skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
The only problem I can see for this kind of online only college is for some courses where you actually need hands-on lab experience.

My advisor, Dr. Thad Starner, taught CS 3651 (http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/AY2010/cs3651_spring/) this past Spring. I was the TA. This class is designed to teach CS students how to build physical devices. The tagline is "just enough electrical and mechanical engineering to make you dangerous".

Given the time constraints of the 1 hr class, Thad decided that the best way to really get students building was to do most of his lectures outside of class and every day was a "lab" day. Basically students knew what they were going to have to build, knew the math needed to calculate resistor/capacitor values but didn't know what random parts Thad would show up with. Then the whole class period was Thad and I helping students build.

It was a great experience and he's going to make the videos a more official part of the class.
Good point. However, if it wasn't, I doubt it would be the same in the US for two reasons. The first reason is that it isn't just the US outsourcing to China, ie. China gets everyone's crap. But the second and maybe more important reason, is that the US and most western countries, I assume, have stricter laws that China about pollution and waste disposal.
It's very likely your pricing is too low.

If you're new to pricing consider reading this short free ebook on pricing written by the CEO of Redgate software: http://www.neildavidson.com/dontjustrollthedice.html. It will help you think through how to approach pricing your product.

Your pricing should be based on what economic value you deliver. Since that value will be different for different customers you should tier your pricing.

Figure out one or a handful of the key levers that drive that value. For example, in your case it might be number of their customers that are part of their loyalty program or the total transaction value tracked or something else. Someone with 1,000 customers tracked vs. 5,000 are going to be getting a different amount of value from you and ought to be paying accordingly.
And you know what SHIRM means in hindi? - Shyness
Except Linux is used far more than Apple. Just not necessarily on the client side.
Sorry. didn't realize. Here's the ad:

Benefits: Laptop / computer, Telecommuting, Flexible hours

Very competitive benefits. But of course, it depends on the package of your choosing.

The Energy Transition Model is a complex web application in which users can build their own 'future energy scenario'. It tries to answer detailed questions such as: how much less CO2 will this or that country emit when it builds a Nuclear Power Plant, or wind mill parcs? What much will it cost? And how dependent will you be on foreign companies?

For this end, we are building an extended Ruby on Rails app, with a rich interface which shows complex charts, using no flash. (instead we use jQuery and Canvas.) To make live easy for ourselves, we use HAML, SASS and Git.

You will work in a small company of 9 dedicated employees.

Salary is well above average. Expats are also very welcome.

dennis.schoenmakers at quintel.com
Phone: +31 - 6 109 65 293
GroupSpaces is based in London sharing offices with some other startups including TweetDeck and Moo. We're looking for PHP hackers and a UI/UX designer: http://groupspaces.com/jobs
Thanks for all the work you've done with Django, it makes my life much easier! I get to focus on the things I care about in my projects and work with one of my favorite languages. I appreciate the work you guys do.
Hilarious. Thanks for sharing.
I know, it's terrible. Worse still, IBM seem to have had a good time in here and we're having to work with Websphere ESB and Portal. One of the key assets is the data and whilst we're free to persist new data however we choose the legacy stuff is currently locked in those systems and so we are hiring to help free it.

Our front end innovation and what we do for small business is where we're focused, but that back end has to be tamed for us to get anything significant done. The legacy stuff is why we need people with silly amounts of Java stuff, whereas the front-end is really mobile and device driven.
"The Internet is beyond control."

For now. Do you really think Apple isn't trying to find a way to control that as well? They are. Safari is a prime example of Apple's attempts to exert control. Apple's interest in "open" stops at their business interests. They are open because at the moment, they have to be.
Those are great, but I can't look at too many in succession. (Maybe a good rating system for optical illusions would be the number seizures induced per thousand epileptics.)

My favorite among the contest winners was absolutely stumped by the Monkey Business illusion:
http://illusioncontest.neuralcorrelate.com/2010/the-monkey-b...
Clever beats just fast? I think the idea behind PyPy is that the high-level language is more flexible, and allows trying many different approaches, rather than heavily optimizing one or two possibly sub-optimal approaches in a low-level language.

Also, if you write the core in the language itself, when you improve your optimizations, you speed the core up too.
Quick video summary:

1. Draw out your idea. The sentiment here seems to be more about getting the idea out of your head than planning how to implement it; that putting the idea on paper transforms it. It also lets you share it more easily.

2. Recognize luck. Dorsey discussed how certain factors come together to encourage building an idea. The idea for Twitter was several years old, but in 2005 cross carrier SMS made it easier to realize. Also his working situation (@Odio with Evan Williams and Biz Stone) allowed exploration of other things. Ev and Biz immediately understood the concept due to their blogging background.

3. Iterate. Dorsey talked about how the @, RT:, and # paradigms were user-driven, and the Twitter founders thought it was ugly and resisted it initially. Talked about Square and the need to iterate on the designed to make it polished enough for people to trust.

4. Know when to stop. Sometimes ideas just won't work, and you need to put them aside, knowing that some element of the idea might resurface later. I thought it was interesting that he couched it this way, as it is more palatable than the thought of killing an idea entirely.
I'm absolutely certain I heard "tipping point" long before gladwell - it's a pretty standard popular phrase. I don't even know where I heard it. It's a phrase like "the last straw (that breaks the camel's back)" tha thas been in existence pretty much forever...
Right, and users would notice and care if some application "duplicated functionality".

3.3.1 is not the only problem - there have been lots of bullshit rejections too.
Ham radio. I like doing contests, running counties from chicago to the west.

Radio is not always AFK, as everyone uses keyboards these days.
If there's a market that you don't want to serve because of your principles, you take your principles, and I'll take your market share.
Rapid Typing Tutor 3.2
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If you have to pay for exams then how is it free ? - there's already a wide range of course material on-line available for free. The material isn't the issue.
I wonder if anyone still thinks killing Mac clones was the wrong move.
Just because you do not have the source code nor the right to distribute copies of software (i.e. it is proprietary) does not exclude you from any of the first three--it just makes it harder. Depending on where and when you live it may or may not be legal (Galoob v. Nintendo and 17 U.S.C. § 117 says yes, MDY v. Blizzard says no).
"To Steve, clones are the drag of the ordinary on the innovative. All that crap about cloners not sharing the cost of R&D is just rationalization. Steve puts enormous value on the engines of innovation. Killing off the cloners just eliminates a drag on his own R&D,..."

Repace clones with middleware when you read this.
I really fail to see the connection between any of that and what starkfist wrote.
Send me a mail (20100516@lab2app.com) - and we should have a coffee if you're already in Berlin.
Arrington is right, but seems to miss that this serves as the most delicious illustration of how FB policy can harm its users: by unintentionally exposing information out of context which could be used against that person in a myriad of ways, anywhere from forcing an uncomfortable conversation with one's friends and loved ones, to being blackballed during a job hunt, or school application.
I kept feeling like some ajaxy widget was loading on the side and kept causing me to look over there. So I'd agree.
John Resig only invented jQuery. Small feat there.

Sarcasm aside, _why's influence was felt beyond the Ruby community.
You are severely oversimplifying people. There is nothing that prevents a software developer from writing poetry, or a poet from designing websites. Interesting people have a wide range of hobbies and interests.
Two. Thumbs. Up.

Good idea. Great execution.
Anyone in the Oresund (Copenhagen+Malmo+Lund) region?
I didn't complain about Django's docs. In fact I called them "great compared to many other projects". I did note they aren't perfect yet. (Basically I have the same opinion on Django as a whole)

Looks like this discussion is becoming another platform war, something I'd hope HN & Django would avoid. FWIW, I also taught myself Z80 assembly back in the day. So? If I had an alternative that was easier to learn, I'd definitely take it. Unlike the 80s, users now are a download away from switching to a different platform if they find it more friendly. I think Django's developers actually realize that better than most.
Thanks for your comment.

I'm a bit torn on the images - stock photos are generally rubbish but it adds a bit of context.

Creating my own photographs is probably not the best time or cash investment.

Point taken though - maybe I'll look for better stock images!
Hiking: I have explored over 100 remote Indian ruin sites in the mountains of Central Arizona.

Cooking: definitely a favorite way to decouple from my work day.

Music: I gave up on the guitar after 40 years but I now enjoy the Didgeridoo and Native American flute.
Thanks Patrick - all great that advice that will implement.
A Snow, at 3 to 5 kuai, tastes good. King Long's cheaper, but tastes awful.
I keep waiting for a group of people to someday come out and say that _why was actually a hoax. That there was actually a group of people secretly signing their works with the same name with the goal of starting a new programming movement.
Whoops, didn't mean to downvote.
This is a pretty good article, written for the lay person. There are, however, a few cringeworthy bits; for example secure hash functions are confused with data encryption.
It always seems odd to me that a language written in itself can even work at all, let alone be the best implementation. Turtles all the way down!
- Liability: registering an Incorporation costs $300 if you buy a prepackaged company documentation package. I suspect it is even less if you do it yourself.

- Taxes: yes, you have to collect GST from the residents of Canada, and applicable provincial taxes (e.g. PST in BC). Talk to a CGA of your choice, that will cost you $50 for an hour (if that much)

- Collecting payments: nothing Canada-specific compared, say, to the US. But being in Canada limits your choice of payment processors. Keep in mind that you basically have two options - hosted payment page whereby you forward your customers to an external page and pay the processor up to 10-12% of the transaction. In this case you don't need to have a merchant account, which can be pricey to set up and maintain, esp. if your $ volume is low. Second option is to obtain aforementioned merchant account, sign up with a payment processor (e.g. Moneris or Global Payments Tech <- both are highly not recommended, just an example) and this way you will be able accept payments directly on your website. In your case I would strongly recommend the option #1.

- What you are missing: build the product first, once you get the famous "traction" with a free/beta version, then think about the company and the payment setup. In other words - validate an idea first.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_2, There are regularly posts of the current distance of Voyager 2 to earth in light-travel time to twitter. And Information on the current location of Voyager 2 can be found at HeavensAbove. at http://www.heavens-above.com/solar-escape.asp which looks like a seriously interesting page in its own right.
We're not a startup, but we're hiring in Cambridge, UK:

http://www.intermine.org/wiki/NowHiring

We're a small team at Cambridge University building web software for querying and analysing biology/genomics data that's being adopted by several big academic sites.
Startup’s Kits Help You Hack Your Home
But Apple seems to limit the role of users. I'm a user -- a relatively skilled one, since I not only consume software, but create it too.

As I understand, there are two Apple bureaucracies in the way: one which collects about a $100/year fee to let you go beneath a superficial level, and another where Apple bureaucrats examine your software before it can be conveniently shared. (Do I misunderstand?) This apparently even holds true with free software.

These bureaucracies make it difficult for interested users to move along the skill spectrum. They seem to enforce a strict separation between developers and users.
> It creates a new "corporate person" which can go bankrupt, thereby shielding you (usually) from liability.

I was of the same opinion until I talked to the lawyers. Apparently the principal officer of the company can be held liable for company's misfortunes. If you are a sole owner of the company, you can be sued in case of the bankruptcy. Another question if anyone will actually bother to do so.
Best Illusion of the Year - Top finalists in the 2010
Thanks - I have been meaning to have a look at Neils book.

Pricing is difficult - I want to be able to show ROI to something like a small cafe or restaurant.

Tiers might be the answer but at the same time I want a really simple pricing scheme, and will probably defer the choice till the user is more familiar with the system when they have more knowledge about what they might need.
China still takes the lead in censorship.
The 10 Most-Likely-to-Default Governments
Thanks for your insight.

I guess I do want to sell both concepts - but definetly need to re-balance the two slightly.
Ticket Text

Python/Django Developer

We recently launched http://ticketabc.com/

Small startup (4 tech), required onsite, Dublin, Ireland
I took it as an allusion to the phrase "insanely great" for which only one thing fits -- Jobs' own, massively profitable, creations.
Having tried something similar to this in the past, I found that the business was much more sales than technology. Small businesses are very cost-conscious, and slow to adopt new technology.

It required a lot of sales up-front to land a deal, and then the willingness to pay was ridiculously low. My end realization was that, given the effort required to land a customer and the number of customers it would take to reach break-even profitability, it was basically impossible to make money on the idea.

Your idea is slightly different, so the numbers may work out for you, but I would think about how many customers you need at $27 a pop (in USD). Basically, you are going to need a cheap distribution channel that can sell thousands of subscriptions to even come close.
Agile...was soon overrun by scammy consultants... (Scrum Master, etc.)

I've seen multiple movements in technology management. I've seen them start, grow, and fade out (they never die). I don't believe in certifications, and I'm a consultant.

I think you either don't understand the pattern of what goes on, or are exaggerating for effect.
Thanks very much for this.

I wasn't aware of CardStar - a fair amount of overlap there.

+1 to that killer application in a sentence. I'm not quite there with my elevator pitch.
IPhone gets Big Volume Knob (sort of)
I've been giving demo's of my company's beta over skype for a few weeks... it's so simple. Everyone has it and I can tailor each demo to each person and they can actually see it working live, ask questions, etc. It's wonderful.
Tiered pricing is (usually) dead simple to understand. As their program grows, they climb the tier.

I'm a mailchimp customer and that's how they work. Once my list reaches a certain size, I pay a higher monthly fee. Nothing complicated about it. Plus, I don't even have to "decide" anything. They automatically calculate my tier based on list size. I'd say you're in a nearly identical boat.
Yes, Startup Saturdays is part of Headstart. Email is in the profile.
Seems a little weird as most addresses were in the UK, but had zip codes, large house numbers and non UK phone numbers.

Needs a bit more filtering based on locale.
I think the speedup is mainly because of the JIT compiler. Is there any benchmark against cPython with Psyco?

speed.pypy.org gives a timeout for me
The first photo, of The Plaza Hotel in NYC is really stark compared to how it looks now. It's not even close to being the tallest building in that area now, but then it looks like it was two or three times as tall almost as anything else.
Benchmarking MacRuby 0.6
betterplace.org in Berlin-Kreuzberg (http://bit.ly/cYpz9P)
I definetly need to revisit pricing based on this feedback.

True re price sensitivity of the small business, but in a way, the target market is the fundamental USP. Nameley, take a tool that the bigger guys are using and make it available in a scalable fashion to small businesses.

Re thousands of subscriptions... If I could take 100 at that price I'd be happy with the outcome.

Plus I think there's a number of related areas I could move on to off the back of this.

Thanks for the comment - really useful. Also, if you have 5 minutes, feel free to include more info on your experience or link up with me be email twitter etc.
Yep! The Great Firewall is only the outermost layer of blocking inside China. The ISP blocks plenty: only last week they suspended my account for a few days, probably as a "threat". It seems officials develop connections with the ISP's to collect surfing histories of customers these officials have an interest in. There's no concept of "providing an internet service to customers" in the minds of the ISP managers. If you use a Chinese ISP for any sort of web-hosting, be aware it may be vandalized by anyone willing to pay 100 rmb (i.e. 15 US dollars).
It's a little odd to think about at first, but remember: gcc is written in C.
I dont know if there is anything necessarily wrong with your pitch. These days however, getting on one of these huge sites is HARD, so hard that its not worth your time.(I mean if you get covered great, bonus, but I wouldn't worry about it)

My suggestion is that if you want to get your startup talked about is to not focus on these generalist first tier blogs. You want to focus on the second tier. So basically find blogs that are interested in your startups space and have a fairly large following an pitch to them. They don't have people beating down their door to pitch to them like these other large sites.

The upside of these smaller second tier blogs is that their readers are generally passionate about their bloggers. Generally the readers of these blogs feel a connection to the bloggers they are reading(as they are individuals, not companies) and when they say they think a product is great, or interesting, or that their readers should check it out, the readers do.

These bloggers generally do around 3-5 posts per week, so you also don't have to worry about the post about your product getting lost in the mix.
Sometimes it takes young people who don't know any better to do things that everybody else regards as too hard or impossible.

"let's build python in python, compile to everything possible, and make it faster than cpython" are all examples of that.
That sounds great. Does it have any drawbacks like a high startup time?
http://www.thepocketagency.com are doing something similar to CardStar in the UK, let me know if you want an intro
This Week in VC Episode 6 with Jason Calacanis
Building your code cockpit
"I've seen multiple movements in technology management. I've seen them start, grow, and fade out (they never die). I don't believe in certifications, and I'm a consultant."

None of which invalidates anything I said.

"I think you either don't understand the pattern of what goes on, or are exaggerating for effect."

Neither. I meant exactly what I said (and I do understand the pattern of what happened and is happening to agile - I was there seeing it happen) and stand by it. That said, I don't want this thread to degenerate into the "truth" of agile and our perceptions about it. My email is in my profile if you feel like following up.
Part of what makes the pictures so striking is that I constantly have to remind myself these are not modern men and women in costume.
Great advice for people raising angel money for the first time towards the end of the video. Definitely worth watching just for that.
In fact China gradually liberalized the internet in the months and years leading up to the Aug 2008 Olympics, and there was virtually no blocking from Aug 2008 to March 2009. Many foreigners here thought the Chinese had seen some sense. But then the restrictions started piling on. The ones I noticed: Youtube in March 2009, Blogspot in May 2009, Google Groups around Nov 2009.
Long player: super deluxe limited-edition reissue
That site doesn't even warrant a response from you. It's just a poor troll - don't feed it.
Only the iterview mattered.
What you are missing: build the product first

I wasn't missing that, though I definitely gave the impression that I had.

My intention had always been to just sort of throw them both online, the ad-supported idea going first to prove to myself that I could make a website that a) didn't look absolutely god-awful, and b) wouldn't get hacked to pieces by every idiot script kiddie that came across it. I only have very limited experience with web anything, and really with programming in general (after college - community college - I ended up stuck in a COBOL job for three years, and it burned me out so badly that most days I just didn't want to code anything on my own time, so I've definitely rusted over in a lot of places), so I'm validating my skills first on a trial site before moving to the more "business-y" site.

The second site was always intended to start free first, with money being a secondary concern to gaining an audience. If you're selling someone on advertising with you, they're going to want an audience before they really pay anything. Likewise, nobody wants to come to such a site if nobody is advertising anything. The solution, fairly clearly, was to give it away free to the advertisers at first saying all it would cost them was a bit of time to get things loaded into the system, then if the site became popular it would become a pay site as it came out of Beta.

My purpose for this question wasn't so much to get everything in order right now, but rather to try to collect information so that if the time ever came I would be prepared to quickly transition to a proper business. I was rather hoping for external sources (books, Canadian-oriented guides/blogs/whatever), but anecdotes are definitely beneficial and appreciated as well.

Another, though by no means less important, reason was to determine my liability. E.g. if someone writes a terrible set of directions on the first site, and some moron follows these instructions and dies, how liable would I be if I wasn't a proper business, let alone an incorporated one.
I think you may have inadvertently implied that Stallman is too practical. A first!