MurphyA/hacker-news huggingface dataset:
by Arnt | 2025-08-01 14:47:22+00:00
You can file a civil lawsuit. You may or may not be able to persuade the prosecutor to file a criminal case.

The video near the middle of the page shows fairly clearly what they did, with accurate and understandable descriptions of shady behaviour. I think a capable prosecutor might regard it as difficult to prove that behaviour illegal. Shady, sure, but in dubio pro so why even prosecute.

So that leaves a civil lawsuit. There's no need to persuade a prosecutor for a civil lawsuit, and the balance of evidence counts, there's no in dubio pro.
by all2 | 2025-08-01 14:47:23+00:00
My current employer does sit-down interviews with the whole engineering team. When I was interviewed, I went through a phone screening, and then I was invited to an interview. It was two interviews, actually; one with engineering and another with admin.

Our engineers don't have a pre-set of questions. They asked what came to their heads, they picked at stories I told, they were interested in technical problems I had solved in the past.

I find we've dodged some bullets using this methodology, and the people we've picked up using this process have been pretty excellent and tend to gel well with the team.
by sarchertech | 2025-08-01 14:47:36+00:00
> Especially if the pilot is not type rated for the particular airplanes the other airline flies. E.g. the experienced pilot currently is rated for Airbus A320 but the airline he's applying only flies Boeing 747.

That makes sense then because they are applying for a slightly different job.

It would make sense for a Java programmer to spend time prepping for a Python interview as well.
by xivzgrev | 2025-08-01 14:47:39+00:00
I recently read a helpful Quora post on cancellation

Basically, while it's totally fair to hold people accountable, it needs to work both ways.

Additionally, there's a line between boycotting someone (your collective actions) vs attacking others for supporting. If you didn't like what a musician did, you and others could stop buying their albums. That's different than issuing death threats to radio stations that play that musicians music.

So in this case, we seem to have -one sided accountability, a coordinated effort around one side of facts -a boycott vs attack. The open letter makes it clear that only the signatories will be engaging in these actions. Others (such as organizations that employed him) are requested to cut ties but not threatened

So I would say this is only a partial "cancel". It would have been better if he could have "had his day in court" before he was thoroughly condemned, though I'm not sure how.
by owenwil | 2025-08-01 14:47:51+00:00
This is great! AFAIK our Stripe Docs were first to ship the copy for LLMs button about 14-16 months ago, which Mintlify copied the pattern (and some other patterns at the same time) from and proliferated everywhere since everyone uses them for docs out of the box now. It’s really cool to see how it’s quickly become a standard now to have that button! I do think we can do deeper integrations with LLMs that are probably more useful over time.
by esbranson | 2025-08-01 14:47:56+00:00
If USPSTF has refused, either intentionally refused or through incompetence, to make a recommendation in its 40 year history that would have an outsize effect on preventive healthcare, then not only good riddance, but kick every single one its members out of academia and pull their licenses. I'm half surprised that National Propaganda didn't lament that the tens of thousands of millions AHRQ has given to academia wasn't enough for improved health outcomes.
by Hilift | 2025-08-01 14:48:21+00:00
FYI, there are/were two systems. "Direct File" is probably the more complex and integrates directly with 25 participating states. The other is "Free File" and only covers some payers.

https://www.irs.gov/filing/irs-direct-file-for-free

https://www.irs.gov/filing/irs-free-file-do-your-taxes-for-f...
Show HN: Clean Links – Free iOS app that removes tracking from URLs and QR codes
by woadwarrior01 | 2025-08-01 14:48:34+00:00
Hey HN,

A couple of months ago, my brother and I built a little macOS cli app for ourselves. The idea was to remove tracking parameters from share urls from Instagram, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Reddit, Twitter, Tiktok, etc. Also, URL shorteners.

A bit later, after seeing a lot of "quishing" attacks here in Ireland, we ported it iOS and added support for scanning QR codes and previewing (and expanding) URLs from QR codes. This is something the iOS camera app doesn't do.

Today, we've released it on the App Store. It's completely free and also free from tracking, analytics, ads etc. It currently supports ~250 websites and apps, and about two dozen URL shorteners. We'll likely add support for more in the near future.

If you try it out, I'd appreciate any feedback.
by michael1999 | 2025-08-01 14:48:38+00:00
I think you could just use lean, and progressively elaborate the inference graph.

But you might find a historical/journalistic/investigative angle more profitable.

I heard a software product pitch from a small law practice who were outside investigators for abuse/policy-violation claims in a unionized workforce. They had a solid procedure: start with the main event. Interview all witnesses, and identify other interesting events. Then cross-reference all witnesses against all alleged/interesting events. That gives you a full matrix to identify who is a reliable witness, what sort of motivations are in play, and what stories are being told, patterns of behaviour, etc. Their final report might actually focus on another event entirely that had better evidence around it.

In that sort of historical investigation, a single obviously false claim undermines all claims from that witness. Pure logic doesn't have that bi-directionality of inference. Sometimes your sources just flat out lie! That's half the work.

The key difference is between a full matrix of claims vs sources/evidence, while good math is all about carefully plotting a sparse inference graph that traverses the space. What is called "penetrating minimalism" in math is called "cherry picking" in history or journalism.

We passed on the pitch. Didn't see how it scaled to a product worth building, but their process was appealing. Much better than the an internal popularity-contest or witch-hunt. Probably better than the average police investigation too.
by parpfish | 2025-08-01 14:48:40+00:00
i agree. the stress is an unavoidable in any context where people are being judged or evaluated. i also find take-homes stressful, with in-person coding at least the stress is constrained to a narrow time window.

but i also think that that's why live coding can work really well with simple problems like fizzbizz, create a list of fibonaccis, etc. these are simple-ass problems that any coder can churn out in their sleep. if the stress of an interview prevents you from solving something like this... you probably need some more practice coding until something like this becomes easy enough to do under stress.
by pastage | 2025-08-01 14:48:42+00:00
You have to put what you are saying into context. Science is by definition conservative. It does not mean all of science is conservative or even just politicaly so.

The point is antiscience, and the right wingers need an enemy and they are turning to antiscience to do it. It is funny since you are citing FIRE I am pretty sure they will say similar stuff, I am guessing with words like "chilling effect" to describe parts the politics.

My view on the whole "it is woke" is that it is first of all an attempt of trying to construct a boogey man instead of having am honest debate. Most of what is called woke is actually just opinions. I have always seen the "it is woke" crowd as an attack on all of academia, that discussion can never be diverse enough to be anything that an out right attack.

Now we are slashing vital science projects that has nothing to do with woke, and people are arguing "science" should be blamed because someone was woke.

I am sure we think the same on many of these issues, but "Trust the science" is more or less what the Royal society said. In the end it does not matter if you are a scientist we as a people trust stories and legends more, creating monsters from thin air is a powerfull tool if you want people to trust you.
by fidotron | 2025-08-01 14:49:24+00:00
Absolutely nothing about it has gone wrong.

They have collected some personal data from law abiding pornography consumers: obvious perverts who should know better anyway. If their information gets released it will be their own fault. Some other stuff got hidden, but that's no problem as the BBC will tell you anything that you need to know anyway.

They can, and will, readily ban VPNs later, since those have no legitimate purpose for individuals, and will only be allowed for licensed operators like banks, hospitals, and defence manufacturers.

If you think this is sarcasm you haven't been paying attention to what the people pushing these laws actually say.
by josephg | 2025-08-01 14:49:26+00:00
> A certificate confirming he did learn the job is enough for companies to employ them.

This is hilariously out of touch with real world hiring.

If you put up a job ad, there are so many people who will apply with all the certifications you can name. And if you ask them to write code, even something quite simple, they will fail utterly and completely.

I've interviewed a bit over 400 people at this point. When I was doing it as a full time job, people only talked to me after they pass a screening test - which already screens out the majority of applicants. Even then, about 3/4 of the people I've interviewed were terrible. So bad they could barely write hello world in the half hour we give them. This is on their own computer, in their favorite programming language. They did not have to talk to me during the process at all. A lot of the people who fail have graduated from decent universities. Some said they had 30 years professional experience.

I'm sure some of that is due to nerves. But a lot of it is simply because programming is hard, and most people don't have the right kind of brain for it. Lots of people - probably the majority if we're honest - bluster their way through certification programs or degrees. Many of them learn the theory but struggle with the practical skills. Sometimes they gather together in low performing teams at large companies where management doesn't know any better.

If you graduate from a music conservatory, you can probably play an instrument. But that isn't true of most computer science degrees. Lots of people graduate without being any good at programming.

Its also a numbers thing. Good programmers don't stay on the job market for long. Great people will send 1-3 applications and be hired. Or more likely be hired through word of mouth. Bad applicants might send hundreds. As a result, most job applications are written by dedicated people who get turned down over and over again by employers.

There's a reason fizzbuzz has become a cliche in our industry. If you put up a job ad, most people who send in an application won't be skilled enough to program it up.
by jmiskovic | 2025-08-01 14:49:38+00:00
I didn't find any noise or whining in the post. The text mentions "effort to keep the apps updated" which is more than just updating the API number. You are frequently requested to adapt the app, the signing process, fill in the ever increasing compliance data. Every request for change is accompanied with a threat.

My app had no privacy concerns, didn't collect any data or even require internet access. I was still expected to jump through all kinds of hoops every few months. Even after I gave up and my app was delisted I still get regular requests for new hoops they came up with with more threats that they would delist (even more?).

And yes, the app was moved to F-Droid which makes it invisible for just about 100% of Android users. I still think these kinds of posts serve as a good deterrent so others don't invest the effort in the Google Play store. The store is meant for corporations. If you are enthusiast or a non-profit considering the app a one-time investment, it will pester you and wear you down.
by trelane | 2025-08-01 14:49:39+00:00
Why? There is a perfectly cromulent license, sitting right there https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html

It was even explicitly designed to prevent "tivoization." https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/tivoization.en.html

One just has to use it to prevent their software from being locked away from the end user
by bradlys | 2025-08-01 14:49:40+00:00
> Yes, there's a large cohort of "senior" software engineers who can't actually code. They bullshit their way into jobs until they're fired and then apply for the next one. These are the people you want to filter out with live coding.

Genuinely, are there any amount of these at any significant scale in a place like Silicon Valley? I'm not sure I've ever met someone who couldn't code at any of the places I've worked.

Senior engineers are heavily evaluated for their ability to pump out code. If you're not coding, what the hell are you doing at a startup that needs features built to generate any revenue?
by squeaky-clean | 2025-08-01 14:49:58+00:00
About half the time I order UberEats I get a call from the driver that they're here and to come downstairs because they won't enter my apartment building. Could be laziness, it could also be because the street parking is always full and so the only place to park close by is a fire hydrant.

The app has different options for meeting in the lobby / come to my unit and I always select my unit, but whatever, I get why they might not do that.
by ranger207 | 2025-08-01 14:50:08+00:00
Little bit of a tangent, but as a customer I am not "delighted" when I find a product quickly and easily; I am merely not frustrated. Finding what I'm looking for is the baseline experience, having to search for what I'm looking for makes me annoyed and less likely to buy anything other than what I need so I can just get out of there.

In my experience, any product or service advertising itself as "delighting" customers actually means that they're overall making the baseline experience worse, and their product/service is just reducing the frustration they're introducing.
by throwanem | 2025-08-01 14:50:13+00:00
What am I meant to think the experience of providing IT support shares with that of the bodhisattva nature, such that quoting the ever tiresome Watts at paragraph length is meant to aid understanding of either? It's just a lot of self-aggrandizing humblebragging nonsense, "look whose name I drop and you don't." Good grief, in this millennium having had an encounter with Watts doesn't even really qualify anyone as being familiar with the literature.

If one means to say it's not people's fault that computers suck to use and they shouldn't be blamed for exhibiting some emotional dismay when forced to do so anyway, then one may say so clearly and concisely, and without insisting on oneself even by implication.
by xp84 | 2025-08-01 14:50:34+00:00
100% this! I hate how the main narrative it seems like Americans believe about tipping, especially among a certain set of privileged college-educated Democrat types, is that tipping is this virtuous practice that benefits the underclass so much, when really, it benefits restaurant owners most, and if any workers are better off under a tipping system, it's a small minority, like highly attractive white female servers in establishments that have rich clientele. Everyone else would be better off if prices (not a surcharge) went up once by 20% and restaurants spent that money on wages and abolished all tipping.
by scarface_74 | 2025-08-01 14:50:59+00:00
I doubt my degree in CS from 1996 where I learned COBOL and FORTRAN at a no name college in south GA makes a difference. Heck I doubt it made a difference after my first job, let alone after my second looking for my third in 2008z

I didn’t get a job at a company that anyone has heard of until I was 46 (AWS). My career before then was a journeymen enterprise developer until 2016 when I started leading projects. Now I still do hands on coding. But it’s now strategy cloud consulting specializing in “modernization” (ie app dev) with 50/50 client facing post sales architecture and coding and leading larger implementations.

Now admittedly, one of my secrets is that I keep completely clean shaven of all facial hair so there is no signs of balding or grey and I’m in decent shape. No one can tell my age.

According to Bill Burr it’s probably the lotion (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sSSrtbujO4)
by Zefiroj | 2025-08-01 14:51:07+00:00
> But if you do that, things like the USPS donkey train [0] would be stripped, the US military would / should be reduced to a fraction of its current size or down to nothing, etc.

and that is a problem because? These are funded by tax dollars collected. It's impossible for people to stop paying for them whether they make sense or not.
by runjake | 2025-08-01 14:51:14+00:00
The Skydweller is capable of carrying an ISR (Intelligence/Surveillance/Reconnaissance) equipment load, which is several times heavier than the Zephyr -- not to take away from the Zephyr's accomplishments ("on the shoulders of giants", etc).

The article mentions "wide-area surveillance"[1], which translates to "a lot of cameras" (FLIR, visible light, etc).

You also need more solar and more batteries to power all that ISR.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wide-area_motion_imagery (eg. GORGON STARE)
by insane_dreamer | 2025-08-01 14:51:25+00:00
> US government provides funding, US government tries to use that leverage to decide how the show will be run.

Pray tell where are the examples from previous administrations of how billions of dollars in funding was yanked or suspended from multiple colleges until they paid "settlement fees" just to make it go away and get their funding restored, without even any due process.

Yes, the gov have always exercised some pressure on institutions or shifting funding towards their priorities. But no one but Trump has engaged in blatant mafia-style extortion.
by Ozzie_osman | 2025-08-01 14:52:16+00:00
At any point in time there are probably many competing ideologies, even ones that are based on strength. For example, "speak softly but carry a big stick" is based on strength, but is pretty different than "they must wake up scared".

The issue with the "scared" approach is that all it takes is one country with that ideology for escalations to occur and everyone else to adopt that mindset.
by rayiner | 2025-08-01 14:52:28+00:00
> But, when three members of the group came forward to testify, all expressed support for the Tipped Workers Protection Act and opposition to the One Fair Wage Act, which they portrayed as an effort to steal their tips

This article is missing a real issue here by trying to make the story all about the employers. Many workers like the tip system because it creates inequality among the restaurant workers. Good servers can earn a lot more money than what they’d earn if every server were paid the same, fair wage.

My mom used to work at a furniture store as a floor sales associate on commission. She would regularly clear $120,000/year (this was 15 years ago, so like $180,000 today). A generous wage for the job at the time probably would’ve been $50,000 or so. She would’ve fought such a policy tooth and nail.
by criley2 | 2025-08-01 14:53:00+00:00
I mean, they can burn it all up in a fire in a few months. xAI loses $1 billion per month, so this round would be an 8 month runway for that company. OpenAI loses $2 for every $1 it brings in, but perhaps they're only losing $500M/mo, so maybe this $8b could last them more than a year...
by nkrisc | 2025-08-01 14:53:01+00:00
To be clear, “hurt” in this case meant maybe she scraped her knee or just tripped or wasn’t hurt and just scared from falling. If she was bleeding profusely or screaming in pain I (and I’m sure many other people) would have run over to help immediately.

She was not seriously injured nor in any immediate danger. Most likely she just needed comfort that her caregiver was not providing.
by Aurornis | 2025-08-01 14:53:28+00:00
AI interview cheating tools are becoming very popular among younger people. Some times it’s easy to spot, but others are getting very practiced at using the AI and covering the pauses with awkwardness or “you’re cutting out” tricks.

It has become the most common topic in the hiring sub forum of a manager peer group I’m in.

The companies who can afford it have added in-person final stage interviews. Candidates who do okay in simple remote technical screens but can’t answer basic questions in person are rejected. It’s a huge waste of time and money, but it’s better than the cost of a bad hire.

The A.I. use isn’t limited to technical screens. The people who use gen AI use it everywhere: Their resume, behavioral questions, and even having ChatGPT write S.T.A.R. style responses that are wholly fabricated for them to repeat later.

Verified reference checks are more important than ever. Few people will actually come out and give a negative reference check, but talking to someone can reveal very different pictures about the person’s work. I’ve had calls where former managers of a person told me they worked on something completely different than what was claimed on the resume. Sadly I would have probably hired the person if they had been honest about not having direct experience in our domain, but once you catch someone lying so directly it’s hard to trust them for anything else.
by akoboldfrying | 2025-08-01 14:53:28+00:00
You seem to think that the fact that

> 1 in 100 rape accusations MADE TO THE POLICE in the UK leads to a charge being made against the accused

backs up your claim that

> To make these kinds of accusations as a woman tears your life apart in unimaginable ways

But this is not the case at all, unless you intended "these kinds of accusations" to mean both making formal charges and writing accusatory blog posts -- but the whole reason for this article is to point out the massive amount of damage that the latter can do at almost no cost to the accuser. Absent further evidence, it's clear that in this particular case, the two accusers' lives were not at all "torn apart" by making these life-destroying accusations -- do you agree?
by cestith | 2025-08-01 14:53:31+00:00
I’d say the Olympics and a technical interview both test the needed skills for everyday performance and the ability to harness those skills under high pressure.

As for the stress side, there are physiological and psychological differences among people which impose certain difficulties for some to deal with high stress. Learning to work under occasional heightened stress is also a skill, though. Just don’t choose to work somewhere that’s always a high-stress environment unless you’re capably suited to handling the stress.
by LargeWu | 2025-08-01 14:53:32+00:00
Increasingly, we're seeing home services companies like plumbing and HVAC owned by private equity. This is how you end up paying $300 an hour for the plumber (plus a $300 service fee just for showing up). The technician isn't getting the majority of that money.

Good rule of thumb is that if you see a home services company with billboards, or branded vehicles, they are going to be super expensive.
by _fat_santa | 2025-08-01 14:53:51+00:00
The only silver lining to this is that since the direct file code is open source, forks have already sprung up.

What I would love to see is one of these forks gain prominence and become the “Debian” of tax filing while TurboTax and HR block are the “Windows” and “MacOS” of the tax filing world

Granted I’ve been in this industry long enough to know that this is a tall tall order and finding consistent maintainers will be a huge challenge. But who knows maybe this will piss off just the right billionaire to make them dump a few dollars into a dev team that can build FreeFile