zlacker

the TSA posts are also potentially examples of "anything that good hackers would find interesting". the story about the guy not going through the scanners coming back into the country is a classic example of a hack. the excellent comment by 'aphyr on the radiation post was enormously technically interesting. etc. etc.

and they cover Twitter, Google, Facebook, etc. on TV news. they all seem to be popular on HN

>>jdp23+(OP)
The problem with this is, "anything good hackers would find interesting" is the rule that allows 'carbocation to comment here about the molecular biology of human metabolism on HuffPo stories about high-fructose corn syrup, and you want that to happen. But it's also the rule that allows whole comment threads consisting of nothing but people quoting Ben Franklin and the 4th Amendment at each other on TSA stories, to no end.

That there is someone here that can write engagingly about the dosimetry of backscatter machines proves my point. Yes, there are TSA discussions that have value to HN. That's the mouse hole the swarm of TSA stories crept in through. This is the pathology I'm talking about.

"Anything that good hackers would find interesting" is a norm that is being abused.

>>tptace+c
but i could make the same argument that "avoid politics" is being abused by people who for whatever reason don't want to see stories about clever hacks or problems with startup life that happen to be related to travel

>>jdp23+j
Don't be disingenuous. I've been reading the TSA stories; the TSA is a political topic that happens to bait me very effectively. These discussions are not about the impact of the TSA on startups.

>>jdp23+j
it really cracked me up that my comment was voted down so heavily ... especially given's Matt's point about how people misuse downvoting