I see lots of generated content with AI, would be interested how much of this is actually listened by a real human after the first days of excitement.
Show HN: HN Update – Hourly news broadcast of top HN stories
111–120 of 185 posts
Re: Show HN: HN Update – Hourly news broadcast of top HN stories
#112Lots of positive feedback here, but after a quick listen, I'm not a fan. To summarize my thoughts... 1. The experience just feels too sluggish. For example, I opened the HN homepage, skimmed all of the headlines, read the comments on the top post, and it probably took about 30 seconds. I was done, feeling like I got all the information from HN that I needed, with the intention of checking for new posts later in the d…
Wow this is awesome. I've actually been working on something very similar. In my case though I focus on individual stories. Like the commenter above I feel audio doesn't work so well for general overview.
I haven't done a showHN yet because it's not quite ready but you can see where it's at here:
https://news.gipety.com/hn/10842381/k/218/s/three-years-as-a...
I think it would be quite a nice way to give a second life to classic episodes of past showHNs and askHNs.
Re: Show HN: HN Update – Hourly news broadcast of top HN stories
#113Earlier quoted context omitted.
Actually, I used to love reading, but the last years I've felt exactly like I had no energy to read any more, and have switched to audiobooks and podcasts. I then checked my eyes, and it turns out I need glasses. So as you get older, check your eyes!
I have had glasses since I was 7... A year after my father brought home a 'portable computer' (luggable) [0] with a tiny monochrome screen. Not sure if that was related, but I guess it could be as the screen was very tiny (see pic below). [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osborne_1
But he… what? :)
Re: Show HN: HN Update – Hourly news broadcast of top HN stories
#114Last week I had a similar idea as you. I created a webpage called https://zeli.app that automatically helps you parse the content of posts from the HN homepage, rewrite the titles, and generate abstracts.
So, I ended up with these post fragments, and I tried feeding these title + abstract lists to Claude 3.5 Sonnet to string them together into a 5-minute English podcast, emphasizing on making these fragments flow cohesively.
Honestly, I wasn't completely satisfied with the results because the topics switched too quickly, and each post only had 2-3 sentence introductions, making it sound less interesting.
Anyway, it was exciting to find someone with a similar idea as me, but I still think the lack of interesting content is the main issue.
Re: Show HN: HN Update – Hourly news broadcast of top HN stories
#115Last week I had a similar idea as you. I created a webpage called https://zeli.app that automatically helps you parse the content of posts from the HN homepage, rewrite the titles, and generate abstracts. So, I ended up with these post fragments, and I tried feeding these title + abstract lists to Claude 3.5 Sonnet to string them together into a 5-minute English podcast, emphasizing on making these fragments flow coh…
Sample here:
"Tech enthusiasts, welcome to 'Claude's Crazy Tech Emporium'! I'm your old friend Claude. Today, we're taking you on a fantastic tech journey, from the maze of subscription services all the way to nuclear-powered data centers. Fasten your seatbelts, we're taking off!
First, let's talk about those love-hate subscription services. Ever tried to unsubscribe and couldn't find the exit? Like being stuck in a maze, looking everywhere but finding no way out. Don't worry, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has heard our cries! They've recently introduced the 'Click to Cancel' rule. Imagine canceling a subscription as easily as deleting an ex's contact. Ah, the sweet taste of freedom! But don't get too excited, because...
Amazon is tempting us again! They've just launched a series of new Kindles, including their first color Kindle and the all-new Kindle Scribe. Now you can not only read color e-books but also write and draw on them. It's the perfect gift for those who love doodling in paper books! But book lovers, beware, this isn't a license to scribble in library books. Speaking of which...
Have you heard about the 'Transition Year' in the Irish education system? It's like a 'dream school year' for students! During this year, students can try various courses, from aeronautics to art, from programming to car maintenance. Isn't this like a real-life 'Hogwarts'? I even wonder if they have a course on 'How to Create Magic Books on Kindle'. But if you really want to experience magical technology, then...
You must check out the Apple Vision Pro! Someone recently used this device that looks like it came straight out of a sci-fi movie on a plane. Imagine wearing this high-tech headset, watching 3D movies at 30,000 feet - fellow passengers might think you're a time traveler from 2050. Just a reminder, don't scream out loud if you're watching a horror movie, or the flight attendant might think you've spotted a UFO! Speaking of unidentified objects...
Recently, someone benchmarked so-called 'AI PCs'. The results show that these computers might not be as intelligent as we imagined. It seems AI still prefers to roam in the cloud, reluctant to move into our computers permanently. Maybe AI thinks our computers are too cramped? But don't worry, because...
Amazon is finding a new home for AI! They've recently quietly invested in a nuclear power developer. Looks like they're planning a 'nuclear' upgrade for their data centers! Imagine, every tweet you send might have a hint of nuclear energy. Don't worry, this won't turn your phone into a mini nuclear reactor. Although, if it did, we'd never have to worry about low battery again, right?
Finally, let's look at the 'nuclear' war in the WordPress community. The dispute between Matt Mullenweg and WP Engine is more dramatic than 'Game of Thrones'. It seems even in the open-source world, court intrigue is unavoidable. Developer friends, besides coding, learn some workplace politics too. But remember, in the programming world, the one with the most beautiful code usually wins, not the one best at playing politics.
Well, that's the end of our 'Crazy Tech Emporium' tour. From the maze of subscription services to nuclear-powered data centers, to power games in the open-source world, we've experienced quite a lot, haven't we? I hope you've had a good laugh and learned something on this crazy journey. I'm Claude, see you next time! Remember, in this crazy tech world, curiosity and a sense of humor are the best survival tools. Bye-bye!"
Re: Show HN: HN Update – Hourly news broadcast of top HN stories
#116Lots of positive feedback here, but after a quick listen, I'm not a fan. To summarize my thoughts... 1. The experience just feels too sluggish. For example, I opened the HN homepage, skimmed all of the headlines, read the comments on the top post, and it probably took about 30 seconds. I was done, feeling like I got all the information from HN that I needed, with the intention of checking for new posts later in the d…
I think it’s a case of this not fitting your use case. It wouldn’t replace reading the front page for me but I could really see it replacing a podcast on my morning walk. Especially given the absence of news spin or adverts. I’ll definitely be giving it a try tomorrow.
I think you're right here. I'm forgetting about "entertainment".
This will never replace my visits to HN because it's not efficient. Unless it uses neurolink to beam the information into my mind, that's always going to be the case. It fails in that way.
However, let's consider a podcast. You get 5 people that are entertaining, knowledgeable about technology, well spoken, and have differing opinions, and get them to spend 30 minutes talking about the top HN posts. It's slow, they would most likely not even discuss my favourite posts, but yet, I would consider listening. Is it possible to replicate that with AI? Could AI digest the content and all of the comments, and turn it into an entertaining and educational discussion and debate between a few different AI voices?
I think it's possible, and it changes the idea from being an inefficient method of summarizing content, to a form of entertainment. That could be the right direction to go with this kind of project. However, even if AI perfectly replicates a great podcast, how would I feel listening to it? I think this question applies to most AI content. How important is the human process in the content we consume? Do people only care about the end result, or do they want read a book written by a person, view photos taken by a person, listen to songs performed by a person, and listen to a podcast by real people?
Re: Show HN: HN Update – Hourly news broadcast of top HN stories
#117Lots of positive feedback here, but after a quick listen, I'm not a fan. To summarize my thoughts... 1. The experience just feels too sluggish. For example, I opened the HN homepage, skimmed all of the headlines, read the comments on the top post, and it probably took about 30 seconds. I was done, feeling like I got all the information from HN that I needed, with the intention of checking for new posts later in the d…
Re: 3. The problem with reading HN on your phone is that it's generally frowned upon to do it while driving a car.
Re: Show HN: HN Update – Hourly news broadcast of top HN stories
#118Earlier quoted context omitted.
agreed on energy for reading. do you think it’s that we’re getting older or that the friction associated with consuming information is just getting lower and lower over time?
When it comes to online reading, there are quite a few things that cause me fatigue that I don't feel I used to experience. Advertisements have been there for a long time, but often these are woven into the content, either as literal text placed in the article, or as visual ads that you need to scroll through to continue reading the article. Relying on different JavaScript and CSS techniques to "enhance" the user exp…
Perhaps a small help for you might be "reader mode" or "focus mode" or whatever your browser of choice calls it.
It's usually embedded in the url bar (probably a hotkey for it), and gives you only the text. A major step forward in not having to subconsciously ingest and then choose to ignore all the ads, related links, etc.
Re: Show HN: HN Update – Hourly news broadcast of top HN stories
#119Lots of positive feedback here, but after a quick listen, I'm not a fan. To summarize my thoughts... 1. The experience just feels too sluggish. For example, I opened the HN homepage, skimmed all of the headlines, read the comments on the top post, and it probably took about 30 seconds. I was done, feeling like I got all the information from HN that I needed, with the intention of checking for new posts later in the d…
Agree and I would add, 4. Skimming HN is useful in text-format because you can go deeper on something that catches your eye by following the link. The podcast format removes this because you can't click on something you hear and dive deeper into it. Skimming without the ability to dive into something is not useful, see next point. 5. High-level summaries are not my use case for HN, or any social media. They don't pro…
Or lean into it and have it speech-to-text as well you can interrupt it when it's reading a post you don't like so it can move onto the next one.
Re: Show HN: HN Update – Hourly news broadcast of top HN stories
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
Actually, I used to love reading, but the last years I've felt exactly like I had no energy to read any more, and have switched to audiobooks and podcasts. I then checked my eyes, and it turns out I need glasses. So as you get older, check your eyes!
I have had glasses since I was 7... A year after my father brought home a 'portable computer' (luggable) [0] with a tiny monochrome screen. Not sure if that was related, but I guess it could be as the screen was very tiny (see pic below). [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osborne_1
Apparently, has no patience for writing too...;p