Hacker News: thimkerbell

New comment by thimkerbell in "The Brand Age"

thimkerbell — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 22:38:16 +0000

How do "big brands" deal with efforts pretty clearly (but deniably) aimed at sabotaging their brand? Besides the ebay approach.

New comment by thimkerbell in "Pope tells priests to use their brains, not AI, to write homilies"

thimkerbell — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 08:25:56 +0000

I have been present for a sermon that smelled like chatgpt. It does make you wish you had sent your agent instead.

New comment by thimkerbell in "Poland's energy grid was targeted by never-before-seen wiper malware"

thimkerbell — Sun, 25 Jan 2026 04:56:22 +0000

I've seen less-than-credible software in an ATM and in a "ring up your own groceries" station. No idea who's behind it or who would care, though.

New comment by thimkerbell in "New YC homepage"

thimkerbell — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 17:44:44 +0000

If you feature a quote from someone, prominently, on a prominent website, you might check in with them to make sure they don't have any issues with the usage.

(I do sense artifice. Possibly wrongly.)

New comment by thimkerbell in "Show HN: Interactive physics simulations I built while teaching my daughter"

thimkerbell — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 17:59:51 +0000

Extra points if its homepage can offer informative 80-character descriptions. (What is the term for this (suggested) web design?)

New comment by thimkerbell in "The URL shortener that makes your links look as suspicious as possible"

thimkerbell — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 17:47:48 +0000

Add this to "HN for psychopaths" please.

New comment by thimkerbell in "Janet Jackson had the power to crash laptop computers (2022)"

thimkerbell — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 19:31:52 +0000

Extra points for people who avoid gratuitous clickbait

New comment by thimkerbell in "How Google Maps allocates survival across London's restaurants"

thimkerbell — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 01:22:02 +0000

(they don't fix things anymore, do they?)

New comment by thimkerbell in "How Google Maps allocates survival across London's restaurants"

thimkerbell — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 01:21:19 +0000

It's a little funny that no one is a human face of (interface to) Google Maps, or any platform with longevity these days. Talk to the faceless pretend person if you have a problem, maybe you'll feel better.

New comment by thimkerbell in "Ask HN: Where to warn people of a legal-but-evil online business ploy?"

thimkerbell — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 21:53:32 +0000

In this case, it was Google popping up to cheerfully ask if the news item was of interest to me. But then asking "why" and using dark-pattern wording on the answer options. (I do wonder if people who click on "the ad knew too much" (in that context) know what they're doing. This one was more subtle.)

New comment by thimkerbell in "Ask HN: Where to warn people of a legal-but-evil online business ploy?"

thimkerbell — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 18:44:02 +0000

Also, where is today's Usenet?

Ask HN: Where to warn people of a legal-but-evil online business ploy?

thimkerbell — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 18:42:36 +0000

I don't think just posting it on HN would work. (It's a ploy like digging a hole beside their path,then hindering their travel to "nudge" them to step off it where they might not recognize the hazard.)

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46026135

Points: 3

# Comments: 6

New comment by thimkerbell in "The senior population is booming. Caregiving is struggling to keep up"

thimkerbell — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 23:43:54 +0000

A matchmaking service there might be good, so younger and older have stuff to talk about.

New comment by thimkerbell in "Facts about throwing good parties"

thimkerbell — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 15:26:06 +0000

So now we are to wonder if accidents are faked?

The host did harm here.

New comment by thimkerbell in "Facts about throwing good parties"

thimkerbell — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 15:19:57 +0000

Urban planning provocateur here (me). The writer: (kindaquote) "Create as much circulation at your party as you can. ...take away chairs from tables, leave shelves and counter-tops open for people to rest their plates and drinks" IMO there are parallels here with cities and parking. If noplace satisfactory to leave your car, you circulate less.

New comment by thimkerbell in "Attention lapses due to sleep deprivation due to flushing fluid from brain"

thimkerbell — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 15:05:40 +0000

[This is one of those article titles that would really benefit from adding one more word.]

New comment by thimkerbell in "Tell HN: Azure outage"

thimkerbell — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 17:03:04 +0000

Does (should, could) DownDetector also say what customer-facing services are down, when some infrastructure is unworking? Or is that the info that the malefactors are seeking?

New comment by thimkerbell in "Today is when the Amazon brain drain sent AWS down the spout"

thimkerbell — Sun, 26 Oct 2025 00:18:59 +0000

I swear these typos like to sneak in after I've posted, and HN doesn't allow edits. Spellcheck in the "compose a comment" process would be appreciated.

New comment by thimkerbell in "Today is when the Amazon brain drain sent AWS down the spout"

thimkerbell — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 16:39:25 +0000

Could have been a proxy question to screen out excess honesty.

New comment by thimkerbell in "Today is when the Amazon brain drain sent AWS down the spout"

thimkerbell — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 16:13:42 +0000

"every day of work was like walking into the Shire and talking magic spells with 20 Gandalfs."

Thanks for this.