zach417
Human-Sized Dev Robot for $4k – Slate Robotics TR2
Human-sized robots for hackers
Getting started simulating TR1 with Gazebo
Introducing the Slate Robotics TR1
How to implement ros_control on a custom robot
Re:New Zealand to ban foreigners from buying existing houses
on Thursday October 26, 2017 @09:12PM (#15564774)
This debate is simply that of liberalizing or controlling a nation's capital account. There are benefits to both.
The benefit of liberalization (i.e. no limits on foreign investment) is that it can provide "a higher rate of return on people’s savings in industrial countries by increasing growth, employment opportunities, and living standards in developing countries." [1]
The benefit of controlling (i.e. limit foreign investment) is that it can reduce market volatility and risk. "International investors are willing to lend to them in good times but tend to pull back in bad times, thereby amplifying swings in the domestic macroeconomy." [1]
[1] - http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/basics/capital.htm
Ask HN: What was the main reason people bought the Altair 8800?
How would you categorize the MITS Altair 8800 (and other very early microcomputer kits): education, entertainment, utility, or something else?Put another way, if someone bought one, did they mainly do so because the prospect of putting it together and programming it seemed like fun, they were hoping to learn a lot about computers, they wanted to program it to do something so useful that it made...
Ask HN: Is beta testing even worthwhile?
I'm manufacturing robot development kits out of my garage, and I'll be all set to start taking orders in just a few weeks after the design is completed and functional.Is beta testing worth my time? I suppose it lowers the risk of finding out bugs/defects in the robot after it's shipped, but if people are willing to pay for the product, wouldn't you just want to go ahead and take the cash?My...
Re:Why I’m Remaking OpenAI Universe
on Monday June 26, 2017 @11:24AM (#14637501)
I echo all of your issues with running Universe. I have a decrepit Macbook, and it was actually not possible for me to use it at all.
Re:Ask HN: Cheaply deploying CNNs on embedded devices
on Wednesday May 31, 2017 @12:20PM (#14453685)
Found it: NVIDIA Jetson TK1 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L7AWOEC/ref=olp_product_details...)
Re:Is Free Market Good for Public?
on Tuesday May 30, 2017 @04:59PM (#14448493)
A free market is one where two or more parties are free to exchange goods and services voluntarily, thereby determining prices through the forces of supply and demand. The nature of these transactions must be voluntary in order for it to be considered free market exchange.
So, in my view, your question the following: is there a time when two or more parties wish to voluntarily exchange goods or services, but given the circumstances of the exchange, government has a duty to forcibly intervene, thereby preventing the exchange?
Many are tempted to point to fraud, pollution, or other unjust conduct as evidence that the free market does not work. However, each of the examples that one could give would involve an exchange where one or more parties did not voluntarily engage in that exchange, and therefore, the injured party would have a right to seek damages from the offending party. In a free market, I am no more justified in destroying your garden or selling you snake oil as a cure for cancer than I am in any other market system.
Therefore, I maintain that there exists no exchange that warrants government intervention given that all parties involved engage in the exchange voluntarily. We should conclude that the free market is good for the public and that it is the only market system that equally and evenly respects the rights and autonomy of all members of society. To that point, I conjecture that it is immoral to forcibly intervene in such an exchange since doing so would obstruct the autonomy of two or more moral agents, which I believe to be supported by Immanuel Kant's Categorical Imperative.
Ask HN: Cheaply deploying CNNs on embedded devices
Is there a good way to cheaply deploy a CNN on a embedded device, such as a robot? Perhaps, are there cheap, arduino-like micro controllers with GPUs that are powerful enough to work for sophisticated models?I guess the standard way is to make calls to some server that forward propagates the models, but that has its obvious pros and cons. I would like to have the benefits of on-device in real...
Ask HN: What was the last +$1b company to go through YC?
i.e. which batch were they in?
Ask HN: Right Time for Crowdfunding
I've started a company to build a mobile, consumer robot to do your laundry. The vision is that you'll be able to put your dirty clothes in a hamper, and when you get back from work, the robot will have washed, folded, and put your clothes away.My parents have provided seed funding. At my current burn rate, I should have an additional 12 months to build out the prototype. I'll obviously need...
Re:Ask HN: Rejects Unite?
on Tuesday April 18, 2017 @11:22PM (#14145211)
I'm in. Keep us posted on details.
Re:Ask HN: YC 17 Summer – 0 views on our 1 min video
on Sunday April 16, 2017 @02:45PM (#14126886)
Forgive me if this seems brash, but in my opinion, you've got to treat this like courting a love interest. It's a bad idea to constantly check your texts to see if they have read the latest unanswered one. It shows insecurity and that you're willing to wait around for them to call the next shot.
You'll be a happier, more effective negotiator if you treat it like, "I'm going to go start this great company; if they want to be apart of it, I'd love to join YC, but I'm going to make it happen with or without them."
Thiel: Google has $50B, doesn't innovate (2012) [video]
Re:Yamaha YZ250 Dirt Bike sound effects library
on Thursday April 06, 2017 @11:52AM (#14051684)
Re:Ask HN: Tell us about your S2017 startup
on Tuesday April 04, 2017 @05:22PM (#14037341)
Corinthian Robotics - robots that do housework
I'm building an inexpensive, autonomous robot that take cares of your laundry. While you're at work, it will wash your clothes, fold them, and put them away.
Re:MBAs as CEOs
on Friday March 31, 2017 @10:13AM (#14003966)
When you lack vision, you ask yourself, "How do I do great business?", which is a question that never leads to the actual answer. It does, however, lead you to hire people who are trained in the art of doing "great business": MBAs.
Ask HN: Seed funding from very hands-on relative
I'm starting a robotics company and currently raising seed funds (also applied to YC S2017). I'm building a robot that can do the entire laundry process autonomously.A close relative had agreed to give me seed funding to start the company. However, when talking about the development of the product, they insisted that I write down every task that needs to get done so they know exactly where I am...
Re:Emoji.length == 2
on Thursday March 09, 2017 @04:22PM (#13833807)
Tom Scott did a nice YouTube video related to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTzp76JXsoY
Ask HN: Paying bills while starting a company
I'm probably overthinking this, but how best do you pay your personal bills (i.e. rent, utilities, food, etc.) while starting a company?In my mind, there are only a few options: (1) work part-time at another company, (2) work full-time at another company, (3) raise capital from investors and pay yourself, (4) mooch off family and friends.
Re:Snap Jumps in Debut After App Maker Raises $3.4B in IPO
on Thursday March 02, 2017 @02:57PM (#13777624)
Haha, that's exactly my point! I do question why the entertainment industry siphons so much capital away from other, more productive endeavors. Perhaps no one has any good ideas on how to create the future, so we might as well throw it all at beer and sports.
Re:Snap Jumps in Debut After App Maker Raises $3.4B in IPO
on Thursday March 02, 2017 @12:59PM (#13776440)
Furthermore, your comment is no defense of Snap Inc's valuation, either. In my humble opinion, "integrating ads and rich content into their core UX" and "an interesting perspective on live events" are not strong arguments for why a company should be worth $30B.
Re:Snap Jumps in Debut After App Maker Raises $3.4B in IPO
on Thursday March 02, 2017 @12:53PM (#13776356)
I had removed the last part from the comment as to seem less trollish, so please forgive me for coming across as such. Anyway, since you asked, here is my formalized argument:
(1) [falsifiable axiom] You cannot have meaningful economic growth without technological innovation. Technological innovation is improving the efficiency of existing resources or increasing the availability of resources as compared to previous eras (colloquially, "doing more with less").
(2) [falsifiable axiom] Historically, only the most valuable companies of a given era are technologically innovative.
(3) [falsifiable axiom] Under the current valuation, Snap Inc. is currently one of the most valuable companies.
(4) [falsifiable axiom] Snap Inc. is not technologically innovative.
(5) [logical conclusion given axioms] Snap Inc. should not be valued as one of the most valuable companies of this era.
Re:Snap Jumps in Debut After App Maker Raises $3.4B in IPO
on Thursday March 02, 2017 @12:06PM (#13775795)
I don't understand how the existence of Snap adds over $30B of utility to the economy.
Re:Pilot of drone that struck woman at Pride Parade gets 30 days in jail
on Tuesday February 28, 2017 @09:26AM (#13753921)
I assume it's easier to think this kind of sentence is okay when you don't own a drone nor want to own one; it's why taxing cigarettes is the go-to funding tool for increases in education spending. I don't smoke, so who cares? So, I'm assuming this is why the judge and attorney were so aggressive with the sentencing, but 30 days in jail is beyond the realm of reasonableness. I'm all for having the defendant pay restitution, but jail does no one any amount of good.
Ask HN: When you realize your idea isn't that original
A month ago while getting my feet wet with deep learning, I realized that it's a pain to find pre-trained models for use and inspection, so I've been working pretty hard to build a tool to host these models that are sparsely scattered across the web. However, tonight I found out that https://algorithmia.com/ does something pretty similar, albeit with less of a community-first, open source...