michaell2, I respect your opinion, but to remove the doubts from your mind, I will give you a few links to show you a bit of what I have done. You can Google "Martha Chumo", or "Njeri Chelimo" (This is the name I use for github, twitter, etc) and check out the results. I have been featured on various sites cause of my learning. Checkout http://www.codecademy.com/stories/code-from-kenya . You can contact codecademy, and will tell you I'm a moderator there and I helped out creating the Ruby lessons. You can also contact teamtreeshouse.com, and ask about their student @NjeriChelimo. I have been very active in the community, and I am soon to be featured in the Treehouse Dean's list. Here's the link to my profile there -> http://teamtreehouse.com/njerichelimo. I have been contributing to the Apache deltacloud project -> http://deltacloud.apache.org/. You can contact the deltacloud devs and confirm that I exist, and that I can actually program. I was accepted as a speaker at DevCon Tel Aviv -> http://devcon-june2013.events.co.il/people/847-martha-chumo . You can contact the conf organizer and confirm this. I am the Nairobi MongoDB user group organizer. This you can confirm from the 10gen community manager. I try to blog - http://nchelimo.blogspot.com/ , http://njeri-chelimo.blogspot.com/ , http://njerichelimo.blogspot.com/.
You can also checkout my github account -> https://github.com/NjeriChelimo
I know there are a lot of cons out there, but I am definitely not one of them. I hope this clears your mind a little.
Martha, I think I speak for a lot of us on HN that we weren't concerned this was a con, as evidenced by the fact that you're currently number #4 on the home page.
From one self-taught programmer to another, congratulations on reaching your goal, godspeed to New York, and keep us in the loop on how things play out. We're cheering for you.
I think Michael has some personal problems to work out. I can confidently say that I (and most of the hackers here) don't see what you're doing as "gimme money", or see you as a scam.
I personally think what you have done is great, and can really relate to your experiences so far in tech from my own early experiences.
Martha, regardless whether this is or isn't a con, I honestly think the only right thing to do would be to take that money and invest it in a local, honest and well-run charity to help the people starving and going blind and dying because they are lacking even the most basic vital medical care - not far from where you are.
Because I have no idea how you justify asking people for donations for a nice NYC trip when you could actually pick up all the skills for your "cause" right from where you are over the internet and for free - while people are dying right where you live. Do your high-up-the-Maslow-hierarchy needs take precedence over them starving? And if they do, it is yet another small drop in the ocean of tears that unfortunately left big parts of Africa in the desolate state they currently are in.
I know this isn't an easy decision because hey, everybody wants to go to NYC like that, and I am sure you are going to say with all that knowledge you can make Africa a little better then in the future. Well, you can do that now and you can pick up all those skills for free without going anywhere and you could be making Africa a little better right this very moment while learning how to make things even better in the future. Be a hero like that.
Or you take your own slightly egoistic dreams over the needs of others and you would just be another proverbial "brick in the wall". Others see you doing that, they are going to ask themselves why they should do anything for others when they can just further their own personal needs under the blanket of "charitable" actions.
If anything, you should never have asked for money but asked the hacker community to help you out with skills and knowledge or e.g. (used) hardware donations. That would have gotten you much more towards your proclaimed "goal" and with more ethical integrity.
kahawe, you seem to have heard a single story about Africa. I was born and have lived in Kenya all my life. I am another story of Africa.
You had one story of Africa, I have given you another. I suggest googling some more. Read my campaign again. You'll realize I'm not telling people to pity me, but see how awesome I am - because I am - and help me get even better!
Hey GuiA! I like you're thoughts! Especially on the laptop! The Acer Aspire One netbook I bout with my savings when I started learning is making me go bananas ;). I'd totally appreciate that contribution! Feel free to contact me -> @NjeriChelimo on twitter. :)
About that kickass startup, it coming in much less than 10 years! #WatchThisGeekSpace ;)
