<rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>Hacker News: nimbleal</title><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=nimbleal</link><description>Hacker News RSS</description><docs>https://hnrss.org/</docs><generator>hnrss v2.1.1</generator><lastBuildDate>Mon, 06 Jul 2026 23:58:48 +0000</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://hnrss.org/user?id=nimbleal" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"></atom:link><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by nimbleal in "How do wombats poop cubes? (2021)"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I see — a blog written by an unknown librarian is a better source than an Oxford fellow writing for a journal with a hundred year pedigree. No further engagement necessary, I think.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2026 14:37:52 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48775618</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48775618</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48775618</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by nimbleal in "How do wombats poop cubes? (2021)"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Yes, it is.<p>Look at your source — hardly authoritative! And the so-called evidence... Thin, entirely circumstantial, and in places actually wrong.<p>For example, Saturnalia went — at its longest - until the 23rd, not the 25th. Moreover, Christians likely got the 25th date based on religious calculation[1], not with reference to the one of the ancient festivals Victorian "historians" liked to speculate about.<p>The article attempts to link gifting verses to writing Christmas cards — a Christmas tradition not popularised until the 19th C and no older than the 17th.<p>Feasting and exchanging of gifts, much less the greeting "lo saturnalia" — literally the <i>only</i> other "evidence" presented here —  need hardly be addressed, given how ubiquitous such things are with regard to festival, and how thin the apparent connection.<p>There is no positive evidence for this link, hence it not being taken seriously by any modern historian. It is no more than outdated speculation.<p>[1] <a href="https://poj.peeters-leuven.be/content.php?id=3007366&url=article" rel="nofollow">https://poj.peeters-leuven.be/content.php?id=3007366&url=art...</a></p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2026 02:03:11 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48769848</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48769848</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48769848</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by nimbleal in "How do wombats poop cubes? (2021)"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>The Christmas/ Saturnalia link is a myth.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:56:31 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48764215</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48764215</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48764215</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by nimbleal in "I Made the "Next-Level" Camera and I love it"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Not sure how multiple exposures helps?<p>Smaller sensor, tighter aperture. So yes, more light or a more sensitive sensor.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:45:07 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47832911</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47832911</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47832911</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by nimbleal in "How far back in time can you understand English?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Hmmmm. Which direction are you driving in where you can hardly understand them? I don’t think there’s a regional accent in the whole of the UK that’s “hardly understandable” spoken by anyone under 80 years old, let alone an hour from London. Especially where the conversation isn’t “in group”</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 23 Feb 2026 07:25:52 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47119162</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47119162</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47119162</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by nimbleal in "A definition of AGI"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I don’t think that’s an argument from authority. “Experts have been discussing X without reaching a conclusion for a long time” is a premise from which a reasonable argument can be made for the unlikelihood that an off-hand comment on HN has solved X. Argument from authority doesn't take that form though the two do have invoking authorities in common.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 09:00:52 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45730594</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45730594</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45730594</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The New Control Society – The New Atlantis]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Article URL: <a href="https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-new-control-society">https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-new-control-society</a></p>
<p>Comments URL: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43155329">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43155329</a></p>
<p>Points: 3</p>
<p># Comments: 1</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 24 Feb 2025 02:42:18 +0000</pubDate><link>https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-new-control-society</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43155329</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43155329</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by nimbleal in "Wide angle lens distortion correction from lines"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Zeiss cinema lenses (in particular master primes) have the least distortion I’ve come across</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 22 Jul 2024 13:48:20 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41034341</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41034341</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41034341</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by nimbleal in "My daughter (7 years old) used HTML to make a website"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>It was basically (no pun intended) this, though obviously not in bash:<p><pre><code>  #!/bin/bash

  legs_out=(
  "                     "
  "        .'''.        "
  "       -     -       " 
  "       |  C  ^       "
  "        \    7       "
  "          | |        "
  "        /     \\     "
  "        |  \\ \\     "
  "        |   \\ \\    " 
  "      / |    \\ \\   "
  "     /  |     \\ \\  "
  "    /   |      \\ \\ "
  "   /    |      |\\  \\     "
  "        \\    \\          "
  "               \\         "
  "       /        \\        "
  "      /          \\       "
  "     /    / \\    \\      "
  "    /    /   \\    \\     "
  "   /    /     \\    \\    "
  "  /    \       \\    \\   "
  "   \\   \\       \\    \\...  "
  "     ____]         [    ]"
  )

  legs_cross=(
  "        .'''.        "
  "       -     -       "
  "       |  C  ^       "
  "        \    7       "
  "          | |        "
  "        /     \\     "
  "        |  |  |      "
  "        |  |  |      "
  "        |  |  |      "
  "        |  |  |      "
  "        |  |  |       "
  "      ( |  |  |       "
  "        |  |   )    "
  "        |  |  |      "
  "        |  |  |      "
  "        |  |  |      "
  "        |  |   )      "
  "        |  |  |       "
  "        |  |  |       "
  "        |  |  |       "
  "        /  |          "
  "       /   |  |       "
  "      \\..]  /    /    " 
  )

  print_man() {
    local spaces=$1
    local man=("${!2}")
    for line in "${man[@]}"; do
      printf "%*s%s\n" $spaces "" "$line"
    done
  }

  spaces=0
  state=0

  while true; do
    clear
  
    if (( state % 4 < 2 )); then
      print_man $spaces legs_out[@]
    else
      print_man $spaces legs_cross[@]
    fi
  
    ((spaces++))
    ((state++))
  
    if (( spaces > $(tput cols) )); then
      spaces=0
    fi
   
    sleep 0.1
  done</code></pre></p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 22 Jul 2024 01:57:05 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41030197</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41030197</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41030197</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by nimbleal in "My daughter (7 years old) used HTML to make a website"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I’m afraid not. It was incredibly simple, but I just remember being amazed that such a thing was even possible.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 19 Jul 2024 13:43:06 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41006509</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41006509</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41006509</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by nimbleal in "My daughter (7 years old) used HTML to make a website"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I was talking to my parents the other day and surprised myself getting pretty chocked up remembering how my dad had shown me how to program an ascii animation on his 386, and how the wonder I felt at that in many ways led me to where I am today, so many years later. These things matter.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jul 2024 14:50:07 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40996099</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40996099</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40996099</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by nimbleal in "Photo appears to capture path of bullet used in assassination attempt"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>A video camera shooting at standard shutter speeds (ie if being used by a professional) would likely not show the bullet. If shooting 60fps for eg so 1/120 id guess the bullet wouldn’t show up. Quick Google suggests typical 3000km/h out the muzzle which would have a 7m motion blur trail? Not sure how fast and to what speed a bullet slows in air</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 14 Jul 2024 12:00:06 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40960400</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40960400</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40960400</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by nimbleal in "They make USB-C cables with displays now"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Would plugging in your fastest external SSD and then using a hard drive read/write tester achieve some of the same ends? I've done that before with Blackmagic's disk speed test app and found it useful</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 17 Jun 2024 09:47:57 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40703918</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40703918</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40703918</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by nimbleal in "Earth rotation limits in-body image stabilization to 6.3 stops (2020)"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Yes, or considered another way 1/25th shutter vs almost 1/2000th, ie a lot of motion blur vs. virtually nothing will be able  to provoke blurring</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 09:21:37 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40376528</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40376528</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40376528</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by nimbleal in "Scientists Find an 'Alphabet' in Whale Songs"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I could see that being possible with a human language, but a non-human language? No way near enough context, I'd think.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 13 May 2024 07:34:07 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40340643</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40340643</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40340643</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by nimbleal in "Language models as compilers: Simulating pseudocode execution"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I hope there are more models trained on more precise inputs going forward. I understand that natural language feels the most futuristic but while it has the lowest barrier to entry it’s not only imprecise but also slow. Visual approaches (for example control nets in stable diffusion, image as input in Chat GPT, though both of these are somewhat bolted on), 2D semi-natural languages all merit further inquiry.<p>Another (and perhaps the ultimate) possibility is to have some way —- perhaps through simulations —- to directly expose the model to the problem, rather than having a human/natural language intermediary.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Apr 2024 04:48:01 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39938763</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39938763</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39938763</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by nimbleal in "Is the Sun Conscious? (2021) [pdf]"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I’m not sure this makes sense. Lots of phenomena — including those possessed by biological organisms — exist without there being any evolutionary imperative for their existence. For your argument to work, would you not have to demonstrate that consciousness is necessarily more like, say, animal fur than possessing mass or heat.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 29 Mar 2024 10:27:41 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39862437</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39862437</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39862437</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by nimbleal in "Show HN: I made a free animator. Think Adobe Illustrator but for animation"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Or even shoot a documentary as you go. Netflix could end up paying for your time.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 12 Mar 2024 13:33:12 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39679270</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39679270</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39679270</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by nimbleal in "Sora: Creating video from text"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I agree.<p>I think one part of the problem is using English (or whatever natural language) for the prompts/training. Too much inherent ambiguity. I’m interested to see what tools (like control nets with SD) are developed to overcome this.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 16 Feb 2024 11:44:41 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39395695</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39395695</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39395695</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by nimbleal in "What does and doesn't matter about Apple shooting their October event on iPhone"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Absolutely. I suppose what I was commenting on was a pattern I’ve observed that goes something like:<p>1. My videos don’t look good, it must be because I don’t have a good camera/lens
2. I have a good camera lens, but my videos still don’t look good, it must be because I don’t have good lights<p>And a lot of people just stop there because lighting is a lot more work and a lot less fun (for most people) than buying expensive cameras, but for those that do pursue lighting, there’s a third stage:<p>3. I’ve got a good camera, good lights AND I know how to use them AND STILL my video looks a bit underwhelming<p>That’s when you realise location, art, talent etc are massively important too.<p>Ie you could have a truck full of Arri lights and if you have bad production design and inappropriate talent it will still look bad.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 08 Nov 2023 09:30:07 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38188300</link><dc:creator>nimbleal</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38188300</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38188300</guid></item></channel></rss>