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Maryam Mirzakhani’s Pioneering Mathematical Legacy

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Re: Maryam Mirzakhani’s Pioneering Mathematical Legacy

#4

Post by sparky_z »

wfunction wrote: post #2

Still bothers me that we didn't get a black bar. Can someone explain what the criterion is?

Isn't it generally reserved for important figures in the history of computing/the tech industry? I don't think it takes away from the magnitude of her accomplishments or the tragedy of her early death to say that she was a giant in her field, but not really in our field.

Re: Maryam Mirzakhani’s Pioneering Mathematical Legacy

#5

Post by wfunction »

sparky_z wrote: post #4
wfunction wrote: post #2

Still bothers me that we didn't get a black bar. Can someone explain what the criterion is?

Isn't it generally reserved for important figures in the history of computing/the tech industry? I don't think it takes away from the magnitude of her accomplishments or the tragedy of her early death to say that she was a giant in her field, but not really in our field.

That's a good point, I don't recall everyone who's had a black bar, though the few I do were in tech. I guess it would be an odd list to keep, but if anyone happens to know of one that exists, I'd be curious to see the list of the past N people we've had black bars for.

Edit: I just did some digging around and it seems they didn't have a bar for Neil Armstrong's death either, so this seems right on the mark so far.

Re: Maryam Mirzakhani’s Pioneering Mathematical Legacy

#7

Post by tptacek »

wfunction wrote: post #2

Still bothers me that we didn't get a black bar. Can someone explain what the criterion is?

Stories and threads on HN are, for the most part, a sort of community property. The bar at the top of HN is not: it belongs to the operators of HN. Litigating how and when they use it to express grief is not an especially polite thing to do.

The easiest way, then, to understand the "black bar" is to think of it as an expression of sorrow that has a direct connection to HN's operators.

Re: Maryam Mirzakhani’s Pioneering Mathematical Legacy

#8

Post by dkarapetyan »

tptacek wrote: post #7
wfunction wrote: post #2

Still bothers me that we didn't get a black bar. Can someone explain what the criterion is?

Stories and threads on HN are, for the most part, a sort of community property. The bar at the top of HN is not: it belongs to the operators of HN. Litigating how and when they use it to express grief is not an especially polite thing to do. The easiest way, then, to understand the "black bar" is to think of it as an expression of sorrow that has a direct connection to HN's operators.

So none of the HN operators care about the first female Fields medalist? I don't buy this argument. The bar should have been there. It was a mistake to not put it up.

And on that note. I think it is time I left this shitpile behind. Autistic white males dedicating a reserved form of sorrow for some special people and then post-facto mental gymnasting their way out is the last straw. Fuck all y'all.

Re: Maryam Mirzakhani’s Pioneering Mathematical Legacy

#9

Post by wfunction »

tptacek wrote: post #7
wfunction wrote: post #2

Still bothers me that we didn't get a black bar. Can someone explain what the criterion is?

Stories and threads on HN are, for the most part, a sort of community property. The bar at the top of HN is not: it belongs to the operators of HN. Litigating how and when they use it to express grief is not an especially polite thing to do. The easiest way, then, to understand the "black bar" is to think of it as an expression of sorrow that has a direct connection to HN's operators.

If it was a private thing I would be totally with you, but the black bar's entire purpose is to send a public message to the community. It seems natural for the public reading the message to wonder why it was sent (or omitted) on a given occasion. It's not "why aren't you grieving?" but rather "what message are you trying to send us through displaying or omitting it?"
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