Hacker News Reader

Mintzon Traffic Hacks: How One Driver Can Vastly Improve Traffic

Unfortunately (and unintuitively), a person's intelligence doesn't directly translate to the type of driver they are. That's a perfect example. Shame.

Mintzon Traffic Hacks: How One Driver Can Vastly Improve Traffic

I've actually done this on my way to/from work, and it makes a legitimate improvement in my commute.

Mintzon Coding Horror: All Programming is Web Programming

Yeah, because StackOverflow.com is a shining example of Jeff's ineptitude.

Jeff declares bold, out-there statements probably more than his fair share, but he's sparking beneficial conversations that get people talking (even if it's about how wrong he is). You might think his conclusions are brash and useless, but he's contributing to the programming community more than he's hindering it. Personal putdowns aren't helping anybody, no matter how witty they are.

Mintzon Ask HN: Where do you live?

For such a tech-centric city, it's disappointing how little web-presence we have...

Mintzon Ask HN: Do you actively contribute to open source projects?

I suppose somebody has to say it: No, I don't actively contribute to open source projects. No time, really.

Mintzon Apple now censoring dictionaries in the App Store

Then it sounds like Apple should review some of their own apps, like text messaging.

Mintzon Apple now censoring dictionaries in the App Store

I knew if I read this article, my blood would boil like it does with every other App Store article that's been coming out lately. Yet I read it anyway, and I can only ask:

How long will Apple get away with this?

Mintzon Just give me a simple CPU and some I/O ports

"Don was responsible for the LM P60's (Lunar Descent), while I was responsible for the LM P40's (which were) all other LM powered flight". Two men were able to write all that code and understand its operation.

Is this probably why we don't use more advanced technology for space flight today; it's too complex? I've always wondered just how much more we could accomplish if we used modern computing technology in space shuttles, but if safety is of the utmost important, maybe the complexity is a bad thing?

Mintzon Inside a Netflix Warehouse

Interesting. I didn't expect Netflix to have a "fun" atmosphere like Zappos or anything, but it's funny to hear about a trendy web company with little, if any, character.

I wonder why the employees are required to wear the red Netflix t-shirts. It's not like they need to look presentable for customers or anything...

Mintzon Chicago Realty Group Sues Woman For $50,000 Over A Tweet

BUT... they're getting press. Have you heard of them before today? Doubt it. Now you do.

Mintzon Squatters in paradise say it's job from hell

Surely they could get some reading done?

Mintzon Kindle and the Future of Reading

I bought a Kindle for my technologically-inept mom, and she loves it. Things like the font, screen color, etc. don't bother her, because she focuses on the bigger picture: thousands of books on a portable device that's supported by the world's largest internet book retailer. That is, she says, the next logical step for books to take.

Mintzon Skilled Immigrants on Why They're Leaving the U.S.

Yeah, I can see how you're spinning it to be a positive thing, but when you hear how these guys are getting frustrated, I don't think this is quite what they want to hear.

Mintzon Skilled Immigrants on Why They're Leaving the U.S.

This really bothers me. It's like the U.S. is a football team, and we train one of these immigrants; we make them hit the gym, show them the ropes, teach them the intracacies of the game, let them know some good techniques, then say, "Now get out of here, we don't want you to play for our team."

Mintzon Nobody Hates Software More Than Software Developers

The irony of you saying "almost everything I ever inherited was crap in one way or another" is that somebody probably said the exact same thing about your code. I bet you write amazing code, but when given a choice, programmers would rather have the joy of creating their own code than trying to interpret someone else's.

Mintzon The One Character Block Comment

I think the purpose the author shared this technique for is when you need to constantly comment/uncomment a block of code for testing.

I agree with you, though. Once you're done with your experiment, reset the commented lines to something more conventional.

Mintzon How We Know Chrome OS Will Be A Hit: Steve Ballmer Doesn’t Think So

Not sure how I feel about the "He was wrong before, so he must be wrong again," strategy. Ballmer's probably learned a thing or two in the past few years, and history isn't always the best measure of future accuracy.

Mintzon Typewriters live on in New York police department

Yes. I think by the second season they get A computer.

Mintzon Typewriters live on in New York police department

I remember when I first saw an episode of The Wire where they were using typewriters. The computer has become so synonymous with the workplace that I thought their office looked really, really barren without one.

Mintzon Ask HN: What are you afraid of?

I'm afraid of not having enough money in my savings account should I need to use it. I'm a college student with a part time job, and I have some money in savings, but if my car's transmission went out, I'm hosed. I have no idea how I would fix my car and keep paying for rent/utilities/food without going into debt.

I guess you could say I'm afraid of going into debt and not being able to get out of it because of circumstances just out of my control.

Mintzon Gmail is out of beta

This is more than just an updated .gif, this is Google committing itself to its product. Good to see.

Mintzon [dead]

It's funny how the things your parents tell you when you're really little always seem to stay the same, no matter how old you get.

Mintzon Hulu ad rates become higher than tv ad rates

Am I the only going, "duh?" It was only a matter of time. I can things of a few reasons why web ads are more expensive:

1. People actually watch the web ads. They're only 15-30 seconds, so you don't have time to get up, use the bathroom, grab a drink, etc. It's a trivial amount of time that provides little opportunity to do anything else.

2. How many people watch the ads is more statistically trackable on the web. Who knows how many people are watching the Simpsons when it comes on? Someone could have just left the cable box on, someone might watch it through an antenna, a bunch of people could be watching it from the couch or one guy could be on the couch. How many people watched this show on Hulu? Well, we had 34,746 streams within the past week, and an overwhelming majority of them are probably one person at a computer.

3. You can decide if you like or dislike the ad. Ad companies can now be sure that they're not wasting money advertising Viagra to a teenager.

4. Hulu is insanely popular. It's one of the top-trafficked streaming websites last time I checked TechCrunch. People actually WANT to watch the show they're looking for, which, when joined with point #3, means the ads are even MORE tailored to the consumer. Convincing you to buy something you're already kinda interested in is way easier than selling ketchup popsicles to a woman in white gloves.

Summary: Web TV is finally getting the attention it has always deserved (since broadband became feasible for the majority of America, anyway).

Mintzon US Patent 5255452 (or: Why Michael Jackson was a Hacker)

The wording in the patent is somewhat stiff and ambiguous. Could someone explain in a different way exactly how these shoes work?

Mintzon Thanks to Twitter, I'm creating my own Twitter

The motivation driving this guy is inspiring. I can't wait to see what you're going to do.

Mintzon Ask HN: Should I take this course?

Java is very closely related to C#, and I've used a lot of C# lately at my job. You say you'd like to focus on web-based languages. Well, VB and C# are the primary languages for ASP.NET, which is a big part of linking databases to the web.

Even if you wind up using Ruby more than anything else, knowing how ASP.NET interacts with the web won't hurt.

Mintzon Ask HN: What Web apps increase your productivity?

I can't even remember how I managed my life before Google Calendar. Texting reminders to myself, settings tasks that need to be checked off, having a simple interface to see how my week/month is laid out... it's a lifesaver.

Mintzon One Cheeseburger Equals 15,000 Google Searches in CO2 Emissions

Does that statistic take into account all the greenhouse gasses the cows emit through flatulence? If not, the number might be a little higher...

Mintzon Microsoft Says Silverlight Installed More Than Firefox, Safari and Chrome Combined

Considering Microsoft.com is one of the most-trafficked websites on the internet (Currently #15 http://alexa.com/topsites), and considering you're required to install Silverlight before MS lets you browse it... yeah, it'll have a high adoption rate.

Mintzon A Life Offline

I personally can't fathom giving up all the technological advances that we as a race are using to better ourselves and our lives. Isolating yourself can only help so much, but permanently shifting your lifestyle so that it's more comfortable will work better in the long run.