text
stringlengths 44
776k
| meta
dict |
|---|---|
Staying Motivated by Sending Status Updates to Nobody - mtlynch
https://mtlynch.io/status-updates-to-nobody/
======
mtlynch
Author here. Happy to answer any questions about this post.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key Resigns - tananaev
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11760656
======
freddyc
John Oliver will be devastated ...
Seriously though, this strikes me as a significant blow for New Zealand. From
what I've seen of him, Key is one of the better world leaders and seems to
have done a good job down there. I'm not surprised the markets reacted with a
downgrade of the Kiwi dollar.
------
AdeptusAquinas
A cynical perspective might be that he wants to get out of the way of the
recession next year when brexit/trump land.
But to be charitable, his stated family reasons are pretty admirable. Eight
years is a long time in the public view.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
HP Enterprise let Russia scrutinize cyberdefense system used by Pentagon - ditn
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cyber-russia-hpe-specialreport/special-report-hp-enterprise-let-russia-scrutinize-cyberdefense-system-used-by-pentagon-idUSKCN1C716M?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=Social
======
varjag
Absent a deep COCOM-like exports ban things like these are bound to happen.
It's naïve to expect the shareholder-value maximizing enterprises to keep
national security interests at heart.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: Planternative – cruelty free browser extension - planternative
http://planternative.com/#
======
herbst
Surprisingly does not make me less hungry at all.
Anyway, seems you exchange the Twitter & Instagram link on the bottom. Also i
first thought its about new speak and got excited, but well :) Nice idea
anyway.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Researchers Confront an Epidemic of Loneliness - bootload
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/06/health/lonliness-aging-health-effects.html
======
fallingfrog
I have a feeling that this is all related to the entry of women into the
workplace. Don't get me wrong; patriarchy is oppression and it has to go- but
I think there were a lot of jobs being done by women which are now being done
by nobody, and among those are the jobs of maintaining social cohesion and
networking and so forth, which are a lot easier to do if you and your friends
are somewhere other than at work at the same time. But if you and your
neighbors are not consistently at home and have free time at the same time,
how would you get to know them? Also, if the jobs of doing housework and
cooking now has to be done after work hours, when is there time to join a
bowling league? We are all in debt up to the eyeballs and working too much -
the loss of social cohesion is hardly surprising. I mean, patriarchy is a
system that has been in place for literally thousands of years, until this
generation. And we have nothing to replace it with. What really should be
happening is that a) in households with two working people, the total combined
hours worked by both should not exceed 40 hours and b) there should be some
consistency to when those hours are, so that you and your friends can be home
at the same time. If that doesn't happen, then we are going to start looking
like Japan - sky high suicide rate, plunging birth rate.. Again, I'm not
arguing that sexism or patriarchy was ever a good thing, I'm just saying that
our current system of labor might not be sustainable now that it's going away.
~~~
fragola
Except for the fact that Japan actually has a very low rate of workplace
participation for women, I agree with your comment.
Feminists actually talk about this a lot, using the term "emotional labor"[0]
It is a bit like how the decline of religiosity in the US has led to a decline
in social participation. It's clear to me, at least, that whatever your
opinion on these institutions (religion, patriarchy) there needs to be a
movement to fix the void in civil society created by their decline.
I think about when I visited the Middle East and how I would often see men on
"friend dates", i.e. having a coffee together or relaxing in the park. They
would often be sitting close, even holding hands. It made me think about the
strange distance men in the US have from each other and how lonely it is.
[0][https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/08/women-
gender-r...](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/08/women-gender-roles-
sexism-emotional-labor-feminism)
~~~
aoiao
Maybe it's just better to go on a date with someone you can see.
------
ap22213
I'm pretty lonely. After years of moving around and making lots of 'disposable
friends' \- mostly work friends, I eventually settled in the burbs. The
conversations out here are limited to the most superficial things: kids,
weather, new restaurants, landscaping companies, etc. But, since most of us
came from different places, took very different paths, there's huge cultural
differences to overcome. And, there's almost no overlap in interests - so
nothing to gather around.
Also, being a male seems to make it much more difficult - many of us are
raised to be self-reliant, independent, reserved and undaunted. It's a sign of
weakness for us to admit to loneliness. Plus, many are by biology competitive
and view the other males as potential threats. Lots of the guys I meet are
wearing masks, holding their cards close, sizing each other up, and trying to
one-up the others. When I go to the coffee shops and see all the men sitting
alone, it's depressing.
~~~
CuriouslyC
I live a life apart and I've extremely happy. Find something besides social
interactions to give your life meaning. Find small ways to be kind and
compassionate in the rare interactions you do have. Do things that put you
near other people, even if you don't necessarily interact.
Don't think that your life is wanting because you don't socialize. If you
strip away the veneers of culture, socialization is just a way to find
identity, meaning and pass time. You can do all that on your own terms, and
some of the wisest people in history have purposefully separated themselves to
do just that.
~~~
AstralStorm
For most, loneliness is not a choice, so whatever you just said is meaningless
and will not work. It is not identity they are looking for, but actual
socialisation. Most people are hardwired that way.
Being separated sometimes gives perspective, but... How many of those men were
actually happy? If it's almost a cliché.
~~~
CuriouslyC
Loneliness is a consequence of your beliefs. If you believe that your beliefs
cannot be changed, then you certainly won't be able to change. Why you would
want to stay unhappy is beyond me, though.
I can tell you from my personal experience, I was lonely in the past, I'm not
lonely anymore, and if anything I've become more isolated over time. My total
interaction time with other people is on the order of about 2 hours a week.
I'm crazy happy, I literally love my life and am excited for every new day.
The difference is in my beliefs.
------
atombath
1) I grew up a solitary person in what felt like the middle of nowhere and
have always been force-fed that 'humans are social creatures' adage when
people can't understand when I say I am not lonely. With the internet and
improvements to independent-agency, I think we're beginning to see how anti-
social humans really are. Existing alone, I do feel bored once in a while...
but not lonely.
2) I believe many-if-not-most people surround themselves with others in order
to improve their feelings about themselves. For instance many people jump from
one relationship to another and as a result they never spend time with
themselves, so they never learn who they are. I imagine that these people
really do feel a crippling sense of loneliness... because it's the well
they've been pulling self-worth from for their entire lives.
3) The article references how men are unlikely to call into a phone line for a
sense of community and theorizes that it is likely because they're shouldering
the burden. More likely that it's because talking to a complete stranger and
asking about each other's day is superficial and/or vain. The wood shop is a
much better/cooler idea... as learning a new hobby is a good way to get with
new people.
------
cLeEOGPw
Article focuses on senior citizens. But loneliness is far from only senior
people problem. More and more young and middle age men and women are lonely in
western world. Maybe this will be a step towards trying to do something about
young people loneliness too, as lonely young people have even worse impact on
society than lonely old people.
~~~
mac01021
Young people can walk and drive longer distances, and so normally have less
reason to remain lonely, I would guess.
Do lonely young people continue to be lonely mainly because they don't know
how to initiate social interaction? Or because they don't realize that
companionship is what they need?
~~~
13of40
> companionship is what they need
I'm 40ish and married right now, but throughout my life I've alternated
between being solitary and living with people. My take on it is that both are
psychologically stressful in different ways. I've wondered once or twice
whether it would be better to have some kind of drug or therapy that helps a
person be content with being alone rather than assuming that companionship is
going to be a magic bullet for everyone.
~~~
CuriouslyC
Part of the problem is that our culture strongly encourages social
contribution and development of identity via social mechanisms. We stigmatize
non-contribution and individual identity using labels like crazy, weirdo,
freak and degenerate.
Isolating non-conformists wouldn't need medication and therapy if people
respected them in the first place.
~~~
mrec
Yeah, that stigma seems to be a relatively recent phenomenon. Reading
something like Dickens there's far more tolerance of eccentricity on many
axes. (That might be just Dickens himself, of course, but I doubt it.)
------
Futurebot
The book "The Lonely American: Drifting Apart in the Twenty-first Century" by
Jacqueline Olds explores this topic at length. I recommend it to anyone
interested in a thorough (and at times, heart-wrenching) treatment of the
topic.
------
cm3
Genuinely curious, is there a scientific definition of loneliness, and what
parameters does it involve, since it's hardly black or white?
------
CatsoCatsoCatso
A national study released this year showed Sixty-five to 79 is the happiest
age group for adults in the UK. Though this declined in the over-80s.
So what happens around the age of 80?
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35471624](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35471624)
~~~
Wonnk13
your friends start to die?
------
SaasDeveloper1
I used to be lonely\empty before deciding to follow Christ. I tried and did
just about anything and everything to fill this void and nothing lasted.
Giving my life over to Him literally changed my life. I'm convinced that we
are all created to be in a relationship with Him and until we are we will
constantly search for other ways to fill that void.
~~~
CuriouslyC
We all need to find meaning for our existence. I'm pleased that you've found
one that makes you happy. Please consider that meaning is personal, and don't
proselytize your way as a privileged one that should apply to all people. Take
a moment when you make statements of that sort and ask yourself what your true
motivations are.
~~~
SaasDeveloper1
Some people are lonely and looking for help. I've been there and this decision
was the best thing that ever happened to me. I've seen it work for countless
others. My motivation is simply to help others.
~~~
CuriouslyC
I appreciate that you want to help other people, but when you make blanket
statements like that, it implies other meanings people have found are somehow
inferior.
Through Jesus you gained a feeling that you are loved, that you exist as part
of something larger than yourself, and your life has purpose. Those ultimate
results are what you should be trying to lead people to. There's nothing wrong
with sharing how the teachings of Jesus lead you there. Think of it this way -
there are many paths to a destination, which one you should take depends on
where you are starting your journey.
------
hclivess
the TV consensus has been breached. Now suffer the existential pain!
~~~
Practicality
What is "the TV consensus?" Google does not turn up anything useful for this
term.
~~~
Terr_
Perhaps they meant the idealized dollhouse of mutual buddies seen in various
shows and sitcoms?
It's hard to make weekly shows about lonely people with only one permanent
cast member...
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: One-man teams that got into YC, etc., without much self-capital? - archibaldJ
What are some one-man teams (i.e. sole founder without a team) that got into YC (or managed to secure seed investment) mainly due to their product/ability as a technical founder (but not so much because of their personal connections e.g. a harvard grad who knows all the angels in town, etc) and doing so without much self-capital?<p>I'm wondering whether this is even possible in 2020 (or 2021, etc) when you have almost no captial to hire people, and you are working on your start-up all by yourself, and maybe you have a product that you've worked on for a while with maybe some (none-paying) users each month - what are some good examples of one-man team like this that got into YC or have gotten seed-funded (not through crazy personal connections)?
======
archibaldJ
OP here. Just to clarify I'm asking for examples of one-man team that got into
YC, etc, because I would like to look them up and read up their founder
stories and maybe get inspired or something :)
For the record my ex co-founder and I were invited to a YC interview back in
2018. We didn't get in but we did manage to secure funding here and there. The
start-up died some months ago.
Now I'm founding a new start-up alone and am extremely curious about sole
founders who have managed to found a successful startup without captial.
Thanks!
~~~
anticsapp
Maybe study interesting stories about failures instead of seeking
inspirational exit homilies. 90% of them are random walk bullshit, 10% are
serious and deep.
~~~
archibaldJ
There are many ways one gets inspired e.g. replicating a certain system of
doing things, knowing how success can come about, etc. The point you are
trying to make is obvious and unsustainable at best. Random walk bullshit is
easy to spot if you've been in the scene long enough.
~~~
anticsapp
Obvious and unsustainable? I find failure very inspirational. The whole point
is to learn from the mistakes of others. If you won't take that bit of advice,
I don't know what to say. Keep reading that Elon Musk five time champion
biography.
------
fullStackOasis
I can't answer your question about YC, but you mentioned that you are looking
for inspiration. For that, I recommend taking a look at Indie Hackers
[https://www.indiehackers.com/](https://www.indiehackers.com/) and Failory
[https://www.failory.com/](https://www.failory.com/) \- if you haven't already
done so. Oh yeah and
[https://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/](https://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/)
\- if you aren't looking to build a megabillion startup.
~~~
archibaldJ
Great links! Thanks! am looking into them now :)
------
makeee
I got into YC as a solo-founder in 2012. Didn’t have any connections or go to
an ivy league school. I was working on an app that was growing quickly and
doing $15k/month in ad revenue. The odds are stacked against you as a solo-
founder so you need to show them something that tells them you can execute.
It’s probably harder now, but definitely still possible. Showing them a them a
graph that points up and to the right helps ;)
~~~
archibaldJ
That's very inspiring to know! And thanks for the kind words!
------
satvikpendem
What are you (hypothetically) building? You may not need VC as that isn't the
only path to a software business. Many do so by simply making them profitable,
charging money up front. Only take VC if you have an exponential growth
opportunity. I don't mean merely superlinear, as in cubic or quadratic, but
actually exponential growth.
Your question seems to be searching for such an answer as the Indie Hackers
forum, touted as founders (some solo, some groups) building profitable
internet businesses.
~~~
archibaldJ
Thanks for the advice and pointer! Highly appreciate it! Yeah I think I should
go really niche and unscalable and solve the self-sustainability part first.
I'm building a video editor.
------
redis_mlc
Let me play devil's advocate for a second. The short answer to your question
is no, it's not possible in any reasonable sense to get funding today with
zero connections.
You've admitted that you have no close friends who can be cofounders (ie.
you're a loner), that you have no staff, and no paying customers.
Investors see all of those as red flags. They like multiple founders for many
reasons, including social proof and free labor. The only thing you have going
is presumably a working app, which does give you some initial credibility.
They also expect a large-enough market, over $10 billion.
If you are in the social media space you will also need whatever the minimum
subscriber base is today, around 5-10 million users to get funding.
Instead of chasing VCs with a bad story, you're better off finishing the next
point release and devoting your time and energy to sales and marketing. And
make some friends, ffs.
If you want to read sole-founder lore, then Marcus Friend (POF), Pierre
Omidyar (eBay) and patio11 (hmm) are worth reading.
~~~
avmich
I'd play the other side for a moment.
You describe as red flags essentially that there is currently no business side
for a project, hypothetical or real. But there are presumably some
specifications, some prototypes, development work, tests, bug fixes, demos
etc. - the whole system. Surely all those different aspects of the coherent
achievement demonstrate the viability of the idea.
> And make some friends, ffs.
Following Norvig, one ought to spend significant efforts to become good at
something. Making friends - especially those who'd be able to share the
unusual road of startup founding - isn't something which would be recommended
to come lightly or carelessly.
If OP formulates the question for the solo founders, it surely would be
interesting to hear which variants there are. Should engineers - here, on YC -
regret they were focusing on technical sides instead of jack-of-all-trading
and constantly searching for potential mates?
------
n_t
I assume you are looking for motivation. This thread might provide some
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11924009](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11924009).
There are many examples of successful single-person startups (forgetting a
recent example of a person who ran SaaS product single-handedly for over 4
years and then expanded). However, you can only bootstrap like that. To grow
bigger, eventually will have to hire people - which means money, which means
either VC or customer - which means tonnes of work in building
products/building relationship/shipping product etc. I guess, if startup
success rate was 1% then solo-founder startup success rate must be 0.01%.
~~~
archibaldJ
Great point. And thanks for the link! Yeah I think I need to mentally prepare
myself for many years of no disposable income before this thing takes off.
Sustainability comes first. I've been trying to do too many things at once
(designing + coding + writing + content marketing + sales here and there +
taking care of admin stuff as well as product research) and experimented too
much for scalability and ended up burning out at a higher rate than expected
without getting anywhere revenue-wise. So yup I've experienced first-hand the
physical limits of what I can do and the importance of being able to hire
without dependencies on angels and VCs (i.e. having more capital). I need to
go super niche and unscalable now and focus on acquiring paying customers
only. And take some freelance work here and there and save up :)
------
tomklein
I guess a lot of times business knowledge wins and you’ll have a hard time
getting into YC if you don’t have the necessarily skills to sell your startup
and yourself to others.
~~~
avmich
That's interesting. Usually it's a given for a new aspiring company. However
the whole idea of YC was to give good technical ideas the ability to sustain
and grow.
If YC became - because I believe it wasn't - just another company supporting
regular businesses, with all business features required, then things are
different than some here would assume.
------
biolurker1
Downvote me for saying that if you are a single founder and did not graduate
Ivy League you stand very little chance
------
didntknowyou
hard to say as most founders understate their credentials publicly, to make
for a more satisfying rags-to-riches story
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Apple to announce iPhone apps SDK at WWDC - terpua
http://blog.metrailler.net/2007/09/24/apple-to-announce-iphone-apps-sdk-at-wwdc/
======
jsjenkins168
Phht, this is totally worthless. This guy is blowing steam with no grounds to
base his claim on whatsoever..
What some people will do for attention.
Not trying to make unfounded claims, but my personal belief is apple will keep
the iPhone a closed platform for as long as they can. Only when (if)
competition forces them to open it up will they do so.
------
alaskamiller
lame. i predict it will rain in seattle next year in summer.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Review my non-IT business idea - peterwnicholls
So this is an idea that I still have not fully figured out in my head. Not sure if there is a market there for it, what do you think? Just going to chuck it out there...<p>I am sure everyone has noticed the rise of cafes and tons of other places offering wifi all over the world and from what I can see there are lots of people sitting in these places mainly for the wifi.<p>Anyways, what I am wondering is do you think the demand for a place where you can sit down in a comfortable environment and use the wifi got to the point where it be almost viable to open airport lounge type places in city centers?<p>I think you would have to start in a premium end of the market and charge an entry fee of $10 or something. Obviously have other revenue streams from food or what not but hopefully you get the idea.<p>Basically think of it like a really spacey cafe / business center / internet cafe type place...
======
mahmud
Have you heard of 3G? I am on one, and I can get online anywhere throughout
Sydney. When WiMax comes around you will be seeding torrents from your mobile
phone.
------
alaskamiller
The most common term for this is coworking space. Major markets have these,
such as Hat Factory, Citizen Space in SF, Blankspaces in LA. There's also
niche ones, such as a place in NYC that caters specifically to just writers.
It's a pretty nifty idea and I thought of getting this going with my business
partner in Silicon Valley but dropped the idea after market research and a
variety of roadblocks/problems popped up.
Things such as:
\- Real estate costs are prohibitive. Despite the surplus of office buildings
costs are still insane and lease terms weren't flexible.
\- Permit requirements for operation and hours. In our area things have to
close at certain times, limiting access to patrons such as the students in off
hours.
\- I believe in Silicon Valley (south bay specifically) the market for
something like this is too small to be operational. On a tangent, there's a
huge workspace with a bevy of expensive tools called TechShop in Menlo Park
that after 3 years of operations have only attracted 400 or so paying monthly
members.
\- Most people don't want to pay the fees. The inconveniences of Starbucks
sitting is worth the free wifi. Again, in a similar vein in Silicon Valley a
few years ago PC cafes where you can play Counter-strike or World of WarCraft
were really popular. I remember 10 shops open in the area one time but they
all eventually one by one folded. The only one that's still open charges $3 an
hour to use their computer and even though they have a decent sized regulars
(about 200 or so every week) they're still struggling.
These things might or might not affect you in your market, or they might not
even bother you. We had intended to scale this but if you can get a decent
sized room for something with a good lease, some good marketing, elbow grease,
you might make it work.
Alternative revenue can be from renting out desks, lockers, selling drinks and
snacks, charging for access per hour, offering long term memberships, rent out
the place for special events, conferences, rent computers or equipment such as
projectors, scanners, printers.
Access to capital or a credit line to last for at least 6 months is definitely
necessary.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Garry Kasparov on how it all started - lainon
https://en.chessbase.com/post/garry-kasparov-on-how-it-all-started
======
yesenadam
Not the most informative headline. "He has written many books, but this may be
his most important." I firmly doubt it. The story is an ad for a book, _Deep
Thinking_ , about computer chess, and in it "Kasparov uses his unrivalled
experience to look into the future of intelligent machines" something he
appears eminently unqualified to do.
Karpov said that Kasparov doesn't love chess, he loves himself in chess.
That's a bit harsh; he does appear to love chess a lot. But I know what he
means. After a while, Garry's endless self-glorification gets very tiresome.
Everyone likes talking of themselves I suppose, but Garry takes that to an
impressively noxious level. But, like he himself often says, he was probably
the greatest player ever, and those qualities were part of his success.
~~~
noir_lord
He was a tremendously strong champion but relative to his compatriots I'd put
Lasker ahead of Kasparov.
I've always had a soft spot for lasker outside of chess fans he's relatively
unknown but his games where far ahead of his time.
~~~
yesenadam
Um, what do you mean, 'relative to his compatriots'? Lasker, relative to other
Prussians/Poles/Germans?... uh... or Kasparov's? No idea what you could mean,
sorry. Peers, maybe. Well, he almost lost to Schlechter, never played
Rubinstein etc. Champions didn't have to play matches every couple of years
like recently, and they could choose who they played! Anyway, I've never heard
anyone claim Lasker was the strongest player ever. Although I'm very fond of
his games and books too. :-)
Well, outside chess fans, anyone pre-Fischer is 'relatively unknown'...totally
unknown, even.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Tim Cook: Apple won't create 'converged' MacBook and iPad - richardboegli
http://www.independent.ie/business/technology/tim-cook-apple-wont-create-converged-macbook-and-ipad-34201986.html
======
richardboegli
Of course not.
Apple's plan is to unify iOS and OSX. It will be called Apple OS.
The iPad Pro is one step towards this.
Apple looking to replace Intel with ARM architecture is another.
Now that Microsoft have unified with Windows 10 and with Google on the path to
Android and Chrome unification, Apple will unify.
There will be no OSX 11.
Currently Apple is on iOS 9 and OSX 10.11, so just 'by the numbers' the
unification is not that far off.
------
ankurdhama
I hope this is true. OSX and Macbook are open computing systems (I can compile
build run any app or OS along side) where as the iOS devices, well you could
say that you don't really own them even after you pay the hefty price.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Rube Goldberg Exercise Bike is also a back-scratcher, fan, and cookie dispenser - bookofjoe
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/a-retired-engineers-latest-sculpture-is-a-bicycle-back-scratcher-and-cookie-dispenser--all-in-one/2020/08/26/b4c1dcb6-e3f3-11ea-8181-606e603bb1c4_story.html
======
bookofjoe
[https://archive.vn/M1LQB](https://archive.vn/M1LQB)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: With integration tests, what's the point of unit testing? - noobiemcfoob
When initially putting together pieces of a system, unit testing is great. No argument there. But once you have one (or ideally many) end-to-end tests in place, what's the point of unit testing?<p>It would seem to me that unit tests should be removed in favor of integration tests that cover the same situations. Like a type of calcification where unit tests are created for new features and then slowly get rolled into new integration tests before the cycle repeats and new features and their new unit tests are added.<p>/All moot again if your integration tests take > 10 minutes to run
======
karmakaze
The idea is that testing is a pyramid with lower level (unit) tests having
high coverage and running very fast.
There would be fewer integration tests that test larger units and even fewer
service tests that test a complete artifact.
Even fewer than that would be end-to-end tests that test multiple artifacts in
an environment.
An entire application system could have as few as 5 - 10 journey tests that
run within a minute and continuously assert that the most fundamental user
actions are working. Any failure would be an alarm.
Each level of test has a different focus. I do agree that when a system is
'done' that unit tests have the least value. However a system is never 'done'
and there are always changes made to it. If unit tests get in the way of
desired refactoring, by all means throw them out and make new unit tests for
the re-implementation.
The other good value of having unit tests in your codebase is that existing
tests serve as great patterns from which to create similar new unit tests.
Finally unit test coverage can also serve as documentation to onboard new
developers in a new area where the even just the names of the test cases can
help understanding of a component.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Electric Scooters Are Causing Havoc. This Man Is Shrugging It Off - edward
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/20/technology/electric-scooters-are-causing-havoc-this-man-is-shrugging-it-off.html
======
Mononokay
From what I've heard the problem is greatly exaggerated - is that assumption
incorrect?
~~~
SheinhardtWigCo
Massively exaggerated. If you walk the streets of SF you’ll find yourself
stepping over much worse than these scooters. This is about local politicians
being desperate not to get Uber-ed again.
------
jonny_eh
My only issue with them is when they're left in the middle of the sidewalk, or
even worse, right at the corner of an intersection.
~~~
gbhn
There are Bird scooters where I work in LA. They seem really cool! I see
people buzzing around on them all the time. I haven't seen any sidewalk
blockages or anything, but I can see how at high traffic locations that might
be a thing. Why doesn't the city out a scooter rack up? For the cost of a
single parking space you could stash like 50 of the things.
~~~
jonny_eh
> Why doesn't the city out a scooter rack up?
These things just appeared overnight a month ago. The city has no clue what
they should do about them yet.
------
jgh
Travises seem to really hate local transportation bylaws.
~~~
kthejoker2
Ironic, huh? From Wikipedia...
Travis is mainly an English masculine given name of French origin. It is
derived from the word "traverser" or "to cross", and was given to toll
collectors who stood by a bridge or crossing.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Why it is Important that Software Projects Fail - fogus
http://www.berglas.org/Articles/ImportantThatSoftwareFails/ImportantThatSoftwareFails.html
======
conanite
The author argues that failed software projects are nonetheless beneficial:
_Their development employs many bureaucrats, consultants and contractors and
their expenditure supports an even larger number of people throughout
society._
... by the same argument I should stroll around the city and burn some cars,
thereby offering employment to many firefighters, car producers, actuaries and
all their suppliers.
The point about ever-expanding bureaucracies is well noted however. Perhaps it
is our duty to design really bad programming languages and methodologies, to
sell them to government organisations and similar bureaucracies in order to
drive their likelihood of success even lower. Reminds me of the true purpose
of Ada ...
[http://home.pipeline.com/~hbaker1/sigplannotices/gigo-1997-0...](http://home.pipeline.com/~hbaker1/sigplannotices/gigo-1997-04.html)
~~~
jerf
Yes, but let's be fair, this is an incidental parenthetical to the main point,
which is that the true value of these failed projects comes from the fact that
the projects never increase the efficiency of the bureaucracy. If you simply
cut that paragraph the essay is, if anything, improved, demonstrating it's not
a critical point.
~~~
conanite
I agree, the point about employment was nitpicking. I should have made that
clearer. I liked the essay overall.
------
fab13n
Automation frees people from doing something productive, not from working. If
we (as a society) leave them alone, they'll just clutter around their formally
useful job, and become banking middle manager or something similar, which
moves a lot of paperwork around, but produce little actual value.
This is similar to what we experienced in Europe with nobles: the end of
feodal times made noblemen mostly useless as warriors or local mobsters; since
they had nothing useful to do with their free time, they became passionate
with court intrigues, ballroom dancing, fancy wigs, duels, and other
improductive occupations.
However, it's been fixed: after centuries of wasted potential, capitalism
created a draft toward productive activities, and the dominant classes worked
at organizing the workforce, eventually leading to the industrial revolution.
We have (again, as a society) to find a way to make today's socially useful
activities attractive: most people will concede that an eldery care person is
way more useful than many middle managers; yet the latters get more money and
social recognition. I suspect that such issues aren't fixed spontaneously by
the so-called "invisible hand of market".
~~~
moron4hire
Humans tend to assume that their experiences are normative, and are surprised
to see instances where their experiences are not shared. As a personal
example, my friends are usually significantly shocked to learn I haven't seen
the movie "The Boondock Saints". Yet they think nothing of the fact that they
haven't seen Salvador Dali's "Un Chien Andalou", which I have. Our values are
informed by our experiences, so we also tend to assume our values are shared
by others.
Assuming one's values are normative leads to assuming that the fact they
aren't reflected in the world must be the result of some external entity, a
secret society, or this nebulous "the system". Instead, if one assumes that
one's views aren't normative, then it is clear why one's views are not
reflected in the world in aggregate: it's a simple tautology. Occam's Razor
applies.
"The system" is not an entity unto itself, it is intractable from the people
within it, it is _nothing more_ than the people within it. The "invisible hand
of the market" is merely a short-hand, anthropomorphizing term for "the
aggregate activity of the people within the poorly defined borders of 'the
market'." If something isn't a particular way, it's because "most people"
demonstrably do NOT concede your point, or if they do, do not assign such
great importance to it as to warrant change.
I don't like that elderly care personnel are paid less than middle managers
either, but I'm not suggesting to force everyone else to make that valuation.
When you say, "we as a society have to find a way...", and if you are
suggesting that way be via government intervention, then really you're saying,
"I want to force everyone else in society to pay for my way..." (undemocratic,
even totalitarian). Then we have to write a new tax code to pay for it, and we
get this situation here in the OP. If instead you are suggesting that you will
live by example and proselytize to your fellow man to do the same, then really
you're using "the invisible hand of the market" to enact the change you
desire.
~~~
camccann
As an aside: it's not uncommon for groups of people to say they value one
thing but, in their aggregate behavior, act as if they value other things
instead. This is particularly blatant where moral obligations are involved.
_If instead you are suggesting that you will live by example and proselytize
to your fellow man to do the same, then really you're using "the invisible
hand of the market" to enact the change you desire._
It sounded to me like his point was more that it doesn't work to just sit
around waiting for the "invisible hand", i.e., someone else, to fix a problem
like that. Someone has to get up and actually _do_ something and persuade
people.
~~~
moron4hire
Correct. There are any number of things that a person can _do_. The problem
is, what are things that one can do that are effective, as well as avoiding
trampling on other liberties in the process? The "use government" route is
fraught with moral hazard and unintended consequences.
~~~
fab13n
> The "use government" route is fraught with moral hazard and unintended
> consequences.
Actually, "use government" to fight pointless bureaucracy sounds at best as a
joke.
------
yummyfajitas
While bridge building may always be successful (as asserted by the author),
close to budget really depends on how you define "close".
Fixed link projects (bridges and tunnels) tend to cost 33% more than estimated
(sigma=60%). Rail is even worse at 44% more than estimated, coming in under
budget only about 12% of the time.
<http://flyvbjerg.plan.aau.dk/JAPAASPUBLISHED.pdf>
~~~
ebrenes
And even if successful (in that the bridge does not immediately collapse),
many bridges have been rendered inoperable due to misuse or neglect.
Anyways, other interesting links on the subject:
[http://blogs.msdn.com/dave_froslie/archive/2005/03/07/389113...](http://blogs.msdn.com/dave_froslie/archive/2005/03/07/389113.aspx)
[http://blogs.msdn.com/steverowe/archive/2005/02/28/381910.as...](http://blogs.msdn.com/steverowe/archive/2005/02/28/381910.aspx)
------
mmt
_Hard working couples struggle to buy the basic food and shelter which their
grandfathers had purchased while their wives stayed at home._
Is this an example of truth through mere assertion, or of pluralizing anecdote
to equal data?
In any case, I disagree with the assertion, because I think it's a stretch
that such a couple would consider what was "basic" in 1955 to be acceptable.
It's tough, though, since quality of life is so, well, qualitative.
Another aspect I question about the mid-50s is how war surplus affected cost
of goods. How many of those single income households were buying goods that
had been subsidized by their wives' work for the war effort? There are strong
hints of this effect in early computer power supplies, as 400Hz wasn't
historically common in commercial power.
------
rauljara
If I'm following the author, increased efficiency (successful software
projects) leads to increased time on the hands of bureaucrats. Increased time
leads to increased meaningless tasks. So, the author's solution is not to find
something meaningful for people to do with the time, or to simply give people
more time off work (because according to the 2 references he cites, that would
be impossible), but to celebrate the destruction of efficiency (failed
software projects).
There are many things wrong with the way our society rewards work/ constructs
bureaucracies. I think, however, that it wouldn't be too hard to come up with
some practical solutions rather than encourage subconscious intentional
failure.
~~~
forensic
>I think, however, that it wouldn't be too hard to come up with some practical
solutions rather than encourage subconscious intentional failure.
Your hubris knows no limits!
------
scotty79
That kinda reminds me how when you upgrade hardware for your webapp new
features quickly crawl in that utilise the hardware. They might not be needed
but they become possible so they come into existence.
To reduce amount of bureaucracy you'd have to pick some work-consuming area of
the operation, make it obsolete by government act and fire all the people that
were doing that work so they will not be available for other tasks inflating
them.
To avoid their complaints you should still pay them salaries for few years but
allow and encourage them to find themselves another job outside government
sector.
~~~
Freebytes
This also happens when you upgrade to a new version of a programming language
or operating system. You start to use features that previously did not exist
or restructure your code to utilize such features. However, many times this is
a great benefit to help with the readability of the code. I have done this
myself with hardware and software.
------
grosales
Wasn't Fred Brooks who said something along the lines of "always build one to
throw away"? Even though, this is not supposed to be a satire (or is it?) ,
the fact that software engineering is a very young subject needs to be taken
into consideration. On the other hand, We need failed software projects to
know what not to do.
------
ams6110
On an everyday level, this reminds me of an observation made by one of
Crichton's characters (I think it was the mathematician in Jurassic Park) that
despite all the appliances and conveniences of modern technology, housekeeping
still takes the same number of hours a week as it always has.
------
dennisgorelik
That's a very strong Libertarian case. Government spending must be cut very
significantly.
~~~
sethg
It seems to me that the problem the OP describes is not confined to
governments.
If some layer or department of a large company's bureaucracy is consuming
about 1.5% of its revenues (just as the Australian tax office consumes about
1.5% of Australia's GDP), then the upper management will never have much
interest in driving that proportion down to 0.5%. So as the company grows,
that layer or department will grow as well in spite of automation, just as the
tax office has grown.
~~~
camccann
If anything, the article could be taken to show that _any_ large organization
is inherently destructive to efficiency and should be cut down for the good of
society.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
U.S. govt, tech industry discuss using location data to combat coronavirus - dmitrygr
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/03/17/white-house-location-data-coronavirus/
======
bscphil
The interesting thing about ideas like this is that they reveal how
authoritarianism during times of stability does a terrible amount of damage
during times of crisis.
This is the sort of problem that _could_ be solved in a better world;
collecting location data to find interactions between people _would_ allow you
to get them tested faster and prevent a disease from spreading. But it simply
can't be done in this country primarily because everyone has the _entirely
reasonable_ fear that the feds want this power for nefarious reasons and will
never give it up - and they're probably right.
If we had a society where privacy was an absolute right, and civic trust in
our community organizations and institutions was built up over time, during a
crisis like this one we could come together and find agreement on a way of
providing this data to a responsible institution that would use it only for
the purpose of saving lives and then delete it when the crisis was over. And
they'd lose access to future data at that point too. Anyone who still didn't
trust the communal institutions could opt out, but the point of building up
this trust is that it makes people want to work together and feel safe doing
so.
We're so far from that in this country that we're not only paranoid about
privacy issues, it seems altogether most likely that our secret agencies are
actively planning to exploit this crisis to be able to spy on us in the
future.
~~~
guscost
I’ve regressed to my cynical default in the past few days, but “a large
institution that I would trust with this authority” sounds like pure fantasy.
~~~
bscphil
I don't know, maybe it is. Maybe the politics of our world simply are that
cynical and won't allow for such a thing to exist. But I guess I'm hoping it
isn't. I'm trying to imagine how a _non-authoritarian_ institution would work;
it wouldn't have the "authority" to compel anyone to turn over their data, but
just about everyone would have enough trust in the community and its decision
making process to be okay with it.
What I guess I'm asking is ... what if the organizations we built looked more
like the WHO, and less like the CIA?
~~~
teh_infallible
Personally, I think the only way we will retake our privacy is when hobby
level, readily available hardware, software, and 3d printable parts enable
hobbyists to create “good enough” phones with encryption and privacy options
that won’t exist in mass market phones.
Then an enterprising startup can deliver marked-up, preassembled devices, then
people might have privacy again.
~~~
saurik
The goalposts on "good enough" keep moving. When everyone else has a
holographic direct-to-eye refraction display, people are going to be as
disappointed in a 2020-level smartphone as people were with OpenMoko devices,
which still had a pressure-sensitive touch screen with a plastic stylus when
the iPhone has just come out with its relatively massive capacitive multitouch
display.
~~~
toast0
I was disappointed with the OpenMoko for many reasons, but the screen wasn't
one.
Things like it wouldn't read my sim (bug 666), the stylus was almost required,
but there was no place to put it, audio issues, sleep/wake issues, poor
battery indication and tricky to charge from a flat battery.
Sure, the screen was kind of small, but the resolution was high, so you could
claim hidpi before Apple invented it?
------
throwaway97777
Well, buckle up folks.
Android's GLS service has an absolute insane data ingestion pipeline
consisting of sensor fusion from GPS, Wifi, accelerometer, barometric data,
and cell tower locations. It's accurate to within meters, can locate you
inside buildings, can count your footsteps, and even knows what floor you've
been on.
It's been used by Google to tune its indoor WiFi maps and improve location
accuracy for _years_.
Anyone who has high location accuracy mode turned on and has Google Play
Services has _already_ been unwittingly uploading "anonymized" location data
multiple times an hour for literally years. In many cases such anonymized data
is accurate to within a meter and contains accelerometer data that can
literally count your footsteps and determine if you are walking, running,
riding in a car, etc. Anonymized GLS data is what informs traffic congestion
and many other "non scary" services.
Google believes the negotiation of a 7-day expiration of randomized UID is
sufficient anonymization to meet the legal definition in all of its markets.
It _might be_ right about the legal definition. It's wrong if it believes it
actually anonymizes data. Google believes a popup notifying that high accuracy
mode may upload "anonymized usage data" to Google's services constitutes
informed consent according to GDPR. _I think_ the EU would disagree if they
knew the technical capabilities of Google's infrastructure.
Google's internal privacy review system believes that they are safeguarding
the privacy of its users. Their model does not take into account NSLs or
interference from intelligence agencies. And it absolutely did not foresee
this.
The surveillance dystopia is here, folks, and your Android phone won't do
anything noticeably different. They'll flip some switches in their ingestion
pipeline and have an insanely powerful draconian surveillance network
instantly.
It's over.
~~~
viraptor
> has already been unwittingly uploading
Majority have been doing it unwittingly, true. But you do get services in
return. I actually know about the collection, and in case of Google, in my
opinion I get compensated in a reasonable way. I'm contributing to wigle and
osm as well to counteract the monopoly, but in practice - it's worth it. We
could attach some risk to everything and consider what would happen if gov
abused it, but we'll all have some threshold of saying "I'm ok with it in
exchange for participation in modern society" (it can be re-evaluated later of
course)
The alternative is to not accept any of the risks and live in a disconnected
commune. Which is ok if that's what you're after, but... that won't apply to
most people.
~~~
nathan_compton
I don't want to call you out personally, but I absolutely hate how servile
this attitude is.
Its as if you can't even imagine a world where you get some of these benefits
but where your privacy is protected either legally or technically. Both are
totally possible, but your lazy attitude about it is part of the problem.
One of these days all this data we've just been casually giving out is going
to be used for a pogrom or some other terrible thing and then it will be too
late for this facile "the benefits outweigh the costs" bullshit.
~~~
bilbo0s
> _it will be too late for this facile "the benefits outweigh the costs"
> bullshit. _
No it won't, because the horrible, but realistic, take is that the benefits
indeed will outweigh the costs. For all the people who are not targets of the
pogroms.
Horrible as it sounds, a lot of people don't really care about things that
happen to other people. Even if those other people die. Especially when the
other people are not like them.
Sometimes I wonder whether apathy is the true root of evil, not really money.
I'm no different, I'm guilty of that tendency towards apathy as well. I'm
certainly up in arms about privacy, but I really don't get the same way about
women's issues. Nor black guys being gunned down by cops in their apartments.
I may lament those situations, but I certainly don't donate money or time to
those and other causes.
Point is, root of the issue is that no one cares. Everyone has their own
concerns. Which is democracy. And that's great.
But inherent in that environment is a kind of built in "divide and conquer"
quality that provides political and economic élites a convenient control
mechanism.
~~~
raxxorrax
If blacks or women suffer from state suppression it would be natural to care
for privacy too.
------
ddmma
‘in moments of crisis, people are willing to hand over a great deal of power
to anyone who claims to have a magic cure—whether the crisis is a financial
meltdown or, as the Bush administration would later show, a terrorist attack’
(Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine)
~~~
dredmorbius
Speaking of Klein, she'll need to add a few elements to her Pandemic Shock
Doctrine script:
[https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/03/17/we-know-
script-...](https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/03/17/we-know-script-naomi-
klein-warns-coronavirus-capitalism-new-video-detailing-battle)
~~~
ddmma
The updated edition should contain a special chapter on the underground agenda
from Davos or whatever G meetup
------
tempestn
The government tracking everyone's location all the time would be/is a gross
infringement on privacy. The government tracking everyone's location for a
limited time period in order to curb a deadly epidemic seems much more
reasonable. The difficulty is trusting them to give back that power when the
crisis is over. If not for the experience of the Patriot Act, I'd be more
inclined to give the benefit of the doubt there.
Still, if this were done in a truly open way, and the criteria for ending the
program were clearly specified at its outset, it's something I could support.
Looking at the Chinese response, advanced and extensive contact tracing has
allowed them to restart significant commerce in areas where initial outbreaks
have been controlled through social distancing. Doing the same here might not
only save lives, but also livelihoods.
Of course I would be nervous about the potential for overreach, misuse, and
acclimatization. But if the allowable uses and time-frame were set into law,
perhaps those concerns would be outweighed by the potential benefits.
~~~
didibus
They could make an app and work with Apple/Google to have it auto-installed,
but where the app can be uninstalled by the user if they wish to opt out.
~~~
alfiedotwtf
... and sunset this so once it’s cured, remove the capability whatsoever. But
it wont
------
angry_octet
They already have a mechanism to do this -- it's called a John Doe (wiretap)
warrant.
What they _really_ want is full take -- the complete location movements of the
US population. This would be useful for COVID-19 tracking ... and
authoritarian control.
~~~
jessaustin
When they pass the laws that require us to keep our powered-on phones on our
persons at all times, we'll know that they've perfected the Angel Teeth.
~~~
angry_octet
If you're following HK/China, you know that they are already doing this
tracking. Visitors and quarantined people are being required to do this in HK
by a number of reports.
[https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Hong-Kong-
tell...](https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Hong-Kong-
tells-30-families-to-wear-tracking-wristband-or-face-jail)
Up until the virus, they were mandating no face covering so their all seeing
surveillance camera network could see your face.
------
z3t4
Many governments already track and save all communication in a big graph
database - in order to know who communicates with whom - so they can find
"terrorists". It's just that in some places "terrorist" means people,
journalists, etc, that oppose the corrupt government. So the government
already know who communicates with who. And now they also want to feed
everyone's location to that database, so they can know everyone who has ever
met with or talked to a "terrorist". Where I live you can be sentences to wear
a tracking device instead of a prison sentence. Now everyone will be
prisoners.
~~~
zabana
A terrorist is whoever the government says they are, I think it's time for us
to wake up to the reality of things.
------
smaccona
I have been somewhat conflicted/despairing about Taiwan’s response (only 77
cases and 1 death as of right now, 2020-Mar-17, despite reslly cloze ties with
China and an almost equally early onset) since I read this:
[https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762689](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762689)
a couple of weeks ago. Paragraph 2 is especially instructive. I have
historically been dead against the type of cross referencing and
identification this article discusses, but their capability for pulling
multiple disparate sources together to allow tracing, categorization and
enforced tracking of all individuals is massively impressive. We really need
to either figure out a way to execute on these capabilities without revoking
privacy, or else accept that some granting of privacy (whether to Google or
another entity) will be inevitable.
~~~
oska
I've been posting that link in various comments on the web over the last week,
it's a very interesting article. But Taiwan is not the US; they have shown a
very healthy trend _away_ from authoritarianism over the last 33 years since
the lifting of Martial Law in 1987 (and the 40 years of 'White Terror' [1]
that preceded it).
Also, on the question of authoritarianism, I think there is a case for greater
tolerance of it during a _defensive_ war, where a nation is battling for its
survival. And I think a pandemic can be characterised as a defensive war
against an invisible, completely merciless enemy. Not to say that blanket
authoritarianism should be allowed but measures that make sense and help in
the battle should be shown greater tolerance _for a limited duration_. Of
course this is the whole idea behind (duration limited) emergency powers
legislation. Going back to Taiwan, their 40 years of martial law also shows
the risk of abuse, however I would describe the KMT as an invading power, not
a native, somewhat trusted authority (as is more the case with their present,
democratically elected government).
[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Terror_(Taiwan)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Terror_\(Taiwan\))
~~~
throw4r5y34
> however I would describe the KMT as an invading power, not a native,
> somewhat trusted authority (as is more the case with their present,
> democratically elected
A Taiwanese friend mentioned that the majority of indigenous peoples of Taiwan
support the KMT rather than the DPP (the current party in power).
I suppose for them, all Han Taiwanese are “colonists” but the KMT gave them
more benefits.
------
dTal
What good is phone data if they don't even administer sufficient virus tests?
They should first tackle the low-hanging fruit that _doesn 't_ involve mass
surveillance, to show good intentions, before being allowed access to such
dangerous data.
------
nicois
I suggested something similar but based on using Bluetooth and running an app
locally. This would be more sensitive to proximity while potentially giving
away slightly less data about exactly where you are, and easier to opt out of,
either temporarily (while at home say) or completely.
There could also be the option of logging nearby Bluetooth addresses locally
only and looking up an online database of infected owners, or submitting
collected data online to allow aggregation and preemptive notifications of
potential exposure before symptoms show
~~~
mshroyer
I was thinking along similar lines. Maybe it's possible to use BLE for this
(don't know if the standard PXP profiles would be applicable or you'd need
something else).
You could also have app-level 24-hour rolling identifiers to prevent non-
infected people's contacts from being correlated over time, even locally—if
that would make people more comfortable using such an app. (The app would have
to keep track of all its previous identifiers; if the user is found to be
infected, all their previous identifiers would be marked as such in the
database.)
Some challenges off the top of my head:
\- What polling rate is needed? (How do disease experts define a "contact"?)
What's the battery impact?
\- What fraction of the population has BLE-capable phones?
\- What fraction of the population keeps their phones physically on their
person as they go about their day?
\- Can distance be roughly inferred from RSSI? Does the mapping of RSSI to
distance vary much depending on the transmitting radio / phone model?
\- If you live in an apartment, you might be identified as a "contact" of your
neighbor even if you never breathe the same air, etc.
------
Arnt
Meanwhile in Taiwan:
in 2004 the authorities planned how to respond to this crisis, and got the
necessary rights. Then they spent 15 years not abusing these rights, and now
used them effectively (including phone data).
The middle part is important there, the one about "15".
------
rock_artist
Israel started using cellphone tracking as of today. An in stable
(transitional) government got an approval from the justice department. The
tracking is based on location / cell data stored at the mobile operators and
should be used for tracking people around a positive covid person to send text
messages asking them to get into their home to a lock down for 14 days.
Cellphone data is retrospective of course.
However, once asked to go home. Enforcement will used current location data.
~~~
einpoklum
The _interim_ government (_not_ an actual government), which is headed by a
criminal who has been evading his trials on several corruption scandals for
several years, has given itself approval to access people's geo-location data,
phone conversation history, browsing history etc. using some covid-19-related
excuse.
The government had initially tried to have parliament authorize this measure -
but the "secret services" committee, discussing the matter, did _not_ approve
immediately, requiring more information. So the government just used one of
the draconian powers it has... thanks to anti-Palestinian legislation.
The tracking will _not_ be limited to covid-19 patients.
It is a total travesty.
It should be said in fairness that the legal infrastructure for this has been
laid over a decade ago with the "Big Brother" law and the General Security
Service law. People were silent about it then, and now the chickens have come
home to roost.
------
woodson
Already happening in Austria: (link in German)
[https://futurezone.at/netzpolitik/ausgangsbeschraenkung-a1-l...](https://futurezone.at/netzpolitik/ausgangsbeschraenkung-a1-liefert-
bewegungsprofile-an-regierung/400783565)
~~~
lorenzhs
That sounds rather like the traffic feature of Google/Apple Maps than what's
discussed in the comments here. The article you linked is very clear that it's
aggregated and only segments with at least 20 people on them are reported.
If I understand the Hill article correctly, the US discussion is about the
same kind of data ( _' An unnamed OSTP official told The Washington Post that
they were “encouraged by American technology companies looking to leverage,
aggregate, anonymized data to glean key insights for COVID-19 modeling
efforts.”'_), yet the majority of the comments seem to be assuming that it's
about tracking individuals' locations to enable contact tracing. I don't get
that impression from the Hill article at all.
What's actually being proposed, while not unproblematic, sounds rather more
palatable than the authoritarian nightmare that's being discussed here.
------
LatteLazy
Just ask the NSA they already have all of it, with decades of control data
too.
~~~
jbay808
I guess they'd prefer to maintain appearances.
------
js8
Cynic in me thinks that this is a request from the richest people and other
elites, who want to isolate themselves from the infected, all the while
blocking policies and measures that would actually help them.
I also want to point out, there are low tech solutions to track and control
coronavirus spread. Simply isolate infected or suspected people, not in their
homes, but in a hospital built specially for the purpose. Chinese did that.
Whether this is preferable to mass surveillance is your choice. I think it has
merits and is less authoritarian overall.
------
sub7
First person to make a phone with hardware switches for gps, bluetooth, wifi,
cellular and microphone gets my money.
~~~
mab122
Also pinephone.
[https://www.pine64.org/pinephone/](https://www.pine64.org/pinephone/)
Unfortunately the GNSS (GPS) is on one chip with modem, but otherwise great
feature to have killswitches for cameras and comms.
[https://wiki.pine64.org/images/8/89/PinePhone_switches.jpeg](https://wiki.pine64.org/images/8/89/PinePhone_switches.jpeg)
~~~
megous
If you don't want location tracking, you need to turn off the modem anyway.
------
creato
Wouldn't it make more sense to work with the cell service providers? Surely at
least some people turn off location permissions? I would think the cell
service providers have much more reliable data.
~~~
kanox
> I would think the cell service providers have much more reliable data.
Google tracks location history from GPS and this is accurate to at most a few
meters and it can be use to check if people walked by each other on the
street.
As far as I know phone service providers don't have anything similar. The cell
you're connected to can cover an entire neighborhood.
~~~
sgt101
That was true for GSM, but 3g & 4g have directional signal management, and
track location to enable cell 2 cell handover. Information is limited inside.
------
PeterStuer
There is no way to anonymize location data at the granularity required to make
sense in the context of the objectives stated.
------
mistersquid
Before the Federal government gets location data, they're going to have to
test to find out who has it.
~~~
readflaggedcomm
"The Fed" refers to the Federal Reserve, not federal agencies, branches, or
the government in general. Not to be confused with "feds," referring to
federal agents individually or in general.
Also, the submission title is simply missing a word: the article uses "Federal
government in talks [...]" which is a very conventional usage, whereas
"Federal" as a standalone noun is considerably more rare.
~~~
mistersquid
Thanks for the usage analysis. Long week with too much information overload.
I'll update to at least be colloquially correct.
Thanks!
------
fatjokes
The conversation is dominated by the fear of gov't abuse. So few point to how
successfully South Korea has leveraged their vast surveillance infrastructure
to tackle this problem while maintaining a vibrant democracy. (When's the last
time the US actually imprisoned a leader? Or even held a powerful person to
account without pardon?)
The lack of trust in the US is really disappointing. Americans are so proud of
its democracy---yet consistently hate and distrust the government.
I fear at the end of all of this, it'll be like the line at the end of The Big
Short: "They will be blaming immigrants and poor people."
~~~
catalogia
Some of the things you're saying seem contradictory _(American politicians are
rarely imprisoned for their crimes, therefore Americans should be more
trusting of their government? That seems completely backward)_ so forgive me
if I've misunderstood you completely. With that said...
> _" The conversation is dominated by the fear of gov't abuse. So few point to
> how successfully South Korea has leveraged their vast surveillance
> infrastructure to tackle this problem while maintaining a vibrant democracy.
> (When's the last time the US actually imprisoned a leader? Or even held a
> powerful person to account without pardon?)"_
South Korea isn't all sunshine and roses either. They had numerous military
coupes in post-war half of the 20th century. One of their dictators was
sentenced to death for massacring hundreds of pro-democracy protestors, but
was then pardoned for this. Things might not be so bad in South Korea
_currently_ , but the nastier stuff is still in living memory today. South
Koreans would be wise to tread carefully when empowering their government. I
think the cautious attitude modern Germans have towards these matters is a
good approach: _" Never again"_ rather than _" It could never happen again."_
As for the attitudes of Americans, no organization nor individual is entitled
to trust; trust must be earned. Insofar as Americans don't trust their
government, it's because their government hasn't earned their trust. On the
contrary, the American government has frequently violated whatever little
trust anybody has in it. Modern America may not have any recent military
dictatorships like South Korea, but there is nevertheless a lot of disturbing
unpleasantness in recent history.
~~~
fatjokes
I don't think you've misunderstood, and I certainly didn't mean to imply that
South Korea is all "sunshine and roses".
However, given that it seems that the American gov't hasn't earned its
citizens trust after ~300 years, perhaps it's time to try something very
different, or at least have an open mind to suggestions. Several countries now
have demonstrated a range of options: China, SK, Taiwan, Singapore. Some are
authoritarian, others are democratic. It may be time to stop arguing why each
case won't work here and give it a chance.
~~~
catalogia
I think a lot of people would like things to work differently, but trusting
the American government, which has repeatedly proved itself unworthy of trust,
doesn't seem like a good first step to effecting change.
------
walterbell
From [https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615370/coronavirus-
pandem...](https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615370/coronavirus-pandemic-
social-distancing-18-months/)
_> We don’t know exactly what this new future looks like, of course. But one
can imagine a world in which, to get on a flight, perhaps you’ll have to be
signed up to a service that tracks your movements via your phone. The airline
wouldn’t be able to see where you’d gone, but it would get an alert if you’d
been close to known infected people or disease hot spots. There’d be similar
requirements at the entrance to large venues, government buildings, or public
transport hubs. There would be temperature scanners everywhere, and your
workplace might demand you wear a monitor that tracks your temperature or
other vital signs. Where nightclubs ask for proof of age, in future they might
ask for proof of immunity—an identity card or some kind of digital
verification via your phone, showing you’ve already recovered from or been
vaccinated against the latest virus strains._
~~~
kaybe
OK so people who don't carry their phone everywhere - is there no place for
them in that world?
~~~
lioeters
> demand you wear a monitor
Looks like that'll cover the rest of us..
------
DaniloDias
I wish our politicians would just fucking own it and declare their own
surveillance state rather than this bullshit death of a thousand cuts
public/private partnership horseshit.
------
lousken
In czech republic we already started doing this today [0] Of course, it
requires permission from the infected person
[0] [http://www.apms.cz/novinky/mobilni-operatori-pomahaji-
trasov...](http://www.apms.cz/novinky/mobilni-operatori-pomahaji-trasovat-
polohu-nakazeneho-pouze-s-jeho-vyslovnym-souhlasem)
------
xfitm3
Nope. No fucking way. Whatever temporary powers granted are akin to a drug
dealers 'first one is free'.
------
dredmorbius
WashPo is the source, and better, article:
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/03/17/white-h...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/03/17/white-
house-location-data-coronavirus/)
------
sbmthakur
Looks like they wish to follow in the footsteps of South Korea:
[https://www.lawfareblog.com/lessons-america-how-south-
korean...](https://www.lawfareblog.com/lessons-america-how-south-korean-
authorities-used-law-fight-coronavirus)
------
kevin_thibedeau
Conveniently they already have a system that can track associations N hops
from any given person.
~~~
angry_octet
Which is based on discrete data from a graph built from phone calls, fixed
line locations and SMS/email meta data. It doesn't have (from the Snowden
dump) selectors for intersecting location tracks. TBH, I just don't think that
is the way the FBI finds dead drops.
~~~
kevin_thibedeau
Was based. They haven't been swimming in place for ten years.
~~~
angry_octet
They were already drowning in data, and as reported recently, basically no
arrests from it in years. It can't detect terrorists -- no Americans, not
foreigners, fascist or religious extremists, any better than stuff the FBI was
already doing.
------
harlanji
No comment that I’ve seen seems to acknowledge rejection of carrying a phone
around.
In order for the data to be uncompromised there would need to be a mandate to
carry the phone everywhere.
If not participating meant being cast out of society, some people might be
okay with that.
How should we handle it?
------
apk-d
They could, of course, do this the way any other type of institution would do
it: create an app that people would voluntarily install to gather this data.
Playing by the rules isn't how governments work these days, though.
------
gioele
Another sad +1: Italy is already using phone location data to track people and
measure the effectiveness of the quarantine:
[https://archive.is/6xXNu](https://archive.is/6xXNu) (archived from
[https://www.corriere.it/cronache/20_marzo_17/coronavirus-
cos...](https://www.corriere.it/cronache/20_marzo_17/coronavirus-cosi-
lombardia-controlla-movimenti-via-
cellulare-75c3d226-6897-11ea-9725-c592292e4a85.shtml?refresh_ce-cp))
------
grey-area
Best solution to this IMO is a special app which allows you to check in, prove
your virus status (have it, had it, don't have it yet). Map of other users in
the area so you know you're safe. You could then use that to check in to shops
etc. and not be allowed in without showing status, those who have it have to
stay home and check in for a given period. Uses biometrics to ensure a given
user is using it.
Apple should be working on this.
After the virus is contained or has burned out everyone deletes the app. No
feds snooping at location data required.
~~~
zhte415
> Map of other users in the area so you know you're safe.
I think that would be a terrible idea. Not everyone in the world is a
rational-thinking HackerNews reader ;). I would imagine it would lead to cases
of mob-mentality which could be very thoughtful like community support for
food/necessity delivery but also cases of unfortunate mob-mentality that could
be very bad.
> You could then use that to check in to shops etc. and not be allowed in
> without showing status
This is exactly what's being done in China. But without the map of your
neighbours. Everyone (that cares to go out) has a 'green' 'amber' 'red' status
code via Ali or Tencent. Green indicates fine, Amber indicates movement
(provincial or international, sometimes inter-city depending on province)
within the past 14 days, Red indicates suspected.
------
onetimemanytime
They'll never give it back
------
mrkeen
Isn't this already the case? Even before the smartphone era, haven't you
always been revealing your location to your local cell towers?
~~~
MaxBarraclough
Your telco knows which tower you're connecting to, yes, otherwise the system
would never work.
As the title makes clear, this is about the government gaining access to that
information.
------
cbayram
We are in a pandemic and this won’t be the last. Gov’ts and society are
scrambling to contain the virus, save lives, economy and society. Pandemics
sow seeds of mistrust among neighbors, xenophobia and society starts falling
apart. Be kind, compassionate and constructive if you can help it. This is
about self-preservation. If there was ever a case for “move fast, break
things”, this is it. Your location data is already whored out to target you in
every which way. We have tremendous data and tech capabilities. We should
absolutely use them to effectively track and quarantine the contagion. For me
the threat of terrorism and Patriot act was bullshit reason to erode our
rights and liberties, but this is different. We should absolutely revisit
these encroachments on privacy by out gov’t in a post-mortem and legislate
accordingly.
When it comes to gov’t, I share a healthy dosage of mistrust. This is one of
the reasons I support the second amendment. But remember that the gov’t are of
the people and for the people. It is THE institution to defend our individual
selves against threats we can’t individually battle. As Michael Lewis puts it,
we have got to stop gutting the gov’t due to reactionary fear-mongering and
mistrust. We are only robbing ourselves and our children of their future. This
is a reason to feel patriotic for me.
------
dminzi
I’m young and thus likely naive. But, is it not possible for a company like
Mozilla to make a small tracking app that users opt in for. Then, they get rid
of this when it is all over. I say Mozilla because, from what I understand, it
is very privacy orientated, but any trustable company would do (ie not google,
amazon, or Facebook).
------
andrewseanryan
Well... it worked in South Korea. It would have to be temporary and only for
positive tests.
------
fyp
It would be so useful if I got a notification if I happen to have crossed
paths with a person who later turned out to be infected so I can get tested
too. This will preempt so many asymptotic transmissions.
Such apps are already deployed in china:
[https://youtu.be/YfsdJGj3-jM?t=303](https://youtu.be/YfsdJGj3-jM?t=303)
We don't trust the government but what if it's just a private company who does
it? Google already has your location info:
[https://www.google.com/maps/timeline](https://www.google.com/maps/timeline)
They are definitely already using the information in aggregate to provide
traffic jam info. Hell I am sure facebook already does this for suggesting
friends too. On the balance of privacy vs social good, I don't think there's
even much slippery slope left to protect.
------
tilolebo
I have just read a German article explaining that Deutsche Telekom provided 5
GB of location data to the Robert Koch Institute.
The data will be analyzed to understand the mobility of German residents.
So it's not real time tracking but it's still tracking.
------
pgnas
Never let a crisis go to waste.
------
everyone
I'm curious, if I have no internet access and gps turned off on my phone
(Samsung Galaxy S7) is there still hidden shit which is tracking my location?
.. Like, is GPS not really turned off for example?
~~~
vageli
> I'm curious, if I have no internet access and gps turned off on my phone
> (Samsung Galaxy S7) is there still hidden shit which is tracking my
> location? .. Like, is GPS not really turned off for example?
Your location can still be determined by at least your service provider based
on the strength of the signal it emits as received from the (presumably
various) antenna sites in the area.
------
tsukurimashou
Even if the US had real-time data about every citizen movement, what would
they do with it, they cannot move huge populations of people like China can
~~~
cbayram
Potentially narrow down and identify asymptomatic spreaders of the virus in
early forming geo clusters. This information could lead to more effective
quarantine measures early on or post containment to avoid further outbreak
eruptions.
------
ray991
What if every coronavirus victim voluntarily uploads their location data
publically (their identity kept anonymous). Now you can, without uploading
your own data anywhere, check if you have ever been in vicinity of any of
them. If you have been, you can get tested and then upload your own data if
that comes out positive. This way not eveyone has to share their data, only a
few who have been infected.
~~~
tastroder
> their identity kept anonymous
If I have your location data, you are not anonymous anymore. Especially these
days where you likely spent most hours of the day in your home.
------
forkexec
Is this going to be the excuse to roll tanks and missiles down the street and
suspend elections too?
------
34679
"Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program." Milton Friedman
------
kchoudhu
Yeah, ok: fuck off. Send someone to interview subjects of interest like
everyone else.
------
dmtroyer
Nice work on the title.
------
jriot
Could we all just not carry our phones everywhere we go.
------
wyxuan
This should've happened a long time ago. I really think there should be more
cooperation between governments and tech companies so they can come up with
solutions like this much faster like they did in China
~~~
palijer
What solutions did they come up with in China?
~~~
sampo
> What solutions did they come up with in China?
New York Times science reporter Donald G. McNeil Jr. explains in this video,
and in this article:
[https://twitter.com/MikeIsaac/status/1238604080571772928](https://twitter.com/MikeIsaac/status/1238604080571772928)
[https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/04/health/coronavirus-
china-...](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/04/health/coronavirus-china-
aylward.html)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: Squatmon, a domain squatting monitoring system - ech
https://www.squatmon.com/en/
======
hsx
Your SSL doesn't look great in Chrome.
[http://cl.ly/image/0a0F0v3g0q3K](http://cl.ly/image/0a0F0v3g0q3K)
~~~
ech
yes apparently i broke OCSP. thanks for the tip i'm fixing it now.
edit: apparently the error lies around certificate transparency and us lacking
a public CT log. the security of the connection itself is not impacted, but
i'm looking into it.
------
ech
Hi HN.
(one of the) squatmon developer(s) here
this is squatmon, an application we built the last few month, with the goal of
automagically detecting brand and domain squatting.
i'd love to read your comments.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Told to remove blog posts describing patented algorithm - willvarfar
http://sites.google.com/site/redcodenl/
======
SoftwarePatent
IAAPL (I am a patent lawyer), but I am at the very beginning of my career.
Anyway, non-lawyers often are too credulous when they get nastygrams from the
other side. Don't believe everything they say to you! It's amazing what non-
lawyers will believe and do just because they get a mean-sounding email.
That being said, one of the fundamentally unfair things about the legal system
is how expensive trials are. Even if the other side here has no case, they
might be able to haul you into court and run up expenses for you. Maybe you
can become a cause celebre of the anti-software patent blogosphere?
~~~
Ardit20
If they go to court and he does win the case wouldn't the cost of his lawyers
be paid by the loosing side, so, he in that case would not lose anything and
perhaps might even be awarded nominal damages if the other side pursued the
case friviously.
~~~
SoftwarePatent
This depends on many factors. 1) What country the lawsuit takes place in.
Unfortch I only know US law. Here in the US, the factfinder (a lawyer word for
either the judge or the jury) can order legal costs to the winning party under
certain circumstances, but those are rare. I have heard anecdotally that in
Britain legal fees are always paid by the losing side.
------
dtf
Oh dear. I can see the open-source and pirate communities coming down on these
guys like a ton of bricks. I wouldn't be surprised to see a CDDB-style
distributed database and server and accompanying mobile apps up by the end of
next week. Shazam's CTO may well have been better off turning a blind eye.
It's got all the elements hackers love: software patents, an underdog, free
speech and an interesting technical problem.
~~~
jakevoytko
I doubt anything will happen. Stories with similar elements don't usually end
with an underdog victory [1]. If the software was already released, people
could create "I'm mirroring the Shazam code, come and get me Shazam!" blog
posts. The news cycle would have been well-fed, and might have generated
enough hype to cause the Shazam CTO to learn to leave the issue untouched.
However, now someone must develop the code. It'll take time. When it is done
there will only be passing interest in the whole issue. This is interesting
enough that it'll get some action on blogs over the next week, but I don't see
this becoming a long-term win for the original author. Just Shazam and the
blogs.
[1] One example is "How I Got Sued by Facebook".
[http://petewarden.typepad.com/searchbrowser/2010/04/how-i-
go...](http://petewarden.typepad.com/searchbrowser/2010/04/how-i-got-sued-by-
facebook.html) . It combines elements hackers love: the rights to your
information, an underdog, free speech, and an interesting technical problem
(indexing all of Facebook). But no public databases of Facebook user data
sprung up as a result.
~~~
weirdwonka
The reason for that is that people who have capabilities of doing that know
that its not a good thing. The data can be used for re identification attacks
against user privacy.
------
voidpointer
Great example of the problem with software patents. Landmark has a method for
music-matching. They would love to be the only one having access to that
technology. The confusion starts where the patent system is meant to only
protect how their particular implementation matches music and not the concept
of music matching at all. They on the other hand argue, that the method
described by the author is similar to what they have patented - after all, it
uses the same fundamental CS concepts such as hash-table lookups etc...
As other mentioned, the idea with patents was to offer people a limited time
monopoly on their innovations in exchange for publishing them so others could
use/enhance these ideas instead of reinventing the wheel over and over. I have
not seen one instance where this works out for software...
~~~
iuygtfnh
>Landmark has a method for music-matching.
No they have a patent the idea of music-matching, not the implementation.
I could have a patent on the idea of a car that defies gravity - and you pay
up when you actually invent a flying car.
~~~
voidpointer
This is not how it works. In the patent application you have to describe how
your invention works.
In software patents, the implementation is described in such general terms
that a lot of the time, any implementation can be said to use the method
described in the patent. This is my biggest problem with software patents:
once you abstract your solution enough, it isn't of much use to anybody, hence
the value of the patent to the general public is null while it still allows
you to block out competitors that want to find a solution to the same/similar
problem although your patent is of no help to them actually solving the
problem.
It is this skewed relationship that drives me crazy. Licensing a software
patent only allows you to come up with your own solution a lot of the time, it
does not save you the development cost.
If you license a patent for some industrial process it saves you huge amounts
of research cost so licensing the patent is actually attractive.
Software should only be patentable if the patent provides actual value in
solving the problem it claims to solve. Since useable software implementation
are so specific, this may rule out patenting software at all.
~~~
iuygtfnh
Not in the US, although implementation patents are easier to defend you can
write very broad patents.
You can have a business method patent, eg look at the prices charged by
various retailers and buy the lowest one, or even a patent on the plot of a
novel. Both of these have been patented in the US.
Your 'invention' no longer has to be workable for it to be patented nor do you
have to demonstrate a working implementation.
That's the issue with a lot of software patents on things like H264 - the
patent can simply be on the concept of compressing video, you don't have to
invent a particular encoding scheme.
~~~
nkassis
But the law was not intended to work that way. This is why bilski has gone so
far. They were trying to do exactly what you describe and they probably won't
get the patent in the end. The supreme court will probably find some way to
not revolutionize patents by making the decision so specific that only this
case will be affected.
~~~
iuygtfnh
The supreme court decided to let people fight it out in court.
What this means is that patents only work for cartels of large companies
forming a patent pool to keep a technology (eg. H264) to themselves and patent
trolls who have no other business so can't be violating any other patents.
For anyone else - even if you have a patent on a real invention, and can
afford to defend it in court, you are likely to be violating dozens of the
large company's patents (how could you know) and so are going to lose.
------
alextingle
This is nonsense. Publishing the details of a process __cannot __violate a
patent. The patent system was created specifically to enable the public to see
and discuss the latest state of the art. Are these clowns going to try sending
take-down notices to the patent office's web-site next??
(Besides, algorithms cannot be patented in the EU, so it is impossible that
this code violates any patent.)
~~~
hcho
Algorithms can be(and is being)patented in the EU. It is the software you
cannot patent.
~~~
loup-vaillant
Wait a minute: what is the difference between an algorithm and a piece of
software? I don't see any.
~~~
Deestan
There's a massive difference. Here, let me show you:
_Algorithm_ :
Algorithm Maximum
Input: Two numbers M and N.
Output: The largest number of M and N.
if M > N, then return M
else return N
_Software_ :
// Returns the largest of m and n.
int Maximum(int m, int n) {
if (m > n) return n;
else return n;
}
There. Clear?
~~~
statictype
I'm writing a compiler right now that can compile your _algorithm_ into x86
instructions.
Does your algorithm automatically become software at the time of completion of
my compiler?
Or does it become software only when its compiled down to machine code?
~~~
Deestan
:( I was being silly and ironic. I was actually trying to show that there is
no difference at all.
------
michael_dorfman
I'm not a lawyer, but it seems to me that he is looking at this backwards.
If his goal is not to actually implement the algorithm, but just to discuss or
understand it, he can use the lawyers to his advantage. He's already received
the two US patent numbers, which contain published (and freely publishable)
text describing the algorithm in great detail. And, since the lawyers are
interested in the international implications, it should be simple for them to
provide a list of (or better yet, the full text of) all international patents
granted or applied for.
My point is not that software patents (or patents in general) are good or bad
or harmful or useful. My point is that, for better or worse, a patent
represents an exchange-- the inventor is granted a limited-time monopoly on
the implementation of an innovation _in exchange for publication of the
details._
~~~
willvarfar
didn't the Dutch lawyer say he could get fined? If it's your nuts on the
block, would you have the guts to stand up to them?
~~~
alextingle
He should find a different lawyer.
~~~
ra
agreed
~~~
ANINDIAN
cant we just copy it and post it on a shady website such as 4chan or
something. And then use site like Metaoptimizee.com/qa/ which is a machine
learning Q&A website to publicize it!
------
reader5000
This illustrates one of the major problems with patent law: uncertainty.
Nobody, including the pros, can tell the poster whether the Shazam claim is
legitimate or not. Therefore, under the threat of untold financial penalties,
real or not, Shazam can simply bully whoever they want.
Although I know nothing about European patent law and almost nothing about US
law, here is the relevant US code:
"Except as otherwise provided in this title, whoever without authority _makes_
, uses, offers to sell, or sells any patented invention, within the United
States or imports into the United States any patented invention during the
term of the patent therefor, infringes the patent," (emphasis added). [1].
It seems to me the issue would be whether writing the code for patented
software constitutes "making" it. Who knows. The patent system is such a joke.
[1] [http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/usc_sec_35_00000271----
000...](http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/usc_sec_35_00000271----000-.html)
~~~
iuygtfnh
>it seems to me the issue would be whether writing the code for patented
software constitutes "making" it.
That's the problem with software patents. The patent must be published - that
the whole point. But in software writing down the algorithm is also making an
implementation. It's like the pornography laws that defined looking at an
image on a computer screen = producing an image and therefore equivalent to
being present when the act took place.
------
cduan
If you have US patent numbers, you can get the related European patents either
from either <http://ep.espacenet.com> or <http://www.patentlens.net>. For
example,
[http://www.patentlens.net/patentlens/patents.html?patnums=US...](http://www.patentlens.net/patentlens/patents.html?patnums=US_6990453#tab_3)
shows related patents for one of the two US patents mentioned.
------
andraz
Patents cannot be used to prevent someone publishing research, source code,
explaining how things work, etc. Infringement happens when the patented matter
becomes part of commercial product, is being used commercially or sold. Not by
publishing either textual description or source code. An example of this is
x264 codec which is perfectly legal (to distribute and work on) even in
countries that happily allow patenting everything under the sun. The
infringement happens when it becomes used as part of the product or service.
Patent system's primary 'deal' with the inventor is "time-limited monopoly in
return for a disclosure of how you did it".
Leaving aside the question on patentability of software and algorithms, I am
sure talking to FFII, EFF and similar organizations might help gathering
traction for a proper pushback.
~~~
billswift
Publishing doesn't violate a patent, but it doesn't require commercial
activity - building your own device, or writing your own software, for your
own use constitutes a violation.
------
frognibble
The LAME MP3 encoder uses technology covered by patents. The LAME developers
distribute the code in source code form only. The developers say that it is
legal to distribute the code because the source code is a description of the
patent and not a working implementation of the patent. See last question at
<http://lame.sourceforge.net/tech-FAQ.txt> for more info.
------
impeachgod
Assholes. I am living in Ukraine, and I am willing to host any patent-
infringing code or documents on my Ukrainian servers.
------
dedward
One take-away from this is this, though:
When it comes to patents - the fact that your software is non-commercial, or
that you invented it independently without knowing about the patents does not
matter.
Unless you can prove you created the infringing work before the original
patent applicants did, in which case you can invalidate and/or take over the
patent, patent rights are fairly absolute, and have nothing to do with
derivative works or anything like that (which is why software patents suck so
much....)
Patents are granted via application, and apply unilaterally, regardless of how
the infringing works were created. The only defences in general against patent
infringement are a)your product does not actually infringe on the patent
because it's different enough and b)attacking the validity of the patent
itself.
Contrast with Copyright, which is granted automatically, and independent
creation of similar works (even identical) is permissible, as long as they
were truly independent and not copying each other.
(This is why clean-room reverse-engineering techniques, where one group revere
engineers the software and documents it's function, and a completely separate
group who's never seen the original work writes new code to those
specifications) work for software when it comes to copyright, but not against
patents.
~~~
fleitz
Even if you could prove such a thing it's still very expensive to do so.
------
vibragiel
I was wondering how to contribute with my bit of pressure. I'm a regular
Shazam user, and was thinking of sending them an email telling that I don't
want to make business with companies that deal with bullies like Landmark
Digital Services, that I'm uninstalling their app (even though I paid for it)
and will be campaigning against it among my friends.
But then I thought Shazam might just be another victim of this messed up
patent system. On the other hand, they're making profit out of it and
favouring and legitimating Landmark Digital Services on the way.
What do you think?
~~~
billswift
According to this comment <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1497450> Shazam
sold the patents to Landmark, which the parent of the linked comment pointed
out is owned by BMI. Shazam deserves any flack it gets and more if those are
true.
------
maurits
Okay, so I am not a lawyer, but I don't get it. One of the most know audio
matching systems is from Kalker and Haitsma, published 2002.
[http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.103...](http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.103.2175&rep=rep1&type=pdf)
------
ra
I'm no lawyer but my advice would be to object to the patents in your
jurisdiction (and the US, if possible) by writing to the appropriate local
patent offices. State that their work isn't novel as it's remarkably similar
to your own. If your work is based on "public domain" knowledge (for example
techniques that have been previously published in a book, or on the web), it
is important that you refer to those.
I'd also speak to a different IP lawyer, one who is familiar with software
patents. You shouldn't have to pay for an initial consultation.
EDIT: You could also speak to your local EFF. They'd have better advice.
------
mikeytown2
Reminds me of when I accidentally violated a software patent in less then an
hour. <http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=139913>
~~~
pbhjpbhj
You didn't do it in less than an hour, you did it with your whole careers
worth of knowledge acquisition + 1 hour of implementation.
If as you say your steps were _a priori_ obvious and trivially implemented and
were at the time that the relevant patent was applied for (or relevant
invention made in the US) then the patent is very weak and a citation against
it should be easy to find.
What appears to be the case is that professionals working in the field for a
substantial time were not able to solve the problem easily (eg 2Bdecided's
comments).
In short you should give yourself more credit.
TIL: AVIsynth is a script based video editor.
------
willvarfar
Its _not_ Shazam who are making the fuss though, its Landmark
(<http://www.landmarkdigital.com/about>) who are owned by BMI (the record
company - RIAA?)
~~~
ahi
Shazam sold them the patents.
------
malandrew
I'm not a lawyer and I may be wrong but can't we use the patent vagueness
against itself in a sort of "patent aikido" defense.
It's seems like it would be trivially easy to release this source code given
the way the patent is described.
This source code does pattern matching for audio, sound and music. I looked at
the patents in question. They only discuss this method for use with "audio
files", "audio samples", "sounds", and "music".
However the patent doesn't cover other types of waveforms with changing
frequency and amplitude.
With that in mind, couldn't you just change the language used to describe what
you code does so that in now describes other types of waveforms that are NOT
sound, music and audio?
It seems to me that patent lawyers can either patent the implementation or
they can patent the application of their implementation. Simply changing the
application of the implementation you coded in a weekend would mean that the
patents cited no longer apply to the code he wants to publish.
Also, if these lawyers have never seen the code in question. How are they
going to know you released it if it somehow gets released anonymously?
------
geebee
This is so depressing.
I have to say, the replies from engineers who have spent some time figuring
out how the patent system works have been enlightening and interesting to
read.
But none of this matters unless a well funded group (maybe the EFF, maybe some
businesses who want to challenge this patent) decides to pick up the cause and
fight. There is _no way_ a programmer who coded something in a weekend and put
it on his blog is going to be able to go up against a well funded patent
holder.
The merits are irrelevant, seriously irrelevant.
This is what depresses me so much about the US legal system. While the law
around software patents is absurd, the problem isn't really that software
patents exist per se (1), it's that stupid patents are granted and that it is
brutally expensive in terms of time and money to fight them.
(1) I do consider software patents to be a failed experiment. Sometimes the
implementation is so bad that we can say "tried it, didn't work" even if in
theory it could have been done better.
------
caf
You know, what's kind of interesting about this whole thing is that it sounds
like a case could be made that Shazam themselves are infringing copyrights on
the songs in their database. After all, in order to make the database of
hashes, they had to make a temporary, unauthorised copy of each song
recording.
Similarly, the client-side software makes an unauthorised copy of the music as
it records it from the environment to do the test. This seems like it could be
contributory infringement on the part of the software writers.
Does anyone know if the record companies ever tried to go after them on these
grounds?
------
protomyth
I still wish some congresscritter would pass a law simply stating "if you can
copyright the implementation, then you can't patent it"
------
dpatru
The problem here is that it's too easy to make and use a software invention
once you have a sufficiently detailed description of it (source code). An
analogous situation would be the invention of a new homemade bread. A detailed
recipe of the bread in a cookbook would make it very easy for anyone to make
use of the invention and very hard for the inventor to stop infringement. In
such a case, the law must take sides: either it protects the public's right to
share information over the right of the inventor to benefit from his
invention, or vice versa.
It seems to me that the law sides with the public by forcing the inventor to
choose between patent and copyright. If the inventor chooses patent, his
invention has protection, but the public is free to share information about
it. Indeed, to obtain a patent, the inventor must fully disclose the best way
he knows to make and use the invention. On the other, hand, if the inventor
chooses copyright, his particular expression is protected, the public is not
free to share it (republish it), but the underlying ideas behind his invention
are not protected.
So for instance, a musician could patent his unique method of strumming a
guitar and he could copyright his music recordings and explanations of his
strumming method, but has no way of preventing public discussion generally of
his strumming method. His invention does not mean that there can be no more
learning and innovation in the field of guitar strumming.
Similarly, a software maker can copyright his expression (source and object
code) of his work, and patent the use of his work, but he cannot (should not)
prevent public discussion of his work generally.
To hold otherwise would mean that intellectual property (IP) holders could
stop all learning and progress in the areas in which they hold their IP. But
the purpose of IP is exactly opposite. The US Constitution says that Congress
shall have power "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts by
securing for limited Time to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to
their respective Writings and Discoveries." (US Const., Art. 1, Sec. 8, Cl. 8)
~~~
russell
IANAL, but I would hazard that you are wrong on nearly all points. There are
very specific rules on the form of a patent application. It used to be/may
still be that you had to include stylized drawings of a machine that
accomplished the function. Ten thousand pages of code wouldn't cut it.
Generally the patent is abstracted from the actual machine. A couple of the
problems with software patents is that the abstraction is too great and the
claims are too broad. It's the claims that trip up future developers.
The musician example is pretty much bogus, because method patents have been
pretty much disallowed, though there is a movement to get them accepted.
Method/process patents would bring all innovation to its knees.
Also a misconception about copyright. You can have a copyright without
publishing the code, although if you publish it without a copyright, it may be
in the public domain. Code copyright is used as a defense against duplication,
not innovation.
> Similarly.. Yes indeed.
------
cjbprime
Irritating. The patent tradeoff is disclosure in exchange for monopoly, and
Landmark's pretending the disclosure part doesn't have to exist.
------
koenigdavidmj
You could always link to the patents, since they describe the process in so
much more detail.
------
srparish
Andrew Tridgell's talk on patent defense could be useful for him to read:
<http://news.swpat.org/2010/03/transcript-tridgell-patents/>
------
joshfraser
lots of companies send nastygrams like this even if they have no intention of
following through with legal action. it costs them nothing (except reputation
on HN) and there's a good chance the recipient will get scared and give in
without a fight.
there are important issues on the line here and it makes me sad that so many
people feel like they need to walk away because of the possible legal
expenses.
i know it's easy for me to say this as i've never been sued myself, but for
once, just once, i'd like to see someone fight back against something that is
so clearly wrong.
------
borisk
Letters say nothing about description, the CEO only wants the code out.
BTW I thought there are no software patent laws in EU or EU member states.
Just USA and Japan were on the road to insanity some time ago.
~~~
ComputerGuru
Read the last letter. It says clearly that his description of the algorithm in
the blogpost is in violation of the patent laws.
~~~
borisk
"While we trust your good intentions, yes, we would like you to refrain from
releasing the code at all and to remove the blogpost explaining the
algorithm."
It doesn't say directly the description is a problem. IMHO it's the whole
blogpost, because it contains code.
------
wazoox
I'm pretty sure you could release the code copyright and the code to the FSF,
and let it go. I think it's important to struggle against software patents,
now more than ever!
------
pier0
"why are they targetting me and not the already published implementation of
Dan?"
Probably because Dan didn't title his article Creating Shazam in Java
------
kljensen
Patent +applications+ cannot be infringed.
------
ANINDIAN
WTF Just write at end your implementation:
License: Research Purpose Only
Any patented invention can be used for research pupose!
To quote from wikipedia: A patent being an exclusionary right does not,
however, necessarily give the owner of the patent the right to exploit the
patent.[13] For example, many inventions are improvements of prior inventions
that may still be covered by someone else's patent.[13] If an inventor takes
an existing, patented mouse trap design, adds a new feature to make an
improved mouse trap, and obtains a patent on the improvement, he or she can
only legally build his or her improved mouse trap with permission from the
patent holder of the original mouse trap, assuming the original patent is
still in force. On the other hand, the owner of the improved mouse trap can
exclude the original patent owner from using the improvement.
Add few new features
~~~
jjs
> _Add few new features_
Or devise some novel features that would allow this marvelous invention to
interoperate with existing software!
Then patent the combination and fuck them with it. >:D
------
mkramlich
welcome to the inane world of software patents
~~~
loup-vaillant
Remember Paul Graham's words: "One thing I do feel pretty certain of is that
if you're against software patents, you're against patents in general."
<http://paulgraham.com/softwarepatents.html>
I made up my mind, and currently, I think the _whole_ patent system should be
abolished.
Some may think we should be safe if software patents are abolished, but we're
not. Make a bit of Arduino based hardware that happen to infringe a patent,
and you're screwed. In short, patents are hampering the rise of Free Hardware,
just like it does Free Software.
It is past time we examine the effects of patents rigorously, or listen to
people who have.
~~~
nudge
How would you encourage the development of new pharmaceuticals (the process of
which costs vast, vast sums of money and can take decades) if, as soon as the
new drug is done, anyone can come and just copy the formula?
I'm not pro-patents on everything, but pharmaceuticals is a case where the
patent bargain seems to produce benefits in terms of drugs that otherwise
might not be developed.
~~~
loup-vaillant
Your argument assumes that you _need_ some kind of artificial encouragement to
make the development of pharmaceuticals thrive.
_Against Intellectual Monopoly_ [1], shows rather strong empirical evidence
to the contrary: drug development thrived before patents arrived, and didn't
accelerate after. They may even have slowed down.
Your argument is appealing, but most probably wrong.
[1]:
[http://levine.sscnet.ucla.edu/general/intellectual/againstfi...](http://levine.sscnet.ucla.edu/general/intellectual/againstfinal.htm)
~~~
nudge
I'm willing to accept I'm wrong, but could you answer my point so I know
exactly how it is that I am? In particular, exactly how is it that the large
upfront R&D costs I mentioned would not be a problem in a patent-free world?
Also, I wasn't assuming any kind of 'artificial encouragement'. I was talking
about firms spending hundreds of millions of dollars researching drugs, and
wanting to earn that back (and, obviously, more) through patent protection.
There's nothing artificial about the kind of encouragement that comes from
wanting to recoup hundreds of millions of dollars.
~~~
loup-vaillant
I didn't address that point because that point is irrelevant. I am not
interested in the well being of a particular pharmaceutical firm. I am
interested in the well being of the _whole field_. And I suspect, so are you.
It looks like you think that for pharmaceutical to thrive, it needs
corporation to be "encouraged" to invest lots of money. You also seem to think
that patents are a major provider of that encouragement. If so, the
introduction of the patent system should have accelerated innovation.
Empirical evidence shows that it didn't.
I see only 2 explanations: either patents are not an effective encouragement
(compared to already existing ones), or their disadvantages nullifies the
additional encouragement.
~~~
nudge
Please just explain how it is that you think we would get new, expensive-to-
develop drugs, if there were no guarantee of a limited monopoly for the
inventor.
Forget the abstract arguments about corporations being "encouraged" or
whatever you think I think. Just tell me how it would work.
If it helps, imagine that you run a pharmaceutical firm, and you have the
choice to spend hundreds of millions of dollars researching a drug which, once
perfected by your researchers, is not owned in any sense (even temporarily) by
you, but rather immediately becomes a generic commodity worth fractions of a
cent per unit, and which cannot possibly earn you back the money you spent
developing it. In that situation, would you start the research? And if not,
where will the new drugs come from?
~~~
loup-vaillant
> Just tell me how it would work.
Ha ha, that's the beauty of it: I don't know. I just know it works. I know it
from a source[1] which I consider reliable. And that source presented
empirical observations which strongly support my view.
You keep talking about how it _would_ work, doing what's amounts to a thought
experiment. That's valuable, but not nearly as good as actual observations in
assessing how the world works.
From the dawn of humanity, the Sun has been observed to rise from a direction
and set to a roughly opposite direction. Why? How? For a very long time, no
one knew. But only a fool would contradict that observation just because what
he _thinks_ of the sun doesn't fit what everybody _sees_.
In short, when your view of the world doesn't fit the observations, update
your view of the world.
Now, I see very few ways in which you could still disagree with me: (1) You
think I misreported my source. (2) You don't trust my source. (3) You know of
very strong evidence which support your view and not mine. So which it is?
[1]: Against Intellectual Monopoly
~~~
nudge
Alright, if you don't know how it _would_ work, but you do know how it _does_
work, tell me how it _does_ work.
What countries are you talking about, what years, what drugs? How _did_ the
companies cover the cost of research? What was in it for them? Why did they do
it?
I am perfectly willing to amend my views but so far you have done nothing but
say you have evidence. Show me! I don't have time to read your source but I am
happy to read what you quote as relevant.
~~~
loup-vaillant
> I am happy to read what you quote as relevant.
Ah, now we're talking. So, chapter 9, page 247
<http://levine.sscnet.ucla.edu/papers/imbookfinal09.pdf>
""" You may wonder why we are offering all these details about specific
countries, patenting of chemical processes, and pharmaceutical products. For a
very simple reason: if patents were a necessary requirement for pharmaceutical
innovation as claimed by their supporters, the large historical and cross
country variations in the patent protection of medical products should have
had a dramatic impact on national pharmaceutical industries. In particular, at
least between 1850 and 1980, most drugs and medical products should have been
invented and produced in the United States and the United Kingdom, and very
little if anything in continental Europe. Further, countries such as Italy,
Switzerland and, to a lesser extent, Germany, should have been the laggards of
the pharmaceutical industry until recently. Instead the opposite was true for
longer than a century."""
I fear you would have to read "all these details about specific countries" if
you want anything more substantial. That's 7 pages (from 241 to 247).
~~~
nudge
Interesting, but not very convincing. The argument concerns historical periods
when the costs of research were not nearly as high as they are now. As your
own source rightly points out:
"the total cost of bringing a new drug to market [is] around $800 million, in
year 2000 dollars... [T]his figure suggests a spectacular increase in the cost
of innovating. This increase is due, mostly, to the capitalization of the
longer and more expensive clinical trials the FDA requires."
It may well be that patents were not always necessary for drug development. It
is lazy thinking to conclude from this that they are not necessary now.
~~~
binaryfinery
Simple explanation: patents and the FDA represent barriers to entry for new
competitors. Costs going up just means more money spent within the industry,
and more profit to be taken later. Costs (and profits) going up are a
consequence of patents and regulation, not the other way around. Remove
patents and regulation and watch costs plummet.
~~~
loup-vaillant
Well, we could remove patents, but removing (or lightening) regulation may be
a bit more tricky: you wouldn't want Big Pharma to release something that's
more a poison than a medication.
~~~
binaryfinery
And how has regulation changed this? What extra laws do we need in place to
make sure companies don't kill people other than "dont kill people"?
~~~
loup-vaillant
> And how has regulation changed this?
I don't know. Nor am I aware of any study which shows regulation's effects, or
lack thereof. I'm just saying that if regulation has benefits, they should be
compared to the drawbacks before we forfeit them. If it has no benefit, of
course get rid of it.
Anyway, as I said, I don't know a thing about pharmaceutical regulations. If
you do, a few pointers would be welcome.
------
sswam
The basic technique they are using, to generate a Fourier transform and
distinctive signature from a segment of music, and look it up in a hash, is
completely obvious. It should not be patentable. The gory details of their
algorithm might be patent worthy (although I don't like patents at all). But
Roy did not use their algorithm, he invented something similar. Greedy trolls,
hate.
It might be a nice idea to integrate music identification with CDDB I think.
Google has a similar system that they are using to prevent the use of
copyright music in youtube clips (and they also have patents for their
method). I suppose many other systems exist to do the same things. Roy should
publish his code. Death to trolls.
------
ANINDIAN
cant we start <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect> effect?
------
ANINDIAN
Create a Fake Email address and post it on a Posterous blog. And then we will
take care that it is found out for perpetuity! Also we can try to destroy his
page rank by making reference to his name!
~~~
ANINDIAN
Any way you are currently on second page of Google Search! Better Post it on a
.in Indian Web Address Patent laws in india do not allow software patents + no
one gives a shit about C&D!
------
ANINDIAN
Please some can someone with good knowledge of proxies and etc post it one
4Chan or Posterous or similar site and then post it as Question on
<http://metaoptimize.com/qa/>
Which will get the word out to practitioners in this field ! I currently cant
do that since i am on a *.edu ip
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: Open-sourcing my rejected iOS app, In-Stock - aabalkan
http://alpblog.heroku.com/in-stock/
======
coob
This is why you should read the App review guidelines [1] before you start.
It's right there in black and white:
_12.1 Apps that scrape any information from Apple sites (for example from
apple.com, iTunes Store, App Store, iTunes Connect, Apple Developer Programs,
etc.) or create rankings using content from Apple sites and services will be
rejected_
[1]
[https://developer.apple.com/appstore/guidelines.html](https://developer.apple.com/appstore/guidelines.html)
------
captainmuon
Nice! I've been thinking, if there were more open-source apps for iOS, then
the developer account could become the new (albeit pricey) jailbreak.
Maybe someone could even build a nice installer or wrapper around Xcode so
that non-technical people can install such apps (and pretend to the phone they
were developing them).
(Disclaimer: I'm more familiar with Android than with iOS development, don't
know for sure this would work)
~~~
chrisballinger
Unfortunately you still aren't able to use your own hardware how you'd like on
iOS, even with a developer account. Certain private APIs (like the VPN one)[1]
require an "Entitlements" file linked to a provisioning profile that is
difficult or impossible to forge.
1\. [https://github.com/chrisballinger/openvpn-server-
ios#openvpn...](https://github.com/chrisballinger/openvpn-server-ios#openvpn-
server-ios)
------
rajbala
"I'm a software engineer @ Microsoft's cloud computing service, Windows
Azure."
Props to Ahmet for being open about building products and using tools from
competitors rather than denying they exist.
~~~
coob
…iMessage hosts content on Azure.
~~~
rajbala
True. Apple uses a number of cloud services including Azure, AWS, etc.
~~~
batuhanicoz
I've heard Apple using Azure but never heard of their use of AWS. How come
this isn't advertised on AWS's or Azure's related page(s)[1]?
[1] Case study pages can be an example for "related page(s)" for AWS:
[http://aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-
studies/](http://aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-studies/) for Azure:
[http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/overview/case-
studies/arch...](http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/overview/case-
studies/archive/)
But "for some reason" I can't think Apple sharing their experience with a
platform online. It's not in their DNA, I think.
~~~
coob
Because Apple's agreements with these companies will include a clause stating
that they cannot publicly acknowledge they supply Apple.
------
newrenowhore
I feel like Apple's rejection of this app / DMCA shutdown of apple-tracker
supports its brilliantly annoying marketing - scarcity creates mystery. The
fact that you might not be able to get it makes you want it more; not knowing
what iPhones they have in stock adds a weird level of excitement to the
process of purchasing one.
Apple could make this app in a second, but they don't because they want you to
wonder, they want you to fret, and they want to make it that much more
satisfying when you actually get it.
------
CSDude
This is why HN should also display subdomains in submissions. This is a blog
of a random guy, which redirects to another domain, but gets most of the
attention because of heroku.com at the end. There are many apps being rejected
by Apple each day because of violating their ToS, and I fail to see why this
story would be more relevant than others.
~~~
batuhanicoz
It's a bit different rejection story from the most (but certainly not
different from all), that difference being Ahmet open-sourced his app, rather
then just whining about rejection and burying the code.
And, IMHO, if it wasn't relevant to the community, they wouldn't up-voted it
to the homepage.
Also, I agree HN should show subdomains for this kind[1] of sites.
[1] This kind being websites offering subdomains for user-genarated content
that is not related to the company which owns the domain.
------
whalesalad
Have you tried writing your own very thin wrapper for scraping Apple instead
of doing it directly inside of the actual application?
I like the app... It's clean and simple. I had this problem the other night. I
wanted to see stock of phones and unless you begin the process of upgrading
your line, you can't do that on mobile.
Anyway, seems like there might be a creative solution here if you run your own
lightweight proxy-like API so that on the surface it appears like you're not
scraping Apple. It also opens the door for repeating the experience of your
native app as a mobile friendly website.
~~~
aabalkan
They asked me how I find out exactly how many iPhones left in a Store and I
tell them I am using their AJAX call on mobile clients.
Even though I create a proxy, they had to validate how accurate my data is and
how I get it. So building a proxy won't help either I suppose. See other
comments here regarding a DCMA takedown happened yesterday for a website
launched very recently doing the same thing. This is just scary.
------
yanivs
Well, if you think there's a demand for it just do a mobile html version. It's
not a super complicated app to implement with html.
~~~
aabalkan
Not at all, but I won't be doing it I guess. If you'd like to pick this up,
logic is out there. It has a bit of manual work for getting SKU numbers of
products but I'm pretty sure it is doable.
------
batuhanicoz
Although it's not much of a use for me since I'm not in the U.S., looks nice,
polished, dead-simple. Ability to open store locations in Google Maps (in
addition to stock Maps.app) and remembering last chosen items are nice
features too. Too bad Apple is not very open to this kind of things.
By the way, does Apple's official Apple Store application has this feature?
------
jyap
On a related note, Apple also sent a DMCA take down notice to a site which did
something similar for iPhone 5S availability:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6680716](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6680716)
Site in question: [http://www.apple-tracker.com](http://www.apple-tracker.com)
~~~
aabalkan
Wow, that's big. Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't know what could be the
potential consequences of releasing this app. Apple really does not care if
you are making things easier for people as well as them.
------
cygwin98
Nice app. It reminds me of [http://www.refurb.me](http://www.refurb.me), which
is to track the stock of refurbished Apple devices.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
How Sanctions Helped Iranian Startups Thrive - duuuuuuude
http://techrasa.com/2015/06/24/how-sanctions-helped-iranian-startups-thrive/
======
SixSigma
Some say that Free Trade is really a tool of oppression. Third world countries
can never develop their own industry because they cannot compete because they
will never get over the Ricardian hump where their products will always be
inferior or more expensive.
All they can look forward to is low margin agriculture and exploitative
"offshore" manufacturing.
The solution would be self imposed sanctions aka trade tarrifs but the IMF and
WTO will punish you for trying.
[http://www.freetradedoesntwork.com/](http://www.freetradedoesntwork.com/)
~~~
duuuuuuude
I should disagree. In some cases you are right like high tech stuff but in
other cases that don't need that kind of tech like online retailing, mobile
apps and games and generally internet based services they could grow.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: icanhazdadjoke – dad joke api with slack/alexa integrations - brettlangdon
https://icanhazdadjoke.com/
======
brettlangdon
Hello,
I am the creator of
[https://icanhazdadjoke.com/](https://icanhazdadjoke.com/). As the product is
closing in on it's 1000th Slack installation, I figured it is about time I
start to tell the world more about it.
This project was a silly weekend idea that I had that slowly has grown
organically into over 900 Slack installs (with about 300-400 Slack
interactions per day), and over 50 Alexa installations (with around 10
interactions per day) without any marketing.
For those interested, the tech stack is:
* Python/Flask ([http://flask.pocoo.org/](http://flask.pocoo.org/))
* Flask-Ask ([https://github.com/johnwheeler/flask-ask](https://github.com/johnwheeler/flask-ask))
* Elasticsearch ([https://www.elastic.co/](https://www.elastic.co/))
* AWS S3 ([https://aws.amazon.com/s3/](https://aws.amazon.com/s3/))
* Caddy web server ([https://caddyserver.com/](https://caddyserver.com/))
* Cloudflare ([https://www.cloudflare.com/](https://www.cloudflare.com/))
I am happy to answer any questions anyone might have about the product.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Flipkart Raises $160M From Dragoneer Investment, Morgan Stanley Investment - dotmanish
http://www.medianama.com/2013/10/223-flipkart-160m-investment/
======
arihant
There are two points people miss in discussions around FLipkart:
1.) Flipkart in India is about access, not just convenience. Even with large
bookstores like Landmark, Crossword, etc. all over the city, not every book s
available all the time. Say I want to buy a Swiss army knife from a small city
- Flipkart is where I go!
2.) The ₹500 minimum order requirement is a bit of a pain. But Flipkart
usually still works out cheaper. Firstly, not many things apart from books
would be available for less than 500. And books on Flipkart are massively
discounted. I bought a book last week for ₹450, with a markup of ₹795. I
gladly paid the shipping and got it next day morning!
Anybody who is complaining about Flipkart should really try it. One day free
shipping halfway across the country is just crazy! No other e-com site does
that. Amazon doesn't provide that fast shipping for free either! And most
other e-com sites in the country are only about Fashion and Clothing, while
Amazon India is just a better looking ebay.
~~~
enscr
Flipkart is awesome but you can't say that they are incomparable. Innovation
in e-commerce in India is happening in logistics. And everyone is vying for
shipping as fast as possible and delivering on Sundays too.
Ultimately, Indian consumer is winning !
------
kamaal
Flipkart was once the go to site for any online shopping. But I guess the
Indian e-commerce ecosystem has come a long way from there. Today you have a
dozen operators in this scene. Its actually nothing new in India, once you are
successful a lot of try to replicate it albeit they do it better.
Either way, the biggest benefits that used to exist with Flipkart are gone.
They no longer ship free for purchases less than 500 rupees, so spending an
extra 50 when you can drive down to the nearest bookstore makes no sense. They
have also become famous when it comes to cancelling orders the very next day
you ordered, if the price of the goods you ordered went up.
In fact I guess Flipkart is now large transforming itself into an ebay kind of
site, I guess that's the way they will eventually go.
~~~
jeswin
Which are the sites that you think do it better? I have used a bunch of other
websites, but IMO from aesthetics to tracking Flipkart is way better. However,
there are things I find cheaper on SnapDeal.
Free shipping for less than Rs 500 is an unreasonable expectation. It will
cost more than 50 bucks (and a lot of time) to drive down given petrol prices.
Finally, the nearest book store may not be stocking what you need.
Eventually, Flipkart will become an Amazon. They seem to be following the
exact same path.
------
Alterlife
Flipkart doesn't have Amazon's reputation for customer service... and shows no
interest in improving it either.
I've been stung twice by inaccurate specs on their website before I decided to
keep away permanently: 1\. A phone which I kept. 2\. An LCD which I returned.
... And they always err on the the side which makes the product look better.
They do not fix the descriptions of when complained about, and they delete
reviews which point inaccuracies in the product description.
They're a terrible brand, and I hope they fail.
\-- edit:
A couple of examples:
1\. [http://www.flipkart.com/dell-
inspiron-14z-5423-ultrabook-2nd...](http://www.flipkart.com/dell-
inspiron-14z-5423-ultrabook-2nd-gen-ci3-2gb-500gb-win8-1gb-
graph/p/itmdn28bxkkttjrm?pid=COMDN283XYK8ZZ3J&otracker=from-
search&srno=t_1&query=ultrabook&ref=466f6302-405d-46ec-b203-e6ba37dd0cb0)
Dell Inspiration 14z "Ultrabook"... No SSD or msata.
2\.
[http://www.flipkart.com/laptops/pr?p%5B%5D=facets.processor%...](http://www.flipkart.com/laptops/pr?p%5B%5D=facets.processor%255B%255D%3DCore%2Bi5%2B%25282nd%2BGeneration%2529&p%5B%5D=sort%3Drelevance&sid=6bo%2Cb5g&q=intel+hd+graphics+4000#jumpTo=0|4)
Apple laptops are better than the others: 2nd generation Intel processor, but
they have Intel HD Graphics 4000.
Don't get me wrong. A few typos are fine.
The problem is that with Flipkart this is normal and they don't clean it up.
------
aniketpant
Flipkart definitely took the Indian market by storm. They offered Free
Shipping for orders even less than INR 200, and that too with Cash on
Delivery. That was rad. But, it was very much expected to go soon because a
company can't sustain that way.
Personally, I feel that the Indian customers expect a lot of free stuff which
is sort of ridiculous. I mean you have a number of book stores, showrooms
selling clothes, computers and loads of other things just next to your house,
yet you wait for an order which might arrive after a week. It makes sense if
you want to buy a coffee maker because that will come with free shipping and a
reduced price, but please don't expect the same for small items.
What interests me more is the fact that Flipkart is already close to Amazon's
marketplace at the moment and I am sure that it will continue to grow in that
direction. What if Amazon acquires Flipkart at some point of time?
~~~
kamaal
>>Personally, I feel that the Indian customers expect a lot of free stuff
which is sort of ridiculous.
The fact is that we are upto cultural problems here.
>>but please don't expect the same for small items.
Again, which part of India do you live? Have you seen how vegetable push cart
vendors, street salesmen or hawkers are treated. These people not just deliver
a very low price stuff for free, but go further and have to face bargains for
as little as 1 - 2 rupees.
------
jezclaremurugan
Flipkart is one of the main reasons online shopping has become prevalent in
India, but after becoming a marketplace they have messed up a bit (experiences
of some friends and [http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/Flipkart-screwed-me-
over-...](http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/Flipkart-screwed-me-over-Heres-
how-they_17224.html) for example). If they manage to get the trust back, they
have a great future, if not they will soon be unable to differentiate
themselves from the other sites that are so rapidly cropping up.
------
kartikkumar
I wonder how they are going to tackle supply chain issues. I think if they can
crack supply and distribution in a way that ensures that the mindset shifts
from "I can just go down the street and pick it up directly" to "this is so
damn convenient". With rising fuel costs, and with it, rising costs of living,
I think a company like Flipkart has the ability to stabilize markets. Will be
interesting to see where this heads, particularly with all the investors they
have on-board.
------
hrjet
The biggest difference between Flipkart of today and that of yesteryear is
that Flipkart is now a marketplace. This is unwieldy. There are 5 different
sellers for the same goods with different prices, different offers, and
different shipping rates. Moreover, the free shipping offer can't be used when
you are purchasing from multiple vendors.
The other sad news was the closure of their digital music store. Flipkart
please take my money and give me back the music!
~~~
Nickste
I find that Flipkart does a pretty good job of managing your expectations in
terms of delivery, even though you're buying from a 3rd party supplier. They
update you when the seller accepts the order, packs it, when it is collected
from the seller and finally through the entire delivery process.
------
ateevchopra
What Flipkart has done in so much less time is amazing. Their Logistics are
much much better. My college is in a remote area of Chennai. SO there aren't
much shops nearby. So the entire population of my college depends on flipkart
for its daily needs. This has solved a very big problem for us. And I'm sure
there are lot more colleges in India who are connected to the supermarkets via
flipkart.
------
fedvasu
Am I the only guy rooting for Snapdeal? I mean yeah, currently flipkart is
better than snapdeal, but snapdeal has better pricing and variety in
products,Snapdeal needs good engineering talent now,specially with their
search and filtering of products.
------
linux_devil
$500M of total funding is mammoth . I wonder whats going on . Since guruji
couldn't become Google of India(Google of India is Google). I can't see
Flipkart to be Amazon of India
------
uhsnamih
I wonder why the investors chose to forego combined annual interest of over
25M (~ 541*0.05), for a non profit.
~~~
thewarrior
Good question. Maybe they know something we don't ?
------
mydarshankumar
Rahul Gandhi's 'Jupiter Escape Velocity' seems like a good metaphor for
Flipkart's fund-raising prowess.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Learning languages is a workout for brains, both young and old - Libertatea
http://news.psu.edu/story/334349/2014/11/12/research/learning-languages-workout-brains-both-young-and-old
======
facepalm
Quote from the second paragraph:
"Learning and practicing something, for instance a second language,
strengthens the brain"
So it is not just languages, but generally learning stuff. Who would have
thought...
~~~
Estragon
Yes, and unless you're planning on an extended stay somewhere you'll put it to
use, there are so many alternatives which are likely to be more valuable than
learning a language.
~~~
gumby
There are other reasons to learn a language, such as access to its literature.
For example, once I left school I was no longer in an "extended stay where I
could put it to use" (in this case, Greek and Latin) but the pleasures of the
languages and cultures (especially the ancient Greeks who were _weird_) caused
me to continue to use them.
But learning _anything_ is good for the soul...and as Blake said, there is a
universe in a grain of sand.
------
kitd
I attribute much of my expertise at software development to learning languages
at school.
Translating a piece of text from one language to another consists of
abstracting the core ideas and meaning from the text using the first language
and reimplementing them in a natural way in the second. This is a very similar
mental process to taking real-world concepts and reimplementing them in
software.
Among the languages I learnt was Latin, which is a very "elegant" language.
Ie, it conveys much meaning in few words. Being able to do the same in
software still gives me a buzz after 25 years.
~~~
melling
Honestly, I'm not sure computer programming is even remotely related to
language learning. If it were we would probably see more evidence. Anyway, I
taught myself how to program while I was in high school, a few decades ago.
Learning Spanish probably took me a decade and I never really got it until I
immersed myself by studying in Guatemala for 10 weeks then backpacking to
Argentina over the next several months. Actually, I considered myself good by
Colombia. People didn't respond in English and I didn't have to repeat myself.
~~~
RevRal
All human languages consist of syntax and phonetics. Programming languages act
as an intermediary between human intelligence and machine intelligence. We
almost always require the language aspect of programming to communicate with
computer hardware. It is a link for compiling syntax between both the human
mind and the computer mind. We need a common means to compile information,
just like communicating ideas between people. Programming languages are
exactly the same thing as traditional spoken language.
I'll argue that to parse any language requires a specific cognitive skill.
Ever sentence diagram, look up a word in the dictionary, or look up what
specific programming "words" do in a computer?
------
walterbell
Interlinear (2 or 3 different languages in alternate line) versions of ancient
religious texts are a good learning tool, because the source text has received
much translator attention over time.
Foreign-language bibles were one of the tools used by the inimitable sci-fi
writer R.A. Lafferty ([http://ralafferty.org](http://ralafferty.org)) to gain
a reading knowledge of ten languages.
~~~
violiner
I was cautioned against using this approach too much when I studied Classical
Greek and Latin in college.
There are two potential problems, as I understand it. First, learning a
language, particularly an ancient language, involves learning ancient words
for things that have no analog in modern life, whereas translation involves
mapping those very things onto their closest equivalent in a modern language.
It would be too easy using the interlinear method to start thinking that the
Greek word 'krater' means a bowl or cup, when really it is a specific type of
bowl used for mixing wine. That can really only be learned by consulting a
dictionary, and probably a few pictures.
The second issue is only really a problem for people who are particularly
familiar with the text in translation - it's very very easy to start mentally
reciting the translation you're familiar with instead of actually parsing the
original text. This is one reason that Attic Greek is preferred to Koine (New
Testament), even though Koine is generally simpler. Even a secular person
usually has enough familiarity with the Bible to make this an issue.
I certainly wouldn't say that this method can't be used profitably, but rather
that one should be careful not to fall into those particular traps. The same
criticisms could be made to relying on the Loeb editions.
Also, minor nitpick: The New Testament isn't really written in Classical
Greek, it's in Koine. Going from Koine to any classical dialect is going to be
much more difficult than going from any classical dialect to Koine, due to the
simplified grammar and vocabulary of Koine Greek.
~~~
nemo
Back in grad. school in Classics the professors called students who depended
on the inter-text translations the "Loeb Rangers."
Also, while it's true that you're better off learning Attic first, learning
some Koine can give some the vocab. and conceptual grounding in the
inflections to get a handle on Attic, so long as you don't stick with Koine
for years it's not such a bad approach.
~~~
violiner
My Greek professor called them the Loebomenoi.
------
tokenadult
I could have a big-time bias toward believing this headline is true as
written. (See my user profile here on Hacker News for more details about my
language studies.) But I wonder if the really generalizable finding is simply
that adult learners taking on a new challenging learning topic prompt their
brains to grow and stay flexible longer. For me, after learning a lot of
natural human languages, brushing up and extending my knowledge of mathematics
for a career change seemed to provide a fair amount of intellectual growth.
Maybe now it's time for me to take up music lessons or an active team sport
like soccer. There is always time to learn something new, and there seem to be
a lot of benefits from learning almost anything.
~~~
drcomputer
I personally seek new, ridiculous, absurd, positive things to learn that no
one has written about. Sometimes I feel like I get a touch of it, the more
careful and in control I am with writing code. Life is fun when it's positive
and unpredictable.
------
chipuni
The article seems to contradict itself.
"Of the subjects learning the new vocabulary, those who were more successful
in attaining the information showed a more connected brain network than both
the less successful participants and those who did not learn the new
vocabulary."
Those who were successful showed a real improvement. But what of those who
weren't successful?
"The researchers also found that the participants who were successful learners
had a more connected network than the other participants even before learning
took place."
So... people could be grouped into success or failure even before the
learning.
Those who weren't genetically set up for it, got little advantage.
~~~
didibus
I thought the same thing, I didn't see anything in the article that mentioned
that learning a new language improved your brain, unless you already had a
very good and connected brain to learn the language.
Maybe we can infer that if you try to learn somethign which you don't have the
brain capacity to learn, it will be of no use. But if you try and learn
something at your level of brain capacity, it will improve your brain.
Therefore, to improve your brain you need to challenge it everytime with
something it's capable of solving. Sounds a lot like it's saying, just
actively practice your brain.
------
fuzzythinker
I've been teaching my 2.2 yr old son 3 languages since birth. I speak 60/40
Chinese/English to him and my wife speaks 100% Japanese to him. We only let
him watch around 1 hr of TV a day, a mix of 3 languages too. So far, he's
vocabulary is only ba(dad), ma, and go (throw toy for our dog to fetch).
I wonder if his confusion over the 3 languages pay the major part for his late
speaking abilities, or if he got too much of my left brain genes, or a bit of
both. Anyone here with experience teaching their kids 3+ languages since
birth? What was their speaking ability like around this age?
~~~
michah
We have two boys who are tri-lingual (thai, german, english). The essential
thing is that the kid makes the association:
one person = one language
If you speak both English and Chinese to your son, he might be later confused
on what words are from which language.
I would recommend you only speak Chinese to him. For our kids, English is now
their strongest language but it was only taught by their 'environment' i.e.
kindergarten / school and they started with English only at age 2-3. Now they
talk English with each other (before they went through a period in which they
talked German or Thai with each other). So you should not underestimate the
'environment language'.
Also, you might consider having some other relatives speaking certain specific
languages with your son (e.g. grandparents). This could reinforce their
language skills.
Personally, I do not believe that learning languages from TV is effective.
Learning languages is about relationships and interaction. I think the 1 hr
per day would be better spend on interacting with your son in the respective
language, e.g. by playing memory game etc.
Regarding late development of speaking. We did not experience this with our
kids. But they might be a bit delayed when learning to read and write because
of different phonetic rules of the respective languages.
~~~
gumby
> The essential thing is "one person = one language"
I was told this by many people but I am not sure why they say this.
My wife and I always spoke a mixture (German/French) together so of course did
so also with our kid (plus English/Spanish outside the house). He had no
problem, and in school or was quite orthodox in regards to which language to
speak with which person. But at home or with relatives and polyglot friends he
would switch back and forth. His classmates seemed to be the same.
I have seen my mother, in her 70s, switch mid sentence when arguing with her
brother. Then turn and speak to my father in English.
------
geekam
Is there a certain way that languages are supposed to be learnt to maximize
brain workout? In other words, does one way of learning a new language benefit
more than the other?
I use Duolingo for learning new language(s).
~~~
melling
Many people claim that spaced repetition systems are the best way to learn, in
general. Anki is a well known app that uses it.
[http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaced_repetition](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaced_repetition)
[https://ankiweb.net](https://ankiweb.net)
I believe Duolingo uses this technique to some extent.
By the way, I've been dabbling with iOS language learning apps. I've been
trying to add simple games to help with the repetition that's required to
learn a new language. Plus, I recently add a thousand images so people can
learn by associating the foreign word with a picture. I think it can be better
than associating the word with your native language. I've built apps for
several languages (French, German, Italian,Russian,...). Here's my Spanish
app: [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/h4-spanish-
lite/id388918463?...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/h4-spanish-
lite/id388918463?mt=8)
I also started building a language site to gather my notes in one place and
try out new ideas: [http://thespanishsite.com](http://thespanishsite.com)
~~~
Kronopath
Spaced repetition is excellent for building vocabulary and learning new words.
I'm less convinced of its effectiveness for more subtle things like grammar
and sentence structure—those are the kinds of things that don't fit well on a
flashcard. I'd say those things are more well-developed through deliberate
practice and interactions with other speakers of the language.
I'll throw out a recommendation for Memrise
([http://memrise.com](http://memrise.com)) as well.
------
madnan
I wonder if learning different programming languages does the same? Or as the
comment earlier states, is it just a matter of challenging yourself and
learning new things that does the same?
------
davyjones
If you want a really really good workout, practice writing with your non-
dominant hand.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Teenager jailed for refusing to hand over computer password - kgermino
http://www.itworld.com/legal/123153/teenager-jailed-refusing-hand-over-computer-password
======
moxiemk1
I don't know if a law compelling you to reveal encryption keys to the
government/police/courts is valid in the UK.
I do, however, know that such a law is morally reprehensible. Quite frankly,
it is in the interest of the people to ensure encryption tools are entirely
useable by criminals, gangsters, and terrorists, because that ensures they are
entirely useable by lawful citizens as well.
Unlike guns (something possible to "defend liberty" as well as commit crime
with), encryption has no victims, has no negative consequences. It can _hide_
negative things, but it merely provides automation for knowing something you
refuse to tell.
Edit: spelling
~~~
ax0n
It is valid, and it is morally reprehensible. In the US, the Fifth Amendment
protects us from such travesties.
~~~
gunzler
Has there been a case where the Fifth Amendment protected someone from
disclosing a password? I'm not sure that giving up your password is analogous
to being forced to testify against yourself.
Edit: Indeed there has been a case, and so far the Fifth Amendment is holding
strong: [http://cyb3rcrim3.blogspot.com/2010/04/passwords-and-5th-
ame...](http://cyb3rcrim3.blogspot.com/2010/04/passwords-and-5th-amendment-
privilege.html)
~~~
praptak
_"I'm not sure that giving up your password is analogous to being forced to
testify against yourself."_
This one is tricky. It depends on ones beliefs about the true reasons for the
anti-self-incrimination laws. If you believe (as I do) that it is a
fundamental right to remain silent whenever it could make your situation
worse, then it is indeed analogous.
An opposing view is that not being forced to testify against oneself comes
from other, more basic reasons. One of the "higher-order" reasons against
forced self-incrimination might be that punishment for refusing self-
incrimination gives incentive to false self-accusation. This one does not
apply to forced revealing of passwords (you cannot falsely self-accuse in this
case.)
------
RiderOfGiraffes
Same story from three weeks ago with many, _many_ comments.
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1760700>
It's very likely that any comments here will cover the same ground, so if
you're interested in might be worth reading the comments there first.
~~~
marze
Three weeks later and this fast food worker is still in jail. I guess in the
UK there is no "innocent until proven guilty" and that's why some left to form
the USA a while back. This story couldn't occur in the USA.
~~~
evgen
_This story couldn't occur in the USA._
Actually it can and does. If a judge compels you to turn over your password as
a part of the discovery process and you refuse then you can be served with a
contempt warrant and go straight to jail without trial and with limited
possibility to appeal.
~~~
daten
What you have said isn't true or accurate.
On December 17, 2006, defendant Sebastien Boucher was arrested on a complaint
charging him with transportation of child pornography in violation of 18
U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(1). At the time of his arrest government agents seized from
him a laptop computer containing child pornography. The government has now
determined that the relevant files are encrypted, password-protected, and
inaccessible. The grand jury has subpoenaed Boucher to enter a password to
allow access to the files on the computer. Boucher has moved to quash the
subpoena on the grounds that it violates his Fifth Amendment right against
self-incrimination.
The district court held that Boucher could invoke the Fifth Amendment and
refuse to comply.
[http://cyb3rcrim3.blogspot.com/2007/12/court-upholds-
using-f...](http://cyb3rcrim3.blogspot.com/2007/12/court-upholds-using-fifth-
amendment-to.html)
They later worked around it by requiring him to provide the decrypted contents
of the drive instead of the password itself since a border agent witnessed
some of the files on the drive and he wouldn't be providing new evidence.
[http://cyb3rcrim3.blogspot.com/2009/03/5th-amendment-
bummer....](http://cyb3rcrim3.blogspot.com/2009/03/5th-amendment-bummer.html)
------
eiji
This brings up an idea for TrueCrypt.
Why not have two passwords: "foo" and "bar".
If I type in "foo", I get my stuff. If I type in "bar", it may selfdestruct
the data, but at least it will show a different content.
So I create a 100GB container, and reserve 10GB as dummy content, maybe 1 mio.
copies of the constitution, which will show up with "bar" as password. So I
have a password for the police, and everybody is happy.
~~~
kgo
Already in there...
I think they call them shadow volumes...
------
templaedhel
>> originally arrested for another alleged offence last May. It would be
interesting to know the nature of this crime. Was it technology related, or
was the computer ceased for less direct relationship with the crime?
------
olegkikin
1) Plant an encrypted file on somebody's computer.
2) Call the police.
3) ???
------
dotBen
A few random thoughts:
1) While it is true to say you are protected under First and Fifth Amendment
rights from having to disclose a password here in the US, it doesn't cover
border inspections (including airport custom/immigration, where it is
considered you are in 'no mans land'). The legal issues of this are currently
going through the courts based around the number of people who have had their
laptops searched (passwords are requested at the time of the search if
necessary). But even if this is resolved, it probably will only apply to US
Citizens and not visitors.
2) The chap who has gone to prison for not disclosing his password will go
back again for another term if he doesn't disclose the password when he is
released. Someone mentioned "maybe it's better to server 90 days in prison for
not disclosing the password then to be caught with something more
incriminating on his hard drive". That is mitigated by the fact that each
request is treated separately so he could be in prison indefinitely if he
doesn't comply :/
3) I've always thought a great defense would be to have your password
something like "gofuckyourself" or "obvious". That way if someone asks you for
your password you can say "go fuck yourself" or "dude, it's obvious". When you
go to court you can say "no, I fully complied. The password was
'gofuckyourself'"
------
ojilles
Some really good PDF on how this works in Europe, the Netherlands and
comparisons to US law. (I took me quite some time to find something looking
authoritative enough to actually read.)
"If Alice has stored her key on a diskette or a smart card, and if Polly is
certain of its existence and Alice’s possession of them, she can summon Alice
to deliver it – at least, in the United States she can, and also in European
countries, according to the European Court’s decision in Saunders. In the
Netherlands, article 107 paragraph 1 DCCP, however, prohibits Polly from
commanding delivery from suspects."
Further on (page 11) goes on to state that a key that doesn't exist in the
physical plane might be considered admission, and therefore protected. That is
unless it is demonstrated that the suspect used the same key (elsewhere)
recently -- in which case it's already "admitted" by the suspect and the s/he
needs to deliver the key.
[http://rechten.uvt.nl/koops/THESIS/cryptocontroversy-
ch08.PD...](http://rechten.uvt.nl/koops/THESIS/cryptocontroversy-ch08.PDF)
------
dot-sean
I think the point here is that this Teenager thinks that the punishment for
not handing over the password can't be as long as the punishment for proving a
crime using the evidence stored on his harddrive. I didn't go to the link, but
from what I remember, he's accused of possessing child porn. In US, it would
be as easy as saying, I've been under so much duress because of all this, that
I forgot what the key is and where I kept it. I mean, they can't keep him
locked up forever, right.
~~~
Dylanlacey
And that's the magic phrase right there. Along with "Terrorism", "Drugs" and
"Rape", "Child Porn" is a bogeyman which many people feel justifies a
reduction in rights of a serious nature.
Are they right? Well, that's not something I'm going to speculate on, but I
believe the judicial system will push as hard as people expect/will permit
them too. If the encrypted data was stolen e-books, I doubt they'd be so very
harsh.
I think it's bollucks, however. I think you should have no punishment for
refusing to help convict yourself, regardless of what you may have done.
------
jinushaun
Doesn't sound like much of a story. He's jailed for obstruction of justice.
His password was requested because he was already arrested and under
investigation for something else. The fact that it's a computer password
doesn't make this a 21st century "Big Brother" issue.
------
ax0n
If he was using Truecrypt Deniable Filesystem with FDE (and the proper
protocols), we wouldn't even be having this conversation.
------
jws
✓ Old story (October 6th).
✓ Original article omits context.
✓ US Constitution does not cover the British.
✓ Already covered. <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1760700>
No discussion required.
~~~
talbina
Word War II:
✓ Old story (September 1, 1939).
✓ Thousands of articles likely omitting full context.
✓ US Constitution does not cover the British.
✓ Already covered. <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1507526>
No discussion required.
~~~
eru
I agree without irony.
------
gstar
If Moore's Law keeps working, this is a ticking time bomb for him. If the
police stay interested and crack his crypto, he'll do more time for whatever
he's concealed on his computer (if anything).
~~~
sp4rki
Who knows what he does have in that hard drive. Maybe 4 months in prison is
significantly better to what might happen if they do get to his data. Hell 4
months in jail because he refused to give a password sounds a lot better than
a sexual offender conviction for 4 years.
In any case, if I was him I wouldn't worry about them decrypting the data in
my lifetime. Do you know how many millions of years would it take to decrypt a
50 random char pass phrase decent encryption. Lots of those. So unless there
is a breakthrough on computing power several magnitudes bigger than what we
have experienced and the money to dedicate millions of computers to the cause,
or someone finds a loophole in the encryption algorithm (highly unlikely if
using any type of military grade encryption), his data won't be decrypted.
~~~
proexploit
And yet, I'm surprised by technological advancement every day. If you'd asked
me several years ago if I thought we'd have artificial limbs controlled by
thoughts, I'd have said it was far far away.
It's a race between the statute of limitations and encryption/computing
technology. (I do agree it seems unlikely).
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Why there isn't any Instagram or Tweets from people live in Gaza? - qhoc
I am just curious. They do have internet, right?
======
wingi
[http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2014/07/25/gazaundera...](http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2014/07/25/gazaunderattack-
people-fleeing-gaza-by-whatever-means-available/)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Alternative to Evernote and Springpadit? - cpursley
Has anyone found a good alternative to Evernote and Springpadit? Something that's not so bloated but more than a to-do-list? Simple categories and basic tagging is all I'm looking for - photos and attachements aren't necessary. A mobile app is a plus.
======
johnmurch
Here are a few to take a look at:
[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/awesome-note-
todo/id32020339...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/awesome-note-
todo/id320203391?mt=8)
[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/photomind-picture-
reminders/...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/photomind-picture-
reminders/id412456413?mt=8)
[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lifetopix-calendars-to-
do/id...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lifetopix-calendars-to-
do/id399076264?mt=8)
[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/awesome-note-
todo/id32020339...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/awesome-note-
todo/id320203391?mt=8)
[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/2do-tasks-done-in-
style/id30...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/2do-tasks-done-in-
style/id303656546?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4)
<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/clear/id493136154?mt=8>
[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wunderlist-task-
manager/id40...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wunderlist-task-
manager/id406644151?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4)
[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toodledo-to-do-
list/id292755...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toodledo-to-do-
list/id292755387?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4)
[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/teuxdeux/id384291782?mt=8...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/teuxdeux/id384291782?mt=8&ign-
mpt=uo%3D4)
[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/orchestra-to-
do/id459356540?...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/orchestra-to-
do/id459356540?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4)
[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/air-to-do-attractive-
intuiti...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/air-to-do-attractive-
intuitive/id407948043?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4)
Hope that helps!
------
cpursley
I should add that I'd prefer a web app. And I'm on Windows Phone - an in
browser app is fine too.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: When was the last really transformational idea in programming languages? - gruseom
This question came up in another thread (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=470838) and got me thinking. Smalltalk dates from the early 70s; Lisp, APL, and Forth are all earlier. When was the last innovation that can truly be called fundamental?<p>We're not talking language features here. Obviously a great deal of refinement and elaboration has taken place since 1971. To qualify, an idea has to be deeper than that. It needs to have the paradigmatic quality that the above do. (Edit: I'm not looking for historical arguments so much as asking what ideas people <i>feel</i> have this quality.)<p>The only other candidate I can think of off the top of my head is Backus' 1977 work on FP, which certainly struck me as fundamental when I read it, though now I'm not so sure.<p>Others?
======
dfranke
The ability to securely dynamically load and execute arbitrary untrusted code
within the same address space as trusted code, ala the Java bytecode verifier.
I'm not certain whether the creators of Java invented this idea, but they were
certainly the first to popularize it.
------
pg
When was any? I find these sorts of things crumble in your hands, because as
soon as you pick a candidate you find yourself thinking "but that was just a
variant of such-and-such earlier idea."
~~~
sctb
I think that such transformational ideas, although possibly variations on
previous ideas like you say, can have a certain distinct paradigmatic quality
that the OP is referring to. I would offer up Miranda (1985) as an example:
non-strict, purely functional.
~~~
sctb
It appears that Turner has languages in this paradigm dating back to 1972 with
SASL. Are there others?
------
apu
Alan Kay has been asking this question for a long time now. His "Viewpoints
Research Institute" is doing some interesting work in this direction.
<http://vpri.org/>
One of their projects is to see if they can build a complete software stack --
from the OS through the GUI and networking/graphics libraries to end-user
software -- all in 20,000 lines of code total.
They have already made some major progress in the past few years. I highly
recommend reading (or skimming) their progress report from last year. In
addition to being quite impressive, it also has several cool ideas that I had
not seen directly before:
<http://www.vpri.org/pdf/tr2007008_steps.pdf>
~~~
david927
I really applaud they're effort, and I'm an incredible fan of Alan Kay, but I
think they're jumping the gun. They weren't required to change the stack. It's
helpful, sure, but I think they should have waited until they hit beautiful
enough technology that would require such a change (as beautiful enough
technology will).
And focusing on code size is possibly misleading, as code size does not
exactly equal orthogonality.
~~~
apu
I have to disagree on all counts. In roughly reverse order:
_focusing on code size is possibly misleading_
It's not the best metric, but it's close enough in this case. The whole
problem is that large commercial (and some open-source) systems are in the
_millions_ of lines of code. What is all that code doing?
_code size does not exactly equal orthogonality_
One implies the other, at least in the way they've phrased the problem. Their
goal is to build _everything_ using only 20,000 lines of code. This means they
have a strict overall budget and therefore cannot afford any duplication
anywhere.
_They weren't required to change the stack_
You can't go from millions of lines to 20,000 by making incremental changes.
The whole system from the ground-up has to be rebuilt with the code budget in
mind.
_they should have waited until they hit beautiful enough technology that
would require such a change_
They would be waiting forever. At some point, you have to dive in. Nothing
good ever gets built without several iterations. Combine this with the fact
that frameworks and languages are best built simultaneously with the
applications that will use them (so that the levels of abstraction are
correctly tuned), and I think their approach is perfect. By being forced to
consider all levels of the stack, they achieve all of these goals.
Incidentally, they're not hoping to get the system built in one go. They're
"building [at least] one to throw away", as Brooks said. They are building a
rough version of the system (over-budget on lines) to see where the problems
are. Then, they will use this first system to build the real thing.
At its heart, this project seems like an ideal way to do research into
computing systems. Take on a daring project which will require many innovative
ideas -- some small, some large -- while making sure that you're always tied
to reality by having concrete goals and need to have some sort of a working
system at all times.
~~~
david927
Thanks, Apu. I understood that these were their reasons and I certainly find
them valid; we're talking about an amazing group of people here.
What I was trying to say was: to be brave, That it wouldn't be about waiting
forever. Jumping in is important but keep a wide perspective and be able to
throw it all out, over and over again. What they're looking for isn't going to
come incrementally from code size. They've been given a golden chance here and
I think they should consider being brave enough to lose site of shore -- to go
for broke. I think the Alan of the 1970's would have done that.
------
davo11
type inferencing as used in haskell et al, that's a fairly recent development
- early 90's/late 80's?
Category theory is another perhaps - it's from the 40's but it's application
to programming is new - 80's perhaps?
~~~
watmough
I suspect the Hindley-Milner type inference algorithm probably showed up in
the early 80's, since ML had it, and I was taught Standard-ML in the 84ish
timeframe.
Of course there may be pre-ML work predating even that.
------
nostrademons
Most really fundamental ideas are only recognizable in hindsight, after people
have built other ideas on top of them. If I remember the early/mid 80s
correctly, the hot language was BASIC because it came with most microcomputers
and would supposedly enable a new generation of hobbyist programmers. (Which
it did, but they grew up to program in C++, Python, and JavaScript, not
Basic.)
There're a lot of really interesting ideas going on in the programming
language research community right now. Subtext, Epigram, associated types,
Goo(ze) (which unfortunately seems to have been abandoned), JoCaml, STM, etc.
Unfortunately, it probably won't be possible to judge the worth of these ideas
for another 20 years.
~~~
cubix
There is a demo video of Subtext here:
<http://www.subtextual.org/subtext2.html>. It looks like it would be fun to
play with. Too bad we can't download it yet.
~~~
MaysonL
you can download the code for that demo: <http://subtextual.org/subtext2.zip>
------
jlouis
Operational semantics has transformed language theory quite a lot in my
opinion. It has set a new precedent for precision in describing programming
languages. I would hope that more new languages began to pick that idea up.
And then to use formal machine verified methods for verifying its meta-theory.
------
shailesh
The question reminds of the notion of processes and channels in Occam with
constructs for parallelizing based on Tony Hoare's CSP theory.
~~~
jacquesm
It's a good thing I read the thread before commenting because that was
_exactly_ what I was going to write!
Naturally you've got my vote.
Let me add a bit of history to reduce the 'me too' content: There was an
interesting hardware development at the same time which was specifically
tailored to these channels, the 'transputer' by INMOS.
The whole upshot of this idea was that processors and a bit of support
structure would live on a small dimm like package that you could stick into a
base platform to create a mini cluster on a card.
I think this idea was well ahead of its time and that eventually we'll see
something very much like it as our future hardware architecture. After all the
current trend towards clustering and miniaturization all point in that
direction.
~~~
halo
You might be interested in XMOS (<https://www.xmos.com/>), a start-up ran by
David May formerly the architect of the Transputer and the designer of Occam
at INMos, who are creating new parallel processors based around a parallel
variant of C called XC.
------
njharman
I'm not a language connoisseur so don't know if this meets your paradigmatic
quality test and it's kind of old, early 80's, but significant indentation as
popularized but not invented by Python. [http://python-
history.blogspot.com/2009/02/early-language-de...](http://python-
history.blogspot.com/2009/02/early-language-design-and-development.html)
I believe it is a large factor of why Python has/is gaining mindshare in
technical but non-programmer fields, education, science. If true and continues
seems transformational to me.
------
tlb
One place where big new ideas are badly needed is in robotics. No existing
language is a good match for programming continuous, dynamic movement. I've
been working on a bunch of techniques to make it easier, but they're not ready
for general use yet.
------
tome
Monadic models of computation, in Haskell etc?
------
watmough
Practical implementations of languages based on lambda calculus and graph-
reduction.
KRC, SASL, Miranda. Simon Peyton-Jones was a key driver of some of this work,
and obviously he's still a major force behind Haskell.
------
david927
I've been working on something for a while that I think could represent a
fundamental shift in constructing software. It's essentially an environment
that takes collections of nodes and assembles them into self-defined
constructs. Since there's nothing more than these simple key-value nodes,
anything that is created is a matter of cloning an existing node, removing
one, or setting the nodes state. There's no textual syntax besides operators
in expressions. I haven't published the results yet, but if you're interested
in finding out more, feel free to email me.
------
DaniFong
I would say the programming aesthetics really do count for something. This has
influenced Python, Mathematica, Arc, Fortress, and the list goes on. Yet it's
fairly new.
------
stuki
Don't know how transformational it has been yet, but I feel the idea that all
side effecting code needs to be specifically noted by the programmer, a la
Haskell, will one day be seen as a watershed.
We're only at the very early stages of the parallelisation of hardware, but as
that trend intensifies, I can't imagine compiling efficient code without
explicit compiler knowledge of what code might side effect.
------
cpr
What's funny is that even all the latest trace-compiling (V8, TraceMonkey) and
JIT-ting (lots of others) implementation technologies for dynamic languages
date from the early 80s (the Schiffman-Deutsch JITting Smalltalk compiler,
specifically).
Though there was also a fair bit of Self optimization work going on at the
same time--don't know if Alan's and Peter's work was the very first of its
kind.
------
wheels
Two things that I'd probably call just features of OO languages, but seem
significant:
\- Type-safe generic programming
\- Introspection
~~~
GeoJawDguJin
Typesafe generics have been in ML from the get-go (1970s) from what I
remember. People like to talk about how type inference is useful, but it's
really the generic polymorphism that makes it shine.
I was hacking together an Arc interpreter in Haskell the other day, and after
refactoring some of the hairier monadic code, I was horrified to see that the
type signature for a particular function was twice as long as the function
body. And that's _with_ the compiler figuring it out for me... I don't know
what I'd have done if it was C++ instead.
~~~
nostrademons
It's really amusing (in an oh-my-God-I'm-fucked way) to try and debug type
errors in Happy-generated parsers. There have been times when the _type_ of
the function (not even the whole error message) has been a page long.
C++ STL code can be similarly (un)fun.
~~~
wheels
Intel's C++ compiler produces much more readable error message, I find.
Though, almost perversely, I've gotten used enough to GCC's cryptic template
error output that I'm more comfortable with it.
------
davo11
What about javascript's dynamic object model, where the objects can be changed
at run time? I don't think this was possible earlier on, can't remember if
this was possible in smalltalk or self?
The idea of the DOM?
Both mid 90's
~~~
BigZaphod
Javascript's design owes a lot to Self. Modifying an object's slots in
realtime was pretty much the whole point of Self and what lead to the concept
of a prototype language. (Well, technically, I think Self was simply an
implementation of the already-existent prototype language idea... but is an
idea actually useful before there's an implementation of it to test theories
with? Chicken-egg... :))
The DOM (as in Document Object Model defined by W3C) has nothing to do with
Javascript - it's just an API originally designed for accessing the various
parts of HTML. It was set up so that it could be implemented for almost any
language. In fact, had it actually used some of the more advanced (Self-
inspired) features of Javascript within the definition of the DOM, the DOM may
not have been such a pain in the ass. :)
What Javascript did manage to do that was very important is that it ended up
becoming not only the most installed programming language of all time, but
unlike BASIC, it's actually a pretty damn good language under the covers. So
if anything, the fundamental innovation of Javascript within every browser has
basically yielded another BASIC-like inspiration to a whole new generation of
programmers. Except this time, their intro language was much more abstractly
powerful.
------
gaerfield
Somewhere/Sometimes comes the point where fundamental ideas just evolve or
merge's. Democracy is one of these examples, just from a other domain. Future
improvements would be massive parallelism and languages would evolve on this.
------
cchooper
How about regular expressions as an essential part of a modern, general
purpose language (rather than a separate mini-language)?
------
jderick
Model checking.
------
vlisivka
Inversion Of Control principle and Dependency Injection - 2002-2005. That is
single possible answer.
~~~
apage43
Is there a difference between IoC and callbacks? In any case, I don't think it
can be said to be -quite- that recent.
------
jimfl
XSLT. Hahahahahaha!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The last woman - How long do countries have until their populations disappear? - sasvari
http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/08/populations
======
Dn_Ab
The obligatory xkcd link to go with this article[1]. But to turn this in a
more interesting direction, there are many unimaginable things that can happen
in 5,000 years and I can think of a few. And also reasons why people choosing
to self correct downwards might be not so bad. Some of the below were very
uncomfortable for me to imagine although I try to practice not closing my
mind.
_Increased Productivity_ \- So far, technology has made each person much more
productive but it has also made them more expensive on the environment. I
don't see that changing. And with more people being able to do more, the base
level of required population drops. so a self chosen drop might be optimal for
society's continued well being.
_Life span increases and uploaded minds_ \- If I were alive in 5000 years I
would be suprised if the average life span had not been extended by a
significant amount. Not to mention the possibility of minds hosted [2] on
computations carried out by photons, particle spin or whatever phlebotinum
they have.
_Environmental stress_ \- With people living longer and getting ever more
expensive for the earth to host maybe it is ok that we are already self
correcting now. Food may not be a problem but exponentially growing economic
productivity could be. A lot of the environmental damage would be greatly
reduced if there were less people[3]. This is a very dangerous line of
thinking to traverse though and must be done only by those with a temperment
strongly fortified with wisdom. Too rational an approach at scale will not be
good for the individual.
_Designer Babies_ \- I read that people are already filtering baby genders
and against diseases while they are still embryos [4]. It is only a matter of
time till filtering graduates to optimization. Ignoring the possibility of a
brave new world or gattaca scenario and the subsequent upheaval then
destabilization of society as the have nots revolt, such a population could
easily optimally repopulate the world at a controlled rate without people
having to marry to make babies.
[1] <http://xkcd.com/605/>
[2] The idea of mind uploading I find thrilling but very uncomfortable. Even
if I were one such uploaded being, the difference between that being and I
would dwarf the difference between me and a bacterium. I may as well have
died.
[3] Assuming it is not the endpath of civilization to completely dismantle its
planet for its needs. and then go invisible.
[4] [http://singularityhub.com/2009/02/25/designer-babies-like-
it...](http://singularityhub.com/2009/02/25/designer-babies-like-it-or-not-
here-they-come/)
~~~
nazgulnarsil
"I may as well have died."
then die, lots of people do. your assertion of a discontinuity between
yourself and your upload is baseless.
~~~
xyzzyz
So if I upload my mind to a replacement body, but not destroy the current one,
by continuity I get to control two bodies? Sounds cool, but somehow I don't
believe it.
This whole discussion is baseless as long as we have no clue about the origin
and mechanism of consciousness.
~~~
klipt
I think we have a lot of clues (based on neuroscience), lay people just have
trouble understanding them because they don't fit their preconceptions.
Basically: you are (mostly) your brain. If there are suddenly two copies of
your brain (whether meat or silicon), there will be two "you"s which will
diverge upon receiving different sensory inputs. Both will be "continuous"
with past "you" in that they will share memories formed prior to divergence.
However without some kind of telepathic link, they will not be continuous with
each other (apart from normal communication).
The question of "which one is real" is like asking which deep copy of a
variable is "real".
However, destroying one's physical copy in favor of having only a virtual copy
living at the mercy of some Matrix would be an ... interesting life choice.
------
nickolai
A line like
However it is all moot anyway since we all die in december next year
would fit nicely as a conclusion for the article.
More seriously the extrapolation just doesnt make sense. a hudred years ago
someone extrapolated the city sizes and concluded that urban civilisation was
doomed because of all the horse manure produced by a 'civillised' city. Thats
why we all live in caves now.
EDIT : link -> [http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/our-economic-past-
th...](http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/our-economic-past-the-great-
horse-manure-crisis-of-1894/)
------
mdemare
All those women who "opt out of the marriage market", who choose a career over
a family, these women won't have any descendants. To the extent that this
behavior is genetic, it will disappear within a few generations.
If there's one trend that you cannot extrapolate, it is this one.
~~~
hugh3
Y'know, I'm usually a believer in the genetic component of human behaviour,
but I don't think there's much genetics involved here. Fertility rates have
been dropping all over the civilized world. Reasons:
1\. Women are pursuing education and careers, which means they're often
already thirty before they're "ready" to have children -- leaving no time to
pump out more than one or two
2\. Children are getting more expensive, both in terms of the absolutely
compulsory costs and the things you're just _expected_ to buy for them
3\. For people who expect to get around by car, more than three children is a
nightmare. In fact, with all the modern safety regulations having more than
two children is a nightmare. My parents were happy to cart around three young
children in the back of an early 80s Mazda 323, but you couldn't do that any
more because a minimal child seat would take up nearly the whole back seat
4\. There's really no incentive to have more than two children any more. Child
mortality is nearly zero, and it's no longer expected that children will
support their parents in their old age.
~~~
gregpilling
I have three kids. The incentive? I liked the first one, and then we kept
going. How many kids do you have?
~~~
jordan0day
So why don't you have twenty? Or one hundred? Did the quality of the children
decrease linearly or is it just the third that was so bad you had to quit
making more?
I am kidding, of course -- I doubt too many people these days have children
for purely dispassionate economic reasons, but we shouldn't pretend that those
considerations don't enter into the equation, and aren't entirely legitimate.
------
skrebbel
Right, so a tiny measurement (relatively) is extrapolated to thousands of
years?
That's like standing at the beach, seeing the water rise and predicting when
Europe will have sunk.
~~~
thecompany
You need to learn more about the Economist's use of understated British humor
and irony, and not be so literal minded.
~~~
skrebbel
I stand corrected. I vote yours as the best comment in this thread.
------
mhb
And those women will be 300 feet tall because they were 3 feet tall when they
were 4 and they were 4 feet tall when they were 8.
~~~
Vivtek
Haha! It's probably good there will only be one per country, then. What an
amazing spectacle the world will be!
------
hermannj314
I think the phrase "By the same unflinching logic..." gives some insight into
the mood of the author.
I'm surprised they didn't drop in a "it's a well known law of the universe
that 20% of women have 80% of the babies..." Pareto adds credibility to any
predictive model (just make sure the numbers add up to 100, since you don't
want to look stupid)
------
nextparadigms
_"The problem of course was that all these horses produced huge amounts of
manure. A horse will on average produce between 15 and 35 pounds of manure per
day. Consequently, the streets of nineteenth-century cities were covered by
horse manure."_
Just imagine how many people were left out of jobs when cars appeared! (in
relation to the recent topic of automation)
------
tel
I hate to do this to everyone, but what every comment here was saying— _that
was the joke_.
Edit: and for more fun, watch to see what percentage of the comments on the
Economist's page fail to catch on as well.
------
wglb
Also in the realm of headline-seeking predictions:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Population_Bomb>: _The battle to feed all of
humanity is over. In the 1970s hundreds of millions of people will starve to
death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now. At this late date
nothing can prevent a substantial increase in the world death rate..._
In defense of their thesis, the authors of that book maintain _perhaps the
most serious flaw in The Bomb was that it was much too optimistic about the
future_
------
mynegation
If we really want to try to take that seriously, I would add several things to
the model:
* trend for increasing life expectancy and average reproduction age (I am not saying age of menopause - there are probably pretty hard biological limits on that, but women increasingly choose yo have babies later in life).
* accounting for reproduction rate being dependent on overall population and/or probability density in a given region
* Migration from high reproduction regions to rich low reproduction regions
------
zeteo
The article is obviously tongue-in-cheek. But anyways, not all sections of the
population are declining at the same rate. Women who attend religious services
regularly, for instance, are much closer to the generational replenishment
rate, if not above it.
------
coliveira
All these economic/demographic studies suffer from a fundamental flaw. They
assume that trends will continue to hold for a long time. Nothing could be
further from the truth, because any trend tends to correct itself, unless some
disaster happens. For example, the trend of economic growth for several
countries, including USA and China, is widely speculative because doesn't
consider the changes in policy that can take place as soon as the next few
months. Similarly for demographic concerns: a single change in policy or an
external event can change the trends dramatically.
------
beerglass
Interesting.. but it assumes that thousand years from now it will still take
an entire woman, not just a sub-component called fertile frozen egg to create
a baby ex-vivo
------
bad_user
My favorite quote from Ice Age: _there goes our last female_ :)
I do not agree however with the article. There are many reasons for why the
female birth rates may be dropping, but all of them are solvable issues with
the societies they live in.
And we are over-populated, so fearing that the last human will be born in 1500
years from now seems like toiled-math to me.
~~~
hugh3
_toiled-math_
I'm not familiar with that expression.
Talking about certain countries going extinct is, of course, a bit facetious,
but the actual trend whereby inhabitants of rich countries are breeding way
below replacement rate while inhabitants of poor countries are breeding _way_
above is a genuine concern. Check out
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_and_de...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_and_dependent_territories_by_fertility_rate)
~~~
bad_user
I meant "toilet math" -- I'm not sure if it's a good expression, I heard it
somewhere before; not a native English speaker :)
------
bitops
People never state it explicitly in these articles, but there's a very simple
reason for why this is happening.
Most guys treat women very poorly without realizing it. Even here in the
liberal Bay Area I encounter lots of guys (who vote Democratic) treating their
wives and girlfriends like chattel.
If us guys don't become gents, the trend will continue.
~~~
jordan0day
I'm having a really hard time believing what you wrote, so if it was really
clever sarcasm or humor, forgive me for being too dense to get it.
"Most guys treat women very poorly without realizing it." I disagree.
Certainly there's instances of _some guys_ treating women "very poorly", and
there's plenty of instances of _most guys_ treating women _differently_ , but
your assertion just seems way, way off. Unless your definition of "very
poorly" is incredibly different than mine.
" Even here in the liberal Bay Area I encounter lots of guys (who vote
Democratic) treating their wives and girlfriends like chattel." First, is
political stance really indicative of ability to treat (ostensibly) loved ones
well? I find this a bit hard to believe. Jerks are jerks, regardless of
political leanings, and I don't think either party is without plenty of them.
Second, what do you mean by chattel? I'm going to be a little pedantic an say
that the "ownership" implied by a marriage is actually a good thing. It's
bidirectional, voluntary, and symbolic. I know that's not what you meant
though -- so if you're meeting "lots" of men who treat their women like slaves
or livestock -- well, I don't want to visit the clubs you go to, I guess.
"If us guys don't become gents, the trend will continue." This was the icing
on the cake, though. Do you really believe that women were treated _better_ in
the past? You're implying that there will be less women because their
treatment is getting _worse_.
~~~
bitops
No sarcasm or humor. And your reaction is totally understandable - I think
most guys have this reaction.
It's true that not ALL men treat women poorly, absolutely. The clincher is
that many guys treat women poorly without realizing it. In their minds, in
fact, they're liberal types who are pro-choice, pro-equality, etc.
The political comment was just my attempt at some humor. Living in the Bay
Area I feel there's often a perception that "liberal guys" are automatically
in the clear. So maybe that was a bit sarcastic.
Chattels - yes, here in the US and parts of Western Europe, women are not
enslaved. But the "voluntary and bi-directional" bit is one of the biggest
falsehoods that we believe in collectively. Sure, it's voluntary - both people
said "I do", right?
Well, perhaps and perhaps not. You'd be surprised at the number of women (yes,
even here in CA) who feel that their best bet for social mobility is marrying
a guy who brings in money. In metro areas this is perhaps less true, but still
very much a reality in many parts of this country. Whether women tell guys or
not is another matter - in part because men just don't want to hear it.
Do I believe that women were treated better in the past than they are now? Of
course not. Women have gotten more rights and freedoms which is a good thing.
The issue is that many guys assume (falsely) that just because women have
these rights, they can continue to hold the same attitudes towards them in the
past and things will continue on their merry way.
I think gender/sex/family views are the most entrenched views that people hold
and the most resistant to change. People are incredibly freaked out by any
kind of "deviation" from what is considered the norm.
So, that's why when I read these articles that talk about all kinds "socio-
economic indicators" it sounds like complete BS to me. Not all of it,
certainly, but if we're going to be candid I feel that it's the bottom line.
Men need to learn how to treat women better.
[UPDATE: interesting - getting downvoted]
~~~
anamax
> You'd be surprised at the number of women (yes, even here in CA) who feel
> that their best bet for social mobility is marrying a guy who brings in
> money.
It's unclear how that has any relevance to your claim that women are treated
like chattel.
Marrying a guy who brings in money is a really good way to move up the social
scale, so it's unclear why you assume "surprise". Why are we supposed to be
surprised that women know that?
> [UPDATE: interesting - getting downvoted]
I suspect that's because your message is a mix of irrelevant true statements
and false statements.
You've claimed that women are treated like chattel but haven't provided any
evidence, or even examples, of said treatment.
------
ses
That has to be the most poorly justified argument I've heard in a long time.
So many factors such as immigration and inter-racial marriages are ignored.
Its an interesting question to pose, but could do with far more thorough
analysis!
~~~
cooperadymas
To be fair, they did refer to them as back-of-the-envelope calculations. Could
have used a little more emphasis on that fact though.
Would love to see some more detailed studies on this. I've long been amazed we
(as a country, race, world) haven't been more concerned with our rising
population issues. Maybe it will fix itself without drastic intervention?
~~~
cpr
Google "demographic winter."
The "population bomb" hysterics of the past few decades have drowned out the
reality of long-term population decline, which will have disastrous
consequences.
(Investigate before down-voting in a knee-jerk fashion.)
~~~
Vivtek
I did investigate. The phrase seems to be associated with European white
supremacy. Color me unimpressed.
~~~
hugh3
Guilt by association?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Twilio IP Messaging: Now in Open Beta - as1ndu
https://www.twilio.com/docs/api/ip-messaging?utm_campaign=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&utm_content=PROD%20IP%20Messaging%20Public%20Beta%20DEC%2010%202015
======
jstoiko
I used realtime.co and pubnub before. I wonder how Twilio's IP Messaging
compares.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Google Nexus 7 tops iPad in Japan: Is this a trend? - Pr0
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57564407-37/google-nexus-7-tops-ipad-in-japan-is-this-a-trend/
======
cytzol
> Is this a trend?
"Any headline which ends in a question mark can be answered by the word 'no'."
-- Betteridge's Law of Headlines
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Idle Hands Are the Dreamer's Tools - pepys
https://theamericanscholar.org/idle-hands-are-the-dreamers-tools/
======
Jun8
A million times this! As they say: "Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted
time". This quote is usually attributed to Bertrand Russell, but he didn't say
it ([https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/06/11/time-you-
enjoy/](https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/06/11/time-you-enjoy/)), he _has_
written a good essay titled "In Praise of Idleness", though,
[https://harpers.org/archive/1932/10/in-praise-of-
idleness/](https://harpers.org/archive/1932/10/in-praise-of-idleness/).
However, I think there he was talking about idleness as the opposite of work
forced on you.
Nowadays it's clear that the enemy is not this type of work ("morality of the
Slave State", as Russel puts it), which, since explicit, can always be fought
against, but "fun-work" that you are tricked into doing: browsing the
internet/HN/FB/Instagram/Spotify/etc. continuously to get your daily kicks.
Even in the restroom! My son's room is _packed_ with all kinds of cool mind-
expanding toys, he's usually flustered about which one to play with.
~~~
koolba
> Even in the restroom!
This line stands out as one sits down.
------
freshcatch_
Something went horribly wrong when we started demanding never ending work
weeks and 24/7 attention to work.
~~~
some_account
As McKenna said: culture is not your friend.
~~~
fogzen
“What civilization is is 6 billion people trying to make themselves happy by
standing on each other’s shoulders and kicking each other’s teeth in. It’s not
a pleasant situation. And yet you can stand back and look at this planet and
see that we have the money, the power, the medical understanding, the
scientific know-how, the love, and the community to produce a kind of human
paradise.” - Terence McKenna
------
EZ-E
This article reminds me that in working days, I thought I barely had any time
to "think for myself"
Wake up, shower, grab coffee and commute (mostly looking at my phone)
Work as a developer (looking at the computer, some occasional short
discussions with colleagues)
Eat at desk (looking at computer or phone)
Commute back (looking at phone)
Back home, maybe watch TV series or play a game (screen again)
It got me thinking that my mind was focused on a screen for 80%+ of the day.
No time to be "idle" and to let my mind wander. Screens, notifications, alerts
and apps designed to suck out as much attention and screen time out of me
dominate the day.
Since then, I thought of changing my field of work and do something more
manual, or that requires me to interact with people. I also picked up playing
instruments and "real" life hobbies since then in an attempt to get away from
the screens.
~~~
zby
When I was still working as a programmer I noticed that many, maybe most,
breakthroughs in my work I made at breaks - at lunches, tea breaks, waking to
meetings, etc. I was stuck and not making any progress trying to work through
the problem - and then when my mind shifted the solution was coming to my mind
from a completely different perspective than what I was trying. It is
counterproductive to get glued to the screen the whole day - it might work
when you solve easy problems, but in programming you all the time need to
solve problems never encountered before.
------
keithpeter
[https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/visitor/places-to-
visit/m...](https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/visitor/places-to-
visit/museums-and-historic-houses/plas-newydd.aspx)
Should anyone find themselves in Llangollen I would recommend a visit to Plas
Newydd (New Hall). There is a sense of quiet there still. Dinas Bran Castle is
worth the climb.
There are quiet places in most towns if you look for them. Back room of a
bookshop, a churchyard, a small garden.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
#eurathlon2015 tests robotic air/land/sea robot emergency systems - hallieatrobohub
http://robohub.org/eurathlon2015-tests-robotic-airlandsea-systems-in-realistic-emergency-response-scenarios/
======
hallieatrobohub
Learn more about the challenge and the participating teams before the Grand
Challenge event begins Sept. 17.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
High-Performance Java Persistence Tips (SQL) - based2
https://vladmihalcea.com/14-high-performance-java-persistence-tips/
======
based2
[https://www.reddit.com/r/java/comments/e3tj8y/14_highperform...](https://www.reddit.com/r/java/comments/e3tj8y/14_highperformance_java_persistence_tips/)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: How to create textbook-like PDFs? - mknits
Currently I'm reading one of the books available on http://inventwithpython.com/. How Al is able to produce such beautiful PDFs? What free and open-source software you can recommend (I use windows)?
======
tinyProton
It's definitely LaTex. You can find some very nice LaTex templates in:
[http://www.latextemplates.com/](http://www.latextemplates.com/). See this
template for example:
[http://www.latextemplates.com/templates/books/2/book_2.pdf](http://www.latextemplates.com/templates/books/2/book_2.pdf)
------
_pius
I don't know what the author used, but the typical solution to this is LaTeX:
[http://www.latex-project.org/](http://www.latex-project.org/)
------
cabacon
That reminds me of using Docbook to write the book, then using the various
transformation engines to turn the docbook into PDF. I setup some docbook
documentation that just used xsltproc to generate HTML and PDF from the same
source. [http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2615002/how-to-
generate-p...](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2615002/how-to-generate-pdf-
from-docbook-5-0) has some notes about the process.
For my part, I enjoyed the semantic markup it gave for something as big as a
book, with auto-generating index and glossary as well. It's a lot of work, but
the output reflects it. Looking at the HTML in the first chapter there, the
spans with "term" and "menuitem" make me think something like docbook is going
on behind this too.
~~~
ig1
The docbook tool chain is a nightmare to setup though.
------
ekr
I've seen much more beautifully crafted books in Latex, compared to that.
Another (free-software) solution, embraced by people like Andrew Tanenbaum, is
GNU Troff
([http://www.gnu.org/software/groff/](http://www.gnu.org/software/groff/)).
------
ada1981
Http://PressBooks.com
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Stop calling PostgREST “MAGIC” - vasco
https://medium.freecodecamp.org/stop-calling-postgrest-magic-8f3e1d5e5dd1
======
wingi
Hi, I read the postgREST documentation about the issue of user referencing. I
found "only" the data base user roles.
[https://postgrest.com/en/v4.3/auth.html#client-
auth](https://postgrest.com/en/v4.3/auth.html#client-auth)
Do I create for every "web user" a new database user?
Or can I reference the "userId" from the JWT as an selector?
Example:
Reqest: curl -H "Auth.... crypt(userId=2)" /todo/1 SQL: select * from todo
where id=1 and userId = 2
?
~~~
ruslan_talpa
you don't create a database user for every web user (unless maybe if you have
like only 5-10 webusers in total).
you use the user_id from the jwt tokens in your RLS policies and view
definitions. More details here [https://github.com/subzerocloud/postgrest-
starter-kit/wiki/A...](https://github.com/subzerocloud/postgrest-starter-
kit/wiki/Athentication-Authorization-Flow)
~~~
wingi
Thank you - that is the missing point!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Periodic fasting starves cisplatin‐resistant cancers to death - sjcsjc
http://emboj.embopress.org/content/early/2018/06/06/embj.201899815
======
vstuart
Very interesting! I (female; 57 y.o.) have been doing an intermittent fast (2
days/week: typically Tue/Thu) for >2.5 years now. I picked those days as they
don't interfere with social events, weekends, long weekends. I initially did
500 calories on those days, but for more than a year now I simply don't eat at
all on those days (but I drink coffee, tea). I find that much easier, as the
hunger pangs are largely absent. Benefits from this fasting include an
epigenetic reprogramming (perhaps?) of some stem cells, as from the outset
I've seen a few of the very few gray hairs that I have revert back to brown
(white further out; brown more recently to root). That could be triggered (or
entirely due to) e.g. by autophagy of the old, weakened cells and their
replacement by rejuvenated cells. Interesting, nonetheless. Body weight is
stabilized around the new metabolic set point (I record this daily in a tab-
delimited file, that I can easily plot with a simple linux command (alias
gp='echo "gnuplot -p /mnt/Vancouver/Programming/scripts/gnuplot/plot.gp')! On
non-diet days I eat whatever I want (I ashould add, pretty sensible: mostly
home-made food, meals), ad libitum. ;-)
Plot: [https://imgur.com/a/e3ahbtQ](https://imgur.com/a/e3ahbtQ)
~~~
dipro
Wow - I (male; 45 y.o.) have done virtually the same (2 days/week fast, Tue
and Fri, no food intake, only drinks - mostly water, sometimes coffee, rarely
some orange juice; on non-fast days ate without restriction) for one year now.
The curve looks quite similar:
[https://imgur.com/a/H4pKkNv](https://imgur.com/a/H4pKkNv)
What I find interesting is your mention of a metabolic set point. Wanted to
lose a bit more weight (since I still have visceral fat), but couldn't manage
to do so. It seems I hit a hard barrier - any caloric deficit during fasting
days was magically compensated exactly on non-fasting days; I tried to reduce
caloric intake on non-fasting days, but while fasting a whole day isn't that
difficult for me, restricting calories while eating seems to only work when my
body has met a magical internal quota.
It seems indeed to be a set point. The small uptick beginning of June was when
I skipped a fast day once. I'm a bit scared what would happen if I stopped
fasting altogether now.
Would be interesting to understand more about the set point - however, some
research on the net didn't yield much substantial info. It seems it exists,
but how it works exactly and how it can be moved is unclear. And even if
trying to move it makes sense. Maybe the set point is ideal health-wise, and
is overridden on unhealthy caloric surplus diets...?
~~~
a1369209993
> while fasting a whole day isn't that difficult for me, restricting calories
> while eating seems to only work when my body has met a magical internal
> quota.
One dirty trick to try is, just after eating, to drink about two tablespoons
of staight "extra-light" olive oil. It's a bit foul, but makes for a effective
way of ruining your appetite. Other "bland food diet" tricks might also work.
(I'd like to mention that I do not support healthy diets, but my design to
work against anything nature intends takes priority.)
Edit: two tablespoons, not eight, and apparently they make low-fat olive oil
now.
~~~
StavrosK
> drink about half a cup of staight olive oil. It's a bit foul, but makes for
> a effective way of ruining your appetite
It's also a very effective way of getting 1000 kcal.
~~~
a1369209993
I tracked down the original suggestion to here[0], and I was off by a factor
of four. Mea culpa, especially since I've actually used the 2 tbsp version a
couple of times.
0: [http://slatestarcodex.com/2017/04/25/book-review-the-
hungry-...](http://slatestarcodex.com/2017/04/25/book-review-the-hungry-
brain/) # middle of section IV
~~~
StavrosK
That's much more reasonable, but it's still around a candy bar's worth of
calories. You may want to find a different method, depending on how much you
want to cut.
~~~
Frye9876
I find brushing my teeth helps.
------
Taylor_OD
For many months last year I would do a 5 day water fast the third week of
every month. I enjoyed it but my mental performance at work suffered during
the end of the fast.
I've been intermittent fasting for the last 2 months. I eat breakfast around
7:30 (protein shake I make at home with some healthy things tossed in), eat an
orange or apple around 10AM, a large salad I make at work without any dressing
at noonish, and a handful of cashews and almonds at 2:00PM. That's it. Nothing
after that. I'll drink some unsweetened herbal tea or a carbonated water
around 7pm sometimes when I'm winding down.
It's by far the best diet I've ever been on. It's hard sometimes when work
events offer food/drinks after my eating window closes but not that hard. If I
have to do work drinks I'll do a vodka soda to minimize my caloric intake.
Now I walk around at the weight that I wrestled at in college, I don't feel
hungry often, and I feel great during the day.
I'm trying to get my family to try it for a few weeks to spur a lifestyle /
eating change but it's been difficult. Most people are locked into the three
meals a day (and likely a few snacks) mindset.
~~~
dghughes
Vodka is not a good choice, ethanol (7kcal/g) is second only to fat (9kcal/g)
for caloric density.
~~~
JamesBarney
The calories per gram you reference is how much energy you get out of
substance from literally setting it on fire.
But how much actual energy is available to the human body is very different.
And alcohol specifically is very hard for the human body to efficiently turn
into eneegy.
In addition alcohol make the mitochondria more inefficient leading to greater
energy usage.
Most studies that add alcohol to animals diet find no change in weight.
~~~
dghughes
Nutritional charts show the data I mentioned.
Are you referring to the word calorie used? For food calorie is shortened from
kilocalorie.
~~~
JamesBarney
I'm saying the nutritional charts are misleading.
A calorie is a unit of measure of energy right? But you can release different
amounts of energy depending on the chemical reaction you use.
Well the chemical reaction they use to measure energy in macronutrients is not
the same chemical reaction that is used by the human body, they burn it
instead. Now for most macronutrients this doesn't matter because the amount of
calories released by the human body is pretty close to the amount released by
burning.
But this isn't true of ethanol which is very efficiently burned, but very
inefficiently consumed by the human body. So the 7 Cal/gram is very
misleading.
------
bad_user
Fasting is great for weight loss and for lowering your insulin resistance,
which is now considered by many the main cause of obesity and of course type 2
diabetes. This has been shown by studies.
Some say that fasting activates "autophagy" which has great health benefits,
supposedly being great for preventing the remission of cancer:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autophagy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autophagy)
— but note that I could not find any concrete study or proof of it, this being
anecdotal evidence from some clinics that advise their patients to do fasting
instead of chemotherapy.
I practice fasting for 36 hours, 3 times per week. Monday, Wednesday and
Friday I don't eat or drink anything other than water and coffee. You can go
shorter, like one meal per day in some days or longer, e.g. 5 days is easy
once you get used to it.
As a tip: eating high fat, low carbs meals before fasting helps. Also if you
get dizzy or if you get cramps, you probably have an electrolytes imbalance
and you need to stop your fast. If that happens to you, make sure to take salt
(sodium) and possibly magnesium supplements. Once I started doing that, the
dizziness and the cramps stopped. But document yourself first and consulting a
doctor and doing some blood work might be good ideas.
This is a pretty good book on the subject: [https://www.amazon.com/Complete-
Guide-Fasting-Intermittent-A...](https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-
Fasting-Intermittent-Alternate-Day/dp/1628600012)
~~~
user9182031
It seems like every day somebody has figured out how to beat type 2 diabetes.
I just read Proteinaholic by Dr. Garth Davis who advocates a vegan lifestyle
(while telling you that carbs are not the enemy) to cure diabetes.
~~~
bad_user
Our metabolism is very complex. But if it's not backed up by studies and
science, it doesn't count.
Type 2 diabetes is defined by insulin resistance. The only way to "beat" type
2 diabetes is to lower your insulin resistance and thus to lower your insulin
response. At the moment you can only lower your insulin with lifestyle changes
that implies fasting + eating a diet that triggers a low insulin response.
The vegan lifestyle is high in carbs. What many people don't understand is
that there are only 3 macro-nutrients: proteins, fats and carbs. You cannot do
a low carbs diet without at least eggs and diary. And carbs stimulate insulin.
Note that there are clinics that have successfully treated people of diabetes
via fasting. Here's one: [https://idmprogram.com/](https://idmprogram.com/)
N.B. carbohydrates are not the enemy, but _refined carbohydrates_ are and
unfortunately for a type 2 diabetic it's too late to switch to healthy carbs.
Yes, a potato is healthy, however for a diabetic it is basically poison.
~~~
teekert
Complex carbs (fibers or at least carbohydrates that are slowly digested) do
not stimulate insulin production as far as I know. I think it is very
important to realize that there are different types of carbohydrates. You need
fuel (carbs/sugars), you just don't need them to get rushed into your blood at
breakneck speeds requiring massive insulin dosages to bring it back down. You
want them supplied slowly and steadily to your blood during the day and night.
Which is what happens when your body and your gut microbes slowly degrade
complex carbs into smaller constituents, such as sugars.
------
al_ramich
Obviously, it would be speculative given many factors that contribute to
cancer like healthy eating, drinking, smoking... but it is interesting that in
the top 50 countries with the highest rate of cancer, there are no Muslim
countries. Fasting could be a factor that contributes to this.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_cancer_ra...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_cancer_rate)
~~~
theprotocol
I highly doubt this hypothesis.
Muslim people do not fast at night time. On average, they tend to eat _much
more_ during Ramadan what with the vast array of seasonal sweets.
The true difficulty of fasting during Ramadan is not being allowed to drink
water during the day.
~~~
evfanknitram
Regarding the "true difficulty" I don't think you can generalize like that.
For example I suspect it depends on where you live, what hours fasting is,
temperature and so on.
My friends here have told me that the main problem is to eat enough during the
night because after fasting for 18 hours your body get used to it. I assume
similar to my issues eating a bkg breakfast in the morning directly after
waking up.
~~~
theprotocol
Fair enough. It was an orthogonal comment anyway.
------
rainbowmverse
The main thing I got out of this thread is that everyone thinks they know the
right way to health, that everyone else disagrees with them, and I have no
idea how to tell who's actually right.
If you want to know why there's a health problem in some developed countries,
the confidence of all the factions in the back and forth in this thread is a
shining example. Unless you can afford professional guidance (and know how to
tell if they know what they're talking about), you don't have much hope unless
you stumble on to something that works for you.
~~~
lolc
I don't get that impression. Maybe I have selective reading but the following
things get little controversy here:
1\. Sugar bad
2\. Eat less
3\. Find good eating-habits that you can maintain indefinitely
Point three is where people will naturally have different outlooks. I don't
read that as disagreement as much as diversity.
~~~
nradov
Points 1 and 2 are certainly controversial for endurance athletes doing
intense workouts or races. Those are a small fraction of the population, but
the point is there are hardly any universal guidelines.
~~~
83457
or those are the exceptions that prove the guideline
------
noelwelsh
The fasts are only a few days long, which is fairly easy to do. It's not clear
to me if these results have been shown in humans or just mice. Anyway,
interesting result suggesting that occasional fasts might be a good
preventative measure. It would be interesting to know if 16 hour fasts, which
are common in intermittent fasting, would have the same effect.
------
dagoat
Non pay walled: [http://sci-
hub.tw/http://emboj.embopress.org/content/early/2...](http://sci-
hub.tw/http://emboj.embopress.org/content/early/2018/06/06/embj.201899815#)
highlight:
_A549 CDDP-resistant cancer cells showed reduced tumor growth and longer
survival in response to periodic fasting cycles (24 hours of water only twice
a week). In contrast, CDDP-sensitive tumors were not affected by these 24-hour
fasting cycles. Because previous results indicated that 2–3 consecutive days
of fasting were effective against a wide range of cancers, particularly in
combination with chemotherapy (Lee et al, 2012; Bianchi et al, 2015), it would
be important to test these longer fasting periods on A549 and other CDDP-
resistant cancer_
~~~
brfox
That paper is a mini review of this paper which actually has the data in it:
[http://emboj.embopress.org/content/37/14/e98597](http://emboj.embopress.org/content/37/14/e98597)
In there, they did work on A549 cell lines and showed that removing nutrients
from the media decreased their growth rate. They also showed that putting
these human cell lines into immune deficient mice and doing a couple 24hr
fasts per week had a small (p=0.03) effect on the tumor growth rate (Fig 2).
But in the in vivo study, it appears they didn't directly compare A549 vs
cisplatin resistant A549 - they seemed to have run 2 studies both vs control.
There are literally thousands of papers showing drugs or treatments which can
cure lab mice of "cancer" and many more which can kill cell lines in vivo, but
only a tiny percentage of those work in patients. There is a reason this is
not in a higher profile journal.
------
buzzdenver
Is fasting supposed to work just due to going into a caloric hole, or is there
also a time component to it? In other words: does a 6 hour run/hike on an
empty stomach where I burn 4000 Calories have the same effect as fasting for
36 hours?
~~~
nradov
Is that a realistic example? Very few people including trained athletes would
actually be able to expend 4000kcal in 6 hours without some nutrition. After
the immediate glycogen stores are depleted in a couple hours your power output
drops dramatically if you don't consume anything.
~~~
buzzdenver
Today I just did a strenuous 4-hour hike on an empty stomach which based on my
weight was about 2500-3000 calories. I drank about 100 calories worth of
Gatorade, and I don't do any special diets. Just years of long runs/hikes.
------
mbroshi
Somewhat perpendicular, but intermittent fasting has been a great recent
lifehack for me. I skip breakfast every day, and sometimes skip lunch. Gives
me back at least an hour every day. And gorging for dinner is a lot of fun.
~~~
rc_bhg
That is not a healthy diet. You should be eating smaller meal more often. If
you are going to fast, do it for at least a 24 hour period.
~~~
mirceal
I think it’s worth considering what a healthy diet really is. Is it really
healthy or are we just used to thinking it’s healthy?
As an example, a diet high in fat is generally considered by most people to be
unhealthy.
You see people doing Keto and you start wondering if it’s really unhealthy.
Eating red meat is considered to be the unhealthy. You see people doing
ZeroCarb diets and they (at least) look extremely good/healthy.
Fasting is generally considered unhealthy. You have people doing intermittent
fasting, ADF or extended fasting at it works exceptionally well for them.
Vegan? It works really well for some people.
IMHO there isn’t one thing that works for everyone as far as diet goes. There
are also the theoretical and the practical aspects of what we eat and when we
it it.
I think everyone should try different things and figure out something that
works for them, long term. It should not be a “diet”. It should be just
something that blends into your lifestyle and gives you results for the
investment you’re making.
~~~
738472527784
Though, nearly all of those diets seem integrate more veggies and massively
reduce sugar.
~~~
mirceal
Reducing sugar is probably a good idea.
------
IB885588
For those interested in intermittent fasting, Valter Longo, the co-author of
this paper, has done a few good interviews with Rhonda Patrick on her podcast
and youtube:
[https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/valter-
longo](https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/valter-longo)
[https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/valter-
longo-2](https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/valter-longo-2)
I've quite enjoyed Rhonda's work.
Another good medical/biology/health podcast that recently appeared and that
I'd enjoying a lot is Peter Attia's podcast. His interview with Dom D'Agostino
is particularly good and includes discussion of the metabolic theory of
cancer, but they're all good (he has one with Rhonda Patrick). He covers
intermittent fasting among other things (also the health impacts/use of
ketones, etc):
[https://peterattiamd.com/domdagostino/](https://peterattiamd.com/domdagostino/)
[https://peterattiamd.com/rhondapatrick/](https://peterattiamd.com/rhondapatrick/)
~~~
sjcsjc
You might also want to look at Mark Mattson's work.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Mattson#Intermittent_Fast...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Mattson#Intermittent_Fasting)
------
supernova87a
Look, stop applying pseudo-science "feels-right" intuition to things that
involve complicated cellular mechanisms. It doesn't work that way and you
should just listen to what your doctor(s) tell you and trust them + your own
due diligence.
Fasting doesn't "starve" cancer cells. Drinking only juice for a week doesn't
"cleanse" your body.
Stop making up your own medical diagnoses fueled by internet bullshit. Listen
to experts and trust them for a change.
~~~
triviatise
most doctors get little to no nutritional education. It is easy to learn about
any one topic and know more than your physician. Especially since most
physicians dont regularly read journal articles and probably dont even really
understand statistics.
Appeals to authority are a logical fallacy. I do agree that reading something
on the internet and following it is a bad practice.
------
barking
In Gaelic the words for Wednesday mean "First Fast day", those for Thursday
"day between fasts" and for Friday "Fast day". So the 5:2 diet is nothing new.
------
sandworm101
Not much of a suprise really. It fits the model that cancer cells are weaker,
that any stress to the entire body might see them die off first. That is the
basis of non-targeted chemo and radiation treatment. You apply the stress and
hope it kills the cancer before the patient. So here we starve the patient and
see the hungry cancer cells suffer the most. But just dont go so far that the
immune system suffers too. That wont end well.
~~~
Nae3Au5x
In this case it also relies on the resistant cancer cells having altered
metabolic pathways compared to your average cancer. It's not an universally
applicable strategy.
Remember, fasting didn't work out so well for Jobs.
~~~
eganist
He also made himself a fruitarian, so the stress on his body was from a lot
more than just fasting.
This same diet landed Ashton Kutcher in the hospital when he tried to go
method for Jobs.
~~~
ojosilva
Jobs was a fruitarian in the 80s or earlier, back when he named his company
"Apple". AFAIK he was neither fasting or being a fruitarian to fight his
cancer, but overall he was a finicky eater all his life, a (sometimes lax)
vegetarian with bouts that resembled a true eating disorder.
~~~
macintux
I don't have a source, but I recall reading that friends of his desperately
tried to convince him to undergo "real" treatment for his cancer instead of
relying on alternative medicine, so apparently he did try other options early
on.
~~~
ojosilva
Here's a good compilation of his unorthodox eating habits:
[https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/naughty-
nutrition/20...](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/naughty-
nutrition/201201/ivegetarian-the-high-fructose-diet-steve-jobs)
------
malbs
so I just completed 4 months of fasting (I had a friendly wager going, where I
had to lose 15kg in 16 weeks, or pay $2000)
I did it via intermittent fasting (no breakfast, or lunch, black coffee/water
only, and a normal dinner)
Chart: [https://imgur.com/a/rzckgMi](https://imgur.com/a/rzckgMi)
Basic routine was this
Monday, fast, overhead press at gym Tuesday, normal eating, deadlifts
Wednesday, fast, rowing/kettlebells Thursday, normal eating, bench press
Friday, normal eating, squats Saturday, fast, cardio/hiit Sunday, normal
eating
came in under the target (needed 15kg, ended up losing 18kg) and won myself
$2000 because the guy I had the wager with didn't hit his target.
Fasting really works, it doesn't cost you anything, and you save money.
~~~
FieryTransition
Do you have any data on your muscle mass or lean body mass? Did you have a
gain or loss in muscle mass? Or was it the same? thanks.
------
olivermarks
Not happy with the certainty of the headline. A very close friend of mine who
died of cancer chose dietary treatment over western medicine, and had a very
grueling, unpleasant death in a remote place.
------
peter_retief
There is a lot of evidence that high fat low carbohydrate diets, also know as
fasting diets have enormous health benefits, completely at odds with the
dietary recommendation here [https://www.choosemyplate.gov/dietary-
guidelines](https://www.choosemyplate.gov/dietary-guidelines) is one of the
drivers of obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome which in includes heart
disease and high blood pressure
~~~
cageface
Calorie restrictions in general are healthy. You can accomplish the same
things with high carb diets provided you eat unprocessed complex carbs and
reduce total calories.
~~~
arcticbull
Studies show that calorie restriction and fasting are actually different -
during calorie restriction your body reduces energy consumption and
metabolism, and while you can lose weight, it's proven hard to stick to and
most people put that weight back on.
Fasting OTOH actually increases your metabolic rate [1], stimulates HGH
production [4, 5], your brain switches to primarily consuming ketones instead
of glucose and your body begins consuming damaged proteins via autophagy.
Interestingly enough, studies show weight lost during fasting is better kept
off than the equivalent loss with calorie restriction. Your body also resets
what it considers 'low' levels of insulin, leptin, etc which can reverse Type
II [2, 3]. That can't happen as effectively if you eat.
[1]
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10837292](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10837292)
[2]
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15640462](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15640462)
[3]
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16051710](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16051710)
[4]
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1548337](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1548337)
[5]
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3127426](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3127426)
~~~
cageface
Yeah I understand that they are different but it's also true that restricting
calories overall and losing weight is beneficial no matter what diet you use
to do it. So the question is which of the many diets that can do this is the
best for your long term health.
~~~
arcticbull
The thing is calorie restriction usually leads to full weight re-gain, usually
quickly [1, 2], potentially leading to a worse body composition after the
diet. The same is not true of fasting [2] - speculatively due to the effect of
HGH during fasting which is known to change body composition, reducing fat
percentage and increasing lean muscle mass. HGH production is not meaningfully
increased by calorie restriction - it's pulsatile and regulated by the
presence of any food intake at all almost no matter how small.
Further, there's a string of evidence that alternate day fasting yields
substantially improved biomarkers of health (triglycerides, insulin, etc) even
if total caloric intake averaged over the two days remains the same (i.e.
every second day you eat 2x what you need) and weight does not change.
Weight watchers is an abject failure by their own metrics in a study they
published. Their calorie restricted diets are less effective than doing
nothing, but being generous, they work for 0.2% of participants who have
clearly demonstrated an intent to change their bodies [3]. On the other hand,
eat nothing for 36 hours and you're down 1 pound of fat, and it's not likely
to come back.
That's what all that talk of yoyo dieting is, and a case can be made that its
why the Minnesota Starvation Experiment led to such bad outcomes. They weren't
fasting, they were eating a reduced calorie diet - they may have been much
better off eating nothing. Contrast that outcome to this, albeit single data
point, of a man who ate nothing for 382 days, felt great, wasn't hungry (?!)
and lost 275lbs AND kept it all off 5 years later [4].
What I'm getting at here is the science is leaning towards what you're saying
not being correct - that how often you eat may be more important than how
much, that your body reacts very differently to 6 snacks a day than it does to
1 giant meal every 2 days even if the caloric content is the same. And further
that people just aren't built for long-term calorie restriction and to
recommend something like that isn't productive.
[1] [https://betterhumans.coach.me/why-caloric-restriction-
fails-...](https://betterhumans.coach.me/why-caloric-restriction-
fails-9dc18fe9cf23)
[2] [https://alivebynature.com/fast-weight-loss-does-not-
promote-...](https://alivebynature.com/fast-weight-loss-does-not-promote-
weight-regain/)
[3] [https://fatfu.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/weight-
watchers/](https://fatfu.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/weight-watchers/)
[4]
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2495396/pdf/pos...](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2495396/pdf/postmedj00315-0056.pdf)
(Each of these should link through to NCBI papers)
~~~
SketchySeaBeast
Your [2] source isn't saying fasting, it's saying quick weight loss. Outside
of that one gentlemen who's an outlier in nearly ever aspect you didn't post
anything that talked about fasting.
~~~
arcticbull
Sorry I was hopping between wifi connections at airports and didn't have the
studies I wanted on hand (I don't really keep a stack for any time I want to
make a case haha); curious what you make of these papers. In general it's hard
to find proper fasting studies on humans due to perception issues though I
think that's changing now.
ADF succeeds in the reduction of insulin resistance/type II:
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15640462](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15640462)
Fasting increases metabolic rate:
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14066725](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14066725)
and
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10837292](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10837292)
Fasting dramatically increase HGH production:
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3127426](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3127426)
and
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1548337](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1548337)
IF (1 meal per day) improves body composition even when the caloric intake
remains unchanged:
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17413096](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17413096)
Body composition is better after fasting than caloric restriction even in the
event of equal amount of mass re-gain (i.e. regain after CR is fat, after ADF
is muscle/lean):
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5042570/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5042570/)
And here's the mouse study I mentioned (I think I cited rats) showing ADF
improves metabolic markers without change in caloric intake, but of course,
it's mice, so YMMV:
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5872764/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5872764/)
In case you hadn't figured it out, I fasted for a while out of personal
curiosity and in the spirit of self-experimentation (a few 5-day fasts) and
wanted to learn all about what I was getting myself into. Honestly, for the
record, it was quite easy; after day 2 I just wasn't hungry anymore. In fact I
felt quite energized and focused, which from the studies above, is likely due
to increased noradrenaline levels.
------
Skrillex
Off-topic:
Articles like this, and most others that deal with health and medicine,
present a problem for me that is somewhat hard to describe. The research for
this one appears to be built upon prior research (which is hopefully validated
with these findings) and the two headliners appear to have some credentials,
so let us skip the question of whether or not the reporting itself can be
trusted, as that is not what this is about. The first thing that I notice is
that the trials mentioned in the article do not seem capable of proving the
claim made in the title, but let us assume that they instead ran a trial
involving humans fasting (which could be incited by a study like this) and had
the same results. I would like to believe that this is a breakthrough, but how
is it to be reconciled with the other 400 breakthroughs we find for various
cancers each month? If even a small percentage of them were as valuable as
they are expressed to be (and we ignore the contradicting evidence), I would
expect cancer, diabetes, and obesity (at least!) to be solved problems by now.
I suppose that what I am saying is that with there being so much FUD and so
many actual unknowns about what determines the well-being of humans that I
find most studies to be hard to believe, especially without being able to test
most of it myself. It might be a given that nothing you read can be fully
trusted, but it is becoming difficult for me to trust at all, and that is
without even considering the fact that some people are reporting findings for
studies that never happened. It seems to me that the two most common
strategies are to either believe one thing and reject all new information that
contradicts it, or to believe most of the new information. Overall, I am left
feeling hopeful that the people to who articles like this would make the
greatest difference to have found a logical and efficient way to handle this
sort of situation.
Any thoughts?
------
13years
Fasting also seems to be protective to your health cells from being damaged.
[https://news.usc.edu/118758/fasting-during-chemotherapy-
may-...](https://news.usc.edu/118758/fasting-during-chemotherapy-may-offset-
spikes-in-blood-sugar-caused-by-cancer-fighting-drugs/)
------
sigvirt
To feed everyone's inquiry/discussion of diet, nutrition, and western disease
(though not fasting per se): two particular researchers/authors had much
mindshare and influence in Bay Area circles a decade ago. They've not been
mentioned on HN in several years, so this will bring forward and tie in the
references and discussions for newcomers.
The China Study - by T. Colin Campbell :
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_China_Study](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_China_Study)
:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._Colin_Campbell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._Colin_Campbell)
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto - by Michael Pollan :
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Defense_of_Food](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Defense_of_Food)
:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Pollan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Pollan)
The China Study is notably a retrospective of primary research on diet,
nutrition, and disease spanning nearly a century. There are many breadcrumbs
for further reading. Campbell was a top-tier government/academic researcher
for several decades. The summary conclusion is that western diseases (e.g.
diabetes, cancer, heart ...) are strongly correlated with increased ratio of
animal product consumption, especially in presence of environmental toxins - a
binary poison cocktail one might say. Genetics are a factor, he says, but not
so pervasively as the other two.
Michael Pollan is iconically known for the phrase, "Eat Food, Mostly Plants,
Not Too Much". A prolific author and journalist, he is on about many of the
same things Campbell is: cautioning about a) over-reliance on reductive
analysis of food nutrient components, and about b) over-indulgence in
foodstuffs that passed through some industrial process on way from earth to
earthling.
Edit: formatting
------
fredliu
There's a documentary: The Science of Fasting (
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1b08X-GvRs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1b08X-GvRs))
which talks about fascinating effects of fasting therapy, and interesting
effects of fasting on cancer treatment. Looks like it's inline with what's
discussed here and in the comment section. On the flip side, I feel like
fasting has the potential of becoming the new "meditation", but with more
potential danger than just an over-hyped hip practice.
------
bitL
So, how long should we fast? I was thinking about doing 24h fasts every Friday
instead of 3-day fasts every two months. Which one would be better from the
article's point of view (as a preventive measure)?
~~~
hackermailman
There's many articles on the University of Southern California site
[https://news.usc.edu/?s=fasting](https://news.usc.edu/?s=fasting) most have
been posted here over time.
Like the fasting mimicking diets they came up with
[https://news.usc.edu/82959/diet-that-mimics-fasting-
appears-...](https://news.usc.edu/82959/diet-that-mimics-fasting-appears-to-
slow-aging/)
That later turned into a startup
[https://prolonfmd.com/](https://prolonfmd.com/) of 5 day fasting at different
monthly intervals depending on your weight, but you can read the orig paper to
see what the calorie restrictions were and just make/measure your own food.
------
hinkley
This reminds me of a paper maybe ten years back where they found that normal
cells go into a holding pattern (I hesitate to use the word hibernation) when
resources are scarce, but cancer cells do not.
Because healthy cells are less active, they take less damage from chemo. So
they were looking at intermittent fasting before chemo to reduce the
collateral damage.
------
bayesian_horse
Most intermittent fasting works on a 1-3 day fasting schedule. It doesn't
really work for me, maybe because of decision fatigue, maybe I just lack the
discipline.
Currently I try to loose weight by shooting for two weeks fasting, one week
not. About 10kg gone, 40 left to go.
------
farresito
Anyone doing weight lifting has any experience with fasting? I'm not so
interested in doing weight lifting while fasting (doesn't sound too good) as
in the muscle gain/loss after a fast.
~~~
plausibilities
Me.
I currently maintain a 2.3x bodyweight deadlift and 1.5x bench press while
working a relatively tame & laid-back salaried dev job.
Can't do IF (multi-day, anyways) without losing lean mass anymore. Used to be
able to until I started plateauing on my lifts.
My guess is as you gain more and more lean muscle mass, there's some arbitrary
threshold (which differs person to person) at which your TDEE begins to exceed
viable intake within a limited timeframe.
I specify "viable intake" because your body's nutrient uptake rate per hour
has some given limit - anything over that limit usually just gets pooped out
later.
Restricting timeframe for eating during the day (break my fast after work)
seems to work out okay though.
------
diogenescynic
People without cancer already don’t eat, or hardly as they often lose their
appetite due to cancer treatments. Why is that different than this?
------
runeks
For someone with access to the article: what was the duration and frequency of
the fasting that was shown to cure certain cancer types?
------
barftransit
"I've found that I feel so good when I fast and I don't know why, but please
listen to me about myself" \- HN
------
abledon
Combine that with 30s+ mayurasana for a total intestinal workout. (Work
towards 5 minutes)
------
kolbe
I thought this applied to all diets that induce ketogenesis.
------
camelNotation
Rewritten for normal people:
Cancer sometimes becomes resistant to chemotherapy, but we did a study that
shows a certain type of lung cancer is highly dependent on a certain amino
acid and when you fast intermittently it deprives the cancer of that amino
acid and causes the cancer cells to die.
~~~
varunpant
Fast for how long ? Few days a week ?
~~~
atrexler
I've no idea about the fasting stuff. Just thought its important to make clear
this particular study is all about doing stuff to cells or lumps of cells in
dishes (again sorry if I missed more involved model system in the paper).
Whether thats a good model for cancer in people and how fasting interacts with
that I honestly have no idea.
------
StriverGuy
Anyone have a link without a paywall?
~~~
astrodev
[https://sci-hub.tw/10.15252/embj.201899815](https://sci-
hub.tw/10.15252/embj.201899815)
~~~
arisAlexis
I seriously seriously thank you. I have a family history of this specific
cancer and wanted to read about it.
------
aviv
Do I get back the 3,000 HN Karma points I lost to downvotes after years of
suggesting fasting as a viable treatment for a whole host of "diseases"? One
day people will see it as obvious as "smoking is bad for you". One day.
~~~
mirceal
Why do you care about karma so much? Express your opinion and forget about
“internet points”.
~~~
1996
Because you want to join in the conversation, and with lower amounts of
magical points you get more often messages telling you to "slow down" _AFTER_
you have carefully written a message in 5 to to 10 minutes. This is
infuriating when english is not your native language and writing
understandable language is slow, especially to communicate complex thought
that may be not evident.
Due to my unpopular opinions about how some countries and companies are often
targetted in US media, even on unrelated articles, this happens to me. I like
taking breaks on HN, but the more it happens, the more I am going to other
places instead.
This is not about being true or being right - just whether your conversation
is following the mainstream opinion or not.
If later it proves to be right? Too bad for you. This is the case on most
forums with up and downvoting, and it forces dissent out.
I am interested in conversation for learning and sharing. The post I read the
more carefully are greyed out or dead. Most are ads or crankpots, but in 1% of
the time I get gems.
Sinple example: would you have preferred to learn about intermittent fasting
now, or 5 years ago? Me: 5 years ago, but too many downvotes may have pushed
out of the community people like the parent poster.
~~~
LinuxBender
I find it useful to take notes on discussions that seem illogical,
unscientific, dogmatic, etc. Later on, one can always post their counter
arguments on github [1] or their own site [2] where it won't be grey text. You
could even start your own forum, where you can set the guidelines.
[1] - [https://github.com/](https://github.com/)
[2] - [http://n-gate.com/](http://n-gate.com/)
Not my sites, just an example. You can make the text as big, bold and readable
as you wish. I prefer really simple stylesheets.
~~~
bitwize
That site (starts with N and ends with gate) doesn't like to be mentioned here
on Hackernews. If you link to there from here, it will pull a jwz -- albeit
thankfully, without the nutsack, just a fake "captcha" that's really a looping
"Loading" gif.
~~~
LinuxBender
That's too funny. I suppose I've never clicked on a link from here to there. I
also block javascript so maybe that is also why I have not seen it.
------
yogiwannabe
Here is ancient wisdom on this:
[https://youtu.be/tkuF1VmLoRs](https://youtu.be/tkuF1VmLoRs) If you are
looking for scientific data, you will not got any but WISDOM, a plenty :-).
This is from an Enlightened Living Master.
------
alokitr
I adhere to a eat nothing diet. Then after I have starved, I am awakened and I
gouge myself to death. The cycle then restarts. The powers that be make sure I
don't die cause who's gonna do a quickening on the highlander if I do ?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The Frenzy About High-Tech Talent - prostoalex
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2015/jul/09/frenzy-about-high-tech-talent/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NYR+STEM+frenzy+Boko+Haram+Midsummer+Nights+Dream&utm_content=NYR+STEM+frenzy+Boko+Haram+Midsummer+Nights+Dream+CID_869a7e4df211b9f2091810c10f23c98f&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=STEM%20Frenzy
======
chrisbennet
_" A 2014 study by the National Science Board found that of 19.5 million
holders of degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, only
5.4 million were working in those fields, and a good question is what they do
instead. The Center for Economic Policy and Research, tracing graduates from
2010 through 2014, discovered that 28 percent of engineers and 38 percent of
computer sciencetists were either unemployed or holding jobs that did not need
their training.2"_
~~~
JesperRavn
The second set of figures are from [0] and the figure of 28% is the smallest
out of all majors. The figure for "Computer Scientists" is actually the "Math
and Computers" section. From these figures, (non-software) engineering
actually looks like the best choice from an employment perspective, but is
roughly equal with education and health.
[0] [http://www.cepr.net/documents/black-coll-
grads-2014-05.pdf](http://www.cepr.net/documents/black-coll-grads-2014-05.pdf)
------
fiatmoney
In these discussions, it's helpful to when you see "talent" to substitute
"cheap talent".
~~~
JesperRavn
That's always true though, e.g. in the Irish potato famine there was no lack
of food, just food that people could afford.
If STEM talent is expensive, that means there is not enough of it and we
should encourage more. It will be bad for the people who would have gone into
tech anyway, but good for the people who would have got lower paying jobs
otherwise.
We should also be encouraging people to go into other high paying areas like
medicine, law or finance. But I think STEM (and medicine) have the highest
positive externalities so that is another reason to encourage STEM jobs.
~~~
greenyoda
_" If STEM talent is expensive, that means there is not enough of it and we
should encourage more."_
Who gets to determine whether it's expensive or not? The large tech companies
can certainly afford to pay more for tech talent. Apple alone is sitting on a
couple hundred billion dollars in cash. Google, Facebook and Microsoft also
make billions in profits each year. It's not like these companies are in any
danger of becoming unprofitable. The fact that we're creating more STEM grads
each year than we have jobs for seems to suggest that we already have too many
of them, not too few.
And nobody is complaining about how expensive executive-level talent is. Why
don't the big tech companies complain that there are so few people qualified
to be CEOs that they need to pay them tens of millions of dollars a year?[1]
[1] [http://money.cnn.com/gallery/technology/2013/06/18/top-
paid-...](http://money.cnn.com/gallery/technology/2013/06/18/top-paid-tech-
ceos/)
~~~
JesperRavn
_> Who gets to determine whether it's expensive or not?_
The real test is: are there people who could be doing this job, but aren't
(and are making less money because of this). If this is true, then the market
is not in equilibrium and it is appropriate to label STEM employees as
"expensive".
High wages are not good in themselves, and neither are low wages. What is good
is when markets operate properly and resources (including human resources) are
allocated in the most efficient way. That might involve more people going into
STEM fields, and tech salaries going down as a result. In other fields, like
medicine, people would come up with all sorts of excuses to protect the
benefits that their in-group receive, to the detriment of other potential
workers. I think that in tech we are uniquely able to go beyond this flawed
thinking.
~~~
AdieuToLogic
I'm not following your logic.
You orginally said:
> If STEM talent is expensive, that means there is not enough of it and we
> should encourage more.
(aside: correlation != causation)
Then "greenyoda" said:
> The fact that we're creating more STEM grads each year than we have jobs for
> seems to suggest that we already have too many of them, not too few.
To which you replied:
> The real test is: are there people who could be doing this job, but aren't
The answer to this appears to be "yes", for the reason "greenyoda" states and
the article presents:
> Teitelbaum stresses a fact of the labor market: contrary to the warnings
> from a variety of panels and roundtables, public and private employers who
> might hire STEM workers have not been creating enough positions for all the
> people currently being trained to fill them.
Perhaps one of the reasons STEM talent is expensive is because there are many
which acquire degrees in these fields, yet few which are skilled in performing
to expectations?
EDIT: clarified the origination of the last quote.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Oil's Collapse Is a Geopolitical Reset in Disguise - jseliger
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-04-29/covid-19-oil-collapse-is-geopolitical-reset-in-disguise
======
xiaolingxiao
I found this part really interesting: "For dozens of oil producers, the plunge
in oil prices is devastating. No major oil producer can balance its budget at
prices below $40; according to the International Monetary Fund, with the
exception of Qatar, every country in the Middle East requires at least $60,
with Algeria at $157 and Iran at a whopping $390. The average Brent price of
oil over the past month has been a hair above $20."
It's fascinating the cost of extracting oil is so high in Iran in particular,
a country that is under constant sanction by the US. I wonder how much of the
cost is due to the sanctions and disturbance in trade (ie Iran cannot import
key technologies), and how much of it is because Iran's oil deposits is just
"harder" to drill.
~~~
rckoepke
Iran's oil is not expensive to extract. These aren't marginal break-even
prices on each barrel of oil...rather they're how much their current oil
production would have to be sold for in order to balance their national
budget, which includes defense and healthcare and whatnot.
79% of Iran's exports are unrefined crude oil:
[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Islamic_Republic_of_...](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Islamic_Republic_of_Iran_Exports_Treemap_2017.svg)
(edited to 2017)
Countries typically "go bankrupt" in a practical sense (with very noticeable
real-world effects on the local citizens) when their foreign reserves run out.
~~~
fyfy18
Why can't they just take loans like most Western countries do to balance their
budget? The UK has been running at a deficit (£55 billion in the last budget)
since 2002.
Based on my back of the napkin math, the UK would need to export it's oil
(yes, the UK is a net exporter of oil) at $350/barrel to cover that.
~~~
rckoepke
> Based on my back of the napkin math, the UK would need to export it's oil
> (yes, the UK is a net exporter of oil) at $350/barrel to cover that.
In a vacuum this isn't really a good-faith argument. It can be used to
illustrate limited concepts, as another user did in this thread, but it's not
really a valid point in general for anything. That's because the question of
"what price of oil does [country] need?" only makes sense for countries where
the supermajority of their GDP is based on resource extraction.
UK to Iran is not a great comparison because only 4.5% of UK's exports are
crude oil.
[https://oec.world/en/profile/country/gbr/](https://oec.world/en/profile/country/gbr/)
Second, trade only makes up 30% of the UK's GDP, meaning it can and does
better leverage its domestic production to meet domestic needs.
Lastly, the UK has not been nearly as dependent on exports to balance foreign
reserves as Iran is. Due to its uncommon status as a global financial hub, I
think it has other ways to ensure it can continue to finance trade.
------
8bitsrule
I found the word 'climate' appears once in the article. Which is more times
than it appears in the comments so far.
So, perhaps, not that much of a reset in terms of keeping fossil fuels in the
ground. And it's such a fine time to address that question.
------
voz_
Additional detail: The author was one of the architects for major pieces of
the Iraq war, including the surge.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meghan_O%27Sullivan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meghan_O%27Sullivan)
~~~
Iv
To me the most relevant part was this:
> She was an assistant to Paul Bremer in the Coalition Provisional Authority.
> She was Senior Director for Iraq at the United States National Security
> Council.
Around that time, Bremer decided to bar former ba'ath officer from either
serving the new military or getting pension. That decision almost single-
handedly created the backbone of the terrorist networks that would become
ISIS.
People from that admin should be shunned from any published analysis but
failing that, I am happy that forums like this allows us to augment their
biographies.
On the other hand, I have yet to see a Bloomberg article not about finance
that was not misinformed. Those about tech especially are pretty bad, and
every time I dug a bit around their geopolitical analysis, I was pretty
underwhelmed.
~~~
jeffdavis
"People from that admin should be shunned from any published analysis"
Interestingly, it was GWB that also put a lot of effort into pandemic
preparedness. See: [https://georgewbush-
whitehouse.archives.gov/homeland/pandemi...](https://georgewbush-
whitehouse.archives.gov/homeland/pandemic-influenza.html)
History is kind of a weird place.
~~~
dantheman
GWB is war monger and torturer.
Sure he may have done some things that are good, but he made many horrible
decisions.
~~~
divbzero
Among the good things, George W. Bush contributed more to the fight against
HIV/AIDS than any other president. [1]
[1]:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President%27s_Emergency_Plan_f...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President%27s_Emergency_Plan_for_AIDS_Relief)
~~~
boomboomsubban
I can't find the full funding breakdown, but I'd guess Obama contributed more.
Purely as he had 8 years to Bush's 5 though.
~~~
majewsky
George W. Bush held office for 8 years. You may be thinking of his father,
George H. W. Bush.
~~~
boomboomsubban
Bush started that program in 2003.
------
twomoretime
People are really optimistic in the industry. I am active in petroleum circles
and many are convinced that this is another temporary downturn and we'll
always need oil.
All I see is public sentiment turning against fossil fuels and an inevitable
death for 90% of the industry as we move away from petroleum. We only use
something like >20% of raw petroleum for plastic and medicine and such. And
the price curve is not linear, so the oil necessary to satisfy the first 20%
of today's demand is probably priced some absurdly low number, my gut says
less than $20.
It feels like our entire geopolitical system is crumbling. A vulnerable state
had been brewing for a long time. Coronavirus was the trigger. Perhaps the
american hegemony was not sustainable, or recently became such. For those
unaware, petroleum really does factor into a lot of worldbuilding that we do
in the middle east. Major shifts in oil markets typically mean major shifts in
geopolitics.
Interesting times ahead.
~~~
jariel
5 billion people on planet earth living in poor countries do not care about
the negative effects of oil. They are making quite a lot more money and want
to buy cars.
If the last 30 years was about the rise of China, the rest of the century is
going to be about the rise of 'the rest of the world'.
Pre 2000 it was as if these places didn't exist - they had no money. Just
people in huts.
But now they want Hondas and iPhones and there are a lot of them.
The US was 1/3 of the world economy, but less than 10% of it's population. Not
it's like 22% of world economy.
This is the 'macro macro' thing that will be the biggest driver of everything.
~~~
twomoretime
The entire global economy is grinding to a halt and we may be sitting on top
of a global depression for years to come.
Those 5 billion are going to have to wait. Also, it may be harsh but if
history is any indication, these people are unlikely to gain access to oil
themselves - which means they're dependent on probably their neighbors
(developing countries probably are sensitive to shipping/deliver charges)
which means that their demand is subject to international sanctions if, say,
G20 decides to wean the globe from petroleum. So if the west decides no more
fossil fuels, these people will likely stay in huts until they stumble upon
reserves in their country (unlikely) or find another civilization-sustaining
energy source.
You think oil dependence will last forever? Also with the rise of the
internet, you don't think people in developing countries are likely to give
preference to renewables if the price is within reach? Everything's getting
cheaper.
~~~
jariel
No, they will get the oil, and low prices will only expedite that.
Nobody, not the entire EU/West and certainly not anyone else is going to say
to poor Africa and Asia: 'you can't use Oil', moreover, nobody is going to
send troops to Nigeria to stop exports, or embargo Indonesia and Pakistan or
wherever from receiving oil.
It's like telling 5 billion people they can't use tapped water or water wells
that they have to 'figure something out'.
It's a non-starter.
The only shift will be economic - either Oil is too expensive - or - in some
situations, solar might be cheaper. Which it will be, but for the most part,
there is no end in sight to oil.
If there is a magic leap in solar and battery tech, and China pumps out super
cheap electric cars that can be re-fueled cheaper than gas and there's enough
sunlight, that would work. But that's not in the cards.
~~~
demosito666
> It's a non-starter.
If half a year ago someone would tell me that the entire world will be shut
down because of some kind of a flu, I wouldn't even consider this: it's a non-
starter. And yet here we are.
I can easily imagine a mind shift amongst current world powers that will be
strong enough to reduce fossils usage to half of existing levels. And since
they have all means to enforce this on developing world, I wouldn't dismiss
this possibility.
~~~
jariel
A 'Deus Ex-Machina' argument is not an argument.
Yes, we could invent some magical technology tomorrow that solved all of our
energy problems, but lacking divine intervention - there is no foreseeable
path in which the Oil stays in the ground.
Telling the 3rd world they must stay poor because 'we already used up all the
Co2 emissions' is not going to work. Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Iran, etc. etc.
will sell Oil to willing buyers.
~~~
demosito666
> Telling the 3rd world they must stay poor because 'we already used up all
> the Co2 emissions' is not going to work.
Why not? To sell oil you need massive and fragile infrastructure in place:
pipelines, storage tanks, terminals, etc. This infra can be easily controlled.
As soon as world powers decide that the damage done to the planet outweighs
economic effects of cheap energy, they can easily impose global limit on oil
trade. Which can be enforced by both economic and military means.
------
ggm
The shift from coal catapulted.. it took years. First, technology had to shift
to oil as a commodity beyond oil bunkers for battleships. Second, the nation
states had to get out from ruinously bad national oil deals which also led to
the Pahlavi regime, hatred of the British in Iran, the CIA and other bodies.
This was not a catapult. It was a long slow dangerous and corrupt slide.
~~~
pas
This sounds very important, but somehow very scarcely known. Could you point
to some sources about this?
~~~
dredmorbius
Despite being very much an apologist for and champion of the oil industry,
Daniel Yergin's _The Prize_ is outstanding.
Vaclav Smil's _Energy and Civilization_ and books on energy transitions gives
a mostly energy-physics and technological bacground on the coal-oil transition
(and ag-coal previously). Manfred Weissenbacher's _Sources of Power_ adds in
some of the political dimension.
------
msla
There's a current idea that the USSR collapsed due to oil shock:
[https://thetyee.ca/News/2013/03/13/Soviet-Union-
Oil/](https://thetyee.ca/News/2013/03/13/Soviet-Union-Oil/)
The actual scientists say it's more complicated. As you should expect:
[https://carnegieendowment.org/2017/03/29/formation-and-
evolu...](https://carnegieendowment.org/2017/03/29/formation-and-evolution-of-
soviet-union-s-oil-and-gas-dependence-pub-68443)
------
spicyramen
Mexico is planning to build a new refinery, while oil is key it is also
important to mention which countries have the technology to process this extra
oil into products. Mexico depends on US technology to do this for their gas.
Once they built the new refinery this no longer going to happen. Something
important to consider for our balance sheet and American workers
~~~
pas
One refinery won't change the world overnight.
There are already multiple refineries in Mexico: [https://argus-public-assets-
us.s3.amazonaws.com/2018/07/17/2...](https://argus-public-assets-
us.s3.amazonaws.com/2018/07/17/20180717wheremexico%E2%80%99spresident-
electwantstobuildrefineries17072018054506.jpg)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oil_refineries#Mexico](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oil_refineries#Mexico)
------
alextheparrot
What happened to Iran between 2018 and 2019?
The author links to data [1], which states that Iran needs $319 / barrel oil
to balance its budget. Between 2018 and 2019, this number jumped from $67 (In
line with the rest of the region) to $244.
I feel like this statistic was trotted out and means something different from
what I'd casually read it as.
Iranian exports fell significantly between 2018 and 2019 [2], it seems because
of the fallout of the Iran nuclear deal and resumed sanctions [3]. There was a
69% decrease (1800 units to 570 units), which, means the calculated number
would be ~3x higher, or about $211 a barrel. Which means the "statistic"
doesn't really tell us what we think - that Iran can only profitably produce
oil at >$200 a barrel - but that US sanctions have crippled Iran's ability to
use oil as a primary source of national income.
To be fair, I'd love to see the author do the math on US oil. Actually, I'll
take a stab at it. If the US tried to balance its physical budget (Let's say
$984B in 2019 [3]) based entirely on increasing the price of current US oil
exports (770,000 barrels a day [4]), how much would the price of oil need to
rise?
770,000 barrels a day * 365 = 280M barrels of oil
$984B/280M barrels of oil = $3,514
The US would need to make an additional $3514 per barrel of oil to balance its
physical budget, which is an increase from $63 a barrel to $3,577 a barrel.
Can you imagine a journalist writing this as a supporting figure? "US, implied
to be a failing state as it is the largest number here, requires $10,000 a
barrel oil to balance budget". Yes, that statement is a bit biased, but I'm
willing to defend that this is how the US media most often interfaces with
Iran.
One critique I would expect is along the lines of "Iran is more dependent on
oil for its economy". Iran's GDP is 23% oil [6], whereas the US is around 8%
[7]. I think the story still stands out as a bit insane, even if we adjust for
"Expected contribution by GDP %", which would still put us well-north of
$1,000 a barrel oil.
I don't mean to state that this is my fully-formed opinion, yet, but I think
it is worth discussing these either (A) misleading (B) uninterpretable without
far greater work "data facts" actually add little value to the story, and
instead (seem to) further a narrative. This is in opposition of the
traditional scientific approach, where we state our expectation and validate
or invalidate that conclusion, with the author being expected to prove instead
of just say something with "QED" implicitly attached. This critique, now,
seeks to be a more general one: Data-driven media seems be misunderstood as a
narrative where the data is in the driver's seat -- in reality it has let
anyone ride shotgun as long as they get along with the driver.
[1]
[https://data.imf.org/regular.aspx?key=60214246](https://data.imf.org/regular.aspx?key=60214246)
[2]
[https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/IRNNXGOCMBD](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/IRNNXGOCMBD)
[3]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_budget](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_budget)
[4]
[https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=42735](https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=42735)
[5] [https://countryeconomy.com/raw-
materials/brent?dr=2019-11](https://countryeconomy.com/raw-
materials/brent?dr=2019-11)
[6]
[https://tradingeconomics.com/iran/gdp](https://tradingeconomics.com/iran/gdp)
[7] [https://www.api.org/news-policy-and-issues/taxes/oil-and-
nat...](https://www.api.org/news-policy-and-issues/taxes/oil-and-natural-gas-
contribution-to-us-economy-fact-sheet)
Edit: Formatting
~~~
rckoepke
There are definitely some ideas worth talking about here. But at the end of
the day, Iran will be facing a foreign-reserve crisis in three years if it
can't find ways to balance the national budget. It probably has 3 years at
current rates to improve the situation before it faces difficulty importing
goods essential to its economy and welfare.
~~~
alextheparrot
That's true in a global context, and I think warrants a discussion. I expect,
however, in this article that the discussion would be accompanied with the
obvious related fact: this statistic is mostly caused by US geopolitical
policy by decreasing the number of barrels which can be exported.
A US writer supports the header "Prepare for more fragile, or even failed,
states and the risks that can accompany them.", with these facts. I find it
quite disingenuous, I'd be happy to discuss that if we disagree.
The language makes people (Some of them even in this thread) think that there
is something intrinsic to Iran as a state, rather than just US geopolitical
policy causing chaos for banana republics and oil adversaries of the US.
Overall, the fact isn't linked at all to oil's current collapse (Which is the
article's context), as Iran is still in a horrible spot even if the price
doesn't collapse.
------
aantix
Time to buy oil stock.
Tesla is the only real electric hope, and they have many many years before
they supplant combustion based vehicles.
~~~
core-questions
Pretty much. As soon as we all get moving again, the demand is going to ramp
back up to previous levels; higher in some cases as industries work harder to
fill backlogs. It's not like all the oil-consuming things have disappeared in
two months.
~~~
glenvdb
I think the ramp will be much longer and gradual than people expect though.
~~~
tonyedgecombe
News I've read in the UK over the last week includes BA laying off a quarter
of its staff and stopping flights from Gatwick, Rolls Royce laying off 3,500
staff, Airbus contemplating layoffs. These people put their money where their
mouth is and they don't see a quick recovery.
------
mFixman
There's a thing I don't understand and could use some explanation.
Didn't this same thing happen at a lower level in 2014, when Saudi Arabia
pumped a lot of oil to international markets to bankrupts American shale oil
producers? And didn't the price go back up after some time when the Saudi
government couldn't afford breaking up OPEC?
Why can't the same thing happen now? The price and supply of world oil is
almost completely controlled by Saudi Aramco, and there's nothing preventing
them from increasing the price in the future.
~~~
Macha
1\. It takes time to adjust to demand changes and they're hoping covid19
restrictions ease in a reasonable time frame and demand goes at least
partially back. 2\. Russia started flooding the market prior to this to
disrupt the saudis and US oil producers. Cutting production would need their
collaboration or they've ceded market share and influence to Russia.
~~~
mFixman
Like that very article says, Russia needs a much higher oil price than most
countries in the Middle East to keep a positive balance.
Demand will come back after the pandemic is over, and the Russian government
can't flood the market for very long.
~~~
afjl
They can flood the market for as long as they have foreign reserves. Over the
last several years, Russia has steadily reduced its budget's dependence on oil
revenues, and bolstered foreign reserves/gold. They probably do have enough
foreign reserves/gold to outpump the Saudis and drive the price so low that
the Saudis start burning through their own reserves.
And I believe Putin has a stronger grip over his own people than MBS, so in a
race to the bottom I think Russia could definitely come out "on top".
I really dislike the article's mention of "balanced budget" oil prices, it
distracts from more salient arguments when presented alone. For proper
analysis, the author should have provided more numerical data, like
foreign/gold reserves, budget comparisons (historically, and across
countries), etc.
>> Demand will come back after the pandemic is over.
Man, I go back and forth with myself/other people over this all the time. I
think there's a significant risk that energy consumption will be lower in the
temporary short- and mid-term futures, and slight risk that energy consumption
will also be lower in long-term future.
Take a look at US consumption:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_the_United_States#Pr...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_the_United_States#Primary_energy_consumption)
[https://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/pdf/sec1_7.pdf](https://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/pdf/sec1_7.pdf)
We still haven't reached 07/08 levels of energy consumption, of which 67% is
nat gas/oil. I also read a while back that US households have steadily
decreased their individual usage of energy post-2008, despite economic gains.
I forget where, I think it was in an article about nuclear power plants.
With that said, I think global outlook (for oil consumption) over the next 5
years is not good for developing economies. Their economies will suffer until
developed economies recover and stimulate their under-developed economies.
However, long-term population growth in SE Asia and Africa will demand greater
energy consumption and I believe economic growth in these regions will be the
primary drivers of greater oil consumption. That's because renewable energies
will be much, much more expensive than non-renewables (until we tax the hell
out of them) and developing economies must pursue the most cost-effective
alternative.
Sorry, for the long response, I just love this shit.
------
unclebucknasty
> _How might the United States and its partners prepare for more turmoil in
> these countries..._
Serious question: who, exactly, are the United States' partners these days?
~~~
hasseio
The 5 Eyes? NATO?
~~~
ilstormcloud
5 eyes are more of client states than partners at this point. That's not to
say they have no utility, far from it, I think they are very potent. It's just
that 'partner' is not the right word to describe them. I say this mainly
because they don't seem to have opinions about foreign policy other than the
one set by the USA. A better example of a partner in my opinion would be
Germany, or France. As for NATO, The only countries that need it are the USA,
UK and the Eastern European countries. For western and southern Europe, NATO
seems like a gym membership they haven't gotten to canceling. That's not to
say member states are not partners or friends of USA, just that they know they
can create something better for the current reality. Change was always
inevitable, but GWB and Trump might have accelerated it to reckless speeds.
~~~
teruakohatu
My country, New Zealand, is in the 5 eyes. Other than intelligence, we have
very little military interaction with the USA. Apparently they won't even
allow us to buy high tech gear because we ban US Navy nuke ships from
visiting. We are a long way off from being a client state.
~~~
prawn
But probably not big enough to be a partner?
(I'm from Australia and would consider the "client state" assessment for us to
be fair.)
------
janee
I haven't been able to find a nice breakdown of the reasons behind the price
decrease that wasn't driven by reduced demand.
So my understanding is that SA increased production because it couldn't get
Russia to limit its output? So they crashed the market with the hopes to bend
them to their will. If so are they basically signalling that they can survive
such conditions but Russia can't? Or what's going on here
------
pmoriarty
It's times like these that I really wonder where all the oil peak guys are who
you used to see crawl out of the woodwork whenever anyone talked about oil.
Now they're suddenly quiet.
They used to predict doom and gloom due to an oil shortage, but what we got
instead was doom and gloom and an oil glut. Where are they now?
~~~
djsumdog
Hubbert peak oil theory seems to not really hold water in retrospect. People
try to say the peak is just delayed as we're finding more oil reserves or
because there's been a big switch to renewables. I think his models assumed a
very different metrics for oil supply and distribution that don't seem to
apply today. This podcast from a few years back goes into a lot of it:
[https://youtu.be/0wlNey9t7hQ](https://youtu.be/0wlNey9t7hQ)
~~~
ethbro
Not an expert, but the doomsday peak scenario seemed predicated on no
fundamentally different oil sources becoming available (e.g. shale).
As it played out, fracking technology matured, and a lot of additional supply
was "added" once the price crossed a threshold.
------
irjustin
I really appreciate this piece as there's a lot of the world of oil I don't
understand.
One thing I don't understand is, why is it favorable for OPEC not to cut
supply? Is it they want to crush all non OPEC based producers? Or are their
buyers forced to buy at a particular price so they don't care if they keep
producing?
~~~
mbreese
ArsTechnica / Wired has a good article out about just that question. One
reason that isn’t economic (and there are many economic factors a play here
too) is that if you stop pumping oil, you can potentially damage the well.
This would make it more difficult to reopen the well in the future when the
prices improve. This also tends to affect smaller producers with fewer wells
and thus more risk of one of them is damaged.
(This is related to why haven’t wells shut down in response to the drop in
price, as opposed to simply producing less oil from existing wells.)
[https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/05/heres-why-the-
world-...](https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/05/heres-why-the-world-is-
still-producing-more-oil-than-it-needs/)
~~~
xiphias2
Isn't another solution to just let the oil go into the ground, and stop
worrying about destroying earth? I can imagine Trump getting rid of all
environmental regulations. How likely is that? (I'm on the environmental
regulations side of course, but I'm quite worried that this will be the
logical next step).
~~~
csours
Sure but how will that make money for the well operator? I understand what
you're saying, but what actual legal/political/economic framework are we
talking about?
~~~
xiphias2
Right now the operators have to pay for the storage as far as I know. The game
is not about making money, but at least not losing. That's why I'm afraid that
some people would rather make an environmental disaster than to pay for a
company to store the oil. But of course I don't know anything about the oil
industry.
------
teslaberry
the dollar is too strong, it means you get less for your production ( barrel
of oil) than you used to. so little, that you might not be able to feed the
people in your country that pump the oil.
a strong dollar creates problems for the entire rest of the world. this is how
the king of the throne applies coercive force to the 'developing world'.
because their own currencies are even that much shittier, so they CHOOSE to
rely on the dollar. because...it's far more useful than trying bilateral trade
( oil for food) , which isn't so easy, using a currency is far better, and if
you think it's not, try bilateral trade, see what happens. in the rare cases
that it may work, you'll have the u.s. navy knocking at your door too!
------
purplezooey
The premise of this article is a bit dicey. Sure nobody can sustain oil below
$40, but it will be back there within a year.
------
jsnider3
How many resets have we had already?
------
FpUser
_given President Putin’s need to demonize the United States_
I am curious how exactly Putin/Russia are demonizing the US?
~~~
golergka
Recently, one of the most famous russian movie directors, who's also very
close to the government (and also heads a "copyright protection" agency that
gets 1% tax on all writeable media - because they could be used, to, you know,
pirate movies) said in his own TV show, on state television, that Bill Gates
wants to implant chips into people to earn crypto. In general, state media is
full of conspiracy theory level of propaganda - with aliens, lizard people and
secret world government.
~~~
FpUser
Is this the best you can come up with? This is not Russia demonizing the US.
This is conspiracy theory coming out of tinfoil hat public from everywhere
including US.
------
baybal2
A fresh look the news we heard on May 1st
Why do you think Trump phoned Saudis with such a strong threat when:
1\. He previously showed no regard for how US oil industry fares, beside
taking credit for it doing well
2\. US oil industry is screwed below $40 except for the most productive wells
in Texas. US shale is screwed below $60.
If his actions can't do a thing to really positively affect US oil industry,
why he even tries?
Answer:
[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8232865/amp/Donald-...](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8232865/amp/Donald-
Trump-Vladimir-Putin-four-phone-calls-past-two-weeks.html)
So, Trump does 4 phone calls with Putin, then a single one with a right away
direct threat to Saudis.
You don't need to think for long what it means.
------
blackrock
This sounds like an opportunity for someone to kickstart a whole new post-
petroleum industry.
How? Use the sun, wind, tide, nuclear, geothermal, space-solar, anything, to
produce electricity, in order to crack hydrogen from water, and jumpstart the
hydrogen economy. And will also need to begin mass production of fuel cells to
get it cheaper.
This proves that the world does not need oil, if an alternative energy source
can be harvested.
And along the way, it can possibly topple the biggest superpower on the
planet. As well as effectively neutering the major countries with massive
petroleum reserves.
I can only think of one player that can achieve such a monumental task. And
even then, I doubt that they are that bold.
------
worik
How is it possible to talk of the future of oil and ignore the elephant in the
room?
~~~
briffle
Like you just did?
~~~
worik
Can't you see it?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
ISS Crew Captures Beautiful Image of Green Aurora Over the Indian Ocean - pinstriped_dude
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-06/iss-crew-captures-beautiful-image-green-aurora-over-indian-ocean
======
rbanffy
Great image.
But I imagine what an astronaut feels when he can witness lots of energetic
particles passing right through him and colliding with the upper atmosphere
with enough energy to provide planet-scale fireworks...
------
hellotoby
In Australia popsci.com redirects to popsci.com.au which does not have this
article and shows a 404 page. Terrible programming from the coders of this
site...
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Understanding Sleep Paralysis: A Terrifying but Unique State of Consciousness - amelius
http://www.iflscience.com/brain/understanding-sleep-paralysis-terrifying-unique-state-consciousness
======
AnimalMuppet
I've had something that might be classified as sleep paralysis. It's horrible,
but in my case it is easily explained. The cat slept on my bed. I would try to
roll over in the night, but be unable to because the cat was on top of the
blanket in the wrong direction. (And, because I was asleep, I wasn't moving
forcefully enough to make her move.) But when I kept trying, the cat would
eventually move, or I would wake up enough to put some force into my efforts.
Once the cat died, I quit having that experience. The new cat isn't allowed in
the bedroom at night (nor much during the day).
Note: I am not claiming that this is the source of other sleep paralysis
experiences.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Where to live in San Francisco (URGENT) - bherms
I am leaving tomorrow night from Indianapolis to move to San Francisco for a startup job I accepted a few weeks ago (and found through HN :)<p>I had a woman verbally commit to me 3 weeks ago for a condo and she sent the lease to me. I signed, and sent it back last week and this morning she called me to tell me she didn't feel comfortable renting it to me all of a sudden and she was going to rent to someone else. I've tried calling and emailing, but to no avail (yet).<p>I need to be in San Francisco by next Friday and have got to find a place to live ASAP.<p>My biggest problem finding a spot is that I would like to have a decent place to myself, but I have a bad credit score (580).<p>If anyone out there could offer any help or advice to me, please let me know by emailing me at [email protected].<p>I know this is off HN topic, but seeing as I accepted a web development startup position for a job I found on the site, I figured I would ask if anyone here could help.<p>THANKS!
======
YuriNiyazov
I was in a similar situation a little while ago. Here's how I handled it:
Two weeks at the pacific tradewinds hostel. While there I found a 3 month room
sublet in a house with other people in the crappy part of the Mission. From
there, I found a 3 month studio sublet in Berkeley. From there, I found a
permanent, large house sublet in a nice part of Oakland (Rockridge) with a
roommate.
I don't have bad credit, but none of these places asked me for a credit check.
Basically, what I am saying is, you will have a way easier time once you are
actually here on the West Coast, and I strongly recommend the East Bay
(Berkeley/Oakland) as a place to start rather than SF proper - cheaper, and
landlords seem more eager to let tenants in without running proper background
checks.
------
jacksondeane
I moved to SF from NYC 2 months ago. I constantly checked the "rooms/shared"
and "sublet/temp" sections on craiglist and sent numerous emails/calls.
I would recommend just finding anything you can, in your price range and in a
central location for the time being. You are going to have a hard time doing
this remotely, so find a cheap hotel/hostel.
Don't plan on working too much when you first get here, you should be spending
any time you can looking at apts. and locking one down.
I was looking for something very specific (location) and eventually found it.
The whole process took a few weeks, 2 remotely looking and 1 in SF.
------
aashay
Getting a place like that last-minute in SF is going to be very difficult.
It's difficult enough finding apartments in SF even if you plan ahead.
+1 to CouchSurfing and AirBnB. Just keep an eye on Craigslist.
If you don't work in the city proper, consider living outside of the city.
Emeryvill and Berkeley are good bets. Be weary of Oakland as some parts are
sketchy and unsafe. South Bay has several cities too but that may end up being
pricey.
------
_pius
Also check out CouchSurfing.org and AirBnb
------
phlux
Padmapper.com -- If you have bad credit, but have cash, you can offer more
than just first and last to get around that typically.
~~~
nfriedly
hey, just wanted to let you know that your account must have been marked as
spam, because all of your comments have been marked as dead for the past week
or so.
~~~
wladimir
I'm seeing this a lot, lately. People that are hell-banned for no apparent
reason.
I think this is very unfair...
When you get a message "you are banned, go away" by accident you can at least
contact the admin and argue against it. Now you don't even know it happened.
~~~
nfriedly
Yep, I agree. I think the system needs some human oversight, especially with
the number of false positives I've seen.
(You're probably the 10th person I've contacted to let them know about a
hellban.)
~~~
wladimir
Maybe it's an idea for a site, www.amihellbanned.com :-) Or
aremypostsvisibleorjustforme.com :p
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Lab Spend – Pricing Search Engine for Research Chemicals and Supplies - apsec112
http://www.labspend.com
======
Merick
Working with labs, I've found it extremely eye-opening how archaic the
supplier relationship is. A big challenge appears to be with the sales model
and its reliance on contracts, opaque pricing, and exclusive relationships.
This is, of course, made even more complicated because not all supplies are
created equal. Even simple plastics can have slight variations that are
invisible without further testing which can impact experiments. You have to be
careful, and many of the scientists I work with are superstitious when it
comes to buying products, not wanting to risk their experiments.
An alternative I see a ton of labs using these days is Quartzy (YC S11)
([https://www.quartzy.com/](https://www.quartzy.com/)), which also provides
great price alternatives, and also evaluates against other parameters people
care about when it comes to their experiments. They have an entire team
dedicated to vetting these products so scientists can order with peace of
mind. Quartzy also provides some very useful supply ordering and inventory
tools that are a huge boon for lab ops.
There's a lot of opportunities for disruption in the lab supply space. It's
definitely needed.
------
eboyjr
Allowing the searching and purchase of used equipment would also help those
facilities running on a shoestring budget.
How to start a lab when funds are tight:
[https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05655-3](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05655-3)
~~~
joshvm
The biggest hurdle here is probably the university itself - since this is
presumably targeted towards uni labs. You don't really see this as a student,
but once you start having to place orders through a university finance system
(they're all vaguely similar), it's not straightforward. It depends on your PI
and what they'll approve, what your budget code actually allows you to buy and
so on.
We have a catalogue of approved suppliers who are easy to order from (semi-
automated system). The usual suspects like Farnell/Digikey, Thorlabs/Edmund
Optics are in there. Most universities have a "credit card guy" who will order
things from other places, e.g. if you need a random part from an online
retailer or even eBay.
Some suppliers have special relationships, e.g. we get hefty corporate
discount on certain IT brands in exchange for exclusivity. This means you have
to really argue why you want a non-standard laptop. I've not come up against
this for consumables, but I imagine it's fairly common in bio/chem.
There are other cases which are problematic (1) big orders need extensive
approval, multiple quotes, etc (2) stores which are not in the system and
don't accept credit cards. Adding a supplier at any university is often
tedious paperwork for everyone involved and neither the finance department nor
the retailer like doing it.
The point here is that it's great to be able to find cheap supplies, but
sometimes you can't make that choice. I've had to buy expensive (but
admittedly reliable) optics from Edmund simply because a cheaper store
wouldn't fill out the paperwork. These sites are great in general, e.g.
Octopart for electronics.
EDIT: (meant to reply to this one)
------
trentlott
I started entering a number and it automatically ran a search before it was
completed (mobile chrome). Then I put in a chemical that it didn't find...now
I'm outta tries.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Anyone else a Shoemoney fan? Great reading for startups - jamescoops
http://www.shoemoney.com/
======
paulgb
He seems to be more on the shady/darkhat side of things. I think YC readers
are more interested in the "create something cool/valuable/fun and love what
you do" method.
Personally, I would rather be building things and creating value, rather than
playing cat-and-mouse with search engines and ad networks.
Maybe I am misinterpreting him though.
~~~
jamescoops
He definately does a lot of very commercial stuff certainly but I think that's
useful to know about if you're building something cool/ valuable/ fun if you
want to monetise or promote it.
Also he built Auction Ads recently which is a real valuable product.
------
jamescoops
I love these online marketing sites - you really learn a lot about SEO,
monetising users and so on. It's a great change from reading techcrunch
reviews and that kind of thing.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The IPv6 Challenge - jgrahamc
https://www.cloudflare.com/ipv6-challenge
======
sp332
There's a tiny restartless Firefox plugin that will tell you if the pages you
browse are using IPv6, <https://addons.mozilla.org/en-
US/firefox/addon/sixornot/> and one for Chrome (written by p1mrx here):
[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ecanpcehffngcegjma...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ecanpcehffngcegjmadlcijfolapggal)
~~~
SkyMarshal
Why IPVFoo, vs other IPx-checker addons?
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4024195>
------
Maxious
"You are accepting the IPv6 challenge." => "ERRORDismissInvalid value
specified."
The future is no... oh wait, never mind.
~~~
jgrahamc
I work for CloudFlare. We're looking into why that's happening.
EDIT: Fixed.
------
unconed
So... what incentive is there to make your services IPv6 compatible today
other than geek cred?
I set up an IPv6 tunnel at home, and recently added AAAA records to my web
site (a tech blog). For my very technical audience, barely 1.8% traffic is
IPv6. If I look only at the RSS feed, it goes up to 3%, which seems to be
mostly Apple machines and hosted RSS aggregators.
~~~
mike-cardwell
Depends how you look at it. There might not be an individual incentive for
_you_ to do it, but there is a general incentive for _us_ to do it. You can
choose to contribute towards the move to IPv6, or not. I prefer to contribute,
because I recognise how important it is.
------
Sami_Lehtinen
Who failed? Pages show different time to launch:
<https://www.cloudflare.com/ipv6-challenge> <http://www.worldipv6launch.org/>
Doesn't look too convincing.
~~~
Gygash
It looks like CloudFlare are counting down until 2012-06-06 00:00:00 in your
local time, while the WorldIPv6Launch site is counting down to 2012-06-06
00:00:00 UTC.
~~~
eastdakota
That's correct. We were using local time and the World IPv6 Launch Day is
using UTC time. We're going to update the CloudFlare page to also use UTC.
------
g-garron
Linode offers IPv6
<http://www.linode.com/IPv6/>
------
TazeTSchnitzel
Sadly, the only way my most recent website (<http://websocket.us/>) was able
to get IPv6 support was via CloudFlare.
And my personal website, not being on CloudFlare, has no IPv6 support. I hope
my provider gives me IPv6 someday...
~~~
patrickgzill
May I ask why it matters to you? Anyone running v6 has v4 support running as
well, otherwise they couldn't get anywhere on the net.
~~~
TazeTSchnitzel
What's the point of IPv6 day if we don't get IPv6 support?
:/
------
ioquatix
I tried signing up but it seems like the site is under load and not responding
well - e.g. pages aren't loading, timeouts, etc.
Just wondering if anyone else is having the same problem?
Is this a good sign for a company whose main service is to make your site
geographically faster?
------
retube
When will phones get IPv6? Then you can host services yourself, e.g a website,
your email. Basically opens up all sorts of possibilities that will allow
people to own their content.
(yeah sure you prob want to back up to somewhere off your phone)
~~~
pilif
I'm sure phone providers will find a way to configure their links so that they
work the same as with IPv4 (i.e. no incoming connection allowed). This isn't
even necessarily a bad thing - remember all these jailbroken iphones with the
default root password running an sshd? While not providing perfect security by
a long shot, denying all incoming connections to a client on the firewall can
help mitigate some issues.
It also "fixes" a lot of potential "problems" like people running p2p software
on their phones or using VoIP instead of the much higher priced voice calls by
the phone proivder (yes. voip works today, but it could work ever so much
better if these devices were accessible directly)
~~~
tomflack
One of Australia's 3g networks had an alternate APN you could use that gave
you direct access to the internet, and an externally facing IP address. I only
discovered this last month and the network is being shut down this year. It's
such a pity this isn't a standard feature.
Edit: Apparently it is possible. (1)
1:
[http://forums.overclockers.com.au/showpost.php?p=9968987&...](http://forums.overclockers.com.au/showpost.php?p=9968987&postcount=15)
~~~
Maxious
Optus resellers will give you public IP addresses by default and the high end
ones can get you static IPs too.
------
daGrevis
What's needed to have IPv6 support? Hosting with IPv6 support, right?
~~~
TazeTSchnitzel
\- A domain name with working AAAA records
\- Your site reachable over IPv6
And possibly:
\- Any software packages (Wordpress, phpBB, etc.) working correctly with IPv6
~~~
spindritf
A DNS server which serves your zone available over IPv6 would also be nice.
~~~
TazeTSchnitzel
Ooh, that too. That would be ironic if it wasn't.
------
mjwalshe
Oh and there was me thinking that this was an attempt to produce an alternate
replacement for ipv6 that is designed with migration in mind rather than the
ivory tower OSI style standard it became.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Lisp plummets in popularity while COBOL and FoxPro win hearts - kirubakaran
http://www.tiobe.com/tiobe_index/index.htm
======
gensym
So, their methodology is to search Google, MSN, Yahoo!, etc. for "XXX
programming". In case it's not obvious why this methodology is fatally flawed,
here is some evidence:
See that dip in Java in 2004? They claim that is because of a change in
Google's indexing. That such a change can affect one language in vastly
different ways than the others indicates a methodology problem.
For example, suppose that in 2007, we saw the number of programming job
postings on the web go up 2X. That would inflate the numbers for languages
that are commonly mentioned in job postings.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Outsourcing to India draws Western Lawyers - vorg
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/business/global/05legal.html
======
mattm
Skimming through the comments on the NYT site, I thought this person offered
the most insight:
[http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2010/0...](http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/business/global/05legal.html?permid=168#comment168)
"I'm one of those U.S. lawyers who outsourced himself to India. I did not do
it for lack of a job elsewhere. I'm a Columbia Law graduate and one of the
founding partners of a successful New York and London-based media law firm. I
went to India enthusiastically, to take part in a much-needed revolution in
the way legal services are delivered in the West. Imagine a new legal
landscape where high-quality services are affordable. Imagine deals getting
done, because the attorneys don't kill them, with overlawyering and
overcharging. Contemplate court cases and other disputes being resolved on
their merits, rather than simply on the basis of whether one side cannot or
will not pay the absurdly high costs of litigation. Think about legal
professionals located in places that suit the interests of clients, rather
than in the most expensive parts of the most expensive cities in the world.
Consider the resultant savings when legal bills are based on services, not
real estate. Envision deals and cases staffed by the most talented and
enthusiastic lawyers available. Open your mind to the possibility that some of
those lawyers are in India. I know from experience that they are.
..."
------
rsmith670
I'm one of those U.S. lawyers who outsourced himself to India. I did not do it
for lack of a job elsewhere. I'm a Columbia Law graduate and one of the
founding partners of a successful New York and London based media law firm. I
went to India enthusiastically, to take part in a much-needed revolution in
the way legal services are delivered in the West.
Imagine a new legal landscape where high-quality services are affordable.
Imagine deals getting done, because the attorneys don't kill them, with
overlawyering and overcharging. Contemplate court cases and other disputes
being resolved on their merits, rather than simply on the basis of whether one
side cannot or will not pay the absurdly high costs of litigation. Think about
legal professionals located in places that suit the interests of clients,
rather than in the most expensive parts of the most expensive cities in the
world. Consider the resultant savings when legal bills are based on services,
not real estate. Envision deals and cases staffed by the most talented and
enthusiastic lawyers available. Open your mind to the possibility that some of
those lawyers are in India. I know from experience that they are.
And consider the fact that this kind of outsourcing actually creates more
legal jobs in the West, rather than cutting them. Every time a deal is done,
or a litigation is waged, because legal services are suddenly affordable, it
means more work for the Western lawyers involved in supervision, editing,
negotiating, and/or appearing in court. This is not only a dream. It is
happening every day, thanks to legal outsourcing in India.
For example, a Fortune 100 client of my law firm specifically requested that
the legal research and analysis needed for a series of multi-million-dollar
deals in the U.S. be done by Indian attorneys at our offshore operation in
Mysore. This is a situation where, if not for a Western law firm’s off-shoring
capabilities, no lawyers would have been hired, because typical Western legal
fees would have made it prohibitive. The work would have been done either in-
house, or not at all. Because the India team made it possible for the deals to
happen, Western law firms ultimately got more business, handling the otherwise
non-existent transactions.
A similar phenomenon has happened in litigation, where corporate clients have
chosen to defend themselves against meritless lawsuits, using both U.S. and
Indian lawyers. The most high-profile examples are some of the cases filed in
Los Angeles against comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. They have been dismissed
instead of settled, because of the successful teamwork among attorneys in the
U.S. and India. Without legal outsourcing, there might have been no U.S.
lawyers hired for any significant litigation work at all, because frivolous
cases often are settled at the outset, just to avoid the usual U.S. litigation
costs. The off-shoring of legal work is leading to a new breed of benign tort
reform, as defendants facing bogus or inflated tort claims are choosing to
litigate and win. This in turn discourages such claims. And the money that
otherwise would be spent by defendants on nuisance payouts can be plowed by
corporations right back into the U.S. economy.
Does any of this threaten the existence of U.S. law firms? No, unless you want
to define American law firms as inherently dinosaur-like, and incapable of
changing to avoid extinction. No, the threat is not to law firms themselves,
but to an outmoded model of law practice that clients increasingly will not
tolerate. We are witnessing the start of a positive, paradigm shift in the way
that legal services will be delivered in the West.
Some law firms are embracing the change, and reaping rewards from it. One
example is our own law firm. As a result of setting up our own legal
outsourcing company in India, our law firm is receiving more client revenue,
not less. This is coming in part from (a) existing clients who send us
“elective” legal work that otherwise would never be performed, due to cost,
but which is not a problem when our U.S. lawyers are paid only to supervise
and edit the work of attorneys in India, and (b) new clients who come to our
law firm only because of our reputation for developing an alternative to the
old model.
So there is no need to start making funeral arrangements for the U.S. legal
industry. Forward-thinking law firms will adapt, embrace legal off-shoring,
and learn how to make it serve not only the interests of their clients, but
their own.
Russell Smith SmithDehn LLP SDD Global Solutions <http://www.sddglobal.com>
------
arethuza
Lawyers have always got one eye on who holds the risk regarding professional
negligence claims - if offshore companies are willing to assume this risks and
are insured then I can see them being pretty popular for some kinds of work.
I can imagine some pretty interesting international litigation arising from
this!
~~~
pmccool
From the article:
"Employees at legal outsourcing companies in India are not allowed by Indian
law to give legal advice to clients in the West, no matter their
qualifications. Instead, legal outsourcing companies perform a lot of the
functions that a junior lawyer might do in a American law firm."
Given that they're not giving legal advice, I can't see them assuming the risk
of professional negligence claims.
------
CatalystFactory
Can't wait for someone to sue for malpractice when confidential documents go
viral, originating from a leak in India.
I believe the average case in India's civil courts is over 5 years and I would
guess most companies are judgment proof and insurance won't cover outsourced
work.
------
c1sc0
As the crisis moves forward we will probably see a fraction of _every_
profession moved to developing countries. Either by Western professionals who
move there to enjoy the lower cost of living or outright replacement by
outsourced professionals. So this doesn't really surprise me.
I've started to think about outsourcing as a long-overdue redistribution of
wealth & as such I'm not opposed to it: if you can work more efficiently by
outsourcing, you _should_ outsource. Most employees in the West are spoiled
brats & deserve to be shaken a little anyway.
~~~
gaius
But no-one wants to live in a world like that. Imagine
* All airlines are like RyanAir
* All restaurants are fast food
* All supermarkets are Lidl
* All music is Autotune
* All clothes are polyester
A race to the bottom is stupid and ultimately self-destructive, the money you
save in the short term you lose tenfold in the long term when everything you
actually want is bespoke because the middle-market mass producers have all
been bankrupted.
~~~
cynicalkane
So if we outsource stuff to India, all the sit-down resturants in the United
States will be forced to close?
What?
~~~
olefoo
If there isn't a sufficiently large class of people with both the money and
the leisure time to be able to support the restaurant industry; yes.
It's like this, if people who were earning enough to afford a decent sized
apartment in a safe neighborhood with enough left over to eat out once in a
while are all fired and replaced by overseas workers; their disposable income
spending goes away too. And thus all of the businesses that were dependent on
their being customers go away too.
~~~
yummyfajitas
If we outsource lawyers, now everyone who was previously a lawyer can do other
productive work; to keep things simple, imagine they all become
maids/housekeepers. After this transition, we get the same legal services we
had before (but provided by different people) and some people have cleaner
houses.
This may be bad for the lawyers and people in India who need legal services,
but it's good for everyone else.
~~~
olefoo
But maids and dishwashers don't eat out as often or as well as journeyman
lawyers. What happens to places subject to this type of dislocation is similar
to what happens to ecosystems undergoing desertification; fewer species, and
the ones that survive are hardier and use far fewer resources. The trattorias
go away, and all that's left are taco stands and bento carts.
~~~
yummyfajitas
It's certainly true that Legal Grounds Cafes (a chain of coffee shops which is
often situated near courthouses) might suffer. But on the other hand, a
consumer of legal services has more money to spend on restaurant meals.
Over the past 20-30 years, we have outsourced a huge amount of labor to other
countries, and we outsourced even more of it to machines. And yet, we are more
prosperous, have more consumer goods, and we generally eat out more often. Why
is that?
(Incidentally, I generally find that the truck food is superior to restaurant
food in Jersey City. I love thetacotruck and the H1B cart isn't bad either. Au
Bon Pain, meh.)
------
akshayubhat
Pangea3 a firm mentioned in that report is funded by Sequoia Capital
<http://www.linkedin.com/pub/greg-mcpolin-esq/3/938/8a1>
------
dantheman
As technology has improved the capital investment required to develop a modern
economy has greatly reduced. Improvements in communications, computers,
electronics, and shipping can allow anywhere to become a modern city -- e.g.
dubai. So I'd expect skilled workers to move to cheaper areas and
maintain/improve their quality of life.
~~~
sasvari
As I second to that in principal, I do also have my doubts. India, China and
the other emerging economies do have some drawbacks regarding _quality of
life_ (some more, some less): _infrastructure, legal system, existing and/or
arising environmental problems ..._ , just to name a few. Most western
countries still have advantages of location, which might get more important in
the nearer future. Just some thoughts ...
~~~
vorg
Although quality of life in the whole of India or China is less than in the
West, quality of life in a well-defined portion (e.g. city area) of these
developing countries will often be competitive, e.g. Dalian in China.
As for infrastructure, I recently rode on the recently completed Wuhan to
Guangzhou high-speed railway, cruising at average speed of 330km/hr, now the
fastest railway in the world.
India beats China regards reliability of legal system, though many Shenzhen-
based ventures use Hong Kong for legal activities. And of course India's
internet is more open.
~~~
Retric
The USA's "terrible" railroad network is actually the best railroad network
for transporting bulk goods of any country in the world. It's old but it
actually works vary well.
~~~
mallipeddi
You read that recent Economist article didn't you? Anyways it was an
interesting article - I was amazed rail freight charges are lower in America
than India
~~~
whatajoke
In India, freight charges are used to subsidise passenger traffic
------
ivenkys
Another day - another article on outsourcing. This is not particularly new or
newsworthy i think. All kinds of grunt work across different industries will
move to cheaper locations , its just inevitable.
~~~
vorg
India seems to remain THE outsourcing destination for information-based
industries, whether software, legal work, accounting gruntwork, securities
analysis or whatever. Seems like the last 4 yrs has seen a sudden growth in
legal work going there which will no doubt transform that industry the way IT
has been. Will Hollywood someday move everything to Bollywood, as Canada and
NZ become more expensive?
~~~
mallipeddi
That's already happening:
[http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jun2008/gb2008...](http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jun2008/gb20080618_504190.htm?campaign_id=rss_daily)
~~~
whatajoke
That is not outsourcing in any sense of the word. It is an Indian film company
entering into a joint venture with a hollywood major.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Lessons from the early stage: Adwords (and Facebook) isn’t for you - shazeline
http://blog.instavest.com/lessons-from-the-early-stage-adwords-and-facebook-isnt-for-you
======
pedalpete
"if the consumer ... clicks on an ad and doesn’t see information immediately
relevant to their search, they will leave the site."
So was the problem really that the adwords didn't work, or that the website
copy didn't match what the ad had promised.
Let's not forget, the blog that brought customers had a slightly link-baitish
(meant as a compliment here) title, If they had run an add with the blog
title, linked to the title with a call to action, what would that result have
been?
Great read none the less.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Why Some People Can Run on Little Sleep and Get So Much Done - pkarbe
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703712504576242701752957910.html
======
bound008
I emailed the researcher, whose address was at the end of the article with the
appropriate gene data (BHLHE41 on Chromosome 12) to see if my DNA is a match.
The article said its a mutation, but maybe those with the mutation exhibit a
certain codon pair. Its an amazing time when you can read an article about
such a thing, and then cross check your DNA in a matter of seconds. Articles
will have to start posting the raw DNA for results.
~~~
AgentConundrum
Just out of curiosity, why do you have your genetic makeup readily available
for cross checking?
~~~
pathik
23AndMe, I guess.
~~~
AgentConundrum
I had never heard of that before. Interesting site/service, but I really don't
see me ever using it.
------
jasongullickson
I'm glad that I finally have something (albeit thin) to point people to when
they feel the need to lecture me about my sleeping habits.
As long as I can remember I've been happy with a mix of 4 and 6 hour sleeping
sessions, two or three days of 4 followed by one night of more sleep
(typically 6 hours) and then back to 4 hours again.
Under the recommendation of my peers and physicians I have attempted to do 8
hour nights but the results are that I feel worse in the morning, and each
night I attempt to sleep 8 hours waking up gets harder and harder.
Over the years I've developed a few theories as to why I need less sleep than
is recommended and someday when I get around to finishing my EEG project I'll
gather some data to back them up, but for now I'm just making the most out of
the extra time I have the same way someone with a different biological
advantage might.
I will also mention that (as mentioned elsewhere here) there are definitely
people at the other end of this curve who's performance is shockingly better
if they get more than the "required" 8 hours of sleep per night, and I believe
that we could all benefit by recognizing this fact and adjusting our cultural
expectations to accommodate these patterns as well. I think with a little
flexibility on both ends we'd see a significant increase in overall
productivity and quality of life.
In other words "When hungry, eat. When tired, sleep." -
<http://users.rider.edu/~suler/zenstory/whentired.html>
~~~
cynicalkane
For me, If I get all the sleep I want, I'm lethargic and unenergetic, but if I
get less sleep I'm tired all day (but strangely more energetic). It's like
there's no happy medium. I wonder if anyone else has this problem, and if
there's a solution.
~~~
de90
Do you exercise most days? Do you at least a similar wake up\sleep time for a
month? And another obvious about drink enough water\food?
All have a huge impact for me. I can go on much less sleep when I do hard
exercise that day.
~~~
ghshephard
Re: Hard Exercise - Bizarre. I work a mostly sedentary silicon valley
lifestyle, with the addition of 2-3 miles walking a day, and typically get 5-6
hours of sleep a night, going to bed around 2:00 - 3:00 AM and getting up
around 9:00 AM.
Recently, though, I started a linear progress novice strength training program
(Squats, Dead Lift, Bench Press, Overhead Press) - three times a week for 40
minutes. My sleep patterns immediately shifted, and I am incapable of waking
up without at least 8 hours of sleep on off days, and 10 hours of sleep on the
days that I lift heavy.
For the first time in my life, ever, I'm finding myself going to bed at 10:00
PM at night so that I can get up by 8:00 AM the next morning.
~~~
cynicalkane
I've done Starting Strength.
Starting Strength is raw lifts involving the entire muscle toolchain until you
can't do anymore. It works your body in a total, basic way that most Americans
haven't ever done.
So you'll be sleeping alot as your body gets used to it. You'll notice
incredible increases in everyday strength--as if the entire world, including
you, lost a significant fraction of its mass over the course of a few months--
and the desire for sleep will subside.
Of course, I still have my original sleep problem...
------
michaelcampbell
This reminds me of the studies not too long about how some very _small_
percentage of the population actually CAN multitask well. Then a very _large_
percentage of the population used that as "evidence" to justify their existing
habits. I see it here already.
~~~
jergason
Do you have a link to these studies? I looked around a bit and only found the
ones claiming multitasking doesn't work.
~~~
michaelcampbell
That's what I was referring to. Did I misunderstand you?
[http://news.stanford.edu/news/2009/august24/multitask-
resear...](http://news.stanford.edu/news/2009/august24/multitask-research-
study-082409.html)
------
silverbax88
I think it's obvious what we must do next. According to every science fiction
film or book I've ever read, we must capture them, confine them and study them
in an attempt to learn their secrets and duplicate it in everyone else.
~~~
achompas
As a bit of a lesson from someone with HN experience to the new HNers
downvoted below: your jokes are (a) bad, and (b) off-topic. Parent was off-
topic as well, but he was funny.
Just providing feedback for the newer posters beyond a downvote.
~~~
nollidge
I think you're partly right, but I also suspect they may have been downvoted
to quell any "piling on". Repeated jokes on the same theme have diminishing
returns.
~~~
achompas
Well said. Not just diminishing returns either, but scrolling past a comment
branch full of "It's just a flesh wound!" or some other oblique reference is
irritating.
------
lkozma
It's a false dichotomy, on a lot of hard problems progress is a step function,
and you often "get much done" _while_ sleeping. I.e. when you wake up well
rested you see things from a different angle. If it's something like chopping
wood, sure, the less you sleep the more wood you chop, within reasonable
limits, but I don't think that is what these articles aim for. I think it's
wrong to look at sleep as a waste of time the same way time spent thinking
about something is not wasted either.
Here's some information I mostly agree with:
<http://www.supermemo.com/articles/sleep.htm>
~~~
mzl
I think that you are missing the fact that short-sleepers wake up well-rested,
even though their sleep-time is much shorter and would not suffice to give us
normals enough rest.
I'm not sure if there has been any actual studies that show that longer sleep-
times given ad-libitum sleeping is more effective in helping the brain process
more information during the sleep phase.
~~~
lkozma
You are right, I'm not aware of any such study either. What I meant is just
that there is no need to feel guilty for whatever amount of sleep feels right,
regardless of what society says in the name of efficiency and productivity.
It's ok to enjoy sleeping.
~~~
mzl
I fully agree with that. I love to sleep, and like my 8 hours of sleep per
night.
------
kls
There has been a link to depression and too much sleep so much so that sleep
deprivation is used as a treatment for depression where other treatments fail.
It actually puts the patient into a manic episode.
It was peculiar to note that people who are short-sleepers also share a slight
manic trait in their personality. While the article makes short-sleep cycles
out to look like all sunshine and roses it is not all it is cracked up to be.
I get between 2 and 4 hours sleep a night and on a good night I get 6. I have
to monitor the sleep I am getting because if I allow myself to fall into a
cycle of 2 hours for an extended time I start to have problems with my heart
and abnormal rhythms. If the > 4 hours cycle goes on for more than a week I
have to start taking medicine to sleep to ensure that my body is receiving an
adequate amount of sleep. I see no negative effects if I get 4-6 a night, but
it is probably safe to assume that short-sleep cycles rides the line between
good and bad health. I never considered myself a short sleeper I just figured
I have insomnia but never worried too much about it because I feel no
different if I get 4 or 8 hours of sleep a night (if I can get 8) and the fact
that my father and grandfather shares the trait and are healthy (grandfather
is almost 90) . On the plus side, I experience more life and get more done
which are really the only benefits to sleeping less.
~~~
GrangalanJr
I have used total sleep deprivation to kick myself out of persistent low mood.
So far it has worked every time.
Not a method to use too often, of course.
~~~
David
Please tell us more!
I'm very curious about this, because I know that if I don't have something
regularly scheduled for morning or early afternoon I tend to sink into
depression, and now I'm wondering if I could perhaps be getting too much
sleep. I had thought it was either a) getting sleep at the wrong times (I'll
tend to stay awake later each night) and thus missing out on sunlight, or b)
that regularity itself prevented my depression. This would also explain it,
though.
~~~
GrangalanJr
I don't ordinarily sleep a lot, so I doubt that I could be getting too much
sleep on a regular basis. And my mood doesn't ordinarily seem to be affected
by how much I sleep or when I go to sleep.
The best way I can describe the effect is that for me it's like hitting a
"reset" button in my brain. At first there's the tiredness and irritability
that always go with not sleeping, but eventually I get a "second wind" and I
feel normal, calm, and content. This generally lasts the whole rest of the
day, until I fall asleep again.
The sleep deprivation treatment for depression used by some doctors in the
'70s involved either total deprivation or waking the patients up around
midnight, so that they slept only a few hours. I think I read that both worked
equally well, but I have only tried the former. And as far as I know, nobody
has figured out why it works for so many people.
------
tokenadult
"A few studies have suggested that some short sleepers may have hypomania, a
mild form of mania with racing thoughts and few inhibitions. 'These people
talk fast. They never stop. They're always on the up side of life,' says Dr.
Buysse."
Reduction in sleep is a known symptom of abnormally elevated mood, whether
hypomania (elevated mood without psychotic symptoms) or mania (elevated mood
with psychotic symptoms). For most normal subjects, as has been demonstrated
by studies of unusual sleep patterns in armed forces personnel, reduced hours
of sleep or disrupted daily sleep cycles seriously degrade performance of many
tasks involving judgment or multitasking--without the subject of the
experiment being aware of the degraded performance.
<http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=sleep+mania>
Note that controlled reduction of sleep has been shown experimentally to
elevate the mood of depressed persons. In other words, if a person has had a
prolonged period of depressed mood, and begins reducing hours of sleep
(especially if a light box turns on to help the person wake up on time in the
morning), that can bring the person closer to normal mood.
<http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=sleep+depression>
Following up on the interesting comment posted first by mechanical_fish, there
surely is a range of variation of "natural" human need for sleep, with most
people concentrated in a band of needing approximately seven to eight hours of
sleep a night, and some few needing significantly less, and some few needing
significantly more. But social pressure and environmental conditions for sleep
induction (electric lights in the evening) in current society probably result
in most people getting less sleep than what they need to perform at their best
when awake and to maintain good health.
------
Roritharr
As someone whose blanket feels like its made out of lead every morning after 7
hours sleep i have to say: unfair. :(
~~~
danparsonson
Indeed - envy, thy name is a longer day without suffering sleep deprivation
------
mbateman
I've always wondered if this was mostly a psychological issue.
There are two circumstances in which I get less than 7 hours of sleep a night:
if I'm really stressed about getting something done, or if I'm really excited
about getting something done.
In the first place the lack of sleep exacerbates the stress and really starts
to weigh on me. But in the second case it doesn't seem to have much negative
effect.
Now if only I could continuously keep my motivation up...
------
olliesaunders
Damn you, science! I’ve read so many studies saying there’s absolutely no way
you can get by without at least 7 hours sleep and now you tell me that that
completely doesn’t apply to 1-3% of the population?! That’s actually not that
small of a percentage. How big were the sample sizes of all the other studies?
Did nobody encounter at least one of these low-sleep requiring people? Maybe
they were just eliminated as being an anomaly.
I’ve met some of these people who insisted they didn’t need much sleep before
and now I seem like an idiot for telling them that it they would probably feel
better if they got more.
This is fantastic research, I just wish it had been around 10 years ago.
~~~
mechanical_fish
_I’ve met some of these people who insisted they didn’t need much sleep before
and now I seem like an idiot for telling them that it they would probably feel
better if they got more._
Don't. If you insist on only giving advice that applies to 100% of the world
you'll never say anything useful at all.
I'm sure the studies do encounter these people. But studies use statistics.
These people are on the far edge of the bell curve. The mean [1] is probably
around 7-9 hours. But just because the far edge of the bell curve has very few
samples in it doesn't mean that those samples don't exist, nor that someone is
"hiding" them.
Which reminds me: What this article does _not_ talk about is the _other_ side
of the bell curve: The folks who need considerably more than 7-9 hours of
sleep to attain peak performance and happiness. Or maybe those people don't
exist, because the "bell curve" is actually a bimodal distribution, or cliff-
shaped, or something. We could tell if there was any actual data here, or a
link to the actual data and published science -- we could look at the shape of
the distribution. But this is an article by a science journalist, so naturally
it is nigh-useless.
I wonder why the article doesn't talk about the "long sleepers"? Probably
because the sleep researcher quoted herein is correct: There are more people
who like to _believe_ that they only need four hours' sleep than there are
actual people who thrive on less sleep. And I'm sure that no _Wall Street
Journal_ wants to learn that they might really need _twelve_ hours sleep.
\---
[1] I actually have no idea if the "7-9 hour" rule of thumb is based on a
mean, a median, or a mode. Pity that nobody ever links to the original
research.
~~~
jerf
I suspect the problem with studying "long sleepers" is that the number of
people who need, say, 12 hours of sleep "legitimately" is dominated by the
number of people who need 12 hours of sleep due to a health issue, making them
hard to identify and study. I've done the 12+ hours of sleep thing when I was
a teenager, and only much later did I learn the health issue it was trying to
tell me about.
~~~
liedra
I'd say you're probably right. I usually only need 8 hrs sleep, but when I'm
sick, for example, I often find myself easily sleeping for 12+ hours (like
this morning, oops! :).
------
shawnee_
_Christopher Jones, a University of Utah neurologist and sleep scientist who
oversees the recruiting, says there is one question that is more revealing
than anything else: When people do have a chance to sleep longer, on weekends
or vacation, do they still sleep only five or six hours a night? People who
sleep more when they can are not true short sleepers, he says._
The article didn't mention this, but the ability to wake up regularly without
an alarm clock is probably another commonality short sleepers have. Although <
7 hours isn't something I can do regularly, I can't stay in bed, even if I'm a
little tired, much past 6 AM on any day of the week.
"People need less sleep as they get older" is something I've heard a lot, but
don't know. Sleep patterns seem pretty ingrained, and people with weird
sleeping patterns tend to be either hardcore early birds (me) or unapologetic
night owls.
------
mironathetin
I am 46 now and I still need more than 8 hours a night. I tried less, but that
does not work: thinking is a torture then, sports too.
If I get enough sleep, I feel great, I get 3 times as much done and I run and
swim like a champ (still).
I love to get enough sleep!!!! It simply feels great.
------
Vivtek
Candidate number two for gene surgery (my current #1 being that color vision
y'all talk about so much).
~~~
eru
There's no colour vision. They just make it up as they go along. It's just a
huge conspiracy / April fools' joke.
~~~
Vivtek
My family seems not only convinc{ed|ing} but consistent in their delusion.
------
Tycho
Is this few-hours sleep business feasible when you need to think deeply about
abstract things during the day, eg. programming? I can see it working if your
success is tied to being energetic, on the ball, constantly negotiating,
acting on information or leading lots of people. But what if you need to do
the analysis yourself?
~~~
brandall10
In my case I've had this issue (advantage?) since childhood, where I vacillate
between both states in 2 week blocks - 2 weeks at a time where I'll get 7-8
hours, and 2 weeks where I get approx half as much. In the latter case I
simply don't get naturally tired. But it does eventually catch up to me, and
then all of a sudden - bam!, I'm tired one night and naturally fall asleep say
at 10pm every night.
What I've found is with the poor sleep cycles I tend to be more energetic and
get to solutions quicker. If the problem requires deep thinking, I can focus
on the problem at hand much better, but at the same time I can make many
superficial mistakes. The best I can say is it's a bit like being in a minor
psychedelic state all the time, where the creative pathways of my mind are
more open with a manic desire to latch onto something interesting. It also
exacerbates my Asperger's-like condition. OTOH, if I am in the design process
and building a piece a software that requires high conceptual integrity
getting more sleep is certainly beneficial.
------
codedivine
The article is mostly content-free.
~~~
waterhouse
To me, it gives the following data: that there are a significant number of
people who can sleep short hours, that there's at least one identifiable
genetic factor that might possibly cause it in a couple of cases, and that
there are researchers working on this (and soliciting information from "short
sleepers"). It fails to deliver on its subtitle: "Why".
------
mzl
I used to know one of these short sleepers. He had never felt the need to
sleep more than about two hours per night, and did so for his whole life
(which was respectably long, no noticeable side-effects from the exceptionally
short sleep). He used a lot of the extra time to run a small local business,
interact with customers during the day and do the administration during the
night.
------
pstack
No sleep is a feat I could pull off regularly when I was younger. It was no
problem to go 48-72 hours without more than just a catnap or two. That was a
decade ago. In my early thirties, I struggle beyond the sixteenth hour, except
for rare occasions.
Fortunately, I think it's a sort of bell curve. From what I understand, I'm
only about fifteen or twenty years away only getting a couple hours of sleep
per night. How productive sleepless nights full of trips to the bathroom will
be, I have no idea. I guess I'll finally catch up on all that damn reading.
------
keyle
Lucky buggers. Technically since time is money, that could make them 16%
richer than most of us (assuming they sleep 2 hours less).
~~~
gmac
In fact, probably more, since they also accumulate and compound valuable
experience that much more quickly!
~~~
eru
Probably less. Since most people have a day job, and work something like 8
hours a day, no matter what.
Staying up longer just increases the time you spent spending money and
consuming stuff. Sleep is a cheap entertainment.
~~~
khkwang
You're assuming that everyone spends all of their waking life either working a
day job or spending money/consuming stuff?
~~~
eru
No. But it's a factor to take into account.
------
semerda
I sleep 2am to 7am most days and keep myself busy so much that I sometimes go
to 3:30am before forcing myself to sleep. Sleep time happens within 3-5 mins
after going to bed - according to my WakeMate.
I think alot of this is due to a busy lifestyle. I find myself doing multiple
things at the same time in the evening and being very productive in getting
stuff done. While on holidays where I actually disconnect from work I find I
sleep long hours each day.
An afternoon 20 min powernap is an amazing recharge! Everyone should do it.
Using Paul McKenna's audio helps with the powernap. There's something weird
about the hypnotic audio. Instantly puts me to sleep.
Finally, supposedly the need to nap in the afternoon is normal and every
animal in the kingdom does it. Humans has largely forgotten about this clock
due to the "working culture". In the book Brain Rules, this is described in
more detail: <http://www.brainrules.net/sleep>
My 2c's worth.
------
Swizec
Not saying that I'm one of the sleepless elite, but I seem to function best on
6 hours of sleep a day. Whenever I try to sleep more I just feel tired all day
and when I sleep less ... well that depends on how much less.
For optimum energivity I find an hour of sleep is best, just enough to reset
your cycle. But you can't do this more than once at a time, the next day the
whole 6 hours are needed.
Don't have any idea why I'm like this, but I'm told that even as a baby I
would often lie in bed for hours before finally falling asleep and as a
toddler I would wake up at 5am because I was put to bed so early. Nowadays a
healthy 4am to 10am schedule seems best.
Oh and anyone who doesn't want to sleep as much as they should, meditation is
a great way of doing it. I managed to shave 2 hours off of my daily sleep need
with 10 minutes of meditation ... so essentially I averaged 4 hours a day, for
something like 5 years before I got out of the meditating habit for varying
reasons.
~~~
michael_dorfman
_Oh and anyone who doesn't want to sleep as much as they should, meditation is
a great way of doing it. I managed to shave 2 hours off of my daily sleep need
with 10 minutes of meditation ... so essentially I averaged 4 hours a day, for
something like 5 years before I got out of the meditating habit for varying
reasons._
OK, I'll match your anecdote with one of my own. I meditate 40 minutes per
day, and it hasn't shaved a minute off of my sleep time. I average 8 hours of
sleep per night, substantially more on the weekends when I can get it.
~~~
Swizec
This is likely due to different meditation techniques, mine is particular in
that it is essentially lucid dreaming. When I actively practiced it took me 30
seconds to go into REM stage and stay in there for as much time as I felt like
it.
The end effect is that I smashed a sleep cycle into a meditating session and
essentially got polyphasic sleep.
~~~
rsaarelm
Is there a particular technique you can describe that brings about that
effect?
------
dvfer
If they cannot find any "actual" short sleepers, how do they it's 1-3% of
population...Oh science you are scary...
~~~
kenjackson
They do find short sleepers. They mention that the studies have them --
they're just not _easy to find_.
------
daimyoyo
I think the level of sleep I need depends on what I'm working on. When I was
working on a business with my friends, I'd only sleep for 4 hours or so a day.
Whereas when I was working a job I hated, I was exhausted unless I slept 9-10
hours a night. I think sleep requirements are a function of brain activity and
engagement. It's just a theory but it seems to be true, at least in my case.
Another theory I have relates to the sleep schedules of people. I'm nocturnal.
I have been since I was 8 years old. And when I was working with my friends,
it was at night. So I wonder if nite people need more sleep to function during
the day like morning people need more to work nights?
------
maxcho
Read the actual paper, take a look at the hypomania test: figure out things
about yourself. <http://cl.ly/313A0x2k011t400C3N3C>
------
megaframe
I question how much "work" someone that fits this really gets accomplished. I
can run on limited sleep for weeks at a time and am more energized, but throw
me at something mentally challenging like Quantum Physics or Solving some
Linear Systems model, and it's like my brain says it needs time to process
everything, so I end up sleeping absurd amounts. (I also find I make
significant headway the next day after that kind of sleep)
------
Tharkun
I have to admit that I'm a bit confused here. 7-9 hours seems to be the
"normal recommended" range, and under 6 hours puts you in the short sleepers
category. What does 6-7 make you? Irrelevant to the research?
Many people make the mistake of oversleeping on the weekend and undersleeping
on working days. I try to average 6.5hrs every night, weekend or no weekend.
Just being consistent really helps in keeping the energy levels up imo.
------
jcl
Given that the trait is genetic and extremely advantageous, why doesn't a much
larger portion of the population have it? Is there a significant downside?
~~~
aerique
Maybe no downside in these modern times but perhaps back when we still lived
in caves and only had fire and a full moon now and then to light our ways I
can imagine them short sleepers to be quite bored out of their skulls.
------
aycangulez
The primary function of sleep is to permanently store the things learned
during the day (long-term potentiation). Although different people need
different amounts of sleep, those who need less usually find that they sleep
longer if they learn challenging new material (e.g. a new language). That is
the reason why babies sleep the most. Their brains are empty sponges
constantly absorbing new information.
------
gamblndano
Check out my new app coming to the App Store. It's called MultiSnooze. It's
the ultimate alarm clock app. It allows you to press the snooze button
multiple times as soon as you determine that you are going to be pressing it
more than once anyway. Now you don't have to keep waking up. Roll over and
sleep peacefully with MultiSnooze. multisnooze.com for details. Thanks for
looking.
------
gwern
> Out of every 100 people who believe they only need five or six hours of
> sleep a night, only about five people really do, Dr. Buysse says. The rest
> end up chronically sleep deprived, part of the one-third of U.S. adults who
> get less than the recommended seven hours of sleep per night, according to a
> report last month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
------
kenjackson
I think I could sleep 20 hours if given the chance, but I routinely will sleep
until 7am regardless of when I go to bed. If its 10pm or 4am. I just wake up
at 7am, I'm super sleepy still, but more hungry. So I have to wake up, make
some cereal and then I'm up.
Not sure what that is, but I've never met anyone else who shares this trait.
------
ComputerGuru
Hmmm.. Something I would _think_ I could relate to, but we all know (a) how
easy it is to convince yourself/diagnose yourself with something, and (b) how
we would _all_ love to consider ourselves from this group. So I'll just let
this make me smile a little and leave it that :)
------
alexhektor
Arianna Huffington (and me) certainly are no natural "short sleepers" :)
[http://www.ted.com/talks/arianna_huffington_how_to_succeed_g...](http://www.ted.com/talks/arianna_huffington_how_to_succeed_get_more_sleep.html)
------
Semiapies
My boss is exactly like this - sleeps a tiny bit, has ridiculous amounts of
energy and enthusiasm, and loves to deal with the world in a flurry of stimuli
and decisions.
Me, I'm just an insomniac.
------
doki_pen
I used to need very little sleep. Unfortunately, it was because my thyroid was
overactive. As soon as I went to a doctor and got it taken care of, I became a
normal sleeper.
------
palguay
This is a talk given at google about sleep
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK1nMQq67VI>
------
nhangen
Jon Gruden, former NFL coach and Monday Night Football analyst is one of
these. He goes to bed late and gets up as early as 3-4 AM.
------
soapdog
red bull?
~~~
soapdog
it was a joke :-(
------
Herwig
A majority of us here are wanna be short sleepers. And we make do with that
------
paylesworth
Leave it to the WSJ to exemplify the behavior of people with an erratic gene
variation as something "Elite" (or L33t, lol).
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
How is Firefox Going to Compete with Chrome? - dcawrey
http://www.thechromesource.com/wsj-chrome-browser-now-at-7-24-market-share/
======
jmount
They will lose. Firefox came to prominence because the previously popular
open-source browser Mozilla was bloated and arrogant. Now they are in that
position.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
OpenAutoComplete: Shell-agnostic, cross-platform autocomplete specification - GamePad64
https://github.com/openautocomplete/openautocomplete
======
freedomben
If we could get some standards defined and adopted, that would be amazing.
There are so many CLI tools that could really benefit from auto-complete, but
don't yet have it because it is a huge pain to write. Often times the auto-
complete is significantly more work than the original tool was, in a couple
cases I've written it was an order of magnitude more work to write the shell
completion.
I have tried writing auto-complete scripts for various tools several times.
I'm quite good with bash (if I may say so myself). I've written some fairly
advanced scripts and have been doing it a long time. However, despite my
existing experience, writing auto completion is still a major pain in the ass.
This is an area that really needs improvement.
I don't know if this project is the correct answer. I think some good
discussion should be had. But I do want to say that _the problem they are
solving is real_.
~~~
GamePad64
I'have just posted something like "request for comments" thing, so we could
talk and make a proper solution. I've tried to use PowerShell in Windows, and
it was pure pain: the tools, that are written in PS work fine, everything else
(like git, InnoSetup, CMake, everything else...) just didn't have
autocompletion at all. Maybe, some tools, like git do have shell plugins (like
posh-git), but the problem in general still persists. Also, I am using Poetry
and Werf utilities, that have built-in generator for autocomplete (bash, zsh
and fish), but it doesn't work very well and the developers had to write it by
themselves.
So, I've tried to make the spec as generic as possible, so it could support
current compicated cases, like git (with its infinite number of commands and
options), scp (with its remote file listing), some old Windows commands (like
"format" for windows95 and so on).
Also, this format could be used with a single-pass recursive generator,
because each usage pattern is just a JSON array and all its properties can be
defined in-place. So, it would be okay to use it with languages, like C, that
have no JSON serializer built-in.
------
chubot
I started down this path last year:
[https://github.com/oilshell/oil/wiki/Shellac-Protocol-
Propos...](https://github.com/oilshell/oil/wiki/Shellac-Protocol-Proposal)
but cut it out of the Oil project (for the forseeable future). Right now Oil
takes the approach of running existing bash completion scripts, which solves
the problem well enough (but leaves a few things to be desired)
If someone comes up with a spec that works in at least one other shell, and
some code, I'll be happy to merge it into Oil.
Though, reading over this, it looks pretty early, and I don't think the "spec
first" approach really works. That is, the spec should be derived from working
code, and I believe you have to implement it in more than one shell to tell if
it's feasible.
Some other links I collected:
[https://github.com/oilshell/oil/wiki/Shell-
Autocompletion](https://github.com/oilshell/oil/wiki/Shell-Autocompletion)
~~~
GamePad64
Thanks for the reply! I've googled hard, but couldn't find anything like that.
The problem I see is that Shellac is dynamic. So, it is pretty intrusive. This
is how Click autocompletion works in Python. Also, I don't think, that Shellac
is mutually exclusive with OpenAutoComplete. Being a Shell-to-autocompletion
server protocol, it could use openautocomplete library as a data source.
~~~
the_duke
> The problem I see is that Shellac is dynamic
So OpenAutoComplete is purely static then?
That makes it _much_ less useful.
Static completion is nice to have for tools you only use from time to time, or
when fishing for that argument name, but if you don't know the name of an
argument etc you will often have to use `man` anyway.
The real benefit of completions are the dynamic ones, at least for me.
If such a spec does not support dynamic completion, a lot of tools will need
to do their own thing anyway.
I realize that this makes it much more complex though.
~~~
GamePad64
Nope, it is not purely static. It is static-first (declarative), bot running a
command and parsing its output or delegating the completion to some shell code
is a planned feature.
~~~
irq-1
You could make it dynamic with "bin -OpenAutoComplete" to have the binary
output the Json. This would allow gradual introduction and backwards
compatibility. It would also keep the completions up to date with binary
versions, and still allow a shell to cache the Json.
More importantly, you should consider other metadata before you go to far;
binaries could carry their own documentation, licensing, dependencies... What
should be in and out of scope?
------
opk
I've written quite a number of shell completions for zsh and the amount of
variation in command arguments would require something much more flexible than
this basic json specification. This might work fine for listing options and
arguments but without more information, completions end up being worse than
nothing because with dodgy definitions, you end up breaking things like basic
file completion in certain contexts which can be very annoying for users.
------
arendtio
A few days ago, I came across kingpin [1] (a library for writing CLI
applications in Go) which seems to have some kind of --completion-script-bash
option which generates a completion script for you. It might be interesting in
this context.
[1] [https://github.com/alecthomas/kingpin#bashzsh-shell-
completi...](https://github.com/alecthomas/kingpin#bashzsh-shell-completion)
------
novirium
This sounds like a great idea, and I'm sure there's people that would be
willing to help (me included). Is there somewhere organized already for people
to discuss the development, or where to contribute (Gitter, Discord, IRC,
etc.)? I couldn't find anything mentioned in the GitHub pages.
------
Mizza
Can't you just parse --help in the background so we as developers don't need
to write anything at all?
~~~
saagarjha
That’s not standardized at all, though.
~~~
Mizza
I don't think that really matters though. I'd wager that you can write 5 or 6
simple parsers and get 99% coverage of commands used.
~~~
TeddyDD
Fish does something like this (it scans manpages) but generated completion is
mostly useless in more complex cli programs (for example: kubectl, docker). So
fish is shipped with a bunch of manually written completions for many
commands.
~~~
Mizza
Docker looks like it would be totally doable to me. On every page, all the
options are in a standardly structured "Options:" section, all commands are in
a standardly structured "Commands" section, and --help and the Options: parser
will also work on the subcommands.
It won't have typing, but it'd work. Do the most common argument parsing
libraries from the standard libraries of the most popular languages and you're
mostly there.
As a maintainer, I'm sick of having to include all sorts of different stupid
autocompleters and think that it should be the job of an intelligent shell.
~~~
dastx
For things like docker simply parsing the help isn't enough. Docker's
environment can get pretty complex, pretty quick. There are a thousand
different arguments that require different kinds of inputs (think ports,
mounts, images id, container I'd and much more). You cannot figure out what
the argument type is from just the help or manpages. This is the case for
many, many applications.
------
dpacmittal
Why not use language server specs for something like this?
------
gfxgirl
wish there was more autocomplete in powershell
~~~
GamePad64
Well, before even writing anything, I've looked up into PS docs, and noticed
Register-ArgumentCompleter cmdlet. It could definitely be used for
autocompletion purposes, but we need something like a database of autocomplete
definitions for common utilities to get started, and a tool to read such a
database. So, I propose to create a format for autocomplete definitions and
invite everyone to discuss it.
------
fetbaffe
Dreaming about Microsoft implementing proper autocomplete hooks in cmd.exe.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Gmail app developers have been reading your emails - ax00x
https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/2/17527972/gmail-app-developers-full-email-access
======
joemag
I’m struggling to understand the complaint. The form clearly states that the
app will be granted ability to read/edit or delete email. For as long as we
consider third party add ons a viable feature of gmail, apps will require
access, and the form linked is a reasonable way to convey such access.
I can see an argument that something as critical and security sensitive as
email should not support third party add ons, but that’s not the argument the
article makes.
~~~
dwighttk
If I were to grant access like that I wouldn’t (well I wouldn’t have 5 years
ago or so) necessarily think that individual developers could access
individual emails, just that the software would pass the information through.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Mac small business share nearly triples over the summer - terpua
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/11/25/mac_small_business_share_nearly_triples_over_the_summer.html
======
gkorian
Honestly, does anyone believe these fictitious stats? Trippling? In a
quarter?? Give me a break!
~~~
iigs
Heh, you sure don't like appleinsider, do you? :)
Incidentally, given the self inflicted wounds Microsoft has given itself with
vista, and the ability for Mac hardware to run Windows now, should you want
it, it doesn't seem impossible to me at all -- implausible, maybe, but
definitely not unbelievable to me.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: What skill should I learn over Christmas/winter vacation? - snazz
Can be tech-related or non-tech-related.
======
quickthrower2
The skill of relaxing and enjoying time off.
~~~
matt_the_bass
And learning something new about a loved one by talking to them.
~~~
world32
100x this.
~~~
ultrasounder
I basically upvoted all of the above comments. Right now in a Workacation with
my family doing a 80/20 vacation/work split and totally enjoying it.
~~~
quickthrower2
80/20 sounds good as long as the 20 is 'get in the flow' kind of work rather
than stressful work.
------
ajspencer
As others as alluded to, long term success requires more than deep technical
excellence. Winter break could be a great time to learn about another field,
get experience talking to others (volunteering maybe), broaden your horizon of
thought with books you may not normally read, or, if your passion truly is
technology, work on a higher risk project that will likely fail but you could
learn a lot from.
------
richev
Learn how to bake a really good cake. Work colleagues and your extended family
will live you for it!
------
konaraddio
Learn to memorize the order of a shuffled deck of cards
------
weishigoname
learn how to manage the relationship you have with your family and friends,
that is very important part of our lives.
------
tmaly
Learn better listening and conversation skills
------
kibibu
Learn to juggle. It's something you can learn to do in a weekend, and be
pretty good at after a couple of weeks.
------
SamReidHughes
Timing exactly one second on a stopwatch.
------
thehoomanist
The skill of chilling.
------
karmakaze
If you're into mobile dev, try Flutter it recently went GA with v1.0.
If you're into webdev and want to try something a bit different see
Elixr/Phoenix and the Way it can do dynamically updated server-side rendering.
------
nykolasz
Whatever skill you want to learn and will have fun learning. I am trying to
learn more about kernel-level programming, because that's something I was
always curious about. So that's what I am doing now.
Find your passion.
~~~
jokh
Any projects you're working on?
------
qorrect
I’m studying Fourier stuffs, for vacations i prefer more general learning
nothing specific or work related. Happy holidays.
~~~
adamnemecek
Anything in particular about Fourier?
~~~
qorrect
No not yet, it's a hole in my knowledge that I'd like to fix, got any
suggestions ?
~~~
adamnemecek
What's your email?
------
ecesena
How about skiing, snowboarding or ice skating?
------
edsonmedina
Poker, with family and friends.
------
askari01
spending quality times with loved ones,
------
andrewdubinsky
Learn how to have a conversation with someone you just met.
------
robodale
What exactly is a winter/Xmas vacation ?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Duqu trojan written in mystery programming language - willvarfar
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/03/08/duqu_trojan_mystery_code_riddle/
======
ImprovedSilence
I'm not an expert in computer languages, but it seems like their information
in that article is a little vague to pick out a language?
Couldn't the programmers just write their own language too, doesn't java/any
of the lisps have that capability?
~~~
protopete
More details about the mystery language can be seen in the referenced source
of the article:
[http://www.securelist.com/en/blog/667/The_Mystery_of_the_Duq...](http://www.securelist.com/en/blog/667/The_Mystery_of_the_Duqu_Framework)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
EPYC's Chinese Counterpart, Hygon C86, Takes No.1 Spot in Cryptography Benchmark - rbanffy
https://wccftech.com/amd-epyc-chinese-hygon-c86-no-1-cryptography-sisoft-ranker/
======
satanspastaroll
> If you remember reading my exclusive (here) on AMD's partnership with Hygon
> you would remember that the one thing AMD did not design in the Hygon
> processor was the cryptographic layer.
The processor with china-mandated modified encryption runs much faster than
their regular counterparts?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Henry Kissinger, Eric Schmidt, and Daniel Huttenlocher on AI - jonbaer
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/08/henry-kissinger-the-metamorphosis-ai/592771/
======
makerofspoons
Why are Eric Schmidt and Daniel Huttenlocher collaborating on articles with an
infamous war criminal?
~~~
sandino
Who also has nothing of value to say about AI, for chrissakes.
~~~
lukewrites
"Ex-Theranos board member's thoughts on AI" sounds like something very useful
to read.
/s
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
A parser/class browser for the original Xerox Smalltalk-80 sources in C++ - Rochus
https://github.com/rochus-keller/Smalltalk
======
xkriva11
Nice project. Are you aware of Hobbes (Highly Objectified Blue Book Equivalent
Smalltalk) that is able to run Smalltalk-80 V2 images? The Squeak/Pharo
version has, however, not working file access needed for sources access.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The smug style in American liberalism - andars
http://www.vox.com/2016/4/21/11451378/smug-american-liberalism
======
yummyfajitas
This is definitely the preference falsification election.
Those who know me on HN know that I'm an outspoken proponent of unorthodox
ideas. I'm regularly shouted down, called racist/evil/etc, downmodded and
flagged on HN. I also get a steady stream of private emails: _" I wouldn't say
this publicly cause of the bullies, but that .gov link with all the data does
seem to support you. I think you might be right, I need to rethink my views."_
These folks very rarely post here - they are afraid of social and perhaps
professional approbrium (ala Brendan Eich and Curtis Yarvin).
Those folks are engaging preference falsification.
Off HN there is a similar manufactured consensus, similar social penalties for
expressing the wrong ideas, and similar levels of preference falsification.
When pollsters call the preference falsification continues.
Apparently in the privacy of a voting booth, people are willing to express
their true beliefs.
Note: I don't support Trump - search my posting history for "open borders" \-
but I do understand why folks like him. I don't agree with him on basically
any policy, but my visceral _emotional_ reaction to his victory is positive: I
love the great big "fuck you" to the biased media sneering at him, calling him
racist based on "dog whistles" and then writing hit pieces against Ken Bone
(let alone the bullying of folks like Tim Hunt, Brendan Eich and Curtis
Yarvin).
See also Scott Aaronson who explains this in more detail:
[http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=2777](http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=2777)
~~~
cronjobber
> This is definitely the preference falsification election.
I agree. In fact, the point at which I started to think that Trump could win
was Hillary's "Basket of Deplorables" blunder. It was a blunder because the
way she phrased it, she put _far too many_ in that basket.
Paradoxically, because people believed what she said —that there are _many_
Deplorables— she might have initiated the very preference cascade that cost
her the election.
~~~
ScottBurson
It was a terrible blunder, that might have cost her the election, and not
because of the number of people she put in the basket.
It was a blunder because she called _people_ deplorable. Had she talked about
deplorable _attitudes_ , she would have been on firm ground. I hope it doesn't
sound like a fine distinction, because it isn't.
I voted for her; I am terrified of Trump -- rightly or wrongly, we'll now find
out; but I knew this was a bad, bad mistake when she made it, right up there
with Mitt Romney's infamous "47%" comment.
And yes, in my opinion, Trump made a lot more serious mistakes. But I am not
totally surprised that a majority of Americans don't seem to agree with me.
~~~
AnimalMuppet
I don't think the election was about mistakes. It was about loathing for both
candidates. Turns out the loathing for Hillary was higher.
I should qualify that. Trump, for all his negatives, had people who genuinely
agreed with him. He _also_ had a bunch of "not really for Trump, but I am sick
to death of Hillary and her scandals and her Machiavellian machinations"
voters. Hillary had a bunch of "good heavens, not Trump" voters, some "female
in office, therefore has to be good voters", and not all that many "really
love her positions" voters.
------
bambax
Wow. This article was published on April 21st, before the end of the
primaries.
> _Trump capturing the nomination will not dispel the smug style; if anything,
> it will redouble it. Faced with the prospect of an election between Donald
> Trump and Hillary Clinton, the smug will reach a fever pitch: six straight
> months of a sure thing, an opportunity to mock and scoff and ask, How could
> anybody vote for this guy? until a morning in November when they ask, What
> the fuck happened?_
But the § just before that one is the meat of the article:
_But even as many have come around to the notion that Trump is the
prohibitive favorite for his party 's nomination, the smug interpretation has
been predictable: We only underestimated how hateful, how stupid, the
Republican base can be._
Krugman today:
> _We thought that the great majority of Americans valued democratic norms and
> the rule of law. It turns out that we were wrong. There turn out to be a
> huge number of people — white people, living mainly in rural areas — who
> don’t share at all our idea of what America is about._
[http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/opinion/elect...](http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/opinion/election-
night-2016/the-unknown-country)
Some people never learn, but they're not the ones we think don't.
~~~
aaronchall
It's not the first time he's been wrong.
Krugman has lived his life in a liberal urban academic bubble and has no idea
what the rest of the USA is like.
We would do well to remember that when we have the misfortune to come across
his writings in the future.
~~~
antisthenes
I've been talking to a few liberal friends this morning who have no frame of
reference outside of living on one of the USA's coasts all their lives.
The perceptual bubbles are very real for both sides, and to someone who has
been on both sides of the aisle - they're terrifying; because breaking through
the bubble is exceptionally hard and costly, doubly so if that person is
already an established adult.
------
jessaustin
_On November 6, 2000, during his final pre-election stump speech, Bush
explained his history of political triumph thusly: "They misunderesimated me."
What an idiot. American liberals made fun of him for that one for years.
It is worth considering that he didn't misspeak.
He did, however, deliberately cultivate the confusion. He understood the smug
style._
W's was perhaps a more subtle dominating response to the Smug, but at this
point we can't say it was _different_ than Trump's. Both of them went to
school with the Smug. They know what it represents both to itself and to the
majority of the nation. Neither of them buy into it themselves, unlike e.g.
Romney.
Democrats lose when the Republican candidate has an authentic and rhetorically
effective response to the Smug. Now that it's happened twice, at least some
Republicans will remember it the next time around. Democrats will either do
the hard work of excising this from their ideology and communication, or they
will lose in the same way again.
~~~
cafard
You aren't wrong, or not all wrong. However, you must consider a) that Nader
made a very large difference in 2000, and b) that Trump got to run against
Hillary Clinton. She is intelligent and able, but she has been a handy target
for conservative media for twenty years now, and a good deal of that stuck
with voters.
"Both of them went to school with the Smug"; well, yes, and some would find it
curious that our populists come from Yale and Penn.
~~~
jessaustin
Johnson seems to have gotten more votes than Nader; Johnson and Stein together
_definitely_ did so. In _many_ of the "battleground" states, Trump's margin is
totally swamped by third-party numbers.
The observations you've made about Clinton aren't news to anyone. The fact she
was nominated _anyway_ , with her only primary opposition coming from outside
the party, after the DNC had let it be known to all potential opponents that
the fix was well and truly in, is symptomatic of the Smug. The insiders
couldn't imagine the average voter rejecting the candidate chosen by the
insiders. Maybe they still can't imagine it, only now it has happened. They're
stuck in a loop, and for the next iteration the Republicans will know just
what to do. Hint: it won't be another Romney.
~~~
cafard
I upvoted you. However, I think that Clinton was seen as the safe candidate:
she had name recognition, she didn't scare Wall Street. That is not wholly the
same as being the candidate of Smug.
I trust that the Democratic Party will understand that it has run out of
ideas. Will the Republicans know what to do? It strikes me as quite possible
that Trump's qualities could be those of a one-term president.
~~~
jessaustin
Was that "didn't scare Wall Street" or was it "had accepted tens of millions
of dollars from Wall Street"? If Wall Street gets final vet, the Democrat
party has changed from the days of FDR. (OT: will they or any of the other
Clinton Family Foundation donors ask for refunds?) The inability to see how
conflicts of interest look from outside is a Smugness that has afflicted
Democrats and Republicans both.
Trump could definitely be a one-termer. I could see him getting bored and
letting Pence take over, or deciding to campaign for someone else in his
cabinet, or even figuring out something so terrible that it will finally make
evangelicals vote against him. Or, he could be like Reagan and W, just let his
people handle everything, and sail on to a second term.
~~~
cafard
Indeed the Democratic Party has changed since the days of FDR. It is amusing
to consider that FDR thought that a realignment of the parties might be
beneficial, with the Republicans picking up the conservative (often southern)
Democrats and the Democrats picking up the more liberal (often northeastern)
Republicans. How'd that work out?
And of course you are completely correct on the inability to perceive
conflicts of interest--where they are or where they just might be.
------
dnautics
"The knowing know that police reform, that abortion rights, that labor unions
are important, but go no further: What is important, after all, is to signal
that you know these things."
This is an amazing observation. The 'smug style' doesn't actually contribute
to the amelioration of these issues. Even for some things the lack of
individual commitment betrays unseriousness, e.g. abortion rights - most
people protesting federal defunding of PP would NEVER imagine to actually cut
a check themselves, whereas there are principled libertarians, for example,
who would be for ending funding PP using other people's money while donating
to the organization themselves. Ms. Clinton's talks in front of Black Lives
Matter audiences was notably bereft of any reference to police accountability
(which is the one truly important thing) but instead offers feel-good
solutions like broadly 'ending racism', 'sensitivity training', 'community
policing'.
~~~
noobiemcfoob
As someone who just recently "got" the whole follow what you preach thing, I
believe there is a real gap in communicating how you follow through on high-
horse ideals in a practical way.
It took me having a comfortable enough income to donate to political parties
before it really clicked I could do a whole lot more.
------
dkrich
Bravo. Full disclosure, I voted for HRC. However, I've been saying this to my
liberal friends for the entire election cycle. The message from of all of my
liberal Facebook friends has been some derivative of:
"Hear me out. We know Hillary isn't the best candidate, but you have to vote
for Trump. If you don't you're a racist misogynist. Also, if you vote for a
third party candidate, you are basically voting for Donald Trump."
There are so many things wrong with that message, that I won't go into it, but
the last bit about a third party vote == a vote for Trump is dismissive,
condescending, wrong, and rude. The assumption is that the third party voters
are reasonable people who would otherwise vote Democrat but for the fact that
they have a few misgivings about HRC.
However that is a very poor assumption.
Not once did I hear any of those same people listen to anybody, Trump
supporter, third party voter, no voter. They shouted over everyone else and
smugly and overconfidently assumed everyone was listening to them.
I am as shocked as anyone Trump won, but I had been telling my liberal friends
for months that people just don't like HRC. I have my reasons for why I think
that's true and it has nothing to do with emails or Bill Clinton's past
indiscretions. Her primary run against Obama in '08 is proof positive of this,
and in many ways this general election is a near repeat of that process.
She and her supporters were overly confident, refused to believe that they
weren't connecting with mainstream America, and then got blindsided when the
votes were counted.
I truly hope that the democratic party learns something from this, but from
what I've seen on my Facebook feed this morning it certainly doesn't feel like
it's going in that direction.
~~~
hash-set
I'm just curious how old you are because I lived through the Bill Clinton
years and it was appalling how bad the Clintons were. Their legacy from
Arkansas all the way up the Pay to Play Clinton Foundation has been completely
consistent--to bend and break the law everywhere possible if it is to their
benefit to do so and then engage in cover ups, blackmail, and possibly murder
to get away with it. They are a modern day crime family. You probably dismiss
all this as unproven "tinfoil hat" conspiracy stuff, right? But there is such
a large body of circumstancial evidence when it comes to the Clintons that it
is impossible to ignore. Then the leaks started dropping and we got a small
window in a large world of corruption. Did none of this occur to you?
~~~
iainmerrick
_Then the leaks started dropping and we got a small window in a large world of
corruption. Did none of this occur to you?_
It seemed to me more like a very large window onto what turned out to be a
pretty small world of corruption. I don't have an axe to grind but I've never
seen a straight answer as to what her "crimes" supposedly are.
~~~
talmand
Evidence of corruption is not necessarily evidence of a crime.
------
gaius
As a Brit it has been fascinating to watch the Dems run basically exactly the
same campaign Remain ran.
~~~
CalChris
As an American Democrat, I'm not in the least bit embarrassed by our campaign.
We ran on 8 years of growth, cutting the deficit, 5% unemployment, tripled
stock market, etc. Justly proud of that.
I'm embarrassed for the country by what Republicans ran on and who they
elected.
~~~
yummyfajitas
No, "you" ran on "Trump is raaaciiist and if you support him you are too!"
(I put "you" in quotes since I'm referring to Democrats in general, not you
personally.)
It's the same thing "you" ran against Bush and Romney on. It might even be
true this time around, but you are the boy who cried wolf at this point.
~~~
cafard
"We" (an editorial we) ran on "Trump will do for the United States of America
what he did for the United States Football League; and that he will be no
better president than he was a businessman."
I don't remember anyone saying that Romney was racist. I remember many saying
that he represented the very wealthy rather than the middle and poorer
classes.
~~~
yummyfajitas
Here's people calling Romney racist:
[http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/8/27/1124649/-Romney-
Goes...](http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/8/27/1124649/-Romney-Goes-Full-
Racist-Accuses-Obama-of-Cutting-Welfare-Work-Requirment-to-Shore-Up-Base)
[http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2012/07/romney-
accused-...](http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2012/07/romney-accused-of-
racism-following-naacp-speech.html)
[https://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/romney-faces-
challenge...](https://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/romney-faces-challenge-on-
mormonism-and-race?utm_term=.spvew4WEA#.thWQRvzq3)
[https://thinkprogress.org/romney-dog-whistle-obamas-
philosop...](https://thinkprogress.org/romney-dog-whistle-obamas-philosophy-
is-foreign-to-the-american-experience-bbd65dcc55f#.pauwyh389)
~~~
foldr
Romney being a racist was not a major (or even minor) theme of Obama's
campaign. I don't think you can really be suggesting that alleged racism on
the part of the Republican candidate was as big an issue in the previous
election as in the present one (where the Republican candidate made widely
publicized explicitly racist statements).
~~~
yummyfajitas
I agree that the "$republican is literally hitler", "$republican is racist",
etc, is more hysterical this time around. I attribute that to Trump being
blatantly on the wrong side of the culture war [1].
I'm just saying that "XXX republican is racist" has lost it's meaning due to
overuse. The boy has cried "hitler" about Bush, Romney, etc, and the villagers
will no longer come running.
[1] I recommend reading Moldbug's article on the topic: [http://unqualified-
reservations.blogspot.com/2007/05/castes-...](http://unqualified-
reservations.blogspot.com/2007/05/castes-of-united-states.html) The tl;dr; is
that while Bush and Romney were Brahmin Republicans, Trump is very clearly a
Vaisya, leading to vastly more hysteria.
~~~
foldr
I think this is wrong in two respects. First, the statement has not lost its
meaning but only its effect. Second, the claim that Bush and Romney were
racists was not a major strand of political discourse. People talked about
Republican policies rooted in racism, but that is a very different thing from
having a presidential candidate who is himself, on a personal level, a racist.
~~~
jessaustin
Bill Maher is no genius, but even before the election he had already
identified this lack of credibility, the umpteenth time some random Republican
is deemed beyond the pale:
[http://www.salon.com/2016/11/07/bill-maher-liberals-cried-
wo...](http://www.salon.com/2016/11/07/bill-maher-liberals-cried-wolf-about-
mitt-romney-now-they-face-a-genuine-fascist/)
~~~
foldr
There are always people on each side making outrageous allegations about each
candidate. The question of whether Romney was a racist was not a major issue
in the previous campaign.
------
Lazare
I recall reading the post when it was published, and thought it was very
powerful, although I had some quibbles with the details and the tone. I mean,
the author was broadly right, sure, but...
Also interesting to recall: The amount of disagreements and personal insults
the author got for the piece.
And another: Rensin was let go from Vox shortly after writing the piece for
tweeting "If Trump comes to your town, start a riot."
In any case, in retrospect...he nailed it.
(Disclaimer: Supported Clinton, although with major qualms.)
------
Asdfbla
Pretty hard to not look down on those people when you know that the facts are
on your side, since for certain things there are established facts. I wouldn't
be ready to be patient with someone who thinks the moon is made out of cheese
or something.
But I suppose the article is still right and competent politicians should have
the empathy to relate even to those people. I couldn't do it.
~~~
DefaultUserHN
Yes, it was pretty hard for the Nazi to not look down on the Jews too. And we
all know how that turned out.
------
lamontcg
This was a bit TL;DR.
I think a better summary is that "liberal elites" (although really moderate
republicans) has conclusively failed. And it lost in 2000 and 2004 and this is
a pattern of it failing.
And the problems are that they've completely lost the blue collar male vote.
There's no labor party here in the US at all. And the problem goes all the way
back to Bill's vote for NAFTA and his center-right policies. The Democratic
party has been losing the actual working class ever since then.
The Democratic Party should really stop lecturing the working class, and start
promising the working class that they'll have jobs and won't see their kids
sent off to die in foreign wars.
------
deviate_X
I have a feeling that this explanation overly complex, more like liberal self-
beating and giving far too much credence
Simply those who voted for Trump feel like victims of "something"
And despite having won "everything" I have the feeling that they will still
feel like victims of the undefinable "other" in the up and coming loooong
years..
~~~
DefaultUserHN
I agree.
Trump supporters won everything by losing their jobs oversea.
Trump supporters won when other people call them racist for wanting to have a
job.
Trump supporters won when their kids are sent to die in the Middle East to
line up the Rich Elite's pockets with oil money.
Trump supporters won when they return from the war, with missing limbs, and
the VA won't even take care of them.
And the smug still can't figure out why Trump supporters support Trump.
------
gadders
It's not just America - see the responses after Brexit as well. The major
claim seems to be that most people are just not intelligent enough to have
voted correctly.
~~~
soft_dev_person
After Brexit, the smugness continued. Remain supporters took the campaign for
a revote that got millions of signatures as a sign people were regretting, but
obviously the signatures mostly were from people who had voted to remain.
Still, "they regret it already" was the message spreading throughout Europe
for a while. I recently saw some research stating that a very small percentage
had changed their mind about the vote, and they came more or less equally from
both sides. So no, no significant regret noticed.
Not sure why I'm writing this. It just seems that the people seeming to vote
rationally are completely irrational when it comes to judging the other side.
Did we collectively lose the skill of empathy?
We need to understand this or we'll be repeating these mistakes forever.
------
squozzer
Where I think this approach has been especially disastrous has been climate
change. When people challenged the facts - which I don't entirely believe but
the potential outcome is too serious to just blow off - they were humiliated
and discredited, sometimes viciously.
When people challenged the feasibility of solutions - ditto.
Which in my mind signaled the worst - the desire to break resistance was
stronger than the desire to persuade. Which led to a belief that maybe
something more sinister was in the cards - a la Pol Pot's killing fields.
Not a reasonable belief but when you see others dehumanized for questioning
the know-it-alls, it's understandable.
------
vacri
Yes, liberals in America are all smug and holier-than-thou, unlike their
ideological opponents, who really listen to what you have to say and never
judge you ahead of time. And, of course, they never pass comment on how a
person looks.
~~~
oldmanjay
You don't get to claim the moral high ground and use the tactics of the
opposition at the same time.
~~~
M_Grey
The only claim of a moral highground here is implicit in that shitpost of an
article.
~~~
andars
Yes, the article isn't very good. In essence, it reverses the direction of
"holier than thou".
However, it raises an excellent point. The United States is not going to get
anywhere if half the country looks down on the other half as a bunch of plebs,
and in response the "plebs" disdain the elites. (I understand that this is a
gross simplification, but I have seen this attitude often enough that it is
significant).
For me, the article was about the need for mutual respect.
~~~
M_Grey
There will be no mutual respect here; the schism that began with Reagan, and
widened with W. just ripped wide open today. The only thing coming out of this
is going to be deepening resentment, and incredible economic hardship.
Ironically, the people who are going to take it most directly in the tuckus,
are the people who voted Trump.
~~~
majormajor
If large parts of your community are already on unemployment, disability,
and/or heroin, are you focused on the downside risk or looking for anyone
willing to even pretend to have a new plan?
------
roymckenzie
Ironic. Vox exemplifies this.
~~~
c0nducktr
They ended up firing the author.
~~~
tanderson92
They suspended the author, then let him back off of suspension. It was strange
because he was leaving willingly in a few weeks to attend a graduate school
program.
------
danr4
It's been a really long time since I read an article this long. Very eye
opening.
------
fatbird
And so begins a really tiresome round of navel-gazing.
~~~
AndrewKemendo
This was published in April - not that it isn't relevant now, but this
discourse started happening a while ago.
------
hash-set
Pretty much sums up why I'm no longer involved in higher education.
I also tend to think a lot of liberals are mentally ill, but I concede that
you can't begin a dialog with that assumption. The PC movement on campuses
today is a dead end and will thus die or higher education will die. Their
choice.
------
yarou
The plebeians have spoken! Let us wait for our Gaius Marius, Gracchus
brothers, and Sulla.
~~~
gozur88
Sulla was an Optimate.
~~~
unixhero
What is that? Roman history? (Genuine question)
~~~
vondur
An Optimate was a supporter of the Senatorial class who were benefiting from
the massive wealth flowing into Rome after conquering the Mediterranean area.
This created a huge problem after 100 of thousands of slaves were brought back
to Italy and eliminated the small Roman farmers. The populares took advantage
of this, but it ended up in civil strife and war for about 80 years.
------
m_herrlich
But dumbasses do exist. And if a true dumbass senses that you think he's a
dumbass, he will obsessively counter everything you do just to be contrarian.
Teach those libtards a lesson. It's not logical but it makes total sense if
you think like a dumbass.
I guess I'm part of the problem.
------
codeonfire
Well tens of millions of "stupid hicks" are about to lose their health
insurance. How is that for a "good fact"? Sorry for being smug.
~~~
madaxe_again
Walls of flames here today. Suggest we flag political stories - HN is not the
place.
And that's coming from _me_.
~~~
andars
Perhaps flag comments. But I think that it is essential to have political
stories be visible today, so that we can try to understand why the election
results are what they are.
I posted this particular story because I have seen what it criticizes on HN
more than anywhere else. Perhaps the article is wrong, but I thought an
external opinion would be useful.
Perhaps HN is not the place for political discussion. But it has been in the
past, and will be in the future, so I think that this article is excellent to
contemplate.
~~~
ersii
I would say that this was the perfect piece to be published on that exact day.
I do fear that the tone of the article is too smug, even for "smug liberals"
and that it might have been passed by plenty of people - especially the usual
Vox readers.
I don't think it makes the article justice by trying to simply place it as
"right" or "wrong". I'd be content to just point out that I think it covers a
lot of history, divides and for lack of a better word, emotions or
perspectives.
I'm not liberal, but I too constantly need to fight the need to be smug
towards others and their choices.
Thank you for posting it. It was a worth the time to read.
~~~
madaxe_again
Says the unbelievably smug guy.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Musings on the Future of Docker from Logentries' Brendan Dillon - jamesalvord
https://blog.logentries.com/2014/05/musings-on-the-future-of-docker/
======
nickstinemates
One of our core business values in transparency. Feel free to reach out and
ask what's next. We'll be happy to talk about it.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
This Tech Bubble Is Different (2011) - moubarak
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_17/b4225060960537.htm
======
arbuge
I realized this was an old article when it said Zynga's valuation was $8B on
page 3.
The next few paragraphs go on to conjecture about whether Color will be
successful.
~~~
connor
Those facts kind of debunked any point the article was making. Interesting
look on the past perhaps.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
I want to get into the startup industry, where do I start? - bonesinger
About me: I'm a 3rd year in law school. I'm majoring in tax and intellectual property and I'm very much interested in Entrepreneurship. I am 2 credits short of the required amount to practice before the US Patent Office.<p>I am tech-savvy, but to an extent. I've dabbled in C++ and Java (beginner skill) and web design (beginner as well). I subscribed to teamtreehouse and I've been learning quite a bit! I enjoy the videos and have worked my way through all the HTML and CSS videos. I've watched videos on iOS development as well.<p>What I want to do: I want to build upon some ideas but I'm sick and tired of reading books. I like the field of law but I find myself reading tech news and reading about the newest technologies more than law.<p>I'm finishing up school but I want to work in the tech field. I want to gain experience in startups both in the legal and technical aspect. There are very few opportunities for entrepreneurship in my school thus I'm reaching here for hands on experience. I cannot offer legal advice until I'm a full-fledged attorney but I do want to volunteer and help out regardless of whether its paid or unpaid.<p>If I don't take some sort of initiative I won't be able to get into the field.
======
karmajunkie
I'm going to be the asshole that points out that startups aren't an industry.
They're businesses that operate in many industries. If you want to work
with/for/building a startup, do that—but pick an industry you know something
about or want to learn about. If you want to work in IP law with startups as
your customers, that's a viable business as well—but your industry is IP law,
not startups. Why make a big deal out of the distinction? Because if you're
only focused on the startup, you're already going to fail.
~~~
niico
A startup is not a industry. It's a way of doing things (mostly business) and
looking at things differently and trying to improve/optimize them... a
'Culture' if you will. At a startup you can create a company that will belong
in a specific industry. Let's say gaming, security, banking, etc.
------
a3camero
Take the plunge, how about signing up for a hackathon? TechCrunch Disrupt is a
good one.
You can start off on the tech side by doing small projects for people in your
neighbourhood. Maybe a new store has opened? One of my early contracts was "a
cake a month for a year" in exchange for a site. There's probably also local
meetups in your area of tech people. If not, maybe move to a city where
there's a more substantial community.
On the tech + law side, there are in-house departments at the big tech
companies. That was my 2L summer job.
I'm also a third year law student ("2L" above...) and do substantial amounts
of web programming on the side. Send me an email if you want to talk further
about how to get started on programming.
~~~
bonesinger
I am interested in what you've done so far, I don't see a way to e-mail you
though, or I'm just retarded.
If you don't mind me asking where did you intern for you 2L summer? I spent
most of my time doing clinical work and finishing up MPRE stuff.
~~~
a3camero
Apparently I'm the retard, email doesn't show up in profile.
[email protected].
------
tawman
Since you plan on becoming an attorney, you could work with a law firm that
specializes in helping the startup industry. You should reach out to Scott
Edward Walker, @ScottEdWalker, at <http://walkercorporatelaw.com/> and
introduce yourself.
I follow him on twitter and he has a number informative videos on the net
regarding startups and more. He also maintains a blog on his website.
If you started your law career helping startups then an opportunity to
transition to the startup side might present itself. It is a simple matter of
creating opportunities for yourself by positioning yourself strategically.
------
n1ck4n
Hi bonesinger, I am a web developer from Vietnam, and I've always wanted to be
part of some startup in the US, seriously. I read lots of news on what's
happening in the SV. Yet it's difficult for me to get started since I don't
have connections in the US.
What I have to offer is my technical expertise, a very cool social web app
framework that I've been building for the last 3 years. How cool is it? OK,
let's say, I can build a quora clone within 1 month, fast and scalable. It's
using Mongodb, redis, nodejs in case you're curious and has been applied to
some websites that I probably shouldn't mention here yet.
You need more technical expertise and are lazy to learn it, and that's
definitely what I'm good at. Also, from what you mentioned, my guts is telling
me you've got enough passion and business skills to promote/run a product.
That's exactly what I need for some of my ideas that I'm about to do.
So, to sum up, here's my take to your question: You can leave the development
to me (or you can develop with me) and start thinking about other business-
related stuff to make it success. That way it might work out for both of us.
I've been thinking about this kind of collaboration a long long time before I
read your thread but this is my first time I write about it.
If you're interested in this collaboration, please contact me at : { my HN
nick name } @ gmail . Thanks for reading & bye for now
------
drewvolpe
Go work for a startup founded by the absolute best people you can find. Even
if it tanks, you will learn a ton.
~~~
bonesinger
Aye, that's the plan. I've been reading a few books about startups. I've read
Venture Deals and I have worked with multiple agreements like stock purchase,
asset purchase, note purchase, term loan credit agreements.
I have worked with fictitious clients in helping them incorporate, plan a
business, initiate a stock purchase, asset purchase, and lastly, how to handle
taxation.
I'm midway through The Lean Startup and unfortunately, I realize the startup
field is dominated by engineers with inventions. I understand the purpose of
funds like Ycombinator and techstars is to provide guidance for engineers and
to help them understand the non-engineer aspects that go with running a
company. I want some of that experience! They just don't offer it in my law
school.
I've worked in a clinical program with real inventors, but it was directed
towards helping them with trademarks and patents and not so much as helping
them plan a business.
------
sarbogast
If I were you, I would try something like a Startup Weekend. They are a great
opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs and potentially see interesting
concepts. They are also a great way to experiment some of the ups and downs of
entrepreneurship on a very short period of time.
~~~
bonesinger
Ahhhh, I just checked, missed one for my location! Thanks for the info, I will
be on the lookout!
~~~
georgelawrence
I second the suggestion for StartupWeekend. You can come and go as you please,
so if you're not digging the vibe, you can split. Plus, even if you stay for
the entire time, you've only invested one single weekend.
If you don't want to wait for the event to hit your hometown again, attend one
in a nearby city.
Also, I'd go become a member of a co-working office space and hang out there
and mix and mingle. Startup folks and the nicest and most-helpful I've ever
met.
------
dwynings
Be sure to check out: <http://railsforzombies.org/> and
<http://ruby.railstutorial.org/ruby-on-rails-tutorial-book>. (both are free)
------
verdatel
just did a startup weekend in Vancouver.. brilliant experience.. you should
definitely do it. Will open up your eyes to a lot of possibilities.. you don't
necessarily have to be an engineer/developer/designer.
~~~
redthrowaway
Where in Vancouver? What's the name of it? I've been wanting to check one out.
~~~
Donito
<http://startupweekend.org/events/>
------
SoftwarePatent
Hi bonsinger - I practiced IP law for 18 months before leaving practice to do
a startup. If you'd like to chat about my experience, email me, it's in my
profile.
------
startupking
i actually have a legal startup idea you might be interested in, but i am not
a programmer.. i simply come up with ideas design web and phone mockups and
find domain name and create logo right now.. i am looking for a kick ass
programmer.. LegalSnap.com is the name of the idea. Another idea is called
LegalAsk.com...
------
tct
In a relatively similar position and would love to hear any thoughts on this
as well.
~~~
bonesinger
Heh, I'm torn between tech and law! I like both and I've got ideas but not
enough skill or time right now to complete them.
~~~
fleitz
Why not apply technology to the legal field?
It's likely a field that could use a good dose of technological innovation. Do
your apprenticeship or whatever they call it in the legal field learn what
problems the legal profession has and then create some technology to solve it.
As for myself I've built a iOS apps to address certain calculations that are
built into the law. I was thinking of building some iPad apps to help manage
cases. eDiscovery is a pretty huge field already. Did you know that it's not
uncommon for emails to be converted to TIFFs to be submitted to court? What
about apps that could help lawyers find better case law (crowd sourced case
law?)? Or perhaps apps for boutique firms.
~~~
bonesinger
Yea eDiscovery is a big deal and in demand. I've been looking around to get a
job as a legal counsel to a tech company, but in-house counsel positions
usually require an attorney who is experienced and has worked in the field.
~~~
gersh
HP has a program where they hire new law school grads. See
[http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/hp_opts_for_training_...](http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/hp_opts_for_training_its_own_in-
house_lawyers_hires_four_law_grads) .
------
Zeeshank
Hey, e-mail me at [email protected]. Thanks -Zeeshan
------
spg
"I'm very interested in love, here are my credentials ... "
Are you VIRGIN??
~~~
spg
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSlwuafyUUo>
~~~
bonesinger
Thanks! That was a pretty good video. Bookmarked.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Bitcoin climbs to $10k - pseudolus
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-22/bitcoin-climbs-to-10-000-as-memories-of-the-crypto-bubble-fade
======
janandonly
I lament the recurring fact that “the price” dictates more than anything else
when and even if a news article appears in a mainstream news medium like
Bloomberg.
There is soo much technical development in bitcoin that is _way more_ news-
worthy than what the market happens to be doing today ️
~~~
boybd
What else is there? Bitcoin is an investment, so this is important in the same
way that the price of gold climbing like this would be important.
~~~
elil17
Bitcoin is meant to be a way of completing payments, not an investment. The
use as an investment goes against its primary purpose.
~~~
imtringued
You must be pretty behind the times. Most shops have stopped accepting bitcoin
because of volatility and high transaction fees. Bitcoin thrives as virtual
gold precisely because those two downsides make it useless as a currency.
~~~
pmorici
That's the primary reason the Bitcoin Core / Bitcoin Cash split 2 years ago
now was a difference in opinion about whether or not usage as a payment method
mattered. Now you have two competing camps one is pushing the Bitcoin as egold
and high fees while the other is pushing Bitcoin as a means of exchange with
low fees.
The volatility was solved by the payment processors. In any case the big
payment processors support both now. The higher than credit card fees though
did kill the use of Bitcoin Core as a payment method in ordinary transactions.
------
Bostonian
The central banks of the Eurozone, Switzerland, Sweden, and Japan have set
negative short-term interest rates, and in the U.S., the president has
threatened to demote the chairman of the central bank if he does not cut
interest rates. This may explain increased interest in alternative currencies.
~~~
jshaqaw
And yet there is no inflation. So the currency debasement yielding to
hyperinflation argument which has been running since 2008 remains without any
evidence.
~~~
roboys
There is inflation, it shows itself in asset prices. You are also skipping a
step, the currency debasement and resulting loss of global reserve status
leads to hyperinflation.
------
Joe-Z
I'm still not sure what to think about cryptocurrency[0]. I just don't get the
price fluctuations. They seem to be random and not based on any relevant real-
world event. Granted, they list the announcement of Libra as a reason in the
article, but how would that be good for Bitcoin?
[0]and that's coming from someone who owned several bitcoins a few years back
but stupidly used them for buying stuff. It's not as bad as the guy who
ordered a pizza for I think 1 million bucks, but still I'd rather have the
money now...
~~~
loceng
The people gaming the system to increase its "value" have slowly brought the
price up - and they will keep working together (indirectly and directly) to
convince/manipulate/trick consumers into buying into this global,
decentralized Ponzi-Pyramid scheme to further their wealth through
unreasonably redistributing wealth towards earlier adopters - while increasing
the "army of HODLers" who now have vested interested in pushing these
crypto-"currencies." Everyone who's lost money to the earlier adopters are
heavily incentivized to talk positively and promote them so they can attempt
to at minimum break even from their losses - which is the main mechanism as to
why these are so dangerous for society, the incentive and alignment of working
together - to adopt something that has shown little to no value to society;
blockchain is a separate conversation as to its value for society. The "killer
app" that no one seems to have been able to create for society yet seems to
actually be that its structure allows for a Pyramid-Ponzi scheme - and the
people selling the shovels during this modern gold rush seem to be the ones
best capitalizing on the hype and frenzy.
~~~
seibelj
Are you against any asset where visionaries got in early? VCs and wealthy
investors reap the vast majority of rewards when companies like Uber go
public, and let the retail investors hold the bag. I don’t see much of a moral
difference.
~~~
thomasz
Uber is a company that provides a highly useful service. Bitcoin is just a
decentralized long con.
~~~
seibelj
You can make an argument against the asset itself and it’s utility. But parent
was arguing that the fact early adopters captured a majority of the gains
makes Bitcoin evil doesn’t make sense to me. I’m happy that crypto nerds won
this time over the usual suspects of VCs, family funds, etc.
~~~
loceng
What value has Bitcoin et al brought anyone other than earning them "profit"
because they were earlier in the Pyramid-Ponzi scheme - or at a low point
before price went up and sold before the bubble(s) popped?
~~~
seba_dos1
Ok, I'm not a huge fan of the crypto craze, but ignoring providing a solution
to the problem of trust in decentralized networks and implementing a working
payment network on top of that is just a blatant ignorance.
The solution is massively unelegant and unlikely to be worth so much long-term
as markets are predicting now, but it definitely does provide some tangible
value and it's pretty stupid to imply otherwise.
~~~
loceng
Simply asking for what value has Bitcoin et al provided isn't the same as a
statement that states it doesn't cover some areas of value, however pros
existing doesn't necessarily negate the cons - doesn't mean there's a net
benefit to them existing. Ignoring that a solution for 'trust in decentralized
networks' can't be solved in other ways, like normal real-life trust networks,
where people make a decision of who they trust for this vs. having "blind
trust" is in fact blatant ignorance.
------
seibelj
Bitcoin is a very good store of wealth when compared to, say, gold. If I was
in a country like Turkey or China I would be moving my wealth into it any way
I could. The government inflates their currencies and locks or seizes bank
accounts. When you want to escape the dictator, you can memorize 24 words and
take your wealth with you over the border. Very hard to keep your gold safe
from guards.
Ignoring all of the other uses of Bitcoin, the “digital gold” argument is the
strongest IMO.
~~~
elil17
How is it better than gold? The primary goal with a store of wealth is price
stability, and gold is way more stable than BTC. BTC is certainly better than
many fiats but it’s still highly unstable. Most people who are buying it are
buying it as an investment, not a store of wealth.
~~~
vvpan
I think the commenter is suggesting that sometimes the mobility of your store
of wealth is more important than volatility. Hard to argue that gold is easy
to move or store. People from the US and Western Europe are prone to forget
how volatile the political and economic situation is for most of Earth's
population.
~~~
elil17
People who use gold as a money store don’t buy physical gold, though. They buy
insured, gold backed securities which are held in a stable location, usually
the United Kingdom. The account that holds those securities is protected by a
password, just like Bitcoin
------
heliodor
The second half of that headline is a loaded statement that does not belong in
proper journalism.
~~~
mskvsk
At least, the authors gave away their bias from the get-go.
~~~
Tomte
Journalists do not only report the news, nor should they limit themselves to
that. They also explain, classify and arrange the news, and put them into a
broader context. This is the more interesting, the more difficult and more
valuable part of their job.
Sure, you don't want to read this viewpoint. Great! There are thousands of
cryptocurrency web sites with "proper" news and commentary for you to read.
This article is for people like me.
~~~
heliodor
Once you provide interpretation, you are picking and choosing. That's an easy
vehicle for manipulation of public opinion, and is exactly why so many people
lament the current state of journalism (not that the past was any brighter).
~~~
Tomte
People lament the current state of journalism, because they feel "their
journalists" aren't reputable, but the reputable ones aren't "their
journalists".
There are journalists all across the political spectrum, from the extreme left
to the extreme right. But everybody wants to see his opinion enshrined as
"mainstream" by the New York Times or the Washington Post.
On the one hand, they place enormous value in those papers and their
reputation, but on the other hand these papers only sell worthless
manipulation. Something doesn't compute here.
------
msamwald
But why would Libra increase rather than decrease interest in Bitcoin? Is
there any actual rationale?
~~~
atmosx
No, but I always find funny that geeks are so excited about the technology
behind bitcoin but at the same time remain largely clueless about what
currencies are, why so they exist, what is the role of a central bank, how
currency adoption works, etc.
------
manojlds
Has broken $11k right now.
~~~
roboys
It will pass $25,000 before the halvening in May 2020.
Increased equipment cost, same electricity cost but half the rewards = a large
value shift.
~~~
usaphp
Why 25? What makes you throw this exact number? Wild guess?
~~~
georgyo
25,000 if we are talking about significant digits is not very precise. Also, I
interpret the 5 to mean between 20 and 30k.
------
abledon
This won't affect the price of GPU cards heavily right? Since most of the
mining is done by specialized ASIC boxes now?
~~~
tromp
Bitcoin rising in value tends to pull up many altcoins along with it,
including GPU mineable ones like Ethereum, Monero and Grin.
------
ohiovr
Demand for bitcoin comes from ransoms. Entire cities are being extorted so
this affects the price.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Plague - jamesjyu
http://plague.io/
======
devindotcom
_More like Vague amirite!_
But seriously, I am unclear on pretty much every aspect of this. Even the
screenshots give very little info. I don't know if I'm going to need to sign
up for an account, or whether I'd be receiving "infections" from Portland and
Boise or just up the block here in Seattle. And since I'm guessing 90% of
these items are going to originate on the wider net to begin with, or be
posted there simultaneously, the benefit to me seems dubious at best.
A more limited version that only sends stuff over local wifi or using local
wifi as a beacon to make an ad hoc connection between "carriers" would be
cool, though. More hyperlocal, you can be sure if the thing has only taken two
or three steps, it was someone nearby who made it. Maybe that's how it works;
there's no way to know for sure and I don't really plan to find out!
~~~
sethammons
The first thing I thought of was something I saw at a weekend hack event: in a
disaster or when no network can be found, it looks for nearby phones over
blutooth and propogates messages until the original message eventually finds a
phone to send out a communication over data or wifi.
~~~
comrh
This sounds so interesting. Any more info (where you saw it or name)?
~~~
fastball
FireChat does this. Not sure it was the aforementioned LAHacks project though.
------
pavel_lishin
Since the page itself is useless: this is like Tinder for reddit's r/funny
subreddit.
No account creation, so it's probably just tied to your device - sort of like
Yik Yak, I guess. Things seem to be geographically correlated, though I
imagine that the more 'viral' a thing is, presumably the further it can
spread.
edit: I guess you can create an account, but it's not required to 'infect'
crap.
At least here in NYC, it seems like one user is generating 99% of all content.
A third of it is "art", a third of it is gifs of girls twerking, and another
third is just celebrity snapshots.
~~~
runn1ng
You have to have an account for "creating" content. Not for infecting.
------
pstavro
hi all,
I've been working on a similar concept called Ripple, and launched 2 days ago.
I heard of Plague days after submitting my app to the iOS store, and found it
to be a bit different from what I want to focus on.
I do think it's possible to create a community with this type of concept
without all the clutter, and have it simultaneously focus on local (city or
neighborhood wide) events and news.
Ripple allows users to only submit text-based content for now, and presents
all content in table form instead of individual cards. We've found that this
combination really focuses the type of content shared as well as allows users
to browse content and spread "ripples" they truly find engaging. There is also
a bit of a difference with how ripples are spread versus how plague infects
people. Ripples are received by users only once.
Though we are at the beginning of our user base building and want many users
on Ripple, we are also promoting this in specific cities and communities to
have people share local news that matters amongst each other.
Check it out here: [http://getkefi.com/ripple](http://getkefi.com/ripple) I'd
love to hear all your feedback and thoughts.
~~~
JoshTriplett
Consider picking a different name; Ripple is already used:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripple_%28payment_protocol%29](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripple_%28payment_protocol%29)
~~~
colmvp
I don't know why you're getting downvoted. When I think of Ripple I think of
the payment protocol and I'm not even that tech savvy.
~~~
pstavro
Hello colmvp,
Yes, there are a couple of products out there with the name Ripple, but I
don't think the vast majority of people know any of them, including this.
If this does turn out to be a problem, I'll rename in a heartbeat!
~~~
bojo
I've never heard of a product/protocol/whatever named Ripple, which might not
mean much due to the fact that I am a random internet person. By all means
stick with it, sounds like the name definitely applies to the product.
------
ssivark
The beauty of the internet is that physical/geographic distance is not the
deciding factor any more. Two people far separated by geography can be very
close online. So why would an internet-enabled app re-introduce artificial
geographic rigidity?
~~~
ianferrel
There are times when geographic locality is the thing you want to filter on.
A few weeks ago, I was stuck on a freeway. Completely stopped. After about 10
minutes of no motion I really wished I had been able to do a "search within
1/2 mile of my location" sort of thing to find out what was going on and when
it would likely be fixed, so I could decide to tell the friends I was meeting
"I'll be a bit late" or "Sorry, guys, go on without me".
~~~
tetrep
>There are times when geographic locality is the thing you want to filter on.
Which has nothing to do with actually being near said locality. I think
filtering on geographic locations is great, but even greater is that ability
to do so while remote. I can learn about events occurring in and around a
specific area without actually being in that area. That's (part of) the beauty
of the internet.
~~~
ianferrel
I disagree that it has _nothing_ to do with it.
I'm _way_ more likely to be interested in stuff happening near where I
currently am than in some other arbitrary place.
Sure, sometimes it makes sense to be able to search elsewhere, but that makes
things more complicated for marginal gains.
Yelp is a good example. Yes, I've used it to research food in other locations,
but it would still be 95% as useful to me if the only thing it did was show me
stuff that was nearby, since that's what I almost always use it for.
------
bjackman
This page is totally devoid of content. If it wasn't for the comments in here,
I would have absolutely no idea what it's advertising; I would have closed it
and forgot about it forever.
It does seem like a cool idea though.
------
bsg75
Deleted within 5 minutes.
There was no news, no actual information. Only a series of random pictures,
screenshots of other apps, and vague comments about whatever what on the
poster's mind.
Social news will always have a near zero signal to noise ratio.
------
dilap
I love Plague.
For me, it's like the spiritual, mobile successor to mainpage reddit, i.e., a
nice casual way to consume & share neat photos, links, and interesting "what
if...?" questions.
So far at least, the community has been very positive, and not overrun with
9gag-style inanity.
An interesting aspect of the dissemination scheme is that even popular cards
will only spread to, say, 100 to 1000 people. This keeps the conversations on
the cards small enough to still be intimate.
------
oracardo
Description on the app store is better than the website imo
[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.plague](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.plague)
"Plague is an essentially different way to spread information. The idea for
Plague is to create a perfect medium for spreading information as wide as it
deserves to be spread, without any boundaries. Plague works like a virus. When
you spread information, it goes to the users who are closest to you
physically. The infected users can spread information exponentially further or
they can resist the epidemic by keeping the information to themselves.
Everyone has a fair and equal chance to be heard by the whole network right
from the start - there is no friending or following on Plague. If your
information is interesting to people, it can eventually spread to the entire
world."
------
rymohr
I don't care to see pictures of cats but I do want to be notified of major
local events. Allow me to filter out posts that haven't already been spread by
X users and you're onto something major here.
------
joshu
It is a bit of a cross between tinder (swipe to amplify/dampen) and images
(photos are the social object)
~~~
Khao
Why can't the website tell what it actually does? It's honestly a terrible
landing page for an app.
~~~
reledi
It's probably their strategy. Being (intentionally) vague raises curiosity.
The best way to find out what it does is to download the app.
------
runn1ng
It's interesting how addictive it is, at one hand, and how fast it becomes
boring on the other.
After one hour of seeing "motivational quotes" and "funny pictures" I about
had enough.
------
jbinto
My feedback:
I just tried it in Toronto and had to swipe down about 50 times to get rid of
obvious (and NSFW) spam.
The content is better now, but all coming from the eastern USA.
I tried to comment on something, and got prompted to register. But after I
registered, I lost the card I was going to comment on, and there appears to be
no way to go back to a previous card.
The geolocation is a little wonky ("Nueva York, Estados Unidos").
~~~
personZ
I tried in the Halton area (West of Toronto) and had about 40 things from a
single individual in Hamilton who continually posted far right conspiracy type
things. I suppose this is the issue with the network effect -- right now it
looks pretty pathetic in this area.
But the idea is solid. The Internet went global, but really a lot of the
activity now is making it local again.
------
07a
The website doesn't do a good job of explaining what it is. Essentially, you
are provided with a list of 'infections' which are just funny photos or
messages. You can choose to either 'stop' the infection from spreading further
or 'infect' other people, propagating the message to new people whom you can
geographically reach but the previous propagators could not.
It seems like the range can get pretty large. I live in the middle of nowhere.
My first few images were from maybe ~5 miles away, but after using it for a
bit I'm getting messages from 40-100 miles away.
You don't need an account, but it gives an option to create an account to
"track" your infections as they spread.
------
dredmorbius
_Forward to Marketing:_
A few bits I've noticed over 25+ years in the industry in assessing technology
product and service offerings: hardware, software, SAAS, PAAS, and more.
⚫ Tell me what your product is. What it does, where it works, how it does it,
what it requires. Is it a physical product (or is it shipped in one), an
interactive application, a Web service, a programming language / tool? As a
reader notes, _don 't make me use Wikipedia to figure out WTF your company
does._
...
[http://redd.it/27d5xr](http://redd.it/27d5xr)
(Previously on HN:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7489870](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7489870))
~~~
peteretep
I suspect the story would have had less traction here if it was obvious what
the app did
------
ChuckMcM
Wow, marketing fail.
Epidemic information distribution was the center piece of the paper "Epidemic
information dissemination in distributed systems" and highlighted in
Gossip[1].
Marketing words that have a better connotation for this might be 'discovery'
or 'enlightment' or 'intuition', even 'gossip', even though it is often a
scourge in middle school, has a better reception than 'plague'.
[1]
[http://phdopen.mimuw.edu.pl/lato08/notes-1.pdf](http://phdopen.mimuw.edu.pl/lato08/notes-1.pdf)
------
BronSteeDiam
“I am unclear on pretty much every aspect of this”
“don't know if I'm going to need to sign up”
“benefit to me seems dubious”
“what this things actually do?”
“This page is totally devoid of content”
“If it wasn't for the comments… I would have closed it and forgot about it
forever”
“Tell me what your product is. What it does, where it works, how it does it,
what it requires. Is it a physical product (or is it shipped in one), an
interactive application, a Web service, a programming language / tool? As a
reader notes, don't make me use Wikipedia to figure out WTF your company does”
1) Lower your bar for trying new things
2) Don’t be so cynical and quick to judge.
“The best way to find out what it does is to download the app.”
~~~
imron
Considering the amount of malware, spyware, marketing-ware, grab-all-your-
phone-contacts-and-upload-them-to-our-server-ware on the marketplace these
days, my bar is quite high and I'm happy for it to remain so.
For a new product/app, the onus is on the company creating it to explain why I
would want/need their product. I'm not going to go around installing random
things on my phone just to 'find out what it does'. I want at least some idea
of what the app does before installing.
No compelling use-case? No download.
~~~
BronSteeDiam
I would rather install an app, to see what permissions it needs, before
assuming it needs anything. If an app does nothing without me logging in or
giving them my contacts, then it probably does nothing.
There are many good reasons to be a late adopter, safety is one. I don't think
they should optimize their landing page for late adopters.
Judging from the site I thought Plague would be a new take on Reddit. Where
Reddit asks if you like or dislike a Meme (we need a new word). Plague asks if
you want to slow down or speed up its spread. This difference should mean
different content is surfaced.
~~~
imron
No, but they should definitely optimise their landing page for first adopters,
with the number one rule being tell people what your product does.
Late adopters will probably already know about the product before downloading
it. It's the first adopters you need to provide the description for.
------
nilkn
I'm trying it right now on Android and I think the up/down swipe gestures are
too sensitive. I have to be super careful with my finger on the screen to
avoid accidentally swiping a card the wrong way.
Other than that, it's an interesting idea. For those who are unclear on how
this actually works, it presents cards with information on them that others
nearby you have posted (photos, etc.). You can swipe up to "infect" nearby
people (send the card to them) or swipe down to do nothing. Also, I didn't
have to sign up or create an account to start swiping.
------
glesica
Something like this that didn't use the Internet would be cool. Like if it
used some kind of Bluetooth and would "sync" certain topics. Kind of like
Bitcoin meets Usenet but using a mesh network.
~~~
bwian232
so ... street pass on 3DS
~~~
glesica
Woah! That's neat!
------
0x0
It's slightly worrying that looking at a post I made via "my profile" shows a
map with "Infection started here" pinpointed to my exact house, but when I
click "Show post" it shows the same map with the marker offset somewhat. Is
the post tagged with exact geolocation and merely randomly offset by the
client in its "show post" mode? Why else would it should an exact location on
my profile but a distorted location on "show post"?
------
bbcbasic
I have used it for a few days. Here is my account:
==== The mechanics ====
Basically you share cards with short messages, pictures and videos. When you
post a card you infect a few people who are closest to you.
Then those people see it as a card, and decide whether to swipe up to infect
more people close to them, or swipe down to ignore.
If you make something popular and people tend to swipe up 25% or more of the
time, it slowly will spread across the world.
I live in Sydney, so with a faily dense userbase here, the first infections
are in the same city. However if you live somewhere without any users nearby
the infections will go further geographically to find the nearest 4 or so
people.
The more success you have with infecting people, the more your infection index
goes up, and so the more people you infect when you post or swipe up.
In addition there are comments on cards. If you make a comment you get
subscribed to the card and altered on further comments. You can unsubscribe
from a card when this gets annoying.
==== Expect to see ====
► Memes copied from other sites. This leads to popular cards complaining about
this, and saying to not upswipe memes.
► More memes.
► Even more memes.
► Inspirational quotes, mostly cliche but sometimes something new.
► Pet cats, dogs as expected.
► Pretty women, boobs, etc.
► Holiday photos.
► A small amount of politics.
► Screenshot of a plague card, which someone else takes a screenshot of so you
get a recursion. Those are really boring now!
► More Memes.
► Vary rarely inappropriate things - NSFW, porn, hatred etc. The system seems
good at self policing that kind of rubbish.
==== What is it for ====
In my opinion it is for mindless entertainment. The same way you may hang out
on Facebook for an hour because you are bored. This fills a boredom hole and
can get addictive, especially with the gamification of rewards (higher
infection ability) for creating new messages and getting to argue with
strangers about pointless stuff.
For this reason alone I decided to uninstall.
------
pizzashark
This is kind of reinventing the wheel. If I want to hear things from people in
my area, why can't I just walk outside and talk to them instead of using this
app?
~~~
fizzbatter
Such an odd response. How many people are waiting on your doorstep to inform
you of information in your local area?
I don't think this app does information sharing any better than, say, twitter
_(far worse, imo)_ \- but i find your response puzzling.
Since your issue is not of the quality of content (signal/noise), and instead
that of locality.. that you believe you can just walk out of your door and get
the same information this app provides - I ask you, can you? Can you walk out
your door, and receive similar info to that of this app?
The range on the internet far exceeds most peoples doorstep. Mine for sure, at
least.
------
TheHypnotist
So far my plague experience has been random photos of random locations, text
quotes of famous people, and text quotes of users. So basically, a lot like
Instagram. Neat concept, but I'd rather it be pictures of something exciting
down the street that I may pass forward to others in the area and if it's
exciting enough, even further. Not reposts just to gain points for how far
your post reached.
------
rwfilice
You shouldn't have to login to create a new item.
------
Houshalter
I'm confused what it is even after reading the comments. It's some kind of
image sharing thing? Why is this at the top of HN?
------
tjbiddle
Seemed interesting; however I uninstalled after a few minutes of use. I think
the idea certainly has potential - but the people around me just seem to treat
it as a status update or Instagram post.
This would be a great technology to spread important information but I don't
know how you'd filter that without defeating the purpose of "infecting"
people.
------
tomelders
An information dissemination tool created by a company called "Deep Sea
Marketing"? Colour me cynical, but nope.
------
elwell
99 Notifications on the app icon badge; made me uninstall.
Also, would be nice to be able to go back to a post I accidentally swiped.
------
stephenhess
I really like this. Simple mechanic and has that intimate feel that you get
from snapchat but with people nearby. They clearly need some love from a real
designer tho.. that logo / loading thing looks like something you'd stomp to
death if you ever ran into it.
------
Velox
What is the definition of "nearby users" in this context? It seems like
someone can start something in Seattle for example, and then only 1 other
person has seen it, but they are in France?
~~~
dilap
They've been tweaking the algorithm as they go along. Initially it was highly
local centric, now it appears to bias towards nearby but with a lower
probability chance of jumping further away. (Source: Early user, and some
comments from the CEO on Plague cards asking the same question.)
------
darkstar999
I couldn't figure out where the post came from. That should be easy.
------
themoonbus
They do need to make it more clear what the word "information" means in the
context of the app... It's such a broad word.
------
tronium
I highly recommend this. I've been a heavy user for two weeks, and it's been
working fantastic, I don't regret it.
------
ThinkBeat
This has advertising and spam written all over it.
How nice just as you pass Benny Giraffe store:
"Today 50% off healthy biscuits for Giraffes."
------
digitalpacman
This medium only works for localized information. There's no reason to use it
for anything that's not.
------
call
Opened the app and was immediately met with ~10 posts from a local leather
daddy. It was incredibly endearing.
------
ForFreedom
Tried this... You could equate this to Jelly, Foursquare. But seriously there
is not much use of it.
------
bbcbasic
It is a lot of fun. Glad to see some infections already down here in Sydney.
It could get very addictive.
~~~
bbcbasic
Two requests:
1\. Please make the videos not auto-play! Embarrassing at work. 2\. Please
properly set the audio source in Android, so that when I adjust the volume it
isn't the ringer volume but the app volume.
------
cstross
It looks to me like someone just reinvented RFC 977 (or maybe 3977) as an app
...
------
DonaldDerek
Plague Inc. of real data! Cool!
~~~
Artemis2
Hopefully Madagascar can get some news with this!
------
stockkid
I believe there is a game with a similar name and concept: Plague Inc.
------
jackau
Amazing idea!!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Rejected from YC? What's your startup? - derwiki
This isn't meant to be an angry discussion; simply state your idea, and wait for helpful feedback from your HN peers.
======
derwiki
I didn't apply, but because I thought my business wasn't mature enough for
YCombinator. BUT last time I started this thread, I was criticized for not
being as forthright. So! my bootstrapped startup:
www.CameraLends.com, P2P camera rental. We've reached 500 users and nearly 100
transactions to date (and growing and accelerating week-over-week). We did not
apply to YC because all YC alums who gave me advice said that YC is looking
for "10% week-over-week growth" and our numbers are low enough to not be able
to show that consistently.
~~~
ecolner
Nice. I like the design and good product photos. Not sure of the market size.
That would be a good part to focus on if you apply in the future imo.
~~~
derwiki
Thanks for the kind words! Re: market size, BorrowLenses was acquired by
Shutterfly for ~$14m in equity ([http://www.imaging-
resource.com/news/2013/10/25/shutterfly-a...](http://www.imaging-
resource.com/news/2013/10/25/shutterfly-acquires-borrowlens-rental-service)).
The market for pure consumer cameras is shrinking based on industry reports
(~$100m/year and decreasing) but professional cameras aren't bleeding as bad.
And Calumet (a HUGE national rental shop) closed it's doors recently, leaving
a lot of photographers not knowing where to rent from.
~~~
ecolner
Ya, I figure your market is the SMB that needs high end equipment. Very cool.
I know guys that could use this.
But I bet you'd have great funding success if you broadened the concept beyond
just cameras and became Borrow.it or something. I was recently wishing there
was a service that rents espresso machines since I've never used one before
and the ones I want start at $700. Similar theme but another passionate crowd
:)
~~~
derwiki
We're testing the waters for lighting equipment (which is as expensive as
cameras) and high-end video, like the RED ONE and Epic-M. It's funny that you
suggest becoming more generic -- that was specifically why we began focused on
camera gear. There are existing "P2P rent anything" sites like Zilok,
Snapgoods, and the now defunct Rentalic. The main problem is that most items
aren't expensive enough to be worth the hassle. The frustration that lead to
CameraLends was my girlfriend complaining that renting a sewing machine for a
few days would require $100 and renting a car to drive across town to pick up,
whereas buying a brand new one on Amazon was only $150.
~~~
ecolner
Ah snap! That's good stuff right there. What else can we think of renting? P2P
game rentals?
~~~
sharemywin
nothing in it really for the renter. you would need a decent size collection.
how are you going to large advantage enough over these guys to make it worth
while: gamefly, redbox, gamestop
------
samelawrence
We had ambitious, though perhaps misguided plans to revolutionize recipe
publishing across the web (and also didn't have the idea for long before
applying). Since applying, and talking a few other folks, we've realized that
what we really want to do is pick up the torch of the early work on RecipeML
and make an open format for the web to encode recipe data in. Ideally, we'd
like to see companies like Epicurious and Allrecipes.com use this format and
compete on features rather than data. We believe all recipes should be open
and public to the web, allowing anyone to cook anything, anywhere.
So, we're still on the task, but maybe this is about creating a consortium to
manage an open format / standard, rather than a company... though I certainly
think profitable companies could come from this.
You can view our submission here:
[https://www.dropbox.com/s/n99prz9wkxjb223/s2014form.htm](https://www.dropbox.com/s/n99prz9wkxjb223/s2014form.htm)
Just open in a browser (or text editor, if you really feel like it).
~~~
juu4
What's in it for Epicurious and Allrecipes, considering they currently own the
data and competing just on features probably means they lose market power?
~~~
samelawrence
Well, one of them would have to race to have market dominance, but imagine
being the publisher / host for every recipe on the web. You could really only
achieve that by opening in your platform / format to 3rd party devs and other
services, to allow other tie-ins.
So... Instagram didn't invent JPEG... they just made it really simple and easy
for everyone to share images, and the 3rd party services that have sprung up
around it have strengthened their ecosystem. That's a bad example... but...
you get what I'm saying I hope.
------
s3f0
Hi guys we have built a search engine for local apps, 98% of the apps in the
stores has less than 50.000 downloads, that is not a healthy ecosystem. For us
each application has a place and each location is a store. Is no the first
time we got rejected ;) Apple did not allow to publish our search engine back
in July and later on they publish "Popular" Near me. We will keep fightint for
a fair store and organic positioning for every indie dev. Hope you like what
we are trying to do.
[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.mapplas.co...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.mapplas.com)
www.mapplas.com
~~~
Lionga
I just want to warn you, google will also remove your app once they notice it.
Apple & Google do not want anyone competing with their stores.
~~~
jamesfranco
What are you talking about? Quixey.com is an app that let users discover apps
and hasn't been removed from the android app store. Plus it has raised
millions from Eric Schmidt's fund, Innovation Endeavors.
~~~
s3f0
And xyo.net has an app aswell, google is not apple.
------
vgrichina
My startup is visual programming system ala Spreadsheets + Zapier, here is my
YC application – [http://spreadsheets-on-
steroids.tumblr.com/post/82903500034/...](http://spreadsheets-on-
steroids.tumblr.com/post/82903500034/my-failed-application-to-yc-summer-2014)
Would like some feedback on my application.
------
wmaiouiru
Applied, but didn't get invited for an interview.
We are creating a door to door travel itinerary search engine.
(www.travelmacho.com) Currently, most of the travel website only provides you
with one leg of the travel such as flights, but there is still the problem of
figuring out how to get to the airport. So what the users typically do is open
up multiple windows to plan their travels.
We would like to create a platform that aggregates all modes of transportation
(bus, train, flight, airport shuttle, taxi etc) into one search engine. The
users will be able to find the best way to travel in one website.
Let us know what you think!
[http://www.travelmacho.com](http://www.travelmacho.com)
------
omnisci
Hi all, 4th attempt w/ recommendations from YC founders and no interview this
time. I think I know why (single founder, little traction).
My company, Stirplate.io, is an app for scientists to store, share and analyze
their data in the cloud.
Science needs help managing it's data, so my company helps with that process.
We also automate data analysis for scientists, making hours of excel work take
about 15seconds.
------
m0dE
[http://www.innGrid.net](http://www.innGrid.net) 4 months old. 100 sign-ups.
10 paying customers.
~~~
dgarrett
Fyi, the smooth scrolling JS you use on your homepage is very awkward with a
Macbook trackpad (in Chrome). It kind of accelerates erratically.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Researchers use Rowhammer bit flips to steal 2048-bit crypto key - walterbell
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/06/researchers-use-rowhammer-bitflips-to-steal-2048-bit-crypto-key/
======
snazz
Discussed previously:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20157291](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20157291)
------
walterbell
> _" TRR makes it more difficult to find bit flips," Kwong, the University of
> Michigan researcher, wrote in an email. "Not all DDR4 has TRR enabled, and
> implementations vary substantially by vendor, so it is difficult to pinpoint
> exactly how much safer TRR is against Rowhammer. TRR's susceptibility to
> RAMBleed is an open research question."_
Samsung added TRR (Target Row Refresh) to their memory, see slide 15 of this
2014 presentation,
[http://aod.teletogether.com/sec/20140519/SAMSUNG_Investors_F...](http://aod.teletogether.com/sec/20140519/SAMSUNG_Investors_Forum_2014_session_1.pdf).
From [https://arstechnica.com/information-
technology/2016/03/once-...](https://arstechnica.com/information-
technology/2016/03/once-thought-safe-ddr4-memory-shown-to-be-vulnerable-to-
rowhammer/)
> _Third I /O employees tested 12 varieties of DDR4 chips, and it didn't take
> long for eight of them to succumb to bitflipping. The first DIMM to fall was
> Crucial Ballistix Sport model manufactured by Micron. Ultimately, the
> researchers also carried out successful Rowhammer attacks against other
> Crucial- and Micron-branded DDR4 modules, as well as DIMMs from Geil.
> Interestingly, DIMMs from G.Skill were able to withstand the tests._
From the linked 2016 paper,
[http://www.thirdio.com/rowhammer.pdf](http://www.thirdio.com/rowhammer.pdf)
> _Of the twelve memory modules we tested, eight showed bit flips during our
> 4-hour experiment. And of these eight failures, every memory module that
> failed at default settings was on DDR4 silicon manufactured by Micron. The
> Geil branded modules contained SK Hynix and the G.Skill modules contained
> Samsung silicon._
------
dave7
I was curious if there is any indication of vulnerability between Rowhammer
attacks and running Memtest86, a procedure I've been doing on new builds for
many years, and it's a program that IIRC tests for all sorts of RAM issues
(usually just being plain faulty) by looking for bit flips.
Turns out they do test for Rowhammer vulnerability, though I am not expert
enough to know how thorough this may be:
> Test 13 - Hammer Test:
> Starting from MemTest86 v6.2, potentially two passes of row hammer testing
> are performed. On the first pass, address pairs are hammered at the highest
> possible rate. If errors are detected on the first pass, errors are not
> immediately reported and a second pass is started. In this pass, address
> pairs are hammered at a lower rate deemed as the worst case scenario by
> memory vendors (200K accesses per 64ms). If errors are also detected in this
> pass, the errors are reported to the user as normal. However, if only the
> first pass produces an error, a warning message is instead displayed to the
> user.
[https://www.memtest86.com/technical.htm](https://www.memtest86.com/technical.htm)
~~~
iforgotpassword
Ugh, I just realized memtest86 is now closed source proprietary software.
While the old open source variant is still for download and memtest86+ exists
it doesn't seem to be active anymore.
~~~
striking
Does it need to be active? Have there been significant advancements in the
realm of RAM testing?
~~~
loeg
The open memtest86+ doesn't boot from EFI, which is a significant drawback.
~~~
iforgotpassword
Right, it took me a while to figure that out half a year ago. Didn't realize
bios was set to efi only and memtest wouldn't boot from USB. I wonder if that
would require a major rewrite or if it's mostly just writing new bootstrap
code. Since it's 32 bit code with PAE it's doing funky things like relocating
itself at runtime to access more than 4 GB of ram.
------
vasili111
The hardware vulnerabilities of recent years make me believe that we live in
most cyber vulnerable era when any information that is in digital format
should be considered as not secured.
~~~
jdsully
The hardware was always pretty vulnerable (especially to rogue DMA devices).
If anything the exotic nature of these attacks shows we are through the low
hanging fruit.
There was never a time the hardware was secure though. That was always just
wishful thinking. People were wirelessly reading data on CRTs back in the 90s.
TEMPEST research is many decades ahead and the private sector is just waking
up to side channel attacks.
------
canada_dry
> our techniques only require the attacker to allocate and deallocate memory
> and to measure instruction timings
Would a device like the XB1 or PS4 be susceptible to one of these cross
channel attacks?
~~~
DSingularity
Most likely. The degree of the vulnerability is the question.
~~~
abrawill
GDDR4 is also affected?
~~~
NikkiA
"GDDR4 is based on DDR3 SDRAM technology"
The only real difference, afaict, is the speed is achieved with higher
bitwidths (512bit vs 64bit) than regular SDRAM, so it is very likely to suffer
the same vulnerabilities.
------
ga-vu
Duplicate, but without the press hype:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20157291](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20157291)
------
DigitalTerminal
I'm curious if this works when the RSA key is spread across multiple DDR
sticks. I have 4 sticks of 8GB each in my home desktop. Would the key be
contained in just one? Spread among multiple sticks? If it is spread, would it
completely foil the attack, or just make it take longer?
~~~
k_sze
Actually, it might make the attack faster, especially if the spread is across
multiple memory channels or controllers?
------
achingtooth
I wonder if this affects my machine (x200) since it's from 2008 and according
to this site rowhammer affects DRAM modules manufactured from 2010 to preset.
[https://brica.de/alerts/alert/public/1238748/rowhammer-
the-e...](https://brica.de/alerts/alert/public/1238748/rowhammer-the-
evolution-of-a-new-generation-of-attacks/)
~~~
anticensor
Did you mean prese _n_ t?
~~~
_eht
There are two kinds of people; Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data
------
DenisM
Microsoft's Midori skunkworks OS had eschewed hardware memory controls and
instead relied on bytecode verification ensure cross-process safety.
I wonder if that could fix the problem?
------
iforgotpassword
I'm curious if lowering memory clock speed, timings and/or raising voltage
would effectively render these kinds of attack invalid.
------
ashleyn
Didn't manufacturers just throw their hands up at rowhammer?
~~~
DSingularity
Yeah. They punted. Put the problem in the spec and make it someone else’s
problem.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Apple is always right. - pizzaman
H.264 vs WebM<p>H.264 pros:
- technically more advanced
- more widely used and embedded<p>WebM pros:
- somewhat "freer/opener/non-proprietaryier/no licensing fees"<p>Flash vs HTML5<p>Flash pros:
- technically more advanced
- more widely used and embedded<p>HTML5 pros:
- somewhat "freer/opener/non-proprietaryier"<p>On some level it's kinda paradox, if someone wants Flash to be replaced by HTML5 and H.264 to become the new web-video standard (if they use the above arguments for their opinion), no?
======
felixmar
It's about control. Like most companies Apple prefers not to be dependent on
unilateral decisions made by other companies. Even though WebM is free it is
controlled by Google. WebM has only one implementation and Google sets the
direction of the project. H.264 is the result of cooperation of many companies
and has multiple independent implementations. For a huge company like Apple
the license fees of H.264 are not important.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
An overview of the top web hacking techniques of 2017 - albinowax_
https://portswigger.net/blog/top-10-web-hacking-techniques-of-2017
======
albinowax_
I know this is a teensy bit on the late side - this is our first year after
taking it over from WhiteHat. Anyway hopefully it's a valuable introduction to
some new threats that everyone doing stuff related to websites should be aware
of.
~~~
CiPHPerCoder
Some of these are vulnerabilities, some of these are techniques, some of these
are general security topics.
The list doesn't really match up with the title.
The content, however, is worth sharing.
~~~
albinowax_
Good to hear you like the content. Regarding the title, yeah it's a tricky one
to name. Ultimately the top few are new techniques illustrated using
vulnerabilities, and all the entries are evaluated through the lens of whether
the underlying technique can be adapted and applied to other systems.
Admittedly, Cloudbleed is a bit of a weird one. But I like it for that.
------
arayh
The blog version of regilero's HTTP smuggling is a really good read.
[http://regilero.github.io/security/english/2015/10/04/http_s...](http://regilero.github.io/security/english/2015/10/04/http_smuggling_in_2015_part_one/)
------
idoubtit
I've read the first of the list (#10), and I'm skeptical this "top web
technique" has ever been used in the wild.
The blog post starts with a few obvious errors. OPcache is parts of PHP since
[PHP
5.5]([http://php.net/manual/en/opcache.installation.php](http://php.net/manual/en/opcache.installation.php)),
not PHP7. And "PHP7 by Rasmus Lerdof" is almost a joke: he was certainly not a
top contributor to this iteration. These errors are not important _per se_,
but they point to an overall lack of quality, and suggest no one reviewed
before publication.
The article is not very clear about the vectors one needs to attack. Here is
the list:
1\. A non-standard configuration that enables file cache in OPcache. Very
improbable.
2\. An access to the result of phpinfo() which gives many sensible details
about the PHP instance.
3\. A security breach allowing the attacker to upload files into the cache
path without restriction on the file name.
4\. The URL to a PHP file that received no HTTP query since the PHP server
started. The alternative is a configuration that disables in-memory caching in
OPcache, but that would be far too contrived.
When the server has all these vulnerabilities but uses write-protected PHP
files, then you can hack OPcache for remote code execution.
~~~
albinowax_
If you want to write off the entire post by looking at a single entry, I can
see why you'd pick #10 which is the lowest ranked one.
It's clearly not as widespread as Tickettrick or as proven as Advanced Flash
Vulnerabilities, which is why it's ranked lower. But it's a neat trick which I
suspect is likely to be applicable to similar technologies in the future.
------
CryoLogic
Much of the scariest XSS (aka, most difficult to prevent) comes from the DOM
these days.
Edge, FF and Chrome don't follow the spec as well as they should, and the
result is a lot of minor browser incompatibilities that are very hard to
detect and fix.
Each browser is making modifications to the DOM spec, many of whom make
introducing XSS and XSRF into a web app very easy.
Deep DOM and JS knowledge is a must have for pen testers these days.
~~~
yathern
What's an example of a modification to DOM spec that introduces
vulnerabilities? I'm not sure I'm familiar with any.
~~~
CryoLogic
in MS Edge
document.cookie = 'secret=123'; const parser = new DOMParser(); const html =
parser.parseFromString('', 'text/html'); console.log(html.cookie);
prints secret=123 because of an improperly implemented inheritance model.
other browsers do NOT inherit cookies from main document as a result of
following the spec closer
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Parsers or pipes? How do you reliably parse input? - mrspeaker
http://www.mrspeaker.net/2011/06/29/parsing-input/
======
mrspeaker
Dammit - this was supposed to be a ASK HN. I either accidentally deleted the
text before submit, or it gets stripped when there's a link. Either way, I am
Asking HN!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The Case Against Apple - jasonlbaptiste
http://calacanis.com/2009/08/08/the-case-against-apple-in-five-parts/
======
codyrobbins
In my opinion this is another in the recent series of overblown invectives
along the lines of, 'I'm a consumer, therefore a company that produces
consumer products must suck my dick.' I'm so sick of hearing this.
I don't buy Apple products because it's the cool thing to do, or because
Microsoft is a monopoly, or because I think Steve Jobs is a nice guy. If
nobody else liked Apple products, or Microsoft wasn't a monopoly, or I thought
Steve Jobs wasn't a nice guy, I'd still buy Apple products. I base my purchase
decisions on the products, not based on moral judgments of the people who
create them.
If Apple wants to censor apps in the App Store, that's their prerogative. If
they want to be non-transparent and inconsistent in how they approve apps,
more power to them. I would want, expect, and demand the exact same power over
the products I create. The products do not belong to the community, and Apple
doesn't have any responsibility to the people who buy them. They don't have to
be more open or less controlling or promote more consumer choice, or give away
their products affordably. If you want the products, buy them and use them; if
you don't, then don't.
Apple is a smart company run by smart people. Apple's mission is to make
products and make money off them. Just because Jason Calacanis thinks they're
making bad business decisions doesn't mean they are. My bet is that they know
what they're doing. Last time I checked, Apple was a billion-dollar company
and Jason Calacanis wrote Mahalo — you do the math.
And let me make one more specific point. Jason brings up the Japanese MP3
players that you can find in Akihabara. I've been to Akihabara too, and,
frankly, it's filled with tons of incredibly cheap, tacky, and poorly made
electronic crap. iPod's probably don't have dual headphone jacks, TV and radio
tuners, and audio recorders because they aren't crappy products marketed
solely on the number of poorly-implemented features that can be crammed in to
them.
I could go on and on here about everything that's wrong with what Jason says,
but taking the time to write even this much is making me feel less productive
today than I should be.
EDIT: Wow, what's with the downvoting? This is my thoughtful and honest
comment on the topic of the original post. Haha, I guess people don't like my
colorful similes?
~~~
stanleydrew
_If Apple wants to censor apps in the App Store, that's their prerogative._
Then why is it not OK for Microsoft to try to force you to use a particular
web-browser by pre-installing it with Windows and making it difficult to
install others?
~~~
aditya
Because Windows is a monopoly in the operating system space and they abused
that monopoly, you couldn't just switch operating systems on a PC because
there was no good alternative.
Apple is far from being a monopoly in the phone space (even in the much
smaller smartphone space where RIMM rules) _yet_ and you can easily switch
phones and do whatever you want.
~~~
stanleydrew
You make a good point, and I won't argue over the definition of a monopoly. I
will only suggest that it's a little weird to say that censorship and
suppression of competitors is a prerogative of a company when it's not a
monopoly, but then once that monopoly line is crossed it's not ok anymore. How
do you know when that line has been crossed? And if you cross back the other
way, are you allowed to restart with anti-competitive practices again?
~~~
mikedouglas
_I will only suggest that it's a little weird to say that censorship and
suppression of competitors is a prerogative of a company when it's not a
monopoly, but then once that monopoly line is crossed it's not ok anymore._
IANAL, but this was how post-Bork antitrust law was described to me.
When a small company engages in lock-in/anti-competitive practices, you can't
really make the argument that consumers are being hurt, because if that were
true, they would just buy the competitor's product. The iPhone, for instance,
exists in a smartphone market with multiple players (Blackberry, HTC, Palm,
etc), and if consumers decide that Apple has gone too far, they'll simply buy
a different phone next time. But if a company had a monopoly (which MSFT had
in operating systems during the late 90s), there are no real options for
consumers. The company could partake in anti-consumer activities without fear
of market retribution. In those cases, the courts usually intervene to ensure
consumer protection.
~~~
tjogin
Well, if you reject the iPhone (I haven't) and buy a Palm Pre, you are _still_
affected by Apple's anti-competitive iTunes dance.
I'm a huge Apple fan, and I'm extremely sorry to see them turning out to act
more like douchebags each day.
~~~
GHFigs
_you are still affected by Apple's anti-competitive iTunes dance._
Nonsense. Apple does nothing to prevent the Palm Pre from syncing with an
iTunes library. They only prevent the Palm Pre from _using iTunes_ to do so.
~~~
tjogin
I still think that's anti-competitive douchebaggery. iTunes has become the
standard platform for organizing music, thanks to the success of the iPod. I
think it has elevated to a position where Apple should have to tread carefully
in anti-competitive waters.
~~~
lukifer
All the information in your iTunes library, including playlists and such, is
stored in an open XML file in your home directory. While I think it's a
mistake for Apple to play cat-and-mouse with Palm over this, it's not as if
Palm couldn't write their own syncing background app that does the exact same
thing.
------
simonsarris
I apologize for not being entirely on-topic, but I don't understand why people
have the perception that "Steve's a great guy," as the article says.
He always seemed like a jerk compared to Bill Gates.*
More or less I agree with Wired commentary's assessment:
[http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/commentary/cultofmac/2006/0...](http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/commentary/cultofmac/2006/01/70072)
* And who else could we compare him to? (Thats not rhetorical, I'd enjoy some replies on the subject. Perhaps Woz?)
~~~
spitfire
The difference between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs is Steve Jobs isn't actively
trying to HURT others through illegal and unethical business practices. Gates'
company has been found guilty of this a number of times.
Steve just makes his products and if someone wants to play in his sandbox they
play by his rules. He may be a dick to work with, but he isn't actively
hurting others.
And no, I wouldn't say making some donations - no matter the amount, makes up
for past actions.
~~~
stanleydrew
This is kind of absurd in its lack of even-handedness. I'm no expert on the
history of these two men and the histories of their companies, but to say that
Gates and MS have actively tried to hurt others whereas Jobs and Apple haven't
would appear to reveal a serious pro-Apple bias.
First, lack of a conviction for anti-competitive behavior doesn't imply that
Apple's not actively trying to hurt competitors or consumers. It just means
they haven't done anything bad enough to warrant the government getting
involved yet. But more than that, I'm not sure we should even care about
convictions. I think every major company tries to create an environment in
which they have the best chance of success. A lot of times they do things that
are anti-competitive and harm consumers in order to create that environment.
And a lot of times those things slip under the radar. I think this article
does a great job of describing some of what Apple has been doing in that
regard with iTunes and the App Store. And to pretend that Apple's recent
actions haven't actively hurt other companies and even its own customers is
ridiculous.
Finally, the statement that "Steve just makes his products and if someone
wants to play in his sandbox they play by his rules" could just as well be
applied to Gates. But if I were to make such a statement most people Apple
fans would flip out. So Steve "just makes" this personal music management
software that everyone loves which is great, and then says oh wait, if you
want to use it to sync with a portable music device you can only do it with
our product. Way back Gates "just made" this operating system that everyone
loved which was great, and then said oh wait, if you want to surf the web
you'll have to do it with our product (that wasn't even the restriction, which
is yet another absurdity of this comparison). Somehow otherwise intelligent
people magically dismiss the former as Jobs just exerting his right to dictate
the terms on which you can use his products, while considering the latter
massively anti-competitive behavior. Someone please explain what's going on.
~~~
philwelch
_So Steve "just makes" this personal music management software that everyone
loves which is great, and then says oh wait, if you want to use it to sync
with a portable music device you can only do it with our product._
They're different parts of the same integrated system. How many people
download iTunes just to use it with their iPod or iPhone? If you'd rather have
an open system that allows interoperability between tons of different devices
made by tons of different companies, Apple's not for you.
* Somehow otherwise intelligent people magically dismiss the former as Jobs just exerting his right to dictate the terms on which you can use his products, while considering the latter massively anti-competitive behavior.*
The rules change when you have 95+% market share. But even then, the
government really did nothing about IE integration, and the world didn't end.
It turns out integrating IE in Windows 98 wasn't the death knell to
competition in the browser market we thought it was.
Hmm, isn't WebKit integrated into Mac OS X so it can be used as a system-wide
HTML rendering engine?
------
easyfrag
So what are we, us early-adopting power users, saying here? That Apple has
suddenly morphed into an entity that ignores our demands?
Please! I switched over to the Mac platform about 4 years ago but I knew what
I was getting. I was buying a product from a company that for years shipped a
one-button mouse, that killed off its clone line to control the hardware, and
that deprecates its platforms so it could advance in the directions it wanted
without the baggage of legacy support.
I knew iTunes would only synch with iPods, for me that was part of the cost of
switching. Yes I think Apple should get on with it but I don't expect they
will and I can see their point. Apple is fanatical about controlling the user
experience, it knows how iTunes will work its hardware but cannot know about
hundreds of Taiwanese models. Can the white box mp3 player phone play video?
Yes? Great. Can it decode h.264? Pictures? Great. Does it understand "Synch
most recent (iPhoto) Events?" What does it expect for Calendars? Contacts?
Notes?
Jason is forgetting that the reason he moved to OS X is that he was sick of
the "incompatibilities and other assorted quirks of Microsoft’s wildly open
ecosystem." You joined the wrong church my friend.
------
ROFISH
So in summary: iTunes doesn't allow open devices, AT&T and Apple's single-
provider agreement is bad, App Store approval sucks, App Store approval sucks,
App Store approval sucks.
As much as I want the above fixed, I'm really, really tired of seeing the same
tired, old problems listed on HN without a proper solution that doesn't
involve the words "boycott" or "jailbreak". (And if there isn't such a
solution, I could do with a lot less whining.)
~~~
scythe
>without a proper solution that doesn't involve the words "boycott" or
"jailbreak"
Why not buy a different phone, perhaps one that does what you want?
~~~
ROFISH
Actually, I like the iPhone as is. While I think openness and freedom is nice
and will further advance all platforms, Apple's stance on the App Store (and
other misgivings) doesn't personally offend me so much that I would give it
up; it still is the better phone, _for my personal needs_.
You, the reader, could have other needs. That's awesome. That's why, I guess,
I'm tired of the outrage. It's a tool, not a definition of my life.
------
absconditus
What exactly is Apple doing to stop anyone from creating an MP3 player, store
and desktop software? Why are other companies entitled to access iTunes? Is it
Apple's fault that the Zune isn't more successful?
I find the attitude displayed in this article to be disgusting. There are many
things that I'd like to see changed. I have no right to demand that private
companies do what I want. I do have the option of not buying their products.
In addition, the average person that uses Apple's products simply doesn't give
a shit about any of this. The numerous non-geeks I know that own Apple
products never mention any of these issues.
~~~
mrshoe
I don't necessarily disagree with you, but here is why other companies are
entitled to access iTunes:
Think back to the Windows and IE antitrust legal battles. iTunes is similar to
the Windows monopoly. It's the biggest platform for buying music online.
According to antitrust laws, it is illegal for Apple to leverage that monopoly
against competitors.
That said, Apple made a big investment into the whole iTunes infrastructure
and has put a ton of work into negotiating with record labels to get all that
music in the store. They did all that for basically no direct reward; they
make almost no money off iTunes. They did it to support their iPod business.
It seems a little unfair for other MP3 player manufacturers to expect all the
benefits of using that infrastructure without the investment. The $1-$5 per
device that the article suggests is not nearly enough. Apple makes hundreds of
dollars off each device they sell which use the iTunes music store.
~~~
jsz0
There's a lot of confusion about how US anti-trust law works. Leveraging a
monopoly, or being a monopoly, is not illegal. The legality part is how you
choose to leverage it.
It would be illegal if Apple bought Creative and ceased production of
Creative's MP3 players
It would be illegal if Apple refused to reach an agreement with a record label
to sell music via iTunes because the record label also sold music on a
competing service.
It would be illegal for Apple to code iTunes to look for its competitors
software and uninstall them.
It would be illegal if Apple reached a deal with Microsoft and Creative to not
price any MP3 player under $100.
From a legal standpoint the illegal behavior has to be provable. What really
got Microsoft in trouble was the assortment of documents & memos outlining
their anti-competitive strategies more so than the acts themselves.
------
icefox
First he lists that he has "collected" Seven iPods, four Mac laptops, two
iMacs and three iPhones.... and then he complains about how much he has spent
on it, but it never seemed to have occurred to him that:
A) If he still has four laptops they must still be good and usable and if that
is the case why did he buy the new one?
B) Apple hardware has some of the best resale value out there, why has he not
bothered to even _try_ to sell off any of the hardware? He could easily recoup
half of his money or more. (Unless he is one of those idiots who list their
two year old macbook for the same price they paid thinking they will get full
retail price from 2007 for a used two year old used laptop)
------
suvike
Despite the laughability of some parts of the article I think Calacanis nearly
hits on something interesting with regard to Apple, Microsoft, antitrust, and
the difference between a computer and a mobile phone.
As the iPhone becomes closer and closer to a full-blown 'computer', at what
point do the EU authorities, who sanctioned Microsoft for simply _including_ a
browser with its OS, go after Apple for not allowing _any_ browser other than
Apple's own? When does the degree of separation become too small to be
considered relevant? I'd be surprised if there wasn't an antitrust inquiry
into Apple's practices with Mobile Safari in the next couple years if things
don't change.
Furthermore, what will users come to expect when the hardware of their phone
is functionally indistinguishable from their laptop besides the fact that they
can put it in their pocket? Will the software restrictions so readily accepted
for mobile devices be accepted on PCs? Of course, the PC and mobile phone
industries have evolved from completely different places, but I think there
will be a point where users will come to expect the same from their home and
mobile computers. Where will the expectation line be drawn?
~~~
jacquesm
I don't think the 'simple inclusion' of a browser was what got microsoft to be
shot down in the EU. The main reason was their efforts to suppress competing
browsers, by software measures in their OS and by backroom dealmaking.
Those were aggravating factors and fairly big ones.
And really, all things considered, giving the users a choice is not such a big
penalty. Then there is the fine of course, but I think the height of it was to
some extent due to microsofts game playing with the EU courts.
~~~
stanleydrew
Wouldn't completely preventing an alternative browser from being installed
qualify as an effort to suppress competing browsers by software measures?
And if giving the users a choice is not such a big penalty, why does Apple
care so much about explicitly NOT giving users a choice?
~~~
jacquesm
1) yes
2) because they're jerks too.
They're just smaller jerks. When you're a de-facto monopoly the rules change,
drastically in some cases.
~~~
stanleydrew
Very true. My only real point is that we should be allowed to demand that both
companies not be jerks, and I think we let ourselves down by not expecting it.
------
ojbyrne
I couldn't get past the first paragraph (If you wish to reprint this...).
Still laughing.
~~~
planck
Laugh if you want, but his stuff has been reprinted in Business
Week/Techcrunch/Valleywag before.
~~~
ojbyrne
And? Those aren't really quality publications with high standards, as far as
I'm concerned. Though if I had to pick one, I'd choose valleywag.
------
jsz0
"Think for a moment about what your reaction would be if Microsoft made the
Zune the only MP3 player compatible with Windows"
iTunes isn't, and has never been, a platform open to third parties. It's a
software accessory to the iPod hardware. This may have been a valid argument
when DRM was still prevalent on iTunes but these days that is not a factor
locking people into iTunes. The iTunes database format is basically just XML.
Easily accessible by other applications that want to make the migration to an
iTunes alternative easier or an application that simply wants to build off the
iTunes database. This is exactly how the BlackBerry media syncing software
works.
On a broader note I would say anyone who does have a major problem with the 5
issues cited in this article should definitely look for another platform
instead of constantly whining about it. It's not like it's all that hard to
do. With a few small exceptions it probably takes a couple hours to fully
migrate to non-Apple products & services. I guess that's why these Apple
whines annoy me. It's very easy to switch if it really bothers you. I feel
like the authors of these articles are making a big deal out of something that
almost no one really cares about. The media loves the build-em-up, cut-em-down
cycle and this seems like another example of it. It's good for page views, no
doubt. When I see a real number of people switching to alternative platforms
I'll believe it's really an important issue.
FYI Microsoft does not offer Zune software for OSX or Linux.
~~~
plinkplonk
"I would say anyone who does have a major problem with the 5 issues cited in
this article should definitely look for another platform instead of constantly
whining about it"
And hopefully the people who _don't_ have a problem with the 5 issues cited in
the article would stop whining about the people who whine about them ;-)
------
RyanMcGreal
_I’m starting to look past [Apple] and back to Microsoft_
It seems to me like he's missing a third option.
------
richcollins
> Apple is now the anti-competitive monster that Jobs rallied us against in
> the infamous 1984 commercial. Steve Jobs is the oppressive man on the
> jumbotron and the Olympian carrying the hammer is the open-source movement
The OS X kernel (Darwin) is open source as are 200+ other apps that ship with
OS X: <http://www.apple.com/opensource/>
------
jasonmcalacanis
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I've got to run out to dinner but I'll look
forward to joining the discussion later tonight/tomorrow. You guys always have
some of the most interesting feedback.
------
hyperbovine
I enjoyed reading how Apple is "Destroying MP3 player innovation" in paragraph
one, only to discover that "Apple’s iPhone is a revolutionary product" in
paragraph two.
Tuned out around there.
------
brandon272
Brilliant article. Microsoft would be crucified if it engaged in the same
stuff that Apple does.
------
st3fan
His first point about iTunes is not very strong. Unlike the iPhone, the Mac is
an open platform and you have choices. There might not be a _lot_ of
alternatives to iTunes, but is that really Apple's fault?
If you, as an end-user, don't like iTunes then just use something else. Like
for example Songbird, which also actually does sync with non-Apple MP3
players.
If you are a hardware vendor then why not invest some time and money in either
supporting Songbird or create your own player and sync app.
iTunes really is not _that_ brilliant. Maybe some guys in a garage should see
this as an opportunity to build some great software that works with 'the other
players'.
~~~
jacquesm
The biggest stumbling block around a 'garage' implementation of iTunes + store
is that the labels are not going to make a deal with anybody that is not
sufficiently large.
~~~
st3fan
Why do you need deals to sync music to a device? Feel free to shop at Amazon
for music, or rip your CDs, or use music that you've bought on the iTMS.
It is not about a music store, it is about the freedom to sync your music with
any device. Which is a much simpler problem.
~~~
jacquesm
The music store is a very large part of iTunes for lots of users. Without it
you are giving only a partial experience, with it you are effectively
advertising the rest of iTunes as well and so undercutting your own offering.
------
mryall
I'm not sure I understand his argument. Competition in the MP3 player and
smart phone industries has only increased since the entry of Apple into these
markets.
The MP3 player is now the must-have accessory of every kid. I'm certain the
sales of Sony, Samsung, and the other makers of MP3 players have risen
enormously since the iPod soared to fame. Sure, the iPod is the market leader,
but the market _wasn't there before the iPod_. By creating a market for the
players and -- more importantly -- for legal downloads of music from the
internet, Apple started a new era in music distribution. The fact that no
other company has managed to carve a substantial market share in this industry
is much more due to their incompetence than any anti-competitive behaviour by
Apple.
Similarly, the launch of the iPhone has spurred on innovation and competition
across the entire spectrum of smart phones. RIM, Palm and Nokia are innovating
and lowering their prices to compete. Apple's exclusive deal with AT&T in the
US has proved a boon to the other hardware companies because they can
negotiate amongst the other carriers to create a good package for consumers
with a good margin for them too.
While Apple's actions on the App Store review process are deplorable, their
actions in the music and mobile phone industry are just innovative and
fiercely competitive -- not anti-competitive.
------
kevbin
Stopped reading at "Sure, everything on the Mac platform costs twice as much…"
------
nir
The Apple/Microsoft comparison ignores the fact that MS has a huge market
share which, until the recent switch in user focus from desktop to web apps,
had few viable alternatives.
This is far from the case with Apple. Avoiding Windows ca. 1999 required
serious commitment and basically giving up on Office type applications.
Avoiding Apple today requires saving yourself $x by not buying its products.
Notice the difference?
And if you miss certain Apple-only software/features - I would - since this is
_Hacker_ News we could discuss alternative implementations. Leave the "I'm a
web celeb and I'm gonna quit my iPhone!" to the hypeosphere.
------
brown9-2
It must feel weird to work at Apple and see Jobs given credit for every single
product and decision made. A company with thousands of employees can't have
one guy making _all_ the important decisions or ideas.
~~~
nudded
Do you work at Apple? Do you know how decisions are made instead Apple HQ?
~~~
brown9-2
No, but common sense dictates that it takes more time to make all of the
decisions required to run a multibillion company with thousands of employees
than a single person has.
------
mylifeforaiur
Executive Summary: Steve Jobs is on the cusp of devolving from the visionary
radical we all love to a sad, old hypocrite and control freak–a sellout of
epic proportions.
------
krishna2
Microsoft is becoming IBM. Google/Apple are trying to take Microsoft's spot.
Twitter/Facebook/Whatever is trying to become Google.... Nah..this is never
going to end.
------
cakesy
This is a load of waffle, didn't get past the first two points becuase they
are rubbish.
Firstly, he compares itunes to Microsoft windows, and is upset that Microsoft
makes windows compatible will mp3 players, why doesn't apple make itunes like
that? Windows is a fucking OS, Mac os has no problem with all mp3 players.
itunes is what APple uses to sync with the ipod, it is not up to them to write
software for other players. And there are plenty of players that use the
itunes library.
Second point, iPhone is free to use on all 5 carriers in Australia, this is
not just Apples decision, but up to the carriers in US, the same carriers who
didn't want to work with Apple, except for AT&T.
There are a lot of reasons to dislike Apple, there aren't 2 of them.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
'PC Building Simulator' Is More Fun Than Building a Real Computer - danso
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/wj7jqb/pc-building-simulator-review
======
Symbiote
> They don't tell you that closing the CPU guard feels like you're breaking
> hundreds of dollars worth of equipment 100 percent of the time.
I had a brief summer job as a 17 year old, assembling computers. Even after
over 100, I still had that feeling of imminent destruction of expensive
electronics.
~~~
news_to_me
When I built my PC, I learned about this beforehand, so when I heard the
"crunch" I wasn't worried. Until the thing wouldn't boot.
I took the CPU out, and sure enough, I'd bent a few of the pins in one corner.
_Fuck._ I then spent the next couple of hours with a tiny magnifying glass and
tweezers, painstakingly trying to bend the pins to where it would boot again.
20 min of bending, stick the CPU back in, try to boot... nothing. Several
times.
Finally it booted, miraculously. I'm never taking that CPU out again.
~~~
LeoPanthera
I recently built a Skylake PC and the CPU doesn't have any pins on it - just
pads. The motherboard has springy contacts that the CPU rests against.
You still have to clamp it down _worryingly_ hard, but it doesn't go _crunch_
anymore, and I think it's probably quite hard to damage the contacts.
~~~
jasonkostempski
Now when you hear _crunch_ , it's coming from the flexing motherboard that's
mounted on just 2 raised screw holes.
~~~
penguinUzer
Pro tip: Assemble the cpu/heatsink/ram/nve on the table surface then put the
whole thing in the case. No flexing :)
~~~
jowsie
This has been my method for a while, but the last 2 PC's I've build have had
fan/power connectors in places that I simply can't get my hand too once the
board is installed, leading to me either pulling out case fans, or even CPU
coolers, just to connect a 4 pin CPU power lead.
Double check your hand will fit in the thing first!
------
colanderman
No doubt inspired by the amazing My Summer Car [1].
And presaged by the classic Onion videos "World of World of Warcraft" [2] and
"Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3" [3].
[1] [http://www.amistech.com/msc/](http://www.amistech.com/msc/)
[2]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ)
[3]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuTkgi7scKo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuTkgi7scKo)
~~~
Raphmedia
Car Mechanic Simulator also comes to mind.
[http://store.steampowered.com/app/645630/Car_Mechanic_Simula...](http://store.steampowered.com/app/645630/Car_Mechanic_Simulator_2018/)
~~~
abritinthebay
God I wish that game had classic VWs...
------
rdl
I can't believe they left out the blood sacrifice on sharp parts of the case.
Always different/unexpected parts of the case, and always miraculously sharp.
(Less so now with higher end modern cases, but was definitely this way with
80s/90s/early-00s cases.)
~~~
glandium
The best part is that most of the time you don't realize you've cut yourself
until there's blood in the case/on the motherboard/etc.
------
dfxm12
_One of the cooler things about PC Building Simulator is that it uses a lot of
real brands._
Smart. If this game takes off, there's a ready made revenue stream to sell ad
space in game. You can't ignore the core gameplay!
~~~
acmecorps
Think it'll be profitable to make this free and make many just using affiliate
links?
------
kunai
Building PCs is plenty of fun IRL too -- at least that was the case before the
year began, at least.
Yeah, cable management might suck, but for the most part fitting together all
of these complicated pieces of silicon to create a working machine is
incredibly rewarding.
Now, what we have is a monopoly of those same pieces of hardware by miners,
leaving much of the fun of building a PC gone, replaced by scrounging around
for deals on Amazon and Newegg to see if you can find a GPU at less than 400%
markup. It's taken a huge bite out of PC gaming and left the RAM and GPU
market in shambles.
Proof of work is an environmental disaster, and an economic one as well.
Crypto needs to get its shit together and switch to proof of stake as soon as
possible, because this type of gold rush helps nobody except a small few and
hurts the people who use PCs for science and personal entertainment, who are a
far larger chunk of the PC userbase.
~~~
mistermann
> It's taken a huge bite out of PC gaming and left the RAM and GPU market in
> shambles.
RAM prices have skyrocketed along with GPU? Sorry, not kept up on it....
~~~
developer2
DRAM and NAND shortages aren't new - the current supply problems started in
2016 and got progressively worse throughout 2017. The smartphone market is to
blame - or rather, its consumers who upgrade/replace their phone every damn
year. Apple alone drains the entire supply chain every time they ramp up for
the next iPhone; add to that all the Android manufacturers, and there's just
nothing left for desktop.
If more people kept their phones for 2-4 years instead of expecting an upgrade
every 9-12 months, we wouldn't have this problem.
------
meuk
I've found the older article 'PC Gaming Is Still Way Too Hard' to be quite
amusing, but not very similar to my experience (although I only built two
PC's).
In my experience, the process of checking compatibility of the parts, and
getting the parts can be a bit tedious (I had to wait multiple months for some
parts). I did order DDR3 memory for a mobo that only supports DDR4 and bought
a powersupply that was way too big for the small form factor case I was using
(luckily I could return it).
I found the actual build to be, by far, the easiest part of the process.
Everything was basically plug and play (in the sense that the colors,
annotations and connectors made everything very obvious to me). I also never
experienced a crunch when I mounted the CPU.
To be fair I didn't really use the manuals. If I would have broken something I
would have a very different story.
------
nerfhammer
Windows only! I was excited at first because I always wanted to learn how to
do this. But if it only runs on an OS I can't run that turns it into a
chicken-and-egg problem...
~~~
dbsvsv
Only 99.3% of pc's can run a game about building PC's. Sad.
~~~
lostmsu
I think it's closer to 100% due to Wine
------
huffmsa
Considered downloading this to do a few practice runs before rebuilding a $10k
machine yesterday, decided to do it live.
The game should definitely have other people standing around saying stuff like
"should it make that crunching sound?"
------
harlanji
Fun. Lately I have a growing pile of RasPis and SD cards everywhere. I guess I
built enough PCs in the 00s and now they’re $50 so why not build clusters/etc?
Back then PC games were around $60 or upgrades $200, now weekend projects with
whole computers are too. I dig the idea still, would probably play before my
next build which will surely be of expensive gear (eg. big Swarm/k8s nodes).
------
ferongr
Is this by the same writer that started crying while trying to build an actual
PC?
~~~
robrtsql
I did that when I built my PC too. I was fairly certain I had ruined $1500 in
equipment.
~~~
Scoundreller
While doing a bench build for a friend, when motherboards became really small,
I put an AGP card in a PCI slot backwards because the port side wasn't
constrained anymore. Thankfully only non-magic smoke came out.
------
ryan-allen
He complains that PC gaming is too hard, but I'm pretty sure you can find
companies that put together custom PCs with a warranty. In Australia there are
dozens of well known places that do it.
Saying that, you _can_ build a PC if you hop along to reddit /r/buildapc, they
seem pretty happy to help you out if you can be bothered with the effort.
I love building my PCs, haven't done it in a while due to it not being
economically worthwhile, so now I just browse the parts for fun!
~~~
penguinUzer
Yes I read his original article and he should have bought a assembled and
shipped gaming machine.
Kinda like complaining it's difficult to build a fast car with zero domain
knowledge and looking up a few websites. Either put in the time to learn or
just go buy a performance package Mustang GT/Camaro/Challenger/etc.
------
seiferteric
> Building a gaming PC in real life is way too hard
Huh?
~~~
InitialLastName
I think folks here are missing something. It isn't _assembling_ a gaming PC
that's difficult, it's the process of _building_ the rig; specifying parts and
confirming that they're compatible can be a daunting task, much less sourcing
them and recognizing the appropriate prices.
It's a really big matrix of possibilities that can be pretty opaque to people
who don't keep up with it.
~~~
jotux
There are sites now [1] that let you select components and will tell you if
your CPU/motherboard/RAM are compatible. It will even tell you if your power
supply can handle the amount of power of all the components. When you select
components it will give you links to multiple places to purchase them.
I don't keep up with current events in custom PCs and when I built a PC last
year [2] I thought it was incredibly straight forward.
[1] pcpartpicker.com
[2] [https://pcpartpicker.com/b/HgBbt6](https://pcpartpicker.com/b/HgBbt6)
~~~
bsder
Except that you have the problem right off the bat:
[https://pcpartpicker.com/products/cpu/](https://pcpartpicker.com/products/cpu/)
Which CPU family and which series? Once you finish _THAT_ , everything gets a
lot more straightforward.
That list is terrible. At least order the families/series chronologically.
If I'm a reasonably informed random, I know to click a handful of things with
"lake" in the name and a handful of things with "zen" in the name and that's
about it. _Except you can 't do that with the chooser_ as it gives you zero
choices, since -zen is a series and -lake is a family and those are disjoint
(I should be able to union those).
As a noob, I would miss any of the "gaming value" choices with that heuristic
(Haswell/Broadwell that are quite nice).
I don't see any EPYC in that list, so I'm scratching my head (yes, I know it's
a server but a random person won't) and I would miss the Threadripper choice
(why doesn't it have Ryzen next to it).
The problem isn't assembling a PC. It's the fact that PC knowledge has a half-
life of like 6 months, and you really can't trust review sites or web searches
on this topic anymore.
~~~
LeoPanthera
You're not supposed to pick a CPU from the full list. Use the filters on the
left to narrow it down.
~~~
bsder
Did you actually _read_ my comment? I was talking about the choices _IN THE
FILTERS_.
The problem, as a noob, is that you don't even have enough knowledge to use
the filters correctly.
~~~
pcarmichael
Aye. We've got some things in the works to improve that.
------
digi_owl
Frankly i find the "problem" to be modern Windows.
The 9x series had little trouble being moved around between motherboards and
such, but the NT based ones seems to error at the drop of a pin (never mind
how ornery Microsoft has become about copyright).
~~~
JepZ
You might want to try Linux. As long as you don't compile your system with
options optimized for your CPU and stay away from binary graphics drivers, you
can pretty much boot it on every desktop PC hardware you like without any need
for a new installation.
Just don't expect everything to be perfect. Linux has its own set of
weaknesses, but being picky about changing the hardware isn't one of them.
~~~
digi_owl
I have and i used to like it.
But some kind of mindrot is setting in at the user facing levels of
development, and it is worming its way down the stack towards the kernel.
------
mikewhy
Note this is from the place that said building your own computer is too tough.
------
dmurthy
Never thought I'd need a tweezer until I met jumpers.
------
Kenji
Hell no it can't be more fun than PC building irl.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The Science of Word Recognition - swombat
http://www.microsoft.com/typography/ctfonts/wordrecognition.aspx
======
andrewcaito
Reminds me of this chain email I've received many times
<http://www.snopes.com/language/apocryph/cambridge.asp>
The most interesting part of reading this article was learning of the gap
between established scientific knowledge and standard typographic practice.
From the author's conclusion: "During my first year with the (ClearType) team
I gave a series of talks on relevant psychological topics, some of which
instigated strong disagreement. At the crux of the disagreement was that the
team believed that we recognized words by looking at the outline that goes
around a whole word, while I believed that we recognize individual letters. In
my young career as a reading psychologist I had never encountered a model of
reading that used word shape as perceptual units, and knew of no psychologists
who were working on such a model. But it turns out that the model had a very
long history that I was unfamiliar with."
~~~
eru
I wonder whether word recognition works differently for different languages.
E.g. more phonetic writing systems could tend to encourage looking at letters
instead of the whole word. Or, do Chinese people read at the level of strokes
or at the level of symbols or some other level?
------
joblessjunkie
"...fast eye trackers and computers ... perform clever text manipulations
while a reader is making a saccade."
What a diabolical way to test the brain's reading patterns: strategically
switch around the text when the eyes move! Blew my mind.
~~~
eru
We should find a way to make a cheap DIY version with a web cam.
------
swombat
From: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1665833>
------
long
This is great; thanks!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: Location based sound settings (weekend project) - LinaLauneBaer
http://itunes.apple.com/app/volumify/id491340142?ls=1&mt=12
======
LinaLauneBaer
Hi folks,
a friend and I developed Volumify a few weekends ago and now finally its in
the Mac App Store.
TL;DR: The app can do two things for you: Disable the startup sound of your
mac and adjust your sound settings based on your current location.
Here are four promo codes that you can redeem in the Mac App Store (first
come, first served): LA9RJXWKMWEK AFNJ4WLMNF3P FHPMHAYK6A3L 7NKEAN63JM4F
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Python Module of the Week - simonreed
http://www.doughellmann.com/PyMOTW/index.html
======
lorenzfx
Is there anything new to the site? Or why is it up here?
------
sciurus
If you'd prefer the material in print, Doug has written The Python Standard
Library by Example.
<http://www.doughellmann.com/books/byexample/>
------
luriel
In slightly similar news, the second issue of Golang-Weekly is out:
[https://groups.google.com/d/topic/golang-
weekly/uDITHQVeKdY/...](https://groups.google.com/d/topic/golang-
weekly/uDITHQVeKdY/discussion)
------
Axsuul
Is there something similar for Ruby gems?
------
novaleaf
ironically, the last time this site was updated was about 2 months ago....
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Why not programming language annotations to induce editor/IDE features? - amichail
Why don't programming languages contain standardized editor/IDE annotations to induce more sophisticated editor/IDE support (e.g., optional WYSIWYG table entry for tabular static data, etc.)?<p>For example:<p>let table:[[Int]] /{ tabular, 10x10, centered } = ...<p>Editors/IDEs supporting this annotation would give you a WYSIWYG table for entering and showing static data for this table.<p>Another example: induce editor/IDE visualization via unicode<p>enum Suit { case Heart/{unicode char}, Diamond/{unicode char}, Spade/︎{unicode char}, Club/︎{unicode char} }<p>let x = Suit.Heart<p>In an IDE/editor that supports visualization annotations, the following would be shown:<p>enum Suit { case Heart/{unicode char}, Diamond/{unicode char}, Spade/︎{unicode char}, Club/︎{unicode char} }<p>let x = Suit.{unicode char}<p>A linear algebra library might come with unicode visualizations to make code that uses it much nicer to look at.<p>Yet another example would be to induce tool support for "commit comments":<p>https://github.com/thebearjew/commit-comments
======
sklogic
See Wolfram Mathematica notebooks for example. Also, some literate programming
tools are somewhat close.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Felix Baumgartner: Mars is a waste of your tax dollars - suprgeek
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57541674-71/felix-baumgartner-mars-is-a-waste-of-your-tax-dollars/
======
laacz
Well, a man, who jumped from ish kilometers in a space suit and tried to
justify his jump and money spent with some highly debatable potential uses of
saving our astronauts is saying what? Is he an expert of any kind now?
I'm stunned this is on HN.
Also, link to original article (interview):
[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/9636188/Fearless-
Fe...](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/9636188/Fearless-Felix-
Baumgartner-Mars-is-a-waste-of-money.html)
------
donebizkit
If we follow your logic, Felix, we would've not built that capsule you jumped
from, or those cameras that followed you, or that control station that
monitored you or nothing as a matter of fact. And how is your jump teaching
anything about earth? you made your jump. It was fun. Now let science do her
work.
------
lifeguard
Compared to the $750,000,000,000+ the US dept of defense spent creating over
1,000,000 Iraqi _civilian_ deaths and injuries, tax money is well spent on
NASA and should be increased.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: What skills do you need to acquire to benefit the society? - febin
Ex:
System Thinking
Finance
======
brad0
This question is way too open ended.
I would say that most jobs benefit society.
Benefit yourself first, then your family and friends, then society.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Fewer boys were born in Ontario after Trump was elected president - fraqed
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/fewer-boys-were-born-in-ontario-after-trump-was-elected-president-study-1.5483141
======
Ambele
The divorce rate in Maine correlates with the per capita consumption of
margarine.
Also, the number of letters in the winning word of the U.S. Spelling bee
correlates with the number of people killed by venomous spiders.
Spurious Correlations: [https://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-
correlations](https://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations)
------
jmnicolas
There's not a single number in the article, it's hard to judge if the effect
is massive or if it could be attributed to a statistical error.
------
LeoSolaris
Correlation does not equal causation... even if it's causation that would make
sense.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
M. Caffrey: Under Trump I lost my job for refusing to hide climate crisis facts - anonymfus
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/25/trump-administration-climate-crisis-denying-scientist
======
ksaj
Not so long ago Trump mocked and disparaged the idea of global warming because
it was cold in and around his general bubble. Of course he's not commenting on
the current spate of weather events affecting all of North America and most of
Europe right now.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The Elements of Typographic Style Applied to the Web (2005) - tosh
http://webtypography.net/
======
amluto
I read the paper version while I wrote my thesis because learning about
typography and making my thesis pretty was a great distraction from actually
writing the thesis. It was a fantasy book with one major, glaring flaw. The
book was printed with wide outer margins and very narrow inner margins. This
may have satisfied some concept of design, but it made it very hard to read
the letters closets to the middle of the book. It turns out that paperbacks
need a certain amount of inner margin to compensate for the fact that they
don’t open quite all the way.
I don’t know whether this was a typographic faux pas or a defect in my
particular copy.
~~~
Isamu
I have the paperback, and that stood out as a glaring flaw to me also.
I had to compare it to my other paperbacks, which were all made with ample
center margins to account for the stiff binding. But they didn't look nearly
as nice although not due to the center margins.
In fairness, the author (Robert Bringhurst) probably didn't have final say
over the paperback, at least as it was bound in final form. The binding is
just too stiff for the form factor which is unusually narrow and tall for a
paperback.
There are less stiff paperback bindings. Dover used to produce paperbacks with
pages stitched into signatures, but that was a more expensive binding.
~~~
sampl
I noticed this too!
> In fairness, the author (Robert Bringhurst) probably didn't have final say
> over the paperback, at least as it was bound in final form.
I’m guessing he had a LOT of influence over the printing. The paper is
extremely high quality, there’s red color type every so often, etc. If there’s
any book where the author would control the printing, it’s this one.
I’m guessing he’s either optimizing for a mathematically or historically
“correct” ratio over the reader experience, or we’re supposed to “break in”
the book more before reading:
[http://booksville.blogspot.com/2009/12/how-to-break-in-
new-b...](http://booksville.blogspot.com/2009/12/how-to-break-in-new-
book.html?m=1)
~~~
Isamu
> If there’s any book where the author would control the printing, it’s this
> one.
I agree. My point is that the final, bound form is probably not available for
approval. The author sees and approves pages before they are bound. He
probably did not have a bound paperback in his hands until the first print
run. Only then could you judge how the choice of center margin did not work
with the other choices.
He may have had approval over the method of paperback binding, but a number of
variables are conspiring to make the final spine stiff enough that the pages
kind of disappear into the binding. Some of those were the variables the
author apparently approved - the paper choice, the page dimensions, the
margins.
I will add that the layout really looks like a hardback layout. I think that
was forefront in the author's mind.
~~~
sampl
The hardback theory makes sense
------
combatentropy
The original book and its ilk are akin to programmer code style guides:
whether to indent four spaces or two, put the brace on the same line as the
if-statement or below it, etc. Just as a non-programmer is likely to stare at
you, lost, that you would care about whether to use two spaces or four, so we
are likely to look at professional typesetters when they wax philosophic about
their preferences. But just like all those code preferences, these typographic
tidbits have a subtle effect, making a printed page look more professional,
elegant, easy on the eyes, etc.
As some have pointed out, however, you have to be careful when translating
rules from page to screen. For example, Jakob Nielsen was probably right when
he said you just leave links alone, let them be blue and underlined.
Typophiles especially hate to underline words. They will go through all sorts
of acrobatics to decorate links any other way (bottom borders that don't touch
the descender thingies on the letters g and y and so forth) or even background
images of a line. Thankfully Chrome at least as started to support underlines
that by default cross under those descenders.
Typophiles also don't care for colored text much and will likely try to color
their links black if they could get away with it. Colored text reminds them of
children with crayons or their mother making a flyer. Serious type is
understated, like a little black dress.
I myself am a typophile and come from a background in studying fonts and all
that before I got into web design. I have slowly come around to be more like
Jakob Nielsen, and I prefer those low-brow unstyled sites by professors and
old open-source projects over most "designed" sites these days. But I still
prefer a nice serif over sans-serif, and a max-width of about 50em, thank you.
~~~
Mikhail_Edoshin
As a typofile I'd say we could prefix links with a symbol and then indicate
them with color on hover :) What I'd police would be free-form links; links
are good when it's a name or some other term ([Hermann Zapf], [Monotype]) not
just [random words] that [happen] to be [a link to something]. Also, colored
text is good when colors are sparse. Think of black with red accents.
------
metalliqaz
Is that page supposed to impress me with superior typesetting? I'm no expert,
I can admit that. But I find that page much less easy to read than a typical
Google site, or Twitter, or Wikipedia.
For example, on the landing page the navigation links are on the bottom right,
which requires a large eye/mouse movement from the "origin" (top left) where
the title is.
~~~
thechao
This website taught me there are upper- and lower- case numbers.
[http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/book-design-
part-3/](http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/book-design-part-3/)
~~~
metalliqaz
It doesn't say anything about upper case numbers. Just old style vs lining,
and tabular vs proportional.
------
crazysmoove
Also good: Practical Typography
([https://practicaltypography.com/](https://practicaltypography.com/)) by
Matthew Butterick
~~~
tome
I first came across that author via his other book/site
[https://typographyforlawyers.com/](https://typographyforlawyers.com/)
------
chipotle_coyote
As a lot of folks have noticed, this is from 2005; I think the complaints are
mostly valid, but it's also interesting to see what's changed in web design in
the intervening 13 years. (Type tended to be smaller than the norm now,
"mobile-first" design simply wasn't a thing, etc.)
It's worth noting the project this site turned into: a book called _Web
Typography._ It has its own subdomain at
[http://book.webtypography.net](http://book.webtypography.net) and it looks
markedly more modern and responsive.
------
nickelcitymario
A classic! I studied the original book heavily when I got into web design, and
fell in love with this website when it first came out. A must-read for anyone
who cares about words on the web.
------
soperj
Honestly didn't know what to do when I arrived at this website. Couldn't
scroll down, and didn't look like there were any links. Took a moment to
figure it out.
------
mrybczyn
Damn, I thought another post in
[https://typesetinthefuture.com/](https://typesetinthefuture.com/) was being
linked.
Genius, that guy.
~~~
ukyrgf
Bank Gothic! I remember using that font so much in the 90s when I was a kid
trying to make super futuristic digital art. Then I joined a company that used
Eurostile for everything, left there and swore to never use it again, and
forgot Bank Gothic ever existed.
------
harrylove
From 2005. Also posted several times before.
[https://news.ycombinator.com/from?site=webtypography.net](https://news.ycombinator.com/from?site=webtypography.net)
~~~
dang
Thanks, we'll add the year above.
------
WovenTales
Seems good so far, but it's annoying that the author needlessly sniped at
double-spaced sentences. He even admits that whitespace collapsing makes it a
meaningless distinction, but rather than focus on the actual information of
"if you really need them, here's the vaious Unicode spaces" he spends over
half the section harping on something that winds up making no difference.
~~~
Theodores
'white-space: pre' is what I learned there. Never knew such a thing could be
possible. This means no need to do a 'nl2br' on the content if it contains no
HTML, this is a common scenario, I am going to see if 'white-space: pre' just
makes everything magically look okay.
~~~
WovenTales
The trick with that is that it also prevents wrapping except on new lines in
the source. Looking at the potential values, I'd recommend pre-wrap instead,
which at least allows avoiding horizontal scrolling, at the cost of requiring
you to write the entire contents in a single line of markup. Annoyingly, it
doesn't seem like there's a way to avoid multiple spaces being collapsed
without also giving special meaning to keeping the source less than 120
characters (or whatever other measure) wide.
------
Froyoh
Guarantee someone is gonna nit-pick and find a fault somewhere on that website
that "violates" the style they're talking about.
~~~
snowwrestler
You got downvoted, but currently the top-voted comment does exactly what you
predicted.
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16913397](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16913397)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Intel’s 6th Generation Skylake Processors Scheduled for 2H 2015 - nkurz
http://wccftech.com/intels-6th-generation-skylake-processors-scheduled-2h-2015-5th-generation-broadwell-spring-15-updates-2015-2016-mobility-roadmap/
======
femto
Some interesting numbers:
In 1971, the 4004 microprocessor had 2300 transistors fabricated with a 10um
process. If the 4004 was fabricated with the same 14nm process as the Skylake,
over two hundred 4004s would fit in the area that a single transistor occupied
in the original 4004.
"Breakeven" occurred with the 68000:
In 1979, the 68000 microprocessor had 68000 transistors fabricated with a
3.5um process. If the 68000 was fabricated with the same 14nm process as the
Skylake, an entire 68000 would fit in the area that a single transistor
occupied in the original 68000.
Today's transistors are _really_ small compared to what they used to be! The
mind boggles at how many simple processor cores could be crammed into a
current die.
The numbers came from:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor_count](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor_count)
~~~
swalsh
What blows my mind is that Intel continues to do it with what seems like
really only one real competitor.
~~~
higherpurpose
ARM chip makers _are_ competitors to Intel now. Whether you believe it or not,
is less important. Intel, however, does believe it. Their entire chip strategy
over the past few years has been a _response_ to ARM - with each new
generation they barely increase the performance of _mainstream_ chips or even
_drop_ it, like they did with Core-M, as they try to lower their power
consumption, to put them closer to ARM's range. I'm not talking about IPC
here, but about the overall performance of the mainstream chips they're
pushing in the market.
First it was -M chips in laptops (30W-level performance), then it was -U chips
(15W-level performance), and now it's -Y chips (5W - or so they say - level
performance). Yes, a good chunk of that difference is from moving to new nodes
and optimization, but not all of it. Another big part comes from lowering the
performance and/or throttling their chips a lot more aggressively than before
in order to achieve that drastic drop in power consumption.
They don't care what AMD is doing these days, but they do care what ARM chip
makers are doing. They even bought a 4G modem company, so they can integrate
modems into chips the way Qualcomm does it. Speaking of Qualcomm, I believe it
has just announced it's going into server chips now.
Intel feels so threatened by ARM now, that it's losing _$1 billion per
quarter_ , to essentially give away its Atom chips for free to no-name tablet
makers, or less important OEMs (who are the only ones desperate enough to take
Intel's deal, because others know that as soon as Intel becomes a big player,
they'll charge a much higher rate even than other ARM competition - Intel
likes big profits on its chips and it's the only way for them to sustain the
company).
They even went into the business of IP licensing for crying out loud, just
like ARM (they're licensing Atom IP to Rockchip and Spreadtrum). Intel has
essentially admitted that it can't be competitive _building its own mobile
chips_. They have to license the IP to others so other companies can build
them - on TSMC's foundry, on an old process node, even by current ARM
standards.
~~~
gsnedders
Intel's big problem is the fact that they invest so heavily in fabs (which is
how they're basically constantly a process ahead of everyone else!) that their
costs are so much higher than most other manufacturers — and that's why they
charge so much more for their chips than most of the generic ARM SoCs. Yes,
some of it is profit margin, but they've been pushing the development so much
that much of it is just recouping their massive investments that give them
their competitive advantage.
------
vardump
Warning: link auto-plays video with sound.
Edit/addition:
AVX-512 in Skylake is pretty exciting. 32 FLOPS per clock cycle per core is
amazing. Also good to see 64 or 128 MB of eDRAM being included in more
configurations. It should also somewhat help with algorithms with larger
working sets, not just with graphics. Integration is also interesting, latency
between GPU and CPU should be low. This may open chances for better
integration and sharing of work between those units.
1 Gbps ethernet starts to be a limitation, it's barely enough for current
internet connections in some parts of the world. Nearly any SSD can do
sustained 5 Gbps, most new mechanical disks push 2 Gbps. It's time for
10GBASE-T to be a standard, with power saving option to function at lower
speeds. Nowadays even low end hardware such as $80 Asus etc. wifi-router with
USB 3.0 can push 500 Mbps+ at file serving.
~~~
bhouston
It is hard to get mainstream usage of CPU extensions until they are on the
large majority of chips because creating multiple code paths is a pain. Thus
while AVX-512 is nice, I do not expect to see usage of it outside video codecs
until at least 3 years from now, and it likely won't be widely used until 5-7
years from now. This problem is compounded by the slow upgrade cycles of PCs
now that their performance doesn't drastically increase per generation.
~~~
vardump
It's worse than that. It's still problematic to even assume SSE4.2, not to
mention AVX2, which would help significantly. Virtualization is making the
problem worse, because hypervisors set CPUID bits to lowest common denominator
within a vMotion / teleportation domain.
I think (specialized) JITting is the answer for that. Generate code on the
fly. I've been lately playing around with JITted [de]serializers, etc. I think
it might be possible to have an order of magnitude gains in JSON, XML,
msgpack, etc. processing.
Even *printf can be much, much faster. If the format specifier is static,
first run just generates code just for that specifier. Subsequent invocations
can be about 10-20x faster versus normal style format string scanner.
Edit: When I say JIT, I'm not talking about JVM or any other mainstream
implementation specifically, but the concept in general. Which means just-in-
time generation of (optimal) machine specific code.
~~~
tormeh
JIT and AOT on-device is the future, I agree. How good are the JVMs at taking
advantage of new instructions?
~~~
bhouston
My understanding is that JVMs do not generate any advanced instructions from
standard Java code. The only time they use these instructions is if they link
in hand coded C++ libraries that make use of them.
Edit: Stackoverflow answer says that in rare cases the JVM can vectorize
simple loops: [http://stackoverflow.com/questions/10784951/do-any-jvms-
jit-...](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/10784951/do-any-jvms-jit-
compilers-generate-code-that-uses-vectorized-floating-point-ins)
~~~
vardump
Just take a look at the code they generate, it's easy. In short, they do
generate SIMD code, but very rarely take advantage of vectorized execution.
~~~
tormeh
Why aren't the processor manufacturers making their own JITs and AOT
compilers? Surely that would be a competitive advantage.
~~~
vardump
Intel makes a famous AOT compiler, ICC. [https://software.intel.com/en-
us/intel-compilers](https://software.intel.com/en-us/intel-compilers)
~~~
tormeh
Yes, but it's for developer-compiled languages. It's not like I switch from an
AMD to an Intel processor and suddenly all C code on my machine has new
instructions in them. Compiled code remains the way it is.
This is not what I want. What I want is either JIT or AOT-on-end-device.
~~~
vardump
Binary (compiled code) JIT compilation could very well be faster than direct
execution.
I'm not aware of anyone currently using these techniques for running native
code faster. Yet.
You can also call these techniques binary translation if you like.
At simplest level, one could for example dynamically replace relevant static
library calls with higher performance versions. Perform function signature
based optimization - when a certain known common function is found, simply
replace it with a faster version.
More advanced ones could for example inline functions, even those pointed by
function pointers given a guard condition. It could also vectorize suitable
serial code.
Superoptimization techniques could also be applied to the instruction stream.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superoptimization](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superoptimization)
Even complex optimizations are possible. Like memory access pattern
translation. The JIT compiler could perform cache simulation and find a
mapping between memory accesses that would increase true hardware level
locality of reference. Performance could be improved by generating access
transformation code when target binary tries to access memory. Like map image
processing memory access code from row major to Z-order curve to increase
cache hit probability. Unless memory mapped (either to other processes or
physical hardware) the buffer resides the data would need to be translated
back row-major only for system calls. A lazy page fault mechanism could also
work in some cases.
------
bhouston
It is hard to get excited about this update if the core count stays the same
(2/4) in the low end chips.
The CPU throughput per core does not change that much per generation now:
2010-era Intel Core i7 980X (6 cores with HT) has a performance rating of
~9000:
[https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7+X+980...](https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7+X+980+%40+3.33GHz&id=866)
2014-era Intel Core i7 5930K (6 cores with HT) has a performance rating of
~13500:
[https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-5930K...](https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-5930K+%40+3.50GHz&id=2336)
That works out to an CPU performance increase of ~1000/10% per
year/generation. I guess that is impressive given no clock speed increase, and
reduced power consumption, but that doesn't turn into more powerful results
for consumers in terms of raw performance. If Intel does not increase the
general core count available to consumers, we are basically stuck at the same
level of performance we were 4 years ago -- this isn't the case with GPUs nor
with mobile CPUs, which are increasing rapidly.
~~~
phaemon
Isn't the 2010-era Intel Core i7 980X about twice the price of the 2014-era
Intel Core i7 5930K?
In other words, aren't you comparing a high end CPU from 2010 to a medium
range CPU from 2014?
~~~
bhouston
The Intel Core i7 5930K is the fastest 6 core Intel Core i7 5xxx CPU. It is
the second faster Intel Core i7 5xxx CPU available. To call that mid-range is
not correct.
~~~
phaemon
Fair enough, but the 5960X is still a better comparison, surely?
~~~
bhouston
I was trying to make the point that per core speed hasn't increased. Both the
980X and the 5960K are the top of the line 6 core consumer grade CPUs.
This ties in with my point that the consumer grade CPUs from Skylake are all 2
and 4 core CPUs, which isn't that different from low-end consumer grade CPUs
from 2010/2011, because per core performance hasn't increased significantly.
My solution was for Intel to increase core count for consumer grade CPUs.
Because you can get real performance increases this way, as you proved by
comparing a 6 core CPU with an 8 core CPU.
~~~
Sanddancer
At the high end, per-core performance hasn't increased significantly. However,
at the 2-4 core level, it has. For example, the i3-4360t is 72% faster than
the i3 550, even though the 4360t uses half the power of the 550. Plus, you
need to keep in mind other things that will affect perceptions of performance,
like the pci-e lanes being on-die with the most recent generations of chips.
While the high end has plateaued to some extent with recent generations,
Intel's pumped a significant amount of work making their other lines
considerably more performant.
~~~
vardump
> At the high end, per-core performance hasn't increased significantly.
When comparing aforementioned CPUs (Intel Core i7 980X and Intel Core i7
5930K), I'd call 4->16 FLOPS per clock and 25.6 GB/s -> 68 GB/s memory
bandwidth significant. I think integer rate has also at least quadrupled.
Of course, because of high latencies, when running pointer chasing or branchy
code, there's little improvement. The software just can't take advantage of
hardware capabilities.
What kind of software are you considering when making that statement?
------
higherpurpose
Just like Broadwell was scheduled for the first half of 2014?
~~~
sandGorgon
I dont know why you are being downvoted, but it is a valid questions.
Broadwell was delayed for half a year and is still not widely available.
Macbooks (which are a pretty important predictor of demand) are not going to
have Broadwells till 2015 [1], so the question is if Intel is going to have
Broadwell at all or skip directly to SkyLake.
Plus, Broadwell was delayed because of manufacturing yield issues... so unless
that is cleared up, SkyLake will be similarly affected.
[1] [http://www.macrumors.com/2014/07/09/broadwell-early-to-
mid-2...](http://www.macrumors.com/2014/07/09/broadwell-early-to-mid-2015/)
~~~
gsnedders
As I understand it, the issues are fundamental to the 14nm process — and one
might expect once they can manufacture 14nm Broadwell parts with reasonable
yields, they will be able to manufacture 14nm Skylake parts with reasonable
yields. Last I heard the plan was for Broadwell to be available for something
like six months only.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
ICANN gTLDs Reveal Day Live Streaming - zhoutong
http://www.icann.org/en/news/press/kits/reveal-day-video-13jun12-en.htm
======
cleverjake
This is just the announcement of the applicants. There are multiple objection
and review periods for these applicants to move through. These will /possibly/
be available mid 2013
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Exploding head syndrome. I kid you not. - lisper
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_head_syndrome
======
Benares
Thank you for posting this. I "suffer" from EHS but never knew there was a
name for it.
Just as the WP entry says, I experience it just after lying down to sleep.
Probably happens 10 or 20 times a year. A loud banging, crashing, or tearing
sound occurs in my head. My heart rate goes through the roof immediately, but
it's not scary at all. It's very odd. :D
~~~
lisper
Yeah, I actually have this too apparently, though it's very infrequent for me.
I'm not sure what's weirder, that it happens, or that it has a name.
Just for the record, I actually found out about this here:
[http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/nrf8s/iama_26_year_old...](http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/nrf8s/iama_26_year_old_female_who_has_exploding_head/)
~~~
stephth
_sound occurs in my head_
What does that mean exactly? Could you describe it? Does it sound like
physically outside but you realize by logic that it "didnt happen", or is it
clear right away that it's an imaginary sound?
~~~
Benares
For me, it's usually like an electrical buzz. But sometimes it's more like a
gunshot, a tearing sheet of paper, or an indecipherable vocal shout.
The sound does not feel dreamlike at all (like sounds you imagine while in a
hypnagogic state.) I can imagine a first-timer might mistake it for an
external event and rising in shock to look for the source of the disturbance.
The sound is of short duration (about 0.2s) and is loudest at the end of the
sound, cutting off sharply into total silence ("...wwwWWWHOMP!") It's very
loud, but not painful like a real report in a quiet room would be. The
loudness feels like 120 dB or so. The sound is absolutely "pure," missing
environmental cues like position, echo, and pressure. I perceive the location
to be smack-dab in the middle of my head, not anywhere outside my physical
body (a bit like headphones.) Because of this, and because I have been cued to
the impending sound (see below), there is no danger of mistaking it for
something real.
The chronology when my head goes boom:
T minus 30 seconds: I'm in bed, eyes closed. It always happens before or at
the beginning of hypnagogia.
T minus 10 seconds: I get a feeling somewhat akin to a sudden pressure drop in
my ears (but without any popping or physical symptoms). This is a cue that
tells me to expect an explosion.
T: The pseudo-aural pressure cue suddenly ends by "transforming" into a short,
explosive sound. Heart rate starts to rise rapidly. My eyes remain closed and
my musculoskeletal system usually don't react, as the sound doesn't scare or
surprise me.
T plus 5 seconds: Heart is beating as fast as it can go. At this point it
feels almost exactly like right after snapping awake from a night terror, but
without the fear component.
T plus 60 seconds: Heart rate begins to decline to normal levels.
------
iradik
Feels like a speeding locomotive rushing through my brain, while you're fully
aware of the roaring fury of it and yet totally paralyzed. I can't even open
my eyes. When I was 17 I'd get them quite often. One time in that period, my
experience could have been described as paranormal. My eyes somehow opened,
and the "energy" tore through of my body in a green light that swirled and
floated throughout my bedroom. That particular type of experience only
happened that one time.
------
Limes102
I'm really glad I have come across this... I've had this for a couple of
years, about once or twice a month. For me it feels like something is applying
a lot of pressure to the side of my head, accompanied by a very loud tingling
sound... Only lasts for about two seconds, but not something I enjoy
------
MattBearman
I too have this occasionally, never really thought it was odd though, I just
get a loud bang which is always accompanied by a flash of white in my vision.
I suppose exploding head is an apt name for it :)
I also experience sleep paralysis quite often, does anyone else? I wonder if
that's related.
~~~
steverb
In my case the two tend to cluster together. I've found that the EHS is
usually triggered by a small physical sound in the environment, like the house
ticking as it cools. It was scary as hell for me when it first started
happening, but I've grown accustomed to it.
I've never gotten used to the sleep paralysis, but thankfully it is much less
common for me. Both seem to be triggered by stress in my case.
------
kstenerud
I used to get that all the time as a kid while waking up. A loud buzzing noise
or a bang followed by paralysis, which freaked the hell out of me at the time.
It reduced in frequency and eventually stopped when I was 15. I didn't know it
was abnormal and never told anyone about it though.
------
malkia
I'm hearing drums sometimes. Weird. Or knock on a door.
~~~
Benares
If it's not really, really loud and sudden, I would guess that not exploding
head, but a hallucination common to hypnagogic states.
------
forensic
In the bible this is referred to as the sound of the river Jordan - its
considered a spiritual experience. I used to get it in deep meditation. Blew
my mind.
~~~
lisper
That seems improbable. The Jordan river is mentioned only once in the Bible
(Mark 1:5) and it has nothing to do with sound. Nowhere in the Bible do the
words "sound" and "river" occur in the same verse. "Sound" and "Jordan"
likewise are never found together in the same verse.
~~~
forensic
I count 179 mentions
[http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/index.php?search=Jordan&...](http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/index.php?search=Jordan&searchtype=all&version1=9&spanbegin=1&spanend=73&resultspp=500&displayas=long&sort=bookorder)
There are many translations.
"A voice of the howling of the shepherds! For destroyed was their robe of
honour, A voice of the roaring of young lions! For destroyed was the
excellency of Jordan."
Anyway I didn't come up with that idea. Its just something I read the
meditator Yogananda say when I looked it up. He said that hearing the head
exploding sound is this spiritual thing and that the bible among other
spiritual text alludes to it esoterically when it mentions the roar of the
Jordan and the crossing f the Jordan.
My head exploding experience sounded like the tremendous roar of a river
inside my head. Happened a few times before I found that spiritual
interpretation re: meditation. I haven't done much meditation since then.
~~~
lisper
You're right. I thought the unqualified mentions of Jordan were referring to
the country, not the river. But the country of Jordan didn't exist (at least
not by that name) until 1921.
------
Mz
Reminds me of some other condition, I don't recall the name. I want to say
"night terrors". My oldest had serious sleep issues when he was little. So I
checked some book out of the library to try to get a handle on it. Most of it
was drivel, like "god, I can't believe you thought someone would need that
told to them". But it did have one piece of information in it that was useful,
and that was about my oldest son occasionally getting up all upset after
sleeping for roughly an hour. I eventually realized he only did this when
physically exhausted but not mentally exhausted. So he would fall asleep but
his mind was still racing. After an hour, he would sit up basically screaming,
due to very vivid mental stuff going on. The book indicated he probably wasn't
really awake at such times, but was reacting while asleep. I learned to not
let him get so physically exhausted and it went away. The problem never
returned.
I think it would be neat if someone who has EHS kept a diary/journal and tried
to determine if there was some pattern, some trigger event or whatever, for
them personally (my assumption being that triggers would vary from person to
person but enough such data might yield some generalizations anyway). It
sounds like it may be an auditory version of the visual stuff my son
experienced.
~~~
Benares
I've snapped awake from night terrors many times, and my personal experience
is that exploding head is an altogether different phenomenon (although the
adrenaline rush is the same.)
~~~
Mz
Thanks. Though my recollection is that in theory people do not wake up from
night terrors. They are asleep while sitting up screaming. I might run it past
my son sometime and see what he remembers, even though he was quite young.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Formal verification of the WireGuard protocol - zx2c4
https://www.wireguard.com/formal-verification/
======
zokier
First of all congratulations, I do believe that this is good step forwards.
I took a look at the tamarin model, and at least for me it looks pretty much
impenetrable (no surprise there). Is it realistic to think that (any?)
implementors can use the proven model as the primary reference when
implementing the protocol? Especially if you'd strip away the comments, which
are not proven to be correct and as such might be misleading?
~~~
zx2c4
Probably the spthy code isn't the best as a reference for building an
implementation. For that I'd recommend:
[https://www.wireguard.io/papers/wireguard.pdf](https://www.wireguard.io/papers/wireguard.pdf)
[https://www.wireguard.io/protocol/](https://www.wireguard.io/protocol/)
[http://noiseprotocol.org/noise.pdf](http://noiseprotocol.org/noise.pdf)
However, if you actually read the Tamarin manual -- the documentation is
really terrific -- I think you'll find that the spthy code quickly comes into
focus as something very straight-forward.
[https://tamarin-
prover.github.io/manual/book/001_introductio...](https://tamarin-
prover.github.io/manual/book/001_introduction.html)
So much so, in fact, that I'd really recommend fluency with something like
Tamarin as an essential thing for anybody working on crypto things, even if
they're not in academia. It should be accessible to folks who describe
themselves as "crypto engineers." Next time you find yourself having to work
on or analyze a custom crypto protocol, give it a shot.
------
shock
I'm not extremely experienced in formal verification methods, but isn't
usually an implementation that's formally verified? I understand that
verifying the protocol is a big deal but if the protocol is not correctly
implemented you can't count on any of the promises the protocol makes.
~~~
wyager
If the specification of the protocol isn't verified, it doesn't matter if the
implementation of the protocol is verified to match the spec.
~~~
naasking
Or to be more specific: verify that the protocol satisfies the properties you
want from it (i.e security, robustness, what-have-you), then verify the
implementation correctly implements the protocol.
------
nh2
Could you have chosen other provers than Tamarin (which is 100% Haskell for
people interested in that) for this job?
If yes, what made you prefer it?
~~~
kamilner
There are quite a few other tools for protocol verification (ProVerif, Maude-
NPA, etc.) and I haven't used all of them myself, but I think Tamarin is
particularly easy to read and understand even when starting out. The rules are
roughly written in terms of inputs to outputs along with some labels to refer
to what happened, and the properties are essentially just plain first-order
logic. (Disclaimer: I'm biased, I've worked with Tamarin more than other tools
and also contributed some to its codebase.)
Also I think part of the power in using Tamarin is that if it's having trouble
proving something automatically, it's easy to jump in and try to prove it
manually with a relatively straightforward graphical representation of the
trace sets. That also helps you spot any potential interim properties you
might need to prove as helper lemmas, etc.
It's gotten some recent popularity for the work on TLS 1.3 as well [0], and
with that an effort to improve the materials available for people to pick it
up themselves [1, 2]. Some of the things we did to nudge Tamarin's heuristic
in the right direction when autoproving the WireGuard model (documented in the
.m4 file) are getting baked in to Tamarin soon.
(For what it's worth, you don't actually have to deal with any Haskell unless
you're planning on modifying the prover, the protocol models are in their own
language.)
[0]
[https://tls13tamarin.github.io/TLS13Tamarin/](https://tls13tamarin.github.io/TLS13Tamarin/)
[1] [https://github.com/tamarin-prover/teaching](https://github.com/tamarin-
prover/teaching) [2] [https://tamarin-
prover.github.io/manual/book/001_introductio...](https://tamarin-
prover.github.io/manual/book/001_introduction.html)
~~~
nh2
Thanks for the insights!
------
mzs
A bit off-topic, but anyone have info about how the move to BSD-compat license
went?
------
KenanSulayman
Talking about WireGuard... I was just trying to build it a few hours ago, but
can’t get it to build against a 4.2.0 kernel :/
Looking at the primitives, isn’t WireGuard effectively using the Noise
protocol?
~~~
zx2c4
I've tested WireGuard against kernel 4.2.8 with success. It should work for
the latest of each minor kernel version from 3.10 up to present. (Probably you
should _not_ be using 4.2.0 for anything at all, considering the 4.2 branch
wasn't even a longterm stable branch and is already quite old and filled with
bugs and vulns. But I just tested on 4.2.0 and it worked too with WireGuard.)
Yes, WireGuard uses Noise, plus other things. For more information, there's
the WireGuard paper [1].
[1]
[https://www.wireguard.io/papers/wireguard.pdf](https://www.wireguard.io/papers/wireguard.pdf)
~~~
KenanSulayman
Thanks for your reply! I will try to build a newer kernel.
jfyi, that is the error the build is failing on:
/tmp/WireGuard-0.0.20170706/src/receive.c:225:4: error: too few arguments to
function ‘IP6_ECN_set_ce’ IP6_ECN_set_ce(skb, ipv6_hdr(skb));
I didn't want to discredit the WireGuard protocol - it was just something that
came to my mind when looking at the primitives. Thanks for your work
~~~
zx2c4
Sounds like you're using some Frankenstein kernel. But asking for tech support
and posting random errors on hacker news comments is nearly always fruitless.
You can write to the mailing list [1], or ask in #wireguard on Freenode. We'll
be happy to help you there. Alternatively, if you're in a sensitive
environment, you can always write directly to team {at] wireguard ^d0t^ com.
[1]
[https://lists.zx2c4.com/mailman/listinfo/wireguard](https://lists.zx2c4.com/mailman/listinfo/wireguard)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Unity 5 Feature Preview [video] - matt42
http://unity3d.com/5
======
johnvschmitt
Before I choose to build using a new feature, I'd love to see a clean
breakdown of which features "cost" more (performance) on devices. For
instance, does "real time global illumination" kill the framerate on iPhone4?
If there's already a checklist like this somewhere, please share with the
community, as I'm sure there are many other Unity3D devs here.
------
Ethan_Mick
Every once in a while I'll get it in my head to make a 3D game, rather than a
2D one. But I don't want to spend the time building any assets - not only am I
bad at that, but I also don't know if my idea is good until people try it and
give me feedback... which requires a working prototype.
What I'm looking for is a game engine (asset library?) that lets me build my
town by placing buildings, and dropping in my main character - and then I can
just run around the town, opening doors and talking to people. Tons of tons of
game have dialogue, medieval fighting, assassinations, kill moves - I don't
want to have to spend time making any of that. I want to test my game ideas
and see if they are fun. I want to write the parts that are unique to my game,
the story and the decisions you make. Then, later, I can go back and iterate
on assets.
Both game engines now have Asset stores, but I'm not sure the level designer
is to the point where I can quickly iterate over my ideas.
~~~
mtinkerhess
There are (at least) three levels of development in a game: engine, gameplay,
and content. Depending where you draw those lines, Unity gives you the engine
and you provide the gameplay and content. It sounds like you're interested in
just working on content, in which case there are tons of games that let you do
more or less what you describe through modding (eg Skyrim).
~~~
baddox
It's not for FPS's (although it's been used for that), but Starcraft 2 has
really impressive modding features. I've been third person action games,
arcade shooters, 2D platformers, and tower defense titles. There's even a
popular soccer game where each player is a unit from Starcraft.
------
archagon
Glad to hear they're continuing to work on the 2D editor and 2D physics.
Unless I'm missing something, getting 2D platformer floor and wall collisions
working properly is still a pain right now. (Sudden, discrete changes in
velocity + physics colliders + tiles = wonky behavior.)
~~~
yzzxy
As someone who has implemented an semi-extensive set of interactive demos in
the new 2D editor and toolkit, I have to say that it arrived half-baked. I'm
really looking forward to the upcoming updates, but doing anything like a real
game in the toolkit is next to impossible currently. Pathfinding is a specific
weak point I ran into on another 2D project. The main A* implementation for
Unity handled the native 2D toolkit very poorly when I last used it, and the
built-in Unity toolkit didn't work with it at all.
------
kayoone
personally i am most excited about the html5 export they announced recently
~~~
ENGNR
Same. The conversion funnel on getting someone to download an app is
ridiculous compared to web, nothing better than just click.. you're in.
That and Firebox (HTML based VR metaverse, so you can change server and
download new content just by walking through a doorway) have me pretty excited
about 3D at the moment.
------
msie
Some work has got to go into the MonoDevelop environment. I had many problems
with javascript autocomplete...
~~~
socialist_coder
Don't use javascript. Seriously. Use C#.
~~~
DonHopkins
I agree, C# is a much better programming language than JavaScript. Well worth
the time to learn, even if you already know JavaScript.
The version of JavaScript that Unity has is actually just a thin veneer around
the Mono runtime, so it's not quite the same language or environment you use
in the browser or node.js.
However, there are some good reasons for using JavaScript in Unity: using
existing libraries and developing new libraries that run in browsers, mobile
devices, node.js, Unity3D and other JavaScript VMs, so you can have one code
base that runs across all those platforms.
There some problems and impedance mis-matches to solve, to make running
existing JavaScript code in Unity3D more seamlessly possible and even
convenient. And that's exactly what Browserify does for web browsers!
[http://browserify.org/](http://browserify.org/)
There is a great tool called Browserify that solves the problem of running npm
modules written for node.js in the browser, resolving dependencies, inserting
shims to implement standard asynchonous node.js APIs in terms of the existing
Unity3D apis, and packaging everything together in one file that can be
downloaded and run in a web browser.
Browserify for Unity3D could be called Unityify.
For example of how it would be useful, I'm rewriting Micropolis (based on the
original SimCity Classic code from Maxis) in JavaScript, and I'd like to be
able to easily drop the JavaScript simulator engine code into Unity3D, and
implement a nice 3D or 2D user interface in C# or whatever useful modules I
can find on the Unity Asset Store.
I think "Unityify" would be a useful tool that lots of people could use, since
the argument for running the same JavaScript code in both web browsers and
node.js servers and desktop apps also extends to running it in Unity3D.
Ideally it would be able to just pass the JavaScript libraries through with
minimal wrappers, when building Unity3D projects for deployment in browsers
with WebGL.
Is anyone else interested in such a tool, or even working on it already, or
interested in collaborating?
~~~
doyoulikeworms
Huh, that's a good idea!
I wonder if it would be possible to integrate a Mono-compiled version of
Javascript (e.g., IronJavascript) into Unity?
Some cursory Googling produced these interesting posts on integrating
IronScheme[0] and IronPython[1] with Unity.
[0]: [http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/76266-Facilities-for-
script...](http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/76266-Facilities-for-script-
languages-Scheme-in-particular) [1]:
[http://techartsurvival.blogspot.com/2013/12/embedding-
ironpy...](http://techartsurvival.blogspot.com/2013/12/embedding-ironpython-
in-unity-tech-art.html)
------
golergka
Any news on Mono version update? May be these AOT bugs that make Linq unusable
will be fixed at least, or compiler won't crash at guessing generic parameters
that often?
~~~
TillE
Nope, it certainly won't be in Unity 5. And the most they're willing to say is
that they're working on solutions. It's been what, four or five years now?
That's why I'm now using Unreal Engine 4. If you're comfortable with C++, I'd
recommend it, though it's still more or less in beta at the moment.
~~~
reitzensteinm
I'm looking into UE4 for my next game, too, and Mono is one of the reasons why
- there seems to be a focus on big picture features at the expense of the day
to day quality improvements.
For instance, my game builds are ridiculously large, because you can't store
your textures in a losslessly compressed format (you can load from URL a png
manually, but then you have to manually apply them to your models).
Unity has been so successful because it's been an "OK" tool in a land of
rubbish. It seems as though it's finally getting some strong competition at a
comparable price point, which is great for everyone.
Either Unity will step its game up (which I'd love, I don't want to switch
tools), or it'll enter a long, slow period of decline.
~~~
socialist_coder
Unity 4.3+ lets you choose "png" format as part of the native 2d support. No
more 16/24/32 bit uncompressed as the only lossless formats.
I'm not sure if the new "png" format would work for 3d textures though- there
might be some other weirdness there (like maybe you can't turn on mipmaps or
something) since it's supposed to be used for 2d sprites.
------
diziet
I love that they even mentioned the simple interstitial API call! I wonder if
they want to grow more revenue that way in the immediate future.
------
herokusaki
Does Unity have its equivalent (however immature) of Apache Flex?
------
notastartup
cryengine and UDK have far lower monthly subscription plan, and superior
graphics and performance. I love unity but it just seems very expensive just
to be able to port to iOS and Android on top of the unity pro plan. Maybe if
they included iOS and Android in the $75/month (which is still much higher
than UDK and Cryengine have announced) and lowered it further, it could stay
competitive.
~~~
legohead
barrier for entry into Unity is still unmatched.
C#/Javascript vs C++/Lua
Lua is easier than C++ but is still, I don't know, quirky, to me.
~~~
doyoulikeworms
Unity's "Javascript" is, AFAIK, more aptly named "UnityScript".[0]
[0]:
[http://wiki.unity3d.com/index.php?title=UnityScript_versus_J...](http://wiki.unity3d.com/index.php?title=UnityScript_versus_JavaScript)
~~~
DonHopkins
Good point. Please see my comment about "Unityify"!
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7613488](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7613488)
Since I haven't written much "UnityScript" code myself, I'd appreciate your
comments about whether you think it's possible (or worth the effort) for a
tool like Browserify/Unityify to translate JavaScript code so it runs in
Unity3D, or for programmers to write portable modules in a dialect of
JavaScript that will run in both.
Maybe Unity3D themselves could help, by fixing problems with UnityScript that
make it hard to run standard JavaScript, and providing hooks in their compiler
pipeline that enable passing JavaScript libraries through with minimal
modification when you're targeting the web browser and WebGL.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: What would you recommend to invest time as a research/development topic? - notomorrow
======
AnimalMuppet
_Something you really care about._ Don't invest the time because you _should_
, do it because you _want to_.
------
mimixco
I would echo AnimalMuppet and add that you should research something where
your particular skills are going to benefit the project.
After you do your research, think about how you're going to get your message
out to the world. That's at least as important as doing the research itself.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
First android phone (T-Mobile G1) - Retric
http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/mobile/android/hpp.html
======
petercooper
There's also a five minute walkthrough for iPhone users here:
[http://www.mobileorchard.com/a-5-minute-walkthrough-of-
andro...](http://www.mobileorchard.com/a-5-minute-walkthrough-of-android-for-
iphone-developers/)
Engadget also has a review:
<http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/16/t-mobile-g1-review/>
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Linux and Convertible Tablets - era86
I've been following IFA here and there and I've noticed that manufacturers are moving towards this tablet/laptop convertible form factor. I think Windows 8 will make this form factor be the defacto standard in portable computers. What are your thoughts on how Ubuntu (or any other distro) will adjust/adapt to it?
======
esolyt
Ubuntu has already been touch-optimizing Unity for a long time. Ubuntu
(actually the credit should go to Gnome and GTK for smooth scrolling, and
Linux kernel for touch drivers) now perfectly supports smooth touch scrolling
along with certain three-finger gestures to move windows around etc. They
might even be ahead of Windows 8 in terms touch-compatibility. What they
should do now is to convince more OEMs to ship Ubuntu devices.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
FreeRTOS meets Rust - cpeterso
http://www.hashmismatch.net/freertos-meets-rust/
======
kartD
Little off topic, but does anyone have a good resource or tutorial for
FreeRTOS. I find freertos.org sparse and not really illustrative.
~~~
stephen_g
The lack of documentation was one of the reasons I ditched FreeRTOS and moved
to ChibiOS, which I'm enjoying a lot. It has a much nicer API and cleaner
codebase, really good demo projects, and a good discussion forum where the
main developer usually answers any questions in a day or two. Unfortunately it
still isn't that much better in terms of written documentation though.
~~~
fest
The lack of vendor-agnostic hardware abstraction layer (drivers) in FreeRTOS
was my main reason to use ChibiOS for my projects.
Although, libopencm3 has progressed nicely, so FreeRTOS + libopencm3 could now
be a decent alternative to ChibiOS.
------
DCRichards
This could be interesting for things like Pebble which is based on FreeRTOS,
would be great to do some modifications on that level
[https://developer.pebble.com/blog/2014/05/23/FreeRTOS-
Modifi...](https://developer.pebble.com/blog/2014/05/23/FreeRTOS-
Modifications-From-Pebble/)
------
ambrop7
The problem with FreeRTOS is that it comes without batteries included, like
drivers, networking and filesystem. I see such features as a primary advantage
of an RTOS compared to a home-grown solution without threads (i.e. just main
and interrupts).
For those who like a full OS, RTEMS is a more complete solution.
~~~
kirrent
To be fair, that's by design and they make no secret of the fact that it's not
a fully featured OS. FreeRTOS has a lot of that stuff available but I think
that part of the reason it's so popular is because of how bare-bones,
lightweight, and portable it is. From their FAQ: What is a Real Time Kernel?
See the page "what is an RTOS" for a more detailed explanation than provided
here.
A Real Time Operating System can provide many resources to application writers
- including TCP/IP stacks, files systems, etc. The Kernel is the part of the
operating system that is responsible for task management, and intertask
communication and synchronisation. FreeRTOS is a real time kernel.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Live Your Best Life Ever - tokenadult
http://www.newsweek.com/id/200025/
======
tokenadult
Submitted as an example of how the mainstream media can respond to
pseudoscience in popular media.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Hybrid Memory Cube is 15x faster and 70% greener than DDR3 - mTh
http://www.hybridmemorycube.org/technology.html
======
ck2
That's a disgusting amount of marketing hype. I wonder what the reality is.
If it's for real, let some independents play with a prototype and it will sell
itself.
------
timmyd
Will make caching in HM EC2 instances easier - if they work as well as stated
- just stack a few of these puppies together and you could run your DB
entirely in memory :D
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: GitHub Issues or alternative for non-tech related projects? - antonholmquist
I'm love GitHub Issues and would want to use it for task management / todo-list for other team members for general tasks.<p>Are there any good alternatives for this, or do anyone have experience with using GH Issues for this?
======
cimmanom
What is it you like about github issues, compared to all the other man an
board and to do list software out there?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: Collaborative drawing with protocol buffers - rwinn
https://johan-nordberg.com/wspainter/
======
NKCSS
Lol, justplayed 3 games of noughts and crosses, always fun to see something
like this :)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Wasted IC Designs - kumarski
http://www.kumar.vc/tesla-would-cry-about-these-ic-designs/
======
nkurz
Cached:
[http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3Awww.k...](http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3Awww.kumar.vc%2Ftesla-
would-cry-about-these-ic-designs%2F)
I presume he means Nikola Tesla
([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla))
rather than the electric car company
([http://www.teslamotors.com](http://www.teslamotors.com)), but I still don't
understand the reference. Is there more to it than the general notion than Mr.
Tesla had many ideas that never reached fruition?
~~~
kumarski
I had an anecdote about the failure prone nature of IC design and Tesla's
failed commercialization attempts.
------
yongjik
I'm ignorant on IC designs, but this whole post sounds like a big "solution in
search of a problem" to me. Could someone enlighten us on whether there are
really enough abandoned IC designs that are economically viable?
~~~
kumarski
The idea is that there's 10-20 percent of useful IC designs. Additionally,
efabless provides the environment to design, test, and simulate the IC with
respect to the foundry/fab.
~~~
kumarski
I should have probably outlined why it's meaningful, or why I'm taking a risk
on it.
\- IC design software as it currently stands has no version control. (I was
shocked at this...)
\- IC designs are built in a closed box.
\- There's an absurdly high level of unsellable designs. This occurs because
there's no customer feedback loop and you can't predict the direction of the
IC market.
Additionally, I'm pretty stoked about things like: prefundia.com
kickstarter.com
Because... they mitigate production risk.
The cost of failure in IC design is pretty big. Efabless gives away the
software part of it for free to IC designers.
~~~
ChuckMcM
This doesn't really match my understanding of things, this is what I'm
familiar with.
IC design software is too loose a term. Most, if not all, integrated circuits
are designed these days using a hardware description language (VHDL and
Verilog being most popular) and those languages/files have exactly the same
level of source code control that any source code does, git, mercurial, CVS,
etc. They are just text files, they have a build and a test processes.
Further integrated circuits can be collaboratively designed, look at
FPGACPU.org as an interesting example.
This one is really hard to wrap my head around:
CLAIM: There is an absurdly high level of unsalable designs.
EVIDENCE: This occurs because there's no customer feedback loop and you can't
predict the direction of the IC market.
Bad chip designs exist for the same reason that bad software exists, some
people just produce bad designs. I think you were trying to argue that there
are good designs that didn't get produced, but that is true for any design.
So that said lets talk about what _is_ hard.
It is hard for me, as an individual, to get a wafer start at a fab. It is hard
for me as an individual to _generate_ masks for a specific process.
It is hard for me, as an individual, to get the circuit parameters for a
particular process and so that I can do both a good layout and can tweak my
masks for good yield.
It is hard for me, as an individual, to get my processed wafers diced, tested,
and packaged.
Historically, getting all of those things done to convert a working chip
design from simulation to testable parts, has been a few million dollars. And
at the end of those millions one has (wafer size / die size ) * layout
efficency * process yield * testing yield number of parts. These are divided
up into one or more 'bins' (if they are still usable at different frequencies
or voltages). And when I divide that number of chips by the amount of money
I've spent, I've got a price per chip that has to be something the market will
be willing to pay.
That is both a lot of hoops, and sitting down for betting one round costs a
few million.
So what, exactly, is efabless.com de-risking? Unlike circuit boards, you can't
easily put several different IC designs on the same chip and expect a fixed
yield across them (sort of the OSHPark model). You can do what some folks have
done which is buy "excess" capacity on older generation fabs (like Atmel's)
and get a discount because you're helping them keep things running, but its
still quite expensive.
The cost of failure in IC design is nearly zero. Once you've done the
simulations you've just burned CPU cycles up to that point. If the process is
_well characterized_ there is exactly zero reason for a chip you produce to
not work when it comes out the other end. A long time friend from my Intel
days remarked that it used to be news if a chip worked the first time, now it
is news if it _doesn 't_ work the first time you bake it.
I can see a challenge that low run rate chips are too expensive for the market
they are trying to serve (which is why FPGAs have been growing in leaps and
bounds). The original solution, ASICs which are less space efficient than
bespoke designs are great for taking an FPGA design into production. So the
modern "chip" process has evolved to design it, ship your MVP on FPGAs, if you
get sufficient traction you do a two or three metal layer ASIC, if you get
even more traction you plug in the process design library and do layout for a
specific process. Where does efabless fit into that?
~~~
GregBuchholz
>So the modern "chip" process has evolved to design it, ship your MVP on
FPGAs, if you get sufficient traction you do a two or three metal layer ASIC,
if you get even more traction you plug in the process design library and do
layout for a specific process. Where does efabless fit into that?
I don't know what efabless is all about, but I could see several areas that
don't fit your mold. Analog, RF, ultra low power, sensors (optical, etc.),
switching power supplies, MEMS, etc..
~~~
ChuckMcM
That is a really awesome point. I don't know how you could even _begin_ to
cost effectively get the price of designing your own circuit geometries into
peoples hands ala kickstarter. Not to mention how to simulate the physics of
those devices prior to fabrication.
------
adyus
While the idea seems interesting, a quick read of this post reveals no
connection whatsoever to Tesla. I'm baffled by the title.
I wonder if this idea could also be applied to other types of work-intensive
designs that simply were ahead of their time and could be resurrected with
today's tech, such as car design.
~~~
dang
You're right—the title was linkbait. We changed it in accordance with the HN
guidelines.
~~~
kumarski
It wasn't. One version of the draft of the blog post mentioned Nicola Tesla
and his inability to commercialize successfully. I took it out because I
thought it detracted.
I should have changed the title accordingly.
------
sp332
Cache
[http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://...](http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://www.kumar.vc/tesla-
would-cry-about-these-ic-designs/&strip=0) Edit: The pictures are still
loading even though the blog is down.
------
bsder
This doesn't fix IC design. The fix to IC design is simple:
Free design tools.
Without free tools, you can't "carry" a design until it becomes economically
viable because you have to pay Cadence/Mentor/etc. continuously.
The problem is that the number of people who can make such tools borders on
zero to begin with. Combine that with the fact that most companies will pay
you quite a bit if you are that good at ECAD programming, and you basically
have no programmers available.
(For a good example, look at the state of free PCB tools vs the ones you buy.
VLSI is at least an order of magnitude few users and programmers than _THAT_.)
~~~
kumarski
These are free.
~~~
bsder
And where can I download these tools?
This isn't free. You are attempting to extract rent from already cost-sunk
designs rather than enabling a blossoming of new design ecosystem.
~~~
kumarski
Not yet downloadable.
This is free. Okay, let's suppose you want to create an IC from scratch, we'll
support that too and allow you to use our design ecosystem for free too.
Simply message me.
------
solarmist
Site's rate limiting. Can anyone describe what this is?
------
sitkack
The company that the post mentions, EFabless, has an HN instance setup for IC
related news.
[http://clktok.efabless.com/](http://clktok.efabless.com/)
~~~
arbuge
Is the HN software available to third parties then?
~~~
kumarski
[http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4285617/how-do-i-
install-...](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4285617/how-do-i-install-arc-
to-get-a-hacker-news-clone-website)
~~~
sitkack
Although for nearly the same effort one can get reddit up and running,
[https://github.com/reddit/reddit](https://github.com/reddit/reddit)
And then with
[http://redditenhancementsuite.com/](http://redditenhancementsuite.com/) one
has a pretty good app.
------
jrockway
He probably wouldn't be too happy about the site's ability to handle the HN
effect either ;)
~~~
kumarski
I'm very unhappy about this. arghh. Could you post a screenshot if an error
appears. Thanks mucho.
~~~
michaelt
Got this a while ago (may be fixed now)
[https://imgur.com/ViY80BH](https://imgur.com/ViY80BH)
~~~
kumarski
Thank you Michael. :)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Canada’s anti-spam legislation starts July 1 - willfarrell
http://business.financialpost.com/2014/05/28/will-you-be-in-compliance-with-canadas-new-anti-spam-legislation-come-july-1/
======
ppereira
There are significant differences between Canada's anti-spam law, CASL, and
the U.S. CAN-SPAM. Key differences include:
1\. CASL is opt-in, while CAN-SPAM is opt out;
2\. Canada has an opt-in exception for existing business relationships that
must be renewed every two years; and
3\. CASL applies not only to email but to any electronic message, including a
message sent via an installed program.
For more information, see:
[http://www.mcmillan.ca/Files/172403_Key%20Differences%20betw...](http://www.mcmillan.ca/Files/172403_Key%20Differences%20between%20US%20and%20Canadian%20Anti-
Spam%20Laws.pdf)
------
eli
I believe it only applies to messages originating from a server located in
Canada, in case anyone was wondering.
EDIT: I am indeed wrong! A non-Canadian company could hypothetically get in
trouble for violating these rules. I wouldn't expect that to happen often.
Also, thankfully, the Canadian rules seem pretty reasonable. Everyone probably
should have to get explicit (more than a prechecked box) permission before
adding you to a mailing list.
~~~
corry
No, you are 100% incorrect. CASL applies to any Commercial Email Message SENT
to Canadians - server location doesn't matter.
(Sorry for being harsh, but we need to get the correct message out there).
Source: hours spent with our lawyers going over this.
There is big liability here for US companies sending email into Canada (or
Canadian firms sending to Canadians).
------
napoleond
This law has been a giant PITA for me, only because there are a bunch of
businesses running around trying to sell "compliance" services to my clients
(who don't need them, because why would I set them up with email marketing
tools that aren't opt-in only). Truth is that CASL isn't very different from
CAN-SPAM and so anyone who was already doing email marketing in the US is
probably fine, but there seems to be a whole new cottage industry in Canada
around scaring people into paying for protection from this (more or less
completely sensible) new law.
------
CanSpice
Like most anti-spam legislation, this will both hurt legitimate businesses
trying to send email to people they've done business with in the past, as well
as do nothing to stop spam. Spammers are still going to spam. They don't care
about Canadian laws.
~~~
forgottenpass
Spam filtering is pretty good these days, I don't get much spam to my inbox
that isn't CAN-SPAM compliant. The interesting take away is that Canadians are
still getting pissed off enough at CAN-SPAM passable spam to pass new
legislation.
In other words "legitimate business" is pissing people off so much that the
state is willing to intervene.
~~~
mattgreenrocks
Not surprised at all. Most businesses these days dream up any excuse they can
to email you within the confines of the law.
Gotta maximize that traction to further synergize revenue streams.
~~~
leorocky
Because running a business and trying to contact you is _such_ a terrible
thing. Instead of adopting a self-entitled stance that I have the right to not
be disturbed and any violation is an attack on my ego driven need for
individual sovereignty, I have learned to respect and even root for the small
businesses trying to make a dollar for themselves while everyone else is busy
wasting their life away being wage slaves for giant soulless corporations. I
don't get mad, I evaluate the email if I'm interested.
~~~
forgottenpass
So you (or the people running your mailbox) don't filter spam? At all? Really?
Or do the dollar signs in your eyes shift your perspective about the handful
of spam that gets through the automated filters?
------
sbov
Seems like lead generation services are up shit creek. Glad I got out of that
long ago. Is there any way for them to legally transfer the ability to email
someone to another company?
If not, I assume users filling out the wrong country (so you can filter out
Canadians from your lists, except those who put in the wrong country) doesn't
protect you either.
~~~
homulilly
It looks like any companies who were operating ethically (opt-in) will be
fine.
------
robmclarty
These new rules seem reasonable and no different from what businesses
are/should already be doing.
Does "consent" apply to websites which add an "opt in" checkbox but check it
off by default and hope that nobody sees it?
This really irritates me and I would argue does _not_ constitute my having
given my consent to receive emails. That said, I don't see an easy way to
distinguish this kind of practice from a legitimate opt-in checkbox.
~~~
kl4m
No, consent must be explicitely request, so the checkbox must be unchecked by
default, or else it's considered merely harvesting the e-mail address.
------
dallen33
So if a user already signed up for a newsletter, via a subscribe form on a
website, does this law affect subscribers of that list?
~~~
notatoad
If the user has signed up explicitly for the purpose of receiving the
newsletter, that's an opt-in and you're fine. if you want to use that list to
send emails outside the scope of what the users initially signed up for,
you're getting into grey area.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Open source media archive platform pan.do/ra - ausjke
https://pan.do/ra#about
======
ausjke
Looks great to build/host your own video archive, is there a similar self-
hosting software for audio archive?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Groovy Array: it just keeps going...and going... - rbxbx
http://svn.codehaus.org/groovy/trunk/groovy/groovy-core/src/main/org/codehaus/groovy/runtime/ArrayUtil.java
======
jff
I just went to post that... can anybody explain to me what exactly is going
on? I'm not familiar with Groovy, and I try to forget Java when I can, but
this just plain doesn't make any sense.
~~~
akronim
They're aiming for compatibility with Java 1.4, which doesn't have varargs. In
java 1.5 you could just write
public static Object[] createArray(Object... args) {
return args;
}
~~~
zmmmmm
I remember discovering this and deciding to eliminate it as part of an effort
to compress the groovy jar file a bit more (long story, but basically I was
running some Groovy in an applet, every byte counts).
I thought I'd found a jackpot and that killing this class would surely
eliminate a nice chunk of byte code. To my amazement it makes almost no
difference. With pack200 the redundancy of all these methods is totally
stripped out. It took me an hour or so of work and I think it made less than
200 bytes difference in the end.
------
briancarper
There are some similar horrors in the source code for Clojure.
[https://github.com/clojure/clojure/blob/master/src/jvm/cloju...](https://github.com/clojure/clojure/blob/master/src/jvm/clojure/lang/IFn.java)
Java is a harsh mistress. This is why dynamic languages on the JVM are nice,
so I never have to write code like this myself.
~~~
Psyonic
I can't be sure, but in the Clojure case it appears to be done for performance
reasons. The final definition of invoke uses varargs for everything after 20,
so it's not an issue of compatibility.
------
tomn
This is what _comments_ were made for!
I'm sure it's legitimate, but you'd have to be insane to look at that code and
not question why it exists.
~~~
code_duck
One could also say you'd have to be sophomoric to assume the person who put if
there didn't do so for a good reason.
~~~
tomn
As I said, I'm sure that it's legitimate, but it's definitely not good code,
and I'd rather not have it lurking in my codebase for years on end. If you
don't know the original motivation behind writing something like that, you
can't really remove it for fear of the original bug cropping up again without
you noticing.
(I guess, then this is also what test cases are for...)
------
Groxx
I'm curious: Why don't people just use `new Object[]{arg1, arg2...}` ?
It's one letter longer than `createArray(arg1, arg1...)`, doesn't require you
to include that chunk of code, is _infinite_ in length, and allows you to
statically-type it in your type of choice. Heck, it's _the same code_ , just
removing a layer of indirection.
edit: noticed it's one character longer, not the same length. Maybe that's
why?
~~~
chrisbroadfoot
This isn't regular code. This is code for the groovy runtime.
~~~
Groxx
So, why don't the Groovy runtime programmers just write `new Object[]{arg1,
arg2...}` ?
~~~
tedunangst
I suspect this is code meant to be called by generated bytecode, and
generating the bytecode to call said function is easier than generating the
bytecode to make a new object[]?
~~~
wlievens
It's been a while since I generated JVM bytecode (oh my, five years), but I
don't recall there being array initializer instructions. In other words, the
new Object[] {...} statement probably translates to a whole bunch of array-
write operations on the caller side whereas with a method call you just push
them all on the stack and invoke the utility method.
------
chrisbroadfoot
It's probably generated. Here's a one-liner in Groovy to generate the class
body:
(0..249).each { println "public static Object[] createArray(${(0..it).collect{'Object arg'+it}.join(', ')}) {\n\treturn new Object[]{\n\t\t${(0..it).collect{'arg'+it}.join(', ')}};\n}\n" }
Sorry it's not the most readable thing ;)
------
xiongchiamiov
Can't you use variadic function parameters?
public static Object[] createArray(Object... args) {
return args;
}
I haven't done any Java in a while, so I'm just piecing this together from
StackOverflow examples (with compiling, of course).
~~~
Psyonic
Since Java 1.5, yes. Perhaps it's an issue of backwards compatibility.
------
emehrkay
I need to instantiate an array with 251 members. Guess I'm out of luck
------
robinduckett
And this is why I like dynamic languages.
~~~
brazzy
Groovy _is_ a dynamic language. This is what it has to do behind the curtains,
and even then only for backwards compatibility.
Your own favorite dynamic language is most likely doing worse things deep
inside the runtime code where you can't see it.
------
powertower
This is a good example of how projects turn out that are outsourced and get
billed by a lines-of-code metric.
(just as an example ... I'm aware that this is not the case here)
~~~
wlievens
If it's not a case here, how could this be a _good example_? This is an
example of generating code to work around a limitation. You can approve or
disapprove of the whole situation, but it does have technical merit.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Apple Now Has $194B in Cash - Red_Tarsius
http://techcrunch.com/2015/04/27/apple-now-has-194-billion-in-cash/#.fewf6c:py0d
======
ChuckMcM
Such an awesomely stunning number. Waiting on a repatriation holiday. I wonder
if it affects the currency exchange rates of the countries where it is stashed
:-)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The State of Cloud Computing in 2011 (Infographic) - socialized
http://www.readwriteweb.com/cloud/2011/06/the-state-of-cloud-computing.php
======
Khao
This infographic doesn't give me any info at all! The numbers don't make any
sense.
"Most popular guest OS in the cloud : 66% Windows, 83% Linux." How am I
supposed to interpret that? This equals to 152% of most popular guest OS
------
socialized
Some people are going to use both Windows AND Linux so that's how that's
possible.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: A Simple Workout App for iOS - tommy_
http://www.strengthclub.co/
======
bottlerocket
Nice, can you add your own workout or only use the predefined ones?
~~~
tommy_
At the moment only the predefined ones. I will add custom workouts soon™.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
What should a young person do with $20,000? - flyingpigs
This person will soon graduate uni, has 0 debt, essentially 0 obligations, and wants to grow rather than blow the amount.
======
marssaxman
Personally, I'd suggest selling everything you own, throwing a dart at a map,
going there, and proceeding to see where adventure takes you. When you run out
of money, find something productive to do and start earning some more money.
$20k won't get you very far in financial terms, but it can buy a hell of a lot
of life experience from the position you're in. The cost of long term travel
will rise rapidly as your life continues; right now that $20k will probably
buy you a year, but in another decade, a year of travel will be about as
feasible as a trip to the moon.
------
chinesefood1234
Assuming you're into startups, you should start a company. Read this post -
[https://blog.kissmetrics.com/built-and-launched-a-saas-
compa...](https://blog.kissmetrics.com/built-and-launched-a-saas-company/)
You could actually do this for less than $40k if you had a co-founder. This
guy just paid retail price for a developer and designer but if you either knew
how to do it or got a co-founder you could do the same thing for less than $5k
probably.
~~~
AnimalMuppet
"... and wants to grow rather than blow the amount."
A startup is a great way to blow the whole amount, unless you are pretty sure
that there's an actual market for what your startup will produce, that you can
produce it, and that you can win over anyone else who's also trying to produce
that. Many, many, many startups do not fit those criteria.
------
anonymous_iam
Invest it in something other than a YC startup.
------
throwaway420
Do you have any income?
If I was in your shoes I'd probably buy myself 1 nice thing (a small vacation
or a new piece of furniture/electronics or something) and I'd split the rest
between investing and having an emergency fund for when life throws you a
curve ball (home/car repairs, losing job, illness, bail money, etc)
------
conorh
Take half and invest it in an index fund. Take the rest and travel for a year.
------
savethefuture
Invest some of it, save some of it, and then buy something nice for yourself.
------
zachcb
Put it in an index fund and leave it.
~~~
wasbornyestrday
How does one do this? Does it involve a broker? Is their cut irrespective of
market performance? Do the anecdotes and unspoken secrets about "mom-and-pop
investors" not apply?
~~~
zachcb
Just signup for a Fidelity account, go here (FUSVX):
[https://fundresearch.fidelity.com/mutual-
funds/summary/31591...](https://fundresearch.fidelity.com/mutual-
funds/summary/315911701?type=sq-NavBar)
And put the money in there. It'll invest in the S&P 500. It's one of the
easiest and best investments you can make.
I do not know about any of these anecdotes or unspoken secrets.
------
pastaking
Invest it in your education
~~~
AnimalMuppet
"This person will soon graduate uni..."
And I'm not sure that grad school is an investment that pays back very well.
I mean, what you said is sound advice in general. Just not in this specific
case.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Stream Sweep – Search across multiple streaming platforms for a track - adrianleb
http://streamsweep.com/
======
kevinschumacher
Is there a good service like this but for Movies/TV?
I would love to be able to search for a movie and have it tell me it's
available on Prime streaming, so I can go straight there instead of searching
HBO Go and Netflix first. Ideally, I am also logged in to all my services and
it just starts playing.
~~~
pronoiac
Yes! You're looking for [http://www.canistream.it/](http://www.canistream.it/)
, and it's great.
------
adrianleb
Initially a tool made for editors looking for a good stream and a high quality
images for a specific track, also a good benchmark for browses capability on
performing css blur filter "smoothly", currently, the blur performance on
Yosemite safari seems far superior than of other top browsers out there.
More platforms and other features to be added, suggestions welcome!
------
dopple
Looks like this is trying to solve the same problem as
[https://bop.fm/](https://bop.fm/)
~~~
corobo
Good lord I think their error page just burned a few of my braincells!
[https://i.imgy.org/df/9e/bop-500-error.png](https://i.imgy.org/df/9e/bop-500-error.png)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.