

Learn to let it go ... - RiderOfGiraffes

I've found myself watching the item numbers here on Hacker News having realised some time ago (before the item that mentioned it) that it was getting close to submission/comment number 10^6.  I found myself thinking: OK, in the past M minutes there have been S submissions.  I can linearly project that to predict when numver 10^6-10 is submitted.  Then I can write a script that checks the projections, and when 10^6-10 has been submitted, submit 20 in a furry.  I can delete the 19 that got it wrong, and I'll have the millionth submission.<p>So I'm sitting here not getting anything done, waiting, planning, getting ready, and this voice in my head says ...<p>Let it go.<p>Sometimes things aren't worth the effort.  Sometimes the reward doesn't match the work invested.  Sometimes you simply have to let it go.<p>It's a bit like the "Greybeard Stories" stuff I've been doing.  They've disappeared without a trace here, in the very forum where I thought they would get their most appreciative audience.  I guess no one really cares, so I've got to learn to let it go.<p>Maybe I'll come back and write more later, and maybe I'll follow the suggestion made by  DanielBMarkham and gather them into a book.  Or maybe someone else will do it.<p>Right now, I've got other stuff to do, stuff that's probably got a better reward-for-effort ration.  So I'll go do that.  I won't try to get the millionth entry, I won't polish my next Greybeard story.  I'll go back to writing code for my project/startup.<p>I'll take another step towards learning to let it go.<p>When it's the right thing to do.
======
RiderOfGiraffes
It's hard to let go, but I'm working on it, so as a last throw of the dice,
spin of the wheel, let's give these one last airing and if they get no
response I'll move on:

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=994358>

<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=996250>

------
dryicerx
Close, but not quite 10^6

This would have been quite ironic if you did hit it

------
steve___
29 away ;)

------
DanielBMarkham
Great. Now you have me watching it.

~~~
DanielBMarkham
And that's not a good thing -- totally trivial.

~~~
DanielBMarkham
It moves very quickly

------
steve___
it was 8 away

