The writer reacts angrily to Sam Altman’s claim that computer memory is being wasted in personal computers and would be better deployed in data centres. They interpret the proposal not as a neutral efficiency argument but as a push to make people rent computing capacity from companies such as Altman’s. In that arrangement, the provider could decide who gets access, set prices, restrict what the computers can do, and potentially control users’ work and data. The writer sees this concentration of computing power as a route to broader social influence.
The piece also attacks the authority granted to wealthy technology founders and the way news outlets entertain their claims as serious expertise. The writer argues that success in building and selling technology does not make these executives deeply knowledgeable or trustworthy, and portrays them as detached from ordinary people, whose welfare they disregard. It rejects the idea that their projects necessarily improve human life, linking their indifference to the prospect of climate disaster. The conclusion is a fierce personal denunciation of Altman, his data centres, and AI, including a wish that he suffer. Its argument is driven by anger and distrust rather than evidence about the technical merits of the memory proposal.
Summary generated by AI from the linked article. hn.today is not affiliated with Hacker News or Y Combinator.
For Pac-Man’s 30th anniversary in 2010, Google built an interactive homepage doodle that recreated the game in HTML and CSS, with Flash handling its iconic sounds. Its creator describes the technical challenges, efforts to stay faithful to the original, and a bug of his own that frightened people on launch day. (unsung.aresluna.org)
A former coding enthusiast asks whether people still write substantial code because their work or needs require it, rather than for fun or learning. They say they can no longer find a necessary reason to code. (news.ycombinator.com)
Jane Butt’s 1834 letter documented measles cases and dangerous complications in her community, offering valuable firsthand medical knowledge. Its neglect reflects how medicine has long discounted women, a pattern that helps explain distrust of institutions and the appeal of pseudoscience in today’s MAHA movement. (statnews.com)
Richard Kelly’s low-budget 2001 film Donnie Darko blended science fiction, psychological horror and suburban satire, following a troubled teenager drawn into visions of time travel and apocalypse. Cast and crew recall how Kelly fought to direct his distinctive vision, which grew into a cult classic and is now being continued in a forthcoming novel. (nytimes.com)
A homeowner replaces unconditional Halloween candy with a means-tested program requiring chores, income and asset checks, identification, and paperwork. The rules slash applications from 86 children to five, satirizing the bureaucracy and harshness of welfare requirements. (morewrong.lol)
Early electric cars were marketed to women, emphasizing their quiet operation and ease of use. Their history reflects how automakers tied new technology to gender expectations. (spectrum.ieee.org)
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