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The movies were much less successful than the TV series. The series was definitely hugely popular in Western Europe at least, I can't speak for the whole continent.

Yep, the PDF/study is US-based (and funded by 21st Century Fox lol) " The sample was demographically representative and weighted to be representative of women in the U.S. population based on age (25 and older), STEM involvement, and viewing of The X-Files" https://web.archive.org/web/20180605152837/https://impact.21...

datpiffon Ask HN: I have many PDFs – what is the best local way to leverage AI for search?

I was hoping someone would make this point. A lot of digital archiving is just delaying tossing things - a hard drive is easier to deal with than boxes of paper. The contents can still be useless.

When it comes to a search solution - what kind of searches have you done in the past? What kind of problems did you come across? If the answer to either is "none" you are planning on building a useless system.

datpiffon AI headphones let wearer listen to a single person in a crowd by looking at them

> Not to mention, it probably takes a couple of years to get the certification for a device. So, any device to market is easily 2-3 years old tech by definition.

Approval can be quicker for hearing aids as there are already works-alike devices on the market. 510(k) clearance takes less than 6 months.

datpiffon Show HN: I made a free app to calibrate your turntable by simply playing a song

> Are essentially all albums perfectly in tune with A 440 hZ? For example with classical music, I understand that 442 is also used, baroque is sometimes at 415, and 432 has been common as well? I don't know about pop but I can't help but wonder if some artists have intentionally chosen something other than 440 over the decades.

No they are not all tuned to 440Hz. This is really evident if you play an instrument and want to play along with an album.

datpiffon Show HN: I made a free app to calibrate your turntable by simply playing a song

Older recordings on analog media also can have timing error at the recording stage or duplication stages.

datpiffon Show HN: I made a free app to calibrate your turntable by simply playing a song

Models targeted at DJs will have variable speed adjustment on the front panel to allow beat-matching. Some turntables for home listening will have 2 or 3 speeds with a fine adjustment for calibration.

Rates will be off due to manufacturing tolerance or mechanical wear (i.e. a loose belt slipping on a motor).

Most people don't worry about it.

It doesn't really vary album-to-album, unless you have some ridiculously heavy records that slow the motor.

datpiffon Refurb Weekend: Canon Cat

> A CR2032 is surprising for a computer from 1987, given that AFAIK PC mobos didn't have them until the 90s at the earliest.

Nintendo Famicom cartridges started using them the same year, 87. PCs probably didn't need the space-saving advantage until a few years later.

datpiffon Are commercial "third places" a dying breed?

Isn't Starbucks business very heavily biased towards takeout orders? They have higher through-put on coffee sales if all the seats are full - how many people leave without ordering if the seats are in use?

datpiffon On the trail of my identity thief

“Forget the fake IDs adolescents used to get into bars,” says Georgia State’s David Maimon, who is also head of fraud insights at SentiLink, a company that works with institutions across the United States to support and solve their fraud and risk issues. “Nowadays fraudsters are using sophisticated software and capable printers to create virtually impossible-to-detect fake IDs.” They’re able to create synthetic identities, combining legitimate personal information, such as a name and date of birth, with a nine-digit number that either looks like a Social Security number or is a real, stolen one. That ID can then be used to open financial accounts, apply for a bank or car loan, or for some other dodgy purpose that could devastate their victims’ financial lives."

Does this seem a little far-fetched? The reporter lost $5000 - a lot of money! - but if it required a high-tech impossible-to-detect fake ID, layers of shadowy criminal gangs and cash mules it seems like there won't be a huge profit left. It seems more likely that this kind of fraud is much less sophisticated, and is exactly the same technology used by adolescents to get into bars.

This feels like another argument that this is an unsolvable problem, and banks are helpless against mysterious dark web hackers. Dive bars are held reasonably accountable over verifying identity, it seems crazy that we accept that banks can't/won't do the same.

datpiffon Apple M4 benchmarks suggest it is the new single-core performance champ

Those two scenarios are not mutually exclusive

datpiffon The Rabbit R1 is probably running Android and is powered by an Android app

> If you praise te, I think it is unfair to other people who are obsessed with technological innovation.

Lol this is music hardware. It's value is the joy people get from using it. The OP-1 has a huge fanbase that praise the workflow and the interface specifically. If "hardcore technology" is important to you then fine but I don't think that applies to most people buying synthesizers - right before the OP-1 the entire industry was deep in a trend of analog reissues.

FWIW I don't think an OP-1 is worth the asking price but after a short time with one it's clear where the money went.

datpiffon The Rabbit R1 is probably running Android and is powered by an Android app

The Deluge came out a decade after the OP-1

datpiffon The Rabbit R1 is probably running Android and is powered by an Android app

I don't like most of TE's output but the OP-1 is definitely innovative.

datpiffon Humane AI – Pico Laser Projection – AI Twist on an Old Scam (2023)

That's not the point - "they're wearing a black t-shirt, therefore they are a business genius" is the dangerous assumption.

datpiffon What is DECT-2020 New Radio (NR), and how big a deal is it? (2021)

Adoption of technology usually creates hobbyist boards, not the other way around

datpiffon Cliff Stoll, the mad scientist who wrote the book on how to hunt hackers (2019)

Well irl I genuinely have an easier time determining real people from machines...

datpiffon EVs won over early adopters, but mainstream buyers aren't along for the ride yet

> In the UK there are lots of deals on second hand EVs

This is sort-of true, it's still a very small market. AA.com are currently listing 159,000 used cars in the UK, only 6,000 are EVs.

datpiffon TikTok Is Destroying Itself from the Inside Out

> As much as I dislike Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, etc, they all are doing fine.

Hah, Twitter isn't exactly doing fine

datpiffon Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

I believe renting somewhere to live often does, so yes.