skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
What you say about Java's verbosity is sort of flawed in the same way that attacks on C++ about its template metaprogramming madness are flawed. Don't confuse a language with what people write in it.

There is a point though. C++ encourages obscure "too clever" constructs, and Java encourages excessive verbosity. But in both cases you can decide not to go there.
For f*ck sake, no. It doesn't go far enough.

Don't like the GPL? Don't use it; it's just that you then fall back on standard interpretations of "derivative work", which -- you'll find, are at least as restrictive.

8 notes are enough to constitute derivative work for music, as are 4 paragraphs. I'm not aware of specifics for code, but I believe they'll be even less comfortable for you than any gpl interpretation.
A Michigan Teen Farms Her Backyard
Or a square of electrical tape?
I've mentioned in an earlier thread that I'd try to hire anyone who showed up for an interview with a working robot they'd designed and built by themselves because it's directly related to the kind of software we do.

Another option is having an application (desktop or web) you've written that we could then discuss during the interview: why do you have that feature? how did you implement it, let's look at the code, etc.

I have never had an applicant show up with code examples or anything to demonstrate what he had done (though I did prescreen someone who managed his own OSS project. He was hired) and really it would have a big impact in the hiring decision for a number of reasons. It doesn't have to be OSS or protected company work. If you've ever done a side project for fun you're already ahead of most applicants I see.
Dude, unsuccessful writers think people want "good writing" - they don't

Dude, what does that have to do with anything? The claim was bad writers have no following. Which is not true. That's all.

I read between 3 and 10 books per week (closer to 10 lately) and I don't know what "evince" means

Happy to do my little bit broadening someone's vocabulary.

Ignore this advice

Thanks, I will. Mostly because I don't think I or any of the people I was having a discussion with were asking for advice. But I'll come back and re-read this during my next advice shortage.
>>and thus "deliver the final blow to the newspaper industry".

Language like this generally makes me more skeptical that they'll accomplish this

It is one thing to blog or to aggregate "news", it is another to actually investigate and report the news. I don't know if they realize this, when they talk about delivering the "final blow to the newspaper industry"

>>The first 100 TechCrunch readers to retweet this article and add the hashtag #freeapollo (ha ha, retweet bots!) are getting a promotion code for the app on iTunes.

Their 1.0 version launched today. Apple only gives you 50 promo codes for an app version. I wonder whether they really have some way to hand out 100 promo codes today or whether this is just going to be their first case of over-promising and under-delivering.
I paid $550 for my Nexus One, on which is an Amazon MP3 app that I have no ability to remove. It inexplicably starts up in the background quite frequently as well, for no particular reason.

One day I finally gave in and tried to buy some music, to discover that the app is completely useless to me given that I'm in Canada and Amazon doesn't provide even free MP3s here.

Very, very shitty of Google. They likely got some chump-change amount from Amazon for doing this (the price of the phone certainly doesn't seem to be subsidized by this junk), but it threatens user trust.
Woz is fairly well known as a philanthropist, and has been since the early 80s. I'd guess that he just hasn't drawn the same level of press attention that the Microsoft billionaires have. I'm also quite sure that he has nowhere near as much cash as them, despite how well Apple are doing now, they've had much harder times than MS.

I've no idea about Jobs though. His personal life has always been very secretive, and I would imagine any involvement with charity would be just as secretive.
Asynchronous CommonJS Modules for the Browser (and Introducing Transporter)
Viva La Hack
The chicken came before the egg
You are asking for legal trouble in a major way. Yelp seems fairly forward-thinking, so I doubt they'll come after you with their lawyer-guns blazing, but they could. And if you don't change your name, you'll leave them with no choice.

Then there's the whole TOS issue of reproducing Yelp content, and on top of that you're violating the copyright of the Yelp users who posted the reviews -- they gave Yelp permission to publish their review, but they didn't give you permission.

I like the idea, and I'd like to see you make it work -- not just for Yelp, but for all the major review sites. If you get the Yelp trademark out of your domain name, serve reviews from multiple sources (Citysearch, etc), and then use excerpts in a defensible fair-use way, then I think you might have something more workable.

Also, sell them framed. No one wants to find frames, and it's a great opportunity for you to create additional profit margin.
Personalization, game mechanics, and moving beyond social.
Russian Intelligence Gets Source Code to Windows 7
You can buy a paper version of the book here:

http://www.secretsofcreation.com/
They could, but it wouldn't do any good. Theme authors who aren't running their site on Wordpress won't be covered by the Wordpress ToC, and I don't think WP would sue users who install a non-GPL theme.
What happens to the popularity of the software when the hiring managers or HR people are rated poorly or even "just average"?

Think about the newest social games. They metric is progression. There are no downers. If you have a low score, it's because you're new to the game or haven't played enough. You always "gain" experience points, gold, whatever.

In order to get past the chicken and egg problem in the social space you need to turn the scale from 1 to 10 into 1 to infinity and give the perception of not punishing low scores.
mentally replace "language" with "language environment" and all will make sense to you; it will also put you in line with how most people read this discussion.

You: language = base syntax + semantics Most: language = base syntax + semantics + common idioms + standard library + popular libraries
How did he ruin people? His company was incredibly progressive for its time.
The proximity chargers for Wiimotes work really well. Don't even have to take off the outer rubber sleeve to use them. I'm all for reducing use of standard batteries, so at least the Wii still has a decent solution for this.
Wireless industry tells the FCC its 'bill shock' survey is bunk
"I" would say "no". If WP has public api calls and that is all a theme uses, then WP cannot force GPL upon it. The theme is NOT a derivative in that case in any rational sense of the word. Regardless of what WP thinks.

If you incorporate GPL'd code into your theme then I believe you abide by the license. Regardless of what the author of the theme thinks.
OpenSUSE 11.3 arrives with experimental Btrfs support
Why was he able to make billions anyway?

That money would have been spent better on charging less for his products than giving it to charity where much will probably be lost in immense bureaucracy.
If it embeds, in itself, no Wordpress code (not even the examples) and is distributed without any part of WP, I can't see why a WP theme should be considered a derivative work. You could call the WP environment the theme runs in forms a DSL on top of PHP and that a WP theme is no more a derived work of WP than WP is derived from PHP.

If, however, it is based on an example template or shares non-trivial code with it, then it's derivative work and should be under the GPL.
The JVM is actually pretty good, the Java language and library are probably closer to being huge pieces of crap.
" . . . the telltale sign that occurs a few hours after the meal"

I can answer this one. It ain't 'telltale signs'. It's miserable hell. Imagine eating some bad food. The effects are far from subtle.
Basically the goal was to scale revenue rapidly and show solid growth month over month. Usually it takes about 6-9 months to demonstrate that degree of traction. Once I have it running for that long, I just post the site on Flippa- they love subscription sites with steady revenue there and will pay 12-24x monthly revenue for a site with steady and growing income, especially if it's unique and has custom code.
Randy Komisar, VC, on moral codes in business inc resp Chris Dixon
"If a government has the source code it can find different sorts of security vulnerabilities and perhaps exploit them, [but] it's unclear whether access to the source code makes people better or worse off," said Clayton.
------
Take a look at FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, and Linux if it's unclear to you.

I don't really agree with that comment. Linux and the BSDs are open-source to everyone. The vast majority of the people who look at that code are good, honest people, who believe in openness and security for all. In this case, if it's only open to a national government, there's every risk of them discovering vulnerabilities and using them maliciously. I don't think they will, I just think comparing this deal to *nix is invalid.

What I'm curious about, however, is how this stands legally in the U.S. I thought it was illegal for a civilian (and by extension, private corporation) to cooperate with foreign intelligence agencies, unless working through the federal government. Anyone know more?
> it's possible that the brain fog is coming from the CRP and other stuff that's getting released as your muscles break down

CRP is not released by muscle breakdown. It is a predominantly liver-produced acute-phase reactant that is an inflammatory marker. Myoglobin, on the other hand, is released by muscle breakdown, but this is only appreciably released in severe circumstances such as a crush injury. The major harm of myoglobin is to the kidneys, not the brain, and I'm quite certain that CBD does not help this.

>CBD is non-psychoactive and doesn't even act in the brain

CBD acts in the brain.
How Apple envisions a check-in iPhone and OS
This. This remains the most concise and to-the-point programming book I have -ever- read. It bothers me some that people (myself included) keep writing 900 page programming books when this can do nearly the same in 200.

Once you're done with that, pick up one of the W. Richard Stevens (RIP) books — Advanced Programming in the Unix environment, or Unix Network Programming (Vol i/ii) if you're into networks. They'll teach you the basics of so much operating system stuff (it'll be Unix, but the core concepts will apply to any modern OS) you'll be growing a long unkempt beard and wearing sandals/suspenders in no time.
SPU Assisted Rendering
Thanks. So that one could reproducibly identify this, can you be more specific? For example, is it diarrhea? Cramping pain? Other?
Sprint did a lot of this too. On the EVO I got at Google I/O I remember a Sprint NexTel Cup Nascar App that was completely uninstallable. I've since gotten rid of the phone. I much prefer my N1 with stock Android.
> I'm not aware of specifics for code

Two lines of Perl, two for Python, 10 keystrokes for Lisp and a region of 1000 pixels of Smalltalk, given standard fonts as shown on a class browser. About a hundred lines for Java or C# ;-)
Every time I read another language rant on HN, it feels like people are still big fat whiners.
(old news)
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1516710
It will just serve to make the p2p world devise ways to hide their actions from the plaintiffs (like peer blocking), or make them use the myriad alternatives that don't record ip addresses or removes the p2p aspect entirely (which is much lower "heat") such as youtube audio rippers, megaupload/rapidshare, usenet, or straight up http download services like beemp3.

If the mainstream "pirates" can't figure the above out (and, really if they can't, then how did they figure out bittorrent?), legit services like last.fm, pandora, spotify, or streaming stations from shoutcast and the like provide free music tailored to genres and user preferences.

Finally, perhaps people will just buy the damn things from itunes or amazon. I guess they'd "win" then.
I think it's interesting the mentality of dynamic typing die-hards. I find it much easier (for complex projects) to just type "const" where appropriate and let the compiler think about mutability for me, than to think about mutability myself. The mental overhead is definitely superlinear with the complexity of the project, and typing "const" a few times lets me use that resource for more subtle correctness issues.

Of course, one problem with C++ (and, to a lesser extent, C) is that many of those subtle correctness issues are direct results of the type system in the first place. Go figure.
After K&R, the most helpful book for me was Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets by Peter van der Linden. He even gives a little preview of C++.
Dupe, sorry, I didn't notice the first entry here
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1520774
Ask HN: Why does it seem like my account been banned from HN?
My HN account - jv2222 - with 443 karma "seems" to have been banned from HN. (More info on the account here: http://www.hackernewsers.com/users/jv2222.html)

When I login with HN it takes about 2 minutes to perform any action (almost feels like a spam honey pot). But when I am not logged in HN works instantly, and also in this new account (jv22222) HN seems to work instantly.

Also, whenever I submit anything with jv2222 it does not actually get submitted and appears to be invisible to the rest of the community - but when logged in as jv2222 "I" can see it.

Perhaps this is just technical issue with my account? Any one got any ideas?
> The horrifical complexifications of C++ are just terrible, yet every one of them has a reason behind it.

Many of the reasons are legacy issues though like using dumb linkers and using the C preprocessor rather than a real module system. Templates are just a huge hack: manipulating the text of the source code to simulate generics and then abusing that feature to get meta programming.

One of the great mysteries of life is why there isn't another language that "has both the large-scale modularization given by OO and low-level efficiency of direct pointer manipulation and other C features" yet doesn't make the same mistakes as C++.
I would consider $55 an hour a pretty good wage- that's beyond ramen profitable. You also forgot to add the $1000-$2000 a month in subscriptions you receive before selling.

Also, development time is a sunk cost, because I had already built the tool for my own use. The only additional dev time is tacking on PayPal subscriptions and prettying up the interface, maybe 15-20 hours total. As for marketing, that's my area of expertise, so I don't mind. Usually just reaching out through my network of fellow marketers in enough to build a few initial users and start getting traction.
Test-driving the Nissan LEAF electric car
"If you do like const (which I do) then you can put it in pretty much everywhere"

In retrospect, it might have been better to have a keyword for things that can change. This goes equally for Java and "final". Making immutability the default and mutability opt-in makes for fewer bugs and more reliable programs.

Arguably, this is what Clojure does where you have functional, immutable constructs by default with ways to declare things that can change (refs, etc.).
I heard about a similar situation for AT&T's first Android phone, the BackFlip, which besides coming with uninstallable crapware, forced Yahoo search as the default on all applications that used it.

I wonder if Google had to give the carriers this flexibility in order to get them to use the OS?
If that last assumption were true, nobody would be able to see this post, but I can see it.

If your account is laggy that's something worth mentioning, but I'm not so sure that you're "banned".
It helps to read the article before getting indignant. And then maybe skipping the indignant part. The author is talking about cases where no part of the original at all is included in the new (and, he argues, not actually derivative) work.
The irony of Peter Cooper advocating the Peter Principle is not lost on me.
This extend beyond computer hackers. One of my little sisters read this at a speech contest in high school; everybody loved it.
I have been using Eneloop rechargeable batteries in my remotes for almost a year now. It's pretty awesome. Unlike NiMH or Li-Ion, they still have ~80%+ of their life after being charged and left on a shelf for 6 months. So they are a perfect application for this type of thing.

Only downside is that they're 1.2v and don't have enough power for some applications (like my lighted & battery-powered pepper mill. It was a gift.).

The shake&wake batteries are still awesome! I would love to have them. But Eneloop is here now, and very cost-effective.
You call that Northern? It's not northern if I have to fly over 3000 km south to get there! :)
Thanks guys for all the feedback. Today I will drop the "PrintedYelp.com" name. This way I'll avoid the greatest legal concern and "abstract" the site to enable prints from other review sites.

Also, I will contact Yelp and let them know what I am doing.

Prints with frames are definitely high on the list. I just need to source some good frames, try them out, etc.
One can gift apps to a friend. 100 means, stuff is being paid out of the pocket.
I don't think any of the reasons mentioned here for keeping women out is gender specific. It's more hacker vs "idea person" or how I prefer to think of it, those who can code vs those who can't code.

This is more about "Y Combinator for non coders" than it is about "Y Combinator for women". This is something I see a lot of - people with some experience that want to start a tech startup but want to hire out some developers to build it for them. Not that there is something inherently wrong with that - there just isn't anything gender specific about it either.

The problem, as the author mentioned, is primarily that the number of women taking up coding is disproportionate to the number of men that take up coding. Y Combinator's heavily male population is a reflection of the problem, not a cause.
In my opinion, the biggest problem with the google-style interview (other companies do the same thing) is that you can practice and get better at it.

You can get to be a better programmer, by practicing, too.

If the system is easily gamed, and they know that, and you know that then failing to game the system shows a lack of motivation.

So, perhaps they're not selecting for what you (or even they) think they're selecting for.
US Fiscal Crisis: Visions of the Japanese Nightmare
Yeah, if that's an accommodation worth making for women with families, it surely is for men, too, given that they're increasingly sharing parenting responsibilities.
This is a new account. notice the 5 2's instead of the four 2's. I already tried to post this exact same thing with the other account.
As someone that enjoys crackmes, I found these posts fascinating - thank you very much :) It's interesting to see some reversing techniques for web services.
I'm sympathetic to a cause here, but I can't help but think that things like this might do more to promote sexism than not.

I think the idea that women are somehow less capable of doing the "3-months in Silicon Valley" is harmful. I think that the (not directly) implied idea that it would be easier for men (men with families even) to do the startup dance on a string budget is harmful.

I think the idea that women just don't mature into people who are ready to tackle a startup until their 40s is harmful. I think that the idea that men are much more ready to tackle a startup in their 20s is harmful.

This whole article smacks of the idea that there is something fundamentally different about men and women and their capabilities at different points in their adult life. I think this idea is harmful.

I think these things are harmful, because I'd like to see the eradication of gender inequality as a social norm.

I suspect that while said differences may exist at this point in time, that they are cultural rather than physical in nature, and that if the goal is social equality, things like this do little more than reinforce cultural stereotypes about women and men.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very aware of the skew towards males in the tech world. There are a lot of reasons for that, almost all -- if not all -- of them cultural.

I assume that while only 7 founders have been female, that this isn't happening with 50% of applicants being female.

Perhaps doing a Y-Combinator style seed-funding ramen-profitable thing is only really appealing to people who are young. Perhaps we could use something like that for people who are older and have families and can't do the "drop everything for a few months in pursuit of this idea".

Perhaps.
The best part is that they mixed several different video references together. (The "six bajillion times", and the "Hyah!" at the end)
If you know C++ in depth, you aleady know C at a professionally usable level, or at least get there with a couple of projects. C is a subset of C++ anyway. True, there are minor differences hera and there, but shouldn't really be deadly.

I guess the more difficult part will be to transition from object oriented to procedural paradigm.
yeah sounds good to me, hopefully a few other notherners will come out of the woodwork too
BP, Shell and the Design of Deep Wells
Second hand evidence, but what I've heard is that you'll know pretty quickly whether you have a response or not. Cramping pain, nausea, diarrhea, feeling miserable, you name it.

And this was just from eating a small treat, not even a full meal. So if you want to know for certain, follow the diet for some time, and then feast on gluten.
Take a group of 100 female engineers and contrast them with 100 male engineers, they will have very different attitudes towards engineering. I say this from experience.
My nearest neighbor has -7 karma. nice...
I understand how pointers, Iterators etc work, I know several algorithms from binary search to SVD. I also have very good knowledge of IA 32.

"learning it in depth" includes learning arcane rules, such as what constitutes undefined behavior, what names are reserved, etc.

That's what I exactly want to learn. Esp how to optimize for memory management and pthreads and stuff.
Look here - http://news.ycombinator.com/submitted?id=jv2222 - it says I haven't submitted anything! How could I have karma of 443 without submitting anything!
Teachmate - find people you can teach and learn from
This story and the Droid X self-destruct debacle are both reaffirming my decision to buy an iPhone 4. Apple would sooner run Windows Mobile 7 on their phones than they would install third party demos, etc on the phone.
I would introduce self-contained examples like Practical Common Lisp does.

A few random examples that come to mind are:

* a file compression utility

* a log parser

* a spam filter

* a web server

* a small web app with Compojure

* an Incanter script that plots some CSV data

* a small GUI app

* a script that interfaces/embeds some Java library/framework like Processing

* a very basic wrapper for the MySQL driver

* a command-line Twitter client

* a basic equation solver

...you name it. That's what I'd expect from a book with "Practical" in the title. Note that none of these would require many lines of code.

Your book is a fine introduction, but it could really use a more hands-on approach even if we were to consider it a "Beginning Clojure" book.

And to answer your second question, yes, a book on Clojure Recipes would no doubt be welcome.
Microsoft Pays for Windows Phone 7 App Development
Of course Eliza [1] is a famous AI bot, but I laughed quite a bit when I learned (on PAIP) that they wrote a program to simulate a paranoid schizophrenic (PARRY) and made then talk to each other [2].

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELIZA

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PARRY
What Should a Billionaire Give–and What Should You? (2006)