Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?

Post by LargoLasskhyfv » Thu, Dec 02, 2021, 11:48 AM UTC

boomboomsubban wrote: post #138

dsizzle wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honest question: how much of the torrent content is corrupted in some way? I dabbled with file sharing back when Kazaa was a thing and I infected my computer to the point I had to reinstall the operating system and I "learned my lesson." But maybe I overlearned the lesson, and it can be used reliably?

Kazaaa has nothing to do with torrents, but what do you mean by corrupted? Torrenting can cause a fragmenting issue, but defragging clears that up. And like anywhere else, random executables sometimes contain malware but there's nothing inherent in torrents that makes that more likely.

Post by technobabbler » Thu, Dec 02, 2021, 3:36 PM UTC

LargoLasskhyfv wrote: post #982

technobabbler wrote: post #975

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This would cripple home internet connections, where the upstream is usually a tiny fraction of the downstream bandwidth. Most of the stuff people download is created/hosted by big companies. Let them pay for bandwidth instead of individual home users (looking at you, Blizzard and other game companies who like to use torrents to distribute patches).

I'll give you some technobabble: traffic shaping, ack-priorization, quality of service, traffic class. All things which your home gateway should have in one form, or another, where you designate torrenting a priority which doesn't interfere with the rest of your activities. And adapting dynamically. No need to think about how to slice available bandwith into pieces beforehand.

Post by Fnoord » Fri, Dec 03, 2021, 8:46 PM UTC

TomGullen wrote: post #660

toomanyrichies wrote: post #155

One example of quality design which I gleaned from reading Don Norman's "The Design Of Everyday Things" is the metal plate I've frequently seen on doors which are meant to be pushed. The only affordance of such a plate is its push-ability, and the fact that someone actively installed a metal plate (instead of just relying on the door's natural flatness), as well as its location at the point of maximum leverage (all t…

Here in the UK a lot of bathrooms in pubs and other places have push to get in, and handles to get out. Never understood that, I'd like to push to get out once I've washed my hands!

Post by Graziano_M » Sat, Dec 04, 2021, 4:38 AM UTC

kryogen1c wrote: post #318

i dont know if this is exactly in or exactly out of the HN wheelhouse, but: my keychain. it's a small hoop of plastic-coated braided strand cable with two threaded ends that screw together. the plastic coating hasn't ripped, torn, loosened, or discolored. none of the metal has rusted. the thread pitch is big enough to screw and unscrew quickly but small enough to not loosen on its own and has good clamping force. the…

Post by pxeger1 » Mon, Dec 06, 2021, 4:49 PM UTC

ichydkrsrnae wrote: post #943

pxeger1 wrote: post #868

YouTube's video player (almost the entire rest of the site is beyond crap, don't get me wrong! I'm just talking about the watching experience) (assuming you have an ad-blocker, which you obviously should). Plenty of other video players have some of these features, but YouTube has almost everything. - click to pause - double-click to fullscreen - customisable captions - speed controls - sensible keyboard shortcuts for…

The most aggravating drag-to-seek in the solar system, bar none. Even xvideos is better. The playback speed options are mega stupid. I want to speed up or down on fine increments around "normal speed", about the mean. I don't want 2x. WTF is that exactly? Let me listen to my audiobook on chipmunk voice speed? I need to be able to listen to The Talking Heads Puzzling Evidence at exactly 1.06 x normal speed. If I try t…