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Re: undefined

#41

Post by shaunxcode »

tptacek wrote: post #38
shaunxcode wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you have to realize I encountered him via slashdot when I was just starting out with programming and had some experience in c/php etc. Reading his work pointed the way towards lisp/metaobject protocol and while I still am not able to use lisp for my day to day work it entirely changed the way I look at problems. So yeah I guess I could say lisp changed the way I view programming but it was through his influence that…

No, Shaun, I mean how is being published different from being a "buzz" blogger?

hah that is hillarious. Because I feel it requires more discipline and knowledge to publish an authoritative book on a topic and have it be recognized as such than it takes to string together the right blend of rhetoric to keep an audience captivated for a few weeks. But really I can also see this is sort of an apples and oranges comparison (on my part in the first place) so I digress.

Re: undefined

#42

Post by iamdave »

The same reason Barack Obama has the following he has over Hillary Clinton. They both have their message, but they appeal to different people for different reasons. PG isn't the only essayist out there talking about the Internet, Programming, and Startup Markets. That doesn't mean he has to be the one any given person listens to.

People may choose to read his writings because there is a certain element that he talks which some people appeal to. Just like with Obama, his dedication to a cause draws people that Hillary perhaps lacks and vice versa. Calling it a cult may be a bit of an oversimplification because of the mass number of people. If connecting with a large number of people and earning the respect you do comes at the cost of being called such a term, then Edgar Allen Poe should by all means have monuments and statues among Literature students.

Re: undefined

#43

Post by Alex3917 »

smalter wrote: post #16
mixmax wrote: post #4

Even though the question (imho) is a bit awkward it is interesting. And since there is clearly a following around PG it is a valid question to ask. I think the reason is that he resonates well with a large group of people (hackers) that are smart and able, but are often very introvert. They often don't get the credit they deserve, are bored with the typical business and corporate stuff that they find simple and shall…

yes, the cult of paul graham reminds me of people who worship ayn rand. her writing gives people a sense of power, that they can transform the world with their will & determination. paul graham's writings/personal story empower in the same way. although, like rand, it's unclear whether the characters in their stories have real world referents or portray a world closer to (an empowering) fantasy than reality. (this po…

What are these characters and stories you refer to? Clearly I haven't read this set of essays.

Re: undefined

#44

Post by Jesin »

[deleted] wrote: post #34
cstejerean wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

then why are you commenting?

[deleted]

Hey, troll or not, it's an interesting question. Have you read the other responses? Most are coherent and many are actually quite insightful.

Re: undefined

#45

Post by raganwald »

Paying attention to someone is not the same thing as following them, admiring them, deifying them, or even agreeing with them.

I think you will find that many people read what Paul writes because he consistently writes things that provoke useful thought. That can be beneficial even if you don't agree with everything he writes.

In fact, even if you violently disagree with what he writes, if he provokes you into thinking about something you think is important, that's a win for you.

Re: undefined

#46

Post by eb »

cstejerean wrote: post #30
eb wrote: post #11

It's creepy that this discussion was voted to the top. I don't see the value in his question.

then why are you commenting?

I find it amusing that this site is so concerned with quality yet when such an obvious troll comes by, you're all blinded by your admiration for pg. Way to feed the trolls. I guess we know what Hacker News' kryptonite is.

Re: undefined

#47

Post by noonespecial »

smalter wrote: post #16
mixmax wrote: post #4

Even though the question (imho) is a bit awkward it is interesting. And since there is clearly a following around PG it is a valid question to ask. I think the reason is that he resonates well with a large group of people (hackers) that are smart and able, but are often very introvert. They often don't get the credit they deserve, are bored with the typical business and corporate stuff that they find simple and shall…

yes, the cult of paul graham reminds me of people who worship ayn rand. her writing gives people a sense of power, that they can transform the world with their will & determination. paul graham's writings/personal story empower in the same way. although, like rand, it's unclear whether the characters in their stories have real world referents or portray a world closer to (an empowering) fantasy than reality. (this po…

Then to borrow from Ms Rand:

She felt herself screaming silently, at times, for a glimpse of human ability, a single glimpse of clean, hard, radiant competence. She had fits of tortured longing for a friend or enemy with a mind better than her own.

Most of the people who end up on here, or in PG's orbit in general can find themselves in this quote. It isn't PG himself, per se, but the kind of people he attracts and hangs out with.

Re: undefined

#49

Post by pg »

This is such a classic troll. Not even a subtle new variant, but practically a 1980s Usenet troll. I was going to ask if people minded if I killed it, but a forum just can't let itself be pwned by trolls this blatant. So...

Re: undefined

#50

Post by plinkplonk »

noonespecial wrote: post #47
smalter wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yes, the cult of paul graham reminds me of people who worship ayn rand. her writing gives people a sense of power, that they can transform the world with their will & determination. paul graham's writings/personal story empower in the same way. although, like rand, it's unclear whether the characters in their stories have real world referents or portray a world closer to (an empowering) fantasy than reality. (this po…

Then to borrow from Ms Rand: She felt herself screaming silently, at times, for a glimpse of human ability, a single glimpse of clean, hard, radiant competence. She had fits of tortured longing for a friend or enemy with a mind better than her own. Most of the people who end up on here, or in PG's orbit in general can find themselves in this quote. It isn't PG himself, per se, but the kind of people he attracts and h…

" She felt herself screaming silently, at times, for a glimpse of human ability, a single glimpse of clean, hard, radiant competence. She had fits of tortured longing for a friend or enemy with a mind better than her own.

Most of the people who end up on here, or in PG's orbit in general can find themselves in this quote"

I guess I am in the minority then :-)

I "glimpse competence" all around me every day. And while I am bright, I don't have "fits of tortured longing" to meet someone with a better mind than my own. :-).

I enjoy meeting other bright(er than me) people, sure.

But "tortured longing"? No ! :-)

Yes I know you said "most" and "in general", but that Ayn Rand quote is (imo) purple prose (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_prose) . It might make sense within whatever novel it came from, but as a description of people who hang out in news.yc I don't think it really fits.

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