skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
There are a lot of issues, and densification is certainly happening in the downtown cores, but I don't believe it is enough to keep up with the demands put on it by population increases. More anecdata: I live walking distance to Downtown Vancouver, and within a block of 4 bus routes. There is an empty lot next to me that has been in the permitting process for more than two years for a lowrise mixed-use building. I wouldn't be surprised if the cost imposed by the permitting process is close to $1mm when you factor in interest, salaries to hire the people who know people at city hall, the cost of the actual permits, etc.

Other things that factor heavily are cheap money (interest rates are lower than inflation on mortgages right now, around 1.7%), cultural normalization (buying a home for 10x your yearly income is considered normal), lack of opportunity outside of cities.
E-bikes are perhaps the most misunderstood category of bike products right now.

Traditional bikers have underestimated demand for e-bikes at every step of the way for one reason: Traditional biking has a massive selection bias effect that excludes anyone who isn’t in great physical shape. The deeper you are into cycling, the more homogenous your perception of what constitutes a biker.

You’re not going to see average consumers at the top of 20-mile mountain bike trail with steep terrain at 7AM. You’re only going to see equally enthusiastic bikers who are highly trained and discipline. It leads to a stereotype that these are the only people who care to spend a lot of money on bikes.

E-bikes turn that assumption upside down. They offset the physical fitness requirements and blow the doors wide open for anyone and everyone who wants to spend their way into the sport. Now those previously unreachable heights can be accessed by anyone with a credit card. It’s no longer just a niche hobby exclusive to those who can put years into building up their fitness and bike knowledge.

The total addressable market of e-bikes is much greater than the total addressable market of conventional high end bikes for that reason.

Ironically, this is creating a lot of animosity among traditional bikers. Previously, the most difficult uphill trails were lightly trafficked because only a select few could ride them. It was satisfying to be one of the few people at the top of a difficult trail at sunrise. Now, it’s not uncommon to be passed on the uphills by many people who are visibly out of shape, but use e-bikes to make up the difference (and then some). Some people are even hacking their e-bikes for more power or to allow power application without pedaling, turning them into electric dirt bikes that tear up trails. This is why we have so much regulation clamping down on e-bike access right now. Those regulations might be the biggest modulator in the size of the e-bike market.
Most e-bikes are "assisted" rather than having a motorcycle-style twist throttle. You pedal and the motor contributes some additional power until you reach a certain speed (typically 20mph in the US, 25kph in Europe). At this point the motor stops assisting and the rider is contributing 100% of the effort. If you stop pedalling the motor stops assisting, regardless of your speed.

In other words the motor will help you accelerate to 20mph but beyond that it's just your legs pushing a heavy bike.
I get wanting light weight, my current aluminum ebike is 80 lbs, but my current ebike is a Juiced Ripcurrent S fat tire with 1kWh battery and I completely out speed and out range my friend who has a Turbo Vado SL while being much more comfortable and spending 1k less. The main downside with the weight is getting up on a bike rack to drive it somewhere, but they have rack with ramps now designed for heavy ebikes.

I know for sure my next bike will have full suspension, coming from mountain bikes then going back to just a hard tail was rough, even when just riding on pavement. Added a really good suspension seat post but still not like a full suspension.

I am looking closely at Watt Wagons new Hydra carbon full suspension at 58lbs. They are doing some good stuff with the Bafang mid drive and upgraded controller.

https://www.juicedbikes.com/products/ripcurrent-s

https://wattwagons.com/collections/hydra
I think for intelligent disciplined thinkers it's a positive to be independent minded. Stupid people risk becoming "cranks" and/or believing in conspiracy theories, and being defrauded of their money for woo-pills and woo-accessories.
In an alternate youniverse, you delighted in the invitation to shed a prejudice and emerge a little shiny from your old skin.
We do not. I agree with you.
It's possible but complicated because self-employment isn't permitted under the H-1B.
Iran’s Top Nuclear Scientist Killed in Attack
> Are you talking about the business world? The whole of EU seems to strongly disagree with SV VC thinking.

The US is dominant in the Western business world, things that become popular business practices here get ported over to the EU.

I think it's pretty clear that if it is not dominant, it is sharply ascendant in the past 5 years. HN commentators and certain segments of Twitter basically worship at the feet of successful VCs.
There should be a peak in US all-cause mortality around April, just like in the EU:

https://www.euromomo.eu/graphs-and-maps

Is there a similar graph for the US? I couldn't find it on CDC website
Can I get a source on that?
Peter -- what's your take on the various COVID-related presidential proclamations vis-a-vis the incoming presidential administration? Is Biden likely to unwind these immediately, or not?

Second, is there anything in the whisper network about how forthcoming US embassies have been with National Interest Exceptions for the above. There is basically no information available online about what categories of people can get these exemptions and which foreign embassies are most forthcoming.

I'm a noncitizen living in the US, traveling to Europe in January and as of right now don't have a concrete way to re-enter the country, since no foreign embassy will discuss the NIE until I'm present in their respective country, but that means I need to fly with an open ticket and worst case scenario will have to return to Canada or Mexico for 14 days before re-entering the US.
It is meant as an example for beginners to understand how you work with data in tables with a programming language. You got to walk before you can run.

The advantage of a programming language such as Julia is that you can simply copy paste code examples to manipulate data by just reading a blog entry as in the case.

You cannot do that with Excel. When you begin getting into more advance Excel functionality, it is not obvious how it works, and learning it will require a very visual approach. You cannot search through a blog and copy some code. You need to look at pictures and videos showing how the GUI is operated.

Alternatively read a textual description of what you need to click on. Rather cumbersome.
It seems to me that claiming you’re independent-minded is sort of like claiming you’re a genius. You’re not supposed to make this claim yourself. Graham doesn’t make this claim explicitly, but by writing about this subject he makes it implicitly.

How do you avoid making this claim? I think it’s to remember the the trap of fundamental attribution error. People are not always independent-minded or always conformist. They may think independently about some subjects and conform to conventional wisdom for others.

This provides more room for modesty - maybe I was able to think independently about some subject, that one time, or a few times, but certainly not consistently on all subjects. Having some experience might make it reasonable to write about it, with suitable caveats.

So, essays often start out with some kind of explanation of the author’s qualifications, sometimes written as a sort of half-apology to the reader for presuming to write as an expert when you are still learning.

We might also remember the lesson of counter-cultures, which is that rejecting mainstream beliefs more easily happens with the help of other people who believe differently. This makes it more difficult to tell where you stand, since everyone feels like they are being non-conformist in some way. When people are divided then it’s inevitable that you will disagree with some. (Nerd culture is a counter-culture that has become mainstream in some ways, though there are less popular aspects of it.)

Conventional wisdom is also relative to which culture you are talking about. That’s what culture is, an agglomeration of ideas about the best way to do thousands of different things. When you move to a different place, it’s quite possible to get caught between cultures inadvertently and not have any community that thinks quite like you do.
SpaceX could lose $2k on each satellite-dish it sells
sorry, missed your reply. i try to followup to replies. maybe too much time has passed and you won't see this, but here goes anyway.

you are good at "writing", for sure. what your article is not good at is presenting the point concisely. it's a well edited stream of consciousness. but this type of advice article can benefit from being half the size. you don't need examples and then say "YMMV". that's a complete waste of the reader's time. ONE example is sufficient to get the point across. and then don't apologize for the example or go on at length about how it might not seem so to the user. they can figure it out themselves. you only need to take the user to the water, you don't need to fill their cup and drink it for them. i specifically mean for this type of article. other types of articles addressed to other audiences could very well benefit from a more protracted exposition.

as for smaller blog posts, have you ever read anything at tom's hardware or anandtech etc? or "photo essays"? the more pages you have, the more clicks you get and the more ads you can serve. As well, the more SEO action you can generate.

Even for non-ad-generator blogs, attention spans are limited. Casual readers can only absorb 1-2 points. It's why mainstream news articles always have to have a photo, even if it's stupid photo and doesn't add value to the article. Readers need to see an image to have any interest in the article whatsoever. A giant wall of text is off-putting and bye bye clicks. So even with images sprinkled throughout, 2 main points per page is great. Then the user can click to page 2/3/4 for more info, where you can show another ad, or make it seem like you have many more "pages" of content than you really do. And the user can pace themselves, and aren't intimidated by a giant article with many things to absorb. Even if the overall length is the same, breaking it up into pages increases user willingness to commit to it. "I read 3 pages, there's only 1 more and that's the summary so I really want to see where this went, so ok I'll finish it". vs "This article is too long nevermind" and they don't read it at all.

Part 1/ Part 2 style blog posts are extremely common.
We reveal a security problem in the Google Cloud API Console
The headline was making an appeal to authority ("Johns Hopkins published a study..."). I was responding to that. Johns Hopkins didn't publish a study, a Johns Hopkins student newspaper published some slides.

It's not an ad hominem to try to deflate an appeal to authority by pointing out that the authority is not all it's cracked up to be, and that the extent of the supposed study is some charts.
SpaceX may spend billions to outsource Starlink satellite-dish production, an industry insider says — and could lose $2,000 on each one it sells.

* SpaceX recently launched a public beta test for Starlink, its growing network of internet-beaming satellites.

* Test subscribers pay $100 per month for broadband-like service, plus a $500 fee for a starter kit that includes a "UFO on a stick" user terminal, or satellite dish.

* But each user terminal contains a phased-array antenna, which industry experts say can't be made for less than $1,000.

* SpaceX hired STMicroelectronics to manufacture Starlink user terminals, a person with knowledge of the agreement told Business Insider.

* The contract with the Swiss-headquartered manufacturing giant calls for the production of 1 million terminals and may be worth billions of dollars, the person said.
Shame it only does pedal assist up to 20mph. I consider 28mph/Class III to be essential if one is riding around potentially hostile motorists.

This is a decent-ish price for a rear hub motor plus exotic frame but my dream verson of this would have a mid drive motor by the pedal crank, a belt in place of chain, and an internally geared rear hub.
but good luck remembering those guessed answers once you need them again to get your account back
TwidereX Is Coming:)
Seven things came up for me, reading this:

Permaculture has a concept that it is the boundaries where interesting things happen - Where desirable life can be found. Between the forest and the meadow is where lies the life that may be desirable, whether fauna or flora.

I had labeled the two distinctions as destroyer/creators versus maintainers. I tear things down to create better replacements, whereas my partner is an excellent maintainer - As long as my new system is not too onerous, she is usually willing to keep it going, as I move on to the next process. And it seems that the transition from a small company to a larger one is also the transition from the independent to the more conventional minded, even though it contains its own traps (like having independents forced out - even from their own companies, or being strangled into oblivion by bean-counters, as it were).

Those who don't/did not do well in school may be in the independent group, more often than not. But then that misses other underlying reasons, like a few of my friends who had undiagnosed dyslexia.

I found a helpful guide to develop those analytical/independent thinking processes in Harry Browne's book How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World.
https://www.nateliason.com/notes/freedom-unfree-world-harry-...

Although I have usually been attracted to conspiracy theory just to be at odds with the rest of mainstream thought, I recognize I do not practice enough critical thinking if said theory already conforms to an existing bias I may have - Another place for me to practice my mental strength!

Another item in HN's feed this morning is Connections - That series has been an invaluable cross-discipline introduction to so much thought and design of other creative independent types. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25218056

Last, I agree with the concept of reading good autobiographies of interesting thinkers allows me to think some of the same thoughts they did...
Well OP said "Buy the M1 and switch to a fully remote development experience."

One could argue that even the "cheapest M1 + paying your remote Docker/Compute friendly machine" is not really the cheapest option.
At least do not convince yourself "the new M1 chip is faster and will improve my developer experience regarding compute"
Just a thought — as far as I know, the degrees granted by online programs (like an MSc) are exactly the same degree as what’s granted by an in person program. You’re not required to disclose on your resume that the MSc was earned virtually. Also with most learning being virtual this year anyway, you’d be in the same boat as anyone else. All of this is to say someone reviewing your resume doesn’t necessarily have to know it was an online program unless they explicitly ask you.

I’d love to learn more about what you’re trying to get out of a masters and whether you could get the same thing by working professionally for 2 years.
I doubt a password manager to store the unrelated answers was a priority either.
Yes, it's possible to use unused H-1B time from a while ago to get sponsored for an H-1B now (and avoid the cap). But there's a limit; if it was too long ago, it might not work.
I could be wrong, but it seems like there's a distinction between perceived sugar (amount of sugar in drink) as mentioned in the study and perceived sweetness (how sweet the drink tastes) which is what you're referring to.
I'm glad you found Buster useful! :)

If you're into anime, you might also enjoy Search by Image, it includes support for a handful of search engines tailored to anime and manga. Visit the extension's options to enable them.

https://github.com/dessant/search-by-image#readme
I tried both the previous gen and newest version of Vanmoof and Cowboy. I do not like the automatic gear shifting in Vanmoof one bit. The Cowboy is single-speed gear and the motor intelligently adjust the level of support so you don't feel the lack of gears. This gives a super smooth experience, and I honestly expect all electric bikes to transition to this setup over time.
Are there any immigration law implications for H1B holderes interested in being a co-founder and/or investor and/or advisory role in a startup
> much patting himself on the back about how the crowds are wrong and he as such an independent thinker has got it right - and so little vulnerability

I think that "great man" theories of success are sort of dying out among newer generations. Perhaps I've met enough "great men" to realize how large of a factor luck is after a certain threshold point.
Robots are taking over our jobs–but is that a bad thing?
How's it feel to replace American jobs?
I agree it makes sense on the web, which is ultimately a document system, but for a native desktop application I figure it makes good sense to compile away as much as possible.
It's a binary search in a 64-bit search space. Powers of two are no more inefficient than other answers, on average, if you assume the answers are uniformly distributed.

You could do an exponential search, which is a reasonable choice and makes logical sense, but the exponential search won't be any faster on average.
Reminds me of Amory Lovins' "Hypercar":

> The Hypercar is a design concept car developed by energy analyst Amory Lovins at the Rocky Mountain Institute. This vehicle would have ultra-light construction with an aerodynamic body using advanced composite materials, low-drag design, and hybrid drive. Designers of the Hypercar claim that it would achieve a three- to five-fold improvement in fuel economy, equal or better performance, safety, amenity, and[clarification needed], (sic) compared with today's cars.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypercar_(concept_car)
The Anti-Jerk Law
>PG sure has been on a kick about how brilliant of an independent thinker he is in a sea of conformity.

In recent years conformists have gotten louder and louder, and more and more insistent that everyone should conform.

His recent essays are his reaction to that.

It would be a strategically bad response for someone of lesser stature, but in his place he can afford to weather the storm and it's valuable for the tiny, narrow target audience of this essay to hear.
Fair enough, but there is a structure and pattern to independent thinking relative to the universe of things we care about. By analogy, consider John Boyd's OODA loop. He broke down goal-seeking behavior into a 4 part loop: Observe Orient Decide Act.

Now, some numps decided that they would then teach people to be better thinkers by having them step through this loop deliberately. i.e. We will teach you to reach your goals but first you must Observe. Next Orient, blah blah blah. This is not what John Boyd was teaching. Everyone does the OODA loop naturally. But if you break down goal-directed behavior into the OODA loop, as an analysis tool, you can find the techniques that are particularly effective versus those that aren't working very well. And if you can find things that speed up an OODA loop, or compromise your opponent's OODA loop, you can have outsized success with an otherwise "dull tactic".

PG's essay is kind of like that. He's saying: here's how I think about independent thinking, how to recognize it, where it works, and where it doesn't. It's mostly descriptive and analytical, but nuggets of prescription are sprinkled in there as well. It's written for himself, in that it helps him organize his own thoughts, but primarily it is written for the benefit of his audience. It will glance off people uninterested in accepting its ideas but benefit those are similar to him in important ways. He's not "telling them how to think independently" but helping them be more effective in the use of that tool.
At the expensive of hurting thousands of Americans. also all the Indians downvoting me, you know it's true.
Yep, Digital Ocean, a cheap VM provider.
I'm not aware but if you ask specific questions, I might be able to help.
So the taxis look different. So what? How knowledgeable and smart do you have to be to still know what the correct solution is?
You probably heard of it, but there’s a company called Blinkist that does the book summarization stuff. They seem to be doing well, so definitely there’s something to build there :)

Ps.: mnmn (manamaná) - amazing project name!
I think this may attest to the value of (apparent) novelty/innovation in PG's sphere. Seeming unconventional and disruptive has better ROI than spending years mining the history of human thought.

He doesn't do science, he funds and markets products. He's competing to capture pieces of a finite pie, not creating knowledge. More broadly, he promotes a zeitgeist which has made him wealthy. I wonder if this has something to do with his efforts to maintain some semblance of "thought leadership", even if it means recycling tired content.
Spontaneous Knotting of an Agitated String
In addition of assuming that minimum wage is directly correlated with unemployment, which it isn't, there's another hidden assumption here.

The hidden assumption is that lower-paid positions are less important. They aren't. There are many minimum wage positions that are more important than higher wage positions.

They're not lower paid because they're less important, they're lower paid because they're more replaceable.

So, when you force the employer to choose between not having a janitor, or paying 3.5$ more per hour, they will certainly decide to pay 3.5$ more per hour.

Assuming that there is profit, which is a good assumption as the average surplus value rate is of around 5-7%, then what will happen is that profit will decrease, and employment will stay more or less the same.

It's very important to realize that the market values replaceability, not importance.
Regarding data hosting options

https://www.heroku.com/postgres

https://www.heroku.com/redis

https://www.heroku.com/kafka
Julia is just as easy to install as Excel. There is literally no difference. If you cannot do a one click install, then how are you supposed to figure out how to make a Pivot table?

Of course learning to code is a higher barrier. I don't think anybody challenges that. But as you begin using Excel much beyond the trivial I will argue it is actually easier to learn how to code.

Code has the advantage, that it is very easy to document and explain with text. Explaining how to do things in a Excel through text is not easy. You will need images, videos etc which are not searchable. You cannot copy-paste and image to repeat an operation from Excel. With code in contrast you can copy and paste in code you find in blogs, help documentation or anywhere else.

Basically is much easier to reuse and modify. Once you learn how to code you can advance your capabilities much quicker.
This is super interesting, appreciate the post!

I am toying with ideas for my own knowledge base, with integration into SRS for improved retention. I hadn't thought it would go much beyond fact retention, but my hope was to frame facts in such a way that larger pictures could be also retained, analyzed, etc.

It sounds like you've solidified some of the aspirations my idea .. area, so huge thanks for that! This is the first time i've seen mention of SRS going beyond simple facts, and i thought perhaps my idea was a pipe dream.