Linus Torvalds: Pearls before swine • Hacker News Board

Re: Linus Torvalds: Pearls before swine

#11

Post by jff » Mon, Feb 28, 2011, 10:07 PM UTC

Splines wrote: post #9

johngalt wrote: post #8

Think of every crucial system running Linux... It seems that this story is backwards. He should be the celebrity, all these idiots were just in front of a camera at some point.

Please. I agree that our celebrity-focused culture is idiotic, and Linus has accomplished more than most of us ever hope to, but calling actors "idiots" is insulting. Most of them work hard just like we do (some harder), and are quite good at their job. After all, are you not entertained?

Remember, it's cool to affect a proud lack of knowledge in many areas ("football, what's that?") but to not know about famous people or things in computing is simply a sin.

Re: Linus Torvalds: Pearls before swine

#12

Post by VladRussian » Mon, Feb 28, 2011, 10:10 PM UTC

well, sounds like a progress. Linus, the top-geek, finally got invited there. That means recognition if not from Hollywood circles, yet from a circle near it.

Re: Linus Torvalds: Pearls before swine

#13

Post by rubyrescue » Mon, Feb 28, 2011, 10:13 PM UTC

peregrine wrote: post #5

This post put a big stupid grin on my face, just imagining him walking around, and nobody knowing who he is. Him being far more influential and more important than most people in the room, and yet having trouble explaining what he does. It sounds like a family reunion trying to remember people names and telling everyone you make web sites for a living.

Related - my wife and I cracked up last night that the special effects engineers were relegated to a 30 second montage with Marisa Tomei so as not to ruin the rest of the show for the beautiful people :)

Re: Linus Torvalds: Pearls before swine

#14

Post by antirez » Mon, Feb 28, 2011, 10:14 PM UTC

"since geeks in general are seen as the crème de la crème of society". Strange statement, my impression is that geeks don't receive at all enough credits. Every average legal or doctor is a super star compared to a geek at least in Italy. It is also embarrassing for a society to put on the TV screen everybody but not the guy that created software that really is running the internet. Linux and Git are huge.

Re: Linus Torvalds: Pearls before swine

#15

Post by joezydeco » Mon, Feb 28, 2011, 10:16 PM UTC

ulf wrote: post #6

"So here's a shout-out to my new BFF's Jon Hamm and DJ." Can someone please make it happen that Linus gets an appearance in Season 5 of Mad Men? He could play an IBM salesman or something like that...

Get over to Reddit. They're good at making things like that happen.

Re: Linus Torvalds: Pearls before swine

#16

Post by jrockway » Mon, Feb 28, 2011, 10:19 PM UTC

antirez wrote: post #14

"since geeks in general are seen as the crème de la crème of society". Strange statement, my impression is that geeks don't receive at all enough credits. Every average legal or doctor is a super star compared to a geek at least in Italy. It is also embarrassing for a society to put on the TV screen everybody but not the guy that created software that really is running the internet. Linux and Git are huge.

Sarcasm.

Re: Linus Torvalds: Pearls before swine

#17

Post by alanh » Mon, Feb 28, 2011, 10:20 PM UTC

Anyone remember Blake Ross’ reaction blog post to the Time 100 dinner he was invited to? His website (blakeross.com) has been taken offline and I wasn’t able to quickly find the post via the Wayback Machine.

Re: Linus Torvalds: Pearls before swine

#18

Post by bitwize » Mon, Feb 28, 2011, 10:20 PM UTC

juiceandjuice wrote: post #4

"Hi, I'm Linus" "Nice to meet you Linus. What do you do?" "I don't know how to put this, but I'm kind of a big deal" "Really?" "People know me." "Well I'm very happy for you." "I'm very important. The internet runs off my software and my apartment smells of rich mahogany."

"So, are you excited? That movie about you is up for quite a few Oscars!"

Re: Linus Torvalds: Pearls before swine

#19

Post by aaronbrethorst » Mon, Feb 28, 2011, 10:20 PM UTC

lanstein wrote: post #3

danh wrote: post #2

"Tove pissed off Warren Beatty by asking his name not just once, but twice" is the funniest thing I've read in quite a while.

Reminds me of when a fanatical Mariners fan friend of mine came across Alex Rodriguez and another player. She promptly went running up to the pair and exclaimed "Oh my God!! Dan Wilson!!!!!"

I'm surprised she didn't spit on A-Rod.

Re: Linus Torvalds: Pearls before swine

#20

Post by antirez » Mon, Feb 28, 2011, 10:23 PM UTC

jrockway wrote: post #16

antirez wrote: post #14

"since geeks in general are seen as the crème de la crème of society". Strange statement, my impression is that geeks don't receive at all enough credits. Every average legal or doctor is a super star compared to a geek at least in Italy. It is also embarrassing for a society to put on the TV screen everybody but not the guy that created software that really is running the internet. Linux and Git are huge.

Sarcasm.

Ok, thank you, completely missed the point :)