HNHacker News
TopNewBestAskShowJobs

scottdevries

38 karma · joined March 15, 2014

Partner at ItemPath.
submissionscomments
scottdevries··on Salesforce is shuttering Slack’s remote work research group Future Forum
We use Discord as a Slack alternative, and have for a couple years. It's perfect for a remote company, especially if you also run chat/messaging for customers and users.
scottdevries··on Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
I wonder if the same amount of resources will be used to take down the Nationwide Bicycle Theft Ring as well.
scottdevries··on [dead]
To me - this reads like a collection of home remedies, without good sources.

Some of the recommendations are good, but it's mixed with pseudoscience.

scottdevries··on Ask HN: How surface-to-air missile can be fired unintentionally not deliberately
I don’t have first-hand knowledge of how an anti-aircraft system works, but my theory is that the attack was partly automated. Keep in mind that the plane was delayed by about an hour on the tarmac, so that may be a factor.

If the plane was cleared for take-off, this would have been coordinated with the defense forces, who would’ve been prepared for a civilian plane leaving Tehran. This was probably sent via a take-off window, so the plane being delayed on the tarmac missed the window.

Keep in mind also that the US had scrambled fighters from the UAE, and so there was a possibility of intrusion on Iranian airspace. So, a delayed plane outside of the take-off window may have looked like a radar-dodging fighter to an automated anti-aircraft system.

scottdevries··on Power outage at CES
Power is back on now in the central hall.
scottdevries··on Investing in “Magic” Cards
I've been actively in the MTG Market for over 10 years, selling and trading cards at http://deckbox.org.

As of last year, I started offloading my collection. It's been a good run, and I have had fun with the game, but the amount of product produced by Wizards of the Coast has increased dramatically along with the player base. I believe we are approaching a glut and the supply/demand curve is beginning to swing the other way.

scottdevries··on Ask HN: What good alteratives are there to Google News?
I’m surprised Blendle (https://blendle.com) hasn’t been mentioned yet - you end up paying a small amount for each article, but I’ve found the quality of curation pretty decent, but not perfect yet.

You have to apply for beta access, but it didn’t take long for me to be accepted in. It’s probably more of a marketing beta program, to feel exclusive.

scottdevries··on The Rise of the Thought Leader
I've enjoyed this Thought Leader episode from CBC Canada's "This is That" show: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thisisthat/thought-leader-gives-talk...
scottdevries··on New board games from Gen Con 2016
I'm not a fan of Pandemic, but Pandemic Legacy is a fantastic change on this monotony. 15-18 games spread over longer period, where the rules (and the board) change as you play. Not for everyone, especially if you don't manage to get a semi-regular group to play, but we had a blast with the story-based gameplay.

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/161936/pandemic-legacy-s...

scottdevries··on Scythe, the most-hyped board game of 2016, delivers
This is one of those games that looks complicated until you start playing. I was one of the Kickstarter backers, and was a bit unsure of the suitability of the game for casual play.

After 22 plays and counting with many different people, I can safely say that this isn't too hard to grasp. Essentially, your turn boils down to picking 1 of 4 (or 5) different actions, over and over again. Compared to Terra Mystica, this game is much easier to learn.

If you want a succinct rules explanation, Rodney from Watch it Played has a great tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffMLIL5qGQg

I will add that Jamey, the designer, has perfected the Kickstarter process for board gaming. He has a book and tons of free articles on his site - I'm a fan of his book here: http://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter/book/