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throwaway12357

49 karma · joined April 14, 2015

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throwaway12357··on Erlang/OTP 18.0 has been released
> ssl: Remove default support for SSL-3.0 and added padding check for TLS-1.0 due to the Poodle vulnerability.

> ssl: Remove default support for RC4 cipher suites, as they are consider too weak.

I'm not following Erlang news but was just wondering, aren't these fixes coming out way too late?

throwaway12357··on Organizing complexity is the most important skill in software development
I'm sorry but I can't help to find this situation ridiculous.

Unless you're from a very poor country there is no excuse for not having a working keyboard.

I don't know if that was part of the test, but if it was, it's worse than the big blue chip corps asking about the number of piano tuners. Which actually can be valuable at understanding how one reasons about unknown problems/areas.

About the server being slow, well I don't know the magnitude of the slowness or the anger, but unless you're a ramen fueled startup there is no excuse for having slow machines. It's management failure. It's a waste of developer time. Instead of coding the dev is having to deal with stress inducing constant 5 second hiccups or similar things.

Put yourself in the interviewee's shoes. Do you really want to work in a company that can't conduct a proper interview and has broken/slow hardware?

And yes, I do use vim and I do like w very much.

throwaway12357··on Show HN: MapChat – A simple location based chat in 300 lines of code
tip: messages should fade after 15? seconds
throwaway12357··on Becoming a contractor programmer in the UK
If you happen to get back to this thread and do have the time then please post it. I would appreciate it very much since I'll be taking that route. Thanks.
throwaway12357··on Computer scientists prove that a 40-year-old algorithm is optimal
> that’s disappointing, since a computer running the existing algorithm would take 1,000 years to exhaustively compare two human genomes.

I did a quick googling [1] and

> Our algorithm divides the problem into independent `quadrants' ...

> Our results show that our GPU implementation is up to 8x faster when operating on a large number of sequences.

It's still soul crushing. Why did our genome have to be that long :(

BTW, do you have numbers for setups with hundreds of GPUs?

I'm also left wondering about results using stochastic solutions. On how accuracy and problem size relate.

[1] http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?reload=tru...

throwaway12357··on Show HN: A Curated List for Application Security
While that page in particular may look like a Thomas Ptacek fanpage :) that doesn't invalidate its content. So thanks for sharing.

Anyway what I really wanted to say was that, for those who missed the link, this page has has a link to a meta-"awesome" list:

https://github.com/sindresorhus/awesome

throwaway12357··on Lost Posture: Why Indigenous Cultures Don't Have Back Pain
I started reading that as

> Squats and deadlifts are how I broke my back

While I take care to contract abs at all times and keep a straight back during SQ, DL and MP, I have been getting some lumbar pain/discomfort. Not when I lift. But typically 1 or 2 days after.

Sleeping is not optimal either as muscles contract. As of lately I find myself sleeping on my side. I know it's the advised posture, but some years ago I could sleep (ie: eventually wake up) with my stomach down with no problems. I can still go to sleep that way, but during the sleep I end up switching position -- and I'm aware of it because I "wake up" for a brief second or so.

Anyway, do you have any tips? Do you ever get sore lumbar spine or overfall back?

throwaway12357··on Ten Days of Silence
I have been trying to do 5 minutes a day of "ignorant meditation" (just sitting on the floor, clearing up my head, and focusing on breathing), but have seriously slacking off these past weeks.

Are there any worthwhile youtube videos on mindfulness meditation?

And is Vipassana meditation "better" than the other types?

throwaway12357··on In Greek Debt Puzzle, the Game Theorists Have It
What would be the impact on the Euro currency if Greece left the Euro-zone?

I would guess the Euro would take a small hit, but bear (speculation) wouldn't have much too feed upon.

This due to the fact that (1) Greece is a small part in the Eurozone and (2) the other countries that were having problems (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Ireland) seem to have things stabilized.

throwaway12357··on Virgin Galactic pilot recalls colleague's crash
Reading this I can't help comparing it against SpaceX.

SpaceX is actually 2 years older than Virgin. But SpaceX is Getting Things Done at warp speed for some years now, while Virgin Galactic keeps having multiple crashes. Despite SpaceX having a harder mission.

Is it all due to the Elon Musk effect?

What's the secret?

throwaway12357··on WikiLeaks offers $100k for details of Obama’s trade deal
If governments aren't doing anything wrong, why are they hiding the TPP?
throwaway12357··on Stripe and Pinterest
> "There is no fee for buyers and merchants .. Users can pay with a credit card or with Apple Pay."

So only a Stripe fee, if you use Stripe.

So how does Pinterest make money on this?

throwaway12357··on Microsoft Buys German To-Do List Startup 6Wunderkinder
$100-$200 million!?

I'm dumbfounded with this.

How many users did the app have?

Granted it's a more than a TODO list. But it looks like an exorbitant amount of money for it.

throwaway12357··on Carnegie Mellon Reels After Uber Lures Away Researchers
Maybe this is a bit offtopic but I'm curious what are the thoughts with Google driving car.

Right now it feels Google, Uber and Lyft will compete for the same space. Uber looks to be winning, but can it really win the race against Google.

Although to its own merit one thing comes to mind was that -- at least from PR it looks like it -- Uber is moving faster. Google which is always hiring(?) lost the chance to grab that CMU talent.

throwaway12357··on Scientists reverse aging in human cell lines and give theory of aging a new life
Maybe you already know this and in that case a FYI to anyone else.

According to [1] telomere-lengthening treatments may (the author points out that this conclusion may be incorrect since the data measurement may need some changes) only give you an extra 5 years.

So research in other directions is definitely interesting.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9456792

throwaway12357··on Ext4 encryption
For those who missed it there is a relevant comment by user abatters against the use of per-directory encryption:

https://lwn.net/Articles/639766/

edit: how can I quote a block of text that preserves newlines?

throwaway12357··on SpaceX cleared for US military launches
Somewhat ironic that Elon Musk's SpaceX whose ultimate goal is to make life multi-planetary, is now collaborating with agents that may as well be responsible for triggering a Kessler syndrome. Not to mention the fact their business very much implies the termination of human life -- if for the greater good that is left for discussion on a case by case basis.
throwaway12357··on Show HN: An Isomorphic JavaScript Framework Faster Than React
How would you compare Riot to React?
throwaway12357··on Mozilla overhauls Firefox smartphone plan to focus on quality, not cost
I can't help but feel some "couch coach" desperation with Mozilla's confusion at where should they aim at.

Google has Android which is open source but "spyware" prone and suffers from vendor incompetence/uninterest in updates -- in fact this will bite Google sooner or latter. While Apple's iOS is privacy aware but closed source and carries a huge price premium.

On the other hand Mozilla is known for open source and for caring for privacy. Furthermore with Snowden's revelations, at least among the IT crowd, as well as governments, there is interest for a secure system.

Give me a high-end phone [1] which focus on privacy.

Something that supports a stack like Xposed and Xprivacy out of the box.

Something whose baseband processor is decoupled from the other processors. And if possible the source code for the sensors or at least the ICD, so that you have an alternative to binary blobs.

Give me something that supports encryption and can get consistent no hassle OTA updates.

And make it with a compatibility layer to Android's apps [2]

I'm all for open source, but Android just ends up being nothing but an headache. A better solution would be welcome.

[1] just look at the OnePlus One for $350 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OnePlus_One In fact Mozilla should have partnered with them.

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybris_%28software%29

throwaway12357··on Programmers of ITMO University win the ACM ICPC for the sixth time
Any similar site/book/course available in english?
throwaway12357··on Payments company WePay (YC S09) raises $40M to go global
How does WePay differ from Stripe?

And am I correct with assuming that WePay does money transfer using the bank account number instead of the Visa/Mastercard card number? Related [1]

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WePay#Occupy_Wall_Street

throwaway12357··on Ask HN: How do I get my first contracting client?
For those in the UK do the "attend meets" and "network" advices still apply? Or is it still normal to get a good gig from job descriptions posted online?
throwaway12357··on NASA Announces Journey to Mars Challenge
I think it's a mistake to attempt a "naked" human settlement. You should start with a robot settlement.

That means sending robots that can set the basic infrastructure (extract water, fuel, set up hydroponic farms, 3D printing, etc) for humans to live there. This will give you a considerable safety net to succeed.

One thing that echoes my mind -- not for today but in 20-100 years from now -- is the question of Mars land ownership. And how likely will cessation occur.

throwaway12357··on NASA Announces Journey to Mars Challenge
They have more to gain than just $15k.
throwaway12357··on Slovak Constitutional Court cancels mass surveillance of citizens
Does the "Data Retention Directive" [1] also apply to UK?

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_Retention_Directive

throwaway12357··on Large New Survey Tracks Telomere Length and Mortality
For me the most interesting conclusion (from the blog author) was that telomere-lengthening treatments may only give you an extra 5 years. But he does point out that this conclusion may be incorrect since the data measurement may need some changes.
throwaway12357··on Google Sued by Job Candidate for Age Discrimination
If the candidate has knowledge relevant to the role he is applying, can you really conclude that much from those first 2 minutes?

Could you share on past interview experiences when you decided a candidate was not a fit from those first 2 minutes?

The problem with most interviews is that they fallback to a confirmation bias thing.

throwaway12357··on Elon Musk's first wife on what it takes to become a billionaire
I found this other comment from her a lot more interesting. And somewhat eye opening. http://www.quora.com/How-can-I-be-as-great-as-Bill-Gates-Ste...

> They are unlikely to be reading stuff like this. (This is not to slam or criticize people who do; I love to read this stuff myself.) They are more likely to go straight to a book: perhaps a biography of Alexander the Great or Catherine the Great* or someone else they consider Great. Surfing the 'Net is a deadly timesuck, and given what they know their time is worth -- even back in the day when technically it was not worth that -- they can't afford it.

This paragraph kind of reverberate with me. I like checking HN. It's interesting and while most of the times you don't learn about X, at least you know what it's out there. And I tell myself I'm "working" keeping myself updated. And then spread thin across different subjects. Because, hey! these days you have to know everything. Even more if you want to build a business and have to wear all the hats.

OTOH the words of Richard Hamming on "keeping an open door" come to mind.

Timebox and prioritize seems to be the best solution.

throwaway12357··on Elon Musk's first wife on what it takes to become a billionaire
luck is part of the adventure and so are WFIO moments. It's how you manage them that makes the difference.

but it's like they say, once you're lucky, twice you're good. And Elon Musk is damn good.

throwaway12357··on Show HN: I'm a 14 year-old dev who has programmed an artificial intelligence bot
Maybe this doesn't impress the typical HN overachiever. But I can't help to be both flabbergasted and crushed by the fact this was done by someone so young, less than half my age. Even more after looking at the LinkedIn page.

Congratulations on your work.

Any chance you can make this available in pdf or html? (not everyone has MS word) http://acuman.us/full.docx

BTW, small typo, should be "Naive Bayes" instead of "Naive Bayens"

And do you intend to publish a complete article describing the tech used by your chatbot?

I cannot but be humbled and have to ask. How can you achieve so much?

Can you just pick an article or a book and just "soak it up" without problems? Or do you possess eidetic memory or any other "superpower"?

All the best

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