# Off-Topic: the non-technical side of Hacker News

> The non-technical side of Hacker News: popular stories on history, literature, philosophy, politics, law, economics, nature and science, updated every hour.

Stories with 100+ points on Hacker News since Oct 2024, each scored 0-10 by a language model for how non-technical it is: about 7 and up is humanities, 4.5-6 other non-technical writing. Updated hourly from the official Hacker News API; last built November 3, 2026. Unofficial, not affiliated with Hacker News or Y Combinator.

- [All stories as JSON](https://offtopic.club/data.json): 11,083 stories scoring 4 or more, newest first, about 2.6 MB. Each object has `id` (Hacker News item id; the discussion is at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=ID), `t` title, `u` article URL, `d` domain, `p` points, `n` comment count, `ts` submission time (Unix seconds), `s` score 0-10, `c` topic.
- [Guide for agents](https://offtopic.club/llms.txt)

## Latest 50 of 9,780 stories scoring 4.5 or more

- [Net worth for people aged 30–33 in the U.S.](<https://www.keepingup.com/benchmarks/net-worth/age-30-33>) (keepingup.com, Nov 3, 2026, economics, score 6, [90 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50347683))
- [The SEC Should Block Anthropic's IPO to Protect the Public](<https://www.techpolicy.press/the-sec-should-block-anthropics-ipo-to-protect-the-public/>) (techpolicy.press, Nov 2, 2026, tech-society, score 4.5, [227 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50344919))
- [BYD sold more EVs last month than the US did all quarter](<https://electrek.co/2026/11/02/byd-sold-more-evs-last-month-than-the-us-did-all-quarter/>) (electrek.co, Nov 2, 2026, economics, score 5, [268 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50344181))
- [Egoless Mathematics in the AI Era](<https://terrytao.wordpress.com/2026/11/02/egoless-mathematics-in-the-ai-era/>) (terrytao.wordpress.com, Nov 2, 2026, essay, score 5, [98 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50341736))
- [Sneaking into the auditorium for the Windows 2000 launch rehearsal](<https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20261102-00/?p=112818/>) (devblogs.microsoft.com, Nov 2, 2026, tech history, score 4.5, [43 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50341028))
- [Making Peace with the Projective Plane](<https://www.johndcook.com/blog/2026/11/02/projective-plane/>) (johndcook.com, Nov 2, 2026, science, score 5, [16 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50340629))
- [US boy names that became girl names and vice versa](<https://namedaisy.com/blog/boy-names-that-became-girl-names>) (namedaisy.com, Nov 2, 2026, society, score 8, [345 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50339397))
- [Why are Soviet math textbooks so hardcore in comparison to US textbooks? (2017)](<https://www.quora.com/Why-are-Soviet-mathematics-physics-textbooks-so-insanely-hardcore-in-comparison-to-US-textbooks/answer/Scott-Miller-307?share=1>) (quora.com, Nov 2, 2026, education, score 6.5, [236 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50337725))
- [Napping characteristics and incident dementia](<https://academic.oup.com/biomedgerontology/article/81/10/glag208/8769491?login=false>) (academic.oup.com, Nov 2, 2026, health, score 5, [26 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50337635))
- [Jobless tech workers are being left out of San Francisco's AI boom](<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-09-17/san-francisco-s-ai-wealth-boom-skirts-engineers-as-openai-anthropic-ipos-near>) (bloomberg.com, Nov 2, 2026, tech-society, score 5.5, [245 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50337454))
- [If you love a website, back it up](<https://blog.mistys-internet.website/post/2026/10/29/if-you-love-a-website-back-it-up/>) (blog.mistys-internet.website, Nov 2, 2026, tech-society, score 4.5, [108 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50336518))
- [Never Complain, Never Explain](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_complain,_never_explain>) (en.wikipedia.org, Nov 2, 2026, language, score 7.5, [63 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50335659))
- [The future in old computer magazines (1984–2004)](<https://tomorrowasusual.substack.com/p/blast-from-the-past-the-future-in>) (tomorrowasusual.substack.com, Nov 2, 2026, history, score 6.5, [37 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50335341))
- [BioWare co-founder: game execs "have never made a game" and don't get it](<https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/none-of-these-people-have-ever-made-a-game-bioware-co-founder-greg-zeschuk-says-of-game-industry-executives-they-just-dont-know-how-it-works/>) (pcgamer.com, Nov 2, 2026, culture, score 5, [143 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50334372))
- [Wir müssen wissen – wir werden wissen](<https://remy.wang/blog/hilbert.html>) (remy.wang, Nov 2, 2026, essay, score 7.5, [19 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50334240))
- [From Charlemagne to the Kitchen Boy: Reading the Hamburg Rathaus](<https://alsterrunde.com/from-charlemagne-to-the-kitchen-boy-reading-the-hamburg-rathaus/>) (alsterrunde.com, Nov 2, 2026, history, score 9, [10 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50333774))
- [AI fan wikis riddled with errors are muddying the waters of games culture](<https://www.eurogamer.net/ai-fan-wikis-errors-complicating-games-culture>) (eurogamer.net, Nov 2, 2026, tech-society, score 5.5, [112 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50332086))
- [Bones may release proteins that slow aging and extend life span](<https://www.science.org/content/article/bones-may-release-proteins-slow-aging-and-extend-life-span>) (science.org, Nov 2, 2026, health, score 4.5, [131 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50331957))
- [The Megadonors Who Have Poured $1.2B into the Midterms](<https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/08/28/us/politics/billionaire-midterms-donors.html>) (nytimes.com, Nov 1, 2026, politics, score 7, [113 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50331158))
- [U.S. workers took home their smallest share of capital since at least 1947](<https://fortune.com/article/why-did-us-workers-just-take-home-smallest-share-of-capital-since-1947-lowest-ever-recorded/>) (fortune.com, Nov 1, 2026, economics, score 7, [212 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50330939))
- [AI delivers 'zero financial payoff' to most companies, Apollo economist says](<https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/25/ai-delivers-zero-financial-payoff-to-most-companies-according-to-apollo-economist/>) (techcrunch.com, Nov 1, 2026, tech-society, score 4.5, [253 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50330456))
- [John Leeson (the voice of K9) has died](<https://www.doctorwhonews.net/2026/11/john_leeson_1943_2026.html>) (doctorwhonews.net, Nov 1, 2026, culture, score 7, [2 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50329707))
- [Proposed data centre will release 23 Hiroshima atomic bomb worth of energy a day](<https://www.cbc.ca/lite/story/9.7403677>) (cbc.ca, Nov 1, 2026, society, score 5, [27 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50328556))
- [Nurses Sound Alarm as 'Uber for Nursing' Apps Push to Deregulate Healthcare](<https://nurse.org/news/uber-for-nursing-gig-apps-report/>) (nurse.org, Nov 1, 2026, health, score 6.5, [162 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50328487))
- [US Jobs Pickup May Keep Fed on Track to Hike Rates Again](<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-31/us-jobs-pickup-may-keep-fed-on-track-to-hike-rates-again>) (bloomberg.com, Nov 1, 2026, economics, score 6, [52 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50328462))
- [Mathematics has changed. Let's act like it](<https://terrytao.wordpress.com/2026/11/01/mathematics-has-changed-lets-act-like-it/>) (terrytao.wordpress.com, Nov 1, 2026, science, score 5, [492 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50328251))
- [Patrick Stewart taught us what good men do with power](<https://www.vox.com/politics/508526/patrick-stewart-jean-luc-picard-star-trek-liberalism>) (vox.com, Nov 1, 2026, culture, score 7.5, [345 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50327650))
- [Landline phones will switch off across Britland in 100 days, no extensions](<https://www.theregister.com/networks/2026/11/01/landline-phones-will-switch-off-across-britland-in-100-days-no-extensions-openreach/5306673>) (theregister.com, Nov 1, 2026, tech-society, score 4.5, [163 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50326609))
- [Police chief unplugs cameras after Flock ignores contract cancellation](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/my-city-canceled-flocks-contract-flock-ignored-it-so-the-police-chief-unplugged-the-cameras>) (thedrive.com, Nov 1, 2026, tech-society, score 5.5, [162 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50326118))
- [Novellas with Groff](<https://movq.de/blog/postings/2026-10-31/0/POSTING-en.html>) (movq.de, Nov 1, 2026, literature, score 8, [53 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50325694))
- [The "Moon Trees"](<https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/moon_tree.html>) (nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov, Nov 1, 2026, science, score 7, [2 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50325411))
- [Restrooms along the Norwegian Scenic Routes](<https://www.visitnorway.com/plan-your-trip/travel-tips-a-z/norwegian-scenic-routes/worlds-best-toilets/>) (visitnorway.com, Nov 1, 2026, society, score 5.5, [434 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50324388))
- [A tiny Pacific country rolls out universal basic income](<https://www.economist.com/asia/2026/10/29/a-tiny-pacific-country-rolls-out-universal-basic-income>) (economist.com, Nov 1, 2026, economics, score 7, [143 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50324118))
- [Resisting Cognitive Surrender](<https://knlb.dev/essays/surrender>) (knlb.dev, Nov 1, 2026, tech-society, score 5, [35 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50323123))
- [Brazilian Court Sanctions Lawyers for Prompt Injection in Court Filing](<https://jetstream.security/insights/brazilian-court-sanctions-prompt-injection-filing/>) (jetstream.security, Nov 1, 2026, law, score 4.5, [215 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50322173))
- [When electric cars were for women](<https://spectrum.ieee.org/early-electric-vehicles>) (spectrum.ieee.org, Oct 31, 2026, history, score 7.5, [80 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50321130))
- [An Italian farmer found some unknown seeds in his attic and planted them](<https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/italian-farmer-found-unknown-seeds-attic-with-nothing-lose-planted-them-result-biblical-180989644/>) (smithsonianmag.com, Oct 31, 2026, nature, score 7.5, [232 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50320963))
- [Distributed Proofreaders](<https://www.pgdp.net/c/>) (pgdp.net, Oct 31, 2026, literature, score 7.5, [3 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50320137))
- [With 86% of the words, you might understand only 38% of an anime's lines](<https://learnfromx.com/research/anime-word-coverage-vs-lines-understood>) (learnfromx.com, Oct 31, 2026, language, score 5.5, [61 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50320028))
- [Surviving "The Graduate"](<https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/dustin-hoffman-on-surviving-the-graduate>) (newyorker.com, Oct 31, 2026, culture, score 8.5, [60 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50319563))
- [The Duty of a Scholar](<https://www.daemonology.net/blog/2026-10-31-The-Duty-of-a-Scholar.html>) (daemonology.net, Oct 31, 2026, essay, score 7.5, [38 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50319061))
- [William Nordhaus has died](<https://news.yale.edu/2026/10/31/william-nordhaus-nobel-laureate-who-integrated-economics-and-climate-change-devoted-yale>) (news.yale.edu, Oct 31, 2026, economics, score 7, [34 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50318376))
- [UK Green party drops longstanding opposition to nuclear power](<https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/oct/05/green-party-nuclear-power-policy>) (theguardian.com, Oct 31, 2026, politics, score 7, [331 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50318189))
- [The She-Wolves of Jülich](<https://www.historytoday.com/archive/history-matters/she-wolves-julich>) (historytoday.com, Oct 31, 2026, history, score 9, [6 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50318129))
- [What is a light-day? The milestone Voyager 1 is closing in on](<https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/voyager-1/voyager-1-what-is-a-light-day/>) (science.nasa.gov, Oct 31, 2026, science, score 5.5, [52 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50317429))
- [Casio Watches of the 1980s](<https://www.casio.com/us/watches/50th/Heritage/1980s/>) (casio.com, Oct 31, 2026, design, score 5.5, [138 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50317363))
- [Ex-Meta Researcher Torrented Pirated Books, Deleted It 'Due to Litigation'](<https://torrentfreak.com/ex-meta-researcher-torrented-pirated-books-dataset-deleted-it-due-to-all-this-litigation/>) (torrentfreak.com, Oct 31, 2026, law, score 6, [75 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50316760))
- [The Ocean 'Was the Color of Chocolate.' Mexico Declares War on Seaweed.](<https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/28/world/americas/mexico-seaweed-navy.html>) (nytimes.com, Oct 31, 2026, nature, score 7, [65 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50316117))
- [French lawmakers approved a tax of €0.055 for every gigabyte of internet traffic](<https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/17/comptes-rendus/seance/session-ordinaire-de-2026-2027/premiere-seance-du-vendredi-30-octobre-2026>) (assemblee-nationale.fr, Oct 31, 2026, economics, score 5.5, [140 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50315047))
- [Shiny Object Syndrome](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiny_object_syndrome>) (en.wikipedia.org, Oct 31, 2026, psychology, score 6, [23 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50314872))