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He is from an upper middle class family at the minimum. Hardware projects at his scale is not exactly a low cost expenditure, even with AliExpress and cheap Asi

by melony 4y ago

He is from an upper middle class family at the minimum. Hardware projects at his scale is not exactly a low cost expenditure, even with AliExpress and cheap Asian parts of questionable quality. I doubt he even needs the winnings to pay tuition.

sebastianconcpt 4y ago
In what all that resentment towards him is helping you or anyone?
- melony 4y ago
  No, but pointing out something that most people seem to gloss over. It is like reading "startup X raised Y dollar with a Z year old founder" articles and oohing and aahing while misunderstanding the actual circumstances that got them there. It is never about solely the product and idea, HN hates to acknowledge this but you don't raise money without strong connections and network, and it is the same story for science fairs (especially at the pre-undergraduate level). Follow your children to the next state-level science fair and most of the top award winners will have similar backgrounds. Almost always a relative or "family friend" in academia/research who's guiding them, either that or a blank cheque for the children/extremely well funded school clubs.
  - llaolleh 4y ago
    You're correct. Those factors are often overlooked. Kids don't even know that if they ask enough times, there are kind people who are willing to help them. All this leads me to conclude that we need to do better so these resources to innovate and learn are accessible to all.
- ekianjo 4y ago
  > resentment towards him is helping you or anyone? Where do you see resentment? It's like saying "anyone could have been Bill Gates" except that Bill Gates had access to lab computers much earlier than any other kid of his generation (and his family was well off, too). A touch with reality is always helpful in an ocean of optimism.
  - sebastianconcpt 4y ago
    In your judgment about what he and his family needs are, your pre-supposed hypothesis about their condition and about the usage of his tuition and the resources of his prize which are not your prerogative. That comment which is subtly derogatory and distractive to the merit in question is your search or highlight of what exactly?
    - melony 4y ago
      Yeah I bet you are real fun at parties. You are the type who will go around defending billionaires because they spent their money building tech you like. You are not a temporarily embarrassed billionaire and success isn't purely the result of individual agency.
- WarOnPrivacy 4y ago
  The parent comment is saying that kids' achievements are limited to their resources. This seems valid to me. Certainly my own experience as a parent (and a child) bears it out.

by melony 4y ago

sebastianconcpt 4y ago

In what all that resentment towards him is helping you or anyone?

melony 4y ago
No, but pointing out something that most people seem to gloss over. It is like reading "startup X raised Y dollar with a Z year old founder" articles and oohing and aahing while misunderstanding the actual circumstances that got them there. It is never about solely the product and idea, HN hates to acknowledge this but you don't raise money without strong connections and network, and it is the same story for science fairs (especially at the pre-undergraduate level). Follow your children to the next state-level science fair and most of the top award winners will have similar backgrounds. Almost always a relative or "family friend" in academia/research who's guiding them, either that or a blank cheque for the children/extremely well funded school clubs.
- llaolleh 4y ago
  You're correct. Those factors are often overlooked. Kids don't even know that if they ask enough times, there are kind people who are willing to help them. All this leads me to conclude that we need to do better so these resources to innovate and learn are accessible to all.
ekianjo 4y ago
> resentment towards him is helping you or anyone? Where do you see resentment? It's like saying "anyone could have been Bill Gates" except that Bill Gates had access to lab computers much earlier than any other kid of his generation (and his family was well off, too). A touch with reality is always helpful in an ocean of optimism.
- sebastianconcpt 4y ago
  In your judgment about what he and his family needs are, your pre-supposed hypothesis about their condition and about the usage of his tuition and the resources of his prize which are not your prerogative. That comment which is subtly derogatory and distractive to the merit in question is your search or highlight of what exactly?
  - melony 4y ago
    Yeah I bet you are real fun at parties. You are the type who will go around defending billionaires because they spent their money building tech you like. You are not a temporarily embarrassed billionaire and success isn't purely the result of individual agency.
WarOnPrivacy 4y ago
The parent comment is saying that kids' achievements are limited to their resources. This seems valid to me. Certainly my own experience as a parent (and a child) bears it out.