skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
The distance to the sun was first calculated in very much the same way. When Venus passes in front of the sun, it crosses over at different places on the sun disk. Using Kepler's laws for orbits, we knew the distance to Venus. Together with the distance between the observations and angle of crossing, the only unknown was the distance to the sun. They were off by 0.8% in 1769.

The story itself is pretty cool. The idea was presented in 1663, and it wasn't until 1761 and 1769 that the planets would align. And, this also doesn't happen all that often, although it comes in pairs. 1761 and 1769, 1874 and 1882, 2004 and 2012. And it won't happen again until 2117. So, this was considered so important, and the transit of Venus had to be observed from distances far away on earth. In spite of wars going on, these expeditions were given safe passage.
If anything consumer-level SSDs move to the opposite direction. On Samsung 980 Pro it is not even possible to change the sector size from 512 bytes to 4K.
gTakeout[0] also includes this file meta and allows incremental downloads. Ingesting from a local Takeout archive as an additional source for your tool mitigates some of this auth wonkiness and depreciations.

[0]https://takeout.google.com/
My MBPs usually have battery issues after 3 years of use, by then well beyond warranty period. They always charge for insane amount of money for replacing a battery, when I always turn to a third party repair shop for about 10% of the amount given by Apple geniuses.
> Is there anything we can do to outlaw or at least discourage this practice?

You want to outlaw rate-limiting?

Rapid-fire actions on social platforms, past a certain threshold, is highly correlated with unwanted behaviors. This is especially true for new user accounts or those previously flagged for other abuse tactics.

Even Hacker News does this. Rarely does anything good come from someone firing off as many actions as fast as they possibly can on a social platform.

IMO, it's not a problem. I certainly don't want laws dictating that companies can't rate limit users or put limits on how frequently certain actions can be taken. That would be a huge overstep.
I don't recall exactly when, but I do recall writing into some client program a server time request with local time taken when sending the request and having received the response. The delta to the midpoint time was used as an offset for further communication. There were many users with PCs that didn't have their time correctly set and it was an easier solution.
Google is becoming incompetent. It's not only their phones.

Currently they fail to fix their speech services for over a month. Doesn't update the language over mobile networks and drowns batteries while waiting/trying -- no matter the settings, restarts, Cache cleans. While other apps on those phones update properly over the same network.
Dropped from a 4* rating to 1.5 (s. Play Store)

Major changes were "changed name", "new icon", which were a clear warning sign to me -- now they can add "botched network handling"
I don't understand why you'd charge extra money for a 1k device to last 3 years. That should be table stakes!

Also, a bad USB charger should not kill a device.
Identify a problem worth solving, i.e. a problem that people are keen to pay to have solved for them and your solution being one that you can deliver and make a profit.
Yes, you could do attestation schemes for hardware - such as a single manufacturing-time private key for large batches (say 1M+ AirTags) or something like Direct Anonymous Attestation.

Apple likely would go toward batch keys - in addition to being simpler crypto, it doesn't give them the capability to use other mechanisms to potentially correlate location reports.

That said, AirTags work solely within BLE advertisements, which are payload size limited to 31 bytes. Apple is currently using 30 of those bytes.
Switzerland and...?
You are! My first laptop ~15 years ago had a super thin (1mm?) fluorescent tube below the panel where the flex PCB would be. It used thousands of volts to start the backlight.

My panel (and anything from the last decade) uses LED backlights so I would not expect anything above 60V.
Never be an early adopter
My regular samsung cell phone has a button to mark as spam, but only for text messages which are regular billing statements, never for real spam.
My google phone before it was awesome at marking spam; samsung just fails. No more samsung phones if they don't figure that out.
I started playing around with Clojure back in 2014 by implementing a rudimentary polyglot persistent news feed microservice. That microservice used Ring which sits on top of Jetty. I blogged about that implementation at https://glennengstrand.info/software/architecture/oss/clojur... which is my personal blog. Last year, I re-evaluated Clojure with a feature identical microservice. This time, I integrated with Donkey which sits on top of Vert.x and https://glennengstrand.info/software/architecture/microservi... is where I blogged about that implementation.

I put each of these implementations in a load test lab where I collect then analyze the performance data for comparison purposes. Those two blogs include the performance results. It is hard for Clojure to compete with other tech stacks, primarily because each method call in Clojure goes through Java reflection which is pretty slow. There is a way to prevent the use of Java reflection in Clojure but then the Clojure code doesn't end up looking very Lisp like. The usual advise is to use type hints very sparingly like in hot spots in the code.

I still like Clojure, though.
fwiw Sublime Text uses a rope (using a rbtree).
The current standard block storage abstraction presented by SSDs is a logical address space of either 512-byte or 4kB blocks (but pretty much always 4kB behind the scenes). Allocation is implicit upon writing to a block, and deallocation is explicit but optional. This model is indeed a good match for how virtual memory is handled, especially on systems with 4kB pages; there are already NVMe commands analogous to eg. madvise().

The problem is that it's not a good match for how flash memory actually works, especially with regards to the extreme disparity between a NAND page write and a NAND erase block. Giving the OS an interface to query which blocks the SSD considers as live/allocated rather than deallocated and implicitly zero doesn't seem all that useful. Giving the OS an interface to manipulate the SSD's logical to physical mappings (while retaining the rest of the abstraction's features) would be rather impractical, as both the SSD and the host system would have to care about implementation details like wear leveling.

Going beyond the current HDD-like abstraction augmented with optional hints to an abstraction that is actually more efficient and a better match for the fundamental characteristics of NAND flash memory requires moving away from a RAM/VM-like model and toward something that imposes extra constraints that the host software must obey (eg. append-only zones). Those constraints are what breaks compatibility with existing software.
> If anyone can make it, the market quickly becomes saturated and the value tends toward zero and people losing interest in it.

You just restated your previous claim, you still didn't give any reason why the value must go to zero-- By the same logic, the market for websites is also saturated, therefore the value of the internet is going to zero.
Who cares how much it is? Just freeze it. I didn't say sieze it (yet) . This is their fault for coddling a guy who has progressively gotten unbalanced as he's gotten over. I bet Putin won't let any high level person (oligarch) scurry out of the country right now.
Killing the patient also gets rid of the cancer. One wouldn't say the doctor got it right.
what happens to the unbound charges that are on the surface of the sphere?

That's what I'm asking. Are you're saying that yes, I can draw a spark from the exterior of a perfect, unbroken, hollow metal sphere containing a van de Graaff generator and some batteries, or otherwise detect that there's any electrostatic activity inside the sphere whatsoever?

(Actually I don't even see how a net charge can be produced inside such an unbroken conductor, thinking about it further. The VDG can only move charge around, it can't create a net imbalance inside the sphere. So the question becomes, what could? I have a feeling that while the corrected version of Feynman's statement is right in principle, it presumes a condition that can't actually exist in nature, like a magnetic monopole.)
It is not as good as it is on Android. I still have an iPhone, but this is the top thing that makes me consider switching back to Android. I will still probably buy another iPhone because of all the other good things about it. Still, I miss the Android keyboard choices.
>You want to outlaw rate-limiting?

Don't get it twisted. I specifically said I was okay with rate limiting for bandwidth when I said "(not with limitations meant to manage the service's bandwidth like we have here on HN, mind you)".

What I do want to outlaw is:

"Assess[ing] whether to give service to a user based on profiling their use-cadence of the machine"

I want to outlaw investigating a user's input patterns on their hardware to predict their emotional state and use that prediction to curtail service, all minority-report like. Do you feel me?
Jeez you're right, how could I have overlooked the cheese?! I thought it was even worse than it is, assuming you're supposed to associate the camera with someone taking a picture and saying "cheese".
Yeah, no macros in Swift is a bit of an odd choice. It means that every would-be macro has to go through the language evolution process and be blessed by the Swift team. You can't release macro-like functionality, such as Rust's serde, without support from Apple.
> Without third party apps, iOS devices would be less appealing to consumers.

I understand this argument, however let's not forget that it's a two way street. People were buying iPhones by the millions well before a single app was sold on the platform, and there are other platforms that the third party apps could publish on. They choose to publish on iOS because, for vast numbers of developers, it is a very profitable platform for them to transact on.
They are the only ones in the country who have any influence on him and his attempts at expansion.
The only thing that’s ever worked for me is being tired enough. Physically.

We’re built to move and are surprised that sitting in a chair all day leaves us feeling restless and on edge. Kinda silly when you think about it.

When I get enough exercise, sleep is easy. You close your eyes, are bored for 5 minutes, and then you’re asleep.

Without daily exercise? Forget about it. Tossing and turning, tapping my feet all night, can’t get settled, every little thing an annoyance.
...which likes to police, surveil, impose, oppress the governed a bit too much.
How does one post both a link and description in a HN submission? Was this added by a mod?
There's a "blockchain solves everything" mentality that's prevalent in certain web3 communities.

It's fueled by the fact that there really aren't many, or perhaps any, usable web3 platforms that do anything beyond distributed ledger or NFT type stuff. Obviously nothing in web3 even resembles the scale and speed and ease of use of Twitter.

This has left the door wide open for futurists to paint the most idealistic picture possible of what web3 will look like. Blockchain technology is largely irrelevant to the projections (because it's boring). Instead, the projections suggest to solve all of the various social and legal problems in unspecified ways, with "web3" used as the excuse. It goes hand-in-hand with the idea that big corporations are evil and bad for users, but democratizing ownership will change all of that. Nevermind the fact that the big corporations are already publicly traded and you can buy a share of them today if you want, which isn't actually very different than buying governance tokens of a web3 system. The people with the most money and insider connections (to get early coins at a steep discount) are still going to be the ones calling the shots and shaping the systems to derive profits for themselves. There's nothing magical about web3 that stops people with money from buying outsized influence.
All this is just making me more and more worried - after swearing off Samsung (many years ago due to my Note 3 motherboard dying and them quoting a crazy repair cost), I gave in and recently bought a bunch of Samsung devices - S21 FE phone, Galaxy 4 watch and an A-series tablet - all have been working very well. Let us see how things go with this batch.
Ah I see very interesting, thanks!
Great explanation, thanks...
When I lived near Seattle as a kid, our single wide didn’t have sewer, just septic. It’s more common than you think.
To emphasize this, even if somatic symptoms are rooted in mental/emotional state, they’re still real and experienced as real.
I would be more excited about the idea if both the folded and unfolded modes actually had desirable aspect ratios. The current fold's "front" screen in closed mode is this weird super narrow display that will be yet another nightmare for web and app developers to adjust for, and the full unfolded screen has a close to 4:3 ratio which doesn't suit any media other than possibly GameCube games
I was shopping for a new monitor recently, and I considered 3 different models from Samsung, and all 3 had so many complaints from users indicative of serious QA issues in at least their monitor division. I hope they sort their issues out, their products on paper at least, are compelling.
Not with anything like the battery life or small sizes as an AirTag.

Those sort of devices are a reasonable choice for mounting in your own vehicle, where you can provide relatively unlimited power (and many of them have the ability to implement engine kill). But you aren’t going to slip one of those into someone’s pocket unobtrusively as you bump into them going past. Or attach it to their car in a car park.
Talents, like perfect spouses, are incredibly hard to find but they are there in plain sight.

The founder has to be dogged - in fact - dedicate his life and time to finding these individuals. But what would drive a founder like that if it is not in his nature?
I use a similar technique to this author's on my site (for about 5 years now) but it is a variant where even if someone got the email or you forward it accidentally to someone, they won't be able to use it to login.

Technique described here -
http://sriku.org/blog/2017/04/29/forget-password/

... basically when use provides email to signin, a cookie stores a part of the token while the server send the other part via email. Both parts need to be put together and validated for a login to get through. So the link sent in the email will work only in the browser session where the cookie stored at login time is accessible ... which is how it is configured for most of the users of my small site.

Another side effect of this technique is that bad login attempts do not need a database hit to be rejected.
That cannot be stressed enough: no stock Android is a pain (at least if coming from there)

E.g. more or less bound to their camera app, my automatic sync with Google photos isn't working because they want me to use _their_ gallery. Only when I start Google's photo app does a sync start.
Repeating explicitly: that's preventing that pictures are automatically backuped to the cloud! -- too me, that's preventing the main selling point of paying a lot of money for a phone with a decent camera
And: why would I switch every service to the crappy Samsung equivalent?
If you drive well you can often get away for years after your registration expires.
That already makes me look forward to fleet. If it can be as fast as sublime that will be life changing.

Although webstorm can't handle large typescript projects with a lot of computed type as well as vs code.
I've spent hundreds of hours editing Wikipedia and have come out really pessimistic about the whole thing. In fact, I'd say that everyone I know who's actually pessimistic about Wikipedia also have tons of hours of experience editing
On Reading the Book
I'd be concerned that a several degree change in ocean temperatures (especially in shallows) could have a significant impact on large parts of our ecosystem.
This is why sometimes it's worth it to get the protection plan/insurance. Sometimes tech just fails, and if it's out of the manufacturers warranty often if it can't be repaired for any reason they send you a replacement or the money for a replacement. Amazon offers such plans.
Not right away no, but it will help to have an understanding of Java/JVM for Clojure and Browser/Javascript for Clojurescript if you are intending on building real systems.
I avoid all things Samsung for a much more important reason: They spy on you mercilessly, up to about the same level as Facebook.

For example, they take screenshots of what you watch on your Samsung Televisions!

Don't believe me? Take it from them: https://www.samsung.com/us/business/samsungads/resources/tv-... and https://www.samsung.com/us/business/samsungads/insights/

You're not their customer, you're the product.

Additionally, Samsung have a habit of releasing forced updates that almost-but-not-entirely brick their TVs, slowing them down to molasses. They do this right before the next model becomes available for purchase.

Last but not least, a colleague worked there as a consultant, and his stories of their lax IT security were nearly unbelievable. Even though they spy on you like Google or Facebook, they are not like a FAANG when it comes to protecting your private info! They've been hacked for sure, probably by multiple nation state actors. Whatever you watch or do with their TVs is being relayed to the US, Russians, Chinese, or whomever. Assume that nothing you do with a Samsung device or Samsung software is remotely secure or safe.

They're a slimy company made up of unscrupulous people trying to squeeze every last drop out of every rock.

Don't give them your money. There are many other companies with much better track records.
The author's point is that he was careful and the request for warranty repair was not some abuse attempt. Of course deceitful demands for warranty should be declined.
Even Apple will not honor warranties in cases of obvious abuse and lies.
The bezels would really need to be ultra narrow to not bother me while watching a video.
I don’t have a disability, but still have Sticky Keys turned on. I also have CapsLock mapped as a second backspace.
I've experimented with this a fair bit, but my experience so far is: when I ramp up activity I see improvement in sleep, but once it becomes normal it doesn't help much. I also occasionally run into really annoying situations where I'll do some pretty heavy lifting during the day, then go to sleep knowing how important it will be for me to get rest that night—which creates the kind of self-awareness trap described above and I lay there for hours super tired but also kind of wired, tossing and turning.

Most of my experience with this has been relatively high intensity over ~1.5hrs though, not full days of physical activity (like I had with jobs in the past, landscaping or stocking groceries etc.)—but I don't have that much time to dedicate to it with the desk work I'm doing now.
Thinking of building a 2FA code forwarding service – what do you think?
First off, no "Ad Hominems" please;

The article has got nothing whatsoever to do with ISKCON or Cults or whatever you imagine. If you have a problem with some groups this is not the place to vent it.

The author (whose website i had already pointed out but which you have apparently never bothered to read) is a well-known scholar and part of the "Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies" and has done more for Hinduism Studies than most people. I highly recommend a study of her book Hindu Worldviews: Theories of Self, Ritual and Reality.

>At least this particular article is penned by someone who is more simple minded about Hindu philosophy than malicious. But it is insulting nevertheless. The reason most western theologians flock to Hinduism is because due to the long history of colonialism, Indian Hindus adore being validated by westerners even if it’s insulting claptrap like this one.

This is plain ranting. By no stretch of imagination can a rational reader arrive at the above conclusion after reading the article. So you obviously have NOT read the article.

Coming to the excerpt you posted, you have conveniently left off the full context which is where it makes sense; here it is;

Early Indians had pleaded with the gods for rain and cattle, sons and warriors, health and wealth; we still have their words in the Vedas, some of the world’s oldest texts. Theirs were precisely the prayers we would expect of any early community struggling to survive. But by around 600 BCE, the ability to perform rituals was no longer enough to win favour at the royal courts of the Gangetic Plain. Atheists, gnostics and sceptics were increasingly vocal in the kingdoms further east. Experts in the old Vedic ritual boasted skills in linguistics, geometry, anatomy, astronomy and poetry, and they had been observing the forces of nature for centuries – but to what end? How could they earn their keep in the new climate?

The answer lay in the public’s growing worry about existential problems. Mortal life seemed little more than a flame struck over the open ocean at night; our minds shine but a brief, faint spotlight on the immensity of the world before sputtering into darkness again.

From "Rituals" the focus had shifted to more "Abstract Existential" questions and this where the "Philosophers" had to prove themselves again i.e. "earn their keep" (which is just a turn of phrase). This is exactly what happened in the transition from Vedic Rituals to philosophical ideas in later Upanishads and later on gave birth to "Nastika" schools of philosophy.

The author's research interests are in trying to interpret both Hindu and European Worldviews to see where they are similar/dissimilar and what can be applied to current times. Her book that i mentioned elaborates more on this theme.

PS: See also https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
The point is that it has a smaller footprint. While I think the flip is slightly dubious in utility the fold has undeniable utility in being able to fold. You gain a tablet sized screen that fits inside most pockets. I personally find that extremely compelling. Two screens doesn't achieve the same effect because it's two screens. Unless there's no bezel or physical gap (that you are going to feel any time you're using the device) then you can't utilize the size of the screen to its fullest potential. Microsoft's Duo phone does use two screens but it defeats the point of having one massive screen.
More complex systems are liable to create more complex problems...

I don't think you can get away from this - yes, can solve a problem, but if you model problems as entropy, increasing complexity increases entropy.

It's like the messy room problem - you can clean your room (arguably high entropy state), but unless you are exceedingly careful doing so increases entropy. You merely move whatever mess to the garbage bin, expend extra heat, increase your consumption in your diet, possibly break your ankle, stress your muscles...

Arguably cleaning your room is important, but decreasing entropy? That's not a problem that's solvable, not in this universe.
Don't do this! Sleep tracking/optimisation and generally obsessing over sleep can trigger insomnia for a lot of people.

I've had chronic insomnia for two years and I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy. If your sleep is good enough, leave it alone.
> Also: gpg as encryption isn't worth anything when everybody has your public key and/or sent it before via an unencrypted transport layer.

I think you need to read more about how asymmetric cryptography works.