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

Web 2.0 Suicide Machine - Meet your Real Neighbours again - Sign out forever

suicidemachine.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 60 posts

Re: Web 2.0 Suicide Machine - Meet your Real Neighbours again - Sign out forever

#11

Post by timdorr »

MicahWedemeyer wrote: post #2

That site is incredibly well put together. Makes me jealous that someone else's joke is better looking than my own real sites.

I really have to disagree on that one, as a designer. I see a lot of mistakes:

  - Inconsistent font usage.
  - The page isn't centered properly, it's slightly to the left.
  - Light blue on white text.
  - Improper whitespace usage on the "Faster, Safer, Smarter, Better" section.
  - The social network icons, the monitor, and the trophy are all aliased horribly. Someone used the wrong type of anti-aliasing when resizing them.
  - Pink.
And it's just plain ugly in my opinion :/

Re: Web 2.0 Suicide Machine - Meet your Real Neighbours again - Sign out forever

#12

Post by mechanical_fish »

bg4 wrote: post #4

Good concept but, personally, I find the overdone suicide logos and graphics unsettling.

Perhaps there are people in the world who don't think this site is utterly tone-deaf. I'm not one of them.

Matters of taste aside, here's a factual prediction: This site will disappear in a flurry of bad press and (perhaps) legal action the first time an actual suicidal person couples the use of the site with an actual suicide attempt.

EDIT: Come to think of it, I'll make another prediction: My first prediction probably won't come to pass, because it would require the site to actually have a statistically significant number of users. And I doubt the effectiveness of the apparent marketing plan. The stench of death doesn't sell very well. Especially when the second step of your viral loop is "encourage your customers to cut off casual contact with any other potential customers". ;)

Re: Web 2.0 Suicide Machine - Meet your Real Neighbours again - Sign out forever

#13

Post by mechanical_fish »

steveklabnik wrote: post #9
dschobel wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know you're speaking with tongue-in-cheek but there's some unsettling truth to what you say. People can be less involved in their community if they can just escape to like-minded havens on the internet rather than fixing the real issues going on around them (see al3x's post about fleeing to Portland for reference: http://al3x.net/ ).

I've actually been joking about starting a 'move to the internet' movement.

This is what startup hubs are all about.

My criteria for a place to live definitely include "there are fellow HN readers within a ten-mile radius".

Re: Web 2.0 Suicide Machine - Meet your Real Neighbours again - Sign out forever

#14

Post by jsm386 »

petercooper wrote: post #3

Wanna meet your real neighbours again? God no. That's why the Internet is so awesome - we're not limited to the people we unfortunately find ourselves surrounded by in "real life." Still, good joke ;-)

You should give http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowling_Alone a read. Might offer some new perspective:

He has described the reduction in all the forms of in-person social intercourse upon which Americans used to found, educate, and enrich the fabric of their social lives. He believes this undermines the active civil engagement a strong democracy required from its citizens.

Re: Web 2.0 Suicide Machine - Meet your Real Neighbours again - Sign out forever

#15

Post by pohl »

randallsquared wrote: post #7
dschobel wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know you're speaking with tongue-in-cheek but there's some unsettling truth to what you say. People can be less involved in their community if they can just escape to like-minded havens on the internet rather than fixing the real issues going on around them (see al3x's post about fleeing to Portland for reference: http://al3x.net/ ).

they can just escape to like-minded havens on the internet rather than fixing the real issues going on around them For most people, the world just won't stay saved, so they begin to wonder, why keep going to the effort to save it?

I suppose the first step, then, would be to give people around you a real living example of what it means to "be the change you want to see in the world".

Re: Web 2.0 Suicide Machine - Meet your Real Neighbours again - Sign out forever

#16

Post by hugh_ »

petercooper wrote: post #3

Wanna meet your real neighbours again? God no. That's why the Internet is so awesome - we're not limited to the people we unfortunately find ourselves surrounded by in "real life." Still, good joke ;-)

It's dangerous to get to know your neighbours -- if you don't like them, they're hard to avoid. Better to be socially close to those you can physically avoid, and socially distant from those you can't.

Re: Web 2.0 Suicide Machine - Meet your Real Neighbours again - Sign out forever

#18

Post by hugh_ »

pohl wrote: post #15
randallsquared wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

they can just escape to like-minded havens on the internet rather than fixing the real issues going on around them For most people, the world just won't stay saved, so they begin to wonder, why keep going to the effort to save it?

I suppose the first step, then, would be to give people around you a real living example of what it means to "be the change you want to see in the world".

Good idea.

I have a job and bathe regularly. Yet I walk through the ghetto every day, and find that folks there are still unemployed and smelly. They're just not following my example like they should!

Re: Web 2.0 Suicide Machine - Meet your Real Neighbours again - Sign out forever

#19

Post by pavs »

timdorr wrote: post #11
MicahWedemeyer wrote: post #2

That site is incredibly well put together. Makes me jealous that someone else's joke is better looking than my own real sites.

I really have to disagree on that one, as a designer. I see a lot of mistakes: - Inconsistent font usage. - The page isn't centered properly, it's slightly to the left. - Light blue on white text. - Improper whitespace usage on the "Faster, Safer, Smarter, Better" section. - The social network icons, the monitor, and the trophy are all aliased horribly. Someone used the wrong type of anti-aliasing when resizing them.…

Listen, a designer spent 1 month painstakingly criticizing and pulling apart smashing magazine (a very famous designer/developer's blog) website's new design: http://www.awayback.com/smashing-magazine-realigned/

Designers are like that. Give them enough time they will find some mistakes in your work and brag about it. As a designer/developer I think I speak for myself and most design community.

Chances are, some designer out there finds your favorite, best work; repulsive and ugly. I can bet on it.

Re: Web 2.0 Suicide Machine - Meet your Real Neighbours again - Sign out forever

#20

Post by dschobel »

hugh_ wrote: post #18
pohl wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suppose the first step, then, would be to give people around you a real living example of what it means to "be the change you want to see in the world".

Good idea. I have a job and bathe regularly. Yet I walk through the ghetto every day, and find that folks there are still unemployed and smelly. They're just not following my example like they should!

I was thinking more along the lines of starting your tech company in a city whose cup doesn't overflow with them and creating jobs locally rather than having all of the tech talent in america move to the bay area.
Post reply on HN