Hacker News: joshuaheard

New comment by joshuaheard in "Italy Blocks Reproductive Health Websites Women on Web and Women Help Women"

joshuaheard — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 18:20:46 +0000

The fetus has different DNA from its mother, so it's not "her body".

New comment by joshuaheard in "Italy Blocks Reproductive Health Websites Women on Web and Women Help Women"

joshuaheard — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 16:06:11 +0000

The issue with abortion is that some think the fetus deserves legal protection because it is equivalent to a human baby. So, they don't think it should be killed. In Italy, abortion is allowed in the first 90 days. After that, it is illegal. These websites were providing abortion pills to be used past the 90 day period, which is illegal.

So, these websites were being blocked because they were engaged in illegal activity.

New comment by joshuaheard in "Alternate clock designs and time systems"

joshuaheard — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 23:44:43 +0000

Incorporate the metric clock into a "metric" calendar:

1 year = 360 days + 5 days of Festivus (6 for leap year)

360 days = 12 months

1 month = 3 weeks

1 week = 10 days

10 days = 6 work days + 4 day weekend

New comment by joshuaheard in "The Vespa at 80"

joshuaheard — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 14:08:28 +0000

Vespas have been around for so long because it is such a great design. They now make an electric Vespa.

https://storeusa.vespa.com/elettrica/vespa-elettrica-45-mph....

New comment by joshuaheard in "Reading the news is the new smoking"

joshuaheard — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:22:12 +0000

I have been a news junkie ever since I switched from reading cereal boxes at breakfast to my dad's newspaper. I totally agree it's addicting. However, I don't know if I would say it's a negative addiction like smoking. I look forward to reading the news and seeing what's going on in the world outside my window. It's a challenge to come up with my own solutions to the world's problems. Now, with social media, I am even more rewarded by making my "solutions" public.

New comment by joshuaheard in "Ask HN: What surprised you about Estonia e-Residency and running an Estonian OÜ?"

joshuaheard — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:17:17 +0000

That's strange. My comment replied to a post I did not open or read. Must have been a bug or I was sleep-posting.

New comment by joshuaheard in "Ask HN: What surprised you about Estonia e-Residency and running an Estonian OÜ?"

joshuaheard — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:38:34 +0000

I switched to 1Password after the last one.

New comment by joshuaheard in "UAE to leave OPEC in blow to oil cartel"

joshuaheard — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:04:44 +0000

OPEC

New comment by joshuaheard in "UAE to leave OPEC"

joshuaheard — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 13:46:24 +0000

OPEC is a cartel of Arab oil-producing countries, including UAE. They limit production in order to keep the world oil price artificially high. UAE is pulling out of the cartel, presumably so it can bypass the restrictions and cash in on the high prices caused by the Iranian conflict. AFAIK this is the first time a country has pulled out of OPEC, and hopefully, it will lead to its demise.

New comment by joshuaheard in "Isopods of the world"

joshuaheard — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:15:45 +0000

TIL people keep isopods as pets. What a great find!

New comment by joshuaheard in "Consider the Greenland Shark (2020)"

joshuaheard — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:52:48 +0000

That's too bad. I thought he was on to something.

New comment by joshuaheard in "Consider the Greenland Shark (2020)"

joshuaheard — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:27:50 +0000

Jeremy Wade, host of the TV show "River Monsters", has an episode where he investigates the Loch Ness Monster and concludes it's likely a Greenland Shark that swam up an underground river from the North Atlantic to the lake. He likens the shark's horse-like face and the distribution of the low fins on the shark's back to descriptions of the monster. A solitary long-living fish could explain the occasional sightings, and the scientists' findings that there is not enough food in the lake for a breeding population of large carnivores.

New comment by joshuaheard in "US economy unexpectedly sheds 92k jobs in February"

joshuaheard — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 17:48:22 +0000

I read that temporary striking workers were considered a lost job and accounted for 30,000 of the jobs. Plus another 27,000 in health care from the loss of business due to the strike. And the federal government shed 10,000 jobs. That accounts for nearly half the job losses.

New comment by joshuaheard in "I am directing the Department of War to designate Anthropic a supply-chain risk"

joshuaheard — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:38:52 +0000

Should military contractors put conditions on the use of their weapons? Here's our tank, but you can't invade Iran with it? We think your invasion of Venezuela is illegal, we're activating the kill switch on your jets. That's a real dangerous proposition.

New comment by joshuaheard in "Global Intelligence Crisis"

joshuaheard — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:52:07 +0000

Every time I read one of these doom and gloom pieces on AI/robotics, I think they are only describing the transition. After that, I think society will align with Musk's vision of AI/robotics freeing humans from work and scarcity. Then, humans will be able to focus on exploring the universe, scientific discovery, and artistic expression.

New comment by joshuaheard in "Halt and Catch Fire: TV’s best drama you’ve probably never heard of (2021)"

joshuaheard — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 06:20:04 +0000

Loved it! It was an effective blend of different tech origin stories. Lee Pace was also excellent in "Foundation".

New comment by joshuaheard in "Skip the Tips: A game to select "No Tip" but dark patterns try to stop you"

joshuaheard — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 06:47:04 +0000

I had food delivered the other day and the suggested tip included tax and the delivery fee in it's calculation.

New comment by joshuaheard in "NIMBYs aren't just shutting down housing"

joshuaheard — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 21:05:17 +0000

Which is likely why they are doing it. The City of Huntington Beach had a similar problem: there was simply no room to build additional housing. They sued the state and lost. The law is overreaching, but it's the law.

New comment by joshuaheard in "NIMBYs aren't just shutting down housing"

joshuaheard — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 21:03:33 +0000

A community of 5-acre equestrian lots is pastoral. Dumping a 650 housing project in the middle of that would destroy its character.

New comment by joshuaheard in "NIMBYs aren't just shutting down housing"

joshuaheard — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 16:12:43 +0000

Rancho Palos Verdes is a small established hillside community with equestrian 1 - 5 acre lots. The absurdity of adding 650 homes to this area is astounding. Right next door is Hawthorne which has plenty of space for such housing. Activists like this person, lobbying a city they have no relation to, to enforce an overreaching state law, are part of what is making people and companies leave California.