HN user

cfinke

1,583 karma

I'm an engineer at Automattic/Akismet, fighting spam so you don't have to.

http://www.chrisfinke.com/ chris@efinke.com

Posts19
Comments243
View on HN
github.com 5mo ago

Show HN: EpsteIn – Search the Epstein files for your LinkedIn connections

cfinke
83pts23
www.chrisfinke.com 3y ago

Run Your Own Television Network in the Browser with Channel Two

cfinke
57pts17
github.com 7y ago

Run your own open-source Timehop

cfinke
2pts0
www.chrisfinke.com 9y ago

Reenact is dead. Long live Reenact

cfinke
1pts0
thenextweb.com 12y ago

Automattic sues, strikes back at fraudulent DMCA takedown notices

cfinke
124pts27
www.chrisfinke.com 14y ago

An API for Browser Screenshots

cfinke
1pts0
news.ycombinator.com 14y ago

I just launched my first revenue-focused project. Can I get some feedback?

cfinke
5pts4
www.chrisfinke.com 15y ago

What domains do people type in the address bar?

cfinke
12pts1
www.wired.com 15y ago

Sergey Brin on Google buying Skype: "This is the dumbest shit I’ve ever seen."

cfinke
4pts0
www.chrisfinke.com 15y ago

Show HN: A Chrome extension I wrote to filter out inane comments on any website.

cfinke
2pts1
news.ycombinator.com 15y ago

Ask HN: How would you monetize 360K people?

cfinke
18pts20
chrome.google.com 15y ago

ChroSh: The Chrome Shell (An implementation of Chrome's new Omnibox API)

cfinke
2pts0
www.chrisfinke.com 15y ago

Improving the browser extension localization process

cfinke
1pts0
interpr.it 15y ago

What do you think of my site for managing Chrome extension translations?

cfinke
4pts3
www.chrisfinke.com 15y ago

Improving password input on mobile devices

cfinke
2pts0
www.chrisfinke.com 15y ago

What kind of traffic is driven by a single mention of a domain on network TV?

cfinke
159pts54
news.ycombinator.com 15y ago

Ask HN: Please review my browser add-on's landing page

cfinke
1pts0
news.ycombinator.com 16y ago

Ask HN: Review my service (track your computer, remotely wipe browsing data)

cfinke
1pts1
www.chrisfinke.com 16y ago

Monetizing a browser add-on by replacing websites' ads

cfinke
2pts2

I'm an Akismet developer; the best thing to do would be to email us at support@akismet.com with your info and we can look into why your comments are getting caught.

I considered using something like that, and I did indeed have a mostly functional prototype built just using VLC and its playlist management features, but I wanted something that had as few dependencies as possible as well as something where I could draw/program any on-screen graphics I wanted without too much hassle.

Also, writing niche software that nobody else will use basically is my hobby, so mission accomplished :)

No it isn't, because no payment is required to view the page in question.

The "payment" is the implicit agreement to view the ads.

How it works is that your browser downloads a page. That page contains scripts and links.

Thanks for the lesson on how Web browsers work. I wish I knew all of that when I worked at Netscape; maybe it would still be around.

Ad-blocking is more akin to eating the good parts of an apple and then not paying the grocery store because you didn't want the rotten spots.

I disagree that it's "incredibly well-designed." Extensively designed maybe.

What bothers me more is the blanket sarcasm and disregard in your comment.

I downloaded it and tried it. I added topics to my Paper, tried out all the features suggested in the intro. I tried to read my friends' updates. I found it tiring to have to concentrate so hard to consume information from the tiled layout that is much more appropriately conveyed in a list, like in the main Facebook app.

An incredible team spent years working on this, sweating every detail. Isn't that worth investigating, rather than taking cheap shots at the icon design or voiceovers?

Great teams occasionally spend lots of time making something that doesn't succeed. Cuil. Color. Facebook Paper.

If you disagree with any of my specific criticisms, I'm happy to discuss them.

I tried it and found no redeeming qualities, except that the app is pretty when it's filled with demo content.

* Do you find Facebook's iPhone app too easy to understand and navigate? Try Paper!

* Is the type in Facebook's iPhone app too easy for you to read? Try Paper!

* Are you tired of swiping down on Facebook's app and wish you could do some swiping left and right? Try Paper!

* Do you enjoy losing your place in your newsfeed when you tap on a story to read more? Try Paper!

* Do you enjoy voiceovers reading text to you that is already printed on your screen? Try Paper!

* Want half of your iPhone screen taken up by distracting images unrelated to what you're reading? Try Paper!

* Tired of having two good apps for news and Facebook and want a single app that does both poorly? Try Paper!

* Do you LOVE generic app icons that could mean "news", "email", "flashcards", or "envelopes"? Try Paper!

* Tired of not having to wave your phone in the real world to see the sides of a digital photo? Try Paper!

* Prefer apps that require a tutorial before you can use them? Try Paper!

* Want to read stories from "the world's best sources," but only inside of a walled garden? Try Paper!

Who can be cookie-bombed? Blogging/hosting/website/homepage platforms: Wordpress, Blogspot, Tumblr, Heroku, etc.

WordPress.com would not be vulnerable since users cannot upload or execute arbitrary JavaScript.

Those who work on Ghost have always maintained that WordPress has become too focused on being a CMS instead of a blogging engine, so it would make sense that they would use it when they need a CMS.

I'm not arguing that the current monetary value of gold is appropriate; I'm simply answering the parent's question as to why gold was "chosen" to be valuable: it has many practical uses.

I would like somebody to explain why gold is inherently valuable

Basically, gold is valuable because it is useful. For example:

* Gold is the most maleable and ductile of all the metals.

* Gold is very efficient for transmitting heat and electricity.

* Gold has the highest corrosion resistance of all the metals.

* Gold does not oxidize.

* Gold can be used to make jewelry, which people find naturally attractive. It is the only "gold-colored" metal.

* Gold is used in electronic components: connectors, switch and relay contacts, soldered joints, connecting wires and connection strips.

* Gold alloys are used for fillings, crowns, bridges and orthodontic appliances.

* Gold is used as a drug to treat a small number of medical conditions.

* Small amounts of gold are used to remedy a condition known as Lagophthalmos, which is an inability of a person to close their eyes completely.

* Radioactive gold is used in diagnosis. It is injected in a colloidal solution that can be tracked as a beta emitter as it passes through the body.

* Gold is also used as a lubricant between mechanical parts on space vehicles.

* Gold is also used when making specialty glass for climate controlled buildings and cases.

* The visor on the helmet of an astronaut's space suit is coated with a very thin film of gold.

What can you do with a Bitcoin?

You see, the problem with Amazon Prime is that you are shipping almost entirely via the USPS.

I've never received a package from Amazon via anyone but UPS.

The earliest price I can find for BTC is $0.074 USD/BTC from about a year later, but if you bought $1000 then, you'd be sitting on about $9.7MM worth of Bitcoin today.

The iCache (from 2007) had an interesting solution to the security issue that everyone is mentioning:

[A]ctivate the device with a fingerprint on its biometric strip, scroll through a list of cards on its screen and choose one. Out pops a plastic card with a magnetic stripe, temporarily loaded with the chosen card's data. Just swipe the card and pop it back into the iCache. After one use, the information on the card disappears.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/23/technology/one_credit_card.b...

Although I'm not sure if the information disappears after the swipe or after it's loaded back into its case.

Coin 13 years ago

See how this idea has progressed in six years:

Here's how it works. Users register their cards on the company Web site and upload the information into the iCache. When they want to use it, they activate the device with a fingerprint on its biometric strip, scroll through a list of cards on its screen and choose one. Out pops a plastic card with a magnetic stripe, temporarily loaded with the chosen card's data. Just swipe the card and pop it back into the iCache. After one use, the information on the card disappears. The device even works with loyalty cards, such as those handed out by supermarkets.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/23/technology/one_credit_card.b...

The hardware technology is certainly more advanced, but I'm of the opinion that the true endgame is going to be a scannable or NFC "card" stored entirely on the user's device (ala Passbook), not using a physical middleman.

Introducing Neo900 13 years ago

The N900 was the most frustrating touchscreen I've ever used in a consumer device. I stopped using it solely for that reason.