But US internet culture has changed dramatically in the past few years. And it's not just "eternal September".
I miss the early years. There are still vestiges left. Some public intellectuals still respond to unsolicited email from strangers.
Whatever else was true of the early years, when internet use was a niche thing it wasn't representative of broader US culture sort of by definition. Now it is, or at least much more so.
People used stable nyms. Mote, beam and all that.
I don’t have unlimited time to read comments so I prioritize ones from the patio11, cperciva, and ChuckMcMs of the board. Not because who they are IRL but because a history of posts I found interesting, informative, etc. makes it more likely the next one will be too.
If you are on a throwaway because you want to talk about being a functional alcoholic without your colleagues knowing: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27363003
that’s perfectly reasonable. But if you are on a throwaway because you want to attack the concept of reputation, that’s a pretty negative signal.
Fauci is on that list, isn't he? I was kinda surprised to learn that from the email dump. I figured his email would be thoroughly filtered.
Of course, whether he actually qualifies as an intellectual seems up for debate these days.