CodeSheikh

"The concept of an operating system is pretty straightforward: it is a piece of software that manages a computer, making said computer’s hardware resources"

So the author luxuriously simplified a sophisticated piece of software like an OS to simply prove his point that Alexa can be classified as an OS because it is a software that also manages hardware resources.

Someone please correct but I was under the impression that Alexa is merely a facade OS and behind the scenes it is an amalgamation of sophisticated intertwining of web services and data crunching. Can Alexa still be at its 100% without internet?

Edit 1: Grammar

The thing is I am not a professional farmer or have had worked in farms in any capacity. I have a technical background so doing things on my own in DIY way out of sheer curiosity drives me. Plus, I wanted to introduce myself to organic farming in my backyard. I can share with you things I bought and how I have used them, pretty straightforward stuff. I thought about putting an irrigation system where water would be driven with gravity and into drip system. But unlike you I don’t have an advantage of rainwater. So I still kept water reservoir (instead of a continuous tap/faucet as a source) and instead used an electronic water pump and a Wi-Fi outlet that I can schedule as I please or even remote control it if I am traveling abroad (I learned hard way that which certain plants required less or more water and in this way I was able to adjust water flow/resistance in my drip system)

Here’s a pseudo-schematic that I just chalked down:

http://imgur.com/a/0exTv

These are the parts I have bought off of Amazon. If you can buy these parts from a single seller than I am sure you can save even more.

Listed prices are the prices I have paid. Currently, they could be more or less on Amazon. Some parts were bought at a Lowe's local store.

Koram Drip Irrigation 1/4" Blank Distribution Tubing Drip Watering Hose 50' Roll $8.99 1 $8.99 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013WJYKZQ/ref=oh_aui_deta...

Raindrip 381025B Heavy Duty Support Stakes, 6-Inch, 25 Per Bag $7.51 2 $15.02 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BOAKKK/ref=oh_aui_deta...

Rain Bird T22-50 Drip Irrigation 1/4" Blank Distribution Tubing, 50' Roll $6.69 1 $6.69 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FJX5DU/ref=oh_aui_deta...

Fastening Tape 0.75-inch Hook & Loop Fastening Tape 5 yard/roll - Black $5.31 1 $5.31 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004AF9II6/ref=oh_aui_deta...

Koram 1/4" Blank Distribution Tubing Irrigation Gardener's Greenhouse Plant Watering Drip Kit Accessories IR-D $25.99 2 $51.98 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013JPIJG4/ref=oh_aui_deta...

Prime Wire & Cable EC502608 8-Foot 16/3 SJTW Indoor and Outdoor Extension Cord, Black $6.58 1 $6.58 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006G6A2KA/ref=oh_aui_deta...

EcoPlus 728492 Eco 100 Submersible Pump, 100GPH $11.95 1 $11.95 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007KIIQF6/ref=oh_aui_deta...

Samar 5/16-in x 20-ft PVC Clear Vinyl Tubing 1ft $2 1 $2.00 https://www.lowes.com/pd/Samar-5-16-in-x-20-ft-PVC-Clear-Vin...

Murray 2-Pack 1/4-in to 5/8-in dia Stainless Steel Full Clamps $0.71 1 $0.71 https://www.lowes.com/pd/Murray-2-Pack-1-4-in-to-5-8-in-dia-...

BrassCraft 1/2-in x 3/8-in Threaded Adapter Bushing Fitting $3.98 1 $3.98 https://www.lowes.com/pd/BrassCraft-1-2-in-x-3-8-in-Threaded...

BrassCraft 3/8-in x 3/8-in Barbed Barb x MIP Adapter Fitting $3.78 1 $3.78 https://www.lowes.com/pd/BrassCraft-3-8-in-x-3-8-in-Barbed-B...

TP-LINK Wi-Fi Smart Plug, Works with Amazon Echo, Turn On/Off Your Electronics From Anywhere (HS100) $29.99 1 $29.99 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0178IC734/ref=oh_aui_deta...

Aquarium 8Way Air Flow Splitter Lever Control Valve 3/8 Inch Tube Dia $11.76 1 $11.76 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W136G8E/ref=oh_aui_deta...

MoonCity 3-in-1 Soil Moisture, Light and pH / acidity Meter Plant Tester,Good for Gardener or planter both indoor and outdoors (No Battery needed) $12.99 1 $12.99 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017GQ9VVY/ref=od_aui_deta...

30 gallons plastic container from home depot $20 1 $20.00

Total $191.73

Let me reply to your post by EOD. I will be able to provide better details then.

$60,000 seems like a lot of amount for starving and underdeveloped areas.

I went to their funding page and read more about what's inside the "box" https://republic.co/farm-from-a-box

1: micro-drip irrigation system

2: 3kW solar power

3: Pumping System

4: IOT setup

5: Energy management

6: Basic farm tools

As of 2016, average cost of solar power is approximately $3.00 per watt so ~ $9K. I have installed a decent sized drip water irrigation system in my backyard purchased with stuff off of Amazon for a total of $200 max. IOT is unnecessary here. I mean would "poor" people require to purchase Iphones and Macbooks too to see data collected from the IOT setup? A manual water pump like this (http://www.top-pumps.com/pro/20090613195613.jpg )or even an electric one does not go north of $1k-1.5k. Most solar panels and reserve battery system come with a built-in energy management feature. This box does not even contain a variety of seeds, soil, fertilizer and other mandatory things required for proper farming. Think outside the box.

"To counter these trends, the U.S. must invest in raising the skills of the workers most likely to be affected by the disappearance of routine jobs..." Not sure how's that going to play out for example a welding machine operator can't become a mechanical engineer in a short span of time because those routine jobs are eventually going to be consumed by automated robots, per this study. Why not motivate people to look into alternative booming industries? Healthcare and therapists for example. With aging population, people would require more health therapists and similar service oriented jobs.

Yes, it is one of the factors but not the only one. Others being people commuting in their own cars (yes we have stubborn folks who refuse to take trains), pedestrian traffic (primarily composed of tourists and selfie enthusiasts), never ending construction and repairs in Manhattan, Food carts maneuvering etc. to name a few.

New York City includes Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island as well. Misleading title and perhaps incomplete study if footprint of cabs is not included from those remaining boroughs in this study. If you live in Manhattan, then you don't use cabs as much within Manhattan because subways cover Manhattan pretty well and travel times in cabs are hellish comparing to subway commute. You often use cabs when you commute to other boroughs from Manhattan because, for example, Brooklyn and Queens do not have great subway network.

2016 please just end already.

The main thesis of this article is true but honestly the author has done a very unconvincing job to back it up. For example my problem is with his references: "Firm investments in high-tech equipment and software is falling"...whereas the liked article is about "The recent slowdown in high-tech equipment price declines and some implications for business investment and labor productivity"

Why not just go and acquire an Austin based startup called uShip? https://www.uship.com/

Uber has a boatload of cash. Why reinvent a wheel? uShip has a funding of $44.71M in several rounds according to crunchbase. Uber sure has a vast collection fine-tuned maps, but freight routes are different from inner city routes.

Given how possessive Google have become of Android, I doubt it Amazon would want to invest any further in Android based devices.

I like your recent DDOS attack point in context to IOT devices. One argument in favor of Apple's wait stance could be that they just want the IOT/home-automation market to mature enough for them to come in with their voice-tech integration.

My (unbiased) 2 cents..

“Qualitatively, Amazon’s position is more secure than the numbers would indicate.”

I beg to differ. I believe Apple has a much more secured position than Amazon in the long run, given how Siri is already integrated in iOs mobile devices and macOS based desktops. So far, has Apple capitalized on this advantage? Nope. Are they gonna? Most likely, given the fact that they always wait for everyone to show their projects in high school science fair and then they roll out their better comprehensive showcase.

If Apple does not launch a voice based home automation product in late 2017 or early 2018 then it might be too late.

Apple's true competitor in this domain can only be Google with its staggering command on Android ecosystem. Microsoft effort is limited to Windows based PCs and even they might have a better advantage than Amazon.

Amazon has mainstreamed a voice tech. They have done it well and made a point that this is the way of the future. Now the second part of the problem is to integrate already existing daily use computational devices with this "voice-tech". Amazon literally has none, no mobile and no desktops/laptops/tablets.

Oh BB, gambling again on an uncertain future.

What about non-internet media? There are still laptops being sold with DVD players. Laptops have USB and media card slots. I mean would not it make much better sense to put (let's assume for the sake of argument such filters do work in reality) this filter at ISP level? There are countries who are very good at blocking obscene and political content to a great accuracy.

Human trafficking is a much bigger problem that unfortunately cannot be solved with a 20 bucks filter. It is unfortunate to read that apparently in the eyes of the policy-makers this is a “beginning point” of a solution to a gruesome issue.

Amazon is moving forward with a GREAT momentum to dominate consumer market and extends its monopoly. It is not Amazon vs small businesses anymore. Amazon is in a ferocious battle right now with big players in various domains (Google, Walmart, Apple etc). So far it is turning out to be beneficial for an average middle-class consumer who conveniently gets to purchase cheap products and services. The way Amazon has extended its tentacles deep into TV content (Netflix vs Prime Video), produce (FreshDirect vs Amazon Fresh), Amazon Basics and Amazon elements, Alexa in home automation, e-readers, Spotify vs Amazon Prime Music, Rackspace vs AWS cloud, (failed) cellphones venture, and now Seamless vs Amazon Restaurants. Is it becoming more possible for Amazon to either acquire FedEx/UPS or create its own shipping company? I mean why not? This seems like a missing piece of puzzle.

Let's also not downplay the "Yahoo" brand name. It does not have much high impact negative publicity associated to it (yet). The name "Yahoo!" goes as far back as the Internet for modern day users i.e. 30+ yrs age group. If Verizon can put a nice spin to it and through micro-filtration of the brand whatever filtrate is left, as long as it is somewhat appealing it would sell, let it be a search engine or whatever new product Verizon offers free-of-cost to its subscribers over its data network. Verizon owns AOL and with that a few mobile advertising companies. As TV content is gradually getting further away form traditional set-top-box nightmarish cable providers and more towards individual content companies (Netflix, Amazon Video, HULU, HBO etc), this would be a good step for Verizon to head in that direction as well, maybe not produce original content (such as Netflix/Amazon) but perhaps air exclusive sports events. At the end of the day, it is all about maintaining your monopoly.

Why not just ban the usage of fireworks for various festivities such as Diwali or enforce stricter vehicle inspection code during annual registration? I am sure there will be "some" folks jumping through/going-around the enforced laws but it can make a significant difference when a good majority starts following them and such following gradually increases every year. In this way more and more cities start implementing similar routines.

Sometimes we get so much caught up in "cool" or "fun" projects that it becomes easy to ignore simple yet basic implementations that lies in front of our eyes all-along :)

Oh I didn't put that list in any order :) I am not sure if JetBlue is bigger than SW or vice versa.

So the merger made this new "entity" 5th largest airline in the U.S. after AA, Delta, United, JetBlue, Southwest. I guess it is considered an achievement for some.

Does that bad Photoshopped cover photo mean to have a double meaning such as euphemism for working at home sucks?

I am guessing other pet projects, R&D for Amazon. Clearly not in cancer research or funding of infrastructure or investments in other need base communities.

Last time I heard Amazon is struggling with net positive cash flow because it keeps on re-investing profits into various other side projects with eventual goal of dominating retail space e.g. Amazon Go.

Try to become a part of the solution not part of the problem. As an engineer, this is a mesmerizing and a very appreciative tech. Kudos. As a (selfless) neighbor, I can never be happy to see unemployed neighbors. Sure we can create these autonomous technologies, but we also should be active in policy-making for our cities e.g. if 10 jobs are being displaced then collectively what are we doing to create 10 more jobs.

Profits earned from Amazon Go are not going to get reinvested in cities. A small portion of it would be divided as payrolls among engineers and people who would manage these Go stores but a large chunk would go in deep pockets of Bezos' and Amazon investors'.

"this will unlock huge sums of money that can be diverted". Agree. But what guarantee do we have that Amazon or similar large companies such as Apple had ever re-invested their profits back into economies? So far none. Yes Amazon can hire more people for warehouses, but is it fair for a displaced retail person to go and work at warehouses (trust me I have worked at warehouses and it is not a FUN place to work at!)?

Guys this is not good. As much as I love the convenience of pick-and-go, this eventually will prove out to be drastic for a variety of bad socioeconomic reasons, that most of us are already aware of. Small businesses were already suffering at the hands of Amazon Prime. Now Amazon Go wants to not only kick out those businesses out of the block but it also wants to take away jobs of small retail salesperson. Unacceptable. This can perhaps work at Amazon headquarters but I hope, I really hope it does not make its way to major metro cities like NYC and if it does then Amazon should promise to create certain number of jobs and revenue that it intends to displace. Just because an average reader of HN does not do such jobs or had held such jobs for only a brief period in his/her life, this does not mean that lot of people don't rely on such small time jobs for their livelihood.

Places I can see this working are with low footprints such as cafes at hospitals etc.

Amazon Go, please Go away.

Updated: Grammar correction.

Looking at this behemoth infrastructure, one can safely say that by just tweaking/updating existing maintenance related policies, a plenty of new jobs can be added.

Not to mention implementing policies for the addition of new infrastructure. For example adding more windmills or installing more solar plants etc etc.

Let's assume, that foreign countries such as Russia or China would be trying to sabotage our elections on Nov 8th night. What are the severe economic and political backlash that we can deal with if we cut off the traffic coming in from those region (not in a "we control the internet" kinda way)? I am sure they already have nodes operating within the USA. A lot of major tech companies use CDNs that can still serve traffic globally to the consumers of those countries. Even better, how about we regulate and slow down all of incoming traffic for say half day on election day? Is it even possible?

"Kill the Snapchat"

I feel like the author stressed too much on the word "Tech" without differentiating much between the very basic nature of SW-Tech and HW-Tech. In hardware assembly lines you need more workersa and bodies, let them be in the USA or China or Taiwan. But for SW once you have developed and refined your algorithm, routine or process it does not need to have multiple people handling, managing or maintaining it. It can be replaced but let's be honest such replacement does not happen for quite some time at enterprises, in some case it takes years. My point being, yes big SW companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter etc did not create enough jobs because they produce and maintain software, not actual physical products (Google until recently). Yet they have sucked a large portion of money from the economy (Think of ecoonomy as a shared pot with fixed $ coins in it). The problem is with the financial and employment regulators for being short sighted and not predicting this trend lets say 15-20 years ago. It is a bad unbalanced financial "equation" when weight on one variable is too much and on the right one it is too low. A company with $X amount of positive revenue must invest a certain portion back into the economy. In this way we can maintain a economically balanced society. Also, people need to start getting serious about continuing education. Skills learned and obtained in the 80s or 90s is not necessarily going to be employable in the year 2016.

Paywalled.

Updated: click "WEB" under the article.