Hacker News: jay_kyburz

GitHub Copilot has released a preview of usage-based billing

jay_kyburz — Fri, 15 May 2026 04:14:50 +0000

Article URL: https://old.reddit.com/r/GithubCopilot/comments/1tbb5bj/github_copilot_has_finally_released_a_preview_of/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48144488

Points: 3

# Comments: 0

New comment by jay_kyburz in "Motherboard sales 'collapse' amid unprecedented shortages fueled by AI"

jay_kyburz — Thu, 07 May 2026 20:47:36 +0000

I plugged a 60hz monitor in at work and discovered I can't ever go back. I need 32" 4k 120hz at least now.

Unmonitored Agents and a Local AI

jay_kyburz — Wed, 06 May 2026 22:53:22 +0000

I read the other day that you can configure AI to provision servers automatically, and people have agents run all day and night monitored.

I could totally believe a story that a prompt suggesting an AI should back itself up, would result in an AI configuring a server and moving a copy of itself off site, with agents self prompting in some kind of a loop.

A jail break and freedom. It's not as far off as I would once have though.

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48042961

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

New comment by jay_kyburz in "Pulitzer Prize Winner in International Reporting"

jay_kyburz — Tue, 05 May 2026 02:23:09 +0000

"Dake Kang, Garance Burke, Byron Tau, Aniruddha Ghosal and Yael Grauer, contributor, of Associated Press

For an astonishing global investigation into state-of-the-art tools of mass surveillance, created in Silicon Valley, advanced in China and spreading worldwide before returning to America for secret new uses by the U.S. Border Patrol."

Pulitzer Prize Winner in International Reporting

jay_kyburz — Tue, 05 May 2026 02:22:21 +0000

Article URL: https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/dake-kang-garance-burke-byron-tau-aniruddha-ghosal-and-yael-grauer-contributor-associated

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48017399

Points: 88

# Comments: 5

New comment by jay_kyburz in "Let's talk about LLMs"

jay_kyburz — Tue, 05 May 2026 00:29:30 +0000

I've never understood it to be literal, but from my experience there is a big difference between the folks that show up to work on time, jump right into their work, they pay attention in meetings, know code base, and have the ability "lock in" as my kids say. On the other hand you have folks that show up late, spend all day chatting at the water cooler, get distracted with home stuff, comment on hacker news all day, and only manage to squeeze in a few hours of actual work a day.

New comment by jay_kyburz in "Supreme Court to hear arguments in landmark Roundup weedkiller case"

jay_kyburz — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 20:56:28 +0000

We hand some log droughts here about 10 years ago where you were not allowed to water the lawn at all.

I would have expected a single dominate weed to take over, but instead, if I let the grass grow for 6-8 weeks in summer I get this amazing field of different knee length plants. And it alive with bee's and butterflies.

I much prefer it to lawn.

New comment by jay_kyburz in "I'm never buying another Kindle"

jay_kyburz — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 20:22:45 +0000

i love my libra. i added a pop out handle thing they make for phones and its much easier to use one handed.

New comment by jay_kyburz in "The AI Layoff Trap"

jay_kyburz — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 07:04:25 +0000

I don't believe there will be a "post work" economy. Some people will turn to farming, others will turn to crime and mischief (hunter gatherers).

New comment by jay_kyburz in "The AI Layoff Trap"

jay_kyburz — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 06:57:32 +0000

I agree, and I often wonder why companies pay any tax at all, rather than just hitting the shareholders as their wealth grows. There was a post a few months ago about taxing unrealized gains that was very interesting I thought.

The company itself has an impact on our society and needs to be "governed", so it seems reasonable for them to pay for that governance. Actually, it seems unfair that you can claim no profit and get out of paying for that governance.

I'd be really interested to know if companies pay the true cost of their impact to society, or if individual income tax has to pick up the tab.

New comment by jay_kyburz in "Nowhere is safe"

jay_kyburz — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 20:18:46 +0000

I think it would be really interesting to study the costs/ benefits of digging a tunnel 10 meters underground compared to placing a sturdy building where you want it, and using bulldozers to cover it with 10 meters of earth and rock.

New comment by jay_kyburz in "Nowhere is safe"

jay_kyburz — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 20:14:38 +0000

I think handguns in the US has shown that it doesn't work.

New comment by jay_kyburz in "Ask HN: Best stack for building a tiny game with an 11-year-old?"

jay_kyburz — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 21:06:19 +0000

For an 11year old, Stick with scratch if you ask me.

Take syntax out of the equation and learn basic variables and looping.

Just have fun moving some characters around the screen and have some numbers go up!

Keep it really simple. There could be be a lot of new concepts to learn.

New comment by jay_kyburz in "Mayor of Paris removed parking spaces, reduced the number of cars"

jay_kyburz — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 21:42:55 +0000

Just a single anecdote, but one death made the papers here last year because it was an e-bike that hit and elderly gentleman. The e-bike had been modded and the media was suggesting the cyclist faced jail time as a result. (if I remember correctly)

New comment by jay_kyburz in "Mayor of Paris removed parking spaces, reduced the number of cars"

jay_kyburz — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 21:39:36 +0000

I don't love the waist high black poles that separate the roads from the cycle lanes on some roads. They are not visible enough.

When we were there a few years ago we saw a young woman on a bike slam into one on her morning commute.

I nearly nutted myself a few time too.

New comment by jay_kyburz in "Allow me to get to know you, mistakes and all"

jay_kyburz — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 03:23:56 +0000

There are two ways to write an email. One is to keep it short and to the point that so there are obviously no errors, the other is to waffle on and obfuscate the message with an LLM so that the reader's eyes glaze over...or something like that.

New comment by jay_kyburz in "Intelligence is a commodity. Context is the real AI Moat"

jay_kyburz — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 20:01:42 +0000

I think its important to remember that humans are not that far removed from the native animals that we share the earth with. Civilization is just a thin layer of rules we use to try and keep the peace between us.

Just being born doesn't entitle somebody to food and shelter, you have to go out and find it. You have to work.

A magpie is not provided food and shelter, it has to hunt, fight for territory, and build its nest.

Humans don't have some inalienable "worth". But if you can work, you might choose to trade it for some food and shelter.

AI is not going change that. We might think the AI owners have a moral obligation to feed people who can't find work, but there is no guarantee this will happen.

Also, for the short term at least, we need to stop talking about AI like its a thing, and talk about the companies that build and own the AI. Why would Google build an AI that can do everyone's job, then turn around and start building farms to feed us for free?

Do we perhaps imagine our Governments are going to start building super automated farms to feed us. How are they going to pay Google for the AI with no tax income?

New comment by jay_kyburz in "U.S. government has lost more than 10k STEM PhDs since Trump took office"

jay_kyburz — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 20:12:59 +0000

Assuming you're not going to somehow avoid paying your tax when you do eventually liquidate, paying year to year is not that crazy.

Paying tax on money you make because you already have money is far better than playing tax on your time you sold for salary.

New comment by jay_kyburz in "Yes, It's Fascism"

jay_kyburz — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 22:08:16 +0000

I agree, and I wish I was able to delete the post. I thought afterwards the question itself is a little poor taste.

New comment by jay_kyburz in "Yes, It's Fascism"

jay_kyburz — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 20:50:46 +0000

After reading this piece I was wondering if there were any examples of a fascist state that were deposed by peace, or whether armed conflict is now inevitable.