71–80 of 141 posts
Instead of a ban, we should allow users to create filters. I would filter TechCrunch and codinghorror.
IIRC PG doesn't want to implement that because the quality of the front-page would presumably diminish if people could selectively ignore sources of low quality for themselves.
o.O
And then obviously not linking to it, etc. Show some respect for freedom.
If you don't like TechCrunch, "ban" it for yourself, why do you need a collective approval for this? Sorry, I think HN does not deserve polls like this one.
In that case, why is valleywag banned? http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=160704 Collective screening of linkbait/spam articles is useful IMHO.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I am not sure what loss of "critical thinking" you are referring to. I don't think anyone is losing mental marbles, nor do are stories getting that bad. (Admittedly, I couldn't stand the stories a month or two, but things seem to be on the upswing again). The discussion is usually interesting for any highly-moderated story on the front page. Ironically, questioning the mental prowess of other posters without mentioni…
There's no loss of "mental marbles," that implies insanity rather than a lack of a faculty most people don't have to begin with. Are individual people losing it? Probably not. But I point out logical inconsistencies where I see them, and when people miss the big picture (which is often) of a given problem or discussion. Take the once-a-week discussion of pro-formal ed/anti-formal ed. It's always the same, the same eg…
The education piece, as you mention, is (at most) a once-a-week ego-stroking event. It has become a pattern by now, with people more interested in defending themselves than "reaching the truth". I'm going to lose Karma for this, but how does that differ from the long tradition of promoting a programming language as the "be all end all" when the rationalist position is that each language has benefits and disadvantages? I submit that there hasn't been much of a change.
As for the lack of rhetorical skills, I cannot argue either way - I don't recall having read an article where someone accused someone else of making an ad-hominem attack (my own choice of stories differs from your own I suppose)
I'll agree with you on the "productivity porn" though. Much like some local tech events (like Tokyo 2.0), there does seem to be an excess of stories where people talk about "getting things done", without necessarily the evidence of anything actually being done.
Thanks for clarifying, and I hope you weren't offended at my original message.
If you don't like TechCrunch, "ban" it for yourself, why do you need a collective approval for this? Sorry, I think HN does not deserve polls like this one.
In that case, why is valleywag banned? http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=160704 Collective screening of linkbait/spam articles is useful IMHO.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
There's no loss of "mental marbles," that implies insanity rather than a lack of a faculty most people don't have to begin with. Are individual people losing it? Probably not. But I point out logical inconsistencies where I see them, and when people miss the big picture (which is often) of a given problem or discussion. Take the once-a-week discussion of pro-formal ed/anti-formal ed. It's always the same, the same eg…
Please accept my apologies - almost 2 years in Japan has put an end to my capacity for writing proper English. I did intend to say that people seemed to be as intelligent (or not) as they were when I had started reading this site. The education piece, as you mention, is (at most) a once-a-week ego-stroking event. It has become a pattern by now, with people more interested in defending themselves than "reaching the tr…
You're right, the language stuff is almost exactly the same thing, except (in theory) HN people know a lot about programming languages.
The education stuff, and the economic stuff, and (god forbid) the design stuff, people know practically nothing about, and rarely bother to educate themselves. People just want a forum for venting their personal opinions and promulgating their pre-existing worldviews.
(In my opinion, true hackers -- the technical type, and every other type -- have fluid worldviews and don't invest much in defending their own egos in the face of conflict.)
HN does not promote moderation or rationality (e.g. "everyone should use the tools that make them most effective and not argue about it"). No popularity contest can.
It devolves into a place where people come to be reassured that they are, in fact, great, and the things that they are weak at are unimportant, and the things they are strong at are the most important things in the world. Metacognition disappears.
Cycle:
Founders: This place sucks! Let's start a new place with only the best.
First Wave: This place is so much better! I can breathe free with like minds! Yay! Let's tell people about it.
Second Wave: Dude this is like better than that other place. My Ruby linkbait isn't so lost in the news.
Third Wave: RON PAUL!!
All communities like this decay this way without very, very careful tending... and to do that careful tending, one must have an excellent understanding of social dynamics, human nature, and social skills in general.
Thus all developer-centric news sites are doomed! ;)