Joan Didion has died • Hacker News Board

Re: Joan Didion has died

#31

Post by lazide » Sat, Dec 25, 2021, 12:07 AM UTC

noduerme wrote: post #10

PaulHoule wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Go read the sources I point to. In the case of Franchise a computer does an interview of one voter and then calculates who the president should be. In real life, if 538 was perfect at simulating the election there would be no need to have the election. The point of Insider Baseball is that ‘horse-race’ coverage and coverage that pretends to give you an insider view of the campaign as the candidates and their staff se…

The funny thing is, they're just as often wrong with their sports predictions. No serious sports wagerer I know would ever rely on 538 to make their picks. Gamblers understand that touts serve two masters. Apparently, punters are less gullible than political pundits when it comes to believing that a set of chosen stats represents a neutral, scientific prediction.

Everyone likes to hear what they want to hear - until the bill comes anyway.

Re: Joan Didion has died

#32

Post by carrolldunham » Sat, Dec 25, 2021, 12:20 AM UTC

bspammer wrote: post #24

509engr wrote: post #3

Her essay on California's water system is one of the most beautiful pieces of writing about public works I have ever encountered. http://archive.pov.org/thirst/holy-water/

There is something so strange about reading such a beautiful thing and then reading that comment at the bottom. The juxtaposition is just bizarre. Is there a word for this feeling? It happens to me frequently online. Anyway, thank you for sharing.

bathos?

Re: Joan Didion has died

#33

Post by 0x0nyandesu » Sat, Dec 25, 2021, 12:43 AM UTC

leesalminen wrote: post #27

0x0nyandesu wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it funny that a farm in the valley has "water use rights" and will end up using millions of gallons of water per month and pay almost nothing for it meanwhile my sfm which uses about 15k gallons a month will cost $300 for the privilege and I'm allowed to keep going and water outside as much as I want however California regulations prevent me from installing a second shower head in my walk in shower wet room un…

15k gallons per month?!? >7k/mo where I live in Colorado would result in a 4-digit bill and a nasty gram to boot.

I just got the property 45 days ago and left the watering system alone for now. I think my last bill was 16k gallons but I need to check again. I'm in Hawaii packing my old apartment till Tuesday.

Re: Joan Didion has died

#34

Post by TedDoesntTalk » Sat, Dec 25, 2021, 1:24 AM UTC

509engr wrote: post #3

Her essay on California's water system is one of the most beautiful pieces of writing about public works I have ever encountered. http://archive.pov.org/thirst/holy-water/

> this requires prodigious coordination, precision, and the best efforts of several human minds and that of a Univac 418

The top of this page says 2004. Is that correct? Univac is anachronistic to 2004.

Re: Joan Didion has died

#35

Post by bsanr » Sat, Dec 25, 2021, 1:38 AM UTC

No post body was provided.

Re: Joan Didion has died

#36

Post by mturmon » Sat, Dec 25, 2021, 2:04 AM UTC

NYRB, where she wrote for decades, has put her essays in front of the paywall.

https://www.nybooks.com/contributors/joan-didion/

(Their home page has a dozen specific recommendations.)

Re: Joan Didion has died

#37

Post by 509engr » Sat, Dec 25, 2021, 3:18 AM UTC

TedDoesntTalk wrote: post #34

509engr wrote: post #3

Her essay on California's water system is one of the most beautiful pieces of writing about public works I have ever encountered. http://archive.pov.org/thirst/holy-water/

> this requires prodigious coordination, precision, and the best efforts of several human minds and that of a Univac 418 The top of this page says 2004. Is that correct? Univac is anachronistic to 2004.

I had a hard time finding a publication date for the original, but searching for it suggests 1979.

Re: Joan Didion has died

#38

Post by blitz_skull » Sat, Dec 25, 2021, 3:27 AM UTC

bsanr wrote: post #35

Quoted post unavailable.

Why are the only choices being an athlete or being black? Seems like you’re trying to funnel responses into a rather arbitrary and contentious direction.

Re: Joan Didion has died

#39

Post by clairity » Sat, Dec 25, 2021, 4:04 AM UTC

bsanr wrote: post #35

Quoted post unavailable.

i'm squarely with you on this one. the implicit racism and bias is thick here (note the spite and bile spewed in those many kobe posts). while i appreciate didion's work, she's not even a minor blip in literature and history. also compare this to the lack of interest/discussion around bell hooks[0], a black feminist writer who is at least a minor blip in american culture and history.

besides being one of the best basketball players ever, kobe was a tech investor and media producer in the few short years since his retirement from the nba. there are literally dozens of murals all across LA of kobe. he'll also be forgotten by the zeitgeist eventually, but it will likely be decades before that happens.

[0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29581259

Re: Joan Didion has died

#40

Post by tclancy » Sat, Dec 25, 2021, 4:25 AM UTC

clairity wrote: post #39

bsanr wrote: post #35

Quoted post unavailable.

i'm squarely with you on this one. the implicit racism and bias is thick here (note the spite and bile spewed in those many kobe posts). while i appreciate didion's work, she's not even a minor blip in literature and history. also compare this to the lack of interest/discussion around bell hooks[0], a black feminist writer who is at least a minor blip in american culture and history. besides being one of the best bas…

Do you honestly think bell hooks would be cool with you lumping her with Kobe, even if he bought her a giant diamond after the fact?

To be clear, it reads like you invoked her name to dog whistle about misandry which would be funny if it weren’t for the way the world is because of the Internet which is because of, yknow, HackerNews type folks.