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thechut

767 karma · joined July 19, 2011

do it, then it's done.
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thechut··on New York City Neighbors Build Cheaper Way to Connect to Web
NYC Mesh pays for a backhaul. I assume that this use is covered in the ToS, but it isn't just a normal residential internet connection.

NYC Mesh pays for it through donations. Last I checked they were trying to setup a 501c3 to manage this, unsure of the status though.

thechut··on Google hires a key Apple chip designer
The Apple A series processors are ARM based...
thechut··on How To Go Viral By Using Fake Reddit Likes
This is basically what Reddit was doing before with "shadow bans". IIRC they had to stop because they just couldn't keep up with it and were banning people that shouldn't have been.
thechut··on Ask HN: What about a platform for hiring teams instead of individuals?
Agree here, this is exactly what a good consulting shop should be doing and offering.
thechut··on The blockchain paradox: Why DLTs may do little to transform the economy
Interesting points about enforcement.

But I think the real barrier to adoption is that most people don't mind using centralized systems. If their Visa card works when they swipe it, they don't think beyond that. If it's easier for the end user when systems are centralized, breaking people out of this mindset will be very difficult.

thechut··on Ask HN: Who is hiring? (May 2017)
LogMeIn | Designer - New Product Innovation | Boston | ONSITE I work at LogMeIn, and while we are now a huge SaaS company my team is focused on operating independently to build an awesome new product.

We are a super small team of engineers, product, and data nerds. We all wear lots of hats depending on the day but we are looking for a great designer to join us to lead all things visual. You will be responsible for creating prototypes, high fidelity designs, interviewing users, designing and performing other types of research, brand management and more.

Since we are part of a larger company we can offer full benefits, awesome new offices in Seaport, and competitive salaries. Shoot me an email if you want to find out more - calum.barnes@logmein.com

thechut··on Uber's Loss Exceeds $800M in Q3 on $1.7B in Net Revenue
What exactly is the Juno model? Just a clone of early Uber?
thechut··on GoToMyPC has been hacked, all customer passwords reset
It doesn't sound like they have been hacked directly. This looks like the same things as TeamViewer where hackers are using password lists from other breaches to attempt to compromise the high value remote desktop targets.
thechut··on Slack raises $200M at $3.8B valuation for business messaging
We are also switching to Slack from Hipchat due to bad downtime and messed up apps. Too bad, because it use to be decent...
thechut··on This is why people fear the Internet of Things
This seems awfully shortsighted. Perhaps some 'home' devices are gratuitous at this point but certainly there are other uses for headless devices to be connected to the internet.

Yes, the only thing that benefits from a an internet connection is a computer, but eventually everything will need to have a computer in it.

thechut··on ESP8266: A $5 microcontroller with wi-fi that runs Python
While this is a very cool chip for hobbyists, it is quite hard to do real TLS with this chip making it basically useless for commercial applications.

It CAN do TLS but it leaves very little left over if you have any kind of real business logic.

thechut··on Why Homejoy Failed
This is ultimately my same issue with Handy. I don't want a different person every single time. I think this makes it really hard to make it work.

That being said I have had Handy come and clean many times now and not changed it, so I think there is a slight convenience factor. It would be better if Handy just facilitated the direct communication with the same person to come every time. And instead of charging me a fee, charged the cleaner a kind of 'management' fee. I think that would better.

thechut··on Introducing Google Cast for audio
Why is there not a dongle for this. This should have been the first step and part of the announcement.
thechut··on Adventures in Sourcing and Building an ErgoDox
Interesting that you went it alone. I bought mine on mass drop and it cost me around $275 when all was said and done. I did get the full hand with metal tops though.

I think you saved a good deal of money by having access to a laser cuter, which makes me think that the mass drop price is actually not terrible given the extra convenience of everything arriving as a kit.

The blue acrylic top is awesome!

Have you considered tents to tilt the edges? They made a huge comfort difference for me.

thechut··on Go 1.4 is released
I'm not sure how much more 'hockey stick' it can get. Android already has 85% market share.
thechut··on Wire – Modern Communications Network
Wondering why the Android app is 'incompatible' with my Nexus 6. Where can I get the APK?
thechut··on The Internet of Someone Else’s Things
The AllJoyn [1] protocol supports local communication between devices. It gives devices of certain types the ability to tie into defined APIs for specific shareable functions. So that your door lock could turn on your lights for example.

Not saying this is a perfect and open system, but it could be a step in the right direction and does not require a live internet connection for your things ot talk to each other.

AllJoyn has a lot of major backers but has yet to take off.

1: https://www.alljoyn.org/

thechut··on Ghost: Stealth Attack Hydrofoil Uses Supercavitation
Reminds me of the villains boat in Tomorrow Never Dies [1]

1: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/06/19/article-2005464-0C...

thechut··on Announcing UberPool
I also thought this was another Summer gimmick like the ice cream.
thechut··on Interactive Google Doodle celebrates 40th anniversary of Rubik's cube
Exactly this. It's much harder to work with only being able to view it in 2 dimensions at once as well.
thechut··on Postman: a powerful HTTP client (for Chrome) to test web services
Curl is my go to tool for this sort of interaction. I have been a long time Postman user though. The number one feature it has which curl doesn't is collections. Which is basically their name for saving queries. I have my companies entire API saved in various collections which allows me to quickly do any API call without looking at documentation or having to whip up so JSON boilerplate.

For more advanced or one off testing, curl would still be my go to.

thechut··on Uber adds $1 “Safe Rides Fee” to UberX rides for background checks, insurance
Why not just add it to the base price of the Uber ride? Still seems a little gimmicky to me.

I take uberX a very short distance on almost a daily basis. $1 more represents a 12% or 15% price increase in each of my rides. I thought the cheap short rides, was one of the best features of UberX. This will make me consider continuing to use them for these short daily trips.

thechut··on Show HN: I built this notifying device – electronics, code, design, marketing
Exactly, it is till good if ease of use and time to market is the major goal and price isnt a big question, which is certainly true in many markets.

However, I think we will see it fall out of favor in consumer markets unless thye drastically reduce the license fees.

thechut··on Show HN: I built this notifying device – electronics, code, design, marketing
You've made some interesting choices here. Lots of people here are questioning using a gateway, but I think this is a great choice for what you are doing, and required to get decent battery life. However, I think using ZigBee will end up pricing you our of most markets in the long run. Especially if you elected to go with the very pricing Xbee modules from Digi. These are developer friendly, but way to expensive. If you are serious about building this as a product, I would investigate alternative RF solutions, there a lot of good ones out there.

Check out the 6lowpan standard, which is specifically designed for this kind of communication. Dust Networks (http://www.linear.com/products/smartmesh_ip) has a good implementation. The other alternative would be to go with some of the proprietary RF standards, I know this sounds prohibitive at first but will end up saving you money on your BoM in the long run. Check out Atmel's LightWeight Mesh (http://www.atmel.com/tools/lightweight_mesh.aspx) which is based on 802.15.4, the same as Zigbee and BT, so if you want you can even run ZigBee on the same hardware. Linx also makes a great proprietary RF module (https://www.linxtechnologies.com/en/home) which is extremely cheap even at low quantities.

If you are using Xbee (which it seems like you are) then you are likely not using a SoC, so designing in a different radio may still be relatively easy.

PM me if you have any questions, I've been working on this IoT stuff for a while now. Congrats on the crowd funding campaign and best of luck.

thechut··on T-Mobile Turns An Industry On Its Ear
This is absolutely right. But remember the most powerful way to speak to a company is with your dollars, so switch to T-Mobile.
thechut··on Mt. Gox Resigns Bitcoin Foundation Board Seat
I have USD and Bitcoin in Mt. Gox. Will I still be able to withdraw my USD?
thechut··on Automate Your Home With Your Own Personal SkyNet
Not sure why you are getting downvoted (other than typo). I thought the same thing, this doesn't seem to be much in terms of actually connecting things.

If you want to see a similar technology that actually works and is starting to be widely implemented check out AllJoyn and the AllSeen alliance[1].

1: https://www.alljoyn.org/

thechut··on AnyPerk (YC W12): The Story of Six Pivots
At what point is a pivot not a pivot but just a totally different company/idea?
thechut··on A 33-Year-Old NPR Story Convinced Me Google Glass Will Stop Looking So Dorky
I have been using Glass for almost 3 months now. I have tried out almost all the different apps for it at least once. And even written my own apps. My experience has changed greatly over time.

When I first got glass, I felt extremely weird wearing it, it didn't feel right on my face (I have never worn glasses for vision). But not only that, i was very self conscious about it, it looks weird and I knew it. I would maybe wear it for a little while and then take it off when I saw someone.

However, as time has progressed I wear it much more often. I have started to see the value in it, hands free headset. Driving directions, step by step instructions for things, and then the standard watch type functionality of SMS and email alerts.

It doesn't feel weird on my face anymore and I don't feel like an ass hole wearing it around anymore. It just took some getting use to.

It has been said here several times already, but the real key here is usefulness. There needs to be a Glass killer-app, and I think that we are close to having it. There will be lots of great use cases soon, and more will crop up as time goes on.

If you are at ITEXPO this week and want to try glass and see a cool demo of how it can be used in a real world situation, contact me and stop by our booth and check it out.

thechut··on A 33-Year-Old NPR Story Convinced Me Google Glass Will Stop Looking So Dorky
You clearly haven't used Google Glass. With the exception of the camera, everything is inward focused. Everything you do and see and interact with glass happens with only visibility to you. Nobody else can see what you are seeing.

I wouldn't compare it to the boombox at all.

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