Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt.
I was depressed for weeks when he died.
I am very real
101–110 of 161 posts
Re: I am very real
#102Earlier quoted context omitted.
You think it's worse here than on other boards? Most internet boards are worse than this one, I see lots of comments elsewhere of people saying "you must be a retard" , "kill yourself" etc
Comments like "Kill yourself" would never be tolerated around here, but that does not mean people are encouraging and positive. Instead of being encouraging, you see a lot of pedantic nitpicking and subtle criticism
Instead of being encouraging, you see a lot of pedantic nitpicking and subtle criticism
Tip: if those nitpickers are getting you down, imagine that it's Sheldon Cooper doing it :)
Re: I am very real
#103Every time I read a story like this, I'm reminded of Dunbar's number and David Wong's excellent (and very funny) summary: http://www.cracked.com/article_14990_what-monkeysphere.html The "Monkeysphere" explains a huge amount of silly human behavior.
Thank you for sharing this link, this actually helps explain a lot of stuff I've been wondering about for a while.
Re: I am very real
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
In my experience there is a large class of people who lack basic curiosity about how things work. They are content to believe that things just "exist". I haven't done much research into this, but I would be interested in seeing if this is considered more an education problem, or if some people simply don't have the capacity for curiosity.
Yes, I've noticed this as well. Growing up as a kid I was always interested in how things worked. Luckily my dad was an engineer and was more than happy to answer all my questions. In university I was also surrounded by people who were fascinated by how things worked. Because of that I'm still very surprised when I meet people who show no such interest. That said, I now know quite a few people who fall in that catego…
No, they are dumb, and you can find them in abundance in pretty much any MBA entreprenuership class.
Re: I am very real
#105This submission could not have come at a better time. Over the past couple of weeks, I've been contemplating making a submission urging HNers to be human , and to recognize that everyone else who comments here is also a human , and that stories about startups and notable figures are essentially about humans - humans who all have families, friends, ambitions, desires, flaws, struggles. All too often I see people here…
I ran into this problem myself in the 90s when I first got into the whole internet forum thing. This is something that has worked for me, though YMMV: I re-read every post I write in my head, and pretend I'm saying it to the other person IRL who is sitting across the table from me. Would I use the same words? The same tone? The internet is, in its current form, dehumanizing, you have to take care to maintain your own…
Yeah, this 'say it to their face' rule is a great one.
One specific addendum: if your words come out sounding like something the comic book guy from the Simpsons would say, rewrite.
Re: I am very real
#106This was an amazing letter. Great lesson for me on so many levels.
Re: I am very real
#107This submission could not have come at a better time. Over the past couple of weeks, I've been contemplating making a submission urging HNers to be human , and to recognize that everyone else who comments here is also a human , and that stories about startups and notable figures are essentially about humans - humans who all have families, friends, ambitions, desires, flaws, struggles. All too often I see people here…
I agree with you, and there is a specific type of pedantry I find especially grating. I'm talking about the constant insistence on citations and double-blind studies, even when it isn't appropriate - even when someone obviously means only to share their own experience. There's an aggressive form ("Citation Needed") and a passive-aggressive form ("Say, friend, that's a bold claim! I sure am interested in this. Do you have a source where I might read more about it?")
Sometimes, this is completely appropriate, as when someone is using an anecdote as their only support in a vigorous debate, or when information is clearly being presented as factual, when it probably isn't. But as "Citation Needed" has become a rampant meme in its own right, I think it is increasingly applied in knee-jerk, cargo-cultish, and inappropriate ways.
Sharing anecdotes and experiences is one of the fundamental ways that humans share information about the myriad little nooks of the world that we move through. I know it isn't science. I'm quite well read on cognitive biases, statistics, and the scientific method; and I do not need to be reminded about these by HN commenters continually, every time somebody shares a story, or an opinion based on their experience.
I'm concerned about a chilling effect on the sharing of anecdotal information. There is information - information that I can use - in the many experiences related by others. I don't need or desire to get fully 100% of my information from peer-reviewed scientific studies. I know the difference between science and personal experience, and I would much rather bear the burden of telling the difference for myself, as the reader, than to have fewer people talking about their personal experiences.
Re: I am very real
#108Earlier quoted context omitted.
I do something similar when I see a crazy driver in traffic... I imagine that he or she might be on their way to an emergency room to care for a loved one (or is perhaps a doctor). I try to feel sorry for them for being in a position where they are trying to hurry. I actually read to do this in some silly self-help book ( Don't Sweat The Small Stuff , perhaps?) years ago. It's helped a lot.
Considering that the advice genuinely helped you, why do you refer to the book as silly?
I think a lot of self-help books are dismissed by most people. I would love to know why.
Re: I am very real
#109Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, I've noticed this as well. Growing up as a kid I was always interested in how things worked. Luckily my dad was an engineer and was more than happy to answer all my questions. In university I was also surrounded by people who were fascinated by how things worked. Because of that I'm still very surprised when I meet people who show no such interest. That said, I now know quite a few people who fall in that catego…
No, they are dumb, and you can find them in abundance in pretty much any MBA entreprenuership class.
:(
Re: I am very real
#110Burning a book (good or bad) is the lowest form of expression humans can stoop to. If people understood the fact that a book is simply a personification of ideas, and ideas good or bad, cannot perish in a fire, the will realize the folly of engaging in a futile act like burning a book. One of the inevitable consequences of the digital revolution will be that, there will come a time, when a controversial book will be…
>but the fact that idiots can't burn a book will provide me some amount of pleasure.
"There's more than one way to burn a book." - Kurt Vonnegut.
While it may no longer be possible to literally burn a book in that scenario, censorship is alive and well on the web.