Hacker News: silent_cal

New comment by silent_cal in "A sufficiently detailed spec is code"

silent_cal — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:00:36 +0000

If you think of yourself as a "programmer" or "coder" I think it's fair to say you might have incorrectly defined your role already. Your job is to design and implement software solutions that are reliable and compliant, and make business processes more efficient. Writing code should really be a relatively small piece of the puzzle, and arguably if you're spending a lot of time writing code, you're wasting time.

Writing code has always been a means to an end of getting the job done, and I consider being really interested in the practice of coding to be a bit odd. It's as if a carpenter got really into manual saws and got upset about an electric power saw because he "loves manual saws". Whether or not an AI spec is "code" really shouldn't matter if you're a software professional. You are designer/engineer of software systems, not a "coder".

New comment by silent_cal in "I convinced HP's board to buy Palm and watched them kill it"

silent_cal — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 19:17:36 +0000

No sympathy from me. Guy was the CTO, probably making millions a year, and now he's whining about how a $1.2B investment failed on his watch and nothing was his fault? Sorry guy but you are the leader, you are responsible.

New comment by silent_cal in "My 16-month theanine self-experiment"

silent_cal — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 16:08:57 +0000

From what I've seen, most scientists don't even publish their raw data.

New comment by silent_cal in "Ask HN: Former devs who can't get a job, what did you end up doing for work?"

silent_cal — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 22:14:19 +0000

Cool, thanks for the info. What do you actually trade? Do you buy ETFs, CFDs, or do you actually buy the futures contracts themselves?

New comment by silent_cal in "Ask HN: Former devs who can't get a job, what did you end up doing for work?"

silent_cal — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 16:34:34 +0000

What platform do you use for trading, and which commodities do you trade?

New comment by silent_cal in "Mom jailed for letting 10-year-old walk alone to town"

silent_cal — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 20:10:41 +0000

Many cops in the US have a massive superiority complex

New comment by silent_cal in "The three-page paper that shook philosophy: Gettiers in software engineering"

silent_cal — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 13:42:43 +0000

One way out is to just admit that "justified true belief" is not a satisfactory definition of knowledge. I know that's not really the point of this article, I'm just saying.

New comment by silent_cal in "How America's universities became debt factories"

silent_cal — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 13:25:27 +0000

How hard is it to just go to the public university in most states? Where I live, you can get your tuition completely covered if you keep a B average. Young people can get whatever degree they want without having to worry about debt as long as they have decent academic ability.

New comment by silent_cal in "Love them or hate them, this couple reign in Russian literature"

silent_cal — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 15:35:35 +0000

Yes you've nailed it. The P&V translations respect the way Russians construct thoughts and sentences, even if it differs from the way English speakers typically do so. This is (in my opinion) very important for showing the reader what the writer is really trying to say, and also getting the feeling that you are really immersed in the Russian culture while you're reading the book.

New comment by silent_cal in "Dutch DPA fines Uber €290M because of transfers of drivers’ data to the US"

silent_cal — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 16:55:46 +0000

The fact that a 290 million euro fine isn't considered meaningful does tell me a lot.

New comment by silent_cal in "Dutch DPA fines Uber €290M because of transfers of drivers’ data to the US"

silent_cal — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 16:54:42 +0000

I don't dispute any of this

New comment by silent_cal in "Dutch DPA fines Uber €290M because of transfers of drivers’ data to the US"

silent_cal — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 16:51:16 +0000

I didn't say that America "shaped" the internet, I said that America invented it, which is a fact that you've admitted.

New comment by silent_cal in "Love them or hate them, this couple reign in Russian literature"

silent_cal — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 15:02:58 +0000

I hope so too. It's great literature and there is a lot to admire about their culture, although admittedly the golden age of Russian culture is now well in the past.

New comment by silent_cal in "Dutch DPA fines Uber €290M because of transfers of drivers’ data to the US"

silent_cal — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 14:51:37 +0000

Here you are on the internet which America invented, on an American website, complaining about how America is unfair, while they pay you billons of dollars in fines.

New comment by silent_cal in "Dutch DPA fines Uber €290M because of transfers of drivers’ data to the US"

silent_cal — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 14:40:50 +0000

It's kind of like an ambulance-chasing lawyer. Yeah the driver at fault did real harm and owes money to the victim. But the lawyer is not a selfless justice crusader - he's looking for a payday. That's how I see the EU in these cases.

New comment by silent_cal in "Dutch DPA fines Uber €290M because of transfers of drivers’ data to the US"

silent_cal — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 14:28:15 +0000

It's my impression that big US companies can do pretty much whatever they want in a number of European countries. Just look at Ireland for example.

New comment by silent_cal in "Dutch DPA fines Uber €290M because of transfers of drivers’ data to the US"

silent_cal — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 14:26:31 +0000

If it is then Europe doesn't seem too upset about it. How could they be when it pays them so well?

New comment by silent_cal in "Dutch DPA fines Uber €290M because of transfers of drivers’ data to the US"

silent_cal — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 14:25:09 +0000

I know EU has stronger data privacy laws. I just wonder if they're really all that upset about American companies breaking them. They get to use the new tech and fine the companies that bring that tech to them. It's a win-win.

New comment by silent_cal in "Love them or hate them, this couple reign in Russian literature"

silent_cal — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 14:07:11 +0000

I love these two. If I ever read a Russian book I insist on using one of their translations. I can speak and read Russian on a basic level. They're able to make texts sound like Russian, but it English. It's pretty amazing really.

California's newest revision shows no net job growth during 2023

silent_cal — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 12:51:26 +0000

Article URL: https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/783

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40775401

Points: 6

# Comments: 2