bkraz

15 ms·

91.
by bkraz 9y ago
If you like the style of this project, be sure to check out Alan Yates' computer drum memory using this technique. https://youtu.be/izApC7P55po
92.
OKEx to Roll Back ‘Irregular’ Futures Trades After Bitcoin Crashes Below $5,000(ccn.com)
1 points by bkraz 9y ago|0 comments
93.
by bkraz 9y ago
Japanology had a great episode on this. I highly recommend the whole series. https://youtu.be/YULgJf_48FQ
94.
by bkraz 9y ago
I've had a YouTube channel for years, and talk with other creators on a regular basis. This article is basically correct, but glosses over the point of sponsorships, side deals, and most of all, Patreon. All YouTube creators that I kno
95.
by bkraz 10y ago
The biggest problem with flat management is that it isn't really flat. It only means that there is no formal organizational structure. Think of it like the Wild West: It's flat in the sense that you can get away with any beha
96.
by bkraz 10y ago
The work on VR at Valve was the most stressful point of my career, and I wanted a change (ie not to work on VR anymore). When I left, it was unclear if Valve was going to ditch the whole VR thing. They probably would have done so if HTC h
97.
by bkraz 10y ago
I joined Valve because "flat management" sounds a lot better than it actually is. I don't think Valve's implementation is especially bad -- I would never join another company that has "flat management".
98.
by bkraz 10y ago
Overall, I think Valve is a good place to work, and I learned a lot from all of the incredibly smart people there. The main reason that I left was the difficulty in merging hardware development with the company's exceptionally successf
99.
by bkraz 10y ago
It fits a pattern. I was a hardware engineer at Valve during the early VR days, working mostly on Lighthouse and the internal dev headset. There were a few employees who insisted that the Valve VR group give away both hardware and softwa
100.
by bkraz 10y ago
I used lots of surplus parts from eBay, collected over 5-6 years. The actual build process took a few months of pretty focused night/weekend work (10-20 hours per week). Total cost was around $1500. Details here: https://
101.
by bkraz 10y ago
Most commercial SEMs use electromagnetic lenses because they provide higher power (more drastically change the path of electrons) in a smaller space. The problem is that they require custom iron pole pieces. It's easier to build electr
102.
by bkraz 10y ago
Thank you! Yes, I'm still making new videos, just more slowly than in the past. My "new" job at Verily (Google Life Sciences) is very compelling and rewarding, so I've been focusing on that.
103.
by bkraz 10y ago
The "f number" of the SEM is about 200, so it's depth of field is much larger than an optical microscope or camera. Also, the SEM signal of bright and dark areas is made of electrons, which can travel in curved paths and ar
104.
by bkraz 10y ago
Not much. I've redirected my efforts toward making animations and other unusual visualizations with a commercial SEM.
105.
by bkraz 10y ago
No. Even when I started the homebuilt SEM, I considered it a learning opportunity and wanted the thrill and satisfaction of having built a working machine. I didn't have any SEM research to do, and suspected correctly that the image q
106.
by bkraz 10y ago
No. The resolution of this (primitive) device is 10's of microns, which is too large to be disturbed by normal vibrations. Most SEM vibrations in simple machines are caused by insufficient damping from its own vacuum pumps.
107.
by bkraz 10y ago
I built this electron microscope. Let me know if you have any questions.
108.
Residential internet rate competition and pricing strategy
2 points by bkraz 11y ago|0 comments
109.
by bkraz 11y ago
Yes, I have often wondered the same thing, but I think there is a rational explanation. Over evolutionary timescales, the human groups who put more social pressure on having lots of kids and raising them carefully were ultimately more prol
110.
The Cold Logic of Drunk People (2014)(theatlantic.com)
73 points by bkraz 11y ago|64 comments
111.
by bkraz 11y ago
It's really sad to see no mention of Valve anywhere in the article. The work that was done at Valve in 2012-2013 on VR hardware and software was critical to the success of Oculus. Valve created a complete VR demo that was shown to An
112.
by bkraz 11y ago
In some cases, a really unhelpful or ineffective person will cause enough problems among peers that the situation will be escalated to more senior folks via informal channels. The senior folks compare the badness of the person with other p
113.
by bkraz 11y ago
It's very easy to verify that a company provides free lunches. It could take months or years of employment to determine that a company's "flat management" structure actually exists in a form that agrees with employees e
114.
by bkraz 11y ago
I suspect the dark area was a piece of lightweight dirt (a tiny lint ball, or sawdust) that began accumulating charge as it was imaged by the electron beam. After 20 minutes or so (20 frames in realtime), the dirt developed enough repulsio
115.
by bkraz 11y ago
Thanks! I really appreciate it. My source image is 1000x1500, which redbubble.com says is not large enough for a poster. I admit, even at 150dpi, it wouldn't be much of a poster. As I upgrade my SEM image acquisition hardware, I&#x
116.
by bkraz 11y ago
It's true that a SEM wasn't strictly necessary, but there are a few interesting features that make SEM images visually different, and perhaps more appealing, than light microscope images. The electron signal emitted by the surfac
117.
by bkraz 11y ago
I am stoked to see my work on the front page of HN! Let me know if you have any questions. I've lurked on this forum for a long time, but rarely post.
118.
Pump manufacturer programs their devices to fail prematurely and lowers price(xavitech.com)
28 points by bkraz 11y ago|24 comments
119.
by bkraz 12y ago
It's great to see the return of the Hackaday Prize!
120.
by bkraz 14y ago
I registered for a DUNS number circa 2003 at no cost, and also experienced high-pressure sales calls/emails regarding upgraded credit monitoring services. One sales rep even mentioned 9/11 as a reason that I should care about my business's

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