Records Point to Credit Card Fraud By Silicon Swindler Shirley Hornstein • Hacker News Board

Re: Records Point to Credit Card Fraud By Silicon Swindler Shirley Hornstein

#11

Post by rhizome » Thu, Aug 30, 2012, 8:15 PM UTC

richardjordan wrote: post #7

rhizome wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would have made the personal animosity more transparent. Consider the source.

Indeed. But I've ranted elsewhere at my distress as someone who's been in Silicon Valley for more than a decade now, at the deteriorating state of industry media coverage and its descent in certain quarters towards soap opera status. Too many posts where the journalists make themselves the story, too much loss of objectivity. People say "well Arrington did it", but I don't think he did. He was genuinely well connecte…

At least since the acquisition I've been saying that TC is (or had become) the TMZ of tech. There is nothing inherently valuable about their coverage, especially these days, and their position as vaunted tech journalists seems to me to be a case of a cultural Sunk-Cost Fallacy, Status Quo, or however you view the hope that past returns are an indicator of future performance.

Re: Records Point to Credit Card Fraud By Silicon Swindler Shirley Hornstein

#12

Post by rhizome » Thu, Aug 30, 2012, 8:17 PM UTC

richardjordan wrote: post #6

rhizome wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's all seeming a bit overblown though, no? Like someone is butthurt over it and they're going to tear her down no matter what. Was there even any real harm from her actions?

I think that's it. I think it's embarrassment on behalf of the media folks who should have known better but who were duped. A lot of the journalists in the space enjoy the feeling of being on friendly terms and hanging out with the movers and shakers in the industry. It's understandable I suppose. They're only human. So there's a heavy internal bias towards believing you're special and these people want to hang out w…

The scorn of hangers-on is vicious indeed.

Re: Records Point to Credit Card Fraud By Silicon Swindler Shirley Hornstein

#13

Post by ChuckMcM » Thu, Aug 30, 2012, 8:19 PM UTC

colmvp wrote: post #9

"First, she told acquaintances she was engaged to NHL player Ryan Clowe..." Seriously? WHY? That's one of the easiest facts to check.

I don't know why, I do know that confidence people use the technique of telling a lie that would be trivial to cross check because it shows authority. The way it works on the human brain is that if you just said something that is something is true, that a simple fact check would prove you to be a liar, and nobody wants to be a liar, thus I can be confident what you said actually is true because it would be stupid to lie about something I could so easily verify. Oh and I won't verify it right now because I'll feel stupid if it is true.

Now people do go off to get a drink or use the facilities and do a quick check on their smartphone :-) And I know I tend to get snarky with folks who lie to me if I'm aware and not minding my manners (its a weakness I am working on).

This story reflects a much more troubled person. Hope she can work it out before it consumes her.

Re: Records Point to Credit Card Fraud By Silicon Swindler Shirley Hornstein

#14

Post by ericfrenkiel » Thu, Aug 30, 2012, 8:25 PM UTC

She clearly has deep-seated psychological issues. Her behavior reminds me of another impostor, Azia Kim, who fooled her parents that she was accepted into Stanford a few years back.

She packed up her things and went to Stanford.

She subsequently enrolled in NJROTC at Santa Clara University to explain why there were no tuition bills.

Once at Stanford, she fooled a couple RAs and students to crash for 8 months in a dorm.

What is most intriguing about impostors is the need to build lie upon lie. Forge a Stanford report card to enroll at Santa Clara? Sure.

Photoshop your head into a photo with a celebrity? Yes, I think I can get away with it.

I'm not sure if it can be said they're pathological liars, or they get so wrapped up in their lies they must continue the farce.

Edit: of course, it should be noted that stealing is an unrelated (yet still serious) issue. That just makes her a really awful person. A really awful person who needs help.