> She's in this thread right now, why not ask her?

Because this is Hacker News. We can't summon her with @SexyCyborg or /u/SexyCyborg like we can on Reddit. Heck, you won't even be notified of my reply, and will have to actively check out your threads.

I understand how this policy may reduce heated arguments, but it makes it harder to connect with people, and I've never managed to have an actual conversation spanning several days here.

Oh I actually wasn't aware of the. Yes I agree.. I can see how it avoids arguments a bit, but it'd be really useful in situations like this where one wants to single out certain voices. Seems otherwise they get drowned out by the masses of posts