samcheng

28 ms·

271.
by samcheng 6y ago
Something about the 'tippy taps' that the robots are making when not moving is pretty unsettling to me. Definitely in the 'uncanny valley.' Spot from Boston Dynamics doesn't do the 'tippy taps' - but I r
272.
by samcheng 6y ago
Like fighter jets, you only hear them when it's too late for their prey. Witnessing an owl in the evening is truly awe-inspiring!
273.
by samcheng 6y ago
To save some people a search: CDF = California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as "CALFIRE" CDCR = California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which in this context supplies convict labor to fig
274.
by samcheng 6y ago
A previous attempt (dynamically balancing wheelchairs) was the progenitor to the Segway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBOT
275.
by samcheng 6y ago
Youtuber Marques Brownlee had a cool video on Spot last week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6_azdBnAlU His takeaway was that the big use cases currently are around LIDAR and mapping, e.g. tracking construction progress,
276.
by samcheng 6y ago
I've never lived in Portland, but try to visit annually; Powell's has earned its place as a 'must go' destination every year. I mean, it's a bookstore, with active curation, that spans a city block. Amazing! I end
277.
by samcheng 6y ago
Agreed. Also, these trees must now survive a hundred years of aggressive fire suppression, which (ironically) allows fuel to build up to dangerous levels. Either way, these trees are a lot safer after surviving a fire.
278.
by samcheng 6y ago
Note that the trees in question are Coastal Redwoods, not Giant Sequoias, in Big Basin, maybe five miles from the coast, near sea level. They are TALL trees, with some over 300 feet tall. The Giant Sequoias in the article you linked are in
279.
by samcheng 6y ago
A hundred miles north of this fire, at the Armstrong Redwood State Park, there is another lightning-caused wildfire that is burning through an old growth grove. That fire is burning through the forest floor only, and is significantly less d
280.
by samcheng 6y ago
Younger kids in PAUSD have significantly less screen time. My Ohlone first grader has a 30-minute session, a 15-minute session, and a 45-minute session today, scattered throughout the day.
281.
by samcheng 6y ago
That sounds like an illegal eviction to me. Even in the event of a court-ordered eviction, the landlord is required to give you access to your possessions.
282.
by samcheng 6y ago
Pretty sure a lot of these landlords are deploying technology in a bid to compete for tenants, not screw them over. For example, an app-based (or even biometric) entry system reduces the number of times I get locked out after forgetting my
283.
by samcheng 6y ago
Hmm. I must have slept through the 2012 event. This one definitely woke me up. I do remember a glorious ~2004-ish thunderstorm, right at dusk, rolling over the Santa Cruz mountains. So maybe a little more than once a decade or so for the
284.
by samcheng 6y ago
By the way, if you want to learn a bit more about your local weather, start reading your local "Area Forecast Discussion" (just search for that phrase plus your local region / airport) - you'll end up predicting the weat
285.
by samcheng 6y ago
There are plenty of Bay Area adults who can't remember the last time there was lightning here. It's that rare. Fun times! I worry about wildfire in the hills, since it hadn't rained for months. Thankfully, it wasn't a
286.
by samcheng 6y ago
(This is satire, by the way.)
287.
by samcheng 6y ago
I remember the mind-blowing switch from pine to mutt. Then, a few years later, gmail, which has to be about 20 years old or so. I haven't used much mutt since.
288.
by samcheng 6y ago
I'm not sure the cost advantage of lead acid still holds, especially with the e.g. shipping and disposal costs included.
289.
by samcheng 6y ago
With all of the recent advances in Lithium-type battery tech (e.g. 18650) it seems like a market opportunity to create a new, modern, small, smart UPS. These low-end APC dinosaurs still use lead acid, and in my experience (with a solid util
290.
by samcheng 6y ago
Comedian Jeff Wright had a great commentary recently on how Instagram has a history of copying upstart social networks (Vine, Snapchat, and now TikTok). https://twitter.com/JeffRightNoww/status/1287842365126914048
291.
by samcheng 6y ago
The poster is describing the future imagined by Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick in 1968, not reality. We ended up with a lot fewer nukes, and a lot less space. (Also fewer trippy alien wormholes.)
292.
by samcheng 6y ago
Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, I've had servers at 'brew pubs' give me a blank stare when asked if they had anything 'on cask' - pretty much everything is kegged here. I really miss the richer, softer head and
293.
by samcheng 6y ago
RINSE | REMOTE or San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, or Washington DC | Software Engineers | Full-Time | https://www.rinse.com Rinse provides dry cleaning and laundry delivery services to tens of thousands of customers
294.
by samcheng 6y ago
The Tesla Model S currently has a 400-mile range, so this would represent an incremental improvement. Personally, I can't see driving that distance without a break (at a supercharger) somewhere in the middle, so the incremental range b
295.
by samcheng 6y ago
If you remember the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, you'll realize their "neutrality" has been suspect for quite some time. NYT still has some real quality writing, but you should understand the motivation.
296.
by samcheng 6y ago
The 'revolutionary' impact of the Segway might still come to pass. It'll just be on conventionally-oriented two-wheeled electric mobility devices: scooters and ebikes. I hope it happens!
297.
by samcheng 6y ago
A common term is zenith angle, although that's the complement of the angle you're describing.
298.
by samcheng 6y ago
I don't believe either test astronaut had ever ridden a Soyuz, so they don't have any way to make that comparison. We'll have to wait for the next mission, which will have an astronaut who has also ridden a Soyuz (and a Shutt
299.
by samcheng 6y ago
Fascinating stuff! Do any of these people actually live in the suburban household they assert will become more popular? There isn't a single mention of the neighborhood... Mine was previously mostly emptied during much of the day, as p
300.
by samcheng 6y ago
I spent my hard-earned college freelancing money on a Sony Picturebook with this chipset. It was actually a really nice laptop! 8-ish hours of battery, and tiny. It had WiFi via a PCMCIA card, so it was great for the couch. The screen w

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