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An Analysis of Buzz Posts Related to Sustainability and Climate Solutions on Hacker News

By @yzk (on HN)

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RATIONALE

Interested in seeing what HNers pay attention to with regard to sustainability-related topics, in terms of choice of content.

We chose Food, Energy and Waste as verticals as they have a direct effect on carbon emissions and pollution.

We had a specific interest in looking at how HNers are interested in as HN is a highly technical (yet highly diverse) community of people who have the capabilities to build solutions in these areas.

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SCRAPING POSTS

01

Sustainability-Related

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CLEANING OF DATA

SCRAPING OF POST DETAILS

CHOOSING SEARCH TERMS

EVALUATION OF BUZZPOST

METHODOLOGY

Concatenating and organising scraped raw data into a more tidy format (CSV format)

Build web scrapers in Python and R to collect relevant information

Preliminary searching on Hacker News to identify suitable choices

Investigate common trends in buzzpost discourse, in terms of sentiments

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ENERGY

COLLECTING POSTS

(SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE SOLUTIONS-RELATED)

FOOD

WASTE

CONSIDERATIONS

electric vehicles

geothermal

nuclear power

nuclear energy

nuclear power

solar

electric cars

farming

food shortage

genetically modified food

GMO

hydroponics

livestock

agriculture

electronic waste

landfill

microplastics

plastic

pollution

toxic waste

e waste

  • Choosing Search Terms Representative of Respective Topics
    • Preliminary searches for sensing before settling on search terms to be used

  • Collected Posts must be of Adequately Large Sample Size ( N>100)
    • Search terms cannot be too niche or specific such that there are very few posts available

  • Minimising Collection of Posts with Irrelevant Content
    • While it may be inevitable some posts will have search term keywords but have content that is irrelevant, such possibilities are to be minimised by avoiding the choice of overly vague/ general search terms such as “ev”

  • Ensuring Categorisation is Representative of Most Recent Posts
    • Collect only posts dating from 2015 onwards

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ENERGY

COLLECTING POSTS

(SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE SOLUTIONS-RELATED)

FOOD

WASTE

electric vehicles

geothermal

nuclear power

nuclear energy

nuclear power

solar

electric cars

farming

food shortage

genetically modified food

GMO

hydroponics

livestock

agriculture

electronic waste

landfill

microplastics

plastic

pollution

toxic waste

e waste

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IDENTIFYING BUZZPOSTS

02

Criteria and Categorisation

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ANALYSIS OF BUZZPOSTS

GROUPING OF BUZZPOSTS

CLASSIFICATION OF BUZZPOSTS

CATEGORISATION PROCESS

METHODOLOGY

Gathering insights by comparing buzzposts with non-buzzposts in terms of content

Group similar Buzz Posts together and generate criteria for sorting

Shortlisting by criterion and gathering threads in respective topics that meet all given criteria

Read through article content attached to posts manually and classify respectively

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WHAT ARE BUZZPOSTS?

Posts that have proven popularity and engagement within the Hacker News community (which are described through a set of metrics described in the next slide)

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CRITERIA

NUMBER OF COMMENTS

SCORING OF POINTS

NUMBER OF USERS ENGAGED

  • Within top 5 percentile of all posts (within topic)
  • Avoided assignment of absolute value since different search terms have different levels of engagement
  • Within top 5 percentile of all posts (within topic)
  • Avoided assignment of absolute value since different search terms have different levels of engagement

  • Within top 5 percentile of number of unique users commenting (within topic)
  • Threads with high points and comments could be due to extended back-and-forth between few users

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CATEGORIES AND SUBCATEGORIES OF BUZZPOSTS

DISCLAIMER: THESE CATEGORIES ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE; POSTS MAY FALL UNDER MULTIPLE CATEGORIES

AND IN THESE CASES, POSTS ARE PRESENTED IN THE CATEGORY DEEMED MOST FITTING

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BUZZPOSTS

03

Characteristics

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INFORMATIONAL

HARD NEWS

SOFT NEWS

MIX OF BOTH

DISCLAIMER: CHARACTERISTICS LISTED IN EACH SUB-CATEGORY ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE A CHECKLIST; POSTS MAY NOT NECESSARILY POSSESS ALL LISTED CHARACTERISTICS

  • Graphs
  • Statistics
  • Facts
  • Citations to Research Studies
  • Objective (Lack of Personal Voice)
  • More Technical Details than Conventional Article
  • Presence of Personal Voice
  • Anecdotal
  • Stylistic Techniques Used
  • Opinionated
  • Less focus on facts and statistics
  • Contains combination of traits seen in other subcategories
  • Based on observations (Often)
  • Occasionally backed by figures
  • Contextualised to Certain Country (Often)

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

Out of all major energy sources, nuclear is the safest

655

638

The Boring Company will develop an underground “people mover” for Las Vegas

210

379

The electric car as a talisman of false hope

138

330

Solar Surpasses Gas and Wind as Biggest Source of New U.S. Power

362

264

What Needs to Happen Before Electric Cars Take Over the World

217

452

Why nuclear energy is our best option at the moment

398

384

South Korea accepts geothermal plant probably caused destructive quake

321

195

HARD NEWS

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

Insect 'apocalypse' in U.S. driven by 50x increase in toxic pesticides: study

797

323

Data says GMO corn increases crop yields and provides health benefits

86

97

More Than 90% of Americans Have Pesticides or Their Byproducts in Their Bodies

192

169

Is Vertical Farming Really the Future of Agriculture?

178

278

We are on the cusp of a disruption in food and agricultural production

154

156

The cognitive costs of air pollution

1020

285

Stomach of Dead Whale Contained 'Nothing but Nonstop Plastic'

430

346

HARD NEWS

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

Plastic bag sales in England halved in past year

200

256

Plastic Bag Found at the Bottom of World's Deepest Ocean Trench

359

256

Fashion industry emits more carbon than flights and maritime shipping combined

560

282

Worms fail to thrive in soil containing microplastics: study

248

96

Depression and suicide linked to air pollution in new global study

300

195

Microplastics Are Blowing in the Wind

236

118

Deodorants, perfumes, soaps pollute air at levels as high as cars 412/304

412

304

HARD NEWS

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

Plastic Water Bottles, Which Enabled a Drinks Boom, Now Threaten Industry

149

256

If Solar Panels Are So Clean, Why Do They Produce So Much Toxic Waste

172

291

Fashion industry emits more carbon than flights and maritime shipping combined

560

282

Worms fail to thrive in soil containing microplastics: study

248

96

Depression and suicide linked to air pollution in new global study

300

195

Microplastics Are Blowing in the Wind

236

118

Deodorants, perfumes, soaps pollute air at levels as high as cars 412/304

412

304

HARD NEWS

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

Why a Typical Home Solar Setup Does Not Work with the Grid Down

443

269

We Could Have Had Electric Cars from the Beginning

215

267

I Bought a House with Solar Panels

416

290

Why I’m quitting GMO research

89

172

Time to End Factory Farming?

161

145

Yes, organic farming will kill us all

231

252

Air Pollution in Our Homes

246

130

SOFT NEWS

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

California farmers are planting solar panels as water supplies dry up

199

149

Norway: 37% of new vehicles sold in January were electric

327

173

To Slow Global Warming, We Need Nuclear Power (Op-Ed)

618

639

Nuclear power is the fastest way to slash greenhouse gas emissions, decarbonize

712

712

Suddenly, It Seems, Water Is Everywhere in Solar System

200

94

A new generation of environmentalists is learning to love atomic power

199

223

The Rise of Edible Insect Farming

162

203

MIX

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

Millennials ‘Make Farming Sexy’ in Africa, Where Tilling Soil Once Meant Shame

145

84

Tiny Plastic Is Everywhere

466

301

Americans' plastic recycling is dumped in landfills

342

282

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

MIX

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DEVELOPMENTS

LEGISLATION

INNOVATION

SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE IN SOLUTION EFFICIENCY

SUBSTANTIAL UPTAKE/ REJECTION IN ADOPTION OF SOLUTION

VENTURES

COMMERCIALISATION OF SOLUTION

PROMINENT MOVE/ LARGE-SCALE PROJECTS BY BODY

TECH

NON-TECH

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

DISCLAIMER: CHARACTERISTICS LISTED IN EACH SUB-CATEGORY ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE A CHECKLIST; POSTS MAY NOT NECESSARILY POSSESS ALL LISTED CHARACTERISTICS

  • Change in Popularity amongst Consumers
  • More Investors
  • Market Sentiments for Solution
  • Related Actions taken by State
  • Bans
  • Subsidies
  • Performance of Industry
  • Net Value
  • Growth in Industry
  • Industry Sentiments
  • New Inventions
  • Improvements to Existing Solutions after R&D
  • Redesign/ Novel Approach
  • Cost Cuts
  • Resource (De)ptimisation (Change in Output)
  • Investments into Projects by Firms/ State/ Others
  • Business Moves / Efforts Undertaken by Firms to Suit Market
  • Solution made directly available to Consumer Markets

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

Solar Surpasses Gas and Wind as Biggest Source of New U.S. Power

362

264

Morocco poised to become a solar superpower with launch of desert mega-project

297

171

India has launched a 648MW solar power plant

294

152

US to build six nuclear power plants in India

272

214

Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time

270

141

Singapore Says Musk's Electric Cars Are About 'Lifestyle,' Not Climate

261

182

China Installs Nearly 10 Gigawatts of Solar in First Quarter

191

84

SUBSTANTIAL UPTAKE/ REJECTION IN ADOPTION OF SOLUTION

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

Renewables predicted to beat coal for the first time in US later this year

185

73

Wind and solar power are disrupting electricity systems

178

136

Germany is moving beyond nuclear power, but at what cost?

166

229

Plenty, Indoor Farming Startup, Raises $200M 157/67

157

67

Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time

270

141

Singapore Says Musk's Electric Cars Are About 'Lifestyle,' Not Climate

261

182

China Installs Nearly 10 Gigawatts of Solar in First Quarter

191

84

SUBSTANTIAL UPTAKE/ REJECTION IN ADOPTION OF SOLUTION

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

Denmark to ban petrol and diesel car sales by 2030

592

392

San Francisco Is Requiring Solar Panels on All New Buildings

317

348

California to become first U.S. state mandating solar on new homes

314

336

Florida Power and Light: Regulations for home solar installations

313

168

US Congress passes bill to help advanced nuclear power

305

280

California Votes to Require Rooftop Solar Power on New Homes

305

319

California approves $768M for electric vehicles

286

246

LEGISLATION

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

Billions in U.S. solar projects shelved after Trump panel tariff

218

179

SolarCity Will Eliminate Over 550 Job Due to State’s Anti-Rooftop Solar Decision

202

204

Mumbai bans plastic bags, bottles, and single-use plastic containers

812

354

Taiwan ban single-use plastic straws, plastic bags, disposable utensils by 2030

659

402

India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

671

256

India Imposes Complete Ban on Solid Plastic Waste Imports

341

195

Plastic Bags to Be Banned in New York

291

271

LEGISLATION

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

EU to ban plastic plates, cups, and cutlery by 2021

190

180

Beijing to Shut All Major Coal Power Plants to Cut Pollution

249

101

Canada Plans to Ban Single-Use Plastics, Joining Growing Global Movement

255

195

Taiwan ban single-use plastic straws, plastic bags, disposable utensils by 2030

659

402

India has banned disposable plastic in Delhi

671

256

India Imposes Complete Ban on Solid Plastic Waste Imports

341

195

Plastic Bags to Be Banned in New York

291

271

LEGISLATION

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

The U.S. wind industry now employs more than 100K people

453

315

Electric Cars Soon Will Cost Less Than Gas Cars, Research Suggests

218

317

Solar power grew faster than any other fuel in 2016

203

134

SolarCity Will Eliminate Over 550 Job Due to State’s Anti-Rooftop Solar Decision

202

204

Renewables predicted to beat coal for the first time in US later this year

185

73

Solar Now Provides Twice as Many Jobs as the Coal Industry

185

45

Wind and solar power are disrupting electricity systems

178

136

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

Plastic Water Bottles, Which Enabled a Drinks Boom, Now Threaten Industry

149

256

Can American soil be brought back to life?

207

107

Is Vertical Farming Really the Future of Agriculture?

178

278

The future of agriculture

130

44

Renewables predicted to beat coal for the first time in US later this year

185

73

Solar Now Provides Twice as Many Jobs as the Coal Industry

185

45

Wind and solar power are disrupting electricity systems

178

136

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

The Boring Company will develop an underground “people mover” for Las Vegas

210

379

Breakthrough solar cell captures CO2 and sunlight, produces burnable fuel

595

197

Breaking max efficiency of solar cells by activating 2 electrons with 1 photon

546

133

Power Worth Less Than Zero Spreads as Green Energy Floods the Grid

537

407

First large-scale deep-sea floating offshore wind farm

268

111

Japanese company develops a solar cell with record-breaking efficiency

470

105

No One Saw Tesla’s Solar Roof Coming

467

272

INNOVATION:SCIENCE & TECH

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

‘Diamond-age’ of power generation as nuclear batteries developed

365

181

Rice University researchers propose a way to boost solar efficiency

283

120

U.S. tests nuclear power system to sustain astronauts on Mars

273

130

FarmBot – Open-Source CNC Farming [video]

227

127

The FarmBot Genesis Brings Precision Agriculture to Your Own Backyard

109

37

AI and Robotics in Agriculture in Japan [video]

108

80

Small robots may kill the tractor and make farming efficient

235

196

INNOVATION:SCIENCE & TECH

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

Inside NASA’s Space Farming Labs

98

42

The future of agriculture

130

44

Tania – PHP-based free and open source farming management system

109

24

LEDs Are Set to Revolutionize Greenhouse Farming (2014)

99

58

Robocrop: world's first raspberry-picking robot set to work

96

98

An enzyme that digests plastic could boost recycling

255

122

Caterpillar found to eat shopping bags, suggesting solution to plastic pollution

597

308

INNOVATION:SCIENCE & TECH

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

Plastic-eating caterpillars: An escape from a shopping bag triggers an idea

139

43

Irish Teenager Wins Global Science Award for Removing Microplastics from Water

328

135

Tania – PHP-based free and open source farming management system

109

24

LEDs Are Set to Revolutionize Greenhouse Farming (2014)

99

58

Robocrop: world's first raspberry-picking robot set to work

96

98

An enzyme that digests plastic could boost recycling

255

122

Caterpillar found to eat shopping bags, suggesting solution to plastic pollution

597

308

Turning Plastic to Oil, U.K. Startup Sees Money in Saving Oceans

169

45

INNOVATION:SCIENCE & TECH

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

The Clean Farming Revolution

89

66

Ex-WWII tanks still used as paddock bashers on Australian farms

118

47

E-waste mining could be big business and good for the planet

170

82

A man who paves India's roads with old plastic

138

46

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

INNOVATION: NON-TECH

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

Solar and Wind Power So Cheap They’re Outgrowing Subsidies

623

498

Giant batteries and cheap solar power are shoving fossil fuels off the grid

652

417

World Energy Hits a Turning Point: Solar That's Cheaper Than Wind

785

301

New Record Bid Set for World's Cheapest Solar, Undercutting Coal

367

205

The price of solar power just fell 50% in 16 months

756

435

Solar is now cheaper than some coal, says India energy minister

605

249

Plunging costs make solar, wind and battery storage cheaper than coal

408

204

SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE IN SOLUTION EFFICIENCY: COST

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

US solar plant costs fall another 30 per cent in one year

460

167

Solar Just Hit a Record Low Price in the U.S

456

339

Wind Energy Is One of the Cheapest, and It's Getting Cheaper

451

351

The price of solar power just fell 50% in 16 months 756/435

Graphs

Graphs

The price of solar power just fell 50% in 16 months 756/435

Graphs

Graphs

Solar is now cheaper than some coal, says India energy minister 605/249

Graphs

Graphs

Plunging costs make solar, wind and battery storage cheaper than coal 408/204

Graphs

Graphs

SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE IN SOLUTION EFFICIENCY: COST

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

Solar Now Produces a Better Energy Return on Investment Than Oil

447

244

Rice University researchers propose a way to boost solar efficiency

283

120

The first solar road has turned out to be a disappointing failure

214

337

Sydney’s solar-powered e-paper traffic signs report zero failures since 2013

173

64

Engineers boost output of solar desalination system by 50%

135

31

Can We Grow More Food on Less Land?

220

276

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE IN SOLUTION EFFICIENCY: RESOURCE (DE)OPTIMISATION

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

VENTURES: PROMINENT MOVE/ LARGE-SCALE PROJECTS BY BODY (FIRM/STATE/OTHERS)

The Boring Company will develop an underground “people mover” for Las Vegas

210

379

'We're going to electrify the F-Series,' Ford exec says

170

276

Bill Gates promises to add his own billions if Congress does nuclear power push

566

335

Westinghouse Files for Bankruptcy, in Blow to Nuclear Power

416

388

Morocco poised to become a solar superpower with launch of desert mega-project

297

171

India has launched a 648MW solar power plant

294

152

Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe

291

330

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

VENTURES: PROMINENT MOVE/ LARGE-SCALE PROJECTS BY BODY (FIRM/STATE/OTHERS)

Toyota is trying to put solar panels on a Prius to charge battery during the day

275

335

Tesla and Solar City Combine

275

179

US to build six nuclear power plants in India

272

214

Costco opening a $440M chicken farm to escape America's chicken monopoly

380

277

Samsung to Replace Plastic Packaging with Sustainable Materials

190

57

Japanese KitKats Are Replacing Plastic Packaging with Origami Paper

133

40

Turning Plastic to Oil, U.K. Startup Sees Money in Saving Oceans

169

45

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

VENTURES: COMMERCIALISATION OF SOLUTION

Solar Roof (Tesla)

690

438

Powerwall 2 and Integrated Solar

520

325

Cheap Chinese electric cars are coming to the US and Europe

291

230

First large-scale deep-sea floating offshore wind farm

268

111

Printed Solar Panels for Less Than $10 a Square Metre

252

83

Scotland’s floating wind farm is showing how powerful offshore wind can be

200

98

Tesla's New York Gigafactory Kicks Off Solar Roof Production

190

134

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

VENTURES: COMMERCIALISATION OF SOLUTION

Tesla unveils its new ‘sleek and low-profile’ solar panel made by Panasonic

181

112

'We're going to electrify the F-Series,' Ford exec says

170

276

The Netherlands has become an agricultural giant

334

287

First large-scale deep-sea floating offshore wind farm 268/111

Graphs

Graphs

Printed Solar Panels for Less Than $10 a Square Metre 252/83

Graphs

Graphs

Scotland’s floating wind farm is showing how powerful offshore wind can be 200/98

Graphs

Graphs

Tesla's New York Gigafactory Kicks Off Solar Roof Production 190/134

Graphs

Graphs

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COMMUNAL

SHARING TIPS AND RESOURCES

SHARING OF PROJECTS/DIY

Q&A/ FEEDBACK (DIRECT)

DISCLAIMER: CHARACTERISTICS LISTED IN EACH SUB-CATEGORY ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE A CHECKLIST; POSTS MAY NOT NECESSARILY POSSESS ALL LISTED CHARACTERISTICS

  • Includes ShowHN
  • Article written from First Person/ Personal Voice
  • Detailed Walkthrough Project Start to End
  • Supporting Graphics such as Pictures of Project in Progress
  • Exchange of Knowledge
  • Seeking Guidance from Community
  • User-to-User
  • Lack of Prominent Status Difference
  • Includes AskHN
  • Direct Engagement with Community
  • Prominent Status Difference (between Asker and Other Users)
  • Knowledge Gap
  • Includes LaunchHN

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

SHARING TIPS AND RESOURCES

Why a Typical Home Solar Setup Does Not Work with the Grid Down

443

269

Solar Shed Summary: My Off Grid Office

179

22

Ask HN: Agriculture startups doing interesting work?

318

202

Ask HN: What's happening in agricultural technology?

194

143

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

SHARING OF PROJECTS/ DIY

Show HN: $200 Solar Self-Sufficiency  Without Your Landlord Noticing

491

182

Show HN: A platform for sharing DIY solar projects

236

61

Off-Grid, Solar-Powered, Zero-Battery Refrigerator

376

218

Reinventing the Small Wind Turbine

167

55

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

Q&A/ FEEDBACK

Launch HN: Prometheus (YC W19) – Remove CO2 from Air and Turn It into Gasoline

1250

565

Launch HN: The Buttermilk Company (YC S18) – Homemade Indian Food in 5 Minutes

377

441

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

Graphs

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CALL FOR ACTION

UNDERMINING GENERAL CONSENSUS/ COMMON NARRATIVE

REQUEST FOR ADVOCACY/ BOYCOTT

DISCLAIMER: CHARACTERISTICS LISTED IN EACH SUB-CATEGORY ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE A CHECKLIST; POSTS MAY NOT NECESSARILY POSSESS ALL LISTED CHARACTERISTICS

  • Highlighting Points not Commonly Discussed
  • Clarifying Misconceptions
  • Explicit, Clear Message on Call to Action
  • Established Stance For/ Against

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

REQUEST FOR ADVOCACY/ BOYCOTT

To Slow Global Warming, We Need Nuclear Power (Op-Ed)

618

639

Nuclear power is the fastest way to slash greenhouse gas emissions, decarbonize

712

712

What Needs to Happen Before Electric Cars Take Over the World

217

452

Nuclear energy is a vital part of solving the climate crisis

419

419

German solar and wind are triple the cost of French nuclear, last half as long

318

293

Why We Need Innovative Nuclear Power

253

340

Public's Dread of Nuclear Power Limits Its Deployment

129

276

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

REQUEST FOR ADVOCACY/ BOYCOTT

The ugly truth about the ugly produce movement

214

173

The Case Against Octopus Farming

203

206

We’re Scientists, Moms, And We Avoid Non-GMO Products

418

507

Time to End Factory Farming?

161

145

Stop Bashing G.M.O. Foods, More Than 100 Nobel Laureates Say

155

125

How to convince your friends vertical farming is the next big thing

79

122

How Coca-Cola Undermines Plastic Recycling Efforts

289

132

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

UNDERMINING GENERAL CONSENSUS/ COMMON NARRATIVE

The electric car as a talisman of false hope

138

330

China's e-buses dent oil demand more than electric cars do

339

257

It's time to dispel the myths about nuclear power

243

320

If Solar Panels Are So Clean, Why Do They Produce So Much Toxic Waste?

172

291

The ugly truth about the ugly produce movement

214

173

Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve

640

441

Landfill is underrated and recycling overrated

561

336

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

UNDERMINING GENERAL CONSENSUS/ COMMON NARRATIVE

Where does America's e-waste end up? GPS tracker tells all

150

48

Starbucks Bans Plastic Straws, Winds Up Using More Plastic

141

170

Plastic Straws Aren’t the Problem

134

164

The dark side of electronic waste recycling

136

51

The ugly truth about the ugly produce movement

214

173

Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve

640

441

Landfill is underrated and recycling overrated

561

336

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SENSATIONAL HEADLINES

DISCLAIMER: CHARACTERISTICS LISTED IN EACH SUB-CATEGORY ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE A CHECKLIST; POSTS MAY NOT NECESSARILY POSSESS ALL LISTED CHARACTERISTICS

  • Shock Factor
  • May be Clickbait
  • Clearly meant to evoke strong, largely emotional response from reader

*not claiming sensationalism is employed

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POST TITLE

POINTS

COMMENTS

SENSATIONAL HEADLINES

South Korea accepts geothermal plant probably caused destructive quake

321

195

The first solar road has turned out to be a disappointing failure

214

337

Ships fitted with ‘cheat devices’ to divert poisonous pollution into sea

394

147

Yes, organic farming will kill us all

231

252

‘Sea Slaves’: The human misery that feeds pets and livestock

236

122

Stomach of Dead Whale Contained 'Nothing but Nonstop Plastic'

430

356

Plastic Bag Found at the Bottom of World's Deepest Ocean Trench

359

326

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BUZZPOSTS AND NON-BUZZPOSTS

04

Observed Key Differences

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KEY DIFFERENCES

Weak or Lack Thereof a Narrative

Clear Narrative Pushed from Title

More Generic, less concise

Very Succinct, Concise Post Titles

Lower Probability of Having Detailed Description (for non-article posts)

Higher Probability of Having Detailed Description (for non-article posts)

Lower Proportion from Established Article Sources

Higher Proportion from Established Article Sources

NON-BUZZPOSTS

BUZZPOSTS

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KEY DIFFERENCES

POST TITLE

ARTICLE SOURCE

Some Examples

World Energy Hits a Turning Point: Solar That's Cheaper Than Wind

bloomberg.com

Nuclear power is the fastest way to slash greenhouse gas emissions, decarbonize

nytimes.com

Insect 'apocalypse' in U.S. driven by 50x increase in toxic pesticides: study

nationalgeographic.com

Mumbai bans plastic bags, bottles, and single-use plastic containers

theguardian.com

Weak or Lack Thereof a Narrative

Clear Narrative Pushed from Title

More Generic, less concise

Very Succinct, Concise Post Titles

Lower Probability of Having Detailed Description

Higher Probability of Having Detailed Description (if AskHN etc.)

Lower Proportion from Established Sources

Higher Proportion from Established Article Sources

NON-BUZZPOSTS

BUZZPOSTS

Established Article Sources

  • High popularity in terms of readership
  • Internationally or nationally recognised media sources
  • Examples include:

Scientific American, The New York Times, BBC, Bloomberg, GeekWire, Medium, TechCrunch and more

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CAVEATS:Proportion from Established Article Sources

POST TITLE

ARTICLE SOURCE

Some Examples of Exceptions

  • Correlation, not Causation
  • Exceptions include:
    • Articles and opinion pieces from personal blogs
    • Sharing of projects from personal websites
    • Sharing of innovations from websites created specifically around it

The cognitive costs of air pollution

patrickcollison.com

Solar Now Produces a Better Energy Return on Investment Than Oil

robertscribbler.com

Why a Typical Home Solar Setup Does Not Work with the Grid Down

syonyk.blogspot.com

FarmBot – Open-Source CNC Farming [video]

farmbot.io

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KEY DIFFERENCES

POST TITLE

EXPLAIN PURPOSE

ORGANISATION SHOWN

Some Examples

Launch HN: Prometheus (YC W19) – Remove CO2 from Air and Turn It into Gasoline

Ask HN: What's happening in agricultural technology?

Ask HN: Agriculture startups doing interesting work?

Launch HN: The Buttermilk Company (YC S18) – Homemade Indian Food in 5 Minutes

Weak or Lack Thereof a Narrative

Clear Narrative Pushed from Title

More Generic, less concise

Very Succinct, Concise Post Titles

Lower Probability of Having Detailed Description

Higher Probability of Having Detailed Description (if AskHN etc.)

Lower Proportion from Established Sources

Higher Proportion from Established Article Sources

NON-BUZZPOSTS

BUZZPOSTS

Detailed Descriptions (for non-article posts/ posts without external links)

  • Post descriptions often include:
    • Clear explanation conveying purpose of post
      • Curiosity/ Knowledge Gap/ Feedback
    • Neat Organisation in terms of paragraphing or numbering of questions

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CAVEATS: Proportion with Detailed Descriptions (for non-article posts/ posts without external links)

POST TITLE

Some Examples of Exceptions

  • Correlation, not Causation
  • Exceptions include:
    • Self-explanatory posts where titles are concise and clear about content
      • Particularly article posts, hence less applicable
    • Posts with external links
      • Less need for description as interested individuals can simply learn more from link

Solar Shed Summary: My Off Grid Office

Solar Now Produces a Better Energy Return on Investment Than Oil

Why a Typical Home Solar Setup Does Not Work with the Grid Down

FarmBot – Open-Source CNC Farming [video]

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KEY DIFFERENCES

POST TITLE

Some Examples

California Votes to Require Rooftop Solar Power on New Homes

Nuclear power is the fastest way to slash greenhouse gas emissions, decarbonize

Insect 'apocalypse' in U.S. driven by 50x increase in toxic pesticides: study

How Coca-Cola Undermines Plastic Recycling Efforts

Weak or Lack Thereof a Narrative

Clear Narrative Pushed from Title

More Generic, less concise

Very Succinct, Concise Post Titles

Lower Probability of Having Detailed Description

Higher Probability of Having Detailed Description (if AskHN etc.)

Lower Proportion from Established Sources

Higher Proportion from Established Article Sources

NON-BUZZPOSTS

BUZZPOSTS

Very Succinct and Concise Post Titles

  • Accurate summarisation of article content shared/ post
  • Conveys information of post details clearly

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CAVEATS: Very Succinct and Concise Post Titles

POST TITLE

Some Examples of Exceptions

  • Correlation, not Causation
  • Exceptions include:
    • Articles and opinion pieces covering content beyond stated in post title
    • Articles using quotations or intriguing questions as hooks

Why Wind Turbines Have Three Blades

Party is over for dirt-cheap solar panels, says China executive

Can Dirt Save the Earth?

Landfill is underrated and recycling overrated

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KEY DIFFERENCES

POST TITLE

Some Examples

The electric car as a talisman of false hope

Singapore Says Musk's Electric Cars Are About 'Lifestyle,' Not Climate

The electric car has dropped out of favor in Denmark

LEDs Are Set to Revolutionize Greenhouse Farming (2014)

Weak or Lack Thereof a Narrative

Clear Narrative Pushed from Title

More Generic, less concise

Very Succinct, Concise Post Titles

Lower Probability of Having Detailed Description

Higher Probability of Having Detailed Description (if AskHN etc.)

Lower Proportion from Established Sources

Higher Proportion from Established Article Sources

NON-BUZZPOSTS

BUZZPOSTS

Clear Narrative Pushed from Title

  • Unambiguous stance on issue (if any) evident from choice of words
  • Conveys direction article takes clearly

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CAVEATS: Clear Narrative Pushed from Titles

POST TITLE

Some Examples of Exceptions

  • Correlation, not Causation
  • Exceptions include:
    • Articles reporting scientific findings objectively
    • Posts concerning projects that are more focused on technicalities than the narrative
    • Posts regarding content that do not require stances or perspective-taking

A solar-powered, self-hosted version of Low-Tech Magazine

Plenty, Indoor Farming Startup, Raises $200M

Inside NASA’s Space Farming Labs

Samsung to Replace Plastic Packaging with Sustainable Materials

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Thank you!

info@ysisea.com

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