Hacker News Reader

bsmithon Emirates Planes Could Be Going Windowless

Actually, the distance from the plane to distant objects exaggerates parallax. The closer an observer is to the window, the stronger the effect. Just like a really long lever.

bsmithon An MSG Convert Visits the High Church of Umami

MSG is, chemically, just a specific salt of glutamic acid. When dissolved (in food, or in the mouth) it forms free glutamate, which triggers the umami sensation on the tongue. Liquid aminos, cheeses, tomatoes, and many other foods are naturally high in free glutamates — and thus the savory, umami flavor that comes with it — even if MSG or other compounds aren't specifically added.

bsmithon [dead]

> If you have time to manage (side projects|hobbies|sleep|exercise|health) in addition to being a startup CTO, is CTO the right role for you?

My answer, as a fellow startup CTO, is a resounding "yes." In fact, my activities that take place outside of work are crucial to my wellbeing and job performance.

bsmithon A tiny robot with moves inspired by caterpillars and jellyfish

I came here to say it wasn't a robot, but you beat me to the punch. I wonder how small they could have made it if it were 100% self-contained.

bsmithon The first Bitcoin Cash block has been mined

Now 4 blocks in: https://cash.coin.dance/blocks#blockDetails

bsmithon Bitcoin Cash Just Mined Its First Block, Making Blockchain Split Official

Now up to 3 blocks, at the time of this comment: https://cash.coin.dance/blocks#blockDetails

bsmithon We Need a New Deal to Address the Economic Risks of Automation

It's meant to be rhetorical; of course being born makes you worthy of survival! But what if working doesn't provide you enough sustenance? And what if you don't even have the opportunity in the first place, once the demand for human labor is low enough?

bsmithon We Need a New Deal to Address the Economic Risks of Automation

I disagree with the author here on UBI. The root of the issue goes deeper than deciding to prop up job markets so that there is enough supply of jobs to meet the demand. Based on the arguments in the article, this can only be a temporary fix; eventually automation will take over too many jobs for every person to have one—or at the very least, human labor is a commodity that eventually becomes so cheap that the laborers cannot survive.

The author seems to be solidly in the 'work == virtue' camp and argues that UBI decreases the incentive to work. While partly true, the REAL work we want done is not menial, but innovative, and leads to the next big breakthroughs that increase productivity and eliminate even MORE jobs. This is capitalism, no? UBI is there so everyone still survives to have a crack at it, if they want to.

This becomes an ethical question quite quickly: does being born make you worthy of survival?

bsmithon A lawsuit over Costco golf balls

I'm interested in why you think this person is the best. Email in profile.

bsmithon No, I Don’t Want to Subscribe to Your Newsletter

I think the OP here hit the nail on the head: if you don't like it, leave. He has no right to demand a web property owner appease his every whim. The owner has every right to have modals on their site. Just like Walmart has every (legal) right to mistreat their employees. So I don't shop there.

bsmithon Controlling your own wealth as a basic human right

This seems a lazy and weak argument (verging on assertion) to me. Can you please elaborate; what is essentially lacking from the right to control one's own wealth that is present in the other basic human rights you enumerate?

bsmithon VR

> having to crane your neck around to see what's going on sounds like a PITA

This is a step too far in my opinion. You already have to "crane your neck around" to see what's going on in the real world, all around you, all the time.

I'm also sure there are less physically demanding games/experiences for those interested. Pick your poison.

bsmithon Bose Hearphones

These seem to me, at least, to be a clever, premium re-branding of hearing aids. I found myself wanting some despite having only moderate (if detectable) hearing loss, especially for the ability to focus in on a conversation in a loud environment. That is a very draining situation for me to find myself in.

bsmithon What the Heck Is Happening at Apple?

Why?

What if Google had just stuck to search? Would your life be better?

bsmithon “Hacking is a job … people train their entire childhoods … for …”

Repeating full text of the tweet here:

"Hacking is a job that many people train their entire childhoods and young adulthood for. I can't think of a ton of other fields like that."

bsmithon Doing More with Less Code

This applies to an even greater extent in a highly resource-constrained environment (such as my startup). My job is as much about what I choose NOT to do as it is about what I actually decide to take on; as .5 of only 1.5 software engineers at my workplace, the lion's share of my role relies on me placing the correct bets on what features (or automation workflows) to implement.

bsmithon The Problems with Food and Exercise Studies

> . . . fast food is cheaper than anything else.

This actually isn't remotely true. It's far cheaper to buy more nutritious foods from the grocery store (especially in bulk) and then cook your own meals: http://www.leannebrown.ca/good-and-cheap.pdf

You can't have organic beef every night, but you can nutritionally and calorically out-gun fast food for the same (or a smaller) amount of money.

bsmithon An Old Idea, Revived: Starve Cancer to Death

I'd argue that the body of research supporting the `sugar == detriment` hypothesis is mounting. This is merely another in a series of dominoes that is (potentially) falling in that direction. I'd recommend the blog (eatingacademy.com) of Dr. Peter Attia, founder of the Nutrition Science Initiative, for more.

bsmithon One-Line jQuery Trump-Blocker

Threw this together as a hack after I was joking about it with a coworker.

To anyone with browser plugin dev experience: I'd love to know how easy it would be to package this and make it usable.

bsmithon NASA Just Discovered an Asteroid Will Fly Annoyingly Close to Earth on Halloween

More science: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-spots-the-great-pumpkin-ha...

bsmithon Why too much choice is stressing us out

This reminds me of one of Tim Ferriss' essays, The Choice-Minimal Lifestyle: 6 Formulas for More Output and Less Overwhelm: http://fourhourworkweek.com/2008/02/06/the-choice-minimal-li...

There are quite a few practical tips in there to help decrease the sense of overwhelm from having too many choices.

bsmithon How We Uncovered the Real Identity Behind “Startup L. Jackson”

Anytime. Thank you for a fascinating read :)

Any idea why the images aren't working?

bsmithon How We Uncovered the Real Identity Behind “Startup L. Jackson”

Cached version: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:https:/...

Looks like HN has hugged it to death...

bsmithon Will Your Hardware Startup Make Money?

Looks like a great idea, to me! But I think the appeal of the Sensel Morph is much more broad, and your project seems quite niche.

bsmithon Ask HN: Do you aspire to be a venture capitalist?

    AH == a16z

bsmithon Tesla’s Model S Gets “Ludicrous” Mode, Will Do 0-60 in 2.8 Seconds

What if the car actually used the suspension to 'drop' just a fraction of an inch lower to the ground (to increase its momentary, apparent weight) as soon as you punch the accelerator to get some extra grip? I wonder how much of a difference the momentary 'downforce' would make.

bsmithon 1/999999999999999999999998999999999999999999999999

You've got the wrong thread, I'm afraid.

bsmithon Ask HN: How do you deal with professional jealousy and getting older?

I think having the discipline to follow through with the things you have decided are important to do has a lot to do with it, actually.

  “Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work.”
  ― Chuck Close

bsmithon We Should Have a Better Condom by Now

Noted.

If you read our "App" page, you would have seen 'sympto-thermal method of fertility awareness' mentioned at least once. Check out "Learn" for a literal book's worth of information (complete with references) about how this works. We've taken an approach of trying to ease people into this, but maybe that hasn't come across in this instance.

How would you suggest we introduce the topic without scaring people off with such scientifically dense-sounding terms as "sympto-thermal method"? Is anything we can say going to be believable to our target customer off the bat?

bsmithon Sriracha CEO on why he chose not to trademark the brand

"What a car-crash of a sentence."

*car crash