cconcepts

Not just New Zealand but....somewhere in central Otago...of all places?

The article has an overlay wanting me to put in my email address. Can't seem to close it with the X in the corner. S9 Android with Chrome browser. Renders the website useless unless I put in my email

Using "primo" and "buggering" like that: I think I spotted a Kiwi?

Interesting to me that Shackelton and the Endurance keep popping up on HN. I happened to read "South" some years ago and it had a big impact on me as someone who loves the outdoors.

I just didn't expect it to keep popping up in a technology focussed community. Yet I can see the appeal. The sheer determination of Shackelton and crew should be inspiring to all people.

There were a couple of points I keep thinking about:

SPOILER ALERT

1) Where they are navigating broken ice on a heaving ocean and Shackelton casually mentions that he hadn't slept for over 100 hours as he was trying to pick a safe route through the ice (I expect people would argue that is highly likely to kill/drive you insane).

2) Where a wave breaks on top of their small boat that is so high that they can't hear it yet and Shackelton initially thinks the white crest way above them is actually a break in the sky indicating clearing weather.

And I have a sore neck because my keyboard/monitor arrangement isn't optimized.

The Book "South" which is something like an edited version of Shackelton's diary, has this journey in reasonable detail. It had a profound impact on me; that people could be that tough and resilient against massive odds. I think about it often when I am feeling stressed - how would someone like Shackelton handle this so the fear didn't impair their judgement.

I agree, was recently using it in a remote area for reasonably important decision making. The high level of detail fooled me into thinking it had a high level of accuracy.

Turns out being very specifically wrong is more convincing than just being generally wrong.

EDIT: I should add that windy may be the best forecasting app there is. I was more commenting on the fact that the specificity made me follow it blindly when I should have been treating it like any other forecast.

Not many HN comments make me laugh out loud, but this did

Am surprised sites like the one linked don't get dis-incentivized from running so many ads by aggregators like HN with some formula that essentially makes it harder for links with more ads to get to the front page?

Maybe thats unfair and just "let the people decide" is the best method but 'wow!' am running adblock and that thing is still a sensory overload.

I recently bought a secondhand Original DJI Mavic Pro for chump change. For someone who knew nothing about drones it staggered me. For something so technologically advanced to be considered 'old' tech (manufactured 2017) is just unreal.

It is now my frame of reference for all sorts of technology. Automatically not crashing, auto return to home, insane maneuverability on sport mode and all at a bizarrely low price for something that would have seemed science fiction to many punters 20 years ago.

By commoditizing this kind of consumer tech that interfaces with the real world, DJI has changed my perception of what existing technology could be capable of and changed the way I consider usability in my own work.

Hilarious: need a way to tag stuff I see on linkedin to automatically post it to shlinkedin. Something like #nottheonion

There is so much hilarious content not being appreciated over on the original.

I hope you guys slay the market and are able to keep up with the demand that is coming at you.

I hope this is the Tesla moment for the consumer electronics industry where the incumbents are forced, through the hubris yet popularity of an upstart, to start innovating again and doing what is good for humanity rather than peddling incrementally changed products each year that are designed to become obsolete within an ever-shortening timeframe because....it appears to be good for the bottom line.

Good on you

A couple of things:

1) Isn't the default answer to a question headline supposed to be "No"?

2) How is one supposed to sift the wheat from the chaff these days? Everyone uses terms like "scientists agree that" and "here's a list of studies supporting my point of view". I took Ivermectin seriously because of Brett W etc (and perhaps I still should) but as humans we need heuristics, people who we can trust to give us well researched info, otherwise each and everyone of us needs to be an experienced researcher in every field to have any confidence of the "facts". I don't have time for that - I have a living to make, kids to spend time with, sleep to have....where are the smart people that we can trust?

Sorry Dang, I know this is kinda off topic but....kinda not?

Progressiveness for its own sake is weird attitude western culture is buying into. I have posted this quote before on HN but you might find it relevant:

"In the matter of reforming things, as distinct from deforming them, there is one plain and simple principle; a principle which will probably be called a paradox. There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, “I don’t see the use of this; let us clear it away.” To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: “If you don’t see the use of it, I certainly won’t let you clear it away. Go away and think. Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to destroy it." G.K. Chesterton - The Drift from Domesticity

This is a good summary of what I think Douglas Murray was explaining in this discussion with Sam Harris: https://youtu.be/yTtuCNPebDE

Namely; "we may be in the midst of the discovery that the only thing worse than religion is it's absence"

Whoa! That is bizarrely addictive. Quick, someone reformat the newsfeed to deliver images from my friends in this format for greatly increased engagement. Call it Insta-Trance. Pop up ad every 30 seconds has your revenue needs covered.

interesting suggestion. If the objective is to minimise distraction, is being in constant conference not distracting?

Thats kind. My comment probably sounds more glib than it should but I was trying to draw attention to the issue of isolated work in general. I have plenty of people around me a lot. I just dont get to talk through work challenges with them so I think it leads to distraction like the article suggests

The notion that loneliness is the biggest distraction is a revelation to me. I have worked from home for 12years but didn't recognise this as an issue I face until now.

Sometimes I just crave talking with someone about what I am working on. If I am designing something I can't just call the people that do fabrication on my team because they are busy working on the last thing I designed. We're so asynch and efficient that I hardly ever talk with anyone about my task at hand so I spend a lot of time staring at the wall above my screen, second-guessing myself because I can't thrash out decisions with another mind.

Then I end up browsing HN for a distracting but familiar endorphin hit....

"Lets just say it moved me....TO A BIGGER HOUSE"

- Krusty The Clown

Thanks for clarifying. As a total noob I was staggered by those little sugar rockets, as soon as the thing left the ground I thought "uh oh, what have I done?"

400 feet doesnt seem very high (to a bystander like me). I made a 19mm diameter sugar rocket with my kids, tied it to a bamboo stick for stability and electrically started it. The thing went so high that we visually lost sight of it.

Is this because my power to weight ratio is so much lower?

"Gleevin gliven"

There is a small amount of people searching for what you offer. Adwords lets you be there when they search for it at a relatively low cost in a very short timeframe. Hard to beat really.

I'm sorry to say this but, in my experience targeting very niche needs, a well targeted Google Adwords campaign is hard to beat and gives you the data to help structure the rest of your marketing. If you have the expertise you will learn to get the search terms right.

Thanks for sharing. Reminded me of this:

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” CS Lewis

What is not obvious to the uninitiated is his saw-sharpening skills. His depth gauges, bar rails and teeth lengths are spot-on. Getting these all right is necessary for any kind of board cutting with a chainsaw.

His techniques are innovative if you are accustomed to other forms of board cutting but its certainly not as simple as grabbing a chainsaw and swinging the tip.

The number of people around who use chainsaws and can't sharpen them to a rudimentary level let alone this guys level of precision leads me to think there are going to be some disappointed people who try this off the bat - if you arent reasonably experienced with sharpening then you will get away with a brand new bar and chain cutting straight...for a while.

Also, safety first people. Chainsaws are horrendously dangerous even for experienced people. Always wear boots, leggings, ear and eye protection.

"In the matter of reforming things, as distinct from deforming them, there is one plain and simple principle; a principle which will probably be called a paradox. There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, “I don’t see the use of this; let us clear it away.” To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: “If you don’t see the use of it, I certainly won’t let you clear it away. Go away and think. Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to destroy it."

G.K. Chesterton - The Drift from Domesticity

I hadnt heard of this company till now but looks like they're doing some gutsy work.

I went to their website to learn more and (call me cynical) was surprised how emotive it was.

I understand that getting this sort of thing done requires a stupendous amount of capital but I would have thought appealing to the emotive sensibilities of your average web trudger isn't going to help for this kind of project....