HackerNews Summary (2023-05-29 03AM)

Source: Clever Code Considered Harmful

Summary
Project Euler is a challenging repository of math problems based on advanced mathematics to be solved with software, encouraging programmers to create elegant, efficient, and concise code solutions. However, for day-to-day production code, simplicity and readability are paramount to make the code easier to maintain and for other developers to comprehend.

Fact
– 🧮 Project Euler challenges are based on advanced math problems that require elegant, efficient code solutions.- 💻 Writing code for Project Euler can be an outlet for programmers to exercise their problem-solving skills and create impressive solutions.- 🔍 In production code, simplicity and readability are crucial to ensure that the code is maintainable and easily understood by other developers.

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Source: The odd appeal of absurdly long YouTube videos that play nothing on purpose

Summary
Long and seemingly pointless videos, such as “24 hours + of pure black screen in HD!” with 40.2 million views, have a practical purpose on YouTube. They provide soothing background noise, dog entertainment, and predictable music without distracting content.

Fact

🎵 24-hour videos of spa music, jazz, and loungey covers are sensible and preferred over always-streaming channels because they are predictable, according to the author.

🔥 24-hour videos of a roaring fire and 20-hour videos of a seal spinning in water are good background noise, while 20-hour-long videos of soothing music and nature shots are directed at dogs.

🎥 Long video content seems to capture the attention of viewers as evidenced by a few minutes of gaming and roughly 23 hours of looped footage of Nathan Graham sleeping raking in 14 million views.

📺 Long and seemingly pointless videos, such as “24 hours + of pure black screen in HD!” with 40.2 million views, have a practical purpose on YouTube.

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Source: Circles rolling on circles

Summary
A small circle with radius 1cm rolling completely along the circumference of a circle with radius 4cm would make five rotations, not four.

Fact

🔍 The smaller circle makes five rotations because it combines both revolution and rotation. It rolls four times while rotating once.

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Source: Globalization Evolves, Not Reverses

Summary
Globalization is not in reverse, with the world economy at a record high in exports, foreign direct investment, and migration. The DHL Global Connectedness Index 2022 shows that the share of global phone calls and internet traffic is increasing. While trade within regions is down, the distance of international flows has gone up. Though the US and China have had conflicts that have reduced their international economic ties, they still have far larger flows than any other pair of countries that do not share a border. There is still considerable room for globalization to expand.

Fact

🌍 The world economy is at or near a record high in exports, foreign direct investment, and migration.

📈 Global flows of data and information, such as international internet traffic, are dramatically rising.

📉 The share of trade happening within regions is down, but the distance of international flows has gone up.

🇺🇸🇨🇳 The US and China have had conflicts that have reduced their international economic ties, but they still have far larger flows than any other pair of countries that do not share a border.

💼 There is still considerable room for globalization to expand, with most activity that could take place across national borders still being domestic.

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