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code_duck

8,872 karma · joined September 5, 2009

Cipher Flamingo?

Instruction Set Egret

Opcode Pelican

Function Sparrow

Heron of Homoiconicity

Script Pigeon

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code_duck··on Spain blocks prediction markets Polymarket, Kalshi over lack of gambling licence
People sometimes do drastic things when they experience large gambling losses. They might embezzle, rob, scam, be unable to pay rent or debts. It has a significant effect on people who are not directly involved in gambling.
code_duck··on Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews
The original is amazing for an 8 bit game. If I was going to suggest skipping one it would definitely be 3.
code_duck··on Phantasy Star IV – 1993 Developer Interviews
Incidentally, there are remakes of the first two for PS2, released under the Sega AGES line of discount games. Unfortunately, only in Japanese at the time I played, though translation patches are now available. They’re called Phantasy Star Generation 1 and 2. There is also a release of a compilation of the original games for PS2.
code_duck··on Neutron scattering explains why gluten-free pasta falls apart (2025)
"Gluten free pasta" is not an adequate description. It's defining a food product by what it is not made out of. I assume they mean chickpea, or one of the kinds that's a blend with quinoa, because corn or brown rice pasta is actually much more resilient than gluten pasta. You can cook the rice pasta far overtime and it does not fall apart. Chickpea pasta disintegrates, though. Anyway, not to distract from the real topic.
code_duck··on Is AI Profitable Yet?
I've received some decent benefits from it without paying anything.
code_duck··on Googlebook
Seems like they want a MacBook for people with Pixel phones. Okay. I assume it will be an ARM based system running some Android variant, if you can seamlessly launch Android apps on it. "Designed for Gemini Intelligence" is somewhat repellant - look at how poorly MS has done pushing Copilot on people. Overall I'd need way more info to know if this is a device I'd be interested in at all, but since I have a MacBook and iPhone, I don't think I'm the target market. Perhaps their ideal target market, but it seems like this would be best for people who are already knee deep in the Google ecosystem.
code_duck··on What we lost the last time code got cheap
AI learned it from somewhere.
code_duck··on Your phone is about to stop being yours
Didn’t Microsoft somehow ruin Dr DOS? Not technically, but didn’t they sue them or something? Which would mean this is the same issue, 40 years later. Yes, I was there on the 80s, but I had a Commodore 64. We did use GEOS, if that counts. I was not present for the 70s.
code_duck··on Your phone is about to stop being yours
Oh yeah, odd. Anyway, I’m aware of alternate mainframe OSs but I’m not sure how common using one was. Other than OS2, alternate OSs for other systems were rather rare, though it is worth noting that they were not forbidden or blocked.
code_duck··on Your phone is about to stop being yours
It’s the same situation as game consoles. Custom built hardware that is only meant to run the one specific vendor OS. There have been many other computing devices like that in the past as well. The general purpose desktop computer that allows a choice of operating systems is actually less common than the other way. Historically, people didn’t expect to run alternate operating systems on a mainframe, 80s and 90s computers like a Commodore 64, Power PC Macs, Amigas and DOS/Windows machines until Linux came along.
code_duck··on Tell HN: Anthropic no longer allowing Claude Code subscriptions to use OpenClaw
Somehow this was coming up a few years ago where people kept saying that Apple could face antitrust because they were the only company who made iOS and controlled the App Store. Given that android exists, and has roughly equal market share, that didn’t make much sense to me, but I kept seeing it being discussed.
code_duck··on Apple discontinues the Mac Pro
Oh, I interpreted it as “did work using a Mac Pro” vs helped develop the Mac Pro itself.
code_duck··on Do Not Turn Child Protection into Internet Access Control
Same as ever, advertisers and the government. Plus, it would mean platforms could ban troublesome people or those they deem undesirable more effectively.
code_duck··on The Appalling Stupidity of Spotify's AI DJ
Yeah, if he wants to listen to your complete albums, it’s unclear to me why he would be using a DJ feature or expected the DJ to do that. Just play the albums manually or set up playlist. It’s like having a six CD changer and putting it on shuffle and then complaining that it shuffles.
code_duck··on Digg is gone again
There’s also browser fingerprinting
code_duck··on Why it takes you and an elephant the same amount of time to poop (2017)
It doesn’t make much sense as 20 liters is 2000 times 10 ml, also.
code_duck··on Our Agreement with the Department of War
He doesn’t actually have the authority to rename the department. That would be up to Congress.
code_duck··on How did Windows 95 get permission to put Weezer video 'Buddy Holly' on the CD?
that style of game came and went fairly quickly, for good reasons.
code_duck··on Microsoft forced me to switch to Linux
The whole upgrade to Windows 11 was forced on me by Microsoft, basically using trickery. I opened windows update and it said there were some updates… Did not make it clear at all that it would be taking my system from Windows 10 to 11. I thought it was just installing security updates. I would’ve had to change it anyway when 10 support ended, but I still had about four months and wanted to wait.
code_duck··on Making glow-in-the-dark Strontium Aluminate
Pretty interesting. I knew someone years ago who made batches of borosilicate glass with this stuff. It’s difficult to work, unfortunately. The glow effect fades if you work it too much. I still have a bunch of his glow glass.
code_duck··on Spotify's Plot Against Musicians
remove the p/ at the end and it works.
code_duck··on Flappy Bird for Android, only C, under 100KB
Many early 80s 8-bit console games worked this way. I'm thinking of games like Transbot for the Sega Master System. There are a few different levels, with various enemy configurations and scenery, but it has no ending and goes on forever without any real changes.
code_duck··on Type 2 diabetes drug associated with 35% lower risk of dementia, study finds
We could, I guess, with some biochemical wizardy. Insulin does more than just reduce blood glucose, though. It allows the glucose to enter muscle and brain cells to be used for energy. People with Type 1 need just as many carbs and as much energy as other people, of course, it's just that their body can't use it properly. Insulin does have the drawback of being a fat storage hormone though. Such a device sure would be great for people who indulge in too many carbs!
code_duck··on Type 2 diabetes drug associated with 35% lower risk of dementia, study finds
I've heard that AAPS is more sophisticated. I'm definitely not too happy with the Tandem system. Some people say they get better levels with Control IQ, but I don't. The T:Slim does have the ability to set basal rates for different times of day, and takes as input your insulin to carb ratio, correction ratio, weight, and tracks IoB. I don't think the insulin on board algo is very good... it starts decreasing before I see any effect on my glucose, and dissipates quicker than I expect. They base it on insulin lasting 5 hours, I think, but it seems to calculate less time. It's not a 'learning' algorithm either afaik.

The lack of carbs is perhaps the worst for me. Even if I track then on the Dexcom app, it doesn't use them. The automatic boluses are often wrong. When I had it anywhere near my real ratio, it would 'predict' I was going over 160 and automatically dose me. So, say I was at 85, and had 15 grams of potato chips. My glucose would rise quickly and as it went over 125, 140, the system would predict it was going up past 160 - or who knows, since it doesn't know how many carbs I ate. So then it would dose me with say, 1.1 units, which was enough to take my glucose -back to 85-. That sent me in loops a couple of times... 85, eat, up to 145, automatic bolus, back to 85, eat, up to 145 - very annoying when it happened at night. I had to set my carb ratio so high that the automatic boluses are now insignificant amounts like .16 units. It also doesn't notify you on your phone about automatic boluses, which has caused me major problems when I'd also manually correct. The automatic basal reduction (Basal IQ) is useful though.

Anyhow, I'd love to try AAPS but I don't have an Android phone. I also used to follow someone on Twitter who was developing his own software that he said removed the need to pre-bolus at all. Not sure about the details though.

code_duck··on Type 2 diabetes drug associated with 35% lower risk of dementia, study finds
That’s already the concept of insulin pumps. The problem currently is that subcutaneous insulin takes too long to work to be very precise, and also, pumps don’t have a concept of carb intake. They try to predict whether automatic doses are need based on trends. Also, typical blood glucose for a non-diabetic person is 85 mg/dL. This is fairly close to the line of hypoglycemia, which is under 70, so automated pumps aim to keep glucose somewhat higher. For the Tandem T:Slim, it attempts to maintain 110, for instance. I am not familiar with most of the drugs listed there but I suspect their action would be far too slow to work very well in that regard.
code_duck··on Zuckerberg claims regret on caving to White House pressure on content
FB has an entire team of very well paid people whose entire job is to tweak this algorithm. Presenting relevant content is the whole concept. I suspect where it goes wrong is chasing “engagement” at all costs despite whether it’s emotionally pleasant to the viewer. FB doesn’t care if I actually like the content they present - just whether it keeps me on the site longer. That is, I believe, a poor choice since, at least in my case, it led me to stop using their service.
code_duck··on Zuckerberg claims regret on caving to White House pressure on content
They were people I was connected to as part of my line of trade.
code_duck··on Zuckerberg claims regret on caving to White House pressure on content
Same here. There was nothing I could do to get my feed to not be full of provocatively insulting and irritating political posts. I’d unfollow, unfriend, block, say “show me less of this” and so on. But when I’d unfriend some person, very next thing on my feed would be political content I didn’t like from some totally random person on my friend list who I’d never interacted with. Meanwhile I’d notice that people I actually knew in person had life events I’d want to know about - got married, took a nice vacation, had children even, and FB had never showed me stuff like that! So I just stopped using it entirely. Then when I went back after a few years, the site demanded my driver’s license. So guess I will just never sign in again.
code_duck··on Why is the Oral-B iOS app almost 300 MB? And why is Colgate's app even bigger..?
It seems rather inefficient since most users will only have one model of toothbrush.
code_duck··on Blockbuster Video VHS insert template
Blockbuster does still exist and the trademarks are owned by Dish Network. The sole remaining franchisee is in Bend, Oregon.
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