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kinnth

549 karma · joined April 25, 2010

I am a mobile games designer and producer. I work in iOS and have helped to create some of the most exciting games on the platform.

I love fun and games. Twitter @kinnth

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kinnth··on Preliminary Macintosh Business Plan (12 July 1981) [pdf]
Thanks for the info, i knew the comments would turn up some gold!
kinnth··on Figma and Adobe abandon proposed merger
I 100% agree. That space needs competition and alternatives to the Adobe monopoly.
kinnth··on Proposal on implementing permanent time zones in the European Union
Surely just getting rid of summertime would have most of the benefits without moving countries current time zones?
kinnth··on Apple reports fourth quarter results
If apple lose their 30% stranglehold, it will be terrible for their bottom line. I think more app stores hurt apple quite badly and consumers just don't care.

It's very good for developers who now have to pay the Apple Tax, with no way to avoid it. Gaming on mobile is the majority of this tax and game studios will immediately jump ship making their own payment processor choices to save 20% in a heartbeat.

kinnth··on Apple reports fourth quarter results
Yes but it wont show yet. It feels a little like the iPhone now, where a new iPhone doesn't "feel" much better. The M1 Max in particular felt lightyears ahead of it's time and I don't feel the need to upgrade it for a couple more years.

Most mac's are 3-5 year lifetimes tho, longer than phones.

kinnth··on Psytrance Guide
I love this guide, I just absolutely detest psytrance :(

Of all the dance genres available I am always frustrated that it's more popular than so many other great ones!

kinnth··on Tom Hanks says that’s not him selling dental insurance in Instagram ads
They should be held liable. Just like a TV ad needs to be reviewed, vetted and is ultimately monitored and people can be fined for missrepresentation, why is social media which is not streaming video content any different?
kinnth··on Desalination system could produce freshwater that is cheaper than tap water
The salty sea water could even become the water to flush your toilet with as one use for the waste?! I agree with the above, the scale of the proposed system shouldn't lead to sealife issues.
kinnth··on I digitalized Berlin's registration form
You genius! This caused me so many headaches each year!
kinnth··on Microsoft Owns the Trademark for “X”
The masterplan unfolding.
kinnth··on China solar module prices keep diving
As a homeowner in the UK (or EU) how can I benefit from these cheap prices? What steps can I take to even just buy and hold the stock?
kinnth··on Iron fuel shows its mettle
Renewables are exceedingly bad at storing energy for times when sun or wind isn't blowing so you always need a mix.
kinnth··on Iron fuel shows its mettle
This is actually the same principle as BTC. High volume cheap electricity is used to process random numbers and the value is stored as BTC allowing it to be freely transferred once first mined.

The green economics of this need some serious consideration as i'd be really aware if you can reprocess it and get a second reaction for less energy than it cost you to turn the rust back into free iron metal.

kinnth··on Majority of gig economy workers are earning below minimum wage: research
From the small interactions i've had with deliveroo/uber, most of the workers there LOVE the flexibility. It's the main reason they do it and they sacrafice some financial rewards for that flexibility.

So I believe workers should get paid the minimum, but im sure that gig work fills a niche that no other work does. They don't want to negotiate, they want simplicity and flexibility or else they could work as temp staffing or short term work such as call center or gigs, that are paid well but often bad work.

kinnth··on Ask HN: What lesser-known accessories do you use with your computer?
Caldigit TSM3 - It's a usb hub + all sorts of other cables connect into it. You can then connect one cable to your mac and have everything boot up each time you reach your desk. It's expensive but worth it.
kinnth··on $22B project to provide 8% of UK energy via undersea cable from North Africa
This!
kinnth··on $22B project to provide 8% of UK energy via undersea cable from North Africa
The UK in particular has a vast abundance of wind power off it's coasts. It makes more sense to double down with 22bn investment in wind!

These solar projects are good to start as they could empower more african nations with cheaper electricty. We just need more electricity everywhere if were going to drop the reliance on oil.

kinnth··on Hi again @elonmusk
Didn't this all start by the employee in this case tweet in a public forum to his boss? So doesn't that mean the conversation is public by defintion?
kinnth··on Most data work seems fundamentally worthless
I'm going to take an educated guess that you've just turned 30 or are about to turn 30?

I had this exact same problem where I became entirely disillusioned with the output of my work after having become reasonably senior and realising that the majority of my time and effort ammounted to projects which either failed or treaded water. The unfortunate reality in business is that the projects that truly change the world are 1 in 100. They don't look or feel much different from any other at the begining but when traction really does start to take off you know you have something right. I think from your description, you need to work at a startup where you have genuine impact. This is the only way you truly "feel" meaning. You might still build something that's reasonably worthless to humanity, but you will do it your way and take your own risks.

kinnth··on Gitlab’s Startup Acquisition Process
AMA Question - Does a process like this help you make better acquisitions, or is there still an art in picking the right startup at the right time for a business?
kinnth··on Tell HN: Confluent laying off 8% of staff
I think it's all about cashflow. Salaries are the biggest cost to cashflow and 2023 is not going to be all roses, there will be more bad news at some point. A shrewd business reduces operating costs before the storm hits.
kinnth··on Cal.com: Open Scheduling Infrastructure
It will happen again when the market picks up! Web4 we should call it!
kinnth··on Fyrox Game Engine 0.29
Most 2D games are often rendered in a 3D world anyway. So that you can get cool transitions or concepts like distance much more easily.

Unity3D is still the defacto for most gaming studios and I agree with the first point that the game engine space is very saturated. Still I admire all the work and great 2D engines can render faster on specific hardware (cocos2D was a good example)! I say focus on one niche and build better integrated tools for that niche.

kinnth··on Automating heating with Home Assistant
Do you use any thermostat switches on your radiators to manage temperature too? Any recommendation on brands in the UK?
kinnth··on “My PGP key is compromised, and at least many of my bitcoins stolen”
Would this happen if his wallet was a hardware wallet like a ledger or trezor?
kinnth··on Freeform: a new app designed for creative collaboration
This problem is solved by using Frames. They capture and keep everyone at a defined zoom. Always start by drawing a frame, then Miro!
kinnth··on Freeform: a new app designed for creative collaboration
This is going strongly after the Miro app. Being a longer term Miro user, it's my primary method for recording notes and collaborating, however, it's expensive. I pay $15 a month and I tend to share my notes with 1 or 2 people per board.

I pay for the freelancer version and if this version from apple allows me to share with non-apple users, I will switch. I hate paying so much for a software tool and if it's good enough it feels like the Microsoft Teams killing Slack outcome.

kinnth··on Musk’s $5.7B Mystery Gift Went to His Own Charity
I also think expenses, even salaries don't really amount to that much of a tax avoidance when the sums are in the billions. Hotels every night of the year for your staff would still be under $1M per staff member.

I think (I don't know as i'm a UK citizen) that these are similar to trusts. It's fair to say that rich people avoid a lot of income tax when they fund these trusts, but the trusts themselves still then pay tax on income and expenditures. The main thing it allows is for wealth to remain in a family for longer periods of time with one big tax avoidance at the beginning (the recoup on income taxes)

kinnth··on Apple to allow outside app stores in overhaul spurred by EU laws
I think it might enable game consoles to allow more developers to list their products on the store without the hassles of their particular processes. Perhaps an indie only section.

It might with time open up software across multiple ecosystems.

kinnth··on Crypto exchange AAX suspends withdrawals
Defi is not this. In defi exchanges you place your coins into a smart contract or have them always on your account.

If anything a crypto exchange is a misnomer as it's not even needed. The only reason it exists is because smart contracts didn't exist when they first started.

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