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The Death March of Mechanical Engineering - sagarkamat
http://sfericalcube.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-death-march-of-mechanical.html
======
greenyoda
_" By contrast, a modern Tesla Model S supercar has a battery pack which
powers a single water-melon sized motor linked directly to its wheels.
Engineering wise, its brilliant. Mechanical Engineering wise, its a huge loss
of accumulated knowledge and craftsmanship."_
Electric cars are not just a motor and wheels. Other than the engine and drive
train, they have all of the same mechanical systems a conventional car has:
suspension, steering, brakes, air conditioning, air bags, crumple zones,
aerodynamically designed exteriors, etc.
~~~
sagarkamat
I was largely referring to the process of converting fuel into motion.
Basically the engine and the drive train- which are some of our most precisely
manufactured systems
------
na85
As a mechanical engineer, I've always clung to the notion that I need to be
multi-disciplinary. The days of being able to get by in Mech without knowing
how to write code or work with some basic circuitry ended in the 90s, if not
earlier.
~~~
sagarkamat
completely agree. I myself am specializing in Computational Fluid Dynamics now
and love coding
|
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The Sound of the Sun - zacharyvoase
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/mediacentre/2010/1662.html
======
jamesbressi
I oddly enjoy this.
Anywhere to get longer versions of the Sun's "sound" that are also free of any
copy protection? (Sounds odd, I know the sun doesn't copyright it's own sound,
but not sure if somehow those going through the trouble to "record" it can?)
------
ElbertF
Make sure your speaker volume isn't on 10 before watching the video, that was
terrifying.
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Good Design - MarlonPro
https://medium.com/the-year-of-the-looking-glass/good-design-a89c15136ba6#.59s9dmzgf
======
brlewis
From gmail's first UX designer:
75% of good UX design is determining in which ways to not be too clever.
[https://twitter.com/kfury/status/627350727891906560](https://twitter.com/kfury/status/627350727891906560)
~~~
pcurve
When Gmail came out, it was widely panned. It continued to get panned for
years for some bizarre design decisions. (let's hide all text labels, let's
make compose new email in a popup, let's not let user 'delete' but
'archive'etc, threading... )
Now people don't complain as much, because everyone just got used to it.
Google makes some terrible UX across the board.
~~~
quanticle
Agreed. The Material Design refresh for Google Maps replaced a design that had
clear affordances with a completely flat, static-looking view. I'm sure it
looked great on some Powerpoint slide shown to the higher-ups at Google, but
it was a disaster for actual usability.
~~~
pcurve
yup, and the worst part of material design is, indiscriminate use of bright
colors for no apparent reasons. And now everyone is doing the same thing, and
50% of UI look exactly the same.
------
achow
Irony considering the author starts with her experience at OneNote. OneNote
(desktop) possibly is the worst designed software in Microsoft Office suite.
I find the following quote from Chris Pratley (creator of OneNote) interesting
_" You know you have a good design when you show it to people and they say,
“oh, yeah, of course,” like the solution was obvious."_. No wonder OneNote is
so heavily into literal metaphor of a notebook, which frankly does look and
feel clumsy inspite they attempting to polish it up a bit off late (it used to
look plain ugly till couple of years back).
From official Microsoft document: _The user interface is specifically designed
to look like a 3-ring binder, complete with tab dividers. Users can divide the
notebook into multiple topics and subtopics for the various types of
information they want to record and save. Workers have all the advantages of
an old fashioned notebook binder with the additional advantages of being able
to copy information from one section to another..._
Document link:
[https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web...](https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiplu6ijLvKAhVCbY4KHavzB4IQFgggMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdownload.microsoft.com%2Fdownload%2F1%2Fa%2F2%2F1a298a90-6894-46ef-86de-9d74704d1e3b%2FOneNoteBenefitsWhitePaper.doc&usg=AFQjCNEjvKxQ44E3QDrw5mAXMrG7iu7HhA&bvm=bv.112064104,d.c2E)
~~~
k-mcgrady
What about that OneNote design is bad? It may look ugly to you but I find it
serves its purpose well. It's a metaphor the kind of people who use it will
understand.
~~~
achow
Well, not answering directly but following illustrates the point:
Apple's iOS7, Well, It Was Time For Skeuomorphism To Die
[http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/09/19/apples-
io...](http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/09/19/apples-ios7-well-it-
was-time-for-skeuomorphism-to-die/#2715e4857a0b70d98891444b)
One of the bad example of Skeumorphism of Apple
[http://dun4nx4d6jyre.cloudfront.net/assets/findmyfriends.jpg](http://dun4nx4d6jyre.cloudfront.net/assets/findmyfriends.jpg).
Note the 'hand stitched' detailing.
OneNote could have continued to do things well without using clumsy, awkward,
out of place design language.
~~~
makecheck
There's nothing wrong with a hand-stitching look. Making an app look
_interesting_ is not the problem.
The issues with skeuomorphism occur when the attempt at making a "real life"
object imposes restrictions on functionality that would not have existed
otherwise. For example:
\- Making something look like a "book" causes designers to try too hard to
shove things into a two-page view when computers are _outstanding_ at being
far more flexible than a book (e.g. multiple resizable columns, scrolling, and
so on).
\- Making something look like a "dial" just makes it unnecessarily hard to
interact with when using a mouse or even a touch screen. Interface elements
designed for use on computers are superior.
~~~
Silhouette
Thank you. I wish people wouldn't just equate skeuomorphic design and bad
design to be trendy (particularly when they don't know what "skeuomorphic"
actually means, as often seems to be the case). As you say, there is nothing
wrong with having details or styling in a UI, particularly if they are
cosmetically attractive, as long as form still follows function.
I think a lot of people on the flat design bandwagon try to create a false
dichotomy with skeuomorphism and try to use this as an excuse. All too often,
I suspect they really prefer flat design for other reasons, such as not being
any good at more sophisticated styling but also not wanting to hire a digital
artist onto a project team, or wanting to avoid anything where the
implementation requires real graphics instead of whatever severely limited
tools are available using nothing but CSS and the icon font from their
favourite UI toolkit. I'm not saying no flat design has ever been done well,
but all too often I think it's just lazy and/or unskilled design and the anti-
skeuomorphism dogma gets wheeled out to try to justify it in some more
flattering way.
~~~
makecheck
I suspect the main driver for a "flat" appearance is that basic shapes are
easy to implement across screen sizes (e.g. a colored rectangle scales pretty
trivially; something like a fancy gradient may require a lot more effort to
look reasonable on 14 different device sizes, especially if icon artwork is
involved for all the corner and side pieces).
Also, _clear_ icons are easier to construct with simple shapes than with
detailed pictures, and symbolic icons may localize better. For example, a
highly detailed picture of a mailbox varies between a lot of countries; a
symbol of an envelope may not, and it's probably more obvious anyway.
Personally, I think a nice middle ground was the original iOS, where you could
do cool things like define simple shapes for tab-view icons but have the OS
stylize them for you (i.e. a plain white shape would end up with a cool blue
gradient and look perfect in the black gradient tab bar, even though the
original icon had no gradients or colors or rounded corners). And the UI
elements, while sometimes a bit complex, managed to scale just fine between
the screen sizes of the time.
------
tinbad
I have an issue with all the designers who claim to have found the X number of
design principles to create 'good' design. There's just something wrong with
trying to define anything as 'obviously good'. What's obviously good for me
might not be for someone else and the current landscape of incoherently
designed interfaces/products/OSes/webpages we use every day just proves to me
that if there was such a thing like an obviously good design we would not be
in the mess that we call UX/UI design today.
~~~
ocdtrekkie
I disagree. UX/UI design has to be obvious, people need to know what to do,
without having to ask for help or look at a manual. And 'obvious' is easy.
Certain arrangements that already exist are basically universal. People know
where to look, people understand certain symbols. Use those, don't try and
reinvent them. Use what people know.
Trying to be clever is what dooms design.
~~~
mden
Trying to be clever is the main thing that has led to progress and eventual
better design.
Amazon's drop down menu comes to mind -
[http://bjk5.com/post/44698559168/breaking-down-amazons-
mega-...](http://bjk5.com/post/44698559168/breaking-down-amazons-mega-
dropdown)
~~~
ocdtrekkie
Ah, I think you missed the point. Amazon's solution to the menu behavior, yes,
is clever. But what it presents to the user is not. It is a dropdown menu,
that looks like every other drop down menu ever made. It's not novel at all in
that respect. A user sees it, and they instantly know what it is, and how it
works.
Yes, Amazon did something clever to make it work as well as it does, but
barely anyone even notices that there's anything special about it. It 'just
works'.
That's key. The actual design pattern here didn't change at all. It just works
better.
Can you make something work better? Do it. Are you trying something because
"icons and folders are a dated idea"? Then don't.
~~~
mden
Fair enough, but then wasn't the idea of icons and folders considered clever
at some point in the way you are describing. It seems that the vast majority
of design is not better than the current accepted standard, but every so often
someone designs something which is good and becomes the new standard. At some
point you have to be willing to do something potentially stupid if you have
any interest in pushing the boundaries or am I still missing the point you are
making?
I think gmail's redesign from a few years ago falls into what you are
describing - trying to design something more "modern and clever" which in some
way was to the detriment of the users (at least if you were judging by the
reception and all the critique). But at the same time if you don't try to
maintain a more modern interface I think you risk being left behind, so you
have to balance "clever" with "expected" design.
~~~
ocdtrekkie
What is your intended goal in 'pushing the boundaries'? Where is the
reasoning? Are you making life better for people, or are you confusing them?
What is 'falling behind' in design? Does your product work well? Is it easy to
use?
If you believe something has to change, just because it should, then I think
you're coming from the wrong place. You have customers that depend on you,
your job is to serve them, not some sort of need to invent the next great
design revolution.
~~~
mden
Most problems already have some sort of solution for them. When you make a
claim that your solution is better than the existing solution you often
provide a better UX in some respects. For this you have to make design
decisions some of which don't have an accepted standard. This is where you are
pushing the boundaries.
On the other hand, UI style and UX naturally improves over time. Compare
Windows 95 and Windows 7. There are certainly style and UX changes in the
latter that are superior. A lot of people may not like Window's Ribbon
interface but I think it was definitely an interesting new design, one which I
think will in the long term prove to be better than plain drop down menus.
So I guess I am making the claim that if you are really invested in your
product you probably have ideas on how it could be improved and a lot of those
ideas are uncertain but deserve time to be attempted.
------
profinger
I think it's ironic because it's on medium and the first thing that comes up
is a giant, stupid, unnecessary picture that is full screen and could lead
people to believe that there's nothing more to the article.
------
michaelpinto
This: "Better design does not mean more design. Often, the most obvious
designs are invisible." This also reminds me of the Steve Jobs approach of
being proud of all the times that they said "no".
~~~
diego_moita
Too bad he isn't around anymore to say that to the Apple Watch user interface.
~~~
zappo2938
Or, the iTunes radio app.
~~~
dceddia
Or, any version of iTunes after, like, 7. :(
------
tacos
This article is a clumsy and self-centered retelling of "Dieter Rams: ten
principles for good design" from 40 years ago.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieter_Rams#Dieter_Rams:_ten_p...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieter_Rams#Dieter_Rams:_ten_principles_for_good_design)
~~~
Tepix
Looking like being obvious is not among Rams principles.
~~~
tacos
#4: "it is self-explanatory."
~~~
Tepix
OK, I think it's a misunderstanding. Self-explanatory refers to the use of
object that is designed. It needs no explanation. How to ride a bicycle is
pretty self-explanatory (even if it's not trivial to learn).
The design of a bicycle however is not obvious.
------
ryanSrich
What an overly simplistic view of what makes design good (as if that can even
be defined).
Taking any advice from a designer at Facebook is a dangerous game to play.
It's very likely you work for a company that is structured entirely
differently than anything close to Facebook. What makes design "good" at your
company is going to depend wholeheartedly on the market you serve (which is
not going to be 1 billion people large).
------
simi_
This made me think of "The Making of: Dust", which describes the iterative
(and serendipitous) process of creating [two of] the most well-known Counter
Strike maps. I think it's a brilliant how a design that feels obvious involves
a lot of work and uncertainty.
[http://johnsto.co.uk/design/making-dust](http://johnsto.co.uk/design/making-
dust)
HN:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9772521](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9772521)
------
tsunamifury
Here are some more abstract tips that might apply to more than just Facebook's
mentality.
1) Have a clear workflow that matches your business and your user goals.
2) Make it as short as possible.
3) Don't have dead ends.
4) Make sure 4/5 people in your target market can jump into it and accomplish
the task within a few seconds without asking any questions. (This is a good
target for a V1 release, V2 and beyond should reach for 9/10 or more)
The rest is mostly trend and opinion. Good design is just good HCI -- fast
(both quick and understandable) interfaces to complete a task.
------
interlocutor
Loved the article, but I don't like Julie's redesign of Facebook. Am I the
only one? To remind yourself, here's pictures of older facebook designs:
[http://getlevelten.com/blog/julie-miller/if-you-didnt-
design...](http://getlevelten.com/blog/julie-miller/if-you-didnt-design-
mobile-redesign-mobile)
I prefer the 2010 design by a mile. FWIW, I also prefer Gmail's old design.
~~~
pcurve
I think the current photo-centric design just reflect's change in people's
behavior shaped by growth in mobile phone usage.
------
jbssm
Good design: Then we are taken to a page with a banner so big that you have to
realize that you need to scroll way past the bottom of the screen to actually
reach the content.
~~~
sanbor
"Obviousness comes from conforming to people’s existing mental models.". It's
currently pretty common to scroll webpages with big images in the middle.
~~~
jbssm
Well, it still doesn't make it "good design".
------
ocdtrekkie
"Obviousness comes from conforming to people’s existing mental models. Don’t
waste time reinventing common UI patterns or paradigms unless they are at
least 2x better, or you have some critical brand reason to do so."
This is a beautiful insight. I wish everyone understood this. There's ZERO
reason to reinvent the wheel with design.
~~~
vlehto
Some decades ago some architect said "why do we need a facade? Isn't it
redundant?".
Noww I can't find main entrances to buildings. Please stop this experiment.
~~~
csours
I can't even figure out how to get on the property sometimes - see the old EDS
"Mothership" in Plano! [1] Amazingly, the front desk was on the 4th or 5th
floor archway - which you could not get to without getting past a badge
reader. (that's the way I remember it anyway)
Street signs, entrances, etc should be optimized for both first time users and
everyday users; which is difficult, but without that traffic goes slower and
you have more accidents, people get frustrated and hate you.
[1]
[https://h71044.www7.hp.com/campaigns/2011/events/POD/images/...](https://h71044.www7.hp.com/campaigns/2011/events/POD/images/HP_Campus_EXC_Map.pdf)
------
munificent
> Better design does not mean more design. Often, the most obvious designs are
> invisible.
I think "design" is ambiguous here. You can look at it as meaning "effort that
went into creating something", where "design" is the thing that designers do
at their desk.
Or you can think of it as quantity of "stuff" in the end product that a person
experiences and consumes. Every button, doo-dad or blob of pixels in an app.
Each nut, bolt, accessory or function in a thing.
In that sense, my personal definition of good design is doing more design
_work_ to deliver less design _stuff_. A designer's job is to spent time
chewing up and swallowing complexity so the user doesn't have to.
~~~
pcurve
I agree with this in principle but today's so-called designers are enamored
with minimalist designs to user's detriment, relying too much on white space.
------
neosat
The article feels ...well 'obvious'... but without any real insights into
_what_ good design really is. It's a little bit like saying "What's a good
investment" \- One that makes you money. Or "What's good code" One that
doesn't have bugs. It tell you something that's obviously true, but there
isn't much you can do with the info.
Compare that with a nugget of wisdom from Charles Eames - someone who actually
built things that designers can look upto. Humble, to the point and _not_
obvious but insightful.
Is there a design ethic? There are always design constraints and these usually
include an ethic.
------
jcassell
I feel that rule number 2, "If you cannot get a group of people for whom your
product is designed for to generally agree that your design is good, it’s not
good," is generally a double-edged sword. That is, do people outside of design
generally know what is or isn't good?
Rule no.3 stating that a group of designers must decide if a design is good or
not is far more relevant to what actually is good design, verses the general
populace.
That's like asking a group of patients if they think the drug that's being
made seems good enough with several side effects or not, verses asking
pharmaceutical experts on the matter.
~~~
creeble
I think both points of view have merit, but the user pov should probably be
more heavily weighted.
My experience with user testing is that if you give someone a UI and watch
what they do with it (without instruction), you will quickly get a feel for
how close to the mark your design is. Different users have different
expectations of course, so you need to do this with a fair range of users.
~~~
jcassell
True, and I do think there is strong validity in blind user testing so as to
better shape and improve initial designs to a more finished form.
However, I do think there is some merit in getting those in the actual field
of functional and "good" design (as the author defines it) to weigh in on why
precisely your design is just that. In my own UI/UX research, users all too
often miss fully comprehending the painstaking research and work that goes
into truly effective and good design.
I guess what my argument really is is that I would prefer to weigh more
heavily the affirmation of those in the design field rather than a broad range
of users with no particular ethos concerning design. Of course, who we end up
designing for is the normal user, and what they think is indeed important.
However, if 100 people said my design was good vs. hearing that from, say,
Mike Matas, I would pick Mike Matas.
~~~
ocdtrekkie
Users cannot tell you what's wrong with your design. They don't know. It
"feels wrong" or they "don't like it". But they CAN tell you that your design
is BAD. It's up to you (or other designers) to tell you what's wrong with it.
But if the users don't like it, you failed, and it doesn't matter if other
designers think it's good.
Your target is the users, if the users aren't having a good experience, you're
not doing it right.
------
ryandrake
Such a qualitative view of design--Nothing about measurement or business
goals. I would argue that one design is better than another only if it can be
shown to improve whatever business results you're looking to improve. Are you
trying to increase 7-day retention? Get more people through the sign-up
funnel? Increase conversion? Test the candidate design next to the old one and
see if it's actually improving things. "A bunch of other designers think this
is a great design" is not really good justification for spending development
hours implementing it.
~~~
tacos
Good luck testing it without developing it. And double good luck getting
something without investing in it. Apply business process after you actually
have the kernel of a product, which includes a product design.
------
johanbrook
The idea of that "good design" is something you "just recognize" is somewhat
related to the ideas in the book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
but replaced with "Quality". Really good read.
------
z3t4
Good design is when your hopes and expectations come true
meaning: When you do a user action, like double clicking, the application
should do what you expect and hope it will do.
------
samtp
Lots of focus on too many restraints, but I'd say poor design can just as
often be the result of not enough restraints.
------
beat
After reading this, I went through and read all the other linked essays she
wrote. Good stuff!
------
elasticode
Great post. Thanks for sharing. The same way a great song sounds familiar the
first time you hear it, good design feels comfortable and effortless from the
first second.
------
sv7n
Great article, definitely a good mantra to keep in my head when I struggle
against muggle resistance...
------
justicezyx
Like most articles on medium: self-bluffed nonsense...
|
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Left for dead: the mysterious disease killing thousands in Central America - sir_kitty
http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/7/5389084/chronic-kidney-disease-sugar-cane-workers-central-america
======
memracom
What if this is caused by consuming too much sugar? After all it seems to
target sugar field workers.
Of course it could also be pesticide residues but what if consuming too much
sugar makes things worse? What if sugar is actually POISONOUS?
That would explain why my field medecine guide suggests putting sugar in a
wound to prevent infection. Sugar kills the bacteria. Sugar kills?
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Visual game to learn Flexbox - thesergie
https://preview.webflow.com/preview/flexbox-game?preview=d1a26b027c4803817087a91c651e321f&m=1
======
throwaway2016a
Also, [http://www.flexboxdefense.com/](http://www.flexboxdefense.com/) is more
like an actual game.
It did get me to check out webflow though, which I'm guessing was part of the
goal.
~~~
virgil_disgr4ce
Haha yeah. Seems to be a pretty effective technique!
------
devrelm
This is great! I enjoyed flexboxfroggy.com, but this seems to go into a bit
more depth in terms of the number of flexbox properties being shown off. It
takes a bit to work out what the actual css being used is, but it's otherwise
a great way to play and learn what flexbox can do.
------
NDizzle
I don't normally use these kind of things, but this one was really well done.
Nice work! I actually completed it.
------
pcl
I love the tool itself... have you guys thought about some way to integrate it
into Chrome or FF as a development / debugging tool?
~~~
callmevlad
We've been advocating moving our visual implementation (or something similar)
to dev tools in both FF and Chrome. Here are some before/after examples to
show you how a more abstract input method can really speed up development:
[http://things-that-web-inspectors-should-have.webflow.io/](http://things-
that-web-inspectors-should-have.webflow.io/)
~~~
pcl
Feature request: I understand your goal of visual tooling, but it'd be neat if
I could turn on a mode in which the css for a given operation showed up in the
tooltip, instead of english descriptions.
------
Vekz
I prefer [http://flexboxfroggy.com/](http://flexboxfroggy.com/)
~~~
callmevlad
Hey Kev, we actually worked with Tom Park (the creator of Flexbox Froggy) to
apply the same exact concept to a more visual paradigm - so they're meant to
serve the same purpose, but the visual version is meant to be more
approachable to people who don't have as much experience with raw CSS. I hope
that makes sense.
------
metasean
In a similar vain:
\- Flexbox Froggy - [http://flexboxfroggy.com/](http://flexboxfroggy.com/)
\- CSS Diner - [https://flukeout.github.io/](https://flukeout.github.io/)
------
tsumnia
Very cool, though I'd love to have an option to reset if possible
~~~
soperj
There is an undo button.
------
vamega
Is there a technical reason Firefox isn't supported?
~~~
callmevlad
Yep, more background here:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9325796](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9325796)
(We're working around this soon though by moving away from native scrollbars,
since it's very unlikely that Firefox will fix this anytime soon.)
------
neil_s
I cannot crack the last 3 :( Any hints anyone?
~~~
jbotch
(Spoiler coming)
For 26:
\- Changed the order to have 1 at the end, aligned it at the bottom, then set
its width to 100%. Then, for the parent container, click "Wrap children", so
that 1 gets its own line. 1 should now be done. \- Next, click the parent
container. For the row layout, align them the right end. This gets 2 and 3
properly aligned on the right side. \- Finally, click 3, and click "Align
Self: End". This gets 3 properly positioned vertically.
The key insight for me was to realize the easiest way is to get it to work
with the row layout. If 1 is at the beginning there's no magic mix of widths
that will work, which means 1 needs its own line & therefore must be at the
end position-wise. Haven't done 27 and 28 yet :).
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Waifu2x: Image Super-Resolution for Anime-Style-Art - ericjang
https://github.com/nagadomi/waifu2x
======
tired_man
Those tweaked images are wonderful. Great package.
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DevOps Engineering: Who does your automation? - emcooke
Here a brief intro for those that aren't familiar with DevOps:
http://www.jedi.be/blog/2010/02/12/what-is-this-devops-thing-anyway/<p>Before being introduced to the concept of DevOps, we at Twilio struggled with what to call the role. It requires a different kind of thinking. To us, DevOps is about automation to improve productivity, reduce risk, and achieve scale. DevOps engineers should always be striving to deprecate themselves. It has been more then 2 year since we founded Twilio and we've never had a sysadmin or an ops person. This has forced us to write better software automation from day one. However, having someone that can provide leadership on DevOps issues (and fundamentally understands distributed systems/CAP/etc) to the whole team is extremely valuable.<p>Configuration management tools like Chef and Puppet are the beginning but a more complete view of infrastructure and service automation (e.g., http://redeyemon.sourceforge.net/) seems inevitable in the long term.<p>We are looking to hire a Lead DevOps engineer. Here is the detailed job description if you know someone that might be interested:
http://twilio.jobscore.com/jobs/twilio/devops-engineer/bSHjYWq2Sr37U6eJe4aGWH
======
mmt
Sometimes I wonder if DevOps isn't really just those who would truly prefer to
be developers but don't mind sysadmin work and, for whatever reason, started
out doing the latter.
I, too, cringe a little when I hear the term, perhaps because I've always
viewed myself as a "pure" sysadmin. That is, this is the kind of work which
continues to bring me joy after 2 decades. Application development, on the
other hand, despite an ability to code, does not.
CM tools (current and their predecessors like cfengine) as they tend to be
implemented strike me as a way of avoiding administering the whole _system_ ,
by focusing on a single component (servers) and reducing them to a lowest
common denominator.
It also fits the pattern of trying to solve problems entirely in a custom
software solution, a trait I associate with developers, not sysadmins. This is
the source of my inference of DevOps' true leanings.
The reality is that the system consists of considerably more than fungible
servers[1]. There's the underlying hardware, the peripheral hardware like
disks, database software[2], network hardware and configuration, and service
providers.
These are all traditional sysadmin areas, with _plenty_ of room for
professional growth and overall benefit. So much so, that I have difficulty
imagining why any SA (not a developer in SA's clothing) would wish to do more
dev at the expense of increaaed mastery of the infrastructure.
By way of example, something I wrote on LinkedIn, in response to why I'm not a
fan of puppet:
I'm uncomfortable with any system that attempts to maintain state in place
on a running system, as well as possibly override the native packaging ethos.
That the client takes its own local file inventory on a fresh system, rather
than trusting the one the package manager has, is wasteful at best. What's
worse, to me, is that it creates yet another system to administer. I haven't yet
found anything similarly suitable for the Ubuntu/Debian world, but I very
much liked Cobbler a couple years ago, as it was primarily a wrapper for
what could otherwise be standard, standalone services (kickstart, package
repo). Even without such a wrapper, yum/rpm or apt/dpkg can do nearly all
the work"
[1] Virtualization and "cloud" notwithstanding, as anyone who's experienced an
outage with a hosting provider or an i/o perofrmance issue with a cloud server
can attest.
[2] Which can be like an encapsulated OS itself
------
chuhnk
Yea I think like some the term DevOps makes me cringe as well since people use
it as a job title when it should be more thought of like agile development,
just another term to describe a process of working.
I use chef because I needed a way to consistently deploy software in exactly
the same way every time to multiple servers. A repeatable deployment process
that scales. Why did I pick chef over puppet or cfengine? Because I also
wanted to learn ruby and the entire thing is in ruby, win. Plus we have a ruby
on rails team in the office, if ever I needed a hand, they were there or if
they wanted to write recipes to deploy software thats not an issue either.
DevOps is just a new buzz word. My title is System Administrator. I have a
depth of knowledge in the infrastructure of all our technologies and how they
are interconnected. I know how to deploy, maintain, scale and do it all over
again. My knowledge in programming in second to that but is necessary to
automate repetitive processes. DevOps I guess is being classed as a way to
bring the IT team together, making sys admins and developers aware of each
others "agendas" when it comes to running apps on servers. I as a sys admin
have to understand what each of our applications does throughout its life
cycle, from the browser right down to the database. Because if something goes
wrong, I'll be the first to figure out where that happened and relay this back
to the developer. By understanding core functionality of the code I can make
it clear to the developer, "look you are executing a query on the database
thats scanning millions of rows because its not using an index, its occurring
in this controller in your code". We are seeing this term DevOps be classified
now as more and more startups are emerging, because its essentially alot
easier to execute in a startup environment where everyone is talking to each
other to roll things out, everyone is trying to solve problems together. In
large companies you'll see a massive separation and segregation along with
processes to keep people in their place and slow results.
I hope that all makes sense. DevOps as a process is not new, the
classification of it as this term is.
------
fragmede
Linky - [http://www.jedi.be/blog/2010/02/12/what-is-this-devops-
thing...](http://www.jedi.be/blog/2010/02/12/what-is-this-devops-thing-
anyway/)
Call it what you will, 'DevOps' is just what you'd expect a _good_ sysadmin to
do in a sufficiently large org. That there is on going friction between
developers and sysadmin ("it works on my box" is a valid excuse?) is perhaps a
larger sign of the culture and people involved.
~~~
WestCoastJustin
Whenever I hear that term I cringe a little. I think this was a word invented
by developers (please correct me if I'm wrong) to bring sysadmins into the
fold. It is definitely good to have an understanding of the application layer
but developers also need to understand the systems running their applications.
I work in a large organization (5000+ employees) as a unix/linux sysadmin. You
have to automate deployment, monitoring, configuration management because
there just isn't time to do anything else. We have a group (about 4) out of
30+ that have an overall view of what you might call devops. The rest
specilize in development or sysadmins. We meet once a week and review all
progress on the dev/ops issues.
I like the term OpSec (<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operations_security>)
someone who looks after Systems/Security ;) Since a good system admin should
also know a great deal about security. Maybe Dev/Op/Sec.. haha, but really ;)
p.s. I found that job posting to be full of PR fluff. It would be nice to see
job posting actually post what their looking for in a distilled form.
~~~
emcooke
Thanks for the pointer to OpSec term. DevOpsSec... I sense a tshirt in the
making?
~~~
WestCoastJustin
I first heard about OpSec from Roland Dobbins with Arbor. Really smart fellow
who has many suggestions on network design / defence.
I just think people need to specialize in their field (+ a general knowledge
of how the overall systems works).
Almost how a carpenter, plumber, and electrician each specialize but probably
have a general idea how everything works. Do you really want a plumber
building the foundation of your house? Just seems a little silly to me. Each
domain is so large that I would rather have deep expert knowledge in a area
than a general handyman who might cut corners or waste time with solutions he
doesn't know about.
------
gaius
40 years ago IBM called these guys "systems programmers". That this is a new
concept to some people is symptomatic of a wider problem in the industry:
everything needs to be shiny and new so every 10 years we reinvent the wheel
with new jargon.
~~~
blueben
DevOps is not just "writing automation tools". If that's all you're getting
out of this, you're missing 90% of what's going on.
~~~
starkfist
What else is it, then?
------
nordgren
There is a bit of the same movement in CCP Games where I work, it's not called
DevOps here, but there are groups forming in both the EVE Online software team
and the Core technology group with an engineering focus on QA, which in
practice translates pretty well to the DevOps style of thinking about the
needs for this type of development and quality work. Here's one of the
advertised positions for example:
<http://www.ccpgames.com/en/jobs/job-details.aspx?jobid=101>
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Show HN: Selenium.Academy – Learn Automated Web Testing - AlikhanPeleg
Http://selenium.academy
======
romansabalaev
Are you limited to Selenium only? In case there is an option for you to try
something else for this task, you could do that with a visual regression
testing tool. Such as Screenster
([http://screenster.io/](http://screenster.io/)) which is actually an
alternative to Selenium for visual/CSS testing tasks.
Screenster is a test automation tool which performs screenshot-based
comparison of different versions of your web pages. First it creates a visual
baseline for a page, taking a screenshot for each user action. During the next
run it takes a new screenshot at each step, compares it with the one from
baseline and highlights differences.
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How do you generalists out there divide your time? - wunderlust
Although there's a lot to be said for specialization - of skills, careers, and interests - the historical figures I've always found most inspiring were generalists (polymaths, at the extreme). There's some debate around the topic, but I, and probably others, would love to hear from people who manage several different interests.<p>I'm not a real hacker, or programmer, or anything really, yet. But I've always thought of myself as more of a generalist than a specialist. Maybe that's why I'm not (or don't feel like) a "real" anything so far.<p>If anyone has any concrete experiences to share on this, I'm sure it'd be greatly appreciated. (E.g., to-do lists, schedules, mind maps, other organizational tools, etc.; but also ways of thinking and organizing your thoughts)
======
iamwithnail
I use a variety of things to GSD.
[http://www.workflowy.com](http://www.workflowy.com) for high level stuff /
to-dos. [http://www.basecamp.com](http://www.basecamp.com) for actual projects
- always. [http://www.evernote.com](http://www.evernote.com) for note taking -
often I'll paste links to the Notes into workflowy. I tend to use separate
mailboxes and calendars for different things (so
[http://www.gmbl.io](http://www.gmbl.io),
[http://www.granttree.co.uk](http://www.granttree.co.uk) and my PhD all have
separate things), but it's amalgamated together in Google Calendar so I can
turn them on and off depending on what I'm doing.
I also use HipChat for group chat (two versions, one in the client for work,
one in the browser for personal projects.)
------
gk1
I've found that I'm more productive when I focus on one thing per day, instead
of trying to focus on multiple things at once. One day I'll do consulting
work[0], another day I'll learn something new, the next I'll work on side
projects[1], etc.
It helps to have task lists[2] and calendars for all your projects. This way
you won't feel pressure to remember everything at once. If everything is
documented and scheduled, you can focus on one thing and put everything else
aside (temporarily).
[0] [http://www.gkogan.co](http://www.gkogan.co)
[1] [http://www.gagcartoons.com](http://www.gagcartoons.com)
[2] I really like Subtask for task tracking
([http://www.subtask.com](http://www.subtask.com)), though I rarely see them
mentioned here.
------
phantom_oracle
By generalist, do you mean somebody who has interests beyond a computer as
well? For example, maybe you like doing carpentry work too, or you paint or
play musical instruments?
I'm beginning to think that a generalist is an ideal entrepreneur. Somebody
that can pick things up quickly but pick up "just enough" to make use of the
skill without turning into a master.
Prioritizing is probably a good way to get things done. However, I am still
trying to figure it out myself as well.
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Radio Lockdown: Better legislation implies the ban of bazookas to kill a fly - zoobab
https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/initiatives/ares-2018-6621038/feedback/F240080_en?p_id=380919
======
howard941
Good reply to the regulatory overreach. Only one change to consider, TDWR is
on all the time insofar as I can tell from checking out the weatherunderground
feed of Tampa's TDWR. Even if it did somehow manage to cause interference as
you've pointed out it would have to be on top of the site if it were to cause
an issue and even then it would be easy to track down.
EDIT: The TDWR referenced above is at [https://www.wunderground.com/weather-
radar/united-states/fl/...](https://www.wunderground.com/weather-radar/united-
states/fl/tampa/tpa/)
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Suggest HN: Google, Apple and FB work together to help stop coronavirus - FailMore
To limit the spread of coronavirus, in China they have been using widespread facial recognition technology to track who has been near who. From this you can download an app and be informed if someone you have been near has it.<p>In the west we do not have this in place, but nearly everyone in the west has a smart phone running iOS or Android (with FB, WhatsApp, Instagram, Chrome, etc... installed). If these devices/apps could:<p>(1) Regularly track location data<p>(2) Regularly ask users for their symptoms<p>Then this system could allow people to know if someone they have crossed paths with has the disease or symptoms, so that they could then self isolate.<p>I do not know anyone from these companies, but HackerNews does. Please ask them to consider this suggestion.
======
yorwba
> in China they have been using widespread facial recognition technology to
> track who has been near who. From this you can download an app and be
> informed if someone you have been near has it.
You're severely overestimating the surveillance capabilities of Chinese
companies.
When a new case is discovered, the government obtains their itinerary by
asking them where they went and looking up which long-distance transport they
used (tickets for that are tied to government ID, which is checked before
boarding).
When someone wants to look up whether they were close to someone infected,
they can use their ID number to check whether they were e.g. in the same train
car, or they have to verify for themselves whether they went to any of the
same places.
The process is significantly more manual than the pervasive location tracking
via facial surveillance you imagine.
What the companies you list could do is to allow everyone who has been
confirmed infected to publish their location history, and compare against
everyone else's. Using self-reported symptoms instead of confirmed cases would
lead to a panic, since most people with a cough right now are infected with
something other than the coronavirus.
------
thrwaway69
We can just give them a leave or have them work from home.
Using facial tech to track everyone and isolate them sounds too orwelian for
my taste. I understand the implications but that's not going to work like all
the other self checks. People will ignore it due to the cost or other reasons.
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Americans Don't Trust Scientists' Take on Food Issues - evo_9
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/12/02/504034298/americans-dont-trust-scientists-take-on-food-politicians-even-less
======
JPKab
In the 90's, I watched my dad cut out as much meat as possible and replace it
with things like pastas and other low-fat foods because the scientists and the
FDA told us that it was healthy. I was stuck eating this high-carb diet
myself.
I'd go over to my friend's house, whose parents both viewed the government
recommendations with suspicion. They were a typical country family who fed us
eggs and bacon for breakfast. I loved staying there and I always felt much
better eating like that.
Now I know that all these changes my family made were based on bullshit
science, and were detrimental to our health. My dad got heart disease, several
of my siblings had weight problems.....
Fuck food science. The entire nutritional science community is rife with
terrible science and bad ethics. Studies that don't fit the narrative are
buried, and scientists that speak out are discredited. All the while, the
public health is bearing the brunt of these fools.
~~~
devoply
That's because the science is not influenced by just scientists but pseudo-
science backed by industry selling stuff. Our science establishment sucks to a
degree and it's mostly because of money. Money for grants comes from
benefactors and often has strings attached. Scientists can't just do science
they must constantly publish, and publish even if they don't have good
findings. etc. etc. Science itself has become an industry beholden to
economics. With all the problems that go along with that.
------
Neliquat
The fat vs sugar myth. The carb myth. The last 40 years have been generally
abysmal for food science, besides making more food cheaper. Dozens of non
profit professional orgs were, and are still, paid off by corporate interests.
Maybe the problem is more with the reporting of information than the studies,
both need to be examined critically.
------
douche
Literally everything I have ever heard in scientific "news" about food and
nutrition has been contradicted by some other piece of "news". Now, the lion's
share of that blame falls on the absolutely deplorable state of popular
scientific journalism, but the net result is a strong suspicion that the so-
called experts are making shit up as they go along and haven't the foggiest
idea what they are talking about.
------
h4nkoslo
Why should they? The "consensus scientific advice" on diet has changed so many
times over the past 100 years that scientists have quite appropriately lost
credibility on the issue.
------
pc2g4d
I count myself among the skeptics. As others commenting here pointed out, the
track record of food science is terrible. And it's true that the incentives
guiding scientific publication _about_ food are not directly aligned with the
incentives of average Americans _eating_ food (though presumably the
scientists also eat....) Publish or perish. Overinterpreted associational
studies. Clear accounts of industry manipulating the scientific literature
over decades (tobacco, sugar). The endless substances assumed safe but later
proven to be damaging to health, sometimes horribly so.
So the recently proclamations of the safety of GMO food, at times made by
people with a deep interest in one particular outcome, are rightly received
with skepticism. As the election of Donald Trump recently reminded us, the
mainstream can be very, very wrong in spite of very smart people expounding
its views. It's so easy for systemic bias to become accepted as truth, and so
easy to become invested in _not_ seeing that.
------
nkkollaw
It's working pretty well, isn't it.
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The Secrets of Jewish Genius - Reedx
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/opinion/jewish-culture-genius-iq.html
======
petagonoral
This is a pretty bad opinion piece written by a previous "editor in chief of
The Jerusalem Post".
It also wrongly equates anti-Zionism with antisemitism.
The NYTimes comments section (specifically Times Picks') is far more
illuminating & balanced than the actual piece.
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Requiring Creation of Computer Code Doesn’t Violate the First Amendment - protomyth
https://reason.com/2020/05/22/requiring-creation-of-computer-code-doesnt-violate-the-first-amendment/
======
rmrfstar
Article just quotes 9 paragraphs from an Arizona opinion.
Key Facts:
1\. Plaintiff CDK sells a "Dealer Management System" which is some data portal
for car dealers. Historically, CDK prohibited dealers from allowing third
parties to access the portal.
2\. Arizona legislature required CDK to develop an API for third parties to
access the portal and banned the third party access restrictions.
CDK's Arguments:
1\. Banning third party access restrictions is the same thing as compelling
CDK to share information, which is compelled speech. The content of the speech
is the _format of the data_ on their portal. CDK cited a case [1] where SCOTUS
said you can't compel a news organization to include a particular political
candidate in a debate. Court did not buy this because the cited case was about
"editorial discretion" and this does not smell like an editorial discretion
case.
2\. Code is speech, and forcing us to develop an API is compelled speech. CDK
cites several cases to support that [2,3,4,5]. The court says two things.
First, the API requirement does not actually require CDK to write code.
Second, code is speech only when "a programmer might be said to communicate
through the code," which "goes beyond code's capacity to instruct a computer."
Again this is a smell test that basically asks "is the programmer expressing
themself?"
[1] Arkansas Educational Television Commission v. Forbes, 523 U.S. 666 (1998)
[2] Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Corley, 273 F.3d 429, 449 (2d Cir. 2001)
[3] United States v. Elcom Ltd., 203 F. Supp. 2d 1111, 1127 (N.D. Cal. 2002)
[4] Junger v. Daley, 209 F.3d 481 (6th Cir. 2000)
[5] Bernstein v. U.S. Dep't of State, 922 F. Supp. 1426, 1429 (N.D. Cal. 1996)
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The R Project for Statistical Computing - duck
http://www.r-project.org/
======
pguerin
It's nothing new, and it's really great to do all sorts of statistical
analysis. At my university, people that study statistics learn this
programming language, and there are a couple of data mining classes that teach
R.
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Google.com is still SHA-1 but they green-light their domains - pmccarren
https://tls.so/results/saved.googlecom.1429596106.6f228b1cd37213931aef2193311d990a.html
======
geofft
The certificate is expiring in less than three months. Chrome has always been
clear that they don't care about SHA-1 certs that are expiring within 2015.
They just want to make sure that when you renew those certs, you renew as
SHA-256.
[http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.com/2014/09/gradually-s...](http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.com/2014/09/gradually-
sunsetting-sha-1.html)
"Sites with end-entity certificates that expire between 1 January 2016 and 31
December 2016 (inclusive), and which include a SHA-1-based signature as part
of the certificate chain, will be treated as 'secure, but with minor errors'
[i.e., the lock-with-yellow-triangle you also get for mixed content].
"Sites with end-entity certificates that expire on or after 1 January 2017,
and which include a SHA-1-based signature as part of the certificate chain,
will be treated as 'affirmatively insecure'. Subresources from such domain
will be treated as 'active mixed content'."
~~~
Osiris
This just hit me. I was doing some work on my side-business site and noticed a
big red error for the SSL cert. Luckily the process to reissue a new cert was
pretty straight forward and I gotten taken care of the same day.
My SSL provider (namecheap) did send me one email at some point, but I'm sure
I glossed over it because I didn't realize this change was coming.
------
thesimon
Their certs expire before the deadline (only valid for 3 months) so they show
up as green.
They seem to get new certs every three months.
~~~
ygra
How useful is it to get new certs that often? I always had the impression that
certs live only a certain time so that revocation lists can be pruned and
don't grow unbounded over time, or is there anything else to it?
~~~
geofft
That's certainly part of it, but at some point there's a qualitative shift: if
you make certificate lifetimes short enough, you don't need to bother with
revocation lists at all. Since CRLs are unwieldy no matter how you do them,
standard practice for revocation is OCSP, preferably through OCSP stapling,
where you carry a signed response from the CA (valid for about a day) saying
that your certificate hasn't been revoked. Effectively this is just a more
complicated way of getting a new certificate about every day.
The other part is that, if something about a cert turns out to have been a bad
idea, it's much better to only have to wait a few days or even months than to
wait a few years. "Something" could be the algorithm (precisely why Chrome is
yelling at SHA-1 certs that will still be valid in 2017, even though there's
no attack as of right today). It could also be certification practices: if the
community decides that, say, certificates without the `subjectAltName`
extension need to be deprecated because the CN field is underspecified,
nobody's going to want to do revocations for that. So you are stuck waiting
until all current certs expire and get renewed to follow current best
practices.
------
dgomez1092
I noticed that they use a 3 tier system. But even SHA-1 encryption, I wanted
to talk about how it compares to the use of RC4 on AES. I am still learning
about the effectual uses of encryption but it would seem to me that being able
to use modulo as you swap indeces throughout the hash would enable more coerce
authentication if not for the sole reason that it would be difficult to find
out the derivative of both of the numbers that gave modulo. VS AES whose
algorithm uses a reverse mapping of the hash in order to equate the distance
from left to right between the indeces.It is said that RC$ is less secure as a
method because of it is more prone to WEP attacks due to its inability to
factorialize an instance of teh hash suring the scheduling phase, while it
only allows for a 64 bit size whereas AES is more sutiable for 256 bit. It's
adavtnage lies in large network systems but would be suitable for API
distributions. In effect its PRG would be effective in taking a modulo
variable being parsed as K[] progresses through the list in a function that
combines it along wth the inverse natural e in to create an limit as
protection from FMS attacks even at a byte level. Thanks for letting me
comment and learn.
------
alanfranzoni
Beyond the expiry fact, I think google does pinning for their certs. If you
pin your certs you don't really care a lot whether the ca is compromised, and
here it's just the ca that's got sha1 signing, not the actual cert which is
sha2.
~~~
riking
No, the *.google.com cert has SHA-1. It's just that it expires before 2016, as
they get issued for 3 months.
~~~
alanfranzoni
You're right. I must have imagined the SHA-256 part.
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Show HN: Top 10 Starred JS Repo – JavaScript Variable - billcccheng
https://billcccheng.github.io/js-popular-variable-frontend/
======
billcccheng
Hey all! I made an web app where you can search for variable names and
function names used in the top 10 most starred Javascript repos. Any advice
and suggestion is appreciated! Source Code:[https://github.com/billcccheng/js-
popular-variable-frontend](https://github.com/billcccheng/js-popular-variable-
frontend)
~~~
grzm
If it meets the guidelines, this should likely be a Show HN:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html)
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Crowdfunding Campaigns Built With Crowdhoster - jjb123
http://blog.crowdtilt.com/top-10-crowdhoster-campaigns/
======
naveenspark
Hey this is Naveen from Immunity Project. We had a great experience w/
Crowdhoster. It performed well for us and Ajay + team were super responsive.
Highly recommend it for those who are considering crowdfunding on their own
domain.
------
Jarred
Crowdhoster is awesome.
~~~
ajaymehta
Wow, thank you Jarred. We're obviously huge fans, and hoping to carry on the
Selfstarter mission as far as possible :)
------
dw5ight
man. the day IceCube talks about my startup changing his life will be a damn
Good Day.
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The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest - igravious
http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/index.html
======
tzs
I was going to enter this several years ago (late '80s), but never got around
to sending in my entries. I have no shame, so here is what I was going to send
(warning: tasteless and offensive material ahead):
• "My encounter with the Genie didn't turn out half bad," thought Lance as he
sat down at the tiny piano to rehearse for his new job with the circus.
• David Ben MacGoldstein was considered cheap even by the other Scottish Jews.
• Dave's theory that placing a metal plate in the microwave oven would shunt
away the dangerous radiation, thus making it safe to dry the cat, proved to be
wrong, although the experiment was not a total loss, for Dave was at least
able to prove that Fluffy did NOT have nine lives.
• As he had done every evening for the past ten years, Bert poured himself a
shot of whisky, and sat down to reflect on that strange twist of fate that led
him, once the most respected student at Harvard Medical School, to become a
veterinary proctologist.
• In the race for the "Best Serial Killer, 1991" award, Jeffrey Dahmer was
eating up the competition.
• "Up, up, and away!" cried Bean Boy, America's newest Superhero, leaping
toward the sky, as his unique method of propulsion ensured that the
uncounscious criminals would remain that way until the police arrived.
~~~
peter_l_downs
• In the race for the "Best Serial Killer, 1991" award, Jeffrey Dahmer was eating up the competition.
This is gold.
------
dang
It is time to ask what has tormented me for years. What's so bad about "It was
a dark and stormy night"? It seems decent enough. "Dark night" is redundant, I
guess, but then some nights _are_ darker than others. So I don't get it—why
the worst-ever reputation?
~~~
quotient
There's nothing bad about the phrase "it was a dark and stormy night" per se.
However, that's not the full opening line. What follows is the most abysmally
convoluted sentence imaginable:
"It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents—except at
occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which
swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along
the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that
struggled against the darkness."^[0]
[0]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Clifford](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Clifford)
~~~
jcr
And the opening paragraph gets worse from there, something about lighting his
pipe with a "promethean torch." Whether it's a change in tastes over the
years, or a continuing annoyance is subject to debate, but the general style
is called "Purple Prose".
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_prose](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_prose)
~~~
jonnathanson
Tastes have changed, largely because media have changed. Back in the day,
there were no movies, video games, TV, or radio. Novels were the only form of
personal, portable, escapist entertainment (aside from opium, I suppose). As
such, they were very "visual." Readers enjoyed long bouts of description. It
helped to set the scene.
Sample some mass-market Victorian fiction, and you'll find a lot of openers
like that one. The style is anachronistic today, though it survives in some
genres, and it has its famous practitioners. (George R.R. Martin is about as
purple as they come.)
------
jkdearden
There's also the Lyttle Lytton contest[0], which is a similar contest that
limits entries to 200 words, plus has some additional contests. I'm a fan of
the Found contest, which is a competition to find the most unintentionally
bad/silly thing that's actually been published.
[0] [http://adamcadre.ac/lyttle.html](http://adamcadre.ac/lyttle.html)
------
leephillips
"E-mail entries should be in the body of the message, not in an attachment
(and it would be really swell if you submitted your entries in Arial 12
font)."
I don't understand. Maybe because I've only used Mutt for 20 years. Is it a
joke?
~~~
Strang
I think it's a polite way of requesting that emails not use garish fonts and
colors. Just imagine how many submissions he must get in illegible
"handwriting" fonts.
~~~
ctdonath
Parent uses "Mutt", an email program using a UI so old it's probably endorsed
by the Society For Creative Anachronism; the notion of "fonts" or "colors" in
email, however garish, is incomprehensible to him. For that email client,
content is ASCII text, nothing more.
------
bradleysmith
I like the general tone of the page.
"Finally, in keeping with the gravitas, high seriousness, and general
bignitude of the contest, the grand prize winner will receive … a pittance."
~~~
brianmcc
We mustn't misunderstimate the bignitude. Ever.
------
ryanthejuggler
I originally discovered this through the "fortune" program that's still
available in many Linux package managers.
------
davelnewton
I've been following this for years-even before I discovered my biological
family is Lytton, the one and the same. Yay me!
|
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"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
}
|
IPad Event Confirmed: Apple Invites Press to 'Touch' Something - vinothgopi
http://mashable.com/2012/02/28/ipad-3-event/
======
raganwald
<grouch>An announcement that the announcement is next week is of interest to
hackers without being even remotely something that gratifies one's
intellectual curiosity.</grounch>
That being said... No doubt 99% of the comments will be repeating the same
speculation, leaks, and purported confirmations going around for the last
month. I’m interested in the remaining 1%: How will this “change everything?”
What markets could this disrupt? What (if any) new kinds of software would a
retina display (for example) make possible that were non-starters on an iPad
2?
~~~
anigbrowl
_How will this “change everything?” What markets could this disrupt?_
Not change so much, but if 'touch' refers to some sort of localized haptic
feedback mechanism (eg you can close your eyes and feel the position of
individual icons/controls as if the screen were slightly bumpy) then it will
cement the iPad's dominance as a musical performance tool. Imagine, for
example, being able to strum a virtual guitar and feel approximately where the
strings are, rather than receiving different messages from your fingers and
your eyes. It doesn't have to be perfect, just suggestive and consistent,
which will provide enough novelty to keep people busy until the iPad 4 appears
:-)
I have a strong hunch that that Apple has stolen a march on the competition
here. When I first picked up an iPad, one thing I looked at was some sort of
space shooter game (Galaxy on Fire or something). I played for 2 or 3 minutes,
and was impressed by both the graphics and the vibration every time my ship
took a hit, like the controller for a videogame console. Later I got an
Android Honeycomb tablet, and one day I noticed the same game was available,
so I installed it. Everything was fine, except that there was no vibration. It
seems that since large tablets are not phones, few, if any, manufacturers saw
a need to include a vibration feature and so Apple has had several years to
develop both the technology and a coherent set of UI conventions to employ it.
I know virtually nothing about haptic technology, but I have a guess about how
it might work. Imagine two vibrating motors at right angles to each other,
whose periods are fixed and proportional to the ratio of the device's
width:height. Now imagine a second motor for each of the pair, which vibrates
at up to double the speed of the first; by varying the speed of the second
motor in each of 2 dimensions, interference patterns are created in similar
fashion to the beating that occurs between two sine waves of different
frequencies. Where the periods of sinusoidal sound waves stand in neat integer
relationships to each other, you get the familiar notes of the musical scale
(warning: drastic oversimplification of musical tuning theory). I speculate
that people are so intuitively used to this - sound being just a more
sensitive version of touch - that it may allow a tactile illusion of up to 12
identifiable 'zones' in each screen dimension, resulting in a grid of up to
144 'touxels'.
If I turn out to be more than half-right about this, then I feel it ought to
be worth some sort of nominally compensated blue-sky consulting gig :-)
EDIT: of course you could go on and on with the other applications. A
lightweight keyboard for blind people, new models of games interaction,
interactive multidimensional graphing/modelling tools where constraints are
proxied by 'resistance' and so on.
~~~
karpathy
I'm not sure about the haptic feedback rumors. Apple doesn't have a strong
history with risky, new, experimental technology. I think their style is more
that of waiting for a technology to mature a bit before integrating it
thoughtfully into their product.
If you look at products like iPhone or iPad for example, most of their
features had a first, proof of concept not-too-usable bare-bones
implementation on other systems years ago (iCloud, Facetime, Siri, App store,
iTunes, pre-iPhone touch screen devices that almost worked... ). This has lead
many to complain that Apple unjustly implies that they invented these. What
they often do instead, is take existing technologies and add Apple magic sauce
to make it "just work". That's what they are good at.
I just don't see them releasing something experimental that has even a small
chance of not working as advertised.
EDIT: As linked below, <http://senseg.com/> seems to suggest that this
technology is more mature than I've anticipated. Still, if this at least half
works I'd first expect to see it first on an Android tablet and a year later
on an iPad.
~~~
glenra
Apple was essentially the first mover (by which I mean, the first to package
the new tech in a viable consumer-focused product) with multitouch gestures,
which we saw first on Apple and then a year or so later on Android. Apple also
led with the mouse and with various screen technologies. Haptics aren't brand
new any more than multitouch was; it does seem plausible they might do
something with haptic stuff, and it would seem to explain that teaser.
The main things that we've seen on other platforms which Apple might
conceivably copy are wireless charging systems (like WebOS had) or handling
NFC payments (like a few Android phones had)
------
AmericanOP
Apple market cap now same as entire retail sector. Thoughts?
[http://www.zerohedge.com/news/ibubble-apples-market-cap-
now-...](http://www.zerohedge.com/news/ibubble-apples-market-cap-now-same-
entire-retail-sector-bigger-all-semis)
------
tomelders
the word "touch" makes me think of this...
<http://senseg.com/>
~~~
orofino
I thought the same thing. There is real innovation in tablet computing
available through this avenue.
The current haptic feedback that some devices offer is really inadequate. To
give you actual controls that you can feel would be a leap forward.
Also, if you think about the way Apple typically does these things, it would
be a huge advantage if they got there first. Apple has a tendency to buy years
worth of production from a given vendor, if they could tie up access to this
technology for a year or two while production ramps to accomodate demand, they
could gain a huge lead (well, larger than they already have).
~~~
bergie
Proper haptic feedback would be huge. This might also help to explain the
leaked pictures where the new iPad is thicker than iPad 2.
------
ZitchDog
Retina iPad: confirmed. Also, I really doubt they are showing that iPad in
landscape mode, which means that most likely the home button is gone. Not sure
how I feel about that one.
~~~
roc
For me, removing the Home button would turn an automatic upgrade into a wait-
and-see. I've had too many bad experiences with capacitive buttons on
everything from smartphones to laptops to keyboards.
Not to mention the inherent problem of a capacitive button that lives on a
bezel that people use to grasp the device. There'd be no grazing the home
button while turning or moving your hand positions without possibly-activating
that button. Absent some bullet-proof pressure-sensing technology, it would be
incredibly frustrating.
So mark me down for hoping that the "touch" bit is either an allusion to some
haptic feedback technology, or some pressure-sensing technology, or even just
an ad-copy play off "see" that people are reading too much into.
~~~
chrisdroukas
<speculation>
In all likelihood, multitasking is probably a 'swipe up' gesture from the
bottom of the screen now, similar to what Apple is doing with the trackpad in
Mountain Lion's notification system.
I'm imagining a WebOS-style gesture, but the swipe action is from the screen
edge, not the bezel.
</speculation>
I agree, though. Capacitive buttons are awful, especially on an iPad where
there's so much room for an accidental press.
~~~
zephjc
iPad already does that (off by default): four-finger swipe up shows the list
of apps, and four-finger swipe left or right takes you to other apps.
Edit: and I think four-finger pinch takes you back to the home screen. The
only real use for the Home button on an iPad now is for taking screenshots
(remapping double-click the Power button could probably replace this)
~~~
ConstantineXVI
Trouble with the pinch gesture is the iPhone. The gesture is impossible to use
with one hand, and even with two hands, it's still rather awkward on a small
(sub-7") screen. Remove the iPhone home button in favor of this gesture and
you ruin the user experience. Leave the home button and now we've broken
consistency with the iPad (which is one of the main selling points on the iOS
ecosystem). Not saying they can't drop the home button, they'd just need a
more practical way to do it (for example, webOS/BBX/Win8-style edge swipes)
------
bstar77
Seems like Apple is moving away from the home button. Not sure how I feel
about it, but at least it'll let my 3 year old focus a little better on the
app I want him to play rather than him constantly hitting the home button and
going to Shrek Kart.
~~~
ddagradi
If Apple is getting rid of the Home button, there's a lot of complex
interaction to account for:
[http://www.codinghorror.com/.a/6a0120a85dcdae970b0168e681447...](http://www.codinghorror.com/.a/6a0120a85dcdae970b0168e6814472970c-pi)
Color me doubtful, though I'd love to be proven wrong. Lots of devices already
do a good job with gesture-only interaction, but it requires redefining large
chunks of the iOS vocabulary.
~~~
ugh
You are looking at it wrong. Also: You are wrong.
The iPad already supports gestures. Three gestures replace all you need the
home button for (one or two small and insignificant exceptions, but those
would be easy enough to add).
Those gestures already declutter the interaction considerably. They make for a
much smoother experience than that clusterfuck which is the home button.
It’s a nice fallback, so I’m not sure whether it’s a good idea to remove it,
but I haven’t touched it in ages (it’s always not where I expect it to be,
anyway).
~~~
ddagradi
Part of the iPad's experience, and part of its success, is that it shares a
common language with the iPhone. Removing the home button removes part of the
easy transition from one device to the other. If an iPhone owner is thinking
of buying a home-button-less iPad, they'll launch an app, and then stare in
confusion trying to figure out how to leave it again. Eventually someone will
come and explain to them that if you pinch your fingers this certain way, it
will take you back to the home screen. And the experience is lessened.
I love the system Apple is building. The gestures built into iOS 5 make it
faster and easier for me to use everyday. But gestures are like keyboard
shortcuts - they require instruction and they're not discoverable. I think
having a so-called "Panic" button exist on the device is important for the way
it functions for consumers (not to mention integral to Siri's interface if
that makes its way to the iPad). Will it be a physical button? Maybe, maybe
not. Removing the only physical button on the device requires a more
fundamental change than "three gestures replace all you need the home button
for" though.
~~~
Raphael
The iPad and iPhone are closely related. If one drops the home button, then
likely the other will follow shortly.
~~~
ugh
Nah, the gestures work amazingly well on an iPad, but not at all on the
iPhone. It's too small.
------
justjimmy
Did anyone else notice (or care) about the icons shown in the picture?
Google Map for 'Where', Calendar for 'When', Keynote for 'How' and iPad itself
for 'What'. Just missing the Apple logo for 'Who'~
~~~
sylvinus
they usually embed little cues like this in their product announcements
------
mayoff
It doesn't have to be iPad 3. It could be iPad 2S.
~~~
InclinedPlane
They're ditching the iPad name, this'll be the Newton.next.
------
nod
Anyone care to do an analysis of the pixel density underneath that finger?
~~~
wmeredith
It's a retina display.
------
dr_
while I look forward to a retina display iPad, I think people are reading too
much into the touch portion. The event description itself does not say
anything about the iPad, so the touch hint probably refers to the fact that
the event is about one of their touch devices, which we presume is the next
iPad.
------
morsch
So it's settled, 300+ppi display _and_ haptic feedback, then? That would be
pretty breathtaking.
~~~
tvon
Haptic feedback would be great but there hasn't been any evidence of the
feature existing.
------
planb
The Maps icon in the dock might be a hint that Apple is finally moving away
from Google maps - though this would be a better fit for the next iPhone.
~~~
timothya
That matches the current icon and label for Maps on iPad.
~~~
planb
Yes, but Apple never shows the Maps icon in the dock of the iPad in PR
photography.
~~~
martingordon
Yes, but I think it's more to indicate that you have to go somewhere [Maps] on
Wednesday the 7th [Calendar] for a presentation [Keynote].
The "Let's Talk iPhone" invitation used the Calendar/Clock/Maps/Phone
application icons to present the same concept:
[http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/03/apples-lets-talk-
iphone-e...](http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/03/apples-lets-talk-iphone-event-
is-tomorrow-get-your-livebl/)
------
bwarp
It'll be another ceremony. A parade of metal and glass. A celebration of our
supposed progress. Another device for consumption. A window into a walled
world. Another false need. Another life not really improved despite their
insistence that it is
Please at least spare a thought for those around the world who are too busy
trying to stay alive on this day to worry about a new monolith to worship.
I like technology, but I'm a human first.
~~~
tvon
I think that may be a bit over-the-top...
~~~
bwarp
Possibly, but isn't the entire carnival of Apple the same?
Tell me which bit of my post was not factual?
~~~
tvon
Which bit was not factual? There isn't a single factual statement in there
except in the most absurdly pedantic sense, it's all mocking hyperbole.
|
{
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Ask HN: HTML5 offline access or Google Gears? - seanlinmt
The question is ... is html5 offline access the same as google gears? i haven't compared the two but html5 offline access is based on google gears?<p>The scenario is this. I want to support offline access in my web app and I'm wondering whether I should built it using Google Gears.<p>My thoughts are
- since Gears is being phased out in favour of HTML5, it might be a bad idea if I have to migrate the code later to HTML5
- may not be a problem if HTML5 is based on Gears.
- Gears need to specifically get the user to install a plugin, HTML5 does not
- Only some browsers support HTML5 offline access but Gears can run on 'all'
======
kngspook
Most modern browsers support HTML5 -- probably more than there is gears
support, honestly. Gears is end-of-life'd. Even Google Chrome doesn't support
Gears at this point.
I'd go with HTML5.
~~~
seanlinmt
gears come preinstalled in chrome ... i guess html5 is based on gears .. the
editor for the HTML5 draft is from Google so there will be a great similarity
------
gaiusparx
I don't think Gear is based on HTML5. It is better to go with HTML5.
------
timschwartz
even google is ditching gears, so use HTML5
|
{
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The Lie of The Four Hour Work Week. - MaysonL
http://www.illuminatedmind.net/2009/03/17/the-lie-of-the-four-hour-work-week/
======
brc
I only got about a paragraph in and realised it was someone with a chip on his
shoulder.
Nobody intelligent finishes the 4HWW book and believes it to be a manual on
how to whittle your hours down to 4 a week.
The book (to my interpretation, at least) is about prioritizing activities in
your life, and spending as little time as possible on the things that bring
the most reward (both monetary and not). It's mostly just a wake up call to
not spend your life in a cubicle farm if you aren't happy there.
The original working title for the book as 'drug dealing for fun and profit'
which was nixed by the publisher. He ad-tested a selection of titles in Google
Adwords and selected the best performing title. That's where the 4 hour work
week comes in : the most effective hook to bring in buyers. Apparently it's
the most effective to raise the ire of hard-working bloggers.
~~~
hbien
If you read past first paragraph, the whole article is almost exactly the same
as your comment:
* Title is controversial, but the actual content of the book offers sound advice
* Don't waste time doing something you hate
* Spend more time doing something you love (like making a difference)
* He even admitted that negativity publicity for the book (like him writing this article) is still good publicity
------
wallflower
The author's premise is that most people equate work with something
unpleasant. Therefore, the 4HWW is a "lie" because most people need to enjoy
their work more instead of adult fantasizing about living the retired
lifestyle (I didn't get the logical leap).
As a programmer, I think there is some enjoyment from being able to create and
weave stuff that people use out of code. Yes, there are parts to the job that
I dislike: the downtime, some group apathy, office politics, etc. However, I
feel that I am fortunate to be in a profession where I can exercise problem-
solving and creativity and have relatively durable metrics for performance vs.
Some of the more abstract office jobs my friends have.
As a very smart kid I know said in his valedictory address:
"Work doesn't necessarily make you happy, but it may give you the _means_ to
do the things that make you happy*"
Remember life balance is not static, it's a dynamic process. Happiness is
fleeting because our survival depends on it.
------
bk
This is rambling link bait for the blog's author to build a reputation and
audience. Fair enough, but not enlightening.
------
koningrobot
Actually, most people don't hate work at all. I hear they love it and they
couldn't even imagine life without work and the satisfaction (also spelled
"exhaustion") it gives. At least that's what everyone says when I make it
known that I hate work. Still, even though everyone loves to work, I can't get
_anyone_ to pay for my survival. (In fact, there are those who condemn welfare
leeches because that makes them have to work more!)
But seriously, are these romantic articles doing us any good? I expected
something a bit more cynical with a title like this. Instead, all I got was
more you-can-do-it peptalk, telling me that there's a wonderful job somewhere
over the rainbow where I won't even notice the restrictions, responsibilities
and captivity inherent to jobs.
Admittedly, I'm making the same mistake as the author of the article by
conflating doing work with having a job. Doing work can be great; I absolutely
love programming. However, there are no jobs where you can do whatever you
want all the time. It's no use to pretend otherwise.
Perhaps if we admit that jobs suck, we can find alternatives. (And I don't
think founding startups is it.)
~~~
bitwize
Somebody's got to dig ditches and handle sewage. Until we invent robots to do
the manual labor and put nanomachines in the toilet to treat the sewage in-
situ, there's no real replacement for the job in our society.
~~~
koningrobot
Yeah, somebody has to do that. But it doesn't have to be _one_ person. I
wouldn't mind digging a ditch or handling some sewage every once in a while.
If everyone did a little of everything without commitment or paperwork or
whatnot, I bet we'd be much better off. Utopian, sure, but I'm certain it
could be made to work. (Even the worst slackers would start doing things when
there's no blame, expectations or obligations.)
Also, I'm afraid that when the robots finally do everything, we the people
will still be left with paper-shuffling jobs. As robots gain ground, jobs will
be lost and new pointless jobs invented for the sacked. That's been happening
for decades now. It's like boiling a frog: we won't even notice when we get to
the point where robots are doing everything and the only reason we're still
working is because we're keeping each other's artificial jobs going.
Kind of hard to explain this point. Think insurers insuring managers who
manage insurers, only more widespread and complex. Think circular references
in a reference-counting garbage-collected environment: objects that are
completely unnecessary but things have gotten so complex that it's hard to see
it.
Then of course there's the question of who owns the means of production: if
corporations had to pay for the robots, they won't just make them do
everyone's work for free. Quid pro quo, right? And this doesn't take malice:
the frog will be boiled very gradually.
(I know you can't boil frogs like that. That's not the point.)
------
steveplace
Hasn't this been hashed out for the past 18 months?
|
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Airbnb goes all in – Experiences, Places, Homes and planes, food, cars - matteogamba
http://www.airbnb.com/new?c=new&af=746240
======
cityandtech
I'm glad to see new solutions to the problem "I don't know this city, what
neighbourhoods should I check out/stay in?"
|
{
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Harvard Professor Re-Identifies Anonymous Volunteers In DNA Study - blurpin
http://www.forbes.com/sites/adamtanner/2013/04/25/harvard-professor-re-identifies-anonymous-volunteers-in-dna-study/
======
csense
IMHO the DNA study is sort of a red herring. The real story here is that ZIP
code, birthdate and gender have enough bits of entropy between them that they
can uniquely identify people 40% of the time.
I personally usually fill out my birthdate as January 1 of the nearest year
that is evenly divisible by 10 [1].
[1] Mainly when registering a new account with some random website that makes
you type in your date of birth to register an account. If it's connected to my
finances, employment, or medicine, of course I give them the real deal. Of
course, thanks to my wonderful government, even this may be a felony [2].
[2] [https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/04/are-you-teenager-
who-r...](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/04/are-you-teenager-who-reads-
news-online-according-justice-department-you-may-be)
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{
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Best 30 Books to Understand Modern China - Anon84
https://www.whatsonweibo.com/best-books-on-chinese-society-and-digital-environment/?R=20190030475
======
DrScump
All links are Amazon affiliate links (&tag=whatsonweibo-20)
|
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Why both Obama and Romney are wrong on small tech business - xmattus
http://www.alleyinteractive.com/blog/how-both-obama-and-romney-are-wrong-on-small-busin/
======
ef4
"Tech" small businesses are doing just fine. And they represent only a tiny
fraction of small businesses, probably even more so when you measure by
employment, which is what people tend to care about.
As someone who has cofounded both a tech company and a traditional bricks-and-
mortar small business, I can assure you that the traditional small business
has slogged through copious red tape. It's true that much of it is state and
local, rather than federal, but that's small comfort.
You might think that a reasonably smart person should be able to independently
figure out how to pay a dozen employees without accidentally breaking the law
and getting fined. You would be wrong.
The payroll processing industry doesn't exist because it's hard to write
checks. They exist because it's absurdly difficult for a non-specialist to be
compliant without expending disproportionate effort.
------
liber8
What a strange article. Clearly he's writing from the perspective of "small
technology firms", so why extrapolate his perception of how regulation affects
_his_ industry with _all_ industries?
Please, Matt, speak to someone trying to run a business in the "more
conventional trades" and see how government regulations hurt them.
That is if you can find any such small businesses in the areas that federal
government regulation have killed off. Just take banks for example: in the
last 4 years, the federal government has basically made it impossible for any
bank with less than $100,000,000 in deposits to exist. New regulations
essentially require 40+ hours per week to keep up with the "minor nuisance
paperwork." That's simply not doable if you're a small bank, which is why
you're seeing all of them gobbled up or closing down.
Obviously, this has dramatic affects on the ancillary small businesses that
made their living serving those small banks.
Just because the harm isn't visible to you doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
~~~
shk88
You just discredited his opinion by stating that his perspective isn't an
accurate depiction of regulatory issues for small businesses. Then you went
and made your argument siting regulatory problems for small banks.
You discount an argument as anecdotal and not applicable and then support your
argument with another anecdote.
~~~
liber8
If you claim X =/= 1,2,3,4, or 5 and I show that X can equal 3, I have
discredited your claim.
~~~
bicknergseng
In math. Writing public policy to address anecdotal or individual cases is an
awful way of writing public policy.
~~~
shk88
Thank you.
------
maratd
> Why both Obama and Romney are wrong on small tech business
Obama and Romney are wrong on pretty much everything, but one of them will
still get elected. So what's the point of rubbing it in?
Politics is the art of ameliorating numerous constituencies. In other words,
discrete bribery. No "right answer" can come from that.
For the right answers, you need a leader, not a politician. We haven't had one
of those in a _very_ long time. They're not terribly electable.
~~~
mistercow
>Obama and Romney are wrong on pretty much everything
No, not really. Obama and Romney are both _right_ on just about everything;
most of those things we give no thought to because we settled them centuries
ago. There is a small space of matters on which they disagree, and on most of
those issues one of them is closer to right than the other. Then there is
another small sliver of issues, more important than the other sliver, about
which both are wrong and/or apathetic.
------
jerich
Omission 3: Address engineering and hard science education in the US. If we
could double the number of kids leaving school with an engineering degree,
we'd probably start to see some amazing stuff happening.
My out-there proposal for a way a president could actually effect change:
interest-free federal student loans for graduates with ABET-accredited
engineering and engineering-tech degrees (or even "negative interest"
depending on how much you want to push it). Or, just pass the Fundamentals of
Engineering exam to get your interest waived.
Someone could do the math to figure out if the additional tax income from
higher-earning tech salaries would make up for the lost interest income, but
I'm guessing it'd even out pretty soon.
Start encouraging students in all fields into tech-heavier majors. Want to
work in the fashion industry? Industrial Engineering should be your start.
Want to become a business executive? Get a Math or Systems Engineering degree
before you head to B-school. Even future lawyers would be better served with a
degree in Physics rather than cranking out another Political Science graduate.
------
il
This doesn't apply to startups, which are always set up as C corporations.
Most businesses are set up as S corp or LLC to avoid our broken corporate tax
system/double taxation. The high corporate tax rate obviously encourages
entrepreneurs to pass profits through to themselves rather than keep it in the
business and grow the company.
~~~
taylorwc
startups not always set up as C corporations--for instance, if you expect it
to be several years before you reach any profitability (happens a lot in
biotech), you set up as an LLC to flow losses through to investors for tax
purposes. most of these convert to c-corps upon profitability or if there's
going to be a major financing event.
~~~
il
This might be differet for unsophisticated investors, but I've never seen an
experienced technology investor invest in anything other than a C corp.
In any case, investors don't want losses to flow through to them. They want
losses carried forward to reduce the company's tax liabilty in the future.
~~~
taylorwc
Depends on the investor, especially if it's an angel group vs. fund. lots of
angels want to receive the initial benefit of losses.
------
protomyth
"there actually aren't a lot of federal regulations that affect small
businesses."
This is a seriously flawed statement. There are a rather large number, and
worse, not one comprehensive list. It also matters what they classify you as.
There is a current case where a airport is classified as a mining operation
because they are going to sell the coal removed when they put in a new runway.
Doing a kickstarter and buying materials from overseas, good luck. We ignore
most of them up until the point we are made aware by a man with a badge or a
lawyer.
Well, I know a fair amount of farmers that are scared about Jan 1, if the
estate tax reverts and some startups should be too.
<http://www.mtpioneer.com/2012-January-Estate-Taxes.html>
------
001sky
1) Is a-sort-of strawman. Gov't regulations are required for all markets to
function absent fraud & violence. So, obviously at that level of abstraction,
yes its a truism. There would be no legal business entity period, for example,
without a government law outlining the legality of a "legal business
entity"...etc.
2) The avoidance of C-corps has to do with double taxation and high-marginal
rates on the _second_ level of taxation. So, again, this analysis is flawed.
The absence of C-corps is evidence that the tax rate/s in fact makes them un-
economic and thus illogical to bring into existence.
3) Small businesses are hurt by both excesses of credit (which lead to asset
bubbles and COGS inflation) as well as localized shortages of credit. There is
currently not an aggregate credit shortage (corporate balance sheets are
stuffed with cash). Seperation of retail from investment banking would help
with the localized issues around credit to small businesses (because it would
eliminate cross-product subsidies, and more rational pricing structures for
debt).
4) This would actually support a public heathcare system in its entirety.
Which is legitimately, not an idea either side has addressed. But its also
arguably a feedback loop on the tax issue: if it goes away somebody has to pay
for it. This is likely to show-up in the tax bill if the service is
nationalized, for example.
These are all good points to raise, but would just propose to have a little
more background added for color. Politicians and voters are almost always out-
informed on these issues by special interests. But because the latter elects
the former, they only need to communicate at levels of "Mininimum Viable"
product. Which is a great innefficiency :/
~~~
wycats
2) The avoidance of C-corps has to do with double taxation and
high-marginal rates on the second level of taxation. So, again,
this analysis is flawed. The absence of C-corps is evidence that
the tax rate/s in fact makes them un-economic and thus illogical
to bring into existence.
Exactly right. A good tax system would provide limited tax advantages (or
maybe even added costs) to filing as a pass-thru entity, allowing companies to
use the appropriate tax structure, and help make policy appropriately targeted
for businesses vs. individuals.
Obama's business tax blueprint explicitly addresses this:
(iii) Distorting the form of businesses.
Business may be organized under a variety of different forms,
including C-corporations, S-corporations, partnerships, and
sole-proprietorships. These organizational forms offer varying
legal, regulatory, and tax treatments. The primary difference in
tax treatment between C-corporations, on the one hand, and
S-corporations, partnerships, and sole-proprietorships, on the
other, is applicability of the corporate income tax. C-corporations
are subject to the corporate tax, while pass-through entities are
not.
The combined effect of this varying tax treatment has contributed
to a lower effective tax rate for pass-through entities relative to
C-corporations. The effective marginal tax rate on new investment
by C-corporations is now 32.3 percent, while the effective marginal
tax rate on new investment by passthrough businesses 26.4
percent.
...
The ability of large pass-through entities to take advantage of
preferential tax treatment has placed businesses organizing as
C-corporations at a disadvantage. By allowing large pass-through
entities preferential treatment, the tax code distorts choices of
organizational form, which can lead to losses in economic efficiency;
business managers should make choices about organizational form
based on criteria other than tax treatment.
...
Reduce the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 28 percent.
This reduction in the rate would put the United States in line with
other advanced countries, help encourage greater investment in the
United States, and reduce the tax-related economic distortions
discussed above.
As a person who has just spent a bunch of time deciding on my form of
business, I consider the S-Corp option to, in fact, be distortive (and costly,
from a time and accounting cost perspective). I am glad that this discussion
is happening in policy circles, and that Obama explicitly addresses it in his
blueprint, even though it is not really part of the public discussion.
~~~
tomjen3
Don't bother reading that. All politicians lies. Come November that isn't
worth the bytes used to transfer the text.
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Rare half-male, half-female cardinal spotted in Pennsylvania - shaki-dora
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/01/half-male-half-female-cardinal-pennsylvania/
======
timonoko
What does pope say to that?
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Ask HN Getting Started in the SF Bay Area - ruthdjohnson
I just moved to the SF Bay Area yesterday with the goal of grabbing a job in the tech community. I have a degree in English (research emphasis) and a minor in business, which combined leads me to looking specifically for a marketing job with a cool start-up company.<p>That being said, I am pretty open to any kind of job opportunity that is challenging and requires smarts, resourcefulness, and a willingness to learn. I definitely would like to grab a position that could lead me to a real field education in the tech field (very sad to have never taken any courses in programming or design). The main problem is I really have no idea what I am looking for or how to get started.<p>So far in preparation I have started a blog under my own domain, linked it to my twitter account, and completely restarted my boring, ordinary looking resume. I could really use some HN tech geniuses to help me figure out how to get started.<p>Thanks in advance for you thoughts.
======
pgroves
I think you should consider a sales job, even if that's not what you want to
do long term. I was given the job of "technical guy on the sales team" at a
startup and it was a good experience for a year or so even though I didn't
want to make a career out of it.
You'd be surprised how many "official marketing materials" get written by the
sales team the night before big meetings, especially in the early days when
there's no budget for real marketing.
------
nym
We had a thing on here a while ago called "Offer HN" where all sort of people
offered (for free) their services to others. You could do the same thing for
startups here for copywriting / marketing.
------
Rubyred
My advice: don't say what you can do, show what you can do. Start a project
you can get excited about and demonstrates your ability to market a product or
service. Document the entire process on your blog, and create awareness to
your blog with Twitter.
Good luck!
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Ask HN: advice for my startup - darwinw
Hi everybody,<p>my name is Darwin and I'm new to this community. Very excited to have found HN and have been following all the threads for quite a while before thinking of asking your advise.<p>I have a one year old baby and I'm concerned because he doesn't walk or talk yet, he's not social and not very active, the <i>big guys</i> like techcrunchie, lifehackerz or scobelicious don't want to play with him. we feed him regularly and he seems like growing day by day, but i guess we are concerned that he's not growing fast enough. And Oh, the baby's name is TripnTale.com<p>any tips on SEO, usability or marketing I can do to drive the awareness?
======
pedalpete
First of all, I love the way you posed the question. Mine will be 1 year old
soon, and i've got some of the issues you've got too.
First off, you are in a very crowded space as far as I can tell. I've got a
very tiny bit of experience with PlanetEye, so I know a bit about the space
that I think you are going for.... but that is the problem. What are you going
for? what are you REALLY trying to do? What is the differentiator. There are
some really good trip planning/sharing sites out there, why should I use
tripntale.
When I first hit your homepage I'm confronted with a big image and a sign-up,
aka fail. Below the fold you have images that link to trips. I'd move those
above the fold and make sure they are seen, and make them look more like
links. Just a picture isn't good. Tell me where it is, maybe when the trip
was, what user added it. That HAS to be above the fold.
Move the 'sign-up' stuff to a sign-up page. One button says 'click here to
sign-up' that way you can give people more info, etc. Move your searchbox up.
top of the page would make sense, and the login stuff can probably go
somewhere else.
Playing around for a bit, i just wasn't dragged into the experience. I can
look at photo's but maybe there just isn't enough content or something. Not
quite sure, but I'd say you have some product/UI issues to deal with first.
I don't think you'll get much major blog love until you get your usability
figured out, and focus on the users first experience.
On another note, TC is not a marketing plan, and I can speak from experience.
As great as it is to have a positive review from TC, it doesn't make your
company, but it is a great way to get feedback.
~~~
blizkreeg
You say, "When I first hit your homepage I'm confronted with a big image and a
sign-up, aka fail".
I'm curious to know why a sign up on the main page is a bad, bad idea. I am
developing something myself and figured that having a quick sign up form on
the main page would ease the sign up process instead of click on "Sign Up", go
to another page, and then fill in the form. On the main page, if you like the
site, it's a quick decision to just sign up then n there. My site requires a
user to sign up before he/she can interact with other users (privacy concerns
etc). So it's more important to me that the sign up is an easy process.
Yes/No? What am I missing?
~~~
zepolen
A internet user's attention span is tiny.
You are wasting the precious few seconds of first impression you get asking
them to sign up for something they don't even know if they will like yet.
Bring them straight into the flow of your site, and let them signup only when
they want to, not when you want to.
You can whet their appetite by showing other people interacting, no need for
them to interact themselves.
Take YC for example, I bet there are hundreds of people who just lurk and read
submissions/comments, but if they really wanted to reply to one of them,
_then_ they sign up.
~~~
pedalpete
The key thing that Zepolen points out that I think lots of people miss is your
site/business/etc is about what 'they want', not what 'you want'.
Your business is about your customers. Customers don't want to sign-up, they
want to explore or share travel (or whatever your site does).
I think i'm in one of the few markets where vistors are telling me they want a
way to sign-up and get notifications, but that is after i've given them what
they want, now they want more.
------
il
There's a lot of room for improvement in your site's SEO. For example, the
urls- instead of having URLs like <http://www.tripntale.com/trip/4820>, get
some text in your URL, even something like <http://www.tripntale.com/trip/mai-
chau-vietnam/4820> would be better. Also, get some text on your pages! How can
you rank in search without any text? If you do SEO If you have any more
detailed questions, feel free to contact me at the email in my profile.
~~~
sgrove
Hey il, I had the same thought upon seeing the URL. Are you experienced with
smoothing out SEO? Would be great if you could help Darwin out a bit more here
so others can view your answer in posterity!
[http://www.chuwe.com/questions/my-search-engine-ranking-
is-t...](http://www.chuwe.com/questions/my-search-engine-ranking-is-terrible-
suggestions)
------
sgrove
Hey Darwin!
Send me an email (sean at chuwe dot com). We're a free advice site for small
business and startups, and we'd like to talk for a small project we have
going!
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Row equivalent matrix properties - yanman
I have been arguing with two linear algebra professors about the following question.<p>Given function T: R^3 to R^3<p>T(x1, x2, x3) = (2x2 + x3, x1 - 4x2, 3x1 + 6x3)<p>For which of the following triplets (x1, x2, x3) do we have T(x1, x2, x3) = T(1, 1, 1)?<p>A (-2, 1, 4)
B(-3, 0, 3)
C(3, 3/2, 0)
D(-6, 0, 6)
E(-1, 1/2, 2)
F None of the above<p>This was a problem given on a web platform that was graded upon submission.<p>Professor One stated that this question and another similar question should be disregarded because the "correct" answers are not the answers that the computer regards as correct.<p>When I submitted my answers to these two questions BOTH were marked as correct. So how could I have derived the "wrong" right answers to both questions? By chance? So I provided my methods to Professor one who said my answers couldn't be correct because I used the reduced row echelon form matrix and not the original matrix. So I did it again, and got the right answer, then applied it to another row equivalent matrix, and got the right answer again, and so on and so on.<p>My argument is that the resulting T(1, 1, 1) is different for every different row equivalent matrix. But the provided triplets that produce the same results as each T(1, 1, 1) applied to each different, but row equivalent matrix is THE SAME! therefore each version of a row equivalent matrix produces different results, but the triplet transformation that produce the same results as a different transformation to the same matrix are THE SAME FOR EVERY ROW EQUIVALENT MATRIX.<p>Is this not true? How can these professionals not see this. I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone.<p>Why
======
gigatexal
maybe try here: [http://math.stackexchange.com](http://math.stackexchange.com)
[http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/674204/two-proofs-
ab...](http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/674204/two-proofs-about-
invertible-matrix-and-row-equivalent-to-the-identity-matrix) <\-- maybe this
helps?
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Differential Forms and Integration (2008) [pdf] - luu
https://www.math.ucla.edu/~tao/preprints/forms.pdf
======
kachnuv_ocasek
On a related note, and seeing that some people around here are interested to
learn the topic from different angle: Gerald Jay Sussman (among others, co-
author of _Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs_ ) has co-written
a book on differential geometry called _Functional Differential Geometry_.
It builds up the theory of differential geometry using Scheme, just like SICP
and SICM, and is a fantastic read for programmers wanting to grasp the topic
in a more familiar language.
It is available for download for free on the publisher's website:
[https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/functional-differential-
geome...](https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/functional-differential-geometry)
~~~
pmiller2
That is damn interesting, and probably worthy of its own submission.
FYI for everyone looking for the download link, it's a bit hidden, so here it
is:
[https://www.dropbox.com/s/t3si4b99ijqyhyk/9580.pdf?dl=1](https://www.dropbox.com/s/t3si4b99ijqyhyk/9580.pdf?dl=1)
Licensed under Creative Commons BY-SA, too.
------
FiberBundle
I took a Differential Geometry course in university. The course covered basic
theory on smooth manifolds and Riemannian Geometry. While I did appreciate the
beauty of the subject from a theoretical perspective, I have to admit that I
somewhat lacked intuition for the material, especially with regards to
differential forms. I understood that their properties make sense to define
the notion of integration on a smooth manifold, but never really saw whether
they had any purpose besides using them for integration. Even in their use in
integration they were kind of a mystery to me, if I recall correctly we just
defined integration on subset of R^n, where differential forms played the same
role as d_{x_1}d_{x_2}...d_{x_n}, which is known from the riemann integral,
but then to define integration on manifolds, we just used the pullback of the
charts, which didn't alleviate any of the mystery and didn't add anything
about why differential forms themselves are supposed to be important. I wish I
had taken some physics courses, where vector calculus is used heavily and that
might have helped some, but in the end I was somewhat disappointed, because
even though taking the course certainly did make me a better mathematician, I
still didn't have the feeling of really completely grasping the concepts, even
though I could prove statements.
~~~
tgb
If you feel that pullbacks by charts conceal the intuition, you can work with
manifolds that are embedded in R^n. Differential forms are still the "right
way" to do integration on these manifolds but now can be defined in terms of
the coordinate system of R^n. Then you can do cute tricks like seeing that if
you want to know the area of a region on the plane, you can compute it by
integrating dx ^ dy over the area. OR you can compute it as x dy over the
boundary since d(x dy) = dx ^ dy. (Where ^ is the wedge operator.) This means
you can And x dy can be integrated mechanically by a planimeter [1]. And this
is also how you would compute the area of a region in software given its
boundary!
There's some other uses. They form the basis of De Rham Cohomology [2] which
is a useful and computational way of describing topological properties of a
manifold (recall how Stokes's theorem and friends show how the topology of a
space constrains the integrals of differential forms).
Another thing is that they're specific kinds of tensors on the manifold.
Tensors represent basically all the information we might be interested in
about a manifold (for example, its curvature). Differential 1-forms are "dual"
to vectors and are therefore important to building more complex tensors
(higher tensors take in some number of vectors and 1-forms and output a
value).
And just as regular integration and differentiation relates to solving of
differential equations, differential forms are needed for differential
equations that are on a manifold.
[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planimeter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planimeter)
[2]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Rham_cohomology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Rham_cohomology)
~~~
FiberBundle
< Another thing is that they're specific kinds of tensors on the manifold.
Tensors represent basically all the information we might be interested in
about a manifold (for example, its curvature). Differential 1-forms are "dual"
to vectors and are therefore important to building more complex tensors
(higher tensors take in some number of vectors and 1-forms and output a
value).
This was how differential forms were introduced in the course. I understood
all of this from an algebraic standpoint, but I was lacking any geometric
intuition for differential forms whatsoever. Say you have a k-form on some
manifold and you evaluate it at some point which gives you an alternating
covariant k-tensor. Then when you evaluate that at k tangent vectors at the
point you get a scalar, does this scalar have any geometric meaning? Does it
measure anything? Later when we did Riemannian manifolds and introduced the
volume form that was at least a little more intuitive, as far as I remember,
but general differential forms were intuitively a complete mystery to me. Also
I kind of got their usefulness in an algebraic sense when we did some typical
vector calculus calculations using the concepts of divergence and curl, but I
didn't have much intuition for these concepts since I don't have a physics
background and only worked with vector fields in this abstract setting.
Unfortunately we did not cover De Rham cohomology. Thanks for your answer, I
will take a look at planimeters.
~~~
GaussBonnet
The first 10 pages of the following link may be helpful; it shows probably the
simplest concrete nontrivial 2-form:
[https://math.berkeley.edu/~wodzicki/H185.S11/podrecznik/2for...](https://math.berkeley.edu/~wodzicki/H185.S11/podrecznik/2forms.pdf)
The first example there is: given a base point X and two vectors V,W based at
X, the 2-form gives the "signed" area of the parallelogram spanned by V and W.
Determinants (which measure n-dimensional parallelograms), when viewed as
functions of their column vectors, have all the properties of differential
forms.
Differential forms are a bit like generalized determinants and in a sense
specify a way to measure something like an abstract volume in the neighborhood
of a point of a manifold, in such a way that the Jacobian needed for changing
coordinates is "built in".
------
bmitc
For anyone wanting to learn more about this, I highly recommend _Advanced
Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach_ by Harold Edwards and _An
Introduction to Manifolds_ by Loring Tu. The former reads almost like a novel
and is a real treat of mathematical exposition. It's also a little quirky
which is always nice. Tu's book is simply the gold standard of an introduction
to the mathematics of manifolds and differential forms. It is the most concise
and straightforward introduction to the full theory. It is also a wonderful
book.
~~~
nextos
I love Hubbard & Hubbard, which is also great as it's an introductory text.
It's been used often at Harvard Math 55 and some much simpler courses:
[http://matrixeditions.com/#vec](http://matrixeditions.com/#vec)
~~~
bmitc
That is indeed a very good book. Although I would say that some of the
notation in it is non-standard, for better or for worse. Tu is the most
consistent author I have ever seen with notation, and that matters a lot in
smooth manifold theory and differential geometry.
Another good book is _Advanced Calculus: A Geometric View_ by James Callahan.
~~~
noch
> Another good book is Advanced Calculus: A Geometric View by James Callahan.
Thank you for this! For those of us who had real difficulty with Advanced
Calculus, Callahan's methodical, visual, generous approach is deeply felt and
appreciated. I did not know of this book until now and immediately found
myself absorbed. It's embarrassing to admit, but as one who loves mathematics
yet seems to struggle and stagnate more often than everyone around me, I often
want to ask for, and indeed need, a bit of hand-holding. Callahan is a
wonderful guide in that sense. Thanks again.
~~~
bmitc
No problem. It is a great book.
Definitely check out Edwards' book I mentioned above as well. It is a gem of a
book. Although it doesn't use matrices and instead uses linear expansions, it
is still brilliant. The first three chapters give an exposition of the theory,
and then the next three go back and prove things. So if anything, take a look
at the first three chapters and then the later ones on applications and
extensions. It also has a geometrical viewpoint.
------
0xddd
Can anyone recommend a good introduction to differential geometry and forms?
Does something analogous to "Visual Complex Analysis" exist for the topic? I
have been curious to learn for a long time but, for whatever reason, always
lose my way at some point with articles like this. I come away with some
feeling that I understand what's going on and yet I can't say I have any
concrete intuition for what a form or a manifold is despite knowing the formal
definitions. I feel like applied examples would help, but at this level of
math that seems to entail going on a side quest to learn a lot of difficult
physics first. (Or alternatively, doing a lot of proofs, but that feels futile
without having a tutor/mentor to check them.)
~~~
poydras
A Visual Introduction to Differential Forms and Calculus on Manifolds by Jon
Fortney.
[https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Introduction-Differential-
Calc...](https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Introduction-Differential-Calculus-
Manifolds-
ebook/dp/B07QLN9B1C/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=visual+geometry&qid=1590139975&sr=8-3)
~~~
sixbrx
I got this recently from Springer directly, and just as a psudeo-warning, this
is a "print on demand" book, at least the one I got was (it said so when I
ordered it, so I was properly warned). Now, the print is actually pretty high
quality and so is the binding, and it's a large and beautiful book. My only
complaint is the paper of the pages is a bit thin, like regular printer paper
stock, as opposed to the thicker glossy paper I was hoping for and that would
be usual for a book this size. When you're leafing through it and a page is
lifted, you can often see the content on the opposite side showing through.
That can be distracting and may bother some people.
BTW: If you buy from Springer, you get a free pdf of the book immediately
while you wait for your physical copy, because of the delay for print on
demand. They say you don't actually "own" the digital edition (can't remember
the exact wording), but I can vouch that it's not time-limited. It's a very
good deal.
~~~
0xddd
Having gone through two chapters now, I also feel the need to caution others
that the amount of typos in this book is simply jaw-dropping. The conceptual
explanations in the text are generally excellent, but it is simply impossible
to get through a page without hitting a substantial number of mistakes. I'm
left wondering if there are errors I'm not catching on my own that are going
to affect my understanding. I really hope a cleaned up second edition is on
the horizon (hopefully with answers to some of the in-line exercises).
------
BlackFly
I don't think the distinction between the signed and unsigned integral exists
for the most general integral, the Henstock-Kurzweil integral. (I could be
wrong, but an orientation seems to always be implied in being able to compute
a Riemann sum over a tagged partition.)
This distinction is probably related to the Lebesgue integral's inability to
integrate functions unless they are absolutely integrable (since it needs to
be able to compute the positive and negative components and take the
difference, which being finite to make sense, must be absolutely finite) and
is distinct from the Henstock-Kurzweil integral which works directly with a
tagged partition of the underlying set (which implies an orientation) and is
able to integrate (some) functions which are not absolutely integrable.
Nevertheless, moving to differential manifolds introduces problems for the
Henstock-Kurzweil integral becames the local orientation in charts does not
always induce a sensible global orientation. However, integration on a
manifold isn't so much integration of a function of several variables as it is
integration of several functions of several variables. That one needs
additional machinery to deal with the "several functions" part is
unsurprising.
I can't recommend studying the Henstock-Kurzweil integral enough! Strangely
enough, despite being more general, it is far more approachable than the
Lebesgue integral.
~~~
jordigh
I'm not sure gauge integrals are really "the most general integral". As you
say, it doesn't work as well as the Lebesgue integral in multidimensional
settings, does it? It also needs a bit of a tweak to give you the analogue of
Stieltjes integration so you can unify sums and integrals, I believe.
~~~
BlackFly
They are the most general in the sense that there are Henstock-Kurzweil
integrable functions that are not Lebesgue integrable and that other integrals
that are also more general than the Lebesgue integrals are equivalent to the
Henstock-Kurzweil integral.
It still works better than the Lebesgue integral in the multidimensional
settings, since it is trivial to create a product f(x)g(y) of two functions
which will not be Lebesgue integrable but is Henstock-Kurzweil integrable.
As for generalizations to generalized functions, my preference lies with
Colombeau algebras over Schwartz distributions, in any case. Where at least
there is an arithmetic of the generalized functions.
------
commandlinefan
It makes me feel good to know that Terence Tao spends any time thinking about
integration - I would have thought that would be like a normal person spending
any time thinking about adding and subtracting.
~~~
Syzygies
Funny you should say that. In elementary school I tested well for abstraction
but exactly in the 50th percentile for arithmetic skills. Just like rejecting
how people taught me to tie my shoelaces, and figuring out something for
myself, I fixed my arithmetic deficiencies. I went on to a PhD in math and I'm
now a professor. People still think I tie my shoes funny, and I add funny. I
think for myself.
It's a crippling misconception that talent is natural. Michael Jordan made
himself the athlete he became; many people had his body but never got as far.
Good mathematicians take conscious control of how they learn and think. Our
tendency to go "meta" isn't restricted to math; it's applied to ourselves.
------
del_operator
The Stein and Shakarchi Real Analysis text is a great read for learning
measure theory
------
throwlaplace
this is his article in the princeton companion to mathematics
[https://www.amazon.com/Princeton-Companion-Mathematics-
Timot...](https://www.amazon.com/Princeton-Companion-Mathematics-Timothy-
Gowers/dp/0691118809)
a great (even if expensive) math book
~~~
apricot
Thank you! I was getting really strong "you've read this before" vibes from
the article but couldn't place the source.
|
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"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
}
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Mario and Zelda Creator Shigeru Miyamoto Retiring as Head of Nintendo - boh
http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2011/12/08/mario-and-zelda-creator-shigeru-miyamoto-retiring-as-head-of-nintendo/
======
jorgecastillo
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3327258>
Already posted
|
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"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
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Camperoo (YC W14) Helps Parents Find and Book Summer Camps, Activities for Kids - emmiechang
http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/20/camperoo-helps-parents-find-and-book-summer-camps-other-activities-for-kids/
======
gargarplex
Just a friendly reminder for parents to not turn a blind eye to anything that
goes on at camp. For example, bullying. Teach your child strategies for
dealing with it and keep a close emotional attunement. This is a PSA for
parents who actually care and don't just use camp as a glorified babysitting
service.
------
sjayman
Genius! I have 2 kids and spent the last 3 weeks fretting about camps and
getting kids into camps. Its all word of mouth at the moment. Brilliant idea!
~~~
emmiechang
Thanks! Are you in the Bay Area by chance? I'm Emmie, the founder. New site
design to push out this weekend, please take a look again soon. (we wanted to
push it out before the TC article, but it was too unstable)
~~~
arethuza
Please come to the UK - my wife and I spend a remarkable amount of time trying
to organize stuff to keep our son constructively occupied!
[NB One thing I would love is some way to enter into a discussion with our son
about what he wants to do and to rate different options - at the moment we do
this through email and printing stuff out, which is dreadful.]
~~~
emmiechang
Hey! Actually, I just found out that there were camps in the UK. I met an ex
pro-football player who used to run his own programs in the UK from 1999-2009.
I'll definitely explore expansion to the UK! I love it there, and drive a Mini
:). Good points on the discussion with your child--we'll have camper profiles
soon to allow for kids to bookmark their own things
~~~
arethuza
From what I understand, things are a bit different here - most
camps/activities are for a week or less, so for a summer holiday of 7 weeks
there is a lot of time to fill and a lot of organizing to do.
~~~
mbreese
In the summer, things are somewhat similar on this side of the pond. There are
lots of one week day camps over the summers.
------
Alex_Jiang
During early elementary school I learned more in camp than I did at school.
I was also first exposed to C++ in a summer program around 1998.
With the right vendors this is more than a marketplace for camps, it could
radically change education. Kids can pick up technical skills VERY early (that
schools won't give them), and they'll have years to master them.
------
j2d3
"Expedia for..." sounds pretty weird. Think of something else. I can't
remember what actual Expedia is for.
~~~
hablahaha
The whole title sounds a bit weird. What about "Kayak for childrens' camps and
activities" or instead of Kayak, Hipmunk? Since they are in YC, they should
totally mention that in the title as well.
~~~
emmiechang
We actually do the registrations, not just an affiliate thing like kayak or
hipmunk....opentable for kids camps?
~~~
nicoles
I like OpenTable for kids camps! I think more people probably get how
OpenTable becomes a core part of the restaurant's infrastructure than Expedia
does for travel.
------
lrichardson
I remember being pitched this idea at START pitch day - I really think it is a
great idea.
I agree with the comments above: "OpenTable for camps" is a _much_ better (or
at least more recognizable) comparison than Expedia.
Congratulations on becoming part of YC 14!
------
pstuart
Damn. I started down this path but had to give up -- it was too hard to scrape
the data. Add to that building relations and the site itself (by myself).
Best of luck!
------
jfornear
The resemblance to [http://www.zappos.com/](http://www.zappos.com/) is
somewhat ethically questionable.
~~~
emmiechang
Love how you're the only Person ever to say that! We were definitely inspired
by it. Switching in a few days to the new look and feel, designed specifically
for us!
~~~
jfornear
That's good, congrats on the launch!
------
nicoles
Great work Emmie! This is totally needed, finding and registering for camps
has been a mess for years.
------
cfontes
I remember this being here as a SHOWHN a few months ago.
Now it's YC14? Congratulations.
------
angersock
Very happy to see another successful venture from Houston.
Great work folks! :)
~~~
emmiechang
Thanks! H-Town represent!! (wait that sounded really silly...probably less
silly than if I really said that out loud)
~~~
stephenhuey
It's encouraging to the rest of us Houston startups to see your progress!
~~~
angersock
Yes, all 4 of us! :P
------
hackergirl
Have you seen CampEasy? Looks pretty big and complete
|
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Ask HN: What did you name your username after? - smush
Can be your HN username or a username for a different site.<p>Example: SMUSH is a common acronym for Super SMaSH bros Ultimate and I happened to purchase that game the same day I created a fresh HN account.
======
activekerrar
Based on a name I made up for a character in a story I was writing many, many
years ago. The name just stuck with me.
------
dpg23
The Newspeak phrase "Double Plus Good Duckspeaker" from George Orwell's 1984.
------
DrScump
The origin is a long story, but I've been using it online for 30 years.
------
4d66ba06
Randomly generated so as to not be associated with my real identity.
------
_Schizotypy
SSMSHU?
SMUltimateaSH
Somehow this one is lost on me.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronym](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronym)
~~~
smush
It's not a perfect acronym. I didn't come up with it either, but for some
reason the games have had the following shortened forms:
Super Smash Bros. -> SSB or SB64 Super Smash Bros. Melee -> SSBM OR SMMSH
Super Smash Bros. Brawl -> SSBB OR SMBSH (pronounced sm-bush) Super Smash
Bros. for 3DS / for Wii U -> SM4SH (the 4th Smash Bros game) Super Smash Bros.
Ultimate -> SMUSH
------
hopesthoughts
After my personal blog.
------
JetSpiegel
Guess.
~~~
smush
Der Spiegel but attached to a trijet airplane?
I have no idea.
~~~
JetSpiegel
That's a better story than reality.
It's from Cowboy Bebop actually.
------
n-gatedotcom
N-gate.com
|
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Proposed FAA Rule Would Kickstart New Economy for IDing Drones - wglb
https://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2019/12/proposed-faa-rule-would-kickstart-new-economy-iding-drones/162130/
======
slenk
> “As a pilot, my eye is always on safety first,” FAA Administrator Steve
> Dickson said in a statement Thursday announcing the rule. “Safety is a joint
> responsibility between government, pilots, the drone community, the general
> public and many others who make our nation so creative and innovative.”
How does this make it any more safe? People are still going to fly where they
aren't supposed to and in ways that aren't safe, and this rule won't change a
thing in those regards.
If you're currently using a drone to fly over downtown LA illegally and take
shots, why in the world would you put identifying information on it?
I would also like to know what private companies are getting all this money to
implement a new system? Could they have any ties to individuals within the
FAA? The Commercial Drone Alliance has also been pushing hard, presumably
since it is trying to keep its commercial partners the only operators that can
fly.
To me, the fact they are saying this is for safety, is a very VERY thin
argument.
~~~
CrazyStat
> If you're currently using a drone to fly over downtown LA illegally and take
> shots, why in the world would you put identifying information on it?
Because the proposed regulations make it illegal to sell drones that don't
identify themselves.
~~~
slenk
Build your own. It's easy. I've built 2 myself and have learned from/taught
some of my friends.
I have registered myself with the FAA for their current program, but I know
plenty of people that haven't.
Nor do I want to have to figure out what I need for a TinyWhoop or similar
because every little bit of weight is important at that size.
~~~
jedberg
You can build your own car and drive it around on the streets without a
license plate (or license), but you won't get very far.
~~~
slenk
Yeah if you drive in a busy city. But if you build a car on your farmland and
want to have fun, do whatever you want. And in most states, if its private
property, that is perfectly legal.
Likewise, if I am flying a drone in middle-of-nowhere Michigan on my own
property, why should the FAA care what I am doing?
The problem with the FAA rules is that it is a poorly thought out blanket
statement. If you are flying around downtown LA, yes, you should have a
license because you are putting people's lives at danger with a "vehicle".
They don't make sense to me on private property, and I think that they should
be different depending on city limits.
If we get into some of the autonomous aspects that both cars and drones have,
I think we run into some other gray areas where a blanket policy doesn't fit.
------
AWildC182
This seems really contrived... Should be a visual registration number and
ADS-B out for everything over a pound or so like every other aircraft in
existence (per the ADS-B 2020 mandate[1])
[1]some restrictions apply
~~~
opwieurposiu
On page 100 they explain why they do not want to use ADS-B. Basically, ADS-B
does not currently have a way to transmit the location of the control station
and has trouble at low altitudes. Also they are worried about too many drones
saturating the spectrum for manned aircraft ADS-B.
[https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-
inspection.federalregister.g...](https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-
inspection.federalregister.gov/2019-28100.pdf)?
~~~
AWildC182
Why are they worried about the location of the control station?
This seems a lot like regulation for the sake of regulation. The pilots won't
really have access to this information in flight if it's not broadcast on
ADS-B so why even bother? This is an ADS-B problem not a drone one and this is
coming from a pilot rather than a drone operator.
If they're really worried about frequency saturation just broadcast at low
powers so aircraft are notified through the point to point system when they
approach a drone.
~~~
CrazyStat
> Why are they worried about the location of the control station?
So that the cops can find the guy who's buzzing the airport runway with his
drone.
~~~
AWildC182
Which will only effect people who follow the rules?
~~~
CrazyStat
Most people buy commercially available drones rather than building their own,
and it will be illegal to sell drones (over 250g) that don't adhere to the
regulation.
------
Rebelgecko
Do these rules make it illegal for hobbyists to fly drones in areas without
internet access?
~~~
opwieurposiu
There are two types of drones > 0.55lbs Standard Remote Identification and
Limited Remote Identification.
Limited Remote Identification will be the cheaper type and can not take off
without an internet connection.
Standard Remote Identification will have equipment to radio broadcast location
data and can take off without internet connection.
See table on page 98
[https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-
inspection.federalregister.g...](https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-
inspection.federalregister.gov/2019-28100.pdf)
Your other options are to fly < 0.55lbs or fly in specially designated areas,
like model aircraft club airfields.
------
thecrumb
Joshua Bardwell has a pretty good discussion here:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E1aEym-1cQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E1aEym-1cQ)
------
oceanghost
Everything I've read and heard about this FAA rule is that it will more or
less crush independent designers and pilots, leaving the skies to commercial
companies.
I feel like this title is trying to spin a very, very bad thing.
~~~
hyperbovine
Bad for whom? Aviation was much safer both for the passengers and the poor guy
on the ground once it became professionalized.
~~~
falcolas
And yet you can still fly under 1,200 feet Above Ground Level (where I am)
without being controlled (Class G airspace). I (personally) feel like hobby
and personal drones fall into this kind of "general use air space" usecase.
~~~
paulmd
That's the part this regulation is taking away, more or less. That airspace is
being given to Amazon for commercial operations.
~~~
falcolas
Crop dusters, paraplanes, paragliders, kite flyers, and amateur rocket
enthusiasts are all going to be mighty disappointed if that airspace is “given
away”.
~~~
paulmd
It strongly appears that the FAA does not care what hobbyists think about it.
The feedback has been near-universally negative and I doubt it will make any
difference at all, any more than the commentary to the FCC changed Ajit Pai's
stance.
------
duelingjello
Kid: _flies an R /C airplane at a park._
FAA: “You’re under arrest for unlicensed drone operation!”
Is this sort of scenario we really want? More government control and monetary
extraction from every single, benign human activity? Should kites and paper
airplanes require licenses too?
------
falcolas
Perhaps it's just me, but a set of visual identifiers (letters, numbers) with
a certain regulated size seems a lot more viable (and easy to tell if someone
is in violation). They've done it with aircraft for decades.
~~~
reaperducer
Aircraft is a serious industry with serious people. Drones are available in
toy stores. With the exception of JANET, every airline in America properly
identifies its aircraft both visually and with radio beacon ID. They're two
different arenas.
It's harder for the an airspace violator to disable a radio ID beacon on his
drone than to just run a Sharpie over a printed identifier.
You'll never stop the hardcore jerks. But you can dissuade the casual jerk
from misbehaving. The same way locking your car won't stop a real car thief,
but will keep rando handle jigglers from rummaging through your ride.
~~~
falcolas
In class G airspace, you aren't required to have a radio beacon ID. Class G
airspace corresponds to where most drones fly.
------
gacklesmom
Thanks, I think I'll continue to disable any outgoing communications, tape
over the lights, and fly from concealed positions.
Just because a government agency that's bought and paid for by rich private
pilots and airlines starts making new laws doesn't mean people are going to
follow them. I've got just as much right to airspace as some asshole in a
Cessna.
~~~
jedberg
Do you also drive unlabeled cars on the streets because you feel that you have
just as much right to the roads as that asshole in a Ford Fiesta who has a
license plate?
------
piannucci
Can we have a bounty program for capturing and turning in transponderless
drones? :]
~~~
Filligree
Make sure the bounty is less than the cost of the drone...
------
jagged-chisel
"Identifying" drones. This is not about a technology that rhymes with "Eye
Ding Drones."
Edit: I misread - I can't be the only one, so I offered some help.
------
Glyptodon
Am I the only one who thinks this kind of regulatory system seems a bit doomed
to fail?
~~~
jedberg
Why? It's like license plates on cars.
~~~
Glyptodon
Cars are huge machines bound to roadways. Despite this people are constantly
driving on suspended licenses, without licenses, without insurance, under the
influence, speeding, etc. Regulating them mostly works because they're limited
to specific spaces, are a huge time and money investment to construct, and so
large they're fairly easy to monitor.
I don't see why the apparent "success" of license plates on cars means
something even more convoluted will work for drones, which come in drastically
different sizes, and are extremely simple to assemble and use.
We seem to recognize that licensing bicycles isn't really a feasible thing,
and licensing tiny objects that move quickly in 3-D space, and which present
even less challenge to assemble than a bicycle, doesn't seem all that likely
to succeed with actors who want to do things outside the system. Or even cover
people who just do stuff without thinking about it.
As technology gets advanced maybe there will be more of a carrot - maybe
registration gets you access to autonomous navigational beacons and traffic
control or something, and you'd prefer to have those things. But operating
what amounts to a large cell phone attached to some electric motors
unregistered seems like it'll always remain trivial for anyone who doesn't
want to cooperate in a way that's not really the case for cars.
|
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Ask HN: Good resources for learning business concepts? - ozzmotik
hi all<p>i recently realized that I have a huge desire to go to school and start pursuing an MBA soon when I can get financial aid and such worked out, but in the meantime, I was wondering if anyone had any good resources for videos to watch or blogs to read, etc, for me to get familiar with concepts and ideas within that sphere. I'm currently watching an MIT OCW playlist on writing business plans and such but I would also be quite interested in more just general business administration content, entrepreneurship, etc. basically anything you can think of that might be relevant to business, and that you think might benefit me, I would highly appreciate you sharing :)<p>thanks in advance <3
======
mindcrime
"business" is a pretty broad topic, but offhand I'd say start buy finding a
cheap used copy of $whatever edition of a standard college "Intro to Business"
text book and read through that. Since you aren't looking to use it for a for-
credit class, you don't have to worry about getting the latest edition, so you
should be able to find something cheap, on the order of $10.00 or less.
Something like this (or equivalent)
[https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-
listing/0763836206/ref=sr_1_...](https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-
listing/0763836206/ref=sr_1_3_olp?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527823777&sr=1-3&keywords=introduction+to+business)
Do the same thing for a basic "intro to business law" book, an "intro to
marketing" book, and a "strategic management" book.
Read _The Four Steps to the Epiphany_ by Steve Blank.
Do that, and pick up a bit of accounting knowledge somewhere and you'll have a
pretty good foundation.
|
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Object-Oriented Programming – The Trillion Dollar Disaster - kiyanwang
https://medium.com/codeiq/object-oriented-programming-the-trillion-dollar-disaster-%EF%B8%8F-92a4b666c7c7
======
CyberFonic
This has already been mentioned in
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20495597](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20495597)
A lot of very insightful comments there.
|
{
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A Friendly Introduction to The Riemann Hypothesis [pdf] - signa11
http://www.math.jhu.edu/~wright/RH2.pdf
======
soVeryTired
Most people have heard of the Sieve of Erathosthenes: put all positive
integers in a list, and delete the number one. Now mark two as prime and
delete all multiples of two. Now mark the next remaining number prime and
delete all multiples of that number. Proceed ad infinitum.
There's a randomised counterpart to the Sieve of Erathosthenes called the
Hawkins ransom sieve: Delete the number 1. Mark two as prime, and _delete all
the larger integers with probability 1 /2_. Now mark the smallest remaining
integer (n, say) prime, and delete all the remaining larger integers with
probability 1/n. Proceed ad infinitum.
One of my favourite results in mathematics is that the Riemann hypothesis
(i.e. the error bound for the prime number theorem) holds for the Hawkins
random primes with probability 1. The proof is only about five pages:
[https://eudml.org/doc/89234](https://eudml.org/doc/89234)
~~~
johnloeber
That's very cool; thanks for sharing.
------
maho
An interesting read! Unfortunately the author omits the mindblowing (at least
for me) proof of why the series
Z(s) = 1 + 1/(2^s) + 1/(3^s) + 1/(4^s) + ...
is equal to the infinite product over the terms "1/(1-p^(-s))", with one term
for each prime number p.
This proof does not need a lot of math [1], and if you know the formula for a
geometric series, you can also "prove it" by hand-waving: Each term in the
product is a geometric series, and if you multiply all these series out, the
result is a sum over all possible permutations of prime-factored numbers
(well, the inverses of them). Since each natural number has exactly one such
represnetation, it's effectively a sum over all 1/(n^s).
Of course, you need some rigor to show that you are actually allowed to
rearrange terms of an infinite product of inite sums like that...
[1]:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_of_the_Euler_product_for...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_of_the_Euler_product_formula_for_the_Riemann_zeta_function#Proof_of_the_Euler_product_formula)
------
robertelder
Long before I went to university, I became obsessed with the Riemann
hypothesis and one of the first things I put on my site was a simple
explanation of the Riemann Hypothesis. This was before I ever actually studied
math formally, so it's not a very authoritative explanation. For whatever
reason, this explanation is now on the first page of search results in
google.ca for "Riemann hypothesis" in Canada, and at the top of page 2 on
google.com. I get lots of random blog posts citing the explanation I wrote,
and every once in a while I get emails from crazy people who think they have
solved it providing me with their non-sensical proofs.
The problem itself is amazing (even though I don't really understand it). The
infinite series is so simple, but it generates so much interesting complexity
when you look at it visually:
[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Ze...](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Zeta_polar.svg/1195px-
Zeta_polar.svg.png)
[http://mathworld.wolfram.com/RiemannPrimeCountingFunction.ht...](http://mathworld.wolfram.com/RiemannPrimeCountingFunction.html)
------
btilly
The Riemann hypothesis is equivalent to a number of interesting statements.
One that I like is this.
The Möbius function, defined by
[http://mathworld.wolfram.com/MoebiusFunction.html](http://mathworld.wolfram.com/MoebiusFunction.html),
shows up in various sieving operation. It is 0 for a random integer with
probability (1 - 6/pi^2) and otherwise has apparently even odds of being +-1.
Its sum is called Mertens function, see
[http://mathworld.wolfram.com/MertensFunction.html](http://mathworld.wolfram.com/MertensFunction.html).
The Riemann conjecture is equivalent to saying that the growth of Mertens
function is o(n^(0.5+e)) for every e > 0\. For a long time it was thought to
be bounded above by n^0.5, but this is known to be wrong.
If you replace the Möbius function with a function that is -1, 0 and 1 with
the right probabilities, then with probability 1 it is O((n *
log(log(n))^0.5). Which would prove the Riemann hypothesis. (This intuition
would have kept Mertens from conjecturing that it is bounded by +-sqrt(n)...)
------
shas3
If you are interested in a longer account, I highly recommend
mathematician/popularizer Marcus DuSautoy's Music of the Primes.
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Music_of_the_Primes](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Music_of_the_Primes)
~~~
Aelinsaar
I would add John Derbyshire's 'Prime Obsession' to that, which adds a nice
historical context to the issue.
------
livatlantis
This is fantastic! I know next to nothing about number theory (despite my
interest in primes) and this had me in stitches. Thanks for the link.
------
leblancfg
That article was really a great refresher on something I barely remember from
undergraduate courses. I'm left a little unfazed about the style of prose, but
I guess that's the price you have to pay for dat dankness, yo.
~~~
acqq
Yes, I liked the content _in spite_ of the "trolling," since there is enough
of actual math, the author actually knows the field and it is presented simple
enough to make the math path enjoyable.
I'm sure it would work good even with less or no "trolling." It is possible to
make the approachable text even without the jokes based on misinformation. I
see the author made the book with that in the title, so it was obviously a
selling point for him, but the quite clear approach to the math material (when
he reader manages to ignore the trolling) is actually good. I have nothing
against the funny presentation of the actual biographical facts however.
The misinformation is, however, problematic. The author even states in the
foreword that he "hopes that some of those will appear in Wikipedia."
Unfortunately, it really can happen.
------
tempodox
I'm enjoying this text immensely. Math should be presented this way more
often.
~~~
Kinnard
A new pedagogical paradigm?
~~~
tempodox
I wouldn't necessarily go that far. My personal taste may not be
representative.
------
pjdorrell
Every now and then someone posts some humorous easily-digestible technical
content to Hacker News and commenters say stuff like "All
mathematics/science/software development textbooks should be written this
way", and some commenters throw out a few similar links, and the story slowly
drops down the HN front page, as stories do, and then it's mostly forgotten,
until the next one comes along.
If education matters, and if human intelligence augmentation matters, then we
should be researching how to make difficult technical material more easily
digestible, for example by enhancing it with an appropriate level of humour.
Millions of dollars are being spent on making machines more intelligent (or is
it billions?). Someone should be spending some time, money and effort on
making people smarter.
Also, compared to other possible human intelligence augmentation technologies,
writing textbooks in a more humorous style is less intrusive than taking
"smart pills" or placing electrodes inside your brain.
~~~
dangom
Through the history of mankind we've been researching ways to make difficult
technical material more easily digestible. And may the invention of print
itself, and the subsequent invention of "the textbook" be a showcase example
of this.
Though humorous style is less intrusive than taking "smart pills" or placing
electrodes inside our brains, it is very context-sensitive. I believe humour
should definitely be used more often in oral presentations of complicated
material, where the presenter is able to "feel" the context of those
listening; but maybe not so much in written text.
To make a point, there are many technical textbooks that use funny examples
and exercises as a way to draw students attention - and that does generally
work quite well - but it can be quite a tiring read if you are going through
the material multiple times.
------
iamtheneal
If you're looking for something with a little more detail (but that still
doesn't require a lot of mathematical background), you should check out
[https://github.com/williamstein/rh](https://github.com/williamstein/rh)
------
dajohnson89
The author has a book, _Trolling Euclid_ [0], on Amazon.
[0][https://www.amazon.com/Trolling-Euclid-Irreverent-
Mathematic...](https://www.amazon.com/Trolling-Euclid-Irreverent-Mathematics-
Important/dp/1523466464)
------
schoen
This style of humor reminded me very strongly of Dave Barry.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Barry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Barry)
~~~
signa11
james-mickens has a _very_ similar style as well. for example, if you have not
read 'the night watch'
([http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/mickens/files/thenightwatch...](http://scholar.harvard.edu/files/mickens/files/thenightwatch.pdf))
check it out.
you might like it :)
~~~
schoen
That is definitely similar! Thanks for the suggestion.
I absolutely adored Dave Barry's work when I was in middle school (I often
couldn't read a single paragraph aloud without laughing out loud) but I find
it less enjoyable today. Maybe my taste in humor has shifted somewhat.
------
uptownfunk
Someone needs to rewrite Rudin in this way.
------
Kinnard
Can I double upvote!
|
{
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
}
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I think Upwork is a huge waste of time - karimouda
https://medium.com/@karim_ouda/why-i-think-upwork-is-a-huge-waste-of-time-2020-review-7a12f2f01afa
======
ageitgey
The poster is 100% correct but kind of missing the point of the platform.
Upwork is essentially a platform for US people to hire cheap, interchangeable
labor in low-wage countries. Anything else that happens on Upwork (like
someone actually making a fair wage) is just a happy accident.
For companies who need a random jobs done like data entry or data cleaning,
it's an amazing service where an army of freelancers will fight over your
meager $200 budget. They put the cheap labor through hell because they know
they can - all in an effort to make the hiring experience better than hiring
local help. The person hiring has 110% of the power. The first clue is that
the hiring person literally gets to spy on your screen 100% of the time which
is insane and not a working condition you should accept form a real job.
If you are a US/UK/other expensive place developer, you should not be using
Upwork to find work unless you literally have no contacts and no experience.
It's the very bottom of the barrel of consulting. You should be building your
own client relationships in your own market. If you can do that, you can
easily earn 5x - 10x what you can earn on a commodity platform like Upwork.
But if you are in the Phillipines and you can make double a local wage helping
someone far away clean up a spreadsheet, that might make more sense.
------
irjustin
To be transparent, I have used Upwork in the past and would use it again as a
client.
What he's saying is pretty spot on. ANY market place that's wide spread/large
enough is an efficiency system that goes to fair market value.
Is there a fix that I could provide? No, because what he's complaining about,
someone in India is praising. The Indian designer can get discovered. Pumps
out good, solid work at 94% success and makes way more money than he ever
could staying local to his/her area.
It is outsourcing and the article writer might have more skills, completely
possible, but in a market place that turns skills into commodities you need to
stand out. Relates to the clients better w/ background, stronger portfolio,
bigger named contracts. There are expensive designers on Upwork for sure, and
they deserve it, but they didn't get there out of the gate.
If I had a friend who was a designer in a first world country that asked about
Upwork, I'd say avoid it. Make friends with local companies, upsell into
bigger ones, and shun Upwork.
Your advantage has to be, you can sidestep it.
~~~
loopz
It's sweatshop work in India as well. Many are highly educated and they want
to be hired locally, by international corporations like Oracle, and have a
decent life not phoning Western clients during the night and coding. They'll
complain about russian/Ukrainian and Polish working even cheaper.
------
digitalengineer
"Upwork also doesn’t give a shit about how can we charge VAT for our EU
clients — which is a legal requirement for EU based freelancers like me"
If there is ONE THING governments hate it is companies not paying taxes. But
this is a problem for EU clients as well. They need complete invoices too.
------
BillyTheKing
I've personally had different experiences on upwork (though I could've just
been lucky) - I was doing backend development jobs for various clients on the
platform, and got 4 decently paid jobs within 2-3 weeks of signing up or so
after which I sought a different opportunity and left. Admittedly, my first
job on it was from a friend who needed some help, so that undoubtedly helped!
------
znpy
> Upwork is optimized for Clients and not for Freelancers
Duh? Clients are those who pour money into the platform, hence the
optimization.
I mean, wouldn't you try your best to make your _paying_ customers as happy as
possible/legal ?
------
AznHisoka
Just a general question about upwork: do most people find a job by looking at
the jobs posted, then submitting a proposal? Or do they optimize their profile
and hope a client sends them a request?
~~~
karimouda
Mostly the former. However, when you become "Top Rated" you will get many
inbound requests from clients without much effort
------
dmessing
I’d be curious if people have tried other platforms.
------
robert2020
Are there better platforms to use?
~~~
karimouda
Unfortunately no, and this could be an opportunity for Entrepreneurs out there
|
{
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
}
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Serverless: Cold Start War - kiyanwang
https://mikhail.io/2018/08/serverless-cold-start-war/
======
stephenr
Tech, to Business: So, hear me out guys. With the power of "The Cloud", we can
break our compute workload down to the function level, and have _them_ run as
a service for us, rather than say an entire VM, or even an entire container.
And because it's a "Cloud" service, we pay for what we use, so if there's no
workload for the functions to service, there's no cost. We just pay for the
time the tiny little container is active.
Business: Ok, that sounds like it can save us money, and you seem confident in
the technology, let's go with that.
1 Month Later:
Business: Why do all these actions take so much longer to complete? They used
to load instantly with a "Done" message, now they're measurably delayed to
respond.
Tech: Well, you see the containers that run our functions stop running once
they've finished their work and it looks like theres nothing more for them to
do, so when new work comes in theres a delay while the container starts.
Business: You mean like how my Dell takes 5 minutes to boot up?
Tech: Well, kind of, but its much quicker than that obviously, and it's not a
whole operating system, it's just some processes in a process namespace...
Business: <visibly zoning out>
Tech: Ok, well tell you what we can solve this, we can setup something to
periodically ping the system so the containers running our functions don't
ever get de-activated, and that way they'll be ready to service requests
immediately, all the time.
Business: OK great that sounds like what we want.
1 Month Later:
Finance: Why did our bill for "functions" suddenly spike in the last month,
compared to when we started using it?
Tech: Well you see now we have to keep the function containers running 24x7 so
they're quick to respond, because $Business complained they're too slow to
start up from inactive state.
Tech Onlookers: ..... <blink>.... Wat... Why... Why would you do that?
(Edited to add:)
Tech Entrepreneur: I can outsource that process of keeping your function
containers active for you, for just $1/container/month!
~~~
TrueTeller
That's all plausible except the price issue. Say, you keep 10 containers
alive, so you make 10x 100ms calls every 5 minutes. That's gonna be $0.20 per
month. 20 cents.
~~~
village-idiot
Internal math at my org says that lambdas cost about 20% more than an
equivalent amount of EC2 power at full utilization. Now hitting full
utilization is very hard, but the point is that lambas are only cheaper
compared to underutilized EC2 hosts.
~~~
weego
That's ultimately the misuse 9f the technology though right. Unless it's a
freak, business changing, spike in usage due to exposure or whatever that
lambda are not critical path suitable and don't seem to have been implemented
with that intent.
For example if your sign up process is lambda you did you got your cost
benefit analysis wrong on anything other than a prototype or mvp, but if your
'change your profile photo', something that maybe happens a handful of times
across a month on average per user at best, and you implemented that as your
lambda to reduce load and delay scaling needs on your core infrastructure then
that feels like you did it right.
------
acjohnson55
I'm still a bit puzzled by the hype around FaaS. It seems like a useful tool
for things where you don't want major queuing under pressure, but you can
tolerate human perceptible delays. But it also seems easy to build a big ball
of mud deeply tied to the nuances of the chosen FaaS provider. It just seems
like most use cases are probably going to be just fine with more conventional
horizontal scaling techniques.
But I think I missing something, so I'd love to hear from someone who can
paint this picture for me.
~~~
biztos
I'm pretty new to it but so far I think the big selling points in a corporate
environment are:
1\. (Maybe, someday) no real Ops work.
2\. 100% utilization (at a cost).
3\. Measurability of cost in #2.
I agree about the ball-of-locked-in-mud danger. And so far I've seen the Ops
part be actually a bigger issue than it was before, because there's so much
opaque, badly documented madness involved. With AWS Lambda + API Gateway
anyhow, I can't speak to the others.
Even so, it seems like long-term the Ops end of the puzzle can be
planned/automated away for the most part. That leaves utilization and billing.
It can be very very useful to say "This costs exactly $X and that cost scales
linearly" when planning resource allocations. Even if everyone agrees it could
probably be done for an unknowable amount less. The predictability and the
isolation of the cost is sometimes worth spending more money. (Of course the
predictability requires that the Ops Ninjas not be required, which again I
think is possible long-term but definitely not short-term.)
Anyway that's just for one realm of application, which I think is getting more
popular ("do this internal thing we used to have some EC2's do").
~~~
acjohnson55
The no-ops part is compelling, but we've already had that for years in the
form of PaaS for small teams and K8s for large ones.
I think the billing part sounds a bit like a trap to me. At least while FaaS
retains so many quirks, it's like trading billing for the engineering time of
contorting a business process to a given FaaS model (e.g. trying to eek out
the lowest average and worst case latency; also working within language
runtime limitations).
I'm pretty sure ops will never be automated away; it can only be transmuted to
a different form :). But, at best, you can achieve elegant separation of ops
and process concerns. That's where I worry FaaS could be a bit of a hazard, if
not carefully utilized.
~~~
biztos
> ops will never be automated away; it can only be transmuted to a different
> form
Precisely, and the promise of FaaS is that it can become a black box you don't
care anything about, and bundled into the markup you're paying on CPU, memory
and network.
So far in real life it looks more like Ops is very much involved whenever you
update a function or -- gods help you -- actually have to debug something in
production. As long as this is the case it's a broken model, because as soon
as you pull your Ops Ninja away from some other task you're right back in the
bad old world of unpredictable costs.
My sense (as a relative newbie) is that the providers know this and are slowly
trying to make stuff easier and more flexible -- and more predictable -- to
deploy. Amazon Elastic Container Service being one example.
The catch is that the more standard it is, the less lock-in there is, and so
far my experience with AWS suggests that lock-in is a major part of their
strategy.
------
jondubois
Lambda is not useful. It solves a few problems but creates even more new
problems.
Some problems include:
\- It makes managing multiple environments (e.g. development, staging,
production) almost impossible.
\- It makes debugging difficult because you can't run the code on your own
machine and step through the code. Most projects cannot be tested end-to-end
due to environment incompatibilities between different services and front-ends
running locally... It's a fact that multiple developers can't share a single
development environment because each developer needs to work with their own
test data but Lambda doesn't allow this.
\- Lambda adds all sorts of unexpected limits on your code; e.g. cold starts,
maximum function execution duration and others.
\- The lock-in factor is significant; once you're hooked into Lambda and all
the surrounding services that it encourages, you cannot leave and you have no
bargaining power in terms of hosting costs and your future is entirely
dependent on Amazon.
\- Other AWS services that you can integrate with Lambda also exacerbate
problems related to handling multiple environments and debugging. Services
like Elastic Transcoder and S3 are blackboxes and are very hard to debug. If
something goes wrong, sometimes the only way to resolve the problem is to
contact Amazon support and spend weeks sending messages back and forth to
figure out the issue.
\- You're contributing to centralization of wealth and power instead of
helping small companies and small open source projects. You're helping to turn
Amazon into yet another too big to fail company with infinite leverage on the
rest of the economy.
\- It takes the fun out of coding. As a developer, you no longer feel any
ownership or responsibility over the code that you produce, you're just
handing over all that code to Amazon. In fact, it might as well belong to
Amazon because that's the only company that is able to execute that code. It
doesn't help with employee turnover.
The main reasons why Lambda is popular are because Amazon spent a fortune on
marketing it and there are a lot of vested interests in the industry who want
it to succeed (to drive up Amazon share price).
~~~
sebazzz
Doesn't that mostly apply to all serverless platforms? Serverless is cheap and
allows cloud providers to use excess capacity to allow small pieces of
software to run, scaling almost infinitely[0]. But it is always vendor lock-
in, whether you choose Azure or Amazon. It is a propietary platform but that
applies for most of the cloud if you use services that don't exist elsewhere
(Azure blobs, Azure Cosmos DB, etc)
[0]: [https://www.troyhunt.com/serverless-to-the-max-doing-big-
thi...](https://www.troyhunt.com/serverless-to-the-max-doing-big-things-for-
small-dollars-with-cloudflare-workers-and-azure-functions/)
~~~
stephenr
I think I would take the parent comment to apply to any hosted Functions as a
Service platform.
------
abalone
Two things.
1- It's amazing that Java has the fastest cold start time! Faster than
Nodejs.[1] That's exactly the opposite of what I've heard before.
2- I am so tired of hearing about cold start times for dormant apps as if that
is the only cold start scenario. It is arguably a worse problem to have cold
starts when scaling!
What do I mean by cold starts when scaling? You adopt serverless. Things go
great. Your app is never dormant. You're not serverless because you want to
shave costs for infrequently unused apps. You're serverless so you have
infinite scale and pay by the millisecond and minimal devops and so on. But
whenever you have a burst of scale and Lambda needs to spin up more
instances... some of your unlucky users are going to hit that cold start. And
this hack of keeping an instance warm would do nothing to solve that.
I mean, do they? Do we know? It's possible that AWS warms up instances before
throwing traffic at them but.. has anyone looked at this?
[1] [https://mikhail.io/2018/08/serverless-cold-start-
war//coldst...](https://mikhail.io/2018/08/serverless-cold-start-
war//coldstart-dependencies.png)
~~~
akvadrako
That chart is quite strange. Why would JS start take 500ms (on my system it's
80ms) and be slower to start with more dependencies?
Maybe it's because the bulk of the time is just copying the deployment
artifact to the local disk. In that case the overriding factor is the size of
the package.
~~~
icebraining
If you require() the libraries at the top, as it seems to be common in Node
applications, it makes sense that more dependencies add to the cold start
time.
------
pjc50
What if we had smaller programs, such that an executable could be started on
demand for each request? You could also avoid GC and long-term stability
issues this way by having a short-lived program. It even allows you to have
multiple different microservice functions written in different languages
served by the same system. So long as they use a similar API - we could call
it a Common Gateway Interface?
(Yes, this is a joke based on how we used to do it 20 years ago)
~~~
falcolas
It's somewhat amazing to me how some CGI services are so often faster than
full-blown-listening-on-port-8080 "micro" services.
It's unfortunate that we consider 1-3 seconds to be acceptable response times.
------
zackbloom
One thing this doesn't talk about is Cloudflare Workers. Rather than running a
separate container for each function we use V8 isolates directly, meaning the
cold start time is under 5ms.
~~~
bni
Interesting. I always thought AWS Lambda being a complete Linux environment
with curl and everything is just supremely wasteful. What could be the reason
AWS implemented it like that? To support many programming languages /runtimes?
~~~
15155
I would guess for these reasons and liability reasons: what happens when V8's
sandboxing is exploited?
------
isuckatcoding
I feel as if the whole "warm up the lamba as a pre-step"-thing takes away from
the whole benefit of serverless. I wonder if AWS Lambda could be smart enough
to anticipate requests based on some historical or daily pattern. Also, I'd be
curious to know if it is still cost effective to use lambda with this
technique (pre-warming) or to straight up go for a EC2 instance.
~~~
stephenr
Or.. you know.. don't have user-facing interfaces serviced by endpoints that
aren't running all the time?
I can see that _maybe_ there is a case to make for using functions as a
service, to handle batch processing of things, or possibly to service
background API requests.
------
xrd
I'm still really puzzled why AWS lambda has golang and Azure functions has
Java and python but GCF doesn't have anything but JavaScript. That's a big
hole that must be leaving a lot of developers feeling frustrated.
~~~
manigandham
GCP is just very slow at releasing and behind in both features and services as
compared to AWS and Azure. The trade-off is that the GA services are usually
more consistent, cheaper, faster and easier to use and integrate.
GCF is still in beta so it's the worst case, but they recently announced
Serverless Containers which will let you run anything insider a docker
container on-demand. That'll get around the language barriers and is the
inevitable destination of all serverless platforms eventually.
~~~
steren
GCF is now Generally Available.
And to sign up for serverless containers:
[https://g.co/serverlesscontainers](https://g.co/serverlesscontainers)
(I am a PM on GCP)
~~~
xrd
I'm assuming there is a blog post detailing this somewhere, can you share it
here?
~~~
manigandham
Here's the GCP Next 2018 video:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1sRy0Q2qig](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1sRy0Q2qig)
[https://cloudplatform.googleblog.com/2018/07/bringing-the-
be...](https://cloudplatform.googleblog.com/2018/07/bringing-the-best-of-
serverless-to-you.html)
------
davewritescode
I'm not sure if there's an equivalent in GCP but one of the issues we have
with AWS lambda is that cold start performance is also greatly affected by
whether or not the function is running in a VPC. In addition to warming up the
function, a virtual network interface has to be attached to the worker. This
can take 10+ seconds in the worst cases.
Hopefully this is an issue AWS fixes soon. The VPC cold start latency could
end up forcing you to make some less than optimal infrastructure choices like
running infrastructure on the public internet
------
xienze
The whole point of serverless functions is to do work that isn’t necessarily
real-time, but of which this is a lot and each unit of work can be completed
relatively quickly (say, periodic sync tasks and the like). I really think if
the nitty-gritty of cold start behavior is foremost in your mind you’re likely
Doing it Wrong(tm).
~~~
ssijak
I`m making a multiplayer game that includes dices using firebase + cloud
functions. I must use cloud functions for the game because I can not let the
client roll the dices on it`s own and just let it write to firebase, that
could be easily cheated. When starting the game, cold starts are very
noticeable, but after a few moves, everything feels fine.
~~~
phnofive
Very cool! Firmly believe no game should ever trust clients. Can you share the
project?
------
enitihas
Has anyone here migrated back from lambda to conventional servers? How was the
experience like. Is there any straightforward way to convert serverless
projects to traditional services en masse. In what cases would you recommend
moving away from serverless?
~~~
Nialna
We have from Google cloud functions because they are a joke (see cold start
graph on OP link). Even during development it was horribly painful to have 10+
second call times on many many requests while testing (and the same in
production). Even requests that are only a few minutes or seconds away from
each other would cold start randomly.
I already had a centralised entry point for cloud functions (just a basic
abstraction), but generally they are pretty much wrapped Express requests, in
GCP at least, and AWS too I think so the experience should be similar between
AWS and GCP.
Changing that to be actual pure Express functions and not use the cloud
functions API was pretty easy and quick, and while I was there I refactored
our entry points a bit to be easier to migrate in the future.
The only thing that took time was making a new deployment process (we moved to
App Engine so it's still "kinda serverless"). Since cloud functions have their
own deployment system, I had to write our own deployment scripts, management
of environments and so on rather than relying on the one provided by firebase
cloud functions. Not a lot of work really, and this is something you would
need if you have your own seevers anyway.
Once you have this done, it's pretty easy to move your "cloud functions" to
any scaling node server host, or even to another cloud FaaS provider.
------
iamjustlooking
I commented on a thread a couple weeks ago about Cloud Functions on GCP here:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17796893](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17796893)
Eager to test it out we ran thousands of tests attempts with different RAM
sizes and I can corroborate this persons findings in regards to the reduction
of cold start time from functions with larger RAM allocations and seeming
unpredictability of cold start on GCP. I hope with time they will improve cold
start times or increase the minimum time for making a function "cold".
~~~
jacques_chester
From the parts I can see in Knative-land, it's being given a lot of thought.
My view is that the biggest improvement to be made is in smarter handling of
raw bits. Kubernetes doesn't quite understand disk locality yet and most
docker images are less-than-ideally constructed in any case.
~~~
mwcampbell
What do you find suboptimal about most Docker images? Just the size, or
something else?
~~~
jacques_chester
I wrote several thousand words on the topic a few months (email me for the
link).
The gist is: you can make an image easy for developers, or you can make it
performant in production, but you cannot have both.
Ease of development typically leads to kitchen-sink images or squashed images,
but production performance requires careful attention to the ordering and
content of layers.
------
jchrisa
An alternative approach for user facing apps is to connect directly to the
database from the browser. Lambda still has a role to play in such an
architecture, but hopefully most of your basic crud operations can go direct,
with less commonly called functions like login depending on Lambda. I address
this option about 2/3 of the way through this webcast on serverless best
practices [https://blog.fauna.com/webcast-video-serverless-best-
practic...](https://blog.fauna.com/webcast-video-serverless-best-practices-
with-netlify)
~~~
alpb
Probably worth adding disclaimer you work on FaunaDB. :)
I am wondering in what sort of cases users can just hit the DB. Do you mind
giving a tl;dr? Does it only work for readonly/non-sensitive data?
~~~
jchrisa
Thanks. :) That was the last thing I wrote before falling asleep... TLDR is
that many (not just FaunaDB) cloud databases have a security and connection
model that's suitable for connecting from the browser. I know Firebase has
been doing it forever, and you can also do it with DynamoDB if you don't mind
complexity.
It takes a little bit of thinking to set up the security rules so that users
can only see what they are allowed, but it's worth it for the performance and
runtime simplicity. And of course you can always invoke a Lambda for code
paths that need to run with privileged access.
------
thomasfoster96
The comparison of JavaScript cold start times by the number/size of
dependencies is a little confusing.
I’m not too familiar with how all the various serverless platforms work, but a
decent bundler would surely improve the cold start times of most JavaScript
functions. Deploying dozens of megabytes of dependencies across dozens and
dozens of files is obviously going to result in a longer start up time than
uploading a single bundle generated by webpack or Rollup.
Enforcing a single <1MB file [0] seems to have at least partly allowed
drastically improved cold start times for Cloudflare Workers in comparison
with AWS Lambda, Azure Functions and Google Cloud Functions (although
Cloudflare Workers also a much smaller feature set).
[0] [https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/writing-
workers/st...](https://developers.cloudflare.com/workers/writing-
workers/storing-data/)
------
catchmeifyoucan
This is very well done! I love the comparisons, and the fact that it compares
different languages.
------
tomcam
One of my favorite articles of recent times. What jumped out at me was that
there is a dramatic difference in start up time depending on how much memory
your cloud server has: the more memory, the faster the start up time.
~~~
ssijak
More memory = faster CPU allocated
~~~
tomcam
Which is not necessarily intuitive. For all I knew there was some kind of
penalty of a 1025MB memory image vs 512MB. Didn't think so... but I'm
increasingly baffled by hardware issues in an increasingly virtualized world.
------
a_imho
So, what is the killer app of faas? To my layman understanding the selling
point is easy scale-ability, but it seems to be inherently at odds with
serverless being the most expensive computing model?
~~~
TrueTeller
IMO, every greenfield app that can benefit from "just focus on your business
code" model.
P.S. I'm the author of OP, thanks for reading!
~~~
jacques_chester
This is an argument for buildpacks, isn't it?
Disclosure: I am currently working on buildpacks again.
------
hacknat
While the idea of only paying for what you use seems to be an interesting
proposition with serverless. I think the true cost savings come in no longer
having to manage VMs.
With that in mind the coldstart problem can be avoided entirely with Fargate
and Azure container groups. Sure you pay for an app to be on all the time, but
you were doing that anyways.
I’m using Azure container groups and their managed DB service right now, and
my CI pipeline is thin and I have had no need of an Ops person to manage VMs.
------
supahfly_remix
Don't remember the blogpost, but one had a cost breakdown of FaaS. I was
surprised to learn that the API Gateway cost is more than AWS lambda's cost.
------
trevyn
This is just AWS, GCP, and Azure — it would be nice to see Zeit and Cloudflare
Workers in the comparison as well. (Any other serverless providers of note?)
------
maxxxxx
I think if would be nice to also show the performance after cold start so you
can make a real-world comparison with all trade offs.
------
wimbledon
I think there is a business case for a small app where you could input the url
of your function and have it called every ‘x’ seconds or minutes to keep the
function warm.
Would anyone here use it? I can put together a small app in a few days.
~~~
stephenr
A few _days_ to put `curl $url > /dev/null` in a crontab? Are you kidding me?
~~~
bufferoverflow
He is describing an HTML+JS solution. Even then, it's just a few lines of JS -
create an image or a script object with a given URL, append it to the body.
------
abhisuri97
Does anyone know a potential reason why .NET shows a clear trend of decreasing
cold start time as memory size increases?
~~~
reilly3000
At least on AWS, increasing memory also comes along with more compute and more
networking bandwidth. If there are a lot of packages to be imported and
possibly decompressed that could have a large impact
"AWS Lambda allocates CPU power proportional to the memory by using the same
ratio as a general purpose Amazon EC2 instance type, such as an M3 type. For
example, if you allocate 256 MB memory, your Lambda function will receive
twice the CPU share than if you allocated only 128 MB. "
[https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lambda/latest/dg/resource-
model....](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lambda/latest/dg/resource-model.html)
------
mattip
The second article on the front page right now with war in the title, why
can’t this be an analysis instead?
~~~
TrueTeller
"Analysis" is not that hackernews-worthy :P
------
songco
Great comparisons
|
{
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|
Lovepixel Zoom (Lovepixel + Seadragon + AppEngine) - bd
http://lovepixelzoom.appspot.com/
======
bd
See also corresponding blog post by the author:
<http://antsyawn.blogspot.com/2009/01/lovepixel-mashup.html>
------
anotherjesse
Odd that they didn't use PNG for the tiles. (perhaps a limitation of
seadragon).
It would be interesting to see a comparison with AppEngine, S3, and
CloudBurst. Obviously AppEngine won this because it was free, but 10GB/day is
less than $2/day on both S3 and CloudBurst, so it isn't overly expensive to
run AWS.
~~~
bd
They do use PNGs for tiles. At least that's what I see with "View image" on
the right click.
Also it seems you could even have transparent PNGs in SeaDragon:
[http://getsatisfaction.com/livelabs/topics/vector_graphics_i...](http://getsatisfaction.com/livelabs/topics/vector_graphics_in_seadragon_also_see_zoomism_com)
~~~
axod
It's requesting a ton of jpeg images, seems a lot of bandwidth for what it's
doing...
~~~
bprater
The jpegs might be for the lower-resolution chunks.
~~~
axod
<http://> lovepixelzoom.appspot.com/file/get/lovepixl/(ZOOM)/(X)_(Y).jpg
Where (ZOOM) is 11-14
(X) 0-(Depends on zoom)
(y) 0-(Depends on zoom)
Using jpg for this seems odd, but probably reading way too much into a cool
demo :)
~~~
antsyawn
No, you're right - I'm no web expert, and I didn't notice the option in deep-
zoom composer to change format. The Seadragon dev told me to try png for this
type of image and it cut the data down from 93mb to 25mb - much faster now.
(<http://lovepixelzoom.appspot.com>)
~~~
bd
Welcome to Hacker News :). Nice site.
------
axod
Impressive, but seems like some rounding issue which could be improved... If I
scroll, move or zoom, as things settle, the tiles oscillate between 2 pixels,
like they are being rounded badly, or perhaps one tiles position is being
based on the _rounded_ position of the last, instead of the exact position.
Perhaps I'm reading too much into this ;)
~~~
bd
It could be some browser specific issue. For me it renders everything ok
(XP/FF3.1).
------
Silentio
Immediately made me feel like I was playing Sim City 3000. Good memories.
------
bprater
Heh, did you see the kids playing Super Mario Brothers?
------
psyklic
just as cool is Microsoft's Seadragon demo:
<http://livelabs.com/seadragon/>
|
{
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|
The strange way people looked at food in the 16th Century - otoolep
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36072989
======
dmix
The strange way _upper-middle-class British_ people looked at food in the 16th
Century _as referenced by Shakespeare_.
------
rayiner
> It was thought that the cold English climate made English stomachs hotter
> than those of their Mediterranean neighbours and so better able to digest a
> meat like beef, which was also more tender in England as the cattle fed on
> pasture.
I see nutrition science hasn't improved much since Shakespeare's time.
~~~
dahdum
Reminds me of the "japanese intestines are longer" theory.
[https://medium.com/words-escape-us/are-japanese-
intestines-l...](https://medium.com/words-escape-us/are-japanese-intestines-
longer-8a41ca3e7d89#.mdcmtu7x9)
------
anexprogrammer
No discussion of food and diet beliefs of the time is complete without
considering the beliefs of medicine at the time. The article only obliquely
hints at this "although it had to be considered whether or not a specific meat
was suited to one's "humour", occupation, and even nationality". It's a belief
that seems to have held from ancient Greek times and shares much with ancient
Chinese and Egyptian beliefs.
The four humours were associated with different qualities, personality types
and body types, and consisted of 4 basic substances we were all made up of.
Food was thought to be important means of cure and compensating for the
humours, and balancing those elements.
It's basically a set of beliefs that dominated for 2,000+ years.
See
[http://kheper.net/topics/typology/four_humours.html](http://kheper.net/topics/typology/four_humours.html)
or
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humorism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humorism)
for a bit more depth.
Of course if you were a poor labourer I doubt much of this entered into your
thinking on food!
------
nsxwolf
I wonder how many people actually adhered to much of this. Just because some
authority says something about food doesn't mean everyone believes it or
follows the advice.
------
zwieback
Sounds like people's view of food is just as irrational today as it was then.
------
falsedan
V. disappointed this wasn't a buzzfeed listicle of people pulling faces at the
dinner table in medieval paintings.
------
tamana
I thought HN practice was to prune editorializing clickbait words like
"strange" in article titles.
|
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Hello, and welcome to DNS - pjf
https://powerdns.org/hello-dns/
======
Annatar
Ahhh, PowerDNS! At the time I determined that BIND was completely unscalable
to perform configuration management on (no include directives in those days,
circa 2007), I determined that I needed a DNS server which supported ordinary
SQL and a relational database on the backend.
PowerDNS was the only DNS server at the time to use a relational database, and
they supported several, including Oracle, which is what won me over. I
embarked on an epic journey to make PowerDNS a first class citizen on Solaris
10. It took me five years, but boy did it pay off with massive dividends in
stability and scalability!
PowerDNS isn't a perfect piece of software though: it has two major
weaknesses, first that it is written in C++ as opposed to C and that made it a
bitch to port to Solaris, and second that it depends on Boost, which is also a
massive, bloated C++ monster which is a nightmare to get to build on any
platform, let alone Solaris.
However, the software itself is a damn good DNS server, resistant to most
attacks and constantly improving having had loving care from its user
community, some which could be core PowerDNS developers in their own right.
Finally it bears writing that the owners of PowerDNS are some of the kindest,
sweetest guys one ever had the pleasure of working with, and they are open to
considering suggestions and accepting contributions in patches and features.
They were an absolute blast to work with over the years and could serve as
poster children on how open source collaboration could work and make money off
of at the same time.
~~~
yipbub
How _did_ they make money?
~~~
ahubert
I did a talk on that at OHM2013 but sadly the recordings got lost. Will blog
it up one day. You can be a "good" open source company and still make money!
It does require a lot of planning though.
------
ahubert
Hi! Author of that page here. Let me know your thoughts, or express your
feelings in a pull request! [https://github.com/ahupowerdns/hello-
dns/](https://github.com/ahupowerdns/hello-dns/) \- you might also appreciate
the DNS RFC viewer on [https://powerdns.org/dns-
camel](https://powerdns.org/dns-camel) . Finally, this all started based on
this IETF presentation: [https://blog.powerdns.com/2018/03/22/the-dns-camel-
or-the-ri...](https://blog.powerdns.com/2018/03/22/the-dns-camel-or-the-rise-
in-dns-complexit/)
~~~
bogomipz
This is great! I look forward to reading more in this series. Cheers.
------
hliyan
It's a rarity to see websites where form follows function these days: table of
contents, heading, and content. This is what the web should be...
~~~
captn3m0
Looking at the source, it feels like it should work without JS, but it doesn't
(Firefox 60 beta, Linux)
Neither of elinks/lynx renders it correctly either.
~~~
feelin_googley
It does work without JS. For elinks, try pressing the backslash key.
~~~
JdeBP
captn3m0 is right. It does not. Chrome renders it as a long but entirely blank
page.
~~~
feelin_googley
It works with elinks. When the page is loaded, press backslash key (view page
source). See below for sample.
I dont use Chrome. Cant comment on that.
<meta charset="utf-8" emacsmode="-*- markdown -*-">
**A warm welcome to DNS**
# Hello, and welcome to DNS!
This series of documents attempts to provide a correct introduction to the
Domain Name System as of 2018. The original RFCs remain the authoritative
source of normative text, but this document tries to make this venerable
protocol more accessible, while maintaining full alignment with all relevant
and useful RFCs.
~~~
JdeBP
If you have to view the source to even see anything with elinks, then "it
works" is not a correct description.
~~~
feelin_googley
You see something before hitting backslash. I guess you didnt even bother to
try it? Why are you even commenting then? When you hit backslash it simply
changes the formatting, making what you see easier to read. If I can read the
content as text, then it works. Its a text-only browser. Its for reading text,
not executing Javascript.
If I recall correctly many years ago on the djbdns mailing list djb said you
did not know what you are talking about or something to that effect. At the
time I thought maybe he was being a little harsh. As usual, he was right. You
are annoying.
------
ChrisSD
> In order to squeeze as much information as possible into the 512 bytes...
I appreciate that this is a work in progress but this section is misleading.
As all too briefly mentioned elsewhere on the page, EDNS allows extending
this. In practice most of the resolvers I connect to do support EDNS and a
buffer of 4096. So yes 512 may be needed as a fallback (depending on what
you're doing) but you'll almost certainly have more room to breathe than that.
IPv6 and DNSSEC practically make the extra space a necessity.
> DNS names can (and often MUST) be compressed.
I don't think I've ever seen label compression in actual use? RFC 6891
([https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6891](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6891))
seems to suggest they're obsolete.
That critique aside, it seems like this will become a good tutorial. And if
you're looking for a reference I'd point to the IANA's page on DNS parameters
([https://www.iana.org/assignments/dns-parameters/dns-
paramete...](https://www.iana.org/assignments/dns-parameters/dns-
parameters.xhtml)) it lists and organises most of the relevant RFCs. RFC 6895
([https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6895](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6895))
is a particularly useful resource for best practices.
~~~
colmmacc
Label compression is pretty common, I think all of the big name server
implementations do it by default. Amazon Route 53 definitely does it - I wrote
the code! But my favorite thing about DNS label compression is probably this
quote from DJB's code where he implemented it ...
[https://github.com/abh/djbdns/blob/0715ca5de14ad5eae2c779c53...](https://github.com/abh/djbdns/blob/0715ca5de14ad5eae2c779c536beee2ef56d07a2/dns_packet.c#L2)
~~~
bluejekyll
Yeah, label compression is very much in use. It is annoying though, it’s one
of the slower pieces during serialization.
------
DyslexicAtheist
_" The original RFCs remain the authoritative source of normative text, but
this document tries to make this venerable protocol more accessible, while
maintaining full alignment with all relevant and useful RFCs"_
so if anyone has lost their mind looking for a complete list of DNS RFC's and
their relationship / timeline, ... knock yourselves out:
[https://emaillab.jp/dns/dns-rfc/](https://emaillab.jp/dns/dns-rfc/)
~~~
ahubert
Another viewer is [https://powerdns.org/dns-camel](https://powerdns.org/dns-
camel) \- where you can select obsoleted, informational, experimental,
historic, and standards (track) RFCs. And drafts!
~~~
jlgaddis
FWIW, this is completely unusable on an iPad.
------
DanielDent
It looks like RFC 7873 (May 2016) came up with a very different meaning for
"DNS cookies" than I did in 2015.
It's an unfortunate naming collision.
My meaning: [http://dnscookie.com/](http://dnscookie.com/) RFC 7873 meaning:
[https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7873](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7873)
------
justaj
Is there any particular reason why Javascript has to be enabled just to view
this page? Or even have a minified JS file in the first place?
~~~
guessmyname
The author is using Markdeep [1] to render the plain text content of that page
as HTML.
Disabling JavaScript will leave the entire page in plain text again, which
should still work.
[1] [http://casual-effects.com/markdeep/](http://casual-effects.com/markdeep/)
------
arca_vorago
I've implemented powerdns in prod a few times and really like it. There are
some quirks but it has good documentation and a huge point for me is it is gpl
(or gpl compat, I can't remember which)
~~~
koffiezet
Same, I use it as the central authoritative DNS server for our internal
domains, backed by a simple sqlite datbase which seems to be able to handle it
without a single issue. Local Bind9 instances are configured on all our sites
to ASFR all zones, and handle the client-facing traffic. All this is managed
using Ansible, and works like a charm.
------
feelin_googley
"When in doubt: authoritative servers 'host' DNS data, 'resolvers' look up
things over at authoritative servers and clients run 'stub resolvers' to look
things up over at resolvers."
What about programs run by clients that look things up over at authoritative
servers? (Programs that do _not_ look things up over at resolvers.)
"Zone files are one way of storing DNS data, but these are not integral to the
operation of a nameserver. The zone file format is standardized, but it is
highly non-trivial to parse.
...
Of specific note, many people have attempted to write a grammar (parser) for
zonefiles and it is almost impossible."
I am guessing this statement is only referring to "BIND" zone file format.
I wonder how that could be a desirable or even acceptable state of affairs:
having a "standardized" format that is "almost impossible" to parse.
The author suggests zone files are "not integral" to operation of a
nameserver.
If zonefiles are optional does that also leave the programmer the option to
use a zonefile format of their own choosing?
IME, parsing a tinydns zonefile is not difficult at all, because the author
did not use the "standardized" BIND zonefile format.
~~~
inopinatus
> What about programs run by clients that look things up over at authoritative
> servers?
Aside from the utilities like dig, I call those “resolvers” too. Doesn’t
matter if they’re client-specific. The term still fits, it describes what the
code is doing.
~~~
feelin_googley
Heres Wikipedia:
"Stub resolvers are "minimal DNS resolvers that use recursive query mode to
offload most of the work of DNS resolution to a recursive name server."
A stub resolver will simply forward a request to a recursive name server..."
dig can send both recursive and non-recursive queries.
This appears to meet the definition of a "stub resolver" according the
definition above.
However I am asking about programs that send _only_ non-recursive queries and
only send them to _authoritative nameservers_.
(FWIW I do not consider caches to be authoritative for any name.)
Is there a well-understood term to describe this type of program?
~~~
inopinatus
You seem to be trying to classify DNS clients by what they do mechanically.
But that isn't the case. DNS software is classified according to its role and
expected capabilities. There's a relationship between role and action, but
it's the former that matters much more when it comes to naming of parts.
Rather than looking at Wikipedia I suggest consulting RFC 7719 "DNS
Terminology",
[https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7719](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7719)
where you will find that your program is simply called a "resolver": "A
program that extract[s] information from name servers in response to client
requests."
That RFC further describes some specific classes of resolver, but dig is most
definitely not a "stub resolver" because these are characterised by what they
_cannot do_ , whilst dig is a swiss-army knife utility that can do a great
deal - which merely happens to include, amongst other things, sending the same
queries that a stub resolver might send.
In terms of implementation details, your specific description: "programs that
send only non-recursive queries and only send them to authoritative
nameservers" describes the principal activity of the resolver side of most
implementations of a full-service resolver. However if you read that RFC
you'll see that it equivocates about the implementation details of full-
service resolvers in general, because in classification the role and outcome
matters more than the action.
|
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Mac Users’ Unsaved Files and Screenshots Are Automatically Stored on iCloud - ForHackernews
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/11/03/filevault_2_mac_users_unsaved_files_and_screenshots_are_automatically_uploaded.html
======
IDrive
Hey Folks. Thomas from IDrive online backup. I just wanted to point out that
IDrive never automatically backs up your files unless you turn on Continuous
Data Protection. We also offer private key encryption so the files you backup
can only be accessed by you. This is a much securer online backup option.
------
pax
_If you turn off iCloud, all documents stored in iCloud will be deleted from
this Mac._ [http://imgur.com/YcWPjnk](http://imgur.com/YcWPjnk)
------
tellor
This is will be a nice but must encrypted (transparent and fast) on the client
side.
|
{
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Bitnation launches Constitution with Ethereum - jarsin
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/bitnation-launches-decentralised-borderless-virtual-nation-constitution-ethereum-1544431
======
jarsin
"Tempelhof added that the Bitnation model will follow a radical interpretation
of reputation where not just people, but also laws will have reputation."
|
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|
Why Self-Checkout Is and Has Always Been the Worst - ductionist
https://gizmodo.com/why-self-checkout-is-and-has-always-been-the-worst-1833106695
======
towaway1138
Maddeningly, this article wanders around without really making the key points.
The self-checkout experience could be done reasonably well, but hasn't been.
Why? The article doesn't talk about it.
Yes, companies want to cut costs, but there's nothing wrong with that. It is
true, though, that there needs to be something in it for the user, or else why
bother? So, for example, how about a 5% discount for self-checking?
I've noticed also that huge kiosk rollout at McDonald's has apparently failed.
They're not as bad as grocery self-checks, but they're not good. And few
people are using them. Who thought this was going to work?
------
sgwealti
Even with all their problems I still prefer self checkout for three reasons:
1) Speed due to the line being shorter and being able to scan and pay for my
items quicker than the cashier typically can 2) not having to interact with a
stranger if I don't feel like it and 3) I can bag my items the way I like them
to be bagged.
------
TheSpiceIsLife
I don’t consider self checkouts to be automation.
All they don’t is turn the touch screen around to face the customer, and
dumbed it down a bit.
There’s nothing automated about having to perform the entire task yourself.
My favourite pet peeve with the ones at my local supermarket is that they’re
called “assisted checkouts”. Assisted? Yeah, by _me_.
|
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Filmmaker from NSA Leaks Case Emerges from Behind the Camera - teawithcarl
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/15/business/media/filmmaker-linked-to-leaks-has-her-own-stories-to-tell.html?hp
======
Amadou
I know the article touches on this point, but I thought it worth saying
directly. The fact that this journalist had long been publicly singled out for
extra scrutiny under the current programs is a damning indictment of them.
Whether she was targeted for political reasons or simply because the dragnet
was too wide - neither explanation is compatible with the basic requirements
for a functioning democracy.
If the people whose job it is to speak truth to power are being persecuted by
the system then we are no better today than we were 50 years ago when the FBI
used their surveillance of Martin Luther King to try to intimidate him into
silence.
~~~
spikels
There is a not so subtle carrot and stick. A reporter who goes along with
those in power can expect access, leaks and perhaps lucrative jobs for their
family [1]. But a reporter who embarrasses our leaders will lose the access
they need to do their jobs and may be harassed by airport security or even
investigated by FBI [2],[3] or have their computer hacked [4]. Powerful
incentives to go along with their views.
[1] [http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/media-
administ...](http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/media-
administration-deal-with-
conflicts/2013/06/12/e6f98314-ca2e-11e2-8da7-d274bc611a47_story.html)
[2] [http://bigstory.ap.org/article/govt-obtains-wide-ap-phone-
re...](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/govt-obtains-wide-ap-phone-records-
probe)
[3] [http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/us/politics/white-house-
de...](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/21/us/politics/white-house-defends-
tracking-fox-reporter.html)
[4] [http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-
wemple/wp/2013/06/1...](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-
wemple/wp/2013/06/14/cbs-news-confirms-multiple-breaches-of-sharyl-attkissons-
computer/)
------
omonra
Can someone elaborate on the 'encrypted online conversation' they mention in
the article?
~~~
e3pi
"....Software like that exists. One of the oldest is PGP, e-mail encryption
software released in 1991. Others include OTR (for “off the record”), which
enables secure instant messaging, and the Internet telephony apps Silent
Circle and Redphone.
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5880596](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5880596)
[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/14/n...](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/14/nsa-
proof-encryption-exists-why-doesnt-anyone-use-it/?wprss=rss_ezra-klein)
------
e3pi
More isolated heroes surfacing, coalescing, and encouraging popular outrage
and opposition.
------
ajtaylor
I remember reading about this filmmaker in a previous NYT article. It bothers
me immeasurably that this sort of harassment (is there any other way to
describe it?) happens to people simply because they are trying to shed light
on things the government would rather keep in the shadows.
|
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Pandas 0.4 (Python data analysis library) released - wesm
http://pandas.sourceforge.net
======
ims
This looks really well done.
I wonder what the motivation is to do this when R is so mature (especially in
the availability of specialized packages), and available through RPy.
~~~
wesm
Here's an article I wrote about some of my motivations on the Python side of
things: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2790762>
The bigger picture reason "why not R" is that R is not very suitable for
building production systems. I started building this library while working for
AQR, a quant hedge fund, and needed to have statistical computing building
blocks integrated with a much larger system. R is a mediocre programming
language and has very weak general purpose libraries. But amazingly good data
visualization and mature statistics libraries indeed. Using R as a black box
(e.g. via RPy, Rcpp, or RJava) is a good idea in theory, but recovering from
and dealing with errors/exceptions with real world data is a very thorny
problem. Plus maintaining a big pile of R code is kind of a nightmare (believe
me, been there, done that!).
~~~
pmiller2
On a related note, I've said _exactly_ the same thing about Matlab to people
before. It (Matlab) is good for getting the algorithms and calculations
correct, but as a programming language, it's pretty terrible.
------
colanderman
Claiming "DataFrame" to be two-dimensional almost caused me to discount the
entire project. On the contrary, it seems like they are actually multi-
dimensional (since they are essentially OLAP relations) and you should
advertise them as such. That they can be viewed as two-dimensional tables is
incidental.
~~~
wesm
Thinking of DataFrame as a 2D structure just aids mental visualization. With
hierarchical indexing they can be arbitrarily highly-dimensional so maybe I
should sell it a bit more like that. In an OLAP setting the "sparse" format
may often be better than the "dense" (truly N-D) format.
It would be an interesting avenue to pursue building a "big data" on-disk OLAP
engine with pandas-like semantics (e.g. expressing groupby operations with the
same syntax but operating on big data on disk or across a cluster of
computation nodes).
~~~
colanderman
No, they are multidimensional even without hierarchical indexing. e.g.:
x y z value 0 0 0 32 0 0 1 64 0 1 0 23 0 1 1 3.14 1 0 0 4.3 etc.
This is essentially a 3D cube of data, no hierarchical indexing involved. The
benefit of hierarchical indexing is that you can wrap your spatial dimensions
into a single real dimension for e.g. code abstraction.
I have actually been developing a similar library for OCaml (even with
hierarchical indexing). It is good to see our libraries share many of the same
ideas! I wonder though, have you considered GPU acceleration? AFAIK neither
Matlab nor R do this natively yet.
------
achompas
You can also catch wesm talk about the pandas package at AOL HQ in New York
this Wednesday. I'll be there, ready to find an alternative to R.
[http://www.meetup.com/nyhackr/events/28880161/?hidePromoBar=...](http://www.meetup.com/nyhackr/events/28880161/?hidePromoBar=true)
------
phren0logy
Thanks for your work on this, it looks great. I'd love to use python end-to-
end. Any plans to support some parallelism?
|
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|
Sysadmin Magazine Special Edition - an_tonova
https://www.netwrix.com/sysadmin_magazine_november_2016.html?cID=70170000001HuwI
======
dozzie
You go very far to ensure I can't download your magazine. Is it even worth
giving you my personal information?
Well, that's what I thought. 8MB of useless advertisements and screenshots,
with very little actual content, which actually can be found elsewhere.
|
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ShowHN: Hacker-News inspired forum - stevekemp
Simple. Minimal.<p>The code is written in Perl, and Redis is used for storage.<p>Code:
https://github.com/skx/gathering/<p>Demo site:<p>http://spam-box.co.uk/
======
ioddly
Props for using Redis. I've been hacking on a project that uses Redis only and
it's been an enjoyable experience.
I have to agree with mean anonymous comment guys that the interface could use
some work, though. Too much whitespace, and I personally don't care for the
grey background.
~~~
stevekemp
The layout is the hardest part for me - but yes I agree it needs work.
I've killed the whitespace in the index and reset it to black on white for the
moment. I'll have to work on the layout some more over the next couple of
days.
Redis is very pleasant to use..
------
labpdx
Clickable: [http://spam-box.co.uk/](http://spam-box.co.uk/)
------
dougbarrett
Is there a way to combine tags? Similar to how on reddit I can do
/r/webdev+golang?
~~~
stevekemp
This is now possible.
[http://forum.spam-box.co.uk/tag/gui,bug](http://forum.spam-
box.co.uk/tag/gui,bug)
|
{
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Open Mesh Network based on the Bitcoin Protocol - heyjon
http://www.openlibernet.org
======
higherpurpose
I definitely hope they take a long hard look at what Maidsafe has been doing,
especially at their anonymity model, and I think they have a pay-model, too,
at least for the company itself.
But instead of seeing all of these different projects that are basically
forking Bitcoin (OpenLibernet, MaidSafe, Bitcloud, GNS, Twister, Bitmessage,
etc), and creating something very different each time, rather than having all
of them being built on top of Bitcoin, like we were promised, I'd like to see
these being integrated with Ethereum.
Ethereum promises to be that "Bitcoin as Internet/platform" thing that we
eventually want, and on which all of these things and much more can be built,
and be fully integrated with each other, which should make a lot of other
things easier to build, such as P2P currency exchanges and so on.
With Ethereum we're going to see P2P services popping up with a _regular
occurrence_ , because basically everything built on top of it will be P2P, and
all could much more easily be integrated with each other, and could much more
easily find a monetization and sustainable model, and also a way to
incentivize users to join them.
Think Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, chatting, Dropbox, and probably even Youtube
alternatives, all P2P, and some even anonymous if the developer decides to
integrate that in them. I expect this to eventually bring us that "secure by
default Internet", rather than making what we have now secure by default.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9dpjN3Mwps](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9dpjN3Mwps)
[http://www.ethereum.org/](http://www.ethereum.org/)
[https://www.ethereum.org/whitepaper/ethereum.html](https://www.ethereum.org/whitepaper/ethereum.html)
------
BobMarin
I have been waiting for this since I learned about Bitcoin.
Thanks for trying to make this happen. Combining this with Maidsafe and
Bittorent technology could prove to be a winning recipe for an almost free and
a completely secure internet.
Any idea when you'll go into Beta?
------
ape4
Seems like a great idea.
|
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|
Hypertext was intended to compensate for ADD - 10ren
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/3.06/xanadu_pr.html
======
shawndumas
"When handed a lemon, make lemonade" is a good motto. "If it's yellow, make
lemonade" is not. What, then, is the reader to make of this yellow journalism,
"The Curse of Xanadu"? Evocatively written and cunningly constructed, the
piece claims to be the final obituary of all the Xanadu veterans and alumni
(some 50 of us), particularly of myself, charging falsely (amid a fusillade of
personal slurs) that my early work on media design and hypertext was based on
technical "ignorance" and "fantasy."
This article is a very nasty piece of work. Nastiness breathes from the commas
and drips like Spanish moss from Wolf's fine sentences. Everything in the
piece is contrived to promote disapproval rather than understanding. This
hatchet job could be a textbook for a course in persuasive writing: every
word, every detail has been chosen for its connotations of folly, decay, and
despair rather than its accuracy or appropriateness.
The inaccuracies begin in the first sentence (there is no Marin Boulevard in
Sausalito), but I will not chronicle them here; a partial list can be found at
<http://www.xanadu.com.au/ararat>.
Reports of Xanadu's death have been greatly exaggerated. Nowhere did Wolf
mention that "Xanadu" is my own living trademark, now registered and
completely divorced from the software he takes such pains to disparage and
misrepresent. This is a negligent, damaging omission of fact. If that software
is not finished, I will find another way to achieve transclusive literature
and register it under the classical Xanadu trademark.
Wolf makes a big, fat technical claim that sure makes us look stupid: "Even
today, the technology to implement a worldwide Xanadu network does not exist."
Why, how silly of us not to notice - well, dang! - how could we have missed
it? (Strong vapors indeed must I have exhaled to have intoxicated such able
mathematician-generalists as Roger Gregory, Mark Miller, and K. Eric Drexler,
superprogrammer/superbusinessman John Walker, and the rest of the Autodesk
management.)
Since I started in 1960, some type of Xanadu design has always been doable
with the technology of any era. That is because "Xanadu" has always referred
to a specific data service of documents, versions, links, and transclusions -
at whatever speed. The Xanadu Operating Company server that Wolf misrepresents
is simply a re-addressing box, which translates address positions among
virtual documents, versions, links, and transclusions across a distributed,
expandable, address space of contents. The box is designed to supply the
addresses of the desired pieces to the user's front-end machine, which sends
for the pieces and displays them, composited in virtual documents, showing
their interconnections and outreaching connections to other materials. (The
user's front-end machine functions like Mosaic and Netscape, which I believe
were based on our work.)
Actual delivery of the pieces is obviously a problem of a different kind, a
bandwidth problem, subject to more conventional engineering and computer
science. The issue we addressed was addressing itself - virtual addressing in
a hypermedia world, in which everything can be reused and recomposited.
Wolf seriously garbled the idea of transclusion. To say we planned to have
only one copy of anything on the network is ridiculous. There have to be
copies - actually instances - throughout the network and on the user's
machine. A key problem is how to resolve these many instances into a single
virtual object, not troubling the user about their different locations. (Note
the problems caused on the Web by making no distinction between a document's
identity and its address. The result is mirror sites, et cetera.) Literal
copying is not forbidden in a global Xanadu scheme, it is essential; but each
copy retains its original identity and ownership as a remote instance. That is
the point. The different copies have to be functionally united into one
logical identity.
With regard to enfilade technology, Wolf willfully ignores our exact and
careful distinctions in order to make our intentions and claims appear
ridiculous.
I would like a knowledgeable and trustworthy third party to examine our
original 1970 work, under nondisclosure, and publicly verify the novelty of
the work for that time, noting how long thereafter that particular work took
to appear in published literature. To the best of my knowledge, it was well
over a decade, and I have seen no indication that the later work has been
replicated.
Perhaps Wolf talked to people who thought I didn't understand computers
because I wanted things to be very different, and still do; another person's
behavior may seem like ignorance, confusion, or insanity when that person is
simply living in another paradigm. But from the beginning of my work,
proceeding from a basic understanding of how things were in the computer
world, I have wanted them to be different and worked fiercely toward that
goal.
And of course, those Johnny-come-latelys at Xerox PARC and the Media Lab have
treated me as ignorant because my detailed designs and hopes for the media
future have almost nothing to do with theirs.
My ideas may have been too startling and sweeping for many people, but if
those who heard me in the '60s and '70s would examine what I actually said,
rather than what they thought they heard, they would be very surprised. Most
people heard only every other word at best. They heard the thrust and
intensity of my vision but not my exact words; what they heard was based on
their preconceptions, preoccupations, and levels of awareness at the time. And
some were so eager to mishear and put me down that they would mishear and
misremember no matter what.
I continue to hold exactly to my original vision, that transclusive hypermedia
will be the publishing medium of the future, under whatever brand name.
There are far more varieties of interactive media than anyone has yet tried;
but I believe that open transmedia - unique in power to aid understanding and
to solve the copyright issue - represents a vital singularity in the great
family of media cosmologies; until this is disproven, I continue to stake my
life and career on it. If I am right about the centrality of transclusion to
the media of the future, it may all have been worth it, and we will see who
understood media design after all. The ferocity and harsh intent of Wolf's
statement and his varied and repeated assertions of my incompetence and
ignorance, however strange or contorted the charges, require that the magazine
back up these accusations.
I demand that Wolf, and the editors and publishers of Wired, restate their
charges as a testable bill of particulars - open to the judgment of its
readership - regarding my inability to delve, "ignorance of advanced
software," lack of technical knowledge, and absurd notions; insofar as they
may have been material to the clarity, lucidity, grounding, and validity of my
work, ideas, and predictions in the '60s and '70s; specifically identifying
any technical errors, deficiencies, exaggerations, lacunas, false assumptions,
misinterpretations, misunderstandings, shortcomings, fantasies,
hallucinations, and absurd notions as they may be able to exhume, anywhere in
my designs, predictions, published articles, or recorded speeches; whether
leading me to think the wrong thing, or the right thing by mistake, as is so
quaintly averred; so that such defects may be subject to public verification
or disproof; so that we can settle clearly whether my ideas were free-floating
delirium or sound conjecture; whether my continual pursuit of hypermedia
represented a "fantasy" of "ignorance" or a clear deliberate search among
possibilities and alternatives to obstruct my media designs; and whether I was
right for some wrong reasons or whether I was right, period; so that the
degree of damage from these remarkable corkscrew accusations can be properly
assessed.
Wolf calls the general idea that we need freedom and availability of
information to avoid disaster a "very hackerish assumption." Perhaps. But it
is an ideal I believe in, bound up with the ideals I learned from the Pledge
of Allegiance in grade school. Ironically, that ideal seemed to be what Wired
stood for. Wolf's piece is a perfect example of such a disaster. Wolf himself
is indeed an innovator in electronic media. By combining the word processor
and the poison pen, he has created a new electronic literary genre all his
own. But to quote him once more, "In books, television, and radio, the truth
is a slave to a good story, and convincing lies are remembered, while dry,
factual refutations are forgotten." Indeed. Well, I say let us remember
properly. That is the Xanadu ideal.
Theodor Holm Nelson
Project Xanadu
<http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/3.09/rants.html>
~~~
jerf
That's a great link, thanks, but just the link would have done. Failing that
if you're going to paste that much in, please attribute at the top as well as
the bottom; I was very surprised to see that under "shawndumas" until I
finally thought to check the end.
It should also be pointed out this response is from 1995, and I sort of
started writing a half-hearted response but that's just dancing on somebody's
grave at this point.
~~~
shawndumas
The link includes other responses from other people and about other articles
so just the link may have confused people.
As to the attribution; noted -- thanks.
------
marze
It is interesting to note that the problem the Xanadu effort was attacking,
payments for content, etc., is still unsolved.
Newspapers are going out of business because it is difficult to be compensated
for information/content made available over the internet.
It is also interesting to interpret many successful internet firms that offer
blogging, Facebook, as steps towards the Xanadu vision of everything being
editable.
------
cal5k
Has it occurred to anyone that operational transformation, a la Google Wave
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operational_transformation>), is basically the
solution to the transclusion problem?
------
gruseom
This article is the intellectual equivalent of a horror movie.
|
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A $6 Linux computer you might be able to write code for - jrepinc
https://hackaday.com/2018/11/12/new-part-day-a-6-linux-computer-you-might-be-able-to-write-code-for/
======
detaro
duplicate (this article even links to that discussion):
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18425643](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18425643)
------
yifanlu
A Raspberry Pi Zero is $5, runs ARM, has tonnes of community support, and is
available to ship outside of china. If you look at taobao/aliexpress/ebay,
there are also hundreds of RPI clones and ARM development boards and even FPGA
boards < $10. What makes this interesting?
~~~
lowtolerance
I’m tempted to buy one just to play around with an unconventional ISA. I don’t
think this is meant to be a Pi alternative.
~~~
Koshkin
You might want to look at ESP8266 instead.
~~~
lowtolerance
I’ve got about a dozen ESP8266 dev boards, but they are not in the same league
as this. ESP8266 is just a WiFi-enabled MCU. Getting any kind of video output
or even keyboard input from it is a hack, and forget about it running Linux.
------
opencl
The SoC on this board appears to be intended for use as a DVB TV receiver with
all of the relevant video decoders onboard, and there are a bunch of receivers
based on this chip on Alibaba. I'm not sure why anyone would want this thing
without an antenna connection.
------
IshKebab
None of these cheap computers are worth the support headaches. Just get a
Raspberry Pi.
------
znpy
The Chip computer was way better, at just 9$.
The company (nextthing co.) dissolved, however. Haven't understood why yet.
~~~
detaro
Who knows if their "way better" prices ever were sustainable, especially with
their zoo of side-projects. Some people waited years for orders and never got
them in the end.
|
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Ask HN: What does it mean to be happy at work? - relaunched
I have a background that includes working at small businesses, my own startup and most recently, F500 companies. I feel like I'm always on a roller-coaster of highs and lows, things that I need to accept or risk getting into political trouble, and the inability to call out failures, when we run into them. So, I thought I'd ask you all how others feel at work and what's considered good / bad / normal.<p>What does it mean to be happy at work? Is it basically tuning out, punching a clock in exchange for a pay check? Is it doing everything possible or just meeting expectations? Are you truly vested in your work and the company's success? Or, do you just make sure you always have a lifeboat in case things go wrong?<p>Thanks,
======
notduncansmith
I think it boils down to one thing. How would you feel during your speech
announcing that you're leaving?
I recently thought about how this speech would go for me, and I actually
started getting a little emotional. There is such a strong feeling of
community at my job (and this is after a mere 6 months of working there), and
I've made some really strong friendships here.
One think I feel is important is that being happy at your job doesn't mean
enjoying every second of it. I have to do stuff every day that makes me moan
and groan. Supporting IE8 isn't fun times - but when you can manage at least 3
honest belly laughs a day at work, you've found a home.
~~~
relaunched
What an interesting thought. I feel like my speech would be an analysis of the
things that I couldn't change, but think the company would need to figure out
if it's goal is to be the kind of place that attracts people like me...or
ideally a lot smarter than me.
Then, they'd probably agree and do nothing about it. Which is what led to the
speech in the first place.
------
sivetic
I find I go through ups and downs as well. My ups generally occur when I
accomplish something, when I work on something meaningful, when I help others,
when hard work gets acknowledged, when I learn something new, when I influence
change, when a complaint or a concern doesn't go unnoticed, etc. The downs on
the other hand are primarily connected with feeling of helplessness, often due
to restrictive hierarchy and bureaucracy, staleness (same work every day),
status quo, frustrations that go unaddressed, etc.
edit: tuning out, punching in/out (ass in a seat), meeting expectations for me
are all signs that point to me being stuck at a job without much enjoyment.
Not being vested in the company is a tricky one though - I am ready to make
certain sacrifices for a company, however I will always ensure I have a backup
strategy. The same should hold true for companies as well.
~~~
relaunched
That's almost verbatim where I am. The ups come with progress, little
accomplishments or whatnot. But, every time I hit an arbitrary wall, it's a
huge downer.
I'm just glad it's not just me.
------
benologist
When your work is what you want to be doing, where you want to be, and the
people around you are the people you want to be around, you're happy at work.
~~~
relaunched
Unfortunately, I'm not even sure that's enough for me, b/c it's such a mixed
bag. I love my work, but hate the bureaucracy when it works against me. I like
the people I work with directly, but the org is big and wide...and I don't
care for all of them.
------
aytekin
Growth. Have you learned something new today? Are you around people who can
teach you a thing or two? Are you pushing yourself? The best jobs change you.
Make you better.
~~~
relaunched
I get to learn a lot. I play with new and cutting edge technology, applying it
to solve current business problems. However, it's unclear to me whether or not
what I'm learning is the environment isn't 100% conducive to me being happy.
Maybe it'll always ebb and flow. Or maybe I'm doing it wrong. That's why I
asked the question.
|
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|
Is the tech bubble about to burst? - lowglow
http://pitchandpixel.com/2010/11/is-the-tech-bubble-about-to-burst/
======
nostrademons
Insider selling itself isn't a warning sign that the company is overvalued.
Many directors and execs get a large portion of their compensation as stock
grants, and they have to sell to fund their lifestyles. Heck, many tech CEOs
take $1 salaries - you don't actually think they live on $1/year, right?
Insider _buying_ is almost always a sign that the company is undervalued in
the market. People inside the company are usually overweight on their
employer's stock, because they receive it as compensation and usually will get
enough of it that it's by far their biggest holding. If they want _more_ of
it, despite the risks to diversification that this entails, they must have a
pretty good reason to believe that the company is doing better than the Street
thinks it is.
~~~
kenjackson
_Insider buying is almost always a sign that the company is undervalued in the
market._
Do you have data to back this up? I ask because the standard wisdom was that
stock buybacks were a sign that the stock was undervalued. But it turns out,
looking at historical data, that it was no better predictor of the stock price
in the future than random chance.
~~~
paolomaffei
You're probably talking about COMPANIES buying back their stock, not directors
or founders.
Of course companies act for the well being of the company itself, while
directors only for theirs, so yeah, insider buying by a company or a director
is totally different.
~~~
kenjackson
I get that their different, but does the data back up insider buying
translates to undervalued stock? I used stock buybacks as an example where
people used similar logic to justify a stock being undervalued, but the data
didn't bear it out.
My question is does the data bear it out (presumably the data exists) or is it
just an assumption based on the idea that insiders _should_ have a pretty good
idea of the value of the company.
~~~
dandelany
Some data here:
[http://books.google.com/books?id=iYuh-gfnwb0C&pg=PA361&#...</a><p>Basically,
it seems that extreme insider buying is a very good sign for the market as a
whole, but it's fairly rare. (31.7% returns in one three month period w/
insider buying signal, vs. avg. 4.2% returns in 75 3-month periods w/ insider
selling signal)<p>In terms of individual stocks, it seems that the predictive
power of insider buying as a metric is best when mixed with taking into
account the company's dividend yield, and they claim that this gives you a
6.2% edge.
~~~
kenjackson
That's good to know. I should set something up so that when I do detect
insider buying, I go hugely in on the S&P500.
For individual stocks the difference is too small for me to feel comfortable.
------
scott_s
_That’s a total of $9,593,678,790 or 9.6 billion dollars moving out of the
tech industry, by people who have intimate knowledge about the future of their
companies._
How is that money moving _out_ of the tech industry? Those shares of stock did
not disappear when sold; someone else now owns shares of that company. Money
changed hands in exchange for stock. That money did not leave the tech
industry.
~~~
nostromo
I agree. In some cases, like Bill Gates, the money is probably on a one-way
trip to Africa. But in many cases the money will probably be used to fund new
tech ventures.
~~~
netcan
I don't think that's what scott_s meant. When Bill Gates sells his shares,
someone else buys them. The amount of money Bill withdraws is exactly matched
by a new investor(s). The MS stock price stays roughly the same.
Think of it this way, Microsoft didn't raid its savings account and sell off
office furniture to pay him. Another investor pays him.
~~~
scott_s
You are correct, that's the point I was trying to make.
------
philiphodgen
Capital gains taxes rise in 2011. That might be a factor that the author
should consider.
~~~
gojomo
And there's a special one-time gains-tax-exclusion for small-business
investments before the end of this year -- so a good time to reallocate into
startups.
~~~
rdl
I really want to see a top tax attorney analyze this law and how it applies to
founders and angels for tech companies.
Specifically, I think the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 can be used by
founders to buy founder shares at a trivial basis in one or more corporations
founded in q4 2010, built into businesses over the following 5+ years
(possibly in parallel...maybe you work on one full time every day, and let a
few sit idle with minimal involvement until later...). Then, provided the
business capitalization is less than 50mm at exit, and your ownership is 10mm
or less, you have zero federal capital gains or AMT liability -- I.e. You win
at taxes.
~~~
gojomo
I've been wondering much the same thing; so I asked this question on Quora:
[http://www.quora.com/What-pitfalls-should-be-avoided-if-
inve...](http://www.quora.com/What-pitfalls-should-be-avoided-if-investing-in-
a-small-startup-before-January-1-2011-to-take-advantage-of-the-
special-100-tax-exclusion-of-the-recently-passed-SJBCA)
IANAL, but it seems any business so formed must be active in some ongoing non-
services business. Still, I'm tempted to form a number of small corporations
for each of my 'backburner' ideas, make a small investment, then hire
occasional contractors to flesh out the ideas through R&D until they (or a
closely-related idea) seems ripe -- perhaps years from now. Then, I'd devote
myself full-time to it, and my founders' equity appreciation would remain
subject to this one-time 2010 gain exclusion.
~~~
rdl
Yeah, I'm probably doing the same thing :)
Question is: should you just do stupid-cheap WY/NV/etc. formations and then
redomicile, or do the real $5-10k corps with full paperwork, agreements, etc.?
Or would a top-tier firm/lawyer be willing to discount one principal/owner and
10 corps formed on the same day, in exchange for future business when those
corps get used more actively, take subsequent investment, etc.?
------
rblion
If there is, it'll just wipe out the half-tries and challenge this generation
to evolve or die.
It's not that bad though. People are dependent on technology that keeps
getting smarter, faster, and simpler. Who is stopping any of us from spotting
large unsolved problems and presenting our solution in product form? JUST DO
IT.
We really are living in the best of times and the worst of times...
It feels like Facebook is constricting the unwary masses into a black hole
that consumes their time and data. How can we compete for marketshare? Apple
has come from almost dead to number 1 in a decade. They used to be hard to
hate, now the fanboys are being seduced by the magic of Big Google. Big Google
is doing everything for everyone all for free or very cheap, who could resist?
It's the same approach that made Bill Gates the world's richest man. It'll
probably work and Larry and Sergey can be the founding fathers of the
singularity along with that Ray dude.
So...that's leaves us students and hackers alike to try to either come up with
a new paradigm of technological innovation or build in their ecosystems for a
living. There is a middle path of course, and historically speaking that is
the best approach.
If this is what you love and part of your life purpose. Stick to this and
don't live in fear. Just keep walking...
------
jeffreymcmanus
It's worth noting that the press release that was done on behalf of Ballmer
when he did his stock sale is standard industry boilerplate. The verbiage
(including the "diversifing his portfolio" phrase and the "I'm excited about
our products" bit) is literally identical to the language used following most
other insider stock sales. (Which is to say, it's meaningless as a barometer
of whether he plans to stay at the company or not, or whether he's going to
sell more shares or not.)
~~~
d0mine
_"excited"_ is a marker for a CEO lie according to the recent article on HN.
<http://searchyc.com/submissions/ceo+lie>
~~~
jeffreymcmanus
Right. More impressive for a CEO to say that the company's customers are
excited about their products, and to give examples of who those customers are.
------
nkassis
The capital gain tax issue has been raised here but there is also the fact
that the stock market is hitting highs right now.
------
biznickman
So the executives sell shares of the stock after a nice jump in the market
because they don't want complete exposure to the market as they did last time
the (real estate) bubble burst. "A diversification" is definitely a legitimate
justification of off-loading some shares.
I know people who saw their net worth fall from $150 million to $30 million
when the market collapsed last time. They've made much of it back and they may
not exactly be broke but all the rich people that saw their net worth
disintegrate last time around are not as interested in betting their entire
future on the stock market after seeing the existing vulnerabilities of the
system.
I have a feeling that a lot of this money (particularly from technology execs)
will end up reinvested in other areas ... including startups. Such a theory
would suggest that the bubble is still only beginning.
------
gamble
Thanks to the government response to the financial crash, large companies are
sitting on mountains of cash they can use for stock buybacks to offset the
dilution from issuing options. Not to mention that the stock market is still
depressed. It's an ideal time for top insiders at large public companies to
use their options.
------
dstein
If you plot a graph of QQQQ between 1990 and 2000, and compare it to the graph
between 2000 and today, you'll find that the technology sector is STILL
recovering from the first bubble burst. In fact, the NASDAQ could probably
rise about 50% from here and still be right in line with historical growth
rates.
------
fmkamchatka
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Origin> This kind of stuff might require to
sell shares to finance too (in the case of Jeff Bezos). I'm sure it can apply
to other CEOs as well. Speculation is not the only thing you can do with
shares.
------
Towle_
They know something we don't know.
A 5% increase in capital gains tax in 2011 shouldn't be enough for this
movement by these people. They _should_ be planning on holding onto their
stock indefinitely, especially at places like Amazon with no ceiling. Why
aren't they?
------
Kilimanjaro
While it is very interesting to analize insider trading, I dare to say the
tech bubble is not about to burst, it is just shifting gears from big
companies selling packaged software (MS, Oracle) to small web startups focused
on the long tail.
------
brudgers
> _"Recently, a number of alarming trades have been made inside major software
> companies"_
What makes the recent trades alarming?
Is the current pattern of trades different from those of the past?
------
bradshaw1965
It's a shame print is a bit of a slump because you can't use the size of tech
and tech business magazines as a proxy for a bubble anymore.
------
fleitz
Bill Gates selling $272 million is like a guy with a $100K RRSP selling $680
in stock.
Even the reference to Ballmer selling $1.2 billion under the 'guise' of
diversification, is not big news. Does anyone really think that MSFT is the
sole best stock to hold? Ballmer can probably get better returns by investing
in startups than by holding MSFT.
That he is diversifying his portfolio is merely the truth. What it doesn't
communicate are the reasons, as CEO of MSFT he could negatively affect the
price of their stock by giving any answer that belied an investing strategy in
which holding MSFT stock was not the best idea. He's pretty much bound by
fiduciary duty to his stockholders to give an answer which reveals nothing
about MSFT.
Although unpopular right now, if you want to call a bubble, look at gold and
other commodities, especially ones on which futures are bought and sold.
We don't have pets.com IPOs, we don't have a lot of public money flowing into
the tech sector. Yes, there are deals being made privately, but presumably the
companies buying them are buying them because the technology they created can
be better capitalized by augmenting an existing tech giant rather than via an
IPO.
If you want to find a bubble go look at who made tonnes of money in the real
estate bubble and look for them pouring that money into a speculative market.
------
sabat
Seriously, we have to ask this right now, when we _might_ be starting to
emerge from the worst depression since the Great Depression? Bubble? What
bubble? Entrepreneurial activity != a bubble. It means capitalism is at work.
|
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Andrew "Weev" Auernheimer Explained The Hedge Fund He's About To Launch - jerryhuang100
http://www.businessinsider.com/andrew-weev-auernheimer-hedge-fund-2014-4
======
jerryhuang100
what if there are some other "flash boys" like agents/security firms selling
some heartbleed-like bug info to some, while delaying such info to some?
|
{
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|
Photographer sues Getty Images she's billed for her own photo (2016) - EndXA
https://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-getty-copyright-20160729-snap-story.html
======
wnoise
[https://petapixel.com/2016/11/22/1-billion-getty-images-
laws...](https://petapixel.com/2016/11/22/1-billion-getty-images-lawsuit-ends-
not-bang-whimper/)
~~~
pettycashstash2
Thanks. It’s somewhat disappointing to read this was the outcome.
------
pettycashstash2
This was from 2016, so what was the outcome?
|
{
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|
Hacker Typer - AndyBaker
http://hackertyper.com/
======
matteotom
If you're using this at a coffee shop (or anywhere else public): Press
CapsLock 3 times to get an "access denied" message. Press Alt 3 times to get
an "access granted" message.
------
BenoitP
Ha! I was helping a friend choose a laptop at some electronic retail shop. I
pulled that site fullscreen on a microsoft surface to goof off a bit. I then
left the green screen on.
3 minutes later the microsoft onsite seller stumbled on it, alarmed himself at
rapid space, took a picture, made a phone call and hard-rebooted it. We had a
good laugh xD.
------
gohrt
Flagged. This is affiliate spam wrapped around an otherwise cute gimmick.
------
Jugurtha
\- Looks nice. \- Putting keyboard shortcuts to referral links. \- Post on
Hacker News (great jolt of traffic). \- Enjoy coins.
It's sort of a hack..
|
{
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|
Switching to Zsh - 2nd_planet
http://blog.secondplanetanimation.com/2011/05/31
This is my blog post about finally switching to zsh and why I did.
======
2nd_planet
This my post about zsh and why I finally made the switch.
|
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|
Tecfidera's Price - mhb
http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2013/04/02/tecfideras_price.php
======
rurounijones
Off-topic: For anyone interested the guy who wrote this post also has a
hilarious section of his blog called "Things I won't work with"
[http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/things_i_wont_work_with...](http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/things_i_wont_work_with/)
which documents various insanely dangerous chemicals along with very humourous
descriptions of their history, usage, what crazy people _tried_ do do with
them and in what ways they have killed people.
You do not need to be a chemist to appreciate it.
~~~
mauvehaus
It looks like there's at least one other fan of stuff blowing up here. I
heartily agree that you needn't be a chemist to get a laugh out of it. Anybody
who has gotten through 2 years of high school chemistry or a year of college
chemistry would probably raise their eyebrows looking at his diagram for
hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane [1]. And if you haven't had that much chemistry
background, he'll shortly explain why your eyebrows should be retreating
towards your hairline at maximum speed when you look at it.
[1]
[http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2011/11/11/things_i_won...](http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2011/11/11/things_i_wont_work_with_hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane.php)
~~~
Retric
I still think this takes the cake.
[http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2010/02/23/things_i_won...](http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2010/02/23/things_i_wont_work_with_dioxygen_difluoride.php)
_The heater was warmed to approximately 700C. The heater block glowed a dull
red color, observable with room lights turned off. The ballast tank was filled
to 300 torr with oxygen, and fluorine was added until the total pressure was
901 torr. . ._ And suddenly O2F2 aka FOOF.
Which as you might guess is just all kinds of nasty. Explosive reaction with
water at 100 Kelvin etc.
~~~
AlexandrB
My favourite is:
[http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2008/02/26/sand_wont_sa...](http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2008/02/26/sand_wont_save_you_this_time.php)
_The compound also a stronger oxidizing agent than oxygen itself, which also
puts it into rare territory. That means that it can potentially go on to
“burn” things that you would normally consider already burnt to hell and gone,
and a practical consequence of that is that it’ll start roaring reactions with
things like bricks and asbestos tile._
------
mauvehaus
This is a bit off-topic, but if you enjoyed his writing on this, I would also
recommend perusing the category "Things I won't Work With"[1], but maybe only
if you have the afternoon free. It's a hilarious compendium of chemicals that
are simply too unpleasant to work with for his tastes. For values of
unpleasant including explosive, smelly, corrosive, or some combination
thereof.
I'm not a chemist, but his tellings of not just how things could go terribly
wrong once you have the substance, but the myriad ways it can wrong merely
trying to _make_ the substance had me in stitches for the better part of an
afternoon.
Then again, I was always the one setting stuff on fire, breaking glassware, or
trying the reaction with more reagents in high school chem lab, so maybe it
only appeals to me...
[1]
[http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/things_i_wont_work_with...](http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/things_i_wont_work_with/)
~~~
lifeisstillgood
As a taster
Yep, [the stable-to-explosion sensitivity was] below the detection limits of a
lab that specializes in the nastiest, most energetic stuff they can think up.
When you read through both papers, you find that the group was lucky to get
whatever data they could - the X-ray crystal structure, for example, must have
come as a huge relief, because it meant that they didn't have to ever see a
crystal again
------
ctdonath
Punchline of old joke:
Hitting engine with hammer - $1
Knowing where to hit engine with hammer - $9999
~~~
redcap
That sounds like a doctor's job - they might prescribe a fairly cheap
medicine, but knowing what kind of medicine to use is a different art
entirely.
Here the only reason why the company is able to charge a large amount of money
is because they've gone through the whole process of tests and clinical trials
to get the drug available for consumption. That's an entirely different kettle
of fish than the expert knowledge $9999 you mention above.
The gist of the article isn't about expert knowledge, it's that a fairly
simple chemical compound (the name itself gives the simplicity away - dimethyl
fumerate is too short to be anything horrendously complicated) is jacked up in
price, and that someone suffering from the disease could presumably get the
drug made themselves for much less than $50,000 per annum.
~~~
epmatsw
The more I've learned about how the medical system works, the more it seems
like the future is going to tend towards replacing doctors with systems like
Watson, concentrating knowledge in a quick, easily updatable form and keeping
doctors around for patient comfort.
~~~
nmcfarl
Living with the doctor, I've come to the conclusion that: yes, quite probably
this is the future – but this future is going to be about as easy to implement
as replacing programmers with Watson.
~~~
epmatsw
Agreed. I don't see it happening for quite a while.
------
Alex3917
Why not just buy it for research use? You can buy a year's supply for $22
bucks online that's at least 99 pure. Then for an extra couple hundreds bucks
you can just put it in a mass spectrometer to make sure that none of the
impurities are going to be dangerous.
------
nonamegiven
Interesting comment from the article's comment thread, from Janne. A patent is
for the commercialization of an idea. Anyone is free to implement any patent
for personal use, as long as you don't sell it. If the use of this common
chemical, and its transformation, is understood well enough for this to become
a home brew possibility, then people could do exactly that. Not that this is
possible or advisable for most drugs, but this particular drug may be one.
~~~
dodo53
That's interesting! I wonder if a charitable company decide to make say AIDS
drugs and give them away without breaching patent law?
~~~
nonamegiven
I suspect "making available" would be treated similar to selling.
But if the law is as described in the ref'd comment, I wonder why there aren't
sites or books that walk you up to the point where you can provide the
invention for your personal use.
------
andrewcooke
that's also a similar price to other MS drugs (eg beta-interferon).
my understanding is that none of these (existing and new MS drugs) is a 100%
applicable fix. they all are effective on only a subset of patients, and they
all have different side-effects (which is still good news as it improves the
chance that any one patient will find something that works (the subset of
affected patients changes with the drug) and is not harmful).
also, fwiw, the govt here in chile pays 80% of the cost. i don't know if that
means it can also negotiate a lower price, but i would suspect so.
and does this also suggest help for other auto-immune diseases (lupus etc)?
[update:] also, talking more about the economics - the market is probably very
inflexible. existing patients with a drug that "works" (and these only work in
some statistical sense - they reduce the chance of outbreaks) is not going to
want to switch, because (1) there's a large chance that you'll start having
outbreaks again and (2) often they take months to become effective.
so the main pressure in lowering prices has to come from either large
purchasers (national health systems, insurers) or from new patients. for new
patients i guess that oral delivery (i think?) is a big win over injections.
that is something people will pay for.
------
ebbv
The blog post seems to frame the issue as:
"Should this company be allowed to make massive profits off of their
investment in clinical trials?"
Any reasonable person would say "Sure they are allowed to make a profit off of
that." I don't think there's going to be much objection to that question.
But that's not the real issue, and I think if the author is honest he knows
that. The real issue is:
"Should MS patients, many of whom are poor, be forced to pay $50k/year for
medication to help with their condition."
The answer to that is obviously no. Now you can say that the insurance company
will take care of it, but that's presuming people have insurance and that the
insurance company isn't going to dump them, they're not going to have a
deductible they can't afford, etc.
When it comes to medicine, ethics have a larger role to play than say, home
decor.
Anyone who doesn't acknowledge that is being disingenuous.
~~~
jerf
Before I could formulate a reasonable answer to that question of whether this
is "unreasonable" (leaving aside the complicated matter of what that exactly
means), I'd be interested in a serious analysis of what the costs are; $50,000
may not be so obscene if their costs were $45,000/possible patient, for
example. What's the floor here?
If the costs are $10,000s of dollars/patient even before the drug company
needs to take profit (and have money to invest in their next drug, after all),
then a full investigation of the "blame" for this very expensive very cheap
drug must also be pointed at the processes that cost that much in the first
place. If it's so bad that MS patients are paying $50,000/year, then perhaps
the real problem (or at least a nontrivial part of it) is that the costs of
certification have greatly exceeded the benefits.
(But people don't like to think in terms of costs/benefits when it comes to
medicine and appear to be willing to incur enormous costs if it allows them to
continue pretending they don't have to think about it....)
~~~
bmelton
And to be fair, the last number I saw on clinical trials estimated the cost at
between 100 million and 800 million dollars per drug candidate, which means
that the sunk cost of any drug that works is going to be pretty high right out
of the gate.
On top of that, you have a VC-like model where the successes must also pay for
the cost of failures as well as the funding of new R&D so that they can keep
making new drugs.
------
lifeisstillgood
This is interesting - as 3d printers mature, and as home brew drug manufacture
improves how the hell will pharma companies be able to enforce this - I mean
at some stage soon we can download a recipie for aspirin, why not dimethyl
fumarate?
To be honest because the DEA will drive such printers underground, which with
54,000 reasons to go underground is an amazingly bad idea
If you are interested in recreational drug legalisation this is the industry
to support - something will change
~~~
potatolicious
3D printing != molecular synthesis. This may be an issue, say, _next century_
, but we're nowhere close to it. If 3D printing an iPhone is going to the
moon, 3D "printing" molecules from elemental sources is like going to Alpha
Centauri.
~~~
pash
The idea is not to print molecules. Instead, you print reagents into a matrix
designed to guide a reaction. The reactor vessel itself becomes a template for
synthesis.
There's a team at the University of Glasgow working on this. They published in
_Nature Chemistry_ last year [0] and garnered a lot of attention in the
popular science media.
0\.
[http://www.nature.com/nchem/journal/v4/n5/full/nchem.1313.ht...](http://www.nature.com/nchem/journal/v4/n5/full/nchem.1313.html)
~~~
spartango
Unfortunately, for much of synthetic chemistry, positioning a bunch of
reagents in a matrix is not sufficient to produce a target molecule. And even
if you do manage to get to your target through a relatively trivial process,
isolating it from other compounds is an enormous challenge. Reactionware has
traditionally made this problem worse, as solvents and reagents tend to
interact with the containers and contaminate the synthesis. There's a reason
that most chemistry is still done in glass.
Further, the reagents and catalysts involved in drug synthesis vary wildly, so
it will take a substantial amount of shopping to even get the raw materials
you would need to setup a viable reaction.
While this is a cool setup, it's best not to overstate it's capabilities.
|
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|
Ask HN: Idea for privacy-enhanced web apps - themenace
I have an idea for a business that makes privacy-enhancement
technology for web apps. I'd love to hear comments and criticisms
about it.<p>Web applications today rely on a "trust us" model for safeguarding
the privacy and security of users' data.<p>I propose a technical means of using a web app that's better than
"trust us".<p>Most individuals don't realize that there's a privacy risk to web
apps or they simply don't care. But I think that corporate customers
do realize it and do care.<p>Why do companies purchase desktop apps when an equivalent web app is
cheaper and more convenient? One reason (of many) is that they want
control over their data. They know that it is trivially easy for
service providers to copy, leak, or spy on customer data.<p>I propose to create a trusted computing environment specifically
designed for web apps. A service provider would run his web app
inside this TC environment on his server. (The service provider
can continue to offer an unsecured version of his web app as well.)
A corporate end-user can verify that he's using a privacy-enhanced
web app by checking a certificate in his browser.<p>This TC environment would be free to service providers but I'd charge
corporate customers for the ability to use privacy-enhanced web apps.
======
djm
I don't really understand your idea, but I do have a few comments:
1) I'm skeptical that most corporate users know or care much more about the
security of the applications they are using than anyone else. They might take
more interest in cases where failure on their part may lead to individual
criminal liability however.
2) I think it's more likely that most companies purchase desktop apps rather
than web apps (where there are equivalent versions available) because they
don't "get" web apps and because something installed on their PC would appear
to the less technically minded as being more of a tangible purchase.
3) SSL/TLS connections can encrypt data between user and server. Databases on
the server can be encrypted to prevent your hosting provider snooping on your
data. You can authenticate your browser to a server using mutual SSL
authentication (certificates at both ends) in addition to using log in
passwords if you are that paranoid.
Would you like to expand on your idea a little? - I don't see what benefit it
really provides.
~~~
ulf
i think the benefit shall be something like this: instead of feeling insecure
about your data and having to request information about security from the
webapp provider himself, you would have a single endpoint in the hoster, which
commits himself explicitly to security. plus, you could be safer to believe
that no harm is done with your data.
------
tortilla
I like the idea (or at least the direction you're heading).
If I understand you correctly: One reason a lot of companies don't use
Basecamp is because they prefer to have the data under their control
(regulations, corporate policy, or preferences). So XYZ Mega Corp would pay
you a service charge to run it in your environment?
Here are my questions:
1) What makes your environment more secure and safer? 2) How would this be
implemented by the service provider? Install another version in your secure
environment or are they hosting everything in this secure environment? 3) I'm
still not sold on the fact that this is still outside XYZ Mega Corp's control.
So how would you market this to them?
------
bayareaguy
Isn't this already trivial with EC2? What's the difference between what you're
proposing and just signing up for an Amazon account, uploading your
certificates and launching an AMI with whatever application you want?
Also given that corporate types seem to have no problem with Salesforce.com,
I'm not sure they would care. But perhaps if you came up with some tricky
multi-party protocol that ensured Salesforce.com or no other single party
could redistribute your private data even if they wanted to then you may have
something worthwhile.
~~~
themenace
Let me try to explain the idea with a very concrete example (it should be then
clear why EC2 would not accomplish the same thing):
Imagine a company called Online-Spreadsheets.com that makes a spreadsheet as a
web application.
Suppose a big corporation, Big-Car-Company, would like its employees to use
the web app provided Online-Spreadsheets.com, but they can't bring themselves
to trust Online-Spreadsheets.com with their financial data.
That's where I come in. My company, say, Trusted-Web-App-Systems, would make a
program called TrustEnv. When you run TrustEnv on a server, it creates a
trusted environment into which you can install a web app.
I give TrustEnv to Online-Spreadsheets.com for free. Online-Spreadsheets.com
installs TrustEnv on one of its servers; a trusted environment is created.
They then install their web app into this trusted environment.
Online-Spreadsheets.com cannot easily extract any customer data being
processed within this trusted environment, despite the fact that it's running
on their own server.
Big-Car-Company can now connect to Online-Spreadsheets.com's server (the one
running TrustEnv) and use the spreadsheet web app with assurance that their
financial data is not easily copied, leaked, or spied on.
I would charge a fee to corporate customers like Big-Car-Company to use web
sites protected with TrustEnv. My job would be to write TrustEnv, to convince
corporate customers that they need it, and to convince web app providers to
install TrustEnv because there is corporate demand for it. I would not run any
web apps myself.
|
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PepperTab – Notes, Todos, Calendar, Weather on browser new tab - saleel
https://peppertab.com/
======
saleel
PepperTab is a browser extension that will replace the page you see when you
open a new tab. -️ Take notes -️ ️Create todos -️ ️Google calendar -️
️Favorite websites -️ ️Weather -️ ️Beautiful wallpapers -️ ️100% free. No
tracking, No data sent to server.
|
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|
Co-founder of SideQuest (Shane Harris) on helping VR devs succeed [audio] - shafyy
https://anchor.fm/kosmosschool/episodes/11---Shane-Harris-SideQuest-on-the-future-of-SideQuest-and-helping-developers-succeed-eds9js
======
shafyy
Shane Harris is the co-founder of SideQuest. SideQuest helps gamers find and
install games and apps for the Oculus Quest that are not on the official Quest
store. SideQuest is growing in popularity and as of today has over 280,000
monthly active users.
Some of the things we talked about:
\- How SideQuest got started
\- Solving the discovery problem on SideQuest
\- Oculus Quest store curation strategy
\- Making SideQuest work as a business
\- Fighting piracy
\- Finding the best ways to support developers
\- Next use cases for VR after gaming
\- Future iterations of the Quest and other VR headsets
\- Oculus' potential plans to support indie devs more
\- Importance of social presence in multiplayer VR games
|
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|
Ask HN: How not to be a computer addict? - init0
I'm always sticked on to HN, reddit, Github and my site. I'm turning anti-social and have no intrest to do anything else either my day job as a ruby coder!
======
terrykohla
I had this problem and I simply didn't get internet at home or on my phone. I
would access the internet at the office or I'd go to the library (and get free
books/DVDs at the same time) or coffee shops or my parent's house. This forced
me to go out or to do different things at home such as reading books, watch a
DVD (mono-tasking). It forced me to use my computer in creative ways (offline
mode) rather than consuming from the internet (you need to balance these two),
I'd listen to interesting talk radio or music (via radio waves). Blocking all
the information flow from coming into your house will open some room for your
creativity which is suffocated by being constantly bombarded by infinite never
ending amounts of information. In addition, since you're not connected to the
web 24/7, you'll be more selective about what you consume online since your
access will be limited and inevitably will have to be optimized. My solution
is perceived as extreme by many who cannot live without internet, but hey you
gotta learn to know what works for you. Don't forget to exercise!
~~~
init0
"infinite never ending amounts of information" has become my drug :( It's so
tough to go offline!
~~~
terrykohla
It's a form of bulimia.
------
dylnclrk
First off, don't get down on yourself about this! A lot of people struggle
with internet addiction, and it's easy to turn it around. It just takes one
step at a time.
Get rid of reddit and HN first, later you can tackle your blog and Github (as
they are at least slightly productive).
If you can break that first impulse to visit these sites, it's a lot easier to
control yourself. But you do need to make sure you're not using proxies or
some other workaround to access the sites and that will take self control and
some reflection.
Reddit: Reddit is nearly a complete waste of time these days. Block Reddit
using your hosts file. I redirect reddit.com to localhost where I host a page
that says "no reddit! get productive".
HN: Let yourself occasionally browse HN as it's not all trash like reddit. Set
up anti-procrastination in your HN user preferences. Make sure to go with the
most extreme settings.
two more tips: * Dont bring your computer into your bedroom. I set the power
of my router to not provide internet in my room.
* As danso said, USE A TIMER!
------
vineet
Firstly, lets make sure you do your day job well, and then others will
(hopefully) follow. I do this in two steps:
For interesting articles during work time I always save them for later. This
is usually using Pocket (getPocket.com) but there are other tools. Later I
read them when I am in the mood to read the interesting articles. This way, I
try to limit wasted time.
For when I want to add a comment, I actually plan to only do it 2-3 times a
day, and at most in 15 minute slots each time. This again puts an upper limit
on my time on non-work tasks.
Once you do the above, you realize how much time you were wasting on non-
essential things. And from there, you can take on other fun projects.
~~~
init0
My day job is not affected. I have pocket installed but don't use it much.
Can't restrict myself so easily like you did! :(
------
bruceshaoheng
I sticked on to HN,weibo,path too.But i also like coding,product design.Maybe
you relax by travel.
~~~
init0
I also doing coding and I feel frusturated if I don't update my blog with some
intresting code/post :( It 90% technical stuff so far have 450+ articles..
------
pasbesoin
Find other things that are more engaging.
Find ways to be more comfortable engaging in them.
Physical activity and (healthy -- no need to be Arnold) strength tend to
promote self-confidence and a sense of well being.
Take some walks -- even if by yourself. Walk in interesting/enjoyable places.
Buy some dumbells and spend 10, 15, 30 minutes a day on some basic exercises.
Depending upon your work environment, you might keep them at your desk and do
a few reps now and then or when you're tired or blocked, anyway.
Don't paint too big a target. Start with small things, and see where it
builds.
Oh, and look at other things that leave you feeling more socially comfortable.
A haircut. Clothing that blends in with the crowd you're approaching. You
don't have to "sell out". Just... nibble at the edges of some of the emotions
that might feed what you're describing as an anti-social tendency.
\-- Your friendly neighborhood hermit (i.e. take this with a grain of salt,
but I have noticed these factors, myself)
P.S. Ok, I'll add: I've had some abusive neighbors that made my life a hell.
After several years, recently they've gotten somewhat better, but I still live
in fear of recurring abuse.
The resulting seclusion has been... a self-perpetuating downward spiral.
It became easy to turn to and hide out in "online". But this did not stop the
downward spiral in other aspects of my life.
Don't let such a pattern set too deeply. The longer it lasts, the worse it
gets, and the harder it is to get out of.
------
danso
Make it hard to get on to the social sites:
* Have one browser, your least favorite browser, reserved for your social sites. It makes it harder to switch from your github-viewing/work browsing to HN/reddit/etc because you don't have the ability to comment or track discussions as easily (from the work browser).
* If that's not enough, change your passwords to your social accounts to a random string and paste it into a text file, and then log off your accounts. When you need to log back in, find that text file and copy-paste the password in. This creates enough friction that you can slowly break the habit of compulsively checking social sites when you don't need to.
* Use a timer to work. I like using the iPhone Ambiance app (99 cents), which lets you download from a huge library of ambiant noise sounds, from static noise to train stations, and I set a timer for half an hour in which I do nothing but the current task.
This sounds like small-time stuff but breaking habits _is small time stuff_.
As with coding, don't think of it as "I need to build this awesome web
app/uber-function", think of it as the smallest parts leading to the major
goal.
With habits, especially, it's important to just follow routine until it's
muscle memory. In this case, the routine is: not compulsively/instinctively
checking websites for leisure.
~~~
init0
I feel frusturated if I don't update my blog with some intresting code/post :(
It 90% technical stuff so far have 450+ articles....
------
aw4y
Go out!!!
~~~
init0
Need to...very badly.
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Everything you need to know about cryptography in 1 hour [video] - giu
http://fosslc.org/drupal/content/everything-you-need-know-about-cryptography-1-hour
======
jbermudes
Also see the previous discussion with the author here:
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1346711>
------
anewhnreader
Is there any way to download videos from fosslc.org without going through the
whole "flash video downloader xtreme plugin+++" rigamarole?
I think that it is somewhat ironic that a website that says that it
"Promote[s] open standards and interoperability" (
<http://www.fosslc.org/drupal/about> ) doesn't use a more open standard/format
for the presentation of its videos...
~~~
antimatter15
[http://blip.tv/file/get/Fosslc-20100513__1604__DMS_1120__Col...](http://blip.tv/file/get/Fosslc-20100513__1604__DMS_1120__Colin_Percival__Everything_you_need_to823.flv)
|
{
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Is LinkedIn the New Netscape? - wslh
http://gluecon.com/2011/?p=702
======
michaelpinto
What really killed Netscape was Microsoft — but if you're looking for a real
example of the web 1.0 bubble you can look at theGlobe.com (which by the way
was a social media website). My guess is that some of these companies will
crash and burn, but somewhere in that class could be the next Google.
~~~
gaius
No, that's simply not true. Netscape's strategy was _always_ to make money
from its server products, I quote Jim Clark "I'm building printing presses,
but first I've got to teach people to read" - that's why they gave away the
browser, to build a market for servers.
What killed Netscape is that version 3 of their server was a dog, and everyone
switched to Apache or Zeus. I was there.
~~~
code_duck
I thought Netscape used to charge for the browser - it was $35 if I recall
correctly. Hence, MS was plotting to cut off their 'air supply' by giving away
IE, removing NS's source of revenue.
~~~
gaius
They charged people who would want support, it was always free to people who
didn't need/want it.
My employer at the time spent 6-figures at a time on Netscape server products,
for ourselves and our clients, we must have spent millions with them. Then
version 3 came out and we either stuck to 2 or moved off Netscape platform
entirely. And that was a big deal, since we had written loads of NSAPI code!
But that's what killed Netscape.
------
neovive
Recall, that at the time of the Netscape IPO (1995), Netscape and even the
Internet was relatively unknown by most non-technical people, thus the ensuing
hype and gold-rush mentality. This time around, the Internet and social media
is in the mainstream. Millions of LinkedIn and Facebook users are fully aware
of the capabilities and limitations. There is clearly room to grow and LI has
some excellent opportunities, but I don't think the same sense of excitement
and awe exists around the LinkedIn IPO as there was for Netscape.
~~~
rhygar
While "social" is sort of mainstream (in the sense that everyone and their
mother is on Facebook), there's hardly any money in it. The vast majority of
Internet users spend their time doing three things on the web: Facebook,
e-mail, and time wasters like games & YouTube.
So while the userbase is certainly very large, the revenue potential is very
limited outside of those core activities.
------
orijing
> My answer is firmly standing on "maybe."
What does it mean to be firmly on "maybe"?
~~~
jacques_chester
Based on my experience of law school, it means that you have excellent
potential as a lawyer.
------
rhygar
The _best_ idea that came out of something like TechCrunch Disrupt is an "X of
Y" (AirBnb of cars). A ton of people struggled to come up with Internet
companies and that's the best we can do?
To me, that's a clear sign of solutions looking for problems. In other words,
"there's gold in them hills".
|
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Aussie Bitcoin ATM ripped out for forensic investigation as part of drug raids - DeadPeasant
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-17/customs-and-border-control-officers-converge-on-brisbane-cafes/5821174
======
DeadPeasant
Cops claim one of the bikie gang members had shares in the ATM, therefore it
was being used for laundering or somesuch. Seems more like an attack on
cryptocurrencies.
|
{
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Ask HN: What should I learn to create my project? - soneca
I have an idea that I want to transform into a MVP, but I can't properly code. I know the very basics of CSS+html and Javascript, just enough to know that I am capable of learning to code.<p>I want to know not only what language and framework to learn, but what should I use to actually deploy and publish my product (a SaaS, more on the idea below). As I see on regular beginner's learning platforms - codecademy and etc - this is a most overlooked field. Should I use AWS, a server on Digital Ocean, some Platform as a Service that I don't know yet but is more user friendly?
In all of this the only thing I know is how to buy a domain. After that, i need to learn.<p><i>About the idea:</i><p>I want to create a tool that transforms a list of links on a visual board.<p>Imagine you want to learn about quantitative finance. You ask a friend who happens to know a lot about it and he emails you back with a list of links to pages where you should begin to learn. Among these links there is a diversity of pages: a wikipedia article, two youtube videos (one is a lecture, other an interview), three books' Amazon pages, four twitter accounts to follow, two blogs, one podcast, a particular post of another blog and a project's github.<p>I would like to build a tool that take that list of links and transform into a one-page visually attractive and didatic board, summarizing and giving a small taste of all the resources.<p>Think of what Facebook do to individual links when you post on your timeline: youtube videos can be seen on the spot, twitter accounts are shown the avatar and description, blog posts are shown some thumbnail image and the beginning of the post text, wikipedia is shown the title of the article and first paragraph. You get the idea. Most are just the <title> and <description> of the linked page, a few relevant sites get special treatment (like Youtube or Vimeo).<p>The MVP would allow anyone to transform your hyperlinks into a public, temporarily available board.
======
olalonde
Interesting idea although I'm not convinced there is really potential for
going from side project to profitable business.
This service is very similar to what you describe:
[http://embed.ly/cards](http://embed.ly/cards)
If you want to go ahead with this project, I suggest you use something like
Heroku for hosting which will do a lot of the boring stuff for you.
------
wanghq
Sounds like [http://flipboard.com](http://flipboard.com).
|
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Top Business Books Recommended by Founders - 0x54MUR41
https://hackernewsbooks.com/top-business-books-from-interviews-with-600-founders-and-investors
======
masonic
Links are affiliate links.
|
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Speakker - Crossbrowser HTML5 Audio Player - mufti
http://blogfreakz.com/html5/crossbrowser-html5-audio-player/
======
atacrawl
External links tended to lag, but overall, not bad. One thing bugs me, though
-- why did they use a power button symbol instead of a play symbol?
------
dfischer
Okay, a "power button" for "play button" - are you serious? If the developer
who made this is here please change this. A power button to play is not
proper, nor is it innovation. UX standards are already in place for a "play
icon" to be where you put the "on icon", please fix.
Also, overall performance was very spotty on Safari 5.0.4 with a fast
computer.
~~~
kordless
Check out SoundManager 2. It's awesome.
<http://www.schillmania.com/projects/soundmanager2/>
~~~
dfischer
Oh wow, that's pretty cool. I like the 360° player.
------
retlehs
Direct: <http://www.speakker.com/>
Direct demo: <http://www.speakker.com/demo/>
Anyone have experience with this in comparison to jPlayer or MediaElement.js?
|
{
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|
That feel when you can't captcha [video] - akkartik
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGW7TRtcDeQ
======
jstanley
It used to be some benign OCR task, now it's "please identify street signs
from photographs we've taken". Once they can correctly classify street signs,
what else will they want? "please click on the faces you recognise?"? "please
click on the faces of your friends that are labelled with the correct names?"?
I've started opting out of Google Captcha's wherever doing so isn't too
burdensome. If I see a Google Captcha and I don't _really_ want to get to the
other side, I just close the tab and forget about it, rather than subject
myself to their capricious gatekeeping.
~~~
userbinator
Some people I know online have basically started buying "captcha tokens" \---
the same ones that spammers use when they want to bypass them in bulk.
Depending on your morals (keeping in mind these services are mainly third-
world-country sweatshop labour), it might be a better choice than spending
your own brainpower on such things, and a way of giving Google a virtual
middle finger.
~~~
mikeash
Doesn’t Google get what they want either way?
~~~
userbinator
They get solved captchas, but they're not using the user's brainpower and time
to do it.
~~~
andrewchambers
All google cares about is getting the captchas solved to train their AI.
~~~
NullPrefix
Cut the middle man out, they could hire the sweatshop directly.
------
Spivak
I use the Tor browser pretty frequently so I've gotten pretty good at these.
It's much easier once you realize that there are three sources of data that
determine correctness: basic computer vision, hurried/lazy humans, and a lot
of bots. It's not about truth it's about following the crowd.
\- Forget the slivers. If it's not more that 75% of the square forget about
it.
\- Anything not in the foreground might as well not exist.
\- Poles != Signs If you saw pole sticking out of the ground you wouldn't call
it a sign would you?
\- It's not about whether it's a storefront, it's about whether it obviously
looks like one. If you spend literally any time thinking about it it's a no.
\- Mark the most prominent vehicle and skip everything else. Only mark a
second vehicle if they're equally sized.
~~~
birksherty
So that means we have to think like bots not humans. Otherwise it wouldn't
have these rules and people would easily solve these. What's the point of
captcha?
------
candiodari
I remember 15 years ago making a neural net captcha OCR cracker (for DNS
registrations). And after about 3 hours I have my accuracy, recall and
confusion numbers and I'm not really getting them any better. This was a
captcha like from those old PHP libraries. Many colors (sometimes bright
yellow on white GRMBL), varying background color, a few things on the
background that were clearly not letters (like large circles).
Now in order to train this network I had to download 1000 or so captchas and
solve them manually, so I had written a quick program that allows a person to
solve captchas. So I figured "let's see how good it is", and used the program
to test myself (I figured, worst case I have some more raw data).
Turns out the neural net was 2% better than I was. It actually scored 2%
better on captcha solving than I did, and this was when I was trying really
hard, pausing when there's doubt and giving it 5 seconds thought. I was a bit
surprised that trying really hard or just going with my first guess didn't
make more than a percent difference.
Then I got someone who had nothing to do with IT to solve 50 captchas and
calculated ... precision was 8% below the neural net (also known as she'd do
about 1 in 6 wrong, whereas I only had one in 10-12 or so. The neural only had
one in 14-15 wrong. It was a pretty sizable difference).
And lastly I figured, this is not possible. I'm somehow messing this up. After
all, I should have made that same 8%+ errors on the original set of 1000
captchas I downloaded, did the network really _learn_ to read better than I
can, while being fed close to 10% falsehoods* ? So I generated the set where
it consistently errors. And ... Yep. It did. About 40% of those was just me
doing the ground truth wrong. I fixed them, but it only improved the CNNs
performance slightly.
* of course of those 10% wrong would still almost always have 4 out of 5 letters correct
------
EtDybNuvCu
I feel like users should be compensated for giving Google their time and
mental energy since this is literally making users manually tag their machine-
learning corpus for free.
~~~
IIAOPSW
your being paid with website content.
Take your pick. Do you want to pay with:
1) a few seconds of your mental energy
2) your privacy
3) background cryptocurrency mining
Thats just how the internet work. Content must be paid for somehow.
~~~
kerkeslager
> Thats just how the internet work. Content must be paid for somehow.
Not true. Some (most?) of the best content on the internet is there completely
for free, because people believe in it and put it out there out of their own
pocket.
The internet is _worse_ , because of the content that is paid for by the
methods you describe, than the internet of the 90s when content was there by
the methods I just described.
I do think there's some value in paying artists and writers for their work,
with, you know, _money_ , because those people have to eat too. But I refuse
to buy into this narrative where "I pay you for content and you give me
content" (a consensual transaction) is the same as "I request content from you
and you pretend to give it to me for free while secretly violating my privacy,
stealing my attention, and otherwise screwing me without my consent". These
are _not_ the same thing.
This is _not_ "just how the internet works", it's how a few people have
decided they want the internet to work because it's profitable to them, and we
don't have to put up with it.
~~~
brownbat
> The internet is worse, because of the content that is paid for by the
> methods you describe, than the internet of the 90s...
Yeah, when people comment that online content must be subsidized, I always
find it a little ironic. They're contributing information and analysis to a
discussion. Who's paying the subscription fee?
How could such a lifestyle, where they give away their mental energy for free,
possibly be sustainable?
The frequent rebuttal of "but my comments are low quality and barely worth
anyone's time!" is fun too.
------
drewg123
I miss the days when you just had to help them digitally encode writing. Now
I'm in the same "is the pole part of the sign" situation as this guy all the
time.
Does anybody know if captcha's are triggered or are made harder by ublock? It
seems to me like captchas are easier on my work chrome profile, which does not
have any extensions since I only use it for internal sites.
~~~
rcthompson
I think they are made more difficult by when Google observes "bot-like"
activity coming from you. When they started the "I'm not a robot" checkbox, I
used to be able to just check the box and it would let me through, every time.
Then, one day I had to download several dozen files, and each download had one
of these checkboxes. The first 10 or so files, it let me through like it
always did. Then it started giving me one CAPCHA screen for the next 10 files.
Then 2 screens. Then 3, and so on. That was several years ago, and ever since
then it _always_ gives me a long series of difficult CAPCHAs every single
time. I guess Google still thinks I'm a bot even after several years of
solving these things pretty consistently (I'd say I have about 90% success
rate).
For the record, I do tag boxes containing only sign posts, or only tiny
slivers of signs.
~~~
xirdstl
I find myself intentionally slowing down when completing forms in order to not
appear too bot-like and be forced to complete a captcha.
------
beardog
Part of the reason these are so difficult is that it will intentionally fail
you sometimes even when you're right to prevent malicious bots from learning
off of it, also a decent number of them are not fully solved by Google (they
show you both ones they know and ones they don't).
Basically its meant to be somewhat confusing.
~~~
bradknowles
Many sites do a canvas fingerprint, and send you to the captcha if the
fingerprint fails.
And then it’s captcha hell.
~~~
droidist2
A fingerprint? Like this thing?
[https://panopticlick.eff.org](https://panopticlick.eff.org)
------
akkat
Wait until you go abroad and instead of saying "find the street signs" it says
something in Japanese with no way of changing the language.
------
birksherty
I get these all the time when using VPN/proxy. These are basically harassment
for users.
They replaced the text captcha with these. Google knows that these stops
humans from going in. But, they don't fix it because they need to harvest
data. So, Google is evil. There is no doubt on that.
------
extralego
These Google captchas were much easier about 1 year ago. These days, I stop
and ask myself “Do I _really_ need to get past this guard?”.
------
mcochrane
I think it depends a lot on your IP too. I tried to do some google captchas in
TOR browser once and it took forever! Just like this video, even when you got
it right it still kept asking for more..
~~~
Baeocystin
Happens relatively frequently when using a VPN. If, for whatever reason, the
IP I'm using is currently getting the captcha-hell treatment, shifting to a
different exit address clears it up 95%+ of the time.
------
tziki
Someone should create a neural net that does this for you.
~~~
YaxelPerez
And train it by making people identify the correct solutions to get access to
a website
~~~
digi_owl
Heh, i recall claims that hackers where using Amazon's Mechanical Turk service
as a means of defeating captchas their botnets encountered.
~~~
amelius
I recall that hackers were sending captchas to porn sites. "Want to see this
picture, then solve this captcha." And then the answers were redirected back
to the original, legitimate site.
~~~
droidist2
True, sexual drive can be a great motivator. Porn users are tolerant of a lot
(popup ads, etc.)
------
gustavmarwin
The Chrome plugin Privacy Badger
([https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/privacy-
pass/ajhmf...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/privacy-
pass/ajhmfdgkijocedmfjonnpjfojldioehi)) is supposed to be useful to avoid
those.
I haven't been able to reach a conclusion on whether it is effective, anyone
uses this?
------
21
So, are you supposed to click on the sign support sticks?
What about squares which have just a sliver of the sign?
~~~
lstamour
Technically the sign support sticks aren’t signs. And some of the signs
clicked on weren’t street signs, if you identify street signs as those put up
by a government agency to regulate or assist with driving on a street. Also,
he clicked a hotel, which isn’t a storefront. When Google says storefront they
mean a multi-tenant store facing a street with a big sign indicating the
store’s name or purpose. Sometimes these locations are closed, but they rarely
look like hotels, houses or apartments. I have also had to pass, twice, by
saying nothing was relevant and not clicking anything. I’ve also had it show
me streets with cars and had it ask me to select storefronts... (Trick
questions, maybe to see if I click wrong then change my mind?) And I’m much
more likely to get it wrong on my iPhone than on a computer, perhaps Google
doesn’t have as much mouse movement data that way, and can’t fingerprint an
iPhone as uniquely?
------
caspervonb
Hard on humans, easy on bots.
------
hippich
We are working on hashcash.io - replacement for captcha. no more frustration
to guess what google meant, just computer proof of work and you are good to go
~~~
jraph
Please, do not drain my batteries, waste resources of my planet and make me
(or my employer, or my coffee shop, or my train company, or my library) pay
electricity to prove I'm not a robot.
Please, do not make Internet an energy hog more than it already is.
~~~
lomereiter
Your last statement theoretically could be addressed by tweaking the algorithm
settings such that it consumes at most [the time it takes for a human to solve
reCaptcha] x [average power consumption of a smartphone]. Not sure if it would
still hold its purpose, though.
------
sbov
I used to never get these back when I used Chrome. I started getting them once
I switched to Firefox. Is this a thing? or was it coincidence?
------
fractallyte
So at the end, when he says despondently, "I'm not a robot!"...
Paranoid fantasy: it's a PhilipKDick/BladeRunner thing. You see, actually he
_is_ a robot (as, apparently, are most of us), and this test is designed to
_prove_ it. It's a precursor to the Voight-Kampff machine...
------
ggm
I suspect the bad guys using captcha won't go to the good low barrier captcha
because there's no microcent transaction in it. It's a Gresham's law case: bad
captcha with revenue drives out good captcha with low overhead
------
rajeshpant
Hopefully more sites will upgrade to the new Invisible reCaptcha by Google. I
am using them on my sites and it is certainly less annoying and the user
experience is better.
~~~
philo23
Interesting side note, when Google isn't completely convinced you're not a
robot, it'll actually swap the invisible captcha out for these photo picker
ones.
------
nmridul
Whenever I see this, I intentionally select incorrect boxes. Let the AI eat
those incorrect data. If sufficient people do this, these AI free loading
stuff will stop.
------
DINKDINK
My hope is that in the future lightning network micro payments will be a
better alternative than captchas for rate limiting page access.
------
milankragujevic
cool seeing taran from ltt on hn...
------
baxtr
Oh I hate these so much.
|
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|
Accordion Style Checkouts – the Holy Grail of Checkout Usability? - dwynings
http://baymard.com/blog/accordion-style-checkout
======
givan
There are multiple problems with checkout done with steps either accordion or
not, it hides valuable information, you need to do x steps until you get to
payment/delivery step to see if your preferred option is available.
Most website don't bother having a page with details regarding all accepted
payment/delivery details and people go directly to the checkout hoping to see
all options there but when they see all those steps and forms to fill in, they
quit.
I think the best way is to have a fat free checkout and ask only absolutely
necessary things and put checkboxes where additional information might be
needed to show the necessary inputs, in this way having everything on one page
without steps is possible and is less typing for the user and he is shown
everything he needs to know to place the order.
|
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Electric cars emit 50% less greenhouse gas than diesel, study finds - gpresot
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/25/electric-cars-emit-50-less-greenhouse-gas-than-diesel-study-finds
======
moocowtruck
I find that the amount of emissions from the production of the batteries is
often glossed over. While I do think it can be lower over time.. today it's
quite high. Just would be nice that it is brought to peoples attention more
when discussing the savings from electric. Not to stop us from moving to
electric but from an awareness factor.
~~~
WorldMaker
Lack of awareness? This argument is brought up _a lot_. Here's one article
debunking one of the complaints about it:
[http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/hybrid-
electric/news/a2...](http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/hybrid-
electric/news/a27039/tesla-battery-emissions-study-fake-news/)
It's getting to the point that it's almost silly how recurring a fallacy that
somehow battery production emissions are absurd or battery mining conditions
abhorrent.
Compared to say oil rigs and oil derricks and refineries, it's so very hard
for battery mining and battery production to be any worse.
The two most "exotic" elements in a Lithium Ion battery, both of which are
actually a tiny fraction of the mass, lithium and cobalt, are both still
primarily "brine mined" sorting through easy to access pools rather than the
mine shaft mining that comes to mind for most people (we're roughly still at
the stage of "gold prospecting" and just pulling lithium and cobalt from salts
in water, rather than "gold mining" deep into the earth).
ETA: Not to mention that this very article and its 50% claim is _yet another_
that includes the carbon emissions of battery production but seemingly _none_
of oil production.
|
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|
Corda – distributed ledger platform (blockchain) - tener
https://www.corda.net/
======
tener
GitHub repo: [https://github.com/corda/corda](https://github.com/corda/corda)
|
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|
Pizzashare - daveambrose
http://www.pizzashare.com/
======
chaostheory
when I first saw the name I thought 'cool!'- I was thinking that this is a
site that poor college kids can use to get together and split the price of a
whole pizza or two (for more variety and meeting new ppl - along with a tool
showing what everyone owes for the pizzas including tip)... I was a bit
disappointed when this wasn't the case.
I may be missing something but I just don't see the point of this web app (as
a super focused yelp) when the yelps of world already have tons of data and
tons of users for this very thing
------
catone
I've never liked sites that start the user off on a crowded country-wide
Google Maps view. It seems like such a clumsy way to display data. One, I
don't want or need to find every pizza place in the US, so why show it to me?
and 2. it's overwhelming and a pain in the ass to have to zoom into my
location.
Google Maps embeds are fine as a way to put things on a map for searches
inside a specific, narrowly defined location. But they're not so good as the
first thing you'd see.
I'd ditch the giant US map and redesign to put more emphasis on the zip/city
search box -- maybe get a fix on the user's location by IP and automatically
pop up popular pizza places nearby.
Also, a bug: I was able to share my favorite pizza place over and over again
... so really easy to game the system.
------
ca
I gave this site a try and added pizza places that I like in Toronto, ON.
\- I was disappointed that I couldn't add any comments, notes or tags (you
could even display badges for top picks in categories like "cheap", "organic",
"fast", "high end" on your map). It would have been cool to link to the
boingboing.net article referencing Massimo pizza or to recommend my favorite
types of pizza at each place.
\- I had issues where the green marker pins would be placed in the wrong spot
if I: shared a restaurant, typed in the name of another restaurant, and
clicked OK. This happened twice (FF 3.0.6 on WinXP).
\- I like the look and feel design of the site but I partially agree with some
other posters here who ask what distinguishes your site from the mass market
players like yelp. Being pizza-only makes using your site really easy to use,
but I'm not sure if that's enough. My random brainstormed thought: Could you
make recommending and searching for great pizza places into a game that's fun
enough to pique the interest of a first time visitor?
------
misterbwong
Took a quick look. Seems like this suffers from the chicken/egg social network
problem. The more users there are, the better the data/app will be. However,
users won't use the app until the data/app returns better results.
Example: I put in 92602 (Irvine in OC). Only two pizza stores popped up-both
chains (Little Caesars & Round Table) and both >8 mi from the middle of 92602.
As a user, this is an immediate turn off because the app isn't helping me find
great pizza places. It is only showing me pizza places that I know about-ones
that are far from me to boot. I know for a fact that there is a Round Table
Pizza that is much closer than the one mapped.
To combat this, you might want to load up some data programmatically so that
you have a baseline (scraping PizzaHut.com or Dominoes.com would be a start).
Users can then add to your base data set as well as vote up ("share") places
that already exist.
~~~
tdavis
I thought the point was to share _favorite_ pizza places, don't chains just
add noise? If anybody's favorite pizza place is Pizza Hut or Dominoes, I feel
extremely sorry for them.
~~~
misterbwong
I feel the same way, but users are already sharing chains as their favorites,
so I thought it would make for a better user experience. Since users are
already sharing these chains, the fact that these stores are being added
shouldn't signal their quality, the votes should.
------
kin
I. Love. Pizza.
And I love mom and pop pizza shops and am against the chain onces. In that
sense, I really like the concept of this website but it doesn't deliver on
usability.
If I do a quick search in Los Angeles, only Mulberry St. Pizza pops us. If I
do it again, Pizzeria Mozza pops up. What is with the inconsistency? What do
all the colors mean? Why won't my added location pop up when I search for it?
Once all these bugs are fixed and there is a larger user base then all the
pizza lovers of the world would think your website is awesome. It is different
from Yelp and I like that because it is not cluttered. In any case, I would
say to continue working on it and in the end it will pay off somewhat.
------
jasonkester
Hmm. I thought everybody got this out of their system in 2005. You know,
Google Maps API comes out and everybody writes that little test application
where you can put pins in the map and store locations in a database. Dozens of
sites that look exactly like this this went live over a 3 week period. Some of
them inexplicably even got funded.
But it's 2009 now. It's a bit hard to get excited about this.
------
mjmueller
Thanks for the insight guys, this has only been up for two weeks and I really
appreciate the feedback. There are definitely some bugs on here and you are
right about me taking off those pizza chains(dominos, pizza hut etc...) I want
to incorporate a lot of these suggestions into the beta version which should
be coming out in a month or two, but it will be more a less a total makeover.
------
smanek
I can't seem to get it to add either of my favorite pizza places in Cambridge,
MA 01238 ('Cambridge 1' and 'The Upper Crust'). Am I doing something wrong?
Their URLs are <http://cambridge1.us/> and
<http://www.theuppercrustpizzeria.com/>
------
vaksel
Not really a fan of the popup for the zipcode. Maybe do a geolocate for the ip
and match that way
------
planck
Interesting concept. I wonder: are the circle sizes proportional to the total
number of shares country-wide, or are they proportional to the number of
shares within some shorter distance?
------
aston
There seems to be an escaping issue. Around the SF Bay Area, there's a pizza
place called "Mary's Pizza Shack" that on mouse hover only says "Mary."
~~~
staunch
So get into their machine via SQL injection and fix the code. Jeez! This Web
2.0 where users are expected to contribute!
------
AlfaWolph
Wow. Talk about a really, really, long tail here.
------
jrockway
What does this do that Yelp doesn't?
------
mjgoins
Grimaldi's is for tourists.
------
ShardPhoenix
Why US only?
------
jollyjerry
dig the color scheme and look.
|
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"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
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Female termites found to clone themselves via asexual reproduction - lelf
http://phys.org/news/2014-11-female-termites-clone-asexual-reproduction.html
======
jessriedel
This is an excellent format for popular science reporting: the article is
followed _immediately_ by an abstract and a link to the original paper. Wow.
How long has phys.org been doing this?
------
Pxtl
If the species is reproducing fully asexually, isn't that an evolutionary
dead-end? Sexual reproduction is a huge evolutionary benefit. Many species can
do parthenogenesis as a fallback, but if it's the _primary_ form of
reproduction then the evolution of the species is hamstrung.
~~~
whyenot
> Sexual reproduction is a huge evolutionary benefit.
It's not clear that this is the case. Many bacteria, fungi and plants do not
appear to reproduce sexually and are highly successful.
Evolution by natural selection does require that there is variation between
individuals, but there is variation even in asexually reproducing species due
to mutations and errors in DNA replication.
~~~
peterwwillis
And I think it might work more favorably for ants anyway due to the nature of
the colonies.
For example, with the 'zombie ant fungus', once the colony detects an
infection it will remove infected ants or prevent infections from continuing.
Ants are remarkably good at clearing their nests of infections.
Naturally this kind of 'communal parasite insulation' would preclude the queen
from having to constantly adapt to new threats, and can rely on simpler
functions such as mutation to adapt to environmental changes.
And anyway, this asexual reproduction is (purportedly) only for queens. The
males+queen still participate in sexual reproduction for workers. In addition,
ants send their oldest members out the farthest from the nest, so in reality
they're constantly being replenished by new variations.
[http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-zombie-ant-fungus-is-
ev...](http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-zombie-ant-fungus-is-even-more-
sinister-than-you-thought)
------
reubenmorais
Life, uh, finds a way.
------
chanandler_bong
Could someone tell me please who first suggested the idea of reproduction
without sex?
...your wife?
(bonus points to name the movie)
~~~
bbcbasic
Rightly down-voted. How dare you have a sense of humor.
------
gesman
Would it be considered cheating making love to your girlfriend's clone?
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How 'OK' took over the world (2011) - mercer
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-12503686
======
spodek
> _OK allows us to view a situation in simplest terms, just OK or not._
I disagree. I find that OK implies some consent or agreement.
In Chinese there's a word I don't know how to write but sounds something like
"uh" that means more "I acknowledge" without implying agreement. Actually, I
don't know if it's a word, but I hear it a lot.
Whether it exists in Chinese or not, I wish English had a word more neutral
than OK or uh-huh. "I acknowledge what you said" is too clunky.
~~~
PKop
From military lingo:
"Roger" meaning "Received and understood"... exactly what you're looking for
"I acknowledge what you said". Sometimes used as "Roger that"
I learned this in the army and still use often in conversation or text.
~~~
muraiki
I worked a job where I would use roger in this sense. After I put in my 2
week's notice, a coworker told me that this actually annoyed my boss to no
end. We used IRC extensively for communications, so I wrote an IRC bot that
would reply "roger" to everything he said (along with some other sayings that
annoyed him) and cron'd it to run a week after I had left.*
* The rest of the story is that I wrote two bots to say different things, but forgot that they'd trigger "roger" off of each other, so the end result is that I had two bots constantly spamming the channel with "roger". I guess I should have written tests!
~~~
dctoedt
IIRC, "Roger" came about in the early days of voice-radio communication as the
old-style phonetic alphabet version of "R" _(in the modern phonetic alphabet,
"R" would be "Romeo")_ ; the single letter R was a "prosign" abbreviation used
in Morse-code telegraphy (as • — • or dot-dash-dot) to indicate "received and
understood." [0]
[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_code_abbreviations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_code_abbreviations)
------
sciolizer
The Boston Morning Post theory is well supported, but so are a few other
alternative theories.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OK#Proposed_etymologies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OK#Proposed_etymologies)
------
hamandcheese
I much prefer and almost always write "okay" vs "ok", and I feel like most of
my friends do the same. I wonder if it's a generational thing. I and most of
my friends are early-mid 20s.
~~~
extr
I agree and am in a similar demo. I think I just as often use "kk" but I'm not
able to place exactly where I picked this up from or what it's origins are.
UrbanDictionary claims it's internet slang for "okay, cool" == "k, kool" ==
"kk" which seems believable. It actually hadn't struck me until writing this
comment that "kk" was internet specific slang, and thinking about it it's
something I don't really see from most people.
~~~
lucb1e
Sidenote: kk is what teens here use a lot to swear with cancer (which is
spelled with two 'k's instead of 'c's in Dutch). For some reason many people
take big offense, but other illnesses are perfectly fine to them. I've heard
people take such offense over what was meant to sound affirmative. I always
cringe at the potential reactions when seeing kk somewhere.
~~~
tokenizerrr
Also dutch, and while kk can mean kanker (cancer) in chats its often used as
just 'ok ok'.
Though I did have an awkward incident once where someone thought 'kk' meant
cancer and they got very upset.
~~~
pavement
Within a certain age bracket, many American girls who prefer to be perceived
as cute and girly, simply type the letters " _kk_ " to exude a sense of
affable agreeableness. This is often paired with " _oo_ " to present surprise
or acquired understanding.
I get the sense that American girls are doing it both to promote a youthful
personality, and because a double-tap of the same letter is efficient,
reducing effort while typing. It's also used by older women adopting a cutsey
voice or tone, especially women raising teenage daughters, sometimes as a mock
teeny bopper act.
Males almost never ever use this regardless of age, unless engaging in
feminine play as parody, and it gets dropped among females cognizant of their
perception as adult women retaining possession of responsibilities and
authority.
Probably, among all non-users, " _kk_ " is dropped in fearful avoidance of the
dreaded accidental " _kkk_ " in an unnacceptable context.
Among all, a curt use of " _k_ " with a cessation of further conversation is
sometimes an expression of annoyance, either because the conversation took a
turn they didn't like, or because they're busy or being interrupted somehow.
Capital " _K_ " in this sort of context, combined with habitually minimized
capitalization and little or no grammatical punctuation as a personality
trait, is almost always an expression of sulking, pouting or open anger with
consequences pending. Capital " _K_ " after receiving bad news is as if to say
" _someone will pay for this, maybe you._ "
~~~
meowface
>Males almost never ever use this regardless of age, unless engaging in
feminine play as parody, and it gets dropped among females cognizant of their
perception as adult women retaining possession of responsibilities and
authority.
I'm a heterosexual male in my mid-20s and many in my gender and age bracket
say "kk" and "ooo" online as casual responses to things all the time -
including myself. I wasn't aware we were teenaged girls. I don't think either
word is inherently feminine, cutesy or immature; just very informal.
The thing I'd associate the most with younger American girls is frequent use
of ellipses, often (but not always) with 1-2 less or more dots than is
required. Like "k.." or "nice....". I think this is to some extent emulating
the "high rising terminal" vocal pattern commonly associated with American
women:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_rising_terminal#Implicati...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_rising_terminal#Implications_for_gender)
And of course emojis/emoticons.
~~~
pavement
My comment is to be taken as anecdotal evidence only. My personal experience.
Nothing more.
It's just what I've encountered as an American interacting with other
Americanized Americans in the United States, with whom I've had a direct face-
to-face relationship. Without any IRL interactions, I have absolutely no idea
who's on the other side of the internet, and don't claim to know anything
about anyone anywhere else.
------
ngrilly
I read a paper a few years ago telling a different story about OK having
evolved from the abbreviation 0K for "zero killings", used during World War
II. Anyone heard about that?
~~~
bikamonki
I've read that too. Myth busted I guess.
------
kylehotchkiss
I'm learning hindi (slowly) and there it's "teek hai", which to me always
sounds like T-K, and always makes me want to laugh a little.
~~~
pritambaral
Technically, it's "theek hai", like in "eighth"; and not "teek hai" like in
"eight". Would it still sound close enough to "T-K" to sound funny to you?
------
520794
I always liked
OK>
as a prompt, e.g., on a bootloader.
~~~
AstralStorm
Modify it to say:
YAY>
We booted and are live!
~~~
Raf_
That's adorable.
~~~
cat199
I prefer the
YAR!
prompt.
------
drewmol
My experience both in US high school and college English classes was that
'okey/okay' is taught as a proper American English word, universally accepted
as synonymous with 'alright', 'OK' being a contraction/slang. Interesting to
read this may not be the case.
~~~
nkrisc
Interesting, I've _never_ seen it spelled 'okey' until now.
------
triangleman
Not at all used in Brazil from what I can tell. I told a fruit vendor after
tasting his wares "it's ok" and he though I said "shocking" which apparently
has a portuguese cognate.
Thankfully the thumbs up gesture is pretty pervasive there.
~~~
ribfeast
You'd say "ta bom"
------
sharpercoder
I notice a trend in my environments where an acknowledgement went from "okee"
(Dutch) or "okay" to "OK"/"ok" to now just "k".
~~~
tomsmeding
My experience (Dutch-born student in NL) is that "k" sounds sort-of less
interested than "ok" or any longer variety, even in spoken Dutch ("k" is
actually a used word in my environment). It seems that "k" corresponds to
"fine"/"acknowledged" while things like "ok" or "oke" (yes my friends spell it
like that, probably being too lazy to type é) correspond to
"yes"/"agreed"/"acknowledged". I wrote "acknowledged" in both categories
because they both acknowledge something, and sometimes the meanings do get
muddled. :)
------
dnh44
With it's roots in the age of the telegraph, it would appear that OK is a
distant predecessor to other abbreviations of convenience such as LOL.
------
lunchladydoris
The origin of the term has been embedded in my memory (right next to Ben
Stein's description of Voodoo Economics) since I first heard it in the 1987
Dudley Moore/Kirk Cameron father-son switcheroo classic Like Father Like Son.
------
yakshaving_jgt
I was hoping this guy took over the world:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obgnr9pc820](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obgnr9pc820)
------
peterquest
I'm curious as to how it was adopted by countries for which English is not the
primary language. I remember being surprised when I heard Parisians using it
regularly in their speech.
~~~
restalis
For one, it's an easy pick for someone with a cosmopolitan spirit. Then
there's also a lot of gadgets or software that come with the untranslated "ok"
which serves as a pushing base for all but the most aware and opposed to the
adoption of foreign words.
~~~
iiv
>Then there's also a lot of gadgets or software that come with the
untranslated "ok"
The word has been used a long time before gadgets and software became common
here in Sweden. I would guess it comes from films and tv-programs.
~~~
cat199
Have heard somewhere else this was widely spread in WWII era or thereabouts
since it was good for radio communications and there were many USians around
------
Kluny
It's used in Denmark, but "k" is pronounced "ko" (like co in co-working) here,
so they, especially older ones, say "oh-ko!"
~~~
KozmoNau7
"Oh-ko" makes the vowels long, but the vowels should be short, almost clipped.
In IPA notation "ko" would be /kʰɔ/, I think.
~~~
qguv
You're looking for brackets, not slashes, since you're giving a phonetic
discription, not a phonemic one.
~~~
KozmoNau7
Sheesh, totally outnerded :-)
------
stolk
In French, "au quai" means "in the harbour."
Cargo in the harbour, is not lost at sea, or in transit.
Instead it is safe and sound, or O.K.
~~~
manarth
The "au quai" etymology isn't universally accepted, and isn't recognised by
the Academie Française, who don't concede its use.
Generally, people use "d'accord" (sometimes shortened to "d'ac") over "OK" in
French.
~~~
tripa
I can understand that the etymology is disputed, but what does the modern
French expression of agreement have to do with it?
For all I know, it's entirely possible a misunderstanding/reappropriation of a
foreign phrase could be it.
------
zmix
I always thought it was the opposite of K.O.
|
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Guessing the Teacher's Password - t0pj
http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/08/guessing-the-te.html
======
Alex3917
Someone should write a book like the little schemer but for physics. One of
the best classes I took in college was somewhat like this. We measured the
period of the pendulum using our heartbeats, and we also measured how long it
took things to roll down differently sloped ramps. From this we derived the
period of the pendulum and the relationship between slope and speed.
Eventually we used this to derive the universal law of gravitation using the
period of the moon's orbit as the only given. It was pretty cool because there
was no math involved. Instead of using calculus to derive the equations, we
instead found them inductively by iterating over a couple thousand lines in
excel and then looking for the pattern. The idea of the class was to
understand physics by deriving all the equations the same way the people who
discovered them did. It was pretty cool.
~~~
pchristensen
What school/teacher? I'd be interested in finding a curriculum or any
references about that. I have daughters and I'm dying to find a good way to
present science to them.
~~~
Alex3917
Prof. Peter Stein at Cornell. The class is Physics 202. I can email you the
class notes and problem sets if you'd like. I'll also email him and ask if
he's thought about publishing the course materials online.
~~~
ph0rque
Can you just put them online somewhere?
~~~
Alex3917
<http://www.alexkrupp.com/Phys202.zip>
If you glance at my answers to problem sets 4, 5, and 8 then you'll get the
general idea of what the course involves. The problem sets are really fun
because you're forced to play with the numbers and really understand the
material. It might not be as hard as a traditional physics course, but it's
every bit as rigorous in the real sense of the word. It's brilliance is that
it really stresses the fundamentals, probably more so than any other physics
material in existence. This is important because, as one professional Go
player said after observing a Japanese baseball game,
"In every confrontation with a real American professional team it seems that
what we need to learn from them, besides their technique of course, is how
uniformly faithful their players are to the fundamentals. Faithfulness to the
fundamentals seems to be a common thread linking professionalism in all
areas." (T. Kageyama)
~~~
rms
Sounds like a great course. How exactly did that course fit into the Cornell
curriculum? Was it an elective for most people or could it substitute for
algebra/calc based physics?
~~~
Alex3917
Cornell has two sets of requirements. The requirements for your college within
the university, and the requirements for your major. This course fulfilled the
distribution requirements for the college I was in. However, it wouldn't
necessarily count as one of the required science classes for your major. So,
for example, if you were a physics student then it wouldn't count toward your
major, so therefor it would make more sense to take another class that you
could count toward both your major and your college distribution requirement.
Sorry if this is unclear, it's kind of complicated.
~~~
rms
Thanks, that made sense.
------
boredguy8
I spend some of my time teaching at a private university. During a discussion
with one student he said, "All I really know about Plato is that he thought
the forms were transcendent whereas Aristotle thought the forms were
immanent."
"Oh," said I, "that's interesting. What does it mean for a form to be
transcendent or immanent?"
"I don't know, I just know that's what they thought."
We then had a discussion about whether or not he really knew that, and whether
or not he was OK with paying over $25k a year to learn how to be a parrot.
The sad thing: he was OK with it, and probably rightly so. He realized that
mostly what people want are parrots and you can get paid quite a decent amount
of money for being a good parrot. Not a bad gig if you're fine being a cog.
There are certain comforts it provides.
------
aneesh
This sadly is how the world works. In school, even in high school and college,
the students who guess the teacher's password are rewarded. The (few) students
who make an effort to discover and think through something on their own are
criticized for wandering from the beaten path, even on the occasions when
they're actually right.
High school science competitions (school science fairs, all the way upto
Siemens-Westinghouse and Intel STS) particularly guilty of this.
~~~
boredguy8
"The (few) students who make an effort to discover and think through something
on their own are criticized for wandering from the beaten path, even on the
occasions when they're actually right."
I remember I just -couldn't- accept that we can't take square roots of
negative numbers. I mean, sure, two negatives multiplied together is a
positive, but...there HAS to be a way! Numbers, to my 6th grade mind, weren't
arbitrarily going to deny your ability to manipulate them.
Fortunately for me, I happened to be reading a book on Mandlebrot and in the
course of discussing his work the author introduces the concept of imaginary
numbers. So the next day in class I asked: "Are you suuuure?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Well, I was reading in this book and so-and-so says you can take the square
root of negative numbers, you get 'i' for the root of -1 and..."
"Why don't you go wait outside."
Where I got told that although I move to the beat of a different drummer, when
I'm in her class, I really just need to be quiet. That's when public education
and I had a falling out from which our relationship has never recovered.
All of that to say: I think part of the 'problem' is that kids who do try to
think on their own are often in a situation where they're challenging accepted
rules without the social grace to do so constructively. But rather than being
taught the social skills, they're just shut down. Very sad, actually. They
could be taught how to 'wander well'.
~~~
Prrometheus
Isn't sqrt(-1) = i an axiom though, and not a theorem? In other words, if you
just started with the integers and the basic rules of arithmetic, you will
never run into the need for imaginary numbers. It's only after you posit their
existence that a lot of cool results flow from it.
Am I wrong there?
~~~
boredguy8
I don't really know how to interpret your sentence. Complex numbers are a
field in which you do 'basic rules of arithmetic'. You can't do the 'basic
rules of arithmetic' on integers.
i is defined as sqrt(-1), if that answers your question.
~~~
Prrometheus
I should have said "Real Numbers" instead of "Integers", sorry.
My point is that sqrt(-1) = i is an extra assumption that you don't need to
make in order to derive the math you do in school. If you don't make that
assumption, you can still derive a lot of math. If you do make that
assumption, then you can also derive the theorems of complex analysis.
I think that's true, anyway. I could be wrong.
It just seems strange to me that someone would be bothered by the lack of
negative square roots, since their existence is never derived, only assumed.
But then again, people's minds work very differently, especially in
Mathematics.
I was the opposite in Math class. I fought accepting "i" when they tried to
teach it to us since it seemed so arbitrary and contrived to me. This was
before I discovered that all Math is arbitrary and that there is no "real
math", anyway.
~~~
ashu
As the "Road to Reality" explains, if you study Quantum mechanics, complex
numbers become every bit as "real" as the integers or real numbers. You just
can't explain some of the quantum mechanical phenomena or concepts without
using complex numbers at all.
------
nsrivast
overcomingbias is one of those websites you should read every article in, like
paul graham's essays
~~~
jsomers
yeah, although you'd have a lot more work to do. Not only are there multiple
posts a day but some of Elizer's have dependency trees reaching months back!
------
noonespecial
I remember the first time I got an F on an assignment even though I'd gotten
the correct answer to every problem.
I hadn't reached my correct answers the "right" way.
~~~
cdr
If the teacher was teaching a process, and looking for evidence that you
understood that process, it seems entirely reasonable to not count your work.
~~~
noonespecial
I had simply taken shortcuts I'd seen later in the book for factoring
quadratics. They wanted to see it written exactly as it appeared in the
current examples.
I realized that math in school was more like one of those simon games where
you just mindlessly press the arbitrary sequence of lights you just saw, than
actual mathematics. This analogy helped me suffer through "school math" while
I perused real math on my own.
------
cdr
I've been thinking along similar lines since I've been interviewing; far too
many interviewers are only looking for the password.
------
DaniFong
Only tangentially related, but years ago, in elementary school, I decided to
guess the password after the school restricted access to SimCity. I got it
right on the first try, it was just the school name, but I told everyone 'I
hacked it', for major props.
|
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Show HN: Chinchin - A social network that connects you to new people - victorology
http://www.chinchin.co
======
fenomas
You may already know this, but just in case, in Japan "chinchin" means penis.
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Understand your body to get more energy scientifically - karmiphuc
http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2016/01/how-to-get-more-energy/
======
DrScump
"Just by betting on west coast teams in every Monday Night Football game where
they played east coast teams you’d beat the point spread 70% of the time. NFL
teams that crossed three time zones for a game “were twice as likely to be
beaten by a lower-ranked opponent in the tournament’s first round.”
Those are conflicting conditions (Monday Night Football is not a tournament
with rounds), so this data (at least) is suspect.
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Yahoo acquires Maven video $160M - iamelgringo
http://www.siliconvalley.com//ci_8250173
======
cellis
i swear on everything that is dear to me, i have never heard of Maven.
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What Emails Reveal About Your Performance at Work - adrian_mrd
https://joshbersin.com/2018/10/what-emails-reveal-about-your-performance-at-work/#
======
cimmanom
Do not click this link. There’s a rather evil browser-hijacking ad on the
page.
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Deutsche Post DHL to Deliver Medicine via Drone - msantos
http://www.wsj.com/articles/deutsche-post-dhl-to-deliver-medicine-via-drone-1411576151
======
mtmail
More detail from a German article
\- drone weight 5kg and can carry 1.2kg. Maximum speed 18m/s (65km/h, 40mi/h)
\- the one-way distance is 12km \- there is only one recipient: a pharmacy \-
on the photo you see a tier-shaped box. That contains the cargo. Extra wind
and water resident \- although they have all permissions each daily flight
needs to be pre-authorized and watched
------
TillE
Drone delivery to an island (with no bridge) is actually a good use case,
unlike Amazon's demo video of delivering whatever to some suburban house for
no compelling reason.
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The Mirai Botnet Architects Are Now Fighting Crime with the FBI - kposehn
https://www.wired.com/story/mirai-botnet-creators-fbi-sentencing/
======
legohead
> Earlier this year, the Mirai defendants worked with FBI agents in Alaska to
> counter a new evolution of DDoS, known as Memcache
what the heck?
> The Mirai court documents outline how Dalton, Jha, and White jumped into
> action in March as the attacks propagated online, working alongside the FBI
> and the security industry to identify vulnerable servers.
As in, scan every IP for port 11211?
~~~
DiabloD3
And scanning every IP for a port is how you trigger automatic abuse reports to
whoever owns the IP block, and failure to respond to said abuse reports (and,
more importantly, ceasing said abusive behavior) leads to eventually the
attacker (the aforementioned government office) having their Internet service
ended due to ToS violations.
Not only that, I suspect some ISPs now run 11211 honeypots to capture networks
that source such attacks, so eventually the FBI would end up in common RBLs
due to their abusive behavior.
In short, I suspect this entire article is bullshit. It _is_ on Wired, after
all.
~~~
gjs278
you massively overestimate what any ISP is going to do. it's nothing. they're
not running honey pots, they don't care.
~~~
blitmap
I think I agree. It's better to not be proactive, especially since port
scanning is a natural way to perform diagnostics. I would wait for others tell
me there's a problem, I wouldn't put money toward sniffing out problems as an
ISP.
------
bencollier49
And meanwhile the bloke who stopped the WannaCry outbreak is holed up waiting
for a court date..
~~~
meowface
He's being charged for activity completely unrelated to the WannaCry outbreak
and which occurred years before it. He's likely fully legit now, but no one
can alter the past and no one is above the law.
------
rhcom2
Something weird to me about the FBI not having good enough technical abilities
that the cooperation of these three had such an effect.
~~~
neonate
Maybe it's more cultural than technical.
------
dumbfounder
Create a botnet that takes down portions of the Internet and you too can put
"Internship at the FBI" on your resume.
~~~
cf141q5325
If you are morally ambiguous enough to become a snitch.
~~~
dumbfounder
I think creating the botnet already put them in that category.
------
hellbanner
Anyone have a link to the .txt interview were the Mirai creator claimed they
made their creation to escape "a shitty eastern European country" and their
main customers were "Top 5 Minecraft servers"?
------
jondubois
They got caught so they should be thrown in Jail. They probably made a lot of
Bitcoin from operating their botnet.
I hate how the government keeps giving criminals free passes. Being a criminal
has never been more profitable than it is today. Maybe all honest software
devs should consider a career change.
Most ex-hackers are millionaires now. What kind of message is that?
~~~
pavel_lishin
> _Most ex-hackers are millionaires now._
Big ol' [citation needed] on that claim, please.
------
savethefuture
How did they link the three of them to creating it?
~~~
meowface
It wasn't that hard. Krebs found their leader before the FBI arrested them
(though he was on the FBI's radar for a while).
[https://krebsonsecurity.com/2017/01/who-is-anna-senpai-
the-m...](https://krebsonsecurity.com/2017/01/who-is-anna-senpai-the-mirai-
worm-author/)
~~~
lozaning
Krebs is a super impressive guy in my opinion, and him being able to do
something is not where my bar for easy starts. His investigative abilities and
network of sources I think is unrivaled in his domain.
~~~
meowface
Unrivaled among journalists when it comes to cybercrime investigations,
absolutely. He's good at what he does and also has access to a lot of tools
and helpful contributors. But if you follow the steps, which he lays out very
clearly, it's pretty apparent that identifying the perpetrators wasn't rocket
science, and that it probably wasn't very hard for the FBI.
------
stevew20
Always knew the FBI was pitching for the other team...
------
excalibur
> Get unlimited access + a free YubiKey. Subscribe
What's this?
> Subscribe today to get unlimited access to WIRED and get a free, exclusive
> WIRED YubiKey 4.
> 1 year for $10
Can I get like 300 subscriptions to Wired?
~~~
dshibarshin
Always wondered how magazines could afford to pay for this?
~~~
secabeen
The auto-renewal. Most people will forget about the renewal, then renew after
a year at full rates.
~~~
jiaweihli
Isn't the easy solution to this to immediately cancel auto renewal right after
subscribing?
|
{
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
}
|
Unofficial video of the #29C3 Keynote: Not My Department - znq
http://youtu.be/QNsePZj_Yks
======
urza
Its frustrating to see this being so undervoted on _hacker_ news.... but than
again, this site was never really for hackers, was it..
|
{
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
}
|
Stripe reduces fees by two fold for European merchants or customers - the-dude
I got this in the mail:<p>Good news! We're lowering our prices for our European users, effective as of December 9th.<p>There's no action necessary and we'll automatically apply the new price to your account.<p>Our new price for users in Netherlands will be 1.40% + 25c for all European cards and 2.90% + 25c for all non-European cards.<p>We've done the maths: switching over to our new rate, you'll pay 36% less in fees than on your current rate.
======
joelennon
EDIT: the site has been updated now to reflect the pricing.
Got the same (based in Ireland). There's nothing reflected on their website
about it yet, it says that pricing is 2.9% + 30c + VAT. Pretty sure it was
previously 2.4% + 24c + VAT in Ireland. This means that pricing for non
European cards is actually increasing, and the fixed portion of the fee is
also going up by 1c for all charges.
Also from the mail:
"As always, volume discounts apply to our larger users—please get in touch
with us once you're processing more than 30,000EUR per month and we will
provide a custom quote."
Interestingly, the figure on the website is €20,000 so looks like that
threshold is going up too.
The new rate is a great reduction and kudos to Stripe for dropping their
prices - and by so much. The fixed portion is still a stinger though -
especially if you handle transactions with small amounts. Would be great to
see Stripe roll out a microtransaction rate with a higher percentage but very
low fixed portion, much like PayPal offers.
------
thesimon
[https://stripe.com/blog/pricing-update-for-
europe](https://stripe.com/blog/pricing-update-for-europe)
Down across all Europe.
Not really surprising considering the EU limited card interchange fees to 0.2%
for debit and 0.3% for credit cards.
Actually a bit surprised it's not down further.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
}
|
Anxiety might be alleviated by regulating gut bacteria - laurex
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190520190110.htm
======
ducttape12
Considering SSRIs are prescribed for IBS (the gut has a lot of serotonin in
it) and anxiety disorders (the brain also uses serotonin), I could see this
being related.
------
tsomctl
Anecdotally, absolutely true .
~~~
FluffyKitty
I can add another anecdata point for that one.
~~~
rhester
say more - suggestions welcome - acendata based on supplements or diet?
~~~
FluffyKitty
For me personally, anxiety would cause me to have gut issues (i.e. bloating,
feeling sick, diarrhea, etc). After a while, the reverse started happening
too, things like feeling bloated triggered my anxiety.
Just changing me diet to include a lot more fibre and cutting back a lot of
processed carbs helped reduce the stomach problems which resulted in less
anxiety.
~~~
salex89
This! I had the same issues during high school. First it started with
unnerving belly issues, bloating and so on. It turned out to be some virus,
what the doctor concluded. It just took me to recover a bit, it stopped
gradually. But that really impacted my self-esteem, all the noises my stomach
made and the constant thinking how will it be today, and a few episodes of
severe lightheadedness. I started getting psychosomatic symptoms after
everything cleared, when I would start thinking of it, basically the reverse.
Today I have some residues, I think. Bursts of hypochondria here and there,
psychotherapy helps me keep it under control. Although a lot more things went
into developing that one :-)
------
confidantlake
The article mention non-probiotic methods are more effective. I could not find
what these were beyond "diet". Anyone have an idea?
~~~
chrisa
It could mean a “pre”biotic diet (which feeds your good gut bacteria).
Generally, that means:
\- Increase fiber intake - especially vegetables, beans, lentils, and complex
grains like oatmeal
\- Avoid added sugar and processed carbs
\- Avoid excess caffeine, which has a diuretic effect and can increase anxiety
Easy to say - hard to do :)
|
{
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
}
|
CreepFace.com – Facial Recognition for Online Dating - jamesbritt
http://www.creepface.com/
======
JakeStone
It'll be interesting when someone sues for a false positive result. Emotional
damages can be costly depending on your state.
~~~
jamesbritt
I gave it a shot with a picture of myself and the results were dismal.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
}
|
IPv6 privacy addresses crashed the MIT CSAIL network - anderskaseorg
http://blog.bimajority.org/2014/09/05/the-network-nightmare-that-ate-my-week/
======
ay
The "issues with IPv6" are with education, operation, configuration.
I personally ran WiFi networks with 8000+ wireless clients on a _single_ /64
subnet (my employer's CiscoLive conference), and assisted/consulted in running
the networks with more than 25000 clients on a single /64 subnet (Mobile World
Congress).
The default kinda suck, and the bugs may happen. but the statement "IPv6 is
not ready for production" is wrong.
I'd be happy to volunteer a reasonable amount of time to work with the OP or
others having a network of >1000 hosts, to debug the issues like this, time
permitting, vendor independent. (glass houses and all that).
There are bazillion knobs in IPv6 and a lot of things can be fixed by just
tweaking the defaults (which kinda suck).
Network of <500-700 nodes generally don't need to bother much. It's not
optimal a lot of times with the defaults but it will work.
EDIT:
the seeming "charity" of volunteering the time isn't. I want to understand
what is broken, so we can bring it up back to IETF and get it fixed + make
better educational publicity to prevent folks shooting themselves in the foot.
It'll make it to the stacks in another decade, but it will. IPv6 is powering
nontrivial millions of hosts _now_ \- so the correct words to use "needs
tweaking for my network", not "not ready for production". Let's see what the
tweaks are and if we can incorporate them into the protocol, if necessary.
~~~
MichaelGG
Why add such knobs, if they weren't there in the first place, haven't been
tested, and obviously are causing nontrivial problems?
~~~
calinet6
It seems to me that the presence of a "bazillion knobs" is a bug in itself. A
stable system can not depend on puny humans for its operation—nor should a
design be able to blame puny humans for its failure.
~~~
api
My philosophy for a long time has been "every tunable parameter is a design
weakness, and every one that must be tuned is a bug."
It's hard to achieve this in practice, but I keep it in mind as a goal.
~~~
pshc
The maxim "every tuneable parameter is a design weakness" applies for top-down
design, but not so much for something as foundational as the IP layer.
In the 70s, TCP's inventors imbued it with solid fundamentals, but could not
have anticipated how the protocol would need to evolve in the future w.r.t.
security and performance. For IPv6, there are unknowns that will only
encountered at scale, and implementors are hugely motivated to play fast and
loose with the spec. (TCP Fast Open converts!)
Bottom-up systems have inherent wiggle room, and shipping them with sensible
defaults is only possible in the short term. That's not to say we should
design over-complicated systems, but just that fine tuners are not a weakness.
~~~
api
I sort of disagree.
Every tunable parameter ought to be _computable_. If it isn't, it's because I
haven't been smart enough to figure out how to auto-tune it.
At least that's the stick I bash myself over the head with. :)
------
smutticus
The title should probably read,"Bugs in JunOS caused network downtime."
This isn't really news. There are bugs in all routing and switching OS's.
That's why they hire support people. This isn't me trying to rag on Juniper. I
know lots of people who work for JTAC and they're incredibly smart folks. I'm
sure they'll get this sorted out and fixed in JunOS and, like any bug, merged
into upstream releases.
This isn't me trying to point out that IPv6 is infallible. There might be some
design choices that the IETF made with IPv6 that were stupid, but mostly they
got it right, and it's too late now to change most of them anyways.
This is just reality with new software. New software has bugs.
You can blame it on MLD, but really MLD is no more complicated than IGMP. You
can blame it on NDP, but really NDP isn't much more complicated than ARP.
At a minimum IPv4 required ARP to function. However, in reality it also
required atleast IGMPv2. Since without IGMP, or some way to manage multicast,
how are you going to get something like VRRP to work. Link-layer multicast is
not new to IPv6.
~~~
ay
++.
A small nit to add: IPv4 did not have 1+ multicast groups per every host.
That's a dramatic difference in terms of capacity on the middle-gear which
escapes if one thinks of IPv6 as "IPv4 with bigger addresses".
~~~
smutticus
Thanks for the upvote :)
And you're right about the additional mcast addresses required by IPv6 NDP.
It's called the 'solicited-node multicast address' that every host must join.
My historical guess about why multicast was chosen over broadcast for NDP was
due to NBMA networks. In the 1990's NBMA networks(frame-relay) were much more
common than they are today. And NDP just makes more sense than ARP over NBMA
networks. This is just a guess.
Someone else suggested DOCSIS was the reason that multicast was chosen instead
of broadcast. I doubt this. I'm not that familiar with DOCSIS, but I think it
has a broadcast type link-layer. Also, IPv6 predates DOCSIS.
It could well turn out that multicast was the right choice for NDP once we get
over the inevitable roll out problems. NBMA networks could return in 20-30
years. You never know.
~~~
ay
You're right, DOCSIS has nothing to do with it.
The "classic" rationale to choose multicast over broadcast was to try and
limit the amount of time to process NDP traffic vs. the time the hosts have to
process the ARP broadcast traffic in IPv4. 15 years ago that took a nontrivial
amount of host resources, and with the way NDP constructs the solicited node
multicast, even if you just flood every packet on the link, you still can
filter the packets that are not for you at the NIC HW level.
And since there are 16 million unique solicited node multicast addresses, in
principle the scaling is pretty impressive.
Multicast is a definitely a good choice in the long term, though the "here and
now" interaction with some protocols is a bit tricky - e.g. 802.11 WiFi
([http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-vyncke-6man-mcast-not-
effic...](http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-vyncke-6man-mcast-not-efficient-01)
and [http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-yourtchenko-colitti-nd-
redu...](http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-yourtchenko-colitti-nd-reduce-
multicast-00)) - though it's not the only offender and frequently not the
biggest one (service advertisements may consume a comparable and bigger amount
of bandwidth on the volatile network).
On NBMA: you can have such a network today in a public WiFi scenario where you
do not hosts directly talking to each other but want them to access the
internet. In the wired case the moniker is "Private VLANs".
With IPv6 you can clear the on-link bit, and make NBMA work quite elegantly.
But, depending on the exact details,
[http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc4903](http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc4903) does
list quite a few interesting challenges - quite an informative read.
BTW, if you are interested more in the "why" rather than just "how" of IPv6,
take a look at this:
[http://www.internetsociety.org/deploy360/resources/ebook-
ipv...](http://www.internetsociety.org/deploy360/resources/ebook-ipv6-for-
ipv4-experts-available-in-english-and-russian/)
It's a gem: free, very good quality material, and written as if you are co-
designing with the author by solving various problems you see on IPv4
networks, and the protocol evolves into what is the IPv6 today.
~~~
smutticus
Thanks again for the excellent response, and for the history lesson on why
multicast was chosen over broadcast for NDP.
I've done tons of work in private vlans over the years. I was part of a months
long effort to find and document bugs in private vlans at a vendor, where my
primary focus was to find and document bugs only in private vlans.
Residential ISPs love private vlans because it prevents different customers
from seeing each other's broadcast traffic. DHCP Snooping to prevent things
like ARP spoofing, in combination with private vlans to limit broadcast
traffic will mostly lock things down pretty well.
It's funny you should provide a link to a resource from the Deploy360
Programme. I just finished doing a stint with the Deploy360 Programme as a
writer working on, among other things, IPv6 resources. My real name is Andrew
McConachie.
~~~
ay
Very nice to meet you!
Totally agreed on the residential ISPs loving PVLANs.
And thanks for your work with deploy360 and helping to get better information
to people !
------
praseodym
We've also hit this Intel Ethernet driver bug, even though we don't have IPv6
deployed. Linux will send MLD packets on bridged ports by default, triggering
the Intel driver bug on Windows machines.
With only two Windows machines saturating their Gigabit Ethernet connection
whenever they went into standby, we managed to crash the university's switches
big time (we're a group with our own VLAN within the university's network, so
we make use of their network equipment).
Naturally, because the issue only occurs during standby, and usually users
don't log off thus preventing Windows from sleeping, we first hit the bug
during the Christmas holidays (2013). The culprit hosts were all in use for
just a couple of months. In the end, it took a couple of hours to reproduce
this bug during working hours!
We fixed it by using different NICs (we didn't want to rely on the Intel
driver to be updated after a clean install; Windows Update doesn't have the
fixed version), and by disabling MLD snooping on the Linux hosts, since we
aren't yet using IPv6 anyways. This prevents the Intel bug from being
triggered in our environment.
------
tgflynn
As someone watching from the sidelines I had no idea there were such major
issues with IPv6. It seems like IPv6 has been out there for a long time (about
10 years) in terms of being supported by OS's and networking hardware, if not
ISP's. So I would have thought that cutting edge institutions (like MIT) would
already have years of experience with it and have worked out most of the kinks
by now.
If this is not the case what does it mean for more widespread IPv6 adoption ?
If such adoption is significantly delayed or stalled what will the
consequences be, both for current Internet growth in the face of IPv4 address
depletion and for new technologies like IoT ?
~~~
ChuckMcM
I haven't been on the front lines of new protocol deployment for a long time
now, but the pattern then (and it appears unchanged) was that larger
deployments brought out 2nd and 3rd order issues with the protocol. The old
joke was "How can you tell someone is a pioneer?" answer, "Count the number of
arrows in their back." which expressed that folks who adopted new protocols
bore much of the burden of their failure and revision. Sounds like CSAIL has
made some great progress in this respect.
~~~
ay
A very astute observation!
But...
There are already quite large both enterprise and service provider networks
already using IPv6. It's more in-between the "pioneers did not document the
thorns they hit, so the others would not" and "the future is not evenly
distributed yet, so we don't know about it" territory.
I've volunteered myself to understand which of the two and to do whatever is
actionable.
------
AaronFriel
I used Ubuntu as an example, but it is hardly the worst offender. We have seen
Windows machines with more than 300 IPv6 addresses
Wow! I don't operate a very large network, but I do operate an IPv6 network
and I've never seen one of our machines use more than 2 addresses. I feel like
they've got some other configuration option or oddity going on that's causing
a lot of these problems, but I am guessing they're much smarter than I am, so
I don't know what to say.
Could someone elaborate on this? I've never seen this behavior on an IPv6
network, and I'm just running a server or two with radvd and no custom switch
configuration.
~~~
rjsw
Do you use privacy addresses ?
I don't, the /64 is identifiable as "my house" so there is no reason to hide
which particular machine is doing something.
~~~
mgbmtl
A house may have multiple people living there, multiple devices, visitors,
etc.
You could track a person connecting through multiple locations by using their
MAC address used to assign their IP. i.e. if I am connecting with my laptop
from various places, my IP address will be roughly the same, only the network
prefix will change.
~~~
rjsw
A house could have multiple users, mine doesn't.
I would maybe see turning on privacy addresses as part of a general "leaving
home" script that also turned on other stuff like the firewall.
~~~
ay
You are completely right. Privacy IPv6 address are an illusion when used in a
household that has effectively an active /64 per subscriber.
(Those who say "but IPv4..." last time my IPv4 address changed, was half a
year ago). Anyway this is mostly a political give-in, that happens to also
help ruggedize the rest of the stack (the relatively rapid change of privacy
addresses uncovers more bugs than we'd otherwise find - so from that
standpoint they're to be advocated). But privacy.. huh.
Last IETF there was precisely this discussion that one might want to force a
new /64 on themselves, and privacy addresses have nothing to do with that.
(DHC WG, FWIW).
~~~
X-Istence
Comcast is more than willing to send you more than one /64 prefix if you ask
for it!
~~~
ay
"effectively an active /64". Comcast folks did a ton of testing with the CPEs,
and very very few could ask for anything than an active /64, that's why this
qualifier :-)
There's active (and pretty cool) work in the HomeNet IETF workgroup, with
running code and all
([http://www.homewrt.org/doku.php](http://www.homewrt.org/doku.php)) to make
the multi-subnet home network a sane reality.
But a different /64 from within the same /56 helps not much, and indeed to
correctly reflect the spirit of the discussion in the DHC working group, would
be to say "I want to be able to press a button and release my currently used
allocation and get some completely new one, be it /48, /56 or whatever".
Thanks for the correction!
------
mrb
An issue glossed over by people is:
_" the entire TCAM space dedicated to IPv6 multicast is only 3,000 entries"_
Some mid-level switches normally have TCAM space for hundreds of thousands, or
millions of entries, IPv4 or IPv6. Maybe their vendor artificially crippled
their line of switches, or maybe the switches were deployed with a
configuration error. It is probably the former though. Network vendors like to
make you believe some features cost _a lot_ to implement and that you _really_
need their highest-level gear, when in fact even the biggest TCAM in silicon
cost a few tens of dollars, at most.
------
ghshephard
Nobody on this thread really seems to be talking about one of the issues
brought up in the IPv6 analysis (though I'm not sure if it caused their
outages - any time I read a post mortem with the phrase, "bridge loops" I
usually don't look any further - that alone is enough to bring a network down)
If I read the post correctly, one of the roots of their problems seems to be
that either (A) Traffic flooding causing excess traffic as a result of
multicast packets being flooded over their network, or (B) If they used MLD
snooping to reduce the flooding, the switches they have only support 3,000
entries for multicast groups - which are quickly exceeded with the privacy
IPv6 addresses that are generated by the hosts (each of which creates it's own
multicast entry, and some of their hosts had 10+ addresses)
Other than turning off privacy based IPv6 addresses, and moving to something
like RFC 7217, is there a solution? Increasing the number of multicast entries
on the switch to something larger, say, around 30,000 entries combined with
reducing the length of time in which a privacy address is valid (and therefore
requiring a group) from one day, to say, one hour?
------
MichaelGG
What's the reasoning for dropping ARP? It seemed like a simple architecture.
The post seems to indicate IPv6 requires a ton more hardware resources. And if
Juniper doesn't have a basic feature like MLD snooping after all this time,
uh? Shouldn't practically designing a high-volume switch be part of creating
such a fundamental protocol? (I know designing 2 elegant implementations of
other protocols would have fixed a ton of things in nasty protocols like HTTP
- dumbass things like line folding and comments-in-headers.)
Is this a case of idiocy seeping through the IETF because they can? It's
pretty easy to write something down on paper if you don't have to implement
engineering and product management on the result. Or because you're out of
touch with reality, like the source routing feature which was kept in IPv6
despite it only ever being a problem in IPv4? Or is this a case of the
protocol being superior and vendors just being very lazy?
~~~
akira2501
It seems like they really wanted to push multicast as a "first-class" mode of
the protocol, and by weaving it into the core of IPv6 they've forced everyone
to have a somewhat exercised implementation of it in their stack.
~~~
MichaelGG
So pushing something no one uses, and has significantly narrow uses, and still
isn't deployed publicly, into the core... How is that anything but self-
serving protocol designers? How do they get away with that?
~~~
FeepingCreature
I'm a private customer, and I use IPv4 Multicast. My ISP uses it to distribute
IPTV streams.
Don't generalize from "I don't know anybody who uses" to "nobody uses".
~~~
jewel
A good portion of the bandwidth being used on the Internet could be done over
multicast if it were widely supported.
For example, popular content on Hulu could be multicast. You'd download the
beginning of the video over HTTP but simultaneously tune into the multicast
that started the most recently. Once the two streams meet you drop the HTTP
connection. If widely deployed this would reduce costs for both Hulu and ISPs,
and for places where multicast doesn't work it can fall back to HTTP.
------
p1mrx
Here's a proposed algorithm for making privacy addresses more manageable:
[http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7217](http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7217)
Essentially, the suffix is hash(secret | prefix), so your address is stable on
a given network, but changes as you roam between networks.
~~~
nly
A small domain encryption scheme, rather than a hash, would make more sense...
that way there'd be no collisions. SDE isn't that much harder to put together
in hardware.
~~~
p1mrx
The subnet space is 64 bits long. Collisions between pseudo-random values only
become likely when you have billions of nodes, so it's not worth the effort to
preemptively avoid them.
This would also require all nodes to implement the same algorithm, which means
it's not incrementally deployable.
Edit: The actual RFC7217 algorithm contains a DAD_Counter field in the hash
input. In the event of a collision, the counter increments, generating a new
address.
------
spindritf
_the random address is changed regularly, typically daily, but the old random
addresses are kept around for a fairly long time_
I don't understand this part. I have Ubuntu machines in a network which is
technically /48 but only one /64 prefix is announced by radvd and they all
have only two addresses, one derived from MAC and one private/random changing
over time. They certainly never have eight.
Are those previous addresses not visable in ifconfig or ip -6 addr show?
~~~
justincormack
I think this may have changed (in 14.04?) as I remember having more addresses
in the past but don't now.
~~~
spindritf
I have 14.04s and OP talks about 14.04s.
_Thus, a typical machine — say, an Ubuntu 14.04 workstation with the default
configuration_
------
s_q_b
This is now the second major network that I've heard ran into this exact
problem. The update to Windows caused the end-user nodes to send out lots of
IPv6 packets The access layer switches went to full CPU utilization, and you
ended up with packet storms across the network. There really should be an
advisory about this.
------
walshemj
It would have been interesting to see a network diagram.
------
acd
Advocate the engineering principle fault domains to isolate the problem with
L2 broadcasts with L3 routers between the L2.
------
windexh8er
Wow.
I have no idea where to even start - this article was written by someone who
has no large scale IPv6 deployment experience. There are errors upon, back-to-
back, errors in what's assumed and the expected results and assertions with
the vendor (Juniper) and the protocol operation (IPv6).
I'm not surprised that it's towards the top of HN but it shows the relative
understanding of the HN crowd with regard to complex network related topics.
~~~
ghshephard
I'm pretty familiar with "complex network related topics" \- and I think this
is the most interesting IPv6 related post on HN in 2+ years (there may have
been others that got by me).
I"m curious - are you someone with "large scale IPv6 deployment experience?"
\- in particularly, how would you have approached their issues regarding MLD
snooping and TCAM exhaustion?
~~~
windexh8er
It may be interesting, but my point was that there is nothing in this article
to learn from with the exception of problematic code from a network vendor.
Yes - I am. I deployed a 4 state IPv6 overlay servicing 250k subscribers on
one of the very first (fully rolled out) DOCSIS 3 HFC networks in the US. I
was responsible for the security and performance of the architecture. This
rollout started in 2010. The TCAM exhaustion was self inflicted based on the
hints of design throughout the article and the original authors understand of
MLD is, just generally, incorrect unfortunately.
|
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Tails 4.4 - Sami_Lehtinen
https://tails.boum.org/news/version_4.4/index.en.html
======
fs2
Really interesting distro to just test things and to use Curl without exposing
your real IP.
However, it always bothers me when Tails detects the virtual machine
VirtualBox as being nonfree.
~~~
friendly_fren
Does curl not expose your IP? I was under the assumption only the official
browser used tor.
~~~
seisvelas
Tails routes all TCP traffic through Tor and blocks UDP (since Tor doesn't
support it). To learn more check this out:
[https://tails.boum.org/contribute/design/Tor_enforcement/](https://tails.boum.org/contribute/design/Tor_enforcement/)
------
ewfwfewefewfwef
Thx for making Tails, the world doesn't know what you did for it.
------
ggffryuuj
Is tails actually safe to use? Has it been audited by someone who is trusted
in the sec community? And that’s not even to talk about whether tor itself is
still good.
|
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How Your Cat Is Making You Crazy - The Atlantic - jalbertbowden
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/03/how-your-cat-is-making-you-crazy/8873/#.TzZGhbu_80I.hackernews
======
tokenadult
Yesterday's submission (not the only previous submission) with 74 comments as
of when I type this:
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3573694>
Submitting the canonical URL helps avoid duplicate submissions.
|
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Researchers develop tattoo ink capable of monitoring health by changing color - mxschumacher
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/09/harvard-researchers-help-develop-smart-tattoos/
======
inetsee
This isn't new. There was an article six years ago about a bioactive tattoo
ink that could measure blood glucose levels non-invasively (after the tattoo
was applied, of course). The measurement required a sensor attached to an
I-Phone and the sensor was estimated to cost several hundred dollars, but it
would allow for frequent glucose measurements without finger sticks. Not
continuous like CGM devices, but less painful and significantly less
expensive.
So far as I know it still hasn't been approved by the FDA, and I don't know
whether the developers are even still trying to get it approved.
Google also developed a sensor incorporated into a contact lens that provided
non-invasive, continuous glucose monitoring at about the same time. Same
result; not approved (that I know of) and no indication that it ever will be.
~~~
QAPereo
Unfortunately these companies/institutions have no experience with, and no
concept of the challenges involved in approving a totally novel medical device
in the US.
~~~
wyager
And double unfortunately, approving a medical technology is vastly more
expensive and slower than it needs to or should be. Existing medical approval
policies are strongly motivated by political concerns (we're still reeling
from thalidomide) rather than any rational social optimization policy. It's
very easy to scare people into excessive conservatism (in the literal sense).
[http://www.fdareview.org/05_harm.php](http://www.fdareview.org/05_harm.php)
~~~
jfoutz
> we're still reeling from thalidomide
Wasn't that one of the FDA's big victories? Perhaps you mean the FDA is far to
powerful because of that win.
I can see some argument for abandoning the efficacy requirement, and only
going with "safe" but so few drugs actually do anything - isn't it something
like a 95% attrition rate? only 1 in 50 actually have a measurable effect?
Maybe the bar is too high. Seems like the bigger challenge, and far far
greater win is just making testing cheaper.
~~~
serf
>Wasn't that one of the FDA's big victories? Perhaps you mean the FDA is far
to powerful because of that win.
depends who you ask.
Milton Friedman used the thalidomide reaction as a case-book example of
government meddling in the private sector where it needn't be, causing vast
delay in possible new therapeutics, which basically created an unquantifiable
loss of value due to us being unaware of "what could have been without
bureaucratic delay".
Friedman believed that if a company does sufficient harm to a population that
the negative market signal will eventually destroy the 'bad-actor' company,
without the need for anything like the FDA and the delays it imposes[0]
I don't know whether or not he's right.
[0]:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUDV0YII6lk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUDV0YII6lk)
------
Isamu
See also "mediatronic tattoo" in The Diamond Age, Neal Stephenson
------
leemailll
I think John Rogers’ group already made quite some progress in this field.
Maybe he is not in MIT or Harvard so not often seen here.
------
ryandrake
This should help keep health insurance premiums down as all those Millennials
start aging!
(I kid, I kid...)
------
tdburn
If I had diabetes I would really want this kind of capability for monitoring
my glucose levels
~~~
dice
My wife has T1D and uses a continuous glucose monitor from Dexcom to keep
track of her levels.
The current state of the technology is probably best described as "finicky":
the sensor skin patch needs to be replaced every week or two, at which point
it's much less accurate for a couple days. It also needs calibration inputs
from a finger prick at least every 12 hours. In general if the sensor is
reporting a high or low condition her first action is to double-check with a
finger prick. More often than not the sensor is simply wrong.
With all that said, it's better to have the sensor than not. She is able to
use an app [0] to track her glucose levels over both the short term and long
term trends. She's been able to use that data to make dietary decisions which
allow her to keep her glucose within range and she had very good A1c levels
(5.4, vs a goal of "under 7" for many diabetics) at her last checkup.
I think the long term data collection ability means that a more connected
sensor (as opposed to the linked tattoo) will continue to be beneficial for
diabetics. The next steps in the useful technological development will be to
integrate with insulin pumps (this technology is already in trials) and to
integrate with diet tracking data e.g. from MyFitnessPal to assist with meal
decisions.
0:
[https://github.com/StephenBlackWasAlreadyTaken/xDrip](https://github.com/StephenBlackWasAlreadyTaken/xDrip)
~~~
tdburn
Recently my cousin, and my friend's child were diagnosed with type 1.
Following their Facebook posts I was surprised how limited and frustrating
current monitors/pumps are.
Thanks for the input from your wife's experience
------
agumonkey
I wonder how this would fare with kids.
------
Mr_Whoer
As a type 1 diabetic, I will gladly sign up for this. As soon as this is
viable and available, I will be getting my first tattoo. Now for the design,
maybe the insulin molecule?
~~~
cwkoss
I'd imagine endurance athletes would also love an easy to read blood glucose
monitor on their forearm. Would probably be great for runners or bikers.
------
Destinesia
Next our corporate overlords will make drug reactant tattoos.
|
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What Termites Can Teach Us About Cooling Our Buildings - otterley
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/26/science/termite-nest-ventilation.html
======
otterley
See also [https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/13/garden/in-africa-
making-o...](https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/13/garden/in-africa-making-
offices-out-of-an-anthill.html) (1997).
|
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Ask HN: What if your OPT card hasn't arrived after 60 days? - ovatsug25
Graduated and waiting on the OPT card. International counselor says I will be fine, but I wanna double check and verify.
======
sb2nov
It generally takes more than 60 days. I think it should be within 90 days
ideally but I have seen it go till 100+ so I don't think you need to panic.
Just keep checking the status online and you should see it change in about 2
weeks.
|
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Ask HN: What is the best Linux distro for WiFi on a laptop in 2015? - tboyd47
Hi there,<p>I haven't used Linux in a couple of years, but I'm about to purchase a used laptop (probably a Dell or an HP) and was wondering if anyone knows what Linux distro in 2015 offers the best out-of-the-box WiFi support for laptops?<p>Thanks!
======
smt88
Don't choose a distro based on wifi support.
Almost every distro offers a "live" version that runs off a USB stick. Pick a
distro with a philosophy you like, and then try the live version to check
hardware support. If it works and you like it, install it permanently.
The major distros all have great hardware support these days, so I think it's
unlikely you'll encounter one you can't run.
~~~
tboyd47
Cool. I know it's a dumb question, but what are considered the major distros
these days? Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian?
~~~
smt88
The three most popular distros are all based on Debian (Mint, Ubuntu, Debian).
Ubuntu was/is intended to replace Windows, including in the enterprise. It's
backed by a for-profit company called Canonical, which makes its money by
offering enterprise support. The benefit of Ubuntu is that Canonical
patches/supports LTS versions for a long period of time, and you can rely on
those a little bit more. Another benefit is that they pay people to maintain
packages, so you can always find Ubuntu repos for things.
Mint is basically Ubuntu with a more "classic" desktop bundled with it. You
can achieve the same thing by using XFCE or some GNOME-alternative on Ubuntu
though. It really depends how deep you want to go with that stuff.
DistroWatch offers a guide to choosing a distro[1] as well as a ranking in
popularity[2].
I used to love Fedora, but it was too buggy for me. I've heard the latest
release is fantastic, though.
elementaryOS is getting a lot of buzz right now, so look into that as well.
1\.
[http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major](http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major)
2\.
[http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=popularity](http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=popularity)
~~~
tboyd47
Great info. Thanks!
|
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Ask HN: Ethics question - ig1
Earlier this week I wrote an article about Facebook ads and how I've got them to work quite effectively, the article got a lot of coverage (a few hundred thousand readers).<p>It also got the attention of Facebook, who've asked if they can do a case-study on my startup.<p>Obviously it would be great for my startup if they wrote up a case study on it. But on the other hand I'm not sure I can ethically accept any benefits from Facebook without it creating a conflict of interests (as my article was obviously very pro-Facebook Ads), and accepting any kind of benefit from FB would obviously bring the veracity of my article into account.<p>Does anyone have any opinions ?
======
folkster
This is how Warren Buffet handles it: (from his memo to managers)
“The priority is that all of us continue to zealously guard Berkshire’s
reputation. We can’t be perfect but we can try to be. As I’ve said in these
memos for more than 25 years: We can afford to lose money – even a lot of
money. But we can’t afford to lose reputation – even a shred of reputation.”
We must continue to measure every act against not only what is legal but also
what we would be happy to have written about on the front page of a national
newspaper in an article written by an unfriendly but intelligent reporter.
Sometimes your associates will say ‘Everybody else is doing it.’ This
rationale is almost always a bad one if it is the main justification for a
business action. It is totally unacceptable when evaluating a moral decision.
Whenever somebody offers that phrase as a rationale, in effect they are saying
that they can’t come up with a good reason. If anyone gives this explanation,
tell them to try using it with a reporter or a judge and see how far it gets
them….
Somebody is doing something today at Berkshire that you and I would be unhappy
about if we knew of it. That’s inevitable: We now employ more than 250,000
people and the chances of that number getting through the day without any bad
behavior occurring is nil. But we can have a huge effect in minimizing such
activities by jumping on anything immediately when there is the slightest odor
of impropriety. Your attitude on such matters, expressed by behavior as well
as words, will be the most important factor in how the culture of your
business develops. Culture, more than rule books, determines how an
organization behaves.
------
dhimes
Since you wrote the article before they offered to do a case study, it seems
that the veracity of the article wouldn't be in question. And I'm not sure
about conflict of interest-- it seems your interests are aligned.
Now if you were claiming to be a reviewing many/all web platforms and accepted
help from FB, that would be a different story. Disclaimer: I didn't read your
article.
~~~
JoachimSchipper
Fully agree, but do disclose this. It's not really necessary, but if people
find out later any inconvenient facts like the timeline are likely to drown in
mob rage.
------
abbasmehdi
Yea, I'm lost why you're worried. FB is going to do a case study and use your
article for its own purposes, which are to learn from it on how to coach their
advertisers and to try and get in your shoes to improve their platform. As far
as you're concerned, this study will be seen as validation of your success as
an advertiser to your customers, partners and investors. Your job was not to
investigate FB, it was to advertise, anybody who made a gang of money there
would naturally be praising them, you just kicked everybody's butt and that's
why you were chosen for the case study. Think of it like this: a surgeon so
smart that God consults with him before creating the next iteration of the
human being. It is instant elevation that sets you apart from on your
competitors, and those disclaimers mentioned below - you should be bragging
instead. Congrats champ!
------
notahacker
By "benefits from Facebook" I take it you mean a bit of publicity and
something to prove your targeted-traffic generating acumen to your
advertisers, rather than massive amounts of free impressions. If it's the
former, I can't see any conflicts at all (in all honesty even if you were the
one enquiring about their interest in a case study, which you weren't). The
original article reads as a fact-based statement of the value to you of a
solution you pay for; it's not at all equivalent to randomly shilling a
service you don't use for the reciprocal linkjuice or badmouthing their
competitors.
I would be interested in seeing the case study.
------
ianterrell
The Warren Buffet quote is wonderful, but there's no issue here.
Add an update to your article saying, "After publication, Facebook saw my
results and wanted to do a case-study on my startup. Here it is: link."
------
chris_j
I'm assuming that this is the article you're talking about:
[http://blog.imranghory.org/facebook-ads-the-cheapest-
traffic...](http://blog.imranghory.org/facebook-ads-the-cheapest-traffic-
youll-ever)
Sounds like you have to decide which is more important to you: your startup or
the veracity of your article. Facebook doing a case study on your startup
could be great. If you're worried that it will look like your article was
written dishonestly then you could always withdraw the article or give it a
big fat disclaimer.
------
gyardley
Add a paragraph at the end of your article, describing how Facebook contacted
you for the case study only after the article's publication. Then take the
publicity and run with it.
------
staunch
Patio11 participated in a case-study for Google AdWords. I still trust him to
be honest.
Disclosing it upfront on related posts would probably be more than sufficient.
|
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A Gender Gap in Bicycle-Riding - kdr77
http://www.buzzfeed.com/jsvine/these-maps-show-a-massive-gender-gap-in-bicycle-riding
======
jsvine
Author here. Thanks for posting! HN might be interested in the related repos
we open-sourced today:
\- Data-processing scripts and HTML/JS/CSS for the maps and charts:
[https://github.com/BuzzFeedNews/2014-06-bikeshare-gender-
map...](https://github.com/BuzzFeedNews/2014-06-bikeshare-gender-maps)
\- Python parsers for the various bikeshare services' published data:
[https://github.com/BuzzFeedNews/bikeshares](https://github.com/BuzzFeedNews/bikeshares)
\- General guide to getting data from these services:
[https://github.com/BuzzFeedNews/bikeshare-data-
sources](https://github.com/BuzzFeedNews/bikeshare-data-sources)
~~~
dalek2point3
Thank you for generous well-positioned citations to OpenStreetMap -- the
community thanks you!
------
nailer
Men perform physically dangerous work far more frequently than women.
Riding a bike in a large city is dangerous - I've never done in it New York,
but in London altercations between bikes, pedestrians, taxis and buses are
quite frequent. There are few real continental-Europe-style bike lanes.
Perhaps same gender differences in appetite for risk also affects one's
decision to ride a bike in a large city?
~~~
pavement
Last summer, in NYC, I was in central park almost every weekend. After I
started counting, I counted like eight low-impact bicycle accidents involving
twenty-something girls before it started getting cold in September (it
averaged to nearly once a week). I'm going to estimate that prior to counting
it was about three or four (it had to be more than two), before it struck me
that it was getting repetitive. Once I started paying attention, I was kind of
surprised at how frequent and consistent it was. None of them drew blood or
broke bones or anything, but the ones that I noticed were usually accompanied
by a surprised yell, and enough to make people stop and check for concussions.
As far as I witnessed, I did not see any similar accidents involving males in
their 20's, or adult women of other age groups. On the other hand, lots of 40
and 50 something women are always out riding bikes with their kids and
husbands.
Bicycles in NYC are serious business though. I've known people who were
slapped with hundreds of dollars in violations _and_ summonses in one sitting.
I know one guy who was car-doored on a narrow street and woke up hospitalized
and missing teeth. I've also heard similar stories of males and females drunk
bicycling home at night that also ended in serious hospital visits.
More often than not, males in their 20's are on skateboards, and certainly
falling a lot, but usually with a degree of anticipation and a strategy for
absorbing and surviving the fall. Otherwise, males under 40 and not on
skateboards seem to be keenly aware of their own lack of athletic inclination
and poorly trained physical coordination (myself included; I like my teeth).
------
malandrew
Interestingly they don't mention helmets and hair as one possible contributor
of the gender gap in bicycle ridership (and motorcycles too).
Bicycling is an activity where you should be wearing a helmet for safety, and
this is at odds with styling your hair in the morning since that helmet with
mess up many styles of longer hair.
However, that being said, this data comes from city bikesharing services,
which often don't involve helmet usage.
I also wonder how much clothing choices impact ridership. Unisex clothing
choices (pants, shorts) are more convenient for bicycle riding than skirts and
dresses.
I'm curious, if you normalize the data to discount women who spend a lot of
time on their appearance (particularly their hair) and discount the percentage
of women who are not wearing unisex clothes, do the numbers more closely hit a
50-50 distribution.
Lastly, I'd love to see what data Google has on bicycle ridership for Google
Bikes on its Mountain View campus (relative to the ratio of men-to-women at
Google of course)
------
jgalt212
I, a male, don't bike for exercise because it's bad for the main vein. I
wonder how big the gap would be if this weren't the case.
|
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Ask HN: How do you keep your energy level up? - ganashaw
I recently graduated and started a full time job as a software developer. By and large, I love my job. I usually spend my days solving interesting problems which is what I love doing.<p>That said, after working 8 hours a day (I usually do 7-4 with a 1 hour lunch break) I find myself exhausted afterwards. I sometimes find myself going to bed not long after dinner. I don't have time for any of the hobbies I had in college like gamedev or video games despite having a similar if not greater workload in college.<p>It seems like the main difference is that the work was broken up by classes in college which spread the work out more and made it less exhausting.<p>To be clear, I'm not talking about "burn out", at least not in the sense that it's normally talked about. I still love my job (I just started!) and the work it entails.<p>I take vitamins, and I get a reasonable amount of sleep each night (7-8 hours). I tried working out but that just seemed to make me more tired.<p>As I look at my future, I hope to one day have kids and get married, and I'd be a pretty poor parent if I came home with this level of energy every day.<p>So how do you do it? Do you have any tricks to keeping your energy level up throughout the day?
======
knux
>I don't have time for any of the hobbies I had in college
>but that just seemed to make me more tired.
>I'd be a pretty poor parent if I came home with this level of energy every
day.
This isn't energy, it's depression. Even if you are not talking about "burn
out", talking about your energy levels is a mood issue, unless you are
overweight, have a bad diet, or have irregular sleep (which, as you say, you
do not).
I would mention these concerns to your doctor. 10% of US adults
([http://www.healthline.com/health/depression/statistics](http://www.healthline.com/health/depression/statistics))
suffer from depression, and it has nothing to do with whether you enjoy your
job. The difference, if treated, is that you will enjoy your job _and_ have
energy at the end of the day.
~~~
squiggy22
woah there conclusion jumpin cowboy. tired after work != automatic depression.
Get a full set of bloods taken. could be underactive thyroid or anything.
~~~
lhuser123
Exactly what I said. Jumping to conclusions.
This sounds very similar to the kind of advice that gets normal people hooked
to drugs and destroy their lives.
No one it's immune to the ups and downs of life.
------
remotedreamer
Modalert, caffeine, workout about 3 days a week, consume a small amount of
carbs(smoke sativa weed instead of drinking beer before calling it a night),
and a very fast internet connection.
~~~
knux
Stimulants will make them more active during work hours. They are talking
about energy in evening hours. If you are suggesting stimulant use in evening
hours, let me shut that down right now, because it will affect their sleep
quality.
Exercise is a decent idea. I would suggest an antidepressant instead of a
stimulant, though.
~~~
remotedreamer
Antidepressants cause more problems than solve, at least from my experience.
Modafinil(modalert) is a mood enhancer, which I use when I wake up. Weed is
too, depending on the individual. Sativa brings you up with energy and focus
and then brings you down to help you sleep.
~~~
knux
>Modafinil(modalert) is a mood enhancer, which I use when I wake up.
Again, OP is not talking about when he wakes up.
>Sativa brings you up with energy
Like a stimulant. This is not useful for OP.
Lumping all antidepressants together and saying they cause more problems than
they solve is generalizing too much. Which ones cause problems, and for which
people? The most common type is SSRIs, but if OP does not metabolize folic
acid properly, it is off the table. I will concede that tricyclic
antidepressants have more side effects, but SSRI use is relatively common, at
10% ([https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-rise-of-
all-p...](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-rise-of-all-purpose-
antidepressants/)). That is compared to 7-13% of adults who report cannabis
use ([http://www.gallup.com/poll/194195/adults-say-smoke-
marijuana...](http://www.gallup.com/poll/194195/adults-say-smoke-
marijuana.aspx)).
Speaking from personal experience, antidepressant has made all the difference
for me, in terms of energy. Unrelated, I use atomoxetine for focus throughout
the day. As it is not a stimulant, there is no crash or feeling tired in the
evening hours. Its levels are consistent throughout the day, and I code at all
times of day with little fluctuation, in terms of motivation.
------
dmfdmf
If you really are brand new to the working world I would give it time before
looking for solutions to a problem that might ease with time. Soon the newness
will wear off and you'll become proficient at the admin portions of your job,
if not the job itself (solving problems). The reality is that as the newb on
the job you are probably focused and engaged the whole 9 hours onsite and that
is exhausting as you have discovered. Have you ever watch kids play at a party
or BBQ? They are all riled up and running around at full speed and overly
stimulated for 5 or 6 hours. Ask one of their parents and they will tell you
-- after an event like that the kid will crash hard and sleep like a rock that
night. You are in the same boat. In time you won't have to be fully engaged
like that for 9 hours and the remaining mental power and energy will be
available in the evenings and weekends for hobbies, family & Etc.
You are like the college football players who make it to the NFL and are used
to 8-10 game seasons which in the NFL (including preseason) doesn't get you
through the half-way point. You are working for a living now and not in Kansas
anymore so it might take some time to adapt to the ebb and flow of life.
That said, it is important for the long term to make your health a priority.
Unless you have a child, do not compromise that 7-8 hour sleep because in my
experience sleep is one of the most important aspects of good health. Is that
7-8 hours of quality, uninterrupted sleep and do you wake up feeling
refreshed? If that is not the case you need to investigate. Another concern
that I notice in your post is that exercise makes you tired and that is not
normal for someone (presumably) in the mid-twenties or even thirties. Unless
you are extremely out of shape exercise should make you sleep better, think
better and have more energy. Even if you are out of shape at your age a
regular exercise routine should very quickly pay much bigger dividends in
energy, sleep and general well-being. I highly recommend you pursue that lead
and get doctor's evaluation to rule out any problems and start exercising as a
life-long habit.
Finally, contra all the other's advice, I would kick the coffee/caffeine or
any other stimulants to increase your "energy" (except on an emergency basis).
Also, I would limit any alcohol to "relax" because if used more than
occasionally the consequences to your well-being are bad. I recently quit
drinking coffee and it has really improved my sense of well-being and quality
of life. I think all these drugs are detrimental if used daily or even
regularly -- they lose their effectiveness and have net negative impact on
your capacity to function.
------
Cozumel
Skip your dinner break, no-one needs an hour, have a sandwich. Get home for 3,
have a power nap, till 3.30/4 you'll be fine for the rest of the day.
------
steanne
if you just started full-time, it IS an adjustment. give it some time to see
how you adapt before you start panicing about having no energy left for other
things.
------
autodidacticon
Standing desk. Skip lunch. Green smoothies.
|
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The Lure of a Better Life, Amid Cold and Darkness - danso
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/03/world/europe/norilsk-arctic.html
======
walkingolof
Its interesting, I live far north in Europe, and yes part of the year is cold
and dark, but real winter is also fantastic, and the opposite, real summer,
something nobody living south get to experience is nothing short of amazing,
perpetual sunlight, a pleasant warmth and a life that slows down that gives
you time to reflect on bigger things.
Its all in the perspective....
~~~
lucaspiller
Its probably a fair bit warmer where you live though. This city is in Siberia
which although the same latitude as Northern Europe, is a lot colder. Right
now it is -20C/-5F there, and it’s not even the cold part of the year yet :-)
~~~
zokier
Yeah. I grew up in northern Europe too (actually almost exactly the same
latitude as Norilsk), and I agree that Siberia is whole another degree of
extreme. Of course there is the climate, the difference of hitting -40 (which
was what I've grew up) or -60 (Norilsk) feels pretty significant. Then there
is the level of infrastructure; northern Europe enjoys high standards of
living and decent enough infrastructure, which arguably helps dealing with the
environment. Finally there is the degree of remoteness and isolation; this
latitude is roughly 1000km north of the major cities in Nordics
(Oslo/Stockholm/Helsinki). In comparison go 1000km in any direction from
Norilsk and you are still in the middle of Siberia.
What I find most surprising is the size of the city. 110k people seems quite
large for a mining city in the middle of nowhere.
------
ggm
One photo is mislabelled. Its a 'potemkin village' labor camp, the photograph
is obviously re-constructed stagefronts of work camp houses, with no sides or
back, and with russian orthodox crosses alongside each: its either a memorial
or an art installation.
~~~
morganvachon
Good catch! I knew something looked off/artificial about it but I didn't know
enough about the history of the area to figure it out.
------
pm90
Its very interesting to me, as a person who grew up with very anti-communist
parents, to see that most citizens of the city still live in Soviet Era
apartment buildings. If the country/city could build an entire fucking city
under Soviets, what's preventing more modern city blocks from being built in
these times? Or is it just that the population is not expanding enough?
~~~
rdtsc
I hear in Moscow they were trying to tear some of these old buildings to build
new apartment complexes. It's controversial in how it was handled I hear
especially with respect to older people who have lived in those buildings.
[https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/mar/31/moscow-
bigges...](https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/mar/31/moscow-biggest-
urban-demolition-project-khrushchevka-flats)
It's allegedly the largest planned urban demolition.
In general Soviets liked to build fast, cheap and efficiently. Corners were
often cut. The apartments were not luxurious and would be considered cramped
by Western standards. Everything was standardized so you'd see blocks and
blocks of almost identical buildings. There is even a well known movie that
has that as a key plot element:
[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073179/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073179/)
(Man gets drunk, accidentally flies to another city, which had an identically
named street, apartment block looks the same, etc).
However it was provided to the citizens for free, sometimes after waiting in
line for years. My parents waited for 6 years to get a new apartment after I
was born, we got one with 2 rooms instead of 1 room. And yes, they were also
very anti-communist (in private at least during those times).
In a place like Norilsk I would guess there other constraints such as extreme
cold, would make things hard. Even as new developments having 5 or 9 story
blocks might be the more efficient to heat and maintain them. They also built
on permafrost, with global warming melting, they'd probably be having major
issues soon.
~~~
phillc73
> There is even a well known movie that has that as a key plot element:
> [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073179/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073179/)
> (Man gets drunk, accidentally flies to another city, which had an
> identically named street, apartment block looks the same, etc).
My wife makes me watch this every Christmas. (I usually fall asleep before the
second part) I have the feeling it is a tradition somewhat like It's a
Wonderful Life.
~~~
nasredin
Interesting intersection of traditions.
Usually Russians watch Ironiya Sudby on December 31, since Christmas is not
celebrated.
\---
Another one that everybody watches is Briliantovaya Ruka.
------
chis
Can anyone link to more pieces like this? I love reading about communities
living in foreign or extreme environments like this.
[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2139914/A-rare-
insig...](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2139914/A-rare-insight-
Kowloon-Walled-City.html) Kowloon is another great one.
~~~
emptybits
You might know of (or else enjoy) Whittier, Alaska, a "city within a building"
through each winter.
[https://www.npr.org/2015/01/18/378162264/welcome-to-
whittier...](https://www.npr.org/2015/01/18/378162264/welcome-to-whittier-
alaska-a-community-under-one-roof)
------
miketery
Here's a short video from a year ago regarding the same town.
[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/09/opinion/my-beautiful-
dead...](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/09/opinion/my-beautiful-deadly-
city.html)
------
dsfyu404ed
That seems like a pretty nice place to live. (I'm serious)
~~~
seanmcdirmid
The pollution dead zone would seem like a bummer. Fairbanks might be a better
bet.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
}
|
CVE-2014-0196 Linux - ushi
https://web.nvd.nist.gov/view/vuln/detail?vulnId=CVE-2014-0196
======
0x0
Published at least since May 5th: [http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-
security/2014/05/05/6](http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-
security/2014/05/05/6)
Debian patch status [https://security-
tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2014-0196](https://security-
tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2014-0196) and advisory [https://security-
tracker.debian.org/tracker/DSA-2926-1](https://security-
tracker.debian.org/tracker/DSA-2926-1)
|
{
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
}
|
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