fshaun

7 ms·

1.
by fshaun 7y ago
I have never understood the argument that taxes on e.g. gasoline are regressive and this should not be raised. When we find an externality that is not accounted for in costs, are we to throw up our hands and say we cannot do anything becau
2.
by fshaun 8y ago
Yes, agreed. It is a step backward to manipulate and recombine bytes. "Extracting an integer from a packet, then changing it's internal format" is exactly what is being done, and thinking at that abstraction level is beter
3.
by fshaun 8y ago
Every thread about high speed rail seems to have this response to an argument no one is making. NY-LA doesn't make sense, but it is nationally embarrassing not to have the BosWash corridor connected.
4.
by fshaun 8y ago
My experience in London was much better... sure, a hot market meant you needed to move fast, but no hoops around local guarantors or months of pay stubs. It was easier than most local rentals I've done in Boston.
5.
by fshaun 8y ago
Skimming the benchmark, I didn't see any negative tests (checking for words not contained), which can be as or more important than the positive case depending on the expected use.
6.
by fshaun 8y ago
Thinking things through isn't necessarily pessimistic. When I have a contingency plan already in mind, I worry less about the event actually happening.
7.
by fshaun 8y ago
As a visually impaired user, this is my single biggest gripe with PDFs. Its also annoying that zooming on many websites completely breaks the layout, often overlapping text or pushing important elements off of the screen. I find this part
8.
by fshaun 8y ago
> Venmo was one of the few (maybe only) system that allows you to pay users who are not on their system. Say you need to pay Joe and you were a Venmo user but Joe wasn't. You could still "pay" them on venmo and they would
9.
by fshaun 9y ago
I agree re: favoring Oxford comma, but I don't think this reasoning supports it. Jane && Tom || Bill && Wendy || Susie && Frank is unambiguous in e.g. C++, as the language specifies operator precedence. The in
10.
by fshaun 9y ago
Good point about incompatible goals. One way out is to align the value as perceived by users with the value as perceived by engineers. If users aren't willing to pay for reliability/security/etc. then it's rational for
11.
by fshaun 9y ago
For learning a new language, if I have enough time, I read through the entire book. This helps me learn the terminology and names for concepts. It's much easier to search for more information when you know the right jargon. Reading
12.
by fshaun 9y ago
> discussion websites like reddit/HN are better than Usenet I strongly disagree with this, as Usenet and even mailing lists offer many advantages over web forums. With web forums, I can't natively... - Store, read, search cont
13.
by fshaun 9y ago
This was my thought as well. I recall reading that IQ/"G" and work products were the dominant predicative factors for good hires. Can anyone help with a source that confirms/refutes? Since new grads wouldn't have
14.
by fshaun 9y ago
I don't undrstand this. You know the seat can recline. I always position my laptop so the screen would be pushed closed instead of being jammed, in case the seat in front of me suddenly reclines. Maybe there isn't a configurati
15.
by fshaun 9y ago
It's not just the space; reclining can be the difference between being stable or not. Often when sleeping in an upright seat, my CoG is such that I'll lean left/right/forward. Reclining at even a small angle prevent th
16.
by fshaun 9y ago
Demand is proportional to perceived threat, not actual threat. This "ROI" is one of the reasons terrorism continues. A city can be quite safe even if its residents are not rational.
17.
by fshaun 9y ago
Another difference I appreciate is that UK traffic lights cycle red -> yellow -> green. So, given a red light I have at least 1-2 seconds that's safe, and usually more since the timing can be inferred from traffic patterns (cars
18.
by fshaun 9y ago
The issue is that the slowness is unnecessary. No, I cannot give it a second when it should only take 100ms. There is such a thing as pride in craft that seems sorely lacking today. I could not live with myself if I had build a quarter o
19.
by fshaun 9y ago
I don't think introducing an unbounded liability is the solution to this (or perhaps any) problem. Would this work for 99% of flights? Sure. But it's just asking to be gamed.
20.
by fshaun 10y ago
Ignoring your age generalization, the amount of free time should not be a hiring consideration. The only question is "can you meet our expectation of working X amount of time." Of course, some workers are more willing to work mo
21.
by fshaun 11y ago
But inappropriate != illegal. The union of what each person considers socially inappropriate is a rather large set... both undesirable and impossible to legally enforce. As other comments say, there are better things to be upset at here.
22.
by fshaun 12y ago
C-q (quoted-insert) will insert the next input character ignoring any other bindings. So: C-q C-\ C-q C-] C-q C-^ C-q C-_
23.
by fshaun 13y ago
Ah, memories. My inspiration to study CS, though probably fortunate that it was mostly dead by sophomore year, or my college GPA would have been much worse. Netrek's macro system was another feature I wish were more widely adopted in
24.
by fshaun 14y ago
If everything is wired and functioning correctly I believe you are correct; the article mentions the case of electricians mixing up hot and ground wires. Presumably an appliance manufacturer could also have a mistake, but assembly lines ar
25.
by fshaun 14y ago
I suspect not, but I'd be happy to hear otherwise. Certification is as much about process and traceability as it is about the code itself. Open source naturally tends to give visibility into the development process, but there's usually no
26.
by fshaun 14y ago
A great point. I'm actually the opposite. I can do detail-oriented things best early in the day (8am-noon) but I'm often at my creative after dinner and into the evening (6pm-10pm) when there tend to be fewer distractions. This can make m
27.
by fshaun 15y ago
Is it as objectionable when considered a higher base price, but letting people opt out of content they don't want and be refunded? I don't understand why tiering is bad. You'd have to avoid an awfully lot of businesses to get away from ti
28.
by fshaun 15y ago
Good point, I was looking at it from the perspective of a client wondering "how much will I pay." As you say the lawyer doing the work won't be taking home nearly that much. I didn't know it would go as low as $20/hour though. My conserv
29.
by fshaun 15y ago
With a cap of $100/hr does the data really reflect "high-wage" skills? Lawyers start well above that and it's smack in the middle of a poll from a few years ago: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=553794 .
30.
by fshaun 15y ago
I agree that removing noise and consumption for the sake of distraction is a fine goal, but we cannot pretend there are no consequences from going to one extreme to the other. It's tempting to look at an isolated event like Osama Bin Laden

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