Hacker News: PerilousD

New comment by PerilousD in "Why I code as a CTO"

PerilousD — Sun, 26 Oct 2025 19:14:41 +0000

Sorry - you lost me at manage with NO direct reports. You, maybe, manage the coffee orders for the board of directors? I don't know if they exist anymore, but IBM, Microsoft, HP used to call you folks "Fellows" not CTO's and a nice position if you can get it but get over yourself.

New comment by PerilousD in "Japan Post launches 'digital address' system"

PerilousD — Wed, 28 May 2025 19:54:53 +0000

So I HOPE you cant mis-type an email address and get it sent to someone else. I get so many bank account statements, library book and device rental notices, car is ready for pickup, or from repair etc notices. ALL APPARENTLY from Bozos who dont know their OWN email addresses. On the other hand on the 2nd notice *I usually do not get a third) when I tell garages/ car impounds / parking spaces to sell the damn thing as Im done with it.

New comment by PerilousD in "Harvard's response to federal government letter demanding changes"

PerilousD — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 18:53:30 +0000

I guess that Harvard probably does not need the Feds as much as the Feds need Harvard but I'm glad they are standing up to the Fascists. I'm going to have to see what NYU is doing now.

New comment by PerilousD in "I automated my job application process"

PerilousD — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 16:51:44 +0000

I'm so glad I retired and can afford to say "No" with an occasional "Yes" if it's interesting :-)

New comment by PerilousD in "A Minecraft server written in COBOL"

PerilousD — Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:00:36 +0000

I stopped using COBOL in 1978 and NEVER admitted to even knowing the language forever after. I'm making the sign of the cross and heading for a strong cup of coffee in the hope that I will never see this code :-)

(impressive that you did this)

New comment by PerilousD in "Gazzetta, an RSS Reader for Mastodon"

PerilousD — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 19:31:56 +0000

Maybe you should have lead with an IOS RSS reader :-)

New comment by PerilousD in "Character amnesia in China"

PerilousD — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 16:40:20 +0000

I got a little more than halfway into this long article, so I apologize if this was answered at some point. So what?

Many native English speakers can't pick up a pen and paper and write intelligibly and would be in real trouble if they lost their phones; an increasingly annoying number TALK into their phones, not even pretending to type and just spewing auto-corrected crap out into the world.

New comment by PerilousD in "Show HN: Infinity – Realistic AI characters that can speak"

PerilousD — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 18:04:10 +0000

Damn - I took an (AI) image that I "created" a year ago that I liked and then you animated it AND let it sing Amazing Grace. Seeing IS believing this technology pretty much means video evidence ain't necessarily so.

New comment by PerilousD in "Disrupting a covert Iranian influence operation"

PerilousD — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 22:11:12 +0000

These jokers seem like the AI version of "script kiddie" hackers, and OpenAI may be engaging in a bit of humble bragging. It doesn't take considerable investments in time or money to run local LLMs, INCLUDING ChatGPT, where your questions, prompts, and results are not sent home to the mothership, so it's a BS article as to (the real) actors who may or may not be doing this. NOW, if OpenAI or Gemini or LLama, etc, showed how they analyzed social media posts and flagged the ones that were AI generated and the analysis as to WHY the article is flagged, then that would be much more useful, actionable by at least some of the readers and would put the accounts spreading the content (particularly the rebroadcast fluffers) in the spotlight.

New comment by PerilousD in "Google Is Killing Retro Dodo and Other Independent Sites"

PerilousD — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 19:06:54 +0000

When you drink from the Google firehose it's not IF but WHEN you drown. I gave up on Google and their SEO metrics and crap almost two DECADES ago as it was clear where their DONT BE EVIL was going. Sheeple just put up with line after line of SPONSORED search results because the honestly have no clue, so it's NEVER been a level playing field. It just took you longer to join the ranks of the shafted. Now if you spend some time ENGAGING with your clients instead of "organic search growth" you may do better. I've dropped Reddit as well but you know GROUPS.IO? DISCORD? (useful but Im not a big fan), BLOGS - i.e build a community and give Google the digit.

New comment by PerilousD in "Air Force OKs autonomous cargo flights across California after successful test"

PerilousD — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 17:55:49 +0000

The article said 2800 miles of testing? Was that a misprint - a single one-way trip from San Francisco to NY is about that distance? Does the FCC or the Air Force get final say in this maybe a little more testing? I AM aware there are drones so maybe a lot of that technology transfers over BUT then there should be a lot more than 2800 miles of flight time data applied no?

New comment by PerilousD in "[dead]"

PerilousD — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 17:16:29 +0000

Another PAYWALL link? Anyone know of a ycombinator filter that just strips out links that go to wired bloomberg nytimes wapo etc so that they just don't even appear in the feed? Im thinking about playing with a viewer that just blocks them maybe just showing something like bubbabubba_domain_filterd instead and continues

New comment by PerilousD in "My husband went through the Amazon Pivot process. It was crushing"

PerilousD — Sat, 03 Feb 2024 22:38:50 +0000

Unless you are in an "at will" employment state or otherwise fall under those rules, then the company trots out "at will" (which you signed an agreement to) then the HR DRONES will state "You have no grounds to sue."

New comment by PerilousD in "My husband went through the Amazon Pivot process. It was crushing"

PerilousD — Sat, 03 Feb 2024 22:25:20 +0000

Companies started this crap just after 9/11. I guess I was a boomer IT guy and never saw the point of unions HOWEVER very early in my career I saw that the "company loyalty" mindset ONLY benefitted the company. This was BEFORE the pension reforms and when the company I worked for in NY decided to leave for Chicago they offered me (IT admin) all kinds of benefits to move and folks that had literally MONTHS left to meet their 10year pension were almost to a woman told "goodbye" too bad so sad, no pension for you. 10 years later with the PIVOT crap starting and folks I knew particularly, those at 40 or older getting the shaft I was no longer so anti-union. Im retired now but, there is strength in numbers OR sue them. I sued about 15 years ago. Ended up with TEN times the severance I was offered even after paying the attorney retainer fee (not cheap) but her communications started DIRECTLY with the firm's C-Suite Managing Director Lawyer and NOT the HR drones. The head corporate lawyer was quick to make the pending suit "go away" since they knew they were in the wrong "at will employment" be damned. Join a union if possible and don't take "at will" as anything get a lawyer and follow through with a suit if you have to.

New comment by PerilousD in "A site that tracks the price of a Big Mac in every US McDonald's"

PerilousD — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 20:43:38 +0000

Umm this is fine for HISTORICAL prices but if I want a burger today - DONT be telling me what it cost nearly a year ago!!

New comment by PerilousD in "USCG says ‘debris field’ discovered within search area for missing submersible"

PerilousD — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 17:36:40 +0000

I've been following the news on this but from day one. You have one or more rich guys who presumably have some brains and can do some research but they fork over money to an operation that wouldn't have passed safety inspections to look at the bottom of the Hudson river forget about 2.5 miles down in open water.

The OceanGate/whatever company deserves the Karma that is rapidly coming their money-grubbing way. The passengers? Hope this ends well for you as I write this but using the brains you were born with is NOT an optional exercise so tears right now are for a cat who died yesterday (put to sleep) because her exploration resulted in a broken back - she died on-the-edge as she lived - dont know what to say about you guys if you dont make it.

New comment by PerilousD in "Americans have never been so unwilling to relocate for a new job"

PerilousD — Wed, 17 May 2023 14:55:35 +0000

Dumb question. If an employer wants you to move then (a) Pay relocation costs. (b) Offer a REAL employment contract for a specified period. Employees may need an agent (just like pro sports) and pay a percentage but if you get cut then you know what your payout will be. I think item B is where employers will balk and blame the potential employee as "difficult"

New comment by PerilousD in "We need a more sophisticated debate about AI"

PerilousD — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 18:45:05 +0000

Why wasn't the https://archive.md/kCklr link promoted instead of the paywall site?

New comment by PerilousD in "How I ruined my SEO"

PerilousD — Sun, 15 Jan 2023 19:58:06 +0000

I gave up on following the Google SEO bandwagon years ago. I write for people and most definitely NOT for Google. I get around 800 real users a month on my site across about 20 countries - top 3 being U.S U.K and for some reason China. I get maybe 20 or so emails asking questions or just saying thanks and they have to track me down to send those emails there's no "email me" link on the site. If you want to "monetize" your site then SEO away otherwise setup a Google site owner/developer account for the "advice" (page not mobile friendly for example) but ignore the Googley crap unless you like running on THEIR treadmill.

New comment by PerilousD in "Ask HN: What was being a software developer like about 30 years ago?"

PerilousD — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 17:00:49 +0000

Actually BUILDING something that you could point to and say - depending on organization size - I WROTE THAT and it's being used daily across the company and in some case globally. I wrote an entire sub-system that when out-sourced to IBM, was billed in the contract for $500,000 a year to maintain. I was STILL at the company and not making even 20 percent of what IBM wanted. When IBM took over I moved on from development to Unix systems and architecture - BEST decision I made. So, compare being a craftsperson then to a factory assembly-line-worker today.