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> Campus lore has it that Senior House residents used to burn kittens in the house furnace. Ok, I'll bite... Let's say I sent a message to some FSF/Gnu info m

> Campus lore has it that Senior House residents used to burn kittens in the house furnace. Ok, I'll bite... Let's say I sent a message to some FSF/Gnu info mailing list that reads, "Hi. Someone on HN has said that the AGPL is a viral license and can end up infecting non-AGPL-licensed software running on the same machine. I've never heard this before. Is this true?" Past experience tells me that someone at FSF/Gnu sends me back an email either full of relevant information, or with relevant and helpful links where I can read valuable information. And I don't hold FSF/Gnu to be some bastion of social grace. Now, let's say I walked into Senior House after hearing this myth, and I say, "Hi. Someone on campus is saying that Senior House used to burn kittens in the furnace. Is this true?" What would have been the likely response to me in this case? A social response with relevant and useful information like Gnu/FSF, or an anti-social response?

dfee 8y ago
I’d hope that if some random person walked up to their dorm and said something anti-social along the lines of: > “Hi. Someone on campus is saying that Senior House used to burn kittens in the furnace. Is this true?” You’d indeed get an adequately anti-social response. If you were to follow it up with: > “Past experience tells me that someone at FSF/Gnu sends me back an email either full of relevant information, or with relevant and helpful links where I can read valuable information.” I would hope that you’d get an increasingly anti-social response. Why would you think that some 21 year old seniors, let alone anyone over the age of 14, feel the obligation to respond to random bystanders’ questions of lore? For the FSF it’s an academic mission they’re trying to bring into the world and spread. I’d say that doesn’t appear to be the case with Senior House (and that’s OK).
marssaxman 8y ago
A question that ridiculous and impertinent would deserve an answer equally ridiculous and unhelpful. One particularly beneficial "social response" would be to mess with the questioner as hard as possible.
- haus2001 8y ago
  "... and, sadly, the 3 to 4 months for the kitten to grow was ultimately what doomed Bonsai Kitten's chances of being the most successful startup out of Senior House." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai_Kitten https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai_Kitten
  - jancsika 8y ago
    Is Bonsai Kitten what the "campus lore" was about?

dfee 8y ago

I’d hope that if some random person walked up to their dorm and said something anti-social along the lines of: > “Hi. Someone on campus is saying that Senior House used to burn kittens in the furnace. Is this true?” You’d indeed get an adequately anti-social response. If you were to follow it up with: > “Past experience tells me that someone at FSF/Gnu sends me back an email either full of relevant information, or with relevant and helpful links where I can read valuable information.” I would hope that you’d get an increasingly anti-social response. Why would you think that some 21 year old seniors, let alone anyone over the age of 14, feel the obligation to respond to random bystanders’ questions of lore? For the FSF it’s an academic mission they’re trying to bring into the world and spread. I’d say that doesn’t appear to be the case with Senior House (and that’s OK).

marssaxman 8y ago

A question that ridiculous and impertinent would deserve an answer equally ridiculous and unhelpful. One particularly beneficial "social response" would be to mess with the questioner as hard as possible.

haus2001 8y ago
"... and, sadly, the 3 to 4 months for the kitten to grow was ultimately what doomed Bonsai Kitten's chances of being the most successful startup out of Senior House." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai_Kitten https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai_Kitten
- jancsika 8y ago
  Is Bonsai Kitten what the "campus lore" was about?