What if PG sold ad space to HN users? Plenty of people here would doubtless pay to be able to drop something into a text-only banner at the bottom of the page or something.

I know what this site is and I can use it for my own purposes. But having to see popups or god knows whatever other eyesores would no longer make it worthwhile even in such minimal regards. I could care less about startups or especially anything relative to marketing or investment. But the factoid linkages are the real gold. I only care about information, not Capitalism. Not in the slightest.