[kstrauser]

I suspect it’s counterproductive, though, like deliberately not using pronouns and always referring to someone by name. The intent might be to draw attention to the author’s cause, but it’s more likely to come across that the author just writes weirdly.

[dcminter]

Eh, I also think it's harmless, and lends a certain "brand" to their posts - which are usually quite good otherwise. Better to be weird than dull, right?

[andrekandre]

idk, i personally was confused by it; i thought they were referencing some node number or referencing some other thing and got hung up on it....

[kstrauser]

I guess, unless the offputting:goodness ratio gets lopsided and makes people start ignoring them.

Frankly, something about that leading 0 makes me grit my teeth and stop reading. I can't explain why it affects me like that. Perhaps I'm the only one who does, although threads like this seem to pop up whenever they post so I don't think so. If HN had a mute button, I'd probably use it just because it annoys me to that level.

Edit: And now that we're talking about it, they seem to have the need to mention a specific year way more than most, as though deliberately looking for opportunities to draw attention to themselves. Oof. That just made it about 10x more grating to me.

[dcminter]

I do get where you're coming from; for me I think it interrupts the way I scan text - a date would be unconsciously absorbed but these stand out as abnormal artefacts requiring full attention.

[kstrauser]

Yeah, that's a great way of explaining it. Every time, it raises an exception in my mental parser and I have to go back and consciously evaluate it. Then I see that it's the same person who got me yet again, and I grit my teeth.

[tonyedgecombe]

You aren’t the only one, it interrupts the flow when I’m reading.