skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
I don't want government to turn a profit. And, government shouldn't be in the excitement/inspiration/hope business.

When NASA started, private space exploration was unimaginable. Now, it seems very realistic. It's time to free the engineers at NASA from government bureaucracy by moving them to private industry. The profits/advances from space exploration can stand or fall on their own merit.
Yeah, sometimes novel phenomena are stumbled upon. Where they are deliberately stumbled upon I would call it exploration rather than science.

I don't think that exercise falls into that category. There is nothing surprising about exercise per se.

Popper once challenged an audience to go out and 'observe'; I think the point of his joke was that without knowing what you're trying to observe and why then the instruction is absurd.

In order to claim that 'more exercise is good' you need to start by guessing why some exercise might be good, whilst being open to the possibility that it may not be, and then start testing the best guesses. Otherwise you literally won't be able to interpret your 'more exercise' data, even if it is relevant.
All software could be better. No matter how good it is you can find things to improve about it.

As for Google's software, a lot of people at Google fully agree with the startup idea that you should release something fast then iterate. That means that we release a lot of stuff that (quite deliberately) doesn't have a lot of corporate spit and polish. And things that don't come to our attention as seriously needing improvement are liable to remain unimproved.

If you think that something particularly needs improvement, send feedback.
The spray, which is harmless to the environment,

The first thing I think when I read something like that is "how many years until they regret saying that?"
While some people with Asperger's experience problems with face to face communications and have an easier time dealing with people online, that's a sweeping statement.

I know Bram and I don't think he would care if I said that face to face communication is not a problem for him. In my time speaking with Bram both face to face and online, his primary characteristic per Asperger's has been a near complete lack of social fear.

Most humans get nervous in certain social situations. Bram does not. This will certainly cause problems when faced with someone that social might wield power, as an administrator, and Bram my have to pay for his lack of decorum in these situations.

I'm not excusing Bram's behavior. There is no need to excuse it. It has happened and he will pay whatever price is exacted. I'm simply explaining it.
Data Underload #7 – No Worries
GAH, why does Hacker News cut off replies at certain points?

This is a response to the child of this post talking about Chinese moon missions:

My thoughts will entirely depend on just what space development we have done in the intervening years. If some company is beginning an asteroid surveying mission or there is an orbital construction platform, I'm not going to give two damns about what the Chinese are doing with flags. Good for them!

If we are going to spend money on space we should stop thinking in terms of spectacle.
Some really useful tips here.

I always wonder if Reddit is profitable or not. Maybe it doesn't matter :/ Maybe it's a loss leader or something?
How hard would it have been for the reporter to do a search on Bill Watterson interviews instead of just guessing? The widespread low quality of mainstream reporting never ceases to amaze me - especially when we're supposed to believe that the traditional media are the last bastion of authoritative, reliable, professional journalism.
Ask HN: Which Ruby on Rails Book?
Obviously there are great online resources, but I'd like to crack the spine and smell the pages of an actual book.

-I'm new to Ruby, but a fast learner.

-I've had enough of PHP.

-I understand object orientated coding and MVC design principles.

-I want something that gets me up to speed on the idiosyncrasies of Ruby and the Rails framework.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :)

Edit: Formatting
A first look at NASA’s new budget
Plus you feel better the rest of time.
I certainly consider this bad news. I know there's a lot of people on here who poo-poo manned spaceflight as needlessly expensive and unnecessary. But let me say this, manned flight (both air and space) as inspiration is the number one reason that I'm an aerospace engineer today. I know I'm not alone in this. While moves like these make economic sense in the short term, I have no doubt that in the long term, they will rob this industry of talented and inspired people... in some ways, the lack of progress in aerospace in the last 30 years already has shown this to be true.

I'd rather the administration issue grand challenges in all fields (especially aerospace) in order to inspire us today and future generations. Having an inspired workforce is the most critical challenge and essential to continued success and growth in any field.

edited to add: In case it wasn't clear, my point is that there is no way I'd be an aerospace engineer today if the aerospace vehicles and missions in my youth were unmanned/robotic. Yes, robotics is "cool"... but it's not even in the same league as manned flight when it comes to inspiration for me.
You are implying that the Chinese going to the moon will harm us. How so?

Maybe instead of thinking "Damn, there's a Chinese person on the moon!" we should think "Wow, there's a person on the moon!" and then maybe "But why?"
I remember graduating with my CS degree and having multiple job offers, and my electrical and mechanical engineering friends having the same. And the lone aerospace guy in our circle with no job prospects at all. And he'd probably worked the hardest of all of us. Sad.
The New Rules: Why China Will Not Bury America
My local paper ran an article about Watterson and the adventures of the reporter who tried to track him down.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10020/1029428-44.stm
I don't care about initial spit and shine. Really I don't. As soon as Chrome came out I downloaded it and used it even when it didn't have Adblock.

But Blogger has been out for a looooong time.
Plus I think you would be inundated with a bunch of unique one-off problems that while technically could be solved/improved via a tech solution, lacks the footprint to make it worth anyone's time.
Thank you very much for digging that up. It's an interesting piece of background.
He sounds like a very emotionally mature individual. He's living his life his way, and though he notices the reaction of others to his creations, he doesn't define himself by them.

Think about a project you're really proud of. Now, think about how you would feel if that was all that anyone associated you with, regardless of your other accomplishments. It's your choice of emotion. I put it to you that he's made a very sane choice in how to react - he's let go of it and any baggage that could be associated to it.

In a world that lauds "reunion tours" and the like, he's a breath of fresh air.
That's a fairly common thing to do though. "My IQ is 200, but I don't believe in IQ tests. By the way did I mention my IQ was 200?"

(Joking aside, I think you conveyed it pretty well, though I have no real clue what a GRE score of nearly 20 years ago means relatively speaking, or how you can convert it into a measure of intelligence at all...)
It's kinda like an organization designed around the pinnacle of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslows_hierarchy_of_needs
The bigger question is that does having a bunch of friends over to watch anything on your big-screen tv violate copyright law?
Always amazed at how much he looks like how he drew Calvin's Dad.
I don't want government to turn a profit.

If the purpose of government isn't to guide a nation to increased prosperity, what is it?

Every activity the government undertakes should be with an eye to creating the conditions for future prosperity. Public schooling. Secure borders. Fair and equitable laws. And investment, on a grand scale, in technological progress, like the internet we're using right now.

If anything I get wary when the government deviates from that goal. But never fear - if there's one thing the US Government is not doing right now, it's turning a profit.
Speaking of which, I've been looking for a new Twitter-alike since Twitter hard-limited tweets to 140 characters. It's just not enough.

Any suggestions?
Ask HN: Database with country names down to the city, etc.
Hello HN,

I remember reading these in HN a few months ago. Apparently they were free. They had coordinates, country names, cities, towns, etc.

Can anyone point me to a reliable site with a good database for such?

Thanks!

-Wenbert
Sly Stone Accuses Former Manager of Stealing $30 Million
Well, when you say it like that...

There's also a big-font preface: "This only happened to work out well in a very specific instance and while a few elements of my story may be generalizable to your startup, so don't follow any of my advice as though it were intended to be guidelines-for-success."
Actually, these are a bit of a break from writing. The videos are intended as an entry point for my book: http://www.speakhuman.com. My hunch is that a great many folks don't read as quickly as you do. As such, the videos are here to bridge that gap. My hope is that they see a video, find something they like, and then get the whole book.

I also write essays at http://www.ideasonideas.com. My feeling, though, is that there's a real mix of preferences out there. I'm not particularly interested in watching videos, but I suspect that many do.
This leads to another point of interest. How astoundingly complex the company is. I believe that organizations naturally evolve until they are as complex as the people in them can handle. Well Google is tackling really big, complex problems, and is full of people who can handle a lot of complexity.

What do you mean the company is complex?

It's not clear to me why solving difficult problems merits organizational or operational complexity.
I guess by pick up Python you mean learn enough Python to translate translate a Java program to Python?

If you can write idiomatic code in a dynamic language a week after switching from C++ or Java, teach me your skills.
"The spray forms a water-resistant layer, meaning it can be cleaned using only water."

This sentence does not lend the rest of the article much credibility.
Last Fall I bought Agile Web Development with Rails (http://pragprog.com/titles/rails3/agile-web-development-with...) and found it to be very helpful in transitioning from .Net to Rails. Based on how you describe your experience, you would do fine with this book.

There are a few more basic books, however, I didn't want to read 500 pages just to learn how to build a blog.

I also recommend watching some of the Peep Code videos as they go more into depth on specific topics.
Foursquare goes primetime
Article already appeared in http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1077656
"The other way to do is to pass general 'catch-all' laws. Something like the 'obstruction of justice', or 'looking suspicious'. Combine that with total surveilance and selective enforcement and you have a perfect police state."

My favorite is "mopery". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mopery

When a co-worker (ex-cop) told me about this, I nearly died laughing at the insane genius of such a thing. He said that, basically, a cop could always find some reason to roust someone they didn't care for, even if in the long run the charge didn't stick.
This is very cool, it would be neat to tie this to a term sheet generator/calculator and show the impact of different clauses and possible events.
I think Google tries to use data-driven evaluation as a way to try to minimize the risk of failure seen in many startups. This has a downside too (beyond what I think you are thinking of). Lots of ideas actualize, and though they don't die, they also don't really go anywhere...witness the various non-monetizing products google has out there with fairly minimal user communities -- particularly against the competition.
IPad is not turning complete
I can only assume the downvotes are due to my explanation of python as a language.

When looking for jobs, you have to see how the business world views a certainly technology, not a collection of personal opinions.

Python is a great tool no doubt - but I see little in the way of careers revolving around just python knowledge. In most hunts I see it as "icing on the cake."

But again - take my word for what its worth - a guy on the internet. However, the fact the OP even posted this question only supports my argument.
There are so many stories in non-technical media that make you question whether or not they're pure fantasy. The only technical area I have advanced knowledge of is software programming, and often when I read media stories where that knowledge is relevant it's really cringe-worthy. I can imagine an engineer at this company reading this and thinking, "well, not quite..."
I honestly prefer fee-per-month software. It is MUCH cheaper than the equivalent valued software would be for the first 4-5 months, and most software is used infrequently, so I usually save money with the starting and stopping of subscriptions.
You are welcome. I just stumbled across this collection from WikiQuotes; very much worth a browsing (if you've read C&H).

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bill_Watterson
Yes, I'm with you. "The password problem" is a non-starter for me.
I read and re-read this book probably 100 times. It's really amazing. There's another collection of Sunday strips that has some commentary and the original sketches of the comic too that I really liked.

http://www.amazon.com/Calvin-Hobbes-Sunday-Pages-1985-1995/d...
the average DoGood user is someone who'll actually click on ads

I don't know if that's necessarily the case. I honestly can't think of a single banner ad that I've ever actually clicked and followed (though there have been some that I've noticed and kept in mind for later). I think that there is a large demographic out there, possibly including myself, who who be compelled to click on ads only because they realize that they are contributing towards something that they support. Personally, I don't particularly need help figuring out what to buy, but I wouldn't mind being better informed about causes I may be interested in.

This opinion, though, is not taking into account the business ethics of the service as a whole.
Very interesting, particularly the parts where the goals he describes wander off from where Apple is today. For instance...

The Internet is nothing new. It has been happening for 10 years. Finally, now, the wave is cresting on the general computer user. And I love it. I think the den is far more interesting than the living room. Putting the Internet into people's houses is going to be really what the information superhighway is all about, not digital convergence in the set-top box. All that's going to do is put the video rental stores out of business and save me a trip to rent my movie. I'm not very excited about that. I'm not excited about home shopping. I'm very excited about having the Internet in my den.

...whereas these days "home shopping" for media is obviously a huge source of revenue for Apple.
hey Wenbert,

I've got one, let me dig it up for you, just a moment.

edit:

Ok, ready for download, it's a mysql dump so you can simply read it back in to any mysql server:

http://autotagger.com/geoinfo.dump.gz

41 Megabytes, 2.67 million towns & cities, fields are country, region,name,accented name,latitude,longitude,verified,current,prefered and population.

The 'verified', 'current' and 'prefered' fields are all internal to an application I wrote so you can lose those safely.

I've also added tables with countries, country aliases and regions.

edit2: holy guacamole, easy guys, that server is only on a 100 Mbit uplink.

I figured there'd be one download...
It seems to me that the problem is the price of these particular metals, not inflation in general.
I guess it's a bad sign that it took me a few seconds to figure out whether he included the analytical section in his score.
It's an interesting experiment, but I don't trust the conclusion. Automatic translation still tends to be fairly literal, rather than idiomatic. I have a suspicion that this tends to increase the average message length. An interesting experiment would be to translate English tweets into those various target languages, and compare the two. If my hunch is right, the text will get bigger in both directions. The ratio between the increases may be a good measure of the information density of idiomatic expression.
for me, remembering what username or email I used is the problem. It's further compounded by the fact that password retrieval sends it to the email I don't know I used, and that they usually don't have an obvious username retrieval method.
Oppose HB 1192 – The “Software Tax”
I'm surprised you don't know your own IQ score. I couldn't even make it to middle-school without having undergone a battery of at least a half-dozen IQ and aptitude evaluations. By the time I made it out of High School I knew probably more than any person should know about their own intelligence and had a pretty clear idea of the range my IQ would fall into as well as my learning styles, cognitive strengths and weaknesses, perceptual processes, learning disabilities, talents and gifts and aptitude scores on at least 3 standardized exams, and various other cognitive measures.

And I went to Public School.
Here's a trick: if you click the direct link to the post, you can reply there without any cutoffs :D

And hey, I agree. If Team USA is building orbital platforms and doing asteroid surveys by then, then I will be utterly delighted.

If, however, because of our lack of long-term vision and misplaced priorities, the space exploration arena comes to be utterly dominated by India, Russia, China, the EU and Japan, then I think I will be justified in lamenting the failings of leadership in my own country I perceive today. Well, I'm not even American actually (though I have family who are), but y'know, I feel a sort of inter-westerner kinship ...
Thanks. This looks great. It's exactly the sort of thing I am looking for as I too don't want waste time re-learning the basics!
What was struck down was Congress passing a law that restricts speech and the rational as published by the court clearly shows this is why the law was struck down. McCain-Feingold does restrict speech and does so in fairly arbitrary manners. I like the fact that McCain-Feingold attempted to "do something" but the court has ruled that how it does it is unlawful per the 1st amendment.

1st amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

It is critical when we talk about free speech in the U.S. to understand that this freedom is limited to Congress not making laws restricting speech. It does not mean others cannot limit speech.

For example, the case with "Bong Hits for Jesus", the court did not have to rule in the same manner as Congress did not pass a law limiting this speech, but rather a specific school made the decision on controlling student behavior.
Rubber material harvests energy from small movements
He's our Salinger.
A profile of software developers in Northeast Ohio
Microsoft Outpaces Apple in Customer Satisfaction: Chart of Day
> I bet the intelligence agencies have full bulk data access and probably a replication of all major email and social networking providers' data for mining purposes.

> I imagine the other three-letter agencies have their own versions whose existence is not yet on the record.

> We might not know all the details yet, but the writing is very clearly on the wall.

This is what I'm talking about; some of that is clearly bunk (the replication thing). As is your suggestion of unadultered access to Google and other companies with their knowledge.

As someone who works in law enforcement you would imagine that I would notice some of these things. Especially as I also work in computer security too.

But I dont see it Im afraid :)

> There are no barriers whatsoever to law enforcement or national security services getting whatever data they want, whenever they want, with no oversight whatsoever.

This is pretty incorrect - at least in the US law enforcement areas I am fairly familiar with (FBI, CIA). Beurocracy is a killer even in the world of hush.
He has been so spot on right about so many things it's amazing!
The budget is also increasing NASA support for (or dependence on) private spaceflight companies for their rocketry needs. SpaceX's Dragon space capsule has a manned configuration, and the Falcon 9 rocket is due to make its first orbital launch in the next one to three months. Manned spaceflight is not dying.
This has vast potential. I believe that we're entering an exciting period in terms of new materials, which have great economic potential for early adopters.
I'm not sure which is more amazing: that Watterson finally gave another interview, or that we're so eager to read it. "Calvin and Hobbes" has been discontinued for one and a half times the length of its run, and still we remember it with so much interest; Watterson was -- is -- a master.

(And while we're on a roll, can we also get an interview with Gary Larson?)
You're right, it's absolutely unscientific and the results are of dubious statistical significance. Going through machine translation makes the whole thing pointless anyway.

But it was fun to write, which I suppose was the actual point of it. One of the joys of being able to program computers is that when you want to have such a question answered, you can a short bit of code to get the answer.
Nah, the whole point was to have such an overwhelming physical representation of the reward. A check for $15K is sliced by taxes and allocated to something mentally with little physical stimulus. It's only $750 twenties which would be about the size of a hardback book. In ones, it's literally a briefcase full of money, so even though the amount is the same, you're like a guy in a movie, not just someone who's going to pay off a credit card.
I didn't mean to come across like that. I will be delighted to see a Chinese person on the moon. I will be delighted to see anyone on the moon.

What will dismay me is the short-term thinking that led us to squander our lead in the first place.

And as for "why" .. why do anything? "Because it's there".
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/55574/learning-ruby-on-ra...

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/83784/rails-books
Zune Phone to Debut at MWC, Will Use Nvidia Tegra
Indeed this is the logical choice.

But the beauty of humanity is we prefer to reach for extraordinary things. I bet a large number of people would still love to send manned missions to the Moon.
Inventor unveils $7,000 talking sex robot
Does this mean the only way to get people to and from the ISS will be via Russian spacecraft?
I work at a major (the biggest?) telecom equipment provider. For a couple of years, I've been doing ad-hoc Python scripts (say, 3000+ lines) to interact with network nodes, based on customer requests. So yes, there is room for professional, non-web related Python. I try to push the language for more developments, but it's hard to convince managers. I prefer the tools I make to the standard, corporate fat applications we sell for millions. If anyone is hiring on those skills, I'll be glad to hear offers.
It's just silicon dioxide, same as sand; the innovation here is is to liquefy and suspend it so it can form a layer rather than crystallize (looking at the product datasheets, it has a shelf life and is best within 6 months of manufacture - after which, I presume, it begins to crystallize or the SiO2 molecules begin to fall out of solution.
You're welcome. Glad to be of help.