Hacker News: appstorelottery

New comment by appstorelottery in "Revision Demoparty 2026: Razor1911 [video]"

appstorelottery — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 09:25:12 +0000

OMG. Thanks so much for posting this - completely awesome! Such a nostalgic roller coaster ride, from Qmodem to Xcopy and everything in between... brought back so many memories... - thanks again!

New comment by appstorelottery in "Good ideas do not need lots of lies in order to gain public acceptance (2008)"

appstorelottery — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 22:15:36 +0000

I’m not making a claim about whether any particular idea is good or bad.

I’m pointing out that the process by which ideas gain acceptance is somewhat independent from their actual quality, so acceptance alone isn’t a strong signal.

New comment by appstorelottery in "Good ideas do not need lots of lies in order to gain public acceptance (2008)"

appstorelottery — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 22:15:16 +0000

I might not have been clear. I’m separating two questions: (1) whether an idea is actually good or true, and (2) how easily it gains acceptance. My point is just that (2) doesn’t reliably answer (1).

New comment by appstorelottery in "Good ideas do not need lots of lies in order to gain public acceptance (2008)"

appstorelottery — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 22:14:56 +0000

I think we’re still talking past each other. I’m not arguing that any specific idea is good.

My point is just that public acceptance itself isn’t reliable evidence either way: ideas can gain support (or fail) for reasons other than their actual merit.

New comment by appstorelottery in "Good ideas do not need lots of lies in order to gain public acceptance (2008)"

appstorelottery — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 20:59:14 +0000

Having worked in public advocacy advertising, I’d frame it like this: “Good ideas don’t need lies” is a compelling ideal but in practice, public acceptance isn’t a reliable signal of truth or societal benefit. It depends on incentives, narratives, and how information is presented.

History shows that even harmful or suboptimal ideas (like coal power) can gain widespread support if presented persuasively, while genuinely beneficial ideas can struggle if they’re complex or unintuitive.

A useful heuristic is: if an idea relies on misleading claims to survive scrutiny, that’s a warning sign. But public acceptance itself is not proof of goodness or correctness.

In short: persuasion and truth are related—but far from identical.

MAME moves to rust / AI refactoring

appstorelottery — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:53:32 +0000

Article URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/MAME/s/ReyyrrW41z

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47607005

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

New comment by appstorelottery in "Why a "Buy Me a Coffee" Prompt Yielded $0 and Churned Our Power Users"

appstorelottery — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:52:38 +0000

Thanks for the link to the Parable of the Polygons - her work is amazing.

You might be right about the mindset, I have no idea about the demographic that plays the game; only that they seem to be repulsed by BuyMeACoffee. The heavy users (i.e. more than 12 hours on site within last month) - once they see that banner for the first time for a return session instantly stop playing. It's not long enough yet to see if they return. Maybe it's the equivalent to putting a "Remember to buy your mom a gift on her birthday" pop-up on a porn site ;-) It's a mojo killer for sure.

New comment by appstorelottery in "Why a "Buy Me a Coffee" Prompt Yielded $0 and Churned Our Power Users"

appstorelottery — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:45:20 +0000

If anyone wants to chime in with other theories etc., very interested in the what others think?

Why a "Buy Me a Coffee" Prompt Yielded $0 and Churned Our Power Users

appstorelottery — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:44:47 +0000

Article URL: https://classicvideopoker.com/coffee.php

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47587315

Points: 4

# Comments: 4

New comment by appstorelottery in "Show HN: Video Poker Trainer"

appstorelottery — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 11:15:39 +0000

The tumbleweed tells me I probably need to have a long think about Balatro before making the next version ;-)

Show HN: Video Poker Trainer

appstorelottery — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 10:29:59 +0000

I've created a trainer for video poker based on the 99.54% RTP strategy as outlined in "The Doctrine of Chances" by Steward N. Ethier (p 554 table 17.5). Apparently the maximum RTP for video poker wasn't proven until 2010, which is astonishing to me given the game has been in the wild since 1979. Note this is a strategy for classic 9/6 Jacks or Better (Full Pay) - it does not apply to popular variants which followed.

A full "cycle" in video poker from the house perspective is regarded as around 13k hands played (in which case you should see a royal flush). What I can see from the general public playing video poker over 18,471 hands is that the global RTP is 94.29% - which means the vast majority of players are using a sub-optimal strategy. This also means that 9/6 Jacks or Better was/is likely a very profitable game for land based casinos back in the day.

Looking forward to any feedback!

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47585256

Points: 3

# Comments: 2

New comment by appstorelottery in "Founder of GitLab battles cancer by founding companies"

appstorelottery — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 01:39:28 +0000

I'm humbled. Thank you!

New comment by appstorelottery in "Founder of GitLab battles cancer by founding companies"

appstorelottery — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 00:47:55 +0000

Thank you, I'm seeing that awareness is key.

New comment by appstorelottery in "Founder of GitLab battles cancer by founding companies"

appstorelottery — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 23:53:03 +0000

Let me tell you, I've seen more than my fair share of surgery videos involving "de-sheathing" in my research: I don't envy your editing work - but I envy your stomach ;-) But thanks for your reply, the community here can be great at times!

New comment by appstorelottery in "Founder of GitLab battles cancer by founding companies"

appstorelottery — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 23:46:09 +0000

Thanks for your thoughtful comment! You're right - Biodesign can be used in Plaque Incision and Grafting (PIG) for Peyronies. Unfortunately PIG IMHO has (in some studies I have read) a 50/50 chance of erectile dysfunction, nerve injury, instability and so on. In essence, PIG might be rolling the dice to make a bad situation completely untenable. But again, I do thank you for your comment!

New comment by appstorelottery in "Founder of GitLab battles cancer by founding companies"

appstorelottery — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 22:35:44 +0000

I have sent you an email - any help you can provide in this area.

New comment by appstorelottery in "Founder of GitLab battles cancer by founding companies"

appstorelottery — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 22:25:59 +0000

A cure for Peronies which is non invasive, works on chronic/non-chronics is worth countless billions.

New comment by appstorelottery in "Founder of GitLab battles cancer by founding companies"

appstorelottery — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 22:14:21 +0000

I have not recovered, I took the opposite path to you - when "standard care" wasn't an option - I gave up. But your post has motivated me, and shown me a roadmap of what is possible. Eternally grateful.

p.s. "I'll talk to anyone, I'll go anywhere, and I can be there anytime" - for me, unfortunately $ is the problem for going anywhere, anytime. Perhaps you can help? I've sent you an email - I'm motivated. ;-)

New comment by appstorelottery in "Founder of GitLab battles cancer by founding companies"

appstorelottery — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 22:12:02 +0000

Thanks for the inspiration! Is there anything new you've learned about fibrosis in your journey?

New comment by appstorelottery in "Founder of GitLab battles cancer by founding companies"

appstorelottery — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 22:09:33 +0000

@ aol... so retro ;-) - sent you an email.