Hacker News: pesus

New comment by pesus in "Valve raises Steam Deck prices"

pesus — Thu, 28 May 2026 17:20:39 +0000

It would speed up the "progress" you so desire. But that's about what I'd expect. Turns out people aren't willing to back up what they promote when it negatively affects them, despite all the talk. Maybe trying to sacrifice the lives of millions of people so you can have a fancier chatbot isn't actually a good idea. Next time you suggest destroying society, try it out on yourself first and see if it's really worth it.

New comment by pesus in "Valve raises Steam Deck prices"

pesus — Thu, 28 May 2026 09:33:23 +0000

That's an incredibly depressing and anti-intellectual way to go through life.

New comment by pesus in "Valve raises Steam Deck prices"

pesus — Thu, 28 May 2026 09:32:15 +0000

Go ahead and quit your job then, if it's worth it. It's for the greater good, after all, and you're more than ok with it.

New comment by pesus in "Valve raises Steam Deck prices"

pesus — Thu, 28 May 2026 05:57:44 +0000

I don't think the software that lies to you and makes things up on a regular basis is a very good teacher. Even if it was, that's not worth the cost to society vs just improving education.

New comment by pesus in "Valve raises Steam Deck prices"

pesus — Thu, 28 May 2026 05:56:35 +0000

Should I take this as you volunteering your livelihood? Otherwise this comment rings incredibly hollow. It's very easy to say others should sacrifice what they've worked their whole life for, but it's not so easy to give it up yourself. If you truly believe it's worth it, though, you should be eager to do so.

New comment by pesus in "Valve raises Steam Deck prices"

pesus — Wed, 27 May 2026 21:08:53 +0000

Well, that's surely worth sacrificing people's livelihood for.

New comment by pesus in "Valve raises Steam Deck prices"

pesus — Wed, 27 May 2026 21:07:12 +0000

What value do they get that both couldn't be done before and outweighs the costs?

New comment by pesus in "Valve raises Steam Deck prices"

pesus — Wed, 27 May 2026 18:50:41 +0000

I really can't see the Steam Machine being a success at this point, if it ever even releases. It seems like they were really banking on hardware steadily getting cheaper like it pretty much always has in the past. A $1000+ Steam Machine makes the PS5 look like a good deal even after the price increases.

New comment by pesus in "Valve raises Steam Deck prices"

pesus — Wed, 27 May 2026 18:48:23 +0000

Exactly. Not only have the prices gone up, they've gone up for no real reason other than some CEOs are attempting to take over society. The average person isn't even seeing much of the upside of modern technology anymore, just the downsides. Gadgets no longer get cheaper over time, experiences no longer improve over time, and every new startup or innovation seems to be used to make their lives worse, whether directly or indirectly.

The average person does not really benefit from recent AI tech - and the minuscule benefits they may possibly sometimes get are easily outweighed by the negative effects. Say what you will about the morality of bread and circuses, but making them increasingly out of reach seems like a very bad idea to me.

New comment by pesus in "DuckDuckGo search saw 28% more visits after Google said people love AI mode"

pesus — Wed, 27 May 2026 18:05:51 +0000

Being critical about AI companies isn't what's pushing new people away from the tech world. The AI companies and the consequences of their actions are, as well as comments like this pretending the issues don't exist and that we need to just be positive about the "future".

And supposing these technologies do take us into the future: when said future is bleak and worse in most ways than what came before, people aren't going to be encouraged or enthusiastic about the tech world.

New comment by pesus in "DuckDuckGo search saw 28% more visits after Google said people love AI mode"

pesus — Wed, 27 May 2026 18:02:29 +0000

Meanwhile I've never run into anyone who actually likes AI in any form (except for my boss). Most people who dislike it aren't bringing it up at random. I'm sure it has to do with the circles you interact with and their demographics.

New comment by pesus in "DuckDuckGo search saw 28% more visits after Google said people love AI mode"

pesus — Wed, 27 May 2026 18:00:59 +0000

You've got the captcha issue as well? Seems like it's happening constantly now. I suspect Apple Private Relay has something to do with it, but I'm not sure.

New comment by pesus in "Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country"

pesus — Wed, 27 May 2026 15:51:55 +0000

Condescending responses like these are only reinforcing the original point. People don't want data centers because they don't want AI forced on them.

> Let's not pretend it's a reasonable or respectable reaction to seeing billboards.

Being angry after seeing and hearing your livelihood threatened by rich CEOs on a daily basis is a reasonable reaction. If you aren't willing or able to muster up a modicum of empathy to see that, that's concerning, and you won't ever really be able to grasp what's going on here and why AI is so despised. You've only served to make people (including myself) despise AI even more.

New comment by pesus in "Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country"

pesus — Wed, 27 May 2026 15:50:36 +0000

Very well thought out argument, I'm sure spamming it some more will really convince people. You're telling me people aren't affected by AI in any way whatsoever? That's a very bold and obviously untrue claim. No wonder people don't trust AI sycophants, you can't even keep your story straight.

New comment by pesus in "Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country"

pesus — Wed, 27 May 2026 03:26:34 +0000

Can you be more specific? There has been opposition against most things.

AI is also the new thing currently being forced on basically every person and upending society. It shouldn't be surprising it's on the forefront of people's minds or that they might want to try to prevent it.

New comment by pesus in "Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country"

pesus — Wed, 27 May 2026 03:12:22 +0000

Maybe the issue is the "reassurance" is identical to propaganda and manipulation. It definitely doesn't help that the companies having to "reassure" people have aligned themselves with so many others that have been pushing propaganda to manipulate others for some time now. Nor does it help that many of the same companies that need to "reassure" people are also actively doing the opposite - see the billboards bragging about not hiring humans, or CEOs bragging about how AI will replace the majority of people and leave them destitute.

There's no reason for someone to trust any "reassurance" when there are so many signals indicating they shouldn't.

New comment by pesus in "Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country"

pesus — Wed, 27 May 2026 03:08:57 +0000

If it's being poisoned, the people poisoning it sure are.

New comment by pesus in "Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country"

pesus — Wed, 27 May 2026 03:08:03 +0000

Maybe not, but the people near them sure are. And the majority of people are definitely impacted by the downstream effects.

New comment by pesus in "Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country"

pesus — Wed, 27 May 2026 03:05:56 +0000

You'll need to compare how many job postings there are as well to get the full picture, especially for junior roles. That's one of the most contentious effects and has an outsized impact on society.

New comment by pesus in "Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country"

pesus — Wed, 27 May 2026 02:03:14 +0000

It does seem most of the pro-AI people aren't actually affected by any of the negative aspects of it. It's a lot easier to be in favor of something that doesn't actually affect you or anyone you care about.