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ghostwreck

63 karma · joined August 22, 2013

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ghostwreck··on WebXR
I love the open web and want solutions like this to win but 3D experiences built on the web seem to fall flat. Any AAA games on the web? How far is state of art native desktop 3D vs 3D through the web? Add on XR (IMU, camera, geo-tracking, AI processing) and it falls even further. It would be interesting to see some side-by-side comparisons.
ghostwreck··on Brave Integration Deepens Support for Unstoppable Domains
Very excited for more people working on identity and ownership. Everyone calls web3 a grift because the stack is too young to see the truly useful applications, so all we've seen are some scammy NFTs and coin drops. We're at web browser state of 1993 where the core pieces have just launched but nothing has been proven.

It's actually very hard to develop a real app in smart contracts. We're missing the ability to store private data. Tooling is highly lacking for anything beyond deploying a simple 100 line NFT contract. As soon as these problems are solved, we'll start to see some traditional applications rebuilt in a way that gives users ownership of their own data.

That's the goal of web3 to me, not specifically the exact implementation of whether we're on a blockchain or doing peer to peer file storage. Web3 means I have all the rights to my data, and ideally, applications can live on beyond their creators.

ghostwreck··on “Chatbots: Still Dumb After All These Years”
After having spent a few years working on a chatbot, the allure is this: talking to a real human is better than filling out a form. If we can build a Q&A system as good as talking to a human, people would also prefer it to filling out forms. So that's the pursuit.

I understand the hate, because we haven't landed very close that goal yet, and the intermediate product is much worse than a form. But I am surprised that a technical community is not more supportive of the ambition.

ghostwreck··on Notes on Web3
Consider diving into tulip land (without any major investments of course). Mint an NFT, write a coin contract, it's actually a very fun and easy way to learn the basics of web3.
ghostwreck··on Ask HN: Who is hiring? (May 2021)
Allen | San Francisco, CA | Remote | Contract or Full-time | https://allen.bot

Allen is building on the blockchain in the real estate space. We are creating a system using smart contracts to track relationships between tenants, property owners, and service providers.

Building in Python, Django, JavaScript, React Native, and running on AWS.

Looking for self defined roles - from co-founder level to contributing engineers to business positions - anyone excited about the problem space and tech stack, interested in getting in at the very beginning and defining a new paradigm.

Write to me at hello@allen.bot if you’re interested!

ghostwreck··on Ask HN: Who is hiring? (April 2021)
Allen | San Francisco, CA | Remote | Contract | https://allen.bot

Allen is building a chatbot for the real estate space. We are creating a system using machine learning to do preventative maintenance, service routing, price comparison, and investment analysis.

Building in Python, Django, JavaScript, React Native, and running on AWS.

Looking for engineers excited about the problem space and tech stack, interested in getting in at the very beginning and defining a new paradigm.

Write to me at hello@allen.bot if you’re interested!

ghostwreck··on Microsoft wins $21.9B contract with U.S. Army to supply AR headsets
This makes me think of some of the battles that play out in Daemon and Freedom [1]. They're able to visualize all other parties in the area mapped by drones in real-time. They fight with massive AI swarms and are able to control the AI bots with hand gestures as they see them on the field, all while cruising around on modified motorcycles. We're in for a wild future.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_(novel_series)

ghostwreck··on Ask HN: Who is hiring? (March 2021)
The Allen Bot | San Francisco, CA | Remote | Contract | https://allen.bot

The Allen Bot is using AI to redefine the real estate property management space. We use machine learning to predict service issues, route problems, and interface with users through natural language processing in a custom chat based interface.

Building in Python, Django, JavaScript, React Native, and running on AWS.

Looking for engineers excited about the problem space and tech stack, interested in getting in at the very beginning and defining a new paradigm.

Write to me at brent@allen.bot if you’re interested!

ghostwreck··on Apple’s use of Swift and SwiftUI in iOS 14
Why do you feel React Native is a dead end? I've built apps of all sizes with it and had a good amount of success. I love Swift as a language, but building the same app across platforms (Android/iOS) always feels so wasteful.
ghostwreck··on PureOS is convergent
Maybe not phone yet, but tablets (running the same OS) are getting extremely powerful and the apps are coming. [1]

[1] https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/15/17969754/adobe-photoshop...

ghostwreck··on Why I’m Worried About Google
Check out some of the principals of Standard Notes [1]. It's built to avoid this exact problem. I've been using it for over a year after migrating from OneNote and highly recommend it.

[1] https://standardnotes.org/longevity

ghostwreck··on Honda will use GM’s self-driving technology, invests in Cruise
The turret of sensors mounted on top still might be a bit of a giveaway.
ghostwreck··on Evernote just slashed 54 jobs, or 15 percent of its workforce
Standard Notes supports secure file attachment now and is open source. Meets all of my note taking needs: https://standardnotes.org/
ghostwreck··on MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros
I was with you until I remapped caps lock to esc. It's really an enhanced, bigger, easier access esc key now. And I don't miss caps lock.
ghostwreck··on Office 365 is being completely rewritten in JavaScript
JavaScript compiled to native code[1] so perhaps not because of that!

[1] https://twitter.com/TheLarkInn/status/1006761134395834368

ghostwreck··on Round Peg in a Square Hole [video]
If you like the idea of solving problems using extra dimensions, Diaspora [1] takes the idea in some really interesting directions. Just be prepared to fight through a few sections of intense Riemannian geometry to bring you into that world.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaspora_(novel)

ghostwreck··on Keybase is now supported by the Stellar Development Foundation
Probably should have done some more research before you installed the first time. Keybase has been mixed with cryptocurrency since 2014 [1]

[1] https://keybase.io/docs/server_security/merkle_root_in_bitco...

ghostwreck··on Feasibility of low-level GPU access on the Web
The future of AR/VR exists in 3D worlds. If the web wants to be part of that future, developers will need access powerful 3D APIs. Otherwise, the web will miss another tech wave like it missed mobile (as native mobile was the clear winner over web mobile).
ghostwreck··on Microsoft Paint Is Deprecated in Fall Creators Update
It looks like it will be replaced by Paint 3D? Newer, more powerful Paint! Sounds like a good thing to me.
ghostwreck··on Ask HN: What Podcasts are you listening right now and why?
Masters of Scale - just started and really great, Reid Hoffman talks about startups and growing them.
ghostwreck··on An off-grid social network
This is great! Exactly the type of service I would use as someone that avoids centralized social networks.

Also wondering, can this be a replacement for Slack? Can I set up a private group chat room? Or can I only use the private @ feature to send private messages to multiple people?

ghostwreck··on VimWiki – A personal wiki for Vim
I have tried using this or orgmode at various points, but I haven't been able to find a good workflow for linking images/screen shots with notes (which I do quite often in Evernote). I use vim as my primary IDE, so I would love to find a solution for image links to let me use VimWiki as well.
ghostwreck··on Cryptomancer RPG
Isn't that what most tech announcements are?
ghostwreck··on GitLab Mattermost, an open source on-premises Slack alternative
I love using Slack and have been looking for an open source alternative. This sounds great! Anything similar (open source / on premises) for video and desktop sharing? I am trying to get away from Skype or Google Hangouts in the same way.