Hacker News Reader

peterashfordon Java sealed classes and exhaustive pattern matching

See, this is entirely the problem. Your "table stakes" includes stuff I 100% do not want - like async

peterashfordon US criticises Australia's proposed algorithm opt-out laws as 'censorship'

non sequitur

peterashfordon Does Georgism work? Five years later

Go check the Suffragettes in the UK. They literally waged war on men

peterashfordon Does Georgism work? Five years later

and thus you show it really is precisely a strawman you've put forward. you assume the worst of the argument, where I do not: hence me saying as much and saying that you made a strawman, because you assume the worst.

peterashfordon Does Georgism work? Five years later

I really dont think that describes my point at all

peterashfordon Does Georgism work? Five years later

Famously, technology didn't exist before Capitalism. No technology was created under Communism, for example

peterashfordon Does Georgism work? Five years later

That sounds like a strawman. What you're arguing against is not how I read the parent

peterashfordon Does Georgism work? Five years later

I don't think any significant social change has been bought about by people asking nicely. Votes for women, anti racism, worker's rights, land rights - all hard fought for.

peterashfordon Finally, A True Blue Rose Exists

Qualia vs phenomena. Both are real

peterashfordon There are no "rogue" AI agents

It isn't

peterashfordon US criticises Australia's proposed algorithm opt-out laws as 'censorship'

Being pro Palestine in no way implies a "reverse genocide". JFC

peterashfordon MiMo v2.6

As long as that speech doesn't come from CNN or criticise Charlie Kirk, Israel or Trump? I'm sceptical about how much the US really values free speech

peterashfordon Xiaomi MiMo v2.6

As a New Zealander, I would agree - no reason to prefer the Chinese. But Trump's America is not an attractive option either and there's no reason to prefer it. And given the choice between two ugly options, the rational choice is the cheaper one, surely.

peterashfordon Java 27

what? on every post? is that really practical?

peterashfordon Java 27

Yeah, this is the C++ kitchen sink approach and its the reason I don't favour rushing features. Never a second chance to get it right the first time

peterashfordon Java 27

I'm always switching to the latest versions. Performance upgrades with no effort. Why wouldn't you (assuming you're not pinned by a dependency)

peterashfordon I can't stop thinking about Papua New Guinea

I was a volunteer in PNG at the PNG Institute of Medical Research, which at that time was run by Michael Alpers, the guy who did the initial scientific investigation into Kuru - the disease mentioned in the article. Fascinating stuff. I lived for just over half a year in Goroka the highlands, then a further year in Madang on the north coast. That was 25 years ago now but I will never forget it.

peterashfordon AI recursive self-improvement might not come so quickly after all

It may be tiresome, but it's true. It doesn't refute the article's premise thou, only retesting with newer models would and that would be the same tiresome requirement you already called out

peterashfordon AI recursive self-improvement might not come so quickly after all

I agree with you somewhat but I also just this morning read an article from a Blender educator who tried to replicate the Blender demos and couldnt get the same quality of results nor get results without errors that werent evident in Anthropic's demos

peterashfordon iPhone Duo

People mythologising Apple design will never get old

peterashfordon Real photos of young girls were in nudify-app ads on Facebook, Instagram

Expecting a corporate to police itself is, obviously, a joke

peterashfordon Space Force Uniform Is Inspired by Quasi-Satirical Film 'Starship Troopers'

This is what I came here to say.

peterashfordon Getting your hands dirty is good for you

I'm sure the behavioural point is correct, but surfactants effect oils in a way that water does not. Water will not be as effective

peterashfordon Nauru, the 3rd-smallest country, changes its name to Naoero

What makes you say their government is corrupt? And how do you imagine this change effecting their chances of employment? Capitalists thumbing through their list of Places to Exploit and they get to Naoero and exclaim "That's too hard to pronounce! I'll exploit people from N'Djamena instead"?

peterashfordon A particle made of force: physicists say they've found mysterious 'glueball'

Einstein? Rutherford, I think

peterashfordon Nauru, the 3rd-smallest country, changes its name to Naoero

Yes. Not that it was ever up for sale, obviously

peterashfordon Nauru, the 3rd-smallest country, changes its name to Naoero

fortunately, it's not a consumer product

peterashfordon The American sports plutocracy

Well, Adam Smith was a true Scotsman, and he hated rent seeking and I'm pretty sure he'd hate neoliberalism as well.

You're taking a strawman of the parent post. Their point was about people espousing dogma. You turned that into 'anyone who disagrees with me'. Not cool