IMO I don't think SO can bounce back in any real way. Years ago I even attempted to engage on Stack Exchange and it was the same uppity BS in a garden/home improvement setting.

We are all often times simply trying to learn and share. There is no one single, authoritative source. Millions of people have probably felt the same way after posting or researching an answer. It is really sad. It could have been great.

HN can get a little tight at times but all in all it is 100x better in terms of takeaway for the user.

I guess my only gripe with HN is it has a touch of that "uppity, d*ck, unwelcoming vibe" due to calculation of points. I feel like if an individual has honestly tried to engage/add value and posts/comments 45 times and has a score of 12 they will give up with a bad taste in their mouth. Not everyone fairs well with that kind of thing. It is hard to navigate the world let alone coming into a space like this and getting crushed by a bunch of anonymous handles.

All in all it has a similar impact on a user/readers reaction to their early engagement with the community.

Obviously some of us have thicker skin and some truly believe they are snowflakes...Can't win 'em all.

I feel a bulk of it is just marketing hype. Certain things don't scale well, but they sure sound good and shine bright. Snow flakes and bad math, Let's IPO and pass it on to retail investors.

Bringing production closer to the point of consumption/end user does indeed make sense. All the inputs in an indoor growing environment definitely twist things up once you really do the math. Vertical outdoor would make more sense. As soon as you incorporate HVAC, lighting, growing media, hydro set up, rent in urban areas, cost of human labor, nutrients, water purification/recycling, genetics, dehumidification if required, pesticides, air filtration, opex, and on it goes...it becomes rather messy and impractical in the short term.

It really feels like a rather pointless product given the current state of HVAC manufacturing. Until HVAC manufacturers make zone control more of a priority paired with having technicians that are capable of installing it properly.

Between all the environmental and construction related variables it would seem that it would take a 3rd party to develop something that could integrate with the various residential systems you can have installed with a reasonable warranty attached. Without having a bunch of automated dampers, properly insulated homes/duct work it seems a bit premature to try and market this as a product that makes sense for the average human.

Agreed. It is easy to get high on the idea of a "new"project. 9/10 don't have the follow through. Over the past 14 months I have learned many valuable lessons.

At times I think putting money up should be a requirement. It is easy for people to write off "time invested" if they have the stability of a full time job. Even if you simply pay back the initial investment/money they put in after 6-12 months. A modified vesting schedule in some way.

I think many are just feeling a bit hollow due to the day job vamping their inspiration (sense of fulfillment) and then as soon as the shiny new project starts to seem like real work their motivation fades.

I think a searchable "dead project" codebase or repository would be more beneficial than another one of these "find help here" type of platforms. Along with a wiki style (open source/collaborative) handbook of all the potential issues you may encounter along the way. Everything from marketing/sales to engineering issues.

I informed several people about that contract and they all responded negatively. To sign off on that was an epic fail.

Talk about bad optics, regardless of how deeply embedded Equifax is with the government that was just a bad decision. Obviously they got enough pressure that they were forced to suspend it, but the whole thing should have been squashed and never hit the press.

What sort of entity is an "Equifax vendor" ?

I was discussing this in a similar context yesterday in regards to AR/VR. I appreciate the technology/investment and realize it will have a place in the future but there are a great many BUTS.

I think like many things, its primary use will be tied to consumer goods initially. As a great many projects that seem to raise(or make) billions are these days. FB or Google banking billions on advertising, ML/AI used to save corporations money, track customers, create more robust profiles on users/customers to sell them MORE "stuff". I see great value in all these technologies that can truly have a positive impact on the planet but most of it is tied to non-essential consumer goods.

I see some pain ahead for some of these companies and technologies that are tied to non-essential goods/services. Interactive experiences, movies, games, touch your phone on a package and watch magic happen. Really neat tech, but most of it is tied to surplus whether that be time, money or otherwise.

Consumer fatigue will catch up at some point. The cognitive load required to make it through a day is extreme and not necessarily being reduced.

Many companies are doing a great job raising capital but I am just not seeing a positive short term outcome. Part of my argument is tied to the fact that there will be another correction in most markets. When they pull back and billions get pulled out of the consumer slush fund on a weekly basis how important is AR/VR? How lucrative is leveraging ML/AI to sell more consumer goods if the capital isn't there to purchase said goods? At what point do people become numb or blind to the newest "buy my goods/services" technology.

I think some people fail to see that it is the global top 1% of earners building products for the same group and then attempting to convince the lay folk they should buy into all. Maybe the next version of Juicero is simply someone selling an AR organic veggie farming experience to someone who can't afford to pay for their food delivery courtesy of Amazon...I am just struggling with seeing how this story has a good ending.

The first time I saw ML's site I said, "This is some super cool sh*t" and over time I began to try and wrap my brain around where it fits...I am obviously still struggling with that.

It depends on your goals as an organization paired with each team members career goals. Are you attempting to give them a map that is suitable in consulting, enterprise, startups or just a generalized roadmap? You are here (x) role today and would like to be there (z) in a specific amount of time. I think many people get frustrated with consulting work so they have a tendency to go client side (whether start up or enterprise). I think you should be transparent and accept that as reality and map several paths both internally and externally. I think that would benefit your organization culturally and reduce churn. Incorporate existing technical/business skills and map each of those tracks out, showing how they are beneficial to the consultant/developer over the course of their career. Just a few thoughts.

IMO this is juicero all over again. Whether you want to go to HD and spend 20 bucks to DIY one of these or just grab one of the other off the shelf option from your local hydro store there are plenty of other more cost effective ways to grow your own anything. Another luxury item that will never yield a decent ROI for the consumer.

I see two basic paths, Corporate/Enterprise or Startup. One requires insane amounts of ladder climbing and political posturing but may have better(more stable) base pay. The startup path may be a bit more risky but could get you there faster. You can start a company that you believe has a good chance of being acquired (I suggest something that falls in the 500k-5 million range) That could drastically reduce the timeline. I think you would learn more about the actual job vs getting caught up in all the politics associated with mid to large sized companies as you move towards your goal.

Consider reaching out to Kan and team at AtriumLTS. Not sure what their company is all about but before walking away you can try and get it into the hands of someone who might be able to integrate it into their company.

Actually, we did through our YC SS network. We talked to Kan's co-founder who confirmed that lawyers do have this problem, but kind of they themselves don't know how to approach it. The reason: It's hard to make them switch and use new technology.