After nearly 50 years in this world, one of the things I cherish is great conversation with someone worth talking to. Invariably hard to pin down, impossible to define, but unmistakable when you are lucky enough to find it.<p>One of the things I've realised is that the vast majority of people have very little to say that's of interest. The web gave many, many people the ability to be heard. We are all learning that most of them aren't worth listening to.<p>This is especially true when there is no reputation, no trust, and no accountability. That's one reason I treasure HN as a place to get sensible comments and decent conversation.