skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
Consulting can provide an income source, and can broaden your knowledge, and can improve technical and customer skills, and can lead you into new markets and opportunities for new products.

Consulting is not without its downsides. It doesn't scale up (well, it scales up with added in-house or out-sourced staff, and the associated project management and administration), and it tends to be price-competitive if you're working in a "mainstream" area of expertise.

Consulting can be a very effective distraction to your concentration, too.

Two or three days on customer work, and some focus on billing and proposals and related administration, and then several hours or more of spooling back up to speed on whatever part of the product or debug that you had been working on when the call came in. Then you realize your week is shot.

Put another way, TANSTAAFL.

Make sure you aggregate the financial and focus costs in your estimates. And make sure you can also efficiently encapsulate and snapshot whatever you were doing when the customer work arrives; hone your process skills around in-swapping and out-swapping projects.

Consider providing an end-project summary - not just for the customer's benefit and for the marketing, but also so that you can in-swap the project more quickly if there's additional associated work. The same approach can work for a summary and status for whatever you were doing on your project when the customer call arrives, though that can be a couple of cryptic paragraphs in a text file.
Since you mentioned scooters, I tend to rent those regularly on vacations, for those considering one make sure you get one with large diameter wheels ( ex. http://vtwincyclemotorcyclescooter.com/wp-content/uploads/20... ) rather than something like a vespa. You only sacrifice a little bit of agility for a big boost in safety.
Business email usage Infographic shows work behavior by US state
A 15$ a month price reduction because they are not subsidizing a phone by ~400$?
"Look on the bright side, at least porn is real"
Why do we all use Qwerty keyboards?
Cofunctions PEP proposal (generator based coroutines)
Looking at the release notes it appears to be another JVM language. Also it appears to be static typing optional.

>>The Orc implementation has been updated to Java 6.The Top type is now interchangeable with java.lang.Object;
While motorcycles are clearly not quite as safe as cars, every study I've seen found that the vast, vast majority of motorcycle accidents involved at least one of the following:

- untrained rider
- failure to use safety equipment
- drunk

My conclusion is that a properly trained and equipped motorcyclist who stays 100% sober while riding is pretty safe. My 15 years of riding on the streets has borne that out -- I've had a few close calls due to insane drivers, but keeping up with safety training has given me the skills to deal. Without having taken the safety classes, no question I would have had multiple crashes.
Droid Incredible’s and EVO 4G’s 2.2 Source Code Released by HTC
Incidentally, GiveLoop (one of DreamIt's graduates) looks like a great service. I would actually like to donate more money than I do, but I often don't precisely because this kind of transparency and feedback are typically absent.
I called this as a hoax from the beginning, but for different reasons (yours are good, too).

She calls out the boss for playing Farmville all day. Yet Farmville is a Facebook app, running inside FB. So all she would know is that he spends all day in FB, not specifically what he's doing there.
He's out there somewhere. Along with Elvis.
First off, congratulations, this seems like a cool tool, and the landing page is nice and clean.

Second, I'm seeing some problems with the site right now. It was quick to load, but then it seems like it takes forever to do the search (Charlotte, NC to SLC, UT) then just ends in an error. It's done this the few times I've tried.

Also, if searching does take a while (I imagine it would) a nice 'loading' page might be a useful addition to tell users what it's doing (did it actually start searching? should I click the button again?).
Right, and then bring together all those related posts, so I have the links to both the reddit comments and the HN comments in the same context as the original article link.
How far off am I?
Hello-

Long time listener. First time caller...

After a fifteen year career as a pilot, I lost my job last year and can't find another one. I went back to school and am taking C++ and intro to databases and everything else I can get my hands on, in order to catch up.

I have no background in technology or business, basically a pilots license with a pretty degree attached to it. Nothing applicable to the real world. For all intents and purposes, I am starting from square one and trying to make my way as a programmer. After eight months, I don't feel I know how to actually program anything.

Entry level jobs are looking for 1-2 years of programming experience and mentors are hard to find.

Am I blowing this out of proportion? Does anyone recall what it was like when they started out? I mean really started out?

Thanks.

Edit: Thank you for all the comments. You lose sight of the big picture from ground level. Just need to stay the course.
I've used this before and it's also available in XML format by using the KML format. What's not mentioned and is an extra bonus is that this doesn't require a Google API key. This is just calling a public URL.

NSString startingLoc = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"%f,%f", starting.latitude, starting.longitude];

NSString endingLoc = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"%f,%f", ending.latitude, ending.longitude];

NSString *dirURL = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"maps.google.com/maps?saddr=%@&daddr=%@&output=kml, startingLoc, endingLoc];

(I took off the http: from the string because the text editor insisted on turning it into a url and ended up hiding the interesting output=kml part)
you know I don't think it's so much marketing > functionality so much as the much more general status > utility. when you compete on utility you are always in a race to the bottom with your competitors. others typically can't compete with on status if you manage to establish yourself as "the thing to own".
Google needs to be crystal clear to Apps users about what access their employers have to their account. I am surprised that they can change passwords. What else can they do? Read mail sent outside the company? Read unsent drafts?
Gmail design change.. could somebody explain?
I noticed that my gmail's design was changed a bit this morning... basically, tasks and contacts along with Mail have been brought at the top..a screenshot i found on net:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZaGO7GjCqAI/TFMC6Ee1bvI/AAAAAAAAW5k/Q4HSClIbd6s/s640/gmail-googler-ui-2010.png
Now, I don't really understand the changes. I am by no means a usability expert, but considering "Contacts" and "Tasks" are rarely used by any gmail user I know, what's the rationale behind bringing them up?
I found the design less intuitive than the basic one. So, I am really curious what would have been the designers motive?
Is this directed at Americans with an Imperial system and Fahrenheit scale, or will we Europeans also be able to understand it? :)
I don't mean to nitpick, but why is that incidental?
This will be a big boost to the modding community. Most of the reason that we don't yet have stable froyo mods is the lack of 2.2 source.
Maybe I should read more, but this is the clearest explanation of P vs NP I've read so far.
You're right, I guess it's not. I was thinking the story was more about there being a successful Philly-based incubator than the startups it graduated. Anyhoo, yeah. Cool-looking company.
A common factor of these famous people who do not use a cell phone: they have at least one assistant/secretary.
ok and that answers my question. Altruism as one item in our evolutionary library toolkit vs more deeply ingrained in our behaviors or even genes. My hope is that it is selfishness which is more an item in our library... that we evolved more towards being cooperators while still being able to defect (free-riders) some times...
Owning a car makes me happy. There's a pride in ownership and in the feeling of independence. I cannot stand public transit.
The "we're all thieves" bit I guess (the downmodder wasn't me).

Anyway, it's wrong: your new employer has to know your previous salary so they can calculate your tax correctly. If you lie about it, you will get caught. Lying in an interview/on a CV == instant dismissal.
GPS of Awesome: X-wing Targeting Computer
StackOverflow gets serious with CC attribution requirements
I think you are confusing a tiny little piece of grass with the field that I am describing. I probably wasn't clear enough.

Instead of listing all the various pieces of technology and how they come together to make a web page, it might be more interesting to ask whether or not the average web experience -- browsers, pages, css, servers, databases, the cloud -- is a good fit for what we use it for.

The point was very clear that I was referring to the common way html is consumed. Not really interested in all the little pieces, at least not for this essay.

One of the commenters on my blog said that I obviously didn't know anything about html, so, for the record, I've written and deployed dozens of web apps. And I am proficient in CSS and SQL and all of that. Very neat stuff. But not germane here. I'm not saying change the stack. If anything, the implication is to vastly simplify the browser.
You'll find it easier to start with web development than C++. Learn Ruby on Rails or the equivalent, churn out a few simple apps to build a portfolio and then hit the pavement as a freelancer (it requires less programming skill than you may think). After a few small contracts (don't over-reach - it requires more skill than that!), think about looking for a real job (if you want one).

Starting from nothing, that process can take a couple years - you'll need some money somehow during the learning period, Make sure that's taken care of because the money won't come quickly as you learn.

I did almost exactly this, and it worked for me.
Part of it was they wanted to make the tasks and contacts more prominent. The contacts section was changed, in part, to account for things they had added to android. (Specifically the ability to add multiple arbritrary phone numbers.(
This seems like massive fluff - the "stuff" part I agree with garages full of random products is wasteful. Pets and houses as being burdens sounds a lot like "I just got out of college and am afraid of responsibility"
Inside Bing's 'Battlestar Galactica' Data Center Container
The author makes a lot of claims about renting, but then backs them up with points that aren't specific to renting at all. For example:

Speaking of which, having a car is convenient (and sometimes necessary), but is a monetary black hole and a source of stress if it’s having problems. My old Subaru got me from A to B but probably raised my blood pressure by more than the mileage as I worried about what would go wrong next.

And? How is that any different than leasing a car for X years?

The bigger issue is that the author goes on to talk about the stress of owning things vs the happiness of not doing so. But at the end of the day, knowing that a.) you don't owe money on an item (it really belongs to you) and b.) you are the only one that needs to be answered to for the status/condition/usefulness of an item brings a helluva lot more piece of mind than holding other people's property.

That being said, don't waste your time collecting junk, either.
It's neither. Without stereotyping too much, Japanese people generally look for compromise and will seek common ground. The offer of a handshake is part of that. They like to shake hands with foreigners. They do also appreciate a bow in return.

But yeah, I agree with you. That's why I take mine off still.
Thanks! I need to add that to validations :-)
What's different?
Need your Feedback on Social Recruitment Platform
Hireplug turns Facebook Fan Pages and Employee Facebook profiles into Job Portals and Job Marketing Platform.
Most public or university libraries have full, free access to Safari Online, the O'Reilly ebook subscription service that normally costs $40. You usually have to go through a slightly annoying web proxy, but you get all the books you could ever want.
I guess that this might be a little like Andrew Wiles' Fermat's Last Theorem proof where only a very small group of mathematicians were capable of understanding the whole thing and of verifying its correctness. If that's the case then those who are capable probably don't need much from Deolalikar in way of explanation, they'll be able to read through the whole thing and understand what he's doing, it'll just take time to carefully decide whether each individual step he's making is valid.

That's just my guess of course, I know no more about this than anyone else so maybe the proof is particularly esoteric and it won't be obvious to even experts what he's trying to do.
Nonsense. I had a windows mobile phone, and could do all of those things. In hindsight, windows mobile had a pretty awful user interface, but it wasn't apple that caused those things to happen.
Thanks for the feedback, a loading page would be useful. What specific error are you receiving? Or is it different errors everytime? I'll have to scour my log file to see what's actually going on. Thanks again!
Unleashing the Power of the Savant Brain in All of Us
Entrepreneurs Can’t Afford To Be Email Deadbeats
I've entered every year with a minimal entry, and the $25 usually covers my S3 bill for the rest of the year :)
Not everyone will agree with the following, so you'll need to take this, and their comments as well, with a large dollop of critical thinking.

Use Python and write a program that prints the numbers from 1 to 100. Then change it so that when a number is divisible by 3 it prints "Fizz" instead. Then change it again so that when a number is divisible by 5 it prints "Buzz". If the number is divisible by both 3 and 5 have it print "FizzBuzz".

Then write it again in C++.

Now ask, how could your program be made simpler? How could it be made clearer? If someone came to it in 6 months time, what would the y need to know in order to assess whether it's doing the right thing?

If you can do all that effortlessly then you're a long way there and in need of a harder challenge that gives you some satisfaction. If it requires any real thought then you need lots and lots of practice at writing code.
I think that was the point - to simulate donations to charity, where likewise you don't get anything for giving them away.
well, I am no expert in usability, but I can tell that the new design is not intuitive to me as much as the original design, leave alone improvement..
I am really wondering what was the motive of the designer to put on the top something so sparingly used like Tasks, Contact! Any views?
where are you moving to? We're in the West, my email's in my profile
how it adds to usability?
How do you see your business model changing over the next year as Android 2.2 (featuring integrated push notifications, for those who skimmed the article) becomes ubiquitous?
I also think taxes are mostly wasted. :-)

I don't mind the idea of paying taxes, mind you - I have nothing against the idea of contributing a large portion of one's income to improving the country that one lives in, I just think most government schemes are ridiculously inefficient.
This works great if you're in a job where they can afford to not get back to someone immediately. For people in a situation where they're really playing for the breaks (which is most young people trying to get established, and especially entrepreneurs), you can't afford to take more than a few hours to get back to people.
sidebar

here is the old version: http://newyork.craigslist.org/
If the half life of a modern bit of electronics is 10 years, that implies that in 50 years 1/32 of currently manufactured drives will still be around. I'd reckon the number would be a lot smaller, but given the terrific quantity of CD drives that exist out in the world right now, I think the chances of one still existing is pretty good.

Even if it didn't, if you compare the costs of many other storage techniques, they're probably equivalent to jerry-rigging a CD player to read back these disks. The difference is the cost is shifted to the reading and not the storage.

Your main risk is the shonky assumptions of the "archival" CD manufacturer. Not that I know what those shonky assumptions are, but I have a vivid memory of the hosts of Tomorrow's World demonstrating the durability of CDs by spreading jam on one, then wiping it off.
StackVM Demo Video #2
OK. It's true that I haven't tried this recently, but I did see this happen with one of my users a few weeks ago where I was suddenly in that user's personal email account on a machine they'd never used.
Answer: to make good use of the _any_ key.

Article Summary: Agrees with the new languages=cool HN meme.

Conclusion?

New languages are cool. They make you think of syntax again, and force you to shift your paradigm. You start looking on your own code from a different point of view
"Charity may not be a rational activity. So perhaps what they were measuring was not selfishness, but rationality."

What grounds do you have for thinking that charity (and presumably altruism in general) is irrational? Are you assuming that only self-interested actions can be rational?
Negotiation Tips For Small Businesses, Entrepreneurs and Freelancers
When I REALLY started out (in 2006) I got an internship with a defense contractor and kind of worked my way up from there. The project I was on had a lot of ex-military people with no programming skills testing our software because that's who our end-user was.

Don't discount a 15 year career as a pilot - you might be able to get a job testing simulators for Lockheed, Boeing, or one of the others, and if you still want to write code you'll have your foot in the door already.
I have a lot of users that have known all along it'll cost at some point. That plus I'm widely acknowledged to be about 1000x better than the alternatives, and everyone's excited about the final features I'm putting in place.
What made you choose programming? The IT industry is in nearly as bad a state as aviation. Neither really recovered from 2001 (dotcom crash + 9/11).

Is there any way you can leverage your domain knowledge? Work in avionics or games/simulation?
Even a correlation between higher incomes and lower rates of altruism is interesting.

The whole rationality/lack thereof may actually be the case (at least from my personal experiences working in lower end jobs, where the people were either older and, frankly, not particularly smart, or younger, smarter, and temporary). Does the fact that it could be considered irrational invalidate any value of the altruism?

I was most interested in the last part, where they were seeing if people would help another person who was right in front of them. It shows something more about simple compassion, which I consider different from altruism. It also helps address your point about organized charitable activities: it was an opportunity to give what would have been perceived as help someone more in the here and now and less in the airy "well, this seems like a good percentage of my income to donate to charity...".
In driver's ed they also told me that since they're smaller and drivers are used to looking for cars, drivers often don't see/notice motorcycles. There's nothing you can do about the fact that other drivers suck.

The real issue is that even if you only get in as many accidents on your motorcycle as you would have in your car (which is probably nonzero, even if you're a great driver--other drivers suck, remember), each one is way more likely to kill you or cause serious injury when you're not surrounded by a ton of steel.
I don't know if they're exactly the same but I converted the Tapworthy one and it looked great as an ePub in iBooks on the iPad.
I am not sure about that. I think, at least, in this tech community that people forgot about Kickstarter and are focusing on Diaspora now. (Granted, I did not donate any money so I am not fiscally tied to Diaspora.)

I think Kickstarter is an awesome website and I really hope they don't get any ill will towards them due to the possible failure of Diaspora.
Consulting takes time and saps your focus, but it also feels incredible to work for 1 day and make enough to pay rent for a month. When you're not stressing about whether you'll be able to make rent this month, you may find your productivity increase tremendously.
Introducing Treesaver, my latest project (mentioned in today's NYTimes)
Some people love Clojure specifically because it sits on top of Java and gives them access to their favorite Java libraries. Frankly, I have yet to find a Java library I'd actually want to use. Something about Java seems to turn every library into an insanely complex explosion of classes, and Java programmers mistakenly seem to think that JavaDoc-produced lists of every single class and method constitutes "good documentation".

Amen!
My solution to this problem is a bit more centered on the reader. NewsBlur, as some of you may know, is a feed reader that shows you the original site and marks off what you have read as you read it.

Since this Google Reader reader would track you as you move between sites (and has a heuristic for determining which story you're hovering over or scrolling past), you would not have the read counts in front of you.

My typical feed reading experience is bounce between the few sites that have updated content. I use RSS because it means I don't have to hit the site as frequently, and only when it has new content. If this had a way of both showing the unread counts of all feeds as well as allowing you to read the original site, I think it would be the solution to the problem that RSS readers originally solved.

This is just an idea for the service. I developed something very similar, but you can't go to the original site and still get stories marked as read as you read them. But I moved to RSS to get to those counts of all of my feeds in the first place. The loss of context (the site's styling and design) was a big negative to RSS, but the loss of inline counts would be harder to swallow.

Keep the left side of Google Reader, but replace the much larger right side.

And if anybody is interested, the similar idea that I'm working on is at: http://www.newsblur.com.

My implementation of the solution to the feed reading problem is very, very similar, but those unread counts, man, are the reason I even use RSS. And having to jump between tabs (Google Reader -> Original Site), would separate me from those counts.
1981 at age 9. I finished a computer summer camp curriculum in the first week, then audited college computer classes for 3 years. I still remember late nights sitting at a giant VAX terminal working on my algorithms homework at age 10.
I stopped carrying my cell phone to theaters because I kept forgetting to put in on vibrate.

I stopped carrying my cell phone to business meetings because I didn't want to be distracted by the vibrating.

I stopped carrying my cell phone to restaurants because I wanted the people I was with to think that no one was more important than them while we were together.

I stopped carrying my cell phone to my mother's because she outranks anyone who could possibly call.

Except for travel, I stopped carrying my cell phone altogether.

I'm not sure I would go the the extreme of no cellphone like some of OP's examples, but I'm getting closer.

Now, the only reason I have a cell phone instead of a land line is for travel and emergencies.

[Aside: I love the idea of a voice mail greeting that asks the caller to email me instead. But I won't do it. It just seems like a rude way to treat someone who bothered to call. I'll keep checking voice mail (sigh).]