Implicit in this idea is that there is some kind of search going on - some way of thinking about the problem - which is not logic, and which is beyond notational reasoning; and indeed, mathematicians create new mathematics and notation at the drop of a hat (even if, or sometimes it seems, especially if, someone else's notation already exists. They are like Lispers - or, perhaps, lispers are like them.)
Now, the truth is that our thoughts and ideas are also constrained by a system - our own minds, by which I mean both the specific development of a particular mind at a given time; and also the biological constraints of our thought.
Obviously, there are thoughts which a specific person cannot yet conceive, because they simply don't have the background: consider great geniuses of the past, born before crucial mathematics had been invented, or before crucial facts about the world were known.
But are there thoughts that are biologically impossible for humans to think? I think so. For example, it is very difficult for humans to understand complex ideas without hierarchy. All our systems are founded on hierarchies, or layers of abstractions, because our short-term memory - even of the best of us - is limited. I'm sure this has been discussed academically, but I'm only aware of a couple of science-fiction writers who have mentioned this: Niven/Pournelle's Motie Engineers, who effortlessly improvised simple solutions that participated in solutions to many problems at once; and Vinge's Rider design (clearly of Transcendental origin, apparently simple, even mechanical operational, but with extraordinary emergent properties.)
As the old joke goes: any problem can be solved by another layer of abstraction, except for the problem of too many layers of abstraction.
Lionhearted, it has struck me how often you live up to your name; but on that one isolated occasion, you shamed it.
I was thinking it would be hard for you to make amends. Removing the submission from HN is an excellent start, but it's still on your blog: http://www.sebastianmarshall.com/?p=251 I don't think Patrick should have to do or say a single thing in order for you do the right thing.
If he asks you to restore it, then do so.
This isn't about your reputation.
EDIT like edw519, I (FWIW) also want you to stick around. It's OK to make mistakes, provided you fix them. So... fix it, quick! Of course I can't speak for Patrick, but remember what happened with _why.
I fully agree with that, leaving it up only compounds the chances of damage and further indicates that this never really was about helping Patrick since it must be obvious by now that that is not the effect.
It's like those open letters that are almost never intended for the addressee.
Another approach is to prevent these - which is how pg seems to describe his role at HN these days, at least for (3) gaming the system - leaving the field clear for the good stories. The flag link often takes care of (2) link-bait (though most people complain rather than click it). Well-known (3) author/domain probably isn't too bad, if the brand is justified, and even seems to be countered at times, eg. Seth Godin doesn't come up much anymore.
The big problem I see is industry gossip, within which I include: the crunchpad drama; iPhone/iPad dramas; Zuckerman's integrity; Bill Gates' integrity; Steve Jobs' integrity; Larry Ellison's integrity; today's psychoanalysis of one of our own members; even the Ring of Dark Angels/AngelGate.
Now, industry gossip is relevant to people in the industry. But it's not Hacker News (at least, not according to the guidelines.)
If there is a clear perception of what HN is, and enough people resolve to flag stories that don't fit that perception, then this problem goes away. We deserve the HN we get.
What idiots those Diaspora guys are! All that excellent security consulting, for free! They don't know the first thing about software development! It makes me so mad, I'm going to write up a carefully researched and detailed account of other errors they've made! Then they'll see how clueless they are - again! Ha, what amateurs!
EDIT here because too late to edit my above comment I just want to clarify, to distance myself from the recent genius/tragedy submission: I'm mocking the people who criticize the Diaspora guys for not being perfect. I'm pro release early, release often and anti perfectionism. IMHO, Patrick is doing exactly the right thing - helping to build something better. But my post could be interpreted as mocking Patrick - that's not what I meant, and I apologize for the ambiguity.
On reflection, I shouldn't have expressed this through mockery at all, but through helping. :(
I did a similar thing on my CV/resume (when I still used one): for my interests, I'd just list everything I'd had some genuine interest in (shallow or deep), and added to it over months, so it was about 5-7 lines of words.
The purpose of this interests section was to form some non-work connection of interests with the interviewer. What happens if you look at a block of words like that is that your mind instantly picks out words that are meaningful to you.
Despite the name, rare earths are actually fairly common; they are expensive and seldom mined elsewhere because the processing equipment to separate them from the ore is expensive and because rare earths almost always occur naturally in deposits mixed with radioactive thorium and uranium. Processing runs the risk of radiation leaks [...]
I'm interested in the possibility of programming on the unit itself. The low-power consumption makes you less dependent on mains power.
EDIT according to http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95968, it's an iMX35 (ARM11-based) http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/overview.jsp?code=I... (probably iMX353 or iMX357: max speed... 532 MHz)