skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
I would go to rentacoder.com, if I were you. Why are you so eager to give away equity if it's so valuable? No one is willing to take your idea sight-unseen, but people will do it for real money on rentacoder--if you're willing to put your money where you mouth is.

Imagine I told you I had a secret that would make you 100 MILLION dollars. I'll tell you the secret, but it will cost you $10,000 to learn it. I'm thinking you wouldn't bother. Why? Because the real value of the secret in this kind of asymmetric exchange is only apparent after it has been shared, so the deal never happens. In the back of your head, wouldn't you also be wondering why I didn't use the secret to make myself 100 million and why I'm so concerned with $10,000 if I have a secret worth so much?

I have a folder of over 40 of my ideas I don't have time to get to and so your idea would have to win out over the alternatives, but it can't beat the alternatives for anyone if you never share it.

Perhaps its most valuable as a story when you're older about "the one that got away."
Portland: Free Geek http://www.freegeek.org/ And random NE, SE, and NW cafes.
sadly, avast thinks it has a worm :( (tried downloading the exe file)

*edit: just downloaded the zip file and it works. im not sure how a kid could play with this though, i tried playig around with it and i couldn't even make a car.
Well, in general you're right. I just found the above poster's post (to which I responded in length) unbelievably obnoxious and pretentious. When it's the coding part, it's, "Why should "I" work on "your" idea ..."

And yet, if there are any financial results, all of a sudden all the results of "my idea" are 100% his, and all of a sudden it flips and becomes, "Why should "I" ... share "my" results with you?"

So when it's just an idea, it's mine. When there's money to be made, all the money belongs to whoever coded it and it's up to him to "share" any money made off my idea. But that's only if there's money to be made.

It just seemed incredibly beyond belief and revealed the kind of thinking that makes me reluctant to discuss it openly with programmers. Like there's no real money on the table yet, but even hypothetical proceeds are automatically his property to share with me as he sees fit.

It's like, if this is how it is when the money's not real yet, I can only imagine what it would be like if it was really on the table ...
Ok, I'm now being overly-pedantic :)

I don't think alexa "scales up." If they do, then, you're right, there is uncertainty. If they don't, I don't think there's a concept of an error bar here. They track how many people go to what sites. Aside from a few dropped packets here or there, there is no uncertainty in that measurement. Therefor, there is no way to measure that sort of error bar. (Right?)
This was an interesting post; thanks. The tricky part for me is it's apparently not obvious in a perception way, (at least not for others, to me it seems so obvious I can't believe it wasn't done years ago), but once you "get it" then it's easy and obvious to get.

You may be right about the "good enough" part. Good enough with huge marketing seems to win quite often in the marketplace.
rimshot
I agree with the above comments. 10x is standard for tech companies. And if you have seen such phenomenal growth, why sell now? Do you feel you cannot sustain such growth? I would say take those profits re-invest in yourself and try to reach targets that will warrant a better buyout.
Assuming "calculating the bias" is a well posed question (and I'm not convinced it is) then measuring that bias is a noble goal for alexa engineers. Surely this is a multi-phd-thesis kind of problem though :)
if you haven't noticed, your thread is dead. also my votes don't count now like rms'.

btw don't make threats lightly, and maybe you shouldn't post about them in public in advance.

edit: i don't know why it's dead. and your reply to this is dead too and i can't reply to it. but the parent of this comment is not dead.
Agreed. I read through the entire thing expecting to eventually see some claim that was worth reporting, and yet it all seems like it could be summed up as: Wikipedia Founder took some people to an expensive dinner (shocking!), has very unpleasant ex-girlfriend.
Hey, you have "email me" in your profile info, but a feature of this site is that the email box in your profile only shows up to administrators. So you need to write your email address again in your about me.
Why level off? Is it because of resources (lack of) that'll limit growth, or something about the market you're in? That may have a factor in the price you could ask for.
I find it funny how in a programmer's mind it's "my idea" and why should they work on "my idea" ... but if it takes off and there's any money to be made, all of a sudden all the results are "theirs" and why should they "share" any subsequent results with me?

So if the results haven't happened yet, it's just my idea. If the results = lots of money, it's all theirs to share with me as they see fit.

To paraphrase you, you can't really blame me for being cautious with programmers, especially if this thinking is typical of what goes on in their minds, right?
Why is my thread dead? I looked over the guidelines ... what rule did this break?

Edit: What da? Everything I post is auto-dead? I looked at the guidelines I can't find something I obviously crossed over, so ...
5 Women, $1 Million, One Website: WowOWow.com Launching Saturday
Paul, the thing is, you ARE too full of yourself. At the YC interview, when we went around the table and shook hands it went "Hi, I'm Jessica. I'm Trevor. I'm Robert." And then you just smiled, because of course you were Paul. We were just supposed to KNOW who you were....

Taking away rms's voting rights isn't about improving the discourse of this site. It's about your own sense of self superiority.
Oh. Didn't know that. Thanks I changed it.
You did not start a company in 6 years. You have been giving excuses (probably valid) for most advice that people here are giving you. Don't suffer anymore. Call IBM and ask for a job, show them you know more shit about this than all of them put together. If you get hired atleast you will be working on something you really like and also get credit for that.
Google summer of code 2008 is starting soon. Applications are due at the end of this month. Participating FOSS projects will post project ideas soon, so just visit some FOSS project that interest you and shop around their task list.

Actually, you may have to wait a couple of days, most FOSS projects are just getting started organizing their task lists.

GSoC is a great way to get into open source: you are getting paid, you have a personal mentor, and you get to work on something _you know_ people care about.
You're making up an elaborate theory out of randomness. We interview startups one after another all day long. We don't all say our names every time. Another iteration and maybe it would be Robert who just smiled and said hello. But then of course the evidence you'd select would be something else.

As for Rms: he abuses the voting system, I send him an email asking him to stop, he won't stop. And when I suspend voting for his account after this, it's out of my own "sense of self superiority?" WTF? Any forum administrator would do the same under the circumstances.
It's strange to use Mailinator for contact... Everybody can check your box there!
I never said I wouldn't stop. I stopped as soon as you told me too. Sorry for not making that explicitly clear with my email.
Facebook viral marketing: When and why do apps "jump the shark?"
haha, I knew somebody was going to say this. Sorry, got personal and immigration reasons not to leave (green card process), so my hands are tied thanks to the us immigration system.

And it is not that easy to leave. A lot of people have personal reasons, to put up with less pay for a while, (i.e getting married in few months, planed vacation, some surgery to get done, work is close to home and to the kids school, hours are convenient) etc....

Pay is not the only thing, but if it gets too low, then eventually people move on. On the longer term things do correct, but on the shorter term not everybody has the option to leave. it's not like you are selling stocks, and moving to something else. Fluidity is limited.
Not any forum administrator. That isn't what I would do.
i am not from india. what I would do there anyways? Europe is much better.
Cool.

Would it be possible to push it to S3 too? I'm not familiar with the internal structure of a git repo, would it involve reuploading the majority of the data on a commit?
Switching between "school mode" and "startup mode"
For those of you who are students as well as entrepreneurs, how do you manage to switch between going to class and taking care of your school obligations in addition to hacking away at your startup? I find it nearly impossible to work on my startup on days that I've been in class because I'm thinking too much about what I have going on with school. It takes me roughly a day to switch modes, so to speak, and I'm definitely not getting nearly enough done on my startup compared to what I'd like to accomplish.

How do you handle that?
The Care and Feeding of the Press
I've had a similar experience that you may learn from.

In 96 I did my first startup, based on an algorithmic way of sorting links. Basically somewhere in between Google and del.icio.us. Me and my partner thought that Altavista, which at the time was the best search engine out there, fell short. We secured seed founding in the amount of ca. $100.000 and developed a working prototype of the technology. After this we needed venture capital to create and promote the product. This proved impossible to get. We talked to every VC out there, but the result was the same: "nobody needs another search engine", and "you can't make money on that" I was, however, convinced that the idea was sound so I carried on for almost 1½ years after funding ran out. In the end I had to give up.

It seems to me like you are in a similar situation.

Based on my experience what I think you should do is assess the situation seriously, and have someone you trust help you do this. When you're in the middle of it it is really hard to see the pitfalls and shortcomings of an idea. Look at what alternatives you have, try and write them down with pros and cons of each. Then take a decision. And do it.

Most important: Once you've made the decision don't look back.
Chicago: Cyberia Cafe (701 N. Wells) - Chicago Linux and other user group meetings get held there.
Since he is already obligated to give the majority of his stock to the B&M Gates Foundation, shouldn't that be subtracted from his net worth as it is an outstanding debt, so to speak?
I see it like a will, you don't subtract someone's will out of their net worth. He just set it up even more formally than a will because you need to take billions of dollars very seriously.
Write or edit documentation. A lot of open source projects need help in that department.
Agreed. You should look in to Hushmail, or even something as plebian as Gmail.
Some quick random thoughts.
What are the last N tools that collectively created a 10X productivity bonus for the type of work/products you are focused on? What's the status quo set you are going to measure yourself against?

I think the non-engineering tasks are actually evolving more slowly and might be the ones to target.
... And a pretty good movie, too!
Since you say you aren't a programmer, then I assume you did consulting under IBM and your proposal is a B2B application revolving around communications, and perhaps some CRM?

If your idea is really good, and you are significantly more knowledgeable about the field, you should be able to at least give a broad picture of what this is about. What field, who are the customers, what expertise is required?

The feedback everybody gave you is really awesome. The community here is one of a kind, but everybody still has their own interest. How would anybody know if they're willing to pitch in until you at least let them know what you want to do?

I've gotten emails from fellow readers who share similar interests. But as of yet, nobody knows what you're doing.
The biggest niche population of Alexa toolbar users is probably internet marketers.
I would refuse to use any site doing that. If the site had anything worthwhile on it, the content would be ripped to a blog, thus completely subverting your efforts.
thanks to another mass downmod i've lost 10% (45) of my karma over this thread. is that a record?
As tjr said, it would be helpful to know what sort of things interest you. My advice is to find an open-source project that you use every day or find technically interesting (firefox, amaroK, open-office, gaim...) and try to get involved.

If you are adventurous, and freshman year in college is the time to be so, don't pay attention to what language the project is written in -- working on a project with an established code base in a language you DON'T know might actually be better than getting into one in a language that you do, because it will better motivate you to become proficient in it and, though they won't necessarily want to hold your hand, you will have the oversight and assistance of everyone working on the project.
This is an issue that I have to deal with as well. The worst part is, I have some brain-dead classes that are simply required classes and I still can't really do much with them.

The trick for me has been to stay on top of assignments so that they don't get in the way. Ideally you could do all of your school on campus then head home and get to work. Another option is to bring a laptop into class and pretend to take notes while instead coding away.
I've seen you comments here and in other posts, and while I appreciate your posts I think there are two important things you need to learn. Please don't see this as an attack - it isn't. It's meant to be helpful and to get you moving forward.

1) You have to work on your attitude. I've noticed that you tend to look at the negative in a post and respond to it - this thread is a good example. People aren't trying to put you down, they're trying to help. And doing it for free in their sparetime. You should appreciate this. In the things I've been involved in I've been the glue that holds together the biz guys and the developers, so I can see it from both sides of the fence. And most developers don't like personal attacks. The way to handle engineers is to show them that you appreciate their work, are interested in their field, show themm that you have the capabilities and intent to carry through, and show them that they can trust you. Which you don't do by attacking them.

2) An idea isn't worth anything. I know from other threads that you have discussed this point before, but notice how most engineers stick to this point. I've had lots of people wanting to start something with me - and as soon as I hear "I've got a great idea, you just have to do xxxx)" I back away. What I need to hear is "I've done some serious research/business planning/budgetting/talking to customers/whatever and I would like you to be my partner. I basically need to see some footwork, and this needs to include some proof of concept - not a pie in the sky project.

Hope it helps :-)
Learn Programming Online, For Free: 75+ Open Courseware Collections from the Ivy League and Beyond
Do you want to grow up to be a programmer? The list begins with comprehensive courses offered through online college venues. From there, you'll discover various computer programs sorted by language or by technology.
By that metric pugs [1,2] comes to mind. Learning both Haskell and Perl is probably not a bad idea, in terms of breadth. ;-)

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pugs
[2] http://www.pugscode.org/
Don't ever believe the professor doesn't know what you are really up to when you "take notes" with your laptop. At any given time, half of the laptop-using class is probably on Facebook, Myspace, or plays Solitaire.

You can still do it, of course, but be prepared to miss out on some good will on part of the instructor.
And just why can't you give at least a vague sketch of your idea? Are you afraid us, the humble readers and commenters at Hacker News, will steal your idea when you plainly say that it took you 6 years of concentrated research and that 15 of IBMs top PhDs couldn't even begin to understand what you already know?
I have a somewhat related question, so I'll post it here and see if anyone bites :-)

I recently started programming, so that I would actually know what those darn coders were talking about ;-) I find it to be great fun, and want to do more. But I can see that I need to interact with other programmers to pick up ideas, habits, and the best way of doing things. So I also thought of joining an open source project. The problem of course is that i'm a complete noob, and probably won't live up to the high standards. How will that be seen in the community? And what should I do to get going?
Won't this be a problem in enterprise settings?

I can't imagine the IT department letting you install third party plugins.
Ask YC: What is your preferable development environment?
Linux with Gnome or KDE.
Mac or Windows?
Laptop or desktop?
In case of Linux, which distro?
Yeah! Since once you retire you can work on whatever you want, instead of only working on things that produce money.
The New York Times Perl Profiler
You have a market opportunity validated by IBM, with a 6 year head start in research. Based only on what you've written, with proper support you should be able to kick ass in an important market faster than they can. What's not to like?

If what you know is as important as you say it is, then either (a) IBM should be happy to pay you a handsome sum for it, possibly without needing you to commit an endless day job, or (b) you will be able to raise money and finally get that startup off the ground, provided that you can convince investors of your personal ability to start the company. Both of these options are better than what you had on your plate before IBM joined the fray, so I am puzzled by the attitude that comes across in your writing. You sound like you're sulking, which is not only very unattractive to any would-be co-founders or investors, but also contradictory to a rational account of your situation: didn't you just "win"?

* Also, talking to IBM need not imply agreeing to what they want. Find out what they'd offer for your expertise, and what kind of commitment you'd have to make. If it sounds good, take it. If not, do it yourself. You don't lose any of your advantage until you actually spill the beans. Certainly don't use threatening language. Simply based on how you've written this posting and responded to comments, I already have a strong gut-based bias against working with you.
Once I really get into the code, I couldn't care less what OS I'm on. I care about OS more for general use.
Macbook Pro + Emacs (aquamacs) = Love.

Anyone else find that they are absolutely bound to emacs and no matter what else you try to use, you find yourself, like a turtle returning to the beach where it was born, going back to emacs?

P.S. I have nothing against vi, but you know, turtles and nature and all of that.
Uranium Ore on Amazon
Yes, but he's set it up so that he only donates 5% every year. The rest is counted in his net worth.
Trolltech/QT are releasing a Webkit enabled component
Multitask in classes that are a waste of your time, I used to review contracts, write code, go over the finances of the biz and do homework in classes.

Condense your school work to a single day in the week or two consecutive days, I juggled my class schedule so all the courses I wanted to attend or had to attend were in a single day, I did all my homework assignment for the week the same evening and had the rest of the week free to work on my startup. It was an exhausting day but very rewarding and empowering.

Try to cast everything you learn in the context of your startup. This way your learning is more focused and powerful, it will improve your performance both in school and with your startup as it forces you to tackle the material head-on.
[SF] Scribd is Seeking a Rockstar User Experience and Visual Designer
Description

Scribd is looking for a seasoned user experience and visual designer to work with the product team on Scribd's website. The candidate will be responsible for developing elegant and easy-to-use interfaces that will enhance user experience and the community on the site. The candidate should be comfortable working in a fast paced start-up environment. The successful candidate will be very self-motivated, creative, and work well in teams.

Key Responsibilities

* Work with the product and engineering teams in designing and forging the user experience and visual design of the website
* Create consistent interfaces that enable users to easily use Scribd's site
* Quickly create and iterate on various designs through wireframes and comps
* Brainstorm with product team to design novel interfaces and designs that enhance the community
* Support engineering team by diagnosing and fixing usability bugs
* Implement designs using valid CSS and HTML

Required

* BA/BS or above in Visual Design, Interaction Design, or other visual arts
* 3+ years experience with user experience and visual design of high traffic websites
* An intimate understanding of social websites (like Flickr, YouTube) and what drives community within these sites
* A keen understanding of the common web user and how to design for them
* Working knowledge of user testing and AB testing
* Proficient with CSS and HTML
* Deep knowledge of web standards, usability design principles, and scalable front-end designs
* Well organized, open minded, and creative
* Must be able to work and communicate effectively in a cross-functional product development team, and present ideas and designs effectively
* Ability to work on and prioritize several projects at once

Preferred

* Knowledge of server side technologies, preferably Ruby on Rails
* Comfortable working with Javascript and AJAX
* An understanding of document management systems
* Familiar with SEO and Ad placement optimization
* Web 2.0 tools proficiency: RSS, XML-RPC, Blogs, APIs and Mashups
* Experience with release and source control software (CVS, SVN)

Please send resumes to jobs@scribd.com.
Doesn't the screenshot also suggest that they also use Linux. NYTimes now officially 0NzorTeHBaZonz0R
Try creating something of your own that utilizes other stuff. I always find that a great way to get caught up in the 'other stuff', as I invariably find bugs or things I'd like to improve:-)