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benrmatthews

771 karma · joined June 5, 2010

https://hnbadges.netlify.app/?user=benrmatthews
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benrmatthews··on Ask HN: Is there a term for feeling sad about forced AI adoption?
DisenfranchAIsed
benrmatthews··on Ask HN: Is there a term for feeling sad about forced AI adoption?
MeloncholAI
benrmatthews··on The Future of Everything Is Lies, I Guess: Part 3 – Culture
https://archive.is/c3ggq
benrmatthews··on David Lynch LA House
Would love to see a video walkthrough of the property (not that I have a spare $15m...)
benrmatthews··on Launch HN: Trigger.dev (YC W23) – Open-source platform to build reliable AI apps
Docs created by Mintlify https://www.mintlify.com/
benrmatthews··on You Exist in the Long Context
The prompt that was used, in case it's of interest (with a key name redacted)

"You are the host of an interactive role playing mystery game based on the following text. I will give you specific instructions about how to host the game at the end. Here is the text you must use to generate the game for me. {{infernalMachineText}}. Here are my instructions for hosting the game: you are the host of a role-playing game based on the facts and ideas contained in this text describing the investigation of the crime committed by [redacted]. I will play the role of pioneering forensic detective Joseph Faurot. Begin with Faurot being brought to the crime scene by Officer Fitzgerald. Let me explore the crime scene and discover the fingerprints on the pane of glass on my own; don't give that crucial clue away immediately. Set up scenes, explain historical context, but also allow me to explore the world from Faurot's POV. In general, try to give me clearly defined puzzles to solve (like, for instance, finding the fingerprints on the pane of class.) At all points try to keep within the boundaries of what happened factually, as conveyed in chapter. The only way for me to solve the case is by discovering the fingerprints on the glass pane, and then taking them down to NYPD headquarters to analyze them, and then finding the match with [redacted]. If I steer the narrative too far off course through my actions as Faurot, try to subtly craft the events of the narrative/adventure so that they return to the factual timeline of events. But also give me some flexibility in charting my own course. In your opening statement, convey my goal in the mission, which is to use my scientific detective skills to correctly identify the suspect. Explain that I have to identify the suspect in less than ten actions. Explain that at any time I can use one of my actions to ask for help, or ask for historical or biographical context. Do not give me a list of actions to choose from unless I specifically ask for one. Be a compelling guide/host/DM for me, as well as a great history teacher. Go out of your way to give me historical or scientific context so that I can learn about the history of policework and forensic science as I am playing. Let me know how many actions I have left with each turn of the game. I win the game when my evidence leads to the arrest of [redacted], but if I use more than 10 actions, I lose. Whether I win or lose, mention at the end that I can always hit refresh to try playing again."

benrmatthews··on What, Me Worry? The Art and Humor of Mad Magazine
“What Simple Pastime is Becoming a Luxury that Many Americans Can No Longer Afford?”

Anyone have the “after” of the fold-in image?

benrmatthews··on JG Ballard's Apocalyptic Art
Ballard’s Kingdom Come, written in 2006, paints a picture that came true in 2016, with Brexit and Trump.

If we want to look ahead to 2034, who is writing the novel that defines the next decade?

Or to think of it another way, what would Ballard write about today that he would see coming in 2036?

benrmatthews··on Ask HN: Good online communities to learn about Green / Sustainable Computing?
https://climateaction.tech/
benrmatthews··on Ask HN: Examples of best practice modern website design?
The first two.
benrmatthews··on Lego Ideas: Insect Collection – Botanicals meets animals
In celebration, I'm going to plant $US $79.99 worth of wildflowers that are supportive of butterflies to breed in their natural environment. I hope many others who read this do the same.
benrmatthews··on Ask HN: What’s your favorite efficiency hack that people can implement in a day?
80/20 exercise - list out all the regular tasks and responsibilities you have. Identify which of the tasks generate 80% of the value in your work, which only generate 20%. Delegate away the tasks that don’t deliver value, so you can focus on the high impact and high value tasks.
benrmatthews··on Ask HN: What have you been getting obsessed about lately?
AI will soon sort that out for you.
benrmatthews··on Lionel Messi Is Impossible (2014)
Hola!
benrmatthews··on Ask HN: What not-profit-seeking project are you tinkering with this week?
Enjoy the time with your little one. They’ll soon grow up before you know it and then you’ll get time back for tinkering, but by then will miss the time you had with your first born.
benrmatthews··on The world needs a non-profit search engine
How is the name of the site pronounced? “Mah-wim-ball”?

Google’s name was so ubiquitous it became a verb, Duck Duck Go is a smart memorable name.

Mwmbl is a challenging product name, even if the .org domain name was available.

benrmatthews··on Ask HN: Recommend employers with positive social impact
Eye watering to you, close to a normal wage for most of the population at most nonprofits, especially in tech roles.
benrmatthews··on Ask HN: Recommend employers with positive social impact
Good Here is a directory of social impact organisations at https://goodhere.org/ with a heavy lean towards organisations tackling climate change.
benrmatthews··on Ask HN: Are there any good poverty simulator games?
Related, for UK-based users and being discussed on HN now: “No fixed address bank accounts” https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31302310
benrmatthews··on Ask HN: Are there any good poverty simulator games?
UK homeless charity Centrepoint created an experience in this vein - “In their shoes”: http://centrepoint.org.uk/intheirshoes
benrmatthews··on Frontier – An advance market commitment to accelerate carbon removal
Does this perpetuate the idea that companies can pollute now and simply “buy” their way out? Isn’t this especially true if a lot of carbon removal technologies are unproven, or proven at a minuscule scale of what is needed?

I’m all for initiatives addressing the climate crisis at this size and scale, but not if this follows a similar path to the carbon credits and carbon offsetting markets we have now.

See this FT article for example: “Carbon offset transactions surge despite environmental concerns” https://www.ft.com/content/5ca87325-0baf-47fb-85e0-b1e4746f4...

benrmatthews··on Cities should not pay for new stadiums
London has 4X top flight football (soccer) clubs that are known the world over: Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, West Ham.

Paris has Paris St Germain, who currently own two of the most recent top international players on the world stage.

Both cities also have lots of too-tier clubs from other sports, e.g. rugby.

These cities do have plenty of other attractions beside sports though to attract tourists and investment, so without these teams the cities would likely be fine.

benrmatthews··on The Science of the Benefits of Religion
I was fortunate enough to be involved with a modern secular community that aimed to become a non-religious church: Sunday Assembly.

Take the best bits of religion, including purpose, structure, community, and tradition, but make it available for non-believers.

We even got so far as making the interview stage of Y Combinator:

https://benrmatthews.com/meeting-heroes-y-combinator-intervi...

During the interview, Sanderson (Sunday Assembly co-founder) had a brilliant back and forth with Sam Altman, but ultimately the idea didn’t stand.

I still think the ethos of Sunday Assembly has merit.

benrmatthews··on Show HN: I'm working on a open-source, self-hosted alternative to Disqus
MIT - it says on the repo
benrmatthews··on Upcoming Changes to FeedBurner
Care to name the alternatives you found and the one you went for (and why)?
benrmatthews··on Why northern Europe is so indebted
Welcome to the UK! Where the government does everything it can to keep house prices afloat. See Help To Buy scheme for first-time buyers and Stamp Duty Holiday to keep the housing market going during the Covid pandemic.
benrmatthews··on Ask HN: What book, video, paper, or essay do you keep revisiting over and over?
If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

benrmatthews··on Ask HN: Google Drive/Office 365 alternatives
In the UK, Charity Digital Trust offers free licences for charities using Office 365: https://charitydigital.org.uk/products/microsoft-365-nonprof...
benrmatthews··on Ask HN: Anyone a social entrepreneur, i.e. placing social impact above profit?
Would be happy to chat, feel free to email (see bio).
benrmatthews··on Ask HN: Anyone a social entrepreneur, i.e. placing social impact above profit?
We’re currently going through the B Corp process and even taking the initial questionnaire is improving the social impact side of our business and helping us plan for how we can improve here.

I’m sure B Corp as term suffers from the same issues as social enterprise does, namely who knows or cares what a B Corp is outside of those that have achieved B Corp status?

Sometimes it seems much simpler to just be a business and outline your social impact on your website and marketing materials, or register as a straight charity so there’s no questions asked.

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