skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
This article is extraordinarily mislabeled.

The author points to many startups that are raising large amounts of capital, and admits 'M&A numbers broke records in the first quarter of 2010'.

Sure VC are raising smaller funds, but costs to start-up continue to drop as well.

No, windows of opportunity are not narrowing. You make your own opportunities. Use this guys article as an excuse if you want to get out of doing the work, but that is all it's good for.
Improving site performance with cookie-free domains
I think loyalty is something earned. I think we should model jobs more like relationships, value has to be given on each side of the equation. If your not treating the girl well, she leaves. You don't go in saying, baby if you date me you have to be here for the next 2 years even if I start beating you.

disclaimer I'm a Job hopper ;)
Yes, blink was annoying even in 1979.
I would be far more interested to know how similarly "easy-to-read" typefaces fared. Does an androgynous typeface like Helvetica have a different result than one more aligned with a gender? Does one with sharp aggressive serifs like the Copperplate family cause a different reaction than the smoother Garamond?
This reminds me of an article I came across, praising execs working with an 'assignment mentality' rather than lifetime-employment seekers: http://hbr.org/2001/07/the-right-way-to-be-fired/ar/1

What's interesting in this debate is that Mark's own experience isn't where he puts his mouth. He spent the first 8 years of his career at Accenture (which screams failed attempt at making partner -- sorry to be harsh), but drastically changed occupations every two years inside the firm (switching from IT to strategy, changing countries etc.).

I really like reading Mark, so I'm afraid of overbearing my point. But his inital blog post sounded like shamelessly getting his cake and eating it too.

He felt that such frequent career changes were the best way to prepare himself to lead a startup someday -- why would the same trait magically become a liability in others? Optimizing against this very behavior in job selection signals a quite detrimental two-tiered mindset -- himself at the helm, and employees who are there to take orders.

This is to some extent the reality of capitalism, but it isn't admirable leadership, nor a good way to generate innovation, and certainly not the best way to inspire people to stick on a sinking ship while the rats drown away. As the OP said - money can't buy you love... :)

Contrast this with Yelp, Aardvark and the second-generation breed of entrepreneurs coming out of the PayPal and Google mafias.
The Power of Facebook: Kates Party
It started as a harmless event for kates birthday party. A get together for friends. Now over 60,000 people are attending and over 170,000 awaiting confirmation.

The event was original publicist by David Thorne (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Thorne_%28writer%29) on his twitter stream. Who is a writer an humorist/troller. He is currently living in South Australia.

Heres the link for the "party" on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/event.php?eid=115542871807009&ref=ss

And its even got its own wikipeadia page!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate%27s_Birthday_Party

Its now gone viral and it doesn't look like stopping anytime soon. Every minute over 500 people confirm their attendance. Fringe groups have also popped up with silly names. Join in!
It's not clear that the galactic center is a good place for life to evolve. The higher stellar density also means more supernova explosions, and there's also the black hole at the center which likely from time to time was a very bright source of x-ray and ultraviolet radiation.
The interesting link: http://www.tineye.com/.
Simple, reliable 2.5D photography
Already posted earlier
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1292287
Facebook jumps on the Mahalo-esque Wikipedia scrapping bandwagon
Guy Steele Interviews John McCarthy, Father of Lisp [video]
Thanks, that comment actually was the inspiration behind my post. I am adding a shout-out right now.
Couldn't they neutralize the threat of a nuke by killing off all the little creatures on it from a distance?
OS X Chooses Discrete Graphics for Status Bar App
That's fair enough. Again, honestly? I'd say still stick it in the bank and start a web-based business around an app you write. Its extremely cheap to take this route.

Bootstrapping is an incredible rush and it makes you think about what is absolutely necessary in your business, then cut that in half.

It's one of those "living on the edge" kinda feelings, the payoff is worth it.

If I was in your position, that's what I'd do.... but take my advice as much as you can take the advice of any random stranger on the net telling you how to invest your money... with a grain of salt.
We'll make great pets!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpkmtweNQ-U
"These guys thrive on the fear they can stir up."

Maybe, I don't know - maybe they are just crazy. Anyway, just playing devils advocate here. I am certainly not in favor of censorship.
How hedge fund manager Steve Cohen averaged 30% returns for 18 years
"Cultural pride can be weaponized": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_power

Not so much "can be" as "is".
>>...as soon as Earth based missiles can...

Can != Should.
So I decided to do just that http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1292276
This is pretty much what I was thinking when I heard about the Mohammed-South Park debacle. We need enough people to depict Mohammed that threats will be entirely meaningless.
One trading "strategy" that I use is that I buy the stock of companies whose products I find myself buying or using a lot. AAPL, AMZN, etc.
Masses of people showing solidarity for Stone and Parker will not cause more terrorism.

Letting these fanatics know that their tactics of petty intimidation actually work will create more terrorism.
Rule #1: An API is an embedded domain specific language. I think most of his bullet points are sub-elements of this general design idea.
I suppose Apple at the time was assuming that people would just craft web apps. Except that the web of the time wasn't ready and they were forced to open up to be viable (there were half a dozen phones out at the time that could surf the web for less than the $500 Apple original charged for the iPhone).

> From where I sit, they gave an inch, and the peanut gallery is demanding a mile.

I think Apple would have been better served following a model more closely in line with video game consoles. Instead they tried for a hybrid open platform/licensed developer model (with centralized distribution of the channel). It's a very interesting approach that seems to have worked in terms of developing a large volume of apps and a robust ecosystem of development tools. But it's always seemed to me that what they really wanted was a Nintendo model, because that's how they seem to be behaving. I'm wondering how much Job's distaste for the gaming market figured into the current hybrid model rather than just doing a console licensing model from the start.

Not many people complain too loudly about the centralized distribution platform (Nintendo only cartridges), it seems to work pretty well. And until recently, nobody really complained about developing for the platform outside of the app approval process being irreparably broken, but that's not too different from the console model either (Nintendo Seal of Quality). Other things are representative of the console model, profit sharing (licensing costs), by saying "you must use this tool chain" it's not any different then having to use a certain dev kit and starts down the path of approving certain 3rd party development houses for the platforms instead of any ol' body. All Apple has to do is check that last box and they've pretty much managed to recreate the Nintendo licensing model from the 80's and 90's.

I'm not saying it's bad, it was extremely profitable for Nintendo, kept the quality reasonably high (unlicensed games for the NES pretty much blow donkey balls). It's just that they should call the model they are using the model they are using. Maybe they are, but most developers seem to be under the mindset that Apple is not following this model and that there is some hope that if they just pull enough the other way, the iP* platforms will open up like Androids.
What percent of all trades in anything don't fall under the umbrellas of hedging or speculating?

I assume Paulson's not being charged because it wasn't Paulson who told ACA he was long, it was Goldman. As for why ACA couldn't figure out he was short on their own, I don't know. Maybe they'd already had a lot of experience with people doing this kind of thing and walking out the other end okay? Maybe they thought Paulson was smarter than they were, and if he were long on these things, than there must be something to it? Maybe they're just happy to keep cashing the 'trusted independent 3rd party' checks Goldman keeps sending their way?
Yes. Totalitarian regimes have been using those for a long time. In the anthology "Expanded Universe", Heinlein has an extended description of his trip to the USSR with his wife who could speak Russian, which they for some mysterious reason neglected to tell the Russians.

North Korea may not be structurally communist, but this article really reminded me of Heinlein's story. There's definitely an established pattern of how a totalitarian regime deceives its visitors.

(Which it desires despite the danger, as it wants the visitors to take back good propaganda to their host country. I suspect it's getting harder as the wealth gap grows larger every year. Even putting on a "decent face" is getting hard/expensive when you're from a country where the Wal-Mart, at or near the bottom of the wealth scale, is clean, brightly-lit, and full-to-overflowing of products for sale.)
Some Common Django ORM Pitfalls
If, by space terrorism, you mean that some crazy group tries to shoot down a power grid in space, no. I don't think so. There won't be a 'terror' aspect to it. It's unlikely that 100% of the power will come from this or there to be a major power downtime as a result. So people will just go: "Meh, what are they shooting satellites down for?" They'll be unaffected by it and that's not what terrorism is.

I wonder how hard it is to shoot a rocket into space and hit something up there.

We might have our share of space pirates though – if we don't blow ourselves back to the Stone Age. Me be one of em, Arrr!
Thanks. I'm still not sure where the thousands of times the speed of old processors is going, though - 15% doesn't account for it, unless there are a lot of layers - 50 or so, no?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=1.15^50
Connect to multiple mysql databases using php
While developing web application in php, we may require connecting to two or more databases. Good Example may be within in an organization let’s say we have two databases one for Finance department and another for HR Department
You're scary and dangerous to bigger companies. They know you know how to leave and survive at any time, and expect you to get tired of the crazy schedules, overtime, and all that at any time. (At least I've known managers who thought that about your type).
It's not Coca Cola's duty to keep you thin. It's not your bank's obligation to keep you solvent.
I would argue that this takes more than a day or two.
By first turn, he means "first play around the table".

If you get a play 3 or play all out in the first turn, and someone else has 2 keepers that match a goal card, someone can then win by playing all three.
Mark is probably right - its hard to manage the entrepreneur types.

There is an interesting treatise called "Exit, Voce and Loyalty" by A.Hirschman that talks about the reasons for withdrawal from a relationship, be it employer-employee, or state-citizen interaction. I think Paul's reasons for 'job hopping' fit into the Exit camp, withdrawing due to either inability to change things or unwillingness to confront the system in a free market with plenty of exit options.

highly recommended:
http://www.amazon.com/Exit-Voice-Loyalty-Responses-Organizat...
The Age of Facebook
ACA rejected over half of Paulson's suggestions. To bring the long & short to the deal, you have to construct a CDO that both agree to. In fact, I believe ACA was long on the deal, so there's no way their going to load it with junk. And the identity of the short is irrelevant. At the time, Paulson was just another hedge fund manager. He became famous well after with the book "The Greatest Trade Ever".
Do tell more of this story!
Ask HN: I accidentally downvoted a good comment. What now?
Is there a way on HN to undo an accidental downvote? I feel bad; the comment had a score of 1 and now it is 0.
Well, yes, if the CP laws have been broken then definitely.

However, from what I have read (and based on my experience) this does not fit any of the profiles of an child pornography case.

It is actually damaging to other cases if this is prosecuted badly.
A plurality of companies have been signaling that they won't be there for the employee in tough times. Goose, gander?

EDIT: You mention specifically start-ups. Ok. There, however, there is reward presumably commensurate with the risk a participant takes. Also, the work is probably more challenging and interesting. I hold that neither particularly apply to other sectors, speaking generally.
>Similarly, Lord Rees, the astronomer royal, warned in a lecture earlier this year that aliens might prove to be beyond human understanding.

I'm not a Lord nor an astronomer, but I had this figured out just by watching the second season of X-Files
Stephen Hawking warns over making contact with aliens
Fine tips to Write an Essay on Friendship
When writing an essay on friendship, there are a few approaches that a writer can take. Most people would not choose to buy an essay of this type, but actually write it themselves.
Until Google seeks the professional services of a graphic designer and a user experience designer to improve the core UI metaphors (like navigation based, tab bar apps, split view based concepts on the iPhone), I won't consider it a serious alternative to the iPhone. This isn't about skin deep beauty. The user experience on the iPhone is better in nearly every way and it deserves just as much attention as technical improvements.
Their blog has a lot more information then this article: http://openbts.blogspot.com/
Facebook owns us
I spent a good portion of Friday trying to get their new JS libs working; no dice. Even just running the three-line code examples from the docs was throwing errors deep within the compressed JS. I had great results with the OAuth2 API, however.
How tough are we talking about? If the company runs out of money and asks you to work for free for a few months, I wouldn't fault anybody for leaving. As others have said, working for someone is purely a business transaction. If you aren't getting what you want, you are free to go elsewhere.
If there were monkeys sitting on piles of gold in mars, and they were shining a mirror at us...

...poor monkeys.
As the revealed number of taken pictures increases, the probability of there being child porn increases as well.
Well my US law grounding is only the basics but they have some fairly big hammers they can bring to bear before CP law are required.

I'm not sure if the state this is in has Voyeurism laws but that is a good place to start. Then you have unlawful recording, various surveillance laws and lots of privacy law violations.

Of course if this woman has taken the images with a sexual intent (or used them with a sexual intent) then totally; throw the book at her :)
The 'effing case' is that Goldman told the long side investors that ACA independently assembled the reference portfolio when Paulson actually played a significant role in putting it together.

How does that not constitute fraud?
I don't think that's necessarily true. Some of the best programmers are abysmal interviewees. So I would suggest that there are a ton of briliant programmers out there with jobs that are well below their level.
Ahhhh, I bet you were using an iPad or iPhone or some other touch screen device, yes?

This is an issue: HN up/down votes + touch screen devices.

Yes, some will say be more careful, but I say up/down voting on sites in general are due for an interface/interaction redesign in light of ever increasing touch devices.
Taking the image of a nude child is not, by default, child porn.

If it was taken as part of the process (i.e. had not been specially taken, has not been copied elsewhere, taken home etc.) then proving intent is difficult.
so the article is about everyone wondering if it's a weapon, but they just launched a weapon at the same time and it only get's the last paragraph?
Deep spacers can find us whether we radio them or not and. I imagine, they also would prefer to mine resources in smaller bodies - gravity wells are huge resource consumers.

It's not very likely they would like to touch the Earth when there is so much water, carbon and miscellaneous metals on the Oort cloud for the cost of towing them into your processing facility. It also spares them the need to enter lower orbits around the Sun. We don't see it as a gravity well because we are at its bottom, but if a deep spacer could choose, he would probably not enter it.
The hypothesis that the site was simply chopping off the extra levels and stopping at the last slash that produced a page was bugging me. Tested it out, but no:

"You 404’d it. Gnarly, dude." (with one extra level,
http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2010/04/14/the-gervais-principle-i... )
Improving Search
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Are you implying that you think the child porn laws shouldn't be used? I know they are abused horrifically at times, but if the accusations being made here are true, I can't even begin to call this an abuse of a child porn law. I can imagine a world in which someone could think this is a good idea without thinking through all the implications, but at the first picture of someone (anyone, child or otherwise) in an even remotely compromising position that landed on the school's drives, the sane, sensible, and basically legally-mandated thing to do would have been to immediately terminate the program. They failed this test and it is perfectly just that they be prosecuted. Deterrence is a perfectly reasonable motive here; we absolutely do not want anyone to think this is a reasonable solution to any problem.

Save your objections for the actual abuses, lest you dilute your argument. (Assuming that is what you are trying to imply. Which isn't clear, though I'm not sure what else you could mean.)

(Edit: In other posts you talk about intent. As I argued above, if intent had been pure the program would have shut down at the first sign of trouble. I do not have problem imputing bad intent to these actors, again, given the truth of the accusations. If they wished the benefit of the doubt, there were actions they can and should (in every sense of the term) have taken, which they did not.)
I spent this winter working on a pretty trivial FB app, and existing functionalities broke all the time, usually in silent and mysterious ways.

It drove me insane that my app would be horribly broken and all I could do was wait around spamming refresh.

Seriously awful experience, and it sounds like they're continuing the tradition!
Very interesting analysis, and nicely contrarian for those who, like me, wonder how stupid the banks who are claiming they didn't know there was a shorting counterparty think the public is.

Credit goes to @jballanc on this thread: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1292611
When I was a more naive manager (and employer), I would have agreed with Suster's arguments.

But the startup world is simply not a "stable" place, for either party. There's always a tradeoff; my most stable/non-hopping friends work for the government doing fairly mind-numbing things. Those aren't the employees your startup is looking for.
Religion, the hand brake of freedom.
By trading do you mean investment (as in long term buy-and-hold, 5-10years)?

The strategy is sound (and have a similar approach) but it makes sense only for a buy-and-hold approach. For the short term the quality of the company product doesn't really matter too much.
Excellent deconstruction of Mark's post. I'd add one point:

I thought that Mark's post was valuable in understanding the perspective of some hiring managers or investors since inevitably a few of those people will be looking at my resume. But I was not convinced that Mark's hiring filter was the correct approach to hiring. As an entrepreneur you're the underdog and need to find ways to do more with less. If all the big name companies are afraid of job hoppers, then you should be looking even harder at job hoppers. Your best chance at finding that diamond-in-the-rough employee is to take a closer look at the applicants that were never really evaluated at other companies because they were "caught by the filter."
I think it depends on what the intent was. If the intent was to surreptitious take pictures of minors with the hopes of catching some nudity, then I'm guess it falls into the CP bucket.

I think it would be hard to show though that there could be a different intent though for surreptitiously taking photos of teens at random times.
You could always find a friend to rectify your mistake.
Or rather 'make something people want' ;)
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Sadly, my experience is that they're scary to a lot of startups as well. Startups often have one or two former big company types working for them, which may be all that's needed to tip the scales against you.
It would be nice if you could change your vote like you can on Reddit. The arrows are quite close to each other and I've done the same thing several times. It's especially tricky on a touchscreen device.
Minimum Desirable Product
Definitive worth the read if economy is your cup of tea. Thanks for posting.
I believe it's "The Boss"
Yep - exactly.

Probably why I'm so startup oriented. Of my fulltime jobs most are startups. Just prefer if i'm going to commit then I'd rather comit to a company I can have the greatest impact at and where the risks/rewards are highest. I'm 'built' for startups, just how my psyche works.
Agree. Caving to threats generates more threats. It's like when you've got a rabid dog snarling at you - you don't get it to go away by throwing meat at it.
> According to an email she sent to a co-worker, cited by Robbins’ attorney, when told that the images and screenshots from the students’ laptops were like a soap opera, Cafiero said, “I know. I love it!”

Disgusting.
Thats the reason I tend to avoid tech stocks. Its not possible to say if a product will work. Yahoo was doing so well till Google came along. I wouldn't invest in Google though (for the same reason) even though its a great company and I love the innovations they have brought in. I tend to stick to boring stocks like soaps, car batteries, paints etc. Its worked well (with buy-and-hold) so far.
Usually this is the way most of "take over the web" revolutions appeared
to be after the buzz is down.

(e.g. Have you seen any interesting Google Wave plugin recently?)
I tend to agree that it's irrelevant who the short side was. If I buy a stock, I have no idea who is holding it short.

In a subprime CDO it's far more important to know who is holding the mortgages. I'm assuming they are subprime CDOs as that was Paulson's bread and butter.

What special position does Paulson have that he can effectively convince people to stop paying their mortgages?

ACA made a bet that people would pay their mortgages, Paulson made a bet that they wouldn't. If the CDO market didn't collapse there would be no case brought.

If knowing who was on the other side was so important, why did ACA decline to ask?

If the SEC wants to find the responsible parties for the collapse why don't they look towards the Dept. of Treasury and the Federal Reserve?