Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul • Hacker News Board

Re: Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

#231

Post by jekdoce » Thu, Oct 08, 2015, 11:56 PM UTC

dsp1234 wrote: post #128

mattress wrote: post #9

Took a job in Bellevue in April and moved from Philadelphia to Seattle. So far it's a been an interesting experience. I've encountered many people hostile to software engineers in general. A bunch of people immediately ask if I work for Amazon with a hint of disdain after I state my occupation. So it hasn't felt super welcoming so far. I get it, even in some neighborhoods in Philadelphia the same thing is happening.…

An interesting take on how someone really feels about programmers. http://www.movin925.com/2015/08/10/second-date-update-podcas...

That was definitely interesting to listen to. Recommend it to others reading this thread. I have personally never met anyone being that passionately dismissive of people working at technology companies. Absurd.

Re: Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

#232

Post by civilian » Thu, Oct 08, 2015, 11:57 PM UTC

pazrul wrote: post #24

pm90 wrote: post #12

> John Criscitello placed posters in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood proclaiming “Welcome! Rich Kids,” and “Wish you weren’t here.” Its hard not to feel angry at people like this. "Rich Kids" really? These "Kids" spent years developing their engineering skills to get to the point where they are now. Are engineers paid a lot? Of course. But we're certainly not in the same category as those who inherit wealth. Most…

This guy is a terrible hypocrite; he creates art bemoaning new people in his neighborhood, while being a recent transplant from New York himself. He's cashing in on the worst kind of 'us vs them' mentality. Some people make excuses that he's only rallying against the stereotypical brogrammer, but I don't think that's true. He's really against anyone being in his neighborhood he didn't personally approve of. He's the…

Agreed. For more info, looks at the video here: http://www.thestranger.com/blogs/slog/2015/08/26/22761976/at...

an engineer confronts him in a Q&A session about his bias towards engineers. John just blows up. He accuses techies of being quiet &boring, while at the same time accusing them of being the people who are bashing trans people. He's very inconsistent and is just good at being loud.

Oh, and he's also a transplant from NYC, so if we're supposed to buy into his transplant-hate, we should hate him too.

Re: Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

#233

Post by mattress » Fri, Oct 09, 2015, 12:03 AM UTC

voxrumor wrote: post #85

mattress wrote: post #9

Took a job in Bellevue in April and moved from Philadelphia to Seattle. So far it's a been an interesting experience. I've encountered many people hostile to software engineers in general. A bunch of people immediately ask if I work for Amazon with a hint of disdain after I state my occupation. So it hasn't felt super welcoming so far. I get it, even in some neighborhoods in Philadelphia the same thing is happening.…

My experience has been eerily similar. Moved to Ballard from South Philly at the beginning of the summer, working in Bellevue. People are so openly hostile I kinda stopped trying to talk to anyone. The "Die techie scum" graffiti all over doesn't really help either. Seattle itself seems pretty nice. Its a shame this forced isolation is just going to lead to even bigger division. Maybe we should hang out?

Ha, small world. It's strange, because I don't even look like a typical "techbro" as people have been describing in this thread. Work/life balance is incredibly important to me. I have a large beard, my long hair is in a bun, I have tattoos on my arms. I moved to Fremont because the one friend I had here lived there.

Shoot me a private message, lets grab a bite or beer sometime.

Re: Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

#234

Post by jonwayne » Fri, Oct 09, 2015, 12:09 AM UTC

hosh wrote: post #167

wfo wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seattle has never been particularly welcoming to newcomers; people there tend to be insular and it can be hard to make friends if you don't already know people (even before the amazon/tech stuff -- plenty of articles about 'the seattle freeze' that predate it). Being from there helps. Not being in tech helps -- there are so many new software engineers meeting one just isn't very interesting. You can hardly blame peop…

Huh, that explains some things. I never really noticed it. I had a few friends I already knew in Seattle that were very welcoming. On the other hand, when I'm out walking and wandering around by myself, I don't get a sense a hostile or coldness to people. If anything, I felt that I fit in better in Seattle than when I lived in Atlanta. I've met a lot of interesting people from different walks of life -- artists, yes,…

I moved to Seattle from Atlanta 8 months ago and I haven't managed to make any friends. This place is rough.

Re: Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

#235

Post by orik » Fri, Oct 09, 2015, 12:10 AM UTC

pazrul wrote: post #24

pm90 wrote: post #12

> John Criscitello placed posters in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood proclaiming “Welcome! Rich Kids,” and “Wish you weren’t here.” Its hard not to feel angry at people like this. "Rich Kids" really? These "Kids" spent years developing their engineering skills to get to the point where they are now. Are engineers paid a lot? Of course. But we're certainly not in the same category as those who inherit wealth. Most…

This guy is a terrible hypocrite; he creates art bemoaning new people in his neighborhood, while being a recent transplant from New York himself. He's cashing in on the worst kind of 'us vs them' mentality. Some people make excuses that he's only rallying against the stereotypical brogrammer, but I don't think that's true. He's really against anyone being in his neighborhood he didn't personally approve of. He's the…

this is the same guy that did the 'bellevue wives matter' huh? I didn't realize he was a recent transplant.

I love going dancing in Capitol Hill (Swing, Salsa, Ballroom) but I don't find the neighborhood as welcoming and I was told it would be. University District seems like the place to go if you're young.

Re: Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

#236

Post by SolaceQuantum » Fri, Oct 09, 2015, 12:16 AM UTC

oldmanjay wrote: post #173

ForHackernews wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You may not have inherited great wealth directly, but it's a fair guess that you "inherited" some or all of the following: * Parents who pushed you to focus on your schoolwork. * Parents who owned a computer, or bought a computer specifically for their kids' education. * Parents who lived in a house with consistent water, electricity and internet service. * Parents who made sure you got glasses if you needed them, so…

Sure, ascribe everything to luck, and then so what? Where does that leave us? With less of an appetite for technology and progress? With more of a use for people who have no salable skills and hungry mouths and envy for the good life? Or does it just leave us with a bunch of people who contribute nothing more to society than constantly exclaiming that things aren't fair? We know they aren't fair. They've never been f…

> ascribe everything to luck,

Did you misread when the person said specifically "I'm sure you've worked hard"?

Person is probably not saying "hey nothing you did was on you" but is more likely wanting to say "hey consider the greater context of your existence".

Re: Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

#237

Post by civilian » Fri, Oct 09, 2015, 12:27 AM UTC

ahh wrote: post #58

ulysses wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the 2010 census, the female population of Seattle was right at 50%. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/53/5363000.html

Try breaking that down by age and marital status. See for instance: http://jonathansoma.com/singles/#1/3/2/0 It certainly isn't 2:1 - that was hyperbole - but it's bad. And it doesn't actually take a large absolute difference to produce huge changes in behavior. A standard economic model of this fact is explained nicely here: http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2010/02/rev... In the efficient market limi…

IDK, looking at that singles page, it looks bad in all major cities.

Re: Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

#238

Post by paulsutter » Fri, Oct 09, 2015, 12:32 AM UTC

People in Seattle very friendly. They are unhappy about rising rents. There is an eerie consensus that Amazon is to blame, but I haven't heard negative remarks or attitudes towards individuals, just towards Amazon the company and the tech boom in general.

I'm really impressed by the city government. Seattle is much more pro growth than San Francisco. There's much more construction. Like SF, people also blame construction for rising prices, but it's pretty normal for people to reverse causality (developers build because of expectations about demand, demand doesn't happen because developers build. But like most professions, if you aren't a property developer, it may not be obvious).

Re: Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

#239

Post by alttab » Fri, Oct 09, 2015, 12:37 AM UTC

wfo wrote: post #53

mattress wrote: post #9

Took a job in Bellevue in April and moved from Philadelphia to Seattle. So far it's a been an interesting experience. I've encountered many people hostile to software engineers in general. A bunch of people immediately ask if I work for Amazon with a hint of disdain after I state my occupation. So it hasn't felt super welcoming so far. I get it, even in some neighborhoods in Philadelphia the same thing is happening.…

Seattle has never been particularly welcoming to newcomers; people there tend to be insular and it can be hard to make friends if you don't already know people (even before the amazon/tech stuff -- plenty of articles about 'the seattle freeze' that predate it). Being from there helps. Not being in tech helps -- there are so many new software engineers meeting one just isn't very interesting. You can hardly blame peop…

I'm a Seattle transplant from the east coast and I work for a big scary tech company and I haven't had any of these problems. The main difference between east and west coast culture is on the east coast the biggest opener is "so what do you do?" which in west coast culture translates to "i don't care who you are."

Which is why getting and talking about hobbies is a better choice. Who is most likely to screw this up? East coast or mid-western kids coming to work at Microsoft and Amazon.

A better opener for new-comers to Seattle is: "So what is your favorite brunch place?" or "what do you like to do on the weekends? I like going to Bainbridge", etc.

What you do matters way, way less initially.

Re: Seattle, in Midst of Tech Boom, Tries to Keep Its Soul

#240

Post by rconti » Fri, Oct 09, 2015, 12:48 AM UTC

CheckeredBook wrote: post #165

Another born-and-raised Seattleite here. Grew up there, went to UW, etc. Seattle lost its "soul" a long time ago. For me, Almost Live! going off the air was really the bookmark that Seattle was quickly becoming a homogenized west-coast city (no different really than SF or Portland). I don't really think Amazon is worth singling out, either. Amazon doesn't help, but Microsoft's a monolith that's been around for quite…

Yep. Born and lived there all through the 80s and 90s before moving to the Bay Area. I still read the Seattle Times online, and the gripes about Californians coming in and ruining the place in the past few years are hilarious; it's been the same story for decades. Blame someone else. Boeing engineers. Microsofties. Whatever, it's always somebody else.

Thanks for mentioning Almost Live. Every few years I search for DVDs, search torrents, etc. Truly one of the saddest days in Seattle when it went off the air.