Hacker News: hirpslop

AI Water Use Distractions and Lessons for California

hirpslop — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 15:59:30 +0000

Article URL: https://californiawaterblog.com/2026/04/26/ai-water-use-distractions-and-lessons-for-california/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47911329

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

New comment by hirpslop in "Why Japan has such good railways"

hirpslop — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:53:08 +0000

Yes, that’s exactly right. Maximal ‘individual liberty’ is my right to maximize my land’s value. My neighbors either agree to maximize theirs in a way that increases, or doesn’t hinder, mine, or they are my enemy to be litigated to death by my lawyers for damages.

New comment by hirpslop in "Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is killed in Israeli strike, ending 36-year rule"

hirpslop — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 22:35:02 +0000

This may or may not lead to a weaker Iran. From FP: “Iran is frequently portrayed as a political order bound tightly to individuals. Yet the architecture that emerged after 1979 was formed by a different logic, one founded in the revolutionary experience itself. Khomeini captured this hierarchy in a remark (https://abdimedia.net/en/ruhollah-khomeini/system-ahead-life...) often cited within Iran’s political elite: “Preserving the Islamic Republic is more important than preserving any individual, even if that individual were the Imam of the Age”—a reference to Shiism’s 12th Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi. It is still unclear whether the system will always follow this principle. But one should expect a change in leadership in Tehran to be treated less as an ending and more as a chance for the country’s institutions to show they can survive.”

https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/02/28/iran-khamenei-ayatollah...

New comment by hirpslop in "I gave my AI drugs"

hirpslop — Sun, 15 Feb 2026 06:41:03 +0000

/cocaine should talk at length about the amazing new code you’re going to write together until it burns through all its tokens

New comment by hirpslop in "Launching the Rural Guaranteed Minimum Income Initiative"

hirpslop — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 19:12:06 +0000

American government cash transfers overwhelmingly skew rural with the caveat that income maintenance is a smaller slice of the pie.

This report illustrates rural cash transfers beautifully: https://eig.org/great-transfermation/

Silicon Empires: The Political Economy of AI with Nick Srnicek

hirpslop — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 02:59:37 +0000

Article URL: https://thedigradio.com/podcast/silicon-empires-w-nick-srnicek/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46805211

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

New comment by hirpslop in "After AI"

hirpslop — Sat, 17 Jan 2026 14:33:47 +0000

An analysis of the sustainability of AI financing by Cédric Durand, political economist at the University of Geneva.

After AI

hirpslop — Sat, 17 Jan 2026 14:33:47 +0000

Article URL: https://newleftreview.org/sidecar/posts/after-ai?pc=1735

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46658360

Points: 3

# Comments: 1

New comment by hirpslop in "Local Journalism Is How Democracy Shows Up Close to Home"

hirpslop — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 22:11:06 +0000

As part of a research project, I combed through archives of my local paper from the 70s and 80s. As a practice exercise, I highly recommend you log in to your local library and try exploring yours. I was stunned at the quality papers used to produce. It left me with a profound sense of loss and regret, but also hope that we can do better.

Even the most trivial seeming stories were treated with a care that seems lost to time.

The power of observation beats most content I encounter now. For instance, the coverage of a Lieutenant Governor’s election victory celebration after being snubbed by Gov. Reagan’s inaugural party. The clever politician persevered because he knew the way to people’s hearts: free steins of beer and brats. Thousands attended on a chilly winter night in a parking garage.

They even followed up to verify precisely how much beer and brats were consumed.

They were also funnier and better written that most journalistic writing see today. Local restaurant reviews had a sense of responsibility and respectful conduct, but didn’t shy away from levity when the food stank. Far from a mere aggregate of gripes of the crankiest customers or sycophantic pablum, it was a the product of someone who’d honed their craft—taking pains to represent what was there according to a professional ethic.

This amounts to a public record that’s a dependable source of historical truth in a way that a forum or social platform doesn’t approximate.

They may not be as good today, but $200 a year is arguably worth the democracy protecting function alone.

New comment by hirpslop in "Google is dead. Where do we go now?"

hirpslop — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 02:36:30 +0000

Logged on to say Kagi[1]

[1]not an employee, sponsor, or autonomous agent of the above company

New comment by hirpslop in ""AI is an attack from above on wages" ft. cognitive scientist Hagen Blix"

hirpslop — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 22:45:24 +0000

Hagen Blix on AI as a wage depreciation strategy rather than a productivity tool.

"AI is an attack from above on wages" ft. cognitive scientist Hagen Blix

hirpslop — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 22:45:24 +0000

Article URL: https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/ai-is-an-attack-from-above-on-wages

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45456490

Points: 6

# Comments: 1

New comment by hirpslop in "Malign Coincidence – MAGA and the moment of hyperscaling"

hirpslop — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 18:48:19 +0000

Adam Tooze’s analysis of an era defining alliance of convenience

Malign Coincidence – MAGA and the moment of hyperscaling

hirpslop — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 18:48:19 +0000

Article URL: https://open.substack.com/pub/adamtooze/p/chartbook-410-malign-coincidenc

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45351185

Points: 1

# Comments: 1

AI won't use as much electricity as we are told (2024)

hirpslop — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 13:29:23 +0000

Article URL: https://johnquigginblog.substack.com/p/ai-wont-use-as-much-electricity-as

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45346761

Points: 65

# Comments: 116