MurphyA/hacker-news huggingface dataset:
by subpixel | 2025-04-11 12:51:48+00:00
I’m experiencing this in Peloton-land. They have an app that purports to be for home gym enthusiasts but is actually optimized for people who want to take instructor-led classes on their phone. Certain features don’t work as advertised and I quickly reasoned that while this is a pain in my side most users don’t care. If they did, Peloton would fix it.
by rsynnott | 2025-04-11 12:52:08+00:00
!!! Finally, the media is moving on from moaning about boomers and millennials while completely ignoring gen X! I wonder what stereotypes they will inherit; 'losers' seems a bit simplistic.

(My theory is that the media's complete gen X blindness is because most editors are gen X; as those editors start to cycle out and get replaced with millennials, the ire of the media will turn on gen X (and on zoomers), and no-one will ever mention avocados again.)
by tempoponet | 2025-04-11 12:52:10+00:00
I recently gave this another go, and was pleasantly surprised that I could install Steam easily, the nVidia card was detected and driver installed, and I quickly installed the "Resident Evil 4" remake with awesome performance and no glitchiness

Then I rebooted my system and found that Steam had broken Gnome and I couldn't log in and had to go into safe mode and debug from the command line. 1 hour in, 1 thing installed.

I'll try again in 10 years.
by jjulius | 2025-04-11 12:52:13+00:00
As someone who is into producing visual and musical art for no monetary benefit, and happens to do a lot of backpacking and is very into the geology of the areas I backpack in, yes. I would absolutely find great value in something akin to trekking into remote, hard to reach areas just to see some rocks shaped by ancient glaciers.

If that all makes me "sick", then fuck yeah, proud to be mentally ill. It's truly sad that doing something for pleasure, education, love, fascination and reverence (like being fascinated about how our planet shaped itself, or learning to play the guitar because you love music and think it's fun) is viewed as "mad" or "sick" if there isn't some kind of monetary return. YMMV indeed, but money is not everything.

What's sick, in my eyes, is only being able to view things through the lens of monetary value.
by htek | 2025-04-11 12:52:47+00:00
I don't see how the US can compete with China on sheer production and access to manufacturers and suppliers of tech, compared to cities like Shanghai, Qingdao and Shenzhen, among others. It's like a candy store for engineers. Building a single plant just isn't economically feasible when you have so much uncertainty from the chaos at the WH. Not to mention, this will take a decade or much, much more.

A better way (IMO) to do it would have been tax incentives to build US plants to move manufacturing back in the US, have research university programs as feeders for tech innovation centers, and funding for technical colleges to expand their programs for skilled labor needed instead of gutting multiple agencies that would have overseen/guided this expansion. And oversight, of course. And attainable goals set in contracts to receive funding, not just, "here's a pile of money we'll forget about in 4 years."
by rollcat | 2025-04-11 12:52:53+00:00
I like the general idea of execline, but I feel like it relies too much on chaining. It's a bit like Lisp, but without any parens - it hurts readability.

It went from "shells have too much syntax, which creates security issues" straight into "forth with blocks". My idea: runit already provides chpst, which folds things like cd, chroot, nice, etc into a single command; so let's put it all into a block with named parameters. Like this:

run { dir: /usr/src/foo script: { ./configure make -j(nproc) make install } nice: 20 ionice: idle }

Maybe it could draw a bit from rc, which has actual lists as a first-class data structure.

I'm not exactly sure about the syntax, but that's the general direction.
by 1dom | 2025-04-11 12:53:00+00:00
Daily I carry the shame of having been an engineer on both sides. I went from big enterprise to small start up. It's horrible speaking to an engineer at a new client, knowing they can probably do the work you're about to have to do, but better, faster, quicker and cheaper than you. Ultimately we're all just there for "the business" so we just have to get on with it.

Knowing you've built the solution perfectly to the spec, whilst also knowing that the spec wasn't reviewed or endorsed by any technical people so the client's entire engineering team thinks you're incompetent, for just doing what their colleagues asked you to do...
by cjs_ac | 2025-04-11 12:53:35+00:00
By participating in the community. Content moderation on HN is so much better than on Facebook because dang is one of us, whereas on Facebook, it's a team of people in a developing country, in a different cultural context. Netflix needs to be run by film enthusiasts, not UX engineers trying to disguise the fact that all the good IP has been pulled back to the streaming platforms of the original producers. Spotify needs to be run by music enthusiasts, not people pushing covers of pop songs to avoid paying royalties to the original artists. And so on.

Indie Hackers is full of people trying to flog their shit AI-powered marketing SaaS, because they've never done anything other than software engineering, so they don't know any good problems to solve. There are uncountably many good problems out there, each with thousands of people who would pay you money to solve them, but those people don't know their problems can be solved by a computer, so you have to go out into the world to find them yourself.
by mtlynch | 2025-04-11 12:53:41+00:00
Oh, thanks!

The first few chapters, I've been primarily targeting web and not testing on e-readers. I figured that until I knew whether people actually wanted to read it, I should just focus on making the web excerpts look decent and try to avoid over-optimizing for web.

Now that the book is officially a go, the PDF version is a first-class citizen, and I'll be testing e-reader experience on my rm2.
by SamBam | 2025-04-11 12:53:41+00:00
> However, that analysis will aggregate its results over all your users, and won't pick out the enthusiasts, who will shape discourse and public opinion about your service. Consequently, your results will be dominated by people who don't really have an opinion, and just take whatever they're given.

> In all of these changes, most of the userbase didn't really care what browser they were using: the change was driven by enthusiasts recommending the latest and greatest to their less-technically-inclined friends and family.

I'm confused as to whether your saying change is caused by catering to the median who doesn't care, or the enthusiast who recommends the latest and greatest. You seem to be saying both.
by cge | 2025-04-11 12:54:01+00:00
>stop buying things that have a prop 65 warning (I know prop 65 isn’t perfect, but it’s often a lead warning).

That would seem to mean to stop buying an enormous number of things. Extended to locations, it would mean not parking in any enclosed parking lot, or entering a number of different stores. It's not clear to me it's even possible to avoid everything with a prop 65 warning. Unfortunately, the bad incentives involved (private actions mean there is a risk for not putting a warning if some law firm can try to argue to a court in a civil action that you might be exposing people to something, while at the same time there is no penalty or cost at all to putting a completely unnecessary and bogus warning when you don't actually know of any risk) make it so that the safest option is just to put a warning.
by moduspol | 2025-04-11 12:54:01+00:00
> Which is basically how most technologies appear{s,ed} in society: without prior thought / discussion.

> There's certainly a lot of talk while it's being rolled out, but rarely prior.

This is a semantic argument about timing. One could argue the Internet is still "being rolled out" today, but it's certainly widely available and we've had decades to reflect on its impact on society. It's not like the Internet was suddenly thrust on 1950s Mississippi and nobody considered that hackers might exist until everyone was on it.

The point is that some of the basic questions posed by the show would have been asked, answered, and accounted-for by society long before they seem to be in the societies depicted in the show.

> People do crime because they think they can get away with it, because if you knew that you'd probably get caught why would you do it in the first place?

It's not a binary decision. Of course you don't do it if you think you will be caught, but the likelihood of being caught and the consequences if you do are also significant factors in the decision.

If people were executed for stealing candy bars from convenience stores, we'd have a lot fewer people stealing, even if we put the same effort into catching them as we do now.
by gnatolf | 2025-04-11 12:54:13+00:00
Mostly it's to cover up that the catalogue isn't as great anymore, isn't it? Since almost every big label took back the rights and started their own streaming service, Netflix simply doesn't have as much content (that anyone would want to see) anymore.

I quit all those platforms recently and I'm not missing the frustration of having to 'switch channels' through their incomprehensible categories and views anymore.
by ben_w | 2025-04-11 12:54:26+00:00
Oh, but it is an AI risk.

The analogy is with stock market flash-crashes, but those can be undone if everyone agrees "it was just a bug".

Software operates faster than human reaction times, so there's always pressure to fully automate aspects of military equipment, e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalanx_CIWS

Unfortunately, a flash-war from a bad algorithm, from a hallucination, from failing to specify that the moon isn't expected to respond to IFF pings even when it comes up over the horizon from exactly the direction you've been worried about finding a Soviet bomber wing… those are harder to undo.
by zonkerdonker | 2025-04-11 12:54:30+00:00
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-02968-x#:~:text=I...

>As time goes on, the harmlessness only proves itself.

I cant find any recently published study that /doesnt/ demonstate a link between microplastics exposure and adverse health effects. Please share if you have any
by travelethan | 2025-04-11 12:54:58+00:00
Full-time jobs are quietly being dismantled and repackaged into contracts, projects, and fractional roles. Suddenly, seasoned professionals are finding themselves as “accidental entrepreneurs”—forced into business ownership, not by ambition but by necessity. This article explores how the gig economy’s scope has surged beyond ride-shares and task-based freelancing, reshaping even executive-level work into on-demand services. It’s both a warning and a call to reimagine work, benefits, and community for a future where independence is no longer a choice—but the new normal.
by skydhash | 2025-04-11 12:55:47+00:00
A whole web app. The IO are generally user facing network connections (request and response), IPC and RPC (databases, other services), and files interaction. Anything else is logic. An FP programs is a collection of pipes, and IO are the endpoints. With FP the blob of data passes cleanly from one section to another while in imperative, some of it sticks. In OOP, there’s a lot of blob, that flings stuff at each other and in the process create more blobs.
by spicyusername | 2025-04-11 12:55:53+00:00
I think it's very likely this kind of optimization is giving people want they "will" want, instead of what they "do" want.

If you ask a heroine user if they want to use, I suspect most will say no.

But if you A/B test their behavior and build a product based on what they actually do, you're going to start selling more heroin and encourage more heroin use.

To everyone's detriment.
Show HN: Building better base images
by akrylov | 2025-04-11 12:56:02+00:00
This project addresses the inefficiencies of traditional Dockerfile-based container builds where each customization layer creates storage bloat through duplicate dependencies from repeated apt-get install commands, network inefficiency from redundant package downloads across different images, and slow iteration cycles requiring full rebuilds of all previous steps. Our solution enables building minimal base images from scratch using debootstrap that precisely include only required components in the initial build, while allowing creation of specialized variants (Java, Kafka, etc.) from these common foundations - resulting in significantly leaner images, faster builds, and more efficient resource utilization compared to standard Docker layer stacking approaches.
by scarface_74 | 2025-04-11 12:57:02+00:00
You’re giving it way too much of a positive spend. None of the companies are using analytics to increase the desirability for the majority of users.

They are doing it to increase “engagement” and so more people will stay on their site longer.

Why else wouldn’t Netflix show the “continue watching” row first instead of forcing you to scroll past algorithmic generated crap?

It is the same reason that Google went from describing success as people getting off their site faster and going to one of the “ten blue links” to the shit show it is today.
by closewith | 2025-04-11 12:57:27+00:00
usarmy (U.S. Army)

jble (Joint Base Langley-Eustis)

tradoc (Training and Doctrine Command)

mbx (mailbox)

eustis (Fort Eustis)

tboc (Training Brain Operations Center)

dtl (Data Transmission Lab)

helpdesk (help desk)

mail (mail)

mil (military domain)

Tells you everything you need to know.
by p_ing | 2025-04-11 12:57:38+00:00
Shooting barebow recurve / horsebow is one of the most zen-like experiences I've had. And it's a workout!

I would encourage anyone remotely interested to take lessons before you start practicing on your own to prevent bad habits or to prevent from hurting your fingers/hands/shoulders. Trainers should have light-weight bows, around 16# or so for you to try. Etsy is a good place to buy accessories (tabs, quivers, gloves, rings, etc.).

I've bought arrows/bows from these folks and really like what I received:

https://www.szimeiszterbows.hu/

https://asianbows.com/

And for less expensive carbon arrows, I have a few different sets from https://linkboyarchery.com/. Really good stuff.

Lancasterarchery.com is a US-based outfit that has a variety of good equipment.
by joseda-hg | 2025-04-11 12:58:01+00:00
It's worse on less formal communication, but shorthand "We're targeting .NET" might mean

"We're targeting .NET (Standard)" (Which works on both Framework and used to be Core / current .NET)

"We're targeting .NET (Framework)" (Used to be shortened to .NET)

"We're targeting .NET" (Formerly .NET Core) / (6/7/8/9), current recomendation being to call this one just .NET (But not always respected, and not retroactively applied

If legacy wasn't a thing, there wouldn't be much trouble, but since many libraries and some functionality does get backported, you might be stuck with documentation doing any of them, maybe even inconsistently
Show HN: 30 days challenge to build a SaaS tool – Copi
by yelston | 2025-04-11 12:58:15+00:00
Hi Everyone,

My background is in product and growth and i was laid off late last year. I challenged myself to build a SAAS tool within 30 days in March 2025.

Copi was officially launched on 1st April 2025

What is Copi? Copi allows you to create a single, dynamic link that you can share with your clients. This link not only directs them to the content you want to share (URL or PDF for now), but it also tracks their interactions. You get insights on how they engage with your material, which helps you tailor your follow-ups and close deals more effectively.

Key Features: • Secure File Sharing: Keep your sensitive information safe with robust access controls. • Analytics Tracking: Gain valuable insights into customer interactions. • Easy to Use: Share content effortlessly with just one link!

Why I Built It: As someone who has worked in sales, I noticed the struggle teams face when sharing information securely and effectively. I wanted to create a tool that simplifies this process and empowers teams to work smarter, not harder.

Do give Copi a try, and I’d love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or any suggestions you might have!

Thanks for your support!
by jmclnx | 2025-04-11 12:58:27+00:00
Maybe it is time for Apple to commit to Laptop/Desktop Privacy like it says it does with the iphone.

For example, change their default browser to block ads, have a vpn type option and sane cookie processes. Somehow ensure people using it are not tracked or spammed.

Plus remove the spyware many people believe exists in OSX. You pay enough for what Apple produces, maybe it is time to get something nice for the extra $.
by malvim | 2025-04-11 12:58:37+00:00
Something that caught my attention is how they started with Chinese design and engineering because that was where the knowledge was. They they learned and appropriated that knowledge to the point where this was not needed anymore.

I love this approach, as it’s not purely commercial, it’s focused on knowledge, and it’s not “stealing” tech, they probably have that on their contracts and the like.

Also, it’s EXACTLY what China set out to do a few decades ago, and foreign industrialists and capitalists were so eager to spend less, they flocked over there, and the Chinese now have the knowledge as well as the labor force do to what they do.

Some people love to cry about how China is “stealing” American tech, when in reality no one ever pointed a gun at a tech CEO’s head and said “you must move manufacturing to China.” They did it because it was profitable, and they knew the terms.

I’m not saying industrial espionage doesn’t happen in China, it does, as it does anywhere else. I just don’t like the rhetoric of saying they’re “bad” for doing a perfectly legal business tactic.
by allturtles | 2025-04-11 12:58:41+00:00
Cool! Part 2 on "gluing laminations" got me to wondering how an ancient/medieval bowyer would have actually glued the layers together, considering they didn't have access to polyvinyl acetate. Wikipedia has some clues at [0]: "Traditionally animal proteins like casein from milk or collagen from animal hides and bones were boiled down to make early glues." and [1]: "A Scythian wood-laminate bow was... constructed by laminating several fine strips of willow and alder wood, bound with fish glue and wrapped in birch bark."

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_glue

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laminated_bow
by spacecadet | 2025-04-11 12:58:55+00:00
I have been building a "realistic" but simplified 2D universe simulator since GPT3.5 was first introduced, it has slowly grown to become a 1000loc Python file that uses Pygame. I think it represents a good mix of what might appear in training as code examples and physics understanding. Aside from occasionally "playing" the game, its a zero-player game... I mainly use it to test new models. Can the model handle 1000 lines of complex physics code? Can the model make improvements to areas that I already know are poorly optimized or incorrect?
by world2vec | 2025-04-11 12:59:20+00:00
But people desire them as a conspicuous symbol because some people decades ago were really into fast cars and picked those brands as the best of the best. It was the true enthusiasts that promoted them and then other people copied them because they wanted to be in the same "gang" and over time that evolved into a status symbol, far removed from the original one. But it did start with a small group of true fans.
by zoobab | 2025-04-11 12:59:44+00:00
Python has cgi-bin support, I made a proxy of the poor like this:

$ mkdir cgi-bin $ echo -e "#!/bin/bash\necho -e \"Content-type: text/html\n"curl -s -k http://www.zoobab.com -o -" > cgi-bin/proxy.sh $ python -m http.server --cgi 8000 $ curl http://localhost:8000/cgi-bin/proxy.sh

You should get the html page of http://www.zoobab.com
by trinix912 | 2025-04-11 12:59:54+00:00
I'd say the problem is that the products (or versions thereof) they've been putting out lately seem more unfinished than in the past, particularly on the software front. There's more bugs, inconsistencies, and what seems like a general lack of care from project leaders.

It happens with big corporate hierarchies where the middle managers don't/can't care about the big picture, nor the details. It can be seen by the sheer amount of scenarios in the recent years' macOS releases where things are so obviously broken it's hard to imagine nobody noticed; it's more likely someone did, they just couldn't get the message across to the right people to get it fixed.

The programmers who actually implement things can't voice their concerns directly due to the bureaucracy, the managers overseeing their team leads don't care as it doesn't hurt the bottomline too much.

IBM had the same problem back in the 90s being too big. Apple is in the same stage now.
by shadowgovt | 2025-04-11 13:00:39+00:00
> though I'm not sure the normal primary process is democratic anyway

That's a great point, and one I wish more voters understood. The primaries are very undemocratic, both of them. In most states, you can't even vote in both primaries because you can only have one party affiliation.

How much real choice do Americans have when the primaries determine, practically, the candidates and they can only lend their voice to one party's choice of candidate?
by hansvm | 2025-04-11 13:00:50+00:00
It's a matter of framing. Think of any of the following:

- Refreshing daily "points" in some mobile app (handling the clock running backward, network connectivity lapses, ...)

- Deciding whether to send an marketing e-mail (have you been unsubscribed, how recently did you send one, have you sent the same one, should you fail open or closed, is this person receptive to marketing, ...)

- How do you represent a person's name and transform it into the things your system needs (different name fields, capitalization rules, max characters, what it you try to put it on an envelope and it doesn't fit, ...)

- Authorization logic (it's not enough to "just use a framework" no matter your programming style; you'll still have important business logic about who can access what when and how the whole thing works together)

And so on. Everything you're doing is mapping inputs to outputs, and it's important that you at least get it kind of close to correct. Some people think functional programming helps with that.
by andai | 2025-04-11 13:02:03+00:00
Ironically the old horses were faster! Run XP on modern hardware (if you can get it running at all) and you'll see what I mean. Explorer opens fully rendered in the span of a single frame (0.016 seconds). And XP was very slow and bloated for its time!

It'll do this even in VirtualBox, running about 20x snappier than the native host, which boggles my mind.