Hacker News Reader

genkion Aspartame sweetener to be declared possible cancer risk by WHO, say reports

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10937404.2023.2...

I think this is the source of the more recent concerns around sucralose.

genkion The German Amateurs Who Discovered ‘Insect Armageddon’

I wrote up a root comment but this is actually a better place. I agree with this sentiment! The rest of this is additional commentary on the rest of the discussion on this article.

I don't know why but I'm seeing a lot of anecdotes to support or dispute the linked article. The world is much bigger than any one person's experience, and the data indicates that overall, there are fewer insects. We may have anecdotes that agree or disagree with that statement, but that doesn't disprove the statement or in fact provide any useful content to the discussion.

The real question here is 1. is this a bad sign (magic 8ball says yes) and 2. what can we do about it (this is a deeper question that can't be easily answered because we haven't done in-depth analysis of why these insects have started to disappear, but the suspicion would be that large-scale agricultural and suburban pesticide use is having a much larger and potentially disastrous effect on the earth's ecosystem).

The discussion I'd like to see here is about the ways we can verify this study (trust but verify), determine the source of the problem, and work torwards eliminating that source.

genkion Will Japan’s Geisha Survive the Digital Age? [audio]

Just happened to see a kerfuffle about this particular 'geisha' earlier on reddit, and the following was linked: http://missmyloko.tumblr.com/post/149454238268/a-random-psa-...

genkion Regular meditation may be more beneficial than vacation

I definitely think that the idea that you have to "make the best use of your time off" and the old "work hard/play hard" adage means that people are as stressed/busy when they're vacationing as when they're working. The concept of a staycation or just having weekends of not doing anything is really important.

These days I've found that my entertainment media is less stimulating and more inane precisely because I want to be able to disengage and let things recharge.

genkion By The Time You Give Them a Raise, They’re Already Out The Door

I think this is somewhat related to the concept of 'managing upwards'. While it might not be hard to tell people "I should be making more money", it should also not be difficult for a good manager to recognize "hey, this guy should be making more money". For me, there would not be a scenario where I'm asking my manager for more money but I'm also satisfied with the relationship with my company, because part of my job satisfaction in relation to my company is recognition of my efforts in the form of salary compensation.

I (personally) feel that there's an implicit understanding with my employer, wherein my above and beyond efforts will result in increased compensation. If I feel like I've been clearly outperforming my compensation level and that's not recognized, I'm more likely to search for a new job than to ask for a raise, because my current employer has already failed to meet their end of the bargain.

genkion Attach anything to anything with sugru and magnets

You could do it with the sugru itself, no? Have one side with indentations, make the other side align with those indentations. You don't need it to resist forceful rotation so much as casual bumps. Or just include a small pin or dowel with one side that sticks into the other side. You can attach more than just magnets.

genkion Why We No Longer Accept PayPal

I feel like this is a poorly written article. It doesn't present any sort of position, and the initial anecdote about the customer service issues and the author's indecision regarding support for Paypal have nothing to do with the subsequent issue, which (as has been stated) was simply a matter of not understanding Paypal's terms of service in the first place.

I guess I'm not sure what the point is. This doesn't seem to have anything to do with Paypal's poor customer service, nor does it seem to condemn Paypal's policy of not allowing trusts. It just seems to be another "me-too" article about no longer supporting Paypal as a method of payment, and it wasn't even a conscious choice by the business to discontinue that support.

genkion Satellites see Unprecedented Greenland Ice Sheet Melt

I wonder about the article title, too. How do they justify calling it "unprecedented" when they clearly state there's a precedent (melting events every 150 years on average)? Seems disingenuous at best.

genkion Lessons for Software Industry Novices

As a note, I would tread very carefully with #13 (Secret projects). Especially if you work on it at work. One of the reasons these types of projects never get approved is because of #6 (software must earn profits), and being seen working on that type of thing can give the impression that you know better than your boss, which is not the impression you want to give.

genkion Ask HN: Any good Macbook Air alternatives?

I've been on the lookout for the LG P220, but it doesn't seem like it's going to be released in North America... unfortunate. No word on pricing either, though that wasn't mentioned as a concern.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/12/lg-p220-ultraportable-spe...

genkion How To Get a Job in Japan. Or Anywhere.

While I think the advice is applicable, I'm not sure how it really differentiates from the shotgun resume approach. Either method involves making first contact, and nothing starts without some form of communication with the company you're interested in. The issue isn't throwing resumes at every company with no plan, the issue is actually getting to speak to someone at the company who knows what they're hiring for and is willing to talk to you about it. I don't think this article covers that first step (and nothing can be done without that initial contact).

genkion Early look into Khan Academy iPad app

Thanks for the video link! I'll check it out. I admit to hearing a lot about Khan Academy but not having had much time to actually investigate what they offer...

genkion Early look into Khan Academy iPad app

I thought that looked really interesting, but then I did a double take. Is this app an interactive exercise app that's tied to the Khan Academy videos on the related topic, or is it just a portal directly to said videos? What exactly can the student do with the app?

From his description, I see 'interactive transcripts', but I'm not sure exactly what that means...

I think there's a big difference between showing a student how to do things, and giving the student the ability to clearly demonstrate an understanding of the things you're trying to teach. I don't know what the ultimate goal of this app is, but I hope at some point there will be student interactivity such that exercises can be attempted and directed, specific feedback can be generated...

edit: oh look, it says exercises are coming in the next release. I'm not sure how I missed that! I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with!

genkion Earth may be headed into a mini Ice Age within a decade

"This could overturn decades of received wisdom on such things as CO2 emissions, and lead to radical shifts in government policy worldwide." - What exactly is the article implying? Are they somehow saying that CO2 emissions aren't a bad thing? Or that we should increase them so we can prevent the 'mini ice age' by increasing our negative effect on the climate?

Seems to be an extremely uninformed and misleading bit of 'reporting'...

genkion The power of culture - Why Japan will prevail.

No, I think the author's point is that the Japanese culture is the reason that there isn't panicked looting and rioting in the streets. Civil disorder is not uncommon after a natural disaster, especially when basic necessities are on the line. I think Japan as a country has done as well as it has because it is a culture of acting in the best interests of the whole, not of oneself (mostly as a result of its dense population, I would wager).

The preparation and organization played a large part in ensuring a minimum number of casualties, but there's no doubt that it was a culture of doing one's duty/service to society that ensured that all the preparation and organization actually came into play when disaster struck.

genkion Gay on Facebook: Nowhere to Hide

The main differences are the audience and the permanence. A comment on facebook is likely seen by everyone that friend knows, and the gay person doesn't control the friend's privacy settings, just his own. The other thing is that a comment on facebook is there to be seen whenever someone comes across it, as opposed to a careless comment which may or may not be heard or comprehended by anyone that heard it.

One of the other important points to note is that people often have different circles of friends, who may or may not intersect, and even if you control what one group of friends knows, you can't control whether the other group of friends happens to let something slip. A situation that likely wouldn't arise IRL could happen due to the Kevin Bacon degrees of separation rule (sometimes a group of friends will intersect another group through the most bizarre circumstances).

edit: I took too long to type this out obviously. Ha.

genkion The Right to Work

I notice the article didn't mention anything about engineers, either. Licensing doesn't make sense in every industry, but when people's lives depend on someone doing their job right, I think it's fair to require that someone demonstrate a minimum level of skill.