My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley • Hacker News Board

Re: My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley

#21

Post by bredren » Sun, Dec 16, 2018, 10:59 PM UTC

danso wrote: post #14

bredren wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this tells the story of the culture of celebrity in the United States as much as a private story between these two people. It is also "traditional" celebrity interaction. Where the celebrity achieved status from professional skill building and achievement and largely unknowable through social media. So to know this person or have photos with them is a more scarce and unusual thing. Wheras new celebrity status…

People have been famous for being beautiful and charismatic long before Internet social networks.

They have but their image had to be channeled through traditional distribution channels which created a narrow funnel for who and how many gained noteriety.

Re: My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley

#22

Post by RcouF1uZ4gsC » Sun, Dec 16, 2018, 11:11 PM UTC

>"Listen: As an adult — and you’re too young to understand this now — all you want is your kids to be happy. That’s what you work for. To give your kids everything in life."

This sentiment is common to all parents across race, culture, and religion. It is one of the things that makes us human. So uplifting to hear how these two very different people connected over that.

Re: My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley

#23

Post by sndean » Sun, Dec 16, 2018, 11:21 PM UTC

gwern wrote: post #19

I was hoping to hear more about his cat litter work. What did he do? Did he ever talk about it with Barkley? etc

> I was hoping to hear more about his cat litter work

Of course it could be a different Lin Wang working in this area, but it looks like he has a few patents for new absorbent materials and related things [0, 1].

[0] https://patents.google.com/patent/US5849405A/en?inventor=Lin...

[1] https://patents.google.com/patent/US7757638B2/en

Re: My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley

#24

Post by mattzito » Sun, Dec 16, 2018, 11:22 PM UTC

I had a very similar one-time experience with Charles Barkley. I was a regular at the bar at the Ritz-Carlton on Central Park South in NYC, and was introduced to Barkley by the bartender, who often connected solo diners/imbibers with each other for conversation.

We had a nice conversation about NYC, vegas, gambling, friendship, etc. along with a number of tequila shots. He was extremely down to earth while not pretending like he was anything other than a world famous former basketball player.

Re: My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley

#25

Post by billforsternz » Sun, Dec 16, 2018, 11:25 PM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #13

billforsternz wrote: post #3

This is a lovely and charming story...but. The whole premise is that the relationship between the suburban dad and the celebrity was somehow weird and unbelievable. I see that, but it's a shame we can't turn the world on its head somehow so that it would be just everyday normality. Celebrity culture has elevated some people to a kind of otherness. But they're just people.

The whole premise of the story is exactly what you say you wish it was.

I'll try one more time and then I'll let it go. I enjoyed the story, and only wish it was less remarkable.

Re: My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley

#26

Post by dvasdekis » Sun, Dec 16, 2018, 11:29 PM UTC

We should also never forget the classic gaming inspired by Charles Barkley - Barkley, Shut Up and Jam![1], or the spin-off RPG, Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden[2]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barkley_Shut_Up_and_Jam! [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barkley,_Shut_Up_and_Jam:_Gaid...

Re: My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley

#27

Post by tptacek » Mon, Dec 17, 2018, 12:07 AM UTC

billforsternz wrote: post #25

tptacek wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The whole premise of the story is exactly what you say you wish it was.

I'll try one more time and then I'll let it go. I enjoyed the story, and only wish it was less remarkable.

That works way better.

Re: My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley

#28

Post by Rebelgecko » Mon, Dec 17, 2018, 1:29 AM UTC

sndean wrote: post #23

gwern wrote: post #19

I was hoping to hear more about his cat litter work. What did he do? Did he ever talk about it with Barkley? etc

> I was hoping to hear more about his cat litter work Of course it could be a different Lin Wang working in this area, but it looks like he has a few patents for new absorbent materials and related things [0, 1]. [0] https://patents.google.com/patent/US5849405A/en?inventor=Lin... [1] https://patents.google.com/patent/US7757638B2/en

The hometown on the second link seems to match up. First one might be iffy, but maybe he moved around a bit.

Re: My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley

#29

Post by pessimizer » Mon, Dec 17, 2018, 3:11 AM UTC

billforsternz wrote: post #3

This is a lovely and charming story...but. The whole premise is that the relationship between the suburban dad and the celebrity was somehow weird and unbelievable. I see that, but it's a shame we can't turn the world on its head somehow so that it would be just everyday normality. Celebrity culture has elevated some people to a kind of otherness. But they're just people.

> The whole premise is that the relationship between the suburban dad and the celebrity was somehow weird and unbelievable. I see that

I'm not sure why, and it seems to me like I must be in a minority. I'm pretty sure every other upper-middle class person has one or two wealthy and/or famous friends. All wealthy and famous people can't only have friends that are wealthier or more famous than themselves, the math doesn't work out.

Instead, I see this story as an example of a very NPResque genre: upper middle-class parents often get cancer and die, surprisingly almost as often (proportionally) as the parents of people who do not work for NPR. But in the case of the children of the upper middle-class it probably hurts more because it's the first significant suffering they have ever experienced.

edit: I also assume it's pretty difficult to reject a story about a dead parent's "simple rules for living," interesting celebrity-filled early life with some artistic potential gone unfulfilled due to the choice to settle down and have children, or their immigrant story. They have a sentimental appeal for some readers/listeners, and your sad staffer won't be turning one in every week.

Re: My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley

#30

Post by sizzle » Mon, Dec 17, 2018, 3:15 AM UTC

happytoexplain wrote: post #15

antibland wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Complete opposite experience for me. I found Lin's daughter's voice quite grating and reverted to reading the text. The part that did me in was when she gleefully enunciated "exclamation point exclamation point."

I don't follow what you're trying to say about her "gleeful enunciation".

Possibly regarding the intonation/inflection and pitch?