2 ms·
Ask HN: Confused about a dead comment
Some time ago on this item:
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1833203
which asks about algorithms that blew one's mind, I replied with a comment that mentioned that high-dimensioanl spheres should be thought of as "spikey":
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1834273
Someone asked why:
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1834508
and I promised a write-up.
I've now produced that write-up:
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1846682
As so often happens, whether it's timing, luck or disinterest, that submission has sunk from the "New" page and will probably never be seen again. That happens, no surprise, no problem.
However, to tidy up I went back to the original to point at the new item and say that I'd produced the write-up that people had asked for. No problem there.
But it's dead. Here, look for yourselves:
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1847180
When I'm logged in that item is there. When I'm not logged in it's dead. Further more, it was dead almost instantly, without time for people to flag it.
Any ideas?
- RiderOfGiraffes 16y agoClickables: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1833203 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1833203 <- Asking about algorithms http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1834273 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1834273 <- High-D spheres are "spikey" http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1834508 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1834508 <- Why? http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1846682 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1846682 <- The write-up http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1847180 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1847180 <- The inexplicably dead cross-reference.
- RiderOfGiraffes 16y agoAdded in follow-up - I may have worked out what happened, but I'd still be interested in people's thoughts.
- pavel_lishin 16y agoIn general, I don't understand why links and submissions on HN go dead. Is it always due to admin intervention?
- RiderOfGiraffes 16y agoIn general there are a few very good reasons: + It gets flagged by sufficiently many people who believe it to be inappropriate + It comes from a known blacklisted site + It falls foul of behavior most commonly associated with spam. The case in question here is in the last of these. I submitted the comment, realised I'd put it in the wrong place, deleted it, and immediately reposted in a different comment. That's behavior adopted by spammers - posting identical comments in several places in a very short time span. Spending long enough here, and thinking about it carefully, most cases can be analysed and understood.