Hacker News: HPsquared

New comment by HPsquared in "Tesla Roadster"

HPsquared — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 08:10:08 +0000

Red flag thing was the UK's Locomotives Act 1865, which dated from before what we call cars were invented. More aimed at traction engines (steam engines that go on the road). Exactly the type of regulation people like to mock the EU for.

New comment by HPsquared in "Tesla Roadster"

HPsquared — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 07:58:25 +0000

Is it really so unbelievable that a car company with access to rocket engineers, built a car with rocket engines?

New comment by HPsquared in "We are entering a period of overlapping crises"

HPsquared — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 21:11:56 +0000

Speaking of the Romans, decline can indeed take hundreds of years to play out.

New comment by HPsquared in "I know why the mathematicians weep"

HPsquared — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 14:16:50 +0000

"I know now why you cry." - Terminator

New comment by HPsquared in "US report details extent of 'devastating' dating-app scams"

HPsquared — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 18:05:42 +0000

Simply buy up all the dating apps and sites under a single company.

New comment by HPsquared in "Americans' social activity has steeply declined in the past 30 years"

HPsquared — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 17:58:20 +0000

And Lloyd's of London. Formerly Lloyd's coffee shop.

New comment by HPsquared in "Americans' social activity has steeply declined in the past 30 years"

HPsquared — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 17:54:26 +0000

Thinking back to when I got my first smartphone 15 years ago, it occupied just so much of my attention and I figured it was some kind of honeymoon phase with a new gadget. But it never got less, if anything it's increased since then.

New comment by HPsquared in "Why is every rationalist blog post way too long?"

HPsquared — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 11:27:20 +0000

Because they need to rationalize everything.

New comment by HPsquared in "Were software engineers blue-collar workers all along?"

HPsquared — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 20:31:14 +0000

Capex vs opex.

New comment by HPsquared in "Were software engineers blue-collar workers all along?"

HPsquared — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:33:10 +0000

The license to practice is another type of capital. Kind of like a taxi medallion but less transferable.

New comment by HPsquared in "Were software engineers blue-collar workers all along?"

HPsquared — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 09:48:15 +0000

A big part of a dentist's income is yield from educational investment. The education and training is the capital.

New comment by HPsquared in "Were Software Engineers blue-collar workers all along?"

HPsquared — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 09:47:32 +0000

I always remember that site "Software Carpentry". It's definitely artisanal. Not that there can't be high-level practitioners. Are professional athletes blue-collar?

New comment by HPsquared in "Chernobyl particles reveal unexpectedly stable nuclear fuel after 40 years"

HPsquared — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 16:03:34 +0000

Fission fragment rocket engines are also (theoretically) extremely efficient.. using the particles that come out of the reaction directly as a high-velocity exhaust stream.

New comment by HPsquared in "Eye of Sauron: Long-Range Hidden Spy Camera Detection (2024)"

HPsquared — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 15:30:20 +0000

Reminds me of how every random electronic item would seemingly pick up audible interference from nearby GSM phones. Nonlinear components would involuntarily modulate the RF signal.

New comment by HPsquared in "Lobbying Is Corruption"

HPsquared — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 15:16:33 +0000

Bribery is corruption. Most lobbying is not bribery and is not corruption.

New comment by HPsquared in "`123456' password used in Danish CPR data breach"

HPsquared — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 10:33:46 +0000

Funnily enough, luggage calls back to those TSA locks.

New comment by HPsquared in "Yes, and"

HPsquared — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:48:57 +0000

Database, API and Frontend are tools and generic raw material that need to be whittled down into the final shape.

New comment by HPsquared in "What should we tell our students?"

HPsquared — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 12:44:28 +0000

This is why assessment needs to return to taking proctored exams, and away from coursework.

New comment by HPsquared in "What should we tell our students?"

HPsquared — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 10:03:42 +0000

That's on them to use the tools with discipline.

New comment by HPsquared in "Man discovers his parents' coffee machine used 1TB of data in 10 days"

HPsquared — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 08:10:33 +0000

Smart devices go on guest wifi