zlacker

I come from a very small town in Brazil in the middle of nowhere. I was interested in Tech since I was a kid, but had zero influence around me. I was a police officer for many years when I decided to go to university and study computer science. There, by a recommendation of a great professor, I got introduced to Hacker News. First time I saw this website, my mind was blown by the amount of rich information and links pointing me to gold pages on the web I have never heard of. But this was just the shallow surface. Once I discovered the comments section and started reading the threads, I was once again astonished by the rich content and discussions going on. Sometimes, I spend hours just reading brilliant comments here and learning from people way smarter than me. Thanks for this community and the moderators for making this happen :D

>>brunoj+(OP)
That's great to read. Very glad you found your way here! HN has connected many people with their 'tribe' over the years, both online and in person with each other. I think that is the best aspect of what PG created with this site. I also think that we could maybe find new ways to encourage more real-world connections. It feels to me like a lot of potential energy could turn kinetic if that happened.

>>dang+yp1
Have you heard of Randomised Coffee Trials?

Here's an example of one (healthcare) community that try them: https://q.health.org.uk/community/rcts/

> How does it work?

> Every member who signs up will be sent the name of another randomly-chosen member on the 1st of every month. Each pair can arrange a brief informal meet-up at a time that suits both parties – be it a phone call, Skype call, Google Hangout or even a coffee in person.

> “RCTs have given me the opportunity to talk to people who work in areas that I don’t usually come across in my day to day work.” Lesley Goodburn, Patient Experience Consultant

> RCTs allow Q members to connect with a new member each month and hear about what other colleagues are working on and share any ideas and inspiration. There are no rules here – RCTs should be viewed as an informal opportunity to connect with peers, however if scheduling means that you can’t meet that month then it’s ok.

> We think you’ll enjoy these fun and fruitful conversations – it’s organised serendipity. Matthew Mezey, Q’s Community Manager has written a blog about the benefits of RCTs.

And here's a link to that blog: https://q.health.org.uk/blog-post/easy-time-light-impact-hea...