Honest question, why does anyone care about spelling errors? They aren't even grammatical errors; we know what they intended.

I'd rather they make spelling errors than factual ones, and I'd rather we focus on teaching kids problem solving rather than memorizing sequences of letters.

Thanks to software, it is extremely easy to not have spelling error. So if they can't achieve this simple thing, how can I trust them to get the facts right which requires significantly more effort? For an author I don't know, a spelling error is a huge negative signal for me personally.

Agreed. Journalism is about words. That's it. Words are the sole instrument in print journalism (excluding photojournalism). If the words are wrong, then the instrument is out of tune. No matter how great the musician, if he can't keep his instrument maintained, then how are we to trust his abilities at music in general?

They're typos.

Here's a carefully written article:

http://www.educationbug.org/a/typos-vs-misspellings.html

If someone couldn't be bothered to even click the red squiggly to fix a spelling error, what hope is there that he put in the time to get the facts fight? Also, why do people care about manufacturing imperfections in the build of products that don't affect functionality? As customers we expect polish in our products.

Red squiggly lines? You're presuming he's using a word processor with spell-checkers. Some people just don't use them (like me, as of late - I used to, but I no longer do. No party reason why, I just don't)

Ironically, your comment also contains a typo.

When I see glaring typos in NYT articles, I infer the author typed them on his phone in the bathroom, like I did that post.

People pay for the New York Times. They're writing as a profession. And an article is supposed to be a polished product, that goes through editors. People writing comments on Hacker News are amateur writers. Different standards apply.

That said, I appreciate the irony.

It shows sloppiness. For a journalist, who makes a living out of working with words, such basic level of sloppiness is inexcusable. You can't expect much from someone who does not respect the most basic, elementary rules of their trade.

I thought you were kidding, what the hell NY Times.