9 ms·

At the risk of being lumped in with the negative/unhelpful/HN-is-on-the-decline comment crowd, and I hate naysaying here but... Seriously? 1) If you haven't s

At the risk of being lumped in with the negative/unhelpful/HN-is-on-the-decline comment crowd, and I hate naysaying here but... Seriously? 1) If you haven't seen enough of these White House Polls go by yet (and there is a never ending list of inanity, for example: http://www.modernman.com/12-dumbest-whitehouse-petitions/ http://www.modernman.com/12-dumbest-whitehouse-petitions/) let me clue you in. They do nothing. Nothing. No one reads them. Just go back to wishing on a star. 2) The belief that something like this would ever be on the White House's radar/todo list is honestly just retarded. 3) Why is this even here? This isn't Reddit. The focus of HN is pretty nebulous these days but this is well outside the realm of entrepreneurship and programming which I believe has always sort of been at the heart of HN. 4) Rabble rabble HN is in decline.

Avalaxy 14y ago
It does have a lot to do with programming actually. I'm building an international application and I have to convert all my dimensions and weights to make it work in the US.
- robin_reala 14y ago
  It gets even more awkward when it’s not just output: we’ve got a refine-by-height range slider in our system that I’m having to localise.
- dickbasedregex 14y ago
  No. It has as much to do with programming as currency conversion does. It's a problem involving numbers that people occasionally solve with the use of code. By your logic beanie babies have a lot to do with programming because someone built a site to list and sell them online (ebay). But hey, the metric system seems more sensible to me too. Edit I don't mean to come off as a jerk. I haven't slept yet and just got a BS call from m boss so I'll probably read this later and wish I were more diplomatic.
AYBABTME 14y ago
Everytime I try to use data that comes from public US sources, it's a PITA to deal with Imperial Units. It does have an impact on programmers/developers/engineers/etc. Just reading news about weather or some climatic phenomenon, all in Fahrenheit. Wth, Fahrenheit.
dmit 14y ago
"President Andrew Jackson in the main foyer of his White House had a big block of cheese. The block of cheese was huge — over two tons — and it was there for any and all who might be hungry. Jackson wanted the White House to belong to the people, so from time to time, he opened his doors to those who wished an audience. It is in the spirit of Andrew Jackson that I, from time to time, ask senior staff to have face-to-face meetings with those people representing organizations who have a difficult time getting our attention. I know the more jaded among you see this as something rather beneath you. But I assure you that listening to the voices of passionate Americans is beneath no one, and surely not the people's servants."
- dickbasedregex 14y ago
  "The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter." - Churchill

Avalaxy 14y ago

It does have a lot to do with programming actually. I'm building an international application and I have to convert all my dimensions and weights to make it work in the US.

robin_reala 14y ago
It gets even more awkward when it’s not just output: we’ve got a refine-by-height range slider in our system that I’m having to localise.
dickbasedregex 14y ago
No. It has as much to do with programming as currency conversion does. It's a problem involving numbers that people occasionally solve with the use of code. By your logic beanie babies have a lot to do with programming because someone built a site to list and sell them online (ebay). But hey, the metric system seems more sensible to me too. Edit I don't mean to come off as a jerk. I haven't slept yet and just got a BS call from m boss so I'll probably read this later and wish I were more diplomatic.

AYBABTME 14y ago

Everytime I try to use data that comes from public US sources, it's a PITA to deal with Imperial Units. It does have an impact on programmers/developers/engineers/etc. Just reading news about weather or some climatic phenomenon, all in Fahrenheit. Wth, Fahrenheit.

dmit 14y ago

"President Andrew Jackson in the main foyer of his White House had a big block of cheese. The block of cheese was huge — over two tons — and it was there for any and all who might be hungry. Jackson wanted the White House to belong to the people, so from time to time, he opened his doors to those who wished an audience. It is in the spirit of Andrew Jackson that I, from time to time, ask senior staff to have face-to-face meetings with those people representing organizations who have a difficult time getting our attention. I know the more jaded among you see this as something rather beneath you. But I assure you that listening to the voices of passionate Americans is beneath no one, and surely not the people's servants."

dickbasedregex 14y ago
"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter." - Churchill