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empalms

73 karma · joined June 24, 2015

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empalms··on Modos Color Monitor Pushes E-Paper Displays Further
Been casually following the ePaper/eInk device space for years now and Modos is one of the more exciting developments I've come across in the space. Seriously impressive.

That said, I'm curious what impact the increased refresh rate might have on a Carta panel's longevity. I assume the physical medium that allows each 'pixel' to be on/off has a certain tolerance after which the screen begins to degrade beyond a usable state.

Separately, I also want to understand more about how Wenting's approach differs (or not) from the flickering modern displays use to emit a picture, and, whether the direction actually addresses eye strain or reproduces the same issues (I'm assuming are) inherent in LCD/LED displays — i.e. it's the flickering that strains our eyes, not just light.

Maybe someone more versed than I am in this space would know. After 10+ years of computer work... my eyes hurt and I really want this to be a game changer.

empalms··on MeZO: Fine-Tuning Language Models with Just Forward Passes
Could you point to the OP(s) please? No luck here with HN search
empalms··on [dead]
> “Inflation is being reported at 8.6%, but if you fill up the gas in your car, you know that it must be higher than that. No one knows the real rate of inflation, but what I do know is you cannot print more bitcoin. You can print dollars perpetually until it’s worthless like Venezuela, but you can’t print more bitcoin.”

What a silly comment inside just as silly of an article. Last I checked, consumer fuel prices were absolutely included as components in most measures of price stability. The conclusion does not follow the premise in the slightest and demonstrates a poor grasp of macroeconomic fundamentals (i.e. inflation being a lagging metric of price change). That said, it’s not as if bitcoin’s historical trends have shown any virtuous elements necessary for serving as a decent currency. Its volatility alone should lead all but the most deranged maximalists to shun it outright for any purpose other than market speculation.

empalms··on Adobe tricks users into a 12 month contract
Technically but enforcement’s another matter. Many subscription services are just going to cancel your plan and paywall you
empalms··on In Argentina, inflation is a way of life
Good points. I think the point he was trying to make (or the one I recall, at least) was that higher inflation tends to result in more volatile price moments which damages economies more severely than that of cost increases outpacing earning power.

I do agree with you though, wages being generally sticky would make any moderate inflation, even predictable, a considerable negative on the economic fortunes of most individuals.

empalms··on In Argentina, inflation is a way of life
I’d agree on the wages side! Good point. Price stickiness seems dependent on the nature of the goods and contracts, I would expect at least
empalms··on In Argentina, inflation is a way of life
That’s the argument - higher inflation is correlated with lower levels of price stability and hampers one’s ability to predict. Other commenters have also (rightly, I think) pointed out the ‘stickiness’ of wages in the short term being an additional reason to take seriously even moderately higher levels of inflation
empalms··on In Argentina, inflation is a way of life
It's been a while, but I vaguely remember an economics professor of mine stating that it's not inflation which is the core issue for people, firms, and economies, but an increased price volatility which positively correlates with high inflationary rates. The take-away was that when people can reasonably predict what inflation might be MoM, or QoQ, businesses and individuals are able to price transactions and required rates of return accordingly.

So yeah, by that understanding, inflation can be normal in a healthy functioning economy. It is uncontrolled/unpredictable inflation that's problematic.*

*Grain of salt, I'm not an economist and it's been some time since I've seriously studied the subject matter. Commenting to join the discussion

empalms··on Why Google's Plan to Cut Remote Worker Pay Is a Bad Idea
Good points. It’ll be interesting to see how other major (and growing) SW employers treat WFH flexibility and pay in the coming months/years.
empalms··on Why Google's Plan to Cut Remote Worker Pay Is a Bad Idea
Those examples seem somewhat contrived. The exchange is not that of physical depreciating assets or even consumable goods. A worker is not giving a coupon to a company for a one time purchase but forming an ongoing contract for knowledge services which can be performed from anywhere to (arguably) similar levels of proficiency.

Whether you believe WFH is equal in value to on-site is another matter. Google apparently does not hold this view.

Regardless, in those cases I’d still expect a competitive market to reach some price convergence, holding all other factors constant — especially when the seller knows that a buyers willingness to pay == $x and != $x-d for the same utility (say, from already getting paid $x repeatedly for the same work). If I am mistaken I’d definitely welcome the chance to adjust those expectations.

empalms··on Why Google's Plan to Cut Remote Worker Pay Is a Bad Idea
I tend to agree, unfortunately.
empalms··on Why Google's Plan to Cut Remote Worker Pay Is a Bad Idea
Perhaps I'm in the minority here given the comments thus far, but I've always been of the opinion that equivalent work should be compensated equivalently and commensurate with the value of output generated for the company.
empalms··on How E Ink developed full-color e-paper
Amazing, but does it stray into E Ink’s protective sphere?

No doubt there are manufacturers around the world who are exploring quality general-purpose reflective displays for consumer applications, the tech has been around for some time. I could be mistaken but it seems more a question of commercial viability rather than technical capability

empalms··on How E Ink developed full-color e-paper
Good question.

Skimming the uspto’s documentation, identifying the term does not appear to be a straightforward process [0]. Someone with more experience in the matter might be able to say.

[0] https://www.uspto.gov/patents/laws/patent-term-calculator

empalms··on How E Ink developed full-color e-paper
Every time an E Ink article is posted the patent defeatism is inevitable. I’m curious if there are other techniques to implement reflective(?) displays being explored that wouldn’t fall within the scope of E Ink’s defensible moat, or, if their parents are simply so broad as to stifle most hopes of accessible solutions and broader consumer/professional adoption.

Frankly, I’m quite sick of straining my eyes and circadian rhythm for 8hrs+ a day

empalms··on Ask HN: What web apps use WASM today?
I read something a while back about AutoCAD using WASM.

Found this site after a quick google search but it doesn’t appear to be actively maintained : https://madewithwebassembly.com

empalms··on As Austin thrives as a tech hub, will it avoid San Francisco’s problems?
Long-time resident here -- right on the money. While likely not purposeful, Adler's use of the past tense 'made' (the city so attractive) speaks volumes to the negative trends in accessibility, affordability, livability, and viability that Austin has experienced over the last decade or more. This being a weird, artsy, and affordable place to live is a meme that might have been true at one time but is fading quickly into the past, and increasingly so, given the current 'Austin is cool' cultural zeitgeist. Sadly, outside public awareness of this has not caught up and the political will for meaningful change toward sustainable growth ends at someone's $1.2mil front lawn or the amount owed on their property tax bill.

I fear this place is heading more in the direction of LA than SF -- less earthquakes and beaches; yet all the inequality, homelessness, soul-crushing driving commutes, expensive rents, drought, vapid personalities, celebrity, traffic, tech/crypto bros, etc. But, hey, your income taxes will be a little lower! You can spend that win-fall on power generation to heat/cool your home and boil water when the Texas power grid inevitably fails again.

The other sentence you called out, likely refers to the I35 expansion project proposal that is under the authority of state TXDOT officials, who can, and I'd expect will, flout the wishes of the Austin community [0]. Local organizations have developed several potential alternatives which aim to increase affordability, livability, and economic opportunities within the area but these have seemly fallen on deaf ears at the State level [1].

[0] http://www.my35.org/capital-project-capital-express-central.... [1] https://www.kut.org/transportation/2021-08-12/txdot-slams-br...

empalms··on How Y Combinator Changed the World
There are a few. Techstars and 500 Global both come to mind but OP may have been referring to another program.
empalms··on U.S. Senate Democrats roll out draft bill to legalize weed
Just a guess, but I'd assume this is a step in that direction?

One somewhat related item -- the federal prohibition of alcohol (Amendment 18) and its repeal (Amendment 21) -- stems from the commerce clause, which enumerates the powers held by the Federal legislative branch: including the regulation of intrastate and interstate commerce. IANAL or a constitutional scholar, so grains of salt.

Fun fact: though the 21st amendment came into being in 1933, Mississippi was one of the last states to repeal a state-wide dry law in 1966. [0]

[0] https://www.mdah.ms.gov/timeline/zone/1966/

empalms··on How neutering dogs became the norm
Idk. I agree with the idea put forth by some of the other posters in that the natural dog environment is amongst humans. To me it’s about the ‘jobs to be done’ fit that’s important for a dog. If they are naturally (for that individual) placed in an environment activity-wise that’s positive for the individual physically and mentally, then density doesn’t seem such a big issue. The hormone messing is a fair point, but behavioral change isn’t the whole picture on sterilization positives, as I expect some with veterinary backgrounds would attest to - simply the one which dog park goers might be most concerned about (in my experience, at least).

Where all this comes in to play for me is that in rural areas there’s a lot more room for activities and less probability to run into ill-fitting or unsocialized/untrained dogs - thus mitigating a lot of social risk.

I think of it as a handicap but city dog ownership is not unattainable, given reasonably modest resources and hard work. I’ve lived in and raised dogs in both urban and rural areas, fwiw

empalms··on How neutering dogs became the norm
I think this author is missing a major piece of dog park social norms where spaying & neutering are concerned -- behavioral changes that (ostensibly) arise from de-sexing dogs, particularly in neutering males. Maybe they should ask these other dog park goers _why_ they are so interested in status of their dog's reproductive organs...

In my own anecdotal experience, my male golden retriever (who I've spent considerable time socializing and training since adoption at 8 weeks), started to display some territorial and dominance issues around the 18mo mark. This behavior was particularly apparent around other intact males of equal-to-larger sizes than him, and culminated in a defensive fight with another (intact) lab mix.

I made the choice to schedule his neutering that day.

Since then (~6 months ago), his behavior has mellowed out considerably -- far more so than what I would otherwise attribute to maturing. I try not to judge people that harshly who make the choice not to neuter in the area (urban US city), but at the same time believe too many minimize an intact Fuffy's higher (IMO) propensity for dominant and aggressive behavior in social circumstances. Too often have I heard, 'he's a <retriever/doodle/some other family dog..>, obviously he wouldn't hurt a fly!' and it really grinds my gears.

Having an intact dog in a denser area is a huge responsibility (beyond potential offspring) and good owners should recognize this..especially if they're bringing these dogs into semi-controlled environments with strangers -- who, I'd posit, are more concerned about a harder-to-control Fluffy stepping over the line and their dog getting injured or worse, rather than causing an unexpected pregnancy.

empalms··on Apple’s New Mac Pro to Be Made in Texas
Mac Pros have been coming out of Austin since 2013; the article details as much. Furthermore, Austin's been a major center for the US semi-conductor industry for quite some time.

Here are just a few orgs that have an Austin presence: - Dell (HQ in Round Rock) - Apple - Nvidia - Qualcomm - Intel - Samsung - AMD - Silicon Labs - Cirrus Logic

empalms··on Jobstart – Personalized, expert guidance to land your next software job
Being that you are based in SF, do you think that you are equipped to provide services to job seekers in other cities (i.e. Austin, NYC, Boston, Raleigh, or Seattle)?