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Ask HN: What is your side project for 2017?

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Re: Ask HN: What is your side project for 2017?

#101

Post by madmax108 »

bharani_m wrote: post #6

Simple "email this link to me" service. If I find something interesting, I want to be able to click a button (chrome extension/bookmarklet) that will extract the text from that page, format it nicely and email it to me (preferably to a separate Gmail label). I can then read it from my email client (iOS/Android email app) during my commute. I don't want the overhead of a complete app like Evernote or Pocket.

How is this any different from Pocket? Yes, it's a third party app instead of email, but does exactly what you need.

Re: Ask HN: What is your side project for 2017?

#102

Post by Balgair »

Re-write history a fair bit.

By this I mean that much of history is amazingly cool and interesting, yet no-one really reads about it or learns it. Yet I can talk to pretty much any hipster on the street and they'll know all about the Ents and Elves of Tolkein or the Andals and First Men of GRR. History should be more like that then, I figure.

So, lets put some Griffon-mounted Calvary into the Bleeding Kansas era, some dragons into Waterloo, and some brain-slugs into the Mongols. Maybe that'll spice up the history lessons a bit and make then more worth reading by the average citizen.

Re: Ask HN: What is your side project for 2017?

#103

Post by richardboegli »

rndstr wrote: post #62
bharani_m wrote: post #6

Simple "email this link to me" service. If I find something interesting, I want to be able to click a button (chrome extension/bookmarklet) that will extract the text from that page, format it nicely and email it to me (preferably to a separate Gmail label). I can then read it from my email client (iOS/Android email app) during my commute. I don't want the overhead of a complete app like Evernote or Pocket.

Google Inbox allows you to do exactly this by saving links in your inbox through a sharing intent on Android or a Chrome extension on desktop.

Is this an extra intent that you have to install separately? I just installed inbox again and couldn't see it.

Re: Ask HN: What is your side project for 2017?

#104

Post by ZenoArrow »

ryanlol wrote: post #86
ZenoArrow wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just one suggestion, can you offer information on device security also? A collection of devices may work well together, but if I was buying a smart home device I'd want to be informed of any security issues as they're discovered. The escalations in DDoS size that we saw in 2016 were supposedly driven by a high number of insecure smart home/IoT devices, I'd like to do what I can to stop this becoming a trend.

>The escalations in DDoS size that we saw in 2016 were supposedly driven by a high number of insecure smart home/IoT devices, I'd like to do what I can to stop this becoming a trend. Primarily driven by home routers, not IoT devices.

>"Primarily driven by home routers, not IoT devices."

It's IoT devices too. Here's an example of an IoT device with subpar security discovered in the past couple of days:

http://hackaday.com/2017/01/02/owl-insecure-internet-of-ener...

Re: Ask HN: What is your side project for 2017?

#105

Post by powmonk »

xiaoma wrote: post #58
powmonk wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a piece of constructive criticism (as it seems like maybe English isn't your first language) using gendered words like "guys" can seem a little bit sexist or at least exclusionary. You don't want to put women off reading your book just with the blurb :)

The word "guys" isn't so gendered in 2017 as it might have been 50 years ago. Far more importantly, though, gendered advertisements have had thousands of years of success. Don't insult or belittle any demographic, but keep in mind that it's entirely possible that many different sales pages targeting different demographics is the long-term solution. For a first trial though, I'd narrow to a laser tight focus and pick…

It is a lot more neutral these days, you're not wrong but context is an important part of it.

I'm not a radical feminist or anything, I just think in tech it's quite important to be inclusionary at every given opportunity and every level. The male-only culture we've fostered in the tech industry is becoming poisonous. And nowadays it only takes one person outside of your laser-focused demographic to write the right [insert social media format] that gets your book seen. Especially if you don't have the budget/time/inclination to re-write copy.

Re: Ask HN: What is your side project for 2017?

#106

Post by powmonk »

300 wrote: post #45
powmonk wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a piece of constructive criticism (as it seems like maybe English isn't your first language) using gendered words like "guys" can seem a little bit sexist or at least exclusionary. You don't want to put women off reading your book just with the blurb :)

You're right, English isn't my first language. Thanks for the tip!

I'll keep an eye on your book though. I've been meaning to learn vim properly for a long time.

Re: Ask HN: What is your side project for 2017?

#107

Post by powmonk »

ZenoArrow wrote: post #36
powmonk wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a piece of constructive criticism (as it seems like maybe English isn't your first language) using gendered words like "guys" can seem a little bit sexist or at least exclusionary. You don't want to put women off reading your book just with the blurb :)

What word would you suggest in its place? As a native English speaker I can't think of something similar which is both gender neutral and casual without being quirky (I'd use 'peeps' in conversations with friends, but not in marketing text).

What's wrong with 'people'?

Re: Ask HN: What is your side project for 2017?

#108

Post by monkeydust »

Setting up a QA outsourcing business on the side with a few friends. Software is everywhere and performing more critical functions as years go by. QA where I work (large US software company) is an afterthought, the developers and business guys provide quality assurance cover but of course things do slip through the net occasionally and cost of those events can be high. We looked at outsourcing QA years back and will probably again. I can see more organisations doing this. Challenge will be running this as a side project.

Re: Ask HN: What is your side project for 2017?

#109

Post by jorgtron »

jorgtron wrote: post #29

https://www.containable.co A ready-to-deploy PostgreSQL Docker image automagically maintained by experts

Key highlights:

- Simple, automated backups of your production databases

- We keep your database secure with automatic security updates

- Monitor your DB with a nice UI

- Avoid vendor lock-in: Containable makes it easy to migrate between different cloud services (or local setups)

Re: Ask HN: What is your side project for 2017?

#110

Post by xiaoma »

powmonk wrote: post #105
xiaoma wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The word "guys" isn't so gendered in 2017 as it might have been 50 years ago. Far more importantly, though, gendered advertisements have had thousands of years of success. Don't insult or belittle any demographic, but keep in mind that it's entirely possible that many different sales pages targeting different demographics is the long-term solution. For a first trial though, I'd narrow to a laser tight focus and pick…

It is a lot more neutral these days, you're not wrong but context is an important part of it. I'm not a radical feminist or anything, I just think in tech it's quite important to be inclusionary at every given opportunity and every level. The male-only culture we've fostered in the tech industry is becoming poisonous. And nowadays it only takes one person outside of your laser-focused demographic to write the right […

Wasn't the context "guys who are convinced it will take them months to reach proficiency"? I could easily see a different person upset if it were "gals who are convinced it will take them months to reach proficiency", which indicates ambiguity in the context.

My point was that from a standpoint of odds of success, you're much better off with focused marketing and getting a strong response from a small group than by getting a weak response from a big group. I.e., see if anyone wants the thing at all and then focus on having a broad target to your marketing.

I agree 100% on being inclusive and am no fan of a culture where it's okay to exclude people from events or education based on their gender, race or other demographic identity. That said, lightly throwing around accusations of someone or thing being "___ist" devalues the terms and polarizes people who would otherwise be on the same page (and likely tipped last US elections).

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