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pugworthy

3,189 karma · joined December 10, 2014

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pugworthy··on Everything should be a random number generator
I've always liked the idea of file compression based on the idea that theoretically the right seed would create a sequence of values that matched the data to be compressed. So 1 or more seeds (and an implementation of the random number generator) encapsulated an entire file.

I mean in a reverse way Minecraft does this to some extent, beyond you're going seed to world, not world to seed - and there are worlds with no seed that will make them.

pugworthy··on We know 15k websites are infected. how do we tell them?
Yes, but 15k emails...

It would have to be a fully automated / AI system that attempted to scrape sites for contact emails, look up domain ownership if possible, and even guess emails (info@<domain>, contact@<domain>, support@<domain>, etc.)

pugworthy··on Size-It-Up (Game)
An astronomical version would be fun. Planets, stars, galaxies, etc.
pugworthy··on I wish tech companies knew more about me
Forget the camera analogy. Use something like a new toilet seat. I buy one, I don't need to buy more. I'm not a toilet seat collector.
pugworthy··on US boy names that became girl names and vice versa
Ambiguous couple names are always a challenge. I indirectly know of a Tony and Dawn. Or is it Toni and Don? I can never remember which is which.
pugworthy··on Radiation Map of the World
I think I finally know how The Prisoner was recorded in the database.
pugworthy··on Simple circuits can create complex behaviors
Thank you - also came to comment on Elmer and Elise being the precursor long ago.

Walter himself mentioned the perceived complexity of a simple system to the observer, stating it "might be accepted as evidence of some degree of self-awareness."

pugworthy··on Serbia just elected the world's brainiest parliament
As opposed to say, that career politicians will be overly confident in scientific decisions they make in new domains completely foreign to them, primarily due to their expertise in their own domains and that this will lead to disastrous policy decisions.
pugworthy··on The oldest ice disappears and the Stone Age emerges from it
Just saw a presentation at the OSU PRAx Center last night bringing science and arts together (https://prax.oregonstate.edu/poetry-polar-science).

One of the presentations was on this research, and I was somewhat amazed the new stretch goal is to find 10 million year old ice. More power to them!

pugworthy··on The oldest ice disappears and the Stone Age emerges from it
To be clear, so far some of the oldest ice found is over 6 million years old...

https://news.oregonstate.edu/news/six-million-year-old-ice-d...

pugworthy··on Linode Security Incident
Lately it seems like we need "hacks.ycombinator.com" as a new sub-list.
pugworthy··on A Health Update
I take it for RA, and am kind of amazed I've not had any real side effects per se. Daily Folic Acid (which I take) is supposed to help. I take it once a week (20 mg). And was also kind of surprised when I started reading up on it what it also was used for.
pugworthy··on MicroZig to Adopt Strict No LLM / No AI Policy
There will probably be a time when it's impossible to determine if content came from an LLM or a human. We're currently in the, "It's been 'shopped, I can tell by the pixels" stage.
pugworthy··on Startup taps underwater volcano as energy source in “proof point” test
It's not about heat loss, it's about possible impact on the ocean floor and thus the unique ecosystems of hydrothermal vents. It may have a low-impact profile when managed correctly, but the process carries potential risks to delicate benthic ecosystems if not done well.

I'm not saying this work is a bad thing, just that one needs to be pretty careful about it. It's probably a soap box I'm more willing to jump up on being a former marine technician on research ships for many years.

pugworthy··on Startup taps underwater volcano as energy source in “proof point” test
My first thought was to wonder what the impact is on existing hydrothermal ecosystems.

The Axial Seamount area is not at all some dead barren zone we can just tap into without concern for ecological harm. Hydrothermal vent areas are very vibrant ecosystems that influence deep ocean ecology in ways we already understand, and probably ways we don't yet understand.

I am glad to see in their press release [1] they do mention careful selection of sites, conditions for operation, and ecological monitoring. And the area is already the focus of oceanographic research by various institutions.

[1] https://www.enduranceenergy.com/press/adelie

pugworthy··on Show HN: SimCity, but with Permits
Next up, Stardew Valley with an HOA
pugworthy··on Do dentists know what they're doing?
TL;DR

Dental advice is contradictory, confident, and often self-serving, so the patient can’t tell who to believe.

pugworthy··on Things to know when you get cancer – 2026 Edition
A few comments based on having gone through prostate cancer as well as observing how others deal with it (or don't).

As much as you need the health care system to make decisions and act, you need to do the same. And there are some kinds of cancer where talking about it is embarrassing, or fear of treatment keeps the patient from proceeding - not the doctor.

Prostate cancer detection for example has it's basic roots in the PSA test (easy enough), but also DRE (Digital Rectal Exam). As things go for exams, it's not many people's favorites and some will put it off.

Next up, say you have higher PSA. You probably will get sent off for a biopsy. Guess where they have to go to get core samples? There are a few routes, but none of them are what one might call fun at all.

So just to get diagnosed, you're going to find people who will put it off or not do it simply because they have anxiety or otherwise are uncomfortable about it.

Then there's the outcomes of the treatments - of which there are many types of treatments. The two big negatives of treatment can be incontinence and erectile dysfunction. That and your penis might be shorter post surgery if you go that route.

What that does is get people who need treatment going from doctor to doctor to find the one that tells them what they want to hear (no side effects). It's paralysis by analysis combined with fear of the not necessarily guaranteed side effects.

But there is one side effect if you do nothing for long enough - you'll die.

So do something - don't let the blocker to treatment be you.

pugworthy··on Apple/macOS removed from official Unix registry
Totally off topic, but I'm replying to an old comment from 3 months ago about me getting a ticket to KGATLW due to a gmail name typo. ("Are you in the weights?")

Yes I went!

The other me had bought new tickets already by the time I tracked him down, and he said "Just keep them!" I took the Amtrak down from Oregon to the Bay Area, and my daughter and I met up with the other me for drinks before the concert at the Frost Amphitheater. GREAT time, tons of fun. Wouldn't have been on my list per se but as an impulsive fun thing to do it was fantastic!

pugworthy··on Show HN: TerrainSR – fast, realistic heightmap upscaling model
Ages ago I was working on a Mars-based game idea and at the time the terrain res data wasn't great. This kind of concept really would have been a game changer (as it were).
pugworthy··on Show HN: TerrainSR – fast, realistic heightmap upscaling model
Really neat idea - would have loved to have this 15-20 years ago!

I'm curious how it does for non-Earth data. Mars terrain for example.

pugworthy··on ChatGPT is adding real cartoonists' signatures to fake New Yorker cartoons
Christ, what an asshole
pugworthy··on Owed a billion dollars in Nvidia stock
Bought $1000 of MSFT right after IPO. Went up 20% very quickly. Sold it immediately feeling confident I'd done the right thing. Worth $5+ million now I think?
pugworthy··on Owed a billion dollars in Nvidia stock
To satisfy the curious, "I have been everything, and nothing is worth it."

Well quoted.

pugworthy··on Database and Map of Flock Surveillance Cameras
I've gone and looked at all the locations in my town listed - every one of them is wrong. I think if there were 7 Condor Trailer cameras for example at one of the locations given, it would be pretty obvious. Or if a local Credit Union had a Falcon unit it would be pretty obvious too.
pugworthy··on Flock updates privacy, accountability, security, and transparency safeguards
I would encourage anyone concerned about cameras in their town to explore the DeFlock website map (and app). It allows crowdsourced reporting of camera locations.

I also would STRONGLY encourage people to actually go look for any ALPR reported in their town, because DeFlock also allows crowdsourced corrections to misreported instances.

Where I live, it had been reported that we had 9 ALPR cameras, which in fact were not ALPR cameras but rather traffic management cameras - or in two cases not cameras at all. It gave the impression of a problem that didn't exist here.

pugworthy··on Ask HN: What are you working on? (August 2026)
Enjoying retirement. Amazed how fast I was able to just stop thinking about software. It's very liberating.
pugworthy··on Are we offloading too much of our thinking to AI?
I'm probably not the only person that types math problems into google search because I'm too lazy to open up a calculator (or do the math myself). So yes, given I do that, I probably am susceptible to offloading some of my thinking to AI.
pugworthy··on Buried Apple feature turns an iPhone into the perfect kids' dumb phone
This might be just the thing for my elderly mother. She's used an iPhone for many many years, but struggles lately with motor dexterity, vision, and a bit of cognitive challenge making phone usage difficult. Lots of things I'd like to just hide she doesn't need to get to (like Settings).
pugworthy··on EVE Online's Carbon engine is now open source: Fenris Creations explains why
MMOSS (Massive Multiplayer Online Screen Saver) is what I've always seen it as. Beautiful game. Not for the faint of heart .
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