I don't understand your logic, it seems like victim blaming. Using the internet and pointing out that targeted advertising has a negative effect on society is not "having it both ways".
Also, HN is by definition algorithmic content and social media, in your mind what do you think it is?
Rituals and beliefs are not the same as "worship with religious conviction".
I ritually shower every day and I have beliefs like, when water comes out of the faucet it will fall to the floor because of gravity. That is wildly different than worshipping the water or the shower.
I suspect you have a very strange definition of the word worship.
That is an obviously incorrect assumption, it is possible to de-anonomize most data sets about and there is reason to believe this one is no different. Health data by it's nature is very personal and specific.
As a Canadian who has lived in the US for 1 year (in SF) I have a totally different take away. I noticed that people here are very hard working, almost as they are desperate for success, like if they fail or lost their job they would just die, poor and homeless and healthcare-less.
I found that people in Canada were much more focused on happiness and were more willing to make sacrifices to improve their quality of live, though in Vancouver the housing crisis was a gut check for anyone who's goals include owning a home, or starting a family.
There is money to be made here in the valley, especially in tech, but it is not where I intend to be permanently. I want to retire one day, and I probably can't do that here. I definitely couldn't do that in Vancouver with a local salary.
> feels like watching Pinterest issue its own coin for people to spend on pinning some content.
I think this actually sounds interesting, if it cost a little to pin something but it also means that content creators get a little bit of $$ just for creating content that people pin. Of course nothing about this requires a blockchain or a new coin, but it could be fun!
C++ with more stuff isn't the same as "better C++".
C++ has more features than any one person could ever need and it seems like the design philosophy is: anything that is possible in any language; should be added to C++. In reality it is a huge problem for productivity.
Metadata can reveal intent, motivation, and far more than you intend especially when collected in mass. Metadata = Data. Saying that metadata doesn't matter, or matters less is just wrong.
Also, HN is by definition algorithmic content and social media, in your mind what do you think it is?