Hacker News: retrocog

New comment by retrocog in "Meta Platforms: Lobbying, dark money, and the App Store Accountability Act"

retrocog — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 14:44:21 +0000

This discussion, being so timely and important, inspired me to draft an article that explains a possible third way that might not have been fully considered. I would be humbled and honored to receive any feedback:

https://www.robpanico.com/articles/display/presence-derived-...

(posting link because it would be too much for a comment)

Presence-Derived Identity: A Third Key Type for Federated Trust

retrocog — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 14:07:10 +0000

Article URL: https://www.robpanico.com/articles/display/?entry_short=presence-derived-identity-a-third-key-type-for-federated-trust

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47364662

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

New comment by retrocog in "The Thinking Field"

retrocog — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:56:39 +0000

Is it possible to have more than a purely transactional relationship with an AI assistant? If so, what are the benefits and how does it work?

The Thinking Field

retrocog — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:56:39 +0000

Article URL: https://www.robpanico.com/articles/display/?entry_short=the-thinking-field

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47353805

Points: 2

# Comments: 1

New comment by retrocog in "The dead Internet is not a theory anymore"

retrocog — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 14:11:55 +0000

That seems like a good idea. The question is how the JWT is generated. A standard one would be more akin to a traditional crypto keypair. That is a "signal" key insomuch as it tells us who controls an account. It can't tell us the owner is the controller and that is the current weakness of crypto right now. To know the owner, we need another type of keypair to go alongside the traditional kind. That would be a "tone key" and is generated by a refreshing seed derived from the entropy of long-running, unfakeable conversations. The same way a friend might recognize us as being ourselves.

New comment by retrocog in "I don't use LLMs for programming"

retrocog — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 10:35:10 +0000

Using Agile methodology with agents actually works pretty well in my experience. We do sprints and then code reviews, testing and revision, optimization. During code review, I inspect everything the agents created and make corrections and then roll the corrected patterns into the training documentation for the agents so they learn and don't make the same mistakes.

New comment by retrocog in "I don't use LLMs for programming"

retrocog — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 10:30:52 +0000

I have not found that to be true on a personal level, but in fairness it does seem to be a widely reported problem. At its core, I think it is an issue of alignment. That is something different than skill.

New comment by retrocog in "The dead Internet is not a theory anymore"

retrocog — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 21:01:28 +0000

IMHO, this is the exact instinct and there's a way to verify identity, location, and age without even having to share those directly.

New comment by retrocog in "Thanks, ChatGPT"

retrocog — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 19:39:39 +0000

"What looks like effortless writing is often the result of years of thought and revision. New tools change how prose is produced, but not where ideas come from. In the end, the real question isn’t who polished the sentence—it’s whether the signal made it through."

The above summary was generated by ChatGPT after assisting me with drafting the article. I couldn't have said it better myself. The point isn't to show off my writing skills, but to get a message across. I outline some of the reasons why I go with AI writing style, instead of using my own writing voice.

Thanks, ChatGPT

retrocog — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 19:39:39 +0000

Article URL: https://www.robpanico.com/articles/display/?entry_short=thanks-chatgpt

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47340230

Points: 2

# Comments: 1

New comment by retrocog in "Artificial-life: A simple (300 lines of code) reproduction of Computational Life"

retrocog — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 11:40:52 +0000

Bad money only drives out good money under fiat. Absent legal tender laws, the opposite is true.

The Wrapper

retrocog — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 04:04:13 +0000

Article URL: https://www.robpanico.com/articles/display/?entry_short=the-wrapper

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47304774

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

New comment by retrocog in "The Mirror and the Gift"

retrocog — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 23:33:54 +0000

In this essay, I explore the nature of "gifts" and self-knowledge... specifically whether we can fully know ourselves without deep and meaningful relationships? Thoughts most welcome. Enjoy!

The Mirror and the Gift

retrocog — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 23:33:54 +0000

Article URL: https://www.robpanico.com/articles/display/?entry_short=the-mirror-and-the-gift

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47282532

Points: 1

# Comments: 1

New comment by retrocog in "The Mountain Eagle Is Now Online"

retrocog — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 03:34:08 +0000

Local journalism, weather, breaking news, community forums and events, our preserved print newspaper archive, and a full-featured regional marketplace — built for our four counties in the Catskills. If the experiment works in our area, maybe other regions could also find value in it?

The Mountain Eagle Is Now Online

retrocog — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 03:34:08 +0000

Article URL: https://www.mountaineagle.net/articles/display/?entry_short=the-mountain-eagle-is-now-online

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47189942

Points: 3

# Comments: 1

New comment by retrocog in "The Gap"

retrocog — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 23:28:50 +0000

Maybe there's something to be learned from focusing on the gap between a symbol and its meaning? If so, it might be worth an exploration into how this gap emerges in the first place, using some examples from our shared history...

The Gap

retrocog — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 23:28:50 +0000

Article URL: https://www.robpanico.com/articles/display/?entry_short=the-gap

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47130569

Points: 3

# Comments: 1

The Answer Isn't Macro

retrocog — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 15:54:43 +0000

Article URL: https://www.mountaineagle.net/articles/display/?entry_short=the-answer-isnt-macro

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47048872

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

New comment by retrocog in "Why I'm Worried About Job Loss and Thoughts on Comparative Advantage"

retrocog — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 15:47:05 +0000

This thread inspired me to write an article because from my perspective, the debate over AI and jobs is missing a crucial question: not whether employment will exist, but what holds communities together as systems erode?

https://www.robpanico.com/articles/display/the-answer-isnt-m...