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kerneloftruth

556 karma · joined December 16, 2021

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kerneloftruth··on Climate change won’t wait for future innovation – we need action now
It was actually 12 years:

https://news.yahoo.com/ocasio-cortez-world-going-end-1505170...

The point is, beware making quantified predictions. Climate change is real, but when one makes hyperbolic predictions with a quantified timeframe, and then it doesn't happen, the argument is weakened, and skeptics are reinforced.

Al Gore learned the same lesson.

kerneloftruth··on Climate change won’t wait for future innovation – we need action now
According to AOC, the earth will end in 6 years (she predicted 10 years remaining 4 years ago). I'm not aware of an update to her estimate.
kerneloftruth··on When IBM Was the Center of Gravity (2021)
I'm curious when it was you were there. I was in IBM from 1985-1992, and it felt like the ending of an era. At first, it was a place that invested heavily in its people. Private offices, nice facilities, very good pay, and a _requirement_ that you had to take classes related to your field every year. IBM would hire excellent faculty and instructors from universities and other companies to teach them. They sponsored technical conferences that were really good (actual learning, not just sales). When I was in graduate school, my director had me focus on doing my homework and projects as 80% of my time -- literally getting paid to be a student. My colleagues and I were proud to be "IBMers" at that time.

But things started to change in 1990-91. The company lost money for the first time in its history, and then divided into separate parts. My division became what is now the horrible IBM Global Services. In those last 2 years it became clear to me that it was time to branch out of there. Since then, I've know no IBM employee at all who is happy, much less proud.

All these great old institutions ultimately fade or fail. It used to seem more sad to me, but I've grown to favor "fail fast" more. IBM should just go...sell all the IP and branding off and call it a day. Then, new innovation will happen faster.

kerneloftruth··on Ask HN: Any weird tips for weight loss?
"84% of all weight that is lost is in the form of carbon dioxide"

1. Question the premise you're starting with (because it's false).

2. Do more physical activity. Ramp up slowly, but ensure movement and cardio every single day.

3. Eat less, and eat healthier.

kerneloftruth··on The new silent majority: People who don't tweet
It was added in the '90s.

https://www.salon.com/2007/10/08/lgbt/

kerneloftruth··on Senior devs. Is anyone else insulted by coding exams?
I've been reading these stories of interview questions for 10+ years now, and it seems to get progressively worse over time. It all reinforces for me the decision to be an independent consultant all my career. I get hired because somebody needs help thinking about their product/design, a project completed, or a difficult bug solved. We talk about what I propose for them to do, and I'll explain what I've done in the past that's relevant or useful. I'm not there to join the family, so I deal with Purchasing and Accounting, not HR.
kerneloftruth··on The new silent majority: People who don't tweet
I know LGB people who balk at the TQ.* additions to the acronym. Their arguments are cogent and logical. There seems to be plenty of room to disagree, because not all the constituents of the acronym are really fighting the same cause, or even see the groups as all being one team.
kerneloftruth··on Maria Divina O’Brien takes us inside the Caribbean tech scene
As it's Women's History Month, and Google being Google, I'm betting there's a plan for a piece like this to be published every day this month. Boring and empty.
kerneloftruth··on Ask HN: How do a prepare mentally for war?
Live one day at a time. Consume news to stay abreast of the events and to keep aware, but only sufficient for that purpose -- do not dwell or doomscroll. Eat a healthy diet. Your job, family, and home should fill all your other time. Exercise and sleep. Be deliberate about all these.

We can't control what may come, but maintaining as much of that in our immediate sphere is the best one can do for sanity.

kerneloftruth··on How Does This End?
On the other hand, don't underestimate what little regard Russia and China both have for human life. Russia lost 27 million in WWII[1], many times the numbers lost by the West, combined. China's record on human rights also speaks for itself. Xi and Putin both see themselves as messianic, and both have grand visions for their countries gaining power. They want to act, and it has begun. They're thinking in terms of the next century, and great losses of people will just be part of a great reset (as a broken egg is to an omelette). It's what follows in centuries to come that matters to them.

I wouldn't put it past them, and that thinking is of course not mutually exclusive from those who are seeking Armageddon as you note. That both kinds of minds are in charge of each side is downright terrifying, indeed.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties_of_the...

kerneloftruth··on China Is Not Russia. Taiwan Is Not Ukraine
Or have they been? "Unplugged" is a good metaphor, for they currently control the vast majority of energy to all of Europe[1]. We're turning Russia into a gigantic version of North Korea, and with the same major ally, China. What happens if Russia diverts its gas sales to China -- it's Europe that'll be unplugged.

1. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g5701h.ct003365/?r=0.025,0.336,...

kerneloftruth··on China Is Not Russia. Taiwan Is Not Ukraine

   One thing is sure: if China still wants to invade Taiwan, they certainly have postponed their plans by a few years, maybe a decade, maybe even more.
How can you be so certain? This reminds me of people saying just 14 days ago "I don't think Putin is going to invade."

Taiwan is not Ukraine, indeed -- Taiwan would be easier to capture because it is an island. There aren't land borders across which supplies and weapons can be brought. They would have to come by ship or plane, which are easier to defeat. It would be easier, militarily, to take Taiwan. China certainly has the will, and it has learned that the worst it would face would be some sanctions.

kerneloftruth··on YouTube suspends The Hill for playing clip of Trump denying election results
They're also doing what their regulators in the House and Senate have demanded they do. The line between a private operator exercising their will, and acting on the will of the government, is very thin and quite blurred.

I think of YouTube (and many others) as akin to state media anymore.

kerneloftruth··on U.S. firm Cogent cutting internet service to Russia
Grassroots change in an autocracy (dictatorship), where protest is banned and criticizing the leader can get you killed is a lot to ask for, much less expect, as a result. Such actions may just rally ordinary Russians against the sanctioners
kerneloftruth··on Statement from Roman Abramovich
That's what "net" means, yes.
kerneloftruth··on Asian-Americans fight back against school discrimination
So, racist policy (including or excluding based on race) is okay if you can rationalize it? Racism isn't absolutely bad... it's only that depending on who is doing it?
kerneloftruth··on Asian-Americans fight back against school discrimination

    There is no "mainstream Progressive (sic) justification" for discriminating against Asians, because there is no progressive political platform built on discriminating against Asians.
Oh there is one that's forming, indeed. Asian-Americans are now called "white adjacent": https://www.asian-dawn.com/2020/11/17/school-district-catego...
kerneloftruth··on Car dealerships don’t want cash, they want to give loans
As soon as I started paying for cars with cash, I noticed a palpable cold, if not subtly hostile, attitude from dealership salesmen. I learned from that to only buy from online wholesalers (I've used cartelligent 3 times, all good).

Most dealership profits come from interest on those loans.

kerneloftruth··on Toyota suspends domestic factory operations after suspected cyber attack
A supplier was hit, so they suspended domestic (i.e. Japanese) production. The title is actually a good encapsulation, and not at all click bait. Gotta celebrate these rare times when it's a legit title.
kerneloftruth··on Ask HN: How do you judge if an employee should be retained?
I suggest you measure COST TO YOU if you lose them. That would be the loss of productivity + cost of hiring somebody new + cost of training + risk of that person not being as good.
kerneloftruth··on Ask HN: Is anyone else genuinely scared that this is the start of WW3?
You and Joy Behar. https://toofab.com/2022/02/25/joy-behar-worries-russia-ukrai...
kerneloftruth··on Tell HN: Kasparov's 2015 book should have been a must read for many
Europe should have listened to a clearly stated warning even more recently: when Trump warned about Germany depending on Russian gas

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nato-summit-pipeline-idUS...

kerneloftruth··on More than 600 Russian scientists sign open letter against war with Ukraine
"Effective" means the aggression and seizure stops, and they retreat. Letters from oligarchs aren't changing anything.

They've had this effect: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/putin-orders-nuclear-dete...

kerneloftruth··on Gas Embargo Would Hit Russia Hardest

   but unless American gas producers artificially lower their gas prices
They should start producing more, and return us to being a net exporter as we were just 2 years ago; and, let the Keystone XL pipeline resume; and, expand domestic leases; ...

"Artificial" never works over time. Embracing reality is much more effective.

kerneloftruth··on Tell HN: YouTube is banning accounts that support Ukraine
Yes, not embarrassing for them -- but is more clarification for us.
kerneloftruth··on Invasion could drive 5M Ukrainians to flee abroad – U.N
Yes, but now he's silent about what goes on in his new home, regardless how he got there. He could at least acknowledge the irony. And maybe note that now he really is in a place where human rights are minimal.
kerneloftruth··on Invasion could drive 5M Ukrainians to flee abroad – U.N
Exactly. Yet notice who he's focused his criticism on all these years. I've never heard him acknowledge the irony of how he's living.
kerneloftruth··on Los Angeles is spending up to $837k to house a single homeless person
"That is hard to implement in a free country"

The past 2 years proves that entirely untrue.

kerneloftruth··on Los Angeles is spending up to $837k to house a single homeless person
Yes, exactly right. That is where they can learn and establish structure in their life, and build a foundation. These were once referred to as Independent Living Skills. Once taught and established, then they can hopefully translate that into a healthier life on their own.
kerneloftruth··on Los Angeles is spending up to $837k to house a single homeless person
The sad part is how long such spending has gone on across the state.

They're homeless because they're mentally ill, not because of the tautological nonsense of "they're homeless because they haven't a home". The mental illness is exceeded only by the stupidity of the policies.

Instead of the singular focus on establishing state-paid housing, _requiring_ treatment for the chronically homeless is far overdue. The option of shooting-up and camping on the streets clearly has not worked in any way -- show me the data for how that helps anybody.

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