Hacker News: strangattractor

New comment by strangattractor in "€54k spike in 13h from unrestricted Firebase browser key accessing Gemini APIs"

strangattractor — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:23:29 +0000

If spending caps made them more money they'd find a way;)

New comment by strangattractor in "Show HN: I Built Paul Graham's Intellectual Captcha Idea"

strangattractor — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 17:28:15 +0000

Yes - I was given a syllogism that was logically correct but the Truthyness of the premises where wrong or misleading in the real world.

All pilots need a medical exam to have a license.

John is a pilot.

John has had a medical exam.

Pilots can be licensed without a medical exam. It is illegal for them to fly without a valid medical but the 2 are separate issues. Also LSA pilots do not need a medical.

New comment by strangattractor in "The SpaceX IPO: retail investor notes"

strangattractor — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 19:13:54 +0000

Definitely meme stonk territory. IMO Elon is good for making the big bets on things with no competition that don't currently exist. The day to day grind of growing a company and maneuvering all the twist and turns of competition not so much.

New comment by strangattractor in "Last gasps of the rent seeking class?"

strangattractor — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:23:29 +0000

Don't disagree that public transportation is necessary however one size does not fit all people. There are elderly people that have difficulty navigating public spaces for many reasons. Having a car drive up to your home or pick you up at the doctor is a game changer. A Waymo making tens or hundreds of trips per day has a utilization rate far exceeding the average car.

Having both is a good thing.

New comment by strangattractor in "Last gasps of the rent seeking class?"

strangattractor — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 17:16:14 +0000

I think self driving cars are important for a couple of reasons:

1. Demographics - Aging population needs transportation. God knows we certainly don't need really old people driving themselves. We got a taste of the future in West Portal in that regard not long ago.

2. Human Capital - The US has pretty much demonstrated that there is little desire to import low skilled labor. Where do these theoretical Taxi drivers come from? Or welders or plumbers. Labor is going to become increasing expensive no matter how you slice the pie.

3. Younger US citizens are going to gravitate to non-manual labor jobs. It is not just that every one is being steered toward college. Physical labor (trades) take a toll on the body. I know - I have work in them - and you quickly extrapolate what that will be like when you are 50.

New comment by strangattractor in "Interoperability Can Save the Open Web (2023)"

strangattractor — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 17:02:25 +0000

Interoperability is what made the Web possible. Not sure I buy that it will save it without a fundamental change in people's behavior.

Image you are a 1960s household and RCA tries to sell you a TV to only watch ABC and Zenith has a TV to only watch CBS. 60 years later linear TV is unwatchable by normal humans IMO. It's not like "let advertising pay for this" enshittifying an entire industry hasn't happened before.

New comment by strangattractor in "Is anybody else bored of talking about AI?"

strangattractor — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 01:06:53 +0000

Agreed - another tool in the old tool pouch. I find it fascinating in that it provides insight into the role of language in intelligence. Certainly not AGI but makes ELIZA seem neolithic;)

I am amazed at the incredible things it can do - only to turnaround and not be able to do a simple task a child can do. Just like people.

New comment by strangattractor in "“Collaboration” is bullshit"

strangattractor — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 02:39:51 +0000

Salary does not need to be on the budget because it is the same whether you work 40hrs per week or 80.

New comment by strangattractor in "Trevor Milton is raising funds for a new jet he claims will transform flying"

strangattractor — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 23:59:44 +0000

Does anybody know his investors? I'd like an intro:)

New comment by strangattractor in "AI coding is gambling"

strangattractor — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:51:31 +0000

One size never fits all. I am old enough to remember what a game changer Spreadsheets (VisiCalc) where. They made the personal computer into a SwissArmy knife for many people that could not justify investing large sums of money into software to solve a niche problem. Until that time PCs simply were not a big thing.

I believe AI will do something similar for programming. The level of complexity in modern apps is high and requires the use of many technologies that most of us cannot remotely claim to be expert in. Getting an idea and getting a prototype will definitely be easier. Production Code is another beast. Dealing with legacy systems etc will still require experts at least for the near future IMHO.

New comment by strangattractor in "Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans"

strangattractor — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 23:40:07 +0000

Just goes to show I'm a poor judge of what is written by AI.

New comment by strangattractor in "Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans"

strangattractor — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:32:46 +0000

This reads as an AI comment to me. Anybody else?

New comment by strangattractor in "US private credit defaults hit record 9.2% in 2025, Fitch says"

strangattractor — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:25:09 +0000

You can always tell when there is a problem. When things are fine the companies keep the profits to themselves. When things start to get dicey - foist it off onto retail investers.

Private equity (PE) is increasingly being introduced into 401(k) plans, driven by a 2025 executive order encouraging "democratization" of alternative assets. - Google AI

New comment by strangattractor in "Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans."

strangattractor — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 22:19:04 +0000

I appreciate the answer and the open minded thoughtful answer.

New comment by strangattractor in "I was interviewed by an AI bot for a job"

strangattractor — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 20:48:36 +0000

Maybe you can get the Bot to submit it. This video of Steve Mould yanking a Bot's chain while the Bot tries to get him to refinance his car.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GJVSDjRXVoo

New comment by strangattractor in "Don't post generated/AI-edited comments. HN is for conversation between humans"

strangattractor — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 20:37:07 +0000

According to Citizens United corporations have free speech. LLMs are made by corporations. Are LLMs entitled to free speech?

New comment by strangattractor in "Kuwaiti F/A-18's Triple Friendly Fire Shootdown Gets Stranger by the Day"

strangattractor — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:52:18 +0000

Grok stuck in DOGE mode.

New comment by strangattractor in "Where things stand with the Department of War"

strangattractor — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 17:07:43 +0000

VCs have mined all the low hanging fruit of the internet. Exactly how many attention grabbing advertising companies, crypto scammers and gambling sites can the world stand. Enshittification is forcing them to seek new horizons.

New comment by strangattractor in "System76 on Age Verification Laws"

strangattractor — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 17:02:33 +0000

Cigarette vending machines had little stickers that said it was illegal for those under 18 to purchase cigarettes. Sure stopped all my friends from buying them.

Seems exactly like the useless process fixation that Abundance advocates abhor.

New comment by strangattractor in "US economy unexpectedly sheds 92k jobs in February"

strangattractor — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 16:55:57 +0000

Las Vegas tourism is experiencing a significant downturn in early 2026, with 2025 finishing with a 7.5% decline in visitors—the sharpest drop outside the pandemic since 1970. - Google AI