<rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>Hacker News: jhayes</title><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=jhayes</link><description>Hacker News RSS</description><docs>https://hnrss.org/</docs><generator>hnrss v2.1.1</generator><lastBuildDate>Sat, 18 Apr 2026 02:15:05 +0000</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://hnrss.org/user?id=jhayes" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"></atom:link><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by jhayes in "Show HN: Second-Chance Pool"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>How about calling it Last Chance Saloon? (Just to be colourful and dramatic!).</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 30 Apr 2021 20:25:55 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26998832</link><dc:creator>jhayes</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26998832</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26998832</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by jhayes in "Physicist Richard Feynman explains how a train stays on the tracks."]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>This clip (and the others posted by 'ChristopherJSykes') are from the BBC show "Fun to Imagine". Been a few months, but I remember the 'Magnets (and 'Why?' questions...)' segment being particularly worthwhile if you're looking for good bang-for-buck timewise.<p>Incidentally, the guy releasing this also directed it.<p>Also in case you prefer text: <a href="http://varatek.com/scott/feynman_problems.html" rel="nofollow">http://varatek.com/scott/feynman_problems.html</a></p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:46:22 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=677950</link><dc:creator>jhayes</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=677950</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=677950</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by jhayes in "Apollo Astronauts Didn't Need Heavy Boots"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Again with the visualizing of a pre-newtonian world, a few years ago a physics TA (now a lecturer) made some observations on his Q&A sessions with some 1st years in Cambridge- they didn't hold up too well either but then again, changing your mental model of how the world works is no easy task I guess.<p><a href="http://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0512158" rel="nofollow">http://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0512158</a><p>"1.4 Heavier objects fall faster<p>The classic Aristotelian belief is that heavier objects fall faster than lighter objects. Surely three hundred years after Galileo showed otherwise, students no longer share this belief? Unfortunately, many do, but the belief shows up only in novel situations. Students know that if a stone and a cannonball fall, they should say that both objects hit the ground ‘at the same time’; if they have been carefully taught, they might even say ‘roughly at the same time’. They also know what to say about two objects sliding down an incline, that mass is irrelevant. However, when the problem includes the novel eﬀect of rolling (yet more trouble with circular motion!), many students have no practiced Newtonian answer to quote, and reveal their gut-level Aristotelian belief. For example, in Problem 23, about objects rolling down a plane, some students reasoned that an object with a large moment of inertia, such as a disc, rolls faster than an object with a small moment of inertia, such as a solid sphere. Two students argued that ‘moment of inertia is analogous to mass, and heavier objects fall faster than lighter objects’! I could not agree with the analogy, but I admired its boldness.<p>The way that rehearsal hides this misconception reminds me of the theory of the English accent: that if you step on an Englishman’s toes in the middle of the night, he’ll shout at you in an American accent. On this view, the one true accent is American. An English accent is just an act, a mask dropped upon surprise. Similarly, the students’ response that ‘all objects fall at the same speed’ is carefully rehearsed. It falls away when we step on their toes by asking about it in a novel context, whereupon they reveal their true belief, that heavier objects fall faster.""</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:18:32 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=580020</link><dc:creator>jhayes</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=580020</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=580020</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by jhayes in "Math pastebin with LaTeX math equation rendering"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>A similar idea is this firefox plugin, TeX the World: <a href="http://thewe.net/tex/" rel="nofollow">http://thewe.net/tex/</a><p>Pros: 
 - Works on any site (I've only checked it out in gchat though).<p>Cons:
 - Not as pretty (if it matters to you) and requires both sides to d/l firefox extension really (not for emails though).</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2009 04:06:06 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=417017</link><dc:creator>jhayes</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=417017</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=417017</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by jhayes in "Yoshimoto Cube Blows My Mind then Fries My Brain [video]"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>In case anybody's interested in making one:<p><a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Crazy-Star-Cube-!/" rel="nofollow">http://www.instructables.com/id/Crazy-Star-Cube-!/</a><p>Looks to be an hour long project tops, requiring just starched paper and sellotape.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2009 19:51:48 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=416613</link><dc:creator>jhayes</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=416613</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=416613</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by jhayes in "The nicest math book I own"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>If you want to see some sample articles first, you can login to <a href="http://pcm.tandtproductions.com/" rel="nofollow">http://pcm.tandtproductions.com/</a> with U/P : guest/PCM - he put this information up on his blog a year ago perhaps. Look under 'Resources/Sample Articles'.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:00:33 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=406938</link><dc:creator>jhayes</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=406938</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=406938</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by jhayes in "On Physicists and Mathematicians and Mountain-Climbing"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I have a book called "The Art and Craft of Problem Solving" which uses climbing terms to describe various techniques and tools used in IMO problems. It wasn't a very forced analogy at all.<p>Also, for interest's sake, a few years ago a physicist (<a href="http://insectnation.org/projects/nightclimbing/" rel="nofollow">http://insectnation.org/projects/nightclimbing/</a>) even scanned in an old book on climbing; t'was pretty nifty! (but slightly off topic here probably).</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 19 Oct 2008 12:40:27 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=337041</link><dc:creator>jhayes</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=337041</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=337041</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by jhayes in "The Secret to Raising Smart Kids"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p><a href="http://www.metafilter.com/58583/Youre-so-smart-you-probably-think-this-post-is-about-you" rel="nofollow">http://www.metafilter.com/58583/Youre-so-smart-you-probably-...</a><p>Similar story by same author with some interesting comments from the blue.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:47:11 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=298091</link><dc:creator>jhayes</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=298091</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=298091</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by jhayes in "The second browser war "]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Japan, I guess. They were fast to strike in Pearl Harbour (i.e loading speed). However, their extensions are lacking (nuclear capacity) and so they suffer for it.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:45:08 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=295335</link><dc:creator>jhayes</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=295335</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=295335</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by jhayes in "The second browser war "]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>How about WWII?<p>Mozilla coming from the remnants of Netscape was like the transition from the decimated Weimar Republic to Third Reich, starting over.<p>Microsoft of course would represent USSR, and just to force the analogy, because their PR in retrospect seems to be terrible (this western education of mine re:USSR & considering that bashing MS is the standard online really).<p>And I guess that leaves Google with America, only entering into the (browser) war half way through.<p>Not implying anything about the future of course, just forcing an analogy.<p>(And sure, let's stretch it and have Safari as Britain, because it's an island, independent of the bigger land masses).</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:04:01 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=295141</link><dc:creator>jhayes</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=295141</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=295141</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by jhayes in "Things I learnt during, and about, my PhD"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Sister's doing a PhD here (or there rather, from your POV). Back of the envelope calculation, she'd be earning roughly 10% more than the minimum wage if you view a PhD as a 36 hours/week job (I wouldn't).<p>Pretty sure that that's close to the norm for PhD pay though.<p>(Sorry, no hard figures to compare, due to a feeling that I shouldn't discuss someone else's financial situation candidly online, even if details probably just a google away).</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:46:16 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=247947</link><dc:creator>jhayes</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=247947</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=247947</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by jhayes in "How to Write with Style (Kurt Vonnegut)"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>"And lucky indeed is the writer who has grown up in Ireland, for the English spoken there is so amusing and musical."<p>Jaysus! Hasn't a bleedin' notion what he's bleating on about there; we're not like that <i>at</i> all, like. A right lula.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:27:58 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=245909</link><dc:creator>jhayes</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=245909</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=245909</guid></item></channel></rss>