Hacker News: danielfoster

New comment by danielfoster in "EU Parliament switches to Qwant search engine from Google in sovereignty push"

danielfoster — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:52:02 +0000

I just tried Qwant out of curiousity and immediately got a headache from the bright blue-purple color. Its UI isn't as readable as Google and I would find it annoying to use frequently.

Also, shouldn't EU Parliament web browsers follow the same standards as the EU requires of Google-- i.e. users are prompted to choose a search engine after installation?

New comment by danielfoster in "Anthropic is expanding to Colossus2. Will use GB200"

danielfoster — Fri, 22 May 2026 21:48:36 +0000

The top-level discussed a theoretical risk of data being exfiltrated by third parties for training. Other comments discussed contract law and legal remedies, including Delaware’s excellent court system for handling business disputes.

None of this means you don’t have the same rights as an individual to enforce contract terms. I think the top commenters discussed corporate law because that is where most IP theft occurs, and corporate customers have strong contracts covering data protection.

New comment by danielfoster in "Mistral's CEO: Europe has 2 years to stop becoming America's AI 'vassal state'"

danielfoster — Sun, 17 May 2026 19:39:50 +0000

Not every EU country has a high tax burden. Rates are generally much fairer in Eastern Europe and the Baltics.

So I wouldn’t say high taxes are fundamentally European.

New comment by danielfoster in "I took an algorithm to court in Sweden. The algorithm won"

danielfoster — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:30:27 +0000

I see the challenge here is that the plaintiff surmised there was a faulty “algorithm,” but didn’t have proof until the government published its audit report nearly a year later. I wonder if the claim would have succeeded if she instead simply alleged that the government was improperly allocating school spots on a widespread basis without claiming there was an algorithm.

I don’t think The Guardian’s headline is accurate because the algorithm didn’t win, rather the parent involved didn’t have her day in court at all. Regardless, this is another example of the everyday issues people face (and will continue to face) when governments use technology improperly.

Article: What made law into a white collar sweatshop in the 1980s

danielfoster — Sat, 11 Apr 2026 18:33:58 +0000

Article URL: https://aeon.co/essays/what-made-law-into-a-white-collar-sweatshop-in-the-1980s

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47732889

Points: 4

# Comments: 0

New comment by danielfoster in "iBook Clamshell"

danielfoster — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 22:59:18 +0000

What I find most interesting about this website is that even in 2026, Germany still requires website owners— even hobbyists- to list their name and personal address in the Impressum. So much for anonymity.

New comment by danielfoster in "EU–INC – A new pan-European legal entity"

danielfoster — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:52:56 +0000

This is admirable but the process in Germany right now is overly burdensome. It probably does weed out some bad actors (and good actors) not because of the documents required or any sort of checks performed, but because it takes months and costs thousands of euros.

Notes and Hacks on Germany's Exit Tax

danielfoster — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 23:57:51 +0000

Article URL: https://eidel.io/notes-and-hacks-on-germanys-exit-tax/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46699370

Points: 6

# Comments: 0

New comment by danielfoster in "Find a pub that needs you"

danielfoster — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 20:39:29 +0000

Again, with all due respect, I’m not seeing how my comment is pushing a “life choice” on anyone, and the movement to restrict alcohol consumption equally qualifies as pushing a life choice on someone.

Commercial pubs have existed for hundreds of year. But drinking doesn’t have to be commercial. In Berlin where I live there’s a non-profit hacker space that has a bar with at-cost drinks. It’s also perfectly legal to buy a beer and sit in the park. And of course, nothing is better than having friends over for a wine tasting.

New comment by danielfoster in "Find a pub that needs you"

danielfoster — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 20:09:08 +0000

With all due respect this opinion verges on neo prohibitionist alarmism. The social benefits of alcohol have been widely acknowledged and at a time when we are all spending too much time at home on our phones (arguably worse for health than a pint), communities need more social spaces. That place may not necessarily be a bar and it’s perfectly fine if you don’t wish to drink, but it’s a bit much to refer to a cultural product as a criminal enterprise.

New comment by danielfoster in "US will ban Wall Street investors from buying single-family homes"

danielfoster — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 19:47:27 +0000

Encouraging the creation of new housing is the way to go. One thought— what percentage of new home purchases are made by large investors and is it growing? This seems like the most important metric to look at rather than existing ownership.

New comment by danielfoster in "BBC director general and News CEO resign in bias controversy"

danielfoster — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 20:27:08 +0000

This is a good point. The major issue I see is the BBC is funded by taxpayers through government-mandated contributions, whereas Fox News is a private company.

New comment by danielfoster in "OpenAI, Jony Ive struggle with technical details on secretive new AI gadget"

danielfoster — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 17:17:50 +0000

It sounds like this device could become the iPod Shuffle of AI devices— cute and clever, but not particularly useful.

New comment by danielfoster in "Trump to impose $100k fee for H-1B worker visas, White House says"

danielfoster — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 20:48:53 +0000

The last bullet is a good idea but wouldn’t work in practice. Otherwise a company could hire someone else’s H1B worker for $10k more per year and avoid the $100k fee.

New comment by danielfoster in "Sleep disorders increase risk of dementia, Alzheimer's, and cognitive decline"

danielfoster — Sun, 14 Sep 2025 05:55:03 +0000

As someone who’s always experienced insomnia, will we ever find an effective treatment?

New comment by danielfoster in "Finnish City Inaugurates 1 MW/100 MWh Sand Battery"

danielfoster — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 20:47:32 +0000

I agree with you, but one point I see everyone missing is the fact that this is a first-time installation of a new technology that hasn’t scaled. There needs to be a business plan of course. At the same time, no one would expect to see ROI figures for the first build of a concept car.

New comment by danielfoster in "The Business of Betting on Catastrophe"

danielfoster — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 22:18:17 +0000

Makes sense now, thank you! I feel like the author should have mentioned this.

New comment by danielfoster in "The Business of Betting on Catastrophe"

danielfoster — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 19:46:01 +0000

I like to think I’m somewhat intelligent, but there’s something I don’t understand here. The article cites an example of pandemic bond holders receiving a return of 40% over 3 years and these bonds being a useful way for the issuer to secure needed funds in the event of a pandemic. Unless a pandemic happens every ~8 years, isn’t this a ridiculous and unsustainable risk premium to pay?

New comment by danielfoster in "iOS 26 Will Let You Add Your U.S. Passport to Wallet for Identity Verification"

danielfoster — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 16:09:34 +0000

Many US citizens overseas visiting the US do. And plenty of New Yorkers who moved to the city but never updated their license do as well.

New comment by danielfoster in "How we’re responding to The NYT’s data demands in order to protect user privacy"

danielfoster — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 18:07:07 +0000

They didn’t say which law (the US judge’s order or EU law) they are complying with.