Hacker News: mangodrunk

New comment by mangodrunk in "“Math 2.0” will need to value mathematical progress more holistically"

mangodrunk — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 15:49:01 +0000

Well said! Unfortunately this sentiment seems to be in the minority.

Many of these reactions are much too hasty, making long term claims for something that has only recently happened and is fast evolving.

On top of that, assuming that there are 350,000 math PhDs, that’s 0.0036% of the current population (1 out of 28,000). There have only been 68 Fields Medalists which is 1 out of 122 million people. So, most of us wouldn’t be solving these problems, but now we all can benefit from them.

The study of mathematics is certainly to change, just like it did with previous advancements in mathematics itself and technology.

New comment by mangodrunk in "Does Reddit have an astroturfing problem? What the data suggests"

mangodrunk — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 15:52:38 +0000

I’ve noticed the same. This site is heavily biased towards Democratic politics and to a broader degree general leftist sentiment. X is pretty good in having various views and opinions but given its structure and history of using few words and being hyper focused on politics it is not conducive to thoughtful and intelligent discussion. I am starting to, for I think the better, use social media far less.

New comment by mangodrunk in "The evolution of effective altruism"

mangodrunk — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 15:45:00 +0000

That seems like a rather tribal take on your part. Are you not accounting for the indigenous people who were killed and displaced? What about slavery and Jim Crow? What about women not having the right to vote until 1920? What about the many wars? Only now you take issue with the current situation because your preferred party is not in power?

There’s nothing new about ICE detention centers and you should read up on previous presidents and their relationship with journalists. In particular check out Obama. See https://www.cbsnews.com/news/report-obama-administration-mos...

New comment by mangodrunk in "Does Reddit have an astroturfing problem? What the data suggests"

mangodrunk — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 22:21:35 +0000

I have stopped using Reddit for several months now and haven’t looked back. For a time I tried to engage but it was in a sea of far left ideology that was very resistant to any discourse. It happens on HN when the topic is political though some level of descent still flourishes here as opposed to getting downvoted, flagged, or banned like on Reddit.

New comment by mangodrunk in "Japan moves to tighten rules for foreigners"

mangodrunk — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 20:34:37 +0000

You continue to claim calamity and seem to think one possible path is the only one or even preferred. Perhaps a natural reduction in the population would be a good thing for easing climate change.

New comment by mangodrunk in "Japan moves to tighten rules for foreigners"

mangodrunk — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 17:47:37 +0000

You’re fear mongering. The sky is falling if they don’t take in a foreign population to exploit for cheap labor.

Your claim that it’s just a demographic shift is like the argument for the founding of the US. It was just a demographic shift. You might have your opinions guided by colonialism and capitalism more than you think.

New comment by mangodrunk in "If we do not stop to help each other, what do we become?"

mangodrunk — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 16:00:23 +0000

Agreed, StackOverflow was and continues to be a toxic “community.” In addition to toxic behavior, the site has issues with bad answers being selected or what were once correct are now outdated.

It’s also funny how he bemoans billionaires but he himself is a centimillionaire who sold StackOverflow for $1.8 billion.

New comment by mangodrunk in "Paul Graham on LLMs 'Thinking'"

mangodrunk — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 15:25:15 +0000

Or, maybe your understanding is wrong. He may be incentivized to say it, but you haven’t provided any reason to not believe these systems are “thinking.”

New comment by mangodrunk in "Paul Graham on LLMs 'Thinking'"

mangodrunk — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 15:22:56 +0000

What do you think is going on if not “thinking?” Can you elaborate how the basic computer science that underlies these systems refutes it.

New comment by mangodrunk in "ICE Shot a Journalist and Threw Him in Detention. He's Approaching 300 Days"

mangodrunk — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 13:47:57 +0000

What do you attribute to all the smoke? The car is boxed in but it does appear that the car reversed into the car behind and the smoke is from the tires spinning. What do you think should be done in this situation? The car does seem to be boxed in well but the car could potentially get out.

New comment by mangodrunk in "Seven books I keep close because I love them"

mangodrunk — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 03:56:46 +0000

You have an Applebees, what I am referring to is extreme poverty, where people have chronic hunger or are starving. High insurance costs are bad, but consider the person who has no ability to pay for food let alone medical care and there is little to no support.

There are certainly wealthy countries other than the US, but most people don’t live in those countries.

New comment by mangodrunk in "Seven books I keep close because I love them"

mangodrunk — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 15:18:29 +0000

Supposed intellectual wasteland is far better than an actual wasteland. If you live in the US, you most likely have it far better than most everyone else on earth. Immigrants know this much better than Americans who take their freedoms and comfortable life for granted. They are a hard working people and have earned their current privileges.

New comment by mangodrunk in "Seven books I keep close because I love them"

mangodrunk — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 04:37:26 +0000

Can you live in a majority indigenous area? Would that be appropriate if you are not indigenous? I say this because I do think many are too critical of Christian countries without ever experiencing another country. They don’t know how good they have it.

New comment by mangodrunk in "Seven books I keep close because I love them"

mangodrunk — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 02:11:59 +0000

Have you tried living somewhere else or would you like to? For what it’s worth, several societies who were and are predominantly Christian have done quite well, such that most people immigrate to them as opposed to other countries.

New comment by mangodrunk in "Gödel, Escher, Elisp: The Beauty of Macros"

mangodrunk — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 01:42:19 +0000

Yeah, it’s odd that Escher didn’t respond to Reutersvärd’s letters. Also, Penrose found out about Reutersvärd’s work in 1984:

>It wasn’t until 1984 that Roger Penrose (whose father Lionel died in 1972) discovered that Oscar Reutersvärd had invented the triangle and the stairs much earlier.

https://escherinhetpaleis.nl/en/about-escher/escher-today/os...

New comment by mangodrunk in "Gödel, Escher, Elisp: The Beauty of Macros"

mangodrunk — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 17:44:46 +0000

Can you elaborate? Roger Penrose and his father Lionel did independently discover and popularize the Penrose Stairs and Penrose Triangle but Oscar Reutersvärd had created both years earlier. What do you think should be said about Penrose?

New comment by mangodrunk in "Writing by hand is good for your brain"

mangodrunk — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 20:32:41 +0000

Same reason I miss those library cards found in the back of books. I enjoyed seeing the history a book had, how years could pass without anyone checking it out or seeing a flurry of checkouts.

New comment by mangodrunk in "Why skilled workers come to Germany and then leave again"

mangodrunk — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 01:23:33 +0000

Why don’t people migrate to developing countries instead to help them directly. This form of migration makes it appear that Western countries are better.

There is a big problem with mass migration and people entering a country with antithetical values and beliefs.

New comment by mangodrunk in "Dua Lipa opens library for banned and censored books in Portugal"

mangodrunk — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 01:18:30 +0000

So you think parents should not have a say? Wouldn’t that be rather authoritarian to have whatever books and disregard criticism? Many librarians are activists and are choosing books that are not educational. They are actively selecting books that they agree with.

New comment by mangodrunk in "Learning to code is still worthwhile"

mangodrunk — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 15:34:25 +0000

Can you expand on why you think society should value it?