Earlier quoted context omitted.
Probably Dutch. We usually get very agitated when someone tells us we should wear bike helmets.
You should though
Have you ever been in NL?
Ask HN: Your Favourite HN Comment?
61–70 of 247 posts
Re: Ask HN: Your Favourite HN Comment?
#62I'm sad I can't find my favorite comment, and have actually searched for it on multiple occasions. It wasn't a good comment, it was a bad comment — I am only sharing it on the off chance that somebody else will remember and post the link. The discussion had veered to bicycle helmets: should they be required, is there innovation to be realized in their design, something like that. Somebody posted some comment about de…
Wait, could that be me ? I had that exact conversation on HN. I was the one asking for studies (and my previous comment was sthg like "helmets should be mandatory" then I was told "do you realize it increases injuries ?" then I ask for proof) and the reasoning in the studies was that making helmets mandatory decreased car drivers' attention to cyclists making them less cautious around them, resulting in more serious…
That is not the comment I was referring to — sounds reasonable to me!
(The comment I am looking for also started rather emotionally, something like "Ugh I hate — HATE — when people... (make assumptions like this without evidence, something something)". And then possibly invoked the names of a couple of logical fallacies.
(T_T) I thought I'd be able to find it with the double "hate", but I can't... it was some years ago too, at least 4-5, so I am probably mis-remembering.
Re: Ask HN: Your Favourite HN Comment?
#63Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wait, could that be me ? I had that exact conversation on HN. I was the one asking for studies (and my previous comment was sthg like "helmets should be mandatory" then I was told "do you realize it increases injuries ?" then I ask for proof) and the reasoning in the studies was that making helmets mandatory decreased car drivers' attention to cyclists making them less cautious around them, resulting in more serious…
That is not the comment I was referring to — sounds reasonable to me! (The comment I am looking for also started rather emotionally, something like "Ugh I hate — HATE — when people... (make assumptions like this without evidence, something something)". And then possibly invoked the names of a couple of logical fallacies. (T_T) I thought I'd be able to find it with the double "hate", but I can't... it was some years a…
Well, my first comment in this thread is a rant:
> I am always annoyed with articles promoting safe cycling when illustrating pictures show cyclists without helmets or any other form of protective gears.
> In Belgium there is a small movement promoting bikes and there are all kind of hipsters, bobo and 50 years old grey hair vegan on fake vintage bikes riding without helmets and without any sense of road conduct. Good bikers wearing yellow jackets and helmets are really rare ; I am beginning to think the formers are ruining the latters's image.
Re: Ask HN: Your Favourite HN Comment?
#64I'm sad I can't find my favorite comment, and have actually searched for it on multiple occasions. It wasn't a good comment, it was a bad comment — I am only sharing it on the off chance that somebody else will remember and post the link. The discussion had veered to bicycle helmets: should they be required, is there innovation to be realized in their design, something like that. Somebody posted some comment about de…
That kind of thing just proves how important intuition is in framing an argument. People have a baseline and expect evidence when something goes against that baseline. But different people have completely different baselines.
The other common area for this is nuclear power (is it easy?) and climate change (is it fragile?). At the heart of those debates are deeper philosophical questions that have little to do with science. But it is always easier to throw around stats than grapple with that.
Re: Ask HN: Your Favourite HN Comment?
#65My favourite HN comment was about burnout: Burnout is caused when you repeatedly make large amounts of sacrifice and or effort into high-risk problems that fail. It's the result of a negative prediction error in the nucleus accumbens. You effectively condition your brain to associate work with failure. Subconsciously, then eventually, consciously, you wonder if it's worth it. The best way to prevent burnout is to fol…
Thanks for sharing this. Right now I'm burnt out beyond words, having delivered a phase of a huge project, followed by upper management actions that make me feel extremely devalued and dehumanized. I've already written a list of personal development tasks for the three weeks' leave ahead - I need to up-skill, then find a new employer - which I'll restructure into little wins.
> Right now I'm burnt out beyond words, having delivered a phase of a huge project, followed by upper management actions that make me feel extremely devalued and dehumanized
I quit over something like this. Best decision of my life. I was the lowest paid engineer, I won/led/only person that worked on a major contract (20% of revenue) and they said I was bold for asking for a promotion that would put me equal pay with people that brought in no contracts. Don't work for toxic management. It just isn't worth it. It takes a huge toll on your mental health and honestly no money is worth that. I was burnt out for over a year after that experience. I learned that when applying for positions you should also be interviewing your manager. That's become one of my top criteria.
Re: Ask HN: Your Favourite HN Comment?
#66My favourite HN comment was about burnout: Burnout is caused when you repeatedly make large amounts of sacrifice and or effort into high-risk problems that fail. It's the result of a negative prediction error in the nucleus accumbens. You effectively condition your brain to associate work with failure. Subconsciously, then eventually, consciously, you wonder if it's worth it. The best way to prevent burnout is to fol…
Can life be considered a high risk project? I haven't particularly failed any high risk problems in my career unless my career itself counts.
Well if you fail bad enough you die. So I'd say the stakes are pretty high.
Re: Ask HN: Your Favourite HN Comment?
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thanks for sharing this. Right now I'm burnt out beyond words, having delivered a phase of a huge project, followed by upper management actions that make me feel extremely devalued and dehumanized. I've already written a list of personal development tasks for the three weeks' leave ahead - I need to up-skill, then find a new employer - which I'll restructure into little wins.
Take a break, you must . I know it always feels like you can’t, but you can’t keep working, you will snap. Programmers are hard to replace, it hard to find a good one, and it takes time to ramp up a new one with a codebase. You have more negotiating power than you think. Your comment struck me because I have been in that position before, and I know it really really hurts. But you gotta look out for yourself. Please t…
> You have more negotiating power than you think.
That assumes that their manager (1) is aware of how hard it is to find a good programmer, and (2) is rational.
Re: Ask HN: Your Favourite HN Comment?
#68I'm sad I can't find my favorite comment, and have actually searched for it on multiple occasions. It wasn't a good comment, it was a bad comment — I am only sharing it on the off chance that somebody else will remember and post the link. The discussion had veered to bicycle helmets: should they be required, is there innovation to be realized in their design, something like that. Somebody posted some comment about de…
Was this on the article that was about the complicated nature of do helmets make people safe? For hints to people searching I remember it was something about drivers acting differently around people with helmets and non-helmeted cyclists (I don't think the article made hard assertions of what was safer, but boy did the comments. It definitely suggested you should wear one). What I do remember is that the comment sect…
No, although I remember that thread, too, since I am an e-bike enthusiast and evangelist (not for work or anything, I just love e-bikes and am always advocating that people try them).
I think the funny comment I am trying to find occurred in a thread that wasn't even about bikes or helmets though, it was just off on some little tangent.
Re: Ask HN: Your Favourite HN Comment?
#69User mikekchar on the value of ideas: My advice is to lower the value of ideas. A lot of time people think, "If only I had a good idea I would be successful". You will see other people saying things like, "Buy my good idea!". But really, good ideas are a dime a dozen. Good ideas, bad ideas... it actually doesn't make much difference. What makes the difference is execution and timing. For things that take a long time,…
Good comment. Also I don't think most people can really tell when an idea is good. Seemingly good ideas fail all the time and if it was easy to determine which ideas are good everyone would be successful.
> Also I don't think most people can really tell when an idea is good.
My heuristic is that if you google it and someone is doing it successfully, you know you had a good idea, and it makes me happy. If you google it and nobody is doing it, it is a bad idea for some reason that’s not obvious.
Re: Ask HN: Your Favourite HN Comment?
#70User mikekchar on the value of ideas: My advice is to lower the value of ideas. A lot of time people think, "If only I had a good idea I would be successful". You will see other people saying things like, "Buy my good idea!". But really, good ideas are a dime a dozen. Good ideas, bad ideas... it actually doesn't make much difference. What makes the difference is execution and timing. For things that take a long time,…
It can be fun to think of "new" ideas, and then search the Internet for them. This week, I wanted a handheld device to push buttons and open doors without touching them; found several for sale (though the models without covers seem useless.) Later I wanted a 3D support structure to fit under a mask and increase its usable surface area; found several for sale.
> 3D support structure to fit under a mask
Wow, I also thought about this idea.
For those who are interested in something like this, you can search for "frame for face mask" on Amazon...