5 ms·
Yes, I believe. Gates is one of us... though that might be a bit too flattering for us. It's a nice skill to be able to read books quickly. You really don't ne
by Luc 11y ago
Yes, I believe. Gates is one of us... though that might be a bit too flattering for us.
It's a nice skill to be able to read books quickly. You really don't need to read every word of every sentence if you got the author's point 3 pages ago.
I still count these books as read, even if I read some pages in a few seconds.
- sandworm101 11y agoFlattering? I think it flattering of Gates. The guys does has done some good work but, like Sheldon Cooper, I doubt the two of us could talk for more than a few minutes without him throwing a punch or two. Beyond the hypocrisy of his wasteful lifestyle, his and MS's track record re Africa and the developing world isn't great. In short: Billions out + millions in /= charity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAVpDZOgjt4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAVpDZOgjt4
- maxerickson 11y agoYou really think he would become angry with you to the point of becoming physically violent? I'd think he would just indulge you in your insults and walk away, not remembering the interaction in any meaningful way.
- sandworm101 11y agoYou'd be surprised how physical celebs can be. They generally have very aggressive or at least very unchecked personalities. I wouldn't expect Gates to be the type but equally I would not be surprised. Also, Sheldon Cooper isn't real. The bit is a hyperbolic statement for comic effect.
- maxerickson 11y agoHow surprised would I be? HN should resolve to not tell other people they would be surprised by things in 2016.
- rconti 11y agoWow, this guy's really doubling down on the negative comments, no matter how often he gets rebutted.
- sandworm101 11y agoLol. I'm shocked by the number of Gates fans here. He is truly hated amongst the people I work with, him and Jobs. But they/we are probably little older and remember very different times. But two things to learn at HN if you don't want downvotes: (1) Never speak ill of wealthy people, and (2) Do not even imply driverless cars are anything less than the glorious solution to every problem in the western world... that and bike lanes.
- aws_ls 11y agoYou know what, I am not a fan boy of either Gates or Jobs. In fact badly wanted Microsoft to lose the battle with Google in the early 2000s. Hated Microsoft for Internet Explorer vs Netscape battle in the mid-late 90s. Liked Unix/Linus over Microsoft technology for most of my career, and luckily managed to avoid working on the latter for most of the time. All that said, one must learn to distinguish between a bad company and a good person (or a person playing different roles). I am a big fan of Gates in his post retirement avatar. He comes across as very earnest and well meaning person. Apart from his role as heading his charity foundation, he has good literary tastes ( picked up 'Guns, Germs and Steel' only based on his reco, about which I posted 9 days ago as well[1]), and a way of finding hidden gems (e.g. he was instrumental in making Khan Academy popular in its earlier years, when one fine day he suddenly mentioned it in one of his talks that he uses that to teach his children). So its not at all that hacking community are fan boys of all billionaires. Remember he was earlier hated by many. And now loved by many. You should try to be fair in your judgement, that's all. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787625 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787625
- volaski 11y agoNah best way to avoid downvotes is (1) be civil, and (2) be rational
- 11y ago
- nimnio 11y agoWhile I understand that it's tempting to blame celebs and young people for the lack of agreement you're finding here, it could also just be that smart, reasonable people find your unfounded beliefs petty and cynical. It's a possibility we shouldn't discount.
- scholia 11y agoEr... you realize that The Big Bang Theory is a sitcom, ie a comedy show?