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jim_h

643 karma · joined July 19, 2010

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jim_h··on The $10 Echo
I can usually activate Google Now from a few feet away on my Moto X (2013) but it can't understand what I'm asking after that. I have to get much closer for it to work.
jim_h··on How ZenPayroll processes billions of dollars in annual payroll
I also work on a payroll system (Rails/postgresql) based that's used for internal company use with hundreds of employees and multiple states. The hardest part is the taxes and benefits that's handled by external vendors.
jim_h··on Saying Goodbye To Windows 8
It works great for the Win8 'Apps', but not regular windows applications (Firefox, Adobe, etc) for my setup. Probably something taking over my shortcuts.
jim_h··on [dead]
http://www.carscoops.com/2013/10/injured-biker-mieses-did-no...

I did some searching and found this link. It seems like the NYT piece was just a PR piece for the lawyer.

jim_h··on Linode Manager Connectivity Issues
I've also been trying to connect a few times tonight. No luck over the last 3-4 hours.

I have a migration scheduled in a couple of days and this is getting scary. The 7th is the last day for migrations and these attacks are making it much harder for my to do any maintenance and last checks before that happens.

jim_h··on Self-Destructing Cookies – add-on for Firefox
I also use this add-on. While FF has the options too, the add-on allows me to easily access all the features and see all the details that I want to see.

The most important feature is that it's easy and quick.

jim_h··on Google Rumored To Be Making A Smartwatch, Too
A watch is good for utility and fashion/status symbol, however I would argue that a smart phone is not remotely on the same level as a watch.

An iPhone or any phone isn't going to make statement compared to an IWC or Patek or most watches.

jim_h··on Lenovo unveils new ThinkPad design
I have the Thinkpad X22, X40, T40, T60p, X61t. After the X61t, I saw nothing remotely compelling from their Thinkpad line.
jim_h··on Lenovo unveils new ThinkPad design
I think the high point of the Thinkpad line was around the T61/X61t. They were fast, durable and had nice high resolution display.

I was desperately waiting for an update to my X61t w/ 1400x1050 display and no such option come from them and after many years, still none! Such a disappointment.

I saw the photos in the article and then noticed they removed the trackpad buttons. They're moving away from why I liked them before.. that's fine, but they're not making big enough hardware improvements to offset those changes.

jim_h··on The Myth of Japanese Longevity
From my understanding and observations when I visited Japan for a couple of weeks, Japanese people don't eat/drink/smoke while walking. Even for outside vendors, they will eat it on a nearby bench or stand and eat it before moving again.

I did see smokers often in the smoking areas. More than I see in NYC.

jim_h··on The MS Surface Pro
There are a couple of recent Atom based Windows 8 tablets with Wacom. They're much lighter and thinner than the Surface Pro, but it also trades away CPU power for it.

Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet 2. Dell Latitude 10

jim_h··on The MS Surface Pro
I also enjoyed the review. A lot of reviews on devices with a stylus, especially wacom enabled devices, never really go into any detail about the feature. It's generally glossed over with short paragraph about how it works fine and their test was just to scribble a few words.

Most of the reviewers never seem to consider the idea that using a stylus would be a remotely useful feature and never put any thought using examining it. As a result, the review is mostly useless for someone who does want to use the feature.

jim_h··on Highcharts 3.0 Beta released
I wish it was more affordable too. I believe it was only $100 a couple of years ago. That was almost OK as a price to try it out, but the current pricing puts it out of my range for now.
jim_h··on My review of the Surface Pro
Where is the 8GB RAM version? Or the version with 256GB SSD? I would have instantly splurged for 8GB, but old articles were wrong about it existing.

It's a great machine, but I want to be able to run applications that take more than 4GB. VMware.. Photoshop..

(Admittedly it's nice to have a dedicated machine just for OneNote.)

jim_h··on Show HN: Our alternative to recruiter spam
They may have an exclusive contract with the company for that position, for a certain period of time.

Or maybe the company name (or contact details) is NOT part of what they will expose to the candidate.

jim_h··on Google Maps for iOS
If you are having trouble installing on phone, try using iTune to search for it, then download it and sync it to the phone.
jim_h··on Lenovo Computers, Soon To Be Made In America
I have my X61t, with 1400x1050 res 12" display, hooked up to my HP IPS 24" 1920x1200 res display. It's a good combo for portable (yet usable res for real work) and then even better when it's docked at home.
jim_h··on Show HN: Kill The Landline
The greatest strength of the landline is that fact that it will still be up during a power outage. (Just make sure to use a corded phone, cordless uses power.)
jim_h··on Want To Disrupt An Industry? Try Actually Working In It First
I had similar experiences. Some brokers don't really put much effort with rental and showed whatever they had. One broker 'forgot' our scheduled viewing since he was out in the Hamptons showing a house.

I did find a nice apartment with good view (craigslist), but ultimately decided against it due to busy street and location. Also hated the fact I did all the searching, but I still had to go through broker and pay their fees. All the buildings managed by this particular management company used a single RE and there was no way around it.

jim_h··on The phone with a projector
My 25 lumen 800x600 res pico projector does just fine when I close my shades.

Of course you can't expect that 2500 lumens much against the power of the sun..

jim_h··on In Manhattan Pizza War, Price of Slice Keeps Dropping
"But 2 Bros. has a security camera. Winding back to the night in question, the night of the sudden 21-cent price drop, a manager found frames that showed the front of the two stores. And there it was: Bombay/6 Ave. Pizza’s 79-cent sign when 2 Bros. was at $1. Mr. Patel and Mr. Kumar had made the first move."

Bombay Pizza made the first move to lower price.

jim_h··on In Manhattan Pizza War, Price of Slice Keeps Dropping
Fresh out of the oven is also a factor for choosing a place. Who wants pizza that has been sitting around for a while.

The pizzas at pizza shops like 2 bros pizza are fresh during high volume times. Usually only 0-5 minutes fresh out of the oven until the next pizza is put out and sold..

I may not consider it a nice place for a date, but it's a quick and cheap lunch option once in a while.

jim_h··on Open-plan offices must die
I agree. Even with my nice sound isolating earbuds (Shure), it doesn't block out all the external sounds unless I set the volume higher than I would like.

While playing music on headphones can help block out conversations, it is still a distraction. It's just not as annoying as hearing other people talk.

jim_h··on Open-plan offices must die
In my experience, the developers should NOT be taking customer calls.

Once a client knows that a developer will take calls, they will take advantage of it and try to get in new features and changes. There should be a layer between developers and clients. This helps the developers not get distracted or waste their time by explaining things that someone could do also (or better).

Yes, the developers should be aware of what the clients are having issues with or what features they want, but there should be a 'firewall' between developers and clients. Not all the time, but most of the time. The firewall can be imaginary, but the client needs to believe it exists.

jim_h··on IPhone 4S against all other iPhone models (low light shooting)
It is relevant since movement from their hands/body can change the outcome.

With a tripod there would be no blur, but the picture quality would still shine through. The amount of noise difference in each phone's photos is very noticeable.

In an experiment all the conditions should be the same except for the variable, which in this case is the phone.

jim_h··on How I live on $7,000 per year
It's awesome that you lived on a boat and only paid $300/month on marina fees. How much did the boat cost?
jim_h··on Spotify now requires a Facebook account to sign up.
It could also be food allergies.
jim_h··on How to find a job for hackers
My experience is that the cover letter was beneficial to getting an interview. In the cover letter I am able to demonstrate that I know about their company and that my skills/experience are a good fit for their position.

I know this was useful from my experience since the interviewers have mentioned that cover letter was very useful or they brought up details from it.

jim_h··on Joel Spolsky Launches Trello - Organize Anything Together
The page doesn't display completely if javascript or cookies are blocked.

It would be nice if it was mentioned somewhere.

jim_h··on If you don’t have pet projects, I don’t think I want you
I think when you're young with free time AND passionate about something, you should dive into it and learn as much as possible.

When you're older and if you have children, PLEASE PLEASE spend the appropriate time being a GOOD parent. It seems like the world is more work focused than ever and parents are not spending as much time with their kids as they should. We want good programmers, but we NEED good parents even more. Our future will eventually rely on the next generation of adults and not just good software..

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