Hacker News Reader

sausmanon DERO Stargate: Private Decentralized Application Platform

A lot to like about DERO:

* Smart Contracts * Homomorphic Encryption (not just obfuscation) for Privacy, Fungibility * Σ-Mining (anyone mining on the DERO network can earn rewards based on the amount of work contributed, instead of a ‘winner-takes-all’ reward model) * Account model * Written from scratch in Go

It's been a pleasure to work with, and the community is great.

sausmanon It’s Official: This Is Now the Longest Economic Expansion in US History

I’m not sure all types of money have this characteristic, but debt-based money in a fractional reserve banking system certainly seems to. The banks are perpetually insolvent because the time structure of their assets (loans) doesn’t match the time structure of their liabilities (“deposits”). At any time a bank run can bring them and the entire economy down. Sure, the government guarantees their deposits, but AFAIK they don’t provide anywhere near enough insurance. Not to mention the moral hazard it creates for banks to act recklessly.

It’s been a while since I read up on the topic, but the origins of fractional-reserve banking sound a lot like fraud that got blamed on the hard money that exposed it. (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1933550287)

sausmanon Democracy Is for the Gods – Humans Cannot Sustain It

People (demos) and power (kratos) tend to not go well together, which is why the US was founded as a democratic Republic with strictly limited power. Many of the founders viewed the state as a necessary evil.

Ben Franklin referred to the US as “A Republic, if you can keep it." I think it’s fair to say we haven’t. Power is no longer viewed as an evil to be restrained, but the solution to our problems.

We need to realize the state is force, and force is rarely the solution to our problems. In most cases it creates more problems than it solves.

sausmanon Verizon is killing Tumblr’s fight for net neutrality

> You might lose your job though.

That's what I was trying to get at. I didn't mean to make it sound like you'd go to jail.

sausmanon Verizon is killing Tumblr’s fight for net neutrality

Interesting, I thought you had to be a special type of corporation for that. My language is a bit strong then.

sausmanon Erlang/OTP 20.0

Yeah, the only thing I've used it for thus far is hashing passwords e.g. https://github.com/riverrun/argon2_elixir

sausmanon Trump administration has plan to scrap ‘startup visa’ rule

Who is supposed to benefit from this? I'm confused.

sausmanon Verizon is killing Tumblr’s fight for net neutrality

Facebook gives away Free Basics "internet". Although I'm not sure I'd call that internet...

sausmanon Verizon is killing Tumblr’s fight for net neutrality

This is my biggest qualm with building a company aimed to sell (either to public markets or another company). You are binding yourself to pursue as much profit as possible through whatever legal means possible. Even if those legal means go against everything you stand for, you have to pursue them because you have a fiduciary duty.

sausmanon Chicago taxi industry sliding towards collapse

Was probably going to happen eventually since Lyft and Uber offer a better product, but it's interesting that the big ride sharing companies aren't profitable yet either.

sausmanon Are Google, Amazon and others getting too big?

> The world is a better place with lots of smaller companies.

I would tend to agree. What's troubling to me is central banks pouring money into the big tech companies. How are small companies supposed to compete with a printing press?

Even if a world with lots of smaller companies serves consumers better, consumers' votes don't matter when central banks can steal their votes via a printing press and give money to the big tech companies.

http://www.reuters.com/article/swiss-snb-stocks-idUSL8N1B738...

http://www.businessinsider.com/1-trillion-in-central-bank-as...

sausmanon $80k/month App Store Scam

I was wondering the same thing.. Maybe the developer was able to remotely flip a switch after the app went through approval to change its behavior and app review didn't catch it? What's really surprising is how long it's been out (almost 2 months)

sausmanon Most Danish voters oppose government plans to cut the top rate of income tax

Another thing to consider is the size of Denmark compared to the US. It's a much smaller political unit which tends to translate into more responsive politicians. Danes have about half the number of representatives we have in the US but less than 5% of our population.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_congressional_...

sausmanon Why I’m giving my company Election Day off

I wish I could vote every day and have it count. Thankfully this is the case for many goods and services that are provided on the market. If I don't like the product I am getting or where my money is going I simply take my business elsewhere. Providers of goods and services that face market competition are encouraged on a continuous basis to be responsive to consumers or they risk going out of business.

By comparison, voting in elections feels ineffective. Monopolies, even those run by politicians elected every X years, are notoriously bad at serving the needs of consumers. Even if we could vote every day from our phones on who is in charge of a given monopoly, I still don't think it would change much.

sausmanon How a Libertarian Paradise in Chile Fell Apart

Are my descriptions inaccurate?

sausmanon How a Libertarian Paradise in Chile Fell Apart

Democratic government: Shitty and selfish people electing shitty and selfish people to initiate violence against shitty and selfish people and their property.

Libertarianism: Shitty and selfish people not condoning the use of violence against shitty and selfish people and their property.

sausmanon Bitcoin and positive vs. normative economics

If your assumption were true, I wouldn't have bought a computer because I could have delayed my purchase and bought a cheaper+better one later. Even if I forecast computers falling from the sky in a year I would still buy one now if I didn't have one already. Wouldn't you?

sausmanon I Bought An Apartment To Rent Out On Airbnb

If he's offering $200/mo and she accepts, it's the best she can get. If she were being offered more by someone else I imagine she "knows" enough to determine the bigger of two numbers and accept the better offer. Her options range from $0/mo to $200/mo. You think her best option, the one she chose, should be taken away by force because after reading a blog post you know how to make better life decisions for her? I find that morally objectionable.

sausmanon The Government Shutdown Has Revealed Silicon Valley’s Dysfunction Fetish

If by regulations you mean enforcing property rights and laws against murder, I agree.

In a free market the initiation of force is not tolerated. The Bhopal disaster you cited is a perfect example of an initiation of force.

The government legitimizes the initiation of force on those who have done nothing to violate the rights of others -- similar to the disaster you cited. It seems you have a problem with companies initiating force, but not the government. Why is that?

sausmanon The Government Shutdown Has Revealed Silicon Valley’s Dysfunction Fetish

What specific power(s) do you object to companies having? The power to voluntarily exchange with others?

Companies don't make money killing people, they make money improving the lives of customers and employees by offering them something they value more than their money/labor. If someone is working under poor working conditions, it's because their next best alternative is even worse.

sausmanon iOS 7 “activation required” error on iPhone and iPad

I was able to update my 4S by downloading the official release and updating it in iTunes by option+clicking "Check for Update" and selecting the file.

If you have a 4S: http://thepiratebay.sx/torrent/8936924/iPhone_4S_iOS_7.0_(11...

sausmanon FBI raids alleged online drug market Silk Road, arrests owner

Anarchism does not necessarily mean that and is not incompatible with libertarianism. Anarchism simply means "no ruler" -- everyone has the same rights. A libertarian anarchist condemns coercion and the initiation of force for all. Small government libertarians condemn the use of force and coercion for private individuals (e.g. robbery), but see no problem when the state commits the same acts (e.g. taxation).

Sure, an anarchist society could determine everyone has the right to murder/rob/etc., but our problems are bad enough when it's only the government robbing and murdering people (legitimately). I can't imagine why a society would decide it's OK for everyone!

sausmanon FBI raids alleged online drug market Silk Road, arrests owner

Sounds like someone needs to create a straw man to justify their own views...

sausmanon Markdown is the Future of Writing

Go for it. You could call it Topdown.

sausmanon Show HN: WhipUps - A Faster, Simpler Blogging Platform

Hey HN, creator here. If you have any questions or feedback let me know!

sausmanon Lincoln’s Surveillance State

There's a Wikipedia page here with some info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taney_Arrest_Warrant

LewRockwell.com also has some interesting articles on Lincoln, but they redesigned the site so a lot of links on Google are broken for now.

sausmanon Lincoln’s Surveillance State

Dictators use Lincoln's actions as justification for their own because most people are brainwashed into thinking Lincoln was a great President. I guess when you measure greatness by body bags filled and broken laws, Lincoln was a great.

* Apr. 19, 1861 -- Lincoln imposed a blockade on Southern ports of South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Did Congress declare war? No. Constitution violated.

* Apr. 20, 1861 -- Lincoln ordered the Sec. of Treasury to spend public money for defense without congressional appropriation, violating the Constitution.

* Apr. 27, 1861 -- Lincoln made the unprecedented move of suspending, through an unconstitutional order, the writ of habeas corpus, or the protection against unlawful imprisonment. Lincoln signed a warrant for the arrest of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court because the Judge rendered an opinion that Lincoln acted unconstitutionally by suspending the writ of habeas corpus.

* Lincoln had U.S. Rep. Clement Vallandigham of Ohio arrested for “disloyal sentiments and speeches.” Vallandigham opposed the Morrill Tariff and the central bank.

* An estimated 13,000 Northern citizens were detained for merely expressing opposition to the war. This group contained hundreds of newspaper editors and owners. None of these people ever heard evidence against them and were never brought to trial.

* During the war, adult male civilians in the South were compelled to take a loyalty oath to the federal government or be shot. In the words of Justice Benjamin R. Curtis, Lincoln had established “a military despotism.”

sausmanon The Government Is Not Us

From Anatomy of the State - What the State Is Not

http://mises.org/easaran/chap3.asp

sausmanon Cypriot Bailout Sends Shivers Throughout the Euro Zone

It's an entire crony bankster program. Those who lent money to Cyprus’s banks by buying their debt rather than by depositing money at the banks, will suffer no losses at all. Those who lent money to the insolvent Cypriot government, will be paid off at 100 cents on the euro. In other words, the banksters are protected. Only depositors with banks will suffer losses in this International Monetary Fund engineered plan. It's as blatant example of who the IMF really works for.

http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/03/what-to-keep-in...

sausmanon Iran unveils new indigenous stealth fighter “Qaher 313″

If a country grows richer its corruption is a good thing? What good comes out of "good" corruption? If you look at corruption in isolation it's hard to find any.