skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
Soluto, the winner of TechCrunch Disrupt, is a startup that goes after this problem. Try their software - http://soluto.com/
Right...there are those guys.
But the programmers that VB ruined, would they be programmers if it weren't for VB?

I went from VB 5 to ASP (pre .NET) to PHP 3, but I still turned out ok.
Evaluating Accessibility: The Quick-UX Way
I don't think so. The first evaluation of the body is a given, the "repeat" means to do it more times while the EXPR is true.
Apple's advantage is marketing to people who respond to their message, thus CREATING loyal fans.
yeah i totally understand
Ask HN: Client wants a refund. Am I legally at risk?
A client project of mine went very very badly. The requirements were not originally communicated, I was forced to drop the project due to time constraints. I handed over all code written in that time. The client is currently using my code, but wants all of his down payment back (50% of estimation). I believe he is not entitled to a refund, as he is utilizing my code. He is now threatening me legally, accusing me of fraud — charging him for services that were not delivered.

Am I actually at risk? Keep in mind, there was no contract in place.

I've posted his threats and my responses: https://gist.github.com/9de4e3450bdacf52b03d

Any advice would be deeply appreciated.
An old laptop (not working at the moment) and an old desktop both running Ubuntu 10.04. When I say old, I mean 3+ years old. Planning to buy a new one some time soon, probably with the low-med spec range. Don't need much really.

Also nice to see this many Ubuntu users.
ive seen you talk about this before. Would love to see a post on more of the story behind all of this.
Are there people who don't find programming strenuous? I certainly don't enjoy all aspects of programming.

I love programming, but I still find it to be incredibly strenuous. I have to work at the more difficult/novel problems for days, grinding through particularly boring implementation details while maintaining a high level of attention so that I don't miss anything important.

It's tiring, difficult, often mind-bending, and ultimately, very rewarding. It sometimes seems to require the same amount of will-power I had to invest when working long hours doing difficult manual labor.

Just wondering if this founder is giving up to easily. Of course just being the boss and telling other people what to do is more fun than doing actual work.

Yes. And yes. When it came time to do the actual work, he gave up.

On the other hand, is "being a programmer" a bit like being a studio musician? I never understood why anybody would want to be a studio musician rather than writing their own songs, but I was told that some people prefer it that way. In the same vein, maybe "real programmers" just enjoy programming whatever they are being told to program? I don't want to diss "real programmers" - I just struggle to find my niche in the work force, and it appears being a real programmer is probably not it.

What's a "real" programmer? Your niche in the work force is going to be whatever you can make for yourself. If you want to lead projects (or a company), then find a way to do so. If you don't want to take investment, you'll have to invest your savings -- so find a high paying programming job to help you meet your goal.
The total numbers pulled from Reagan's imagination?

edit: I'll post some sources when I get home
Definitely one of my most productive upgrades has been more monitors, I run a 24" in portrait to my left, great for text editing and reading, centre I run a 24" in landscape, to the right I have a 20" attached to a different system and a 8 inch mimo under the center screen to throw media onto, the whole lot rigged to a powered sit/stand workstation :)

Downside is power consumption, upside is I don't have to use the light switch as it never goes dark in here...

Here's a bit from m$ on the benefits of multi-screen;
http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/vibe.aspx

I remember reading somewhere else that the results of m$'s study into the productivity benefits of larger or more screens did not hit an upper limit.

I also design websites now and again and it's great to just drag a page around and preview it on different screen sizes in 'reality', mapping the 'visible' window on a larger monitor is not quite the same thing.
Conditional Attribute
If there's a significant economic, cultural, and political divergence between a city and the rest of its state, there's also a strong argument to separate the cities off as autonomous city-states.

If people in upstate NY and NYC have conflicting interests, wouldn't it be better for both parties to separate NYC as as state in its own right, rather than maintain the compromise solution of Albany?
Used advertising for a while, also switched to paying for messages since it was still very profitable with the income from advertising (the reason for getting so many users).

Eventually the cost grew above the income from advertising and I had to cut it off before making a loss. Still made quite a hefty profit out of the things, and did use the user base to launch another 3-4 applications.

The whole thing happened while I was traveling on a gap year post high-school. I know I could have made a lot more out of it if I had decent resources. With a decent advertiser (one that also paid for a small text advert at the end of each sms - even a tiny bit for them), I believe I would have earned 5x-10x the amount I did.

Later sold the thing which was a big mistake, although once the users are no longer active - they had no value. Few days after I sold it Facebook added methods to message all users with the application installed (a bit spammy - but sorry :/). Still regret selling it - big mistake.

Either way, used all the income from the application to launch the startup I'm busy with now :)
Well, when I lived in Nebraska, there was a startup that discovered me (one of the founders met a guy from the company where I worked at a restaurant). I had them as a client and then they hired me and moved me. Having the blog with online portfolio really helped - not to mention that I learned the technology side of web design from managing my blog.

When I was tired of CA, I moved to Chicago. I still love the Silicon Valley way of business though. Someone working at oDesk found me through a blog post around that time and then I started working with them as a client - remotely. They've been a great client, and having them didn't hurt in winning new clients.

I have the top hit on Google for "lump in mouth." The page gets about 25k hits a month, plus spun off into a forum, http://lumpinmouth.com I make some okay ad revenue from that.

I also have one of the top hits for "transfer itunes" from a blog post I wrote about a method for transferring songs, ratings, playlists from one computer to another. That also gets a lot of traffic, and I sell affiliate iPod utilities through a separate site I created. Additionally, I have been able to sign up direct advertisers.

Its funny when I think back to all of my friends who were confused when I started blogging "are you getting paid for it? Why are you doing this?" (you have to understand the Nebraska mentality) They couldn't understand doing something for pure enjoyment. Of course, I did end up getting paid.
You're right, but that is neither Google nor Apple's strategy. A winning strategy is to hire and cultivate the best {engineers, designers, leaders, etc.} - if you get the best, then by definition the competition cannot catch up.
Building a Better Mousetrap has been considered a business plan for a century. So its not a competitive advantage? How about timing, marketing, message? Those sunk Beta.
Same, with a 30'' Cinema Display.
He may use 'turbo' blades, which do last several times as long in my experience.
e8400, 4GB Ram, 9800GT, Windows 7 x64, 22" Dell 2209WA, happy hacking keyboard <3, razer diamondback

But I'm hoping to be able to replace that machine in the near future with a `smarttop', preferably something like the marvell ebox or similar spec-wise (hopefully cortex a9)

My wm of choice has always been 'pekwm'
Same story. When I was 14 I created PDFProducer (simple TXT to PDF creator) and released it as freeware. Some one contacted me and asked me to add ability to pass inputs as command line (instead of GUI). Trivial change but it made me my first $100.
I don't think they are gutting anything. They are simply trying to work around the Supreme Court's botched decision in Quality King.

Until I read Quality King, I had no idea that the section 6xx limitations on importing had any connection to the section 1xx exceptions to 17 USC 106. And I doubt that Congress had any idea there was a connection, either.

The 9th Circuit is trying to find a way to read section 109 so as to undo Quality King and get back to what Congress intended--unauthorized importation of copyrighted works, other than for personal use, is prohibited.
I hacked a Linux driver to make a slightly obscure hardware device work in Ubuntu (to scratch an itch). I spoke to the hardware manufacturer on the way. I ended up doing some contracting on Linux compatibility for some of their other products.
You need to read more fiction :).
I don't think that's exactly an ego trip. They tend to associate knowledge with age.
When you need to haul something a truck is infinitely more useful than a Ferrari.
P.S. Next week I'll talk about what are real competitive advantages.

Which I suppose makes sense, as it's supposed to be part of a series.
Yes; just go to the #perl6 channel on freenode, request a commit bit, and edit it out of the spec.

For this particular change though, I think you will meet a bit of resistance. Many people might agree that the feature is goofy, but few will probably agree that it's bad and should be gotten rid of.
Your post sort of proves the point.

Hobbyists/tinkerers probably wouldn't consider an iPad because of who they are. That puts this device in a different market segment. Despite the fact that this device has similar features and form factor to the iPad, this device and the iPad aren't really competing for the same customers.
I talked to a Pandigital rep back in May about whether this platform was open and got this response:

Future versions of this product will be able to take advantage of Android applications. At this time w/ the ifirmware version at launch, the first Pandigital Novel eReaders are not designed to support additional Android applications.
Uncanny valley of web design, anyone?
Absolutely. It varies by state. In most states most private businesses can't prohibit concealed carry; in other states they can, but only with specific language on a certain size sign. Plus, if you violate, it's just "please leave". There are legal prohibitions against carry in certain places under state law (usually bars, schools, sometimes government buildings), and there are federal prohibitions at airports. Not carrying when you're going to be drinking, or at a place like a club where people will be bumping up against you, is probably a good and prudent idea.

If it is concealed, no one should know. Open carry IMO is a bad idea in a lot of places, and not something I would want to encourage. That is what Starbucks seems to have a problem with. Open carry is bad because it makes weapon retention a much bigger problem, plus it negates the "no one knows who MIGHT be armed" value of citizen concealed carry. Also, if I were doing open carry, I would feel obligated to carry something like a $3500 Les Baer 1911 or a Colt Python, vs. a $500 Glock.
Google visualization API is not for end users, but I suppose there could be services built on top of that (although I haven't seen any yet). Thanks for pointing to iCharts and Wondergraphs. I hadn't seen them before.
Depending of the feature, copying it takes time. And while your competitor is copying it, you're working on the next version of your product with others new innovative features. So, I disagree with a fact that a feature is not a competitive advantage. I.e. google with their first smart way to crawl the web was a huge advantage. This advantage may not be there forever, however, it IS an advantage.
And eager to stay tuned for next week's exciting installment!
You disagree with me by comparing jews to nazis (and to the 9/11 terrorists) and I'm the one getting down voted. Fun.

Well, come on, reply saying you didn't say "jews" and comparing Israelis to Nazis is legitimate. Except it isn't.

Or maybe you'll deny you compared them, and say it was purely an example of how being anti-X doesn't prove bias. But I didn't say being anti-X indicates bias for all X. I said taking a strong anti-Israel stand on a controversial topic does not constitute unbiased reporting. See the difference? You said opposing uncontroversially bad things is legitimate. But either you missed the point or you think Jews are uncontroversially bad.
The iPhone 4 antenna attenuation issue will be remembered as one of the biggest avoidable but unforeseen design errors of all time, I think.
Hot Yoga Clothes - Mika Yoga Wear
The UV light is completely hilarious. It would be far more effective in a UV container.
I do UI/UX/HCI (both full-time and freelance)... it's been my experience that they're hard to find because almost no one starts out in UI. You're either a graphic designer or a coder who moves towards designing interfaces.

I think that's mainly because very few university programs with a full HCI track in their comp sci (or ID or graphic design) programs.

In general, it seems like there is a shortage- I'm constantly asked if a I know of any good UI designers who are looking for a job.
"Hackers for Hire": BBC audio documentary on russian hackers
It depends on how close of a shave you want. If you simply want to be presentable you can do one quick pass "with the grain", but if you want a perfectly smooth shave you can do several passes (perpendicular and against the grain). If I'm in a hurry I can shave in 5 minutes (though this is a good way to cut yourself), if I'm taking my time it's maybe 10 minutes.

I also only shave every other day, in large part due to how close of a shave you can get, though I also naturally don't grow hair quickly.
I have read about Soviet cavalry charges as late as 1942, but in memoirs, not history books.
Only if you are looking for an iPad.
(You meant "The Russians (land of Pavlov...", right?)
The visual editor builds on Scratch which is somewhere between Logo and Smalltalk. The compiler is based on Scheme.

From the article:

"The blocks editor uses the Open Blocks Java library for creating visual blocks programming languages. ... Open Blocks visual programming is closely related to the Scratch programming language, a project of the MIT Media Laboratory's Lifelong Kindergarten Group...

The compiler that translates the visual blocks language for implementation on Android uses the Kawa Language Framework and Kawa's dialect of the Scheme programming language..."

Language overviews:

http://progopedia.com/language/scratch/

http://www.gnu.org/software/kawa/Features.html
You are right on the money. It all comes down to the best shave for YOU. It's worth experimenting. After all if you are going for clean-shaven you are going to be shaving about once per day. 365 times per year. Thousands of times before you die. It is worth optimizing this to be as pleasant as possible.

I can absolutely respect people who prefer the 'classic' old straight edge shaves, or the dollar store single blades, or the ultra-manly outback shave with a friggen knife.. I have actually tried all of the above (the knife was a mistake!)

Now I found my personal golden sheep; I got a free one of the new Shtick Hydro's and it is bar none the best shave I have ever had. The first time I used it I was actually startled. It didn't FEEL like I was shaving, just like I was rubbing something smooth over my face and the hair was suddenly gone.

I think a lot of the backlash against the pushing of newer shaving products is legitimate (prices of blades going up.. how many blades do we really need? ergonomic grip? Really?), but I think a large part is also some sort of machismo. Having a really 'fancy' smooth shave just isn't as manly.

Personally I am not shaving for the man-points. I am shaving for utility and comfort.

EDIT: full setup, shave while shower is running so I am in a steamy room, I use shaving gel (the Gillette sensitive skin), and I make sure I change the blade every two weeks. Follow up with the shower and some post-shave lotion after toweling off.
Soft Error
I'm sorry but this is just over reaction. The big deal about the antenna issue is that Apple tried to cover it up NOT the issue itself. The issue itself can be fixed easily and cheaply by either using masking tape (as they suggest) or by simply buying the $29 "bumper" accessory from Apple.

To suggest someone buy a 3GS over an iPhone 4 because of this issue (as they do at the end of the article) is just a little silly.
> People (who can afford them) still prefer Ferrari.

It really depends on whether I need to carry stuff from one place to another. Or whether I want to use a road to do it.
At a minimum, it is no less 'consistent' than the original which has the glaring disadvantage of not being funny at all.
You can see my setup here: http://jseliger.com/2010/05/02/writing-space-2010 . You can see a 24" iMac (the screen space is, to my mind, more valuable than the processor speed) with an external monitor and a Kinesis Advantage). [EDIT: Note also the desk -- a Maxon 1000 series with a Humanscale keyboard tray. It's a good combination because you can adjust the tray to keep your arms at a 90 degree angle and the desk is really solid.)

My family's space is here: http://blog.seliger.com/2008/06/15/tools-of-the-trade%E2%80%... .
If I could upvote you a hundred times, I would. Almost every comment disagreeing with the article fails to understand the economic definition of "competitive advantage." He didn't say none of those things was an advantage, he said it wasn't a competitive advantage.
And what of Stephenson's Cryptonomicon?
I would say that Google and Apple are successful because they execute well. Many talented people have tried to copy their designs and features but few have been able to execute those designs and features as well as them.
Quad core Q5550 , 8GB ram, Vista x64
cygwin with extensive use of mintty
Eclipse for everything
2 * 24" Monitors
Microsoft X6 Keyboard
Taskflash LED readout [I make this ;) ]
Velociraptor 300GB + ~3TB of sundry disk space
LTO-2 tape drive (unf, requires SCSCI card too)
VMWare used extensively for linux dev
Linode for internet accessible hosts
Virgin Media 50Mbit cable internet

--

Also a Thinkpad W500 with an Intel X-25M for when my baby comes along in October and I'm kicked out of my home office
I guess you didn't get my point.

If the feature is the product, then the only way someone else can copy your feature is by redesigning their entire product. That's a huge barrier of (re)entry for existing competitors, and hence a competitive advantage.

If you're worried about newcomers, there isn't much you can do to argue for competitive advantage anyway. Most software ideas can easily be copied no matter what.

Except perhaps when the idea targets highly specialized markets and your team already has experts in the topic, and only a few such experts exist in the world. E.g. high-frequency trading platforms, etc.

But in most software startups, that's hardly the case.
My main is an old desktop, amd athlon xp 2400, nvidia nforce2 motherboard, and nvidia fx 7600 graphics card, dual 17in monitors, running win7. 5 years old, still does everything i need like a champ. My laptop is a 6year old off brand celeron 1.7ghz processor, running debian stable. Still works fine, albeit a little big. I will upgrade when things break.
"They found that life satisfaction rises significantly with household income."

I tend to believe income is really just an indirect indicator of general competence/underlying well-being rather than somehow causative. My observation is that serious, unresolvable life problems (such as chronic illness or special needs kids) tends to significantly curtail earning capacity. For me, resolving underlying problems has gradually improved my financial situation. I strongly believe that financial problems are essentially indicators of underlying real-world problems. So it makes sense to me that, conversely, financial well-being would grow out general well-being -- which fits with the detail that 2/3 of lottery winners are bankrupt within 5 years. Having money dumped in your lap doesn't magically resolve any underlying personal problems and, therefore, doesn't really fix your financial problems all by itself.
??? Say more. The treaty at Yalta wasn't signed by Roosevelt? what?
I switched to DE coming on a year ago. I didn't get a new DE but went for some of the older models (available off ebay for cheap).

My favorite one regularly goes for about 5 bucks (They are usually tagged with: Canadian 1932 "military issue" like these: http://cgi.ebay.ca/LOT-2-GILLETTE-SAFETY-RAZORS-3-PIECES-BLA...).

The first week I shaved before bed to get the hang of it. Went slow, paid attention to technique, beard growth direction, etc.

After that I shave almost every morning after my shower. Takes ~10 minutes including Lather, Shave and Cleanup.

For me, I like it. I have a small collection of some cooler looking old DE razors. Buy blades for incredibly cheap. And can enjoy a variety of shaving creams.
True. And indeed those are the cases where you buy a truck. In the 90% of other cases, you get a Ferrari. Most people that need a car, not a truck.

Features that you don't need/use are not relevant and most people will prefer design/style/etc... to those extra features.

IMHO this is what Apple's success is based on. Quality and style over Feature lists.
Moffatt Nichol Engineer offer full range of Engineering Services
"And on top of that, these guys are worse or on a par for atrocities with anyone ever, real or imagined."

This is a Euro-centric perspective. The Germans did not do anything different than any of the colonial powers in their own colonies. The difference with the Germans is that they decided to colonize Europe.

In terms of excess mortality, the man-made British famines in India are worse. The genocide of Native Americans by the Spanish, English and French colonists is unparalleled in human history for its duration, brutality and number of casualties. In Africa it is much the same - forget Belgians in the Congo, the British had death camps in Kenya in the 1950s!
This is still a relatively small production database as far as large DB instances go.
Classic morality problem: sacrifice 1 you know for 10 you don't. Have you solved it? Enlighten us.
BlackBerry 6: Another Sneak Peek
Just 13% of firms signed up to carbon reduction scheme, despite big fine risk
+1 for the Kinesis, great keyboard, fixed my wrist pain!
you try fixing a sodium-iodide scintillation detector without a manual

More like, you try finding a sodium-iodide scintillation detector that HAS a manual!

Another great story, thanks for posting.
> I expect it to have real potential to sell more than a million devices

Is the iPad a real competitor to netbooks? This specific product is not a huge risk for Apple - it's easily clonable by other manufacturers and, by itself, it will never have a huge market share. The combined power of just about every Chinese manufacturer is a very real threat to Apple.

Steve must remember the Apple II.

Hardware makers for this class of devices will not - and need not to - spend a ton of money on marketing. They will have this thingie sitting on aisles of major supermarkets.

And that's a killer move in the lower-end. Nobody will remember their brand next week. But, in the meantime, they will sell lots of units.
Just a plug for Somersets shaving oil rather than shaving cream or gel. Works quite well, and you can carry it on planes without any hassle (I went around the world with it). http://www.somersets.com/