It gives the sense that the whole thing is click-bait, designed to draw in the reader and then get them to sign up for for his mailing list. As I read the list I was thinking "This feels pretty content-free ... there are a few nuggets, but mostly it feels really fluffy."
Then there's the sign-up form, and everything became clearer. Colour me cynical[0], but it's the reaction the post provoked in me, so I thought I'd share it with other readers here in case they felt the same way.
I guess you didn't.
[0] The power of accurate observations is commonly called cynicism by those who haven't got it. -- George Bernard Shaw
It's fair & fine to come to the conclusion that the content is fluffy (plus I happen to agree with that conclusion here.) On the other hand, does being cynical automatically make an observation accurate? I think the question by @chance_state above is legitimate, inclusion of a cloud service in the page source is not strong evidence of your conclusion. The problem is that the online services in the page source are not created by the author and cannot be assumed to reflect directly on the content, and that all pages on the internet are intentionally designed to draw traffic. How many pages do you read that don't have a signup form, don't invite the reader to subscribe, aren't offering a value exchange of some kind?
> ... does being cynical automatically make an observation accurate?
Not at all, and that's not the claim made by GBS. It's the converse, that things that are accurate and true are often incorrectly dismissed under the umbrella of "cynicism".
> I think the question by @chance_state above is legitimate, inclusion of a cloud service in the page source is not strong evidence of your conclusion.
Agreed, but it did serve to crystallise the feeling that had been developing.
> ... all pages on the internet are intentionally designed to draw traffic.
Actually, that's not true. It' might be true in the world you inhabit, but most of the content that's directly relevant to my work is provided "as is", information and ideas, offered without a follow-up "Sign up for my weekly email".
> How many pages do you read that don't have a signup form, don't invite the reader to subscribe, ...
For me, most of them. I suspect we inhabit different circles, mine isn't full of people trying to develop a following. This isn't a criticism, it's an observation. I do, however, feel that when I read many of the more popular items linked from HN and other tech forums that I'm walking through a carnival and being beset by hawkers and barkers.
Then there's the sign-up form, and everything became clearer. Colour me cynical[0], but it's the reaction the post provoked in me, so I thought I'd share it with other readers here in case they felt the same way.
I guess you didn't.
[0] The power of accurate observations is commonly called cynicism by those who haven't got it. -- George Bernard Shaw