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You say this as, in all likelihood, someone with significantly above average abilities.

ironmagma 5y ago
Yes, as I’m sure the commenters above me are as well. The context of this being on HN is important, and I’d be a lot less likely to say an arbitrary person could do this project on some other forum.
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 5y ago
  The shared delusion of HNer's that they are intellectually superior the rest of humanity because they write computer software continues to astound and infuriate me.
  - ironmagma 5y ago
    While that’s definitely frustrating sometimes on HN, that’s nowhere near what has been expressed in this thread (at least not in the comment you replied to).
  - samatman 5y ago
    Superiority is a pretty loaded word. I wouldn't call athletes "physically superior" either. That kind of supremacist talk is looked askance upon, for good reason. But they're definitely faster/more coordinated/stronger than average, pretty much by definition. They can be proud of that. Computer programmers are also smarter than average. If they weren't, they wouldn't stick around. It's not physics or higher maths; I figure anyone above the 80th percentile can do a good job of it, and some people in 60-80th can get the hang if it, but will probably never be great. That's just the way it is. Phrasing it as being intellectually superior to the rest of humanity, that's just your hangup.
    - AnIdiotOnTheNet 5y ago
      I disagree. I would say that the vast majority of programmers, myself included, are pretty average intellectually. The idea that we're solving huge complicated problems never before seen by humanity is pure masturbatory fantasy. We're just writing instructions for machines to interpret, and the only reason we're good at it is that we've invested the time to learn, and the only reason we did that is because it was something that held our interest. That is all that separates us from non-programmers.

Yes, as I’m sure the commenters above me are as well. The context of this being on HN is important, and I’d be a lot less likely to say an arbitrary person could do this project on some other forum.

AnIdiotOnTheNet 5y ago
The shared delusion of HNer's that they are intellectually superior the rest of humanity because they write computer software continues to astound and infuriate me.
- ironmagma 5y ago
  While that’s definitely frustrating sometimes on HN, that’s nowhere near what has been expressed in this thread (at least not in the comment you replied to).
- samatman 5y ago
  Superiority is a pretty loaded word. I wouldn't call athletes "physically superior" either. That kind of supremacist talk is looked askance upon, for good reason. But they're definitely faster/more coordinated/stronger than average, pretty much by definition. They can be proud of that. Computer programmers are also smarter than average. If they weren't, they wouldn't stick around. It's not physics or higher maths; I figure anyone above the 80th percentile can do a good job of it, and some people in 60-80th can get the hang if it, but will probably never be great. That's just the way it is. Phrasing it as being intellectually superior to the rest of humanity, that's just your hangup.
  - AnIdiotOnTheNet 5y ago
    I disagree. I would say that the vast majority of programmers, myself included, are pretty average intellectually. The idea that we're solving huge complicated problems never before seen by humanity is pure masturbatory fantasy. We're just writing instructions for machines to interpret, and the only reason we're good at it is that we've invested the time to learn, and the only reason we did that is because it was something that held our interest. That is all that separates us from non-programmers.