HNHacker News
TopNewBestAskShowJobs

TwoFerMaggie

169 karma · joined November 15, 2019

submissionscomments
TwoFerMaggie··on Xi's 'death watch' will become a global spectacle
Yeah, problem is that even a dictator is benevolent, they can't live forever, and there's no way to prevent a malevolent successor from hiding their true color just long enough till the power is transferred. Then you're back to a malevolent dictatorship.

Ironically this is very similar to what happened with Xi. Rumor had it that the party elders picked him over his rival (Bo) because he seemed to be a more moderate guy. Didn't expect the purges and power consolidation that quickly followed, ouch.

I would even go further and argue that a truly benevolent person will never opt to take power this immense for precisely this reason. Yes, you may be able to do a lot of good during your reign, but the amount of power you amassed during it will almost certainly fall to the wrong hands. Not being able to foresee this is enough to disqualify one from being such a benevolent ruler in my book.

TwoFerMaggie··on Xi's 'death watch' will become a global spectacle
The reason why this happens with Xi in particular, but not the other chairmen between him and Deng:

After Mao, the CCP adopted the concept of collective leadership [1], which dispersed some power from the top guy to the politburo standing committee. Also they established term limits. Deng officially implemented this, perhaps partially due to his personal suffering during the cultural revolution. Of course he was still immensely powerful during his time and ran things behind the curtains for quite a while after he passed the chair. After him, the term limit and collective leadership took hold, and the top guys all retired long before they got too old.

This was of course reversed by Xi after he changed the constitution to abolish the term limit. Now the standing committee also becomes a group of his close followers. Previously, the successor would be brought up into the committee first for a term before he took power. Xi hasn't brought anyone who's much younger than him in.

Therefore we are back to the Mao days. Top guy got older and more frail. Became paranoid of younger, more competent prospects so he purged them. As a result, his circle was filled with supposed loyalists and yes-men, or as the kids these days say, scheming eunuchs. When he finally passed, a power struggle would happen and all the big players would probably not include the ones who were actually good at governing.

This is also why the "they think in centuries" praise from some China enthusiasts always amuses me. Preventing peaceful transfer of power is one of the most selfish and shortsighted thing a leader can do, and it almost never ends well. But I would get another term or two, right?

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_leadership

TwoFerMaggie··on Iosevka is an open-source, sans-serif and slab-serif monospace font
Have been using it for a couple years. Before that I was using Fira Code/Mono which was also fantastic. However, once I got used to the condensed Iosevka, all the other fonts just felt loose and not space efficient enough in my IDE and terminal.
TwoFerMaggie··on Automating my 35mm film scanning pipeline
Same tbh. I use a Plustek 8200 and the inversion and adjustments after the scan was never an issue for me. It's the 1.5-2 hour block it takes to scan a roll and having to baby it the whole time.

I was just looking into the finally released Knokke 135[1], and it seems promising as an alternative. Seems to be the only option that is both fast, has IR dust removal, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

[1] https://soke.engineering/knokke

TwoFerMaggie··on iPhone Duo
I can't help but notice how many times they mention "viewing content" during the demo.

It almost feels like they make smartphones not to be handy tools for the digital age (who am I kidding), but for ultimate content consumption.

TwoFerMaggie··on Tiny $70 Xteink X3 e-reader
That's a fair point.

Although I would argue that I already see many people using phone cases with card slots or magsafe card holders. This is a safer option because the xteink costs less and it makes your phone less likely to be swiped.

My setup now is simply my transport card duct taped on the outside of the xteink case. For payments and music and such I'd still use my phone, which is in the other pocket.

TwoFerMaggie··on John Margolies' photographs of roadside America
https://bsky.app/profile/roadside.xor.blue

Been following this bot for a while. Didn't know it's all from this source. Neat!

TwoFerMaggie··on Tiny $70 Xteink X3 e-reader
The portability is such a game changer compared to the usual kindle-like devices. Compared to my kindle which I have to put in my backpack or only when I have big coat pockets in the winter, this can be put in my pocket and taken everywhere.

I wish they have a magsafe case with 1-2 card holder slots, then it would just be a perfect wallet replacement.

TwoFerMaggie··on Study: Blue light impairs the eye's ability to distinguish fine detail most
https://xkcd.com/1053/
TwoFerMaggie··on U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications
> Fun fact: the current statutory language Rubio used in January to limit immigration from 75 countries comes from the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, a Democrat sponsored bill.

This bill was originally vetoed by Truman, but overridden by both house and senate by a 2/3 vote. However, in the house vote, democrats were split about 50/50, and republicans overwhelmingly approved. (https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/82-1952/h165)

Note that this is pre southern strategy and post new deal era. There was a conservative coalition of both democrats and republicans against the new deal. The majority of the Democratic Yea votes came from southern states where the conservative coalition dominated.

Saying that it was a Democrat sponsored bill is missing some important nuances.

TwoFerMaggie··on Andreessen Horowitz is investing billions into a bleak future
Not surprised at all as Marc Andreesen has been in the rabbit hole for a while: https://www.semafor.com/article/04/27/2025/the-group-chats-t...
TwoFerMaggie··on Born Against, or why hobby programming communities are against LLM usage
A renowned author would still write. They don't suddenly start managing a team of junior writers and instructs them how to write.

A programmer that has climbed up the ladder in their field, on the other hand, often stopped coding themselves. Instead, they manage others who code, or provide vision/direction on the project.

I think it really depends on what people on the senior level of your field do. If they mostly move to managerial roles, then it's much more likely they'd embrace LLM.

Ironically I observe this in academia too. Professors (who often stopped doing hands-on research, but only provide guidance to postdocs and grad students in their research) tend to embrace LLM more than the fields you mentioned.

TwoFerMaggie··on Back to Kagi
> A regular cinema ticket is $22.83 to the nearest movie theater and that isnt a "premium" thing like IMAX

For about that price you can get a monthly subscription to a lot of local cinemas and unlimited viewings here. In my city all three cinemas are in this system so we just go see a movie whenever we want. Doesn't include IMAX ones and chains of course.

https://mein.cineville.de/en/order

TwoFerMaggie··on Fable turned reMarkable into Tom Riddle's diary from Harry Potter
Not the use case for em-dashes. en-dash maybe, but they also didn't say they use en-dashes instead of hyphens.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dash#Em_dash

TwoFerMaggie··on Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity
There might also be adverse effects on one's sleep quality, even if they only drink it in the morning:

> In fact, none of the sleep researchers or experts on circadian rhythms I interviewed for this story use caffeine.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/jul/06/caffeine-coffee...

TwoFerMaggie··on Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity
I had the same process as you (see my comment) and it was much better than quitting it cold turkey.
TwoFerMaggie··on Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity
I've quit from daily 3-4 shots of espresso to only drinking it when I feel like it, which is about once every two weeks.

The process was mostly without discomfort: I bought decaf beans and started cutting my coffee grounds with 50% decaf. After two weeks, 75% decaf. Then 87.5%, etc. About two months later I stopped experiencing withdrawals if I don't drink any coffee at all.

Before I started cutting I would get massive headaches and become irritable if I don't drink coffee in the morning. Now I'm free!

I encourage all heavy coffee drinkers try drinking less. At some point, it stops improving your cognitive functions but instead just maintains a mediocre baseline, which I suppose is the same as almost all substance reliance.

> In fact, none of the sleep researchers or experts on circadian rhythms I interviewed for this story use caffeine.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/jul/06/caffeine-coffee...

TwoFerMaggie··on New Beam Spring Keyboards
one key press resulting in multiple registers.

if my T key is chatttering my ttyping would look something like tthis.

TwoFerMaggie··on 1worldflag: A blue dot on a transparent background
I suppose a lot of flags are esperanto of flags...
TwoFerMaggie··on New Beam Spring Keyboards
> At least Matias still makes modern ALPS style switches, they're one of the best clicky options available today.

Would be great if they don't have chatter issues.. I'm typing on my third matias and all three started chattering after some use. Their quiet switches are the best tactile ones I've ever tried. Sound so nice too.

TwoFerMaggie··on New Beam Spring Keyboards
MX switches are the entry point of the "mechanical keys". You can go into way too many rabbit holes beyond consumer brands like Das Keyboard.

There are topre capacitive switches (HHKB, Realforce etc) , buckling spring switches like the ones in this post (& older IBM model M, Unicomp), Alps switches (older mac keyboards, matias), and an endless selection of MX compatible customized switches. All with different tactility and sound profiles.

Merely "having mechanical keys" is a very basic criteria especially for enthusiasts who might have very specific requirements and preference for how their keyboards should feel and sound. This one is mainly targeted towards those enthusiasts.

TwoFerMaggie··on Qian Xuesen: The missile genius America lost and China gained (2025)
What you proposed is very close to this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade%E2%80%93Giles

For an English speaker to be able to pronounce Chinese words, it would certainly be a better system. However, the main purpose of Pinyin is not that, but to indicate pronunciation for native Chinese speakers (most of whom had little exposure to English or other foreign languages when they learned pinyin, of course nowadays it might be different as kids start learning English at a much younger age) and to teach in schools. Using a Latin alphabet so that it's easier to integrate into international systems is a consideration, but never the main goal.

Besides, Chian Shuesen sounds closer but it's still not the same. Approximation has to happen somewhere, and there are already ch-/q- and sh-/x- distinction within pinyin.

TwoFerMaggie··on Motorola GrapheneOS devices will be bootloader unlockable/relockable
I watched the first video. One point they didn't mentioned is that their android example of the "last small flagship phone", asus zenfone 9/10, is about the same size as an iphone 12/13, not the mini.

Do regular iphones sell well? If so, the small flagship phones are not dead, because iphones are not dead. If iphones are not counted as small phones, then the small android flagship phones are dead long time ago.

TwoFerMaggie··on The Feynman Lectures on Physics (1961-1964)
> would he associate with Epstein?

This is from Lawrence Krauss[0]'s email to Epstein[1]:

> ps. I have decided that Feynman would have done what I did... and I am therefore content.. no matter what... :)

> On Apr 6, 2011, at 3:56 PM, Jeffrey Epstein wrote:

> what evidence? no real sex.. where is she getting her so called facts

Krauss's letter is obviously horrible in its implications. What's interesting to me is his interpretation of what Feynman would have done. Is it his delusional justification of what he'd done with Epstein, or is it based on a certain reputation of Feynman in the science community?

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Krauss [1] https://www.epstein.media/files/house_oversight_030915/

TwoFerMaggie··on Cartographers have been hiding illustrations inside Switzerland’s maps (2020)
Slightly annoying that the magnified parts are directly over their original location. This blocks the view to see them in their original size and context.
TwoFerMaggie··on A modern 35mm film scanner for home
This one would be much faster than the plustek though, if they keep their promises. I use a 8200. It takes more than 1 hour to scan a 36 frame color negative with dust removal on, and it requires constant manual input. Pushing the holder to the next frame, unloading and loading the holder, etc.

It's fine, sure. For the price I paid for it and the image quality I'm getting, I have no complaints. On the other hand, a new device that can cut the time down to 5 mins with modern software support (silverfast is kind of dated and VueScan will run you another 100), while priced at 1000 EUR, is not cheap, but also not that unreasonable tbh.

TwoFerMaggie··on EA Announces Agreement to be Acquired by PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners
RIP Bioware. This will probably be the final stage of its long, painful death.
TwoFerMaggie··on iPhone Air
"Drop the _the_, it's cleaner."

https://youtu.be/k5fJmkv02is&t=177

TwoFerMaggie··on Why 'Silksong' Took Seven Years to Make
Quote from author on Bluesky:

> one of the reasons Silksong took so long was that Team Cherry is having too much fun making it and didn't want to stop.

Also this one from the article:

> "What is Jira?" Gibson said when I asked if they used the task-management application.

TwoFerMaggie··on James Webb, Hubble space telescopes face reduction in operations
> obviously treating their wealth like some sort of highscore

yep. see

> Caleb will later recall, in an interview with D Magazine, asking his dad why he works so hard.

> “It’s a game,” Randy explains to his son.

> “How do you know who wins?” the boy asks.

> “Whoever dies with the most money.” [1]

not even exaggerating

[1] https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/11/alden-g...

Page 1 of 3Next →