3 ms·

Here's some more twisted internet reasoning for you: maybe if all of the comments on this article suck as much as the article itself does, it will fall off the

Here's some more twisted internet reasoning for you: maybe if all of the comments on this article suck as much as the article itself does, it will fall off the front page like it deserves to. It's a meaningless story about a guy who, by his own admission, has written several books just for the attention. Then he meets, dates, and marries a girl in the space of a single paragraph, which somehow justifies the entire experience. Now here I am, reading it on Hacker News, just wishing it would go away. We can debate internet philosophy (interacting with a System vs a Community) all day, but I'll just go ahead and concede the entire battle to you right now, because you're right, it was a bad comment made for unsound reasons. However, I am not a rational agent and will not delete it.

jaltucher 16y ago
funny, for a guy who hates it you sure spent a lot of time on it.
- stevejohnson 16y ago
  Others have said the same about Richard Dawkins, a man whose company I would be proud to be in. That's not to say that I think I come anywhere near him in terms of contributing to the discussion. This is the first time in a while I have seen an article I disliked so much get up so high on the front page, so I feel obligated to explain my position to others so that they will think more carefully about what they vote up.
- jaltucher 16y ago
  A) not sure what dawkins has to do with anything. B) i thought there's value in providing advances / sales numbers, etc. As a writer I can say there's nothing like that out there. It helps to understand the reality of the publishing business.
  - il 16y ago
    I think the numbers are the best part of the article, refreshingly candid. When a startup posts its revenue/traffic numbers it is lauded for honesty. The same should apply to this post. It seems that books are like startups- unless you hit a huge home run, you really shouldn't be doing it for the money.
  - stevejohnson 16y ago
    > A) not sure what dawkins has to do with anything. Simple, he hates religion but spends a lot of time on it.

jaltucher 16y ago

funny, for a guy who hates it you sure spent a lot of time on it.

stevejohnson 16y ago
Others have said the same about Richard Dawkins, a man whose company I would be proud to be in. That's not to say that I think I come anywhere near him in terms of contributing to the discussion. This is the first time in a while I have seen an article I disliked so much get up so high on the front page, so I feel obligated to explain my position to others so that they will think more carefully about what they vote up.
jaltucher 16y ago
A) not sure what dawkins has to do with anything. B) i thought there's value in providing advances / sales numbers, etc. As a writer I can say there's nothing like that out there. It helps to understand the reality of the publishing business.
- il 16y ago
  I think the numbers are the best part of the article, refreshingly candid. When a startup posts its revenue/traffic numbers it is lauded for honesty. The same should apply to this post. It seems that books are like startups- unless you hit a huge home run, you really shouldn't be doing it for the money.
- stevejohnson 16y ago
  > A) not sure what dawkins has to do with anything. Simple, he hates religion but spends a lot of time on it.