Hacker News Reader

larsboton iOS 7 is Yucky. Why Isn't Anyone Saying So?

iOS 7 is REALLY yucky. Why Isn't Anyone Saying So?

Have you considered maybe it's because most people don't agree with you? I think you point out some real UI issues, but to me, they are more annoyances than "really yucky."

larsboton Go Pro on a soaring eagle [video]

The peregrine falcon videos linked to in the article used a "808 #16 HD Key Chain Camera" attached to the bird's back with a little harness. While they are much larger birds, I suspect something similar was used for the golden eagle video.

larsboton Civet coffee: why it's time to cut the crap

Instead of buying civet coffee, roast your own beans. I have never tasted coffee as good as the stuff I have roasted myself. All you need is an old popcorn maker. Buy green beans from Sweet Maria's or somewhere else online. It's cheap, easy to do, and the results are amazing.

larsboton Google knows nearly every Wi-Fi password in the world

I wish! My wifi password at work is useful over a much larger area. It is also the login password for my email, the course management system I use when teaching, and pretty much everything else job related. I work at a university "powering silicon valley." You would think they might be a little more careful about things like that...

larsboton Kit Kat's homepage is currently a parody of Android announcement page

But there are so many more apple apps!

apple pie, apple fritters, apple juice, apple cider, apple jacks, apple crisp, apple cake, apple butter, apple muffins, apple brown betty, apple turnovers, apple strudel, apple tart, baked apples, apple sauce, caramel apples, apple dumplings, apple chutney, apple crumble, ...

also with KitKat, thanks to fragmentation if you aren't careful you can be stuck with a real mess on your hands.

larsboton Japan's maglev train runs test at over 310 mph (with video)

Cal-HSRA predicts that by 2040 the train will reduce highway miles traveled by 10 million miles a day[1]. For comparison, in May 2013, there were 15.3 billion miles of travel just on California highways[2]. A reduction of 10 million miles a day would be about 2%, and assuming people continue to move into the state, the number of highway mile traveled per day will likely be quite a bit higher in 2040 than it is today.

I don't know, it just doesn't seem like a very compelling argument to me. The state doesn't have unlimited resources. Spend the money where it will do the most good.

[1] http://www.hsr.ca.gov/docs/newsroom/fact%20sheets/Good%20for...

[2] most recent month with available statistics, lots more data available here http://traffic-counts.dot.ca.gov/

larsboton Japan's maglev train runs test at over 310 mph (with video)

The cost is going to be high, maybe $100 billion by the time the project is done. Even with the feds helping, that is a huge sum. Are we really going to get the most "bang" for our bucks? How often do people travel between LA and SF anyways? Improve BART, VTA light rail and CalTrain (in the Bay Area), and I suspect it will have a much larger positive impact on the lives of more people.

larsboton Japan's maglev train runs test at over 310 mph (with video)

From the article: The line between Tokyo and Osaka is expected to cost approximately $90 billion and it won't be completed until 2045

I think California's high speed rail project should be cancelled, but big infrastructure projects do cost a lot of money and take a long time, both in Japan and the US.

larsboton Almost 7 million birds perish at communication towers in North America each year

The solution is to build new towers without guy-wires.

To operate a communications tower in the US, you need a permit from the FCC. To get a permit or renew a permit from the FCC, you have to file an Environmental Impact Statement. Based on this study, it will likely no longer be possible to claim that a tower with guy-wires has no significant impacts. This means towers without guy-wires will likely be the preferred alternative in an EIS, and what you will have to build if you want a new permit. To renew a permit, you will likely have to have blinking lights, or at least have a very convincing reason for not using them in your EIS.

Also, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, with a few exceptions, outlaws all take of migratory birds. That will likely also come into play.

Activism and lawsuits may speed up the process, but assuming this study is replicated by future studies, the wheels have already started turning.

larsboton The House passes CISPA with a vote of 248 to 168

Good or bad, I'd be surprised if he ever has the chance to sign it. It has to make its way through the quagmire that is the senate first.

larsboton Iran says it's building copy of captured US drone

Could you explain your reasoning? How is the US purposefully losing a drone in Iran somehow a signal to the Israelis? Surely Israel already knew that we were capable of / already flying drone over Iran considering their use in two of Iran's neighbors (Iraq and Afghanistan).

larsboton With all this natural gas, who needs oil?

Natural gas is great, useful for generating electricity, heating, maybe powering cars, making plastic, etc. So why are we (the US) exporting it? It seems incredibly shortsighted. Once we've exhausted our domestic supply we'll be right back in the same mess we are currently in with oil.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_natural_ga...

larsboton Wikipedia to Shut Down on Wednesday to Protest SOPA

To me, the real lesson from SOPA and PIPA is that the tech industry needs to spend a lot more money bribing (oh, excuse me, lobbying) senators and representatives to counter all the money flowing from the entertainment industry.

Also, it's an embarrassment that BOTH of California's senators not only support PIPA, they are listed at co-sponsors.