skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
Ask HN: Being a technical reviewer?
Hi all, I've received an interesting missive asking me to be a technical reviewer for a book. This is in a subject area where I am very strong, so I'd be comfortable technically. I am just curious about the general expectations of the experience.

Can anyone who has been a technical reviewer for a book describe their experience, whether positive or negative, and help set expectations?

Thanks so much!
I completely disagree. It's absolutely wrong for a business to lobby for their interests when it harms others. This is little different from dumping toxic waste into the local reservoir. That would be wrong even if it were legal.

Obviously, a lot of business don't really care about right and wrong, and so they'll still do it. But we can condemn it.
> Even now, though, I continually doubt myself. The point is that this feeling doesn't go away so just try to ignore it,

No. This is the advice you'd expect from someone in their early thirties who has been coding and doing nothing else their whole adult life.

Your doubts should fuel your learning and temper your decisions. They are the voice in the back of your head and you can make it work for you instead of against.

Mastery isn't working harder, it's working smarter. It involves retraining your instincts to match your rational understanding of the domain. You get the shape of a problem and you naturally gravitate toward a reasonable solution without having to intellectualize the whole process first. If challenged, you of course have to walk back your intuition and build a step by step case, not just a rationalization, but that's fine because you've trained for that.

Study something else, anything else. Preferably with a teacher. What you're going to learn about the process of learning (and teaching) will be profound. It will make picking up and putting down new things easier, which will keep you from getting in a rut later.

Source: 40-something who spent his precocious twenties only coding. I learned a hell of a lot but I didn't know everything.
I'm no fan of hers but I think she failed at an impossible task and could have done a lot worse.
In reality, they don't really want to clamp down since more controls reduce ad inventory and add to their costs. (As Gadfly colleague Shira Ovide points out, the tech giants' biggest enemy is hubris.)

That seems forced. I understand it's a link to another article that they wanted to include somehow, but it's specifically not hubris if they have a valid reason, and as just stated it's because it reduces inventory and adds to their costs.
What is the current recommended MySQL driver to use with PyPy? And please don't tell me to use Postgres.
Most people aren't born in possession of everything they need to survive. So whether it's a traditional job or hunting/gathering you're likely going to have to work. Why see it as unfortunate if you don't have to? Sure, it would be great if we were post-scarcity but we're not. Work in some form is going to be a significant part of your life path. Go into it with the attitude that it's a fact of life and make the best of it. If you convince yourself it's unfortunate you're likely to experience it more negatively than necessary.
Still, use postgres ;) There are a few pure-python drivers you can use if you need that (oursql?).
>This isn't really the _reason_ that companies have these kinds of policies though

I think it's fair to say that there are multiple reasons. The one you listed is definitely one of them. Joel Spolsky wrote about this a few months ago:

https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2016/12/09/developers-side-pr...
This product doesn't look to me to be compelling enough to switch away from Finder and ranger. I use Finder when I want to browse pictures or other rich media and ranger when I just want to browse source code and other text files from the command line using vim-like hotkeys.
What stops someone flying via a third country? Am I missing some logic here?
I think we have 2 plausible options:

1) UK trying to curry favour with the USG
2) There's some concrete intelligence here, which is being shared and acted on
If the court knew that the documents existed, he would have been convicted for possession of child porn by now. The court thinks that the documents exist, but obviously they can't prove it.
I find the enthusiasm for tearing down Mayer gross, but to be clear: subtract the value of the alibaba stock and all that disappears.
Possibly a thinly veiled way of getting back at gulf state airlines for their business model?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/03/2...
Article doesn't mention upload speeds (100mbps download).

Wouldn't surprise me if it's sub 1mbps. It's annoying that miniscule upload speeds are considered "broadband".
Why is it not wrong? These corporations are throwing around money to subvert the public interest. Surely corporations have some level of duty to the public which allows them to exist.
The Mac binary from the download page works perfectly for me. I tried a piece of numerical code I have been working on which makes some use of numpy but also uses element-by-element loops. The script takes 2 minutes with CPython, 3 minutes using pypy with NumPy via cpyext, and less than 2 SECONDS with pypy using NumPyPy. Wow!

However, when running the linux binaries on CentOS, they both (32- and 64-bit) fail for me with shared library errors:

./pypy2-v5.7.0-linux32/bin/pypy: error while loading shared libraries: libexpat.so.1: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

The 64-bit version gives the same library error but regarding libssl.so.1.0.0. I verified that I do have both expat and openssl installed (using yum), although I don't think that should be needed anyway. Anyone know what is happening here?
I'm sorry, but no. A business can have interests that are obviously and deeply evil, such as in a very extreme example, the production of Zyclon B for the Nazis. It is a myth that earning money somehow insulates you from being scum, and if you're acting against the interests of literally everyone except yourself and at their direct expense, you might be scum.

If you're saying that's right, I'd argue the point strenuously. It's also wrong when our elected officials, predictably, bend.
Actually, I used ForkLift for some time. But ForkLift lacks configurability, and the new version is somehow slow. I didn't like that.
IBM is beyond weird. Source: I spent about 14 of the past 20 years there (as a contractor) in the Global Services division. But for all the weirdness, and downright idiocy at times, they were always truly supportive of working from home. None of those funny remarks or anything either with coworkers. At least in the teams I have worked in, everybody was always valued on output, not "visibility" or any of that typical business bullshitbingo. Of course, speaking from a technical role. Seen plenty of classic behaviour in management.

Having said that, I could write books about the complete Twilight Zone that is IBM Services. Don't worry, I'll stick with writing invoices in stead ;)
The work is already being done. Try putting some incorrect numbers into your tax return this year. Sometime after you file, you'll probably get a letter informing you of the mistake, telling you how much your actual tax liability differs from what you filed, and either a check or a bill for the difference.
the standard is "beyond reasonable doubt".

A doubt which you cannot reason away is reasonable, by definition. Therefore it is below the threshold of legal proof.
> Wait, really? You run "apt-get install X Y Z" in a Nix expression?

It's probably possible, if you're running Nix on a Debian-based distro, assuming permissions and things are set up right. Of course, that probably counts as Nix abuse, the results wouldn't be any nicer than using apt-get as-is, and it may play badly with Nix's caching.

As a more realistic example, it's perfectly possible to fetch a bunch of repos and configure/build them using the normal processes for that language, e.g. something like this for a Haskell package:

with import <nixpkgs> {};
runCommand "some-haskell-app" { buildInputs = [ ghc cabal-install git ]; } ''
echo "Fetching dependencies" 1>&2
git clone "http://some-url"
cd cloned-repo
cabal update

echo "Building" 1>&2
cabal sandbox init
cabal configure --prefix=$out
cabal build

echo "Installing" 1>&2
cabal install
'';

If you like opaque, monolithic blobs of bash, then the above seems pretty comparable to Docker. The reason few Nix users would do such a thing isn't that it's not possible, it's just that Nix's language makes it easy to decouple those pieces into composable modules; verify, cache and share intermediate results; selectively override parameters; inspect and debug at a REPL; etc.

In fact, it's probably quite straightforward to implement a docker-like system as a bunch of Nix functions, e.g. to get something like:

with import <nixpkgs> {};
fauxDocker {
baseImage = http://some/huge/docker/blob;

# Will be run in a chroot of the above image
setup = ''
apt-get update
apt-get install foo bar
...
'';
};
My mom works for IBM (and has for ages) and it really seems like this is more a way for them to shed some workers without layoffs because the completely arbitrary nature of who is getting the ultimatum to move to the nearest office.
And your project is done with Cocoa/Obj-C/Swift?
I teach that the meal is the moment when fun can be had through social interaction. I entirely ban communication and entertainment device at the meal table. But then I'm French, so I don't know what the custom generally is in the USA - from my experience there I understand that the daily family meals are not considered such a sacred ritual but I only have anecdotal samples.
What about "The Imitation Game"? I suppose that movie made Turing a quite well known figure, especially viz. Church.
But with the direction "being offended" has taken (i.e. someone on twitter will take offense to anything, and they feel they have a legitimate right to never feel offended) it won't be long before most content is inaccessible.

I dunno. I find Nazis, cat torture videos and pro-ISIS propaganda offensive. But you are right, clearly free speech must be protected at all costs and even made profitable, and clearly it being remove from YouTube and no longer subsidized by major brands advertising would be a huge set back for it.

Maybe people could go to NaziCatTorturers.com and pay to see it or something.
One is Pro, the other one isn't.

Do you need a better screen with the stylus? If yes, iPad Pro, else iPad.

I mean, this is kind of ridiculous. All beers, wines, sodas come from bottles that are exactly the same size, how do you know if you like Budweiser or Heineken.
Lots of sibling comments are defending their iPad use cases, but how many of them could be replaced by cheaper tablets? I'm quite happy with my Linx 7" Windows 8 tablet that cost £50. Real Windows, runs Steam, plays Flash and so on; micro-HDMI out, headphone jack and single USB port just like the really expensive Macs. It's made of plastic and has near-zero durability, so probably only a toy for careful children.
You probably shouldn't have been buying the iPad Mini 2 in the first place, and Apple really shouldn't have been selling it for as long as they did. I'm all for keeping entry-level devices, but the Mini 2 had underwhelming performance to begin with.
Edited by poster to conform with rules

When you consider that your argument seems to be that we should ignore the efficiencies of scale and the removal of a pointless profit margin, because it won't be absolutely free.
I'd argue that moving from "iPad Air 2" to "iPad" is a step in the right direction, but I agree with your sentiment.

"iPad Mini 4" is the most confusing title in the lineup currently, but I expect them to eschew its version number as well at some point.

I prefer the "Mid YYYY" style of versioning Apple uses on other products.
Call it a historical irony: those in the generation which can afford to retire have generally built their lives so closely around their work that, without it, they can find nothing to do; meanwhile, those of us who have plenty of ideas for how we'd spend such a vast amount of economically secure free time will mostly never be able to afford it.
I use my iPad 2 every day. I bought it in 2011, so it's basically 6 years old and battery is still in great quality. I disabled a few animations/transitions and such, and I run iOS 10. It's not as fast as it used to be (newer iOS not being optimized for slower iPads) but it's still perfectly usable for reading books on the Kindle app, some surfing etc. When I am not using it, I tend to put it in Airplane mode.
Our friends in Canada and the UK aren't discussing display sizes in centimeters.
On second thought, the cynic in me is saying you're just laying the groundwork for your next encounter with customs agents in case you have to hand over your online accounts :)
It's common in particle physics to express base-10 order of magnitude using this notation. I'm unfamiliar with how it's used elsewhere.
Thanks for that - following up on your lead and checking https://www.ubuntu.com/usn/xenial, there seem to have been several unattended security upgrades issued yesterday. We checked several machines' /var/log/dpkg.log and see multiple upgrades around midnight UTC.

Is the resolution full machine reboot?
I always get (PRODUCT)RED covers, because I really like that red.
>> Your notice of insecure password and/or log-in automatically appearing on the log-in for my website, Oil and Gas International is not wanted and was put there without our permission. Please remove it immediately. We have our own security system and it has never been breached in more than 15 years. Your notice is causing concern by our subscribers and is detrimental to our business.

Oh my... HTTPS was already well established 15 years ago... are people like this in charge of nuclear facilities, too?
The IRS already does the work. How do you think they validate your tax returns?
I mean, I feel like we should've seen this coming. They chunked off a significant portion of the market, and now they can try to make tax filing more expensive such that they can make more money. It's disappointing, because I love online tax filing, and I just hope their lobbying efforts don't pay off.
The IRS already does your taxes, in parallel. If you forget something that was reported to them or make a math error, they'll take it out of your return and send you a letter.
Look upon this as an opportunity to clean up the code and make it beautiful. You might find an opportunity to slip in some new technology.
It's worth remembering that the Higgs particle was also predicted by the standard model, and no one underestimates the importance of that confirmation.
What's the worst that can happen from a vociferous vegan?
My grievances include that it's only sometimes possible to enter in a custom path (e.g., /Users/foo/bar/baz) and that the home directory rarely shows up in the left side bar, making it frustrating to get at non-blessed files and directories in my home folder. Also, the default right-marching-list-view is nigh impossible to use.
The argument that "Uber isn't taking the money, but the driver is" seems like a difficult one to make (and I know that you are not making this argument) given that :

a) Uber actually collects the payment and then disburses some payment to the drivers. The amount paid to driver is variable over time as percentage of revenue.

b) Uber's model is not subscription based or something that clearly decouples Uber's revenue from the driver's revenue.

c) Uber initially subsidizes and pays drivers above and beyond the total market revenue to build liquidity.

So, in every possible way Uber's revenue is intertwined with the driver's payment.
For a luxury good, isn't it in their best interest to make the differences as opaque as possible?

The lower tier, same-sized items are basically "you couldn't afford an X" models that allow them to monetize a different market.

But the idea is to keep the mystique of the higher tier items as a status symbol. And exposing the specs and highlighting precise differences only leads to people deciding that maybe that feature isn't important to them...
Surfly as a sales tool
You write this like I don't know that. I of course do, because like most people here I have written a lot of production code.

This person is in a place where they have spent years piling kludge on kludge. They never go back and fix anything, which is why they have such a mess. And here there was no emergency mentioned; he was describing their normal practice. It's duct tape all the way down.

At some point you have to draw the line and say, "No, from now on, we'll treat normal circumstances like normal circumstances, and save the duct tape for real emergencies." I am suggesting he start drawing the line. Either they'll give in or they'll negotiate his exit, and either outcome is good for him. As the Agile people say, "Either change your organization or change your organization."
I never said we can't condemn the behavior of businesses.

The prime objective for a business is to make money. All the ethics, right/wrongs, etc are things that we expect from the people who run those businesses. But the business is there to make money.

It is up to the people in charge of making choices for society to make the right choices. It's not the responsibility of the business. They have every right to lobby for anything they want.
There's a lovely Kipling poem called "The Power of a Dog":

THERE is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.

More here: http://www.bartleby.com/364/335.html
That's not what the legal term "beyond reasonable doubt" means. Beyond reasonable doubt means that a reasonable person would have no doubt that the party in question was guilty.
Type Manipulation: Escaping Template Sandboxes
Wait, what? What's "Staingate"? My screen isn't glass? I'm confused.

I took a (1 generation older) rMBP to the Apple Store a few months back to get a keyboard replaced. I had a stuck pixel or two (I'd dropped it about 30-40 times) and the guy at the store told me there was a screen coating issue (he pointed to the black side of the screen) and said I could get a free screen replacement if I wanted it. Is that "Staingate"?
Wow - harsh assessment! Yes its true that Canada's housing market is getting overheated, and it has been for a while. In sticking with our sheep analogy, may I ask which greener pastures have you've roamed to?
I'm not sure about 'better'. Those links are full of buzzwords and marketing speak.
PersistIQ (YC S14) is hiring a product specialist
Simplifying the tax code is a great idea. But it is DIFFERENT than allowing the IRS to pre-fill tax forms for people. Many people (although, due to our current complex tax code, not everyone) would be able to use these pre-filled forms and file taxes free for no effort. We shouldn't miss out on THAT opportunity just to chase tax simplification: we should do both!
Even scum have the right to lobby for their interest...
My favorite part of BOTW is the villages. I recognize this isn't really something new to the franchise, but with the recipe system, it adds a new dimension.

I play with my kids, and my daughter loves to wander around and talk to villagers, discover side quests, look at items in the shops and cook new items.

My son mostly skips past them and roams around solving big quests and fighting enemies.

I think the weakest part of the game is the Hyrule Compendium, which doesn't really feel very well integrated into the game, and feels like it was added at a late stage, based on the success of Pokemon Go.
Inspector Morse Creator, Colin Dexter, Dead
The problem isn't the single employer, it's when every employer does this, and it's your only option, and this is the trend.

So we must resist it at all levels. And again, what you state is actually not enforceable in CA, as our laws protect your personal work. It might in fact be one reason why the valley exists here.
The co-browsing API
Definitely agree with the title change, thanks for your insight as an employee.
For me the choice is easy: do I need a 7" tablet for every day use, a 9.7" tablet for reading and watching movies, or a big iPad 12.9" with a Pencil for graphics?

If the choice is storage space and LTE, I go with what I need or want. If any of this seems confusing, I recommend stopping by an Apple Store, they can clarify features and benefits.
> Or, in my case, a YouTube player comfortable enough to use in bed

I genuinely don't understand the use of tablets in bed.

I tried for a few weeks to use my iPad, but if I loosen my grip at all, I end up with an iPad smacking me in the face.

I went back to resting my 15" MBP on my chest, screen angled towards my face (of course). Then I can just put my hands behind my head and relax.
I don't know, I tried switching to PCs for a while, I couldn't get how their naming works.

I mean, where do you even begin to try to figure this out: http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/
Sorry, let me add it back: "The government was lobbied into allowing banks to gamble, and they shouldn't have given in to the banks." Feel better now?
Distributing a ROS system among multiple snaps
I know this isn't what you want to hear, but typing on it for 2mins in a store isn't going to convince you. I did that too and hated it. I later ended up getting one for work a year ago and in under a week I could barely type on my older personal MBP. The key travel is awesomely shallow and further reduces any wrist stress for me. My only complaint is when I'm typing very fast / forceful, it can be a bit clacky (I prefer my keyboard dead silent). I've since switched to a late 2016 MBP and think it's keyboard is even better, but it's only a mild difference compared to the big leap before.
I hope this marks a turn in the trend of ridiculous handholding, drawn out tutorial sections and checklists upon checklists that have become so prevalent in open world games.

BotW is doing an amazing job of just letting me explore and figure out stuff out on my own, without spoon feeding me content like I'm a 6 year old who's using a controller for the first time, or shoving a billion achievements/map markers in my face.

I look forward seeing to what other devs learn from BotW and incorporate in their own games.
3) as mentioned in the US version of this thread, to make it easier to intercept and search electronic devices. I'll find a link to the comment.

E. Top comment, that was easy.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13919760
What Tony Gwynn’s 3,141 Hits Taught Me About Achieving Success in Business
yes, they absolutely are. the author would probably argue that only scheme natively implements first-class continuations though, which is more specific and a little different.
A Gentle Introduction to Graph Theory
You forget option 3, which is nearly always the case:

3) US says jump. UK says "how high"?
I've used it tons of times. I grew up around here. You're right, you don't have much visibility into the ETA. I THOUGHT that was an advantage of Uber, but it's not -- I've sometimes called Uber and they blatantly lie, bait-and-switching about ETAs (eg, 3 min before I click, then it becomes 12min). Also, dealing with the ETA is easy. Wait 6 minutes, if they don't show up, call a different car service. The problem will take car of itself.
We elect our politicians to do what's best for the people. Yell at your politicians, hold them accountable for being a corporate shill.
Google Adcaptcha - please click on brands that have recently been advertised in your browser or apps if you want to access this site.