Cities and Ambition (2008) • Hacker News Board

Re: Cities and Ambition (2008)

#11

Post by jostmey » Mon, Feb 26, 2018, 6:12 PM UTC

soared wrote: post #3

What message does your city send?

I used to think the message in Dallas was "get rich". The city had almost no flavor to it and seemed all about the money. Having leaved here for a few years, I think the message is "work together". The economy is amazing and the opportunities here seem to encourage cooperation

Re: Cities and Ambition (2008)

#12

Post by kevstev » Mon, Feb 26, 2018, 6:22 PM UTC

I mostly agree, though the whole Cambridge bit was a bit overdone IMHO. NYC seems to be slowly changing though, finance and money seem to be losing prestige a bit in favor of tech. Ten years ago there was "a" NY Tech Meetup. Now there are many dozens if not hundreds, it certainly feels you could attend one every day. I feel I walk around and see a lot more people these days whom I say to myself "they are definitely in tech" whereas 10 years ago or so that would rarely happen.

I started spending some time in Chicago, and I guess I am still trying to figure out what its trying to say- so far all I have is "a less intense NYC."

Re: Cities and Ambition (2008)

#13

Post by madcaptenor » Mon, Feb 26, 2018, 6:27 PM UTC

vinceguidry wrote: post #2

What an interesting essay. I've lived in Atlanta for 12 years and I can't really figure out a message it's trying to send. One of the most up and coming industries here is film, and I know people in that industry and have spent time marinating in it, but it's not the siren call that riches is in NYC. Atlanta seems to still be finding its identity. All the industries are nascent, it always seems just on the cusp of a…

Clearly the message that Atlanta sends is "you should sit in traffic".

(I'm joking, but I feel like this might be the kernel of something - most notably Atlanta's long-standing problems with segregation and resistance to public transit.)

Re: Cities and Ambition (2008)

#14

Post by artimaeis » Mon, Feb 26, 2018, 6:40 PM UTC

vinceguidry wrote: post #2

What an interesting essay. I've lived in Atlanta for 12 years and I can't really figure out a message it's trying to send. One of the most up and coming industries here is film, and I know people in that industry and have spent time marinating in it, but it's not the siren call that riches is in NYC. Atlanta seems to still be finding its identity. All the industries are nascent, it always seems just on the cusp of a…

I had a professor some years ago who summed up Atlanta perfectly for me - "[...] it's the biggest small town in America".

Having spent the past 15 years in the region I think he hit the nail on the head. I believe the biggest message Atlanta is sending out is one of music - musical arts are alive and kicking in Atlanta in ways that are very different to the other big music cities. I'm really hopeful that the general creative vibes continue to flourish there.

Re: Cities and Ambition (2008)

#15

Post by nopreserveroot » Mon, Feb 26, 2018, 7:23 PM UTC

madcaptenor wrote: post #13

vinceguidry wrote: post #2

What an interesting essay. I've lived in Atlanta for 12 years and I can't really figure out a message it's trying to send. One of the most up and coming industries here is film, and I know people in that industry and have spent time marinating in it, but it's not the siren call that riches is in NYC. Atlanta seems to still be finding its identity. All the industries are nascent, it always seems just on the cusp of a…

Clearly the message that Atlanta sends is "you should sit in traffic". (I'm joking, but I feel like this might be the kernel of something - most notably Atlanta's long-standing problems with segregation and resistance to public transit.)

I think it's "You should get brunch."

Re: Cities and Ambition (2008)

#16

Post by matthewmcg » Mon, Feb 26, 2018, 7:23 PM UTC

vinceguidry wrote: post #2

What an interesting essay. I've lived in Atlanta for 12 years and I can't really figure out a message it's trying to send. One of the most up and coming industries here is film, and I know people in that industry and have spent time marinating in it, but it's not the siren call that riches is in NYC. Atlanta seems to still be finding its identity. All the industries are nascent, it always seems just on the cusp of a…

I've lived in Atlanta for nine years and it seems like the message is "be nice." Really. Certainly there are exceptions, but there is an ambient friendliness here that is missing in other large cities.

Re: Cities and Ambition (2008)

#17

Post by nimbyest » Mon, Feb 26, 2018, 7:27 PM UTC

soared wrote: post #3

What message does your city send?

Detroit, I have no idea. A message of "it gets better?". Most residents right now are either those who were affected by the riots and carry a deep seated fear and hatred of the city, people who grew up in the city during the recession and have basically hit rock bottom multiple times, immigrants who moved to neighboring cities and have started a slight culture there, or idealistic youngsters that think they can change things.

I fit into the last category and I have no idea what this area wants out of you.

Re: Cities and Ambition (2008)

#18

Post by e_d_e_v_at » Mon, Feb 26, 2018, 7:35 PM UTC

vinceguidry wrote: post #2

What an interesting essay. I've lived in Atlanta for 12 years and I can't really figure out a message it's trying to send. One of the most up and coming industries here is film, and I know people in that industry and have spent time marinating in it, but it's not the siren call that riches is in NYC. Atlanta seems to still be finding its identity. All the industries are nascent, it always seems just on the cusp of a…

Maybe I'm mistaken, but I feel like SF and NY have the same thing going on. NY has the Boroughs, SF has distinct neighborhoods that have their own feel. That said, I could travel through all of Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead in a given day (in fact, have bicycled through all of them in the span of a couple hours). Eating, dining, or visiting friends in any of these doesn't feel any more distant than a trip on one of the other Metros. Frankly, I don't want or think Atlanta should have "one identitiy". It's a melting pot, and I hope it stays that way.

Re: Cities and Ambition (2008)

#19

Post by madcaptenor » Mon, Feb 26, 2018, 7:41 PM UTC

nopreserveroot wrote: post #15

madcaptenor wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Clearly the message that Atlanta sends is "you should sit in traffic". (I'm joking, but I feel like this might be the kernel of something - most notably Atlanta's long-standing problems with segregation and resistance to public transit.)

I think it's "You should get brunch."

Except not on Sundays before 12:30.

Re: Cities and Ambition (2008)

#20

Post by mikeyanderson » Mon, Feb 26, 2018, 7:58 PM UTC

Seattle — "infrastructure" We build the infrastructure for the "start ups" in SF to use the "money" from NYC. We began by selling mining equipment and travel to the SF startups that ventured to the Alaska Gold Rush. We grew up building the airplanes and ships for the expanding US military (Boeing & Lockheed Shipbuilding). We built the supply chains that run the global economy (Amazon, Costco, Expeditors Intl, UPS, Paccar) We built the software infrastructure for the computer revolution (Microsoft). We built the infrastructure for the cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP, F5, etc.) We built the infrastructure for video games (Nintendo, Steam, Xbox) We're building the infrastructure for AI/ML (All the major players are setting up their AI/ML hubs in Seattle)