Hacker News Reader

Overtonwindowon Teachers nationwide are flummoxed by students’ newfound chess obsession

He gave up chess because he couldn't make grandmaster. The original book written with his father, "searching for Bobby Fischer" is much better I think. It's not the same as the movie, which is mostly imaginary.

Overtonwindowon Teachers nationwide are flummoxed by students’ newfound chess obsession

..flummoxed?? Strange choice of a word. I was delighted when my son took up, chess when he was seven years old. I think chess should be something that is taught in school, alongside music, art, and history.

Overtonwindowon U.S. may change how it monitors the web after missing leaked documents for weeks

Foreign countries learned the same thing decades ago. The best placed spy is sometimes no match for the U.S. media, especially in this day of must-get-clicks. Like when Tim Weiner wrote an article for the NYT exposing a CIA asset because he could, and in doing so got the man killed. Weiner has said he feels zero remorse for it because he was doing his job. Many journalists appear to feel the same way: It doesn't matter the harm the reporting causes, because that's their job.

Overtonwindowon Inconvenient Discrimination Against Asian Americans in College Admissions

As far as American University's are concerned, this article missed one incredibly major point: international students pay more.

A lot of American universities are scrambling for every international student they can get because they pay the most.

Overtonwindowon Germany Quits Nuclear Power, Ending a Decades-Long Struggle

I wonder if Greta will show up to protest this..

Overtonwindowon Valve Restricts Accounts of 2500 Users Who Marked a Negative Game Review Useful

This reminds me of a similar incident with the Apple App Store, there were so many negative reviews that rather than Apple forcing the developer to fix the issue, they just deleted all the negative reviews.

I agree with the author, this makes the entire Valve review system pointless.

Overtonwindowon Tech Leaders Blamed San Francisco for Bob Lee’s Killing. Then Came the Arrest

I think this is more of a "see I told you so" type of response from people. HN Loves to bury opinions they don't like, whether it's right or wrong. More than anything there's always a sense of everyone trying to one up everyone else and "be right." Naturally, when you say they are wrong, they are going to get mad. It's typical silicon valley hubris.

Overtonwindowon Cash App founder Bob Lee stabbed to death after argument about suspect's sister

I used to spend a bit of time on r/StLouis and it was the same. The problem with subredits is the same all over the site: They are run by humans with their own built in beliefs, biases, and grudges. Truth matters not what a mod believes.

Overtonwindowon Why did journalists help the Justice Department identify a leaker?

Well, the New York Times opined on the possibilty...

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/07/us/politics/classified-do...

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation wrote about it https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ukraine-russia-military-leaks-...

One of the first reactions from the government and Ukraine was that this was all Russian disinformation. Then within a couple of days other media sources weighed in and there was considerable debate, until this guy was identified.

So yes. Many people have hypothesized this was Russian disinformation.

Here's two more: Al Jazerra: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/10/us-scrambles-to-fin...

and NBC: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/pentagon-...

Overtonwindowon Why did journalists help the Justice Department identify a leaker?

I don't know if Snowden was a Russian operation, I don't think the facts are there for that. However, I do think Snowden committed treason by doing what he did, and so did this National Guardsman. It doesn't matter the reason or morale justification, breaking the law is still breaking the law. If you're going to call for the prosecution of Trump you can't in the next sentence say yeah but Snowden broke the law for the right reason so it's ok. That sort of hair-splitting is disingenuous.

Overtonwindowon Walmart Announces Closure of Four Chicago Stores

Are you looking for the socioeconomic or racial makeup of those locales?

Overtonwindowon Walmart Announces Closure of Four Chicago Stores

A business can only suffer so much loss in theft before it has to throw in the towel. They're a business, not a community food bank, even though a lot of people in those communities see it as just that. There's also just an anti corporate mentality - "stealing from CVS is harmless, they can afford it." Then scream in outrage when CVS says no, we don't want to do that anymore, and leaves.

Overtonwindowon Farmers Win the Right to Repair Their Own Tractors in Colorado

The key is that they were selling in State. If John Deere were to pull out of the state they could advertise all they want, and people could still purchase the tractors from out of state, but they wouldn't have to follow that, lol. I am not a lawyer, but I do work in public policy for the past 22 years. I don't see how this is enforceable should the company leave.

A comparison is the purchase of a vehicle. In 21 states, the manufacture of a vehicle can sell directly to the consumer. In the rest of the states, the law says that a manufacture is for bidden from selling directly to consumers. Yet people buy cars and bring them across state lines, all the time, whether they purchased it from the manufacturer or a dealer. If the point of sale occurs outside of Colorado, and John Deere has no corporate presents in Colorado, then I don't see how this is applicable.

Overtonwindowon Farmers Win the Right to Repair Their Own Tractors in Colorado

Wonderful progress but.... It says for enforcement that "failure to comply with the law would result in a charge of deceptive trade practices" should the company not provide farmers with "parts, software, firmware, tools and documentation."

How enforceable is this? John Deere could say no, we're not going to provide any of these to Colorado since they are an Illinois company. Colorado would have to go after John Deere but.. who would be the focal point of that enforcement? John Deere retailers?

It's possible they might just pull out of Colorado... I don't see how Colorado could enforce this against a company HQ'd in Illinois.

Overtonwindowon The Dangerous Rise of Front Yard Polticics

This is just more NIMBYism. Front yard signs that everyone is welcome but then flip out when immigrants arrive. People proclaiming they care for the poor, the homeless, yet become enraged if you dare to put a shelter within half a mile of their property. It's the same disingenuousness that American politics is rife with.

Americans seem very enthusiastic about telling everyone else what they should do about an issue, but as soon as it effects them in any way, it becomes Not In My Backyard or just "not my problem."

Overtonwindowon Your iPhone Was Built with Child Labor

This is great information and everything, but it seems like you're deflecting. Your smartphone was still made by child labor.

Overtonwindowon The least impactful way to spend $300M?

An appropriations for the corporation for public broadcasting

Overtonwindowon PBS Joins NPR in Quitting Twitter over State-Backed Label

Congress gives the corporation for public broadcasting about $300 million a year. National public radio gets about 45% of their funding through appropriations, the rest comes from donations.

The real issue is that they don't pay anything for the spectrum use.

Overtonwindowon Millennials Spend More Time Playing Video Games Than Gen Z and Teens

I wonder if this is just escapism from every day stress of being an adult.

Overtonwindowon There’s no universal cordless power tool battery – why?

It's like Apple, proprietary equals money.

Overtonwindowon Pentagon leaks linked to young gun enthusiast who worked at military base

Washington post article:

https://archive.is/8eHnp

Overtonwindowon Pentagon leaks linked to young gun enthusiast who worked at military base

Same mistake of reality winner.

Overtonwindowon Yes, it's OK to be mad about crime in San Francisco

What percentage would you add to account for crimes? That are not reported?

Overtonwindowon Elizabeth Holmes loses bid to stay out of prison during appeal of sentence

Past examples for me. College bribery scandal, Jusse Smollet, are two notable examples recently. The wealthy have the best lawyers who have connections to the judges, clerks, and everyone else in those courts. Indeed it is the wealthy that are able to afford to fight the government on even footing.

Serious question: If it was on the other shoe, would most people have remained on bail all this time to have two children after what Elizabeth Holmes did?

Overtonwindowon NPR quits Twitter after being labeled as 'state-affiliated media'

True but it does lean heavily in one political direction. If it is receiving any federal funding then it should be pushed to neutrality, and remove the one-sidedness of their news programing.

I think NPR would be very upset if the government required political neutrality as part of its funding.

Overtonwindowon NPR quits Twitter after being labeled as 'state-affiliated media'

I am viewing Twitter more than before because I am attracted to the open speech where political banning is no longer occurring. I do not know all who have been blocked under Musk but it feels more open.

Overtonwindowon Whole Foods closes San Francisco flagship after one year, citing worker safety

San Francisco feels like NYC in the 80s. I think what it needs is a heavier, consistent police presence. There is a lawlessness that demands a heavy hand, but which must be supported because its at a point where that hand is needed.

Overtonwindowon Elizabeth Holmes to begin 11-year prison sentence at end of month

I never thought it would happen. I thought surely she would be deemed too pretty, too smart, or something, and not go to jail. I do not believe she thinks she did anything wrong

Overtonwindowon Vestas hails breakthrough for recyclable wind turbines

Although many blades are made from polyester, producing wind turbine blades manufactured with epoxy-based resin has increasingly become standard practice in the wind industry over the past decades. In the most mature wind markets, the first of these turbines are reaching the end of their operational life

Interesting, why polyester?