Ask HN: Your Failed Startups - <AUTHOR>

If you've failed in the past... - What was the idea - that is, what problem were you trying to solve and how? - Why did it fail? (Maybe add to that: how would you have done it differently?) <comment><USER2> 1) 7 minute abs

2) Work out your abs in 7 minutes instead of 8

3) Our "If you're not happy with the first 7 minutes, we're gonna send you the extra minute free." policy

</comment><comment><USER3> Answered in reverse order: I'd have done market research first. They all failed because the intended market didn't exist and I couldn't afford to retarget.

The ideas:

1) Unrealty, a 3D real estate startup. This was tech-driven: Quake 2 and Unreal had recently been released, and I was doing consulting for a real estate developer. Unreal Engine 1 had compelling outdoor scene capabilities, the ability to link areas in a map to and from the web via URLs, and other things. Why not build 3D models of commercial real estate, and have real 3D virtual tours with text and voice chat, AI NPCs who could give "tours" of properties, and link things in the level to web-based stuff like web admin consoles for HVAC systems (or whatever)?

So I built all of this. We had some success, mostly due to the novelty. NASA used it for a commercialization demo around the ISS. There was another startup that had us develop even _more_ interesting tech like an in-game web browser and player view tracking for in-game, clickable, ad-served billboards (in 1999!). But, ultimately, it failed because I was not a salesperson, and we didn't hire any salespeople, and architects are generally only interested in doing the amount of work the client needs, and the client (real estate developers) are used to seeing drawings, and the client's clients (tenants) are always going to visit the site in person anyway, so there wasn't really a market.

2) Infrastructure for supporting "developer networks," like an MSDN, an API platform community, etc. The problem here is that the infrastructure is the easy part. The hard part is either convincing yourself that you're not a product company any more, you're a middleware company and you have to support your developers really well; or to pay a lot of money to hire dedicated support people (who pretty much have to be really good developers) and then pay them even more money to not go work for your clients once they've learned all there is to know about your middleware or API. If you can do one or the other, you don't need the infrastructure because you'll sort that yourself pretty quick; and if you can't, you don't need the infrastructure, because you don't believe in it.

3) Dorm Duffle. Ever go to a Target or a Wal-mart during the weeks leading up to a new semester? The shelves are bare from all the parents and kids buying shampoo and conditioner and soap and notebooks and backpacks and towels and on and on and on. Wouldn't it be nice if all the essentials were waiting for you at your dorm? A big, military-style duffle bag. All you need is your personal effects, books and clothes. Mom and Dad breathe a sigh of relief, and Junior has a sweet college-branded duffle bag to hide the bodies in.

Coming from the northeast, that sounds like a pretty good deal, of course I'll pay to have someone else do some boring work for me.

But we actually tried it out in the southwest, and got only 1 response. Not 1% from our mailing to the parents of over 15,000 incoming freshmen. 1 single order. Our theory was that in the southwest, culturally, going shopping for kids is _something you do_ , it's important. But I was too broke to follow up.

C'est la vie.</comment>


Someday, You Won't Want to Code for a Living - <AUTHOR> https://letterstoanewdeveloper.com/2019/07/01/someday-you-wont-want-to-code-for-a-living/ <comment><USER2> I still love coding. I suspect its because I work on fun projects and I have lot of autonomy.

I described what work is like for me in an interview once:

"You know how if you throw a tennis ball for a golden retrieve he'll go fetch it and bring it back? If you aren't familiar with golden retrievers, you'd think 'he'll get sick of this in a while'. The thing is, they don't. I'm like that with coding!" [coding since 1985]

<comment><AUTHOR> That's awesome. I have a former colleague who is like that too. He'd been coding for years when I met him and is still coding now. I know a few other folks like that, but also know many other folks who've stepped away from day to day coding.

Anyway, different strokes for different folks :).

</comment></comment><comment><USER3> Could someone elaborate on what the author means by "leverage?"

<comment><AUTHOR> Author here. I say leverage when I mean ability to influence or cause change in an organization or the world.

Here's another post I wrote about leverage, with some concrete examples: [http://www.mooreds.com/wordpress/archives/2497](http://www.mooreds.com/wordpress/archives/2497)

<comment><USER3> So if the idea is to "maximize leverage," would you say that influencing one person's life profoundly and unalterably would be more leverage-bearing than influencing many lives shallowly? To me this question gets very interesting when we start looking into what sort of leverage is best and what sort of leverage to prioritize.

<comment><AUTHOR> Great question! I can't answer that for you.

First, it's hard to know what kind of influence you have on people. I think back on my life to interactions that I still remember and sometimes when I mention them to the other participants, they don't remember them at all.

Second, I think that the answer to this question:

> would you say that influencing one person's life profoundly and unalterably > would be more leverage-bearing than influencing many lives shallowly

is "it depends". Depends on what your overall goals are and what you desire.

Think of it this way, to put it in a solely career context.

Would it be better to help and guide one new developer through the years of their career, making sure they achieved all they could?

Or would it be better to write a book or blog (like the one this post was from) which lightly influenced many more people.

I guess when I put it that way, in this context, I chose the latter.

But when I think of my kiddos, I chose the former.

Sorry, no great answers, but awesome point!</comment></comment></comment></comment>


Ask HN: Stolen iPhone. Can see on Find My iPhone. What should I do next? - <AUTHOR>

Goto cops? Says last located 5 minutes ago. Somewhere in Queens I think. I am in Manhattan. <comment><USER2> I have no input of my own, but I found this ([http://tipsfor.us/2008/11/01/what-do-i-do-if-my-iphone-is- lo...](http://tipsfor.us/2008/11/01/what-do-i-do-if-my-iphone-is-lost-or- stolen/)) on Google.

</comment><comment><USER3> Well if you have sensitive information on it, lock it, wipe it, and go buy a new one because the crook will probably realize you're on to them and destroy the phone.

If you're more concerned with just getting the phone back, get the police to retrieve it since you know the location.

</comment><comment><USER4> Queens? I just found an iPhone a few days ago, and I'm in Astoria. Dunno if it's yours.

</comment><comment><USER5> _Goto cops?_

Yes. Why wouldn't you do this?

<comment><AUTHOR> I did. Couldn't help much.

<comment><USER3> Why wouldn't they help? If you know the location of stolen property, wouldn't they chase after it for you? There have been a ton of posts on here about people losing their laptops and retrieving them with police assistance because they were able to locate it.

<comment><AUTHOR> Not NYPD. Most they could do is give me a report I can use with my insurance...if I had insurance.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> cool story bro</comment>


Show HN: HN RSS Feeds - <AUTHOR> http://rss-hckrnws.rhcloud.com/ <comment><AUTHOR> coded it for myself to integrate with rss reader but then opened it public. hope this helps rss readers..</comment>


Ask HN: Why isn't C# recommended more often? - <AUTHOR>

As a 'business guy' teaching myself to code, I have inadvertently started on C# due to the support group around me.
I always see ruby/php/python as the de facto recommended languages to learn if you want to start programming.
So my question is, why not C#? Is is because its not 'free'?
I'm starting to think that it doesn't really matter what language you start learning. Just start and you'll be 95% ahead of most people already. Especially if the intention is to develop a prototype/MVP and not attain CTO standards.
UPDATE While Im at it, how much of my C# knowledge can I port over to languages like Python/Ruby/PHP? From what I understand that knowledge of libraries are one of the time consuming aspects of learning a new language. Is is really that bad? <comment><USER2> Tons of reasons:

\- The write/build/test compile cycle is slow as f-ck

\- C# isn't really all that supported outside of Windows, which sucks for server centric apps. Yeah, you can use mono, but why?

\- C# is grossly verbose in contrast to ruby/php/python

\- PHP is instant gratification. Change, reload browser, lather, rinse, repeat.

\- Lack of open source libraries + libraries you have to pay for = suckage

Really, though, C# and .NET are the frontier of lowest common denominator developers. The kind of dudes that wear teva sandals with socks and tucked in short sleeve shirts. You can also call them copy and paste developers, because that's essentially what they are. Most of the innovation in the last 5 years has come from the open source camp, not the corporate drone MS army.

I used to be a .NET developer, btw. Wouldn't touch that shit with a 10 foot pole these days. Not a chance in hell.

<comment><USER2> How about next time, you refute me instead of voting me down. I will pit my 9+ years (since .NET 1.0 Beta 1) of experience with C# versus whatever you would like to bring to the table for discussion.

<comment><USER3> I'm not sure why you were downvoted either, but I suspect it's because you weren't very nice in your (very true) presentation of the pitfalls of using C# as a general purpose, learning language. Many people on HN don't respond well to anything that sounds angry, I've found (through being thoroughly downvoted myself).

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> C# is bad to learn first because you have to learn the IDE, you have to learn a lot of concepts up front, and you have buy-in to the way C# does things (static types, class hierarchies).

Where as over in the other camp, you can just write code and run it. There is more coding and experimentation rather than learning tombs.

Compare

hello.js: console.log("Hello World");

> node hello.js

With

hello.cs :

using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Linq; using System.Text;

namespace ConsoleApplication1 { class Program { static void Main(string[] args) { Console.WriteLine("Hello World"); } } }

Then compile it and run it.

One of these is more fun, and one of these is easier to document and write tutorials around. If you have to deal with this day in and day out, then one is going to be preferred.

</comment><comment><USER5> C# is a decent language to use, and has evolved rather rapidly over the last few years. I remember in the 1.0 (and even PDC days) when C# came out as essentially a Java clone, and to find out about how to use classes I'd find the most help from Java documentation! Now it is a different beast, and has become more usable, and lots of the changes have made it more useful and faster programming.

Since 2.0 VB.Net has started falling behind, for example not getting the "yield" convenience that C# got. So on the MS provided languages, C# is continously getting better than VB.Net, and you'll hear even less advocacy for VB.Net!

That said, the .Net framework can be used with more interesting languages (my preferred one is a python-like language called Cobra: www.cobra-language.com) and the primary loss in the equation is the Visual Studio environment (although MS is making it easier to write language extensions in 2010 version). So you can use an excellent framework with many other languages.

So then what you are left with is the language itself. I can't speak for others, but the script-like syntaxes speak to my brain more naturally than C-like languages, and I have found that I am most effective in thinking in a language like python than I am with either VB.Net or C#.

Part of the appeal that python/ruby have is they typically come with the non- Windows OS a person might use. For instance Python comes out of the box with OS X and most *nix OSes.

You are right on the abstracting what you've learned. It is true for a general language family, and less so (but still helpful) when you cross families. By that, if you stay in the procedural/OO realm of languages, you'll notice lots of similarities, but if you branch out into functional languages it will be very different.

</comment><comment><USER3> The issue of it not being free is part of it, but there are some other reasons as well:

-Not built in - python is included by default on all major Linux distros and OSX, as well.

-Interpreted languages have instant gratification, which is helpful in encouraging beginners.

-C# isn't often used for web programming, which many people on HN are focused on.

And you do have a good point; once you start, you become miles ahead of never learning anything about programming.

<comment><USER6> C# is free: I use Visual Studio Express at home (both C# & C++) when I need to build a desktop app and there's nothing I've needed that it couldn't do.

I see the issue as really being about what kind of programming you want to do. If I'm writing a Windows desktop app, my choice will be C# simply because it's easy, available and I don't need to learn a new GUI library. But it's the last thing I'd consider for a Web project.

OK, not _always_ the last thing. A week ago I did a quick experimental Web based interface for some hardware we build here at work. It was my first .ASP project and I was amazed at how trivial it was to make a .aspx page backed by C# connected to a COM object that talked to the motion controllers. Say what you will about Microsoft; they do make the go-path easy!

<comment><USER3> It is available freely (free as in beer), but it's not an open source language (free as in freedom), which is the free I was referring to. Sorry about that ambiguity.

<comment><USER7> Actually C# (the language) is libre, it's an EMCA standard. The default implementation and IDE(the MS runtime & VS) is not libre, it's gratis, but Mono is fully free software (libre) and nearly fully compatible (both source and bytecode) with the MS runtime and will run on Windows, OS X and Linux.

<comment><USER3> I wasn't familiar with the language spec being open, thanks for pointing that out.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> I agree with your last statement naithemilkman. Learning your first programming language will be the hardest part much like learning your first primary language. You will pickup all the basics and rules while learning how to think through a program. If you have a support group the knows and understands C# then that seems like a good choice for you.

I've really enjoyed learning and using C# myself and I try to keep out of the politics of one language or company versus another when it comes to the languages. It's helped me that I work in a C# web development company so I have a large support group as well.

You've already got the right idea, pickup one language and stick with it and you're on your way to developing those prototypes.

</comment><comment><USER9> Never used C# personally, although I have considered picking it up. I am guessing that it is because C# is 'tainted' by Microsoft.</comment>


Contributing to OpenMined: Summing up 3 months with the community - <AUTHOR> https://blog.metaflow.fr/contributing-to-openmined-ba264dfef924?hn=1 <comment><USER2> For anyone interested in the OpenMined community - here are the short links:

Website: [http://openmined.org](http://openmined.org)

Github: [http://github.com/OpenMined/](http://github.com/OpenMined/)

Slack: [https://join.slack.com/t/openmined/shared_invite/enQtMjU5MzE...](https://join.slack.com/t/openmined/shared_invite/enQtMjU5MzE5ODk4MTc3LWI2ZGE1ODc1YjdkZDJiNjdmYTdkZmE4ZTY5N2NkNDgxZjUyNjgxMTVhMmJkOTZhZjEyZDA3MTM2MThkZWVhMjg)

<comment><USER3> Looks like a welcoming project with lot of good information for new contributors on the Github.

Unfortunately all the project's Slack links I can find (including this one) seem to be expired.

<comment><USER2> Hmm - try this one for Slack - [https://join.slack.com/t/openmined/shared_invite/enQtMzIzMDU...](https://join.slack.com/t/openmined/shared_invite/enQtMzIzMDU1MjIwMTYyLTU1ZDk1NDgzYjE4NGVmMGQ2MDQwZTQ1OWIyNTVkNDI1OTY0Nzg2YjcyNjQxM2FkODlmMzI5Nzc5ZjkzMDk0NzQ)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> Algorithmia also just launched its own smart contract for ML model validation. Two's a trend ;)

Trustless Machine Learning Contracts: Evaluating and Exchanging Machine Learning Models on the Ethereum Blockchain

[https://blog.algorithmia.com/trustless-machine-learning- cont...](https://blog.algorithmia.com/trustless-machine-learning-contracts- danku/)

<comment><USER5> and 3 is well... without mentioning the 'B' word, there is a very smart chap Feng He working on solutions to these problems, [https://www.deepbrainchain.org/](https://www.deepbrainchain.org/)

<comment><USER6> 4 for it! Going to toss [https://synapse.ai/](https://synapse.ai/) in there as well. :)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> I was just reading through all their stuff yesterday! It looks promising.</comment>


The Year the Monarch Didn't Appear - <AUTHOR> http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/sunday-review/the-year-the-monarch-didnt-appear.html

<comment><USER2> For better or worse, we are currently in the midst of another mass extinction. It's something that will play out for generations as humans continue to modify the planet for our needs. We don't really know yet what the end result will look like. Our grand kids probably won't know either.

Just one example: somewhere around 1995 a nursery in California, most likely in Marin or the North Bay, imported some plants from Asia. What they didn't know at the time was the leaves of those plants were infected with the fungus- like organism _Phytophthora ramorum_. That organism would eventually escape and infect tanoak and coast live oak throughout central California. A few years later it was found in Oregon. That organism causes the disease called sudden oak death. While it is difficult to make predictions, the impact on oaks in California will likely be profound. One study predicted that 90% of the coast live oak and black oak in California will be dead within the next 50 years. Animals that use acorns from these species for food will probably experience a decline, and one could imagine further ripple effects throughout the ecosystem.

If you live or work in Silicon Valley, and you look to the west at the coast range, most of that green stuff that you are seeing on the mountains is coast live oak woodland. Now imagine 30%, 60%, 90% of those trees dead.

(The above information is based on a talk by Matteo Garbelotto, a plant pathologist at UC Berkeley.)

By the way, you may of heard of California's "golden hills"? Non-native annual grasses. Brought to California by the Spanish when they first explored the state. Over time, the non-native grasses crowded out most of California's native perennial grasses. If you had lived in California 700 years ago, many of the hills wouldn't be golden, they would have been tinged green.

<comment><USER3> The same thing happened to the American chestnut and various species of Elm. Around 100 years ago, the chestnut was the most common deciduous tree east of the Mississippi. The chestnut blight, an accidentally introduced Asian fungus that causes the bark to fall off, effectively wiped the species out in less than 40 years. Only suckers from ancient root stocks remain. As soon as a stem grows thick enough to support a thick bark, the fungus kills it.

During the second half of the 20th century, the Elm effectively became extinct in the wild, both in Europe and North America, due to the Elm disease.

More recently the Hemlock came under attack from the hemlock woolly adelgid, an accidentally introduced Asian insect. The next generation will not be able to imagine what a mature hemlock looked like.

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> I remember catching monarch butterfly caterpillars, as a child in New York, and keeping them with milkweed stems until they formed their chrysalis and eventually "hatched" as butterflies. Amazing.

We moved West eventually, and I've rarely seen monarchs since. I figured it was just because of the different habitat (no milkweed), but apparently it's not just that.

All insects are amazing in their own ways, but monarchs just have that extra curbside appeal to humans. Sad to hear they are in decline.

Regardless of the link-bait/fear-mongering at play in any environmental journalism these days... I have genuine concern about growing the impact of humans on the earth. It's hard to remain optimistic sometimes, even as a technology-positive person.

</comment><comment><USER5> I'm starting to wonder seriously if we haven't already passed an inflection point in the wanton destruction of the environment from which we'll never fully recover. Someone please convince me we haven't broken our planet beyond its ability to carry us.

<comment><USER6> We already have. You think the CO2 in the atmosphere is going to go away by itself?

The only question is how long we're in for the ride. The most pessimistic but fact-based theories speculate thirty years before the increase in methane and CO2 emissions produces a 4+ degree increase in temperature and begins the truly profound changes that could result in the death of billions.

The rest is just speculation; depending on how big the exponential curve is (that's the problem with exponentials, small variations in the parameters have huge long-term impact), it's anywhere between 30 and 300 years.

Now, if we get the more drastic theories out of the way or if we pretend that the melting of the Siberian peat bogs won't matter (that is, nothing that I wrote about is particularly outrageous scientifically), then we're looking at 80 years before the ocean's Ph drops to the point where a substantial amount of molluscs simply die off because of their inability to incorporate calcium to their shells.

The thing is, the only thing that can save us at this point is incredible developments in energy technology (10x battery storage capacities, fusion power, more politically acceptable nuclear) coupled with a global reduction in per-capita consumption on a massive scale.

None of the superpowers in the world are willing to drop the current model of the consumer society, and fusion is, thus far, just a dream, so in most ways we're at the mercy of the climate now.

There is a very real possibility that we'll be the last generation before the Earth becomes a profoundly different, far less ecologically diverse, desert planet, at least as far as the tropics go.

<comment><USER7> Doom sells and fuels consumerism. The plane crash gets reported while thousands land safely unmentioned. Allow me to take a contrary tack. Humans are now in a position to find and divert a world ending impact event. The slope of progress has never been steeper and we survived the biggest threat, global nuclear war. We will prevail with quiet aplomb and all that will be deemed too uninteresting to be reported.

<comment><USER6> ...or not.

The phenomena of modern times are exponential in nature and difficult to predict, but past success is no guarantee of future survival. Nuclear war is _peanuts_ compared to climate change; this is an issue several orders of magnitude worse.

<comment><USER7> >Nuclear war is peanuts compared to climate change; this is an issue several orders of magnitude worse.

Hyperbole undermines veracity.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> I live in Iowa; I haven't seen a Monarch butterfly in years. Used to be (I grew up here) you couldn't walk outside without one landing on you.

</comment><comment><USER9> Ironically, where I live in Canada, I've been noticing more and more monarchs (and their close cousin the viceroy) each year in my gardens and the milkweed fields. Perhaps some change in environment/temperature is causing this. Or maybe they just like free healthcare.

<comment><USER10> It stands to reason that, if temperatures are rising, insects will benefit in cold climates such as yours.

<comment><USER11> I feel the need to point out that global warming doesn't warm every area and is calculated as a global average increase in temperature. Some areas may actually get colder due to the environment changes, not warmer.

Interestingly enough however, Canada are one of those areas that is getting warmer more than average.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> >Another major cause is farming with Roundup, a herbicide that kills virtually all plants except crops that are genetically modified to survive it.

now i know explicit answer why GMO is bad. You never know before-fact, yet can always be sure that whatever good at first look thing appear it will ultimately be turned into real bad one.

</comment><comment><USER13> God this is sad.

<comment><USER14> God this is going to get sadder.

<comment><USER15> Don't worry! Patented, genetically-modified agribusiness will save us by giving us all the food for free!!!

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER16> "YOU'VE REACHED THE LIMIT OF 10 FREE ARTICLES A MONTH. Subscribe to continue reading."

What the...

<comment><USER17> Go to google, copy-n-paste the url into the search box, click the link from the search results page and you're in!

</comment></comment><comment><USER18> When I was a kid I had a VHS tape—I think it was a National Geographic—that was about Monarch Butterflies in Mexico and also Fire Eaters in Mexico City.

Does anyone else know what I'm talking about? I can't find any titles or clues on the web.

</comment><comment><USER19> I know that most species that have ever existed have gone extinct, but every time I hear about a new one I can't help feeling sad. That doesn't just apply to the cute an cuddly ones either. Insects and fish are ace.

</comment><comment><USER20> The usual suspects: monoculture and Monsanto and strange corp/govt hybrids (in this case wrt biofuels)

</comment><comment><USER21> Roundup-resistant. You know that's bad.

</comment><comment><AUTHOR> by the time y'all realize how serious it is,

it's definitely going to be _way_ too late...

and when awareness hits like a ton of bricks?

humans don't act or think too well in a panic.

-bowerbird

<comment><USER22> Would it be a public service if Monsanto created a roundup ready milkweed and granted it freely to the world? Would that tide us over until Monsanto goes extinct?</comment></comment>


Ask HN: Sharing equity with cofounders while I fund it 100% - <AUTHOR> I have a startup, three years running now. We have started to generate some revenue to survive and bear the operational cost.
When the revenue wasn't here - I have invested in it 100% money. I have put in so far around half million USD.
It's about time I share some equity with my cofounders who are only contributing the human resource. One of them is technical and another looks after managerial aspects.
My technical cofounder works around 14 hours a day while the cofounder manager works office hours.
Please share you advice on how should I split and share the equity so that they feel valued and respected. <comment><USER2> That's a lot of money to have put in without having a plan on how you're going to deal with co-founders. I believe current best practice is that 1-4 co- founders is ideal, with a preference for 2 or 3 co-founders. In these cases I've assumed a near equal split, with one co-founder getting slightly more equity to avoid deadlocks. For example, a three person startup might have founder shares split 40/30/30\. I'm not an attorney or tax professional but I'd suggest this kind of a split with all co-founders having 4-year vesting with a 1-year cliff. Remember to leave at least 10% of shares for an employee stock plan. I'd treat your contributions to date as a note payable. Be sure to consult an attorney and a tax advisor.

<comment><AUTHOR> In total, we are just three cofounders. I have set aside 15% for employee stock and rest 90% to be divided by contribution based.

As of now the company incorporation is solely on my name hence I own 100% shares. None of my cofounders are too pushy.

I want to split in on fair contribution basis.</comment></comment>


How Mobile Devices Will Shake Up The E-commerce Business - <AUTHOR> http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2012/10/03/how-mobile-devices-will-shake-up-the-e-commerce-business/

<comment><USER2> Mobile will change the way people buy and sell online in the next upcoming years. I would get on the trend now and maybe start creating ideas to build apps for retailers.</comment>


Aspects of Building a Node.js Application - <AUTHOR> https://engineering.gosquared.com/10-vital-aspects-of-building-a-node-js-application

<comment><USER2> First of all, nodejs is a great choice. Having to worry about just one programming language helps a lot. I'll add a few things I found out along my ongoing experiment.

1\. Tests are essential in any project using a dynamic language; but don't write regular unit tests. Instead write a setup script. A script that sets up basic data in the store by calling various APIs. For example, setup your test users POSTing to /users. Whenever you need to go back to a clean database (which is, often) you can run this script. And of course, every time you want to test all the APIs.

2\. Automate everything in scripts. Script your compile, test and deploy steps. Script emailing. Script your database backups, tar your image folders.

3\. Refactor every time you get a chance. It is like having a bath. You feel like working on your app, code feels fresh.

4\. Optionally, try coffeescript. The language often promotes good, declarative programming. Once you get used to the shorthand, you won't go back. Don't discard it after spending a couple of days on it; it might take a little longer depending on your experience level. Another minor benefit, since there is a compile step some typos are picked up by the compiler.

5\. One of the big benefits of Node is that you could move things like rendering from server to the client (or the other way round) relatively easily. But still it is cleaner to just have REST services on the server and handle rendering on the client (with say, Backbone).

<comment><AUTHOR> Great pointers, setup scripts and automating project chores are essential for creating a good workflow, saving time, and saving colleagues some hair when they get started with the app.

I've tried coffeescript but it didn't catch on with me. Perhaps I didn't give it enough time, but I got the feeling that it could get quite semantically ambiguous at times whereas if you stick to JS' native C-style form, the structure of the code is imperative and easy to follow. I also felt uneasy about what code was actually executing at the other end of the transpiler.

<comment><USER3> a) You can always see the source output and it is easily readable. b) CS really doesn't do anything magic in the output.

Give it more time, the gains for CS are worth any negatives you can conjure up. do ->, classes, simple for loops, equality, etc.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER3> In working with my app, I've found that Domains <http://nodejs.org/api/domain.html> are crucial for wrapping 3rd party async code that can crash on errors.

<comment><AUTHOR> Absolutely, although Domains are a new feature in 0.8 and will need some time for maturity.

<comment><USER3> When your nodejs instances are crashing several times an hour due to facebook randomly returning html instead of json and the 3rd party library crashing as a result, who has time for maturity? =)

<comment><USER4> Wouldn't a simple uncaughtException handler be sufficient to prevent most crashes?

        process.on('uncaughtException', function (err) {
          // log it
        });

<comment><USER3> From the documentation:

"Don't use it, use domains instead. If you do use it, restart your application after every unhandled exception!"

[http://nodejs.org/api/process.html#process_event_uncaughtexc...](http://nodejs.org/api/process.html#process_event_uncaughtexception)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> It's probably worth pointing out that there is now an increasing trend toward higher level frameworks like Meteor and DerbyJS which help blur the lines between the server and client and simplify the creation of real-time apps. I think in a couple more years they will start to replace Express as the de facto framework to use for medium to large sized projects.

</comment><comment><USER6> Can't you just use Fabric or Capistrano for deployment?

I can't believe I used to SSH into my server to restart an app when I can now just run `cap unicorn_APPNAME:restart`

<comment><USER7> As said in the post, Capistrano is a good option but we found we much preferred deliver, it was easier to setup and meant we didn't need ruby dependencies on node.js apps.

We also used to SSH into our servers and do everything manually. Crazy times.

<comment><USER8> Genuine question (since I'm doing the same with AWS right now) -- I wrote a _script_ which makes an API call to Amazon to find the name of each of my instances, then SSH's into them automatically to do the equivalent of a git clone or update.

Seems to work so far -- any reason why I might want to be using a more advanced tool instead?

<comment><AUTHOR> If it works for you for now then no real need to change it. A proper deployment tool usually makes it easier to deploy apps of different types and languages using a consistent set of tools.

What I do when working with SSH'ing to AWS instances is to give them a readable name (like nginx-1, nginx-2) tag, and then place those names as hostnames in my /etc/hosts, so I can then just run ssh nginx-1. I use a script around <https://github.com/bjeanes/ghost> to automate this.

<comment><USER9> The script looks nice, though if you don't want to have to use sudo to update /etc/hosts you can also just add entries in ~/.ssh/config. Downsides are that it only works for ssh-based activities.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> Why mention newrelic, doesn't even integrate into nodejs.

<comment><AUTHOR> newrelic can be used for server monitoring, and they've got a nodejs probe in development <http://try.newrelic.com/nodejs.html>

Downside: expensive</comment></comment>


Transcript Teardown of the First 2016 Presidential Debate - <AUTHOR> https://www.scripted.com/content-marketing-2/2016-presidential-debate-analysis <comment><USER2> Which libraries did you use to run the positivity analysis?</comment>


Live Stream – MHacks Fall 2014 Final Demos - <AUTHOR> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUhwQlD0EJY

<comment><USER2> These are awesome. Love watching these demos live.</comment>


Apple Pay Is Too Anonymous for Some Retailers - <AUTHOR> http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-10-20/apple-pay-is-too-anonymous-for-panera-starbucks-and-other-retailers#r=hp-ls <comment><USER2> The retailers who refuse to adopt Apple Pay or any other third party payment system are probably run by computer illiterates who do not understand that this is an opportunity to attach a lucrative loyalty system to every purchase, automagically updated and collected by the spender.

Cash payments are anonymous, and this has not stopped Nectar from using its cards as the unique index for their hugely successful loyalty point system. The problem here, once again, is not Apple Pay being anonymous; its computer illiteracy at the executive level.

Bitcoin of course, makes this situation even worse (better) because there is no Apple behind it at all, and zero possibility of interfacing with customer data from a centralized company like Apple. Of course, this makes no difference to the computer literate executive, since his loyalty system is a separate, bespoke customer service.

These executive grumblings are going to be short lived. Once Apple Pay and Bitcoin take off, the same people who are trying to out compete them will capitulate and embrace the new payment methods, and build loyalty system on top of them.</comment>


Squib: A Ruby DSL for prototyping card and board games - <AUTHOR> http://andymeneely.github.io/squib/ <comment><USER3> Oh, I was hoping for a DSL for prototyping the rules to play these kind of games on a computer (and perhaps train a neural network as an AI opponent). I've been working out how to do these things recently.

<comment><USER4> It isn't a language but Tabletop Simulator [1] is basically the ultimate in simulating any board or card game.

1: [http://store.steampowered.com/app/286160/](http://store.steampowered.com/app/286160/)

<comment><USER5> Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Tabletop Simulator only about physical simulation? VASSAL seems much closer to what parent is looking for (but there's still very little on the rules verification front there).

<comment><USER4> I think you're right, Tabletop Simulator gives you an environment to do anything but doesn't help you define interactions and rules as far as I know.

<comment><USER3> As far as what you care about most games go, a chat room with the ability to send private messages to each other and a (human) game master is all you need to play almost any game online, if you don't care about automated rule verification.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> I've never used it, and believe I'd prefer a text-based declarative framework like Squib for this task, but just an FYI for everyone, there is a GUI program called nanDeck [1] that is often used for this purpose.

For what it's worth, I've occasionally used a little LaTeX framework derived from [2] to create fairly high-quality prototype cards. Perhaps a LaTeX or PS output from Sqiub would be a useful extension.

From a quick skim though, I think I'll be giving Squib a try the next time I want to do something like this.

[1] [http://www.nand.it/nandeck/](http://www.nand.it/nandeck/)

[2] [http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/47924/creating- playin...](http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/47924/creating-playing- cards-using-tikz)

PS: If you are looking to promote Squib, as might already be obvious to you, I'd recommend /r/boardgamedesign [3] and somewhere (I'm not sure where) on BoardGameGeek [4]. The latter might be especially interested as many people seem to create custom "fan decks" for existing board games. For example, the game Love Letter is frequently re-skinned or re-themed as seen at [5].

[3] [http://www.reddit.com/r/boardgamedesign](http://www.reddit.com/r/boardgamedesign)

[4] [https://boardgamegeek.com/](https://boardgamegeek.com/)

[5] [https://boardgamegeek.com/files/thing/129622](https://boardgamegeek.com/files/thing/129622)

<comment><USER7> I did the same thing as you with Python + LaTeX + Tikz. I think I used the same stackexchange question as a starting point too... Here's a view of my deck: [http://1drv.ms/1LREWSM](http://1drv.ms/1LREWSM)

There's also [http://paperize.io/prototypes](http://paperize.io/prototypes) which has recently opened up for a beta testing phase.

</comment></comment><comment> andrey-p Relevant thing that was posted on HN last year: [http://www.vassalengine.org/](http://www.vassalengine.org/)

I haven't had a chance to try it out but it looks great. Apparently it allows you to build board game mockups, and then play them locally or online. Useful for prototyping gameplay without having to print stuff, or alternatively you can also try games out before buying them.

</comment><comment><USER8> I shared it with my colleague who's not into programming but loves board games, that got him quite excited.

So I thought that this project can be used as a motivator to teach kids programming :) because it's like look kids, with this simple code, you can generate these awesome cards, isn't it great?

<comment><USER9> This is a pretty excellent idea. It seems like a good idea in general to have code create something physical as a motivation. Another cool project would be a treasure map DSL or something similar...heh your comment got me thinking :)

Maybe a DSL for describing simple 3D printable stuff would be an option if a printer is available.

<comment><USER8> 3D printing is great because it's something physical and useful.

Other physical alternative is, quite obviously, Arduino. I have no experience teaching kids but I think that it would be a really solid option too given they implement something useful (to some extent), and that's a really important point.

I mean a blinking LED is cool for the first time but then you just forget about it. But for playing cards, or 3D printed stuff, it's something you can actually use it and you can keep improving it, driving more learning.

Given the adoption of Arduino, I'd be surprised if no one has developed a solid course for kids yet.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> What I like:

\- Data driven

\- High-quality output

\- Raster and vector output

What I don't like:

\- Complicated to set up (install Ruby, install multiple dependencies, compile code). This will scare away many potential users.

\- Complicated to use (edit text files and run command line scripts). While I like this workflow personally, I feel this will again scare away some people.

\- There's already many generic tools where you can write scripts to produce images from input data. Maybe you could explain why your tool is better suited for designing cards, given how complicated it is?

<comment><USER11> I simply made a thing that I wanted to use. And then made it open source in case anyone else wanted to contribute. I've used a ton of tools for this task for nearly 10 years now - most notably nanDeck, but trying out just about everything else. I kept saying, "this is cool, but I want to do it in Ruby".

I also wanted an open source alternative to nanDeck. I love nanDeck, and Andrea Nini has been amazingly responsive at fixing bugs quickly, and at pushing out new features frequently. But open source projects (if done right) build more of the user-developer community that I'm looking for.

Regarding being complicated. Personally, I made Squib to match the way I think. Doing rapid prototyping on card games _is_ both complicated tedious no matter which way you slice it. Squib helps with the tedious part. Ruby provides so much to take complex tasks and condense them to readable code - <USER2> wanted to leverage that for a very specific task.

Yes, I know some people are scared away by the fact that it's programming. Or the fact that it's Ruby with some native dependencies. But (and this I know from my day job as a software engineering professor) Ruby is among the easiest programming languages to learn. Already, I've seen some folks over at BoardGameGeek enthusiastically pick up Ruby and learn it just for Squib ([http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/19640981](http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/19640981)). That's awesome and already more than I had hoped for.

<comment><USER10> Your project is certainly interesting, the comments regarding ease of use were just meant as a hint for how you could attract even more users.

Consider a hypothetical web application (no setup) where you write the same Ruby code and get a live preview (no need to explain windows users what a command line is) - this would take lots of work and money, but would probably be more popular.

Look also from the perspective of a person who is looking for a card design tool, is not emotionally attached to your project, and does not prefer Ruby over other languages. For these people, you compete against solutions like Tikz or Processing or some Python script, which are also capable of defining the content and layout of the cards separately. That's why I thought it might be a good idea to mention some amazing advantage of your tool in its short description.

If you want to create a community around your project, how about opening a gallery with examples, like the one the Tikz project has ([http://www.texample.net/tikz/examples/all/](http://www.texample.net/tikz/examples/all/))?

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER9> Very interesting. I'm interested in the same space alas I focus on prototyping the physical game virtually not generating physical prototyping materials. My vision is building a GUI where you can define game objects which generates JSON (I had something like a game DOM in mind). However I've been pondering how to get the actual rules system done/integrate it. It would be a lot nicer if one could define the rules via a DSL and link game objects to rules graphically than to implement them ad hoc.

I'm mostly interested in rules based systems and AI and my research was leaning towards creating a DSL for describing players' strategy. I started out doing it in Prolog as an internal DSL but switched to ANTLR and changed it to an external DSL. Ruby is a pretty great choice which I considered before moving to ANTLR.

Edit: As this is geared more towards creating physical prototypes you should post this on boardgamegeek if you haven't already.

<comment><USER11> Ok, so this is something I also want to do someday. It's not what Squib is at all, but I feel like we need better tools board game simulation and machine learning. In particular, I'd like to simulate the game with very basic AI, then analyze the games to look for overpowered moves (e.g. if 75% of all winners used Black Lotus).

I'm trying to do this in an ad hoc way on my own games, but progress is slow :(

</comment></comment><comment><USER12> I wonder if it'd be possible to recreate Magic: the Gathering cards using this. It'd be nice to have an alternative to Magic Set Editor for high-quality cards.

</comment><comment><USER13> Anyone interested in this project might find this interesting.

[http://paperize.io/beta](http://paperize.io/beta)

</comment><comment><USER14> I really like it. It's like re-inventing email templates for playing cards. OTOH, can't static site generators be a bit more flexible for such tasks? I guess I'll need to give it a try, but first I need to learn a bit ruby I suppose.

<comment><USER15> Everyone should write their own static site generator.

<comment><USER14> I wasn't talking about a new one, but using an existing one to generate card- style pages. One could then run a script to render them to svg/png images by using something like Phantom.js. Just an idea.

<comment><USER15> I gathered, however I passionately believe (through personal experience) that making an existing Static Site Generator do _exactly_ the _thing_ you want is more pain and effort than just writing one from scratch.

Writing one from scratch is also fun and instructive as a programming exercise. A classic Input->Process->Outout problem, so many ways to approach it, huge scope for elegant engineering and, once you are done, a really great tool for your specific needs.

<comment><USER14> Who said I didn't? :) [https://github.com/egeozcan/jstatico](https://github.com/egeozcan/jstatico) (very naive implementation to generate small sites)

A larger percentage of the developers I know have their static site generators so I completely agree.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER16> I'd probably prefer something allowing everything to be defined from the Ruby side (other than the images themselves, of course, or at least other than the raster ones), similar to how Prawn works.

Pretty neat regardless.

</comment><comment><USER17> Very cool. I have a bunch of html templates and imagemagick scripts for this, but always thought I would turn it into a more coherent suite at some point. Glad someone did it for me!

</comment><comment><USER18> Thanks for sharing, this looks really nice. Does anyone know similar projects that help with developing card- and/or boardgames?

<comment><USER19> There's our project, Paperize: [http://paperize.io](http://paperize.io) (spoiler alert: we're still invite only/early access!)

It's a web app, not a code library, but we're solving similar problems. We love Squib though, keep up the good work!

<comment><USER11> I'm really excited about Paperize. I can't wait to see more of what you're up to.

<comment><USER19> Yay! Let's be friends and unlock the magic of game design for everyone! (Serious comment)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER20> It looks fantastic for rendering the cards :)

</comment><comment><USER21> This is insanely awesome!

</comment><comment><USER22> I never had any plans to learn Ruby, but I'm going to now.

</comment><comment><USER23> I don't have any use for this but it looks really neat given how simple it is to create the set of rules to generate cards, nice work.

</comment><comment><USER24> You force me to learn Ruby...

<comment><USER25> Be happy you got an excuse to learn another programming language.

<comment><USER26> Wait, we're supposed to have excuses for that? I've just been doing it for fun.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER27> Looks cool. I don't know ruby though.. :(

<comment><USER28> You don't know ruby _yet_.</comment></comment>


New UI paradigm for email by Yahoo - <AUTHOR> http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671036/aol-might-just-have-invented-emails-next-ui-paradigm#1

<comment><USER2> It's not Yahoo, it's AOL...</comment>


Reckoning with Our Mistakes - <AUTHOR> https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reckoning-with-our-mistakes/ <comment><USER2> Kudos to them. Good to see consciousness rising.

Expectations need to be realistic.

If you have spent your life painting with your right hand and suddenly something makes you conscious that you have a left hand and you want to use it too. That is no easy thing.

It will take Time.

It will take lot of practice and repetition.

It will take the right environment without people walking in interrupting, distracting, mocking, provoking.

It will need patient teachers who don't use guilt and shame, blame and judgment as their tools.

It will be annoyingly uncomfortable and easy to give up on.

It will tempting to take shortcuts that cause more issues than solutions.

etc etc etc.

And that is just for an individual to go from realization to action and positive outcome. Getting teams, groups, orgs and entire populations to do the same will take similar amounts of Time and Discomfort too.

As connectivity increases consciousness will increase.

But going from consciousness to painting with the left hand. And then painting something beautiful will take time.

The challenge to the technical crowd is to develop an awareness of what the psychological/sociological blockers are and to chip away through new info architectures at the amount of time it takes to go from consciousness to healthy outcomes.

<comment><USER3> On the bright side, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that psychedelics can massively accelerate this learning process. And with the foolish restrictions on (and falsified reputations of) these mysterious compounds finally relaxing, I see the possibility that a phase of massive advancement of humanity could materialize.

But then if that did start to get underway, the old guard could assert its control just as easily as it did last time. In my estimation, Communist Russia was a "reasonable" excuse for that unfortunate decision, and China seems like at least as good a reason this time around. Freedom of communication afforded by the internet could have been our saving grace this time, but as luck would have it we happen to be well into an era of that freedom becoming more censored as time goes on.

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> A very good article on a topic rarely faced head-on.

Science is not truth; science is the neverending pursuit of truth. It reminds me of a Carl Sagan quote:

"Arguments from authority carry little weight – authorities have made mistakes in the past. They will do so again in the future. Perhaps a better way to say it is that in science there are no authorities; at most, there are experts."

</comment><comment><USER5> Excellent article. We would all do well to routinely practice coming to terms with a past full of errors. It's the most human thing to do.

<comment><USER6> Hein, "The Road to Wisdom": [https://i.stack.imgur.com/AvEKp.jpg](https://i.stack.imgur.com/AvEKp.jpg)

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> I like the histograms at the end. Is there a good name for those plots? They help you see the valence of the use of the terms.

<comment><USER8> I quite like them as well. They are just time series smoothed line charts with a pleasing. but nonessential gradient. But they do bear a strong resemblance to a graph type called "sparklines." Sparklines usually dispense with the axes, so these graphs have a minimalist x-axis of sorts, which distinguishes them from true sparklines, but not by a lot.</comment></comment>


Recommend a product/company/startup for training/courseware? - <AUTHOR>

What are some current and notable names in companies who specialize in putting together instruction/training/education/presentations? This may skew towards understanding financial-type information intended for everyday regular people and/or staff and will be Web-based to complement an Intranet or Internet site.<p>I've stumbled across some here on HN but forgot to bookmark them. Thanks. <comment><AUTHOR> I think the ones I've seen have been animation-focused but I don't recall at the moment.

</comment><comment><AUTHOR> Sorry if it's vague--I think it was a "learning" related startup.</comment>


Some Obvious Things About Internet Reputation Systems - <AUTHOR> http://tomslee.net/2013/09/some-obvious-things-about-internet-reputation-systems.html?

<comment><USER2> I've noticed that you've deleted and re-submitted this constantly. This is the third one I've counted - there may have been more.

It was submitted 9 hours ago here:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6467599](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6467599)

But you knew that, as you have deliberately appended a "?" to the URL.

Here are two of your earlier submissions:

* [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6469199](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6469199)

* [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6469136](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6469136)

Interestingly, one's just "gone missing" while the other is marked as [deleted]. Not sure what the difference might be.

I see you've also done the re-submission thing here:

* [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6468064](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6468064)

* [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6469285](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6469285)</comment>


Nvidia unveils android based gaming console might rival Ouya - <AUTHOR> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20931265

<comment><AUTHOR> Dubbed Project shield, main page here <http://shield.nvidia.com/></comment>


The Nobel Prize in Literature 2016 awarded to Bob Dylan - <AUTHOR> http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2016/press.html <comment><USER3> I can't help but come back to:

A South politician preaches to the poor white man

"You got more than blacks, don't complain

You're better than them, you been born with white skin" they explain

And the Negro's name

Is used it is plain

For the politician's gain

As he rises to fame

And the poor white remains

On the caboose of the train

But it ain't him to blame

He's only a pawn in their game.

YouTube: [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KY2lQV3ADfc](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KY2lQV3ADfc)

As it seems especially relevant today. It's a song about the killing of civil rights activist Medgar Evers by a poor white farmer in the 60's. Dylan addresses the civil rights movement in a way that avoids laying the blame squarely at the feet of the angry racist who pulled the trigger, instead placing the blame with politicians who sow hatred, insecurity, fear and division for their own ends and don't care what mess they leave behind.

When I see Trump rallies today full of angry people complaining their country has been 'taken from them' I can't help but think of that song.

<comment><USER4> > _When I see Trump rallies today full of angry people complaining their > country has been 'taken from them' I can't help but think of that song._

Give me a break. "Taking our country back" is talking about wrestling power back from the political and cultural elite that has emerged in the last half- century. This elite formed when 1) all of the smart kids started going off to college together and forming their own social bubble, 2) they began invariably marrying people they went to college or work with (while in earlier times, the successful were typically married to very average middle-class people they grew up around), and 3) the economy shifted to highly rewarding intelligence while wages for lower-skill work collapsed. This has led to the splintering of American society. It has nothing to do with race.

I recommend Charles Murray's book _Coming Apart_ , which is a thorough sociological study of this phenomenon and its effects.

<comment><USER5> >This elite formed when all of the smart kids started going off to college together and forming their own social bubble.

You say that as if it's a bad thing.

<comment><USER6> It is. When a society is splintered and the elites try to rule as if they understand the masses, you will have greater strife.

<comment><USER5> Can you blame them? A large portion of the masses have aligned themselves with a con man.

<comment><USER4> The Republican Party failed to field a credible candidate that spoke to Middle America. They, too, were blinded by the elite bubble. Trump saw the weakness and jumped on it.

<comment><USER5> The Republican Party has failed to field a credible candidate for quite some time. If you believe in science and equal rights for women and minorities, those damn "elites" are all we have.

<comment><USER4> Mitt Romney was a very good candidate, except for his ultimate lack of fight.

If you really believe that women and minorities don't have equal rights, then I can only urge you to dig a little deeper. Gender wage discrimination is a made-up problem, the statistics that you hear don't control for career choice, hours-worked, positions-sought, etc. The problem with our police force is that it's not professionalized once you get below the federal level. Police _are_ too aggressive and quick to use force, but it's not a racial issue.

SJWism is a cancer on Western civilization and it's one of the most pressing problems we face, because it prevents us from having honest conversations about any other problem. Debates these days always devolve into accusations of racism/sexism/"ableism", or whatever the latest boogeyman "ism" is.

<comment><USER5> I agree with you, Romney has been relatively much more sane than other Republicans. I would have even voted for him if he was able to run as Massachusetts Governor Romney and not Pandering to the Insane Right Wing Romney. But he's certainly an outlier among the present class of Republicans.

I think the Republican Party's pro-life position to be discriminatory against women. No one can force you to be an organ donor. Even if donating your organs would save someone's life, you have autonomy over your body and you are allowed to decline to be an organ donor. How is abortion any different? Even if you could save the baby's life, a woman should have complete autonomy over her body, period.

Immigration is a huge issue, and I really thought the GOP was turning the corner on it, but it's all fallen apart since the GOP decided it would rather pander to an angry white base. Hopefully Trump will lose big and the GOP will actually follow the research they did in 2012.

You sound like a reasonable person. I agree that wage discrimination and police violence aren't black and white issues. I agree that SJWism stifles honest debate. But I believe that climate change is real. I believe that marijuana has medicinal benefits and that the War on Drugs has been a colossal waste. I believe that religion has no place in government or political discourse. I believe that it doesn't matter what your sexual orientation or gender identity is. These aren't partisan issues in my mind; it's reality. Romney seems to understand this. But I'm from East Texas, and I know for every one of him, there's a dozen Louie Gohmerts. The GOP needs to get its shit together and jettison the insane branch of its tent before we end up with a de facto one party political system.

<comment><USER4> > _Immigration is a huge issue, and I really thought the GOP was turning the > corner on it, but it 's all fallen apart since the GOP decided it would > rather pander to an angry white base._

Amnesty for current illegal immigrants + improved border security and visa enforcement, so that it never happens again, is the obvious answer to the immigration problem. What many people don't know is that the American people were sold on just that in 1986. It was a great compromise, a great humanitarian action, worthy of a great nation.

Too bad it was a total lie. Amnesty was granted, but the improved enforcement never came. The Democrats were happy to keep importing voters and keep a hot- button issue alive. The Republicans were happy to keep importing cheap labor. The people, who wanted an end to uncontrolled immigration, were the suckers. Sanctuary cities that refuse to hand over dangerous criminals for deportation, and a federal government that usually declines deportation anyway, have only added fuel to the fire.

The people are totally right to refuse to be fooled again.

> _But I believe that climate change is real._

The funny thing is that the people beating the drums of climate panic tend to be the same ones that are opposed to nuclear power, which is the easiest and most obvious solution that doesn't require crippling our economy.

> _I believe that religion has no place in government or political discourse._

I disagree completely. The government should certainly not favor one religion over another, but the religions are the source of our moral values, even for most of the non-believers among us. We take for granted just how much Christianity has shaped our secular culture and morality. If you believe in your heart that abortion is the taking of a human life, then you have a duty to fight to end it.

> _I believe that marijuana has medicinal benefits and that the War on Drugs > has been a colossal waste._

I agree for the most part, but I've lately had doubts about my previous position that we should just legalize all drugs. Drugs like heroin and meth and cocaine rob people of their agency, of the will to direct their own lives. They should not be available for purchase.

<comment><USER5> > The people are totally right to refuse to be fooled again.

So are you saying we should just give up on the issue? We tried something and it didn't work. We should try again. The solution isn't "build a wall".

> The funny thing is that the people beating the drums of climate panic tend > to be the same ones that are opposed to nuclear power, which is the easiest > and most obvious solution that doesn't require crippling our economy.

I agree, I think it's idiotic to vilify nuclear power. Catastrophes have happened, we learned from them.

> The government should certainly not favor one religion over another, but the > religions are the source of our moral values, even for most of the non- > believers among us.

We agree to disagree then. I believe religion is a highly personal issue that has no place in public discourse. I do not see Christianity's influence on our culture and morality as a positive thing.

> Drugs like heroin and meth and cocaine rob people of their agency, of the > will to direct their own lives. They should not be available for purchase.

I agree. When I rail against the War on Drugs, I specifically refer to the stance of incarceration rather than rehabilitation as a solution to the drug problem.

<comment><USER4> > _So are you saying we should just give up on the issue? We tried something > and it didn 't work. We should try again. The solution isn't "build a > wall"._

Part of the solution is certainly to build a barrier. Mind you, this was once uncontroversial when it was just a flimsy "border fence", which is _already_ authorized by law with bipartisan support. Now it seems that some are scared that a proper barrier, combined with real internal enforcement, might actually work.

Now that the trust is gone, the government must prove itself on border security and immigration enforcement. Amnesty should only be considered when the people are convinced that this crisis will never happen again, that we will never again have millions of people enter the country against the democratic will of citizens.

> _I agree, I think it 's idiotic to vilify nuclear power. Catastrophes have > happened, we learned from them._

I suggest then that you base your vote on this issue not so much on who "believes" in climate change or not, but who supports the _actual_ policies that can _actually_ solve it.

> _When I rail against the War on Drugs, I specifically refer to the stance of > incarceration rather than rehabilitation as a solution to the drug problem._

Yes, I agree that we should stop imprisoning people for possession. But I do think that trafficking should remain a serious crime. I think you'll find that the prison population won't change much under this arrangement.

And even if you did stop imprisoning for trafficking, it wouldn't necessarily change much either. Most people in prison for "non-violent drug offenses" don't have that as their most serious charge.

<comment><USER5> > I suggest then that you base your vote on this issue not so much on who > "believes" in climate change or not, but who supports the actual policies > that can actually solve it.

How is the GOP going to put out an actual policy to solve climate change if they don't believe it's even a problem in the first place?

<comment><USER4> Nuclear power. What we were talking about.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> Totally 100% well deserved. Just imagine the 13 year old out there discovering "Masters of War" or "Idiot Wind" for the first time today. Their entire point of view is about to change. Mind upon to hitherto unknowable vistas. Ergo, the absolute benchmark of what Great Literature strives to embody.

Also worth checking out is Dylan's controversial speech upon receiving the the MusiCares Person of the Year 2015 award. I wonder what he'll have to say to the World when he gets to Stockholm ;)

Read Bob Dylan's Complete, Riveting MusiCares Speech

[http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/read-bob-dylans- compl...](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/read-bob-dylans-complete- riveting-musicares-speech-20150209)

And of course some essential viewing. D.A. Pennebaker's seminal documentary classic _Don 't Look Back_ which follows Dylan on his concert tour of the U.K. in 1965.

Inside Criterion's Incredible Restoration of Dylan Doc 'Don't Look Back'

[http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/inside-the- restorati...](http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/inside-the-restoration- of-dont-look-back-20151127)

And from that timeless English tour, a masterful performance ;)

"It Ain't Me Babe" (Live, 5/7/65 - Free Trade Hall, Manchester, England)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d8o8vNTNao](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d8o8vNTNao)

<comment><USER8> That MusiCares speech is a great read if you have 30 minutes to spare. A few favorite bits:

On Dylan's immersion in classic folk:

>If you sang "John Henry" as many times as me – "John Henry was a steel- driving man / Died with a hammer in his hand / John Henry said a man ain't nothin' but a man / Before I let that steam drill drive me down / I'll die with that hammer in my hand." If you had sung that song as many times as I did, you'd have written "How many roads must a man walk down?" too.

On what's often missing from rock & roll:

>The other half of rock & roll has got to be hillbilly. And that's a derogatory term, but it ought not to be. That's a term that includes the Delmore Bros., Stanley Bros., Roscoe Holcomb, Git Tanner and the Skillet Lickers... groups like that. Moonshine gone berserk. Fast cars on dirt roads. That's the kind of combination that makes up rock & roll, and it can't be cooked up in a science laboratory or a studio.

<comment><USER9> The MusicCares speech is great; thanks. An interesting excerpt:

 _I learned lyrics and how to write them from listening to folk songs. And I played them, and I met other people that played them, back when nobody was doing it. Sang nothing but these folk songs, and they gave me the code for everything that 's fair game, that everything belongs to everyone._

Does Dylan allow bootlegging? Are his songs libre? Does he limit their use or charge royalties? Can I sample one without his permission?

EDIT: The very last line of the speech, as printed: _Copyright 2015 Bob Dylan_

<comment><USER10> I think hes talking mostly about the folk song tradition. If you look in both blues/folk there are a lot of songs that are very similar, with almost interchangeable lyrics by many different artists.

The song Little Sadie is one example - its been known under a variety of names, with variations of lyrics. All the John Henry songs - they have been sung by blues and country players alike for almost a century.

<comment><USER9> > I think hes talking mostly about the folk song tradition.

He says he's part of that tradition, and at length talks about how he benefited from it. Does he give back?

<comment><USER10> Yes, he goes into length explaining how he created his own versions of Ballad of John Henry and "Key to the highway". You are missing the point.

"Hey Joe" is thought to be inspired by Little Sadie. Its not about ripping off, its about telling the same story in a different way - story telling.

<comment><USER9> Based on what I know about folk music - at one time I listened to a bunch of it and learned about its traditions, but I'm hardly an expert - that's not true.

By that tradition, folk songs are for everyone to play and sing, not only for a professional to perform for you. There's a communal, shared, DIY philosophy behind it; it's art by and for regular people (folk art), to be shared; it's not about profit, and intellectual property is almost an opposed concept. To a degree, it's like free/libre software and makers.

IIRC, folk music legend Woody Guthrie kept his songs simple so that anyone could play them. And a more recent folk singer printed (maybe still prints) on all her recordings, where the copyright info usually appears, _Unauthorized reproduction, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing._

<comment><USER10> >> There's a communal, shared, DIY philosophy behind it; it's art by and for regular people (folk art), to be shared;

Yes, I agree. I guess I dont see the conflict. If you play any of these songs, change a few verses, some melody and some chords, then you can claim the copyright just like Bob Dylan did. That is what I think he is trying to get at in that speech.

Notice how is says the following in his copyright claim:

"Basis of Claim: New Matter: rev. melody & new music." [1]

There are many artists that have copyright claims for the same essential song title. Search for Walking Blues, John Hardy or any old fiddle tune like Shady Grove, Blackberry blossom, man of constant sorrow etc. There are a ton of these songs out there where anybody can make their own mark and claim the copyright because literally everybody does it.

Try doing that with 'Times are a changin' and I can guarantee you its not the same unspoken code because its not one of those tunes that have been passed down by generations of musicians and told and retold. The bar will likely be much higher for you to claim your artistic expression on that copyright.

That was the point I was trying to make here. I mainly objected to your 'Can I sample one without his permission?' since I don't think its the same thing.

[1] [http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi- bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v1=14&ti=1,14...](http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi- bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v1=14&ti=1,14&Search_Arg=little%20sadie&Search_Code=TALL&CNT=25&PID=ATMeBqpwcxAzm2KN9xsIHYKNVOZE&SEQ=20161014093607&SID=9)

<comment><USER9> Thanks for your thoughtful response

> I mainly objected to your 'Can I sample one without his permission?' since I > don't think its the same thing.

I understand your point and I agree that's the reality of it, but I'm saying that isn't how it has to be. It isn't the same thing in some qualitative ways, as you say, but mainly because Dylan chooses to make it different. Like all the FOSS developers, all those Grateful Dead bootlegs, and all those traditional folk tunes, and some folk singers (and other musicians) in the recorded era, he could have made his libre. My guess is that like Tim Berners- Lee, Linus Torvalds, and many others, he wouldn't be homeless, that is unless he prefers to keep traveling.

<comment><USER10> Thats a good point, I agree completely. The whole music business has become very dog-eat-dog :(

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> Come writers and critics

Who prophesize with your pen

And keep your eyes wide

The chance won't come again

And don't speak too soon

For the wheel's still in spin

And there's no tellin' who

That it's namin'

For the loser now

Will be later to win

For the times they are a-changin'.

<comment><USER12> The rebel became part of the institution in the end. Somewhat sad if you ask me.

<comment><USER13> Only sad if you believe that he didn't effect change in teh institution.

<comment><USER14> Based on current American society and especially the election, I would say he effected no change unfortunately.

<comment><USER15> In the time since Dylan started signing black people went from having very limited rights to winning a presidential elections. Obviously, there are many more factors than Dylan at play, and establishing causality, or the lack of thereof, is impossible. But, in my opinion, saying that society has not changed would be a big mistake.

<comment><USER16> Attributing any of that "progress" to Bob Dylan is a huge reach. He has a lot of fans and reached some segment of the population with his act, but he's basically just another guy peddling records and tap dancing for nickels.

<comment><USER15> >Attributing any of that "progress" to Bob Dylan is a huge reach.

While that's true, Bob Dylan was most likely the reason behind Hurricane's retrial, so that's something: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_(Bob_Dylan_song)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_\(Bob_Dylan_song\))

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER17> Bob Dylan now has Nobel Prize, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Officier de la Legion d'honneur, Pulitzer, 12 Grammy's, Golden Globe, Academy Award, ...

<comment><USER18> He's the second person in history to have an Oscar and a Nobel Prize. The first being George Bernard Shaw.

<comment><USER19> I believe Al Gore won both a Nobel and Oscar.

<comment><USER20> And the National popular vote for President of the United States!

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER21> Despite being a massive admirer of Dylan's work, I'm not sure that I'm good with this

> for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song > tradition

There's no doubt he did this, but ... do songs count as literature? I'm not really sure they do, and much as I love the songs, the lyrics by themselves don't have anything like the impact (on me at least) of top-notch poetry

<comment><USER22> >the lyrics by themselves don't have anything like the impact (on me at least) of top-notch poetry

To you they don't, to me and others they do. To the current Nobel committee they did this year.

At the end, Nobel prizes are highly subjective and people dependent recognitions - so arguments of the form of X deserves and Y does not are not too meaningful.

<comment><USER21> > To you they don't, to me and others they do

Really? I've spent pretty much all my spare time and money on music for the last 30 years, but no lyrics by themselves have ever had the effect on me that, for example "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" has had

... but then maybe I'm looking at this wrong, and the prize is being awarded for the _songs_ rather than just the lyrics. If that's the case then I guess the prize is well-deserved

<comment><USER23> Tambourine Man definitely struck me in a similar way to Prufrock. In fact, I don't think songwriting gets the credit it really deserves. Dylan is verbose, but most great songwriting is better equated to a sonnet than Prufrock. And an album to a sonnet sequence.

One example I might offer on the same line as _Prufrock_ is _Bookends_ by Simon and Garfunkel. From "Save the Life of My Child" all the way to "At the Zoo" we follow a life (or many lives) and its roller coaster. "America" and "Hazy Shade of Winter" are particular favorites.

(as an aside, one of my favorite lyrics of all time is by Gordon Lightfoot in his excellent "Black Day in July" -

"And then the tanks go rolling in

To patch things up as best they can"

Talk about summing up so much in a few words.)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER24> It seems that Haruki Murakami is the Leonardo DiCaprio of Nobel prizes.

<comment><USER25> What is your favorite book by him? I've only read once thus far. "What I talk about when I talk about running"

<comment><USER26> Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. Check it out, it's his personal favourite [1].

[1] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard- Boiled_Wonderland_and_the...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard- Boiled_Wonderland_and_the_End_of_the_World#Critical_reception)

<comment><USER27> Can't recommend this enough, it's probably my favorite single piece of fiction.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER28> Fantastic! Anyone know if it's the first Literature Nobel given to a pure singer-songwriter?

Here are three Dylan songs with big literary value:

* "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts": an amazing example of musical story-telling

* "The Ballad of a Thin Man": Some of the most post-modern lyrics ever put to music...

* "Like a Rolling Stone": One of the most influential songs of all time

<comment><USER29> 'Hurricane' always gives me chills.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_(Bob_Dylan_song)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_\(Bob_Dylan_song\))

Here's a great video on 'All Along The Watchtower'. I'm rewatching this today to celebrate!

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In6gCrGeZfA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In6gCrGeZfA)

<comment><USER30> \+ 1 for 'Hurricane' \- great song!

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER31> Darkness at the break of noon

Shadows even the silver spoon

The handmade blade, the child's balloon

Eclipses both the sun and moon

To understand you know too soon, there is no sense in trying

Pointed threats, they bluff with scorn

Suicide remarks are torn

From the fool's gold mouthpiece the hollow horn

Plays wasted words proves to warn

That he not busy being born is busy dying

Temptation's page flies out the door

You follow, find yourself at war

Watch waterfalls of pity roar

You feel to moan but unlike before

You discover that you'd just be one more person crying

So don't fear if you hear

A foreign sound to your ear

It's alright, Ma, I'm only sighing

</comment><comment><USER32> A real testament to the power of imagery when skillfully and artfully handled.

Dylan himself was something of a hustler in his own way (not being negative here: he was also quite an amazing person) but he worked hard at his craft, delving deeply into Lord Byron and many others to hone his poetic skills - <USER2> it showed! So many artists gained fame doing his songs owing to the limitations of his own signing voice (his has a raw quality that is appealing in its own right but probably more for specialized audiences as compared to what the signing groups with more of a popular bent could achieve). "Can't sing, can't play" was one putdown popular in that era. But oh how this music soared from one with a raw force, a poetic inspiration, and a truly superb talent whatever the technical limitations - and all wrapped up with the zeitgeist of the times, perfectly capturing the sense and urgency of the civil rights movement.

Very nice to see the accolades now being bestowed on a man who effectively changed a generation in profound ways.

</comment><comment><USER33> Sets a useful precedent - songwriters are the poets of our time and are under- appreciated from a critical perspective.

There's still time for Leonard Cohen; he'd have been my choice. But another songwriter probably won't happen again so soon.

</comment><comment><USER34> I love how so many on the thread have Dylan lyrics to contribute. Seems like empirical evidence for his impact. I listened obsessively to every shred of Dylan I could lay my hands on when I was a teenager.

With apologies to Bob Dylan...

Then she opened up a book of poems

And handed it to me

Written by an American poet

From the twentieth century

And everyone of them words rang true

And glowed like burnin' coal

Pourin' off of every page

Like it was written in my soul

From me to you

Tangled up in blue

<comment><USER10> This song is my personal favorite :) Thanks for posting.

</comment></comment><comment><USER35> Everything is Broken always felt like a theme song for my job in telecommunications at a service provider. Especially the parts about broken lines and broken switches. That's just how universal Dylan's literature really is:

Broken lines, broken strings

Broken threads, broken springs

Broken idols, broken heads

People sleeping in broken beds

Ain't no use jiving

Ain't no use joking

Everything is broken

Broken bottles, broken plates

Broken switches, broken gates

Broken dishes, broken parts

Streets are filled with broken hearts

Broken words never meant to be spoken

Everything is broken

Seem like every time you stop and turn around

Something else just hit the ground

...

YouTube version of the song: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngVMh3vJsVU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngVMh3vJsVU)

<comment><USER36> Perhaps to top it with Nobel Prizes are broken?

</comment></comment><comment><USER37> This goes up there with Obama's Nobel for peace. It's an insult to the thousands of more deserving real authors. Baby Boomer's 1960s pop culture has been overhyped for so long that it's just exhausting at this point. I always find it disgusting that Dylan is celebrated as anti-war even though he wrote Neighborhood Bully, a rabid defense of Israel's wars where he ridicules calls for peace.

</comment><comment><USER38> I disagree with the Nobel committee here. They choose to ignore numerous deserving, hard-working writers toiling in obscurity and instead heap more praise on one of the most worshipped musicians of the era.

</comment><comment><USER39> [http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/04/books/l-positively- fourth-...](http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/04/books/l-positively-fourth- rate-099279.html?_r=0)

On the whole I agree with Rorem. But on the range of Nobelists for Literature, I guess that Bob Dylan isn't all that much an outlier.

</comment><comment><USER40> Inside the museums, Infinity goes up on trial Voices echo this is what salvation must be like after a while But Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues You can tell by the way she smiles

"Visions of Johanna"

I don't think that anyone in modern culture has impacted society in the ways Bob has.

</comment><comment><USER36> I have always wondered what is blowing on the wind, it seems Dylan must have captured something important, I am still wondering many things and thinking that wind curves are very windy.

Added: For a good singer it must be fatal to be poisoned with the virus of fame, you become one more commodity, good for selling books and records but no more genuine value.

I hope the next Nobel in Literature to be for a twitter writer, I don't have anything against Dylan, it is only that I find his works are not Literature but very good songs.

</comment><comment><USER41> My main complaint about Dylan is his terrible singing voice. Imagine what could have been if he had swallowed his pride and teamed with a great singer!

Of course, this complaint is invalid for a _literature_ prize, so I can only say it's well deserved.

Maybe this can open up for film and TV writers to be considered. They're the ones mostly filling the storytelling needs book authors did when Nobel instituted the prize.

<comment><USER42> I watched this great documentary on Ramblin Jack Ellis, I highly recommended it, and one thing I learned was "singing pretty" was against the aesthetic of that folk movement.

So, no I don't think he should have teamed up with a singer.

<comment><USER43> Do you mean Ramblin' Jack Elliot? If so then it's ironic because Bob Dylan wrote in his autobiography about Elliot's voice and guitar playing and that he was jealous when he first heard it because it was more or less what he wished he could sound like. I personally also think he has a great voice.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER44> .... I mean... I don't know , really I don't know... you put close to each other Bob Dylan and Mario Vargas Llosa and you want to cry

</comment><comment><USER45> This might be interesting; the original, Swedish/English/French/German- language announcement, including audience reaction.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0ybJQs8_rs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0ybJQs8_rs)

(Yeah, the "permanent secretary of the Swedish academy" is showing off her multilingual skills quite a bit...)

</comment><comment><USER46> Am I the only one who said "Bob Dylan‽"

<comment><USER47> They must have been talking about Dylan Thomas, whoever he is.

<comment><USER48> Not sure whether you were referring to an early Paul Simon song here:

"He's so unhip when you say Dylan, he thinks you're talking about Dylan Thomas / Whoever he was" [http://genius.com/Simon-and-garfunkel-a-simple-desultory- phi...](http://genius.com/Simon-and-garfunkel-a-simple-desultory-philippic-or- how-i-was-robert-mcnamarad-into-submission-lyrics)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER49> Two famous laureates are Sartre and Bertrand Russell. Both wrote more in more conventional genres for the prize, but most think the prize was awarded not simply for the literary quality of their work.

Another thread connecting their awards with Dylan is that all three authored widely read and acclaimed autobiographies or memoirs.

<comment><USER50> It's important to note that Sartre _refused_ the Nobel Prize because he felt that a writer should not be part of an institution. That's a moral courage that's rarely seen.

</comment></comment><comment><USER51> A less well known but powerful Dylan song, sung by his then lover Joan Baez (from Palo Alto) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUZGGFOV6FM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUZGGFOV6FM)

With God on Our Side (Live 1966)

<comment><USER23> As part of the Bootleg Series, Dylan released recordings of the Rolling Thunder Review tour where this song features. It's one of my favorite live albums and Dylan at probably the most satisfied and happy point of his career.

</comment></comment><comment><USER52> Am I mixed up too much, am I mixed up too hard

Why am I walking, where am I running

What am I saying, what am I knowing

On this guitar I'm playing, on this banjo I'm frailin'

On this mandolin I'm strummin', in the song I'm singin'

In the tune I'm hummin', in the words I'm writin'

In the words that I'm thinkin'

In this ocean of hours I'm all the time drinkin'

Who am I helping, what am I breaking

What am I giving, what am I taking

But you try with your whole soul best

Never to think these thoughts and never to let

Them kind of thoughts gain ground

Or make yer heart pound

But then again you know why they're around

Just waiting for a chance to slip and drop down

\-- Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie

</comment><comment><USER53> I'm not sure literature would be as highly esteemed if oral history and the bards / singers / poets had not established roots in various cultures as the way to convey large, abstract or emotional things. They're good relatives I think. Writing by the masses is still fairly new in the grand scheme of things. Singing songs to each other, quite a bit longer tradition, from what I can tell looking through some stuff back in uni (including an Early Middle English course).

</comment><comment><USER54> "I just want to know how your head feels under something like that/Under your brand new leopardskin pillbox hat" \- Bob Dylan, 1966

<comment><USER55> Was always a fan of these lyrics that are unfortunately still relevant; [http://lyrics.wikia.com/wiki/Bob_Dylan:Masters_Of_War](http://lyrics.wikia.com/wiki/Bob_Dylan:Masters_Of_War)

You've thrown the worst fear

That can ever be hurled

Fear to bring children

Into the world

For threatenin' my baby

Unborn and unnamed

You ain't worth the blood that runs in your veins

</comment></comment><comment><USER56> Has Dylan himself commented on the award?

He's unpredictable (and irascible) enough to make me want to hear what he thinks about all of this.

</comment><comment><USER57> Listen to this excellent literary analysis of one of Bob Dylan's best songs: [https://beta.prx.org/stories/19352](https://beta.prx.org/stories/19352)

"Christopher Ricks, Professor of Humanities at Boston University explores the poetry in Bob Dylan's songs."

</comment><comment><USER58> I know I'm super late to the game, but Neighbourhood Bully is really underappreciated. Great song, great poetry.

[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=neighbourhood+b...](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=neighbourhood+bully)

</comment><comment><USER59> Nobody's written any books recently?

</comment><comment><USER60> The times, they are a-changin'! Never expected to see a songwriter honored with this prize.

</comment><comment><USER61> Well, I try my best

To be just like I am

But everybody wants you

To be just like them

\- Maggie's Farm

</comment><comment><USER62> You don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows

</comment><comment><USER63> "Bob Dylan hasn't Recanted Praise for Rabbi Meir Kahane.Yes, you read that right. Bob Dylan said Meir Kahane, who favored the forced expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland and whose racist Kach party has since been banned from Israeli politics, is "a really sincere guy" who's "really put it all together." [https://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/bob-dylan- joins...](https://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/bob-dylan-joins-forces- with-the-neighbourhood-bully/)

</comment><comment><USER64> There is a line from Paul Simon from the 60's about how people who called him and Dylan poets didn't read real poetry. (aww snap)

I dig Dylan, though. He's awesome.

</comment><comment><USER65> It's like giving a medicine award to yoga instructor.

</comment><comment><USER66> Great! Funny thing, just have been talking with friend this morning about his special status as a songwriter. Very brave and I believe right choice.

</comment><comment><USER67> Finally some news that makes me truly happy!

</comment><comment><USER68> Somewhere, Steve Jobs is smiling.

<comment><USER69> Why?

<comment><USER70> He was a big fan: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXt0_LxP6ug](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXt0_LxP6ug)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER71> We've reached peak Boomer.

</comment><comment><USER72> Is it just me or has the conversation on this thread gone completely off topic?

</comment><comment><USER73> I can't find a video or pod cast of this anywhere - anyone got a link ?

</comment><comment><USER74> Well, I guess I can play a song for you

Yours truly, Tambourine Man

</comment><comment><USER75> Well deserved.

</comment><comment><USER76> My love, she speaks like silence

Without ideals or violence

She doesn't have to say she's faithful

Yet she's true like ice, like fire

</comment><comment><USER77> I never really "got" Bob Dylan.

[https://lee-phillips.org/dylanreally/](https://lee-phillips.org/dylanreally/)

</comment><comment><USER78> Must've been a slow year for books

</comment><comment><USER79> maybe Michael Crichton or the Harry Potter lady will win it next year...

</comment><comment><USER80> Give me a break!

</comment><comment><USER81> Thank goodness! He deserves it much more than Peter, Paul, and Mary.

</comment><comment><USER82> What's up with the low-effort comments in this thread?

</comment><comment><USER83> I'm blowing in the wind...for I have no job...</comment>


Why being a vegan is kind of ridiculous. - <AUTHOR> http://www.quora.com/Do-vegans-acknowledge-that-plants-are-animal-life?__snids__=12856863

<comment><USER2> My image of Quora being a repository of high quality questions is ruined.

<comment><AUTHOR> lol</comment></comment>