skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
I really strongly disagree with all the suggestions that involve punking, shaming, or otherwise battling the offenders. Like I said, they are never paying members. It's not my job to teach them anything, and they're not going to learn it anyway.

If I spend time punking worthless trolls, it's not time spent enhancing the site for the users I do care about. It can be fun to get down in the mud and fight with someone, but considering that they will never become a paying subscriber, it's really just a waste of my time.

Instead, I just want to minimize the amount of trouble they cause.
We were rejected, with some recommendations on what to work on next; we changed our application for our technology when we heard that twice, then after nine months we raised money from a top green VC at a multimillion dollar valuation. We just made it through series B, and we're going to power the developing world before coal can get its pants on.
Currently -- none at all. This assumes a rather familiar audience :) I'm hoping to flesh it out to be a bit more user friendly soon.
Hmm. I think your comment sets a bad tone for the discussion, especially as the top-rated comment. While I wouldn't want to back many of these startups as they're written, I think some of them have potential to be grown into a viable business idea, and dismissing them all in one shot just biases the whole thread negatively.

I guess I'd just rather read constructive posts first.
Look into http://www.thehonestkitchen.com my dog loves it and they use top notch ingredients. It is not that well known but quite good.
I was rejected the first time, got in the second time, but dropped out a week later to run a different company. We were profitable at 32 employees and got acquired by Zynga last month.
I kept thinking, "They only have to say yes once, not in perpetuity." But they could shut it down to exert power. There are disputes in eastern europe where gas lines get shut down.

But in this case, their own people are going to be hurt by saying no. The powerful, rich, and elite as well as the common person. Imagine a country shutting down its airports.

Are there risks? Yes. People could die. Trains can crash. Terrorists can kill. But I prefer to make decisions for the upside. There's a lot of upside here. Overall, I think there is more upside than downside. Rails can be repaired if they are blown up. People can't undie, but we can't stop terrorism. We can't stop violence.

And yes, I agree. The U.S. does things that aren't in its best interests all the time. I haven't found much rationality in U.S. politics for over a decade now. Really kind of sad about it.

We can't even get high speed wireless here. I think we are bumping up against the limits of capitalism. Capitalism doesn't think long term. Loans must be repaid. Revenue must be made. But governments don't have time limits. China gets that. China builds huge dams and rail lines and roads up Mt. Everest.

The U.S. funds wars. Something has to change. Something has to change fast or we are going to be displaced and our quality of life is going to continue to deteriorate.
I don't understand something.
YC rejects groups because they have a limited number of slots. They say it's not that your idea is bad, but because they cannot fund everyone.
Then they open up the field for late applications.
For me, that means that they find my idea bad and they are still looking for good ideas to fill up their roster.
Does that make sense, or am I just bitter?
Joel, if you need to use a 'day care' to facilitate looking after a dog, you shouldn't have gotten him in the first place. Sorry, but that's not how it works.
I don't doubt that, just keep in mind how sensitive "geeks" are when it comes to advertising, affiliate links, etc. :)

You could just add a disclaimer like: "I use Amazon Affiliate links to link to books I like."
Good question. Wouldn't that still take almost a week?
I think the terrorism threat is overblown. This is going to sound horrible but very few people are killed by terrorists compared to pretty much every other cause of death.

And a lot of the discourse in countries like Pakistan is not pure terrorism but actually the deeper struggles of any authoritarian regime.

Call me a dreamer but I really do hope and think this will happen.
Yea, the romanization rules are only approximate at best. It won't properly transcribe 'doozo' either. I'd like to support some more advanced translations, but I'm trying to take baby steps -- both with the language and the program!

I've visited EDICT once or twice so far, but didn't realize they allowed reuse of their data. I'll pursue that further!

Thanks for the suggestions :)
From the article:

"...China’s new goal is to continue on with a HSR revolution internationally in order to create two-day HSR trip times between Beijing and London."
The popup for facebook login is annoying and is caught by ad blockers
I've seen footage of him doing a little dance with Fidel Castro. I lost all sympathy for him then.
Thanks HN: 100 responses to Xbox vs PS3 & still no resolution
I want to get a new video console and I can't decide between Xbox 360 or PS3. Both have their pros and cons (HD, BluRay, Netflix, etc, etc) but all I want is a sample of data from people with a hearty opinion so I can get the better one.

Thanks to everyone who responded with their opinions on which console I should get in my original request (http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dFFfUzlINDBTTHhWSjB3d0NjU1JHM3c6MA) Amazingly, after about 100 responses, it's still 50/50! All responses here, thank you: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tQ_S9H40SLxVJ0wwCcSRG3w&single=true&gid=0&output=html

Can we try this again a little differently? Just up vote the console you'd get.
Also, arigato gozaimasu! I appreciate the kind words :)
PS 3
Runaway Prius Probe Can't Verify Story
why does it matter?

Isn't it obvious? Presumably if you cared enough to apply, you care enough to hear why you didn't get in.
The total anonymity of chatroulette and the shock value of seeing random cocks makes it much more risky and exciting.

FaceRoulette is taking an awesome concept and making it too safe to be successful.

Sorry, just calling it like I'm seeing it.
How do you know your team is strong? What are your achievements? Strength is a relative thing.
I think they are just keeping the door open for the 'killer' idea & team.
In January 2010, the United States asked Pakistan to ... abandon its plan ... in order to isolate Iran.

What is an American to think of this? Am I suppose to like it because I'm an American or despise it because it is holding up a better life for humanity?
I mean, really, what makes you think you're different from anyone else?

Probably the same thing that makes you want to start a startup in the first place.
While his definition of 'programming' is a bit broad (he lumps in 'configuring things via menus' with writing code) and his vision for the application of programming skills in the future shows a lack of understanding of what code is useful for, I thought his analogy to medieval scribes was excellent.

Also, this is totally false (and a cop out, people can learn if they want to): "Most of the tools (and even the concept of programming) were developed long after these teachers were born or schooled."

Of course, I agree with his overall thesis, that coding will become as vital to expressing yourself as writing is today, and that is why I posted it.
It's just so demoralizing for someone to tell you that you aren't that 'killer idea and team' combo.
Great hackers see more solutions to big problems than they can ever possibly execute. Why hoard ideas?
I have to agree with the gp, a husky is not an average dog... unless doggy day care runs them about 50 to 100 miles a day.
Wow, didn't expect such interest from HN. Seems everyone loves trains. :)

Tangentially, what is it about trains anyway? Seems to me they hit the natural sweet-spot of "comprehensible speed" or speed at a near-human scale: not so fast and distant as to be alien like jets, but fast enough to be interesting. Oh, and stress-free compared to driving.
Why not? What obstacles do you see?
My C is devoid of Program Files and all my temporary files and such are also on my second drive. What seriously irks me is that some applications (especially games) install files to 'My Documents', I've admittedly not looked for a resolution to this as I have more than enough room to accommodate this.
House Votes to Ban Deceptive Census Letters
I'm very interested in seeing if this takes off...
Since YC is not giving feedback for our proposals, does anyone here know a reliable place to get advice from somebody like YC?
I did not downvote you, but this is by far one of the least intelligent comments I have read on HN.
Pandora for chat roulette is a bad idea? How can a recommendation engine for people possibly be worse than random?
That sounds like a very interesting project, I've read a bit on your pages and I figure Vuilleumier heat pumps or the Stirling cycle figure in there somewhere.

I wish you much good luck with this, one reason why I'm really happy someone is looking in to this is because coal causes more radioactivity released in to the atmosphere than nuclear plants even would.
Have you traveled on trains? It's so much nicer than planes. No security check, no long waits, no cattle herding.

Plus, they are more efficient. They are transportation of the future. The world is going to be going backwards in time as energy becomes more expensive. This means leaving planes and going to trains and wind powered ships. It's already happening.

Plus, it is a national recognition that long term thinking is beneficial. China in this case is a visionary example for the world. I hope the U.S. wakes up soon.
Damn, Spolsky can't even get a puppy without people second-guessing him. Can't a guy catch a break?
Productivity and Price
Demanding that the factory seal be intact is standard practice for traveling in the developing world. You definitely weren't paranoid.

In areas that don't have bottled water from a brand I recognize, I drink nothing but fermented beverages (I've brushed my teeth with beer).

I'd use brand-name ice cubes, if they were packaged in a known, trustworthy manner.
True, but funding is tough... Most entrepreneurs get used to hearing 'no', they press on and eventually get a 'yes'.
What's pessimistic about them? They're hundred billion dollar scale problems, surely one could recover some of that. Currently desalination plants are even more expensive, and they don't do anything with the waste product. And breeding isn't very expensive at all, though with dust mites it's tricky because they're quite small and transparent to visible light.
Cracking open five of the best open source easter eggs
Because daycare will ruin the animal or in some way constitutes abuse? Those are the only reasons I can think of why it wouldn't "work" that way.
This was actually built by someone at Reddit
Does anyone else marvel at Mikhail Gorbachev's writing appearing the in the New York Times? That, if nothing else, is a sign of how far we've come from the cold war days.
Doesn't work for me...
Well it's self-evident that the other teams conveyed themselves as being more spectacular. It doesn't mean you're not, possibly just that the words you used didn't make it apparent enough.

Also bear in mind that they're looking for ideas that have the potential to be hugely profitable and/or world-changing. Without knowing anything more about it, when I hear 'Facebook quizzes' my immediate reaction is that it's a little limited on that front.

But if, as you say, it's an idea whose potential might be hard for people unfamiliar with this type of product to understand, then you need to come up with a way of demonstrating it.

So get to work :)
I think everyone will agree the core thesis that a "primitive" economy based on natural resources will not make Russia a great country in the future is true.

The implication that it is fear that's keeping a more modern, complex and innovative economy from a evolving is more nuanced.

I think dictatorships like Singapore are not necessary bad for a strong and diverse economy. I think a true democracy is better, but not by much pure in economic terms. I think it's much better for your humanity.

What really plagues Russia is chaos, corruption and lawlessness. That's what's keeping the small and mid sized business down, they are the ones that could diversify the economy.
>> "the world keeps making more people"

Well said. A corollary is that Joel was unfairly labeled a "blogger" even though he never really blogged.

A blog is a reverse chronological list of short posts. Readers often assume a kind of exponential decay of usefulness, where old blog posts are far less interesting and relevant than new ones. Consequently, tech bloggers keep posting the same content, as if to say pay attention to this, it's still important.

What we really need is a new label for content like Joel's, one that doesn't carry any negative stigma for text written long ago. I have no suggestions for what that might look like, but I have to imagine there's something better than the status quo, which is:

(1) People keep posting the same stuff, and
(2) I send around a giant, growing list of old articles to every newly minted CS graduate I meet
So you applied for the validation?
The article is mostly good, though the author does not know a lot about programming and it shows.

The comments seem to suffer from light "facebook login" syndrome.
So how much did you charge him?
Why some smart people don’t take action?
I fully agree with the premise, if not with the details, programming to me in the broadest sense of the word consists of arranging elements in order to create new functionality.

Configuring something is not programming by that standard, but arranging functional blocks in an IVR system and linking them is. (even if that's a very limited environment).

I think a computer works for mentality the way a powertool works for a tradesman, being skilled in its use allows you to do more work or different work than if you were working 'unaided'.

The ability to use such tools is indeed almost as essential as the skill of reading and writing, and there is a link between them in the sense that for almost any activity that you could call programming you need to be able to read and write.

Schools are slowly catching on to how essential this is, and even though the various 'computer classes' still are not much more than glorified 'how to use excel' courses there is a shift in the direction of more universally applicable knowledge.
I made the same argument against these ads when a prominent VC used them and the hackers here jumped to support him.
Don't eat the vegetables, they grow in dirt!
Actually, thermal receipts fade over time (often as quickly as 18 months) so a picture is much stronger documentary evidence.
> ...as energy becomes more expensive.

Is energy becoming more expensive? A quick search (ie http://www.wtrg.com/oil_graphs/oilprice1869.gif) shows no such long-term trend.
I would definitely be interested in watching this, and I think the amount of feedback in this thread shows that others would be too. If you look at the Feedback section of railscasts.com you'll see that the second most popular request is for Ryan Bates to "Build an entire application over a series of screencasts" and it has almost 1500 votes.

Others have already pointed this out, but it's important to keep the screencasts short and try to split each project up into smaller videos by topic. I like screencasts, but there's nothing worse than sitting through an hour long video for 10 minutes of content. It's a waste of time, and it makes it difficult to find the valuable content again later without re-watching the whole video.
And that is one of the most worrisome aspects of modern american political culture. What happened to the country that put a man on the moon, that built the interstate freeway system, that made universal telephone and electric service available from sea to sea?

None of those projects could be done today, they require planning horizons of ten years or longer and even if the vision were there would become mired in petty politics and shortsighted penny-wise pound-foolishness.

Done right infrastructure projects create far more economic value than they cost over their lifetime.
Sounds agreeable, but HN is hardly the place to organize such an event... Twitter is! Think up a catchy hashtag and we'll see you there.
Seems like everyone on this is from news.yc.
The largest PROPOSED infrastructure project in history would be the Transatlantic Tunnel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_tunnel

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2004-04/trans-atlantic...
I want to qualify what I'm about to say with the fact that I love love love trains, and have spent significant (1000+) hours riding them.

I think trains, due mainly to speed, have a sweet spot to fill, and a future without air travel is not in the cards. Also, as trains become more popular, they will eventually become subject to the same security hassles as air travel.

So I'm not directly contradicting you. Trains will always be more spacious and allow more freedom to move about and dine in comfort than planes. I think they have a definite role to fill (any trip between 100 miles and 600 miles in length assuming decent speeds of 150mph+). I'm just saying the future is going to be a heterogeneous mix of transportation options.

Of course, if someone builds a train that moves at jet speeds, all bets are off.
It's interesting that he called out Medvedev as a voice of reason. Outside of Russia, Medvedev is often seen as a simple puppet of Putin. I'm reminded of a joke I heard a few years ago:

One day, Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev went out to a restaurant for a fancy dinner. Putin, naturally, ordered first.

"I'll have the steak."

The waiter replied, "Very good, sir. Now, what about the vegetable?"

To which Putin answered, "He'll have the steak too."
Well, if you really want to know, post your YC application. I'm sure people would read it (at least I would) and give feedback. It won't tell you definitively why YC turned you down, but it will probably get you a lot of interesting feedback.

(If you don't want to post it publicly, I will read it and give my feedback, but I don't have much experience in this area myself.)
My plan B was just to keep at it and build my business regardless .... the networking was the main opportunity I saw in YC, but I've been in SF the last week and a half busily introducing myself and my platform to the largest names in the casual games industry. I'm leaving SF without YC, but I've got the support and business of 5 (and possibly a couple more) of the biggest companies, and several have made private offers to help fund me through this year.

I'm going back home tonight so I can get back to work finally and just stop meeting people. I find something really daunting about talking to a group of people but fortunately most have been young, technical, and immediately seen value in my platform.
Thanks for the comment - my question/comment was about their seeming psychological appeal. Yes, they are usually more physically convenient and comfortable, but I believe there's something more to the experience than that. Just wondering aloud what that could be; I've felt more contemplative on trains than I ever recall being on a plane, or while being driven somewhere.
You may want to experiment with adding an "Emotional State" option to your support form following the Wufoo approach. They say that a large number of people fill it out and the byproduct is that people use calmer language because they are conveying how they feel through the dropdown instead of having to do it in the text.

edit: Here's the link to their blog post: http://particletree.com/features/on-asking-users-for-their-f...
High school summers spent working together on projects. Building viral products that made us money. Selling those businesses. Putting in after-work hours. Failing a lot.
if you make this on a weekend, you might get more people to make it up the city. I would love to attend, either way.
They're radical, not stupid. Offing a couple of fellow Muslims is one thing. Having both the US and China pissed at you would be an extraordinarily stupid position to deliberately get into. There wouldn't be a cave deep enough to hide in.
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Trains are more roomy and comfortable. You can walk around whenever you want. You can read easily. The noise level is much more bearable. There's less fear of it crashing. It feels faster because the earth is moving by closer.
My co-parent and I have a nanny to facilitate looking after our two kids. Pick the next sentence that appeals to you the most:

a) Fuck you for making me feel like I am neglecting them.

b) Thank you for making me think long and hard about the decisions in life that really matter.
It's a somewhat controversial practice, but one solution many people use is to quote a lower hourly rate, but bill hours based more on a guess of what "normal" hours for the work would be (minus a percentage to make yourself look extra fast), instead of how long it actually took you.

So if the customer thinks some job will take 10 hours, but you can actually do it in 1 hour, instead of trying to convince them that $5X/hr is a great rate given your productivity, just bill them for 5 hours at $X/hr. They'll still feel like they got a great deal, because they were expecting to pay for 10 hrs for the job.
> there is a link between them in the sense that for almost any activity that you could call programming you need to be able to read and write.

I couldn't agree more. With that in mind, his last paragraph really bothered me:

"Thirty years from now, will the United States be more competitive with a population that can read English at a tenth-grade level or with a population excellent at making the complex machines of that era do their bidding? The two options may be mutually exclusive..."

All the best programmers I know are also excellent writers. I don't know if I'd reach for causation there, but the correlation is impressive.
hey guys: I have news for you: Zuckerberg would not have done ycombinator.
I think ycombinator is great and all. But to make it in this cruel world as a startup founder, you need to be arrogant enough to be able to say $25,000 is not worth 5% of my company. To be honest, if you are not disciplined enough to moonlight and work on your startup and give away zero equity and actually earn the $6,000 it takes to live on for a few months to then quit your job and build your idea full time, you probably shouldn't start a startup in the first place.
no, I have not made it yet; but I'm damn sure I'm right about the above.
Thanks for reading. Don't give up.
Your non sequitur aside, I didn't apply this round.
The rule says you're gonna hear more feedback when people are unhappy than when they're happy.
So I thought I'd pipe in and say that I was totally aware of the affiliate link, and didn't mind it at all.
Can't you move the swap and hibernation files on the other bigger and slower disk? Since you are not going to use them too much, I don't see any point on keeping them on the fast disk.
The smoothness is part of it for me. If planes had no takeoff/landing, no significant banks, and no turbulence, but just straight-ahead, smooth-air cruising, I could see them being decently relaxing.
I'm in. Looking forward to meeting whoever shows up.
Those projects were all before the invasion of the Military Industrial Complex Eisenhower prophetically warned us about. Plus, stocks are traded by households now and are focused on quarterly earnings. Prior to the 50's that was only true just before the great depression and look where we are now...
This is true. The last thing I want to do is offend the community.

I would use your disclaimer suggestion, but the few dollars that my Amazon link would generate is not worth offending HN readers. Getting feedback, creating discussions, and contributing to the community is more important here.

Thanks for the suggestion.