TFNA

9 ms·

181.
by TFNA 3mo ago
In a number of European countries now, US English is now taught, and this superseded UK English already a generation ago.
182.
by TFNA 3mo ago
"There is a constant American assumption that their language and culture is the norm" This is now far more than an American assumption. I have seen younger continental Europeans bristle at UK English because they grew up in a worl
183.
by TFNA 4mo ago
Have you been to urban China anytime after that 2017 article? The country is now as developed as anywhere else, indeed it feels like it is gradually overtaking other developed countries. The comparison to the Soviet Union feels ridiculous t
184.
by TFNA 4mo ago
> This means that unless you can get into a discussion in the first 30 minutes to an hour (depending on the subreddit size), your comment is basically getting buried This had been the case for a while on big subs, but there has apparentl
185.
by TFNA 4mo ago
You fell for a meme that was tired years ago already (your link is from 2017, after all). The article itself notes, “Relatively low-value items, like ballpoint pens, have not been a priority”, so obviously this says little about higher-prio
186.
by TFNA 4mo ago
In the heyday of blogging, it was pretty common when interacting IRL with someone interested in a particular hobby or interest, to hear that they followed certain blogs that served as a locus for the community. I have never heard anyone IRL
187.
by TFNA 4mo ago
Discussion for certain hobbies and interests, among those seriously interested in them, has long since moved to WhatsApp groups. Sure, WhatsApp is not a libre platform either and has its own dopamine-hit issues, but you’re underestimating h
188.
by TFNA 4mo ago
I am a former blogger, people have regarded me as a entertaining writer with a knack for words, and yet I have zero interest in going back to writing things on the internet. The world has changed in key ways. Firstly, the vast majority of p
189.
by TFNA 4mo ago
I remember the bad parts, and they were less bad. Flame-war practitioners, racists, New Atheist axe-grinders, and mentally ill cranks were not exactly engaging in productive discussion, but they were still recognizable as authentic human be
190.
by TFNA 4mo ago
Why not just get everything on the high seas for free, instead of paying for used-bin stuff which is cheap but still costs something? I’m a huge cinephile with a collection on my hard drives of ripped Blu-ray and DVD images, a number runnin
191.
by TFNA 4mo ago
The heyday of commentary tracks and extras was long ago, over a decade ago. Except for a few boutique labels like Criterion, distributors found that adding such extra features often wasn’t worth their while in the face of declining physical
192.
by TFNA 4mo ago
When your post history is largely political battle (and apparently in contravention of HN guidelines), you’re obviously not asking that question in good faith but rather as some attempt at rhetorical oneupmanship.
193.
by TFNA 4mo ago
Fascism is a political phenomenon of the early twentieth century. There are no current politicians who are operating in the early twentieth century. So, to speak of “currently active fascists” is anachronistic. Typically at some point in th
194.
by TFNA 4mo ago
No one cares about one HN poster’s ideas about what is moral if even countries regarded as pretty good aren’t implementing policies so generous.
195.
by TFNA 4mo ago
That comparison is a stretch, and in any event, grocery stores in many jurisdictions are not held responsible for selling something that makes consumers sick due to the producer’s fault unless a recall has been announced and the store did n
196.
by TFNA 4mo ago
It is publishers who generate ebooks – often with poor quality control as has been well known for two decades now – and provide them to distributors. Sony is just one distributor for such publisher-generated ebooks. Sony was probably unawar
197.
by TFNA 4mo ago
Yes, “somewhere in your teens” includes people who are still minors, and again, if their parents have no grounds for residence, it is typical even of more open countries that their children don’t either.
198.
by TFNA 4mo ago
So what you’re asking for is even more generous than jus soli, and obviously that’s not realistic.
199.
by TFNA 4mo ago
Few countries have jus soli citizenship. Even many countries regarded as relatively open and welcoming would not permit locally born minors to stay indefinitely if their non-citizen or non-PR parents lose grounds for residency.
200.
by TFNA 4mo ago
A significant amount of ebook reading now is romance/erotica or fantasy (or combined "romantasy") genres by readers for whom something a decade old won't appeal. An old book could seem socially "problematic" fr
201.
by TFNA 4mo ago
To expand on what the posters mentioned: HN is an international community, and the USA is an outlier in having an ample choice of banks. Many countries only have 3–5 usable banks, and all of them require a phone app for 2FA authentication i
202.
by TFNA 4mo ago
> Negus-Fancey I have seen that posh double-barreled surname before: Charles and Cathy Negus-Fancey were the managers of the reclusive cult musician Scott Walker and his interface to the world. Any close relation?
203.
by TFNA 4mo ago
WhatsApp has replaced the PSTN in many countries. Without it, you cannot contact businesses; they simply do not answer normal phone calls. Also, booking accommodation over the internet may require WhatsApp in order to receive self-check-in
204.
by TFNA 4mo ago
In his novel Aurora , Kim Stanley Robinson challenged this view by suggesting that at the small scale of orbital structures, there may be insurmountable obstacles to biological life, like the buildup of salt through waste. His ultimate con
205.
by TFNA 4mo ago
The public square was in communities small enough where townspeople knew each other, and so speech was not anonymous besides those who penned (but not those who distributed) unattributed pamphlets. Moreover, if the speech you were pronounci
206.
by TFNA 4mo ago
In your sarcasm, you seem unaware that China -- the country the OP uses as a comparison -- runs successful X-year plans under its hybrid capitalist model.
207.
by TFNA 4mo ago
This is an international website. Many people here come from countries where pirated CD and DVD stands were part of the local marketplace or mall. Your harping on ethics just won't be relevant to those fellow readers.
208.
by TFNA 4mo ago
The expectation is that AI translation will also become quasi-realtime, so for in-person interactions, too. Many cultures will probably much rather interact with a foreigner speaking proficient AI translation, than a language-learner speaki
209.
by TFNA 4mo ago
It has recently been reporting that China is cutting back foreign-language programmes in universities because AI translation is seen as the way of the future. So, in their view everyone will soon be reading science textbooks, whether of Chi
210.
by TFNA 4mo ago
My sympathies are increasingly with the Chinese model of development. So, yes, policies that confront the major challenge of our era – ensuring social harmony among the chaos of modern media and communications – are good features.

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