bpowah's comments

bpowah | 1 year ago | on: Ask HN: Website with 6^16 subpages and 80k+ daily bots

I think I would use it to design a bot attractant. Create some links with random text use a genetic algorithm to refine those words based on how many bots click on them. It might be interesting to see what they fixate on.

bpowah | 3 years ago | on: Rigs of Rods: free and open source vehicle simulator that uses soft-body physics

I can't speak for Wine, but my son uses it on Proton regularly and except for a few brief glitches after updates and the inability to use the steering wheel controller, it's worked very well. https://www.protondb.com/app/284160

bpowah | 7 years ago | on: Apple sets up iPhones to relay location for 911 calls

Undoubtedly desperately needed tech, but I don't understand why the geolocation couldn't be embedded in the voice call itself (14.4k modem style). It's such a tiny amount of data, it wouldn't need to interfere with the call at all, or necessarily even be audible. Why the need for a "clearinghouse" and a third-party private company service lock-in by already stretched emergency services?

bpowah | 8 years ago | on: 3-D printed plastic objects that can communicate with WiFi devices

So my WiFi should easily be able to detect if my (all metal) garage door is open or closed? I would like this. I run dd-wrt. Is there an all-software solution to this? Or does this research rely on fairly specialized hardware? (sorry, didn't have time to read the whole article)

bpowah | 9 years ago | on: Ask HN: How would you improve Stack Overflow?

The reputation system should be overhauled. A user-based PageRank-style system would highlight the quality of work over quantity and a high rank would give a user voting power that would take some burden off of moderation.

A monetary voluntary "tip" system (or cash "bounty" system) would be nice too. Talented people would be more willing to contribute if it supplemented their income. Wrought with unforeseen consequences I'm sure...

bpowah | 10 years ago | on: Show HN: Mailform – Print and Mail in bulk from your browser

We are required to notify (by mail) residents within a specified distance of a map feature. directmail.com uses a geoselection tool that, while suffering from last year's UI, is fairly full-featured:

http://www.geoselector.com/default2.aspx

bpowah | 10 years ago | on: Show HN: Mailform – Print and Mail in bulk from your browser

Can you poly-select on a map to get addresses? Or do I need my own pre-compiled list?

bpowah | 11 years ago | on: World-record electric motor for aircraft

The original article mentions hybrid but does not say the motors are exclusive to hybrid drives, merely that the motor will be flight tested in a series-hybrid DA36. Besides, the MIT article I linked enumerates the benefits of the hybrid drive. The word 'hybrid' is in the subtitle. I suspect Siemens is focusing on hybrid tech at the moment because battery tech is such a moving target and they want to use an existing airframe. Ultimately, I think all-electric aircraft will find their market in short-flight urban transport applications where noise, pollution, and reliability are huge factors.

bpowah | 11 years ago | on: World-record electric motor for aircraft

this article does a fair amount of discussion on advantages. Basically it is quiet, has no on-site emissions, and is theoretically more efficient. They also go on to mention that it loosens some design constraints. http://www.technologyreview.com/news/516576/once-a-joke-batt...

bpowah | 11 years ago | on: Map: The Most Common Job in Every State

Right? Me too. Then it dawned on me: "Software Developer" is just the new "Secretary". Instead of guarding filing cabinets, you are managing a db. Instead of manning the front desk, you maintain the website.

bpowah | 11 years ago | on: MIT students build a roller coaster in one week

Yield strength for steel is about 5x that of wood's UTS, and the cross-section of a 2x4 is about 5x that of a 1-in bolt, so yeah wood is 'that' strong. Screws are typically used in a way that they are not carrying a static load -- basically just holding the structural wood in place. The static load in a structure is usually transferred wood-to-wood. When you do see steel carrying a load in a wooden building, it is generally surprisingly beefy-looking.

bpowah | 11 years ago | on: Interact.js – drag and drop, resizing and multi-touch gestures

Great stuff. Works great on a desktop except for the two-finger gestures. I'd love to see a zoom and rotate binding to the mouse scroll-wheel.

bpowah | 11 years ago | on: The Space Shuttle’s Controversial Launch Abort Plan

In the same vein, there was the proposed MOOSE reentry system: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOOSE

bpowah | 11 years ago | on: Show HN: I'm renting a truck to make buying and selling furniture easier

A number of random thoughts come to mind. Apologies if this comes across as negative. I like the idea because it makes selling a hassle-free experience, but the way I am imagining it feels inefficient to me. "Free delivery" == $150 for a $300 couch? Or am I missing something? Does your truck sit for 90 mins during the auction? or are you making more pickups? If multitasking, isn't a truck a FILO storage for a FIFO process? Couldn't I sell on CL, get a bigger audience and hire a delivery/mover service if the buyer doesn't have a friend with a pickup truck? If a mover service is more expensive than you, then why? A quick search looks like I can hire a two man moving crew for $75 an hour.

bpowah | 11 years ago | on: LAPD adds drones to arsenal, says they'll be used sparingly

Many jurisdictions tried to introduce speed trap cameras decades ago. But they failed to gain wide acceptance mainly due to public outrage. Hopefully, the LAPD will seek a compromise between utility and public image.

bpowah | 12 years ago | on: Question quality is dropping on Stack Overflow

It's really just a geometric growth problem. I've been a member for 5 years and I feel like it hit it's "Eternal September" a couple years ago. And I'm sure the people who have been a member since the beginning feel like it went to hell around about the time I joined! I've often wished they had an option to filter questions by asker's rep score.

bpowah | 12 years ago | on: Up and Down the Python Data and Web Visualization Stack

For more involved explorations, I use the editor of my choice and import/reload the script as a module in the notebook.

bpowah | 12 years ago | on: Tesla Model S – Cost of Ownership vs. Honda Odyssey

I don't understand how the '14 model S is "AWD equivalent".

bpowah | 12 years ago | on: Show HN: Free, open-source site for finding beautiful hikes

I'm excited to see where this goes. You are right about the competition. There is tons of information out there, but not many are wiki and none have the responsiveness or a clean modern design yours does.

Kudos on the "free and open" promise! I hate logins.

Critique: - I second the suggestion to encourage contributing to OSM. Most popular hikes will be in OSM already and adding them to hike.io could be as easy as selecting the route on the OSM layer. - can you use a USGS layer for US locations? see mapper.acme.com - Adding an entry should be easier. I selected the coords, but was still required to enter the state, country. I would like to simply add a few points on a map and have the elevation/gain calculated for me - driving directions? why a block of text? why not a link to google driving directions?

bpowah | 12 years ago | on: Shaft passer

It's certainly possible to build. It's a joke because it should never need to be built. There are so many simpler ways to route power around the wheel rather than through it. If it ever became apparent that you needed such a device, it would indicate some seriously poor choices early in the design process. The joke revolves around the wheel/shaft problem, not the cable/cable problem.