Hacker News: Blackstrat

New comment by Blackstrat in "Which hobby do you think is most diverting and pleasurable?"

Blackstrat — Sun, 01 Nov 2026 20:24:31 +0000

Many good ideas here. At 71, I've taken up two new hobbies: ham radio and Goju-ryu karate, both of which afford an immersive experience and can divert me for hours.

New comment by Blackstrat in "Trump calls for stop to attacks on Russian oil refineries, Zelenskyy replacement"

Blackstrat — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 12:25:46 +0000

Your stance is ideological not factual. Don't waste anymore of my time pretending that you know what's going on.

New comment by Blackstrat in "Trump calls for stop to attacks on Russian oil refineries, Zelenskyy replacement"

Blackstrat — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 02:31:37 +0000

So you deny Zelenskyy is a dictator? Or that Obama greenlighted Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014? Or that Zelenskyy has stolen or funneled back to his western cronies, billions of dollars? Or that he had the Bidens in his back pocket? Or that Zelenskyy suspended elections in 2022 and declared martial law? Do your homework before accusing me of being out of touch. Backing Zelenskyy allows democrats and other gullible people to keep beating the Trump-Putin canard. And that is laughable.

New comment by Blackstrat in "Trump calls for stop to attacks on Russian oil refineries, Zelenskyy replacement"

Blackstrat — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 21:28:32 +0000

Trump should have called for Zelenskyy to be replaced ages ago.

New comment by Blackstrat in "Ask HN: What are you reading?"

Blackstrat — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 19:19:37 +0000

I don't mind long novels. I finished Lonesome Dove earlier this year and it's extremely good. The Count of Monte Cristo was last year and I didn't particularly care for it. In fact, I thought it was one of the most overrated books I've read. My question is about Neal Stephenson. He gets a lot of recommendations here. Some years ago, I read Snow Crash and it was obviously pretty dated by then. My real question is what is the best entry point into Stephenson's longer fiction and any secrets to reading it. That is, he tends to digress a bit. Any recommendations?

New comment by Blackstrat in "Ask HN: What are you reading?"

Blackstrat — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 18:55:37 +0000

I finished Stoner about 6 weeks ago. It was excellent and if you let it, it would make you think. Haven't tried Williams' Augustus yet but it's on the list soon.

New comment by Blackstrat in "Why did Microsoft acquire LinkedIn?"

Blackstrat — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 22:10:32 +0000

LinkedIn has degraded considerably since the Microsoft acquisition. It’s hardly better than Facebook now. I dropped my premium subscription several years ago. I can get Trump sucks memes anywhere. It’s harder to find and cultivate business contacts.

New comment by Blackstrat in "Ask HN: Advice for first-year CS students?"

Blackstrat — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:32:12 +0000

Apparently, you missed my opening statement. It depends on the OP's goals. But, by no means is my advice "last century". Many here approach their careers as if FAANG and technology was all there is. It's not. Tuition is unquestionably an issue. Nonetheless, it should be viewed as an investment. And no, Coursa is generally not an adequate substitute for an actual education. It's a way to familiarize oneself with a topic but by no means is it comparable to the typical university treatment. It's fine to believe that "it's different this time or today". It's not. History has shown repeatedly that it repeats. And contrary to what many think and hype, the current "AI" trends are not going to replace the need for human thinking. And if you believe it is, then why go to college at all?

New comment by Blackstrat in "Ask HN: Advice for first-year CS students?"

Blackstrat — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 19:46:04 +0000

Depends on your goals and much of the advice that you'll receive will revolve around maximizing the college experience. This is certainly important. However, as a hiring manager for several decades, one of the things that routinely frustrated me was a stream of candidates from very good schools that were totally ignorant of basic business practices. Most graduates will not work for FAANG companies upon graduation. They will go into industry. And yes, right now AI/vibe coding is all the rage. The issue becomes what value does one bring to the company. I've seen this play out many times over the decades. So my suggestion is to burn a couple of electives on things like accounting and business management. Learn to write well and speak well in front of any audience. When you interview with an insurance company after graduation, for example, the hiring manager isn't going to be overwhelmed with your ability to write a compiler or even necessarily your vibe coding skills. They will likely be impressed more by your presentation skills, your ability to grasp business concepts, etc. Enjoy college, but don't become so rigidly engaged with technical topics that you limit your future opportunities.

New comment by Blackstrat in "Too Many Books?"

Blackstrat — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 22:20:09 +0000

Why is it too many? Books are an experience that no digital medium can’t replicate or even imitate. Plus one owns their books in perpetuity, unlike digital that is merely licensed and ephemeral.

New comment by Blackstrat in "Ask HN: How to get a non-technical friend into tech?"

Blackstrat — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 21:04:33 +0000

If they are actually interested in the profession, and not just the money, find a smaller company in the area that’s hiring for a less specialized role, one a generalist has a chance of performing, eg a customer support role somewhere that maintains some development efforts. Even this will be difficult if the last ten years or so hasn’t afforded them some basic people and business skills. In other words, regardless of the role, they have to bring something to the job. Assuming they do and can get hired, then it’s about learning that business, technical space, etc. It will be a lot of work regardless. Is FAANG a possibility? Yes, perhaps, but not a probable one. However, there thousands of commercial companies uilding and deploying interesting projects and paying very good salaries.

New comment by Blackstrat in "Happy Independence Day"

Blackstrat — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 19:29:56 +0000

I'll stand by my comments. There is a perception here that the Trump administration is historically dangerous and we've never seen anything like it. That's not factually defensible. Now in my 70s, I've seen presidents come and go and frankly the vast majority of them have left a lot to be desired. All presidents have engaged in activities that at best could be considered extralegal, particularly when viewed from the "other side". Realistically, Trump has done less damage to the country than Biden for example. Or more correctly Biden's team. The decline of western democracies stems from being unwilling to stand up for the very values that made those countries successful, massive immigration from Mexico and the Middle East, unwillingness to reject radical Islam, calling for the elimination of police, etc (the list is lengthy) are all reflections of a lack of civic courage on the part of elected officials the world over. France, Spain, Great Britain, Germany, as well as the US have all surrendered much of their culture to immigration. And the results aren't favorable to traditional Western countries. So yes, most are in decline. And attempts to halt the decline, as some of Trump's policies are directed, are met with scorn and derision, claims of fascism, etc. Such claims are historically inaccurate.

New comment by Blackstrat in "Happy Independence Day"

Blackstrat — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 12:42:13 +0000

As expected, communism is alive and well here. I find the lack of historical perspective here to be a serious indictment of the educational system.

New comment by Blackstrat in "Happy Independence Day"

Blackstrat — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 20:41:12 +0000

Turn off CNN , FoxNews, MSNBC or wherever you’re getting your hyperbolic reaction. You have much more to be concerned with, such as the DSA takeover of the Democratic Party and the alignment with antisemitism than anything Trump dreams up.

New comment by Blackstrat in "Supreme Court upholds broad conception of birthright citizenship"

Blackstrat — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:50:45 +0000

No, I'm saying the use of the 14th amendment to justify the majority opinion is disingenuous, as Thomas points out.

New comment by Blackstrat in "Supreme Court upholds broad conception of birthright citizenship"

Blackstrat — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:00:38 +0000

Another bad decision that won't stand the test of time. The decision says more about the justices themselves than it does the decision. Voting the "right way" gets positive press attention, invites to the DC social circle, etc. Kavanaugh and Barrett are both attention seeking, weak willed individuals that Roberts plays like puppets. Personally, Trump should not have nominated either of them. And W's nomination and selection of Roberts over Scalia was appalling. Neither a textualist or an originalist could have ruled that way. And using the 14th Amendment as justification is historically disingenuous, as Clarence Thomas pointed out. Birth tourism will thrive.

New comment by Blackstrat in "The case for physical media ownership"

Blackstrat — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 11:12:52 +0000

So pirating is the answer? I don't think so. It's unethical and illegal. Buy the physical media of the books, movies, and music that you consume. Quit screwing the creators. I've seen numerous complaints on HN about one's code being stolen. What's the difference?

New comment by Blackstrat in "U.S. science is in chaos"

Blackstrat — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 19:10:02 +0000

Perhaps it could. And perhaps you think erecting tents on the White House grounds for state events, like a third world country, is okay as well. The government funds a ridiculous amount of "science", some of which has no utility. That's not the government's role. These types of projects can be funded by the university or private industry or not at all. Being a "scientist" and wanting to research some idea DOES NOT entitle you to taxpayer funding. Again, as I and others here have noted, the money is in interest, defense, and transfer payments. Personally, I'd like to see reforms on all social programs. If one is capable of working, then they work. Until you live somewhere that has a thriving economy in government money and see the abuse, you have no idea what you're talking about. Should government money be used to buy booze? Potato chips? I assure you that it happens everyday. I've seen it first hand. So fix the social programs and then we'll talk about funding fringe science research. And let's quit funding the 120+ foreign biolabs doing DOF research. We've seen that script before.

New comment by Blackstrat in "U.S. science is in chaos"

Blackstrat — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 19:50:55 +0000

These counter arguments would be more persuasive if they didn't sound like left wing talking points. No one on this thread nor in the media knows the reality of what happened in Iraq. That most here dislike Trump, I get it. But, to pretend that this administration is somehow behaving differently than others in the past is ahistorical and disingenuous at best.

New comment by Blackstrat in "U.S. science is in chaos"

Blackstrat — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 19:16:17 +0000

Down voted, imagine that. Predictable as sunrise. So what should be cut?