[solve]

How skeptical? How much BTC will you, or anyone, be willing put down on either of these:

1) Just bet me that it's not real, and I'll give you some very strong evidence.

2) How about I write a web-app that exposes HN's rank-banning - who's getting rank-banned and what for. You'd be surprised at how it's being used. I found a way of proving it that I'm sure you'll agree is quite accurate, for cases where this approach can be used.

:)

Edit:

Re: lucb1e, the reason is that I'm far from being the only person who's rank-banned / dead here. Sometimes several comment in the same thread.

Re: scott_s, Hey man, no need to insult me. If you don't want to see the hard evidence, then I won't show it to you. Don't worry.

[scott_s]

As I said, deeply skeptical, as I rather like and respect the individuals who run this place. But I will not spend any effort betting someone on that, as it is not a good use of my time, and I feel it is insulting to those individuals who I greatly respect.

I will note, however, that I am continually disturbed by the preponderance of conspiratorial thinking that pervades discussion of how HN works. In particular, how often individuals tend to use their own theory for evidence of their own theory.

[lucb1e]

Looking at one of your most recent comments, it's not at the bottom of the page. And besides, if you're broke, perhaps betting is not the best thing to do.

[philh]

I looked too, and solve's comments all seemed to be either at the bottom, or below every comment that wasn't downvoted or dead. Do you have a counterexample?

I think it's reasonably likely that rank-banning is real and that solve is rank-banned. I think it's unlikely that ve was rank-banned for pointing out YC's reversal on their stance about board members; but plausible that ve was rank-banned for other reasons, in a comment where ve did that.