Hacker News Reader

hornokpleaseon The Hollerith Machine

There's a great segment in the documentary series Connections that discusses the Hollerith Machine: https://youtu.be/_mT_futz23s?t=2m37s

hornokpleaseon Books That Shaped America

> I don't understand how exactly he shaped America?

From the link: "Thoreau’s love of nature and his advocacy of a simple life have had a large influence on modern conservation and environmentalist movements."

Beyond Walden, Thoreau's Resistance to Civil Government (also known by the title Civil Disobedience) has been cited as a major influence by civil rights leaders in the United States and abroad.

I don't think it'd be fair at all to say that Thoreau is forgotten in America, even if not everything about modern American life and culture conforms to what he might have wanted for the country.

hornokpleaseon Netflix replies to Verizon cease and desist letter

Here's a tweet including a screen capture that was widely cited two days ago: https://twitter.com/yurivictor/status/473978204852453376

hornokpleaseon Why Murdoch's media is gunning for your NBN (2013)

I just learned of it in a comment on the discussion of Cringely's article on peering - more context here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7774936

hornokpleaseon Icahn Enterprises Issues Statement Regarding Twitter Account of Chairman

This may be what you are referencing, but Bloomberg terminals began carrying tweets from selected financial figures and organizations earlier this year:

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/04/04/twitter-arrives-on-wa...

hornokpleaseon How Much Would You Pay to Never See an Online Ad Again?

What you're describing sounds a little like Flattr[1] to me.

[1] http://flattr.com/

hornokpleaseon Steve Case: Even in 1985, We Knew Facebook Was Possible

I thought this was an interested comment on the early challenges of offering internet access to home PC users:

The fact that modems were viewed as "peripheral" to personal computers was our ultimate hurdle. Back then you went to the "peripherals" section of computer stores if your wanted to get connected.

hornokpleaseon Blackout Leaves 300M Without Power in India

No doubt this was an inconvenience to people trying to get to work on the metro, and the number affected (300 million) is staggering, but all the same:

About 40 percent of Indians, or 500 million people, lack electricity.

hornokpleaseon Betaworks to Pay $500,000 for Fallen Social Media Star Digg

TechCrunch is now disputing the $500,000 price in their coverage[1]

One source close to the negotiations tells us that the price was indeed not $500k, but we haven’t been able to pinpoint an exact price yet.

[1] http://techcrunch.com/2012/07/12/betaworks-acquires-digg/

hornokpleaseon Facebook Blames Email Problems On User "Confusion"

While the direct quote attributed to Facebook's rep doesn't include the word confusion, an earlier reference to Facebook's response to RWW does:

But a Facebook spokesperson said the missing messages may stem from confusion over how Facebook’s mail system categorizes messages

hornokpleaseon Twitter suffers sustained outage in hacker attack

I agree with you, I think the headline in this case is ill-advised, especially since the body of the report quotes a security professional who casts doubt on a DDoS as the culprit behind today's downtime. I fear it might have been chosen because it's a more provocative headline...

hornokpleaseon Twitter suffers sustained outage in hacker attack

HED doesn't tell the whole story - in the article an unidentified security expert is quoted:

One security professional said the group probably used a DDoS-for-hire site to launch an attack against Twitter on Tuesday, but downplayed the likelihood the group was solely responsible for bringing down the social media network.

hornokpleaseon Introducing Facebook Camera

From another article on Facebook Camera:

"Stoop confirmed to [All Things D] that Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom and his team had nothing to do with building Facebook Camera."

Source: http://allthingsd.com/20120524/as-facebook-launches-a-standa...

hornokpleaseon Introducing Facebook Camera

Looks like filters are already baked-in.

From the link: "It's also easy to edit photos with new tools like the ability to crop, rotate and add filters to any picture in your camera roll."

hornokpleaseon Twitter Introduces Innovators Patent Agreement

Here's the original post submission on the Twitter Engineering blog: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3853654

hornokpleaseon We’ve been acquired

I agree, I don't think their title was particularly descriptive. However, I generally prefer to submit the title of a blog post or news item as it was written by the author.

hornokpleaseon Redbox Acquires NCR, Blockbuster Express For Up To $100 Million

The headline here appears to be a bit misleading - according to a report in Forbes[1], Coinstar/Redbox has acquired NCR's DVD kiosk business (which ran under the Blockbuster Express brand), not the entirety of NCR.

<edit> The Redbox press release [2] makes it clear that they have only acquired NCR's entertainment line of business.

[1] http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2012/02/06/ncr-q4-top...

[2] http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/redbox-to-acquire-th...

hornokpleaseon Anonymous intercepts confidential conference call between FBI and Scotland Yard

In many cases calls can be recorded by the conference call service provider. Couldn't it be that the recording of the call was later accessed? An anon need not have been listening in on the call live.

hornokpleaseon Facebook's S-1 Filing

Here's a screencap of the summary financial data chart:

http://i.imgur.com/c5pHt.png

hornokpleaseon WSJ comes out for SOPA

What would be the rationale for that?

hornokpleaseon Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook Opposes SOPA/PIPA

Here is the statement, in case login is required to view the post on Facebook:

The internet is the most powerful tool we have for creating a more open and connected world. We can't let poorly thought out laws get in the way of the internet's development. Facebook opposes SOPA and PIPA, and we will continue to oppose any laws that will hurt the internet.

The world today needs political leaders who are pro-internet. We have been working with many of these folks for months on better alternatives to these current proposals. I encourage you to learn more about these issues and tell your congressmen that you want them to be pro-internet.

You can read more about our views here: https://www.facebook.com/FacebookDC?sk=app_329139750453932.*

hornokplease on Internet blackout against U.S. law fails to enlist big sites

I resisted submitting this story because of its baiting headline, although I won't be surprised if it gets a lot of attention.
Setting aside the fact that the headline is demonstrably false (Wikipedia is certainly a 'big site'), it is curious to me how the language of the headline actually validates the 'internet blackout' even as it appears to disparage it. I don't believe that you typically see reports in major newswires when a petition 'fails' to succeed, as Reuters appears to be defining it here, and yet here we are.

hornokplease on Dear Congress, It's No Longer OK To Not Know How The Internet Works

For what it is worth, Google has begun throwing its weight around in politics, although not to the tune of a few hundred million dollars:
This article [1] in the San Jose Mercury News from September reports that Google has ramped up its lobbying spending and notes that 14 lobbying firms have now listed Google as a client:
Google has also ramped up its spending on lobbying, with the company spending $3.5 million in the first half of 2011, according to U.S. Senate records -- a pace that if continued over the course of the year would boost Google's lobbying spending this year by more than a third over 2010.
Google has hired well-connected lobbyists, both on the Democratic and Republican side of the aisle, including the Gephardt Group, the firm founded by former Democratic House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt, and a firm headed by the son of Indiana Republican Sen. Richard Lugar.
[1] Google's Schmidt to Testify Before Senate Panel
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_18938739

hornokplease on ReadWriteWeb's Marshall Kirkpatrick to Launch Plexus Engine

His post is also mirrored on Google Plus here:
https://plus.google.com/117421021456205115327/posts/HXFH7m5j...

hornokplease on SEC issues guidance telling public companies when to disclose cyber attacks

Reuters [1] and Venturebeat [2] have reports. Here is a key passage:
The federal securities laws, in part, are designed to elicit disclosure of timely, comprehensive, and accurate information about risks and events that a reasonable investor would consider important to an investment decision.
I'm not an investor, but I read that to indicate that if the attack has an impact on the business that would affect a reasonable investor's decision with regards to whether to buy, sell or hold stock in the company, it needs to be disclosed
[1] http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/13/us-sec-cyberattack...
[2] http://venturebeat.com/2011/10/13/sec-tells-public-companies...

hornokplease on HP plans to release first memristor, alternative to flash and SSDs in 18 months

EE Times article submitted here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3080963

hornokplease on Larry Page on Steve Jobs

I am very, very sad to hear the news about Steve. He was a great man with incredible achievements and amazing brilliance. He always seemed to be able to say in very few words what you actually should have been thinking before you thought it. His focus on the user experience above all else has always been an inspiration to me. He was very kind to reach out to me as I became CEO of Google and spend time offering his advice and knowledge even though he was not at all well. My thoughts and Google's are with his family and the whole Apple family.

hornokplease on Mark Zuckerberg on Steve Jobs

Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you.

hornokplease on Statement by Steve Jobs' Family

Full text of the release:
PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Steve Jobs’ family today made the following statement regarding his death:
Steve died peacefully today surrounded by his family.
In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family. We are thankful to the many people who have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve’s illness; a website will be provided for those who wish to offer tributes and memories.
We are grateful for the support and kindness of those who share our feelings for Steve. We know many of you will mourn with us, and we ask that you respect our privacy during our time of grief.

hornokplease on Bloomberg Reports Steve Jobs Passes Away

Bloomberg reporter Emily Chang tweeted:
Steve Jobs just passed away via Apple