Hacker News Reader

ongyteneson Taking a walk may lead to more creativity than sitting, study finds (2014)

Thomas Edison believed there wasn't a future in alternating current as "a motor won't run it"

Nicolas Tesla wrestled with this problem and one morning while strolling, he looked towards the sun and seen the fog had produced a halo around it. It was the moment he had his epiphany on how he could make an AC motor.

ongyteneson Codex Hacked a Samsung TV

The only way it could have hacked my old TV is to hack a robot, break into my house and flip the channels. LOL

ongyteneson The future of everything is lies, I guess – Part 5: Annoyances

I was blocked from reading this article. I was intrigued enough from the summary to consider reading his other parts from the series.

He chose to block me based on the state I live in.

ongyteneson Following 35% growth, solar has passed hydro on US grid

Since the 1990s the US has removed over 1,000 dams. If those dams were still producing power, then how would that affect their claim?

ongyteneson Following 35% growth, solar has passed hydro on US grid

If they hadn't blew up the hydrodams, could they still say that?

ongyteneson Global Intelligence Crisis

Reminds me of the story of Henry Ford, then an elderly man proudly showing off the first two robots on the assembly line to the representative of the automotive union.

To which the representative asked how many cars the robots will buy.

ongyteneson My Home Fibre Network Disintegrated

I've for decades have opted to use pvc conduit for underground installations. This way I can pull/replace wire. Reading this made me realize that putting fiber inside conduit in inaccessible areas would be a safe way to go.

Years ago some electronics sensors were replaced and started having problems. I came to realize it was a voltage drop with the new increased load. I was able to pull in new larger wire by using the old wire as the puller.

ongyteneson Vietnam bans unskippable ads

I often blacklist sites that cover content with unremovable ads or has unrelenting ads. They need a clear button that acknowledges I've seen it and to stop annoying me.

ongyteneson C Is Best (2025)

I've started using SQLite years ago for its use of a single file to store data. Along the way, I found more reasons to like it. Today, I discovered a new reason when I read this article.

I also noticed many software companies have been switching to SQLite for storing data. Audacity has switched from using hundreds of tiny audio files in multiple folders for a single recording to a single file using SQLite. I suspect it is the reliability that comes from sticking to C

ongyteneson Jensen: 'We've done our country a great disservice' by offshoring

Hmm Could Jensen's statement be motivated that by forcing companies to build AI infrastructure would ensure more of his Nvidia AI chips to be sold? I keep seeing him say things that makes him appear bias towards more sales. Like dismissing any possibility that an AI bubble is growing. To admit the possibility may hurt sales.

ongyteneson Microsoft Office renamed to “Microsoft 365 Copilot app”

I guess Micro$oft has so much invested into their AI that they're trying to insure a return on that investment by pushing it onto everyone.

I read this morning that their AI i to provide free heating for 6,000 nearby homes with its heat waste. So to use M$ AI is to do 'your good deed' and subsidize someone's heating.

ongyteneson Fifty problems with standard web APIs in 2025

In defense of Firefox, there is a reason for the iOS Firefox browser being so bad. Apple mandates all other browsers to use the WebKit rendering engine instead of their own. Firefox isn't able to use the Gecko engine. I guess Apple is afraid that others will show up the Safari browser.

ongyteneson The Deviancy Signal: Having "Nothing to Hide" Is a Threat to Us All

Protecting your anonymity isn't a sign that you're hiding something because you have done something wrong. It is because you're cautious. Even the most benign information can be use against you. European Jews in the early 1900s gave census takers the info yhat they were Jews. Decades later that info was collated with punch card machines by the Nazis to build family trees to hunt them down. This is an example of how "innocent" info can be weaponized in ways you would never dream of.

ongyteneson Google's new 'Aluminium OS' project brings Android to PC

  Yea! Finally an answer to the big brother Windows 11!

  But isn't Google just as bad at spying on us? It's just trading one big brother for an another.

  Oh yeah... didn't think of that.

 Hey haven't you ever just ever considered using Linux?

ongyteneson 'No One Lives Forever' turns 25 and you still can't buy it legitimately

The modern copyright is having the opposite effect of what the founding Fathers had intended. The copyright was meant to provide protection and income to an author's family in the event of his death. Then after a reasonable time, the book passes into public domain for posterity. But today the copyright has an unreasonable time. A time that was for family to live on now has become a time for corporations to squeeze. Copyright law has become weaponized filled with landmines.

Now instead, works become inaccessible, out of print, and forgotten by the time it becomes public domain. The cult following, the fans, and the curious have long died out, leaving the work to pass into the abyss to join the works in the Library of Alexandria.

ongyteneson Funding Open Source like public infrastructure

I would be concerned how a future government would want to regulate open source if they took it over.

ongyteneson Tesla remotely deactivates rapper's vehicle for singing about the Cybertruck?

Could be the vehicle stopped for some other reason and the rapper falsely accused Tesla. It would help as PR for his song as people will want to hear it.

Note most gas powered cars now can do this. General Motors has been able to remotely deactivate vehicles since 2009 using their OnStar technology. Biden administration has mandated all cars to have this technology.

ongyteneson The Future of Flatpak

I really dislike Flatpak because the humongous sizes of packages. I noticed that Telegram flatpak was 1.1GB in size and requires 3.6GB of the hard drive, whereas the regular DEB install was 28MB and needs only 82 MB.

And there was no DEB available for Signal in the LinuxMint package manager. It also was a 1.1GB download that required 3.6GB of hard drive. Reason there is no Signal app on my desktop.

ongyteneson Show HN: Driverless print server for legacy printers, profit goes to open-source

I was told that HP no longer allows a person scan a document into their computer without a valid HP cartridge installed. I used an old HP printer for years as a scanner without any cartridge installed. (Brothers as my actual printers) Recently it has died and I am looking to replace it. I been looking at old printers with scanners in the thrift stores as a replacement. Question is; has Brother gone over to Darkside of requiring a cartridge for non-print jobs? Is so I CAN'T and will NOT recommend Brother as my preferred printer to my clients.

ongyteneson I thought I bought a camera, but no DJI sold me a license to use it [video]

Mandatory app +camera = citizens unwittingly spying for a foreign power?

ongyteneson What if we made advertising illegal?

I believe companies would resort to paying individuals to give word of mouth or endorsements to friends and neighbors and anyone who will listen. Social media would be full of "I've just tried this and..."

ongyteneson DeepSeek focuses on research over revenue

A company can't operate without a source of income. Even a non-profit still needs a source to keep the lights on.

In the case of DeepSeek, I believe it is being used as a tool by the CCP to collect data, propaganda and as an economic weapon in hindering western AI projects. So DeepSeek can make this claim if they are being secretly subsidised by the CCP.

ongyteneson The Einstein AI Model

I think discoveries by AI would be due to pattern matching. Like finding overlooked cancer markers that can be used for an earlier prognosis. The genius of Einstein and his thought experiments may elude an AI. It may take an AI designed on some other future model other than an LLM to "compress a century"

He called it wishful thinking. I believe the hype over AI is due to attempts to justify the enormous investments going into AI development has created an echo chamber.

ongyteneson Why can't we screenshot frames from DRM-protected video on Apple devices?

I noticed that I can no longer that a screenshot on my Samsung phone of Netflix. I used it to advertise a show to my friends. "You gotta watch this..." It’s just them shooting themselves in the foot.

ongyteneson We are destroying software

When developers become too dependent on AI to "assist" them in coding, they're more likely to be unable to debug "their own" code as they won't have a full grasp/understanding of it.

People tend to adapt to technology by becoming more lazy, putting less effort in understanding. Look at how after of calculators became common, we got generations of people who struggle to do basic math.

ongyteneson I do not want AI to "polish" me

Soon everyone will be texting, emailing etc with an AI secretary doing it all.

"AI take a letter and polish it for me..."

Maybe even video conferences will use "Polish" to portray a recreated lifelike sophisticated avatar with real time grammar correction. When folks finally do meet in real life, they discover a socially awkward, an illiterate or tactless boor instead of the suave intellect portrayed by the AI.

Please forgive my comment, I didn't have any polish for it. LOL

ongyteneson I do not want AI to "polish" me

Soon everyone will be texting, emailing etc with an AI secretary doing it all.

"AI take a letter and polish it up for me..."

Maybe even video conferences will use 'Polish' to portray a recreated lifelike sophisticated avatar with real time grammar correction. When folks finally do meet in real life, they will discover slobs, socially awkward or tactless idiots instead of the suave intellect portrayed by the AI. LOL

ongyteneson Nokia's internal presentation after iPhone was launched (2007) [pdf]

Got a 404 at tiiny.host after following your link.

ongyteneson Take the pedals off the bike

This is how I learn on my own without anyone helping me. I coasted down a gentle slope, ignoring the pedals, legs out to catch myself. Eventually I realized I had learned to balance myself.

ongyteneson Scientists uncover how the brain washes itself during sleep

One thing to look at is Alzheimer's. The current leading theory is that a build up of amyloid protein is the root cause of this disease. It would be wonderful if someone connected the dots to find the reason for the build up and they're able to develop a treatment to prevent the onset of the disease.