skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
I came across this last night and stayed up too late reading it. It's a fascinating exposé of where at least a good part of the money is going -- the extra money that we Americans spend on health care that doesn't bring us any better outcomes.

I think it's relevant to HN because a lot of us with families and/or in middle age can't risk quitting our jobs to start startups without assurance that we'll be able to buy adequate health insurance at a price we can afford -- and every dollar counts in a startup. I know I've seen people post here that Obamacare was an enabling factor for them, and it's now obviously at risk. So the policy discussion about what it should be replaced with is very relevant to us.

This piece, along with others I've read recently, suggests to me the following overview of the problem:

() The market for health care services is highly distorted. Not only is there no price transparency, but patients don't even have the authority to make purchase decisions on their own behalf -- that's done for them by the doctors. To the extent patients have any say in the matter, they are unlikely to be in an emotional state conducive to hard-nosed negotiating, if there is any urgency to the matter at all.

() Multiple special interest groups have gotten themselves politically entrenched. The service providers may be the most successful of these, but there are also the insurance companies and the malpractice lawyers. The amount of money flowing through the system supports armies of lobbyists, who have compromised legislators of both parties.

() There are no easy solutions here, no free lunches. You can’t have all the good parts of an unregulated insurance market (freedom to buy what you want, when you want, with market pricing) without the bad parts (steadily rising premiums and insurance that is unaffordable for people who are old and sick). At the same time, you can’t have all the good parts of a socialized system (universal coverage at affordable prices) without freedom-reducing mandates and regulations and large doses of subsidies from some people to other people. [0]

So, HNers, what's the solution? Would love to hear people's thoughts.

Personally I can't resist fantasizing that Trump will come to the same conclusion I have: single payer is the only solution. It would be like Nixon going to China. Trump (whose election I vigorously opposed) is unencumbered by considerations of who donates how much to which Congressional campaigns. And for all his flaws, he's a hell of a salesman. If he gets it into his head that this is the solution, it could really happen.

A pipe dream, I know. But would you like to see it? If not, what do you think would be better?

[0] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/11/12/donal...
Try to read 50 pages per day of something you want to read.

Learn new things you've wanted to learn. Master new skills. Take a few MOOCs.

Spend more time with your kids.
You'll probably like Cabinet Magazine as well. I'd refer to them as "art and culture publications", "literary publications", "alternative".

I think the best way of discovering interesting publications is to visit bookshops that carry ones that you've already discovered and grown to like. Generally independent bookstores around major universities will carry a lot of literary magazines, and other alternative low-circulation publications.
> “The chains [...] want you to walk in not knowing whether a room is available. So if they’re full, they can send you to another one of their properties in the vicinity and keep the business in-house. It’s a strategic decision.” In addition, Rogers said, omitting vacancy indicators allows for overbooking (“If it’s late and you’re fully booked, but someone with a reservation hasn’t shown up, you can sell the same room twice”) and gives managers wiggle room when sizing up questionable customers. [...] “Without the sign, you can just say, ‘Sorry, we’re full,’ even if you’re not.”

It's weird to me how blasé Rogers and the article writer are about this abusive, anti-customer behavior.
I never knew moissanite existed, thank you for the unknown.

I am skeptical of the post—the argument is diamond sucks, but after reading the post, it appears to be “diamond sucks, buy moisanite instead.” 1). Why is there only one alternative? 2). Why does it matter that people will assume the ring is diamond? 3). Let’s assume all diamonds are subsidizing African warlords. How would I know if my hard-earned money isn’t subsidizing some Chinese manufacturers known to exploit human labor?

I would be getting more “bling for my buck” if it was the same commodity. You mentioned that others wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between moisanite and diamond, but if moisanite is better than diamond, then others should be able to recognize moisanite and perhaps comment “the refraction index for this ring appears to be higher than diamond, it must be a moisanite. It’s beautiful!”

Wedding is a tradition, but it’s not required for marriage likewise diamond is the symbolic instrument for proposals, but the ring does not have to be diamond.

I appreciate your post for the detail comparison breakdown between diamond and moisanite, but I am skeptical of the intent. Research the luxury handbag industry and you’ll find the same patterns, and what alternatives are there, typically, for cheaper Chanel handbags?
Most typically I drive the i95 corridor, and in the zone that's approximately the halfway point to/from Florida and the Northeast cities, it's really difficult to score a room if there's any kind of weather, a traffic apocalypse in DC or similar. Once you pass Richmond, rates creep up until D.C. and stay high.

I also limit myself to newer nice motels.
This would be more convincing with something like powershell the syntax and command line flags are so random/hard to figure out.
V. cool, but would be great to be able to use it as a tool of discovery: list topics covered using tags, and indicate rough # of attendees (I know some people prefer to only attend larger events)
This is year-old blogspam. bigthink.com spins every article out into nine self-linked articles, and also leaves out all the interesting details. Also they don't source the $11.36 figure, and all the other sources I've read give prices to about 1 significant figure, not to four, so I suspect that's made up.

If you're interested in this subject, read this WP piece from 18 months ago, or this BBC piece that was the actual source for TFA from 13 months ago, both of which contain more up-to-date facts than TFA.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/05/20/meet-...

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-34540193

Or, for more background, here's the 3-year-old piece from Time that raised a lot of discussion, and which gives the context for the price drop.

http://science.time.com/2013/12/16/the-triple-whopper-enviro...

Or you could read this, from 6 months ago. Note that it looks like a bit of a biased piece to me, but it appears to be directly sourced, rather than just regurgitated. It also is specific about Mosa's price targets, saying that they think that $29.50/lb will be their launch price, and they speculate that $3.60/lb seems like an achievable goal for later (currency not specified, though probably they mean USD, but note that the company is not American).

http://www.takepart.com/feature/2016/05/23/cultured-beef
https://meaningness.com/metablog/geeks-mops-sociopaths
The problems you are experiencing should be what ta digital marketing consultant should be able to solve (i.e. naming conventions, automated reports) however anything above rudimentary analysis seems to be outside most analyst's skill sets form my experience - the tools don't help with this as you've discovered. You could even think that the platform providers (Google, Facebook) make it unnecessarily hard on purpose...
I would expect that a similar thing that happened when humans went from hunter-gatherer to agrarian. Exponentially more humans. We'll need that land to house all those people.
I agree with your sentiment, but the retort would be that even a few minutes of your time has more monetary value than that cookie.
which books did you read beforehand ?
A man can dream
Actually I was thinking that I was surprised at how many points DIDN'T line up.

But then... its early days.
That's pretty good, but even if you buy now it will just be obsolete in a week.
SHA-1 certificate error on Google.com
Why did the patient in the first story absolutely need to travel from Ohio to Texas for treatment? Isn't medical knowledge shared between providers?

Some of the blame in many of these situations should fall upon the patients for choosing the care they did. Especially when it is a planned operation. I haven't finished reading the whole article, but so far it doesn't seem to be considering this point. I don't wish to defend the existing system in any way, but these providers just seem to be giving people what they ask for.
sorry to attach this to the top post, but how do you actually pronounce moissanite? "moist"(sans 't') + "a" + "night"?
Your point isn't bad, you just ignored/overlooked the 'expiring' part of the announcement.

If you don't pay for the renewal, pinning _probably_ is broken anyway (unless you somehow pin a cert, but ignore validation. In which case you should've used a self-signed cert from the start, I guess).

Honestly, I cannot see a downside to this. People that won't pay the CA mafia will get a cert for free. TLS everywhere. The internet wins.
I think you need to go back to the original post, where I'm pretty sure the point was that the big house and travel came before world fame and riches. Would have saved you a lot typing had you done that first.
It's going to come up, no point getting your undies in a wad.
I took a completely different message from Serenity. Shepherd new what Mal believed in and was encouraging him to stand for it. Up until that point in the film, he had behaved as if he were just a leaf on the wind.

I'm not sure that Shepherd's advice would have been the same had Mal believed differently.
I think he was trying to help (even if misguided) and besides he apologized. You could be gracious about it.
I use it for the exact same thing: I motorcycle in to work and need to make sure my rain gear is ready. But it only actually works about 25% of the time. It works so rarely that I haven't even remembered to turn it off.
Step 1 is do not look to abolish prison. When you start with such an extreme position no one is going to listen.
Been using AceMoney [0] for years. Small, stable desktop app that just works. Every so often I poke around at a couple alternatives just to see what's out there, but haven't found anything compelling yet.

Also recently started using CalendarBudget [1] to track monthly income/bills, and forecast balances. Free, and has some nice options for generating repeating entries.

[0] http://www.mechcad.net/

[1] https://calendarbudget.com/home/
Yeah, but they were saying it was a major flaw with all of OS. It isn't. In fact, if your project isn't incredibly popular, this likely won't effect you.
Have you looked at https://github.com/pr1ntf/iohyve?
I've always wondered if I had this too. I'm wondering how you describe visualize? I understand the concept and the parts and everything that pizza is but I don't necessarily visualize it. But if I was required to, I could probably draw one. Is that similar?
I share your condemnation of torture, but can we at least drop the partisanship and admit the alternative was hardly any better:

> So the problem for the US and the Europeans has been from the very beginning: What is it you -- who is it you are going to try to arm? [Hillary Clinton -- Goldman Sachs speeches]

In a world where the US acknowledges its role funneling weapons to extremists, the mainstream media doesn't raise an eyebrow at drone-bombings and the President is openly running an extrajudicial kill-list out of the White House, having a presidential candidate suggest that torture is a legitimate tool of war isn't even comparatively retrograde.
The web would be a lot more accessible if so many designers didn't think like you.
Reminds me of Frederik Pohls "The Space Merchants" published 1952 where he describes a huge mass of cultured chicken breast cells fed with algae

http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=1002
"Also they don't source the $11.36 figure"

And did I miss it, but are we to assume that's $11.36/lb? Some other unit?
There seems to be a pretty decisive anti-prison circle jerk in this thread. It's a trend that is very common among progressives, common enough that I think we could do something about it.

Does anyone want to say things in support of prison? If we revamp the prison system, what things should we keep? What do prisons do right?

And, what are the next steps for a community willing to invest in changes to our criminal management? How do we make a difference?
Big time RSS user. NetNewsWire under OSX and IOS with cloud sync. Means I'm able to punch through local news, world news, sub-Reddits, tech news, blogs etc in around 15-20 minutes a day - usually when I'm perched on the porcelain.

Although that added efficiency just means I trawl HN for longer...
Yeah, quite fishy. He even goes on to say Retail ~$735, Moissanite.net $399. That article is practically an ad.
I mean that an error in prediction will cause a rapid drop in dopamine levels, which motivates a desire to correct one's understanding. There's a limbic structure, the anterior cingulate cortex, that seems likely to be the origin of this.

As for those well-known dopamine stimuli like alcohol, sugar &c, I believe the worst case scenario is that you reinforce an incipient dependency on those things, thus contributing to addiction. I'll hold back on having an opinion about whether the reward sensitization itself directly harms learning. When it comes to sugar overuse, I'd worry more about insulin resistance having an effect on glucose uptake throughout the brain rather than specifically harming the limbic structures.
You're conflating homicide and murder. Legally there are many types of homicides. The manslaughter types are already sentenced less because as you point out they are less likely to occur again. I agree with your points, but wanted to note that the law already has some framework to deal with the differences.
Go watch my YouTube video everyone! And remember to Subscribe ️️️ https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QRQPSp-vTd4
Human beings are notoriously bad at estimating risk.

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/11/perceived_ris...
Maybe happiness isn't the thing we should be prioritising?
> Oh, you're /that/ guy.

I'm following the rules.

Its obnoxious behavior, but what am I supposed to do?

If I arrive late, the hotel will happily give my room to the platinum member who rolls in or some random person, and leave my family stuck in the room designed for wheelchair bound chain smokers with pets suffering from shedding disorders.

If I book same day, the $99 motel turns into a $139 hotel. If I just show up, I roll the dice.
Ask HN: 4 years experience starting at level 3 at Google
I am at the offer stage with Google and have 4 years of full time experience. I expected to start at level 4 or 5 but I was told I'm being hired at level 3. Is that what I should expect?

Also, a bonus question, what should my base salary look like?
You'll probably change your mind. If/when synthmeat becomes both economical and palatable, it will rapidly become socially unacceptable to eat real meat.
Lots of methane from all those cows that we will raise and look after.
Why I Created Timewarp (Chrome Extension)
I would go with CZ. Interestingly there is an inverse correlation between wedding ring cost and likelihood of staying together.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2501480
RadioSumo
Wellington isn't 500km away :)

It looks like the quoted epicentre was just the start point of the rupture that headed off to the northeast. Which explains why the shaking seemed worse to the north and why so much activity seems to be recorded from the Seddon area again:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us1000778i#...

In Wellington it seemed like the first half was just a gentle swaying before it really kicked in for the second half. That was probably the rupture moving closer.

I found this really interesting: The USGS talks about quakes of this magnitude usually have a wide scale area of slippage eg they've modelled 200x60 km for this one:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us1000778i#...
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us1000778i#...
Experimenting with something that makes your drive to/from work a bit more productive. And keeps you safe at the same time. Let me know what you think.
Doesn't anyone have recommendations best places to get a moissanite ring?
Same thing, tho when I brought the letter they were meh about it said that the letter head did not look real enough....

I told them to sod off and to look up the company in the company house.

Passport Accounts in the UK are pretty limited with what you can do with them, so I don't advise opening one up front if you planning to immigrate.

Just ask your employer for a cash advance and either use cash for the first 2-4 weeks or use your debit/credit card from your previous country of residence.

When I relocated initially I've arranged that the employer will cover the hotel upto 6 weeks, provide everything needed for a bank account, provide/cover the accountant needed to sort any tax liabilities when moving funds, cover the deposit for the first rental and the agent fees.

If you are hired by a large corp which does relocation all the time they'll have a standard and even a better package, if they company doesn't do relocation on a regular basis make sure all your sides are covered.

Otherwise you can land in a limbo state where you need a bank account to rent a flat, and you need an address (a hotel won't do) to open a bank account (they ask for a utility bill).
I still read it that way. It seemed odd to me, too. I don't think you did anything wrong.
You are correct.

You can hear how it's pronounced in this YouTube clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GFZKPQuAaw

Sol: No, it's a moissanite.
Bad Boy Lincoln: A what-in-ite?
Sol: A moissanite is an artificial diamond, Lincoln. It's Mickey Mouse, mate. Spurious. Not genuine. And it's worth... fuck-all.

:)
I'm for single payer but it will never happen until Democrats get the White House and congress. Paul Ryan is planning on privatizing Medicare asap
FWIW on my iphone I use the English layout (qwertyuiop) for all roman-alphabet languages I use, since spelling correction language is connected to the declared "language" (a strange yet sensible overloading).
Not quite. Society is still conflicted over whether prison is for punishment or rehabilitation. In the US, I think it trends mostly punishment with lip service to rehabilitation.
Why there's N/A for toughness in Cubic Zirconia?
> A manager's ability to turn away horrible bookings is also undermined. That group of drunken fratboys have now booked through a smartphone app. Try to pull the "we are overbooked" routine with them and you will be downrated very quickly, likely triggering action from your chain.

Why not go with "we don't want you here", instead of something they know is a lie?
There are several phone apps that will tell you where the campgrounds are. Personally, I've never tried to camp where I'm not allowed (I don't count sleeping on a picnic table at a rest stop). One can often (usually?) find a campground either actually in town, or a few miles down the road. To my knowledge, I've never been turned away with a tent; there's always a 10x10' spot of grass to rent me.

Alternatively, if you're in a U. S. National Forest and can find a spot off the road, you can camp anywhere you want. It's how we do the majority of our camping in our VW Westfalia, where in Washington there are a plethora of spots 90 minutes from our house (no, I'm not telling <g>).

But that's for my mode of travel, which is usually off the beaten path. If you're looking for a place to stay in SF during WWDC, my advice will do you no good. OTOH, I rode to a conference in San Diego, had some room trouble and found a campground smack in the middle of SD a few miles from the hotel. So, I dunno, there might even be a campground in SOMA I don't know about. :-) (EDIT: curiosity got me: there's one out by Candlestick Recreation Area, if you don't mind paying $89/night!)
I used YNAB (http://www.youneedabudget.com). It's a customized web service that handles budgeting, and it has a Mobile App as well. While it has integration with banks, I chose to enter/record everything manually, since the action itself reminds me "You should stop spending."

Before YNAB, I use Mint for a while, but it didn't help in terms of managing my budget due to the auto-import feature. I also used YNAB 4 in the past (you pay $50 and that's it), but felt it's great enough to spend $5 a month on budgeting.
I've run across this before - once I measured the shell of my MBP at 90 volts DC.

If you don't have access to a 3-pin charger, you could always use a separate earthing setup, such as an antistatic mat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antistatic_device#Antistatic_m...
Best idea I've seen on the thread. There's corruption to overcome but the non-profit could similarly bribe the politicians. It's worth someone trying.
Don't use Macs but I'm surprised Apple apparently didn't give an earthed power adapter by default on a metal skin product. This seems like negligence.

Now that I think about it, my iPad's the same when charging.
David Hahn,the “Radioactive Boy Scout” Has Passed Away
He seemed to be quite an interesting individual and attempted to build a nuclear reactor in his teenage years.

Wiki:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn

Amazon:
The Radioactive Boy Scout by Ken Silverstein:
http://a.co/iNVvQfT
I got denied an upgrade by O2 because Equifax doesn't like the fact that I am not registered to vote and I make a 6 figure salary in the UK.
I asked why the hell can't I upgrade after I had no problems getting the phone on contract a year ago, got a stupid reply ordered an iPhone 7 from the Apple store and moved to EE.
I called Equifax to complain and they told me to send a letter of correction, I told them Amex gave me a credit limit higher than the average take home salary in the UK and they can sod off, I can't believe I've wasted 15 GBP on that fucking report.
I never had that issue in the US (even when using a two-holed outlet), but I had that problem when I was visiting Israel. So it seems to only be an issue when using 220 volts and not a proper ground connection.
Yeah, that looks like transformers popping (falling off poles, etc).
same area; we went with ruby. they ask her about her ring all the time... though she reports never feeling judged.
CalHacks3.0 Submissions
Yet a utility bill is a valid form of ID in this country, something you can pick up from the trash....
More likely than not, their employer is ok with making google track their users. I doubt it's the decision of this particular developer.
If you run the hospital poorly enough, that's exactly what happens.
> Can you clarify as to why owning a gun, as both a casual hobby and means of defense for unlikely scenarios, is "utter insanity"?

not the op, but the way I read it is that unless you are heavily invested in gun culture, meaning that you have appropriate training and you shoot regularly to maintain skill, then owning a gun makes you and your loved ones less safe.

My understanding is that research shows that gun owners and their families are far, far more likely to be injured or killed by said firearm (accidentally, or intentionally) than they are to ever actually have the opportunity to use the gun for defence.

In that context the original statement makes sense.