skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
I've been using WePay to manage sponsorship payments at http://hackersandfounders.com. I love the service, and if I could, I'd buy stock in the company.
And $5 for shipping? Or can you send a company through Snail^WSmartPost?
i may have taken the original comment out of context. i've seen a couple CEOs being cool (hip, funny, etc.) when they needed a leader. i think that's dangerous, and that's the point i meant to make.

specifically to yours, no, its not cool to fire people, but i would rather hear well rationalized case for deciding to let me go (assuming it wasn't performance related) instead of a cleverly written kthxbai. still, that even that wouldn't be cool.
"but the marketshare future looks like it belongs to Android"

That's fine with Apple. They don't mind having a smaller market share than someone else, as long as they have a big share in that subset part of the market that actually makes money.

How much does Google make on each Android phone sold by someone else?
YouTube favors Flash over HTML5 -- for now
I've been wondering this myself. I won't pretend to be business savvy, but if you look at the "woot wage" on some of the products they sale, they make some serious bank. Their "Woot-Offs" seem particularly lucrative because they'll often roll in less desirable items that people will buy anyway just to keep the "Woot-Off" going.

Aside from the alleged $110 million being an enticing sum of money, I have to imagine there are other reasons. The letter indicated they were excited to learn and grow using technology from Amazon so I do wonder if that is a big part of it. Woot! has had stability problems in the past, particularly when the infamous "Bag of Crap" is up for sale. Not that it takes getting bought out by Amazon to fix such an issue, but it couldn't hurt.

Regardless of the reason, I fully expect to see Woot! expand their reach and product offerings outside of shirt.woot, kids.woot and the like as a result of the acquisition.
I guess it is Salon. They're very opinion/editorial that you love or hate rather than actual, interesting news, like most of the sources of HN links.
Not necessarily. Don't forget that BlackBerry and Symbian both have more marketshare than either iPhone or Android. In Symbian's case, much, much more. Not to mention that the smartphone market as a whole is still expanding, mostly at the expense of traditional "dumb" phones.
I just graduated from a decent CS program, but I find it hard to believe that most people applying for a programming job couldn't explain binary search trees or quickly think through how to reverse a linked list.
Just want to note that Redmine runs just fine with PostgreSQL.

We do the same at my work too, but we have less third party apps that require MySQL.
This is so priceless and SO true, ive had this convo many of times! i mean some of it is a little over the top, but a vast majority of apple fan boys, or wanna be cool people will buy anything just for the brand, coming up with fake or worthless arguments for it, not even understanding what they are stating.

I have to give it to Apple, they have really made it an art to sell cult status with anything they make, no matter if its over prices or behind the curve.
They have managed to make it into the realm of kleenex and chap sick, where their product name becomes synonymous to the type of product they are selling.
Asian Men Prefer LIGATT
The Stock-market Flash Crash: Attack, Bug, or Gamesmanship?
Well icons and buttons can all be done in CSS3 now:

http://nicolasgallagher.com/demo/pure-css-social-media-icons...

Photos obviously can't, so I guess that's a reason to keep photo editors around. But is that all?

And yeah, I never liked mocking up sites in photo editors either.
Announcing Jetpack SDK 0.5
Definitely learn Javascript, it's the language of client side web (becoming more popular on the server side with projects such as node.js). It only gets more interesting as browsers become more capable (local storage, WebGL, web workers, etc.)

As for PHP, it's definitely established as one of the most popular server side languages. You'll be able to find plenty of companies that could use PHP skills to maintain existing infrastructure. However, newer startups are more likely to be based on Ruby or Python, with the more adventurous exploring Clojure, Scala, node.js, etc.

With Clojure or Scala, you'd be able to leverage your existing Java skills, so that might be something to think about. I bet you'd enjoy the new programming paradigms these new languages offer. With PHP, you're not going to be learning many new concepts.

As for finding a job, you're just going to need to check the job postings in the areas you want to move to. You'll find a bunch of PHP like I said, but see what else people are looking for. Good luck!
Firefox Home for iPhone
You mean she wasn't shitcanned after the whole san upgrade failure thing?
I never said that the site was bad. In fact I said its simplicity was a good thing. I was just saying that it is relatively easy to make.
I'm surprised by the domination of Western Europe by iOS, and that Symbian's share there is so low. Even Android's numbers are double that of Symbian. Compare East Europe, where Symbian is roughly half the market. Was I just naiive?

Also, one annoyance: why did they have to switch around the colors between graphs?
"It's puzzling, and disconcerting, that developers and Android enthusiasts are forced to rely on leaks and rumors in order to piece together the development roadmap of a platform that is supposedly "open.""

Probably the most interesting statement in the article. Sure , the source is available, but not the latest and development methodology is definitly more a closed source onethan an open source one. Google retains a lot of control over the platform... If they decided to close source things, I wonder how successful a fork would/could be? Still, It's way more open than the iPhone will ever be.
There are Chrome extensions to limit your tab usage:

https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/kokmfemecmlekdnj...

https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/nddlgphciklkobcj...
Angry Unix Programmer
I wonder if it will be even harder to get a Bandolier of Carrots now.

Hopefully, Woot will leverage Amazon's cloud infrastructure to avoid the dreaded "server unavailable" messages.
Foursquare Privacy Hole Leaks Nearly a Million Check-Ins
The two should go together, IMHO. I would much rather be fired by the cool boss that I could relate to and shoot the shit with than a cold, by the book boss. The problem with that is a lot of bosses find it hard to fire their "friends" and maintain their appeal.

My last boss was like that, which is why he delegated the hiring and firing to a "hired gun". He was a good guy for the most part, but that was the most difficult thing to watch as I got up into management and saw what was going on. He would make the calls to have someone canned, delegate down to the "gun" and then put on a face of disbelief and contempt in front of everyone as though it wasn't his choice to fire the person.

You may question, as did I, how people could buy this circus act, but it worked quite well. When anyway would question the CEO as to why he doesn't fire the "gun" if he doesn't agree with what he's doing, he would always comment that when you put someone in a position like that you can't undermine what they do. For better or for worse, you have to back them and their decisions. Which is true, but was also just a smoke screen for what was really going on to those none the wiser.
Lose $10 million after a weekend of heavy drinking
Google makes $0 on those sales directly. But I don't think they're losing sleep over that. They don't want to make money selling hardware. They think hardware should be a commodity.
I was actually just at a Verizon store and got a chance to see both Kin devices in person. I wasn't expecting to be blown away by any means, but I was amazed at how bad they were.

The physical construction seemed fine, but the interface was so choppy it was hardly usable, and the colors looked really washed out. Noticeably worse than the LG and Samsung dumbphones sitting next to it.

With a browser and reasonably powerful components, it could have been a nice complement to the Zune lines. My guess was that it was just a field test for MS cloud services for mobile users, and for some reason they didn't want to do it with Windows Mobile.
awesome. Thanks so much.
Did you just mention efficiency and the place where TSA cretin squad plants their fat asses in the same sentence?
App Engine SDK 1.3.5 - New Task Queue, Python Precompilation, and Blob Features
"terrible" is, fairly, an exaggeration. I just meant to emphasize that, in comparison with the great features it offers as a technology device, it has rarely been considered superlative for its voice telephony featureset in any particular regard - be it voice quality, signal strength, etc. Common problems in fact, are often reported on all those fronts by people I know with iPhones (and me when talking to them). Combine with AT&T woes, add hyperbole, and you have my assessment.
Disclaimer: I work for Corensic.

I just posted the pricing information on the site. We haven't finalized the actual price yet, but we expect to price this product in line with typical quality and load testing tools (think low four figures, USD). We will definitely offer substantial discounts to those customers who help us during our beta by submitting bugs or issues they find with Jinx itself, or by submitting bugs they've found in other software (their own or open source) using Jinx. Visit our "Report a Bug" page to give us feedback.

--Prashant
Petroleum Petroleum: A Prophecy (1903)
Note: the title has since been changed.
Neither Chrome nor Firefox can be released for iOS in anything like their current form (at least through the App Store). The current current SDK agreement forbids interpreters, which means Google can't ship V8, and Mozilla can't ship Tracemonkey.

All browsers in the App Store must use Apple's interpreters or none at all (like Opera Mini, which does its rendering on a server-side proxy and can't run JavaScript on the client).
Hulu: We'll Be Right Back
No question. It seems like there are a lot of very smart, enthusiastic people with great ideas floating around in Microsoft, but every time we see one of those ideas surface (Kin, Courier, etc.) they get squashed. It's almost as though the tallest blades of grass keep getting cut by the lawn mower of upper management.
Bespin 0.9a1 released: multiple Bespins, code completion
This sort of response is why I love Hacker News.
Yes. This should've been marketed as something that kids could buy when their parents refused to buy them an iPhone. Either the device would have to be free or the connectivity. A lot of social features could've been implemented on top of SMS or something else dirt cheap using UDP packets. Make something that can talk to a free featurephone over Bluetooth, so you don't compete with something free. Instead you make something free even better.
Think of the rainbow table you could build with 6.5 million machines.

If you wanted to crack all lowercase alpha passwords to 8 chars you'd only need 65K entries per machine.
actually amex are also the best for chargebacks from a merchant's perspective. they have an online interface you can log-in to and instantly see inquiries, fraud and chargebacks, and respond immediately.

they're also excellent about managing chargebacks, like when a chargeback comes through and you've already given a refund. this is so frustrating with Visa -- they'll actually still process the chargeback and ding you $20, even though you've already given the money back.
Conversation with Mark Cuban
If you've never messed with real parsing and compiling before I highly recommend it. It's like lifting programmer weights, so many other problems seem easy afterwards.
Of course - and we all knew this. But that didn't make calling the russian math school a mob hideout any less fun.
Really appreciate the compliment, Jonathan. It means a great deal coming from you.

BTW - Hackers and Founders is awesome. At least one person from WePay will be at the SF meetup tomorrow.
Surprise, Bolt Bus is a 50/50 venture between Greyhound and Peter Pan.
The problem with this analysis is that Apple doesn't have a monopoly on smartphones, mobile OS's or app stores, any more than Nieman Marcus has a monopoly on department stores. If customers don't like the selection, they have choice for all three. The same is true for developers.

If this ever does come to be investigated, it will be interesting to see what Google's position is. Will they claim they can't compete?
For what it's worth, this announcement comes at the end of Microsoft's fiscal year.

It's interesting to note that one of the main points of the announcement is that the Kin team will be merged with the Windows Phone 7 team.

This is likely a move that has been planned for a while, but only announced today, since the official re-organization will go into effect tomorrow.
This looks really cool. Even just as a watch it looks good in a geeky kind of way. I would wear it.

But my favourite part is this: apparently you can "immediately begin development of wireless networking applications, regardless of programming expertise". Really? Regardless of expertise? Not from what I'm seeing in the examples!
Do you have a source on that? I'm sure this is a "lmgtfy" kind of thing, but I'm not an app developer so I'm not sure the particular jargon to Google.
the interesting lesson here for everyone who accepts credit cards is this: think you don't have a satisfaction guaranteed, money back policy? think again.

Now, I don't think this is a bad thing, but I wonder why more businesses don't offer a money back guarantee as policy straight up? I mean, if the customer wants their money back, the customer will get their money back; there's not much you can do about it. So why not have a liberal money back policy yourself? it prevents most chargebacks (but not all... some consumers are either just jerks or assume you will give them the run-around, those people will initiate chargebacks even if you do have an easy money-back policy) and you get a lot more goodwill out of a refund you give than out of a chargeback.
Speaking for myself, I try to do the best I can with the resources I've been given.
Wow, that blog post is so heartwarming and fun that it makes me like Woot a lot more than I ever did before! (I didn't dislike it, but had no particular feelings). Respect.
My boss and his boss were cool about the freelancing, but they told me to keep it to myself...

You said this on a public forum with your real name attached. Do you think they would like that?
Phonegap provides a thin wrapper around a webview.
Titanium changed course with their 1.0 version, and now compiles the Javascript to native code. (they used to do the webview thing).
Ask HN: Relationship with a Manic Depressive?
I've been dating my fiance for two years. She is manic depressive it seems.

Have a look at her twitter account: http://twitter.com/babymoondrop

She'll wake up one day either being a chipper as a cheer whistle, and on another being super depressed and hateful towards the world.

There is no middle. This applies to her feelings on the world, her happiness, and her feelings towards me.

Any advice? I don't think a relationship with someone like this is sustainable.
Whither Research in Motion?

It seems to me like Blackberry Messenger is the only thing keeping that company alive from a consumer perspective. I hear all the time "I would buy an I phone, but I love BBM so much!"
The pre-compilation of python code appears to significantly decrease the time required for cold starts. That's just great. Awesome team, awesome platform.
Ubuntu 10.04 Netbook Remix Lockdown
Betting is speculating. "Speculation is a financial action that does not promise safety of the initial investment along with the return on the principal sum."

And I agree - speculating is buying BP stock. David Barse of Third Avenue even said so the other day on Bloomberg. Third Avenue's ethos is to invest in companies that are "safe and cheap."

Tesla is similar to BP in that you don't really have any indication of what the future will be like. In BP's case it is because nobody knows the future costs associated with the spill and how that will affect their earnings. With Tesla, the company has such a limited operating history with no history of profits that its future.
YC/HN Meetup at Kennedy's in North Beach? (SF)
Would the class of YC S10 and other HackerNews denizens be up for a happy hour meet tomorrow (Thursday, July 1st) in SF?

The motive is little else besides $2 Guinness but it'll be fun to meet the class of S10 and other mortals from HackerNews.

I figured 6:30pm at Kennedy's on Columbus Ave. would work great. It's down the street from Trinity Crystal Towers on Taylor St. which, if I recall correctly, is dubbed YC Vault?

Vote this up if you're interested.
If Microsoft made something that just did messaging and social tools based on messaging until it hit a WiFi spot, they could've gotten their intended market. Make something that can dial your phone over Bluetooth or dial it Google Voice style by sending a recognition code based on Elliptic Curve Cryptography to a central server. Charge the carrier cost for the SMS messaging used as infrastructure and make money on ads.
If you're interested in building it into an iOS app, let me know and maybe I can help. I built a HN iPhone app. http://michaelgrinich.com/hackernews
It really is impossible not to use "corporate" in a sentence with "Microsoft" these days. I get what Steve Jobs means when he likens Apple to a start-up.
Peter Drucker thought Marx was important, not for his answers, but because he was asking the right important questions.
Pick a colour scheme and try to keep it consistent. One or two core colours and then black, white and/or grey. Select one colour and use it as your action colour.

Padding has been mentioned also. One common mistake made by non-designers is to pack everything in. Have fat padding on bordered boxes or separating elements.

But something I didn't see in a skim through the comments was alignment. The single biggest improvement you can make with your work is with horizontal alignment (ErrantX, if you spot this comment, you could easily do this with the URLs you provided as examples). It will make your design appear neater and simpler - less chaos can mean that your target-points are more obvious. So, in a simple design, make sure your top-left logo is aligned with your H1 down the page which is aligned with your paragraphs.

FWIW, I co-wrote Web Graphics for Non-Designers around 2002/03: http://www.amazon.com/Web-Graphics-Non-Designers-Nick-Boyce/...

My chapters were Color Theory, Visual Elements, Layout and maybe another one - can't remember. Parts of the Color Theory chapter were put online as a sample when it was published:

http://www.webreference.com/authoring/graphics/color/nondesi...

If you're in South Australia, I have a few spare copies of the book lying around if you want one (too lazy to post, sorry!). As I said, it's ancient in Internet-years now, but might be more useful to someone than it is to my bookshelves.
The article has the most perfectly placed advertisement box. I read...

I sat on the Yale College admissions committee a couple of years ago. The first thing the admissions officer would do when presenting a case to the rest of the committee was read what they call the "brag" in admissions lingo, the list of the student’s extracurriculars. Well, it turned out that a student who had six or seven extracurriculars was already in trouble. Because the students who got in—in addition to perfect grades and top scores—usually had 10 or 12.

...and then there was the advertisement box. My blood was starting to boil because I have a serious philosophical problem with having to do the "right" kinds of extracurricular things to impress an admissions board to get into college. OK, it's sour grapes, but that is a college I'm not interested in attending (ditto for Google).

Then the kicker:

So what I saw around me were great kids who had been trained to be world-class hoop jumpers. Any goal you set them, they could achieve. Any test you gave them, they could pass with flying colors. They were, as one of them put it herself, "excellent sheep."

Amen! The world needs plenty of excellent sheep, but I'm not interested in being one of them.
Ask YC : Review my start up whollhelpme
Check it out at www.whollhelpme.com<p>A question and answer site which is free, fast and simple. Enabling users to post questions and get answers without any banners, pop-ups and blinking glitz to disturb.
Great advice.

I'd add to those book recommendations 'The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master' as well, great and fun read from beginning to end and good to open at any spot and read just a section.

Also a fantastic read, Peter Norvig's "Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years" (http://norvig.com/21-days.html), read that one ASAP, good to calibrate your expectations, when I first read it was both at once a cold shower of reality while simultaneously infusing in me a drive to become a competent and skilled programmer.
That is definitely an important argument to make to counterbalance the argument that Microsoft is out of touch with basically everything and keeps failing to see the writing on the wall.

With Kin, I don't see them revolutionizing anything, so "just rolling with it" doesn't justify this mysterious venture to me. Xbox was different, though.

I guess they're still in a position where they can keep failing - or "experimenting" - without suffering too much for it.
Actually you can create a group order and do this and get the discount. The only extra work would be collecting the money each month.

They handle the shipping, although this doesn't help with international orders.
I was not aware of that. Nonetheless, it seemed to me that the parent post implied that if RMS and GNU didn't come to be, then someone else would have come up and done the same thing, and thus what they did is somewhat less of an achievement. My post was mostly in disagreement with that idea.
A little bit of sensationalism going on here, while they obviously did a very poor job at communicating it doesn't point to a lack of caring about users. It does point to a failure to communicate, something I am not surprised of from a young company, especially one currently sealing a funding round.
Clickable: http://www.whollhelpme.com
This looks promising. Firefox could win me back from Chrome with this addition.

Currently, syncing bookmarks with Mobile Safari if you use any other browser than IE or Safari (in Windows), is very unconfortable.
Greyhound's failure happened years ago because of a changing demographic in America. Small-town America rode buses all over the place between WWI and WWI and Greyhound prospered in meeting the market demand for this service. At that time, the interstate highway system did not exist and travel of this type was best done by bus. With the advent of the freeway system, and with the rise of modern air travel, the glory days of back-road bus service ended. Greyhound eventually filed for bankruptcy and, after emerging, has been a ghost of its old self. "Is this 1958?" the author of this piece asks in amazement. Well, for a company long operating at the margins, it might as well be and its customer service appears to be nothing more than a reflection of this reality.

Greyhound's "failure" happened in reality long ago and what we see now is a company that is among the walking dead. This does not excuse what happened to this poor, hapless customer but it probably explains it.
That Kin directly competed with the same OEMs that are the customers of the other mobile OS

Right. Don't compete in the smartphone space with something like Kin. Make something cheap, without a monthly charge, but which shows iAd style ads. Make it something that doesn't make calls, but which can work with a kid's free featurephone to give a lot of the utility of a smartphone with no or negligible monthly charge. Make the money off the ads. Share the ads with the carriers.