HackerNews Summary (2023-05-05 01PM)

Source: There’s a mansion hidden directly under the Bay Bridge

Summary
The forgotten Quarters 1 mansion on Yerba Buena Island was home to the commanders of the US Navy Training Station and multiple Navy officials before becoming Admiral Chester Nimitz’s post-retirement home. He split his time there and an abode in Berkeley, rejecting interview requests but welcoming visits from Yerba Buena Elementary School children.

Fact

🏤 Quarters 1 was built in 1900 as part of the only US Navy training station on the West Coast and was home to the station’s commander.

👖 Admiral Senn’s entire collection of dress pants went up in flames during a small house fire in 1934.

🌉Quarters 1 briefly became a historic roadblock in the way of the Bay Bridge’s new span.

👨‍✈️ Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz moved in after World War II in 1947 and it was renamed Nimitz House.

🏠 Nimitz eventually lived at the house full time on Yerba Buena Island by 1963.

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Source: Farewell to the Era of Cheap EC2 Spot Instances

Summary
As more businesses switch to using AWS Spot instances, the aggregate savings for customers is decreasing, with a recent spike in spot prices. Amazon is encouraging customers to switch to savings plans/reserved instances and spot instances in order to cut costs. The cause of the increased prices is unclear, but it is likely due to increased demand on the underlying infrastructure.

Fact

💰 AWS Spot instances leverage a market inefficiency in which other tenants pay too much, offering up to 90% maximum savings compared to on-demand rates.

💸 Higher prices for spot instances have recently occurred, especially in four of the largest AWS regions.

🛡️ To cut costs, Amazon is encouraging the switch to savings plans/reserved instances and spot instances.

📊 Research suggests that increased demand for spot instances is causing a spike in prices.

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Source: Why I Like Using Maps (and WeakMaps) for Handling DOM Nodes

Summary
Using Maps (and WeakMaps) is particularly helpful for handling large sets of DOM nodes. Maps can serve as a simpler and more resilient alternative to using objects as large hash-map-like tables that require unique IDs for each item.

Facts

🗺️ Maps can use HTML nodes as keys instead of requiring unique IDs for each item. The node references themselves are inherently unique and serve as keys, making the code simpler and more resilient.

🚀 In general, the difference in performance between using objects and Maps is negligible. But when working with larger data sets, Maps can be notably more performant.

🔑 WeakMaps are a subtype of Maps that only accept objects as keys and are particularly useful for avoiding memory leaks by allowing objects to be garbage collected when they are no longer needed.

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Source: Carmakers are pushing electric SUVs, but smaller is better when it comes to EVs

Summary
GM’s decision to axe its affordable electric vehicle, the Chevy Bolt, and focus exclusively on larger, more expensive models like the Silverado and GMC Sierra signals a trend towards a supersized EV market. However, this shift may undercut efforts to reduce planet-heating emissions, as larger EVs require more energy to move around and use more rare minerals for their batteries. Experts warn that the current trend of hulking electric SUVs and trucks, that are worse for the environment than their compact counterparts, makes finding an affordable, environmentally friendly EV increasingly difficult.

Fact

🚗 The Chevy Bolt, one of the cheapest EVs on the market, will be axed by the end of 2021.

💰 General Motors plans to switch to producing more expensive EV models of the Silverado and GMC Sierra instead.

🌍 Larger EVs require more mined rare minerals and use more energy to move than their smaller counterparts, thereby harming the environment.

💸 The average price of an EV is still $15,000 more than the average non-luxury gas car.

👥 The EV market is now dominated by large, luxury, expensive vehicles, which is not helpful for low-income people or those on the frontlines of polluting facilities and climate change.

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