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xzjis

380 karma · joined October 5, 2021

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xzjis··on Why isn't the industry freaking out about DeepSeek 4.1 Flash?
The problem with this low listed price per token is that, in reality, DeepSeek 4.1 Flash uses 10× more tokens than GPT-6.1 Sol for an equivalent task and delivers a lower-quality result. So there’s no real benefit to paying 10× less per token. Also, as someone else pointed out, OpenAI and Anthropic currently offer subsidized subscriptions for $100 or $200 a month that provide far more tokens than the API, so we should take advantage of them while that lasts.
xzjis··on Anthropic Subscriptions Offer 5x+ More Value Than OpenAI
I’d agree if Claude’s limits weren’t changing and getting lower month after month. For now, neither one is profitable for their lab, and I don’t find their plans very predictable.

We should take advantage of it while it lasts.

xzjis··on Anthropic Subscriptions Offer 5x+ More Value Than OpenAI
The title is misleading: by token count, it’s only 3× more valuable.

And there’s also a major error in the calculation: it doesn’t account for the “generous” resets that are mentioned at the beginning of the article!

Taking the 1 to 2 weekly resets into account and comparing tokens, the ChatGPT Pro 200 plan works out to be between 1.2× and 1.7× more cost-effective per token than Claude’s for Astra/Fable, while for Sol/Opus it’s more like 0.7× to 1.04× as valuable.

However, this also doesn’t take into account the fact that, as another commenter pointed out, GPT-6.1 Sol currently uses fewer tokens to perform the same task (according to that comment, 5× fewer tokens, but I haven’t verified those numbers).

My figures are very rough, but the conclusion in the title is clearly false and clickbait. I get the impression that OpenAI offers better value for now, even if that means we’re relying on those “generous” resets continuing to happen.

xzjis··on Google Chrome silently installs a 4 GB AI model on your device without consent
That's really a bullshit argument. First off, there are plenty of technical solutions that allow minors (15-17 years old) to bypass the restrictions: using sites that don't follow the law, using Tor, etc. But furthermore, these measures to restrict access to porn are counterproductive for sex workers, because it makes their situation more precarious, and they only exist to weaponize the "think of the children" narrative in order to push draconian laws and social control. Soon it will be social media's turn, and then the entire internet asking for an ID. This isn't just an empty "slippery slope" argument, it's exactly what regulators are currently doing in all Western countries.
xzjis··on Period tracking app, Flo, found to be selling user data to Meta
The problem is that there is literally no other free and open-source app to track your periods, so you're forced to use some proprietary piece of shit that sells all possible medical information about its users.
xzjis··on Period tracking app, Flo, found to be selling user data to Meta
My friend isn't a developer; on the contrary, she's pretty tech illiterate. She has very little patience for testing 10 different apps. I think it would be possible to have two themes: a neutral one, and a pink and cute one.
xzjis··on Period tracking app, Flo, found to be selling user data to Meta
In the app description: "Not another cute, pink app. drip. is designed with gender inclusivity in mind"

So it's a perfectly conscious choice, and that's exactly what turns off some women who might prefer a cute, pink app. I have nothing against inclusivity, quite the opposite, but in this case they could offer two themes rather than imposing an app that isn't "cute". Even as a man, you can prefer cute things.

xzjis··on Period tracking app, Flo, found to be selling user data to Meta
Drip has a paradoxical flaw: by trying to be extremely inclusive and making a "gender-neutral" app (without the colour pink) to include trans people, it discourages some people from using it. At least, my friend told me she thought the design was ugly and was looking for a "cute" app, so she ended up using Flo instead of Drip despite my many warnings.

I think FLOSS apps often forget that not everyone is a developer or a nerd who prioritizes privacy and ethics over design, which is a real problem since people end up using proprietary apps that data-mine them.

xzjis··on USB Cheat Sheet (2022)
Or it could be: 5 Gbps --> USB 3 10 Gbps --> USB 3.1 20 Gbps --> USB 3.2

Higher number = better

xzjis··on We have a 99% email reputation, but Gmail disagrees
I set up my own mail server for my own use at home. I did everything correctly: DNS, reverse DNS, DMARC, DKIM, SPF, etc. I have the best possible reputation score everywhere. I am the sole owner and user of the IP. But Gmail's magic sauce blocks me because apparently I'm not allowed to send a few emails a week to my own Gmail address from a residential IP... This situation caused by a duopoly that forces us to use either Gmail or 365 is truly a problem that only a regulator can fix.
xzjis··on Microsoft is employing dark patterns to goad users into paying for storage?
The problem is that this incompetence is the result of (bad) choices by Microsoft's management. I'm not even talking about middle managers but the C-suite, who only care about satisfying shareholders, not about creating good working conditions or making sure the product is good.
xzjis··on I want to wash my car. The car wash is 50 meters away. Should I walk or drive?
Gemini 3 Flash is clearly a generation ahead of other LLMs, and as a result, it gave me the correct answer:

> Since your goal is to wash the car, you should drive.

> While 50 meters is a very short walking distance (roughly a 30-45 second walk), you cannot wash the car if it remains parked at your current location. To utilize the car wash facilities, the vehicle must be physically present at the site.

xzjis··on xAI joins SpaceX
It's a scam. I don't understand how EVERYONE falls for Elon Musk's obvious scams, when every year his claims are more fantastical and exaggerated than the last.

This is obviously about propping up a shaky business (SpaceX) by making people believe that data centers in space are a solution. It's just riding the AI hype wave.

It's impossible to cool servers effectively in space, and, even though I'm skeptical, I'm more inclined to believe in a project to put them in the ocean than in space, simply because water conducts heat, unlike a vacuum.

Sure, there's a lot of room in space, but: - it will always take more energy to get into orbit than to install servers on Earth - the distance between the data center and us adds latency, which is not desirable for an LLM - the distance between the satellites themselves adds a huge amount of latency, making the data center less efficient

In a nutshell, there are physical problems that can never, ever be solved by science or technology, and even science fiction doesn't dare to invent scenarios this implausible. But then, coming from a pedophile who lied about his ties to Epstein, is it really surprising that he's lying and trying to divert attention right now.

xzjis··on ICE using Palantir tool that feeds on Medicaid data
German pastor Martin Niemöller:

"First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."

xzjis··on ICE using Palantir tool that feeds on Medicaid data
Imagine what they could do with mental health data if they ever decide to start deporting people with mental "problems", just like the Nazis did in their time. The same goes for people with physical disabilities.
xzjis··on Indifference is a power (2015)
You really have to already be privileged, and not directly affected by these so-called “external causes” the author talks about, to be able to take comfort in ignoring them. But is that even desirable? Do we actually want to live in a society where the privileged ignore other people’s problems simply because they can? Is it even acceptable to say: “A fascist militia (ICE) kills a lesbian woman for no reason other than the fact that she is lesbian, but since I’m not the one targeted by ICE, I should disconnect from social media, turn off the TV, and ignore this injustice”?

Not only can external problems that affect our mental health serve as a driving force for action—because it is possible to organize and fight against the causes of these injustices—but in addition, inaction in the face of what is initially “external” inevitably leads to a point where we ourselves become affected by those same injustices.

I want to quote a sermon by the German pastor Martin Niemöller, who spoke precisely about this:

> First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out— > Because I was not a Communist. > > Then they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— > Because I was not a Socialist. > > Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— > Because I was not a Trade Unionist. > > Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— > Because I was not a Jew. > > Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

xzjis··on China DRAM Maker CXMT Targets $4.2B IPO as It Takes on Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron
As a free-software advocate, I believe competition should be based on investment in industrial machinery and labour, not on secretly guarded know-how. If Samsung, Micron, and SK-Electronics weren't an oligopoly trying to squeeze maximum profit out of consumers and instead offered good prices, China wouldn't be able to—and would have no interest in—subsidizing private companies to get them on the same level. It's only the greed of these three companies in their oligopoly that has put them in such a fragile position, where the slightest competition could be fatal to them.
xzjis··on Some Epstein file redactions are being undone
It wouldn't be malicious though. Well, it's malicious towards the Trump administration, but not towards the people. Quite the opposite.
xzjis··on Gemini 3 Flash: Frontier intelligence built for speed
Google already has dedicated hardware for running private LLMs: just look at what they're doing on the Google Pixel. The main limiting factor right now is access to hardware that's powerful enough, and especially has enough memory, to run a good LLM, which will happen eventually. Normally, by 2031 we should have devices with 400 GB of RAM, but the current RAM crisis could throw off my calculations...
xzjis··on If AI replaces workers, should it also pay taxes?
What's crazy is that productivity per employee just keeps increasing year after year, but successive neoliberal governments continue to lower corporate taxes. They should be doing the exact opposite! Taxes should be raised as productivity increases! AI is just one more tool that gradually increases productivity, among others.
xzjis··on Ask HN: How many people got VPNs in response to laws like UK Online Safety Act?
VPNs can never be completely banned because they're a tool used by businesses (nothing is more important than a business in neoliberal capitalism).
xzjis··on UniFi 5G
Back in school, I had a teacher who was in charge of installing 3G, 4G, and 5G antennas for a carrier in France. The answer is that the 4G frequency bands are saturated, and they pushed 5G mainly to relieve congestion on the 4G network. Theoretically, 5G has just as much range (maybe even a little bit more with beamforming) on the 700 MHz and 800 MHz bands.
xzjis··on RAM is so expensive, Samsung won't even sell it to Samsung
It's a political problem: do we, the people, have a choice in what gets prioritized? I think it's clear that the majority of people don't give a damn about minor improvements in AI and would rather have a better computer, smartphone, or something else for their daily lives than fuel the follies of OpenAI and its competitors. At worst, they can build more fabs simultaneously to have the necessary production for AI within a few years, but reallocating it right now is detrimental and nobody wants that, except for a few members of the crazy elite like Sam Altman or Elon Musk.
xzjis··on Ecosia: The greenest AI is here
I love Kagi's implementation: by default it's disabled, you either have to add a question mark to the search, or click in the interface after searching to generate the summary.
xzjis··on Search tool that only returns content created before ChatGPT's public release
I don't like defending Russia which is a horrible country, but I find it hypocritical to only talk about their imperialism and pretend not to see that the most imperialist country in the world, the one that has started, financed, and participated in the most wars, is the United States, and yet the question of boycotting American companies is never brought up. Google has been intentionally sabotaged in terms of image search and reverse image search; Yandex is literally the best on the market, but Kagi should boycott them because their headquarters are in the wrong country?
xzjis··on Ask HN: Quality of recent gens of Dell/Lenovo laptops worse than 10 years ago?
Have you considered at Framework? In my opinion, the two best brands are ThinkPads (though it depends on the model) and Frameworks.
xzjis··on Instagram chief orders staff back to the office five days a week in 2026
The reality is that middle managers are completely useless, but to justify their usefulness they have to force people to come to the office, to reprimand them if they don't strictly follow the schedule, to hold meetings to pretend they're useful by knowing what their team is doing, etc. They have to act as control agents: checking, monitoring, producing unnecessary reporting (a legacy of slavery) just to prove they exist in the organizational chart. The office is a theater where everyone pretends to be busy (especially them), but that's hard if the offices are empty. It's a system where we try to convince ourselves of their usefulness, which pushes them to fill the void in order to maintain a hierarchy that serves more to prevent people from working peacefully than to organize anything.
xzjis··on Leak confirms OpenAI is preparing ads on ChatGPT for public roll out
If I play devil's advocate, I'd say the productivity gain is so significant that even with the distraction of ads, you still save time by using LLMs :)
xzjis··on Americans no longer see four-year college degrees as worth the cost
While Western countries are making education increasingly private, expensive, and accessible only to the elite, in China, free education accessible to all is training engineers who then go on to work for companies that outperform those of other countries.
xzjis··on Implementing Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast on Linux Systems
I commend Collabora's tremendous work on Bluetooth LE audio on Linux and their work in general, but I can't help being frustrated that it's volunteer contributors handling the implementation, while the Bluetooth Special Interest Group makes a ton of profit by licensing Bluetooth yet contributes nothing to implementing the standard on Linux. It's really typical of the "open source" spirit: volunteers are exploited, and the fruits of their labor are harvested as profit.
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