Super Fun Kid Time (TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon) | Hacker News Reader

Super Fun Kid Time (TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon)

techcrunch.com

Okay so I'm instantly biased given that this is my daughter, but I think that this is what our community should be about. A young person following her dreams and trying to build something, and put it out there for all to see.

Given the negative stories around the hackathon this weekend I think the good ones are just as worth reading.

Still disturbing that an audience as young as your daughter were participating, watching or present at Disrupt, and TechCrunch didn't even bother to properly and thoroughly screen speakers ahead of time.

Edit - In case anyone is confused, I'm referring to: http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/08/an-apology-from-techcrunch/

That's fantastic, and I agree that this is what our community should be about.

The problem is that it won't be about that unless we actively make it a place where she is welcomed and treated as a peer when she grows up and not just while she's young, unthreatening and not yet objectified.

Hah, that is awesome. I wish there had been opportunities like this when I was a kid. I was programming with my dad at about that age, but the internet was only really available at universities back then - there was no chance anything I wrote would ever make it out of my loungeroom.

Although outrage is easier and feels better, I think that condemning the bad needs to go hand-in-hand with promoting the good. Yes, titstare is a dumb app and it was dumb to put it on stage, but it was only one presentation. Even if well-intentioned, I think overemphasising bad behaviour can amplify its effect by making the industry seem worse than it really is.

Bravo to your daughter and to you. I'm sure there are other kids who will hear about this story and say "well, hey, I could do that". It must make you proud to have raised a 9-year-old role model.

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