Hacker News: steve_g

New comment by steve_g in "The Semmelweis myth and why it's not true (2018)"

steve_g — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 20:31:00 +0000

I interpret the article to say the "myth" is exactly true. It may also be true that Semmelweis could have done a better job communicating his findings and persuading others. But that doesn't take away from the truth of the basic story.

NTSB Report Abstract: East Palestine Derailment [pdf]

steve_g — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 16:14:44 +0000

Article URL: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Documents/East%20Palestine%20Ohio%20Board%20Meeting%20Summary%20with%20Amendments.pdf

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40858047

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

New comment by steve_g in "The likelihood of unilateral solar geoengineering"

steve_g — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 19:13:34 +0000

Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson

New comment by steve_g in "I'm OK, the bull is dead (2004)"

steve_g — Sat, 12 Aug 2023 10:49:43 +0000

"We should be more like Columbo" is a great general rule for life.

Be Wary of Smart Homes

steve_g — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 10:40:05 +0000

Article URL: https://tomknighton.substack.com/p/this-is-why-you-should-be-wary-of

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36323899

Points: 4

# Comments: 2

New comment by steve_g in "Life Is So Terrible and Beautiful at the Same Time"

steve_g — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 16:45:45 +0000

I agree with you 100%. The average person now lives better than the richest kings a few hundred years ago.

But I think it's funny that you use Nick Cage as an example. Not to be mean - I like him too. But it's still funny.

New comment by steve_g in "Canada geese beat humans in longstanding territory battle: study"

steve_g — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 20:45:41 +0000

Take about 20% off there, bud.

New comment by steve_g in "A sequel to SQL? An intro to Malloy"

steve_g — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 19:31:14 +0000

I meant "still use math" as a proxy for "still use formal languages to communicate".

Maybe in 100 years AI will be so powerful that we'll just ask our question in natural language and get the answer we need. Or maybe in 100 years AI will have harvested us for the iron in our blood. Either way we wouldn't need SQL anymore.

New comment by steve_g in "A sequel to SQL? An intro to Malloy"

steve_g — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 17:00:32 +0000

If we still use math 100 years from now, we'll still use SQL. It's a fine way to query relational data, and relational data is a fine way to model reality.

I'd like to hear from people that think I'm wrong.

Republican Party claims Gmail blocks their fundraising

steve_g — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 10:08:41 +0000

Article URL: https://twitter.com/GOPChairwoman/status/1542261091241279488

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32011996

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

New comment by steve_g in "SpaceX said to fire employees involved in letter rebuking Elon Musk"

steve_g — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 16:05:23 +0000

Could this be a protected concerted activity? In the US, there are some basic protections when two or more employees work together to improve the conditions of their employment. I don't know what does or doesn't qualify for this protection, though.

New comment by steve_g in "I’m nearly 60. Here’s what I’ve learned about growing old so far"

steve_g — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 17:02:32 +0000

I had the "oof" but I got rid of it by lifting weights, starting at age 51. I don't lift much anymore, because I kept hurting myself doing powerlifting. But it got rid of the "oof."

I'm sure there's a happy medium lifting enough to keep healthy but not so much that it causes injury. I've never been good at doing medium.

New comment by steve_g in "Simple Ways to Be Less Divisive (2021)"

steve_g — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 16:54:31 +0000

My initial thought was that I didn't like that prescription. But I'd like to know _why_ the author thinks "joke less, laugh less" would help with divisiveness.

The Extreme Discomfort of Sharing Salary Information(2018)

steve_g — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 10:34:47 +0000

Article URL: https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/10/talking-about-salaries-coworkers/573172/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31000790

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

New comment by steve_g in "Oberlin Colleges loses appeal in suit filed by local bakery"

steve_g — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 16:19:43 +0000

Well, the two owners referenced in the articles both died - one from cancer and one from general old age (>90 years).

New comment by steve_g in "‘I’m Old, Not an Idiot.’ One Man’s Protest Gets Attention of Spanish Banks"

steve_g — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 13:44:51 +0000

The article says that his Parkinson's tremor makes using the ATM difficult.

As a guy with tremor, I can tell you that it sucks. There are some things I can't physically do now, even though my brain works fine.

New comment by steve_g in "Regrets of the Dying (2010)"

steve_g — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 22:01:56 +0000

I think "my wife is a hospice worker who has provided care to over 5000 patients and hasn't heard these regrets" is a pretty decent argument. I'm not saying Hanson is right, but I wouldn't dismiss his wife's experience.

New comment by steve_g in "Ask HN: If your SaaS was used to commit a financial crime, what should you do?"

steve_g — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 17:06:06 +0000

Contact your favorite lawyer first.

New comment by steve_g in "Copyright doesn't need 95 years to get the job done"

steve_g — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 02:28:58 +0000

This was the argument made by Larry Lessig in Eldred vs Ashcroft - the extreme length of the US copyright term is well beyond what's necessary "to promote the progress of science and useful arts." 95 years is by no means a "limited time."

He lost. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eldred_v._Ashcroft

New comment by steve_g in "Ask HN: How do you find meaningful work?"

steve_g — Tue, 28 Dec 2021 02:29:36 +0000

There's a lot to unwrap in your questions, so I won't answer them fully. But I work in a job/industry that I consider to be meaningful and have done so for about 36 years. I work in the environmental industry, specifically waste management and air pollution control.

When I graduated with a ChemE degree, I decided that I wanted to do something positive for the environment. I didn't know how to start, so I just applied to companies with "environmental" in the name. That's how I got into the air pollution control field. Note: back then the internet was called "books", so I spent a lot of time in the library looking up companies.

Most companies have internal IT departments that write and manage line-of-business software. Find companies that do something _you_ find meaningful and try to get into their IT departments. Once you're in, recognize that no job is going to be seventh heaven every day. Make the best of whatever you're doing. It's a lot easier to do that if you're in tune with the company's mission.

My way is not the only way, of course, but that's what works for me. Good luck.