MurphyA/hacker-news huggingface dataset:
Show HN: WaFlow – Local sandbox to prototype WhatsApp-style bots
by leandrobon | 2025-09-20 19:40:36+00:00
I built WAFlow to prototype WhatsApp-style chatbots locally with plain webhooks. Repo: https://github.com/leandrobon/WaFlow Docker up → chat in browser → simulator posts a webhook to your bot → bot replies via API → export/import transcripts. Stack: .NET 8 + Blazor. MVP: Polling UI, single user, text-only. Would love feedback on what’s missing for your workflow.
by spwa4 | 2025-09-20 19:40:46+00:00
Proof? Okay:

https://merics.org/en/report/increasing-challenge-obtaining-...

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-16/china-is-...

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-16/china-is-...

https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/05/censored-statistics-de...

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S10439...

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/china-is-hiding-mo...

https://www.economist.com/briefing/2024/09/05/the-chinese-au...

https://www.socsci.uci.edu/newsevents/news/2024/2024-07-17-w...

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/17/health/covid-origins-who....

Standard communist playbook: as soon as something is embarrassing (like the youth unemployment rate in China), declare it a state secret. The fact that it's getting hard to find something they're not hiding is not a good sign.

The list of things they're hiding is getting pretty damn long: internal trade statistics, housing sales, population numbers (first in the "ghost cities", then border regions, now all of China), disease statistics (they suddenly classified COVID statistics, now everything), unemployment rate (started with unemployed miners, then youth, now everything), immigration/emigration policies, economic growth, how they're treating various ethnic groups (Nepalese, Uyghurs, ...)

A big question a lot of people are starting to ask: is the data the government itself is operating on still accurate? Because, of course, in Soviet Russia and other communist states it wasn't. Such states made very large, often disastrous, decisions based on fictitious data, so odds seem good the same is unfolding in China.
by Havoc | 2025-09-20 19:40:50+00:00
>you don't know

Neither do you.

Hanlon's razor is a good baseline when you have no information pointing to either option.

But when you have an administration that climbs onto a podium and announces they want to traumatize people, that's a pretty direct admission of malice in my books. You're free to conclude we're just seeing a string of repeated stupidity, but frankly I think it's incredibly naive to still given them the benefit of doubt.
by suuuuuuuu | 2025-09-20 19:40:59+00:00
This is certainly too strongly worded to be correct. I use footnotes quite a bit in my papers (physics) as a strategy to handle the "two audiences" problem - that many or most readers just skim for main ideas, but some (and those whom I might argue are more important) try to follow the details closely. I presently use footnotes for the latter audience for certain supplementary details or technical qualifications that would break the reading flow or add unnecessary length for the former.

I do appreciate the arguments that footnotes can be distracting, or that one doesn't know whether to skip them, but at present I see them as the best option for keeping the main body streamlined/as short as possible without sacrificing points that I'd like to make that wouldn't make for or fit into an appendix.
by yieldcrv | 2025-09-20 19:41:27+00:00
That's been my experience too

but I use local models and sometimes the same ones for years already, and the consistency and expectations there is noteworthy, while I also have doubts about the quality consistency I have from closed models in the cloud. I don't see these kind of complaints from people using local models, which undermines the idea that people were just wowed three months ago and less impressed now.

so perhaps it's just a matter of transparency

but I think there is consistent fine tuning occuring, alongside filters added and removed in an opaque way in front of the model
by leeoniya | 2025-09-20 19:41:31+00:00
all the comparisons in the vid show knives being pushed through the food. that's not a good way to use a knife.

if you used a knife to actually slice the tomato instead of chopping it, you'd get a much different force result.

not to say there's no benefit here, but def feels intentionally exaggerated.

also, i wonder how fast this blade will wear if you ever accidentally pressed the edge into the cutting block. my guess is that it will wear much faster.
by JuniperMesos | 2025-09-20 19:41:44+00:00
> But a lot of skilled labour left anyway. Partly because the general atmosphere got unpleasant. But also highly paid people have spouses, children, parents and other relatives. Once you are told you barely cleared (very high) criteria, you can be pretty sure your retired parents won't, if ever you need them to move in with you.

Chain migration is an anti-immigration argument in the US - even if some particular immigrant is highly-skilled and would benefit the US from being a legal resident, that immigrant's family is probably not as impressive. Nonetheless, once the government gives legal residency to the highly-skilled immigrant, they will be highly motivated to try to get the rest of their family to the US as well. So the US should be careful about granting legal residency even to prospective immigrants whose credentials make them individually look good.
by xg15 | 2025-09-20 19:42:48+00:00
Sorry, but this makes no sense. Numerical instability would lead to random fluctuations in output quality, but not to a continuous slow decline like the OP described.

Heard of similar experiences from RL acquaintances, where a prompt worked reliably for hundreds of requests per day for several months - and then suddenly the model started to make mistakes, ignore parts of the prompt, etc when a newer model was released.

I agree, it doesn't have to be deliberate malice like intentionally nerfing a model to make people switch to the newer one - it might just be that less resources are allocated to the older model once the newer one is available and so the inference parameters change - but some effect at the release of a newer model seems to be there.
by WarOnPrivacy | 2025-09-20 19:42:55+00:00
In 2005 I came across of video stream (mp4? viewable in VLC) of early 20th c. cartoons. There were dozens and dozens of them and nothing else. I never worked out who was behind it, just that it's IP was in western Europe. It was up for at least a year.

My kids were often with me during adult hours (work, etc) and I'd put it on for them. But I was also half-captivated by the idea of anonymously delivered content.

It would be fantastic to find a modern equivalent except delivering an endless slate of novel, off-kilter and largely inexplicable content.
by JohnBooty | 2025-09-20 19:43:42+00:00
Writing proficiently is dropping with LLMs in school, and reading proficiency is worse than the early 2000s. But i don't think this tells the whole story either.

I agree.

It's very easy, but also lazy and simplistic, to look at the decline of writing proficiency and equate it with some kind of 1:1 decline in overall interpersonal communication.

People certainly struggle with communication in 2025. It's hard.

But if we are to believe that communication has somehow declined over time, then we must also accept that communication was somehow in some kind of amazing or at least superior state 100 or 200 or 1000 years ago. I see no evidence that is the case. The most casual look at history or classical literature shows those times were chock full of miscommunication foibles, both trivial and world-changing.
by xigoi | 2025-09-20 19:43:52+00:00
Problems I’ve encountered recently:

• Pages often take tens of seconds to load, even on a stable internet connection.

• Using the back/forward buttons takes a few seconds and if I click them several times, it results in the page shown not matching the URL bar.

• If I click an anchor link and then press the back button, it does not send me back. (Very annoying when reading READMEs and using table-of-contents links.)
by zaptheimpaler | 2025-09-20 19:44:08+00:00
I did move away from the US because of these reasons, and it's been a good decision in retrospect. But no one likes uprooting their entire life and it takes years to build a new one somewhere else.

The calculus on immigrating to the US today is clearly negative, but many people immigrated 5/10/20+ years ago before all this shit and have lives there. They did not know any of this would happen.
by godelski | 2025-09-20 19:44:41+00:00
You willfully misinterpreted maxbond. Why?

All goals begin with imagination, daydreams, or wishes. Whichever you want to call it. Every single one of them begins in your head before they become reality. So what's your beef here? I know you're not that dumb, as you're actively demonstrating the capacity for metacognition. So what are you actually trying to argue?

Besides, so what if all your dreams don't come true. Do you still not have them? I'm sure you've settled for things. Did your idealistic dream not help you make those decisions? It'd be lunacy to suggest that they did not. There would be no compromise or settling if this higher desire did not exist. Similarly, in the other direction, the fear or dystopia.

Do you not have 5 year, 10 year, and other long term goals? Do these not change? I'd call you a liar if you were able to pursue precisely the path you thought things would take over a long period of time, because I know you're not omniscient.

*Your lived experience demonstrates the utility of wishful thinking.*

Good god, my pet cat has dreams and desires that she'll never obtain yet help her pursue her more realistic goals. There's the saying "Shoot for the moon, land in the trees". Shooting for the moon gave you direction and landing in the trees still gave you progress, right?

Why are you being so flippant?
by baby_souffle | 2025-09-20 19:44:45+00:00
> Isn't this literally what podman-systemd does?

That was my point, basically.

You have two options:

1) the usual `curl` or `wget` to fetch the binary and the lib(s) and all the work of validating and putting them in place and the like and _then_ you can use a systemd/.service file to set up controls for the bin

2) podman pull and then either ask podman to make a .service file for you or write your own

because only one of the two approaches has solved the package/distribution issue, containers are _not_ "less relevant given that systemd can twiddle the same isolation bits"
by naasking | 2025-09-20 19:45:08+00:00
> Storing hydrogen in general isn't very difficult.

That's not accurate, storing hydrogen is very difficult. The atoms are so small that they pass into the molecular matrix of storage containers, sometimes even when kept at extreme temperatures and pressures, causing "hydrogen embrittlement", which eventually destroys the container and releases all of the hydrogen.

The only truly reliable way to store hydrogen over appreciable time frames is when it's bound in molecular forms, like fossil fuels or ammonia.
by kulahan | 2025-09-20 19:45:19+00:00
That’s not necessary with an ultrasonic knife and would generally be a waste of time. The vibrations take the place of needing to slice, rather than chop. This knife is not meant to be used like a normal chef’s knife.

I’d still never get one because I love my knives (and zen out hard when sharpening for an hour or two), but the push is literally the goal here.
by qball | 2025-09-20 19:45:25+00:00
All screens (that aren't OLED ones, which aren't generally suitable for cars due to their shorter lifespan) still glow when displaying black.

So it's still a glowing thing in your field of vision. Of course, you're already going to be flash-blinded by retards leaving their LED high-beams on as they pass you, so maybe none of this matters.
by SubiculumCode | 2025-09-20 19:46:28+00:00
I'm an autism researcher. I also don't get the "notes" thing. Am I supposed to use it as my note taking app (e.g. like I use OneNote?). Sometimes interactive discussion with the LLM about a paper can speed learning. I've used audio overviews for the drive to the lab, but I haven't been able to get the overview to go *hard* into the science.
by Havoc | 2025-09-20 19:46:38+00:00
It means taking eyes off road while navigating a possibly multi-level menu.

Contrast that with old school radios that had physically distinct feeling buttons (and physically elevated dots - like on the f and j key on keyboards) and yeah absolutely.

I'd be much more interested in how an HUD and say voice control compares. I could see that being very competitive safety wise
by yjftsjthsd-h | 2025-09-20 19:46:48+00:00
I trust hardware to mostly be reasonable when starting from off, but we're discussing the case where it's on and stays on but gets handed from one kernel to another and I don't trust it nearly as well in that case. I think the comparison is kexec rather than hibernate, and while it often works, kexec can result in misbehaving hardware.
by icyfox | 2025-09-20 19:46:56+00:00
I'm responding to the parent comment who's suggesting we version control the "model" in Docker. There are infra reasons why companies don't do that. Numerical instability is one class of inference issues, but there can be other bugs in the stack separate from them intentionally changing the weights or switching to a quantized model.

As for the original forum post:

- Multiple numerical computation bugs can compound to make things worse (we saw this in the latest Anthropic post-mortum)

- OP didn't provide any details on eval methodology, so I don't think it's worth speculating on this anecdotal report until we see more data
by Nevermark | 2025-09-20 19:48:26+00:00
Morpheus steps forward, coat brushing his legs like a pendulum.

He lifts a slab of rough, gray cement from a conjured table, its weight palpable in his hand.

Morpheus: “For millennia, cement has been regarded as inert structural material. Here, we challenge this long-standing perception by transforming cement into a ‘living’ energy device, ... through the development of a microbial cement supercapacitor.”

He sets it down with a resonant thud. Immediately, thin blue veins of light snake across its surface, the fluorescence of a living substrate.

Neo takes a half-step closer, eyes narrowing.

Neo: “You’re saying… walls could think?”

Morpheus circles him, slow, deliberate, his voice low and electric.

Morpheus: “Not think. Store. The very foundations of their prisons becoming batteries. Imagine—every tower in the Matrix, a living entity, feeding the machine’s hunger, while we believed them empty stone.”

The slab flares green, light coursing outward in a pulse. Neo instinctively shifts back, fists tightening.

Neo: “And you want me to believe we can turn their biopower into ours?”

Morpheus stops directly in front of him, their eyes locked. A faint smile.

Morpheus: “I don’t want you to believe it, Neo. I want you to feel it.”

Neo reaches, fingers splayed, toward the slab.

It dissolves into motes of red light, scattering into the infinite.
by 0cf8612b2e1e | 2025-09-20 19:49:09+00:00
I have long thought Netflix should offer such a service. Have a sitcom channel that plays constantly from a slowly evolving list. Even better if I could just pick say Seinfeld and get random episodes from an episodic show. I do not want to have to expend energy picking a season+episode, just trying to decompress.
by LevGoldstein | 2025-09-20 19:49:21+00:00
Having encountered this spread across our orgs greenfield codebases which made heavy use of AI in the last 90 days: Restating the same information in slightly different formats, with slightly different levels of detail in several places, in a way that is unnecessary. Like a "get up and running quickly" guide in the documentation which has far more detail than the section it's supposed to be summarizing. Jarringly inconsistent ways of providing information within a given section (a list of endpoints and their purposes, followed by a table of other endpoints, followed by another list of endpoints). Unnecessary bulleted lists all over the places which could read more clearly as single sentences or a short paragraph. Disembodied documentation files nested in the repos that restate the contents of the README, but in a slightly different format/voice. Thousands of single line code comments that just restate what is already clear to the reader if they just read the line it's commenting on. That's before getting into any code quality issues themselves.
by JohnBooty | 2025-09-20 19:49:37+00:00
Rather than debating if it's iteration or not... isn't that potentially an improvement?

In Ye Olden Days, you don't think the same sorts of miscommunications happened? A look at history (or history viewed through the lens of classical literature) sure makes it seem like miscommunication levels were always pretty high

At least today you can get instant clarification on "do you mean x or y" instead of waiting weeks or months for dudes on horses to move pieces of paper back and forth between you and your penpal
by kulahan | 2025-09-20 19:49:39+00:00
Not really. The dangerous aspect of a knife is when it moves unexpectedly. The sharper it is, the harder it is to create a scenario where it jumps on something particularly dense, like when a saw hits a knot in a tree.

If you’re pushing down with hard force, it basically doesn’t matter if the knife is sharp anymore, it’ll just chop your finger off. However, with an extremely fine cut, it will be much easier to reattach, as the edges will match up well. With a dull knife, you’re not slicing, you’re more tearing your way through something.
by wyldfire | 2025-09-20 19:50:10+00:00
The way Zig solves this problem "better" than Rust is by claiming the target libraries as part of its distribution and building those on demand. It makes for a really excellent experience cross-building.

Rust might have a harder time if it wanted a corresponding feature because it doesn't natively build C like Zig does (using libclang). Either it would have to start using libclang or ship with rust re-implementations of the C library. AFAIK it's impossible to write the C++ library in Rust though.
by zaptheimpaler | 2025-09-20 19:50:34+00:00
They always do this because they know their EOs are legal overreaches and will be heavily challenged, but want to set the status quo to enforcing and normalizing the new policy as early as possible. They don't want to give their opponents any advance notice to organize or petition against their actions. Same story with deporting Kilmar Garcia in a hurry. I don't think the cruelty is the point exactly, but it's certainly a bonus for them.
by Borg3 | 2025-09-20 19:50:48+00:00
Im on the same boat :) But no worries. You can always build and use older git without rust. Of course, it will work for a while until those kids will change the proto for the "better". And being old and grumpy also means, you can slowly care less and less about all that moot :)

Kids: now downvote it into oblivion :) Like I give a shit...
by vidarh | 2025-09-20 19:50:54+00:00
Plenty of evolution can happen. The problem with Wayland to me is that it's not evolution, but a step backward. It's forcing a tremendous amount of boilerplate and duplication of code.

X can evolve both by extensions and by "pseudo extensions" that effectively tell the server it's okay to make breaking changes to the protocol. There are also plenty of changes you could just make and accept the breakage because the clients it's break are limited.

I don't mind breaking changes if they actually bring me benefits I care about, but to me Wayland is all downside and no upsides that matter to me.
by jeroenhd | 2025-09-20 19:51:01+00:00
I don't know what it is about iPhones but I find them to get damage/chips/scratches super easy compared to the Android phones I've used.

Maybe the new phones are better, but I was quite disappointed when I noticed how easy the paint came off. What's the point of a pretty phone if you're gonna need me to put a case around it?
by kg | 2025-09-20 19:51:02+00:00
Bulldozing homes to make room for a highway or train is an American tradition, even if we do it less often now.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Moses#Criticism_and_The...

> Moses's critics charge that he preferred automobiles over people. They point out that he displaced hundreds of thousands of residents in New York City and destroyed traditional neighborhoods by building multiple expressways through them. The projects contributed to the ruin of the South Bronx and the amusement parks of Coney Island, caused the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants Major League Baseball teams to relocate to Los Angeles and San Francisco respectively, and precipitated the decline of public transport from disinvestment and neglect.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminent_domain_in_the_United_S...
by fuzzfactor | 2025-09-20 19:51:53+00:00
I understand the way most businessmen have never had the acumen to prosper while giving customers their money's worth at the same time. For thousands of years, this is nothing new.

That has always been in spite of a number who can, and they are mostly the only leaders that gain real admiration.

As always, a lot more money can be made by not giving customers their money's worth, and as we have seen that's how some operations rake in the bucks under a greedy founder who's stingy as hell. Until the next generation comes along and finds there is actually a strong financial foundation. And all it takes is a slightly reduced lack of acumen and/or less greed and they can put all their effort into making every little thing from top to bottom be strongly in favor of the customer. In ways that shine, not just barely show or surface occasionally.

It's not that hard, just a full-time job for executives to do like everybody else. Any executive would be stupid not to take the opportunity, it's a no-brainer. The thorough revamp from top to bottom definitely has been accomplished many times and it's not asking for a miracle of any kind. Big companies too. It doesn't take nearly the rare amount of acumen to actually start giving customers a "good deal" financially. Just enough smarts to respectably pass for a "businessman" during a previous millennium.

Or they can be complete failures, compared to real talented businessmen & women, no matter how much money they make.

If I was a shareholder I would be hitting the ceiling.
by ok_computer | 2025-09-20 19:52:16+00:00
This is a QVC product with the name of a US tech city slapped on it.

Signed, a guy living nearby the home of QVC in a decidedly non-tech area of the US.

Ps. don’t buy future e-waste kitchen ware unless you have accessibility reasons. You can get a good-enough victoronix 8” chef knife for $65 (I paid $36 a long time ago) and a world class chef knife for less than $250.
by singlepaynews | 2025-09-20 19:52:22+00:00
I see your point for technical users, what I'm imagining is something where I install NixOS, and then download LibreOffice via a GUI, as is done on Windows/Mac/Most Linux tbh

I don't think an LLM is required here; for a very significant subset of nixpkgs I think updating the configuration.nix is a deterministic process.
by arrowsmith | 2025-09-20 19:53:04+00:00
There are not "high criteria" to immigrate to the UK post-Brexit. The minimum salary threshold is £26k, barely higher than minimum wage. The list of eligible occupations is a joke and includes such desperately understaffed occupations as "homeopaths" and "reiki healers". The skilled worker visa only requires B1 English, at which level you'll struggle to communicate in many professional settings. Net immigration (legal and illegal) exploded after Brexit and is still higher today than it was in 2016 when we had the vote.

You have no idea what you're talking about.