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Mozilla Plans H.264 Video for Desktop Firefox - glhaynes
http://www.webmonkey.com/2012/10/mozilla-plans-h-264-video-for-desktop-firefox/
======
gmartres
H.264 is not a "proprietary video codec", it's a patent-encumbered codec. The
spec is available for free on the ITU
website(<http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-H.264>) and several open source
implementations exist.
~~~
ramy_d
The spec is useless, even harmful, if 3 years from now MPEG LA decides to
start charging content providers a licensing fee for their content, even if
that content is distributed for free.
If we start using a codec for which the patents are owned by a company, and
that company dictates the licensing terms for that codec, then aren't we
handing control to how the content is distributed to said company?
what do we know about MPEG LA?
~~~
protomyth
[http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/26/mpeg-la-
makes-h-264-video...](http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/26/mpeg-la-
makes-h-264-video-royalty-free-forever-as-long-as-its/)
~~~
JoshTriplett
That says absolutely nothing about h.264 decoder or encoder implementations,
such as the decoders needed in web browsers to handle h.264 in <video> tags;
that just says MPEG-LA won't charge people distributing h.264 video files.
~~~
protomyth
The parent post didn't mention decoders / encoders, it mentioned free content.
These articles[1][2] explain the costs and possible increases[3]. Apple,
Microsoft, and Google have bought the license for their libraries on their
platforms.
[1] [http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/a-closer-look-at-the-costs-
an...](http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/a-closer-look-at-the-costs-and-fine-
print-of-h-264-licenses/2884)
[2] [http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/h-264-patents-how-much-do-
the...](http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/h-264-patents-how-much-do-they-really-
cost/2122)
[3] <http://www.mpegla.com/main/programs/AVC/Pages/FAQ.aspx> last question
------
azakai
> Unfortunately that dream has failed to pan out. Instead of proprietary
> plugins, the web ended up with proprietary video codecs, which has created a
> split in browser support for HTML5 video. Firefox and Opera support the open
> Ogg and WebM codecs, while Safari and Internet Explorer supported H.264.
Funny, it looks like a major browser was left out there (in fact the #1
browser in usage according to some metrics).
The article is pretty good overall, but is missing a key piece that is
important to understand the background.
~~~
mtgx
I blame Google for this, too. They should've made Youtube play on WebM by
default, with a fallback to Flash in browsers that don't support it. That
would've forced the others to adopt WebM.
~~~
Scaevolus
Forcing an inferior codec on users for political reasons is unreasonable.
Have you tried watching 720p WebM compared to 720p H264? The difference is
jarring.
~~~
icebraining
I watched the Amazing Spiderman trailer[1] in 720p in both formats - using
youtube-dl - and I honestly couldn't tell the difference. The webM file is
~16% larger, though.
[1]: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atCfTRMyjGU>
------
andybak
Does anyone have an opinion on whether Google's purchase of On2 makes any
sense now with hindsight?
Did it affect the behaviour of the MPEGLA in any way? I know some of the tech
has fed into WebRTC but that battle is far from over.
Was On2 worth the cash?
~~~
ajross
Google acquired On2 in February of 2010. In August of 2010, the MPEG-LA
"announced that H.264 encoded internet video that is free to end users will
never be charged royalties."
([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264/MPEG-4_AVC#Patent_licensi...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264/MPEG-4_AVC#Patent_licensing))
So... yeah, I'd say it profoundly affected the MPEG-LA's behavior. If Google
didn't have an easy out with (what would become) WebM, their Youtube licensing
would be much more expensive.
Whether that patent promise has any bearing on the Mozilla decision is a more
complicated issue. People have strong opinions on both sides.
------
macinjosh
This is great news. There will now be a de facto standard codec for HTML5
video!
~~~
lucian1900
Except it'll be the wrong one, sadly.
~~~
acdha
The wrong choice is Flash.
H.264 vs. WebM is a far more nuanced tradeoff – widespread support and higher-
quality implementations versus [hopefully] freedom from patents. Either way,
the web wins if there's more <video> and less <embed> depending on an opaque
binary blob from a single vendor with a track record of platform neglect.
~~~
lucian1900
Sure, but it could've been so much better, with almost no extra effort.
In the end, we have the worse of two options for absolutely no gain.
~~~
anonymfus
In the end patents will expire. 15 years left.
~~~
wtetzner
And that's one of the biggest problems with software patents. In 15 years,
we'll likely be using a different codec (or, at least I would hope we'd make
some progress in that amount of time).
~~~
protomyth
Probably sooner, H.265 is next on the list
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Efficiency_Video_Coding>
<http://www.h265.net>
------
nitrogen
How do they plan to defend against vulnerabilities in the system codecs?
Especially a GPU-accelerated codec has the potential to wreak all sorts of
nefariousness.
------
J_Darnley
_crosses fingers_ Please use libavcodec! Please use libavcodec! Please use
libavcodec! _reads article and is disappointed_
~~~
ibotty
they will use gstreamer (which won't rule ouy libavcodec).
~~~
av500
gstreamer itself will use libavcodec
~~~
ibotty
that's what i was implying (with my typo). but gstreamer might use something
else as well.
------
andrewkerr
Contrary to the article, h264 is not currently working on Android Firefox
(2012-10-11 release), or at least it doesn't for me.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The Cost of a Logo - damian2000
http://www.huhmagazine.co.uk/view_article.php?id=4140&s=art&t=design
======
mikeryan
Please note this mixes up the cost of a logo with the cost of a rebranding
effort.
Creating the logo is only one very small piece of a rebrand.
~~~
cschmidt
Right, I'm sure the BP rebrand included new expensive signs at all of their
gas stations. I isn't like the logo design walked off with hundreds of
millions.
~~~
ender7
The designer does the rebranding, not the customer. This means generating all
the new style guides, promotional material templates, business cards, even
sometimes ad templates.
All of that derives from the logo/wordmark, but it's usually the majority of
the work.
~~~
_delirium
In the case of BP's rebranding, the numbers quoted here seem to be mainly BP-
side spending, such as replacing signage on facilities and repainting
vehicles: [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1350238/BP-
attacked-o...](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1350238/BP-attacked-
over-136m-logo-as-petrol-prices-soar.html)
------
chris_wot
It's interesting that the London Olympics logo is so embarrassing. The UK
government have form, as the old Office of Goverment Commerce found to their
chagrin. Their logo was even more naughty when rotated 90 degrees, and its
logo was literally just the text OGC in a very elegant font. They paid £14,000
for it.
In fact, it's an awesome logo, if not for the unfortunate letter formation...
[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1901656/OGC-unveils-new-
logo...](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1901656/OGC-unveils-new-logo-to-red-
faces.html)
For the image...
[http://www.google.com.au/search?tbm=isch&source=mog&...](http://www.google.com.au/search?tbm=isch&source=mog&hl=en-
GB&gl=au&client=safari&tab=wi&q=ogc%20logo%20fail&sa=N&biw=320&bih=416#i=1)
~~~
chris_wot
Hmmm... second link not working!
Try:
[http://www.chewdesign.co.uk/wp-content/gallery/latest/ogc-
lo...](http://www.chewdesign.co.uk/wp-content/gallery/latest/ogc-logo.jpg)
------
chrislomax
There is a direct correlation between the size of a company and the cost they
pay for a logo, if twitter gave a marketing company the power to rebrand their
logo now it would cost thousands.
There is a certain amount of responsibility in rebranding a large company and
the myriad of brand documentation that goes with it.
It's funny how a startup only really cares about the logo looking nice but
once they get big then it goes into the brand position and how that brand
speaks to people.
I find it really interesting all this, I work for a company that specialises
in branding (I work on the web side mind) but I know how much work companies
are doing for the 400k price tags
~~~
rmk2
> but I know how much work companies are doing for the 400k price tags
I absolutely agree, by far the biggest portion of most redesigns isn't so much
"just" the logo, it's changing the whole corporate design that is attached.
Letterheads, website, slide design, business cards etc. etc. etc.
That is obviously only the case if you already have an established brand and
established corporate culture. The small startup with just a handful of people
doesn't have to worry to much (since not much is in place), but if you need to
("retroactively") change the specs for thousands of workers, subsidiaries etc,
that quickly ramps up the price and the amount of work needed.
------
jere
>To fix this, Lambie-Nairn simply straightened up the boxes, removed the
dashes, and changed the font to Gill Sans - _a typeface which had been
invented 60 years ago, meaning there were no worries of it quickly looking
outdated._
A really clever design principle. I've always thought it was most effectively
used in film (e.g. Gattaca).
------
jacobr
Shameless ripoff of [http://stocklogos.com/topic/famous-logo-designs-and-how-
much...](http://stocklogos.com/topic/famous-logo-designs-and-how-much-did-
they-cost) posted 1 month ago
------
mtoddh
Wow, $100 million USD for the Accenture logo is baffling to me. I'm guessing
there must be more being delivered behind the scenes that just the image.
Anyone with experience in this area care to elaborate on how they come up with
these prices?
~~~
citricsquid
They didn't pay $100m for a "logo", they paid for brand identity, marketing,
they paid for their entire image to be changed. Same with BP.
~~~
damian2000
Physical changeover of signage at all sites with the logo is another big cost.
It usually must all be done at around the same time which often means higher
after hours costs. For BP, this means all of their petrol stations.
~~~
larrys
Not to mention letterheads, business cards, envelopes, labels, internal paper
forms. Both the sign and the printing industry benefit when a company
rebrands.
------
juddlyon
The cost of a logo: $0
The cost of endless iterations, navigation of bureaucracy, corporate politics,
egos, lack of respect for your field, phasing out the old stuff,
documentation, pricing according to what the company can pay, etc.: what the
market will bear
BP can afford $211K. In 2011 they averaged $70 million in revenue per day.
~~~
joonap
Please note that the amount was $211 million
~~~
chris_wot
About 3 days of revenue... Not bad!
------
wallflower
For context, more Olympic logos.
My favorites are Grenoble, 1968 and Nagano, 1998 and Cortina d’Ampezzo, 1956.
[http://www.digitalhorticulture.com/a-history-of-olympic-
logo...](http://www.digitalhorticulture.com/a-history-of-olympic-logos-from-
london-2012-to-london-1948/)
~~~
chris_wot
I have to say that apart from the current London logo, these are all amazing!
They each capture the mood and place of the games at that time... I can't
believe that so many countries got their logos so consistently right for one
event!
One dud amongst many is remarkable...
------
andy_herbert
Some of these examples are redesigns so it makes the actual cost extremely
difficult, or impossible to quantify.
------
AndrewKemendo
Incidentally PepsiCo released an interesting PDF document which revealed their
redesign "process."
[http://bunnitude.com/misc/files/pepsi_gravitational_field.pd...](http://bunnitude.com/misc/files/pepsi_gravitational_field.pdf)
------
ctdonath
FWIW: <http://www.50dollarlogo.com/>
~~~
jmitcheson
Don't use this website. It's a scam.
[http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/50dollarlogocom-c1...](http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/50dollarlogocom-c137424.html)
[http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080324152924AA...](http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080324152924AAuYUiK)
Plus my own experience.
If you want to pay $50 for a logo, google "Stock logos". If you want an actual
good logo, 99 designs has a logo section (they start at like $300).
------
hcarvalhoalves
The conclusion I draw from this list: boring companies spend money on
rebranding efforts to change their image; good companies give meaning and
value to their logos by themselves.
------
rickdale
Just spent $600 on a logo at 99 designs.com. I ended up receiving over 300
submissions. No rebranding necessary seems like $500-1000 is a good price for
a graphic.
------
propercoil
it's price anchoring based on the size of the company or how many cash they
have - more money more bucks spent on logo and nothing more
------
freakball
The Fat Man with a red shirt and blue pants...
------
ktizo
Was interested to learn about Nike actually doing the right thing by their
logo designer when they made some money. Which doesn't excuse their
manufacturing history.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Parents Revolt Over Fisher-Price Infant Seat With Face-Level iPad Mount - davidsmith8900
http://www.digitaltrends.com/gadgets/parents-dislike-infant-seat-ipad-mount/
======
PhasmaFelis
> _CCFC director Susan Linn said “Babies thrive when they are talked to,
> played with and cuddled, not when they are alone with a screen.”_
Let me guess. Two-parent household with enough money for regular day care,
right?
I know a single mother who spends literally every single waking moment with
her baby, not a moment to herself, and it's destroying her sanity. She _needs_
electronic baby distracters just to get enough downtime to remain fit to care
for her child. Fuck these sanctimonious pricks who think poor people don't
count.
~~~
ok_craig
As someone who really doesn't know, is it _actually_ necessary to have an
adult watching a baby every moment of its existence?
~~~
sfjailbird
Just because you are not watching them, doesn't mean that they have to be
glued to a screen. They could be exploring their environment or other things
that engages their motor skills and other senses.
I wonder how many commenters here have children? A screen with moving images
and sounds is absolutely hypnotic to a small child, and they _will_ get stuck
in front of it and sit staring for hours. When it is turned off, they will
incessantly beg for it to be turned on, to the detriment of all other
activities.
~~~
LeeHunter
This. Given the choice of dealing with a world that is always shiny, bright,
cheerful, smooth, clean, and instantly responsive and a world that is
frustrating, demanding, ambiguous, unyielding etc an infant (and a helluva lot
of adults) will remain transfixed by the screen to the detriment of their
physical and mental development.
------
vacri
_However, it’s important to note that the seat can be used normally without an
iPad._
I find it hard to believe any of the critics were concerned that it might not
work without an ipad.
------
alrs
[http://blogs.artinfo.com/lacmonfire/files/2013/05/clockwork_...](http://blogs.artinfo.com/lacmonfire/files/2013/05/clockwork_brainwash.jpg)
This is Kubrick.
------
eru
This linked product
([http://www.ctadigital.com/item.asp?item=3016](http://www.ctadigital.com/item.asp?item=3016))
is even better.
~~~
davidsmith8900
\- Nice link. Thanks for it.
------
mjfisher
I can't be the only one who thinks tablets have the potential to be an
extremely positive early-stage developmental and educational aid? Of course,
abandoning your child in front of an iPad for hours on end is not good
parenting - no one is suggesting it is. Plonking your little one in front of a
TV for hours is just as bad for the same reason.
There's no reason at all why focused play on a tablet now and again shouldn't
take its place alongside books (those great ones with the thick chewable
cardboard pages), dolls, chunky plastic diggers, balls and building blocks -
and TV, now and again.
Getting in and playing with computers fairly early did me a world of good, and
allowed me to much more effectively develop my interests. I still have an
enduring love of dinosaurs thanks to an old DOS program called Burt's
Dinosaurs. I played on games that taught me basic arithmetic. I learned how
all manner of things worked. It was great! And in a world where technology
itself is getting to be so central to everyday life, it is much better to
learn how to be familiar and comfortable with it than to run away and pretend
that we can insulate our children from it forever.
Tablets are interactive, media-rich, the children that play on them develop
amazing coordination, and it's a format that can provide great material
wrapped up in a way that makes learning fun for children.
I can only guess that so many are uncomfortable with the idea of this product
because it suggests prolonged unsupervised play, rather than problems with
tablets themselves?
~~~
sentenza
What's most troubling is that it will most likely used for passive
consumption, not unsupervised play.
My kid is quite sharp, but she couldn't use the computer mouse before 3 and
touch screens before 2 years of age. Assuming that this is normal, what could
children < 2 possibly do with it except passively consume?
------
zaqokm
I have a feeling many of the peopel who are complaining will end up sitting
their child in front of the TV in years to come. A product like this may be
useful as a entertainment device for the child and can be combined with
parental involement.
------
maaku
As a parent, this is disgusting. I would like to hope that it fails because no
one buys it, but sadly I do not think that will be the case.
~~~
rurounijones
Did you read this :
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6893190](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6893190)
And did it affect your opinion?
~~~
maaku
No. I have _two_ little ones at home (2yo and 6 weeks), and no steady
employment. Of course I can't afford daycare. My wife and I have off-time
measured in the minutes per 24-hour period. I seriously can't remember the
last time I got a full nights sleep. But I am more resolved about this matter
than before my wife and I had kids.
Being a parent is an awesome responsibility. You more than anyone or anything
else shape who you kid becomes, and how they develop is determined by what you
allow to be brought into their lives. The damage done by passive screentime,
especially at such a young age is immense. _It alters the personality of your
child._ It kills creativity and playful inventiveness. Which, by the way, are
the core elements to success no matter what you doing in life. These parents
are - little by little - doing life-long damage to the psyche of their
children for the transitory and selfish reward of a few minutes downtime.
That is, as I said before, disgusting.
------
onedev
Just don't buy it then?
~~~
a3n
Fundamentally yes, but it's worth commenting on, as we all have an interest in
discouraging the next generation coming up wit developmental problems. More
fundamentally, people have the right to protest.
If Amazon sold cigarettes specifically made for children, I wouldn't buy them
and I would protest.
------
orbitingpluto
Literally, WALL-E.
------
Vitaly
WTF to revolt about? You don't like it - don't buy it. Someone else wants it -
let them have it, its not your "right" to force everyone to your opinion.
------
wslh
Just when I was trying to move the iPad outside of the family! Now, my 19
months toddler only wants to watch all different Gangnam Style videos in
YouTube.
------
diminoten
Maybe mom's using it to monitor her baby during a nap through FaceTime!
~~~
hiharryhere
Pretty expensive way to go about it
------
drill_sarge
If it was for a normal toilet and a laptop I would buy
------
Super_luigi
going to the x-mas list in 3... 2...
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
YC application Winter Batch - cubinho
Hey guys!<p>It says that you can just update your previous application and apply for the batch.<p>Has anyone been able to do that? Pls help.
======
wirddin
Is this from the email we all have received for a 10-day reminder? I guess by
that they meant that you can apply with the same idea (updated content). You
won't get to see your last application or update your last application, you
have to start afresh (or copy paste from wherever you had backed it up last
time). Good luck!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Littlest database that could - dpweb
http://run-node.com/littlest-database-that-could/
======
ZitchDog
You are relying on disk io for each update, which can easily be slower than a
web request. Either that, or you aren't flushing to disk, which could mean
data loss. Modern databases use a write-ahead log to store data that hasn't
been flushed to disk yet. If you aren't doing that, you don't have a database,
you have a cache.
------
dpweb
I'm writing to disk on every insert - mainly just for simplicity for this
article. Same with semicolon delim string, normally I serialize to/from JSON.
Normally, I only flush to disk periodically using setInterval.
I'll try and do a followup post with actual load tests. I load test using
loader.io 35k requests total (increasing to 500 clients) in 20 seconds, I go
from 50ms response to 200ms but no higher than that. I'd have to do more
specific tests.
This is on a tiny $1/mo 128MB ram VPS but with SSD.
Granted this isn't your native-C powerhouse database, but I would bet 95% of
websites get less than 10k requests a day and this could easily handle that
load.
------
jermo
If database/redis is too heavy and plain json too light then one could use
something like Strata [1].
It stores json documents on disk using a b-tree.
[1] [http://bigeasy.github.io/strata/](http://bigeasy.github.io/strata/)
------
armon
By this measure Memcached offers a greater feature set, an infinitely more
robust parser, request concurrency, and doesn't really on a garbage collector.
The very fact that this "db" relies on HTTP requests already makes me cringe.
------
aashishkoirala
What you have here is a rudimentary persistent cache. "Database" is a bit of a
stretch. Could you elaborate on what your production load is?
~~~
afhof
Dumping the entire database to disk on every write? I can't imagine more than
1 qps.
------
mschuster91
Hah, nice. But I do not see support for any form of escaping the semicolon,
which might happen sooner or later with arbitrary data.
~~~
jchrisa
JSON on the wire would clean that up.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
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Popular dating app OkCupid leak puts millions of women at risk - teslademigod1
https://cybernews.com/security/popular-dating-app-leak-puts-millions-of-women-at-risk/
======
fyrefoxboy12
happy women's day i guess? another app, another leak. color me surprised...
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
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I started Gumroad as a weekend project - JamesIH
https://www.indiehackers.com/interview/4fc6cbc0e8
======
Matticus_Rex
Yes, this is the same Gumroad and same founder of "Reflections on my failure
to build a billion-dollar company" ([https://medium.com/s/story/reflecting-on-
my-failure-to-build...](https://medium.com/s/story/reflecting-on-my-failure-
to-build-a-billion-dollar-company-b0c31d7db0e7)). Interesting how the
different framing changes the narrative quite a bit.
~~~
vtange
It's a different framing but this frame hides a lot of crucial information
like the fact this venture used venture capital (and probably VC connections
too) and hired many employees. You can't really compare this to the solo-
garage-weekend-project.
~~~
AlphaWeaver
>A few months later, I left Pinterest to work full-time on Gumroad and raised
$8MM from KPCB, Max Levchin, and other investors.
------
Ayraa
As other people have already commented, Gumroad raised venture capital
([https://medium.com/s/story/reflecting-on-my-failure-to-
build...](https://medium.com/s/story/reflecting-on-my-failure-to-build-a-
billion-dollar-company-b0c31d7db0e7)) before. Sahil had to revert Gumroad to a
solo lifestyle business after it didn't grow fast enough to raise another
round.
My question is, without having been venture funded for a period of time, would
Gumroad still be able to $350k/mo now?
During the time Gumroad had a team of engineers, designers, etc., they shipped
a lot of features, made improvements and presumably had a decent advertising /
marketing budget. Gumroad likely wouldn't have reached the point where it is
today product and awareness wise if it had just been one 'indie hacker'
grinding away.
~~~
i_cant_speel
Sure, but if you are an 'indie hacker', you don't need to make anywhere near
$350k/mo to have a very comfortable life.
~~~
Matticus_Rex
That's gross revenue. Their business model probably ends up giving them 5-7%
of that in average net.
~~~
dwild
Their "gross revenue" is $5m a month. Their part of that is 350 000$ a month
(which is still their gross revenue, but I feel like that's what you meant).
> So I built Gumroad. Fast-forward over seven years and we're doing about
> $350,000 in revenue monthly, helping creators earn over $5,000,000 a month.
~~~
gamblor956
_Their "gross revenue" is $5m a month._
The $5m they process is not gross revenue to Gum Road since they're not the
beneficial or legal owners of the $5m in payments received. Their X% share of
that $5m is their gross revenue.
------
hackartist
So now "took money from VCs, tried to do the fast growth and over hiring but
learned the hard way, and now still on it work with a small team" counts as
indie hacking... Who knew? Taking money from VCs is not bad if that is the
path you are choosing, I'm just pointing out it is disingenuous to get
featured on a site which is all about an alternative slow growth but higher
ownership path.
~~~
buboard
if it shows people that VC is not the optimal path, then it has value for IH
too
~~~
topicseed
I think OP meant that while it may not be ideal for the CEO to have used VCs,
it most certainly helped the product itself in terms of resources allocated to
build and perfect it.
I understand that more cash isn't always the best way to build software, but
if the CEO is good (and in this instance, he is) then more cash mostly helped
building the current product.
------
LeonM
'I started Microsoft as a weekend project and now it's making 1B/mo'
'I started Apple as a weekend project and now it's making 1B/mo'
'I started Google as a weekend project and now it's making 1B/mo'
How the company was started is completely irrelevant to the outcome and it's
clearly an 'entreporn' clickbait title. Gumroad raised millions to get started
and it took 7 years to get to the point where they are now. And 350k/mo in
revenue doesn't even mean that they are profitable.
If you are an (aspiring) entrepreneur, don't compare yourself to the typical
story posted on IH.
~~~
warent
Agreed. I stopped visiting IH some time ago after finding that about 95% of
the community seems to be obsessed with get-rich-quick ideas and making as
much cash as possible to retire by 30 or something. This headline exemplifies
that.
~~~
camelNotation
None of them will actually retire in any meaningful sense. You have to change
so much of yourself to become that type of person that even after you reach
that early, luxurious retirement number, you won't take it because there won't
be anything left that you enjoy outside of work.
Perfect plan is minimizing work while maximizing income over a long career.
Those that figure out how to do that will never share their secrets.
~~~
mbrameld
I think (or maybe just hope) that I can avoid that trap by reframing how I
think about retirement. Instead of thinking of retirement as not working on
anything, I'll be thinking of it as working on the things I want to work on.
Instead of seeing progress on the company I'm building every day, I'll be
looking for progress in my mountain biking, or guitar playing, or whatever
hobby I'm interested in at the moment. I'll still be working, I'll still be
building things, they'll just be my things and not done for money.
------
projectramo
Can't believe the founder just built v1.0 over a weekend.
Cleary they didn't know that they should have learned serverless, functional
programming, and then iterated through 4 different front end frameworks before
they actually built the app.
Low expectations for this one.
~~~
ineedasername
His prototype might have taken a weekend, but a team of 20 VC-funded employees
built out the platform's features and infrastructure.
------
pathseeker
"now it's making $350k/mo"=="we're doing about $350,000 in revenue monthly"
~~~
ezekg
Gross profit:
[https://twitter.com/shl/status/1083805607201669120](https://twitter.com/shl/status/1083805607201669120)
~~~
tim333
Yeah that has for Dec
Revenue: $341K
Gross profit: $135K
Still not regular profit / earnings / bottom line, which is what people tend
to mean by 'made'. To get that from gross profit you have to deduct overhead
which is probably quite a lot here.
~~~
ttul
That is a terrible gross margin for SaaS.
------
nyrulez
I have to say a lot of the story writing around GumRoad itself seems to be an
attempt to attract new customers as they have told multiple narratives that
are all click-baity (from trying to be a billion dollar startup to a weekend
project making big bucks).
Almost all projects start small. I am a solo founder and my "venture" also
started as a Python script I wrote over the weekend to help with my own
investing. But it's taken a lot more work since then to actually make it
accessible and useful for people who are not me.
The real question is did he finish and make significant revenue from that
weekend version? It looks like a heavily VC funded startup that did not
produce the growth at par with the funding. For a solo company, this would be
terrific. For a VC one, probably mediocre. Not too bad, but it can be
deceptive to other entrepreneurs reading this as "inspiration".
------
fb03
Is someone here selling music/tracks on Gumroad?
I know a _lot_ of people selling gfx stuff (mostly 3d stuff like shaders and
models) through it but no one selling musical assets, and I'd like to know if
it is a good platform for this kind of content.
Or if you know somewhere else that might be a better fit for this kind of
content, please share.
(Just for the sake of it: I make techno/house/psytrance with lots of
inspiration from chiptunes/vgm music)
Anyone here can share an experience?
~~~
mandelbrotwurst
As a listener / purchaser, I'm a fan of Bandcamp.
~~~
fb03
I want to sell music as an asset. Like, background tracks for videos or game
music, etc.
just for the sake of curiosity, this is the kind of sound i produce:
[http://www.soundcloud.com/flipbit03](http://www.soundcloud.com/flipbit03)
------
sigi45
Ah Boy I hate such unclear wording and simplification.
So he just created that thing with 22h effort and 7 years later it makes
350000$/month?
~~~
cubano
I'm betting probably not...but it's a "feel good" write up and who can't use a
little motivational fantasy once in a while?
------
VectorLock
>How have you attracted users and grown Gumroad? People always ask me this,
and the answer is always super boring: we sent a lot of emails.
Thats really grim advice. Spamming people sucks but do it until you gain
momentum.
~~~
arbuge
Caveat: It worked 8 years ago when they were starting out.
People might have been jaded by spam already at that point, but they are
probably way more jaded now. Spam filters have also gotten alot more
aggressive. Just because that worked in the past does not mean it will again.
Likewise, SMB SaaS competition is alot more intense these days. Even if you
get somebody's attention, they will likely have alot of options to compare you
to.
Distribution is tough.
~~~
VectorLock
Everyone wants to know because building a product is comparatively easy.
Building a customer base is the hard part.
------
ezekg
I wish this interview would have delved a bit deeper into the journey of going
from "weekend project" to VC-funded to life-style business. Right now, it kind
of lacks any real substance and comes off as a typical entreporn story of how
a Python script exploded into a multi-million dollar company. It skips over a
lot of what could have been valuable info for other founders. Not to be too
harsh, but the interview just seems overly romanticized.
------
SamuelAdams
Here [1] is Sahil's original post, 8 years ago. Note that this startup hasn't
been all fun and roses: they had layoffs and restructuring over the years [2].
[1]:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2406614](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2406614)
[2]:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10517008](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10517008)
------
roynal
I do think the narrative is propagating a false sense of easy to achieve
story, considering the founder wrote a lengthy note of self-reflection. Very
sad to see this narrative this removes the faith in the founder's earlier
reflection. Creating a successful business is never easy, you could get lucky,
but you rarely get that lucky. This kind of article makes it seems all rosy.
------
Upvoter33
I use Gumroad for some stuff and it has been great, easy to use and better
than alternatives.
------
meritt
> After payments, hosting, and risk—our only three costs of doing business
What is risk in this context and how is it quantified as a dollar amount? Is
that an amount allocated for returns/chargebacks/fraud?
------
NeoBasilisk
If I did it, then so can you.
~~~
minimaxir
That is, unfortunately, the foundation of a _lot_ of discussion/talks in the
entrepreneurship industry.
------
yardie
I love this story. In life it is so important that you actually get out and do
something. It doesn't have to be big, or elaborate. But it should be important
to you. A single python main.py file and Google App Engine! LOL
------
airstrike
DISCLAIMER
[https://xkcd.com/1827/](https://xkcd.com/1827/)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: DropSubs – Download subtitles for video files - wixo
http://dropsubs.com
======
greenwalls
Consider making English the default language choice since the rest of the
website is already in English anyway. Cool site!
~~~
xamolxix
And also maybe allow for more than one language, or "Any". I have got an
application error on the actual download page, so I'm not sure if that is
already being offered there.
~~~
wixo
I've tried to make it really simple to use, after the first setup you should
only visit the page for one use, drag and drop. A really quick fix for trying
with another language is opening the webapp in a incognito mode.
------
onli
Please let me use it as well: Consider adding a "click here to select file"
button starting a filepicker. Without a filemanager drag and drop is
unuseable.
It would not only be helpful to support the 0,0…01% of people who will see
this without having a file manager available, it will also help those users
who pick you site as a starting point to not have to start an additional thing
(like the explorer) to get to the video file.
------
wixo
Hi guys, author here, as far as I have tested it is working with Chrome and
Firefox in desktop (where you can drag and drop) It really depends on if the
subtitle is in the Open Subtitles API or not, it tries to search for the best
suitable subtitle there. I've only tested with spanish and english languages
but I am planning on improving the localization of the app.
Thanks for the feedback and glad some of you are finding use in it.
------
JetSpiegel
Brillant way to honeypot and mark IPs for MPAA. Not implying that's the case,
just considering the possibilities.
------
nim901
Very nice! I think that there is a bug - I've tried to download subtitles for
a movie, with Hebrew subtitles - and I've got to "Your subtitle is
downloading" but nothing happens..
also, where do you get the subtitles?
BTW, if any of you are looking for a desktop based app, you can also check
SubiT [http://subit-app.sourceforge.net/](http://subit-app.sourceforge.net/)
or the source
[https://github.com/subit/SubiT](https://github.com/subit/SubiT), It should
work on windows, linux and osx. We are now working on version 3
~~~
wixo
Open Subtitles API, if there is no downloading maybe the subtitle does not
exist there or it is a problem with the browser, I have only tested with
Chrome and Firefox.
~~~
nim901
haha, just noticed the menu on the left.
any way, I also have chrome. now when i'm trying i get this error message "
Application Error An error occurred in the application and your page could not
be served. Please try again in a few moments. If you are the application
owner, check your logs for details." I guess that it's because of the load?
------
sprremix
Welp.. [http://81.4.109.233/i/19_55_22-DE_Application_Error_-
_Google...](http://81.4.109.233/i/19_55_22-DE_Application_Error_-
_Google_Chrome_54.png)
~~~
wixo
Yup that is happening when Open Subtitles API shutdown, I need to try catch
the error, please try again ;)
~~~
toomuchtodo
When/why did they shut their API down?
------
amadeusw
Thanks! I was looking for subs to this one movie for really long time and you
found it for me! Got a suggestion:
There are too many messages before I can download the subtitles. Perhaps
dropping a file could take me straight to the language picker, and selecting
the language will immediately result in download?
~~~
amadeusw
Never mind, I see you already implemented it. Cheers!
------
SchizoDuckie
dropped an avi on it and it just downloade dit. touch handler not registered?
[edit] ah: i have to click through 3 intro dialogs first. suggestion: make
that howto persistent on the page and make it work when you first land on it.
Also, ask me to specify a language after dropping the file possibly
------
hashtag
Can't view on mobile, says browser is not supported. Would like to see anyway
------
sntran
I have always been dreaming of a browser extension that could detect the video
element on a page, and "inject" subtitle on the video.
Then we can watch Hulu or Netflix in another language besides English.
~~~
sho_hn
Related:
\- [http://amara.org/en/](http://amara.org/en/) does this for YouTube vids
\- [http://www.viki.com](http://www.viki.com) 's business model is licensing
TV content and streaming it to foreign markets with crowdsourced subs (which
end up being higher quality than the "professional" subs of their main
competitor DramaFever because the subbers have a better set of motivations,
such as preserving the origin culture)
------
tmchow
If suggest making a more informative page for mobile browsers. I understand
tge mobile browsers like safari mobile don't support the tech you need, but at
least tell me what your web app is.
------
dnohr
Just tested it with a few movies, work great!
But I got some problems with the encoding, which didn't accept non-latin
characters. Maybe encode it with UTF8/Unicode before sending it to the user.
------
Nux
Cool, but my XBMC as well as SMplayer can automatically serach and download
subtitles. This kind of functionality should be built in any player.
~~~
xamolxix
SMPlayer does not have a mac os x edition anymore. It's my favorite player on
other platforms though and I love the subtitles feature.
------
heffo
I can't recommend the VLC extension VLSUB enough. If you like/need subtitles,
definitely try it out.
~~~
vidyesh
I thought it was never updated for the latest VLC version. Would update my
extension file then, thanks.
------
j_lev
Any chance of getting Japanese added?
------
dazzledpenguin
However, this may also reveal the fact that your IP address is 'pirating'
movies.
------
missing_cipher
Pretty cool.
I've been using SolEol for months and it's pretty great.
------
joojia
It's better to improve the design of the website
------
thomaslieven
moviebeem.com does the same, drag drop to search subtitles
------
pmosh
Subtítulos.app is same but for mac desktop.
~~~
hierro
It's free and available for both Windows and Mac and you can download it at
[http://subtitlesapp.com](http://subtitlesapp.com) (disclaimer: I'm the
developer).
~~~
philgr
I use Subtitles for months and it has been pretty good. I wonder what's the
parameter to select the best subtitle for the release, I'd suggest that the
user badge is more important than the number of downloads.
Lately I've been using Subtitles a bit less because I got a VIP subscription
on OpenSubtitles, so when I download from the site I skip ads. Would be
incredible to download the subtitles as VIP on Subtitles though.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Can I help you be more awesome today? (No strings. Inquire within.) - mikegreenberg
Every once in a while, I throw up an offer to give free help. If it's something I can do in 10-15 minutes, I'm happy to oblige (within reason).<p>- I'm a full stack web developer (LAMP primarily),<p>- I've helped a lot with personal development-type things (resume critique, self improvement suggestions, etc),<p>- I've done my share of business model and product pitch reviews,<p>- I'm an early adopter and provide strong/constructive feedback,<p>- I've got great aesthetics and design sense<p>So if there's something I can help you with, just ask here or @mikegreenberg on Twitter. Be specific about what you're trying to fix/solve/accomplish. The more details you provide, the better I can help you out. :)<p>Cheers!<p>PS: This is how it went last time I did this: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2544886
======
markkat
<http://hubski.com> We are in the early stages of a social aggregator. It is
built off the HN code in Arc, and the style still looks currently grokked. We
are looking at innovative ways to move away from this.
Functionally, the site primarily differs in that you follow people and topics,
which builds a custom feed. You can also hub (retweet) posts you like, which
refers them to your followers. -Not unlike HN meets twitter. Also we are
playing up the submission format a bit so that a user's submissions are more
like a blog. When activity permits I envision the frontpage to be replaced
with a user's feed. A bit more service than destination.
Looking for design feedback that will inform our next UI changes. Thanks! A
cool thing to do.
~~~
mikegreenberg
{tl;dr} Define your assumptions. Capture data in an effort to verify those
assumptions. Modify experiment or assumptions appropriately. Repeat. {/tl;dr}
There's a great answer I recent read on Quora which may help answer how to
approach the design of your site. The thing that made the most impact here is
being aware of the market your are entering. ([http://www.quora.com/Internet-
Startups/Should-I-focus-on-get...](http://www.quora.com/Internet-
Startups/Should-I-focus-on-getting-a-good-UX-or-getting-something-quick-out-
of-the-door/answer/Jared-Spool))
It's easy to argue which stage/market your product falls into, but I think you
agree that the experience of your site is going to be the primary
differentiator. (Experience Focus Stage)
Aside from the few tips in that thread, the next thing I would focus on is
capturing data to verify your assumptions. Your assumption here are that the
blog layout and distribution model is better than what's available elsewhere.
(Right? If not, what ARE your assumptions/goals?) Custom analytic tools which
let you capture custom events are helpful in verifying these things. You might
setup a tool like MixPanel to capture key events your users are experiencing.
For example: Maybe you have a specific flow or funnel you're expecting users
to take. Are they completing this flow? Where are they stopping? Are you
staying on a specific page for very long?
I would also ask people who have never seen your site before to try using it.
Watch what they do and ask them to share their thoughts out loud as they
browse the site. Do they get the point of the site? Does your vocabulary used
on the site confuse users?
Above all else, make sure you're investing your effort in the right things.
You might not need to improve your UI. Your UX (user experience) may be
hurting you more than the site's looks. The fact that you have a whole FAQ
explaining your site's basic terminology is a bit concerning. (I know many of
these things didn't make sense until I read your FAQ. How many users do you
think will invest that sort of time?)
Follow up questions are welcome. Let me know if I should elaborate further.
~~~
markkat
Thanks for those very thoughtful suggestions. I am now going to write our
assumptions down, and then set out to test them. I also think you are dead-on
about the experience being the primary differentiator. The blog aspect is a
completely untested assumption.
As you point out, the terminology is an unnecessary hurdle, -especially
considering the space we are in. I am going to look at ways to simplify that
as well.
This has given me some very good food for thought. I think that I was putting
more thought into UI when UX is just as relevant, if not more so. Thanks a
lot. It's much appreciated.
p.s. I see you are on Forrst. I might follow up with you there in some time if
you don;t mind.
~~~
mikegreenberg
Of course! I don't log in often on there, so only follow up there if it's not
too urgent. @mikegreenberg on twitter is the easiest way to reach me.
Glad it helped! ;)
------
OneWhoFrogs
Hi Mike! A few years ago, I created a website where users could submit Flash
game walkthroughs. It got about 200 or so guides, but never really went past
1,000 uniques a day. I'm trying to build a similar site right now, and any
advice would be appreciated.
Here's the link: <http://hintbin.com/>.
A few questions:
1\. My main traffic will be from search engines. How can I increase PageRank?
No one really blogs about Flash game walkthrough sites.
2\. The demographic is mostly teenagers. From personal experience, I know that
this group isn't very willing to give up their money. Are they worth anything
to advertisers? How can I best monetize this site?
3\. Is the current design good enough?
Thanks very much!
~~~
mikegreenberg
Wow. This one is tough. I have to admit I'm not very strong on the SEO stuff.
There are people who work on this professionally and end up having to learn
everything all over again whenever "they" change the rules.
This may not be helpful, but the thing I hear the most when it comes to
increasing Page Rank is to produce quality content. All things will start and
end here. My favorite walkthrough site before they sold out was gamefaqs.com.
They had a REALLY simple layout which was well organized, directed you to the
needed info and was easy to consume. They cared about having high quality
content with information (like size, number of views, etc) that helped a
visitor to decide what was important to look at. I wouldn't worry too much
about the design at this point. (Besides, teens are the most discerning
audience, either.) Content is key.
As far as monetizing a site like this, I'd say advertisement is your best bet,
but I'm certain there are clever business models a diligent business-minded
person could figure out and test. One thing I'd consider (and partly answer
your first point as well) is that your actions don't have to DIRECTLY result
in higher revenue. You might, instead, focus on growing your traffic and
stickiness on the site. As many social-media gurus will attest, attention is
the currency of the internet. With attention, revenue will likely follow.
~~~
OneWhoFrogs
Thanks, I appreciate the advice! This is my first real "startup" attempt, so
your perspective is really valuable. I will be referring to this comment a lot
in the future. :)
------
phektus
Could you please give critique on my side project:
<http://www.cvstash.com>
About aesthetics, impression on the landing page, ease of use, and the look of
the resume (only 2 templates). This means signing up (should be very quick)
and trying to put some resume entries and such. If it's cool with you maybe
you can also suggest ways to improve the site or monetize it, as I haven't
thought of that yet, just trying to move the identity away from LinkedIn
resumes. Thanks!
~~~
mikegreenberg
Arbie, I really like this a lot and is an area I'm particularly interested in
a solution for. I'm going to email my thoughts instead of posting online.
------
AndyNemmity
I'm interested in your opinions about my football simulation
<http://deeproute.com>
Constructive feedback, and design sense concerning the signup, and learning of
how to play is the biggest challenge.
We have 400 consistent users, but most signups don't login more than once or
twice, so learning the game is our biggest challenge.
Can you help?
~~~
mikegreenberg
{tl;dr} Improve your on-boarding experience (interactive tutorial game) and
improve your help tools (in-game community support/commentary, discussion
area, etc). Study what companies like Zynga are doing in the online game space
and figure out how one of any of their more complicated games get so
addicting. {/tl;dr}
I started looking at the Developer Channel videos about the sim and I gotta
say you weren't lying about the steep learning curve! _sigh_ If I were in your
shoes, I'd be out looking for money to secure a badass UX designer. A site
like this REALLY needs an experience that immerses the player into the game
and GRADUALLY shows them the ropes. This sort of thing is very difficult to
get right because there are so many moving parts. The "progressive reveal" is
a great tool a designer will use to help the user jump on easily without
getting "fatigued".
I really think this is the sort of product which could do well with the very
hardcore sports fans, but you'd have to create some support to get them over
that initial hurdle. An ideal solution would be a tutorial game which walks
the user through the features and common strategies.
I'd try to develop a community around it and let users collaborate on their
experiences and strategies. Promote improving your game with things like
contests or tasks (max number of completions in a game, lowest salaried super
bowl winning team, etc) and generate content that gets players thinking about
how to win these challenges. If you have the budget, attempt to do some real-
world tie-ins. Ex: Winner of this season's superbowl gets tickets to the real
deal.
The driving factor of each promotion should ultimately get players "better" at
the game. And providing tools to help each other improve the on-boarding
experience (and bring their friends) will help your user base grow more
easily. As much as I loathe Facebook platform games, many of the games that
Zynga publishes there are very complicated and require some user training to
get them up to speed. I'd study those games VERY CAREFULLY. Look for patterns
and how they provide incentive to continue playing.
~~~
AndyNemmity
This is the most thoughtful and thorough advice I've received. Thank you, I
will work hard on the onboarding process, and take your advice.
------
jayliew
Hey Mike, question for you related to my project.
Curious, but do you (or do you know of techies like you), who sometimes feel
obligated to help when friends/family come to you for desktop tech support,
even when you can't quite afford the time to troubleshoot and hand-hold them
through simple PEBKAC problems?
~~~
mikegreenberg
The friends and family thing is difficult. Most important thing you can do is
set expectations early for the sorts of problems that I can help with.
Whenever I explain to someone that I'm a computer engineer or software
developer, they automatically think that I'm available to help them solve
their computer problems. Typically, I help verbally direct them to resources
that will provide solutions to their problems (customer support for the
manufacturer, nearby/local resources, websites which have helpful peer
support, etc). If they want my personal time, I explain that I can consult
with them for a little while but it takes me away from the time I use to
generate money to support my <insert responsibilities here>. Spend a small
amount of time with them pro bono if you feel like you should, but set
expectations early and let them know if you'd like to be compensated for your
time.
~~~
jayliew
Ah, so you would nudge them towards current solutions, e.g. Best Buy, local
mom and pop brick and mortar repair stores, etc. Would you be concerned that
they would get ripped off?
~~~
mikegreenberg
I would only direct them to resources that I, myself, would trust/use.
Especially if they are friends and family. Additionally, I would also give
them advice to mitigate the need for future external support from the very
beginning. (Like direct them to vendors with strong products and great
customer support.)
~~~
jayliew
In this particular example, what resource would you trust to use? Which
specific vendor?
Here's a prototype of what I'm building, would love your thoguhts:
<http://www.killerbees.co>
~~~
mikegreenberg
Well, in the case of my parents (who ask me the most for help, who feel the
most obligated to help), I know resources where they live (which is far from
me) who can help them solve their problems simply. I usually get a call from
them directly when my dad brings the computer in so he can get a technical
description of the problem he's having and the technical solution I recommend
for him. They know I know what I'm talking about and they know when to offer
their opinion and when not to. This is perfect arrangement for all parties as
they will act as my ears, eyes and hands; offer feedback appropriately; and
follow detailed instructions.
Regarding your site, I think it's a great idea. Not sure how you intend to
monetize this yet (which you identify and embrace, great!). I'd personally
decide on the business model and test it now. If you don't charge any money to
start, there's no way to know if there's a viable market to build your
business around. (The real proof is when people pay you to solve their
problem.) Even if you don't charge the person who needs help, find some
business model and test it out.
There's not much i can recommend at this stage of your prototype. I tried a
few zip codes but couldn't find anything where tech listings would show up to
see layout. (This matters.)
I'd make the copy more succinct and straight-forward. Your mission has great
information in it. Find a way to distill this down in to short bites of text
that visitors can quickly scan and absorb. (Visitors decide if they need your
site in seconds!)
~~~
jayliew
Thanks Mike! I appreciate the input :)
------
mikegreenberg
Also, if you ask me for help, please let me know if I was helpful. While this
may seem selfless, I'm actually improving myself by forcing my thoughts on
these topics into prose. If they don't make sense or sound like complete
bullshit (and I don't know it), this ultimately helps no one.
So. Feedback please. :D
------
gspyrou
<http://plusapps.eu/Earthquakes-Monitor.html> I would appreciate some feedback
on the landing page or the app itself (assuming that you own a Windows Phone)
. Thanks , George.
~~~
mikegreenberg
{tl;dr} I would start identifying benefits that your app provides and
highlight those. {/tl;dr}
If you're more specific about the feedback you're looking for instead of just
generally, I could probably be more helpful. Are you trying to improve the
design? Are you working at improving conversions? Are you playing around with
layout?
I don't have a Windows Phone, but your landing page is informative and answers
all of my immediate questions like "What is it?", "What can I expect?" but I
think you're selling the features more than the benefits. A good analogy for
this is like offering frozen lemonade in the summer and yelling "It's
guaranteed to be less than 32F!" As a potential customer, I don't care how
cold it is. I'm more interested in knowing that it will help me avoid a
heatstroke during this uncomfortable summer.
------
mapster
Mike, I never refuse such a generous impulse, so thank you! One of my sites,
vidinotes.com is a pay per use app. What is your first impression(s) and
should I target the app to niche groups vs. a general purpose video tool?
Best, Chris
~~~
mikegreenberg
{tl;dr} Niche the hell out of it. Over and over again. {/tl;dr}
Well, first impression of the site leaves me feeling a little in the past.
(Circa IE5?) I'm a visual person and the way you present yourself means a lot
to me personally, so take that with a grain of salt.
The product actually looks pretty interesting and could work in a lot of
different scenarios. I actually have been following Patrick McKenzie over at
<http://www.bingocardcreator.com/> for some time and he has a product which is
not very unlike yours.
Vidinotes (like Bingo Card Creator) are products with a very specific window
of opportunity. Generally, these sales will only convert if the user is
absolutely certain that this product will satisfy their need at THAT MOMENT.
If there's even a shadow of a doubt, there only needs to be a more promising
alternative and you've lost the sale.
So in the vein of what Patrick did for Bingo Card Creator, I'd consider
setting up single-purpose sites targeted to specific use cases. These sites
are likely to convert much better than the general site you have now and
probably wouldn't take much time if you develop a good system for it.
Patrick recently got together with Andrew Warner (Mixergy) and Noah Kagan
(AppSumo) and made a video that discusses exactly what I'm describing to you.
If this resonates with you, I suggest checking it out. (It sounds like
promoting, but I've been a customer of Noah's and reader of Andrew's for a
while, shared drinks with and genuinely find their insight and content
useful!) <http://www.appsumo.com/hacking-content-creation/>
Hope this helps.
~~~
mapster
Mike, First, a big thank you for your time and thoughts! I of course agree
with your view on the datedness of the site. The links are great resources. I
am a fan of Andrew and Patrick (aka patio) and will try to position my app for
specific use cases / niches. Thanks again for the thoughtful review!
~~~
mikegreenberg
My pleasure. :)
------
mikegreenberg
I won't be able to do anymore of these for now. I usually do this every 2-3
weeks so if you'd like a hand, just keep an eye out or follow me on twitter
where I usually announce it there.
Cheers!
------
abinoda
Please review our landing page: <http://orangeqc.com>
~~~
mikegreenberg
You've got your 30-second teaser video, clear call to action, social proof,
many channels of communication, key features identified under-the-fold for
more interested individuals, trustmarks (your Guarantee), etc.
I don't see any major offenses. It's standard. The only thing I'd recommend...
include a call-to-action visible no matter where the user is on the tour page.
(One the scrolls with the user, perhaps?) You don't want the user to search
for it after they're satisfied that your product is what they need.
If you'd like more specific feedback, please be more specific with your
request. By not investing the time to direct me to specific items which you
are currently trying to improve it shows me that you are unappreciative of my
time which I am freely offering, don't have a specific thing you're attempting
to improve, or both.
~~~
abinoda
Thanks Mike. I'm sorry I wasn't more specific. The feedback you've provided is
actually very useful since we redesigned the page just last week with the
things you mentioned in mind.
Overall, we're working on properly communicating to our particular
audience/demographic... old school guys. We don't want to make our product
look cheap but we also don't want it to look too expensive.
~~~
mikegreenberg
These items all help to complete an "ideal" landing page, but the honest truth
is there is no recipe or checklist. While a site developer USED to get points
for including all of the aforementioned accouterments on a landing page, today
it is standard fare.
As far as reaching out to your target market, see if you can arrange some
sessions with people in your market. Show them the site and ask them to talk
about their perception, thoughts and questions while they look around. There
are sites that offer a service like this but don't necessarily target your
market appropriately. I haven't used many of them, but I've heard great things
about askyourtargetmarket.com.
------
michaeldhopkins
I am trying to convey frugality and green living in a web app's design. How
might you approach that?
~~~
mikegreenberg
Really wish I could help you with this, but most pay good money for a
(qualified) UI/UX designer to understand the psychology behind a question like
that. While I have ideas on how to approach something like that, it's more ad
hoc and random. I know there are processes and techniques that designers rely
on to help answer this (theme/mood boards, color charts, studies/research,
etc) better than anythings I could suggest.
That said, here's where I'd start:
1\. Find sites/examples which convey the same qualities as you're interested
in expressing yourself. Be specific! (Colors, accents, imagery,
text/passages/copy, etc) It helps to include a few keywords next to each
example. Sometimes, I print out a bunch of examples and make notes on these
(full-color) sheets.
2\. Talk to as many designers as you can with these notes in hand. Get their
opinion and take notes! (LOTS OF NOTES!!!)
3\. Throw up these notes, examples, thoughts, links, resources onto a
freelancer site and see if anyone will do some mockups/spec work for you. This
will give you more ideas (which you'll pay for) and help you iterate your
thoughts toward a decent solution until you can hire someone properly.
4\. (Bonus step!) Grok as much info from these sites as you can:
[http://www.quora.com/What-are-the-most-influential-design-
bl...](http://www.quora.com/What-are-the-most-influential-design-blogs)
~~~
michaeldhopkins
Thanks!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Why Apple put a whitespace on iCloud Path? - amineazariz
Genuine question.<p>Why on earth an engineer, supposedly good since she/he is working at Apple, would think that putting a whitespace on a working-space path is a good idea ? (+ Now way to change it.)<p>Reasons to not do that :<p>- It costs nothing to not do it
- No one sees the path ever, no need for it to be "pretty"
- It breaks so many things, especially dev-wise
- It's not a good practice in general<p>Reasons to do it :<p>- I have no idea<p>For reference the path is : "/Users/<user>/Library/Mobile Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/"
======
pwg
One guess: Sometimes this is done to force other 'consumers' of paths into
properly handling file paths with spaces. If they handle this, then they
should also handle user created filenames (which will /very often/ contain
spaces).
Is this the real reason? I have no way to know.
------
Someone
If that breaks your code, it better do it fast, and not when your code breaks
navigating the files in that directory. The user is in charge of naming them,
so no, there’s no guarantee their names lack whitespace characters.
------
dddddaviddddd
White spaces aren't uncommon in Mac system files, e.g. in /Library:
Application Support, Contextual Menu Items, Internet Plug-Ins, Keyboard
Layouts, Modem Scripts, PDF Services, etc
The list of characters not permitted in paths is limited, whereas the numbers
of possible characters increases with each addition by the Unicode consortium.
No reason that your dev paths shouldn't include emoji for example.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: Rails based Asset Manager for business environments - ryanmacg
I started work on this Asset Manager as my first ever Ruby on Rails project at my first job. I've spent the past couple of months refining it and making it business agnostic and now it's ready to show off fully. Happy to take advice and answer questions.<p>Demo environment http://ryanmacg.com/<p>Source code https://github.com/RyanMacG/Asset-Manager
======
1qaz2wsx3edc
You really need to explain what this is on the homepage. Why I would want to
use it.
You should also ensure, you have permission to release this code.
~~~
ryanmacg
I'll add some information on the homepage. I made sure I was clear to release
this before I left the company I made it at
------
ryanmacg
Should have said while it does ask for an email during signup it doesn't
require any activation and will work so long as the email address is in a
valid format
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Jq: a lightweight and flexible command-line JSON processor - comice
https://stedolan.github.io/jq/
======
dozzie
I fail to see how jq is even close to the functions of App::RecordStream.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Apigee API Console for LinkedIn, PayPal, Foursquare, Twilio and SoundCloud APIs - abraham
http://blog.apigee.com/detail/apigee_api_console/
======
sramji
We are trying hard to make the most useful APIs easier to develop against -
let us know which APIs you'd like to see in the console: [email protected]
------
dieter
It really is a pleasure to work with and on this project.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Twillage helps you find local events from twitter - ldenoue
http://twillage.com
We just opened Twillage, an event aggregator that mines twitter for local events and groups them by date and location. Let us know what you think. [email protected]
======
ldenoue
twillage now has fulltext search, e.g. find concerts in San Francisco:
<http://twillage.com/search?q=concert+san+francisco>
~~~
ldenoue
it's actually
[http://twillage.com/search?q=concert&city=san+francisco&...](http://twillage.com/search?q=concert&city=san+francisco&state=ca)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Linux 3.7-rc1 is out - esolyt
https://lkml.org/lkml/2012/10/14/281
======
sciurus
I'm surprised to see this on HN. Linux kernel RCs are released weekly, there
were 7 RCs of 3.6 before the final release. Is there something special in this
one that I'm missing?
~~~
JoshTriplett
The release of -rc1 indicates the closure of the merge window for the next
major kernel version, and this announcement thus indicates all the major new
features that'll appear in the next kernel. -rcN for N!=1 doesn't typically
draw as much interest.
~~~
sciurus
That's a great point which didn't occur to me; thanks for mentioning it!
For people curious about what was merged, see
<https://lwn.net/Articles/518711/> and <https://lwn.net/Articles/519883/>
------
codex
This is just noise. Nobody should care about this release; it's just more
commodity software with generic features. With some exceptions, kernels are no
longer a key piece of the value chain.
~~~
rbanffy
I don't think the inclusion of arm64 and the multiplatform ARM code are devoid
of value. In fact, I imagine the fact every Android smartphone in the world
eventually being able to share the same 3.7 kernel binary is proof enough it's
important.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: A-Painter: Paint in VR in Your Browser - ngokevin
https://blog.mozvr.com/a-painter/
======
yodon
Adding a license file to the github repo is always a good place to start. Some
of the other aframe projects have them but I don't see one for a-painter
~~~
ngokevin
Oops, will do now.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
A Game of Life on Penrose Tilings - sohkamyung
https://arxiv.org/abs/1708.09301
======
pmoriarty
Here's a video of the Game of Life on a Penrose Tiling:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DFi4FgzEeQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DFi4FgzEeQ)
~~~
undersuit
I love that oscillator down in the bottom right!
------
dandare
Once I seriously wanted to have Penrose Tiling tiles in my bathroom but after
soon found out nobody manufactures such tiles and would have to produce them
manually with a tile cutter.
~~~
cpsempek
Not Penrose tilings, but my math professor's bathroom floors are pretty cool
[https://www.math.ucdavis.edu/~greg/floors.html](https://www.math.ucdavis.edu/~greg/floors.html)
~~~
clusmore
Don Knuth has a dragon curve in the entrance hall to his house:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v678Em6qyzk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v678Em6qyzk)
------
swayvil
Anybody got a link to a working example?
I mean, this seems straightforward enough
This is sorta my field. My goal is pretty pictures. Would this make pretty
pictures? I dunno.
ok, here's a link :
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DFi4FgzEeQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DFi4FgzEeQ)
~~~
Karliss
The paper describes a way of choosing a subset of tiles in penrose tiling that
form a rectangularish grid and play the usual game of life there. Cells no not
belonging to grid have little meaning in the cellular automaton. The paper
suggest leaving them off or setting the same color as cells forming grid. It
would probably look like game of life in slightly deformed grid.
------
amagitakayosi
Game of life always amazes me when I google about it... I also found these
videos:
Game of life on triangle tiles:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGNOP8aJlM8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGNOP8aJlM8)
generating Sierpinski's triangle:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OSW6kfAnPI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OSW6kfAnPI)
------
fibo
Maybe someone is interested in this package I created. It can implement any
kind of Game of Life: [https://github.com/fibo/games-of-
life](https://github.com/fibo/games-of-life)
~~~
Karrot_Kream
Ooh that's nifty! Is there any way to read a bit more about rigorous
treatments of "Game of Life"? (Books on combinatorics I suspect?)
~~~
fibo
Thank you very much, I guess Conway wrote many articles about GoL. I am sorry
I have no reference about them, maybe you can find some in the GoL wiki here
[http://conwaylife.com/w/index.php?title=Main_Page](http://conwaylife.com/w/index.php?title=Main_Page)
------
jballanc
Now combine this with the 4-color theorem to set up a competition of 4 species
on the grid...
------
fibo
In the paper there is also a way to build a Penrose tiling using functions,
really interesting. Thank you again for sharing it!
------
coldcode
The challenging part is deciding what constitutes the 2d map in a non periodic
tiling.
~~~
pavel_lishin
Isn't it just a graph?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Pathjoy (YC S10) Offers Affordable Housecleaning With Easy Web Booking - briankim
http://techcrunch.com/2012/10/16/pathjoy-launch/
======
Harj
I use Pathjoy to clean my apartment and I love it. The booking process is
simple and the quality of the cleaning has always been superb. Recently a
second cleaner came by at the end to check up on the quality of the cleaning,
which is something I've never seen from any other cleaning service. It was
also a great price, I can't see myself ever switching from it.
------
tvjunky
I think there are some big problems with this latest round of "TaskRabbit for
X", aggregated labor services (Cherry, GetMaid, and others). In the case of
Pathjoy, the differentiation they are trying to sell is price. The technology
is nothing special unless your idea of finding a house cleaner is Craig's
List. Yet, is price the problem to be solved with these services? Is pushing
down the price on a service like this beneficial to anyone except the
aggregator?
For some TaskRabbit type tasks, especially the last minute or one-off tasks,
it make a lot of sense because the transaction may not have happened
otherwise. However, for these kinds of specialized labor type tasks, isn’t
there some harm done to the service market through lower wages for the cleaner
and inconsistent service for the customer?
Also, how does Pathjoy maintain customer loyalty? If service is a kind of “on-
demand” how can you maintain consistent work for the cleaner? What is to stop
the cleaner or customer from doing an “under the table deal”?
I think there could be an opportunity to “Disrupt” these older services but
I’m sure lowering the price is NOT the way to a sustained business, even at
scale.
------
dotBen
Is there really a problem to solve here?
I have cleaners from a notable SF-based cleaning firm come every two weeks.
Sure, I have to call them up if I want to reschedule or whatever but it's
really no big deal.
Interacting with a human being who knows me by name isn't necessarily a bad
thing, esp for something so personal like cleaning my home.
Thinking about cleaning, the issues I care more about are thing like are they
using quality products like Method, are they bringing their own equipment, do
they do do stuff like change my bed, is it the same person who comes every
time who therefore gets to know my place and what I like.
Whether I can book an appointment on my iPhone isn't high on the list. Unlike
something like Uber, I don't see how the addition of high-tech is really
helping here.
------
famousactress
Pathjoy might be great, but at this point fluf-pieces from techcrunch about
ycombinator companies make my brain turn off.
~~~
pg
For you this is just another startup, but for the founders this is their big
moment. So please show at least enough respect not to dismiss them without
evaluating them.
~~~
tptacek
He didn't dismiss Pathjoy. He dismissed TechCrunch. And your comment is
welcome, but would be even more welcome if you applied it to every company
that "launched" to HN, not just the ones you helped shepherd.
------
brianbreslin
I like the trend of YC companies and other startups marrying technology
(billing, scheduling, authentication) to old school service businesses. there
are a number of stories of individuals doing this making 6 figures a year
running these types of businesses. (see g-maids in dallas)
------
staunch
I'd bet that least 2x more people would use a maid service if someone did it
in just the right way. I think the biggest issue to fight is procrastination
and fear of uncertainty. Some kind of loss-leader promotion might pay huge
dividends.
The front page is perfect and if it only said "First cleaning is on us. No
upsells. No commitment. No kidding" or something I bet you'd get tons of
people to try it and the LTV would make up for the acquisition costs.
------
arbuge
Reminds me of GetMaid... was on HN a week or so ago. Seems to be a similar
model. I think GetMaid even used backpacks to carry cleaning supplies in dense
urban areas too.
~~~
BvS
GetMaid charges 45US$/hour, Pathjoy only 21US$/hour.
~~~
smackfu
Makes you wonder... how is Pathjoy so much cheaper?
------
johnrob
I'm not sure if "housecleaning for the masses" is the ideal message. I'm
willing to bet that most people either value time (already have cleaner) or
money (clean their own house). You normally need a pretty big price drop to
create a new segment - even 2x is not enough in my opinion.
My message would be "a better housecleaning experience, at a better price".
------
sshevlyagin
I like the idea of building out a specific vertical of the "hire people for
stuff" space. I wonder what's next.
------
andrewljohnson
No way the $20/hour rate is going to stay that low in the Bay Area, unless
they run it as a loss leader.
You cannot get any cleaning person around here for less than $30/hour. I don't
think it would be possible to pay people the legal minimum wage and make
profit at $20/hour.
~~~
ryanglasgow
I currently pay $20/hour (in SF proper) for an independent cleaner who does an
excellent job. Language barrier is a major issue tho, and I'd much rather
schedule cleanings online. If minimum wage is <$10, why would it be impossible
to profit off charging $20/hr?
~~~
andrewljohnson
Minimum wage is 10.24 in SF, and rising. On top of that:
* there will be refunds (grubhub gives a lot of refunds for bad food)
* they will need insurance (remember airbnb?)
* there will be legal challenges - like Uber, this kind of startup walks a fine line - if you employ 50 maids, you would usually have to provide workers comp at least, and maids seem more prone to file a claim than lots of professions
* there needs to be a margin for pathjoy
I believe you can possibly scale 20/hour maid service in parts of the country,
but in the Bay, it will be at a loss or the price will rise. I really don't
see how the math works any other way.
Grubhub's strategy was to raise delivery fees after they got traction, and it
wouldn't surprise me if thats what pathjoy does. They will need to
differentiate on something other than price though.
~~~
tvjunky
Great points.
On the topic of working elsewhere. Large urban areas provide the best
opportunity for lower cost and more efficient operations. Two things limit
growth for this kind of service in smaller less dense areas. Travel and
population. Both limit the number of jobs that can be requested or completed.
------
mitchellwfox
I received an invite from Exec for a similar offering this week. $50/hr for 2x
cleaners, reserved online, including pickup/dropoff of your house keys so you
don't have to hide or give away a copy of your key.
------
herdrick
We used Pathjoy to clean our place up last week. Worked great; price was
right. We'll do it again soon.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The Biggest Problem with Google Glass - jsoverson
http://jarrodoverson.com/blog/the-one-biggest-problem-with-google-glass/
======
dm2
This "problem" can pretty easily be fixed with a more flexible frame and a
slim carrying case.
It's prototype hardware that you are critiquing. Google Glass is more than
just the hardware, it's the software and combination of technology involved.
The Glass "explorers" are for finding these types of MINOR issues and
reporting them to the Glass development team. Creating a lengthy blog post
(WITH THE SOLE PURPOSE OF DRIVING TRAFFIC TO YOUR BLOG) is basically useless
to the improvement of the product.
------
poopsintub
Look at this advanced technology that lets you do things you could have never
dreamt of years ago, yet there's always someone bitching.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
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Sam and Max Hit the Road - doppp
https://www.filfre.net/2019/06/sam-and-max-hit-the-road/
======
bennyp101
I absolutely loved this game when it came out, then a few years ago I bought
it again on GOG - just as good as when I was 8!
I vaguely remember my dad taking me to go and buy a Soundblaster card so the
sound worked properly!
Day Of The Tentacle was another one, never owned it but played at friends
houses
~~~
michaelgrafl
I remember my dad buying me a 386DX 40MHz Escom tower when I was around
twelve. This was kind of a low end machine at that time, the 486DX4 with
100MHz being the top of line. But it was a big upgrade from our 286 with 8 MHz
which to use I had to ask permission, while my father was fine with me being
the main user of the new machine.
While the machine itself was the cheapest we could get at the Escom store
because we were kind of broke (14000 ATS, around 1500 Euros in today's money),
my dad granted me a Soundblaster 16 card, a double-speed CD-ROM drive and a
couple of game collections on CD. One of those collections contained both DOTT
and Sam & Max Hit The Road.
Making special boot floppies for managing conventional, expanded and extended
memory so I could get those games to work was probably my introduction to
technical trouble-shooting. And when eventually I got to get Sam & Max going
and heard the Mad Scientist in the intro actually talking I completely lost my
shit, because I expected no more than closed captions and some wavetable midi
tunes in the background.
Loved that game so much for its artistic style and weird characters. Tunnel of
Love, Big Foot, Giraffe Girl, the Country Singer douchebag ... what a colorful
ensemble!
~~~
bennyp101
"heard the Mad Scientist in the intro actually talking I completely lost my
shit" \- HA! Exactly this!
Ah yea, fiddling around with autoexec.bat and config.sys to make funky menus
to show the games I had installed (I think, it was a while ago ... also
something to do with mscdex .. but that might have been later)
~~~
dillonmckay
mscdex, I think was the ‘driver’ for the CD-ROM drive?
~~~
EvanAnderson
Sort of. MSCDEX were CD-ROM API extensions for MS-DOS. You had a low-level
driver that talked to your optical drive, and MSCDEX talked to that.
~~~
dillonmckay
Would that be considered a TSR?
~~~
EvanAnderson
Yep-- a classic example of one.
------
elliottkember
Ah! I played this game all the way through (with help) when I was about 12.
Absolutely hysterical even if some of the humour went over my head. Had the
chance to replay it recently and it’s lost none of its charm.
What will we see next on here - the Neverhood? Loom? Leisure Suit Larry?
~~~
mwcampbell
Leisure Suit Larry and Loom have already been covered. He's working roughly in
chronological order.
------
AndrewBissell
My early sense of humor was so shaped by these LucasArts adventure games, it's
hard to imagine they were worried the game wouldn't make money, or that many
reviewers didn't find it funny. I even put the CD sleeves to a bunch of their
games in covers of the binders I used in junior high.
As a young kid without the patience to grapple with adventure game puzzles
(and no internet service), I had to resort quite a few times to calling the
LucasArts 900 number for walkthrough tips. I've often wondered how much that
boosted their games revenue!
My first professional programming job was located in the Presidio campus where
LucasArts had been headquartered. It had just closed its doors shortly before
I started there, but the old LucasArts store stayed open for a few extra
months to clear out some inventory. I grabbed a logo hat which I've since
misplaced.
Awhile back the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco had a whole featured
exhibit of Purcell's work, and as a fan of the old game I had to make the
pilgrimage. If you're an old Sam & Max fan looking to scratch the nostalgia
itch, the old comics are pretty great and the "Route 66 in decay" esthetic is
possibly even better suited to our times than it was the late 80s and early
90s.
~~~
washadjeffmad
The most trouble I ever got in growing up was after a phone bill from calling
1-900-740-JEDI (with permission) and didn't put the phone all the way back on
the rocker.
It was supposed to time out after a minute or so of no interaction, but the
bill showed the line was connected for over 60 at something like $0.75 a
minute.
The worst part (to me) was that it didn't help me find Frog Rock. I found out
a decade later when I ripped the disc to play in SCUMMVM that there was a
defect with the CD that my 1x reader at the time probably couldn't handle.
------
benbristow
The Telltale games were so underrated. Shame we'll never see anymore due tot
he demise of the studio.
~~~
giobox
This is long before Telltale's involvement in the Sam and Max franchise. This
game predates Telltale's founding by about 11 years. While Telltale did some
good work, I miss LucasArts much more!
~~~
benbristow
I am aware. It's just that Telltale introduced me to the franchise and made
them easily approachable to younger audiences (I'm 22 now but was playing them
with my dad around 2006/2007 on the 360!).
------
davidivadavid
One of my childhood favorites along with Full Throttle. What's today's
equivalent of those games?
~~~
devbat8712
Keep an eye out on gog.com, there's some cool point and click stuff on there.
Teenagent isn't bad, and I think it's free on gog
------
DonHopkins
I had a "CAUTION: NAKED BUNNY WITH ATTITUDE" sticker on my Thinkpad.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
TwitterNotes - Take notes anywhere using Twitter - sdsantos
http://twitternotes.com/
======
karzeem
From their About page: "This website layout was humbly borrowed from Twitter
original layout, since we believe we are creating value for its own community
from which we belong."
I wonder how Twitter feels about sites replicating its layout. Companies using
your API is great, but I'd get uncomfortable if a company made it look to
unattentive users like my company was involved with their product. (In this
case, I just wouldn't want to be associated with that grammar).
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
0 Tweets, 12,207 Followers - scrrr
https://twitter.com/apple
======
pyrotechnick
url - tweets - followers - ratio
<http://twitter.com/adobe> \- 10,420 - 139,670 - 13.40
<http://twitter.com/apple> \- 0 - 12,207 - ∞
<http://twitter.com/facebook> \- 997 - 5,673,552 - 5,690.62
<http://twitter.com/google> \- 3,820 - 5,382,253 - 1,408.97
<http://twitter.com/hp> \- 17,318 - 162,246 - 9.37
<http://twitter.com/microsoft> \- 3,504 - 346,880 - 99.00
<http://twitter.com/mozilla> \- 2,044 - 9,943 - 4.86
<http://twitter.com/nokia> \- 15,533 - 351,303 - 22.62
<http://twitter.com/opera> \- 3,529 - 104,859 - 29.71
<http://twitter.com/samsung> \- 8,863 - 332,269 - 37.49
<http://twitter.com/twitter> \- 1,470 - 14,420,774 - 9,810.05
Excluding Apple, I'm not entirely sure what this measures.
Twitter-ness?
~~~
zegmas
it's called "social proof", instead of "Twitter-ness"
~~~
pyrotechnick
Does "social proof" generally account for gaming?
For instance, what if Microsoft chooses not to report spam accounts whilst
Apple does?
It would be very much related to the rate of retweets as this is primarily how
information traverses Twitter.
I think the formula is something like _trendiness - honesty_.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
It’s No Accident: Advocates Want to Speak of Car ‘Crashes’ Instead - aaronbrethorst
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/23/science/its-no-accident-advocates-want-to-speak-of-car-crashes-instead.html
======
mikerichards
I'm not surprised considering the litigious nature of American society and the
typical knee-jerk reaction to spread the blame as much as possible when an
accident occurs.
But I'm hoping people and other more reasonable governments reject this
newspeak agenda by various state, local, and federal agencies.
I find it hilarious (but not suprised) that the NYT calls them "advocates"
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Microsoft infographic encouraging working while on vacation - magrimes
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2013/nov13/11-06getitdone.aspx
======
jptman
What if the reason you get to have a nice vacation at a particular time of
year is that you are able to join important meetings from wherever?
------
gdc
I don't see the word vacation anywhere in the article.
~~~
bhartzer
Yes, vacation (or even non-working hours) would be implied in this case?
Sunrise to sunset.... is that what we really want? Sure we want to be
connected, but not necessarily "working".
~~~
gdc
I think they're saying that people work when they want to work. Not imploring
people to work on their vacations.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Wanted: Sr. Software Engineer NYC Startup - doriandargan
https://jobs.github.com/positions/c27f0668-5b74-11e2-9ed4-2f95be6a68af
======
greenyoda
If you don't mention anything about the compensation package -- salary range,
equity, benefits, etc. -- I have no idea whether it's even worth my while
sending you an e-mail.
------
doriandargan
Willing to relocate the right candidate from anywhere in the US! Great
opportunity :)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The Knight-Mozilla Journalism Challenge; Call for Ideas - knowtheory
http://commonspace.wordpress.com/2011/04/28/mojo-what-is-it/
======
OpenMatt
This is a great opportunity for people interested in the future of news and
the web.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Stages of a startup (infographic) - williswee
https://www.techinasia.com/startup-stages
======
pedalpete
I'm not familiar with the Marmer model, and also don't see how it is really
different from the Customer Development Model, with the exception that it puts
timeframes to each stage.
I think the Funding Stages model is completely wrong. How many people are able
to raise a round of funding without proving product market fit. I see it more
as Financing Model might follow Customer Centric or Marmer.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Teen Solves Quantum Entanglement Problem for Fun - sunsu
http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/06/ari-dyckovsky/
======
hello_asdf
"With his paper, Ari Dyckovsky has helped show that you can have quantum
entanglement with vastly different particles, not just particles that are
similar."
This was pretty much the summation of his research at least from what I
noticed in the article. Can someone explain this for me, please?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Siemens previews autonomous 3d printing spiders - Sanddancer
http://www.siemens.com/innovation/en/home/pictures-of-the-future/digitalization-and-software/autonomous-systems-siemens-research-usa.html
======
djaychela
Impressive stuff, but also reminiscent of minority report. I'd have liked more
detail about the volume that the spiders can print, accuracy, etc, but seeing
that they are not printing a material that most would want to use, it's
probably more a very early proof of concept which will change drastically
before being produced/scanning us in our baths.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Preface to the new edition of The Design of Everyday Things - breck
http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/preface_design_of_e.html
======
russelluresti
I loved the original version of this book (actually just passed it along to a
friend to read), and I'm probably going to pick up the digital copy of this
revision. Interested in seeing how he translates some of his original points
into digital products (which has been a common stumbling block for a lot of
designers).
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Congressman Spends Week on Uninhabited Island in Pacific - breck
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/11/AR2009101101760_pf.html
======
patio11
That brings back memories of my days in Boy Scouts. Getting out in the
outdoors is a wonderful character building exercise and presents opportunities
that you won't get so much in city living. And yes, it can be breathtaking
beautiful and serene.
That being said, I'm keenly aware that it is a fun diversion for rich people.
(The Congressman is probably a good deal wealthier than my family growing up,
but either of us are quite rich in comparison to the typical inhabitant of the
Marshall Islands.)
Nature can be breathtakingly beautiful and awe inspiring. It can also be
terrible and merciless, every inch the avatar of the old pagan gods, and it
has a virtually infinite number of ways to kill you. The foundation of human
civilization that people enjoy temporarily escaping from so much is minimizing
the chance of terrible, brutal death dealt out stochatically by an uncaring
world.
This is why while I enjoy the occasional escape to nature (with sensible
precautions taken) I feel no particular urge to venerate it per se. The folks
who live in uncontrolled nature 365 days out of the year -- the global poor --
live in misery, squalor, and constant fear of death from things the rest of us
can scarcely comprehend you can die from. (One well-fed American can survive
on plentiful crabs for a week but, then again, he could survive on rainwater
for a week. A child in a village full of barely-making-it folks can succumb to
diseases exacerbated by famine if the local subsistence food production is
just a bit worse than it typically is -- and they don't have a panic button to
summon the Coast Guard.)
~~~
revorad
_The foundation of human civilization that people enjoy temporarily escaping
from so much is minimizing the chance of terrible, brutal death dealt out
stochatically by an uncaring world._
Wow, thank you for putting it so well!
------
frisco
> Depending on how permanent Sharpie markers really are, I may have managed to
> confuse anthropologists years from now, who will surely wonder how it is
> that hermit crabs on Jabonwod are numbered.
That is awesome.
~~~
cake
It kind of bother me, I mean can't he find another way to distract himself
without "damaging" his environment ?
~~~
JshWright
What, are you worried the hermit crabs are now going to set up some sort of
repressive caste system based on their shell numbers?
~~~
cake
You never know ;-), but the main problem I have with this is that when camping
or when you have some sort of outdoor activity there is one precept : "Leave
no trace behind". More details : <http://wikitravel.org/en/Leave-no-
trace_camping>
I don't think he has done much damage to these crabs, it's insignificant, but
he's ruining the beauty that nature has to offer him. He's also ruining it for
others and that's more annoying.
I'm sure he was pleased to discover this untouched place, he's gesture in my
opinion is selfish because he is depriving others from the experience he had,
he's even saying at some point :
_I thought I was watching a large graceful bird in flight, like a red-tailed
hawk [...] I was watching a large manta ray, spotted and absolutely
beautiful._
Now I'm not sure this mantra would have seem so beautiful to him if someone
had written his name on it for example.
Agreed the Sharpie might disapear in a few days, I'm more concerned about the
behaviour : he was bored so he wrote on crabs.
~~~
mquander
It's hard for me to tell _what_ exactly you're concerned about. He didn't
injure or probably even bother the crabs. The Sharpie really will disappear
within a few days, so even if some future nature-lover stumbles upon the
island later, his experience won't be "ruined" by numbered crabs (I would find
it charming if I found such a thing!) So why are you concerned at all?
~~~
cake
I'm concerned by the fact that he allows himself to go to such a place without
applying the precept "Leave no trace". In my opinion if you want to preserve
wild areas like this one, it is very important to respect it no matter what.
You would find it charming but I would find it sad. We don't know who else
might visit this area and by what frequency, just by respect for other people
who may not be pleased by such a gesture and because he doesn't own the place
he shouln'd have done that. It really seems just like a basic outdoor camping
rule to me.
~~~
anamax
> I'm concerned by the fact that he allows himself to go to such a place
> without applying the precept "Leave no trace".
You can't "leave no trace". The animals that noticed you behave differently
now. Your footprints diverted an insect. (And, if you were riding a horse, the
water that pooled in the hoof prints kept a Texas Ranger alive.) Your "waste"
poisoned one thing and provided nutrients to another.
You can argue that these things don't count, but the line isn't as bright as
your aesthetic revulsion requires.
------
learnalist
At first, i wanted to scream out.
Who cares.
No really your country is up the creek and here you are filling up an article
with nothing more than a blow by blow summary of your week alone on an Island.
Yet still i read on. Partly that boyish dream of living the crusoe life style.
The time i reached the end. Jealous and day dreaming. It hammered home the
fact we mostly choose the life we lead today.
Equally if i had children, i would want them to read this piece. To allow them
that moment to dream and let their mind create Vivid imagery. After all how
different was this guys desire to yours and mine to convert that vivid idea
into something tangible, real and perhaps even profitable ;)
I trust he won't write a book or turn it into a movie!
~~~
junklight
I'm just jealous. I think I need a holiday: A week alone on a desert island
sounds like paradise right now.
------
wmblaettler
Although the printer-friendly version made for a nicer read, I became curious
at the end to see some photos, since he had mentioned he had at least an
underwater camera with him.
Here is a link to the main article with photo gallery:
[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2009/10...](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2009/10/11/AR2009101101760.html)
I'd recommend waiting until after you read the article, as it's fairly well-
written and descriptive without the images.
------
known
I think it will help to bootstrap.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Mailchimp Project Omnivore: Declassified - dajobe
http://blog.mailchimp.com/project-omnivore-declassified/
======
mgkimsal
Interesting that they link to a definition of spam which is 'both unsolicited
and bulk'. The vast majority of people I know who are militant about spam
focus solely on the unsolicited aspect. I guess spam is still in the eye of
the beholder. ??
~~~
lanstein
Unsolicited commercial email (UCE) is the definition I think of.
~~~
derleth
I disagree with this because it opens the door to endless argument over what
'commercial' means.
Besides, I just want a clean inbox. I don't care whether a given piece of
trash came from a commercial or non-commercial source.
------
nerdo
This is from jan 2010?
~~~
biot
Yep... previous discussion (484 days ago):
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080700>
~~~
dajobe
I assumed the submission software would notice dupes of existing stories and
point at them. The URLs seem the same.
------
dkarl
Dangit.... I was looking at a job listing for Mailchimps a few months ago and
got as far as "MailChimp is a DIY email-marketing service..." before closing
the tab, assuming they were spammers or spammer-enablers. I wonder if they get
that knee-jerk reaction a lot.
------
ChuckMcM
This is a great read, although the tool seems predicated on transactions which
both start and end in their mail system.
------
maxer
i dont use mailchimp because there spam control is too tight- i have email
lists of small business owners who i have permission to be email but since
they are generic emails addresses like info@domain or support@domain they wont
let me send- means i lose 15% of my list and often the ones who need the email
the most
~~~
suking
If you use their API you can add these. Takes like 5 mins to program...
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Preview of Kite, the AI pair programmer - mpicard
https://mpicard.github.io/kite-review.html
======
veli_joza
Now, this is an exciting development of tooling. This could bootstrap next
generation of tools that would make huge increase in software complexity
actually manageable.
I like that it shows you code examples (I use GitHub code search a lot).
Another idea would be to automatically show you the code of function you are
calling, so you can quickly verify your assumptions (sync/async, error
handling, return values).
I don't do much Python nowadays, but I'm very excited about Kite.
~~~
mpicard
I do a lot of Python and all I can say is wow, it's so handy. It's way better
than any other hovering UI suggestion/completion plugins I've used. If it
supports type hinting in Python then you could get arg types, return values,
etc.
They plan on adding more languages I believe so keep an eye out for yours.
------
startupdiscuss
I wish they would send me an invite. I really want to use it.
Thesis: A truly enlightened company would let you use this in interviews.
~~~
mpicard
I was told from Kite that invites are going to roll out quickly now so check
your inbox soon!
Thesis-2: A truly clever company would tell you to use this on a language
you've never used before in an interview hahaha
------
arussellsaw
I really like the way it displays the documentation/suggestions. I would much
rather have that than the floating boxes i see in VSCode right now, does
anyone know if it's possible to get this layout style via plugins?
------
jMyles
How does one get an invite?
~~~
mpicard
Via email, if you signed up on www.kite.com you'll get an email soon with
details.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Apparently Bing Is Something Of A Hit - vaksel
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/06/01/apparently-bing-is-something-of-a-hit/
======
calambrac
I've been using Bing as my default search in FF all day today, just as an
experiment. I can't tell if what frustration I am experiencing is just due to
not being used to it, but I will say that any other time I've tried doing this
(Yahoo, Live, Ask), I've quickly switched back to Google simply because I
couldn't get my work done. The fact that it's been more than an hour and I
haven't given up on it says a lot.
~~~
froo
_I've been using Bing as my default search in FF all day today_
I must admit I've just started to do the same and am getting the same result.
I quickly added bing and its not sucking...
.. as someone who wrote off Microsoft only a few months ago and still on my
"Fuck yeah, open source! Fuck Microsoft!" high, I'm feeling a little
conflicted.
Well done Microsoft.
~~~
trezor
Not to deliberately derail the thread or anything, but if you in any way
associate using google search with promoting open-source, you are doing
something wrong. Google search is (too) as proprietary as it gets.
As for bing, I gave it a shot. After switching to the US version it was a
whole new product. My biggest complaint so far is the lack of intelligent
porn-searches :P
~~~
calambrac
The search is proprietary, but the company itself is one of (if not the)
largest supporters of open source software out there.
<http://code.google.com/opensource/>
Using Google for search makes Google money. Google reinvests a not-too-shabby
amount of that money back into open source software. Ergo, using Google search
promotes open source.
~~~
skinnymuch
Google also releases stuff by subsidizing them like crazy. Guess what happens
to people who make better products? No one hears about them because all the
techies are circle jerking themselves over the new Google product.
Sad, really.
~~~
calambrac
I'm pretty sure you're just talking out of your ass. Google has a long and
storied history of releasing things to the sound of chirping crickets (Orkut,
Froogle, Knol, Custom Search, etc.), and a lot of their services that aren't
necessarily duds certainly aren't being circle-jerked over, either (Checkout,
News, Finance, etc.)
------
callahad
Definitely not a bad option, but as Mr. Arrington says, "I’m used to Google
and I know how to find the things I’m looking for."
I honestly cannot think of a time in the past year where Google has failed to
locate sufficiently relevant information for a given query. If Google ever
disappoints, I'll definitely fail over to Bing, but those days will be few and
far between.
(And I do have a few presentation nits with Bing. I've seen a sponsored links
block inserted ~250ms after the results rendered, immediately shifting the
result positions and interrupting my skimming of the page. I can't open image
results in tabs using Chrome, and their content wrapping for image results,
Wikipedia pages, etc. feels a bit heavy-handed).
~~~
timcederman
To be honest, I've felt Google has been 'babying' me too much in the last
year. I've had part of my queries dropped, different intent inferred and weird
verb stemming applied to my searches. In the last 6 months there have been at
least a dozen occasions where I've felt the results are total crap for no good
reason.
(mind you, that's out of 15,000 searches according to my Google search
history)
There's also the general problem of too many commercial pages when you're
trying to get information, not a product. However Bing, et al, seems to suffer
from the same thing.
(eg, try finding out information about the Shoreline Amphitheatre VIP lounge
experience. There are sites out there which discuss it, but it took a
ridiculous number of permutations of search terms to finally find them)
~~~
randallsquared
Yes, one of the few major problems I have with Google is that it just changes
your query sometimes when you _really_ want what you typed, and the slight
change (adding an "s", most often, for me) swamps the results you're looking
for in a sea of unrelated stuff. Even using quotes doesn't help here, though
it should. I'll try to remember to use Bing for those kinds of queries when I
run into one again.
~~~
lincolnq
Did you try putting a + before the word? I think it tells Google "don't fuck
with this word, I want an exact match"
~~~
timcederman
Thanks! I always forget to use that, because its original use was only to
force Google to keep common words in the search query.
------
madair
There will be inevitable negatives comparisons to Google, and perhaps some of
them are right. I'm just pleased it's working well enough for me and that
there is finally now a viable competitor to Google.
~~~
litewulf
Just wondering, why is it important to have a viable competitor to Google?
Are you worried about corporate shenanigans, or a single point of failure or
something entirely else?
~~~
madair
The danger of all monopolies. I'm not trying to troll or promote irrational
fear, but I feel that the competition has been too weak.
The hegemony of a single organization which has a clearly stated philosophical
viewpoint with a desire to index all information quite simply poses risks
which others have described better than I can claim to. By diversifying those
risks I hope we can reduce the potential problems.
I'm not saying that Microsoft is the antidote, just that I am glad to see
competition. I hope there is more forthcoming.
------
noodle
i have to admit, it is surprisingly good. not better than google, but it
presents itself as a quality alternative. several steps up from live.
given some more time to chisel away at it, MS might have something which could
seriously compete with google in the future.
~~~
10ren
The results seem similar to Google. I wonder if PageRank litigation is a
possibility.
~~~
noodle
possible, but that would be one hell of an epic court case. probably wouldn't
even be worthwhile to try and jump into that. both sides would probably lose a
lot, on multiple levels.
~~~
10ren
Yes, I was thinking PR. Odd fact: Yahoo appears to have a license for PageRank
(Yahoo bought overture/goto, whose patent Google infringed with AdWords
auction). GOOG-MS might cross-license too.
------
pc
If you want to test Bing in Safari, try:
$ curl collison.ie/code/bing-safari-patch.rb | ruby
It'll replace Google with Bing in Safari's search box in the top right.
(Of course, you should read the code before running it.)
~~~
evgen
Or go get the glims safari extension so that you can add whatever search
provider you want for the search box and also pick up a bunch of other neat
safari tweaks (how I survived without the ability to undo a close tab I will
never know... :)
------
cnlwsu
I was a little excited after reading the article, alas I was disappointed when
I tried it out. Seems to do everything in its power to avoid displaying
blogspot, google mail lists, and google code projects. It didnt display as
much about me as when I searched my name on google - did not even have my blog
which has my name in the DNS :( . When I searched for dojango I was very
disapointed... "Results are included for django" could have been changed to
"Results were replaced with this search that we think you meant" To top things
off, it seems to temporarily freeze my Ubuntu's installation of FF every time
I move my mouse around the page.
------
radu_floricica
The problem with new search engines is not only how good they are, but that
google is _the_ standard. Every website who wants to be visible is google-
optimised, so it will be hard for a contender to be both original and
successful.
------
Retric
Bing seems to really like a few sites (Wikipedia, Amazon), but it's not quite
up to Google search results.
PS: Some of the differences are just funny. Retric in Google = Hacker News
profile, Retric in Bing = Slashdot Profile.
~~~
jm4
_PS: Some of the differences are just funny. Retric in Google = Hacker News
profile, Retric in Bing = Slashdot Profile._
Slashdot has been around for over a decade. It has a PageRank of 9 versus 6
for HN. I would imagine Bing has a similar metric for measuring the popularity
of a site. It seems to make sense that the Slashdot profile would rank higher.
What I think is really interesting is why Google ranked the HN profile higher.
I'm thinking freshness is weighted much higher on Google than it is on Bing.
I've done similar searches on both and while both yield relevant results I'm
more likely to see older content on Bing.
------
10ren
Nice point that there is a little google lock-in, when people have learnt how
to find things with google. It's not just the query syntax, but also that
we've learnt what kinds of answers it gets back.
~~~
10ren
Thinking further: lock-in doesn't give you much competitive advantage in comp
tech - but it does grant you a buffer against competitors. It buys you time,
to match their improvement, or even improve on them. Therefore, in tech, I
think competitive advantage should be measured in _time_ * : our good image
gives us 1 week; user inertia is 1 year; adapting to another interface is 3
weeks; our server farm speed is 6 months; PageRank is 2 months.
These times only come into play when a competitor offers something better in
some way (if there's nothing better, then these timers aren't engaged). It's
like a better product is a pressure or voltage differential, and the
competitive advantage is the resistance.
Of course, when you're ahead is the time to grow your competitive advantage,
even though it's not needed, so that you have it when it is needed. It's an
investment. The parts of the model are: the users you have; the relative
attractiveness of a competing product; and what stops your users from
switching.
Actually, I think this is just one kind of competitive advantage, and it only
covers existing users (not new ones). For a start up, it's not enough to just
retain users, you need to get them in the first place. You're better off
focusing on getting them (by increasing the relative attractiveness of your
product) rather than stopping them from switching... but Warren Buffett is
always going on about competitive advantage - what exactly does he mean?
[ * ] for half their users to switch
------
jzachary
I like Bing. It does a much better job for image search and presentation than
Google.
The thing that will make Bing competitive with Google, however, will be the
front page. Google has adhered to a simple front page with religious zealotry.
Bing, on the other hand, seems to embrace making the front search page more
useful. It remains to be seen if MS will clutter it up, but if Google starts
adding widgets and tools to the front page, you will know they are paying
attention.
------
Raphael_Amiard
I didn't like the search results. It tries to guess on what you want, and as a
techie i guess i'm more used to specifying myself what i want to search.
~~~
bitwize
Would you like them better if the Google logo were floating at the top of the
page?
~~~
Raphael_Amiard
I was refering to actual search results, for the same search, with comparison
from both search engines. I might be totally wrong, and the issue is in a good
part subjective. That's why i did put the words "I didn't like", and not "The
results are plain bad".
Implying i was just influenced by the brand, while it may have seemed clever
to you, is rude , gross ,and totally unrelated to what i said.
------
paulgb
I like the preview of the content when you hover over the result. It's
interesting that Wikipedia pages can be viewed as pages on Bing.com. I think
that's a feature that came from Powerset.
It's a reasonable competitor to Google, but I was hoping for a feature or two
that would really impress me. Everything I see so far is an incremental
improvement at best.
------
evanmoran
Personally I'm still enamored with WolframAlpha, though Bing has a distinct
edge in ease of typing=).
I realize that (for now) these sites are apples to oranges, but I would
welcome any move by Microsoft/Google to take on Wolfram. Perhaps Bing will go
this way? They have a lot of smart filtering, and the endless image search is
just fun.
------
nathanwdavis
I'm happy with it - my site comes in at #8 on it, instead of #10 on Google for
my target keywords "etf screener". Besides that though it does exceed my
expectations.
------
kwamenum86
uuuh...guys? I think Bing might be better than Google....what do I do?
------
jcapote
Meanwhile Windows continues to rot away; Remind me why they need to be so into
search again?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
6.7 earthquake near Japan - y0ghur7_xxx
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc0004e5w.php
======
mikecane
I tuned into NHK online and there was nothing.
<http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/r/movie/>
EDIT: There was a brief mention in passing on the news. Given the magnitude, I
expected live bulletin coverage. Stand down.
------
y0ghur7_xxx
There is also a tsunami warning.
More info: [http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/06/22/general-as-
japan-e...](http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/06/22/general-as-japan-
earthquake_8530125.html)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Twitter should copy Google+’s circle feature. - skbohra123
http://www.geekybuddha.org/blog/2011/07/16/twitter-should-copy-google%e2%80%99s-circle-feature/
======
athst
Absolutely not. The whole nature of twitter is about its spontaneity and real-
time nature. Can you imagine if someone had to go through the extra thought
step of "which group should I send this to?" every time they sent out a tweet?
It would ruin the service.
Also, a primary difference between Facebook (now Google+) and Twitter is that
Twitter was assumed to be public by default. It is a public form of
communication, and the Google+ style of sorting your messages into specific
buckets of people doesn't fit it at all.
~~~
sebastianavina
I've noticed a curious trend among my friends...
Because all modern cell phones have Wi-Fi, and there are a lot of free
hotspots around the city (here in Mexico), they use twitter as SMS... They log
and send a message to their friends about the hour to hang out, and the place,
and the chat over twitter... I'm nor sure if they know it's public, or the
implications of that, but they truly do that...
I'm begging to understand twitter, as poor man's phone calls...
~~~
dhoelzgen
I've noticed the same thing among some of my friends. However, I don't think
that's what twitter is meant (or good) for.
------
dave1010uk
Google+ on Twitter would be more like a group DM. Twitter's mentions to users
are public so mentions to lists could be to. I've got a list for people at
work but to mention them at the moment I have to name them individually. It
would be great (though perhaps open to abuse) if I could tweet at my lists, or
even the lists of others. This could be implemented with another character
like "/". E.g. "@/foo" to mention my foo list or "@bar/baz" to mention @bar's
baz list.
------
foobarbazetc
No, they shouldn't.
I have zero interest in managing and maintaining circles, and have already
given up on doing it in Google+.
~~~
skbohra123
Yeah, it should be totally optional in twitter' case.
------
lftl
The burden with Google+ circles, and Twitter if it followed suit, is that I
have to manage what someone else is interested in hearing from me. That’s
completely backwards for pubic sharing (which is unequivocally Twitter's
focus), especially for people with a decent sized public following who they
may not know very well.
What Twitter needs to build is a capability where I can advertise different
topics that I talk about, and then people can selectively follow everything I
tweet, or just follow tweets that I publish to a particular topic. In G+
terminology it would be like if they made my list of circles public, and then
people added themselves to circles rather than me adding them.
~~~
devaholic
It sounds like they really just need to let me search _only_ my timeline for
whatever I want. Interestingly, I can't even seem to do this with the advanced
search (<http://search.twitter.com/advanced>)
~~~
lftl
Timeline restricted search might solve the problem, but there are plenty of
topics where a simple keyword search may not cut it. Searching for programming
would obviously include a wide array of tweets with a wide berth of keywords.
I don't think a naive keyword search would really solve the problem. I did
consider at one point writing a Twitter client that would do simple Bayesian
filtering across a list. So you would create a list, add whoever you want, and
then flag messages as good/bad for that list, and it would start filtering.
------
code_duck
Google's circle feature is incredibly useful to me. Not only will it come in
handy separating my three professional spheres from each other, it is ideal
for separating those from my family and friends. Each of these groups is
interested in and privy to different types of posts from me, and finally,
there is a way to share with all of them just what I want through a single
account.
Twitter's simplicity is at it's core, however. I don't think Twitter could
slip a system like this in very easily... nor can facebook.
~~~
spullara
It is already on Facebook. They are called Friend Lists. You and filter your
feed and narrow publishing using them. Just like circles.
~~~
troymc
Others have said this too, but it's not a matter of whether or not Facebook
has that feature, it's the difference in defaults. I've been on Facebook for
years and don't even know where to look for the "Friend Lists" --- and I'm a
fairly technical guy who has tweaked all his Facebook privacy settings.
With Google+, the circles are core, not just some tack-on optional feature.
The main way to share something on Google+ is by sharing it with circles.
To put it another way, the default on Facebook is to share with all "friends".
The default on Google+ is to share with nobody - but the list of options
starts with circles, and ends with the public. (Google+ also lets you include
individuals in the list, but you have to type their name or email address, so
I suspect that feature is little-used.)
------
adthrelfall
Although I do use Twitter predominantly for work, seeing the odd glimpse of
someone's personal life adds depth to my understanding of them. If it's too
frequent, I unfollow. If G+ is used 'correctly' then I'd be sad to miss those
little insights in to my contacts other lives.
------
jkaljundi
Twitter lists are Google circles. Twitter should just continue experimenting
and redesignng the whole lists functionality.
------
techiferous
Wouldn't Google likely have a patent on the circle?
~~~
skbohra123
I am not aware, things like these could be patented ? That would be horrible
to imagine. If that's the case, facebook may have patents on so many things,
which google+ has copied.
~~~
dhoelzgen
I fear, at least in the US, they can be patented...
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: Gita – a CLI tool to manage multiple Git repos - nosarthur
https://github.com/nosarthur/gita
======
fyhn
One thing this project does really well is to start the readme with a
screenshot. I open the link, scroll down to the readme, and I immediately see
what sort of user interface/experience I will get. Some commenters have noted
that Gita is similar to other multi-repo tools, but both Repo and wstool are
more effort to evaluate, because their readmes don't have pictures.
------
stinos
Nice, but is there a way to just run any command? I.e. just `gita <optional
repo names/paths> <pass entire command line git -C repodir>`. This has
advantages in that you don't have to go round via a command file, don't have
to keep it synced across machines, don't have to remember what you put in the
file etc, and can just use the git syntax which already took long enough to
learn by heart :P
I've used multiple multiple repository tools and in the end all I happen to
use is one (usually versioned) file to store a list of repositories and then a
command which just loops over all repos and applies anything to it. If I need
custom commands I use git aliases so that works both for normal git and
whatever tool used.
~~~
joshka
→ cat ~/bin/git-all
#!/bin/bash
# Exit on error. Append "|| true" if you expect an error.
set -o errexit
# Exit on error inside any functions or subshells.
set -o errtrace
# Do not allow use of undefined vars. Use ${VAR:-} to use an undefined VAR
set -o nounset
# Catch the error in case command1 fails (but command2 succeeds) in `command1 |command2`
set -o pipefail
# Turn on traces, useful while debugging but commented out by default
# set -o xtrace
help() {
cat <<EOF
usage: git all <any-git-command>
Runs the git command for all repositories in the current directory.
Examples:
What just happened?
git all log -1 --oneline
What am I doing now?
git all status --short --branch
What is everything I'm working on?
git all branch -vv
EOF
}
banner() {
echo -e "\\033[1m=== $1 ===\\033[0m"
}
main() {
if (( $# < 1 )); then
help
exit 1
fi
folders=$(find . -maxdepth 2 -name .git -print0 | xargs -0 -n1 dirname)
for folder in $folders;
do
banner "$folder"
git -C "$folder" "$@" || true
done
}
main "$@"
~~~
stinos
Missed this reply, but yes, that's what I'm talking about!
------
pabs3
Another similar tool is myrepos (it supports other VCSen too). There are
several other similar tools, see the related software section of the myrepos
website:
[https://myrepos.branchable.com/](https://myrepos.branchable.com/)
~~~
noir_lord
I use myrepos and I like it a great deal.
mr register in the root of a git dir.
then `mr status` from home will show the state of all repo's registered, it's
handy at the eod to see what repos you've touched but not committed.
------
puzz
I wrote a similar tool (along with some other git helpers) a while ago:
[https://github.com/tkrajina/git-plus](https://github.com/tkrajina/git-plus).
Note that there is another (more popular) git-plus repository used in Atom. My
own has nothing to do with it (but it's older).
------
guessmyname
Isn’t this what “repo” [1] does?
[1]
[https://source.android.com/setup/develop/repo](https://source.android.com/setup/develop/repo)
~~~
nosarthur
didn't know this tool before. I will give it a try. Thanks!
------
j1elo
Cool, new tooling!
I currently use a mix of mu-repo [1] and uncommitted [2]
[1]: [http://fabioz.github.io/mu-repo/](http://fabioz.github.io/mu-repo/)
[2]: [https://github.com/brandon-
rhodes/uncommitted](https://github.com/brandon-rhodes/uncommitted)
------
amelius
The biggest problem with multiple repositories is to manage consistent
versions (commits).
For example, let's say that I have a release 1.0, which consists of a bunch of
commit IDs of various repositories. How do I go back to that release without
manually checking out the specific commit ID in each repo?
~~~
stinos
We use tags for that. Upon each release all repos get the same tag.
Alternatively with tools like mr [1] you can for each release keep a .mrconfig
somewhere which keeps the commit SHA for each repo (not 100% sure if mr can
create such file by itself, but it's not really hard) so that if you do a
fresh clone it checks out each repo at the correct commit.
[1] [https://linux.die.net/man/1/mr](https://linux.die.net/man/1/mr)
~~~
pabs3
There is a mr/myrepos plugin that adds some automation for remembering the
currently checked out commit:
[https://bitbucket.org/mforbes/mmfhg#rst-header-mr-un-
freeze](https://bitbucket.org/mforbes/mmfhg#rst-header-mr-un-freeze)
------
asutekku
Great tool! It’s nice we have one more tool to choose from. Each program has
their own UX so I don’t see a new contender as a bad thing.
------
Davidbrcz
wstool
([https://github.com/vcstools/wstool](https://github.com/vcstools/wstool)) is
a tool for managing a workspace of multiple heterogenous SCM repositories.
Very convenient. I have used it for ROS projects with multiples SCM
------
1337shadow
Can you put up an asciinema demo pls
------
mav3rick
Isn't this what repo does ?
------
googlemike
Or just have a monorepo :)
~~~
kingosticks
Operations on monorepos can be so slow that having multiple copies checked out
(e.g. different branches) is a thing (ideally using worktrees).
~~~
giancarlostoro
I hate to say it but because I don't feel comfortable with git enough whenever
I am about to do anything outside of my comfort zone I make a hard copy of my
whole directory just to be sure if I get myself into a FUBAR state I can
delete the FUBAR'd directory and copy it again. This has saved me many a
headache. Also gives me a fresh state from which to ask for help from. Anytime
the word rebase is mentioned my coworkers shriek.
~~~
kingosticks
Have you ever had a look at the combination of 'git reflog' and 'git reset
--hard <ident>'? You can find the point before you did the uncomfortable
operation and restore your state to exactly then. Saves having to make that
backup copy (which, again, can be slow for a big repo).
~~~
pjc50
Neither of those saves the working directory, though. So uncommitted work
"feels" at risk while typing unfamiliar git commands.
(I now consider myself pretty good with git as a result of being forced to
learn gerrit, but I also still remember the early painful days)
~~~
kingosticks
True, that's a good point.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Immutability Changes Everything - ingve
http://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=2884038
======
Scarbutt
At the database level, lets say I want to take this approach with postgresql,
is using just one big table with no deletes or updates-in-place and just doing
appends one way to go about this? (assuming space is not a problem) Or is one
better off looking at stuff like datomic which has the immutability part
already set up for you?
~~~
T-R
I've been working on a functional/event sourced postgresql database for the
past few years. The approach in general is great, but we're currently
investigating alternatives for implementation (whether going to something like
datomic, or writing a DSL to generate the SQL). It's doable on postgres,
particularly with recent JSON support, but SQL is just too low level, so it's
a lot of work:
\- Because you tend to be doing a lot of different aggregations over the same
or similar data sets, the things you most want to re-use, like "group by" and
"order by" clauses or a set of columns for projections or joins, happen to be
the things SQL as a language doesn't give you the ability to abstract over.
\- A lot of what you want to do is a fold over the event stream, followed by a
map into some format, then ultimately filtering down to just the data you
want. This is an easy enough query to write, but to get reasonable
performance, you need to be able to adjust the evaluation time of parts of
this process/materialize intermediate results: you almost never want to do an
aggregation over all of history on every read, you usually want to at least do
the aggregation on write, and maybe do the `map` lazily on read. In SQL, this
turns out to be a _significant_ amount of manual work/code for something that,
conceptually, should basically just be a strictness annotation. What you'd
really want, at the very least, are materialized views with the ability to
automatically materialize on a per-row basis when dependencies change. The
recent support for Upsert will make this slightly less painful, but even so,
it's a lot of work, and a lot of space for bugs / stale de-normalized data.
\- What you need for playback to be performant is for your database to
understand which events, or parts of events, commute with each other, so it
can play them back in parallel, or at least optimize the query beyond just
running a volatile stored procedure in a loop. There's no way to communicate
this to postgres, so you have to model this explicitly yourself - you end up
having to explicitly write 'live' code (e.g., an imperative function to update
an account) that needs to produce the exact same results as 'playback' code
(e.g., a materializeable query that produces the state of the whole accounts
table from all user-related events).
To generalize, there's just no way to tell the database what constraints
you're adhering to, so it can't do any of the heavy lifting for you - either
generating code or query optimizations - and it won't do anything to make sure
you won't break those constraints, either. Something that does know how you're
using it, on the other hand, should at least theoretically be able to do all
of this work for you and a whole lot more.
------
macintux
Pat Helland gave a talk on these ideas at the first RICON:
[https://vimeo.com/52831373](https://vimeo.com/52831373)
------
dang
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8955130](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8955130)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Why the US federal employee record breach is worse than others - caseysoftware
http://caseysoftware.com/blog/why-this-security-breach-is-worse-than-all-the-others-combined
======
meesterdude
What a mess, but does highlight the fact that you know, when you gather a lot
of information on people, you become a target. They really just do all the
hard work, and make it easy for the criminals.
Obviously, a huge blunder of government, totally irresponsible and reckless
that such a massive breach was even possible. And it happened in dec 2014, and
they only just now found out. A team of amateurs could do better than that.
I know data security is hard, but maybe if the government spent money on
proper protections of people's data instead of building data centers to spy on
it's citizens, this wouldn't have happened. But it's clear that's not what
their priorities are.
Really, just disgusted by this.
That said, what did they do wrong? what should they have done, that they
didn't do? Getting hacked seems like an eventuality at some level. What can an
organization do to protect such sensitive information, or at least reduce
their exposure and the amount of data that is able to be leaked before
detection?
Seems like you'd have to partition up your data at some level, maybe encrypt
it at rest; but I don't know how far one has to go.
~~~
EthanHeilman
>I know data security is hard, but maybe if the government spent money on
proper protections of people's data instead of building data centers to spy on
it's citizens, this wouldn't have happened.
The Gozer Principal: in Information Security you get to design the weapon that
will be used against you [1]. Don't build a tool you are unwilling to hand to
your greatest enemy.
For example what happens when foreign governments steal the domestic bulk
surveillance data? I bet the NSA accidentally hoovers up all sorts of top
secret information that is just accidentally sent over the wire or non-
classified data that could do great damage to US interests. Or what happens
when a foreign government gains access to the tools used to perform this bulk
collection? They could inject fake traffic or hide traffic for strategic
deception campaigns.
Collect it all is a strategically empty slogan, it represents a serious risk
to US national security, but on the other hand it is a wonderful Rice Bowl [2]
for the NSA.
>What can an organization do to protect such sensitive information, or at
least reduce their exposure and the amount of data that is able to be leaked
before detection?
* Keep it offline/airgapped.
* Store the most dangerous data on paper with hashes replicated online to insure integrity.
* Delete information you don't need anymore.
* Do not have a centralized repository of data to reduce risk of catastrophic exposure.
There are always trade offs between usability, functionality and security.
[1]:
[https://twitter.com/ethan_heilman/status/510993743156375552](https://twitter.com/ethan_heilman/status/510993743156375552)
[2]:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_rice_bowl#Other_uses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_rice_bowl#Other_uses)
~~~
munin
all of your points totally undermine the benefits of centralization and
computerization. perhaps that is the point and that there are some things that
should just not be digitized or made "easy to do," but security people also
recognize that security is often not the end goal. creating a usable system
where the reward outweighs the risk is the goal. if the reward, despite this
risk/vulnerability, is still very high, then we'll probably keep doing it.
your points are what you would want to do if you wanted to make an ideally
secure system, but nobody wants only an ideally secure system...
~~~
jeffbr13
> … but nobody wants only an ideally secure system
Indeed! The ideally secure system would be one which doesn't exist/doesn't
have ANY interface, much like the perfect computer which doesn't perform any
IO with the rest of the world.
~~~
s_q_b
"The only truly secure system is one that is powered off, cast in a block of
concrete and sealed in a lead-lined room with armed guards... and even then I
have my doubts."
\- Prof. Gene "Spaf" Spafford
------
leroy_masochist
It's really bad. I was a Russian major and spent my junior year there. I
subsequently went on to jobs in the military / IC that required an SCI
clearance as well as a couple of additional SAP screenings.
I carefully listed the Russians I knew under penalty of perjury. I've lost
touch with most of them. I wasn't trying to turn them into agents, and they
were patriotic Russians who liked me despite, not because of, me being
American. The fact that they might be getting FSB attention now is sickening.
The fucking government, man. It really blows your mind sometimes.
~~~
jacquesm
What on earth were you thinking?
To expand a bit on that: any job that requires you to list the names of random
people that you've had contact with in the past should be avoided like the
bloody plague, there is _nothing_ that those people have done to warrant you
putting their name into some form and subsequent database with unknown
consequences for the people you decide to list.
They're not sheep to be offered up on the altar of your ambition to rise up in
the ranks, absolutely _nothing_ good could ever come for them. So if the
penalty is perjury just walk, that way you don't perjure yourself.
~~~
jonwachob91
Only they weren't random people, they were people he knew. And if you knew
anything about getting a Clearance in the States a lot of it is based on how
truthful you are on your SF-86 - List you use to be addicted to
methamphetamine and you might still get a clearance, lie about that one time
you smoked pot and you lose any hope of getting a clearance. It's done to
smoke out any "snowdens" and "mannings" who are trying to get a clearance for
things other than wanting a job. (Not that manning or snowden joined to leak
intelligence, but many have tried and many have been rejected).
~~~
jacquesm
Way to go to mis-interpret that: random people as in 'people that you simply
come in contact with during everyday life'.
It's not as if any of those people had a way of controlling who they came in
contact with. Life is built up out of tons of coincidences and who you know is
rarely a matter of deliberation, far more often it is random chance that
causes you to know one person and not to know another.
~~~
jonwachob91
Random is the Russian I sat next to on a flight to NYC and never talked to /
connected with again.
Random is NOT the guy I went to school with in Moscow and would fly back to
russia for a wedding for.
The OP didn't say which group he'd classify his friends in, but if he thought
it was pertinent enough to list them, than he had a close enough relationship
to warrant listing them. Cause when OPM/FBI find out that you went to school
for a year in Moscow and you didn't list any acquiescence's, they'll raise
some flags and find what you are hiding.
------
protomyth
Perhaps if the press had actually reported on the Department of Interior's
antics[1][2] surrounding Cobell v. Salazar[3][4], we could have brought to
public a discussion of our governments handling of sensitive data. A whole
department was removed from the internet[5], should have been a wake up call
for data handling. I don't remember it being covered in the tech press of the
time.
1) [http://www.internetnews.com/bus-
news/article.php/1562181/Cou...](http://www.internetnews.com/bus-
news/article.php/1562181/Court+Seeks+Inquiry+Into+BIA+Internet+Use.htm)
2)
[http://www.indianz.com/News/show.asp?ID=pol01/1262001-1](http://www.indianz.com/News/show.asp?ID=pol01/1262001-1)
3)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobell_v._Salazar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobell_v._Salazar)
4)
[http://fcnl.org/issues/nativeam/chronology_of_the_department...](http://fcnl.org/issues/nativeam/chronology_of_the_department_of_interior_trust_scandal/)
5) This also for a time included all Native American colleges including those
that were buying their own line and charted by the tribe and not the BIA. It
left students without access to distance learning classes and research beyond
small libraries. It was hellish on students.
------
jbuzbee
OK - Anyone for a funny story regarding filling out an SF-86?
As part of the clearance process, your co-workers are interviewed regarding
your work-habits, perceived integrity, etc. We had one woman, "Mary", in the
office who was a bit of a busy-body, listening in on phone calls, other
people's conversations, etc. One day she overheard another young woman, co-
worker "Jane" talking on the phone regarding meeting her boyfriend John at the
airport. In order to embarrass him, Jane and a friend were going to dress up
like hookers, hang all over him etc. Only Mary didn't hear the whole story and
became convinced that Jane was really involved in prostitution and was going
to meet a John at the airport. So when investigators were working on Jane's
clearance, Mary flat-out told them that Jane was a practicing prostitute on
the side. I'm sure these investigators hear it all, but I can only guess that
this was a memorable interview. Of course when the investigator confronted
Jane with the accusation that she was a hooker, she flipped out. Mary and
Jane's relationship was never quite the same after than..
~~~
devonkim
A lot of investigators are completely incompetent and the job has one of the
lowest pay of any cleared jobs out there. My investigator didn't realize I was
male until he had interviewed a friend of mine and corrected him.
------
Animats
This is a huge breach, and it will have repercussions for a generation. Nobody
thought of the Office of Personnel Management as security critical.
Previously, OPM has been criticized for not being computerized enough. OPM
exists as a unit to centralize personnel records across agencies, all of which
once had their own systems. Their retirement operation is still paper-based
and located in a mine in Pennsylvania.[1]
Apparently, they succeeded in centralizing security clearance data. Then, of
course, it had to be made available to all the security agencies. Remember the
demands after 9/11 for "tearing down the walls" between the law enforcement
and security communities? That means lots of people able to access databases
in other agencies. Of course, people will want to access the data from the
field on their mobile device.
[1]
[http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2014/03/22/sinkhol...](http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2014/03/22/sinkhole-
of-bureaucracy/)
~~~
mpyne
Not just that, but how do these disparate government agencies verify that so-
and-so checking into the local agency office is actually cleared for SECRET or
TS or whatever?
They have to look it up somehow. That lookup will likely involve a computer
database, and the pathway to reach that database will likely involve the
Internet.
Practically all the rest of this sad story follows immediately, because the
whole strategy of how the government handles computerized records in general
is all screwed up.
Even after this I'm not sure it will get better... the trend in government is
for inexorable centralization of related information. At the same time there's
incredible demand to have those work-related systems available online and all
the time, so that people can work while on duty travel, or from home.
Obviously there are technical things that can be done to mostly have our cake
and eat it too (VPNs, redacted mirrors/views of the sensitive central database
to be made available across the public Internet, etc.). But no one gets
promoted in the government for doing that, and much of the talent is at Google
or Facebook or Silicon Valley anyways :P.
------
jbuzbee
Well if this includes the entire SF-86 database, then I guess it includes me.
And I realize there's nothing I can do about it, so I guess I'm not sweating.
Life goes on. If it really was the Chinese behind it, then the data likely
won't ever end up dumped on pastebin or wherever.
The SF-86 form gets very, very personal, so I can imagine that some folks will
be panicked, but reading my form would be a yawner. Maybe I need to get out
more :-)
~~~
termain
Is it the entire SF-86 database, including contractors? Or just government
employees?
~~~
caseysoftware
OP here.
_Everybody_
The first sentence of the article I linked to: "The Chinese breach of the
Office of Personnel Management network was wider than first acknowledged, and
officials said Friday that a database holding sensitive security clearance
information on millions of federal employees and contractors also was
compromised."
------
peterkelly
I truly hope this will make all NSA employees that have worked on mass
surveillance infrastructure come to understand the importance of privacy, and
reconsider their participation in the similarly intrusive but far more large-
scale crimes that their own organisation is guilty of.
~~~
gohrt
It would be fascinating if foriegn intelligence agents were to use this
information against NSA agents in some way.
~~~
jacquesm
The more likely way in which this will be used is by targeting those abroad
who have been in contact with the US intelligence community. A bit like what
they accused wikileaks of doing with the cablegate release.
------
logn
I don't get why this is a big deal. If the people don't have anything to hide,
they shouldn't be worried. That they're so concerned is highly suspicious and
indicative of loose morals. China is just protecting its national security and
has a right to do so.
~~~
growupkids
I think you're missing the point, and would mind if we all went through your
financial, medical and personal records. These records are made available to
OPM under what are supposed to be strict privacy controls, because it's very
very personal information. Everything from divorces, psychological counseling,
drug history, you name it. You open up every secret in your life to scrutiny
to demonstrate that despite all that you can be trusted. None of that is
anyone's business, and it supposed to be protected and only available to a
small number of people for a period of time to determine if you can be
trusted.
Everyone has things in their lives they'd rather not have made public because
it's nobodies business, and this compromise just betrayed the trust all those
people put in the US government.
~~~
scintill76
Grandparent post may have been parodying the "nothing to hide = nothing to
fear" argument that's used to support ubiquitous surveillance etc.
------
bsder
And this, boys and girls, is why you _DELETE_ valuable, sensitive information
when you don't need it anymore.
But, deleting information might result in an error of commission which would
have your signature on it rather than an error of omission which has no one
readily blameable. So, no one in the organization will ever sign off on it.
~~~
andreyf
Or you could archive it on an air gapped network and delete it from all
systems connected to the internet. Seems like a relatively simple procedure
that I imagine is in use all the time with sensitive data...
------
prmurphy
Makes me wonder about their kind offer to centralize all our health records.
~~~
GabrielF00
FWIW, I recently had to get the records of a medical test that was performed
when I was a teenager. All I had to do was fax the hospital a form with my
date of birth, approximate year the test was done, and a signature, and they
sent the records to me in the mail. Absolutely terrifying.
~~~
radicalbyte
I've been working in the industry for 6 months, and so far I've learnt that
having a data-of-birth, post-code and surname is all you ever need.
..and that for twins, having the same post-code can be fatal..
------
gmuslera
NSA security breach was several orders worse. Instead of getting all the
sensitive information of 4 million US citizens with some ties with their
government, it got sensitive information of 4 billion world citizens, and keep
getting it because the backdoors, mass information collection, network
interception and so on is still running. The elephant in the room is not just
big, but pretty smelly too.
------
tdicola
Doesn't this breach pretty much invalidate anyone who has ever had a security
clearance? A bad actor who got ahold of the data could find people in
sensitive positions and blackmail them with the sensitive information in their
security clearance history. How can anyone be trusted going forward?
~~~
blazespin
If you have something you can be blackmailed over you can't get security
clearance. The info, however, does facilitate identity theft and KBA type
auth. It'd be easier to pose as someone who does have clearance, which
undermines the system.
------
borski
They collect the info in order to obtain anything a foreign operative could
use to blackmail you. The kicker? OPM also stores the results of the
Polygraphs. Were they accessed? I don't know.
------
justinsingh
Fragile data such as this needs to not only be prevented from being stolen,
but also needs to be of no use to a hacker even if it is stolen. Only then can
we truly be robust to error.
------
Zigurd
The sheer number of people with clearances who are now at risk of blackmail
and other untoward influence has everyone saying how terrible it is. OK.
Obviously.
But what about the obvious fix: Pull clearances from everyone who does not
need one. I mean really NEED. There are hundreds of thousands of schlubs with
clearances only because the paperwork they have access to is classified higher
than FOUO. And that classification is the product of self-importance and ass-
coverage.
------
sandycheeks
I have been watching this unfold wondering if any of the data compromised was
part of the Personnel Reliability Program.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personnel_Reliability_Program](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personnel_Reliability_Program)
Has anything been said about this?
------
blazespin
This probably sounds very awful but part of me really really really hopes that
the vulnerability at the source of this was caused by one of the NSA programs
to undermine security. Maybe then the sheeple will wake the freak up.
------
slyrus
"These days it's all secrecy and no privacy"
------
DennisP
I'm wondering whether this information could make it easier to accomplish
significant social engineering hacks.
------
DonGateley
Has any of this purloined information appeared anywhere or is there any
evidence yet of it being used?
------
stox
There was only one truly secure system, but then the Big Bang happened.
------
mkramlich
The flip-side of this story? Imagine what the NSA is doing. Imagine how much
information the NSA is slurping up, on everybody, 24x7. Now... assuming their
databases are an even more attractive target to hackers/criminals. Now assume
that the folks who design/build/maintain/operate the NSA's are just as human
as you and I, and therefore, are still prone to making just that one "oopsie"
kind of mistake in their defenses. When that happens? All that data they slurp
up falls into the hands of the hackers, criminals, people who mean you harm,
etc.
Only part of the danger of what the NSA is doing due to the "what if
government turns evil" scenario.
The other danger is the "what if hackers/scumbags/criminals get hold of it"
scenario.
Only one of those scenarios has to happen, in order for it to hurt you. And
the NSA has the very biggest pot of gold at rainbow's end,
PII/fraud/blackmail-wise, of any of these systems to date. Contemplate that.
Fear that. Take political action. Make day-to-day choices based on that.
~~~
janesvilleseo
I sure this will put me on some list, but you are right. They have a ton of
information. It's probably just a matter of time before they get hacked. The
question is by whom and for what purpose. It would be interesting if it was
done as an act of civil disobedience.
------
GizaDog
Im sure there was a USB backdoor open somewhere. So who's fault is it if the
US can't protect its own data? Blame others! That seems to be the way they
operate!
------
spacko
> ... names of neighbors and close friends.
Why for christs sake do they even collect this data in the first place? This
is not a database on felons or potential terrorists ... why does the
government care about the neighbours of their employees???
~~~
modeless
This is a database of potential Snowdens. The "intelligence community" is a
strange, puritanical, paranoid sort of place. It wouldn't be so bad if it
hadn't grown so preposterously large.
~~~
jbuzbee
Note that this is far larger than the "intelligence community". This would
include everyone from janitors who empty the trash in secure facilities to
accountants, to mechanical engineers who design pumps for nuclear facilities,
to web designers who write database front-ends, etc, etc, etc. And to say all
of these folks are "puritanical, paranoid" is a very limited viewpoint.
~~~
modeless
If you filled out an SF86 it's because the "intelligence community" demanded
it. That doesn't mean you're personally puritanical or paranoid; you're just
subjected to the requirements of people who are; people who have altogether
too much power and influence these days. And now those requirements have come
back to bite you.
~~~
jbuzbee
As more clarification, this is not just relevant for the "intelligence
community", i.e. the three-letter-agencies. It would also apply to folks at
various National Laboratories, Army bases, NASA, etc. And even for
universities doing government-sponsored research. When I worked at Cal-Tech
associated Jet Propulsion Laboratory, plenty of people had clearances.
~~~
modeless
We are using different definitions of the words "intelligence community". To
me, if you have a clearance then that makes you part of the "intelligence
community" regardless of whether your salary is paid by NSA, NASA, a defense
contractor, a national lab, the Army, a university, or whatever.
~~~
mpyne
If your definition of "intelligence community" includes NASA or random low-
level soldiers just trying to keep their planned operations out of the hands
of their adversaries, then I'd submit that your definition of "intelligence
community" is functionally useless. Just say "clearance holders" if that's
what you mean... there's already a very precise definition of "intelligence
community" as it pertains to the U.S. anyways.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
If War Can Have Ethics, Wall Street Can, Too - teslacar
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/03/opinion/if-war-can-have-ethics-wall-street-can-too.html?_r=00
======
nostrademons
Historically the idea of war having rules has had a very unfortunate past. In
WW1, Germany began unrestricted submarine warfare in 1915 and torpedoed the
passenger liner Lusitania (filled with neutral civilians). There's a long list
[1] of hospital ships deliberately sunk in WW1.
Then in WW2, aside from even more unrestricted submarine warfare and sinkings
of hospital ships [2], we also have the firebombings of Dresden, Tokyo, and
every other major axis city; machine-gunning of shipwreck survivors in the
water; the atom bombs; the impressment of Koreans into service as "comfort
women" for Japanese servicemen; forced labor at both axis & allied prisoner
camps; the internment of Japanese-Americans in concentration camps; and of
course the Holocaust.
Modern-day, there's the My Lai massacre and Obama's attack on a Doctors
Without Borders hospital [3]. Probably more too, but you don't hear about
them.
The author cites that war has rules because _rules are written down_ , but
rules are written down for Wall Street as well. They're just not enforced. And
similarly, the laws of war are only enforced on the losing side, or on
scapegoats that the actual decision-makers make available as a token
sacrifice. When it comes to actually conducting a war, belligerents usually
follow just one rule: win.
[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hospital_ships_sunk_in...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hospital_ships_sunk_in_World_War_I)
[2]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hospital_ships_sunk_in...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hospital_ships_sunk_in_World_War_II)
[3]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunduz_hospital_airstrike](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunduz_hospital_airstrike)
~~~
ferentchak
[http://www.centenarynews.com/article?id=1616](http://www.centenarynews.com/article?id=1616)
My understanding is that the Americans were using these ships to carry arms.
Is it even in debate anymore that the Lusitania was carrying arms anymore?
Hiding bombs under orphans and sick folks is dirty business I recall how much
we criticized the Iraqis for doing the same.
~~~
nostrademons
My point is that in times of war, belligerents on all sides will resort to
dirty business regardless of what the rules of war say. If the Lusitania was
carrying arms (which I'd vaguely heard and have no reason to doubt), that'd
support my point.
~~~
24837
Honestly, I'm not sure if you're trolling.
Your first post went on at length (and with sources!) about how rules aren't
worth anything because they'd be broken anyway. Example: German submarines
attacking a civilian ship in WWI.
Unfortunately you missed the most important point in your story - which is
that this ship wasn't so innocent and civilian after all. Rather than ignoring
the rules, the Germans broke them in retaliation AFTER the Americans had done
so first.
The message here is not "rules never work", as your first post implies. It's
rather "if you (US) brake the rules, expect the others (Germany) to do so as
well in retaliation."
The fact that Lusitania was carrying arms does not support your initial point
but rather changes the story and implications entirely.
~~~
nostrademons
I said nothing about whether rules aren't worth anything or not. I said that
they _will_ be broken.
The former is a normative statement. The latter is a positive one. A lot of my
comments here attempt to describe the world as I've observed it, not the world
as I'd like it to be. I have plenty of opinions about how I'd like it to be,
as well, but I usually don't share them because opinions are like assholes:
everybody has one but thinks that others' stinks.
------
sfard
Wallstreet has rules. They're just not enforced. People would be shocked if
they knew, for instance, how many hedge funds simply operate on a model of
"black edge" insider trading.
~~~
jswny
I'd be interested in hearing more about how these firms get away with this
kind of thing. I interned at an investment firm last year and the lawyer who
worked in their compliance department told me how detailed, thorough, and
stringent the audit that was done by the SEC the year before I got there was.
Keep in mind, this was a small firm. Do larger firms have some way of keeping
those kinds of things secret? Sorry if I'm misinterpreting something here, I
have almost no financial knowledge as I worked in the tech department as a
programmer.
~~~
camelNotation
I work in an area of finance technology connected to this process. It's no
different than escalation in any other form of criminality. Cops wear armor,
criminals buy armor-piercing rounds. Auditors looks deeper, so the pertinent
information is masked deeper.
At this point, the major gap in our financial regulatory process is at the
detection layer, not the investigations layer. If you can keep specific
scenarios under wraps, you can avoid things quite easily, especially if the
scenarios you do cover are impressively complex and thorough. So you hire PhDs
in math and physics to identify and create your algorithms. They do a great
job identifying scenarios where known criminal activity occurs, but they
aren't informed on the specific, complicated, and should-be-totally-illegal
actions your firm is engaged in, so they are basically shooting in the dark
with no chance of finding the real misdeeds. These algorithms are genius-level
complex, greatly reducing the number of government employees that will be able
to decipher them. You create hundreds or thousands of them, making it
prohibitively difficult for anyone in a regulatory agency to take the time to
understand them all, then you assure the regulators you have all your bases
covered. You show them the evidence of all the wrongdoing you've identified
(also an insurmountable mountain of data) and if you do not leave any glaring
holes, they have to nod and walk away.
Financial regulations are important, but the idea that regulators could every
truly keep the financial markets from abusing the rest of us is nonsense. They
can only do so much.
~~~
scj
What if the policy was that once a year, a set amount of people will be
prosecuted? Kind of like setting quotas for speeding tickets... Where firms
are ranked in terms of the volume/egregiousness of the actions committed.
Oh, and setup an anonymous tip-line. To allow other firms to "investigate"
others in order to make themselves look better (might not happen every year,
but I'd imagine it would be an option of last resort if something really bad
needed to be covered).
Shady things will still happen, but there will be attempts to reduce it just
enough so others take the hit. Plus, the public gets a few show trials to make
them believe the regulators have teeth.
------
gumby
This is an interesting and broad analogy which I hadn't heard of before.
The military, at the end of the day, is a tool (famously, another tool of
diplomacy). Either it's useful or not. Likewise finance is a tool
(fundamentally a service industry like gardening or medicine). We support it
because it helps finance business, helps people manage their pensions etc.
Sometimes sidelines are useful too (DARPA, gun hobbyists, weird financial
instruments that increase liquidity for everyone).
Yet lately the ends have been forgotten and the means elevated. The recent US
proposed budget suggests increasing expenditures but there is no discussion as
to whether that would be useful or not (and thus whether the increase is
unnecessary, too big to even too small). The same problem has emerged in
Finance: the point of an financial instrument is the instrument itself. HFT
that skims a bit out of the transaction (thus is worse for the fundamental
buyer and seller) is considered good. etc.
~~~
ble
People who have memorized the "marketmaking is essential" arguments for HFT
may disagree with you. People who dislike arguments from "does this serve its
stated purpose for society" may reject your argumentation style. I think
you've got a hell of a point on both sides.
If a teeny-tiny fraction of a percentage or a penny flat tax would cause a
trade to not be profitable in expectation, then that trade probably never had
anything to do with the real economy in the first place.
~~~
ikeboy
HFT takes market share from market makers and reduces spread sizes. I don't
know where your strawman is from, but you're missing the point.
~~~
mundo
Isn't "reduces spread sizes" a fancy way of saying that when a big pension
fund decides to move a billion dollars from Coke to Pepsi, they pay slightly
more to do so than they would if HFT didn't exist? That's what people mean
when they complain about HFT affecting retail investors (as opposed to someone
selling 100 shares of something on Etrade).
~~~
ikeboy
What no, it means they pay less. They sell coke and get slightly more, and buy
Pepsi and get a slightly lower price.
Instead of say, Coke being at 194.01 bid and 194.02 ask, that might narrow to
194.012 bid and 194.018 ask. If you trade in that market, you're better off.
The loser is the company previously making the market, which had been buying
at 194.01 and selling at 194.02.
There are more complicated ways in which HFTs can indeed be at odds with
institutional investors. See e.g.
[https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2014-03-31/michael-l...](https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2014-03-31/michael-
lewis-doesn-t-like-high-frequency-traders)
But if they couldn't adjust their price so fast, the spreads would be higher
in the first place to account for the risk.
Nobody has the right, or should have the right, to sell a billion dollars in
any market without moving the market before it's over. Why should someone take
the other side of that trade, knowing the price will crash as soon as it's
over?
~~~
mundo
All of these details sound plausible, but as whole this (the assertion that
the profit made by HFT comes primarily at the expense of other market makers)
smells wrong. If that assertion were true, it would seem to imply that market-
making is less profitable today than in the past. Is that the case? I was
under the impression that it was more profitable.
~~~
ikeboy
Virtu is a huge market maker. They are/were 3-5% of all equity trades in the
US [0]. They make $200 million a year in profit [1].
[0]
[https://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/VirtuOverv...](https://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/VirtuOverview.pdf)
[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtu_Financial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtu_Financial)
------
vfclists
Frankly I don't see the point of these meaningless articles. You have a
financial system which is akin to a police force whose commanders are chosen
by the drug dealers, and the police employ former drug dealers on the grounds
that haven been drug dealers, they know more about the drug business and they
can turn their knowledge to fighting the drug war.
After a few years in drug enforcement the ex drug dealers return to work for
their gangs, taking all the knowledge from working in drug enforcement with
them, not to mention that they were still receiving dividends and profits from
the the drug dealers who previously employed them during their stint in drug
enforcement.
I really can't comprehend why any intelligent people can expect this depraved,
corrupt farcical system to work. Now you have Trump, unashamedly pro-business
(ie leaving the inmates in control of the asylum) and people seriously expect
things to get better.
Here are your brave American presidents who can bravely and patriotically
authorize the executions (ie murder) of alleged terrorists in Yemen and
Afghanistan who have done diddly squat to Americans, but can't/won't a lift a
finger against corrupt predatory malign financiers whose actions leave
Americans indebted, dying prematurely because they can't afford good housing
and good health care. Compare the deaths of Americans due to terrorism by
Yemenis or Somalis, and the premature deaths of Americans due to poverty and
ill-health which these banksters frauds have worsened, and tell me who Trump
should be executing without any meaningful evidence or even a trial.
I am sorry but due to their corrupt financial system the politicians of the
Western world are becoming more and more of a joke.
------
fennecfoxen
If war can have ethics, can the Times have ethics? If the times CAN have
ethics, why did it report this headline:
[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/16/us/international-
students...](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/16/us/international-students-us-
colleges-trump.html)
for this study?
[http://www.aacrao.org/docs/default-
source/TrendTopic/Immigra...](http://www.aacrao.org/docs/default-
source/TrendTopic/Immigration/intl-survey-results-released.pdf)
(see bottom of page 1 in particular.)
Sigh.
~~~
ryandrake
Headline: [...] 40% of Colleges See Dip in Foreign Applicants
Study: 39% of responding instituions reported a decline in international
applicatons
Are you complaining about a 1% difference, or the difference between
"colleges" and "responding institutions"?
~~~
Klockan
The study also says that 35% reported an increase so this could just be random
noise. So the headline isn't directly wrong but it isn't sending an honest
message.
------
erikig
I disagree with the author's premise: "Nearly a decade after one of the most
devastating financial collapses in modern history, Wall Street appears as
corrupt as ever."
Considering the size of 'Wall Street' the size of the ethics violations that
he uses as an example are miniscule. In addition, due to the increased
scrutiny that financial institutions face and the potential damage that
scandals can cause, legitimate organizations seem less willing to risk ethics
violations.
Also, unlike in war, ethics violations on Wall Street can be reported and
prosecuted relatively easily.
As mentioned in many comments above - Wall Street has ethics, one can only
hope that the current administration doesn't take steps to weaken threaten
these.
~~~
TelmoMenezes
I wonder how one could say this stuff with a straight face after witnessing
the credit crisis of 2007, and the not only lack of consequences for the
highly unethical and very likely illegal activities that lead to it, but also
the subsequent largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich that ever
took place in human history.
Bankers were literally rewarded by the system for being evil.
Many lives and families across the globe were destroyed by their actions -- be
it by evictions, loss of pensions and savings that took a lifetime to build
and related suicides.
Let us not whitewash all of this stuff.
------
rallycarre
In war, there is a benefit to treating your enemy with dignity. Treatment of
prisoners, morale("we are the good guys"), etc. In Wall Street there isn't
with white collar crime only getting a slap on the risk when they put millions
of people on the street.
The system is broken when corruption and misdirection is not punished with the
weight of their crimes.
------
titraprutr
"Ethics of War" sounds like an oxymoron.
~~~
wolfram74
And yet it is internationally recognized to exist. Here's a video that goes
into how war has more formalized ethics than, say romance.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oThh3_Srxtc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oThh3_Srxtc)
~~~
M_Grey
It's useful to recognize it, while simply abiding by only the parts of it
which suit you. After all, if you need to, you can always ignore it and deny
it.
That's the reality of war.
~~~
jt2190
True, but this fatalistic view alone isn't an argument to stop trying to
maintain ethical behavior even when when waging war.
~~~
M_Grey
Absolutely, and I didn't mean my post to come across that way. This topic
makes me a bit glum, and I think that comes across as defeatist, but I'd
rather take on the correct, losing fight, than not fight at all.
------
kolbe
The vast majority of "wall street's" corruption is its relationship to the
rent seeking opportunities that the US government makes available for them.
And what's hilarious is that its the same bleeding heart liberals who demand
things like the government provide low interest home loans who are shocked and
outraged to learn that "wall street" commits "frauds" around them (i.e.
bankers are doing what they're asked to, and when it blows up in the
government's face, get scapegoated).
~~~
cowpig
You've used a lot of incendiary language here but I am struggling to find a
concrete point.
What rent seeking opportunities? Who are "bleeding heart liberals" and what
"demands" are you talking about?
What fraud are you talking about specifically? Who was scapegoated? What
should have happened, in your view?
------
Eridrus
This seems like a reasonable place to start a discussion, but hard to assess
without real proposals. If I had to guess at what he is suggesting it seems to
argue for all risk to be borne by the company, which really seems like an
argument for less risk taking and more consolidation, not too surprising from
a military man, but pretty anathema to technologists.
------
mjfl
Standard ignorant and hyperbolic discourse about Wall Street.
> When faced with illegal or immoral orders, it is the duty of professional
> soldiers to refuse such orders. When such a refusal occurs, it is followed
> by thorough investigations, and potentially courts-martial or war crimes
> prosecutions for those who issue such orders. In the case of the former
> Wells Fargo employees, the opposite occurred. Imagine the moral and societal
> hazard if the military permitted such retaliation against those who reported
> illegal and immoral behaviors.
Well's Fargo is a bank that makes money by selling financial products to
people including bank accounts and credit cards. To do this they employ
salespeople. These salespeople are tasked with selling these products, as much
as they can. They have a compliance department that explicitly says "don't lie
to people when you sell to them". The salespeople broke those rules in order
to meet the sales goals, so they were fired. The way the author writes this
article, it's as if they think it is immoral to be a salesman and that the
executives of Wells Fargo should be court marshaled for requiring them to sell
a lot of things. The analogy, and to equate selling things with war crimes on
the battlefield is absurd.
> Hedge funds and investment banks utilize high-speed trading to place the
> individual investor at an insurmountable disadvantage.
It's unclear what the author mean's by "high-speed" trading here, I assume
they mean high-frequency market making, but most hedge funds are not in high
frequency market making business. Does the author know what they are talking
about? Probably not. High frequency market-makers like Virtu and Hudson River
are in the high-frequency market making business. And it's unclear how high-
frequency market making hurts the individual investor, it's much more concrete
how high frequency market makers hurt the banks (old-school market makers) and
_help_ the individual investor by closing down the bid-ask spread.
Even if hedge funds were employing techniques to put an individual investor at
a disadvantage, isn't that their _job_? Hedge funds are in the business
because they can presumably make better trades than average, and so anyone who
is on the other side of the trades they are making is presumably going to be
losing out. This would be like challenging an NFL team to a football game and
complaining that their wide receivers are too good athletes. And why should we
prioritize the "individual investor" over institutional investors? A pension
fund handles money for retired pensioners, while an individual investor might
be some dentist day-trader - why should we prioritize his well being over the
pensioners? He presumably has enough disposable income already.
~~~
chadgeidel
Wells Fargo destroyed sales peoples careers for calling attention to their
(WF) illegal behavior.
[http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2016/10/28/499805238/episo...](http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2016/10/28/499805238/episode-732-bad-
form-wells-fargo)
If someone trains for 5-10 years in a career, and then a company retaliates by
putting a hidden, un-removable "black mark" on their record preventing them
from employment in said career is despicable. It's not a war crime, but it's
pretty close.
~~~
mjfl
Suppression of whistle-blowers is a different crime and certainly isn't
concentrated in Wall Street or even private industry (see Snowden, Uber).
------
eip
You mean like white phosphorus and depleted uranium? Those kind of ethics? Not
sure I want Wall Street having those kind of ethics.
------
dlwdlw
The article's premise is that war is vicious yet moral, so something less
vicious like wall street has no right to complain that morality is a second
level concern.
A king not killing another king is moral between kings, but those that
followed the loser can suffer greatly. The closer you get to becoming god, the
more callous the hands gambled.
The definition of being god here is how effective you are at controlling
perceptions, how your followers perceive reality, your personal religion in a
way.
So from the peasants view, the kings and gods are corrupt, removed from
reality. That is because the god of peasants has always been the god of
livelihood, while the elites worship the god of power. The greater god ignores
the lesser god.
------
randyrand
The moral police are here! The moral police are here! Wee-woo wee-woo.
The amount of moral policing these days is way too much. It seems to have
grown significantly these past couple decades.
------
econner
It saddens me that we've gotten to the point of comparing Wall Street ethics
to war ethics and even entertaining the idea that war has better ethics than
Wall Street.
------
muninn_
If Wall Street can have ethics, the US government can, too.
~~~
dickbasedregex
We're all doomed.
------
jamisteven
War has ethics?
~~~
etjossem
Yes, see the Geneva Conventions for a good example of an ethical code for war
that signatory nations can formally agree to. [1]
[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conventions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conventions)
------
grandalf
In war, morality is a propaganda technique to convince mothers to let their
sons die hero's deaths, and to convince the young and foolhardy to join a
crusade that is likely to result in their death. Periods of the biggest moral
clarity in war are the periods where the propaganda is the thickest and human
rationality the weakest.
To believe otherwise one must believe in forces of evil that animate one side
and forces of good that animate another, which is a profoundly supernatural
view.
Similarly, this article suggests that Wall Street lacks morality and uses as
an example a VC considering layoffs that would occur if she fails to fund a
round.
If there is a finite amount of money, an investor will invest in the firm that
shows the most promise. Many teams of hard working people are seeking
investment, but only some will get it. The investor must use the available
information to decide where to place her bet.
If the investor is wrong, she will not be able to afford to bet again in the
future. Should we all fell sorry if the investor makes a bad decision and a
team of people spent several years getting paid to pursue an ill-fated idea?
Arguably, the cost to society for this misstep is great, so perhaps we ought
to appoint a wise _investment minister_ to make the choices judiciously on
behalf of investors? Why not also appoint a hiring minister to direct job-
seekers only toward the most promising startups? For that matter, why not also
appoint a business strategy minister to help startups make good decisions and
avoid bad ones?
While these ministerial posts sound absurd in the context of startups, this is
our reality in the world of banking and housing. Ministers tell our banks how
much reserve capital they ought to carry, they tell our housing market what a
reasonable rate is for a 30 year mortgage, etc.
Fannie and Freddie flew under the radar for years without revealing their
balance sheet, drastically altering the US (and world) economy all at the
behest of a small number of officials. I think the reason this was allowed to
occur was (ironically enough) to avoid financial bad news when our leaders
were trying to sell a war.
When you introduce socialized risk the market cannot be counted on to prevent
socialized losses. The game is changed. The normal incentives and
disincentives do not apply.
After 9/11 for example, the government became the insurer of last resort for
terrorism related claims. This came as a relief to anyone building a
skyscraper or running an airline, but at what cost? It eliminated much of the
incentive that would have existed in the economy to prevent terrorism.
We let our ministers create very bad policy. Rather than just writing poor
people a check to help them get a mortgage, they create artificial demand for
high risk housing loans, which creates a broad incentive for reckless
expansion of a whole sector of the economy. They keep much of this risk on the
government's books, making taxpayers accountable not for a simple payment to
the poor person to allow him/her to get housing, but for the entire house of
cards built upon those loans.
We cannot allow our government to try to address so-called "market failures"
by creating _infrastructure_ that distorts and hides information from the
market. Not only is it paternalistic, but it also creates a tremendous amount
of risk for the whole economy.
This is not an argument against welfare. We have two options for how we can
think about giving welfare, either as a cash payment (with or without strings
attached, fwiw) or by greasing the core infrastructure of the economy to slip
in some subprime loans among the many non-subprime loans, figuring that the
risk won't really be discernible by financial markets and all will be well.
When capitalism contains a lot of incentives imposed by various government
ministers, "free" economic behavior adapts to exploit those incentives. This
is what the author of the article disagrees with. He thinks that we should all
act genteel and avoid transactions that have moral consequences. The problem
is that such transactions rarely occur, finance creates abstracted
transactions that are rarely correlated with a desirable or undesirable social
outcome.
In many industries (healthcare, finance, automotive, solar, etc.) government-
sponsored incentives dominate free-market incentives. When we allow this to
happen, we are effectively saying that we do not want individuals to have free
economic choice, we instead want a select group of ministers to create a
socially responsible landscape.
Welfare is distortionary, but few would argue that it is unnecessary. What
_is_ very harmful is when welfare programs corrupt the infrastructure of
markets and lead to widespread behavior that exploits the programs.
The goal of every industry, and of every firm is to become "essential" or "too
big to fail"... in other words, to be declared to be worthy of the guaranteed
support of taxpayers.
Think about it this way, if issued a credit card with very low interest and a
very high limit, most people could easily become billionaires simply by using
low risk investment strategies. The problem is that if for even a day, the
strategy requires more of a limit than is available, the whole plan comes
crashing down. Even with low-risk endeavors, losses must be covered. Without
forcing firms to cover their own downside risk, they of course will leverage
to the max. This is what has happened in our modern finance industry, the
growth since the 1990s has been due to consolidation and increased leveraging.
FWIW I think that what is needed is a new financial statement to be added to
GAAP which is a statement of risk, which recursively points to all assets and
liabilities whose market risks correlate with solvency risk of other firms, so
that a broad, a view of the risk a company faces (market, and systemic) that
can be viewed in aggregate, so that we can more easily understand the factors
that impact an entire portfolio.
Ironically, such a statement would allow Wall Street to invest most heavily in
firms with socialized risk (for those are the lowest risk bets), but at least
then, regulators could impose a limit on the amount of socialized risk firms
were allowed to invest in, which is one of the few things that can be done to
actually stop the cycle of exploitation. Firms should have an incentive _not
to_ be classified as "too big to fail" and not to attempt reclassification if
things go worse than expected.
------
linkmotif
Bad premise war is a crime against humanity, or eh, should be.
~~~
Coding_Cat
Wars are fought not only by the aggressors. And the aggressor can be acting to
prevent amoral behavior (attacking a state which is engaging in
slavery/genocide of its people, but one might argue that is an act of war in
the moral sense).
If one accepts that acting in a war in such a capacity is the more moral
choice than inaction, then it makes sense to talk about the ethics of war,
such as: when is lethal force against enemy combatants acceptable, what
weapons of war have justifiable risks?
------
Entangled
War has ethics? That's new to me.
The fact that some "rules" are set so idiots follow them doesn't mean
everybody does, specially when they are not seen. Abu ghraib anyone?
Wall street has a very clear ethics set on stone, profits no matter the loss.
~~~
timthelion
War does have ethics. For example, the US military has rules of engagement. A
great example of this is that the US at one point (70% sure) knew where the
head of ISIS was. He was alegedly in an appartment building in a city in
Syria. The US rules of engagement prevent the airforce from simply bombing an
appartment building full of civilians, so they did nothing. That means a lot.
It means that they don't simply bomb large numbers of civilians, which is a
good thing. It is what makes it easy for the US military to point to ISIS and
say "those fighers are uncivilized they kill civilians". It is a significant
advantage on the ground, because civilians are less hatefull towards the US as
a result. It is also the right thing to do.
Edit: Abu Ghraib was horrible and the solders should have been sent to prison
for the rest of their lives and not just a few years.
Also, I do not support the US military and think that they cause more harm
than good in their foreign engagements.
~~~
nostrademons
Much of this is because we're nominally at peace with Syria. _ISIS_ is the
belligerent party.
We absolutely did bomb large numbers of civilians in WW2, Iraq, and Vietnam,
and in the latter two cases we hadn't even formally declared war.
~~~
mod
Are you nitpicking the examples as stand-alone, or as part of the greater
argument: that war does have ethics?
If you're intending to say that it doesn't, I think you should revisit your
conclusion.
Otherwise, these were just examples of war having ethics.
~~~
nostrademons
My argument is that war has ethics as long as it is peacetime. As soon as it
is wartime, the ethics are quickly forgotten. The ethics are remembered again
once peace is restored, but only for the losing side.
I've got another comment that lays out some historical examples of this [1],
but there are plenty more.
[1]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13897486](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13897486)
(In particular, I'm not commenting on whether war _should_ have ethics; I
agree that it should. But factually, looking at what belligerents actually do
in wartime, _it doesn 't_, at least in any meaningful sense.)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Norris Numbers – Walls you hit in program size (2014) - dhotson
https://www.teamten.com/lawrence/writings/norris-numbers.html
======
jacquesm
If he had that insight in 2011 then he was pretty late to the party. By then
the 1K to 2K line limit for 'beginner programmers' was very well established.
To go beyond that you need a few tricks of the trade, mostly structured
programming and avoiding global scope will get you to 10K and up.
After 50K or so you will need even more tricks: version control will become a
must, naming conventions matter and you're probably well into modularization
territory. Some actual high level documentation would also not be a bad idea.
By the time you hit 100's of thousands of lines you are probably looking at a
life-time's worth of achievement by a single programmer, or more likely you
are looking at teamwork. And so you'll need yet more infrastructure around
your project to keep it afloat.
You can see quite a bit of this at work when you browse through open source
repositories at github, those are roughly the points at which plenty of
projects and up being abandoned, as often as not through lack of insight in
how to organize a larger project as through the demotivation that comes from
lack of adoption.
~~~
sasa_buklijas
agree, but it also depends on programing language.
I do not see how 1K of C and Python lines are same.
~~~
lmm
As I understand it the evidence is, surprisingly, just the opposite: defect
rate per line of code is the same, independent of which language you use.
~~~
a1369209993
I don't think that's particularly surprising, and in fact that's the other
half of the point: a 2K 'beginner program' in haskell or lisp could do all the
work of a 50K C or java program, but because it's so much smaller, you
have/need much less support structures and, yes, much fewer total defects.
~~~
lmm
My intuition is that code with 2kloc "worth" of language constructs would have
the same defect rate across languages (and you can get a lot more done in n
constructs in some languages than others), but that code using shorter
identifiers or symbolic operators should have the same defect rate per
"construct" i.e. a higher defect rate per line. But AIUI the evidence doesn't
bear this out, and the per-line defect rate in APL or Perl is the same as in
other languages.
~~~
Joeri
As programmers we like our lines to have a given level of cognitive load,
depending on personal taste, so regardless of the language you’ll end up with
on average the same number of language constructs per line. In high level
languages those constructs do more than in lower level languages, but since
they are already debugged the defect rate per construct is not higher, ergo
the defect rate per line is also stable across languages.
~~~
lmm
> regardless of the language you’ll end up with on average the same number of
> language constructs per line
I'm saying this isn't true. APL is the extreme example, but languages vary
quite a lot in how many constructs you can and do cram onto a single line.
------
maximexx
This can be true for a beginner, for a developer who never hit that wall
before or for a developer without enough talent to learn how to do it right
after all. But once you start using the right methodologies, making things
highly modular and as much as possible independent from each other, you can go
quite a distance before new "walls" arise.
Sometimes I take more time to think of a proper and scalable name for
variables and methods than the time it actually took to write the
implementation. While refactoring I might do another round of thinking about
naming and make sure there are no or an absolute minimum of possible side
effects for the implementation, etc..
I'm coding almost 30 years now. I'm still learning and make my mistakes of
course, but most of the time they occur because I rush for some reason.
Writing good code takes time, especially to rethink what you're doing,
refactoring, making the right adjustments so it completes the codebase. Before
I complete the beta release of a codebase I've made thousands and thousands of
decisions, where only 1 wrong decision can cause a terrible amount of trouble
later on.
For me it's a creative process. It goes in waves. I cannot always be a top
performer, I've accepted that. When I recognise I was in a low during some
implementation I might do a total rewrite of it or apply some serious
refactoring(and force myself to take the time for that).
I still experience coding to be much harder to get right than I ever expected
it to be. For me a codebase is a highly complex system of maybe hundreds of
files with API's working together, not just a bunch of algorithms.
------
gmoes
I feel that there is some naiveté in this perspective, although the OP does
touch on it somewhat. A novice most likely would write their code in a very
monolithic fashion. That same approach fails significantly with larger code
bases.
As a seasoned developer I have come to realize that one of the most important
things to be a good developer is organizational skills. Unfortunately it seems
that ways to organize code bases, including things like naming, mutable state,
modularization, cohesion/coupling, etc., are not as well developed or
understood in general in our industry as they should be.
While understanding and knowing the right algorithms is important. I sometimes
wonder if our emphasis on the knowing algorithms off the top of your head
interviewing process contributes to putting the emphasis on the wrong things
in software development.
~~~
ksk
>Unfortunately it seems that ways to organize code bases, including things
like naming, mutable state, modularization, cohesion/coupling, etc., are not
as well developed or understood in general in our industry as they should be.
True, but I think any attempt to standardize or to make it another engineering
discipline would mean the end of high programmer salaries. Just follow
guidelines and standard procedure in a book and you'll end up with a
reasonable solution that is reasonably good and reasonably reliable at a
reasonable cost. Most businesses would jump at that...
And I'd argue that would be a good thing for all the sectors where programming
is important, but no good programmer wants to actually join because its not
sexy. (coal mining, medical equipment, etc)
> I sometimes wonder if our emphasis on the knowing algorithms off the top of
> your head interviewing process contributes to putting the emphasis on the
> wrong things in software development.
Yes but no business actually cares about creative solutions, unless algorithms
are core to their business (and even then, other human factors outweigh
finding the optimal, bestest, fastest solution). They simply want to use
computers to solve a business problem. They want a runner to run from A to B,
not an Olympic sprinter who is going to break a world record. Do you know a
reasonably decent sort algorithm? Good, just use it. Profiling? Optimizing?
That's for Olympic sprinters. Design patterns? Blindly apply a GoF design
pattern that approximates your problem, etc etc.
~~~
wellpast
I think our industry can come to _understand_ and _articulate_ the skill set
without having to standardize/certify it.
Civil architects can be wildly creative and artful in their industry which
understands its own domain deeply.
~~~
ksk
Right, but when you hire an architect to design a random office building,
you're not expecting a piece of art. My point is the vast majority of
programming projects are random office building # 23.
~~~
wellpast
Then we’re in the realm of automated or at least codified/systematic process,
or we _should_ be, no?
~~~
ksk
Yes, and we should be encouraging more of that. But as programmers (well to my
mind anyway) it nags us when we look at inefficient solutions, even those
which are reasonably robost/adequate. We tend to scoff at people using Visual
Basic to solve a business problem, when its probably the best language for a
large chunk of the problem space.
------
montrose
"Absolutely refuse to add any feature or line of code unless you need it right
now, and need it badly."
As I've gotten older I've seen the value of this rule. Though it sounds merely
negative, it can produce effects that seem little short of genius.
~~~
reificator
Excepting those features which allow you to cull large chunks of code. Those
are my favorite features, rare as they are.
~~~
kelihlodversson
In my experience this is often possible by removing duplicated functionality
into a shared implementation. That is by exchanging multiple features of
linear complexity into a single implementation. Due to being shared, that
implementation will tend to have geometric complexity.
That means the duplication has to be highly significant and variations need to
be few for it to pay off. ... And you'll better hope you have a good set of
tests to verify everything is still working.
In most cases it's still a good idea, but it's still a case where you need to
argue that you really need it, so it's no exeption at all.
~~~
chewbacha
Sounds like the perennial redundancy vs dependency struggle [0]. I do like the
explanation in terms of linear vs geometric complexity though.
[0] [https://yosefk.com/blog/redundancy-vs-dependencies-which-
is-...](https://yosefk.com/blog/redundancy-vs-dependencies-which-is-
worse.html)
------
aaavl2821
I'm a novice just building my first 2k+ program and the thing that seems crazy
to me is that based on what you learn in intro courses, thinks like namespaces
and organization and modularization not only aren't emphasized, but seem like
unimportant distractions from the core task of programming
Based on all the blogs and HN comments and comments here, that couldn't be
further from the truth. Are these just things you learn from experience /
mentors?
~~~
dahart
> thinks like namespaces and organization and modularization not only aren't
> emphasized, but seem like unimportant distractions from the core task of
> programming
There's an analogy I've heard, and I can't remember where. It might be a
Feynman quote I'm recalling...
It'd be crazy to start design work on an airplane, if you're hungry and want
to go to the corner store a block away for chips. It'd also be crazy to try to
walk to China, since it's a long way, and also you might drown. The approach
you take to solving the problem of getting from here to there depends
completely on where here and there are, and what else you want to carry with
you.
I don't use namespaces and build modules for an Arduino project, or a simple
command line tool. But for large projects, I literally can't live without
namespacing and modularization.
The core task of programming constitutes _very_ different activities at
different scales, as different as comparing walking to building jet engines.
------
fredley
Does this depend on language? 20k lines of Perl is a different beast from 20k
lines of Python, or 20k lines of verbose Java, I would expect. If not, does it
suggest we should be aiming to use more expressive languages, that can get
more done in less lines?
~~~
ryanmarsh
_20k lines of Perl is a different beast from 20k lines of Python, or 20k lines
of verbose Java_
Very good point. We’re all familiar with the “I can do ${lambda} in ${n} lines
with ${lang} language”.
It seems to take me 10x more lines to do something in Java vs. Python, and 10x
lines to do something in Python vs. Perl. Except that the Java is laborious to
read, the Python is nicely readable, and the Perl will never be understood by
a programmer.
I had great fun writing Perl many years ago but I used to joke that Perl was a
“write only” language.
~~~
dublin
I had lunch with Eric Raymond here in Austin a 15-20 years ago, and he was
lamenting the fact that he couldn't read _his own_ Perl programs less than a
year after writing them, so he was rewriting them all in Python. I never get
religious about languages or platforms, but Python, which has been described
as "executable pseudocode" does a nice job of balancing power and readbility.
Idiomatic Perl is powerful, but opaque enough to be effectively
unmaintainable. Since errors are pretty much proportional to LOC, it _is_ best
to use languages that offer "high leverage": Python, Tcl, and Lua come to
mind. Note that C is still almost the only choice for real embedded work -
it's unsurpassed at register bit-banging. (Well, except for assembly, but that
requires skills that are no longer taught - interestingly, the same ones that
make good embedded C programmers...)
~~~
ryanmarsh
_he couldn 't read his own Perl programs less than a year after writing them_
A year? I often lost a half day trying to understand Perl I’d written less
than a week before. I’m not exaggerating.
I’m not sure what that says about me as a programmer but I’m terrified to find
out.
------
watmough
I hadn't come across this before, and sure enough, looking at the current
personal project I'm working on, it's composed of 3 main files of C++, a
Windows program, a parser [1] and a custom OpenGL control [2], each is 500 -
600 lines.
For me, I use Stepwise Refinement [3] to get to this point, but to get
further, I have to start breaking out a more abstract approach. I found this
definition of Structured Programming that puts it very nicely [4].
There's also a perhaps self-imposed wall, where you might trial a solution and
implement a prototype, then use that to realize that it no point in pressing
on without some serious redesign of a key component. For my example above, the
rendering part is old-style OpenGL, which works pretty nicely at 60 fps, but
I'm holding off doing more until I can slot in and benchmark a better approach
using vertex buffers and shaders, with the goals of enabling me to shape and
scale the renderings in an abstracted coordinate system, and scale to
rendering hundreds of files instead of just one.
[1]
[https://twitter.com/watmough/status/962470455037841409](https://twitter.com/watmough/status/962470455037841409)
[2]
[https://twitter.com/watmough/status/965007110391128064](https://twitter.com/watmough/status/965007110391128064)
[3] [http://www.informatik.uni-
bremen.de/gdpa/def/def_s/STEPWISE_...](http://www.informatik.uni-
bremen.de/gdpa/def/def_s/STEPWISE_REFINEMENT.htm)
[4] [https://www.encyclopedia.com/computing/dictionaries-
thesauru...](https://www.encyclopedia.com/computing/dictionaries-thesauruses-
pictures-and-press-releases/structured-programming)
------
dang
Discussed at the time:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8072730](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8072730)
and in 2015:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10191540](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10191540)
------
cortesoft
I avoid these walls entirely by never using newlines in my code.
~~~
HumanDrivenDev
That's webscale af
------
psyc
Interesting. My main project is getting near the 20k range. I haven't hit a
wall, but it is getting noticeably harder to stay fluent in every part of the
program. When I switch from one major system to another, there is a few days
ramp-up. Still happy with readability and complexity.
~~~
photojosh
Same. There are some parts of the code that I haven't touched in a few years,
and when I do there's a significant effort to refamiliarise myself... and a
whole lot of "what stupid idiot wrote this", oh yeah, that was me three years
ago. :)
I just finished the Python 2 -> 3 upgrade on it, that was fun.
------
theSage
Are there projects we can undertake to intentionally hit those walls and
measure ourselves?
~~~
kybernetikos
Like the equivalent of 'memory-hard' problems - 'lines-of-code' hard problems.
I suppose that's close to what
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolmogorov_complexity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolmogorov_complexity)
is.
~~~
theSage
Ah no. I meant what task can we undertake to see this in action? For example,
writing your own compiler is bound to make you hit the 1k wall. If you're able
to write it chances are you have passed the 1k wall some time in your past.
That kind of measurement.
~~~
kybernetikos
Part of the problem is that people who are good at dealing with large
codebases tend to write fewer lines of code if they can at all get away with
it.
------
Paul_S
A bit over dramatic. I remember Unreal 3 was close to 2 mil and that's the
normal region for games (and has been for a decade) and trust me, gamedev
studios are _not_ staffed by seasoned programmers.
~~~
avinium
Is that just scripting, or does that include the engine?
If it's just game scripting, then I could imagine it's possible to squeeze 2
mil lines out of junior devs. I assume there are very few things that can go
drastically "wrong".
~~~
Paul_S
"Scripting" vs coding is not a clear cut case also a lot of studios (back in
the day that is, since now the unreal model is different and everyone has
access to the source) had source access so games would usually make changes to
the engine. 2 mil is just the base engine. There's of course loads of
middleware and plugins and integration for it all, probably doubling the size
and of course the "scripting" which adds complexity like anything else and it
relies on support for things in the main codebase. Customising the engine is
not a matter of tweaking variables but extending the base classes. And for
game logic you might be writing completely separate systems with their own
architecture.
Repos were big. Really big. Especially since we're talking about people who
will check in FMVs into source control.
Ah... what a horrible world.
------
agumonkey
what about paulg onlisp and leveraging nested macros ?
what about kay vpri efforts to reduce a full system to 100K (OMeta)
------
g5095
shard your problem space.
~~~
mrweasel
Indeed, micro services can be a pain in the butt to debug, due to
communication, but they can help you to view the world as a collection of
smaller easily understood programs, rather than one huge monolith.
~~~
dublin
Not exactly a new idea:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_philosophy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_philosophy)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
No More Pirated Games in Two Years, Cracking Group Warns - bpierre
https://torrentfreak.com/no-more-pirate-games-in-two-years-group-warns-160106/
======
thedudemabry
As someone who casually browses articles about DRM technology, I'm really
impressed by the partial descriptions of Denuvo's method. They seem to have
found a way to thwart piracy (for some large value of thwart) without
disrupting the user's experience in any observable way (no phoning home and no
expensive game-loop calculations.) They haven't released many details about
the system, but the little bits that analysts have been able to piece together
are really clever.
------
Relys
Denuvo's support of Just Cause 3 has been pretty impressive. Kudos to them.
------
krapp
"piracy no longer fun," pirates declare.
------
s73v3r
And nothing of value will be lost.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Google Pack: Chrome Replaces Firefox in Google Pack's Default Browser Choice - Anon84
http://lifehacker.com/5108733/chrome-replaces-firefox-in-google-packs-default-browser-choice
======
pasbesoin
Anyone else have NoScript alert on this page to a potential XSS condition?
~~~
pasbesoin
Guess this explains it. Sigh. Now I've admitted to using Facebook. But you
see, it was this girl, and she wanted to "friend" me...
Shoulda known better.
[http://lifehacker.com/5109085/log-into-lifehacker-using-
face...](http://lifehacker.com/5109085/log-into-lifehacker-using-facebook-
connect?t=9448521#viewcomments)
------
johns
How would you like to be on the Google Pack team right now? What a lame
assignment.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
St. Louis Fed official: No evidence QE boosted economy - adventured
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/08/18/st-louis-fed-official-no-evidence-qe-boosted-economy.html
======
Animats
But it sure helped out banks, who get to borrow from the Fed at near zero
rates and lend at much higher rates.
The US tends to inject Government money into the economy through banks. In
comparison, Japan tends to inject Government money through infrastructure
projects. Some of the infrastructure projects are expensive for what they
accomplish, but at least they're real things.
~~~
animefan
Open market operations can't really be characterized as lending to banks.
Instead, the Fed buys various kinds of debt, especially US govt bonds, thus
injecting money into the economy. The fed funds rate is really the rate at
which banks lend to each other. Banks are privileged in that they have a
special legal mandate to act as banks, but they are not privileged in terms of
access to credit (they can borrow at the "discount window" but this is less
important than the Fed's open market operations).
But more importantly, QE is more like injecting money into "real things" since
it is buying corporate debt that presumably funds real projects. So the
(alleged) failure of QE is not very good evidence for your claim that standard
monetary policy is bad.
EDIT: and they main reason I and most economists prefer US style monetary
policy is that it's very neutral: you have a lever, and that lever is how much
bonds you buy. You can choose various flavors of bonds, and various
maturities, but they are all fundamentally the same. In contrast, the
government directly funding real projects lends itself to corruption and
favoritism.
~~~
pjmorris
> You can choose various flavors of bonds, and various maturities, but they
> are all fundamentally the same.
It appears to me that you've just equated a US Treasury bond with a private
label subprime RMBS. Is that a fair assessment? If so, how strongly do you
feel about that equivalence? I see the private label RMBS's as less of a 'real
thing'.
~~~
animefan
In the context of that sentence, I was referring to the bonds bought by open
market operations, which are primarily US government bonds and would not
include private label subprime RMBSs.
The kind of close-to-risk-free bonds bought in open market operations are all
fundamentally the same because they simply move money from one point in time
to another.
------
pdkl95
To paraphrase Mark Blyth (Prof. Econ. at Brown), QE is the absolute worst way
to deal with our banking mess, _except doing nothing_. It kept the US from
crashing into the mess that Europe is in. That was probably good, but it was
effectively a class-specific put option.
"Not crashing" does not necessarily mean "positive boost".
------
afarrell
This sounds like it leads into an argument for trying to find ways to broadly
increase wages in order to deliberately spur inflation.
~~~
animefan
One of the main mechanisms by which inflation stimulates the economy, is that
it lowers wages (because of sticky wages) hence decreasing unemployment. So
intentionally raising wages as a form of stimulus seems counterproductive.
Could you explain your argument more?
~~~
badsock
One of the ideas floating around is that the economy is currently limited on
the demand side, and that increased wages will result in more disposable
income and higher consumption.
~~~
animefan
Increasing _wages_ will make employers less inclined to hire people, and thus
potentially less total disposable income. Giving ordinary people more money
directly seems like a more reasonable sort of stimulus. Where are these ideas
floating around? The idea of sticky wages dates back to Keynes.
~~~
badsock
I tend to side with the argument that employers ultimately hire not because
people are cheap, but because they need them to meet demand. If there's no
demand, there's no wage low enough to justify a hire. I don't want to speak
for Thomas Piketty, but my reading of his data is that generally economic
growth is the product of higher wages, not the other way around.
------
JoeAltmaier
Hard to judge what would have happened had the policy _not_ been in effect.
Only 1 sample in the experiment.
------
sjg007
Banks are broken, they will only issue mortgages, high interest credit cards
and charge fees.
~~~
adventured
They're not issuing nearly as many mortgages.
Non bank mortgage lending is nearly 40% of the market at present, up from 13%
in 2012.
[http://www.cnbc.com/2015/04/01/guess-whos-issuing-slews-
of-m...](http://www.cnbc.com/2015/04/01/guess-whos-issuing-slews-of-mortgages-
not-your-bank.html)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
reMarkable – The paper tablet for people who prefer paper - bruun
https://getremarkable.com/
======
adaszko
Some of the intriguing books appearing in the video:
* [https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/sparse-distributed-memory](https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/sparse-distributed-memory)
* [https://www.amazon.com/Fluid-Concepts-Creative-Analogies-Fun...](https://www.amazon.com/Fluid-Concepts-Creative-Analogies-Fundamental/dp/0465024750)
* [https://www.amazon.com/Theater-Consciousness-Workspace-Mind/...](https://www.amazon.com/Theater-Consciousness-Workspace-Mind/dp/0195147030)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Great Barrier Reef underwater panoramas in Google Maps - mgdiaz
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/dive-into-great-barrier-reef-with-first_25.html
======
snogglethorpe
haha, I can imagine the discussion in the google maps office.
"Well, we've finished with all the planet's landmasses...can you make this
thing waterproof?"
~~~
mayneack
I'd personally vote for a tour of the trails in national parks.
~~~
dannyr
Street View goes on a road trip through California's national parks
[http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/street-view-goes-
on-r...](http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/street-view-goes-on-road-trip-
through.html)
~~~
snogglethorpe
What's sad, though, is that are there roads (and parking lots) in those
places... The streetviews just sort of rub it in. :(
A backpack-cam, on the other hand would be great, and give a much truer sense
of what it's like to be out there in the middle of nowhere.
~~~
ccozan
Well, here you are: [http://www.togtech.com/trekker-google-streetview-camera-
in-a...](http://www.togtech.com/trekker-google-streetview-camera-in-a-
backpack/)
------
jtreminio
Just tried this on my android phone and it works beautifully.
------
Tsagadai
All that coral bleaching makes me pretty sad. The reef was much more colourful
but it has been declining for a long time now. I wonder how much will be left
in another 10 years.
------
anonymous543
I might be missing something, but why is everyone so excited about this? If
you want a great experience of the oceans and reefs out there, you could load
up an HD video on YouTube of the Great Barrier Reef, and view something much
more immersive.
I'm a huge fan of street view, and I love being able to virtually drive to
where I'm going, and find landmarks to help along the way, like for example, a
large orange building next to the shop I'm planning to visit. How is ocean
street view practical in anyway though? If it's for the user experiencing the
ocean or planning their trip, they could upload a quick video of common
snorkelling and diving points around coastlines and islands. It would give the
user much more information. As of now, it's like flicking through a slideshow,
and the navigation is brutal. I'm scratching my head here trying to come up
with one thing this does well. As someone else said, I'd like to see more
trails added to street view, or even more streets.
Google, since you have free time, here are a couple of ideas...
1\. Street view for different seasons. In certain countries, towns and streets
look completely different depending on the month. I frequently use street view
to browse areas I'm looking to live, or travelling. It would be useful if I
could switch the images to summer, winter, etc.
2\. Video street view. Much more time consuming to create, since the camera
would need to stay in a single spot for a minute at a time, and blurring
sensitive information would be more challenging. However, imagine choosing a
location on the map, and feeling like you're in that area of the city, or on
that quiet road in the middle of the forest where you rotate the camera and
follow a bird flying by.
~~~
reledi
_you could load up an HD video on YouTube of the Great Barrier Reef_
You can't control a video to see what you want to. You have some control with
this underwater Street View. It's the same reason why I find Street View much
more valuable than watching videos on YouTube of people driving.
~~~
anonymous543
Sure you can, here's an example.
[http://www.nimmobay.com/media/360-video/360-video-nimmo-
bay-...](http://www.nimmobay.com/media/360-video/360-video-nimmo-bay-
helicopter-resort)
Attach one of those to a diver at popular destinations. On Google maps, show a
little video icon. Click the icon, watch, and look around as they swim the
location. It's now easier to navigate, and gives you a better representation
of snorkelling or diving in that area.
~~~
reledi
I was expecting a response like this, since I'm aware of these Immersive Media
videos. But YouTube doesn't handle these type of videos (yet). They also don't
let you control which direction you'd like to travel in.
Street View is more convenient as it offers the same 360 degree view as the
Immersive Media videos yet more control like zoom and navigation.
------
dasil003
They didn't blur the face of the turtle.
------
mahmud
Most beautiful thing I have ever seen. We went diving there for our honeymoon.
Spectacular.
------
mayneack
How does apple expect to beat this now?
~~~
enraged_camel
Low Earth orbit panoramas.
~~~
cryptoz
Apple's 2011 net income significantly exceeded NASA's budget (About $25
billion to $18 billion). Orbital panoramas shouldn't be out of their reach.
~~~
hcarvalhoalves
The difference is that Apple is a for-profit company so they have to reinvest
a portion of that back into the company, while NASA can - in fact, should -
spend the entire budget :)
~~~
cryptoz
For sure - I wasn't advocating that Apple devote most resources to space
travel, science and exploration. Just that they could afford to buy a launch
or two from SpaceX like NASA does. It may even be in their financial interest
to put up their own satellites with high-res cameras and telescopes. Mac
desktop background images are celestial objects already. "Our latest
innovation. Our best work. From Space."
Plus we know that Apple Maps could use a little help.
------
Magenta
Finally, they added it. Well I can tick that off of my list of dream holiday
destinations!
~~~
dmix
Living life through Google.
~~~
Magenta
I am hoping they add the forest behind my house so I don't have to take walks
any more
------
mcantelon
You can't move around under the sea. It just seems like a geolocation-specific
panorama integrated into Google Maps. I want to move around like a submarine!
~~~
oscilloscope
Zoom out, there are white arrows that appear in the middle-bottom of the
screen. Click those to travel in that direction. It's kind of like a choose
your own adventure.
~~~
artursapek
Indeed. Wow. <http://goo.gl/maps/uCnD2>
~~~
Paul_S
Thanks for the link, the original link results in a graphic of gears turning
forever and not loading anything.
------
notlion
I can't wait til these are available via the API :)
------
jarajelissa
Google added street view to the Great Barrier Reef. This is easily the coolest
thing they've done since earth.
------
shreeshga
i demand a narrative about the turtle by David Attenborough in the background.
------
bennyfreshness
the world is becoming so small, its great I guess but takes away from the
mystery
~~~
lclarkmichalek
And adds to it so much. At first glance, yes there is less of the world to
explore, but there is suddenly so much more of the world to understand, and
we've hardly touched the surface of that.
------
ilija139
Game over, apple maps.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The Boston restaurant where robots have replaced the chefs - djrogers
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2018/05/17/will-robots-replace-chefs-at-this-new-boston-restaurant-they-already-have/
======
ItsMe000001
Hey OP, I forgot to tell you:
> he made a joke with the word thesis
In other words, his content doe snot belong here. He should go to reddit or
some other useless "fun" site. And so should anyone defending such BS.
.
By the way, how many accounts do you have on HN?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Python for system administration - adionditsak
http://aarvik.dk/python-for-system-administration/
======
adionditsak
What do you think about Python for system administration?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
OpenGL and Direct3D crazy GUI debugger via APITrace - icefox
http://zrusin.blogspot.com/2011/04/apitrace.html
======
corysama
Before Xbox PIX, graphics debugging involved thinking really hard about a huge
state machine that lives in a separate, uninspectable memory space and is
modified in hundreds of locations in your program. After PIX, graphics
debugging became easier and more fun than any other system I've seen. The
operation of the whole machine is laid out visually in a scrubbable timeline.
All of your assumptions are easily testable. Its heaven, I tell ya.
If ApiTrace can get close to the functionality of PIX in a cross-platform,
cross-API, open-source way... Its a big deal for me, at least. :)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Accommodating Feedburner Redirects? - dpapathanasiou
I'd be curious to get the news.yc community's take on a mini-dilemma we're seeing at SeekSift.com recently.<p>It's explained in more detail on the blog (<a href="http://blog.seeksift.com/2007/07/19/feedburner-redirects/" rel="nofollow">http://blog.seeksift.com/2007/07/19/feedburner-redirects/</a>) but the gist of it is that sites which host their feeds at Feedburner sometimes use their own domain for the link instead (there's a redirect the the actual Feedburner URL).<p>We reject the redirect (because it's not xml in either RSS or ATOM format), but it confuses people who don't understand the hosted-at-Feedburner piece of the puzzle.<p>I'm wary of making a change just for Feedburner, but is it something that should be done?
======
create_account
This is really a non-issue.
From the user perspective, you _must_ make that redirect, because they just
want the feed, not some long-winded explanation about Feedburner.
If you're worried about security, limit yourself to just one redirect, but
only if the redirect points to feeds.feedburner.com/something.
~~~
dpapathanasiou
You're right, they just want the feed, and for the most part (though we do
have a number of savvy users who _do_ get the whole hosted-at-Feedburner
thing), they could care less about any behind-the-scenes redirection (or
whatever) we have to do to get it.
------
joshwa
Just follow HTTP 3xx redirects (up to _n_ times, so as not to get stuck in an
endless loop). "Click here for the real page" or javascript "redirects" are
the feed provider's problem, not yours.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Http_status_codes#3xx_Redirecti...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Http_status_codes#3xx_Redirection)
~~~
dpapathanasiou
That's a good suggestion; that, plus create_account's idea to confirm that the
redirect is headed to the "feedburner.com" domain should reduce the chance of
any serious problems.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Joi Ito: Formal vs informal education - snewe
http://joi.ito.com/weblog/2010/02/28/formal-vs-infor.html
======
chrischen
> I wonder how many people there are like me who can't engage well with formal
> education
Well considering nearly 1/10 people have ADHD
([http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2007/09...](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2007/09/03/AR2007090300729.html)), I'd say that's a good
starting estimate.
I'm starting to think making it a _disorder_ is just a way to preserve the
current education system... What's more likely: 1/10 kids need drugs to
succeed, or perhaps there's something wrong with the education system... Let's
pull out that Occam's razor and start cutting some of this crap.
------
jac_no_k
I realized late that attending college and university is also about meeting
your peers. It's a head start in building your network of people before
entering the work force.
------
Tycho
Personally I think the internet (and multimedia) should be changing the whole
paradigm of formal education... of course universities are using IT but their
lecture hall + library short-loan shelf approach is still at the core (and has
been for a long time).
~~~
roundsquare
I agree that the internet can really improve education, but I'm wary of taking
it too far. Some people envision a totally digital experience, which I would
be against. Actually living on campus is a great experience and (I think) a
useful one.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Best way to validate a product idea? - kver
What is your experience validating product ideas, so you're getting out most from it without spending much effort?
======
tablet
The best way to validate a product idea is to build the product. And even that
might not validate the idea itself due to poor execution.
The other surrogate (but faster) options:
\- Build a web site and check traction/conversion rates
\- Create a believable video from prototypes, show it to target customers and
attentively watch face/eyes reactions (don't believe in compliments), look for
phrases like "can I buy it?" or at least "can I use it now?"
\- Learn how target customers work and try to build a mental mapping of your
idea to their workflow. If you idea makes it significantly better (less tools,
less time, etc), then maybe you have something real.
\- Don't build MVP to validate the idea. They usually suck. In some cases they
work, but only for a laser-sharp idea. If you have one, go for MVP.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Another Dropbox alternative: Jottacloud, hosted in Norway - workhere-io
http://www.jottacloud.com/
======
workhere-io
(I'm not affiliated with them, btw.).
~~~
taktix
Thanks for posting. Looks promising.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
US to start charging visitor entry fee this summer - gaius
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/news/article7123827.ece
======
_delirium
Interesting that "many" of the knock-off websites are in North Korea. Looks
like they're getting pretty desperate in the internet-fraud department.
------
jleyank
Folks, the only way to really get these things killed off is for your home
country to reciprocate. Until US-ians are made to do what they make others do,
there will be no pressure applied to Washington to change things.
Fingerprints? Do it with indelible ink. Fees? Ask for cash. Rinse, repeat.
~~~
hga
Unless you also hit the CongressCritters who make these laws with those things
... and will they notice a $10 fee??? ... you're not likely to get anywhere
with that approach. Very few of them care about the little people.
And upsetting one or more CongressCritters could be very bad for a lot of
countries.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
I used Firefox OS for 30 days and it made me want to quit phones - msh
http://digitaltrends.com/mobile/firefox-os-review/
======
programminggeek
I haven't used Firefox OS, but I've wrote PhoneGap apps for iOS and Android,
and the biggest problem is just that it puts the developer experience before
the end user experience and that seems backwards to what makes a great
product.
Yes, using the same code everywhere is cool, but if it takes longer to load,
is less responsive, and has a worse experience, you have saved yourself time,
but made something worse.
I imagine it like a 3D printed plastic hammer. If I want a cheap toy for my
kids maybe it's great, but if I'm putting a new roof on my house I want a real
hammer, forged in steel, etc. You know, so that I can have the best tool for
driving nails into wood. I don't care that it would be cheaper/faster to make
a plastic hammer, I care about a tool that is great.
I know that properly executed and with enough processing power, maybe
performance is a mostly non-issue, but in my experience mobile JS dev isn't
there yet and it's not remarkably better this year than last.
I hope this Firefox OS thing works out for Mozilla, but until the perf issues
are solved, it's not going to be too exciting.
~~~
Iftheshoefits
I think you're looking at it backwards: App consumers aren't interested in
well-crafted apps. Consumers treat mobile apps like "gladware": they want
cheap and disposable/replaceable. This plays very well with companies' desire
for cheap production. Hence the steady march toward the commoditization of web
app development and the "war" on native, especially in the mobile space.
~~~
pazimzadeh
I completely disagree with you. What's the evidence for this?
~~~
Iftheshoefits
I'd turn the question around: what's the evidence they want well-crafted apps
developed with native SDKs or otherwise?
I don't think there is anything like evidence (in the scientific sense) for
either position.
I do think the ratio of free to free+IAP to up-front-purchase apps supports my
contention rather than the other--people get what they pay for, and they
apparently don't want to pay very much for apps. To my mind, this means they
don't want to pay for the development effort required to sustain well-crafted
apps (or else they believe the development effort required to be either less
than what it really is or else that it's overpriced).
This is of course a generalization; as such there are exceptions.
~~~
pazimzadeh
Whether or not people want to pay for apps or not has nothing to do with
whether they desire polished apps. Most people don't know a thing about
development and the effort required to create a good app, but do seem to
appreciate quality.
I don't have good data on this either, but from personal experience here these
apps have spread like very quickly through my circle of (iPhone-using)
friends:
Square
Instagram
Clear
Snapchat
Letterpress
These apps all have something in common, which is that their creators clearly
put a lot of care into their products. Most of them still manage to be free,
except for Clear.
During the Apple Maps debacle, none of my friends used Google's web app, but
many downloaded the native app as soon as it was available.
I really don't understand how you can think that "App consumers aren't
interested in well-crafted apps." If you're right, then how do you explain the
success of Apple and the developer community surrounding Apple?
~~~
Iftheshoefits
Apple's demographic and target market consists primarily of affluent consumers
(high discretionary income) who have a history of spending more than the
average consumer for products without regard to quality or functionality. They
are not representative of "most consumers" by any measure.
~~~
pazimzadeh
I mostly agreed with you until "without regard for quality or functionality."
Either way, apps are extremely inexpensive for the effort put into them
compared to say, a cup of coffee. There are also a lot of free or ad-supported
apps, which means that price is likely not the main differentiator between two
apps. And if that's true, then what else can you use to evaluate an app but
its usability?
Do you yourself value cheap and "disposable" apps more than well-crafted ones?
------
canadev
While FF OS does sound pretty bad from the descriptions in article, I'm
willing to cut it some slack.
Sounds like it should not have been released at this point, to me, but the
biggest benefit (IMO) of open-source software is that things can get patched.
And if you look at the activity on the FF browser, it can happen very fast.
This article encouraged me to clone the source code and play with it -- but
after nearly 20 years of software development I'm starting to learn that my
eyes are bigger than my stomach. Still, for anyone interested:
[https://developer.mozilla.org/en-
US/Firefox_OS/Building_and_...](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-
US/Firefox_OS/Building_and_installing_Firefox_OS)
Now, I would like to start hacking on the browser at some point...
[http://codefirefox.com/](http://codefirefox.com/)
In conclusion, I feel that their release process (like don't release until it
works properly) is broken, but hopefully will be fixed, and I am almost glad
that the product sucks, because it shows such room for improvement. I think
the mobile industry, and the software industry more generally, is still young.
------
wcummings
I picked one of these up because it was $80 unlocked, well w/in impulse buy
range, and anyone w/ some webdev chops can churn out an app w/o learning
[STUPID DEV STACK THAT DOESNT WORK ANYWHERE ELSE].
I wish there was some slicker FFOS hardware, but I like where the platform is
going
~~~
candl
And how is HTML any better?
This is a good example :
[http://fb.html5isready.com/](http://fb.html5isready.com/) a fairly
sophisticated facebook application in HTML. It's barely usable on my Lumia 920
(IE10), barely usable on my BlackBerry Z10 (webkit based browser) and doesn't
even render properly on a Nexus 7 2012 (Firefox). All these are pretty
powerful devices.
Doesn't look like HTML is working everywhere as people claim.
~~~
zobzu
I just go to facebook.com with firefox on the nexus 7 and it just works
waaaaaaaaay better than this website you refer.
So.. I don't think it's an HTML problem. Turns out, facebook.com also works
great on my desktop browser.
------
cleverjake
I reallllllly think this author misses the point of firefox os. it is not
meant to "take on android" it is meant to take on feature/dumb phones. People
who store their contacts on their sim card, and pay for things using SMS.
~~~
gagege
What's wrong with storing contacts on a SIM card? Seems like a good idea, just
move it to a new phone and boom, all your contacts are there.
~~~
gbl08ma
My main problem with it is the lack of enough fields to store all contact
information. If you have, for example, a person's home phone number and mobile
phone number, you end up using two entries instead of one, because last time I
checked (and at least on the SIM cards I own) the storage format is a simple
two-column list: Name-Phone. Furthermore, there are strict limits on the
amount of characters one can insert (and the character set is very limited,
too). Additionally, one can only store 250 entries or so (varies from card to
card). To sum it up in one word, for me it's very unpractical. I remember
having to use Bluetooth to transfer contacts from a old feature-phone to a new
feature-phone because, obviously, the SIM card would not hold all the contact
information I had in the old phone.
We certainly have the technology to make better cards with more storage (BTW,
the space for SMS text storage on the cards I own is ridiculously small, too).
But as people moved on to store information on "rich" contact systems and,
more recently, in the cloud, I think there isn't much motivation to innovate
in that area.
~~~
gagege
Interesting. I didn't know they had those limitations. Better off with regular
SD card backups then.
------
sergiotapia
At this point I don't care! I'm rooting for Mozilla as they are most
definitely the company I trust more than any other in the world. They are
really transparent and it has the community support Google _wishes_ it had.
I really hope it catches on with the years. I'm still bitter that I can only
use Objective-C to make iPhone apps. I mean, objective-c!?
------
jfoster
People wrote this type of article about Android when the first Android phone
had come out. Mozilla can definitely salvage this and it's natural that it
would take more iteration before they arrive at a really good user experience.
I think the big problem Mozilla face is that they haven't been left much of an
opening by Android. Even if they offer a wonderful user experience, why would
anyone prefer a Firefox phone over an Android phone?
~~~
andrewflnr
Because it's a third or less of the cost of an Android.
~~~
msh
You can get a Chinese android phone for 80usd
------
null_ptr
Reading this made me realize what a thick skin you need to put your work out
there and not be phased by such negativity. It's also a reminder about the
high degree of entitlement software development outsiders have.
------
soapdog
Disclaimer: I am a Mozilla Rep volunteering with Firefox OS stuff.
Let me address some misconceptions in this article and why I think it is
misguided but first lets be sure that we're all on the same page and that
people are entitled to their own opinion, even if we disagree.
Firefox OS is not made to fight mid-range and high-end Android devices.
Firefox OS was created with the following main objectives:
\- Create a Free and Open mobile source operating that is developed in the
open. Android does not fit this bill because Google only release Android
source code once the job is done and is not keen on accepting contributions
from third-party. Firefox OS is on github from day one and everyone is
encouraged to contribute.
\- Create a system based on web technologies where using nothing but
HTML/CSS/JS you can access all phone features. The mobile ecosystem was
becoming a closed market where each vendor had their own proprietary system
and walled garden. Firefox OS is open and use open standards for development.
Apps made for Firefox OS can be used in other systems with minimal fiddling.
\- Create devices that were cheaper than the usual low-end Android device. The
market is not the U.S. the market is Latin America, East Europe, Asia where
people don't have the same budgets as U.S. In Brazil an iPhone costs USD 1000
at least where Firefox OS costs about USD 80 without contract. The Moto G
device quoted on the article costs about USD 350 here.
Now with this objective in mind, lets review some parts of this article.
The phone does not have two marketplaces. There is the adaptative search that
displays web apps based on a search query. You can use those apps once (open
the page) or save them (add a link to them) to the launcher. The Firefox
Marketplace will provide you with apps. Saying that the adaptative search is a
marketplace is saying that because Google Now can search the web it rivals
Google Play.
On the current version of Firefox OS being shipped you can add contacts from
SIM Card, Facebook and GMail. There are apps on the marketplace to import
vCards and other contact sources.
You can add email accounts from many popular providers and from scratch using
IMAP or POP. There is an issue with self signed certificates meaning that on
some special cases, people hosting their own email can't add the server
because the certificate is not recognized. This is being addressed in the
open.
Apps are made by their developers, not by Mozilla. If the Twitter or Facebook
app does not work as well as it should is because those developers are not
doing the necessary effort. When I say necessary effort is because its so damn
simple to pick a mobile web site and just add it as an app that some
developers forget to optmize the experience to be more app like with things
such as appcache. The Twitter app when first launched was pretty bad, these
days after some updates it became quite decent. The Facebook app still
basically their mobile web version and has a lot of room for improvement.
Anyway, this is responsability of the developers.
The fact that there are apps that the author considers embarrassing is a good
thing, it proves how easy it is to develop for the system. Do an exercise,
imagine if the world wide web instead of using HTML/CSS/JS used 6502 Assembly
language and that to code for it you would need to do it in that language. How
many web developers we would have? How open and accessible the web would be?
One of the cool things about the web is that it is really easy to cook
something that is usable. To build great experiences in the web requires a lot
of knowledge but to build something that works it is quite easy. Because of
this Firefox OS is approachable by hackers and new developers alike and this
is reflected in the current marketplace. Another thing is that Mozilla doesn't
charge you anything to be able to place apps in the marketplace and there is
no SDK or special computer/OS (Apple I am looking at you) required to build
apps for Firefox OS. Anyone can do it. This is good, democratic and pays well
in the long run, just look how popular the web is today.
Nokia Here maps has navigation. Also, criticism about Here maps should not be
directed at Firefox OS. Its like blaming Mac OS X for the lack of triple A
games.
There is no fragmentation in Firefox OS. Just like you can browse the web in
Firefox 25 or Chrome or Firefox 18. You can use the apps in different versions
of the OS. The companies that build Firefox OS are required by contract not to
wait more than six months before updating the phones. This means that in the
worst case scenario, it updates at double speed than the usual competitors
that have yearly updates. The vendors are updating it more quickly though. It
took just some months from Firefox OS 1.0 to 1.1. Also Firefox OS is divided
in three components (gonk, gecko, gaia) and updating Gaia is pretty easy.
Anyway. The article missed the point which is an open system for a cheap
device aimed at emerging markets. This is not a competitor to iPhone 5 or
Galaxy S4. The main competition is dumb phones and very low end Android
devices that have crap performance.
~~~
wodenokoto
You miss understood a lot of the points in this review.
* Low-end smart-phone should not do basic things such as calling and texting worse than a low-end feature phone (dumb phones). Author is pining for his old, low-end feature phone after using ZTE Open
* While adaptive search may not be a market place, if it looks like one to the user, then it will be percieved like one and confuse the user.
* Platform ecosystem is a valid critiscism. The main criticism of windows mobile is lack of apps. While that is not the systems fault, MS are being active in improving this, since they know that this is the main feature of a modern smart phone. If Mozilla don't realize this either, they are in trouble. It may not be ffOS's fault that the twitter app is bad, by users don't want it if it doesn't have a good twitter app.
* Critiscism of here maps should be directed at ffOS. Other maps exists, mozilla has strong ties with Google, Mozilla chose this one as default. Also see above. My limited experience with here maps from windows mobile showed me a great service, so maybe the author is off on this one.
I don't know what the feature phone market looks like in Brazil, but if its
anything like the Chinese, then it doesn't sound like the ZTE Open beats the
feature phone market.
I was getting a ffOS phone for christmas, until I realized that the only one
available to me is a ZTE Open. It really does look like a crappy
representative for ffOS, but if this is what Mozilla and ZTE decided on, then
the software side should run more than decently.
~~~
soapdog
Thanks for the feedback, let me be clear about some things from your message:
> * Low-end smart-phone should not do basic things such as calling and texting
> worse than a low-end feature phone (dumb phones). Author is pining for his
> old, low-end feature phone after using ZTE Open
Basic phone stuff such as calling, texting work pretty well. These are common
things that all phones do well right now.
> * While adaptive search may not be a market place, if it looks like one to
> the user, then it will be percieved like one and confuse the user.
Adaptative search does not look like a marketplace, it looks like a search
engine. There is a marketplace icon that launches the marketplace app which
has a experience similar to other app stores. Bonus point: Our app store is
open source, you can fork it and create your own.
> * Platform ecosystem is a valid critiscism. The main criticism of windows
> mobile is lack of apps. While that is not the systems fault, MS are being
> active in improving this, since they know that this is the main feature of a
> modern smart phone. If Mozilla don't realize this either, they are in
> trouble. It may not be ffOS's fault that the twitter app is bad, by users
> don't want it if it doesn't have a good twitter app.
Mozilla has paid staff and volunteers working on making the experiences
better. Lots of the vendors are listening and improving. Remember this
platform is on its first year and yet we're moving very fast.
> * Critiscism of here maps should be directed at ffOS. Other maps exists,
> mozilla has strong ties with Google, Mozilla chose this one as default. Also
> see above. My limited experience with here maps from windows mobile showed
> me a great service, so maybe the author is off on this one.
Here Maps is also going thru updates and is working better than before. Its a
good map. I like the offline saving of maps, makes me use less internet.
> I don't know what the feature phone market looks like in Brazil, but if its
> anything like the Chinese, then it doesn't sound like the ZTE Open beats the
> feature phone market.
We don't have the ZTE open in here, we have the Alcatel One Touch Fire and the
LG Fireweb. They are all similar. They perform better than the feature phones.
Our main difficulty right now is the lack of apps (its getting better) and the
quality of some apps (its also getting better).
> I was getting a ffOS phone for christmas, until I realized that the only one
> available to me is a ZTE Open. It really does look like a crappy
> representative for ffOS, but if this is what Mozilla and ZTE decided on,
> then the software side should run more than decently.
The ZTE is a cool phone but it is a low end device, you can't compare it with
a heavily subsided phone such as the moto g. They have different purposes.
One thing that some people often doesn't realize is that Mozilla launched an
open system with at least 4 hardware partners and 18 carriers this year. A
system that promotes open standards and freedom from a community that values
your privacy. Mozilla doesn't operate to generate profit and answers to no one
but the users. This is a system made by people that have the same values as we
do and we're moving fast.
~~~
cpleppert
> Adaptative search does not look like a marketplace, it looks like a search
> engine. There is a marketplace icon that launches the marketplace app which
> has a experience similar to other app stores.
The reviewer was probably right to be confused as it isn't clear from basic
descriptions of the OS exactly how it works. Instead, there is buzzword fluff
(HTML5! HTML5!) and marketing jargon about the 'web'. I am very technical and
I still am not clear about how firefox os applications work. Are there
additional APIs available to applications from the marketplace? Are
applications downloaded by the launcher or does every application act like a
web link, or is there a combination of the two?
~~~
soapdog
There are additional APIs available to all applications. They don't need to
come from the marketplace to use such APIs. An application can use the "Open
Web Apps API" to install itself onto the phone (with the user permission)
bypassing the marketplace. So you can distribute your own apps on third party
marketplaces or on your own web page.
There are two types of applications: Hosted and Packaged. Hosted apps are
normal web pages that you host somewhere and access from the device. If you
use appcache and responsive design, they will provide an experience like what
native apps provide in other platforms. The packaged apps instead of being
hosted are packaged and offered on the marketplace. Its basically a zipfile
with your HTML/CSS/JS, when it is installed this zipfile is copied to the
device and sandboxed.
There are three security levels. Plain, Privileged and Certified. These
security levels govern what APIs your app can access. Hosted apps are always
plain apps. Packaged apps can be plain apps too but they can also be
privileged apps that can access an extra set of APIs or certified apps that
can access every API on the device. Only Mozilla and its hardware partners can
build and deploy certified apps due to security reasons (you don't want an app
with the ability to send SMS or make calls without user interaction).
So in summary, you can have plain web links in the launcher and you can have
links to packaged apps that are actually on the device. Both things are
possible and indistinguishable from a user point of view. Both solutions work
offline if you use appcache with the hosted app.
If you want to know more, I've written a Free and Open eBook about it called
"Firefox OS Development Quick Guide" available at
[http://leanpub.com/quickguidefirefoxosdevelopment/](http://leanpub.com/quickguidefirefoxosdevelopment/)
you can also hop by Mozilla Developer Network portal for Firefox OS at
[https://developer.mozilla.org/en-
US/Firefox_OS](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Firefox_OS)
=)
~~~
aaronbrethorst
Given that the post we're all discussing is from someone who is ostensibly
pretty savvy about these things, I think it might behoove the folks working on
Firefox OS to rethink aspects of the platform user experience.
------
dserban
Firefox OS isn't aimed at Android, as the article implies. I don't think it's
even meant to be aimed at something, not even at dumbphones.
The intent is to provide a fallback digital-freedom option, should any of the
mobile players ever start to exhibit monopolistic tendencies.
Firefox OS is a hedge that Mozilla is building for us.
------
zobzu
tldr: user expected 3y old phone hardware and from-scratch OS to beat
Android/iOS on quad core devices, got disappointed.
------
elktea
> Surprisingly, given the ZTE Open’s wheezing 1GHz single-core processor and
> the feeble 256MB of RAM, [Cut the rope] didn’t choke and was perfectly
> playable.
In what world would a modern 1GHz processor have any issues with a simple 2D
game running at a low resolution?
------
fidotron
Firefox OS remains highly unlikely to go anywhere with the current direction.
They need a rethink, fairly fast, as Android has got the "we're not iOS"
market sewn up at this point. (MS are about the only group left with any hope
whatsoever, and that's fairly slim). As has been repeatedly demonstrated web
technology based operating systems simply don't run well on mobile, especially
if (like FFOS) you haven't got completely GPU accelerated graphics, which is a
slight problem on lower res screens like the Open, but is completely essential
for anything in the 720p or greater territory.
Chasing Chrome OS in netbook land would be enormously more entertaining, and
far more likely to actually get some traction, especially with the recent
negative noise about any cloud services.
------
rimantas
I just saw instructions how to upgrade to 1.1 and it became clear how far away
from prime-time Firefox OS is.
~~~
soapdog
FirefoxOS consumer phones upgrade over the air just like Android and iOS
devices. The developer preview phones are unlocked so the developer can opt to
update by hand from his own copy of Firefox OS.
------
dpcan
I had a similar experience, only I really enjoyed the OS, but the hardware was
completely unusable for me and how I use my phone, which is more like a
computer than a phone.
I was so frustrated with how slow everything was that I just had to go back to
my old phone (which at the time was a Windows Phone 7 - go figure). I really
think that FFOS on really fast hardware would be awesome. The phone &
experience actually reminded me of my old G1, but at that time, there wasn't
much to go back to until I got the iPhone 3GS :)
------
IlPeach
I've bought the ZTE Open through a friend of mine from Spain.
As other have said the article is a bit biased and it doesn't stand the
comparison with Android or anything really. It's a very young OS (remember the
first few versions of Android?).
But, this said, my biggest gripe is the touch screen of the device in
question. I really thought there would have been better touch screens
available for that price. Bummer.
------
ksec
As Far as i am concern, Mozilla has never been great ( or even good ) with
User Experience. So it is no surprise all those time they wasted on Firefox OS
didn't bring any major ground breaking achievement.
However I do admire them to continue working on "Open Web". Open Codec etc.
Sometimes I just wish they could be more realistic.
------
tluyben2
Flashbacks from when I got a Lumia because I thought I needed to try it. After
trying to like it, I tried to avoid using the thing at all for anything and I
reverted back to my S2 after a few weeks. My wife had the same reaction and
got an iPhone. I use the Lumia to build apps solely now; outside that it's
switched off.
------
dubcanada
Dude, it's not even a "released" phone yet, what you have is a dev version at
best.
~~~
randomchars
If it's sold in stores and featured in advertisements, it is released.
------
xkarga00
How about the Alcatel OneTouch Fire? Has anyone got his/her hands on it?
~~~
jbeja
It has the same spec so is pretty much the same, but with a different look and
slightly bigger screen
------
shmerl
Try Sailfish.
------
bluekitten
The author seems miss the point in the comparison to the Moto G's price, since
ZTE does not have a ~$50B search business to subsidize its phone
business(Motorola's been losing money at a fast clip) and needs to make money
on every phone it sells, it's not really a valid comparison. Android phones in
the < $150 price range are quite slow too.
That said, it seems to be underperforming other OSes. I remember WebOS on my
HP Touchpad had issues with scroll and lagging even on a dual core 1.5GHz
processor.
Anyone know how the CPU in the ZTE Open(single core Cortex A5 at 1GHz)
compares to the Qualcomm MSM7227A Snapdragon CPU Cortex-A5 in the Lumia 510(A
WP7 phone)? Both have the same GPU(Adreno 200) and 256MB RAM, but the 510
doesn't seem to have that many issues with lag despite the ZTE Open being
clocked 25% higher.
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDZQuEn2mMM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDZQuEn2mMM)
~~~
eropple
_> The author seems miss the point in the comparison to the Moto G's price,
since ZTE does not have a ~$50B search business to subsidize its phone
business(Motorola's been losing money at a fast clip) and needs to make money
on every phone it sells, it's not really a valid comparison._
It's an eminently valid comparison because the Moto G exists and is sold for
$179. Sure, they have advantages that let them do that. No consumer cares.
(Few developers care.)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Forget technical co-founders, where do you find a good designer? - calebamsden
I've been working on my first project in Django and Python, and I've been finding that the coding takes way less time than trying to get the design down. I'm okay with HTML/CSS and know my way around Photoshop/GIMP, but anything related to design still takes me forever. Anyone have suggestions on where to find designers willing to join a startup?
======
senko
I'm in a similar position, and usually turn to a designer friend that I've
done business before (he's my "go to" guy for anything design related).
That said, if you're just starting, you could just buy a design (from sites
like <http://themeforest.net/>) and then tweak it according to your needs. The
end result won't be the same as custom designed by a designer, but it can
often be good enough for early iterations of the product/app/site.
~~~
calebamsden
That's the direction I'm going in now, it just seems like I'd be able to get
things done a lot faster with someone helping out on the front-end. Is it
common for startups to have back-end devs also work on the front-end when they
first start? Is it worth offering 20 or 30 percent, or is it better to just
hack something together until you can afford to hire a designer?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
GPU-Oriented PCIe Expansion Cluster - minxomat
http://amfeltec.com/products/gpu-oriented-cluster/
======
krautsourced
For those doubting the usefulness of these rigs, I can say that for GPU
rendering numerous of these are in use by small sized studios and freelancers.
The bottleneck of the slow PCIe connection is nothing compared to the render
times per frame in most cases. It's only when a frame takes less than a second
to render that you notice. They are very popular with e.g. Octane users. The
only thing to be aware of is that some motherboards do not play well with this
and will not recognize all cards or will not run stable with it attached.
------
varelse
The right way to build this sort of thing is with a hub of 8796 PCIE switches
for each group of 4 GPUs such that they could all form a continuous 16x PCIE
bidirectional ring suitable for O(n) collectives like
gather/reduce/allGather/allReduce.
This is more or less useless, or if one wishes to be kind, an amazing
emulation of building distributed GPU code over the craptastic bandwidths
brought to you by AWS, Microsoft, and Google datacenters for now.
Also PCIE Gen 2? WTF? This might not even post with current GPUs.
~~~
kobeya
This is for mining or password cracking.
~~~
varelse
Sure, great, but if they could build this to support Deep Learning and
renegade HPC, I suspect they could sell 10,000+ units/year on the down-low.
That would be $10M in revenue, maybe twice that if it also worked with Macs.
NVIDIA _will_ do their _worst_ to shut this down because it's a direct threat
to DGX-1 running neural networks that aren't entirely communication-limited
(long story), but if they could throw this together, I think they could make a
great quick buck before the axe falls.
~~~
minxomat
If you take a look at their clients, it's mostly massive companies that
probably order large lots of OEM solutions. I don't think amfeltec needs the
scale or rather isn't already at the scale you are talking about (margin, not
turnover), by enterprise tax and support for OEM builds alone.
The 4x splitters go for about $200. But if you want guaranteed compatibility
(i.e. a full build), the price (and margin for them) will skyrocket.
------
angry_octet
Unfortunately this setup would be very slow for most GPGPU applications,
because the CPU-GPU and GPU-GPU bandwidth is very slow. To effectively use
this the data transfer requirements have to be very low.
Even with a dedicated 16x PCIe 3 connection there is a latency overhead
compared to inter-CPU buses, like HyperTransport or QPI, which is why nVidia
and IBM have scaled up the NVlink inter-GPU bus to become a memory speed
interconnect.
[https://www.ibm.com/blogs/systems/ibm-power8-cpu-and-
nvidia-...](https://www.ibm.com/blogs/systems/ibm-power8-cpu-and-nvidia-
pascal-gpu-speed-ahead-with-nvlink/)
------
EthanV2
I'm not as clued up as I used to be about this stuff, but wouldn't this have a
pretty serious impact on the performance of the individual cards? Seems like
splitting 4 16x cards off one 4x bus would limit the available bandwidth
somewhat.
~~~
mschuster91
That depends if the workload is data-transfer-bound or computing-bound.
If the former, yes you will suffer a massive performance blow even with just
one GPU - but if the latter, it's an easy way to upgrade your system.
~~~
EthanV2
I suppose if you're just working on a data set that's already stored in memory
on the GPU(s) the initial work involved in getting that data to the card would
be impacted but everything after that benefits from having an absurd amount of
computing power
------
mrbill
I saw a lot of this when GPUs were being used to mine bitcoin/altcoin.
~~~
DennisP
They're still being used for some blockchains with ASIC-resistant mining,
including zcash and ethereum.
------
kierank
If there are any reasonably-priced ways of doing this especially with more
PCIe lanes please let me know. In my experience it's often easier to just buy
more motherboards and CPUs than invest in PCIe expansion.
~~~
angry_octet
Depends on your bisection bandwidth requirement and software cost. If you want
to do MPI it is going to be cheaper to buy some InfiniBand cards. But if you
have a small cluster and tightly coupled code, or large I/O requirements, then
a PCIe switch might be the go. These get used on some video on demand systems
and signal processing architectures:
[https://www.microsemi.com/products/drivers-interfaces-and-
pc...](https://www.microsemi.com/products/drivers-interfaces-and-pcie-
switches/pcie-switches/pcie-fanout-switches/pm8536-pfx-96xg3)
The Dolphin systems are tuned better for computation:
[http://www.dolphinics.com/products/IXS600.html](http://www.dolphinics.com/products/IXS600.html)
I expect small PCIe NVMe external storage systems to become quite common in
the near future, because enterprise systems need multipath storage for
reliability; 8GB/s FC is too slow for SSDs, let alone NVMe, same with SAS bus
expanders.
[https://events.linuxfoundation.org/sites/events/files/slides...](https://events.linuxfoundation.org/sites/events/files/slides/LinuxVault2015_KeithBusch_PCIeMPath.pdf)
~~~
kierank
The Dolphin systems seem more expensive than just buying 4U servers.
~~~
angry_octet
You only buy them when you can't fit your problem into one server (i.e. not
enough memory or I/O) or you need redundancy (multipath I/O, synchronised
memory). In those cases they can be a lot quicker/cheaper/more reliable than
trying to solve it with more computers, protocols and ethernet.
------
chx
This needs a (2014) in the title.
------
westmeal
This is interesting but would different architectures of GPUs play nicely?
E.g. 3 AMD gpus and one NVIDIA gpu?
~~~
throwawayish
If you think regular GPU drivers are shitty, then wait until you try to
install both AMD and nVidia drivers at the same time. It's not very stable, to
say the least (Windows 7). Never tried it since. Not worth the hassle.
~~~
dragandj
Easy to install both nvidia and AMD and works like a charm for GPGPU on Arch
Linux, though.
------
StavrosK
At those speeds, doesn't the cable/bus length play a huge role? What's the
maximum length that can support them? I'd imagine it'd be a few centimeters at
most...
~~~
detaro
shorter is obviously better, but from what I've read 30 cm PCIe riser cables
work, and there are 50 cm examples.
~~~
kierank
We have problems with signal integrity on cheap risers and ribbon cables.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
An RF-powered cordless phone - jonbaer
https://www.wired.com/story/this-cell-phone-can-make-calls-even-without-a-battery
======
userbinator
Neither the title of this item (currently "A cell phone powered by ambient
light") nor the article's ("This Cell Phone Can Make Calls Even Without a
Battery") is really accurate.
_Because the phone relies on those signals for its energy harvesting, it has
a range of just 15 meters from the basestation._
This is neither a cellphone nor solar-powered. It's an RF-powered cordless
phone. Interesting nonetheless.
~~~
TeMPOraL
Well, _technically_ RF-harvesting phone _is_ powered by "ambient light". The
title says nothing about solar, or _visible_ light.
~~~
occamrazor
The word "light" denotes EM radiation in the visible spectrum or in the near
IR/UV only, not generic EM radiation.
~~~
TeMPOraL
To normal folks, maybe, but in technical language it can refer to the entire
EM spectrum (as there's no meaningful difference between "visible" and
"invisible" EM radiation for anything other than human eyes).
EDIT:
I looked up the spectrum PV cells tend to respond to and some sources on the
usual meaning of the word "light", and I admit my original comment was me
being pedantic about the more obscure usage of the word. Sorry :(.
~~~
ClassyJacket
...which makes it pretty meaningful to humans.
Also consider what of the sun's radiation makes it to the surface of the
Earth.
~~~
TeMPOraL
Fair enough.
------
donquichotte
An IPhone battery has a capacity of roughly 10Wh. The energy density of the
sun is approx. 1kW/m2 on earth. Let's assume a solar cell with 20% efficiency,
so 200W/m2. To charge the iPhone battery in 4h you would need a solar panel
with an area of 11cmx11cm. So the phone is probably not very powerful.
Certainly it's power draw is nowhere near current smartphones. (It's mentioned
in TFA, 800mW when calling, tens of microwatts when on standby)
~~~
TeMPOraL
That... sounds too good to be true. 11x11cm panel is basically a pocket one;
hell, my S7 has surface area (one side) of ~80% of that. And 4h for charging a
smartphone is a typical time.
So it sounds like not only this should be very useful according to those
numbers, but would also imply that solar chargers for smartphones are not
complete bullshit fake non-product I always assumed they were?
~~~
kqr
Huh, I guess you're right.
My phone has a battery of around 12 Wh and lasting maybe 30 h on a full
charge, that's a power consumption of 0.4 W on average. With a surface area of
about 70 cm², we get about 60 W/m².
Phone eats 60 W/m².
Sun provides 1000 W/m².
Okay, let's cut that into a fourth because, you know, clouds and nights and
stuff. Retake.
Phone eats 60 W/m².
Sun provides 250 W/m².
Essentially, if you find a solar panel with 25% efficiency and the right size,
you can slap that on the back of your phone for a very tiny size increase, and
you now have a phone that powers itself as long as you put it down in the sun
instead of in your pockets when you don't use it!
~~~
morsch
250 W/m2 is still rather optimistic -- though not absurdly so!
Obviously it varies a lot depending on where you are. For example, in Germany
the total sunshine you have to work with is approximately 1000 kWh/year[1], or
115W/m2 on average. I think that still assumes you find a way to perfectly
align your phone to be perpendicular to the sun's rays; otherwise you get less
energy still.
[1]
[http://www.solar.lucycity.de/index.php/sonnenenergie/9-sonne...](http://www.solar.lucycity.de/index.php/sonnenenergie/9-sonnenstrahlung)
I think the technical term may be solar irradiance, here's a global map:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_irradiance#/media/File:S...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_irradiance#/media/File:SolarGIS-
Solar-map-World-map-en.png)
------
TeMPOraL
Two observations:
1\. This sounds very useful both as a backup capacity to make calls when your
battery died; a smartphone could run in a restricted, super-power-saving mode
off that. Could be handy in cities, where there's _lots_ of RF background.
2\. Energy that can be harvested this way from human-made RF is energy wasted.
I expect less and less of such background RF to be enabled as time goes on and
people figure out more tricks to do hyper advanced magic with beamforming.
~~~
jimmies
>1\. This sounds very useful both as a backup capacity to make calls when your
battery died; a smartphone could run in a restricted, super-power-saving mode
off that. Could be handy in cities, where there's lots of RF background.
Just make 5% battery the new 0% and whatever super-power-saving mode magic you
have to run off that 5%. I think that might make more sense in terms of power
envelope than to bother with all this stuff.
------
relyks
Here's a link to the research paper for those who are interested: "Ambient
Backscatter: Wireless Communication Out of Thin Air"
([http://abc.cs.washington.edu/files/comm153-liu.pdf](http://abc.cs.washington.edu/files/comm153-liu.pdf))
------
gwbas1c
It looks like the power limitations of running from radio waves are limiting.
What about a battery or phone that charges from radio waves? It would give the
phone a lot more power to operate, because the phone itself doesn't run 24/7.
~~~
TheAdamist
from the article, harvesting RF generates tens of microwatts at best, which
probably isn't enough to even operate the charging circuitry much less
actually charge anything.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Tulsa to pay remote workers $10k to relocate - yoloswagins
https://tulsaremote.com/
======
strangemonad
[https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/05/18/oklahoma-and-kansas-
enac...](https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/05/18/oklahoma-and-kansas-enact-anti-
lgbt-laws)
Thanks but no thanks
------
axaxs
I think this is a really smart move, but not enough. Most remote employees,
well, the ones they want to attract, make good money. 10k frankly isn't much,
especially to uproot and move. Tulsa isn't really near anything, nor does it
have a fallback job market. Speaking for myself, maybe 30k or a free small
house could convince me, not 10k and a possibly discounted apartment...
------
hbcondo714
This site and the site in this HN discussion with 150+ comments look the same,
what's the difference?
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18463553](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18463553)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Mind-controlled animatronics cat ears - alex_c
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:13390
======
alex_c
MindWave headset, Arduino controller, and MakerBot for printing the parts.
What a time to be alive!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Insanely fast, headless full-stack testing using Node.js - amitdugar
http://zombie.labnotes.org/
======
developuh
Has anyone tried this ? Looks like a good option to test front-end
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Airbnb agrees to rat out its hosts to NYC - milkshakes
https://gizmodo.com/airbnb-agrees-to-rat-out-its-hosts-like-nyc-wants-it-to-1844017966
======
remotists
I think rat out is a strong word, being transparent with law enforcement is
more appropriate.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
A Startup’s Guide to Outsourcing - ttunguz
http://tomtunguz.com/outsourcing
======
ttunguz
What lessons have you learnt from outsourcing?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
College Daily brings Chinese students in U.S. news with nationalistic undertones - mitchbob
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-post-truth-publication-where-chinese-students-in-america-get-their-news
======
kvonhorn
> “Most people just read to kill time. Who is going to investigate? No one
> will. It only passes your eyes—there’s no need to pin down if it’s real or
> fake.”
> “Correctness doesn’t exist, because it’s always relative,”
> I asked Deng why he thought the piece had resonated with such a large
> audience. “It’s purely made up, to be honest with you,” Deng replied. “It’s
> all made up. I’m not sure if I did the right thing. My boss asked me to
> write it. I think, if a new-media outlet wants to move people, you have to
> make them feel that it’s real.”
OK, I think I get it now. "Post-Truth" content is how you cultivate nihilism
in both your readers and writers while simultaneously making a buck and
increasing the stability of your authoritarian government. What a corrosive
enterprise.
------
president
America is really fucked if we can't curb the spread of disinformation by bad
actors. Does anybody know if any there is any action being taken by
politicians and lawmakers to work on a solution for this? It's becoming
increasingly clear that total freedom of speech does not work in the modern
world.
~~~
nailer
More speech? Maybe the older generation that fled after Tiananmen need to fund
something with clickbait and memes.
------
benjh23
To other mainlanders, just add this filter to your ublock and go on with your
life. Life is too short, and there's too much interesting stuff to learn, to
spend time arguing this stuff.
news.ycombinator.com##div.comment:has-text(/China|Chinese|Trump|Hong Kong/)
news.ycombinator.com##.itemlist>tbody>tr:has-text(/China|Chinese|Trump|Hong
Kong/) news.ycombinator.com##.itemlist>tbody>tr:has-
text(/China|Chinese|Trump|Hong Kong/) + tr
news.ycombinator.com##.itemlist>tbody>tr:has-text(/China|Chinese|Trump|Hong
Kong/) + tr + tr
~~~
Causality1
You can't stop the signal, Mal.
~~~
remarkEon
Is this an Inception reference?
~~~
Causality1
It was a Firefly reference.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The Case for Endless Oil - cwan
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_03/b4163046952385.htm
======
brc
While I'm in no position to comment on the accuracy of the article, being
neither an energy analyst or oil industry specialist, I'm getting a bit tired
of the vicious ad-hominen attacks in blog comments about articles such as this
one. It's ok to do reasoned debate, but calling everyone who disagrees with
you 'in payment of big oil' is very childish. This same feature cuts across
all climate-change and peak-oil articles on both sides of the argument. You
can't win an argument by name calling and shouting, unless you're in the
playground with other 5 year olds.
~~~
abrown28
actually you can win by name calling and shouting. If you're side is noisy and
unruly enough that the other side backs down you win. You are probably still
wrong but you did get your way.
------
brazzy
How dumb does one have to be to use the word "endless" when talking about a
very limited resource?
The potential for technology to increase yields and the discovery of
additional deposits are nothing new. They were included in the original "peak
oil" prediction in 1956 and are part of every serious analysis. The problem
is: new deposits are overall _not_ discovered as fast as old ones get used up.
Meanwhile the consumption _rate_ has been increasing all the time...
~~~
cwan
I'm not sure how "dumb" it is to consider the economics of resource
consumption/exploration/extraction. On a practical level, the last drop of oil
will never be consumed or x resource mined because substitutes develop and
markets are forward looking.
While this article doesn't talk about the substitutes specifically, have a
look at the availability of natural gas as just an example of why energy
prices will go down. What I think they suggest here though is that politics
and technology make it more available. Now as for "serious analysis", it's
impossible to predict what new technologies will show up in the future as the
massive _new_ abundance in natural gas in the last couple years (compare to
just 4-5 years ago) shows.
Now consider the emerging technologies that could have a major impact on
reducing both cost and carbon dioxide emissions (e.g. thorium, pebblebed, thin
film solar, concentrated solar, non-corn biofuels, etc.). To bet that we'll
"run out" of oil/peak oil is to place a bet against our ability to innovate
and adapt.
~~~
mschy
Nearly all instances of "we'll run out of oil" are calls to action to innovate
and adapt to ensure that the problem never comes to pass.
Claiming it's a bet against that is disingenuous at best.
~~~
cwan
> Nearly all instances of "we'll run out of oil" are calls to action to
> innovate
Hardly. In my experience, most alarmist calls about the finite nature of oil
or resource xyz come with it a series of proposals to regulate or "conserve"
whereas prices in and of themselves provide incentives to increase supply
either through greater extraction/technology or substitutes.
~~~
kiba
Not sure why people downvotes his comment.
Price systems are natural means of conserving/rationing resources.
~~~
mschy
Every serious proposal to "conserve" oil that I've seen consists of two core
components:
1) An incentive to use a preferred technology
2) A disincentive against using an unfavored technology
The basic functionalities of commodity markets aren't questioned by anybody.
Implying otherwise is nonsensical.
------
whyme
Six years back or so natural gas was worth a lot - then all of the sudden
there were huge discoveries offshore while at the same time technology
improved such that onshore shale formations previously not economical became
cheap and prolific. Now natural gas is cheap, cheap, cheap and no one goes
around saying we're running out.
Oil is no different. Oil isn't endless, and we are nowhere near reaching peak
oil (maybe we have in conventional oil, but even that's debatable). It's
really just a matter of how economic it is to produce even the known resources
and how well they are managed. Many countries (the bigger oil producing ones)
tend to damage access to the resources by producing too fast (due to the
discount factor to time/money). There's opportunity to get that back in the
future with new technology and time.
To give an example comparing the natural gas situation to oil, Canada is
making huge strides in reducing the cost of producing heavy oil, it used to be
$50+ per barrel and is now down to $19-33 per barrel. With oil prices at $80
per barrel you can see the profit margin is large enough to make money.
Most oil companies take the majority of profit from oil and re-invest into
buying more properties, investing most of it into discovering new resources.
They wouldn't be doing that if they thought there was none left to find. Check
out the top producers of oil and look at their investments vs. their profits
and you'll see.
As a side note... I don't see why much of the oil demand can not be off loaded
to natural gas should the gov't + manufacturing companies choose to invest
that way. Vehicles can run, houses can be heated, and plants can all operate
on natural gas.... Natural gas has proven to be more environmentally cleaner
than coal, they even produce less environmental damages than the facilities
used to produce electric and corn oil alternatives. So I really don't get all
the hype. It's all just market fixing/speculation for the most part and lack
of quality information.
~~~
skybrian
Canada's also turning parts of Alberta into a wasteland.
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/pembina/sets/72157621954583656/>
------
Semiapies
Leonardo Maugeri (cited in the article) wrote an article in _Scientific
American_ last year on this:
[http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=squeezing-m...](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=squeezing-
more-oil-edit-this)
I'm skeptical of his plan at the end (tax oil globally at _just_ the right
amount to blunt climate change and encourage alternatives without making
unsubsidized food-crop biofuels viable) for many obvious reasons, but I see
nothing wrong with his points about oil itself.
------
Asa-Nisse
The problem is really stated in the article. As prices worldwide goes up the
incentive to pump up more expensive sources of oil increases.
However, the price of transporting and fertilizing food is not a cost we
really have the luxury of tampering with. 1 Billion people live on a dollar or
less, since those same people are very effected by the food price it's them
that pay the highest price of dearer oil.
~~~
mortenjorck
1\. Price goes up -> 2\. production increases -> 3\. supply outstrips demand
-> 4\. price goes down -> 5\. production decreases -> 6\. demand outstrips
supply -> loop to 1
This is how the cycle has always gone throughout the oil age and how it will
always continue until oil is made obsolete.
Oil obsolete? Steps 1 and 6, fortunately, are where the alternative energy
advances are always made. While not continuous, they are cumulative (despite
occasional attempts to distort this alternative market by incumbent forces).
Ultimately alternative energy will win, the scrappy startups will evolve into
fat-cat incumbents, and then their markets will follow the same six-step cycle
above, just like oil.
~~~
Asa-Nisse
How will you make fertilizer from alternative energy?
That said, I dont think its a cause for worry right now, but it will be a
issue in the future.
~~~
evgen
The Haber-Bosch process creates ammonia (a solution that can then be oxidized
to create nitrates and nitrites) by passing nitrogen from the air and
hydrogen, currently stripped from hydrocarbons, over an iron catalyst. If a
"hydrogen economy" were to actually appear this same H2 would be used to
produce ammonia (and you could actually cut out several steps in the current
process that are necessary to eliminate any trace of carbon monoxide during
the conversion of methane into H2, CO2, and water.) If alternative energy can
be used to create hydrogen in a cost-effective manner then you are golden as
far as fertilizer is concerned.
------
muriithi
Our neighbors Uganda discovered oil just an year ago. Estimated size of the
reserves 6-8 billion barrels.
------
jcnnghm
T. Boone Pickens would disagree. In his book The First Billion is the Hardest,
he asserts that we've already reached peak oil. His reasoning was that
reserves held by oil companies are being depleted faster than new reserves are
being discovered. While he isn't exactly disinterested given his investments
in natural gas and wind energy, he does offer a unique perspective as a former
oilman. Perhaps this is why he stressed the foreign policy benefits of
domestically produced energy, rather than the economic ones.
However, the article does show the economic reality of dwindling oil supplies.
As easy sources dry up, higher cost reserves become economically feasible. The
higher the cost is driven, the more attractive alternative energy sources
should become. An all electric car should be an easy sell as long as the range
is adequate (~80 miles), and the cost isn't exorbitant (< $40k). They should
cost an order of magnitude less ($0.10/gallon equivalent) than fossil fuel
powered vehicles to operate and require less maintenance.
~~~
RyanMcGreal
> As easy sources dry up, higher cost reserves become economically feasible.
True, but those reserves are higher cost for a reason: they're harder to
extract and have a lower production rate. Frankly, it doesn't matter how much
oil there is if you can't bring it to market fast enough to meet demand.
~~~
jcnnghm
Yes it does, because if you can't bring it to market fast enough to meet
demand, prices will spike reducing demand. When the prices spike, oil
companies are willing to spend more resources to extract oil as quickly as
possible in order to sell off their reserves at the highest possible price.
This inevitably leads to significantly more supply than demand, and falling
prices. At which point capacity is taken offline to prevent oversupply, and
the cycle repeats.
If prices are high enough, the market will find a way to extract their
reserves fast enough. There could be temporary short falls, but they'll be
just that. Should the price remain high, it will give new entrants an
opportunity to compete.
~~~
ghshephard
Micro-Econ Nit: Increasing prices do not impact demand, rather they have an
impact on quantity demanded. Availability of more affordable substitutes such
as electronic cars will effect demand.
The argument that quantity supplied of petroleum will continue to rise fails
to take into account that at a certain price point, substitute sources of
energy make more economic sense.
------
greenlblue
This articles provides an interesting counterpoint to the one about China
ruining the talks about global warming.
------
Kilimanjaro
Two things: There is no peak oil at all, and oil prices are being manipulated
as a volatile market for better profits (terrorism, hurricane season, etc)
There are billions, quadrillions and gazillions of oil and gas reserves, only
in Saudi Arabia.
wikipedia: aramco
Come back after you read the whole page and understand how hard we are being
'pumped' in the ass by BigOil.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Buy this Heartbleed T-Shirt, and support OpenSSL Foundataion - agilevic
http://teespring.com/iheartbleedopenssl
======
mdob
Not bad, shares info about OpenSSL and Heartbleed, a way of supporting
foundation and it's a nice geek t-shirt. Why not.
True, it could be, somebody is trying to make money. If the t-shirt cost $30
and they would support only $5 then I would suspect they're concerned more
about profit.
It doesn't cost much more than a regular t-shirt, so as long as they give $5
from each to OpenSSL I'm in. It's extra $1000 for foundation, if the goal is
reached.
------
azth
Talk about trying to make money off of a negative incident.
~~~
agilevic
Trying to create a win-win scenario. The majority of net proceeds will go to
the foundation.
------
agilevic
Cool or what?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: I published my first bot, todo list manager - armmenn
http://m.me/mybigbot
======
arthur_bonus
I've discovered this bot recently and started using it quite often. It's
simple yet helpful features allow myself to keep track of the things I have to
do. It would be great to see more features such as the ability to write down
breakpoints in the task.
------
vhakobjanyan
using it everyday. Would like to get more pro-active notifications but in
general awesome way to keep your todo in the cloud.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Average Paid Dating Site subscriptions per user fall 25% in 6 months. - peter123
http://plentyoffish.wordpress.com/2009/02/17/average-paid-dating-site-subscriptions-per-user-fall-25-in-6-months/
======
sam_in_nyc
From 1.306 to 1.245 is a fall of 25% ?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Hollywood loses final appeal in piracy case - matthewsinclair
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/hollywood-loses-final-appeal-in-piracy-case-20120420-1xb12.html
======
ajtaylor
I've been in Australia for nearly a year now, and the dearth of movies/videos
available to buy/rent here is astounding. If you're lucky, a TV show will be
re-broadcast here a year after it airs elsewhere. But the channel will
probably butcher it with editing and additional commercials.
After talking with friends here, I can honestly say if the content was legally
available the studios would have many, many customers. And please don't try to
charge us 25% more. We know all about buying online and do price comparisons.
~~~
craigvn
Spot on. Piracy is not because people are not willing to pay, it is because it
is the only option to get content without waiting months after it's US
release. When is Game of Thrones on Aussie TV? I would pay $5 to download each
episode legit, if I could.
~~~
elithrar
> When is Game of Thrones on Aussie TV? I would pay $5 to download each
> episode legit, if I could.
Not at all, unfortunately. Even shows like Mad Men are a year behind[1] at
best. If you're even remotely interested in these shows, the huge delay--and
eventual risk of spoilers--is incredibly frustrating.
I'd love to be able to buy a season pass on iTunes or subscribe to an IPTV
channel/service if it mean I could watch these shows on the "same day" (i.e.
within 24 hours) as US viewers.
[1]: <http://www.sbs.com.au/shows/madmen/>
~~~
astrodust
Television stations and cable providers are locked into a business model based
on selling advertising, not programming. They don't want your $5. They want
you to watch ads. They want to charge millions for those ads.
The problem is people don't want to watch ads, and people don't' want to have
to schedule their lives around a television show. If you can't time-shift it
and skip commercials, what are your legal options? Wait four years for the DVD
to show up in your region? That's hardly an efficient marketplace.
If these dinosaur companies could get the rights to sell the content directly
to consumers, per-episode, the would make a lot more money in the long run.
People that ditch their cable television for cable internet would be paying
for content directly, not torrenting everything out of necessity.
------
chewxy
Juxtaposition these:
> iiNet CEO Michael Malone welcomed the ruling and said Hollywood should now
> focus on increasing the availability of lawful content in a timely and
> affordable manner. "We have consistently said we are eager to work with the
> studios to make their very desirable material legitimately available to a
> waiting customer base - and that offer remains the same today," he said.
vs
> Michael Speck, a copyright expert who ran the music industry's case against
> Kazaa, said: "In losing the case [the film industry] still got from the
> courts a clear road map for how to successfully prosecute ISPs in the future
> and the next ISP that is prosecuted will find it almost impossible to avoid
> liability."
You'd think they'd learn. Sigh.
~~~
bitwize
"If you strike me down I shall become more powerful than you can possibly
imagine!"
------
chris_wot
I purchased the Dragon Book for approx $80 (US) on Kindle. They then told me
that because I was not from the U.S. that I couldn't get it. They just don't
want my money. You go figure what I did next...
------
Joakal
AFACT (Hollywood) are going to use this iiNet win as justification in the
upcoming Copyright reform. Already, AFACT have used a similar statement by the
Attorney General's rationale for the start of copyright reform.
AFACT:
Today’s decision by the High Court exposes the failure of copyright law to
keep pace with the online environment and the need for Government to act,
leading film and television industry companies said following the announcement
of the decision.
[http://www.afact.org.au/index.php/news/high_court_decision_s...](http://www.afact.org.au/index.php/news/high_court_decision_shows_government_needs_to_act_to_keep_pace_with_online)
Attorney General:
“The draft terms of reference reflect the fact that technology is constantly
evolving and testing the boundaries of copyright law,” Ms Roxon said. “In our
fast changing, technologically driven world, it is important to ensure our
copyright laws are keeping pace with change and able to respond to future
challenges.”
[http://www.alrc.gov.au/news-media/2011-2012/copyright-
inquir...](http://www.alrc.gov.au/news-media/2011-2012/copyright-inquiry-e-
news-draft-terms-reference)
If you want to highlight how you think Copyright Act should be, here's a
source I wrote that's pro-Internet:
[https://pay.reddit.com/r/AUInternetAccess/comments/ruala/cop...](https://pay.reddit.com/r/AUInternetAccess/comments/ruala/copyright_act_2012_or_2013_reform/)
------
klez
> the failure of copyright law to keep pace with the online environment
It is ironic to hear this coming from people that don't seem to be able to
keep pace with the online environment...
------
Peaker
The only way to effectively enforce copyright in the digital age is to monitor
digital communications between innocent people. Some call that a police state.
I'm glad the attempts to create a police state were delayed, for now.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
New evidence supporting the existence of the hypothetical X17 particle - bookofjoe
https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.10459
======
henearkr
Worth noting: they even propose it could be the sign of a fifth fundamental
force of physics.
~~~
badrabbit
Is it more correct to say interaction instead of force?
Why only 5? Couldn't it be a result of multiple interactions?
One thing I wondered was how it was for long time not possible to measure the
weak and strong force/interaction due to measurement limitations. Perhaps, at
scale there are unmeasured(able) interactions. Like _____ is to our scale as
quantum scale is to ours.
Like a Macro qanta,the maximum scale of all interactions where forces that
cause expansion become too weak and no interaction of any kind,not even
electromagnetism is strong enough to exceed this incomprehensible scale...and
that is the "universe" boundary. Perhaps at this scale gravitation that causes
contraction is stronger and at this boundary and starts "pulling" back all
matter and energy. What if just like there is strong and weak forces at the
subatomic scale, maybe there is similar strong and weak gravitation? Of course
I am asking uneducated questions with no background in science.
~~~
henearkr
Well, each type of force is mediated by some type of boson. And the fact is
that the new particle would be a new kind of boson - not fitting in existing
categories. So it really is a new force that they would have discovered.
As each type of force correspond to one type of boson - which mediates the
interaction - it is indeed right, in this meaning, to call them also types of
interactions.
Also important is the fact that the discovered particle is a fundamental
particule, so it is not a composite of other fermions and other bosons. That
excludes the possibility of mistaking a mixture of existing forces for a new
one.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Greenwald responds on Wired/Lamo/Poulsen/Manning affair - Bud
http://www.salon.com/news/wikileaks/index.html?story=/opinion/greenwald/2010/12/29/wired_1
======
Bud
Actually not a dupe; Greenwald's response was in two parts, and this is the
other (and somewhat more relevant) part.
~~~
gnosis
You're right. It's not a dupe. I hadn't realized that Greenwald responded
twice in the same day, on the same news website, and with two very similar
URLs. Actually checking the content convinced me they were two different
responses.
Just for the sake of completeness, here's a link to the other one:
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2049072>
~~~
Bud
Glenn probably should have done us a favor and just made one giant post, like
he so often does. Thanks for the correction!
------
commandar
>Back in June -- once Poulsen's claims that they were withholding only private
information and national security secrets was proven false by The Washington
Post's subsequent publication of chat excerpts that fell into neither category
-- this is what I called on Wired to do:
This is where I disagree with Greenwald. I spent some time looking over a
combined version of the logs that have been released by various sources to
date[1], and didn't come to the same conclusion at all.
Looking at what Wired _did_ release, I think two criteria stand out -- it's
all about either leaks that were already public knowledge or directly related
to Manning's role in leaking the documents.
If you look at what Wired omitted, it's most of the transcript we have for May
22. The parts that Wired chose to omit are almost entirely either about leaks
that weren't yet public at the time Wired published in June or Manning talking
about his mental and emotional state. This aligns fairly well with Wired's
claim that the portions they chose to withhold were sensitive to either
national security or of a personal nature. Looking directly at the primary
source _bolsters_ Wired's argument, if anything, in my opinion.
[1] <http://firedoglake.com/merged-manning-lamo-chat-logs/>
~~~
gnosis
Even if that's the case, why can't Wired just come out and either confirm or
deny that the withheld chat logs substantiate Lamo's claims?
And if portions of the chat logs do in fact substantiate Lamo's claims, why
can't just those portions be released?
------
grandalf
One heuristic that can be used in a situation like this (Greenwald vs Wired)
is to measure the amount of psychological trickery leaking from each side's
statement.
One classic trick is to get righteously indignant. People act that way to
persuade others (emotionally, not logically) that they are right. It's a
classic trick of psychological manipulation.
The Wired guys have level 10 indignation, while Glenn has about a level 1.
~~~
gnosis
That's an interesting approach.
An alternative one is to actually look in to the substance of their respective
arguments, analyze the evidence they offer, and judge them by that.
~~~
grandalf
True, the heuristic I mentioned should only be used as part of a more complete
analysis.
------
sofuture
Let's keep in mind:
Manning, who has variously been reported to have had 'adjustment issues',
gender identity issues and/or been grappling with his sexual identity reaches
out to someone _openly queer_ , out of the blue, as a like-minded person to
talk to.
I fail to see the massive conspiracy here, aside from a refusal to air (more)
of Manning's private life.
The latest salvo in this journalist internet mudslinging (from both parties)
is not at all HN worthy.
~~~
Bud
Straw man. Nobody has alleged a "massive conspiracy". What's being alleged is
quite limited and can be substantiated.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Developing Modularized Web Apps with ReactJS and Webpack - fidanov
http://www.terlici.com/2015/08/04/react-apps-webpack.html
======
DarkTree
Wow, I have to say React looks pretty nice. I can't yet say I see a major
improvement from Gulp to Webpack yet. Anyway, thanks for the quick intro!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Golymer – Create HTML custom elements with Go (GopherJS) - microo8
https://github.com/microo8/golymer
======
gramstrong
Cool! I'm not too familiar with Go, but I have a weird affinity for custom
elements. I wish that I'd see cool projects that involve them more regularly,
but the community seems relatively insulated. I'll have to take a deeper look
at this later.
~~~
microo8
Maybe it is because all the major browsers, except for chrome, don't support
them. I've build this, because the polymer project made web development
exciting for me :) but javascript didn't. And go is awesoooome!
~~~
goatlover
I thought web components was supposed to be a standardized native html thing,
and not something ten different frameworks would provide for us, all with
their own way of doing it.
Seems like the standardization effort has stalled out. Did React kill the
perceived need for it?
~~~
ergo14
You are right - it is standardized thing, thought right now Opera,Safari and
Chrome supports v1 (basicly everything webkit/blink based) out-of-the-box,
Firefox has that behind flag and not ready, Edge is implementing it. You can
use the polyfills for the older browsers for now, not everything can be
polyfilled perfectly though.
Web components are a bit low-level, so you have libraries and frameworks like
Polymer, X-Tag, Svelte, SkateJS building on top of the standard to make the
development fun and friendly.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
U.S. warns Americans to leave Japan amid significant increase in Covid-19 cases - bookofjoe
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coronavirus-in-japan-spread-draws-warning-us-embassy-americans-get-out-2020-04-03/
======
ceejayoz
And go where? Out of the frying pan, into the fire?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Do You Wanna Touch - co_pl_te
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2012/11/do-you-wanna-touch.html
======
kijin
> _How wonderful it is to flip open the Surface and quickly type a 4 paragraph
> email response when I need to ... And switching between the two modes of
> interaction – sometimes typing, sometimes touching – is completely natural._
OK, let's assume that the Surface's keyboard completely solves the problem of
not being able to write properly. That still leaves us with the problem of not
being able to point properly.
I can't even imagine how the touchscreen could ever rival the precision of the
mouse as a pointing device. The average adult human finger is simply too thick
to select 5 characters from the middle of a word displayed in 10 points, or to
drag a Photoshop layer 1 pixel to the right. Even a conventional trackpad on a
cheap laptop has better precision than your finger does, though good luck
finding actual graphic designers who prefer trackpads to actual mice. Styluses
(styli?) aren't much better, unless your stylus is sharp enough to damage the
screen. The fact that touchscreens don't allow you to fine-tune your aim
before you click makes it even more difficult to achieve precision.
How do we address this issue? How do we make touchscreen devices useful for
those who need spatial precision? What would be the most natural way to add
precise pointing abilities to a tablet computer without compromising the
advantages of the touchscreen? Carrying around a cordless mouse doesn't seem
to be a particularly elegant solution. What do you think? Is
touchscreen+keyboard the future of personal computing, or is there always
going to be a place for mice as specialty items for graphic designers and some
other professionals?
~~~
roc
> _"How do we address this issue?"_
The way people have _already done so_ in touch software to date?
You program 'un-pinch to zoom' to zoom the desired elements allowing
increasing levels of accuracy as needed. And in the cases that you need 'pixel
perfect' accuracy [1] you simply include "bump" UI controls or expose explicit
pixel coordinates that can themselves be altered to affect the desired
movement of the layer or selection or what-have-you (something even
keyboard/mouse UI usually offers).
Precision is a largely solved issue in touch software. The real problem that
will keep mice around in a largely-touch-driven world, is the simple
ergonomics of spending eight hours at a desk. (i.e. Gorilla-arm.) [2]
[1] 'Pixel perfect' is a concept that makes increasingly less sense as
displays reach and exceed 300dpi. Pretty soon we'll all be dealing with
vectors and things will be better for it. 'Pixel perfect' accuracy is of mere
transitory usefulness until then.
[2] Barring the development of a drafting-table-style variant of the original
surface and either some sort of flawless arm/palm/accidental-touch rejection
or a switch from 'any' touch to 'explicit-object' touch.
e.g. the desk ignores all contacts except from a pre-ordained 'pen', 'thimble'
or 'glove'.
~~~
gregsq
I'm afraid this doesn't work in all cases. When working in a reduced physical
area, irrespective of pixel count, zooming in and snapping to boundaries is
counter productive. Audio wave editing for example is an operation on cyclic (
obviously ) information, and when zooming in as a means of rationalising
location, important context is lost.
Imagine a time line with a periodic wave, interrupted only by a one or two
cycle click. Zooming in to normalise the ratio of object to finger leads to
very easily losing context. That is, relative positioning left or right is
lost. So it becomes frustrating zooming in and out in order to get your
bearings again. Even attempting this on a trackpad is quite difficult, when
compared to high resolution mice.
There are many cases where it's much better to have a large display area,
combined with a high resolution mapping to that area. I could edit waves on a
postage stamp sized display with my finger if I put my mind to it. I don't
think I would be as productive as on a tablet sized display though. In other
cases I need to increase yet above that ratio. I'm afraid stubby fingers on
compensating scaled objects is not adequate always.
~~~
roc
It sounds to me like you're conflating "the trouble with touch" with "the
trouble with too-small-screens" and deciding the problem is touch.
But I'm guessing you don't edit waves with a keyboard/mouse on a 3, 4 or 9.7"
screen either. So maybe "touch" isn't the obstacle you're really battling in
the situation described.
Also, haven't people long had solutions where a 'work area' is zoomed for
precision selection/editing while one-or-more 'larger context' views are
maintained (or operates on its own zoom level) in another chunk of the screen?
Do wave-editing tools not behave like that?
~~~
gregsq
Well, keeping to this example, there are sometimes conflicting requirements. A
transient with a long train decay, such as a crash cymbal or knock, explosion
or gunfire for example requires a wide view to properly observe the full
affect. The trailing decay can last for quite a while in this scenario. The
optimum situation here is to include a segment before and afterwards, or
perhaps even more than that, depending, as some modulation becomes clearer the
more you zoom out, not in.
At the same time, operating on selected segments is more efficiently done with
finely controlled hairline cursors, where an obscuring object like a finger
doesn't contend, generally. After this of course, zooming and other means of
fine control and selection come into play.
In scenarios like this it is very much a case of not being able to see the
forest for the trees if making a representation too large.
There are solutions to the problem of precise location, which I think include
touch and gestures, though not necessarily solely through touch. In practice I
use the right hand for precise hairline location and the left to zoom in with
gestures, zoom out again for context and then iterate.
I'm not arguing for mice over touch. I'm looking at precision. I always find
it quicker to type on my Bluetooth keyboard than on my iPhones screen
keyboard. The reason for that for me has just to do with the ratio between
active elements. Keyboard keys are larger than my fingers, on screen keys are
smaller.
I actually think that in some cases gestures in the z plane, as well as x and
y would be a way of adding capability.
These opinions are based on having to give up the USB mouse in the field,
using JTAG's and external drives in a two port only MBP. Using the trackpad
leads to much longer work times, simply because it's a less precise device.
~~~
roc
Let me start off by saying I was originally taking issue with the idea that
touch precision is a _problem_. That it _can't_ work in certain cases and that
we'll always _need_ mice. And all that in a complaint that demonstrated a
pretty narrow understanding of what has already been done with touch
interfaces.
It was never my intention to argue that touch is always the _preferable_
interface for all workloads (something I tried to convey by pointing out how
mice will remain relevant for quite some time, due entirely to day-long
workloads).
As applies to your concerns, I was just trying to suggest that workable
solutions exist, even if they'll always be less-than-ideal for larger
quantities of work.
As to your specific concern, I still think a workable solution may be out
there, even if it remains undoubtedly less efficient than a mouse and a larger
screen.
e.g. Wouldn't the sorts of drag and off-axis drag controls that are used for
seek in many podcast/audio-player apps [1] address precision-selection in
cases where too-much-zoom presents problems, and also obviate the concern
about fingers obscuring the wave itself?
[1] click to 'grab' the selection-marker/nubby on the wave/timeline, drag
across the x axis to seek and then _down_ on the y axis to control the speed
of seek -- typically doing more and more fine-grained seek for a given x-axis
drag length, as the finger gets further from the wave/timeline
------
dkhenry
He is right about the future of interaction being touch + keyboard. I have
been using my Transformer Prime for about a year now as a laptop replacement.
It doesn't do everything I ask of computers ( but then again neither would any
laptop ), but it does have this great interaction where I can switch between
windows with the Honeycomb switcher app ( replaces alt-tab ) I can swipe
between tabs in the terminal and use the touch screen to scroll back text. It
is still the best device for reading any E-mails and its good at writing all
but the longest. However the coup de grâce of it is that I can use it for 12
to 18 hours without even thinking about plugging it into something. I can
leave it unplugged for weeks and come back to a decent charge on it, and to my
knowledge the only time I have ever turned it off was when I flashed CM10 on
it. If the surface can provide those kind of experiences then I think its just
a matter of time until it becomes a standard piece of kit for computer users.
~~~
sixothree
I just cannot imagine spending my entire day holding or reaching up to touch a
device. I work at a desk. I code. I write documentation. I send emails. I
don't see how touch fits into my workflow at all.
~~~
rogerbinns
"Gorilla arm" is how your arm will feel after reaching up to touch a
screen/device. <http://catb.org/jargon/html/G/gorilla-arm.html>
Touching my desktop screens would involve moving my hands to around eye level.
I hold my phone/tablet a lot lower.
My real problem in the new world order is that tablets seem to have topped out
at 10 inches. While that may be comfortable for many, my hand span is the same
width as the screen and I'd prefer something a lot larger.
~~~
r00fus
Rejoice - a 13" tablet does exist already and will be on the shelves soon:
<http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/25/toshiba-excite-13-review/>
~~~
rogerbinns
I'd be all over this except for several problems:
* Extremely low resolution
* Old Android version and Toshiba have no history of staying fresh with Android
* Tegra 3 based, and will be released just as Tegra 4 devices come out
I do like that is has an SD card slot, micro USB/HDMI etc. Sadly all they have
done is take a mediocre tablet and scaled it up, and then delayed releasing
it.
------
Newky
I loved this article as it clearly demonstrates Jeff's love of all hardware.
There is no real hatred for any brand here, and he complements all the major
devices while remaining objective.
One comment I would make is regarding this, "I knew that the Nexus 7 was
really working for me when I gave mine to my father as a spontaneous gift
while he was visiting, then missed it sorely when waiting for the replacement
to arrive.". I know that Jeff is above my pay bracket, but even still, this
makes me wonder what sort of money stream this is, if he can simply hand away
Nexus 7's. I earn a respectful living but that sort of money is still
substantial enough that I can't afford to simply give one away.
~~~
netcan
Say he buys these gadgets in a year:
1 high end laptop - $1500
1 netbook - $500
2 phones - $500 X 2
2 tablets - $500 + $250
1 ereader - $100
1 cool TV device - $250
accessories $500
Total: $390 per month
It's a lot more than I spend but it definitely isn't super rich level
spending. If someone spent $390 owning a nicer car, a fancier kitchen,
slightly better apartment, a Harley Davidson, etc. you wouldn't even think
about it. I knew students that spent $390 more than me (I spent 0) on clothes.
He has money. He likes computers.
~~~
drivebyacct2
Wow, you just absolved me of a lot of guilt over my tech purchases this year
so far.
~~~
netcan
de nada
------
hrktb
This post feels too short for the argument he is pushing. If the surface is a
laptop killer, what is radically different about it compared to the other
countless tries of putting a keyboard with a touchscreen ?
I am asking genuinely, because I haven't touch or seen one yet. So far the
reviews aren't stellar, there seems to be the same shortcoming as before
(always moving between the keyboard and the screen to type and click on
things), and the software doesn't seem to push the limits of what you can do
on a tablet.
My question would be, my parents hated using an iPad with a keyboard, would
they be better off with a surface?
~~~
taude
He's not arguing that The Surface is a laptop killer, he's arguing that the
hybrid touch/keyboard idea is a laptop killer.
~~~
sixothree
Still a very weak argument. I look at the ways I use a laptop and none of them
would be served any better by a touch device.
~~~
MatthewPhillips
What it comes down to is that eventually it's better to have 1 thing than 2
things that serve a similar purpose. Many (most?) computer people today have 2
things because the gap is too great. Eventually the gap closes a little, and
although it will never close completely, it is better to have 1 thing than 2
things, so you make compromises. I think that is what Jeff is saying here, the
gap is closing just a little, and eventually a tablet becomes good enough as a
PC.
~~~
taude
Yes, exactly. What often happens to me now is 1) I do something on my
tablet...an email comes in, I start to respond, then I get in a little deeper
and need to research something for a proper response....then 2) I reach for my
laptop to finish off the email, likely involving the task of referencing other
documents/web pages, to compose the intelligent reply. Better multi-tasking
and quick access to a keyboard on a device improves this common use case
scenario.
Also, when I travel, I have to take both a laptop and a tablet. As tablets
become a little richer in functionality, I could see less of the need to take
both with me.
------
subb
What about doing actual work? This revolution of touch, which has come to
desktop with Windows 8 and Ubuntu, scares me a bit. First because I feel that
professionnals that use computers daily are not really considered and second
because with touch devices, the emphasis is on consumption rather than
creation.
------
bsimpson
I'm not sure how to feel about tablets.
Even as a life-long Mac guy, I bought a TabletPC in 2005 because I wanted a
pressure-sensitive drawing tablet that was embedded into the display. The most
striking thing for me was how nice it was to be able to sit on the couch and
read a webpage in portrait mode, but having to unfold the keyboard to be able
to go to a new URL (or hunt/peck on the onscreen keyboard) was a disaster.
When Nokia announced its pocket-sized tablet in 2006, I was very tempted to
buy one until I realized it wasn't pressure sensitive.
Drawing on a digital device with an infinite color space is awesome, but being
able to tangibly interact with information is a phenomenal achievement. Hell,
I even built a homebrew version of the Microsoft Surface (table) to explore
the possibilities.
In spite of my enthusiasm over the last decade, the tablets I've seen all feel
like they slow me down. Not only are they computationally underpowered, but
they're just slower to interact with. Moreover, I worry about the ergonomics
of it all. My fingers tend to feel a bit chaffed if I spend too much time with
a tablet. I wonder if others have this issue.
I love the idea of the tablet. I want to love the execution, but nothing I've
seen has made me want to integrate an iPad/Surface RT into my life. My MacBook
just works better for me.
------
ari_elle
Does anyone here also feel like an outsider because you - no matter how other
people love it - just won't get used to touch (or for some reason you don't
want to) ?
I wouldn't mind my current notebook [1] having a touch display (additionally),
but i still wouldn't use it that often i guess (and i wouldn't pay extra for
it).
I really have to try the Keyboard of the Surface though, but knowing me - very
picky about keyboards - i don't think i could work with it.
[1]: Thinkpad T 520
~~~
kijin
Case in point: I have very dry skin. The tip of my fingers will crack and
bleed unless I use a copious amount of hand cream. As a result, every
touchscreen I use becomes a greasy mess of smudged fingerprints. I also hate
scrolling and zooming, because rubbing a finger across several inches of
plastic irritates my skin much more than simply moving a mouse around and
clicking from time to time.
So, regular screen + keyboard + mouse for me.
------
smallegan
The thing that frustrates me most about these devices with keyboard covers
with or without kickstands is that I can't sit on the couch and use it on my
lap. It isn't a LAPtop replacement, it is a portable computing replacement.
~~~
hollerith
You can use it in your lap: you just have to use the on-screen keyboard rather
than the keyboard cover.
That would probably not crimp _my_ style because when I am too tired to get
off the couch and move to a table or desk, I am also probably too tired to do
a satisfactory job at writing anything longer than a tweet.
------
TeMPOraL
While I personally love touchscreens and want to see them everywhere, I think
we can't ignore the limitations of this type interface. For instance, it would
seem that Bret Victor doesn't like Jeff's touch future, and has some
interesting things to say about it:
[http://worrydream.com/ABriefRantOnTheFutureOfInteractionDesi...](http://worrydream.com/ABriefRantOnTheFutureOfInteractionDesign/)
------
RandallBrown
>This is a version one device from a company that has never built a computer
before
Why do people keep saying this? Microsoft has been making the Xbox and tons of
other hardware for years. They know how to make things.
------
programminggeek
I recently got the ultraslim logitech ipad keyboard cover and it is pretty
awesome. I could really see a future for tablet+keyboard devices for a lot of
people. Apple doesn't really need to promote this as their core feature
because it's just an optional setup, but MSFT could propel the tablet keyboard
market forward in very interesting ways. Very cool.
------
marshray
Disclosure: recently accepted a position at MSFT.
I think I'm starting to "get it", in that Windows 8 (perhaps moreso than
Surface) may have a big effect on how we use computers.
After using a Surface for a day or two, I've caught myself a few times trying
to tap on my other LCD screens. For some reason, this didn't happen even after
using Android tablets, even with docking keyboards.
------
swah
I spend boatloads of money (this is Brazil) in an ipad telling me it was a
productivity device, but its really a consuming device. The more I use touch
devices, the more I realize the superiority of mice: I really hate how my
finger gets in the way on the ipad. Meh.
------
ALee
My mother still cannot use the iPad I bought for her. She still uses a laptop,
but her typing is atrocious. It's not her fault, she wasn't trained to use a
QWERTY keyboard like the rest of us and she's an immigrant.
She can however, speak somewhat understandable English. As we move toward
devices that fit into how human beings naturally interact, I think a necessary
evolution is going to be voice recognition, but not as we think of it. I don't
think it'll be as clunky as it is now, but much more like giving commands and
discussion to another human being.
I could be wrong. More kids text message now than ever use their cell phones,
so perhaps a keyboard is necessary as the article says.
------
Revisor
I welcome this new type of device - a small touchscreen with an optional
keyboard (and a mouse?) - warmly. But I would like the future to happen with
open systems, not some US corp acting as a gatekeeper for all my content.
------
daurnimator
I've had an 11" laptop/tablet with a touchscreen for a couple of years now...
(Gigabyte T1125N; I didn't even realise it was a tablet when I bought it)
The novelty of the touchscreen wore off after the first month.
~~~
dsirijus
For almost 4 years I've had and still do as my primary computer a Tablet PC
(HP 2730p), no touch, but with stylus. I still use it and will probably use it
in every aspect of it until it dies on me.
Touch is maybe cool and natural and whatnot, but stylus is useful. I can
actually account for how much money stylus option had brought to my wallet.
------
StavrosK
Does anyone have a good description of the keyboard he describes? I haven't
seen any details so I don't know how the Surface works, I didn't very much
understand the post.
~~~
codeulike
The TouchCover, a very thin pressure sensitive keyboard cover:
[http://www.microsoft.com/Surface/en-GB/accessories/touch-
cov...](http://www.microsoft.com/Surface/en-GB/accessories/touch-cover)
There is also a TypeCover, slightly thicker and has physical keys:
[http://www.microsoft.com/Surface/en-GB/accessories/type-
cove...](http://www.microsoft.com/Surface/en-GB/accessories/type-cover)
~~~
StavrosK
Oh wow, that's a good idea! Damn. Very nice.
Thanks for the clarification!
~~~
codeulike
Also bear in mind the Surface has a kickstand so it stands up on its own
------
digitalengineer
I don't get it. The Surface is cool becasue of the keyboard? Logitech made the
iPad keyboard some time ago. That's all there is to it to help you type like
on a laptop. Review: [http://9to5mac.com/2012/06/29/review-logitech-ultrathin-
ipad...](http://9to5mac.com/2012/06/29/review-logitech-ultrathin-ipad-
keyboard-cover-will-kickstart-your-transition-from-consumption-to-creation/)
~~~
joe_fishfish
Likewise, Asus' eee Transformer Prime has been around for a while now. While
somewhat pricey for an Android tablet it's still a lot better value than the
Surface.
~~~
taude
I have an external blue tooth keyboard for both my iPad and droid phone. Not
having it integrated into the device is clunky, at best. Especially
considering my keyboard and stand take up more space than the tablet itself.
It's not elegant. Would love to see Apple come out with a sexier, more
integrated, slim keyboard cover. Also, multi-tasking on the iPad blows, hard.
It's better on my Android phone.
My neighbor got an Asus Transformer (the T300 model or what ever it was
called). It's definitely slick and I could type quite well on it. Can't wait
to see how the Win 8 RT app ecosystem plays out, because I like a lot of
things MSFT is doing with their multi-tasking and side-by-side apps. Having
good multi-tasking hot-keys on the keyboard is a big boost in productivity.
Get me a good RDP client on it and I could find it very useful for a lot of
work scenarios.
------
S4M
Couple of thoughts:
\- not everybody can buy like Jeff all the new devices and get rid of the ones
that don't stick, that's rather a special way to choose devices.
\- I like Jeff's reasoning with the upsides and downsides of a lack of
keyboard: the keyboard sort of gets in the way to do spontaneous things but
for now the non-physical keyboards are not good for writing and editing long
chunks of text. So it makes me wonder: wouldn't a tablet with a stylus and
some good hand writing recognition software beat? After all, you can see a
touchscreen as a better mouse - an evolution of the mouse, if you want. And if
you want to write some text, like an email, doing it with your hand writing
doesn't look too bad. Maybe it will really beat the keyboard for writing in
Chinese or Japanese (disclaimer: I can't write yet in those languages). Of
course if you want to use those devices to write code, it will be damn hard to
implement the equivalent of the keyboard shortcuts for an hand-writing system.
~~~
snogglethorpe
> _Maybe it will really beat the keyboard for writing in Chinese or Japanese_
It seems very unlikely, at least with Japanese. In my experience, a typical
Japanese native speaker (who is accustomed to the computer) can enter text
with a keyboard an order of magnitude faster than they can write it. The
difference becomes a bit less stark with tiny keyboards on phones or whatever,
but even there, most people these days are a bit shaky when it comes to
writing complicated kanji anyway... ><
Writing has other benefits of course, e.g. that you can easily enter a
character which that you don't know the pronunciation of (which is why it's
commonly supported for dictionaries), so it's a useful feature to have even if
it's not the primary input method.
------
needle0
No physical keyboard doesn't always mean immediate large-scale writing failure
for all people. I think some people either just get used to it for extensive
prose, or don't.
In Japan, the keitai-novel - novels written by young authors often entirely
using featurephone numpads - has gotten past its initial craze and appears
here to stay as an established genre. Even for other genres, there has been a
recent example of a self-published science fiction novella scoring high in the
just-started Japanese Kindle/Kobo sales rankings, having its majority written
on an iPhone.
I imagine the general populace will gradually get accustomed to using a non-
physical-keyboard device for extensive text input, especially as more kids
emerge experiencing the touchscreen as their first and only input device. (And
the aforementioned author wasn't even that young - IIRC he's around 40!)
------
AndrewDucker
I find the same thing with writing anything longer than a couple of sentences,
and that's the major reason I've stuck to a laptop.
I love my phone - and I could see me wanting a tablet as well as my laptop,
but I definitely want the laptop, so the tablet becomes an "If I have the
spare money" item.
~~~
WiseWeasel
In the six months since I got a tablet, it's my laptop which has become
superfluous. I also have a nice desktop setup, and there is now no reason for
me to use the laptop. When I'm out and about, I can count on one hand the
number of times I thought it would be a good idea to bring the laptop since I
got the tablet, and I never actually used it. A good ergonomic desktop setup
for productivity and a tablet and smartphone for mobile use is all I really
need. If I regularly had to be productive in multiple locations without a
desktop handy I might feel differently, but I don't.
------
archagon
If the world moves to touch computing, what's going to happen to PC gaming?
Traditionally, PC gaming has been popular because PCs get used for many other
things besides gaming. If most people switch to touch devices for their
primary computers, will there still be enough people building gaming rigs for
developers to care about that market? I'm sure the big console manufacturers
would love nothing more than to move everyone over to consoles, but this would
signal the downfall of indie games, certain kinds of first-person shooters,
real-time strategy games, simulators, and many other genres. I would be
devastated to see this happen.
------
elorant
One thing I never see mentioned regarding tablets is what happens if you
suffer from RSI symptoms. Moving your hand around the screen all the time or
typing on hard surfaces sounds like a ticket to more pain.
------
cjoh
It seems like with a keyboard "dock" the Nexus 10 might be the lightest
"retina" laptop available at 25% of the price as the new 13" Retina Macbook
Pro.
~~~
jvm
I believe this is what you are looking for:
<http://eee.asus.com/en/transformer-infinity/features>
I've never used one but a lot of people on HN seem to swear by them.
~~~
cjoh
Except it's _more_ expensive, and the screen and CPU are not as good.
~~~
jvm
I know, I'm waiting for the refresh. All told it's $200 extra counting the
keyboard dock but I consider that totally worth it, especially since there's
an extra battery pack in the keyboard.
------
amorphid
I played with the MS Surface RT yesterday at an MS kiosk in a mall. I really
liked the keyboard option. It was the first touch device I've seen that made
me consider buying a tablet. I didn't like it enough to buy it, but it is an
idea that is definitely headed I'm the right direction. I can't wait for
technology to mature a bit more.
------
fudged71
I will always cringe when I see people use 'laptops' and touching the screen.
It's become instinctually painful.
------
richardlblair
The thing I appreciate the most about this write up is that he blatantly calls
out other reviews/reviewers.
------
shasta
Does anyone make a multi-touch keyboard? This seems like it would be a great
input device for performance users (e.g. programmers). And by "multi-touch
keyboard" I mean a keyboard with physically pressable keys that, when not
pressed, lay flat and can detect finger locations.
~~~
jvm
Apparently the TouchStream was beloved by its users before its designer,
FingerWorks was bought by Apple along with all their patents and the device
was chucked down the memory hole:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FingerWorks>
------
duggan
I'm still looking forward to Minority Report style interfaces for the desktop,
like <https://leapmotion.com/>
Probably not the best model for mobile interaction, but there's plenty of
seats free at the man-machine interface table.
------
sergiotapia
I want to buy this device, but it's not available in my country (Bolivia). :(
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Safe at Any Speed: Building a Performant, Safe, Maintainable Packet Processor - signa11
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BysBMdx9w6k
======
signa11
Video description:
At Jane Street, we’ve been building systems to trade electronically for over a
decade. As technology advances and the scale of the markets grows, we need our
systems to be able to process ever growing amounts of data in ever shorter
time windows.
In this talk, we explore how to build a highly optimized single-core packet
processing system that is capable of processing millions of messages per
second. We see how to bridge the gap between the high-level abstractions we’ve
come to love when structuring code, and efficient machine-level execution
necessary to process messages at line-rate.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Where can I publish scholarly articles on software development methodology? - hyperfeen
I've been working in the software industry for many years and have a research background. I want to write scholarly articles on development methodologies e.g. SCRUM. Which journals/sites would you recommend?
======
dalke
You're missing a step. To publish a scholarly article you must have an idea of
the literature, as it could well be that what you want to publish was already
published several years ago, or that there are well-known problems with your
method of analysis, or that you need to compare it to alternative models for
the same problem to show why your interpretation is a better fit.
To do that, you need to read the scholarly articles. So you should be asking
which journals to read. For example, the 'ACM Transactions on Software
Engineering and Methodology'. Or go to the ACM library and search for 'scrum'.
[http://dl.acm.org/results.cfm?h=1&cfid=718487887&cftoken=289...](http://dl.acm.org/results.cfm?h=1&cfid=718487887&cftoken=28981854)
returns 1,885 matches, of which 224 have that word in the title.
From that you may start to figure out which journal or conference is more
appropriate for the specific aspect of development methodologies you wish to
write about.
~~~
hyperfeen
Can't argue with that! Thanks.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The Octopus: An Alien Among Us - galaxyLogic
https://lithub.com/the-octopus-an-alien-among-us/
======
ksaj
The paragraphs beginning where they discuss Hydras is pretty much precisely
what Valentino Braitenberg was getting at with his thought experiment
Vehicles.
[https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/vehicles](https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/vehicles)
I've been studying this area since the 80's, so for me it is particularly
exciting to see the concepts show up in less theoretical formats.
------
galaxyLogic
"People sometimes believe that their houseplants are conscious."
~~~
ksaj
What do the houseplants think about that?
~~~
galaxyLogic
:-)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Jetabroad (Bangkok, Thailand) – Senior Software Engineers| Onsite – Full-Time | - sireetorn
Airfares are hard, we tackle the hardest part, multi-city up to 10 legs long. Think exponential search space, fuzzy constraints, and constantly changing variables.
We're looking for both front-end and back-end developers to work on our user-experience and search platform respectively.
Bangkok offers a great place to live with a great standard of living at low cost. Our offices are in the heart of the city overlooking the green of the Netherlands embassy on Wireless Road.
Check out details at https://bkkthailand.jetabroad.com/jobs/index.html We are predominantly built with .NET, but language proficiency is not how we hire - fundamentals always win the day.
Interview - First we Skype, then maybe Skype again and possibly a demo-style programming task, then we get you on a plane to say hello and to check out Bangkok, spend time with the team, if it all gels we make an offer.<p>Here is job description and benefits http://bit.ly/ja-snr-xpat-apr17
======
brudgers
Job solicitations are probably better suited for the monthly "whoishiring"
threads. They are automatically posted 11AM Eastern time the first weekday of
each month. The next one will be Thursday, June 1.
~~~
sireetorn
Thank you very much.
------
sireetorn
Send your resume to [email protected]
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
How airline reservations are used to target illegal searches - kafkaesque
http://papersplease.org/wp/2013/09/17/how-airline-reservations-are-used-to-target-illegal-searches/
======
sbarre
"DHS lawyers claimed that international travel provides, in and of itself,
sufficient Constitutional basis for detention and search of international
travellers and the search, seizure and copying of the digital contents of
their belongings."
Really? Fucking hell.. With every month that goes by, I am less and less
inclined to travel to, or do business in, the US..
edit: I'm aware that later in the article they say the courts didn't really
agree with this, but it doesn't seem to be preventing it from happening,
especially when, after they got what they needed (I call bullshit on "destroy
all copies"), they just back down and convince the victim to drop the case.
~~~
maratd
> Really? Fucking hell.. With every month that goes by, I am less and less
> inclined to travel to, or do business in, the US..
The insinuation being that the US is the only country doing this?
I hate this sort of thing as much as the next guy, but let's not pretend the
US is the only country engaging in this behavior. We can certainly expect
better, but don't blind yourself to the obvious. Based on recent events, maybe
you shouldn't be traveling anywhere, period.
~~~
carlob
Israel is pretty bad in this department as well. I hear that visiting Israel
with an Arabic last name, or, god forbid, trying to go visit Palestine from an
Israeli airport will land you in all sorts of trouble. In fact I don't plan to
visit Israel any time soon.
I believe this is the sentiment of grandparent commenter, the fact that there
might be other places where something like this happens is no excuse for a
beacon of democracy such as the US.
~~~
maratd
> I hear that visiting Israel with an Arabic last name, or, god forbid, trying
> to go visit Palestine from an Israeli airport will land you in all sorts of
> trouble.
I hear that visiting Arab countries with a Jewish last name, or, god forbid,
trying to go visit Israel from an Arabian airport will land you in all sorts
of trouble.
Any particular reason you're picking on one and not the other? A bit
hypocritical, don't you think?
That was the point of my comment. Let's stop now, ok? We're all in the same
boat.
~~~
carlob
First off both of what the sibling posters said is true.
1\. Israel makes big claims of being an advanced democracy, unlike the Saudi
monarchy
2\. I wasn't singling Israel in particular. I wouldn't visit Saudi Arabia for
the exact same reasons.
But there is another point where your parallel breaks, there is no way to get
to Palestine without going through Israel, so if you are a social worker
involved with the welfare issues in West Bank or Gaza, or even a Christian
pilgrim trying to go to Betlehem, you have no choice but to submit to the
ordeal.
~~~
greenyoda
_" there is no way to get to Palestine without going through Israel"_
Can't you get to the West Bank through Jordan and Gaza through Egypt?
~~~
azernik
The Egypt-Gaza crossing at Rafah is passable, though frequently closed (due to
Egyptian restrictions). The Allenby/King Hussein Bridge from Jordan to the
West Bank, on the other hand, is an Israeli-run border crossing, and it is
definitely the least inviting crossing I've ever been through.
------
btbuildem
"By agreeing to settle the case, the DHS avoided either any new appellate
precedent limiting its borders search authority, or any judicial review of the
specific basis for its actions with respect to Mr. House. As in other cases,
the DHS treated the threat of judicial review of its actions as the ultimate
danger to be avoided at all costs, even if that required destroying evidence
it had previously claimed was vitally needed."
What a cancerous growth this DHS is.
~~~
dwaltrip
While I can't blame them at all, it is too bad Mr. House settled. I wonder
what would have been the outcome.
------
at-fates-hands
I heard this quote earlier this week during a discussion about the failure to
stop the Naval Base shooter. He should have been picked up or at least been on
someone's radar well before killing 13 people.
"When we're watching EVERYBODY, you'll never catch ANYBODY." which made a lot
of sense to me. It seems like these agencies are trying to watch everybody in
an effort to catch one lone person without considering any supporting data.
Thus, you end up with scenario's like this where innocent people are being
caught up in this wide net their casting.
------
guylhem
"TECS was the first pre-DHS database of Federal government logs of
international travel. Several other “systems of records” (a term of art used
in the Privacy Act) about travelers, including the Automated Targeting System
(ATS) and DHS copies of PNR data (airline reservations) were originally
considered part of TECS. The TECS file for an individual traveler typically
includes a log of their border crossings (with record locators that serve as
pointers to their PNR data ) and free-text notes on anything that customs and
immigration inspectors thought warranted inclusion in the traveler’s permanent
file."
Example on
[http://hasbrouck.org/documents/secondary.pdf](http://hasbrouck.org/documents/secondary.pdf)
Is there a way to consult this database? (FOIA?)
It could be interesting.
~~~
useful
It's more surprising that DHS keeps copies of the PNR data. The passport/visa
stuff is acceptable but you can tell a lot more about someone from PNR data.
Who they travel with, payment information, itinerary, changes in travel,
medical conditions, baggage, services, it goes on and on.
------
Mikeb85
One of the many reasons I never fly to/from the US, and avoid ever passing
through.
~~~
atlanticus
Canada is part of the "Five Eyes" but enjoy your placebo.
~~~
Mikeb85
Yes but passing through our airports isn't a nightmare...
~~~
altero
Last time I checked airport security in canada murdered Polish citizen because
he did not spoke english.
~~~
Mikeb85
That's quite disingenuous... He was tasered and restrained because he had
become unruly and destructive.
Certainly the situation could have (and should have) been handled better, and
the RCMP should have only tasered him once, but to call it murder, and
specifically to say it's because he didn't speak english, is a blatant
falsehood.
~~~
rhizome
Last I checked there was no (official) death penalty for chair-throwing. Call
it institutional incompetence in de-escalation and maybe we can find some
common ground.
------
znowi
_questioned him about his political activities and beliefs_
_confiscated his laptop computer, camera and a USB drive_
If this happened to a computer scientist abroad, say Moscow airport, there
would be a storm coming from the western media about oppressive regimes and
human rights. Possibly even a condemnation from the US government.
------
contingencies
The rough standard is basically that data must be provided by airlines to
authorities at the point of landing at least 15 minutes before departure. In
practice they probably provide it earlier.
I did some FOIAs in to this stuff with the EU recently @
[http://www.asktheeu.org/en/request/information_on_pnr_agreem...](http://www.asktheeu.org/en/request/information_on_pnr_agreements)
My interpretation was that the picture the response painted was of five eyes
nations all hitting up the EU for their passenger data. Right after the US got
their claws in Australia was in there and the US utilized its grand experience
with bureaucracy to ensure the EU Data Protection Supervisor didn't even have
time to review the proposal before it was passed.
After that query, I updated Wikipedia's info over here:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_name_record#Internat...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_name_record#International_PNR_Sharing_Agreements)
The lesson here is that you are wary of authorities for whatever reason (and
we probably all should be), then you should seek to avoid pre-booking flights
(or ships) ... just turn up and buy a ticket instead ... and preferably avoid
long haul flights at all, certainly those terminating in countries with dodgy
authorities, if you can afford to do so.
~~~
jevinskie
Amazing! Thank you for your efforts into investigating this. I find the EU
FOIA site fascinating and I wish the US had an equivalent.
------
netcan
This seems extreme but the reality is that foreigners and homosexuals are
sketchy. This sort of policing is important.
~~~
jjjeffrey
What's so sketchy about them?
~~~
bloodorange
I suppose you haven't learnt about the ghastly things done by the likes of
Alan Turing, Stephen Fry and Neil Patrick Harris.
(If you don't get the sarcasm there, please forgive me and the gentlemen
mentioned above too...)
------
snitko
I don't mean to undermine the effort of put into the lawsuit and this careful
analysis. But... Shocking. Government has access to passenger's itinerary. I
mean, with all the recent revelations, we might have just assumed that.
~~~
lisper
You have missed the point. It is not that the government has access to your
itinerary, it is that low-level government officials (apparently) have access
to your itinerary with no administrative oversight whatsoever. The NSA at
least puts on a show of getting FISA court approval. But DHS isn't even going
through the motions.
The key passage from the article:
"The implication is that rather than search its own ATS database of copies of
PNR data, the ICE investigator searched the airline’s own internal PNR
database, using the DHS root access to the Sabre computerized reservation
system (CRS) used by American Airlines. That was probably easier than
searching ATS because the way DHS “ingests” PNR data from CRSs into ATS leaves
the data less well indexed in TECS and ATS than it was (and still is — the
airline sends DHS a copy, but of course retains the PNR data itself) in the
CRS.
Notably, there’s nothing to indicate that the ICE investigator needed approval
from a supervisor to go into Sabre, or tried some other source of PNR
information (e.g. the internal ATS database of DHS copies of PNR data) first.
Root access to Sabre was apparently at his fingertips, and his use of it
warranted no special comment and no recording of compliance with any
authorization protocols. It was a routine tool for him."
~~~
snitko
I, personally, have no trust in any government, so I sort of assumed that too.
But that's me. I think you're right and it raises an important question for
others, whether the government is really what they think it is.
~~~
Amadou
That sort of cynicism is probably the chief enabler of such corruption. As
with any other human endeavor, government will never be perfect, but that
isn't a reason to give up on holding government to high standards.
It is reasonable to take precautionary steps in your personal life while at
the very same time demanding that the government behave such that those steps
are completely unnecessary.
~~~
icelancer
Some of us believe the government can't be "fixed." Who watches the watchers,
and all that.
------
glasz
for the sake of simplifying my point i assume many if not most of you are us-
based us-citizen:
whenever an issue like this comes up everybody starts to fight and nitpick. as
if nobody can see through it. as if everybody is blinded. as if everybody
doesn't care about the core of the matter. as if an entire generation or two
is just too dumbed down to recognize the scheme.
you know, i love you. but i'm sick of you. if you don't fix your bloody
country, nobody will do it for you.
------
dm2
Any computer with sensitive files should have them encrypted, or preferably
have your entire hard drive encrypted. They should also be backed-up in case
the computer is lost, stolen, destroyed, or seized.
If a person or company keeps sensitive files on an insecure computer, then
that company/person should be at fault.
If you send sensitive data over the internet then it should be encrypted. If
not, then companies, governments, and other organizations could easily grab
that data.
In reality though, there are millions of completely insecure computers and
devices which carry data that could harm companies, individuals, or
governments if compromised. Educating the operators of those machines and
ensuring that they properly secure them is very difficult. The best method
would be to have hard-drive level encryption on all devices, make sure people
know how to properly backup data, and to educate people that they can easily
say, "I don't know the password, I'm suppose to call my IT manager after I
arrive at my destination and he will provide the password."
------
WildUtah
1\. Light-gray on black color scheme invites eye strain.
2\. Bright orange link text is even more horrible than usual because of light
gray on black color scheme.
3\. Extra tiny font size (1em) is almost unreadable against black background.
4\. There are constant readability crimes in the text with overuse of scare
quotes, unnecessary abuse of the 'and/or' abomination, incorrect use of double
scare quotes outside literal quotations, and overuse of parenthetical
statements.
5\. Use of "beg the question" to mean "raise the question" is incorrect.
The content was fine, but you'd better be young, brave, and impervious to pain
if you want to access it.
------
gcb0
The focus on that article is silly.
Of course I want law officials to have real time information about travel and
be able to catch a criminal before he flees.
The issue should not be that, but that they use that to initiate illegal
searches.
The focus should be on illegal searches, period.
~~~
glasz
when was the last time a "criminal" was caught during flee-by-flight and the
government was NOT involved in the first place?
~~~
gcb0
This is my point.
This is like those dumb fox new things saying something trivial is a crime
because it 'involved computers'.
They can already do that, but inefficiently by posting your pictures all over
the place and having officers look for your face. _AFTER_ they get a warrant
or follow due process.
This is just a more efficient way of doing the above.
The focus should be on the lack of due process, not on the means being more
efficient.
------
ballard
To future investigative writers: Diagrams and acronym glossaries please. If a
subject is hard to understand, unclear presentation is another barrier.
(People have limited attention and thoughtspace.)
------
retrogradeorbit
So this is the global stasi panopticon world that we are leaving our children
with. It's just disgusting.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: How do I search source code of popular projects only? - zb3
I've tried to search code on GitHub, Codesearch, Krugle, openhub etc, but I've run into a strange problem.<p>Every time I would like to see how some feature is being used in practice, I am bombarded with results coming from small, "Hello World"ish projects, that are mostly unknown, and therefore not reviewed, and don't really show how a feature can be used in practice.
Even worse, since I am searching for a C code, they could exhibit some bad practices I'd like to avoid...<p>I couldn't find any option to sort the code by any popularity factor like stars, forks, or even issues...
On GitHub, I can only sort repositories by stars or forks, not the code results.<p>So is there any way to limit code results to projects that are somewhat popular? Did I miss any switch?
======
madhouse
You can limit your search to certain repositories on GitHub, with advanced
search:
[https://github.com/search/advanced](https://github.com/search/advanced)
You will need to enter the repositories by hand, though. Mind you, writing a
small tool that'd list the most popular/forked/starred/etc C repos, and do a
search for you in those should be a few minute task.
~~~
cweagans
Couldn't you just ask for repos with > 5-10 stars instead of maintaining a
list of popular C projects?
~~~
zb3
The whole point was that I cannot specify this criteria when searching for
code. This option is for repository search only.
Searching: "typedef struct language:C stars:>100" doesn't do the job.
~~~
i336_
I would consider this both an unimplemented-feature use-case argument, _and_ a
bug, because while 'language:C' works in both Repository and Code search mode,
'stars:>100' only works in Repository mode, yet the 'Cheat sheet' link at the
bottom doesn't reflect this fact. Either the documentation needs to match the
functionality, or ideally, the functionality needs to match the documentation
(and intuition). :P
[https://github.com/contact](https://github.com/contact)
FYI, this form works, you do actually get feedback :)
------
0x400614
Github sucks at code search. Have you heard of OpenGrok?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Why Are 96M Black Balls on This Reservoir? [video] - japaget
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxPdPpi5W4o
======
ljsocal
Will the balls abrade from rubbing together constantly? If so, do the plastic
granules enter the water stream or are they filtered out? Was the 96mm
quantity predicated on 100% surface coverage of the average level of the
reservoir?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Twitter jilts Ruby for Scala - astrec
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/01/twitter_on_scala/
======
zmimon
The very title of this article shows the religious nature of much of the hype
around dynamic languages. Why is using the right tool for the job "jilting"
another language which was never designed or meant to be suitable for the same
job?
I am curious though whether they tried running their Ruby code using JRuby ...
if the bottlenecks were (as stated in the article) in the ruby VM they might
have got the same result just by switching VMs (pure speculation).
And ...
> "The biggest selling point for certain organizations is that Scala is 100
> per cent compatible with your existing JVM code.
No, it's not. There are problems with quite important features like
annotations etc. which are now very important in the java EE space but Scala
cannot do them. This was one reason I've used Groovy so far in a lot of
situations.
Having said that - I'm seriously looking at Scala because groovy has plenty of
faults: the complete lack of any static type checking at compile time and very
poor IDE support and error reporting all weigh down on the productivity
benefits to the point where it's sometimes a net negative. Scala could end up
being the best of all worlds.
~~~
michaelneale
>Why is using the right tool for the job "jilting" another language which was
never designed or meant to be suitable for the same job?
That would be a question for the journalist who made it up ;) I am sure the
answer was "cause it sounded cool !".
~~~
jhancock
that's pretty much how "the Reg" operates.
Without regard to the tone of the article though, Scala and Lift are worth
spending some time with.
Lift still has a ways to go in terms of providing a turnkey stack in the same
vein as a Rails or Merb stack. If you thought putting together a Ruby dev
environment had a lot of pieces, get ready for Lift...not so much Lift's fault
as its the nature of the heavyweight JVM toolset world.
~~~
michaelneale
I love scala, as a language, and love rails, as a framework which doesn't make
me thing to much - I can see how twitter would like the combo too. Even with
the toolchain annoyances I think scala is pretty productive, at least it is
for me.
------
oomkiller
I think anyone who has any depth of experience with Ruby can attest to the
flaws it has data-intensive tasks. Thats why many of us just drop down into
another language when we need to get something done efficiently. Ruby's
clarity and conciseness make a lot of sense when writing views, controllers,
and models, but don't have the same effectiveness in a background process that
needs to be written and forgotten about.
Unless there are some major changes in Ruby (MORE than 1.9), I believe that it
will be relegated to simple web applications, and never really be good at
processing tons of data.
And honestly, isn't Ruby really just about prototyping? I admit, its great for
startups who have nil for cash that need to get something written QUICK (to
get money from investors), but once you cross that threshold, why not write it
over with a language designed for efficiency?
~~~
ashot
I'm not a ruby dev, but could you be more specific? Assuming you are refering
to syntax, not speed: how is it good for prototyping but not "data-intensive
tasks"
~~~
emmett
All of the Ruby runtimes are unreliable (buggy) and very slow. Ruby syntax is
perfectly good for "data-intensive tasks", but the current runtimes are not.
~~~
ewjordan
How does JRuby's implementation compare to Scala's, though? I've been pleased
overall with Scala, but I've not had much JRuby experience, so I'm curious.
~~~
fizx
JRuby's a pretty solid implementation. It's generally faster than MRI 1.8.x,
and has the benefit of quality threading. I think Scala is probably ahead,
because Scala has the benefit of being-more Java-like than JRuby, and is
therefore easier to implement.
For my serious apps, I typically write the front end in JRuby on Rails, and
migrate code back into Java as it stabilizes and/or needs more performance.
Works great for me!
~~~
jshen
I'm doing this at my current job as well. Jruby is great!
------
jpcx01
Seems like a perfectly reasonable approach. They still are going to continue
using Ruby on the front end of the site. It's just the backend message
queuing, and data operational stuff that they're moving to Scala.
I probably would have just used JRuby for this stuff, but Scala seems fine to
me. And if it works for them, thats great. But I hardly see this a "jilt"
against Ruby.
~~~
dkarl
JRuby is what, a few times faster than Ruby 1.8.x? In a situation where Ruby
was too slow, even after optimization by experienced Ruby coders, I don't see
how switching to JRuby would have helped. Is there a crucial performance
difference (threading maybe, or libraries) that would have made JRuby scale
better than Ruby in this case?
~~~
jpedrosa
I use JRuby to run a web application that I first coded in Ruby and it works
pretty well even though it reserves and consumes more memory. Having a
dedicated server for JRuby applications instead of running such applications
on your own desktop alongside other applications slightly helps with the
feeling of speed of the JRuby application, as it does not compete for CPU time
with the other desktop applications you have like the browser, when you can
feel that JRuby requires more work than Ruby for doing similar workloads. :-)
I know that the pros of JRuby for running Ruby applications mean things like
being able to run multiple instances of Ruby from the same process, being able
to run JRuby applications in a standard Java web-server be it as Servlet or a
more high-level installation, and so on.
Also, Java has had a lot experience in running server applications so Java
does help with maximizing the use of the resources available, be it 100% of
CPU time, gigs of memory, multiple CPUs, and so on. Java has those famous
garbage collectors and HotSpot technologies. JRuby can enjoy all of that so it
does improve things over pure Ruby. Let's say, Java doesn't break a sweat
under heavy load, or at least it shouldn't. Whereas with pure Ruby all bets
are off.
------
nessence
"And he's pitching his new Scala book. And his new Scala book is published by
O'Reilly. And O'Reilly runs the Web 2.0 Expo. ®"
Timing is priceless.
~~~
sachinag
So what? He likes Scala. Likes it enough to write a book in his spare time, of
which he has precious little since he's, oh yeah, _a full-time developer at
one of the biggest, fastest growing sites on the face of God's green earth_.
So it's a (mild) conflict-of-interest (really, it's just a promotional
opportunity). Doesn't make the arguments any less valid or his book any less
worth picking up. Nice thing about code is that it's like science - every
claim can be tested ad infinitum.
~~~
Semiapies
And if the Scala reworking goes poorly, he presumably suffers, too.
One idle thought: It'd be hard to eliminate the factor that they might be a
better Scala dev team than a Ruby dev team. That's still, of course, a
perfectly good reason to go to Scala.
------
intranation
This quote:
"The trouble, he insisted, is that the so-called Web 2.0 languages aren't
always as efficient as they need to be, especially in an economic environment
threatening to bring Web 2.0 to its knees."
Is particularly dire. Sure, so if we all switch to C or machine code we'll be
able to skip through the recession, right? Seriously, less drama and more
reporting please.
------
nir
Carpenter jilts saw for hammer
[EDIT: dear downmodders, the intention here is that languages are tools, and
you pick the one which fits your current needs best. What's good for Twitter
isn't necessarily best for another app, and Scala <=> Ruby is meaningless]
~~~
alecco
HN is getting lamer than ever with this downmodding of anybody who doesn't
conform. It would be interesting to know the overlap of opinion-based down-
modders and Reddit/Digg bashers.
------
jseifer
"Investors now want to know that you're not going to be paying tons and tons
of money for servers because you decided to build in a stack that isn't as
efficient as possible," he said.
I've never used Scala and I'm a Ruby dev but I'm still not sure I totally
agree with that. Scala is probably great and very efficient but you probably
don't need to be thinking at Twitter's level out of the gate.
~~~
tptacek
It's also the case that headcount is far more expensive than servers.
~~~
Tichy
Still, I worry that despite Ruby's niceness, a lot of time is spent developing
around it's issues. Whenever I read about deploying Ruby, it just sounds
scary. Memory munching Mongrels that have to be restarted on a regular basis?
It sounds like a science in itself, whereas tomcat just runs and runs and
runs. Less headaches == less headcount.
~~~
rcoder
If you know and like Tomcat, may I suggest you have a look at JRuby deployment
for Rails apps? With recent versions of jruby-rack and the warbler gem, it's
as simple as listing your dependencies in a config file, and then running
'rake war' from the top level of a Rails app to get a shiny new WAR file ready
to drop into your Tomcat deployment directory.
------
petercooper
And in case you're wondering.. no, this isn't an April Fools joke.
~~~
tptacek
In this case, it'd've been a joke cued up several months ago, when this story
first broke.
------
dpnewman
I think it's important to remember that Twitter had this problem because they
were ULTRA successful to the degree of being a household name, a new cultural
lingo, a game changing tech of enormous value, etc.
Yes, different languages and techs for different advantages and purposes.
"Just" developing a web app with models and views and controllers is enough to
create the user experience smash hits are made off. Scaling issues are big,
but certainly fall in the class of problems we want to have at some point.
~~~
antirez
> Scaling issues are big, but certainly fall in the class of problems we want
> to have at some point.
Well actually with a big of good design from start you may avoid this problem
from the start with little efforts. You'll have to scale anyway but it will be
a matter of buying more hardware and not redesigning the system.
------
cosmo7
Although the Reg sensationalizes the story, it's interesting to see how Ruby
is in limbo. How much damage has been done to Merb by the 1.8 to 1.9 fiasco?
~~~
jpedrosa
I agree that the Ruby 1.8 to 1.9 transition has caused headaches. But the 1.9
version does have some interesting features that have been long being cooked
to get to this point, and perhaps more interesting is that the 1.9 version has
motivated even more developments in Ruby-land as found in MacRuby that uses
the 1.9 version or in yarv2llvm that recompiles the bytecode to llvm or
something.
Let's say that many folks might have had higher expectations that have been
hard to meet given the reality of it all.
The Merb guys helped with further explorations themselves which probably
helped with making Rails advance more decisively, given the promissed
"merging" of the Merb ideals with Rails.
Also, with things like Passenger, the deployment of Ruby met an all-time high
in features.
------
antirez
I don't understand a lot this approach. Basically the front-end is almost
always not the problem, but the Db / backend is. And this should be written in
C probably. If you write a queue system in Ruby and it's slow where is the
news?
The article title is misleading since Ruby continues to be used for its core
business that is the front end.
------
donal
Sheesh, from the comments you'd think The Register is known for level-headed
journalism.
It is a snarky, piss-taking, grease-trap that mixes news with commentary with
little to no discretion or fear of violating "journalistic integrity." Once
you understand that, it becomes a great source of news and entertainment.
~~~
jrockway
_Once you understand that, it becomes a great source of news and
entertainment._
Or rather, a great site to ignore.
------
Semiapies
Following Twitter's issue blog, most of their problems appear database-
related. I wonder whether a shift to Scala would have any real effect.
~~~
cosmo7
Threading.
~~~
Semiapies
Hmm, I could see that. I just wonder how many of their problems actually come
down to thread issues.
May just have to wait and see whether their new "beautiful code" does any
better. :)
------
awt
it seems that the article ignores the trade off in cost between efficient code
and development time.
~~~
jimbokun
Scala tries to be pretty good at both. Java like speeds, with type-
inferencing, first class functions, and a more flexible syntax to improve
programming productivity.
------
c00p3r
That is so funny to choice JVM-based stuff is case when you need an
accept/select/read/write hardcore (message passing) along with queue
processing. Of course, you can do networking from JVM, and it works well in
clean cisco-branded qos-enabled networks. =)
If one had had an experience of using java-based network tools over cellular
or wireless networks, one knows.
At the same time, Erlang is around for a decade.
------
alecco
Unfounded claims, no research, nothing. After years of suffering websites
running on JVM web stacks, I am very sceptic of this Scala for the web rant.
Plus he extrapolates Ruby to Python and PHP just because. The JVMs (there are
several) mostly trade-off memory for speed. Go check the Language Shootout
page. It doesn't scale in my book.
So unless Scala has some secret ingredient to use the JVM more efficiently,
this looks to me as yet another fanboy rant.
~~~
rcoder
First of all, I don't think it's fair to accuse the Twitter dev team of
working without real experience and numbers to back up their decisions. They
have a huge volume of data being generated by their service, and have
weathered the whole "Rails doesn't scale" flame-fest with relative grace and
good humor. IMHO, that entitles them to talk fairly freely about the relative
scalability of different languages and frameworks.
Secondly, any "ranting" you hear in this article is the product of El Reg, not
Alex. He mostly offered a calm, positive presentation about the improved speed
(with relatively little, if any, tradeoff in developer productivity) that came
from using Scala instead of Ruby for critical infrastructure services.
Regardless, most Java web applications' performance issues stem from
framework-itis, not from the underlying runtime. By itself, Tomcat (or another
modern Java servlet container) is capable of some pretty impressive throughput
-- perhaps not on par with a lean, pure C server like nginx, but not nearly as
limited in functionality and extensibility, either.
No matter what you think about Java the language, you at least have to admit
that HotSpot blows MRI, YARV, the Python VM, and Parrot out of the water when
it comes to raw performance on low-level code. That doesn't save you from bad
implementation ideas, but it does at least give you the _possibility_ of
getting fast, efficient code, if you have a decent compiler and work fairly
close to the metal.
Using Scala is one way to produce that sort of low-level implementation code
without wanting to gouge your eyes out (which is how most Java source tends to
make me feel, anyway).
~~~
alecco
No, the JVMs use memory like crazy themselves, it's not just the frameworks.
As I said, check out the Language Shootout. Java, in almost every test, is
several times bigger than most other languages.
The rest of your comment, you change what I said so it's not worth addressing.
------
jpedrosa
Seeing the April 1st date of the article it was just a little bit harder to
believe they would write it like that. As folks have taken it seriously...
The Ruby community was formed without being forced into it necessarily.
Academics did not force people into Ruby. Businesses did not force people into
Ruby. Even Ruby on Rails was created because DHH was not forced to use PHP and
instead tried to make things work in this new called Ruby.
Scala has its followers but Academics push it and business types can push it
as well even though many business types still prefer Java and C#. Also, Scala
is being primarily used for server-side stuff which is a very crowded market
already and many developers are just a little bit too tired of having to
interface with complex server-side stuff while trying to innovate on the
client-side.
Thing is, as a guy who really digs Ruby, Scala does not worry me one bit. I
could always try and use a hyper-advanced Scala implementation or application
in the future given I can make choices at one point and then have to revisit
said choices in the future given the changes brought by new developments.
Let me tell you a little story. When C# was being first introduced in its very
early versions, I was very much playing Ultima Online on pirate servers. A new
pirate server was being coded in C# and it was becoming rather popular quite
fast and the single developer (or was it?) was having quite a lot of fun with
it. Nobody told him to use C# for that kind of thing I am sure, it was just
him putting his passion forward with the means he had at the time. C# has
grown since then, and many pros and hobbyists use it to create all kinds of
little programs on Windows.
Scala? Scala has an uphill battle, and many other languages have had their own
uphill battles throughout the years. It's tough.
~~~
jrockway
Uh, who cares?
Some day you will realize that programming languages are tools for getting
work done, not religions.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask / Tell YC: Maximum email field length - cjc
When collecting email addresses, how many characters do you guys usually allow for? Most google results say "320 characters" is the limit, but I've never met someone with such a preposterously long email address.<p>I did some digging and found that the IETF recommends lines in message headers contain no more than 78 characters. This is to avoid some software from inadvertently truncating or poorly wrapping a long message header. Therefore, if one line contains "from: [email protected]", an email address should contain no more than 72 characters (78 - the 6 characters 'from: ').<p>In practice, I usually accept 128 characters, but I guess that's just always been a willy-nilly decision.<p>Anyway, does anyone have more insight?<p>p.s. I'm bringing this up because my 33 character email address didn't work at DivvyShot and I became ENRAGED.
======
mcav
If space isn't a concern, and you're using e-mail verification, I'd set it to
allow however long the RFC allows for... invalid addresses would be found
through the verification e-mail, rather than an arbitrary length constraint.
That said, my startup's database seems to be set at 50 characters, and I'm not
worried about it yet.
------
Jem
I allow 255 max in my various databases (varchar(255)), although in reality
I've never come across an email address longer than 50 characters.
------
thepanister
Well, It's weird... my 32 charachter email address does not work at DivvyShot
too! I reported the report, but no response. They accept 30 charachters only,
but I see no reason for that!
I think it's so important to give your users the most wider options, so you
never miss a user, specially when it comes to the signup page! Users won't
wait for you.. they will just be pissed off and leave!
Personally, I make it 155 charchters in my databases... I lose nothing to do
so! But I think that 90 charachters look so reasonable.
~~~
enki
i see the reason for that:
django/contrib/auth/models.py: username = models.CharField(_('username'),
max_length=30
fail. had to work around this before.
~~~
thepanister
This is not the reason I am talking about! I mean: I see no "technical"
reason!
Is it possible to change: max_length=30 to any other int? like 50 or 90? It's
not good to have a system that lacks even the most simple things!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The 30-Year Mortgage Is an Intrinsically Toxic Product - rchaudhary
https://medium.com/@byrnehobart/the-30-year-mortgage-is-an-intrinsically-toxic-product-200c901746a
======
snowwrestler
This article strikes me as a classic example of a smart person outthinking
themselves on something pretty basic. Sure, it makes for an interesting
analysis. But the measured reality is that home ownership is strongly
correlated with wealth, and the only way for someone who is not already
wealthy to own a home is to borrow a lot of money to buy one. And the only way
to get the monthly payments down is to extend the payback term. Hence: the 30
year mortgage.
~~~
crazygringo
But many people automatically assume home ownership is a good thing... and the
government officially promotes it as well (see mortgage interest deduction).
You're right this is why mortgages exist, but you're not explaining the
demand. It's also easy to imagine an alternate universe where most homes are
owned by institutional landlords, people rent, and invest what their interest
payments would have gone to in index funds instead, winding up with a more
reliable chunk of cash when they retire instead of a home whose value is hard
to predict.
~~~
jimmy1
Ownership beats the hell out of renting. The key is owning something you can
afford.
The problem is people buy homes automatically thinking they will rise in value
and they will make money off of it.
Buy a home to live in.
~~~
closeparen
People who buy as their financial situation improves will naturally experience
lower-quality rental housing and higher-quality ownership housing. That demand
pattern shapes the housing stock, so ownership units will be nicer than rental
units on average. But luxury apartments can be very pleasant, and price-
competitive with ownership. In San Francisco these are very popular, servicing
the legions of tech workers who have $3000+/mo to rent but not $5000+/mo to
own.
~~~
nradov
Real luxury apartments barely exist in San Francisco, and the few that are
available go for significantly more than $3000/mo.
------
C4stor
It's really disappointing when people keep thinking of important life
decisions as purely economical ones. No, I didn't buy a house because it's an
"investment". I bought a house because I wanted the freedom to modify the
place I live, adapt it to my family needs. You know, feel at home !
When I rent, I'm simply not allowed to do the amount of modifications I want
to a place, and it just doesn't have the same feeling.
Thinking every single act of life in terms of economy is being blind, and
blaming people for doing non economically rational decisions bemuse me.
Because for me, the endgame is not hoarding money, it's spending it to live
the life I want. And just because one value economic rationality very much
doesn't mean we all have too. Which is why there are still some very silly
people donating to charities (the fools !).
Kudos to politicians to sometimes have policies which make it easier to live a
nice life, even if "the market" hates it.
So no, the 30 year mortgage is not a "toxic product", it's a good way to allow
a lot of people to go in a life path that is very appealing to a vast amount
of humans.
------
nartz
One of the main values in a mortgage is that money is worth less in the future
due to inflation, so over time the mortgage payment actually gets cheaper.
Similarly, mortgages can often be cheaper than the alternative of paying rent,
and are incentivized by allowing interest deduction.
~~~
closeparen
The market is generally already aware of stuff like this, and builds it into
the price.
~~~
kgwgk
It’s included in this thingy called “interest” :-)
------
jmspring
From the article: \- A mortgage is a bet on the value of a specific home \-
It’s a bet on local real-estate prices \- A mortgage is a bet on interest
rates, but it’s an esoteric one
All three make massive assumptions (read the article). For me, there is
something much simpler:
\- the thirty year mortgage was to lock in housing at a fixed price (barring
property taxes and utilities/etc) at a fixed price where I am paying into
eventual ownership
The article also ignores the fact that during a period of lowering rates
(assuming equity in the house), one can often refi to those lower rates. If
the market craters or rates go up, unless one is speculating, it doesn't
matter - the rate is locked.
This article spends too much time attacking a mortgage product that applies to
pretty much any other mortgage, but those (like X/1 ARM mortgages) have bigger
risks.
In reality - one must guage their intent (flip/keep for period of time/never
sell) and choose the product accordingly.
~~~
Gibbon1
I read some of it, he implies blame against 30 year mortgages for the 2008
financial crisis. When the reality is blame lies with exotic and adjustable
rate mortgages, collateralization, corruption of the rating and underwriting
industries, and political failure[1]
And you are correct, the vast number of 30 year mortgages don't last ten years
much less 30. The author also skips over that 5 year mortgages that existed
previously were interest only and could be called in at any time. Worse the
lender could require payment in gold or cash, whichever was higher. You want
toxic, that's toxic.
[1] Banks which are purely virtual organizations were 'saved' while families
were physically thrown onto the street.
~~~
jmspring
I read through more of it after my comment. The real issue / culprit was the
creative ways to get people into homes that could not afford them
realistically - be it ARMs or X-year fixed loans.
~~~
Gibbon1
Not being able to afford a home has everything to do with stagnant wages and
asset inflation. That's a policy choice our society has made. Exotic mortgages
and corrupt underwriting was just trying to paper over that.
------
sys_64738
Renting V owning can be summarized by the following points
1) you have an asset at the end of the mortgage you can sell
2) after the mortgage is ended you have a place to live rent free in your old
age
Contrast to renting where you never own the place you rent and you will have
to rent in your old age.
Sure, you might default on the mortgage but it’s a long processed to be
foreclosed. Contrast to being evicted from rent not being paid. Both have
issues on default but your chances of staying put are better for mortgaged
house.
------
pxeboot
Cheap, easy credit is one of the reasons housing prices have been able to
climb so high. I wouldn't be surprised if 40-year loans become more common in
the future to allow for further increases.
~~~
akvadrako
Why not infinite year loans like in some countries?
Basically you just cover the interest and gamble that by the time you sell it
the price has increased.
~~~
mertd
If you're in a rent controlled market like SF, there is no reason to take on
that risk. Just rent.
------
walrus01
One of the interesting things about the Canadian mortgage market is that there
is no such thing as a 20, 25 or 30 year fixed mortgage. The longest term ever
offered is 5 years. Amortization periods can be 10, 15, 20 or 25 years, but
you need to renegotiate at maximum every 5 years.
In general the interest rates are highest for fixed 5-year mortgages, 1 and 2
years are lowest.
There is _absolutely no practical way_ in Canada to lock in a mortgage for
long term fixed interest rates beyond 5 years. This has previously had
interesting effects, such as in the early 1980s when people who owned their
homes, had existing mortgages come up for renewal and encountered the new 18%
interest rates. Either resulting in serious financial hardship or fire-sale
quick sales because they could no longer afford to service the mortgage.
Some people are currently getting mortgages which are fully ARM and hoping
things maintain the status quo.
The CMHC, federal agency which sells mandatory mortgage insurance for high-
ratio loans, recently implemented a new stress test.
[https://jacquiebushell.ca/2017-mortgage-rules-changes-
explai...](https://jacquiebushell.ca/2017-mortgage-rules-changes-explained/)
Not to say that Canada wasn't significantly affected by the 2008-2009
financial crisis. But much stronger and stricter banking regulations meant
that the domestic big-5 banks' exposure to low-quality American mortgage
products was lower. And there were much fewer no-doc/no-income/poor-quality
mortgages created for Canadian properties. There was definitely no domestic
equivalent to Countrywide or Washington Mutual's massive tranches of shit
mortgages and mortgage backed securities.
~~~
rootusrootus
Forced adjustable rate mortgages? That's seriously unfriendly to consumers.
Wow, Canada.
~~~
arkem
It's the same in Australia, New Zealand, UK and probably other places too. 30
year fixed rate mortgages are probably the exception rather than the rule in
most places.
------
matthewaveryusa
After you pay your loan off you no longer need to pay rent, and while you're
paying your loan you don't pay rent. Author completely missed that point. You
need significant income and housing depreciation to come out behind when you
factor those two in.
In fact for my situation, even if my house depreciates to 1/3rd what I paid
I'll still be coming out ahead due to paying less than I ever did for rent.
~~~
closeparen
After investing in equities for 30 years with the savings from renting vs.
buying, you will also be sitting on a huge chunk of value.
~~~
kuhhk
If I read that correctly, it sounds like you’re assuming that rent is lower
than buying, which is not true in many places (including my own city). Many
people buy rental properties because they can charge hundreds more dollars...
~~~
closeparen
Sure, that can happen, but probably encodes a pessimistic view about the
area's future prospects. If my neighbors highly valued the option to flee, I'd
want to be very careful about putting down roots.
------
ProfessorLayton
There’s too many assumptions made in this article. Not all mortgages are
speculative, many just want a place to live where they’re not subject to a
landlord and all the rules that come with it, even if they don’t stay for the
full 30y term.
For those that are willing or able to stay the full 30y, the nominal mortgage
payment will be the same, while the value of the dollar will not — inflation
will work in your favor.
The tax laws have also been recently doubled to ~24k for couples, and most
home purchasers will not be running into the mortgage interest deduction
judging by the median home value in the US.
------
jfoutz
This is a great article worth reading. I found myself walking around my
apartment having a conversation with my imaginary version of the author. There
are at least four points that i would quibble over.
That said, i like the analysis. In spite of (imho) flawed foundations it's a
solid argument. Does it capture the whole truth? I'd say no. Does it highlight
a significant set of factors? absolutely.
Spend the 15 minutes, charitably read the article, decide if it's worth
spending another hour picking apart the argument and the analysis. This is one
that probably isn't right, but points in the direction of truth. I think the
foundations are shakey, but the structure is pretty good. Fun read.
~~~
sjg007
What is shaky about the foundations? He seems like he covered all the bases
here.
------
AdamM12
> "If anything, our policy should do the opposite of what the GSEs promote: if
> you have a low income, and you try to borrow money to buy a house near where
> you work, there should be a surtax to discourage this bad diversification.
> There are other savings vehicles that don’t closely correlate with your
> income; buy those instead!"
I think this is my favorite line. Let's tax the poor more for living close to
where they work.
~~~
closeparen
When the last employers pack up and leave the industrial heartland, all those
mortgages are going to be deep underwater, and all those workers are going to
be locked in places with no work. Many already are (see: Flint, MI). I hope
you are prepared to pay their living expenses in perpetuity.
------
nobodyandproud
Home ownership was a way to stabilize finances, by providing a way to create a
known cost for the average person over the long term.
Banks made stable money through interest, and to offset the risks of
foreclosure the banks quantified the risk based on income, etc.
It worked very, very well. As an added benefit to the average person: The
interest paid on the mortgage is tax deductible, and the 30 year mortgage
offers the biggest benefit.
More in this in a moment.
The article then goes into 2008's crisis, but this a bad example. he barriers
that prevented investment banks from commercial-bank activities (Glass
Steagall) were completely wiped out.
It took only 9 years (really, just 7) for that mistake to completely up-end
our economy.
Now back to the interest deduction: There is now a movement to remove this
benefit. Both Republicans and Democrats see this as a windfall for more tax
money.
This is another article trying in a round-about way to sabotage the middle-
class' only real tax deduction.
~~~
rootusrootus
At this point the interest deduction is largely gone, at least to my
understanding. The majority of homeowners will now find that the standard
deduction is better than deducting mortgage interest. Especially married
couples.
~~~
nobodyandproud
It depends on the value of the house, how much in charitable donations you
gave, etc.
A married couple at the upper-end of the mortgage interest cap who also
provides donations can still exceed the $24,000 cap.
Finally, I believe the boosted standard deduction expires in 2025.
------
lucas_membrane
Isn't the focus on the 30-year fixed rate mortgage at least a little bit
narrow in analyzing what happened during last decade's financial crisis? There
were all kinds of negative amortization and adjustable interest loans being
pushed, and I recall reading that high-leverage mortgages, not sub-prime, were
where the defaults were greatest.
My idea is that local governments should play a role in regulating mortgages
because defaults, foreclosures, and abandoned property have serious
consequences for neighborhoods and municipalities. Counties should have and
exercise a right to refuse to register liens attributable to pathological
lending likely to cause local economic hardship.
------
evancox100
"You don’t see financial advisors telling bacon lovers to hedge their next
thirty years of breakfast consumption with a rolling long position in lean
hogs."
No, but don't let them read this or they might start!
------
anonu
The mortgage concept in the US is the ticket to the American dream. It is
designed to give you essentially free money over the life of the mortgage by
leveraging yourself with a loan that very few people would give you for any
other investment decision.
Not taking advantage of buying a house in America is a big mistake. Sure,
there are plenty of pitfalls along the way, market timing can be important,
location matters, etc.. but on average you are way way better off after ten
years, ceteris paribus, versus someone who did not buy.
------
andreygrehov
Don't people want to own a place when they are 60?
~~~
closeparen
Probably not the same place as when they're 30. When you're no longer working
and the kids are grown, school system and job market become irrelevant. It
becomes physically harder to care for each sqft, and with a smaller household
you need fewer of them. As you lose the ability to drive safely, walkability
becomes much more important.
When I'm 60 I want to have the wealth to meet my new housing needs. That
_could_ be a previous house to sell. It could also be stock portfolio to
liquidate or passive income sufficient to cover rent.
------
nateburke
Does anyone on this thread currently know what the current industry S.O.P. for
calculating the option-adjusted spread (OAS) on agency MBS? Back when I was
doing it in 2012, Monte Carlo simulation was still the gold standard, as far
as I could tell.
------
Simulacra
We own two rental houses and our townhouse on 30 year fixed. We are interested
in building a property portfolio so for us it’s a perfect fit.
------
epx
One of the 10 best articles ever published here.
------
purplezooey
Screw mortgages, I hate them too, but what are you going to do.
------
faissaloo
The duration of the mortage is irrelevent, mortages themselves are
intrinsically toxic.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: New job is having me switch from Linux to Mac – how do I cope? - ecaron
I've been using Linux over 15 years, and since 2005 I've been at startups where I controlled my destiny and ran whatever the heck I wanted on my work computer (typically Linux Mint Debian Edition on a Lenovo.)<p>Well, I took a new job and it starts on Monday (5/4). And part of that job is using the machine I'm given. As is. Which means a MBP running OS X.<p>Any real world tips that you can give me to ease the change?
======
balls2you
Install VMWare Fusion or VirtualBox, give it most of your RAM and hard disk
space. Now run Linux on that. That's your best bet for sticking to Linux for
most of your work.
You can use browser on the Mac if you want to be able to use the latest and
greatest firefox/Chrome but for coding and software nothing beats Linux. All
the OS X brew/ports etc are just not good enough compared to apt-get.
You can run the VM using VirtualBox in background mode too and then just ssh
to it using the Terminal.app or iTerm.app on OS X.
Copy-paste works really well on iTerm so you can copy-paste links from your OS
X browser like Firefox/Chrome to the ssh terminal and use it in case you
download software using wget/curl sometimes.
For email, Thunderbird/Mail.app both work really well on OS X and that should
be good enough unless you want mutt, which you can then use from your Linux
VM.
Most likely your production environment is Linux, esp. if you're in a company
that is giving you Macs so most likely web development. Even better if you
mimic your production environment in your VM and develop on that instead of
developing on a non-standard environment like OS X and then hoping stuff works
in production. (Tons of devs do this and it makes no sense.)
~~~
wrighty52
Personally, I'd suggest using something like Vagrant instead - more
lightweight in my opinion, in terms of being able to instantly destroy &
create a new one with 2 commands.
Although, saying this, there's no reason the OP can't just install Linux over
(or alongside) OS X.
~~~
johnward
I'm curious as to what makes Vagrant more light weight as it still needs some
type of VM software.
~~~
ecaron
Its more the discipline that Vagrant creates in letting you repeatedly
generate the same environment.
------
bitshepherd
OS X isn't a huge cultural shock. It's mostly getting your head wrapped around
the dock and some hotkeys, and it mostly Just Works. I made the switch a
couple years back after over a decade of hardcore Linux or BSD on the desktop.
Once you get a terminal to your liking, it should make things less obtuse and
let you get a feel for the operating system.
~~~
PeterWhittaker
Ditto. In fact, I switched because I grew envious of how much easier
everything was to do on the MBAs used by my daughter and wife than on my
Ubuntu laptop. I'd sit at one of their machines, use the trackpad for a
moment, just a moment, and miss the gestures on my DV7.
One day, in a moment of frustration, when Libre or Open or Braindead Office
got too much in my way, I slammed the lid down, yelled "I'll be back in an
hour", had my own MBA set up and working to my liking 90 minutes later, and
haven't looked back.
~~~
hyperliner
I did the same and actually felt kind of bad that we live in a place where we
are able to go kill two grand just like that.
However, I felt bad for only about two minutes, and then forgot about that
until I read your comment.
_sigh_
------
Revell
Why are you being forced to use OSX? Why not just install your distro of
choice on it?
Other than that, use iTerm2[0], Homebrew[1] and Cask[2], this'll kickstart
your CLI env in the right direction.
[0] http://iterm2.com/
[1] http://brew.sh/
[2] http://caskroom.io/
~~~
frou_dh
I never understand the instant dismissal of the stock Terminal.app
Yes it's not the most featureful terminal emulator in existence but it's well
put together and works just fine.
~~~
atonse
For me, the main reason I moved to iTerm2 was because terminal only had
support for 16 colors (I think ... it was 4-5 years ago). So I just use iTerm
now out of habit. I didn't have any other issues with Terminal.app.
And I suspect most others have similar reasons.
------
haack
Try and keep an open mind.
I used to be a die-hard Arch user who would never consider even buying a mac.
Was given a macbook at an internship and haven't looked back... Well, I have.
I love it though. Give it a month to start getting productive though.
As Revell said, Homebrew is a must-have. (Also fish[1], but that applies to
Linux too).
[1] [http://fishshell.com/](http://fishshell.com/)
~~~
Revell
I've been looking at alternative shells a while back and Fish looked
interesting indeed. What made you choose this one over regular Bash and ZSH?
Also, how do you deal with incompatibility issues (if any) and different
environments (f.e. when SSH-ing to a server)?
~~~
haack
I only use Fish interactively. It has really nice autocompletion (which I'm
pretty sure reads my mind), and cycling tab completion which I like. Also oh-
my-fish[1] is awesome.
Last I checked it was maintained by one guy, meaning support isn't always
great.
I still use bash for scripting (can't get away from it) and when compatibility
is an issue.
[1] [https://github.com/bpinto/oh-my-fish](https://github.com/bpinto/oh-my-
fish)
------
penguinlinux
Hi There, I work at a startup and we all get Mac Latops, I installed
VirtualBox and allocated 100Gigs and 4G of Ram to a Linux Mint virtual machine
on my Mac OSX instance and it works great. I get so use all the features of
the mac and I can do all my work on my linux machine. You shouldn't have a
problem if you use a virtual machine.
Good luck in your new job.
------
CodeGenie
Some general tips for OS X (subjective of course)
\- Spaces are akin to Workspaces (Three finger left/right swipe) and are great
for running VM's fullscreen.
\- Use gestures (Two finger/Three finger Left/Right/Up/Down swipe or
grab/spread)
\- Spotlight (Command-Space) is handy
\- Give Safari a fair try but you mightn't like it (I switched from Chrome
last year and am loving it)
\- I never use Launchpad (Grab gesture)
~~~
dysfunction
Alfred is even better than Spotlight alone, I have it mapped to option-A and I
never launch apps any other way.
~~~
CodeGenie
Thanks dysfunction, good tip. I haven't looked at Alfred in a long time. Out
of interest, for you, what differentiates Alfred from Spotlight in Yosemite?
Having a quick look, Alfred having 1Password is excellent. Spotlight though is
great for an instant Calculator and Currency conversion. Does Alfred support
these OOTB? It looks pretty flexible, could I write something to integrate
these?
Do you have the powerpack? Is it useful?
------
genericusername
I've been running into the same issue since last week. (Linux user being
forced to switch to OSX)
All the terminal thoughts mentioned above are good although there are still
some weird BSD idiosyncrasies that you'll have to cope with (cp missing the
link switch, find requiring an explicit target, etc) Ive also been using tmux
and it makes the default terminal a bit more bearable.
Here are my biggest gripes thus far switching from Debian Jessie with KDE:
\- The window management is laughably bad in OSX. I installed two extensions
(divvy and cinch) to add window docking functionality which helps slightly but
they are free only in that they pop up requests to pay every once in a while.
Apparently there are some better extensions but they cost money and its my
opinion that my workflow is my employers problem, not my monetary
responsibility.
\- Using virtual desktops on OSX after becoming accustomed to the Linux
implementation sucks. Its is far less featured than KDE (at least out of the
box) and a lot of the extensions to make it better seem to cost money. The
desktop switching order is linear and it randomly changes the ordering on you
while you are using it. There is also no concept of docking a window across
desktops or opening a window on multiple. In fact, when you maximize a window
it switches desktops on you.
\- The firmware for the thunderbolt display is terrible. The USB ports keep
shutting off randomly requiring you to unplug and replug the thunderbolt.
Doing this totally screws up all your window sizes and placements. I generally
have a full screen terminal on a virtual desktop and it causes it to underscan
the window until I close and reopen it. Extremely irritating.
\- I don't really like the focus management in OSX but this is more a minor UX
irritation. My issue involves clicking on a text field inside a different
application and instead of having the text field gain focus, the application
gains focus but not the internal text field. Many a time have I entered text
into the wrong entry field in the browser.
All this being said, Apple hardware is really excellent. Some of the
peripherals are a little bit too 'designed' and not as functional but they are
not unmanageable. The software needs some help and I still may switch to Linux
in a VM at some point. For now I figure that I might as well give OSX a chance
before I completely bail on it. The Apple fanboys would never let me hear the
end of it.
~~~
tthayer
Regarding window management: I use an excellent little free app called ShiftIt
([https://github.com/fikovnik/ShiftIt](https://github.com/fikovnik/ShiftIt))
that makes window management way better. Uses maybe 20MB of RAM and plays nice
with multiple displays.
~~~
genericusername
Interesting, thanks. Im going to give it a try.
------
popeshoe
My biggest problem moving to OSX (from mostly windows) was the idiotic apple
UK keyboard layout (US keyboards might not be such a big deal, so this stuff
might not apply) so I found myself having to download a regular UK keyboard
layout ([http://liyang.hu/osx-british.xhtml](http://liyang.hu/osx-
british.xhtml)), and Karabiner
([https://pqrs.org/osx/karabiner/](https://pqrs.org/osx/karabiner/)) to make
OSX behave properly with my normal keyboard with the pageup/down and home/end
keys
Once I sorted that out it was a relatively pleasant experience.
You might also want to install SmoothMouse
([http://smoothmouse.com/](http://smoothmouse.com/)) which tames OSX's
ferocious mouse acceleration curve, and reduces the delay between moving the
mouse and the screen updating to be imperceptible
------
CodeGenie
+1 for running dev environments in virtual machines.
I tend to run them headless (Shift-Click in VirtualBox) mapping my dev folder
using samba (Command-K in Finder maps to a samba drive) and ssh into the VM's
CLI using iTerm.
It's a great way to retain environments at the end of projects.
Would love to hear your thoughts after a month? The good and bad obviously...
------
Arubis
Keep in mind that OS X is POSIX-compliant, but it's a customized BSD, not
Linux. A lot of stuff works the same (and it'll compile most of your code
without issue), and it's certainly a lot closer to what you're used to than a
Win system (how that's POSIX compliant boggles me), but a lot of Linux-
specific stuff isn't where you think it is.
You'll need to find alternatives to /sys and /proc. Services are managed with
launchctl, which is kind of a pain. X Window support is there but clunky. And
so on.
While you're living in a console, working on your own code, though, things are
close enough to forget about most of the time.
Best of luck!
~~~
davidgerard
> Keep in mind that OS X is POSIX-compliant, but it's a customized BSD, not
> Linux.
And that if you're used to BSD ... it's weird as BSDs go. (Just little things,
but I found it slightly jarring in practice.)
------
metaphorm
echoing others I suppose, but I'll also recommend running a Linux VM as your
dev environment.
at my dayjob I'm using an iMac and managing my virtual machines using Vagrant
which loads an image of an Ubuntu Linux machine (same distro as used on our
production servers). its a convenient setup in several ways. This keeps my dev
environment a close match to the prod environment, and it lets me install
packages quickly and easily for development using the usual Linux tools. I
also get to continue using the superb desktop interface that OSX provides.
------
freedevbootcamp
A MBP running OSX is almost as good as a Linux laptop but with a better GUI.
Just be happy they didn't give you a windows laptop. In the corporate world
you would have to be a unicorn or rockstar to get a MBP. If you were a Linux
sysadmin you might get away with running a Linux laptop but very doubtful. I
love my Linux and my iMac 27inch no problem running brew to install things on
OSX. Your MBP will be able to run vagrant and virtual-box which is Linux
anyway.
------
pjungwir
I use Linux as my desktop but have an Air for traveling. Switching between
them is not so bad. :-)
Lots of great advice here, but I still remember being surprised that on OS X
(and BSDs I think?) a trailing slash in a directory name is significant, e.g.
here:
[http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=2005111210000737...](http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20051112100007372)
Keep that in mind when running `cp` etc.
------
jedi_master
Its a unix OS... it works the same. Some commands vary a bit but its largely
the same. If you hate it, ssh into a linux box.
------
MalcolmDiggs
Is dual-boot not an option? Or... if you're not allowed to do that, you could
always use a live-cd or live-usb version of your favorite linux distro. Might
run a bit a slower, but maybe a live-usb running off of a SSD drive with a
thunderbolt connection would be fast enough.
------
photokandy
You'll probably transition fairly easily. Mac OS X is a customized BSD, so
although it has differences with respect to Linux, it's also not that foreign
either.
* Remap Command and Control if your fingers can't adjust to the change in shortcuts. System Preferences > Keyboard > Modifier Keys
* If you want TAB to work with all widgets (which is what makes sense to me): System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Full Keyboard Access: All Controls
* Not sure where a menu command lives? Search for it in the Help menu's Search field.
* Spotlight is a pretty good launcher, calculator, and more. Command+Space is your friend.
* If you need additional keyboard remapping support: [Karabiner]([https://pqrs.org/osx/karabiner/](https://pqrs.org/osx/karabiner/)) and [Seil]([https://pqrs.org/osx/karabiner/seil.html.en](https://pqrs.org/osx/karabiner/seil.html.en))
* Time Machine is your friend.
* Grab [iTerm2]([http://iterm2.com](http://iterm2.com)). Apple's terminal is nice, but iTerm2 has so much more. If you use tmux, iTerm2 has support for that, too.
* Install [Homebrew]([http://brew.sh](http://brew.sh)) for package management.
* [TotalSpaces 2]([http://totalspaces.binaryage.com](http://totalspaces.binaryage.com)) gives you even more control over how your spaces are arranged, animations between them, and keystrokes for accessing them. Can't live without it anymore.
* Window management sucks. I use [Moom]([http://manytricks.com/moom/](http://manytricks.com/moom/))
* I've given up on Apple's Mail.app. I use Gmail, and [AirMail 2]([http://airmailapp.com](http://airmailapp.com)) does the trick for me.
* Use virtual machines where appropriate (VirtualBox, VMWare, Parallels, ...)
* Install your preferred shell if Bash isn't your cup of tea. I use [Fish]([http://fishshell.com](http://fishshell.com))
* [F.lux]([https://justgetflux.com](https://justgetflux.com)) is your eye's best friend.
* [Bartender]([http://www.macbartender.com](http://www.macbartender.com)) keeps all those pesky menu items under control
* If you want to really customize your gestures and the like, [BetterTouchTool]([http://www.bettertouchtool.net](http://www.bettertouchtool.net)) can be useful. For awhile I had my "Windows+E" muscle memory tied to launching a new Finder window until I got over it.
Good luck! Give it about a week or so (if that), and you should be comfortable
in your new environment.
------
eip
Just run linux in a VM.
------
partisan
Take a deep breath.
You will likely find the transition to be jarringly pleasant. To ween yourself
off of linux, continue to use a VM on your MBP (I used vmware) to run your
favorite distro.
Keep calm and carry on.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Don’t sign a CLA - chmaynard
https://drewdevault.com/2018/10/05/Dont-sign-a-CLA.html
======
Legogris
It's a great point to be aware of, but the title and the tone implies that you
as a contributor should be a FOSS maximalist.
As they say, not all open source is FOSS. And some people are OK with that.
Let them contribute, as long as they are aware of the implications.
When I discover bugs in open-source projects during my day job (which is on a
closed-source project), I will be much happier having those fixes merged
upstream than having to maintain our own private fork.
> Free and open source software licenses grant explicit freedoms to three
> groups: the maintainers, the users, and the contributors.
This is not the case of all open source licenses. And that is fine. Don't
assume all my work has to be part of your crusade. I will save that for the
parts of my life where it makes sense - I am all-for the FOSS movement but
there is no need to go full Stallman and say that everything but GPL is evil.
If I believed that, I wouldn't be working on a closed-source project in the
first place and then this piece would be fully relevant.
A much better title would be "Why I don't sign CLAs" or "The dangers of
signing CLAs".
~~~
rqs
> the title and the tone implies that you as a contributor should be a FOSS
> maximalist.
But what if somebody was changed the license from BSD to proprietary after
you've contributed to the project? Would you still be happy about it then?
I think the idea was: I have my code contributed under BSD, so you cannot re-
license my code without clearance from me.
~~~
jerf
To have contributed under BSD _means_ that you have contributed under a
license that permits relicensing. To contribute under the "BSD license but
secretly I'm not going to let you relicense" means that you have not in fact
contributed under the BSD license in the first place, but your secret license.
If you want to contribute under your secret license, what it means is that you
don't want to spend any time in the first place contributed to the BSD-
licensed project. Make your changes and use them, but don't contribute them
back. The BSD license permits this fully, including your ability to distribute
and sell the resulting software, subject to the advertising clause as
appropriate. So it's not like there's anything onerous about this idea.
~~~
dec0dedab0de
_" BSD license but secretly I'm not going to let you relicense" means that you
have not in fact contributed under the BSD license in the first place, but
your secret license._
I understand what you're saying, but even if you do release BSD software along
with code under a different license, you are still bound by the (very minimal)
requirements of the BSD license.
------
mcherm
I think it depends entirely on the purpose of the CLA. Different licenses say
different things. Some merely assert that the signer is contributing under the
license under which the project is distributed. (Although you may consider it
obvious, I am not aware of any existing case law in the US that asserts that
submitting a patch necessarily comes with a grant of license to the copyright.
And I can guarantee that there isn't case law in every jurisdiction around the
world.) Other CLA purposes that seem reasonable to me include a guarantee that
IF the contributor has a patent on the submitted code then a license to use
that patent is granted to all users of the software.
Even if the CLA does contain text granting some organization which manages the
code the right to re-distribute under some other license, I may well be
comfortable with that. Sometimes projects choose to move to a new license (GPL
v3 wouldn't exist without this). Sometimes a company chooses to offer
commercial licenses in addition to free ones. My willingness to contribute
under these conditions comes down to the degree to which I trust the
organization (realizing that the organization may change, but that almost no
human endeavor can be achieved without some level of trust).
On the other hand, if YOU wish to refuse to sign CLAs, you are certainly
welcome to do that. But do not be surprised if some organizations reject your
offers to contribute patches.
~~~
zamalek
Some even protect the contributors:
> [1]: You may provide support for free, for a fee, or not at all. Unless
> required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, You provide Your
> Contributions on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
> KIND, either express or implied, including, without limitation, any
> warranties or conditions of TITLE, NON- INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY, or
> FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
[1] Khan Academy CLA:
[https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdyXYrc8ogVoA46J9KX...](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdyXYrc8ogVoA46J9KXyIj5nKlZzNkOnQG-4A1R7X_BWGTShQ/viewform)
------
kemitchell
A blog post of mine arguing for CLAs:
[https://writing.kemitchell.com/2018/01/06/CLAs-Are-Not-a-
Sha...](https://writing.kemitchell.com/2018/01/06/CLAs-Are-Not-a-Sham.html)
My post responds to a different blog post. Some of the arguments here are
different.
Here, I can't help pointing out two minor vocabulary issues.
A "Contributor License Agreement" does _not_ usually transfer ownership of
copyright. We call documents that do "copyright assignments", and they require
special formalities. There are some strange hybrids, like CLAs that assign
joint ownership of copyright, but they're the exception. Most CLAs that I see
are merely additional license grants from contributor to project steward or
BDFL.
"Relicense" gets misused and misunderstood all the time. It's very rare to see
anyone try to change license terms for code already released under an open
source license, and distributed to others. There are legal questions about
whether this is possible or practical. And as I recall, Redis Labs didn't try
to do that, but only changed the terms that will apply to _new_ work on select
Redis add-ons, going forward. In other words, they changed the terms they'll
use for _future_ work.
We sometimes say "relicensing" when we mean "dual licensing" or "offering the
same code on different terms", rather than changing the one-and-only set of
terms that apply to software. The former describes what companies do when they
steward a project under a common open source license, often GPL or AGPL, but
also sign business deals that include traditional, proprietary-style license
terms. Often, such licenses omit requirements to preserve copyright notices
from developers, and also copyleft requirements. At the same time, business-
to-business licenses are often more restrictive in other ways, like limiting
to internal business use, prohibiting reselling, seat-limiting, and so on.
CLAs often give corporate stewards the more permissive licenses they need to
sign those kinds of terms with customers. In that sense, CLAs make possible
the business model that supports the company stewarding the project.
------
orthecreedence
Hi, I run an open source project and it has a CLA. I chose a fairly permissive
one (contributors retain ownership/copyright), however it does allow
relicensing. One of the main reasons I chose to do this is:
1\. I have a put a lot of time into the project. More than anybody. Years of
work. At some point, I'd like to be able to make money off of it, and
relicensing will give me that option (enterprise installations and all that).
2\. iOS. The GPL, from a lot of what I've read, is incompatible with the Apple
store. If you want to release a GPL-licensed app on iOS, you need to be able
to relicense it. Please prove me wrong here, but I think this is a big deal.
Here's my take. If I ever want to make the project completely closed, the last
GPLed version is still available and able to be forked or continued. I can't
erase the project from the face of the earth, which is kind of what the author
seems to be suggesting.
Secondly, if I was starting a project that blossomed with the help of hundreds
of contributors, I'd be much more likely to not want a CLA. That said, this is
_my_ project. Sure, anyone can fork it and do what they want with it, but I am
the one creating it. And at some point, I want that to pay off. My choice of
GPL is not to protect contributors, it's to protect the users. The CLA lets me
have a restrictive license while giving me the freedom to relicense as needed.
If that keeps you from contributing, no hard feelings. But having a CLA lets
me navigate a lot of issues that would otherwise keep me up at night (or make
me not want to maintain the project at all).
~~~
kemitchell
re iOS store, have a look at: [https://github.com/signalapp/libsignal-
protocol-c#license](https://github.com/signalapp/libsignal-protocol-c#license)
If you need legal advice for your specific project and situation, speak to a
lawyer.
------
monocasa
Pieter Hintjens makes a similar argument in Social Architecture, describing
ZeroMQ's community guidelines:
> All patches are owned by their authors. There SHALL NOT be any copyright
> assignment process.
> Here we come to the key reason people trust their investments in ZeroMQ:
> it's logistically impossible to buy the copyrights to create a closed source
> competitor to ZeroMQ. iMatix can't do this either. And the more people that
> send patches, the harder it becomes. ZeroMQ isn't just free and open today--
> this specific rule means it will remain so forever. Note that it's not the
> case in all MPLv2/GPL projects, many of which still ask for copyright
> transfer back to the maintainers.
~~~
Legogris
Correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that copyright transfer is
not even legally applicable in many jurisdictions.
~~~
monocasa
As far as I understand, not as such, but you can transfer all rights to
another. That's how copyright from employee to employer works in Germany
AFAIK. So practically it ends up being the same in nearly all cases.
~~~
guitarbill
Pretty much. Pedantically speaking, you can't transfer all rights.
Urheberrecht always stays with the author. But Urheberrecht isn't copyright.
(Over)simplified, it codifies who owns the copyright of a work initially, and
that owner can transfer the copyright.
------
jpablo
Wait, Free Software Foundation requires a CLA itself!
[https://www.gnu.org/licenses/why-
assign.en.html](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/why-assign.en.html)
~~~
sevensor
They do, and I believe it's because it gives them a better platform from which
to pursue GPL violation claims. I think that's basically sensible and an
exception to OP's general statement -- if you're contributing to an FSF
project, you need to understand that what you're doing is political as well as
technical. You're giving FSF more ammunition with which to enforce copyleft.
FSF is an exception to the concern that the asignee of your copyright is going
to do a proprietary relicensing.
~~~
scrollaway
In other words, "do as I say, not as I do".
~~~
sevensor
That's an odd conclusion to draw from my post. Are you under the impression
that OP represents the FSF? He does not. Neither do I. My point is that the
general rule that one should be wary of CLAs because they can be used to take
away your software freedoms probably doesn't apply to the FSF. A different
consideration applies to the FSF -- if you don't like their political goals,
don't support them by contributing to their projects.
------
rlpb
"What the CLA is actually used for is to give the project maintainers the
ability to relicense your work under a more restrictive software license, up
to and including making it entirely closed source."
This goes both ways. It also gives the project maintainers the ability to
relicense your work under a less restrictive licence, up to and including
making it even more open (eg. from GPL to MIT).
Note that what you contribute will be open source forever regardless of a CLA:
as soon as it is released (the open source version your patch is based on, and
your open source contribution), the open source -ness cannot be revoked by
anyone. A "community fork" from the most recent open source release is always
possible, as has been seen multiple times with multiple projects, including
those with CLAs.
What the author is really saying is that by signing a CLA you're revoking your
claim to what the project maintainers do with the project _in the future_,
after they have worked on it some more.
There is, after all, a huge asymmetry here. In a project managed by a major
sponsor requiring a CLA, your contribution is probably tiny compared to the
work done by project sponsors. In this case, it doesn't seem unreasonable to
me for the sponsors to be wanting not to encumber their project with the
removal of their ability to take _future work_ on their project closed source
(because they were originally the sole copyright holders), just for the sake
of a tiny contribution.
Do those tiny contributions add up? I can only think of a few projects when
they do, and that's where the ecosystem consists of multiple corporate
sponsors (Linux and Postgres come to mind). In most cases where there is a
CLA, there is a single corporate sponsor who employs full time developers, and
no other developers are contributing full time so the majority of ongoing work
is done by the single sponsor. If you want to argue that the CLA is enforcing
this condition, then go ahead and fork the project to prove me wrong!
If you're contributing a major component, then sure, you might want to think
about it, though even then you're going to get somebody else to maintain that
component for you indefinitely if you contribute it.
If you're contributing a minor bugfix, then you're probably hurting yourself
(by making yourself maintain that fix forever, or forcing yourself to maintain
an entire fork) more than achieving out of principle.
------
hyperpape
An interesting contrast among FOSS maximalists is that the FSF requires a CLA
for a subset of its projects: [https://www.gnu.org/licenses/why-
assign.html](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/why-assign.html)
~~~
Sir_Cmpwn
I think the FSF gets a pass here, given that the GPL has explicit protections
against the negative behaviors warned about in the article.
~~~
akerl_
Wouldn't your article then more accurately be "Don't sign a CLA without
reading it and making sure you agree with what it says", which reduces pretty
cleanly to "Don't sign things unless you've read them and agree with them"?
Your overall point seems to be one I agree with, which is "CLAs can be (and
often are) used to enable maintainers to make decisions that contributors
wouldn't want to be made, and contributors should thus be careful in what they
agree to", but in making it an imperative headline it's lost the nuance.
~~~
Sir_Cmpwn
Well, I could make a CLA which asks you to remember to drink your Ovaltine,
which would be pretty harmless. But the average CLA is far from harmless, so
it deserves special mention to call out these CLAs as harmful.
Some CLAs are worse than others, though, and as people send me examples of
supposedly benine CLAs I've been writing up addendums to add to the bottom of
the article. There is indeed some nuance here, which I hope to address in that
manner.
------
jedbrown
> What about the Apache Foundation CLA? This CLA is one of the better ones,
> because it doesn’t transfer copyright over your work to the Apache
> Foundation. I have no beef with clauses 1 and 3-8. However, term 2 is too
> broad and I would not sign this CLA.
Term 2 of the CLA just defines inbound=outbound for Term 2 of the License
([https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0](https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0)).
The Apache CLA is pretty benign (for projects that are distributed under the
Apache license; sometimes it is used for projects distributed under different
licenses and then it gets murky), but the overhead to contributors and
maintainers is significant and it is less precise than a Developer's
Certificate of Origin. The "Inbound=Outbound Is All You Need" section of this
post is on-point. [http://ebb.org/bkuhn/blog/2011/07/07/harmony-
harmful.html](http://ebb.org/bkuhn/blog/2011/07/07/harmony-harmful.html)
------
codetrotter
> Open source is a commitment to your community. Once you make it, you cannot
> take it back. You don’t get the benefits associated with being an open
> source project if you have an exit hatch. You may argue that it’s your right
> to do what you want with your project, but making it open source is
> explicitly waiving that right.
I open source things I write, and I love open source but I think this stance
is disingenuous.
Yes you _should_ maintain your project in the future so that you don’t leave
your users hanging to dry, but sometimes life happens and you can’t continue
your open source project in its current form.
With a CLA, the creators of a project that would otherwise be unable to
continue the project due to lack of funds can develop a proprietary version
that they can earn money from licensing to people. And hopefully they will
continue to maintain an open source version that receives bug fixes and some
features while certain other features are only developed for the proprietary
version.
Demanding that those who make open source software do so under strict
conditions will only serve to deter people from making open source software in
the first place, IMO.
Certainly it can be frustrating to be a user of a software and have them close
the source, but what would the alternative be? Probably that it just died, so
for you the outcome would be the same.
Open source is great. It saves time and money by letting people and companies
make use of the work done by others to save themselves from having to
duplicate the effort. But it is never going to be the case that we can
_demand_ that someone else continues maintaining a product for us for free.
When a product goes closed source, from your point of view it should not be
much different from had it shut down completely. The last open source version
of the product is still available so if someone was goinging to step up and
maintain it into the future they still can, and if they weren’t going to, well
then it makes no big difference what the original authors decide to do anyway.
Personally the main reason I don’t use CLAs for my projects is that I am using
a very permissive license for most of my projects already, the ISC license,
and I don’t foresee any situation where I would want to switch to another
license for my projects.
------
Timshel
If you see it from the other side, I completely understand why anyone with a
project might not want a random contributor to become an equal.
It opens the door for fun things like :
[https://lwn.net/Articles/694890/](https://lwn.net/Articles/694890/)
------
lacker
Not all CLAs are designed to let the project relicense itself. In particular,
some CLAs are there to make the contributors promise that they are not
submitting patent-encumbered code which they intend to later assert some
rights on. Those CLAs seem like they are fixing up a fundamental unclearness
in how patents are licensed in open source software.
------
kodablah
> used their CLA to pull along any external contributions for the ride. As
> thanks for the generous time
Am I the only one that doesn't over-value their own contributions? So many
copy-left proponents always bemoan giving your work away. While that may hold
some water on some large efforts, in general, who cares if you give away bits
of your work? Who cares if you sign it away? Don't get hung up on your
personal pride like your contribution is the greatest thing ever, feel free to
share and share alike even on projects with caveats to your sharing, even if
that means you are guilted by the forced-freedom side of the community. Or
don't...but no need to pretend like others are bad for doing so.
------
jpfr
I do not agree with the sentiment that all CLA are evil.
Yes, CLA that transfer all ownership to the project are bad. But many __CLA
are in place to protect the project from bad actors __. For example companies
suing the project because an employee has submitted code that he wasn 't
allowed to make public.
I use a CLA in an open source project. But it does not transfer ownership. It
just states that the contributor is allowed to make the contributions and
accepts the license.
[https://gist.github.com/Pro/7d90e84b0765e7aa9068667e3418ef52](https://gist.github.com/Pro/7d90e84b0765e7aa9068667e3418ef52)
------
btilly
As a counterpoint, read [https://www.gnu.org/licenses/why-
assign.en.html](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/why-assign.en.html) where the GNU
project explains why they require copyright assignments.
And their stated issues are not trivial. I have personally run into a few
cases where people thought that they owned their work, but actually it was
owned by their employer. I don't have to look very far - it happened to me
personally when I lived in New York. (Not entirely coincidentally, I now live
in California where it is much easier to retain ownership of any side project
that I might happen to do.)
Yes, it is handing them extra power that is abusable. However it is also power
that they may have legitimate reasons to want. As with all legal agreements,
the real question is what you are afraid of.
~~~
JdeBP
Or read
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18149011](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18149011)
here where it is argued out that a copyright assignment is not the same thing
as a contributor licence agreement.
~~~
btilly
No, a copyright assignment is not the same thing as a contributor license
agreement. Copyright assignment is in all respects that this article cares
about even worse.
Therefore the fact that one of the most extreme software freedom organizations
out there argues for copyright assignments is very telling.
------
kradroy
My father told me long ago: "After you've done the work the only thing you
should sign is a check you're about to deposit."
~~~
JdeBP
Your father's advice does not scale. Not all legal systems work the same way,
and in some having the _payee_ sign one is an indorsement by the payee that
makes it payable to third parties (which will be whoever the bearer happens to
be for a simple signature, an _indorsement in blank_ ). Whereas having the
payee _not_ sign checks, and having checks crossed as "A/C payee", are
considered the better practices.
Or, to echo Drew DeVault somewhat: _Don 't sign cheques_ made out to you as
the payee.
* [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1992/32/section/1](http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1992/32/section/1)
* [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/45-46/61/section/34](http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/45-46/61/section/34)
* [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/45-46/61/part/II/cr...](http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/45-46/61/part/II/crossheading/negotiation-of-bills)
------
gant
This goes both ways. Don't remember specifics, but contributors trying to
"revoke" their license to destroy a FOSS project is about as common as a
company trying to use your contributions in a only non-free version.
------
RobertSmith
CLA intimidates people to contribute. It discourages contributions
~~~
radarsat1
Why would people contribute to a project they don't agree to the license of?
Isn't it good to discourage contributions from people who don't agree in the
first place, avoiding future conflict?
~~~
toast0
As someone who works at a fairly enlightened big company, it's not too hard to
get approval to contribute to an open source project (lawyers confirm the
license is ok, and that the project doesn't touch any things that are
currently sensitive to touch publicly) and it usually only takes a couple
business days, getting approval to agree to a CLA is a fairly big additional
delay, especially when they want it signed by the company rather than the
individual.
------
tristor
I'm not entirely sure I understand why so many people are against CLAs. I've
been active in the open source community since 1996, and am currently employed
at a company which is 100% based upon service around open source software,
which includes our stewardship of several projects which have significantly
advanced the community cause. My employer requires a CLA. It is not written in
esoteric legalese, but is rather simple to understand before you sign it. It
is designed to protect both you, as the contributor, and my employer.
A CLA is a good thing when it's written well, is not overly onerous, and is
being used to further contributions. Here is some basic reasons why a company
like my employer may want contributors to sign a CLA:
1\. It prevents your heirs from terminating your copyright grants in the
future if you pass away or any number of other weird quirks of US copyright
law that could potentially result in legal fuckery that you do not intend. 2\.
It prevents enforcement of patents surrounding code you have contributed
against my employer. 3\. It indemnifies you as the contributor against
expectations of support, guarantee, or warranty for your contribution. 4\. It
commits my employer to maintenance of your contribution once its accepted as
long as it is needed in the code-base. 5\. It protects my employer from
getting in trouble for contributions where the contributor did not have legal
license to offer the contribution, because you are asserting that you have
such license before offering that contribution.
Yes, it allows for re-licensing, but in practice what this means is that some
or all of the code may be dual-licensed at some point in the future to assist
in integration with other open source software projects.
To assert you should never sign a CLA seems short-sighted and unreasonable. I
can't speak for every project, but my employer has been a good steward of
software in the community and the community itself since the day it was
founded and has committed to continuing to do so.
While I can certainly understand that you may not wish to sign a CLA with an
organization you do not trust, I don't think refusal to sign should be a
default position. Instead, like any contract, you should read before you sign
and not enter into agreements with entities you do not trust. Simple as that.
------
vorpalhex
I won't contribute to any open source project with a CLA - which has been a
shame for a few open source projects. I caught a serious security
vulnerability in one project including them openly posting admin secrets - and
privately contacted and let them know, appropriately - only to get back a
response of "Can you sign our CLA and help us fix this?".
I politely told them I don't do CLAs. I checked a few weeks later and the
passwords were still posted.
------
jcadam
I'm sitting on a few custom forks of open source tools (in which I've either
fixed a bug or added a feature I needed) which I've more or less kept to
myself because the process to contribute back to those projects is just enough
of a PITA (due to CLAs and the like) that I can't overcome my apathy/laziness
enough to spend the time/effort required to submit my changes and get them
accepted.
Ah well.
~~~
nraynaud
I feel you, red tape to report a bug, red tape to send a patch, and then the
owner sends you to hell because they don’t owe you anything.
------
evrydayhustling
What about the maintainer's right to not have their hands tied as they evolve
a project by one person issuing a custom license on their PR? I agree with
your final suggestion of forking off (hah) if you have a problem with the
CLA... But it's unwarranted to say a maintainer protecting himself from a huge
additional coordination burden is a kick in anyone else's groin.
------
trulyrandom
I've always been under the impression that CLA's are meant to ensure that
contributors can not retract their contributions once they've made them. I'd
be fine with signing such an agreement. Relicensing other people's work, on
the other hand, does seem like a dramatic overreach indeed.
------
evmar
Even if you don't sign a CLA, can't someone take an Apache/BSD/MIT-licensed
work and make a closed source form of it? The license effectively just
requires them to mention where the code came from. Whether you signed a CLA or
not seems pretty irrelevant.
Apache says for example: "You may add Your own copyright statement to Your
modifications and may provide additional or different license terms and
conditions for use, reproduction, or distribution of Your modifications, or
for any such Derivative Works as a whole [...]".
I think the OP's concern only applies to GPL software, which in my experience
is pretty rare at this point.
------
sytse
I agree with the author that a CLA is one sided since contributors are at the
mercy of the organization they sign their rights over to. For the open source
code a Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO) is more appropriate. I learned
this when Debian brought it up [https://about.gitlab.com/2017/11/01/gitlab-
switches-to-dco-l...](https://about.gitlab.com/2017/11/01/gitlab-switches-to-
dco-license/)
For our proprietary source available code we do use a CLA since it is a custom
license and we want the option to make changes to it in the future.
------
DannyBee
"What the CLA is actually used for is to give the project maintainers the
ability to relicense your work under a more restrictive software license, up
to and including making it entirely closed source."
Actually, it serves two main purposes[1] :
1\. Protect the project from people who don't actually have the necessary
rights to be contributing or wish to retract contributions later.
This is the most common case, and it happens all the time (though essentially
all of it is resolved privately due to CLA's).
The law is full of interesting dragons. As a random example: Most open source
is also too young, but in ~10-15 years, you will start to see copyright right
terminations in the US
([https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/203](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/203))
for projects that have no CLA's.
It's inevitable. (as is having to deal with the rights of people who are dead,
which already happens)
Projects often need to do _something_ to protect themselves over time
(regardless of whether it's a CLA or copyright assignment or ...)
2\. Protect the projects from patents in #1 when the license does not do so.
(this is also resolved privately)
It also resolves an issue that only has popped up recently, copyright trolling
by folks like Patrick McHardy.
Relicensing is a _very_ secondary concern, and mostly comes into play over
time because the project screws up or grows larger than it expected.
The boogeyman of "corporation takes away my rights" is a nice boogeyman, but
the infinitely more common case is "project screws up because they didn't
think about licensing when they started". The number of "corporate
relicensings" is vastly dwarfed by non-corporate ones.
One of the more interesting things to me is that the largest mass relicensing
i'm aware of was the FSF force-relicensing projects to GPLv3 (sometimes quite
against majority-contributor wishes), with no comment or discussion or
allowance for dissent. So it wasn't a corporation doing it for whatever, it
was a foundation doing it for ideological reasons.
The fact the article tries to make it seem like it's happening all the time is
disingenuous at best, and honestly only serves to make the argument weaker
(because it's unsupported by data).
I'd also point out a CLA or equivalent is also necessary to move a project
from gpl-v2 only to gpl-v3 (IE not "restrictive software licenses") if the
project later chose. Otherwise it is stuck in limbo forever.
The answer you usually get from anti-CLA folks is "they shouldn't do that in
the first place" which is nice but doesn't actually fit with the fact that
most people basically don't pay any attention to license choices in a
meaningful way when they start projects. Or make mistakes. You know, one of
the reasons we have version control in the first place - so we can change
things we got wrong over time.
Even if you could cause them to not make mistakes, or never change viewpoints,
you'd still have millions of legacy projects to deal with.
All this article tells me is that the person hasn't run a large enough open
source project to have to deal with these in a meaningful way. That's okay.
But i've never found someone who did who has not run into the issues above and
eventually moved to CLA's or an equivalent.
I've also spent a lot of time in my life fixing smaller projects that never
had one, and then became larger, and then had to clean up the mess. It usually
costs foundations/etc a lot of money and time to track down contributors or
pull code.
I'd actually love to live in a world where CLA's aren't necessary (and
copyright was sane). But pretending we do won't get us there.
[1] bradley kuhn wrote a much better article than this one (no offense to the
author here!), though i disagree with bradley's view :P -
[https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2014/jun/09/do-not-need-
cla/](https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2014/jun/09/do-not-need-cla/)
~~~
juliusmusseau
Wow, regarding #1 - am I understanding this correctly? Linus's widow or
children can revoke his GPL license of his kernel contributions after he dies
unless he covers this scenario explicitly in his will?
Edited to add: Seems there's a 5-year window from year 35-40 after the initial
license or grant where the license or grant can be terminated, either by the
original author or their heirs, but honestly I have no idea if I'm reading
this correctly. This whole statutory terminations thing goes way over my head.
I cannot parse this document: [https://akbllp.com/introduction-and-copyright-
overview/statu...](https://akbllp.com/introduction-and-copyright-
overview/statutory-termination-of-transfers-recapturing-copyrights/statutory-
termination-of-transfers-recapturing-copyrights-post-1977/)
------
2ion
In my spare time / hobby projects, I'm ready to don my FOSS advocate hat, but
as a businessman and employee, I'm practically ignoring all issues with the
lack of F in OSS. Many thanks to those who can afford to live by their ideals
even when it comes to earning a living, though, and much respect for being
willing to deal with this kind of stuff all the time.
------
pron
It's not so much signing away your rights as getting something in exchange for
something. As you say, you can always fork the project, but very often large
projects (that tend to be the ones with CLAs) are also used by companies that
rely on them. What you get in exchange for the CLA is your code (written to
scratch your itch) becoming part of the mainline, and saving you the trouble
of merging with every update. If scratching your own itch is the goal, and if
your contribution is small relative to the total project (and it often is for
projects with CLAs), then granting the project leaders a joint ownership over
copyright is a very small price to pay in exchange for having the leaders take
your contribution into the mainline. If, on the other hand, your goal is to
shape the project, this usually entails a large number of significant
contributions, and if you do that, becoming a part of the leadership or
getting a part of the project ownership can be negotiated.
------
quest88
I don't mind contributing to paid software.
I would rather be able to fix a bug or provide a feature to software my
company paid for rather than hoping they'll fix/implement it sometime soon, or
building some hack around it, if it makes my life easier.
------
hodgesrm
This seems to be an argument against non-viral licenses than CLAs:
> We’ve seen this happen before. Consider the Redis Labs debacle, where they
> adopted the nonfree1 Anti-Commons Clause2, and used their CLA to pull along
> any external contributions for the ride. As thanks for the generous time
> invested by their community into their software, they yank it out from
> underneath it and repurpose it to make money with an obscenely nonfree
> product.
People can already repurpose software with permissive licenses such as MIT,
BSD, or Apache 2.0. That's actually the point of those licenses, isn't it?
------
carapace
An obscure but interesting point, by DJB:
> In the United States, once you own a copy of a program, you can back it up,
> compile it, run it, and even modify it as necessary, without permission from
> the copyright holder.
...
> Once you've legally downloaded a program, you can compile it. You can run
> it. You can modify it. You can distribute your patches for other people to
> use. ... As long as you're not distributing the software, you have nothing
> to worry about.
[https://cr.yp.to/softwarelaw.html](https://cr.yp.to/softwarelaw.html)
------
kemitchell
I recently blogged about an alternative to contributor license agreements
without any single foundation or BDFL, that cover relicensing of past code to
respond to license issues:
[https://writing.kemitchell.com/2018/09/30/Contributor-
Counci...](https://writing.kemitchell.com/2018/09/30/Contributor-
Councils.html)
I think the fundamental legal mechanism of cross-licensing is correct, but the
quorum-vote-like solicitation mechanism needs more thought and feedback.
------
vsl
The point is somewhat ruined by getting major facts about licensing and Redis
wrong:
1\. It was about proprietary addons, not community version at all. 2\. The
license of Redis would allow such relicensing of externally contributed code
without CLA. Read the damn BSD license, that permissiveness is its whole
point.
20 years ago, OSS developers understood their licenses. These days, it seems
common that people slam a random license on their code or contribute somewhere
with absolutely no functional understanding of the legal aspects.
------
nikisweeting
I hate both CLAs and DCOs. CMV: it's an unnecessary barrier to contributing
for new users that provides no additional guarantees over GPG signing.
------
tlrobinson
The reality is some companies simply wouldn't contribute open source projects
if they didn't have the flexibility afforded by requiring contributors sign a
CLA. Maybe you would consider that preferable, but I don't. They have a right
to require a CLA, just as I have a right to not contribute if I don't want to
sign a CLA.
------
simplecomplex
Has any CLA ever been used in court and held up? What are real world examples
of CLA’s being enforced in court?
------
madisp
But can't you take any MIT or Apache (or similarly permissively licensed)
project closed source anyway?
~~~
floatboth
You can make the next version proprietary or whatever, but you obviously can't
retroactively revoke the license from released code :)
------
natch
“I never signed anything though... I just clicked submit on an agreement and
there might have been a checkbox checked, or not.”
The article should make it more clear that the same warning also should apply
to digital signatures and agreements in their various forms.
------
_jal
Good general advice. I can't say I have a categoric aversion, but the onus is
on upstream to honestly and clearly explain the specific circumstances and
reasoning for why the license by itself is insufficient for their special
needs.
------
lucb1e
TL;DR: Some (all?) CLAs allow the maintainers to change the license of the
code that you contributed, even if that is a proprietary license. The article
mentions exactly one example of where a maintainer did that and does not point
out what clauses to look for, how many CLAs actually do this, etc.
------
IAmLiterallyAB
Have we forgotten the Linux Code of Conduct controversy? Contributors
threatened to remove their code from the kernel. A CLA would completely
prevent that.
~~~
JoshTriplett
> Contributors threatened to remove their code from the kernel.
No. Random fringe anonymous emails from non-contributors claimed (incorrectly)
that developers could do so.
See
[https://sfconservancy.org/news/2018/sep/26/GPLv2-irrevocabil...](https://sfconservancy.org/news/2018/sep/26/GPLv2-irrevocability/)
and [https://copyleft.org/guide/comprehensive-gpl-
guidech8.html#x...](https://copyleft.org/guide/comprehensive-gpl-
guidech8.html#x11-540007.4) for details (incorporating actual legal analysis).
------
linkmotif
> A CLA is a kick in the groin to a contributor’s good-faith contribution to
> the project.
I wouldn’t invest in a company that conducts business “on good faith.” That’s
well and good in the domain of interpersonal interaction, but is irresponsible
behavior from a company, which must do all it can to safeguard its assets and
revenues.
And I don’t think I’m being soulless here. A company like Facebook is
entrusted with and responsible for many people’s very livelihoods. As a
corporation it must not behave casually. There’s no “in good faith” when you
have millions of employees and investors.
~~~
vorpalhex
"Good faith" and by extension "bad faith" are quasi-legal terms. To do
business in good faith is to act by the letter and spirit of terms without an
intention of attempting to defraud.
As I understand it, someone who acts in Good faith usually has more leniency
then someone who acts in bad faith. For instance, I had a friend who upon
leaving an apartment building was charged several hundred dollars for
maintenance having to replace lightbulbs - she disputed the debt, but the
apartment complex attempted to charge her interest on it during the dispute.
Because the apartment complex acted in bad faith, not only was the debt
canceled, but the apartment complex had to pay out additional damages to her.
A business should act on good faith. That doesn't mean not having legal
agreements or being naive, it means following the letter and spirit of laws.
You might be able to technically trick someone into letting you steal their
open source contributions and sell them, but that would be bad faith.
Wikipedia explains it this way: "In contract law, the implied covenant of good
faith and fair dealing is a general presumption that the parties to a contract
will deal with each other honestly, fairly, and in good faith, so as to not
destroy the right of the other party or parties to receive the benefits of the
contract. It is implied in every contract in order to reinforce the express
covenants or promises of the contract. A lawsuit (or a cause of action) based
upon the breach of the covenant may arise when one party to the contract
attempts to claim the benefit of a technical excuse for breaching the
contract, or when he or she uses specific contractual terms in isolation in
order to refuse to perform his or her contractual obligations, despite the
general circumstances and understandings between the parties. When a court or
triar or fact interprets a contract, there is always an "implied covenant of
good faith and fair dealing" in every written agreement.[1]" \-
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_faith_(law)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_faith_\(law\))
~~~
linkmotif
I see. Thank you.
So the question is, are they acting in bad faith if they attempt to use a CLA
to subvert the open source license?
~~~
guitarbill
I think the point is to assume good faith on the contributer's side, i.e. that
they will follow in the letter and spirit of the OS license, so a CLA is
unnecessary. Conversely, by putting a CLA in place, the subtext is "I think
you're probably a scumbag (=person acting in bad faith) and don't trust the OS
licenses used for billions of lines of code, so I'm going to hit you with a
CLA preemptively".
As an interesting bit of context, the European legal system skews more towards
the spirit of the law, allowing for shorter legal documents/contracts. Whereas
the US legal system skews towards the letter of the law, meaning contracts end
up being several hundred pages, littered by garbage like "including but not
limited to", and things like that.
~~~
linkmotif
Thank you for the additional context.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Jet.com Is Making Its Employees' Salaries Transparent and Non-Negotiable - sytelus
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikamorphy/2015/07/21/jet-com-is-making-its-employees-salaries-transparent-and-non-negotiable/
======
paulhauggis
Salary transparency essentially has taken all power away from the employee
Companies normally will get in trouble if they talk to each other about
salary, but now that there is transparency, it's public information.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Graphene-based sieve turns seawater into drinking water - circadian
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-39482342
======
CarolineW
Discussion:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14027546](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14027546)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The queen does not rule - Vigier
https://aeon.co/essays/how-ant-societies-point-to-radical-possibilities-for-humans
======
lisper
An interesting puzzle: how can evolution produce an organism like an ant where
the vast majority of its exemplars are sterile? And the answer is: ants are
not organisms, ant _colonies_ are organisms. They just happen to be made of
parts that are not physically connected to each other.
The same thing turns out to be true of humans. A single human in isolation
cannot reproduce. Even a single breeding pair in the wild will (almost
certainly) not be able to reproduce. The minimal reproductive unit for homo
sapiens is a village or a tribe. So you too are not really an orgnism but an
organ, a component of a larger reproducing system that, just like an ant
colony, is made of parts that are not physically connected to each other.
~~~
IgorPartola
You don't have to look as far as ants to make the analogy you are making.
Almost no animal, and even some plants cannot reproduce without some minimal
number of "tribe" members. This is true for anything from chimps to
probiotics.
This all depends on how you define "life" and "individuality": slippery
concepts. And it's hard to not confuse those with emergent behavior once you
do get millions/billions of individuals together. Sure you could treat NYC as
its own autonomous living organism. Or you could treat it as millions of
individuals. It certainly doesn't make sense to treat it as gazillions of
cells.
The idea of having free will has been debated for centuries, but intuitively I
think it's obvious that a human has more free will than an ant.
~~~
lisper
> you could treat NYC as its own autonomous living organism
The most accurate description is that NYC is part of the phenotype of the
human genome.
BTW, this idea is not mine, it's from Richard Dawkins:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Extended_Phenotype](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Extended_Phenotype)
------
JumpCrisscross
> _To envisage how an ant’s task of the moment arises from a pulsing network
> of brief, meaningless interactions might compel us instead to ponder what
> really accounts for why each of us has a particular job._
It brought to my mind the economic calculation problem [1]. Markets distribute
decision making, commanding resources through the transmission of meaningless
price-discovery and transactional interactions. This has, so far, outperformed
systems which centralize economic planning.
[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_calculation_problem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_calculation_problem)
~~~
Retric
There are actually good counter examples where central planning wins. They are
often contentious like Medicine, but the advantage markets bring is robustness
not effecency. In a famine market economies have some people starve more and
others starve less.
~~~
YokoZar
You can't just assume a famine starts and then look what happens. The whole
point of pricing signals is that it changes what gets produced, making
shortages less likely to occur in the first place.
~~~
Retric
We have thousands of years of history with a huge range of causes. But, there
are a large number of famines across all economic systems.
------
booleandilemma
I know the article is about ants and not bees, but it reminds me of that Fight
Club quote:
Worker bees can leave. Even drones can fly away. The Queen is their slave.
------
whiddershins
This makes me think about Carla Scalletti's lecture on emergent systems:
[https://vimeopro.com/symbolicsound/kiss2016-presentations/vi...](https://vimeopro.com/symbolicsound/kiss2016-presentations/video/193469489)
------
tbrownaw
Well, I suppose it would be kinda hard to rule when your potential subjects
don't have the necessary discretion to be capable of being ruled.
------
tossedaway334
The author is mischarachterizing how Adam Smith viewed the division of labour.
While he viewed it as a gain in economic efficency, he also viewed it as
regrettable, limiting, and damaging to people, especially when taken to an
extreme.
"The man whose whole life is spent in performing a
few simple operations, of which the effects are
perhaps always the same, or very nearly the same,
has no occasion to exert his understanding or to
exercise his invention in finding out expedients
for removing difficulties which never occur. He
naturally loses, therefore, the habit of such
exertion, and generally becomes as stupid and
ignorant as it is possible for a human creature
to become. The torpor of his mind renders him not
only incapable of relishing or bearing a part in
any rational conversation, but of conceiving any
generous, noble, or tender sentiment, and
consequently of forming any just judgement
concerning many even of the ordinary duties of
private life... But in every improved and civilized
society this is the state into which the labouring
poor, that is, the great body of the people, must
necessarily fall, unless government takes some
pains to prevent it."
The moral side of Adam Smith's arguements is often entirely ignored in
analysis of his philosophy. He strongly condems many aspects of a free
market/capatialist economy. Why this is never focused on isnt very clear to
me.
~~~
RodericDay
Adam Smith and the founding group of the United States were all
philosophically opposed to inheritance, and very in favor of estate taxes,
estate taxes being very very compatible with capitalism:
[http://www.economist.com/blogs/lexington/2010/10/estate_tax_...](http://www.economist.com/blogs/lexington/2010/10/estate_tax_and_founding_fathers)
_If there was one thing the Revolutionary generation agreed on — and those
guys who dress up like them at Tea Party conventions most definitely do not —
it was the incompatibility of democracy and inherited wealth.
With Thomas Jefferson taking the lead in the Virginia legislature in 1777,
every Revolutionary state government abolished the laws of primogeniture and
entail that had served to perpetuate the concentration of inherited property.
Jefferson cited Adam Smith, the hero of free market capitalists everywhere, as
the source of his conviction that (as Smith wrote, and Jefferson closely
echoed in his own words), "A power to dispose of estates for ever is
manifestly absurd. The earth and the fulness of it belongs to every
generation, and the preceding one can have no right to bind it up from
posterity. Such extension of property is quite unnatural." Smith said: "There
is no point more difficult to account for than the right we conceive men to
have to dispose of their goods after death."
The states left no doubt that in taking this step they were giving expression
to a basic and widely shared philosophical belief that equality of citizenship
was impossible in a nation where inequality of wealth remained the rule. North
Carolina's 1784 statute explained that by keeping large estates together for
succeeding generations, the old system had served "only to raise the wealth
and importance of particular families and individuals, giving them an unequal
and undue influence in a republic" and promoting "contention and injustice."
Abolishing aristocratic forms of inheritance would by contrast "tend to
promote that equality of property which is of the spirit and principle of a
genuine republic."
Others wanted to go much further; Thomas Paine, like Smith and Jefferson, made
much of the idea that landed property itself was an affront to the natural
right of each generation to the usufruct of the earth, and proposed a "ground
rent" — in fact an inheritance tax — on property at the time it is conveyed at
death, with the money so collected to be distributed to all citizens at age
21, "as a compensation in part, for the loss of his or her natural
inheritance, by the introduction of the system of landed property."
Even stalwart members of the latter-day Republican Party, the representatives
of business and inherited wealth, often emphatically embraced these tenets of
economic equality in a democracy. I've mentioned Herbert Hoover's disdain for
the "idle rich" and his strong support for breaking up large fortunes.
Theodore Roosevelt, who was the first president to propose a steeply graduated
tax on inheritances, was another: he declared that the transmission of large
wealth to young men "does not do them any real service and is of great and
genuine detriment to the community at large.''
In her debate in Delaware yesterday, the Republican Senate candidate Christine
O'Donnell asserted that the estate tax is a "tenet of Marxism." I'm not sure
how much Marx she has read, but she might want to read the works of his fellow
travelers Adam Smith, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Herbert Hoover, and
Theodore Roosevelt before her next debate._
~~~
program_whiz
All wealth is inherited. Are you proposing each person is cast out and begins
again in cave man form with nothing but the unowned land to start with?
Everything you have, knowledge, money, inventions, cultivated land, food, your
body etc, were created and passed down (inherited) from a prior generation.
Also this idea penalizes someone who's parents died when they were born, who
would have paid for every opportunity until they were of age, now they have
nothing. Meanwhile those who have parents or some other caretaker to pay for
and facilitate all kinds of experiences thrive.
If you really think that's the case, then please stop using all the things
you've inherited from prior generations (i.e. turn off your computer,
electricity, plumbing, clothing you wear, food grown by others, streets built
before you).
~~~
dang
> _If you really think that 's the case, then please stop using all the
> things_
Please don't use escalating rhetoric like that on Hacker News. We're trying
for civil, substantive discussion here. Playing this sort of card is mildly
uncivil in its own right and tends to lead to worse.
------
winstonewert
The author has an overly narrow view of what constitutes division of labor.
Division labor doesn't mean that can't switch tasks or that you can only do a
task you were specifically born with the special ability for. Indeed, any
system of division of labor has to operate with the sort of adaptability she
describes in ants.
~~~
djsumdog
I think what the author is trying to get at here is that there is no control
system. There is no central brain coordinating things. Each individual ant
brain evolved to do different things based on the signals it receives from
others. Useful behaviours that lead to a higher fitness tend to survive and
progress to future generations of ants.
When you look at the human analogy, the queen doesn't have all the resources
and food she could ever need. In human society, we prise those people at the
top who convince others to give them resources. Human societies are not equal.
They never have been. In fact, equality is a completely human social construct
that we must actively and consciously pursue:
[http://khanism.org/society/created-
equal/](http://khanism.org/society/created-equal/)
~~~
program_whiz
Even our concept that the brain "controls" things is just our own projection
of things. Think about it, you get hit hard in the leg, so the leg releases
chemicals that trigger a bunch of repsonses, perhaps using the brain as the
intermediary point of communication, but to say the brain "controls it", is
just one way to look at it. The brain was really told what to do by the leg,
or maybe the nerves, or the blood. There is no system in nature that has
centralized control, all systems with "central authority" are really just a
projection of human conditioning.
For example, even in government, how exactly is centralized control
maintained? Its a bunch of distributed interactions that cause people to go
out and take actions that result in overall changes, but there isn't a
"government" per se that is like a giant telepathic mind controlling anyone's
actions, its just millions of interactions of people choosing what to do (some
soldiers, some merchants, some politicians), flowing in all directions.
~~~
SixSigma
See also: the only person Hitler ever killed was himself.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Anyone interested in forming a community of blog post reviewers? - nate
The problem:<p>I like to have blog posts I write to be reviewed by someone else. A co-worker, wife, etc.<p>It's definitely made my blog posts clearer, more effective and less dangerous (for those posts that sometimes contained something I shouldn't have said)<p>But sometimes it would be nice to bounce the post off more people with varied interests and writing skills than my small network. I don't seem to be alone as Paul Graham seems to use his network of friends and colleagues to review his essays. (for example, the bottom of http://www.paulgraham.com/discover.html)<p>A possible solution:<p>What do you guys think of me and the guys at Inkling putting together a community to get blog posts reviewed. Maybe it's something as simple as setting up a private discussion board like http://tenderapp.com. Where folks can submit drafts of their blog posts and have a group of people review them and offer comments before they get posted to the rest of the general public.<p>The community could take at least a couple forms:<p>1) There's a group of moderators who do the reviewing. They might nominate themselves, but are voted on by the community. The rest of the community then submits their blog posts to this body of reviewers.<p>Maybe for compensation, the reviewer doesn't get paid, but their name and link to their blog/project is added at the end of the blog posts they review. Maybe so that the quality of posts being reviewed starts much better than lots of junk, people that want to join the community of reviewees "applies" to be accepted into this community by submitting their current blog and a little about themselves. This way reviewers aren't going to get bogged down with reviewing total blog spam and those "reviewed by:" footnotes will be more worthwhile.<p>2) Or the community could just all be "better than most" blog writers that band together. Everyone is a reviewer and reviewee and the community is a bit more tight knit and challenging to get into.<p>Thoughts or ideas about this and making this idea better?
======
nate
This seems to have at least a positive reaction from a few folks who'd like to
see something accomplished. So to get the ball rolling:
<http://draftreview.tenderapp.com>
It's a private site. If you want to join, email me at nate at
inklingmarkets.com
Tell me if you want to be a reviewer as well.
Sound like a good place to start?
------
mediaman
Why not do this via email? I don't think a lot of people need to be involved.
Once or twice a day, a moderator circulates draft articles to the list. Each
author can list a publishing deadline, so a reviewer can choose whether or not
to start reading the piece based on the time available, and so nobody
contributes thought to a piece that has already been published.
Granted, this doesn't scale, but I don't think this is something that is meant
to scale: it should be a small group of eloquent, thoughtful writers who can
provide meaningful feedback prior to publishing to a broader audience.
The problem with web-based solutions is that they're not pushed to reviewers,
so many of the busier people whose insights may be most valuable to an author
will not remember to check the site. For example, I doubt Paul posts an essay
draft to a private site and waits for his colleagues to check it for drafts to
review.
Although I wouldn't be able to provide feedback on every entry, I would enjoy
contributing thoughts to authors in a format like this, and I think it would
help create special relationships between people in a different way than the
HN community boards (less anonymous, more thoughtful, etc).
Edit: I see a lot of suggestions here about how to fix this problem with
technology using crypto, etc.; I don't think this is a technology problem as
much as a social organization problem.
~~~
nate
All good points. And I'm going to sound like a pitchman for Tender
(<http://tenderapp.com>) :) But that's kind of why I liked using this to
create a minimum viable version of this community. Tender is very friendly
with email. So new things submitted to be reviewed will get blasted to
submitters who have their email alerts turned on. They can reply via email.
There's also queues if someone wants to put something in their queue so the
duplication factor might go away some.
------
skmurphy
If you are looking to foster real collaboration (as opposed to copy editing
and spell checking) I would use a private wiki to let all parties edit the
post (or leave comments). I think a discussion board serves a different
purpose, preserving authorship of each contributor and allowing you to have a
discussion instead of reaching working consensus on a common narrative. Both
are useful but serve different purposes.
~~~
Kaizyn
Committee editing of blog posts is not a way to go. Blogs are good because
they have a distinct point of view and voice. Group editing would have the
effect of homogenizing the distinctive voices into something more bland like
you find in wikipedia articles.
~~~
yankeeracer73
I think the intent of the post was to have people review the post at an idea
level, not to collaboratively write something.
~~~
nate
Yep, I wasn't imagining this as some kind of lets all get together and write a
blog post kind of thing. Really just to get some comments on "does this make
sense", "am i dangerously offending anyone here", etc.
Just like Paul Graham's essays. Those are still very much his voice, even if
his friends and colleagues submit their opinions to him on earlier drafts of
it.
~~~
skmurphy
I think the forum approach is also a good one for the purposes that you
envision. I was also trying to suggest that collaborating more deeply also has
benefits. It's also good practice for teamwork in startups where you often
need to reach a working agreement on document content against a deadline.
------
m_eiman
For a blend of the two you could do something like:
* A draft can only be viewed by reviewers approved by the writer * When a post is published, it also turns world-readable on the reviewer site, _including the reviewers' comments_ * Let the writers add any reviewer they want to their list of approved reviewers
This lets new writers see which reviewers provide the best feedback, and they
can add them to their pool of reviewers. The number of approved writers and
feedback quality could be used as the base of some sort of karma system.
Each reviewer sees a "Most recent" or "HN frontpage"-like list of articles
available for review. No action should be required to decline reviewing a
article, to prevent popular reviewers from getting swamped.
For a business spin and to provide an incentive for reviewers, you could also
add a fee to post a draft and distribute (part of?) the money to the reviewers
based on their karmic score. Make the size of the fee based on the size of the
article to review.
------
ErrantX
That's a really intriguing idea (I too noticed how pg gets people to read
drafts - I started doing the same here and there with varying results).
The issue would be it would have to be fairly private, right. In some way at
least. Because if the idea is to _preview_ and make suggestions for
improvements / revisions _prior_ to posting you wouldn't want it public at any
stage :P At the same time you'd want to keep it vibrant and full of content.
(by which I mean #1 sounds the better way)
~~~
nate
Right, it would definitely be "private". Meaning, in #1 the reviewers would be
a group of moderators who the community trusts through a "Friend DA". Not sure
we are going to get some legal document drawn up, but basically the community
knows the moderators aren't going to be sharing the early draft of a blog post
with anyone.
The blog post only exists in the system for the submitter (reviewee) and the
group of reviewers.
That's why <http://tenderapp.com/> stood out to me, because it it's a support
tool, so has this idea of moderators (support staff) who are the people
allowed to view a private post.
------
petercooper
FWIW, the community at the newish ProBlogger.com does stuff like this. (I have
no connection with it other than being one of the first to sign up and a
prolific poster over there :))
But, actually, I'd see value in something like you're suggesting where the
"reviewers" _aren't_ professional bloggers or even "better than most" blog
writers. Most blog readers are not better-than-most writers and might raise
comments that are ultimately more useful.
~~~
nate
Oh, that's interesting. I'll dive into this community maybe a bit more. My
initial reaction is the community here seems to be catering to very beginners
and up. And maybe what I'm purposing is a bit more for people who already have
some skills at blogging and some established readership, who just want reviews
and not tips on adsense, etc. Also I think what I'm purposing keeps the draft
a bit more private since the post would only be shared with a smallish body of
reviewers.
~~~
petercooper
From my experience, I've seen about a 50/50 split in "pro" bloggers versus
newer people who want to become pro bloggers. That split might have changed a
little because Darren opened it up to his wider audience - though early on it
was nearly all "pros". There's a very active "critique" board on there though
- I've done perhaps 10-15 critiques so far - they range from overall
designs/strategies to posts.
------
run4yourlives
You may want to also check out kuro5hin.org. They've been doing a form of what
you are talking about via the "edit queue" for quite some time, where members
can comment and suggest changes using a different class of comments that reset
prior to the article being published.
It's a shadow of what the community was at it's peak, but it still may offer
some insight.
------
hegemonicon
No suggestions other than I think it's a great idea.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
DuckDuckGo & DuckDuckHack [video from YAPC::Europe 2012] - draegtun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYE5ktzEbaw
======
draegtun
Clickable links of CPAN modules mentioned (from one slide) in the talk:
* <https://metacpan.org/module/Import::Into>
* [https://metacpan.org/module/Dist::Zilla::Plugin::AutoModuleS...](https://metacpan.org/module/Dist::Zilla::Plugin::AutoModuleShareDirs)
* <https://metacpan.org/module/CPAN::Repository>
* <https://metacpan.org/module/Dist::Data>
* <https://metacpan.org/module/Locale::Simple>
* <https://metacpan.org/module/File::ShareDir::ProjectDistDir>
* <https://metacpan.org/module/Module::Data>
* <https://metacpan.org/module/Path::ScanINC>
* <https://metacpan.org/module/MooX::Cmd>
* <https://metacpan.org/module/MooX::HasEnv>
And also _duckpan_ \- <https://metacpan.org/release/App-DuckPAN>
------
draegtun
It looks like the _Quack & Hack 2013 Europe_ in Paris is now _Quack & Hack
2012 Europe_ and scheduled for 7th-9th December 2012 (still in Paris) -
<http://act.yapc.eu/qh2012eu/>
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Fun programming in Roy with Turtle Graphics - bazzargh
http://turtle-roy.herokuapp.com/
======
bazzargh
A bit of context: yesterday a link was posted to the Robot Turtles
kickstarter, and I wondered whether anyone was teaching functional languages
to kids instead of imperative ones... then today Brian McKenna mentioned the
'Girls Can't Code' blog
[http://girlscantcode.blogspot.fi/2013_09_01_archive.html](http://girlscantcode.blogspot.fi/2013_09_01_archive.html)
... where Juha Paananen describes teaching his daughter to code.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: The Image Locator - automation for finding css top/left coordinates - code_strict
http://locator.codestrict.com
======
ghostdog69
Nice! Simple, clean and easy to use. Was just testing it out on this current
html game I'm making and works like it should.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Does Book on Software Contracting exists? - 31reasons
Is there a paper book or ebook for learning how to do software contracting with all the details from strategies to find clients and legal matters. If you are a contractor how did you learn it ?
======
bcRIPster
Start here:
Software Development: A Legal Guide
[http://www.amazon.com/Legal-Guide-Software-Development-CD-
Ro...](http://www.amazon.com/Legal-Guide-Software-Development-CD-
Rom/dp/1413305326)
and
Consultant & Independent Contractor Agreements
[http://www.amazon.com/Consultant-Independent-Contractor-
Agre...](http://www.amazon.com/Consultant-Independent-Contractor-Agreements-
Stephen/dp/1413316220)
both by: Stephen Fishman J.D : NOLO press
~~~
31reasons
Thanks
------
soupangel
A colleague of mine has written a book on this subject, sounds like it would
be worth a look for you: <https://leanpub.com/freelancedeveloperbook>
~~~
stevejalim
Author here: yep, that's basically why I wrote the book - to bring a bunch of
knowledge gained over the years and from various sources into one place. Will
be making time to push a new 'release' of the book sometime soon, too, so all
feedback is welcome.
PS - thanks for the mention, soupangel
~~~
31reasons
Thanks! buying your book :)
------
relaunched
The only book you'll ever need is this video:
<http://vimeo.com/22053820>
Mike Monteiro - F*ck you, pay me!
It was made for creative work, but is still very applicable.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Equifax statement regarding extent of security incident announced Sep 7 2017 - geocar
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/33185/000119312518154706/d583804dex991.htm
======
jMyles
Wow, this document is extremely short. The disaster is very palpable in this
format.
> names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some
> instances, driver’s license numbers of 143 million U.S. consumers (since
> updated)
OK, so who is going to be the grown-up in this situation?
It's obvious now that these numbers can no longer be treated as secret or, in
most cases, as identifying instruments.
Who will lead the effort to deprecate them and migrate all of the documents
and accounts which rely on them?
Why is it so difficult to imagine a coherent, sober response from government
and mega-corporate entities which have until now, been using SSNs as
identifying data?
~~~
tomglynch
Need a totally new way of verifying identity now. The old way was already
broken, but now it's totally destroyed.
~~~
seanp2k2
And yet we still use it with no end in sight. The only reason your identity
isn't yet stolen and financial history ruined is likely literally that they
haven't gotten to you yet.
What incentives are there for Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, Innovis, etc who
profit from this system existing to make it better?
Who in the government will go after them, or even better, come up with
something which will render them obsolete?
~~~
Someone1234
They profit from this system and also profit from breaches.
All of them have been making money hand over fist on this, thanks to their
exclusive ability to monitor and lock/unlock their own credit reports.
Even if you aren't paying these companies directly, you're paying a company
paying them for credit reporting to watch for identity theft.
Calling it a perverse incentive is an understatement. Only the US Government
could have stepped in and made it unprofitable, but it appears as there will
be no significant punishment for Equifax, and instead as a result of this the
Congress made it harder to file a Class Action Lawsuit against companies like
Equifax, so the next time you won't even have that option...
~~~
ams6110
Some states by law require that there be no charge for credit report
locking/unlocking.
------
macintux
I saw an apparently authentic local post on Facebook from a woman who received
a call from someone in law enforcement. She had apparently missed a jury
summons, and the official was trying to help her sort out the mess. He asked
her about her address (turned out to be an older address) and knew her
occupation, told her to meet him somewhere.
Something seemed odd to her, called the police and established that no one by
that name worked for them, may have dodged a kidnapping attempt.
To make an incoherent and possibly bogus story short: this felt to me like a
possible outcome from the Equifax data breach. Random stranger knows your
(previous) address, knows what you do for a living, knows your phone number.
There could be even worse outcomes than identity theft from this.
~~~
macintux
A more more direct anecdote: I just got a replacement social security card by
mail. All it took to do it online was information from my credit report.
Thanks to this breach, the only defense against someone getting my social
security card fraudulently is that it has to be mailed to my current address.
~~~
sgdread
You can put a credit freeze on you file in major credit bureaus - this way
their website would not be able to verify answers on security questions and
deny login.
Brian Krebs did a good article on the process placing a freeze on your file
[1]
[1] [https://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/06/how-i-learned-to-stop-
wo...](https://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/06/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-
embrace-the-security-freeze/)
~~~
macintux
Good point, hadn't occurred to me to correlate that idea with the SSA's
system.
------
rbankston
Just have to add that in circumstances like this a corporate death penalty
seems appropriate. Equifax is an entity that you are not able to be removed
from in any way. When you look at the financial and security ramifications of
the breach and what was released and the response, seems appropriate. The
kicker is that Equifax also offers credit monitoring for fraud prevention as a
product to line their coffers.
~~~
ams6110
The corporate death penalty here would not fix the problem. The data are
already exposed.
Equifax market cap is currently $13.5B. Corporate death penalty would hurt
owners of that stock, maybe funds in your own 401K account. Thousands of
people would lose their jobs.
Would it have a preventive effect? Maybe but doubtful. There are too many
systems with too much data that are too old and too interconnected to think
that it's even possible to secure them all. If it wasn't Equifax it would have
been someone else, eventually. Most of what Equifax exposed was probably
already exposed in other leaks anyway.
Better solution should be developing new, secure methods of proving identity,
where leaks don't matter because it's not possible to leak anything of value.
All the old ways are now forever broken.
~~~
maxerickson
Power is part of the problem. Blowing up companies will have the effect of
diffusing power.
That they've managed to schmear consequences of that explosion across society
is a pretty circular reason for not damaging them.
~~~
ams6110
OK, say Equifax is blown up.
How does that get us any farther with the fundamental problem of how to prove
identity when all the old schemes have been rendered useless?
There's a revenge or punishment piece that maybe is necessary and appropriate,
but it doesn't solve any of the real problems we now face.
~~~
guitarbill
Maybe the other credit reporting agencies and other companies would take
security seriously. Sometimes breaches happen. Sometimes it's clearly
negligence.
And just because it's too late now doesn't mean the law can't be adjusted to
prevent it from happening in the future. If you don't learn from mistakes,
that's dumb. And obviously companies can't be trusted to do it themselves.
------
schainks
Don't forget, if you want to change your social security number, here's the
process[1]:
1\. Prove you meet the conditions for changing it (you must show proof of
identify _theft_ and how it disadvantages you)
2\. Show up at an office, in person, with original documentation.
Sounds like a great startup idea: make fixing 143M citizens' identities as
easy as ordering a pizza. Or create the Uber for people who will stand in line
for you at the Social Security office.
[1]:
[https://faq.ssa.gov/link/portal/34011/34019/Article/3789/Can...](https://faq.ssa.gov/link/portal/34011/34019/Article/3789/Can-
I-change-my-Social-Security-number)
~~~
xtony
Cool idea. YMMV with this, though. The government accidentally assigned me
someone else's SSN (had the same first/last name as me and was born in the
same hospital) and it took about 2 years to rectify.
~~~
mehrdadn
How did you find out?
~~~
xtony
The other person was able to use his/my SSN to "mistakenly" withdraw a large
amount of money from my bank account. That was what first tipped me off.
------
wmeredith
Serious question: at what point does it not matter that your identity has been
stolen simply because everyrone's has been stolen? I mean, we're approaching
that point, right? The size and scope of this breach basically encompasses the
entire adult population of the US, does it not?
~~~
ams6110
We're certainly at the point where there's no reason to believe that your data
has not been exposed. Whether it's been used to commit fraud is another
matter. The odds are in your favor by sheer numbers but who knows for how
long.
------
lmkg
It has been _eight months_ since the data breach was announced (nine since it
was discovered). This is the first time we are getting a full reckoning of
what data was accessed. (We knew it was ~150 million SSN's, but we didn't what
else it included--e.g. address history, income, debt, etc.) I'll admit,
Equifax actually exceeded my expectations in this regard, I was skeptical that
they would be able to create a document like this at all. Still, the impact of
the data breach was magnified by the fact that they have so little oversight
over their own systems that reconciling records took more than half a year.
Any time there's a privacy issue nowadays, I like to play "What if GDPR?" GPDR
would have required this document be filed to the relevant authority in _three
days_ (Article 33). And the work to compile this document would have mostly
been front-loaded by complying with the documentation requirements in Article
30. I don't think GDPR would have made a direct impact on preventing the
breach (other than maybe causing someone to look at the towering pile of
paperwork and consider thinking of the data as a liability), but affected
users would have been much better prepared to know how they might have been
affected and how to respond.
~~~
kingnothing
In three days (where possible). Equifax would have said it was not possible.
The benefit of GDPR is that you could request that they delete any data they
have on you. I also believe they wouldn't be able to collect this personal
information in the first place since you don't have a business relationship
with them.
------
eyeareque
Can EU citizens request that equifax purge them from their systems? If so I
wonder what would happen if you deleted yourself?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
What Kind of a Thing is Twitter? - blasdel
http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/twitter
======
RyanMcGreal
An insightful essay, as always, but I think Aaron both overstates the extent
to which persona is manufactured on Twitter and understates the extent to
which persona is manufactured in interpersonal exchanges.
That is, we're always giving a performance of ourselves to others, but to the
extent that we are what we do, we _are_ the personas we choose to present.
Twitter as a medium obviously has some specific characteristics that both
enable and constrain what kind of communication can take place across it; but
again this is true of all media - including face-to-face conversation.
------
greyman
I think the original question is unanswerable, since Twitter is a different
thing for different people, while the author focuses to just several use
cases. I personally use Twitter mostly as a real-time search engine and it
proven to be useful in this regard.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
William Gibson talks briefly to BoingBoing about his novel, design & the web - wgx
http://boingboing.net/2011/09/01/william-gibson-interview-boing-boing-exclusive.html
======
w1ntermute
> I think I bought a total of maybe four new hardcover novels, as an
> undergraduate, so I still think of the hardcover as a sort of word-of-mouth
> trailer for the mass market paperback.
At the most basic level, though, it's temporal price discrimination. Those who
want to read the book right away will buy the expensive hardcover edition as
soon as it's released, while others will wait for the cheaper paperback
version. The free word-of-mouth advertising by those diehard fans is just an
additional benefit.
Perhaps something similar will be seen with the Kindle store, in that prices
for books will gradually drop, in order to net the highest profit from the
hardcore fans, but still draw in casual readers with lower prices at a later
date.
~~~
unwind
"Want", of course, is a relative term.
I'm sometimes a semi-intense reader of SF, but I always buy paperback simply
because the hardcover form factor is completely and utterly impractical.
For years, my main reading environment was on the subway, commuting to college
and (later) work. A paperback is trivial to stuff into a bag, while many of
the hardcover editions that come out first look as if they're supposed to be
in the Grand Temple of Reading, preferably on a dedicated 100% smooth marble
table or something.
I don't know how many times I've been to my preferred SF bookshop, spotted
instance _n_ of book series _m_ finally on the shelves, hefted it, and though
"nope, this is unusable, I'll wait". Then, six months later the paperback is
out, and gets bought.
I _think_ (I don't know since I've never tried it) I would be ready to pay
more for a paperback at the date the hardcover is out. Maybe not hardcover
price, but perhaps 50-80% more than what the paperback will cost, once out.
------
gks
I kinda missed the part where he talked about his latest novel… Zero History
was originally published about a year ago (September of 2010) and it is now in
mass market paperback. But, when you say "latest" novel it sort of means
you're talking about the new novel that hasn't been released yet. Not the old
novel that is being released again.
Although, now it appears the title has been altered? RSS says "William Gibson
talks to BoingBoing about his latest novel"
Meanwhile, HN has "William Gibson talks briefly to BoingBoing about his novel,
design & the web"
Color me confused..
~~~
wgx
Yep - pretty much straight away I made the edit, but I guess it takes time to
reflect in the RSS?
------
mortenjorck
Some interesting Gibson perspectives, but his closing comment is the best:
_Sometimes I remember that I evidently assumed that Ronald Reagan was
probably about as weird as it was going to get; that that all seemed a bit
over the top, a grave if semi-comic but blessedly temporary anomaly. That's
scary._
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Information Fiduciaries in the Digital Age - dredmorbius
https://balkin.blogspot.com/2014/03/information-fiduciaries-in-digital-age.html
======
dredmorbius
Jack Balkan suggests that information holders be legally tasked with acting in
the interest of those whose information they hold:
_The idea of an information fiduciary matters when the fiduciary discloses or
uses sensitive information about the beneficiary to the beneficiary 's
disadvantage without permission. First, in some cases, the government may
impose a duty of disclosure in some cases, but it generally requires a very
good reason to breach the confidence. Second, the fiduciary may not disclose
sensitive information to third parties or use the information against the
client's interest, and if this duty is breached, the client has a cause of
action in tort. Note, moreover, that this cause of action is not barred by the
First Amendment. A lawyer, doctor or accountant generally does not have a
First Amendment right to disclose sensitive information about their clients or
use that information in self-dealing even though a perfect stranger with no
professional relationship might have a First Amendment right to do so. The
fiduciary relationship creates a duty that, in this particular context, trumps
the interest in freedom of expression._
I'd run across the notion in Jonathan Zittrain's recent _New York Times_ OpEd:
[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/07/opinion/sunday/zuckerberg...](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/07/opinion/sunday/zuckerberg-
facebook-privacy-congress.html)
He's previously developed the idea with Balkan in an item previously submitted
to HN in 2016, though without generating discussion:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12647720](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12647720)
At _The Atlantic_ , "A Grand Bargain to Make Tech Companies Trustworthy":
[https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/10/infor...](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/10/information-
fiduciary/502346/?single_page=true)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Elon Musk’s $600 Flamethrower Will Be Released into the Civilian Market in April - IntronExon
https://taskandpurpose.com/elon-musks-600-flamethrower-will-apparently-released-civilian-market-april/
======
fullstackwebdev
Ok so that's just the Harbor Freight weed burner with a housing that looks
like a gun.
[https://www.harborfreight.com/propane-
torch-91033.html](https://www.harborfreight.com/propane-torch-91033.html)
~~~
mmagin
It grinds my gears when people call a big torch a flamethrower. A flame
thrower spits burning liquid fuel onto things.
~~~
mikestew
I wouldn’t mind so much if the front page of that military-oriented site
didn’t have a picture of an _actual_ flamethrower in action. Yeah, you’re not
doing that with propane toys from Amazon.
------
cronjobma
Makes me wonder... it worked for Airbnb with selling cereal to get some funds
flowing. Musk made it work with the hats and now this. Should it be a serious
strategy for startups to sell funny/share worthy swag to fund their ventures?
~~~
david-cako
According to the comment referenced in the comment referenced[1], it's quite
lucrative.
[1]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16244023](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16244023)
------
Falcotech
I'm surprised to see so many people taking this seriously. This product is
scheduled for release sometime in April. Let's consider the possibility that
the release date could be April 1st. /hint
------
Ice_cream_suit
From a comment below the article:
"I debunk the flamethrower...
it's just a Push-Start Propane Blow Torch ( 50$ from Amazon ) mounted in
S.T.A.R. XR-5 Airsoft ( 112$ ). Start piezo button is inverted and in the hole
with finger.
You can see the propane valve button on top of the gun... and you have a
propane torch able to burn grass in your garden .. "
See [https://www.amazon.com/Push-Start-Propane-Blow-Torch-
Long/dp...](https://www.amazon.com/Push-Start-Propane-Blow-Torch-
Long/dp/B076QGV1PY?th=1)
Musk gets $600 for a piece of kit worth around $75 and the fan-bois lap it up.
~~~
luismmolina
Only $600!!?????, fanboy here
------
barsonme
Fun fact, flamethrowers are only illegal in CA and MD. The former, presumably,
because like half the state is a tinderbox. The latter because, well, they
like to ban things.
Anyway, this sounds pretty awesome, especially since other flamethrowers are
well upwards of $600.
Just, uh, please be safe.
~~~
adammunich
They are legal in CA so long as the fuel is a gas.
~~~
Rebelgecko
It definitely doesn't look like it'll shoot more than 10 feet (unlike the
XM-42, which costs a couple hundred more bucks and is definitely illegal in
CA). This just looks like a butane torch in a 3d printed case that will get
you arrested if you walk around with it in public.
~~~
barsonme
If I had more property and my SO wouldn't smack me upside the head for
spending $800 on something that shoots fire, I'd totally get the XM-42.
------
sxates
So basically Musk has turned into Hank Scorpio [1]
[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ew78KThLOY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ew78KThLOY)
------
snrplfth
"Spaceballs: The Flamethrower! The kids love this one."
------
tempodox
But will it work on Mars?
~~~
dsr_
Not without an oxygen supply. And when you have a nozzle-directed oxygen +
fuel source optimized for distance, we call it a rocket.
------
stesch
Sounds reasonable.
------
TokyoKid
He was a super villain already.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
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