skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
There seems to be a common belief, even among the educated, that the security of nations is somehow completely unrelated to the security of the individual.

In reality, one is the macro; the other, micro. They are solutions to the exact same problem at a different scale.

The same way that you lock your door, we collectively close a border. The same way that we call the cops on the drug house, we bomb << entity >> .

So, to re-phrase your future view a little: If you foresee us being able to dispel the notion of door locks in favour of trusting our fellow humans completely, you can imagine your border free world.

I am a little more pessimistic, to be honest.
Y'know, sometimes I admire Apple for doing comparative advertising without ever using the product name of That Other Operating System.
If your browser runs Java code without a warning you have a lot more problems than someone knowing your MAC... Also that would still not be your router's MAC.
Yes they do. Aragorn is of the purest race of Westernesse, and his special abilities are in good part based on this. The subjects of prince Imrahil are sadly mixed in race, although the prince himself is of rather pure breed, etc. It's not about this being an allegory for England or whatever, it's about the general world view and the things that are considered noble and admirable.
I guess maybe I am lucky or it may be a case of the worst experiences seem to have the highest volume setting in our brain and people focus on the horror stories. But I have only had one non-payment in the entirety of my freelancing experience. All of my clients pay on time (net 30) and I always require 50% payment for the first invoice before I start work. I do this to ensure that I have a paying customer and if they are not willing to front 50% for operation costs associated with the development then they are most likely not a customer that I would want.

The chasing of debt has never been more than a friendly reminder email and my paycheck has always been steady to the extent that I can decide how much I want to earn that week with a pretty handsome upper-bound. It may be the type of consulting that I do (it is not a saturated market) but my experience has been pretty good and I have been at this off and on for a while.
I kind of prefer their previous design actually, though I'm sure they put plenty of thought and research into the new one.

One thing I find awkward are the rollovers of the 4 buttons with the red arrow pointing me up to read the related description. I found it unnatural for me to look at the buttons, rollover one, and then look up to read the description, and then look back down, rollover another button, and then look back up for the description. My eyes kept going down, then up, then down, then up.

One option I might rather have seen was having the buttons flip around revealing the simple description, while keeping the more detailed description above, perhaps allowing room for screenshots of the products above.
There is some research that indicates using less content above the fold entices users to scroll. http://sixrevisions.com/usabilityaccessibility/10-usability-... (was also on hn, but I can't find the link)

Beyond that, it looks clean and simple, but I think they overlooked the perception that a lot of users not keen on design will perceive the site as low budget.
It's funny how people still refer to Google as a search-company.

Where I live, up in northern europe, in pretty much every single news story where google is mentioned they still say "the search giant", "the websearch company" etc. The same way they call(ed) Microsoft "the software giant".

edit: I don't think "search giant" or even "search" is or ever was an approprate tag for Google. It is and has always been an ad aggregating (adregator?) company who merely used (and now even more) the vast quantity of content on the web and the users desire to locate it as the underlying mechanism for enabling it's business.
I liked the last design much more. The colored quotes over each product gave a nice personality to the site; compared with the old one, I feel like I'm looking at a black & white channel now: less color = less intrigue/excitement. The font-size inconsistency creates noise in the organization and message of the content.
They used to, but now do it themselves and then keep the database up to date with Android phones. This is why Skyhook is upset and suing:

http://gigaom.com/2010/09/15/skyhook-sues-google-in-a-locati...
Even been to Disney World? I've read that the music varies by less than 3dB (below the threshold of human noticing) throughout most of the park. http://dustincurtis.com/how-mr-q-manufactured-emotion.html
Ask HN: Looking for a open source project to contribute to
So, a little background: I've done some programming for a few years, but it's mostly on my own or with friends. Something that's always been at the back of my mind for a while has been contributing to an open source project. But I've always been worried I wasn't capable enough.

Of the languages I know, the two I have enough skills in to not make everyone go "Oh my god! Why did you do it THAT way? _function x_ is in the standard library!" are Python or PHP. Preferably, I'd like to work on a Python project.

The two big ones that keep coming up are both PHP, Wordpress and phpBB, but as large projects, they're both able to attract and avail of developers far better than me, and their codebase would require a good amount of time to get acquainted to. Further, wordpress at least seems to be more in need of translators, testers, etc than actual coders.

So, can anyone suggest a mid-sized (preferably Python) open source project actively looking for new contributors?
60 Photoshop Tutorials to Perk Up Your Posters
Everyone at sometime is going to need a poster to promote an event. We want you to throw away those smelly over sized markers and poster board and sit down with these tutorials and create something that will knock the socks off the people that attend your next yard sale.
It's a great idea, it will quickly eliminate most entitlement programs as people start to worry about "immigrants" receiving benefits.
Yeah, that's all fine and great. Except that if you're so keen after most uptime and service per dollar then you should have gone with linode, slicehost or any other of the proven options in first place.

You didn't do that. You compared their prices to ChunkHost. You decided against the ~$20 bucks that would have bought you guaranteed performance at linode and for the free beta at ChunkHost. Dare I say you "cheaped out"? Now you complain because in 8 months they haven't managed to catch up with the competition that's 2-3 times longer around.
Code Myopia
They do and always have. But the problem with them giving a damn is that they have a certain type of user in mind. And to give a good user experience to that user, they need the control.

If you happen to be the type of user who wants maximum control in your hands, and not in Apple's, then Apple's giving a damn has a negative impact on you.

It's why I stopped using Apple after growing up using their stuff and switched to running linux on PC hardware. I wanted my control back from Apple.

And since Linux is open source, I get the benefit of having control and having a product (software at least) made by people who give a damn!
How old is the EU? Already, after only a few years, the erosion of sovereignty of the individual countries is well along. I think it proves the point more than refutes it.
Not on your current TV. The current crop of Samsung devices don't have the processing power to run Google TV. I'm pretty sure the Sony Google TVs will be an upsell, unlike the current TV platforms the chipsets needed to run Google's platform are expensive I think you're going to need to pay for a "Google TV enabled" device, unlike the Yahoo widgets which you get for "free". This may change in the future but for now its not.
on the plus side (and why I personally am using it):
it allows a "real" language to be run in-browser. .Net code can now be used on the webserver, desktop form apps, in-browser...(I'd add mobile devices, but that part would be a bit embarrassing.).
How to boost your brain
On a smaller scale, I believe the future will judge us on our software. ie, bank websites with security holes in them the size of trucks. Software is still so young and has a long ways to go. The future might be amazed at how often we literally put our lives, finances, privacy, etc in the hands of really poorly written software.
This is the same issue we see with vanity metrics: companies are giving the appearance of sharing information while actually engaging in spin or outright deception.

I call it the CEO voice.

======
Normal conversation:

How was your weekend?

I dislocated a toe, slipped, then cut off a finger. It sucked spending the weekend in the hospital.

======
CEO conversation:

How was your weekend?

It was great! I had a new experience, got to meet some excellent doctors, and saw the inside of a state-of-the-art hospital too! I think we can do some cross promotional revshare with them. Just think about it -- every time you get sick, the hospital gives you a virtual item! We'll call it the Get Sick For Pixels campaign.

Every interaction isn't required to be happy, bubbly, and falsely sincere. Sometimes you can be honest and show a little humanity. (Blame it on thoughts like http://twitter.com/foundersatwork/status/22661724100)
It's interesting how cultures differ on some of these.

I was speaking to a friend who works in China. He says he often discusses with the locals their appalling treatment of animals, which can be genuinely shocking to Westerners. He says this is usually met by a swift rebuke "How on earth can you criticize us for our treatment of animals when your culture treats your elderly relatives - your own family! - so horrifically, shipping them off to be ignored in a home for the rest of their lives?". It's a fair point - people in glass houses...
It must have taken quite a
bit of thought to get
the links at the
foot of the
page to
line
up
"Don't take your guns to town, son. Leave your guns at home Bill... Don't take your guns to town." - Johnny Cash

Anyone else have the same bit of song run through their head while reading the title? (I can't read the story since it's behind a wall.)
Burbank, CA
Warner Music Group

I'm hiring a mobile apps contractor to handle PM, QA, R&D and assorted acronyms for iOS primarily and Android secondarily. Its contract to start, full time soon.

I will have positions soon for some big-data work, Python, Mongo, etc.

Contact me if interested in discussing. ethan.kaplan [@] wmg.com
> the idea is that by testing even the trivial degenerate cases, you can refactor everything with confidence

The trouble is that on the one hand, you get diminishing returns for each more extreme edge case you include as a test, while on the other hand, unless you have coded up every possible scenario, you can't really refactor with impunity. Something has to give, and in most cases it can only be the confidence in refactoring, because most interesting problem spaces are infinite and it's tough to write a comprehensive test suite for an infinite number of scenarios!

I've found that for many types of project, some degree of automated testing is well worth the trouble. However, the "test everything" mentality seems to breed a dangerous false sense of security. Perhaps worse, in some contexts the "test everything" approach also forces developers to warp otherwise clean and natural designs into a shape where automated test tools can work with them more easily, at the expense of making it harder for people to work with them. I am far from convinced that that particular trade-off is ever worthwhile, and I've always found it a rather odd contradiction that many Agile methodologies supposedly advocate people over process and the like, yet stick to their guns on this one.
this information deeply saddens me... However I am please to see no IE :)
I'm actually in the middle of implementing a Scheme variant at the moment, so it's interesting to read about the features/decisions involved in another implementation.

Scheme really is a beautiful language! I just ordered copies of SICP and 'The Little Schemer', I'm looking forward to reading them!

Are there any Schemers on HN who would care to recommend other 'required reads' for a new Scheme developer?
But pinhole glasses work by passing all light through a single, tiny hole, which doesn't allow scattering of light from a single source because they must all pass through that point. If you're left with nothing but a single ray from each point, it'll be in focus forever until something disturbs it. This lens sounds entirely different.
What is the best mobile Web site builder? 
I am looking for a free or affordable service that I will be able to build myself, that will be optimized for many devices and browsers and that will not involve a tech team or 3rd party to operate.

Thanks!
That behavior can easily be toggled on/off in the Administration->Management section for your DD-WRT router. Take a look at "Info Site Password Protection" and "Info Site MAC Masking" on that page.
Just FYI for anyone reading this. I make slightly less than half what the OP does but I have tons of time to spend with my family, can run off and do what I want whenever I want (almost). As long as the work gets done I can schedule my time as I see fit. I also take, about once a year, month long vacations in other countries and work from there. I make quite a bit less but live in a lower cost of living area and have good "quality of life". In my personal case I find this to be a nice balance.
Thanks for the tip about the white papers. We do a lot of that at our existing company so it's good to know it will be useful if we decide to branch off.
Right now, you can get opaque black plastic glasses with an array of pinholes. These work to correct a variety of focusing problems, since pinhole cameras have an infinite depth of field. The drawback is that pinholes let in very little light, so although the image is in focus, it is very dim. And, of course, the image between the pinholes is not as good as it is near the pinholes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinhole_glasses

It sounds like this new product has a similar set of advantages and drawbacks, and maybe even works in a similar fashion.
Yeah but its not at 110db on average is it? And disneys background music is hardly precision engineered in the first place.

I'm talking more about music venues, and the dream of being able to hear the performance as clearly at the side of the room as in the exact middle, or wherever the engineer has put the "sweet spot," which is analogous to focal length but not exactly the same concept.
Not the ones I've worked for.

The culture has been to do the best we can do. But not to worry about every thing our competitors did. It worked out pretty well.
Users have little obligation with respect to the Java trademark. My organization can use the word "Java" internally to remind our execs that we're doing the safe, boring thing, and there's no problem if we actually deploy Lava or Fava or Cava (my pick) to our servers. As long as we don't publicly advertise that our services rely on Java technology (and who does that anymore?) we're free to call anything Java internally.

If Oracle targets an "OMG Don't Get Caught Using Fake Low-Quality Java" marketing campaign at our upper management, we'll talk to management ourselves and paint Oracle as losers who lost their grasp on everything but the trademark and no longer offer the premier, industry-standard implementation that we require.
Improve Your Linux Desktop Experience with a Dock
Seems to think I'm on Santa Monica Blvd, but I'm in Boston and this computer has never been to California.
Duct-tape and Sharpie AT-AT
Not so much. An enormous field of view is in focus on a sunny day, and you can see far more in focus by looking through a pinhole. Or there's the video game argument mentioned by CUViper.

Of course, since we see in stereo, images will still only be aligned when we're looking at them with both eyes. And our eyes really only see detail in a tiny area (a few degrees). Having everything in focus is a negligible gain over having all distances you look at in focus.
I love this design. It really resonates with me! The whole thing feels a bit like a slide deck which I like. If you scroll correctly you get a nice bit of information per "slide" but you don't actually click through a silly slide deck. One of the arguments I'm reading is "too much scrolling" but I think that's incorrect -- the design makes you want to scroll and the argument against scrolling is that people don't want to/won't do so!

All in all I think this model could be a really effective way of presenting to-the-point, minimalistic information.
As medical technology progresses, it seems obvious that abortion will eventually be seen as barbaric. A hundred years ago, a baby born prematurely would die, but now babies live when born at 7 months, 6 months? earlier? Laws in the US have begun to reflect this. The only logical limit is conception.

At some point, it will no longer be an issue of religion or freedom of the mother, just like wife-beating must have been the "right if a man."
It's nice that they see it, but shouldn't it also be grabbing their attention? From the page you linked to:

> (Update 2010: Eyetracking shows that people allocate much less attention to information below the fold.)
Not a troll. The IDEA project contained upwards of 60 subprojects, and the time from clicking the IDEA icon to the availability of the editor was often more than four minutes. On my eight-core, 16GB Mac Pro.
"they're both able to attract and avail of developers far better than me"
That's a Good Thing! One of the best ways to become a better developer is to work with good developers.

"their codebase would require a good amount of time to get acquainted to"
This will also be true for pretty much all projects.

Rather than focusing on the size of the project, try to find something you're interested in. If you're interested in the end product you'll probably be better motivated delving into the project.
The majority of laureates did quite a lot for peace. You're picking the controversial outliers and passing them off as the general case.
Google might make money from advertising, yes. But, as far as the average person is concerned, Google means search.

Whether Google likes it or not, their name is synonymous with search. When someone says "Just Google it", they don't mean to go to your tv and start watching something. They don't mean to look at your phone and play a game. They mean to go to your computer, open a web browser and search for something.
I got a lazy eye. Contrary to the article headline, nothing can give perfect vision for my eyesight.
Ehh... it's a point, but IMHO not a good one. I'm Chinese and have heard a lot of this viewpoint from my "own kind" (I don't actually identify culturally as Chinese, but whatever).

"We're faultless because you've got faults" is a shitty argument no matter which way it's offered. Or more accurately "we're not going to engage in intellectual discussion about this issue until you yourself are perfect in every way". It's dumb and pointless, and is really just defensive nationalistic kneejerking.

Another common argument I hear from the Chinese is the "you had our turn, so we get to have ours". It's very common when it comes to environmental issues - the basic logic is that America was able to burn fossil fuel in a completely unrestrained way for decades, so why shouldn't China get the same opportunity?
The tech market in general is experiencing a depression of technical talent. Three things caused this issue:

#1 was the .com bust it drove a lot of talented people out of the market as well as most of the "gold rushers" (aka people who learned flash in a week and where commanding 90k for crap). A good deal of those people moved on to other careers in other fields. Probably in the area of 40% of my associates of that era are now in business or pure science related fields.

#2 Again .com bust but this time educational. The university tech programs experienced the same issue. The money went and so the students that where in it for the money jumped off the ship. I was going back to school at this time and it was literally 1 day full class, next day, me and two other guys in the class.

#3 "we'll outsource it all" did not work. Companies terminated entire development teams to move them off shore only to have to bring them back after the fact. Each time you do this, it is the breaking point for some of the individuals who decide that this one is the last one and leave the industry.

So yes, if you think you are underpaid then you are underpaid especial for "typical web developer" which is one of the hottest fields in tech. This industry has the peculiar way of chewing people up and spitting them out. If you go by the numbers chances are you wont last in it. You need to charge a rate that reflects that reality. The funny part is once you do your resilience in putting up with the grind becomes higher. I have lasted a long time in this industry and I can tell you there where two times that I tried to get out. It can and will burn you out, it is just a matter of whether or not you can survive the burnouts without leaving the industry. A fare wage for the work has a lot to do with being able to survive it until it passes.
They're just trying to distance themselves from these guys: http://www.73primenumbers.com/ who have taken "do less" and "simplicity" to places where not even 37 signals dares to tread.
It's hard to implement securely.

Think about this: if encryption/decryption is performed client-side (JavaScript), then any cross-site scripting (XSS) or cross-site request forgery (CSRF) could potentially leak sensitive information to an attacker. (Where are private keys stored? How can Javascript prevent client-side attacks from leaking keys/passphrases?)

That said, client-side hashing and sending of passphrases is not a new concept. This HN post (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1750468) from a few days ago goes over some of the intricacies and possible security implications of client-side hashing.

As far as actual client-side crypto (meaning the algorithm itself): Javascript is simply too prone to tampering. The problem is that, let's say the user is phished or man-in-the-middled. They will then implement (edited and flawed) crypto that will appear to them to be genuine, while in fact their passphrase and ciphertext were probably just leaked all over the Russian hacker underground.

Now, I'm not saying that it's impossible to implement client-side crypto or even that those that do will immediately get hacked... I just think this is why someone hasn't really provided it as a service yet.

Oh, and one more thing--if it's client-side encrypted email, how does the plaintext get from the email server to the client? Over the web in plaintext or HTTPS?
I wonder if there's a version of Muphry's Law for condescension. I've been impressed with aspects of COBOL. I even wrote Robert Glass to buy hard copies of his detailed defense of it 5 years ago so I could learn more about what made it great. In certain ways COBOL was better than what came later. Nevertheless what you're saying is historically inaccurate: COBOL was never the cat's pajamas of computer science. It was the original success story of manager-driven development, and that is a very different matter.
Nope, it's only $1.99 though :)