skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
What is it that Digg has done that has cost them 11 million in funding? Didn't Reddit do the same type of thing with around $100,000 total money invested? I know that they've scaled up to 50 employees, and that's where their burn rate goes, but has it really meant a better product?

I keep coming up against this idea that VC money is increasingly becoming a competitive disadvantage. It seems that the companies that have taken VC money end up having to go for much higher valuations to exit, otherwise the VC's don't get theirs. Meanwhile, companies that have managed to get by on no funding or on angel funding alone are able to exit much sooner for much lower valuations, and the founders probably make out just as well if not better.

Rumor mill has it that Digg has been on the market for several years now. I have to imagine that part of that inability to sell the company has been because of it's 2 rounds of VC funding.
the only reason to install firefox 2 or firefox 3 is for the developer extensions, namely firebug.

safari is much faster and feels better to use because of the natural OS X interface.
It would depend on the puzzle.

For the one that you mention, where things are mostly deterministic, I would say no.A good founder is someone who is able to handle the unknown well. People who like the purely deterministic worlds of puzzles tend to do so because they are avoiding the more unpredictable parts of life. Such a person might be really good at following orders and really dependable, but he/she is less likely to come up with the breakthrough idea that no one else thinks of.
50% surplus capacity
Coda has been the answer to my prayers, I hope it helps you

http://www.panic.com/coda/
Debian, actually.
How to make it look the same in IE (6, 7 and now 8), FF (2 and 3), Opera and Safari...
Well, my main suggestion was to use the tools that satisfy the needs you have. Spotlight app launching is fast enough for me. Maybe someday with a larger index it won't be, but that isn't the case right now.

I've never encountered an mkv file, so that Perian doesn't add support for it doesn't bother me.

If Spotlight is slow for you and you need to play mkv files then use the tools you need. But I don't think it's necessary to recommend an M24 tank because it can handle off-road and take out enemy road blocks to someone who'd be perfectly satisfied with a normal sedan for their morning commute.
I’m not entirely sure about this. The author’s points do make sense on some level, but maybe his experiences don’t really lead to such generalizations. To what extent what he’s gone through is the outcome of personal choices and not "rules of the game"?

First, he appears to suggest that one should not go into business with friends. I’ve actually had a positive experience working with my friends, largely because I choose decent, hard-working people to be my friends and that’s exactly the type of people I want to work with. Also, I like to become friends with people I work with. Does that mean I should fire them or quit the job once I think of them as my friends? Surely, the team should differentiate between the relationships they have during and after working hours, but in my opinion and experience, the concepts are not exclusive. What’s important is clarity of expectations and defined relationships.

Second, the democracy of a startup is sometimes exactly the reason why people choose to join the venture. Let’s face it, distant promises of great fortunes only feed the gut, not the stomach. So people join to have a say. They can task for someone elsewhere and with pay. How much extra equity does the idea entitle the person to anyways? To deal with the issue, though, the team should have clearly defined areas of competence / leadership. The author may have led the way with the business plan creation, whereas someone else took the responsibility for the development.

All in all, it’s unfortunate that the author had to go through this, but I am not yet ready to follow all of his suggestions.
Since I first heard about WPF and Silverlight, I thought of the "Lisp is a better XML" and wondered what it would take to program silverlight in Lisp, or rather, write Lisp that generates XAML. Then you get a cross-platform GUI. access to the .NET library, rich graphics, plus all of the good abstraction-building power of Lisp. Any thoughts?
Did anybody read _King of Infinite Space_, the biography of Donald Coxeter?

I noticed the article used lots of drawings, and I believe this and the general discussion fits into Coxeter's thinking on mathematics, versus the Bourbaki school's more rigid and less intuitive approach.

"GEOMETRY. Isolated from the rest of the curriculum, this course will raise the hopes of students who wish to engage in meaningful mathematical activity, and then dash them."
That's why I said "analytic". Such a person might be good for finding an efficient algorithm to a well-defined problem.
I don't see these restrictions as a huge problem. Having one app running allows the app to use the full resources.

The key will be the handoffs between apps, so that you can start back where you left off and things like that.
I appreciate the help. This was a factory install of leopard, so it seems odd that it would be missing components. To google, I go.
Putting aside the fact that "puzzle smarts" does not necessarily = "raw smarts", this is just one factor. Problem solving ability, work habits, stamina, and of course, "people skills" also count a lot. You can probably think of a few more critical traits. Don't overlook any one of them.
This from Marc Andreessen's blog: http://blog.pmarca.com/2007/06/the_ideal_os_x_.html

and one more: http://bestmacsoftware.org/
Ask YC: Why do you recommend a Macbook?
I started my programming love life with Apple //c. After that, I've mostly used relatively inexpensive laptops running Linux / school PCs.

But I am seeing almost all 'budding hackers' nowadays coding on a Macbook/pro. Startup School is full of Macs!

pg said that Mac lets him drag and drop code from vim to repl - and he was very happy about it. Is it little things like that or is there a cumulative reduction in friction everywhere that justifies the bigger price tag? Is customizing a Mac easy or do they throw arbitrary hurdles at you like with the iPod/iPhone?

I currently run Gutsy on Lenovo T61 for dev. I don't want to miss out on the Mac if there are significant advantages.
Why Snak for $29 when you can Colloquy for free?

http://colloquy.info/

Also, if you're a terminal freak and want a good text mode IRC client, I probably don't have to tell you that you can install 'irssi' over MacPorts.

Real hackers use irssi. :)
Good point. That idea was not mentioned in the article, and it would obviously take up less space and be a faster lookup.
Totally agree with the "wait til you need it" philosophy, otherwise you waste time configuring and updating software you never use. That said, http://opensourcemac.org/ is a nice resource. And http://opensourcewindows.org/ for that matter.
Ask YC: Ethics of outsourcing
Could someone please look at the very detailed and extensive list of requirements and deliverables in this ad for a contract job, then look at the stated budget and share your opinion? Is it just me or is this particularly egregious?

http://www.getacoder.com/projects/artificial_stock_market_70499.html

Maybe it's not unusual, and maybe the bidders are happy for the opportunity, but would you--as coders who know what a project like this entails--take advantage of others in this way? Especially considering this is in the financial domain and there is almost certainly some sort of monetary aspiration at the heart of the project.
Since Apple's trying to sell a zillion phones, they'd rather hear complaints like "I can't run multiple apps at once" than "How come my iPhone keeps getting slower and slower every time I open a program."

Remember the iPhone is technical enough for a geek, simple and pretty enough for your grandma, teenagers, MBAs, etc
vbactu, is this your service? I'm impressed that the link goes directly to the prweb.com press release. No more veiled submarine references here!

Here's a link to the actual service: http://www.blogupp.com/
Why the iPhone's Still Not Ready for Business...No Matter What Apple Says
If you're a terminal junkie, then try installing 'irssi' over MacPorts.

Love it.
Well, here's the approach that was settled on in the article:

import string
words = "zero one two three four five six seven eight nine".split()
number_to_word = dict(zip(string.digits, words))
word_to_number = dict(zip(words, range(10)))

I'm not sure why string.digits was used in the first zip but not the second. As kirubakaran pointed out, though, the number_to_word dictionary isn't even needed. The best approach, in my opinion, becomes:

number_to_word = "zero one two three four five six seven eight nine".split()
word_to_number = dict(zip(number_to_word, range(10))

This would serve to display several cool Python idioms: the simplicity of string splitting, the power of zip, the simplicity of producing a list of numbers, and the use of the accessor on different types of data structures. If memory recalls, none of those operations are that easy to do in Java.
I'm already down with shell scripting, but otherwise that is generally good advice.
Agreed. Now I have a really good reason to get that new MacBook Air!
Started the app last week, downloaded the SDK yesterday, commented on one iPhone SDK article on Hacker News.

I think maybe everything that needs saying has been said. It is an early beta, it lets you do a lot of things very easily, it won't let you do somethings, and you contractually agree not to do somethings which are technically possible.

Now get out there and create some value.
I expect it to be spun as security. You can't get any scripting-related security holes if you don't have scripts.
Debian GNU/Linux, XEmacs, xterms, darcs, theobromin.
There's nothing wrong with your default installation. You need to install Xcode Tools as it says in the MacPorts installation instructions.

http://trac.macosforge.org/projects/macports/wiki/Installing...
i also prefer safari. but another reason to use firefox is in combination with Spaces, which isn't very good at having an app's windows divided between spaces. (yes there is a setting to change this, but it has its own downsides)
stable, affordable, good user interface. expose and spaces are time savers.

big no is battery time.

I don't think you're missing out on too much if you primarily code.
Heh, the first sentence tells you how to be a successful management consultant: only work for companies who are already good at what they do!
I have the xcode tools installed. I'll check out the wiki, though. Thanks.
OS X is often easier than Windows and powerful like *Nix/BSD.

The plastic case on the MacBook isn't the strongest, though.
Rands In Repose: I Don't Multitask
Some good advice.

Some horrendous advice:

Start a business because you hate working for someone else? Huh? You ALWAYS work for someone else, just not always an employer.

Give your employer more than his money's worth? Sounds like a recipe for being a better employee.

He never mentions the most important thing of all: Provide something people want.
He asked people on Blackberry forums whether they'd trade their Blackberries for iPhones.

I'm sure that gave him a representative sample.
That is really scary the things they were arresting people for. Think how much better the police could actually protect us and do their jobs if they weren't arresting people for taking two seats on the subway or drinking a beer!
Great article! I've always thought that having math education focusing on formulas is having poetry and literature focus on grammar and spelling -- the painting and music analogies are dead-on.

But that's exactly what happens: Formulas and equations (grammar) are one way to express a beautiful idea. Unfortunately we end up focusing on the syntax and not the semantics, the underlying meaning.

Shameless plug, but I try to do my part to make math intuitive at betterexplained.com.

What a great essay.
The problems with line item vetos is that a President would most likely not have the time or inclination to actually use it to deal with the pork, but he would use it to effectively have final edit privileges on all laws, at which point, he is both the Legislative and Executive branches at once.

I think an easier solution is to impose a maximum length on non-budget bills and make them open for public review for a minimum of 90 days after final edit and before voting. Also enforce a separation in bills. Those that contain anything that involve appropriations must not include unrelated appropriations. That way you don't have missile programs sneaking into farm bills, steel subsidies sneaking into tax reforms, and bridges sneaking into education acts.
Is there a cumulative reduction in friction everywhere? I'd say yes. I've used Unix, PC and Mac for years and have always found I get more done and am happier when it's on a Mac.
Although yc is not a "matchmaker" service, I can't imagine anyone would have a problem with your post to advance your startup. I certainly don't.

Perhaps you can meet this person:

http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&a...

He's also from NYC and seems to have a lot to say lately. Don't know if you 2 would ever see eye to eye on anything, but you'd both probably learn SOMETHING from meeting.
Digg, Wikipedia, and the myth of Web 2.0 democracy
it isn't taking advantage of them. they are volunteering for the job.

That being said, I am pretty sure that a big % of rentacoder bidders fail to deliver to the expectations of the client. It seems like some groups just throw up bids to everything and see what sticks.
Dear Taxpayer: This letter cost you $42 million
I speak from limited experience with Macs, but I'd think that a lot of it has to do with the 'out of the box' experience. I'm running Gutsty right now too and I have it tweaked just the way I like it, but it can take some time / effort to get everything set up "your way". Of course, none of this applies if you're running the stock Gutsy config, but why would you want to do that? Essentially OSX is for people who want the benefits of *nix but don't enjoy, or can't spend the time, hacking their OS as much as hacking their code.

@robmnl: Expose functionality is built into compiz-fusion, and Linux users have been enjoying virtual desktops for god knows how long.
pg said that Mac lets him drag and drop code from vi to repl - and he was very happy about it

you can do that on any OS with the GUI shell for Vim (with Vim running in Vi compatible mode if that matters) [edit]: actually it doesn't look like it's possible. i could have sworn it was though <.< my bad

i'm guessing the iPod has something to do with macs becoming more popular
A few other interesting restrictions, which users will probably appreciate:

Applications MUST comply with the Human Interface Guidelines.

Any image or audio capture must clearly indicate when it is in use.

Anything which transfers information out of the iPhone must provide notice, get consent, and comply with all applicable privacy laws.

You may not use the location services to spy on users without their consent.
Time Out of Mind: Misguided notion of time and money
The Fall of CB Radio and Social Networking
Those all sound great. If you're a libertarian and want to get depressed, real the Cato Handbook for Congress. It's a list a mile long of excellent ideas that are unlikely to happen.
The Myth of the 'Transparent Society'
Notchup invites
I will give give out notchup invites to anyone that provides me their email address and first/last name.
My email is troy dot simpson at gmail.

Full disclosure - this does get me a bonus if you get successfully get paid to go interview. From their site "For each friend you invite, we'll pay you a bonus equal to 10% of what your friend earns on every interview they do for one year."

You get the benefit of not having to wait for them to review your eligibility.
I tried this now but it didn't work for me. I must be missing something. Please help.

I am running GVIM (I am at work so I am on Windows). I am trying to drag and drop a block of code to Python REPL. It is not happening.
Why Bloggers Love, Hate Digg
It is physically well made. I beat the crap out of my macbook and it puts up with the abuse without problem.

It is fast and reliable. It is portable. I would pay double the price for how great it is.
You're not missing out on anything, there are no significant advantages (specially not over a t61) I sold my powerbook on ebay, and I'm still happy with my t42 running gutsy as well.
Because it's the best desktop unix machine available. Where else can you find true unix with a great user experience and full hardware and software support?

I don't use Linux because I no longer enjoy doing sysadmin crap. I also like the MacOS UI.
The point of the post is whether or not the iPhone is ready for enterprise use. Enterprise users are mostly BlackBerry users. Who else would you ask if they'd make the switch or not?
I am speaking from hard customization aspect. I like MacBook better than MacBook Pro in this domain. It is relatively painless to replace hard drive and memory inside a MacBook. Of course I need to do some research to know the power consumption of hard drive and memory before I ordered replacement, so I can avoid overheat inside my MacBook. MacBook pro is great in its dedicated graphic chip and better range of view angle of its TFT display. But to replace a hard drive, it takes pain to remove all screws and lift up cables around the disk. And from what I read from Guy Kawasaki's blog, you can't return a beefed up MacBook back to Apple if you feel it is not what you want.

I went for MacBook because it is painless to add memory and upgrade disk. And I don't mind its less than perfect graphic performance and display because I use external LCD monitor when I can. It is smaller in size and light in weight so it is easier to carry around and it is 50% cheaper than MacBook Pro. I get what I paid for but also a little bit less hassle to mod it.
Almost all of my coworkers use Thinkpads. I started off on a T43, and have recently been upagraded to T60. Would never trade it in for a mac.
Ummm... copy and paste?
I'm generally a person that values function more than form, but I have to say it is a real daily joy to work on gorgeous hardware like a Macbook Pro. The reason Macs are more expensive because they only offer high-end hardware specs. A similar spec'ed Dell comes roughly at the same price. If you are hacker, always use the best tools there are. This is an invest in yourself.

Hardware aside, the real reason you should switch is OSX and the applications around it. Stuff just works. Sounds like a marketing message but its true. You can focus on accomplishing the task rather than wrestling with shortcomings and crutches of the environment. Application developers on the Mac also have the philosophy to integrate with existing services as much as possible, which makes a huge difference, because most of the stuff you use is able to talk to each other. Compare that to Windows where every application/service is its own island.

Imho, OSX is by far the best platform out there right now bar none. It's amazing to see how even non-hackers are blown away once they switch.

You should too.
Agreed, I feel the same way about my MBP. Basically, I've used all sorts of things for years (going back to CP/M machines, via DOS and every flavor of Windows, SuSE, Fedora, Ubuntu, ... ) and the Mac is the right combination:

1. Stuff that I need to get done just works (e.g. sync my Bluetooth phone to address book, hook up to wireless networks, do backups)

2. Aesthetically pleasing. Don't discount this when it comes to hackers... we like elegant code and machines.

3. Unix underneath... no loss of power.
You shouldn't make decisions like this based on hype or other people's opinions. It's personal thing. You are the one who has to be happy and productive on the platform -- no one else -- so why let someone else determine what you use?
Page layout using DIVs... of course, you could always use TABLEs :-)
Mac supposedly allows you to drag&drop code without explicit copy&paste.
Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V isn't exactly the same thing as drag 'n' drop...
That may be true but that is such a minor thing. I use OS X and Linux... definitely not something that ever makes a difference.
The Best Stuff from MIX08
On my Macbook, my windows often always overlap because the resolution just isn't high enough to "stretch out." So, I find that dragging and dropping is actually more difficult due to having to switch windows.
Well, just to be fair, this may actually be the bottoming of a business cycle (granted we won't know until afterward - and it probably isn't, the consensus is we have more to go through, agreed). Unemployment is typically a lagging indicator - but that doesn't mean it's over yet.
Those with the gold make the rules. So it was, and so it ever shall be.
> The problems with line item vetos is that a President would most likely not have the time or inclination to actually use it to deal with the pork, but he would use it to effectively have final edit privileges on all laws, at which point, he is both the Legislative and Executive branches at once.

Has that happened in the states that have line item veto? If not, why would it be different at the federal level? If so, could some tweaks fix the problem?
Yes, there is a huge advantage to using Macs:

http://www.news.com/8301-13580_3-9849949-39.html
Devices always work on Windows first, and then drivers are eventually made for UNIX. Software that make hackers productive are always first in UNIX, and then eventually ported to Windows. A hacker who had to use one system for everything is faced with either the horror of having to use XFree86 or the horror of having to build an executable in Windows. Traditionally people got around the problem by having a Windows PC for the devices and a UNIX server for getting work done. With a Mac, you often get the best of both systems in one machine: devices just work, and compiling UNIX software is easy.
Universal Encoding Detector: character encoding auto-detection in Python
oops. i thought i had done that some times. i'll see if i can come up with any useful mechanisms to compensate for lying
"and there's 63,000 new potential hires to choose from. yay!"

Well, you need to really look at what sectors of the economy have lost the jobs - mostly retail, manufacturing and construction - so if you're looking to start a technology company, you might be out of luck with this newly freed labor pool.

The thing is these things work their way through sectors of the economy. It's hit banking, housing and construction/related so far pretty hard - it hasn't quite gotten to technology though. Or has it? Anyone have any thoughts?
DENIM, An Informal Tool For Early Stage Web Site and UI Design
Reminds me of how kids were doing drugs in my high school while the principal had a campaign that "we really need to crack down on gum chewing in the halls."
Mac users feel superior to PC users, new study shows
you're right of course.
Microsoft hits multiple Internet home runs
Wherever did you get the idea that New York City was "some of the best"?
The keyboard feels great on the macbook pros. The downside is the lame insistence on a single mouse button.
Voronoi Diagrams and a Day at the Beach
Homeschoolers' setback sends shock waves through state
I have a macbook which I run linux on. I get the best of both worlds having a great laptop with lots of 3rd party hardware(and now x86). And all the fun of recompiling my kernel.
I was a mac user when macs weren't cool. Mac OS 9 was like that edgy indie band that suddenly became an overnight success. Sellouts! :-)
Some interesting jobs