Hacker News: widowlark

New comment by widowlark in "All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027"

widowlark — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 19:57:45 +0000

you act like making batteries disposable will fundamentally alter the usability of the phone.

New comment by widowlark in "Apple Just Lost Me"

widowlark — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 15:31:55 +0000

I am all for voting with your dollar - but it sounds like maybe this user doesn't realize how bad it is out there right now for the grievances he listed.

New comment by widowlark in "Passengers who refuse to use headphones can now be kicked off United flights"

widowlark — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 18:17:12 +0000

and yet the joke fell right into our laps

New comment by widowlark in "Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps"

widowlark — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 21:31:45 +0000

I love and use graphene regularly on my pixel devices

New comment by widowlark in "Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps"

widowlark — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 20:32:50 +0000

I switched to iOS in anticipation of this change. The reality is, if they are thinking about doing this, it's only a matter of time before they do it. If I have to choose between two walled gardens, apple will win every time.

New comment by widowlark in "Microsoft's 'unhackable' Xbox One has been hacked by 'Bliss'"

widowlark — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 14:49:25 +0000

they couldn't have gone for 1776 of them?

New comment by widowlark in "Ageless Linux – Software for humans of indeterminate age"

widowlark — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 02:53:13 +0000

no one said anything about making laws making it more difficult to have children - and laws like age requirements don't make it easier, either

New comment by widowlark in "Ageless Linux – Software for humans of indeterminate age"

widowlark — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 21:27:52 +0000

I certainly want people to have easy access to contraception and abortion. However, I also think that it's still a choice. I never said it was a good one (I agree, you'd be hard pressed to stop folks from having sex)

New comment by widowlark in "Ageless Linux – Software for humans of indeterminate age"

widowlark — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 16:46:16 +0000

its not the responsibility of the state to provide tools for parental oversight, full stop.

New comment by widowlark in "Ageless Linux – Software for humans of indeterminate age"

widowlark — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 16:35:41 +0000

there is an exceptionally simple solve to the problem: Do not give your kids access to a cell phone or tablet.

New comment by widowlark in "Ageless Linux – Software for humans of indeterminate age"

widowlark — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 16:34:19 +0000

Then you also take on the risk that brings for your childrens health and well-being. Its not a problem for the government to solve for you.

New comment by widowlark in "Ageless Linux – Software for humans of indeterminate age"

widowlark — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 16:33:37 +0000

no need to use parental controls if you simply don't get the child the device.

New comment by widowlark in "Ageless Linux – Software for humans of indeterminate age"

widowlark — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 16:32:36 +0000

Don't buy your kid a cell phone/tablet and tell them to go play outside. simple as.

New comment by widowlark in "Ageless Linux – Software for humans of indeterminate age"

widowlark — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 16:32:03 +0000

having children is a choice. Therefore, the difficulty of that choice is not really a factor in our lawmaking nor should it be.

New comment by widowlark in "The Brand Age"

widowlark — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 20:17:27 +0000

apologies if my comment came off this way, it was not intended. I think all consumers (myself included!) are vulnerable to being swayed by commercial propaganda

New comment by widowlark in "The Brand Age"

widowlark — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 20:16:17 +0000

It's true that consumer choice is what defines the market. So really, yours is a cultural question. What do we as a society value? If it's brand identity, like today, then we will get branded products with as little purpose as possible. If we value authenticity, then brands will start building more authentic products. There's obviously a delay between what we value and what they offer, but its clear that building what customers want always yields a place in the market.

New comment by widowlark in "The Brand Age"

widowlark — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 20:06:14 +0000

yes, thank you - I did mean to include myself in the 'customers' category, apologies if it came off as holier-than-thou

New comment by widowlark in "The Brand Age"

widowlark — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 02:39:14 +0000

innovation has stagnated because businesses have driven us to stagnation. Very few businesses provide any real value - the ones that do are running circles around everyone else - given the lack of ability, businesses turns to other, less useful methods of prying our money away from us and largely succeed because consumers are gullible and malleable.

New comment by widowlark in "The Brand Age"

widowlark — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 02:37:17 +0000

I took pg's point to mean that just because consumers see value in the purchase, that is not the same thing as the purchase being valuable - the race changed from 'provide the best function/value for the thing' to 'provide the most differentiated value to the consumer as an identity' and that is, for the most part, less useful.

New comment by widowlark in "The Brand Age"

widowlark — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 02:35:25 +0000

Casio is the best watch brand in the world. This is measurable - most features, battery life, versatility, utility, and durability for the lowest possible price. It's an objective truth. Given this, other watch brands have had to differentiate, and since they cannot compete on pure functionality alone, they offer luxury or, as pg points out, brand identity as a differentiatior.