But to give a piece of advice not from a URL, is there any interest you have which other people may share and gather for? If you like games, for example, a local game shop is a good place to meet others. There’s usually always someone there, they tend to be welcoming to newcomers, and having something to do (play a game) can make you forget some of the awkwardness.
Haha, my first thought was why didn't OP just read the comments on the article? Didn't occur to me that someone on HN was finding articles through a source other than HN :3