The legend of John von Neumann (1973) - <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8212335">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8212335 - Aug 2014 (65 comments)
The Legend of John von Neumann - <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1427906">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1427906 - June 2010 (4 comments)
(Reposts are fine after a year or so; links to past threads are just to satisfy extra-curious readers)
John von Neumann Shot Lightning from His Arse (2025) - <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45930838">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45930838 (5 comments)
I know of several von Neumann like stories that people tell about me about things like instant memorization, fast calculation, and instant problem solving. There is almost always a trick that I didn't reveal to the person experiencing the miracle for the same reason a magician doesn't reveal their tricks: it's more fun for the person to figure it out on their own.
dang · · focus · HN ↗
The legend of John von Neumann (1973) - <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8212335">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8212335 - Aug 2014 (65 comments)
The Legend of John von Neumann - <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1427906">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1427906 - June 2010 (4 comments)
(Reposts are fine after a year or so; links to past threads are just to satisfy extra-curious readers)
lern_too_spel · · focus · HN ↗
John von Neumann Shot Lightning from His Arse (2025) - <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45930838">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45930838 (5 comments)
I know of several von Neumann like stories that people tell about me about things like instant memorization, fast calculation, and instant problem solving. There is almost always a trick that I didn't reveal to the person experiencing the miracle for the same reason a magician doesn't reveal their tricks: it's more fun for the person to figure it out on their own.