someguynamedq (u/someguynamedq)

someguynamedq commented on “This is not the computer for you” samhenri.gold/blog/202603... · Posted by u/MBCook

nindalf · 3 days ago

I flag uninteresting comments, such as yours.

I'd say this comment fails the "Be kind. Don't be snarky" test. Wouldn't you? If we're appealing to the rules to justify our actions it puts a bigger burden on ourselves to make sure we're perfectly in line with them too :)

someguynamedq commented on “This is not the computer for you” samhenri.gold/blog/202603... · Posted by u/MBCook

exmadscientist · 3 days ago

Windows would do just fine. But the state of cheap Windows laptops is abysmal, and Windows as a product is in the doghouse lately because... well, I honestly don't know why Microsoft is doing what they're doing, but from the outside they certainly do appear to want to ruin Windows.

someguynamedq · 2 days ago

Has windows actually been screwed up or do people just not like changes in their operating system?

someguynamedq commented on Swiss e-voting pilot can't count 2,048 ballots after decryption failure theregister.com/2026/03/1... · Posted by u/jjgreen

ritzaco · 5 days ago

I don't care how much maths and encryption you use, you can't get out of the fact that things can be anonymous (no one can know how you voted) or verifiable (people can prove that you only voted once) but not both.

- Switzerland usually gets around this by knowing where everyone lives and mailing them a piece of paper 'something you have'

- South Africa gets around this by putting ink on your fingernail

I've read quite a bit about the e-voting systems in Switzerland and USA and I just don't see how they thread the needle. At some point, you have to give someone access to a database and they can change that database.

Until we all have government-issued public keys or something, there isn't a technical solution to this? (Genuinely curious if I'm wrong here)

someguynamedq · 4 days ago

Sorry, isn't this dead simple?

Maintain a list of identity hashes. When someone goes to vote, deny them if they're already in the list . Otherwise, add their hash to the list then allow a vote to be cast.

someguynamedq commented on Restrictions on house sharing by unrelated roommates marginalrevolution.com/ma... · Posted by u/surprisetalk

nradov · 6 months ago

The UK has also had extremely high immigration rates since the 1980s. Whether that's good or bad policy isn't my place to say, but it certainly places extreme pressure on the housing market.

https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/lo...

someguynamedq · 6 months ago

Red herring. Population growth is relatively low overall. Regardless, it's possible to house people if it's a policy priority.

someguynamedq commented on Restrictions on house sharing by unrelated roommates marginalrevolution.com/ma... · Posted by u/surprisetalk

tormeh · 6 months ago

Voters don't actually want house prices to come down. Voters, in aggregate, want rents to fall and prices to rise, roughly divided by renters vs owners. Somehow the homeowners almost always win against the renters in this political tug-of-war. Perhaps because rents are downstream of values, and so it's politically easier for owners to make the correct choices to advance their agenda than it is for renters, which have an extra logical leap required of them.

someguynamedq · 6 months ago

The majority of voters and the majority of people involved in policymaking in government own real estate. It's dead simple

someguynamedq commented on Death rates rose in hospital ERs after private equity firms took over nbcnews.com/news/us-news/... · Posted by u/coloneltcb

Chinjut · 6 months ago

Looking at death rates in isolation paints a misleading picture, like accounting only for costs and ignoring revenue. Net profit is the measure of overall value to the economy, and whatever maximizes profit is by definition the greatest good for the greatest (i.e., best, if not most numerous) people.

someguynamedq · 6 months ago

I hear net profits were pretty good under slavery

someguynamedq commented on Death rates rose in hospital ERs after private equity firms took over nbcnews.com/news/us-news/... · Posted by u/coloneltcb

karmelapple · 6 months ago

This could be the biggest bipartisan rallying cry around which politicians and elected officials could cheer on improvements.

But I suspect that won't happen.

someguynamedq · 6 months ago

There are no big players in our current political system with the will to impose new regulations on finance.

someguynamedq commented on Death rates rose in hospital ERs after private equity firms took over nbcnews.com/news/us-news/... · Posted by u/coloneltcb

MangoToupe · 6 months ago

There are a significant number of people in this country that will view this as the market enforcing rational healthcare (at least until it affects a loved one). I’m not sure we have the will to improve our care.

someguynamedq · 6 months ago

We both have the will to improve care and a lack of understanding of the true nature of the finance industry. People don't understand what PE is so they assume it is some kind of business people legitimately trying to run a business

someguynamedq commented on Death rates rose in hospital ERs after private equity firms took over nbcnews.com/news/us-news/... · Posted by u/coloneltcb

lordleft · 6 months ago

The market really is the greatest mechanism for laundering morally reprehensible processes, isn't it? I find that many people struggle to find the vocabulary or concepts to denounce this kind of outcome because it occurs through market forces.

someguynamedq · 6 months ago

Yeah if instead of "PE" you had to say "I take out a massive loan to buy a business collateralized against itself, saddle the business with the debt, take money out of the company to pay myself, and then ruthlessly cut quality in the business to make short term profits look higher to resell the business (and the bank is happy to finance this because they get paid first if the business goes bankrupt)" it feels like it would be a lot harder to come across as legitimate

someguynamedq commented on Death rates rose in hospital ERs after private equity firms took over nbcnews.com/news/us-news/... · Posted by u/coloneltcb

fhkatari · 6 months ago

Here is a thought experiment, especially for people with pensions (unlikely on the HN comments board). PE's are being funded by pension funds. So, as a pensioner, maybe you get a slightly better return. However, the services you will need as a pensioner (hospital and nursing home care) are significantly degraded by private equity. Would it not be better if pension funds pulled out of PE entirely?

someguynamedq · 6 months ago

The argument here needs to be a societal one because everyone will assume that they'll be going to the hospital that isn't affected by it