Hacker News Reader

fires10on Useful Spy Books

I was thinking it might be that most people claiming to be a former spy were just posing and not really a former spy. I know the few I dealt with that had the legitimate potential to actually being one were all very low key and wouldn't normally talk about it any way. I would probably lose faith in someone claiming to be a spy simply because of this. Not the dishonesty in being one, but that most who claim to be are probably not.

fires10on Scientists create matter from pure light, proving the Breit-Wheeler effect

This gives me a negative feeling.

fires10on Phony diagnoses hide high rates of drugging at nursing homes

There are times when getting someone on a 72 hour hold has been too difficult. I have been in situations where getting a 72 hour hold was necessary but was not possible. I'm glad it worked out for you. I can see both sides of it. I wish I knew a good solution.

fires10on Phony diagnoses hide high rates of drugging at nursing homes

Nursing homes are often paid by Medicaid. They typically won't pay for long term in home care.

fires10on Phony diagnoses hide high rates of drugging at nursing homes

I wonder about the generational demographics of different cultures and how that impacts things. Many western cultures have fewer children to bear the burden of taking care of the elderly. The populations are shrinking for native born.

fires10on Phony diagnoses hide high rates of drugging at nursing homes

A lot of this has to do with a lack of resources. There isn't enough labor available at home to take of the elderly most of the time and the ones in a home typically require extensive care. My father and mother in law both went to a nursing home because they couldn't perform basic daily activities.

fires10on A stranger secretly lived in my home

I wish that was an option. I've been there with mine.

fires10on Time Card and PTP on a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4

Industrial control systems and various sensor systems use it because it is built in to the network. Think embedded devices.

fires10on Chip shortage: Toyota to cut global production by 40%

My problem with 5K on an electric bike is the 50 mile commute one way to work in inclement weather.

fires10on Ask HN: Do you still use email?

I prefer email and built my workflow around it. I prefer email to most forms of communication unless it must be real time. I am 44.and work in a large corp. I prefer email when coordinating with outside groups. Email works across organizations.

fires10on Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

Not everyone has the option of going somewhere else. I would like to see that as a viable option for everyone. I have often wondered if we ensured everyone had a viable option how it would allow us to change discrimination laws. An employer of last resort that you can legitimately support yourself with. Not poverty wages.

fires10on Woke at Work: Why tech firms are trying to run away from politics and failing

I Don't think his assertions are unique to him. These assertions have been echoed and observed by others. Quantifying it would be rather difficult.

fires10on How do we know the history of extreme poverty? (2019)

There are other issues other than money with regards to the cost of food. Time is one of them. The poorer I was the less time I had. No the recipes would not have worked. Healthy food also not readily available. It is not typically an education issue. It also can be a form of addiction in a manner. Many people get addicted when they are young to eating a certain type of way. It can become virtually impossible for someone to break that addiction as they get older. They often get addicted as a child. Lack of healthy foods in many places is a real issue. I live and grew up here tight in the US. If there is a solution for this please do share. I have seen this trap of thought before, I was in it for a while.

fires10on Freedom of Speech (2019)

Yes, but much is created by bad actors knowingly spreading misinformation so it will go viral. I do not fault those who do not know better but I fault those who do or should by the result of their position. All leaders and candidates have an obligation to check there information. All purported news agencies or pundits as well. There is a different burden depending on audience an reasonable affect.

fires10on Show HN: Healthcare Is Dumb

I do not leave my current employer specifically because of health insurance. No other employer in the area provides comparable coverage. It would take about a $30,000.00 per year premium to get me to even consider leaving. Healthcare is my number one consideration on all employment decisions.

fires10on Modeling a Wealth Tax

I personally favor using an assumed income on wealth and taxiing that as income. I would favor treating all income as ordinary income and adjusting tax rates to accommodate changes in revenue. Income is income regardless of source. Simplicity can be helpful. Remove all tax credits and deduction except a standard deduction. There is no sense in taxing the poor it's just kind of cruel.

fires10on Increasing transparency through advertiser identity verification

Is this a case of perfect being the enemy of good?

fires10on Three free meals available daily for any New Yorker

You still need production at times and you don't want people losing momentum. It is hard to go from not working to working at a good pace. Keeping people in a working mind set I think is important.

fires10on Three free meals available daily for any New Yorker

Those unwilling to work would be sent home and temporarily suspended.

A reasonable appeal process and the ability to change managers or move to a different site.

I would build vocational training into this. You are in training either at your choice or as an assignment. Looking for another job would also be acceptable. If you don't have a GED, your only option would be training. I view unemployment as mismatch between the skills you have and the work that needs to be done or there is a slack in demand and we are trying to figure out what to do. I would build a strong scholarship program for those who demonstrate the ability for university level education. You would demonstrate that by your efforts in other training.

Making the pay less than minimum wage I think would be counter-productive. I would eliminate minimum wage and use this as a counter balance to compete with businesses that rely on minimum wage workers.

fires10on Three free meals available daily for any New Yorker

I would to as well. I can easily have a smaller grocery budget when my kids are in school and I eat at work. But if we are eating at home time is not always there to cook. The poor usually don't have time to cook. I have more time to cook now and eat at home which has lowered my grocery budget quite a bit. My cost of food dropped the wealthier I became.

fires10on Three free meals available daily for any New Yorker

I despise means testing as well. I also believe the moral hazard argument is over blown most of the time. I would like to see a guaranteed employer of last resort that pays enough for someone to live. This employer (federal agency) could adapt the work that is done to a situation. Provide opportunities for retraining and so forth. This could also provide the psychological safety many are in need of and reduce desperation. Means testing is expensive and causes many to not get the help they need.

fires10on Ask HN: What is the single top-priority software engineering problem?

As someone trying to learn c++ this would be great.

fires10on 'Break up big tech's monopoly': Smaller rivals join growing chorus

Can you clarify please?

fires10on Education and Men without Work

That is interesting. I will need to look into it more. Household size can skew the numbers with children involved. I could not rent a place and get food and other things like that for that amount. Also unemployment runs out after 6 months.

fires10on Education and Men without Work

What government benefits allows a man to stay at home and not work? Just curious. I have tried to get government benefits when I was unemployed and got nothing but a small amount of unemployment benefits. $275 a week. That doesn't cover anything. No Medicaid or housing help would be given as I did not have children.

fires10on Warren Buffett is spending billions to make Iowa 'the Saudi Arabia of wind'

https://www.fws.gov/birds/bird-enthusiasts/threats-to-birds....

Bird deaths from windmills are less than other causes.

fires10on Speaking to yourself in the third person makes you wiser

It's not unique to you.

fires10on Books and lectures don't work

I agree. I had to critique fellow classmates writing in a business writing course once. I am older and had been in the business world for a while. My one often used critique was brevity. I didn't have all day for then to get to the point.

fires10on Google requiring contractors get health care coverage, parental leave

Cite a source please. I have heard this but have never seen a source.

I believe Roosevelt said something along the lines of business that depend on paying less than a living wage do not have the right to exist or something. A simple search brought that up. Can you cite a source that is contemporary to when minimum wage was established?