zeteo

64 ms·

541.
by zeteo 14y ago
Yup. There are a few fields of innovation where reverse engineering is cheap. The patent system prevents some of that reverse engineering in a rather costly and ineffective manner. (Think China.) It also prevents companies from working on t
542.
by zeteo 14y ago
Trade secrets go a long way towards covering such cases. Coca Cola is a good example of this working for a very common chemical formulation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_formula#Physical_secu...
543.
by zeteo 14y ago
The patent system is an antiquated institution [1] that makes about as much sense in today's context as the poorhouse or the court of Star Chamber. It grants random [2] and vague monopolies that bear no relation to the development effort (i
544.
by zeteo 14y ago
>I have studied linguistics, German, and Norwegian. [...] I don't buy this press release. Apparently this theory's authors have also studied linguistics and multiple languages [1]. So how do you counter their arguments regarding syntax
545.
by zeteo 14y ago
I wonder if an article called "Hacking my Penis" would ever last long the HN front page.
546.
How Free Speech Died on Campus(online.wsj.com)
12 points by zeteo 14y ago|1 comments
547.
by zeteo 14y ago
You could do that and keep track of touches that are not very close to the target's center instead. But it seems a bit more complicated to implement.
548.
by zeteo 14y ago
> we may want to scale certain images or buttons Start with iPad2 mode. Add some invisible areas around those images and buttons. If the user keeps touching these areas instead of actual UI, switch to iPad Mini mode. This is also good f
549.
by zeteo 14y ago
Frankly, their solution was good enough and could have escaped detection indefinitely, if only they had stuck through with the discipline required. It was an emotional, not a technical failure that exposed the whole thing.
550.
by zeteo 14y ago
> They used these techniques back in the days of JFK, too. No, the contemporary approach is based on a series of tools, such as focus groups, which are a very new phenomenon in politics. The first national campaign where these figured p
551.
by zeteo 14y ago
I think polling on such a detailed level is fundamentally changing the democratic process. In the past, politicians had to be leaders - present a vision that was quite possibly unpopular to start with, and persuade people to come around to
552.
by zeteo 14y ago
> he was handed a poor hand when he came into office I think mainstream criticism is that his measures, while well-intentioned, actually made the depression significantly worse.
553.
by zeteo 14y ago
>How about we need a engineer to be running this country Herbert Hoover. Need I say more?
554.
by zeteo 14y ago
Sounds more like a party platform. First organize a pressure group inside one of the major parties. (Even Ron Paul eventually decided he's more effective inside the GOP.) Win a couple of primaries. Get a speaking spot at the convention. T
555.
by zeteo 14y ago
I'd see an issue if we were talking about a CIA exercise made public. But these are complete amateurs writing a term paper. Surely anything dangerous they could think of is also likely to occur to a few dedicated terrorists who may spend ye
556.
by zeteo 14y ago
OK, so we agree on the title at least? 2) I assume you mean the graph towards the end called Annualized Job Openings vs. Annual Degrees Granted (2008-2018). That seems to indicate the opposite - job openings in Computer Science exceeding de
557.
by zeteo 14y ago
This article is full of over-generalizations, starting with the title, which should be "Tech education can/does happen outside the classroom" (see e.g. note [5]). Here are a few other issues: - "nothing [except perhaps farming] - before or
558.
by zeteo 14y ago
How, specifically, can sexual selection operate in this case? It would seem necessary that the lactase-production gene, which the article mentions, must have some external effect that's peculiarly attractive. But I don't think it's possible
559.
by zeteo 14y ago
Yes, but, when starvation looms, it seems you're better off having the milk directly (if you can).
560.
by zeteo 14y ago
I guess I must be missing something, because there's a rather obvious explanation of the article's central paradox: lactose has calories. To wit, it takes about 10kg of milk to make 1kg of hard cheese, i.e. 6000 vs 4000 calories. So if you
561.
by zeteo 14y ago
The link to www.getworkdonemusic.com by itself makes this article worth an upvote. Looks like a good resource that I wasn't aware of before.
562.
by zeteo 14y ago
HN is turning into an entrepreneurship / self-help subreddit. The variance of the types of articles that reach the front pages has been dropping significantly IMHO. And I can't see any simple mechanism for restoring it, either.
563.
by zeteo 14y ago
There's no hypocrisy here. It's perfectly moral to ask a saloon's owner to ban guns, even if you currently carry one for protection from the other patrons.
564.
by zeteo 14y ago
The best practical advice on willpower that I've read is from an old classic, William James's Principles of Psychology . It's a long and dense chapter and resuming it here doesn't do it any justice. But I will try anyway: 1. Holding your a
565.
by zeteo 14y ago
"Advanced whiteboard coding" does have its uses: 1. It checks that you still know the basics of what's required for a CS degree. 2. Quite possibly, it also checks your capacity to (re-)learn some things for preparation. Both of these are go
566.
by zeteo 14y ago
Let's not confuse lack of visibility with absence. Most engineering these days happens at invisible scales. An old railroad bridge might look impressive, but the cell phone tower next door is actually a much more complex structure. (You'd h
567.
by zeteo 14y ago
Temporarily, pending a bug fix.
568.
by zeteo 14y ago
I think I understand what you're saying. For example, I didn't know I had a bad back until I tried to lift a heavy monitor once and it hurt a lot. Rationally, I know that I could not have known before, and it's good that I've learned. But i
569.
by zeteo 14y ago
Yes, mistakes don't imply regrets, but IMHO you can't learn from a mistake unless you regret it...
570.
by zeteo 14y ago
Sounds tempting, but no regrets also means no learning. Looking back to realize you should have done differently in the past implies you're now wiser and understand better. It means you've learned. The only way to never second guess yoursel

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