skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
That post wasn't about legislation. It was about the fact that if Comcast started trying to install root certs on the machines of customers using them for their ISP (which itself is unlikely because of the extra cost both to install, and to troublehsoot, i.e., "why can't I browse anything when I am on my new phone"), Google, Apple, and Microsoft could, and likely would, decide to reject them in their respective browsers as being untrusted. Because they have seen fit to do that in other instances where user security was compromised, and an ISP MITM every bit of your traffic is no less alarming.
Remember, this is the framework created to bring Ma Bell to heel.

Is this irony? In what sense has Ma Bell been brought to heel? Do you mean that ATT and VZN haven't yet merged? Perhaps you mean that neither of them has yet consumed CenturyLink?

notes: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15756334
iPhone 6 Plus owner here.

Bought it in straight cash a couple years ago. Was completely content and extremely happy... until now. It feels D.O.A. Random pauses for almost every action. Answering the phone even takes a good 2-3 seconds. Music crashes randomly. Podcasts pauses like it's meant to be intentional behavior. Battery drains noticeably faster now. I used to get at least 2-3 or more days. Now I can barely make 1. Similar problems started with my Apple Watch (2.0 bought in April).

When the iPhone was first announced by Steve Jobs I seem to recall him exclaiming how everything was nearly instant, fast, responsive, and smooth. I feel like it must have been in a dream now.
Counterexample: we had mostly unregulated (except for mandatory government survelliance boxes, billing software licensing, and a reasonably affordable license to provide telecommunication services if you have more than 1K subscribers or more than 2 years in business - but all of this wasn't particularly heavy) market in Russia and the competition had worked. From the subscriber perspective, it was a norm to have 5+ different options, that had actually competed on pricing, quality and features. Every year prices used to go down. Then, when they got real low (like 100-200 RUB - when it just didn't made sense to go lower), speeds and packages started to grow. And whenever one option did something wrong (like throttling P2P traffic) they started lose active userbase very fast. It really worked.

Then things had changed. Last 5 years our Czar and his pet Duma noticed there is lack of regulation, so they started to write laws one after another. All sort of mandatory logging, censorship, peering policies (who can and who can't peer), extra licensing rules, UGC-related policies, etc etc - and, of course, all for the sake of subscribers' and national "security". Small ISPs died like it was a plague. Larger ones grow even larger - for obvious reasons.

Various explanations are possible (and regulations here are mostly different from NN, just authoritarian government strengthening their hold), but here's what I'm absolutely certain of: not all regulation is good. At the very least, consider if you trust your government (and all future governments) with such powers.

---

Full disclosure: I've worked for 10 years for an ISP in Russia. Haven't been to the U.S. so don't know how exactly things are there. Yet, have a preliminary/uneducated opinion that they should've either hold NN (as a sort of a kludge - but there is no competition) and think how they can add more competition (=choice), or abolish NN but only simultaneously deregulating things so new ISP startups can actually enter the market.
Not a good sign when the very first item is entirely subjective.
I imagine market for suits is declining in the US.
It might be easier to convince me ISPs were a natural monopoly if they weren't also a legally protected monopoly where they are, and generally have plenty of competition where they aren't.
Might be early Xmas for you: http://www.pcgamer.com/this-is-how-blizzard-plans-to-finally...
It isn't that simple is it?

What about payoffs and probabilities? A financial firm can buy/sell in open market (often with market making privileges) to remain delta neutral but what does a betting exchange do?
I'd also like to see a built-in date format instead of requiring the parsing of numbers or strings to get them.
MusicVAE: A hierarchical recurrent variational autoencoder for music
I don't know about Texas, but in my state it has to be immediate. However, there's no way you could wait to the last minute and then suddenly get all those people to safety, so I think the meaning of "immediate" needs some context.

Apparently the cops thought it was immediate enough, since they showed up shortly afterwards and sided with the "vigilante."
Parables of Leadership
FTA :

>>> Since we didn't want to be beholden to Apple, I had to reverse engineer the low level I/O operations for the disk drives and implement a compatible file system.

So Apple was already quite a commercial entity

>>> Eventually the copy protection become too much of an impediment and we dropped it.

And DRM was already not quite convincing...

Some things never change :-)
There's such thing as an uncompilable language, so in the universe of all programming languages, the set of compilable languages is the compliment.

But the article isn't talking about that. It's referring to the canonical implementations used by each language, which is occasionally, but rarely, both compiled and non-compiled.
> Maybe using a ticketing system [or just call it a project management system] is the right abstraction level.

> If A and B has nothing to do with each other - other than for some circumstantial reason they consume data from each other, then why would we care if A or B starts to support a new output format?

First, even if the coordination between A and B is recorded in the ticketing system, the coordination between F and G is probably not.

> I don't see why would you track that on the source code versioning level.

Pretend F and G are tables in a database (or other data storage system) if that makes it easier.

Where is the schema stored? Who records the migration path?

Many people like to record migrations in a version control system, but it is tricky to link those migrations to the (otherwise) independent A and B.

If these are file formats where exists the code to consume and produce them? Or network formats? The problem remains the same -- do we break this up into additional libraries?

That there's a very real ordering between release of A and B that isn't properly encoded, we're relying on process diligence (as opposed to tooling) to be correct.
Thank you, this makes a lot of sense
Also web.whatsapp.com, mighty text and the allo equivalent - none seem to work on firefox.
> There is no ethical impact of my job; I build technological systems and it’s up to others how they use them.

well that's certainly a controversial way to start a list. does being a knife maker have the same ethical impact?

edit: lol @ 3 instant downvotes for my comment above. @dang please start banning these thoughtless cunts. unqualified downvoting is as unsubstantial and inflammatory as it gets.

edit 2: on second thought, this whole list is just a list of shit no one actually believes. no wonder we're arguing.
That's true, but I think very few bother to change the speed so I'm making the sped-up version as the default.

Perhaps 1.5x is too much (as in the example above), but I think 1.33x speedup would not be noticeable. People just think I drank a lot of coffee and talk fast.

If YouTube player had more speed options keyboard shortcuts like https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/video-speed-contro... then I probably wouldn't touch the source.
In a way it throttles.. lets pretend they included 4,000 lines of code in each website, or a 1gig of data. It also throttles the experience by taking up processor cycles to render the data. It harms functionality because the popup covers usable website area, and what was meant to function without closing a popup does not. It blocks screen real estate. I really hope someone makes a case.
> at least the outcome of integer maths is always defined.

Assuming you mean “integer arithmetic”, the answer is a resounding yes, it's well-defined. Of course, so-called “machine integers” are not a faithful model of the integers, and, in particular, so-called “signed integers” in C aren't a faithful model of anything nice.
> Java had lists but no functional API on top of it. Processing ArrayLists is extremely different from (mapcar #'f '(....))

My point was that the functional API is the key difference, not arrays vs lists. Java in 2000 had lists and no functional API, whereas Lisp in 1970 had mutable arrays with a functional API available for use on them. Mapping over a list in Lisp looks like `(map 'list #'f '(...))` (The first argument is the return type; MAPCAR is just a list-specific version of MAP), mapping over a Java-style array looks like `(map 'list #'f #(...))`. Lists vs arrays makes no real difference (if they were in variables instead of literals, you couldn't even tell if it were an array or a list by looking at that call). Java in 2017 similarly has a functional API that can be used on lists or (much more commonly) on mutable arrays.
Glacier: a protocol for secure cold storage of Bitcoins
I think people like the ease of human-readable formats for debugging.
> to help them learn how to do it

If you know of anything to read, watch, or work through to learn to estimate tasks, I would be extremely grateful if you could link or describe it here.

As it stands, I’ve only ever been able to estimate tasks if I’ve done similar ones a few times before. If asked about a new type of task or one with a new toolset, I would currently have to refuse an estimate more fine-grained than a week—-the stress and shame of lying to you would be too much otherwise
Nope. Emacs lets you do one thing well: Use a computer.
> a top level repo might help.

This is the way I generally do it: A repository that represents my system/environment that has submodules for A1, A2, B1, and B2, and scripts for updating the environment.
Without sounding pedantic, I think it's fair to say that the mass media put out a LOT of material into the public domain merely to acquire the largest market share of attention.

It is very rare that I read a story in a newspaper or hear one on television that isn't some form of salacious gossip or eye catching spectacle.

Though I haven't read most of it, Chris Hedges' book: Empire of Illusion, speaks to this with much greater acuity than I can.

I wish we could all just take a breath of fresh air (whoops, there is an allusion to another, though admittedly fairly neutral, piece of media) and remember that we are often much better off without the media dictating what we think should be important. I fear that the fractionism that George Washington cautioned us against in his farewell address is driving most of what we consume from the mass media.

I hesitate even to post this for fear of sounding too alarmist, and for the possible repercussions on myself from the powers that be in their never ending fight to be 'right', but I do think that this is a subject that is important enough to stand up and say "enough is enough". I know I sound paranoid, but as we become ever more connected, it is not as far fetched as it might seem that such things transpire. It is imperative that the power remain in the purview of the public and not those with access to what information money can buy, or cookies can acquire.
Software development explained with cars
That points to an article saying java is sometimes faster than c++. Maybe I'm just being dumb but isn't java compiled too?
I sincerely disagree, especially as per the report Comcast's own second level confirmed there was no need to replace the modem. It was an automated advertisement done in a very not good way; Comcast's own billing system notifies you of just about everything else; you can forward your billing statements and other such information to other emails, why not this?

The reason everyone is freaking out is because they feel pretty darn strongly that the ISP should not be injecting code into webpages delivered, especially not in an automated way without some oversight. If this is to be a service, the bar for what is necessary for such information must be far higher than "an automated system decides it's time." We get into really scary territory just by doing this in the first place, but to use it for advertisements or basic maintenance? That is a misuse of such technology.

And no, I don't think people would be as livid as you suggest if the modem just broke; ISP modems are fragile little things, and it's not uncommon to go through them. I don't think I've had a single ISP where I didn't have to eventually, and the natural progression for each one (Comcast included) was:

1. I called the ISP

2. We did some test with support

3. Once we did the Speedtest / reboot song and dance, a new modem was issued that day.

This is expected; if I had asked for such a service from Comcast, this would be a different discussion entirely (an Opt-In service), but as it is, it's a pretty lame reason to suggest that Comcast needs to be able to inject data into pages I load.

And I rather liked Comcast for the year I had it - I wasn't keen on being on them since I would rather have been with our Municipal, but the place I was at was not yet in a service area for the municipal. More or less, even with my support and canceling experience, I was fine with the service I received. This would have upset me considerably.
You can. You have many repos and one top level repository with submodules.

Edit: And although this is a multi step process, it still allows you to de-couple modules and work on them separately.
Google’s AI teaches itself chess in 4 hours, then convincingly defeats Stockfish
> More ridiculous is the idea that a nation deserves extra credit for being ridiculously overpopulated.

I don't think the idea is "extra credit", but rather a matter of scale changing the nature of the problem, just as you wouldn't directly compare the problem of networking 10 computers to the problem of networking 1000 computers.
>My Nexus 7 has a pop out cover, yet when it fell in a stream of running water, it never even shut down. Opening it revealed only two small drops of water.
Plus, battery contacts don't corrode from a short exposition to water (otherwise, so would the headphone plug).

I have a Nexus 7 as well and I have no idea what this pop out cover means. Can you please help me understand? Thanks
So, you think it is entirely subjective that programming has an ethical impact, and objectively it doesn't?
I was about to leave here a pointer to elty.pl where I bought one a while back, and they were in stock just a few days ago, but they've become unobtanium there as well.
Now until they become available again the closest thing to the C2 seems the NanoPI K2, which is close enough but not identical, so compatibility has to be tested.

Here's an article comparing the two.
https://www.cnx-software.com/2017/04/13/40-nanopi-k2-board-i...
Quantum computation will prove much more about the limitations of these cryptocurrencies that we expect.

#shorsalgorithm
These are not separate concerns. Morality is a necessary part of competence.
That depends on the function of the knife. If the knife is meant for buttering bread, then obviously no. If you're creating a combat knife then absolutely, yes.

Which is precisely the point made in the article. It's not about what you're making, it's about what you're making it for.
All the characterizations backfire in one way or another:

>Appalling

Compared to what? It's a bloody cheeky paper, not a crime against humanity. It's like those writing "unacceptable" in product reviews for details they don't like, as if they're commending on peace treaty terms.

>Self-indulgent without being funny

Given that what one considers funny can vary widely, this tells nothing.

>barely relevant – note outdated Devo reference

In some sense, Devo haven't been "relevant" for decades even back in 2002. In another sense, why should one care if a reference is "relevant" to the fads and pop culture du jour or not? We are perfectly capable of reading a 1930s text with "not relevant" 1920s culture references and appreciate it for what it is.

>and absolutely without enlightenment, even considering its publication date

Because 15 years for such a topic kills "enlightenment"? We have 30 and 50 year old CS texts that are perfectly fine (including tongue in cheek ones, like "Worse is better" or hacker foklore stuff).

>I feel resentful that my time was wasted this way.

Nobody put any gun to anybody's head. But apparently somebody liked it enough to keep on going and going on.
It's a barrier to entry, favouring big caps that can afford international tax law specialist accountants/lawyers.

I think that works: free means no royalty paid; and the convention above specifically excludes ordinary services (IIRC). It includes "scientific" etc advice in the next point (ii), and I never looked into exactly what that covers... services/support for an ordinary component doesn't sound like it's covered (and if it was, it wouldn't be because it was a component - the issue I raised).

As a separate business issue, there's other problems with getting people to pay services for something they already have - in that sense, it's not "a way around". Of course, some market segments do really want that support. And if that's already your business model, well no problem.

I can't think of any examples of an open source component with services/support. SleepcatDB and ghostscript are opensource components, but are dual-licensed (i.e. have a second proprietary license permitting redistribution as closed source). MySQL? Cygwin? Hibernate/JBoss? Red Hat?... not sure these are components that are often redistributed (though of course users could, license permitting).
How fucked up are we when we live in a society where this not only dreamed up but actually believed to make sense and implemented.

Yes, it speaks volumes about comcast but i also speaks about the culture where comcast exist. And even IF there is backlash from this the whole idea that they might have gotten away with it is just absurd.
since the quality of nike's products is often much lower these days, fuck, WHY?
You can also design software A to produce both G1 and G2 side by side, deploy it, and then develop new software B against G2, submitting bug reports to project A when there’s a problem detected in G2.

If you’re doing the multirepo strategy it’s best imho to make the projects truly independent, as if they were developed by different companies. That way every project only needs to think about its own dependencies and consumers, and how to do migrations, without needing to have the big picture mapped out.
> Many people reach adulthood without having the experiences necessary to conform to your expectations.

First, they are adults without experience. Second, I don't think I have all that much higher expectations in whatever requires experience. Quite possibly I would excuse more immaturity in them then parent. However, I strongly believe that we are not doing them good service when we talk about them as if they would be in elementary school. When kindergarten kid destroys something, it is on adults. That is not how I evaluate 19 years old.

To keep with comparison, their peers who did not had good enough SAT score have no more experiences. And if they have, they are exactly experiences of a bad kind. More importantly, it is not just about experience. It is about your brain being less impulsive then as if you was 12 and about your ability to learn from new experiences and ability to think about morality at least little bit. On average, college students are the ones that should be expected to be more mature. College student is more likely to possess enough impulse control to not randomly spray McDonald and then be shocked it can get him arrested. When high school drop out does the same, his action is not excused as just dumb mistake - despite having higher chance to not possess that impulse control yet.

This double think, how 19 years old elite college student is talked about as a child while 19 years old drop out is treated with full gravity of action makes no sense to me.

It does not matter what kind of dumb mistake we talk. Dumb mistakes are not made equal. And then there are "dumb mistakes" that are neither dumb nor mistakes. They are simply immoral, unethical or asshole actions that the person knows as such, but has expectation of getting away with. I think that past actions of doing something morally wrong should be excused. However, I don't think they should be redefined down into "dumb mistakes" merely because perpetrator is sympathetic.
I have this hypothesis that everything I believe is wrong. Probably best not to cling too tightly to beliefs.
m-commerce virtual shelving[0] allows mid-level e-commerce ventures to

(1) setup branded in-store experiences / show rooms

(2) align logistics supply lines (manufacturing, importing, warehousing, distribution suppliers) to move supplies closer to "pickup points"

(3) connect local partner "distribution points" and "pickup points" to also act as 1-hour delivery using Uber, PostMates, etc

Online retailers need to connect their own existing shopping experience with local shops using virtual shelves, think backlit movie posters outside a movie theater. This can come in the form of dedicated walls, laminated print book, a simple picture frame, etc in a friendly location and an option to either ship or local pickup. As long as the local shop is tied into their partners' back offices and they believe in the brand, they can represent it well and act well on their own behalf by splitting the sales generated at minimal cost of mostly a little unused closet space. This lessens the need for mega shops like Amazon and eBay, as well as for mega logistics providers like UPS and FedEx because there are many warehousing and cargo van subcontractors available.

For an example, I've seen yoga studios with small, unmanned in-store corner shops and similar in martial arts studios and small gyms. They
might have a small group of hand-picked supplies, whereas, in this model, a new company that for example has a brand new safety gear might search them out and see their gym members as a good target. Then by setting up what we might call a consignment deal today, they can have a delivery of supplies on the next run from their partner warehouse and the new rep can start printing out and framing their displays for immediate roll out.

This would have unlimited potential for those who want to setup the deals that connect e-commerce and retailers as well. That is also a branded experience, and wheels need greasing.

0: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lTdE2pfiX8
My app for productivity and project tracking: https://qotoqot.com/qbserve/
> Although I disagree with Comcast's method and categorization, it would be interesting to learn what modem the OP was using.

We start telling customers that a modem needs to be upgraded when one of two things happen: either they are about to or just had a speed upgrade that their modem cannot support or the modem has gone end-of-life (EOL) from the vendor.

In the former case, if the device is leased, you are send a new one to replace the device and just have to basically say ok. In the latter case, it is a customer-owned device so the customer is asked to go buy a new one someplace (e.g. Amazon, BestBuy).

And in the EOL case, the vendor may have gone out of business or shut their cable modem business down, or otherwise decided to no longer support the device due to its age. That of course means that if a security issue came up, as they do, that the vendor would not be able or willing to provide a software fix for the device. So it's best to get the ball rolling to get those devices replaced when that occurs. Most of our EOL devices today are DOCSIS 2.0 devices (10+ years old), which can only do a single upstream and downstream channel (no channel bonding) and 1st generation DOCSIS 3.0 devices (5 - 8 years old).