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Radix's comments

Radix | 14 years ago | on: This Is What Developing For Android Looks Like

Hey, thanks for joining the discussion!

Now, hn, could we please not discourage authors from joining the discussion here? If you hit the down arrow and the post turns grey they really deserve an explanatory post. Even though it's "obvious".

Radix | 14 years ago | on: Show HN: My 62yo dad's online dating help site

I'm not sure it needs to be before signing up. If the sign up completes right after the email/pw dialog tha commitment might be worth something. This should be tested. But cautious people like my sibling and I need to be dealt with in the faq at least. It's implied that there is a charge but no link to the cost page. I feel I should see it in the faq.

Radix | 14 years ago | on: Show HN: My 62yo dad's online dating help site

It's annoying that they're "flabbergasted" at the notion without questioning the askee's own communication on that night. I don't think that is a good example of advice, but of course they and their audience are older.

Radix | 14 years ago | on: Show HN: My 62yo dad's online dating help site

Automated spell checking would hurt Match's matching accuracy. It's one thing if a guy realizes he needs to make a good impression then edits in Word. But if it's automated the women (and men, I know I carry this same prejudice) will lose a valuable and cheap filter.

Radix | 14 years ago | on: Language Can Give You Super Mind Powers

Using cardinal directions really isn't a strong feature of the language though is it? It's secondary to the language itself and any culture could do that with their own language because it isn't a central feature of the language. It isn't in the grammar. Which makes it not an example of strong Sapir-Whorf but an example of weak Sapir-Whorf. The former is all token adult claimed and the latter is something that is, I think, more accepted.

Radix | 14 years ago | on: RIAA CEO Hopes SOPA Protests Were a 'One-Time Thing'

The point's been made that artists make so little from downloads and streaming that it literally isn't worth it for you to purchase from iTunes or Amazon downloads compared to, say, buying one out of five albums on CD or vinyl. And maybe also purchasing merchandise directly from the artists website.

Radix | 14 years ago | on: MIT Level Introductory Physics - Free Online Course Starts March 1st

No, these new learning environments need time to grow before they standardize and this particular one brands itself as research which goes along with MITx very well which intends to grow into a certification system for MIT. Coursera and Udacity must have their differences and we'll all be better off with them competing as long as this trend continues.

Radix | 14 years ago | on: Podcasts for Hackers

Isn't the TWiT network a bit of a special case with Leo Laporte trying to monetize and self produce the same niche of programming he was doing with the Screen Savers back on ZDTV? There isn't much of a choice when the point of the screen casts are that they should be your job. Also it helps that we're conditioned to see adverts everywhere.

Radix | 14 years ago | on: 70 Groups Tell Congress To Put The Brakes On Any Further Efforts To Expand IP

Wales asked the Wikipedia itself to vote on whether there would be a blackout. Here on HN there were a couple comments that they were disappointed to see Wikipedia doing advocacy. I think asking Wikipedia itself is a good line to follow as far as protecting its interests without Wales and the other people who physically control Wikipedia using it for their own political goals. So it is in character.

Radix | 14 years ago | on: Extreme Minimalism: this guy owns just 15 things

By the example I do not mean driving around the country but keeping owned objects down to a manageable amount where moving easily is possible. But that will turn into an uninteresting side topic as -internet- discussion sometimes does. I have a habit of looking for ways for people to agree and what assumptions are causing disagreement. I believe I've accurately described your initial disagreement with detrich as a difference of assumptions about a definition. To me minimalism is keeping the number of chunks one has to consider low enough so up and moving to another city, by car or plane, is easy. (I can't find that Trio's song. But I'm not sure you mentioned it before either.)

Radix | 14 years ago | on: Extreme Minimalism: this guy owns just 15 things

I think you're right about words describing styles being flexible but wrong given the amount of flexibility you expect and the examples you've given. Minimalism, in every example I can think of, has a context. What you've described is a minimalist percussion exhibition and a minimalist recording. If you asked some people to describe those two things I expect you would get some similar thoughts. The focus is on the recording and not the location of the recording. The studio would not be a focus on whether the recording was or was not minimalist.

But there are assumptions, context, about lifestyle minimalism that the minimalism supports some goal to minimize consumption with an eye toward "the things we own end up owning us" and to keep their footprint small. The gp notes that the subject of the article has not actually done that, he's just pushed consumption off onto other people and businesses. An example you asked for of someone who lives minimalistically is a myth I heard as a kid about people who could fit everything into their VW Bug and be on their way.

I guess I don't think you're wrong so much as right but the gp's assumptions are common and more accurate to how minimalism is usually thought about.

Radix | 14 years ago | on: Why Don’t We Value Spatial Intelligence?

See nitrogen's post. The gp didn't mean imagination so much as internal picturing. I'm not sure about children but some people lack this ability the same way others are better with turn by turn directions than a look at a map.

Radix | 14 years ago | on: Go Isn't C

You aren't the only one, but that's a harder problem to solve as I there are a limited number of mods and people understandably want their posts read. The public high humor bar and one or two post commentary seem to work well for keeping HN only half way over the shark. I upvoted you to make up for it.

Radix | 14 years ago | on: Lesser Known Ways to Persuade People

It took me a second too. What the gp says is that the fake relationships are cargo too. The players are mistaking the thing for its description. Beautiful people are not beautiful relationships, and friendships built on lies and partial truths are trustless and empty.

Radix | 14 years ago | on: You Are the Average of Your Five Closest Friends

High school counts as childhood, and more to the point, childhood friends are an indication that a person is not a disloyal back stabber and is someone others value. It's social proof.

it's just a saying though and is useless past its intended meaning. It does't seem to apply to you.

Radix | 14 years ago | on: Dennis Ritchie: The Shoulders Steve Jobs Stood On

You're right and I winced when the Jobs comparison was made early in the article. I'm not sure that making comparisons to Jobs isn't the right thing to do even if it wasn't done well here. Jobs and Richie are both heroes to computing culture but after Jobs death we're left feeling that Richie deserves similar praise in the popular press, but unable to easily explain to the public that Dennis impact on the world was on the same level as Jobs'. Wired is a popular magazine now and needs a way to communicate Richie's impact to it's readers, so they use Jobs as a comparison.

Radix | 14 years ago | on: Rob Pike: Dennis Ritchie has died

Banned users are not informed of the ban. New comments are quietly autokilled. This particular user, iirc, was a frequent poster who was notable for their additions. Which I'm guessing is why they've been told.

Viewing comments with showdead on is good but it makes viewing the new page difficult when half the page is auto-banned links.

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