Typically I resort to HN as a forum of modern scientific knowledge and young chaps and old chaps trying to make cool stuff happen in the world. It's really not about venture capitalizing or even making tons of user conversions for me, I have no tech products that I sell and I have a huge skillset. I'm interested in the furthering of human knowledge and HN is pretty close to what slashdot used to be for that.
For me, the biggest reason is the community and the people that hang out on HN. I mean how many places can you get Alan Kay to do an AMA of such high quality as this:
I find myself coming here almost everyday because of the level of quality in the content. I always leave with something new. It's a great place full of smart minds, civil discussions, and lots of knowledge.
The level of discourse at HN is, in my opinion, the best on the net. I value the contributions of the commenters here, and that's unusual for me anymore.
