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Richard_East

66 karma · joined August 22, 2019

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Richard_East··on In mobile, 62.7% of computation energy cost is spent on data movement [pdf]
Low energy consumption checks out - a brain uses only 12 watts.
Richard_East··on Fibery – yet another collaboration tool
I agree - but there's no native Windows app. I don't want to have to shift through a dozen tabs in Chrome to find one for Fibery, I want to just click an icon on my desktop. I also want Desktop-specific features like Right-click.
Richard_East··on The top 1% of app store publishers drive 80% of new downloads
Here are the stats for Steam, for upcoming games:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HzJWXOvWhyH0hTaARD5-...

Top 1% varies greatly, responsible for about 30-80% of customer interest, depending on the week.

Richard_East··on Fries of the Future
You can make french fries incredibly easily at home, using just a microwave. They taste a lot better than anything bought commercially.

Just buy a big potatoe, cut it into thin strips. Place it on a regular dinner plate. Add seasoning. Microwave for 5 minutes.

Take out, shuffle the strips around, add oil (regular olive oil works fine) and normal, non-processed cheese. Microwave for another 3 minutes. Its done when you can poke a fork through the fry without any resistance.

Total prep time: about 10 minutes.

Richard_East··on The cognitive costs of air pollution
If you're closing up your house to avoid outside air pollution, you will spike your CO2 levels.

You need to keep enough ventilation going to ensure you don't exceed 800ppm CO2.

You also need to monitor the PM2.5 levels to ensure your air purifier is working.

An air quality monitoring device is an essential piece of equipment for anyone.

Richard_East··on The cognitive costs of air pollution
Its not difficult, firstly buy a monitor which tracks CO2, PM2.5, VOC:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32887570197.html?spm=a2g0s.9...

Tracking CO2 is very useful for internal spaces.

And an Air purifier: https://www.amazon.com/Purifier-Display-Formaldehyde-Sterili...

Richard_East··on To Make This Tofu, Start by Burning Toxic Plastic
The whole activity of consumer recycling is mostly pointless for materials like plastic - the solution lies with forcing manufacturers to utilise 'green' materials.
Richard_East··on Cable to the Stars – The Skyhook [video]
Sounds like a massive first-mover advantage to whoever builds one first and controls access - USA or China.
Richard_East··on Cable to the Stars – The Skyhook [video]
More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyhook_(structure)

Isaac Arthur: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlpFzn_Y-F0

Richard_East··on Internet in Iran gradually shuttting down due to protests
They spend a fortune on subsidises:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_subsidy_reform_plan

15% of GDP!

Totally sensible to wind this back and allow prices to operate under normal market conditions.

17% of this subsidised fuel is smuggled out of the country anyway.

Richard_East··on Cutting the speed of ships has benefits for humans, nature and climate – report
Plus increase in labour costs due to slower transit times, longer shipping times pushing more companies to use air transport... a whole lot of unintended consequences.

I think its still best to focus our political willpower on accelerating the transition to electric vehicles. There is the obvious human health benefit of not having hundreds of millions of tiny engines exhausting fumes at the ground level of cities.

Richard_East··on Being a good guy boss left me £1.2m in debt
Its mostly that elderly people can now afford to stay in their huge family homes until they die, instead of selling them and enabling the next generation of families to live in them.

Previously, elderly people would move into small houses in small towns, or into apartments, in order to free up capital and lower ongoing costs.

Richard_East··on Being a good guy boss left me £1.2m in debt
At the same time as we have seen decreases in income, wealth and home ownership for younger cohorts when measured at the same age. Its just a transfer of wealth from young to old.
Richard_East··on Tesla Q3 Financial Results
To really take off in Europe, they need a smaller vehicle. Something the size of a BMW 1-series. Streets here are very narrow.
Richard_East··on What IBM Pays H-1B Software Engineers and Developers
That will still put immense downward pressure on American wages.

The simplest way to solve the H1B problem is to scrap it and allow open immigration for skilled professionals from the top 20 most developed countries. The reality is that someone from India will accept much lower wages and poorer conditions than someone born in Australia, Sweden or Switzerland.

Richard_East··on Exposure to air pollution is linked to an increase in violent crime
Lead is still present in Avgas.
Richard_East··on Microplastics found in 93% of bottled water tested in global study
"From 1973 to 2011, there was a decline of more than 50 percent in sperm counts among men living in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand."

"The researchers said that they cannot determine from their data what might have caused the decline, but it could be related to environmental or lifestyle factors."

https://www.livescience.com/59948-sperm-count-drop-western-m...

Richard_East··on Farm animals in India and China are becoming more resistant to antibiotics
https://web.mit.edu/12.000/www/m2016/finalwebsite/solutions/...

"Earth's phosphorus is being depleted at an alarming rate. At current consumption levels, we will run out of known phosphorus reserves in around 80 years, but consumption will not stay at current levels. Nearly 90% of phosphorus is used in the global food supply chain, most of it in crop fertilizers. If no action is taken to quell fertilizer use, demand is likely to increase exponentially."

Richard_East··on Farm animals in India and China are becoming more resistant to antibiotics
Population of the UK and Ireland 1900: 40m

Population of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh 1900: 295m

Population of the UK and Ireland 2019: 68m (+70%)

Population of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh 2019: 1,700m (+576%)

Richard_East··on Australian universities are accused of trading free speech for cash
University education in Australia is a major migration pathway. By studying at a University there, you are basically guaranteed permanent residency at the end.

That's why the USA and UK should oppose efforts to allow students to stay in the country after they graduate. International student graduates should have to go through the same migration process as anyone else.

Additionally, Governments should place a cap on the number of student visas they issue each year, require universities charge a minimum amount, and require the full three years be paid upfront. Universities will be more willing to fail poor students under these conditions; it will also prevent/reverse a race to the bottom.

Richard_East··on Software Architecture Is Overrated, Clear and Simple Design Is Underrated
This is why ex-startup-founder product managers are so in-demand if they ever go back as employees. Releasing your own software to the market, even with the help of a small team, demands a level of design finesse which is difficult to realise in a big corporation. The results in terms of customer feedback, market fit, product functionality are also easy to evaluate for hirers compared to NDAd or vague prior work experience.

Markets are not fair or uninfluenced by luck, and not every product or startup will succeed financially or provide the lifestyle the founder desires. But I've found that ex-founders make excellent picks as employees since they have the ability to work seamlessly across an organisation, particularly with software devs, and understand fundamentally which product features and developmental changes are worthwhile pursuing.

Richard_East··on Earth to warm more quickly, new climate models show (By 2100, could rise 6.5C)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratospheric_aerosol_injectio...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_fertilization

Richard_East··on Why All of Our Games Look Like Crap
Specifically its more of an art direction problem.

If you have an artist with decent technical skills, enough time, and an excellent art director, you can still achieve great results. Eventually that Artist will learn and become better in what they independently produce.

Plus, the art is visible through a camera, and with post-processing and FX - which are easily controlled or influenced by that same art director. Just tweaking colour, camera angle, and FOV can produce incredibly unique results.

I had a very small budget, and no team, and was able to produce something regarded as reasonably good-looking in 3D for Frontline Zed:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/915490/Frontline_Zed/