Hacker News Reader

dreddson Steve Wozniak launches Efforce, a blockchain-based energy-saving platform

This is why i had hopes for AI blockchains as the data and trained models or functional algorithms could be verifiably provable as increasing usability/productivity/efficiency etc. You could still say your device/robot didn't improve, but if you continued using the models or algorithms then that would be noticeable. You would have to know they were still being used though, so you would need a time-sensitive encryption that calls home to activate, and if used in multiple instances you'd know that too. But reverse engineering the encryption to get the secret sauce sounds like a workaround. It could be made difficult for average folk, but not impossible. The real advantage would be micro/nano-payments and fee-less transactions since the device is the "miner", ie. by not using BTC/ETH etc.

At the end of the day a subscription model is probably easier.

dreddson Steve Wozniak launches Efforce, a blockchain-based energy-saving platform

I want to start a Tree-Planting Carbon-Capture Proof-of-Growth Eco-Coin. Who's with me??

dreddson Steve Wozniak launches Efforce, a blockchain-based energy-saving platform

I was expecting they had solved some sort of Proof-of-Savings. The "without intermediaries based on exact consumption/savings data" sounds more like filling a ledger to resolve a smart contract. How exactly verification achieved is left unanswered.

With grid-energy blockchains there is a tangible good. But decreased power consumption by one metric doesn't assure power is not used off platform. (not to mention the green-ness of any such generation)

dreddson Maybe we shouldn't want a fully decentralized web

But that's the paradox. Who said an uncensorable IPFS will not become completely overloaded by corporate and government propaganda? How is it harder for them than individuals to create any narrative that suits their agenda? IPFS is not a panacea to powerful overlords.

dreddson Maybe we shouldn't want a fully decentralized web

> "Censorship is restriction on others' flow of information."

There was nothing stopping people emailing the manifesto to each other privately using any archive formats. That is different from having to provide a free soapbox for supporters of the manifesto. Just as you have the right to block someone commenting on your Twitter posts. The ISPs are businesses and have legal terms and conditions to remove anything. That is not censorship. Here in NZ it became illegal to transfer the manifesto, but primarily the video which was deemed offensive under existing censor laws.

> "The laws against "gay propaganda" in Russia are similarly supported by the majority of the population, but they're no less wrong and oppressive for that."

If the Russian example you give is supported by the majority then that is by definition democratic, even though propaganda created that public sentiment in the first place. Should propaganda (manifestos of hate in this case) be censored? Your own example suggests "yes it should".

dreddson Maybe we shouldn't want a fully decentralized web

You are conflating censorship with moderation (a.k.a self-censorship), particularly by stating that "there were no laws involved". eg. If you have kids in a school and someone makes innuendo to do significant major harm to that school you have the RIGHT to remove that post even if it's not legally required. The "private censorship cartel" you speak of may have just been a precautionary reflex to stop future litigation or even widescale boycott of one's online service, which is a direct democracy, since you mention democratic mechanisms.

Fwiw, the Australian who carried out the act in question here in NZ did so because Australia had banned the specific weapons used after the Hobart massacre. We here in NZ hadn't experienced such a massacre and were slow to act. He was easily able to legally acquire the weapons here that may have been very hard to acquire at home, thus the Australian problem was "exported" to a softer target in a near jurisdiction. I expect the early online reaction in Australia may have been tacit acknowledgement of this fact.

Transparency: I'm an Australian in Christchurch.

dreddson South Africa's lottery probed as 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 drawn

Small town winner news stories resonate more with a wider audience so will feature much more than big city winners. People can also work out who won in a small community as opposed to a large metropolis so higher chance of nabbing a story there too. Being more newsworthy is not a representative selection when reporters are looking for the most rags-to-riches (Willy Wonka) heart-warming story.

dreddson South Korea's fusion device KSTAR runs for 20 seconds at 100M degrees Celsius

Forgive my ignorance, but aren't cryogenics and plasma temps at complete odds to function in near proximity?

dreddson South Korea's fusion device KSTAR runs for 20 seconds at 100M degrees Celsius

If only the "force" in Space Force referred to propulsion power rather than military domination. :(

dreddson South Korea's fusion device KSTAR runs for 20 seconds at 100M degrees Celsius

Obsolete on Arrival is what's implied i think. If deuterium–tritium fusion experiments start sometime after 2035 then it's potentially "ancient tech" given the accelerating tech timelines (singularity) which is exponential in character.

dreddson YouTube shadowbans video titled “The CIA is a Terrorist Organization”

> "If humans were moderating youtube it would be worse"

That's quite an assumption that human moderation is worse than an algorithm.

> "and the amount of people needed would be impractical."

What is up-voting and down-voting and reporting? It's not like there's a lack of human eyeballs on the issue already. If no one watched, then no impact.

dreddson Video game lets you do nothing in particular in a suburban Russian tower block

And the wallpaper ..actual wallpaper that we prolly all remember from childhood. >_<

dreddson YouTube shadowbans video titled “The CIA is a Terrorist Organization”

The buildup to the Iraq war (WMD) was sensationalist. Propaganda propagated by powerful corporations on the American people to instigate a fake excuse for war. If it's sensationalist to speak truth regards power of the US propaganda machine, them yes, there is no other way. One cannot downplay the fact that the machine is all-powerful.

The internet was supposed to be the antidote to old propaganda, but corporations have taken over the mainstream internet, and wield even more power over our lives. Again, we should not downplay this fact.

dreddson No More Free Work from Marak: Pay Me or Fork This

Promoting yourself on Github hasn't had much in the way of features thus far. The profile's Readme.md being a tiny step in that direction. Unsure if future steps will include "social-networky" stuff, as a way of enhancing the GH Culture as you put it. Other sites have forums where people with different skills organize to collaborate (GFX, Audio, Coding, Promotion)

dreddson Nikola admits prototype was rolling downhill in promotional video

I'm looking forward to their electric / hydrogen plane, correction, glider.

dreddson New Zealand is about to test long-range wireless power transmission

It's also the age of NZ launching it's own satellites. Sadly this thread bumping up against the Nikola investigation seems to have tainted this thread with doubters. Growing up in NZ we are taught to have an inventive spirit even without resources. Using "number eight wire" as we call it. Stories about farmers inventing jet-boats to head up rapids looking for lost sheep, or a young Peter Beck with a rocket on the back of his bike, then naming his rockets after Rutherford. Not saying every kiwi invention is a winner, but don't let the knockers put you off trying is all.

dreddson New Zealand is about to test long-range wireless power transmission

Given NZ's geography, a niche like providing remote pilot projects power until cable or renewables are constructed would make the tech worth pursuing. You could back out without sunken costs or environment damage if the pilot doesn't go ahead.

NZ is proposing to go fully renewable by 2030 as well as promoting higher EV targets for 2023. We already import many right-hand drive Nissan Leafs reaching their 7-year EOL from Japan, so re-purposed batteries for off-grid storage will become very cost effective in short order.

Our aluminium smelter is also slated to close in a year which frees up about 10% - 15% of national electricity, and we have pumped storage for day/night loads separate from hydro.

Given the political climate here, niche opportunities abound imo.

dreddson Google is apparently taking down all/most Fediverse apps from the Play Store

Which i have always suspected was the real reason they killed off Google Wave in such a hurry, even thou we were told they found it useful for collaboration within Google.

dreddson The coming collision between autonomous vehicles and the liability system (2012) [pdf]

Bob was having yet another bad day, and everyone knows Bob drives like he owns the road, and is really just a ticking time bomb. Bob doesn't heed any of the caution his colleagues have, nor care.

That clever rock had many of the brightest geniuses on the planet working around the clock for decades steadily making it less prone to calamity. We entrust our lives and family on that proverbial magic carpet ride made by unseen digital gods. It's almost a religious level of faith and expectation. They thought rock-et science was hard...

dreddson The coming collision between autonomous vehicles and the liability system (2012) [pdf]

Generally we drivers are very poor at judging acceptable risk, like iffy weather conditions where we will feel pressure to keep that annoying tail-gaiter from overtaking even thou they are driving as if the conditions were optimal. Why? Time constrains of appointments or just a need to get home quickly. Then a myriad of things; stress, lack of sleep, boredom, age, health, hunger, intoxicants. We don't parse any of these risks at all well given the real conditions, as evidenced by the road toll. Removing human foibles from everyday transport should make driving steadily safer just as automated systems have for flying or rail, etc.

As for the liability, perhaps some portion of the reduction of insurance costs for damages to health and property can be funneled into a fund for mitigating wherever improvements are most needed across the sector generally including signage, road markings, code audits, sensor checks and so on. A small levy on the autonomous car's insurance should do the trick.

dreddson Apple takes legal action against small company with pear logo

Rotten. It's going to go pear-shaped clearly.

dreddson Silicon Valley’s Vast Data Collection Should Worry You More Than TikTok

Watch "A Good American" (doco) and let me know if "the govt" (parts thereof) have citizen's best interests at heart.

AI in the wrong hands (MIC) has been a warning in countless films. Competing with China's Military by weaponizing AI is not the solution to a problem. It's "becoming what you fear".

We've seen SV employees protest the moves their corporations are making (facial recog, lethal robotics, etc) so Eric taking this out of Google into "startups" is really skirting around the perception issue (ie. PR of doing "evil").

dreddson U.S. government issues travel warning for New Zealand due to '23 active cases'

100 days without community transmission today (Sunday) so there's talk of loosening restrictions for "essential skilled migrants". Hope your application goes well.

[1] https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/122380097/tick-tic...

dreddson U.S. government issues travel warning for New Zealand due to '23 active cases'

We're letting in film crews, so this could be seen as a brain drain of Hollywood. James Cameron moved his family here from LA before Covid so that's more to do with Weta Digital and lifestyle etc.

dreddson Silicon Valley’s Vast Data Collection Should Worry You More Than TikTok

1 - "China vs America AI Race" by Eric “If you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to fear” Schmidt. (note: all AI requires "spying", a-la Tesla Autopilot, smart-watches etc)

2 - Eric Schmidt's Pentagon Offensive: "..through his own venture capital firm and a [$15] billion fortune, Mr. Schmidt has invested millions of dollars into more than half a dozen defense start-ups.. The former Google C.E.O. has reinvented himself as the prime liaison between Silicon Valley and the Military-Industrial Complex.

[1] https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/china-versus-am...

[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/02/technology/eric-schmidt-p...

dreddson Co-founder of Gokada found decapitated, dismembered inside New York condo

Update: "..a personal assistant of a young tech entrepreneur ... was arrested early on Friday and is expected to be charged in the grisly killing."

Lots of prior speculation, but this early arrest will be some small comfort to his family and friends.

dreddson Live BTC transactions in Twitter hack

In that scenario 10% per month would be a sufficient inducement and likely more believable given the volatility.

dreddson Show HN: Add what Twitter's missing - good thread editor, edit tweets and more

Anyone can edit a screenshot.

dreddson Tesla worst for reliability in American driver survey

Some might consider it a feature if the glove box needs some known-only-to-the-owner quirk to open as basic security, at least prior to having voice/phone activation as an option. As i understood it, the valet mode is an early preparation for autopilot ride-hailing activity while the owner is working, otherwise known as robo-taxi mode, in order to keep the compartment locked in non-privileged cases. Can any owners confirm this?