Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Chris Lattner: The Future of Computing and Programming Languages [audio]

lexfridman.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 151 posts

Re: Chris Lattner: The Future of Computing and Programming Languages [audio]

#41

Post by zarkov99 »

crispyambulance wrote: post #37
zarkov99 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the contrary, Weinsten is a genius, a contrarian and a patriot who is not afraid to call a spade a spade. Thank the deity that there are still people like that and they can reach the rest of us with little mediation by establishment types.

"Genius", "contrarian" and "patriot" are all characterizations that don't have any basis in reality. What has he ACTUALLY DONE other than talk up a storm that amounts to not much at all? AFIAK, he's just an employee of Peter Thiel.

Really? Even if you do not accept his intelectual firepower which is demonstrated by his credentials and even more so, obvious in any of the public long form conversations he has had, you cannot honestly say he is not a contrarian or a patriot. Come on. His tweeter feed, the people he interviews, the themes he discusses, all of that speaks of love for the country and a rejection of conventional thinking.

Re: Chris Lattner: The Future of Computing and Programming Languages [audio]

#42

Post by chongli »

crispyambulance wrote: post #37
zarkov99 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the contrary, Weinsten is a genius, a contrarian and a patriot who is not afraid to call a spade a spade. Thank the deity that there are still people like that and they can reach the rest of us with little mediation by establishment types.

"Genius", "contrarian" and "patriot" are all characterizations that don't have any basis in reality. What has he ACTUALLY DONE other than talk up a storm that amounts to not much at all? AFIAK, he's just an employee of Peter Thiel.

He’s a social critic. “What have you actually done?” is the most common non sequitur used to silence critics and dissidents since time immemorial. It’s irrelevant. Anyone is allowed to be a critic. Their accomplishments have no bearing on the veracity of their arguments. That would be an appeal to authority.

Re: Chris Lattner: The Future of Computing and Programming Languages [audio]

#43

Post by melling »

st1x7 wrote: post #2

Every time I run across an episode of this podcast I need to weigh in my interest in a great guest versus having to listen to Lex's monotone voice and meaning-of-life type questions. The disparity is amazing - the list of guests is easily the best out of any podcast that has guests that I've ever come across; and the delivery of the host is just about the worst I've come across too. I guess I'll listen to this one.

I’ve done a couple of his surveys and mentioned that I think those questions are a waste of time.

Donald Knuth handled it well.

Do we live in a simulation?

Hanging out debating unanswerable questions all the time has zero value.

Re: Chris Lattner: The Future of Computing and Programming Languages [audio]

#44

Post by cma »

melling wrote: post #43
st1x7 wrote: post #2

Every time I run across an episode of this podcast I need to weigh in my interest in a great guest versus having to listen to Lex's monotone voice and meaning-of-life type questions. The disparity is amazing - the list of guests is easily the best out of any podcast that has guests that I've ever come across; and the delivery of the host is just about the worst I've come across too. I guess I'll listen to this one.

I’ve done a couple of his surveys and mentioned that I think those questions are a waste of time. Donald Knuth handled it well. Do we live in a simulation? Hanging out debating unanswerable questions all the time has zero value.

Not to be a romantic, but what do you think of neuralink (asked to someone in unrelated field to fulfill weird Musk quota the podcast seems to have)?

Re: Chris Lattner: The Future of Computing and Programming Languages [audio]

#45

Post by abeppu »

st1x7 wrote: post #2

Every time I run across an episode of this podcast I need to weigh in my interest in a great guest versus having to listen to Lex's monotone voice and meaning-of-life type questions. The disparity is amazing - the list of guests is easily the best out of any podcast that has guests that I've ever come across; and the delivery of the host is just about the worst I've come across too. I guess I'll listen to this one.

I think there's an unfortunate convergence of format and questioning. He asks a lot of the same questions of almost every guest. "Are we living in a simulation? What is consciousness? Etc." This feels like a waste of these guests if it's unrelated to their area of interest. In general, it smacks of lack of preparation.

But perhaps this creates the opportunity for someone to make a series of supercuts, where Lex doesn't need to appear, but we get the appearance of a series of luminaries discussing a recurring question, and the differences and similarities among responses can be more apparent. A virtual panel, smeared across time.

Re: Chris Lattner: The Future of Computing and Programming Languages [audio]

#46

Post by raptortech »

st1x7 wrote: post #2

Every time I run across an episode of this podcast I need to weigh in my interest in a great guest versus having to listen to Lex's monotone voice and meaning-of-life type questions. The disparity is amazing - the list of guests is easily the best out of any podcast that has guests that I've ever come across; and the delivery of the host is just about the worst I've come across too. I guess I'll listen to this one.

Totally agreed. It's so frustrating to me that out of the thousands of brilliant interviewers out there, we got this guy somehow bubbling up to the top. Maybe he brings the conversation down to the masses? His "philosophical" questions are often so bad that they don't even parse for his interviewees!!!

Re: Chris Lattner: The Future of Computing and Programming Languages [audio]

#47

Post by blinkingled »

Lot of people complaining about the interviewer's skill - yes it is different and it can feel like stoned teenager with disorganized thoughts asking questions that form mid sentence :) - but if you give it some space, let it be, it's not bad at all. I actually like the slower pace and very down and dirty style of questioning - as opposed to the fast, high level, polished way that becomes inaccessible some times.

Re: Chris Lattner: The Future of Computing and Programming Languages [audio]

#48

Post by gen220 »

iguy wrote: post #40
petercooper wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who occasionally interviews people, what are you really looking for? That is, what could Lex do better in your opinion?

I feel the same way at OP, amazing guests, but can't he push them a bit? What I'd like is more like what Tyler Cowen does, on non-tech subjects [1]. He gives the impression of having read all their books (and their opponents') not just having skimmed Wikipedia over breakfast. He keeps it moving, and often gets people a little bit off-balance, not aggressively, but enough to make people think afresh and not just repea…

Tyler is an exceptionally good interviewer, in a way you can only get by exceptional preparation. We’re lucky to have him.

I haven’t heard a better interviewer since Charlie Rose (who had a team working for him, of course).

Does anyone know of similar interviewers in this vein? Long form and exceptionally-prepared?

Re: Chris Lattner: The Future of Computing and Programming Languages [audio]

#50

Post by BenGosub »

st1x7 wrote: post #2

Every time I run across an episode of this podcast I need to weigh in my interest in a great guest versus having to listen to Lex's monotone voice and meaning-of-life type questions. The disparity is amazing - the list of guests is easily the best out of any podcast that has guests that I've ever come across; and the delivery of the host is just about the worst I've come across too. I guess I'll listen to this one.

I have also unsubscribed because of Lex's monotone voice.
Post reply on HN