HNHacker News
TopNewBestAskShowJobs

maxrf

77 karma · joined December 30, 2019

submissionscomments
maxrf··on Kids who own phones have poorer reading comprehension scores than those who dont
Arghh, do we have to go through the whole "correlation vs causation" detail again...
maxrf··on Tell HN: Musk doesn't "have" a Trillion, he has the leverage
I do; because it matters in the 'real world' ;-}
maxrf··on What our DNA reveals about the sex life of Neanderthals
or even as simple as mitochondria...
maxrf··on Grok 4 seems to consult Elon Musk to answer controversial questions
It seems grok is doing exactly what musk warned against AI being able to...
maxrf··on 'I Think, Therefore I Am' Applies to AI, Possibly Even Self-Driving Cars (2020)
That all depends on what you mean by 'think'...
maxrf··on Introducing a terms of use and updated privacy notice for Firefox
where does it say "own"? it says: "nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use that information to help you navigate, experience, and interact with online content" type something - it's "used" to get what "you" want - how is that "own"?
maxrf··on Education and Healthcare Suck for the Same Reasons
It's also "you manage what you measure" - measure the wrong stuff ... I agree with empathy and 'EQ', better still if we can measure the outcomes we really want (vs the easy ones). That requires knowledge and insight.
maxrf··on Ask HN: Are you an optimist for the next 10 years?
We have a long history of 'dangerous' tech not destroying us - agriculture being one...

I grew up with the Doomsday Clock (atomic weapons) at 11:59... I think we'll muddle through.

It won't be 'irrational exuberance' again any time soon, nor the apocalypse (in my view).

maxrf··on How much Difficult to give and get honest feedback from people you know
Thanks, and agree it can feel 'mean and nasty' to disagree online - and that in-person politeness would help - yes, people will post things they wouldn't say.

PG has a take on why HN is more civil tl;dr 'it's behaviour not people' - in: 'dilution' at paulgraham dot com hackernews html

Thanks for the reply - appreciated.

maxrf··on Ask HN: How to Explain Tech to Parents?
This is a nice analogy for 'explaining' in general; start with the familiar and layer in new concepts gradually (checking understanding).
maxrf··on How much Difficult to give and get honest feedback from people you know
I'm old enough to be able to say confidently that there were plenty of de-socialised people before 'technology'. I'm with the OP that is a 'social', ie: human nature, issue - those 3 things - but also a skill - especially in a work environment where you don't know your colleagues as well (points 1 & 2) and you don't necessarily have 'psychological safety' (point 3).

As a counter example, I've recently been following the 'rise if cardboard', specifically the evolution of magic: the gathering, because some young friends offered to teach me the 'commander' variant - it's basically managed conflict in a social setting - I have to acknowledge, they're more skilled than me - I'm learning more than just the gameplay.

There's a nice article 'power struggles among nice people' that's relevant too - because of the automatic effect this has on our language (cue Steven Pinker). I'm with the group that thinks we have large brains to navigate complex social environments - ie: this stuff - because it's hard.

maxrf··on Ask HN: If you fed a D&D adventure book into AI could the AI be Dungeon Master?
I doubt that would be enough to replace a good dungeon master - though you may get an oatmeal game...
maxrf··on Ask HN: How are ensuring that your kids get the best education possible?
1. Be interested in their 'developmental stages' (different ages are different)

2. Be interested in their interests.

3. Your enthusiasm matters more than almost anything else.

maxrf··on Could Google Bard Disrupt Universities?
Let me make a start - and others can weigh in... I guess, that's my first point - a 'good' answer requires more nuance than the question provides. We're only a short evolutionary distance from our hunter-gatherer past, learning is still social, even 'academic' learning - why else ask these things on HN? A little while ago,I was turned down for a training course - offered to all, our CEO said 'you could learn that from a book' - true, but; I wanted an on-ramp to an unfamiliar area (felt I didn't know what I didn't know). I think the bard scenario provides an alluring step forward but misses some of the complexity of learning (especially for this audience who have internalized it). Short answer, I think it's a useful idea, we (bard) is not there - yet - will be a useful research assistant, has a way to go before being a tutor, I'm not sure our (human) side would benefit from replacing good lecturers - the best I've known could steer my curiosity in a way (social) that I don't see emerging from LLMs - yet...
maxrf··on The Scale of the Brain vs. Machine Learning (2022)
I think the author may be taking the (unspoken) position that we are just a physical system, no cartesian dualism, so comparisons of scale (accepting that processing mechanisms are vastly different) may be relevant. So Broca’s and Wernicke’s may be the scale of current LLMs, but that leaves other mechanisms in our GI, like the rest of the brain + processing elsewhere eg: the gut - and the social dimension of intelligence, on the table. I still found it an interesting read - just for the scale discussion.
maxrf··on Omission of New Zealand from Maps
We're just off the bottom right-hand corner of those maps - they're saving a little size - and cost :)
maxrf··on Ask HN: Where did you first come across functional programming?
jvm - scala, took martin odersky's course - was 'fun'
maxrf··on Ask HN: What is your “third place?”
2, Toastmasters & Gym (YMCA) - both provide sustenance, learning and social.
maxrf··on The AI Mirror Test, which smart people keep failing
Nice analogy - it's worth asking where the 'theory of mind' is happening - in the software? - or in the observer? ...
maxrf··on The brain is a closet (2009)
isn't the point (of the pile) that you tug on this thing - and it's attached to that, you tug on that... etc - ie: brain associations are more complex than a mesh. I remember tidying up my daughter's room and destroying her ability to find her clothes - she had no place to start...
maxrf··on Ask HN: Why Read Books?
Agree with this - and non-fiction too, all good writing is considered and distilled. One of the things I value about HN is the links to pieces I wouldn't have found otherwise - with links to source within a well thought through opinion. Good writing can make you think/feel deeply in a way that, in my experience at least, conversation can't.
maxrf··on Ask HN: How do you deal with recurrent depression/anxiety episodes?
If you're familiar with CBT, MBCT may help with the triggers by giving space when they happen [ https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/mindfu... ] I was lucky that a marriage counsellor was a clinical psychologist who had her own history too. I already knew the root cause but had no way to recognise triggers as they happened. Both some exploration in a safe environment and mbct practice gave me a 'thread back out' when overwhelmed. With time, I've come to be able to analyse the link and 'touch' the trigger's cause to reformulate for myself. There's a book for clinicians, I found the 1st edition useful, not sure what's changed in the update [ https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Based-Cognitive-Therapy-D... ] My daughter came to follow-up sessions, at 10 she would comment positively - that too helped. Best luck with your journey.
maxrf··on Merry Christmas, HN
that made me wonder about lifetime cost - I've just donated my wood, wire & ff-plastic tree of 20 years to another home, I don't have an answer tho' ...
maxrf··on Merry Christmas, HN
for me, it was having kids that made it special, I enjoyed the atmosphere, extra attention at friends houses as a kid - but the anticipation and excitement of my kids transformed a festival I didn't grow up liking. Sure, you do stuff for and with your kids during the year - but this became a two-way time - that has endured to their adulthood (not just the 'presents').
maxrf··on Merry Christmas, HN
I'm southern hemisphere too - thinking 'seasonal solstice' works for me...
maxrf··on Merry Christmas, HN
Merry Solstice Substitute! HN. I wasn't brought up Christian either, but loved the tradition with friends - and giving gifts under the mid-winter evergreen tree. Wishing everyone good things in 2023.
maxrf··on Turning music into a chore is how I became a musician
Isn't Momentary lapse the release after the split with Waters... perceptive maybe
maxrf··on Ask HN: What is the role of Product Manager?
[loosely] a project manager is responsible for process, a product manager is responsible for the end result.
maxrf··on Ask HN: Aging and learning. Does it become more difficult?
would you mind explaining that a little more please. my understanding is that 'slowdown' only has to do with the ease of using existing 'understandings' rather than an inherent ability to 'learn' (new organisations that work). I'm way past 30, the biggest barrier I find is letting go of things that were 'easy' and reorganising understanding in new ways.
maxrf··on Ask HN: What’s the origin of the phrase “Don’t feed the trolls?”
That was my thought too - on the origin of troll imagery, but not "don't feed" (or at least it's not explicit in the story which is more 'my brother is bigger' as I recall)
Page 1 of 2Next →