FWIW - Clicking this link flashes a site then immediately gives me an about:blank page in mobile safari.

Did the website crash ? Goes directly to an about:blank. Maybe the author wanted to protect the website from a hug of death.

Opening the url without referrer works : https://melaniekat.com/blog/public-on-pds/

This site redirects to about:blank if it sees a HN referrer. Clever but obnoxious.