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Intrade CEO dies climbing Mt. Everest

intrade.com

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Re: Intrade CEO dies climbing Mt. Everest

#41

Post by wahnfrieden »

tptacek wrote: post #34
jemfinch wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

John Delaney left behind two sons and a pregnant wife pursuing a meaningless accomplishment. Bob Parsons killed an elephant who was destroying crops and fed an African village. I'm troubled by your use of "meaningful" in describing danger. Danger is not meaningful in itself. An act does not become meaningful because 10% of the people who attempt it die. Acts are meaningful based on their impact on the world around th…

I'm confused here too. Isn't elephant population control a problem in Africa?

Mainly because moving them to an elephant reserve costs a good amount of money (something like $5000 per, if I recall correctly) and it's cheaper to just shoot them. His hunting trip was probably more expensive than that.

Re: Intrade CEO dies climbing Mt. Everest

#42

Post by tptacek »

wahnfrieden wrote: post #41
tptacek wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm confused here too. Isn't elephant population control a problem in Africa?

Mainly because moving them to an elephant reserve costs a good amount of money (something like $5000 per, if I recall correctly) and it's cheaper to just shoot them. His hunting trip was probably more expensive than that.

My understanding is that elephants are being routinely culled on reserves, as well. They eat. A lot.

(I don't mind the downvote at all but it's be good to know if the downvotes connote the fact that I'm wrong; I may be!)

Re: Intrade CEO dies climbing Mt. Everest

#43

Post by wtn »

jedc wrote: post #36
peterbraden wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was his lifelong ambition. Whether it was selfish or not is between him and his wife - let's not pass judgement on the dead.

His family clearly supported him (based on a few other news outlets that actually interviewed them).

His family was enabling his narcissism.

Re: Intrade CEO dies climbing Mt. Everest

#44

Post by oxtopus »

codexon wrote: post #29

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I got it too. Not something I'd ever hope to see in a trading market.

Re: Intrade CEO dies climbing Mt. Everest

#45

Post by rmobin »

poundy wrote: post #26
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

> Sad. But I have to say - climbing Everest when your wife is due to give birth - not cool. I believe this is exactly why he is the CEO of a popular company and others like me are not. He takes risks most of us avoid for various reasons!

It's a big difference to risk starting a company vs climbing Mt Everest. That's actually a big mental block people have - they are afraid of risk, but starting a company or asking a cute girl out and failing is more of an ego hit than a threat to your existence.

Re: Intrade CEO dies climbing Mt. Everest

#46

Post by pitdesi »

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

FYI - the overall rate is ~9% but has been declining significantly in recent years...

http://www.mounteverest.net/story/MountEverestKillerMountain...

"To date, there have been 1,924 ascents of Mount Everest (more than 1,300 different climbers), and 179 people have died. The overall fatality rate is thus about 9% (fatality rate is defined as successful summits compared to fatalities). However, since 1990 there has been an explosion of summiteers and fatality statistics have changed. Up to 1990, the Everest fatality rate is a whopping 37%, with 106 deaths and only 284 summits. Yet from 1990 until today, the rate has dropped to 4.4%; 73 people have died, and 1,640 have summited. Thus, the rate decreased to about eight times less than the pre-1990 fatality rate!"

Re: Intrade CEO dies climbing Mt. Everest

#47

Post by ColinWright »

There is a time and place for everything, so we are told. personally, I believe that HN is not the place for this. And if HN is now the place for this, then perhaps HN's time has now passed.

Other people's personal lives are their own. They make their choices, the people they share their lives with share their choices, by choice or otherwise.

Leave them alone. Leave it alone. Go build something useful.

Re: Intrade CEO dies climbing Mt. Everest

#48

Post by TheAmazingIdiot »

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

Overall death rate for Everest climbers is pretty close to 3% - pretty high (although its been falling).

I will give you the benefit of the doubt, but that is a horrible pun.

Re: Intrade CEO dies climbing Mt. Everest

#49

Post by Entaroadun »

peterbraden wrote: post #40
Entaroadun wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok this is kind of ridiculous. Really? Really? No I'm quite sure in this case it's definitely selfish, independent of what his wife thinks. And not passing judgement on the dead? Cmon man you have to be trolling.

I happen to believe that criticizing people that cannot defend themselves is tasteless, and judging situations that I know nothing about is misguided. I'm sure there is a lot of this story that we will never know, criticism is not going to change anything and if anything is offensive to the bereaved.

Tasteless? I don't think you're getting it. He risked his life completely unnecessarily while he needed to be a father. What he has done is categorically selfish. Your defense of his actions is that "It was his lifelong ambition." If you believe that then you already acknowledge that his action is selfish; his ambition caused him to abandon his responsibilities as a father and husband.

I don't see it as much as criticism as it is a simple fact. I posted not because I wanted to make a change so much as because I was utterly surprised by someone defending this person. Furthermore, my comments are in reply to your post and not directed at any members of the family, but I would hope that at least the wife realizes the moral implications of her husband's decision at this point.

Re: Intrade CEO dies climbing Mt. Everest

#50

Post by hugh3 »

Entaroadun wrote: post #37
peterbraden wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was his lifelong ambition. Whether it was selfish or not is between him and his wife - let's not pass judgement on the dead.

Ok this is kind of ridiculous. Really? Really? No I'm quite sure in this case it's definitely selfish, independent of what his wife thinks. And not passing judgement on the dead? Cmon man you have to be trolling.

At least, unlike a lot of dead fathers, he (presumably) left his family well provided for, financially. That's something.
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