Hacker News
1Apple to soon take up to 30% cut from all Patreon creators in iOS app
- Apple has extended the deadline to November 1, 2026 for Patreon creators to switch from Patreon's legacy billing to Apple's in-app purchase system on iOS devices. Apple takes a 30% commission on in-app purchases, which Patreon creators can either absorb or pass on to users through higher iOS prices.
Apple's app store profit margins
Discussion reveals Apple's App Store has ~78% operating margins with $25B estimated profit from $32B revenue. Comments debate whether Apple could charge just 3-7% and still maintain 20% profits, with comparisons to other tech companies' similar margins.Monopolistic control and lack of alternatives
Users highlight that Apple controls the OS, distribution channel, and payment rails, making it impossible for platforms like Patreon to realistically opt out. Discussion covers regulatory approaches and comparisons to traditional retail margins.Preference for web over apps
Debate over whether apps are necessary, with some advocating for PWAs and web-based solutions to avoid app store fees. Users discuss customer expectations for apps versus websites and Apple's deliberate weakening of web capabilities.
2Vitamin D and Omega-3 have a larger effect on depression than antidepressants
- A comparison of depression treatments shows antidepressants have an effect size of 0.4 (like going from C to C+), while Omega-3 supplements at 1500mg/day achieve 0.6 (C to B-), and Vitamin D at 5000 IU/day reaches 1.8 (C to A-). The author argues these supplements offer better outcomes than traditional antidepressants with lower risk and cost.
Skepticism about vitamin D and supplement claims
Users debate whether vitamin D has dramatically higher effect sizes than antidepressants, with critics arguing the claims are implausible and that supplements often fail in larger studies, while supporters cite personal experiences and newer research.Personal experiences with antidepressants vs alternatives
Many users share positive experiences with SSRIs describing life-changing improvements, while others advocate for lifestyle changes like exercise, cutting caffeine, or addressing nutritional deficiencies as alternatives or complements.Importance of addressing root causes and individual variation
Discussion emphasizes that depression has multiple causes requiring different approaches - from fixing life circumstances to treating chemical imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, or underlying conditions like ADHD.
3Europe’s next-generation weather satellite sends back first images
- The Meteosat Third Generation-Sounder satellite has released its first images from geostationary orbit, showing temperature and humidity data across Europe and northern Africa. The satellite captures surface temperatures, cloud-top temperatures, and atmospheric humidity every 30 minutes using infrared technology.
Data access and availability
Discussion centers on whether MTG-S1 satellite data will be freely available to the public. Users clarify that EUMETSAT provides core data under CC-BY-4.0 license with free registration, though there are fees for commercial real-time access. Comparison made to more restrictive EU vs liberal US data policies.European space capabilities
Users highlight Europe's growing space innovation ecosystem, including ESA missions like Sentinel, Euclid telescope, and emerging companies like ISAR Aerospace. Discussion covers Europe's goal to reduce dependence on SpaceX/NASA and strong performance in weather forecasting and earth observation.Weather forecasting improvements
Technical discussion about quantifying weather prediction improvements from the new satellite. Users explain the satellite offers 9x better resolution than previous generation and improved nowcasting capabilities, though specific accuracy improvements are hard to quantify in advance.
4Please don't say mean things about the AI I just invested a billion dollars in
- This satirical piece mocks AI industry leaders who dismiss criticism of their technology. The author parodies defensive responses to concerns about AI's negative impacts like job displacement, privacy violations, deepfakes, and autonomous weapons, while pleading for public acceptance despite acknowledged harms.
AI harm and scamming concerns
Debate over whether AI "exists to scam the elderly" with examples of voice cloning scams targeting seniors and businesses. Discussion compares AI risks to internet risks, with some arguing AI supercharges existing scam capabilities while others note the internet enables similar harms.AI industry economics and viability
Analysis of AI companies losing billions while open-source models close performance gaps. Discussion covers whether AI will become a commodity, lack of sustainable business models, and comparison to successful tech products that quickly generated profits.Satirical critique effectiveness
Commentary on the humor in contrasting grand AI transformation claims with pleas to stop criticism. Discussion notes how truly successful products don't need to beg for acceptance, unlike current AI industry's defensive positioning.
5We can’t send mail farther than 500 miles (2002)
- The content only contains a reference link to a FAQ about "500milemail" hosted on ibiblio.org, but provides no actual content to summarize beyond this single external reference.
Classic debugging stories and unusual technical problems
Users share amusing technical tales including a mouse living in a computer causing boot failures, a video file that crashes a laptop, and references to the famous "vanilla ice cream car" story and Janet Jackson hard drive bug.Importance of good user reporting and debugging methodology
Discussion emphasizes how the statistics department chairman provided excellent, specific data that enabled solving the 500-mile email problem, contrasting with typical vague user reports that hinder troubleshooting.Reposting patterns and classic internet stories
The 500-mile email story is compared to other internet classics like the SR-71 speed check story, with detailed tracking of how often this tale gets reposted on Hacker News and appreciation for sharing these gems with new users.
6Somebody used spoofed ADSB signals to raster the meme of JD Vance
Technical clarification of spoofing method
Discussion reveals this wasn't actual RF signal spoofing but fake data uploaded to ADS-B Exchange's API. The spoof only appeared on one aggregator site, not others like FR24 or airplanes.live, indicating someone used a fake feeder account rather than broadcasting radio signals.Legal implications and enforcement concerns
Users debate whether this constitutes a federal crime. Since no RF signals were transmitted, it's likely just API abuse rather than FCC/FAA violations. Some compare it to Wikipedia vandalism - juvenile but not endangering aviation safety.ADS-B system vulnerabilities and security
Discussion of how ADS-B uses unencrypted, unauthenticated broadcasts that anyone can receive or potentially spoof. Users note the lack of built-in security measures and share examples of accidental false signals from FAA systems.
7Tesla ending Models S and X production
- Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the company is ending production of Model S and X vehicles to use the Fremont factory for manufacturing Optimus humanoid robots instead. The older, more expensive models will be replaced with a production line capable of building 1 million Optimus robots annually.
Tesla's overvaluation and meme stock status
Commenters debate Tesla's $1.5T valuation versus traditional automakers' combined worth, comparing it to GameStop as a meme stock driven by cult-like following rather than fundamentals. Many argue fair value would be around $5B.Declining product line and strategic confusion
Discussion centers on Tesla discontinuing Model S/X (97% of sales are Model 3/Y), failed Cybertruck, and pivot to humanoid robots. Users question whether Tesla wants to remain a car company or pursue unproven technology.Competition from Chinese manufacturers
Participants highlight how BYD and other Chinese EV makers are outcompeting Tesla globally, while Tesla's FSD technology lags behind competitors like Waymo and GM SuperCruise in autonomous driving capabilities.
8Airfoil (2024)
- This article explores how airplanes achieve flight by examining airflow around wing cross-sections called airfoils. It explains various methods for visualizing air movement using arrows, particle markers, and color coding to show velocity and direction. The content covers the physics of air particles moving at molecular level and how their collective behavior creates the aerodynamic forces that keep aircraft airborne.
Praise for educational content
Multiple users praise Bartosz Ciechanowski's educational content quality, with suggestions for unlimited grants and Patreon support. Users express desire for more similar high-quality explanatory articles and tutorials.Technical discussion of lift generation
Debate over whether pressure differentials or momentum change better explains lift. Discussion includes the role of airfoils vs flat plates, with users clarifying that airfoils optimize lift-to-drag ratios rather than enable basic lift.Related tools and resources
Users recommend AeroSandbox for aerodynamic simulations, share links to similar interactive educational sites like explorabl.es and ncase.me, and reference mathematical approaches to airfoil analysis.
9Claude Code daily benchmarks for degradation tracking
- This tracker monitors Claude Code with Opus 4.5 performance on software engineering tasks, detecting statistically significant degradations. Currently shows degradation detected over the past 30 days, with daily pass rate at 50%, 7-day at 53%, and 30-day at 54%, all below the 58% baseline reference rate.
Claude degradation tracker bug
Anthropic's Thariq confirmed and fixed a Claude Code harness issue that was introduced on 1/26 and rolled back on 1/28. Users questioned whether there would be token compensation and what "harness issue" meant, while some noted problems started before 1/26.Statistical methodology concerns
SWE-bench co-author suggested running tests on 300 tasks multiple times daily instead of 50 tasks once daily to reduce variance from server load and other factors. Discussion covered whether degradation from overloaded servers should be measured and cost constraints.User experience degradation reports
Multiple users reported noticeable performance drops in Claude Code, including worse responses requiring more detailed prompting, forgetting guidelines, and making basic mistakes it previously avoided. Some suspected intentional quantization or A/B testing.
10Project Genie: Experimenting with infinite, interactive worlds
- Google is rolling out Project Genie to Google AI Ultra subscribers in the U.S., an experimental prototype powered by Genie 3 that lets users create, explore, and remix interactive worlds using text prompts and images in real-time, with capabilities for world sketching, exploration, and remixing existing environments.
Brain as predictive model
Discussion explores Andy Clark's "Experience Machine" theory that human perception works like AI world models - brains constantly generate predicted reality and use sensory input as error signals to update internal simulations, similar to how Genie predicts next states.Purpose beyond entertainment
Debate over whether Genie's real purpose is entertainment or serving as "imagination" for next-generation AI/robotics systems to simulate outcomes and inform decisions, with disagreement on whether video rendering is necessary for this goal.Reality vs simulation concerns
Mixed reactions to world models - some excited about filmmaking and gaming applications, others worried about people retreating from real-world experiences into addictive virtual environments, comparing it to "digital heroin."