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datahack

535 karma · joined June 22, 2012

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datahack··on UK launches its first Earth-imaging military satellite
They can say whatever they want to my friend. It doesn’t mean it’s the real spec.
datahack··on X says it is closing operations in Brazil due to judge's content orders
The idea that another judge or an independent judicial body should intervene if a judge is overstepping is consistent with how a system of checks and balances should function in a Democracy and I think you are largely correct.

However, whether the judiciary in Brazil is actually overstepping or properly fulfilling its role is a matter of interpretation and context.

The broader and very much core question is whether the actions taken by the judiciary, such as censoring social media or jailing individuals without trial, are justified under the circumstances or if they themselves undermine democratic principles. This is the same basic issue I made my other comment about in your series of replies.

This is a nuanced issue that can be debated from different perspectives and much more of a subjective question, and it’s important to separate the issues.

datahack··on X says it is closing operations in Brazil due to judge's content orders
The heart of the argument for the person advocating democracy here is centered on the idea that democracy, by its nature, must protect certain fundamental principles, even if those principles are threatened by a majority or by actions claimed to be in defense of democracy itself.

They emphasize (in good faith I might add) that certain actions, such as censoring the opposition, canceling elections, or jailing people without due process, are inherently undemocratic and would destroy democracy if allowed, regardless of the intentions behind them. The argument is that democracy must adhere to its own rules and principles, even in the face of threats, because violating those principles in the name of protecting democracy ultimately leads to its destruction.

You can’t “protect Democracy” by violating its core tenants.

I feel like your arguments are more whataboutism than substantive.

datahack··on Federal appeals court finds geofence warrants “categorically” unconstitutional
This is fantastic. I’ve worked on this problem and it’s an incredible invasion of privacy.

However, until we get clarification from FISA courts we will still have to deal with it. The problem is the line where FISA has been used to acquire information for criminal prosecution rather than for intelligence purposes, and the broader and broader definition of terrorist and the dramatic expansion of domestic watchlists in recent times.

Let’s hope that it gets unilaterally outlawed and then FISA is forced to follow the supreme law of the land in future rulings.

datahack··on Robot Dog with Gun Turret for Hunting Aerial Drones Being Tested by Army
Codename for the project: Wrecks.

Good dog. Now stop chasing the mechas before you get hurt.

datahack··on 1970 Clean Air Act was intended to cover carbon dioxide
Especially when 1 in 4 congresspeople are still invested in the fossil fuel industry. Money talks.

> As of Dec. 13, 2019, 134 members of Congress and their spouses own as much as $92.7 million worth of stock in fossil fuel companies and mutual funds, according to an analysis of financial disclosures by Sludge. House members own between roughly $29.5 million and $78.2 million in fossil fuel stocks, while senators have between $3.8 million and $14.5 million invested in oil, gas, and coal interests. Members of Congress generally report the value of their investments in broad ranges, so it’s not possible to know exactly how much their stocks are worth.

https://prospect.org/power/members-of-congress-own-up-to-93-...

datahack··on Ask HN: Is it possible to make FAANG salaries without working there?
Everyone is a genius for taking the safe employee path until we have a bad economy and the layoffs come.

It’s been a LONG time since that’s happened.

Just remember that.

datahack··on Linksys Velop routers send Wi-Fi passwords in plaintext to US servers
No, and all it does is prove, once again, that big tech companies cannot be trusted to sustain even common sense privacy concerns.

We need a privacy bill of rights. It’s time! The GDPR shows the way, and we can even improve on it with hindsight.

We’ll never get ahead of the data harvesting and exploitation of that data without it and all of this becomes quite an acute problem when we add low cost cognitive digital intelligences to the equation.

datahack··on Mineral winds down: 'We will no longer be an Alphabet company'
Man it’s so frustrating to see another failure to gain revenue from x labs. I really wish I had the resources to take one of these out and find product market fit. I just don’t understand why product market fit isn’t established and revenue found before launching — these failures seem to elementary to avoid.

It just seems like they flail when they launch because they are science projects and don’t have established and verified customer pain.

I really think that one exercise could reshape the whole effort. Just work on problems that also have some element of customer traction — it doesn’t mean you can’t moonshot. But it does mean you can stay in business long enough to have a chance at a moonshot which is the really thought part usually.

datahack··on Financial services shun AI over job and regulatory fears
I think taking a slow path with AI around financial services is probably wise.

Unfortunately I don’t think other countries and multinationals will take the same approach.

So how do we avoid another arms race? This seems like a good public position, but ignoring AI isn’t the right private position if you care about your financial system.

datahack··on FBI Stats Show Crime Still Declining, Despite the Assertions of Alarmists and
Yes, you’re being accurate and it’s likely somewhat like you’re saying. I mean, rational points!

But not including or disclosing this in crime statistic reporting while using them as justification for critical decisions and presenting them to the public as the truth is deeply disingenuous isn’t it?

datahack··on Solar generates fifth of global electricity on summer solstice midday peak
I just want you to know that kind of uncalled for unkind behavior doesn’t have a place here on HN. Please do better in future. This isn’t Reddit.
datahack··on Solar generates fifth of global electricity on summer solstice midday peak
It’s almost like renewable energy was suppressed for years and now that we have it somehow it actually works?!? What?
datahack··on FBI Stats Show Crime Still Declining, Despite the Assertions of Alarmists and
Kinda worth noting that crime reporting to the FBI is a bit messed up.

https://stateline.org/2023/10/27/politicians-love-to-cite-cr...

So, all the discussion of stats tends to get washed if the national crime statistics don’t include the data from the areas they are reporting on.

datahack··on DJI ban passes the House and moves on to the Senate
The ability to abide by all store rules are not only legally enforceable contracts between companies — they are legal agreements after all — but a strong indicator of whether companies will abide by the normalized standards required to do business in an ecosystem.

Privacy protection is not the issue at the heart of these concerns: it’s national security.

datahack··on FTC sues Adobe for hiding fees and inhibiting cancellations
Honestly, cancelling Adobe after getting my kids school account shadow billed for 6 months was a nightmare and obscenely difficult. I really think Adobe has gone full vulture on their users and they need a change of leadership of a breakup.

I was so relieved when the Figma acquisition fell through — the only serious competitor to their ecosystem almost died in that deal.

datahack··on DJI ban passes the House and moves on to the Senate
Allowing a company that repeatedly violates basic app store rules and exports data to a country with adversarial interests unrestricted access to our infrastructure via drones is highly problematic.

This problematic situation extends in many ways to critical sectors of our economy, including agriculture, energy, defense, etc.

The data collected by these drones is extensive and sensitive. Crop data alone is crucial, and if this information cannot be controlled, it should not be exported.

This stance is not anti-China, but no country should permit unrestricted access to its airspace for surveillance.

Data is the new oil as well, especially with AI. These drone derived datasets are becoming critical path information.

How else can you control the information besides a ban? I LOVE DJI and have several of these drones. But I don’t know how I feel about this because of the problematic data issues. It’s complex and the situation is very difficult.

datahack··on FBI raids Atlanta corporate landlord in probe of rental market price fixing
Are you suggesting the FBI should raid Canada? Because I’m increasingly convinced they would do it if you asked, if for nothing more than just a change of scenery.
datahack··on Researchers to retract landmark Alzheimer's paper containing doctored images
Absolutely. It’s not just a bad path, it’s taken researchers down a road that robbed approaches that could have helped people of resources because they lied.
datahack··on Instagram is testing 'unskippable' ads that you can't scroll past
Enshitification. That’s all it is.
datahack··on Recall: Stealing everything you've ever typed or viewed on your own Windows PC
What happened to the punk in cyberpunk?
datahack··on Recall: Stealing everything you've ever typed or viewed on your own Windows PC
OBEY.
datahack··on Recall: Stealing everything you've ever typed or viewed on your own Windows PC
Let me be clear: I will literally burn any computer equipped with this technology I am forced to use and post the aftermath online.

This is societal cancer. Total information monitoring is the death of any semblance of human independence and should be violently resisted.

I have never been more disgusted by a management team. How clueless can you be? Combined with digital intelligence, this technology is profoundly dangerous to anyone who works with a computer or technology (which is almost everyone).

datahack··on Ask HN: Video streaming is expensive yet YouTube "seems" to do it for free. How?
Thank you! I missed the question and appreciate you providing the info.
datahack··on Surveilling the masses with wi-fi-based positioning systems
Has nobody ever heard of Google sidewalk or what?
datahack··on Ancient Chesapeake site challenges timeline of humans in the Americas
“Ancient Chesapeake site forces paleontologists to admit they were wrong after denying clear evidence of much older occupation across the Americas for decades.”

Fixed the headline boss!

datahack··on Ask HN: Video streaming is expensive yet YouTube "seems" to do it for free. How?
Google has huge interconnect and exchange deals and dark fiber all over the place. It’s hard to explain just how much free transit and connect Google has to ISPs, and how preferable their deals are for delivery. They are a MASSIVE pipe of extremely low cost Internet.

Since the main cost of video is streaming and the pipe required to deliver that streaming, they have an insane moat built because of it.

That is why. There are a lot of other explanations, but that is really why.

datahack··on How the voices for ChatGPT were chosen
I’m hoping. That’s a good point.

It really sounded like people from central casting. The fact that is was exactly that is hilarious to me.

Your point is well advised!

datahack··on How the voices for ChatGPT were chosen
Am I the only one that really dislikes these overly perky voices? And the one they used for the demo was GOD AWFUL. If this is what the future sounds like… idk. I was hoping for a calm, neutral and not eager assistant with a little class. A little Jarvis maybe? Something calm and easy on the ears.

These all sounded to me like people auditioning for a role in film and television or something.

datahack··on Students invent quieter leaf blower
I’ve noticed a drastic reduction here where I live already.

Use will take care of itself if you ban the sale, which is what happened.

Why the pessimistic take? Don’t you want to live in a quieter environment? Transitions take time — but we are well on our way. Most places can only dream about not having a gas powered leaf blower going on and on for hours while they try to work: here it’s already transitioning. So why be anything but positive about it?

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