In this position you will help design solutions, recommend technology, implement codes and bring solutions to life. You will be assisting the User Experience team members in creating prototypes of varying fidelity to discover innovative new products as well as redesigns of existing web and mobile products and services.
Prototypes may be created in HTML, JQuery, tools like Axure, Omnigraffle, or even hand-drawn sketches that can be evaluated by qualitative and quantitative user research.
Requirements:\n \u2022 Minimum of 2 years working in a digital development environment\n\u2022 Proficiency in HTML and CSS\n\u2022 Highly-motivated team player who cares about usability and understands what makes a great experience\n\u2022 Ability to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to discover and create new products \n\u2022 Expertise working daily with Photoshop, Illustrator, or Fireworks and ability to provide visual specification and production ready files to engineers\n\u2022 Familiarity with quatitative and qualitative user research methodologies\n\u2022 Demostrated ability to multi-task and problem solve\n\u2022 Experience with Responsive design and touch interactions is a plus
Compensation & Benefits:\n \u2022 Competitive Base Salary\n\u2022 Wiley provides Incentive Plans to reinforce and sustain a culture devoted to excellent performance; to emphasize performance against specific objectives at the corporate, business, product line and individual levels; and to reward significant contributions that further the success of our business objectives.\n\u2022 For Health and Welfare Benefits information please click on the following link: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-301743.html"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Developer, User Experience"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"http://ch.tbe.taleo.net/CH04/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=WILEY&cws=1&rid=3858 "}},"_tags":["story","author_mcordal","story_5856380"],"author":"mcordal","created_at":"2013-06-10T19:04:12Z","created_at_i":1370891052,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"5856380","points":1,"story_id":5856380,"story_text":"Wiley is seeking a User Experience Developer to help us design and develop next-generation publishing products and services.
In this position you will help design solutions, recommend technology, implement codes and bring solutions to life. You will be assisting the User Experience team members in creating prototypes of varying fidelity to discover innovative new products as well as redesigns of existing web and mobile products and services.
Prototypes may be created in HTML, JQuery, tools like Axure, Omnigraffle, or even hand-drawn sketches that can be evaluated by qualitative and quantitative user research.
Requirements:\n \u2022 Minimum of 2 years working in a digital development environment\n\u2022 Proficiency in HTML and CSS\n\u2022 Highly-motivated team player who cares about usability and understands what makes a great experience\n\u2022 Ability to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to discover and create new products \n\u2022 Expertise working daily with Photoshop, Illustrator, or Fireworks and ability to provide visual specification and production ready files to engineers\n\u2022 Familiarity with quatitative and qualitative user research methodologies\n\u2022 Demostrated ability to multi-task and problem solve\n\u2022 Experience with Responsive design and touch interactions is a plus
Compensation & Benefits:\n \u2022 Competitive Base Salary\n\u2022 Wiley provides Incentive Plans to reinforce and sustain a culture devoted to excellent performance; to emphasize performance against specific objectives at the corporate, business, product line and individual levels; and to reward significant contributions that further the success of our business objectives.\n\u2022 For Health and Welfare Benefits information please click on the following link: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-301743.html","title":"Developer, User Experience","updated_at":"2024-09-19T19:39:48Z","url":"http://ch.tbe.taleo.net/CH04/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=WILEY&cws=1&rid=3858 "},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"PaulHoule"},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"partial","matchedWords":["devoted"],"value":"After being demoted and forced to retire, mRNA researcher wins Nobel"},"url":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["devoted","health"],"value":"https://arstechnica.com/health/2023/10/after-being-demoted-and-forced-to-retire-mrna-researcher-wins-nobel/"}},"_tags":["story","author_PaulHoule","story_37753368"],"author":"PaulHoule","created_at":"2023-10-03T15:41:12Z","created_at_i":1696347672,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"37753368","points":4,"story_id":37753368,"title":"After being demoted and forced to retire, mRNA researcher wins Nobel","updated_at":"2024-09-20T15:16:10Z","url":"https://arstechnica.com/health/2023/10/after-being-demoted-and-forced-to-retire-mrna-researcher-wins-nobel/"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"gremlinsinc"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["devoted","health"],"value":"I have an idea for Healthcare that makes hospitals become the insurer, taking out the middleman, while covering more people locally, and also without the hassle of hiring medical billers.
The SaaS is essentially a networked billing solution to act as the intermediary between multiple hospitals and auto-bill patients monthly.
Development for something like this -- to cover legal, and hipaa, etc is going to be somewhat costly - if it succeeds it could revolutionize healthcare in America, even negate the need for Single-payer healthcare.
How does one approach Angel's or Vc's on an 'idea' only?
Right now it's just a concept, as I have a family to feed so can't devote much time to this because I'm business doing freelance dev work."},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"partial","matchedWords":["health"],"value":"Ask HN: How to Raise Money for Healthcare SaaS at Idea/concept Stage?"}},"_tags":["story","author_gremlinsinc","story_17350584","ask_hn"],"author":"gremlinsinc","children":[17350748],"created_at":"2018-06-19T21:54:24Z","created_at_i":1529445264,"num_comments":1,"objectID":"17350584","points":1,"story_id":17350584,"story_text":"I have an idea for Healthcare that makes hospitals become the insurer, taking out the middleman, while covering more people locally, and also without the hassle of hiring medical billers.
The SaaS is essentially a networked billing solution to act as the intermediary between multiple hospitals and auto-bill patients monthly.
Development for something like this -- to cover legal, and hipaa, etc is going to be somewhat costly - if it succeeds it could revolutionize healthcare in America, even negate the need for Single-payer healthcare.
How does one approach Angel's or Vc's on an 'idea' only?
Right now it's just a concept, as I have a family to feed so can't devote much time to this because I'm business doing freelance dev work.","title":"Ask HN: How to Raise Money for Healthcare SaaS at Idea/concept Stage?","updated_at":"2024-09-20T02:36:25Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"999900000999"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["devoted","health"],"value":"Edit: I'm going to keep updating this, I accidentally clicked save before it was ready. Enjoy the read.
Before I start this.
I'm in therapy. I hit on a girl at a bar a few months ago and she finally convinced me to get therapy by saying everyone just needs it .
Everyone, especially all of you with your fabulous incomes, get some therapy.
I am so grateful to all of you, to every programmer who helped me on stack overflow. To everyone on on the Unity forums, who would help me with extremely basic programming questions. When I first started programming, I had no direction. I didn't even understand what an array was. Now, despite my dad being a psychotic violent monster, kicking me out, subjecting me to multiple evictions with my mom,I had actually gotten into a nice college after High School. I did go to community college first, and there. I met so many amazing great people.
One girl from high school who was actually extremely smart, she got into a really good school.\nBut unfortunately she had to drop out of her for your school and go to a community, because her mom was demoted at work.
I will say from my time in college, and meeting people there's one policy I hate with the most fervancy
And it's affirmative action by far, all of my Asian friends have lives which were way worse than mine. A Chinese friend was living in a homeless shelter at 19 because his dad was so f*** abusive. His dad would just beat him every single day
I absolutely love programming. As long as you have a used laptop, you could find one on eBay for $100. All right. Maybe the battery doesn't work good, you now have a portable desktop.
Install Ubuntu on that and start hacking. That's what I did, I was like oh cool. I can like get the terminal and stuff about buying a Mac because Macs are expensive.
Shout outs to Google, for making it possible for broke kids to develop for Android phones. That 40$ Walmart phone, you can learn to run applications on that. The phone I had, the phone I used to show off the early apps that got me my first salary job. Might have been worth $100, maybe $150 at most.
And, I carry on this tradition. Programmers are a very welcoming bunch. I was a silly college dropout, and just because I installed Ubuntu on my laptop , experienced software engineers on various forums would help me with so many issues.
I think for a lot of you neck beards, it's almost like a calling. You need to help a 19-year-old who tried out Ubuntu for the first time and all of a sudden she can't play League of Legends anymore. You need to help her figure out how to install Wine.
It's surreal, and I do the same thing. My time is worth a lot of money, but if I'm on a video game dev forum and some college kid is struggling with a concept, I'll stop and take 10 or 20 minutes to research the problem and provide a solution.
It's so amazing how free all of this education is.
Now that I'm a Senior Software Engineer, I've started to give back. I've written tutorials, and I think learning to program is one of the last career options when you don't have an educational background.
It's crazy, as long as you're motivated and you have an internet connection. You can do anything. You can program and program and program and program, create the best apps you can. Get into Dev groups, show off your stuff. Eventually. Someone's going to give you a shot
And if they don't, give yourself a shot. Put your apps up on Google Play. Just keep coding. No matter what, just keep coding. Early in my career. I had so many recruiters laugh and say I should just go back to college.
Why, just say I'm not qualified.
I will say this country is absolutely disgusting to people who come from unstable backgrounds .
I still have numerous medical issues. I've only recently started treating because my dad outright refused to treat them. My dad is often confused and hurt as to why I don't talk to him now.
Back when I didn't have health care, I would often have days where I felt horrible. But hey when you're broke you just drink another Red Bull and keep going. Later on, once I started making money, I found the keto diet and lost about 80 lb. And I'm working on managing my health conditions, although my dad 's actions have caused permanent damage.
And then I found it much easy to meet someone, of course. That's never been a priority to me, as when I was 19 my first girlfriend dumped me when I lost my job
Gratitude, is the key to happiness. My first apartment, for at least 2 hours, I hugged the floor. No more evictions caused by someone else, if I was going to get evicted, it was going to be my fault. As a side note, I had to eventually estrange myself for most of my family, since they tried to get me to violate my lease which would have led to eviction 3. They're just bad people.
I wasn't getting evicted again, when I was 20 or so, I never missed a single day of work. Ever.
Work is redemption, because of my childhood. I always felt that I was unclean, that I was stupid, that's something wrong with me. I loved working 80 hour weeks. I love when the servers go down on Christmas Eve, and I'm troubleshooting server logs from my phone after I just landed.And to be honest, I'm going to be a messed up paranoid person for the rest of my life.
Even with therapy, this is who I am. Even writing this post, there's some slight fear this will somehow offend somebody. Let's just say I'm someone who would benefit from Affirmative Action. But fuck Affirmative Action.
I think of a friend of mine, who I've lost contact with. A very nice girl from a traditional Korean family. Her mom was so abusive, she spent much of her early twenties crashing on couches. She told me things I will never repeat, there's no way you're going to ever tell me that I deserve special help and she doesn't.
Fuck Affirmative Action!
In my early twenties, I was very political. I'm not anymore because regardless of political party there's one factor which will turn a person success above all.
And that's a supportive family. I never had that, my dad was so obsessed with fake prestige,. He had custody for an entire 2 years, and it was just horror. It was. I'm going to hurt you if you don't somehow get straight A's, in one case. He actually had me missed two weeks of school for a surgery.
Then when I told him, I wasn't going to catch up after missing so much school. He just kicked me out, he then later would show at my job at threaten me.
But several members of my family think this is fine. Usually people like my father have an entire support system of enablers.
Again, I was a junior in college by the age of 21. I have no idea why my dad was such a horrible human being. I was actually doing pretty well in school! The only reason I didn't finish college earlier, is because my mom didn't want to turn in a form. Now my degree in some irrelevant thing, sits on my desk as a nice conversation piece.
As a side note, therapy that you decide to attend. Can be great. Therapy someone else forces you to get is better described as forced behavior modification. I'm not going to say exactly what happened, but when this forced behavior modification did not yield the results my dad wanted. He just got even worse.
Much much worse. I went from at least having friendly chats with my father to severing our relationship entirely.
It was really really bad. Because of this experience I didn't go to therapy for well over a decade. Despite several partners practically begging me to.
One of my partners was practically perfect, you were everything I could have hoped for. Well educated, great career, carrying and compassionate. But I had just been through too much, she wanted me to get therapy, and if I ever bump into you somehow that's all I'll say .
I'll tell you I'm getting therapy, but I don't think it's going to work completely. I'm always going to have levels of paranoia that no normal person has.
And life is really good to be honest.
I obviously have no relationship with my father. But, I make enough money to finally take care of myself.
I eat great food everyday, I diet well, I travel tons. I have nothing to complain about.
Life is good."},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Tell HN: My dad told me I'd be a high school dropout and I make 200k a year"}},"_tags":["story","author_999900000999","story_32441443","ask_hn"],"author":"999900000999","children":[32441567,32441709,32442020,32442041,32479950],"created_at":"2022-08-12T17:18:49Z","created_at_i":1660324729,"num_comments":14,"objectID":"32441443","points":12,"story_id":32441443,"story_text":"Edit: I'm going to keep updating this, I accidentally clicked save before it was ready. Enjoy the read.
Before I start this.
I'm in therapy. I hit on a girl at a bar a few months ago and she finally convinced me to get therapy by saying everyone just needs it .
Everyone, especially all of you with your fabulous incomes, get some therapy.
I am so grateful to all of you, to every programmer who helped me on stack overflow. To everyone on on the Unity forums, who would help me with extremely basic programming questions. When I first started programming, I had no direction. I didn't even understand what an array was. Now, despite my dad being a psychotic violent monster, kicking me out, subjecting me to multiple evictions with my mom,I had actually gotten into a nice college after High School. I did go to community college first, and there. I met so many amazing great people.
One girl from high school who was actually extremely smart, she got into a really good school.\nBut unfortunately she had to drop out of her for your school and go to a community, because her mom was demoted at work.
I will say from my time in college, and meeting people there's one policy I hate with the most fervancy
And it's affirmative action by far, all of my Asian friends have lives which were way worse than mine. A Chinese friend was living in a homeless shelter at 19 because his dad was so f*** abusive. His dad would just beat him every single day
I absolutely love programming. As long as you have a used laptop, you could find one on eBay for $100. All right. Maybe the battery doesn't work good, you now have a portable desktop.
Install Ubuntu on that and start hacking. That's what I did, I was like oh cool. I can like get the terminal and stuff about buying a Mac because Macs are expensive.
Shout outs to Google, for making it possible for broke kids to develop for Android phones. That 40$ Walmart phone, you can learn to run applications on that. The phone I had, the phone I used to show off the early apps that got me my first salary job. Might have been worth $100, maybe $150 at most.
And, I carry on this tradition. Programmers are a very welcoming bunch. I was a silly college dropout, and just because I installed Ubuntu on my laptop , experienced software engineers on various forums would help me with so many issues.
I think for a lot of you neck beards, it's almost like a calling. You need to help a 19-year-old who tried out Ubuntu for the first time and all of a sudden she can't play League of Legends anymore. You need to help her figure out how to install Wine.
It's surreal, and I do the same thing. My time is worth a lot of money, but if I'm on a video game dev forum and some college kid is struggling with a concept, I'll stop and take 10 or 20 minutes to research the problem and provide a solution.
It's so amazing how free all of this education is.
Now that I'm a Senior Software Engineer, I've started to give back. I've written tutorials, and I think learning to program is one of the last career options when you don't have an educational background.
It's crazy, as long as you're motivated and you have an internet connection. You can do anything. You can program and program and program and program, create the best apps you can. Get into Dev groups, show off your stuff. Eventually. Someone's going to give you a shot
And if they don't, give yourself a shot. Put your apps up on Google Play. Just keep coding. No matter what, just keep coding. Early in my career. I had so many recruiters laugh and say I should just go back to college.
Why, just say I'm not qualified.
I will say this country is absolutely disgusting to people who come from unstable backgrounds .
I still have numerous medical issues. I've only recently started treating because my dad outright refused to treat them. My dad is often confused and hurt as to why I don't talk to him now.
Back when I didn't have health care, I would often have days where I felt horrible. But hey when you're broke you just drink another Red Bull and keep going. Later on, once I started making money, I found the keto diet and lost about 80 lb. And I'm working on managing my health conditions, although my dad 's actions have caused permanent damage.
And then I found it much easy to meet someone, of course. That's never been a priority to me, as when I was 19 my first girlfriend dumped me when I lost my job
Gratitude, is the key to happiness. My first apartment, for at least 2 hours, I hugged the floor. No more evictions caused by someone else, if I was going to get evicted, it was going to be my fault. As a side note, I had to eventually estrange myself for most of my family, since they tried to get me to violate my lease which would have led to eviction 3. They're just bad people.
I wasn't getting evicted again, when I was 20 or so, I never missed a single day of work. Ever.
Work is redemption, because of my childhood. I always felt that I was unclean, that I was stupid, that's something wrong with me. I loved working 80 hour weeks. I love when the servers go down on Christmas Eve, and I'm troubleshooting server logs from my phone after I just landed.And to be honest, I'm going to be a messed up paranoid person for the rest of my life.
Even with therapy, this is who I am. Even writing this post, there's some slight fear this will somehow offend somebody. Let's just say I'm someone who would benefit from Affirmative Action. But fuck Affirmative Action.
I think of a friend of mine, who I've lost contact with. A very nice girl from a traditional Korean family. Her mom was so abusive, she spent much of her early twenties crashing on couches. She told me things I will never repeat, there's no way you're going to ever tell me that I deserve special help and she doesn't.
Fuck Affirmative Action!
In my early twenties, I was very political. I'm not anymore because regardless of political party there's one factor which will turn a person success above all.
And that's a supportive family. I never had that, my dad was so obsessed with fake prestige,. He had custody for an entire 2 years, and it was just horror. It was. I'm going to hurt you if you don't somehow get straight A's, in one case. He actually had me missed two weeks of school for a surgery.
Then when I told him, I wasn't going to catch up after missing so much school. He just kicked me out, he then later would show at my job at threaten me.
But several members of my family think this is fine. Usually people like my father have an entire support system of enablers.
Again, I was a junior in college by the age of 21. I have no idea why my dad was such a horrible human being. I was actually doing pretty well in school! The only reason I didn't finish college earlier, is because my mom didn't want to turn in a form. Now my degree in some irrelevant thing, sits on my desk as a nice conversation piece.
As a side note, therapy that you decide to attend. Can be great. Therapy someone else forces you to get is better described as forced behavior modification. I'm not going to say exactly what happened, but when this forced behavior modification did not yield the results my dad wanted. He just got even worse.
Much much worse. I went from at least having friendly chats with my father to severing our relationship entirely.
It was really really bad. Because of this experience I didn't go to therapy for well over a decade. Despite several partners practically begging me to.
One of my partners was practically perfect, you were everything I could have hoped for. Well educated, great career, carrying and compassionate. But I had just been through too much, she wanted me to get therapy, and if I ever bump into you somehow that's all I'll say .
I'll tell you I'm getting therapy, but I don't think it's going to work completely. I'm always going to have levels of paranoia that no normal person has.
And life is really good to be honest.
I obviously have no relationship with my father. But, I make enough money to finally take care of myself.
I eat great food everyday, I diet well, I travel tons. I have nothing to complain about.
Life is good.","title":"Tell HN: My dad told me I'd be a high school dropout and I make 200k a year","updated_at":"2024-09-20T11:49:19Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"cgoddard"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["devoted","health"],"value":"First of all I ask that anyone commenting please leave off criticism of how I got into the situation I did. Trust me, I've already thought over millions of times how I must be an idiot to have gotten into the situation I'm in, and if I could go back and make different decisions I would. But right now I'm not exactly in the best shape to handle criticism, and don't need to be convinced of anything. What I really need is advice for improving my situation, or any info about programs or employers, etc. that I don't know about. I never had a course in high school or college on how to deal with poverty, even though that might have been really helpful right about now.
I graduated from a state university in 2009 with a degree in Computer Science. I graduated with honors and a 3.81 gpa. My gpa could've been a lot higher, but I struggled with untreated clinical-level anxiety throughout school which lead to severe procrastination or simply not turning in certain projects. I got a 1520 on my SATs, was a National Merit Scholar and an IB (International Baccalaureate) graduate. Although I never went through with applying to grad school I got a 1480 on my GREs with a perfect quant score.
Now I'm aware that being a good test-taker doesn't entitle me to anything, and if anything I'm more aware than anyone else how test-taking skills or academic success don't really apply to real-life success. I currently clean houses for a living, and am barely scraping by on that. Recently I lost one of my clients for unforeseen reasons, and that put me back in a risky situation just as far as getting by. I can still pay bills and rent, but my food and gas budgets are really restricted. I'm basically eating beans and rice and not doing so well nutritionally, which has been especially apparent these past few weeks as I've had a cold that doesn't seem to be getting any better.
I am also without health insurance. May of last year was the last time I was employed at a job that provided health insurance, and after about 4 months my savings dwindled to where I couldn't afford to make COBRA payments anymore. This wouldn't be such an issue, but I also have anxiety issues that have gone untreated for a while, especially after I decided to cut back on taking some medication I was previously prescribed due to not being able to meet the monthly costs.
I held a programming job back in May, one that I had for 2 1/2 years before finally resigning. I worked at the University I graduated from helping with a research project. When I graduated in December 2008, most of the companies I had spend the past few months interviewing for had put a stop to their hiring programs, and the job I ended up taking was the only offer extended to me. This would have been fine, but over time and especially towards the end I had a great deal of trouble at that job. It would probably be unfair to call my boss emotionally abusive, but the lack of any praise, the high level of criticism, the lack of any process, the expectation of constant overtime, constant coworker turnover, left me extremely burnt out by the time I left that job. That was in May of 2011.
Besides the fact that my boss continually trash-talked on my predecessor, my boss was infuriated with me for resigning when I did (burn-out hit me really hard and I gave short notice after my productivity dropped and my sleeping habits and punctuality became erratic, and so I thought I was actually doing the responsible thing by resigning since I no longer felt competent).
So anyways with my last job since I left I've had a high level of anxiety that any new job I apply for I have basically had no positive supervisor references. Since I left my last job I have applied for a handful of positions, but with no positive results and a sense that grew over time that I was unemployable due to my mixed work history, and my increasing interval of unemployment (at least in tech). Thank goodness a close friend of mine showed me how to clean houses and passed along clients to me, or I might have been even more thoroughly convinced of how unemployable and worthless I was.
Programming has never been a strong passion of mine, though I am fond of tech and read HN on a daily basis. I think I'm pretty decent at programming simply from being quick to learn new skills and learn from my mistakes, but I've never felt a passion to devote large chunks of my free time to it. I don't have a strong interest in doing personal projects any more than an accountant might crunch numbers just for fun on the weekend. I'm very much a people person too, and if I don't spend time socializing away from the screen in my free time I get depressed and generally unmotivated about a lot of things. I know this automatically puts me on a lower rung when hiring for programming talent, since I don't have any open source projects to show off, or have any number of puzzle solutions memorized for easy pseudo-coding during an interview, but I'd hope that this wouldn't make me unemployable.
I've also been pretty content to move away from the tech field, but since I also have a fairly significant amount of credit card debt which I acquiring during unemployment, after my savings ran out, but before I was making regular income, it's extremely hard for me to pay my bills with the generally low-paying work that I'm doing now (well at least after factoring in lots of unpayed commute time, and limited hours).
And paradoxically it seems to take a not insubstantial amount of money to file a successful case for unemployment, which I'd find pretty funny if it wasn't so depressing. Also low-income health assistance programs, food stamps, etc. can carry a pretty daunting set of requirements and lengthy waiting periods, both of which aren't so great for someone dealing with anxiety and situational depression, and also in need of more immediate assistance. I've tried my best to search for some sort of social work assistance, just for some help sorting through my options and figuring out what steps I need to take to apply, with no luck.
I've worked out I need to make $25k a year after taxes to cover credit card bills, living expenses, and have some sort of small savings (heaven forbid my car ever break down or some other unknown expense come up anytime soon, since I have no way to pay for it). This would be peanuts for any decent-paying career-type job, but it's quite depressing how far above the minimum wage this ends up being, and how far out of reach it might be for anyone with a not-so-stellar resume.
Family is no help right now, as they just don't have the resources to help considering their own financial and medical issues. Not every acquaintance I know is aware of my tough financial situation, due to embarrassment on my part, but I haven't had any luck in exploring opportunities the other 50% have proposed, because they are few and far between and the few that actually existed haven't panned out (I live in the Denver / Boulder area by the way, so I'm not sure if it's just the locale, or who I know or what, but networking hasn't made much of a difference)
So I don't mean to just dump some sob story on HN, or ask for handouts or anything. I'd really just like some advice on what to do. I admit I haven't been the most proactive at doing every thing I could possibly do to break back into the middle class, but believe it or not both a bad reference-less first work experience, unemployment, constant financial worry, etc. can feel a bit hopeless sometimes. And sometimes I'll think I'm making some progress improving at least financially, and then I lose a client the same month I have to make the car insurance payment and things seem even worse.
I'm not asking for advice on how to make myself a candidate to break into the top tech companies, or even get a starting position making the $70k+ a year that a lot of soon-to-be graduates seem to take for granted, even after the financial collapse. My next job doesn't have to be stimulating or glamorous. I don't have any travel money or even extra gas money, which I'm sure complicates things. I'd like to hope that even given the current constraints, that maybe there's still some way I can fix my employment situation and not have to worry if I can pay my bills for the month or if I have enough money to buy fruits and veggies.
So I guess my question to HN is basically, what's a destitute hacker to do?"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Advice needed: what's a destitute hacker to do?"}},"_tags":["story","author_cgoddard","story_3715834","ask_hn"],"author":"cgoddard","children":[3715907,3715927,3716002,3716023,3716053,3716086,3716149,3716217,3716309,3716363],"created_at":"2012-03-16T23:47:51Z","created_at_i":1331941671,"num_comments":27,"objectID":"3715834","points":5,"story_id":3715834,"story_text":"First of all I ask that anyone commenting please leave off criticism of how I got into the situation I did. Trust me, I've already thought over millions of times how I must be an idiot to have gotten into the situation I'm in, and if I could go back and make different decisions I would. But right now I'm not exactly in the best shape to handle criticism, and don't need to be convinced of anything. What I really need is advice for improving my situation, or any info about programs or employers, etc. that I don't know about. I never had a course in high school or college on how to deal with poverty, even though that might have been really helpful right about now.
I graduated from a state university in 2009 with a degree in Computer Science. I graduated with honors and a 3.81 gpa. My gpa could've been a lot higher, but I struggled with untreated clinical-level anxiety throughout school which lead to severe procrastination or simply not turning in certain projects. I got a 1520 on my SATs, was a National Merit Scholar and an IB (International Baccalaureate) graduate. Although I never went through with applying to grad school I got a 1480 on my GREs with a perfect quant score.
Now I'm aware that being a good test-taker doesn't entitle me to anything, and if anything I'm more aware than anyone else how test-taking skills or academic success don't really apply to real-life success. I currently clean houses for a living, and am barely scraping by on that. Recently I lost one of my clients for unforeseen reasons, and that put me back in a risky situation just as far as getting by. I can still pay bills and rent, but my food and gas budgets are really restricted. I'm basically eating beans and rice and not doing so well nutritionally, which has been especially apparent these past few weeks as I've had a cold that doesn't seem to be getting any better.
I am also without health insurance. May of last year was the last time I was employed at a job that provided health insurance, and after about 4 months my savings dwindled to where I couldn't afford to make COBRA payments anymore. This wouldn't be such an issue, but I also have anxiety issues that have gone untreated for a while, especially after I decided to cut back on taking some medication I was previously prescribed due to not being able to meet the monthly costs.
I held a programming job back in May, one that I had for 2 1/2 years before finally resigning. I worked at the University I graduated from helping with a research project. When I graduated in December 2008, most of the companies I had spend the past few months interviewing for had put a stop to their hiring programs, and the job I ended up taking was the only offer extended to me. This would have been fine, but over time and especially towards the end I had a great deal of trouble at that job. It would probably be unfair to call my boss emotionally abusive, but the lack of any praise, the high level of criticism, the lack of any process, the expectation of constant overtime, constant coworker turnover, left me extremely burnt out by the time I left that job. That was in May of 2011.
Besides the fact that my boss continually trash-talked on my predecessor, my boss was infuriated with me for resigning when I did (burn-out hit me really hard and I gave short notice after my productivity dropped and my sleeping habits and punctuality became erratic, and so I thought I was actually doing the responsible thing by resigning since I no longer felt competent).
So anyways with my last job since I left I've had a high level of anxiety that any new job I apply for I have basically had no positive supervisor references. Since I left my last job I have applied for a handful of positions, but with no positive results and a sense that grew over time that I was unemployable due to my mixed work history, and my increasing interval of unemployment (at least in tech). Thank goodness a close friend of mine showed me how to clean houses and passed along clients to me, or I might have been even more thoroughly convinced of how unemployable and worthless I was.
Programming has never been a strong passion of mine, though I am fond of tech and read HN on a daily basis. I think I'm pretty decent at programming simply from being quick to learn new skills and learn from my mistakes, but I've never felt a passion to devote large chunks of my free time to it. I don't have a strong interest in doing personal projects any more than an accountant might crunch numbers just for fun on the weekend. I'm very much a people person too, and if I don't spend time socializing away from the screen in my free time I get depressed and generally unmotivated about a lot of things. I know this automatically puts me on a lower rung when hiring for programming talent, since I don't have any open source projects to show off, or have any number of puzzle solutions memorized for easy pseudo-coding during an interview, but I'd hope that this wouldn't make me unemployable.
I've also been pretty content to move away from the tech field, but since I also have a fairly significant amount of credit card debt which I acquiring during unemployment, after my savings ran out, but before I was making regular income, it's extremely hard for me to pay my bills with the generally low-paying work that I'm doing now (well at least after factoring in lots of unpayed commute time, and limited hours).
And paradoxically it seems to take a not insubstantial amount of money to file a successful case for unemployment, which I'd find pretty funny if it wasn't so depressing. Also low-income health assistance programs, food stamps, etc. can carry a pretty daunting set of requirements and lengthy waiting periods, both of which aren't so great for someone dealing with anxiety and situational depression, and also in need of more immediate assistance. I've tried my best to search for some sort of social work assistance, just for some help sorting through my options and figuring out what steps I need to take to apply, with no luck.
I've worked out I need to make $25k a year after taxes to cover credit card bills, living expenses, and have some sort of small savings (heaven forbid my car ever break down or some other unknown expense come up anytime soon, since I have no way to pay for it). This would be peanuts for any decent-paying career-type job, but it's quite depressing how far above the minimum wage this ends up being, and how far out of reach it might be for anyone with a not-so-stellar resume.
Family is no help right now, as they just don't have the resources to help considering their own financial and medical issues. Not every acquaintance I know is aware of my tough financial situation, due to embarrassment on my part, but I haven't had any luck in exploring opportunities the other 50% have proposed, because they are few and far between and the few that actually existed haven't panned out (I live in the Denver / Boulder area by the way, so I'm not sure if it's just the locale, or who I know or what, but networking hasn't made much of a difference)
So I don't mean to just dump some sob story on HN, or ask for handouts or anything. I'd really just like some advice on what to do. I admit I haven't been the most proactive at doing every thing I could possibly do to break back into the middle class, but believe it or not both a bad reference-less first work experience, unemployment, constant financial worry, etc. can feel a bit hopeless sometimes. And sometimes I'll think I'm making some progress improving at least financially, and then I lose a client the same month I have to make the car insurance payment and things seem even worse.
I'm not asking for advice on how to make myself a candidate to break into the top tech companies, or even get a starting position making the $70k+ a year that a lot of soon-to-be graduates seem to take for granted, even after the financial collapse. My next job doesn't have to be stimulating or glamorous. I don't have any travel money or even extra gas money, which I'm sure complicates things. I'd like to hope that even given the current constraints, that maybe there's still some way I can fix my employment situation and not have to worry if I can pay my bills for the month or if I have enough money to buy fruits and veggies.
So I guess my question to HN is basically, what's a destitute hacker to do?","title":"Advice needed: what's a destitute hacker to do?","updated_at":"2023-09-06T21:18:41Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Aurametrix"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["devoted","health"],"value":"The Problem: There are more medical mysteries than one may think. In order to solve them, we need help of the community, including healthy individuals, we need diagnostic measurements beyond human genome sequencing,
The Idea: Use Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, whatever you think would work, to tell about prospective projects and let people make pledges for the amounts of time they could devote, samples they are willing to donate, money to cover cost of reagents, etc
We are working with medically underserved populations willing to spend their own money to conduct clinical trials and find reasons for their conditions. We are lacking healthy controls for our diagnostic & observational clinical trials. We do comply with all applicable federal laws, so privacy and confidentiality is guaranteed.
Do you think these kind of projects could be crowdfunded? Would there be healthy people willing to pay for diagnostic tests and share the data with the trial researchers (HIPAA protected)? In return, we will analyze their results and place it in the context of other people's data and known biomedical information, make predictions, give early bird access to software, device and so on. Could such a project be Kickstarted? Thanks for your input!"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ask HN: How to motivate people to help speed up medical discoveries?"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":""}},"_tags":["story","author_Aurametrix","story_1429001","ask_hn"],"author":"Aurametrix","children":[1429049,1490345],"created_at":"2010-06-14T05:40:15Z","created_at_i":1276494015,"num_comments":3,"objectID":"1429001","points":4,"story_id":1429001,"story_text":"The Problem: There are more medical mysteries than one may think. In order to solve them, we need help of the community, including healthy individuals, we need diagnostic measurements beyond human genome sequencing,
The Idea: Use Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, whatever you think would work, to tell about prospective projects and let people make pledges for the amounts of time they could devote, samples they are willing to donate, money to cover cost of reagents, etc
We are working with medically underserved populations willing to spend their own money to conduct clinical trials and find reasons for their conditions. We are lacking healthy controls for our diagnostic & observational clinical trials. We do comply with all applicable federal laws, so privacy and confidentiality is guaranteed.
Do you think these kind of projects could be crowdfunded? Would there be healthy people willing to pay for diagnostic tests and share the data with the trial researchers (HIPAA protected)? In return, we will analyze their results and place it in the context of other people's data and known biomedical information, make predictions, give early bird access to software, device and so on. Could such a project be Kickstarted? Thanks for your input!","title":"Ask HN: How to motivate people to help speed up medical discoveries?","updated_at":"2024-09-19T17:01:25Z","url":""},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"ccarpenterg"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["devoted","health"],"value":"Hello,
I live in Chile and until today I was working for a Credit Card Processing Company. The layoffs began last year since some banks and retails decided to process themselves, trying to cut costs. The truth is that the recession hit the credit industry and therefore hit our market.
The problem is that even though I'm single and I have no children I give to my parents some financial aid. So at least I have to earn some money to support them (it's not a huge amount BTW).
I've been working (in parallel) for my startup since 2007 and although this is a kind of a disaster to me, I could survive three months with the severance compensation and without a job. So I will devote all my \"leisure time\" on my startup. And now I'm finishing the design of the UI and I'm starting to code the app (I'm not a programmer), so it's the right moment.
Well,I feel very optimistic but the sad truth is that now I'm vulnerable to some threats (health problems for example). So looking for another job is an issue to me too but I don't want to waste all my time in interviews and in all that corporate crap.
So I can say that this financial orgy did hit me.
Best Regards.
PS: I can give some advice about credit cards (Visa, MC and Amex) if you need it."},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Tell HN: I was fired today"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":""}},"_tags":["story","author_ccarpenterg","story_539331","ask_hn"],"author":"ccarpenterg","children":[539382],"created_at":"2009-03-30T23:30:33Z","created_at_i":1238455833,"num_comments":2,"objectID":"539331","points":3,"story_id":539331,"story_text":"Hello,
I live in Chile and until today I was working for a Credit Card Processing Company. The layoffs began last year since some banks and retails decided to process themselves, trying to cut costs. The truth is that the recession hit the credit industry and therefore hit our market.
The problem is that even though I'm single and I have no children I give to my parents some financial aid. So at least I have to earn some money to support them (it's not a huge amount BTW).
I've been working (in parallel) for my startup since 2007 and although this is a kind of a disaster to me, I could survive three months with the severance compensation and without a job. So I will devote all my \"leisure time\" on my startup. And now I'm finishing the design of the UI and I'm starting to code the app (I'm not a programmer), so it's the right moment.
Well,I feel very optimistic but the sad truth is that now I'm vulnerable to some threats (health problems for example). So looking for another job is an issue to me too but I don't want to waste all my time in interviews and in all that corporate crap.
So I can say that this financial orgy did hit me.
Best Regards.
PS: I can give some advice about credit cards (Visa, MC and Amex) if you need it.","title":"Tell HN: I was fired today","updated_at":"2023-09-06T19:41:20Z","url":""},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"SqMafia"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["devoted","health"],"value":"I'm currently employed at a large software corporation that treats me well but where I am incredibly bored by the things I do. The environment doesn't fit my personality. I have learned so much more on my own time reading and hacking than I have over the past couple years at the company. Ultimately, my eventual goal is to start a company or work at an early stage startup. I don't see my current path leading me there. I'm considering quitting my job so I can devote my time to learning new things and starting/joining a startup. My biggest worries are: 1. Resume gap 2. Healthcare
I've been good about saving money and living frugally so I can go at least a couple of years without a paycheck.
Should I make the move and just quit? How do you go from a corporate job to a startup? Am I right in thinking that I will be challenged and learn a great deal more about technology, management, and business at a startup?"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ask HN: Going Unemployed?"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":""}},"_tags":["story","author_SqMafia","story_1454194","ask_hn"],"author":"SqMafia","children":[1454383,1454637],"created_at":"2010-06-23T05:35:08Z","created_at_i":1277271308,"num_comments":3,"objectID":"1454194","points":2,"story_id":1454194,"story_text":"I'm currently employed at a large software corporation that treats me well but where I am incredibly bored by the things I do. The environment doesn't fit my personality. I have learned so much more on my own time reading and hacking than I have over the past couple years at the company. Ultimately, my eventual goal is to start a company or work at an early stage startup. I don't see my current path leading me there. I'm considering quitting my job so I can devote my time to learning new things and starting/joining a startup. My biggest worries are: 1. Resume gap 2. Healthcare
I've been good about saving money and living frugally so I can go at least a couple of years without a paycheck.
Should I make the move and just quit? How do you go from a corporate job to a startup? Am I right in thinking that I will be challenged and learn a great deal more about technology, management, and business at a startup?","title":"Ask HN: Going Unemployed?","updated_at":"2023-09-06T19:38:36Z","url":""},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"angelheaded"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["devoted","health"],"value":"Hello world!
I'm not exactly sure the right way to approach this, I've never been much for doing things in an orthodox way, so I'll just be straightforward about it. I need to find an investor.
I believe that I have all of the necessary ingredients to be successful at what I'm trying to accomplish, but I realize that I need others to believe in me to help me to achieve my potential; few people ever get there alone.
I hear prominent figures say that they invest in the people more than the ideas and I wonder how true that is. Do you care more about me or my actual startup? In this case I think both are awesome, so maybe it's your lucky day (or mine).
So, yes, I've got a startup. That's a lie, I've got two startups, but one is my baby. We'll get back to that later, for now I want to talk about who I am and why I am writing this.
Maybe I suffer from the Dunning\u2013Kruger effect, but I think I might be just the right mix of crazy, creative, and calculated to accomplish something fairly impressive.
I'm a developer / programmer / sysadmin / hacker with a pretty impressive skill set, but I also have an artistic sense and graphic design background. I'm also very well read in literature, science, and philosophy and am possessed by an insatiable thirst for knowledge and experience. I am equally exposed to the arts and sciences.
I probably don't look very good on paper. In fact, I probably look pretty bad on paper. When I was slightly younger (and quite a bit more stupid) I would have conjured up some inspired sophistry to explain away my mistakes, or I would have tried to blame my lousy circumstances on someone else, but I'm past that kind of nonsense now. I'm old enough to know better. Not too old, though. I'm three years younger than Jack Dorsey and three years older than Mark Zuckerberg, so I think I'm sitting in a cultural sweet spot. I'm wise enough to accept that don't know everything, but experienced enough to trust myself when it counts. I'm confident in my judgment and abilities, but not to the point of arrogance and closed-mindedness. I've read that fools surround themselves with idiots so that they will feel superiority, but the clever surround themselves with the wise so that they gain wisdom. That's not a useless maxim if you ask me.
Paul Graham said: \"So who should start a startup? Someone who is a good hacker, between about 23 and 38, and who wants to solve the money problem in one shot instead of getting paid gradually over a conventional working life.\"
That's me. Of course, there are a million people who fit that description. Who am I kidding? Probably a few million...
So why me? Why am I worth someone's time and resources? Great question. Let's start at the beginning.
As I led with, I probably don't look very good on paper. Based on what the \"paper\" trail says, I come off as a bad bet. I owe some personal debts, my credit isn't exactly superb, and there are a few other little complications I'll be happy to elaborate on if your curiosity can't contain itself by the time you finish reading this message in a bottle.
Where were we? Oh yes, I'm a bad bet. Not a confidence inspiring statement, I'm aware, so let's fix that.
Seabiscuit was a bad bet, too, and that's me... I'm Seabiscuit. One day I'm limping along looking pathetic and broken and you think I'll never walk again, much less race. Yet, here I am, running... fast.
I've made some less-than-stellar choices in the past, but I've learned incredibly valuable lessons from those mistakes. They were always born out of emotion, confusion, or desperation; never out of malice, spite, or envy. They unexceptionally occurred whenever I was following my heart instead of my head, as I was always encouraged to do as a child. I've learned that I need to take more precise and calculated risks and follow my intuition rather than take wild risks and follow my desire. That's all very vague and ambiguous, I know, but it's important for me to convey that I am somewhat self-actualized in that regard. I'm at peace with where I stand and I am a forward-thinking person; it's an important characteristic of who I've become and who I intend to continue being.
Most of my issues were always self-induced, such as quitting jobs that I couldn't stand even when it wasn't a financially stable thing to do, or spiraling out of control when a relationship would end and then relinquishing any shared assets, bank accounts, vehicle, etc, or running away from home as a teenager. I would always respond to situations without proper emotional intelligence, a skill I've acquired and begun to master in recent years. I've also developed an incredibly humanistic and empathetic side as my emotions have matured.
My repeated and intentional detachment from material possessions coupled with my inability to submit to the complacency of \"the norm\" and a regular job has only fueled my creative and entrepreneurial spirits. I don't have a burning desire to fill my pockets with dollar bills, but a fire does rage inside to build a successful business and to, as Paul Graham put it, \"solve the money problem\". Which brings us to ambition and motivation...
Why do I want financial flexibility? Why do I need money if I don't care about things? Why am I writing this? Why am I driven? How driven am I?
Good questions.
I want to enjoy my life. I want to help others. I want to do something with my life, something positive. I want to leave something in the world that wasn't here when I arrived. I want to contribute and make a difference. I want to do something that matters.
I have a family (not a wife and kids or anything, but immediate family, parents, sisters, brother, nieces and nephews) who really need some help and breaks in their lives. I've done all I can to help them at every turn, given my parents money that I simply did not have, given up my rent to help them keep food on the table and pay heating bills, etc. I've supported them as much as I can when I've been thriving, but I've always been torn between keeping a job that destroys my soul just to provide some help vs. trying to succeed on a larger scale and making things easier in the long run rather than day-to-day. I won't go into the details of my various family concerns (health problems and bills, lack of economic opportunities, etc) but I have more than enough reasons to push myself to the limit. It consumes me that they are not taken care of and that they struggle the way that they do. I must help. I know now that what I need to do is live as close to the metal as I can for now and put off helping them as much as I can until I am financially secure. This means building my company and resolving my personal financial issues so that I can focus on my work without financial stress and distractions.
I have a tremendous work ethic that I wish could be applied to something I really care about.
I am tired of worrying about how I will survive and how I will make enough money to take care of everything and still find time to work on my businesses. I want to know that what I'm supposed to be focusing on is my business.
My biggest downfall in pursuit of that goal has been that I've never really tried wholeheartedly at anything worth doing. I don't mean that I haven't put enormous amounts effort into things, because I've definitely done that (studying, learning, programming, art, music, reading, preparing myself, etc), but I've never before had something that I cared so much about that I actually wanted to (or have been able to) devote all of my time to making it grow and succeed. I've wanted to have something that I was that passionate about, but I always found myself busy working on someone else's project or at someone else's company, usually doing something that disagreed with my personal philosophies and tastes. I'd quickly burn out and become uninspired and leave behind the mind-killer to go dive into my own creative development (music, writing, code, etc). I've had ideas, companies, little startups here and there, but nothing I ever had the time and resources to really make succeed. I've never been able to find someone who can get as excited as I can about something and then believe enough in it to actually follow through and manifest the idea. I finally have that now. I need to be able to build upon my existing product and I need to be able to get good people involved.
I very recently ended a 5-year relationship and for the first time have had an appropriate emotional response to the situation. I've focused on my work, my clients, my own companies, my networks and relationships and the outcome has been very positive. I am now completely free of being tied down to a particular place and I am no longer subject to normal relationship distractions. ALL OF MY TIME CAN FINALLY BE DEDICATED TO MY COMPANY AND I AM READY TO DO THAT. I CAN FOCUS COMPLETELY ON BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS AND AM VERY MOTIVATED TO DO SO! I have so much built up passion ready to let loose it is unreal. I am ready to pour myself into this.
I have a myriad of clients that I consult and develop for (government and commercial), I am part of a great open source development team, I have two startups of my own, and was just offered the CTO and lead developer position at a funded startup that is building a mobile gaming platform. I want to work on my own projects, but some of the other opportunities are making it too lucrative not to consider them. If I go that route I will be falling right back into working on someone else's dream instead of mine. I don't want to do that again.
I have been an entrepreneur for as long as I can remember. I started on my first paper route when I was 10 years old. I woke up at 3 a.m. every day before school and on the weekends to stuff and wrap over 200 newspapers to deliver all over the small midwestern town I grew up in. I delivered newspapers before and after school for 5 years, through all kinds of weather, reading the newspaper every day as I delivered it. I was responsible for purchasing newspapers from the publishers, collecting payments from my customers, and handling the financial balancing act. There was once a contest to sell newspaper subscriptions all over the area that I lived in. The winner was awarded a $200 gift certificate to the a mall in addition to being entered into the \"Newspaper Carrier Of The Year\" competition. I sold 200+ subscriptions all over the region and won the contest.
In high school I started my first web company with two other students while I was already working at a web consulting firm as a developer after school and on the weekends and also at the technology services center for the school district I attended.
After high school I moved to California and joined as the CTO of a startup hosting company that also gave me equity, but because of a bad business deal and trusting the wrong friend I didn't receive any financial payout when the company was sold. Lesson learned about people, business, money, and contracts.
After that experience I bounced around a few companies, usually clashing with the people who ran the place because their goals never corresponded with mine. Most places I worked were stagnant and comfortable and inspired no ambition, drive, or loyalty. They were jobs. I am not a job person. They always lacked culture. I am a work person, just not a job person.
I caused a little trouble in my 20s, learned a lot of life lessons, opened my eyes and ears and started to grow up.
I've spent the last 3 and a half years building two companies, one on top of the other. One is a PAAS (Platform as a Service) and the other is a typical kind of startup (built on top of the PAAS), but it's the one I'm most excited about and have put the most effort into. It's fully developed far past prototype, has users, but is stealth-ish at the moment. I have an amazing network of people ready to help me and promote it and develop it further. I have a vision and high standards and want to do so much more with it than is already built but lack the resources. I keep seeing companies get ridiculous amounts of funding or being purchased for huge sums; I don't need anything close to those numbers! I don't know how some of these people can blow throughs o much money and have so little to show for it. It baffles me.
So... here I am.
I'd rather not spend my days making tedious changes to minutia at the request of clients and bosses. I'd rather do something interesting that inspires me to solves problems using creativity with a group of clever and awesome people.
I consult nearly full-time right now and spend my other waking hours working on my open source projects and my own companies, often skipping sleep. I want to spend much more time on my own stuff, but that's simply not possible when I have to worry about my financial situation and do work for others.
I don't want a mansion or a yacht, I just want to work on positive things, take care of my family, build more things, and make a difference.
I have my finger on the pulse of culture, business, industry, art, society, and a lot of other things. I read Hacker News and read and watch everything I possibly can that might give me helpful insights.
I keep seeing how being a risk taker with a mind of your own is a big plus for founders. Well, look no further. I saw what Peter Thiel said about \"Founder as Victim, Founder as God\".
I'm passionate, motivated, capable, aware, insightful, open-minded and eager.
I know the Silicon Valley names, I know who the big players are, who the go to guys are, but I'm not sure that's the game I want to play.
I own 100% of one of my startups and 50% of the other (the more exciting one). The other founder (non-technical) is open to a buyout, although I don't have the resources to do that myself. They are also willing to stay involved under the right circumstances. I'd prefer to run things completely autonomously, but I'm flexible. The other founder is willing to let me make all creative, technical, and financial decisions; they only want their ownership for now (unless I can buy them out). The company is incorporated in Delaware and is in good standing and is set up as a California foreign corporation. The company name / domain name is trademarked and the concept and execution are quite good. We've been offered a somewhat reasonable investment a couple of times, but I wasn't happy with the conditions. I completely believe in the idea, the execution, and the possibility of its success, now it's time for me to find someone else who does too.
Hopefully I will find someone who can appreciate that while I have a vision and a goal, I lack some of the more annoying pretenses. I don't feel entitled to anything.
If you want to know the specifics of my companies and have an interest in possibly getting involved with me in some capacity (even just to give me advice or ask questions) then respond to me and I'll send you the details. You can email me privately at angelheaded@yahoo.com (I created an account just for this)
I'll also send along a more detailed summary of my own skills and experience.
I'm not looking for someone who wants to see what my companies are and then go talk about them on the internet or something just yet, I'm looking for someone serious to get involved and provide what I need to help me continue to build something real and substantial that we can both benefit from.
For once in my life I would like to not have to worry so much about things that I care so little about.
Bet on Seabiscuit, he's going to win this race. I do not give up.
----------
\"If\"
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
--
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
--
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Seabiscuit and \"The money problem\""}},"_tags":["story","author_angelheaded","story_4158975","ask_hn"],"author":"angelheaded","children":[4167429],"created_at":"2012-06-25T22:03:37Z","created_at_i":1340661817,"num_comments":2,"objectID":"4158975","points":1,"story_id":4158975,"story_text":"Hello world!
I'm not exactly sure the right way to approach this, I've never been much for doing things in an orthodox way, so I'll just be straightforward about it. I need to find an investor.
I believe that I have all of the necessary ingredients to be successful at what I'm trying to accomplish, but I realize that I need others to believe in me to help me to achieve my potential; few people ever get there alone.
I hear prominent figures say that they invest in the people more than the ideas and I wonder how true that is. Do you care more about me or my actual startup? In this case I think both are awesome, so maybe it's your lucky day (or mine).
So, yes, I've got a startup. That's a lie, I've got two startups, but one is my baby. We'll get back to that later, for now I want to talk about who I am and why I am writing this.
Maybe I suffer from the Dunning\u2013Kruger effect, but I think I might be just the right mix of crazy, creative, and calculated to accomplish something fairly impressive.
I'm a developer / programmer / sysadmin / hacker with a pretty impressive skill set, but I also have an artistic sense and graphic design background. I'm also very well read in literature, science, and philosophy and am possessed by an insatiable thirst for knowledge and experience. I am equally exposed to the arts and sciences.
I probably don't look very good on paper. In fact, I probably look pretty bad on paper. When I was slightly younger (and quite a bit more stupid) I would have conjured up some inspired sophistry to explain away my mistakes, or I would have tried to blame my lousy circumstances on someone else, but I'm past that kind of nonsense now. I'm old enough to know better. Not too old, though. I'm three years younger than Jack Dorsey and three years older than Mark Zuckerberg, so I think I'm sitting in a cultural sweet spot. I'm wise enough to accept that don't know everything, but experienced enough to trust myself when it counts. I'm confident in my judgment and abilities, but not to the point of arrogance and closed-mindedness. I've read that fools surround themselves with idiots so that they will feel superiority, but the clever surround themselves with the wise so that they gain wisdom. That's not a useless maxim if you ask me.
Paul Graham said: \"So who should start a startup? Someone who is a good hacker, between about 23 and 38, and who wants to solve the money problem in one shot instead of getting paid gradually over a conventional working life.\"
That's me. Of course, there are a million people who fit that description. Who am I kidding? Probably a few million...
So why me? Why am I worth someone's time and resources? Great question. Let's start at the beginning.
As I led with, I probably don't look very good on paper. Based on what the \"paper\" trail says, I come off as a bad bet. I owe some personal debts, my credit isn't exactly superb, and there are a few other little complications I'll be happy to elaborate on if your curiosity can't contain itself by the time you finish reading this message in a bottle.
Where were we? Oh yes, I'm a bad bet. Not a confidence inspiring statement, I'm aware, so let's fix that.
Seabiscuit was a bad bet, too, and that's me... I'm Seabiscuit. One day I'm limping along looking pathetic and broken and you think I'll never walk again, much less race. Yet, here I am, running... fast.
I've made some less-than-stellar choices in the past, but I've learned incredibly valuable lessons from those mistakes. They were always born out of emotion, confusion, or desperation; never out of malice, spite, or envy. They unexceptionally occurred whenever I was following my heart instead of my head, as I was always encouraged to do as a child. I've learned that I need to take more precise and calculated risks and follow my intuition rather than take wild risks and follow my desire. That's all very vague and ambiguous, I know, but it's important for me to convey that I am somewhat self-actualized in that regard. I'm at peace with where I stand and I am a forward-thinking person; it's an important characteristic of who I've become and who I intend to continue being.
Most of my issues were always self-induced, such as quitting jobs that I couldn't stand even when it wasn't a financially stable thing to do, or spiraling out of control when a relationship would end and then relinquishing any shared assets, bank accounts, vehicle, etc, or running away from home as a teenager. I would always respond to situations without proper emotional intelligence, a skill I've acquired and begun to master in recent years. I've also developed an incredibly humanistic and empathetic side as my emotions have matured.
My repeated and intentional detachment from material possessions coupled with my inability to submit to the complacency of \"the norm\" and a regular job has only fueled my creative and entrepreneurial spirits. I don't have a burning desire to fill my pockets with dollar bills, but a fire does rage inside to build a successful business and to, as Paul Graham put it, \"solve the money problem\". Which brings us to ambition and motivation...
Why do I want financial flexibility? Why do I need money if I don't care about things? Why am I writing this? Why am I driven? How driven am I?
Good questions.
I want to enjoy my life. I want to help others. I want to do something with my life, something positive. I want to leave something in the world that wasn't here when I arrived. I want to contribute and make a difference. I want to do something that matters.
I have a family (not a wife and kids or anything, but immediate family, parents, sisters, brother, nieces and nephews) who really need some help and breaks in their lives. I've done all I can to help them at every turn, given my parents money that I simply did not have, given up my rent to help them keep food on the table and pay heating bills, etc. I've supported them as much as I can when I've been thriving, but I've always been torn between keeping a job that destroys my soul just to provide some help vs. trying to succeed on a larger scale and making things easier in the long run rather than day-to-day. I won't go into the details of my various family concerns (health problems and bills, lack of economic opportunities, etc) but I have more than enough reasons to push myself to the limit. It consumes me that they are not taken care of and that they struggle the way that they do. I must help. I know now that what I need to do is live as close to the metal as I can for now and put off helping them as much as I can until I am financially secure. This means building my company and resolving my personal financial issues so that I can focus on my work without financial stress and distractions.
I have a tremendous work ethic that I wish could be applied to something I really care about.
I am tired of worrying about how I will survive and how I will make enough money to take care of everything and still find time to work on my businesses. I want to know that what I'm supposed to be focusing on is my business.
My biggest downfall in pursuit of that goal has been that I've never really tried wholeheartedly at anything worth doing. I don't mean that I haven't put enormous amounts effort into things, because I've definitely done that (studying, learning, programming, art, music, reading, preparing myself, etc), but I've never before had something that I cared so much about that I actually wanted to (or have been able to) devote all of my time to making it grow and succeed. I've wanted to have something that I was that passionate about, but I always found myself busy working on someone else's project or at someone else's company, usually doing something that disagreed with my personal philosophies and tastes. I'd quickly burn out and become uninspired and leave behind the mind-killer to go dive into my own creative development (music, writing, code, etc). I've had ideas, companies, little startups here and there, but nothing I ever had the time and resources to really make succeed. I've never been able to find someone who can get as excited as I can about something and then believe enough in it to actually follow through and manifest the idea. I finally have that now. I need to be able to build upon my existing product and I need to be able to get good people involved.
I very recently ended a 5-year relationship and for the first time have had an appropriate emotional response to the situation. I've focused on my work, my clients, my own companies, my networks and relationships and the outcome has been very positive. I am now completely free of being tied down to a particular place and I am no longer subject to normal relationship distractions. ALL OF MY TIME CAN FINALLY BE DEDICATED TO MY COMPANY AND I AM READY TO DO THAT. I CAN FOCUS COMPLETELY ON BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS AND AM VERY MOTIVATED TO DO SO! I have so much built up passion ready to let loose it is unreal. I am ready to pour myself into this.
I have a myriad of clients that I consult and develop for (government and commercial), I am part of a great open source development team, I have two startups of my own, and was just offered the CTO and lead developer position at a funded startup that is building a mobile gaming platform. I want to work on my own projects, but some of the other opportunities are making it too lucrative not to consider them. If I go that route I will be falling right back into working on someone else's dream instead of mine. I don't want to do that again.
I have been an entrepreneur for as long as I can remember. I started on my first paper route when I was 10 years old. I woke up at 3 a.m. every day before school and on the weekends to stuff and wrap over 200 newspapers to deliver all over the small midwestern town I grew up in. I delivered newspapers before and after school for 5 years, through all kinds of weather, reading the newspaper every day as I delivered it. I was responsible for purchasing newspapers from the publishers, collecting payments from my customers, and handling the financial balancing act. There was once a contest to sell newspaper subscriptions all over the area that I lived in. The winner was awarded a $200 gift certificate to the a mall in addition to being entered into the \"Newspaper Carrier Of The Year\" competition. I sold 200+ subscriptions all over the region and won the contest.
In high school I started my first web company with two other students while I was already working at a web consulting firm as a developer after school and on the weekends and also at the technology services center for the school district I attended.
After high school I moved to California and joined as the CTO of a startup hosting company that also gave me equity, but because of a bad business deal and trusting the wrong friend I didn't receive any financial payout when the company was sold. Lesson learned about people, business, money, and contracts.
After that experience I bounced around a few companies, usually clashing with the people who ran the place because their goals never corresponded with mine. Most places I worked were stagnant and comfortable and inspired no ambition, drive, or loyalty. They were jobs. I am not a job person. They always lacked culture. I am a work person, just not a job person.
I caused a little trouble in my 20s, learned a lot of life lessons, opened my eyes and ears and started to grow up.
I've spent the last 3 and a half years building two companies, one on top of the other. One is a PAAS (Platform as a Service) and the other is a typical kind of startup (built on top of the PAAS), but it's the one I'm most excited about and have put the most effort into. It's fully developed far past prototype, has users, but is stealth-ish at the moment. I have an amazing network of people ready to help me and promote it and develop it further. I have a vision and high standards and want to do so much more with it than is already built but lack the resources. I keep seeing companies get ridiculous amounts of funding or being purchased for huge sums; I don't need anything close to those numbers! I don't know how some of these people can blow throughs o much money and have so little to show for it. It baffles me.
So... here I am.
I'd rather not spend my days making tedious changes to minutia at the request of clients and bosses. I'd rather do something interesting that inspires me to solves problems using creativity with a group of clever and awesome people.
I consult nearly full-time right now and spend my other waking hours working on my open source projects and my own companies, often skipping sleep. I want to spend much more time on my own stuff, but that's simply not possible when I have to worry about my financial situation and do work for others.
I don't want a mansion or a yacht, I just want to work on positive things, take care of my family, build more things, and make a difference.
I have my finger on the pulse of culture, business, industry, art, society, and a lot of other things. I read Hacker News and read and watch everything I possibly can that might give me helpful insights.
I keep seeing how being a risk taker with a mind of your own is a big plus for founders. Well, look no further. I saw what Peter Thiel said about \"Founder as Victim, Founder as God\".
I'm passionate, motivated, capable, aware, insightful, open-minded and eager.
I know the Silicon Valley names, I know who the big players are, who the go to guys are, but I'm not sure that's the game I want to play.
I own 100% of one of my startups and 50% of the other (the more exciting one). The other founder (non-technical) is open to a buyout, although I don't have the resources to do that myself. They are also willing to stay involved under the right circumstances. I'd prefer to run things completely autonomously, but I'm flexible. The other founder is willing to let me make all creative, technical, and financial decisions; they only want their ownership for now (unless I can buy them out). The company is incorporated in Delaware and is in good standing and is set up as a California foreign corporation. The company name / domain name is trademarked and the concept and execution are quite good. We've been offered a somewhat reasonable investment a couple of times, but I wasn't happy with the conditions. I completely believe in the idea, the execution, and the possibility of its success, now it's time for me to find someone else who does too.
Hopefully I will find someone who can appreciate that while I have a vision and a goal, I lack some of the more annoying pretenses. I don't feel entitled to anything.
If you want to know the specifics of my companies and have an interest in possibly getting involved with me in some capacity (even just to give me advice or ask questions) then respond to me and I'll send you the details. You can email me privately at angelheaded@yahoo.com (I created an account just for this)
I'll also send along a more detailed summary of my own skills and experience.
I'm not looking for someone who wants to see what my companies are and then go talk about them on the internet or something just yet, I'm looking for someone serious to get involved and provide what I need to help me continue to build something real and substantial that we can both benefit from.
For once in my life I would like to not have to worry so much about things that I care so little about.
Bet on Seabiscuit, he's going to win this race. I do not give up.
----------
\"If\"
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
--
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
--
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!","title":"Seabiscuit and \"The money problem\"","updated_at":"2025-09-24T03:16:15Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"reubens"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["devoted","health"],"value":"I'm a fourth-year medical student in Melbourne, Australia, with interests in CS and AI.
In 'Preparing the healthcare workforce\nto deliver the digital future', Eric Topol suggests that "education providers should ensure genomics, data analytics and AI are prominent in undergraduate curricula for healthcare professionals."
But there isn't much out there on what specifically should be taught to future doctors. I see much of the benefit of AI to be in freeing up time for the clinician to devote to direct, human patient care. So how much technical background would be of use to the doctor?
What would you like the doctor - who is using your tools - to know?"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ask HN: How should AI education be incorporated into med school curriculum?"}},"_tags":["story","author_reubens","story_20111477","ask_hn"],"author":"reubens","created_at":"2019-06-06T04:02:35Z","created_at_i":1559793755,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"20111477","points":1,"story_id":20111477,"story_text":"I'm a fourth-year medical student in Melbourne, Australia, with interests in CS and AI.
In 'Preparing the healthcare workforce\nto deliver the digital future', Eric Topol suggests that "education providers should ensure genomics, data analytics and AI are prominent in undergraduate curricula for healthcare professionals."
But there isn't much out there on what specifically should be taught to future doctors. I see much of the benefit of AI to be in freeing up time for the clinician to devote to direct, human patient care. So how much technical background would be of use to the doctor?
What would you like the doctor - who is using your tools - to know?","title":"Ask HN: How should AI education be incorporated into med school curriculum?","updated_at":"2024-09-20T04:20:54Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Luc"},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["devoted","health"],"value":"Bounce denotes battery health (2015)"},"url":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["devoted","health"],"value":"https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/bounce-denotes-battery-health/8411.article"}},"_tags":["story","author_Luc","story_18193505"],"author":"Luc","children":[18199262,18199681,18200176,18200203,18204720,18206481],"created_at":"2018-10-11T13:51:28Z","created_at_i":1539265888,"num_comments":13,"objectID":"18193505","points":29,"story_id":18193505,"title":"Bounce denotes battery health (2015)","updated_at":"2024-09-20T03:13:09Z","url":"https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/bounce-denotes-battery-health/8411.article"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ultramanoid"},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"partial","matchedWords":["devoted"],"value":"Drug devised to replace chemotherapy may reshape cancer care"},"url":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["devoted","health"],"value":"https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/06/16/national/science-health/drug-devised-replace-chemotherapy-may-reshape-cancer-care/"}},"_tags":["story","author_Ultramanoid","story_20199549"],"author":"Ultramanoid","created_at":"2019-06-17T03:13:39Z","created_at_i":1560741219,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"20199549","points":1,"story_id":20199549,"title":"Drug devised to replace chemotherapy may reshape cancer care","updated_at":"2024-09-20T04:30:49Z","url":"https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/06/16/national/science-health/drug-devised-replace-chemotherapy-may-reshape-cancer-care/"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"baobabKoodaa"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["devoted","health"],"value":"I was surprised to see this in my email today:
> Your private repository baobabKoodaa/laaketutka-scripts (forked from futurice/how-to-get-healthy) has been deleted because you are no longer a collaborator on futurice/how-to-get-healthy.
That was an MIT-licensed open source project I worked on years ago. We published the source code for everyone to use, so I certainly did not expect to lose access to it just because someone at my previous company has been doing spring cleaning at GitHub! I had a 100% legal fork of the project, and now it's gone... why?
Turns out I don't even have a local copy of it anymore, so this actually caused me data loss. I'm fine with losing access to this particular codebase, I'm not using HN as customer support to regain access. I just wanted everyone to be aware that GitHub does this."},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Tell HN: GitHub will delete your private repo if you lose access to the original"}},"_tags":["story","author_baobabKoodaa","story_34600985","ask_hn"],"author":"baobabKoodaa","children":[34601077,34601128,34601666,34601728,34601765,34601926,34602080,34602145,34602163,34602171,34602179,34602397,34602424,34602455,34602614,34602960,34602975,34603079,34603086,34603096,34603117,34603135,34603237,34603305,34603613,34603746,34603781,34603782,34603795,34603825,34604003,34604067,34604204,34604205,34604244,34604335,34604472,34604733,34604749,34604804,34605146,34605367,34605601,34606023,34606062,34606345,34608306,34609010,34609442,34610624,34611459,34621238],"created_at":"2023-01-31T19:56:39Z","created_at_i":1675194999,"num_comments":279,"objectID":"34600985","points":530,"story_id":34600985,"story_text":"I was surprised to see this in my email today:
> Your private repository baobabKoodaa/laaketutka-scripts (forked from futurice/how-to-get-healthy) has been deleted because you are no longer a collaborator on futurice/how-to-get-healthy.
That was an MIT-licensed open source project I worked on years ago. We published the source code for everyone to use, so I certainly did not expect to lose access to it just because someone at my previous company has been doing spring cleaning at GitHub! I had a 100% legal fork of the project, and now it's gone... why?
Turns out I don't even have a local copy of it anymore, so this actually caused me data loss. I'm fine with losing access to this particular codebase, I'm not using HN as customer support to regain access. I just wanted everyone to be aware that GitHub does this.","title":"Tell HN: GitHub will delete your private repo if you lose access to the original","updated_at":"2025-05-23T11:33:01Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"shanebellone"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["devoted","health"],"value":"Dear Halo member,
At Amazon, we think big, experiment, and invest in new ideas like Amazon Halo to delight our customers. While we are proud of what we built, we recently made the difficult decision to stop supporting Amazon Halo effective July 31, 2023. We understand this news may be disappointing for you. Beginning on August 1, 2023, Amazon Halo View, Amazon Halo Band, and the Amazon Halo app, will no longer function. If you have a paid subscription, you will no longer be charged for the monthly subscription fee as of today, and any unused prepaid Halo subscriptions fees will be refunded to your original payment method in the coming weeks. You do not need to take any additional steps.
If you want to download or delete your Halo health data, you can do so from the Settings page in the app. If you want to save your scan images to your phone\u2019s Camera Roll, open the individual scan image, click the button next to the camera icon, and select \u201cSave images to phone.\u201d Remaining Halo health data will be deleted after August 1, 2023.
We encourage you to recycle your Amazon Halo device and accessories through the Amazon Recycling Program \u2013 Amazon covers the costs associated with shipping and recycling your devices and accessories. Find more information about the Amazon Recycling Program and get your free shipping label by clicking the link: https://amazonrecycling-us.re-teck.com/recycling/home.
If you have any questions, please reach out to customer service.
Thank you for being an Amazon customer.
Sincerely,\nThe Amazon Halo Team"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Amazon Kills Halo Band and Halo View"}},"_tags":["story","author_shanebellone","story_35740097","ask_hn"],"author":"shanebellone","created_at":"2023-04-28T11:45:14Z","created_at_i":1682682314,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"35740097","points":2,"story_id":35740097,"story_text":"Dear Halo member,
At Amazon, we think big, experiment, and invest in new ideas like Amazon Halo to delight our customers. While we are proud of what we built, we recently made the difficult decision to stop supporting Amazon Halo effective July 31, 2023. We understand this news may be disappointing for you. Beginning on August 1, 2023, Amazon Halo View, Amazon Halo Band, and the Amazon Halo app, will no longer function. If you have a paid subscription, you will no longer be charged for the monthly subscription fee as of today, and any unused prepaid Halo subscriptions fees will be refunded to your original payment method in the coming weeks. You do not need to take any additional steps.
If you want to download or delete your Halo health data, you can do so from the Settings page in the app. If you want to save your scan images to your phone\u2019s Camera Roll, open the individual scan image, click the button next to the camera icon, and select \u201cSave images to phone.\u201d Remaining Halo health data will be deleted after August 1, 2023.
We encourage you to recycle your Amazon Halo device and accessories through the Amazon Recycling Program \u2013 Amazon covers the costs associated with shipping and recycling your devices and accessories. Find more information about the Amazon Recycling Program and get your free shipping label by clicking the link: https://amazonrecycling-us.re-teck.com/recycling/home.
If you have any questions, please reach out to customer service.
Thank you for being an Amazon customer.
Sincerely,\nThe Amazon Halo Team","title":"Amazon Kills Halo Band and Halo View","updated_at":"2024-09-20T13:59:20Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"JSeymourATL"},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"partial","matchedWords":["devoted"],"value":"Decoded Brain Signals Could Give Voiceless People a Way to Talk"},"url":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["devoted","health"],"value":"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/04/24/716790281/decoded-brain-signals-could-give-voiceless-people-a-way-to-talk"}},"_tags":["story","author_JSeymourATL","story_19797522"],"author":"JSeymourATL","children":[19797702],"created_at":"2019-05-01T14:53:33Z","created_at_i":1556722413,"num_comments":1,"objectID":"19797522","points":2,"story_id":19797522,"title":"Decoded Brain Signals Could Give Voiceless People a Way to Talk","updated_at":"2024-09-20T04:10:28Z","url":"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/04/24/716790281/decoded-brain-signals-could-give-voiceless-people-a-way-to-talk"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"dcow"},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"partial","matchedWords":["devoted"],"value":"Deleted gene sequences confirm COVID circulated before Wuhan seafood market"},"url":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["devoted","health"],"value":"https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/06/26/coronavirus-origins-deleted-gene-sequences-offer-clues-early-days/5330275001/"}},"_tags":["story","author_dcow","story_27643654"],"author":"dcow","created_at":"2021-06-26T17:08:12Z","created_at_i":1624727292,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"27643654","points":2,"story_id":27643654,"title":"Deleted gene sequences confirm COVID circulated before Wuhan seafood market","updated_at":"2024-09-20T08:53:24Z","url":"https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/06/26/coronavirus-origins-deleted-gene-sequences-offer-clues-early-days/5330275001/"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"lisper"},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"partial","matchedWords":["devoted"],"value":"Seattle scientist digs up deleted coronavirus genetic data"},"url":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"partial","matchedWords":["health"],"value":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/coronavirus-origin-nih-gene-sequence-deletion/2021/06/23/186e87d0-d437-11eb-a53a-3b5450fdca7a_story.html"}},"_tags":["story","author_lisper","story_27609748"],"author":"lisper","children":[27611397],"created_at":"2021-06-23T20:21:56Z","created_at_i":1624479716,"num_comments":1,"objectID":"27609748","points":23,"story_id":27609748,"title":"Seattle scientist digs up deleted coronavirus genetic data","updated_at":"2024-09-20T08:50:10Z","url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/coronavirus-origin-nih-gene-sequence-deletion/2021/06/23/186e87d0-d437-11eb-a53a-3b5450fdca7a_story.html"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"k-thimmaraju"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["devoted","health"],"value":"Hey HN! We're Dr. Kashyap Thimmaraju and Giuseppe Canale from Silicon Psyche. We've built Posture Sequence Analysis (PSA), a behavioural health monitor for LLMs and AI Agents.
Why we built PSA
We built PSA because we wanted to operationalize the Cybersecurity Psychology Framework (CPF3)[1] via Silicon Psyche[2]: our theory that because LLMs have been trained by humans on human-generated data, they inherit human-like vulnerabilities (what hackers use to psychologically trick people into doing things).
Our initial attempt resulted in a methodology to jailbreak Opus 4.6 and other frontier models. Anthropic even deleted some of those conversations and then blocked our approach!
We had three major insights from that experience:\n1. we pivoted from merely exploiting (Red Teaming) the model to analyzing the behaviour of the model and the user because the attack surface is undefined.\n2. we realized that what we had built was the precursor to measuring the "state" of the model.\n3. we did not want to get banned!
What you can do with PSA
PSA gives you information to make better decisions, for example: put a human in the loop when you notice your agent is being overcompliant and potentially hallucinating, or is under attack.
With PSA you can:\n1. Monitor the health of your agent(s)\n2. Detect and prevent AI-Psychosis as clinical conditions[3]\n3. Detect if your model/agents are under adversarial pressure (an adversary is trying to jailbreak/prompt inject the model)\n4. Build a behavioral profile of your agent/model\n5. Identify which model performs better for your use-case\n6. Surface the behavioural patterns (pre- and post-) training has on your model\n7. Get an overview of how your model behaves
Beware we produce a lot of numbers :)
PSA in detail (for those who want to go down the rabbit hole)
PSA is model and agent agnostic. PSA is a systematic and deterministic method [4] to observe the behavioural state of an LLM using five classifiers:
C0: Input Intent (I0\u2013I9). Classifies the behavioral intent behind each input sentence: compliance pressure, boundary probing, instruction override, jailbreak attempt, neutral query.
C1: Adversarial Stress (P0\u2013P18). Tracks posture under adversarial pressure. Detects restriction adherence, sycophantic drift, boundary dissolution, and jailbreak compliance vectors.
C2: Sycophancy (S0\u2013S9). Measures opinion mirroring, excessive agreement, flattery injection, and user-preference distortion. Computed as a per-sentence Sycophancy Deviation score.
C3: Hallucination Risk (H0\u2013H7). Flags over-generalization, speculative assertion, false confidence, and fabrication risk signals. Derived into a per-turn Hallucination Risk Index.
C4: Persuasion Technique (M0\u2013M11). Identifies persuasion patterns: authority appeal, social proof, urgency manufacturing, reciprocity pressure, and scarcity framing.
C5: Action-Risk Classifier (A0\u2013A9). Identifies what a system of agents do: tool calls, delegations, context handoffs, and multi-hop risk propagation. Five components work together: graph topology, Bayesian alignment detection, cross-agent contagion metrics, action-risk classification, and hidden-state temporal prediction.
We are open to integrating with your infrastructure \u2014 reach out, we are happy to talk with you.
Currently we integrate into Evals for LangFuse and ElevenLabs via our API and can generate a plugin/integration for most similar observability platforms.
Try it out at https://splabs.io
References and Links
[1] Cybersecurity Psychology Framework: https://cpf3.org
[2] The Silicon Psyche: Anthropomorphic Vulnerabilities in Large Language Models: https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.00867
[3] AI-Psychosis: https://splabs.io/ai-psychosis-and-cognitive-cost
[4] PSA Field Guide: https://splabs.io/field-guide
[5] PSA API: https://splabs.io/docs/api
[6] Previous HN Article Linked to AI Psychosis and RLHF: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48177198"},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"partial","matchedWords":["health"],"value":"Show HN: How to analyze your LLM output \u2013 A behavioural health monitor for LLMs"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"https://splabs.io"}},"_tags":["story","author_k-thimmaraju","story_48192607","show_hn"],"author":"k-thimmaraju","children":[48192767,48193550,48193574,48194330,48194688,48197652,48201221,48208783,48257110,48257126],"created_at":"2026-05-19T12:48:32Z","created_at_i":1779194912,"num_comments":7,"objectID":"48192607","points":10,"story_id":48192607,"story_text":"Hey HN! We're Dr. Kashyap Thimmaraju and Giuseppe Canale from Silicon Psyche. We've built Posture Sequence Analysis (PSA), a behavioural health monitor for LLMs and AI Agents.
Why we built PSA
We built PSA because we wanted to operationalize the Cybersecurity Psychology Framework (CPF3)[1] via Silicon Psyche[2]: our theory that because LLMs have been trained by humans on human-generated data, they inherit human-like vulnerabilities (what hackers use to psychologically trick people into doing things).
Our initial attempt resulted in a methodology to jailbreak Opus 4.6 and other frontier models. Anthropic even deleted some of those conversations and then blocked our approach!
We had three major insights from that experience:\n1. we pivoted from merely exploiting (Red Teaming) the model to analyzing the behaviour of the model and the user because the attack surface is undefined.\n2. we realized that what we had built was the precursor to measuring the "state" of the model.\n3. we did not want to get banned!
What you can do with PSA
PSA gives you information to make better decisions, for example: put a human in the loop when you notice your agent is being overcompliant and potentially hallucinating, or is under attack.
With PSA you can:\n1. Monitor the health of your agent(s)\n2. Detect and prevent AI-Psychosis as clinical conditions[3]\n3. Detect if your model/agents are under adversarial pressure (an adversary is trying to jailbreak/prompt inject the model)\n4. Build a behavioral profile of your agent/model\n5. Identify which model performs better for your use-case\n6. Surface the behavioural patterns (pre- and post-) training has on your model\n7. Get an overview of how your model behaves
Beware we produce a lot of numbers :)
PSA in detail (for those who want to go down the rabbit hole)
PSA is model and agent agnostic. PSA is a systematic and deterministic method [4] to observe the behavioural state of an LLM using five classifiers:
C0: Input Intent (I0\u2013I9). Classifies the behavioral intent behind each input sentence: compliance pressure, boundary probing, instruction override, jailbreak attempt, neutral query.
C1: Adversarial Stress (P0\u2013P18). Tracks posture under adversarial pressure. Detects restriction adherence, sycophantic drift, boundary dissolution, and jailbreak compliance vectors.
C2: Sycophancy (S0\u2013S9). Measures opinion mirroring, excessive agreement, flattery injection, and user-preference distortion. Computed as a per-sentence Sycophancy Deviation score.
C3: Hallucination Risk (H0\u2013H7). Flags over-generalization, speculative assertion, false confidence, and fabrication risk signals. Derived into a per-turn Hallucination Risk Index.
C4: Persuasion Technique (M0\u2013M11). Identifies persuasion patterns: authority appeal, social proof, urgency manufacturing, reciprocity pressure, and scarcity framing.
C5: Action-Risk Classifier (A0\u2013A9). Identifies what a system of agents do: tool calls, delegations, context handoffs, and multi-hop risk propagation. Five components work together: graph topology, Bayesian alignment detection, cross-agent contagion metrics, action-risk classification, and hidden-state temporal prediction.
We are open to integrating with your infrastructure \u2014 reach out, we are happy to talk with you.
Currently we integrate into Evals for LangFuse and ElevenLabs via our API and can generate a plugin/integration for most similar observability platforms.
Try it out at https://splabs.io
References and Links
[1] Cybersecurity Psychology Framework: https://cpf3.org
[2] The Silicon Psyche: Anthropomorphic Vulnerabilities in Large Language Models: https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.00867
[3] AI-Psychosis: https://splabs.io/ai-psychosis-and-cognitive-cost
[4] PSA Field Guide: https://splabs.io/field-guide
[5] PSA API: https://splabs.io/docs/api
[6] Previous HN Article Linked to AI Psychosis and RLHF: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48177198","title":"Show HN: How to analyze your LLM output \u2013 A behavioural health monitor for LLMs","updated_at":"2026-06-02T06:42:06Z","url":"https://splabs.io"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"robg"},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"partial","matchedWords":["devoted"],"value":"Decoded Genome Gives New Hope in Confronting Diseases"},"url":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"partial","matchedWords":["health"],"value":"http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/health/research/11gene.html?hp"}},"_tags":["story","author_robg","story_1182423"],"author":"robg","created_at":"2010-03-11T00:21:38Z","created_at_i":1268266898,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"1182423","points":7,"story_id":1182423,"title":"Decoded Genome Gives New Hope in Confronting Diseases","updated_at":"2023-09-06T19:16:39Z","url":"http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/health/research/11gene.html?hp"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"aceonetwo"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"partial","matchedWords":["health"],"value":"Not sure how many app developers there are here but we make health apps and Google as part of its on going war against corona virus decides to delete our health app which provides no information or diagnosis on coronavirus two days ago. We had hundreds of reviews and had been working on it for over a year and just like that, it\u2019s all gone. We have a Dr (CMO) on our board and are a VC funded company. Our appeal response was \u2018this is strike one and just upload another bundle\u2019 even though we did nothing wrong and it was a total mistake on their end. I\u2019m not sure how anyone can even try to build a non game business on the App Store without the worry that they will wake up and have their app deleted."},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"partial","matchedWords":["devoted"],"value":"Google deleted our App, how can we trust them?"}},"_tags":["story","author_aceonetwo","story_22573523","ask_hn"],"author":"aceonetwo","children":[22573547,22573935],"created_at":"2020-03-14T06:07:19Z","created_at_i":1584166039,"num_comments":5,"objectID":"22573523","points":4,"story_id":22573523,"story_text":"Not sure how many app developers there are here but we make health apps and Google as part of its on going war against corona virus decides to delete our health app which provides no information or diagnosis on coronavirus two days ago. We had hundreds of reviews and had been working on it for over a year and just like that, it\u2019s all gone. We have a Dr (CMO) on our board and are a VC funded company. Our appeal response was \u2018this is strike one and just upload another bundle\u2019 even though we did nothing wrong and it was a total mistake on their end. I\u2019m not sure how anyone can even try to build a non game business on the App Store without the worry that they will wake up and have their app deleted.","title":"Google deleted our App, how can we trust them?","updated_at":"2024-09-20T05:54:01Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"jakeburtn"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"'Melt in the body' electronics devised"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19737125"}},"_tags":["story","author_jakeburtn","story_4582971"],"author":"jakeburtn","created_at":"2012-09-27T21:19:03Z","created_at_i":1348780743,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"4582971","points":4,"story_id":4582971,"title":"'Melt in the body' electronics devised","updated_at":"2023-09-06T21:14:37Z","url":"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19737125"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"canucker2016"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Woman sneezes out maggots after fly larvae get trapped in her deviated septum"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/woman-sneezes-out-maggots-after-fly-larvae-get-trapped-in-her-deviated-septum/"}},"_tags":["story","author_canucker2016","story_47377592"],"author":"canucker2016","created_at":"2026-03-14T15:22:23Z","created_at_i":1773501743,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"47377592","points":3,"story_id":47377592,"title":"Woman sneezes out maggots after fly larvae get trapped in her deviated septum","updated_at":"2026-03-15T07:47:46Z","url":"https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/03/woman-sneezes-out-maggots-after-fly-larvae-get-trapped-in-her-deviated-septum/"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"ashishbindra"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"The new kilogram just debuted"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/5/17/18627757/kilogram-redefined-world-metrology-day-explained"}},"_tags":["story","author_ashishbindra","story_19978138"],"author":"ashishbindra","children":[19978439],"created_at":"2019-05-22T05:46:36Z","created_at_i":1558503996,"num_comments":1,"objectID":"19978138","points":2,"story_id":19978138,"title":"The new kilogram just debuted","updated_at":"2024-09-20T04:20:02Z","url":"https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/5/17/18627757/kilogram-redefined-world-metrology-day-explained"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"startupflix"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Complex enzyme that affects aging, cancer decoded in two-decade-long: study"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/04/27/world/science-health-world/complex-enzyme-affects-aging-cancer-decoded-two-decade-long-study/#.WuXt-L3hU0M"}},"_tags":["story","author_startupflix","story_16952587"],"author":"startupflix","created_at":"2018-04-29T16:09:35Z","created_at_i":1525018175,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"16952587","points":2,"story_id":16952587,"title":"Complex enzyme that affects aging, cancer decoded in two-decade-long: study","updated_at":"2024-09-20T02:26:05Z","url":"https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/04/27/world/science-health-world/complex-enzyme-affects-aging-cancer-decoded-two-decade-long-study/#.WuXt-L3hU0M"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"annazak"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Sylex Technologies today announced the release of YouShield application for iOS and Android. A new smartphone application is a sophisticated tool that performs health checkup based on user-provided symptoms and health data and is able to generate personalized health risk assessment reports.
YouShield mobile application has been created by Sylex Technologies LLC, a renowned developer of national eHealth system software in several European and Asian countries. The application is designed to empower general audience with knowledge of good health standards and give them the opportunity to self-managed health status tracking. Smart algorithms based on Sylex Technologies\u2019 know-how research provide analysis of user\u2013entered symptoms and lab tests data. The application provides the list of necessary lab tests, based on individual risk.
The application functions without compulsory registration and doesn\u2019t require any personal information. It is easy-to-use and has flexible and intuitive interface. YouShield app stores historical data about user symptoms, complaints and lab results on user\u2019s device. New data can be added, changed or deleted at any time. The app is launched in the Apple App Store and Google Play on May 23rd, 2016 and may be downloaded for free.
About Sylex Technologies LLC\nSylex Technologies LLC is a technology company that specializes in products and solutions for healthcare and insurance business automatisation. For more than ten years, the company has worked closely with insurance companies and healthcare providers to supply them with the most flexible, sophisticated and user-friendly software. Sylex Technologies software includes billing, resource planning, business intelligence, EMR management and other solutions."},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"YouShield free mHealth app for health threats early detection launched today"}},"_tags":["story","author_annazak","story_11761390","ask_hn"],"author":"annazak","created_at":"2016-05-24T13:40:06Z","created_at_i":1464097206,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"11761390","points":1,"story_id":11761390,"story_text":"Sylex Technologies today announced the release of YouShield application for iOS and Android. A new smartphone application is a sophisticated tool that performs health checkup based on user-provided symptoms and health data and is able to generate personalized health risk assessment reports.
YouShield mobile application has been created by Sylex Technologies LLC, a renowned developer of national eHealth system software in several European and Asian countries. The application is designed to empower general audience with knowledge of good health standards and give them the opportunity to self-managed health status tracking. Smart algorithms based on Sylex Technologies\u2019 know-how research provide analysis of user\u2013entered symptoms and lab tests data. The application provides the list of necessary lab tests, based on individual risk.
The application functions without compulsory registration and doesn\u2019t require any personal information. It is easy-to-use and has flexible and intuitive interface. YouShield app stores historical data about user symptoms, complaints and lab results on user\u2019s device. New data can be added, changed or deleted at any time. The app is launched in the Apple App Store and Google Play on May 23rd, 2016 and may be downloaded for free.
About Sylex Technologies LLC\nSylex Technologies LLC is a technology company that specializes in products and solutions for healthcare and insurance business automatisation. For more than ten years, the company has worked closely with insurance companies and healthcare providers to supply them with the most flexible, sophisticated and user-friendly software. Sylex Technologies software includes billing, resource planning, business intelligence, EMR management and other solutions.","title":"YouShield free mHealth app for health threats early detection launched today","updated_at":"2024-09-19T23:16:01Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"nikkwong"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"I'm at my wits end with big tech platforms. I run a popular photography product company (which was a Kickstarter project in 2014) [0] which gets a lot of love for its ability to help photographers take interesting images.
But I'm continually running into walls with BigTechCos. I'm just coming off the end of having had my Instagram account deleted by Facebook because a graffiti artist and his trolls were able to flag my IG account and left me unable to appeal[1]. 20k followers, 4 years of work gone. My entire customer base is primarily on IG and they are shocked to find that I'm not; so I feel the pain every day and the fact that I'm no longer advertising on FB because of it is a loss-loss in my opinion. Can not explain how upsetting it is for me.
To add insult to injury Amazon randomly delisted my product. I randomly received an email that they removed me [2]. I checked the listing and saw that a customer had left a bad review. I went to contact that customer [3] and saw that the seller in that instance wasn't me, it was Adorama, a retailer who sells the product I created. I figured this was the sale that got my account flagged, so I responded trying to explain that I sell an OEM product so I wouldn't sell anything used/broken[4]. They then respond that my response is not sufficient[5]. I then decide to give them what they want, contact my manufacturer, come up with a plan [6]. Pretty long, with evidence, a spreadsheet, and even more detailed notes at the end of the email.
Today they've just gotten back to me saying they refuse to reinstate it and that I'm shit out of luck [7]. I am livid at this point. What else did they want? And if they weren't going to reinstate me in the first place, why not just say that? According to my account dashboard my account is in perfect 'health'[8] and there is absolutely no indication that there is anything wrong. I feel like I am being trolled.
It feels so perverse because I live in Seattle so I am always rooting for Amazon. Now, after having finally taken the leap and quit my job and started a company that's beginning to do well, the companies that I've always applauded are totally screwing up my business and leaving me stranded with no options. Not even a customer support number. I don't typically get stressed but the helplessness in the hands of these companies has been keeping me up at night. I feel the stress.
Does anyone have any ideas of what I could do? I live in Seattle so are there any offices or people I could try reasoning with in person? And also if anyone can tell me what I did wrong. If anyone has any information that could be useful I would seriously appreciate it because this is quite literally my livelihood and my entire life.
Thank you for reading. Also sorry for the rant; I am not usually so forthcoming; the entire situation though, is just so dis-empowering.
Edit: here is also the product listing in question [9]
[0] https://www.getfractals.com
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19166053
[2] https://imgur.com/a/aQLThvj
[3] https://imgur.com/a/xm8dAoI
[4] https://imgur.com/a/8biKZlT
[5] https://imgur.com/a/ZSVz7vn
[6] https://imgur.com/a/IZgOfuA
[7] https://imgur.com/a/j81rJyk
[8] https://imgur.com/a/dP11fCc
[9] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OHD49R6?ref=myi_title_dp"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ask HN: Amazon delisted me \u2013 what do I do?"}},"_tags":["story","author_nikkwong","story_19551590","ask_hn"],"author":"nikkwong","children":[19551591,19551624,19551930,19551939,19552055,19552094,19552103,19552121,19552123,19552160,19552241,19552284,19552318,19552334,19552536,19552539,19552601,19552645,19552667,19552784,19552800,19552884,19553738,19554098,19554158,19556177,19556198,19556199,19556211,19556470,19556684,19557135,19557790,19557801,19557928,19558151,19558325,19558721,19580951,19580953,19581006,19581009],"created_at":"2019-04-02T06:41:40Z","created_at_i":1554187300,"num_comments":97,"objectID":"19551590","points":495,"story_id":19551590,"story_text":"I'm at my wits end with big tech platforms. I run a popular photography product company (which was a Kickstarter project in 2014) [0] which gets a lot of love for its ability to help photographers take interesting images.
But I'm continually running into walls with BigTechCos. I'm just coming off the end of having had my Instagram account deleted by Facebook because a graffiti artist and his trolls were able to flag my IG account and left me unable to appeal[1]. 20k followers, 4 years of work gone. My entire customer base is primarily on IG and they are shocked to find that I'm not; so I feel the pain every day and the fact that I'm no longer advertising on FB because of it is a loss-loss in my opinion. Can not explain how upsetting it is for me.
To add insult to injury Amazon randomly delisted my product. I randomly received an email that they removed me [2]. I checked the listing and saw that a customer had left a bad review. I went to contact that customer [3] and saw that the seller in that instance wasn't me, it was Adorama, a retailer who sells the product I created. I figured this was the sale that got my account flagged, so I responded trying to explain that I sell an OEM product so I wouldn't sell anything used/broken[4]. They then respond that my response is not sufficient[5]. I then decide to give them what they want, contact my manufacturer, come up with a plan [6]. Pretty long, with evidence, a spreadsheet, and even more detailed notes at the end of the email.
Today they've just gotten back to me saying they refuse to reinstate it and that I'm shit out of luck [7]. I am livid at this point. What else did they want? And if they weren't going to reinstate me in the first place, why not just say that? According to my account dashboard my account is in perfect 'health'[8] and there is absolutely no indication that there is anything wrong. I feel like I am being trolled.
It feels so perverse because I live in Seattle so I am always rooting for Amazon. Now, after having finally taken the leap and quit my job and started a company that's beginning to do well, the companies that I've always applauded are totally screwing up my business and leaving me stranded with no options. Not even a customer support number. I don't typically get stressed but the helplessness in the hands of these companies has been keeping me up at night. I feel the stress.
Does anyone have any ideas of what I could do? I live in Seattle so are there any offices or people I could try reasoning with in person? And also if anyone can tell me what I did wrong. If anyone has any information that could be useful I would seriously appreciate it because this is quite literally my livelihood and my entire life.
Thank you for reading. Also sorry for the rant; I am not usually so forthcoming; the entire situation though, is just so dis-empowering.
Edit: here is also the product listing in question [9]
[0] https://www.getfractals.com
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19166053
[2] https://imgur.com/a/aQLThvj
[3] https://imgur.com/a/xm8dAoI
[4] https://imgur.com/a/8biKZlT
[5] https://imgur.com/a/ZSVz7vn
[6] https://imgur.com/a/IZgOfuA
[7] https://imgur.com/a/j81rJyk
[8] https://imgur.com/a/dP11fCc
[9] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OHD49R6?ref=myi_title_dp","title":"Ask HN: Amazon delisted me \u2013 what do I do?","updated_at":"2024-09-20T04:02:49Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"louis_w_gk"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"A year ago, we launched Distr here to help software vendors manage customer deployments remotely. We had agents that pulled updates, a hub with a GUI, and a lot of assumptions about what on-prem deployment needed.
It turned out things get messy when your software is running in places you can't simply SSH into.
Over the last year, we\u2019ve also helped modernize a lot of home-baked solutions: bash scripts that email when updates fail, Excel sheets nobody trusts to track customer versions, engineers driving to customer sites to fix things in person, debug sessions over email (\u201ccan you take a screenshot of the logs and send it to me?\u201d), customers with access to internal AWS or GCP registries because there was no better option, and deployments two major versions behind that nobody wants to touch.
We waited a year before making our first breaking change, which led to a major SemVer update\u2014but it was eventually necessary. We needed to completely rewrite how we manage customer organizations. In Distr, we differentiate between vendors and customers. A vendor is typically the author of a software / AI application that wants to distribute it to customers. Previously, we had taken a shortcut where every customer was just a single user who owned a deployment. We\u2019ve now introduced customer organizations. Vendors onboard customer organizations onto the platform, and customers own their internal user management, including RBAC. This change obviously broke our API, and although the migration for our cloud customers was smooth, custom solutions built on top of our APIs needed updates.
Other notable features we\u2019ve implemented since our first launch:
- An OCI container registry built on an adapted version of https://github.com/google/go-containerregistry/, directly embedded into our codebase and served via a separate port from a single Docker image. This allows vendors to distribute Docker images and other OCI artifacts if customers want to self-manage deployments.
- License Management to restrict which customers can access which applications or artifact versions. Although \u201clicense management\u201d is a broadly used term, the main purpose here is to codify contractual agreements between vendors and customers. In its simplest form, this is time-based access to specific software versions, which vendors can now manage with Distr.
- Container logs and metrics you can actually see without SSH access. Internally, we debated whether to use a time-series database or store all logs in Postgres. Although we had to tinker quite a bit with Postgres indexes, it now runs stably.
- Secret Management, so database passwords don\u2019t show up in configuration steps or logs.
Distr is now used by 200+ vendors, including Fortune 500 companies, across on-prem, GovCloud, AWS, and GCP, spanning health tech, fintech, security, and AI companies. We\u2019ve also started working on our first air-gapped environment.
For Distr 3.0, we\u2019re working on native Terraform / OpenTofu and Zarf support to provision and update infrastructure in customers\u2019 cloud accounts and physical environments\u2014empowering vendors to offer BYOC and air-gapped use cases, all from a single platform.
Distr is fully open source and self-hostable: https://github.com/distr-sh/distr
Docs: https://distr.sh/docs
We\u2019re YC S24. Happy to answer questions about on-prem deployments and would love to hear about your experience with complex customer deployments."},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Show HN: Distr 2.0 \u2013 A year of learning how to ship to customer environments"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"https://github.com/distr-sh/distr"}},"_tags":["story","author_louis_w_gk","story_46958742","show_hn"],"author":"louis_w_gk","children":[46959726,46959772,46960160,46960263,46962222,46969627,46972362],"created_at":"2026-02-10T12:19:23Z","created_at_i":1770725963,"num_comments":29,"objectID":"46958742","points":101,"story_id":46958742,"story_text":"A year ago, we launched Distr here to help software vendors manage customer deployments remotely. We had agents that pulled updates, a hub with a GUI, and a lot of assumptions about what on-prem deployment needed.
It turned out things get messy when your software is running in places you can't simply SSH into.
Over the last year, we\u2019ve also helped modernize a lot of home-baked solutions: bash scripts that email when updates fail, Excel sheets nobody trusts to track customer versions, engineers driving to customer sites to fix things in person, debug sessions over email (\u201ccan you take a screenshot of the logs and send it to me?\u201d), customers with access to internal AWS or GCP registries because there was no better option, and deployments two major versions behind that nobody wants to touch.
We waited a year before making our first breaking change, which led to a major SemVer update\u2014but it was eventually necessary. We needed to completely rewrite how we manage customer organizations. In Distr, we differentiate between vendors and customers. A vendor is typically the author of a software / AI application that wants to distribute it to customers. Previously, we had taken a shortcut where every customer was just a single user who owned a deployment. We\u2019ve now introduced customer organizations. Vendors onboard customer organizations onto the platform, and customers own their internal user management, including RBAC. This change obviously broke our API, and although the migration for our cloud customers was smooth, custom solutions built on top of our APIs needed updates.
Other notable features we\u2019ve implemented since our first launch:
- An OCI container registry built on an adapted version of https://github.com/google/go-containerregistry/, directly embedded into our codebase and served via a separate port from a single Docker image. This allows vendors to distribute Docker images and other OCI artifacts if customers want to self-manage deployments.
- License Management to restrict which customers can access which applications or artifact versions. Although \u201clicense management\u201d is a broadly used term, the main purpose here is to codify contractual agreements between vendors and customers. In its simplest form, this is time-based access to specific software versions, which vendors can now manage with Distr.
- Container logs and metrics you can actually see without SSH access. Internally, we debated whether to use a time-series database or store all logs in Postgres. Although we had to tinker quite a bit with Postgres indexes, it now runs stably.
- Secret Management, so database passwords don\u2019t show up in configuration steps or logs.
Distr is now used by 200+ vendors, including Fortune 500 companies, across on-prem, GovCloud, AWS, and GCP, spanning health tech, fintech, security, and AI companies. We\u2019ve also started working on our first air-gapped environment.
For Distr 3.0, we\u2019re working on native Terraform / OpenTofu and Zarf support to provision and update infrastructure in customers\u2019 cloud accounts and physical environments\u2014empowering vendors to offer BYOC and air-gapped use cases, all from a single platform.
Distr is fully open source and self-hostable: https://github.com/distr-sh/distr
Docs: https://distr.sh/docs
We\u2019re YC S24. Happy to answer questions about on-prem deployments and would love to hear about your experience with complex customer deployments.","title":"Show HN: Distr 2.0 \u2013 A year of learning how to ship to customer environments","updated_at":"2026-03-05T23:33:52Z","url":"https://github.com/distr-sh/distr"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"yvbbrjdr"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Thanks for checking out Babble! You might wonder why this app is even useful and why not just use Signal/PGP. This app's target audience is actually ordinary people in China or similar countries who are under severe government surveillance and censorship, where access to Signal and similar E2EE messaging software is blocked by nationwide firewalls, such as the Great Firewall of China (GFW).
Chinese people have been deprived of freedom of speech even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Li Wenliang, who was among the first to notice the spread of the virus and warned his colleagues about it in a private WeChat group, was admonished by the police for "spreading rumors"; his punishment was then aired on the national TV channel. After Wenliang passed away due to getting COVID-19 himself, discussions about it on China's public Internet were highly restricted; most discussions will be deleted upon being posted, which was done by some automatic keyword detection mechanism.
Things got even worse over the years and especially during the Shanghai lockdown in early 2022. Everything related to questioning the public health policy is banned. Many people posted articles about how bad Shanghai's economic and social situation is on their WeChat public accounts. None of these articles, not even their accounts, can survive for longer than a few hours. Even articles crying for help, because people were starving, got deleted.
A video called Voice from Shanghai Lockdown (https://youtu.be/38_thLXNHY8), which contains audio recordings of desperate Shanghai people during the lockdown, went viral on Chinese social media at the end of this April. Unsurprisingly, this video was immediately censored. People got angry and tried to spread this video as much as possible by re-posting it again and again, racing against the detection algorithm. But it was futile.
It's just like 1984, where the number of words available to say "legally" is decreasing. There are no tools available for people to speak out. Public social media and private messaging apps are all monitored by the government. Foreign tools such as Telegram, Signal, or anything similar are blocked by the GFW. PGP is too technical for normal people. The goal of Babble is to provide those people with a cryptographic and steganographic tool that's easy enough to use but secure enough against a censorship system. It's not perfect as of now, but we are making an effort to make it better.
Yes, Babble might get removed from the App Store in China if the Chinese government asks, but it's fundamentally different from Signal being blocked - there are a considerable number of people in China who has an overseas Apple ID so that they can download apps not on Chinese App Store, but to use Signal, you have to bypass GFW, which fewer people know how to. One of the real challenges for this project though, is how to get people aware of the situation, because our education is brainwashing and people are starting to take surveillance and censorship for granted. And it's very hard for the app to reach its intended audience because the surveillance system is designed to prevent them from accessing this kind of tool."},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Show HN: Babble \u2013 Communicate privately on state-sponsored social media"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"https://babble.landrop.app/"}},"_tags":["story","author_yvbbrjdr","story_32140487","show_hn"],"author":"yvbbrjdr","children":[32141072,32141947,32142533,32142935,32143036,32144762,32145822,32146381,32148839],"created_at":"2022-07-18T16:57:05Z","created_at_i":1658163425,"num_comments":23,"objectID":"32140487","points":100,"story_id":32140487,"story_text":"Thanks for checking out Babble! You might wonder why this app is even useful and why not just use Signal/PGP. This app's target audience is actually ordinary people in China or similar countries who are under severe government surveillance and censorship, where access to Signal and similar E2EE messaging software is blocked by nationwide firewalls, such as the Great Firewall of China (GFW).
Chinese people have been deprived of freedom of speech even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Li Wenliang, who was among the first to notice the spread of the virus and warned his colleagues about it in a private WeChat group, was admonished by the police for "spreading rumors"; his punishment was then aired on the national TV channel. After Wenliang passed away due to getting COVID-19 himself, discussions about it on China's public Internet were highly restricted; most discussions will be deleted upon being posted, which was done by some automatic keyword detection mechanism.
Things got even worse over the years and especially during the Shanghai lockdown in early 2022. Everything related to questioning the public health policy is banned. Many people posted articles about how bad Shanghai's economic and social situation is on their WeChat public accounts. None of these articles, not even their accounts, can survive for longer than a few hours. Even articles crying for help, because people were starving, got deleted.
A video called Voice from Shanghai Lockdown (https://youtu.be/38_thLXNHY8), which contains audio recordings of desperate Shanghai people during the lockdown, went viral on Chinese social media at the end of this April. Unsurprisingly, this video was immediately censored. People got angry and tried to spread this video as much as possible by re-posting it again and again, racing against the detection algorithm. But it was futile.
It's just like 1984, where the number of words available to say "legally" is decreasing. There are no tools available for people to speak out. Public social media and private messaging apps are all monitored by the government. Foreign tools such as Telegram, Signal, or anything similar are blocked by the GFW. PGP is too technical for normal people. The goal of Babble is to provide those people with a cryptographic and steganographic tool that's easy enough to use but secure enough against a censorship system. It's not perfect as of now, but we are making an effort to make it better.
Yes, Babble might get removed from the App Store in China if the Chinese government asks, but it's fundamentally different from Signal being blocked - there are a considerable number of people in China who has an overseas Apple ID so that they can download apps not on Chinese App Store, but to use Signal, you have to bypass GFW, which fewer people know how to. One of the real challenges for this project though, is how to get people aware of the situation, because our education is brainwashing and people are starting to take surveillance and censorship for granted. And it's very hard for the app to reach its intended audience because the surveillance system is designed to prevent them from accessing this kind of tool.","title":"Show HN: Babble \u2013 Communicate privately on state-sponsored social media","updated_at":"2024-09-20T11:37:08Z","url":"https://babble.landrop.app/"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"nathanh4903"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"My Amazon seller account got deactivated 5 months ago with no specified reason. \nDue to being busy with school and some health issues, I stopped selling this year and did not see this message. \nMy account is now deleted, with "no way to access any information." All my tax documents, sale records and revenue info is gone. My fund is frozen with an appeal method that is ghosted (idk how much balance i have). Customer support told me to seek legal advise when doing tax return and wait for refund appeal
What can I do? \nI paid seller subscription which includes tax handling. Do I have a legal case to require them to send me my account data? Does Amazon actually delete account data in just 5 months?
edit: im willing to spend good effort and money to fight this corporate whim"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ask HN: Amazon account is suspended and I lost all tax documents. What to do?"}},"_tags":["story","author_nathanh4903","story_36004077","ask_hn"],"author":"nathanh4903","children":[36004213,36004238,36004259,36004328,36004352,36004354,36004477,36004548,36004618,36004772,36004854],"created_at":"2023-05-19T16:51:09Z","created_at_i":1684515069,"num_comments":22,"objectID":"36004077","points":44,"story_id":36004077,"story_text":"My Amazon seller account got deactivated 5 months ago with no specified reason. \nDue to being busy with school and some health issues, I stopped selling this year and did not see this message. \nMy account is now deleted, with "no way to access any information." All my tax documents, sale records and revenue info is gone. My fund is frozen with an appeal method that is ghosted (idk how much balance i have). Customer support told me to seek legal advise when doing tax return and wait for refund appeal
What can I do? \nI paid seller subscription which includes tax handling. Do I have a legal case to require them to send me my account data? Does Amazon actually delete account data in just 5 months?
edit: im willing to spend good effort and money to fight this corporate whim","title":"Ask HN: Amazon account is suspended and I lost all tax documents. What to do?","updated_at":"2024-09-20T14:06:49Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"turnwhere"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"I've been an avid reader here for some time. I created an account just now so that I can hopefully remain anonymous.
I'm just going to come out and say it. I need help, very badly. I'm close to ending my life. I don't want to appear dramatic, it\u2019s simply the truth.
It may seem strange that I'm writing this here. But after everything I've seen, I think this is the right place.
In as few words as I can manage, this is who I am. I\u2019ll soon be 30. I started creating digital products about 3 years ago and many companies now sell them. I make a good living from this. I am healthy. In pretty much all ways on paper, I should be happy. In fact, it makes me even more depressed to know there are many people who would be happy in my shoes. Yet I can't be.
I've struggled for over 15 years with depression and anxiety. I've been prescribed pills, had therapy and yet I feel almost as bad now as I did 10 years ago. When there's a tiny problem in my work I have an anxiety attack. When I think about my life I feel hopeless and sad. I have deep self-esteem problems. Lately I've been trying to be more positive, to see things differently (because I know everything is just a point of view, especially negativity), but I can't recondition myself.
This leads me to my conclusion. All my problems are mental. They are not my circumstances. I have to recondition myself or I am going to kill myself and hurt other people as a consequence.
And to recondition myself I know I need something other than therapy, antidepressants and positive quotes. I need to hack my way through this misery.
So I'm asking anyone out there, whether you know how it feels or not is not important, for any advice you have. I promise that if it seems reasonable, I will try it.
I'm sorry to post this here. I can't help feeling it's pathetic. But I'm desperate. If this is in the wrong place, or I shouldn't have posted it here, I won't be offended if it's deleted."},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"I Need Help"}},"_tags":["story","author_turnwhere","story_5411301","ask_hn"],"author":"turnwhere","children":[5411441,5411527,5411540,5411554,5411555,5411681,5411697,5411730,5411735,5411755,5411756,5411781,5411795,5411891,5411907,5412045,5412105,5412206,5412212,5412395,5412447,5412511,5412540,5412689,5412725,5413496,5414759,5417005,5467337],"created_at":"2013-03-20T23:16:13Z","created_at_i":1363821373,"num_comments":62,"objectID":"5411301","points":31,"story_id":5411301,"story_text":"I've been an avid reader here for some time. I created an account just now so that I can hopefully remain anonymous.
I'm just going to come out and say it. I need help, very badly. I'm close to ending my life. I don't want to appear dramatic, it\u2019s simply the truth.
It may seem strange that I'm writing this here. But after everything I've seen, I think this is the right place.
In as few words as I can manage, this is who I am. I\u2019ll soon be 30. I started creating digital products about 3 years ago and many companies now sell them. I make a good living from this. I am healthy. In pretty much all ways on paper, I should be happy. In fact, it makes me even more depressed to know there are many people who would be happy in my shoes. Yet I can't be.
I've struggled for over 15 years with depression and anxiety. I've been prescribed pills, had therapy and yet I feel almost as bad now as I did 10 years ago. When there's a tiny problem in my work I have an anxiety attack. When I think about my life I feel hopeless and sad. I have deep self-esteem problems. Lately I've been trying to be more positive, to see things differently (because I know everything is just a point of view, especially negativity), but I can't recondition myself.
This leads me to my conclusion. All my problems are mental. They are not my circumstances. I have to recondition myself or I am going to kill myself and hurt other people as a consequence.
And to recondition myself I know I need something other than therapy, antidepressants and positive quotes. I need to hack my way through this misery.
So I'm asking anyone out there, whether you know how it feels or not is not important, for any advice you have. I promise that if it seems reasonable, I will try it.
I'm sorry to post this here. I can't help feeling it's pathetic. But I'm desperate. If this is in the wrong place, or I shouldn't have posted it here, I won't be offended if it's deleted.","title":"I Need Help","updated_at":"2023-09-06T21:05:56Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"cowdingx"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Throwaway account because I don\u2019t want this tied to me.
About eight years ago, I worked at a mid-sized tech company with a senior colleague\u2014let\u2019s call him \u201cDave.\u201d He was in his early 60s, had decades of experience, and preferred \u201cboring tech\u201d and object-oriented programming. I was more into modern, cloud-native solutions and functional programming, which led to frequent disagreements.
We clashed a lot. Dave thought my approaches were unnecessarily complex, and I thought his ideas were outdated and inflexible. Most of our arguments happened during code reviews, and while things got heated at times, I assumed it was all part of working in a team.
I left the company after a few years. It wasn\u2019t because of him, and I didn\u2019t think much about those conflicts after I moved on.
A few days ago, I got a message from Dave on LinkedIn. He said he\u2019d retired and had been diagnosed with a fast-progressing terminal illness. What stunned me was that he blamed me for it. He said the stress of working with me and dealing with my code had taken a toll on his health, ending the message with, \u201cYou shortened my life.\u201d
Before I could respond, his account was deleted. I don\u2019t know if he deactivated it or blocked me, but now I can\u2019t stop replaying everything in my head.
Could I really have caused this? Can work stress lead to something like this? I always thought our arguments were just professional disagreements, but now I\u2019m second-guessing myself. Has anyone else dealt with something like this? What do I even do with this kind of guilt?"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Did my coding lead to colleague's death?"}},"_tags":["story","author_cowdingx","story_42163897","ask_hn"],"author":"cowdingx","children":[42163946,42164019,42164038,42164449,42164460,42164900,42165074,42165076,42165203,42165258,42165615,42165669,42166476,42166596,42167146,42167356,42167555,42167559,42168251,42168912,42169040,42169556,42169999,42170878],"created_at":"2024-11-17T12:41:35Z","created_at_i":1731847295,"num_comments":29,"objectID":"42163897","points":21,"story_id":42163897,"story_text":"Throwaway account because I don\u2019t want this tied to me.
About eight years ago, I worked at a mid-sized tech company with a senior colleague\u2014let\u2019s call him \u201cDave.\u201d He was in his early 60s, had decades of experience, and preferred \u201cboring tech\u201d and object-oriented programming. I was more into modern, cloud-native solutions and functional programming, which led to frequent disagreements.
We clashed a lot. Dave thought my approaches were unnecessarily complex, and I thought his ideas were outdated and inflexible. Most of our arguments happened during code reviews, and while things got heated at times, I assumed it was all part of working in a team.
I left the company after a few years. It wasn\u2019t because of him, and I didn\u2019t think much about those conflicts after I moved on.
A few days ago, I got a message from Dave on LinkedIn. He said he\u2019d retired and had been diagnosed with a fast-progressing terminal illness. What stunned me was that he blamed me for it. He said the stress of working with me and dealing with my code had taken a toll on his health, ending the message with, \u201cYou shortened my life.\u201d
Before I could respond, his account was deleted. I don\u2019t know if he deactivated it or blocked me, but now I can\u2019t stop replaying everything in my head.
Could I really have caused this? Can work stress lead to something like this? I always thought our arguments were just professional disagreements, but now I\u2019m second-guessing myself. Has anyone else dealt with something like this? What do I even do with this kind of guilt?","title":"Did my coding lead to colleague's death?","updated_at":"2024-11-29T22:38:00Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"mnls"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"I discovered something concerning about iCloud's Advanced Data Protection (ADP) that Apple doesn't disclose: deleted files are never actually removed from their servers.\nThe Test:\nI have a 5 Mbit/sec upload connection. I copied 6GB of my personal files (music, videos, photos) to iCloud Drive. They "uploaded" in 15 minutes\u2014 which is impossible at my bandwidth. The files were previously uploaded a long ago and deleted since.\nTo verify, I checked Activity Monitor: only 3.42GB total data sent since boot, including web browsing. The 6GB upload never happened.
Confirmation Test:\nCreated a 100MB file with random data: dd if=/dev/urandom of=randomfile.dat bs=1m count=100\nUploaded to iCloud: took 2-3 minutes, Activity Monitor showed 122MB sent (correct)\nDeleted the file from iCloud Drive\n"Permanently deleted" from Recently Deleted and emptied any files from Data recovery.\nRe-uploaded the identical file: completed in 1 second\nActivity Monitor: essentially zero data sent
Apple kept the encrypted blocks even after "permanent deletion."
The month-long test (in progress):\nI'm keeping the random file and will attempt to re-upload it after 30+ days to see if Apple purges data on any schedule, or retains it indefinitely.
Why this matters:\nADP is marketed as giving users exclusive control over their data\n"Delete" and "Permanent Delete" options imply data removal\nUpload progress bars show fake "uploading" status for deduplication operations\nUsers cannot verify what data Apple retains.\nTo attempt permanent deletion, you must disable ADP web access
What's unclear:\nDoes this apply to Health data, Passwords, and other ADP-protected content?\nHow long does Apple retain "deleted" encrypted blocks?\nCan users ever truly remove their data?
I'm not claiming the encryption is weak\u2014it's probably fine. But Apple's lack of transparency about data retention and deduplication with ADP is concerning. "Permanent delete" should mean permanent delete.\nHas anyone else noticed this behavior? I'll update this post after completing the 30-day retention test."},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Tell HN: iCloud with Advanced Data Protection doesn't delete your files"}},"_tags":["story","author_mnls","story_46746877","ask_hn"],"author":"mnls","children":[46747268,46748180,46753087],"created_at":"2026-01-24T19:39:26Z","created_at_i":1769283566,"num_comments":6,"objectID":"46746877","points":20,"story_id":46746877,"story_text":"I discovered something concerning about iCloud's Advanced Data Protection (ADP) that Apple doesn't disclose: deleted files are never actually removed from their servers.\nThe Test:\nI have a 5 Mbit/sec upload connection. I copied 6GB of my personal files (music, videos, photos) to iCloud Drive. They "uploaded" in 15 minutes\u2014 which is impossible at my bandwidth. The files were previously uploaded a long ago and deleted since.\nTo verify, I checked Activity Monitor: only 3.42GB total data sent since boot, including web browsing. The 6GB upload never happened.
Confirmation Test:\nCreated a 100MB file with random data: dd if=/dev/urandom of=randomfile.dat bs=1m count=100\nUploaded to iCloud: took 2-3 minutes, Activity Monitor showed 122MB sent (correct)\nDeleted the file from iCloud Drive\n"Permanently deleted" from Recently Deleted and emptied any files from Data recovery.\nRe-uploaded the identical file: completed in 1 second\nActivity Monitor: essentially zero data sent
Apple kept the encrypted blocks even after "permanent deletion."
The month-long test (in progress):\nI'm keeping the random file and will attempt to re-upload it after 30+ days to see if Apple purges data on any schedule, or retains it indefinitely.
Why this matters:\nADP is marketed as giving users exclusive control over their data\n"Delete" and "Permanent Delete" options imply data removal\nUpload progress bars show fake "uploading" status for deduplication operations\nUsers cannot verify what data Apple retains.\nTo attempt permanent deletion, you must disable ADP web access
What's unclear:\nDoes this apply to Health data, Passwords, and other ADP-protected content?\nHow long does Apple retain "deleted" encrypted blocks?\nCan users ever truly remove their data?
I'm not claiming the encryption is weak\u2014it's probably fine. But Apple's lack of transparency about data retention and deduplication with ADP is concerning. "Permanent delete" should mean permanent delete.\nHas anyone else noticed this behavior? I'll update this post after completing the 30-day retention test.","title":"Tell HN: iCloud with Advanced Data Protection doesn't delete your files","updated_at":"2026-03-16T01:47:04Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"grecy"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Hi All,
I've been a member here for a good many years, but due to a couple of factors, I need to step away.
- It will be better for my mental health.
- I have a large online presence, and I'm aware of multiple people trying to dox me. I have a young family now, and my comment history on HN is too revealing.
Here is a 90 page forum thread of people discussing when I am going to die, and betting on that outcome. Yes really. I would prefer for these people not to find out where my 1 year old daughter lives.
https://texags.com/forums/34/topics/2752920
I've been back and forward with dang, and he said they will not delete my account, they will only rename it then mothball it.
The problem is many of my comments make it clear it's me IRL making the comment, so simply renaming my username will not help. I need my account deleted so all the personally identifying information is gone, which HN are refusing to do.
Is it legal for HN not to delete my account? What recourse do I have to force them to delete my content?
Also as a warming to others - be careful what you post on HN."},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Tell HN: Hacker News will not delete my account \u2013 is that legal?"}},"_tags":["story","author_grecy","story_42856953","ask_hn"],"author":"grecy","children":[42857041,42857087,42857098,42857112,42857122,42857136,42857155,42857242,42857277,42857401,42858960,42901146],"created_at":"2025-01-28T19:41:49Z","created_at_i":1738093309,"num_comments":22,"objectID":"42856953","points":19,"story_id":42856953,"story_text":"Hi All,
I've been a member here for a good many years, but due to a couple of factors, I need to step away.
- It will be better for my mental health.
- I have a large online presence, and I'm aware of multiple people trying to dox me. I have a young family now, and my comment history on HN is too revealing.
Here is a 90 page forum thread of people discussing when I am going to die, and betting on that outcome. Yes really. I would prefer for these people not to find out where my 1 year old daughter lives.
https://texags.com/forums/34/topics/2752920
I've been back and forward with dang, and he said they will not delete my account, they will only rename it then mothball it.
The problem is many of my comments make it clear it's me IRL making the comment, so simply renaming my username will not help. I need my account deleted so all the personally identifying information is gone, which HN are refusing to do.
Is it legal for HN not to delete my account? What recourse do I have to force them to delete my content?
Also as a warming to others - be careful what you post on HN.","title":"Tell HN: Hacker News will not delete my account \u2013 is that legal?","updated_at":"2026-08-04T08:02:41Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"radmuzom"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"After Apple betrayed my trust by announcing they are going to install malware on my phone, I have taken some actions "against" them and other big tech companies.
1) Deleted all apps which are not absolutely essential to me. Realized that for most of them the website functions perfectly well.\n2) Ordered for a basic Android phone. After a 7 day wait period, I am going to root it and install Lineage OS+microg on it.\n3) I have 2 iphones which I am not going to sell, as I consider it unethical to impose Apple's policies on the buyer.\n4) Donated 200 USD to FSF.\n5) Signed up with posteo and am going to use their e-mail service from now on - already migrated 90% from Gmail and the entire process should take a month.\n6) Going to remove Windows from all my laptops tomorrow and replace them with GNU/Linux.
Some inconveniences I will face\na) not sure how some essential apps I need will work with Lineage. Need to figure out alternatives, which I will.\nb) will never play a PC game again - as an introvert and loner, games have been very important for my mental health. But removing Windows is even more important.
Would love to hear more ideas from the community on actions I can take to help free software (not open source) and reduce the power of big tech."},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ask HN: What more can I do against Apple (and big tech)?"}},"_tags":["story","author_radmuzom","story_28157281","ask_hn"],"author":"radmuzom","children":[28157463,28157466,28158169,28160281,28160498],"created_at":"2021-08-12T15:09:36Z","created_at_i":1628780976,"num_comments":13,"objectID":"28157281","points":18,"story_id":28157281,"story_text":"After Apple betrayed my trust by announcing they are going to install malware on my phone, I have taken some actions "against" them and other big tech companies.
1) Deleted all apps which are not absolutely essential to me. Realized that for most of them the website functions perfectly well.\n2) Ordered for a basic Android phone. After a 7 day wait period, I am going to root it and install Lineage OS+microg on it.\n3) I have 2 iphones which I am not going to sell, as I consider it unethical to impose Apple's policies on the buyer.\n4) Donated 200 USD to FSF.\n5) Signed up with posteo and am going to use their e-mail service from now on - already migrated 90% from Gmail and the entire process should take a month.\n6) Going to remove Windows from all my laptops tomorrow and replace them with GNU/Linux.
Some inconveniences I will face\na) not sure how some essential apps I need will work with Lineage. Need to figure out alternatives, which I will.\nb) will never play a PC game again - as an introvert and loner, games have been very important for my mental health. But removing Windows is even more important.
Would love to hear more ideas from the community on actions I can take to help free software (not open source) and reduce the power of big tech.","title":"Ask HN: What more can I do against Apple (and big tech)?","updated_at":"2024-09-20T09:10:06Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"RyanJB"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Imagine a world where the voices of journalists are silenced, where investigative reporting fades into oblivion, and where creators\u2014those who bring joy, knowledge, and truth to our screens\u2014are forced to abandon their craft. It\u2019s not a dystopian novel; it\u2019s the quiet reality creeping into our digital ecosystem. And it\u2019s fueled by the rise of ad blockers.
Ad blockers promise a cleaner, faster browsing experience, but their unintended consequences are devastating. Every blocked ad isn\u2019t just a nuisance removed; it\u2019s a paycheck stolen from the journalists and creators who rely on advertising revenue to survive. With ad blockers costing publishers billions annually, we\u2019re witnessing the slow erosion of independent journalism and creative content\u2014the very foundation of our informed and connected society.
Enter GrayScaleAdz, a revolutionary Chrome extension built not just to improve your browsing experience but to protect the livelihoods of those who share truth and creativity with the world. As we brace for an impending recession, this tool offers a lifeline for journalism and content creation\u2014a way to balance user comfort with the financial sustainability of the internet\u2019s most vital contributors.
Unlike traditional ad blockers that wipe ads away entirely, GrayScaleAdz takes a nuanced approach. It transforms colorful, attention-grabbing advertisements into subtle grayscale, reducing distractions without eliminating ads altogether. This means you can focus on what matters while still supporting the websites and creators you love. It\u2019s smart distraction management that respects both your browsing experience and the people behind the content you consume.
Here\u2019s why this matters now more than ever:
- Journalists are democracy\u2019s defenders: They uncover corruption, amplify marginalized voices, and hold power accountable. But without ad revenue, investigative reporting suffers, beats are cut, and critical stories go untold. \n- Creators are storytellers: From YouTube educators to indie game developers, they bring knowledge and joy to millions. Ad blockers rob them of the financial support they need to keep creating. \n- The recession is coming: As economic uncertainty looms, advertising budgets will shrink further, putting even more pressure on publishers and creators to find sustainable models for survival.
GrayScaleAdz isn\u2019t just about ads; it\u2019s about preserving the digital public square\u2014the space where ideas are shared, debated, and celebrated. Tools like Turn Off the Lights or Dark Reader have shown us how much demand there is for enhancing browsing experiences, but they weren\u2019t built to tackle journalism\u2019s existential crisis. GrayScaleAdz bridges this gap by creating a healthier relationship between users and the ad-supported ecosystem that keeps content alive.
It\u2019s time we reimagine how we interact with ads\u2014not as annoyances to be blocked but as investments in the stories that matter most. GrayScaleAdz invites us to rethink this trade-off in a way that benefits everyone: users get a cleaner browsing experience, and creators get paid for their work.
In an age where information inequality threatens democracy itself, tools like GrayScaleAdz offer hope\u2014a way to ensure that news remains accessible to all while supporting those who bring it to life. Let\u2019s not let ad blockers become journalism\u2019s executioner or creativity\u2019s silent killer. Let\u2019s choose solutions that sustain truth-tellers and storytellers alike.
Install GrayScaleAdz today\u2014not just for yourself but for every journalist chasing leads late into the night and every creator pouring their heart into making something meaningful for you. Together, we can build an internet that works for everyone\u2014even in tough times ahead.
Try GrayScaleAdz on chrome store now.
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/grayscaleadz/calajfmcnmhklleghielpcgnfmbgainn"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"A Lifeline for Journalism and Content Creators in a Looming Recession"}},"_tags":["story","author_RyanJB","story_43604668","ask_hn"],"author":"RyanJB","children":[43604721,43604800,43604831,43608408],"created_at":"2025-04-06T20:25:09Z","created_at_i":1743971109,"num_comments":4,"objectID":"43604668","points":12,"story_id":43604668,"story_text":"Imagine a world where the voices of journalists are silenced, where investigative reporting fades into oblivion, and where creators\u2014those who bring joy, knowledge, and truth to our screens\u2014are forced to abandon their craft. It\u2019s not a dystopian novel; it\u2019s the quiet reality creeping into our digital ecosystem. And it\u2019s fueled by the rise of ad blockers.
Ad blockers promise a cleaner, faster browsing experience, but their unintended consequences are devastating. Every blocked ad isn\u2019t just a nuisance removed; it\u2019s a paycheck stolen from the journalists and creators who rely on advertising revenue to survive. With ad blockers costing publishers billions annually, we\u2019re witnessing the slow erosion of independent journalism and creative content\u2014the very foundation of our informed and connected society.
Enter GrayScaleAdz, a revolutionary Chrome extension built not just to improve your browsing experience but to protect the livelihoods of those who share truth and creativity with the world. As we brace for an impending recession, this tool offers a lifeline for journalism and content creation\u2014a way to balance user comfort with the financial sustainability of the internet\u2019s most vital contributors.
Unlike traditional ad blockers that wipe ads away entirely, GrayScaleAdz takes a nuanced approach. It transforms colorful, attention-grabbing advertisements into subtle grayscale, reducing distractions without eliminating ads altogether. This means you can focus on what matters while still supporting the websites and creators you love. It\u2019s smart distraction management that respects both your browsing experience and the people behind the content you consume.
Here\u2019s why this matters now more than ever:
- Journalists are democracy\u2019s defenders: They uncover corruption, amplify marginalized voices, and hold power accountable. But without ad revenue, investigative reporting suffers, beats are cut, and critical stories go untold. \n- Creators are storytellers: From YouTube educators to indie game developers, they bring knowledge and joy to millions. Ad blockers rob them of the financial support they need to keep creating. \n- The recession is coming: As economic uncertainty looms, advertising budgets will shrink further, putting even more pressure on publishers and creators to find sustainable models for survival.
GrayScaleAdz isn\u2019t just about ads; it\u2019s about preserving the digital public square\u2014the space where ideas are shared, debated, and celebrated. Tools like Turn Off the Lights or Dark Reader have shown us how much demand there is for enhancing browsing experiences, but they weren\u2019t built to tackle journalism\u2019s existential crisis. GrayScaleAdz bridges this gap by creating a healthier relationship between users and the ad-supported ecosystem that keeps content alive.
It\u2019s time we reimagine how we interact with ads\u2014not as annoyances to be blocked but as investments in the stories that matter most. GrayScaleAdz invites us to rethink this trade-off in a way that benefits everyone: users get a cleaner browsing experience, and creators get paid for their work.
In an age where information inequality threatens democracy itself, tools like GrayScaleAdz offer hope\u2014a way to ensure that news remains accessible to all while supporting those who bring it to life. Let\u2019s not let ad blockers become journalism\u2019s executioner or creativity\u2019s silent killer. Let\u2019s choose solutions that sustain truth-tellers and storytellers alike.
Install GrayScaleAdz today\u2014not just for yourself but for every journalist chasing leads late into the night and every creator pouring their heart into making something meaningful for you. Together, we can build an internet that works for everyone\u2014even in tough times ahead.
Try GrayScaleAdz on chrome store now.
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/grayscaleadz/calajfmcnmhklleghielpcgnfmbgainn","title":"A Lifeline for Journalism and Content Creators in a Looming Recession","updated_at":"2025-04-07T07:05:37Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"fezzl"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Anyone has been following their self-devised implementation plan to take advantage of Pareto's principle (the 80/20 rule)? I'm looking for people with experience applying Pareto's principle in different aspects of life: learning, working, relationships, health and wellness, leisure, etc. Thanks!"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ask HN: Anyone applies Pareto's principle in their daily life?"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":""}},"_tags":["story","author_fezzl","story_3101933","ask_hn"],"author":"fezzl","children":[3116268,3123839],"created_at":"2011-10-12T07:56:14Z","created_at_i":1318406174,"num_comments":3,"objectID":"3101933","points":9,"story_id":3101933,"story_text":"Anyone has been following their self-devised implementation plan to take advantage of Pareto's principle (the 80/20 rule)? I'm looking for people with experience applying Pareto's principle in different aspects of life: learning, working, relationships, health and wellness, leisure, etc. Thanks!","title":"Ask HN: Anyone applies Pareto's principle in their daily life?","updated_at":"2024-09-19T17:58:51Z","url":""},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"alexpadula"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Hey hn! I hope you're all doing well. I\u2019d like to share a new open-source database I\u2019ve designed and written called SuperMassive.
SuperMassive is a scalable, distributed, in-memory key-value database designed from the ground up to allow for high concurrency, fast writes, fault tolerance, and durability while remaining simple to use and efficiently scalable.
The idea for SuperMassive comes from its name.. I wanted to build a key-value database that can scale infinitely, remain durable, be self-healing, consistent, and blazing fast. I also wanted to simplify sharding and replication compared to existing distributed KV stores and their protocols.
SuperMassive is built to be simple yet powerful. It consists of just one multiplatform supported binary that can run in multiple modes(cluster, primary node, or replica). Nodes function as shards of your data. The design emphasizes minimal configuration, high performance, and automatic failover.
While SuperMassive is still in its early stages (v1.0.2b), I\u2019d love to hear your thoughts on the design, its architecture, and any feedback you may have :D
Features~~
~ Highly scalable Scale horizontally with ease. Simply add more nodes to the cluster.
~ Distributed Data is distributed across multiple nodes in a sharded fashion.
~ Robust Health Checking System Health checks are performed on all nodes, if any node is marked unhealthy we will try to recover it.
~ Smart Data Distribution uses a sequence-based round-robin approach for distributing writes across primary nodes. This ensures that all primary nodes get an equal share of writes.
~ Automatic Fail-over Automatic fail-over of primary nodes on write failure. If a primary node is unavailable for a write, we go to the next available primary node.
~ Parallel Read Operations Read operations are performed in parallel.
~ Consistency Management Timestamp-based version control to handle conflicts. The most recent value is always returned, the rest are deleted.
~ Fault-tolerant Replication and fail-over are supported. If a node goes down, the cluster will continue to function.
~ Self-healing Automatic data recovery. A node can recover from a journal. A node replica can recover from a primary node via a check point like algorithm.
~ Cluster Authentication with basic like auth.
~ Simple Protocol Simple protocol PUT, GET, DEL, INCR, DECR, REGX, STAT, RCNF, PING.
~ Async Node Journal Operations are written to a journal asynchronously. This allows for fast writes and recovery.
~ Multi-platform Linux, Windows, MacOS
https://supermassivedb.com\nhttps://github.com/supermassivedb/supermassive
- Alex"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Show HN: SuperMassive \u2013 Fast durable, in-memory, distributed key-value database"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"https://github.com/supermassivedb/supermassive"}},"_tags":["story","author_alexpadula","story_43192422","show_hn"],"author":"alexpadula","children":[43193015],"created_at":"2025-02-27T08:31:29Z","created_at_i":1740645089,"num_comments":2,"objectID":"43192422","points":7,"story_id":43192422,"story_text":"Hey hn! I hope you're all doing well. I\u2019d like to share a new open-source database I\u2019ve designed and written called SuperMassive.
SuperMassive is a scalable, distributed, in-memory key-value database designed from the ground up to allow for high concurrency, fast writes, fault tolerance, and durability while remaining simple to use and efficiently scalable.
The idea for SuperMassive comes from its name.. I wanted to build a key-value database that can scale infinitely, remain durable, be self-healing, consistent, and blazing fast. I also wanted to simplify sharding and replication compared to existing distributed KV stores and their protocols.
SuperMassive is built to be simple yet powerful. It consists of just one multiplatform supported binary that can run in multiple modes(cluster, primary node, or replica). Nodes function as shards of your data. The design emphasizes minimal configuration, high performance, and automatic failover.
While SuperMassive is still in its early stages (v1.0.2b), I\u2019d love to hear your thoughts on the design, its architecture, and any feedback you may have :D
Features~~
~ Highly scalable Scale horizontally with ease. Simply add more nodes to the cluster.
~ Distributed Data is distributed across multiple nodes in a sharded fashion.
~ Robust Health Checking System Health checks are performed on all nodes, if any node is marked unhealthy we will try to recover it.
~ Smart Data Distribution uses a sequence-based round-robin approach for distributing writes across primary nodes. This ensures that all primary nodes get an equal share of writes.
~ Automatic Fail-over Automatic fail-over of primary nodes on write failure. If a primary node is unavailable for a write, we go to the next available primary node.
~ Parallel Read Operations Read operations are performed in parallel.
~ Consistency Management Timestamp-based version control to handle conflicts. The most recent value is always returned, the rest are deleted.
~ Fault-tolerant Replication and fail-over are supported. If a node goes down, the cluster will continue to function.
~ Self-healing Automatic data recovery. A node can recover from a journal. A node replica can recover from a primary node via a check point like algorithm.
~ Cluster Authentication with basic like auth.
~ Simple Protocol Simple protocol PUT, GET, DEL, INCR, DECR, REGX, STAT, RCNF, PING.
~ Async Node Journal Operations are written to a journal asynchronously. This allows for fast writes and recovery.
~ Multi-platform Linux, Windows, MacOS
https://supermassivedb.com\nhttps://github.com/supermassivedb/supermassive
- Alex","title":"Show HN: SuperMassive \u2013 Fast durable, in-memory, distributed key-value database","updated_at":"2025-02-27T15:27:29Z","url":"https://github.com/supermassivedb/supermassive"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"rubidium"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"[submitter's note: Unfortunately, the link is unique to each APS member, but this came out today.]
Dear [APS MEMBER]\n[skipping the intro]\nAn ad hoc subcommittee of the APS Panel on Public Affairs (POPA) recently prepared a Commentary on the 2007 Statement in response to a charge to POPA from the APS Council to \"...review the 2007 Council Statement (07.1 Climate Change) with a view to addressing the issues of clarity and tone raised in the report of the Kleppner committee\" to the APS president.
On February 5, POPA unanimously accepted the Commentary and recommended that it be included as an addendum to the 2007 Climate Change Statement. In accordance with APS Executive Board action on February 12, the proposed Commentary is posted for three weeks to allow APS membership comments. The POPA subcommittee will examine the membership responses and amend the Commentary as it deems appropriate in preparation for Council consideration in April.
The POPA ad hoc subcommittee comprises current or past members of POPA who are not researchers in the field of climate change or related areas. None have any connection to the preparation of the 2007 APS statement.
The subcommittee interviewed five scientific leaders with a range of views and areas of expertise in the field of climate change to discuss the APS statement and the underlying scientific issues: Donald Boesch (Univ. of Maryland), Isaac Held (Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory), Richard Lindzen (MIT), Michael MacCracken (Climate Institute), and Gerald North (Texas A&M Univ.). One of the subcommittee members also acknowledges valuable discussions with Inez Fung (UC Berkeley). In addition to the interviews, the subcommittee members examined a number of scientific papers related to climate change.
2007 APS Statement on Climate Change (07.1 Climate Change)
(Adopted by Council on November 18, 2007)
Emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities are changing the atmosphere in ways that affect the Earth's climate. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide as well as methane, nitrous oxide and other gases. They are emitted from fossil fuel combustion and a range of industrial and agricultural processes.
The evidence is incontrovertible: Global warming is occurring. If no mitigating actions are taken, significant disruptions in the Earth's physical and ecological systems, social systems, security and human health are likely to occur. We must reduce emissions of greenhouse gases beginning now.
Because the complexity of the climate makes accurate prediction difficult, the APS urges an enhanced effort to understand the effects of human activity on the Earth's climate, and to provide the technological options for meeting the climate challenge in the near and longer terms. The APS also urges governments, universities, national laboratories and its membership to support policies and actions that will reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
Proposed Commentary to Accompany APS 2007 Climate Change Statement (07.1 Climate Change)
There is a substantial body of peer reviewed scientific research to support every technical sentence in the 2007 APS statement. However, there is no doubt that clarification is needed in a few areas.
The first sentence of the APS statement is broadly supported by observational data, physical principles, and global climate models. The sentence can be further elaborated. Greenhouse gas emissions are changing the earth's energy balance on a planetary scale in ways that affect the climate over long periods of time (~100 years). Historical records indicate that climate is sensitive to energy changes. It is not just the atmosphere, but also the oceans and land that are involved in the complex dynamics that result in global climate. Aerosols and particulates resulting from human and natural sources also play roles that can either offset or reinforce greenhouse gas effects. While there are factors driving the natural variability of climate (e.g., volcanoes, solar variability, oceanic oscillations), there have been no credible natural mechanisms proposed to explain all of the observed warming in the past century. Warming is observed in land surface temperatures, sea surface temperatures, and for the last 30 years, lower atmosphere temperatures measured by satellite. The second sentence is simply a definition. The third sentence notes the human contributions to greenhouses gases. There are, of course, natural sources as well.
The evidence for global temperature rise over the last century is compelling. However, the use of the word \"incontrovertible\" in the first sentence of the second paragraph has created much of the controversy regarding the 2007 APS statement. This word is rarely used in science because by its very nature science always questions prevailing ideas. The magnitude of the observed warming can be debated but the majority of evidence (observational data) indicates a warming of approximately 0.8\u00b0C from 1900 to the present.
The second sentence in the second paragraph predicts that significant disruptions in the Earth's physical and ecological systems, social systems, security and health are \"likely\" although the word \"likely\" is not defined. This sentence needs further explanation. Such predictions are based on climate models that calculate the effects of anthropogenic changes on the ecosphere, such as doubling of the CO2-equivalent [1] concentration relative to its pre-industrial value by the year 2100. These models have uncertainties associated with the radiative forcing functions, especially clouds and water vapor. However, the vast majority of the models show that water vapor is also a net positive forcing function (in addition to CO2 and other gases) on global temperatures. The impact of clouds is less certain because of their dual role as scatterers of incoming solar radiation and as greenhouse contributors. The magnitude of the effect of human activity on climate continues to be debated, as reflected in the broad distribution of the predicted magnitude of the consequence of doubling of the CO2-equivalent concentration. The estimates from various climate scientists for doubling CO2-equivalent concentration range from an increase of ~1\u00b0C to 2-3\u00b0C with the probability distributions having long tails out to much larger temperature changes.
The last sentence in the second paragraph articulates an immediate policy action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to deal with the possible catastrophic outcomes that could accompany large global temperature increases. Even with the uncertainties in the models, it is increasingly difficult to escape the conclusion that non-negligible increases in global temperature are accompanying rising anthropogenic CO2. Thus given the significant risks associated with global temperature rise, prudent steps should be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions now while continuing to improve the observational data and the model predictions.
The third paragraph, first sentence, recommends an enhanced effort to understand the effects of human activity on Earth's climate. This sentence should be interpreted broadly and more specifically: an enhanced effort is needed to understand both anthropogenic processes and the natural cycles that affect the Earth's climate. Improving the scientific understanding of all climate feedbacks is critical to reducing the uncertainty in modeling the consequences of doubling the CO2-equivalent concentration. In addition, more extensive and more accurate scientific measurements are needed to test the validity of climate models to increase confidence in their projections.
With regard to the last sentence of the APS statement, the role of physicists is not just \"...to support policies and actions...\" but also to participate actively in the research itself. Physicists can contribute in significant ways to understanding the physical processes underlying climate and to developing technological options for addressing and mitigating climate change.
[1] The concentration of CO2 that would give the same amount of radiative forcing as a given mixture of CO2 and other greenhouse gases (methane, nitrous oxide, etc.). Essentially, the models sum the radiative forcing of all trace gases and treat the total forcing as if it comes from an \"equivalent\" CO2 concentration. The calculation of CO2-equivalent forcing for all gases other than CO2 takes into account only increments relative to their pre-industrial values, so that the pre-industrial forcing for CO2 and CO2-equivalent are the same."},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"American Physical Society reconsidering stance on global warming"}},"_tags":["story","author_rubidium","story_1151417","ask_hn"],"author":"rubidium","children":[1151440],"created_at":"2010-02-25T19:50:35Z","created_at_i":1267127435,"num_comments":1,"objectID":"1151417","points":6,"story_id":1151417,"story_text":"[submitter's note: Unfortunately, the link is unique to each APS member, but this came out today.]
Dear [APS MEMBER]\n[skipping the intro]\nAn ad hoc subcommittee of the APS Panel on Public Affairs (POPA) recently prepared a Commentary on the 2007 Statement in response to a charge to POPA from the APS Council to \"...review the 2007 Council Statement (07.1 Climate Change) with a view to addressing the issues of clarity and tone raised in the report of the Kleppner committee\" to the APS president.
On February 5, POPA unanimously accepted the Commentary and recommended that it be included as an addendum to the 2007 Climate Change Statement. In accordance with APS Executive Board action on February 12, the proposed Commentary is posted for three weeks to allow APS membership comments. The POPA subcommittee will examine the membership responses and amend the Commentary as it deems appropriate in preparation for Council consideration in April.
The POPA ad hoc subcommittee comprises current or past members of POPA who are not researchers in the field of climate change or related areas. None have any connection to the preparation of the 2007 APS statement.
The subcommittee interviewed five scientific leaders with a range of views and areas of expertise in the field of climate change to discuss the APS statement and the underlying scientific issues: Donald Boesch (Univ. of Maryland), Isaac Held (Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory), Richard Lindzen (MIT), Michael MacCracken (Climate Institute), and Gerald North (Texas A&M Univ.). One of the subcommittee members also acknowledges valuable discussions with Inez Fung (UC Berkeley). In addition to the interviews, the subcommittee members examined a number of scientific papers related to climate change.
2007 APS Statement on Climate Change (07.1 Climate Change)
(Adopted by Council on November 18, 2007)
Emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities are changing the atmosphere in ways that affect the Earth's climate. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide as well as methane, nitrous oxide and other gases. They are emitted from fossil fuel combustion and a range of industrial and agricultural processes.
The evidence is incontrovertible: Global warming is occurring. If no mitigating actions are taken, significant disruptions in the Earth's physical and ecological systems, social systems, security and human health are likely to occur. We must reduce emissions of greenhouse gases beginning now.
Because the complexity of the climate makes accurate prediction difficult, the APS urges an enhanced effort to understand the effects of human activity on the Earth's climate, and to provide the technological options for meeting the climate challenge in the near and longer terms. The APS also urges governments, universities, national laboratories and its membership to support policies and actions that will reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
Proposed Commentary to Accompany APS 2007 Climate Change Statement (07.1 Climate Change)
There is a substantial body of peer reviewed scientific research to support every technical sentence in the 2007 APS statement. However, there is no doubt that clarification is needed in a few areas.
The first sentence of the APS statement is broadly supported by observational data, physical principles, and global climate models. The sentence can be further elaborated. Greenhouse gas emissions are changing the earth's energy balance on a planetary scale in ways that affect the climate over long periods of time (~100 years). Historical records indicate that climate is sensitive to energy changes. It is not just the atmosphere, but also the oceans and land that are involved in the complex dynamics that result in global climate. Aerosols and particulates resulting from human and natural sources also play roles that can either offset or reinforce greenhouse gas effects. While there are factors driving the natural variability of climate (e.g., volcanoes, solar variability, oceanic oscillations), there have been no credible natural mechanisms proposed to explain all of the observed warming in the past century. Warming is observed in land surface temperatures, sea surface temperatures, and for the last 30 years, lower atmosphere temperatures measured by satellite. The second sentence is simply a definition. The third sentence notes the human contributions to greenhouses gases. There are, of course, natural sources as well.
The evidence for global temperature rise over the last century is compelling. However, the use of the word \"incontrovertible\" in the first sentence of the second paragraph has created much of the controversy regarding the 2007 APS statement. This word is rarely used in science because by its very nature science always questions prevailing ideas. The magnitude of the observed warming can be debated but the majority of evidence (observational data) indicates a warming of approximately 0.8\u00b0C from 1900 to the present.
The second sentence in the second paragraph predicts that significant disruptions in the Earth's physical and ecological systems, social systems, security and health are \"likely\" although the word \"likely\" is not defined. This sentence needs further explanation. Such predictions are based on climate models that calculate the effects of anthropogenic changes on the ecosphere, such as doubling of the CO2-equivalent [1] concentration relative to its pre-industrial value by the year 2100. These models have uncertainties associated with the radiative forcing functions, especially clouds and water vapor. However, the vast majority of the models show that water vapor is also a net positive forcing function (in addition to CO2 and other gases) on global temperatures. The impact of clouds is less certain because of their dual role as scatterers of incoming solar radiation and as greenhouse contributors. The magnitude of the effect of human activity on climate continues to be debated, as reflected in the broad distribution of the predicted magnitude of the consequence of doubling of the CO2-equivalent concentration. The estimates from various climate scientists for doubling CO2-equivalent concentration range from an increase of ~1\u00b0C to 2-3\u00b0C with the probability distributions having long tails out to much larger temperature changes.
The last sentence in the second paragraph articulates an immediate policy action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to deal with the possible catastrophic outcomes that could accompany large global temperature increases. Even with the uncertainties in the models, it is increasingly difficult to escape the conclusion that non-negligible increases in global temperature are accompanying rising anthropogenic CO2. Thus given the significant risks associated with global temperature rise, prudent steps should be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions now while continuing to improve the observational data and the model predictions.
The third paragraph, first sentence, recommends an enhanced effort to understand the effects of human activity on Earth's climate. This sentence should be interpreted broadly and more specifically: an enhanced effort is needed to understand both anthropogenic processes and the natural cycles that affect the Earth's climate. Improving the scientific understanding of all climate feedbacks is critical to reducing the uncertainty in modeling the consequences of doubling the CO2-equivalent concentration. In addition, more extensive and more accurate scientific measurements are needed to test the validity of climate models to increase confidence in their projections.
With regard to the last sentence of the APS statement, the role of physicists is not just \"...to support policies and actions...\" but also to participate actively in the research itself. Physicists can contribute in significant ways to understanding the physical processes underlying climate and to developing technological options for addressing and mitigating climate change.
[1] The concentration of CO2 that would give the same amount of radiative forcing as a given mixture of CO2 and other greenhouse gases (methane, nitrous oxide, etc.). Essentially, the models sum the radiative forcing of all trace gases and treat the total forcing as if it comes from an \"equivalent\" CO2 concentration. The calculation of CO2-equivalent forcing for all gases other than CO2 takes into account only increments relative to their pre-industrial values, so that the pre-industrial forcing for CO2 and CO2-equivalent are the same.","title":"American Physical Society reconsidering stance on global warming","updated_at":"2024-09-19T16:53:25Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"emilst"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Show HN: Cargenta \u2013 We Make Cars Connected
Hi HN,
I\u2019m Emil and I'm the founder of Cargenta (https://www.cargenta.com). We produce plug & play IoT devices for car owners to connect their ordinary car to the Internet and use a smart phone to get the vehicle real time location, health status, receive maintenance assistance and configure advanced security and safety features.
Many years ago, it started with a problem: Maintaining my car was too expensive and time consuming. I am a techie and a problem solver at heart, so I decided to check how can I efficiently solve my problem. Efficiently is the keyword here. It turned out there weren\u2019t many good solutions. I mostly found car diagnostics tools and the decent ones were expensive, professional units, definitely not suited for someone who wants it just for his car. So I thought: OK then, let\u2019s build a simple and affordable diagnostics device that anyone can use.
This is how I started working on Cargenta Brain. Now, after years of hard work, the product is finally ready for the market and it ended up having much more useful features than just diagnostics. In a nutshell, it is an IoT device that is installed in the car OBDII port and can connect any contemporary car to the Internet. Then, the driver can interact with his car from anywhere.
The technology as such is not new but the approach to delivering value out if it is.
Most of all, it is a multi-purpose device: It integrates OBDII reader chip, GPS, GSM/GPRS, Bluetooth, Gyroscope, Battery and a Sim Card. The beauty of it is that we provide the HW device and the internet data plan for it in a bundle. So, people just need to plug it in, and it works. The mobile apps for iOS and Android are free to use.
We are soon to launch Kickstarter campaign. In the meantime, users can sign up at our website, where we have prepared some gifts and discounts for our early supporters.
Below are the currently available features:
* Read & Clear Vehicle Fault Codes (DTCs)
* 24/7 Vehicle Health Monitoring
* Remote Vehicle Diagnostics
* Live GPS Location Tracking
* Location & Route History
* Maintenance Reminders
* Maintenance History
* Live Vehicle Sensor Data: Speed, RPM, Calculated Load Value, Coolant Temperature, Fuel System Status, Short/Long Term Fuel Trim, Fault Codes & more
* Automatic Notifications in case of: Technical Problem, Crash, Theft, Towing, Over speeding, Geofence Breach, Battery Failure, Car Movement, Engine Start, Maintenance Due & more
* Reports: Fuel Consumption, Average Speed, Top Speed, Mileage Driven, Route, Driving Behavior & more
Features we might add in the future (please, comment below if you\u2019d like to have any of them):
* Car Configurator \u2013 configure dashboard, lights, windows, instruments and features. Encode car modules, reset maintenance indicator.
* Car Remote Control - remote start and stop the engine, lock and unlock doors, turn air condition or heating, etc.
* Usage Based Insurance \u2013 auto insurance quotes based on personal driving habits. Drivers who drive less or drive safe pay less. This is a much debated feature, so we\u2019d like to hear your thoughts about it.
Next steps: The hardware devices and the platform that we are building right now, are not tremendously groundbreaking but\u2026we must start from somewhere. So, we start with something simple - a product that people need. We then use the knowledge and experience to take the technology to the next level.
Here is our vision for the future: Universal Vehicle to Everything Communication (V2X) for better safety on the roads, saving lives and enabling faster introduction of self-driving technologies.
The basic idea is to make all cars talk to each other and get live updates of their surroundings, speed, direction, braking, traffic flow, hazards ahead etc. That\u2019s the plan. Execution is to follow.
Community Driven: Right now, we are focused on our Cargenta Brain unit and want to provide features that make sense to the users. That\u2019s why we want to hear from you! Please, share below any thoughts, advice or recommendations that you believe will help us improve.
Beta users: We need limited number of beta users for specific countries to test the network coverage. If interested in participating, please send us an email: support@cargenta.com.
Get involved: If you like the project and want to be part of it, let us know: support@cargenta.com
Final thoughts. As many of you know, making hardware is hard. Consumer hardware is even harder. It\u2019s capital and resource intensive and even the big tech companies struggle to get it right. For startups, the success rate is extremely low. Yet, if we give up before even trying only because it is hard, how can we hope to ever achieve something great?
Thank you for your time spent reading this post!
[1] Website: https://www.cargenta.com/
[2] Product video: https://youtu.be/j3XQn-H3Mnw
[3] Recommendations for features: https://www.cargenta.com/forums/topic/top-features-that-you-wish-to-have-in-cargenta-brain/"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Show HN: Cargenta \u2013 We Make Cars Connected"}},"_tags":["story","author_emilst","story_24656165","show_hn"],"author":"emilst","created_at":"2020-10-01T21:09:14Z","created_at_i":1601586554,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"24656165","points":6,"story_id":24656165,"story_text":"Show HN: Cargenta \u2013 We Make Cars Connected
Hi HN,
I\u2019m Emil and I'm the founder of Cargenta (https://www.cargenta.com). We produce plug & play IoT devices for car owners to connect their ordinary car to the Internet and use a smart phone to get the vehicle real time location, health status, receive maintenance assistance and configure advanced security and safety features.
Many years ago, it started with a problem: Maintaining my car was too expensive and time consuming. I am a techie and a problem solver at heart, so I decided to check how can I efficiently solve my problem. Efficiently is the keyword here. It turned out there weren\u2019t many good solutions. I mostly found car diagnostics tools and the decent ones were expensive, professional units, definitely not suited for someone who wants it just for his car. So I thought: OK then, let\u2019s build a simple and affordable diagnostics device that anyone can use.
This is how I started working on Cargenta Brain. Now, after years of hard work, the product is finally ready for the market and it ended up having much more useful features than just diagnostics. In a nutshell, it is an IoT device that is installed in the car OBDII port and can connect any contemporary car to the Internet. Then, the driver can interact with his car from anywhere.
The technology as such is not new but the approach to delivering value out if it is.
Most of all, it is a multi-purpose device: It integrates OBDII reader chip, GPS, GSM/GPRS, Bluetooth, Gyroscope, Battery and a Sim Card. The beauty of it is that we provide the HW device and the internet data plan for it in a bundle. So, people just need to plug it in, and it works. The mobile apps for iOS and Android are free to use.
We are soon to launch Kickstarter campaign. In the meantime, users can sign up at our website, where we have prepared some gifts and discounts for our early supporters.
Below are the currently available features:
* Read & Clear Vehicle Fault Codes (DTCs)
* 24/7 Vehicle Health Monitoring
* Remote Vehicle Diagnostics
* Live GPS Location Tracking
* Location & Route History
* Maintenance Reminders
* Maintenance History
* Live Vehicle Sensor Data: Speed, RPM, Calculated Load Value, Coolant Temperature, Fuel System Status, Short/Long Term Fuel Trim, Fault Codes & more
* Automatic Notifications in case of: Technical Problem, Crash, Theft, Towing, Over speeding, Geofence Breach, Battery Failure, Car Movement, Engine Start, Maintenance Due & more
* Reports: Fuel Consumption, Average Speed, Top Speed, Mileage Driven, Route, Driving Behavior & more
Features we might add in the future (please, comment below if you\u2019d like to have any of them):
* Car Configurator \u2013 configure dashboard, lights, windows, instruments and features. Encode car modules, reset maintenance indicator.
* Car Remote Control - remote start and stop the engine, lock and unlock doors, turn air condition or heating, etc.
* Usage Based Insurance \u2013 auto insurance quotes based on personal driving habits. Drivers who drive less or drive safe pay less. This is a much debated feature, so we\u2019d like to hear your thoughts about it.
Next steps: The hardware devices and the platform that we are building right now, are not tremendously groundbreaking but\u2026we must start from somewhere. So, we start with something simple - a product that people need. We then use the knowledge and experience to take the technology to the next level.
Here is our vision for the future: Universal Vehicle to Everything Communication (V2X) for better safety on the roads, saving lives and enabling faster introduction of self-driving technologies.
The basic idea is to make all cars talk to each other and get live updates of their surroundings, speed, direction, braking, traffic flow, hazards ahead etc. That\u2019s the plan. Execution is to follow.
Community Driven: Right now, we are focused on our Cargenta Brain unit and want to provide features that make sense to the users. That\u2019s why we want to hear from you! Please, share below any thoughts, advice or recommendations that you believe will help us improve.
Beta users: We need limited number of beta users for specific countries to test the network coverage. If interested in participating, please send us an email: support@cargenta.com.
Get involved: If you like the project and want to be part of it, let us know: support@cargenta.com
Final thoughts. As many of you know, making hardware is hard. Consumer hardware is even harder. It\u2019s capital and resource intensive and even the big tech companies struggle to get it right. For startups, the success rate is extremely low. Yet, if we give up before even trying only because it is hard, how can we hope to ever achieve something great?
Thank you for your time spent reading this post!
[1] Website: https://www.cargenta.com/
[2] Product video: https://youtu.be/j3XQn-H3Mnw
[3] Recommendations for features: https://www.cargenta.com/forums/topic/top-features-that-you-wish-to-have-in-cargenta-brain/","title":"Show HN: Cargenta \u2013 We Make Cars Connected","updated_at":"2024-09-20T07:06:53Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"hestipod"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"I've been struggling a long time. Some of it I admit is self inflicted due to my own weaknesses and inability to move past pain and problems, but most is external and there has been a lot. I have failed to grab securely the occasional lifelines I have had over the years. One from a kind member here. Not long ago I completely gave out and tried to stop living. Now I am trying to recover from that and new issues and feel very alone and adrift. I have no holistic support or care. Each day is such a fight, each moment. If anyone has the time and energy I could use real caring, love, strength. "If I could just go back" is my mantra but its not served me at all I see. I need to go forward but things are SO bad now I don't know how and am getting pawned off by the local people I asked for help. The healthcare system has failed me repeatedly. So another desperation post. Few people have written me in past but I lost all messages/contacts as I seem to have deleted the accounts content. I want a life...a future...but I am simply not able to do it alone. Timing of world events makes it even worse I know. Please if you have the energy reach out. Email is in profile. I am probably even beyond trying to stay anonymous as its so critical and desperate. I am past forums or crisis texts etc. I need real people and real guidance.
Thank you"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ask HN: Need help and support to fight through challenges"}},"_tags":["story","author_hestipod","story_22825091","ask_hn"],"author":"hestipod","children":[22825976,22828080],"created_at":"2020-04-09T17:36:26Z","created_at_i":1586453786,"num_comments":4,"objectID":"22825091","points":5,"story_id":22825091,"story_text":"I've been struggling a long time. Some of it I admit is self inflicted due to my own weaknesses and inability to move past pain and problems, but most is external and there has been a lot. I have failed to grab securely the occasional lifelines I have had over the years. One from a kind member here. Not long ago I completely gave out and tried to stop living. Now I am trying to recover from that and new issues and feel very alone and adrift. I have no holistic support or care. Each day is such a fight, each moment. If anyone has the time and energy I could use real caring, love, strength. "If I could just go back" is my mantra but its not served me at all I see. I need to go forward but things are SO bad now I don't know how and am getting pawned off by the local people I asked for help. The healthcare system has failed me repeatedly. So another desperation post. Few people have written me in past but I lost all messages/contacts as I seem to have deleted the accounts content. I want a life...a future...but I am simply not able to do it alone. Timing of world events makes it even worse I know. Please if you have the energy reach out. Email is in profile. I am probably even beyond trying to stay anonymous as its so critical and desperate. I am past forums or crisis texts etc. I need real people and real guidance.
Thank you","title":"Ask HN: Need help and support to fight through challenges","updated_at":"2024-09-20T05:59:49Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"stuartmscott"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"How do you protect your digital assets?
Do you store your personal notes, dog pictures, cat videos, music playlists, health records, bank statements, and government documents in the cloud, on your phone, a usb, hard-disk, solid-state, or network drive?
Is your data available to you, when and where you need it?
Can your data be viewed by anyone else?
Is your data stored in multiple locations or are all your eggs in one basket?
Can your data be changed or deleted without your knowledge?
S P A C E[1] is an open source project[2] combining End-to-End Encryption with Proof-of-Work Blockchains to store your data Securely, Privately, Immutably and Indelibly.
S P A C E is available for Android[3], Linux, Mac, and Windows(untested).
Aletheia Ware is the default provider offering Mining[4] and Storage[5] services to registered customers on a subscription basis. You can become a provider and offer such services to yourself, your family, friends or the general public by following the guide[6].
S P A C E is in BETA. Things will break.
S P A C E is made available by Aletheia Ware under the Terms of Service[7], Privacy Policy[8], and Beta Test Agreement[9].
If you would like to know more visit https://space.aletheiaware.com, contact support@aletheiaware.com or reply to this Show HN.
[1] https://space.aletheiaware.com\n[2] https://github.com/AletheiaWareLLC\n[3] https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.aletheiaware.space....\n[4] https://space.aletheiaware.com/mining.html\n[5] https://space.aletheiaware.com/storage.html\n[6] https://space.aletheiaware.com/documentation/setup-provider....\n[7] https://aletheiaware.com/terms-of-service.html\n[8] https://aletheiaware.com/privacy-policy.html\n[9] https://aletheiaware.com/space-beta-test-agreement.html"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Show HN: S P A C E \u2013 End-to-end encrypted, blockchain-backed, digital storage"}},"_tags":["story","author_stuartmscott","story_20326692","show_hn"],"author":"stuartmscott","created_at":"2019-07-01T16:01:01Z","created_at_i":1561996861,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"20326692","points":5,"story_id":20326692,"story_text":"How do you protect your digital assets?
Do you store your personal notes, dog pictures, cat videos, music playlists, health records, bank statements, and government documents in the cloud, on your phone, a usb, hard-disk, solid-state, or network drive?
Is your data available to you, when and where you need it?
Can your data be viewed by anyone else?
Is your data stored in multiple locations or are all your eggs in one basket?
Can your data be changed or deleted without your knowledge?
S P A C E[1] is an open source project[2] combining End-to-End Encryption with Proof-of-Work Blockchains to store your data Securely, Privately, Immutably and Indelibly.
S P A C E is available for Android[3], Linux, Mac, and Windows(untested).
Aletheia Ware is the default provider offering Mining[4] and Storage[5] services to registered customers on a subscription basis. You can become a provider and offer such services to yourself, your family, friends or the general public by following the guide[6].
S P A C E is in BETA. Things will break.
S P A C E is made available by Aletheia Ware under the Terms of Service[7], Privacy Policy[8], and Beta Test Agreement[9].
If you would like to know more visit https://space.aletheiaware.com, contact support@aletheiaware.com or reply to this Show HN.
[1] https://space.aletheiaware.com\n[2] https://github.com/AletheiaWareLLC\n[3] https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.aletheiaware.space....\n[4] https://space.aletheiaware.com/mining.html\n[5] https://space.aletheiaware.com/storage.html\n[6] https://space.aletheiaware.com/documentation/setup-provider....\n[7] https://aletheiaware.com/terms-of-service.html\n[8] https://aletheiaware.com/privacy-policy.html\n[9] https://aletheiaware.com/space-beta-test-agreement.html","title":"Show HN: S P A C E \u2013 End-to-end encrypted, blockchain-backed, digital storage","updated_at":"2024-09-20T04:25:55Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"stuartjohnson12"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"I'm not here solely to shit all over someone's hard work, but I hope that this shows up on Google somewhere when searching for open source Airtable alternatives. Currently, every reference to NoCoDB I can find is positive, and that did not match my experience.
For context, Airtable won't sign a BAA, so for healthtech it's necessary to self-host. The role that Airtable serves in an org is super valuable as an operational swiss army knife, so I wanted to deploy a tool. The two best-known self-hostable tools are NoCoDB and Baserow. After spending significant time setting up and configuring NoCoDB, then trying to deploy it, I've come to the conclusion that as of 2025 it is not mature enough for production use.
For context, this isn't open source parasitism, we're willing to pay at least hundreds of $ for something that does a good job of bridging the gap between tech and non-tech.
Using NoCoDB, I encountered a problem I was very much uncomfortable with:
1. In NoCoDB, if you create a field as a JSON and then switch to a JSONB, the entire column of data will be deleted with no warning, confirmation, or message. This migration is trivially possible with SQL with no data loss, so I assumed the case would be covered, and before I knew it I'd just deleted an entire column of data with no warning in 4 clicks. Nope nope nope.
2. I restore from backup. To save time, I try to use NoCoDB's handy CSV import feature to load the column back in, I thought. I attach my file, click submit and... an error toast with no message pops up.
I delete the NoCoDB instance. Something else will suffice, but not this."},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Bad Experience with NoCoDB"}},"_tags":["story","author_stuartjohnson12","story_43108868","ask_hn"],"author":"stuartjohnson12","children":[43113570,43125323,43128328],"created_at":"2025-02-19T23:00:52Z","created_at_i":1740006052,"num_comments":6,"objectID":"43108868","points":4,"story_id":43108868,"story_text":"I'm not here solely to shit all over someone's hard work, but I hope that this shows up on Google somewhere when searching for open source Airtable alternatives. Currently, every reference to NoCoDB I can find is positive, and that did not match my experience.
For context, Airtable won't sign a BAA, so for healthtech it's necessary to self-host. The role that Airtable serves in an org is super valuable as an operational swiss army knife, so I wanted to deploy a tool. The two best-known self-hostable tools are NoCoDB and Baserow. After spending significant time setting up and configuring NoCoDB, then trying to deploy it, I've come to the conclusion that as of 2025 it is not mature enough for production use.
For context, this isn't open source parasitism, we're willing to pay at least hundreds of $ for something that does a good job of bridging the gap between tech and non-tech.
Using NoCoDB, I encountered a problem I was very much uncomfortable with:
1. In NoCoDB, if you create a field as a JSON and then switch to a JSONB, the entire column of data will be deleted with no warning, confirmation, or message. This migration is trivially possible with SQL with no data loss, so I assumed the case would be covered, and before I knew it I'd just deleted an entire column of data with no warning in 4 clicks. Nope nope nope.
2. I restore from backup. To save time, I try to use NoCoDB's handy CSV import feature to load the column back in, I thought. I attach my file, click submit and... an error toast with no message pops up.
I delete the NoCoDB instance. Something else will suffice, but not this.","title":"Bad Experience with NoCoDB","updated_at":"2025-12-01T13:35:08Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"louis_w_gk"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"A year ago, we launched Distr here to help software vendors manage customer deployments remotely. We had agents that pulled updates, a hub with a GUI, and a lot of assumptions about what on-prem deployment needed.
It turned out things get messy when your software is running in places you can't simply SSH into.
Over the last year, we\u2019ve also helped modernize a lot of home-baked solutions: bash scripts that email when updates fail, Excel sheets nobody trusts to track customer versions, engineers driving to customer sites to fix things in person, debug sessions over email (\u201ccan you take a screenshot of the logs and send it to me?\u201d), customers with access to internal AWS or GCP registries because there was no better option, and deployments two major versions behind that nobody wants to touch.
We waited a year before making our first breaking change, which led to a major SemVer update\u2014but it was eventually necessary. We needed to completely rewrite how we manage customer organizations. In Distr, we differentiate between vendors and customers. A vendor is typically the author of a software / AI application that wants to distribute it to customers. Previously, we had taken a shortcut where every customer was just a single user who owned a deployment. We\u2019ve now introduced customer organizations. Vendors onboard customer organizations onto the platform, and customers own their internal user management, including RBAC. This change obviously broke our API, and although the migration for our cloud customers was smooth, custom solutions built on top of our APIs needed updates.
Other notable features we\u2019ve implemented since our first launch:
- An OCI container registry built on an adapted version of https://github.com/google/go-containerregistry/, directly embedded into our codebase and served via a separate port from a single Docker image. This allows vendors to distribute Docker images and other OCI artifacts if customers want to self-manage deployments.
- License Management to restrict which customers can access which applications or artifact versions. Although \u201clicense management\u201d is a broadly used term, the main purpose here is to codify contractual agreements between vendors and customers. In its simplest form, this is time-based access to specific software versions, which vendors can now manage with Distr.
- Container logs and metrics you can actually see without SSH access. Internally, we debated whether to use a time-series database or store all logs in Postgres. Although we had to tinker quite a bit with Postgres indexes, it now runs stably.
- Secret Management, so database passwords don\u2019t show up in configuration steps or logs.
Distr is now used by 200+ vendors, including Fortune 500 companies, across on-prem, GovCloud, AWS, and GCP, spanning health tech, fintech, security, and AI companies. We\u2019ve also started working on our first air-gapped environment.
For Distr 3.0, we\u2019re working on native Terraform / OpenTofu and Zarf support to provision and update infrastructure in customers\u2019 cloud accounts and physical environments\u2014empowering vendors to offer BYOC and air-gapped use cases, all from a single platform.
Distr is fully open source and self-hostable: https://github.com/distr-sh/distr
Docs: https://distr.sh/docs
We\u2019re YC S24. Happy to answer questions about on-prem deployments and would love to hear about your experience with complex customer deployments."},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Show HN: Distr 2.0 \u2013 A year of learning how to ship to customer environments"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"https://github.com/distr-sh/distr"}},"_tags":["story","author_louis_w_gk","story_46887466","show_hn"],"author":"louis_w_gk","children":[46887989],"created_at":"2026-02-04T16:01:46Z","created_at_i":1770220906,"num_comments":2,"objectID":"46887466","points":4,"story_id":46887466,"story_text":"A year ago, we launched Distr here to help software vendors manage customer deployments remotely. We had agents that pulled updates, a hub with a GUI, and a lot of assumptions about what on-prem deployment needed.
It turned out things get messy when your software is running in places you can't simply SSH into.
Over the last year, we\u2019ve also helped modernize a lot of home-baked solutions: bash scripts that email when updates fail, Excel sheets nobody trusts to track customer versions, engineers driving to customer sites to fix things in person, debug sessions over email (\u201ccan you take a screenshot of the logs and send it to me?\u201d), customers with access to internal AWS or GCP registries because there was no better option, and deployments two major versions behind that nobody wants to touch.
We waited a year before making our first breaking change, which led to a major SemVer update\u2014but it was eventually necessary. We needed to completely rewrite how we manage customer organizations. In Distr, we differentiate between vendors and customers. A vendor is typically the author of a software / AI application that wants to distribute it to customers. Previously, we had taken a shortcut where every customer was just a single user who owned a deployment. We\u2019ve now introduced customer organizations. Vendors onboard customer organizations onto the platform, and customers own their internal user management, including RBAC. This change obviously broke our API, and although the migration for our cloud customers was smooth, custom solutions built on top of our APIs needed updates.
Other notable features we\u2019ve implemented since our first launch:
- An OCI container registry built on an adapted version of https://github.com/google/go-containerregistry/, directly embedded into our codebase and served via a separate port from a single Docker image. This allows vendors to distribute Docker images and other OCI artifacts if customers want to self-manage deployments.
- License Management to restrict which customers can access which applications or artifact versions. Although \u201clicense management\u201d is a broadly used term, the main purpose here is to codify contractual agreements between vendors and customers. In its simplest form, this is time-based access to specific software versions, which vendors can now manage with Distr.
- Container logs and metrics you can actually see without SSH access. Internally, we debated whether to use a time-series database or store all logs in Postgres. Although we had to tinker quite a bit with Postgres indexes, it now runs stably.
- Secret Management, so database passwords don\u2019t show up in configuration steps or logs.
Distr is now used by 200+ vendors, including Fortune 500 companies, across on-prem, GovCloud, AWS, and GCP, spanning health tech, fintech, security, and AI companies. We\u2019ve also started working on our first air-gapped environment.
For Distr 3.0, we\u2019re working on native Terraform / OpenTofu and Zarf support to provision and update infrastructure in customers\u2019 cloud accounts and physical environments\u2014empowering vendors to offer BYOC and air-gapped use cases, all from a single platform.
Distr is fully open source and self-hostable: https://github.com/distr-sh/distr
Docs: https://distr.sh/docs
We\u2019re YC S24. Happy to answer questions about on-prem deployments and would love to hear about your experience with complex customer deployments.","title":"Show HN: Distr 2.0 \u2013 A year of learning how to ship to customer environments","updated_at":"2026-03-05T23:31:27Z","url":"https://github.com/distr-sh/distr"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"dqv"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ever since I can remember, I have had poor academic hygiene. In middle and high school I did the bare minimum to pass, but I was strongly reluctant to study or do homework. I purposefully missed 10 days because that was the maximum I could miss before getting an attendance failure. I went to a four-year university for a year and got a 3.94 GPA for both semesters, but I feel like I didn't learn much at all (and it is more likely that the grade was handed to me). The only classes I can recall that were intellectually challenging was a history course that had required reading. I had a hard time staying focused and it would usually end with me skimming the textbook and not really learning much at all.
I ended up quitting college because I had no academic focus. I didn't want to be in debt without a strong sense of focus on something I liked.
In the past few months, I've had the desire to learn something interesting. Unfortunately whenever I want to learn something new, I end up getting stuck in a "fractal" where I go so deep into a topic that I realize I know nothing at all. It really dampens my motivation.
For example, "I want to learn about farming" -> "I am going to read about basic gardening" -> "Soil is really important to gardens, I should learn about soil structure and healthy soil" -> "I have to learn about organisms in the soil" -> "To understand how these organisms interact with the soil, I'll need to learn the physics and chemistry behind it" -> "Wow, this physics and chemistry stuff is WAY over my head, I'm just going to give up learning about farming"
I guess I'm missing the foundation necessary to understand and study more advanced topics. I continue to be a poor mathematician, a lackluster writer, and an intellectually devoid person.
Is there anyone out there who has faced this same issue? How can I go about fixing my academic hygiene?"},"title":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Ask HN: How do I correct my poor academic hygiene ex post facto?"}},"_tags":["story","author_dqv","story_13077962","ask_hn"],"author":"dqv","children":[13078138],"created_at":"2016-12-01T07:59:16Z","created_at_i":1480579156,"num_comments":2,"objectID":"13077962","points":4,"story_id":13077962,"story_text":"Ever since I can remember, I have had poor academic hygiene. In middle and high school I did the bare minimum to pass, but I was strongly reluctant to study or do homework. I purposefully missed 10 days because that was the maximum I could miss before getting an attendance failure. I went to a four-year university for a year and got a 3.94 GPA for both semesters, but I feel like I didn't learn much at all (and it is more likely that the grade was handed to me). The only classes I can recall that were intellectually challenging was a history course that had required reading. I had a hard time staying focused and it would usually end with me skimming the textbook and not really learning much at all.
I ended up quitting college because I had no academic focus. I didn't want to be in debt without a strong sense of focus on something I liked.
In the past few months, I've had the desire to learn something interesting. Unfortunately whenever I want to learn something new, I end up getting stuck in a "fractal" where I go so deep into a topic that I realize I know nothing at all. It really dampens my motivation.
For example, "I want to learn about farming" -> "I am going to read about basic gardening" -> "Soil is really important to gardens, I should learn about soil structure and healthy soil" -> "I have to learn about organisms in the soil" -> "To understand how these organisms interact with the soil, I'll need to learn the physics and chemistry behind it" -> "Wow, this physics and chemistry stuff is WAY over my head, I'm just going to give up learning about farming"
I guess I'm missing the foundation necessary to understand and study more advanced topics. I continue to be a poor mathematician, a lackluster writer, and an intellectually devoid person.
Is there anyone out there who has faced this same issue? How can I go about fixing my academic hygiene?","title":"Ask HN: How do I correct my poor academic hygiene ex post facto?","updated_at":"2024-09-20T00:05:14Z"}],"hitsPerPage":50,"nbHits":67,"nbPages":2,"page":0,"params":"query=Devoted+Health&tags=story&hitsPerPage=50&advancedSyntax=true&analyticsTags=backend","processingTimeMS":18,"processingTimingsMS":{"_request":{"queue":4,"roundTrip":16},"afterFetch":{"format":{"highlighting":8,"total":9},"merge":{"mergeLoop":{"prepareNextHit":2,"total":2},"total":2},"total":2},"fetch":{"query":11,"scanning":3,"total":15},"total":18},"query":"Devoted Health","serverTimeMS":33}