Hacker News: throwastrike

New comment by throwastrike in "Flu has disappeared worldwide during the Covid pandemic"

throwastrike — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 21:14:42 +0000

I wonder whether this is actually a good thing over the long run? My thinking is that our constant exposure to viruses strengthen our immune system.

New comment by throwastrike in "India Is What Happens When Rich People Do Nothing"

throwastrike — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 18:16:09 +0000

In early 00’s I bet big that India will surpass China. I was very wrong.

New comment by throwastrike in "Tesla Q1 2021 Results"

throwastrike — Mon, 26 Apr 2021 20:30:43 +0000

Nope. I think Apple knows this is overpriced and buying a company is very different from buying a stock. Intrinsic value is fraction of the market price and prevailing price Apple likely had to pay. My guess is Elon also asked for a board seat plus executive management role. Me thinks Tim was smart to pass despite how it appears right now.

New comment by throwastrike in "Ethereum: A Store of Value with Cash Flow [pdf]"

throwastrike — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 07:37:52 +0000

What is crypto replacing really? I’ve yet to read even a fair explanation without mental gymnastics. And I’ve been waiting to the last ten years.

New comment by throwastrike in "Why the United States has the best research universities"

throwastrike — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 09:39:59 +0000

I really don’t think that’s up for a contest. Just MIT and Stanford alone would be considered the best in the world. Now add entities such as the Bell Labs of yesteryears.

New comment by throwastrike in "Why the United States has the best research universities"

throwastrike — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 09:34:14 +0000

Think it has a lot to do with the fact the US is a free country.

New comment by throwastrike in "Squarespace S1"

throwastrike — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 01:41:05 +0000

Which is same for Squarespace. Shopify said they’d work on fulfillment to tackle Amazon years ago. How’s that effort going? Isn’t Shopify hailed as the next Amazon? Do they actually own any IP?

New comment by throwastrike in "Squarespace S1"

throwastrike — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 19:31:14 +0000

Shopify ecom functionality is mostly third party no? Payment is Stripe. What are you paying Shopify for? It’s just a platform.

New comment by throwastrike in "Kelly Criterion"

throwastrike — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 18:59:00 +0000

Ed Thorp AND Claude Shannon! One of the best nontechnical finance books ever written.

In practice though, positioning doesn’t work like that in modern times because a lot of your entries and exits happen around liquidity events. However, it is very pertinent for biotech stocks and special situations where you are dealing with discrete outcomes.

New comment by throwastrike in "Unusual Stock Trading by Whales in US Congress"

throwastrike — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 20:35:02 +0000

Exactly. If you work for a bank, you can’t buy certain stocks. Some firms will limit you to ETFs and indices. Why can’t we apply simple private sector rules? Politicians, both republican and democrats, are crooks. I don’t think you can contest that outside perhaps a handful of public servants.

New comment by throwastrike in "TSMC sees chip shortage lasting into 2022"

throwastrike — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 18:22:01 +0000

I could get away with using my old 2013 Macbook Pro for 90% of my computing needs. I could run the rest in the cloud. Sure I have the latest AMD and I know the headline numbers but I wouldn’t be able to tell you that consumer chips improved all that much in the past few years purely from a practical pov.

New comment by throwastrike in "TSMC sees chip shortage lasting into 2022"

throwastrike — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 18:17:23 +0000

That’s an interesting take. I feel the chip space is driven by marketing a bit too much. At the data center level I don’t believe the performance difference is as dramatic in practical terms. For the most part, you’re not missing out that much by going Intel unless you are working on something time critical.

New comment by throwastrike in "TSMC sees chip shortage lasting into 2022"

throwastrike — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 17:41:20 +0000

I strongly believe this is going to allow Intel to make a dramatic comeback. It will buy them enough time to catch up while everyone is stuck buying Intel still as a result of supply constraint.

New comment by throwastrike in "YouTube suspends account for linking to a PhD research on WPA2 vulnerability"

throwastrike — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 10:27:05 +0000

Don’t even care that it’s AI. It’s just that the AI-based products simply suck. Which is saying a lot considering all the money being thrown at it to solve simple problems.

New comment by throwastrike in "Coinbase from YC to DPO"

throwastrike — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 21:40:55 +0000

The exchange game as it was with stocks and bonds is all about consolidation (and resulting revenue base). People are betting that coinbase will consolidate the market. I don’t buy it but that’s the “story”.

New comment by throwastrike in "Coinbase from YC to DPO"

throwastrike — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 18:01:54 +0000

A green crypto will not work unless it’s tied to BTC. BTC is basically a ponzi scheme built on top of ponzi schemes on top of ponzi schemes. I too was optimistic about cryptocurrencies back in 2013-14. I thought we’d eventually have a global currency that’s beneficial for all parties involved. But no. There’s simply no interest in doing that. Everyone is just in it for the money.

New comment by throwastrike in "China is betting that the West is in irreversible decline"

throwastrike — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 17:03:36 +0000

I don’t think national rivalries and all that will be around much longer. Borders are getting increasingly meaningless. People just want the freedom to make a good honest living anywhere on earth. Anything that gets in the way is doomed to fail. I believe this will happen in my lifetime.

New comment by throwastrike in "China is betting that the West is in irreversible decline"

throwastrike — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 15:55:27 +0000

And I am betting that CCP will implode within the decade.

If west is in decline please stop sending your top students abroad to study (and stay there). Great job promoting brain drain.

I am tired of this unfounded narrative that the west is in decline. No, it’s not. It’s actually getting stronger by the day especially the US.

New comment by throwastrike in "CEO of a top Bitcoin exchange warns: crackdown on cryptocurrencies may be coming"

throwastrike — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 20:15:51 +0000

I am not contesting that cash isn’t laundered. I am simply pointing out that whenever someone brings up crypto being utilized for money laundering the first argument is almost always “well cash is also used for money laundering” which is pretty weak. If you knew what people can do to launder money in shitcoins and bitcoins you would not make that argument. There’s a reason why Macau is no longer needed to get money out of China. And there’s a reason why gold is no longer used to move drug cartel money in the past two years.

New comment by throwastrike in "CEO of a top Bitcoin exchange warns: crackdown on cryptocurrencies may be coming"

throwastrike — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 19:30:43 +0000

I am sorry but that’s a very weak argument about cash being involved in illicit transactions. As it stands right now cash is still TANGIBLE. If you want to launder cash you still need to be physically present. Crypto not so much.

I will leave you with this: the reason why crypto will inevitably fail is because no one and no country will be willing to go to war to defend it. As for USD? There’s the single greatest military power assembled by mankind backing all US interests.