MurphyA/hacker-news huggingface dataset:
by epistasis | 2025-10-28 20:24:40+00:00
While I don't doubt that there are endless stories of bad care, especially among the non-unionized working class, the bulk of voters with middle class lifestyles do have good care. Which is why it's so hard to make it into an issue that drives political change.

> there are plenty of studies that show that Americans have lower expected lifetimes than citizens of peer countries, despite much higher per-capita health care costs.

Americans aren't dying earlier of diseases that are solvable with a doctor visit, surgeries, pills, or other easy medical interventions. The medically related early deaths are primarily because of overnutrition and lack of exercise leading to pre-diabetes, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. That comes from public policy mandating car dependence throughout society and huge subsidization of empty calories in the food system. Overeating and lack of exercise are problems that have been stubbornly resistant to the medical system's efforts to change behavior. There's also other heightened early death risks like car crashes, drug overdoses, and suicide, but few of these deaths could be prevented by increased access to the medical system.
by eesmith | 2025-10-28 20:24:44+00:00
> there's always a caveat or asterisk or footnote

Well, when I work on a car engine, I use something like Gojo to clean up. Washing in just water or regular soap&water doesn't cut it. But my Gojo use was always rare.

When I go swimming, the pool requires washing with soap before entering the pool, to avoid urea in the sweat from reacting with the pool chemicals and making that pool smell.

Post-COVID I now wash my hands with soap and water far more often than I did before.

I had surgery, and had to wash with an antibacterial soap beforehand. I had lice and used a lice shampoo treatment.

From all accounts, the people who avoid normally washing with soap would still use soap for these occasions, which all count as a caveat or exception or asterisk.

I don't think the point is to avoid soap at all costs, but to point out that soap is used far, far more often than is required. Searching just now, https://www.nateliason.com/blog/soap "You don’t need to use soap 90%+ of the time you’re using it right now, assuming you’re not regularly doing some kind of dirty laborious work. Water and a towel will do fine."

Even Hamblin, who this article says started the modern dialog back in 2016, says to use soap to wash your hands. (About 5 minutes into https://archive.org/details/theaspen-Clean_-_The_New_Science... ).

At https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/what-happens-if-you-stop... we can read an interview with Hamblin: "And if you think Hamblin’s wife may just be flattering him, he put his co-workers and friends on the spot while he was working on the book, asking them to say so if they ever thought he smelled bad (what are friends for, eh?). “As people knew I was doing this, they wanted to take part because they want to tell you you smell,” he said. “That was honestly the whole book tour. So I didn’t conduct a clinical trial here, but I asked enough people regularly enough, and I have enough self awareness to know I’m not offensive to people.”"

Also looking around, I see page upon page of people who are disbelieving and disgusted by the idea that some people rarely use soap, so I can also well understand why people who rarely use using soap don't want to be public about it.

The reduced soap argument seems to be (from https://bigthink.com/health/james-hamblin-doctor-didnt-showe... ): #1. An obsession with soap might be creating allergies; #2. Your skin is crawling with mites which 'potentially act as natural exfoliants' and without them 'you might even be more susceptible to breakouts and infections'; #3. Marketers convinced the public that everyone should buy a lot of soap; #4. The skincare industry is largely unregulated; #5. Disinfection isn't a simple panacea, and #6. The marketing machine makes us feel incomplete ("B.O." is a marketing term created to sell soap) — so we have to buy products that make us feel whole.

(Yes, #3 and #6 seem the same.)
by josh_carterPDX | 2025-10-28 20:25:15+00:00
Unlike chess or Go, where both players see the entire board, poker involves hidden information, your opponents’ hole cards. This makes it an incomplete-information game, which is far more complex mathematically. The AI must reason not only about what could happen, but also what might be hidden.

Even in 2-player No-Limit Hold’em, the number of possible game states is astronomically large — on the order of 10³¹ decision points. Because players can bet any amount (not just fixed options), this branching factor explodes far beyond games like chess.

Good poker requires bluffing and balancing ranges and deliberately playing suboptimally in the short term to stay unpredictable. This means an AI must learn probabilistic, non-deterministic strategies, not fixed rules. Plus, no facial cues or tells.

Humans adapt mid-game. If an AI never adjusts, a strong player could exploit it. If it does adapt, it risks being counter-exploited. Balancing this adaptivity is very difficult in uncertain environments.
by sxg | 2025-10-28 20:25:25+00:00
Public service loan forgiveness (PSLF) exists and a huge number of people in medical professions actually take advantage of it. I know of multiple medical students and residents with over $500k in debt that are in the process of having all of their loans forgiven after 10 years in training and a total cost of approximately $75–150k for their entire education. Sure, that's still a decent amount of money, but it's very much worth the ROI.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Service_Loan_Forgivenes...
by psychoslave | 2025-10-28 20:25:36+00:00
Hmm, the initial comment was disconnection from realty, not humanity. Most likely, reality as, all this daily throttle that recalls you that you are not the center of the universe and you have to been to its laws which were not fine tuned to please human desire if you want to accomplish anything. In that sense most humans are closer to the poorest man.
Show HN: Globe of History – Interactive 3D Map of 6k Years of Human Events
by yamsasson | 2025-10-28 20:26:33+00:00
I built Globe of History — an interactive 3D visualization of 6,000 years of human events, mapped onto the Earth’s surface.

It includes 5,000+ data points covering wars, inventions, assassinations, natural disasters, and philosophers — spanning 4000 BCE → 2025 CE.

The main goal was to build a visual entry point into history — not a database, but a way to instantly sense density and continuity over time.

Stack / Process

Python for scraping structured event data from Wikipedia/Wikidata

Gemini 2.0 Flash for AI-based enrichment and multi-stage verification

Mapbox GL JS + React (Vite) for the interactive 3D globe

Custom scripts for deduplication, temporal grouping, and category color logic

Currently optimized for desktop only

I’d love feedback from this community on:

data-pipeline scaling / verification best practices

improving performance with large point datasets in Mapbox

ideas for better temporal exploration UX

Source link: globeofhistory.com
by wahnfrieden | 2025-10-28 20:26:52+00:00
Codex won't read as much of your code as 5 Pro will (if you give it the context), and Codex will skip over reading in context that you give it (5 Pro can decide what's relevant after reading it all).

Yes Codex is still very early. We use it because it's the best model. The client experience will only get better from here. I noticed they onboarded a bunch of devs to the Codex project in GitHub around the time of 5's release.
by tylerhou | 2025-10-28 20:26:59+00:00
> I would like to learn category theory properly one day, at least to that kind of "advance undergraduate" level she mentions.

As someone who tried to learn category theory, and then did a mathematics degree, I think anyone who wants to properly learn category theory would benefit greatly from learning the surrounding mathematics first. The nontrivial examples in category theory come from group theory, ring theory, linear algebra, algebraic topology, etc.

For example, Set/Group/Ring have initial and final objects, but Field does not. Why? Really understanding requires at least some knowledge of ring/field theory.

What is an example of a nontrivial functor? The fundamental group is one. But appreciating the fundamental group requires ~3 semesters of math (analysis, topology, group theory, algebraic topology).

Why are opposite categories useful? They can greatly simplify arguments. For example, in linear algebra, it is easier to show that the row rank and column rank of a matrix are equal by showing that the dual/transpose operator is a functor from the opposite category.
by JeremyNT | 2025-10-28 20:27:40+00:00
> Its impressive how well Bezos has convinced everyone to stop trusting WaPo rather than WaPo convincing everyone to trust Bezos. A paper owned by a wealthy financial interest was hardly unique or novel at the time he took them over, and no one would have been more concerned about it than they already were, and all he had to do was not be overt in his influence and bias of it, but he couldn't refrain.

My hypothesis is that his current heavy handed editorial intervention is designed to convince only a single person: the President of the United States.

It's presumably worth burning the paper's reputation in order to curry favor with a mercurial and vengeful autocrat who controls the power of the federal government's purse.

In 3 (or 7?) years, perhaps he will reevaluate.
by Imustaskforhelp | 2025-10-28 20:27:47+00:00
Honestly, I am genuinely curious if there are some good books/articles about Luddite, although I don't think this is an apples to orange comparison, I am just willing to open up my view-point and to take counter arguments (to preferably sharpen my arguments in and of itselves) but as with all things, I can be wrong, I usually am. But I don't think thats the case just because of how I feel like there is something to be said about how AI itself really scraped the whole world without their right, nobody consented to it and in some places, the consent is straight up ignored even

It wasn't as if the machines were looking at every piece of cloth generated by the worker pre revolution without/ignoring their consent. Like, there is a big difference but I personally don't even think that their view-point of resisting change should be criticised.

I think its fair to resist change, since not all change is equal. Its okay to fight for what you believe in as long as you try to educate yourself about the other side's opinion and try to put it all logically without much* biases.
by AnimalMuppet | 2025-10-28 20:28:00+00:00
So I recently (last two years or so) bought a (non-Samsung, non-smart) fridge. It's a very nice fridge. It cost, IIRC, about $1000-1500. No internet connection, no ads, no screen to play them on.

Why would I pay $2000 more for a more annoying fridge?
by asdefghyk | 2025-10-28 20:28:01+00:00
RE ".... something as fluffy as ancient history could be worth a quarter of one’s final grade...."

Yess I have wondered this , even before I saw your comment

Being curious about why it is taught - I googled words ..."why is ancient history taught in schools..." and got the explanation below - It explains it to me - which I judge as reasonable ...

Ancient history is taught in schools to develop critical thinking, research, and analytical skills while providing knowledge of foundational concepts in government, law, and philosophy that shaped modern societies. Studying ancient civilizations helps students understand the origins of modern ideas and institutions, how past events influenced the present, and the legacies of different cultures. It fosters an appreciation for historical interpretation and the legacy of past societies through the study of written and physical sources.

Develops key skills: Studying ancient history builds essential skills like historical inquiry, interpretation of evidence, critical analysis, and evidence-based argumentation.

Fosters critical thinking: Students learn to analyze different perspectives on the past, understand cause and effect, and recognize the significance of events, ideas, and people from ancient times.

Explains modern origins: It provides context for the development of modern systems of law, government, art, and philosophy, as well as the origins of modern ideas and values.

Encourages a connection to the past: Students can engage with the past by examining written and physical sources, helping them understand the challenges and triumphs of ancient peoples and their enduring impact on the world.

Not sure, I should have posted this long (AI generated ) explanation - but I have ....
by cube00 | 2025-10-28 20:28:18+00:00
What's worse, many plaintext HTTP connections today are entirely invisible to users, as HTTP sites may immediately redirect to HTTPS sites. That gives users no opportunity to see Chrome's "Not Secure" URL bar warnings after the risk has occurred, and no opportunity to keep themselves safe in the first place.

Two hosting providers I use only offer HTTP redirects (one being so bad it serves up a self signed cert on the redirect if you attempt HTTPS) so hopefully this kicks them into gear to offer proper secure redirects.
by Ajedi32 | 2025-10-28 20:28:39+00:00
I agree it's a pointless distraction, but it's a distraction you instigated by trying to language police your own supporters. I and most others who use the term sideloading don't use it because we want to make sideloading "feel deviant and hacker-ish", we use it because it's the commonly accepted term for installing apps outside the app store. I'm open to alternative phrasing, but "direct install" doesn't work because installing apps from F-Droid isn't a "direct install" and "installing" doesn't work because that doesn't distinguish from installing from the Play Store. "Sideloading" is simply the correct word, and I've yet to see a better alternative. There's no reason to be ashamed of it, or accuse people of being part of some conspiracy for calling it that.

If anything, the fact that Google feels the need to disingenuously argue "sideloading isn't going away" suggests to me that the term sideloading has a good reputation in the public consciousness, not a negative one.

Let's just focus on the fact that Google is trying to take away Android users' ability to install software that Google doesn't approve of, and not stress so much about what words people use to describe that.
by marcosdumay | 2025-10-28 20:29:18+00:00
Yeah, and they are the primary way to install software for nearly every distro that has them.

And even when people install software on their user's home only, we don't call it anything different.

It's correct to say that "sideloading" was created to emphasize it's a deviant activity. I believe it was created by the people doing it, when they discovered hacks that enabled them. But I wouldn't be too surprised it was created by the companies trying to prohibit software installation.
by vjvjvjvjghv | 2025-10-28 20:29:29+00:00
The stuff you are describing is what bothers me the most. There is a lot of talk about how we should have a free market system. But there is no real market for patients. Most people can't pick an insurance plan for themselves because the employer picks. Then it's extremely hard to get an estimate for anything. And even if you get an estimate, it's most likely wrong. Then the billing is totally opaque. Insurance and providers constantly make mistakes or lose things.

I went through this with my ex after a surgery. It was totally insane to figure out where the numbers are coming from and basically a full time job.

Even if we don't want to go to single player or similar, I don't understand why it's not at least possible to mandate clear and binding estimates and billing a normal person can understand. And let the market work its magic through competition.
by complianceowl | 2025-10-28 20:29:36+00:00
I have a question prompted by seeing what everyone is doing with Codex and Claude Code. I'm currently in a Data Analytics, B.S. program. I've thought of dropping out and focusing on coding with these AI tools, but some programmers have told me that by knowing SQL, Python, JavaScript and how to code in general, that it'll give me an advantage.

Is the 1.5 years that I have left worth it? (I already have an Associate's Degree).
by barbacoa | 2025-10-28 20:30:00+00:00
Some interesting comparisons I found between Wikipedia and grok. These are the intro paragraphs.

Grokipedia:

The Biden–Ukraine controversy pertains to allegations that U.S. Vice President Joe Biden conditioned $1 billion in loan guarantees on the Ukrainian government's dismissal of Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin in March 2016, purportedly to obstruct an ongoing investigation into Burisma Holdings, the Ukrainian energy firm where Biden's son, Robert Hunter Biden, served as a board member receiving substantial compensation since May 2014.[1][2] Shokin, whose office had pursued corruption charges against Burisma's founder Mykola Zlochevsky—including probes into illicit asset acquisition and bribery—publicly stated that his removal derailed these efforts, coinciding with Hunter Biden's role amid the company's efforts to mitigate regulatory pressures.[2][3]

Wikipedia:

The Biden–Ukraine conspiracy theory is a series of false allegations that Joe Biden, while he was vice president of the United States, improperly withheld a loan guarantee and took a bribe to pressure Ukraine into firing prosecutor general Viktor Shokin to prevent a corruption investigation of Ukrainian gas company Burisma and to protect his son Hunter Biden, who was on the Burisma board.[1] As part of efforts by Donald Trump[2] and his campaign in the Trump–Ukraine scandal, which led to Trump's first impeachment, these falsehoods were spread in an attempt to damage Joe Biden's reputation and chances during the 2020 presidential campaign, and later in an effort to impeach him.[3]

Grokipedia:

Gamergate was a grassroots online movement that emerged in August 2014, primarily focused on exposing conflicts of interest and lack of transparency in video game journalism, initiated by a blog post detailing the romantic involvement of indie developer Zoë Quinn with journalists who covered her work without disclosure.[1] The controversy began when Eron Gjoni, Quinn's ex-boyfriend, published "The Zoe Post," accusing her of infidelity with multiple individuals, including Kotaku journalist Nathan Grayson, whose article on Quinn's game Depression Quest omitted any mention of their prior personal contact.[2] This revelation highlighted broader patterns of undisclosed relationships and coordinated industry practices, such as private mailing lists among journalists, fueling demands for ethical reforms like mandatory disclosure policies.

Wikipedia:

Gamergate or GamerGate (GG)[1] was a loosely organized misogynistic online harassment campaign motivated by a right-wing backlash against feminism, diversity, and progressivism in video game culture.[2][3][4] It was conducted using the hashtag "#Gamergate" primarily in 2014 and 2015.[a] Gamergate targeted women in the video game industry, most notably feminist media critic Anita Sarkeesian and video game developers Zoë Quinn and Brianna Wu.[b]
by lisbbb | 2025-10-28 20:30:35+00:00
What about the article that that talks about Vitamin D being the same chemical as rat poison and that the positive effects it has on our bodies may be due to the fact that we are low-level poisoning ourselves with it?

"Vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol, is used as a rodenticide because it is highly toxic to rodents when ingested in sufficient quantities. It functions by causing a life-threatening elevation in blood calcium and phosphorus levels, leading to severe acute kidney failure"

"Despite its use in rodenticides, vitamin D3 is safe for humans and pets when consumed in normal dietary or supplement doses. However, extremely high doses of vitamin D3 can be toxic to humans as well, potentially leading to hypercalcemia, kidney stones, and renal failure. The difference in susceptibility between rodents and humans is significant; rodents are much more sensitive to the effects of cholecalciferol, which is why it is effective as a rodenticide."

The theory is that we are just poisoning ourselves by taking it and that our bodies react to being poisoned with the positive effects that are well documented and observed.
by rsch | 2025-10-28 20:30:59+00:00
That planned obsolescence thing on light bulbs isn't the entire story. Light bulbs will last longer if driven less hard, due to the lower temperature. But that lower temperature also means much lower efficiency because the blackbody spectrum shifts even further into the infrared. So some compromise had to be picked between having a reasonable amount of light and a reasonable life span.

But yeah agree, this subscription thing is spreading like a cancer.
by embedding-shape | 2025-10-28 20:31:09+00:00
> and Codex will skip over reading in context that you give it

That hasn't been my experience at all, neither first with the Codex UI since it was available to Pro users, nor since the CLI was available and I first started using that. GPT 5 Pro will (can, to be precise) only read what you give it, Codex goes out searching for what it needs, almost always.
by bigyabai | 2025-10-28 20:31:27+00:00
We want Apple to compete. When they stopped signing CUDA drivers, I thought it was because Apple had a competitive GPGPU solution that wasn't SPIR-V in a trenchcoat. Here we are 10 years later with SPIR-V in a trenchcoat. The lack of vision is pathetic and has undoubtedly cost Apple trillions in the past half-decade alone.

If you think this is a boring architecture, more power to you. It's not boring enough for me.
by Frotag | 2025-10-28 20:32:15+00:00
> Actually, all cheese making produces quite a bit of wastage. On average, if a dairy starts with ten-thousand pounds of milk, they’ll end up with only a thousand pounds of cheese. The remaining nine-thousand pounds ends up as whey while the curd is formed.

> That’s right: if you run the numbers on cheese manufacturing, the percent yield is only about 10%.

Yogurt-making produces a lot of whey too, though probably closer to ~50% whey rather than 90% (when made at home). The only difference between greek yogurt and regular yogurt is that greek yogurt is strained to remove the whey, making it thicker / creamier. Though most commercial brands try to cheat and thicken it with something like pectin (which usually makes it kind of jello-y).

Anyways all that to say my favorite yogurt is the one where the only ingredient is milk + yogurt culture. No thickeners, added sugars, flavoring, I like to add those myself.
by tptacek | 2025-10-28 20:32:27+00:00
HSA funds are meant to roll over. Your employer generally should not be pocketing whatever's left over in the account. The idea is that many (most?) people are better off with a lower premium and higher deductible given that most years (for most people) aren't characterized by high medical expenditures; HDHP+HSA is closer in nature to actual "insurance", rather than a structured financing plan for health care.
by gruez | 2025-10-28 20:32:53+00:00
>Sure, but they effectively do even if they're not trying to.

What specific acts are referring to? Is it just their recent plans to restrict sideloading? This feels circular. "Google is evil because they're trying to restrict sideloading. They're also extra evil because trying to demonize sideloading. How? By restricting sideloading!"

>It comes off like you're up to no good or doing something dangerous. Like GP said: deviant.

Yes, but only insofar as if you're not taking the primary route, you're taking the "side" route. Or you're "deviating" from the intended route. None of that actually implies you're a "deviant" for doing so, any more than a driver taking side streets to shave 30s is a "deviant".