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0 pointsrenewiltord4y ago0 comments

Usually, it’s some moron on the Internet saying he was a “gifted kid” like it’s an achievement but you have independent verification that Colin Percival (cperciva - this topic starter) is smart. He’s a multi-time Putnam winner and the founder of Tarsnap.

Also the source of one of those amusing HN exchanges where people think everyone else is run of the mill. You know the one.

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6 comments · 2 top-level

bradlys4y ago· 4 in thread

He himself said he couldn’t associate with people who were lower than his IQ. I don’t give a shit what his accomplishments are - he clearly still has the same asinine mentality that any 13-year old has when they think they’re smart.

Idk why people on HN assume this is the first time I’ve had to deal with a Putnam winner (or a fields medalist), a celebrity, a billionaire, etc. I live in SV after all. I’ve talked to all of these folks many times. I talk to this person no different than any of the other people I’ve talked to. They deserve no different when they say such things. I judge what they say and are actively doing - not what past accomplishments they have made in some unrelated field.

zuminator4y ago

He himself said he couldn’t associate with people who were lower than his IQ

That's not really what he said at all. He said he fit in somewhat better with his intellectual peers than with his age cohort. There's nothing really controversial about that at all. Most people prefer the company of those with whom they share common intellectual pursuits and viewpoint over those for whom their only common factor is age. Often physical and mental age councide but when they don't, it doesn't seem unreasonable that common mentality would be a stronger bond.

And even if the sentiment were elitist (which I dispute) I don't think I'm the context of this discussion, it deserves a hostile response. I appreciate the individual sharing his personal experience, even if I wouldn't qualify as the type of person he'd share a beer with.

renewiltordOP4y ago

It's not about the achievement or the title of being a whatever. It's just that if you're the kind of kid really interested in math competitions and you're really good at it, then you've got a small set of people with whom you can really enjoy sharing your view of the world through your favourite lens.

Whatever. Essentially, I like this guy's software and he seems fairly personable, so I'm inclined to not really believe he's "I'm so much smarter than you"ing a bunch of people.

jack_pp4y ago

You sound like you have an inferiority complex, you probably were not blessed with a comparable IQ to the people you describe and resent them for it because in SV that's your most important asset.

I'm not that smart compared to the other people you replied to but smart is relative. I chose to go to the 3rd best high school in my mediocre Romanian town and had the highest entry grade in the entire high school. When it came to math I would grok the concepts by simply reading on my own 30 minutes before class while my peers would need tutors and still not get it.

Do you think I had a good time in high school? What my peers lacked in math skill they gained in ego preservation. They saw intelligence as a threat that must be neutralized. I doubt my story is that different. I'm telling you this because it's pretty obvious you did not live it so you might gain some empathy and let go of your resentment

cpach4y ago

Please be less hostile. Writing like this is not in accordance with the HN guidelines.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

cperciva4y ago

multi-time Putnam winner

Alas, only once.

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