Two men are trying to become the first person to cross Antarctica alone • Hacker News Board

Re: Two men are trying to become the first person to cross Antarctica alone

#81

Post by moate » Tue, Nov 13, 2018, 3:24 PM UTC

gist wrote: post #65

moate wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>The way I think I have no clue why people take risks like this other than for the obvious fame and fortune. Those are both pretty great motivators. There's always going to be daredevils and explorers who are in it for the thrill as well. Being "The first to..." or "the only to..." is a superlative people feel might be worth the risk. Besides, without people pushing the limits, we never know what might be possible.…

> Besides, without people pushing the limits, we never know what might be possible. Serious question and sorry but who cares exactly? Not like there is a line of people that need to do the same thing, right? > Maybe we find out something about survival in hostile environments or mission logistics or how to run a proper search and rescue operation. Ok so that is an upside but that is like trying to justify that it's o…

>>Ok so that is an upside but that is like trying to justify that it's ok that those kids got lost in the cave so it was cool to take the risk, no?

Those were people who did not willingly take on the risk. Specifically citing that example, a bunch of children were basically on a field trip and a tragedy befell them. World of difference between an experienced individual who is (supposed to be) completely prepared and able to face the challenges presented.

Those examples I gave aren't ALL "worst case" scenarios. People like this help to fund the creation of materials that can be useful for important research. Sure, maybe some dude wandering the South Pole for funsies isn't helping us, but the team of scientists taking ice core samples to advance our understanding of polar environments and how they're changing use the same type of tent that are produced for this goofuses are benefiting from idiots with deep pockets.

TL;dr- more wandering idiots help support the market for the materials they use, which benefits the people we should ACTUALLY be championing.

Re: Two men are trying to become the first person to cross Antarctica alone

#82

Post by RugnirViking » Tue, Nov 13, 2018, 3:35 PM UTC

Erik816 wrote: post #36

jshevek wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hiking and camping in cold weather can be an extremely effective weight loss strategy. If done with good nutrition, enough sleep, proper gear, it can even be a healthy weight loss strategy. I'm surprised no one seems to ever discuss this, with so much of our culture seemingly obsessed with losing weight.

Our culture is obsessed with talking about or thinking about losing weight, preferably with no discomfort or sacrifices involved. So the exact opposite of actually doing something really hard that will result in losing weight. That doesn't sell books.

I would put it to you that trying to lose weight via diet tips etc is far harder than hiking through beautiful scenery, which is something that many people yearn to one day do 'when they get time off work' - but then maybe I am the kind of person that enjoys hiking and that colurs my opinion.

Re: Two men are trying to become the first person to cross Antarctica alone

#83

Post by RugnirViking » Tue, Nov 13, 2018, 3:43 PM UTC

kisstheblade wrote: post #75

moab wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The same thing could be said for many costly (in terms of either time or money) journeys: hiking the AT, biking across the world, to name two. In these cases, others have made these voyages thousands of times before, but that doesn't stop people from making these trips. By the way, I think you're misreading the piece---I don't get the impression that these men are making these trips for vanity.

If you have to tell other people about your trips then it is (also) for vanity. Nobody does these extreme trips and doesn't tell about them to anybody.

Artists usually show their pieces to at least some other people, yet many paint for internal contentment - we are fundamentally a social species. A large part of experiencing something is showing it to other people to seek their opinion/approval - especially if it had a large impact on a person. More to the point, beyond simply surviving, why do anything? What is life's goal? I would put it to you that many people like this were raised in such a way that their internal contentment and pride comes from this kind of thing: they judge people and more importantly themselves on the experiences they have had and the joy they get from it. They feel a need to share to get some of this joy - usually with loved ones and friends, but sometimes wider.

This is not a bad thing: People often also have a need to hear about others' experiences - hence books, videos, and you being here on hacker news.