MurphyA/hacker-news huggingface dataset:
by sunshowers | 2025-04-03 08:29:35+00:00
I mean in their actual self-interest rather than, say, what they have been made to believe is in their self-interest.

> Deindustrialization and Nikefication in the past several decades isn't "rational" long-term behavior either.

Maybe, but I was responding to "They benefitted from it so hard they voted for the exact opposite with eyes wide open. Twice."

There's an implication here, and in a subsequent reply that people voting against their interests is "[t]he go to midwit rationalization for every electoral loss", that people exercised free will when they voted.

This is plainly incorrect, because free will quite clearly does not exist. No one has ever shown the kinds of violations in the laws of physics that would be required for free will to exist.

Since free will does not exist, there is simply no a priori reason to believe that people voted in their interests. People's voting decisions, like everything else they do, are out of their control. To the extent that they vote in a particular way that's good or bad for them, it's driven purely by luck and circumstances.

It is this a priori belief that people vote or act in their own interests that's the real "midwit rationalization".
by mtlmtlmtlmtl | 2025-04-03 08:30:09+00:00
It's not a classic thinkpad, but my thinkpad from 7 years ago is still going strong.

Recently I decided to do a service on it for the first time, and I was absolutely stunned by how little dust had built up in the CPU fan and the interior in general, after 7 years of usage, often sitting on top of a couch or bed, near my long-haired Norwegian forest cat Rufus. All it needed was a litle puff of computer duster and it was good as new. That's very good design of the air intakes and is a huge factor in the machine's longevity.

I did computer repair professionally for a while, and one of the most common causes of irreparable death I saw in laptops was massive dust buildup in cpu fans and consequent heat damage to surrounding components. I'd sometimes see this in 2-3 year old laptops even.

Funny to think that something as simple as the shape of an air intake opening can have such a profound impact on the lifetime of a device.

The other thing that Thinkpads are unrivaled at is protection for the display. People like to say macbooks are sturdy, but they are quite prone to cracked displays because of Apple's obsession with smaller bezels. The thinkpad ofc has t34 style angled armor for its display. Can't remember ever seeing a Thinkpad with a cracked display. And I carry my Thinkpad around in just a backpack with no sleeve, often the Thinkpad is the only thing in there, and it regularly impacts the floor when the(thin-bottomed) backpack is put down while sitting down on the bus or getting home.
by Narann | 2025-04-03 08:30:19+00:00
I’ve never been a fan on ThinkPad looks, until I get a second hand one, in 2014. It had 4GB or RAM and starts to have hard time with browsing, so few month ago, I bought 16GB for 20€. I’m almost sure It could live for 5 or 10 years.

My only complain is Ctrl cap sensor having some inconsistencies, I have to push strong on it.

For the rest I consider ThinkPad as the way to go for second hand.
by jbverschoor | 2025-04-03 08:30:23+00:00
VAT = Value Added Tax. Tax should be paid whenever there was value added to a product/service, and it was sold.

The manufacturer has paid VAT, and will get back the paid VAT from the tax authorities. It then adds value (value added tax). It has to charge VAT of the full amount. So, the company in the chain pays VAT over the profit of that product/service. For example (assume 20% VAT):

Company 1 creates something with 0 cost, and sells for 100. Needs to add VAT (20) and pay that to the tax authority. 20 has been collected.

Company 2 buys it for the 120, packages and labels it, then sells it for 180 but needs to add 36 VAT. The company will file a tax return of 20-36, so will effectively have to pay 16 to the tax authority. Another 16 has been collected.

Consumer buys it for 216 and doesn't get any VAT back.

Effectively, 20 + 16 = 36 VAT has been collected over time. The tax return can only be done by companies with a VAT registration. In some cases the VAT burden can be inverted in b2b transactions and within the EU. This is there so companies don't have to do cross-border tax returns.
by nindalf | 2025-04-03 08:30:25+00:00
The price of solar panels isn’t static though. It might not have made sense in 2015 or 2020 or even 2025. But solar panels continue to get cheaper, so it might eventually get to a point where it’s a serious idea. Even if it costs a couple thousand extra, the panels will pay for themselves by giving you basically free commutes forever.
by hayst4ck | 2025-04-03 08:30:59+00:00
The golden prize for America's enemies is to remove the US dollar as a global reserve currency.

Since trade is conducted largely in USD, that means other governments must purchase USD to trade. This is the core of trade deficits. Foreign countries buy US dollars so they can trade with other people. That guarantees the deficit since they give us something in exchange for USD, which they do not then spend on goods we make.

If you no longer want the trade deficit that means payments of fealty by those who trade in dollars, which countries aren't likely to tolerate, or abandoning the USD as a global reserve currency, which would be disastrous, truly disastrous. Our debts would suddenly become existential because inflating our currency to pay for them could result in functionally not being able to import goods required to run our economy. I don't think many truly understand just how disastrous it will be.

This isn't America's liberation day. This is Russia's and China's liberation day. While America was once able to check their power, America is no longer in a position to do so, we will barely be in a position to satisfy our own military's logistics requirements.

This is a decapitation strike (Timothy Snyder: Decapitation Strike -- https://archive.is/1xkxK) on America by our enemies. It is not only a de facto soft blockade of American trade, but it is an attack on the mechanics of American hegemony. Politicians already ask for money instead of votes or actions. That means if foreign governments spend money, they can elect their preferred candidates. America's own government was a result of french support. We institute regime change in other counties, and I see no reason to believe we are immune.

If trade stops occurring in US Dollar, which is a consequence of the stated goal of our current ruling regime, that would be the coup de grace on this country's hegemony. It is the definitive end to it, and the birth of Chinese hegemony.

Ray Dalio's Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order feels prescient: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xguam0TKMw8
by physicsguy | 2025-04-03 08:31:04+00:00
In many states in the US, if you go and buy materials, as a business, you pay a sales tax. There are exemptions and partial rebates, but there's nothing across all industries, and it varies by state. So if you were a farmer you might find you were exempt on fertilizer and tractors but not on a pickup truck.

That's different to a VAT, because there, as long as you're a registered business for VAT purposes, all purchases you make are exempt from VAT - either you don't pay it when you purchase and are invoiced by a business, or you can claim it back if you keep receipts. Companies have to register for VAT when revenue hits a certain amount; here in the UK it's £85k for e.g.
by jajko | 2025-04-03 08:31:14+00:00
Well if you do all you can to stirr some 'great war', you will eventually get it. Its only US saying there will be one though, rest of the world is in WTF mode. China doesn't care about anything global but Taiwan and its own security. They are probably more capitalist than US at this point and prefer having stable trade cash flows rather than expanding.

So, if thats the real underlying reason for all these steps then US is the warmonger here attacking literally everybody preemptively. 5D chess at least.
by Arathorn | 2025-04-03 08:31:27+00:00
fwiw, there's a XEP for OIDC in XMPP from last year: https://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0493.html. ATproto is also moving to it as its primary auth mechanism: https://github.com/bluesky-social/atproto/discussions/2656.
by cassianoleal | 2025-04-03 08:31:34+00:00
> Just using your thumb for all navigation seems like an RSI waiting to happen.

I have a thumb trackball. It's been a blessing to my RSI. I can fully rest my hand and fingers on it. With a central ball, I need to keep tension on my fingers otherwise they roll on the ball and move the cursor. That seems like an RSI waiting to happen.
by przadka | 2025-04-03 08:32:03+00:00
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Salary on a B2B contract:

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We're looking for someone with 5+ years of programming experience, including at least one year with Python (open source and significant personal projects count!).

So, what do you think? You don't even need a CV - just go to https://careers.reef.pl/?utm_source=hackernews and shoot a few quick commands to apply.

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Show HN: Free Coding Tests for Junior Devs (Python, Java, C#, JavaScript)
by KubiKDB | 2025-04-03 08:32:07+00:00
Hey HN,

I just launched codingtests.online, a new platform offering free coding tests for junior developers. The tests cover Python, Java, C#, and JavaScript, and they’re designed to help developers practice and improve their skills. No signup, subscription, or any personal information required—just visit the site and start testing.

Features:

Tests in popular programming languages (Python, Java, C#, JavaScript)

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Simple interface focused on the coding experience

The goal is to provide an easy and accessible way for junior developers to practice and refine their skills without any barriers.

I’d love to hear any feedback.
by walrus01 | 2025-04-03 08:32:18+00:00
Solar panels get cheaper but the total amount of square meters on a vehicle that you can cover with them remains the same. In something the size of this car if I were purchasing PV cells for it, I would be optimizing by far for STC watt per square cm, not $/watt.

$/watt STC is more for big roof and ground mount PV financial calculations.
Ask HN: How does your startup gather insights from customer conversations?
by pranav7 | 2025-04-03 08:33:00+00:00
Hello HN,

I’m doing some research on how startups are handling customer feedback coming from different channels—like support chats, sales calls, onboarding sessions, etc.

Conscious of people's time, the survey shouldn't take more than 2 minutes.

Here is the link: https://tally.so/r/mBe2Oe

many thanks

pranav
by samuel_curry | 2025-04-03 08:33:05+00:00
Do you dream of electric NAND and NOR gates?

Do you calculate your chances of faster service at a checkout counter based on scheduling algorithms?

Do you entertain your friends and family with debates regarding Linux vs. BSD vs Windows until they beg for mercy?

If so, you might enjoy working here, and I encourage you to apply!

DM me for more details. Or call me at 555-1212

https://broadcom.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/External_Career...
by sgt | 2025-04-03 08:33:22+00:00
Other coffee beans is intriguing. Often it's very obvious as to why Arabica won our hearts, though! A while back I tried a coffee bean called Racemosa. The beans are like tiny little pellets, and when you drink it your eyes will widen and go.. "WOW. HGRRRGH. EW. HMM.. INTERESTING. OK, NOT COFFEE AS WE KNOW IT."
by seszett | 2025-04-03 08:33:49+00:00
It's the same for all the non-EU French territories. EU citizenship is not territorial, it's directly linked to the person's nationality so you wouldn't remove EU citizenship from a French citizen just because he happens to live in New Caledonia. French or British citizens living in Canada also are EU citizens after all.

The state of British citizenship is a bit more complicated though I think. A bit like US citizenship which kinda depends on which US territory one lives, as far as I understand.
by mFixman | 2025-04-03 08:33:49+00:00
Always remember that internet conversations are carried by a small group of antisocial losers, and a most of media articles complaining about society are specifically targeting that small but loud group.

An average person has a lot more in common with you than with the imaginary protagonist of this blogpost, who is really smart and wants to show that everyone else is really dumb.

Like other normal people, I discuss politics with friends; both with the ones I mostly agree with and the ones I mostly disagree with. We need to understand game theory and military strategy to have a useful conversation.
by avinassh | 2025-04-03 08:34:14+00:00
Go also had one more requirement:

Many hash table designs, including Abseil’s Swiss Tables, forbid modifying the map during iteration. The Go language spec explicitly allows modifications during iteration, with the following semantics:

- If an entry is deleted before it is reached, it will not be produced.

- If an entry is updated before it is reached, the updated value will be produced.

- If a new entry is added, it may or may not be produced.

which I don't think was needed for valkey
by lelanthran | 2025-04-03 08:34:53+00:00
I understand, but from a pragmatic viewpoint, it is no more and no less complicated to do it with `onclick` JS than it would be to do it with some other attribute.

For all practical purposes, there is no difference between the two.

I understand that the `onclick` wouldn't fire in browsers where JS is turned off, but in that case (no JS) you're going to have an awful user experience using dialogs even with builtin open/close attributes for dialogs.
by squiggleblaz | 2025-04-03 08:35:37+00:00
The modular ports are just USB-C in a cutaway. You can plug your charger into the USB-C port, or into a USB-C module that plugs into the USB-C port. Totally underwhelming. (I had a Framework 16 as a work machine at a previous job.) I definitely still make use of USB-A, and I will for some time - but only when I'm at home plugging in my keyboard and mouse, so I could be perfectly happy with a USB-C hub like I use with my current laptop. I want a durable computer which I can upgrade the RAM, motherboard, storage, replace the battery, screen etc over the next seventeen years so that I don't know when one computer begins and the next ends. I don't want impractical USB-C ports that I have to pay extra for and which limit the durability of the system. To be clear: I've never had a laptop whose charging port died, but if it was something I'd rate as likely, I'd would much rather have a good system and replace the bottom cover kit, rather than a compromised system and replace a protective plug.
by robocat | 2025-04-03 08:35:41+00:00
Skiers/boarders have a heap of different words for snow - e.g. a list of over 100: https://scottybondo.blogspot.com/2009/10/182-words-for-snow....

I too wish we had better tools for dealing with complexity. Working in software we often generate complexity for no gain.

A few hours ago a PDF for a book on complexity was posted - I admit I skimmed it and it didn't seem that useful to me. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43565056
by Happily2020 | 2025-04-03 08:35:47+00:00
If you're interested in self-hosting your orchestration server, you can look into Netbird. It's a very similar tool, but has the server open sourced as well. So you have a self-hosted control server with a nice GUI and all the features the paid version does.

https://netbird.io/knowledge-hub/tailscale-vs-netbird
by dahauns | 2025-04-03 08:36:34+00:00
>With that said, I do wish the keyboard on my Framework 13 were better.

Exactly this. I've given up hope to expect an old-school TP keyboard with its ridged concave keys providing perfect tactile feedback even when not depressing a key, but there's basically no standard laptop layout out there anymore optimized for efficient touch typing, with existing consistently grouped and offset(!) off-center key groups (4-group f-keys, pgup/pgdn/home/end cluster, arrow keys). And some key travel to go with tactile scissor keys to reduce bottoming-out would be nice.

(Oh, and why I find the "tactile feedback" so important, see the wonderful "Pictures Under Glass" rant.

https://worrydream.com/ABriefRantOnTheFutureOfInteractionDes...

Not directly related to keyboards, but the premise remains the same. Hands feel things. :) )
by piokoch | 2025-04-03 08:36:50+00:00
I am not sure what is so fascinating about Framework laptops. They are pretty expensive and are, in fact, one more Chinese OEM production - they are produced by Taiwanese Compal Electronics, which has factory in Kunshan (China).

It is hard to build a legend around something like this.

MacBooks are produced in China too (as everything), but they have that "legacy" of being a cult product from U.S.A.
by nemothekid | 2025-04-03 08:37:45+00:00
Unfortunately, it seems people can't or won't wrestle with the underlying issue. The underlying issue is complex, and it's easier to believe Americans are just too dumb to do voter ID.

I'm not explaining this just for you - but anyone else reading this post. Here is a video from Paul Weyrich, a highly influential republican, in the 1980s discussing why voter turn out should be reduced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR4wxlCGIu0

The symptoms are "trust in the system", "voter id" and "voter fraud". The PROBLEM is one major political party has found it extremely advantageous to ensure as few people vote as possible. If every American got voter ID tomorrow, republicans would simply invent a new issue to manufacture distrust in the system in order to suppress votes. Then another pakistani/european/canadian will be flabbergasted as to why American just don't do X and how all their friends do X everyday.

That's why I'm saying the problem is complex. You are viewing the problem as "Americans just won't adopt voter ID", and on it's face you are probably confused as to why a country as rich as America can't do Voter ID. What I'm saying the problem is that it is actually financially and politically advantageous for one party so sow distrust in the voting process (and this isn't some leftist conspiracy, this is openly admitted by them). Once you understand that you will see why Voter ID is so salient. It's not that we can't do Voter ID, its that Voter ID is the current boogeyman to sow distrust and if that is ever solved, we will simply invent a new problem in order to suppress voters.
by n4r9 | 2025-04-03 08:38:07+00:00
This essay feels shallow and dismissive to me. The sentiment is that you can't be a smart, independent thinker whilst going too far left or right. As with many of his essays, my take is that PG - who lives a highly privileged life - is basing this opinion on the caricature of reality that he gleans from the media and internet forums. It's easy to think what he thinks when the only representation you see of the far left is mindless "woke"ism.

Firstly, does he think that Marx was dumb? And leading left-wing figures like AOC, Sanders, Varoufakis, Zinn, or Zizek? No, for all you might disagree with them, they're smart and independent. They did not acquire their opinions in bulk. I even admit that right-wing figures like Shapiro, Bannon etc... are smart and independent, even though I think they're snakes.

Secondly, the essay overstates the degree of uniformity within the far left and right. Have you not seen the animosity between anarchists and Trotskyites? They only agree insofar as believing we can do better than capitalism. And those on the far right who have a global free market ideology will be at odds with those who want to restrict movement and apply protectionist tariffs.

[EDITED TO ADD] Thirdly, he presupposes that the distinction between right and left is purely one of logical competence. This is captured by him saying "both sides are equally wrong". But personal values also drive the polarisation. Those on the right tend to highly value tradition, loyalty, and family. Those on the left tend to highly value universal welfare and the environment. It's not really possible to label these "right" or "wrong", they are expressions of our fundamental desires for ourselves and the world. If you start from different axioms, you'll tend to get different corollaries even if perfect logic is applied.
by roenxi | 2025-04-03 08:38:10+00:00
Have you looked at a field recently? Spot the flowers: https://wallpapercave.com/field-of-flowers-wallpaper - I'm not sure what you call colourful; but I call those colourful. The flowers are still hard to miss. The colour makes them more obvious.

If you want a more academic source; try https://www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/~ihaka/courses/120/Lectures/... slides 13 & 14. Colour isn't some random distraction, the human vision system uses it to help decide what to focus on. Then you get things like peacocks where they go all in on using colourful visualisations to attract attention.
by noufalibrahim | 2025-04-03 08:40:26+00:00
I've been on a non stop thinkpad streak since 2005 or so. T42 (IBM), X200, X230 and now X1 carbon.

I used a thinkpad X200 back in 2014 or so and it got completely destroyed due to a spill. I replaced the memory, keyboard etc. but was unable to get it to work again. Also, the monitor had developed a few dead scanlines so I decided to buy another one. This was my primary work machine so I needed something quickly. I got another x230 off ebay. It was a piece used for demos at shows so it was refurbished. Threw Debian onto it and started work 2014. I used it straight till 2022 or so. It was my primary machine. I replaced the battery, added RAM. Then the fan got damaged and the front plastic plating got cracked so it was no longer presentable. I bought an X1 carbon but gave the laptop to my son. We bought a fan, thermal paste and some plastic parts for the casing, a new battery etc., watched a few youtube videos and fixed it up. It's still running and they play casual games on it. It's now atleast 10 years old and still going strong.

It's a very strong machine with great longevity. Though I feel that the newer ones are not as good as the old and the X1 is definitely less repairable than its older cousins.
by areoform | 2025-04-03 08:40:50+00:00
I'm sorry to hear that. That's genuinely painful to read, but it's a reality that I've seen reflected elsewhere.

I tend to think about Feynman's Challenger commission report whenever I come across stories like yours, "For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled."

For a successful society, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled. And yes, nature will come for us all be it pestilence or disease, or a storm that washes it all away. Nature never stops.

We created civilization and society as a way to escape nature's wrath. To become something more, to rise above the muck, and when we degrade that we will inevitably go back to the muck.