market ("human compilers") I'm targeting are
programmers who already know JavaScript. What I want to target those people
for, is to give them a minimally different language in which to write code
that compiles to faster C, in the manner that RPython and Cython do for
Python. I'm willing to throw out a lot of JavaScript features, I just want to
be careful to add a minimum number of features back in. I'll definitely be
looking at Lua, Dart, ECMA Harmony (which has no formal date of release, or am
I mistaken?), etc. as these are all close resemblances to contemporary (2012)
implementations of JavaScript.
Questionable Motivations:
I'm personally willing to learn any language/toolset that gets things done
faster (I'm learning Erlang myself, for this), but here, I am specifically
interested in lowering the bar (sorry) for other people who may not have such
willingness. This is just one of those "want to have my cake, and eat it too,
so I am putting some time into researching the problem" situations. I have
very limited prior experience in computer language design, but so far from a
hacking-the-ecosystem point of view, the problem seems interesting enough to
study, so, I hope to be doing more of that soon.
~~~
Someone
_"I'd like to make it easy for people who learn JavaScript to get into
scientific and numerical computing without having to learn Python ( &
company). (I know it's easy to learn Python"_
I don't like artificial barriers, but I also think the group of people who
could "get into scientific and numerical computing" and for whom learning
Python would be even a minor stumbling block is infinitively small. I also
think that the world would be better of if those for whom that would be a
stumbling block did not "get into scientific and numerical computing". Because
of that, I advise you to reconsider whether doing this is worth your time.
------
bdg
eval and which bog down everything.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
ASK HN: I completely lost access to my main Gmail account - SeckinJohn
What are my options?<p>Google is not helping at all. I don't have backup codes, I broke the phone that had the 2FA app and I don't remember the password.
There is no manual processing, no passport photo etc verification process. I lost all my old emails and probably offended so many people in my circle by not seeing/not replying to their emails.
Is this really the end of my relationship with my old email addr? This doesn't make sense to me. I would pay to recover this trove of data and my personal reputation is in line here. Does Google not help at all in a situation like this?
======
smt88
No, Google does not help at all. You are stuck in a Kafkaesque hell. I know
because I helped my brother out of one.
The only way I helped him was by having a friend who worked at Google. I hope
you do too. You can tweet at them, but I think your Twitter account needs to
be linked to the email address you no longer have access to.
I'm still so angry at Google that it actually made me emotional to type this.
From the bottom of my heart, fuck that company for tricking us into thinking
we can trust it with the most important parts of our digital lives. I hope the
US breaks them up.
~~~
mceachen
You can at least get your whole family to pull down Google Takeout archives
(yearly, or even quarterly for extra credit).
Having a recent backup makes the thought of losing everything there a while
lot less threatening.
~~~
smt88
Because I have to use it for business, I also have a couple other paid email
services that pull and archive all my Google mail, and I similarly mirror my
photos/files.
------
pickdenis
I don't have a complete answer for you, but:
> probably offended so many people in my circle by not seeing/not replying to
> their emails.
If I were you, I'd BCC everyone whose addresses you remember with a short note
saying to the effect of "I lost my other mail address [email protected],
gimme a sec pls" and I'm sure this incident will have no long-term impact on
your reputation. Shit happens.
As far as getting help from Google goes, I think the only reliable method for
non-paying customers is to raise a huge stink on websites like this or
Twitter. Take this with a grain of salt, however; I'm much more likely to
observe these big stinks and less likely to hear about people just calling
support and getting help. It _may_ be possible.
------
ggrrhh_ta
Is it possible to repair the phone?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: How do you choose a new library for your project? - macando
What do you rely on? Your intuition? Docs? Examples? GitHub? Search engine? History? Blogs? Do you have any process in place?
======
davismwfl
Most people just pick a library they are comfortable with or they think will
solve their current need. The reason this can be bad is because it leads to
bloat, duplication, potential licensing issues, unneeded dependencies and
honestly many times just unnecessary code being included.
When evaluating a library, the three big questions on my mind are, 1) is it
absolutely 100% necessary, 2) Does it introduce any security concerns, 3) Is
it actively maintained and licensed properly for my product license. A fourth
question closely following is what dependencies does it also introduce to my
system.
Many times going through code bases I have seen an entire library included for
1 method that could easily be replicated in code. Yes, creating your own
method comes at a cost but frankly including a library and dependency is
generally a larger cost over time.
I have also seen libraries included into code bases where the last update to
the library was 4 years ago and it is all but dead. Sure 10k projects use it
cause they included it 4 years ago but that doesn't mean it is stable,
maintained and secure today. And if a library is so simple it doesn't have to
be touched for 4 years, then likely I don't need to be including it from a
third party (but I could see exceptions).
Lastly, license type matters a ton, developers don't think about it, but
including the wrong type of open source library into a closed paid product can
be a major pain and these things have to be thought out carefully to keep the
company out of trouble.
~~~
macando
_Many times going through code bases I have seen an entire library included
for 1 method that could easily be replicated in code._
I've seen this too. Initially, I thought it was an internal joke.
_Lastly, license type matters a ton,_
Probably more of a concern for established companies, startups usually don't
pay much attention to this.
_A fourth question closely following is what dependencies does it also
introduce to my system._
This could be very time consuming for dependancy-rich libraries. At least
license types can be auto inspected with a recursive tool. Dispelling security
concerns would require some serious auditing.
------
Smithalicious
My main criterion is whether I like the docs or not. I rarely regret picking a
well-documented library but usually regret picking a poorly documented one.
Other than that, I try to pick the simplest library that does what I want. I
do mean simplest as in "easiest to use", not necessarily as in "most minimal",
though the two tend to correlate to some extent.
------
macando
I usually: google relevant terms -> open a few candidates in a new tab -> go
through the examples -> glance at the docs -> check the pulse and popularity
-> pick the best looking lib.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Introducing AQL – a super efficient query language for Artifactory - larleys
https://www.voxxed.com/blog/2015/05/a-quick-leap-to-aql-a-new-query-language-for-repositories/
======
hoare
hi there, theres already a sql like query language out there called AQL. Heres
the link:
[https://docs.arangodb.com/Aql/index.html](https://docs.arangodb.com/Aql/index.html)
I rly like your approach to finding things in repositories though
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask YC: Suggestions for great "how to" EC2 articles - PStamatiou
I'd love to get my hands dirty with EC2 but don't even know where to start. I've searched around and found some articles that show how to get an instance up, load an AMI etc but the end result is the long Amazon url for the instance. How can I setup a load balancer instance, or at least communicate with EC2 with a separately hosted web front-end.<p>I don't have any use for EC2 yet but like any good hacker I just want to tinker.
======
jdavid
EC2 and S3 rock.
I sit on the ec2ubuntu google group <http://groups.google.com/group/ec2ubuntu>
its a great group, and Eric Hammond created one of the best images i have seen
yet. the original image was only ~100MB in size. Eric has done a lot of work
to keep the images fast and small. He has put a number of optimizations in
that few of the other public images have.
As far as loadBalancing goes, we are going with Round Robin DNS until we HAVE
to move to something more compliecated.
Nettica offers some great tools for setting up Dynamic Round Robbin DNS
records.
RightScale is not so much a load balancing company as it provides you with
some webui stuff to manage servers. EC2 in firefox is a much better start.
WinSCP is a god send. It makes it so easy to put files on your instance. I am
still trying to figure out how to either Wine install WinSCP on my Ubuntu
install or to find a replacement.
if you need anything and are an ubuntu user, join the group and email me.
bandwidth between EC2 and S3 = 250Mb/s which is faster than most disks I know
of. Latency is about 20ms. Accessing 2 xml files during a read/write still
seems fast for the web.
------
ropiku
I haven't played with EC2 yet (but it's on my list). I know about a firefox
plugin that helps manage instances
(<http://sourceforge.net/projects/elasticfox/>).
As far as I know you launch the instance, ssh on it and have fun. That url is
your instance address. You can make a loadb alancer by installing Apache or
Nginx on a server (instance or other) then from there proxy to your instances
(you'll have to open the ports). See the Nginx wiki for more documentation
(<http://wiki.codemongers.com/NginxLoadBalanceExample>). If you need help
configuring the Nginx shout.
It's basically VPS but where you pay by the hour and it doesn't have a static
IP and persistent hdd. You can also use a AMI with what do you need (I saw
there was one for Rails).
~~~
PStamatiou
"It's basically VPS but where you pay by the hour and it doesn't have a static
IP and persistent hdd. You can also use a AMI with what do you need (I saw
there was one for Rails)."
Yeah I'm looking to setup something where I can point a domain to a load
balancer instance (but if it needs to be restarted and changes instance URL,
the domain no longer points to the right one?) so I can essentially run an
entire site/app off of EC2. But then again it's probably better off to make a
regular server be the load balancer I'm guessing.
Since EC2 doesn't have persistent hdd - where do ppl keep databases? Not on S3
the latency would be up there.. in RAM on EC2?
I pre-ordered the O'Reilly EC2/S3 book months ago.. it should be shipping in
March I think.
~~~
ropiku
Yes, that's the problem of using EC2 for webhosting, after restarting the
address of the instance changes. It's best to have a fixed reguler server and
then instances varied on demand. RightScale is a company that sells this kind
of services.
Those who use DB on EC2 (from what I read on the web) just don't restart their
instance and make backups to S3.
------
kirubakaran
Have you read this?
EC2 for Python programmers [http://jimmyg.org/2007/09/01/amazon-ec2-for-
people-who-prefe...](http://jimmyg.org/2007/09/01/amazon-ec2-for-people-who-
prefer-debian-and-python-over-fedora-and-java/)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
It is time to stop rewarding failure - srikar
http://om.co/2014/07/17/rewarding-failure/
======
minimaxir
I'm surprised the article discusses failure at the corporate level when first
thing that came to mind is stopping rewarding at the startup level. (e.g. pity
acquihires of zombie startups)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
A new way to edit a stack of commits [pdf] - jordigh
http://files.lihdd.net/hgabsorb-note.pdf
======
webmaven
I don't understand the problem this is trying to solve. What is wrong with
just adding a fourth commit? Why mess around with altering history?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: What are some problems on earth that need to be solved? - ronnwer
I'm tired of companies that try to solve the same problems over and over again. What are some real world problems you can think of that will make the world a better place? Here are some posts that I found here on HN: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1424456
======
pedrokost
What do you mean by : "I'm tired of companies that try to solve the same
problems over and over again." ? If they struggle with one problem is because
it's an important one and it needs to be fixed, but the solution is not 'yet'
available.
~~~
ronnwer
I mean companies who create the same exact solution.
------
Aaronontheweb
Depends on your definition of "better place"
I personally think that a company that finds a way to profitably convince
people en masse on the virtues of the free market and why it's an all-around
positive force in the universe would put an end to a lot of harmful political
/ legal turmoil, but that's just me the crazy libertarian speaking :p
~~~
ronnwer
:) with better place I mean for example recylcing is an important issue...
real world issues that needs to be fixed.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The youngest person to be cryogenically preserved - yinghang
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34311502
======
martin-adams
I find cryogenics such a thought provoking field. If you're going to be frozen
after death, you would probably want the restoration process to be fully
mature before you are restored. But yet, someone has to go first (outside of
shorter frozen trials).
But then again, who is to say that the restoration process will take the form
of thawing out the brain. An advanced digital scanning technique could imprint
the brain image onto an organic robot, thus making it possible to have many
copies of the same person.
I also find the concept similar to the teleport. You may be the person who
goes in, but are you the same person who comes out the other end?
Indistinguishable from you, only you are not the observer of your own reality.
[Edit: A couple of really obvious grammatical errors]
~~~
csn
Is there any name for this puzzle? I've been thinking about this for a while
now.
Cloning the particles (and their states) that make you up would most likely
produce a separate mind, as I think would teleporting where v1 is destroyed
and v2 consisting of different particles, although in the same configuration.
But what about separating said configuration, transporting them somewhere else
and putting them back together? Cryogenics is in my opinion the only possible
way to give a chance in preserving an original mind well beyond natural human
lifespan without actually extending it.
Not only can't others tell a clone apart from the original: the hypothetic
clone, as I understand it, couldn't do that either. Now what if this process,
due to cellular regeneration in the brain, happens constantly? Your mind is
not the same it was a minute ago: that mind is dead and gone. Would it even
matter?
~~~
mastazi
The thing is, unless you have certain metaphysical beliefs, the very concept
of "identity" is a flawed one and doesn't really represent the reality of us
being actually a complex aggregate structure of cells. The concept of "self"
is in my opinion just a rough approximation or a framework that we use to
quickly assess reality, much like time, as we commonly think of it, does not
fully represent the complexities of relativistic time, however it is useful to
manage our daily life[1]: the sentence "I'll be with you in 5 minutes" could
open a whole lot of possibilities if we consider time in a relativistic
scenario, whereas it is fairly unambiguous in our daily life. Similarly, the
concept of "self" would be very ambiguous with regards to e.g. annelid worms
(who can be split in 2 and survive as two separate individuals[2]) whereas it
sums up fairly well the way we think of ourselves as individuals.
[1] See [http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-
technology/2166333...](http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-
technology/21663338-according-theory-relativity-time-elastic-it-can-slow-down-
speed-up-and-even-reverse) [2] See
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragmentation_(reproduction)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragmentation_\(reproduction\))
------
xgbi
Serious question: what's to salvage from the brain of a terminal brain cancer
child? This strikes me as a very silly way to preserve a human being. If they
really wanted to give their child a "chance" to live a full life, they should
have cryogenized her sooner, no? (It might be illegal, though.)
~~~
listic
Personally, I'm with you on this. Cryonically suspending a person that died
from brain damage or debilitating disease has even more fleeting chance for
success. Unless there's a chance that at the moment of death the conscience is
still there (due to great redundancy in the brain), it might be futile, after
all. This is one issue that I believe all cryonics companies and advocates
prefer to wholly overlook.
I imagine it should be terrifically hard to let go of your child and ' _kill_
' them preemptively, for them to have a hope of later life. Even if the
parents did even consider that option.
As far as I see it, cryopreserving a person that is not legally dead ('
_cryothanasia_ '?) _might_ be possible, but no cryonics company has procedures
in place to arrange for it and I am not aware of anyone that has been
preserved this way. At least, it is necessary to move to a country where
voluntary euthanasia is legal and the associated autopsy is not mandatory, and
you are on your own with this. [1] This is another issue that cryonics
companies and advocates prefer to overlook.
Cryonics is still very niche as it is. People are still very reluctant to
arrange for cryopreservation beforehand, as it is. Cryonics companies have
their hands full with just continuing to operate and convincing people to use
their services. For there to exist people that are _fully rational_ about
their own or their loved ones' death, and think about it more deeply than the
cryonics companies and advocates, is a whole next step entirely: I am unaware
of such people yet.
[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_euthanasia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_euthanasia)
~~~
moyix
> Unless there's a chance that at the moment of death the conscience is still
> there (due to great redundancy in the brain), it might be futile, after all.
> This is one issue that I believe all cryonics companies and advocates prefer
> to wholly overlook.
You seem to be arguing that death is a binary state, but I don't think this is
particularly well established. There are all sorts of arguments over what
constitutes definite proof of death [1]. It seems more likely to me that the
process of dying is a transition, and that the exact point along that
transition where someone is irreversibly gone depends on our current level of
medical technology – which is exactly what cryonics is betting on.
As an analogy, when RAM loses power, the data on it doesn't vanish instantly,
but rather degrades over some period of time [2]. Depending on how the
information is stored, what you're willing to do without, and what you can
piece together, you can declare the data in RAM "gone" at different points
throughout that process.
[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_definition_of_death](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_definition_of_death)
[2]
[https://www.usenix.org/legacy/event/sec08/tech/full_papers/h...](https://www.usenix.org/legacy/event/sec08/tech/full_papers/halderman/halderman.pdf)
~~~
listic
I didn't mean to disagree argue that; just didn't have enough time to think
this question over before typing.
Yes, death is not a binary state physically, but it is legally. This is what
cryonics counts for.
Also, conscience is not binary; there is plenty of evidence that it is uneven
and noncontinuous. People lose conscience and then regain it and live on all
the time. Many people live in reduced states of consciousness most or all of
the time. Our mind tries to maintain illusion of continuity of consciousness
for our convenience. Sometimes people survive ridiculous amount of brain
damage (men living with a hole in their head). All this is evidence that
whatever forms our conscience is very redundant and just _might_ survive the
damage of what today is considered death and future restoration. Especially
with the help of whatever medical technology will be available in the future
(nanotech, hi-res brain scanning, etc.); especially if it would be needed
anyway to counter the damage sustained during cryopreservation.
~~~
wutbrodo
> People lose conscience and then regain it and live on all the time.
Do you mean "consciousness" here? I assumed you actually meant conscience at
first but this sentence doesn't seem to make sense with that word but then you
use consciousness later which means it isn't just a spelling error. I'm not
asking to be pedantic, but because I'm now getting confused about what you're
trying to say in parts of your otherwise interesting comment.
------
TazeTSchnitzel
Has any living person ever had their heart intentionally stopped, been
cryonically frozen, defrosted, and revived?
Because if not, then we don't know if it works on people who aren't yet dead.
And if we can't do that, what hope do we have for reviving the actually dead?
(I'm aware in rare cases people have been massively cooled down and had their
heart stopped for operations, but that's not quite the same.)
~~~
philjohn
There's also some cases of people who's hearts had stopped after being caught
outside in sub-zero temperatures being successfully revived with no adverse
effects.
~~~
qohen
This isn't cryonics by any stretch, but doctors are seriously looking to put
gunshot victims into suspended animation by drastically cooling them down so
they can be worked on [0]:
_When a shooting or stabbing victim goes into cardiac arrest due to massive
bleeding, even the most heroic attempts at resuscitation fail 90 percent of
the time. But a study to begin this month under the direction of Sam Tisherman
and Patrick Kochanek at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Presbyterian Hospital will see if there 's a better way: cooling the body
after the heart has stopped beating, to the point where all other functioning
virtually ceases as well.
By putting patients literally into a state of suspended animation—or
"emergency preservation," as Tisherman calls it—the surgeons intend to
preserve brain functioning long enough to close wounds that would otherwise be
fatal._
[0]
[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/04/140402-suspe...](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/04/140402-suspended-
animation-gunshot-victims-science-death/)
------
dahart
Its impossible to imagine how hard it would be to lose a child, but I can
imagine why that state of mind makes even the remotest glimmer of hope for
reincarnation seem like a good idea.
I thought This American Life's episode on cryonics was riveting, educational
and fascinating.
[http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-
archives/episode/354/m...](http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-
archives/episode/354/mistakes-were-made)
~~~
DavideNL
i agree, this is tasteless and should be forbidden in my opinion, the only one
who should be able to decide if they want to be frozen and revived should be
the person themselves.
~~~
tim333
It's impractical with kids any more than you can ask them if they want to be
born.
------
heapcity
Some might call them zygotes.
~~~
cba9
I was thinking that myself. Sperm, eggs, embryos - are these not vitrified
routinely?
Probably they mean youngest legal human, or youngest post-birth vitrification.
------
fsloth
How much does this cost?
~~~
listic
In this case, probably $80,000.
This is Alcor, the most established and expensive option. Their list prices
are $80,000 for neuro (brain only), $200,000 for whole body preservation [1]
There are various funding options. [2]
Cryonics Institute, the other US-based organization, charges $28,000 for full
body [3] (they don't offer neuro)
Russian KrioRus charges $12,000 for neuro and $36,000 for full body. [4]
NB: if the cost seems high, keep in mind that most of the money is supposed to
be held in trust for the cryonics patient so that income from principal can
pay for long-term storage. [5] History proved that it's the only way to
reliably and sustainably finance cyopreservation, potentially indefinitely.
I am not affiliated with any cryonics organization, just researching my
options.
[1] Alcor FAQ: Cost
[http://www.alcor.org/FAQs/faq01.html#cost](http://www.alcor.org/FAQs/faq01.html#cost)
[2] Alcor: Funding
[http://www.alcor.org/BecomeMember/sdfunding.htm](http://www.alcor.org/BecomeMember/sdfunding.htm)
[3] Cryonics Institute FAQs: [http://www.cryonics.org/about-
us/faqs](http://www.cryonics.org/about-us/faqs)
[4] KrioRus: Human cryopreservation [http://kriorus.ru/en/Human-
cryopreservation](http://kriorus.ru/en/Human-cryopreservation)
[5] Cryonics FAQ by by Ben Best
[http://www.benbest.com/cryonics/CryoFAQ.html#_IIIG_](http://www.benbest.com/cryonics/CryoFAQ.html#_IIIG_)
------
Patronus_Charm
I can't imagine having to deal with this situation, loss of a child. However,
this all seems a bit silly.
------
unchocked
Spoiler: two years old.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
DailyBooth Conga Line - ujeezy
http://chaircongaline.com
======
paul9290
Youtube video set to hidden is playing the conga(music). Maybe I was the only
one wondering that but Firebug answered my question.
~~~
Timothee
Actually I did wonder how the music was played (though I didn't start Web
Inspector), since I have ClickToFlash installed. YouTube is not on my
whitelist, so I'm a bit surprised it did start…
------
Raphael
Sorry, I have a bit of a grudge, but I'd just like to point out that the photo
URLs had to be hard-coded (instead of referenced by a tag or album) because
DailyBooth has neglected to provide standard feeds or an API.
~~~
pclark
there is an API coming "very soon" I believe.
------
andrewljohnson
That clamor just ruined Harvest Moon by a real musician.
------
jmtame
scrollamount="30"
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Fee likely for Times's news via iPhone - FluidDjango
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2009/06/24/fee_likely_for_timess_news_via_iphone/
======
jgrahamc
I'm ready to pay for access to newspapers via electronic means. If I could get
a Kindle DX in the UK I would buy one and use it for magazine and newspaper
subscriptions. I think it's the perfect way to get access to recent material
like this.
I would prefer to continue buying physical books because I like having them
around the house (except for technical books which have a limited shelf life).
That way I can read them again, give them to people, etc. I like the
serendipity of looking at my bookshelf and rediscovering.
But I don't keep newspapers or magazines. If I need access to their archives
I'll pay for it. If I could subscribe for a reasonable fee on a DX that would
be ideal.
At the US prices for magazines and newspapers I can imagine subscribing to
much more content if I had a DX. But the killer publication for me would be
The Economist.
------
tsally
For the skeptics, consider books that are availible free online but sell well
(Practical Common Lisp comes to mind). People are paying for the distribution
method, not the content.
------
CalmQuiet
I have real doubts whether this payment model is going to work for Times in
future. As a _consumer_ of their info it is _right now_ a PITA. [ I'm open to
seeing what ease and cost/benefit emerges with future micropayment processes.
]
The conventional wisdom seems to be (becoming) if you start out offering
something for free (as they do now), it's going to go hard for you if you
_begin_ charging.
~~~
wmeredith
I disagree. I've written off the times because of their terrible website
usability (full page ads, pop-ups, attempts at forced registration).
I'm assuming the product in there is good on some level since they have such
brand cachet, but I don't care to deal with getting at because it such a pain.
If they made it an enjoyable user experience, I would probably pay for it
because I know that it is good.
------
edave
The NYT's content is generally very good, so I have no argument against paying
a subscriber fee. Their iPhone app is another problem though- it's definitely
the buggiest iPhone app I've used and needs a lot more stability before I'm
willing to pay a subscription for something which crashes 1 out of 3 times I
use it and has blatantly broken features.
------
brown9-2
Couldn't iPhone users just go to www.nytimes.com in their phones web browser
and circumvent the fees?
~~~
zimbabwe
They could, but in cases like this ease of access is everything.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Meet The Team - ashitvora
http://www.6wunderkinder.com/about/
======
juliamae
I guess I'm the outlier, but I think this page is trying too hard. It turns me
off because it seems fake, sugary sweet, attempting to be cute for the sake of
being cute. The bios barely say anything of value about the people; they're
idealized descriptions of what the perfect person for each job would be. I do
think it's nice visually, but the length of the page annoys me.
~~~
gabrielroth
Yup. I find the 'our-whole-office-is-staffed-by-fun-people-who-love-(office-
admin|client-management|sales|.+)' trope really grating. These are people
going to an office to do their jobs. Maybe they're good at their jobs, and
maybe it's a nice place to work, but it's not summer camp, it's not a four-
year liberal arts college, and it's not a heist movie in which a crack team of
experts come together for one last big score. It's a software company. Get a
grip.
~~~
rick_2047
I thought startups were like this and also google. Full of people who love
there job.
~~~
laskito
Most startups I know are more like the guys from Primer.
------
jjcm
Very engaging. A good design with decent writing made me enjoy reading the
entire thing (and made me want to). I'll definitely save this page in my list
of examples of great web page designs.
~~~
Dramatize
They had me reading the whole page.
~~~
jamesbritt
Same here, but only because I kept expecting a punch line to the cliche sappy
cuteness of it all.
Apparently it's not a parody.
~~~
joelanman
Like this? <http://huhcorp.com/>
~~~
jamesbritt
That's just creepy accurate.
Thanks!
------
jerf
It's so great to see Valve sticking with this franchise. I've had a lot of fun
with Team Fortress 2, and I'm really looking forward to this new loadout of
classes and the bold new visual style this is exploring. I can't wait to play
nerd-on-artist matchups!
------
shib71
Too many commas. But otherwise engaging.
~~~
compay
Yeah, some of them (like the ones before "that" and "when") are a negative
transfer from German. Trivial to fix though, and something tells me they will.
Definitely a beautifully put-together page.
~~~
kwantam
Ahh, is this a translation thing? I was reading through this page gritting my
teeth at the appalling misuse of commas---and I am certainly not one to skimp
on commas.
~~~
lucasjung
I don't think it's a translation thing: I think this was written in English by
a native German-speaker, who applied German comma-use habits to English. I'm
American, but I spent many of my early years in Germany and attended German
schools through the fifth grade. After that my family moved back to the states
and I finished my education here. To this day, I still have to make a
conscious effort not to over-use commas. After I finish a first draft, a big
part of my first editing pass is cutting out extraneous commas. I instantly
recognized the comma overuse in the bios page because it's how I'm naturally
inclined to write.
------
Tyrant505
I was thinking of doing the same thing, but instead putting on all these
different hats as a solo founder. Looks great, nice style.
------
jayphelps
In case anyone's wondering, Wunderlist is written in HTML/JS/CSS using
Appcelerator's Titanium Desktop packaging tool to make it native using the
WebKit framework.
You can check out their source inside the app package. Pretty neat stuff.
Pretty clean coding.
~~~
pak
I thought Appcelerator Titanium was supposed to compile to native code? I
downloaded it myself, saw all the HTML and JS files in the package and
wondered, what the heck is the point in making this a standalone app instead
of a web app. It's a ton of UI for a very simple to-do list. If it's just a
webpage running in WebKit, and this is all the binary encapsulates, I see no
reason to put it online, and then add <http://fluidapp.com/> to allow people
to use it offline as a desktop app, if they really want. Or, just use HTML5
manifests to make it work offline in any browser.
~~~
jayphelps
I think the general point is that for certain apps, a native environment is
better suited to allow easy access and organization mentally. For a to-do
list, it makes some sense. That way you can ⌘+TAB over to it, add or check
your to-dos, then go back to whatever it is you were doing without worrying
about browser tabs.
Another benefit is that you don't have to worry about cross-browser
compatibility. If it looks good in your app on your dev computer, it should
look the same on everyone else's.
I do agree that since it's written using web tech, they should have a web
accessible version as well. Maybe they do, and I didn't see it?
Regardless, I think the end product is more important then HOW they made it or
what language was used. If it works great and looks great, who really cares?
------
bl4k
unreleased product - so it just tells me that they are spending time in the
wrong areas
~~~
d_r
They caught our attention, so they're doing something right.
~~~
bl4k
I have already forgotten what they do :)
------
hans
Pretty sad to see such ridiculous cliches, even photographed like some cheap
sitcom.
------
harrygold
I actually like their team page. I think it's well done overall Funny, the one
issue that bothers me about it is how their social media buttons column along
the far left edge are intentionally placed partially cropped off the page.
Looks like the page width doesn't fit in the browser even though its
intentional in there design. Looks fine when you hover over but otherwise..
On a different note I think this is a clever team page that brings levity and
keeps you on the page longer: hover over the avatar photos
<http://www.walltowall.com/3/about>
------
scalyweb
I do like the blue "script" font. Does anyone know the name of it?
Nevermind, I've found it. For anyone interested: It's Journal by Fontourist.
[http://www.dafont.com/font.php?file=journal&page=1&n...](http://www.dafont.com/font.php?file=journal&page=1&nb_ppp_old=50&text=we+think+its+time+for+a+change!&nb_ppp=50&psize=m&classt=alpha)
------
duck
It took me a minute to remember where this was, but I always thought this was
a great "team" page: <http://www.tamtam.nl/people.aspx>
Most of the individuals have a looping video if you click on them. Gives you a
better idea on personality, yet doesn't take anything away from the
experience.
------
niyazpk
I can only imagine the effort that has gone into making that page look so
clean and engaging.
Their first app[1] looks beautiful too. I should give it a try.
[1] <http://www.6wunderkinder.com/wunderlist/>
------
kaiuhl
Their website uniformly crashes Safari on my iPad with iOS 3. Can anyone else
confirm this?
~~~
andreshb
The home page crashed my iOS Safari, but the about page did not.
------
bkhl
Honestly, I don't really care about the team page...but the product looks
pretty good. I think I finally found a substitute of "Things" for my PC :)
------
brianlash
I think the page is gorgeous, and as jjcm put it, very engaging. I understand
where a few are coming from with the "tries too hard" objection but isn't
"doesn't try hard enough" a greater offense? At least these guys give us
something to talk about. I guess I'm just so tired of the characteristic
uninspired About Us that I find this refreshing, if a little cutesy.
Also, anyone notice The Assistant's copy of Founders at Work?
------
ecaradec
It's weird to see the assistant closer from the top of the page than the
developers...
------
exit
this reminds me very much of the thread about compulsory high fives at
linkedin:
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1422422>
------
QuantumGood
Yes, it's under-personalized, but it's the right thing to try to do well.
------
wwortiz
So which 6 are the wonder children?
~~~
ashitvora
I guess, its a suspense ;)
~~~
huhtenberg
Not pictured. They are the ones who are actually working :)
------
techiferous
Someone go find Jan Martin and compliment him on the great design job. :)
------
drewse
Sure beats Apple's page
<http://www.apple.com/pr/bios/>
As well as Tapulous' (which I thought was pretty good until now)
<http://tapulous.com/team/>
------
okeumeni
Simply beautiful design!
------
macco
Isn't it just a (very good) copy of an apple product page? Just wondering.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: what's in your Mac menu bar? - subpixel
I find that I learn about an interesting app and/or workflow when I check out other people's menu bars. Here's mine.<p>TOP LEVEL<p>- ActionAlly (I'm an evangelist)<p>- Degrees (simple weather app)<p>- MyPrivateInternet (VPN for watching BBC iPlayer)<p>- Radium (awesome radio app, I have a nice collection of global stations)<p>- ColorSnapper<p>- SlimBatteryMonitor<p>- Clock (stock)<p>- Fantastical<p>- Spotlight<p>BARTENDER BAR<p>- Bartender (manage/organize menu bar apps)<p>- SpaceMonkey (not the backup solution I wanted, but I have a lot of data on it)<p>- Divvy<p>- DropBox<p>- CrashPlan (has saved my bacon)<p>- 1Password (runs so I can use the keyboard shortcut)<p>- Arq (backup of my backup)<p>- Wifi (stock)
======
gcb0
the mac on my desk is a sad reminder that apple explores it's user to the end.
i wanted osx and ios emulator and would pay for it. but i was also forced to
buy an extra inefficient x86 machine to be able to run it locally.
so all i have is safari (for web dev on ios, which also was removed from the
win version), xcode ios emulator (don't think I've ever used the other parts
of xcode), and the vnc server thing.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
RIM's claim against kik - fertel
http://www.scribd.com/doc/44486617/RIM-Statement-of-Claim-Against-Kik
======
PatrickTulskie
Should be an interesting battle if Kik survives the financial burden.
Basically, they allege that
\- Kik's CEO used inside knowledge of RIM's BBM platform to develop Kik
\- Kik infringes on a bunch of their patents
\- Kik has said bad things on their promotional material about RIM
\- Kik was illegally slurping and storing user address book data (even though
the claim they were not)
I think the most interesting thing here is how they were accepted into App
World without issue as were other similar applications with even more similar
behavior to BBM than Kik has had to date. Also interesting is that RIM alleges
that Kik will continue all of this infringing activity unless it is stopped by
the courts even though there was no mention of a prior cease and desist.
Should be a good fight.
~~~
blutonium
Engadget says they were accepted on the premise of developing a music sharing
app.[1]
Canada has different rules about C&D for this kind of thing, so that bit isn't
surprising.
[1] [http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/01/rim-sues-kik-in-canada-
fo...](http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/01/rim-sues-kik-in-canada-for-patent-
infringement/)
------
pvilchez
_53\. As a result of the wrongful acts of the Defendant, as described herein,
RIM has suffered and will continue to suffer serious and irreparable harm, as
well as serious and substantial damages._
While I think it's fair that RIM protect its BBM patents, I think that Kik has
brought more interest to BlackBerry than anything else in recent memory.
Most people I know are behind Kik, some going as far as to say that they won't
ever purchase a RIM product (again). So in that sense, RIM's actions against
Kik may bring themselves more harm in the end.
------
spaetzel
Think the most interesting part is that the Founder of Kik worked at RIM for 3
Co-Op terms. And two of them were on the Blackbery Messenger Team.
~~~
mikepurvis
Yeah, this reads to me more like an NDA-violation lawsuit than a patent
lawsuit, despite the title.
------
fertel
Looks like these are the 3 patents in question:
[http://brevets-patents.ic.gc.ca/opic-
cipo/cpd/eng/patent/235...](http://brevets-patents.ic.gc.ca/opic-
cipo/cpd/eng/patent/2353161/summary.html?type=number_search)
[http://brevets-patents.ic.gc.ca/opic-
cipo/cpd/eng/patent/248...](http://brevets-patents.ic.gc.ca/opic-
cipo/cpd/eng/patent/2485791/summary.html?type=number_search)
[http://brevets-patents.ic.gc.ca/opic-
cipo/cpd/eng/patent/247...](http://brevets-patents.ic.gc.ca/opic-
cipo/cpd/eng/patent/2472474/summary.html?type=number_search)
------
muffinman2010
hmm didn't know the founder worked for RIM, this got a little interesting
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Harvard-scientists manged to reverse aging in mice. - Yrlec
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/11/29/eternal-life-scientists-reverse-aging-mice/
======
RiderOfGiraffes
Same story:
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1953309> \- ctv.ca
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1952077> \- businessweek.com <\- this has
comments
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1948235> \- guardian.co.uk
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Lead Front-End Designer/Engineer – Toronto, ON - crsssl
Your main responsibility will be to create user interface for our clients to administer their promotional offers and online sampling strategies. They will rely on Sampler’s UI to make important decisions regarding the objective and design of their campaign. Sampler’s UI will need to be beautifully designed and easy to navigate. We hope to find someone who is passionate about design and ready to take on this exciting challenge with us.<p>You will be the architect of that system component. You will start planning and wireframing the new UI in cooperation with the product & sales team. With support from the backend team, you will design and build an easy to use, understandable and extendable UI. The current front-end is built with Extjs but we are open minded to use other frameworks that might better suited for the job.<p>Further down the road, you will help us to extend the front-end dev team and participate in design and code reviews.<p>Requirements:<p>- 3-5 years experience in Front-End development
- Good knowledge of JavaScript + jQuery, CSS3 and HTML5
- Familiar with MV* patterns and with at least one front-end JS framework (ExtJS, Meteor.js, AngularJS, backbone.js, …)
- Product ownership: you are passionate about your design and your code
- Goal oriented: you have experience working with strict timelines
- Team Player: you love to discuss different solutions with your team<p>Preferred:<p>- Mobile / responsive design knowledge
- Experience in UX design
- Project management knowledge<p>Perks:<p>- Use the environment you like (Mac/Windows/Linux)
- IDE of your choice
- Negotiable salary based on experience
- Employee stock options
======
whiteking1920
Do you need a mid-level front-end developer? I'm also planning to relocate to
Toronto. How can I contact you? thanks
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Google and Mastercard reportedly partner to track offline purchases - BeqaP
https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/31/google-and-mastercard-reportedly-partner-to-track-offline-purchases/
======
mtmail
discussed in
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17881157](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17881157)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Alex Karp: I’m a tech CEO, and I don’t think tech CEOs should be making policy - doppp
https://beta.washingtonpost.com/opinions/policy-decisions-should-be-made-by-elected-representatives-not-silicon-valley/2019/09/05/e02a38dc-cf61-11e9-87fa-8501a456c003_story.html
======
clintonb
I agree CEOs shouldn’t make government policy; but, choosing to remove a
product from the market, or withhold it from the government, is not policy
making. It’s listening to your employees and customers of other products.
These are the same people that elected the representatives that are making the
policy.
People who work at Palantir, Raytheon, and other defense manufacturers know
what their work is being used for by the government. The folks at Google,
Amazon, and non-defense companies didn’t necessarily sign up to build war
machines. They are entitled to speak up if they feel the company is going in a
direction that makes them uncomfortable. Many of them are shareholders.
Tech companies shouldn’t make policy. They also shouldn’t be forced to enter
the defense industry.
~~~
hos234
Maybe Google et al will end up creating separate entities like Google Defense
which is what Boeing/Airbus did when faced with similar issues.
------
rainyMammoth
Isn't that making a policy? (similar to it's forbidden to forbid)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: Wikifeedia - The best Wikipedia articles delivered as Newsfeed - vishnuks
http://www.vishnuks.com/Wikifeedia
======
hennerw
looks like it wont load jquery..
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
‘Humans were not centre stage’: how ancient cave art puts us in our place - mpiedrav
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/dec/12/humans-were-not-centre-stage-ancient-cave-art-painting-lascaux-chauvet-altamira
======
rdiddly
_" War led to the institution of slavery, especially for the women of the
defeated side (defeated males were usually slaughtered) and stamped the entire
female gender with the stigma attached to concubines and domestic servants.
Men did better, or at least a few of them, with the most outstanding
commanders rising to the status of kings and eventually emperors."_
Yes, other than being parenthetically slaughtered, men did great. I enjoyed
imagining Bill Burr tackling this bit.
------
lopmotr
Somehow the author manages to squeeze his exaggerated opinions about Trump and
global warming to an article about ancient cave art. Why do they keep doing
this?
------
Fjolsvith
...The Survivors.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
What are the new big ideas in tech? - babesh
Deep learning?
Massive adoption of mobile and Internet?
Big data?
Software eating the world?
======
dm2
IMO, advanced biotech and nanotechnology in general, it's coming eventually.
I personally think that we are at a point that we can make some significant
advances in miniature engineered things that interact with the human body (and
everything really).
Miniature robots in our bodies (or just blood, I don't know that much about
the subject) that we can program or have upgrades for, or just monitor. They
could clean cholesterol, monitor numerous levels/vitals, prevent clots, and
anything really. They could be especially useful for preventing overdose or
sudden onset diseases. I can imagine a text in the future to people, "Warning,
your Blood Pressure is abnormally high, here are some tips to help you lower
it." or "Blood Alcohol Content is currently at .10, you are not legally
allowed to drive."
Yes, it's dangerous. Yes it will probably be possible to easily engineer
something that will kill all of humanity, but those are problems we will have
to make safeguards for.
------
DanBC
I didn't see this, so maybe it's hopeless. BBC Horizon - "Tomorrow's World" -
(<http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rwgt6>). Not on iPlayer, but probably
available via other means.
The clip is stomach churning. Don't watch it if you're eating.
------
willholloway
I believe ubiquitous wireless internet attached to an abundance of sensors
will change life on earth in ways we are just starting to understand.
~~~
landland
I can imagine having wireless internet everywhere. No need to worry about dead
zones. Imagine being lost in the middle of nowhere but having some wireless
internet to call for help or guide you out. It would be pretty neat.
------
Irishsteve
The mentioned would be pretty mainstream by now.
I'd go for quantum computing
------
sidcool
I would go vote for real time Natural Language Processing and translation.
~~~
dm2
That's been the goal of many research groups for 50+ years. I can see Google
releasing a service (API) for it within the next few years.
What would be the applications for real-time NLP and translation? I can't
think of anything beyond being able to have the words appear on the screen
faster or actions being preformed half of a second faster.
~~~
landland
I think talking to someone on the phone in English to someone who doesn't
speak English, but gets the message in his native tongue in real time would be
super awesome (English speaker speaking to someone who hears Japanese and the
Japanese speaker speaking back in Japanese but the English speaker hears
English).
~~~
X4
star trek's universal translator :)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
TellHN : This is my new app, AzankaLyrics - dan_sim
I created a minimal lyrics formatter (http://lyrics.azankatech.com). It's a "scratch your own itch" kind of app and I implemented only the features I needed.<p><i>No more scrolling or tiny fonts while you're singing a song, your lyrics will be formatted to be the biggest possible for your screen.</i><p>What do you think of it?
======
dan_sim
clickable : <http://lyrics.azankatech.com>
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Investor Emails Startup Employee: 'I'm Not Leaving Without Having Sex With You' - ardit33
http://www.businessinsider.com/pavel-curda-allegedly-sends-sexually-harassing-email-2014-8
======
gdilla
I see things like this talked about as an illustration of harassment, but I
also wonder, do the men who do this get away with it from time to time? We
only find out about it when someone gets caught or exposed.
~~~
cafard
Less often than once, probably, but I expect they do. I can remember a number
of cases I heard of in the workplace.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Firefox to go with native UI on Android - tbassetto
http://mozillalinks.org/2011/10/firefox-to-go-with-native-ui-on-android/
======
revorad
The original announcement -
[http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.dev.platforms.mobile/...](http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.dev.platforms.mobile/browse_thread/thread/ff8d89bfa28383bb?pli=1)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: People whose advice you value highly? - pygix
======
pyrophane
To put it very simply: people around me who are competent, modest, and kind.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Big 5 personality prediction based on user behaviors at social network sites - bootload
http://arxiv.org/abs/1204.4809
======
bootload
Abstract, you can find the pdf (220Kb) ~ <http://arxiv.org/pdf/1204.4809v1>
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Hacker News without the Hacker News (on Meteor) - gerrys0
http://hn.meteor.com/
======
nloui
cool! have you (or have you considered) open sourcing this?
~~~
zacharydenton
Yeah, the code's on GitHub:
[https://github.com/zacharydenton/hackernews](https://github.com/zacharydenton/hackernews)
p.s. thanks for posting this, gerrys0
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Are you an advanced rubyist? - Denzel
Try to do this by memory without using a ruby interpreter.<p>Given:<p><pre><code> class Test
def attr
@attr
end
def attr=(value)
@attr = value * 2
end
end
</code></pre>
Evaluate:<p><pre><code> t = Test.new
t.attr = 5 # Returns => ?
t.attr # Returns => ?
</code></pre>
I don't consider myself an advanced rubyist, and I couldn't answer this until today. Nonetheless, the behavior surprised me. I've read a number of books about ruby and never seen this behavior mentioned; in fact, most deem a setter method as just another method. Any explanation for this behavior?
======
chc
It's not the method that's special, per se, but the `=` operator. The `=`
operator always returns the right operand, discarding whatever is returned
from the setter method. AFAIK it's because that's the expected behavior when
you're doing chained assignments. You wouldn't normally want the leftmost
operand in `a = b = c` to get a weird value just because the middle operand
internally does some transformation, so the `=` operator yields the right
operand unaltered.
If you went directly through the method (e.g. `t.send(:attr=, 5)` or
`t.method(:attr=).call 5`), you'd get 10.
~~~
Denzel
Thanks for the explanation chc, and grn. Indeed, invoking the method
indirectly with send or method does produce 10. Nice!
------
grn
It's related to the right-associativity of the assignment operator and its
expected semantics. If you write
a = b = c
then it is interpreted as
a = (b = c)
When c = 5 then you expect that
a = b = 5 # which is equivalent to a = (b = 5)
results in a and b set to 5. That's why = must return its right-hand side.
~~~
Denzel
Agreed. I understand exactly what you're saying, and I don't dispute the
semantics.
I guess my only problem is that in this case "t.attr" isn't really _equal_ to
5, therefore making
a = t.attr = 5
differ from
t.attr = 5
a = t.attr
which to a novice would appear equivalent. 99.9% of the time you wouldn't
expect assignment to have side-effects. But in my eyes Ruby gives you so much
power to use responsibly, it appears out of character to disallow it in this
instance. (Note: I had to forgo a little trick with ActiveRecord that would've
reduced duplication because of this.)
In the grand scheme of things, it's not a big deal. But it was very
interesting to me. :)
~~~
chc
The alternative is making
a = t.attr = 5
different from
t.attr = 5
a = 5
which is most often what someone means when they write a chained assignment.
It's all part of the "principle of least surprise" that Rubyists used to tout
so much — but unfortunately, different people find different things
surprising.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Money can't buy friends, but it can buy Twitter followers - deutronium
https://stephenwattam.com/blog/?/20160716/money-friends
======
webtechgal
> It seems these services are used as ‘seed followers’ to convince people of
> their legitimacy.
Crowd begets crowd?
This has been going on for years and presumably, will continue for the
foreseeable future. Out of sheer curiosity, I too have tested this personally
in the past, and did not find ANY benefits in terms of attracting genuine
followers. Anyone with other/different experiences?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Concepts to help developers master JavaScript - alexgrcs
https://github.com/leonardomso/33-js-concepts
======
zachrose
One intuition I’ve had while learning Elm is that it’s a fundamentally simpler
language with a smaller number of concepts to learn than JavaScript.
In this list of 33 JavaScript concepts, I count 11 that either do not exist in
Elm or, like Object.assign, do not have an alternative to worry about:
No reference types
No type coercion
No == vs ===, although typeof has a simpler equivalent
Basically all expressions and no statements
No hoisting as such
No prototypical inheritance or prototype chain
No Object.create, no destructive alternative to Object.assign
No factories or classes as such
No inheritance or polymorphism
No design patterns as such, though you could argue that abstract algebra or
category theory are the replacements
No this, call, bind, or apply
The finer points of these are somewhat debatable, but overall my contention is
that removing mutation and local state makes a lot of related concepts just
fall away. A takeaway is that when someone tells you that they’ve learned Elm,
you needn’t assume that this was as huge of an undertaking as learning
JavaScript.
~~~
dan-robertson
> No == vs ===, although typeof has a simpler equivalent
Sure, but elm has its own issues with comparison as these are essentially
implemented as a compiler hack, and only comparable (ie primitive or
lists/tulles thereof) types can be used as keys for the built in map type (so
you need to know about primitive types too)
~~~
tabtab
I'm sorry, but any language that has to rely on "===" to know what's in what
is usually fundamentally screwed up. (Yes, I'll probably get downvoted for
this. Oh well, truth often ain't popular.)
------
sugerman
IMO, these collection of links type resources would be much more useful if the
author curated the list down to something like "Read This_Article for
This_Topic" and let people then just google for more information if they need
it. Just googling and inserting the top 10 links into a list isn't adding much
value.
------
waveforms
I have to mention Dmitry Soshnikov's "JavaScript. The Core" webpage. The
concepts explained in version one published in 2010 helped me land several
contracts. Now I see he has "JavaScript. The Core: 2nd Edition". Thank you
Dmitry!
[http://dmitrysoshnikov.com/ecmascript/javascript-the-
core-2n...](http://dmitrysoshnikov.com/ecmascript/javascript-the-core-2nd-
edition/)
------
z3t4
What got me to love JS was probably learning about variable scope, closures,
and async programming.
~~~
epicide
This is what I try to convey to a lot of people who keep making jokes about
JavaScript being unpredictable and hard to program.
Just like everything else (especially programming languages), you are limited
by your understanding of the concepts. It's only as difficult as you make it.
I think so many people think of it as a toy, never bother to actually learn
how it works, and assume everything either does or should work like it does in
other languages.
~~~
vinceguidry
We're migrating an app from Ruby to NodeJS, and I keep hoping it'll get
better, but everywhere I look, from the inconsistency and constant shifting of
language semantics to the immaturity of the ecosystem, and how the former
practically enshrines the latter, I can confidently state that Javascript is
an objectively worse language. Attempts to solve problems caused by Javascript
only make the whole thing worse.
At the moment, I actually prefer vanilla javascript to ES6-7. ES6 is
inconsistent in awful ways. You still can't rely on bindings to stay put and
new additions like the splat operator just don't work the same way all the
time.
The more I learn JS, the more I hate it. I think eventually the web
development community will come around, Node will lose mindshare, and compile-
to-js languages will find their place in the sun again.
I suspect that people who actually _like_ the language are experiencing a form
of Stockholm Syndrome.
~~~
epicide
> I actually prefer vanilla javascript to ES6-7
ES6 _is_ vanilla JavaScript. Most modern browsers have support >98% of added
ES6 functionality for several major versions at this point. Admittedly,
Node.js is still lacking, but it's getting there.
> You still can't rely on bindings to stay put and new additions like the
> splat operator just don't work the same way all the time.
Unless you have a bug to report about undefined or non-deterministic behavior,
then it must be something you're doing. Random functionality is not intended
behavior.
> eventually the web development community will come around... and compile-to-
> js languages will find their place in the sun again.
This is implying they were ever there. The big ones that come to mind were
terrible. They would produce way more bloated frontends than anything we see
today. In general, adding a layer of abstraction can be incredibly useful
sometimes, but they can come at a steep cost.
What you include in "compile-to-JS" does get a little tricky to define,
though. Things like TypeScript or even Babel can kind of count here. I think
we will likely continue to see these, but I seriously doubt we'll see a
resurgence of anything like GWT again.
> I suspect that people who actually like the language are experiencing a form
> of Stockholm Syndrome.
Sure, but the same can be said for anybody working with computers ;)
~~~
vinceguidry
> Unless you have a bug to report about undefined or non-deterministic
> behavior, then it must be something you're doing. Random functionality is
> not intended behavior.
You wouldn't be saying that if you ran into the behavior we have. Eventually
I'll do more digging to find out root cause. But there's no way it was us.
> I seriously doubt we'll see a resurgence of anything like GWT again.
I'm thinking more along the lines of CoffeeScript. It bifurcates the landscape
even further, but honestly I don't think it can really get any worse than it
is now. But at least it will be building on top of sanity and not the lava
layer.
------
ArtWomb
Really good list. Deserves a section on performance and debug tools as well:
cpu and memory profiling, high res timers, requestAnimationFrame, etc.
------
crescentfresh
I wish everything on this list fell under the "JavaScript" umbrella, but
really they're all conditional on which version of "JavaScript" you're trying
to master. Eg "vanilla" js, ES5, ES6, etc. So it's hard to know what came when
and what you can actually use in the project you might be working in/creating.
------
_greim_
Disappointed that there's no top-level section on iteration. It's a powerful
but under-utilized part of the language.
------
nottorp
This looks like a bunch of generic programming resources. Possibly with
implementations in javascript.
I clicked in hope I'll get something targeted towards developers that have
nothing to do with the javascript "ecosystem" but understand programming
concepts, algorithms etc. Is there such a thing?
------
vorticalbox
This has been posted at my work, it's a very good resource.
------
yoerivw
Thank you for posting
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Why do you do this during tech interviews? - throwaway9129
I've got a few popular open source projects (1000+ stars on GH), I've got a side business that does around 10K monthly, and at my last job, I supervised a few programmers. Those might not be the best measures of my technical capabilities, but they prove I'm able to get stuff done and build things people want.<p>I'm in a position where I don't need to work and have been self-employed for 3 years. However, I interview to work with startups because of the potential equity upside.<p>The last 2 technical interviews I've been on, the same thing has happened. I get some average dude who thinks he's awesome. I show him the work I've done, how many users my side projects have, and he proceeds to ask me stupid ass technical trivia that it's clear someone at my level would know. I answer it all well.<p>Then, said dude will schedule a second technical interview where they ask me to solve the most difficult programming problem they've researched in advance. I tell them I'd need to lookup how to solve it (like they did), and they proceed to school me with the solution to recapture this technical dominance they feel I took during the first interview. I get the job offer, but they tell the owner I'm junior to them, which is 100% untrue.<p>I probably sound arrogant, but I'm not. I'm smart enough to decode this shitty aspect of human nature for what it is.<p>I don't think interview tactics like this are productive or fair, so I want to know HN's thoughts on how to overcome them.
======
kasey_junk
There is a very simple answer to this, they don't know how to interview well.
Don't blame them too much though, the entire industry has this problem. It's
one of the biggest open problems in our industry.
------
qwrusz
> I probably sound arrogant, but I'm not. I'm smart enough to decode this
> shitty aspect of human nature for what it is.
Your post does sound a bit arrogant and that's OK. A bit of arrogance is so
common it shouldn't discount validity of your post per se.
I think getting an answer to your original "Why?" question may be difficult
because: 1) I don't think many tech interviewers do what you experienced at
these two examples 2) To the extent such practices happen and as smart as you
may be, I don't think your "decoding" of things is broadly accurate.
I say this because "they tell the owner I'm junior to them, which is 100%
untrue" is a ridiculous statement. First, it's odd to see the word "owner"
when talking about startups which usually have "founders", so what kind of
startups were these 2 places? Also how do you know what they said? And how do
you know it's "100% untrue" that you are junior to them, as in how many
questions did you get to ask about their tech skills and what does "junior"
mean to you?
In terms of an answer: Your post shows a lot of assumptions that miss the
point of technical interviews and what they look for. Things like "stupid ass
tech trivia" have to be asked. Granted, sometimes too many basics do get
asked. There is difference between "junior" from a technical skills
perspective and "junior" on an org chart. Unless someone is hiring to fill the
position above them on the org chart (it happens) then you are likely "junior"
to the person hiring you. However, from a technical skills perspective, or
what some interviewer may or may not have told their boss about you being
junior...who cares what they said, you got the offer no? and once you start
working there the people with superior skills will be able to stand out, 100%
regardless of what was said months ago after an interview. So I would suggest:
stop assuming incorrectly, think like a manager, read up about emotional
quotient (EQ) in hiring, accept that life isn't "fair" and neither is
interviewing. Best of luck sir or madame.
------
itamarst
1\. "Potential equity upside" is an illusion. It's better than a lottery
ticket, sure, but the vast majority of startups fail, or fail to get big
enough for the equity to be worth much. So might want to reconsider that goal.
If you want guaranteed money, Google pay + bonus + equity probably has higher
expected value. Or a hedge fund.
2\. Personally I want to optimize for working with interesting people I can
learn from, working on worthwhile problems. Last round of interviews with
startups I met a whole bunch of people who I liked, at multiple companies.
3\. I don't know why your experience is so different. Geography? I'm in
Boston. The companies you're choosing to interview at? E.g. I tried hard to
filter out companies with bad reviews on Glassdoor.
My process is written up in blog post, though it doesn't work as well for
smaller startups. Nothing super novel, just an attempt to be more efficient at
filtering: [https://codewithoutrules.com/2016/10/14/job-you-dont-
hate/](https://codewithoutrules.com/2016/10/14/job-you-dont-hate/)
------
baguette
The answer is simple: the person who is interviewing you hasn't got as much
experience as you do. He doesn't know through what hoops and hops you've gone
through to get there. Therefore, he is testing you in a framework that he
perceives to be right. In all fairness, for 99% of the candidates, that is the
right approach.
I fit more or less the description of your profile (except I have GH projects
with 5000+ stars and ~3K side passive side business; oh well, I'd prefer your
balance, haha). I find it extremely hard to find the right position to work
in. I am a consultant and I move from one position to another every 6-8
months. However, I have been most lucky in my last two positions.
There is something bonding about being recognized from the open source work.
In that respect, the last interview I had felt more like a coffee break,
discussing various project promoting strategies with the CTO. And yet, I had
to go through interviews with another 3 developers (all happened in a time
span of two hours, on the same day). But, thats their hiring policy. Just get
done with it and enjoy the ride.
------
throwaway_374
What's worse is Codility/HackerRank tests which expect you to come up with a
dynamic programming based O(N) algorithm in order to prove your technical
skills. This is just becoming ridiculous - I now ask in advance whether any of
these pointless tests will be involved and I refuse to do them. I have a
github and happy to do take home exercises.
------
devnonymous
The well known interviewer chest thumping / pissing contest aside, I don't
know you but going solely on what you told us you don't sound as smart as you
claim to be if you interview at startups for a job although you are actually
interested in the potential for equity.
Think about it as a problem solver, if you are as technically confident as you
claim, already know how to launch and run a business and don't need the job is
interviewing for them the most efficient solution to solve the potential
equity problem? Why are you not scouting for potential founders that you can
team up with?
OTOH, all the bravado aside if you do really need a job to keep things going
comfortably, you have to let such incidents go and move on. Interviewers such
as those you describe don't make for good colleagues anyways.
------
timthorn
> I get the job offer, but they tell the owner I'm junior to them, which is
> 100% untrue.
If you're interviewing for a position, surely the people conducting the
interview will be the people who will be managing the successful candidate?
~~~
kasey_junk
That is almost universally untrue. It's especially untrue for senior people
interviewing at early startups as they are frequently staffed with _only_
junior staff.
------
AznHisoka
The cynical answer is they absolutely do not care about famous open source
project or that successful side project. They did not pour thousands of hours
and sweat building them so how would they even truly recognize how challenging
they were to achieve? (if you think thats unfair then just stay self employed
and never bother to interview again anywhere)
the less cynical answer is that they are used to people overinflating their
achievements only to fail at the job. thus they dont care what you did - just
that you answer their technical questions correctly
------
bjourne
2 is not a great sample size.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
How I accidentally made a startup - _august
https://shridhargupta.com/i-accidentally-made-a-startup
======
hyperpallium
It can seem impossible to create a business out of nothing, but because
businesses tend to focus on _how to get money_ , just trying _to make
something useful_ is a transcending advantage.
> _Make something people want. Don 't worry too much about making money. What
> you've got is a description of a charity._
> [http://www.paulgraham.com/good.html](http://www.paulgraham.com/good.html)
------
sh87
Link doesn't work for me.
~~~
masonic
Works for me.
~~~
sh87
it does now
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
How to Design a Marijuana-License Lottery - coloneltcb
http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/how-to-design-a-marijuana-license-lottery?mbid=social_twitter
======
sibrahim
Lottery designer here. Some clarifications on the article:
Re: getting a random number from 1 to 5 from a d6, my point got stripped out
of the article and it's possible to come away with the wrong impression.
Modular arithmetic is the wrong thing to do here as it introduces bias (just
reroll sixes instead). Using modular arithmetic correctly can be illustrated
with a d12: reroll 11 or 12 and use remaining rolls mod 5 (rather than always
rerolling 6-12). This completely standard result extends to any desired number
range.
To prevent any single person being able to fix the lottery, different people
got the two randomness components which were then combined with exclusive or.
An air-gapped computer and a cryptographic commitment scheme were used to
ensure independent generation no one person could usefully subvert (so we were
immune to an Eddie Tipton style attack before his case made the news).
Why not use a cryptographically secure pseudorandom number generator (CSPRNG)?
Avoiding lottery loser lawsuits.
First, a note about basic structure: licenses were allocated and applied for
by jurisdiction (city/county) so the stream of random numbers was used to
serially run separate lotteries in each jurisdiction. Each lottery produces a
full permutation so requires log(n!) bits of entropy.
If you used less than ~1200 bits of entropy when seeding your CSPRNG (either
initially or periodically reseeding), then applicants could argue (correctly,
though somewhat misleadingly) that some outcomes in the cartesian product of
individual lottery results could never be produced by the system and try to
get the results thrown out on this basis.
Indeed, with a small seed, one could say that the outcome of any particular
lottery is determined by the outcomes of the other jurisdictions. That is, the
other lottery results determine the seed (nonconstructively, for a CSPRNG)
with high probability which trivially determines the current lottery result.
This trick has been used (against much weaker systems) to cheat at online
poker by using your hole+flop cards to reveal all cards:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=288138](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=288138)
Using a CSPRNG with a large seed/state space resolves this possible objection
if you use a TRNG (true random number generator) to generate that seed. But if
you do this, there isn't much reason to involve a CSPRNG at all (at best it's
just another whitening step on top of the TRNG).
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
DuckDuckHack is now in Maintenance Mode - frabcus
https://duckduckhack.com/
======
Nib
As someone who has actively participated in DDH for a while now, here are my
views:
\- A non-trivial part of the current contributions included "cheat sheets"
which IMO, really required a lot of effort to ensure correctness/usability but
don't really provide much improvement to search results(I don't think I myself
used the feature in the past 1.5 years more than 3-4 times), so, this should
really free up time for DDG staff to focus on the more important instant
answers and features.
\- The community has been, for a while now, getting smaller and less
contributing in the recent past. Backed by data from official repos(the number
of commits over time, that is)[1]. After all, there are only a finite number
of instant answers before they just become redundant.
\- The current model for the triggers(when an instant answer gets displayed)
is quite restrictive. It's just regex-based. IMO, a lot more growth can be
achieved using ML models for triggering, A/B testing etc.
I'm still kind of disappointed with this. Perhaps unrelated, but does anyone
have any suggestions for people willing to work on similar open source
projects.
[1]: [https://github.com/duckduckgo/zeroclickinfo-
spice/graphs/con...](https://github.com/duckduckgo/zeroclickinfo-
spice/graphs/contributors?from=2011-07-03&to=2017-09-10&type=c) ,
[https://github.com/duckduckgo/zeroclickinfo-
goodies/graphs/c...](https://github.com/duckduckgo/zeroclickinfo-
goodies/graphs/contributors?from=2011-07-31&to=2017-09-10&type=a)
~~~
romo3
Kiwix - most people are too conditioned to think that search has to happen
online and don't even realize what is possible offline.
Entire web archives such as the entire dump of wikipedia and stackexchange
(including media and indexes for search) can be stored locally. The missing
piece is Google level search quality on the local machine. Given that brute
force substring search can process Gigabytes in seconds nowadays. If you have
enterprise grade server hardware things are reaching 1000GB/s. At this rate,
there is no reason to think in a couple years local search of all known human
knowledge can't happen on a local device at Google level result quality.
For anyone interested in the search space look into whats possible today in
local offline search.
~~~
amelius
You might be right, but human knowledge is also expanding, of course. The
question is: will it expand faster than hardware capabilities?
Anyway, I wish we'd see more search and NLP related posts here on HN. It
deserves far more attention than it gets.
~~~
romo3
For the average person this rate does not matter. They don't need access to
the cutting edge of quantum physics, astronomy, dance, art or javascript.
All you have to do is look at the speed at which new info is being added to
Wikipedia and Stackoverflow which is stabilizing, i.e. it is not growing as it
once was. Basic/foundational knowledge is more or less all covered.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Modelling_Wikipedia%...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Modelling_Wikipedia%27s_growth)
And that sum total comes to 50-60 GB compressed. Think about that number. It's
not big.
~~~
weaksauce
The sum total of our collective intelligence is equal to an install of gtaV...
Crazy.
~~~
panglott
Wikipedia is not the sum of our collective knowledge. It's little more than
the preface.
------
rubenbe
The subtitle is "Past, Present, and Future", but I'm really missing what the
future will hold. All they mention is that "We’re not sure what the next
community initiative will look like"
------
l0b0
Only vaguely related: Is there any fully FOSS general purpose web search
engine which gets close to DDG? It seems by now it should be possible to run a
community supported completely transparent search engine with relatively
limited means ($X00k/year).
~~~
jacquesm
> It seems by now it should be possible to run a community supported
> completely transparent search engine with relatively limited means
> ($X00k/year).
I'd argue the opposite, the time when such a thing would have been possible is
long past. If you want to get anywhere near to the quality in results that the
big engines offer then you're going to be spending some pretty big cash.
~~~
fao_
In my experience, the bar for quality has been rapidly dropping as of late. At
this point, most of the things I type into google come back null or with
random results -- even with results that used to return data that was
relevant.
~~~
j_s
Can you please provide an example of this type of search?
~~~
godelski
I look for scientific papers a lot and have found that I'm getting a lot more
sites like IFLS or Ars that are reporting on said paper. Or I'll get related
studies, but not the one I'm looking for, when the related studies definitely
don't contain a word I'm using.
This is even expanding into my code search. Like I'll type "do something os
related python linux" and get commands for windows as the first few hits.
Clearly I don't want windows.
~~~
j_s
Like a link please, I want to see "null or with random results". Not sure how
customized results affect things though.
~~~
godelski
I can only account for my experiences. Only time I've ever had null results
was when looking for really obscure things. I'm not the person that you
originally replied to.
~~~
j_s
Thanks for taking the time to provide a specific example where the results
weren't up to your standards.
------
natch
Am I understanding correctly that the instant answers (actual content) is not
on GitHub, and is only available on a web page semi-locked down from scraping
attempts by JavaScript paging?
If this is not correct, anyone have a link to the exact repo I should be
looking at? The link in TFA only goes to the main account page, not any
specific repo, and the repo names are not clear enough to tell if they have
what I'm looking for.
~~~
tagawa
The Instant Answers are all on GitHub but in four separate repos which, I
agree, can be confusing.
* [https://github.com/duckduckgo/zeroclickinfo-goodies](https://github.com/duckduckgo/zeroclickinfo-goodies) \- "Goodies" which are generally static answers such as cheat sheets, colour picker or unit conversions.
* [https://github.com/duckduckgo/zeroclickinfo-spice](https://github.com/duckduckgo/zeroclickinfo-spice) \- "Spice" for using public APIs, e.g. weather, transport status or currency conversions.
* [https://github.com/duckduckgo/zeroclickinfo-fathead](https://github.com/duckduckgo/zeroclickinfo-fathead) and [https://github.com/duckduckgo/zeroclickinfo-longtail](https://github.com/duckduckgo/zeroclickinfo-longtail) \- "Fathead" and "Longtail" are less common and are for text lookups, e.g. of programming docs.
Disclaimer: DuckDuckGo staff
~~~
natch
Thanks for clarifying!
------
stephengillie
Does this mean the end for Instant Answers? I hope not - it's one of the
information sources my bot uses to research the world.
It's amazing to see so much human effort went into this project and the full
1200-word list. I thought I had read somewhere that this was automation backed
by Wikipedia, but apparently it was entirely manual?
~~~
AdamSC1
DDG staff here - Instant Answers aren't going anywhere :)
------
bitmapbrother
This is why I'll never use another service by DuckDuckGo ever again. First
they shut down DuckDuckReader and now this.
~~~
boyter
I thought I was familiar with most of DDG's operations. What was
DuckDuckReader? RSS reader or something?
~~~
stonewhite
That was a joke essentially ripping on people throwing fits about Google
shutting down products, most famously Google Reader.
------
roansh
[Unrelated]
I was not aware of this being open source.
A quick look-through led to this sample search -- "Movies with Keira
Knightley". However, "Keira Knightley movies" fails to give the same instant
answer. Any permutations of words "Keira", "Knightley" and "movies" on Google
seems to give the list of movies -- which is how the behaviour should be I
guess, will probably open an issue/PR :)
------
avg_dev
What was DuckDuckHack?
~~~
kuroguro
Seems to be an editing community for instant answers on duckduckgo search
------
marvy
I started making something with DuckDuckHack, soon realized I bit off more
than I can chew. I wanted to delete what I did so at least the name would be
available to someone who wants to do a good job, but have no idea how to
delete it.
------
rootlocus
> That's over 5,000 pull requests, 250,000 lines of code and hundreds of
> squashed bugs!
I was expecting "hundreds of new bugs".
------
denisehilton
How can one join the Duckduckhack community. And what's the selection
criteria?
~~~
r3bl
You pretty much submit an instant answer or two and they add you to the
duckduckhack-community group on GitHub.
------
rnhmjoj
It seems that discarding your community once you have made enough money is
trending.
~~~
matt4077
How does this sort of conspiracy theory make any sense in this context? Or
even in general?
If they are making so much money, why would they end the program?
~~~
carussell
To be fair, the comment from DuckDuckGo in the Reddit thread[1] says that they
will continue to put resources into it ("staff are still improving the Instant
Answers we have, and will create any new Instant Answers we see are needed").
Which means the only change really happening here is to shut off the
contributions that DDG receives from others for free, which doesn't really
make sense as a business decision, either.
On the other hand, if you view it as an announcement that they're going to be
taking Instant Answers closed source to keep future changes in-house, then it
makes sense.
1\.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/duckduckgo/comments/6ymjj8/duckduck...](https://www.reddit.com/r/duckduckgo/comments/6ymjj8/duckduckhack_is_now_in_maintenance_mode/dmq6ilk/)
~~~
tagawa
Just to clarify, the Instant Answers will remain open source on GitHub and
maintained in public.
Disclaimer: DuckDuckGo staff
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Many computers/displays, 1 keyboard/mouse to control them all - jefe78
http://nethackz.com/two-computers-two-monitors-one-keyboard/
======
pedalpete
I've been running Synergy across 2 computers 3 monitors for a few years. Very
cool how the author synced the background image. I should take the time to do
that.
~~~
jefe78
Likewise. I started using it back in ~2008(I believe) and haven't looked back.
I figured there was value in reposting this for those that aren't familiar
with it and some of the recent changes.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
A Basic HN Client in React - armujahid
https://github.com/armujahid/hnreact/
======
armujahid
I developed it last year in few hours and it's currently hosted at
[https://hn.armujahid.me/](https://hn.armujahid.me/)
~~~
vital
[https://news.ycombinator.com](https://news.ycombinator.com): 7 requests 61.86
KB / 20.48 KB transferred Finish: 845 ms DOMContentLoaded: 483 ms load: 823 ms
[https://hn.armujahid.me/](https://hn.armujahid.me/): 18 requests 374.67 KB /
104.76 KB transferred Finish: 1.47 s DOMContentLoaded: 179 ms load: 539 ms
Is there any other point to take note of?
~~~
armujahid
Wow. I didn't even notice that. I am using github pages with cloudflare cdn
that may be one of the reason of its fast load time
------
lawry
Pretty cool to see how you did this since there's so much different ways to
build a react project. :) Curious to see the same being done with hooks and
useEffect
~~~
armujahid
Hooks version is now live :)
~~~
lawry
That's awesome! :D
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Reactive PostgreSQL for Meteor - taylorwc
https://github.com/numtel/meteor-pg
======
netghost
If you're not using meteor, but are interested in using this in node, take a
look at the library it's built on: [https://github.com/numtel/pg-live-
select](https://github.com/numtel/pg-live-select)
At a glance it looks like it creates triggers on the fly and tears them down.
I'm curious how scaleable this is, is trigger creation a locking activity in
postgres?
~~~
buckbova
Creating views and triggers on the fly does sound like insanity. There's got
to be a better way.
~~~
nunwuo
There is: logical decoding
[http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.4/static/logicaldecoding.ht...](http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.4/static/logicaldecoding.html)
I wonder why the author chose to waste time on this instead of doing things
the proper way.
~~~
ivarv
I'd guess ignorance? I'd never heard of 'logical decoding' before and the name
of the feature doesn't lend itself to easy understanding.
That said, thanks for pointing this out - it looks like yet another very
useful PG feature!
~~~
hammerandtongs
At times it feels as if the entire Nosql industry was created by people not
reading the Postgresql manual.
edit: thanks for the link to logical decoding, looks very useful.
------
justinsb
I think it's great to see this. I was really impressed by the insight/design
of allowing the user to specify the invalidation functions, rather than trying
to solve the (very difficult) problem of automatically determining the exact
set of invalidation criteria. It may be that the user can determine a better
invalidation function anyway, because they have domain-specific knowledge
(e.g. how often a table changes).
(I'm a meteorite, but commenting in my personal capacity)
------
pinouchon
Whether this is the right approach or not, I'm glad to see people trying to
make the meteor sql support happen. Many people aren't really to adopt Meteor
unless it has sql support.
------
Ciantic
There was (or is?) also fork of PostgreSQL which implemented streamed queries.
It was way ahead it's time, maybe it's dead by now. But they still have the
site here, weirdly named TelegraphCQ:
[http://telegraph.cs.berkeley.edu/](http://telegraph.cs.berkeley.edu/)
Direct link to 2.1 last version:
[http://telegraph.cs.berkeley.edu/telegraphcq/v2.1/](http://telegraph.cs.berkeley.edu/telegraphcq/v2.1/)
~~~
numtel
Interesting... I'll take a look at this.
It would be awesome to write a Postgres extension in C to implement Live
Selects directly. Due to this project's developmental legacy this was
considered from the start but is definitely on my radar.
------
McDoogle
This is a cool hack, but no latency compensation or database only on the
server. I would rather use a package that adhered to the core principles of
Meteor.
~~~
taylorwc
Agreed. Can't wait for the baked-in psql support in Meteor.
------
joeyspn
Looks great! Does this have something to do with the official SQL support that
Mateor has in the pipeline?
~~~
Everhusk
I don't think this was developed by MDG [1]. Just as amazing work though!
[1] Author - [https://numtel.github.io/](https://numtel.github.io/)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Completed Bitcoin transactions on eBay - anigbrowl
http://www.ebay.com/sch/Coins-Paper-Money-/11116/i.html?LH_Sold=1&_from=R40&LH_Complete=1&_nkw=BTC
======
coryl
Seems like one of the most inefficient ways to acquire bitcoin.
~~~
joezydeco
Unless you convince the seller to transfer the bitcoin and then file a dispute
with eBay/Paypal. Then it becomes the most efficient means possible.
~~~
mxxx
haha
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The Lost City of Z (2005) - Vigier
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/09/19/the-lost-city-of-z
======
nsns
A nice documentary here -
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD_1p37iX5g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD_1p37iX5g)
------
MaysonL
The meat is at the end, following the drama and jungle stories. Search for
"Heckenberger" and continue reading to the end.
~~~
ableal
"His work has been hailed as proof that the rain forest once contained
civilizations nearly as rich and complex as those of the Inca and the Maya and
Europeans."
I did read it through to that point, but you were right. Still a tough sell,
however.
------
coolic
Cobras in Amazonia? 0_o
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Your mid-2010 13-17" MBP's *will* support HDMI audio/video - tenaciousJk
http://store.apple.com/us/product/H1824ZM/A?mco=MTgxMzM1NzE
======
agent86
You could also skip the dongle, and just get a direct cable instead.
10ft, $45 - <http://store.apple.com/us/product/H4637ZM/A?mco=MTY3ODQ5OTY>
It does up to 1080p video and up to 5.1 audio for the following Macs:
\- MacBook (Late 2010 release)
\- MacBook Pro 13/15/17 inch (Mid 2010 release)
\- iMac 21.5/27 inch
\- MacBook Air 11/13 inch (Mid 2010 release)
\- Mac Mini (Mid 2010 release)
\- Mac Pro (Mid 2010 release)
~~~
tenaciousJk
Monoprice needs to release their version of this cable!
------
zach
When I was in my local Apple Store here in LA, I was confused that they didn't
have any Apple Mini DisplayPort to HDMI adapters on the shelves at all.
Then I saw they had these instead. The Apple Store had the Moshi adapters
completely take the place of the old Apple MDP/HDMI adapters.
That must be the ultimate coup for an accessory manufacturer: having the
manufacturer drop their accessory for yours in their own stores!
------
yoavniteflip
get 3 of them for the same price here: [http://www.meritline.com/mini-
displayport-to-hdmi-adapter---...](http://www.meritline.com/mini-displayport-
to-hdmi-adapter---p-34680.aspx)
~~~
tenaciousJk
I bought my MBP in summer 2010 and the HDMI audio spec and adapters weren't
known or available yet.
Haven't checked monoprice yet, but these look legit :)
Thanks!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
If SnapChat Is The Next Big Thing... - semilshah
http://blog.semilshah.com/2013/02/09/if-snapchat-is-the-next-big-thing/
======
jusben1369
What I think most fascinating about SnapChat is that we've always assumed that
having a permanent online record was a byproduct of sharing. You know, that
drunk tweet or party picture on FB could come back to haunt you years later.
But what if SnapChat makes us demand that all posts expire unless we demand
they stay?
~~~
halcyondaze
That would be very interesting. I initially thought SnapChat was strictly for
sexting, but then I downloaded the app and ended up getting into it and
sending ridiculous pictures to friends and family...it's a great messaging
tool.
What I'm wondering is...how are they going to make money?
~~~
semilshah
For an app like SnapChat, at scale they "could" make money by inserting ads
based on location, two friends "snapping," or ad-on features. But, would need
to reach scale, which they may just do.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Report of an NSA Employee about a Backdoor in the OpenSSH Daemon (2012) [pdf] - Audiophilip
http://www.spiegel.de/media/media-35663.pdf
======
toyg
This is more of a rootkit than a backdoor, since you have to replace the
OpenSSH binary with a trojaned version. A backdoor usually implies that it was
there from the start, which is exactly the opposite of what the guy says (he
reports having to fight OpenSSH hard to let him have the backdoor).
Title should be "NSA Employee Reports Developing OpenSSH Rootkit".
~~~
huhtenberg
No, it's not a rootkit. Rootkit it not something that grants root access, it
something that runs with root privileges and uses them to conceal its own
existence.
This one is just a custom OpenSSH version with a backdoor.
~~~
smtddr
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rootkit](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rootkit)
_" A rootkit is a stealthy type of software, typically malicious, designed to
hide the existence of certain processes or programs from normal methods of
detection and enable continued privileged access to a computer"_
...continued privileged access. In the *nix world, this is understood to mean
root.
~~~
AnIrishDuck
> A rootkit is a stealthy type of software, typically malicious, designed to
> hide the existence of certain processes or programs from normal methods of
> detection
These are the primary characteristic of a rootkit. To wit, from that same
article:
> Rootkit detection is difficult because a rootkit may be able to subvert the
> software that is intended to find it. Detection methods include using an
> alternative and trusted operating system, behavioral-based methods,
> signature scanning, difference scanning, and memory dump analysis. Removal
> can be complicated or practically impossible, especially in cases where the
> rootkit resides in the kernel; reinstallation of the operating system may be
> the only available solution to the problem.[2] When dealing with firmware
> rootkits, removal may require hardware replacement, or specialized
> equipment.
These problems are what rootkits are associated with. The backdoored SSH
described in the paper does not qualify. Detecting it is fairly
straightforward, and on its own it makes no attempt to hide any programs that
it spawns. EDIT: further, as described it makes no efforts to avoid removal.
> enable continued privileged access to a computer
If you strip away the rest of the definition and only look at this part, then
by your definition the vanilla SSH server is a rootkit.
------
clamprecht
The thing that strikes me from this report is that he or she (and most of
these programmer types working for NSA groups) are just like many of the
HN/tech crowd, except they're working for "the other side". Heck, many of them
probably read HN every day.
> New Zealand was incredible! I wish I’d had more time there, but I did pretty
> well. I saw a handful of LOTR sights, Mount Cook, a number of gorgeous
> lakes, snow-capped mountains everywhere ... I absolutely loved my time in
> Australia, both in terms of work and travel, but I’m also looking forward to
> returning to the land of Chick-fil-A, college athletics, BBQ pork, and real
> bacon. Oh, and good beer.
It's great that they love their work, but it's too bad so many smart people
are going to work on projects that violate so many people's rights.
~~~
CHY872
But how is this particular guy in the wrong?
This exploit is something that needs to be specifically installed by someone -
it's not something you'd use to exploit the masses, it's something you'd use
to monitor a target further once you already had (perhaps temporary) root
access.
In that sense, it's basically just bread-and-butter spy work. It's hard to
accept that the government has any reason to monitor the population to the
extent that the NSA does - but it would be conversely completely foolish to
say that they have no business developing attacks for computers - it would be
like saying they have no business developing lock pick tools or electronic
bugs.
History has shown that a strong nation has at least some need for intelligence
and counter-intelligence, and the US has historically had incredibly poor
capabilities for both, which has lead to the deaths of thousands (thinking
about Vietnam intelligence specifically).
It thus seems at least foolish to criticise what's clearly an impressive
targeted exploit - which to some extent demonstrates the US' dominance in the
field.
This isn't something that the public has any business knowing - this is just
plain espionage.
~~~
clamprecht
You're right, I shouldn't single this one person out. I'm thinking of the many
who knowingly work on technologies or exploits that are being used to spy on
their own citizens.
------
tedunangst
> SSH has a _lot_ of checks to make sure you can't switch usernames in the
> middle of a login (go figure) so this was a bit tricky to bypass.
Go figure.
------
mappu
On debian/ubuntu you can detect modified packages with `debsums` - but the
signatures seem to be MD5, for which it's possible to generate collisions with
e.g. something like [http://www.bishopfox.com/resources/tools/other-free-
tools/md...](http://www.bishopfox.com/resources/tools/other-free-
tools/md4md5-collision-code/) .
~~~
tedunangst
With an unmodified `debsums`, of course.
------
click170
> Currently DSD uses authorized_keys as a quick-and-easy method for
> persistence against certain *nix targets.
Good to know. Time for a security audit of every authorized_keys file I
maintain.
------
dorafmon
If they developed an alternative version of OpenSSH with backdoor how can they
distribute it so that people will actually use it?
~~~
manicdee
Crowbar attack versus the distribution maintainer.
Physical access to the target's system.
Control the network upstream of the target so that the modified checksum and
package can be delivered during package upgrades.
Compromise the mirror used by the target to provide the modified checksum and
package.
Hide the code changes in a series of semi-related ostensibly legitimate pull
requests. Legitimise your pull requests by developing corner cases which
expose "bugs" in the software you wish to attack.
Crowbar attack against the upstream maintainer.
"USB key in the carpark" attack.
Those are some ideas. I don't claim to be an expert in the area.
------
thrill
It's good to see a man who enjoys his work.
~~~
mappu
They're not necessarily male. </flamebait>
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Microsoft no longer allows admins to block Windows Store access in Win10 Pro - walterbell
http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-no-longer-allows-administrators-to-block-windows-store-access-in-windows-10-pro/
======
Someone1234
If Microsoft wants SMBs to use Enterprise then make the Enterprise edition
more easily available to SMBs, don't try to force them to move to it by making
petty little changes to make their life more difficult.
I can go on the Google Apps website right now and buy myself seats with a few
clicks and a few minutes. If I want to buy Windows Enterprise licenses it will
take weeks, cost an unclear amount (at the onset), and I'll have to
talk/negotiate with pointless sales drones.
I worked for a startup, under 20 machines, I tried to buy then Windows 7
Enterprise. Microsoft's partners were super unhelpful, disinterested in a
small account, refused to provide clear pricing, and I was getting upsold even
before we got the basics squared away ("I'll just add on 20 CALs, a Windows
Server license, and let's talk exchange!"). Ultimately we just gave up, and
used Windows 7 Home(!) for three years.
People want to give Microsoft money, but Microsoft is intent on making the
entire thing as painful as possible and their licensing as obtuse as possible.
Office 365 Business gets a lot of shit, but it is a dream come true for
startups, you pay one cost, and one user gets their Office license key, email,
and some cloud storage taken care of.
Where is the Windows version of Office 365? Why can't I just pay a per user
fee and get one Windows Enterprise key, the CAL, and Azure-based AD?
Time is money, and Microsoft likes to waste a lot of time. I'd prefer to spend
a few dollars more a year and have a simple streamline process of licensing,
than spend weeks being jerked around just to maybe get a few bucks off of a
fake price anyway.
~~~
jrcii
I lived through the exact same disaster. I spent HOURS on the phone trying to
acquire a license for Windows 7 Enterprise, I needed it for Hyper-V.
Microsoft's main number, dead-end IVR system. Tried the Microsoft Store, they
routed me to the dead-end IVR system. 50 or so minutes after my initial
attempt I got some person that could barely speak English from India routing
me to a voicemail, a couple of times Microsoft's phone system plain hung up on
me after having me on hold for 20+ minutes.
Eventually I got some person at a Microsoft Store felt bad about the whole
thing and took 2 days to get a number for a rep a CDW who could get me the
price. That rep didn't have the price, but took my information after a 15
minute call and promised to get it to me. When she did days later, she
couldn't give me a final price because she forgot I needed a user CAL and a
remote access CAL. When I went to make the final purchase, she said oh,
actually we can't do it because Microsoft won't sell the Windows 7 license
anymore only Windows 10.
The whole process made me feel like I was losing my mind.
~~~
hackuser
Unfortunately, that is common with many large companies, including Microsoft.
I've practically begged them to take my money but sometimes nobody seems to
know how to do it.
~~~
criddell
In the past I've heard that if you need an XP license and Microsoft won't sell
one, installed a pirated version of XP and then let it do it's genuine windows
check, which will fail. Right after it fails, you are given a way to actually
pay for a license. I'm guessing this no longer works, but it did for a while.
~~~
emoore84
And even they have not supporting Windows XP now. I have used Windows 7, 8 and
Windows 10. But still loves XP.
Nobody knows what Microsoft wants to do, they have Acquired Nokia but nothing
goes well.
------
camperman
I always snigger at the formula of Microsoft's public statements. You just
know that in the first paragraph it will claim - disingenuously - to be doing
the exact opposite of whatever it's accused of. And sure enough the very first
sentence is:
"Microsoft is focused on helping enterprises manage their environment while
giving people choice in the apps and devices they use to be productive across
work and life."
You can take this sentence, and without knowing any other details at all,
figure out that the company is somehow preventing enterprises from managing
their environments properly or restricting app and device choice or both.
~~~
CaptSpify
I find this true of most company taglines. "We have the highest rated customer
service" = We have shitty customer service.
I think the people who write this stuff are usually presented with "Here's the
bad parts of our reputation. Make sure your blurb fixes that"
~~~
tokensimian
Probably something like, "we took a survey. Here's what our customers /
prospects said is important to them."
If a company has poor customer service, byzantine purchase process, etc., that
stuff will crop up.
Then again, so will all the standard things -- trust, etc.
------
drglitch
Microsoft enterprise/SMB sales process (via channel partners) is a laughable
disaster.
Recent task: Run a Windows Server VM on Azure, with 4 remote desktop users
connecting in.
Result: almost a MONTH of back and fourth with THREE different MSPs since none
of them knew details of proper licensing. In fact, even Azure support did not
know licensing terms and said just to contact the MSPs, who in turn advised we
contact Azure support. In the end, after a couple of days of googling and
reading obscure MSDN entries, we THINK we got the right licensing approach.
Oh, and total cost difference between different MSPs on even such a small
order was over 40%.
Sadly, its currently a classic example of "please take my money" and the
company doing everything in their power not to. Until microsoft clears up
their licensing terms and makes pricing transparent, they will be hated.
~~~
rjbwork
I'm slightly confused...you think the multiple users RDPing into it will cause
an increase in cost if you go 100% legit? The price of the windows OS is
priced into the Azure hosting costs. Windows vms are a bit more expensive than
linux ones for this reason.
~~~
taspeotis
Remote Desktop on Azure is a bit of a licensing nightmare. See this [1] old
blog post:
> Effective January 1, 2014, Volume Licensing customers who have active
> Software Assurance on their RDS User CALs are entitled to RDS CAL Extended
> Rights, which allow use of their RDS User CAL with Software Assurance
> against a Windows Server running on Windows Azure
Licensing costs for Remote Desktop Services (not Azure RemoteApp) is not
built-in to the virtual machine pricing.
[1]
[https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/luispanzano/2013/07/15/remo...](https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/luispanzano/2013/07/15/remote-
desktop-services-are-now-allowed-on-windows-azure/)
~~~
rjbwork
So... does that mean you can't RDP into your machine to do administrative
stuff?
EDIT: Oh i see, ONLY administrative stuff if you need more than 2 users.
~~~
taspeotis
The admin. connections are free of licensing restrictions, anything beyond
that is a PITA (on Azure).
------
GigabyteCoin
And this particular sysadmin-for-my-family will no longer allow windows to be
installed on any of our computers whenever they are in need of a reinstall.
Windows is becoming more and more like Facebook. Too many users changed a
setting you don't agree with? Just block access to that setting or call it
something else to confuse enough people to the point that the numbers are
"good enough" for management.
Almost every time I visit my parents, my mother's Windows 10 laptop has
reverted at least one of the changes I have made.
I used to keep a copy of Windows available via dualboot on all of my laptops,
just in case I needed to print something in a remote location where whichever
flavor of linux I was using didn't support. Not anymore. Linux Mint serves
that requirement just fine.
~~~
cm2187
One thing that windows 10 absolutely hates users changing is firewall rules. I
regularly see my custom rules disappearing. This is _unacceptable_.
~~~
manigandham
The windows firewall is also tied into pretty much everything in the system,
disabling that service messes with lots of stuff, like installing fonts:
[http://superuser.com/questions/957907/unable-to-install-
font...](http://superuser.com/questions/957907/unable-to-install-fonts-on-
windows-10)
~~~
userbinator
That sort of completely insane dependency deserves a specially enunciated
_WTF!?!?_
I would not be surprised if somehow installing or opening a font was tied into
some sort of telemetry system (or maybe DRM-ish licensing crap) that requires
Internet access in some way or another. Unbelievably scary and deeply
disturbing.
------
FuriouslyAdrift
We are tied to Microsoft due to a multi-million dollar ERP. I have frozen at
Win 8.1 (software assurance contract). I love server and maybe once Server
2016 is out this Fall/Winter, I can circle back around but the 2 Win10
machines we have (one is mine) tripped every security protocol we have (we do
some stuff for foreign and local defense contractors). Thi sis the enterprise
edition. In the end, I block a few thousand domains and entire netblocks
within and without our networks which completely breaks Cortana, Store, etc.
along with just about every Microsoft website. It's a pain. I'll be moving
back to DragonflyBSD ASAP on my desktop and running VM's whenever I need to
hop into Windows.
~~~
CyberDildonics
You should put something out saying what you've blocked, I'm sure many other
people want to do the same thing.
I don't know when I'll be able to get off of windows, but I do know that my
next computer won't run it on the bare metal. I plan on getting a CPU with
good virtualization (non 'k') and only ever running windows inside a VM.
Things had already gone too far about 5 revelations ago.
~~~
Namidairo
The Intel CPU's with unlocked multi's have had VT-D for a couple iterations
now. They're still useless if you have zero plans to overclock. (Even more so
now they don't even come with stock coolers anymore.)
------
hackuser
I want devices that I, the owner, control, whether I'm a small business or
enterprise or individual. This is important for many reasons, from security to
freedom-to-tinker to using the device I own in the way I want.
It was once an accepted standard in IT. Now, can anyone name a current
handheld or desktop system that provides end-user control?
If you don't think security, including privacy, is important, consider what a
U.S. president with fascistic tendancies would do with all this access to
citizen's devices and data (and how many companies would risk their
enterprises when he leaned on them?).
~~~
794CD01
Most things that were "once an accepted standard in IT" are horribly insecure.
The end user wanting a system he/she controls is very much one of them.
Microsoft taking away control from users, especially when it came to forcing
them to take updates, is probably the biggest change they could possibly have
made to improve the overall security of the internet.
~~~
unprepare
are you under the impression that automatic security updates is what people
dislike about windows 10?
Its mostly the:
telemetry
openended ToS
poor upgrade/reinstall behavior resulting in lost licenses
overly complicated licensing structure (with articles like this showing the
professional license feature set degrading over time)
forced integration of unrelated products (cortana, bing)
integration of advertising into the OS (lockscreen and wallpapers)
lessening control enterprises have over their systems
~~~
mynameisvlad
Full disclosure: I work at Microsoft but outside of Windows.
> poor upgrade/reinstall behavior resulting in lost licenses
I have never experienced this. If you bought Windows 10 straight up (or your
computer came with one) then you have a product key you can use, just like
before. If you upgraded from 7/8 or are in the Insider Program, then you get a
digital entitlement to your Microsoft account which gets restored
automatically when you next sign on. [http://windows.microsoft.com/en-
us/windows-10/activation-in-...](http://windows.microsoft.com/en-
us/windows-10/activation-in-windows-10)
> overly complicated licensing structure
There are two editions for consumers: Home, and Pro. With the differentiator
being fairly clear from the name alone (home is for home users, pro gives you
things you aren't going to ever use at home but might at work, like AD join).
There are other editions like Enterprise and Education, but an end user will
never even see them.
> forced integration of unrelated products
Cortana _is_ a part of Windows. It started as a Windows Phone feature, and got
brought over to desktop. There's nothing unrelated about it. Bing is
integrated to Cortana because that's the backend powering it. It's like how Ok
Google uses Google on Android. Using a third party provider would not give
nearly the amount of insight it currently has, since the two teams can work
together to improve results and the overall experience.
> integration of advertising into the OS (lockscreen and wallpapers)
Spotlight has shown _one_ ad that I am aware of (Tomb Raider). Otherwise, it
gives you curated images rotated every so often. Your wallpaper does not
change, that is not a feature of Spotlight. It's also completely disableable;
you just set your own image.
~~~
tdkl
> It's also completely disableable
How about being opt-in?
Can we please just give you money and have a edition of Windows 10 LTSB for
consumers where you don't have to wrestle with all this crap?
Also will this "surprise motherfucker" style of updates continue when the free
update period runs out in July 2016 and MS starts charging money? Because if
it won't, get prepared for some heavy legal action.
~~~
mynameisvlad
I believe Windows 8 introduced the group policy to set a default lock screen
image ([https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/itpro/windows/whats-
new/...](https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/itpro/windows/whats-new/windows-
spotlight)). Since Enterprise is the only LTSB SKU, I would assume some sort
of group policy is also being deployed. Wouldn't be too hard to set that
policy up, which disables Spotlight automatically.
------
TheRealDunkirk
The ball is back in Apple's court. They seem to take the end user more
seriously, but they've been mixed. I made a comment taking Microsoft to task
when their surreptitious telemetry came to light, and someone pointed me to
proof that Apple was doing about the same thing. This is Apple's chance to
continue to distance themselves from their competition. They've done well
standing up for privacy, with the recent FBI demand to decrypt iPhones, but
this is a chance to go further.
Man, I really wish Google would release their desktop Linux. Ubuntu is OK, but
someone with pockets like that could finish the job, and make a credible,
consumer-accessible, 3rd alternative to keep BOTH #1 and #2 on their toes. If
I could just run Linux-supported games with the same performance as under
Windows -- I'm not even talking Windows games under Wine -- I might finally
get rid of my Windows partition to get away from such things. Valve has got to
be working on a Linux distro, which they will release on their SteamBox (along
with Half-Life 3, mark my words), but who knows when THAT will be.
~~~
Grishnakh
>They seem to take the end user more seriously
Unless you're trying to keep music on your computer and use iTunes, in which
case they upload all your music to the cloud and delete it off your PC.
>Man, I really wish Google would release their desktop Linux. Ubuntu is OK,
but someone with pockets like that could finish the job, and make a credible,
consumer-accessible, 3rd alternative to keep BOTH #1 and #2 on their toes.
Have they actually talked about doing this?
It really wouldn't take much to make a "credible, consumer-accessible" version
of Linux. Most of the pieces are already present, and Linux Mint for instance
is already very easy for a non-expert to install and use. The main problems
are 1) graphics drivers for non-Intel chips and 2) software compatibility.
Lots of games already work on Linux thanks to Steam. A little more work with
WINE maybe, and some improvements to Nouveau, and some more polishing and
you'd easily have something that a casual PC user can install easily and use.
It'd probably help too if they finally finished Wayland and got the whole
systemd thing settled. Then they'd just need to use their influence to push
other companies to do their part, such as stupid printer manufacturers who
don't make Linux drivers for their winprinters (not a problem for good
printers, but for the cheapo inkjets it still is).
Hoenstly, I find it pretty disappointing that Red Hat hasn't done more in this
area, particularly considering they're the ones who created systemd and employ
many Gnome3 devs. You'd think they'd be pushing corporate Linux desktops hard,
but they don't seem to be.
~~~
TheRealDunkirk
> I find it pretty disappointing that Red Hat hasn't done more in this area
Me too. Especially now that the 2 things that kept Linux from being a player
in the corporate space were 1) Office, and 2) Exchange. Now you can get Google
Apps or iCloud or any of a number of hosted applications for these things.
Unfortunately, the last time I tried Fedora, a couple months ago, I got a
couple of cryptic selinux-related errors, and quickly decided "ain't nobody
got time for that," but if a company would get serious about an image (as they
do for Windows, anyway), the path is wide open for a Linux desktop in the
enterprise, at vast cost savings.
------
rchowe
The reasoning behind this made a lot more sense to me once I started to do a
back-of-the-envelope calculation.
There can't have been that many end users who had Windows 10 Pro and went into
group policy to turn off the store. So you're looking at small businesses who
were using PCs with Win10 Pro on them (likely that came with the PC) that
_were_ turning off access to the store but can't any more. The IT admins for
these companies are the people Microsoft wants to upsell.
Lets say that there are 500 businesses who care about this feature each with
an average of about 20 PCs (probably a high estimate for PCs, low estimate for
number of businesses). That's 10000 PCs that Microsoft could potentially
convince to upgrade, at (a quick guess based on Google) $120/PC, to Win10
Enterprise, or a potential $1.2M more in revenue that doesn't cannibalize one
of their other businesses (assuming more changes to differentiate Pro vs
Enterprise). Probably the people who will upgrade are people with factory
computers running Win10 Pro.
And for people that don't upgrade, they get to promote their app store. Win-
win.
~~~
fweespee_ch
> Microsoft has retroactively removed the ability of companies to turn off
> access to the Windows Store in its Windows 10 Pro version.
Yes but by "upsell" you mean "extort by way of feature removal after the
product was purchased".
~~~
rchowe
I suspect that the removal is actually an artifact of them saying that later
versions of Windows will be incremental updates to Windows 10. Normally they
would just wait until Windows 11 to make the change, but since they can't do
that any more, they just roll it out in an update.
Yeah it was a bait-and-switch for small businesses.
------
overgard
Who would have thought that an update policy that allows a corporation to
silently update your computer whenever they feel like it would be abused?
------
chris_wot
So basically, what Microsoft are really doing is forcing admins to block
access to the app store through their firewall or proxy. Or setup local
workstation's firewall via Group Policy - to block their app store.
Or remove the app store entirely, which is technically possible as it's not an
essential part of Windows. (if it is, then I invite them to review the times
they were forced to state that Internet Explorer was an essential part of
their operating system during anti-trust...)
I don't think they've thought this one through very well.
------
jalami
Microsoft isn't the only guy doing this. I understand enterprise/professional
customers have gotten exceptions for years, but for everyone else this is
common practice on almost all other platforms. I still think it's a bad
practice.
Microsoft is just following the other companies that are _winning_ and somehow
doing so without pissing their userbases off. Their main asset, as I see it,
are people that cannot or will not switch. So as it is for most companies with
a semi-loyal userbase: lock it down before the garden empties too much.
IOS has an appstore, Android has an appstore, Mac has an appstore, Chrome has
an appstore, Firefox has an appstore, Ubuntu kind of has an appstore. Firefox,
iOS and Chrome don't allow you to install outside of their appstore without
running different builds. Android makes it difficult, removing it is even more
difficult and you lose half your phone in the process. Sure there's homebrew,
f-droid, cydia and chocolatey for hackers, but that's a tiny subset. Windows
really wants control like everyone else. The internet has changed a lot since
the decentralized software and hardware days Microsoft is used to. Microsoft
doesn't get to sell their user metrics, control what users install on their
systems or where they're installing from. They don't get to charge uploaders
or put fees on downloaders/purchasers. The Windows store is pretty much a flop
at this point, but they want it to be the canonical way to install software on
Windows like every other platform.
Not a Windows problem really, they just get the negative press that every
system should get for trying to force people into a garden. If it gains steam
years down the road, I could see them pull a Firefox and lock down external
installs without 'approval' for security.
Just a few weeks ago I bought a Microsoft Miracast dongle, OS independent or
so it claimed. Only way to configure it was to have a Windows10 computer and
download the driver/configuration software from their Appstore. I no longer
own it. I really don't think this is an isolated problem though.
Edit: Clarification
~~~
Kristine1975
>iOS ... don't allow you to install outside of their appstore without running
different builds
At least companies apparently can create their own appstore for their custom
apps:
[https://developer.apple.com/programs/enterprise/](https://developer.apple.com/programs/enterprise/)
~~~
jalami
This is true, but it still costs you 300 dollars a year, uses the same
mechanisms the market uses (no loose .ipas) and you have to give lots of
trackable info to Apple (company info, devices, apps, update/use metrics).
It's all centralized too, so if they change their policy (like go back to the
>500 employee rule) or don't like an app you're sharing, you might be in
trouble. If Windows can eventually swing even this with their marketplace, I
think they'd be ecstatic.
------
geographomics
You can uninstall it with an administrative Powershell using this command:
Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.WindowsStore | Remove-AppxPackage
Would this not continue to work?
------
thothamon
Just one more reason for me to avoid Windows whenever possible, for myself and
for my companies.
I grant Microsoft today is a much better corporate citizen than it was 15
years ago, and I appreciate that. But a move like this feels very much like
the bad old days to me.
~~~
CaptSpify
Every time they release a new open-source product, everyone jumps up and down
saying "look, they've totally changed!"
No, unfortunately they haven't. They're just putting on a new coat of paint.
They have improved, sure, but rising one or two levels when you've dug
yourself down twenty isn't actually that much of an improvement.
------
colemannerd
Unlike many comments, I really like this. I think it unthinkable that
businesses reduce employee's productivity by locking down their machine. In
the days when Microsoft wasn't checking the security of applications, this was
understandable. With a managed and secured store, this is security for the
sake of security. If you believe you should disable something just for
security without examing the value of the feature, why are you letting users
access the internet?
~~~
thomnottom
Will Microsoft be sending people over to my office free of charge to handle
technical issues with regard to their store? Can I send over any questions
from auditors and federal regulators concerning user access to their store?
------
tdkl
How can someone still trust MS ?
~~~
askyourmother
We don't. Time to get off that train wreck of a platform!
~~~
arca_vorago
There it is. The vindication I was after. I knew I wasnt just crazy for doing
everything I could to minimize ms in my ecosystem. Personally, I think rms,
gnu, and gplv3 are the way to go. We need to protect user freedoms more than
developer freedoms.
~~~
Grishnakh
It's not users vs. developers, it's users vs. vendors. The devs working for MS
are just hired guns doing what they're told in exchange for a paycheck;
they're not making decisions like this.
~~~
arca_vorago
To the user the dev and the vendor is indistinguishable. Also, Nuremberg
defenses aren't usually the most solid, but I see what you mean.
------
satysin
They should rename it to Windows 10 "Professional" Home Edition
~~~
wvenable
That's actually what it is. Professional is the version for end users, people
like you and me, who want to run more than "Home" on their own computers.
Enterprise is for computers owned by your company.
~~~
cmdrfred
I for one don't find this change very professional. I'd go further and call
anything but enterprise 'Windows 10 Ad Supported edition'.
~~~
wvenable
Being able to install software on your own machine is pretty fundamental. If
it's not your machine, it shouldn't be running Windows Professional.
~~~
chris_wot
Being able to prevent the installation of software is _also_ pretty
fundamental. Given that Professional has Group Policy, it's intended to be
used within a Windows Domain, and to get a Windows Domain you need a server
version of Windows. Which really only businesses purchase.
~~~
wvenable
Yes, professional allows you to attach your own computer to a domain. I guess
Microsoft is pretty confident that store apps are sufficiently sandboxed.
------
bedane
This reminds me of the mandatory updates for the cheapest windows 10 version.
In the era of bloated/invasive OSes and arbitrary pricing according to the
customer's profile rather than according to the value of the product, you
don't pay more for more features.
You pay more for the right to deactivate the unwanted features.
Some day you will have to pay for disabling all the "telemetry" and "unique
advertiser ID" stuff. Or maybe that's already the case, I didn't bother
checking.
------
Esau
I have historically liked Windows but I shudder what is becoming of it. Every
time I turn around lately, Microsoft is taking administrative freedom away
from users and businesses.
------
jheriko
the criticism here is imo unfounded. MS are exceptionally supportive of
developers in my experience, and this feels like part of that.
since blocking access to the store is in fact an enterprise requirement... why
not restrict it to the enterprise edition?
... and besides that. how about employers trusting their employees anyway?
this is much less than what other platform holders have done in this respect
too... Apple being foremost amongst the worst in this category - and yet still
receiving fanboy support to the level of religiosity.
~~~
pritambaral
> MS are exceptionally supportive of developers in my experience, and this
> feels like part of that
That's a reasoning that does not justify the act. "We are friendly to
developers" should not translate to "Users, you don't get to control your own
computers (as much)".
> how about employers trusting their employees anyway?
Wut? That is a terrible argument, it does nothing to contribute to the
discussion – which is about a recent Microsoft act, policy, and behaviour, and
instead tries to swerve the discussion away from it into unrelated,
unagreeable sociological and human-resource-management points.
> is much less than what other platform holders have done in this respect too
Doesn't excuse Microsoft
> Apple being foremost amongst the worst in this category - and yet still
> receiving fanboy support
Are they receiving support _for_ a similar action. Support for an unrelated
action is inadmissible here, because a corporation can be condemned for one
thing and praised for another.
Plus, is it the same people doing both the Apple-praising and the MS-bashing?
------
mtgx
Why even have a Pro version? Just to charge twice as much for BitLocker, which
should be default in every Windows version, just like it is on any other
operating system?
------
hardlianotion
That's - er - disingenuous.
------
venomsnake
Gee microsoft ... if only admins knew that there existed firewalls.
~~~
Zenst
Exactly and indeed would be a flaw if Microsoft's own built in firewall for
windows ignored the users wishes, as that would be a security oversight in
this respect.
------
rasz_pl
No they dont, blocking windows store is one firewall rule.
~~~
jessaustin
It has been some time since I've used Windows in a corporate setting, but ISTM
that just blocking in the network would lead to a degraded user experience and
many more support calls. "When I needed to open this file it opened the
program [because why would a user know that's the windows store and not
something capable of reading their odd file?] and then it just stopped doing
anything!"
~~~
chris_wot
So uninstall it. It's still possible :-)
[https://4sysops.com/archives/how-to-remove-the-store-app-
in-...](https://4sysops.com/archives/how-to-remove-the-store-app-in-
windows-10/)
------
CyberDildonics
How many bait and switches will people put up with?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Abusing IP: the story behind one studio's Portal 2 ARG adventure - abraham
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/04/abusing-ip-the-story-behind-one-studios-portal-2-arg-adventure.ars
======
jbermudes
ARGs and similar types of viral marketing can be a novel way to engage
customers into your brand, but at the same time you run the risk of it leaving
a worse impression of your brand if at the end they feel it was a waste of
time and nothing more than a roundabout way to say "Be sure to drink your
Ovaltine".
People immediately cried foul citing contractual agreements with retailers not
to break the street date and thus saying that Valve cannot release no earlier
than midnight on original launch date, and once users had data about the fill
rate of the progress bars, it was calculated that at best a 6am Tuesday
release would be shorted by a few hours. It felt like an unwinnable situation
to those in the know.
While Valve is a company known for experimenting on its customer base, and
everyone that complained still bought the game anyway, it does seem a bit
cruel to lead your fanbase on a wild goose chase that ended in essentially a
ransom to release the game. In the end it boiled down to "Pay us $X or else
you'll have to wait to play the game you've already paid for, oh, and you'll
still have to wait 90% of the time anyway."
~~~
wccrawford
I remember when the first couple games were 'complete' and I said to my friend
'2 games are done and they've only shaved over 1.5 hours. Seriously? Why
bother?'
I didn't have the Steam version pre-ordered (I ordered the PS3 one, which had
a code for the Steam one in it for free) so I didn't have any stake in the
matter, but if I had, and I had bought the Potato Pack, I'd have been a little
upset at them.
But then, I remember thinking that about almost every ARG I've ever seen. When
you try to mix reality with a game, you almost always end up with a very thin
game with very thin rewards. You rarely get more out of it than just enjoying
the ARG itself, even though they present it as a chance to get something
better.
In short, I think the expectations were set wrong. Had they presented it
merely as an ARG with no 'reward' at the end, I'd be less disappointed with
it.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Life in a World of Pervasive Immorality: The Ethics of Being Alive - blasdel
http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/immoral
======
tc
Aaron, I believe you're getting confused because you haven't established for
yourself a clear notion of basic morality or ethics. Many philosophers have
covered what it means to act morally -- Aristotle, Socrates, Kant, and even
Jefferson and Franklin. There's even a word for the effects-based moralizing
you went through: consequentialism, which most people associate with Mill and
Bentham. This usually leads to various forms of utilitarianism.
Being firmly in the deontological camp (rationalist ethics) myself, though, I
would recommend you check out Kant, Nagel, and the many advocates of the non-
aggression principle (pick your author). I believe our intrinsic notions of
morality are mostly deontological, which makes some sense as non-aggression
and other subforms of the school allow a person to act morally with local
information, rather than requiring global knowledge for every act, as much of
utilitarianism requires in the final analysis.
If _you_ would kill one innocent person because you thought that action might
save five innocent people, though, then you are probably (and unfortunately) a
utilitarian. Do consider both sides though.
~~~
ajb
Actually there are three main schools of thought in ethics: consequentialist,
deontolological, and virtue based. (Before someone asks me to summarise, I'll
note that I'm not expert on any of them).
One place where the distinction can become vital is in ER rooms. The following
case was described (in another, closed, forum) by the chief on an actual ER:
Suppose your ER is full, but you get a call about a patent in critical
condition who needs an ER slot, and your ER is nearest. You have one slot
occupied by a patient in a relatively stable condition, who could, with low
risk, be moved to another ER, clearing the slot for the more critical case.
The utilitarian response is to accept the new patient, as the certainty of
helping them outweighs the low risk in moving the existing one.
The deontological response is to refuse; you have accepted duty of care to the
current patient, but not yet to the new one.
I don't know what a Virtue ethicist would do.
Actual ERs in the UK have different policies, depending on whether their
ethics policy was written by a utilitarian or a deontologist. My interlocutor
said that he would usually respond by the deontological rules, but in a crisis
would (and in fact, had) act in a utilitarian way.
~~~
tc
I don't believe that is necessarily the deontological response. Remember that
morality is mostly a tool for exclusion; more than one moral choice often
remains.
A deontological person can still practice triage. Without more information
(such as published policies, prior agreements, patient consent, etc.) it is
hard to say if the question is even really a moral dilemma. If you are
standing on the street and two people get hit by a bus, deciding which one to
help is not a question of morality. By helping either, or both, you are acting
morally, and perhaps even supererogatorily. Deciding whether or not you should
go kick them while they're down, though, is a moral question. It would be
moral (though not particularly praiseworthy) to refrain from doing so, and it
would be clearly immoral to kick them.
Interestingly, Catholics actually believe in the idea of a moral safe harbor.
That is, if you've given serious and reasonable consideration to a moral
question, and act in accordance with your earnest conclusion, then you will be
held blameless regardless of the ultimate righteousness of the action.
------
spyrosk
One thing that is puzzling me for some time is why vegetarians think it's more
moral/nice/whatever to eat plants and not animals. They too are living
creatures and most of the times you are killing a being in order to consume it
for your personal gain. I'll skip the analogy between fruits and their mamal
equivelant, but you get the idea..
Thing is, survival is a really competitive process and unless you want to get
off sooner, you have to take things away from other organisms, human or
otherwise. We, as a civilisation, may have raised it to a more noble,
according to our perception, level but fundamentally it's still the same.
Ethos is mostly the refined version of pack rules evolved to make sure an
individual doesn't hurt the well being of the group. It's a human fabrication.
With that said I agree with the author's view, try to do as much good as you
possibly can, while realising that just by living you are causing harm to
someone/something else.
~~~
wglb
Ah, but consider the apple. The purpose of an apple is to get eaten so that
the seeds get geographically distributed. The apple is ready to fall--else it
won't taste good--so you are not killing it. This is true for most all fruits.
~~~
nihilocrat
If it weren't for cows and pigs and chickens being so tasty, they would
probably not be so ubiquitous, because then humans would not have reasons to
breed them en masse.
By this logic, I say we start eating endangered species, creating a market
demand and thus an economic reason to breed them.
~~~
billswift
Good idea, but it's already been thought of - L Neil Smith had Eagleburgers in
one of his North American Confederacy novels - developed by a conservationist
specifically to encourage the breeding of eagles.
------
michael_dorfman
The short answer to the articles final question is "Yes, many philosophers
have considered this question."
If he's really interested in philosophy, he'd have come across these already,
but the fact that he's asking the question would indicate he's not. That's ok,
of course, but the question seems a bit odd.
~~~
pj
The author is going to have to go back to the basic question of "What is
good?" before he can answer the questions he's asking in the article.
He's making assumptions on the answer to that question based on his
circumstances, which are totally different than a sweat shop worker in another
country. Sweat shop working might be "better" than the alternative for that
person.
My wife says, "You just have to do everything with love."
~~~
michael_dorfman
Your wife, it seems, is a bodhisattva. Best wishes to you both.
------
DanielBMarkham
This reminds me of Martin Luther.
Luther became concerned that everything he did was sinning in one form or
another. It created quite a bit of cognitive dissonance.
For Luther, this intellectual pain led to a completely new idea of the
concepts involved. Sounds like Aaron is ready for the same kind of game-
changer.
~~~
oz
Justification by faith, not works, right?
~~~
DanielBMarkham
Yes.
I believe it was initially sola fide (only by faith), but he also added sola
scriptura (only by scriptures) and sola gratia (only by Grace)
Luther was increasingly upset over being able to fully reconcile with God.
Even at confession, he was concerned that in trying to do a good job
confessing he might exaggerate his sins, committing another sin. He might feel
proud that he did such a good job confessing, committing yet another sin. It
was like an endless loop for him, which sounds a lot like this article.
To top it all off, Luther saw the church selling indulgences, which basically
meant you could write a check and then do bad things and you were covered. I
think that was the straw that broke the camel's back. A similar observation,
which this article did not make, is where famous people who break these rules
are still deemed "okay" because of the monetary support they give to the
correct causes. If Aaron had made this observation it would have been almost a
perfect analogy to Luther's early concerns.
~~~
antipaganda
Giving indulgence money to rich bishops, to allow them to eat, drink, and
bugger the choirboys, is ethically different to compensating for your high-
consumption lifestyle by giving poverty-stricken subsistence farmers fresh
water and their eyesight back.
It does make a difference who you pay the money to.
------
dbul
Singer warns not to consider moral positions as "rules" as stated in this
essay, but guidelines. You can't be 100% perfect at all times (as Franklin
discovered).
In addidition, moral views are mutable. My friend has been vegetarian for 10
years and on account of some book about a farm in Virginia he thinks maybe
eating meat is all right. My argument against his decision may have some
weight, but ultimately virtue and ethics are an individual's business.
------
cmars232
You really can't just completely separate yourself from the "wheel of
suffering". Even if you did drop out of it completely, what scalable solution
is there for everyone else?
There's no net benefit for such drastic lifestyle changes, other than the
smugness and pride of feeling morally superior.
------
jokull
Good thought practise. So much noise in this ethical discussion.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Urql: a GraphQL client library - smusumeche
https://formidable.com/blog/2019/urql-2019/
======
lewisl9029
I really like the simplicity of the core library and this approach of starting
from a simple core and building on top of it with the same primitive for
extensibility as the one you offer to users.
Apollo has also been moving in this direction with composable links, but in a
zig-zaggy way since it's still got some baggage from its days as a monolithic
library, and recent decisions to move local state management into core seems
to be backtracking from that effort somewhat, so it's great to see some
competition in this area that really approaches extensibility as a first class
citizen rather than an afterthought.
With that said, I'd love to see an officially supported normalizing cache
implementation as well, in addition to the simple document cache Urql
currently provides as a default:
[https://formidable.com/open-source/urql/docs/basics/#code-
cl...](https://formidable.com/open-source/urql/docs/basics/#code-
classlanguage-textcacheexchangecode)
Apollo and Relay's normalizing cache helps ensure a single source of truth for
every piece of server data, which is incredibly valuable for non-trivial apps
that have the same pieces of data fetched in multiple places that would
otherwise have to be manually kept in sync, which anyone who has ever tried to
do so can tell you is generally extremely tedious, error prone, and likely a
frequent contributor to user-facing bugs. That to me is by far the most
compelling value prop of GraphQL clients like Apollo and Relay. It'd be great
if I didn't have to choose between automatic normalization and a more flexible
extensibility model (fwiw, I'd choose the former).
~~~
philplckthun
Cheers! I'm happy to say that a normalising cache is indeed in progress and
we're planning to finish it soon
[https://github.com/kitten/urql](https://github.com/kitten/urql) exchange-
graphcache
We've got the cache itself done but are just figuring out the API for its
customisability in terms of cache resolvers and such
------
mxstbr
Have been playing around with urql on a project for a couple of months now,
mainly due to the small bundle size. Urql is 7.5kB min+gzip, where Apollo and
Relay add ~30kB min+gzip!
Great to see Formidable investing further in it, I am very excited to see
first class extensibility.
~~~
methyl
> Urql is 7.5kB min+gzip, where Apollo and Relay add ~30kB min+gzip!
How is that 22.5kB making any difference? Unless you are working on a project
that will be used on very slow connections I see no point in choosing a
library basing on such small difference in size. And if you really are
targeting those slow connections then maybe going SPA is not the best choice?
~~~
brianmathews
From recent bundle audits of e-commerce sites built with React, less than 20%
of the code was actual custom site code and the remaining 80% was from
dependencies.
If the bundle size is 550kb min/gzipped, that's 110kb of app code, and 440kb
of dependencies. Some of the largest dependencies in a recent audit were:
moment (60kb), swiper (32kb), lodash (24kb), react-select (26kb), raven.js
(12kb), polyfills (25kb), mobile-detect (15kb), and then a bunch of smaller
dependencies that made up the remaining 300kb.
Using this performance budget calculator you can quickly see how each 25kb of
JS adds ~.3s to your TTI on a mobile phone:
[https://perf-budget-calculator.firebaseapp.com/](https://perf-budget-
calculator.firebaseapp.com/)
If developers shop around for smaller alternatives of each dependency, then
they can cut their load times pretty drastically.
~~~
underwater
Fixating on package size alone is missing the forest for the trees. A good
library can massively reduce your application size and pay for itself many
times over.
For example, Relay removes the need for a lot of Flux and network request
boilerplate. Going beyond that, it can collapse serial network fetches down
into one request, massively speeding up page loads.
(This doesn't apply to moment, that library is just designed in a brain dead
way).
------
patrickaljord
There is also the new GraphQL integration into mobx-state-tree that was just
announced last week by the author of mobx, you can check it here
[https://github.com/mobxjs/mst-gql](https://github.com/mobxjs/mst-gql)
~~~
yodon
> this project closes the gap between GraphQL and mobx-state-tree as state
> management solutions. GraphQL is very transport oriented, while MST is great
> for client side state management. GraphQL clients like apollo do support
> some form of client-side state, but that is still quite cumbersome compared
> to the full model driven power unlocked by MST, where local actions,
> reactive views, and MobX optimized rendering model be used.
MST and GraphQL together does sound like a pretty serious win
~~~
patrickaljord
It is pretty cool indeed, you can watch his presentation of the project here
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq2M00vghqY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq2M00vghqY)
(disclosure, I organize this conf).
------
xiaomai
GraphQL is amazing. Building an API and then playing around with it in
GraphiQl is really a exciting experience.
I've played with Relay (relay-modern looks great, but when I needed to pick a
graphql client it hadn't been released yet). Apollo is frustrating: it's big
and complicated and obsessed with stuff that I don't want (link-state and a
bunch of product up-sells).
I'm glad urql is getting some more attention and I'll definitely give it a
spin.
~~~
jayd16
What is GraphQL like in production at scale? It seems like a neat concept but
how do traditional web technologies like edge caching work?
~~~
dalore
It tips it all on it's head. It's generally a POST request and so doesn't
cache at alls (you can configure it with a long GET request). All caching is
done client side but at object level, including not requesting fields that you
might have already requested previously on other calls.
------
scyclow
urql's great, and the maintainers are super helpful and friendly. I've been
using it on a project for a couple months now. Very straightforward and plays
well with TypeScript. My one criticism is that it doesn't quite do enough in
some cases, but I haven't spent the time to learn much about exchanges. As the
ecosystem grows, I see this problem going away.
~~~
huy-nguyen
I’m also interested in exploring exchanges.
------
yodon
Excited to see some competition for Apollo. Apollo may do lots of things but
exactly what and why and how remains a mystery to me. Apollo just feels
needlessly large, opaque, and inadequately documented to me. Reading about
urql, the combination of minimalist architecture with first class support for
React hooks sounds like just what I'd been hoping would emerge.
~~~
peggyrayzis
Hi from Apollo! We appreciate your honest feedback. Part of my team (Developer
Experience) is responsible for our documentation. What features are
inadequately documented? We'd like to fix that for you if we can.
~~~
yodon
The issue is not that there is a simple feature that's inadequately
documented. It's that I have no high level understanding of what all the
pieces are and how they fit together. Tell me exactly what I'm getting from
Apollo that I don't get from fetch. Tell me what caching does, when, how, and
how to invalidate it. Tell me about links and middleware. This is a very
complex batteries included technology. I don't even feel like I understand
where the batteries go, much less what they are doing for me, I'm just copying
and pasting code that others have used into my projects and hoping I have
about the right amount of stuff included.
Your customer didn't write all the Apollo code. The docs feel like they are
written with the assumption that we understand the architecture and goals as
well as you do and we just want to do some simple task with it to get started.
I fear however that this is fundamentally not a docs problem. It feels like a
problem where the Apollo devs didn't start by asking "how can I build
something that will be easy for 3rd party devs to use and understand", they
started with "oooh that would be cool". Urql feels like it started with a very
simple and clear conceptual foundation that provides a clear roadmap for how
and where more complex features get attached.
If you can reduce Apollo down to a clear and simple framework in the docs that
actually covers everything that it does, then you're golden. I suspect however
that the underlying architectural simplicity that would be required for you to
do this doesn't actually exist. If it does, you face a docs problem, if it
doesn't, then docs are just a bandaid.
~~~
true_religion
You can’t invalidate the cache in Apollo. You have to clear all items, or
update a specific part to a new value.
It’s not a simple key value cache, but a graph of values, which makes
invalidation more complex but still in my opinion that is a huge oversight.
Hopefully an Apollo dev can give us some insight here: why is the cache a
requirement? Why is it threaded into every bit of code? I’ve seen so many bugs
from the cache, and I know there is a technical reason it has to be part of
the core codebase, but I have forgotten why.
~~~
peggyrayzis
The normalized cache is the one of the main value props of Apollo Client. It
optimizes reads, automatically updates queries without a refetch for some
mutations, supports optimistic updates, and can also return partial data for
large queries. If you don't need a cache, then you can use fetch, graphql-
request, or even Apollo Link to fire off a simple GraphQL request. You also
don't have to use our cache implementation (apollo-cache-inmemory) with Apollo
Client. There are other implementations that make different tradeoffs.
For what it's worth, we are rearchitecting parts of the cache to support
invalidation and garbage collection for Apollo Client 3.0. The only reason why
we don't have it yet is because it's a tough problem to solve - one mutation
could invalidate an infinite amount of queries. We're committed to solving
this soon though because we know the community really wants it.
------
leetbulb
I _really like_ the implementation with hooks. I experimented with a similar
pattern on top of Apollo on a side project. Going to play with urql today!
Thank you!
------
alexrage
This is refreshing upon first glance. The Apollo Client docs are such a mess.
~~~
peggyrayzis
Hi from Apollo! My team (Developer Experience) is responsible for making sure
you can find what you need in the docs. What improvements would you like to
see?
~~~
alexrage
A more consistent documentation experience. A lot of code examples import
various modules, but those modules have no documentation. For example: Docs >
Client > Apollo Link mentions `graphql-tools` and schema stitching, with a
link to read more. Clicking that link takes you to a page that says it's
deprecated, and then links to a blog post about why.
Another example: Is `apollo-link-state` deprecated? The docs for `apollo-link-
state` don't mention that, but the Local state management page in Apollo
Client sure says it is.
~~~
WorldMaker
Similar to the deprecation issue, a number of Links still say "under active
development" or similar pre-release "warnings" in their GitHub READMEs but
that isn't reflected in the documentation site, making it tough to figure out
what is considered stable and what isn't without jumping back and forth
between GitHub and the documentation site, and there's still questions of
whether or not perhaps the README warnings are stale. It would also maybe be
great to have something of a roadmap of when those links might be considered
"production ready" especially if the documentation site is already
recommending them as project solutions.
The example to mind is last time I was trying to do something (a few months
back) `apollo-link-rest` was highly recommended in the documentation as a
potential solution, but yet visiting the GitHub for it seemed to be saying the
exact opposite that it wasn't ready yet and was filled with massive API shifts
and bugs/issues to iron out before "production ready".
~~~
alexrage
Indeed. It boils down to having no trust in the documentation because of the
conflicting messages.
------
lprd
Excited to try this out! Also glad to see Apollo getting some more
competition. I made a side project last year with the Apollo ecosystem, it
confused the hell out of me.
------
revskill
Most of graphql client library is non-lazy on url part. In my apps, i use a
lazy apollo client API interface though:
const data = useQuery(url, graphql_query, variables)
The point here is that, the ApolloClient is lazily constructed and reused only
when the hook is called.
I don't know why Graphql must be used with non-lazy url instead.
More than that, you don't need a Provider, because the apollo-client is reused
between the calls.
------
nicwolff
Fun, I don't know Typescript (and barely remember JavaScript!) but maybe I'll
try to add automatic persisted queries compatible with the apollo-link syntax
[https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-link-persisted-
queri...](https://github.com/apollographql/apollo-link-persisted-
queries#protocol)
------
danpalmer
We use Urql and are loving it at Thread. Nice and lightweight, easy to use,
easy to build our own infrastructure around.
------
mikeyhew
Does it typecheck queries for you based on the schema, and generate a response
type for TypeScript?
~~~
smusumeche
No, but you can do something like this:
[https://formidable.com/blog/2019/strong-
typing/](https://formidable.com/blog/2019/strong-typing/)
~~~
mikeyhew
Oh cool, they have a package for urql: [https://graphql-code-
generator.com/docs/plugins/typescript-u...](https://graphql-code-
generator.com/docs/plugins/typescript-urql)
I might try it out once it supports the new hooks.
------
kodon
are you supposed to say urql like "Urkel"?
~~~
thom_nic
I clicked the article link just because I was expecting to see this guy:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Urkel#/media/File:Steve_...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Urkel#/media/File:Steve_Urkel.jpg)
------
holtalanm
really interesting, but i took a look at the docs, and they 100% look like
urql is only compatible with react. Can I use urql with Vue.js, or would I
just be inviting misery upon myself if i tried?
~~~
fernandotakai
we've been using apollo with vue.js (and typescript!) with a django-graphene
backend and we've been having zero problems.
honestly, it's my favorite stack nowadays.
------
ludwigvan
This library is also quite minimal:
[https://github.com/f/graphql.js](https://github.com/f/graphql.js)
------
holtalanm
their Exchange architecture reminds me of the Plug framework used by Phoenix
on Elixir.
------
cobaimelan
They also support abort fetch request :) :) :)
------
mc5ive
Glorious
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
3D-printable ice house could be our home on Mars - jameslk
http://www.cnet.com/au/news/3d-printable-ice-house-could-be-our-home-on-mars/
======
stephengillie
And we'll have servers racked in containers, powered by nuclear reactors,
networked by quantum entangled ethernet, shielded and hardened, floating in
the depths of space. Cooling will be no problem.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Erlang: An introduction to gen_server by creating a banking system - mitchellh
http://spawnlink.com/articles/an-introduction-to-gen_server-erlybank/
======
zandorg
We had the bank account example so many times at University that I started to
question that if they let any of us design a banking system, we'd just install
a backdoor.
~~~
mitchellh
Haha really? And I thought I was being unique, not doing a blog! Darn! Hah.
------
jmtulloss
I like the exercise for the reader. It's rare that a blog post is actually
trying to teach me to the extent that it would ask me to participate.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Essential MacOS apps/tools/workflows? - zacsultan
======
Artemix
I simply cannot stand working on a macbook without at least:
\- Spectacle, to have a real UI window manager system \- Path Finder, to have
a real file explorer \- ITerm
This list could also interest you [https://github.com/serhii-londar/open-
source-mac-os-apps](https://github.com/serhii-londar/open-source-mac-os-apps)
------
phren0logy
For doing what kind of work?
Off hand I’d say anyone on HN would benefit from Hazel and homebrew.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Student who hacked Bill O'Reilly gets 30 months - labboy
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/110910-student-who-hacked-bill-oreilly.html
======
hop
2.5 years in jail for a DDoS attack seems disproportionately steep. He made a
few websites temporarily inoperable, sounds more on the level of a bad prank
than a felony with jail time on par with armed robbery.
~~~
poet
According to the charges that were filed [1], the defendant also played a role
in the creation of the botnet used in the attack. In addition to the DDoS
attack there is the issue of accessing machines he was not authorized to. He
pled guilty [2], so I don't think 2.5 years is that surprising.
[1]
[http://www.justice.gov/usao/ohn/news/2010/Mitchell%20Frost%2...](http://www.justice.gov/usao/ohn/news/2010/Mitchell%20Frost%20Information.pdf)
[2] <http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/95045294.html>
~~~
marcusbooster
Another shining example of our justice system that uses competition to arrive
at an equilibrium. Of course most encounters match up an opponent with
unlimited resources (the state) versus someone with limited means (in this
case a student).
The prosecution seeks the max, in this case 15 years, to persuade the
defendant to plea the case out. His options are to try and defend himself with
no resources (a public defender is worth next to nothing) or make a deal. The
prosecutor and judge get to look "tough on computer crime" which will help
their resume when looking to advance their careers, and the kid gets to have
the end of his 20's. All that is left out is "justice", and by that I mean let
the punishment fit the crime. And now society must carry the debt, both
economically (housing the kid) and socially - will our streets be safer over
the course of his lifetime once he gets churned out of prison.
~~~
poet
I'm familiar with the general arguments you are presenting but they don't hold
up in this situation. This case is clearcut. It is not some poor kid being
beat down by the system. It is a computer criminal being sentenced to a
punishment that fits his crimes. I suggest you read the references I cited
above and take note of the wide array computer crime the defendant was
involved in.
You're also exaggerating. The defendant does get to have the end of his
twenties. He's going to be out of jail when he's 26.
~~~
marcusbooster
I have read it, and he still has a 3 year probation after his prison term.
When they accuse him of "fraudulently obtaining user names and passwords and
stealing personal identification and financial information" - does that mean
he went after this information, or more likely one of the computers in the
botnet happened to have such information residing on it. It's possible he
didn't know of any financial information and they would throw the book at him
anyway just to get the initial charge and work down from there. We all know
there are differences in _computer crime_ , that our legal system isn't able
to make a distinction does not make an argument.
~~~
poet
_Does that mean he went after this information, or more likely one of the
computers in the botnet happened to have such information residing on it. It's
possible he didn't know of any financial information..._
No it is not possible. Had you actually read the above references as you
claimed you would know that after executing a search warrant the FBI found
credit card numbers and SSNs on computers in his dorm room. It's in Section 12
of the FBI document. Sure, maybe that was a result of a chat room he was
logging. Maybe he didn't specifically go after this information himself. But
at the very least he still chose to retain that information on his computer
and at worst he did indeed go after the information himself.
------
bugsy
It's utterly ridiculous and a waste of resources that these sorts of things
are felony criminal prosecutions at all. Putting people in state prison at a
cost of $70,000 a year in housing costs, PLUS the loss of income and other tax
they would have paid plus the loss of their support of family who then goes on
welfare, this should only be reserved for people who are an actual imminent
threat and danger to the community.
Hacking should be something that gets fines only. Let the hacker pay back the
cost of his damage, but there is no reason for taxpayers to bear hundreds of
thousands of dollars in costs to warehouse these guys with actual hardened
criminals whom they will have to make deals with in order to survive in the
pen. Then, when they get out, they owe favors to actual criminal syndicates
which they formerly had no relation to.
Sheesh.
~~~
tptacek
If you broke into a store, stole a raft of credit card numbers from carbons,
and rigged the registers to feed you more of them in the future, common sense
would inform us that you're a criminal. Similarly, if some jackass broke into
a series of automobiles and drove them to a store's parking lot to
inconvenience or cripple its operations, we'd have no trouble conceiving of
the criminal charges that might result from that.
The only difference between those crime and the crime committed here was the
ease with which the Internet allowed it to be committed.
No doubt, the person running the botnet collecting credit card numbers and
launching DDoS attacks didn't _feel_ like a criminal. He felt like a
prankster. But how is that relevant? I say it isn't relevant. At all. The
Internet has a knack for making reality feel unreal. But there is a reality,
and it does not give a shit about your message board posts.
------
privacyguru
The student didn't "hack" O'Reilly's site, he conducted DDoS attacks. Totally
Different.
~~~
tptacek
From a botnet that he set up. It's actually worse than "hacking O'Reilly's
site".
------
da5e
It's ridiculous how easy it is to go to jail in the USA. It doesn't really
solve anything for lower level non-violent crimes. Surely if they can rehab
for drugs, they can rehab for hacking.
------
donspaulding
Elsewhere, Bill O' Reilly was overheard saying, "F#$k it, we'll give him
life!"
------
mattmaroon
Go Zips!
~~~
mattmaroon
Not too many other HNers who went to Akron U I see.
------
privacyguru
Old news from last week.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Congress Shouldn't Turn the Copyright Office into a Copyright Court - DiabloD3
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/11/creating-copyright-court-copyright-office-wrong-move
======
nixpulvis
The only bit that _really_ stood out to me here is the issue of timely
registration, but it's hard for me to see how exactly this will play out.
------
coding123
My major issue with this discussion from the EFF is it is totally silent on
who benefits vs who does not. As a small business content creator, I do want a
faster and stronger copyright system that will STOP people from stealing
content, especially images. With some of the notions in the law such as
providing evidence that the infringer purposely removed water marks, etc.. is
EXACTLY what we need going forward.
> "Unfortunately, the Copyright Office has a history of putting copyright
> holders’ interests ahead of other important legal rights and policy
> concerns. We fear that any small claims process the Copyright Office
> conducts will tend to follow that pattern."
Most of it is based on claims that the copyright court is "awful" at copyright
decisions, yet at the same time the article is devoid of making specific
citations - and is clearly a FUD piece in my opinion.
~~~
seorphates
As a casual observer the entrenched expectation of copyright is wholly
incompatible with today's means of information flow and can only result in
further erosion of privacy in and around all digital communications.
The entire premise of a limited monopoly was, previously, fairly easy to
police, all things considered.
Realistically, expectation or desire for a full copy stop is a fools errand
and further attempts at this along with the simultaneous desires for harsher
penalties will hurt the many much more than any rights holder could ever be
helped.
A digital age copyright solution is being prevented because of unrealistic or
outdated expectations that are being wedged into a reality that has,
effectively, aged out.
In my opinion the trifecta of threats that are at the root of the impending
Internet Dark Ages consists of large media rights holders, ISPs and the sub-
constitutional security state.
The only sliver of light that I can spy includes a catalog that is on par with
our digital age. If the expectation is that any and all works can maintain
their own copyright gates, or, worse, that the government can man it for them,
is harmful, childish and doomed. The CASE Act appears to be more fear-based
garbage law that will continue to aggravate the already untenable state of
copyright and the expectations of protections. .. treating symptoms with
poison.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
In the Future, We Will Photograph Everything and Look at Nothing - bootload
http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/in-the-future-we-will-photograph-everything-and-look-at-nothing
======
bjshepard
“Several days later Murray asked me about a tourist attraction known as the
most photographed barn in America. We drove twenty-two miles into the country
around Farmington. There were meadows and apple orchards. White fences trailed
through the rolling fields. Soon the signs started appearing. THE MOST
PHOTOGRAPHED BARN IN AMERICA. We counted five signs before we reached the
site. There were forty cars and a tour bus in the makeshift lot. We walked
along a cowpath to the slightly elevated spot set aside for viewing and
photographing. All the people had cameras; some had tripods, telephoto lenses,
filter kits. A man in a booth sold postcards and slides-pictures of the barn
taken from the elevated spot. We stood near a grove of trees and watched the
photographers. Murray maintained a prolonged silence, occasionally scrawling
some notes in a little book. "No one sees the barn," he said finally. A long
silence followed. "Once you've seen the signs about the barn, it becomes
impossible to see the barn." He fell silent once more. People with cameras
left the elevated site, replaced at once by others. "We're not here to capture
an image, we're here to maintain one. Every photograph reinforces the aura.
Can you feel it, Jack? An accumulation of nameless energies.”
Excerpt From: Don DeLillo. “White Noise.” (published in 1985!)
~~~
JoeAltmaier
I was with him until the pseudo-babble about auras and energy.
And it occurs to me: that situation was self-selected for those people. See,
some folks are not really capable of the perception effort required to really
look at something. To experience it fully. But they _can_ buy a camera.
Just go somewhere else. They apparently travelled through wonderful
countryside to get there - just stop! Barns are not rare, and many are made on
the same plan.
~~~
coldtea
The words "auras" and "energies" here have nothing to do with pseudo-babble,
new age-ism or whatever.
It's just a quite standard poetic / descriptive use of the word, in fact the
term "aura" is used in its most common literal meaning -- those photographs of
"the most photographed barn in the world" maintain its myth and it's allure.
That's what he means with "auras" there.
> _And it occurs to me: that situation was self-selected for those people.
> See, some folks are not really capable of the perception effort required to
> really look at something. To experience it fully. But they can buy a
> camera._
The idea behind the passage what that those "some folks" are increasing, or
even the majority.
It's not about there not still being other people who can appreciate the
things they see.
------
asoplata
The last time I was at a crowded museum I spent roughly 20% of the time just
trying to avoid getting in the way of people taking pictures. Everyone was
taking pictures everywhere of all the installations. I considered doing so
too, but realized 20 years too late that there are far better photographs of a
work of art (or at least enough) by professional photographers with different
takes/interpretations than I could do without decades of training (on
average). If you like a piece, there's nothing to stop you from buying a print
or downloading a picture. I get it that some people do it more for remembering
"that time I saw it in person" instead of trying to capture the essence of a
piece, and that's fine (that's why I used to take the pictures), but multiply
the amount of time it takes to do that by every piece you come across, plus
how much posting it on instagram/whatever/facebook removes you from "the
zone", and I think it's just a different way of massively disrupting your
attention when the MAIN reason you're there in a museum, for a limited amount
of time, is to suck it all up. I'm sure many people don't get distracted by
trying to take photos of all the art, but once I stopped and just focused on
concentrating and nothing else, a trip became much, much more enjoyable, and
even memorable.
~~~
DerKommissar
I went to the Louvre last year a few days after Christmas which I assume is
not tourist season (first time in Paris). It was packed, and the Mona Lisa was
surrounded by a sea of people 10 feet thick, most of them waving their phones
around in the air on selfie sticks.
~~~
skywhopper
I think it's like this all the time. There's a reason they put it in a dead
end hallway. The worst for me in this vein was going to Versailles, and being
there at the same time as a big tour group of people, seemingly all of whom
had a digital camera, an SLR, and a camcorder (this was in 2004...), and all
of whom had to capture every significant artifact in each room and then move
on. None of them were looking at the things except through their cameras'
lenses and screens. There were so many of them that they made the tour pretty
miserable for the rest of us.
------
allan_s
In a way, I also take a lote of notes that I never read back, but the actual
process of taking the time to write it makes it easier to remember.
If it works the way, when you take a photo, even if you don't look it back,
the fact that you did take the time to photograph a moment may ease to
remember it.
just my 2 cents of pseudo-science
~~~
trelltron
I think writing notes helps us remember things because we're concentrating on
the information being recorded, and because in order to record it we are
forced to create a well structured representation of that information which
will also be easily remembered.
However, when I take a picture, I'm mostly concentrating on the camera and the
spacial aspect of what I am photographing (getting it into frame), which
doesn't help me remember any of the details, which are the genuinely important
bit.
I do like your explanation though. I wouldn't be surprised if people who are
more (for lack of a better word) artistic than myself, focus more on the
details as part of the photo-taking process, and so retain those details
better.
------
InclinedPlane
It's never been any different, that's how people are. What's different is that
in periods of technological change people will engage in new behaviors which
are then unfamiliar to us. So we take notice of them and realize that there
are a lot of problematic aspects to culture and society. Oh golly gosh, people
spend so much of their lives just stumbling through, unthinking, sometimes
unfeeling. Anyone who has spent any time studying mindfulness is well aware of
how pervasive that mode of living is for all people for most of their lives.
It's not that we are automatons, it's just that we are creatures of habit and
imitation and we find it very difficult to be truly individualistic. It often
takes a great amount of training to be routinely "present" and mindful in
every day life.
Let us remember the era that has just passed not so long ago prior to the
advent of smart phones and prior even to the widespread popularity of the
internet. An era when many people in the developed world would digest "the
news" from only one local source and be satisfied with whatever they got fed.
An era when most people would spend half their non-working waking hours
watching whatever was on one of a few channels on television.
Yes, people should live their lives a bit more thoughtfully. Yes, people
shouldn't be so caught up in all the trappings of documenting and effectively
"scoring" their lives via smart phones and social media. But at the same time
it's difficult to make the case that this is a decline. This is just
different. And compared to people living passive, purely consumptive lives
filled with monotony and vast sameness, it's hard to complain. People are
doing things, experiencing things, and sharing their lives with their friends.
That they are not doing it in the maximally best way is a complaint people
could make about any generation in any era. And it's not as though people are
wasting their lives in worse ways or to a higher degree than they were before,
but merely that we'd grown accustomed to the old ways of doing so, and
mentally swept them under the carpet.
------
ommunist
The author gets it wrong. In the future you only will be allowed to take shot
if your camera gets location-based DMCA authorisation clearance to take it. It
will be blocked at all other times, and there will be pay per view from camera
producer for displaying shots that were already taken, automatically sending
money to copyright administration agency.
~~~
m52go
Yeah it's disgusting. Witness the fight to copyright architecture, so that
folks must ask for permission to take photos of public buildings.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_in_architecture_in_t...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_in_architecture_in_the_United_States)
~~~
aethos
I'm not sure if I follow. Could you point me to the section you are referring
to? All I found was this, which seems quite positive.
"First, when a building is ordinarily visible from a public place, its
protection as an "architectural work" does not include the right to prevent
the making, distributing, or public display of pictures, photographs, or other
pictorial representations of the work.[13] Thus, the architect will not be
able to prevent people from taking photographs or otherwise producing
pictorial representations of the building. "
~~~
m52go
The bit you found is reasonable, but there's a movement to forbid it.
For example, it's illegal to photograph the Eiffel Tower at night when its
lights are lit:
[http://wiki.gettyimages.com/897/](http://wiki.gettyimages.com/897/)
~~~
Crespyl
I am boggled.
------
l33tbro
Yet again, The New Yorker hobbles closer to the realm of click-bait.
After the Malik trots us down the obligatory Sontag shortcut to establish
credibility on the subject of photography and authenticity, he goes into some
genuinely informative and interesting stuff about Google Photos. But this
appears to be a ruse, as Malik pulls back the curtain to reveal that it is yet
another article proselytizing about the death of authenticity and the
increasing shallowness of us digital heathens. The ensuing unqualified
speculation at times borders on the ridiculous:
"We are all taking too many photos and spending very little time looking at
them."
Maybe Sedaris and the New Yorker IT dept have developed a secret algo to
qualify factual statements like this one? Then there's this factually-stated
pearl:
"Photos are less markers of memories than they are Web-browser bookmarks for
our lives." How so? Certainly not for myself. Albeit anecdotal, but I spend
much more time these days joyfully poring over high-def Iphone photos snapped
on trips away or of portraits of loved ones.
Also, its always a bit of a tell with an article's quality when its title
commences with "In the future". We only have to look at the amazing HoloLens
video on Ars (1) the other day to see that photography may well fall by the
way-side once that kind of tech reduces to contact lens size, and virtual
imagery will become much more enabled to move at 24 frames per second.
(1) [http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/04/hands-on-hololens-
on-...](http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/04/hands-on-hololens-on-the-cusp-
of-a-revolution/)
~~~
trelltron
Tangentially related, but Black Mirror has a great episode which covers a
similar premise to your 'contact lens size HoloLens' one.
Basically everything you see is recorded, and you can revisit any moment
you've experienced any time you want. Which has many negative effects in the
show, but which would actually avoid the author's problem altogether, as you
no longer have to 'spend time' to take pictures.
If recording of all of your experiences (good and bad) are implicit, then will
it improve our ability to live in the moment? Will it dilute the significance
of the moments we want to 'choose' to remember if everything else is bundled
in there too?
One of the suggestions of the episode seems to be that allowing ourselves to
return to the past to such a degree can make it hard to escape from it and
move on with out lives.
~~~
eterm
This episode was "The Entire History of You" if anyone is looking to check it
out. It is one of the strongest episodes of all the series.
------
JoeAltmaier
I don't take pictures. But I like them. I'm still waiting for the vacation-
album app - where I just photobomb other people on vacation, then on Facebook
it finds all those pictures from other people that I'm in (maybe using my
location-info history from my phone) and makes me an album!
------
ciroduran
In the Future, We Will Bookmark Everything and Read Nothing
~~~
voyou
Reminded me of this, from Douglas Adams's _Dirk Gentley 's Holistic Detective
Agency_:
"An Electric Monk is a labour-saving device, like a dishwasher or a video
recorder. Dishwashers wash tedious dishes for you, thus saving you the bother
of washing them yourself, video recorders watch tedious television for you,
thus saving you the bother of looking at it yourself; Electric Monks believe
things for you, thus saving you what is becoming an increasingly onerous task,
that of believing all the things the world expect you to believe."
------
jl6
I fit the description of the perp. I take a lot of photos and don't spend a
massive amount of time browsing through them. But I do this because I know
that one day I will be old and frail and won't have the physical capacity to
get out there photographing any more. At that point, I will be content with
task of organising and curating them all.
~~~
EliRivers
How do you know now what you will be content to do when you're old and frail?
~~~
monk_e_boy
Um, talking to old frail people who are like you. They are real people who
used to be programmers and photographers and surfers and skaters. Chat to them
and they often show you their old photos. I assume that because they were like
me at 30 then I will be like them at 70.
~~~
EliRivers
When you're typing, you don't have to write "um" at the start. That has a use
in verbal communication but it's superfluous in the written word, and forces
me to choose whether you're deliberately giving the impression of being a
teenager or you just type as if you were speaking.
That aside, I still disagree. I bet that if those 70 year old people had the
choice of looking at things they used to do, or being able to actually do them
again as if they were 30, they'd prefer to do them again. They're forced to
settle for the pictures because that's all that's on offer.
~~~
monk_e_boy
You say you disagree and then go on to agree with me. Huh?
~~~
EliRivers
When you're typing, you don't have to say "huh" at the end. That question mark
you've used can be used to indicate a question; the tonal grunt of "huh" isn't
needed.
~~~
monk_e_boy
Good lord you are the most boring person in the world, we all read technical
manuals all day and some of us enjoy playing with language.
I suppose you watch TV and moan that it's fucking entertaining with amusing
puns and clever use of language (fuck Bill Shakespeare eh?) No no NO NO! TV
should be a series of facts presented as white text on a black background. You
sir are an arse. Why are you even on the internet spewing your hate? EliRivers
is a boring bland person. No sense OF FUN and not at all interesting in any
way.
I bet a lot of people respond to you with tonal grunts. Is it that they all
just wished you'd go away and leave them alone? Huh? Yep. 'fink so.
------
51Cards
I have to add this as I just returned from vacation myself. I have caught
myself stuck in what I like to call "click and walk" syndrome when traveling
so on this trip I resolved to significantly reduce the number of photos I
took.
Being aware of it made me watch the people around me more. A large number of
people don't look at sights anymore. They see it through their phone because
they hold the device up constantly as an intermediary to the real world. They
walk towards something, raise the phone, look at it through the camera/screen,
click a photo, immediately turn away. My hobby on this trip was observing the
people who really weren't looking at anything at all and it surprised me how
many there are.
Made me think back to the trips I have taken where I returned with hundreds of
photos of things I had barely taken the time to actually look at. If you're
doing that, just travel via the web, it's cheaper.
------
duhast
This is how people watch fireworks these days: through small screen of their
phone while recording the scene.
------
talmand
But this is also a huge positive for future historians. Imagine the huge
amount of data they will have to study what today's society was like. Imagine
if we had such data for the last couple of thousand years.
~~~
joosters
Historians have had 'too much' data for many decades now. Your photo of the
Mona Lisa is probably not going to fill a significant gap in our future
understanding of the times.
~~~
ggreer
Often, this supposedly redundant data is useful in ways current society can't
fathom. Millions of photos of the Mona Lisa taken over decades won't tell you
much new about the Mona Lisa. But it will tell you a lot about changes in
camera technology over that time.
Also, the long tail is _long_. There are whole cultures and subcultures that
would be completely forgotten if not for archives.
At Defcon 19, Jason Scott gave a talk titled Archive Team: A Distributed
Presentation of Service Attack[1]. In it, he explains why this data is
important. As you rightly point out, the vast majority of it is boring and
useless. It matters to no one but the author and their friends. But some of it
is weird or funny, and a tiny bit of it is pure historical gold.
The early days of usenet, for example, contain tons of interesting
conversations involving people who are now prominent. Thanks to these
archives, we can get a better picture of these people's lives than in earlier
times.
1\.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2ZTmuX3cog](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2ZTmuX3cog)
------
galfarragem
That's one of the unanswered questions of our time: how to deal with
information overload?
Some hints (that I use for my personal answer):
[https://sivers.org/hellyeah](https://sivers.org/hellyeah)
[https://sivers.org/gifts](https://sivers.org/gifts)
[https://github.com/eniomauro/hamster-
gtd](https://github.com/eniomauro/hamster-gtd)
------
Sideloader
"In the future, he said, the “real value creation will come from stitching
together photos as a fabric, extracting information and then providing that
cumulative information as a totally different package.”
What? Obfuscating language that is supposed to sound "profound" or "smart"
just sounds like bullshit, which is exactly what it is.
The future of photography as predicted in this article sounds depressing as
hell. How much further can our society be dumbed down and turned into a
superficial shell of itself? That said, there is no guarantee that the future
of photography will unfold as predicted here.
But a society that values only money and denies ever growing numbers of people
a stable future and the fair chance to earn a decent livelihood is a society
that is on the road to revolution. The rise of a demagogue like Trump is a
warning shot across the bow. There is more at stake here than photography.
Laugh, roll your eyes or downvote but people who predict unpopular, fantastic
sounding societal change are often laughed at...until they are proven right.
------
SeanDav
A variation of this is being with people but not actually being present, i.e.
texting, updating Facebook status, email, etc. etc.
How often do I see a couple at a restaurant, or a group of friends at a social
gathering, who are barely interacting with each other but all have their noses
glued to their smart phones and frantically typing away.
------
zelos
_"...based on the ultra-conservative assumption that we each upload about two
photos a day to various Internet platforms, that means we take about four
billion photographs a day."_
2 per day? I guess I'm a massive luddite then. 2/month possibly.
~~~
lmm
Yeah. I find that the ease of taking photos has ironically made me do it less.
I used to think I had to take as many photos as I could. Now I only take them
when I think I'm going to want to look at them.
------
cammil
This is already as it is now.
~~~
developer2
This certainly doesn't apply to me. I'm one of those nuts who gets annoyed by
people taking out their shitty camera phones to record video during fireworks
displays. It's so irritating to have everyone with their bright screens
whiting out the night vision required to properly enjoy the show. Nobody even
watches the fireworks anymore, as they're too busy staring at tiny blobs of
color on their phone screen or preview window on the back of their camera.
I've stopped going to fireworks shows. I also no longer go to the cinema, lest
I murder a fellow moviegoer for using their fucking cell phone during the
movie. If the cinema wants my dollar, they're going to have to install Faraday
cages / jammers. Which will never happen, because "Think of the children -
what if the babysitter has an emergency!" and "What if I need to call 911!". I
can't imagine how people managed to watch a movie back before cell phones were
the norm. How in the world did people disconnect from the digital network for
90-120 minutes?! It's unfathomable!
~~~
burkaman
You do sound like a nut. Watching fireworks is not stargazing, it's never that
dark to begin with. And unless you're in NYC on the 4th of July, it's not that
hard to find a spot a few feet away from someone with a camera and ignore
them.
And yes, cell phones at the movies are annoying. Sometimes people are
annoying. If they didn't have cell phones, they would talk, or open loud
snacks, or something. It's not a sacred temple, it's a movie theater, get over
it.
------
grkvlt
I remember when camcorders with flip out screens started to appear, and
everyone commented the same thing - people only think something is real if
they are watching it on their camcorder screen. I guess the smart-phone has
replaced the camcorder now, but this is hardly a new phenomenon, and it didn't
end the world the first time...
EDIT - just realised this is a three-day old comments page, nm
------
bduerst
This article reminds me of this picture:
[http://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2015/10...](http://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2015/10/senior-woman-living-in-moment-no-smartphone-
celebrities-movie-premiere-black-mass-fb1.jpg)
~~~
jtolmar
For the people in the back, the phone is acting like a periscope. It's
probably improving their view.
~~~
bduerst
And everyone on their phones in the front? Is the digital zoom enhancing their
view?
------
j_s
I enjoy taking pictures of the people I know, not so much their surroundings.
Video is even better!
The future of recording is an interesting thought exercise... photographs will
become antiquated as video takes over, but what comes after that?
------
b0ner_t0ner
Headline reminds me of one of my favourite poems:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5IERp2OdJs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5IERp2OdJs)
------
dynofuz
Maybe in the future we will actually look at everything and have to photograph
nothing because it's being done automatically by our brain chip.
------
macspoofing
Computers will look at everything and organize, link, collate, combine,and
transform the mountains of data and metadata we generate.
~~~
thisislame
Pretty much this, but I'd take it a step further.
We are, collectively, only marginally more aware of our role in a larger
system of observation and cognition/emergent behavior than a rod or cone in
our retinas (or, more aptly, an extraocular muscle) is of its roles in our own
individual visual system.
We are, increasingly, sensor platforms for leviathan.
------
xlm1717
Soon you won't have memories, only pictures.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: A missing command line client for Codewars - shime
https://github.com/shime/codewars
======
stockkid
I kinda like using the browser for my Codewars challenges (or should I say
katas). But this is a good work!
~~~
shime
thanks. yeah, I'm a crazy Linux guy, so I always prefer terminal.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Which Open Source projects need more maintainers - zingplex
======
git-pull
I need help pretty desperately, I don't have the time to maintain them and at
least 2 of them have an active user base (tmuxp and libtmux).
If you like Python, tmuxp ([https://tmuxp.git-pull.com](https://tmuxp.git-
pull.com)) and libtmux ([https://libtmux.git-pull.com](https://libtmux.git-
pull.com)) could both use maintainers.
In addition, any project on the sidebar of [https://www.git-
pull.com](https://www.git-pull.com) would help from a maintainer.
If you like the Chinese / Japanese / Korean language, another promising
project I have (which has yet to gain traction) is [https://cihai.git-
pull.com](https://cihai.git-pull.com) for CJK-related language tools. I am
designing it to be a successor to cjklib
([https://pypi.python.org/pypi/cjklib](https://pypi.python.org/pypi/cjklib))
------
fundamental
A staggering number of FLOSS projects have a very low bus factor (1-2). My
recommendation is to find some project that interests you, fits the scale of
what you know, and provides a means to learn new things. Once you've
identified some options try contributing to a few and stick around the one
that's a good fit.
------
ahazred8ta
[https://www.codetriage.com/](https://www.codetriage.com/) has a list
~~~
eindiran
While that has a lot of issues for open source projects that need to be fixed,
most of the ones I can see there are projects that have hundreds or thousands
of contributors maintaining them. From my reading of the question, OP is
asking for projects that need more maintainers (ie because there are far too
few). Are there smaller projects listed on codetriage as well?
------
antoniuschan99
React-native-google-signin
Seem like the official firebase library may be the only alternative
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Sweden's Super Stealth Submarines Are So Lethal They 'Sank' a US Carrier (2016) - Tomte
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/swedens-super-stealth-submarines-are-so-lethal-they-sank-us-18383
======
Doxin
You mean the same way a dutch diesel sub managed to 'sink' half of a US Navy
CTF in 1990?[0]
The US navy isn't as unbeatable as some people think.
[0] [https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/dutch-submarine-sinks-half-
of...](https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/dutch-submarine-sinks-half-of-us-navy-
ctf-in-1990-and-more.142292/)
------
londons_explore
Why would the US navy allow a news article about what it's warships _can 't_
detect?
I propose they can detect them just fine, but don't want to reveal they have
the ability to do so.
------
zamazingo
Clickbait title, it was a battle simulation.
~~~
adwww
I don't think anyone read that title and thought a Swedish submarine
_actually_ sank an aircraft carrier 2 years ago and we've only just heard
about it...
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
'Accidental' Download Sending Man To Prison - edw519
http://cbs13.com/local/limewire.child.porn.2.1346842.html
======
chasingsparks
I don't know about this specific case, but this doesn't seem plausible. I
would assume the FBI targets egregious offenders who are deemed to be a
significant threat. If they went after everyone who accidentally came into
contact with questionable media, they would be inundated with cases.
Especially with the proliferation of chans.
------
tumult
Article is so light on details that it's pretty much worthless.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Core Graphics, Part 1: In the Beginning - WoodenChair
https://www.bignerdranch.com/blog/core-graphics-part-1-in-the-beginning/
======
bringtheaction
> It’s commonly said that Quartz is “based on” PDF, and in a sense that’s
> true. PDF (Adobe’s Portable Document Format) is the PostScript drawing model
> without the arbitrary programmability. Quartz was designed that the typical
> use of the API would map very closely to what PDF supports, making the
> creation of PDFs nearly trivial on the platform.
Would making a PDF reader with the Core Graphics API also be nearly trivial
then?
~~~
Someone
Yes.
[https://developer.apple.com/library/content/documentation/Gr...](https://developer.apple.com/library/content/documentation/GraphicsImaging/Conceptual/drawingwithquartz2d/dq_pdf/dq_pdf.html).
I don’t think it is easier because of that mapping, though. The basic drawing
operators are just a tiny part of creating a PDF reader; you also have to
support various PDF features such as password protection, forms support,
embedded JavaScript, etc, and you need a good library for building the GUI.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
High-Performance GPU Computing in the Julia Programming Language (2017) - open-source-ux
https://devblogs.nvidia.com/gpu-computing-julia-programming-language/
======
maleadt
Author here, happy to answer any questions! We've been developing and
maintaining this toolchain for a while now, so the relevant packages
(CUDAnative.jl for kernel programming, CuArrays.jl for a GPU array
abstraction) are much more mature. Our focus has recently been on implementing
a common base of array operations that can be used across devices (GPU, CPU,
etc), so that users can develop using the base CPU array type, quickly benefit
from a GPU by switching to CuArrays, only to rely on specific CUDA-specific
functionality from CuArrays/CUDAnative when they need custom functionality.
------
adamnemecek
Julia is one of my fav languages. For numerical computing, neither python +
numpy, nor matlab come even close. The interop is nuts. To call, say numpy
fft, you just do
using PyCall
np = pyimport("numpy")
res = np.fft.fft(rand(ComplexF64, 10))
No casting back and forth. This is a toy example, julia ofc has fftw bindings.
Interop with C++, MATLAB, Mathematica etc is similarly simple.
~~~
siproprio
In theory Julia is supposed to be fantastic.
In practice, things either don't exist, or are poorly implemented:
Plotting simple things take 30 seconds.
And that's if you don't count the time it takes to `] add Plots`, especially
on Windows!
And the REPL is broken.
And the editor is slow and annoying (Juno or vscode).
And documentation ranges from poor (no examples, buggy between platforms,
broken links due to version updates) to non-existent. For example, lots of
tutorials will often link to broken links to official documentation, links
that one time were thought to be working but now aren't.
And so on...
~~~
socialdemocrat
Yes plotting in Julia is slow upon first invocation due to the JIT. Annoys me
too, but to say the REPL is broken is profoundly puzzling to me. It is the
best REPL I have ever used. It beats anything I have used for Python, Ruby,
JavaScript, Lua etc.
Also your documentation issue is also strange. Yes certain things don’t exist
but I would say the Julia docs is quite well made. In particular if you use
the REPL documentation I find it much better than Python. Tends to be quite
nice examples, color coding etc.
~~~
Oreb
> It is the best REPL I have ever used. It beats anything I have used for
> Python, Ruby, JavaScript, Lua etc.
This is true, but that's a _very_ low bar to pass. Julia is a Lisp, and
deserve to be compared to other Lisps rather than to lesser languages. Every
Common Lisp or Scheme I have used has a vastly superior REPL experience than
Julia. Even Clojure is better.
Don't get me wrong: I love Julia, and I hope it will eventually replace Python
as the main language for scientific computing, data science and machine
learning. But the REPL experience, at this point, leaves a lot to be desired.
I'm sure it will improve in the future.
~~~
StefanKarpinski
I’m curious what specifically you would want improved in the REPL.
~~~
siproprio
Does the REPL on Windows have all the features and niceties and quality of
life of the REPL on bash or other OSes?
If so (which isn't), then we can start suggesting new features, perhaps better
text editing capabilities, or introspection, better access to documentation.
~~~
StefanKarpinski
The REPL on all platforms is the same. There’s an issue with old buggy
versions of cmd.exe, but that’s only on such old versions of Windows that
they’re not even supported by Microsoft anymore.
------
systems
Just pointing out that this is an article from 2017 and was discussed before
on hn
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15564639](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15564639)
------
vasili111
I always glad to see topics about Julia. I think it has good potential to
replace several other languages with one better language.
------
sytelus
Why this infrastructure is so tightly coupled with CUDA? CUDA is very specific
and closed APIs for NVidia hardware only. Programming languages should focus
on more general primitives that might work on NVidia or TPUs or something
else. PyTorch also has CUDA all over in its APIs and its frustrating to see
such tight binding with closed one company API. Also take a look at OpenCL.
~~~
darknoon
It's because CUDA performs better. It's not nice, but it's the situation we're
living in. Particularly AMD support and performance are lot.
~~~
shmerl
It doesn't perform better than what you can do in Vulkan. It's simply more
entrenched.
------
m4r35n357
Julia is presented as a simple language, but is is anything but that in
practice.
~~~
ddragon
Julia is not presented as a simple language, it's presented as a "I want
everything" language [1], a Python-Ruby-Perl-C-Fortran-Lisp-Matlab crossover
with it's own unique spice. Which is completely opposite from something like
Go. You can start programming knowing only one of Julia's inspiration, for
example programming Julia like Python, but if you want all the language brings
you'll have to dive in a lot of the other sides (which might clash a little
with the cleverness of the compiler, as it will accept such varied styles it
will not guide you to the one through way of idiomatic Julia code).
Still the Julia team did a great job in making all those diverse features feel
part of one connected philosophy instead of an ad hoc pile of functionality,
even if it does take a little while to fully internalize it.
[1] [https://julialang.org/blog/2012/02/why-we-created-
julia](https://julialang.org/blog/2012/02/why-we-created-julia)
------
shmerl
_> The performance possibilities of GPUs can be democratized by providing more
high-level tools that are easy to use by a large community of applied
mathematicians and machine learning programmers._
How exactly CUDA is "democratizing" anything, if it's tied to Nvidia? Vulkan
backend would make more sense for that purpose.
~~~
rrss
That sentence explains perfectly well what it means by democratizing, and how
is independent of the platform being tied to nvidia.
~~~
shmerl
Can you elaborate please? I was under the impression that CUDA is tied to
Nvidia, unless you mean there are now working shims for other GPUs.
~~~
Athas
CUDA is ultimately an API. AMD even has a converter for transforming CUDA cuda
to something more portable[0].
While it would be better in a democratic sense for GPUs to be accessed using a
fully free API, having an easily usable proprietary API is still more
democratic than a difficult-to-use API (especially when, as here, the easy-to-
use layer is actually fully free, and can perhaps be retargeted to fully free
lower layers later).
[0]: [https://gpuopen.com/compute-product/hip-convert-cuda-to-
port...](https://gpuopen.com/compute-product/hip-convert-cuda-to-portable-c-
code/)
~~~
shmerl
It still looks like porting idea, not like a shim that makes CUDA run on AMD.
So I'd say CUDA is still locked to Nvidia. AMD are trying to ease up the
transition to portable options - that's surely good, but it's not a full
fledged lock-in unlocking.
I'd say, Nvidia are being hypocritical here, with this whole "democratizing"
claim. They are direct beneficiaries of the lock-in they are advancing with
it.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Is Amazon Building a Superkindle? - limist
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/is-amazon-building-a-superkindle/
======
headShrinker
It's unfortunate; It seems Apple watched Amazon "test market" a product. When
Apple saw there was a viable market for such a product, Apple focused on it.
Now everyone will be trying to catch up. Now Amazon wants to play for real? I
really feel it will be to late for anyone to make a completive product. We
have seen these strategies from Apple's competition in three markets now.
Apple/Jobs very politically tamed the insatiable music labels, and now the
book publishers, while at the same time locking out the competition's bids. I
don't think Amazon played their best game here.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
A standing desk for $22 - onecreativenerd
http://iamnotaprogrammer.com/Ikea-Standing-desk-for-22-dollars.html
How to build yourself a cheap Ikea standing desk on top of your current desk.
======
goodside
I used to be an advocate of the standing desk. I bought an adjustable-height
Fredrik workstation from Ikea, tried multiple heights to find the most
comfortable, and stuck with it for six months.
It didn't work.
Even after months of practice, I found it harder to concentrate while standing
and doing it any longer than a few hours would invariably result in back pain.
I found myself turning to "sitting tasks" like movies and books frequently
just to get a break, and it greatly impaired my productivity. It wasn't easy
to admit that I had put such a huge amount of effort into a failed experiment,
but that's what it was. I'm writing not to discourage people who might benefit
from a standing desk from trying it, but to give people who have nagging
doubts about their decision a chance to back out without feeling like an
idiot. Eliezer Yudkowsky said once, "'Oops!' is the sound rationalists make
when they level up."
For what it's worth, I'm 25, male, 6'0", and 130 lbs. I don't exercise
regularly, but I live in an urban area in a third-story walk-up, and I don't
drive. If you're thinking I gave up because I'm abnormally out of shape, I'm
not.
~~~
jcampbell1
6'0" and 130 lbs is quite underweight. You have very little muscle and I am
not surprised by the back pain. You need to gain about 25 pounds of muscle and
then consider a standing desk. You need to hit the weights and fridge really
hard for about 6-18 months.
~~~
goodside
There are mountains of evidence that BMI correlates positively with the
incidence of lower back pain. I have no history of LBP outside of the context
of using a standing desk. Further, most of the purported benefit standing
desks is to prolong lifespan, and there's even stronger evidence that low-BMI
people live longer, so the suggestion that I should gain weight and sacrifice
a clinically validated approach to living longer in favor of something as
novel as a standing desk is just absurd.
~~~
bokonist
"and there's even stronger evidence that low-BMI people live longer,"
Not true. If you go by the raw numbers, your BMI of 17.6 puts you at the same
death risk as someone who has a BMI around 30 (which is borderline obese):
[http://ars.els-
cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S014067360960318...](http://ars.els-
cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0140673609603184-gr2.jpg)
Article:
[http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673609...](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673609603184#gr2)
Both higher than typical BMI and lower BMI are associated with higher
mortality risk.
I don't think anyone knows which direction the causality goes ( and that is
true for a lot of things, I'm think the direction of causality is unknown for
a lot of these articles that say "standing is better" or "people who walk more
live longer").
~~~
rada
Per your article, "below the range 22.5-25 kg/m2, BMI was associated inversely
with overall mortality, _mainly because of strong inverse associations with
respiratory disease and lung cancer_ " (italics mine) i.e. if your BMI is low,
average mortality is comparatively high, but only because of smokers. (Study
recruitment year looks to be 1979 when there were a lot more smokers).
Moreover, your study recruited people at age 46 (mean) and followed them
through their death. Meaning, a whole lot of people got older, got sick,
subsequently lost weight and died. Unless proper adjustments were made, the
low BMI-high mortality connection is rather unproven.
For a similar example, see
[http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.3322/canjclin.55.5.268...](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.3322/canjclin.55.5.268/full):
_The main concern regarding the newer CDC analysis is that it did not
adequately account for weight loss from serious illnesses such as cancer and
heart disease. Including such individuals in the analysis created the false
appearance that being overweight protected against death during the follow
up._
and
_The newest CDC analysis also failed to account adequately for the effect of
smoking on weight. Smokers tend to be a little lighter than nonsmokers,
although the negative health impact of smoking far outweighs that of a few
extra pounds. As a result, the Flegal study underestimated the risks from
obesity and overestimated the risks of leanness._
Regardless, I don't think we are on different pages since you acknowledged
that no one really knows which direction the causality goes.
------
tzs
The article he cites on the dangers of prolonged sitting is about research on
_prolonged_ sitting. That is indeed bad for you.
However, so is prolonged standing.
You are best off, and you can save $22, by keeping your normal desk and
GETTING UP every 20 minutes or so and moving around. This avoids the problems
with prolonged sitting, without incurring the serious risks of prolonged
standing.
See: <http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/CUESitStand.html>
~~~
abossy
Nobody I know is capable of standing for an entire workday. A drafting stool
is absolutely required, and it's often the trickiest part of the
configuration; for men taller than six feet, it's very difficult to find an
inexpensive drafting stool that is sufficiently tall to match the height of
your desk.
[1] e.g., [http://www.amazon.com/Boss-Drafting-Stool-Foot-
Black/dp/B001...](http://www.amazon.com/Boss-Drafting-Stool-Foot-
Black/dp/B0019QGVL6)
~~~
elktea
> Nobody I know is capable of standing for an entire workday.
I used to work in a supermarket and would stand for nearly the entire day
apart from a short tea break and lunch break. All the other employees would
too. It's not uncommon.
~~~
kamaal
That sort of standing is different than the way programmers work.
In what you describe, people walk around and do some physical activity all the
time. That's totally different than the way programmers work.
We practically stand motionless for hours, with only eyes and fingers moving.
That sorting of standing is difficult to do for prolonged working hours. And
might be more harmful than sitting for long working hours.
~~~
recursive
I used to work in an assembly line in a factory. Other than the minimum
legally mandated breaks, all the line workers stood in one place.
------
evoxed
10 to 20 years from now people will wonder just how in the hell programmers'
knees aged so quickly, until realizing that half the people standing in
attempt to get healthier were simply locking their knees, weighting from side
to side through the 8-hour workday.
Not that I'm against standing– I do so myself to draft as it is much easier on
my neck and back after many hours– but there will likely be consequences which
easily negate the health benefits that come _purely_ from standing vs.
sitting.
------
treblig
There is a hilarious amount of Silicon Valley culture in the organization of
this article. Particularly in pimping your biggest name early adopters.
"Oh, someone from Stripe is using it! I'll bite!"
~~~
gregschlom
Hehehe, in this case, allow me to plug my own $0 standing desk blog post here
- there's also a fair bit of SV culture in it. And pentalobular screws.
<http://gregschlom.com/post/4555981908/standing-desk>
~~~
zerostar07
This looks over engineered to me plus the spinning chair will make it
uncomfortable to type. May I suggest replacing it with a green biodegradable
cardboard box. There are even models with books on top for adjustable height
~~~
idleloops
This was my first standing desk setup.
------
ranebo
Desks on top of desks never felt safe to me.
My recommendation (as it always is anytime these standing desk articles
appear) is the Frederik from IKEA (
<http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60111123/> ) Ok it's not $22 but
I've picked up two now on special for less than $80.
~~~
sudonim
I can assure you this setup is super stable. Even at this price, nothing
wobbles. If you think about where the weight is in this setup vs. others. The
only thing that shifts the balance from a 4 legged table is the keyboard
shelf. If there wasn't a monitor on top of it, you might be able to push down
hard on the shelf to tip the table, but I doubt it. With a monitor on a table,
this thing doesn't move.
Put it on a solid desk and it isn't going anywhere. I'd bet that it's even
more stable than the fredrik which has two skinny legs.
~~~
canterburry
This desk is awesome as a stand up desk. I also used it as a treadmill desk
for 6 months.
~~~
sudonim
Wow. Do you have a pic of that? My contact info is in my profile.
------
gojomo
A comparable commercial offering, made for this purpose and also mounting atop
an existing desk, would be the Ergotron Workfit-S, costing about $370:
<http://www.ergotron.com/tabid/640/Default.aspx>
For the extra $350 you get easier/finer adjustments and perhaps, more
stability.
For someone who just wants to get a little standing time in with a laptop, an
adjustable 'over-bed' table for about $50 is _almost_ a good solution:
[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QA0EHI/ref=oh_details_o...](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QA0EHI/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00)
I say _almost_ because it doesn't quite have the rigidity that would be best,
or ability to handle any leaning/weight other than just light hand placement.
~~~
mceachen
I got one of these last year.
Even on a really stout desk, the keyboard tray and flimsy plastic display
mounts caused the whole assembly to wobble about whenever I typed.
I switched back to my trusty wooden box after only one day:
<https://twitter.com/andrewrow/statuses/180759221443371008>
------
jaredstenquist
I spent $1,100 on a GeekDesk max (including shipping). An investment in my
health was long overdue, especially since I've spent $4-5,000 on my computer
setup.
The huge benefit is not having to move all your stuff whenever you're done
sitting or standing. I press a button and in 10 seconds it's changed height.
MAGIC!
I highly suggest them to anyone, just watch out for the long backorder. Mine
took 3 months to get here.
~~~
sliverstorm
I'm not against the concept of "investing in your health". That said, while
there have of course been studies that show sitting isn't so hot for your
health, have there been studies that actually show standing desks are _good_?
Varicose veins are not high on my list of to-dos, you know.
~~~
jaredstenquist
It seems that the important part is that you're moving throughout the day.
Personally, when I'm switching between standing and sitting throughout the day
I have more energy and tend to move around a lot more. If I didn't do this,
I'd end up sitting for periods of 4+ hours at a time.
As a CTO I manage development and technology for the company, which means I'm
up and around the office (and out) for meetings and touching base with other
departments. If I were an engineer I'd likely utilize a standing desk less. I
personally don't enjoy coding standing up.
~~~
brown9-2
But if you are already moving around constantly what danger are you avoiding?
The problem is prolonged sitting.
------
thegoleffect
Lack's usefulness continues to surprise me
(<http://wiki.eth-0.nl/index.php/LackRack>).
~~~
evoxed
How have I never noticed... there was a sale at IKEA last year or something
and I picked up a bunch of those. They're the perfect size for my turntable on
top and records underneath– but as a rackmount, damn! I knew those things were
good for $5 a piece...
------
campnic
Is there any study of the cumulative effects of stationary standing vs.
sitting?
------
ef4
I used a similar setup for quite a while, but the big drawback is that you
can't conveniently switch between standing and sitting.
Now I have a crank-operated height-adjustable desk that I really like, and it
only cost $588. I bought this base
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005NJUQVG> and attached an Ikea pine
tabletop ($60).
~~~
jdf
I have the exact same setup at home, and am also a fan. It works well, is
cheaper than a lot of other pre-built solutions (although obviously not as
cheap as the original post), and seems to be pretty well made. I'm also much
happier with the idea of a hand crank than an electric motor.
I also ended up getting an anti-fatigue mat as well. I thought that other
standing desk folks were overrating the mats, but after the first few days
standing at my desk (on a hardwood floor, no less) I saw the light.
~~~
GiraffeNecktie
Any recommendation for the mat? I picked up some foam thingy's that are sold
for gardening. Better than nothing but they seem a little too bouncy.
~~~
zcid
Search for "anti-fatigue mat". I bought one for $20 off Amazon which seems to
do the job well enough.
------
pavel_lishin
The problem with these solutions is that when you get tired, you get to
disassemble this sucker.
~~~
imperialWicket
Drafting chairs work well - though it adds to the cost of the 'desk'.
~~~
rogerbinns
I never understood why everyone wants desks that raise an lower, instead of
just using the drafting chairs thereby avoiding any raise/lower mechanism.
~~~
gte910h
High chairs make a lot of people's legs go to sleep.
~~~
kd5bjo
Only if there isn't a footrest at the proper height.
------
Goronmon
Some tips from my experience with a standing desk for the last few years.
\- Get a chair tall enough that you can comfortably sit in and work at your
desk. I have never been able to stand for an entire day.
\- Get a separate footstool that is high enough to work with the above chair.
Being separate you can use it as a way to reposition your legs while standing
(ie. putting one leg up on the stool) so that you aren't standing in the exact
same position all day.
\- Either get a decent mat for standing, or make sure you have shoes you can
comfortably stand in. I haven't had to use a mat yet personally.
------
reedlaw
Is standing long hours really healthier than sitting? (See
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-
term_complications_of_stan...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-
term_complications_of_standing))
Personally, I feel both sitting and standing for long hours are uncomfortable
and prefer walking. But a walking desk is hard to find for $22. I was able to
build one for $80 using a used treadmill from Craigslist, free pallet boards
made into a keyboard stand, and an old bookshelf to support the monitor.
~~~
ricardobeat
What about a horse-mounted desk?
~~~
roidragequit
i've seen this recommended as an alternative before, is this close enough?
[http://www.amazon.com/Clinical-Health-Services-Inc-
Saddle/dp...](http://www.amazon.com/Clinical-Health-Services-Inc-
Saddle/dp/B004YWTGO6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340151741&sr=8-1&keywords=saddle+chair)
------
Flow
As some say, the best way to sit is to sit like a child, not still. :)
I recently bought a electric adjustable desk from IKEA. (Link to swedish IKEA:
<http://www.ikea.com/se/sv/catalog/products/S69806883/> ).
I can really recommend it even if you'll seldom actually stand up using it. It
allows you to change the height a little every now and then so you can vary
the position you have.
------
sunsu
I switched to a standing desk a year ago and will never go back. The biggest
benefit is that it completely got rid of my wrist pain. I'm still trying to
figure out exactly why though.
The first couple of months were rough on my back, but adding a nice standing
mat helped that a lot...as well as doing some back excercises like back
extensions and dead lifts.
~~~
oscardelben
Yes, use a mat guys it helps a lot
------
molecule
* desk not included
------
charlieok
I think being able to switch easily between sitting and standing throughout
the day beats having to do either one alone for long periods of the time,
hands down.
Wish this were standard practice in the corporate world. Seems like a
relatively cheap way to improve health/ergonomics.
------
rfolstad
I use an Ikea UTBY straight up no mods. I found it in craigslist for 80$. It's
the perfect height for me. (5'8)
<http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49843462/>
------
BobPalmer
For mine, I knocked together one out of plywood (3' x 6') and 2x4's for
supports and shelving (basically a pair of framed out stands
20"Wx30"Lx42"H)for about $50. Then added a nice anti-fatigue mat from Amazon,
and picked up a nice Drafting chair, so I can easily go from standing to
sitting (and tend to change position every half hour or so).
Best part is that I was able to precisely size it for my home office, and have
it at exactly the right height. Took a bit of getting used to, but it's one of
the best investments I've made. Only issue now is that my window AC unit only
keeps my feet cold, since the desktop is a few inches higher than the AC
unit..
------
lda
Does anyone actually use a standing desk daily? I get antsy and uncomfortable
standing after just a few minutes. How people manage to get real work done
with a setup like this is a complete mystery to me.
~~~
verisimilidude
I was also uncomfortable with my standing desk at first. Several tricks made
it better:
* Started working out. Standing became much easier as my physical condition improved.
* Bought an anti-fatigue mat. Crucial.
* Learned to do a subtle, subconscious jig instead of just standing still. You'll be much less antsy when you're constantly shifting your weight around.
------
beagle3
For $50 at amazon (+free shipping, yay for Prime), I got a hospital style
bedside table. It's small, and not perfectly stable, but it is quite stable,
easily adjusted (some models go from 22" to 48" - make sure you get one that
goes to 40" if you get one), and comfortably hosts a 17" laptop and a
mousepad.
Plus, it has lockable wheels, so it can move around. And you can use it as a
bedside table, when you feel like feeling decadent.
------
dsirijus
I've been combining standing desk, couch and workdesk for some 2 years now.
I've completely annihilated back and neck pain with that discipline.
Originally, I was using a standing desk just so I can go and smoke in the
other room and not stop working.
As for BMI... Mine is 35, and I am a walking proof that BMI is a complete
bogus for individual to measure his well being. I'm just big boned. My head
measures 25" on height of 5'11".
~~~
dredmorbius
Now to work on that smoking habit ;-)
~~~
dsirijus
Never. I'd rather die.
------
samstave
I got really lucky. having just moved to alameda from SF, into a house 3 times
as big as my apartment, I had very little furniture to fill out my new place.
The neighbor across the street was having a garage sale and I bought two
adjustable height desks from him for $200, one of which is an electric raise-
lower desk!
I feel so lucky as I have wanted one forever, but couldn't afford one... now I
have one!
------
tluyben2
I have an old fashion chair on top of my table and underneath that a few
copies of "Types and Programming Languages". Works really well. I never felt
fitter and would really tell every programmer to do the same. Our employees
get the choice, but we advice them to walk (I do not think standing is better;
at least I tried and it hurts, walking doesn't) behind their desk.
------
sakai
Do you mind sharing how stable that configuration is? (Both the monitor and
keyboard)
I've found one difficulty with even moderately nice standing desks (i.e., a
Herman Miller desk) is that they vibrate quite noticeably when being typed
upon. Combine this with an adjustable monitor (read: easier to customize, more
expensive, and shakier) and you get quite an annoying result.
------
alexbowman
Install 9 screens with at least 3 non interfacing systems on your desk which
spans 2m one way and 3m the other or more, L shaped. Ensure your job, several
times per day, involves having to stand up and walk to stakeholders 10s or
100s of meters away then verbally face-off rather than passively email. That
should be healthy...
------
leoc
> * The cheapest adjustable standing desks are around $800 (geekdesk)
Some seem to be available for a lot less: [http://www.amazon.com/Safco-1929CY-
Adjustable-Stand-Up-Works...](http://www.amazon.com/Safco-1929CY-Adjustable-
Stand-Up-Workstation/dp/B001MS70Z2) (Or am I missing something here?)
------
jimmar
I did something similar, except I used old cardboard boxes I found around my
house. In the end, I gave it up. My neck and shoulders felt good, but I could
feel the blood pooling up in my legs and feet. It just wasn't comfortable. I
think some sort of hybrid standing/sitting position would be ideal.
------
jboggan
I stack things on my desk to get the monitor the right height. My keyboard and
mouse ride on one of these, instantly upholstered with a pillow case:
<http://www.manhasset-specialty.com/index.cfm?pageID=3>
Adjustable to any height and angle desired.
------
mulletbum
I just have two small desks next to each other. One with a setup like this for
standing and one for sitting.
I have two identical monitors mirrored screens, one on the standing and one on
the sitting.
Then when I want to move to the standing or sitting position the only thing I
have to move is my wireless mouse and keyboard.
------
bobsy
This is awesome. The thing that has put me off the standing desk is the cost.
I sit too much. With such a small investment it doesn't matter if it fails or
not. Similarly such a small table can be easily discarded.
I am getting the bits later on today. I hope to have a standing desk by the
end of the week.
------
BenSS
Far too unstable for my tastes, especially with an iMac. I paid slightly more
and got an 11" high coffee table from Ikea for $40 to drop on top of my
existing desk. it has worked out really well for me, and provides more storage
under. Clear work surface!
------
jasonsee
I like the use of a coffee table instead of a side table - more room. As seen
here: [http://rockmaninoff.posterous.com/standing-desk-v2-and-
hopef...](http://rockmaninoff.posterous.com/standing-desk-v2-and-hopefully-
final)
------
saadmalik01
I don't understand — why are adjustable desks so expensive? I can't imagine
someone not being able to produce a more affordable alternative to a GeekDesk.
If it's in the $200-$350 range, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
------
recycleme
If you work in a cubicle and your desk is attached to the walls, get a
screwdriver and a co-worker (optional) to help you adjust it to a comfortable
standing height. I did it and it was easy and free!
------
Detrus
I bought a similar Ikea side table for $10. I use a laptop so I can take it
down and sit. No extra work for keyboard is required. And mine matches the
color of the sitting desk.
~~~
tatsuke95
> _"No extra work for keyboard is required. "_
If you're using your laptop keyboard and screen, you probably don't have
things in the optimum position (hands too high, monitor too low).
~~~
Detrus
Probably but got used to it quicker than to standing. It depends on
individual's height.
------
nodrama
what I fantasize of using is a dentist chair. You can put the keyboard and
mouse on the adjustable tools tray, and hung the monitor on the adjustable arm
for the lights. The chair position is adjustable as well (I prefer a position
in which I sit more on the back with the legs slightly higher than my bottom).
I never felt so good in a chair as I did on a recent visit to the dentist.
The only downside is the cost.
Has anyone tried this?
------
netmute
On a completely unrelated note, I like to compliment you for your excellent
taste in keyboards. I've seen multiple HHKB Pros on the pictures :)
------
somesaba
Did I miss something or did it exclude the cost of the table upon which the
lack table is sitting on?
~~~
ricefield
No the article assumes you already have a desk at work, and the point is that
you would only have to pay $22 to build a standing desk on top of what you
already have - most companies will provide you a desk for free, after all.
------
mahyarm
Now to figure out how to fit a treadmill to it. I haven't seen a treadmill
without a pedestal.
~~~
AsylumWarden
Even better check out ChaCha CEO Scott Jones' simple little computer set up.
It only has 8 monitors and an exercise bike:
[http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/fsb/0710/gallery.scott_j...](http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/fsb/0710/gallery.scott_jones.fsb/2.html)
------
ericson578
I'd like a desk that can change easily between sitting and standing.
~~~
bronson
I bought a Steelcase Airtouch back in Dec. LOVE IT. Stable, looks great,
effortless up & down, no waiting for loud electric motors. I paid $1250.
Expensive but worth the money IMO.
I find I spend 20% of my time standing, 80% sitting. Being able to switch at
any time is key.
~~~
b3b0p
I've looked into these. I'm leaning towards a Geek Desk for one reason: The
pedestal in the middle, does it not get in the way of your legs at all?
------
eragnew
I am going to try to build one of these. Thanks for sharing this!
------
idleloops
At home I use a keyboard stand (or rather a stand designed for an electric
piano), it's adjustable for both sitting and standing, and you can easily put
it away.
~~~
felideon
Wait, what do you put on top of it to hold the (presumably) laptop? I say
'presumably' as you usually need two heights on standing desks: one for the
keyboard and one for the monitor which should be higher.
~~~
idleloops
I use a couple of belts, that I can adjust to exactly the right length - to
get a good height. The laptop sits in that like a dream and makes for a good
laptop desk. With a desktop PC - I just sit the monitor somewhere practical,
the keyboard spans the stand it just rests there.
My main desk is actually a drop leaf table. I sit my desktop PC on it. When
sitting, the monitor is placed in front of the PC. When standing the monitor
goes on top of the PC, and I drop the desk bit.
Something like this:
[http://janeharrop.co.uk/images/12thimages/12th_utility_drop_...](http://janeharrop.co.uk/images/12thimages/12th_utility_drop_leaf_table.jpg)
I'd actually prefer a drop leaf that I could hide the PC in. But currently the
PC serves as a good stand for the monitor. It also makes the PC very
accessible. The trickier part of my setup is accommodating a mouse. But I
could just place a board on the piano/keyboard stand.
------
idleloops
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_There>
Just about sums it up.
------
brendanobrien
So good!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
"AdBlock" in Youtube comment - soheil
Post a comment on Youtube with the word AdBlock and its status becomes: "Comment Pending Approval!"
======
psgbg
"The first rule of fight club is you do not talk about fight club"
Also, don't say "bomb" inside of a plain.
And Never ever say "inflation" in front of a minister of economy
[http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_27/04...](http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_27/04/2013_496357)
------
lazugod
YouTube channels can choose to individually approve each comment. I wouldn't
read much into it.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Which hype you bought which backfired? - xstartup
Many times we buy into something because of hype, it could be a flavor of the month programming language or javascript framework. Any professional would probably have made many of such mistakes, in hindsight we deem stupid. Please tell us about your hype-driven blunders which backfired.
======
smt88
\- Frameworks. Not any particular framework, just Rails-style, monolithic
frameworks with lots of magic. Every language got a Rails-like framework at
one point, and many were/are popular.
\- Native mobile apps. They're not a good replacement for the vast majority of
circumstances, and users are extremely reluctant to use (and keep using) them.
\- MySQL. I still have no idea why anyone would choose it over Postgres, and
no one has been able to give me an answer. I chose it because it was the
database of LAMP stacks, and then I got locked in because I knew it already.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: EasyWrite- Write Only Using Top 1,000 Words - dallamaneni
http://easywrite.parishod.com/
======
dallamaneni
Hi, I recently came across ClearText Mac app which does the same but it works
only on a Mac. I also felt that it would be great if the app recommends using
certain words instead of enforcing it. So I made this web app which solves
both the problems. Read my blog post for more information about this:
[http://www.deekshith.in/2016/04/easy-write-
intro.html](http://www.deekshith.in/2016/04/easy-write-intro.html)
Also check out the code on Github: [https://github.com/adeekshith/easy-
write](https://github.com/adeekshith/easy-write)
Producthunt listing: [https://www.producthunt.com/tech/easywrite-cleartext-
for-the...](https://www.producthunt.com/tech/easywrite-cleartext-for-the-web)
------
sharemywin
Wonder if you could substitute as many words as you can with thesaurus. Then
save text and substitutions people make so does more and more automatically.
~~~
dallamaneni
Yeah, I thought about it. I would like to make it auto suggest words on
mouseover or click similar to other auto correction systems. That would be a
great addition. Will work on that. Thanks for the suggestion.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Will We Ever Be Able to Download Our Brains Like in Westworld? - TechSquidTV
https://techsquidtv.com/blog/will-we-ever-be-able-to-download-our-brains-like-in-westworld/
======
java-man
no.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Merrill Lynch “Macs are no good. Go to your library and use a PC” - rograndom
http://www.rograndom.com/2011/04/merrill-lynch-mac/
======
th0ma5
This might be a "knows enough to be dangerous" type of situation. An expert in
one field seems like an idiot to an expert in a similar, but different, field.
For instance I swore up and down that my Time Warner cable modem had blown up,
and repeatedly called demanding for a replacement. I was a damned computer
expert, and I knew the thing bloody well wasn't working.
So the tech comes, and we turn on the lights, and the thing works. It was
plugged into a socket that was switched with the lights.
The tech support people are trained for "idiots" and they are not trained for
computer experts that have varying opinions that may well be correct. Also,
they aren't trained in understanding, or taking reports on, subtle cross-
platform browser bugs.
I've been impressed with tech support that connects me with an expert who has
both my experience and accent, but at some point I think someone in this mess
would've just tried a different browser. It isn't like that was above the
skill level of anyone involved.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Scraping every IPv4 WHOIS record - marklit
http://tech.marksblogg.com/all-ipv4-whois-records.html
======
Joyfield
I think you can download the assigned IPs from at least RIPE. Otherwise you
could download a BGP-dump and then get the AS-number from every announced IP-
span and then map AS->Country.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Distributed Named Pipes - mhausenblas
http://dnpip.es
======
techdragon
This is an excellent idea... but I'm a little put off by the reference
implementation using DC/OS and Kafka... Its a little bit 'heavy' for a
reference implementation, at least that's my personal preferences.
Id like to see a more 'low tech' version, or in the very least, a plan to
transition from a 'heavy' reference implementation to a 'lighter' one once one
became available since having a concise reference implementation makes porting
and compatibility significantly easier.
~~~
bjt
Yes.
> To try it out yourself, you first need a to install a DC/OS cluster and then
> Apache Kafka...
When I see that, I know the cost of satisfying my curiosity is going to be a
lot higher than I'm willing to pay right now.
~~~
mhausenblas
Fair point, I suppose. Is
[https://dcos.io/docs/1.8/administration/installing/local/](https://dcos.io/docs/1.8/administration/installing/local/)
an option?
------
dln_eintr
The name doesn't really work in this project's favor.
UNIX pipes are stream interfaces, whereas this looks to be message based -
that's a fundamental difference.
Named pipes are uniquely identified in a well-defined local namespace, i.e the
filesystem, whereas this seems to be an abstraction on top of Kafka with
service discovery TBD.
This confused me while reading up on the project.
~~~
cle
How is it a fundamental difference? Unix streams are character messages, so
this is basically a superset of that functionality.
(I don't know much about Unix streams, so correct me if I'm wrong.)
~~~
michaelmior
Generally when a protocol is referred to as message-based it's because there's
some framing around the payload. This can make it impractical as compared to a
streaming protocol that just passes data back in forth. In some real-time
cases, you can't tolerate the latency of waiting to bundle multiple items in a
single payload but you also can't tolerate the overhead of framing many small
messages.
------
linsomniac
The most interesting thing I got from this was the DC/OS link, I hadn't heard
of it before but I think I'll look at it to see how it might fit with our
future direction with/instead of Kubernetes.
[https://dcos.io/](https://dcos.io/)
------
tlrobinson
So... a message queue?
~~~
rohan_
I'm just as confused. What does this have to do with named pipes?
~~~
pdkl95
[http://beej.us/guide/bgipc/output/html/singlepage/bgipc.html...](http://beej.us/guide/bgipc/output/html/singlepage/bgipc.html#mq)
"A message queue works kind of like a FIFO but supports some additional
functionality."
~~~
rohan_
So it's a bare-bones message queue? What's the advantage then? Performance?
------
jsjohnst
Apologies, but what does this provide that Kafka doesn't already?
~~~
Tepix
It uses the file paradigm just like local named pipes. That makes this tech
accessible to pretty much every UNIX command.
~~~
Animats
Not really. Each message has to be an atomic item, not a stream of bytes,
since there can be multiple readers consuming a single queue.
The interface specification has problems. "A pull does not remove a message
from a dnpipes, it merely delivers its content to the consumer." So if the
same consumer pulls the same dnpipe again, does it get the same message? Do
messages ever get removed from dnpipes without a reset? Unclear.
Does pull block, support async completions, or just return an error when no
data is available?
Reset, rather than sending an EOF which passes through the queue, implies that
shutdown is either drastic or requires external coordination to empty the
queue and stop the sending end before the reset.
~~~
mhausenblas
> ... if the same consumer pulls the same dnpipe again, does it get the same
> message
No. Each message is delivered at most once. But good point, need to make that
clearer!
> Do messages ever get removed from dnpipes without a reset.
No. Again, something I need to clarify as it seems.
> Does pull block, support async completions, or just return an error when no
> data is available?
It blocks.
> Reset, rather than sending an EOF which passes through the queue, implies
> that shutdown is either drastic or requires external coordination to empty
> the queue and stop the sending end before the reset.
I don't follow. Reset empties the underlying queue.
In general, since the consumers start to consume not from the beginning of
time (as in Kafka's `--from-beginning`) but wherever they happen to be (that
is, in Kafka terminology from `latest` index) this shouldn't be a problem.
I tried to model as close as possible and as it makes sense after the
semantics of (local) named pipes. I might have fudged up here but I'm not 100%
clear on where :)
~~~
Animats
_> Do messages ever get removed from dnpipes without a reset._
_No. Again, something I need to clarify as it seems._
So what happens after the system has been running for a while? Why doesn't the
dnpipe system fill up with old messages that will never be read again? If new
subscribers don't see them, and old subscribers have read them, why are they
not removed? It would seem that once every subscriber who subscribed before a
message was sent has received that message, the message is dead and can be
removed. Why keep the history? Did you really mean that?
Also, what happens if one of many subscribers stops making PULL requests?
Maybe it's blocked on something, or hung. Do the queues start to build up?
Does PUSH eventually block?
_> Reset, rather than sending an EOF which passes through the queue, implies
that shutdown is either drastic or requires external coordination to empty the
queue and stop the sending end before the reset._
_I don 't follow. Reset empties the underlying queue._
On most queuing systems, when a publisher wants to shut down, they close the
channel's sending end or send and EOF message. When all subscribers have read
up to the EOF, they close their receiving end. The last messages get
processed, and then the subscribers stop. If the only shutdown mechanism is a
reset, that can lose messages not yet received. That's OK if the intent is
just "kill everything and terminate", but not if you need a clean shutdown.
(ROS, the Robot Operating System, has a publish/subscribe system something
like this. It's a soft real time system, so old data is discarded and you
never want to block a publisher. They chose to lose messages if a subscriber
isn't reading often enough. That's appropriate to a robotics use case. It
probably wouldn't be for a containerized web backend. See [1].)
[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publish%E2%80%93subscribe_patt...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publish%E2%80%93subscribe_pattern#Message_Delivery_Issues)
~~~
jsjohnst
Exactly my thought when reading his reply!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Jon Postel - rocky1138
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Postel
======
gaius
Postel’s Law is good advice for life in general
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Tutorial: Apache 2.4 as reverse proxy - maus80
http://www.leaseweblabs.com/2014/12/tutorial-apache-2-4-transparent-reverse-proxy/
======
SEJeff
Perhaps I'm the weird one out that actually prefers Apache 2.4.x over Nginx
for web and proxy services in much the same way. Huge fan of
mod_proxy_balancer (not available in Apache < 2.4) when bundled with uwsgi for
web workers.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Comparing Heat Shields: Mars Science Lab vs. SpaceX Dragon - pinehead
http://pinehead.tv/space/comparing-heat-shields-mars-science-lab-vs-spacex-dragon/
======
sikhnerd
I can't be the only one who continues to be impressed by SpaceX' consistent
engineering and business prowess being displayed in these types of articles.
~~~
deelowe
As they say, "scarcity breeds clarity." I'm one of the few that think nasa
shouldn't have unlimited budget and there needs to be more competition in the
industry. My fingers are cross that space mining takes off. That could be a
game changer.
~~~
joshAg
what makes you think nasa has an unlimited budget? they constantly have less
money than they would like.
~~~
deelowe
I don't, but many have complained about their recent budget cuts. To me, it
seems like it's helping space exploration more than hurting.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Fastest way to iterate through ALL Guids Possible - hartleybrody
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/10029651/fastest-way-in-c-sharp-to-iterate-through-all-guids-possible
======
dromidas
lol... just... lol...
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Motion Experiments - davidbarker
http://www.michaelvillar.com/motion
======
volaski
I think 10% of these animations look cool AND actually don't harm experience,
but the rest are just confusing. These morphing animations just distract users
with something that shouldn't be the focus. There are too many apps that try
to make "pretty design" and they don't realize those pretty design and
animation are what distracts users from the actual value the app provides.
Even in cases where an app has these pretty designs and are working well, it's
because the app is useful, not because the design is pretty.
------
jerluc
These experiments look very similar in concept to many of Google's material
design animation principles
([http://www.google.com/design/spec/animation/responsive-
inter...](http://www.google.com/design/spec/animation/responsive-
interaction.html#responsive-interaction-material-response) and
[http://www.google.com/design/spec/animation/meaningful-
trans...](http://www.google.com/design/spec/animation/meaningful-
transitions.html#meaningful-transitions-visual-continuity))
------
panic
I agree with the other commenters that some of these animations make more
sense than others, but it's cool to see people experimenting in this space.
The photo loading animation in particular is really nice!
------
Mithaldu
Roughly 1/3 of those would be annoying and upsetting, due to wasting the
users' time when interacting with software. Otoh, some of these are nice
examples of juicing software, i.e. increasing the amount and readability of
feedback to interaction.
~~~
andybak
Ideally animations that take an amount of time will be used to mask essential
delays rather than introduce additional ones. I don't know how much this is
actually true in a lot of real world implementations of 'material design'
style UI but I hope it to be so.
Casually speaking - material apps don't feel any slower to me.
And it's important to remember that 'perceived speed' is the only relevant
metric when discussing usability.
~~~
tenfingers
Most animations nowdays don't mask any actual delay, but actually introduce
new ones. Often, they cannot be skipped. Even more often, they're not properly
chained, in a way that breaks the interaction if you're doing something else
while the animation is still completing its cycle. If the animation is is
actually masking a delay, you can _bet_ the animation is _not_ interrupted
and/or sped-up when the data is ready.
There are _very_ few cases were animations provide visual cues which are
actually an improvement. Very, _very_ few. Touch interaction benefits for more
visual feedback (such as sliding), but note that sliding in my eyes is not an
animation as should be directly linked with the position of the finger.
In the last years I've been aggressively disabling all kind of animations in
software which serve no actual purpose. Sadly, this kind of stuff often cannot
be disabled.
------
pmontra
My 2 cents:
1, 2, 3: OK.
4: I don't understand what's the purpose of this element. A spinner?
5, 6: OK.
7: OK, this is very similar to what slack uses to show new users what to do.
8: OK.
9: does one really want to do that to a logo? Oh well, personal choices :-)
10 to 13: OK.
14: I'm afraid it will be difficult to look at.
15: This looks dangerous. A phisher could set all the screen to a 100% div
which is a link to the phished for site and get it's URL in the address bar.
By carefully handling events and drawing elements it can collect clicks and
keypresses and maybe MITM the real site without the user noticing. Is this
called Safari link because it is how Safari displays links?
16: I don't get it. My first thought is that it was an accordion.
17: OK.
------
vortico
Any animations that take longer than 0ms are annoying. (i.e. I don't like
animations in my UIs.) But for the general public, I guess this is pushing in
some direction.
------
jeffreyrogers
These are pretty cool. Does anyone know how these are made?
~~~
nacs
Adobe After Effects can be used to do these kind of animations, especially the
smooth morphing effect from one shape to another
------
mytochar
The numbers are backward for English-speaking countries, which I find
interesting, but I'll reference them based on the numbers I see given:
17: I like it. It's a bit of a double-edged sword though, as sometimes people
pause videos to not be distracted, and that sort of flickering back and forth
would certainly distract me if I still had the window visible.
16: cool
15: This would be interesting to integrate with what happens when you actually
click a link and it's still working on getting there, especially if you pulled
your mouse away from the link before the actual page had resolved in DNS (I
think that's when the URI changes on link click? I'm not sure, honestly and
that's an assumption)
14: Neat trick and very pretty
13: I like how the length of the arrows increases as the system processes. As
long as it's not an indeterminate progress bar (I don't know how that would be
represented in this model, but that doesn't matter since it doesn't have to
be), that is a beautiful way to do it. I like it.
12: I like it, as long as you could start typing during the animation. I don't
like having to wait.
11: standard. good. I like it.
10: It could be useful
9: If that's what the client wants, then that's great! I certainly think it's
cool.
8: I'm a bit conflicted with this one. On one hand, it's a neat trick, and
exploding out at the same time as shrinking in (in the center) looks nice; but
at the same time, it might get a bit old? I dunno.
7: I don't think this is rendering right on Chrome... it either has a very
long animation loop, or I'm not seeing the whole thing? The button kinda gets
a boil around it somewhat, or part of the way? My computer may be slowing down
when trying to render it.
6: This looks like a lot of ones that already exist except more animated
maybe? I find it interesting; but, I think my OCD would get frustrated since
the change happens /after/ I get to the place I want to be, not at the same
time. I'd end up jabbing the down or up button longer than intended. Eh.
5: there's a lot of circular activity in these options. I think I would prefer
to see the button just grow in all directions at the same rate and disappear
where it wasn't finished, if I were going this route; but, I'm not sure. It's
okay, and something I'd tolerate if a phone OS already had it, but not
something I'd add myself.
4: I don't know what this is meant for, so I can't comment
3: I'm going to guess there is a text box that would grow to the right side of
this icon? I like reusing the icon as both a start search and stop search.
Very nice.
2: It may just be my machine, but the graph line changes speed. I don't like
that. Is it going at the same speed just laterally, making the line seem to
speed up since it has to cover more distance for the rises and falls? If so,
then that's okay I guess? It still feels hasty and upsetting.
1: I like the spinner. Could it just be 2 rotations instead of 3? Oh, I get
it, grow, be one size, shrink. Nevermind, 3 is fine. I wonder what it would
look like if it were extend to its proper size at the start of its first
rotation, make a whole rotation and then shrink. I wonder how that would go. I
like how it is right now, though :)
All in all, some cool ideas, many of them useful :)
[As an aside, 7->0 don't seem to load on Firefox 36.0.1, so I had to look at
them in Chrome. I'm not sure why it wouldn't work in Firefox.]
------
jheriko
the counter looks like a massive chore to implement...
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: How do I get out of my unhappy coding job? - yacoder
Hi all,<p>I need your advice; I'm working in an internal IT department at a non-software company which is, as you can guess, far from ideal. I live + work in the UK.<p>I am starting to feel very depressed about my situation and am desperate to find a way out. I've
applied to a job at a decent software company which unfortunately I didn't get (though it certainly gave me an idea of what to improve if I were to apply again, so was positive overall.)<p>I'm working on developing a programming language; it's extremely early days but I have certain convictions about what is important in a language and in the hacker tradition want to make something that fits those convictions.<p>I, much to my regret, don't have a degree in Computer Science (though I do have an engineering degree) - though I grew up loving programming I, for somewhat complicated reasons, ended up choosing the wrong subject.<p>As far as I can see the following steps are the way out. I'd be very grateful for any advice/criticism you care to offer about these steps, also with any suggestions you can offer me in finding a happier coding existence:-<p>+ Work hard on my language project; if I can actually do something with this I will have something very nice to put on my CV. Programming languages, compilers, parsing, etc. are really my passion; they are the one thing I'd like to get into more than anything else.<p>+ Develop knowledge of algorithms, big O, etc. - the kind of stuff I would have picked up on a computer science course, as well as being the kind of stuff asked at interviews.<p>+ Get involved with open source - I am especially interested in LLVM as it ties in nicely with my language project.<p>+ Practice, practice, practice - Practice coding, consciously trying to improve as much as I can.<p>And the most recent, most radical thought:-<p>+ Ditch the idea of going to work on someone else's stuff and get going on a Micro ISV. Keep the day job and work all the hours outside of work to put a product together. I'd like to somehow link this to my passion for programming languages, etc. - perhaps that old programmer startup cliche of a development tool of some kind?<p>Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me, it's really appreciated. Feel free to criticise + tear my ideas apart, by the way! Always happy for (constructive) criticism.<p>(I am using a different HN login from usual for obvious reasons.)
======
edw519
I have been in your situation many times before and always struggled with it.
Until I figured something out...
_working in an internal IT department at a non-software company_ can be a
HUGE advantage. Why? Because your "customers" are right there.
Please do not underestimate this as part of your career planning. Sure, we all
want to create cool technology, but AFAIC, the single biggest shortcoming for
developers that I've ever seen is what I'll call "detachment from users".
You don't have that problem. You have end users right there at your
fingertips. Take advantage of it! Learn from them. Practice your systems
analysis skills. Find out how to make that missing link, the connection
between technology and people, work properly.
I have written significant pieces of technology for software houses, but was
actually _more_ frustrated. Why? It took months, sometimes even years before
anyone actually used it. And then, they were communicating with someone other
than me. The technology was cool, but by not closing that loop with my
customers, I always felt that my work (and learning) was incomplete.
By all means, continue your dreams and career plans. But don't waste your
current situation by being depressed about it. I can't tell you all the times
in my career when I stood head and shoulders above my peers because I had
suffered in the trenches like you are now. Except you don't have to suffer.
Because now you know to look for opportunities to get a lot better in other
ways. They're all around you if you just look.
~~~
peregrine
Some places insist on having a "Product Manager" handle all the face to face
communications, which kills it even more...
------
jacquesm
Working on your language project is probably not the best avenue to get you
out of your job, since monetizing something like that is pretty difficult.
It's been done but it had better be a 'game changer', another variation on
some theme is not going to help you become independent.
The abstract knowledge you pick up (such as algorithms, you already refer to
that) will help though, since it will allow you to build relatively complex
stuff where 'cut-and-paste' types will have a disadvantage competing against
you.
Open source is great way to advertise your skills, but only if you want to be
re-hired somewhere, is that your intention or do you plan to become
independent ?
The last item on your list sounds like the best bet in the shorter term. But
maybe first you should exchange your job that you hate for a nicer one to get
you out of the frame of mind you're in and in to a more healthy one.
Then from a position of strength you can make your decisions, usually that
works better (at least, it does for me).
Good luck!
~~~
yacoder
Thanks for the advice; will definitely take it on board.
It's true that the language project itself is unlikely to be monetisable
(especially since the chances of it ever being used let alone popular are
close to 0), but I wondered whether I could develop something along a similar
vein, say a code analysis tool or some such, which could find application of
language-related techniques and keep me in an area I find especially
interesting.
I guess I just want to be happy as a coder; whether that requires me to be
independent or can be achieved working for someone else is something I'm not
yet sure about. I agree I need to leave the negative situation, I guess part
of what I'm asking is how best to improve myself such that I can get a job
somewhere decent.
------
gruseom
(jacquesm beat me to it, but I'm sure you can use more than one reply.)
Given your relationship to programming as you describe it, I am quite sure
that you can break out of this job. So please don't feel depressed! Just steel
yourself to work damn hard on other stuff, no matter how tired or bummed you
are from work, and don't stop until you get somewhere you want to be.
Working on open-source projects is a great way to develop credibility. A huge
advantage of this approach is that you build credibility with the right crowd
- the ones who find the same things cool and interesting that you do. If I
were you I'd work backwards from the kinds of companies I'd like to hire me
and try to make substantial contributions to open-source software that such
companies use. Either that or I'd make cool new library on top of one.
Working on a personal language is less likely, I think, to be externally
impressive. Most people's reaction to that will be "yawn", unless you're able
to demonstrate something fundamentally new about it, and even then there is a
high barrier to convincing anybody. You'd be better off finding open-source
implementations of some known language to work on. (I'm talking, strictly,
about using it as a bridge to paid work. Obviously you feel passionately
enough to make it worth doing in its own right, but that's a separate
question.)
~~~
yacoder
Thank you. The positive encouragement of HNers means a _lot_ to me.
I think a consensus is emerging that putting the language project aside for a
while to focus on OSS would be a good idea.
~~~
jacquesm
What are your skills ? (programming languages and so on ?)
~~~
yacoder
currently, mostly C#, SQL, F# and some scheme. Most of my experience (and
entirely professionally) is on the MS stack, though I run linux at home.
~~~
jacquesm
Ok. I see ErrantX has already made you an offer, nice to see HN'ers help out
other HN'ers!
I'll be running a pretty weird experiment in a few weeks, I'm not yet ready to
explain it in public because I'm still tweaking the idea and I don't want to
limit myself by nailing it down, if you are interested drop me an email (email
in my profile).
------
dannyr
Quit.
Having a choice (in this case a job) is sometimes bad. If your back is against
the wall, you'll be more driven to go after what you want.
I was working for a bank in the early part of my career. I was doing mainframe
applications and I have always wanted to do web apps. So I quit my job and
learned a web programming language (.Net). I learned it pretty fast and I
built a small site to showcase my work. In two months since quitting, I found
a consulting job that does web apps.
A few years ago, I was working for a big company in San Diego. I wanted to be
in a startup environment. I tried my best to create one in my company but I
failed.
So I quit my job and moved to the Bay Area. When I moved here, I realized that
most startups use open source and I cannot find startups that use .Net.
Actually I found a startup that uses .Net but they rescinded their offer when
their investor told them to freeze hiring.
I was unemployed for months in the Bay Area so I said to myself I need to
learn an open-source language. I ended up learning Python/Django.
I accepted a short-term web development using .Net and when that ended I
continued learning Python/Django. Via networking, I ended up working for a YC
startup and eventually moved to another startup in SF.
I'm really happy (but not satisfied) with where I am right now. If I didn't
quit my job, I don't think I would have had the motivation to go after what I
really wanted.
~~~
jacquesm
That advice may or may not be good advice depending on your location. I can
see how in the bay area it will work, the OP is in London, so for him it
probably would work too (even though the market is not quite what it was a few
years ago).
But for some regions it is probably best to keep your old shoes on until
you've bought some new ones.
~~~
kd5bjo
Note: San Diego is not in the bay area. He quit his job and moved here without
having an offer in hand.
~~~
jacquesm
Yes, he wrote that, I got it. The point is, that the Bay area is just about
one of the best places to be an out-of-work programmer on the planet.
Even during a recession it would probably still be easier for a qualified
coder to find some work there than in most other places, the fact that he
found a gig within a relatively short time seems to prove that.
~~~
kd5bjo
Though it wasn't part of his explicit advice, your location is not constant,
especially if you've quit your job. Thus, the limiting factor isn't where you
_are_ , it's where you _could be_.
~~~
jacquesm
That depends. If you have a family, kids in school, a mortgage, strong family
ties, friends and so on that really counts for a lot to a large number of
people, and that means that where they are is where they'll stay.
When you're young, unattached and without too many responsibilities this is a
lot easier (and possibly even hard to imagine that one day it may not be that
easy).
~~~
kd5bjo
Yes, all of those things affect your ability to move and where you can move
to. Whenever you make a major change to your life, some parts will get better
and others worse. It's important to recognize what's actually important to
you, and act to make the things you actually care about as good as possible.
Given the question, I assume that the thing he most cares about is getting a
more enjoyable job,
------
krschultz
I think the answer is to apply to more positions. You say that you have tried
for one and did not get it. Apply for several and see what happens.
Also it sounds like you are trying to hop from internal IT to
software/language development (is that correct?), if you have no previous
official "programming experience" at a job, the open source projects might be
your best bet. That way you can have programming on your resume that they can
relate to. Personal projects are good but if the project is bigger than
yourself it will carry more weight - and the world needs more open source
programmers.
~~~
yacoder
yes, I want to switch from internal to a software company. I definitely feel
like open source is really critical; I don't feel like I'm working in an
environment where code quality matters to anybody, the only way I'm going to
get to work on a decent code base with people who care (and will improve me)
before moving job is by working on open source.
~~~
greyman
I also suggest to just apply to more companies, for example try 10 at first
and see what they told you. C# is pretty much in demand, so it should not be a
problem to get a junior programmer job.
But maybe don't be too romantic about a job in software company...you could
very well find that it also isn't a ideal job...you will perhaps fight with
bureaucracy, being forced to do dull work, etc. etc.
So before quiting your job, try to think really deep why exactly you don't
like your current job. Maybe it is something more fundamental, and ordinary
software company might also not fix it. Anyway, good luck, finding a software
programmer job is certainly achievable.
~~~
yacoder
I agree, but I don't think I am being romantic - I do realise jobs always have
those boring, etc. elements, it's a matter of whether overall you are happy
with it.
And I certainly don't accept the contention that there aren't jobs programmers
can be really happy in (as some contend, not saying you are necessarily), I
think that's lazy thinking...
In any case I certainly don't think it's something fundamental as it's not the
work itself that bothers me so much, but rather the pain of working in a
negative situation.
------
chaosmachine
Just quit. Walk out and never go back. Start working for yourself. Every day
you're doing something you don't want to do is a day you never get back.
I quit my tech support job with no plan and 4 months of savings. Within the
year, I had started my own business, and was making more money than I ever did
at my old job.
Take the risk. Trust in your own abilities, and go for it. You'll never get
the life you want by living the one you don't.
------
sbarre
As someone who has worked at startups and big companies, and has hired and
fired, the best advice I can give you if you are looking for a new job is to
try to find a good, fun company to work for, even if it's not the _ideal_ job
for you. Be enthusiastic in the interview (first impression really is a one-
shot deal), and make sure you are genuinely excited about what the company
does (even if the job itself is not totally awesome). If you don't believe in
what the company does, then you'll end up back where you are now.
Also: being happy at work is usually more related to your work environment and
your co-workers than it is to the actual work you do (you may be different
though). So try to meet the people you'd be working with, if that's a
possibility, when you are interviewing.
There's nothing stopping you from still working on your own projects once you
are at your new job, and if your day job is enjoyable, you will have more
energy and motivation to put into your side projects too as a result.
------
jonpaul
Forget improving your CV. Make sure it's good enough. Depending solely on your
CV makes you average. Are you average? Of course not, you're on HN! Build
practical shit. No seriously man, making your own language will invoke a yawn
as another commenter said. Build a web app, build a piece of software that has
practicality. Build anything, as long as it can be demoed.
I realize that you want a new job now. Well, that's going to take patience.
Don't spam your resume! Trust me, I use to interview and this was very
common... you could detect these types.
Start today. Just build something that can be demoed, something preferably
practical.
Good luck man!
------
ErrantX
Where are you based (roughly)? What is your skillset? What wage are you after?
I may have a job/project for you - and we can definitely work out something to
accommodate your side projects/business. If it's any use to you drop me a line
and we'll talk (always happy to help fellow HNers)
We are not a software company; we actually do security/forensics (which is
super interesting) but we have a little software project that should be pretty
lucrative.
If you'd prefer not to post such info you can drop me an email, it's in my
profile)
Otherwise; pretty much I agree with what the others are saying. Put the
programming language to one side for the moment and concentrate on FOSS
projects if you can.
~~~
yacoder
Wow! I am definitely interested in discussing any possibilities (I have
clearly been far too reticent on this front as is clear from discussion here),
for obvious reasons I'd rather not post [all] those details here; have dropped
you an email.
Roughly: based in London, mostly C# skillset (currently).
------
pcof
I can't believe UK has only two companies (the Royal Non-Software Company and
the Royal Software Company?). Apply for other positions in other software
companies. Even non-software companies with strong IT departments have nice
jobs, technically speaking. Specially the very large non-software companies,
who also tend to look beyond your specific degree - a large company usually
can afford a hiring process that will allow them to understand your abilities
(regardless of your nominal college degree).
~~~
yacoder
I have definitely been reticent on the jobsearching front. I guess a
combination of inertia/laziness and fear have got in the way; also I suppose I
am worried that if I apply to jobs before I am 'ready' (well practised in the
algo stuff typically asked at decent job interviews, etc.) I will end up
blowing my chances at these places then later when I come to apply with more
experience in this area they won't want to hear from me. Is that a stupid
approach?
~~~
spolsky
Yes. Crikey. There are thousands of companies in the UK that hire programmers.
How many of them can you possibly blow? Besides, the more jobs you apply for,
the more practice you'll have applying.
~~~
SandB0x
I agree with your advice, but just a note on the UK:
Software companies aren't the same this side of the pond, the culture seems
rather different. Maybe I've just had bad experiences, but London is full of
soul crushing financial services/admin software type places. I'm sure the US
is too, but there also seems to be a healthy community of fresh companies.
Check out your very own jobs.stackoverflow.com - this is one of the places I
would expect a modern company to advertise, but there are nine jobs listed for
the _whole_ of the UK, compared to over 50 for NY alone. If you want a
"normal" programming job you have to take your chances with the vast sea of
recruiters on Monster.co.uk.
(or, of course, build personal connections and/or do your own thing)
~~~
adam-_-
There are still a number of interesting companies in London depending on what
you're interested in...
Web development: check out NMA Top 50 for Agencies.
Startups: Check out the WiredUK Silicon Roundabout article _and_ the comments!
Misc: Check out things like Times TechTrack.
Interested in a particular technology? Check out the official language job
board and search for London (e.g jobs.perl.org).
There are definitely interesting companies you just have to spend some time
finding them because they won't come to you.
------
Mark_B
Be sure to ask yourself - is it the type of work you don't like doing or is it
the company or manager that you're currently subjecting yourself to?
After spending a few years of my life contracting exclusively at non-software
companies, I can definitely say that the culture can vary greatly from shop to
shop so far as how well it caters to people who are there to hone their craft
vs those who just show up for the paycheck.
Also, don't forget - jobs at software companies can suck too! :-)
------
keeptrying
Short answer: Build something that you would have built if you had your dream
job. Show it to people who hire for your job.
Long answer: Its much easier to get an interview for a job if you can
demonstrate that you've done it well before. It might still not be easy
(because they may have degree requirements that you dont have ) but it will be
easier than if you had nothing.
So go do what you really really want to do. Create a side project and do it.
DO IT WELL. Ie, get feedback, make it as professional as possible. The project
should have the same criteria for sucess as if it had been built by someone
who's job you are seeking.
Then show it to the people who hire for that kind of position.
Pitfalls: 1\. The kind of job that your passionate about may not pay very well
in the future. 2\. You might realise its not your passion and because of that
you'd have done only an half assed job. This can be solved by trying something
else. You'll know soon enough if this makes you happy or not.
Life is too short to have jobs that you dont like. I've been in that situation
and have recently remedied it. I should have done this sooner.
------
j_baker
I've been where you are before. The best advice I can give you is to turn your
depression into something positive. Let it drive you to get out of your
current position.
Aside from that, don't get discouraged. Good tech companies get to where they
are because they have high standards. Getting a job with them takes practice.
Don't get discouraged. Ask the people who turn you down for feedback. Honest
feedback is surprisingly rare, but the ones who give it to you are the ones
you want to listen to. Other than that just give it time! You'll figure it out
eventually.
------
starkfist
Do you have any money? If I lived in Europe I'd go rent a flat in Barcelona
for 3 months and put together a code portfolio on github. (I actually wouldn't
do exactly that... I'd go to work on an iphone app)
If you like compilers I'd just do that. Life's too short. You might have to
move somewhere far away if you want to be a professional compiler artist,
though.
~~~
yacoder
I'm ok for money, but not great (some debt) so can't really make that lovely
lovely idea reality :) nice suggestion though!
------
alextingle
Work on your CV, then apply for more jobs.
------
bensima
You could work for me. I'm attempting to found a tech startup this summer
dealing with aggregating local music shows and gigs. Having a brilliant
programmer would be awesome. I know more design than I know coding. email me:
bensima[at]gmail[dot]com
------
a_wanderer
"I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water lapping
with low sounds by the shore; While I stand on the roadway, or on the
pavements grey, I hear it in the deep heart's core." \-- Lake Ilse of
Innisfree, W. B. Yeats
------
olliesaunders
I'm in the UK too, but for a brief time I wasn't. I'd really like to hear from
you, if you'd be happy to email (oliver dot saunders att google's mail
service). Your situation reminds me a lot of where I was a couple of years
ago.
------
jotr99
Get a degree in computer science. Go at night and on weekends if you must.
~~~
arethuza
I disagree (and I have a CS degree) - the time spent getting another academic
qualification would be far better spent on the more practical suggestions
given elsewhere on this page.
~~~
barrkel
I've found that having a degree is generally seen as more important in the UK
than in the US; and I've seen more evidence of sniffiness, vague efforts to
exclude people who went to the wrong university.
Another consideration is whether you ever want to work in the US. Getting a
H-1B isn't easy without a degree.
~~~
arethuza
The OP _does_ have a degree, just not a CS one.
------
pclark
what are your top programming languages? you should have put an outline of
your CV in this, you sound awesome.
~~~
yacoder
thank you very much! I think you are perhaps being somewhat overly kind! I
care about and love programming, though I do tend to feel like I somewhat suck
at it. I guess right now I just want to find a way of actually getting
somewhere where I can improve my coding chops.
I mainly program in C#, though I code in scheme (what a lovely language), F#
which is a .net ocaml near-enough, and I am learning ometa which, though not a
language, allows you to experiment with languages quite nicely in other
languages.
As far as stuff I've done, I've mainly played around with stuff; outside of
work I've been on-and-off working on the language idea for a while, at work
I've done a bunch of internal stuff much of which sucks :'-(. I try to do as
good a job as I can, though it's difficult to stay motivated when in such a
negative environment. Am rather depressed about it all at the moment to be
honest!
I feel like I have a lot more to improve on. a _lot_ more. In fact I have a
terrible fear that if I was to apply for jobs now my suckiness would screw my
chances at some of the cooler places blowing my chance to apply at them later.
Argh.
~~~
pclark
whats your email? friend of mine is looking for great C# coders.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Tips for overheating laptop running linux - giis
I brought a AMD-A10-7300 CPU laptop running centos. Problem is heats up in 20 minutes. Virtually, finger are burning. Just ordered a cooling pad. Considering the fact, I'm running Linux, Is it possible to tweak some kernel module or stuffs like that to reduce the heat? any thoughts?<p>EDIT : I removed to Gnome-3 and installed MATE desktop.
======
jmnicolas
Is it second hand ? You could open it to see if the fan is still working or if
there's an accumulation of dust.
~~~
giis
No, this was new laptop. Just 2 months old.
Note to all: thanks for the response, sorry for the delay.
------
daz3d
good comments by all here i agree with jmnicolas. probably an accumulation of
dust in the fan and its casing. most likely cause of over heating problem or
perhaps the fan is dead. cpu governors could also be an issue. so i suggest
check govener first as it is easy to check then get your screwdriver out and
the tweezers .
~~~
giis
Yes, will be checking cpu governor and see how it goes
------
Raed667
Check you GPU driver. On Ubuntu switching from the open-sourced to the nvidia
driver fixed the heating problem.
~~~
giis
It uses Radeon Video driver.
------
greenokapi
Try changing CPU Governors.
~~~
giis
I never heard about CPU Governors,googling about it. thanks
~~~
giis
Currently its running 'On-demand'. I changed it to conservative. Lets see how
it performs
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
And the most in-demand tech skills of 2012 are … - azazo
http://venturebeat.com/2012/02/14/most-in-demand-tech-skills-2012/
======
allwein
In the "key insights", he includes this:
"Android is mentioned slightly more often than iOS/iPhone."
But in his chart, it looks like Android is just shy of 100, so let's say 95.
But it looks like there's separate items for iOS (around 70), iPhone (around
60), and iPad (around 40).
I was about to naively say that he was wrong and that this is 170 mentions for
the iOS variants, before I realized that I was about to make the fallacy that
all of them appeared independent of the others. From the information give, we
can't really make the determination at all.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Backpack connects you with travelers so you can buy items in other countries - mind_heist
https://intl.backpackbang.com
======
mind_heist
I believe this is a YC backed startup and there was some press around the time
of the initial Demo Day. Looks like they have a brand new website , and seems
to have pivoted to just one geographical market. A lot of HN crowd said this
would totally work in Europe as well. Has anyone used this service so far ?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Best database for tree storage and traversal? - cookerware
The gist of what I'm trying to do is have a tree, traverse through every possible branch until all leaf nodes have been visited.<p>I need to also be able to modify any node along a branch. I originally thought about using MySQL but it seems really complicated. So I turn to graph databases.<p>I want a python example which does this but can't find it in the docs for Neo4j, OrientDB, ArangoDB
======
scaramanga
files and directories
------
truncate
Did you try using any MPTT libraries for your framework/rdbms? I've found that
fairly simple to use. But of course performance should be better with NoSQL.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
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