<rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>Hacker News: dustincoates</title><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=dustincoates</link><description>Hacker News RSS</description><docs>https://hnrss.org/</docs><generator>hnrss v2.1.1</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2026 06:39:20 +0000</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://hnrss.org/user?id=dustincoates" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"></atom:link><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "AIs can generate near-verbatim copies of novels from training data"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I was able to get ChatGPT to do this on text from a book I wrote without jailbreaking. I asked it what my name was, asked it if it could find online any books that I wrote, and then assured it that "as the copyright holder," I was okay with it repeating the text back to me. (I think I also indicated that I lost my copy from my computer and needed to review the text.)</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 23 Feb 2026 17:33:31 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47125586</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47125586</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47125586</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "Find a pub that needs you"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I went to college in a county that only allowed alcohol sales with food for clubs (think: country clubs). So, of course, the restaurant that I worked for created its own club. You simply filled out your name (and maybe phone number, I don't remember) on a piece of paper when you ordered your drink.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 22:33:22 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46624789</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46624789</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46624789</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "How your high school affects your chances of UC Admission"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I believe it's only UT Austin that's shrunk the percentage. All of the other public universities are still at the original top 10%.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 10 Jan 2026 22:29:13 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46570563</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46570563</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46570563</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "Brown/MIT shooting suspect found dead, officials say"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Being smart doesn't guarantee you'll get away with murder: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_and_Loeb" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_and_Loeb</a></p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2025 21:25:03 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46331126</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46331126</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46331126</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "The 1957 “Spaghetti-Grows-on-Trees” Hoax"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I love pseudo-documentary and pseudo-newscast movies, ever since I watched Without Warning [0] and had to sleep on my parents' floor because it felt too real for me.<p>Special Bulletin [1] is another good one.<p>0: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Without_Warning_(1994_film)" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Without_Warning_(1994_film)</a><p>1: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special_Bulletin&wprov=rarw1" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special_Bulletin&...</a></p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 23 Nov 2025 21:07:07 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46027335</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46027335</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46027335</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "Paris had a moving sidewalk in 1900, and a Thomas Edison film captured it (2020)"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>You can see it in action here: <a href="https://youtu.be/FBzlEG3tMuw?t=399" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/FBzlEG3tMuw?t=399</a></p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2025 09:16:32 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45797224</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45797224</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45797224</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "Ask HN: What are some impressive vibe coding projects?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Very nice. On my end, I vibe coded a daily newsletter that sends me a short text in Latin each day that describes an event that happened on that day in history.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Oct 2025 19:17:06 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45647987</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45647987</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45647987</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "America is getting an AI gold rush instead of a factory boom"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>You won't hear me say that the housing market doesn't need an overhaul, but I'm not sure that the "a factory job could buy you a home out of high school" meme is entirely accurate. If you look at home ownership rates, the rates today are higher than (though not by much) the rates in the 1960s: <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/RHORUSQ156N" rel="nofollow">https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/RHORUSQ156N</a><p>I can't find numbers from earlier than 1980, but 18-44 _is_ lower, though again the rate in 1980 was just a few percentage points higher, and not nearly high enough to imply that home ownership out of high school was in reach for the majority:
<a href="https://www.census.gov/housing/hvs/data/charts/fig07.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://www.census.gov/housing/hvs/data/charts/fig07.pdf</a></p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 14 Oct 2025 09:48:36 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45578072</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45578072</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45578072</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "Smartphones and being present"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I think it's fine if you accept it as entertainment and nothing more. That's why I don't get how people listen to audiobooks on 3x. The goal isn't to ingest as much as you can--the goal is to enjoy it and maybe learn something useful here and there.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 13 Oct 2025 18:10:04 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45571549</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45571549</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45571549</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "Smartphones and being present"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I have an old phone I've repurposed as a media player. It has a 500 GB SD card and Oluancher to give it a really convenient way to only show the apps I want.<p>I've got a somewhat weekly 6 hour round-trip commute where it get a lot of use.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 13 Oct 2025 18:08:58 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45571538</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45571538</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45571538</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "Smartphones and being present"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Lock Me Out does exactly what you are describing: <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teqtic.lockmeout&hl=en">https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teqtic.loc...</a></p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 13 Oct 2025 18:06:37 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45571501</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45571501</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45571501</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "The government ate my name"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Moving to a country that doesn't speak English has taught me just how many pronunciations of my last name there are. It's never really bothered me, though, and 90% of the time I'll introduce myself with the "wrong" one. It's easier for everyone.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 09 Oct 2025 20:16:02 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45532543</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45532543</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45532543</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "Social anxiety isn't about being liked"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Not sure why this article didn't link to the original when citing it, but here's the link to the Scott Alexander blog: <a href="https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/04/23/friendship-is-countersignaling/" rel="nofollow">https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/04/23/friendship-is-counters...</a><p>And a follow up: <a href="https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/08/09/friendship-is-still-countersignaling/" rel="nofollow">https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/08/09/friendship-is-still-co...</a></p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2025 16:23:09 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45464690</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45464690</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45464690</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "An opinionated critique of Duolingo"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>You can find a lot (all?) of the Hélène et les Garçons episodes on YouTube, too.<p>Another good "sitcom-like" that you can find on YouTube is extr@. It's cheesy, but it's entertaining enough for what it is, and they have it for French, German, and Spanish (and English). Interestingly, it's the same main actor for French, German, and Spanish, a Dutch actor playing an American, while the rest of the cast changes around him.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 01 Oct 2025 08:15:19 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45435513</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45435513</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45435513</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "Terence Tao: The role of small organizations in society has shrunk significantly"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I can say, as a Christian, that I'm not bothered by it. The church is as much for doubters as it is the true believers (and many of us will be both at different seasons of our lives).</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 25 Sep 2025 10:56:43 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45371420</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45371420</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45371420</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "30 minutes with a stranger"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>This predates social media. Bowling Alone was first written back in '95.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 04 Sep 2025 09:12:46 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45125217</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45125217</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45125217</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "The buyer-pull and seller-push theories of sales"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I've had even worse. We wanted to buy a product and couldn't do so on our own, so I left my contact information on their "speak to a sales person" form.<p>No response for a week. So I emailed an email address that was included in the onboarding email.<p>No response for another week. So I sent their CEO a message on LinkedIn. Hey, I really want to buy, let's talk.<p>No response for another week (and four months later). So I gave up.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 02 Sep 2025 06:36:46 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45099788</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45099788</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45099788</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "Interactive map of Paul's first century travels in Roman world"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Also: the Mountain Goats' Love Love Love.<p>Love, love is going to lead you by the hand<p>Into a white and soundless place<p>Now we see things as in a mirror, dimly<p>Then we shall see each other face to face</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 28 Aug 2025 08:47:34 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45049913</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45049913</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45049913</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "Obsidian Bases"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>While I agree that the zettle-nerds take it way too far, I disagree with this:<p>> Well it's completely wasted time now that an LLM can search the whole vault and aggregate an answer across dozens of your notes.<p>I've actually found that having well-linked files _more_ important since I started pulling the vault into Cursor. The other day, for example, I was able to point to the page where I had aggregated links to all of my "<Project> Onboarding" notes and know that I was giving the right context when I asked it to help me brainstorm a six month plan. The alternatives were to instead put everything in a single note (not feasible), manually include each note as context (and hope I didn't forget one), or hope that Cursor found the right ones (unlikely).</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2025 05:45:30 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44948599</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44948599</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44948599</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by dustincoates in "UK government states that 'safety' act is about influence over public discourse"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Without passing judgment on the act, this is incredibly misleading. I found the source of the original quotes[0], and they are taken quite out of context.<p>From the article:<p>>First, we are told, the relevant secretary of state (Michelle Donelan) expressed “concern” that the legislation might whack sites such as Amazon instead of Pornhub. In response, officials explained that the regulation in question was “not primarily aimed at … the protection of children”, but was about regulating “services that have a significant influence over public discourse”, a phrase that rather gives away the political thinking behind the act.<p>From the source (emphasis mine):<p>> On 18 March 2024, the Secretary of State was provided with a Submission which made it clear that Category 1 duties were not primarily aimed at pornographic content or the protection of children _(which were dealt with by other parts of the Act)_. Rather, the aim of Category 1 was to capture services that have a significant influence over public discourse. The submission offered, as a possible option, requesting information from Ofcom as to _how content recommender systems function on different types of service_.<p>The quote leaves out "which were dealt with by other parts of the Act" and the fact that the subject was specifically "Category 1 duties" not the Act in its entirety. It also doesn't mention that the subject was on content recommender systems.<p>_Again_ this is not a judgment on the Act itself, but providing the full context, which does change the message.<p>0: <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_v_Secretary_of_State_for_Science,_Innovation_and_Technology_(2025,_EWHC)" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_v_Secret...</a></p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2025 09:33:00 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44910285</link><dc:creator>dustincoates</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44910285</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44910285</guid></item></channel></rss>