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Facebook has hired the Patriot Act's co-author as a general counsel - Jerry2
https://boingboing.net/2019/04/22/mass-surveillance-r-us.html
======
javagram
“Jennifer Newstead helped craft the Patriot Act, a cowardly work of treasonous
legislation foisted on the American people in the wake of the 9/11 attacks;”
Source seems a little biased. Treasonous? That’s gotta require a lot of
cortortion around the definition of treason.
Patriot Act provisions have been repeatedly reauthorized by the democratically
elected legislature since it was originally passed. This isn’t a case of
foisting anything upon the people, the people are perfectly happy to vote in
supporters of the Patriot Act.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Act#Reauthorizations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Act#Reauthorizations)
~~~
thundergolfer
It's well known that many members of congress passed through the act _without
having read it_. Given the enormity of the act's effects on the country, this
is quite a problematic thing.
I don't it was democracy that saw that bill through. It was crisis politics.
Democracy requires a well-informed public, and capable representatives. With
the USA PATRIOT act there was neither.
~~~
foxyv
With the current state of campaign finance, congress is essentially two
corporations with congressmen/women as employees. If you don't vote the party
line or you don't secure funding for the party you get defunded on your next
election. Surprising they don't bother to read the bills they are told to
pass.
------
canada_dry
A perfect fit really.
This guy figures it's ok to allow personal records like telephone, e-mail,
financial, and business records to be surreptitiously captured without full
due process/transparency.
Facebook would love to push the (no-)privacy envelope much further: a complete
data free-for-all for their commercial gain.
------
Jerry2
It's unfortunate that mods decided sink this story. Any explanation as to why?
------
tuxxy
What exactly... do they think is going to happen when news outlets hear this?
~~~
joshmn
The 30 minute news cycle we've had for the last 3 years of course.
~~~
isoskeles
Yeah unlike when the Patriot Act passed, and the news media spoke truth to
power or whatever, and saved us all from that treasonous law.
Apologies for the snark but it’s been like this for more than 20 years.
~~~
thundergolfer
To add to your comment. _Manufacturing Consent_ came out in 1988, 31 years
ago. That book manfully built the case that this stuff has been going on for
well over a century, but that it really kicked up in the post WW2 era with the
erosion of labour-class news media.
Today 6 US media companies control 90% of US media, and any hope one has of
the internet disarming them dims more than a little at the sight of a
P.A.T.R.I.O.T act author crossing over into the arms of a tech giant.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
CIA bought an encryption company and used it to spy on clients and countries - edu
https://www.businessinsider.com/cia-secretly-bought-encryption-company-crypto-ag-spy-countries-report-2020-2
======
ekimekim
Original Washington Post article discussed here:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22297963](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22297963)
------
cryptos
The same could happen with Threema. As much as I like and want to trust
Threema, but the story could be repeated, even if I think, that it is not used
by governments or military large-scale.
Essentially every closed source crypto application isn't trustworthy. Same is
true for operating systems.
~~~
bangboombang
Exactly my first thought. I like Threema and one of the reasons I was an early
adopter is that the founder worked on m0n0wall before, an OSS firewall that I
used for a long time, in contrast to it being just some guy I never heard of.
It made me accept the closed source nature. Another big factor was that I
indeed consider Switzerland to be a more trustworthy/neutral party in general
when it comes to global politics, but this obviously doesn't have to apply to
every single individual in that country.
~~~
_-___________-_
Why use Threema when there are alternatives that are not closed-source? You
had to begin to use Threema, which presumably carries the same difficulty as
beginning to use something which isn't as questionable.
~~~
mmPzf
A big plus for me was the option of using it without mapping the user account
to a phone number, something that e.g. Signal doesn't allow.
------
fit2rule
The free world needs to realise that no matter what systems of enormous value
to the world we build, others will attempt to usurp that power for their own
needs.
It happens with all technology. The reason is, all technology can be
weaponised.
Some simple facts .. The institutions covered by Crypto AG's technology
products, were attempting to maintain their own secrecy. They were, thus,
usurped by their own technology - and the CIA merely exploited this fact.
This case with the CIA directly addresses the lynchpin in the military-
industrial-surveillance states' armour - the ability to keep secrets.
From a certain perspective, one might say that .. the Vaticans .. inability to
keep secrets is a blessing and a curse. This is also true of many of the other
clients. Would that we had access to all the things the CIA knows, as a world
people, mmm..
These groups weaponised their own technology, against themselves, by using it
to keep secrets. It also happens to be the spooks' biggest weakness too: the
light of truth melts any and all justification for these peoples existence,
and it whither them.
Let us try a thought experiment: If the Vatican applied its vast resources to
providing a "Peoples Internet" a la Starlink, instead of using its billions to
hide heinous secrets, would the technology of communication have been so
easily weaponised?
All secrets are weapons, because you cannot have a secret without technology -
and all technology can be weaponised.
So this is a foot-bullet on the part of Crypto AG, the Vatican et al., and a
big win for the CIA - because it means these institutions will now be making
_more_ commitment, alas not less - to the keeping of secrets.
------
jo-m
A lot of this has been known for 25 years:
[https://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-9088423.html](https://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-9088423.html)
------
lallysingh
Is this why US export encryption had to be 40 bits? To push countries to a
vendor that was compromised?
------
jokoon
Is the leak coming from wikileaks? I've heard Assange will soon go to trial. I
was still wondering about that "dead's man switch", although I'm not sure it
will activate if he get convicted.
~~~
_-___________-_
I read about this quite a while ago, and while it's a revelation, it doesn't
seem big enough to be Assange's dead man's switch. Most people are just going
to shrug at this.
~~~
fit2rule
I have heard it from the crypto cognoscenti circles I know, that this is the
calm before the storm and that there will be many, many more leaks to come
during the actual trial period.
The idea is to point out to the world that Julian isn't the only leaker.
This terrifies the spook establishment, and they are therefore preparing for
their own campaign of controlled releases, designed to dull the general
publics' appetite for the subject.
I mean, this is all conjecture and hearsay, but it sure is an interesting time
to be watching the show. I do believe we are seeing a cyberwar, like
legitimately, underneath all the battle reports ..
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Passive solar glass home: watching the sun move - kirstendirksen
http://faircompanies.com/videos/view/passive-solar-glass-home-watching-sun-move/
======
jbrun
If you are keen on this, see Amory Lovins talk on buildings: Short version:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvmHJNeif24> Long Version:
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5txQlEI7bc&feature=chann...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5txQlEI7bc&feature=channel)
------
electromagnetic
Rather impressive, but genuinely simple. He maximized sunlight in the winter
while minimising it in the summer and increased the buildings connection to
the earth below frost level where the ground stays a constant 14C/57F year
round.
------
timmaah
My dad built the house I grew up in like this in the mid 70's. Big south
facing windows with large overhang. Brick wall sucks up the heat for the
night. Our greenhouse had huge 20ft high cylinders filled with dyed black
water. Worked great.
What happened in the 80s and 90s to make this not as popular?
~~~
kirstendirksen
Passive solar used to be the way everyone built... at least before way back
with the Ancient Greeks and Chinese. But when we stopped relying on sun for
energy, most of us stopped building this way.
I would guess passive solar gained popularity in the seventies due to more
attention to energy conservation (oil crisis and all) and then when oil got
cheap again, it wasn't so trendy. Hope that's not that case now.
Though cheap oil and global warming aside, I'd still prefer to live in a home
heated by the sun and cooled by the earth. AC gives me a headache and I much
prefer the feel of sun through a window than the blast of central heating.
------
kjell
Earthships are worth a look for anyone who wonders why the average modern
house is so wasteful.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Google SSL Search - jamesbkel
http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answer.py?answer=173733&hl=en
======
wladimir
This was available for quite a while already, though in beta/labs. I'm not
sure what is new.
~~~
JonnieCache
Yeah, it doesn't seem any different to how its been in the past year. The
_beta_ sigil is still under the logo.
I wish theyd put the links to maps and images back in, maybe with some visual
warning that theyre not encrypted. I have SSL search as the default search in
chrome, and I hate having to manually jump back to normal google to do image
searches.
While we're here, don't forget SSL wikipedia!
<https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Main_Page>
~~~
mike-cardwell
If you're using the HTTPS-Everywhere Firefox addon (1), or the HTTPS-
Everywhere Squid redirector (2), you don't need to know/remember about the SSL
versions of Wikipedia or Google. You're just sent there by default.
1.) <https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere>
2.) <https://github.com/mikecardwell/perl-HTTPSEverywhere>
------
mahrain
Been using this for a year now, there's also a hack to use it in the Chrome
bar by entering a custom search engine. Very handy and works nice.
Only miss is that I can't immediately click through to image searches, they're
only available over unsecured HTTP.
~~~
lobster_johnson
Unfortunately, you lose autocompletion (other than history autocompletion)
when you use something other than the built-in Google search.
------
nodata
Good, but to make this truly useful we need a really simple way to specify
which country-specific google search engine we would like results from.
------
jamaicahest
DuckDuckGo has been using this for many months, when you use the !g bang
~~~
rlpb
Really? It doesn't seem to do it for me. Do you have some setting set
somewhere?
------
lini
Anyone that has the HTTPS everywhere extension (Firefox) is already using the
SSL search in Google. As others noted it has been in beta for quite a long
time and is missing some features like the image search or the doodles on the
homepage.
------
buster
Also, if you want to browse on SSL whereever possible:
[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/flcpelgcagfhfoegek...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/flcpelgcagfhfoegekianiofphddckof)
Love this Extension!
------
RyanKearney
The only thing I dislike about this is it hides the refer, screwing up my
analytics. I'd have to completely convert all of my sites to HTTPS only to be
able to make use of the additional headers for analytical purposes. Not really
a big deal I guess, but kind of unnecessary to have to purchase wildcard certs
if you have many sub domains.
~~~
dspillett
The free certs from <http://www.startssl.com/> are apparently accepted by most
browsers these days (the exception being IE6/7 users on XP who have not
downloaded the optional CA cert updates):
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Startssl#StartSSL>
I've not used their cert for anything yet (I plan to test them on some
personal sites when I get chance, before using them elsewhere), and wildcard
certs are not free (but they do seem relatively cheap), but it might be worth
looking into for someone in your position.
~~~
thepsi
I've used them for a few personal sites and projects with no complaints.
The fee for wildcard certs (~60USD) is a one-off to verify your identity -
usually via a quick phone call to confirm details from your official
documents.
Once that's complete, you can generate as many certs as you need (incl.
wildcards and Subject Alternative Name) from their control panel, subject to
jumping through the usual hoops to prove that you have control of each domain.
~~~
RyanKearney
I do use StartSSL but the problem just comes from having multiple sub domains.
I get IPv4 addresses for $0.50/mo/each but I'd rather not setup each subdomain
on its own dedicated IP for the sakes of using free SSL certs.
~~~
dspillett
You don't need multiple IPv4 addresses to make use of a wild-card (or other
multi-name) certificate. A wildcard certificate will verify any matching
domain so you could have many sub-domains of the same domain (using a single
certificate for *.domain.tld) on one address and browsers would not complain.
Also you could run the distinct (sub)domains on different ports on the same
address, though this is perhaps less useful.
Also, with SNI you can use many single-name certificates on one address (and
all on the same port) using SNI. Unfortunately there are a number of
significant client combinations that won't play nice with this (most notably,
if you can't guess, IE on Windows XP):
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Server_Name_Indication#Support>
~~~
RyanKearney
I know that. I'm saying I don't want to have to pay for a wildcard certificate
since you can get free certs for individual domains. The alternative for me
purchasing a wildcard domain would be to get many different single domain
certs for free and assign each one to a different IP address.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Copper - Data analysis toolkit for python - dfrodriguez143
http://pypi.python.org/pypi?:action=display&name=copper&version=0.0.2
======
johncoogan
Looks awesome, always love seeing my favorite tools wrapped up in new ways.
Thanks a lot for posting.
Quick note, since PyPi doesn't seem to parse markdown, the more information
link to GitHub is malformed. I believe the plain link will hyperlink
automatically. (See <http://scrible.com/s/2acQ2> for details).
Thanks again for the package.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Zebrello only delivers news which is tailored to your personal interests - zebrello
http://www.zebrello.com
======
qsymmachus
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filter_bubble](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filter_bubble)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
We are starting WebKit modularization - robin_reala
http://markmail.org/thread/fkiibwrwv3xporxx
======
dhx
_> We hope this will make it much easier to develop vendor-specific features._
DRM[1]? Flash/"ActiveX 2012"[2]?
We've seen a great deal of recent discussion about the harm vendor-specific
CSS properties[3] and X- prefixed application protocol header fields[4] are
causing. No two parties can agree on proposals for the HTML specification.
Microsoft, Google, Apple and Mozilla all tend to disagree and we're stuck with
vendor-specific browser features.
These are not good signs for the health of the Web.
[1] <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3620432>
[2] <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3620537>
[3] [http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-
style/2012Feb/0998.h...](http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-
style/2012Feb/0998.html)
[4] <http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-ietf-appsawg-xdash-03>
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Doom on GLium, in Rust - hansjorg
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1TjWba0CR9RHFm47rvW1nFUlmouaR55Xt235aHyLPf9U/edit#slide=id.p
======
outworlder
Are my perceptions clouded from being inside the Hacker News echo chamber, or
is Rust really picking up steam really fast?
It seems to have more libraries and the ones it has are more advanced than
what would be expected from a language this young.
~~~
swah
[http://arewewebyet.com/](http://arewewebyet.com/)
I always look for a SQL driver, and _then_ if it has connection pool support.
If a language passes this second test, the language is ready ;)
~~~
killercup
So, rust is ready? There are multiple database drivers and there is at least
one crate for connection pools (r2d2) that also works with diesel (query
builder).
------
xvilka
Same user (tomaka) also wrote Rust bindings for Vulcan API - vulcano[1], which
obviously can be used for creating modern games.
[1] [https://github.com/tomaka/vulkano](https://github.com/tomaka/vulkano)
------
devishard
God, Google Docs is really horrible for non-documents. They literally just
scroll me way too fast through content when I try to go to the next slide, and
worse, they hack my back button so that each slide is a new page, meaning I
basically have to open a new tab.
It's also bad for images; for some reason they thought the scroll wheel should
zoom in and out instead of scroll, and the only way to scroll is to click and
drag. It's like their UI devs are on crack.
~~~
bitmapbrother
I don't have this issue in Chrome, but you can always use the arrow keys if
your mouse is having issues. As for the back button - works fine for me and
takes me to the previous slide. You can even download it as a PDF or
Powerpoint if you like.
~~~
debaserab2
Ugh, the last thing I want is for my browser back button to be hijacked by a
slideshow presentation. Help, I'm stuck in a powerpoint.
~~~
tracker1
If you think of each slide as a separate page, as some do, it makes sense.
~~~
debaserab2
I just wish there was a way to opt-in to it first.
My instinct when I hit the site was to use my mousewheel to scroll down,
because I didn't immediately realize it was a slide deck. So my mousewheel
advanced the deck about a dozen slides and wrecked my back button.
------
vvanders
+1 on glium as I've previously mentioned here:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11620852](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11620852)
As someone who spends a lot of time in OpenGL it's a really solid, rusty API
that's quite a joy to work with.
------
Keyframe
It says "Glium: Multi-threading... Send + Sync + Context Management (means it
can be done)".
Can someone explain a bit about this? I'm not familiar with Rust, but with C
you have to run GL calls from one and the same thread or you're gonna have a
bad day.
Bonus question: Anyone that was/is C programmer (not C++) with opinions on
Rust?
~~~
vvanders
There's more details in the presenter notes:
>I won’t get into much detail about threading, but imagine how the OpenGL
skynet-state-machine interacts with multiple threads. GLium ensures only a
thread-specific OpenGL context is used on any particular thread.
>By making everything neither Send nor Sync, it prevents you from using
resources created by one thread in another, enforcing OpenGL semantics at
compile-time.
Basically any type without Send+Sync traits will not work with existing
threading APIs(since they require combinations of Send+Sync based on threading
semantics) forcing API calls to be done on the right thread.
~~~
Keyframe
Thanks! I was in presentation mode, for some reason, and didn't see the notes.
------
hansjorg
There's more info and links in the speaker notes (on the options menu).
------
alex_duf
I don't get why slides are popular. We're missing 50% of the actual content of
the talk here.
~~~
lockyc
I agree, but this one has the speaker notes
------
cm3
Right after slide 1 appearing, this redirects to
[https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/32050](https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/32050)
for me in Firefox.
~~~
Sarkie
Fine for me?
~~~
cm3
It works in an unrestricted Chrome instance. I wonder if there's a Google docs
downloader script that directly gives me the PDF without dealing with the
wonky website.
~~~
qwertyuiop924
<rant> Google, take your browser team of the loony pills for FIVE SECONDS!
Chrome isn't the only browser in the world. Having your website crash and burn
one one of the most popular browsers out there that isn't yours is beyond
unacceptable. Especially if you push web standards and make recommendations to
other developers and sites to make their sites support all browsers. </rant>
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Communication blackout is forcing young entrepreneurs out of Kashmir - amrrs
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/in-a-land-without-internet-how-the-communication-blackout-is-forcing-young-entrepreneurs-out-of-kashmir-valley/article30219792.ece
======
amrrs
For some context on Internet Shutdown:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20701204](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20701204)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Namecoin - rfreytag
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namecoin
======
JacobAldridge
At the risk of hijacking yet another cryptocurrency thread, this is an
opportunity to note how valuable I believe HN to be when it highlights primary
sources.
Secondary sources - whether it's lazy journalism, blog-jacking, or Wikipedia,
engages us here in a discussion already framed through another person's or
group of people's editorial eyes. Is there no better overview of Namecoin than
its Wikipedia page?
~~~
bachback
[http://namecoin.info](http://namecoin.info)
This is where it started:
[https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1790.0](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1790.0)
satoshi's comment on the matter, posted 4 days before he left the forum.
"I think it would be possible for BitDNS to be a completely separate network
and separate block chain, yet share CPU power with Bitcoin. The only overlap
is to make it so miners can search for proof-of-work for both networks
simultaneously.
The networks wouldn't need any coordination. Miners would subscribe to both
networks in parallel. They would scan SHA such that if they get a hit, they
potentially solve both at once. A solution may be for just one of the networks
if one network has a lower difficulty.
I think an external miner could call getwork on both programs and combine the
work. Maybe call Bitcoin, get work from it, hand it to BitDNS getwork to
combine into a combined work.
Instead of fragmentation, networks share and augment each other's total CPU
power. This would solve the problem that if there are multiple networks, they
are a danger to each other if the available CPU power gangs up on one.
Instead, all networks in the world would share combined CPU power, increasing
the total strength. It would make it easier for small networks to get started
by tapping into a ready base of miners."
"@dtvan: all 3 excellent points. 1) IP records don't need to be in the chain,
just do registrar function not DNS. And CA problem solved, neat. 2) Pick one
TLD, .web +1. 3) Expiration and significant renewal costs, very important."
~~~
baddox
JacobAldridge asked whether there is a better overview of Namecoin than it's
Wikipedia page. Having read the Wikipedia page and the Namecoin homepage you
linked, I can confidently say that the former is a much more detailed and
informative overview.
~~~
bachback
strangely enough there are a million people who know about this project and
1-2 actually participate. it's a wiki and opensource project, so everyone in
the world is free to contribute. same with bitcoin. roughly 5 active
developers at the moment, working mostly in their spare time.
~~~
wcoenen
Look at the list of contributors at the end of the release notes of the
upcoming 0.9.0 release of the bitcoin reference client[1]. Or look at the
activity of other projects, e.g. the bitcoinj google group[2]. There's a lot
more than 5 people working on bitcoin.
[1]
[https://bitcoin.org/bin/0.9.0/test/README.txt](https://bitcoin.org/bin/0.9.0/test/README.txt)
[2]
[https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!forum/bitcoinj](https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!forum/bitcoinj)
~~~
bachback
the number of people contributing is extremely small compared to the people
who know about it/make money of it/are enthusiastic about it/could contribute.
There is not a deep bench of developers. Many open issues which don't get
solved because the 3-4 main devs (laanjw, sipa, gavin) are to busy. look at
coinbase: they get rich of it, take 1% fees and add nothing back whatsoever.
------
Sanddancer
I like the idea of namecoin -- uncensorability is pretty cool from a
technological standpoint -- however the other flaws of bitcoin make me wary of
basing any sort of serious DNS replacement on it. Given that there's no plans
to increase the number of namecoins in circulation, and that creating a domain
by its very definition destroys namecoins, that 50nmc cost to buy a domain
becomes increasingly expensive over time as people buy namecoins, peoples'
wallets get lost, fraud occurs, etc. I'd be more interested if they did
something like dogecoin and reated some sort of inflationary method to
counteract this, so that we don't end up with the same mess DNS is in, only
with slightly different bad actors.
~~~
walden42
Namecoin is not controlled by anyone in particular. If it grows in demand and
people want the inflationary feature (or anything else), it will be
implemented by the network.
~~~
bachback
no, money supply is fixed. changing money supply like doge did is possible,
but risks destroying the network.
~~~
kushti
Money supply is fixed but prices for database record insertion/update could be
changed painlessly.
~~~
sillysaurus3
If the money supply is fixed, then people will have a harder time acquiring
namecoin after all the namecoin is generated. People will have to buy it, and
since it's a scarce resource, it may become extremely expensive. Especially if
namecoin exploded in popularity.
I suppose if it becomes expensive then the namecoin admins could lower the
cost of database inserts/updates. But it seems like that would prompt the
price per namecoin to rise accordingly, because the value of namecoin is a
single database insert or update.
------
thefreeman
I'm confused as to why this is suddenly at the top of HN? Were people not
aware of one of the original "alt" cryptocurrencies?
~~~
bachback
silicon valley found out about it. several tweets of major figures last week.
~~~
based2
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7401999](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7401999)
------
al2o3cr
"On October 15, 2013, a major flaw in the namecoin protocol was revealed by
the Kraken exchange COO, Michael Grønager. The exploit allowed any user to
freely steal any domain from any other user.[34] A temporary fix was deployed
which prevents fraudulent name transactions from affecting the name database
without requiring miner intervention, and a long-term fix which rejects blocks
containing such transactions is scheduled for block 150,000 if a majority of
miners upgrade.[35]"
Well, I'm sure stoked that we're building the future infrastructure of the Net
on something that we're pretty sure doesn't have a ginormous security hole
_anymore_...
------
FredericJ
If you don't know about Namecoin here are too additional ressources you might
want to check out: "OkTurtles + DNSChain" (working Namecoin + DNS
implementation): [http://okturtles.com/](http://okturtles.com/) and "Providing
better confidentiality and authentication on the Internet using Namecoin and
MinimaLT" :
[https://github.com/FredericJacobs/safeweb/blob/master/paper....](https://github.com/FredericJacobs/safeweb/blob/master/paper.pdf?raw=true)
------
bachback
There are currently 1-2 developers working on Namecoin (mostly Khan, another
core developer died recently). Namecoin itself has quite a few issues. The
design is only the beginning.
~~~
appleflaxen
Can you elaborate on the issues you allude to? The "criticism" section on
wikipedia is pretty thin.
~~~
bachback
well, at the moment there is not much reason to use the system. if you
register a ".bit" then you have to get your users to install complicated
software and in the end what you are getting is very similar to ".com". There
are major benefits, which are not explored yet. rolling out a world wide
nameservice is not trivial. at the moment it's not even used by the
underground. onename.io is the first application I have seen.
------
teach
This article has more citations per sentence than anything I have ever seen on
Wikipedia.
~~~
jebus989
Citation spam is usually an attempt to prevent article deletion, especially
pertinent as it's been deleted [0] and merged into bitcoin [1] in the past.
[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletio...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Namecoin)
[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletio...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Namecoin_\(2nd_nomination\))
------
jabgrabdthrow
I'm working on an alternative to namecoin with the following features:
* Profitable (what? profitable cryptocurrency? what?) * Powerful disincentives for squatting * Lots of funding for the project, which means we can actually push towards critical-mass adoption
More will be available at domains.bitshares.org within ~2 weeks.
~~~
rictic
Count me as interested. I've been trying to think of a distributed solution to
squatting and fraud but I've had very little luck coming up with anything
workable.
------
rumcajz
I don't get why it doesn't use bitcoin's block chain. That would give it a
strong existing infrastructure of users, miners etc. This way it is on its
own.
~~~
aaron-lebo
The Bitcoin devs don't really want the blockchain used for non-financial
transactions.
If makes sense if you think about it. The current BTC blockchain is gigabytes
of data. Add text information to every transaction and you are adding even
more bloat.
~~~
baddox
Do you have a source for that claim? The official Bitcoin wiki certainly talks
about non-financial uses of Bitcoin, and Script obviously makes such uses
possible.
~~~
aaron-lebo
Well, I remember reading something like that once, so it must be true. ;)
In all seriousness, I did some Googling and the closest I can find is this:
"One final reason is that Satoshi was opposed to putting non-Bitcoin related
data into the main chain. As creator of the system, his opinion should carry a
lot of weight with anyone serious about extending it."
[https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Alternative_chain](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Alternative_chain)
I realize that is close to being useless, but I can't find the direct post in
question by Satoshi that it is referencing. I seem to recall it not being
Satoshi, however, but one of the current devs that I read a similar sentiment
from.
But again, I don't have any direct links. I apologize.
------
kushti
I'm interesting in developing services on top of Namecoin / other p2p more-
than-currencies (MasterCoin/Ethereum?). Please mail me (kushtech [at] yahoo
(dot) com) if you want to discuss related things or join me. I'm
Scala/Java/etc developer myself / entrepreneur also in past and future.
~~~
iterationx
You might be interested in learning about Twister, decentralized microblogging
(twitter) [http://twister.net.co/](http://twister.net.co/)
~~~
thisiswrong
I can't believe how potentially disruptive Twister is! Haha and I love its
system of mining for promoted tweets.
As I have always said, bitcoin (the invention) means the end of FB, Twitter,
and all similar centralized corporate entities.
------
mm0
keep pumping it op
------
RexRollman
"Namecoin is a cryptocurrency which also acts as an alternative, decentralized
DNS"
So, finally, a cryptocurrency which serves a purpose aside from filling up
HN's article listing. Cool.
~~~
atmosx
The bitcoin protocol is an extremely important advancement as it solved the
double spending[1] problem and can be used for all sorts of interesting
community and business applications. Especially for systems used by
organizations (e.g. DNS) that need to be public, uncensored and accessible
from everyone (institutions, countries and individuals).
Here are just a few ideas:
[http://www.convalesco.org/#31](http://www.convalesco.org/#31)
[1] [https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Double-
spending](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Double-spending)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Tag Clouds For Every App Store Category - dbachelder
http://bustedloop.com/blog/2009/7/2/iphone-app-tag-clouds.html
======
andrewljohnson
This is kind of fun to look at, but I wish tag clouds would die the innocuous
death they deserve. They are basically a useless, and worse a distracting, UI
element. If you have a tag cloud on your blog, you're not doing yourself any
favors.
~~~
joshu
I blame flickr.
------
jfno67
What would be nice now is a tag cloud of all the search the app store is
getting...
------
pclark
they missed the news category..
~~~
dbachelder
Nice catch. It's up there now. Thanks!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Last of the Neanderthals - robg
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/print/2008/10/neanderthals/hall-text
======
biohacker42
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=306927>
~~~
robg
Cool man, thanks. Usually I'd delete the dupe, but in this case I'd rather
have the unpaginated version in my personal archive.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Four Reasons Taxpayers Should Never Subsidize Stadiums - SQL2219
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-07-16/four-reasons-taxpayers-should-never-subsidize-stadiums
======
masonic
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18832975](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18832975)
600+ points
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Contents of the Voyager Golden Record - tosh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contents_of_the_Voyager_Golden_Record
======
tosh
The content is quite fascinating. Unfortunately the information in the article
is quite sparse. Shouldn't all the content be available in the public domain?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
A $277 million navigational error - uvdiv
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/01/world/asia/us-navy-to-scrap-vessel-stuck-on-philippine-reef.html
======
uvdiv
_[US Navy Rear Adm. Jonathan] White's message states, "initial review of
navigation data indicates an error in the location of Tubbataha Reef" on the
digital map._
<http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=71553>
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Wikipedia - Thank You for stopping SOPA - justhw
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:CongressLookup?new=yes
======
carlsednaoui
Yesterday's blackout was simply incredible. When I woke up and saw all of the
sites that were protesting I got chills down my spine.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
SpaceX Launch: Starlink 12 [video] - cjnicholls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j4xR7LMCGY
======
codeulike
Everyone is commenting saying how mundane it has become to see the landings.
Hence you might enjoy this official SpaceX Blooper reel from 2017 that shows
the numerous spectacular failures that they worked through.
Innovation is a type of gamble. People forget that.
"SpaceX: How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster"
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvim4rsNHkQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvim4rsNHkQ)
(and regular reminder that these things are 12-storey high explosive tubes)
~~~
skvark
If the Falcon 9 landings feel mundane, I would recommend to follow Starship
development. Starship SN6 might do a 150 meter hop later today:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky5l9ZxsG9M](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky5l9ZxsG9M)
------
mabbo
The true beauty of SpaceX is that they've made landing their boosters boring
(almost). This makes their competitors throwing them away seem stupid.
It also shows how clever it was to livestream so much of what they do. So many
people have seen a rocket booster land. Children today will hear that ULA
doesn't land their boosters and ask "why not?".
~~~
imglorp
Let's talk about the "why not" for a second.
The incumbents have 200 years of collective head start over SpaceX, which
started from scratch in 2002. They had 18 years to use that advantage to beat
everyone else to reusable space access while remaining in the cherry
procurement positions. Instead, they mismanaged, wrecked their quality
culture, and lobbied for more handouts.
Unable to compete on merit, schedule,or price, ULA is reduced to buying
another congressman, who's implying SpaceX is a security threat via the China
card.
[https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-
national-s...](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-
security/elon-musks-spacex-nasa-contracts-threatened-over-tesla-china-ties)
~~~
tenpies
> Unable to compete on merit, schedule,or price, ULA is reduced to buying
> another congressman, who's implying SpaceX is a security threat via the
> China card.
That's quite the leap, although I can see your logic.
Ultimately Musk should have seen this coming because it's obvious. He's tied a
huge amount of his net worth to the favour of the CCP and involved himself
with a program of national importance to a country that is at odds with the
CCP.
What's worst, Musk has zero respect for any sort of arms length separation
between his companies, so it's almost guaranteed that the CCP has some level
of access to SpaceX IP as they expand their grasp on Tesla through Shanghai.
This was all easily avoidable if Musk didn't insist on thinking that if he
didn't personally come up with the idea, the idea must be idiotic.
~~~
asfasfasf12
So if I fall your logic correctly then Boeing, which is part of ULA, is also
in CCP's pockets. They produce planes there, a lot. Just one example.
~~~
nickik
This. Embracing level of argument. Lets ignore the fact also that the US had a
50+ year standing relationship with China and it encouraged its companies to
work there, including China in the WTO and so on.
------
bronco21016
It really is quite incredible how _boring_ this has become. I was chatting
with a friend who used to follow all of this stuff closely with me at the
beginning of the landing attempts. He wasn’t tuning in this morning (US east
coast) because he didn’t find it exciting without the almost 50/50 chance the
Stage 1 booster would RUD on landing.
Starhopper 150M hop window opened today. Hoping to see some action there as
that seems to be the new hotbed of SpaceX excitement. Not that I wish for a
RUD but it’s far more likely to see something crazy on these early experiments
making it more fun to watch.
~~~
waynenilsen
Last hop there was no RUD but the raptor did quite a job to the launch mount
it was definitely entertaining if not unexpected.
~~~
danw1979
The “small fire” around the raptor engine pipework also added to the tension,
even though we knew it was a success by the time we had that footage.
It definitely had that prototype feel to it.
------
shantara
An interesting detail mentioned during the webcast was that SpaceX have
already performed initial testing of inter-satellite links on a pair of
Starlink satellites.
~~~
dzhiurgis
Was that laser or radio links?
~~~
shantara
The commentator called them "space lasers" on stream
------
ttul
I love that the presenter is a female engineer. How inspiring this must be for
millions of girls around the world. Hopefully it encourages more girls to take
on engineering to help provide a better balance of gender in the field.
~~~
vardump
So is SpaceX President & COO Gwynne Shotwell.
You might be interested in her TEDx talk:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THQPNDNulVc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THQPNDNulVc)
------
erwinh
Thats becoming one massive constellation [https://space-
search.io/?search=starlink](https://space-search.io/?search=starlink)
~~~
krick
Is it even possible to take them down without scattering debris all over the
orbit later on?
Also, is orbit considered to be a free real estate? Does the first one to call
dibs just take it or what? It's sure slowly getting a bit crowded over there.
~~~
jccooper
They already deorbit Starlink sats regularly. The "prototype" birds from the
first launch are being decommissioned. SpaceX could hit a button (well, run a
script, probably) and Starlink would disappear within 2-4 weeks.
Earth orbit is kinda first-come, first-served, though there is some
coordination for GEO and large constellations via FCC and the ITU. It's really
not particularly crowded. Starlink in particular basically occupies only one
orbital shell at the moment, and not a particularly popular one, though it'll
eventually have three or so.
~~~
moralestapia
>SpaceX could hit a button (well, run a script, probably) and Starlink would
disappear within 2-4 weeks.
Make me wonder what kind of security is in place to prevent a bad actor from
doing that.
Is there some 'field' of CS that deals with this? I would love to read about
it.
------
stemc43
I've had so many outages this month with Cox. Can't wait for this project to
start rolling out to consumers.
~~~
chasd00
my wife and i are looking at property in the mountains of SE Oklahoma. I'm
hoping starlink comes online in the next 2-3 years.
------
cowmix
They nailed the landing of the booster and I yawned.
Amazing.
------
ape4
At 9:33 she says "100 Megabytes/second". Probably megabits/second. Still cool.
~~~
bryanlarsen
Eric Berger confirmed with SpaceX that it is 100 megabits.
[https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/09/spacex-
launches-12th...](https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/09/spacex-
launches-12th-starlink-mission-says-users-getting-100-mbps-downloads)
------
jguimont
What will be the speed of the internet down and up link when fully
operational? The video said 100Mbps at low latency. Do they expect more
afterward?
------
perilunar
The satellite deployment seemed a bit wonky at the end of the video. Like they
were tangled. Hope it went ok.
~~~
_Microft
SpaceX hosts said during earlier launches that these satellites are built to
be able to bump into each other after payload separation. SpaceX chose to
stack the satellites on top of each other to save mass and volume that a
larger payload adapter would have required. The stacked satellites are held
together by 'tension rods' which are released to let them separate. In today's
launch, you can actually see a rod being released [0]. Normally they lose the
video feed around that time. They separate relatively easily because the
second stage spins up to 'throw' them out. It didn't look worse than during
other launches.
[https://www.starlink.com/](https://www.starlink.com/) has an image carousel
with renders of the satellites and the stack if someone wants to have a closer
look.
[0] [https://youtu.be/_j4xR7LMCGY?t=1780](https://youtu.be/_j4xR7LMCGY?t=1780)
------
manuelabeledo
So, what about upload speeds?
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Found trapped in a diamond: a type of ice not known on Earth - pulisse
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-water-in-diamonds-20180308-story.html
======
lamename
This is fascinating. I had no idea ice could take on so many crystalline forms
depending on the variety of conditions. Apparently there are other shapes even
beyond those mentioned in the article:
[http://www1.lsbu.ac.uk/water/ice_phases.html](http://www1.lsbu.ac.uk/water/ice_phases.html)
~~~
fastball
If you find this interesting, you might enjoy Kurt Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle",
which is based around a highly dangerous (and imaginary) form of ice, ice-
nine.
And even if you aren't super excited about ice-nine, it's still a highly
enjoyable read.
~~~
anamexis
There was also a real-life scare in the 70s around "polywater" [1][2] that
some people worried could "infect" other water.
[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polywater](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polywater)
[2] [https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/polywater-the-
soviet-s...](https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/polywater-the-soviet-
scientific-secret-that-made-the-world-gulp)
~~~
scruple
That Wikipedia article is great. I love the introduction paragraph.
> By 1969 the popular press had taken notice and sparked fears of a "polywater
> gap" in the USA.
I find it illuminating to understand that "journalists," or the "popular
press," were ratcheting up the "fear sells" / fake news bullshit at least as
far back as 1969 (and I'm sure it goes back much further). If you were
ignorant, and I certainly am, you would think that this is a wholly new
phenomenon. I mean, that is what the same "popular press" is telling us today,
right?
~~~
njarboe
There was even a phrase coined in the 1890's for such journalism; "Yellow
Journalism[1]"
From the wikipedia article. Frank Luther Mott (of the same era) on the five
main characteristics of yellow journalism:
1\. Scare headlines in huge print, often of minor news
2\. Lavish use of pictures, or imaginary drawings
3\. Use of faked interviews, misleading headlines, pseudoscience, and a parade
of false learning from so-called experts
4\. Emphasis on full-color Sunday supplements, usually with comic strips
5\. Dramatic sympathy with the "underdog" against the system.
------
kaycebasques
The bit about compressibility tickles my mind. Really cool that some compounds
maintain their structure while collapsing the space between, while others
change their structure entirely when subjected to pressure. Would make for a
cool visualization.
Are there theories about what structure ice-VIII, ice-IX, etc. would take?
~~~
ghaff
Ice has at least 16 different phases:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice)
Ice XVII has been predicted: [http://www.sci-
news.com/othersciences/chemistry/ice-xvii-che...](http://www.sci-
news.com/othersciences/chemistry/ice-xvii-chemists-predict-existence-new-form-
ice-03633.html)
------
asafira
Hey everyone --- I work with defects in diamond for my PhD! While they are
completely different from the chunks of ice described here, let me know if
there is something I can help with.
------
ghaff
Ice is really a fascinating material generally, even just “normal” ice. My
thesis advisor has pretty much made a career out of studying it. I didn’t do
my material science work on ice personally though; he also studied high
temperature super alloys earlier in his career.
------
bananatron
What a trip that in the future the most coveted jewelry will probably be from
materials found on other planets (assuming we haven't gotten over this jewelry
thing).
~~~
joering2
Mandatory in case someone wonders about OP last part:
[https://priceonomics.com/post/45768546804/diamonds-are-
bulls...](https://priceonomics.com/post/45768546804/diamonds-are-bullshit)
~~~
jey
Diamonds are bullshit, but body adornment is a human universal that exists in
all cultures. So the diamond bullshit is hijacking something very real and
human.
~~~
bananatron
You're totally right, but there are also a lot of 'real' and 'human/animal'
traditions that we've collectively decided aren't worth continuing. I'd argue
this should be one of them, but I'm not bullish on my preference vs. diamond
advertising budget and a culture of perpetual consumerism.
------
userbinator
Given how much pressure it's under, I wonder if it might cause the diamond to
explode if subjected to additional stress.
------
chaoticmass
So is it still 'frozen' (it is ice afterall) even above 0c?
~~~
komali2
Yes, it is!
Water has a pretty interesting relationship with pressure (interesting to
nerds like me anyway) :
[https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/60170/freezing-p...](https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/60170/freezing-
point-of-water-with-respect-to-pressure)
~~~
joering2
+1 I read an interesting article a while ago that i cannot find anymore, it
was about dooms day from science point of view.
The bottom line is in case of metheor falling down it is not the impact or
cloud of dust up killing you, but simple change of pressure that will not only
boil all oceans but also will boil blood and water in your body. As pressure
goes down so falls the boiling point of liquid.
Edit: typos
------
peter303
Some outer solar system moons are mostly water ice. Theircores could be this
phase of ice.
------
oldmancoyote
This conflicts with what I think I know about the occurrence of diamonds. For
the most part diamonds are formed just below the surface in melts rich in
dissolved carbon dioxide. These materials rise through the crust through very
narrow pipes and explode when the carbon dioxide comes out of solution at the
surface.
These explosions form the bell shaped bodies that are mined for diamonds.
Because of the phase behavior of carbon dioxide rich melts, and because the
diamond grade just below the bell is very low, diamonds seem to be formed in
the high pressure streams of carbon dioxide released when the temperature
declines and the confining pressure is released at the surface.
Perhaps there are "seed" crystals formed much deeper and such a crystal formed
the nucleus for this diamond. From this popular article it is not possible to
determine at what depth the water crystal formed. Conceivably it could have
formed in the stream of carbon dioxide at the surface.
------
andmarios
I don't know what they do on their website but it is as heavy as they can
come. Scrolling the article in Chrome, causes music (play music, playing in
another tab) to skip!
------
aaraun
But it was “known on Earth”, and had been observed in the lab - it just hadn’t
yet been observed in nature. A bit of a sensational title.
------
eganist
Seeing "atoms" used _in reference to water molecules_ has me feeling a
particular way. Am I nitpicking too hard?
\--
edit: moccachino makes a good point below that I missed on my first two passes
-- it's referring to the actual positioning of the atoms within water
molecules, which makes sense now that I'm giving it another pass. This is
evident in referring in one part to "oxygen atoms" specifically.
~~~
moccachino
It seems to me the usage is correct, they are referencing the atoms that make
up the water molecules.
~~~
eganist
It took me your comment to realize it. Thanks for pointing it out: the point
that wasn't effectively conveyed to me was that the actual relative
positioning of oxygen atoms relative to each other seems to be shifting under
pressure.
This speaks well to DrNuke's point as well.
------
drumttocs8
Thank god it isn't ice-nine!
------
DoreenMichele
And people keep acting like there's nothing left to really discover on earth.
------
maliker
Dang, got here too late to make the Vonnegut joke.
But still in time to share a link about strange forms of non-ice H2O:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polywater](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polywater)
------
pichaipedro
tl;dr: "Diamonds can trap small bubbles of extremely dense pressurized water
when they form. Then, as the diamond moves up through the mantle, the water
inclusion is subjected to cooler temperatures while remaining under the same
pressurized conditions. In that very specific case, ice-VII can occur."
------
Sonnol53
How much is it worth?
~~~
samstave
Show me your BTC wallet
------
mjcohen
Obviously ice 9.
------
stupidcar
Let's just be grateful it wasn't ice-IX they found.
~~~
mcherm
Sounds like they haven't actually broken open the diamond, so can we really be
sure?
~~~
kurthr
They don't mention it in the article, but it's likely to be IR spectroscopy,
since that can measure resonance of H2O molecular bonds, which would be
specific to symmetries/energies in Ice-7 and very different from the known
spectrum of diamond.
edit to add:
[http://www1.lsbu.ac.uk/water/water_vibrational_spectrum.html](http://www1.lsbu.ac.uk/water/water_vibrational_spectrum.html)
However, I suppose it could also be X-ray crystallography, which would measure
the actual crystal structure. Probably other methods as well...
~~~
creep
They do mention it in the article
>But while they were scanning the diamonds with high intensity X-rays, they
saw something else: The first conclusive evidence of ice-VII on the planet.
But probably they used other methods to confirm.
------
nfarrell
Ice Nine???
~~~
samstave
Tyrell Corp security are here to have a word....
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: IMDB for YouTubers - smhtyazdi
http://www.rshiv.org/
======
anigbrowl
This is a badly needed thing but there is no way I am signing up when you
don't even have a screenshot. Put something together first.
~~~
smhtyazdi
Thanks, for your comment. I started to add some titles. Here you can find a
simple one.
[http://www.rshiv.org/profile.php?u=vitalyzdtv](http://www.rshiv.org/profile.php?u=vitalyzdtv)
~~~
anigbrowl
That's good. I really think you need to build it up a bit before launching,
though. As someone who works in media, nobody likes the job of entering all
the credits into IMDB, but someone has to do it because it's a good marketing
tool. Right now this looks like an idea more than a product, but there is
definitely a need.
------
padho
I like the idea but you have to work on your site and put content on it
~~~
smhtyazdi
Thanks for your comment. This not like IMDB where everything has to be
reviewed first. Here, Video owner (channel owner) is responsible for giving
credit to other youtubers for his/her video. Here is a sample:
[http://www.rshiv.org/title.php?v=oFMsqrG9RWg](http://www.rshiv.org/title.php?v=oFMsqrG9RWg)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Microsoft's little-screen, big-screen interactive future - clbrook
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57572163-75/microsofts-little-screen-big-screen-interactive-future/
======
clbrook
Reminds me of Corning's day of glass videos:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cf7IL_eZ38>
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The YOLOv3 Object Detection Network Is Fast - Qworg
https://medium.com/@Synced/the-yolov3-object-detection-network-is-fast-fcceae0ab650
======
Qworg
Paper:
[https://pjreddie.com/media/files/papers/YOLOv3.pdf](https://pjreddie.com/media/files/papers/YOLOv3.pdf)
GitHub:
[https://github.com/pjreddie/darknet](https://github.com/pjreddie/darknet)
Joseph Redmon and Ali Farhadi are funny and informative as always.
Disclosure: I work for Vulcan Inc. and collaborate with AI2 regularly.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The Evolution of Trust - abhi3
http://ncase.me/trust/?
======
shock
Nick Case has other awsome stuff you can play with. I quite enjoyed
[http://ncase.me/polygons/](http://ncase.me/polygons/).
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Facebook Code - GutenYe
https://code.facebook.com/
======
GutenYe
Facebook Open Source 2016 year in review:
[https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/t39.2365-6/15945710_1292506674...](https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/t39.2365-6/15945710_1292506674139589_2204580213088583680_n.png)
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Why is Apple only buying startups from Israel? - ForFreedom
Are there no startups in the US/EU/UK?
======
jaachan
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisition...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitions_by_Apple)
says they've only bought two Israeli companies so far.
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How script kiddies turns Linux box into a Zombie - True Story - Andrew-Dufresne
http://blog.larsstrand.org//article.php?story=HollidayCracking
======
DCoder
_"Let's execute command 382 to see what it does."_
Oy. Not the best idea, generally speaking.
Edit: I used to read the localized paper version of <http://xakep.ru/> several
years ago, and practically every hacking story/tool roundup they had mentioned
the annoying problem with ls --color, it was apparently present in almost
every public rootkit at the time. It's kinda interesting to see that idiots
still use outdated tools years later.
------
dstorrs
Great story. As a developer-but-not-sysadmin, it's interesting to read how
someone more knowledgeable does this sort of analysis and remediation.
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The Coders Programming Themselves Out of a Job - xcubic
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/10/agents-of-automation/568795?single_page=true
======
eindiran
Duplicate of:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18120322](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18120322)
------
IronWolve
Go away or I will replace you with a very small shell script
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"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
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Secrets of BackType's (YC S08) Data Engineers - omakase
http://www.readwriteweb.com/hack/2011/01/secrets-of-backtypes-data-engineers.php
======
blantonl
This illustrates that a staff of _three_ highly skilled innovative engineers
can bring to market an innovative solution.
Jeeze, these guys developed their own _database_ and _language_ to accomplish
their objectives. Others might take 10 million in funding, already be focused
on the 2nd round, all the while not focused on delivering first.
You have to get there, before you can get there.
Congrats to the BackType team.
------
fookyong
I would be more interested in hearing the results/reasoning of their recent
introduction of a paywall.
Seems the business model pivoted slightly.
e.g. [http://backtweets.com/search?q=yongfook.com%2Fall-about-
litt...](http://backtweets.com/search?q=yongfook.com%2Fall-about-
littlecosm&ref=p1)
anything beyond the last few weeks, you need to pay $100/month.
~~~
konsl
The results in BackTweets haven't actually changed, we're just showing an
upgrade button above them. What was free continues to be free.
------
mrchess
I'm surprised they are still 3 engineers. They have been posting jobs for
almost a year now and still haven't hired anyone, yet they keep saying in
blogs and the job section they want to hire. I understanding waiting for the
"best" yet at the same time you're growing a custom stack that requires
specific skill sets and I imagine as time goes on it only gets harder. I mean,
slow hiring is good too but at some point you need to give in and grow so that
your employees can join in on your projects and grow with the company!
~~~
nathanmarz
We've recently added two very talented interns to our team:
<http://tech.backtype.com/welcome-jason-christopher>
~~~
chanri
Are you looking for full-time engineers?
~~~
nathanmarz
Yes, we are.
<http://www.backtype.com/jobs>
------
ehsanul
This reminds me of that post by the ex-Facebook manager, who said that tools
are top priority. This article really brings it home for me.
However, despite their purported effectiveness as engineers, I'm not sure what
Backtype is really doing. I generally see them just below an article, in place
of comments, with a long list of useless tweets referring to the article
(usually of the form "article title - bit.ly/shortened". That's probably not
doing them too much good for marketing, unless you think any publicity is good
publicity.
~~~
konsl
What you're seeing is Disqus' Reactions feature, which we help power. Part of
our business is data services, which companies like Disqus, Bitly, The New
York Times, SlideShare, etc use.
Our own product is a marketing intelligence platform; essentially, it provides
analytics for social media marketing programs so brands understand what's
working, what isn't and how to improve.
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Ask HN: Learning Ruby + MooTools - sscheper
Compared to most people here, I'm a n00b when it comes to programming. I've had a computer since I was five, but I never really got into computing languages until this past year (I'm 23 now---yes, pretty old).<p>Without ever taking one class in computer science, I managed to create about 8 websites (built off of wordpress): http://venturedig.com/?page_id=335<p>I know html, css, php. But that's pretty much it.<p>My Goal: My new goal is to increase progress and create a light-weight 37 signals-like app, using my new macbook.<p>I could be wrong, but I imagine that in order to accomplish this goal, I'll need to use Ruby on Rails and MooTools. Do you think a beginner can grasp it? And, what do you think the learning curve will be?<p>Thanks!
======
teej
I was in your position 4 years ago. I had spent some time learning HTML/CSS +
PHP and had thrown up a few websites here and there. I wanted to get into real
web dev, and I decided Rails would pave that road.
I'm not one for books, but Ruby on Rails: Up and Running
(<http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596101329/>) was an incredible resource for
new devs. I have since introduced two other people to Rails though that book
and they loved it. One issue: it's old. If they haven't updated it for Rails
2+, don't go near it. You might want to try the Rails Guide instead
(<http://guides.rubyonrails.org/getting_started.html>)
From there, I picked up Ruby for Rails (<http://www.manning.com/black/>). I
read about 20% of this book. It was critical for me understanding the "magic"
behind Rails and the weird syntax behind Ruby. I came from a somewhat CS
background, so YMMV.
After that, I left the books behind. I just found problems and tried solving
them with Ruby & Ruby on Rails. I did a few crappy webapps, some of the
Facebook engineering puzzles, some of the Project Euler questions.
\----- One word: PRACTICE. -----
At first, stay away from doing it perfect, just get something working and
iterate. You don't need a full suite of tests, scale to 1M users, and super-
clever meta-code (you dont need this ever). Every project you do you'll get
better.
And when you get stuck, know where to go for help. The people who hang out in
#ruby & #rubyonrails on freenode can be really helpful. To get the most out of
this help, enter the room, state that you're new to Ruby/Rails, explicitly
state your end goal (I want to see a list of customers on the screen), and
include all your relevant code in a pastie. You may have to be patient, but
the people there are super smart and super helpful.
\---------------------------
Through a combination of self taught Ruby on Rails programming and putting
myself in professional situations with room for programming growth, I have
been incredibly successful. I'm positive you can too. Pracitce lots, always be
learning, don't be afraid to ask for help. Best of luck.
------
jlees
Yes, of course you can grasp it! The tutorial stuff on Rails is really easy to
follow - it's a complex process, but it's not intimidating if you get a good
book. Out of everything in the space at the moment Ruby and Rails are probably
your best bet, if you want to build a lean mean fighting app machine,
especially if 37signals is your inspiration, as that's their platform. (They
even wrote the book on it: <https://gettingreal.37signals.com/>)
Of course, others will rabidly disagree. Do a bit of homework, flick through
some books in a shop and see if you can follow along. Maybe others will
recommend good web based tutorials but I always prefer paper.
MooTools.. another buzzword.. don't get hung up on using that over the
alternatives like prototype and script.aculo.us, but again, it's fairly easy
to use (I haven't looked at the for-newbies tutorials though). I'd focus on
the stuff under the hood first and worry about learning MooTools later.
The learning curve won't be easy for a complete novice, but it will be
masterable. Good luck!
------
sharkbrainguy
I could be wrong, but I imagine that in order to accomplish this goal,
I'll need to use Ruby on Rails and MooTools.
You are wrong, in that your goal doesn't imply those requirements. RoR is one
tool among hundreds that you could use to write a webapp. The same is true of
MooTools.
I'm not saying that they're not good options or even that they're not the
_best_ choices (maybe they are), but it doesn't follow from "I want to write a
web-app on my mac" that "I need to learn RoR and MooTools".
That being said.
Yes, I think that an intelligent 23yo who knows php can probably learn Ruby (+
rails) and JS (+ MooTools).
I'm not sure how useful an answer you can get here though. If people say yes,
you're going to go and do it. If people say no, you're going to think to
yourself "F--k that" and do it anyway (or at least you should).
------
sscheper
Thanks for the help everyone -- I'll be using the local Barnes and noble to
browse through your recommended books :)
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ASCII art animations in the URL bar - qbonnard
http://glench.com/hash
======
gus_massa
Really interesting but I hope this doesn't become popular and appear in every
site. A few comments:
* Wave2 is broken in Chrome (in Windows)
* The title should change, it's always "I'm sorry".
* I'd prefer that this doesn't destroy the history / back button.
* Add a stop button / link.
* I like the diy. Can I send one to my friends?
------
psychobabble
bar har har! Serious LOLs were had after playing around here using Google
Chrome then viewing history later to find something else.. 10 pages of Chrome
History telling me 'I'm Sorry' because Chrome Records Every URL Change To
History!
Well played with project... and the I'm sorry page title.
------
Yadi
THIS!...It's so cool, wait how is this done?
------
GroSacASacs
very impressive, but it feeds history so much, and breaks back forwards
buttons
~~~
billconan
exactly! for this reason, this can't be used for production.
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Amazon Should Acquire Netflix - Here's Why - dell9000
http://ryanspoon.com/blog/2009/01/02/why-amazon-should-acquire-netflix/
======
catone
The argument I've always heard against Amazon acquiring Netflix is that
Netflix has distribution centers in something like 45 states, whereas Amazon
only has them in a handful. So that'd be 45 states in which Amazon would then
have to charge sales tax.
If Netflix were a solely streaming operation, it'd make sense for Amazon, or
if tax on ecommerce was already charged in most states regardless of physical
presence it would make sense. Not sure it does otherwise, though.
~~~
antiismist
Amazon seems to charge sales tax based on where the goods are shipped to, not
where they are shipped from:
"Items sold by Amazon.com LLC, or its subsidiaries, and shipped to
destinations in the states of Kansas, Kentucky, New York, North Dakota, or
Washington are subject to tax."
[http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=4...](http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=468512)
~~~
catone
I think those are the states in which they have a physical presence. I know
their headquarters are in Washington, for example, and that they have a big
distribution center in Kentucky. New York, though, may just have laws taxing
ecommerce (I'm not certain).
~~~
antiismist
Nope, Amazon has distribution centers in 8 states, but they don't all get
sales taxed:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon.com#Fulfillment_and_ware...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon.com#Fulfillment_and_warehousing)
~~~
catone
I guess it would depend on the sales tax laws in each state.
Some states require sales tax on ecommerce if there is a physical presence,
some do not. Some require tax regardless.
The argument I have always heard in relation to Netflix is that if Amazon were
to acquire Netflix it would mean charging sale tax to a much greater number of
customers.
Netflix has many more established physical presences across the US:
[http://www.listology.com/netflix_tracker_reports.cfm?report=...](http://www.listology.com/netflix_tracker_reports.cfm?report=centers)
------
jonknee
Netflix and Amazon know the days of physical discs are numbered. I don't think
Amazon needs to acquire a business to dominate a dying vertical. They already
have digital distribution and a huge brand, just bank on that.
~~~
inklesspen
The days of physical discs will last for quite a while. First Amazon would
have to provide a TV-centric solution that matches Bluray's power, and then
they will have to provide a drm-free solution so buyers aren't tied to Windows
Media.
~~~
jonknee
Why would it have to be DRM free? DVD and Blu-Ray are riddled with DRM and
they are still popular. This is to do "rental", not purchasing. Only makes
sense to have some DRM on there or else the purchase business will end.
~~~
inklesspen
Depends on the form of DRM, really. DVD's DRM doesn't bother most people,
because it doesn't really pose an obstacle to what they want to do with it.
But Windows Media DRM won't work nicely with set-top boxes, with Macs, perhaps
even with Microsoft's own products (remember Zune not working with
PlaysForSure?). And there have been well-known cases of Windows Media DRM
servers going dark. The DRM the movie cartels insist on for digital downloads
is just too intrusive.
~~~
jonknee
Amazon does video on demand to Macs, PCs, XBOX, Tivo, etc. Who cares if DRM
servers go dark, this is a streaming service. You watch it and then Microsoft
could be fire bombed and it doesn't affect you.
I agree DRM is shitty for purchased movies, but this is basically a pay-per-
view service. For most movies that's all people want. Why wait for the mail
man or go to a store/kiosk when you can watch instantly from your couch?
------
hs
i guess the reason amazon doesn't have many distribution centers is because
they are expensive
she outsourced the problem by having amazon marketplace
now every kindle is distribution center (cheap)
looking at this trend, she might be better off creating a kindle for movies
her strength is not in rental (why safari bookshelf is unchallenged ?)
if she _really_ want to be in movie rental, maybe safari dvd-rack model
(download high-res per dvd chapter or streaming lower res for full, 3
titles/rack/mo) is a long shot
the success of youtube indicates that not everyone cares about dvd-quality
clips, they simply want to watch it now
~~~
asnyder
Could it be that the larger iPod Touch will be the new kindle for movies? If
and when our bandwidth catches up to our foreign counterparts, renting movies
via the embedded iTunes app will seem natural enough.
However, unlike books, movies are best experienced in an environment dedicated
to it. So even if the iPod Touch is the next kindle for movies, something like
Apple TV, or the numerous netflix set top boxes will most likely be the next
step in movie rentals and purchasing.
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OpenSSH and the dangers of unused code - corbet
http://lwn.net/SubscriberLink/672465/4c0bced62cb3e625/
======
Kristine1975
Use memset_s, people. The compiler isn't allowed to remove calls to it:
[http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg14/www/docs/n1381.pdf](http://www.open-
std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg14/www/docs/n1381.pdf)
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These genetically modified cyborg dragonflies could perform ‘guided pollination’ - preetish
https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/25/these-genetically-modified-cyborg-dragonflies-could-perform-guided-pollination/
======
LordWinstanley
>>we can make enough of them fast enough to counter the disappearance of
honeybees
Black Mirror Series 03 "Hated in the Nation"
[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5709236/?ref_=ttep_ep6](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5709236/?ref_=ttep_ep6)
------
whatnotests
This is amazing, even if it's a bit far-off.
My question is whether this can be streamlined and the little bots can be re-
used enough to cover their expense, and we can make enough of them fast enough
to counter the disappearance of honeybees.
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Uber Picks Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi as New CEO - nbmh
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/technology/dara-khosrowshahi-uber-ceo.html?mcubz=0
======
mwnivek
Previous discussion:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15113613](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15113613)
| {
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Toki Pona - ColinWright
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toki_Pona
======
anonymfus
Conlang Critic is a fan of this language:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLn6LC1RpAo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLn6LC1RpAo)
I highly recommend watching all episodes of their show if you like an idea of
short text based video essays about constructed languages:
[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuYLhuXt4HrQqnfSceITm...](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuYLhuXt4HrQqnfSceITmv6T_drx1hN84)
~~~
lifthrasiir
I second this. If you are new to the series, the recent Lingwa de Planeta
episode [1] contains a good introduction to conlangs and especially
international auxiliary languages in general.
[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi1-ZWiqjD8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi1-ZWiqjD8)
------
schoen
Maybe dang or some other public-spirited person could find some of the earlier
toki pona threads from HN so people could see some of the earlier discussions?
I know I've participated in quite a few of them because I know toki pona well
and had various random things to comment on each time it was brought up here.
:-)
Edit: I guess the majority of these threads can be found with
[https://hn.algolia.com/?q=toki+pona](https://hn.algolia.com/?q=toki+pona)
(including the recent one on a custom homemade computer with a native toki
pona input and display, a project which was then described by its inventor
exclusively in toki pona).
~~~
6510
thanks
------
bovermyer
The really interesting thing about Toki Pona is that it's meant to force you
to think about the meaning of your words in a positive light.
~~~
9nGQluzmnq3M
Claiming that language limits what you can imagine is the strong version of
the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, and it's been pretty thoroughly debunked:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_relativity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_relativity)
~~~
quotemstr
Not everyone agrees that it's been "debunked". There's a lot of motivated
reasoning in linguistics.
~~~
canjobear
You can read about the experiments yourself. Strong Sapir-Whorf (the idea that
language determines thought) is DOA. Weak Sapir-Whorf (language has some
influence on thought) has ok evidence.
------
stanislavb
An idea: If one learns to express himself in Toki Pona, would it be possible
to communicate "freely" with natives by simply learning the equivalent
vocabulary (120 words) of any other language?
------
codezero
Learning the vocabulary is easy, but because the vocabulary is so small, it
does become quite difficult to construct meaningful sentences following rules
that are very local to a few words, which ultimately spans many words. Most
often, it seems, like any language, a ton of the context becomes implied, so
it’s super tricky.
It’s still a fun weekend or multi weekend exercise in exploring languages
though.
------
senorsmile
A couple of years ago Memrise had a 48 hour challenge to learn it with a bunch
of other people, and to try to speak at the end. I did quite terribly (as
usual). Nevertheless, it was a fun challenge.
------
dang
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22689959](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22689959)
See also
[https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...](https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&query=Toki%20Pona%20comments%3E3&sort=byDate&type=story)
------
strogonoff
Invented languages are overwhelmingly boring in their likeness to English,
Spanish and other Western languages.
What if we tried to create, say, a language with a logographic written system
that is pure WYSIWYM (as opposed to “what you see is how you pronounce”) _and_
synthetic to boot?
Make it use vocal cords differently.
Instead of borrowing around, use a random seed in generating a minimum set of
unique basic “native” words according to language rules and build on top of
that (borrowing for meanings outside of that set).
This could be so much more fun!
~~~
justinpombrio
> Invented languages are overwhelmingly boring in their likeness to English,
> Spanish and other Western languages.
Toki Pona is not like English, Spanish, or other Western languages.
It has no singular/plural distinction. It has no past/present/future tense.
Its pronouns have no gender. All of its phonemes are present in almost all
languages (this is on purpose). The way it forms questions is not like Enlgish
(I don't know of any language that it's similar to). Its word order is
subject-verb-object, like most languages. [EDIT: not most, only 42%]
The only thing its taken from English, as far as I've seen, is a bunch of
vocabulary. Though honestly its sounds are so limited that sometimes you can't
recognize which English word a Toki Pona word came from.
> What if we tried to create, say, a language with a logographic written
> system that is pure WYSIWYM (as opposed to “what you see is how you
> pronounce”) and synthetic to boot?
I'm not sure exactly what you mean, but I'll just leave this link here...
[https://omniglot.com/conscripts/conlangs.htm](https://omniglot.com/conscripts/conlangs.htm)
> Instead of borrowing around, use a random seed in generating a minimum set
> of unique basic “native” words according to language rules and build on top
> of that
Lojban does this.
~~~
schoen
> The way it forms questions is not like Enlgish (I don't know of any language
> that it's similar to).
The "x ala x" pattern is directly modeled on the Chinese "x不x" (and "有没有")
pattern, including the answer ("x" / "x ala" in toki pona, "x" / "不x" in
Chinese). I think Sonja has mentioned this explicitly somewhere.
For example, in Chinese I think you can ask "你可不可" 'you can not can?' with the
possible answers "可" 'can' and "不可" 'cannot'. This corresponds directly to
toki pona's "sina ken ala ken?" 'you can not can?' with the answers "ken"
'can' and "ken ala" 'cannot'.
There's also the "anu seme?" pattern which is similar to the
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tag_question](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tag_question)
phenomenon in a number of languages; the one that I find it most similar to is
German, with the "oder?" tags.
[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oder#Particle](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oder#Particle)
I understand the "oder?" to have a connotation of 'or _what_?' (like "are you
coming or what?"), in which case "kommst du, oder?" should correspond
literally to toki pona's "sina kama anu seme?" 'you come or what?'.
------
stewbrew
Does the title comply with HN rules?
BTW to use an artificial language to understand real life is like asking a
Catholic priest for marriage advice.
~~~
ColinWright
The original title was carefully chosen, extracted from the pages themselves,
to ensure that HN readers would have an idea of what it was supposed to be
about, and not just a pair of random words. As such, I thought it did comply,
and was helpful.
Clearly the mods disagreed.
------
HeavenBanned
I really love how body parts are consolidated so smartly. "noka" meaning
thigh, shin and foot is just brilliant.
~~~
gliese1337
You might like Russian, then.
~~~
therein
Care to elaborate? Genuinely curious.
~~~
gliese1337
Russian also has a single word for the entire lower limb, leg and foot
included: "noga". Also a single word for the combined arm and hand: "ruka".
| {
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Node WebKit - gits1225
https://github.com/rogerwang/node-webkit?
======
SixSigma
I don't quite understand what this is. Is it a Web browser that runs Npm?
Is it a server side html renderer?
~~~
general_failure
Desktop software using HTML and node.
~~~
SixSigma
I still don't quite understand.
How is it different from a web browser ?
~~~
hnbro
i suppose one difference would be that browsers don't have a web server
process built-in (or most don't)
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DNC warns 2020 campaigns not to use FaceApp 'developed by Russians' - smacktoward
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/17/politics/dnc-warning-faceapp/
======
bifrost
I was discussing this (faceapp) earlier today, and I really don't feel like
its a big deal aside from the russaphobia it drums up. We shouldn't condemn
all of the post-soviet countries because of some percieved boogeyman.
I'm not a hugely public person but I've certainly been on a lot of websites
([http://web.archive.org/web/20181001112852/http://www.ycombin...](http://web.archive.org/web/20181001112852/http://www.ycombinator.com/people/))
and I've been on TV and vlogs as well. If they're looking for facial data,
they'll get it from that.
The TOS for the app is about the same as an Social Media site as well so
unless you're going to become a neoluddite you probably shouldn't care.
| {
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HumanPredictions – Bootstrapping a SaaS app to $18k/mo in under a year - csallen
https://www.indiehackers.com/businesses/humanpredictions?utm_source=hacker-news&utm_campaign=interview-promotion&utm_medium=social
======
hiou
He basically gets a spot in the family business which he uses as a launchpad
to creating a SaaS product. Come on, this title is so far off from reality. No
problem with what he did and it sounds like he does a great job, but let's at
least keep the titles from indiehackers somewhat accurate. It gives a lot of
people thinking about starting their own company really unrealistic
expectations.
~~~
gregorymichael
As someone who has known Elliot from the Chicago scene for the last ~10 years,
I have to push back on this.
Elliot hustled his ass off doing his own thing, working recruiting for
Groupon, working as one of the founding employees of DevBootcamp Chicago to
get graduates gigs (and doing so with great success), and then back to his own
recruiting before launching Human Predictions based on feedback from his
clients and experiences.
He became, at least in my circles, the most trusted recruiter amongst
developers. Many thought of him as more of an "agent" than a recruiter.
Someone you could grab coffee with every six months who'd keep you in mind if
the perfect gig came up. I referred friends to him all the time without
concern that he'd spam them, hard-sell them, put them in whatever spot that
was open just to reap the commission. He's always had the developer's interest
in mind first and foremost.
I understand the sentiment that these stories can sometimes over-simplify the
journey. Yes, he had the privilege of learning the family business at a young
age. But it's not as if "having a dad that does X" makes it a trivial effort
to launch a SaaS that does X. In Elliot's case, there was at least ten years
of self-motivated hustle in-between.
~~~
hiou
Absolutely agree with you and my apologies if my comment made it out to sound
like I felt like he did not work for what he has accomplished.
_> No problem with what he did and it sounds like he does a great job_
My comment was about the indiehackers title and link. It seems to be a pretty
common occurrence for that site to greatly exaggerate the 0 to $X and this
article is unfortunately no exception. Much respect to Elliot for all he has
accomplished.
~~~
csallen
IH founder here. Why do you think the title is exaggerated? He did start his
business less than one year ago.
Of course, any business depends on the skillset and knowledge that its
founders started to build previous to its founding, but how do you put a start
date on that? To build a company, you need business skills, a network, money,
programming knowledge... for that you probably need professional experience...
for that you need the ability to read and write... etc. Where do you draw the
line? Everything always depends on what came before it. People get this. They
aren't naive enough to believe that founders are born on day 1 of their
companies with no previous life experience or knowledge of the world.
I agree it's dishonest to refer to a 5-year-old business as "an overnight
success" as often happens, but how exactly is it misleading to call a 1-year
old-business a 1-year-old business?
------
kpwagner
Wow! Maybe just me, hearing about a company bootstrapping to success instead
of raising large rounds of financing is all the more inspiring.
~~~
dave_sullivan
80% of the inc 500, the fastest growing private companies, haven't raised
outside capital.
~~~
thenaturalist
Do you have a source for that?
~~~
dave_sullivan
Some inc article I saw on HN with Sam Altman talking about how important
startups are to the economy, couldn't find exact one.
~~~
gexla
Here is a link to the HN discussion to the article I assume you are thinking
about. The wording was a bit different, which may have been why you didn't
find it.
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12625642](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12625642)
~~~
dave_sullivan
That's the one. The exact quote:
> Only twenty per cent of the Inc. 500, the five hundred fastest-growing
> private companies, raised outside funding.
------
0xmohit
The underlying assumption seems to be that everyone uses
LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter. While it would be largely true, not _everyone_ uses
those. What would your tool say about them?
~~~
dpick
Unfortunately because we are just looking at public data online (including
Github, StackOverflow, and Meetup) if people don't use those services (or
contribute to open source) we won't discover them or be able to a make a
prediction about their likeliness to leave.
~~~
0xmohit
Maybe you should start looking at Keybase [0] too. It might help you link
personal websites, github, twitter, ...
[0] [https://keybase.io/](https://keybase.io/)
~~~
dpick
Thanks! We do actually use Keybase for discovering social accounts as well.
------
shostack
I noticed the UTM tags you had on this link.
How is Hacker News performing as part of your interview promotion?
~~~
csallen
Just started using UTM query params a few days ago, so I'll have more data
when I write my monthly review for November! But in October, direct links from
HN accounted for around half of my total traffic. More details here:
[https://goo.gl/FMxdpc](https://goo.gl/FMxdpc).
------
dpick
Hey everyone, I'm the CTO and Co-Founder of HumanPredictions happy to answer
any questions anyone has about the article or the company in general!
~~~
garysieling
I'm curious if you've received feedback from software developers on what the
experience is like being recruiting with your tool.
The agency spam approach you mention is irritating, but I would imagine that
if you're correctly predicting when someone is looking to jump that would be
less of a problem.
~~~
dpick
We actually do have a significantly better response from developers both
because they're being reached out to at the right time, but also because a lot
of our users are CTO's and Engineering managers who by the fact that they are
technical can have a much better conversation with prospects.
~~~
garysieling
Cool, that makes sense. I think a big part of the spam problem is mass
template emails, so if your customers are emailing people directly it would be
much better.
~~~
dpick
Completely agree, one of our core goals from the beginning of HumanPredictions
has been to kill mass template emails.
------
hueving
Would it be possible for a dev to see their own prediction (to prove ownership
maybe leverage oauth of one of the sites: github, linkedin, etc)?
~~~
dpick
We don't currently support that through the application, but it is on our
roadmap and something we very much want to build.
For now though if you reach out to me at [email protected] I'd be
happy to let you know what our current prediction for you is.
------
vsloo
Great story and many great lessons. Being "intentional about the people you
work with" is a great piece of advice and one that we usually like to stress
too when talking to aspiring entrepreneurs. We wrote about some of this too in
a previous HN thread [https://betterthansure.com/answer-hn-growing-a-side-
project-...](https://betterthansure.com/answer-hn-growing-a-side-
project-30f17f6a10da#.ntvqg0q7z).
------
desireco42
This is really cool idea, I like how it uses data to predict behavior.
I have few recruiters that always hit me around the time when I get a little
more free. They don't have this tool, just their spidey sense, but I bet they
would like something like this.
~~~
0xmohit
I heard of such tools a couple of years back. So I'm sure those exist.
How well do those work if an entirely different issue.
~~~
desireco42
Well, if people use twitter, github etc, they will be findable and their trace
can be used to predict if they are 'jumping ship'. It is common to start
blogging around the time you are looking to change work for example.
------
soheil
Sounds like very similar to my start up NetIn[1] We also look at public
profile updates and other signals to tell if a candidate is on the move. We
also got to HN frontpage last night for our candidate job portal[2]. If there
are people who would like to talk about what we've accomplished so far feel
free to reach me at [email protected]
[1] [https://netin.co](https://netin.co) [2]
[https://netin.co/candidates](https://netin.co/candidates)
------
philip1209
It's great to hear about your success!
For discussion's purposes, it's worth pointing out that there is a venture-
funded company that is doing the same thing (but with a big data science
team):
[https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/entelo](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/entelo)
------
iamleppert
Now just let me come up with a product I can sell to developers that
camouflages them to this product by simulating activity on these sites...
I wonder what their next line of business is at this company...selling this
data to current employers to see when their employee is about to jump ship?
------
gizmo
This type of data mining of personal information feels kind of icky to me.
------
k2xl
I wrote a similar tool for recruiters (only analyzes LinkedIn profiles that
you are viewing). Mine is significantly cheaper at $9 per month:
[https://recap.work](https://recap.work)
~~~
0xmohit
Your site redirects (301) from HTTPS to HTTP!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
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Famed mathematician claims proof of 160-year-old Riemann hypothesis - thomasahle
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2180406
======
ColinWright
There is significant scepticism[0][1] surrounding this, and many, many
submissions:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18044050](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18044050)
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18042687](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18042687)
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18042513](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18042513)
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18042116](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18042116)
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18041616](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18041616)
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18038790](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18038790)
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18036367](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18036367)
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18032207](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18032207)
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18029551](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18029551)
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18029459](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18029459)
=============================================
[0]
[https://old.reddit.com/r/math/comments/9hl35w/sir_michael_at...](https://old.reddit.com/r/math/comments/9hl35w/sir_michael_atiyah_announced_a_proof_of_the/e6cxbin/)
[1] [https://mathoverflow.net/questions/311062/sir-michael-
atiyah...](https://mathoverflow.net/questions/311062/sir-michael-atiyahs-
conference-on-the-riemann-hypothesis)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
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Linear Algebra and Applications: An Inquiry-Based Approach - henning
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1021&context=books
======
jcranmer
Pedagogically, the challenge to teaching linear algebra is that you start with
"here's systems of linear equations, we can put them into matrices and now
here's row operations to solve them," and you end up with "now matrices are
actually representations of linear operators on vector spaces, let's analyze
the properties of this specific operator." Usually, this is also coupled with
a reluctance to actually discuss vector spaces, since the meat of it involves
abstract algebra, which usually comes after linear algebra.
Failing to tackle this challenge appropriately can leave students confused
about properties that seem apparently random (trace and determinant are big
offenders here), or textbooks bringing something up only to never mention it
again (null space is often an example here). On top of this, there is also the
multiple notation problem (admittedly, not as bad as calculus, where there are
too many notations for derivative) and the minor issue that many of the
algorithms taught in the book aren't used in practice because of numerical
stability issues.
It has been so long since I've taken linear algebra, and I've taken abstract
algebra courses since then, that I can't really compare this book to the
approach that I learned. Skimming the book, the thing that jumps out the most
to me is that LU factorization and determinants are shoved surprisingly late
in the book [1], and eigenvalues are "previewed" quite early. I'm not sure
that's a good approach: LU factorization is important because backsolving the
L and U matrices is more numerically stable (and sparser, when you're dealing
with sparse matrices) than the inverse matrix, and it works even if your
matrix isn't square. Furthermore, determinants tie in better to row
operations, and their weird application with Cramer's rule is another way to
solve a set of linear equations: you don't want to introduce Cramer's rule
months after you finished treating matrices as stepping stones to solving
linear equations.
The book does cover vector spaces, although in a bit of a dance around not
covering abstract algebra. I'm not sure it's an effective introduction of
vector spaces, although it could well suffice to ease the pedagogical trap
mentioned earlier. On the other hand, if it's going to dive that far into
vector spaces, it would probably be helpful to have some more sections on
matrices over fields that aren't real numbers (i.e., complex numbers (make
sure to mention conjugate transpose and Hermitian matrices!), rational
numbers, and finite fields).
[1] Strassen's algorithm for matrix multiplication is described before LU
factorization, to give you an idea of how weird the ordering ends up being.
~~~
tonyarkles
I went through EE and CS. EE we started using matrices exactly how you
describe it: here’s a system of linear equations, here’s how you write them in
matrix form, here’s how you invert them to solve the original system. Turn the
crank, answer pops out. I had my trusty HP49G, and I could solve linear
systems all day.
Then in CS I took a computer graphics course and it was rotation and
translation matrices all day every day.
Then there was a digital communications course where we touched on orthogonal
basis functions, and some matrix voodoo related to that and how to get
orthogonal vectors out of the mess.
And then finally I took the required CS linear algebra course offered by the
math department, where we started from scratch. Here’s a vector (psh, I know
vectors!), here’s a vector space (hmmm this is new), and building the rest of
it up from there. I _really_ wish that had come earlier on, but I was very
very happy to finally have a bit of a theoretical understanding of how these
tools I’d been using actually worked.
~~~
jammygit
I feel like my university only taught calculation, not theory, when it came to
linear algebra. It’s like the equivalent of a “12 hacks to rotate a matrix”
article. The theoretical books I find however give no explanation for the
definitions etc, ie, WHY are the dot/cross products defined the way they are.
It’s as though they feel matrixes are natural phenomenon that you should just
memorize the properties of, which is also nonsense.
The entire field is defined by such terrible books. I’d love to be wrong
though if somebody has a recommendation
------
faizshah
Along these lines, my stats professor recommended a really nice book that
offers a case studies based approach for grad level stats:
[http://www.statisticalsleuth.com/](http://www.statisticalsleuth.com/)
I've been going through it by implementing the solutions in jupyter notebooks.
They have the datasets and code in R so it's easy to work with and work out
the solutions.
~~~
dmitryminkovsky
Thank you for the recommendation.
------
Vaslo
The fact that it doesn’t start with some unreadable mathematical notation that
is just the author trying to show how smart they are give me hope.
Looks like a really good introductory source just skimming the first few
chapters.
------
anjc
I haven't gone through this yet but I really like the idea of each new concept
being described in the context of a useful application. Thanks OP
------
ch
Cool. I want to try and work through this text, just to assess how useful it
is.
The approach is an interesting one.
Looks like this will have to become a weekly goal. Maybe one chapter a week?
Seems possible.
------
zhamisen
Hopefully this topology book will be in the same style:
[https://bookstore.ams.org/text-58](https://bookstore.ams.org/text-58)
------
melvinroest
I have no clue how this is having 52 votes and no comments on it. How am I
supposed to know this is a good book? I'll highlight the goals of this book as
it explains more about the title.
> We place an emphasis on active learning and on developing students’
> intuition through their investigation of examples. For us, active learning
> involves students – they are DOING something instead of being passive
> learners.
I found this goal the most interesting.
> To help students understand that mathematics is not done as it is often
> presented. We expect students to experiment through examples, make
> conjectures, and then refine their conjectures. We believe it is important
> for students to learn that definitions and theorems don’t pop up completely
> formed in the minds of most mathematicians, but are the result of much
> thought and work
~~~
marktangotango
The reason I upvoted was with intent to review later. I personally found that
after two semesters of linear and a BS Mathematics I didn’t know jack about
linear algebra. I came to the conclusion that I should’ve studied physics or
engineering if I’d wanted to actually learn how to use it!
~~~
josinalvo
for this use case, I use favorite rather than the upvote
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
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Blockupload.io: Upload Files to Bitcoin Cash Blockchain(LZMA and OCB3-ChaCha20 - MCCCS
Hello HN community,<p>I'd like to present you my tool (https://blockupload.io) that allows embedding files up to 1 MB in Bitcoin Cash transactions. The tool uses WebAssembly to compress files using LZMA, and optionally encrypts files using a combination of OCB3 and ChaCha20. If you wonder how it does this, it's by not including a checksum in the ChaCha20 layer, which shouldn't be a problem since it's intended for chosen-ciphertext invulnerable, un-side-channeled personal computers. Anyway, you can see how it encrypts here: https://github.com/DesWurstes/BlockUpload/blob/7d0e247b7f5e01d1d84932a780156a590ec7f844/exports.c#L67<p>(This tool is intended for legal use only)<p>I'd like to hear your comments on this, HN community. You can also look at r/btc's reaction here: https://www.reddit.com/r/btc/comments/bah8zw/store_files_up_to_1_mb_in_bch_blockchain_onchain/<p>This tool is useful for:
- Static CDN
- Personal immutable file storage
======
yyyyip
cool project, expected response from BCH crew. permissionless is
permissionless. they need to suck it up.
------
ddtaylor
Neat idea. Keep working on it.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Barclays Center freight elevators: each can carry a loaded semitruck (2015) [pdf] - owenversteeg
http://www.meielevatorsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/BARCLAYS-CENTER.pdf
======
couchand
Very interesting read.
I was confused about the specific location the document desribes. "They enable
semi-truck or bus drivers to drive straight into either elevator from the
intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush avenues on the southeast side of the
arena."
At the intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush is a large pedestrian plaza and
the main entrance to the building, they would have a hard time driving a truck
through there. The actual entrance is on Dean Street (and indeed at the
southeast corner of the arena):
[https://www.google.com/maps/@40.6816292,-73.9748135,3a,75y,6...](https://www.google.com/maps/@40.6816292,-73.9748135,3a,75y,6.88h,82.79t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sXQCxa91lYzKNOFTVKsqRww!2e0!7i16384!8i8192)
------
owenversteeg
Video of them in action, including the 100,000lb turntable here:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm19yMKVqOs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm19yMKVqOs)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
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Worse Than China? U.S. Government Wants To Censor Search Engines And Browsers - sdizdar
http://act.demandprogress.org/act/protectip_docs/?source=fb
======
jgershen
This article, like the headline, is light on facts and high on sensationalism.
However, the bill (full text available at [1]) does look pretty ugly.
[1] [http://leahy.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/BillText-
PROTECTIPAct....](http://leahy.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/BillText-
PROTECTIPAct.pdf)
------
bluedanieru
We need a new constitution.
~~~
HedgeMage
The Constitution is fine; the government's habit of ignoring it is the
problem.
EDIT: The Constitution is fine; our habit of letting the government ignore it
is the problem.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
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Ask HN: Can you posit some examples of civil discourse? - ahdroit
I understand this is not a political forum and am not looking for your political opinion rather examples of effective communication.<p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DvmLMUfGss
Firing Line with William F. Buckley Jr.: Vietnam and the Intellectuals<p>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_discourse<p>I am aware that:
"Off-Topic: Most stories about politics, or crime, or sports, unless they're evidence of some interesting new phenomenon. Ideological or political battle or talking points."
and also:
"We ban accounts that use Hacker News primarily for political or ideological battle, regardless of which politics they favor. "<p>But would be interested in what makes effective dialog in your opinion.<p>other discussions (Buckley):
https://hn.algolia.com/?query=William%20F.%20Buckley&sort=byPopularity&prefix&page=0&dateRange=all&type=story<p>(Chomsky)
https://hn.algolia.com/?query=Chomsky&sort=byPopularity&prefix=false&page=0&dateRange=all&type=story<p>I am not interested in your opinions on the specific speakers or their point of view. Rather examples where each speaker is able to communicate their point of view to the best of their ability within a context that allowed for a dialog.
======
wu-ikkyu
There are various intellectuals who have recorded debates and lectures on
youtube. It just depends on who you're interested in. If you look up any of
these names on youtube or elsewhere you'll find some interesting and eloquent
discourse (at least it is to me) with considerable political implications:
-Marshall McLuhan (media and communications theory)
[https://youtu.be/ImaH51F4HBw](https://youtu.be/ImaH51F4HBw)
-Buckminster Fuller (futurism and socioeconomics)
[https://youtu.be/elVGz_VR3eU](https://youtu.be/elVGz_VR3eU)
-Alan Watts (psychology and religion)
[https://youtu.be/eV7FLlRmuf0](https://youtu.be/eV7FLlRmuf0)
-Joseph Campbell (mythology and culture)
[https://youtu.be/aGx4IlppSgU](https://youtu.be/aGx4IlppSgU)
-MLK (sociology and human rights)
[https://youtu.be/9SfH2uMayks](https://youtu.be/9SfH2uMayks)
~~~
ahdroit
just wanted to say before this gets lost... all heroes, had not seen all of
these, i think i am also interested in implicit animosity but at the same time
coherent dialog¿? that said whom ever you are i lov u. in the truest sense of
the world.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
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HN Being Fair - unimpressive
https://www.hnsearch.com/search#request/comments&q=%22to+be+fair%22
======
niggler
To be fair, "to be fair" is a common phrase that many of us use in face-to-
face conversation
~~~
unimpressive
It is, I just find these little quirks in language fascinating.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Google Zeitgeist 2012 - sethbannon
http://www.google.com/zeitgeist/2012/#the-world
======
chrisacky
Op op op op oppan. So, I was browsing through the source of the Zeitgeist
pages (as you do), and I saw some pretty cool stuff.
I started off by just wanting to know how the explore map was done [1]
But then I saw #easter-egg in the source, and also easter-egg.css file being
included.
If you look at the very very bottom of the page on the right, you will see the
Google colors. Hover over that for a Gangnam dancing character[2].
[1] : http://www.google.com/zeitgeist/2012/#explore
[2] : http://www.google.com/zeitgeist/2012/#maia-signature (Easter Egg Here)
I just made a JS Fiddle and posted a new submission on HN.
<http://jsfiddle.net/Layke/7hjTC/show/> <\--- View the Easter Egg
~~~
Surio
[Moved comment to other thread...]
------
_sentient
That video was beautiful. It's easy to develop a narrow focus on your
immediate surroundings. Sometimes it helps to take a step back and get a
broader perspective of this wild, diverse and beautiful planet we're fortunate
enough to live on.
~~~
aidos
Definitely puts things in perspective. With that thought, I'm going to stop
work for the day and go and pick up my daughter.
~~~
thesis
I had never seen the video of the soldier and his son. After a quick search I
found it. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqPlBy2-abA>
The whole Google video is great. But this clip / video really got to me. Very
touching.
~~~
kristofferR
The story about the little girl briefly shown in 2:26 is also incredibly
touching. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoZ2BgPVtA0>
------
rwos
Is this censored? There's nothing related to copyright infringement or porn in
there. Also, the categories and trending/most-searched selection seems
arbitrary. Every country has a different set of data.
~~~
josefresco
Where's DDG with an unfiltered Zeitgeist for 2012?
~~~
Surio
That was supposed to be my line too.
Seconded ;-)
P.S: I am actually semi-serious in a way. I have actually witnessed the search
bubble on colleagues' PC vs. mine so, I'm all for it.
------
barredo
There is no way "iPhone" or "iPhone 5 is not on that list.
<http://cl.ly/image/0u0R2r12402a>
([http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=iphone%2C%20iphone5%2...](http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=iphone%2C%20iphone5%2C%20ipad%2C%20ipad%20mini%2C%20samsung%20galaxy%20s3&cmpt=q))
<http://cl.ly/image/2l2I1b3G4328>
([http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=iphone%205%2C%20Galax...](http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=iphone%205%2C%20Galaxy%20Note%202%2C%20Microsoft%20Surface%2C%20Nokia%20Lumia%20920&cmpt=q))
It's not even close. Note 2, Surface, Lumia 920, iPad 4 and iPad mini are 2
month old on the market.
iPhone 5 it's been rumored and re-rumored for months before releasing it, then
with all the problems attached to the iPhone 5 release, Apple Maps, record
sales, or whatever... people must have searched for it quite a lot (as Google
Trends data suggest)
ps. Also, "Lana del Ray" ('Rey' is the correct) (sic, performing artists)?
These lists doesn't seem quite right.
~~~
andrewcooke
she has released an album under both names - lana del ray was self-titled;
born to die was lana del rey. and she's one of only 3 names i recognise from
that list.
but i agree that the lists appear to have "complex" selection criteria.
~~~
barredo
Thanks for the correction
------
patrickaljord
[http://www.google.com/zeitgeist/2012/#the-world/consumer-
ele...](http://www.google.com/zeitgeist/2012/#the-world/consumer-electronics)
iPhone is not in the top 10, it was #2 last year. iPad is #1 though.
[http://www.googlezeitgeist.com/en/top-
lists/global/fastest-r...](http://www.googlezeitgeist.com/en/top-
lists/global/fastest-rising-consumer-electronics)
~~~
trendnet
This year iPhone is trending on Twitter
(<http://2012.twitter.com/en/trends.html>) and Facebook
([http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/12/3758102/facebook-
stories-...](http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/12/3758102/facebook-
stories-2012-pictures#3904655)) but not on Google. Something is not right.
[http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=iphone%205,%20samsung...](http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=iphone%205,%20samsung%20galaxy%20s3)
~~~
nrp
Trending reflects the difference between the results for 2011 and 2012. Recall
that until the iPhone 4S was announced, the assumption was that it would be
called the iPhone 5, and was searched for by that term.
------
cfontes
My country sometimes embarrasses me.
Brazil is having the biggest trials against corrupt politicians in our history
lasting almost 6 months now with several big figures being arrested and
condemnt, and this is not even in the TOP 10, and the nº1 is Facebook followed
by BBB12.
~~~
Surio
>> and this is not even in the TOP 10, and the nº1 is Facebook followed by
BBB12.
You will have to wait for the competition to make _that video_. It will be
aptly titled "search bubbles zeitgeist" 2012 ;-) (semi joking, ... I have
witnessed the "search bubble" and I love the fact that there are companies
like DDG, Lycos and Blekko providing search and curated results! Wish them all
well)
I know what you mean though. It is definitely a sign of our times. Huxley won
and Orwell lost the crystal ball gazing contest. 1984 is gone (well, not
entirely IMO) and we are all living in the Brave new world now. ;-P
------
yarapavan
Full List (PDF):
[http://static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/untrust...](http://static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/untrusted_dlcp/www.google.com/en//zeitgeist/2012/download/google-
zeitgeist-2012-en.pdf)
~~~
killahpriest
Ironically, I cant seem to be able to use `cmd + f` on that PDF.
~~~
smackfu
Yeah, very odd. It seems like the characters in the search index are offset
from the real characters. d=a, e=b, etc. At least in Chrome's PDF viewer.
------
benburleson
Why do I get Error 503?
~~~
speedyrev
So am I.
------
corporalagumbo
My main thought watching the video: "Holt shit that is some good advertising."
A slickly-produced, epic, emotional and humble tribute to the richness and
absurdity of human life - all inconspicuously presented through a panorama of
Google's entire product portfolio - tying the sweeping feelings stirred in you
either consciously or subconsciously to everything Google...
------
scotty79
Fails on iPad with 404 after watching the movie and clicking the "Begin
journey" button. It tries to redirect to
<http://www.google.com/zeitgeist/2012/explore-tablet.html> that seems to not
exist.
------
majani
One of the top searches in my country, Kenya, is 'how to abort.'
What an eye-opener for a reportedly Christian country where abortion is
illegal.
<http://www.google.com/zeitgeist/2012/#kenya>
------
shortlived
Russian HN'ers,
I realize this is not the Yandex zeit but this entry puzzles me:
что такое холокост
The question: is this a meme? or why the sudden interest now? There were a
bunch of videos associated with that query, none of which I could understand
very well. Are they people just giving stupid answers?
The other results paint an interesting picture of ru-net:
Russians want to know meaning of "bro" and "mainstream", want to draw roses
and are very interested in hacking email aka soap (soap is мыло, which sounds
a bit like mail).
------
friendly_chap
I am quite surprised nobody searches for porn on the internetz.
~~~
teach
Oh, I'm sure they still do. But it's not "trending". That is, searches haven't
noticeably increased / changed from previous years.
------
zavulon
<http://www.google.com/zeitgeist/2012/#the-world/tv-shows>
This is really sad.
~~~
smackfu
I'm actually very surprised Homeland made it to that list. I thought it was
critically acclaimed but not that popular.
------
mlapida
Does anyone find it completely insane that the iPhone (4/4S/5) doesn't show up
in the top 10 for Consumer Electronics? A little bit of massaging going on
there?
------
magikbum
I like how they are co-opting the idea of "hashtags" as being a Google +
thing. With their this year in "Google+ Hashtags" is that even a thing?
------
kinofcain
It's amazing but not all that surprising how geeky the google plus hashtags
are. I wonder if we'll see social networks splinter into cliques.
------
didsomeonesay
Zeitgeist 2012 -> Germany -> Trending Car Brands
1\. Opel 2\. BMW 3\. Audi 4\. VM 5\. Mercedes
...
4\. VM ?? O_o
~~~
JBiserkov
I'm guessing VM is a common typo for VW made by Dvorak users.
~~~
jonknee
I'm guessing there are no way near enough Dvorak users to have any typos show
up on the zeitgeist.
------
eze
When I lived in the US I was puzzled to find, say, May magazine issues
available in newsstands as early as mid April. Similarly, it seems not only
acceptable, but indeed expected, for major companies to review the year before
it's over.
Can Americans (or else) shed some light on this phenomenon?
~~~
yan
Marking a magazine with a date in the future simply increases its shelf life.
As for the year-end reviews, I assume people like to look back at a year
toward the end and set goals for the new year at the start. Jan 2013, people
don't care much for 2012 anymore.
------
vitorarins
Watching that, I couldn't stop thinking.. "Google is ruling the world..Google
is ruling the world.."
------
rubergly
"Play Station"?
I assume they're aggregating similar terms, so is this just a case of choosing
the wrong aggregate name? Google Trends reports "playstation" is MUCH more
common than "play station" (looks like at least 10:1).
------
krharper
So sad to see the triviality that constitute the majority of our searches.
------
pdeuchler
So essentially we are obsessed with triviality, materialism and celebrity.
~~~
hnriot
and this surprises you? you forgot porn
------
denzil_correa
503. That’s an error.
The service you requested is not available at this time.
Service error -27. That’s all we know.
I receive a 503 error on the page.
------
frankydp
Was surprised by this one
8\. Donate to NASA
------
Aardwolf
Why is the #1 query never something I ever type?
~~~
polyfractal
Because you are not the majority?
------
Centigonal
Trending airlines? O_o
------
jezclaremurugan
and India's no. 1 search for people is Sunny Leone...
------
cookiecaper
Am I the only one who can't see any video? Only sound plays in both Firefox
and Chromium.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Do you remember TJ Holowaychuk? - volument
TJ (https://github.com/tj) used to be a significant JavaScript contributor and could easily be labeled as the "rockstar" of the time. In 2014 he switched from Node to Go (https://medium.com/@tjholowaychuk/farewell-node-js-4ba9e7f3e52b) and I haven't heard of him ever since. Is it just me, or is there a correlation?
======
hazza1
[https://www.quora.com/Has-TJ-Holowaychuk-been-as-prolific-
in...](https://www.quora.com/Has-TJ-Holowaychuk-been-as-prolific-in-the-
Golang-community-as-he-was-in-the-Node-js-community)
"my new goal is to live a better life. In the end open-source doesn’t pay the
bills so it’s best to focus on other things if you can, or if you just enjoy
the project then that’s cool."
~~~
malthejorgensen
This.
IMO he's still a "rockstar". It's just the Node and JS community that hypes
everything disproportionally (they used to at least). The fact that he single-
handedly built Apex
([https://github.com/apex/apex](https://github.com/apex/apex)) show that he's
still prolific, and a programmer of note.
There's a similar story for Sindre Sorhus, who moved on from the JS community
to Swift.
------
recurser
I’m a customer of his uptime service
([https://apex.sh/ping/](https://apex.sh/ping/)), and following up framework
([https://up.docs.apex.sh/](https://up.docs.apex.sh/)) with interest, but
haven’t used it yet. Perhaps he is more focused on career and family, and less
on open source? If so, good for him.
------
samblr
Honestly, I would pay to see video-screen-share of how guys like TJ code.
------
martimatix
Isn't he working on apex up?
[https://github.com/apex/up](https://github.com/apex/up)
------
zimpenfish
He's been posted to HN a bunch of times since 2015-01-01.
[https://hn.algolia.com/?query=holowaychuk&sort=byDate&prefix...](https://hn.algolia.com/?query=holowaychuk&sort=byDate&prefix&page=0&dateRange=custom&type=story&dateStart=1420070400&dateEnd=1548979200)
Seems to be working on a startup which might explain the lack of noise.
------
zoba
There was a whole conspiracy theory that he was a collective rather than an
individual.
[https://www.quora.com/Do-you-think-TJ-Holowaychuk-is-
real-I-...](https://www.quora.com/Do-you-think-TJ-Holowaychuk-is-real-I-dont-
think-someone-can-be-as-productive-as-he-is?ch=10&share=73bce5cf&srid=hIhw)
------
sdwisely
I remember him from the Ruby community before that. Is there a correlation?
probably not.
Life happens.
------
fpaboim
Apex up is nice, cool to know he's behind apex.
------
eulalila
Genuinely inspirational that, looks like he’s now living in London with a hot
Russian girlfriend working with sane, stable tools on small, developer focused
products, _and_ his homepage is still photography vs a bunch of shite little
blog posts.
Difference between living to code and coding to live kids, take note.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Why I'm Learning Node - b14ck
http://rdegges.com/why-im-learning-node
======
wickedchicken
Not many people know this, but Javascript: The Good Parts is available online
as a PDF, for free! [http://www.rose-
hulman.edu/Users/faculty/rickert/OldFiles/Cl...](http://www.rose-
hulman.edu/Users/faculty/rickert/OldFiles/Class/csse/csse403/201010/Papers/UngarSmith87.pdf)
~~~
andrewflnr
I think you have the wrong link there. It goes to a paper about Self.
~~~
noelwelsh
It's a joke, except it points to the wrong link. It should be have been to
<http://people.csail.mit.edu/jaffer/r4rs_toc.html>
------
hasenj
The problem with node is it decreases your productivity tremendously.
The most important thing about the choice of programming tools is
productivity. Node.JS does _not_ promise you any productivity gains. Node
sells itself as a solution to "slowness" caused by "blocking IO". What's the
solution? All I/O is evented! This means you have to write everything with
callbacks.
You may see some very nice libraries/tools coming out around node.js, like
jade, coffeescript, and stylus. These are all nice and good, and they _do_
increase your productivity, but, _only on the client side_.
If you're looking for performance and non-blocking IO, use Go, it's much
better at that.
~~~
karterk
_You may see some very nice libraries/tools coming out around node.js, like
jade, coffeescript, and stylus. These are all nice and good, and they do
increase your productivity, but, only on the client side._
I disagree. Firstly, CoffeScript is not confined to the client-side. Besides,
there are some modules like socket.io for which you will hardly find any
substitues in other eco-systems.
You're also discounting the effects of context shifts between two separate
languages - one on the client side, and the other on the server side.
Lastly, I would like to know what you find productive about Go, that's not the
case with either CS/JS on Node.
~~~
hasenj
The decrease in productivity with node comes from having to write everything
with callbacks. Programming asynchronously is crazy, it makes very simple
algorithms very annoying to write.
I'd say it's almost like writing in assembly. You have to write your code in
some pseudo code first, synchronously, then translate that into the
asynchronous callback spaghetti than node requires.
> Lastly, I would like to know what you find productive about Go, that's not
> the case with either CS/JS on Node.
Not having to write everything asynchronously?
I haven't actually used go, but the way goroutines communicate (and
synchronize) with channels suggests to me (from what I've read/seen) that this
callback spaghetti problem is non-existent in Go.
~~~
guelo
It cracks me up that you haven't tried Go but you're still recommending it, is
there a web framework?
Edit: Found web.go. Screw it it's a long weekend, I'll give learning Go a go.
~~~
chrisbroadfoot
You don't really need a web framework with go. net/http is just fine for most
use cases.
------
karterk
_After reading so many negative things about nodejs, I'm completely surprised
to report that it is actually pretty damn cool._
Most of these negative things were (are being?) written by people who target
Node's shortcomings without giving due concern to the areas it shines in.
Good Parts is definitely a good read. If anyone is looking for more reading
materials on JavaScript, I had written a post about it recently:
[http://kishorelive.com/2012/02/23/my-javascript-reading-
list...](http://kishorelive.com/2012/02/23/my-javascript-reading-list/)
~~~
b14ck
Thanks, this looks like a really great list. I'm adding these to my reading
queue :)
~~~
zecho
You should add Eloquent Javascript to the list really good JS books, if you
haven't already read it: <http://eloquentjavascript.net/>
------
nnythm
If the point is to learn front-end development, it seems like you're still
sticking to your strengths instead of challenging yourself and delving into
actual front-end DOM manipulation stuff.
~~~
lunaru
Agree. It seems the OP is just moving from one language to another rather than
from one domain (back-end) to another (front-end).
If you're learning JavaScript to get familiar with front-end and UI, Node.js
is just a distraction. Instead, my advice is to learn raw HTML/CSS/JS without
frameworks.
You know those cheesy web-based "OSes"/Desktops that no one really uses?
Building one is actually quite helpful to developing JavaScript skills. Try
building a Window manager in HTML/CSS/JS. You'll go through the entire
gauntlet of what JavaScript has to offer (e.g. closures, prototypes) while
dealing with a practical front-end problem (DOM manipulation, CSS styling)
while learning a lot about why the modern js frameworks are so useful (e.g.
jQuery for DOM, backbone.js for MVC). You'll also start getting exposure to
some basic decisions that make up the foundations of a good UI sense. I
consider this sort of exercise much more appropriate for polishing front-end
skills.
Other possible exercises include re-implementing common jQuery UI components -
drop-down menus, trees, tabs, etc. But do them without jQuery. It might sound
like reinventing the wheel, but learning fundamentals sometimes requires
retreading worn out paths.
~~~
4as198sGxV
Sure. Then he will want to kill himself when trying to use of all those
inferior and mismatched technologies for any kind of complex application
(achieving crossbrowser support will ensure many nights of fun!). He will then
go back to coding server-side where at least you can use sane language and
tools so you can be as productive as possible. However, he will be thinking
about this glimpse of hell for the rest of his career.
------
doc4t
_If you're an experienced programmer looking to learn Javascript, you probably
can't do any better than reading Javascript: The Good Parts. It's extremely
short, concise, and enjoyable to read. Highly recommended._
Any experienced programmer should definitely start elsewhere so he can make up
his own mind about Crockfords ideas about how programming should be. While the
book is ok-ish almost half of the material is about Crockfords personal
preferences for coding style and can be applied to any language.
JavaScript - The Definite Guide by David Flanagan is in my opinion the best
book on the subject. No other JS book comes even close in clarity and
thoroughness.
[http://www.amazon.com/JavaScript-Definitive-Guide-
Activate-G...](http://www.amazon.com/JavaScript-Definitive-Guide-Activate-
Guides/dp/0596805527/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333877087&sr=8-1)
~~~
maga
Agree. Moreover, the Good Parts is a bit dated since it's written in 2008 and
things had changed noticeable with ECMAScript 5 in 2009. The last 6th edition
of The Definitive Guide covers ES5 and has a chapter explaining Crockford's
ideas.
------
gabordemooij
Javascript can be quite daunting. I have seen many disasters with Javascript
applications. This is why I now teach Javascript differently, I have written
down a minimalist JS approach. This way of writing Javascript allows you to
implement almost any OOP design yet it only uses 10% of the Javascript
language thus shortening the learning curve. I wrote this initially for co-
workers but because it's such a success I've decided to put it online.
<http://www.gabordemooij.com/articles/jsoop.html>
This approach also makes it possible to treat JS more like a traditional OOP
language and it does not require external libraries, sugar code or new browser
technology. It works in the most ancient browsers.
------
Aaronontheweb
The author echoes many of the same reasons I really dived into Node - I'm a
strong C# back-end developer but really hadn't had much experience designing
web UI (HTML5/CSS/JS.)
I can say without a doubt that my experience with Node has translated to some
upside in terms of my front-end JavaScript abilities - being able to really
master the ins and outs of JavaScript language itself has made it much easier
for me to work with even some pretty nasty front-end bits.
In addition, you pick up a lot of tools in Node that are translatable to
client-side JS development. Many of the unit testing frameworks work just as
well at testing client-side code as they do server-side.
------
Alexandervn
Starting with Node is a very poor choice if you want to learn front-end. But
you can't go wrong with The Good Parts and you at least now know what's all
the fuss about Node. But now let's really start learning front-end.
Begin with semantic HTML. It's really the basis. The best front-enders I know
first write all the HTML for a project, and only _then_ start adding CSS and
JS. Learn why <b> is wrong and <strong> isn't. Make sure you're HTML
validates.
Now go to CSS. It's really easy to add some colours or fonts. You learn CSS as
you go. But there is one hurdle here: the box model. Learn about float:left,
position:absolute, display:block and how they entangle.
This will be harder than you think. You will need to learn some tools to debug
this. Install Firebug and the Webdevelopers Toolbar in Firefox and see how you
can fix your layout. Browsers aren't that scary.
We're only learning here, so skip IE for now. That one is actually kinda
scary. Though if you really want to learn front-end, it's all about browser
differences.
And then Javascript. Now it will be easy. Stick with jQuery and connect with
your Node instance with socket.io. Learn Backbone if you want to make snappy
web apps. There's a lot to learn in this 'grey field' between back-end and
front-end. But at least you now know front-end.
~~~
iso8859-1
Might as well make sure you're grammar validates too.
Anyway, I don't understand why the front-end is relevant at all. It's not the
same problem, and the fact that most people do both doesn't mean that learning
to do a good front-end will teach you to do a good back-end.
------
danbmil99
As a longtime Python guy, mostly back-end (but I knew JS pretty well) -- I did
a quick demo site recently in node, and was surprised by how it felt. There
was much less context-switching as I went back and forth between the client
and server. That sounds obvious but it was kind of a shock.
I always wanted Python on the client (here's looking at you, Jython!) -- js on
the server may be the closest thing I'm going to get.
~~~
jdc
Have you tried Pyjamas?
------
gbog
As noted somewhere else learning node is not learning front-end. Something
that bothered me recently is that on the back-end we are used to big oop
frameworks when in fact the stateless nature of http do not match oop so well.
On the front end however we have a gui so oop is a good paradigm.
~~~
cwp
Huh? What does the statelessness of HTTP have to do with OOP, particularly on
the server, but not the client?
~~~
HeyImAlex
Because most server side languages take a "throw away the world" approach to
web programming; none of your objects persist in memory through requests,
which means every time a request comes in you have to reload a part of the
user's world from the db, service the request, and then destroy the world
you've just created. For structural things like MVC, objects are great, but
you really don't see much of the "object as vehicle for data encapsulation"
that's drilled into every new programmer when they're first taught OOP.
The client, on the other hand, _can_ persist data and objects through
requests, and the only time it needs to be fully refreshed is on a full
reload.
~~~
cwp
Ah. But that isn't an issue of language or object-orientation. There are
server-side frameworks that _don't_ throw away the world, and client-side
frameworks that do. (Notice how your javascript state is thrown away everytime
you load a new page in the browser). That's a design decision that's made
possible by the statelessness of HTTP, but not required by it.
~~~
gbog
Certainly, but throwing away the world is natural on server side code and it
means that your carefully crafted object don't live long and many of them
don't need too be objects, they are micro namespaces for a set of methods. I
never tried node.js for real but one good side off it could be that you are
not pushed towards objects like you are with Python, Ruby, Java, etc.
------
leephillips
The author refers to this seething criticism of node
(<http://teddziuba.com/2011/10/node-js-is-cancer>. html), that I've seen
before, and then just soldiers on without addressing it. I'm not well versed
enough to know whether Dziuba's analysis is not the mark or not. What do the
javascript/node experts here have to say about it? The criticism, after all,
would seem to be so damning that it either needs to be refuted or to stand as
a definitive reason to never seriously consider using node in a real project.
------
octotoad
Just read around two thirds of 'The Node Beginner Book'. I've only briefly
played with node.js before now and I still don't really have an immediate use
for it personally. I could see myself using it to whip up rough scaffolding to
support prototypes of personal projects written in other languages.
I did learn something from its event-driven callback system though. Made me
realize I was approaching things the wrong way in a libevent-based daemon I'm
developing in C.
------
munyukim
Congrats,it really sucks having to rely on other people to complete your
project.Also you might want to learn Coffeescript and jQuery.
------
devin
No justification required for learning another language. I sometimes wonder
how often the ends justify the means.
------
smallegan
I like the though process but I think where you may fall short is the UI
Design aspect. HTML/CSS/Javascript isn't all that hard, it is creating a good
looking and highly usable user interface that is challenging. Good luck!
------
stcredzero
Formatting on this site is terrible for iPhone reading. It prevents zooming,
thus forcing a very small font on the reader.
------
pyrotechnick
browserify (<https://github.com/substack/node-browserify>) is great for
providing require() and bundling necessary dependencies for the browser.
~~~
Aaronontheweb
Thank god for this - I've been doing a lot of work with some NPM packages that
I want to use on the client but for the life of me couldn't figure out how to
do it. This looks like it'll do just the trick. Thanks!
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Whats your favorite YouTube tech channels but not famous? - giis
Recently came across this relatively little known channel[1]. Though it has only 6 videos and <50k users, its good. Do you know such channels?<p>[1] https://www.youtube.com/user/PieterExplainsTech/feed
======
rafzzz
Jesse Warden was really helpful for me when I was starting out programming. He
has a great series called 'Beginners Guide to Software Development' which got
me started and he's especially helpful with JavaScript testing and tooling
[https://m.youtube.com/user/jesterxl](https://m.youtube.com/user/jesterxl)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
8 Steps Two CS majors Took to Becoming Powerful Speakers - ciscoriordan
http://bases.stanford.edu/2010/04/07/8-steps-two-cs-majors-took-to-becoming-powerful-speakers/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+stanfordbases+%28StanfordBASES%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
======
ciscoriordan
Copy and paste job since it's down:
from Business Association of Stanford Entrepreneurial Students (BASES) by
wesleyleung
As two guys who love to code, we have noticed a not-too-exciting stereotype
floating around our fields of study: CS majors are poor speakers who have
traded their interpersonal relationship and communication skills for technical
expertise. This label is unfortunate because on the whole, CS majors truly do
indeed publicly speak worse than those in other fuzzier fields. To break out
of this stereotype and reach our full potentials, we decided yesterday to
participate in some Speaker Training 101 to improve our public speaking
skills, because, to be blunt, CS Majors who speak well do better than CS
majors who don’t speak well.
Here are some useful tips we took away from the training:
1\. Silence is powerful.
It might sound ironic, but the most powerful speakers are those who can employ
pauses in their words. During short bouts of mental hiccups, everyone will
want to fill gaps in their speech with the two most spoken words in the
English language. Yeah, that’s right: “Umm…” or “err…” Avoid these. Be
conscious of your umms and errs. See if you can catch yourself in the act and
replace them with some thoughtful, contemplative silence. You’ll be surprised.
2\. Use your hands.
Using your hands to emphasize key points or to articulate what you need to say
is extremely effective. Don’t let them hang limp at your sides, hiding
uselessly in your pockets, or tucked away behind the podium. You have them for
a reason. Be lively and energetic!
3\. Don’t touch the podium!
People may not think about this at all, but their natural instinct is to grab
whatever is in front of them while they are speaking. On-stage, people will
psychologically want to seek some sort of security. Remember that stand-up
comedian who kept fiddling with his microphone? Or maybe that nervous speaker
who appeared to be humping the podium. Neither took tip #3 into account. Be
confident, poised, and keep your hands off the podium!
4\. Listen to your introducer.
As the main event, everyone will naturally have their attention on you. Show
some courtesy and give your introducer your undivided attention. The audience
will naturally follow you. When the introducer gives you the stage, don’t just
start speaking and talk over him. Ease your way into your speech and set the
pace for your audience. It can be as simple as “Thank you [name] for
introducing me tonight…”
5\. Interact with the audience.
Reality check: who are you speaking to? Your audience. They are here to learn
from you, so it’s best to know your audience and involve them in your speech.
For example, this can be accomplished by doing simple tasks such as asking
questions — “raise your hand if…” Follow tip #5, and you’ll keep the audience
refreshed and engaged.
6\. Pull yourself out of a tailspin.
During the speaker training, I choked up during my improv and forgot the name
of an organization I was supposed to describe. After five seconds of misery,
the name came back to me and I made my recovery by graciously and humorously
accepting the fact I made my mistake. Surprisingly, the audience felt that
this contributed to the power of the speech. Apparently some speakers even
plan out things to fail during their speech so they could similarly pull
themselves out of a tailspin. This tactic is supposed to connect the audience
to the speaker and create this bond because the speaker becomes more human,
down-to-earth, and on the same plane as the audience.
7\. Don’t hold back your energy.
For unknown reasons, many equate speaking with less energy to increased
technical expertise. That actually doesn’t make you look more sophisticated,
that just makes you look like a poor speaker. Release that energy and don’t
hold back! Capture your audience’s attention with all the power you have to
make your speech more effective.
8\. Critique yourself and have others critique you.
This may seem self-explanatory, but when you are practicing your speech, take
turns with others to point out positives and negatives in your speech. When
addressing your own negatives, see if your audience agrees with you.
Surprisingly, audiences may not notice a lot of your mistakes. What feels like
hours of mess-ups on your part are actually unnoticeable seconds for your
audience. Keep running drills immediately afterward to incorporate the
constructive criticism.
Our public speaking is nowhere near perfect, but we recognize it as a valuable
skill to have and hope to improve in it quickly. Try out these small tips, and
you’ll be surprised at the difference it’ll make. Most of the world fears
public speaking more than death. Master these tips and you will absolutely
amaze. It’s the first step to being able to throw an event that will make a
2nd year Stanford GSB student jealous. Ambitious? No problem.
~~~
sjf
That's all good advice, but I don't think it gets to the heart of most
speakers' problem, which is simply fear. Clutching the podium, speaking too
quickly, blanking - these are all side effects of nervousness. I don't think
the solution is as simple as 'stop doing that', controlling unconscious
behaviour under pressure is difficult.
Unfortunately I don't know the secret to great public speaking, but I suspect
no. 8, practice and critique, should actually be top of the list. It is the
only thing I've found which helps.
------
mmorris
If you're interested in becoming a better speaker you should check out a local
chapter of Toast Masters. Despite the name, it's more about speeches than
about toasts.
<http://www.toastmasters.org/>
~~~
dpritchett
I just joined the local chapter at my office in hopes of hedging my technical
skills with a better set of social / presentation skills.
The cost to join was about $60 up front and another $30-40 for each six months
thereafter.
I have enjoyed all three meetings I've attended thus far. Speaking makes me
nervous, so I figure working through it will be good for me.
------
cpg
HN'd?
"Error establishing a database connection"
How do you say slashdotted for HN? :)
~~~
strooltz
yeah - it's down for me as well. anyone have a mirror??
------
swombat
Powerful speakers? Like, 200W each?
Recognised speakers, perhaps? Famous? Effective? I know it's just a quibble,
but it really seems to me that "Powerful" is not the adjective you want here.
That said, I can't read the article, since the site is down, so who knows,
maybe Powerful is a really clever pun that I'm not getting.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
90% of software developers work outside Silicon Valley - douche
http://qz.com/729293/90-of-software-developers-work-outside-silicon-valley/?imm_mid=0e5d09&cmp=em-prog-na-na-newsltr_20160716
======
ratfacemcgee
>90% of the world lives outside the United States
~~~
brudgers
I agree the submission could use a title change.
------
sunstone
Gotta be true. I imagine quite a few of them work in China, not to mention
India.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Pikini just launched – App to find your friends' bikini pictures automatically - mosselman
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pikinis/id715969584?utm_source=Launch+%28wave+13%29&utm_campaign=b3a794a37b-Launch+email&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_aa9fcb934b-b3a794a37b-79962533
======
jaegerpicker
Jesus, and people in this industry STILL fight the idea that it's an
incredibly gross and sexist environment. This is what we can achieve with some
of the greatest technologies that humanity has created, really!?
~~~
mosselman
As it says on the app page "Pikinis is for everyone – men or women, straight,
gay, or bi-sexual, human or vampire!". You are making it about sexism; surely
shows in what types of categories you think about people.
Also, phones are not the greatest technology. Medicine is the greatest and
even that is debatable. All other technology is just aimed at killing each
other and shallow fun.
~~~
jaegerpicker
Right, that's why all of the pictures as of women in the Apple store, it's
sold as a bikini search app (which is very much mostly a women's swimsuit),
and there is no overbearing culture of sexism in tech? None of those things
matter, is that really what you are trying to say?
And yes internet equipped devices and the sum total of most human knowledge at
your finger tips is CLEARLY one of the greatest if not the greatest
advancement(s) for human kind. It enhances and makes possible nearly every
other branch of human discovery possible. Because you are shallow in your use
of it does not mean the tech is aimed at shallow fun.
------
FroshKiller
I like how the link you submitted appears to have come from a "please please
please let me know when this app launches" mailing list. That's not a good
look.
~~~
mosselman
I see. Posting it here to begin with was a classy move, but using the link is
what makes it a bad look?
~~~
FroshKiller
Well, understand that the context matters. It's definitely something worth
discussing! But whether it's a good look or a bad look depends on the
discovery. If you'd found it from, say, Jezebel's critical preview versus a
heck-yeah-sign-me-up announcement list, your audience could take it
differently. :)
------
geophile
The TV series Silicon Valley has proven eerily prescient. First Weissman
scores turn out to be real, and now Nip Alert comes to life.
~~~
jaegerpicker
I know it's one of the things that makes that show pretty awesome, and makes
me pretty sure that it can be a long running show. A SHIT-TON of spoof worthy
material.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: Page of HN links - kgermino
http://hnlists.pen.io/
======
kgermino
I wrote this up after the earlier discussion at
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2496527> It's nothing fancy, but I figure
it might be a nice reference.
Let me know if there is any pages/links you want added.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
A Breakdown of Selected Government Surveillance Programs (2013) [pdf] - cmurf
https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/analysis/Government%20Surveillance%20Factsheet.pdf
======
cmurf
Decent three page summary from Brennan Center for Justice at New York
University School of Law.
Are They Allowed to Do That? A Breakdown of Selected Government Surveillance
Programs (2013)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Ask HN: Science for the very young? - timwiseman
My son is just about to turn 5 and I am looking for "science experiments" or projects we can do together to help get him interested (and give me an excuse to do some of them).<p>Any suggestions, especially on a budget?
======
zoba
I think anything that "looks cool" will be good for getting a kid interested
in science. Once you've got him/her hooked, then you can start on the actual
scientific method. To that end, science things that look cool:
Cymatics: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iXY2BE1S8Q>
Ferrofluid: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpBxCnHU8Ao>
<http://www.gaussboys.com/ndfeb-magnets/FerroFluid25>
Non Newtonian Liquids: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5SGiwS5L6I>
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2XQ97XHjVw>
Microcontrollers:
[http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=211799...](http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2117994)
(maybe not the best for a 5 year old, but in a couple years)
Make a Speaker for cheap (haven't done this one myself):
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m8fbnShPcw>
Electromagnets: <http://education.jlab.org/qa/electromagnet.html>
Finally, one project I did with my little brother that I thought was cool. I
got a frequency analyzer for my computer (
<http://www.relisoft.com/Freeware/freq.html>) and then filled glass cups with
varying amounts of liquid. Then we ran our fingers around the lip of the glass
to get it to "sing" and measured the frequency. We were able to come up with a
function for X amount of liquid gives you X frequency. I thought this was
great because: it was really appealing to my brother (he was 10 or so at the
time) because all kids like making cups make noise, we got to do scientific
method (hypothesis being more water in the glass) will make a lower frequency,
I got to teach him about graphing, how to get a forumla for a line on a graph,
and finally we could use that line to predict things to see if we were right.
------
sga
You could have a lot of fun with an inexpensive microscope (look at a number
of different materials, bugs, etc..) or even a set of magnifying glasses. Get
your hands on some polarizers, play with the affect of one and your ability to
look into bodies of water (pool, lake, etc) show him that if you cross the
polarizers you can't see through. Couple the polarizers to the microscope and
do some polarization microscopy. You could also play with prisms and look at
the dispersion of light. Lots of good optics stuff out there. I would highly
recommend staying away from lasers until he's older.
You might also consider doing some crystallization experiments (google
"crystal projects for kids").
------
Aron
Throw some pepper on a bowl of water, and touch it with a soaped finger.
------
blender
Also Baking Soda + Vinegar, add some red food coloring for lava effect
~~~
timwiseman
Great suggestion. First one we did. He loves it. If you add a drop of dish
soap it gets more bubbly and looks more like lava.
------
zck
Show him videos on youtube of various science experiments or lectures. When he
seems interested in an idea, work with him to create an experiment, find the
items, and perform it.
------
aheilbut
That photosensitive paper that lets you make 'photographs' of objects (like
leaves and rocks) was pretty fun.
------
aheilbut
Get him one of those one-volume kids' science encyclopedias to carry around.
------
aheilbut
You'd have to build it, but how about model rockets?
------
blender
Diet Coke + Mentos
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Show HN: Mobile consumable HackerNews cards - prats226
http://web.cubeit.io/web/index.html?id=7ee8b2b5-4aa9-49db-b054-b8cd1a9c28780
======
brudgers
Related: [http://cubeit.io/blog/2016/03/29/understanding-why-people-
sh...](http://cubeit.io/blog/2016/03/29/understanding-why-people-share-
screenshots-how-that-led-to-our-big-idea/)
~~~
prats226
Yeah one of our team members published that blog
------
prats226
Hey guys, I am working on a product that makes different links consumable on
mobile. Because hackernews is such a rich source of information, I am looking
at making a hackernews link consumable on mobile. My biggest issue is the
same, lot of information. Our current information on hackernews card shows
minimal information about hackernews link. Mainly title, number of upvotes,
number of comments and if its an article, then we fetch that article too. Its
not a hackernews mobile client but we are doing it for multiple sources like
producthunt, imgur etc so you can simple serach everything from this app and
share a consumable card. But it is becoming very challanging to do the same
for hackernews. I need honest feedback about if it is possible to do it for
hackernews at all and if yes, what can I change? I know its a UX problem but I
think would be better solved by users who regularly use hackernews
We got hunted on producthunt also so will get some feedback there too
~~~
pbroarsdheant1
how do product hunt cards look like. do u prefetch images and videos?
~~~
prats226
Taking into account low real estate on mobile device, we do try to make card
as consumable as possible. We do show videos and images from producthunt along
with card. Try adding links form different sources and you can checkout how
they look and post feedback here
------
pbroarsdheant1
really great consumable cards
~~~
prats226
Well hackernews card still lacks much information but looking for feedback on
how to make it better. There are other sources as well like producthunt,
imgur, vine, twitter
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
The FTC's PrivacyCon Is *Today* in DC (free to Public and Webcasted) - Dowwie
".. to discuss the latest research and trends related to consumer privacy and data security"<p>event url:
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/events-calendar/2016/01/privacycon<p>research submissions for the conference:
https://www.ftc.gov/policy/public-comments/initiative-623<p>Curated list of research submissions (noteworthy):<p>Chamber of Commerce Foundation: https://www.ftc.gov/policy/public-comments/2015/10/09/comment-00051<p>"The Web Never Forgets: Persistent Tracking Mechanisms in the Wild" https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/10/00064-98109.pdf<p>"Big Data and The Phantom Public: Lippmann and the fallacy of data privacy self-management" https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/10/00076-98127.pdf<p>The Information Accountability Foundation (submission regarding ethics in big data analysis)
https://www.ftc.gov/policy/public-comments/2015/10/09/comment-00049<p>"Towards Usable Privacy Policies: Semi-automatically Extracting Data Practices From Websites’ Privacy Policies" https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/10/00074-98122.pdf<p>"Model Inversion Attacks that Exploit Confidence Information and Basic Countermeasures" https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/10/00030-97821.pdf<p>"Web Privacy Consensus 3.0 findings" https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/10/00025-97669.pdf<p>"Government Surveillance and Internet Search Behavior" https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/10/00023-97629.pdf<p>"HTTP header enrichment " https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/09/00015-97597.pdf<p>"THE TRADEOFF FALLACY: How Marketers Are Misrepresenting American
Consumers And Opening Them Up to Exploitation"
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/09/00012-97594.pdf<p>"Android Permissions Remystified: A Field Study on Contextual Integrity" https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/09/00013-97595.pdf<p>"Peeking Beneath the Hood of Uber" https://www.ftc.gov/policy/public-comments/2015/09/26/comment-00011<p>"The Rise of Mobile Tracking Headers: How Telcos Around the World Are Threatening Your Privacy" https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/09/00008-97486.pdf<p>"The Hidden Cost of Accommodating Crowdfunder Privacy Preferences: a randomized field experiment" https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/09/00009-97487.pdf<p>"Playing the Legal Card: Using Ideation Cards to Raise Data Protection Issues within the Design Process" https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/09/00004-97144.pdf
======
brudgers
_The video you are trying to watch is using the HTTP Live Streaming protocol
which is only supported in iOS devices._
------
brudgers
Clickable:
event url: [https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/events-
calendar/2016/01/priv...](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/events-
calendar/2016/01/privacycon)
research submissions for the conference: [https://www.ftc.gov/policy/public-
comments/initiative-623](https://www.ftc.gov/policy/public-
comments/initiative-623)
Curated list of research submissions (noteworthy):
Chamber of Commerce Foundation: [https://www.ftc.gov/policy/public-
comments/2015/10/09/commen...](https://www.ftc.gov/policy/public-
comments/2015/10/09/comment-00051)
"The Web Never Forgets: Persistent Tracking Mechanisms in the Wild"
[https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2...](https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/10/00064-98109.pdf)
"Big Data and The Phantom Public: Lippmann and the fallacy of data privacy
self-management"
[https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2...](https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/10/00076-98127.pdf)
The Information Accountability Foundation (submission regarding ethics in big
data analysis) [https://www.ftc.gov/policy/public-
comments/2015/10/09/commen...](https://www.ftc.gov/policy/public-
comments/2015/10/09/comment-00049)
"Towards Usable Privacy Policies: Semi-automatically Extracting Data Practices
From Websites’ Privacy Policies"
[https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2...](https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/10/00074-98122.pdf)
"Model Inversion Attacks that Exploit Confidence Information and Basic
Countermeasures"
[https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2...](https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/10/00030-97821.pdf)
"Web Privacy Consensus 3.0 findings"
[https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2...](https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/10/00025-97669.pdf)
"Government Surveillance and Internet Search Behavior"
[https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2...](https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/10/00023-97629.pdf)
"HTTP header enrichment "
[https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2...](https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/09/00015-97597.pdf)
"THE TRADEOFF FALLACY: How Marketers Are Misrepresenting American Consumers
And Opening Them Up to Exploitation"
[https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2...](https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/09/00012-97594.pdf)
"Android Permissions Remystified: A Field Study on Contextual Integrity"
[https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2...](https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/09/00013-97595.pdf)
"Peeking Beneath the Hood of Uber" [https://www.ftc.gov/policy/public-
comments/2015/09/26/commen...](https://www.ftc.gov/policy/public-
comments/2015/09/26/comment-00011)
"The Rise of Mobile Tracking Headers: How Telcos Around the World Are
Threatening Your Privacy"
[https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2...](https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/09/00008-97486.pdf)
"The Hidden Cost of Accommodating Crowdfunder Privacy Preferences: a
randomized field experiment"
[https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2...](https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/09/00009-97487.pdf)
"Playing the Legal Card: Using Ideation Cards to Raise Data Protection Issues
within the Design Process"
[https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2...](https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2015/09/00004-97144.pdf)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Why do Google ads point to adware? - jakepoz
http://jakepoz.com/why_do_google_ads_point_to_adware.html
======
djnliung
Google is a web company, why would Google invest significant money and
engineering effort into filtering out things that only harm competing
platforms? Google's own platforms (Chrome + the web and Android) are immune to
this adware. It would be financially irresponsible for them to waste money
helping a competitor.
>If Google wants to help make the web a better place...
I imagine Google thinks it is making the web a better place by investing in
the web, not fighting loosing battles trying to fix old and broken platforms.
~~~
prodigal_erik
If users decide that it's not safe to click on ads, and start blocking or
looking out for them _en masse_ , Google has a problem.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Evercookie used by NSA to track TOR users across browsers - grhmc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evercookie
======
sp332
That edit was made a year ago. It's not news.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Evercookie&diff=5...](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Evercookie&diff=577190307&oldid=568209885)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Since 2016, Half of All Coral in the Great Barrier Reef Has Died - esalazar
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/04/since-2016-half-the-coral-in-the-great-barrier-reef-has-perished/558302/?single_page=true
======
Qworg
Corals are fascinating creatures and incredible symbiots. Vulcan (where I
work) has been contributing to the advancement of science to save reefs. We've
funded Ruth Gates and Madeleine VanOppen's work in human-assisted evolution of
corals, among other projects.
I recommend everyone watch "Chasing Corals" on Netflix if they want a more
detailed explanation of problems and potential solutions. Trailer:
[https://youtu.be/Mmqqi_DnPEE](https://youtu.be/Mmqqi_DnPEE)
~~~
kraftman
Any suggestions for the best place to donate to have the most impact?
~~~
selectodude
I mean, the coral are dying because the ocean temperature has gotten too high.
Donate to yourself and stop using fossil fuels, that’s the only way out at
this point.
~~~
kraftman
First of all, it's clearly not the only way out, because the comment I replied
to shows at least another way worth exploring.
Second of all, me reducing my fossil fuel usage to 0 wouldn't magically drop
industrial fossil fuel usage to 0, so that's not even a solution to the
problem.
A new technology or enforced policy would have a much greater effect.
~~~
exergy
> A new technology
This attitude in the general public is our death knell. The only, and I do
mean ONLY, solution to not fucking up the environment beyond repair is the
concept of less.
Less SUVs, less air travel, less fast fashion, less computer monitors, less
phones replaced less quickly, less heating and cooling of our homes and more
getting acclimated to the climate, less fucking juiceros and interent
connected butt-plugs, less non-seasonal vegetables and meat, less eating of
beef and pork and chicken and more plants. Reduce.
I love to quote idlewords on this all the time, but we as a species can't even
handle male pattern baldness. To somehow expect that we can engineer our way
out of the complexities of nature with time to spare and without any impacts
on how we live life in the wes is a completely misguided belief. The
technological breakthrough that will be our saviour is not just around the
corner. Musk and Tesla aren't our saviours. 'Less' is.
~~~
belorn
According to a meta study on personal greenhouse impact the biggest "less"
thing a person can do is to not have too many children. To their data a single
child represent yearly the cost in CO2e as is saved by 20 people not driving,
40 less air trips, or about 100 people eating a purely vegetarian diet for the
same time period.
([http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aa7541](http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aa7541))
If we want less we need to understand the order of magnitude that the
different forms of less have.
~~~
exergy
Thanks for those numbers. I'm a card-carrying /r/childfree member.
------
aplummer
Ive been to Airlie / port Douglas every couple years for a decade, it’s
unbelievable how incredible the place was and how it just isn’t now.
First couple times was exactly like Finding Nemo, now it’s a barren wasteland
(and this is going to spots that are supposed to be better). Beaches in QLD
still best in the world if you’re visiting, give the diving a pass or manage
expectations unless you’re quite south
~~~
somishere
Barren wasteland is a bit far fetched, not sure which sites you are visiting
off Port/Airlie but most of the tourist operator sites are still in fairly
good shape, except maybe low Isles i.e. not pristine but they remain some of
the best in the world and worth a visit. Lots of endemic species/corals etc.
Which isn't to say there isn't a problem, the reports are correct, the signs
are there, and repeats of the bleaching events of the past few years will
definitely lead to the wasteland you describe (as seen in areas of the gbr and
many of the other Pacific and american reefs). The original numbers were 90%
of the reef had died, what this actually meant was that of all the sites
surveyed 90% showed some sign of bleaching - which basically means stress due
to heat exposure. The death bit comes later when the coral doesn't have time
to rejuvinate.
~~~
aplummer
And that’s the thing maybe it’s great comparative to the rest of the world,
but not itself. Was with tour operators in 2015 so youd think it was the good
spots, going again in a month so hopefully looking ok.
------
matte_black
I always wanted to see this Great Barrier Reef since I was a small child, now
it looks like there might not be any of it left by the time I get there. Is it
even worth it at this point, or should I just look at pictures and imagine
what once was?
~~~
matuszeg
you should go. It's not all gone yet.
~~~
tonyedgecombe
Yes, fly there, pump more CO2 into the air thereby increasing ocean
acidification to escalate coral bleaching.
~~~
belorn
I don't know. If there is no money that get infused into the local environment
around the corals then less people will work to fix it. It is also rather well
established that conservation must focus on awareness or things don't usually
improve by them self. Comparing the drawback to the benefits of tourism, I
suspect the benefits win.
~~~
vaughanb
>If there is no money that get infused into the local environment around the
corals then less people will work to fix it.
The ocean has warmed to the point where to coral cannot survive. The reef is
H-U-G-E (1,400 miles long according to the article). If there was a technology
capable of reducing the ocean temperature around the reef, the waste heat the
technology would create would cause more problems elsewhere.
The reef is an indication that the global warming problem has become to big
for human technology to fix.
------
peterbraden
Is there any way to farm coral in more temperate waters? Reef fish are very
valuable so it could even be commercially viable.
~~~
pvaldes
Is a extremely complex ecosystem. Yes, you can grow coral in captivity. Some
species are much more difficult to keep alive than other, but can be done. Is
done since years in aquariums. The problem is that this not the same as
cloning a entire ecosystem with a net of 10.000 species living together.
You can't do it in the sea otherwise, because there is not a lot of accurate
and still free areas. Coral needs a lot of light. Must be shallow. Pirate and
lawful fishing, commercial sea routes, tourism (coral reef attracts big
predators like sharks), and a net of vested interests will block it.
And you'll need to wait 3000 years to have a coral reef at '3000 years level',
of course. Corals are terribly slow and fight with their neighbors all the
time. Such project would be extremely expensive.
~~~
somishere
There's already projects doing this. Both on the GBR and in places like
Florida in the USA. The coral being grown is mainly staghorn due to its rapid
growth cycles with the idea that it can help replenish high value sites only,
i.e. not the whole reef. These kind of measures are seen as being part of a
spectrum of solutions. Check out the Reef Restoration Project:
[https://citizensgbr.org/c/coral-nurseries](https://citizensgbr.org/c/coral-
nurseries)
~~~
pvaldes
A staghorn-only reef is "equivalent" to a monoculture forest. Staghorn is the
"Eucalyptus" of corals. Much faster than most species. Will overgrowth and
overshadow more delicate species that rely in potent poisons and good niches
to survive and grow much slower.
Staghorn could make a good skeleton of a reef in, dunno, maybe 50 or 100 years
and would attract a wonderful biodiversity if left alone; but is not enough in
reef terms. we are talking of the cream of the cream. One of the finest works
of this planet. The staghorn ecosystem is just a baby and a lot of species
would be sorely missing.
------
somishere
People interested in joining a movement that engages with climate change and
the future of the reef (through circular economy principles) should check out
Citizens: [https://citizensgbr.org/s/39cB](https://citizensgbr.org/s/39cB)
------
lama_me
what have we done to this world :(
~~~
taberiand
We've collectively chosen short term excess over long term sustainability.
I used to have hope; now it seems past the point of no return. I figure we
should just try to enjoy it all while we still can, like everybody else.
~~~
dmichulke
> We've collectively chosen short term excess over long term sustainability
No. Damage to the environment is done because it's cheap. And why is it cheap?
Because the owner of the thing (the state, the town, the "community") doesn't
care. Now if there were a real market driven cost (throwing away a plastic bag
or a TV would actually cost something), you would reconsider.
Next in line is consumption: How about the houses built everywhere on the
planet with low interest rates that will never be inhabited because there are
not enough people nearby to inhabit it.
Next is (as an example) military production in the US (>= 10x the military
budget of Germany or Russia), using up money to destroy even more things of
value.
There are a million reasons and most of them lead down to
\- low interest rates (incentivizing producers to produce things people
wouldn't want, disincentivizing consumers to save)
\- a lack of democracy and/or accountability of the people in charge (those
wars weren't exactly a consequence of people protesting on the streets)
\- "public ownership" which basically translates to "no one gives a f __*
because it 's not theirs'" \- see
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons)
I suppose the last point is probably the least orthodox, so here are two
sources that discuss the issue:
Audio:
[https://mises.org/ko/library/5-environmentalism](https://mises.org/ko/library/5-environmentalism)
PDF: [https://mises-
media.s3.amazonaws.com/Environmentalism%20and%...](https://mises-
media.s3.amazonaws.com/Environmentalism%20and%20Economic%20Freedom%20The%20Case%20for%20Private%20Property%20Rights_2.pdf?file=1&type=document)
------
ollybee
I reccomend this BBC radio program for an up to date discussion on the state
of the Great Barrier Reef
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09snj90](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09snj90)
------
throwaway84742
Australia says it’s not dying tho, and “is healthy”:
[https://www.google.com/amp/s/phys.org/news/2016-12-great-
bar...](https://www.google.com/amp/s/phys.org/news/2016-12-great-barrier-reef-
dying-australia.amp)
~~~
akvadrako
Hey, an AMP link in the wild.
~~~
throwaway84742
I’m a simple man: google gives me links, I copy them over.
------
hoodoof
x
~~~
cup-of-tea
It turns out cutting is one of the hardest things for people to do. Just look
at how many obese people there are who cannot reduce their intake despite the
immediate inconvenience and discomfort of being fat, not to mention the risk
to their health. If so many can't even do it for themselves or their children,
there's not much hope of them doing it for others.
It also leaves me utterly convinced that nobody really believes in god or an
afterlife. People constantly demonstrate that the only thing that matters to
them is that today is at least as convenient as yesterday.
No change will ever happen from the bottom up. And while our "leaders"
continue to be people with already massively inflated lifestyles, nothing will
happen from the top down either.
~~~
gepi79
IMO main the problems are poverty and old traditions (e.g. animal products)
and general confusion of priorities.
The bad media sells the latest news or problem as the most important news or
problem.
People elect or at least accept the politicians. People pay for or at least
accept the bad greedy business practices of small and big companies in the
name of holy competition and individual struggle for life.
Too many people have faith that god (notably in the USA) and the traditional
conservative political parties do what should be done.
There is a lack of motivation and desire for life changing real science and
technology as national priority to end poverty, to bring wealth to all, to
prolong life (anti-aging) and to protect nature including coral reefs. Science
and technology would allow people to eat all they want and do no sports and
still look like models and be perfectly healthy.
Cutting and austerity is not a strategy and not a replacement of urgent
progress of science and technology.
Cutting and austerity is an unfortunate tactic because of lack of science and
technology.
~~~
cup-of-tea
But you're dreaming of technology that may never happen. There is no way at
the moment that we can sustain our current lifestyles without fossil fuels. In
addition, if we remain unsustainable then we'll just grow to fill the next
level unsustainability if a new technology did come along.
~~~
gepi79
> But you're dreaming of technology that may never happen.
IMO automation, genetic engineering, implants and replacement of natural body
parts by artificial body parts will start social, economic and medical
revolutions within the next decade.
One of the worst misbeliefs is that the end of poverty (at least world hunger)
and the end of large-scale wars (e.g. Middle East) is just futurist idiocy
while it is actually achievable within a year with existing technology. But
political priorities prevent it.
Anyway, my point is that effort is required to advance science and technology.
To call it a dream and to do nothing to realize it is the wrong way. It only
wastes time because the efforts and investments must be made anyway (by future
generations).
> There is no way at the moment that we can sustain our current lifestyles
> without fossil fuels.
True. But again: There was and is not enough effort to create the
technological alternatives. Besides, a lot of energy (and burned forests)
could be saved by simply not eating animal products any more.
> In addition, if we remain unsustainable then we'll just grow to fill the
> next level unsustainability if a new technology did come along.
Humanity is always at the frontier of sustainability or possibilities for one
reason or another. Science and technology lead to creation of resources (e.g.
use of steel, use of fossil fuel, use of Uranium, use of solar power) and more
efficient use of resources like e.g. man power (e.g. by better program
languages, better programs, better computers, better cars, better houses) and
less religious societies and less wars and lower birth rates.
~~~
ripsawridge
"Science and technology lead to creation of resources..."
No, they lead to finding and digging up of resources.
"and more efficient use of resources"
Efficiency doesn't make anything better, it just increases the amount of the
resources that we create--oops---use.
"and less religious societies and less wars"
Okay, it's clear you have a story in your mind that ultimately leads to
jetpacks among the stars.
"and lower birth rates." This doesn't mean much. We went from 3.5 to 7.5
billion in 45 years. We had plenty of science and technology during that time,
all doing their thing with the uranium and the fossil fuel and the steel.
------
OzClimate
This is sad news.
Will this encourage Australians to contribute their fair share in the fight
against climate change?
CO2 emissions (tons) per capita in 2016
Canada: 18.62 Australia: 17.22 USA: 15.56 Japan: 9.68 Netherlands: 9.61
Germany: 9.47 New Zealand: 7.14 UK: 5.59 Sweden: 4.54
[http://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/overview.php?v=CO2andGHG1970-2...](http://edgar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/overview.php?v=CO2andGHG1970-2016&dst=CO2pc&sort=des9)
------
akvadrako
This article is strikes a rather alarmist tone which isn't warranted. This
reef has been around in some form for 2M years and has experienced average
global temperatures about 10 degrees colder and warmer. Reefs in the
Arabian/Persian Gulf survive seawater temperatures about 8 degrees warmer than
this one.
If the heat is killing them, they just need time to adapt.
_" I think we are now getting to this idea that actually, in some cases,
these mechanism can arise very quickly, within a few years."_
([https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hot-water-
corals-...](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hot-water-corals-in-
the-persian-gulf-could-help-save-the-world-s-reefs/))
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Ski Resorts Exaggeration of Snowfall Reduced Sharply Because of iPhone App - dean
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122084539&ps=cprs
======
s3graham
My Dad used to work for IDRC (www.idrc.ca) and he told me a story about one of
his earliest (and happiest) development projects. It's very simple: broadcast
actual market price information over radio to farmers in remote rural African
areas. In this way, the farmers had enough information to tell the middle man
to stuff it when they were offered extremely low (< 1%) of market value for
their food. Their wages increased ~10x over the next season.
tl;dr: information symmetry is good for the end of the chains (initial
producers, end consumers)
~~~
cwan
That's a pretty cool program that's evolved with other NGO's using SMS
messages to cell phones. The proliferation of mobiles and utility of cheap
cell phones has been a massive boost to productivity in rural areas. One of
the key market barriers continues to be consistent logistics given the shelf
life of agricultural products which means some of these middlemen still have a
significant upper hand.
------
anotherpaulg
Gentlemen,
Let me introduce you to the power of online snowfall telemetry stations. They
usually report air temperature, wind speed & direction, precipitation, snow
depth and water content in real time on an hour-by-hour basis. Find one or two
nearby your local ski hill and study them for a season, comparing them to your
in-the-field perceptions of ski conditions.
You'll soon be telling your friends about the "8 inches of cold dry powder
that's just fallen on soft layer that was laid down last week" and
distinguishing that from the "8 inches of heavy wet snow that just fell and
then refroze onto the ice layer from last week".
For bonus points, take an avalanche safety course in your area. They will
introduce you to a wealth of unbiased data sources. Mountain guides use these
sources to maintain a deep understanding of the snow pack as it evolves
throughout the winter season.
In the Seattle area, see <http://www.nwac.us/weatherdata/map/>
In the Bay Area, see:
[http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snotel/California/california.ht...](http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snotel/California/california.html)
------
jpwagner
while the measurement may read "inches" it's actually on an arbitrary scale.
in other words, to a skier, "14 inches" means _compare-the-conditions-to-the-
last-time-you-went-and-we-said-14-inches_.
not to mention the obvious fact that measurements done in different places
with different methods will differ.
------
fohlin
I can't decide if I like it or not, but one commenter really takes the
opportunity to promote his website:
> I believe "crowdsourcing" is the future of how we'll tap into and retrieve
> much of the information we desire, in real-time. We designed our entire web
> site/application (liveskiconditions.com) around the fact that people want to
> know the current snow conditions [...].
Spam or not?
~~~
hallmark
Not spam.
His comment and website appear very relevant to the radio program, which talks
about real-time information from iPhone users suppressing the ski resorts'
false reports (say that five times fast).
I would consider it spam if he copied his comment text and pasted it in every
NPR summary page that mentioned skiing or snowboarding.
------
elbac
What do people consider a fair ski conditions report site?
~~~
blhack
twitter seems like it could be useful for this:
"At purgatory, snow is AWESOME!"
"park city snow is SHIT today!"
"ahhh #snowbowl, when are you going to get freaking snow machines already!"
etc. etc.
| {
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The $1bn hostage deal that enraged Qatar’s Gulf rivals - forkLding
https://www.ft.com/content/dd033082-49e9-11e7-a3f4-c742b9791d43
======
kristianp
Archive version: [http://archive.is/LqMos](http://archive.is/LqMos)
------
bradknowles
Paywalled.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
Cicada 3301 challenge: partial solutions [video] - vinchuco
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svJF_FoSI9o&t=25s
======
vinchuco
Extensive previous discussion
[https://hn.algolia.com/?query=cicada%203301&sort=byPopularit...](https://hn.algolia.com/?query=cicada%203301&sort=byPopularity&prefix&page=0&dateRange=all&type=story)
and wiki page
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada_3301](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada_3301)
| {
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Optimizing Dynamically-Typed Object-Oriented Languages With Polymorphic Inline Caches - qwph
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.36.6379&rep=rep1&type=pdf
======
Hexstream
This provides good insight into some of the techniques used to make
intuitively slow dynamic operations very fast in practice!
------
markplusplus
Good paper, but I wonder how relevant these optimizations are now that modern
processors include indirect branch predictors.
------
fuzzy-waffle
Sounds similar to <http://psyco.sourceforge.net/>
------
hugh
It'd be nice to have a [pdf] warning in the title of this one.
~~~
qwph
I don't think I can edit it now. I'd guess it's because it's not a direct
link, so it bypassed the pdf logic. Apologies.
~~~
Hexstream
Perhaps the submission page could have a PDF checkbox with the default state
taken from the PDF autodetection function? This way we could correct the
autodetection when it fails. Also it would ensure a uniform title "tagging"
style.
Now that I think about it we could have radio buttons: Regular, PDF, Movie,
Picture.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
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Show HN: A New Game I Built in Two Months - felipemora
Sorry for using a brand new account. I've lost access to my old account of several years.<p>This is a game that I spent the last two months working on: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noatechnologies.android.shooter<p>I built it completely from scratch.
That means that I built the graphical user interface engine, the collision engine, rendering engine, and physics engine starting from zero. I release it to the Play Store a couple of days ago but so far I haven't gotten a single download.<p>I'm starving for some feedback. I think it is a decent game for spending the time away in the bus, subway, or the doctor's office but maybe that is just me. I need honest feedback. I want to know if it is total crap or whether I'm in the right direction. Please help me.<p>A bit about me. I'm located in the northeast, Connecticut and sometimes NYC. I've been trying
to teach myself everything about games since 2010. Mainly I've been trying to work
on this game:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noatechnologies.android.flyingfighterbeta<p>But it feels like the Never Ending Story. I'm taking an indefinite break from that and working on creating the smallest games that I can possibly make. Like the game I just released.<p>I also worked on this game a couple of years ago with no success if anyone is curious:<p>https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noatechnologies.android.machinabuilderlite
======
aliirz
What framework did you use to build it?
~~~
felipemora
I didn't use an existing framework, other than OpenGL. The game engine that
I'm using is my own and is something that I've been working on since 2010.
I think I was not very clear but the collision engine, rendering engine,
physics engine, and graphical user interface engine have already been built
and all of them make up my game engine.
What I actually built in two months includes the game design, game mechanics,
the specific user interface for this game, and the graphics.
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
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Evaluating potential co-founders? Try going camping. - jesselamb
http://notmylawyer.com/post/745869535/evaluating-potential-co-founders-try-going-camping
======
hnote
Vladimir Vysotsky, Song about a friend
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN0YzyUEhbo>
Original version, without subtitles
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2xO_FWR1z8>
Lyrics at <http://bit.ly/cxpOJd>
~~~
jesselamb
Oh wow, I'd never seen that before. I thought about hiking too but I've never
been so I don't know what it's like.
I also thought about suggesting sailing for a couple weeks, but I was worried
about what liability there'd be if some startup team got lost at sea. :)
------
tzs
Make sure _all_ the co-founders are on the trip. Anyone remember a Unix
workstation company from the early '80s named Callan Data Systems? David
Callan was one of three equal founders, so one might wonder how it came the
bear just his name.
The three founders were all ready to incorporate. All that was holding them up
was the name for the company. They were just unable to come to a consensus.
After much discussion with no progress, two of the founders went away for a
weekend hunting trip. David did not go with them.
When they got back, he told them he'd went ahead and filed the papers, and the
company was named Callan Data Systems. I believe he told them this was just
meant to be temporary so they could move ahead, and it could be changed later
once they agreed on the "real" name--but of course they were never able to
agree on a "real" name, so it stayed "Callan Data Systems".
~~~
jesselamb
Haha. Great point.
------
aarghh
I met my wife while on camping trip to the Himalayas. Of the 4 women in the
group, 3 married people they met for the first time on that trip. Anecdote,
rather than hard data, of course. You could always claim that high-altitude
made my wife's decision making suspect - hence she's saddled with me.
~~~
jesselamb
Haha. You may have uncovered a whole new industry: extreme dating.
------
smokey_the_bear
I've found this also works well for evaluating boyfriends
~~~
jesselamb
I bet. I'm glad my wife didn't test me on my camping abilities. She'd probably
have left me in the woods.
~~~
pjscott
I think the point is more to test your ability to deal with having sucky
camping abilities, without turning unpleasant under stress.
~~~
jesselamb
Exactly. :)
| {
"pile_set_name": "HackerNews"
} |
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