Nice! Reminds me of the Cyclone / "stop the light" arcade games. If anyone wants to play a similar game on iOS, I made one about 7 years ago called hyper•loop https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hyper-loop/id944029806
I participated in the first October Challenge two years ago. The timing was perfect for me since I had a project that was nearly done, but I was getting burned out, like you said, on that last 10%. The addition of a deadline helped me focus and get through it.
You're right that you could make the same argument for other gadgets, and he does mention tablets at the end of the article , but it's really true for almost all consumer goods today. If you really want to understand this argument better, I highly recommend The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz. He argues that the abundance of choice in today's world is making us less satisfied with our decisions.
TSA isn't just protecting the passengers on one flight from dying, they're protecting the entire airline industry and a large part of the US economy.
If a plane goes down due to a terrorist attack those unfortunate people end up dying. If you just calculate the cost of saving those people by implementing tough security measures you can argue that it's not cost effective.
BUT you can't just figure the lives of the people on the plane into your calculations. You have to figure the impact to the airline industry if people become afraid of flying and what will happen to the US economy when another successful attack comes.
All three (lives on plane, airline industry and economy) are worth having tough security measures in place.
The TSA's security measures are a farce according to any competent security researcher, so their net value is negative not only in preventing attacks, but in making flight for current passengers less safe as well as for those who will choose alternatives because of these policies.
I do not blame the airlines for the previous terrorist attacks. Actions were taken to resolve the issue after the event so it is not like nothing has been done. Strengthening the cockpit doors and locking them is acceptable.
Until a problem is fixed, it is acceptable to communicate with solutions. (And if a problem remains unfixed after suitable solutions are offered, it is further acceptable to complain about it.)
I think my comment was misinterpreted by some. I don't disagree with his statement or with him saying it on Hacker News. I find it interesting that memes appear everywhere, even on sites that think they are "above them." Another example of a Hacker News meme is the phrase "Cargo Cult X." I've noticed others, but I can't recall them right now.
