[eieio]

As far as I can tell this is an account that was created entirely to post negative responses in this thread. How sad.

(it was created 1 hour ago and the only comments from the account are negative posts about the article: https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=petea)

To me it just confirms what the GP said: plenty of bruised egos in this thread.

[ceol]

These guys tend to come out of the woodwork when the focus of the article is of a certain gender, if you catch my drift.

[jimzvz]

With stories like this, I have found it to be the opposite. People that would usually question this, won't because they are terrified of being called sexist which is (exactly what you have done and) one of those things that hangs around you and can ruin your career very quickly.

This style of marketing is becoming very popular. The young, disadvantaged, novice, whatever does something extraordinary through sheer brilliance and dedication [1][2][3] and when their claims don't really match reality [4], nobody cares. The marketing has already succeeded. It is exactly the kind of marketing that is taylor made for social media and if we don't want to be inundated with it in the future, we need to question it every time it appears so that only the truly deserving reap its benefits. Extraordinary claims (should) require extraordinary evidence.

[1] - http://gigaom.com/2011/12/13/meet-the-internets-newest-boy-g...

[2] - http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/05/22/18-year-old-invents-unde...

[3] - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2335195/Meet-Madis...

[4] - http://www.businessinsider.com/the-17-year-old-yahoo-paid-30...

[ceol]

> we need to question it every time it appears

We really don't. You playing armchair internet detective will not stop people from getting more attention than you.

What do all of those things hurt? Nothing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a story on the internet for a few days. It's not being shoved in your face, you're not being made to read about it. You chose to join this thread, like you chose to look up those four examples of the thing you hate so much.

I would much rather question the people who spend their time trying to denounce others.

[hackinthebochs]

I completely agree. I've always wondered what the obsession about "outing" liars on the internet is about. If the person can craft an interesting enough story to keep people engaged for a short period of time, who cares if its "true"? This is the internet, the value is derived from what is communicated, not what actually happened on the other side of the terminal. Now when someone is asking for donations or whatnot, skepticism is warranted. But this? Just take it for what it is; enjoy it or move along.

[jimzvz]

Maybe you two enjoy consuming bullshit but don't be surprised that other people don't.

[hackinthebochs]

The benefit I get out of these stories is gaining a new perspective, motivation, insight etc. 99% of the time its inconsequential whether the story is bullshit or not. Spending mental energy trying to determine veracity is utterly useless for everyone involved. You win no points for determining its fake and yet you miss an opportunity for self-reflection and growth.

[pessimizer]

Is she selling something that I'm not aware of?

[jimzvz]

Herself, as most of us are. This kind of thing will make it a lot easier to get media attention for her projects like Grapefeed [1][2].

[1] - http://grapefeed.com

[2] - https://angel.co/grapefeed

[petea]

I created a new account to avoid precisely people like you psychologizing libelously about who I am. I feel reassured that it was a good idea to create a new account.

[rodgerd]

It's interesting that you reach so quickly for the adjective "libellous" given the tenor of your comments and the insinuations therein.

And, unlike the subject of the post, you don't even have the courage to stick your identity to your work.

[hollerith]

>you don't even have the courage to stick your identity to your work.

Neither do you -- as far as I can tell by viewing your profile and googling on your user name.

[ceol]

Translation: "I know what I'm saying is coming from a place of extreme bitterness, but I don't want search results for my name showing these comments to my potential employers."

If you're going out of your way to create a new account to voice your opinion, chances are your opinion is shit.

[ShirtlessRod]

> "If you're going out of your way to create a new account to voice your opinion, chances are your opinion is shit."

That's a bit of a stretch, isn't it? Some opinions are more unpopular than others, and sometimes recipients of said opinion aren't as restrained as one would hope when they encounter an opinion they don't like.

[riquito]

Attacking the person instead of his opinion is worse.