@nprofile1q... This looks great. I am eager to read your preprint, but am getting a 404 for this URL:

https://faculty.washington.edu/ebender/papers/Bender-AI-2026.pdf

@Chema Hernández Gil Thanks for writing this.

@nprofile1q... Congratulations!

@nprofile1q... “Discretion is the better part of valor.” But this is a secret known only to a few.

@nprofile1q... Well, you have more cred in other spheres than the strivers on the site.

The leaderboards tell me that this competitive, gamified setup can motivate contributors susceptible to ego appeals. They may even seek bragging rights on the site precisely because they don't have similar status outside of it.

@nprofile1q... My clumsy reference was to those that are “accepted as best answer,” earning a point bonus and a green check mark. That particular feature seems starkly more competitive than collaborative.

@nprofile1q... You're quite right. A thick skin might be useful, but ideally not a prerequisite to participation.

I remember the validating feelings of seeing others upvote my work. But the flipside was strangers voting to delete my questions for private reasons, or trying to enforce norms I hadn't agreed to.

For your proposed reinvention, the concept that every question has only a single answer does seem ripe for reconsideration.

@nprofile1q... @nprofile1q... This is productive thinking, but I'm afraid the competitive aspects are baked right into this particular site, which was, to be sure, founded by men.

I was once a high-ranking History.SE user who bailed after some culture clashes there. Even Reviewer #2 is usually kinder.

@nprofile1q... Interesting thought experiment. The “sheet” would have two sides.

@nprofile1q... Thanks, that was just fabulous. What kind of tools do you use to compose a tracker tune?