What about this requires more than a few ms (at most) on the backend, and how does a local copy make that better? It seems like a local copy would create even more inconsistency (and if it doesn't, the backend should be fast too!)

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48196570

Points: 962

# Comments: 658

I've also noticed a pattern in Sean's writing where he redefines common English words to mean something different than the usual definition, potentially for a punchy title (I've seen "taste" and now "ego"). As engineers we often have to find analogous words for ideas that don't have them yet, but in this instance I think the article would be a lot less muddy if he just used "confidence." I appreciate he acknowledges this discrepancy in the comments, but maybe too much ego gets in the way to fix it during editing :)

From the article:

> However, Google's privacy policy — a document that users often blindly agree to after purchasing a device — makes it clear that videos can be captured when a device is offline. “That means you may not see a visual indicator when your camera is sending the video footage to our servers," the policy states.

I looked this up because no link was provided [1]. The full quote is "Some models of our cameras support recording of video footage while offline. For these cameras, video footage will be uploaded when the camera goes back online after the video footage has been recorded. That means you may not see a visual indicator when your camera is sending the video footage to our servers. However, in those instances, a visual indicator would have been visible when the camera was actually recording the video footage."

So in this case, the author mangles "offline" (no Internet) with "recording".

Another quote:

> Google didn’t immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press about how the footage of the masked person was captured while the camera was apparently disconnected

The cameras was very clearly disconnected after the footage was recorded, because you can see the suspect begin to disconnect the camera.

There are many other examples of poor reporting in this article but I will leave it to the reader to find them.

[1] https://safety.google/intl/en_ca/products/nest/

This made me wonder about a tangential statistic that would, in all likelihood, be impossible to derive:

If we looked at all database systems running at any given time, what proportion does each technology represent (e.g., Postgres vs. MySQL vs. [your favorite DB])? You could try to measure this in a few ways: bytes written/read, total rows, dollars of revenue served, etc.

It would be very challenging to land on a widely agreeable definition. We'd quickly get into the territory of what counts as a "database" and whether to include file systems, blockchains, or even paper. Still, it makes me wonder. I feel like such a question would be immensely interesting to answer.

Because then we might have a better definition of "most of the time."

I think good taste in engineering comes down to a mix of skill and knowledge. It isn't just about how you can reach a goal, but rather about having a solid internal map of the world and an understanding of which parts of the map you are unfamiliar with. To those lacking knowledge, the map can deceptively appear much smaller. Skill allows you to effectively find your way to the places you know you can go. With knowledge and skill, taste comes naturally. Those with bad taste, I've found, are those with limited knowledge of the vast universe of tools available and/or the lack of skill needed to utilize those tools effectively.

One hint: he was told he was meant to be the lead. That's a bit of a shitty promise to be given and taken away.

This guy is almost certainly operating from a place of "status injury." He sees you as the person who took his job.

So, some hard questions for self-reflection:

Knowing he felt slighted, did you ever try to build an alliance with him and acknowledge his expertise? Or did you just expect him to fall in line?

Are you showing him respect, or just demanding it because of your title?

Are his arguments over "trivial things" really trivial? Or is it his (unproductive) way of trying to assert the technical authority he feels you're ignoring?

Right now, your manager hears a personal problem ("This guy is a jerk to me"). That's why he's giving you the weak "don't let it bother you" response.

Stop making it personal. Use your leadership skills to actually lead this person. Try to fix the relationship. Give him ownership.

If that fails, you can go to your manager with a leadership problem ("I've tried A, B, and C to leverage his skills, but his behavior is still causing X business risk"). That is a problem a manager has to solve.

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45155699

Points: 3

# Comments: 0

Furthermore the fact that dams increase evaporation though this mechanism is an easily verifiable scientific fact. https://riverresourcehub.org/resources/how-dams-affect-water...