Submission timeline
2007–2026One slot for every year since HN launched. Height is that year's peak points; orange marks a 100+ point or 50+ comment breakout. Select a bar to open its strongest thread.
First comments on top threads
HN comment orderAt least from an in-universe perspective, this is discussed in some length in the sequel, "2010". (Moreso in the novel than in the (underrated) movie adaptation.) The explanation given is that HAL was given, in secret, orders not to reveal the true purpose of the mission to Poole and Bowman, the two crewmembers not in hibernation. Because even the designer[1] of HAL was not made aware of this secret instruction, they were not aware that HAL's fundamental design was incompatible…
HAL was following static orders in a radically changed environment which was not thought of when the static orders were designed. This is really a problem of any formal / religious / moral system designed by humans and ultimately comes down to the fact that we cannot look into the future. If you want to see a movie where this problem is brought to the extreme and affects a human instead of a computer, watch The Bridge on the River…
The first top-level comment from each of the four biggest threads, in HN’s own order. Excerpts are shortened; open a comment for full context.
- Breakout years
- 2
- Total points
- 101
- Total comments
- 174
100+ points or 50+ comments
reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking
reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking
Every submission
| Date | Title as submitted | By | Points | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-01-09 | Did HAL Commit Murder?First breakout | chmaynard | 40 | 77 |
| 2022-01-31 | Did HAL Commit Murder? | Abishek_Muthian | 2 | 0 |
| 2022-02-09 | Did HAL Commit Murder?Best thread · Latest 20+ point return | ColinWright | 59 | 97 |