4 ms·
_why's site is back up and this is the "About Me" [unclear if it is _why]
- jamesbritt 13y agoWhy does this feel like an absolute pisstake?
- codezero 13y agoProbably it is one. The domain record is fresh, so someone probably scooped it up. Also the host is running under CPanel, which hardly seems like _why. http://173.192.128.240 http://173.192.128.240 Here are other sites hosted on the same nameserver and IP: http://www.websitelooker.net/ns/ns1.certifiednutmilk.com http://www.websitelooker.net/ns/ns1.certifiednutmilk.com According to: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=773229 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=773229 his domain expired in January.
- Greenisus 13y agoThe way this is written doesn't sound like _why at all to me.
- koenigdavidmj 13y agoOne of the two articles also had it use a British spelling on one thing. _why is known to be American.
- steveklabnik 13y agoI'm an American, but I often spell it "colour" because I read a lot of British writing. That said, this does not feel like _why, really.
- wyclif 13y ago_why is from the great state of Pennsylvania. While most people think of Philadelphia, it's a rather large state and there's an awful lot to it. But the phrasing, spelling, and use of certain anglicisms found in, say, Australia ("schooner" is a dead giveaway), makes me conclude this isn't _why.
- steveklabnik 13y agoI am actually from PA too, but Pittsburgh. Yes, I agree that it's EXTREMELY unlikely that this is _why.
- arjie 13y agoI think it's Satoshi Nakamoto.
- az0xff 13y agoWhat if this elicits a response from the real _why?
- tjmc 13y agoLooks like an Aussie domain squatter. Flagged.
- wcchandler 13y agoWordpress? Really? (not that I dislike WP; just that it doesn't fit his M.O.)
- chc 13y agoI don't think this is Why, but not because of that. Why never seemed all that dogmatic about his technology choices, so I can't see why he necessarily wouldn't use WordPress.
- unfunco 13y agoI was excited for all of fifteen seconds, I'm pretty sure this isn't _why (definite lack of character in the copy), I also don't think _why would be running his website on WordPress (Yeah yeah, easy to setup, easy to host, etcetera) but _why liked building things, that doesn't really end.
- aaronbrethorst 13y ago$ whois whytheluckystiff.net Whois Server Version 2.0 Domain names in the .com and .net domains can now be registered with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net for detailed information. Domain Name: WHYTHELUCKYSTIFF.NET Registrar: SAMMAMISHDOMAINS.COM LLC Whois Server: whois.sammamishdomains.com Referral URL: http://manage.snapnames.com/customer Name Server: NS3.CERTIFIEDNUTMILK.COM Name Server: NS4.CERTIFIEDNUTMILK.COM Status: clientDeleteProhibited Status: clientTransferProhibited Status: clientUpdateProhibited Updated Date: 04-mar-2014 Creation Date: 19-feb-2014 Expiration Date: 19-feb-2015 Hmm, certifiednutmilk.com? $ whois certifiednutmilk.com # uninteresting details elided Registrant Name: Domain Admin Registrant Organization: Privacy Protection Service INC d/b/a PrivacyProtect.org Registrant Street: C/O ID#10760, PO Box 16 Note - Visit PrivacyProtect.org to contact the domain owner/operator Note - Visit PrivacyProtect.org to contact the domain owner/operator Registrant City: Nobby Beach Registrant State/Province: Queensland Registrant Postal Code: QLD 4218 Registrant Country: AU Between this, Wordpress, the writing style, and the frequent use of the word "mate" makes me think this isn't _why. Unless he's being unusually odd.
- wyclif 13y ago_why is from Pennsylvania, making the natural use of "mate" and "schooner" in that sense and context very unlikely (or at least anachronistic).
- shamano 13y agoIn the contact page there's the following: > I don’t know why you’d need to contact me through the web. After all, if you’re reading this blog, there’s a pretty good chance that we know each other already. That seems very unusual for anyone to say. If the blog was not set up by _why, it is set up by someone trying to deceive everybody. Moreover all the mysterious domain and bizarre content and language could be _why trying to do exactly this.
- gaelian 13y agoHe's speaking like an Australian, he mentions Sydney in one of his posts, he's on a domain that is now using name servers registered to an Australian company (as aaronbrethorst pointed out). I don't think this guy is trying to be _why or actually is _why, unless _why suddenly came back from out of nowhere with a new fetish for all things Australian. As an Australian, I'd like to think this is a possibility, but I have a feeling I would be disappointed. I suspect the "if you’re reading this blog, there’s a pretty good chance that we know each other already" bit is intended to be interpreted as him not thinking that anyone other than those already acquainted with him would care or know about his blog. Self-deprecation is a fairly typical Australian trait, by the way. Most likely possbilities in my mind: this is all simply a bizarre coincidence, as has already been suggested. Or... well, he is starting a software company apparently, so assumedly he's in our industry, that makes it somewhat more likely that he knows the history of the domain. Maybe he has unwisely decided to try and grab some free attention by taking this domain name knowing full well its history. I hope it's not the latter.
- Untit1ed 13y agoLooks like some random brit decided he was finally going to get around to making that blog he'd always wanted and just happened to pick whytheluckystuff.net as his domain, which was conveniently expired. He's currently staring at his analytics page in disbelief. "Wow, my writing really is that good!".
- jamesbritt 13y agoHis "contact me" form may be a source of further amusement.
- markrages 13y ago> random brit Aussie.
- gamache 13y ago_why's site is not back up. whytheluckystiff.net is back up. This is clearly not his work. The new site blows, and whoever set this site up is a dumb asshole.
- codezero 13y agoas others suggest, it may not be malicious, could just be someone who doesn't know/care who _why is and just registered a free domain.
- gamache 13y agoAnd that email I just received may have come from a Nigerian prince. I'm not betting on it, though.
- squintychino 13y agoI can attest that I have no idea who this _why person is. The internet and the world are larger than this tiny community known as HN. Just because they may be a big fish in a small pond doesn't mean the rest of the world knows, or for that matter cares, who _why is.
- squintychino 13y agoI can attest that I have no idea who this _why person is. The internet and the world are larger than this tiny community known as HN. Just because they may be a big fish in a small pond doesn't mean the rest of the world knows, or for that matter cares, who _why is.
- keypusher 13y agoThis is his domain expiring and some random other guy putting up a blog. Probably has no idea who the original owner was.
- gk1 13y agoFor the uninitiated, can someone please provide context?
- codezero 13y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_lucky_stiff https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_lucky_stiff
- jljljl 13y ago_why wrote a very popular guide to Ruby, and was a major figure in the community before mysteriously disappearing, taking a lot of his work with him. He reappeared briefly last year, then disappeared again. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_lucky_stiff http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_lucky_stiff https://web.archive.org/web/20090813201826/http://poignantguide.net/ruby https://web.archive.org/web/20090813201826/http://poignantgu...
- steveklabnik 13y agoFor more on his reappearance: http://words.steveklabnik.com/closure http://words.steveklabnik.com/closure and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaWHVceDbFo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaWHVceDbFo
- arjie 13y agoHis Wikipedia page will help: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_lucky_stiff https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_lucky_stiff Essentially he wrote a very popular Ruby book and was considered a big name in that community. He had a particularly interesting style of writing, but what immortalized him among the wider tech community was his sudden disappearance online, the search for him, and arguments about whether he would want to be found. It was eventually discovered that he wanted to be left alone.
- coherentpony 13y agoCan someone explain to me why this is causing such a stir?
- steveklabnik 13y agohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_lucky_stiff http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_lucky_stiff
- lindbergh 13y agowhy is part of the net folklore from the late 00s that also saw the emergence of Hacker News, ruby mainstream programming et al. I believe there's a strong respect in this community for the work this man has done in previous years.
- coherentpony 13y agoFrom the Wikipedia article in another reply: "Jonathan is _why, he is fine, and he just wants to be left alone." Why aren't we leaving him alone?
- decentrality 13y ago_why is largely responsible for the success and relevance of Ruby to every level of person, entirely approachable, easy to access mentally and retain, totally engaging, and yet 100% bizarre and akin to doing engineering on psychedelics. He spent 66% of his talks intentionally avoiding the topic he was asked to speak on, and yet that 33% was worth more than 100% of most other talks. He transcended programming. See deluge of Wikipedia links attached.
- nickmolnar2 13y ago_why would never write an article called 'setting up my own software programming company' or use the phrase 'Maybe it would’ve been easier and safer to just stick out the 9-5 and work my way up the corporate ladder in the hope that I got promoted enough to be comfortable after a while…'
- sandover 13y agoIt appears to be a flimsy attempt to drive traffic to something called the Attraction Institute, which I won't dignify with a URL.
- smoyer 13y agoPerhaps we should all click on the link and immediately close our browsers, making it appear like he hired a botnet to click links for him. With enough clicks, his affiliates will boot him out.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- mafro 13y agoThe GB locale and the use of "mate" and "schooner" would lead me to speculate that the author is Australian.
- WoodenChair 13y agoI didn't know about the original guy, but it was serendipitous finding this blog for me. I actually enjoyed reading it, and I want to know how it turns out for this dude.
- grandalf 13y agoThis has got to be a joke being played on us by _why. In a way it's the exact opposite of the brainy but eccentric cartoon foxes theme.
- cpb 13y agoGuess I'll have to wait until I get home: http://i.imgur.com/hihw4Cl.png http://i.imgur.com/hihw4Cl.png
- overgard 13y agoOh boy, this is going to end badly. Bring out the popcorn!
- danabramov 13y agoI wish it was a very elaborate prank by the real _why but I'm not holding my breath.
- menriquez 13y agoyeah dude sure....you know how many people make this pledge every day? esp. after a tragic event or seeing a friend lose a wife or a job or financial security or succumb to drugs or something? you're going to find very quickly its much harder to change then it is to blog. best of luck tho...and I mean it...I'm not a hater
- pablox_cl 13y agoIt's obvious that a) it's not him, and b) the new owner it's a dickhead. Nobody will just "come" with that name as some good hearted people have suggested.
- decentrality 13y agoThe/a litmus test: does _why use stock photography, stock anything or do work outside the sphere of totally original and mostly/entirely cartoon infused? He was/is the unique collage king ( sensory overload + pioneering humor ). This blog is almost entirely cookie cutter. The story of how the domain name originated is not _why's style - he rarely if ever had anything approaching a sincere self-narrative, much less anything even close to "explanations" of why _why did X. A wordpress blog? Could _why actually sleep at night with that existing even for a moment?
- carljoseph 13y agoHere's the HN thread of his infosuicide: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=773106 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=773106 A decent Slate article about his disappearance: http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2012/03/ruby_ruby_on_rails_and__why_the_disappearance_of_one_of_the_world_s_most_beloved_computer_programmers_.single.html http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2012/03/...
- allworknoplay 13y ago_why so serious?
- transfire 13y agoI wonder _why I wonder _why I wonder _why I wonder I wonder _why I wonder _why I wonder _why I wonder
- markbao 13y agoThe other pages on that blog are just meandering prose with a link to another website, which makes me think that someone picked up the site for its PageRank to link to other pages. But despite having many inbound links, the domain's PR is 0. Weird.
- pwim 13y agoSomeone bought the domain for SEO purposes. The article about "how to get [his] wife a bit more excited about ‘adult’ activities" mentions he "found this other site about attracting women called The Attraction Institute", which just happens to be selling an ebook about how to attract women.