Hacker News: npwr

New comment by npwr in "Elon Musk tells advertisers: 'Go fuck yourself'"

npwr — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 08:46:55 +0000

May this be a cautionary tale for those considering self medicating their depression using ketamine.

New comment by npwr in "Ask HN: Dealing with ADHD Without Medication?"

npwr — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 09:40:33 +0000

That is a very neat idea. It might just work for me. Thank you

New comment by npwr in "Building a Virtual Machine Inside ChatGPT"

npwr — Sun, 04 Dec 2022 09:57:02 +0000

Last year around the same time I figured that most of the content we read on social networks could be generated by advanced langage models. I then proceeded to research these models and gathered data on the agents in the various networks.

I stopped sleeping altogether, bought a ton of hardware and became delirious. I have now been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Some psychiatrists have classified my intuitions about langage models usages as "delirious mania". Some think I'm right - but manic nonetheless.

Terribly shitty situation.

New comment by npwr in "Microsoft tests 'upsells' of its products in Windows 11 sign-out menu"

npwr — Wed, 09 Nov 2022 16:08:52 +0000

The way they hijacked the documents folder to sync with a limited space onedrive in a non revertable manner is despicable. The fact that we get only 5Gbs for an OS at this price is a disgusting anti-consumer practice. The way Microsoft keeps pushing this "feature" truly shows how little they care about their users.

I hope NIX platforms finish eating the market share Microsoft has acquired through lock-in and terrible entreprise deals.

New comment by npwr in "What alcohol does to your body, brain and health [video]"

npwr — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 17:05:43 +0000

Sounds like you're depressed and automedicating. But alcohol will only make you more depressed in the long run.

New comment by npwr in "How normal am I?"

npwr — Tue, 05 Jul 2022 13:56:57 +0000

No data leaves the browser, feel free to check it out.

New comment by npwr in "DeepMind: A Generalist Agent"

npwr — Thu, 12 May 2022 17:21:23 +0000

It is very impressive. Personnaly I'm still waiting for the unification of QM and GR. Also the adaptative nanobots that reconfigure our immune systems in real time.

New comment by npwr in "First Principles Thinking"

npwr — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 16:43:12 +0000

It's just that it's painfully obvious to think this way when your brain is built the right way. Then it's just a matter of having the right environment to unleash your work.

Most people just don't have the brain for it, we're social animals and following the smart ones is much more efficient than having everyone running in their own direction.

Basically we always have the choice of following analogies or building our own knowledge bodies. Building one's knowledge capital takes time and dedicated effort which most people do not have. Once you start building your own, you're only limited by your biology and your environment.

"Chaos isn't a pit. Chaos is a ladder."

New comment by npwr in "Ask HN: How do you manage or avoid meltdowns?"

npwr — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 09:55:39 +0000

Here's what works for me :

- An SSRI treatment, because generalized anxiety doesn't usually go away on its own.

- Heavy schedule compartimentalization.

- At least a moderate level of daily physical activity.

- 9 hours of sleep.

- Minimize caffeine & alcohol intake.

New comment by npwr in "There’s No ‘Supply-Chain Shortage,’ or Inflation. There’s Just Central Planning"

npwr — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 21:18:58 +0000

What a poorly written article. This reads like the ramblings of a paranoid schizophrenic: No point, no argument, no conclusion.

New comment by npwr in "U.S. Government already projects $1T deficit every year for the next 10 years [pdf]"

npwr — Sun, 17 Oct 2021 14:11:40 +0000

In french we call it "une cavalerie". I did not find an english word.

New comment by npwr in "Ask HN: How Do You Learn?"

npwr — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 15:34:17 +0000

Spaced repetition works great for me. Especially because it binds well with a pragmatic approach of professional learning : if I encounter a problem multiple times it is worth it to learn the solution to have it quickly. If I only encounter it once I don't need to.

My process is usually this one :

- Understand learning space ontology. Once I am able to visualize the concepts associated with the field and their relationships, I stop digging the theory and go to practice.

- Start practice: try to solve a simple problem in this learning space. Maximally use all information sources available to solve problems as we go (articles, youtube, wikipedia, blogs, anything). If I get confused I recognize that I missed some theory and go back to square one.

- Solve real use case, go back to step 2 if I get confused or blocked.

I usually get where I need in less than 6 steps. I use this in Software Engineering, Physics and Mathematics.

When I encounter a problem in an Ontolongy space I already encountered, I go directly to step 3.

New comment by npwr in "Ask HN: How Do You Learn?"

npwr — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 15:28:07 +0000

Move fast and break things. Mostly your stomach and your dopamine levels.

New comment by npwr in "What if I were 1% charged? (2013)"

npwr — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 14:31:26 +0000

Then we would have to build a computer that generates the questions. Let's say, a computer the size of a planet..

New comment by npwr in "What if I were 1% charged? (2013)"

npwr — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 14:29:17 +0000

Constraining the electrons apart would require a very serious insulator. The muscle would just arc between its two ends.

To make it work you have to distribute electrical potential along all the "motor". Just like biological muscles do with protein configurations. We just aren't technogically advanced enough to build such metamaterials ourselves.

New comment by npwr in "Running a CNC machine is definitely about sex and should be demonetized"

npwr — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 17:08:05 +0000

Maybe we should avoid letting twitter drama reach HN.

New comment by npwr in "Mike Levin on using bioelectricity to study how cells form (2019)"

npwr — Wed, 14 Jul 2021 13:21:37 +0000

Their progress is astonishing. I've been following it for a few years and their research is barely starting to reach the mainstream media. He will get a Nobel for sure.

These are wild discoveries, maybe one day regrowing a lost arm we be more than science fiction!

New comment by npwr in "Photonic Computing for Transformative AI"

npwr — Sun, 11 Jul 2021 16:53:33 +0000

Well these are the kind of problems you only have to solve once. There are advantages too : tech workers are less expensive in France than in the US.

New comment by npwr in "Engineers can disrupt climate change"

npwr — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 16:35:07 +0000

Thank you for the problems I am looking for them! I keep thinking we could manufacture and send the sails from the moon. This would require a semi-automated production line and I have no idea if this is even remotely possible with current technology.

I also think it is the only possible controllable way to control global warming. I am very happy to learn I am not the only one that thought of this.

New comment by npwr in "Engineers can disrupt climate change"

npwr — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 16:18:43 +0000

There is an idea that is keeping me up at night. What if we could launch large sails to the L1 Lagrange Point to reduce the amount of radiation that reach the earth by only 2% ?