njoubert

Yes, neural networks are susceptible to adversarial attacks. No, just adding noise to an image doesn't break neural networks.

Your example is cell phone communication. That is not the intended use case of this technology. Facebook's laser comms is part of their Aquila project, attempting to build a network of drones to supply internet.

This application works just fine with a line-of-sight constraint. At 50,000ft just about everything is line of sight.

Anyone building backhand RF links also hugely care about line-of-sight. Microwave towers carrying multi-gigabit speeds are carefully arranged for line of sight: this much improves reliability and throughput.

This totally amazed me when I started working on cars. Both carburetors and direct injection creates a mixture of gasoline and air BEFORE this mixture enters the cylinder. Direct injection now seems like a misnomer ;) It makes a lot of sense if you think about the incredibly violent conditions inside the cylinder head though. I'm always surprised that spark plugs survive as easily as they do, I imagine a high accuracy injector nozzle in that situation would not last as long as current injectors. Has anyone done a true direct-injection design?

Jacob, can you update the drawing slightly? "The fuel injectors spray gas into the cylinder..." is incorrect, it should be closer to "The fuel injectors spray gas into the intake manifold where it mixes with air before being sucked into the cylinder"

Why are we even listening to a chess champion espousing crap about scientific progress? And Pieter Thiel might have entrepreneurship credentials, but he's no scientist.

Back in 2007 we used to ride electric boards around UC Berkeley, and they only cost $600.

I commute on my longboard every day between the parking structure on campus and my building, which is about a mile away - takes me 10 minutes of kicking the board around and working up a sweat.

An electric longboard woud fit right into my current commute, except I'd arrive at work without my shirt soaked through.

For this type of commuting, a couple of days practice in a empty parking garage or lot gets you good enough to safely commute, and if the SF hills are intimidating, you can always walk down them.

As for braking, they indicate that the remote does have a brake slider, and by using regenerative braking, they can slow the board down (to some extent). You would still need to know how to brake the board, but the board can stop itself.

This would also be a super fun toy - I already take my longboard out to race down hills, with this I get to ride up before I fly down.

But, a rollerblade version? Can you explain how that doesn't have the same concerns you raised? Rollerblades are even more difficult to brake than skateboards, and you're committed on rollerblades, while on a skateboard you can jump off and carry the board whenever it's inappropriate or too difficult to ride it. There's also zero cost to hopping on a skateboard, while rollerblades involves sitting down and changing your shoes.

I doubt this product will fix all of the transportation woes of the US (which their marketing seems to point to), but it's great for current longboarders and people already interested in unconventional transportation options.

Is that right for me as a developer?

A great help to me was http://www.opensourcerails.com/ It contains a whole bunch of Rails apps to download, and then learn from the code.

what bullshit. where's that downvote button??!

My secret was using the iDeneb 10.5.5 distro, that thing works wonders on my system. I'm running an Asus P5E-Delux motherboard, with is also a well-supported system. Everything I did is textbook from insanelymac.com

Dual 22" monitors hackintosh running OSX 10.5.6 6 spaces, normally 2 spaces per project and one for random stuff. (I like to arrange all my code in one space and all the docs and the like in another and switch between the two as necessary).

You'll notice the Macbook peeking out from underneath the desk on the left - if I need more screen space I pop that one open. Or if I'm not at home!

M-Audio speakers are crucial - good music is a help! And lots of paper / binders / books to refer to all the time.

At least 3 lights sdjustable to whatever conditions I prefer, and black shades in front of the blinds to block out sunlight and heat.

Also, I can't recommend "Numerical Recipies in C++" enough. This is a great book if you're not a wizard already, although the seriously good numerical mathematicians complain that it doesn't necessarily show you the absolute best way to do everthing. Its a great learning and example-code resource though! http://www.amazon.com/Numerical-Recipes-C-Scientific-Computi...

What I take away from this is the importance of growing up - you get through those stages and move into a more nurturing community of people that support what you create, not the details of how you created it.