Hacker News Reader

james_davidon Show HN: Omiword – A daily, sector-based word puzzle

This is a fun game, nicely put together! I wished for a button to clear the board while I was playing. I love the menu UI. I think it cleverly parallels the game.

james_davidon Show HN: App that asks ‘why?’ every time you unlock your phone

One Sec is a good balance of running interference while not making the device unusable. I installed it at your suggestion and appreciate the brief pause before opening Firefox now. I have to respect the developer's privacy commitment, too. I hesitate to give prying eyes access to my app usage and was glad to see One Sec wasn't going to sell my data to someone who will further seek to command my attention.

james_davidon Boulder's explicit traffic safety signs are the latest fakes on CO roads

Most of the time, the US drivers passing on the right in my region are speeding and driving erratically. I agree that slow drivers in the fast lane are dangerous. Driving in the slow lane like it's the fast lane isn't the solution.

james_davidon Mushroom Color Atlas

What a beautiful idea!

james_davidon Show HN: Voggle, a unique word game with handcrafted puzzles and hidden themes

Nicely done! Simply from a game play perspective, I'd suggest making the theme part of the initial round, so that players can focus on revealing words from the start. Also, I'm on Firefox for Android and the boxes that fall away after a correct guess sometimes get stuck at the bottom of the box, making it hard to see what I've cleared.

james_davidon A test for life versus non-life?

Sara Walker had a great piece in Noema that I just went back to recently and so have at the ready to recommend, called AI is Life: https://www.noemamag.com/ai-is-life/

james_davidon Multisatellite data depicts a record-breaking methane leak from a well blowout

In Massachusetts, Lost and Unaccounted for Gas (LAUG) is estimated per mile of pipe, rather than evaluated by regulators or even industry. It is a simple multiplication problem with little bearing on reality. Consumers bear the cost of LAUG while the utilities are guaranteed a 10% profit on their infrastructure expenses. This, along with subsidies for leak prone pipe replacement, leads to needless investment in outmoded fossil fuel infrastructure (i.e., pipe replacement) being prioritized over leak repair.

james_davidon There is still the need for a better Goodreads alternative

Yup, author overlooked this one that I give five stars. Switched long ago and never looked back.

james_davidon Volcanoes can affect climate

The dinosaurs also knew this to be true.

james_davidon Ask HN: Treadmill under your desk – gimmick or worth it?

I've just put one in my office and it cost just $150 USD. I plan on using my fitness reimbursement from my insurer to cover the expense. I've used it selectively but recently reorganized my office to make it more accessible. I spent about an hour on it today, alternating between standing and sitting. I find it much easier to stay standing while moving my body. Otherwise, I neglect to focus on my comportment while standing and start to cramp up, similar to sitting with poor posture. Exercise and step count aside, it's worth it to me for that reason. Also, being at a keyboard, my hands are occupied and my watch doesn't always register the additional steps. YMMV, literally.

james_davidon The Waning Reign of the Muskrat

Thank you. They must have updated the site as a result of the spike in traffic.

james_davidon The Waning Reign of the Muskrat

The author, Brandon Keim, is a favorite of mine. If you like this piece, his book Eye of the Sandpiper is worth checking out.

https://brandonkeim.net/sandpiper

james_davidon Lawmakers unveil sprawling plan to expand online privacy protections

http://archive.today/vWDWX

james_davidon The largest deep lake water cooling project just got bigger

For the uninitiated, this is in many ways similar to networked geothermal: https://www.gastogeo.wiki/wiki/Main_Page

When I lived in Toronto, I toured Steam Whistle brewery and they featured this system prominently in their setup.

james_davidon What are your favorite YouTube channels about mastering a craft or skill?

https://youtube.com/@FoldableFlight

Paper airplanes! Very low effort, high reward, especially if there are kids in your life.

james_davidon Fans quitting Spotify to save their love of music (2022)

The most dramatic influence on my listening habits has been online communities like rateyourmusic.com, algorithms be damned.

Also, count me among the many HN readers I expect will weigh in about self-hosting Navidrome. Rediscovering my old favorites (and the albums I had long forgotten) has been such a delight. I ditched Spotify as a result, but for new music I signed up for Deezer because of their fair(er) pay arrangement with artists.

james_davidon A.I. Is Making the Sexual Exploitation of Girls Even Worse

I think the use of AI to control women's appearance in either direction is the root of the problem.

james_davidon Show HN: I made Wordulo, a simple word game

Fun! Thanks for the thought exercise. I ran into trouble with Firefox on Android. It wouldn't let me type more than a letter before my keyboard closed. I don't know if that's a bug in the game or my keyboard misunderstanding what I'm doing, but thought I'd share.

james_davidon Scientists Resort to Once-Unthinkable Solutions to Cool the Planet

The fact of our unintentional alteration of the climate does not give us permission to do so further. Imagine this logic in other scenarios, e.g., "he has killed six people, what's another two more?"

james_davidon Review of Why Animals Talk: The New Science of Animal Communication

Ed Yong's book An Immense World is an incredible exploration of one of the questions raised in this review, which is what animals talk about. He explains the incredible array of senses animals have and how those shape their worlds (Umwelten, in biology terms). If we want to understand how and why animals communicate, seeing the world from their point of view is essential, and Yong does a brilliant job of that. His book will pair well with this one.

james_davidon The Far Right's Favorite Web Host Has a Shadowy New Owner

http://archive.today/TMe6z

Epik, the host in question, is run by Rob Monster, which is either a chosen name or evidence we are living in a poorly written simulation. Truthfully, I'm not sure there's a difference.

james_davidon Library Extension: See book availability from your local library's catalogs

Brilliant, installing this for Firefox next time I open my laptop. Any chance of a Firefox for Android version on the horizon?

james_davidon Prisoners in the US are part of a hidden workforce linked to popular food brands

I once worked for a firm that developed a small, worker owned business that was owned and managed by incarcerated folks. The business was vertically integrated with the jail and produced food served in the cafeteria. It was unique and very much relied on the song willingness of the correctional staff, but such a thing is possible.

james_davidon Show HN: I made a Wordle Game suitable for my children to play – Wordle Junior

Excellent idea, thoughtful deployment. The hints are clever for kids. I recommend adding a bigger library of words. "Cats" was my first guess just now and it wasn't allowed. Likewise for guess #2, "bump". I tried "butt" like my kid would and it was also excluded. I think my kid would grow frustrated with not having answers accepted.

Otherwise, as I said, brilliant stuff, I will be using it!

james_davidon 'Biocomputer' combines lab-grown brain tissue with electronic hardware

So say we all.

james_davidon Box Breathe

I would use this every hour during my workday if I could have it notify me at intervals. Is that easily accomplished?

james_davidon Butterfly gardening

My town just published a sustainable landscaping handbook that goes into depth about ecological land management and how to do it at home.

https://www.arlingtonma.gov/Home/Components/News/News/12848/...

Let butterfly gardening be your gateway drug!

james_davidon AI can tell what you're typing by listening to the sound of your keyboard

Here is some more information about acoustic cryptanalysis, which has been used by intelligence agencies since the 1960s or so. What is new about this research is the use of AI to accomplish the side channel attack. Two decades ago the same thing made headlines when researchers used neural networks to decipher keystrokes. It is no less concerning for not bring new; I think the back story adds detail to the picture that the article only alludes to.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_cryptanalysis

james_davidon Thunderbird for Android / K-9 Mail: October 2023 Progress Report

I was unaware that this collaboration was underway, but I just installed K-9 a week or two ago after several years away and was impressed by how much smoother it was compared with my previous experience with it. Fantastic to see the progress!

james_davidon Cats that fetch are an evolutionary mystery

It seems the problem you have isn't with language or its use.