1. Introduction to Modern Statistics
Total comment counts : 20
Summary
The article provides information about the website for the textbook “Introduction to Modern Statistics, Second Edition” by Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel and Johanna Hardin. The second edition of the book, referred to as IMS2, is currently being worked on and is planned to be released in Spring 2024. The first edition of the book is available at openintro-ims.netlify.app with additional resources at openintro.org/book/ims. Feedback on the second edition can be reported at github.com/OpenIntroStat/ims. The textbook and its supplements, including slides, labs, and interactive tutorials, can be downloaded for free at openintro.org/book/ims. The textbook is a derivative of “OpenIntro Statistics 4th Edition” and “Introduction to Statistics with Randomization and Simulation 1st Edition” by Diez, Barr, and Çetinkaya-Rundel, and it is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported United States License. The source files for the book can be found on GitHub at github.com/OpenIntroStat/ims. The book was built with Quarto and is referred to as IMS2e.
Top 1 Comment Summary
This article discusses the revolution happening in statistics education, driven by the accessibility of computers. The author explains how hypothesis testing is now taught using randomization and the randomized permutation test, which they find easier to understand compared to the traditional approach. The traditional approach relied on a cookbook of hypothesis tests without providing an understanding of why or when to use different tests. The article includes links to further resources exploring this approach.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author of the article expresses their dissatisfaction with the current approach to teaching introductory statistics, particularly the use of ad-hoc null hypothesis testing. They advocate for a shift towards using linear models and Bayesian-by-default approaches from the beginning of introductory courses. They provide a link for further information on this topic.
2. Using OpenBSD Relayd(8) as an Application Layer Gateway
Total comment counts : 8
Summary
The article is a summary of a talk given at EuroBSDCon 2023 about the OpenBSD stock daemon called relayd(8). The talk covers various aspects of relayd(8), including its configuration, usage as an HTTP reverse proxy, load balancing, failover capabilities, and header manipulation. It also provides examples and code snippets to demonstrate how to use relayd(8) for different scenarios.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article provides links to browse the OpenBSD man pages for relayd and relayctl (which are used for load balancing and failover) and relayd.conf (which is the configuration file for relayd). The article also mentions that failover is usually implemented with carp (or VRRP) on two different machines running relayd. It concludes by stating that OpenBSD is highly regarded for networking tasks.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the benefits of using Relayd, particularly in combination with OpenBSD and CARP. It mentions that the original author of Relayd also created a Rust prototype, which can be found on GitHub. It highlights that Relayd only resolves DNS names at startup, so if the name of a host changes, it will require a reload of Relayd.
3. Show HN: See library availabilities for your Goodreads want-to-read list
Total comment counts : 16
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The article praises Libby as an amazing “best kept secret” and emphasizes the usefulness of using Goodreads as a database for book discovery. The author expresses a desire to connect Libby with local physical libraries and bookstores to make book discovery easier. The author also provides feedback on the user experience, including issues with loading books and suggests having progress indicators, saving settings in query parameters, and improving clarity in choosing ebook types. Overall, the article commends the initiative while offering constructive feedback.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author is wondering if it is common to choose to buy books instead of borrowing them from the library in order to support authors. They are interested to know if borrowing from the library also supports authors in any way.
4. Metric Time
Total comment counts : 82
Summary
The article discusses the concept of metric time and its advantages over traditional time systems. Metric time is based on a base-10 system, making calculations and conversions between timezones easier. There are no AM or PM distinctions in metric time, with just 10 hours in a day. For example, getting a good night’s sleep of 8 standard hours would be 3.33 metric hours. The article also explains that a half hour in metric time is equivalent to 50 minutes, while a full hour is 100 minutes. The logic used to tell time with metric time is similar to thinking about money, with each metric hour being akin to a 100-dollar bill. Each day in metric time consists of 1,000 minutes and 100,000 seconds. Overall, metric time offers an interesting perspective on how we spend our time each day.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the concept of decimal time, also known as French Revolutionary Time. The author created their own version of decimal time that eliminates time zones. The numeric time remains the same globally, but the display changes based on location, aligning with local solar midday and midnight. The clock also includes day and night hours on its face. The author’s version used to integrate with Google Calendar but hasn’t been updated due to changes in the Google Calendar API. Additionally, the author introduces a metric week with new week days, eliminating the need for months. The article concludes by stating that time and date calculations become simpler with decimal time.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses a hypothetical scenario where time is measured in a metric system. It mentions the confusion that arises when trying to convert traditional time measurements to metric time. The author notes that despite the expectation of waking up at 12:83 or 2:83, the metric time is stated as 2:75. The article also highlights the use of continuing fractions in traditional time measurements, such as the 60-minute hour and 24-hour day, as a way to accommodate various factors.
5. Roll Your Own All-Sky, Raspberry Pi Camera
Total comment counts : 14
Summary
The article discusses the use of Raspberry Pi hardware to capture time-lapse images of the night sky. The author describes their interest in capturing images of meteors and their decision to build a custom all-sky camera based on the Raspberry Pi. They explain the components required for the camera setup, including the Raspberry Pi microcomputer, the Raspberry Pi High Quality camera, a lens, and a waterproof enclosure. The author also mentions the Allsky Camera project and the Global Meteor Network, which both utilize Raspberry Pi-based cameras to observe the night sky and contribute data for meteor research. The author shares their experience setting up the camera and adjusting the various settings to capture high-quality images. They also express their excitement about the possibility of capturing meteors in the future.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article offers several tips for photography. Firstly, it suggests placing a better perch for birds to avoid scratches on the camera. Secondly, it recommends using auto-focus cameras or adding heaters for temperature-dependent manual focus cameras. Additionally, it notes that taking photos in very cold weather can improve long-exposure low-light shots due to reduced charge leakage in the sensor. However, condensation should be considered when keeping the sensor cold. Lastly, the article mentions that long exposures may lead to device pixel-specific noise, but this can be mitigated by creating a dark view map at a specific temperature and using it to denoise the images. Multiple frames or a shutter are recommended to capture the “darkest sample.”
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author of the article suggests that while Raspberry Pi cameras may appear to be a cost-effective choice for building an all sky camera system, the effort involved in building, installing, and maintaining one outweighs the savings. The author recommends using a better camera from ZWO, specifically the ASI462MC or ASI462MM, which are priced at around $300. The ZWO camera comes with an all sky lens and offers better performance for meteor detection. The author explains that due to light pollution and their proximity to an airport, the color camera did not perform well for meteor detection. As a result, the author built a second monochrome version, which is more sensitive and provides better results with shorter exposure times. However, even with the monochrome camera, exposure times of a few seconds are still required. As a result, the author now uses both cameras for 20-second exposures, and the monochrome camera is particularly good at capturing the Milky Way in their specific sky conditions.
6. First word discovered in unopened Herculaneum scroll by CS student
Total comment counts : 20
Summary
The article discusses the breakthrough in reading ancient Herculaneum scrolls, which were buried under volcanic mud after the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. The scrolls were so fragile that they couldn’t be opened and read without disintegrating. However, through the Vesuvius Challenge competition, two contestants, Luke Farritor and Youssef Nader, made significant discoveries using machine learning models. Luke became the first person in 2,000 years to see an entire word from within an unopened scroll, winning a prize of $40,000. Youssef independently discovered the same word, winning the second place prize of $10,000. Their breakthroughs were inspired by another contestant, Casey Handmer, who found evidence of ink within the unopened scrolls. The article further describes the history of the project, the development of machine learning models, and the ongoing progress in deciphering the scrolls.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses an extreme case of data recovery and speculates about the possibility of discovering the first file on a discarded hard drive platter in the future.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the discovery of lettering on papyrus segments through the use of CT scans and annotation of crackle textures. The crackle texture, which is indicative of Greek letters, was found in areas where the ink was very thick. The article also mentions the limitations of automated ink detection and the potential for only small portions of sentences to be readable. Overall, the discovery of the crackle texture offers new insights into the visibility of ancient lettering on papyrus.
7. How LSP could have been better
Total comment counts : 23
Summary
The article discusses the importance of architecture and social issues in programming, specifically focusing on the Language Server Protocol (LSP). The author highlights the genius of LSP in finding common ground among different programming languages through a focus on presentation rather than semantic models. However, the article also criticizes certain aspects of LSP, such as the use of JSON for transmitting information and the loss of causality in events. The author suggests that LSP should adopt a “level triggered” state synchronization approach rather than an “edge triggered” RPC protocol. Additionally, the article discusses the limitations of LSP in supporting complex refactorings and dynamic registration of capabilities. Overall, the author presents a mixed view of LSP, acknowledging its successes while pointing out areas for improvement.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article is frustrated because they want to write Python using a certain commercial editor, but the editor and the language server do not have a common configuration method. This means they cannot use the editor to write Python the way they want. The author acknowledges that it is not anyone’s fault and that the editor works fine with other servers, but they still find it disappointing. They express a desire for a standardized configuration method that all editors and language servers can use.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses a problem with column counting using UTF-16 code units. Instead of fixing the problem using code points, they allowed any encoding, making it necessary to support UTF-16, UTF-8, and UTF-32.
8. The Twelve-Factor App (2011)
Total comment counts : 35
Summary
The article discusses the twelve-factor app methodology, which is a set of principles for building software-as-a-service applications. The methodology can be applied to apps written in any programming language and using any combination of backing services. The contributors to the article have extensive experience in developing and deploying apps, and this document summarizes their observations and best practices. The goal of the methodology is to address systemic problems in modern application development, promote collaboration between developers, and prevent software erosion. The article is inspired by Martin Fowler’s books on application architecture and refactoring and is intended for developers and ops engineers involved in building and managing service applications.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article talks about the twelve-factor app, a set of recommendations from 2011 that are based on the capabilities of Heroku and containerized infrastructure at that time. It discusses the weaknesses of using config files in revision control and suggests storing config in environment variables instead. However, the author argues that these recommendations are based more on the capabilities of Heroku and the specific product, rather than on engineering principles. The author believes that the guidelines are actively harmful and confuse the overall picture.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author generally agrees with the concept of the “12 factor” guidelines and agile methodology. However, they have experienced situations where non-technical individuals use these concepts as a way to delay the release of a project. As a result, the author has become somewhat dismissive of these guidelines and believes they are more beneficial for those who prioritize technical leadership.
9. A 4-track tape recorder made me fall in love with music again
Total comment counts : 32
Summary
The article discusses the author’s rediscovery of the Tascam Portastudio 414 MKII, a cassette recorder, and its influence on their musical creativity. The author describes the limitations and unique features of the Portastudio, such as recording multiple tracks on a cassette tape and the absence of a screen. They also mention their struggles with recording using the Portastudio and their subsequent exploration of digital devices for music production. Ultimately, the author expresses their affection for cassette recording and suggests they may return to it in the future.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article is a personal recollection of the author’s experience as a teenager. Their cool uncle, who used to work as a DJ at an underground FM rock station, allowed them to salvage equipment when the station went out of business. The author was excited to find a TEAC 4 channel reel to reel, tapes, a soundboard, and a microphone. They used this equipment later on in college to start a punk rock band. The author accidentally stumbled upon tapes of bands like The Fuggs, Captain Beefheart, and Frank Zappa, which influenced their music taste and eventually led them to be a part of a punk rock band. The author also pursued a Masters in Electrical Engineering and a responsible life. Overall, the experience was significant and helped shape the author’s music and professional journey.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author shares their memories of home recording during a time when it was becoming more accessible. Although they did not personally use a home recording device, they would bounce stereo tracks from their cassette deck to a friend’s reel-to-reel recorder to achieve a better sound quality. They later purchased an 8-track recorder and mixer to record rock band demos. The author also recalls a memorable experience of sleeping on the floor in an abandoned house for the sake of a recording session.
10. The Hard Economics of Selling Web Data
Total comment counts : 7
Summary
The article discusses the challenges of selling web-scraped data and why companies often hire consultants instead of buying pre-scraped data. It explains that pricing datasets can be difficult due to limited liquidity and the cost considerations of buyers. To solve this issue, the article suggests using a marketplace model, where buyers can easily find and purchase data from multiple sellers. The marketplace model lowers transaction costs for buyers and allows sellers to reach a wider audience. The article concludes by stating that consumption-based pricing is ideal for aligning the interests of buyers and sellers.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article discusses the challenges of using purchased data and the benefits of building a scraper to gather specific and reliable data. The author shares their experience of using off-the-shelf scraping products, which proved to be of poor quality. They eventually built their own scraper which was accurate, reliable, and cost-effective. This capability not only improved their services but also helped with sales approaches. The author emphasizes the importance of having control over and understanding the software, as it allowed them to quickly add new capabilities as needed. They also highlight the need for discretion when engaging in scraping activities to avoid legal consequences. The article concludes by acknowledging that while there may be valid reasons to purchase data, building a scraper was a more suitable choice in this specific case.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the legality of selling scraped data from large websites like Google, Amazon, and Craigslist. It states that directly selling copyrighted data from these websites in a marketplace is likely to result in legal action. Instead, companies that want their data scraped typically offer an API or are open to selling the data or access to the API. As a result, people often hire others, use proxies, and store the scraped data in their own internal databases to avoid being easily identified and targeted by these companies. However, the article also mentions that there are some companies that sell processed data, analyzed by data analysts, which can have successful and lucrative business models.