jgerrish (u/jgerrish)

jgerrish commented on Ask HN: Have you ever regretted open-sourcing something? · Posted by u/paulwilsonn

jgerrish · 22 days ago

I have two groups of things I've put online that I think I'll regret short term but not long-term.

They're both about understanding of statistics at their heart. But in vastly different ways.

The first is my first set of amateur Rust projects. They're built around a Covid-Era project to reverse engineer the LucasArts SCUMM games, specifically Loom on the Atari ST. It was a fun project that led me through Atari STX disks to FAT file systems to SCUMM virtual machines.

And a few side projects along the way with CRC32, Adler-32, Fletcher and flawed checksum algorithms. Including using a kolmogorov-smirnov test to show issues with Adler32 on small data sizes.

I use the math, and it's a great project to learn about hypothesis testing and polynomials. But I can't explain it all. Just enough to be dangerous.

And the APIs are shit.

But it's out there and it was fun.

The second isn't really code. It's a comment somewhere about Microsoft and Valve and purposefully designing systems like UEFI for political purposes before the "What the fuck is an SBAT and why does everyone suddenly care" issue struck.

It was about how these large-scale global political and standards wars hurt normal developers, even if in the end they will help others.

But I mentioned dead eyes because I was talking about exhaustion and just going along with trends instead of fighting back.

My comment might have been construed as violence against women. It wasn't in any way. As I go through CT and fMRI tests into the future we can show that it's not always what it seems on the surface.

But it is my fault. It was a stupid mistake that wasnt thinking about imagery in a larger context. Statistics shoes violence against women is a bigger issue, and that's the truth.

So, I'm sorry.

jgerrish commented on U.S. senators introduce new pirate site blocking bill, "Block BEARD" torrentfreak.com/u-s-sena... · Posted by u/HieronymusBosch

int_19h · a month ago

The fact that some Democrats are introducing bills that mandate creation of infrastructure that can be easily repurposed to censor political viewpoints, during this administration no less, tells you all you need to know about how much disdain they really have for their electorate.

jgerrish · a month ago

The name of this bill, "Block BEARD" is what really gets me.

It's a simple thing. Just a casual joke that means nothing to most people.

I worry because there are millions of young citizens who are going to have to work harder either for new political parties or to overturn this kind of language and jab.

We can't ever prove it's a higher level system that keeps every next generation in perpetual non-paying advocacy and grassroots political work. That's deeply unsettling.

jgerrish commented on Next month, saved passwords will no longer be in Microsoft’s Authenticator app cnet.com/tech/microsoft-w... · Posted by u/ColinWright

smolder · 2 months ago

They used to complain about that 10 years ago, but apple was just ahead of it's time. Microsoft saw the light and is racing down that path. Soon enough, no computer without user-defeating secret logic and remote ownership will be allowed to interact with important networked applications. Linux users will either need a tainted linux variant or not have access to banking, streaming (already a problem), games, and so on.

jgerrish · 2 months ago

You're probably right. We'll have enforced boot chains and attestation for devices if we want to take part in large parts of our economic system in the future. A ton of important systems like banking, safe and secure sex worker and entertainment sites for users and performers, government services like online taxes and car licensing and drivers testing* and children-safe sites.

Over twenty years ago, many of us warned about the dangers of increased and unaccountable intelligence service power. We saw what the Patriot Act would create.

We joined the EFF and the ACLU, or renewed our memberships. Organizations at the time that focused more on actual deep philosophical issues and how they relate to our political world.

Obviously the Patriot Act has saved lives. Terrorist events and neglected victims are tragic and VERY emotional.

But today, immigrants and others are spending their own lives protesting the actions of ICE. Their own very limited time on this planet.

I'm not here to judge Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I'll take flak for that among liberals. Again, I'm not judging ICE. In many cases they've been falsely accused where there was clear evidence they weren't at fault.

No, what bothers me is immigrants, who already have difficult lives, and Generation Z, who have less economic security themselves, are the ones marching in the streets.

Twenty years from now, who will be working extra unaccountable and unbillable hours protesting in the streets because the DRM and secure computing systems being pushed through today are abused?

Even if most of that abuse is a show, meant to divide citizens and law enforcement. There are people out there working for free for that show.

Who will work more in the future?

And like not judging ICE, I'm not judging the countries racing and battling to deploy secure computing environments. Knox and TrustZone and TPM and whatever new things await us in the future. There are reasons both for safety and economic security I dont judge.

And there are dark patterns around software supply chain weaknesses and online safety and incentives to accelerate those issues to push through security architectures.

Other countries are doing it. I hate the fucking game theory solutions that it encourages.

But what I'm worried is that in twenty years who will be working for free because our secure computing environments are found unfair?

And unfair can be many things. Governments push values, even when it's not explicit. When I'm using my integrated cyberdeck or implants or just ambient room device, what am I missing? What is being pushed into or out of my vision or awareness?

That's twenty years in the future, what's forty years in the future? I won't be here, but you bet your ass I'm worried. Because the people who I fucking care about now working their asses off for free are being blinded about the upcoming digital wreck, like they were in 2001.

* I believe myself here, that's key.

jgerrish commented on National Archives at College Park, MD, will become a restricted federal facility archives.gov/college-park... · Posted by u/LastTrain

AnimalMuppet · 2 months ago

I dunno. I'm very much not a Trump fan, but I don't see how restricting access to "national information" would help him. And if it would, how does restricting access to one of them help him?

I could more see this as being just random action without any real purpose, or aimed at petty revenge on someone, or something.

jgerrish · 2 months ago

These things create very subtle but definite opportunities for conflict. And conflict can be twisted very easily by media organizations.

Even if only four researchers out of a hundred or thousand who visit every year complain, if that complaint is caught on camara we have a "Liberal Karen exploiting and abusing federal employees just trying to do their jobs. Why can't she go through the approval process like everyone else?".

And maybe that woman just wanted to research, not be exploited to increase protection for federal services. Maybe she just wanted transparent processes for helping those employees and a public who respected those dedicated public sector workers who help us navigate the system.

Because increased funding for protection of federal workers by that kind of drama scenario does create conservative or authoritarian momentum. Even if it's not reflected as that affiliation on voting cards, it's a deep mindset.

I know in a dozen years the Karen stereotype will be seen as the sexist trope it is. But sometimes we create these feedback systems, inadvertently or purposefully, that reinforce those tropes.

jgerrish commented on Waymo rides cost more than Uber or Lyft and people are paying anyway techcrunch.com/2025/06/12... · Posted by u/achristmascarl

chipsrafferty · 2 months ago

Why sell a car when you can charge per ride?

jgerrish · 2 months ago

Well, you wouldn't have to sell the car. You could also setup a licensing / loan / dedicated car system.

It would work well for local municipalities that want to provide low-cost door-to-door service for the elderly.

We have a bus service here, The ART, and a dedicates "paratransit" bus service that provides door-to-door service to eligible riders.

And a couple private large-scale developed and managed neighborhoods that have driverless non-automated (remote controlled) transit systems.

If you know a large portion of your riders have disabilities, dedicated buses or vans make sense.

I'm sitting here advocating for this, and it's a great service that I'm glad they have it for those in need, and yet I need fucking plywood for hurricanes myself.

Yeah, it is Florida. But honestly, the transit system here and bike infrastructure development and traffic planning is good.

jgerrish commented on I salvaged $6k of luxury items discarded by Duke students indyweek.com/culture/duke... · Posted by u/drvladb

monocasa · 3 months ago

> First, why do people throw away tennis shoes, unopened food etc? Why not take with them on to their next destination?

At my wife's alma mater, the way move out in the dorms worked was that you had 24hrs after your last final and then had to be gone. That didn't really leave a lot of time for a lot of people that had maybe two checked bags and a carry on to work with, and had spent the previous time focused on studying for their finals.

jgerrish · 3 months ago

I just got a pair of new shoes to me, previously owned by another. I'm glad they were left behind, different items mean different things to people at different stages of their life.

Like at this stage? I'd love to find a quiet place to run.

But in the meantime, I'm not studying for finals or having a kid. Just buying plant-based mayonnaise like a boring adult and scraping lizard crap out of cages in what some could see as a patronizing metaphorical cholesterol or dendrite decaying act of desperate cleansing against time.

So yeah, if the kids at Duke can buy new shoes and time doesn't matter to them, and there's a high likelihood they'll be reused and it's all by choice? Cool.

Choices are good.

jgerrish commented on Data breach exposes 184M passwords, likely captured by malware zdnet.com/article/massive... · Posted by u/taubek

ghusto · 3 months ago

Legit question from someone who both wants their mum to stop getting hacked, and is not sure Security Keys are a good idea: What happens when they lose their phone?

My limited understanding is that the key is on their phone (let's say it's a Google key, on an Android phone). When their phone gets lost, stolen, or breaks, are they screwed? This worries me because the chances of the phone being lost is high.

jgerrish · 3 months ago

Safety deposit box with backup recovery codes.

That puts a lot of burden on users though.

Maybe start a pilot automated service run by Google or Microsoft or whoever where backup codes are securely sent to local credit unions and it's all almost transparent to the user. They just need to either pick up the code at the credit union and put it in their safety deposit box or approve that last step.

I'm not upset at all about banking working with private entities or any of the past with banks. I'm mostly upset because some of these ideas are good, you know? Maybe not this, but some. For a short while longer.

jgerrish commented on MIT asks arXiv to withdraw preprint of paper on AI and scientific discovery economics.mit.edu/news/as... · Posted by u/carabiner

Workaccount2 · 3 months ago

There are a gazillion small companies out there that hire white collar workers with only a rudimentary background check (are they a felon) and an interview that is more a vibe check than anything.

He probably will never be someone of significance, but he also will probably be able to have a standard middle class life.

jgerrish · 3 months ago

But would you want to work for a company that just does a vibe check, or one that raises the bar with every hire?

That high-level Apple employee was probably a manager and oversaw hiring people.

I would tell myself every day, "I wouldn't hire me."

It's not self-defeating.

It's not being a victim.

I wouldn't let it stop me from trying.

It's being accurate about what kind of company you'd want to build yourself, and the internal state of a lot of hiring managers. And with a true model of the world you can make better decisions.

jgerrish commented on First American pope elected and will be known as Pope Leo XIV cnn.com/world/live-news/n... · Posted by u/saikatsg

sharpy · 4 months ago

I thought an American pope would be the last thing Vatican wanted (to avoid being seen too close to US)

jgerrish · 4 months ago

Sure. That's how it could have happened.

If you think the Catholic Church isn't a sharp institution with a pulse on humanity around the globe.

Sometimes institutions know that they are simple shells. That what is truly important is the people that they represent and how they can serve those people.

There are both theological and political implications to that view above.

Maybe serving those people can best be accomplished through humility and throwing a US pope, and their current papacy, under the bus.

That's an incredibly cynical view of Church politics. But then again my first bank account was a Catholic Credit Union and I still remember my days in Sunday School.

That's not an indictment of my upbringing. Nobody gets blamed for funkyness with tying finances to religion or lost accounts or any of that.

That's me saying regardless of what happens with the current pope, whether my views are too cynical or not cynical enough:

There will be no blame or anger for how I was raised and treated. I met beautiful family and friends through the church, and my parents found community.