Hacker News: anubistheta

New comment by anubistheta in "AI uses less water than the public thinks"

anubistheta — Sat, 02 May 2026 02:01:32 +0000

We should just charge a fair price for water. Something that covers capital, operating, and decommissioning costs. No need to pass specific regulations or add legal complexity. It would solve itself. Imagine any other service saying "Oh no, we have too much demand, we need to make it illegal." Just put out bonds, and build up capacity.

New comment by anubistheta in "AI uses less water than the public thinks"

anubistheta — Sat, 02 May 2026 01:57:42 +0000

Some of it, but then some AI is used to cure cancer.

But it doesn't have to happen in California.

New comment by anubistheta in "AI uses less water than the public thinks"

anubistheta — Sat, 02 May 2026 01:55:43 +0000

Because it is an easy concrete way to stir up reactionary sentiment. The real issues are debatable but complex. But the common folk can all visualize a gallon of water.

New comment by anubistheta in "AI uses less water than the public thinks"

anubistheta — Sat, 02 May 2026 01:53:49 +0000

It's better to have everyone pay the fair market price. Price isn't arbitrary, it reflects the real cost to produce the good. It encourages efficient use. If you feel one usage is more worthwhile, you can subsidize it.

New comment by anubistheta in "AI uses less water than the public thinks"

anubistheta — Sat, 02 May 2026 01:50:40 +0000

I disagree. A large part of the cost of a utility is fixed per customer. Or any product really. That's how bulk purchasing makes sense. I can get 4x the product at a bulk store for 2x the price. Instead of being prejudicial about the use case, let's just charge what the utility actually costs. Include capital, operation, and decommissioning costs. That way, if you get a sudden spike in demand, you have the cash flow to issue a bond a scale up.

New comment by anubistheta in "America will come to regret its war on taxes"

anubistheta — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 19:02:25 +0000

Agreed. It's not conducive to discourse.

New comment by anubistheta in "Four Million U.S. Children Had No Health Insurance in 2024"

anubistheta — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 16:07:34 +0000

That's why I liked catastrophic health care plans. Insurance works best when it covers rare, expensive events. Otherwise, it interferes with the process. My car insurance doesn't cover oil changes or new tires, but if I get I crash and injure someone, it kicks in. Homeowners insurance doesn't cover a routine roof replacement, but it will if there's storm damage. That's how health insurance should work.

A catastrophic health care plan has low premiums and high deductibles. You also get access to a tax advantaged savings account to save up for future events. So you can take the money you saved on premiums and pay for medical expenses tax free. Or let the money accumulate to cover future medical expenses or even retirement!

New comment by anubistheta in "I don't care how well your "AI" works"

anubistheta — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 16:27:13 +0000

I agree. I think this is what happens when a persons transitions from a progressive mindset to a conservative one, but has made being "progressive" a central tenant of their identity.

Progressiveness is forward looking and a proponent of rapid change. So it is natural that LLM's are popular amongst that crowd. Also, progressivism should be accepting of and encouraging the evolution of concepts and social constructs.

In reality, many people define "progressiveness" as "when things I like happen, not when things I don't like happen." When they lose control of the direction of society, they end up just as reactionary and dismissive as the people they claim to oppose.

>AI systems exist to reinforce and strengthen existing structures of power and violence. They are the wet dream of capitalists and fascists.

>Craft, expression and skilled labor is what produces value, and that gives us control over ourselves

To me, that sums up the author's biases. You may value skilled labor, but generally people don't. Nor should they. Demand is what produces value. The later half of the piece falls into a diatribe of "Capitalism Bad".

New comment by anubistheta in "Iowa City made its buses free. Traffic cleared, and so did the air"

anubistheta — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 02:11:10 +0000

It didn't work out well when the NYC MTA tried fare free rides. https://www.mta.info/document/147096 Dwell time and customer journey time decreased. The bus speeds were lower on the fare free routes.

If public transport provides value to people, they should pay for some of it. 30 day unlimited ride pass in only $132.

New comment by anubistheta in "Why an abundance of choice is not the same as freedom"

anubistheta — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 23:26:07 +0000

Exactly. The essay meandered, and didn't say much of note. It has vague illusions to personal choice and markets being detrimental. But that's it. Too many people feel entitled the control the choices of others. And yet they rarely accept equal control of their choices.

> "But an emphasis on choice as a form of liberation has occasioned serious resentments in different sectors and geographies, where it can seem a direct threat to other, more communal values and needs." I think this quote sums it up nicely. Personal liberation is not a threat to mutually beneficial communal values. If you need to force people to behave as part of your community, then it should be voluntary. One should be able to choose to pursue any form of freedom or community they'd like. If you want freedom to be "an act of pure imagination" and live a communal lifestyle, you should have the choice.

New comment by anubistheta in "Death rates rose in hospital ERs after private equity firms took over"

anubistheta — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 14:46:12 +0000

Exactly. The more suppliers are in a market, the more competition there is. Thus lower prices and a better selection. People don't like a monopoly is other areas of life. Healthcare is no different.

New comment by anubistheta in "Iridescent Tempered Chocolate"

anubistheta — Sat, 09 May 2020 23:12:33 +0000

Take a look at another person's approach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoTi0tM4yQ8

New comment by anubistheta in "Dry Stone Walls – Principles of structurally sound construction (2018)"

anubistheta — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 16:46:15 +0000

In a similar vein, I like this youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1By4oBZiv9u8qnkcdCgdqw

My favorite videos are the ones where he walks around a famous stone structure and talks about all the craftsmanship that goes into them.