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Tell HN: Airbnb just stole me 5 minutes of my time adding dices

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Re: Tell HN: Airbnb just stole me 5 minutes of my time adding dices

#151

I see this as high-IQ software developers building systems to shut out non-high-IQ people from society. Managers look at these CAPTCHAs and think "oh I could solve these no problem, let's use them". In fact, they can only be solved by unusually smart people or by ML bots. Arkose Labs (the maker of this particular captcha) explicitly advertises that their methods can keep out "low-skilled workers" on "human fraud farm…

In other words captcha use on some essential services might be a case for the courts if those services are thereby inaccessible.

They don’t even have to be essential services. US equal rights law would apply to any public accommodation - AirBnB being a perfect example

Re: Tell HN: Airbnb just stole me 5 minutes of my time adding dices

#152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That's a terrible analogy Well, a more apt one would be that someone breaks into your house or car and puts all their litter everywhere so that you have to spend hours or days cleaning. Sometimes I don't get the logic of these spambot creators. Do they honestly believe that creating thousands of fake accounts with links to "hot dating site" in my webshop will help them in any way? These data are completely invisibl…

> Sometimes I don't get the logic of these spambot creators. Do they honestly believe that creating thousands of fake accounts with links to "hot dating site" in my webshop will help them in any way? These data are completely invisible outside (why would anyone want to present their customer data to the world). The goal is link building[1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_building

I get these spam links all the time, and a disproportionate number of them are for SEO and similar services addressed to me specifically.

I don't think they actually expect the links to be published, so much as they expect the webmaster to read them in their moderation panel.

Re: Tell HN: Airbnb just stole me 5 minutes of my time adding dices

#153

Why can't Google and apple solve the 'are you a human?' check at operating system level. As a user on mobile phone they are already tracking our clicks and should be easy to communicate that to the apps and browsers.

If Google or Apple were to do that, then bad actors could do the same - even if they have to run a bank of old Android phones. Then we'd need some way of distinguishing bot from non-bot - so we'd be back to captcha.

Re: Tell HN: Airbnb just stole me 5 minutes of my time adding dices

#154
Just a tip, if you find a place that looks nice to book on airbnb, try checking for booking directly. I found a place on airbnb and was in a hurry, but later when I checked the cabin rental's website, I found that the money I spent in fees to airbnb could get me an upgrade to a much nicer cabin if I had booked directly with the cabin rental company.

Re: Tell HN: Airbnb just stole me 5 minutes of my time adding dices

#155
post #88

That's the moment I'd recommend you to close the website and book a hotel. The whole pandemic reminded me I miss staying in hotels. Not having to worry about groceries, lunch, cleaning ... A great hotel experience turns your holiday into a holiday experience. The older I get the whole bnb experience feels like a premium stressful hostel.

I use airbnb and booking.com specifically for searching cheaper alternatives to hotels. If their value for money proposition wasn't better than a hotel I doubt they would even exist at all.

I feel like airbnb is not as affordable these days. They started allowing extra fees (like electricity bills etc) for short stays and always pile up absurd cleaning/other fees so by the time you leave the apartment you end up spending more than a decent hotel would cost.

Re: Tell HN: Airbnb just stole me 5 minutes of my time adding dices

#156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do I get to play with this? I want to know if I would be filtered out

You can go to https://www.twilio.com/login/password and enter a fake email address and repeated fake passwords. Or one of the addresses listed here: https://github.com/dessant/buster/issues/178 Though I got pretty easy ones trying it.

twilio site actually prompts a captcha after a few unsuccessful login tries but it just says "Pick any square". I've tried a few times and clicking any of the 6 options underneath work lol.

Re: Tell HN: Airbnb just stole me 5 minutes of my time adding dices

#157
post #128
post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve been so turned off by the entire concept of AirBnB, ever since their practices ruined several cities I love with massive overtourism influence. Like so many tech companies, the influence has just gotten completely out of control in the modern world on a global scale.

Why would Airbnb be to blame for this? They're providing a market that fulfills demand for low cost or privately owned accommodations, competing directly with the established hotel industry. Not everyone wants or needs to stay in a hotel, and many people prefer the tourist experience facilitated by local hosts. Long-term rentals are also a convenient way to experience a location that doesn't involve complicated paper…

Residents have a say in how their city functions. A well run city balances the needs of its constituents - schools, access to shops, bus routes, community centres, parks, parking etc. It also balances the need of business, tourism operators, hospitality etc.

None of that works when an operator like Airbnb ignores it all. Nimby’s give community consultation a bad name, but the alternative is the Wild West. No thanks.

Re: Tell HN: Airbnb just stole me 5 minutes of my time adding dices

#158

Airbnb has been very human hostile since the beginning. The first time I had to create an account, they required that I connect with a google account with access to all my contacts. Then ask me to make a video of myself. I didn't create the account and booked an hotel. Now they are less aggressive with their new procedures, but still, you can see that the people behind it see technical solutions way before they perce…

What's wrong with sharing bathrooms? That's a dorm, or a youth hostel for that matter. It's totally fine. Pretty common all over the world, not just for the poorest.

Because some people (as in, a vast majority of the global population) live their lives in a low-income bracket and one could consider it a very unpleasant thought to live your entire life sharing bathrooms with strangers.

Re: Tell HN: Airbnb just stole me 5 minutes of my time adding dices

#160
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The singular is "die" not "dice".

Interestingly this is one case where I think the technically incorrect version is winning. Many of us who who know that it's "one die" and "two dice" would still say something like "what does the dice say?" or "pass the dice", if only because "what does the die say" or "pass the die" sounds a bit awkward. This is one I'm not worried about, I'd be more annoyed if "more then" or "should of" started taking off :D

New captcha question: "What is the should of 20?"
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