I'm not dismissing him. I'm curious what his credentials are. It's not the same thing. I've politely asked the credentials of other members of HN when I was curious. In the case that comes immediately to mind, it was clearly beneficial to the person I asked, who was not full of bull and could back himself up. This is only an "ugly" thing to ask if Sebastian is a blow-hard. And if he is only a blow-hard, I would think members of HN would benefit from knowing that. Respect has to run both ways and his audience is not obligated to respect him or stick around to listen to him if he can't do them the honor of explaining what his "expertise" is based on.