skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
I got about 5 minutes hands on with WP7 hardware last week, and I have to agree with Gruber. WP7 is really nice.

* The UI is very responsive on pre-release hardware. I've been told that the released version will be faster.

* The keyboard is very nice. I can't compare it in over-all usability to other smart phones as I haven't lived day in day out with a smart phone.

* The way applications are organized is interesting. Instead of merely having a mongo huge list of apps, apps can also register themselves in app hubs. So applications that manipulate photos will show up under your photos, applications that deal with music show up there, etc. I'm not totally sold on this, but it seems like a good idea.

* Development for WP7 in silverlight is shockingly easy. And silverlight on WP7 runs super fast. Actually runs faster on the device than on my beefy desktop in emulator. Given the number of .NET developers I know that are registered for the WP7 marketplace I expect the MS app store to add applications at a blistering pace.

* There isn't yet an easy way to handle deploying WP7 phones in an enterprise, but I was told that this will be addressed later. There was only so much they could do before this launch though.

I'm in the market for a smart phone, and after handling the WP7 phones I'm sold. In my opinion it's at least as good as the current iPhone. I'm not sure whether that will translate to market share or not though.
I wonder if this has anything to do with the suit by Microsoft. Maybe trying to win back the money it will use to settle? Or it found patents and then said -- hey, we can sue Apple .. Hooray!
I can provide you with my facebook name, but I don't think you'll be able to reproduce -or- see anything with that alone. (It's not really a 'bug')

I am simply seeing phone numbers of facebook friends (on my "facebook phonebook" page) who 1) do not have any phone numbers listed in their FB profiles, and 2) that I do not have phone numbers for in my own contact list on my iPhone.
Semi-related: a few days ago I took two boxes of old computer and math books to a local Half-Price Book store. They don't usually offer a whole lot of money for such things, and I had been thinking of donating the books to the public library, but the library didn't seem interested in what I had. I figured I might as well get a few dollars rather than just throw them out.

As expected, after about ten minutes of sorting through what I had brought in, they offered me $13.50 for both boxes, which I gladly accepted. (My goal was clutter reduction, not profit.) A few hours later, they called me on the phone and said that they discovered one of the books I brought was more valuable than they first thought, and wanted to give me an extra $9.50.

I found that refreshingly honest of them.
Tell HN: Code Python in your browser back up at live.codenode.org
Codenode, a project allowing you to interactively write and run code from any web browser (a project I started with one other dev a while back), has been seeing a lot of great progress by a longtime contributor.

I personally have not been able to work much on Codenode in recent months, but an amazing contributor I've never personally met, James Casbon (http://twitter.com/casualbon) has been doing some great stuff with it.

Specifically, he just set up an online example of Codenode here: http://live.codenode.org and is asking for feedback.
How about a monney-making spell checker. FTFY.
I've been making a good living as a freelance web developer for the last three years and never once have I had to inquire for work. If you do a good job on your client's sites, create a lot of public side projects, and network well within your local community of developers, you'll have more work than you'll possibly be able to manage.
The next big thing
What can be the next big thing today?
Yes, But Can Google Chrome Or Firefox Do THIS? [humor]
WP7 mandates three buttons. Back, Home, and Search.
I can see the usability benefits, not least when it tells the user the obscure phrase they searched for is found in the third article down the page.

Unless the website is designed to be readable as a scaled down .jpeg and/or the entire useful content of a page is encapsulated in the single paragraph Google chooses to highlight I don't think it's a massive loss for webmasters. If sites have to look halfway decent to get decent click throughs it could be a godsend for designers though.

The implementation is pretty ugly...
Auto-disable AirPort when ethernet is active [osx][scripts]
Live example here: http://live.codenode.org, homepage: http://codenode.org, and the source code (BSD license) is here: http://github.com/codenode/codenode

Edit: An example of plotting is here: http://codenode.posterous.com/livecodenodeorg-is-back
I agree that we are far from the point when we can say Android is less open than the iPhone. But at the same time I wouldn't be surprised if 'features' like that would drag some developers from Android to iPhone.
no seriously, what part of Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya you didn't get?
Filling out my patent application for the "method of typing data into a text box and submitting it to a server for storage in a database". I'll see you all in court.
Complex problems don't have simple solutions.

Unfortunately a lot of the time, a child who's victimising another child will be projecting emotions that they're feeling, due to abuse / difficulties they're experiencing themselves.

To think that the problem can be hugged out is crazy - it's not going to happen.

I think the first most useful thing to do is to teach the child to fight back. Often a change of attitude - being able to have the confidence to say 'no' and to stand up against adversity, is enough to change the tack the abuser's behaviour. Violence isn't necessary - and I don't think it should ever be encouraged .. but taking a stand is an entirely valid response.

But secondly the root causes of the abuser's behaviour do need to be looked at - and a simple response isn't going to solve these problems. It would be nice if the simple idea of 'punishment' could resolve the behaviour - because it would require minimal effort - but realistically it wont.

Reforming bad behaviour involves understanding what the person involved needs - sometimes that will be love and understanding. All children have complex emotional and psychological needs; if these needs are neglected, something has to give .. and usually does.
Don't register a domain in a country whose law and regulations you don't want to follow. Country-specific domains were meant for exactly that, country-specific sites. Did they think there was no risk to doing business in a foreign country?
Sorry about the bad format of the post.
Spanish Copyright Society Under DDoS Attack
Yes, and a grasping-at-any-straw-we-can-find response. The entire campaign was an embarrassment.
The Phoenix paper, the Arizona Republic, keeps cutting back and cutting back. They have interesting rationales for this, too. For example, the Monday paper is more of a broadsheet than a newspaper; they claimed "readers told them" they don't want a regular-sized edition after getting the big ad-crammed Sunday paper. Yeah, I'm sure. Didn't come with a corresponding price drop though.

Meanwhile, what content they do offer is increasingly from the AP or some other, larger paper, such as the L.A. Times.

On some occasions they do offer good, interesting local reports, but their current plan of routinely raising the subscription price while reducing content seems poorly thought-out.
I appreciate you trying to make it easier for users to remember their login/identity/site key/access code/whatever, but this may actually be making it harder.

Since we have all had years to figure out how to manage logins across many different sites that do not coordinate, we've all solved this problem in one way or another, but the solutions are based on finding efficient ways to manage userid's and passwords.

Mine for example is that I use a set of three userid/pwd pairs. Pair 1 is simple userid/simple pwd, for throwaway accounts I don't care about. Pair 2 is moderately complex userid/pwd for sites I use frequently but could afford to lose/be hacked/whatever. And Pair 3 is highly complex userid/pwd for online banking and other secure things that need the highest penetration barrier.

Since I can easily keep three in memory and apply each one based on how I categorize the website in question, I never forget my logins to any websites, no matter how frequent or infrequent I use them. Nor do I ever have to write down or otherwise record my login info, anywhere, since it's easy to remember just three. Further, if one my lower level userid/pwd pairs is cracked, it doesn't compromise the critical one.

For your site I would have simply use Pair 1 or 2, problem solved. However, your pass phrase method presents a problem - I can use one of my passwords in plain text, which I'm obviously not going to do, or I can think up some pass phrase that is unique to your site, not part of my system, and hence easily forgettable.

I have no idea what other systems people use to manage their logins across the tons of websites in use these days, but I'd suggest relying on your users (especially since they're 100% savy HN users) to have already solved this login problem. Leverage their solutions by using the norm. Or use OpenID, which is another solution to this problem.
Tech CEOs tell US gov't how to cut $1 trillion from deficit
> SLC SSD's have no such limits.

[citation needed]
It's a smart move to offer a backup tool, especially when enforcing a TOS that's subject to interpretation and causes (alleged) violators to complain very loudly in public forums when their accounts are permanently canceled and their data becomes inaccessible. They'll get less sympathy this way ("You backed up your data, didn't you?"), although the most important thing here is that all users are given a chance to feel that they own their own data. That's more than a mere PR move, it's a perceived right.
There's free as in speech, free as in beer, and free as in working for IBM without getting paid.
I have evidence as this is essentially what happened to us. We purchased .ly variant of our domain name through an authorized Libyan registrar about 10 months ago. It was seized back without explanation a few days later. When I contacted the registrar I was told that the domain was available for "four figures" through domains.ly (an aftermarket .ly reseller service that is operated by the same authorized registrar we used to purchase the domain initially). The domain wasn't critical, so we didn't pursue it any further.
You might be right. At the very least, the exclusivity does seem to officially still be in effect; looks like I got caught up in some speculations earlier this year. On the other hand, AT&T certainly is preparing for the loss of exclusivity [1], and we know that AT&T picked up exclusivity for the iPad, so it would make sense that they were opting to drop the iPhone deal while picking up the iPad (which is also what an AT&T insider that I know was saying quite a while back).

[1]: http://www.intomobile.com/2010/09/21/att-iphone-exclusivity/
I'm glad we agree.

Yes, it was symbiotic, that's why it was "kind of" fair play until NOW.

Now they're pulling the blanket to their side and it starts to get parasitic.
"Although I am skeptical the Groupon user base is a highly desirable group of customers, few people have actually made a convincing argument that shows they don’t return in significant numbers."

It's probably better to use that as a starting point: i.e., assume Groupon customers are not the best demographic, and design the Groupon discount accordingly (only a modest discount on a higher-priced good or service, e.g.).
Symmetry Magazine, apparently free particle physics magazine
I just fire up a game while doing that.
Uh, yeah, so don't play around with this because everyone you add to a group gets notified, and it's kind of a pain to delete a group since you need to remove each person individually.
Verizon to sell Apple iPhone from early 2011: report
Journalism will continue to evolve, from newspaper to television network news to blogs to Facebook pages to YouTube channels to mobile apps to whatever. We have to make the distinction that newspapers is one form of journalism. It would be sad for some if the newspapers went away, just as it was sad when the stage coach or the floppy disk gave way to better alternatives.
Ask HN: Your favorite web application design/UI?
I'm redesigning my web application — it's a SAAS app for project management — right now it looks too similar to Basecamp but I'm having trouble breaking out of the tabs-content-sidebar look.

I'm thinking of going with a totally different style.. inspired by http://www.alfredapp.com/

Big type, top-to-bottom, full screen.

What are some of your favorite web application user-interfaces + designs?
Maybe what you're seeing is passion for solving the problem. We feel very strongly about it. That passion is likely a big reason why Alex invested.

BTW, our customers are newspapers. I'm not sure how much "heartstring pulling" we need to do for them to see that we objectively make them more money.
The library should give the scanners to the old ladies, then.
I wonder if its possible to have different security settings when one is on the home wifi. Would be nice to lock up very frequently in coffee shops and not have to login all the time at home.
What Hollywood's Power Players Can Teach Entrepreneurs
Yes, file the copies with your stock purchase/vesting agreement. Also if you have paid par value or whatever amount for the shares keep your canceled check with the copy of the shares you bought. The company keeps a list of who owns what shares as well as the physical shares. If something should happen to the physical shares they can be reissued.
Could you explain what about this explanation you find the least bit reassuring?
Had an exam earlier... hasn't done well for my brainpower.
Of course they already have the data, and as you mention, exporting it is fantastically easy from their end.

My line of thinking probably evolved from the ease with which Facebook could just push the entire zipped file to purchasers, instead of just the relevant info. This is incorrect in that 1) I wouldn't imagine facebook shares its actual data, just uses it to allow advertisers to target their ads, and 2) even if they did, I seriously doubt they would group data by user thoroughly enough to be identifiable.

Half of my concern was what would be accessible via facebook connect, and the ability of a malicious website to harvest scary amounts of personal information via this + cross-site user tracking (about which, admittedly, I know almost nothing). Again, the data dump is only about ease of access, not a totally new ability.

I'm also talking about things I don't really know about. I've never used fb connect, nor do I have experience with cross-site user tracking. But I'm certainly under the impression that it would be possible to combine these two concepts into something disturbing. (http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1250497 would seem to imply that a large advertising network could do this sort of thing (though I'm not sure where the fbconnect info would come from, exactly).
You don't need any education, and not much enterprising spirit to do the book thing.

It's not a line of work that competes with developing software.
"Management is asking for my stock certificates so that they have quick access to them in the event the company is acquired."

That sounds suspicious on many levels.

For one thing, they already should know exactly how much equity each employee has.

If they don't have those kinds of records, then they're probably going to have a hard time passing a due diligence review by a potential acquirer.
Why do you think Mac laptops have IPS displays? They have TN screens - always has been.

Thinkpads are one of the few laptop brands that had IPS displays in their lineup in the past.
Android: To Root or not to Root, may not be your choice
We halved build times going from velociraptors to x25-e for a fairly big flash build. Made more of a difference than core2duo to i7 extreme
What you're describing is a bug that hasn't previously been reported to us. Why are you hesitant to follow up via email so that we can investigate?
I read your comment as though you were saying that the process of switching carriers was the challenge, which is not what I was saying. If that's not what you meant, then I misinterpreted it.

As for it being hard to imagine the iPhone falling flat ... well, I provided graphs and links to industry sites. I'm certainly not the only one seeing it turning out this way.
Switching carriers is easy. (provided you are out of contract and don't mind signing a new one, or paying ETFs)

Knowing that your phone of choice is on the carrier that doesn't get reception in your home and drops your calls constantly, means that it does in fact, matter which carrier you choose.
Wow - "Groupon consultant" would be a pretty lucrative gig. Be the go between between the small biz and Groupon, negotiate better terms, educate on best practices, etc.
Ok great, how do you know if your YCombinator application was received? Or is it just no news means you were not considered? just curious, I know its still early...
She reads "How to win friends and influence people" on the train.
Android has made great strides in market share, but that's about it. Have you used a Droid 2? They're loaded with bloatware now... it's like buying a Dell PC. My buddy keeps asking me, "How can I remove this stupid blockbuster app??"

Keep in mind... Blockbuster just filed for Bankruptcy... http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2010/09/blockbuster-offici...

Android is a joke. I love my Nexus One... but Apple is still delivering the best mobile experience. AT&T is without a doubt the only downside to the iPhone. While Apple is strong-arming carriers with insane sales and joyous fans, Android devices are getting worse and worse to try and make every little device unique. One has a 5mp camera, one has a 8mp camera, one has two LED's for flash, the other only has one, blah blah blah they're all the same!

I have been vying for the Android underdog for too long now and I for one am VERY anxious to see the iPhone on CDMA, because I'll finally be able to get back to using a terrific platform on a solid network.
What if what you're being asked to do is ethically questionable?
I think it's a great idea. I feel like it allows the community to connect on a more personal level.
Google, PayPal Set on Android Deal
Org for GTD and other Task managment systems
Where's the Sikuli script? :)
"individuals who have delicate souls who are connected to each other through local communities"

Ignoring the "Delicate souls" silliness, my community hasn't been defined by the people I'm geographically near since I was 16.
Interesting about the Nexus One. I've got the Desire which, when I get out of my reception-less flat, I'll test for that problem.

I think the first time I tried holding it on my shoulder I dropped it so never held it like that again :-D
Comet in IE6? Can you elaborate a bit? I recently had a need for a comet thingy (but not cross-browser compatibility) - so I made a small solution with x-mixed-replace. I don't even know where would I start with IE6, since even later versions are their own world.
Good Things Demand to Be Wasted
No: the purpose of a critic is to provide critical insight - having criticism silenced is not part of that purpose.
The companies that you listed in the last paragraph, did do things differently at one point in their history. Now they have become bloated. What makes you say toyota, apple, and google will remain exactly where they are in 15 years.
I agree, I always take one long holiday a year. 3 weeks when possible.
I've seen a lot of mentions of the Pomodoro technique lately, so I thought I'd share a link that helped me start using Pomodoro without leaving emacs org-mode.
Burstly Lets Mobile App Developers Set Up Storefronts To Sell Their Own Ads
I really didn't mean to speculate on whether Facebook would be replaced by something else. Maybe they'll become big enough that nothing will ever replace them.

But if something does replace them having an API to export the existing data will be critical to the adoption of the new system.

Even if all your friends use Facebook now, having an export API is the difference between them clicking on one link (and "approve") to move your data to the new system, and having to start all over again.

Lowering the barrier of entry will do a lot to increase competition in this area. Hopefully Facebook will institute meaningful data export policies like Google has done.
Presumably the library already has the ISBN of the books it is getting rid of.

They could pull out the ones worth >$1 after checking on Amazon and then package and ship them - but thats probably not cost effective for a library employee and getting little old ladies to spend the day packaging and shipping isn't what they volunteered for.

They could get in some minimum wage temp labor to do this once a year - but that's not really the libraries core business. It would be like having police patrol cars pick up cans by the side of the freeway for the 5c recycling (now theres a business model)
Advanced RFID with Arduino and Python
Microsoft registered fuckbing.com
I will second this. I had a few people bullying me in highschool, but never resulting in any sort of violence, just namecalling/etc. One day, when I was hanging out with friends, he came over and started calling me names and generally being very confrontational. At that moment, I realised that I had to put an end to it then and there.

I punched him twice in the face, and he went down. When he got up, dazed, his friend split us up. He never even talked to me after that, and always avoided me.

If my kids ever get bullied, I'm teaching them Krav Maga.
> It's tough to tell for sure, but if I'm not alone in all this, then when the iPhone finally does come out for Verizon, it could fall flat on its face. It just took too damned long and frustrated everyone that has been patient enough to wait for it for years.

Reminds me of that old Mitch Hedberg joke, "You will either hate us or love us... or you'll think we're ok."

Were you the kind of kid who had their Christmas morning ruined because you had to wait 364 days for it to happen? Everyone groaned when the AT&T exclusivity agreement was announced, but widely understood that it would be years before you could get the phone on another carrier. I'd argue that while it was a polarizing move, publicized exclusivity actually helped the sales of the iPhone. You either accepted that you'd have to use AT&T and got the phone regardless of the service, or you didn't. Anyone waiting with baited breath for a second carrier in the US was either ignorant, stupid, or both. The options were clear. Now that exclusivity is about to be over there is a second wave of adoption coming. Why? Because the things that made the phone worth buying to begin with are still there, and the only deal-breaker for most people is going away. Everyone who "needed" an iPhone already has one. Everyone who "likes" the iPhone is about to have it be an option.

I would love to see the facts supporting your hypothesis that, "AT&T gave up its exclusivity deal with Apple for the iPhone back in the spring of this year. Verizon and other insiders had to have known well in advance that they were going to. They should have been ready for a release in July, at the latest." You're making assertions about the strategy for the next phase of one of the most popular consumer electronic devices ever, and you're backing them up with the word "should."