incogitomode

Article seems to have vanished, and the content was eerily similar to what I got from Gemini 2.5 Pro. Seems like spam for this service.

I had this mindset when I went to UNC Chapel Hill 20 years ago and studied humanities. As a software engineer for 15 years now, I wish I'd studied something more in the vein of your work placement program. Having in-person instruction and academic rigor for a subject like Chemistry, Engineering or Computer Science is the key to really mastering it. Everything I learned in my Philosophy and Art History courses I could have gained independently through reading, debate, and conversation with friends or in other extra-curricular settings.

If I'd pursued a career in academia, or maybe law, I might feel differently but even then I'm not sure an undergrad English or Art History degree is worth anything approaching the typical cost.

Until a week ago I lived around the corner from the n+1 office and the buildings they're talking about. It's astounding how expensive the new developments are around there — like, $8k/month 2-bed rentals — and how terrible much of the new architecture is. It's a part of Greenpoint that has some of the most beautiful buildings in Brooklyn, most built in the late 18th and early 19th century. Which is all to say, I understand where the author is coming from and mostly agree.

That said, there actually are some attractive buildings in the mix. The massive OMA development, Eagle+West, is grossly overpriced but also shows what some amount of creativity and care coupled with new building techniques and materials can offer. It's not perfect, but we probably have to build in new ways if we want to solve problems of homelessness and affordability — again, my example is not affordable, but I think that has more to do with the developers than the actual input costs.

When you look at the beautiful old streets in Greenpoint you're seeing an investment of human labor and materials that is incomparable in today's terms. Those homes were built in a time when labor was cheap, and the people they were built for far wealthier relative to the labor pool. I just moved into a townhouse built in 1900 and when I hire a mason or plumber for repairs there's a good chance they earn more than I do — and I'm a well-paid developer.

This is all to say, I don't think there's anything fundamentally beautiful about the old — survivor bias, lack of context, and aesthetic conditioning are all at play. Nor does the new have to be universally ugly. I've seen plenty of new, dense construction in northern Europe that is beautiful and affordable.

Email jobs!

Interesting to read you have issues with your HomePod Mini. Mine has been stable, however all my (7) original HomePods had constant issues connecting starting around OS 14.5 / 15. I have to imagine it's related to AirPlay 2.

I went through two different WiFi-6 networks, in every possible configuration, with no luck. Cumulatively I must have spent 20-30 hours debugging the networks, and finally happened upon something that works, albeit with caveats. I got two Eero Pro 6 access points, and disabled band steering — it was an experimental setting at the time — and everything worked! I've since re-enabled the setting and immediately have issues so I feel confident saying band steering is the issue.

Since then Eero has updated the setting to include AP switching and it's called "client steering". So, unfortunately, to have my HomePods connect I sacrifice AP handoff and have to toggle wifi if I move my laptop to the other end of the apartment.

There are quite a few folks who have brought this up in an Apple issue, and I have a friend in Tucson — where radio interference isn't an issue — with the same problem.

Keep a short list of your enemies' email addresses and use those as the destination for these likely-to-be-flagged signups to hedge your bet.

I had the good luck to see several of these in the wild in Ecuador, along the Napo River, about 15 years ago. The guide said they called them the "stinky turkey", which gave me a chuckle. I could also swear he said they had purple blood, but I haven't been able to verify that detail.

I'll take a contrarian position here. You paid for professional services that you could afford, you got them, and they made you more money. It's the definition of a good investment and a successful project.

Will also add that based on the happy conclusion of your story the title is almost clickbait — and highly effective clickbait at that, since you've now gotten 1000s of targeted HN eyeballs. I can't imagine how much that would have cost you!