thr0waway1239 (u/thr0waway1239)

thr0waway1239 commented on Ask HN: What are we doing about Facebook, Google, and the closed internet? · Posted by u/vkb

paulddraper · 9 years ago

Forgive me if I exaggerate, but you sound a chef who is appalled by the lack of variety in fruits and vegetables distributed at a shelter.

Billions of people can communicate and learn in ways never before possible. This is overall A Very Good Thing.

thr0waway1239 · 9 years ago

The comparison with lack of blah at a shelter is telling, don't you think, when you think about how shelters are usually a place where people are "doled" out stuff? It is not merely a patronizing suggestion (which the billions of people are already aware of and accustomed to), but it is also taking a lot of people down a path where their choices will become severely restricted in the future. How is that "A Very Good Thing"?

Also, think about what companies start doing when they start failing. And don't make implicit assumptions that these megaliths will never fail or stumble. What would you, as the CEO who is supposed to "maximize shareholder value" do? Are you going to say "Well, we could do some shady things to exploit the data we have and buy ourselves some more time, but it is a better idea to declare bankruptcy and close the company"? Imagine a company like Facebook nearing bankruptcy. You can bet on your life that they will offer the appropriate third parties greater control of their data mining prowess in return for a bailout. Is that also overall a Very Good Thing?

Also, notice how the 2008 financial crisis unfolded. None of the offending parties got anything more than a slap on the wrist, because they had the keys to an engineering construct of extraordinary complexity (the financial system). It was just "heads I win, tails you lose". The way our lives are becoming intertwined with these tech behemoths is no different, and I don't see it playing out any differently if there is a similar crisis in the tech sector. How can that be overall a Very Good Thing?

thr0waway1239 commented on Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier? · Posted by u/_6cj7

Amogha_IO · 9 years ago

There are some books I keep coming back to when I am "feeling lost and/or hopeless", when my "back is up against the wall and/or feel cornered", when I feel like I have "hit rock bottom" or I just need to "escape reality"... This list contains books I have read/listened to more than a couple times:

!For inspiration:! 1. Loosing my virginity (Richard Branson) - Richard Branson's Autobiography. From student magazine to Virgin to crazy ballooning adventures and space! I keep coming back to this when I feel like I need a morale boost. There isn't an audible version for this book, but there is a summary-type version on Audible "Screw it, Let's do it"- does a good job curating the exciting parts.

  2. The Everything Store (Brad Stone)

-AMAZON and the man leading the massive team behind it. Jeff Bezos is quite easily one of the most important and influential people in the world. His relentless pursuit to build Amazon (& it's various products) amid constant setbacks, losses and naysayers... I personally use Amazon and their products every day. It's a really interesting view of how things are run backstage.

  3. Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)

- One of the most popular books in the Valley. Almost all startup founders I have met has read this. They usually have a very polarized view of Jobs after reading this. Take the good stuff and leave out the bad/crazy. Jobs was a very polarizing person and so is his biography...This is a very long book. "The second Coming of Steve Jobs" by Alan Deutschman is another really good book and a much shorter read and not super-polarizing (leaves out some of the crazy stuff from early life). Other notable Steve Jobs books I have read & highly recommend: Becoming Steve Jobs & The Steve Jobs Way.

  4. Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)

-Another polarizing book. I am a Spacex & Tesla Fan-boy. I picked this up in 2015 the day it was launched! I have read this at least half a dozen times by now. Hard-work, perseverance and creativity to the max. A must read for every entrepreneur.

  5. iWoz (Steve Wozniak)

-If you are a technical-founder, this is a must read! Gives a very interesting view of- behind the scenes at Apple during its inception and early years. I was really moved by how humble Woz was/is and I am inspired by his problem solving approach.

  6. How Google Works (Eric Schmidt, Alan Eagle & Jonathan Rosenberg)

- A very good book to read after/before this: "In the Plex" by Steven Levy. Hands down the two most important / influential books while you are starting something new. I read these while I was contemplating conceiving my startup and giving up the "safety" (illusion of safety) of a "normal-job". A must read for anyone planing to start a company and want to take it to the stratosphere (or higher)!

  7. Dreams from My Father (Barack Obama)

- Another polarizing personality. A short but powerful memoir by Obama. This gives a unique insight into Obama's thought processes. Most people can relate to this and every "Leader" must read this. It really helps clear some of the fog on- what makes an effective leader.

!Business & Management:!

  1. The Upstarts (Brad Stone)

-An amazing story about AirBnB and Uber. Culture is key and culture is defined by the Founders and the first few hires. The two companies are extremely similar in many ways (timing, shared economy, disruptive) but radically different in the way they are run. This came out earlier this year and is probably one of the best "startup-books" of 2017!

  2. Zero to One (Peter Thiel)

-A very short book, a must read for every entrepreneur. Dives into "first principal" thinking & execution. A very good read after/before "Elon Musk" the biography by Ashlee Vance.

  3. The power of Habit (Charles Duhigg)

-I have always wondered how successful people get so much done. They have the same amount of time as everyone else, but they are able to get so much more done...how? This book answered that question. Ever since, I have been using "Habits" as my ultimate personal tool. Day & night difference when you figure out how habits are formed how they are broken and how you can influence the process. A good companion book (from the same author) "Smarter Faster Better".

  4. How to win friends & Influence people (Dale Carnegi)

- I bought this book freshman year in college. I tried reading it then and gave up / got bored after the first few pages. I really wish I had actually made an effort to read the whole thing. It sat on my shelf collecting dust. Luckily I picked up the book again and gave it another shot. I read this during a particularly "rough-patch" at our startup- really helped me cope with the "situation". What was once a boring book is now scribbled with notes, bookmarks and highlights. A very useful life-guide.

  5. How to win at the Sport of Business (Mark Cuban)

- A very entertaining yet eye-opening book. It is very short, finished it in a couple hours. A must read for every entrepreneur. I keep coming back to this when I feel like things are going dreadfully slow and I need a boost. If you follow Mark Cuban's blog, skip this. It is mostly a summary of his blog posts.

  6. Finding the next Steve Jobs (Nolan Bushnell)

- Finding good talent and retaining it is probably the single most important thing you will do as startup founders (especially if you are the CEO). Many things in this book seem obvious (if you are familiar with the Silicon-valley culture). A good read before you set out to hire your dream team of "rockstars". A good companion book: "Outliers" By Malcom Gladwell.

  7. The hard thing about hard things (Ben Horowitz)

-Are you in a startup? If the answer is YES, then read this NOW. Ties well with "Finding the next Steve Jobs". I wish I had read this before I started my company. I have lost track of how many times I have listened to this audio-book.

  8. Start with the Why (Simon Sinek)

- Mid-late 2013 I came across Simon Sinek's ted talks on the golden-circle and my mind was blown. I bought the book the very next day and I keep coming back to my notes whenever we are starting a new project. Get the "Why?" right and the product will define itself. This is true for building companies as it is for building great products. A must read for every entrepreneur.

  9. Art of the Start (Guy Kawasaki)

-Getting ready to pitch? read this! Also watch Guy's many presentations/talks on YouTube. A good companion book- "Pitch Anything" By Oren Klaff

!Escaping Reality! 1. Hatching Twitter (Nick Bilton) -Sooooo much drama! Definitely learnt what not to do! Very interesting read.

  2. The accidental Billionaires (Ben Mezrcih)

-I have heard that not everything in this book is "completely-true" (more distorted than others...) but still a great read!

  3. The Martian (Andy Weir)

- Hands down the best science fiction book I have read. I have lost count how many times I have listened to the audio-book (probably >15). I want to go to MARS!

  4. Harry Potter Series.

-My go-to "background noise". I read the books as a kid. I use the audio-books to tune out the world when working on stuff that does not require my full attention (Listening Goblet of Fire as I type this)...

  5. Jurassic Park || The Lost world (Michael Crichton)

- Read the books as a kid. I usually listen to it while I am traveling. Still gets me as excited as it did when I first read the book. (The movies are nothing compared to the book...)

  6. Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)

- I am looking forward to reading the entire series. Read it once, listened to it many times (lost count). I love Space!

  7. Ready Player One (Ernest Cline)

-I picked this book up while I was working on a VR project back in 2014. An excellent book for re-reads and a nice place to get some inspiration.

!Other honorable mentions:! Actionable Gamification (Yu-Kai Chou) I invented the Modern Age (Richard Snow) Inside the tornado (Geoffrey Moore) Jony Ive (Leander Kahney) Sprint (Jake Knapp) The lean startup (Eric Ries) The selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins) Titan (Ron Chernow) The inevitable (Kevin Kelly) The Innovators (Walter Isaacson) Scrum (Jeff Sutherland)

!Most if not all have an audio-book version!

If you are in a startup or plan to start one soon, reading/listening to books should become a routine. I try to get through at least one book a week, sometimes two.

Good luck!

thr0waway1239 · 9 years ago

Thanks! Your summaries are really helpful.

thr0waway1239 commented on U.S. now can ask travelers for Facebook, Twitter handles usatoday.com/story/tech/n... · Posted by u/sr2

thr0waway1239 · 9 years ago

Hmm.. this is way too much friction. I call upon the tech giants to brainstorm and make the process more seamless.

For example: why can't the govt take your picture and upload it to their servers at FB/Google/etc and get all the relevant info in a jiffy?

thr0waway1239 commented on Facebook is an attack on the open web daringfireball.net/2017/0... · Posted by u/tambourine_man

thr0waway1239 · 9 years ago

>> Facebook going out of business seems unlikely

Is it? Because it seems to me that they are having plenty of issues with gaining the trust of advertisers too. Considering that advertising is the bread and butter of their business, this would normally be something of a mini-crisis.

A quick search for "do advertisers trust facebook" gives me

https://techcrunch.com/2016/11/12/facebook-needs-accountabil...

https://venturebeat.com/2017/02/10/facebook-verification-ad-...

http://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/01/31/will-facebook-chip-aw...

http://www.adageindia.in/digital/40-of-marketers-say-they-pl...

http://marketingland.com/facebooks-measurement-errors-impact...

Of course, no one actually believes anything Facebook says with regards to privacy, and probably never did.

I would seriously doubt if there is anyone who actually looks at their practices who doesn't think they conduct large scale psychological experiments on the human lab rats who continue to use FB.

In other words, seems like there are enough ingredients here for an implosion. Something has to give.

thr0waway1239 commented on Facebook's tentacles reach further than people think bbc.co.uk/news/business-3... · Posted by u/CarolineW

amelius · 9 years ago

> The Data Portability concept: A company covered by the DPD is required to deliver to the user all data the company has on the user, in a standardised format. That means Facebook now has to hand out all your data (information, pics, likes, posts,...) for you to use freely - also in other services. I think this in effect means you own your data. I'm excited to see the effect of this one.

The problem here is that those companies use fingerprinting to collect data. This means that in theory they are not 100% sure who is the person they are collecting data from, but in practice they could be 99.99% sure. Still, this makes it impossible to hand out all this data, because there is still a 0.01% chance that the data does not belong to the person who requested it.

thr0waway1239 · 9 years ago

Not disagreeing, but I would certainly like some references if you could provide us any. In fact, it would be genuinely troubling if you cannot find any good sources. Here is why: this notion of fingerprinting seems to be an invention of the legal wing, to be brought out as a CYA when these requests were inevitably going to be demanded.

Time for some math:

Since it is only a 0.01% chance, it means you need 10000 discrete pieces of information collected on a single individual before there is a chance of error. If a company indeed has that many pieces of information on you, you first of all need to know that for a fact.

There is a chance the company will counter that this is aggregated probability, as in, with an uneven distribution of errors. If it is indeed aggregated probability, the companies which advertise on these platforms need to demand their money back because for all you known, none of the folks they are targeting are actually correct fits for their ads. Fingerprinting puts the burden of proof on the shoulders of the company that they are indeed allowing advertisers to target the audience they want. How can they be so sure if the errors are unevenly distributed?

In any case, everyone should demand the information anyway, and let us start using this fingerprinting theory as an excellent opportunity to get deeper into the practices of these companies.

thr0waway1239 commented on How to Report a Bug to Microsoft schveiguy.com/blog/2017/0... · Posted by u/janpio

mistermann · 9 years ago

> I remember that MVPs and PMs would absolutely trawl those forums looking for user-reported bugs and trying to help get them workarounds & fix the root-cause bug. YMMV of course, but many members of the team spent time every week looking for primary-source user feedback.

Oh bullshit. Anyone who's landed on answers.microsoft.com before and seen what passes for "dialogue" with customers on there knows what you're saying isn't true. I don't have any links handy (I abandoned any hope years ago on Microsoft caring about fixing bugs in products), but there are numerous extremely well documented bugs in SQL Server (just as one example) that have been open in some cases for over 7 years!

thr0waway1239 · 9 years ago

Oh, come on! Why did you have to ruin the fun? Don't you know we can have a ton of fun chuckling sarcastically to ourselves when we see folks like GP keep making these kind of shockingly delusional statements?

thr0waway1239 commented on Facebook's tentacles reach further than people think bbc.co.uk/news/business-3... · Posted by u/CarolineW

bjelkeman-again · 9 years ago

I foresee a long drawn out nasty international legal fight about this. In the same way the EU authorities have been very weak dealing with the car companies and emissions e.g. dieselgate, the US authorities refuse to see the problem with privacy and data. The governments are going to blame each other for stifling competition (companies from their country) etc.

I think the practices of online tracking joined up with offline tracking, as Google is now doing is going to be forbidden unless you consent.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/05/23...

thr0waway1239 · 9 years ago

>> going to be forbidden unless you consent

This was exactly my point a while back. That the default option should be to get explicit permission for each piece of data you collect AND infer, even if the inference is being done in situ as the code executes (otherwise it will become another out clause). Of course, the geeks who get all delirious by seeing a mountain of data to analyze would not want that kind of friction in the process.

I wonder what would happen if someone would spend the time to completely dissect and reverse engineer exactly how lookalike profiles are being generated. My guess is that it will expose data collection practices which will confirm our worst fears.

thr0waway1239 commented on Facebook's tentacles reach further than people think bbc.co.uk/news/business-3... · Posted by u/CarolineW

baddox · 9 years ago

Could you pretend I either disagree or have yet to form an opinion, and explain why this is "clearly unethical"?

thr0waway1239 · 9 years ago

Unethical: lacking moral principles.

Moral: of, relating to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong

I think it is "clearly wrong" that Facebook creates shadow profiles, because it is violating the freedom of people who have not signed up for their service, in the same way that it is clearly wrong for me to take away your favorite pet for ritualistic sacrifice against your wishes, even if "everyone" in the community agrees that it has been a consistently effective method for pleasing the Gods.

Of course, you know these analogies are tenuous, and you will eventually go into very precise definitions of words (or worse, you will actually start taking my pet sacrifice analogy and dissecting it). Perhaps you could tell us about something you think is clearly unethical, and we will try and draw the connection for you.

thr0waway1239 commented on Chrome Won andreasgal.com/2017/05/25... · Posted by u/fabrice_d

majewsky · 9 years ago

> What we want is to not have the nature of the web changed to suit the whims of a handful of companies.

I feel like we're ten years late for this concern.

thr0waway1239 · 9 years ago

Not really.

At the moment, there are only two kinds of employees at Facebook. Those who care and are getting irritated each time these issues are raised on HN (see here [1]), and the dregs who bury their heads in the sand. I bet there is someone who works there who is reading this and realizing that either they will have to change their attitude, or soon the company will turn into another Enron. We don't still have Enron in our midst anymore, do we?

Once one company goes down, it is only a matter of time before the rest fall in a domino sequence because people will start wondering about the practices of its peers. I would like to think that these companies are a little more sensible than to imagine they are somehow infallible, its better for them to change now before it gets to the point where they are made to.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13869759