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How is this at the top of HN? Apparently people that need this stuff sit on HN and vote it up. If you don't want to go to these sites I have some advice: Don't

How is this at the top of HN? Apparently people that need this stuff sit on HN and vote it up. If you don't want to go to these sites I have some advice: Don't go to them.

zorbo 15y ago
Some of us need a helping hand to keep our discipline.
pbiggar 15y ago
If it were as easy as just saying "Don't go to them", do you think anyone would vote for this?
mibbitier 15y ago
Commenting online becomes addictive. It becomes a horrible time sink and a useless waste of time. Either arguing with people who don't understand anything, or endlessly circle-jerking with people who have the same viewpoint as you. Some even fall into the trap of believing their "karma" score somehow means something. All it means is how much time you waste online commenting. Once you start commenting online, you can't easily stop. So it's not as simple as "Don't go to them". </recovering addicts view>
- Swizec 15y ago
  Karma is a score. That means it's a game. "winning" games is fun. Thus increasing your karma score is, well, fun. Not to mention all the fringe benefits a decent karma score can bring you ... well not really the karma score itself, but the activities you do to get said score. It's really just putting "How useful you are to the community" into a cold hard integer. Being useful/known/etc. in the right communities has been a pretty damn important thing since forever. As always, what matters is what you do with all of this. Just having it by itself doesn't mean a thing.
  - yashchandra 15y ago
    Cannot agree with you more on this. Exactly my feeling.
JackdawX 15y ago
It's strange how often comments like these crop up on various topics, because they're difficult to understand. The core of your argument is "I don't have this problem, so therefore no-one does". I mean, you are aware at at some base level that people are different right? They have different thoughts, weaknesses and so on. If tools like this can help, then that can be nothing but a good thing, I don't think there is any need to be derisive about it.
hollerith 15y ago
And I suppose then that you are one of those people who believe that advertising does not work on them because they have made up their mind not to be affected by it?

How is this at the top of HN? Apparently people that need this stuff sit on HN and vote it up. If you don't want to go to these sites I have some advice: Don't go to them.

zorbo 15y ago

Some of us need a helping hand to keep our discipline.

pbiggar 15y ago

If it were as easy as just saying "Don't go to them", do you think anyone would vote for this?

mibbitier 15y ago

Commenting online becomes addictive. It becomes a horrible time sink and a useless waste of time. Either arguing with people who don't understand anything, or endlessly circle-jerking with people who have the same viewpoint as you. Some even fall into the trap of believing their "karma" score somehow means something. All it means is how much time you waste online commenting. Once you start commenting online, you can't easily stop. So it's not as simple as "Don't go to them". </recovering addicts view>

Swizec 15y ago
Karma is a score. That means it's a game. "winning" games is fun. Thus increasing your karma score is, well, fun. Not to mention all the fringe benefits a decent karma score can bring you ... well not really the karma score itself, but the activities you do to get said score. It's really just putting "How useful you are to the community" into a cold hard integer. Being useful/known/etc. in the right communities has been a pretty damn important thing since forever. As always, what matters is what you do with all of this. Just having it by itself doesn't mean a thing.
- yashchandra 15y ago
  Cannot agree with you more on this. Exactly my feeling.

JackdawX 15y ago

It's strange how often comments like these crop up on various topics, because they're difficult to understand. The core of your argument is "I don't have this problem, so therefore no-one does". I mean, you are aware at at some base level that people are different right? They have different thoughts, weaknesses and so on. If tools like this can help, then that can be nothing but a good thing, I don't think there is any need to be derisive about it.

hollerith 15y ago

And I suppose then that you are one of those people who believe that advertising does not work on them because they have made up their mind not to be affected by it?