reason

This submission could not have come at a better time.

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been contemplating making a submission urging HNers to be human, and to recognize that everyone else who comments here is also a human, and that stories about startups and notable figures are essentially about humans - humans who all have families, friends, ambitions, desires, flaws, struggles.

All too often I see people here forgetting about that. I myself have been guilty of it in the past too. But there's something about the negativity and criticism here that grates on me more than on other sites. I think people here tend to assume that being an engineer/programmer means that not only must they treat their code with utmost logic and rationality, but that they should look at life in the same manner - that to be an empathetic and emotional person puts them at some sort of optimizational and productive disadvantage. All that leads to is cold, harsh discourse and criticism without considering the more abstract, but very real ways humans feel and behave. It's sad to see.

So, I guess this is that submission. Next time you write a comment, ask yourself if you're being human and remind yourself that whatever you're about to say is directed at another human.

Stop being robots, and just act human.

Writing this on my iPad, so apologies for being terse.

1. Top half is really busy. Ads above and below header image are way too distracting, so the name of the site isn't immediately evident.

2. Ad right above navigation bar is confusing and makes me think the nav bar is part of it.

3. Titles and images aren't arranged right. I thought the title to the article of the main image was the one to the right.

4. Trim down on those lists of breaking and local news stories and bring some of the other categorical content up. Sports/photos/videos/etc are way down below.

5. The 3 column structure is too cluttered. Either give it more white space, or cut it down to 2 with the sidebar composed of mini-sections. Right now the main story does not stand out.

6. Reduce overall number of stories on each page. My eyes are darting all over.

7. Ajax, gradients, rounded corners, openid, CSS4, node.js.

Awesome. The One Goal Retreat sounds like a great idea. I'll give it a shot - thanks!

This is a great article. My problem is, however, that I take it to the extreme: I set unrealistic goals for myself seeing as there are about 50 different things I want to learn outside of school. I almost always never meet my goals, and I become really discouraged.

It also seems like most successful people can point to an event, person, etc, in their past that served as a great turning point in putting them on the path to success. I just can't seem to put myself in a position for that to happen.

Derek, any tips?

How did you get sarcasm from that post? Kalvin clearly seemed to enjoy the idea, particularly because he/she is currently in a relationship. I am in a long-distance relationship currently and I think "thumb-kissing" and the whole app in general is really brilliant. I'd use it, but unfortunately she's got a Blackberry.

I'm curious: are you in a relationship? That's not meant to be a jab; I just think that there's a pretty big gap in "getting" this idea between those in relationships and those who aren't.

Right, so if I built an Augusta National for the public, I'd be considered a scumbag.

So, what's wrong with that? I'd eat at the second restaurant in a heartbeat if getting into the first is too much of a hassle. You would too.

Guys, if someone dangled something in front of you with the initial impression that you could have one, and you wanted it, only later to find out that you actually can't have it and that those who could have it are "intelligent and witty", implying that you are not, then I think it's pretty safe to say that you'd run home, cook something similar up and run back to show that you have one now too.

In fact, after reading the original article, I felt a bit slighted and thought to myself "fine, I'll just build it myself".

You are ruining the sanctity of karma.

Edit: Lotsa serious folks on tonight.

I've got the same exact criticism. Additionally, I was so hooked on getting through the exercises that I finished them and repeated them over the span of 3 days, then thought to myself "now what"?

That's not to say Codecademy hasn't been useful. If anything, it was the service that helped me get a grasp of javascript, which I'm now implementing in my personal projects. But I wish there was more.

This guy is my hero, more so than any entrepreneur out there.

What always fascinates me about Elon's story is his ability to self-teach himself the subjects he needs to effectively compete in an industry. He literally taught himself rocket science. I can barely finish a book on business.

You have basically speculated the intentions of three people, the relationships they have with one another, and the outcome of their company all from this one line. Pretty impressive. It sounds like you've watched The Social Network one too many times. Constructive criticism would be of much more value.

Further, it seems you are completely ignorant to the contributions that skilled businesspeople can make to a startup, and instead you've opted to succumbing to the played-out stereotype of all finance guys preying on the young, nubile, innocent programmer who just wants to build things and do good for the world.

Congrats on launching! I can sort of relate with trying to pull off ideas on the side in a field completely unrelated to computer science as someone who wasn't bred from a young age to program. It's definitely hard, and I commend you for putting in the hours and the effort.

As for the product: It's a neat idea. I think it'd be cool if you actually gave people on Facebook and promoters in general a small cut of some sort of revenue. It'd give users two incentives, both monetary and social (being known for discovering great undercover bands). Have users compete to be the best 'agents'.

Don't mind the haters – it's the growing trend 'round here on HN. If you're not a CS guy, you don't deserve much, basically. That's even more so for people working in business. But you've done far more than the people here can claim to have done.

Best of luck!

Edit: What made you settle for that one idea? Was it the only one you had, or did you choose it from a list of others you were entertaining? I imagine working in an industry like Finance you haven't got much time to play around with ideas left-and-right, so there's a bit more calculation in picking an idea to move forward with.

Come on guys, exercise your imaginative centers a bit. Rainbows are bright, colorful, playful, remind you of sunny days out at the park with your friends. It's not a huge stretch.

What real problem is Pinterest solving?

My personal message (I'm from California):

Both bills are serious threats to many of the companies that have helped usher our society into the Digital Age. As a resident of the state that is home to most of the world's most innovative and progressive digital companies, I would hope that my representatives too take pride in the fact that these companies find California to foster a culture conducive to technological innovation. I ask you to help continue the progress, and to vote against these bills.

That I'm wasting my 20's on a profession that offers no room to innovate, whose training is no more difficult than learning how to drive a tractor, where the work is not stimulating and involves seeing the same patients with the same diseases day-in and day-out, and that will soon be uprooted by technology.

The career is hardly meaningful, despite what others romanticizing the profession might have you believe.

If it's of any consolation, I'm in medical school, hating every second of it, and will likely be in your position very soon. I regret not getting into engineering almost every day of my life. Not much help, I know, but know there are others who can empathize. Good luck.

I've adopted the belief that very, very few people in the startup world were born with a passion, or at least developed one at a very young age. Even those who claimed to have developed such strong interests from a young age that later influenced their success, I find hard to believe. It's easy to romanticize the past and connect the dots in hindsight.

Here's what I think: You can develop passions when you realize that the problem you're onto is a meaningful one. I think when you truly believe that the solution you're trying to provide genuinely helps people, you grow a passion not for the specific domain your startup is working in, but rather for the idea of solving a big problem. Growing a deep interest in how a particular domain works is secondary and required in your pursuit to solve a problem.

I don't think anyone at Stripe has a genuine passion for the technicalities of online money transactions, but I do believe that they know they're addressing a huge pain-point that many, many people have been forced to deal with. They know their solution will be meaningful, and so they'll try to dig as deep as they can into that specific domain so that their product is better tailored for their given problem. I could be wrong. I think pg's recent essay on Schlep Blindness touches on this as well. If you develop a passion for solving problems, you might open your eyes to many, many more opportunities, versus if you directed your attention on finding that one domain that really sets your candle aflame.

But, I do struggle with that question on an almost daily basis. While what I stated should provide encouragement in that passions and deep interests can be developed, I can't say I'm not jealous of others I see who have seemed to genuinely take a liking to a specific subject, so much so that, startup or not, they'll chase their dream and be happy doing it.

Bullshit. Utter bullshit.

I don't get this angry when commenting here but the disgusting lack of empathy continually expressed on HN really, really gets to me. If you truly felt sorry for the girl, for her family, considered her family's pride for what she accomplished not only for herself but possibly for other kids in Pakistan, then you wouldn't feel the need to point out any of what you've stated.

I read the article and found it quite inspirational that a girl her age had so much motivation. Most kids at the age of 9 are playing their Wii's and watching early-morning reruns of Power Rangers. Her achievements go beyond technical certification.

But it's alright. Let's be champions of truth and justice at the sacrifice of appreciation and empathy. It'd be the hacker thing to do, anyway. It's happened with Dropbox, AirBnB, Steve Jobs, etc, already; so one more added to the list is a drop in the bucket.

Jesus, every damn time someone of note passes away we get a bunch of morons on here telling us how the accomplishments aren't as good as they seem. You people need to learn when to bite your tongues. I'm willing to bet if it were some VC going on and on about his/her life's works, the last thing you'd do is point out how unremarkable and unimpressive any of it is.

Let's see if a similar article is written up about your achievements when you pass away.

Thanks for the insight, though!

Why is that fascinating?

This is really neat. A few of my relatives are high school teachers that I'm sure will love this. I'll forward it to tem.

Also, great name. I've seen others in this space with names that aren't quite as clear as yours, which is important for the demographics you're targeting – teachers and parents.

Fuck your dad, seriously.

Your parents are probably foreigners who do not understand the concept of pursuing your hobbies and making decisions that make you happy. You seem to be getting no support from anyone around you, and that sucks. I've been through it, and am going through it now.

My father never supported any of my hobbies. In junior high I knew I wanted to get into CS and business. I would watch TechTV on a daily basis, fiddle with my computer, etc. I loved it, but dad didn't give an ounce of fuck, pushed me to pursue a more stable field, and now I'm in grad school with years of work ahead of me that I will likely hate. I'm trying to make the best of it, but it shouldn't have happened. And when it comes to other personal areas of my life, they are still incredibly unsupportive.

So I've learned something that you should too, and it's that you need to only rely on yourself for drive and encouragement. Your parents will die soon and you'll be left alone. Your friends will move away and leave you behind. You'll find yourself relying on yourself to make it, so learn to be self-driven and to not give a single fuck about what your father or friends have to say.

Although you're not getting any support from those immediately around you, know that you've got tons of support here from people who've been and who are where you are now.

People might respond defending your dad, but don't listen to them. Parents often forget about the huge level of influence they have on the development of their children, and the lack of support and encouragement can really fuck with a person's self-esteem and drive. Shitty parents really rub me the wrong way.

For parents reading: encourage and motivate your children.

That corner for many is HN because of the community.

Get over yourself.

One of the biggest influencers of this industry has passed away, someone who's been a source of great inspiration for many, many of us.

Frankly, the inability of some of you to not understand our more human, primal faculties is surprising. Some of you have come right out of the gate to question whether his words should really be taken seriously with respects to chasing your dreams, or whether the contributions he's made to this world are anything but.

If you can't tolerate this for a few days, or find something else to do, then something is seriously wrong.

His death affected me, and I've never spoken a single word to the man. I find a lot of the things he's said keep popping up in my head when I'm down, feel lost and lacking purpose.

No, you know what, fuck that. That sort of emotion is wrong. You're right. Let me save this sort of reaction when a YC company gets blasted for a perceived act of injustice. I'm sure you'd have no problems with that.

An ounce of sympathy and empathy would do wonders for you.

As someone who runs a site to help those who are feeling depressed and runs it with what seems to be a genuine level of concern and caring for those the site intends to help, this seems like a really fucking bizarre comment to make.

What do you guys get out of your smart-ass answers to potential clients?

You do know that they come to you because they know that you are the professionals. Many of them are completely clueless as to how pricing works for dev/design-work. Asking "how much do you charge?" is a perfectly reasonable question for someone understandably uninformed to ask.

You may be skilled at your trade, but from the sounds of it, many of you are absolutely horrible at dealing with customers who need a bit of guidance and direction with respects to the work they want to get done.

Imagine a curious older relative asking a physicist what light is and receiving "Well, it's sort of like one thing, but it's really not" as a response.

What's a "luxury" car? What's wrong with an $11k Hyundai?

What's a "designer" suit? What's wrong with $50 Walmart-brand?

What's a "classy" watch? What's wrong with a $10 Casio?

What's a "perfectly cooked" steak? What's wrong with an $8 Denny's one?

What's a "sleek" laptop? What's wrong with a $300 Dell?

You could essentially use your line of logic to make any purchase of a product bought on qualities more than just practicality look absurd.

We all enjoy looking for that one thing of great quality. Apple is evidence enough. And what's it to you if I like to spend a little extra on a great looking pen? You've certainly paid a bit more for things because they "felt or looked better".