Hacker News Reader

mariushnon White House told federal health agency to classify coronavirus deliberations

Unfortunately, you're right:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/12370273563148697...

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/12370245512943820...

I'm amazed not only at these affirmations, but at the number of likes they get. Incredible.

mariushnon Italy's Coronavirus Lockdown Upends the Most Basic Routines and Joys

It worked in China because they really enforce drastic measures. People must stay at home, everybody outside wears a mask (they're made in China, we don't have any), streets, transport & supermarkets are disinfected daily, people who leave hospital have even clothes disinfected etc.

Nothing like this happens in EU or USA :(

mariushnon Angela Merkel estimates 60% to 70% of the German pop. will contract the virus

> As China has shown it's very possible to bring the numbers down.

China was good at it because they really enforce drastic measures. People must stay at home, everybody outside wears a mask (they're made in China...), streets, transport & supermarkets are disinfected daily, people who leave hospital have even clothes disinfected etc.

Nothing like this happens in EU or USA.

mariushnon Trump’s Coronavirus Press Event Was Even Worse Than It Looked

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/12370273563148697...

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/12370245512943820...

I'm amazed not only at these affirmations, but at the likes they get. Incredible.

mariushnon Italy is extending its coronavirus quarantine measures to the entire country

[sarcasm] Because the virus is fake news:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/12370273563148697...

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/12370245512943820...

I'm amazed not only at these affirmations, but at the likes they get. Incredible.

mariushnon Italy's Coronavirus Lockdown Tests the Limits of Democracy

> At the very least the rate of spread is .25-4 times higher

See how China scientifically tracked spreading: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22528245

> China shut down it's entire industry for two months

and kept everybody at home (and if you violate those restrictions, go to jail), and had masks for everybody... It's safer to be in China than EU now.

mariushnon Italy's Coronavirus Lockdown Tests the Limits of Democracy

https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses

mariushnon Coronavirus can travel twice as far as official ‘safe distance’

If no masks and one needs to go to supermarket, what measures would help? eg wearing bandana/kerchief is completely useless?

mariushnon Coronavirus: Israel to bring in 14-day quarantine for all arrivals

This is what all countries should do. Can't believe how many people still travel for non-critical reasons.

mariushnon Proposal for a way to reduce coronavirus infections by optimizing whom to test

https://menafn.com/1099795540/China-suppressed-Covid-19-with...

mariushnon Proposal for a way to reduce coronavirus infections by optimizing whom to test

There are ways to improve that, eg https://eng.uber.com/rethinking-gps/

It could also give a probability for each case.

I agree it's hard, but maybe there are some cases where it will be effective. Look at China's current infection rates vs. Italy. Desperate times require some not-perfect measures. https://menafn.com/1099795540/China-suppressed-Covid-19-with...

mariushnon Proposal for a way to reduce coronavirus infections by optimizing whom to test

Ideally, everybody would be tested! But the tests are expensive and in limited numbers (even if free in some countries for people, health authorities still pay for them). And people also won't volunteer to get tested unless knowing they are at high risk.

mariushnon Stanford cancels in-person classes for rest of the quarter

It was about time to change!

Hope this will lead to

* more Khan Academy-like content

* free textbooks available to everybody in the world

* software companions to help children advance according to their exact needs and level (instead of being stuck in a 20-person class herd)

* online teachers paid by the hour or monthly subscription available for students

* less emphasis on expensive certifications and more on 'what can you accomplish'

What opportunities or hopeful outcomes do you see?

mariushnon Ask HN: Why aren't you using spaced repetition?

Hah :) Thank you!

mariushnon Computational predictions of protein structures associated with COVID-19

> see also /r/covid19 for an example of science working they way we expect it to. chapeau bas!

I wish every health issue and tech hurdle (solar, batteries...) would have such a reddit, with the entire world scientists openly collaborating on it.

mariushnon Ask HN: Why aren't you using spaced repetition?

Appreciate your comment :) I don't know how to market this, besides posting on HN.

mariushnon Ask HN: Why aren't you using spaced repetition?

What do you think about https://booxia.wensia.com ?

mariushnon Ask HN: Why aren't you using spaced repetition?

You can get started in 1 minute, when you spot a paragraph that you like on the web:

1. create an account on https://booxia.wensia.com/

2. install the browser extension

3. highlight the paragraph and choose Save to Booxia.

You'll start getting spaced repetition emails with that.

Disclosure: I built the service.

mariushnon British billionaire Hohn launches campaign to starve coal plants of finance

After so many fires in Australia, how come there aren't any protests to decrease coal mining? Yes, most of that is exported and producing money for mining companies, which pay AU taxes and employ miners. But still, that's a small fraction of AU population.

mariushnon British billionaire Hohn launches campaign to starve coal plants of finance

Please separate the issues. 2 different problems, need 2 different solutions for each.

Similar problems is with state workers in bureaucracies. In my country, citizens spend hours in queues, filling forms etc. when it could all be done online and have simpler laws.

If the purpose is for the state worker to have a job, let her stay at home and get paid, rather than causing more harm just to have a job.

mariushnon Firefox is showing the way back to a world that’s private by default

Some reasons for decreasing market share:

https://news.softpedia.com/news/microsoft-begins-showing-an-...

https://www.zdnet.com/article/former-mozilla-exec-google-has...

This also means decreasing referral revenue from Google, so fewer resources available.

I believe Mozilla should strike back with https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/open-letter-mozilla-please-of...

mariushnon Epistemic standards for “Why did it take so long to invent X?”

What software do you think could help speed up discoveries/inventions? Ideally, something which doesn't require immense computing (like materials simulator).

mariushnon NASA images show China pollution clear amid slowdown

progress != buy lots of stuff

mariushnon Are ad blockers doomed or have we already won? A history lesson

I guess we all know Chrome on Android doesn't support extensions in order to prevent ad blockers. If there wouldn't be Firefox, Chrome on desktop would have surely limited ad blockers as well.

mariushnon Are ad blockers doomed or have we already won? A history lesson

Sustaining your point: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/think-twice-when-installing-m...

mariushnon Citroën introduces a two-seat EV that costs €2,644 and then €19.99 a month

Bicycles don't protect you from bad weather. I have a bike.

mariushnon Citroën introduces a two-seat EV that costs €2,644 and then €19.99 a month

This is amazing. Finally, a well-priced non-polluting urban mobility solution.

I can't believe on HN this has only 160 upvotes in 10 hrs. HN audience seems climate-conscious. But if it's not a Tesla solution, you don't care. Sigh.

mariushnon Things about the new Firefox browser for Android

Basically, Mozilla. Having Mozilla behind it would help with marketing. It would help Firefox too: Google has browser + office, MS has browser + office, both work to decrease Firefox usage.

Also, it would be available as a cloud offer, which Nextcloud doesn't seem to have.

mariushnon Things about the new Firefox browser for Android

Sounds like Gnome. They know better than users.

To make such changes, commercial products I've worked on did these steps:

1. test with some users in 1:1 sessions

2. incorporate the feedback (or consider dropping the alternative, if most all feedback was negative)

3. implement metrics

4. launch to 0.5 - 1% of users. See metrics AND feedback.

5. incorporate feedback

6. gradually launch to more

7. at some point, remove the old way

I agree it's hard to do these with volunteer work. That's how some hard issues are never solved, but Gnome gets new apps or rewrites on existing apps with almost every release -- that's the fun work. It's volunteered, so take it, or leave it, or DYI, or pay somebody.

PS: I've reached out to a few Mozilla staff via LinkedIn with a proposal for a new commercial product, but nobody replied. Anyone has a contact there? Proposal: A Google Suite alternative for businesses, provided by Mozilla both as a cloud service and on-premise. Dual licensing, AGPL and Enterprise: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17czxzh20c8ouhrX-iZPS2BH8...