mal10c

I have an almost identical story. I wrote a few games: snake and a choose your own adventure fantasy thing. And likely others that I can't remember, but yeah, I had a teacher tell me basically the same thing. I was pretty sad because those really took a lot of time.

I totally agree with this! I've spent a career learning and making software of all types. I started with DOS 4, worked through VB6, and so on. Now I think more broadly and my mind is always thinking of new ideas, but with a family, it's tough to find time to create some of these. I know what the software needs to do and even what it should look like. I know the acceptance criteria and what will and won't work, so Claude has been great just being an extra set of fingers. I use it to create all sorts of projects that I would never have time to make with my busy schedule, and it's so much fun!

reticulating splines

I agree with your thought process. Factoring in antenna type and reflections also causes difficulties when explaining concepts like super position. The sinusoid is a good illustration of what a given receiver might detect at some location (X,Y,Z). A more accurate way to show that may be a light source fading on and off to match some frequency (below THz). Then factoring in the speed of light, at time zero, the light will be off, at some arbitrary time 1, the light will be illuminated at 0.25 (scale goes up to 1 here). The light energy peak at time 1 is at the light. Then at time 2, the light goes up to 0.5. That means that the 0.25 light is now 1 unit away from the light while the 0.5 is at the light. Step to time 3 and the light goes up to 0.75, meaning 1 unit from the light, the light is at 0.5 and 2 units from the light, the light is dimmer at 0.25. This repeats with the light hitting 1.0 then falling back to 0.75, then 0.5, etc. The movement of light is key and I think that's what is often either misunderstood or just not considered enough.

I really enjoy posts like this one because I always learn something. Sure the whole program can be written using bitwise comparison or modulus, but that's not the point. The thing I learned is how to map that into address space! That's a cool trick!

I don't understand how to use this, but it does touch on an interesting topic. I want to create interactive and animated diagrams. I normally use either Draw.io or plantuml. My goal is to better teach folks about the systems I'm building, through better visualizations. Something like IcePanel (which is way too expensive) sort of shows flows, but I'd like to have full control. Does this tool claim to support something like that? If not, are there options out there that I don't know about?

Honestly, if it ran Affinity photo and SilverFast, I'd be happy to pay that. Same goes for Linux, whatever can run those!

This brought back a lot of memories!

YES! This project, this is what the internet is for!

I agree with the comments, that's a pretty lame excuse. But I've gotta understand where others are coming from here. I just don't see why Apple is in such hot water here - they created a gadget (well multiple) that people like. We're not forced to buy those gadgets and we have alternatives. Sure Apple has made a butt load of money on this, but it's not like other players are prevented from making similar gadgets. I guess if I made a thing, say a new type of keyboard and I also make a motherboard and ultimately some new type of computer - then isn't it my prerogative to decide that I'm only going to support that keyboard with that computer? Or is that thinking too simple: instead is the problem that Apple isn't allowing others to take the device they bought (keyboard in this example) and on their own make it work with their Asus computer? eh, maybe a lame example but happy to hear thoughts and feedback.

This is awesome! About a year ago, I switched to a Moonlander keyboard. At that time, I figured why not try a different layout while I'm at it, how hard could it be? I compared a bunch of layouts and finally went with Colemak-DHm. I'm nowhere even close to my typing speed on a QWERTY layout, but absolutely loving it! This typing game will really help me get more comfortable with that new layout!

For ham operators, there's Winlink, which is an email system that uses ham frequencies to exchange messages. And yep, there are rules where you need to say your call sign periodically, and Winlink does that on your behalf.

Neat, but I wish there were more information. I'm an active ham but curious about how much space I get, are my emails encrypted or readable on the server, etc.

Baud rate and symbol rate often refer to the same thing, especially in the context of digital communications. However, they don't necessarily equate to the bit rate. In the digital realm, we're familiar with the concept of 1's and 0's, which represent binary states. When we transmit a single bit, it can be visualized as a digital line being high (for 1) or low (for 0). The rate at which this line transitions from one state to another is called the baud rate or symbol rate.

To understand this further, let's consider a more advanced modulation scheme. Instead of just having two states (high and low) to represent binary bits, imagine we have four distinct states: high, medium-high, medium-low, and low. These states can represent combinations of bits as follows: high = 11, medium-high = 10, medium-low = 01, and low = 00.

In this scenario, each state transition represents a symbol, and since each symbol can represent two bits, the symbol rate (or baud rate) is half of the bit rate. If you know the symbol rate and want to determine the bit rate, you'd multiply the symbol rate by the number of bits per symbol. In this example, you'd multiply the baud rate by two.

Most signals rely on techniques beyond simple voltage differences though to transfer information, and that's when you delve into the world of RF theory. Instead of a discrete voltage, a sine wave is used at a particular frequency. The amplitude of the sine wave can be adjusted just like we adjusted the voltage on that line. If we want even more symbols, maybe 0000 to 1111 or bigger, we can introduce another variation to the sine wave called phase. Phase of a sine wave is just shifting it left or right, but could be visualized as two people on a race track. If they start a race from the same line and run at the same speed in the same direction, they're in phase. If one of them starts a quarter of the way ahead from the other and they both run at the same speed in the same direction, then he's a quarter phase shifted from the other.

That adjustment of phase and amplitude falls into a broad category of RF modulation called QAM, and it's used in more than RF between two radios. It can also be used over Ethernet or PCIe busses.

I could go on rambling for a long time on all this, but hopefully this helps answer your question.

Really interesting reading both sides of this argument, but I do see something missing from the entire conversation (unless someone snuck it in and I missed it):

Independent from the side you take on this, this decision was made by the judicial branch in the context of (hopefully) the constitution. If you disagree with the decision, there's a process (albeit a long one (on purpose)) to change our system, but that process resides in the legislative body, not the judiciary.

I encourage folks from both sides of the argument to keep that in mind.

There's always Gitea [1]. I've been using that for personal projects and it's perfect.

[1]: https://docs.gitea.com/next/installation/comparison

"That's right! Every file you've ever created, or anyone else has created or will create! Copyright infringement? It's just a few digits of π! They were always there!"

I didn't think that was actually mathematically proven yet. Was some proof accepted recently that makes that quoted sentence true?

My personal setup is: /home/eric/repos/

All git repos end up in that folder - it's basically my project folder. Before explaining more, I should specify that this setup works well for me, but I could see how others may not agree with it.

Let's say I have 2 projects called prj1 and prj2. In that case, I would have the following directories:

/home/eric/repos/prj1 /home/eric/repos/prj2

Both of those would be git repos. Now, let's say that both of those repos rely on a shared repo, which I'll called shared-repo. In that case, I would have this:

/home/eric/repos/shared-repo

Then (and here's the part that probably won't sit well with folks), I just reference the parent directory from either prj1 or prj2 to access shared-repo.

Down sides: I'm forcing a hard coded directory hierarchy and directory naming. Up side: it's simple. If symlinks worked just as well on Windows as they do on Linux, I could just create a symlink in both prj1 and prj2 that points to my shared-repo directory and that could solve this whole mess too.

Having said all that, submodules have worked for me in the past, but I use them so rarely that I always need to look them up - so I've gotten in the habit of keeping things simple for myself and just doing things the way I mentioned above.

This took me down memory lane but in a weird way. One of the first languages I really took to was vb6. I was absolutely convinced I could write an OS with that language... I tried and tried - really not knowing what I was doing and finally realized its limitations. Such a good lesson on using the right tool for the job.

I don't think companies are black and white like that. Even the big ones. Sure management focuses on profit and loss and they keep an eye on legal hurdles. When I hire someone, I want their skillset (otherwise I wouldn't be offering them the job). My goal is to be fair with their rate while being mindful of the fact that I need to pay my other employees, and give enough room to hand out raises, pay for benefits, file for new patents, order parts, etc, etc, etc. I know that the person I've just interviewed is capable of getting a job elsewhere and may have other offers on the table, so it's in my best interest to give a fair offer that's within my comfort zone.

Having said all that, business does boil down to a lot more than just profits. Those are important but so is the livelihood of the employees, along with their expertise and tribal knowledge. I know those feed into profits, but I'm thinking beyond that. It's my job to ensure that my employees are able to take home the pay they've earned. Often, I have to put on more of a social worker hat and help out some of my employees with personal issues. That may be loaning a car at no charge, or giving a low interest loan to buy a house. In the past, I've paid for weddings and funerals. All of that goes with the job of being an employer. That doesn't mean every employer has to do those things. I'm fortunate to be in a position where I can help out in those ways, so I take advantage.

I think this highlights the point I'm trying to make: too many people focus on businesses trying to maximize profits and they push to enforce rules to help out the little guy. If businesses do that, then that's too bad. If you work for one of those businesses, then talk to your manager about it and if necessary, find a company that shares your outlook. Not all businesses are like that though - in fact, a lot of them aren't. Most businesses really do try to be fair and understand there's competition out there that may be trying to lure in some of your star employees.

I agree with that. When I've interviewed in the past I approached it from two ways. First, I asked them to throw out a number - normally that didn't work and they threw it back to me b/c the person I was talking to was really just trying to fill out a field. So then I went on to my next step (which required some research before talking w/ the person). I threw out a number that was two brackets higher than the one I was applying for. I knew it was too high, but I figured if they wanted me that badly, they could give me that price or show their hand and tell me what they're willing to offer. That tricked worked every time.

No. I really think that people aren't taught to do this, or they feel that they're not allowed to. If someone brought this concern to me, I'd tell say: it's your life, define your goals and determine how you're going to reach them. Don't rely on an employer or anyone else to get you to where you want to be. They can't read your mind. If you're uncomfortable asking for more, then tell a future employer that you're uncomfortable asking for more, but you'd really like to discuss that possibility. Honest communication is key in those situations.

Yeah that's a good question and like most things in life, things aren't black and white. In terms of unconscious bias, I'm not sure how to answer that. I look for talent, professionalism, and attitude. That's it.

In terms of what a person can do vs how they happened to interview - that's a fun challenge. I tend to be extremely honest with a candidate, letting him know exactly who we are, what we do, and what types of challenges to expect. As I'm talking through that, I can usually tell if they have that engineering spark. If I really have a tough time trying to decide if they know their stuff, I'll draw a problem on the board and see if they can solve it - usually a problem we've recently solved ourselves. I also call references, which sort of helps. Hiring is a gamble and fortunately in my case, it tends to work out. It's rare, but every so often I misread someone and find out after they start that they aren't as far along as I thought. When that happens, I provide them with a mentor or offer to be one myself - or I relearn their skillset and then write proposals that highlight their abilities. In the extremely rare cases an employee can't/won't grow, I'll have an honest and polite conversation with them and then part ways.

When an employee starts here, they join a "work family." We look out for one another and push each other to learn. I tend to focus on my employees interests and skillset, then design customer solutions around those. That has worked really well for decades now and customers keep coming back!

Think what you will, but like I said, it's served me and my company well over the years. We're still in business, employees are happy, morale is high, I give bonuses/raises when possible, and customers keep coming back. Am I a capitalist, sure! I want to innovate and offer the best product possible to try and convince a consumer to buy or invest in that product. When a customer is happy, they pay their bills. When they pay their bills, my employees get paid. After all that happens, I get paid. Any extra is applied to future projects. That's how it works.

I actually disagree with this on the premise that all aspects of hiring are a two-way street. I've worked at quite a few different companies in different roles, and now I'm in a senior management position. I feel that these types of rules tend to place companies in a negative light - like their primary goal is to focus on company profits and screw over anyone that might be getting in their way. In my experience, this just isn't how it works. When I prepare an offer, I take into consideration a lot of factors that center around how much worth someone brings to the table (expertise, self-learning ability, attitude, flexibility to juggle diverse tasks, etc.). I then work out a range I'm comfortable offering. I then typically offer closer to the lower end of the range because I'm open to a counter offer (so long as it doesn't exceed the max rate I calculated).

I then fully expect that person to counter, because I feel that it's on them to do the market research to determine how much they're worth. That's what I've done through my career and I've been happy with the result.

I see applying/hiring as a game where the company is trying to find a way to afford as much talent as possible AND ensuring they can continue to pay that rate when times get tough and projects are cancelled/postponed. I also factor in annual bonuses for other employees, R&D budgets, etc. At the same time, applicants should be prepared knowing what they're worth. That takes some research, but it's not overly difficult. As they determine what they're worth, they also gain an understanding of a skillset they can work toward to reach the next rung of the ladder.

At the end of the day, I really believe that the only person someone should compete against is himself. If comparing rates is THE issue, then I think the focus is misaligned. If rates are a concern, then start a dialog with your manager. Most managers are willing to go to bat to help out an employee if they really feel they deserve a higher wage. Just be prepared to make your case if you do that, explain WHY you deserve a higher rate - and it should be more than "well so and so is paid more than me." If in the end you're still unhappy with your rate/benefits, then consider a move, but be prepared to grow in your skillset if that's what's needed to reach your financial goals.

Handle it professionally and communicate... Those are my thoughts.

This project reminded me of something I've been looking for for a while - although it's not exactly what I'm looking for...

I use SolidWorks PDM at work to control drawings, BOMs, test procedures, etc. In all honesty, PDM does an alright job when it works, but when I have problems with our local server, all hell breaks loose and worst case, the engineers can't move forward.

In that light, I'd love to switch to another option. Preferably something decentralized just to ensure we have more backups. Git almost gets us there but doesn't include things like "where used."

All that being said, am I overlooking some features of Elfshaker that would fit well into my hopes of finding an alternative to PDM?

I also see there's another HN thread that asks the question I'm asking - just not through the lens of Elfshaker: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20644770

Good for signal but if I were going to play devil's advocate, I would put myself in the shoes of folks in the government that want this information... I would contact Google or Apple and ask them to throw in some non-advertised APIs that take and then send screenshots of the signal app from the OS to a central server. Put another way, if the OS isn't fully trusted, it's still game over, even with all of the encryption in the world.

I love Plantuml. This and xmind are my two favorite tools. Has anyone ever heard of a vscode plugin that will render the plantuml scripts into images and embed them into code? I'm thinking of a program (c, c++, java, python... whatever) that has plantuml in a comment. the plugin could render that as an image and show it in place of the comment. then it could provide an "edit" button to view/edit the comment.

"I wish there were a lot of small/medium companies..." I hear this from a lot of different circles, and I'm not trying to target you, just more or less generically voicing my frustrations. If people wish there were more small/medium companies in the US, then by all means, go to your county courthouse and officially establish a business. You could found a sole proprietorship just to get started. I own a side business and I'm part of ownership at my main job. It's a lot of work, but worth it. If you feel you have a good idea and a good way to form and keep a customer base, then nobody is stopping you. That's one of the greatest aspects of living in the US. And since I'm on my rant now, I often times hear something along the lines that people need to form together to combat something they feel isn't fair in their place of work. While I sympathise with that, I also know for a fact that there aren't a lot of CEO's out there that are waking up asking themselves how they can screw over their employees - that just isn't how the world works. How it does work is often times when times get tough, more than not CEO's and other C-Suite managers will put their own assets on the line to ensure the company can make it through a rough patch. If the rough patch is looking more like the norm, then they may have to make really tough decisions to let some people go. That sucks for them because they're losing talent to (potentially) a competitor. Last thing: if people really don't like that company X doesn't give them some perk - whether that's forming a union or even giving away free popcorn, then start looking for a job that does that stuff!!! Don't expect your employer to just make those changes. Sorry for the rant, but I think it's important to share a view from a different perspective.

So not trying to start something and I'm sure I'll get down voted by just asking this... but what the heck. I do hear comments like that a lot. Could you include references to show proof tweets, rallies, Fox, etc. did incite violence? Maybe there are some (honestly I haven't looked because I really don't follow most of those, I'm too busy at work during the day and just sleep when I get home). Thanks for your thoughts.