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HackeNewsFan234

29 karma · joined July 26, 2021

fun fact, the missing "r" in my username was a typo
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HackeNewsFan234··on The Mushroom That Makes People Have the Exact Same Hallucination
I read about this before and did a some half-assed "research". My understanding is that this is much less fun than it sounds. It isn't people take this mushroom and see elves and have a good time. It is more that people eat this mushroom in food and when it isn't cooked properly, they get violently ill and also happen to see the same elves. So, it does seem consistent, but not something you could do safely recreationally.
HackeNewsFan234··on How Bright Headlights Escaped Regulation – and Blinded Us All
I thought I'd say something meaningful. Instead, it is more of a rant:

This is hard to discuss without context: country, big city, town/village, and freeway.

Big city driving: in a well-lit city, one could almost get by with just the position lights on. I say almost because of 1. driving in unusually dark areas and 2. regular headlights project light at a good angle to catch reflection off of cyclists. My point is that not much light is needed. Also, anyone driving in the city with their high-beams or fog lights on should be ticketed at an increasing rate.

town/village is roughly the same as a big city, but with less public lighting and fewer marked crossings. So, basically, this is just a reasonable low bean scenario. I'd argue that setting up for this situation and accepting it for the big city is good enough.

Country driving: bright and wide. Doing 80-100 km/h+ in the country and I want to see far and wide. Great use of high beams. Auto high beams do not function well enough to respect other drivers and drivers seems to have forgotten what it means when someone flashes their high beams. I attribute that to ignorant/lazy/entitled drivers

freeway: Need to be able see directly ahead and be visible to other drivers. Low beams when other are around, high beams when no one is in front of me and the road isn't lit.

Trucks vs cars: As we all know, headlights on trucks are too high compared to small cars. While this can be mitigated by not looking directly at the lights. A problem with this: If I'm at an intersection and there is a truck with bright lights that I am trying not to look at, I miss the immediate area near the truck with a possible pedestrian. Plus the contrast of the bright lights hides dark pedestrians. My quick Chat GPT'ing says that physically lowering the lights would not decrease the effectiveness of retroreflectors, so mounting the lights lower seems like a good option. There could even be separate high beams that are mounted physically higher when needed.

We all know this is bad and we just can't work together to get something done. Not to mention that even if there are new standards, it would take 10+ years for them to really matter because of the existing cars on the roads.

HackeNewsFan234··on Ask HN: Should "I asked $AI, and it said" replies be forbidden in HN guidelines?
I like the honesty aspect of it so that I can choose to (possibly) ignore the response. If they were forbidden and people posted the same $AI response without the disclaimer, I'd be more easily deceived.
HackeNewsFan234··on Microsoft doesn't understand the dislike for Windows' new direction
In other Start Menu pain, I like to press WIN and then type to open an app. There is a small delay and it commonly misses the first character, which triggers an Edge Internet search. I have to use a 3rd party app to open apps because of that stupid start menu.
HackeNewsFan234··on A look at the creative process behind Bluey and Cocomelon (2024)
While I find Bluey fun and so does my child, in many of the episodes the children are loud and frantic. I've also noticed my kid whining in the same way Bluey and Bingo do.

In trying to find calmer shows, two I like are Tumble Leaf and Guess How Much I Love You. Tumble Leaf has a stop-motion look and every episodes involves finding and object and using it to solve a problem. Guess How Much I Love You has a watercolor look and is about a rabbit family and pretty calm. I don't enjoy those as much as Bluey, but I enjoy how my kid behaves after watching them.

I'd like to find more like those two if anybody knows any.

HackeNewsFan234··on Why don't we use awnings anymore (2022)
Low-e windows coatings have been around since the 70's. They have gotten better over the decades, but I can't say how much they've changed. When buying new windows, this is a very common and cheap option.
HackeNewsFan234··on Why do remote meetings suck so much? (2018)
"The adage does not apply to questions that are more open-ended than strict yes–no questions." -the first paragraph of the linked Wikipedia page
HackeNewsFan234··on Ask HN: What are your favourite websites that display a lot of data / tables?
Weatherspark for visualizing weather data over time. Great for planning the time of year to visit foreign lands.

https://weatherspark.com/y/47913/Average-Weather-in-Paris-Fr...

HackeNewsFan234··on How do birds flock? Research reveals previously unknown aerodynamic phenomenon
I want more research into how a flock of birds can manage to sync up and poop on my car at the same time.
HackeNewsFan234··on Hawking's Time Traveller Party
Was a few hours enough time? I mean, who shows up on time, especially with such a long journey time.
HackeNewsFan234··on Microsoft starts testing ads in the Windows 11 Start menu
On my Windows 11 laptop, there's a short delay from when I press Win and when it accepts keystrokes. It commonly misses the first letter I type, making Win + fire (for Firefox) do an internet search in Edge for "ire".
HackeNewsFan234··on One-Pedal Driving Explained
> Wasn't his whole problem with one particular implementation of one-pedal driving, the Ioniq 5?

Yes. I watched that Tech Connections video a while back. In that implementation, his car would slow down too quickly without brake lights. I think it would get down to something like 15 mph from 55 before they'd come on, yet the deceleration was at least as rapid as casual braking.

I agree with the Tech Connections example; I have no comment on other EVs.

HackeNewsFan234··on Driverless cars swerve traffic tickets in California even if they break the law
Trying to get creative here... If I am driving my car, climb out, and let it drive, then I'm still going to get in trouble. So, let's say the person who put the car in a situation where it broke the law is responsible but a more generic and severe level. Rather than speeding, it would be reckless endangerment which is what I'm guessing the charge could be for me climbing out of a moving car.
HackeNewsFan234··on Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US
Maybe there's an aftermarket opportunity here. Instead of a roof rack, roof ramps.
HackeNewsFan234··on Fewer people are buying electric cars in the US
For those with EVs or considering EVs, do EV buyers buy with the intent of keeping the car and running it into the ground?

I have no problem buying a VW or Toyota and keeping it running until it gets so old that it is no longer feasible. I don't buy an EV for this because I don't think it would make it nearly as long. I might be wrong, but that is my mindset.

Going with this, I feel this limits EV buyers to those who intend to get a new car every few years.

HackeNewsFan234··on Two pharmacists figured out that oral phenylephrine doesn't work
Something with Dayquil - it has other medicines that do work for pain and cough suppression. Depending on your symptoms, those two can work and make you feel better even though you're not getting any real decongestion benefits. That makes it harder to detect that the decongestion part isn't working. That is, of course, until you're introduced to the stuff that really does work and then wonder how you went so long without it.
HackeNewsFan234··on Lapsus$: GTA 6 hacker handed indefinite hospital order
If he didn't have a keyboard and typed on his phone like I do, they could also say that he "hacked them using only his thumbs".
HackeNewsFan234··on Mercedes adds a new car light color: Blue for self-driving
This will allow me to do something I've been looking forward to - When a car is running autonomously, I can turn in front of it because I know it will stop. Think of making a left turn across traffic in an almost-big-enough gap. If it is a meatbag driver, it might hit me. If it is autonomous, it should auto-brake. I'm not talking about a slam on the brakes scenario, just a little bit of a slowdown so I can make a gap that I wouldn't otherwise attempt.

Need to merge? Cut off the autonomous car.

HackeNewsFan234··on Homes need to be built for better internet
For my house, I bought one of those 360 cameras, Rico Theta something, it is about 3 years old, and took pics through out the remodel. There is free software to set those up like a 3D house tour, although not as flashy. I did that a few different points in time, but having the pics annotated to be searchable by room name or "wiring" or "duct" is more helpful.

The 360 camera was hugely helpful because I could take one picture of a room instead of 5-15. I could walk through 3K square feet and take pics of everything in about 15 minutes.

HackeNewsFan234··on Ask HN: What is one thing that has improved your energy the most?
I don't go as extreme. I cut carbs out at lunchtime which seems to eliminate my post-lunch slump.
HackeNewsFan234··on Ask HN: What is one thing that has improved your energy the most?
Part of being feeling tired in the morning can actually be caffeine withdrawal symptoms. You start off in a low and need your fix to get back to normal. Once you get off of it, that normal becomes your normal again.

I was 2-5 cups/day drinker for years. I tapered down my intake over a month, but the first couple weeks of no caffeine was hard. I'd guess it took months before I really felt free.

I drink decaf most days now. When I have the occasional cup of real coffee ( 4 times a year), it gives me a good boost.

HackeNewsFan234··on Plans to cut speed limits ‘will significantly improve road safety' – minister
The walls are too smooth and need some spikes added
HackeNewsFan234··on Google and Microsoft Are Supercharging AI Deepfake Porn
Wieners are harder than hands. The robuts haven't figured them out yet.
HackeNewsFan234··on Ask HN: Is Satya Nadella the best tech CEO of last decade?
I think so. I asked ChatGTP "Is Satya Nadella the best tech CEO of last decade?". The response was:

It is difficult to definitively say whether Satya Nadella is the best tech CEO of the last decade as there have been many successful and influential CEOs in the tech industry over the past ten years. However, Nadella has certainly made a significant impact on Microsoft and the tech industry as a whole since taking over as CEO in 2014.

Under Nadella's leadership, Microsoft has shifted its focus from being primarily a software company to being a more cloud-focused and diversified technology company. He has also overseen the acquisition of LinkedIn and GitHub, two major players in their respective industries. Additionally, Nadella has placed a strong emphasis on artificial intelligence and machine learning, which have become increasingly important in the tech industry.

Overall, Nadella's leadership and vision have helped Microsoft become one of the most valuable companies in the world, and he has been recognized for his achievements with numerous awards and accolades. However, whether he is the best tech CEO of the last decade is subjective and open to interpretation.

HackeNewsFan234··on Ask HN: What lesser-known accessories do you use with your computer?
Two mice at the same time? Do you use one with your feet? Do have one for each hand? Tell us more!
HackeNewsFan234··on Less gym time, same results: Why ‘lowering’ weights is all you need to do
While not a pro, the fat old climber is far from the typical body type. https://explorersweb.com/fat-old-climber-gordon-robb/

Strong people that start climbing tend to use their upper body strength to get up the wall, fat people don't have that option and naturally fall into using technique and their leg strength to get up the wall.

HackeNewsFan234··on Less gym time, same results: Why ‘lowering’ weights is all you need to do
The main "trick" to climbing is to use good technique and not muscle your way through. Even fat people can climb.

The fat old climber is some inspiration. https://explorersweb.com/fat-old-climber-gordon-robb/

There is a pot-belly 35 year old at my bouldering gym that is better at overhangs than most of the people there, including myself.

HackeNewsFan234··on GM seeks US approval to deploy self-driving car without a steering wheela
I'm curious and the article does not mention -- because there is no driver, does that mean GM is at fault for accidents and traffic violations? This avoids the Tesla loophole where a driver needs to be there to take control at any moment.