skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
That's true. One way is to improve the process. Another way would be to increase chance encounters between good companies and good candidates.

For example, you could make it easier for companies to organise meetups (e.g. Github's drinkups - see this thread for details http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1804527).

I'm sure a lot of employers would like to do stuff like that, but never end up making the time to do it.
A flying Humvee? Don't scoff, Pentagon wants one
"we measure latency as the time it takes to submit an order and receive an order acknowledgment or fill, with both the sending and receiving outside our firewall." This isn't normally the metric exchanges are referring to when they say 'latency'. They mean the internal processing time, within their network, to process, fill and generate a response to an incoming order. Anything else depends on the individual clients connection, some may be co-located, some may not etc etc... exactly as lrm242 describes.
The company I'm currently doing contract remote work for is looking for another developer: http://idea2.com/?page_id=1031

We are using Python, MongoDB, Redis, and Tornado. Super flexible people to work for -- feel free to contact me for more info.
I'm not sure if it's interesting, funny, or sad, that almost all of the responses were talking about the cats, and how they do better with higher falls, and almost none talked about the actual question.
If you're writing mobile software right now, you should be targeting both iOS and Android (and probably BlackBerry) if you want to get your application in front of as many eyes as you feasibly can.

That seems tautological. :)
False dichotomy. Among the many things that are wrong with this statement, the most important is that usually when upgrading an so, you must rebuild the packages that depend on it. Just ask any Gentoo user.

http://dl.suckless.org/stali/clt2010/stali.html
Interesting. The primary motivation as expressed in that link seems to be the separation of concerns to facilitate having a specialist UX designer and a specialist programmer working in a decoupled way.
Not me. In the last few weeks, I've probably printed out 500 sheets (printed double-sided) of paper copies of articles I have in electronic form, as part of research I am doing for my Master's thesis. Paper trumps electrons when it comes to serious reading, in my experience.
Can you do something useful on this chip? It seems to me that while the total number of instructions looks good, what can actually be accomplished per instruction is very bad. Not only do the instructions operate on very small words, you need a ton of communication between the cores to do anything. E.g. how fast would this thing realistically be for (integer -- it doesn't even have floating point) matrix multiplication?
Recently Microsoft have suggested that European governments can fulfil their "interoperability" requirements by the simple expedient of everyone buying Microsoft products.

Seems like Apple's taking a similar tack. So much easier than using open (there's that word again) standards.
It's a nice hack, but didn't seem to work very well (slow reaction) and it's yet another surveillance camera.
To look at it another way: what does a good bugtracking tool add to a dirt simple solution like internal blog pages with a thread for comments?

Answer: domain-specific features. I'm trying to figure out what those features for hiring would be :) Thoughts?
This is mainly useful for testing whenever given number is integral power of 2 (you gen zero in that case). Otherwise it might be useful for some special purpose counters/timers.
It will be interesting to see how this office changes the culture of 37signals.

Will a rift occur between the in-office personnel, who have lots of face-time, and the remote employees?

37signals has been a great example of how you can be successful without being co-located. The article says more employees are coming into the office though. I think a bias toward working more, and more effectively, with the people you can see is unavoidable. I've seen it happen.
I think he's referring to when you join the workforce at the same time your peers are going off to college. Sure you might come out ahead of them in 4 or 5 years if you are driven but your likely to be in line from some fairly menial work to start off.
That would be great if you actually mean it and are in position take decisions to this effect). Unfortunately, to most employers, unemployed applicants smell as if they stopped bathing the day they stopped working.

The only solution I see to this problem is lying on your employment record. But I must admit I'm uncomfortable giving this advice.
MetaOptimize is hiring contractors for exciting project work building real-world NLP + machine learning systems.
I have a lot of who cool project work for people who are good hackers, and can deliver fast and correct code and are self-starters.

This is for remote, short-term gigs. You can set your hours. The only requirement is that you kick ass and add value from day one.

Email your resume and/or github URL to joseph at metaoptimize dot com

We are looking for generalists:

* Hardcore programmers who learn new technologies and APIs quickly.

* Experienced sysadmins, especially who have experience with AWS and EC2.

And also specialists:

* People with backgrounds in machine learning, natural language
processing, information retrieval, and/or search. Medium experience is
fine, you don't have to have a PhD.

* Python/Django programmers

* Java programmers

Did I miss you? Send me an email anyway, and explain how you kick ass and are a self-starter.

Example things you might work on:

* Take this Python/Java program that operates in batch over textfiles,
and convert it into a webservice (REST+JSON or XML-RPC or whatever)
that operates real-time online (one document at a time).

* I have a NLP tool but the output is dirty. Build these simple text
processing components to clean it up, e.g. by discarding low freq
terms.

* Exploratory statistical analysis over data sets, to see if there are
any interesting patterns. (More open ended)

* Take this code for a neural network, and write scripts that batch
invoke the NN with different hyperparameters to do model selection.
That was me being lazy, apologies.
Now we can all code epic viruses on our phones just like in the pilot of the latest Doctor Who series.
Came here to quote the same thing. I too suffer from this and it's unbearable after it happens. It's exactly what my stupid brain does. And then I get angry on my brain for doing it. I think it is a symptom of a deeper problem in the way I think about developing something.

While day dreaming, I have made a better search engine than Google, a better operating system than existing ones, a game played by millions and each of the projects having a "situation room" like the one in Bourne Ultimatum.

It's all fun and games while I am dreaming though.
Midas: a multifunction in dorm automation system
If you rewrite an essay for 2-3 weeks, why would you pick one date as the date? It serves no real purpose.
OpenID is not a perfectly good protocol. It is a total mess. Implementing it is an exercise in pulling teeth. Every major implementation was vulnerable to a timing attack until recently, which severely compromised the security of both sites which actually accept OpenID. The user experience is an abomination which requires users understand concepts which strike them like ancient Aramaic. Half of the spec, which you have to implement, is devoted to requirements put there for ideological reasons which no user is actually interested in (delegation). The core use case -- that any site on the website can ask for your holiest of holy credentials and you should just give them out -- appears to be the world's most widespread phishing attack, organized by sleeper agents planted on the spec committee whose dark masters tasked them with undermining everything we have ever taught users about password security.
That's the TOP SECRET section that we aren't supposed to know about.
Here is a fun challenge for language snobs: implement bit-streams for your favorite language. Here is a simple signature:

bitvec read_nbits (unsigned int count, bitstream input);

bool write_nbits (unsigned int count,bitvec bits,
bitstream output);

Then add a multirecord I/O. That is, read a record of bitvecs, each N bits wide, where the length is not given but encoded in the bitstream in this manner: read a bitvec record of N bits, if the high-bit is set (take it in whatever endian you like), read another record and repeat, if the high bit is not set, return whatever you read thus far.

Then add the ability to return the bitvec records as single integers (bignums even) both signed and unsigned, taking them in this manner. If the bitvecs are unsigned, each record contributes its 7 least significant bits, and the high bit is dropped. Taking the bit on either end of the first record as the most signficant, iterate over the rest and shift and OR according to your endian needs to construct an integer from the sum of all the bits.

When I first did this exercise, I was very close to gouging my own eye-balls out, but after I did it, I started to think of bits as something very natural, and not to be feared.
I think this is the key: "They feel like they've done everything that was expected of them."

I understand this feeling but it is misguided. The reason is that their understanding of what's actually expected is not correct, because the expectation they follow has not been provided by the people who will ultimately hire them. The understanding of expectations is often provided by councillors or teachers/professors at high schools and universities (or parents). These people in general are horribly out of touch with the true expectations of an employer or requirements of entry level positions in the particular industry of interest. As a result students misguidedly follow these expectations and are suddenly struck with reality when they are done.

The reality is that universities do not train students for the work place. They are money making operations whose goal it is to provide an education as a service (note: that an education from a university does not equate to workplace readiness). This means that if they think that they can attract students with a new buzzwordy program, they'll create that program and tell the students about all of the great opportunities that exist in industry (e.g. nanoscience or nanotechnology), when in fact no such opportunities exist. Universities are completely out of touch with the needs and desires of industry (one counter would be some eng. disciplines) or at the least their primary focus is not on those students who exit the program but rather almost entirely those students entering the program (more fuel for the machine). The same goes for more traditional programs (e.g. physics or CS), I've spoken to many professors over the years about job opportunities and they always talk about academia (which they know well) and the nebulous industry.

My advice to students is to clarify what it actually takes to enter an industry early in the academic process. Perform market research and actually talk to people about their experiences (look at early resumes and CVs if you can). At the same time think about building up your CV with projects/initiatives/etc. that strengthen your softer skills (communication, leadership, project management, etc.). I didn't do the former very well but I did do the latter and it has helped me immensely (you must be able to distinguish yourself from the pack). Also work at building your network, this is key. Then once you get that job, look at the next rung up and "rinse, lather and repeat" the above process.

Even if you want to go the startup route I would still recommend the above unsolicited advice.
Needs bug fixes. Noticed several people walked away quickly when they saw the device was not very accurate.

Put this on a cylinder and slap an advertisement on it that follows the nearest person within 360 degrees.
Perhaps the military? Small embedded neural nets could be highly useful for visual recognition algos on missiles and drones [ the majority of military planes now being built are unmanned ]. However I believe the military is now trying to move all drone tech code to a common operating system\language to increase code portability between platforms.
To add some questions: I'm basically trying to figure out what domain-specific features (domain = hiring a team) would be useful to add. What would you like to see in a hiring tool?
Is working on embedded systems really this fun? I might have to change careers...
So Long, Carbonmade: A feature from conception to completion in one day.
The problem with textbooks is the price, and the scam publishers use to get you to buy a new edition every six months, making previous versions useless.

I wish some large schools would make publishers sign 'support contracts' enforcing that Edition X of a book would be available for at least 3 years, or similar.

Alternatively, professors could just stop mandating new versions of books every semester. I bet my calculus book from 5 years ago is still relevant. Heck, I bet my dad's calculus book is relevant.

....

I miss college.
A quick Google search makes me think your first point is not true.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycled_paper#Rationale_for_re...

Granted, it is Wikipedia, and I'd welcome data to back up your point, but other sources seem to say similar things. Barring a great internet hippie recycling conspiracy, I'd say you are wrong.

The article seems to be focused on the idea of composting the cups anyway.
Just a few off the top of my head:

1. As part of the research for requirements for a new inventory package, I noticed that every pallet was counted by 3 different people and the lowest count was recorded. I worked with plant supervisors to fix the procedures. Management then realized that there was now no need for new million dollar software. They rewarded my effort and concern for the company with lots of great project work and money. Lesson: Look for the obvious first.

2. A user asked me to help solve her forecasting problem. The two of us sat down and designed the software to do it. I realized there was a parallel effort to do the same thing in another division (with an expensive purchased package), so I made my software work for both divisions. It took 3 weeks to write and people were very grateful. I was employee of the month and got a nice bonus. Lesson: Sometimes little things can solve big problems.

3. I noticed that warehouse pickers were bending and climbing ladders a lot, so I suggested modifying our inventory system to place the most popular items in bins between the knees and shoulders. The change took one week and made us 10% more efficient (a lot of money after a few months). I would have never thought of it if I hadn't been walking around, trying to understand how my software was being used. Lesson: Give yourself the chance to find opportunities.

Did you build anything that you later spun off into a better job or a side business?

Yes. Everything I learned using these methods went into 2 businesses: a small business software package and a consulting practice. If I hadn't stretched myself, who knows what cubicle I'd be sitting in today.
Yes, your point essentially mirrors Hume's famous is/ought gap, under which statements about what "ought" to be cannot be derived from statements about what is (factual statements.) This still poses some serious philosophical questions. See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Is%E2%80%93ought_problem
Here's my half-assed attempts at formatting: for readability

---

I have a really comfortable web development job, albeit not very exciting, at a medium sized software company. That's why, like most people who probably read this and similar sites, I try to evolve professionally in my free time - read technical books, blogs, pick up languages, etc.

I consider myself good at my job, and average compared to the industry. I constantly run into articles where people praise their co-workers, regale on how exciting their job is and how much they learn every day... I find that almost everyone I work with (company of +50 people) just comes to work to punch a ticket, go home, repeat. This is not an "old" company (avg. age <35), yet people are satisfied with what they picked up so far, and don't feel the need to grow as a professional.

When I mention things like github, Erlang or HN, for example, I get vague stares - nobody's heard of them. I understand people have families and non-work related hobbies (I do too - a lot), but for me coming to work just to pass 8-10 daily hours in closing bugs, adding features and resolving tickets is just dull.

Yeah, I get it, that's what work is all about. Don't get me wrong - these guys are good in what they do (mostly C/C++ Devs), but I've got nothing to learn from them, nothing interesting to chat about (I don't consider diaper changing talks exciting) and I keep fighting through the day to make work interesting by coming up with new solutions to old problems (a cliché, I know, but this is really what I do). Even my team members/boss who do web-development aren't different than the rest (a bit worse, actually). On the plus side, the salary and benefits where I work are great.

I have a baby on the way and an unemployed wife, so I can't really afford to be cavalier on job search at the moment.

Maybe I'm just selling out, and this is definitely a vent post, but does anyone here feels the same at their current job, and if so - what do you do?

Also, I live and work outside the US, if it makes a difference.

---
The egg will break by the 2nd floor :)
An automated mini lettuce factory. Very cool. 90,000 US$. Not so cool anymore. "Recoup the investment in about five years." Way too long.

Opportunity for a hardware startup? I'd say yes.
It should have fewer known vulnerabilities, and that matters most.
Interesting. Etsy was the idea I had years before they actually did it, and always regretted not following it up.

Hmm...
I find comparing side projects (something of which we grow bored with a large percentage of then abandon) to children moderately disturbing.
مشاهدة مباراة برشلونة وكوبنهاجن 20/10 بث مباشر
This was a great article to read. It helped crystalize some thoughts about how I interact with my iPad. I couldn't put my finger on it (no pun intended), until reading through this article. So, thanks for that.

Some of the transformational issues that are surfacing with apps for the iPhone and iPad are that people are simply porting over their web-apps or desktop apps...chrome and all. This is the most obvious thing to do if you're a software company that is trying to make sure your tools are on the devices that a significant amount of people have. But, some more thought needs to go into the UI design vs cramming the traditional UI elements into this new breed of computers.

Also, as I think Apple has done a great thing with the iPad, it's still an early version of things to come. There are times when I use the iPad that things don't feel as natural as they should...some lag, doesn't quite draw the line I had wanted, etc. Obviously, this will improve and I'm excited about what the future holds with these new NUI tools.
From the article:
"Symbian may be the largest phone operating system in the world by marketshare, but its free fall is approaching terminal velocity."

I know it looks that way from the American perspective, but globally Symbian is still very much holding its own.

Nokia, Symbian's corporate daddy and only remaining serious user, is selling more smartphones each quarter and increasing marketshare. That does not justify such hyberbole as "free fall at terminal velocity".

(iSuppli reported 11.6% growth for Nokia/Symbian in Q2 2010: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2010/10/isuppli-smartpho... )

I know the next argument: you're not talking about last quarter's numbers, but an impending implosion of Symbian under the onslaught of Android... Well, so far that's just speculation. Nokia has managed to hold its global marketshare for over a decade against both big Western competitors and nimble Chinese copycats. They seem to know something about this market.

For what it's worth, Nokia is predicting that 50 million smartphones with the latest Symbian^3 platform will be sold next year. That's on top of cheaper units running Symbian^1 or even older variants.

These devices are not iPhone killers or any other such nonsense, but they're well built and usable. They will keep selling by the millions in countries where Nokia has a strong brand and people know how much they're paying for their phone, unlike the U.S. where the phone's real price is hidden in an exorbitantly overpriced wireless contract. (I can't believe people regularly pay $80+ / month for their mobile over there...)
Greg Mankiw Responds: Kinsley's Mistakes
Incredible videos of ArduCopter Quad
it seems to draw more eyeballs than an unveiled window, but still, cool idea ;-)
That font affect hurts my eyes.
Wondering how Knockout data binding compares to Flapjax. I find the idea of bringing FRP to the browser promising, but Flapjax' choice of either a js preprocessor or a cumbersome API put me off.
40 Striking Web Design Interfaces For Your Inspiration
These website’s interface examples give u idea to edit or make a design for your new website and it will give u satisfaction standard design here we have 40 Web Interfaces which is so attractive and gracefull.
Explicit references between PG's essays.
> The problem is that we are disposing of otherwise useful materials, in a landfill. If I'm putting paper in a big pile of paper, and not using it for anything, I'm wasting resources, I could use that big pile of paper for something else.

I believe this thinking is very flawed if it's used to justify extra-market laws or consumer boycotts. (If it's not being so used, then you're basically just saying "In accordance with market principles, Starbucks is trying to increase share-holder value by finding value in it's waste products. I approve.").

How do you decide if something is "wasted" other than with economic cost-benefit analysis? If there was an economical way to use it, we would (or will, once we have the technology). I'm all for entrepreneurs finding new ways to utilize waste products. And, in fact, such entrepreneurs enjoy huge advantages in the market place because many people have not-quite-rational feelings about "waste".

In other words: where is the market failure which is significant compared to the failures associated with carbon emissions, CFCs, etc.?
Similar idea:

http://www.keepcup.com.au/
I'm self-employed too, I didn't get much encouragement from people until I landed a corporate client.
Something I learned teaching English in China.

People who learn English as a second language and whose native language doesn't use latin letters have an extremely difficult time reading words in ALL CAPITALS.

I was amazed when I gave a class a handout once which had sentences in all caps and they had an extremely tough time reading it.

Since many people do not read each individual letter, but read by looking at the word, putting a word in all capitals changes the structure of the word and makes it more difficult to read.
Ever been to a grocery store that forced you to buy bags to take your stuff home? More specifically, ever been back to that store?

It just doesn't work (for us Americans at least).
It's trendy, & young people are creating new things that need names. The same thing with the Flickr-style names before. This isn't a slam on young people, I see it as subconscious watermarks of inspiration.

If young people are finding an ecosystem and getting inspired and innovating, great!
It depresses me that something as simple as

int mask = v >> sizeof(int) * CHAR_BIT - 1;
unsigned int r = (v ^ mask) - mask;

can be granted a patent (http://graphics.stanford.edu/~seander/bithacks.html#IntegerA...).
Hah, I usually do that before I even write the first line of code! Actually I think Jeff Bezos might be ringing my doorbell right now, gotta go...
High-Frequency Trading Bashing
Swedish professor gets laptop stolen - thief mails backup of his data