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marknow

37 karma · joined April 17, 2013

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marknow··on Just Wear Headphones
Actually, earplugs can be very effective when paired with headphones, I would think... I used them while flying in the military (under a flight helmet) to cut out excess noise while still enabling me to hear essential radio chatter.
marknow··on What Are Traffic Waves and Why Do They Happen So Much?
I'm aware of CA splitting -- it's not been adopted yet elsewhere in the US. It's too bad that you had to experience someone who was "swerving in and out" and not the majority of riders who would split sensibly and safely.

Lane splitting is only supposed to occur below a certain speed; splitting above that number would be a violation, of course.

Take a look at Europe to see how easily splitting can be integrated, for both driver and rider. It absolutely does reduce congestion: bikes move smoothly to the front and away, freeing space.

American drivers just aren't educated to realize this because negative stereotypes about motorcycles are so prevalent in the US, and the many positive benefits of riding aren't presented as options here.

marknow··on What Are Traffic Waves and Why Do They Happen So Much?
I wish, for those of us that ride motorcycles in this type of traffic in the US, that all states would adopt a sensible lane-spitting allowance for motorcycles. In country after country, lane-splitting has proven to help reduce congestion, and yet, if I try it here, I'll get a ticket. Ridiculous.
marknow··on What to do when you need help with WordPress
This. WP frustrates the stew out of me, precisely because it mixes concerns. All. The. Freakin'. Time. Arrrgh!
marknow··on Ask HN: What's your experience with the new macbook?
I'm working on a MBP, but also really interested in the pixel. We tend to now work in the cloud more than ever, and like the lower cost and simplicity of the chromebook.
marknow··on I Quit: What really goes on at Apple
This: "Platform lock-in is a negative, customer-hostile approach."

Absolutely.

At my office, it was amusing when others would adopt the latest iPhone, but the charger was different... yet again! People would scurry about looking for a compatible charger, while the few of us with android phones would look at each other and mouth the words, "micro usb". Simple.

Good products can still be good while conforming to industry-wide standards -- something I seem to find less prevalent in my years of experience working with Apple products. (Design agency)

marknow··on Get your loved ones off Facebook
Well, privacy or no... I have found just the sheer "overhead" of _dealing_ with FB to be exhausting. I mean, really.

Trolling through so many mundane and inane posts to get to the few relevant items of interest has become a huge time-sink, for me.

Yesterday, I posted a simple, non-accusatory statement that said that I was stepping back from FB for a while, maybe forever, and that we could still stay in touch via email and text. So far, the response has been nothing but positive.

marknow··on 20 Most Common Mistakes WordPress Beginners Make
This list of common oversights could apply equally to any CMS installation. Although I really dislike working in WP, I've also seen these same mistakes in other setups that clients have come to us with over the years.
marknow··on Get your loved ones off Facebook
G+ is actually *not a "ghost town"; it doesn't presume that you have friend-like connections, and allows you to follow/circle and correspond easily with anyone. I tend to think of it as a more powerful Twitter, and have used it to stay in touch with what's going on in my profession. Very helpful to follow and participate in discussions with people from all over the world.
marknow··on Please Do Not Be a One Trick Pony
So, basically, always be looking for emerging opportunities and don't be quick to "throw in the trowel" ;-) Sorry... just couldn't resist!
marknow··on What is Meteor.js?
I'm a webdev at an agency, and Meteor looks great from a prototyping perspective. Javascript is already a key component of much of our work, so this framework could help us roll out concepts much faster than we're doing now... looking forward to learning more about Meteor!
marknow··on We Are All Confident Idiots
All absolutely great quotes -- and I *still couldn't stop thinking about how much this ying/yang reminds me of the hilarious quotes from "The Sphinx" in the movie, "Mystery Men" (1999, IMDB here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0132347/quotes)

For example, "He who questions training... only trains himself at asking questions."

marknow··on Adobe joins the Chromebook party, starting with Photoshop
Not quite the same as a qym membership, however. Many, many designers use Adobe products to create original work. The prospect of being forced to continue to pay for access to your own created works feel a bit like a strong-arm tactic... and that's honestly how many large and small agencies are beginning to feel. It's not easy to just use another product, since a lot of proprietary aspects of the Adobe universe make it nigh impossible to open or access in another application.
marknow··on Military uniforms – Expense and stupidity too big to camouflage
+1 correct. A carrier battle group can't be everywhere, and the immense operational options available to a VTOL contingent make the program viable. I'm a former Navy pilot, and agree that VTOL gets the job done in many tight situations.
marknow··on The daily routines of famous creative people
Not many painters or visual artists mentioned... mostly writers and composers. I've found that, as a painter, I get most of my work done late at night -- and so do many other artists I know. Just another 2c...
marknow··on Facebook is building an enterprise product dubbed "FBWork"
+1 this... every time want to stop using FB, I get pressure from work and extended family who only communicate via FB.
marknow··on Hacker School banning “feigned surprise” is absolutely brilliant
I can relate! Sure wish more teams would do things together - *despite the age differences. I'm 20 yrs older than some of my coworkers, but we still have similar interests. And a good beer is a good beer, no matter how old you are! ;-)
marknow··on Famo.us is now open source
Er, fail? No examples still at link given, and About page also blank, as others mentioned. Would like to try this, but not sure I want to invest the time without seeing some working examples first...
marknow··on Apple Unveils The iPhone 5S
Well said, and I agree that the TouchID will be something that resonates with many consumers.
marknow··on Apple Unveils The iPhone 5S
How odd, I feel the opposite, re: vision... Google is leading the way with progressive developments in many varied fields.

Expecting more today from Tim Cook, the Apple announcement left me flat. Understand, that while I'm a long time Apple user, my Android phone(s) have offered features to which Apple is still playing catch-up. Apple is the reactionary these days; they may have introduced the iPhone as a ground-breaking product back-in-the-day, but Android is outpacing the iPhone with each new release.

<opinion>Aside from the MBP I use for work, I won't be purchasing another Apple product anytime soon, FWIW.</opinion>

marknow··on Linus on "acting professionally"
Agree. I *hate it when I receive ambiguous criticism, which just means that we'll need to dance around each other while I try to figure out exactly what "looks a little funny".

Getting specific details - instructions or guidance even - is far better to solving the problem efficiently.

marknow··on What Everybody Should Know About Contracting Developers
"The more you can learn to help the client work through ambiguity..." This assistance implies expertise beyond just being a code monkey; higher-level thinking and problem-solving should definitely come at a higher price.