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caron Juno for YouTube has been removed from the App Store

The risks of a derivative business.

caron Show HN: A macOS app to prevent sound quality degradation on AirPods

This is an interesting topic for a hearing aid user like me. For FaceTime and other calls on my computer or iPad/iPhone, I always physically switch from my Bluetooth hearing aids to AirPods, since the hearing aid microphone isn't that good for calls (other party has problems hearing what I say). Now, this could be a bandwidth issue. Apple Audio MIDI Setup shows the hearing aid microphone as an 8kHz/16bit mono input device, while the output is 2 channel 32-bit Float 44.1 kHz.

The switching is a bit of a hassle, since I have to remove and turn off my hearing aids (which I would only do in private anyway), before putting in the AirPods. And the reverse, after the call has ended.

Therefore, it would be very convenient if I could just switch to better input microphones, like the MacBook's. I'll give this a try.

If anyone knows if this is also possible on iOS, please leave a comment.

Edit: Thanks to other comments I've learned, that switching to another microphone is built into macOS.

caron Show HN: Put this touch sensor on a robot and learn super precise tasks

How is AnySkin different from ReSkin? And what is the IP situation?

caron Diesel shop fined $10M for making and selling Emissions Defeat Devices

What kind of modifications are these? EGR and DPF deletes? That would surely be caught during California Diesel smog testing.

caron FDA Authorizes First Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Software

For posterity wanted to add this interesting post [1] by TSMC about their work with Oticon (one of the established hearing aid manufacturers). It's a few years old (2021), so instead of 28nm, more recent models probably use even 5nm.

"Compared to the previous generation of Oticon Opn S™ which is powered by TSMC’s 65nm low-power technology and contains 64 million transistors, the newest model features one of the most advanced chips with AI sound processing and analysis capabilities. The migration to TSMC’s 28nm opened the door for Oticon to utilize DNN, which is trained with 12 million real-life sound scenes. This new feature allows hearing aids to mimic how the brain would hear sounds and aims to respond the same way as the brain. As more functions are added, more compute performance and improved power efficiency will be required to support future generations of hearing solutions."

[1] https://esg.tsmc.com/en-US/articles/106

caron FDA Authorizes First Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Software

I got them through an in network hospital audiology department, so paid by health insurance. For out of pocket Costco looks good to me. They have special models that are a little less fancy than the top of the line stuff, from name brand manufacturers.

I also checked out earlens.com, a pretty cool concept that’s supposed to be superior in audio quality. But they are pricey, and need to be fitted by a doctor/audiologist with a transducer that sits directly on the eardrums (and stays in your ear canal) and is driven by induction. Ultimately turned off by cost ($12k/pair).

I think the technology in hearing aids has profited from the advances in chip manufacturing [1]. So the latest models may also be on 5nm and thus have more transistors for fancy AI and longer battery life. You may have a better experience nowadays.

[1] https://esg.tsmc.com/en-US/articles/106

caron The Bastard Operator from Hell (1999)

... where Ashlee Vance used to be a writer! I really loved his style back then and was quite pleased to see him becoming so successful [1-3].

[1] https://www.ashleevance.com

[2] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/01/space_economy_vance/

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashlee_Vance

caron FDA Authorizes First Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Software

Costco is great for this I found out. Free audiogram, and all name brand hearing aids.

I used to be like your father-in-law, pride, vanity, stubborn, not wanting to be told what to do, whatever it was. And my dad was like this too (the hearing loss is heritable), I used to mock him about not wanting hearing aids before my own hearing declined. When I finally got fitted, it was shocking to me how much my hearing had suffered. Suddenly I could hear birds and crickets again, and most importantly speech!

Maybe you can get your father-in-law to first play around with AirPods as hearing aids to win him over to get proper ones. The latest generation hearing aids, like the AP's, have amazing AI signal processing that will suppress noise and enhance speech. It's always cool when my Phonak's detect noise and shut it down.

The important thing about hearing loss in elderly, especially if someone has an elevated risk of cognitive decline, is the resulting social isolation, and the increasing risk of dementia [1]. It should be addressed sooner than later.

To sum it up, the AP's have the potential to provide an affordable on-ramp for more hearing impaired people to experience hearing restoration and warm up to better ones (hopefully covered by insurance). I don't think AP's would a permanent hearing solution, other than for people who are uninsured and can't afford real hearing aids (sadly).

Edit: I could not imagine wearing AP's all day, great as they are, while I don't even notice my receiver-in-ear hearing aids anymore.

Edit: While AP's are not perfect, having any kind of hearing aid is a 100% improvement over having none, which is probably also why the FDA allowed OTC hearing aids.

Edit: [1] https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/hearing...

caron FDA Authorizes First Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Software

Thanks, I stand corrected.

caron FDA Authorizes First Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Software

You are right, I thought about it a bit more, and I think it was more vanity for me, since I was fairly young when the hearing loss started. But hearing aids nowadays are so inconspicuous that most people don't even notice them.

caron FDA Authorizes First Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Software

With the AirPods now officially becoming hearing aids, it will hopefully reduce the stigma and attitude towards hearing aids and allow many more people to realize how bad their hearing actually is.

I have been wearing hearing aids for a few years now (Phonak). I've also used the AirPods Pro with the accessibility audiogram feature (basically making them hearing aids), which is really good and has also been around for a few years. I'm very glad, that Apple has made this official and even gotten FDA approval.

When I started to loose my hearing a decade ago, for a long time I refused to wear hearing aids, probably due to the perceived stigma. Even though it made life harder and harder -- imagine work meetings with a mumbling boss or me accusing my family to intentionally whisper -- it took years to change my mind. In hindsight I should have gotten hearing aids years sooner.

My 'real' hearing aids are nothing short of a technological marvel. They are tiny and run for a few days on zinc-air batteries (312/Costco but made by Varta), while providing all-day BT streaming. Btw, funny how most hearing aid brands come from Denmark. In contrast, the AirPods run out after a few hours and are also destined to become landfill due to their built in battery.

caron WTH Is Cerebrolysin, Actually?

Correct, makes for a nasty death. ~8 grams and your liver is toast.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracetamol_poisoning

caron WTH Is Cerebrolysin, Actually?

ttbomk?

caron Bento3D

Thank you for pointing this out. It worked, even on Mac.

caron Bento3D

Neat idea! Tried it, at the moment the model files have open edges, PrusaSlicer croaks on them.

caron Terraform makes carbon neutral natural gas

How does this compare to using microbes to produce hydrocarbons from CO2 and other waste gases? (NB, not from atmospheric CO2)

Here a recent article on the topic, specifically for making jet fuel, for an industry that would be impossible to electrify.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-024-02136-z

caron Wireproxy: WireGuard client that exposes itself as a HTTP/SOCKS5 proxy

Would this work for watching video via an Apple TV? Apparently it’s possible to configure the ATV to use SOCKS, but the wireproxy implementation notes mention lack of UDP at the moment. So that would preclude video streaming, correct?

caron The Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary

What about the (happy) isles of Oceania? The night skies there are nigh unreal. I've never seen the milky way like that before.

caron Oxxcu, converting CO₂ into fuels, chemicals and plastics

I wonder how this compares to engineered microbe based (synthetic biology) approaches. For example LanzaJet, a LanzaTech spinoff, produces Synthetic Aviation Fuel (SAF) that way.

Would be great if someone with inside knowledge could chime in.

caron Trying to remember the name of a startup plz help

fly.io?

caron A drivable solar array to self charge your car (in beta)

In the last video showing the (un)folding, the panels look translucent and floppy. I'd say this is not even alpha yet but a fake.

caron The Stanford Prison Experiment was hugely influential. We learned it was a fraud (2018)

"Humankind" by Rutger Bregman also makes a counterpoint to the assumption that all humans are bad. It has a chapter about the Stanford Prison Experiment.

caron Fracking for Europe [video]

Methane can be detected by optical spectrometry. Since methane is not only a pollutant but also a very potent green house gas (30x stronger than CO2), efforts are made to map the sources from the air and space [0-2].

Edit: I found the FLIR camera shown in the video. It is made for gas emission analysis: https://www.flir.com/products/flir-g-series/

[0]https://www.optica-opn.org/home/newsroom/2022/february/mappi...

[1]https://www.methanesat.org

[2]https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-mission-excels-at-spottin...

caron Fracking for Europe [video]

Here the publication from 2016:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullar...

caron My $500M Mars rover mistake

This is also the case for medical gas connectors in operating rooms, at least in Europe.

caron Apple announces that RCS support is coming to iPhone next year

So does this mean we can run our own RCS servers, just like email?

Probably a pain to set up, but should be possible. Since it's based on IMS which in turn is based on SIP, Open Source SIP servers could be the used, e.g. https://www.opensips.org/Documentation/Tutorials-RCS-Managin....

Also, will they allow using URI's instead of phone numbers for contacts?

caron Ask HN: What work/office purchase transformed your life?

Current setup:

- Humanscale Freedom chair with headrest, gel seat and gel arm rests

- Accell Thunderbolt 4 Docking station, 96W USB-C w/ 2x Dell 2715q

- Logitech MX Master mouse & MX Keys keyboard

- Fry's mousepad

- Xiaomi Mi Monitor Light Bar w/ remote

- STM Myth 18L Laptop Backpack

- Jabra Speak 510

caron Ask HN: What work/office purchase transformed your life?

The Jabra Speak series are also great.

caron Mechanism behind aspirin protective effect against colorectal cancer identified

"Aspirin induces the production of two tumor-suppressive microRNA molecules (miRNAs) called miR-34a and miR-34b/c. To do this, aspirin binds to and activates the enzyme AMPK, which in turn alters the transcription factor NRF2 such that it migrates into the cell nucleus and activates the expression of the miR-34 genes. For this activation to succeed, aspirin additionally suppresses the oncogene product c-MYC, which otherwise inhibits NRF2."

caron Roll Your Own All-Sky, Raspberry Pi Camera

Peltier element