HN user
Business applications developer. Email: Michael a MichaelApproved d com
The point being made is to pick your battles.
The author’s point is that, even if you are correct 100% of the time, fighting every battle is toxic to yourself and everyone around you.
They are saying to look past the fact that you might be right and consider that it’s not worth the effort anyway.
Now, I will attempt to put down my phone and not respond to any replies I get to the contrary.
Sweating intensifies…
Yeah, that's a great program. I used it many years ago when I was creating websites with .NET and SQL Server.
One of the programs I enjoyed writing the most with VB6 was a telephony capable IM program. Over dial up!
The IM portion was simple logic but the real-time voice was a challenge back then because audio compression was in its infancy. The few real-time compression libraries that existed were expensive to license and some even required royalties. Way out of my league.
At the same time, writing a compression algorithm myself was beyond my abilities. There weren't any VHS courses on that topic yet haha.
My solution was to use the recording control that came with VB6. I couldn't set the audio bitrate with that control but, if I had the recorder append the recording to an existing file, it would use the bitrate defined in that existing file.
So I created a teeny tiny wave file with 0 seconds of audio, included it with the program binary, and used a copy of it to seed & set the bitrate of each conversation.
Since they weren't compressed, the file integrity was very forgiving. I was able to pull out a chunk of data from anywhere in the audio file, put it into its own file, and it would play the extracted chunk of audio just fine.
So, that's what I did. I used the VB6 recording control with my low bitrate seed file to record their voice, had my code grab 1 second chunks of audio from that file, "stream" it to the other end of the line, write the data to disk, and use another VB6 control to play it for the recipient.
Surprisingly, the sound wasn't choppy at all. The audio quality was low, since the bitrate was in the low dozens but the conveyer belt of 1 second wave files being played back to back to back was not noticeable at all.
Ended up selling a bunch of copies.
Fun times =D
I was 17 when VB6 came out, working at a local computer store, and getting into programming but couldn't afford $500 to by the pro edition.
One day, I happened to read an article that said they were given a free copy of VB6 to review for the magazine.
My 17yo mind was blown! Hundreds of dollars worth of software given away for free? Just for writing an article?! I could do that!
Having nothing to lose, I called Microsoft's PR department and requested a copy. Told them I published a newsletter about computers and was based in Queens, NY. Their only question? Where should they send the software lol
It was literally that easy. A single phone call with zero verification about me, my newsletter, and my so-called publishing company.
And it was Enterprise edition which retailed for over $1,000. For little 17yo me!
Naturally, I kept calling for more software. Office, Windows 98/NT, Encarta... you name it.
I even started calling other companies and published a single edition of the newsletter, in case anyone asked for a copy but no one ever did. All they wanted to know was where they should send the software.
One of my favorite free items was course on VB which came on 6 VHS cassettes. The lessons I learned from those tapes built the foundation of my programming carrier.
Of course, older me understands the economics of sending people a few bits of plastic & paper in exchange for press coverage but the joy I felt getting that software in the mail still hasn't left my mind.
Good times =D
Reduced gravity aircraft. AKA the Vomit Comet.
This sounds like bad advice and would result in blocking google and other major ESPs.
I occasionally get spam from people who took the time to create gmail accounts. Based on this advice, the honey pot email address would get spam from a Gmail account and your script would block Gmail servers.
I used to play A LOT at low and high levels.
At low levels, playing is ABC simple and mostly about following basic strategy for starting hands and pot adds for chasing. Don’t get fancy and keep your temperament steady and you’ll win.
To a slight degree, you can do better with reading players and identifying them in broad ways (wild, conservative, confused, etc.) but don’t let that allow you to get fancy. Stick to the basic fundamental strategy for hands, position, and pot odds to crush lower level games.
I think the nuance is that OP is charging for hardware , software, and service (firmware customization and support).
With regards to the software, it is open source but OP is only providing the code to customers who receive the end product. In part, OP is acting as a distributor of the software and is charging a fee for that distribution.
If anyone else gets their hands on that software, they can choose to become a distributor and make it publicly available. It’s their freedom to do so.
A overly simple way to look at is is that OP is choosing (as a small part of their business) to charge for the distribution of the source code but not the source itself.
In reality, it’s unlikely that OP will have a customer who only wants the source code and is willing to pay a fee for the distribution of it. Their customers are coming to them for the service and support.
I’m curious, what’s an example of a “neo bank” that you say doesn’t offer bill pay? I’m sure they exist, just wondering who they are.
Bill pay sends a bank check which is covered by the immediate withdrawal of funds from the customer’s account. In most cases, the customer would be fine with that or even prefer it, to ensure they don’t accidentally bounce a check.
However, I’m wondering if another customer base can be someone who has bank bill pay but wants to float the funds until the check is cashed. Maybe they don’t have the actual funds yet but want to write a check against funds they expect to have soon (risky but people do it).
Do you restrict writing checks that are for an amount greater than the current account balance?
Lastly, I’m wondering how you handle deliberate check fraud. Victims will try to sue all associated parties. How does your liability work in those cases?
Nitpick on your nitpick: It’s possible for something to be small, relative to something that is already considered small.
Things that are considered small can still have variations in the extent of their smallness.
If that’s true then you’re right but I don’t know if that’s true.
there's no way to be sure that every second of GPS-tagged video shot by a DJI drone isn't going into a giant server farm owned by the Chinese intelligence service.
-GP
The point GP is making is that DJI does not indiscriminately upload every video.
-You
That seems to be exactly what GP is claiming could be happening.
They were concerned about “every second of video” which would fit the definition of “indescribably”.
I did. Thanks!
there's no way to be sure that every second of GPS-tagged video shot by a DJI drone isn't going into a giant server farm owned by the Chinese intelligence service.
I checked your source and it didn’t back up this claim.
I’m not a networking specialist but isn’t it possible to detect if something is transmitting a massive amount of data (such as video) to an undetermined destination?
seems like this type of blatant data export would be easy to detect and subsequently ban the device doing it.
I’m just a simple software developer, so the network stuff can go over my head sometimes (heh), but the claim that such a large amount of data is being transmitted in a way that couldn’t be confirmed enough to ban the product seems dubious.
There’s a difference between survivable and happily mulching.
Did you see the fan blades in the pictures you linked to?
They’re chipped, cracked, and bent. That’s anything but happy.
I bet the balloon and, more importantly, the payload would indeed faze it.
If you care enough to wonder and comment, why not read the article?
Thanks, it means a lot to know my comment help others! I thought it was going to be buried and didn’t expect an upvote, much less getting replies that it was helpful.
It’s tough to share many of the other steps I’ve taken on a public forum. Honestly, I doubt they’d be as helpful as my previous comment because they’re so personal. Because they are so specific to me.
However, I can share that group therapy is the main resource I used to take those steps. I highly recommend it.
What’s nice about group is that I get to hear various perspectives on a situation. Everyone there has gone through somewhat similar struggles but their interpretations of those struggles are different.
As each person speaks, I find a nugget of wisdom that I can use. A bit of insight that I wouldn’t realize on my own. A phrase that finally helps a concept click in my head.
Of course 1-on-1 therapy is helpful too but group is a treasure trove of insight for personal growth.
I will have a heated argument all in my head that leaves me upset for hours.
The conversation is imaginary but the emotions are real.
I used to think my ability to deep dive situations was a superpower but it’s really a curse.
Thankfully, I’m learning to shed the worst of it.
Hope you can too.
I’m guilty of overthinking everything. It’s come in handy as a programmer but it tends to hold me back socially.
I’d often think about social interactions ahead of time. My brain would create countless situations that I’d play out. Once I exhausted one situation, I jump into analyzing the next possible situation. On and on I’d go.
I’ve only recently been able to quiet down my beehive brain a bit thanks to a few realizations I came to about the damage it was doing to me:
- Even after analyzing 100 different possibilities, reality would often be much different than the scenarios I thought about.
- When the situation didn’t play out exactly as I’d imagined, I’d still react instantly without thinking through the new variances. In my foolishness, the unexpected scenario seemed close enough to the ones I had already thought about, so I’d respond off the cuff.
In reality, things were different enough that a pause to think would’ve been better.
- Thinking through 100 different scenarios also meant going through the emotional baggage that came with them. In my mind, sometimes people reacted positively and sometimes negatively.
Imagining all the negative ways someone could react would lead me to attributing negative feelings to them, even though they haven’t responded negatively.
On the flip side, if I attributed a specific positive outcome to someone that didn’t live up to my exact interpretation, I’d end up feeling disappointed with an outcome I should’ve been happy with.
- Lastly, I’d push to resolve a situation immediately because I didn’t want to go through another beehive of scenarios while waiting to continue the conversation another time.
Sometimes that push to resolve the conflict resulted in a positive breakthrough. However, other times the person would agree to a certain resolution due to sheer exhaustion which leave us with an unsustainable outcome.
Of course, there were other things that helped calm my brain down. Things that helped me take a step towards these realizations and act on them.
Hopefully, my comment can be one of those steps for someone else.
Huh. TIL!
From wiki:
Papyrus 115 (which is the oldest preserved manuscript of the Revelation as of 2017), as well as other ancient sources like Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus, give the number of the beast as χιϛ or χιϲ, transliterable in Arabic numerals as 616 (χιϛ), not 666.
1. Nitpickers who interpreted something in your question as incorrect. They will focus on this minor point that they think you said.
This is the most aggravating one for me. A minor ambiguity will completely derail the conversation.
Often, it’s simple enough to say: ”it’s not clear whether you meant X or Y. If you meant X, the answer is Such and such. If you meant Y, the answer is blah blah blah.”
Do you believe any kind of addiction exists?
A significant amount of their donations came in during 2021 and 2022.
That episode of the Daily Show was around April 2021. So, their funds were much smaller then.
From the article: “In 2021, the appeals raised a total of $162 million, a 50% year-on-year increase.”
This is terrible advice.
I’m sorry to be so harsh, especially here, where I know etiquette is important but this comment needs to be shut down.
The dismissive suggestion that alcoholism can be cured simply by using “self-control” is toxic.
Yes, self-control is PART of it, but to say that it’s “all about self-control” is damaging.
There’s a reason the person is struggling to control their behavior. There are underlying problems.
Sociological? Biological? Societal?
Yes.
Working on those problems takes great effort and many cannot do it alone.
Yes, SOME can do it on their own but the dismissive anecdotal examples are more damaging than helpful.
People suffering from addiction are beat down. Exhausted.
Yes, they still need to help themselves but they also need support from others who can guide them to a healthier life.
Would you tell someone with a broke leg to use willpower to fix it? No, of course not. You’d get them to a hospital.
It’s the same here. The advice needed is ‘where to get help from professionals that can guide them through their problems’.
The only organization I know like that is AA but I’m sure there are more. Someone who knows, please add support groups.
Take the first step and reach out to a group. Give their program a genuine try and beat this problem one day at a time.
One day at a time.
That's a great option for desktop but this flub was done on mobile.
Aside from being OP, it would be nice if you included why they are notable and important to you.
Simply stating that someone deserves dignity and respect (which is something everyone deserves and I hope I didn’t take that away from OP) because they are important to you is empty without additional context.
::face palm::
Thanks for pointing that out.
I will change my downvote to an upvote.
Though I did mention that it’s acceptable for someone like OP but only when they explicitly say they’re OP. However, it would be silly for OP to keep mentioning they’re OP in every comment.
Reddit is nice in the way they give OPs comment a slight treatment to make it clear they are OP.
Edit 2: I didn’t realize I was replying to OP, so what I wrote below is not very relevant.
I’ll leave it here so people can read it if they’re trying to avoid doing something else.
Original comment below
——-
As long as we’re doing HN meta comments, I’ll bring up that your “me too” reply is a pet peeve of mine.
It would’ve been better to just upvote the parent comment and not reply with “me too”. A comment like that adds nothing to the conversation.
Truly no offense is intended but the only time it’s additive is when the person saying it is notable to the conversation. Like OP, the article author, a moderator, etc.
In those cases it’s only helpful if they clearly state who they are. Otherwise, it comes off as just another person asking for attention without contributing something.
So, I downvoted your comment but wanted you to know why.
Now, that I’ve said my peace, I must find something else to procrastinate with.
Maybe I’ll continually refresh this page with the hope that I’ll get a reply and could procrastinate further by writing another long winded comment.
Bonus points if they say something I think is blatantly wrong.
Fingers crossed.
Edit: Anytime I see a “me too” comment, I sing the line from Weird Al’s “all about the pentiums”. I won’t repeat the line because it’s offensive and that’s not how I feel but I sing it every time.
I wonder if anyone else does this too.
I don’t agree with the person you replied to but the answer to your question is:
Because the US collects taxes very differently, so you can never make a fair comparison between identical tax categories.
Just look at the gasoline tax differences between the two. The core purpose of that tax and what it’s used to fund varies dramatically between the two regions. So, naturally the amount being taxed would be different.
Also, The US govt tends to have taxes below the rates needed to operate (US has a higher deficit), so the taxes will more likely be lower by comparison.