4 ms·

Hackathon Accidentally Picks Perfect Metaphor for Its Own Awfulness

48 points by angersock 12y ago

minimaxir 12y ago
This is solely a link to http://valleywag.gawker.com/hackathon-accidentally-picks-perfect-metaphor-for-its-o-1605503368 http://valleywag.gawker.com/hackathon-accidentally-picks-per... , which is from a banned domain on HN. (the article itself has good points)
- IgorPartola 12y ago
  Why is Gawker banned here? Are other properties of theirs banned as well, such as Gizmodo? I've tried in the past to submit a couple of Gizmodo articles with no success. I know that they are generally not written in a way that would be welcome here, but every once in a while they have some great original writing that I think is interesting.
  - minimaxir 12y ago
    gawker.com is banned because it's gossipy, which means that the subdomain valleywag.gawker.com is also banned. I believe Gizmodo and other Gawker properties are not banned. (there was a Gizmodo submission 7 minutes ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8043765 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8043765)
- angersock 12y ago
  Ah, fair enough--didn't think to link the original. JWZ is a brand I can trust. :)
- justincormack 12y ago
  I think the link to the original is sufficient alas http://greylocku.com/hackfest/ http://greylocku.com/hackfest/
baddox 12y ago
I'm pretty sure that's not an accident.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
scintill76 12y ago
Reminds me of Moxie Marlinspike's "The Money Machine": http://thoughtcrime.org/stories/money-machine/ http://thoughtcrime.org/stories/money-machine/
- lockes5hadow 12y ago
  Loved that post.
im3w1l 12y ago
As a European there seems to me that there is an anti-meritocracy trend in America right now. Could anyone explain if and why this is so?
- benmathes 12y ago
  "Meritocracy" is often the idealized thing we like to call the American economy, but it is far from that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfgSEwjAeno https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfgSEwjAeno
  - htaunay 12y ago
    Another interesting perspective over meritocracy, definitely a good read/watch: http://alaindebotton.com/status/ http://alaindebotton.com/status/
- angersock 12y ago
  You'd have to explain a bit more on what you've seen that leads you to that conclusion. I think the trend is really only displayed by VCs--consider what is getting funded and talked about (social apps, me-too secret messaging, analytics platforms) and what isn't (medical software for informatics and analytics, robotics, clean energy). Additionally, there is a lot of double-speak being thrown around by people that should, theoretically, "know better". Andreessen is a smart guy (and slung actual code back at Netscape), for example, but a lot of what he says recently is so clearly pandering to his own business interests that it's hard to respect him for his technical ability. In short, America is as much of a meritocracy as it has ever been--which is cold comfort for students of history.
- mattzito 12y ago
  That is a big, huge question and issue to try to tackle in a comment. From my perspective, it's not so much that there is an anti-meritocracy trend in America, as that America has classically had a popular culture of "if you work hard, you will succeed" that has been taken to the extreme (Horatio Alger, as an example). However, rising income inequality, a weak job market for certain classes of individuals, poor employment prospects for college grads and the like have created a situation where there is increasing cynicism that in reality working hard will not let you get ahead. Couple that with a vocal set of extremely wealthy individuals saying stupid things and getting lots of press for it, and you start to create a growing perception that there's a "landed elite" that disdains the shrinking middle class. So - in this particular case, it's not that anyone is angry that there's a hackathon - it's the perception of extremely wealthy professional investors challenging undercapitalized individuals to write code, with a prize of literally jumping around in a booth for cash. I don't think America is anti-meritocracy, but to paraphrase John Oliver from his show, many Americans are thinking it's more of a rigged game, and not in their favor.

48 points by angersock 12y ago

This is solely a link to http://valleywag.gawker.com/hackathon-accidentally-picks-perfect-metaphor-for-its-o-1605503368 http://valleywag.gawker.com/hackathon-accidentally-picks-per... , which is from a banned domain on HN. (the article itself has good points)

IgorPartola 12y ago
Why is Gawker banned here? Are other properties of theirs banned as well, such as Gizmodo? I've tried in the past to submit a couple of Gizmodo articles with no success. I know that they are generally not written in a way that would be welcome here, but every once in a while they have some great original writing that I think is interesting.
- minimaxir 12y ago
  gawker.com is banned because it's gossipy, which means that the subdomain valleywag.gawker.com is also banned. I believe Gizmodo and other Gawker properties are not banned. (there was a Gizmodo submission 7 minutes ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8043765 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8043765)
angersock 12y ago
Ah, fair enough--didn't think to link the original. JWZ is a brand I can trust. :)
justincormack 12y ago
I think the link to the original is sufficient alas http://greylocku.com/hackfest/ http://greylocku.com/hackfest/

baddox 12y ago

I'm pretty sure that's not an accident.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

scintill76 12y ago

Reminds me of Moxie Marlinspike's "The Money Machine": http://thoughtcrime.org/stories/money-machine/ http://thoughtcrime.org/stories/money-machine/

lockes5hadow 12y ago
Loved that post.

im3w1l 12y ago

As a European there seems to me that there is an anti-meritocracy trend in America right now. Could anyone explain if and why this is so?

benmathes 12y ago
"Meritocracy" is often the idealized thing we like to call the American economy, but it is far from that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfgSEwjAeno https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfgSEwjAeno
- htaunay 12y ago
  Another interesting perspective over meritocracy, definitely a good read/watch: http://alaindebotton.com/status/ http://alaindebotton.com/status/
angersock 12y ago
You'd have to explain a bit more on what you've seen that leads you to that conclusion. I think the trend is really only displayed by VCs--consider what is getting funded and talked about (social apps, me-too secret messaging, analytics platforms) and what isn't (medical software for informatics and analytics, robotics, clean energy). Additionally, there is a lot of double-speak being thrown around by people that should, theoretically, "know better". Andreessen is a smart guy (and slung actual code back at Netscape), for example, but a lot of what he says recently is so clearly pandering to his own business interests that it's hard to respect him for his technical ability. In short, America is as much of a meritocracy as it has ever been--which is cold comfort for students of history.
mattzito 12y ago
That is a big, huge question and issue to try to tackle in a comment. From my perspective, it's not so much that there is an anti-meritocracy trend in America, as that America has classically had a popular culture of "if you work hard, you will succeed" that has been taken to the extreme (Horatio Alger, as an example). However, rising income inequality, a weak job market for certain classes of individuals, poor employment prospects for college grads and the like have created a situation where there is increasing cynicism that in reality working hard will not let you get ahead. Couple that with a vocal set of extremely wealthy individuals saying stupid things and getting lots of press for it, and you start to create a growing perception that there's a "landed elite" that disdains the shrinking middle class. So - in this particular case, it's not that anyone is angry that there's a hackathon - it's the perception of extremely wealthy professional investors challenging undercapitalized individuals to write code, with a prize of literally jumping around in a booth for cash. I don't think America is anti-meritocracy, but to paraphrase John Oliver from his show, many Americans are thinking it's more of a rigged game, and not in their favor.