Yeah agreed. It’s something my wife and I have discussed a lot in the past few years esp. coming from families who actually worked with proper goods/materials. Working in/with software just doesn’t feel the same and like you, we have reached to similar conclusions and maybe, just maybe, if the stars align, in not so distant future, we kickstart the old family enterprise to build low volume, high quality products with guaranteed lifetime warranty (~20-30 years).
Couldn't agree more as a Torontonian. It didn't help that they conducted most of the discussions in bad faith with the whole "trust us with your data" approach when these were geniune concerns due to the amount of oversight and control they were provided.
> Most people do not realise how much data Google et al. collect about them, and are genuinely shocked when it is shown to them (even though, yes, it's an existing feature well known to you and most HN readers).
I was surprised (even though I should not be) when I saw how conveniently all my Amazon purchases and travel plans (flight reservations, check-in, rentals etc.) were neatly organized when I went to remove all my personal information. I understand the convenience (with Amazon - being able to track the delivery, flights - automatic calendar scheduling etc.) but oh boy does Google like to gather all the data forever.
>There are still so many things that are ridiculously expensive in Canada for no rational (long term) benefit to either party assuming it was a real market.
I cannot find the link but no surprises when there was a report (from one of the EU organizations) that we pay the highest cell phone fees.
That's what it's become for me and my circle. Got my parents the older iPhones (6S) late last year and got the same for myself this month. I miss being able to access the local storage (one small hack I found was using the Firefox app local folder to store my files)
Of course you are and that's fair. Would it also not be fair to have these privacy settings available with any of the deceptive tactics mentioned in the report?
Android users are pushed through a variety of techniques:
Deceptive click flow
Hidden default settings
Misleading and unbalanced information
Repeated nudging
Bundling of services and lack of granular choices*
Deceptive click flow is the click-flow when setting up an Android device pushes users into enabling “Location History” without being aware of it.*
Hidden Default settings is [when] setting up a Google account, the Web & App activity settings are hidden behind extra clicks and enabled by default.
Third one is users not given sufficient information when presented with choices, and are misled about what data is collected and how it is used.
Repeated nudging is users being repeatedly asked to turn on “Location History” when using different Google services even if they decided against this feature when setting up their phone.
And finally, bundling services when for example if the user wants features such as Google Assistant and photos sorted by location, Google turns on invasive location tracking.
I would believe most of us HN crowd are fully aware of the pros and cons of such tracking and make our choices accordingly (using these tools/software/devices). However, for the majority (yes, they may not appear to be interested in privacy as yesterday's FB quarterly report shows), are they aware of how much data is being collected, how it could be misused, etc.? We, as a society, should do our part in pushing back against such indiscriminate tracking. No specific call to action. For my older parents, I have switched them to iPhone 6S and have gradually gotten older family relatives to do the same as well.
Thanks. We had a free trial version for about three months and then started paid plans based on customer demographics around last summer. So it's been less than a year. Note that I'm based out of Toronto and my friend in South America.
Great suggestions here so far and a common thread I noticed is leveraging platforms such as Slack/Gmail/Trello/Shopify etc. - essentially an B2B platforms. My friend and I currently run cardsync.xyz on Trello which allows Trello users to sync their cards and it generates under $1000/month. We spend about 2-10 hours a week on it.
You will be at the mercy of these platforms when (not if) they decide to change their rules but until then, it can be a good source of side income.
As the article mentions, there are many players in this area and time will tell how Kickstarter leverages their brand to succeed, especially as it is an invitation list only (for now).
Some interesting thoughts from Perry Chen (Kickstarter Co-founder and Chairman):
“If you look at a lot of companies, it’s COO, CMO, blah, blah, blah,” Chen said. “But look at a museum. You might have a CEO or director, but then you might have a curator. There is a very specific articulation of roles and lanes, and I think that’s really necessary for Kickstarter, trying to be a different kind of company over a long period of time. If you have operators coming with the classic business playbook, I don’t think we’ll be able to sustain our focus on our mission.”
As for comments regarding the name, you get an idea of why they might have leaned towards drip. On one of the artist's page [1], you see there are different tiers for supporting his project:
Yeah, Beck's been fighting a losing battle. Once I called them to give it a shot and they made me wait for 15 minutes. To be fair, the taxi did arrive and I was not in any rush so overall, the delay didn't matter much. However, that's probably the last time I'll call them unless something changes drastically. I also just noticed they have released an app. Curious how's the experience is on it so far.
With recent investments in both Lyft and Uber, it will be interesting to see how Lyft executes on it's international expansion.
> John Zimmer, Lyft’s president and co-founder says 5,000 Torontonians downloaded the app this year with no service available.
> Uber has become part of Toronto’s transportation scene, with almost 50,000 drivers — many part-time — and new services including food delivery.
> Kristine Hubbard, Beck Taxi’s operations manager, expects Lyft’s entry to worsen Toronto gridlock. “It’s another reason to encourage cars to cruise the streets of our city — many of them who come from outside it — who otherwise wouldn’t be there.”
I did a short analysis on the all the different types and sizes of meteorites if you are interested. The data is based on the meteorite dataset provided by the US Meteoritical Society.
"[It] was not till 1956 that [Nepal] set [their] watches for the first time to Nepal Standard Time, with the meridian at Mt Gauri Shankar, 100km east of Kathmandu [capital of Nepal]. It wasn't Mt Everest because Gauri Shankar was closer to Nepal's centre of gravity, as it were.
It was a choice that set [Nepal's] clocks 10 minutes ahead of India, which at the time used the longitude that passed through Calcutta. When [India] switched their meridian to Hyderabad in 1971, [Nepal] officially had four degrees of separation, and presto, found ourselves a further five minutes ahead of the Indians."