skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
You could have just said:

> Actually in classical macro theory, lower interest rates (which amounts to the Fed increasing the money supply) ... hence price inflation.

If the money supply is increased (more dollar bills are printed), you'll need more to pay for the same thing: and that is directly price inflation. You can ignore the expected effects in the middle. (In fact, there's no direct correlation to cheaper credit and greater investment.)

4% is stated core inflation. The true inflation number is much higher, but it's hard to know because there's a lot of effort put into diminishing it, for obvious reasons. Sure we're not in hyperinflation yet, but the idea is that it could get there quickly. While it seems impossible from the comfort of growing up in the second half of the 20th century, America is in much more trouble than it realizes.
I landed in the bay area in 2002, and it wasn't that big a deal, but it was rough trying to find jobs, because the market was so flooded with people. In the cases where I got in for an interview and could show people what was what, I usually got the gig (I was doing contracting), but it was harder to get those interviews.
I took 6.001 in Spring '87. I loved it, aside from the slow computers in the lab. I pulled an all-nighter on a Saturday for a problem set not due until Thursday so as to avoid the crowds.

After the class was over I didn't use Scheme for another 10 years, but did everything in C. Scheme was just too slow in 1987. Both the language implementations and the hardware have come a long way. I use Scheme all the time now, and there are numerous popular languages, notably PHP and Ruby, that are slower than Scheme today.
Yeah, that can't be right. Fewer than 2000 U.S. monthly uniques? How could they possibly tell age, sex or income?
"It depends". Search the archives - there have been lots of good discussions about this. I went for an LLC myself, and that seems to be working ok so far.
"Its Amazon Prime program -- for a $79 annual fee you get two-day free shipping -- is enormously popular."

And sheer genius. It is to online retailing what frequent flyer programs once were to the airline industry. Why go somewhere else if I've already spent $79 and KNOW my package will be here Friday.
Hi - is your business based in the UK or in London?
S-Corp doesn't allow multiple classes of stocks which can hinder VC funding, as they usually insist on preferential stocks of some kind...

The correct answer is it all depends on your financing plans, importance of liability protection, projected income and team makeup. Consult a lawyer.
Starting as a C-corp from the beginning makes it much easier for you to take investment. If you aren't planning on doing that, though, then an LLC or S-corp are fine.
"The site caters to a very slightly female biased following."

Uh, The boys and I think your algorithm needs a little tweaking.
Thanks for the info! I definitely prefer the map or fold approach, however, the MzScheme has a (give-me-next-element n)-approach, which I didn't like at first sight. I will check out the references you gave (tinyclos etc).
"... We have sparse data about ycombinator.com, so these are rough estimates ..."

Cynical enough to reckon the algorythm skews results on un-paid customers?
It's kind of nifty - next time I'm thinking about buying something I'll try to remember to use the site. Now, I'm going to try to be constructive; The site is nifty but it's unremarkable - it's not that your site isn't cool it's just not engaging to users. Maybe a place to log in - so a user can post a review? Or maybe a place to post questions about products?
I'm sure he walked 10 miles to school barefoot in the snow too... uphill both directions.
10 Amazing Site Designs that don't look 2.0 at all
Hrm. I wouldn't call the xobniservice "small" ... I installed Xobni last week to check out, even though I'm a Thunderbird user. I do have Office 2003 on the laptop and dip into Outlook occasionally.

Without Outlook running, xobniservice was using 14meg ...

Why not just have it kick off when Outlook starts up, and exit with Outlook exits ?

BTW, this is probably something that would make me move from TB back to Outlook. I really really really hope you can do a TB version ...
Social sites prove hard to leave behind
Ask YC: Places for Freelancers to rent
I'm a freelancer, and I don't think that this has been done, but it would be great if there were a place to rent a cushy chair and a desk and a 30" moniotor and a T1 by the hour at a reasonable rate. Maybe a nice lounge and coffee shop. Hipster place. Bonus points if it's in Central ohio, or Denver CO. Riiight.
How about some government controlled news?
To be honest, I do like the aspect of the TODO list which is making a todo for a contact. Thinking back to the holidays, this would have been handy.
What's Really Happening with the IE7 auto-rollout: fact and fiction
Ask YC: Move to valley from UK to do startup
Hey guys,

We are looking to apply for the next batch of YC funding, but if that doesn't pan out then we still want to move to the valley to do the startup.

Visas seem like the biggest issue here. Anyone got any experience of this?
I don't think a recession would impact me negatively whatsoever. Perhaps I might further reduce costs slightly. I do know many people that would get hit hard right now if things went south.

However, if we hit a full out depression I could potentially be impacted, however there would be plenty of opportunity in such an environment.
Teach your brain to stretch time
"Patronizing" is an understatement. What a tool this writer is.

Recessions can suck, but -- as another replier said -- it's not an opportunity for "what's the matter with kids these days" jealousy. I started my career in 1989 and it took me over a year to land a job. In 1991 I had to quit because of a family emergency, and didn't work again until 1993. The recession played a large part in that. But I don't begrudge those who haven't had harder times for a second. Envious? Sure. But good for them. Seriously.

Oh, besides: we're not in a recession yet, and 60% of the reason we'll end up in one is because the entire world is now repeating "we're in a recession" as if it's some kind of robotic mantra. If you believe it, you will make it come.

I often think that recessions are more the result of Catholic guilt (Protestant guilt? Jewish guilt?) than real economics. Read articles in the WSJ and the writers will actually say things like "oh, it's about time, we really deserve this, things have been to good for too long" as if God Himself is going to render judgement. We've stayed up too late, and now Daddy is going to punish us. I beg these people: go to therapy (while you can still afford it) and leave your childhood problems out of this.

</rant> <blush>
EveryBlock (Adrian Holovaty's newest) launches - hyperlocal news for NYC, Chi, SF
My startup: Genetic testing for CCR5 delta 32 (HIV Resistance)
Excellent point. In the last 'big one' (2000-2002) I worked for a startup that actually benefitted from a falling stock market. (The bond market rallies, which brings down mortgage prices; you may be able to figure out what industry this is.)

I didn't feel the crunch much at all -- lucky me. But it's hard to be oblivious to it when your friends are having problems and the Valley is getting press for holding so many Pink Slip Parties.
If you mean "stop using the government to hand large bundles of tax dollars to the ultra-rich" then one can't help but agree with you.

If you mean "things have been too good for too long and now we have to pay for it because we deserve it" then: the economy isn't your Daddy. It's just a market.
Sure they are. If you're relatively young (mid-20s) then you might not mind living someplace cooler. Problem is that crime tends to go along with coolness; after a while, you actually appreciated mild gentrification. Believe me, Potrero Hill ain't the 'burbs. A little mineral water isn't the worst thing in the world. At least it's not the ghetto anymore.
Ask YC: Would you still apply to YC if
Ask YC: Would you still apply to YC if your application could be viewed by anyone?
Rich Programmer Food
When I was younger I would have been worried about someone stealing my idea but now I think I'd be fine with it.
Thanks news.yc. What do you think?

This is our first site to be selling tests, we've got something of a business plan involving marketing different genetic tests to different audiences: men, women, b2b, etc. Send me an email if you'd like to see one of our other, flashier sites that isn't quite ready for launch.
When data center cabling becomes art
* target audiences *

Craigslist m4m?
Chandler and Python: don't blame the tools
Despite your crudeness... that's actually not a bad idea...
http://theschemeway.blogspot.com/2007/07/recruiting-secret-w...

"Great programmers are not looking for jobs. They already have one. And they don't want to switch from one Java job to another, unless they are dissatisfied with other aspects of their job. But a fraction of them would easily consider another job if it involved Scheme, Lisp or Erlang programming (or other non-mainstream languages like OCaml, Prolog, Haskell, etc.).

So I claim that it is easier to recruit Scheme, Lisp, or Erlang programmers, even in Montreal, than Java/C# programmers. Given that you use the right channels (Standout Jobs, or by advertising on group specific mailing lists/blogs). These languages are not only secret weapons for implementing new applications, but they are also secret weapons for finding new employees. I strongly advise new startups to consider these languages if they want to have an edge when looking for new employees. In Montreal, I am convinced that there is now a critical mass of Scheme/Lisp/Erlang developers to mitigate all the risks usually associated with the use of non-mainstream languages."
Redeye VC: After the Techcrunch Bump
Facebook 'working' the masses now?
$7.1 Billion Fraud - Could Be The Largest Trading Fraud Ever
I think the guys over at http://auctomatic.com/about did that. They might give a few pointers if you emailed them. They're still pretty small.

And, generally due to our current administration, I think that the visa thing tends to be a nightmare.
I'm almost certain that that's what he meant (or something close to it). If not, then he hasn't looked into the relevant statistics, or doesn't understand marketing.

EDIT: Well, I guess he has looked in the relevant statistics.
Certainly men who have sex with men are a scientifically studied group with regards to CCR5 delta 32. We link to this study on the site. http://hsphsun3.harvard.edu/faculty/seage/JAIDS2001-27-p472....
exactly what I was thinking. Doesn't really encourage the "take the plunge" and then figure it out attitude that I think a lot of entrepreneurs have.
What about Soma or the Mission?
The visa thing, sadly, ends up being a nightmare under pretty much any administration. Not that the current one has helped matters (far from it), but basically it's been a bit of a hassle as far back as I can remember (mid-late 90ies).
Funny, when I first read it, I thought the whole thing was tongue in cheek satire. Now, I'm not so sure. Maybe the lesson is that, unless you're onion, save the satire for when you're in person so you can make sure the recipient knows.
1. You're assuming the threat is targeted. You'd be just as liable (and it would cause you just as much damage) if Amazon's janitor decided to walk off with a couple of hard drives.

2. You not knowing which server your data is on is just as bad. You can't actually guarentee me that my data hasn't been stolen. You have no way of knowing.
Why is the term MSM used instead of "gay men"?
Tufte-worthy!
Imagine being able to re-watch your lectures online when studying for an exam...that would be great.

It is fantastic that such lectures are being put online for the use of anyone.
They take away your Science Sounding Licence (SSL) if you fail to meet your TLA quota.
At Georgia Tech, they filmed a lot of lectures and you can go back to the library and watch the tapes there. I found it to be one of the best ways to study for an exam. It's funny how the second time you watch a lecture, it all seems so easy to understand.
It sounds like you're making a lot of assumptions about the storage hierarchy and addressing scheme.
+1 It certainly beats that other junk you were trying to push:-)
I have to echo the same sentiment. I once had CDs from Amazon left by UPS at my apartment doorstep, only to have someone else lift them. Amazon sent me new ones, with (almost) no questions asked. Cost: They ate the cost of 3 CDs one time in 1998. Value: I've rarely shopped anywhere else online in the ten years since.
Because not all men who have sex with men consider themselves gay. And some gay men are celibate. For this study, at least, MSM is the most relevant term.
Never trust a trader who only has 4 friends on facebook.
So if your software was web based you could cut out the download step, the install step, the finding the website step, and probably the where to purchase step.

Quit building installable software.
People in sales, you mean? I would not call that everybody.

To contribute, I'm not sure this website does anything that I would want. It seems like sort of an address book + note-taking utility. Even if I had an online address book (I don't; Facebook keeps track of anyone I care about), I doubt I would want or need to take notes in it. As someone else wrote, why do I need to remember what people like? Facebook has a laundry list of my friends' interests. Further, anyone amongst my Facebook friends is someone I actually know in real life, and therefore am unlikely to forget about.

Maybe as a Facebook app? But even then, I'm not sure I see the value-add. Maybe I am just not within the target demographic...
"Compared to the rest of the internet", it says.
You should use Authorize.net to process your payments...so your customer can stay on your site...I wouldnt like having to go to google to pay if I was going to buy.
hmm, might just do that. I heard that the visa thing would be bad, but it sounds like it's not completely impossible either.
Nope.

Some smart people started the meme that ideas are less important than execution. That statement is very true. Unfortunately, there are too many cargo culters out there who take bromides like this to the extreme just because their favorite guru said it.

If you've got something innovative, why in the world would you want to give a group of entrepreneurial hackers not only your idea but enough about its execution and strategy to attract investors? Doesn't make a bit of sense to me.

I can already hear the wags saying, "You must not be very confident in your ability to execute better than the competition." My preemptive response to that is that there always exists a group of people who can execute an idea just as well as you can. Your likelihood of having the dominant implementation of an idea is based not only on solid execution but luck, relative time to market, and other factors -- most of which are not served by giving away your strategy to potential competitors.

Don't get me wrong, I give out ideas all the time, will talk openly about things that I'm working on within reason, and will risk strategies getting out when I pitch investors, but that's much different from guaranteeing that the blueprint to your business will be handed out to your competitors on a silver platter. That's not wise unless you consider your competitors really incompetent. I think too highly of my colleagues here to do that. :)
Chris Harrison is smarter than me, and works much, much harder. Note to self: "Must destroy Chris Harrison!"
Is there any guarantee of confidentiality? I looked in the FAQ and saw nothing. This seems like a very sensitive test; I would not submit anything to someone who did not _absolutely guarantee_ confidentiality. Even then, I would be a little wary of doing something like this over the web.
Out of curiosity, what was the "almost" no question asked?
both are royalty free stock photos
yeah the ui has shortcomings here and there - but hopefully hopefully it's good enough in the very short term; our focus right now it bringing out new functionality (and fixing bugs - which I think a YC'r just stumbled upon)
"CRM for your friends" - that's a better tagline. It's a consumer version of Highrise.
I like the idea, and I find the problem that you address to be a very good one. The wording on the website is a little on the mushy side, as if it were a dating site.

The biggest problem here is that you really need to get into people's inboxes somehow (like xobni). This is why I am not signing up - I know that the cost/benefit is too high for me - I am not capable of regularly returning to a destination site unless it involved something absolutely essential, like paying bills, or a fun time waster, like ycnews.

But I want to use your product. My email is all gmail. The information is all there: who I've corresponded with recently.

Perhaps you could latch onto the social networks, and monitor the inbox and wall features. Most of my neglected friends are connected to me on facebook...
Yes, privacy is of paramount importance. We would only disclose information if we were legally compelled to do so. I will add this to the FAQ.
A pastebin written using Django. Source available as GPL.
Source is available at http://7days7apps.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/pastebin/
I guess the front page still isn't strong enough to convince everyone...

you have good points - and we're working on it. right now what we have is a very basic version of what we'll be eventually pushing - which meets our needs but may not meet everyone elses. we just had to make a choice of either being cool vaporware or something that just came out

"why do I need to remember what people like? - anyone amongst my Facebook friends is someone I actually know in real life"

out of curiousity and research - how many people do you like? how many friends do you have on facebook?
This is a great idea. I think that you should work on the presentation of the site, though. In the Web 2.0 world it's considered stylish or at least excusable to have a very barebones site, but the average person needs a more reassuring presence in order to trust someone with sensitive medical information.
I'd like to try the site without having to sign up. Let me get started and if I want to save my work and register then I can do that later.
The Explanation Problem and why we suck at it
versatile by design
Usability and Interface Design Books
It takes just 2 points (one vote from one person) to get something to the front page on hacker news.

Are you planning on increasing the threshold/required criteria, paul? It's not really necessary at this point, but do you have a plan in place for when it does become necessary?
I agree, it's on our to-do list. Though Google's $.20 + 2% - adwords discount is anticompetitively good.
I guess there's a loss of context then. To me the main reason ppl join friendster and myspace is to meet new friends (who typically are only online) hence - "You already have tons of friends..." so what's the point in myspace? - here's something u can use

I guess we need to tweek it

well thanks for the feedback - if anyone has suggestions on this one please let us know
You may even want to crank out some legalese about precisely what is done with the info: how long it is retained, what exact circumstances would compel you to release it, etc.

Sounds like you have the right idea, though.
Microsoft Startup Accelerator adds 30 new companies
yeah... this is one of many mountains we have to climb... the problem with gmail and any web mail is that it's closed (I think the reasoning is security). Right now the only way I know how to access them is through scraping...

Since we have social website apis - we figured it'd probably be a good initial focus outside of the stand alone site; given we're not as big as say Plaxo

Yeah given the good feedback it sounds like we have to work on the wording... it's been a thin line balancing it out - but yeah the mushy part is a good point. not sure how to do it and still include that this is for your family and your significant other too and not just friends
Sometimes you can get a story on the reddit frontpage (for about 3 seconds) from one vote if you upvote the instant it was submitted. It'll go the same way here, where one vote just gets you to the front page for a very short time.
Anybody ever read "Ugly Americans" by Ben Mezrich? This reminds me of that. (BTW - he was the guy that wrote "Bringing Down the House")
What does it matter if they don't consider themselves gay? If you smoke crack on a regular basis, you're a crackhead, regardless of whether you identify as one or not. Denial is irrelevant.

Some straight men are celibate. They still get called "heterosexual", though. Straight men who are not celibate are not called "men who have sex with women" (MSW?).
Facebook friends weigh in at around 65.

There are really only about 30 I give a damn about, though. The rest get a very restrictive, business-purposes only profile. I am extremely hesitant to release too much information online, and only grant friendship privileges to people I know and trust in real life.

Granted, I do know people who have hundreds upon hundreds of friends. But the question is, do you really care about all those people, enough to catalog by hand what they like and dislike?

Haha, maybe I'm just antisocial. Good luck regardless; I admire anyone with the drive to release a pet project. Even if your project fails, you tried. And I'm sure it was fun to make...
It might also help to be wary of those 4 friends.
If wealth causes wealth, why don't dynastic fortunes even keep up with inflation? The Kennedys are poorer than they were fifty years ago, the Rockefellers are poorer than they were 70 years ago, the Du Ponts have long since peaked, the Mellons are pretty marginal, etc., etc., etc.

"Although education can cause wealth in some cases (and only in the "developed" world at that) in most cases wealth is passed down generation to generation."

Empirically false. The US real GDP has more than doubled in the last thirty years, so half of our total wealth didn't even exist a generation ago.
very good idea - we have to think about the tech tradeoffs though for a while... it's a bit tricky given our current setup and our short term milestones

right now my thinking is if the front page(s) doesn't convince you - then we have to improve the page
The thing about those areas is that the feel changes from block to block. Soma felt a little sparse/rough to me, but there were definitely good pockets. I've got my fingers crossed that I'll be able to get into a place in the Mission, just southwest of 19th and Valencia.

Also: avoid citiapartments if at all possible. They're trying to run up prices for rathole apartments, and they are complete assholes about the whole process. I made the mistake of looking at several of their places on the first day I was out, and they were trying to tell me things like "out-of-state renters usually get passed over on the better deals and have to pay a premium" and "you have to jump on one of the first places you see, because everything gets snapped up in the first few hours of being open for showing".
>What does it matter if they don't consider themselves gay?

Well... this is mostly semantics here, but the term MSM is what makes the denial irrelevant.
I've skimmed, not read, the article, but it's good enough that I'll be causing some tree-death to read it slowly on the train home tonight. I might have to rebalance my algorithms v. compilers heuristic.
For gmail, don't scrape. Use a browser extension, ask for person's gmail credentials and process the emails server-side. Just ask users to enable their POP.

Showcase the info in the extension as a sidebar, etc., with updates say every 10 minutes.