Hacker News: cottsak

New comment by cottsak in "Nobody gets promoted for simplicity"

cottsak — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 13:54:57 +0000

that's why talking about the merits of simplicity is more of an art than something of utility to other engineers https://hammerproject.com/2023/07/28/complexity.html

it just isn't very appetising

New comment by cottsak in "Nobody gets promoted for simplicity"

cottsak — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 13:53:06 +0000

i think you can coach agents to build simple solutions in a simple way. I'm using amp rn so check back in 6 mo with me

New comment by cottsak in "Nobody gets promoted for simplicity"

cottsak — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 13:51:55 +0000

where do you work!? lol

New comment by cottsak in "Nobody gets promoted for simplicity"

cottsak — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 13:51:12 +0000

1) not by keeping things simple I think. (sarcasm yes, but also mostly true)

New comment by cottsak in "Nobody gets promoted for simplicity"

cottsak — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 13:49:01 +0000

this is rare tho

New comment by cottsak in "Nobody gets promoted for simplicity"

cottsak — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 13:47:59 +0000

this might help https://hammerproject.com/2023/07/28/complexity.html

New comment by cottsak in "Nobody gets promoted for simplicity"

cottsak — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 13:47:19 +0000

that second line is so underrated

New comment by cottsak in "My Impressions of the MacBook Pro M4"

cottsak — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 01:43:44 +0000

> I don’t use this computer for serious work.

Next.

New comment by cottsak in "Boring is what we wanted"

cottsak — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 02:01:26 +0000

lol! It's an Operating System! It allows you to install your own apps to do things like snap windows.

If you want the OS with all the shit you do (and don't) need, then maybe Windows is for you. ;-)

New comment by cottsak in "The allure of new languages vs. the necessity of problem-solving"

cottsak — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 01:52:10 +0000

and the folks who choose not to waste time can build valuable things and make market share from the others.

New comment by cottsak in "The allure of new languages vs. the necessity of problem-solving"

cottsak — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 01:51:27 +0000

Yes

New comment by cottsak in "NSA F9T53 Opsec Special Bulletin: Signal Vulnerability"

cottsak — Sat, 29 Mar 2025 01:37:45 +0000

I find "bypassing end-to-end encryption" to be misleading... as if somehow the e2e encryption in Signal is somehow broken or flawed.

This "social engineering" hack? is simply allowing a 3rd party to gain access to another persons account and "snoop" on their secured messages/calls.

Pls correct me if I'm reading this wrong.

New comment by cottsak in "My son (9 yrs old) used plain JavaScript to make a game, and wants your feedback"

cottsak — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 01:39:42 +0000

This https://www.armaansahni.com/how-i-coded-a-game-using-ai/ is fantastic!!!

New comment by cottsak in "Ask HN: How can I grow as an engineer without good seniors to learn from?"

cottsak — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 09:07:05 +0000

It's hard.

Not impossible but much harder than working closely with humble and experienced engineers. That's why I recommend that a junior engineer finds a great consulting company as soon as they can and spend a few years there. This was a kinda breakthrough period in my career for both technical and soft skills. The nature of consulting also means that you might see a greater variety of environments, technologies, and problem/solution combinations than the equivalent xp in a non-consulting role. But make no mistake, finding a "good" consulting company is key. You need to have humble and experienced engineers who want to help you and grow you. If it's a "bums in seats" kinda "body shop" or some kind of celebrity house for "hero" or "10x devs" then maybe this won't be as useful.

New comment by cottsak in "The withering dream of a cheap American electric car"

cottsak — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 15:43:41 +0000

but a used Model 3 doesn't! and that's the fake news here. These batteries last ages. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doAcNVuTnXU

New comment by cottsak in "The withering dream of a cheap American electric car"

cottsak — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 15:41:54 +0000

you just need to know the SoH (state of health). If that's 90% then you've lost 10% of the range at new. The lower the SoH for the same vehicle make, model, year and driven kms, then the worse the car has been treated. Simple as that.

New comment by cottsak in "The withering dream of a cheap American electric car"

cottsak — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 15:40:05 +0000

I don't understand where this thinking comes from. It's not based in fact. These Tesla batteries degrade very slowly. And so if in 5 years you've lost 15% of the range, it still gets you anywhere you need to go including road trips with all of the Superchargers!? "totals the vehicle" is just nonsense and I wish more people understood the reality.

New comment by cottsak in "Reasonable Person Principle"

cottsak — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 04:36:25 +0000

If you can't see that "helping other people in another class cheat" is violating the honour code then you might benefit from taking the time to do so.

> Failure to realize the consequences of a course of action does not justify it.

https://deans.caltech.edu/documents/24878/Honor_Code_Handboo...

New comment by cottsak in "Reasonable Person Principle"

cottsak — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 04:31:05 +0000

Came here with the hope of better understanding how a "reasonable person" is defined and interpreted in legal terms. It's always bothered me that legislation reaches for this "reasonable person" in some enlightened attempt to assume that there is a coherent and uniform definition and interpretation for this.

This post didn't help me.

I think the standard "it depends" applies here too... as always.

New comment by cottsak in "Please just stop saying "just" (2019)"

cottsak — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 04:22:57 +0000

Good reminder.