Hacker News: thomassmith65

"Epicaricacy" (2025)

thomassmith65 — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:34:02 +0000

Article URL: https://thisbugslife.com/2025/04/24/297655/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47787233

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

New comment by thomassmith65 in "Viktor Orbán concedes defeat after 'painful' election result"

thomassmith65 — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:42:06 +0000

Happy for Hungary, the EU, the planet. The sooner the world falls out of love with populism and illiberalism, the better.

New comment by thomassmith65 in "The team behind a pro-Iran, Lego-themed viral-video campaign"

thomassmith65 — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 05:39:07 +0000

Bad propaganda contains falsehoods. Good propaganda lies by omission. Great propaganda tells the truth, compellingly.

Edit: on the other hand, great propaganda is probably wasted on time periods like ours. Great propaganda isn't always effective propaganda.

New comment by thomassmith65 in "Women were never meant to give birth on their backs"

thomassmith65 — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 05:02:24 +0000

I was curious about the claim so I did a web search for "Roman depiction of birth" and this is the first result:

https://www.worldhistory.org/img/c/p/1200x627/18720.jpg

The mother appears to be sedentary, rather than supine. I doubt I would have noticed that detail had I not read the article.

New comment by thomassmith65 in "Sweden goes back to basics, swapping screens for books in the classroom"

thomassmith65 — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:28:41 +0000

That is worse.

"The product is disgusting, but there's nothing I can do; I'm only the CEO"

New comment by thomassmith65 in "Iran using children in security roles in war"

thomassmith65 — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 19:19:31 +0000

50 years ago, progressive Iranians, predominantly young and educated, made the mistake of collaborating with violent, theocratic rednecks.

After they overthrew the Shah together, the rednecks took over.

It's difficult to bring nuance into the Iranian situation, because the hicks controlling Iran see the world in black and white: they believe they are infallible, and everyone but them - within and outside Iran - is evil.

As a result, they take actions that are difficult for even open-minded people to defend.

Incidentally, only a few days ago, when I heard the IRGC was using child soldiers again, my hunch was that it was only a rumor https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47548780 I mention that as evidence that I'm not consumed by irrational hatred here.

New comment by thomassmith65 in "Iran using children in security roles in war"

thomassmith65 — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 02:44:43 +0000

Even if "it's just their culture" were a compelling excuse for using children as soldiers, it's not the culture of the majority of Iranians, only a minority of religious extremists who oppress them.

The story of Britain's oldest sweet, the Pontefract Cake (2019)

thomassmith65 — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:11:58 +0000

Article URL: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20190710-the-strange-story-of-britains-oldest-sweet

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47589558

Points: 12

# Comments: 11

New comment by thomassmith65 in "Artemis II is not safe to fly"

thomassmith65 — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 04:30:30 +0000

This comment in dripping with elitism. We trusted the rocket scientists and what did that get us? The Challenger disaster. /s

New comment by thomassmith65 in "AI got the blame for the Iran school bombing. The truth is more worrying"

thomassmith65 — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 21:50:29 +0000

That theory seems unhinged to me. Somebody is divorced from reality. Hopefully not me.

There are rumors that the IRGC has started to recruit adolescents (again). I'd have an easier time believing that, but where the Middle East is concerned, there is an endless amount of propaganda and hyperbole, so I don't automatically believe what I read. Pardon my condescension, but it would make the comments sections better if everyone did likewise.

New comment by thomassmith65 in "Ask HN: Why is a "War ON Iran" being labelled as a "War IN Iran"?"

thomassmith65 — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 17:13:37 +0000

It would be fair to call it the War on the Islamic Republic of Iran.

It's confusing to call it the War on Iran since it seems a majority of Iran wants "Iran" to lose.

Alan Smithee

thomassmith65 — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 11:55:11 +0000

Article URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Smithee

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47488209

Points: 3

# Comments: 0

Economist David Woo: Why Markets Misread the Iran War [video]

thomassmith65 — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 20:45:13 +0000

Article URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7QAc99EDR0

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47481942

Points: 5

# Comments: 0

New comment by thomassmith65 in "Cloudflare flags archive.today as "C&C/Botnet"; no longer resolves via 1.1.1.2"

thomassmith65 — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 10:36:25 +0000

If the site operator is working for the FSB, doxx away! Although the world needs a better alternative to Internet Archive, it shouldn't be an alternative that is an arm of an authoritarian government.

New comment by thomassmith65 in "Iran launched unsuccessful attack on UK's Diego Garcia"

thomassmith65 — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 20:38:49 +0000

That's not particularly enlightening, to be frank.

People always ask here why the community flags every post on these issues. Comments like this are why. Hardly anyone on this site knows even basic information on the nations involved.

If I were in charge of HN, I'd geoblock anyone from commenting on the Middle East who isn't at an IP from the Middle East. I wouldn't be able to comment either, but at least there might be enlightening information in the comments.

That said, the first page of any reputable history on Iran/Israel relations would go over 1979, when Israel went from friend of Iran to foe, based on Khomeini's interpretation of Islam.

New comment by thomassmith65 in "Iran launched unsuccessful attack on UK's Diego Garcia"

thomassmith65 — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 18:54:51 +0000

The mullahs and IRGC are not famous for their compassion or kind-heartedness.

They are infamous for fulminating against liberals, plotting to kill enemies, torturing and hanging dissidents from cranes, persecuting minorities and women, funding terror cells, and fleecing their citizens to enrich themselves.

Many of the comments here suffer from a misguided refusal to be impressed by the regime's reputation, as though anyone the American establishment criticises must automatically be righteous.

New comment by thomassmith65 in "The US-Israeli strategy against Iran is working. Here is why"

thomassmith65 — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 12:49:43 +0000

HN really should cut people who actually live the Middle East a little slack when it comes to comments about the Middle East. They seem to be the first to be downvoted off the site.

It's turning into my pet peeve: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47196380

New comment by thomassmith65 in "Top counterterrorism official Joe Kent resigns over Trump's Iran war – AP News"

thomassmith65 — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 17:42:43 +0000

'Okay' with taking down the mullahs and IRGC is an understatement.

If the Americans or Israelis were sending a squadron of John Wayne Gacy clones to murder children, I would be against that.

I would be disgusted with people who oppose this war if I thought they understood what they are opposing.

New comment by thomassmith65 in "Top counterterrorism official Joe Kent resigns over Trump's Iran war – AP News"

thomassmith65 — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 09:20:20 +0000

A couple dozen Iranian theocrats are dead, and now far-right Joe Kent is gone, too? This really is the war that keeps on giving!

'Celebrate, we're watching from the sky' Netanyahu to protect Iranians on Nowruz

thomassmith65 — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 02:23:24 +0000

Article URL: https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/middle-east/iran-eastern-states/artc-celebrate-we-are-watching-from-the-sky-netanyahu-aims-to-protect-iranians-on-persian-new-year

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47420922

Points: 4

# Comments: 1