The Old MacDonald Hackathon | Hacker News Reader

The Old MacDonald Hackathon

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Wait, what type of cow we talking here? Jersey, Guernsey, Holstein, Angus? Male or Female? How old? Sorry, former dairy kid OCD kicking in from a state that has more cows than there are Iowans.

And a rooster? Can I get it processed (plucked, gutted, and in a bag ready for a pot)

A rooster is an interesting choice of a prize. Few farmers, even the locavore/small kind, breed their own chickens anymore. And they tend to be banned in a lot of areas. The type of cooking they are perfect for (chicken soup from scratch)is not something the average person tends to do anymore. So not many people want roosters.

There has been a lot of commotion around the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area for the past few years, with a legal motion to allow a modest number of suburban chickens on residential personal property being repeatedly brought up for discussion.

Thankfully, the motion has thus far been shot down in my immediate area, but I think it has passed somewhere.

And there are still a few properties that have been owned by the same family for longer than the modern livestock laws have been on the books, and thus they are permitted to keep sundry animals. I rather enjoy the llamas. :-)

Iowa City passed it.

I have known people in NYC who kept chickens. It didn't seem like it caused a problem for anyone. But if they ended up with a rooster, that was a big issue because they are banned.

This is a terrible idea and perpetuates outdated stereotypes of Iowans for a cheap laugh. Our specialty is pigs, not cows.

They told me they're "a sucker for juxtaposing Iowa rural stereotypes with modern day technology."

For the curious: http://www.iowaagriculture.gov/quickfacts.asp

Corn value of production (2011 crop year) $14.5 billion

Soybeans value of production (2011 crop year) $5.50 billion

Cattle and calves, cash receipts (2011) $3.41 billion

Hogs, cash receipts (2011) $6.70 billion

I had a friend from Iowa who told me it was actually an acronym ... is this true?

This has brightened my Monday up. One question... How do the logistics work out here?

I can't think of anything more amusing than 4 neck-beard hackers winning a cow at a hack.

Maybe first prize can be a pardon for the cow. Something like what the president does for turkeys every Thanksgiving.

As someone born & raised in Iowa, I'm glad to see them embrace the startup culture. Iowa is a great place to live, and it could use some new sharp minds to help it grow.

As for the people complaining about prizes --- why don't you donate something more enticing than cow, chicken, and rooster?

Who's up for a road trip from the Bay Area? Bonus points if you have a livestock trailer or something to tow it with. Somehow I don't think my Prius will cut it...

I'm down.

Bay Area ... Prius

Our second stereotype of the thread!

I'm flying out for the hackathon. Any interest in teaming up?

Jordan Lampe is a genius. This is exactly the sort of thing thay makes me miss Dwolla so much. I may actually head back to Des Moines for this.

Also anyone know if butchering services are included?

Genius he is

I suspect you had a hand in this too :)

As a coder who raises his own meat, I want to go to Des Moines --- but I have enough roosters to fill my freezer. That pig, though . . .

BRB... Waiting for an African Hackathon where I can get an elephant or zebra.

Is it a live cow or meat?

That's totally your up to you... We'll give it to you anyway you want it.

What kind of cow? How was it raised?

Is it local?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2LBICPEK6w

I appreciate that they didn't go for the 'brogrammer' stereotype.

Really unhappy to see animals being given away as "prizes".

Why?

There is a long history of animals as gifts/prizes such as for dowrys in marriages.

There is also a long history of parents arranging those marriages - doesn't make any of it a good idea.

But I am wondering why you are unhappy with it being given away as prizes?

I can see maybe it marginalizes the value of an animal's life and thus the prize is in bad taste (but then again this is Iowa and these are farmers).

> (but then again this is Iowa and these are farmers).

It might be surprising to learn but Des Moines is actually a fairly populous city with office buildings and fast food restaurants and everything! Few of its citizens are farmers.

You didn't provide any reasons for your position. I don't want to put words in your mouth, but the reasons I can think of are:

1. You don't support domesticated animals and/or the farming of animals

2. You dislike the idea of living things being transferrable goods

3. You fear for the welfare of the animal after being given away

Is it one of these or is there another reason? I think it's an interesting conversation to have.

zevyoura, you actually did a great job of summarizing my positions (especially for someone I assume does not fully share them). This is just such an unnecessary combination of something I happen to love and something I happen to hate.

You do realize that nobody's going to be keeping a live cow or pig in their apartment, right? It's most likely that they're going to give away a butchered cow.

Not that it makes it better if you don't support raising animals for slaughter at all, but you shouldn't worry that it's going to be more cruel to the animal.

And indeed, an entire charitable organization dedicated to giving animals as gifts to developing communities.

http://www.heifer.org/

The antiquity argument has its problems. There has been a long history of many things that we don't do anymore.

A better argument would be that the animal doesn't care (because it is an animal).

I'm sure the animal doesn't care about specifically being a prize. I'm sure he/she cares about the care that follows being treated as an object.

Have you thought about the average factory-farmed animal gracing the average piece of pepperoni or sausage pizza at most hackathons? I don't see how this is worse. If anything, it forces people to think about how meat comes from animals far more than the kind of meat usually served at hackathons, which really doesn't even resemble an animal.

It most certainly isn't treated like an object, but as an animal. Probably better than most animals.

For a far less contentious example, how about winning a goldfish at the fair?

FYI: Dwolla says it will allow winners to accept their awards in the following formats: alive, meat, or cash equivalent.

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