Hacker News: johnp314

New comment by johnp314 in "The World Happiness Report is beset with methodological problems"

johnp314 — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 17:49:43 +0000

You have much better (concrete) examples in South and Centeral America, e.g. Venezuela & Nicaragua, but there are plenty of others.

New comment by johnp314 in "We Induced Smells With Ultrasound"

johnp314 — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 13:12:18 +0000

Please include me also in contacts. I developed anosmia about 8 years ago (well before COVID). I truly wish there were some sort of 'cure' that would restore even a small amount of my sense of smell.

New comment by johnp314 in "Fourier Transforms"

johnp314 — Sun, 16 Nov 2025 20:30:11 +0000

Minor correction, Fourier made his breakthroughs in the early 1800's. He worked under the reign of Napoleon and continued in the decade thereafter.

New comment by johnp314 in "Partial Collapse of Hongqi Bridge in SW China [video]"

johnp314 — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 08:32:06 +0000

Apparently a landslide on the approach to the bridge triggered this dramatic collapse.

Partial Collapse of Hongqi Bridge in SW China [video]

johnp314 — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 08:32:06 +0000

Article URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVsRI7JcYjU

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45897729

Points: 5

# Comments: 1

New comment by johnp314 in "'Proof' Review: Finding Truth in Numbers"

johnp314 — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 13:12:18 +0000

> we can't know anything absolutely (except that we exist yada yada).

Well we only know that if we 'think'.

New comment by johnp314 in "A cute proof that makes e natural"

johnp314 — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 18:13:44 +0000

At first your comment fell flat with me but then I realized it was pretty sharp. You are a natural.

But the cute proof was pretty cute. I recommend calc teachers try to work it into their lecture on e.

New comment by johnp314 in "Year old Galapagos Turtle gives birth"

johnp314 — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 12:37:20 +0000

This is good news considering that the Galapagos Turtle is endangered. The mom has been in the Philadelphia Zoo since 1932 and has never had offspring till now. Here's to wishing the children a long and healthy life and many children.

92+ Year old Galapagos Turtle gives birth

johnp314 — Sat, 05 Apr 2025 12:37:20 +0000

Article URL: https://www.philadelphiazoo.org/news/four-critically-endangered-galapagos-tortoises-hatch-at-philadelphia-zoo/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43592963

Points: 6

# Comments: 1

New comment by johnp314 in "What situations in classical physics are non-deterministic?"

johnp314 — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 15:20:33 +0000

Thanks for the reference to the video. I watched it a few weeks ago and was befuddled by it. How can the ball just randomly start rolling in a random direction? It seemed to me that an obvious explanation would be that there is air flow in the environment and with the ball balanced in an unstable position that some air movement would easily nudge the ball off balance. I understand the diff eq of motion with the singularity but it seems to me that a ball balanced at the apex of any radially symmetric convex surface would eventually commence rolling, due to fluctuations in the air flow.

New comment by johnp314 in "Ivanpah solar energy plant in Mojave Desert faces bleak future"

johnp314 — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:33:15 +0000

It is more than a little disappointing that a solar plant in the desert cannot survive. While birds, who were killed at the plant by the thousands each year are rejoicing, those of us who seek a cleaner form of energy have been dealt a significant setback. Can industrial scale solar be made to work barring some new more efficient method to turn light into electricity?

Ivanpah solar energy plant in Mojave Desert faces bleak future

johnp314 — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 12:33:15 +0000

Article URL: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/one-of-america-s-priciest-green-boondoggles-may-be-going-offline-after-sucking-up-subsidies-and-incinerating-birds/ar-AA1ylZen

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42961758

Points: 2

# Comments: 3

New comment by johnp314 in "Blue Origin reaches orbit on first flight of its titanic New Glenn rocket"

johnp314 — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 14:35:52 +0000

What am I missing? I can sit in my den and watch SpaceX and now Blue Origin launches, in real time see the telemetry data, see stage separation, reentry burns, etc, etc. As for Saturn V, to quote the Byrds "I was so much older then..." but I don't recall any of that. Doesn't film require taking the exposed product to a lab for after the fact processing? While the Blue Origin images this morning were not nearly as good as the SpaceX, to me the images are absolutely incredible. I am a serious amateur photographer and I do still shoot film on occasion but I see little dynamic range differences now in 2025.

New comment by johnp314 in "An autumn bike adventure down the US portion of the Eastern Divide Trail"

johnp314 — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 01:11:06 +0000

I love this CGonaB site. I used it several times myself including for my similarly titled "Go west (not so young) man" diary documenting my XCountry ride in 2007. I didn't own a cell phone then (did they even exist then?). I used paper maps and had a small laptop to make my diary entries. I generally did them sitting outside town libraries (they were usually closed in the evenings when I arrived in towns) and most internet sites then were non-password and publicly accessible. I haven't made any documented treks since 2012 but still send the website money. You can see my "Go west..." diary here: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3d2&doc_id=2579&v=LL

New comment by johnp314 in "The number pi has an evil twin"

johnp314 — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 16:49:14 +0000

Since it's an "evil twin" should we not expect to find it in an alleged Nazi bar?

New comment by johnp314 in "Cybertruck's Many Recalls"

johnp314 — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 09:14:59 +0000

Well, the OED definition of 'recall' is "official order to return to a place" and a software update or fix requires no return to the place of purchase. I wonder how may legally defined 'recalls' Microsoft Windows has experienced with each new version.

New comment by johnp314 in "Everyone is capable of, and can benefit from, mathematical thinking"

johnp314 — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 19:37:06 +0000

It's a shame the title begins with 'Mathematica', makes one think the book is about the Wolfram software. That's the first thing I thought of when I saw the title. Hopefully Wolfram doesn't sue him for copyright violation or some such infringement.

New comment by johnp314 in "Trump wins presidency for second time"

johnp314 — Wed, 06 Nov 2024 17:05:23 +0000

"...anyone else would have handled it differently", yes, and very likely we would not have gotten the COVID vaccine as quickly as we did and hence Biden would not have been able to set us out on the road to the pandemics end (and been able to come out of his bunker). Who knows how much longer the pandemic would have lasted and how many more might have died had Trump not cut out the red tape and fast-tracked the pharm industry on the road to a cure.

New comment by johnp314 in "Is a 'slow' swimming pool impeding world records?"

johnp314 — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 14:17:10 +0000

It would be interesting to see a comparison of lane effect, say for instance, re-running a race after let's say a weeks rest with the top finishers now nearest the side walls and the lowest finishers in the center lanes. Oh and for incentive, let's say the average of their two times determines the winners.

New comment by johnp314 in "Barcelona will eliminate tourist apartments"

johnp314 — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 21:22:32 +0000

Today's Wall Street Journal (Jun 20) has an article "Europe has a new Economic Engine: American Tourists", where this is written:

"While Germany’s economy is flatlining, Spain is Europe’s fastest-growing big economy. Nearly three-quarters of the country’s recent growth and one in four new jobs are linked to tourism."