frasertimo

Needed to be said.

Reread the blog post. Misunderstood the issue. I stand corrected.

They advertise that it will work?

It seems the reason for your disappointment was lack of research. If you knew you were going to use it with projectors, I'm not sure why you wouldn't look into that, especially since the Macbook Air only has thunderbolt.

Not sure. Maybe it triggered some sort of filter because it's about pornography. Does anyone know if there's anyone you can contact about this? I've tried emailing the ycombinator address, but I'm not super hopeful for a reply.

Not really, the other elements of sex are what keep 'regular' sex interesting; the connection, the variety of foreplay or positions, the fact that there's a real person there :D

I won't pretend to know much about the science behind it, but my understanding is that a habit of porn removes the link between being horny and then becoming sexually aroused. So instead of getting an erection because you see your sexy wife, you're getting one because you're so used to watching porn at 2 am before bed. And the extremely graphic and immediate nature of porn means that habit is a very strong one. It's like a chocolate bar in the immediate gratification and overwhelming of your senses. Whereas sex with a wife is more like a delicious but wholesome meal you sit down and enjoy. And that continues to be delicious no matter how much you eat it.

Oh, and since when was wanting your wife to dress up as Princess Leia seen as kinky? :P

Take a look at http://www.yourbrainonporn.com/. It's an entire site dedicated to explaining the effects of porn on your sex drive and encouraging men to give it up. Lots of links to supporting evidence there.

The article is really more about the author's personal experience with giving up porn and that of his readers. I gave it up myself earlier this year, and have noticed a definite improvement. Don't have issues with getting/keeping it up. I don't think my results were as near as impressive as others were either, as I wasn't anywhere near watching it daily.

As for the book on how to attract women, I'm not sure what advising guys to give up porn has to do with it. Wouldn't you be fine with guys watching it, because that encourages them to idealize women and fantasize about sleeping with them more? Giving up porn would cause them to become less obsessed with their sex life and focus more on the rest of their lives. Don't know how that means they're more likely to buy dating advice. Which is fine by us because we're gearing the site to be less and less about dating these days :)

Definitely agree that it was and still is a trend. I won't claim we were the first to distance ourselves, but I think we were the best!

Our POV on what defines 'pickup' advice versus regular dating advice is that 'pickup' is the decision to objectify your sex life in order to improve it. We don't believe that this is a healthy or effective mindset, hence we don't define our material as 'pickup'.

Honestly, I think if you read some more of the site, for example http://postmasculine.com/why-its-so-hard or especially http://postmasculine.com/pickup-artist (warning: long) you'd come to the conclusion that we're a far shot from what most people associate pickup with. But it's up to you whether you want to spend the time :)

Thanks. One of our unofficial goals is to not be an Askmen ripoff with better writing. I enjoy reading Askmen articles once in a while, especially when I need something very specific and practical like how to tie a bow tie, or when I want to waste some time on a 'top 10 hottest chicks in surrealist Angolian horror films' list or something equally mindless. But we're aiming to go a little deeper than that :)

Any more feedback, negative or positive is much appreciated.

Employee of the site here. Just want to point out a few things.

1. The submitter of the article to HN has no affiliation with Postmasculine as far as I know, nor did we request them to post it here. We're very grateful for them doing so however!

2. While the author of the site was involved in the pickup industry for a while, he chose to no longer identify with that scene over two years ago, and specifically moved his content away from its perspective, even going so far as to systemically deconstruct the flaws and failures of Pickup theory and the community it created. So we don't feel that 'pickup' really represents what the site has to say about dating. Although we definitely do talk about meeting women. A lot. :)

3. While we're dedicated internet marketing students, we're far from experts on the subject. We're putting a lot of time and effort into improving the site's marketing, but our number one focus will always be on providing high quality content that is as no BS and realistic as possible. Hopefully anyone who came from HN and spends further time reading the site will agree.

I realize your comment wasn't a criticism, but just thought I'd try and give a bit more context to the situation. Thanks for assuming we were so professional!

Hey guys, I work for Postmasculine and just wanted to jump in quickly. First, thanks for sharing this Arun2009. I've been reading HN daily for the last 9 months and love it. Amazing to open up my computer today and see us as the number one link. I believe my reaction was something like this: http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/excit...

Anyway, I mainly wanted to ask what people thought of the site apart from that article. Did you read anything else and did you like it or dislike it? If so, what articles did you read?

Thanks!

Disagree. If you look at all the three camera apps next to it (including instagram) they all have the camera lense. It seems facetious to suggest this is 'copying' Apple.

Also, what's the big deal with making it similar to Apple's App? Anyone who usually tries to copy them would be pitied because we know that copying Apple is a recipe for disaster. But because it's instagram, we know it's going to succeed. So it seems you have some sort of issue with Facebook spending $1 billion and then trying to grow the app from there.

Getting sick of the FB hate just because we now take it for granted. I've been through that phase, and it feels very unnecessary now.

I don't think we need to get all defensive about this. Yes we overtweet, share, retweet, 'like', etc, and we love how self-aware we all are. Good point, Teddy Wayne. Now, what suggestion do you have as an alternative to offer?

Ah, I thought so.

And at the same time on HN there's a link to Aziz Ansari's new standup special which I can buy for $5, despite the fact that I live in 'lil old New Zealand.

Tim Cushing is right; I don't want to hear your ramblings about licensing or rights. The fact is, Aziz and Louis CK can do it; why can't the music labels?

Agreed. Times when I was afraid to tell other people about something I was working on/wanted to achieve were the same times as when it/I wasn't good enough.

Oh my god. Rolls eyes. I believe that the ban on electronic devices during take off, taxi and landing is completely unnecessary and founded on paranoia. I think the ban should be overturned as much as the next person.

BUT. Do you really have to claim that you're off to buy a STACK of magazines to read in this time? Are you that incapable of sitting unstimulated in your seat for a few minutes each time you fly?

Well yes, that's why it's my opinion.

Just a thought; when you get all these angry responses from people criticizing what you wrote does that make you think 'huh, a lot of people are mad about what I said, hence I must be wrong', or 'huh, a lot of people are mad about what I said, hence they must all be wrong'?

Sounds like you get an ego trip off your depression.

Some of the worlds greatest artists, inventors, etc did their best work because they confronted the darkness of the world, and the darkness of themselves. And because of their darkness they had a lot to work with.

But to say that only unhappy people see the world for what it is is highly facetious. No, in fact, it's more than that. It's evidence of a clear desire to interpret your own suffering in a way that demonstrates your superiority over others, and as ploy to discredit those who spread hope and positivity.

I think it's very sad if the lenses of your world are so narrow that you can only see the depressed as wise, and the positive as dreamers, and I pity you, but don't try and sell that perverted mindset on to the rest of us.

The fact is, people use Youtube, Farmville, etc as a form of escapism from the challenges of life, which do, as you said, include confronting reality and the many negatives of it. This is an incredibly difficult task, and it's understandable that so many of us shy from it, in small ways almost every day. But it isn't an impossible task, and there are many great (and happy) people who demonstrate this. Off the top of my head Gandhi, Mandela, and the Dalai Lama all embody this truth perfectly.

And as for creative people needing depression to fuel their creativity; go watch 'Bill Cunningham New York', and tell me that creative brilliance and happiness aren't compatible.

Well good god that was awful. I agree with the Author's final points; that there are less wars, disasters, etc, and that the world is a better place than before. But it seemed like he just wanted to go on a long-winded pleasure cruise telling us how much happier people are who don't know how happy they are.

What an obvious attempt at pulling at our heartstrings. Instead I just wanted to vomit.

Every morning before I start work I write a brief paragraph on what I am planning to work on today, and what I need to achieve to call the day a success. Keeps me focused and acts as a trigger to immediately launch into work: "Right, I've got that out of the way, what's next?"

It's cute, and I could see where it could really help some people out, but overall I think people just need to take more responsibility for demonstrating their romantic interest. Even if it doesn't work out, I think it's healthy to air these things out.

I feel the article was far too one-sided and didn't really do much to start a quality debate around this issue.

Let's look at this from a hacker perspective. Does an instance exist? Yes. Is this instance replicable? Ah, now we have a question.

This is definitely a plus overall, even if there are one or two potential flaws. What's concerning for Startup Visa proponents is that the Visa risks being overshadowed by these changes or seen as a bridge too far by wary politicians. I think if you're a Startup Visa supporter in or outside the US, then you can agree that the Visa is far more significant for the US tech startup industry than these current suggestions.

This. Right here. Upvote it now.

I work in a small start-up making educational software, and this is exactly the kind of thing I want to achieve.

A couple of months back I read John Holt's famous book 'Why Children Fail' which had a profound effect on me and my work. What he says, and what I agree with due to my own experience and observations is that school can be a fundamentally scary experience for children. Self-esteem is so central to learning, because how you react to failure and your own progress (or lack thereof) defines the way you learn. Kids who are afraid of looking stupid, of being compared to their peers, and of having to work hard without the promise of success are the ones who are branded as lazy, unimaginative, or just 'stupid', when in fact they are just afraid of trying hard.

The internet and self education offers an opportunity for kids to escape that fear, and to truly experience the joy of learning. I'm sure many HN readers will relate to my belief that the greatest joy of hard work is not when you appear smarter or harder working than others, but when you achieve something for yourself, or learn something new. Many programmers get to experience that joy all the time.

Holt became so disillusioned with the inability of schools to provide a comfortable and secure learning place for children that eventually he became an advocate for home schooling. I believe in schools' potential and what teachers have to offer, and my company's software is built accordingly, but we have reached a point where there is too much focus on comparing students; through frequent nation-wide testing, intense competition for prestigious colleges, and through insecure parents who push their children an unhealthy amount. To balance that, the schooling system has lost sight of the original reasons for its existence. The judgment-free zone of the internet and self directed learning is giving us a chance to undo the bad learning habits of our current students, and ensure that the next generation of students do not ever need to learn them.

The Khan academy is not about taking the power away from schools and administrators, it is about putting the emphasis back on why we have them in the first place; which is because for all the good of self education, the greatest help you can give a student is a teacher who understands them and the way they learn.

Well I'll admit I don't have the experience in this area as that of Prof. Norm Matloff, but I've heard this story many times before, and it usually turns out to be the same; if you're complaining about foreigners taking your jobs, it's almost certainly because they do them better than you.

Ok you're right, but why argue the semantics in this case?

The author's point is that too many start-ups are creating fun apps that give little moments of joy rather than ones that noticeably and significantly make life easier or better for people. You can criticize the author for trying to be controversial and write something he knows has a good chance of making the front page of HN; as we've all probably noticed posts with this general sentiment are definitely in vogue right now on HN, but I think it's worth moving on from that and noting what he defines as big problems.

I think all the problems he lists we can agree are 'big' in the sense that they create a lot of confusion and inefficiency in society. In the case of medical records, 'solving' that problem could literally save countless lives.

On a related note, I disagree with the author there are big problems in society that start-ups can't solve. I think there are plenty. For many I'm guessing the idea behind 'Kill Hollywood' springs to mind. For me, it's the ubiquity of advertising in society. Personally, I'd love to see Facebook, Google, and co trying to change the world to reduce the concentration of it in our lives, unfortunately it looks like they're more interested in the opposite.

Well the author worked at Facebook, so you've got to think he truly believes they were changing the world. His work on the 'like' button was that of a small cog working to achieve that change. And as often as I openly express how I dislike much of what Facebook does, you have to admit it's done a lot of good. Like SOPA/PIPA being dropped; sure the tech community did a lot of the legwork through the blackouts and spreading it through the channels of HN, Reddit, etc, but when those sites went down, all my non-techie friends were all over Facebook discussing it, and getting riled up over SOPA/PIPA.

And that happens ALL THE TIME. Sure, this was one of the most unified and effective examples, but you can't deny that Facebook is a hub not only for socializing, but for political and social awareness. It's been a great force in drawing back the blinds from a whole lot of mystery in the world. I'd argue we're much better off for all the openness and discussion that Facebook has provided.

On another note; screw Timeline.

I think the primary flaw that PG has identified in start-up founders who fail is the inability to acknowledge and deal with potential weaknesses in your plans.

This can come as a result of many things, but here are a few off the top of my head: 1)Having a set idea about a product or feature and not wanting to adjust it to user feedback due to being enamored with that idea. 2)Not wanting to accept that something will take many hours of tedious work and then having to put in that tedious work. 3)Worrying that if X essential feature is necessary that you don't have the ability to create X 4)Having to learn and work hard in an area that doesn't come naturally to you (tech founder doing sales/marketing or non-tech founder doing programming) 5)Social encounters that require one of the following hard to master traits: charisma, confidence, tact, or stubbornness. Social anxiety or nervousness are a given for most people trying to employ these (VC pitches are the obvious example here, but closing a big deal or just talking to your users also applies). 6)Having to seek/turn down investment after working on the basis that you were going to do the opposite. 7)Etc.

I don't think the communication with the YC partners is necessarily the problem (although if you can't communicate well with them, then it's likely you can't communicate well in other crucial areas. Even socially awkward types like Zuck and Houston have found a way over time to communicate well where they need to), it's just a symptom of it. If you can't communicate well with them then it's likely because they're exposing you to some uncomfortable truths that you don't want to hear. But there are still founders who are bad communicators who have the necessary honesty about their business to succeed.

Geez, way to be so cynical guys.

I think it's because they have a great UI, they respond to feedback, they've worked hard at marketing it, they impressed some VCs, and all the million other reasons that start-ups succeed. Don't complain about it, ask why.

He said 'the bulk'. Sigh.