Hacker News: elemenopy

New comment by elemenopy in "Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna rediscovered in Indonesia"

elemenopy — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 23:23:22 +0000

It is a politically fraught issue because there is a long-running independence movement,[1] which the parent comment may have been obliquely referring to.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Papua_Movement

New comment by elemenopy in "For police PR flacks, quack lives matter"

elemenopy — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 07:24:08 +0000

It sounds like "proper gander", where gander means "a look".

New comment by elemenopy in "Apple nukes Facebook app cert after Zuck's crew abused it to slurp private data"

elemenopy — Thu, 31 Jan 2019 06:47:20 +0000

Main discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19035834

New comment by elemenopy in "The last day of linotype at the NYT (1978) [video]"

elemenopy — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 19:51:47 +0000

Apparently[1] it was the July 1, 1978 edition: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1978/07/01/iss... (NYT subscription reqd)

1. https://www.nytimes.com/times-insider/2014/11/13/1978-farewe...

New comment by elemenopy in "Wikileaks releases CIA's Marble: Malware obfuscation tools"

elemenopy — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 04:16:51 +0000

> being illegally indefinitely detained and denied due process

This is a mischaracterisation. If Assange wanted due process, he could leave the embassy and face the British (and then possibly Swedish) court systems. The only person choosing to arbitrarily detain Assange without due process is himself.

New comment by elemenopy in "Wikileaks releases CIA's Marble: Malware obfuscation tools"

elemenopy — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 20:56:30 +0000

I disagree: I think there is a reasonable case to hold WikiLeaks and the NYT to different standards. I think WikiLeaks holds itself out as a much more anarchic news organisation than traditional outlets like the NYT. WikiLeaks isn't connected or have allegiance to any particular country, and will publish, let the facts speak for themselves and damn the establishment and any particular national interests that are harmed. On the other hand, organisations like the NYT are pretty open about how while they often publish against the wishes of USG they do ask for comment and may defer publication if they are satisfied there are very good reasons to do so. [1]

Therefore, for WikiLeaks to become highly partisan is a radical departure from their original mission; moreover, it has happened without WikiLeaks acknowledging that this is the case. I think you can't same the same for the NYT.

1. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/public-editor/sullivan-les...

New comment by elemenopy in "Show HN: Larry Wildman – Send free, anonymous postcards to horrible bosses"

elemenopy — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 19:06:56 +0000

In fact Merriam Webster [1] very explicitly advocates for "gauge":

> The verb gauge, which refers to measuring or estimating, also has a variant gage. This variant appears to show up primarily in informal sources, though not often. Gauge is by far the preferred spelling in general usage for both the noun and the verb; we encourage you use it.

1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gage

New comment by elemenopy in "Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections [pdf]"

elemenopy — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 22:10:28 +0000

Page 2 (or p. 12 of the PDF):

> In July 2015, Russian intelligence gained access to Democratic National Committee (DNC) networks and maintained that access until at least June 2016.

New comment by elemenopy in "Site requests bank logins for online purchases"

elemenopy — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 03:09:58 +0000

It's still around for some things, eg Jetstar. You used to be able to do a manual online transfer to pay for flights but now POLi is the only way you can avoid the $5 credit card surcharge. Grinds on me every time I buy a flight.

New comment by elemenopy in "Donald Trump’s Contract with the American Voter [pdf]"

elemenopy — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 05:46:16 +0000

You cite Breitbart as an example of a website that is "less vulnerable to being co-opted or politically motivated."

How is that even remotely accurate, considering the Chairman of Breitbart, Steve Bannon, is Trump's campaign chairman?

New comment by elemenopy in "California bans ITT tech from accepting new students"

elemenopy — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 06:51:27 +0000

I think "forced means of talent retention" is an unfairly harsh characterisation. It's a pretty reasonable policy considering taxpayers have to service the debt, and people who go overseas stop paying tax. It's all very well to propose a "good socialist system" but if people pay domestic fees and then leave NZ they're essentially getting a free ride and it's the people who don't go to uni who end up paying for it.

New comment by elemenopy in "Brexit: UKIP Leader Nigel Farage Resigns"

elemenopy — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 11:05:18 +0000

That's from May last year, when he resigned and then un-resigned after failing to win his seat in the last election.

Of course, possible a similar thing could happen again.

New comment by elemenopy in "Dark Patterns by the Boston Globe"

elemenopy — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 06:26:27 +0000

They probably use the email address of the registrant of the domain name as the sign-up address for their own website.

New comment by elemenopy in "Panama Papers: Mossack Fonseca leak reveals elite's tax havens"

elemenopy — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 20:38:57 +0000

> it's clear they this leak is planned

But you haven't produced any real evidence for this claim.

The ICIJ has co-ordinated the reporting on the leak, sure; but that's not the same as claiming the leak itself was in bad faith, part of some wider state-sponsored conspiracy from G20 nations, etc.

New comment by elemenopy in "Panama Papers: Mossack Fonseca leak reveals elite's tax havens"

elemenopy — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 20:33:48 +0000

> Real leaks don't have fancy websites with responsive vectorized portraits and a full on content /social media structure.

I don't understand this. Don't newspapers always make stories that they can tell are important more engaging for the reader? Here's a cute Guardian flash interactive from Cablegate, [1] and another nice Washington Post interactive on the same story. [2] Here's a really fancy six-part interactive from the Guardian in the wake of the Snowden files. [3] Whenever the media publishes leaks they will make similar things, even when Western governments act strenuously to prevent publication, as in the case of Cablegate and Snowden.

How does a well-presented story indicate anything other than the media thought this was a story which was important and in the public interest?

1. http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2010/nov/28/us-... 2. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/wikileak... 3. http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/nov/01/sno...

New comment by elemenopy in "Panama Papers: Mossack Fonseca leak reveals elite's tax havens"

elemenopy — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 20:24:13 +0000

Per the Guardian[1]:

> Six members of the House of Lords, three former Conservative MPs and dozens of donors to UK political parties have had offshore assets.

I expect we'll hear more about this in coming days and weeks.

I don't really understand this line of thinking. Big leak + "fancy website graphics" = vast Western conspiracy? Sounds less like insightful analysis and more like the kind of denial I'd expect from RT.

1. http://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/apr/03/the-panama-paper...

New comment by elemenopy in "A Message to Our Customers"

elemenopy — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 10:29:16 +0000

No: data held on Apple servers (iCloud) can be provided with a warrant, but this is about data held on an iPhone but not saved to Apple servers. As a result, neither Apple nor the NSA can immediately provide it, and some means of hacking the iPhone is needed.

New comment by elemenopy in "Facebook is misleading Indians with its full-page ads about Free Basics"

elemenopy — Sat, 26 Dec 2015 01:22:22 +0000

To quote from the screenshot you linked of a typical Wikimedia Foundation advertisement: [1]

"We ... have costs like any other top site: servers, power, rent, programs, staff and legal help."

I count six costs listed there. Doesn't look like "pretty shady" advertising to me.

Also, "internet hosting costs" in the financial statements isn't all the money spent on IT-related costs. For example, computer equipment is counted as an investment which then depreciates. In the 2011 financial statements you linked, Wikimedia spent $3.2m on computer equipment and $1m on depreciation (though depreciation would also include things like furniture). [2]

You also haven't provided any evidence for your claim Wikimedia promotes "purposeful backlinking to their for profit sites".

Finally, although it's an imperfect way to analyse charities, Charity Navigator gives Wikimedia Foundation 93.5/100, an excellent score. [3]

1. http://regmedia.co.uk/2012/11/28/wikipedia_chugging_fullsize...

2. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/foundation/a/ac/FINAL...

3. http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary...

New comment by elemenopy in "After 60 Years, B-52s Still Dominate U.S. Fleet"

elemenopy — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 21:06:35 +0000

I think you mean ordnance [1] :)

1. http://grammarist.com/usage/ordinance-ordnance/

New comment by elemenopy in "Global eradication of wild poliovirus type 2 declared"

elemenopy — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 21:10:05 +0000

Be careful about relying too heavily on Hersh's article. It makes some pretty bold claims about a conspiracy of eyewatering proportions that have never really been backed up. There has been a lot harshly critical responses to it. [1]

Historically Hersh has been a successful investigate reporter but his LRB piece hasn't really been widely accepted: [2]

> Were it not for the byline of Mr. Hersh, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who first gained notice more than 45 years ago for exposing the My Lai massacre in Vietnam, the story would likely have been readily dismissed and gained little attention.

1. http://www.vox.com/2015/5/11/8584473/seymour-hersh-osama-bin... 2. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/12/us/seymour-hersh-article-a...