5 ms·

Ask HN: What are you thankful for?

43 points by porter 16y ago

This is probably a good daily exercise, but I thought it would be especially appropriate today.

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
eof 16y ago
I am extremely thankful that expertise in my hobbies are valuable; and there are a couple times where I really f'd up, and consequences could have been much worse than they were.
- ljordan 16y ago
  As a musician by training who was forced to take "any job" out of school due to lack of gainful applications for music skills who is now trying to reinvent himself as a professional programmer (a loved hobby), I feel that. I'm thankful for life, the universe, and everything.
NginUS 16y ago
I'm grateful for the free open source software that's essential to keeping projects on budget.
citricsquid 16y ago
opportunities!
olalonde 16y ago
Why is it especially appropriate today?
- thibaut_barrere 16y ago
  I'm equally wondering! Edit: I wasn't aware of ThanksGiving. I'm not thankful for the downvotes, though.
- marceldegraaf 16y ago
  In the USA, today (4th Thursday of November) is Thanksgiving. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving
thibaut_barrere 16y ago
I'm thankful for my parents who gave me a computer when I was like 6 and supported my learning throughout the years. I believe this was a very smart move. It's one of the main reasons I'm having fun doing my work today, without any money issues.
talbina 16y ago
I am thankful for my fingers. Last week I was just about to enter a hotel. A teen exited from the heavy and large revolving door, and being a teen, he made sure the doors were spinning really fast when he left. When I was entering, I tried to stop it: I put my hand on one of the doors and tried to pull back. Big mistake. I realized the door was too heavy and still spinning rather rapidly. By the time I left my hand, the door was a centimeter away from finally entering the outside frame. I pulled away my hand just in time, but the shear weight of such a door coupled with the speed would have wiped out my fingers (there is no space between the door and the outside frame). I wouldn't know what would have happened. In another instance, somebody closed a steal door (not common in North America) against my fingers. I went straight to the hospital as I couldn't move my fingers, but luckily everything was alright after a few hours. But a revolving door is a different story. It doesn't stop.
- SimonPStevens 16y ago
  I think every coder can totally relate to this.
  - leif 16y ago
    Performance musicians can relate more. There are accessible programming tools, there really aren't any accessible instruments.
    - shin_lao 16y ago
      Django disagrees. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Django_Reinhardt#The_injury http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Django_Reinhardt#The_injury
      - leif 16y ago
        epic
      - kjell 16y ago
        I chiseled a good hole in my left middle finger about a year and a half ago. Sliced two of my tendons. Thanks to a quick surgery its all back and working, with a near imperceptible loss of dexterity. The recovery process was amazing. I'm tremendously thankful for my 2. If you don't play an instrument yourself, take time some time to watch someone who does up close. Look at them move!
olalonde 16y ago
I'm grateful for the awesome community that HN is :)
kingkilr 16y ago
I have a loving family, great friends, and that I was born with exceptional talent.
- roadnottaken 16y ago
  Don't forget your exceptional humility ;)
bmelton 16y ago
In no particular order, I am thankful for opportunity. I'm thankful for most of the great things our nation has to offer, and how good it is overall even when parts of it are very, very broken. I'm thankful that there are (or were) people like Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, Neil Gaiman, to write words, thoughts and ideas that captivate, provoke and inspire me. I'm thankful for my family, and that none of them have any horribly pressing problems. I'm thankful that even in this economy, and with others in terrible plight, that I am able to afford and appreciate a meal shared with the people I love.
ptn 16y ago
I'm thankful for having the opportunity to chase my dreams, instead of being forced to steal or worse for mere survival.
marknutter 16y ago
That corny questions like these aren't nearly as frequent over here as they are on Reddit.
- talbina 16y ago
  How are they corny? If your house was burned down, if you lost your parents at an early age, or if you were hit by a drunk driver (which I hope none happen to you)...it wouldn't be as corny.
- mahmud 16y ago
  For non-Americans; today is Thanksgiving day in the U.S. http://xkcd.com/825/ http://xkcd.com/825/
frou_dh 16y ago
Other taxpayers' money.
frederickcook 16y ago
My co-founder.
arethuza 16y ago
It's very rare for me to find a book that I literally cannot put down, but last night I started reading "Blood, Sweat and Tea: Real Life Adventures in an Inner-city Ambulance" - it's a collection of blog entries from a chap who worked in the emergency services. This made me appreciate all the times my family and I have had the benefit of the emergency and health services - so I am very very grateful for the people in all countries who dedicate their lives to protecting and saving others.
siculars 16y ago
I'm thankful that my mother struggled to leave the Soviet Union so that I could be born in America. Although she didn't come directly here she likes to say that "she researched the subject thoroughly and decided America would be the best place to have children."
- waterside81 16y ago
  My folks left the Soviet Union in 1980 and came to Canada - not a day goes by that I'm not thankful for their courage.
bkorte 16y ago
Canadian Thanksgiving.
random42 16y ago
I am thankful for being lucky to lead a happy, healthy life, having loving parents and a decent job.
spacecowboy 16y ago
I am thankful for the fact that I continue to have the opportunity to live another day, to be able to breath on my own, walk on my own, and think on my own and to have the opportunity each day to make a positive impact on my wife-kids-family-neighbors-friends-strangers and the world.
acconrad 16y ago
what else do you need to be thankful for than health and family?
sayemm 16y ago
Hacker News I only started actively reading and posting on HN in July this year, and it's been increasing my web/startup IQ like no other. I only wish I had started sooner. Thanks to all of you for making this community happen.
noverloop 16y ago
The internet, I wouldn't be who I am today without it.
siculars 16y ago
I'm thankful for all the genius programmers out there who have decided to contribute their time and expertise towards free and open source programs that allow me to do what I do. "If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants." - Newton
tokenadult 16y ago
I'm thankful that my oldest son discovered programming (and HN, and other useful online communities) after being a math-avid little boy. The math background still comes in handy, but he enjoys computer science even more than math.
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
parbo 16y ago
This: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2010/press.html http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2010/p...
tomjen3 16y ago
Nothing at all - I am a grumpy old man. And I like it this way, dammit. (seriously, ask a silly question, get a stupid answer).
ssing 16y ago
I am thankful to my belief that it still hasn't given up that I will make big one day.
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
cucumeu 16y ago
I'm thankful for great American people like Sarah Palin. And for our old allies like North Korea, Syria, Iran etc.

43 points by porter 16y ago

This is probably a good daily exercise, but I thought it would be especially appropriate today.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

eof 16y ago

I am extremely thankful that expertise in my hobbies are valuable; and there are a couple times where I really f'd up, and consequences could have been much worse than they were.

ljordan 16y ago
As a musician by training who was forced to take "any job" out of school due to lack of gainful applications for music skills who is now trying to reinvent himself as a professional programmer (a loved hobby), I feel that. I'm thankful for life, the universe, and everything.

NginUS 16y ago

I'm grateful for the free open source software that's essential to keeping projects on budget.

citricsquid 16y ago

opportunities!

olalonde 16y ago

Why is it especially appropriate today?

thibaut_barrere 16y ago
I'm equally wondering! Edit: I wasn't aware of ThanksGiving. I'm not thankful for the downvotes, though.
marceldegraaf 16y ago
In the USA, today (4th Thursday of November) is Thanksgiving. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving

thibaut_barrere 16y ago

I'm thankful for my parents who gave me a computer when I was like 6 and supported my learning throughout the years. I believe this was a very smart move. It's one of the main reasons I'm having fun doing my work today, without any money issues.

talbina 16y ago

I am thankful for my fingers. Last week I was just about to enter a hotel. A teen exited from the heavy and large revolving door, and being a teen, he made sure the doors were spinning really fast when he left. When I was entering, I tried to stop it: I put my hand on one of the doors and tried to pull back. Big mistake. I realized the door was too heavy and still spinning rather rapidly. By the time I left my hand, the door was a centimeter away from finally entering the outside frame. I pulled away my hand just in time, but the shear weight of such a door coupled with the speed would have wiped out my fingers (there is no space between the door and the outside frame). I wouldn't know what would have happened. In another instance, somebody closed a steal door (not common in North America) against my fingers. I went straight to the hospital as I couldn't move my fingers, but luckily everything was alright after a few hours. But a revolving door is a different story. It doesn't stop.

SimonPStevens 16y ago
I think every coder can totally relate to this.
- leif 16y ago
  Performance musicians can relate more. There are accessible programming tools, there really aren't any accessible instruments.
  - shin_lao 16y ago
    Django disagrees. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Django_Reinhardt#The_injury http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Django_Reinhardt#The_injury
    - leif 16y ago
      epic
    - kjell 16y ago
      I chiseled a good hole in my left middle finger about a year and a half ago. Sliced two of my tendons. Thanks to a quick surgery its all back and working, with a near imperceptible loss of dexterity. The recovery process was amazing. I'm tremendously thankful for my 2. If you don't play an instrument yourself, take time some time to watch someone who does up close. Look at them move!

olalonde 16y ago

I'm grateful for the awesome community that HN is :)

kingkilr 16y ago

I have a loving family, great friends, and that I was born with exceptional talent.

roadnottaken 16y ago
Don't forget your exceptional humility ;)

bmelton 16y ago

In no particular order, I am thankful for opportunity. I'm thankful for most of the great things our nation has to offer, and how good it is overall even when parts of it are very, very broken. I'm thankful that there are (or were) people like Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, Neil Gaiman, to write words, thoughts and ideas that captivate, provoke and inspire me. I'm thankful for my family, and that none of them have any horribly pressing problems. I'm thankful that even in this economy, and with others in terrible plight, that I am able to afford and appreciate a meal shared with the people I love.

ptn 16y ago

I'm thankful for having the opportunity to chase my dreams, instead of being forced to steal or worse for mere survival.

marknutter 16y ago

That corny questions like these aren't nearly as frequent over here as they are on Reddit.

talbina 16y ago
How are they corny? If your house was burned down, if you lost your parents at an early age, or if you were hit by a drunk driver (which I hope none happen to you)...it wouldn't be as corny.
mahmud 16y ago
For non-Americans; today is Thanksgiving day in the U.S. http://xkcd.com/825/ http://xkcd.com/825/

frou_dh 16y ago

Other taxpayers' money.

frederickcook 16y ago

My co-founder.

arethuza 16y ago

It's very rare for me to find a book that I literally cannot put down, but last night I started reading "Blood, Sweat and Tea: Real Life Adventures in an Inner-city Ambulance" - it's a collection of blog entries from a chap who worked in the emergency services. This made me appreciate all the times my family and I have had the benefit of the emergency and health services - so I am very very grateful for the people in all countries who dedicate their lives to protecting and saving others.

siculars 16y ago

I'm thankful that my mother struggled to leave the Soviet Union so that I could be born in America. Although she didn't come directly here she likes to say that "she researched the subject thoroughly and decided America would be the best place to have children."

waterside81 16y ago
My folks left the Soviet Union in 1980 and came to Canada - not a day goes by that I'm not thankful for their courage.

bkorte 16y ago

Canadian Thanksgiving.

random42 16y ago

I am thankful for being lucky to lead a happy, healthy life, having loving parents and a decent job.

spacecowboy 16y ago

I am thankful for the fact that I continue to have the opportunity to live another day, to be able to breath on my own, walk on my own, and think on my own and to have the opportunity each day to make a positive impact on my wife-kids-family-neighbors-friends-strangers and the world.

acconrad 16y ago

what else do you need to be thankful for than health and family?

sayemm 16y ago

Hacker News I only started actively reading and posting on HN in July this year, and it's been increasing my web/startup IQ like no other. I only wish I had started sooner. Thanks to all of you for making this community happen.

noverloop 16y ago

The internet, I wouldn't be who I am today without it.

siculars 16y ago

I'm thankful for all the genius programmers out there who have decided to contribute their time and expertise towards free and open source programs that allow me to do what I do. "If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants." - Newton

tokenadult 16y ago

I'm thankful that my oldest son discovered programming (and HN, and other useful online communities) after being a math-avid little boy. The math background still comes in handy, but he enjoys computer science even more than math.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

parbo 16y ago

This: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2010/press.html http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2010/p...

tomjen3 16y ago

Nothing at all - I am a grumpy old man. And I like it this way, dammit. (seriously, ask a silly question, get a stupid answer).

ssing 16y ago

I am thankful to my belief that it still hasn't given up that I will make big one day.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

cucumeu 16y ago

I'm thankful for great American people like Sarah Palin. And for our old allies like North Korea, Syria, Iran etc.