Hacker News Reader

NovemberWeston A friend died nearly 2 years ago. I had no idea

I tend to hate stuff like this. He closes with suggesting life is fleeting and you should keep up to date with still living friends. There is no indication he is actually doing that. People routinely have wonderful things to say about the dead, often when they said (and did) terrible things to them while alive.

Maybe he isn't a hypocrite but I have seen this too often from people who are.

NovemberWeston Ask HN: I need help sleeping, any suggestions?

You could be reacting to something biological. Try cleaning up your sleep space. Wash all bedding, dust, declutter, etc.

NovemberWeston Ask HN: How much do you earn from Google Adsense?

Historically, I got a payout once a year of something over $100. This year, I am still way short of hitting a payout.

But I would really like more info on traffic, content, etc from the guys reporting serious dough from this.

NovemberWeston An Aberrational Way to Learn a Language

where I sought fit

This should be: where I saw fit

NovemberWeston Chipotle Scarecrow is the future of advergaming on mobile

Fyi, fineprint:

EARN 1 STAR ON EVERY LEVEL TO SCORE A BUY-ONE/GET-ONE FREE CARD FOR A BURRITO, BOWL, SALAD, OR ORDER OF TACOS AT CHIPOTLE. REWARDS ARE LIMITED. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER; VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

Which is not the impression I had with "win a free burrito."

NovemberWeston Chipotle Scarecrow is the future of advergaming on mobile

A burrito at Chipotle is something upwards of $6 (exact price varies depending on the kind of meat, etc). The drink and chips do not begin to cover it. You only get profit in this scenario is they become repeat customers.

NovemberWeston [dead]

Crap. Upvotes fo not bookmark things for me and ...etcetc..please ignore this comment. Desperate bookmarking technique.

Laters guise.

NovemberWeston Pakistan’s earthquake was so violent it created a new island in the Indian Ocean

Indianis. Sure. (Indiantis sounds like indianitis, an inflammatory condition, apparently. ;) )

NovemberWeston Pakistan quake island off Gwadar 'emits flammable gas'

Hoping someone gets additional assistance is not the same thing as calling them incomptent. I used to have friends in Pakistan and I read a bit about the country in relation to the world economy etc. I drew some alarming conclusions about Pakistan and other countries with a similarly young demographic in terms of potential disproportionate impact on global stability and the like. Your implied objections to my well wishes aside, I still hope this oddity calls attention to Pakistan and brings them additional support.

Have a great evening/day/whatever.

NovemberWeston Paying For Privacy?

I actually know nothing about Git. But thank you for replying. Will check the link. :-)

NovemberWeston Ask HN: Hack my weight with a sleeve gastrectomy?

Bad idea. If you want to hear "crazy talk" that doesn't involve self mutilation, you are welcome to email me.

Best of luck.

NovemberWeston Pakistan’s earthquake was so violent it created a new island in the Indian Ocean

Of course they could build a magical city on it with its own source of power that could develop advanced technologies and then sink into the ocean never to be heard from again :-)

I propose we dub it Atlantis.

Edit: Signed, Captain Obvious

NovemberWeston Paying For Privacy?

Kind of OT: I have just opened a free github account to follow a project. Any tips for a painfully pathetic n00b for learning to use github generally?

NovemberWeston Pakistan quake island off Gwadar 'emits flammable gas'

From a different article about the island: When a devastating earthquake struck the remote Awaran district in Pakistan's Baluchistan province on Tuesday, it killed hundreds of people and left thousands homeless, as the government struggles to rescue those who need help.

IIRC, Pakistan is demographically a very young country, with overall low education levels and a lot of challenges. I will voice my hope that this oddity somehow brings them more help with the aftermath of the quake than they might otherwise be likely to get.

NovemberWeston Science-Based Medicine Answering Our Critics

Thanks, though I think the comparison to religion is probably a lot more accurate than the comparison to language. Wishing for someone to die is generally a level of hostility rooted in something deeper and uglier than communication challenges. If that was all it was, translators could end all wars and the world doesn't really work that way.

Have a great day.

NovemberWeston Science-Based Medicine Answering Our Critics

Wow. So much hostility.

Why? (Serious question. Not snark at all.)

NovemberWeston At 77 He Prepares Burgers, Earning in a Week His Former Hourly Wage

Given the context of the discussion here, your remark sounds like you are defending the choice this guy made to shoot himself in the foot financially. That was what I was reacting to. I don't think it is ever a good thing to shoot yourself in the foot. You can invest in your children without undermining your own welfare. It does not sound like that is what this man did. He gave a lot of money to his kids and apparently now is (or feels) impoverished.

Context matters. By itself, I would agree with your sentiment. But in the context here, it sounds like you are saying "You should cut your own throat to 'invest' in your kids!" There are a lot of people who really believe things like that. I think it is very unhealthy for them as individuals and for the larger fabric of society.

NovemberWeston Ask HN: How much recurring income do you generate, and from what?

Thank you for your concern. As is typical, off the cuff advice about something you know almost nothing about isn't going to be useful to me. Your remarks smack of jumping to conclusions, probably very erroneous conclusions. Arguing about the particulars is not likely to do either of us any good but I am also not comfortable letting your characterization of me stand. Suffice it to say, your opinion has been noted and I plan to continue to be emotionally open as well as open about my life. My financial mess is getting cleaned up. I am clear I am on the right track.

I hope you have a great day. The world would be a better place if more communication came from a place of concern for another person's welfare. I hope you do not stop caring about other people. Although the road to hell is often paved with good intentions, I believe it is usually due to good intentions combined with poor execution. I think execution is easier to fix than a cold heart.

Take care.

NovemberWeston How to teach your girlfriend programming

Oh, gee, it could also be considered heteronormative. Go ahead and have a cow about that too.

NovemberWeston Ask HN: How much recurring income do you generate, and from what?

My situation is complicated. I am not making much money but I am "saving" millions kind of by not being sick. Long story. So can't really be too terribly unhappy about it. At some point, the dough will role in but I will know I am doing stuff I am okay with...etc...

((hugs)) & take care.

NovemberWeston At 77 He Prepares Burgers, Earning in a Week His Former Hourly Wage

Paying it forward and cutting your own throat are not remotely the same thing.

NovemberWeston Having Uncomfortable Conversations About Money

There are always other options. I suggest you watch "Kingdom of Heaven" if you have not yet seen it. Painfully bad movie, totally worth watching all the way through one time in order to see the negotiation scene in context.

I have negotiation skills in spades. But I tend to be a doormat. Being under the gun has been extremely uncomfortable but is getting results in ways that simply studying the subject intellectually was not. Getting over some things has been terribly difficult for me.

My situation is complicated and a comment or two on HN won't convey it. If we had more time to talk, we might find we agree more than it seems.

Peace.

NovemberWeston Is 25 the new cut-off point for adulthood?

The modern world is more complicated and difficult to navigate. It is also increasingly abstract and we don't (collectively) do a great job with helping our youth really understand the connection between those abstractions and reality.

My father got paid in cash for many years while in the Army. Today, a lot of employers require you to have a bank account and only pay by direct deposit. My oldest son likely has dyscalculia. Kind of like a dyslexic doesn't deal well with reading, he doesn't deal well with numbers. I gave him cash and made him do the household grocery shopping for a while. It helped him wrap his brain around budgeting.

Now he can cope with a debit card but that would have been a disaster if we had skipped that first step of helping understand in very concrete terms the relationship between money and material quality of life. I think a lot of young people get a bank account, get their paycheck deposited and just cannot relate these abstract numbers to the need to eat all month, among other things.

NovemberWeston At 77 He Prepares Burgers, Earning in a Week His Former Hourly Wage

It isn't quid pro quo but it shouldn't be martyrdom either. I think cutting your own throat for your kids teaches them something bad, not something healthy. (Yes, I am a parent, a very devoted one in fact.)

NovemberWeston Today I Deleted My LinkedIn Account; You Probably Should Too

On skimming, the piece does not appear to provide any technical how to info nor does it indicate what it really means for the account to be officially closed. Can one really delete a LinkedIn account? I vaguely had the impression you could not really truly get rid of it.

NovemberWeston Having Uncomfortable Conversations About Money

If one of your biggest obstacles to financial success is personal discomfort with the social/emotional piece, being cornered is an excellent experience for getting over it. I am going through that currently. It really is helping me change things about myself I have long been frustrated with but could not figure out how to change. So it kind of depends, I guess.

NovemberWeston Ask HN: How much recurring income do you generate, and from what?

I am a lot like you temperamentally and currently homeless, though the two things are not really directly related. I have thought a lot about it over the years. For me, part of it is that I was one of the smart kids in high school and got a lot of not subtle messages about how I owed the world benefit for my gifts and would be evil incarnate to try to, gasp, get rewarded for them. For me, I think gender also plays a role. I am female and a lot of my strengths have a social element which is routinely treated by other people like I owe them some free motherly love, I should be a total fucking martyr about it, and, to add insult to injury, making people feel good is not some sort of intelligent, valuable skill set or knowledge. It is treated like I am just cute and lovable like a tribble.

I have my own ideas on how to solve these issues for me. I sm not giving you advice here. Just saying it resonates, fwiw.

NovemberWeston Ask HN: Startups: Tell me 3 problems you wish somebody would solve for you

There is a Sign Easy for Android. Downloading it right now. Will see if it does the trick.

Thanks!

NovemberWeston Ask HN: Startups: Tell me 3 problems you wish somebody would solve for you

Awesome. Best of luck, whatever you decide.

NovemberWeston Ada Lovelace

Don't worry too much about posting a duplicate. It is basically Paul Graham's fault that this happens so frequently. It is rooted in site design. As far as I know, absolutely nothing has been done to address the root causes of this phenomenon. In fact, it appears to me some newer aspects of the site only make it more likely/more necessary.