skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
I went to Case and was a border (renter, not member) one summer in his former fraternity's house (Theta Chi). Kind of cool to see the composite photos from the late 50's which included him.
ScrumPad Offers Free Subscription for Bootstrapped Startups
ScrumPad, a popular and intuitive Web-based Agile project management tool, has recently made its service available to bootstrapped startups. According to the company Website, any startup with only founders on the team and without any external funding is eligible for the free service. If you are a bootstrapped startup and would like to track & manage your product development activities, you should check it out.
I used to work as a scientist for the Air Force and part of my job was writing reports and proposals. My community expected clear and concise technical writing. At the time I had a lot of trouble with passive voice and complex expressions. I was intimidated by our style guidelines and it really made it hard for me to start writing. One day I took a look at Style and Dict (GNU Tools for checking your writing) and wondered if I could do better.

I then set out to create After the Deadline (http://www.afterthedeadline.com) and it has changed my writing in two major ways.

1) Having a good tool in my corner gave me the confidence to focus on the content of my writing and not the mechanics. I knew I could run my writing through my tool later and get rid of the passive voice and complex expressions.

2) Having software beat me over the head with my bad habits forced me to notice them and what they were. I then stopped making some of these same mistakes. My writing is not perfect (and I'm in the position where some people find meaning in their life pointing this out), but it's passable. :)

So my recommendation for writers:

Know that not all spell and grammar checking software sucks. There are solutions beyond Microsoft Word. Find something that matches the style of writing you're going for and use it to help with the mechanical things.

I also recommend turning off the "as you type" spell and grammar check as it's a distraction.
I somewhat disagree. While this has been going around an awful lot, lately, I would not call it zero content. It doesn't have much text, but it makes its point quite succinctly. In terms of user experience, the user is penalized for taking the legal route. Describing this in text would likely be less effective (depending in part on one's writing skills) and take significantly longer to read and process.

At the same time, there has been more and more "Reddit" ("Digg", etc.) content showing up lately on HN. For me, the quality of this item rises somewhat above that, and its brevity does not cost me much time. Also, some people here have simply given up on the other sites due to the low signal to noise ratio. When an item contributes enough to thought and conversation, its repetition here may be appropriate.

To repeat myself, I find this graphic a cogent, concise comment on how the entrenched IP industry shoots itself (and its users) in the foot in terms of poor -- I might almost say sabotaged -- user experience. It might benefit from being cited in its original context (depending on the nature of that context) instead of as an isolated graphic or in some piece of blogspam (which the poster has avoided).
This affects the exception that causes the program to exit only. It does not affect exceptions caught and handled.
The article is right, but it's hard to read. If you don't read carefully, it seems to suggest cycling your battery more, when actually it just suggests not pushing it near 100% charge too long.

Here's a complete and simple summary of good practice: http://batteryuniversity.com/partone-21.htm (more details on other parts of that website) - for most geek-apparel, the LiIon column will be applicable.
Where is a good place to get started with studying formal semantics? I've tried to follow chapters about formal semantics in LiSP, TAPL, CTM, and _The Definition of Standard ML_ with varying degrees of success (the material in TDoSML was beyond me), but I'm not sure where to start. I know part of the issue is getting familiar with the dense notation. I'm gradually getting an intuition for the stuff, but reading the right book would go a long way.

I've wondered if this is one of the things I missed by being self-taught, but I don't think most programmers working in (say) Java or Python could really follow it either.
Good for you :) please post it when it's done. I got a chuckle out of the python/Tex thing - I was chatting with a friend recently about how we both want to start writing, but none of the writing apps feel right, if only there was a markdown-simple native mac app that would spit out latex, etc etc. We ended up agreeing we'd probably spend more time on the app than actually writing - kudos on doing both.
a) Wall Street has been a huge talent suck for a long time...the default dream...: Work for Lehman.

Actually, there is a bigger talent suck than Lehman. I can easily see the appeal of working for a startup rather than Lehman: don't wear a suit, don't deal with bureaucracy or MBAs, technology rules the day. Less money, but a lot more fun.

Now, consider many small hedge funds: don't wear a suit, no bureaucracy, maybe one or two MBA's who handle clients, technology rules the day. Bring your dog to work, but the CEO's dog gets veto power.

Both seem like fun places to work, but the hedge fund can compete on price.
[Wall Streeters turned venture capitalists] are people who do dumb shit like ask about pricing for a premium version of a genuinely novel product (in a category with no existing market) that hasn't even launched yet...in the first meeting.

Right, because asking about pricing (you know, the process by which you charge actual money for a product, thus generating revenue and hopefully profit) is a completely unreasonable thing for an investor to ask about.
Or, more likely, selling you replacement batteries.
Seems like it would be easy for laptop makers to design something into the laptop to manage how the battery charges/discharges when it's plugged in. That way you could leave it plugged in 99% of the time (as probably many of us do) and not impact the battery negatively.
These Useful Lingerie Bags…
Net message (of this and other posts on the startup experience) seems to be that it can be great to be a founder, but startups suck as employers. If you aren't the company-founding type, you're far better off working for an established company.
Can anyone explain what's going on with this flight?
http://imgur.com/by0C0.jpg
Come out, we'll have a beer :)
It is in the article....

"we stated that we expect to report revenues for Q3 between $300 and $320 million. We also announced that we expect our revenue for this fiscal year to fall below the guidance we gave to Wall Street, which ranged from $1.6 to $1.8 billion."
Ah, I am classifying a SQL statement as an output that is sent from the program to the database. Anything you put in the SQL will have to be normalised.

For example, you might have a name in the database. What if someone is called O'Beirne? How do we get this into the database? Do we only allow them to have the name OBeirne?
I read that as a stand-in for "Wall St", probably also because my friends usually go for Goldman now, but hedge funds are definitely where all the action is at.
Lovely to know they aren't smart enough to check their other urls:

http://www.mythaichicago.com/menu.asp?locationid=000004%20OR...

also, the site was built with dreamweaver. Telltale JS markers. Makes me think it's a web agency/ad agency type.

EDIT:

these are the people responsible:

http://www.orangefuse.com/ - who built www.linusinc.com. I chose another orangefuse site at random and produced an XSS error and a potential path disclosure error (i.e. read other things on the server).
So then share them all.

There is nothing wrong with holding your ideas close.
Founder Institute’s San Diego Outpost Graduates 12 Startups
http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Tp_smapi#Battery_charge_contro...
[Edit: scientists are cautious about saying this specific event is caused by warming tempuratures - but overall they are not cautious about linking melting ice shelves to overall warming.]

Can every article related to global climate change site every other article?

Ice caps are getting smaller and breaking up more rapidly over the last 30 years... because the average temperature of the earth is rising.

There is a remote possibility that all climate change science is bad because some climate change science is bad. But the more likely scenario is that most climate change science is good science, and observations like giant icebergs are relevant evidence that is easy for most to understand - so they are used as examples.

http://nsidc.org/quickfacts/icebergs.html
http://nsidc.org/news/press/20080325_Wilkins.html

http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/201002/2831331....
""We don't see any evidence at the moment, we don't have enough information to be able to say any influence of climate change," he said."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/24/hundreds-of-iceberg...

""Whole ice shelves have broken up," he said, as temperatures have risen in Antarctica, where they are up as much as 5 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius) in the past 60 years.

But he cautioned against linking the appearance of the bergs in New Zealand waters to global warming: The phenomenon depends as much on weather patterns and ocean currents as on the rate at which icebergs are calving off Antarctic ice shelves."
Ask HN: Template for Software License agreement
Any ideas where I can get a good template for a software license agreement?
Same here. Almost never unplug unless I need it for a meeting or am traveling. Seems to be fine after almost 2 years. Good enough for me.
Over the past four weeks my Macbook Pro battery's performance declined precipitously, and I think this is the cause. I tended to leave it plugged in whenever I was at my desk, which is most of the time. Got to the point where the MBP wouldn't last more than 5 minutes unplugged. Just received a new battery and all is well. Think I'll be giving this technique a shot.
I'll be next time he gives a talk he will already scope out a website so he'll be prepared to just show them and make them believers.
Maybe the upcoming revision will tip the balance. ;-)
If you can hack the client binary you can change the keys it uses/expects.
I wish my competitors well, and I wish myself better.
The difference is that we tend not to argue about sam vs. acme. For one, they both use the sam command language. Most of us (Plan 9 users) seem to use acme, but there are some long-time sam users around. There's no holy war :)
The answers for the examples given near the end of the article are often present in language documentation. You can dig around and find the answer or you can spend two minutes and write a test or you can crash/debug later. In any case, you'll eventually find the answer.

The real issue is that programmers new to a language are unlikely to even realize there's a semantic boondoggle in a given situation. Had they read all of the documentation, perhaps they would - but that's obviously not what most people do. Adding more pages to the documentation just to collect all semantics in one place wouldn't seem to make it more likely that a new programmer is going to read and properly understand their implications.

I don't think you can solve the problem of inexperience with additional education, but it's a common idea in academic circles.
Cool. I wonder what's happening with KLM 7021: http://i.imgur.com/ulwdC.png -- it seems to have taken off Amsterdam, then flew to the coast of Norway where it flew in circles.. then decreased the height while flying to Billund, Denmark, then finally returning to Amsterdam.
... this could be a great idea, but using language like that helps ensure Linux desktop will never get to the mainstream.

I understand this is a codename/prototype, but this has gotten out to the blogosphere. Can you imagine Apple or Microsoft calling their features "Code Name Poopy Diaper"?
I actually tried this a few months back. No longer works...at least not if you purchase the maximum order ($5,000).
what kind of licence? Like The GNU Licence, MIT licence, Apache Licence? or a Proprietary licence?
Implanted Neurons Let the Brain Rewire Itself Again
Lancaster here. I just did. Thanks!
Live chat with Cory Doctorow about ACTA (11AM EST)
I work for a startup in New York. We have a really cool idea, but raising money has been a bitch and a half. We've decided to bypass the VCs almost entirely and focus on customers.
FYI: You can just push the stack, and read the values below yours.
My most positive takeaway from the book is that there is still a lot of room to create new social interaction models for the internet. It doesn't have to stay fragmentary and relatively meaningless, as in status updates.

The dangers Lanier describes in the new Internet represent opportunity for the person that can turn them on their head and figure out cool ways to promote individual expression.

The most negative takeaway is that the Web 2.0 medium is altering what we remember how to say. We start writing things so they can be Googled, or so they can be read by all our facebook friends. He definitely touched a nerve here.
Critiquing Vook's video e-books: why the multi is only as good as the media
حصريا : و الاختراق بجميع ثغرات المتصفح  M3tasploit , Fast-track - خدمات العرب
Yahoo:2, Bing:-, Google:4 (slipped a place overnight).

So, no then. But I did manage to rank above HaneyArt though, which isn't bad for overnight and considering the lack of domain keywords.
This is the 113th Google hit for "site:news.ycombinator.com reprap".

Please.

STOP THE SPAMMING.
The technological problems that you work on in a hedge fund are less interesting than those you do in a startup. On the other hand, making actual money has benefits.
FYI, Apple have a page providing advice on battery care:

http://www.apple.com/batteries/

One of the things it says is...

"Standard Maintenance

For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time. An ideal use would be a commuter who uses her MacBook Pro on the train, then plugs it in at the office to charge. This keeps the battery juices flowing. If on the other hand, you use a desktop computer at work, and save a notebook for infrequent travel, Apple recommends charging and discharging its battery at least once per month."
J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement
I've read many instances where this story continues with the room becoming convinced that the "messenger" hacked the site and calling the police who by default listen to the guys in suits over the technical expert.
Some years ago, some people at Stanford developed the "Safe History" Firefox extension as a means of limiting IIRC history/cache sniffing via CSS. As far as I know, the extension's currency has lapsed. The idea remains valid.
My first impression was "that's pointless"... then I tried it... I can see me using that on lots of pages actually. So simple, but so effective.

Would like to be able to change settings once the page has been loaded though.
Proprietary licence. Like the one you have to agree to for basically every piece of software you ever install.
That's a valid point but it dodges the thrust of the post, which is that piracy is pushing the industry in this direction --- this is a mainstream title from a mainstream vendor that is making a clear and visible usability concession to protect the new release window from pirates.

Most users probably won't care (remember that we're a disproportionately vocal minority --- or, you are; my job is to make these titles worse for you, and I don't ever play video games), and vendors are going to get users to adapt to concessions like this.
New York will succeed as a startup hub if the rents come down fast enough. Right now, they're still too high; you pretty much have to work a Wall Street job or be parentally supported to live here, and this is a problem.
Piano music visualized on a logarithmic spiral
> If you really want to save the battery, you can take it out and put it in the fridge when you are plugged in.

Unfortunately MacBook Pro batteries are not removable anymore. That really grinds my gears.
The interview I feel worst about was when we had a "web programmer" coming in, and he linked his personal website as an example of what he could do. So, I found an XSS in his login form (first try, first field I tried...), showed it to him, and asked him what just happened. He did eventually get around to it, after two other wrong suggestions, but it took him some time.

Arguably, it was a kick-ass interview question, but I still feel sort of bad about it.
Hotels In India
The problem is timid edits.
Arguably one of the reasons for the success of C was that it was introduced along with a comprehensive codebase- Unix- which made its semantics crystal clear.

It would be worthwhile to examine Github data to see how strong the correlation is between new languages and their adoption as a function of how large an initial codebase they come with.
Ask HN: Is doing a PhD from Oxford a better option than a Research based Job?
I have got an admit for distributed computing in wireless sensors at Oxford University. After my M.S. and a couple of years of working in the silicon valley, I was inclined to look for a job in an innovative startup or an industry research lab. But because of being on a H1B, I could not find anything satisfactory in the time-frame I had (I had to urgently look for a job between March '09 and July '09 - and couldn't find anything at that time).
Hence, rather than settling for a 'mundane' job, I decided to apply for a PhD. Now, after getting an admit at Oxford, I am at a crossroad- should I go in for a three year doctoral program or hold out for that 'Research focused Job' that I am looking for.
Some factors to consider are- I am currently self-employed in my home country working on a well-paying but uncertainity laden freelance consulting gigs.<p>My topic of interest is here:
http://urbansensors.com<p>Any ideas or suggestions about the research interest or if there is something different that I should be exploring right now are welcome.
Maybe, but on the other hand, on the app store where games are really inexpensive there is still a lot of piracy and a lot of developers can't make end meet because their price is too low...

So, I'm not convinced that making video games cheaper is the answer...
That's a good point, and it does refute the post, but there are content protection schemes in major titles that haven't been broken; I imagine you pay more attention to games than I do, and I can't name anything I'm thinking of.

(I'm not sure I can name a title that is unplayable cracked because of content protection; I'd broaden my definition to other security objectives besides piracy).
You'll love K / Q (unfortunately, not open source -- but you can download a copy from the kx developer site). You have to know 20 orthogonal functions/concepts, and everything else combines from there; There's no standard library to speak off, because there is hardly a need for one; Most "library functions" in other language are idiomatic expressions in K which are shorter than the name of the function they describe: +/ is "sum" (left fold +), (+/x)%#x is average (sum of x divided by length of x). maximum running sum is |/0(0|+)\

No magic; All semantics derived from very basic blocks.

(not affiliated with Kx in any way -- just like the idea)
Get any a-Z char using only []()+{}/. in JavaScript (for XSS obfuscation)
Learning Clojure (by reading Programming Clojure) - oh and trying to setup VimClojure and failing miserably (file detection is working, but everything else including syntax highlighting & indentation isn't).
"I'm in the process of getting job descriptions from the attendees."

How many attendees have you received commitments from?
Do you know if one can hot swap batteries (which would also allow simply removing or adding it) on most laptops that will run without a battery? I want to try removing the battery from my computer while it's running or putting one in while it's running, but I'm a little afraid of death.
It's not settled computer science that the content protection problem always favors attackers, although it's clear that the state of the art does.

I'm only reacting to the "laws of physics" comment you're making. It's not true that "if you can execute it, you can read it", at least for important definitions of "read" (that include "understand" or "modify"). Take, for an example, white box cryptography.

Some problems clearly favor attackers (executing code on general purpose shared Von Neumann architectures with general purpose operating systems). Other problems favor defenders (the halting problem). It's also the case that, smart as (say) 'DarkShikari is, high-end performance graphics and systems coders are not necessarily expert practical compiler theory people.
Script to convert JS command into no alnum version using only []()+ characters
Escape the quote. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SQL_injection#Preventing_SQL_in...
If global warming is a danger Mr. Jones has made it a little more dangerous with his illegal actions that have discredited climate research.

But anyway, I get the feeling that we're suffering a collective bout of climate hypochondria this century. Haven't icebergs been colliding and breaking apart forever?
Ok, but at the same time, they could also tack some money on to the price for "batter life extending technology" and make money that way...
You can add Lua to your list.

Here's the full manual including:

- the language refenrence
- all standard library functions
- the C API.

TOC: http://www.lua.org/manual/5.1/

Manual: http://www.lua.org/manual/5.1/manual.html

It's very terse. The "Programming in Lua" book, by one of the authors of the language is far more friendly (an excellent book actually, the first version is available online for free: http://www.lua.org/pil/).
When the product hasn't launched and there's no existing market, the questions should be around finding customers, distribution, and technology risks.
Stake a claim and sell it.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,915637,00.h...
Actually Reading the Facebook Feed Patent
The bigger problem is that Hedge Funds develop an expensive lifestyle. Expensive lifestyles are hard to change.
Google Office - Zurich
Wow, I didn't know he was in Theta Chi. When I was going to Case, that place was straight out of Revenge of the Nerds.
I agree that focusing on the biz model is important, but determining price pre-supposes finding product-market fit. Real discussion should be around that.
I guess by now BIC pen reviews on Amazon UK are considered to be a classic:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B000JTOYLS/ref=sr_1_...
Not true, you can find cheap places to live, if you're willing to live outside Manhattan. Jersey City, Queens, BK, are all viable options for the scrappy founder.
Here's a page to convert JavaScript into this small character set: http://discogscounter.getfreehosting.co.uk/js-noalnum.php

(From http://twitter.com/jeresig/status/9680176440 & http://twitter.com/jeresig/status/9680335152)
I don't know, I disagree that they're not solving really interesting problems. My first jobs out of college were at hedge funds, pretty much by accident, and I got the chance to work with a ton of really smart people -- many of whom were math or engineering PhDs -- in a very challenging environment.

One two-person team I got to work with was doing something resembling stat-arb, and was pushing about $250 million of trades in the last 10 minutes of the market. Beyond getting to be hands on with some crazy math, building a system to make that happen isn't exactly trivial.