sivetic
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11 years ago
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on: After Google bought Nest, it removed company’s biggest competitors from results
No real comment on the issue at hand, but I've been targeted by Vivint's door to door sales team on one occasion. It was a very pushy salesman that started to ask security related questions despite my insitence for him to leave. Once I managed to gen rid of him I found a dozen plus other similar accounts of pushy and deceitful selling practices in my area. Serves them well I would say.
sivetic
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12 years ago
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on: Mom's Instagram account shut down over breastfeeding selfie
Instagram's argument is that the picture contained child pornography. The picture was of a topless toddler breast feeding, which (for anyone with kids) is a perfectly normal sight.
I cannot comprehend why so many people get uncomfortable by the image of a breastfeeding mother or a toddler that isn't fully dressed. As a parent and a husband to a mother that is extremely comfortable with breastfeeding, I am saddened for all other mothers who are made to feel ashamed of such a natural activity.
sivetic
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12 years ago
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on: Ketamine 'exciting' depression therapy
Yes, they are getting "high". I'm not sure what your point is however.
I've never understood the stigma associated with all mind-altering drugs, regardless the relative 'safety' of certain drugs in comparison to legal, and far more dangerous alternatives (nicotine and alcohol).
sivetic
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12 years ago
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on: Beautiful visualization of wind currents on Earth
sivetic
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12 years ago
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on: Squarespace: They Asked for My Password.
Because it only takes one uneducated, misinformed customer service rep to cause a (small or big) security breach.
sivetic
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12 years ago
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on: What is really happening in Ukraine
Exact same thing happened during protests in Canada. Government-hired people were caught trying to incite violence several times.
sivetic
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12 years ago
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on: How Do You Teach Kids the Value of Money? (2006)
Absolutely agreed. I've had a job since I was 15, yet I spent all my money (and then some) well into my 20s. It was disposable money and I didn't appreciate budgeting (though I understood the concept well).
sivetic
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12 years ago
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on: How Do You Teach Kids the Value of Money? (2006)
I agree, I'm not sure what relevance the girl's weight had to the paragraph.
sivetic
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12 years ago
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on: My Experience in the Educational Apps Market – 2013 report
A local school recently voted to introduce iPads into schools. Immediately following the vote, there was a huge backlash from the parents about why the school thought it was a great idea to give a platform for messaging and gaming to their kids.
I wish more parents and educators actually understood the benefit and potential of computers in classrooms. Thank you for helping the cause in a huge way!
sivetic
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12 years ago
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on: My Experience in the Educational Apps Market – 2013 report
I'm glad you chose to publish the report, as even skimming it (will read thoroughly later) I found it really useful. It is great to see some real-world figures about what app makers are able to earn.
sivetic
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12 years ago
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on: Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?
I'm 31, so I'm about the same age .. I've heard of the book before, but didn't know much about it, and haven't read it until this year. It truly blew me away, almost from first page. It will be one of the very few books that I re-read.
sivetic
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12 years ago
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on: Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?
The Count of Monte Cristo .. not sure why it took me all these years to read it, but it was one of the best books I've ever read.
sivetic
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12 years ago
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on: Spotify's mobile app finally goes free
I've tried rdio for a couple weeks (free trial), and have been very happy with it so far.
sivetic
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12 years ago
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on: Secrets of the world's happiest cities
I spent a bit over a year working from home in my past. At first, I loved it. Then I found myself "at work" for longer every day. I reduced the amount I was getting out and socializing, until it got to the point I was plain miserable. Finally I made a change and got a job at an office, where I was MUCH happier (until the office was reduced to 2 people, myself included, and I found I missed the social interaction once again).
Now I work at a company of about 80, with some 30-35 working from the office, and I love it. The commute is very short (<10 minutes most days), and I bike in summer. The little conversations every day keep me sane and enjoying work far more than when I'm on my own.
sivetic
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12 years ago
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on: In Almost Every European Country, Bikes Are Outselling New Cars
Ah yeah, I'm in Winnipeg. You guys are getting the nice weather this week, while we get around 0C :(
sivetic
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12 years ago
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on: In Almost Every European Country, Bikes Are Outselling New Cars
We have people here that bike year round, even though our temperatures dip
well below 0C (we get -25 to -30C on a regular basis, with windchill being -35C to -40C). That is far more effort than I'm willing to put in.
Once it snows, I consider it far too dangerous (though again, there are a few people here that bike in snow w/ studded tires). I only have a bike lane for a short part of my ride, the rest being on 50, 60, and 80kmh roads with no paved shoulder. I don't want to find out what happens if I hit a deep patch of snow, ice, or some cross-winds while a semi is passing me doing 80kmh.
As for your 2nd point, I made that mistake the first time it got close to freezing. By the time I made it to work, I had a tough time breathing.
sivetic
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12 years ago
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on: In Almost Every European Country, Bikes Are Outselling New Cars
I finally pushed myself to bike to work this year, and up until this week managed to make my way to work 4-5 times a week using the bike. Living a 10-15 minute bike ride away from work really encouraged me to try this year, and I'm glad I did. I found it considerably more relaxing, even when riding in traffic, when compared to driving.
Unfortunately, living in the Great White North, it has gotten too cold in the morning to bike (or at least it has for me). Temperatures are dipping below 0C, and I'm sure we will see snow soon enough. Bike is on standby mode now until next April or May when the snow is finally gone.
sivetic
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12 years ago
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on: So You'd Like to Make a Map using Python
It's been a while since I played with OSM data. OGR 1.10.0 supports OSM, and you can grab it from various sources (gdal.org or gisinternals.com/sdk/ if you want latest windows binaries).
Converting OSM -> SHP should be relatively similar to other formats, and there are a good number of tutorials out there for using OGR. Here's their page on OSM: http://www.gdal.org/ogr/drv_osm.html
sivetic
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12 years ago
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on: So You'd Like to Make a Map using Python
I think OGR (gdal.org) has an OSM driver that you can install optionally to go from OSM -> SHP. Problem is that SHP and OSM are not 100% compatible formats, so data massaging may be necessary in many cases.
Also, Geofabrik.de will export it for you for a fee.
sivetic
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12 years ago
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on: So You'd Like to Make a Map using Python
What kind of data are you looking for? Many governments provide data for their own country, with differing licenses (the Canadian ones I've used are commercial-friendly). There are a good number of open GIS data initiatives around the world, that you should be able to find exactly what you're looking for.
You can also check the data that ESRI provides, as some is free, and other is paid.
