gabruoy

This is true for corporate bonds, but governments plan on generating their bond revenue by taxing citizens (which I guess could be a whole separate conversation on whether or not that’s productive) and by printing more currency, which seems rather circular in logic.

This justification never makes any sense to me. There’s already a safe way to make a percentage back that will generally be higher than inflation: government bonds, offered by the very same government that supposedly wants inflation. There are even TIPS bonds in the US that match inflation directly. And people do measure whether or not a risky investment will make more than just holding bonds. Inflation just screws over people who don’t have the ability to invest their money into other assets.

Labor shortages, in general, just don’t exist. There can be one time shocks like during Covid, but if there is a lack of workers for a specific job or industry, it means that the business is either unwilling to pay for the employees needed for the job, or that the business itself should not function as the cost of the labor needed is unsustainable.

Then we need a moral belief system to determine what improvement is and isn’t. This will eventually lead to a codified set of beliefs that look a lot like religion. And I don’t really like most of the moral statements I’ve heard from self proclaimed transhumanists. That’s why I’m not a one of them, even though I wear glasses.

Do you believe that humans improving themselves or their society through technological advancement is always a good thing? Or do you think that glasses are a good technological advancement, but maybe nuclear weapons or a theoretical totalitarian AI-ran government are not good advancements in technology?

I don’t think this is accurate at all. Transhumanism is a pretty clearly defined group with specific moral beliefs that not everyone agrees with. It’s like saying if you’ve ever forgiven someone when they did something bad to you, you’re a Christian.

Then unfortunately the internet will remain a luxury for people who aren’t able to afford the cost. The internet is a product, not a charity or human right.

I’ll put it this way to contrast with the other post on Hackernews about Americans driving their kids to school:

There is a much higher likelihood of a child being within walking distance of a church than they are to be within walking distance of a school.

My parents used to live in a city where violence and crime was common, and I received all sorts of lessons from them about how I shouldn’t go outside, don’t talk to strangers, always be guarded, etc. But my family had moved to a quiet, crime-free suburb and everything they told me seemed like the complete opposite of what I was experiencing in reality when growing up.

I tried using Apple News+ for a month free trial and ended up cancelling it after trying my hardest to find a use for it for a few weeks. It really does seem like something designed by a bunch of out of touch media people and not anything like a service from Apple.

What I want from a good news service are Ad-free, bias-free articles on things that are current, things that are close to my local area, and things that are of interest to me.

What I found out was that because I don't live in a major city, there was exactly one local news outlet that was available, and no topic category for my area, which is not a small place at all. There were still advertisements for things like hair loss products and other 'yuck-bait' reminiscent of the early 2000s (I think these might come from the article publishers themselves?). Then there's stuff like puzzles, sports, and now food that all seem like complete distractions. Puzzles are not news, Apple already has Apple Arcade for this.

I would find it interesting if Apple created a Recipes app. It's a popular topic, many app developers have put their own spin on the idea, but no one has made the 'perfect app' for it yet. But that isn't what this is at all. It's yet another 'perk' that has nothing to do with the problems of Apple News.

Now I'm using a combination of RSS Feeds and asking ChatGPT the news on specific topics, both of which are superior products to Apple News. I do still like their daily podcast though.

GDP is just more people spending more money for more expensive things. It's kind of a failed metric for economic productivity unless you think an $8 Big Mac is twice as productive to the economy than a $4 Big Mac.

I don't understand what point you're trying to make with your source. A relatively new company in the Japanese market (BYD) has increased sales in its specialized niche of EVs, beating out a minor competitor that sells only one model of EV as an option to it's brand loyal customers (Toyota, BZ4X). Meanwhile, the EV market as a whole has declined significantly in Japan over the last year.

If both China and the US were a free market that didn't subsidize electric car production and construction, neither country would have any electric car manufacturers.

You are pretty much correct. There is a ton of partisan vitriol that is currently obscuring the facts. My understanding is that Elon Musk is an advisor to the president, but not a government employee. Musk and his crew are given authority to do pretty much whatever they want in terms of cutting employees and programs, so long as Trump signs off on it. Is it legal? Probably, but nothing like this has ever been done before. You can very easily see it as private citizens with no official government power taking away power from more legitimate government employees.