Hacker News Reader

t3rseon Leaving and Waving

Hits hard for me as a Gen X - my parents are still here but it's a reminder of how time is passing on us. They live in Africa so visits are few.

t3rseon Launch HN: Lemonade Finance (YC S21) – Digital Bank for the African Diaspora

Maybe it could be a separate platform to insulate the risk... but I'd love to see a startup go all in on crypto remittances. Speaking as a Ugandan who has to send money back to Kampala 30-40 times per year.

t3rseon Book review on the history of modern Singapore

Should be required reading within education systems in developing countries. I'm not saying LKY was perfect and everything he did was right, I am saying his topics would have been more relevant for me (African, grew up in Nairobi) than WWII or the history of Europe.

t3rseon The Case Against More Ethanol (2016)

Any more recent research/studies on this topic?

t3rseon How to Find New Music

Bandcamp.

It has been mentioned by others but it bears repetition. From the curated articles to following different labels/artists, it is an incredible resource. I take comfort also knowing they are artist friendly.

t3rseon Edward Snowden book coming out Sept. 17

Is Vlad getting a cut for hosting him?

t3rseon Mauritius Leaks exposes tiny tax haven's role in vast offshore system

Ugandan here: when I read this story, I admit this was exactly what came to mind. Of course the system is dodgy if you can leverage Mauritius to get around taxes but the vast majority of taxes in Africa is just padding on a politicians bank account.

t3rseon Ask HN: How do you cope with loneliness?

Like many responding I understand your situation at least in part. One thing that helped me during my lonelier times was mailing lists. If you have a specific interest, see if you can find a mailing list hwere you'll find people with similar interests and geekiness. For me that was music, for you it could be something different entirely.

It may sound strange but I find a lot of friendship just in people's words - old books that I've carried with me through the years, literary critics, dead philosophers, internet famous (like PG) programmers who I've never met in person, and so on. An essay like "Why nerds are unpopular" goes a long way to getting some perspective on why you might be different.

Finally, as others mentioned, use the loneliness to your advantage. There may come a time where you're married with kids and your blissful moments of quiet come when you're on the can.

This too shall pass, make the most of it.