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I get that the Hacker News crowd maybe a bit more anti-social, but how do we continuously ignore what's going on in the general population (HN == anti-Facebook,

by aantix 11y ago

I get that the Hacker News crowd maybe a bit more anti-social, but how do we continuously ignore what's going on in the general population (HN == anti-Facebook, anti-Big Bang Theory, basically, anything that's popular)? Have you been to a concert? A family reunion? A movie? People waiting in line? People are looking at their phones constantly, even to the point, where they're ignoring everything else around them. Yes, people live in their phones. It's so obvious.

themartorana 11y ago
Yup. I do, too. I understand better than most people the trade off and what price I'm paying, but he reality is, I accepted it a while ago. I keep my daughter off of all social media (she's not quite 2) because I know one day she'll be more dependent on it than I am (writing this on an iPhone) and I want her to be able to create her own digital identity and not be stuck with hundreds of baby photos defining her before she gets a chance to. But that knowledge comes from how my wife and I use our pocket computers (because "phone" at this point is ridiculous, "mobile" is at least a bit more generic). I'm say, half way through my life. I can worry to death and stand against and whatever, or I can get on with life, and appreciate the convenience provided in the short amount of time I have left. It's just admitting it to myself. Once that's done (and it is) I can get beyond grandstanding and just cheer for encryption and join the EFF (I am a member) and so on, hoping to have some impact on pushing the privacy needle to one side vs the other, because we're going to use these things daily, likely no matter what.
justinh 11y ago
The best theory of the formation of the universe is the Big Bang Theory. I check HN at least daily (often far more), and I haven't seen any posts regarding alternative theories or poking holes in the Big Bang Theory. What origin of the universe theory does the HN zeitgeist advocate?
- kimcheekumquat 11y ago
  I think this comment just reinforces his point hahahaha
- aantix 11y ago
  LMAO.. Big Bang Theory... The TV Show. I probably should have been more explicit but the very fact that this was misunderstood, probably proves my point about HN News and pop culture.. Or maybe you're just trolling... :)
  - retbull 11y ago
    Might not be American and have no idea what it is.
    - aantix 11y ago
      Valid point.
  - jaded-rabbit 11y ago
    I'm new to HN and the main thing I notice ( and like) is that people here don't seem so obsessed with mundane rubbish. BBT as example - low level comedy with canned laughter that relies on silly stereotypes for literally everything. Faux-geeks love it - the people who 'know everything about tech and gadgets' but can't read a line of code, the populist sciencey crowd rather than the science people themselves. I'm not american so maybe just cultural difference but everything about is always seemed too try-hard and populist. If HN spurns those hangeronners then I'm happy. Happy-ish anyway.
    - aantix 11y ago
      While the value of watching a "rubbish" comedy (or TV for that matter) certainly is debatable, the content of the show, or at least the accuracy of the physics jokes, are spot on. They are pretty rigorous in their joke fact checking : http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-big-bang-theory-has-hidden-jokes-down-to-a-science-1443808102 http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-big-bang-theory-has-hidden-j... >A lot of the humor is over the heads of the general audience. >But there are jokes inside of jokes, and for those who >recognize the science, they’re hilarious. The show takes this >stuff so seriously that it employs a UCLA physics professor >to make sure it gets it right. >Case in point: In a 2009 episode, “The Jiminy Conjecture,” >Sheldon and Howard heard a chirp and then argued over which >variety of cricket made the sound. >On the whiteboard in the background is Dolbear’s law, which >states the relationship between the air temperature and the >rate at which crickets chirp. >“I went to a Dolbear presentation at Tufts, and they talked >about this, in like 1989,” says one high-profile fan of the >show, Seamus Blackley, one of the creators of Microsoft’s >original Xbox game console. “I remembered it!” >“Once I realized what was going on, it was awesome,” added >Mr. Blackley, who is also trained in physics. “It’s the No. 1 >show, and it has actual physics in it.” I'm just not sure there's ever been a show that's attempted to deliver comedy around Schrodinger's Cat or Quantum Uncertainty. They do a phenomenal job with comedy surrounding such technical subjects, but just by acknowledging my fondness for the show, puts me in a minority here.
- eclipxe 11y ago
  Whoosh

by aantix 11y ago

themartorana 11y ago

Yup. I do, too. I understand better than most people the trade off and what price I'm paying, but he reality is, I accepted it a while ago. I keep my daughter off of all social media (she's not quite 2) because I know one day she'll be more dependent on it than I am (writing this on an iPhone) and I want her to be able to create her own digital identity and not be stuck with hundreds of baby photos defining her before she gets a chance to. But that knowledge comes from how my wife and I use our pocket computers (because "phone" at this point is ridiculous, "mobile" is at least a bit more generic). I'm say, half way through my life. I can worry to death and stand against and whatever, or I can get on with life, and appreciate the convenience provided in the short amount of time I have left. It's just admitting it to myself. Once that's done (and it is) I can get beyond grandstanding and just cheer for encryption and join the EFF (I am a member) and so on, hoping to have some impact on pushing the privacy needle to one side vs the other, because we're going to use these things daily, likely no matter what.

justinh 11y ago

The best theory of the formation of the universe is the Big Bang Theory. I check HN at least daily (often far more), and I haven't seen any posts regarding alternative theories or poking holes in the Big Bang Theory. What origin of the universe theory does the HN zeitgeist advocate?

kimcheekumquat 11y ago
I think this comment just reinforces his point hahahaha
aantix 11y ago
LMAO.. Big Bang Theory... The TV Show. I probably should have been more explicit but the very fact that this was misunderstood, probably proves my point about HN News and pop culture.. Or maybe you're just trolling... :)
- retbull 11y ago
  Might not be American and have no idea what it is.
  - aantix 11y ago
    Valid point.
- jaded-rabbit 11y ago
  I'm new to HN and the main thing I notice ( and like) is that people here don't seem so obsessed with mundane rubbish. BBT as example - low level comedy with canned laughter that relies on silly stereotypes for literally everything. Faux-geeks love it - the people who 'know everything about tech and gadgets' but can't read a line of code, the populist sciencey crowd rather than the science people themselves. I'm not american so maybe just cultural difference but everything about is always seemed too try-hard and populist. If HN spurns those hangeronners then I'm happy. Happy-ish anyway.
  - aantix 11y ago
    While the value of watching a "rubbish" comedy (or TV for that matter) certainly is debatable, the content of the show, or at least the accuracy of the physics jokes, are spot on. They are pretty rigorous in their joke fact checking : http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-big-bang-theory-has-hidden-jokes-down-to-a-science-1443808102 http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-big-bang-theory-has-hidden-j... >A lot of the humor is over the heads of the general audience. >But there are jokes inside of jokes, and for those who >recognize the science, they’re hilarious. The show takes this >stuff so seriously that it employs a UCLA physics professor >to make sure it gets it right. >Case in point: In a 2009 episode, “The Jiminy Conjecture,” >Sheldon and Howard heard a chirp and then argued over which >variety of cricket made the sound. >On the whiteboard in the background is Dolbear’s law, which >states the relationship between the air temperature and the >rate at which crickets chirp. >“I went to a Dolbear presentation at Tufts, and they talked >about this, in like 1989,” says one high-profile fan of the >show, Seamus Blackley, one of the creators of Microsoft’s >original Xbox game console. “I remembered it!” >“Once I realized what was going on, it was awesome,” added >Mr. Blackley, who is also trained in physics. “It’s the No. 1 >show, and it has actual physics in it.” I'm just not sure there's ever been a show that's attempted to deliver comedy around Schrodinger's Cat or Quantum Uncertainty. They do a phenomenal job with comedy surrounding such technical subjects, but just by acknowledging my fondness for the show, puts me in a minority here.
eclipxe 11y ago
Whoosh