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Are drugs so relevant to Hacker News that not only do we have to have an article a week about them, but we're fishing out copy from 10 years ago?

by wheels 18y ago

contergan 18y ago
Yes.
lsb 18y ago
Erdős was an amphetamine fiend from when he was 58 until the end of his life. Lots of guys I knew in college were unhealthily addicted to caffeine and sugar. It's worth noting unhealthy habits.
- wheels 18y ago
  Do you come here to read 10 year old stories about writers that had a drug addiction in college? I don't. I come here for technical and startup news and to discuss those things with people that are knowledgeable of them. As a founder, honestly, while stories like this are interesting, it's just not worth the time investment of tracking the site if it's not focused on the topics above, and I fear that as it becomes more general, more of those people who come here for similar reasons, whose opinions I value, will also stop frequenting the site.
  - vinutheraj 18y ago
    Eh ... the people who frequent this site, found this an interesting article, thats why the upvoted it I think. I don't think Hacker News has to always adhere to just startup news and technical news, this is a breath of fresh air. At the end of the day it depends on Hacker News viewers to upvote this knida of a news !
josh_nyc 18y ago
Shot in the dark: Maybe there's a connection between the narrator's struggle and an entrepreneur's struggle. Both seem to enjoy the fight to overcome mediocrity and strive for their goals despite hardships and constraints, but the narrator's hardships and constraints are entirely of his own making. Check this quote: "I loved the feeling: Floating slightly above everything but still able to cope with the world, sensing that I was somehow special, or at least different, that I belonged to a secret and exclusive club." Couldn't that apply to a hacker? At least in the abstract? Food for thought...
- josh_nyc 18y ago
  Well, all I know is I enjoyed the article and that I believe I can find value and knowledge from disparate sources regardless of their topical relevance. I also realize that HN is trying to remain topically focused. To much of the world, the thought of making life more difficult by forging your own path/company/livelihood/etc, as opposed to settling for an easy job, seems akin to choosing make your life more difficult through addictions. I know it may appear I'm stretching it, but it's a fun mental exercise.

Are drugs so relevant to Hacker News that not only do we have to have an article a week about them, but we're fishing out copy from 10 years ago?

by wheels 18y ago

Are drugs so relevant to Hacker News that not only do we have to have an article a week about them, but we're fishing out copy from 10 years ago?

contergan 18y ago

Yes.

lsb 18y ago

Erdős was an amphetamine fiend from when he was 58 until the end of his life. Lots of guys I knew in college were unhealthily addicted to caffeine and sugar. It's worth noting unhealthy habits.

wheels 18y ago
Do you come here to read 10 year old stories about writers that had a drug addiction in college? I don't. I come here for technical and startup news and to discuss those things with people that are knowledgeable of them. As a founder, honestly, while stories like this are interesting, it's just not worth the time investment of tracking the site if it's not focused on the topics above, and I fear that as it becomes more general, more of those people who come here for similar reasons, whose opinions I value, will also stop frequenting the site.
- vinutheraj 18y ago
  Eh ... the people who frequent this site, found this an interesting article, thats why the upvoted it I think. I don't think Hacker News has to always adhere to just startup news and technical news, this is a breath of fresh air. At the end of the day it depends on Hacker News viewers to upvote this knida of a news !

josh_nyc 18y ago

Shot in the dark: Maybe there's a connection between the narrator's struggle and an entrepreneur's struggle. Both seem to enjoy the fight to overcome mediocrity and strive for their goals despite hardships and constraints, but the narrator's hardships and constraints are entirely of his own making. Check this quote: "I loved the feeling: Floating slightly above everything but still able to cope with the world, sensing that I was somehow special, or at least different, that I belonged to a secret and exclusive club." Couldn't that apply to a hacker? At least in the abstract? Food for thought...

josh_nyc 18y ago
Well, all I know is I enjoyed the article and that I believe I can find value and knowledge from disparate sources regardless of their topical relevance. I also realize that HN is trying to remain topically focused. To much of the world, the thought of making life more difficult by forging your own path/company/livelihood/etc, as opposed to settling for an easy job, seems akin to choosing make your life more difficult through addictions. I know it may appear I'm stretching it, but it's a fun mental exercise.