Hacker News with Generative AI: Personal Stories

My peanut allergy nearly killed me – now I eat them every day for breakfast (bbc.co.uk)
Chris Brookes-Smith, 28, used to live in fear of dying from eating even the smallest trace of peanut.
Food Allergies, Health, Personal Stories, Diets
12 points by dberhane 2 days ago | 5 comments
Cleaning Out Our Computer Graveyard (bottomfeeder.substack.com)
I've been running Spiderweb Software since 1994, long enough to become a dedicated tech hoarder. I'm terrified of getting rid of any computer, because at any time I might need to locate an obscure file from 20 years ago and if I don't I will die.
Technology, Personal Stories, Nostalgia
6 points by Tomte 3 days ago | 0 comments
Out of the Fog (theverge.com)
Operation Babylift was an earnest attempt to save children during the fall of Saigon. Decades later, a generation of adoptees wrestles with the aftermath.
Vietnam War, Adoption, History, Social Issues, Personal Stories
149 points by wapasta 5 days ago | 34 comments
Rich vs. King in the Real World: Why I sold my company (asmartbear.com)
I sold my company, Smart Bear, in December of 2007. I haven’t talked about it at all on this blog, and it’s time I spill my guts about the whole affair.
Entrepreneurship, Business, Personal Stories
7 points by punnerud 5 days ago | 1 comments
Rules for Negotiating a Job Offer (2016) (haseebq.com)
When the story of how I landed a job at Airbnb went viral, I was surprised at how infatuated people were with my negotiations.
Job Negotiation, Career Advice, Personal Stories
449 points by rzk 21 days ago | 210 comments
L.A. man stabbed, shot and pushed off cliff lives to testify about alleged hit (latimes.com)
High in the mountains above Los Angeles, Juan testified, the kidnappers pressed a gun against his stomach and handed him a phone after making a call on FaceTime.
Crime, Law, California, Violence, Personal Stories
17 points by PaulHoule 23 days ago | 9 comments
The coolest code I've ever written – Bill Gates (gatesnotes.com)
Programming, Software, Personal Stories, Bill Gates
29 points by xero1 23 days ago | 8 comments
Four decades not sleeping well – until a doctor took my insomnia seriously (theguardian.com)
When I tell people that I have immense trouble with sleep, what they hear is that I’m difficult, neurotic, a diva with control issues. For nearly 40 years, every doctor I’ve pleaded with has announced that the problem is in my head.
Health, Sleep Disorders, Mental Health, Personal Stories
11 points by wheels 23 days ago | 6 comments
Sailing from Berkeley to Hawaii in a 19ft Sailboat (potter-yachters.org)
As a consulting exploration geologist, my work life tends to consist of periods of intense work punctuated by periods of intense unemployment.
Sailing, Travel, Adventure, Personal Stories
143 points by protonbob 24 days ago | 89 comments
The April Fools joke that might have got me fired (blogspot.com)
Everyone should pull one great practical joke in their lifetimes. This one was mine, and I think it's past the statute of limitations. The story is true. Only the names are redacted to protect the guilty.
Humor, Work, Personal Stories
528 points by goldenskye 25 days ago | 252 comments
43-year-old Family Canoe Trip (paddlingmag.com)
On June 14, 1974, my grandma Glady dropped her two sons off at a marina in the Puget Sound. They loaded gear into homemade woodstrip canoes and pushed off into the cold, black water. Decades later, Grandma told me as she watched them disappear into the fog, she wondered if she would ever see her boys again.
Family, Canoeing, Puget Sound, Nostalgia, Personal Stories
103 points by cameron_b 39 days ago | 24 comments
My Scammer Girlfriend: Baiting a Romance Fraudster (bentasker.co.uk)
Romance Scams, Cybersecurity, Personal Stories
455 points by acdha 45 days ago | 156 comments
The millionaire who lost it all and became a castaway (2024) (thehustle.co)
When David Glasheen lost his fortune in the 1980s stock crash, he packed a small suitcase and moved to a remote island.
Finance, Personal Stories, Australia
24 points by wallflower 57 days ago | 2 comments
No Evidence of Disease (idlewords.com)
My girlfriend Diane met Stephanie last October at a free makeup event for women with cancer called Look Good Feel Better.
Health, Relationships, Personal Stories
3 points by PaulHoule 64 days ago | 0 comments
I spent five years building a webapp and got my first $1 (2022) (codingcafe.jp)
This is the story of five years spent wandering around the JavaScript tech stack, wasting time, getting lost, and finally taking off.
Web Development, Personal Stories, JavaScript, Entrepreneurship, Startups
280 points by sillysaurusx 84 days ago | 98 comments
How I Got Here (pthorpe92.dev)
My name is Preston Thorpe, I’m 31 years old and I’ve spent just under 10 years of my life in Prison (all for non-violent drug crimes.)
Personal Stories, Prison Reform, Criminal Justice
34 points by jrhey 97 days ago | 3 comments
"Twelfth Night Till Candlemas" – A 40-year book-quest (davidallengreen.com)
This post is about finally finding a book from one’s youth forty years later – and after nearly thirty years of searching.
Books, Nostalgia, Personal Stories
183 points by ColinWright 107 days ago | 55 comments
The Unisys Icon: One Canadian Xennial's Memories of Ontario's Obscure Computer (postgamecontent.com)
One topic that often comes up in retro gaming circles is how aspects of gaming history not part of the American story don’t get enough attention. I personally feel it’s mostly up to the people to whom the stories belong to tell them. So I am going to follow my own advice today and tell the tale of a computer that statistically speaking almost no one has used, and some of that computer’s software.
Retro Gaming, Canadian History, Personal Stories, Computer History, Software
80 points by ecolonsmak 112 days ago | 35 comments
It's okay to code on nights and weekends (tej.as)
I’ve been wrestling with this for a long time (my entire life): I love coding and building software. A lot. I started when I was 8 years old. My nervous system developed wrapped around a computer.
Software Development, Personal Stories, Passion
84 points by tejaskumar_ 116 days ago | 80 comments
The Story of Stent (om.co)
Today is my 17th re-birthday. If you’ve been a longtime reader, you know why I call it my re-birthday. If you are new around here, well, here is a short recap. Just after I turned 41—17 years ago—a life of poor habits and family genetics caught up with me. I had a heart attack and was in the hospital for a few days. The doctors discovered all sorts of problems, and I ended up on the operating table.
Health, Personal Stories, Heart Disease
69 points by rmason 117 days ago | 5 comments
Perfect Desk (wordpress.com)
Early in my computer related life – that means being 15+ years old – especially at parents house – I had a prefabricated desk with stand for monitor and for all other possible things. Printer on top. CD/DVD all over the place. Things like that.
Personal Stories, Workspaces, Technology
4 points by vermaden 120 days ago | 2 comments
I Was a Health Insurance Executive. What I Saw Made Me Quit. (nytimes.com)
I left my job as a health insurance executive at Cigna after a crisis of conscience.
Health Insurance, Personal Stories, Business
30 points by bookofjoe 124 days ago | 13 comments
My Colleague Julius (ploum.net)
Do you know Julius? You certainly know who I’m talking about!
Humor, Personal Stories, Work
599 points by dabacaba 124 days ago | 129 comments
Talking over a wall changed my direction as a programmer (thecodist.com)
I started my programming career in October 1981 at a large defense contractor (GD). At the time, my goal was to work for a couple of years and then continue my education with a Ph.D. in Chemistry (I had already been accepted).
Programming, Career Advice, Personal Stories
147 points by fagnerbrack 127 days ago | 72 comments
I Was a Health Insurance Executive. What I Saw Made Me Quit (nytimes.com)
I left my job as a health insurance executive at Cigna after a crisis of conscience.
Health Insurance, Business, Ethics, Personal Stories
10 points by johnny313 129 days ago | 0 comments
A Decade Without a Drink (eieio.games)
Alcoholism, Personal Stories, Health, Addiction, Games
34 points by LorenDB 130 days ago | 11 comments
How a young Dutch woman's life began when she was allowed to die (theguardian.com)
At the last minute, Zoë decided to call off her euthanasia. But how do you start over after you’ve said all of your goodbyes?
Euthanasia, Life Choices, Personal Stories, Death, Netherlands
8 points by kawera 130 days ago | 4 comments
The Order of Anarchy (aeon.co)
In the summer of 1999, with nowhere to go between my second and third year in college, I decided to stay with my sister who was living with a couple of roommates in an apartment in Berkeley, California.
Anarchy, Personal Stories, Philosophy, California
4 points by paulpauper 136 days ago | 0 comments
DSQL Vignette: Aurora DSQL, and a Personal Story (brooker.co.za)
It's happening.
Databases, Aurora, Personal Stories
17 points by daigoba66 144 days ago | 0 comments
I Did Not Go to Jail (2014) (a16z.com)
A lot of people have been asking me what my upcoming book, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, will be like. Here’s a piece that I wrote for the book that did not make the cut. I still think it’s a pretty good story and gives you a flavor.
Entrepreneurship, Books, Personal Stories
33 points by Tomte 148 days ago | 5 comments