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Merry Christmas, HN

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Re: Merry Christmas, HN

#141

Post by russellbeattie »

Happy Christmas Eve! I agree, HN is a great community.

So, what movie are we watching tonight?

I have a penchant for The Polar Express because I love how deep in the uncanny valley it goes, plus the absurdity of Santa appearing as a totalitarian dictator before his adoring fanatic minions somehow gives me great joy. Wandering around the abandoned factory floors and listening to the elf's last minute wrapping up of business reminds me of more than a few Christmas Eve's at work in large office buildings trying to get that last bit of code pushed before the break.

But, you know, Elf is good too.

Re: Merry Christmas, HN

#142

Post by maxbond »

verdenti wrote: post #81

This probably not the right place to post this but on a tangent- is nihilism intrinsically bad? It seems like the most logical thing, nothing has meaning and everything just is.

Nihilism isn't intrinsically bad no. When I speak to nihilists it seems like that's just who they are, in the same way some people are funny or gay or what have you. There are toxic and healthy reactions to nihilism. It's perhaps a precarious philosophy, but life is precarious. It's entirely possible to have a joyful and vibrant sort of nihilism.

Re: Merry Christmas, HN

#143

Post by runnerup »

shlorn wrote: post #124
labrador wrote: post #58

In case you're homeless and living in your car rejected by everyone you love because you can't stop drinking, but temporarily holed up in a roadside motel over Christmas with a case of vodka... that was me. It gets better. I now have 5 years sobriety, but I'll never forget that despair I felt and how my mind was in a loop thinking about killing myself. I've put a temp email in my profile in case you want to reach out…

I have my health, a career and I have my parents but this has been the hardest of holiday seasons. While I'm blessed, I feel like I'm falling behind peers who are are in serious relationships and starting families of their own; guess it's one of the first times I've felt lonely and the world/reality closing in. This thread has been a good read; to me its a reminder to charish what I have and remember to look forward…

Better to be single than in a bad relationship. Take your time finding a good one. Then cherish only a supportive and kind partner.

Re: Merry Christmas, HN

#145

Post by memorable »

HN is a community that, while sometimes has a focus on other non-tech things, is still very much tech-centered.

Even though I sometimes don't like the vibe here, HN has been a source of articles to nurture my programming and tech interests since a year ago.

I wish everyone a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Re: Merry Christmas, HN

#146

Post by roflyear »

theboywho wrote: post #51

Can someone please explain to me what’s special about Christmas for those who celebrate ? Is it special symbolically ? To me it feels like you get to see your family and maybe have 2-3 days off, which is something most people do many times a year, usually during the weekends.

For non religious people gift giving is fun.

Re: Merry Christmas, HN

#147

Post by Smaug123 »

theboywho wrote: post #51

Can someone please explain to me what’s special about Christmas for those who celebrate ? Is it special symbolically ? To me it feels like you get to see your family and maybe have 2-3 days off, which is something most people do many times a year, usually during the weekends.

There's no date or time which is objectively special, of course. Historical accident has simply given many societies a common period in the middle of Northern hemisphere winter in which we band together to banish the cold and darkness for a time, to remember that light and warmth will come, and to take some time (however brief) away from the constant cruel work that survival requires.

Of course, many people don't need a festival like this any more, and it's easy to forget why it's there. Various religions have piggy-backed off this practice to celebrate specific things at the same time. The Northern European cultures in particular were extremely infectious and have exported the practice to many geographic locations where it's neither cold nor dark at this time of year. For many people, the "constant cruel work" is no longer either constant or cruel. But at least in the UK we have long memories, and some things are worth remembering!

Re: Merry Christmas, HN

#148

Post by [deleted] »

labrador wrote: post #58

In case you're homeless and living in your car rejected by everyone you love because you can't stop drinking, but temporarily holed up in a roadside motel over Christmas with a case of vodka... that was me. It gets better. I now have 5 years sobriety, but I'll never forget that despair I felt and how my mind was in a loop thinking about killing myself. I've put a temp email in my profile in case you want to reach out…

[deleted]

Re: Merry Christmas, HN

#149

Post by cmeacham98 »

ellis0n wrote: post #97

I'm from Ukraine. This is the hardest Christmas I've ever had in my life. Because of the war, they had to move to a safe place and constantly incur large expenses. Unfortunately, the war ruined all plans to launch my startup and a programming language that would help people be more smart and free, which I have been doing for 10 years. I tried to work on a startup while working at work, but the problems associated wit…

Suggestion: Given that you live in Ukraine I assume English isn't your first language, but but find someone who's a native speaker (or as good) and have them proofread your website. If you can't find anybody, at least run it through a software spell/grammar checker.

I spotted two typos about 15 seconds in ("so peoples gets mobility" and "imediatelly") and that will put people off a lot because it makes the project feel unprofessional and low effort.

Re: Merry Christmas, HN

#150

Post by diskzero »

labrador wrote: post #58

In case you're homeless and living in your car rejected by everyone you love because you can't stop drinking, but temporarily holed up in a roadside motel over Christmas with a case of vodka... that was me. It gets better. I now have 5 years sobriety, but I'll never forget that despair I felt and how my mind was in a loop thinking about killing myself. I've put a temp email in my profile in case you want to reach out…

I'll be reaching five years myself in April. It is nice to have some time in sobriety, but it is still one day at a time for me.
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