cleis's comments | WingNews

cleis | 11 years ago | on: Show HN: App recommending free Wifi based on hotspot heuristics and crowd-input

It takes a while for the App Store to index new apps for search (which is annoying), but the app is live! You can see it here - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/wifimapper-free-wifi-maps/id....

cleis | 11 years ago | on: OpenSignal Ports Its Crowdsourced WeatherSignal App to iOS, Courtesy of iPhone 6

Because we can't collect pressure readings in the background (apple doesn't allow a background mode for pressure), so it would just be a waste of the user's battery to be constantly taking their location.

cleis | 11 years ago | on: OpenSignal Nets $4M to Build Out Its Crowdsourced Mobile Sensor Data Maps

WeatherSignal is completely open for non-commercial use, and our data is actually being used by many of the same researchers as PressureNet!

And we're working on making our data more open - with our new resources we'll have more time to work on improve the data we make available via both our website and API.

cleis | 12 years ago | on: The Galaxy S5 does not have temperature or humidity sensors

The data included in OpenSignal insights is aggregated both geographically and temporally at a resolution that makes it impossible to identify any individual user. All we show are averaged stats over a monthly or quarterly period for a given area.

Part of our project is to inform users about how carriers are performing, but also to inform carriers how they're performing so that they can improve their service for their users. We use our data to independently regulate the carrier market, from both the supply and demand sides as we think this is the best way to help effect much-needed improvement. We sell to operators so that we don't have to charge consumers or show them annoying in-app ads!

cleis | 12 years ago | on: Show HN: Automatic feedback on improving your PowerPoint slides

This looks cool, but how does it actually work?

cleis | 12 years ago | on: Carrot Dating - Date people by 'bribing' them

'WHAT IF A BRIBEE ACCEPTS THE BRIBE, BUT THE DATE NEVER HAPPENS?

Once a bribe is accepted, it is up to the members to communicate and plan the details of the date. Even after bribe acceptance, some dates may not happen.'

- There is something gloriously appropriate about this being in the FREQUENTLY asked questions.

cleis | 12 years ago | on: Carrot Dating - Date people by 'bribing' them

Absolutely agree. I think this app sounds horrendous.

cleis | 12 years ago | on: Ubuntu Edge: founder says failure isn't the end of the dream

The $80k from Bloomberg was possibly a PR move for both parties as well. I don't think the Edge was ever supposed to succeed - pretty clever though, Indiegogo as a marketing platform.

cleis | 12 years ago | on: Ubuntu Edge price dropped to $695

The Edge is going to be the most successful unsuccessful crowdfunding project ever

cleis | 12 years ago | on: The Smears Against Edward Snowden Have Begun

While I completely agree with most of this article, there was one thing I found utterly repellent. This line - 'People largely stopped talking about what Wikileaks revealed years ago, & now discussion of Assange is dominated by the usual cliches about him being arrogant, a rapist, etc.'

Oh yes, those usual boring cliches - arrogance and rape. Repulsive. People talk about Assange being creepy because he has been accused of rape by two female (former) supporters, not because of a series of subtle derogatory digs in the mainstream media. And arguing that these rape cases are a fabrication to bring Assange to justice for what happened over wikileaks (which I don't believe at all) isn't an argument in this instance, because the two cases are so unlike each other it seems ridiculous to make the comparison. I'm not disagreeing that Edward Snowden is being subjected to unpleasant ad hominem attacks, he is and it's outrageous, but to compare him to the treatment that Assange has received is ridiculous.

cleis | 12 years ago | on: Petition to pardon Edward Snowden as a 'National Hero'

Before he is, like the Snowdens of yesteryear, gone from this earth.

cleis | 13 years ago | on: Screensiz.es – reference chart for device screen sizes

one gold star to you! Yes, it is D3.

cleis | 13 years ago | on: Screensiz.es – reference chart for device screen sizes

Tangentially related - we did some analysis a little while ago of how screen size affects use behaviour (in terms of data consumption) - http://opensignal.com/reports/data-usage-by-screen-size/

cleis | 13 years ago | on: Come here and work on hard problems – except the ones on our doorstep

Couldn't agree more. However I would also add that from a truly liberal perspective the logic behind government intervention is market-driven as opposed to primarily humanitarian. Recognising that markets have failures is a key part of capitalist liberalism, and it is that failure of recognition that makes libertarianism such an unstable and unworkable political philosophy.

cleis | 13 years ago | on: Twitter's odd use of the word 'followed'

Agreed. Although in my experience it can go badly wrong... http://opensignal.com/blog/2013/04/26/an-apology-to-our-kore...

cleis | 13 years ago | on: Pocket Meteorology: Using Android Phones to Crowdsource the Weather

Thanks very much! PressureNET's a really cool app as well.

cleis | 13 years ago | on: I'm tired of trying to meet new people. So I've built another social network

I think this sounds really cool. It would be really interesting to get REALLY specific into your interests and see if anyone matched up with you.

It's great that it's not designed to be a dating site, I take it there'll be no pictures or 'how would you describe your body type?' data fields, then?

cleis | 13 years ago | on: We just launched OpenSignal for iOS

Thanks a lot, no problem about the nits, we love feedback! Agreed about the compass, we'll have a think about it for the next update.

cleis | 13 years ago | on: We just launched OpenSignal for iOS

Unfortunately those are the permissions required for monitoring usage, so it looks more sinister than it is. It's irritating that in order to count data use and texts sent we have to ask for permission to access texts and contacts, which we NEVER do.

cleis | 13 years ago | on: We just launched OpenSignal for iOS

Haha, thanks for that. We'll bear it in mind in future. Glad you like the look of the app though.