Hacker News
1Google is dead. Where do we go now?
- A business owner reports a 50% revenue drop over 3 months despite significantly increasing Google Ads spending, even with a 5x bonus from Google. They're now exploring TikTok and Instagram ads, focusing on email marketing to returning customers, planning physical advertising at markets, and developing new products while offering web/IoT services to generate income.
The shift from public to private communication channels
Users are moving away from public social media to private messaging apps, group chats, and face-to-face interactions due to erosion of trust online, bot proliferation, and privacy concerns, especially among younger generations.Effectiveness and fraud in Google Ads
Discussion reveals split experiences with Google Ads - large advertisers still finding success while small businesses struggle with declining returns, increased competition, and concerns about click fraud and bot traffic.Alternative advertising strategies and platforms
Businesses are exploring Reddit ads, YouTube ads, Instagram ads, AI visibility optimization, and influencer marketing as alternatives to Google Ads, with mixed results depending on target audience and business type.
2Tesla’s 4680 battery supply chain collapses as partner writes down deal by 99%
- Tesla's 4680 battery supply chain faces major disruption as South Korean supplier L&F Co. slashed its contract value from $2.9 billion to just $7,386, a 99% reduction. This indicates severely reduced demand for Tesla's in-house battery cells used primarily in the struggling Cybertruck, which is selling only 20,000-25,000 units annually despite 250,000 production capacity.
Tesla's shift from NMC to LFP battery chemistry
Discussion centers on Tesla transitioning 4680 batteries from NMC811 to LFP chemistry for US manufacturing, reducing China dependence. Users debate whether cylindrical 4680 format makes sense for LFP vs prismatic cells, with technical analysis of cooling, energy density, and performance trade-offs.Massive contract reduction from $2.9B to $7,386
Users express shock at the 99.999% write-down of L&F's Tesla battery supply contract, interpreting it as essentially one final Cybertruck battery order. Discussion includes speculation about symbolic contract preservation and manufacturing capacity mismatches.Criticism of Musk's failed predictions and promises
Extensive discussion of Musk's history of undelivered promises including robotaxis, $25K cars, and autonomous driving timelines. Users reference a Wikipedia article tracking failed predictions and debate whether these constitute fraud or optimistic forecasting.
3Netflix Open Content
- Netflix provides open source test content including documentaries, live action, and animation projects to help entertainment and technology professionals experiment with bleeding-edge technologies. The collection features titles like Sol Levante, Nocturne, Sparks, Meridian, Cosmos Laundromat, Chimera, and El Fuente, all available in various high-quality formats including 4K HDR and Dolby Vision. These assets are freely downloadable under Creative Commons licensing to encourage industry-wide experimentation and learning.
High-quality test footage availability
Discussion about the value of Netflix's legally clear, uncompressed 4K HDR footage for video codec research and testing, with comparisons to camera manufacturer test content and challenges in finding quality source material.Netflix's content distribution policies
Criticism of Netflix for preventing physical media releases of their shows, forcing users to rely on streaming or bootleg copies, contrasting with their open source content initiative.Technical issues and implementation
Various technical problems including Google URL tracking, Chrome security warnings, Firefox blocking HTTP downloads, and subtitle playback challenges on Linux systems.
4List of domains censored by German ISPs
- This appears to be a German website about CUII (likely an internet censorship organization) that provides information about blocked domains. The site offers features to check blocked domains, add new domains, determine if users are affected by censorship, and provides methods to bypass such restrictions.
Bypassing DNS blocks
Discussion centers on how German ISPs use DNS blocking for censorship, which can be easily circumvented by using alternative DNS servers like Quad9, Google DNS, or running your own recursive DNS server. Users share technical methods and recommend avoiding ISP DNS for better performance and privacy.Ironic utility of blocklist
Users joke that the German CUII blocklist serves as an unintended directory of piracy sites, with many commenting they'll use it to find streaming sites. Some express appreciation for discovering useful resources like Anna's Archive and SCI-Hub through such lists.Voluntary vs mandatory blocking
Discussion reveals that CUII blocking isn't legally required but rather a voluntary initiative by ISPs and copyright holders. Smaller German ISPs often don't participate, and users debate what incentivizes ISPs to join when it may displease customers.
5Stranger Things creator says turn off “garbage” settings
- Stranger Things creator Ross Duffer shared TV viewing advice on Instagram for season 5, urging fans to turn off features like dynamic contrast, super resolution, and motion smoothing to avoid the "soap opera effect" and preserve the filmmaker's intent. He recommended using movie mode presets and avoiding vivid settings that distort colors.
TV manufacturers' confusing feature naming
Users frustrated by opaque TV setting names and poor documentation. Manufacturers use marketing-friendly names instead of clear descriptions, forcing consumers to experiment or research extensively to understand features like motion smoothing and color enhancement.Audio quality problems in modern content
Widespread complaints about hard-to-understand dialogue in movies/TV shows, requiring closed captions. Issues blamed on poor audio mixing, surround sound downmixing to stereo, and prioritizing effects over speech clarity.Motion smoothing and frame rate preferences
Debate over TV motion interpolation ("soap opera effect"). Film purists hate how it changes cinematic look, while others prefer smoothness over 24fps judder, especially on modern high-refresh displays.
6The future of software development is software developers
- A veteran programmer with 43 years of experience argues that AI won't replace programmers, drawing parallels to past technologies like Visual Basic and WYSIWYG editors that were similarly predicted to end programming careers. He contends that the hardest part of programming has always been translating human thinking into precise computational logic, not just writing code syntax. While AI coding tools may assist with routine tasks, they lack true understanding and often introduce reliability issues. The author predicts this AI hype cycle will burn out like previous ones, ultimately creating more programming jobs rather than fewer, and advises employers to start hiring developers now before the market realizes AI limitations.
Cost and sustainability concerns
Discussion centers on hidden costs of LLM usage being subsidized by VC funding, with concerns about future pricing when subsidies end. Infrastructure costs including datacenter resources and energy consumption are highlighted as unsustainable long-term.Varying experiences with LLM effectiveness
Sharp divide between users reporting LLMs as "completely useless for real programming" versus those finding significant productivity gains. Debate over what constitutes "real programming" and whether LLMs excel only at boilerplate tasks.Future of programming careers
Existential concerns about AI replacing programmers, with some feeling they're already doing work of entire teams. Counter-arguments emphasize human creativity, planning abilities, and that writing code isn't the most time-consuming part of development.
7Nicolas Guillou, French ICC judge sanctioned by the US and “debanked”
- The Trump administration sanctioned nine International Criminal Court officials, including French judge Nicolas Guillou, for authorizing arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant for war crimes in Gaza. Six judges and three prosecutors were targeted, with Guillou discussing the impact on his work and calling for European countermeasures.
US sanctions against ICC officials
Discussion centers on US sanctions targeting ICC judges and prosecutors, with commenters debating whether ICC member states should protect sanctioned officials to maintain judicial independence and prevent future claims of bias against US interests.US power and international law
Debate over whether US superpower status allows it to ignore international law through "might makes right" politics, with some arguing this undermines post-WWII international order while others see it as geopolitical reality.European financial independence
Commentary on Europe's dependence on US payment systems (Visa/Mastercard) and banking infrastructure, with discussion of emerging alternatives like Wero and digital euro as responses to US financial leverage over European institutions.
8I migrated to an almost all-EU stack and saved 500€ per year
- The author migrated from Big Tech tools to EU-based alternatives for better privacy and data sovereignty. They switched to Proton's suite (email, drive, password manager, VPN), Vivaldi browser, Ecosia search, DeepL translation, and other European services. Surprisingly, this migration saved over €500 annually while providing better user experience and functionality than the previous US-based tools, though some compromises remain with social platforms and office suites.
Microsoft 365 complexity and migration to Proton
Users discuss migrating from Microsoft's complex admin dashboards to Proton's simpler interface. The migration process from M365 was frustrating with multiple redirects and authentication issues. Proton offers better value with bundled services.Proton's search limitations due to encryption
Major debate about Proton's lack of email body search functionality, which stems from end-to-end encryption. Some see this as a feature for privacy, others as a dealbreaker. Workarounds include using Bridge with Thunderbird.Ecosystem lock-in concerns and alternatives
Discussion about avoiding new vendor lock-in when leaving Google/Microsoft ecosystems. Users suggest self-hosting, owning domains, and using separate best-of-breed services rather than all-in-one solutions like Proton.
9Go away Python
- This content discusses using Go programming language with shebang-like syntax to run Go files directly from the command line, comparing it to Python's approach and addressing formatting issues with compiled languages.
Uv as solution to Python dependency management
Discussion centers on how uv tool solves Python's virtual environment and dependency issues through features like "uv run --script" with inline dependencies, automatic Python version installation, and PEP 723 support, though some argue it's too new to be widely adopted.Python's ecosystem problems vs other languages
Users debate Python's fundamental issues including slow performance, poor type system, difficult distribution, and dependency hell compared to alternatives like Go, TypeScript, and Rust, with particular criticism of Python's dominance in ML despite these shortcomings.Go scripting ergonomics and limitations
Discussion about whether Go is suitable for scripting tasks, with concerns about Go feeling more suited for "shippable software" than quick scripts, plus technical limitations like lack of go.mod support in single files and formatting issues with gopls.
10Non-Zero-Sum Games
- Non-Zero-Sum James hosts a world-help site and podcast exploring win-win games essential for a better future. Weekly episodes cover game theory, moral philosophy, ethical economics, and AI to solve complex global problems together through non-zero-sum thinking.
Trust-building mechanisms in game theory
Discussion explores mathematical frameworks for building trust through incremental offerings and reciprocity, moving beyond tit-for-tat to reach optimal cooperative solutions. Analogies drawn to TCP congestion control and cooperative game theory.Meritocracy vs effortocracy debate
Analysis of whether systems should reward achievement alone or consider effort/circumstances overcome. Discussion touches on fairness, moral weight of success, and practical measurement challenges in different contexts.Affirmative action as coordination problem
Debate over whether AA represents zero-sum redistribution versus addressing systemic coordination failures. Arguments cover meritocracy conflicts, resource scarcity, historical inequities, and effectiveness measurement.