sfblah

28 ms·

361.
by sfblah 5y ago
Saying there's "no possibility" of something is a religious statement, not a scientific one. You should try to reframe that in terms of probabilities.
362.
by sfblah 5y ago
Starlink only makes sense in a world of unlimited capital for certain entrepreneurs IMO. I do not believe that service can be profitable without permanent government subsidies. Terrestrial fiber is just a better solution.
363.
by sfblah 5y ago
I'm too lazy even to click and read it, but you mean stuff like: const x = y || 3; ?
364.
by sfblah 5y ago
Yeah. Hard to make predictions, but this sort of breathless enthusiasm seems worrisome.
365.
by sfblah 5y ago
This isn't a Leetcode puzzle. It's a question of how you want society to be organized. Do you really think it's reasonable to have loopholes that allow certain semi-random people to totally escape the income tax system? What
366.
by sfblah 5y ago
Right. It's actually pretty easy to craft tax laws that help the middle class and below without enabling someone to have a $5B tax-free slush fund. People that argue the current situation is reasonable are just being silly.
367.
by sfblah 5y ago
You're splitting hairs. Treating gains from startup founder stock like gains from an investor who put in substantial amounts of money is just silly, and that part of the tax code should be fixed. It's just as abusive as the carrie
368.
by sfblah 5y ago
Just impose a tax when capital gains exceed some annual threshold averaged over a time period (say 5 years). Also, make everything after the first, say, $1m taxable on withdrawal at cap gains rates. It’s super easy to fix this.
369.
by sfblah 5y ago
He lied about the value of the PayPal shares he put in. That’s a problem.
370.
by sfblah 5y ago
People do tax-loss harvest, but they're taking a risk because they have to stay out of the stock for 30 days, and during that time who knows what will happen. I'd be interested in a more concrete example of exactly how someone cou
371.
by sfblah 5y ago
I mean, at this level we're only talking about a few thousand people. So, studies are going to be hard to come by. Really, all you need is a thought experiment and to read about how it works for super-rich people. They typically never
372.
by sfblah 5y ago
At core, the issue is that the people who hack the law are way, way, way smarter and more motivated than those who write the law. The hackers in this case typically aren't doing anything illegal. They're just exploiting the system
373.
by sfblah 5y ago
That's not what it would do. Think about it. Edit to add color: If you hold 6 months, the hurdle rate would be ~5%. If you hold 18 months, it's ~15%. You can't avoid the tax by churning, unless you're phenomenally lucky
374.
by sfblah 5y ago
And boats!
375.
by sfblah 5y ago
What frustrates people is the percentage paid of income, not the absolute total. People don't like that a person earning $100k pays more as a percentage in tax than does someone earning $10M a year. I realize the document you shared sh
376.
by sfblah 5y ago
My view is capital gains rates should be capped at some reasonable gain per year. So, for example, you'd pay the capital gains rate on the first 10% per year you earn on an investment. If you hold it 10 years, that would be scaled up a
377.
by sfblah 5y ago
Oh right duh. Thanks.
378.
by sfblah 5y ago
What do you do in Pahrump, NV!? Such a remote place!
379.
by sfblah 5y ago
100 watts seems like a lot for a receiver. Any idea where all that energy is going? Signal amplification?
380.
by sfblah 5y ago
I spent half of last year working on a project built using a low-code tool that will remain nameless. The company that produces it had recently raised money at a valuation in the 9 figures if memory serves me. The project took something lik
381.
by sfblah 5y ago
Another thing: Work is generally how people best have the opportunity to interact with people operating at a higher degree of sophistication, and it's often where you have a chance to work with people who are smart or motivated. If you
382.
by sfblah 5y ago
Everyone from 25-35 is preparing to FIRE?! I wonder, is that economically sustainable?
383.
by sfblah 5y ago
Sure, but isn't it the usage in a product that's illegal, not merely writing code that implements it in principal?
384.
by sfblah 5y ago
How does this work when the "violation" is in open-source software? Wouldn't the issue be with products which incorporate the patented technology? I thought part of the point of the patent process was to encourage inventors t
385.
by sfblah 5y ago
I recently test drove a Tesla just to see how the autopilot system works. The way they handle traffic lights is pretty entertaining. It seems them, particularly yellow lights, in a lot of situations that are truly perplexing. It also had a
386.
by sfblah 5y ago
I philosophically agree with your comment, but honestly my income over the past 20 years hasn't really followed what you're saying in any meaningful way. I've had places I didn't work very hard that paid me a ton, and pl
387.
by sfblah 5y ago
In your view, were you “aggressive” in your approach to this? Or is your view that contractors absolutely qualify?
388.
by sfblah 5y ago
My recollection is all these Trump sole proprietor tax cuts specifically don’t apply to someone like a consultant/contractor. There’s something in the law about people who are primarily selling “their own expertise.” Am I wrong on that
389.
by sfblah 5y ago
Bingo, and very well put. I have several friends who work at Facebook. I won’t, and this is why. I honestly think part of the reason Facebook pays such a premium for engineers is the ick factor.
390.
by sfblah 5y ago
I truly don’t get why all technically inclined people don’t block ads systematically. Ublock origin plus ghostery on computers. Pi hole for mobile. I realize he was at his mom’s house, but when he gets home ads should be blocked! These type

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