[kyro]

I experienced a similar change in mindset regarding the valley and the tech scene, catalyzed by recent trips out to SF that left me with a very uneasy feeling.

The uneasiness, I think, came from realizing that the community I wanted to be a part of for so long consisted largely of the same young, inexperienced recent college grads with self-appointed expertise in a variety of abstract fields (marketing, social behavior), who peddle the same formulaic and shallow insights on business and life, all with the belief that they are changing the world for the better. And look, there's nothing wrong with being inexperienced and wanting to do big things, but what irritates me is the semblance of expertise, arrogance, and contribution startup people put on without putting in their time to attain a deep understanding of any one area, especially since I come from a medical background where you know the people you work with are intelligent, have run the gauntlet, and prove themselves on a daily basis.

Or maybe that's how you hack wealth and I'm growing old and grumpy.

[beat]

That's how I was feeling about the recent article on the Bitcoin robbery at Silk Road 2. A lot of libertarian-minded tech nerds are all hot about "disrupting" frumpy old fiat currency with its baroque rules and distasteful whiff of authority. Now they're finding out that there's a reason for that frumpy old system and all its baroque rules.

[WalterSear]

IMHO you are simply hang out with the wrong people.

There's plenty of bullshit in SF - it's an unavoidable effect of something real going on. Fortunately, the plastic people are also pretty easy to avoid.