4 ms·

What a great writer, and the article seems well researched. I note that he's got a Kickstarter to go to Antarctica, just chipped in for that.

protomyth 11y ago
Maybe, but his snark is off-putting. For example, "I always attributed this to Midwesterners being a more seismically sensitive people, perhaps due to their vast bulk, but the difference is a matter of objective fact.". I enjoy reading authors who don't throw random insults into their writing.
- omaranto 11y ago
  I think you probably meant "I don't enjoy reading authors who throw random insults into their writing". Or do you really mean that containing no random insults is enough for you to enjoy a piece of writing?
- nickpsecurity 11y ago
  He had more personality than most in his writing. Insults aren't necessary for that but they didn't bother me. He can find out how sensitive people are when he says it to our face and experiences the reaction firsthand. He instead said it safely behind his computer once at a great distance away from the people he's describing. Says more about him. ;)
- protomyth 11y ago
  [edit: way too late] don't enjoy thx: omaranto
Loughla 11y ago
While I understand his humorous writing style, this: "always attributed this to Midwesterners being a more seismically sensitive people, perhaps due to their vast bulk, but the difference is a matter of objective fact." Made me stop reading. There is a difference between mocking a place for comedy, and mocking a people for comedy. One is observational, one is just mean.
- tptacek 11y ago
  As a stereotypically bulky midwesterner, I appreciated the attention to detail. He was definitely making a point of being mean to Illinois, with all the flair of someone who's never spent more than a day or so in Indiana. But (a) he grew up here, so he's entitled and (b) it's not like people are any nicer to the horrid overstuffed tech prospecting camp he lives in now.
  - beat 11y ago
    As a central Illinois native, I know not to spend more than a day or so in Indiana if I can possibly avoid it. I'm right there with the writer on the need to escape as soon as you can, although I never made it farther than Minnesota. (Incidentally, I love Minneapolis with my whole heart - it's all the good of the midwest with very little of the bad)
    - tptacek 11y ago
      Yeah, but he grew up in the Ferris Bueller suburbs of Chicago, not corn country. So while I sympathize with your urgent need to escape, in his case I think it's a symptom of (perhaps mild) dysfunction.
      - pw 11y ago
        What sort of dysfunction?
        tptacek 11y ago
        The "being a big old jerk face" dysfunction.
  - kasey_junk 11y ago
    I feel the need to step up and defend my home state a little here. Indiana only looks bad if you've never been to Mississippi...
- mapgrep 11y ago

protomyth 11y ago

Maybe, but his snark is off-putting. For example, "I always attributed this to Midwesterners being a more seismically sensitive people, perhaps due to their vast bulk, but the difference is a matter of objective fact.". I enjoy reading authors who don't throw random insults into their writing.

omaranto 11y ago
I think you probably meant "I don't enjoy reading authors who throw random insults into their writing". Or do you really mean that containing no random insults is enough for you to enjoy a piece of writing?
nickpsecurity 11y ago
He had more personality than most in his writing. Insults aren't necessary for that but they didn't bother me. He can find out how sensitive people are when he says it to our face and experiences the reaction firsthand. He instead said it safely behind his computer once at a great distance away from the people he's describing. Says more about him. ;)
protomyth 11y ago
[edit: way too late] don't enjoy thx: omaranto

Loughla 11y ago

While I understand his humorous writing style, this: "always attributed this to Midwesterners being a more seismically sensitive people, perhaps due to their vast bulk, but the difference is a matter of objective fact." Made me stop reading. There is a difference between mocking a place for comedy, and mocking a people for comedy. One is observational, one is just mean.

tptacek 11y ago
As a stereotypically bulky midwesterner, I appreciated the attention to detail. He was definitely making a point of being mean to Illinois, with all the flair of someone who's never spent more than a day or so in Indiana. But (a) he grew up here, so he's entitled and (b) it's not like people are any nicer to the horrid overstuffed tech prospecting camp he lives in now.
- beat 11y ago
  As a central Illinois native, I know not to spend more than a day or so in Indiana if I can possibly avoid it. I'm right there with the writer on the need to escape as soon as you can, although I never made it farther than Minnesota. (Incidentally, I love Minneapolis with my whole heart - it's all the good of the midwest with very little of the bad)
  - tptacek 11y ago
    Yeah, but he grew up in the Ferris Bueller suburbs of Chicago, not corn country. So while I sympathize with your urgent need to escape, in his case I think it's a symptom of (perhaps mild) dysfunction.
    - pw 11y ago
      What sort of dysfunction?
      - tptacek 11y ago
        The "being a big old jerk face" dysfunction.
- kasey_junk 11y ago
  I feel the need to step up and defend my home state a little here. Indiana only looks bad if you've never been to Mississippi...
mapgrep 11y ago