Intrade CEO dies climbing Mt. Everest • Hacker News Board

mrspeaker wrote: post #5

This article: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1978295 has stuck with me since it was posted a while ago. I guess everyone who goes there knows the dangers, and would be prepared for the worst.

I haven't forgotten those photos, either.

Re: Intrade CEO dies climbing Mt. Everest

#16

Post by pizza_ » Wed, Jun 01, 2011, 4:44 PM UTC

He didn't predict that.

Re: Intrade CEO dies climbing Mt. Everest

#17

Post by knowtheory » Wed, Jun 01, 2011, 4:47 PM UTC

michaeldhopkins wrote: post #6

Rest in peace. Ironically, the odds on an InTrade bet might have warned him that he was not expected to survive. The crowdsourced research about conditions and the likely physical ability of Mr. Delaney would have exceeded his own and might have led him to delay or reconsider the trip.

I'm unconvinced that this is relevant unless the markets you're talking about have a history of accurately predicting random or chaotic systems like weather :P

A lot of the decision points for whether to go on or turn back have to be made in the short term on the mountain.

Re: Intrade CEO dies climbing Mt. Everest

#18

Post by raganwald » Wed, Jun 01, 2011, 4:50 PM UTC

I am not sad for him personally. We all die, he chose his time and place. Attempting to summit Everest is meaningful in part because one out of every ten climbers making the final push doesn't make it home alive.

Compare and contrast his death to Bob Parsons' cowardly choice of shooting an elephant. Bob was never in any meaningful danger, where is the courage in killing an animal that can't shoot back?

I am sorry for his family's loss.

Re: Intrade CEO dies climbing Mt. Everest

#19

Post by johncollins » Wed, Jun 01, 2011, 4:59 PM UTC

raganwald wrote: post #18

I am not sad for him personally. We all die, he chose his time and place. Attempting to summit Everest is meaningful in part because one out of every ten climbers making the final push doesn't make it home alive. Compare and contrast his death to Bob Parsons' cowardly choice of shooting an elephant. Bob was never in any meaningful danger, where is the courage in killing an animal that can't shoot back? I am sorry for…

Yes, I am sorry for the elephant family's loss also. What bob did was NOT cool

Re: Intrade CEO dies climbing Mt. Everest

#20

Post by pradocchia » Wed, Jun 01, 2011, 5:00 PM UTC

pessimist wrote: post #9

Sad. But I have to say - climbing Everest when your wife is due to give birth - not cool. Overall death rate for Everest climbers is pretty close to 3% - pretty high (although its been falling). Edit: 3% is for climbers above base camp - for summit climbers its close to 10%! According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Mount_Everest_disaster

But I have to say - climbing Everest when your wife is due to give birth - not cool.

Not to mention two sons, two and three years old respectively. There is a season of life for climbing mountains. This was not it.