_why's site is back up and this is the "About Me" [unclear if it is _why] | Hacker News Reader

_why's site is back up and this is the "About Me" [unclear if it is _why]

whytheluckystiff.net

62 pointsTheBiv55 comments

    $ whois whytheluckystiff.net

    Whois Server Version 2.0

    Domain names in the .com and .net domains can now be registered
    with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net
    for detailed information.

    Domain Name: WHYTHELUCKYSTIFF.NET
    Registrar: SAMMAMISHDOMAINS.COM LLC
    Whois Server: whois.sammamishdomains.com
    Referral URL: http://manage.snapnames.com/customer
    Name Server: NS3.CERTIFIEDNUTMILK.COM
    Name Server: NS4.CERTIFIEDNUTMILK.COM
    Status: clientDeleteProhibited
    Status: clientTransferProhibited
    Status: clientUpdateProhibited
    Updated Date: 04-mar-2014
    Creation Date: 19-feb-2014
    Expiration Date: 19-feb-2015

Hmm, certifiednutmilk.com?

  $ whois certifiednutmilk.com

  # uninteresting details elided

  Registrant Name: Domain Admin
  Registrant Organization: Privacy Protection Service INC d/b/a PrivacyProtect.org
  Registrant Street: C/O ID#10760, PO Box 16 Note - Visit PrivacyProtect.org to contact the domain owner/operator Note - Visit PrivacyProtect.org to contact the domain owner/operator
  Registrant City: Nobby Beach
  Registrant State/Province: Queensland
  Registrant Postal Code: QLD 4218
  Registrant Country: AU

Between this, Wordpress, the writing style, and the frequent use of the word "mate" makes me think this isn't _why. Unless he's being unusually odd.

_why is from Pennsylvania, making the natural use of "mate" and "schooner" in that sense and context very unlikely (or at least anachronistic).

In the contact page there's the following: > I don’t know why you’d need to contact me through the web. After all, if you’re reading this blog, there’s a pretty good chance that we know each other already.

That seems very unusual for anyone to say. If the blog was not set up by _why, it is set up by someone trying to deceive everybody. Moreover all the mysterious domain and bizarre content and language could be _why trying to do exactly this.

He's speaking like an Australian, he mentions Sydney in one of his posts, he's on a domain that is now using name servers registered to an Australian company (as aaronbrethorst pointed out). I don't think this guy is trying to be _why or actually is _why, unless _why suddenly came back from out of nowhere with a new fetish for all things Australian. As an Australian, I'd like to think this is a possibility, but I have a feeling I would be disappointed.

I suspect the "if you’re reading this blog, there’s a pretty good chance that we know each other already" bit is intended to be interpreted as him not thinking that anyone other than those already acquainted with him would care or know about his blog. Self-deprecation is a fairly typical Australian trait, by the way.

Most likely possbilities in my mind: this is all simply a bizarre coincidence, as has already been suggested. Or... well, he is starting a software company apparently, so assumedly he's in our industry, that makes it somewhat more likely that he knows the history of the domain. Maybe he has unwisely decided to try and grab some free attention by taking this domain name knowing full well its history. I hope it's not the latter.

I agree that it probably isn't him, but the site is so ridiculously bad... it just might be.

It does make me sad, just because if he let his domain go, he probably isn't coming back. I did see that it had been parked as recently as a few weeks ago, so it probably did get swiped up.

Looks like some random brit decided he was finally going to get around to making that blog he'd always wanted and just happened to pick whytheluckystuff.net as his domain, which was conveniently expired.

He's currently staring at his analytics page in disbelief. "Wow, my writing really is that good!".

His "contact me" form may be a source of further amusement.

> random brit

Aussie.

The/a litmus test: does _why use stock photography, stock anything or do work outside the sphere of totally original and mostly/entirely cartoon infused? He was/is the unique collage king ( sensory overload + pioneering humor ).

This blog is almost entirely cookie cutter.

The story of how the domain name originated is not _why's style - he rarely if ever had anything approaching a sincere self-narrative, much less anything even close to "explanations" of why _why did X.

A wordpress blog? Could _why actually sleep at night with that existing even for a moment?

The way this is written doesn't sound like _why at all to me.

One of the two articles also had it use a British spelling on one thing. _why is known to be American.

I'm an American, but I often spell it "colour" because I read a lot of British writing.

That said, this does not feel like _why, really.

_why is from the great state of Pennsylvania. While most people think of Philadelphia, it's a rather large state and there's an awful lot to it. But the phrasing, spelling, and use of certain anglicisms found in, say, Australia ("schooner" is a dead giveaway), makes me conclude this isn't _why.

I am actually from PA too, but Pittsburgh.

Yes, I agree that it's EXTREMELY unlikely that this is _why.

I think it's Satoshi Nakamoto.

What if this elicits a response from the real _why?

Looks like an Aussie domain squatter. Flagged.

It appears to be a flimsy attempt to drive traffic to something called the Attraction Institute, which I won't dignify with a URL.

Perhaps we should all click on the link and immediately close our browsers, making it appear like he hired a botnet to click links for him. With enough clicks, his affiliates will boot him out.

_why's site is not back up. whytheluckystiff.net is back up. This is clearly not his work.

The new site blows, and whoever set this site up is a dumb asshole.

as others suggest, it may not be malicious, could just be someone who doesn't know/care who _why is and just registered a free domain.

And that email I just received may have come from a Nigerian prince. I'm not betting on it, though.

I can attest that I have no idea who this _why person is.

The internet and the world are larger than this tiny community known as HN. Just because they may be a big fish in a small pond doesn't mean the rest of the world knows, or for that matter cares, who _why is.

How common is the term "lucky stiff" in Australia?

_why was known by more than just the HN community;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_lucky_stiff

Why does this feel like an absolute pisstake?

Probably it is one. The domain record is fresh, so someone probably scooped it up.

Also the host is running under CPanel, which hardly seems like _why.

http://173.192.128.240

Here are other sites hosted on the same nameserver and IP: http://www.websitelooker.net/ns/ns1.certifiednutmilk.com

According to: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=773229 his domain expired in January.

I wish it was a very elaborate prank by the real _why but I'm not holding my breath.

Here's the HN thread of his infosuicide: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=773106

A decent Slate article about his disappearance: http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2012/03/...

It's obvious that a) it's not him, and b) the new owner it's a dickhead. Nobody will just "come" with that name as some good hearted people have suggested.

I didn't know about the original guy, but it was serendipitous finding this blog for me. I actually enjoyed reading it, and I want to know how it turns out for this dude.

Guess I'll have to wait until I get home: http://i.imgur.com/hihw4Cl.png

This has got to be a joke being played on us by _why. In a way it's the exact opposite of the brainy but eccentric cartoon foxes theme.

Someone bought the domain for SEO purposes. The article about "how to get [his] wife a bit more excited about ‘adult’ activities" mentions he "found this other site about attracting women called The Attraction Institute", which just happens to be selling an ebook about how to attract women.

I was excited for all of fifteen seconds, I'm pretty sure this isn't _why (definite lack of character in the copy), I also don't think _why would be running his website on WordPress (Yeah yeah, easy to setup, easy to host, etcetera) but _why liked building things, that doesn't really end.

_why would never write an article called 'setting up my own software programming company' or use the phrase 'Maybe it would’ve been easier and safer to just stick out the 9-5 and work my way up the corporate ladder in the hope that I got promoted enough to be comfortable after a while…'

The other pages on that blog are just meandering prose with a link to another website, which makes me think that someone picked up the site for its PageRank to link to other pages. But despite having many inbound links, the domain's PR is 0. Weird.

Can someone explain to me why this is causing such a stir?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_lucky_stiff

why is part of the net folklore from the late 00s that also saw the emergence of Hacker News, ruby mainstream programming et al. I believe there's a strong respect in this community for the work this man has done in previous years.

From the Wikipedia article in another reply:

    "Jonathan is _why, he is fine, and he just wants to be left alone."

Why aren't we leaving him alone?

_why is largely responsible for the success and relevance of Ruby to every level of person, entirely approachable, easy to access mentally and retain, totally engaging, and yet 100% bizarre and akin to doing engineering on psychedelics.

He spent 66% of his talks intentionally avoiding the topic he was asked to speak on, and yet that 33% was worth more than 100% of most other talks. He transcended programming. See deluge of Wikipedia links attached.

The GB locale and the use of "mate" and "schooner" would lead me to speculate that the author is Australian.

This is his domain expiring and some random other guy putting up a blog. Probably has no idea who the original owner was.

Wordpress? Really? (not that I dislike WP; just that it doesn't fit his M.O.)

I don't think this is Why, but not because of that. Why never seemed all that dogmatic about his technology choices, so I can't see why he necessarily wouldn't use WordPress.

For the uninitiated, can someone please provide context?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_lucky_stiff

_why wrote a very popular guide to Ruby, and was a major figure in the community before mysteriously disappearing, taking a lot of his work with him.

He reappeared briefly last year, then disappeared again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_lucky_stiff https://web.archive.org/web/20090813201826/http://poignantgu...

For more on his reappearance: http://words.steveklabnik.com/closure and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaWHVceDbFo

His Wikipedia page will help: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_lucky_stiff

Essentially he wrote a very popular Ruby book and was considered a big name in that community. He had a particularly interesting style of writing, but what immortalized him among the wider tech community was his sudden disappearance online, the search for him, and arguments about whether he would want to be found.

It was eventually discovered that he wanted to be left alone.

Oh boy, this is going to end badly. Bring out the popcorn!

_why so serious?

yeah dude sure....you know how many people make this pledge every day? esp. after a tragic event or seeing a friend lose a wife or a job or financial security or succumb to drugs or something?

you're going to find very quickly its much harder to change then it is to blog.

best of luck tho...and I mean it...I'm not a hater

I wonder _why I wonder _why I wonder _why I wonder

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