MurphyA/hacker-news huggingface dataset:
by arjie | 2025-12-01 22:47:43+00:00
Mozilla has the classic problem of a non-profit that achieved its aims. I was around back in the day and my friends and I were avid evangelists of Firefox - a few cogs in the wheel of the marketing installing Firefox on school machines and getting all the elderly people to use it and so on. There were user groups and student ambassador programs and so on. It was an incredible marketing effort combined with an effort to bring standards and compliance to them into the mainstream. And it worked because they added features at a rate that IE simply did not match.

The extension ecosystem, tabs, plugins, and notably whatever effort they did behind the scenes to ensure that companies that did streaming video etc. would work with their browser all played out really well.

I think the ultimate problem is that Mozilla's mission of a standards-compliant web with open-source browsers everywhere ultimately did get achieved. The era of "Works with IE6" badges has ended and the top browsers run on open-source engines. Despite our enthusiasm at the time for it, I think the truth is that Firefox was probably just a vehicle for this, much bigger, achievement.

Now that it's been achieved, Mozilla is in the fortunate place where Firefox only needs to exist as a backstop against Chrome sliding into high-proprietary world while providing the utility to Google that they get to say they're not a monopoly on web technologies.

Mozilla's search for a new mission isn't some sign of someone losing their way. It's just what happens to the Hero of Legend after he defeats the Big Bad. There's a post-denouement period. Sam Gamgee gets to go become Mayor of the Shire, which is all very convenient, but a non-profit like Mozilla would much rather find a similar enough mission that they can apply their vast resources to. That involves the same mechanics as product development, and they're facing the same primary thing: repeated failure.

That's just life.
by lambda_foo | 2025-12-01 22:48:07+00:00
Author here, a bit cringe to see your WIP project posted here.

My motivation for writing this from scratch is to simultaneously understand DWARF 5 in all its gory details, develop tooling to support my work on the OCaml compiler, and to build a source debugger in OCaml. The performance or lack of isn't a focus right now, I'm sure it doesn't compare to gimli-rs for performance but it does fully support DWARF 5 which gimli-rs doesn't (missing debug_info section support https://github.com/gimli-rs/gimli/pull/807).

Currently I'm working on the read support, and various bits of tooling around understanding Call Frame Information and simulating the DWARF expression evaluation. I'm unhappy with the tooling GDB/LLDB provide for displaying and debugging this information, I've personally spent far too much time staring at CFI expressions and walking memory looking for where it goes wrong. In the OCaml compiler we have few people that understand or work on this area.
by LastTrain | 2025-12-01 22:48:12+00:00
I'm not really sure what your question is or was. You've just stated your skepticism that my family is negative on AI, which is weird, I was there and you were not. Maybe you are looking at the wrong surveys, or maybe you are conflating people's willingness to use AI with actually being positive and optimistic about it. Example: people use health insurance but you will not find very many that are happy to do it. You will find in the following surveys (and YOURS) that a very small percentage of people are positive about AI the rest actively dislike or at best tolerate it.

https://today.yougov.com/technology/articles/51803-americans...

https://news.gallup.com/poll/648953/americans-express-real-c...

https://news.gallup.com/poll/694688/trust-businesses-improve...

https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/people-dont-trust-ai-tools-use-t...
by zz3 | 2025-12-01 22:48:13+00:00
> It is very straightforward to show that sex is defined by gametes.

I read and corrected your previous comments then, and I will correct them again now. I know this is more or less what they teach in middle and high school biology, just like you might have learned "electrical current is like water flowing between between two voltages" (not a good metaphor, but one that is often taught) and "evolution is the survival of the fittest" (incorrect, but still sometimes taught). What you learn in college is that a lot of the metaphors that were helpful at the beginning can actually make it harder to learn a more nuanced view that's closer to reality. But there's a reason the dictionary definition is different and not just based on gametes. You're confusing applying abstract concepts to individuals.

>She examines gamete production: which gonads produce small, motile gametes and which produce large, nutritive ones. That is the criterion that has defined "female" and "male" across all sexually reproducing organisms for well over a century of modern biology.

Correct, when talking about species as a whole, this is quite useful. "Female" and "Male" can refer to many different types of species. We even refer to asexually reproducing species as "females" by default. Just like "English-speaking" can be a useful general label in numerous contexts. It's great being able to talk about "English-speaking people" as a generalization, but that label doesn't differentiate between someone who speaks at a first-grade level and a college-level. When we're talking about an individual person, we normally take a more nuanced view, as is reflected in the data.

Please see my previous comments on models, binary, etc. Being able to apply a label to something does not necessarily make it true, but we're back at the beginning and I see no point in going over my points again. You're also essentially confusing genotype and phenotype. There's a reason biologists differentiate between that. But again, I've gone over all this already. As someone with a solid background in biology, yes, gametes are important and are great abstractions for talking about specific things, but more than just gametes go into human sexual phenotype and we've known that for decades.

Anyone who has any kind of background in science or engineering at a college level should be able to understand models and data terms, like binary, type 1 and type 2, error, and abstraction. This is fundamental. If you're actually interested in learning more, please reread my previous comments.
by johnnyanmac | 2025-12-01 22:48:44+00:00
I don't think a general sentiment matters much here when the important necessitate are out of reach. The hierarchy of needs is outdated, but the inversion of it is very concerning.

We can live without a flat screen TV (which has gotten dirt cheap). We can't live without a decent house. Or worse, while we can live in some 500 sq ft shack we can't truly "live" if there's no other public amenities to gather and socialize without nickel-and-diming us.
by NYCNews | 2025-12-01 22:49:37+00:00
Homeless Man Caught Fire on Subway Near Times Square: Investigation Underway

Manhattan Voice December 1, 2025

NYC LOCAL NEWS - Early Monday morning, a bizarre and alarming incident unfolded on the subway near Times Square. A homeless man, who had been sleeping aboard an uptown 3 train, suddenly burst into flames while traveling through Midtown.

The fire broke out just after 3 a.m., leaving both commuters and transit workers in a state of shock. The man survived and is now in stable condition, but authorities are still trying to figure out how exactly the fire started.

Here’s what we know so far. The man, who was apparently sleeping on the train, woke up to find himself engulfed in flames. He quickly exited the train at the Times Square stop, disoriented but conscious. Seeking help, he flagged down a transit worker, who immediately called for police assistance. When officers arrived, they found the man in distress but alive. He was rushed to Weill Cornell Medical Center, where doctors stabilized him.

His injuries were not life-threatening, though the specifics of his burns are still unclear.

Initially, police were concerned that the man had been the victim of an attack—possibly someone deliberately setting him on fire. That theory would not be far-fetched, considering the rising number of subway-related incidents in recent years. But after further investigation, authorities are now leaning toward a different possibility: the man may have accidentally set himself on fire.

The exact cause is still under investigation, and no conclusions have been made yet. Could it have been a flammable item on his clothing or a mishap with something in his possession? This disturbing event has drawn attention because it comes just a year after a chillingly similar case. In that incident, a 57-year-old homeless woman was intentionally set on fire while aboard a subway train in Coney Island. The man accused of that crime, Sebastian Zapeta, is facing charges of murder and arson. He has pleaded not guilty.

The similarity between the two cases raises larger questions about safety on the subway and the vulnerability of homeless individuals, who often have no choice but to seek shelter in public spaces, including the subway.
by munk-a | 2025-12-01 22:49:46+00:00
> Try "I am unable to attend meeting without an agenda. Let me know when one has been posted." in your decline message.

If you have a good manager you can often CC them or quote them in your response as well "Sorry, I'm busy with project work and Sarah wants me to stay focused to hit our deadlines. If we're going to need to budget time outside of it I'll need a clear agenda to offer as a rationale to my stakeholders."

I think it really helps to sell this if you've got casual impromptu voice calls as a norm in the company. If it was really just a quick thing then throw up a hangout for us to chat - if it's worth scheduling a meeting for it's certainly worth actually putting together an agenda.

As an aside - my company recentlyish switched from google to ms for calendar management and (among many things MS is terrible at) the fact that agendas aren't immediately visible in meetings on your calendar is the absolute worst UX decision.
by peter422 | 2025-12-01 22:49:53+00:00
A struggling business can go under.

When somebody is sick we generally save them even if the cost/benefit is poor. No market is going to solve this if you want to save sick people who don’t have a lot of money.

There is no place in the world where health care is solved, it’s one trade off vs another.

The US system is also far far from perfect but your solution is quite shallow and unlikely to fix things in a way society wants.
by nextos | 2025-12-01 22:49:58+00:00
Personally, I liked the low-tech solution of code cards + password (2FA), used by e.g. Denmark as digital ID, now discontinued. I am aware that it is imperfect, and if you are not careful with MITM attacks you can get in trouble, but it was a good compromise to avoid the temptation to track citizens. Something like a hardware TAN generator, but with protection against MITM, would be an ideal compromise. The current trend of moving towards mobile apps that require hardware attestation is worrying.
by shirro | 2025-12-01 22:50:02+00:00
This is a question of priorities. Identify a problem, decide to fix it, then execute. It isn't about the particular solutions. Australia's gun control would not translate to a country like the USA and perhaps neither would its health care. First decide to put a person on the moon. Then execute. Only one country did that. It isn't that they can't solve problems like school shootings or affordable healthcare. There is no real will to do so. Not sure why exactly. It is a very strange place that defies expectations of how a developed country would behave.
by ibejoeb | 2025-12-01 22:50:07+00:00
It's all happening really quickly, so I haven't been able to keep up. I know Starmer said that digital ID will be mandatory to work in the UK. Did he mention how that would be implemented? Is the UK going to issue and official device to everyone in country, or are the people supposed to pay for it? What about homeless, poor, and the provisional residents?
by makeitdouble | 2025-12-01 22:50:17+00:00
I assume this works nice to get you out of any meeting they didn't want you to attend, but couldn't just remove you from.

If they plan to move resources out of your team but need highers approval, having a meeting that you refused to attend sounds like a good first step. You might be there on the next one, but the terrain is already prepared. And as it's a sensitive subject, a vague agenda would also be natural enough.
by nickk369 | 2025-12-01 22:50:44+00:00
Anvara | https://www.anvara.com | NYC Onsite + Remote | Full Time | $200K USD+, + equity | SWE, Senior SWE

Anvara is a marketplace for sports and entertainment sponsorships. We connect brands like Snapchat, Delta, and Kalshi with sports teams and entertainment rightsholders like the Knicks, LAFC, Coachella, local marathons, and more - to close sponsorship deals. We take a fee on deals.

We're looking for hungry, scrappy, technical engineers to help build out the next phase of our product: paid subscriptions for brands, unlocking ROI forecasts and valuation insights.

Technical: React/Typescript/Postgres

This is a highly technical product wrapped in a beautiful and carefully architected user experience. You will work with pro sports teams, entertainment companies, CMOs, and brand marketers. We are building the Bloomberg Terminal of brand sponsorships.

You will be one of six engineers and growing. We are based in NYC. We expect onsite work with remote flexibility sometimes too.

Come join us. Email me directly - nick@anvara.com.
by conqrr | 2025-12-01 22:50:50+00:00
Location: USA Remote, SF Bay Area

Remote: Preferred Willing to relocate: No Technologies: Golang, Python, AWS Stack, Typescript/React Résumé/CV: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hsxEsRSWFkKyVfFOtnc1VE8XEz9X8hIV/view?usp=sharing Email: See resume

Who I am: Cloud: AWS, GCP Languages: Python, Go, JavaScript Data: PostgreSQL, MySQL, NoSQL/DynamoDB, Snowflake, SQL, ETL, Data Warehousing, DevOps/Tools: Docker, Git, Linux, Bash, Automation, Reliability, Testing Architecture: Distributed Systems, Microservices, Data Modeling, REST APIs, Cloud Networking

Worked at multiple FAANG/Big Tech companies, with a wide array of expertise from Distributed Systems, Cloud, Networking, FullStack etc over 10 years. Require Visa transfer in US Looking for non-profits or organizations that support privacy or heavily Open Source.
by riotnrrd | 2025-12-01 22:51:16+00:00
I used to work in perception for autonomous aerial vehicles and horizontal wires were the hardest common object to avoid. Traditional stereo won't help you localize them -- wires are thin so even mere detection can be hard, and one portion of a wire looks much like another so feature matching fails resulting in bad or no depth estimates -- and LIDAR sacrifices resolution for weight and power consumption (which both have to be optimizied for drones). It's been years since I've worked in this field, and Amazon has many smart people thinking about it but I'm not surprised it's still a difficult problem.
by mindslight | 2025-12-01 22:51:36+00:00
While not an answer to the general problem, one pragmatic avenue OP missed is to not have gotten married. Then he can have assets including a business, while his wife-in-spirit is on-paper poor and gets a subsidized plan (which then also covers the child's initial birth as an extension of her). AFAIK this wouldn't help after the children are born though (unless maybe you're willing to leave your name off of their birth certificates, which seems like a much higher level of norm rejection and outright misrepresentation).

In general corpos spend a good chunk of resources making new legal entities to escape liability and legibility - something that is simply not available to most individuals. Getting married takes your two naturally-existing legal entities and basically collapses them into a single one - throwing away much flexibility. So it seems like a poor idea in the current legal environment which has been thoroughly corrupted to extract wealth and channel it upwards.
by rogerrogerr | 2025-12-01 22:51:49+00:00
Sounds like there’s an opportunity for bigger drones where you are. Lower frequency noise, fewer flights if you can drop more than one package per flight.

I just have a hard time seeing this becoming a major quality of life issue in the real world. It’s gonna be fine.

And birds and bees seem to be fine around waterfalls and airports, I think they’ll survive drone noise.
by warent | 2025-12-01 22:51:55+00:00
Location: The Hague Remote: Yes Willing to relocate: No Technologies: The entire stack and more. TypeScript; React; Next.js; Node; Python; Golang; C#; Postgres; MongoDB; AWS; GCP; Hetzner; etc. Résumé/CV: http://linkedin.com/in/arentwyatt/ Email: hello@wyatt.engineer | http://github.com/warent

Who I am:

USA Citizen recently moved to The Hague. A fullstack engineer with about 10 years of experience building, scaling, and leading web application projects from the ground up. I’ve worked across early-stage startups, client services, my own business, and open source. As both an engineering leader and individual contributor, I excel at pushing projects forward: scoping work with precision, communicating tradeoffs early and openly, and keeping teams aligned even in high-ambiguity environments. I’m known for elevating team effectiveness by introducing clear processes, thoughtful technical direction, and a strong culture of ownership. I lead with empathy, clarity, and a deep belief in enabling others to do their best work.

How I can serve you:

- Building and Launching anything, ASAP

- Architecture

- Leadership and advice

Open to short term or long term contracts. Rates are negotiable, generally ranging $150/hr to $200/hr depending on your individual needs. Let's find a custom solution that's mindful of your runway.
by doctorwho42 | 2025-12-01 22:52:14+00:00
But the economy!!! /s

Seriously though, our leaders are actively throwing everything and the kitchen sink into AI companies - in some vain attempt to become immortal or own even more of the nations wealth beyond what they already do, chasing some kind of neo-tech feudalism. Both are unachievable because they rely on a complex system that they clearly don't understand.
by ghurtado | 2025-12-01 22:52:16+00:00
> Part of what made chrome succeed is it came out with a pretty robust set of webdev tools right from the get-go.

I think this factor isn't given enough weight in the shift to Firefox.

At that time, the largest pain point in web development was (by a long shot) browser compatibility.

When developers fell in love with Firefox, they started pushing business requirements away from IE and towards the browser that didn't feel like it was their enemy. Alongside with this there was also massive shift to start taking web standards seriously, which is another area where IE dropped the ball spectacularly

It took a few years, but eventually pointy haired managers got sick of our whining and gave in.
by abigail95 | 2025-12-01 22:52:34+00:00
When I was in the USA just paying for things like a GP and a single specialist didn't seem outrageous coming from Australia.

If I worked in the US, I would have health insurance and would be paying lower out of pocket costs than I would in Australia. Combined with the higher salary and cheaper housing that's a pretty good deal.

Edit:

We allegedly have universal healthcare but that doesn't cover any actually competent specialist (need private healthcare for this) so paying $400 for 25 minutes of a psychiatrist every 2 months and $95 for 7 minutes of a GP is common.
by Arathorn | 2025-12-01 22:53:08+00:00
If you want a simple docker-compose for Matrix, you can always use https://github.com/element-hq/element-docker-demo.

The reason Element ships ESS Community as kubernetes helm charts is simply so that the officially supported distro is as close as possible to the thing we have to support for the big govtech customers, where docker compose simply isn't going to cut it. Perversely, that means that ESS Community is pretty bulletproof (even if the scaling stuff is missing), but comes at the expense of having to run k8s.
by capyba | 2025-12-01 22:53:08+00:00
I feel for the author. I do both mechanical and software engineering and I’m in this career(s) because I love making things and learning how to do that really well. Been having the most difficult time accepting the idea that there isn’t a good market for people like us - artisans, craftsmen, whatever the term might be - who are obsessive about exceptional quality and the time and effort it takes to get there. In this day and age, and especially when LLMs look ever more like they can produce at least a cheap, dollar store approximation of the real deal, “doing things really well” is going to be relegated to an ever more niche market.
by oconaros | 2025-12-01 22:53:18+00:00
Change management is the issue, not meeting management. I worked for an agency who hired productivity consultants[1] to help with meetings, email, and time management. I thought it was a very courageous choice. It’s extremely hard to measure the impact of this type of engagement, and some people hated it. The system was good though.

I got a ton out of it. I took their suggestions. I’ve tried many productivity systems but theirs seems to be the only one that stuck (other than GTD).

Full disclosure: they sent me a Starbucks gift card for being a stan

[1] https://doublegemini.com/
by dekhn | 2025-12-01 22:53:23+00:00
The traits he picked- hope I get this detail pedantically correct: had only two alleles, each allele had an obvious phenotype controlled mostly by that gene, the two phenotypes were binary (no intermediate "half-wrinkled-half-smooth"). and all segregated independently (different chromosomes, or far enough that the linkage was extremely weak). I remember my high school teacher speculating he inspected many different phenotypes and then reported his results on the final ones he picked where the results were nice.

Unfortunately, most modern genotypes and phenotypes in humans don't follow these patterns, and over the years, genetics devloped an entire vocabulary and physical model to explain them, although at a fairly abstract level. None of it made any sense to me so I follow the biophysics/molecular biology approach which tends to consider many more underlying physical details

There's a related story, https://review.ucsc.edu/spring04/bio-debate.html and https://review.ucsc.edu/spring04/twoversions.html which shows how different fields think about the genotype/phenotype relationship. Grinding up steering wheels to figure out how they work...
by cogman10 | 2025-12-01 22:53:26+00:00
That was maybe a factor in the EU. In the US, MS never really stopped their anti-competitive activities. IE has been distributed as the default browser for windows in the US since forever.

MS presented the choice for a browser from 2009->2011.

IDK that MS has ever actually fixed the situation since their last fine in 2013.

IIRC, firefox really started taking off around Firefox 3, which was first released in 2006. Looks like they officially beat IE in 2010. That does seem to line up with MS's implementation of the browser choice screen.
Show HN: Demo Scope – Show your work
by admtal | 2025-12-01 22:53:51+00:00
Hi everyone,

I made this app

Demo Scope lets you record or stream any mobile website with your face on screen and touch indicators showing every tap.

I built it because I needed to demo my own side projects and hated the OBS/desktop setup.

Load your site in the app, hit record, done. Or stream straight to Twitch/YouTube.

Free to try: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/demo-scope/id6755395174

Would love feedback if anyone tries it.

I made a landing site centered around mobile demos for professional projects, but my main use case honestly has been Twitch streaming browser based games from my phone.