Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by Freak_NL 960 days ago
Your life should not depend on your phone working, because it will fail sometimes — it's consumer grade electronics, not a pacemaker or milspec ruggedized device with a minimal attack service (i.e., no Bluetooth, but a safer alternative).

What do you do when your phone gets stolen or simply breaks? Complain loudly at the very least, and have a backup in place (but I'm sure you do).
3 comments
user_7832 960 days ago
(I'm also T1)When my phone (screen) broke, I contacted my hospital and got a separate device (reader), but it took a few weeks. Disabling phone access isn't okay or justifiable in public places. I'm not defending the existence of BT vulnerabilities but what the guy did on the train was dumb and antisocial.
link
valenceelectron 960 days ago
Phones are ubiquitous in every country I've spent a reasonable amount of time so far. If my phone breaks I can just walk into a store and get a new one. The sensor will transfer its connection to the new phone within minutes. So that really is not that big of a deal. Some edgy liberation fighter DoS'ing my phone, however, is.

Also note that there are people that have such sensors and insulin pumps connected in a feedback loop. I don't personally but this exists. There also exists a small open source scene around that topic. Examples are https://openaps.org/ or https://nightscout.github.io/

> Your life should not depend on your phone working

My life as diabetic depends on many, many variables. Theoretically, all it needs is an incorrectly labeled meal to do serious harm. Or the delivery guy transporting my insulin didn't maintain cooling. I can only do so much and still live a life without constant fear. While this may sound dangerous to you, this way of measuring your blood glucose is extremely liberating for diabetics. The alternative is just so much worse.

link
badcppdev 957 days ago
People used to die before some life saving technologies were invented.

People can die these days if their technology fails. They might not have a better alternative because they can't afford it or it hasn't been invented

Teaching someone a lesson or educating society sounds like a line from a villain from a Bond movie. A sociopathic villain. You are making comments that a sociopath would make.

link