1. Ask HN: I’m an FCC Commissioner proposing regulation of IoT security updates
Total comment counts : 181
Summary
The article discusses the issue of serious vulnerabilities in IoT devices and the lack of support and updates from manufacturers. The author advocates for the FCC to require device manufacturers to support their products with security updates for a reasonable amount of time. The FCC has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for a cybersecurity labeling program for connected devices, and the author fought for one of the criteria to be the disclosure of how long the product will receive security updates. The author encourages individuals to file comments with the FCC to influence the process and make their opinions known. The deadline for filing comments is September 25th, 2023.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article is a thank you message to readers for their engagement in a discussion, but also stresses the importance of filing an official comment to influence the actions of the FCC. Readers are encouraged to file a comment by September 25th by visiting a specific webpage. The article also acknowledges the assistance of the HN team in putting the message together.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article provides two links that lead to a thread on a website called Hacker News. The thread contains additional information that is not summarized in the provided text.
2. Get a cable modem, go to jail (1999)
Total comment counts : 29
Summary
The author discusses their experience with Comcast Cablevision and the legal issues that arose from their cable service. They explain that they had signed up for Comcast@home cable modem service but had not signed up for cable TV service. However, Comcast had neglected to install a filter to prevent the video signal from reaching their home, so they were able to enjoy cable TV service without paying for it. When Comcast discovered the issue, they filed criminal charges against the author for cable fraud. The author details their attempts to resolve the situation, including contacting Comcast customer service and the State’s Attorney’s office. Eventually, the charges were dropped and the author’s cable service was fixed. However, they express frustration with the process and consider filing a malicious prosecution lawsuit against Comcast. In the end, they decide not to pursue legal action but hope to be reimbursed for the expense of expunging their criminal record.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author worked as a broadband technician for AT&T Broadband. They quit after a year due to various negative experiences, including being threatened with a gun, encountering dangerous situations, and getting shocked while on the job. However, they also had positive experiences, such as meeting interesting people and giving out free TV and HBO. The author ultimately decided to pursue a college education and dropped out of high school. Their colleagues predicted they would return to the job, but the author ended up getting a job at Google instead.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author of the article is surprised to learn that there are penalties, including up to 6 months of jail time, for stealing cable. They question how copyright theft could warrant criminal punishment and argue that it should be treated as a civil matter instead. The author argues that jail time, specifically in support of large media corporations, is unreasonable since nobody is harmed by stolen cable. They suggest reevaluating which offenses warrant jail time. The article can be found at [1].
3. ZFS for Dummies
Total comment counts : 18
Summary
The article discusses the basics of ZFS, a local filesystem and logical volume manager, and provides information on creating pools, handling vdevs, and working with datasets and volumes. It explains the commands for creating pools, importing and exporting pools, and running scrubs. The article also covers creating datasets, mounting and unmounting filesystems, setting properties, and working with snapshots. It concludes by highlighting the feature of ZFS send, which allows for replication and backup of snapshots.
Top 1 Comment Summary
This article discusses the author’s experience with ZFS and suggests improvements to make the usage of ZFS easier. The author proposes several changes to simplify the common tasks, such as using default settings for pool creation, simplifying encryption options, automating key generation and backup, displaying dataset information in a more user-friendly way, simplifying naming conventions, avoiding the need to type disk IDs, and automating various tasks like progress display, scrubbing, snapshots, and snapshot pruning. Additionally, the author suggests improvements for sending datasets to disks without pools and suggests collapsing certain commands into a single command. Finally, the author proposes providing a clear way to mount and navigate snapshot datasets.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article provides several useful tips and commands for working with ZFS. These include understanding the difference between zpool-attach(8) and zpool-replace(8), using the zfs list command to determine how space is being used, utilizing ZFS Boot Environments for protecting the operating system during major changes or upgrades, and using the zpool history command to track changes to the ZFS pool configuration. Additionally, the article mentions that users can create 3-way, 4-way, or N-way mirrors to protect against disk failures.
4. Oscilloscope watch ships after 10 years on Kickstarter
Total comment counts : 22
Summary
The article explains that a project to produce an oscilloscope watch, originally launched on Kickstarter ten years ago, has finally started delivering watches to early backers. The watch has two modes - a regular watch mode with customizable features and an oscilloscope mode that works when probes are inserted. It is powered by an 8-bit Xmega microcontroller and has a 1.28-inch E Ink display. The expected battery life is around 30 days without using the oscilloscope and approximately 12 hours with it. The article suggests checking out the project on Kickstarter for more information.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author shares a personal story about a nerve conduction study they underwent to diagnose numbness in their hand. The procedure involved hooking them up to an oscilloscope and sending currents down their arm to test nerve conductivity. The author, being an engineer, asked the professor performing the study to explain how it worked. They discussed medical imaging and machine learning while undergoing the procedure, which was mildly unpleasant but fascinating.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author of the article was a Kickstarter backer of an oscilloscope watch. The person behind the watch project sent regular updates in the beginning but became less frequent over time. There was then a long period of silence until July 30th of this year when it was announced that the watches would finally be shipped. The author mentions that they didn’t expect to receive the watch after 2015 and still have not received it as of now.
5. A currently maintained fork of SSHFS
Total comment counts : 18
Summary
The article discusses the state of SSHFS (Secure Shell Filesystem), a network filesystem client used to connect to SSH servers. The original repository for SSHFS has been declared unmaintained, so the article mentions a fork of the project being developed in the Rust programming language. However, there are some downsides to using Rust, such as its young age, unstable API changes, and long compilation process. The article states that the current maintainers of SSHFS are only focusing on fixing issues and merging pull requests until the Rust fork is ready. The article also explains how to use SSHFS to mount a remote filesystem and provides instructions for installing and building SSHFS using Meson and Ninja. It advises seeking help and reporting bugs on the appropriate mailing list and GitHub issue tracker.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses TRAMP (“Transparent Remote Access, Multiple Protocol”), a feature in Emacs that allows users to access files remotely. The writer mentions that they frequently use TRAMP to access files on a server from their MacBook Pro.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The writer of the article explains that they have recently switched from using macfuse + sshfs on their Mac to using a tool called “mountain duck.” This tool allows them to access an SFTP endpoint through their Finder and mount point. They describe the software as excellent and indispensable for their needs.
6. Emacs Bedrock: A minimal Emacs starter kit
Total comment counts : 13
Summary
The article describes a minimal Emacs starter kit that focuses on using built-in Emacs features rather than third-party packages. The starter kit includes two files, early-init.el and init.el, for customization. Additionally, there are mixin files that can be included to tailor Emacs for specific purposes. The article emphasizes the goal of encouraging end-user adaptation and growth by explaining every customization and enabling easy modification. The starter kit also recommends a few well-built packages that enhance the Emacs experience. The article states that Bedrock is not intended to be a core that gets periodically updated, but rather a configuration that users can adopt and modify to their liking. The article concludes by providing information on the required version of Emacs and the author’s contact information for feedback and suggestions.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article suggests that if you are running Emacs 29+, you may not need a starter kit or framework. The newer version of Emacs includes built-in features such as Treesitter for syntax, eglot for language servers, project and tab-bar for scoped workspaces, and use-package for downloading and configuring dependencies. The article also mentions that Modus-themes are now built-in, offering two themes with extensive research behind them. The author’s Emacs configuration is now only a few hundred lines, with most of the code focused on completion and fuzzy searching. Overall, the article argues that modern Emacs is more viable with a vanilla configuration than ever before.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author discusses the usefulness of the cua-mode in Emacs and suggests that it is limited and not fully functional. They recommend using ergoemacs instead, which they believe provides a more comprehensive CUA experience. The author mentions that ergoemacs may have slow launch times but states that it can be customized with ELisp. They wonder why ergoemacs hasn’t gained popularity.
7. Farms that create habitat key to food security and biodiversity
Total comment counts : 11
Summary
This article discusses a study conducted by Stanford researchers in Costa Rica on the impact of diversified farming on bird populations. The researchers found that smaller farms with varying crops and patches of forest habitat sustained many forest-dependent bird species, while bird populations declined in forests and intensive agriculture areas. The study highlights the importance of maintaining tree cover in farming areas to provide essential habitats for wildlife. The researchers suggest that diversified farming is crucial for biodiversity and food security, as different bird species play a role in pest control and pollination. The findings also challenge the assumption that farmland cannot support significant biodiversity. The article mentions that Costa Rica has successfully reversed deforestation through a payment for ecosystem services program, and the government is now working on a new program to encourage farmers to adopt best management practices.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article argues that our heavily subsidized and centralized food production system in the US, and likely in other Western countries as well, makes it difficult for those focused on biodiversity, sustainability, or animal welfare to compete economically. The solution proposed is a more localized food system, as large-scale ranching and farming rely heavily on monoculture and government subsidies. The author uses the example of raising a small herd of grass-fed cattle without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or antibiotics. They explain that it is not economically viable to sell meat or dairy at prices comparable to grocery stores, and scaling up production would not solve the financial challenge due to the additional inputs required. The article suggests that using fertilizers, antibiotics, and pesticides in industrial cattle production is a temporary solution that poses risks and increases workload and stress.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author has recently joined a farming co-op in the Netherlands that focuses on sustainable food production and increasing biodiversity. The co-op leases about 30 hectares of land that was previously used for growing corn to feed cows. The author enjoys helping with weeding. There are about 18 similar farming co-ops in the country.
8. Geo Guesser identifies the location and seat number from an aerial shot
Total comment counts : 17
Summary
The article states that JavaScript is disabled in the user’s browser and suggests enabling it or switching to a supported browser in order to continue using Twitter. The article also mentions that a list of supported browsers can be found in the Help Center. Additionally, the article highlights the Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and Imprint of the website, all belonging to X Corp.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses a person who is remarkably accurate at guessing locations based solely on images of grass. The author expresses surprise at this ability and suggests that artificial intelligence (AI) could potentially surpass this person’s skills. The author also expresses concern that such technology could be misused, allowing users to upload any photo and obtain its location, and notes that finding a solution to this issue is challenging.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author shares a story about correctly identifying their former manager’s location by analyzing a photo he posted online. They used landmarks and Google Earth to determine the exact building, floor, apartment number, and room the photo was taken from. The manager was impressed and slightly horrified by this ability. The author mentions a previous incident where 4chan identified a terrorist training camp from a photo, leading to a military strike.
9. Show HN: Keep – GitHub Actions for your monitoring tools
Total comment counts : 15
Summary
This article discusses an open-source alerts management and automation platform called Keep. The platform uses Workflow, which is a declarative YAML file, to manage and automate responses to alerts. It can be run via docker-compose or within an IDE. The article also mentions the use of PostHog to collect anonymous telemetries for improving Keep.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article questions whether it is beneficial to solve problems using YML (YAML) for businesses. The author reflects on their experience with complex GitHub Actions (GHA) implemented in YML and describes it as initially promising but eventually becoming difficult to manage and a burden for the organization. They highlight it as a time-consuming, unmaintainable, untestable mess, and a source of technical debt.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author finds the subject of the article interesting and thinks it could be a useful personal tool. While it is not the typical use case mentioned, the author is considering integrating it into their todo system using the HTTP provider. They plan to explore this further in the near future.
10. Amiga Systems Programming in 2023
Total comment counts : 9
Summary
The author, a DevOps architect and Amiga enthusiast, shares their experience and insights into developing for the AmigaOS. They discuss the beauty and capabilities of the classic AmigaOS source code, their development environment, building tools and platforms, and the challenges of developing for AmigaDOS. The author also talks about distributing Amiga software, using Amiga-specific technologies such as LHA format archives and AmigaGuide documentation, and provides resources for learning Amiga development. They conclude by expressing their appreciation for the Amiga and its place in computing history.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article is a self-proclaimed Amiga newbie, but has been involved in the Amiga scene since the 90s. They have observed the coding side of things and briefly worked as a Graphics Artist. The author admits their C code may not be great and they may have some factual errors, but they have enjoyed diving back into the platform and discovering its advanced features.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This article is mainly about nitpicking a few details related to AmigaOS. The author points out that LZX had already replaced LHA as the standard compression tool by 1994. They also argue that the 7Mhz 68000 CPU should be considered a 32-bit machine due to its 32-bit operations and registers, even though it shovels data 16 bits at a time behind the scenes. Finally, the author disagrees with the statement that programming for AmigaOS is limited to the C language, as there are headers available for almost any programming language, including Pascal, E, and assembly.