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For the record, I am saddened to see that HN has given up on giving stories about this their proper place. There haven't been many stories on the topic rising t
by swombat 13y ago
For the record, I am saddened to see that HN has given up on giving stories about this their proper place. There haven't been many stories on the topic rising to the top recently, and the few who did sank back down quickly, presumably under the weight of flaggings by people who'd rather read about Erlang or web design or funding topics or startup stories or obscure technological marvels or some other worthy topic (not sarcastic - I think those are fine topics to read about).
It is sad to see that in the end, distraction wins. Huxley was right - the world is going to turn bad before our eyes but we (as a civilisation) won't care, it's more fun to just read about what we like. We're just too good at producing stuff that we like to read, and at ignoring stuff that's uncomfortable.
Until this is resolved in some way, there should not be a day that passes without one of the top HN stories being about NSA spying.
- mintplant 13y agoThere are plenty of places to talk about the NSA outside this site. The issue has taken over the conversation on so many discussion boards that I'd much prefer if HN doesn't get drowned out by the same. Especially if the actual content is mostly speculation.
- pyrocat 13y agoOne or two links out of 30 on the frontpage is hardly what I'd consider "drowned out".
- mintplant 13y agoSure, it may be one link at this exact moment, but there's been plenty more of these articles filling up the front page since the start of this whole situation. It wouldn't be as bad if most of them didn't just repeat old information.
- atlanticus 13y agoPeople want to pretend that their government is not cutting deals with the US for the same info, which is fine as long as you realize you are just pretending.
- swombat 13y agoPray tell what those places are. I don't have any other such places. Also, HN was drowned out for the first week or so. Then it became a steady trickle. Then a bunch of people, presumably such as yourself, decided that even that trickle was irritating to them and started flagging NSA stories on sight. Since then the trickle has died out, and there is nothing. Obama and his cohorts can go back to bed in peace, knowing this was just another internet fad and, as predicted, the geeks are easily distracted by some new gadgets or talk of technical gimmicks.
- krapp 13y ago>Obama and his cohorts can go back to bed in peace, knowing this was just another internet fad and, as predicted, the geeks are easily distracted by some new gadgets or talk of technical gimmicks. Yes, because Obama and his cohorts were really sweating over what Hacker News thought about anything.
- sethbannon 13y agoThis is how liberty dies.