Hacker News Reader

tmnvixon Postgres 19 is late because so many more bugs are being found now

I'm pretty sure that the Luddite's were at least partly concerned with potential for the further exploitation of unskilled labour (in the case of mills at the time - child orphans). I don't think it would be fair to paint them as simply self-interested.

tmnvixon DoorDash to acquire Instacart

Surely the recourse is to send them to the back of the queue? It's not like the driver rates the store, right?

tmnvixon El Niño is flooding California's coasts with the highest tides to come

I think a common view is that the strength (and possibly frequency?) of El Niño is a symptom of climate change.

tmnvixon Lula wins election after final votes tallied

The New York Times and The Washington Post left wing bastions?

Either your list is way out of date or the Overton Window is so far to the right in the US that this statement is somehow possible.

There are many more institutions on that list that are explicitly not left wing by non-US standards.

tmnvixon Investor-owned utilities charge 23% more for electricity than public providers

We have more than enough experience to know that privatising infrastructure is often a terrible move as far as consumers are concerned. Yet we still fall for the lie of 'private efficiency'.

The truth is that the efficiency argument is just a fig leaf for the true ideological motivation to sell off publicly owned assets. The true reason is at the core of neoliberalism and it is essentially to increase investment opportunities for people with capital. Nothing (not even childcare) can be provided by people for people. It must be offered up to 'the market'.

tmnvixon Tesla Roadster

> Public transport has inherent problems that cannot be solved that will always have it be less convenient than a car.

Keyword here being 'convenient'.

We have been seduced by convenience. Moreso than simple greed, I would say. Unfortunately, convenience is killing us. It is also robbing us of satisfaction.

tmnvixon Do Frameworks Matter Anymore?

You'll have to pry Django from my cold, dead hands.

Like others, I use AI to write code these days, but that makes it all the more important that I can make sense of it quickly. The conventions of a framework help with that.

Also, the boat may be leaving, but I still have one foot on the shore. I'm holding on to my independence - even if I might be kidding myself and it turns out I'll be dependent on AI from here on out. I just can't shake the feeling that the rug (or maybe more appropriately - flying carpet) might be pulled out from under me.

(For what it's worth, I gave up on React over 5 years ago)

tmnvixon The evolution of effective altruism

I can't answer your question as to why, but the only person that has ever tried to convince me to consider effective altruism was in charge of marketing for the New Zealand Taxpayer's Union (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_Taxpayers%27_Union). Even at the time (without knowing much about EA) it seemed immediately clear that this person was essentially 'ethics washing'.

tmnvixon Federal judge calls Flock 'indiscriminate mass surveillance'

Or maybe some other cultural reason?

tmnvixon ICC judge on what U.S. sanctions mean for her and global courts

> Palestine isn't an internationally-recognized state for better or worse.

Yes, it is.

From Wikipedia:

"Palestine is a permanent non-member observer state at the United Nations (UN) and is recognized as a sovereign state by 157 of the UN's 193 member states."

tmnvixon ICC judge on what U.S. sanctions mean for her and global courts

There is a difference between a state and its governing party (or parties).

Also worth noting that the ICC issued arrest warrants for (now dead) Hamas leaders.

tmnvixon ICC judge on what U.S. sanctions mean for her and global courts

I think you mean Americans. Are the Europeans in the habit of issuing unilateral sanctions in an attempt to impose their domestic law internationally?

tmnvixon ICC judge on what U.S. sanctions mean for her and global courts

If the target were legitimate then maybe the EU could stick to respecting legitimate sanctions.

What many people seem to forget is that the US is in the habit of issuing unilateral sanctions. They are not legitimate in the way UN sanctions are.

tmnvixon ICC judge on what U.S. sanctions mean for her and global courts

A 'defensive policy' put into practice in the territory of another state that is a signatory.

If you commit crimes in another state, expect to be judged according to their system of law (which in this case includes the ICC).

tmnvixon Attention is all you have

From time to time I remind myself of a rule that has worked well for me. I call it 'no idle screentime'. It makes me more cognisant of when I am browsing without purpose or going off on an unhelpful tangent.

tmnvixon Attention is all you have

Settle down Socrates.

tmnvixon Far-left party wins Berlin election, pledging to nationalise housing

Same story in NZ.

tmnvixon Uber ordered to pay $40M over death of woman left on Southern California freeway

Lifetime earnings? That is a very poor measure of a person's life.

tmnvixon How much oil-market buffer is left?

Interestingly, my dictionary gives the following (amongst other definitions of course):

> possessing supreme or ultimate power: in modern democracies the people's will is in theory sovereign.

tmnvixon How much oil-market buffer is left?

Depends what 'sovereign' implies. The will of the people? Or maybe the will of those that lobby government the hardest (e.g. oil companies)? If the latter, then export bans might not arrive anytime soon.

tmnvixon Data collected by cars and sold to third parties

Presumably the mileage is a subset of the data that makes up "the record"?

tmnvixon Eating Fruit Skins

I much prefer grapes with seeds. They are much tastier and have a nicer texture in my opinion. The difference is enough that I almost consider the seedless variety to be a separate fruit altogether.

tmnvixon Houthis 'take control' of key island in global shipping route

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_the_Uni...

Plenty to consider there

tmnvixon The Real Luxuries In Life

Exactly my experience and fits with my idea of how time is perceived in general. Ask a young child what they did this last week and they can likely rattle off a whole bunch of things that they've learned/experienced/discovered for the first time - a lot of 'memory milestones'. Ask your average adult and you'll often just get "same same" - no new 'memory milestones' because the week was pretty much just a repeat of a regular routine.

As for how it feels at the time. There's a lot of truth in the sayings "time flies when you're having fun" and "a watched pot never boils".

It's a paradox.

tmnvixon Hackers had a live feed of every ID verification company scanned for over a year

The DMV sells the data you give to the DMV. The DMV does not sell the data you give to the DMV to the DMV.

tmnvixon A mysterious kidney disease has arrived in Texas

The really nasty bit is that taking the time to drink some water or apply sunscreen is considered a break and not just part of the bloody job. What's next? Standing up to stretch?

tmnvixon The world may have less time than it thinks on climate change

Even without the possibility of solving the problem, individuals can still choose to stop contributing to it. You might feel better about the whole thing at the very least. As an added bonus, the more people that choose to stop contributing, the easier it becomes for others to do the same (e.g. less driving --> more cyclists and pedestrians --> better cycling and pedestrian environment).

tmnvixon A Blackstone real estate company exposed SSN digits, DOBs, addresses and more

That sucks. Maybe it's a cultural thing or due to different regulations (I'm not in North America)?

Anyhow, all else being equal, so long as I am living in a transactional society, I prefer those transactions to be with people I actually know. I like real relationships. So much of the way we are changing as a society seems to be alienating us from each other - I make a point of trying to counter that in my daily life.

tmnvixon Play Dates

> In 1971, 80% of 7-8 year olds travelled to school independently. By 1990, it was 9%.

I feel for these kids. That time finding my own way home as a child was precious to me. It was my time. I was responsible for myself. I imagine you don't get a lot of that sort of time as a young child anymore. It's incredibly valuable - an opportunity to take and learn about risks (groups of young kids are actually really good at looking out for each other). A little chance each day to discover a bit of what the real world is about. A chance to be a member of your community on your own terms (dropping into shops along the way, putting a few coins in the arcade machine, greeting people you'd see regularly, etc).

tmnvixon A Blackstone real estate company exposed SSN digits, DOBs, addresses and more

Personally, I've always had a better experience dealing directly with small time landlords than with property managers. For a start, they have been less likely to raise rents at every opportunity. I also prefer when my money goes to someone in my community/local area.