Hacker News: code_duck

New comment by code_duck in "Is AI Profitable Yet?"

code_duck — Sat, 23 May 2026 03:08:36 +0000

I've received some decent benefits from it without paying anything.

New comment by code_duck in "Googlebook"

code_duck — Tue, 12 May 2026 18:57:34 +0000

Seems like they want a MacBook for people with Pixel phones. Okay. I assume it will be an ARM based system running some Android variant, if you can seamlessly launch Android apps on it. "Designed for Gemini Intelligence" is somewhat repellant - look at how poorly MS has done pushing Copilot on people. Overall I'd need way more info to know if this is a device I'd be interested in at all, but since I have a MacBook and iPhone, I don't think I'm the target market. Perhaps their ideal target market, but it seems like this would be best for people who are already knee deep in the Google ecosystem.

New comment by code_duck in "What we lost the last time code got cheap"

code_duck — Fri, 08 May 2026 20:34:57 +0000

AI learned it from somewhere.

New comment by code_duck in "Your phone is about to stop being yours"

code_duck — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 22:59:43 +0000

Didn’t Microsoft somehow ruin Dr DOS? Not technically, but didn’t they sue them or something? Which would mean this is the same issue, 40 years later. Yes, I was there on the 80s, but I had a Commodore 64. We did use GEOS, if that counts. I was not present for the 70s.

New comment by code_duck in "Your phone is about to stop being yours"

code_duck — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 18:00:54 +0000

Oh yeah, odd. Anyway, I’m aware of alternate mainframe OSs but I’m not sure how common using one was. Other than OS2, alternate OSs for other systems were rather rare, though it is worth noting that they were not forbidden or blocked.

New comment by code_duck in "Your phone is about to stop being yours"

code_duck — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:13:11 +0000

It’s the same situation as game consoles. Custom built hardware that is only meant to run the one specific vendor OS. There have been many other computing devices like that in the past as well. The general purpose desktop computer that allows a choice of operating systems is actually less common than the other way. Historically, people didn’t expect to run alternate operating systems on a mainframe, 80s and 90s computers like a Commodore 64, Power PC Macs, Amigas and DOS/Windows machines until Linux came along.

New comment by code_duck in "Tell HN: Anthropic no longer allowing Claude Code subscriptions to use OpenClaw"

code_duck — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 01:07:58 +0000

Somehow this was coming up a few years ago where people kept saying that Apple could face antitrust because they were the only company who made iOS and controlled the App Store. Given that android exists, and has roughly equal market share, that didn’t make much sense to me, but I kept seeing it being discussed.

New comment by code_duck in "Apple discontinues the Mac Pro"

code_duck — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 08:35:26 +0000

Oh, I interpreted it as “did work using a Mac Pro” vs helped develop the Mac Pro itself.

New comment by code_duck in "Do Not Turn Child Protection into Internet Access Control"

code_duck — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 21:21:32 +0000

Same as ever, advertisers and the government. Plus, it would mean platforms could ban troublesome people or those they deem undesirable more effectively.

New comment by code_duck in "The Appalling Stupidity of Spotify's AI DJ"

code_duck — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 23:42:20 +0000

Yeah, if he wants to listen to your complete albums, it’s unclear to me why he would be using a DJ feature or expected the DJ to do that. Just play the albums manually or set up playlist. It’s like having a six CD changer and putting it on shuffle and then complaining that it shuffles.

New comment by code_duck in "Digg is gone again"

code_duck — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 19:47:17 +0000

There’s also browser fingerprinting

New comment by code_duck in "Why it takes you and an elephant the same amount of time to poop (2017)"

code_duck — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 05:12:06 +0000

It doesn’t make much sense as 20 liters is 2000 times 10 ml, also.

New comment by code_duck in "Our Agreement with the Department of War"

code_duck — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 11:01:54 +0000

He doesn’t actually have the authority to rename the department. That would be up to Congress.

New comment by code_duck in "How did Windows 95 get permission to put Weezer video 'Buddy Holly' on the CD?"

code_duck — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 02:24:44 +0000

that style of game came and went fairly quickly, for good reasons.

New comment by code_duck in "Microsoft forced me to switch to Linux"

code_duck — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 02:48:39 +0000

The whole upgrade to Windows 11 was forced on me by Microsoft, basically using trickery. I opened windows update and it said there were some updates… Did not make it clear at all that it would be taking my system from Windows 10 to 11. I thought it was just installing security updates. I would’ve had to change it anyway when 10 support ended, but I still had about four months and wanted to wait.

New comment by code_duck in "Making glow-in-the-dark Strontium Aluminate"

code_duck — Sun, 19 Jan 2025 17:47:27 +0000

Pretty interesting. I knew someone years ago who made batches of borosilicate glass with this stuff. It’s difficult to work, unfortunately. The glow effect fades if you work it too much. I still have a bunch of his glow glass.

New comment by code_duck in "Spotify's Plot Against Musicians"

code_duck — Sat, 21 Dec 2024 13:20:41 +0000

remove the p/ at the end and it works.

New comment by code_duck in "Flappy Bird for Android, only C, under 100KB"

code_duck — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 13:49:58 +0000

Many early 80s 8-bit console games worked this way. I'm thinking of games like Transbot for the Sega Master System. There are a few different levels, with various enemy configurations and scenery, but it has no ending and goes on forever without any real changes.

New comment by code_duck in "Type 2 diabetes drug associated with 35% lower risk of dementia, study finds"

code_duck — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 20:11:32 +0000

We could, I guess, with some biochemical wizardy. Insulin does more than just reduce blood glucose, though. It allows the glucose to enter muscle and brain cells to be used for energy. People with Type 1 need just as many carbs and as much energy as other people, of course, it's just that their body can't use it properly. Insulin does have the drawback of being a fat storage hormone though. Such a device sure would be great for people who indulge in too many carbs!

New comment by code_duck in "Type 2 diabetes drug associated with 35% lower risk of dementia, study finds"

code_duck — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 20:07:46 +0000

I've heard that AAPS is more sophisticated. I'm definitely not too happy with the Tandem system. Some people say they get better levels with Control IQ, but I don't. The T:Slim does have the ability to set basal rates for different times of day, and takes as input your insulin to carb ratio, correction ratio, weight, and tracks IoB. I don't think the insulin on board algo is very good... it starts decreasing before I see any effect on my glucose, and dissipates quicker than I expect. They base it on insulin lasting 5 hours, I think, but it seems to calculate less time. It's not a 'learning' algorithm either afaik.

The lack of carbs is perhaps the worst for me. Even if I track then on the Dexcom app, it doesn't use them. The automatic boluses are often wrong. When I had it anywhere near my real ratio, it would 'predict' I was going over 160 and automatically dose me. So, say I was at 85, and had 15 grams of potato chips. My glucose would rise quickly and as it went over 125, 140, the system would predict it was going up past 160 - or who knows, since it doesn't know how many carbs I ate. So then it would dose me with say, 1.1 units, which was enough to take my glucose -back to 85-. That sent me in loops a couple of times... 85, eat, up to 145, automatic bolus, back to 85, eat, up to 145 - very annoying when it happened at night. I had to set my carb ratio so high that the automatic boluses are now insignificant amounts like .16 units. It also doesn't notify you on your phone about automatic boluses, which has caused me major problems when I'd also manually correct. The automatic basal reduction (Basal IQ) is useful though.

Anyhow, I'd love to try AAPS but I don't have an Android phone. I also used to follow someone on Twitter who was developing his own software that he said removed the need to pre-bolus at all. Not sure about the details though.