1. Programming Is Mostly Thinking (2014)
Total comment counts : 65
Summary
This person is expressing agreement with a blog post about Tim Ottinger’s thoughts on software development. They mention that there are various things and artifacts that can be produced to ensure quality, such as literate coding, commenting code before writing, and using data modeling and UML diagrams.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article disagrees with the quote that says “Really good developers do 90% or more of the work before they ever touch the keyboard.” They argue that most people can’t keep all the necessary information in their head and that the amount of pure thinking without writing anything is limited. The author’s solution is to start writing code almost immediately when they have possible solutions to a problem, instead of fully developing them into a well-specified design. They believe that many times, what they initially thought was the best solution turned out to be worse than a less promising one. They suggest that putting ideas into code helps to better understand the consequences they have on the final product. The author sees this approach as part of the thinking process and compares it to software prototyping or throwing away the first iteration.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article discusses the two-step process of computer programming: understanding the universe and explaining it to a three-year-old. The first step emphasizes the importance of learning as much as possible about various subjects, as solutions to problems can come from unexpected places. The second step involves communicating information to a computer, which has a rigid view of the world, similar to a young child. The article highlights the need for flexibility and the ability to make inferences in programming, as computers do not possess these skills.
2. I bought 300 emoji domain names from Kazakhstan and built an email service (2021)
Total comment counts : 21
Summary
The author of this article shares their experience of buying emoji domain names from Kazakhstan and building an emoji email address service. They went viral on TikTok, made $1000 in a week, hired a Japanese voice actor, and learned about emoji domains. They started by buying a mailbox emoji domain, but found that emoji domain names are often blocked for spam. They then discovered that they could route their emoji mail through a normal .com email address. They wanted to get a single character emoji domain like ⭐ and found that only 13 TLDs accept registrations of emoji domain names. They searched for available emoji domains on different TLDs and finally managed to purchase ⭐.kz from Kazakhstan. They successfully set up their email address with the new domain.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article titled “Enormous discussion at the time (2021)” generated a lot of engagement on an online forum, with 1683 points and 626 comments. You can find the article and join the discussion at the provided link.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author bought an emoji domain, xn–mn8h9e.ws, a few years ago for fun. They find it enjoyable to own an emoji domain, but they have found that popular email clients still struggle with domains that use utf8 characters. They have tried different email providers, but many of them fail to send emails properly. Additionally, when they tried using their emoji domain as their email address or homepage in various popular services like LinkedIn and Instagram, most of these services treated it as invalid. The author also discovered some bugs in these services while testing their emoji domain. As a result, they have decided to use the punycode instead of the emoji.
3. Scientists discover first nitrogen fixing organelle
Total comment counts : 7
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
The author expresses excitement about the potential of using nitrogen-absorbing crops to reduce the need for fertilizer. However, they also raise concerns about the possible negative consequences. They mention the film “Interstellar” as an example, where a nitrogen-absorbing species out-evolves and overtakes food crops. The author questions how we can control such species when they emerge.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article consists of two primary sources. The first source is an open access PDF from the journal Cell, which can be accessed at the link provided: “https://www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S0092-8674(24)00182-X.pdf". The second source is a link to a page on PubMed, but there is no further information about the content of that source.
4. Earth Online: non-stop satellite monitoring platform
Total comment counts : 7
Summary
The article is about a free web platform called Nimbo Earth Online that allows users to explore satellite images of the Earth without clouds. The platform provides various features such as split and swipe comparison at different dates, timelapse satellite animations, and 3D vision. Users can also access four data layers including natural, infrared, NDVI, and radar. The platform is user-friendly and updated every month. It allows users to create timelapse animations, export and share data, and assess vegetation health using the NDVI measure. Users can sign up for a free account without any ads or credit card requirements. The platform also explains infrared satellite imagery and the NDVI vegetation index.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article talks about the Google Earth Engine (GEE) and its features. GEE provides a large data repository of optical and SAR satellite imagery, along with a Python API module and a JavaScript version called GEE Code Editor. GEE allows users to create their own indexes and conduct image arithmetics. While GEE is free to use, there is a monthly fee for sourcing large amounts of data or using it at an enterprise scale. The article mentions a new alternative called Nimbo, which offers pre-processing features like cloud removal, but lacks specific information on spatial or temporal resolution and surface coverage. The author suggests that GEE is a more appropriate comparison than Google Earth and highlights its use for flood mapping, forest fire damage mapping, and studying the effects of climate change and human impact on nature.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article describes a business model where users can access a product for free, but also have the option to purchase a higher level of access if needed.
5. Tiny World Map
Total comment counts : 28
Summary
The article discusses “tinyworldmap,” which is a world map designed for offline-first and low-bandwidth web applications. The map is built to be used with Leaflet and supports all zoom levels. The map is lightweight, with the most complete version only being 300 kB when compressed. The map displays the 10,000 most populous cities from OpenStreetMap by default. The article also provides information on how to use tinyworldmap as a base map, including various options for customization. It then explains how the map can be used offline through the implementation of a service worker. The article concludes by mentioning different versions of the map available, including ones without country borders and with different numbers of city labels. It also offers assistance for customizing the map or implementing offline functionality.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author of the article discusses their thoughts on the idea of solving the problem of waiting for server tiles to load when zoomed out too far. They express uncertainty about situations where they would need to know the relationship between two specific suburbs in Detroit without needing to know the state or the existence of the Great Lakes. They suggest that more emphasis should be placed on including data about coastlines rather than subdividing major metropolitan areas.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article mentions that the shorelines in the UK have low detail and some towns are shown as being in the sea. It also comments on Greenland and Northern Canada having a high number of vertices in the map. The author suggests deprioritizing unpopulated areas and adjusting the detail level to account for the Mercator projection.
6. Glibc Buffer Overflow in Iconv
Total comment counts : 4
Summary
The article mentions the Open Source Software Security Wiki and provides guidelines for proper formatting of messages on mailing lists. It also advises readers to refer to Wikipedia for information on mailing lists.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author expresses a desire for everything to be in the UTF-8 character encoding format so that the use of the iconv tool would no longer be necessary. However, they note that UTF-8 is defined in POSIX and therefore cannot be easily changed.
Top 2 Comment Summary
This statement is a question about the specific functionality of PHP. The person is wondering if PHP has a feature that automatically converts encoding based on a request header.
7. Show HN: We relaunched the Official MTA App for NYC public transit
Total comment counts : 24
Summary
The MTA app is an all-in-one app for New York City’s subway, bus, and commuter rail systems. It features a map-based interface for easy trip planning, real-time information on service issues, and the ability to track buses in real-time. Users can save frequently used lines, stops, and stations for quick access, and receive optional alerts for trip changes. The app is regularly updated based on user feedback and includes features such as live bus locations on the route map and the ability to select a default tab. However, some users criticize the app for not allowing ticket purchases and experiencing frequent crashes. Overall, the app provides useful information and is a convenient tool for navigating public transit in New York City.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The article questions why a subway app would require personal data, such as health and fitness information, from its users. It raises concerns about the necessity of collecting such data and questions why it is being requested in the first place.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author has built a simple MTA app that uses Live Activities in Swift. The app displays the next upcoming train on the lock screen of the user’s phone. Although there are some technical issues that the author is still working on, they believe someone might find the app useful. The article includes links to the app and the Live Activities documentation.
8. How to fix America’s aviation system (2023)
Total comment counts : 12
Summary
The article discusses the issues and challenges in America’s aviation system. It highlights the antiquated ground radar and control systems of the FAA, which are built on old computers and some even use floppy disks. Additionally, air traffic controllers are facing workload exhaustion, with most working 60-hour work weeks. Near misses in aviation have increased by 25% in the past decade due to these underlying issues. The article features a conversation with Paul Rinaldi, a veteran air traffic controller, who deciphers a communication between pilots and air traffic control during a landing in Austin, Texas. Overall, the article emphasizes the need to address and fix these issues to ensure the safety and efficiency of America’s aviation system.
Top 1 Comment Summary
This article discusses the challenges and requirements of becoming an air traffic controller (ATC) in the US. The author mentions that the top of the funnel for ATC controllers is not often talked about and expresses surprise at the difficulty of switching into this field. The requirements to become an ATC include being a US citizen, being 30 years old or younger, having work experience or education leading to a bachelor’s degree, and being willing to relocate to Oklahoma City and a rural airport for multiple years. The author also mentions that the Hogan test and no-history-of-ADHD-or-depression requirements may weed out many potential candidates. The article concludes by suggesting that the lack of available and qualified controllers is a problem that needs to be addressed.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The article emphasizes the need to address issues in maintenance departments and pilot standards to improve flight safety. It calls for the cessation of hiring incompetent individuals in maintenance departments, as poorly conducted maintenance and procedures contribute to plane accidents. Additionally, it suggests that pilot standards should be raised and emphasizes the importance of pilots’ ability to handle stressful conditions and fly without errors. The article also mentions the relevance of pilot quality in maintaining safer flight records in the past, regardless of race or gender.
9. Racket Language
Total comment counts : 14
Summary
The article discusses the features and capabilities of the Racket programming language. Racket is a mature and stable language that supports cross-platform graphical programming. It includes a rich set of libraries for various purposes, such as web server apps and mathematics. Racket allows programmers to define their own loops using powerful macros and even create domain-specific languages. It is the first language to support higher-order software contracts and safe gradual typing. Racket comes with support for major editors and provides an innovative and extensible interactive development environment. The language also allows programmers to add new syntactic constructs through macros. The article provides an example of defining a new syntax for measuring the time a task takes. Racket offers a comprehensive suite of libraries, including a cross-platform GUI toolbox and a web server. Thousands of additional packages are available with a single command. Racket’s macro system allows developers to create co-operating macros for implementing various functionalities. The language combines functional programming with object-oriented components. Racket is known for its ability to create new languages on the fly, with no setup or external tools required. The article highlights Racket’s own IDE, DrRacket, which supports alternative languages and provides useful features like identifying where an identifier was defined. Racket’s syntax is flexible, allowing developers to build languages with conventional surface syntax or parenthetical languages. Racket’s ecosystem also provides parsing packages for mapping any syntax to a parenthesized language.
Top 1 Comment Summary
The author expresses joy about Racket’s popularity. They have used Common Lisp for research programming for a long time but now prefer Racket. They mention that they dislike most parts of Racket except the compiler, package management system, GUI IDE, Emacs bindings, and find it a fun language to use. They also mention not caring for the programming language research aspects of Racket and feel like a freeloader on the project. However, they have contributed a book about Racket.
Top 2 Comment Summary
The author likes the Racket programming language, but finds the workflow it imposes to be challenging. Unlike Python where they write code in an editor and run it from the shell, Racket takes too long to start that way. Instead, the recommended approach is to interact with a long-running virtual machine (vm) through a REPL. However, this means that the code being worked on doesn’t start with a clean slate, but rather with the state the vm is currently in. The author believes this workflow is suitable for things like Jupyter notebooks, but not ideal for larger programs in their opinion.
10. Stuart Parkin revolutionized disk drive storage
Total comment counts : 1
Summary
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Top 1 Comment Summary
Stuart Parkin, the director of the Max Planck Institute, has revolutionized disk drive storage through the development of spintronic technologies.