If you care about third-world countries, at least be polite enough to call them developing countries.
Developing into what?
Readit NewsStevenRayOrr commented on Why HN is the way it is, and why we hope it will stay that way news.ycombinator.com/item... · Posted by u/jacquesm
I have never downvoted anyone on HN; whatever miniscule benefit there may be to having a downvote feature is more than offset by the chilling effect and perceived nastiness.
We are beginning to see that all these years we thought it was our constitutional right to free speech that was the major thing. Yes, it would be and will be if the government takes a turn for the worst, but really what we're seeing in the US is an erosion in the ethos of free speech, an attitude that in our society you are welcome to say something that I heartily disagree with.
> We are beginning to see that all these years we thought it was our constitutional right to free speech that was the major thing. Yes, it would be and will be if the government takes a turn for the worst, but really what we're seeing in the US is an erosion in the ethos of free speech, an attitude that in our society you are welcome to say something that I heartily disagree with.
When did American society have an 'ethos' of free speech (let alone an ethos of universal free speech)?
They're not at the level of Facebook and Google, but they still mine your data. You've gained nothing.
I'm more comfortable with Apple's decisions than some on Hackers News, so take this with a grain of salt... but the difference between what Google/Facebook does and Apple does is a difference. It may not be as vast a difference as Apple claims, but it's also not nothing.
StevenRayOrr commented on William Gibson is a literary genius thewalrus.ca/why-william-... · Posted by u/throw0101a
Huh—I'd have said Cryptonomicon's the only one of his I've read that didn't turn into a directionless mess halfway through, and/or have a bad ending. Also read The Diamond Age, Snow Crash, and Anathem.
I just finished _Reamde_ and was, overall, fairly satisfied with the way the story built towards the conclusion. It moves in unexpected directions, but I enjoyed the entire ride.
I try to look on the bright side these days. Can't wait to find out all the weird stuff LinkedIn knows or has completely wild-ass guessed about me!
And by the way, recently YouTube has been serving me exclusively Spanish-language ads. I am probably 0% Hispanic ethnically and have no knowledge of Spanish. Would be cool to get a data leak that shows what's up with that!
I started having a similar issue with Spotify a couple years ago. Eventually I discovered that someone else was using my (free) account to listen to bunch of Spanish-language music that I'd never heard of. I don't think my Spotify recommendations ever recovered.
StevenRayOrr commented on View: Warren Buffett and the Myth of the ‘Good Billionaire’ economictimes.indiatimes.... · Posted by u/paulpauper
Imagine generalizing about any other group of people like this - ‘Myth of the good X.'
Billionaires are not going to get a lot of sympathy, but it’s repugnant to characterize entire groups of people with the same brush.
The problem with this kind of rhetoric is that it overplays your hand, and therefore ends up detracting from your core points. Most of us want wealth inequality lessened. Demonizing one group over another is not going to get us there.
> it’s repugnant to characterize entire groups of people with the same brush.
No, it's not. This isn't about whatever imagined prejudice or discrimination you're talking about. As the synopsis makes clear, the piece is marking an argument about the how "There is no way to be a billionaire in America without taking advantage of a system predicated on cruelty." Warran Buffett is being attacked because he has been able to manipulate the American system of capital, which the piece suggests is fundamentally unjust, to his extreme advantage, while millions of Americans are pushed further and further to the margins.
You can disagree with that premise, but don't pretend that this is discrimination.
Unless you are very sure that McAfee was "clearly unhinged individual", it is a strong statement and ad hominem. Doesn't help add to the discussion than mere gossip.
We don't have to go any further than the tweet that started this thread: McAfee claimed to be "getting subtle messages" from officials in the American government threatening to kill him.
He was a clearly unhinged individual.
He could have killed himself anyway--- that is obvious, but his past statements still need to be taken seriously, and extra care and doubt need to be applied to the reported story.
> his past statements still need to be taken seriously, and extra care and doubt need to be applied to the reported story.
Why? The fact that he had a paranoid fantasy of being murdered by the US government doesn't make it so. I don't have to take extra care with the ramblings of conspiracy theorists with a long history of outright bullshit.
StevenRayOrr commented on Hackers extorted $1.14M from UCSF bbc.com/news/technology-5... · Posted by u/Pick-A-Hill2019
This doesn't work in practice, companies that aren't allowed to pay those ransoms usually use proxies (some other company that doesn't have to follow those restrictions) that will pay the hackers
Not that it undermines your overall point, but it might prove to disincentivize attacking smaller companies that aren't in as strong a position to use proxies -- which I would still count as a win.
[1]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasa_(ship)