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powerslacker

378 karma · joined December 12, 2017

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powerslacker··on I employed a California resident, so now I’m subject to its regulations
Just because bits are travelling across the wire and the digital artifacts happen to stored in Kalamazoo does not mean services or goods have crossed state lines. Otherwise, using a telephone to talk to your employee or customer in another state would involve crossing state lines. That simply isn't the case in the normal course of business.

The fact that this conversation is this complex gives me a feeling that remote work is going to be the backdrop for a lot of court cases in the next decade.

powerslacker··on I employed a California resident, so now I’m subject to its regulations
I don't agree with the conclusion that a stronger Federal government is necessarily a good thing. Though even if that is someone's conclusion I don't think it is worth downvoting. It seems like more users are treating downvote as "I disagree" these days.

> Let California tax-implode during a time of unforeseen redistribution of labor.

Yes. "You made your bed, now lie in it" is good policy methinks.

powerslacker··on I employed a California resident, so now I’m subject to its regulations
I suppose it could be, since the commerce clause is also routinely cited as justification for "war on drugs" type of efforts. However, I don't think it is as clear cut as you make it. A contract executed in one state is not automatically interstate simply because the parties to the contract reside or operate in different states. It matters where the contract is executed. A contract can state things like "will be judged in an XYZ court according to XYZ law".
powerslacker··on I employed a California resident, so now I’m subject to its regulations
I am quoting the author of the article.
powerslacker··on I employed a California resident, so now I’m subject to its regulations
Interesting that your post is being downvoted for some reason though many have already made this point.
powerslacker··on I employed a California resident, so now I’m subject to its regulations
Very well written. Mirrors my own experiences with the California tax system as well.

> Congress needs to pass a law that says that hiring a remote employee in a particular state does not, by itself, create nexus for sales or corporate income tax purposes.

As far I understand, Congress does not have the authority to override the states in this way. I don't think it should either.

> stay out of California, and never hire anyone who lives there.

This is the correct way to deal with 'greedy states'. Don't give them the time of day.

powerslacker··on Ask HN: Am I an arrogant or am I surrounded by incompetent people?
> I'm beginning to think that I just need a reality check on what standards to hold others to - but at the same time, I can't help but wonder how some of my peers are passing classes or getting hired.

You are not alone. Unfortunately, you will find the your experience is generally common in the industry. Care for the craft is something rare. On the upside side you will excel in engineering work as an individual contributor if you can develop a good attitude. On the downside you will spend many years dealing with people whose competency is questionable at best.

As for what standard to hold others to: be patient and kind. Always assume good intent. Enlighten others in any way you can and be gentle while doing so. Raise the bar for them one millimeter at a time if neccesary. It takes time and effort to earn trust, but once you have it you have the capability to uplift those around you, which is a precious gift. Don't squander it because of pride.

powerslacker··on Google’s AI-powered ‘inclusive warnings’ feature is very broken
Pretty interesting that there are people who legitimately believe the megacorps are 'the good guys' because of stunts like this.
powerslacker··on TSMC head says drive to onshore chip supply chain is 'unrealistic'
> to bring a full supply chain back and try to be fully self-reliant is totally not efficient. ... At the end of the day, that additional capacity could become non-profitable capacity."

It doesn't matter if it isn't profitable, because if cars, trains, and computers go offline because of chip production supply chain issues then a huge portion of the workforce can't participate. If regional war blocks trade from Taiwan we will be hosed within a matter of years.

powerslacker··on Ask HN: Was that it in terms of economic growth?
If there is less air and there is suddenly a market for air is humanity collectively richer or poorer?

> Official measures of economy are mostly about money moving around.

Agreed.

What I'm trying to say is I'm not worried about the official numbers representing a doomsday scenario.

powerslacker··on Ask HN: Was that it in terms of economic growth?
I just planted some fruit trees in my backyard. Assuming all goes well there will be more fruit in the future. I plan to eat some of that fruit and give some of it to my friends, family, and community. That means that absent any decline the amount of goods available has increased.

You can make houses out of mud and clay.

Some countries are turning garbage into fuel and using that fuel to power their homes and businesses.

The economy can always continue to grow. It doesn't always grow, but there's no real reason to expect that we are about to run out of everything.

The only thing that I'm concerned about us running low on is food. Localized food shortages are likely over the next couple of years and that can cause major instability which is not a pleasant experience historically speaking.

powerslacker··on Go Developer Survey 2021 Results
Same here. The Go approach is easy to read and eye compile. I can't stand exceptions now.
powerslacker··on Why No One Wants to Talk About Sweden
> In the US, the average guess in mid-July was that 9% of the population had died.

We need some studies on how bad the average American is at guesswork. 9% is an incredibly bad guess.

powerslacker··on Canadians consider certain religions damaging to society: survey
I appreciate you taking the time to read my post and making a coherent and thoughtful reply.

> to the point where we react viscerally to even the suggestion that someone who doesn't share tribal value X can still be a good person.

I'm not arguing that anyone is a good person. The New Testament teaches that there are exactly zero good people apart from Jesus. It's not that I or other religious people are 'good'. However, Abrahamic faiths have enough in common that a shared government where the religious privileges of each group are protected is theoretically possible. I don't see that as a possibility with atheists, agnostics, or polytheistic. Most first world nations are operating under the idea that we can all get along but the reality is that we cannot because our worldviews are diametrically opposed in several areas.

> What defines good is our shared picture of empathy, consent, maximizing joy, minimizing suffering, reciprocity, etc. Basic golden rule stuff that's built into most of us and within reach of all of us.

First, I do not agree that this is built into most of us. That's one of the core tenets of Christianity (Orthodox Judaism as well...but I'm not as well versed there) and I think this is obvious. It seems you and I disagree here, but I think the evidence, especially looking back at various civilizations proves that mankind does not generally follow 'the golden rule'.

Second, most of the values you've listed are not our shared values but are simple utilitarianism.

I certainly do not regard 'consent' as a shared value. Consent is the framework that replaced the marital framework after the sexual revolution of the 1960s. Certainly, the idea of consent existed before that, but using it as a legal framework is a relatively modern development.

I also don't place value of minimizing suffering. People occasionally need to suffer. Using suffering reduction as a framework for moral action would lead to the destruction of the rich so that their wealth can be liquidated and redistributed in the form of food and housing. This is a 'for the greater good' type of thinking, and while I can see why someone might choose to subscribe to such an ideal, it certainly isn't part of how I define morality or good.

In summary: Abrahamic faiths have more in common with each other, despite their disagreements than they do with any primarily materialist position including atheism and utilitarianism.

powerslacker··on Canadians consider certain religions damaging to society: survey
Values concerning sexual purity, obscenity, drug use, the transcendence of the almighty God, the material and immaterial parts of mankind, and the complementary roles of men and women are inherent in Biblical teaching. Some of these can be present among atheists, and they may be regarded as good. The difference is these values (and more) are present and regarded as good in varying degrees in every Abrahamic religion.

Sure there are atheists who are altruistic. But fundamentally there is little common ground, because an atheist does not believe in a divine being who is the source of all morality.

The question I would ask an atheist is: what is good and who defines it?

powerslacker··on Canadians consider certain religions damaging to society: survey
They are suspicious because the Abrahamic faiths all fundamentally disagree on core theological issues.
powerslacker··on Canadians consider certain religions damaging to society: survey
The differences between those 'last few prophets' are major. You could say the same thing about Mormonism. Further, Jews, Muslims, and Christians are not monoliths in and of themselves. There are vast divides within those groups. I do wish we would all get along better though. Despite the differences between the various Abrahamic faiths, we have far similar values with each other than with atheists.
powerslacker··on What does “shitty job” mean in the low-skill, low-pay world?
They aren't neccesarily designed that way, it is the reality of democratic local governance that real property owners in a community are naturally going to vote for measures that maximize the value of their property so that they can sell it once the land has a more profitable use than their own. When everyone votes for their own economic interest it tends to make real property more expensive over time.
powerslacker··on Twitter Should Open Up the Algorithm
I sure do. "The algorithm" fits nicely in articles complaining about unfair treatment, but it's not a real thing. Any mildly complicated reccomendation system is going to be 1) more than a single algorithm 2) far beyond the reasoning skills of laymen.
powerslacker··on Tax the Land
Income tax definitely disincentives work. Source: my life. In the current economic situation I could easily take on another 40/hour a week job. If I do that I only get to keep just over half of the additional pay my extra job would supply. It's not worth my time to work for half my 'hourly rate'. So now there's an extra job vacancy.
powerslacker··on California's Vanished Dream, by the Numbers
There's video footage of mass burglaries. I don't know what more proof you want.
powerslacker··on A dirty dish by the sink can be a big marriage problem
Funnily enough, randoms on the internet seem to think they know your wife better than you do.

I agree with your position, not everyone is suited for every task. In my house, there are certain chores that only I do because I'm the only one capable. On the other hand, there are certain chores my wife won't let me near because I'll make an absolute mess of things.

I think a good number of people on this site have swallowed a tad too much equality propaganda. Individuals are not all the same and they don't all have the same capabilities, instead individuals complement each other with their diverse skills, views, personalities, and natural talents.

powerslacker··on Food protests in China spill into Rioting
If nuclear weapons are such a powerful detterent to a poorly-armed asymmetric insurgency, then why do you think the US didn't decide to use nuclear weapons in Afghanistan/Iraq?
powerslacker··on Atlassian products have been down for 4 days
Curious how many boards/tickets you have in Linear. Is it ready for primetime or is it still a tool for small to medium companies?
powerslacker··on The Impervious Browser: Your Portal to the P2P Internet
Can you elaborate?
powerslacker··on Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed as first Black female high court justice
https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

You broke almost every guideline with that post. Please knock it off.

powerslacker··on AT&T's website raising the price every time I refresh the page
Accidentally the price thing is really easy to do.
powerslacker··on Plex launches feature to discover content across streaming services
I don't know about $200/month but I am 100% on board with paying for DRM free entertainment.
powerslacker··on Materialism in Society and How We Can Overcome It
I find it very odd that more and more of these self help and pseudo-religious blog posts have been showing up the last couple of weeks. Not sure if it is something new or I never noticed it before.

I think that the author is actually referring to consumerism but I'm splitting hairs. The point I'd really like to make about this article is that even if you 'overcome materialism' you will gain little if your entire worldview is predicated on the idea that 'feeling good' is a the barometer for a successful, happy, or fulfilling life. Judging the value of an action or thought in relation to your feelings is inherently hedonistic.

powerslacker··on Jack Dorsey has regrets about building Twitter
> in fact there's no single source (political party, etc) that would pay to originate this stuff

There are private firms working in cahoots with state actors to influence opinion and shape narrative all across the internet and especially on social media.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/50_Cent_Party

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Research_Agency

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook–Cambridge_Analytica...

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