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SpecStudioHN

17 karma · joined June 2, 2026

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SpecStudioHN··on Lettera, a native, refined Markdown editor for macOS
similar to Typora but doesn't seem to have Themes.
SpecStudioHN··on Western Men Are Going Abroad to Find Traditional Wives
i have lived abroad in various countries since 2005–not for the babes but for the culture. i enjoy traditional spiritual culture and abhor western materialist behaviorism. it also serves my interests in other ways: i get to study the nondual traditions in their native cultures. it makes a real difference.
SpecStudioHN··on Ask HN: How do I do marketing for an app I made
often the difference between apps that gain traction and those that do not, is simply marketing execution. the app may be fine but how do you cut through the noise and reach the users that have the problem the app solves? as a developer, i too wish i knew the answer. one thing is sure: it’s a lot of work.
SpecStudioHN··on FarOutCompany
i wuz there.
SpecStudioHN··on Ask HN: What are tools you have made for yourself since the advent of AI?
oh boy, lots. i made a trainer that coaches you in nondual philosophy by quoting from the Upaniṣad; a Vedic Aspectarian that calculates your chart and analyses your transits; a better I Ching program that utilizes a time variable to throw the hexagrams; and then there’s our research software. none of this would have been possible without AI.
SpecStudioHN··on Doing something that’s never been done before (2025)
yes, our work with applying logical models of nondual systems like Advaita Vedānta, Daoism, Dzogchen as remedies for hallucination, sycophancy, adversarial instability and false continuity in AI systems is pretty unique and obscure.
SpecStudioHN··on Doing nothing at work
doing LOTS of nothing can also be a huge power move. i was in software development, technical writing contracting in Silicon Valley back in the 80s. i stepped away to do something completely different for 40 years. curiosity in AI brought me back. the background acquired from my exploration of an apparently unrelated field enabled me to develop some very advanced software concepts relevant to the problems with AI, and implement them in working code.
SpecStudioHN··on Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony
i’ve been through all of this, and it turned out fine. seriously people don’t hold a drug bust against you, if you can do the job. i’ve lived on the road, camped in Golden Gate Park, attended several Rainbow Gatherings, etc. after spending years in India as a monk, i couldn’t find a place in american society. i bootstrapped a new identity that let me live as a teacher and developer; but i had to move to Śrī Laṅkā to do it.
SpecStudioHN··on Anthropic_API_key? Anthropic will bill your API account instead of your Max plan
I accidentally discovered this while working on a project with Claude Code. Instead of contacting support, I just asked Claude what was going on, and it gave me the solution. In fact, it implemented the solution for me. So, it really is a skill and product knowledge issue, not some deep conspiracy.
SpecStudioHN··on A wild idea: Abstract reality using ontology
A necessary part of this semantic ontological layer would be an ontological model of the human being based on consciousness. The prevailing materialistic/behaviouristic model only describes human behaviour, missing the internal states in which that behaviour arises. While consciousness cannot be measured, everyone knows empirically that it exists. After all, if you were not conscious, you would not be reading this. So consciousness and its associated phenomena are part of the ground or substrate of all other phenomena. Therefore, it must be part of any comprehensive ontology.
SpecStudioHN··on Been trying to post and I am getting flagged for it
ditto. signed up, posted a link to a project, and whammo! flagged instantly.
SpecStudioHN··on Aging and Eye Problems
after COVID i experienced macular degeneration—first in the left eye, later in the right. unfortunately, I was in a rural area of India at the time, and there was no good ophthalmologist available. So the macular degeneration was diagnosed as cataracts; which were also there, but in a nascent stage and not yet the cause of vision problems. So I got a cataract procedure done on the left eye, and it basically changed nothing.

Later I moved to Sri Lanka, where there are good eye hospitals in the local area. There I got a proper diagnosis and was discouraged from a second cataract procedure. I am controlling the macular degeneration by high doses of ocular vitamins. As far as glasses, I also found progressive lenses pretty useless, so I have two pairs: one for distance and one for computer work.

SpecStudioHN··on Ask HN: What was your "oh shit" moment with GenAI?
when ChatGPT was released. LLMs went from being a toy to a serious creative tool overnight.
SpecStudioHN··on The HN shadowbanning situation is insane
he’s right; it happened to me too. new low-karma accounts can’t post anything without being banned, blocked or flagged. wanna bet they won’t even let me post this comment?