Paul Graham - from social shyness to patronizing
techiteasy.org
Paul Graham - from social shyness to patronizing
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Re: Paul Graham - from social shyness to patronizing
#2The point of an essay (at least pg's style of essay) is to explore a subject and, to a lesser extent, to incite others to explore the subject and their own feelings about it as well.
Unfortunately, the writer here decides not to explore his own feelings fully and his points are made in a few sentences without details or evidence,
"The bits on London or Paris are terribly naïve and missing the point. Whoever is using the word hip for London or art for Paris can only have a vague understanding of what he is talking about"
This smells like an ad-hominem
"Looking into Paul’s ferocious defiance towards school and corporate culture, it is easy to imagine Paul being a rather shy person, who would rather jump in the ocean than being part of anything looking like a team."
Lack of substance really hurts this blog post.
Re: Paul Graham - from social shyness to patronizing
#3The point of an essay (at least pg's style of essay) is to explore a subject and, to a lesser extent, to incite others to explore the subject and their own feelings about it as well. Unfortunately, the writer here decides not to explore his own feelings fully and his points are made in a few sentences without details or evidence, "The bits on London or Paris are terribly naïve and missing the point. Whoever is using…
What did you expect? The title says it's going to say things about PG not tell us interesting truths. I haven't clicked the link, and won't...
Re: Paul Graham - from social shyness to patronizing
#4The point of an essay (at least pg's style of essay) is to explore a subject and, to a lesser extent, to incite others to explore the subject and their own feelings about it as well. Unfortunately, the writer here decides not to explore his own feelings fully and his points are made in a few sentences without details or evidence, "The bits on London or Paris are terribly naïve and missing the point. Whoever is using…
What did you expect? The title says it's going to say things about PG not tell us interesting truths. I haven't clicked the link, and won't...
I thought it was making reference to essays rather than him specifically. Oh well :-/
Re: Paul Graham - from social shyness to patronizing
#5The point of an essay (at least pg's style of essay) is to explore a subject and, to a lesser extent, to incite others to explore the subject and their own feelings about it as well. Unfortunately, the writer here decides not to explore his own feelings fully and his points are made in a few sentences without details or evidence, "The bits on London or Paris are terribly naïve and missing the point. Whoever is using…
But that essay style, say the most truth with least number of words, also incites people to disagree. The way they do may not always add valuable information, but it is still fun to read. You can not tell me you did not enjoy:
Also remark that in painting, many of the women whose pants you are trying to get into aren’t even wearing pants to begin with. Your job as a painter consists of staring at naked women, for as long as you wish, and this day in and day out through the course of a many-decades-long career. Not even rock musicians have been as successful in reducing the process to its fundamental, exhilirating essence.
Just the fact that PG provoked the above is wonderful.
Re: Paul Graham - from social shyness to patronizing
#6I have to say, I was partly inspired to attend art school (and study painting) by 'Hackers and Painters'. After all, it's an O'Reilly book.
I am an archetypal hacker personality even if my achievements are modest. Computer architecture is as natural to me as breathing, whereas I could barely draw a crude stick figure. I realise MBTI has limitations but I am solidly in the realm of INTP/INTJ.
Anecdotes are not data, but let me tell you - by any measure of personality types I have ever seen, hackers and painters are as close to different species as you can get that can still produce offspring. 'Painters' thought processes and modes of creativity are so alien to those of a 'hacker' that I have no idea how the world does not descend into chaos with so many of those types populating it. I say this after spending many endless days in the company of 'painters' (especially if you include the tutors, many of whom had painting careers).
In fact the experience was shaking enough to make me reconsider my once strongly-held belief in universal suffrage. I gave it a year of full time effort and then threw in the towel. Of course, I am assuming that 'painting students' don't change dramatically by the time they become 'painters'.
Also, regarding the marvellous statement about spending all day with women who aren't wearing any pants - I'll leave what that en'tails' every 28 days up to you to figure out - if that doesn't get through to you then let's just say the novelty wears off.
Paul, if you are reading this, your thesis is bollocks. Thanks for nothing.
Re: Paul Graham - from social shyness to patronizing
#7fanboys, don't click it!
Re: Paul Graham - from social shyness to patronizing
#8Repost.
Re: Paul Graham - from social shyness to patronizing
#9The point of an essay (at least pg's style of essay) is to explore a subject and, to a lesser extent, to incite others to explore the subject and their own feelings about it as well. Unfortunately, the writer here decides not to explore his own feelings fully and his points are made in a few sentences without details or evidence, "The bits on London or Paris are terribly naïve and missing the point. Whoever is using…
But that essay style, say the most truth with least number of words, also incites people to disagree. The way they do may not always add valuable information, but it is still fun to read. You can not tell me you did not enjoy: Also remark that in painting, many of the women whose pants you are trying to get into aren’t even wearing pants to begin with. Your job as a painter consists of staring at naked women, for as…
Incidentally, believing that live models would be titillating is a classic sign of a noob. That idea is left over from Victorian times, when the mere idea of a naked woman was exciting. In actual fact, live models are generally pretty unattractive. Someone who wanted to stare at women would do way better, nowadays, at any beach.
Re: Paul Graham - from social shyness to patronizing
#10I don't mindlessly follow everything pg says or does, but I do think the author is totally off base here.
Basically, I don't think you can "get" the hacker/painter parallel unless you really are a hacker. When I am in the right mood and sit down to code something, it is not me typing stuff and watching letters appear on the screen. It is not me transforming the state of the computer's memory. It is ideas flowing from my brain and becoming a creation. It's creative. (I don't paint, but music and coding go well together. When you hit upon the perfect melody, it just feels good. Programming is exactly the same for me.)
I don't want this post to be about me, but I do want to say that pg is not alone in thinking that programming is creative.
If all you do is write "select * from foo" into your PHP pages, though, and read "Hackers and Painters", you'll probably dislike it. That's because you're not hacking, you're code monkeying. There is plenty of money to be made by monkeying, but don't confuse it with art.