Hacker News: DonnieP

New comment by DonnieP in "98% isn't much"

DonnieP — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:27:10 +0000

Based on the results of US elections in the past 30 years, farmers (as represented by rural voters in general) do not vote for candidates who support "collective benefit."

New comment by DonnieP in "MacBook Air with M5"

DonnieP — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 15:39:26 +0000

They still pay a license fee to Qualcomm for the supposed Qualcomm IP in Apple's own chips.

New comment by DonnieP in "Apple to 'pay' OpenAI for ChatGPT through distribution, not cash"

DonnieP — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 12:23:15 +0000

Can't read the article, but the way they described it in the WWDC Keynote, you _are_ locked into Apple Intelligence on eligible devices for all the stuff Apple Intelligence actually does. The "AI App Store" only comes into play for specific questions that Apple Intelligence punts on and then tells you, "I can't answer this, do you want to query an AI Supplier?" Apple is not giving you the option of selecting a back-end AI Supplier for all AI-related stuff on the device.

New comment by DonnieP in "The Elusive Byzantine Empire (2019)"

DonnieP — Fri, 31 May 2024 23:54:52 +0000

One is not like the other. Constantinople was formally established as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. It never stopped being that until it fell to the Crusaders in the 13th century. Its citizens called themselves Roman simply because that's what they were. After the Western Empire fell, they were the only "Romans" left (i.e., of the empire). On the other hand, the Ottomans considered themselves Roman simply because they _conquered_ "Rum" (Constantinople) in the 15th century - the Ottomans recognized which empire Constantinople actually was. And, the Romanovs in Russia considered themselves Roman because they married into the family. The concept of "Byzantine" as something distinct that Constantinople "changed" into is an invention of Roman Catholic and Holy Roman Empire scholars after Constantinople had fallen and finally after all those years no longer stood in the way of the Vatican's claim to a temporal empire which they felt inherited the "Roman Empire" glory.

New comment by DonnieP in "The Genius of Ella Fitzgerald"

DonnieP — Fri, 31 May 2024 23:21:23 +0000

Why does an entry point to Ella need assistance from Louis Armstrong? His vocal instrument was unique, peculiar and spectacular. While they could certainly play off each other, his attempts at vocally harmonizing _with_ Ella are mostly cringeworthy musically. Rather than recordings where she had to adjust to his limitations (like letting him choose the key), why not instead listen to any of her highly-acclaimed "songbook" recordings?

New comment by DonnieP in "I'm a Former Surgeon General and I Couldn't Believe My $10k Medical Bill"

DonnieP — Mon, 20 May 2024 22:31:13 +0000

Highly educated anesthesiologist, former state and federal public health professional, and current employee of Purdue University since 2021, selects HDHP for his insurance plan and then gets upset when he actually has to pay the high deductible for the plan that he himself selected. News at 11:00. And, don't get met started on his assertion that having to pay that deductible prevented him from contributing to his HSA that year. This person is a shining example of what's wrong with US healthcare, not a beacon of light for fixing it.

New comment by DonnieP in "Home ownership is not the boon to older Americans that it once was"

DonnieP — Sun, 12 May 2024 12:20:57 +0000

I think this is basically the heart of the matter. Given the large-lot neighborhood they're used to, finding a condo that's going to feel "comfortable" to them is hard enough to begin with. Then, factor in the accessibility issues like finding a one-level, 2-bedroom condo with no steps, no multi-step front stoop, and preferably with a no-step shower and a garage: you've narrowed the market dramatically. You're basically in "retirement community" territory, which is significantly more expensive per square foot than SFH, not less. Having just been through this, it means locating somewhere you swore you'd never live and sticking out like a sore thumb as a senior in a "starter" community.

New comment by DonnieP in "Home ownership is not the boon to older Americans that it once was"

DonnieP — Sun, 12 May 2024 11:27:35 +0000

Single Family Home

New comment by DonnieP in "Why so many men in the US have stopped working"

DonnieP — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 14:33:35 +0000

Just anecdata, but my 90+ yo mother, living in a 60's 3-bedroom ranch neighborhood, is surrounded by three single men not working. All three live in houses owned by their parents or siblings, all of whom live elsewhere. All three have struggled with life-long chemical addictions, and only one of the three seems to be solidly in recovery. One is on disability after a work-related injury years ago. One has been in and out of jail. The third (and youngest) is the only one with some college, but somehow never got a degree and now refuses to make himself presentable enough to get through even an entry-level interview. Without their families' support, the two not on disability would probably be on the streets.

I'm no expert, but from what I know of these men (over many years), they all have an independent streak and never conformed well to "working for the man," i.e., being told what to do. There are certainly ways for someone with that mindset to succeed, but many just don't seem to be able to figure it out.

New comment by DonnieP in "Being laid off in 2023-2024 as an early-career developer"

DonnieP — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 16:18:08 +0000

Just about any US state legislature today with a Republican supermajority (such as Kentucky) prioritizes diversion of state and local education funds from public schools to private ones through the use of vouchers and charter schools. "Propping up" public schools is seen as a waste of taxpayer money. (I'm stating their position, not advocating it). Having said that, comparing public school teacher salaries to just about any other career outside government is highly misleading due to defined benefit pension plans, which in Kentucky include a health insurance benefit, and kick in fully without a retirement age requirement after only 27 years' service.

New comment by DonnieP in "Brad Cox has died"

DonnieP — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 23:50:35 +0000

German derivation, of course, but the American English usage is more particularly Yiddish (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mensch).

New comment by DonnieP in "ASCII – Origins"

DonnieP — Sun, 29 Nov 2020 21:05:40 +0000

Who knew ASCII was Turing-complete? "In 1981, however, ASCII became the new standard when it released its first personal computer featuring the operating system."

New comment by DonnieP in "Show HN: PileMd – Markdown note app, think with you"

DonnieP — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 19:03:27 +0000

Where are the notes actually saved, and are they text files? (Downloaded on my Mac, built a note and can't find it in the Finder)