7 ms·

This will be the last of these stories for a while. The previous two stories pretty much sank without trace, so I thought I'd finish and submit this one, then

This will be the last of these stories for a while. The previous two stories pretty much sank without trace, so I thought I'd finish and submit this one, then stop writing them up and re-think the effort. In case you're interested: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=996250 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=996250 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=994358 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=994358

camtarn 17y ago
It's a pity people don't seem to be reading these. As a young coder, I find tales of the earlier ages of computing and electronics fascinating, and they serve as a good reminder that even today there are areas of computing where the philosophy is completely different from the release early/release often nature of the web development sector I work in.
shaunxcode 17y ago
For what its worth I just read all three and really dug them! It might help to use a more regular blog format so people can post comments?
- RiderOfGiraffes 17y ago
  When I get back from my meeting I'll put links on them back to here - thanks for the idea. I should've thought of that.
  - ynniv 17y ago
    I think that you can quickly add a commenting system to static sites with disqus.com. I would also consider adding Google Analytics or piwik.org to better understand the hits you are getting.
    - RiderOfGiraffes 17y ago
      I'll look at those over the weekend - thanks.
      - gridspy 17y ago
        Consider some sort of email or twitter list where you can notify us of new posts and politely ask us to upvote you.
  - RiderOfGiraffes 17y ago
    Links from articles back to comments on HN now added.
  - pvandehaar 17y ago
    Also add a link to "Archives" (http://www.penzba.co.uk/GreybeardStories/ http://www.penzba.co.uk/GreybeardStories/)
samdk 17y ago
I hadn't seen the other two, but I've now read (and enjoyed) all three. Thanks!
- narag 17y ago
  Same here...
sfk 17y ago
Your stories are most appreciated. If I extrapolate from myself, the problem is simply that the people who enjoy submissions like these are often reluctant to go through the new submissions.
pvg 17y ago
It sounds like one of these stories with educational/entertainment purposes rather than a description of an actual problem or event. I did find one reference - "D. E. Stevenson attributes this story to Nancy Leveson, Software System Safety, STAR '93, Ontario at Darlington, Ontario. 1993. A torpedo was designed to self-destruct if it turned 180 degrees. Unfortunately for the test ship the torpedo stuck in the tube and the captain turned the ship around for port " It sounds mildly more plausible since it doesn't begin with the rather improbable torpedo design problem of 'submarines shooting themselves with their own torpedo'. Still, if tasked with designing a reasonably safe torpedo, one of the very first things you're likely to come up with are 'armed' and 'safe' modes with the torpedo staying in 'safe' mode until it is about to be launched. The next obvious safety feature would be to make the torpedo return to 'safe' mode the moment significantly abnormal conditions are encountered - say, stuck in tube, wildly off-course, etc. Adding a self destruct mechanism seems highly unsafe - there's the problem of the self-destruct mechanism malfunctioning and activating at an inopportune time. Additionally, if the torpedo has no idea where it is, the last thing you probably want is having it blow up - possibly near you or a friendly. The actual stories of the difficulties developing WWII torpedoes are quite interesting and offer plenty of lessons in complex systems design, testing and deployment - see: http://www.ww2pacific.com/torpedo.html http://www.ww2pacific.com/torpedo.html A design flaw that must have been particularly galling: "The conventional contact exploder was designed for the earlier, slower, 33 knot, Mk 13 torpedo. The newer, faster, 46 knot, Mk 14 torpedo had higher inertial impacts that would cause the firing pin to miss the exploder cap. " In other words, the more squarely you hit your target, the more likely the torpedo would fail.
edw519 17y ago
This was a great story with all kinds of lessons about the things we do every day and understandable by almost anyone, including people new to our industry. This will be the last of these stories for a while. RiderOfGiraffes, I urge you to reconsider... The previous two stories pretty much sank without trace Which probably means nothing. There are many reasons stories do or do not get votes, with quality and interest only two of them. You must also consider time of day, day of week, competition from other stories, competition from other sites, competition from non-internet activities, competition from work, mix of people on-line at that time, mix of lurkers, mix of people who don't vote yet, etc., etc., etc. Over the years I have made the exact same comment multiple times just to see if the reaction would vary, and it always did. One comment got over 60 up-votes and 6 months later got none. What does this mean? Nothing. Just keep on posting. ...then stop writing them up and re-think the effort It's perfectly normal to re-think the effort, but don't stop writing while you're rethinking. This is a place for builders and entrepreneurs. We may eventually quit, but usually long after others would. I have 2 signs over my desk, "It Doesn't Matter" and "Jabez Wolffe". When things get tough, the former keeps me from having a stroke and the latter keeps me from quitting. Jabez Wolffe attempted the English Channel 22 times without success. Once, when he didn't know where he was and conditions were dangerous, he quit 100 yards from shore. Don't be Jabez Wolffe. Your next story may make a big difference in someone's life. If I'm on-line at the time, I'll vote it up. Keep 'em coming.
rjurney 17y ago
On behalf of the internet I hereby command you to continue to publish these.

camtarn 17y ago

It's a pity people don't seem to be reading these. As a young coder, I find tales of the earlier ages of computing and electronics fascinating, and they serve as a good reminder that even today there are areas of computing where the philosophy is completely different from the release early/release often nature of the web development sector I work in.

shaunxcode 17y ago

For what its worth I just read all three and really dug them! It might help to use a more regular blog format so people can post comments?

RiderOfGiraffes 17y ago
When I get back from my meeting I'll put links on them back to here - thanks for the idea. I should've thought of that.
- ynniv 17y ago
  I think that you can quickly add a commenting system to static sites with disqus.com. I would also consider adding Google Analytics or piwik.org to better understand the hits you are getting.
  - RiderOfGiraffes 17y ago
    I'll look at those over the weekend - thanks.
    - gridspy 17y ago
      Consider some sort of email or twitter list where you can notify us of new posts and politely ask us to upvote you.
- RiderOfGiraffes 17y ago
  Links from articles back to comments on HN now added.
- pvandehaar 17y ago
  Also add a link to "Archives" (http://www.penzba.co.uk/GreybeardStories/ http://www.penzba.co.uk/GreybeardStories/)

samdk 17y ago

I hadn't seen the other two, but I've now read (and enjoyed) all three. Thanks!

narag 17y ago
Same here...

sfk 17y ago

Your stories are most appreciated. If I extrapolate from myself, the problem is simply that the people who enjoy submissions like these are often reluctant to go through the new submissions.

pvg 17y ago

It sounds like one of these stories with educational/entertainment purposes rather than a description of an actual problem or event. I did find one reference - "D. E. Stevenson attributes this story to Nancy Leveson, Software System Safety, STAR '93, Ontario at Darlington, Ontario. 1993. A torpedo was designed to self-destruct if it turned 180 degrees. Unfortunately for the test ship the torpedo stuck in the tube and the captain turned the ship around for port " It sounds mildly more plausible since it doesn't begin with the rather improbable torpedo design problem of 'submarines shooting themselves with their own torpedo'. Still, if tasked with designing a reasonably safe torpedo, one of the very first things you're likely to come up with are 'armed' and 'safe' modes with the torpedo staying in 'safe' mode until it is about to be launched. The next obvious safety feature would be to make the torpedo return to 'safe' mode the moment significantly abnormal conditions are encountered - say, stuck in tube, wildly off-course, etc. Adding a self destruct mechanism seems highly unsafe - there's the problem of the self-destruct mechanism malfunctioning and activating at an inopportune time. Additionally, if the torpedo has no idea where it is, the last thing you probably want is having it blow up - possibly near you or a friendly. The actual stories of the difficulties developing WWII torpedoes are quite interesting and offer plenty of lessons in complex systems design, testing and deployment - see: http://www.ww2pacific.com/torpedo.html http://www.ww2pacific.com/torpedo.html A design flaw that must have been particularly galling: "The conventional contact exploder was designed for the earlier, slower, 33 knot, Mk 13 torpedo. The newer, faster, 46 knot, Mk 14 torpedo had higher inertial impacts that would cause the firing pin to miss the exploder cap. " In other words, the more squarely you hit your target, the more likely the torpedo would fail.

edw519 17y ago

This was a great story with all kinds of lessons about the things we do every day and understandable by almost anyone, including people new to our industry. This will be the last of these stories for a while. RiderOfGiraffes, I urge you to reconsider... The previous two stories pretty much sank without trace Which probably means nothing. There are many reasons stories do or do not get votes, with quality and interest only two of them. You must also consider time of day, day of week, competition from other stories, competition from other sites, competition from non-internet activities, competition from work, mix of people on-line at that time, mix of lurkers, mix of people who don't vote yet, etc., etc., etc. Over the years I have made the exact same comment multiple times just to see if the reaction would vary, and it always did. One comment got over 60 up-votes and 6 months later got none. What does this mean? Nothing. Just keep on posting. ...then stop writing them up and re-think the effort It's perfectly normal to re-think the effort, but don't stop writing while you're rethinking. This is a place for builders and entrepreneurs. We may eventually quit, but usually long after others would. I have 2 signs over my desk, "It Doesn't Matter" and "Jabez Wolffe". When things get tough, the former keeps me from having a stroke and the latter keeps me from quitting. Jabez Wolffe attempted the English Channel 22 times without success. Once, when he didn't know where he was and conditions were dangerous, he quit 100 yards from shore. Don't be Jabez Wolffe. Your next story may make a big difference in someone's life. If I'm on-line at the time, I'll vote it up. Keep 'em coming.

rjurney 17y ago

On behalf of the internet I hereby command you to continue to publish these.