skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
Based on the slow progress of the last 30 year in 'hard nanotech' and the quite amazing strides in the last couple of years in our understanding of and our ability to synthesize 3 dimensional structures at the nano scale (including DNA), and to harness biological components to do different work.

The two fields are complementary I think, one is pushing from the top down trying to make our existing structures smaller (with all the trouble inherent in that, for instance, at the nanoscale there is no such thing as 'smooth', imagine making a bearing out of sandpaper or whatever you can come up with as the nearest equivalent) the other is coming from the bottom up as we learn how our biological structures are formed and what mechanisms are available both as tools and as a working example to study.

Sooner or later (but most likely a little later) there will be a meeting of minds, where new structures will be produced by re-using or adapting the tools that biology has already given us.

I think initially that will be a purely materials science oriented endeavor, mostly concentrating on the medical applications, or a direct application of synthetic molecules (such as artificial DNA) but it's possible there will be more 'mechanically interesting' applications as well.

Nanotech is a lot more than just moving parts, plenty of it would be classed as 'structural engineering'.

The biological part is the one that is moving fastest at the moment, I think at the present speed that two fields will meet and spawn a third field within a very short time, if that hasn't already happened.

For now this meeting place of technology and biology has been named 'synthetic biology' and there is very good progress there, I expect true nanomachinery to be a spin-off of this new field.
I was referring to the kind that constantly keeps trying to get offers from elsewhere and uses that that to keep renegotiating their pay/ position. Of course you need a trustworthy environment and taking such a stand for everyone might actually build that.
austinchang - Are you working on an iPhone app? android? blackberry?
Not everyone can afford it, otherwise a lot more people would. Germans, Kiwis, the English, and Australians probably also generally have more secure employment and higher wages on average.
Microsoft reports new malware attack vector: malicious DLLs
No disagreement on those points. I've just spent too much time in the field with people suddenly claiming that protein folding was nanotech.
"Imagining self replicating nanobots or nano machines is ridiculous"

Aren't biological cells replicating nanobots? Or are they bigger than nano scale?
> I wonder if humans will fall back to mechanisms such as guided evolution to create other "nano-machines".

That is exactly what I expect to happen, see much longer comment above.
MVC was conceived to account for the limitations of a view oriented development philosophy. MVC is far from modern as it is not an evented model. Modern are platforms like Node.js and the RIA toolkits who eschew MVC in favor of an evented and message oriented architecture.

http://www.appcelerant.com/mvc_is_dead.html

http://apsblog.burtongroup.com/2007/11/mvc-matrix-and-.html

http://broadcast.oreilly.com/2008/10/mvc-as-anti-pattern.htm...

http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2005/12/22/mvc-and-web-apps-o...
There is now a technology to print DNA from a computer data file and inject it into a cell. That seems to be a good start for tinkering.
No, it's not purely biology. It is using biological elements to synthesize artificial constructs with exact mechanical dimensions.

By analogy, when a carpenter takes a tree and cuts the tree into boards that's engineering, not biology even if the raw materials were provided by biology.

And when you then use those boards to build a house, that's engineering too.
Seems like FB could just make it a teensy bit easier to create and manage groups and there's no longer really a problem to solve.
Interesting idea.

Frankly speaking I do not think that Google App Engine makes money. It saves money for people and with that it creates brand awareness for Google -> more money in the long run for them from advertising.

Your model can actually make money since you will allow a small number of people to use your service for free and promote themselves, while a larger event which is more likely to be funded better would pay you.

I also like the idea of the prepaid account. That would increase your liquidity since people will not use the whole amount of their credit.

Two things that I want to draw your attention to:

1. The points system might appeal more if you offer something in return to the users. Since you are beginning that will have a strain on your finances. I would therefore suggest spending some time with integration with existing websites such as Facebook and MySpace. A Facebook application can actually get you very far in brand recognition and use of your system. Later on you can encourage users to vote for their favorite events, for instance by raffling a couple of tickets.
2. Similar incentives can increase your traffic from the event organizer him/herself. If say you offer 4 cents a user if they invite 100 users and 3 cents a user if they invite 500 then that would be great for you :)

Wishing you the best of luck.
Allways, no. The last few days, yes. In the future, I hope not.

It feels like I am more and more able to see flaws in other's reasoning, but it's still harder to see them in mine. I also didn't figure out a way of saying "you're wrong" which doesn't hurt people yet. Finally, my current priority on the internet is seeking truth, not being nice.

So I guess that makes me an arrogant jerk. Well that's not cool, maybe I should shift my priorities a bit.
1) I don't read HN for the stories, I read it for the insight the community brings to a topic. I will often upvote an article that I disagree with, but that still brings up interesting questions. Maybe others do this.

2) Sometimes there is just less to discuss when you agree with a submission, apart from adding your own piece of anecdotal evidence.

3) It's important to challenge ideas and to be able to call bullshit. People are good at that here.
My misunderstanding then: apparently I feel more strongly about George Orwell than I knew.
From my experience, you can not avoid getting ill. Sooner or later (probably sooner) it is going to hit you.

Therefore my advice is, to jump right into it. Eat what the locals eat. Do what the locals do. By this you have at least a bit fun until you have to spend your time sitting and sh*ing.

The human body is great in adapting to those situation. On my first visit to an development country I took more pictures from the window of my toilet than anything else. But since my body got somehow got used to the new environment, I have not been ill on my last few trips.

Final advice for third world travel: Have toilet paper ready. Always!
I hate to complain about headlines, but I feel this needs saying:

Headlines such as the one this author has chosen strike me as unpleasantly Digg-like. Exhortations to "stop talking about it and start laughing at it" are anti-intellectual; it's a call to glib derision rather than reasoned rejection.
This article argues seems to be suggesting that Google have a unique responsibility - almost as if they have somehow removed something that already existed.

I disagree with their fundamental premise that Google is "the world's last digital library". Google's demonstration that such a thing is actually possible removes one barrier to entry. They have also set a precedent which reduces the negotiation required for future projects.

The fact that Google has done a poor job (so far) on the metadata is something that's worth highlighting - but it's not a reason to curse the whole project. This is fixable, possibly even a transient issue. GBS is an entirely new resource, which scholars have not had before; if they find it unsuitable for scholarly research, perhaps they could continue to use their existing tools or work to improve it, rather than slam the effort as "A Disaster For Scholars". "A Useful Tool Which Still Needs Improvement" might not be as snappy but the The Chronicle Of Higher Education doesn't look like the Daily Mail either.
Still, I would argue the biological machinery would count as proof of concept. Evidently it is possible to create self-replicating nano machines. So it is not ridiculous to think about it, as the article claims.
you are right, i missed the weasel words.

so really, this guy agrees that it's happening, but he disagrees with the timeline. but he didn't actually provide any information or argument about the rate of progress of miniaturization.
Not true currently. The top comment of two of the top five posts are supportive:

Rapid prototyping as burnout antidote, riffer: "Yes this really works"

Things I've Learned from Traveling Around the World for Three Years, acabal: "I can attest that everything in this article is true."

Irony prize: There is no nanotech, stop talking about it and start laughing at it, jacquesm: "For those that are skeptical about nano machinery, google 'ribosome' and be amazed." Skepticism about skepticism! Perhaps he counts double for the purposes of your argument :)
Vanity Metrics For News Sites
Community news sites have had a difficult time getting people to sign up and contribute - one big reason could be the lack of satisfaction that exists when on sites such as Twitter and Facebook... i.e. a friend request, a follow, @reply, # of followers, etc.

Can news ever be social? How can sites like Digg (and others that go beyond Digg, where you're actually writing something more than a comment) get people to care/feel good about their participation?
Pithy aphorisms are the state of a thoughtless mind.
You can't downvote direct replies, and icey's comment is a direct reply to your post. You should be able to downvote a grandchild, if you have sufficient karma.
They mentioned (very briefly) that those who have been to limbo bring their artifacts (from being in limbo) with them when they return. That's why Limbo was built around Cobb's subconscious/memories/creations.
As a paw.. I mean, early adopter, I've been using Rails 3 for things-people-pay-me-for since beta3 and seen it really mature over the last few months.
He's wrong about paperback, they're a gold mine for authors. Halving the price doesn't multiply the number of purchases by 2, it multiplies it by 20. That's why ebooks outsell hardcovers on Amazon but are still a trivial fraction of overall rev.

Also, it is not any more work for the author. You usually don't even have to sign any additional paperwork. It's extra work for the publisher to be sure, but it's all gravy for you.
Yeah exactly, they just don't want to do anything if they can't automate it. I understand their viewpoint but like you said it when it fails they don't seem to want to fix it. Google does lots of good stuff but they don't seem to like to keep pushing to hard. When the road gets though they usually let the project go.
why summarize and criticize a book published in 1986?
Unemployment vs Global Warming: Is thinking Green a Luxury?
I agree that it seems unlikely that we'll achieve nanobots that are more complicated than biological cells. An example of an unrealistic idea would be a remote controlled (or even autonomous) submarine diving through blood vessels, broadcasting what it sees to the outside world in HD quality.

Still, lot's of interesting things should be possible...
Or do you mean scribd alert? ;-)
Your numbers are way off. Take the conversion rate for example - 1 in 200 is absolutely ludicrous and if that's what a marketer is averaging, then he should quit. I sling ebooks aplenty and I average around 10% CR, and I'm just an above average marketer.

Same goes for the affiliate commission. No seasoned marketer would give away 75% (unless there's a backend upsell). It's more like 25%-50%.

I think I know what ebook Tim is referring to here and if it's the same one, then the author is selling 100,000-200,000 units at $100 a pop with the affiliates making 40%-50% in commissions.

P.S. It's interesting that your comment got so many upvotes. I have a feeling a lot of ppl are voting based on their gut reaction of '$10,000,000 a month? No way. That's bullshit!' rather than actually thinking the numbers through.
What do you mean by 'third world' countries?

In general, the best piece of advice I've received is simply "do as the locals do".
Now that we've got a regular number of people turning up we could could probably book a room somewhere, there's quite a few places that will give you a free booking if you'll have more than x many people turning up. Especially if we did the meetup earlier in the week when pubs are quieter.

The downstairs area of the Fine Line near St Paul's is pretty good, but I'm sure there's plenty of other bars that offer a similar space.
The point is not that you must strive to be an expert on everything. You don't have to know everything (or even very much) about theology or How I Met Your Mother, but you should have heard of them and perhaps even have a vauge notion of their central themes. In this day and age you can gain a superficial knowledge of just about anything in less than 10 minutes on wikipedia and with the ubiquity of the internet knowledges can easily be JITed in as and when you need it.

Hell it's even perfectly OK as such to be completely ignorant of a field. Just leave when a conversation on that topic strikes up or sit quietly in the corner and try to learn something. I'm just perplexed by people who feel the need proudly proclaim "I know nothing about TV/books/computers/sports/music etc." as if it was some sort of achievement to be proud of.
The highest rated reply to this comment will disagree with what I've written here.
> more homeless than usual.

This is what going on vacation is, or camping out.

Pulp got it spot on, a very fine choice of lyric there... it hit the mark and hit it hard.

I've been homeless. It's an integral part of my identity that during my youth my life led me onto the streets for almost 2 years (inc 2 winters).

When I put myself on the street I had options. It was an escape route from a family environment I wish on no-one. But I had options. I could've still called people up, I could've still gone to another family member somewhere else.

Over time though, the options narrow. You've already lost possessions, wealth, means, but then you lose even the view that you could reach out to anyone.

There really is a trip-wire beyond which hopelessness exists.

If you think you're experiencing homelessness just by sleeping in a cheap sleeping bag and not carrying your debit card, think again.

Get rid of the phone, burn your bridges, discard your possessions... dig a hole so cavernous that getting out is to climb a mountain, and don't leave yourself with an escape ladder or means to call for help.

Only when your options are so few and so tenuous that they barely exist, only when you are so focused on your next meal and where you'll be warm and safe that night, only then with nothing at all to help you will you feel what the homeless feel.

And as for Pulp, Common People captured something that exists in that desolate state. The fact that with everything gone, so too are the cares and caution. It is possible to be happy on the street, it is possible for it to be liberating to not have any options... in my view options were also constraints, things that prevent you from doing something else. You don't get the courage to attack new things if there's an easier option, without options attacking the hard things is all that is left.
Well, they sold NBC to Comcast/Kabletown last year.
Synthetic Biology is a deeply fascinating field. Four years ago I wrote a review article titled 'Engineering Life using Synthetic Biology' http://www.bioinfo.de/isb/2006/06/0038/main.html

Synthetic Biology has made good progress in those four years. See, for example, Craig Venture claiming to create first truly synthetic life-form. If you are in the field, you will start noticing that terms are overlapping. So, your idea of synthetic biology may be related to nano-machines while my idea of synthetic biology may be related to genetic engineering.
How Hyperinflation Will Happen
The Five Winners of Oracle suing Google
How big companies can stop the brain drain?
"These are all new businesses run by entrepreneurs, but they are not 'startups' in the way we generally refer to them on HN." Isn't that just a matter of semantics though? Would s/startup/newly incorporated business/g do? I agree that their definition of startup certainly skews the statistics. More interesting would be "Sum of total job-years by startups vs. established companies".
Best place for an SEO job advert?
Did you ever work while in highschool?
Where the next decade’s service jobs will be
I asked Charlie about that once on his blog and got grimaced at, textually - I think he gets that question a lot. Later on he published a set of magazine-length articles on his blog on the work that goes into the publication of a book. Start here:

http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2010/02/common-m...

I was convinced before reading that set of entries that self-publishing was a simple, obvious answer. I'm now convinced that like all other simple, obvious answers, it's wrong :-)

I still think that authors could form together and create a mutual publishing association of some sort and succeed that way. However, I can totally understand that anyone who writes a book does it because they like writing and not publishing - to an extent that they'd rather not make the money than as good as switch careers completely.
But Google hasn't changed anything. Scholars can still use paper books just as they always have, if they don't like Google.
I don't think this is what zeteo was referring to at all.
This is why I love hacker news! Thanks for crunching the numbers!
Tactics, tactics, tactics
Jack Black should be in the conversation somewhere. The dude doesn't even need a microphone.
I think those terms are in part to indicate a progress of understanding as well. It's not all nonsense, it's just that when everybody else uses the next available buzz-word if you don't follow suit you will be left without funding.

The people that write the proposals are going to try to maximize their chances, think of it as marketing.

Nano-technology was terribly oversold so it lost it's glamor, but the concept is real, synthetic biology is real as a concept and only just now beginning to make some headway, eventually, long after it has lost it's glamor too it will be a mainstay of industry.

Just like the humble transistor is no longer glamorous, it's 'just' technology now. But in 1947 it was a miracle.

Buzzwords ideally should lose their power because the tech behind them becomes commonplace, when they're oversold we have a problem (looking at you, AI).
Well, if you have a family and a mortgage, then your responsibilities are to them, not to indulge yourself in a year off. But my point is that many Americans who have the opportunity and position to do this kind of traveling still don't seem to do it.

And if one has a mortgage but no family responsibilities, then things can almost certainly be arranged to be rid of the house, or rent it out temporarily, etc. to make this kind of travel possible. But often that fear comes back: what if I sold it too low, what if I can't find another house, where will I put my belongings, what if in 30 years when I retire I wish I had kept the house, etc. etc.

Being an American who reads this board means one is probably at a certain station in society where these things are possible. Regardless of what one does or doesn't do with their life, in 30 years you'll still be alive, probably with a roof over your head, probably with enough food to eat tomorrow, probably with some sort of job, and probably with friends and family who love you. Long-term travel is just another choice, and if you choose it, things will be still be OK.
Server side session is a outcrop of the idea that the client is dumb philosophy, as such, the server has to "approximate" the client, this leads to many counter intuitive patterns like session. By far the worst evil is the fact that you have no guaranteed destructor because you have an approximation. So if the client wanders off, you have no way to clean up based on that event other than a brute force timeout. Further session by nature has no way of self governance. For example, I cannot wire an object in session to be cleaned by an observer once an action happen, so a natural byproduct of this is that you get "junk" in the session that all live processes that have reference to it have terminated thereby leaving a zombie.
Why isn't this a government initiative to take the Library of Congress and provide a digital layer...

There's nothing in the Constitution that gives the Federal government the authority (let alone the responsibility to do this).

the idea of this being in the hands of a single corporation is unnerving.

And having it controlled by the government would make you breathe a sigh of relief? The opportunities for curating the collection as in 1984 are scary enough, but consider the accuracy of government data in other areas.
I like this. I generally load links in background tabs while reading through a page, but this could be extended to report on browsing and even suggest links.

The "are you sure you want to leave" alert makes me want to go away and stay away--it is not the helpful "close all open tabs?" from closing FireFox.

Have you considered using the right sidebar instead? Consider having a clean left-leading edge for readability.

Edit: Not to put too fine a point on, but the preload urls show up as visited anchor links (which I may not have read) when I go back to HN. Sometimes bug fixes can suggest a radically new way forward.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarke’s_three_laws

This seems to cover the topic...
/me bashes head against wall. Yes, of course, you're right, I should have seen that. Thanks!
There is absolutely no way to tell the colour of an exoplanet using Kepler or any other telescope we have.
Is quantum theory weird enough for the real world?
The default position seems to be we're supposed to applaud certain things automatically... anything YC-funded, any attempts to dislodge Flash using js/canvas games that are garbage by post-1980 standards, ridiculous stuff with CSS.

Some of the stuff and companies applauded on here are in my opinion really, really weak. There's no downvoting of submissions so you can only express dislike in a comment.
Just skimming through those pictures, but most of the fairly complex mechanical parts, at least the ones which have scales, seem to be of the order of 10-100um. Not sure what would actually constitute nanotech there, but certainly the minimum feature size (spacing of teeth on a gear, etc) is probably <1um, which would count in my book.
Ask HN: Is Java Dying?
What do you think the future of the Java Language would be? What's a good replacement? Would the replacement run on the JVM?
An American is proud of what he is: an American. A Canadian is proud of what he is not: an American.
Also, he's clearly in the "zero-sum game" camp -- I like the "let a thousand flowers bloom" notion myself. If there's anything to Go, it will eventually become widely used. If not, ... it may at least influence the development of another language. We've pretty much entered the Cambrian Explosion of language design anyway, and what's wrong with that?
View programming this way, if you go an extra effort to do it and make something good out of it, you will be more inclined to be proud of it (if it's really good), which then the more you are proud of your work, the more you feel that you own it, and the more need to protect it and invest in it.

Programming as with any other crafts, is a mutual relationship between you and your ego.