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My Surreal UberX Experience
A VC's perspective on how modern tech platforms like Uber break down communication barriers and enable seamless interactions - even between hearing and deaf users.
Top posts
Every blog post that took off on Hacker News, ranked by the votes of its best submission. 13,068 posts.
Society, Policy & Culture
Any year
6722
There is no retirement
Paul Erdös used to say that mathematicians “die” when they retire or cease to do math; when they physically die they simply “leave.” Well, my father wasn’t a mathematician but he did leave last night.
6723
Rsync and outrage
I gave up blogging a long time ago (apart from an occasional thing about ArduPilot), I tend to just write code and hope people find it…
6724
A Chat With Aaron Swartz
Aaron Swartz , now in his early twenties, rose to internet fame as technology whiz kid a couple of years ago, working on such things as W3C standards or the Creative Commons. He was also blogger behind the very successful Google Weblog. Via instant messenger, I interviewed him on Reddit, activism, Google and more.
6725
Mass timber is great, but it will not solve the housing shortage
A short policy memo recently posted on the Federation of American Scientists’ (FAS) website argues that “mass timber can help solve the housing shortage.” It was posted as part of the Housing Ideas Challenge, a collaboration between FAS, Matt Yglesias and a few other organizations to generate new, innovative ideas for…
6726
America's pensions can't beat Vanguard but they can close a hospital
$6 trillion in patient capital, $60+ billion in annual fees, and the infrastructure that never gets built
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Era of U.S. dollar may be winding down
Economist Kenneth Rogoff’s new book entwines currency’s ascension, his own experiences, and looks at what looms ahead.
6729
The Abundance of Silicon Valley
Abundance is fragile, it is accidental, and it is the most incredible thing on earth.
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The Great Toilet Paper Scare of 1973 (2014)
Following a poorly-timed Johnny Carson joke in 1973, millions of Americans hoarded every toilet paper roll on the market and induced a mass hysteria.
6732
AI Responses May Include Mistakes
The other day I wanted to look up a specific IBM PS/2 model, a circa 1992 PS/2 Server system. So I punched the model into Google, and got this:
6733
Terrorism is not about terror
Terrorists act irrationally from a rational activism perspective, and groups act in ways most consistent with terrorism being about social status and belonging
6734
AI and the Ship of Theseus
Slopforks: what happens when a library gets rewritten with AI?
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Looks like it is happening
Update: Sorry, but a commenter points out that this may just be an artifact of counting based on when most recently modified, not on original submission date. Numbers using original, not most recen…
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Inverted computer culture: A thought experiment
Imagine a world where computers are inherently old. Whatever you do with them is automatically seen as practice of an ancient and unchanging tradition. Even though new discoveries do happen, they cannot dispel the aura of oldness.
6740
The Disappointing Surprise From Apple
Fully custom responsive WordPress development using semantic and accessibility coding practices for web developments agencies and designers.
6741
Wise refuses to let us access our $60k AUD
Wise has stolen more than $60,000 AUD from us, and refuses to let us access it. We’ve had a Wise account for around 5 years (since they were called TransferWise). It’s been a really useful …
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On me, and the Media Lab
(Please be sure to read the addendum at the end of this post.) A week ago last Friday, I spoke to Joi Ito about the release of documents that accuse Media Lab co-founder Marvin Minsky of involvement in Jeffrey Epstein’s horrific crimes.* Joi told me that evening that the Media Lab’s ties to Epstein went… Read More »On…
6744
Software is eating the world, all right (2024)
I retired from my IT career a couple of months ago after 43 years of commercial software product development and transitioned to the real…
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Are we happier when we spend more time with others?
In this topic page, we explore data on loneliness and social connections and review available evidence on the link between social connections and well-being.
6747
How to fend off a jerk
When I was fifteen, I worked for a full-service gas station and auto repair shop. I know what you're thinking (unless you're in New Jersey or Oregon), "what is a full-service gas station?" Yes, there was a time when a smiling gas jockey would greet your car and fill up your gas. You didn't
6748
TechCrunch covered Vic Gundotra's departure badly
Mad rantings from a computer guy. My thoughts are my own, and don't represent my current or past employers.
6749
Google and Microsoft have opaque and unpredictable ad moderation
Yet another sad story of how big companies kill small ones because of poor processes.
6750
The US can reach 90% clean electricity by 2035 without increasing consumer bills
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 9, 2020 Media Contact: Chelsea Eakin, ceakin@climatenexus.org, 347-371-1305 New national re…