skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
I use Paytrust, but since Intuit bought it, they've let it go downhill. The problem from a business standpoint is that it's hard to compete against free.

It's also pretty hard right now to crack the market without a lot of capital, because there isn't standardized electronic bill presentment that works in a high enough percentage of cases. Therefore, you have to web-scrape. Paytrust bootstrapped this by having billers mail paper bills to them, which they would scan and manually enter the amount due. Since virtually everyone receives bills online now, the paper API isn't really viable.

If someone came up with a common format for bills which included some metadata like amount due, due date, name of biller, plus HTML or PDF for the actual bill, it would be very useful. Then there is the question of delivery. Most banks don't want to deliver the full bill by email -- they want you to log into their site. If there were a standardized API with the ability to authorize third parties, it would make things much easier.

The only real opportunity I see is for Intuit to bring Paytrust into Mint. There could be a lot of integration between the two, and the attention to detail that Mint has could make a world of difference to Paytrust. Right now (insanely) you can't even export your paytrust transactions to Quicken, because a number of years ago, Quicken stopped supporting the QIF format, and this is the only format that Paytrust exports.
I felt the same way about Consumer Reports until they kept releasing new 'reports' about things that generally looked like link-bait to me. They did their whole initial review of the unit without noticing the problem, i.e. it worked as they expected it to work. It wasn't until it was brought to their attention that you could touch the spot and change the signal that they did the followup report. Then they released something about duct-tape working. Then posted something else about bumpers working, etc. It makes it very hard for me to have confidence in their testing after that.
Clicktale does this ( http://www.clicktale.com/ ). They only capture a subset of the page views and are somewhat expensive. We tried it out for a month or two when we were very early on but we just weren't able to see the value at that point to justify the expense. We might try it again as we are much further along now.
That is so cool (I think). I have been waste deep in Freebase for a few weeks for a work task.

There is a lot of cruft in Freebase, but with some manual effort and some automation, it is a good source of a wide variety of information. Depending on application, DBpedia and GeoNames are other good resources for structured data.
Yes, with the promo code it's free.

To enter the promo code, you go to the iTunes Store home page (in iTunes), and in the top-right corner, click on "Redeem", and in the page that opens, paste the promo code.

Let me know what you think!
Hadoop2010: Large-Scale Analytics at Facebook
Thanks Michael. There are many ways I can tackle this because there are lots of features worth mentioning. But I remember that when you say a lot and lose focus, people tend to lose focus too.

I narrowed it down to 2 areas that I can say CardMunch has a very "unique value proposition".

For one, we are unbelievably accurate. Anyone used a card scanning devie/app would know that the accuracy is atrocious. That's a problem because a wrong contact is worse than no contact. We don't send anything back unless it's 100% accurate, even if we have to employ multiple people to double, triple check the answer.

Another angle is the simplicity. We made it so that everything is as simple as possible. You don't need to take a picture, just point your phone at a card, CardMunch automatically recognizes your card and uploads / transcribes / imports the contact right into the phone, all that with 0-click. We also do real-time syncing so that every update gets backed up on the server, so you never have to worry about losing a contact. All that that is done with 0 clicks, just let CardMunch handle it all.

If you were to propose a story to market this product, which in your opinion is a more compelling hook for a story, and why?

Thanks again for your feedback!
That's what I thought - and the cinematography, IMO, is pretty bad. Half of the time the subjects seem to be blurry.
I had to laugh - I figured no one would actually read the manual :)
It's a chilling strategy because the costs of not using a GPL software is always less than a legal fight.

Also, you do have rather established legal definitions of 'collective' and 'derivative works'. See, for example, Laurence Rosen: "Open Source Licensing". Then, why does the GPL3 not use them? Instead, is uses 'work based on' IIRC. So, why's that?

In my opinion, the resulting (legal) uncertainty is intentional.

Another reason: If the interpretation of the FSF is true, all works that ever linked dynamically against a Microsoft library would be derivative works of said library. Does it makes sense that companies like Adobe try to build a business on such shaky legal grounds?
Time to switch? Time to fork.
Just looked at your site. What a cool idea. I've always had trouble figuring out how to get my business cards digitized. This is definitely a big move! How do I sign up?
I can't scan as I don't have a scanner, but here is the manual on scribd. Page 169 of the actual manual or page 179 of scribed.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/32516924/Sprint-HTC-EVO-User-Manua...
How One Bad Trade Cost Steve Jobs $4 Billion
I don't see how this helps their situation. This just adds weight to the idea that they willfully ignored the problem and shipped the phone with full knowledge of the antenna problems.
Putting an iPhone in a case is really a shame. And yet, so many do it (it seems to me mostly women but my sample size is admittedly not large). The is so expensive, people are afraid to drop it. Maybe it's because it looks delicate?

In any case, I've dropped my 3GS phone about a half dozen times, twice from 3 feet. No damage so far; maybe some scratches, but I use a matte screen protector (more easily scratched than the glass) and a custom vinyl backing (edges and corners still exposed). There's some dust now behind the screen from the impacts, but a case might not have prevented that anyways.

If I had to put the 3GS in a case, I probably wouldn't have bought it in the first place. But then I prize thinness in phones over other things, since I put the phone in my pocket.

At least the iPhone 4 bumpers are less intrusive and ugly than most 3GS cases. Still a shame to cover the stainless steel edge when they finally brought stainless steel back in the iPhone design.
I don't understand the thinking here. You pay for the hardware (either directly or through your service contract). The software is free and open source. What do they think they are protecting?

Why not make it OS agnostic, like a PC? They can still limit support to the original OS (like many PC vendors). It seems they just making it hard to root because that's the way they've always done business - and change is hard for them.
Thats why I called C++ `mostly static`.
HTC EVO manual: http://support.sprint.com/global/pdf/user_guides/htc/evo/htc...

Page 169:

"To assure optimal phone performance and ensure human exposure to RF energy is within the guidelines set
forth in the relevant standards, always use your device only in its normal-use position. Contact with the
antenna area may impair call quality and cause your device to operate at a higher power level than needed.
Avoiding contact with the antenna area when the phone is IN USE optimizes the antenna performance and
the battery life. "
I don't have one, but I've seen recent positive comments about some of the ASUS line. Decent horsepower and memory, and a USB connector that can be turned into a network drive (keep in mind, USB 2 isn't the fastest).
Very nicely done. Great signup process. Unfortunately, not too many HN'ers around me (Columbus, OH). I will keep an eye out and see if it changes.

Again, great work. Thanks
why didn't they just test it out in public...where it would normally be used.
How rigid and tough are those spikes? If you fell off the walkway while walking out to the test platform in the first picture, would it likely cause serious injury to you, or would it just crush a bunch of spikes and get you in trouble with your boss?
In school districts with strong teacher unions, the first to be laid off are less tenured, young teachers. Generally, without regard to ability or merit.

I'm thinking this isn't a strong "attractor" to our country's best and brightest and results in the impending demographic bomb of the teaching profession.
I haven't downloaded the data set for the fact that it doesn't look like the accompanying MQL server is available for download. Am I correct on this?

MQL is sweet (e.g. give me all of Tom Cruise's movies since 1995 that have cost over 10million dollars to make), but what good is the data dump if all I can do is resort to simplistic SQL queries? MQL support is just as important as the data itself.

I'm sure that I'm overlooking something simple as usual (shameless self-deprecation reference in an attempt to hold myself less accountable in the event that there's an easy solution available but I was just too lazy to find it).
Suggestion - add to the karma listing how long someone has been registered with HN. Absolute Karma is less use than dK/dt. Someone may have Karma 100, but only been registered for 10 days and hence be accruing Karma quickly, as opposed to someone registered for 100 days, hence not active, or not getting much karma.

Just a thought.
Hi, how are you? Doing anything fun for the weekend? Uh, hang on...

What? I'm not talking to _you_!
True the power of osmosis is powerful but does it create self-drive or motivation to succeed.
Get Quicktime hehe :) As usually nice packed crap from Apple. They are #1 in crap packing, masters of marketing.
Wow, cool. I had one of those card scanners, but they always end up being more work and I end up never using it. Can't wait to try this out.
The problem with the semantic web is you need a universal ontology. i.e. you need everyone to agree on the same thing. Cory Doctorow's Metacrap explains more http://www.well.com/~doctorow/metacrap.htm
After getting called out for having an issue every cell phone has, Apple did a photo shoot of a testing facility that every other cell phone manufacturer also has and used it as marketing.
Yes, but if it takes a few months to start to feel better (improvement takes weeks-to-months, not days, right?), then it seems like I need to give it a good 3-4 months to test that out. Especially since it's hard to be truly eliminate all sources of wheat for a newbie. I want to give this a really good try, and then if I'm not better in that time period, I can check celiac/gluten off the list of potential causes. Believe me, I'm not excited about having to give up pizza and beer. :-)

I think I'm actually in agreement with you here insofar as I'm trying to pursue one thing at a time, and not go crazy trying 5 other treatments simultaneously. I just don't want to have the Celiac issue crop up 2 years from now and wonder if I really gave it a good enough try.
cool, email me at bowei@cardmunch.com. Let me give you a sneak peek.
This entire article reads like a gigantic copy/paste cluster-fuck of misinformation and hyperbole. The WSJ ought to be ashamed to call this journalism. It's as if every major media outlet has identified 'antennagate' as the next click-generating cash-cow and is riding it in to the sunset.
Steve Yegge is a "non-notable programmer"
same, shoot me an email at bowei@cardmunch.com
I found the base antenna site (http://www.apple.com/antenna/) pretty enlightening.
Hmm. For some reason it's called me a physicist. Not sure why ...
:) This reminds me of the million-dollar zero gravity pens vs. just using a pencil.
Here's a screenshot in case they remove it: http://imgur.com/bc5FO.png
There's lies, damn lies, and statistics. 0.55% sounds great, and not a big deal. In reality, 16,000 people get dropped calls - almost statistically insignificant. But if you're one of those 16K people, then it happens 100% of the time to you!

(It's fun to play with statistics to alter public perception)
A recall is used when a product threatens the safety of users. Everyone who bought an iPhone 4 has the opportunity to return the phone for a full refund. Apple is waiving restocking fees.
Why would you need to pay for a test? Just stop eating wheat and eat corn tortillas, rice, buckwheat, etc.

1) Have you used a nutrition calculator for 1 week to see if your typical diet is malnourished?

2) Have you tried boosting niacin intake for peripheral tingling?

3) Have you tried increasing intake of antioxidant and antiinflammatory foods such as dark chocolate, turmeric, blueberries, and fresh fish?

4) Do you wake up at the same time every morning?

5) How many grams of protein do you consume a day and what is your body weight?

6) What are the different antidepressant or stimulant medications\supplements you have tried for fatigue?
Spikes in RF labs are generally a soft foam, so you would probably just crush a bunch of spikes. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anechoic_chamber for more information about these kinds of rooms
Also see Unbounce. (Not connected with the company, just a customer of theirs).

http://unbounce.com/
wait, Apple themselves called the whole thing Antennagate? WTF were they thinking?

There are indeed amateurs working at their PR department. Good luck with getting rid of that instant meme!
Pet peeve: nothing "cost" Steve Jobs 4 billion. He did something that meant he did not eventually gain 4 billion, in hindsight.

I really hate the trader-talk notion that you have "lost" money when they mean "failed to gain". Gah. It's not the same, people.
That is an alien-looking world.

It gets more exciting if you mute it and put on Liberi Fatali in the background.
I'm not a teacher, but my wife is and I've been able to see how dysfunctional the school district is.

- teachers across subjects get paid at the same rate table. Math & Science teachers have a higher opportunity cost but they get the same wage as a PE teacher. I've talked with people in the union and other people, and basically they don't believe that free market principles should dictate how much people get paid.

- new teacher burnout: new teachers get the worst classes to teach, while the most experienced ones get to pick out their favorite ones. In addition, new teachers will have to teach many different classes compared to more senior ones, so this adds a lot to the load. In addition, at least at my wife's school, she was laid off every year for 5 years based on the seniority system. She got very high teacher evaluations but that doesn't matter in the seniority system.

- layoffs hit the young, cheaper and more energetic teachers, while keeping the expensive older teachers.

- it is nearly impossible to fire bad teachers. Some of the teachers slept in class, took field trips to the mall, or spent half a semester teaching handwriting. Everyone knows who the bad teachers are, but it is a bureaucratic nightmare to do anything about it.

- it is really hard to switch to different schools or districts. If you have a personality conflict you are sort of stuck with each other. Compare this to private industry - I've seen many people who were bad fits at one company do really well once they moved on.

... and I could go on. Basically, if someone wanted to be a teacher and asked for my advice, I'd tell them to stay away from the field unless they really really really want to be a teacher.
My only suggestion might be to add some finer granularity to location. I zoom into Boston and just see one blob - when it might be nice to see zip-code level granularity.

I try to change my location to Cambridge MA, but it stays in Boston.

Maybe handle geocoding zip codes etc.?
Freebase's blog post on graphd (their speedy, non-open-source tuple store):

http://blog.freebase.com/2008/04/09/a-brief-tour-of-graphd/
1.Installing wordpress on your domain is free. Use this - http://codex.wordpress.org/Installing_WordPress It is very easy to set up.
2. I personally use Posterous.(http://posterous.com/) Very easy to use. Has comments too.
it's called Reality Distortion Field for a reason!
I love it.

One suggestion: When you click on a pagination button on a Find Hacker News Users listings page, the page should either reload, or scroll to the top. The way it is now, it feels like it isn't answering my request for the next page.

Great work!
One thing that's always frustrated me about these sort of apps is that I don't actually want every business card I pick up at a conference to become a contact. I want to collect the information electronically, but I don't want to stuff my contacts with people I'm not regularly contacting.
Robot head Flobi designed to dodge uncanny valley
German engineers have designed a robot head to express emotions while overcoming the creep factor associated with the Uncanny Valley.
This will happen: http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/1/17166/757587-yowch1_sup... (for some reason, I immediately thought about Prince of Persia)
anodization of steel will cover it with a fine layer of rust :)
A great anti-inflammatory supplement besides cannabis is Turmeric due to its high Curcumin content.

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

In vitro and animal studies have suggested that curcumin may have antitumor,[9][10] antioxidant, antiarthritic, anti-amyloid, anti-ischemic[11], and anti-inflammatory properties.[12]
In the press conference, Steve said 0.55% of AppleCare calls about the iPhone 4 were about reception or antenna issues. That's a big difference from 0.55% of iPhone 4 purchasers.
Exactly. It's revealing of how much actual thought vs. frothy rage there has been around this problem.
They are protecting from unsigned, unauthorized malware to be installed on the phone which could cause a large amount of harm to the network at large. Does this open up the possibility of "abuse" of this feature on the part of Motorola and others who employ this "feature"? Sure, but it's not pure evil either.
Thanks for explaining.

I obviously didn't know how this is supposed to work.
Sprint and Nascar are partners- see NASCAR Sprint Cup[1]. Because of this, it is in their best interest that people watch/become aware of NASCAR. It's like product placement, but on your phone.

[1] http://www2.sprint.com/mr/cda_pkDetail.do?id=1160&ECID=v...
That is an interesting idea!
You also thought it was like Prince of Persia? I visualized something like: http://bit.ly/dzScOQ
Better title: "Apple's insanely cool PR response"
Quick short Review:

* Great idea. This sort of app is extremely useful, especially for students at univs
* I'm not sure I like the app title at the top of the page. Its a low-res picture and doesn't look good on my iPhone 4.
I realize you're going for a skeuomorphic design with the UI, but I somehow feel the title feels "out of place". Can't really put my finger on it though.

* I find it a little confusing to enter total amount with tax and then enter the tax again. When I split with friends, I usually don't think too much about the tax.. Perhaps you could ask for the "amount to split" and leave the tax bit to the user?

* The two buttons at the bottom seem out of place, given the design of the rest of the app.

* This is more of a 'feature request' i guess, but it would be nice to have a history of transactions, with support for IOUs. Very often, one of us in my group won't have cash or be owed money or something of the sort, and an IOU gets in the way.

* Could you let the user email this to contacts? This way, all members in the group have a record of what happened.
I think after years of the press labeling every tempest in a teapot "Teapotgate", it's a pretty good PR move.
nugde, that sounds very reasonable, but I am skeptical if that would make you stand out. Have you had reasonable success doing this?

I always wonder if bloggers reads our emails. It seems like they would get so many of these story everyday, do they have time to read everything?

Bloggers, please feel free to chime in? Do you only read the emails with interesting titles? :)
I'm not quite sure it's a money problem - for example in FY 2008 - Milwaukee Public schools spent $14503 per enrolled student and has a 46% graduation rate.

There are plenty of Milwaukee area private options that exceed the outcomes of the public school system for well under $14K.
It's even more -- you can do really cool queries with the data. E.g., ask for all people linked less than three degrees of separation from PG and whose ages are between 20 and 40 (as a rather lame example).

I do hope Google will do something cool with this acquisition.
I think tech in the classroom is highly overrated, in that the funding in schools is so short that even basic things are lacking. Let's start with paper in classroom for tests and water & coffee in the breakroom.
The WebM one? It is called VP8, not V8.
I guess I wasn't clear. If Google says "ship vanilla Android or nothing" (basically the same policy as Apple), carriers will choose some other OS that lets them load crapware. If Google says "you can choose to ship vanilla Android™ or DroidWeasel", I agree with you that the carriers will simply rebrand it.
How Tetris Was Made [Image]
All my code is bad code, it just hasn't matured yet. It normally takes three to six months for it to do so.
So, the FSF is out to obstruct the use of GPL software. Who would have imagined that?
"Big O only says something about n = Infinite."

Err, no it doesn't. Big O is a tool for saying how quickly an algorithm runs based on the size of n, and it's usually used to measure real things, like what will happen when the filesystem has to handle 100,000 files, then 1,000,000, etc.
San Mateo D.A. Withdraws Controversial Gizmodo iPhone Warrant
How the Pursuit of Goals Operates Outside of Conscious Awareness
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Supported_Devices#Suppo...

The Linksys (listed under Cisco) should be available, however you must note the REV when buying. I know some net gears switched to vxworks within the same model - but carried a different REV.
Roila - Artificial language for communication with robots
Same story. Different direction.

Worked on Wall Street for almost 20 years. Did everything from quant finance to selling bonds to managing technology project. Left in 2004 (yes, deferred comp was left on the table), moved to Australia to study machine learning and collected a doctorate. Started a biofuel company (long story).

Now, six years later, I'm founding a quant marketing startup. Net result: less salary, more upside, more psychic benefits. Make sure your spouse is up for it and they are willing to grow. If so, you'll be closer otherwise the inevitable stresses may take their toll. Mine ended up getting an MFA and a new career of her own.

Turns out my neighbor in Australia was a senior product developer at Microsoft before he decided to move to an atoll in the Pacific and then get a biology degree. He used to jokingly accuse me of copying him. (Typical Microsoftie.)

I think the bottom line is that mastery is not enough for some people. The 21st century midlife crisis cannot be cured with a new Porsche. You need another mountain to climb.
When I see articles like this, I often wonder why the developers do not look beyond their current language of choice. I can understand it if they are stuck with business restrictions passed down from "on high", but a developer should not limit his choices purely on the basis of his current language preference.

The last time I considered Symfony was a couple years back when I was searching for a decent framework for my own sites. I considered CakePHP as well, and even took it for a spin. But then I decided to broaden my horizons and look at other languages. It was then that I discovered Django, which caught my eye chiefly because of its speed vs. Cake and Symfony. It has served me well for the last couple of years.

Eventually, I will probably move beyond Django. I may even (gasp!) check Rails out again, or look toward Java when the time is right.