Google Is Turning Off the Works-with-Nest API
885 by cek | 549 comments on Hacker News.
Thursday, May 9, 2019
New best story on Hacker News: Launch HN: Prometheus (YC W19) – Remove CO2 from Air and Turn It into Gasoline
Launch HN: Prometheus (YC W19) – Remove CO2 from Air and Turn It into Gasoline
1231 by rmcginnis | 558 comments on Hacker News.
Hi HN! I’m Rob, Founder of Prometheus. We’re removing CO2 from the air and turning it gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. Since we use zero-carbon electricity from sources like solar and wind to make our fuel, there are no net CO2 emissions when you use it. An article about us came up on HN recently and people seemed interested ( http://bit.ly/2PCPFcN ), so we thought it would be good to try to answer some of the questions we saw there and try to dive in some more to any questions that follow! The only inputs to make the fuel are CO2 and water (both from the air) and electricity. The only outputs are fuel and oxygen. One way to think about it is that making fuel is reverse combustion. The process isn’t super efficient (we expect 50-60% overall efficiency at maturity), but it turns out that doesn’t matter as long as the electricity is zero carbon and low cost. If the cost of our equipment is also low, then we believe we can not only make zero carbon fuel, but actually compete on price with fossil fuel. We’re not the first to make fuel from the air - in fact Google, Audi, Carbon Engineering, Global Thermostat, Climeworks, and labs at universities and national labs have all done it before us. What no one has been able to do so far is do it at a low enough cost to compete with fossil fuel. The thing that’s new about what we’re doing is that we have gotten rid of all the thermal processes normally used, and instead use a process that uses only electricity (no natural gas, etc) and does it at room temperature. This is a big deal for both capital cost and for being truly carbon zero. We can use inexpensive materials, which keeps our cost low, and can start up and shut down quickly, which allows us to run intermittently, matching the intermittent nature of many renewable energy sources. We can also only run when the power is at the price we want. Digging in to some more details, we absorb CO2 and water vapor from the air into an aqueous electrolyte. We then react the CO2 in the water with a copper catalyst to directly make alcohols like ethanol, butanol, propanol, etc. Both of these things have been done by many others and the science is known. Normally at this point one would have to use a thermal process (distillation) to get the fuel out of the water, and this is expensive and makes the economics really hard to get right. We don’t have to do this step thermally though, because we have a carbon nanotube membrane that replaces it, extracting the alcohols from water in a single step at room temperature. This makes a huge difference in cost. The last step is that we up-convert the alcohols to gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. This last step is also well known and we can actually buy this step from others. The carbon nanotube membrane that makes this all work is the product of 6 years at my previous startup, Mattershift. I was developing it for desalination and water purification. About 3 years ago I realized it could do this job, but it wasn’t clear that a startup could raise money for such an ambitious effort, especially one linked to a political issue (unfortunately) like climate change. When I saw the YC request for startups in carbon removal, I knew that the timing was right, and I founded Prometheus to do it. Please let me know if you have more questions or feedback. I’ll do my best to answer any questions, but please excuse if I’m not able to go too far into details like our piping and instrumentation design, or other really specific things we wouldn’t want to help competitors with. Thanks!
1231 by rmcginnis | 558 comments on Hacker News.
Hi HN! I’m Rob, Founder of Prometheus. We’re removing CO2 from the air and turning it gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. Since we use zero-carbon electricity from sources like solar and wind to make our fuel, there are no net CO2 emissions when you use it. An article about us came up on HN recently and people seemed interested ( http://bit.ly/2PCPFcN ), so we thought it would be good to try to answer some of the questions we saw there and try to dive in some more to any questions that follow! The only inputs to make the fuel are CO2 and water (both from the air) and electricity. The only outputs are fuel and oxygen. One way to think about it is that making fuel is reverse combustion. The process isn’t super efficient (we expect 50-60% overall efficiency at maturity), but it turns out that doesn’t matter as long as the electricity is zero carbon and low cost. If the cost of our equipment is also low, then we believe we can not only make zero carbon fuel, but actually compete on price with fossil fuel. We’re not the first to make fuel from the air - in fact Google, Audi, Carbon Engineering, Global Thermostat, Climeworks, and labs at universities and national labs have all done it before us. What no one has been able to do so far is do it at a low enough cost to compete with fossil fuel. The thing that’s new about what we’re doing is that we have gotten rid of all the thermal processes normally used, and instead use a process that uses only electricity (no natural gas, etc) and does it at room temperature. This is a big deal for both capital cost and for being truly carbon zero. We can use inexpensive materials, which keeps our cost low, and can start up and shut down quickly, which allows us to run intermittently, matching the intermittent nature of many renewable energy sources. We can also only run when the power is at the price we want. Digging in to some more details, we absorb CO2 and water vapor from the air into an aqueous electrolyte. We then react the CO2 in the water with a copper catalyst to directly make alcohols like ethanol, butanol, propanol, etc. Both of these things have been done by many others and the science is known. Normally at this point one would have to use a thermal process (distillation) to get the fuel out of the water, and this is expensive and makes the economics really hard to get right. We don’t have to do this step thermally though, because we have a carbon nanotube membrane that replaces it, extracting the alcohols from water in a single step at room temperature. This makes a huge difference in cost. The last step is that we up-convert the alcohols to gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. This last step is also well known and we can actually buy this step from others. The carbon nanotube membrane that makes this all work is the product of 6 years at my previous startup, Mattershift. I was developing it for desalination and water purification. About 3 years ago I realized it could do this job, but it wasn’t clear that a startup could raise money for such an ambitious effort, especially one linked to a political issue (unfortunately) like climate change. When I saw the YC request for startups in carbon removal, I knew that the timing was right, and I founded Prometheus to do it. Please let me know if you have more questions or feedback. I’ll do my best to answer any questions, but please excuse if I’m not able to go too far into details like our piping and instrumentation design, or other really specific things we wouldn’t want to help competitors with. Thanks!
FOX BIZ NEWS: Singapore reportedly criminalizes publication of fake news
Singapore reportedly criminalizes publication of fake news
Singapore reportedly has passed a law criminalizing publication of fake news and allowing the government to block and order the removal of such content.
via FOX BUSINESS NEWS https://fxn.ws/2DUnwJy
FOX BIZ NEWS: Viking Sky cruise ship lawsuit seeks $10M
Viking Sky cruise ship lawsuit seeks $10M
An attorney representing Viking Sky passengers says plaintiffs are seeking $10 million total in a class-action lawsuit.
via FOX BUSINESS NEWS https://fxn.ws/2YfdBWK
FOX BIZ NEWS: Ride-hailing drivers expose financial unrest before Uber IPO
Ride-hailing drivers expose financial unrest before Uber IPO
As Uber prepares for its stock market debut Friday, its long-term success or failure will largely depend on the nearly 4 million drivers who serve as the backbone of the company's network.
via FOX BUSINESS NEWS https://fxn.ws/2YcWTaz
FOX BIZ NEWS: CES organizers apologize, returns award to women's startup
CES organizers apologize, returns award to women's startup
The group that organizes the annual CES gadget show has reinstated a prestigious award and apologized to makers of a robotic "personal massager" for women.
via FOX BUSINESS NEWS https://fxn.ws/3062jFZ
FOX BIZ NEWS: US shuts down illegal web marketplace; 2 Israelis charged
US shuts down illegal web marketplace; 2 Israelis charged
The FBI has shut down a website it says was a gateway to illegal marketplaces on the darknet and announced the arrest of its two alleged Israeli operators.
via FOX BUSINESS NEWS https://fxn.ws/2vIsHrE
FOX BIZ NEWS: Microsoft Teases Advanced Speech Tech, But It's Not for Everyone
Microsoft Teases Advanced Speech Tech, But It's Not for Everyone
(Mr_Mrs_Marcha/shutterstock) SEATTLE—Are you thinking about creating a speech bot-driven app for your business?
via FOX BUSINESS NEWS https://fxn.ws/2Lu3nQP
FOX BIZ NEWS: Double Trouble Creatives in the PCMag Startup Spotlight
Double Trouble Creatives in the PCMag Startup Spotlight
Led by twin sisters from Australia, Colina and Hripsime Demirdjian, Double Trouble Creatives launched its "Moji Edit-Emoji Yourself" application in 2016.
via FOX BUSINESS NEWS https://fxn.ws/2VSlVyb
FOX BIZ NEWS: How Jimmy Garoppolo is spending his record $137.5M NFL contract
How Jimmy Garoppolo is spending his record $137.5M NFL contract
He also says his torn ACL was a "blessing in disguise."
via FOX BUSINESS NEWS https://fxn.ws/3028Kda
FOX BIZ NEWS: A train ticket that takes a century and a half to get
A train ticket that takes a century and a half to get
The “Big Boy” locomotive, developed in the 1940s as the world’s largest steam-powered engine, returned to the rails to commemorate the creation -- and construction -- of a rail system from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
via FOX BUSINESS NEWS https://fxn.ws/2DRh327
FOX BIZ NEWS: New York Times adds more digital subscribers, shares climb
New York Times adds more digital subscribers, shares climb
Share of the company that owns The New York Times rose Wednesday after the publisher reported that it grew digital subscribers again in its latest quarter.
via FOX BUSINESS NEWS https://fxn.ws/2Hb61Ha
FOX NEWS: Soldier surprises his kids at school with early homecoming: 'They thought he wasn’t coming in until June'
Soldier surprises his kids at school with early homecoming: 'They thought he wasn’t coming in until June'
A soldier turned this elementary school’s assembly into a heartwarming reunion on Monday.
via FOX NEWS https://fxn.ws/2Yforfi
FOX NEWS: Meghan Markle wears dress by rising British designer to introduce royal baby
Meghan Markle wears dress by rising British designer to introduce royal baby
They're a family of three!
via FOX NEWS https://fxn.ws/3089uh8
FOX NEWS: Bride shames wedding guest who allegedly brought '10 Tupperware containers' to take home leftovers
Bride shames wedding guest who allegedly brought '10 Tupperware containers' to take home leftovers
This guest is apparently a big fan of leftovers, and upsetting the bride.
via FOX NEWS https://fxn.ws/2DUVNsk
FOX NEWS: Marine veteran nicknamed 'Combat Barbie' stuns in sexy pinup-inspired shoot
Marine veteran nicknamed 'Combat Barbie' stuns in sexy pinup-inspired shoot
U.S. Marine Sgt. Rianna Conner is showing off her guns – and a lot more – in a sexy new pinup-inspired photoshoot.
via FOX NEWS https://fxn.ws/2Ww75KE
U.S. Issues New Sanctions as Iran Warns It Will Step Back From Nuclear Deal
By DAVID E. SANGER, EDWARD WONG, STEVEN ERLANGER and ERIC SCHMITT from NYT U.S. https://nyti.ms/2YeegI8
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NOTHING TO HIDE by Allison Brennan
The 15th book in the Lucy Kincaid series. An F.B.I. agent uncovers lies when she tracks a killer of married men.
#15 on the NYT Best Sellers List for Combined Print & E-Book Fiction
via IFTTT
#15 on the NYT Best Sellers List for Combined Print & E-Book Fiction
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THE PURSUITS OF LORD KIT CAVANAUGH by Stephanie Laurens
Miss Sylvia Buckleberry confronts an aristocrat when his yacht business displaces her school for impoverished children.
#14 on the NYT Best Sellers List for Combined Print & E-Book Fiction
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#14 on the NYT Best Sellers List for Combined Print & E-Book Fiction
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS by Nora Roberts
Former high school sweethearts fall tentatively back into each other’s orbits after more than a decade.
#13 on the NYT Best Sellers List for Combined Print & E-Book Fiction
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#13 on the NYT Best Sellers List for Combined Print & E-Book Fiction
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THE VIEW FROM ALAMEDA ISLAND by Ron Carr
Lauren Delaney leaves her controlling husband and meets a man in a rocky marriage.
#12 on the NYT Best Sellers List for Combined Print & E-Book Fiction
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#12 on the NYT Best Sellers List for Combined Print & E-Book Fiction
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THE SLOW BURN by Kristen Ashley
The second book in the Moonlight and Motor Oil series. Two brothers fall for two sisters in Kentucky.
#11 on the NYT Best Sellers List for Combined Print & E-Book Fiction
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#11 on the NYT Best Sellers List for Combined Print & E-Book Fiction
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SPYMASTER by Brad Thor
The 18th book in the Scot Harvath series. As a war looms, a counterterrorism operative takes on a new role his own way.
#10 on the NYT Best Sellers List for Combined Print & E-Book Fiction
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#10 on the NYT Best Sellers List for Combined Print & E-Book Fiction
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PAST TENSE by Lee Child
Jack Reacher explores the New England town where his father was born and a Canadian couple now find themselves stranded.
#6 on the NYT Best Sellers List for Combined Print & E-Book Fiction
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#6 on the NYT Best Sellers List for Combined Print & E-Book Fiction
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THE 18TH ABDUCTION by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
The 18th book in the Women's Murder Club series. Lindsay Boxer investigates the disappearance of three female teachers.
#1 on the NYT Best Sellers List for Combined Print & E-Book Fiction
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#1 on the NYT Best Sellers List for Combined Print & E-Book Fiction
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New ask Hacker News story: Ask HN: Stack Programming Resources?
Ask HN: Stack Programming Resources?
4 by Kinnard | 0 comments on Hacker News.
What are some great stack programming resources?
4 by Kinnard | 0 comments on Hacker News.
What are some great stack programming resources?
New ask Hacker News story: How fair do you think time estimate within 30% is? Plus/minus 20% if over 3 days
How fair do you think time estimate within 30% is? Plus/minus 20% if over 3 days
2 by b0rsuk | 4 comments on Hacker News.
Today our boss came up with a "reorganization" to "improve efficiency". He expects us to estimate time needed with max 30% deviation, and max 20% deviation if it's over 3 days. Software projects. * * * Background (SPOILERS) boss is an old programmer, an American client is outsourcing its work to us. The work is two repos: a) IE-compatible Javascript without Babel or Node (ES5), b) Python 2.7 with no unit tests, no dev database, lots of "except: pass". Both repos are centered around a god class, functions often 100,200,300+ lines , no documentation, very few comments, superficial but nitpicky code reviews, one or maybe two questions answered per day.
2 by b0rsuk | 4 comments on Hacker News.
Today our boss came up with a "reorganization" to "improve efficiency". He expects us to estimate time needed with max 30% deviation, and max 20% deviation if it's over 3 days. Software projects. * * * Background (SPOILERS) boss is an old programmer, an American client is outsourcing its work to us. The work is two repos: a) IE-compatible Javascript without Babel or Node (ES5), b) Python 2.7 with no unit tests, no dev database, lots of "except: pass". Both repos are centered around a god class, functions often 100,200,300+ lines , no documentation, very few comments, superficial but nitpicky code reviews, one or maybe two questions answered per day.
New ask Hacker News story: Ask HN: Do any of you dislike using Visual Studio Code?
Ask HN: Do any of you dislike using Visual Studio Code?
12 by ZanyProgrammer | 14 comments on Hacker News.
Given how very popular it is, anyone here actually dislike using it?
12 by ZanyProgrammer | 14 comments on Hacker News.
Given how very popular it is, anyone here actually dislike using it?
New ask Hacker News story: Ask HN: Would you accept an easier hiring process for an easier firing process?
Ask HN: Would you accept an easier hiring process for an easier firing process?
12 by docker_up | 17 comments on Hacker News.
I'm trying to come up with a suggestion for the company where we relax our ridiculous coding and systems design requirements for a more lax, faster hiring process. Instead of hiring for algorithms, we would hire after talking with the team for a couple of hours, going in depth on the projects they've worked on, maybe a single onsite coding project with follow up questions just to see how she codes and her thought process. In exchange, we would have a high bar post-hiring, and give them 2 months to come up to our expectations. The expectations for each level would be well-defined, and would be very concretely communicated so that the candidate would know exactly what we are expecting. If she meets the bar post hire, then everything is fine but if she doesn't, we would give her a 2 month severance package and fire her within 2 months. This quick firing would only be applicable within the first 2 months, and afterwards it would be a normal process of performance feedbacks, pips, etc. Is this more acceptable than the current industry hiring practice?
12 by docker_up | 17 comments on Hacker News.
I'm trying to come up with a suggestion for the company where we relax our ridiculous coding and systems design requirements for a more lax, faster hiring process. Instead of hiring for algorithms, we would hire after talking with the team for a couple of hours, going in depth on the projects they've worked on, maybe a single onsite coding project with follow up questions just to see how she codes and her thought process. In exchange, we would have a high bar post-hiring, and give them 2 months to come up to our expectations. The expectations for each level would be well-defined, and would be very concretely communicated so that the candidate would know exactly what we are expecting. If she meets the bar post hire, then everything is fine but if she doesn't, we would give her a 2 month severance package and fire her within 2 months. This quick firing would only be applicable within the first 2 months, and afterwards it would be a normal process of performance feedbacks, pips, etc. Is this more acceptable than the current industry hiring practice?
New ask Hacker News story: Ask HN: Is Neuromorphic Computing Promising?
Ask HN: Is Neuromorphic Computing Promising?
3 by hsikka | 0 comments on Hacker News.
I just read http://bit.ly/2qwmrOJ. Specifically, the use of organic materials to build robust, low power networks that get past the von Neumann bottleneck and allow us to incorporate new levels of sensing into our environment and lives seems extraordinary. TPUs and chips are obviously interesting for orgs like google, but what about synthetic clusters of neurons integrated into our environment? How significant could that be? Also, what startups are working on this actively?
3 by hsikka | 0 comments on Hacker News.
I just read http://bit.ly/2qwmrOJ. Specifically, the use of organic materials to build robust, low power networks that get past the von Neumann bottleneck and allow us to incorporate new levels of sensing into our environment and lives seems extraordinary. TPUs and chips are obviously interesting for orgs like google, but what about synthetic clusters of neurons integrated into our environment? How significant could that be? Also, what startups are working on this actively?
New ask Hacker News story: Ask HN: How to explain / 'prove' to friends FB is not listening via phone
Ask HN: How to explain / 'prove' to friends FB is not listening via phone
5 by joshdance | 5 comments on Hacker News.
Lots of my friends believe FB is listening to them, and serving them ads based on their conversations IRL. Any good articles or studies showing this is not the case?
5 by joshdance | 5 comments on Hacker News.
Lots of my friends believe FB is listening to them, and serving them ads based on their conversations IRL. Any good articles or studies showing this is not the case?
New ask Hacker News story: Ask HN: Getting into lower-level microcontroller coding
Ask HN: Getting into lower-level microcontroller coding
6 by tombert | 9 comments on Hacker News.
I recently purchased a bunch of ESP controllers online to play with, and I more or less understand NodeMCU at this point. However, per a discussion here [1] from yesterday, I saw that there exists 5 cent controllers. This seems obscenely interesting to me, but I have no idea how I'd even start going about programming one of these things...does anyone have a good book recommendation or video series? [1] http://bit.ly/2J8WBhw
6 by tombert | 9 comments on Hacker News.
I recently purchased a bunch of ESP controllers online to play with, and I more or less understand NodeMCU at this point. However, per a discussion here [1] from yesterday, I saw that there exists 5 cent controllers. This seems obscenely interesting to me, but I have no idea how I'd even start going about programming one of these things...does anyone have a good book recommendation or video series? [1] http://bit.ly/2J8WBhw
New Show Hacker News story: Show HN: Flipt – an open-source feature flag solution
Show HN: Flipt – an open-source feature flag solution
17 by bullcitydev | 0 comments on Hacker News.
17 by bullcitydev | 0 comments on Hacker News.
New Show Hacker News story: Show HN: Open sourcing my email sending startup
Show HN: Open sourcing my email sending startup
11 by chris140957 | 4 comments on Hacker News.
Hi all, I've posted a few times here about Maildown, a startup that I've been trying to validate lately. Due to lack of time to focus on this, I've taken the decision to abandon the project as a startup, but to make it available as an open source solution instead. The (still very basic) github repository is here: http://bit.ly/2PSB2SS Maildown now exists as a simple CLI wrapper for Amazon SES which bakes in Markdown and styling support, making it much easier to get transactional mails up and running in any project Thanks for looking, Chris
11 by chris140957 | 4 comments on Hacker News.
Hi all, I've posted a few times here about Maildown, a startup that I've been trying to validate lately. Due to lack of time to focus on this, I've taken the decision to abandon the project as a startup, but to make it available as an open source solution instead. The (still very basic) github repository is here: http://bit.ly/2PSB2SS Maildown now exists as a simple CLI wrapper for Amazon SES which bakes in Markdown and styling support, making it much easier to get transactional mails up and running in any project Thanks for looking, Chris
FOX NEWS: Feds seize DeepDotWeb for taking money from black market sites
Feds seize DeepDotWeb for taking money from black market sites
The FBI appears to have taken down DeepDotWeb, a site that publicized links to online black markets on the dark web.
via FOX NEWS https://fxn.ws/2Y6KaWK