> spent in the company of bitter old farts who just want to complain about things?
I'm sorry but this entire thread is a collection of various complaints. In fact I would argue that HN is nothing but an endless feed of people complaining about things.
The point wasnt to complain about anyones life, it was to show how OP's idea of "real world is better than virtual one" might not be as ubiquitous as he believes. For some, virtual worlds might be better than real ones.
You could say something similar about the news. Complaint can be extremely useful, if someone hears it and finds a solution.
Of course complaint can also be a really dumb waste of time, or even harmful. But few things beat the utility of the right complaint to the right audience.
HN being an endless feed of people complaining about things is no more meaningful about the entirety of the digital world than a bunch of grumpy old complainers are of all humanity.
I'm sorry but this entire thread is a collection of various complaints. In fact I would argue that HN is nothing but an endless feed of people complaining about things.