Hacker News Reader

Comment by friedman23 | Hacker News Reader

I wouldn't build killing tools casually despite having, as most engineers here do, the ability to do it in a wide variety of manners that would be innovative from a technological standpoint. It's presented as art and I criticize it as such, there is seemingly no strong intent at least none presented in the post, and the form is not particularly appealing or interesting. It's explosive charges strapped to a helmet with a detonator. The concept itself is not novel, as you said it's been done a hundred times in a million animes.

I don't know Palmer beyond this blog post and having googled him after being baffled by the tone. I don't dislike him and I don't know his politics.

I would have loved to have heard one of the many beautiful stories he mentioned, and I was particularly confused by seeing the lovely wedding photos at the end. It made me question whether it was satire but I don't think it is.

> I wouldn't build killing tools casually despite having, as most engineers here do

No, most engineers here are perfectly fine building highly addictive apps that are only slightly removed from slot machines and targeting them at children.

> The concept itself is not novel

Actually building it is very novel.

> It's explosive charges strapped to an helmet with a detonator

That is triggered when you lose a video game.

> the form is not particularly appealing or interesting

Given the amount of engagement and discussion it's generating I think you are clearly wrong.

I guess it depends how much value you put on being the first. I saw the "first" AI painting sold, I saw the first drone with a gun attached, and the first drones with explosives used in warfare and I don't consider any of these art. Some things are incredibly obvious, and not in the way that you can look back at old research and misapprehend how difficult it was to create at the time, but in the sense they have been part of our psyche for years or decades and all it takes to create them physically is a bit of metaphorical glue. I don't consider that novel.

I guess if someone thinks it's art then it's art, and I don't say that to denigrate it. I'm not the authority on what is art or not.

I just don't get the the casual tone, the seeming lack of intent, and the deathly severity of it. It makes no sense to me.

>I think you just personally dislike Palmer Lucky's politics

Why act like this? It accomplishes nothing aside from grafting a hostile tangent onto a conversation. You may be correct coincidentally, but the parent's opinion, as written, presents nothing to justify making such an uncharitable leap out loud. I read the parent comment and sympathized with them before I even realized the subject was Palmer Luckey.

> This could only kill people that are willing to put it on.

How does that make it better? Would you personally want to release such a product?

Obviously there are differing views on this, but is it that pathological to see absolutely nothing wrong with a consenting adult making an informed decision to place their own life at peril? Most of my concerns would be regarding a malfunction or the triggering device not operating as advertised. But if it actual works as labeled then who am I to judge.

NYC banned carrying a pocket knife for the exact same reasons. An adult cannot carry a knife to protect themselves, just in case they might cause harm to themselves, nevermind protecting themselves from criminals running around unchallenged in NYC.

Because unlike the Nervegear people would actually know what they are getting themselves into and would understand the consequences ahead of time.

Has this product been released?

I like Palmer quite a bit (his work is very important to me) and know little of his politics and even I'll admit this post skeeved me out a little bit. It's an assisted suicide machine, and he made it in real life. It's cool, and I'd probably try it if the mechanism for blowing wasn't literally just a color, but if you're not skeeved out by it, it might be best to take a step back.

Proof of a comment a year ago referencing a relatively niche post of his to demonstrate I like the guy: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28678205

You misspelled his name, though. I wonder if you actually care about his work, or if you're just flaming.

>I think you just personally dislike Palmer Lucky's politics and like so many others must critique everything he produces.

This is an odd statement. No one mentioned politics but you, and now you’re accusing the OP as being somehow disingenuous.

Don’t be that guy. We don’t like that behavior here.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com