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I Quit Hacker News

(mattmaroon.com)
261 points cwan | 2 comments | 23 Nov 10 17:00 UTC | HN request time: 0.507s | source
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DanielBMarkham ◴[23 Nov 10 17:13 UTC] No.1934425[source]▶
I agree with Matt on about 75% of these points. That's why I have severely started limiting my time here.

Probably the worst part is the time-sink and the predictable nature of the comments. Most of the time I can tell from the title what all the comments are going to be like. Anybody that tries to swim against the stream, if only a little bit, can be mercilessly punished. In fact, it's somewhat of a game to see how even-handed I can make a thread -- human hacking. Which makes it even more of a time sink.

HN has changed for me from being a site where I can hang out with fellow hackers to being a site where people I like hang out and spend too much of their time. I'm trying very hard not to make the same mistake. Hopefully I won't be joining Matt. (Lunch is over. Back to work)

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NathanKP ◴[23 Nov 10 17:30 UTC] No.1934519[source]▶
I think that to some extent the karma average score has encouraged too much homogeneity in the comments. I don't feel like I can disagree for fear of getting downvoted or not upvoted, which would lower my karma average and make my votes in turn worthless.

The time sink factor is also obvious. However, I tend to swing back and forth between very productive and not very productive. When I am in a coding mood I rarely browse HN or comment and instead I hack like crazy for hours every day. When I am burned out or feeling like I need a break from chasing some bug I'll stop by here and read.

So the time sink aspect is doable for me at least. No one can work constantly, without any breaks, and maintain their sanity.

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anamax ◴[23 Nov 10 18:06 UTC] No.1934670[source]▶
> I don't feel like I can disagree for fear of getting downvoted or not upvoted, which would lower my karma average and make my votes in turn worthless.

That's too bad, because you can.

Stop worrying about your karma.

replies(1): >>1934759 #
1. NathanKP ◴[23 Nov 10 18:23 UTC] No.1934759[source]▶
Its easy to say that I don't or won't worry about karma, but the truth is that karma systems are tied to body's endorphin system. You get a good feeling when you see that your karma or karma average has risen.

Naturally the reverse is also true and you can't help but not want either number to fall. In my case at least these feelings are involuntary, despite the fact that I know these are pretty much worthless numbers. (Except for the fact that karma average does effect the weight of your votes.)

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2. jdp23 ◴[23 Nov 10 21:55 UTC] No.1935535[source]▶
some people are a lot more susceptible to this than others. if it's at the point where it's a significant issue for you, then you should treat it as you would any other kind of chemical dependency: learn ways to control it, or stay away from environments that trigger it.