We Should Have a Better Condom by Now • Hacker News Board

Re: We Should Have a Better Condom by Now

#61

Post by IanDrake » Thu, Apr 02, 2015, 6:16 PM UTC

icebraining wrote: post #23

IanDrake wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You aren't allowed to criticize government regulation on HN.

You are, you just can't be lazy about it.

Pretty sure it was clear.

Government is lazy and callus about updating regulations regarding to development and testing of prophylactics. Innovative and better alternatives were taken off the market due to said regulations.

The commentary was spot on. The point of the original comment was to provide bullets without lengthy justification and citation and it was upvoted.

Then this "lazy" bullet was added and all the sudden the author needs to back up his assertion with detailed arguments? The pro-government bias here is insane.

As I said, don't be critical of government on HN unless you don't care about the group think popularity karma contest going on here.

Re: We Should Have a Better Condom by Now

#62

Post by alanctgardner3 » Thu, Apr 02, 2015, 6:16 PM UTC

pariya wrote: post #35

dpark wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably not. The FDA controls all drugs and medical devices sold in the US, not just manufactured here.

What ARE the best condoms in the world? Does anyone know of a country with more superior condoms?

Okamoto (based in Japan) makes some good ones that can legally be sold in the US. http://www.okamotousa.com/

Re: We Should Have a Better Condom by Now

#63

Post by foldr » Thu, Apr 02, 2015, 6:16 PM UTC

baddox wrote: post #50

foldr wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which in turn can readily be explained by the lack of a strong government.

I presume you know very little about Somalia's recent history. It had a strong government from 1969 to 1991. It was a military dictatorship with a centrally planned economy ("scientific socialism"). After the regime's collapse in 1991, Somalia was essentially stateless, and there was dispersed fighting between various groups for control of various areas of Somalia. Yet, perhaps surprisingly to many people, it's not c…

You appear to be confusing strength with brutality. The military dictatorship was not strong. That’s why it collapsed. In general, dictatorships tend to be weak and unstable in comparison to more democratic forms of government.

Re: We Should Have a Better Condom by Now

#64

Post by jaldoretta » Thu, Apr 02, 2015, 6:17 PM UTC

Contraceptive innovation is WAY behind other industries. Condoms are completely outdated, the pill really hasn't changed since the 1960s, the IUD since the '70s, the "new" implants are really just a minor evolution of the pill, etc. You'd think such a basic human need would be more of a priority.

My startup is helping to tackle this problem by trying to inform people that menstrual cycle data, on its own, can help prevent pregnancy with the same efficacy as hormonal contraception (and this isn't the rhythm method, despite the common misconception). While it doesn't prevent the spread of STIs like condoms, tech that replaces "modern" methods for women could change the industry.

We actually just released a marketing campaign for that exact purpose:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=3PzfJ4caalY

I'm really looking forward to the much-needed innovation in this industry.

Re: We Should Have a Better Condom by Now

#65

Post by retardedelk » Thu, Apr 02, 2015, 6:18 PM UTC

jpgauthier wrote: post #41

alexashka wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's start with making them free. Are the medical/abortion costs really lower than providing everyone with unlimited plastic with a little lotion on it?

I'm from Québec (Canada) and you can easily find free condoms at your Local Community Services Centre or any anti-aids/healthcare organization. But, I'm not exactly sure that it helped to reduce AIDS transmission or the number of abortions (if we look at the numbers they have increased in past years), but there's a lot more to take into account than condoms usage alone. Still, I completely agree with you that it shou…

You can get free condoms just about everywhere (including the United States). The problem is that you get them free from your local family-planning clinic, or community centre, etc.

People who are at risk for having unprotected sex probably need the condoms to be easily available (i.e free in high-schools, free in bars/nightclubs, etc.). If they have enough forethought in order to make a trip to one of the places where they are free, they probably have enough forethought to buy them themselves without problems.

Re: We Should Have a Better Condom by Now

#66

Post by icebraining » Thu, Apr 02, 2015, 6:19 PM UTC

foldr wrote: post #49

icebraining wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can it? On what do you base that opinion? What particular facts from the modern history of Somalia have you used to support it?

The fact that it's currently in a state of near anarchy and has been for a while.

That's not an explanation, that's restating the fact.

Re: We Should Have a Better Condom by Now

#67

Post by foldr » Thu, Apr 02, 2015, 6:19 PM UTC

moron4hire wrote: post #52

foldr wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which in turn can readily be explained by the lack of a strong government.

Right, because Somalia has never had a government, or the lack thereof today has nothing to do with the previous government.

We really are going down the libertarian rabbit hole when even the absence of government is blamed on government.

Re: We Should Have a Better Condom by Now

#68

Post by icebraining » Thu, Apr 02, 2015, 6:20 PM UTC

IanDrake wrote: post #61

icebraining wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are, you just can't be lazy about it.

Pretty sure it was clear. Government is lazy and callus about updating regulations regarding to development and testing of prophylactics. Innovative and better alternatives were taken off the market due to said regulations. The commentary was spot on. The point of the original comment was to provide bullets without lengthy justification and citation and it was upvoted. Then this "lazy" bullet was added and all the su…

Oh, I'm not saying there isn't a pro-government bias. I'm saying that it's just a bias, not a complete rejection. If you're pro-government, you can be lazy, but if you're against it, you can still be upvoted, you just have to work a little harder to overcome the bias.

Re: We Should Have a Better Condom by Now

#69

Post by moron4hire » Thu, Apr 02, 2015, 6:21 PM UTC

foldr wrote: post #67

moron4hire wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right, because Somalia has never had a government, or the lack thereof today has nothing to do with the previous government.

We really are going down the libertarian rabbit hole when even the absence of government is blamed on government.

I'm not trying to paint all governments with the same brush. I'm just saying that, perhaps, you don't know anything about Somalia and are just using it as a strawman against small government.

edit: it's one, single country that has had a very violent history, not a case study in deregulation of markets.

Re: We Should Have a Better Condom by Now

#70

Post by ams6110 » Thu, Apr 02, 2015, 6:22 PM UTC

hackuser wrote: post #37

larrys wrote: post #33

Highly recommended: "Female Condoms" http://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control/female-... Don't want to get into a bunch of inappropriate talk but suffice to say much better for both parties.

> Don't want to get into a bunch of inappropriate talk but suffice to say much better for both parties. I'd encourage you to talk. The more people know about it, the more they will use effective contraception and the fewer HIV (and other STD) infections there will be. And people who read it from you will tell others. We're all adults here; I don't think it's inappropriate.

We're all adults here

Almost certainly not true.