Recent submissions

Comment · 8 years ago
It's more like owning almost every cafe in the world, having billions of unique customers per month, and trying to prevent the mob from meeting at any of your locations.
Comment · 8 years ago
So if I spend $250 on UberX rides I get $5 in credit? Hmm, that's going to be a pass on my end. In my city a local taxi company created an app similar to Uber, and it's typically 10% cheaper. Most people I know switched over to it, because it only takes a few seconds to do so. I'll take that 10% over 2% in Uber credit.

Also, isn't it already determined that Uber offers higher prices to frequent travelers, and people that take the same route on a regular basis? So, if I spend $250 on UberX, they probably added more than $5 in there because I'm a regular traveler. Now, they're just pretending to be a hero by returning some credit. If they had flat $10 trips in my downtown, and I would get a free trip after 10 rides, then it would make more sense. As of now, I don't trust them at all to provide equal pricing for different users, so I don't trust their entire concept of a loyalty program.

Comment · 8 years ago
What about going back to the notebook idea? You give them a notebook that's called 'Passwords' and it sits on the desk beside their computer. They only write passwords in that notebook, and you can explain to them to write at least 20 random numbers and letters for new passwords.

When you visit, you can write those passwords down in your password manager. This way if the book goes missing or there is a disaster, you have a backup.

Comment · 8 years ago
It seems like almost everything Google related is sluggish. The new Google AdSense, the new Google Analytics, the new Google DoubleClick for Publishers, and to a lesser extent, the new Google Maps. These are all products I use that perform worse now (on modern hardware) compared to a decade ago. I really don't understand how this happens. Does no one at Google notice some of these services literally taking 10 seconds to load simple pages?
Comment · 8 years ago
"Outline is for reading pages that:

* you own the rights to,

* is in the public domain,

* constitutes fair use, or

* you have consent of the copyright holder."

They claim their site is for the above, and people can submit a notice to have content removed that doesn't fit that description. However, the reality is they want people to post and share content from other sites, and they'll happily remove their advertising, and add their own.

I searched site:outline.com on Google, because I wanted to see for myself what people are sharing, and if I might be mistaken. The first result was this article...

https://www.outline.com/vF4aGL

The source is The Free Thought Project. Hmm, I thought maybe this is some type of public domain news source, so I visit them. Nope, they're not. When I visited The Free Thought Project, I instantly get a popup saying, "Thanks to a coordinated attack on independent media by the establishment, this website is at risk of shutting down due to our ads being pulled and our social media pages entirely deleted. We need your help to survive, click below to see how you can make sure we stay around." This is the first Google result for an Outline article, and the company being stolen from has a popup that literally says they're struggling to stay afloat.

I haven't previously heard of Outline, but that is definitely a disgusting business model.

Comment · 8 years ago
We allow strangers that haven't had their driving or eyes tested in 50 years drive us down the highway (Uber). We allow strangers to operate hotels out of their homes (Airbnb). However, we can't allow a stranger to cook us a chicken breast or prepare a soup?

There isn't a world of a difference here. They all present minor dangers, and I'm willing to take the risk of buying a piece of lasagna from my neighbor.

Comment · 8 years ago
I wouldn't have a trust issue assuming there is a rating system. If people are getting sick from someone's kitchen, they're going to leave a bad review.

Think about taxi drivers compared to Uber drivers. Uber drivers know a few bad ratings can be detrimental to their income, so they typically try to put their best foot forward. They push hard for perfect reviews, offer bottles of water, try to be extra considerate with the choice of music, air temperature, etc. Taxi drivers don't have the same incentives. They're not going to be fired if a few passengers feel it's too cold in their car.

I imagine the same would apply to home chefs. They know one batch of food that gets customers sick could leave them out of work, and cost them their entire reputation. A few bad ratings and they're dropping down the recommendation list and watching 80% of their business disappear. I could see home chefs trying to go above and beyond like Uber drivers to secure better reviews. Did you order 6 cookies? Well, they're going to give you 7, and a little note that says thanks, here's a free cookie just for you.

It could actually be a great business for more elderly people. We all love our grandmother's specialties, right? Imagine a grandparent that could prepare big lasagnas, soups, and chilis at home, and a driver could come pick up portions to deliver to people around the neighborhood. Feel like takeout tonight? Instead of Dominos, you can see Ruth down the street prepared homemade cabbage rolls that you can get delivered. I wouldn't mind supporting that type of business.

Comment · 8 years ago
Cash creates the same conflict of interest. If someone shows up at your door with a "free" wheelbarrow full of cash, you're going to feel like you owe them in return. This could be looking out for their business interests, or as you said, ensuring code compatibility. And, in the back of your mind you might consider that keeping them happy could lead to another wheelbarrow at your door.
Comment · 8 years ago
Agreed. For a service that is about security, it honestly leaves me feeling very vulnerable, and I wouldn't consider it for that reason. I'm concerned about my emails being delivered, increased spam, a thief (or government employee) walking out of my home with my email server, my modem needing a reboot while I'm on vacation and not being able to send or receive emails, and my neighbor accidentally burning down my apartment, taking my email with it.

I'm a Fastmail user and pretty happy with the service. But, what's the real world benefits of Helm over an encrypted email service, like ProtonMail?

Comment · 8 years ago
What if the object was already traveling in our rough direction and aliens decided to simply take advantage of the free ride? They tweaked the direction with a few thrusters to pass by Earth, and they left the rotation to help camouflage the object with its natural tumble through space. Finally, they deboarded the object when they reached their desired location nearest to Earth.

It's fun to speculate, but I'm sure the reality of the situation is far more boring.

Comment · 8 years ago
Do the links ever expire? Or, if i get access to a single Facebook email belonging to someone, I can access their account for life, regardless of whether years have passed, and they changed their password?
Comment · 8 years ago
I think people overestimate the concern of fake videos. Consider photos for comparison. There have been fake photos of well known people for decades online, many of which are indistinguishable from reality. It doesn't lead to much confusion or issues in our everyday life. We just assume every noteworthy image is fake unless it comes from, or is cleared by, a credible source. The same will apply to video.
Comment · 8 years ago
Oh, my mistake, it's been a while since I wrote the code. I use it to style the linked comment. So, the browser automatically scrolls to the appropriate location, and then jQuery adds a style to that comment so the user can easily locate it, or refind it if they scroll up and down the page.
Comment · 8 years ago
I use it for linking to comments on my site. Users can copy a link to a particular comment, and the link directs people to the appropriate topic and location on the page.

I'm assuming that using X-Frame-Options to prevent the page from appearing in a frame prevents this type of attack.

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