Hacker News Reader

type_Ben_structon I couldn't find a free, no-login, no-AI checklist app–so I built one

base64 isn’t just for images. You can encode text so unsure why you’d need OCR?

type_Ben_structon Who Wants 30k Used Teslas?

It’s amazing how he’s so far managed to avoid repercussions from his outright lies and deceit. The biggest example being Tesla full self driving that has been promised for years and never materialised.

type_Ben_structon Tired of late messages from your boss? A new bill aims to make it illegal

https://archive.ph/nmk8i

Seems impractical and difficult to enforce. Will be a stigma and potential realisation towards those who try and get their management fined.

type_Ben_structon 'HR is not your friend': why frustrated workers are hiring reps of their own

This is not exclusive to the US and should be common sense.

Except where legally required (e.g. government provided attorney) it should come as no surprise that people are loyal to whoever pays them.

HR are paid by the company, and thus they will act in the interests of said company.

type_Ben_structon Black Uber Eats driver banned after "continued mismatches" by facial-recognition

Specific issue aside, one thing I find so frustrating is that it’s basically impossible to contact big tech. He had to sue for this to get resolved. I get that AI and heavily automated processes are always going to be a thing with platforms with so many users, but there needs to be a way to speak to a real human who is empowered to fix issues when things aren’t working.

This is especially bad in Ubers case given the extortionate service charge that they add. It’s not like it’s an ad supported free user that brings hardly any revenue.

type_Ben_structon iOS 17.5 Lets EU iPhone Users Download Apps from Websites

I think this is going to cause the EU to issue a new set of laws which are even more robust than the current set. Apple seems to be baiting them with their behaviour.

type_Ben_structon Discord showing ads to paid users

https://discord.com/nitro doesn’t make any reference to an ad-free feature as a paid perk.

type_Ben_structon 'If it's Boeing, I'm not going': travelers nervous to fly after plane issues

Geo locked (at least in the UK): https://archive.ph/b4ngV

type_Ben_structon Nginx fork with builtin auto HTTPS certificate obtaining from Let's Encrypt

Hadn’t heard of Angie before, but looks like it’s developed by at least one of the folks who previously worked on nginx, specifically https://www.nginx.com/people/valentin-bartenev/.

There’s a few of these forks popping up, including https://freenginx.org (see: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/02/nginx...).

Not sure if this is a good thing, can’t help but feel it’d be better to consolidate these efforts.

type_Ben_structon X is testing NSFW adult communities, according to screenshots

Isn’t this just forcing communities to flag when they contain adult content? X has always allowed adult content to my knowledge, either that or they’re dreadful at taking content down.

type_Ben_structon What Boeing did to all the guys who remember how to build a plane

It baffles me how this happens time and time again in companies as they grow (albeit rarely with this level of human life consequence), and nobody ever seems to learn from it.

type_Ben_structon Dachshunds under threat as Germany proposes ban on breeding

I think this is a great move. We shouldn’t be inbreeding dogs that are unhealthy just because they’re cute.

type_Ben_structon Recent 'MFA Bombing' Attacks Targeting Apple Users

I’m still disappointed by Apples implementation of security keys. I want to be able to prevent all 2FA methods other than security keys, but it still seems possible in certain flows to authorise a new login with another iOS device making it vulnerable to this attack.

type_Ben_structon Security Bite: Here's why Apple is being vague with iOS 17.4.1 details

My money is on a particularly bad/exploitable CVE that they want to patch as widely as possible before giving specifics.

type_Ben_structon Redis Switches Licenses

Discussion from yesterday - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39772562

type_Ben_structon Users say Glassdoor added real names to user profiles without their consent

Agreed, but my point was that those that are lowest rated will likely have the worst cultures, and so would be *most likely* to retaliate. A company with a good culture would in theory be more likely to take any constructive feedback on board.

type_Ben_structon Users say Glassdoor added real names to user profiles without their consent

That is really shitty behaviour, and bizarre. Glassdoor is only feasible if users can have trust that their feedback is anonymous. I really hope this has not harmed anyone, I'd imagine the lower rated companies are most likely to retaliate.

type_Ben_structon FlipperZero: Our Response to the Canadian Government

It’s the equivalent of banning balaclavas to prevent burglaries. Sadly I think it’ll still prove a popular move as most people will lack the technical aptitude to understand that the FlipperZero is not used for car thefts.

type_Ben_structon Tell HN: OpenAI will require pre-purchased API credits from March 25th

Isn’t this the case already for most users? All I could find when searching was: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/8264644-what-is-prepaid-...

type_Ben_structon Google researchers unveil 'VLOGGER', an AI that can bring still photos to life

I’m still not convinced that Generative AI is going to be a net benefit for the human race.

type_Ben_structon Lawsuit proceeds over Amazon revoking "purchased" digital movie content

I would agree this is false advertising. When you hit “Buy” on a movie the only reasonable expectation is that you have the digital equivalent of an owned DVD.

When you “Rent” you are given an explicit warning that it is a time bound transaction, so if the same potentially applies to “Buying” a movie a warning should be equally visible and not hidden away in 100 pages of legal jargon.

type_Ben_structon Hackintosh is almost dead

I was also that kid. I remember an OSX upgrade breaking my mouse and I couldn't figure out how to get it working again. I was desperate for a Mac, but it was financially unattainable.

type_Ben_structon S3 is files, but not a filesystem

Tools like LucidLink and Weka go a way to making S3 even more of a “file system”. They break files into smaller chunks (S3 objects) which helps with partial writes, reads and performance. Alongside tiering of data from S3 to disk when needed for performance.

type_Ben_structon Canadian government banning Flipper Zero to combat auto theft

This is the equivalent of banning the import of balaclavas to stop robberies.

type_Ben_structon He's Lost His Marriage, His Followers and His Lamborghini

Without paywall: https://archive.ph/5dGvK

type_Ben_structon Ask HN: How to prevent Apple Vision Pro users from filming you?

I think it’s unlikely people will be roaming the streets with these on, and I’m unclear why this is a challenge specific to the Vision Pro? In most jurisdictions if you’re in a public place you can’t prevent anyone filming you.

You’ve got a strong signal you might be filmed with the Vision Pro in the form of a gigantic headset, if you’re that worried avoid people with them on.

type_Ben_structon [dead]

https://archive.is/2vwWT

type_Ben_structon Google Crimes

There’s a beautiful irony that this site is littered with Google Ads (and more clickjacking than a porn site)

type_Ben_structon IFTTT is killing its pay-what-you-want Legacy Pro plan (2023)

I’d happily pirate all of my content and sleep well at night. I don’t do this to justify anything to myself or give myself “comfort”.

But I earn enough to pay for my content so I make a decision to do that.