I marvel at it’s succinctness to represent information about Antarctica. Chef’s kiss.
240 karma · joined September 11, 2020
I used to teach web programming. One of the exercises I had for students was to create a ballot box.
The first step was making it work as expected — accept votes and only display a count when “Election Day” has ended.
Then, I suggested constraints — code it so your preferred choice always wins; make it so the vote totals check out (don’t just add an arbitrary to the preferred total); make sure the margin of victory never triggers an automatic recount, etc.
That opened a lot of eyes, especially for beginning programmers. If they could do it…
Fun story. In 2005, South Florida took two direct hits: Katrina in late August, Wilma in October.
During Katrina, a neighbor’s massive ficus tree was toppled. They were in the process of removing it and had only taken care of the top when Wilma’s impending arrival halted work. Wilma put the tree upright.
Thankfully those storms were nuisances compared to Andrew. I was north of where the eyewall hit, but seeing the aftermath has stuck with me for life. It is hard to believe it has been 30 years.
I was particularly intrigued by “The Amish seek to master technology rather than become its slave.”
I love the conveniences tech offers, but I also worry about the digital habits that have turned into unhealthy addictions. Where in the technological progression did we tipped from technology being a tool to being a handcuff. Broadband? Wi-Fi? Smartphones?
Given the deep ties to tech here on HN, I am curious to know if there are others here who have similar thoughts.
I can only speak from my experience in battling (non-COVID) depression that as I have gotten my inflammation under control (better diet, herbal supplements, medication, alternative medicine), my pain and depression have eased significantly.
If you can, attack it from all angles. See a psychiatrist who can find a medication suited to your specific symptoms of depression. A therapist will be important, too. Maybe look into a chiropractor or massage therapist (depression can cause pain). Consider a nutritionist to help you with an anti-inflammation diet. Acupuncture, medical cannabis. I haven’t tried/needed all of these yet, but they’re tools I know I can tap into if needed.
Good luck, feel better.
[1] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-asymmetric-brain...
[2] https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/long-co...
Worth noting: there is an American Experience documentary based on this book (with a primary focus on the Damascus incident), but it’s nowhere near as good as the text.
I remember when we had the databank watches (in the 80s), we’d wear them on the inside of our wrists since they were easier to use. The arm is in a position not much different from holding a smartphone with one hand.
While taking the class, I came to realize the paper trail you leave the moment you become an adult is immense and almost impossible — from a government perspective — to eliminate entirely. If you require a license or own property, you have no choice but to be in the system. You literally have to disconnect from society and live as a hermit in the woods (and even then I wouldn’t doubt the ability to be tracked.)
The digital realm has only made this paper trail exponentially impossible to control, even if you’re consciously trying. I’ve adopted the practice of limiting my digital footprint as much as possible (within reason). I don’t have accounts or engage with the social media walled gardens. I am very conscious of the media I consume. For instance, I don’t follow my curiosity about topics an on platforms where an algorithm might force feed me — if I wanted to know about a conspiracy theory for giggles, I’d read on Wikipedia, not watch a video on YouTube.
And, finally, ad and tracker blockers at every possible level. I figure if someone has me profiled, I can at least block the tailored message they’re sending.
I don’t know if rawtext.club supports UTF-8, but if they only use ASCII, that would be a constraint I’m not sure can be matched in simplicity for both user and computer.
The state is already reeling from losing ~6% of its annual revenue from 2020 and the state keeps growing.
At what point does the third-largest state need to implement state income tax to keep quality of life from becoming third-world? It’s a political third rail.
More details: Disney is one of the largest employers in the state and big contributor in taxes to it’s tourism-driven economy. Disney also oversaw its own land management district (the 27k acres which make up Walt Disney World property was, in essence, its own city with a tiny government to boot).
When the bill passed, Disney didn’t speak up. It was criticized by gay employees and fans (of which there are many!). Disney eventually expressed its opposition to the law.
Florida’s state government has a significant GOP majority and didn’t like this. A special session was called by the legislature to eliminate the laws which gave Disney ability to oversee its land management district. (Other districts were caught up in this as well.)
The problem is, this district has $1B to $2B in bonds that Disney was responsible for. Florida law requires the bonds to be assumed by counties when special districts are disbanded. Unless something else changes, the two counties Disney properties straddles are on the hook for this. It’s estimated it would increase the tax burden to over $2,000 for every resident in those counties.
To give you a sense of how quickly this moved, Disney’s CEO publicly came out against the law on March 9. Florida eliminated Disney’s special district this past week.
What’s happening in Florida is a good example. The state, which is dominated by the right, called a special legislative session to dissolve a management district overseen by Disney because the company spoke up against the state’s “don’t say gay” bill.
From the state’s standpoint, it doesn’t make sense, though; this action wiped out a tax revenue stream of hundreds of millions and dropped $1B to $2B in debt on the counties Disney property straddles.
Disney has been “punished” in the eyes of the far-right, but residents now have concerns about the long-term impacts of what this decision has wrought.
“If the special district is dissolved, Orange and Osceola counties would have to provide the local services currently provided by Reedy Creek. And, the $105 million in revenue would disappear, meaning county and local taxpayers would be on the hook for part or all of the added costs.
…
“Reedy Creek has bond liabilities of between $1 billion and $1.7 billion, according to the district’s financial filings. Under Florida statute, if Reedy Creek is dissolved, those liabilities are transferred to the local governments — either Bay Lake or Lake Buena Vista, or more likely, Orange and Osceola counties.”
[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/21/disney-special-district-flor...
I enjoyed this book because every chapter includes hands-on hardware and software experiments for you to see the concept described in action.
If Threads taught me anything about being prepared for “surviving” a nuclear war in a metropolitan area, it’s to stock up on alcohol and drugs so your impending death is not as painful.
As would be a faraday cage/box/bag to keep the radio in until it is needed. An electromagnetic pulse would render the electronics inside a modern radio useless.
If DeSantis wants a guard under his control, he’ll get it. The state legislature and courts are blood red, so there wouldn’t even be a check on the powers he possesses over such an entity.
Florida has gone mad. (I know. I live here.)
Also, if you’re really a true beginner, also try “HTML and CSS: Visual QuickStart Guide” by Joe Cassabona.
VQS is great because as you’re trying to learn an aspect of code, it includes a text explanation, what the code looks like and what you should expect to see on screen.
Good luck! Have fun! :)
Edit: “Hello Web Design” by Tracy Osborne is good for learning graphic design principles as they relate to the web. If you can get a copy of “The Non-Designers Web Book” by Robin Williams, that one’s excellent, too. It’s old, but the principles still apply.