Hacker News Reader

Alaskan005on Seattle to deploy Gigabit fiber network

"Why? The cost for running the fiber has already been paid."

Not every mile is owned by one company, the internet is a series of tubes

Alaskan005on EFF: Stop Congress from Reauthorizing the Warrantless Spying Bill

"If it keeps safe, what do I care!"

I feel bad for you. Really do.

I know it's a not a constructive comment but with him it seems like a lost cause.

Alaskan005on Seattle to deploy Gigabit fiber network

For what % of people? We should assume that bigger pipes cost more money, at least they do now, so why should Jack and Jill pay for 1Gig/s when a 5-10-20 mbps is more they need? Cable seems to have no problem bringing movies through the old copper wires.

Alaskan005on The Web We Lost

"The only real problem I see with the present state of the Web is that Facebook wants to own all your data"

"I don't agree that the monetization of the Web has degraded the value"

Good thing you work for Google and can give an unbiased opinion.

"10+ years ago Microsoft dominated your computing environment. Many couldn't envision a future that would break free of this grasp. In a few short years Microsoft has diminished their control of your computing experience in ways few could've predicted."

If you have a money-making website, the new medium, you have to pay tribute to Adwords or be bust, increasing prices on every item. The King is dead, Long live the King.

Alaskan005on Seattle to deploy Gigabit fiber network

In 5-10 years maybe. Now virtually all sites are slower than a ~ 10-50 mbs connection so having all that extra bandwidth doesn't help you at all. That's the reality.

Alaskan005on 4chan helps Kim Jong Un win Time's Person of the Year poll

Yes I read it. Apparently the only reason they do the useless and manipulated web poll is for clicks and hits.

Alaskan005on Goldman Sachs: Windows' true market share is just 20%

Oh now, it's like with Bernie Maddof. Many knew or suspected he was crook but thought he was cheating from others so they closed one eye and both ears or whatever, until they got screwed.

Alaskan005on 4chan helps Kim Jong Un win Time's Person of the Year poll

Abraham Lincoln was misquoted, or least he said so in his Geocities page.

Anyway, how stupid is Time to fall for this, unless they are doing it for the traffic and clicks?

Alaskan005on Google Maps becomes the App Store’s most popular free app in 7 hours

How much money Apple or Google spent is not really an issue Both are loaded, especially Apple. And unless the egg in the face translated to lost sales, it will go away.

Never underestimate the power of "default" and Apple can tighten the screws on Google Maps to make iOS maps look even better. Bottom line is that Apple is working on their own maps and that's a major loss for Google.

Alaskan005on Google Maps becomes the App Store’s most popular free app in 7 hours

No wonder he is the CEO and you aren't. Think LOOOOONG term, in a few years Apple will catch Google for the most part (hello AAPL bank accounts and increase of usage!) and Apple will not depend on a major competitor for a crucial aspect of the mobile world. Google is the loser, despite Apple having a few growing pains.

Alaskan005on Why Climate Deniers Have No Scientific Credibility

This is dumb. I thought he was going to show a chart that showed that humans are responsible for it, not that most scientists agree. A few centuries ago they just asked the Pope, simpler process.:)

They are two types of deniers: we have the earth is not warming type, "Look it snowed in Colorado, we're warming uh?" and two those that say it's a natural process and point to the charts where earth went through cycles on it's own over the millions of years.

(Personally I buy the CO2 layer that act as a sheet acts on us during the night.)

Alaskan005on Friend is deported. What now? LonDumb - Part II

I am sorry she got deported but between the fonts, short sentences and colors I already have a headache...at maybe 20% of the article.

sorry for being off topic but it annoyed the hell out of me.

Alaskan005on You’re not anonymous. I know your name, email, and company.

A possible solution would be anonymize the browser fingerprint, at least in private mode, ie lie about the details of the system.

Plus one for this. I wonder if a plugin alone could change enough info to fool the trackers?

Alaskan005on Stanford MBA price tag hits $185K: Highest in the world

And then what? He /she will always be a Stanford MBA and as much as some VCs hate them, blue chips companies hire them on the spot. The problem is with second and third tier MBA and Law degrees.

(Maybe VCs hate them since they try to create regular companies and that increases the value before VCs invest in them.)

Alaskan005on FedEx Overcharged Customers for Years, Sealed E-Mail Says

Anyway, they were called out before being sued but did nothing about it.

I am cynic because many big corps still have this attitude. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18866018 and http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-hsbc-confirms...

Alaskan005on FedEx Overcharged Customers for Years, Sealed E-Mail Says

This is civil, but if they broke the law (overcharging the Government on purpose) it can go criminal. If they want to pursue it of course.

Alaskan005on FedEx Overcharged Customers for Years, Sealed E-Mail Says

“My belief is that we are choosing not to fix this issue because it is worth so much money to FedEx,”

They will pay some money to make the lawyers rich, no one goes to jail and FedEx will repeat it again after a few years. Rinse, repeat. Cost of doing business.

Alaskan005on [dead]

I was reading that Chrome wouldn't work either because of Gmail was down. Then we have algorithmic account deletions for "spam" or violating whatever rule. That's more than enough for me to be very cautious. Uptime is not as relevant, in 99.999% of cases we can wait to email or we can just pick the phone and call, losing access for ever is scarier.

Do not put all your eggs in one basket, be it Google's, Apple's or Microsoft's.

Alaskan005on [dead]

This is why I'm staying away from the "cloud" for as long as I can. I don't like this tight integration that much, you'll be frozen out of everything if one feature goes down.

And I have all my essential files on my PC and backed up several times. Even if Gmail is nuked, I still have a local copy.

Alaskan005on Jimmy Wales: $50 Android smartphones are disrupting Africa

I am too lazy too look but I remember reading a story where an $80 or so solar panel system (with some sort of battery, no doubt) from China enabled villagers in Africa to turn a light on at night and maybe recharge a phone. Simple but life changing.

When you have very few things, people get creative. In USA for example for the most part mechanics change a car part with a new one, in the third world they open it up, fix and get another decade out of it.

Alaskan005on Programmer behind YouPorn empire arrested in Belgium

"most porn websites today are usability hell"

How do you know :)?

They are scripts for almost every successful model out there but the problem is reaching mass user adoption. For under $1000 you can have a site done, logo and all but if not enough people submit their videos...

Alaskan005on Jimmy Wales: $50 Android smartphones are disrupting Africa

Yeah but it could recharge a small battery and that can recharge a puny phone.

Alaskan005on Jimmy Wales: $50 Android smartphones are disrupting Africa

True, IMO. They didn't disrupt anything because there was nothing to be disrupted. It's not like they had our version of Verizon, Comcast and DirectTV offering services in their village.

Smart/cellphones made it possible for them to get connected, if it was for wires, good luck waiting.

Alaskan005on Google Revenues Sheltered in No-Tax Bermuda Soar to $10 Billion

I responded to his comment. But I agree that what Google is doing is common and I do not blame them since it seems legal. IMO, laws will change.

Alaskan005on Google Revenues Sheltered in No-Tax Bermuda Soar to $10 Billion

In my personal opinion, the money does more good in Google's hands than in the government's hands.

Ok then: in my opinion my money is better in my hands, but I have a hard time convincing the IRS. My wife and my family agree with me too, by the way. Who is going to pay for the roads and the military and the......

Alaskan005on Google Revenues Sheltered in No-Tax Bermuda Soar to $10 Billion

We all know that always are going to be changed and earnings will drop by quite a bit, the govs are starving for cash. They were always hungry but now it's starvation time.

Alaskan005on Police concerned with Apple iOS 6 mapping system

"Jobs is turning in his grave and..."

He was cremated and he wasn't above screwing up.

Alaskan005on Police concerned with Apple iOS 6 mapping system

"Apple steals Google Maps data then bans them"...news at eleven.

Alaskan005on Covering the whole country with Google Fiber could cost $140 billion

I don't think Google wants to build this at all. They just want to put some pressure on Comcast, TW and the likes to offer higher speeds and without any caps. Google wants to bypass Windows and go straight to the cloud, but one needs high speed internet.

Cable companies are deep in debt for a reason. I just don't see Google hiring 80,000 people are whatever it takes and hope it just works financially.

Alaskan005on Police concerned with Apple iOS 6 mapping system

Every time I turn my Garmin GPS it warns me that maps might not be correct, so it's not just Apple.

That said, Apple should have written a big fat check to a company with much better data. (I still think Apple needed their own mapping and apparently maps improve as more users use them.)