skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
I would quietly & politely leave, possibly after a candid, thoughtful conversation with the founder in question. Or, I would be quiet and put up with it.

Five years ago, at 20 years old, I was offered an amazing opportunity -- running leadership conferences across Canada, and leading teams of youth around the world to promote business/development. I'd been running projects with the organization for a couple of years and absolutely loved it.

Then, I discovered that the founder was committing fraud with taxpayer money -- criminal mismanagement. Had anyone gone to the media, it would have been a juicy scandal involving taxpayer money (but that would only have hurt the youth involved). He was hurting himself, his family, and at times even putting people in danger.

After consulting mentors I trusted (an ethics law professor, retired business person and retired diplomat)and a five hour conversation with the President, I turned down his bribes and caused a minor but localized fuss in a genuine attempt to improve the situation. It was unsuccessful.

Even though I was right, and even though my mentors and friends verified this and helped me form my actions, I would have been much better off by keeping my mouth shut, politely declining their job offer, and simply shifting my focus to creating my own future.

This would have avoided the stress of going through hell in a fruitless attempt to make things better, that most people would never understand and would leave me disconnected to a group of people I loved being apart of (aside for just the couple of people who were causing all this nonsense) -- I was disconnected from them because I couldn't explain why I was taking action without endangering the good that the org. was also doing for a lot of young people. ie. I didn't want to harm the org. by actually having the media get wind of it.

So next time I will button my lip, acknowledge the world exactly as it is, and stay focused on what I want my own life to be instead of getting hung up on others..
What an arbitrary sample set (all months of June).
The "everything will be flooded" predictions and the like don't depend on whether humans are around to watch. Either the predicted bad things happened the last time temps hit the predicted levels or they didn't. If they didn't, why is this time different? And no, "humans weren't around" isn't an answer.

We know of times when the temperatures were higher than the projections. We also know what was happening on earth at that time. If those things don't match the predictions for the effects of global warming....

We also know of times when the CO2 levels were much higher than today and the temperatures then. If the algebra applied to current/projected CO2 levels and current/projected temps doesn't tell us the temps when the CO2 levels were higher....
Shared hosting? Depends heavily on what technologies you want to use.

VPS? Slicehost

Dedicated server(s)? Softlayer
Yup. My personal theory is that if Jeff were not there, Google would have been acquired by competitors. That one guy alone was a force multiplier for Google, in the most literal sense.
Nice concept, love that it challenges assumptions about the lowest possible barriers to posting.
I support my buddy's business by using one of his dedicated servers: http://wdservers.com

He runs his own sites and needs a lot of server power, but also leases out to his contacts (me) and the people they refer.
I've been using vpslink.com for a few months for a few servers. One of my virtual servers has been rebooted without warning (which they say up front can happen, it's true) three or four times in the last two months. If I had anything important on that machine, I'd be somewhat unhappy, but it's hard to complain at their prices.
You would also be naive to buy a book from a guy who gives you an explanation for something and conveniently neglects to mention, or perhaps doesn't even realize, that his explanation only accounts for 5% of the variance. A guy who tells you that hard work and risk taking will improve your chances from 1% to 5% in a one field but will improve them from 1% to 50% with less risk in another is giving you information that is actually worth something.
our startup uses JEE technology so our choices were limited, but we are currently deploying on Amazon's EC2.
Evidence of life on the early Earth might be found in meteorites on the moon
Since many large email providers use clusters of smtp servers, it's probably better to try to use SPF records or Domain Keys signing leaving the originating smtp server as a latter resort. Even reverse dns lookups might be partly helpful but if someone controls the ip they could change that easily...

Interesting problem over. I love the service though. Congrats guys!
I think an easy solution that would go most of the way would be the ability to order comments by latest which flattens out the threading. Would be a nice compromise and trivially implemented.
I use http://mosso.com which is an experimental cloud hosting provider backed by http://rackspace.com

I always get complimented on how fast my site loads and performs on it and have never had any problems that haven't been taken care of rather quickly.
I think "pamper" might be looking at it the wrong way. Other providers do provide nice click interfaces, but compared to slicehost, they are very limited. I would say slicehost pampers their customers with their fantastic service and unlimited possibilities.
An operating system monopoly is not necessarily the problem, it's when an operating system monopoly is used to gain a monopoly on applications. In the same way users don't care about diversity, they don't care about operating systems. They care about applications. If Microsoft Office ran on other operating systems AND OPERATED EXACTLY THE SAME WAY (which excludes Microsoft's attempts to have Office and IE on the Mac), then the user could still get help from friends when stuff breaks and share documents.

It may have been someone else, but perhaps that someone else would have been about encourages standards and interoperability and not application lock-in.
Suppose there's a 10% chance that the Gulf Stream will turn off (an event which has previously occurred, and which was followed by extreme rapid cooling of northern Europe), given one set of policy choices, and a .1% percent chance, given another set. How much should we be willing to pay to implement the second set?

The thing that always gets me about this debate, and the energy debates in general, is that energy efficiency is still far and away the most productive energy investment around: what is needed is ways for individual consumers to make those investment easily.
Hurricane Electric shared hosting.

Pros: super low latency connections, ssh access, decent setup, no frills, $10/month.

Cons: they don't keep their installations in the bleeding edge version-wise. I use Perl a lot. They are at 5.8.0, which is not bad, but not the very latest. Of course you can install your own anything (perl, python, ruby, etc.) in user space, which makes library management more simple too.

Unknowns: I've never had it tested under a serious load. Just playing around.

I WISH there was a host that gave me the speed, simplicity and low price of HE but also supported more than one domain name on the same account (for the same price). There are sites that do that, but typically they have something else wrong with them, such as having the "feature" of being control-panel based.
We use MT's Dedicated Virtual offering - it's "in the cloud", but it gives us full on root access. If you go that way, however, get a box without Plesk pre-installed. Ugh.
On Slicehost you can run Virtualmin which is a solid step up from most nice click interfaces
it's not out yet ;p
I agree, VPSLink is great. Never had any problems and if you can get a coupon (they offer them fairly often) you can really get a great deal. (I got mine locked in at a lower price with the coupon I used, and I believe they've offered more since).
I actually know someone who was hit by a bus on the way to his software developer job - luckily he was fine but for a couple of cuts and bruises (inner city., hence bus was probably going v slow), but it can happen!
That success can't be predicted with simple traits like IQ, hard work, and risk-taking is no surprise to me. Plenty of smart people are no good with money or business, just like many risk-takers can't tell the difference between a smart risk and a dumb risk (the vast gap between the two makes me wonder whether it's even wise to describe both kinds of risks with the same word).

But I think it's lazy to then give up and attribute it all to "luck".

It's rare to find a person who combines intelligence and risk-taking into a personality and mindset that thrives, financially, in our environment. But when it happens, I think those people's particular, qualitative traits contribute significantly to their success.

(I'm not saying that luck isn't also a significant factor. But it's overstated in that paragraph.)
Hey Bill [Gates], sorry I kept your book since high school
Scheme Implementation Choice Overview - Differences between Scheme implementations
Data structures with holes: a blessed man's formula for holey containers
How to Become a Game AI Developer
Ignoring it is wrong. You have a responsibility to do something, even it it's just talking to your boss.
Yeah, it's valued at that. For a year or two.
I just hope that his leaving is more permanent than "You won't have Richard Nixon to kick around anymore."
Rails 10x more productive, Scala 2x. Really?
Disadvantages of Agile Software Development
DjangoStack - Easy Django installer with Apache and MySQL support
How to Nail Tech Interviews (for both sides)
The Windows monopoly allowed entrepreneurs to develop software for the largest unified computer user-base in the world.

If we agree that the ultimate success of a software development business (or any for-profit business) is rooted in its ability to maximize net income, then how can you explain that multiple platforms and user-base fragmentation are beneficial to that ultimate goal? One massively unified market clearly has more income potential than several fragmented markets that individually require additional effort to enter.

Also -- "because ordinary people used an OS hackers didn't use, and didn't want to write programs for."

If hackers were too stubborn to build for the O/S that clearly had (and still has) market domination, then I would argue that they really were not entrepreneurs when they chose to overlook an obvious business opportunity.

Edit: I hope this comment doesn't come off as abrasive, because it was not my intention. Please respond if you think if I've made a mistake in my argument.
Rackspace - bar none - for anything mission critical in a dedicated setup. I've used Softlayer, HostMySite, and LiquidWeb before in an attempt to save a few bucks a month, but regretted it almost immediately.

In multiple cases of downtime, the only response from Softlayer was "not really sure what happened." With Rackspace, I can sleep at night - and the extra $150 a month per server is well worth it to us. Peace of mind is invaluable, and expertise is irreplaceable.

I also recommend Slicehost highly.
Very funny. I have a friend who works in IT who will probably appreciate this very much.
Hi giardini, I'm Bill from the blog (tracking back why my daily visitor stats suddenly went 2,4,0,1, then 7000...)

Honestly I'm just doing that blog as something to do and share some ideas about what I've experienced. I don't really care who reads it, so if it doesn't ring true with your experiences you can just move on. But posting my identity and company would mean my employees, competitors and customers would be reading every word, and I couldn't be truthful about anything. So I'm anonymous. I don't really care though, read it or not. I guess I'm just giving back a little to the anonymous cloud of internet people I've gotten advice from over the years, both good and bad.
The Windows monopoly allowed entrepreneurs to develop software for the largest unified computer user-base in the world.

I wouldn't deny it. What I'm saying is that a unified user base is not nearly as important as rapidly evolving platforms.

If hackers were too stubborn to build for the O/S that clearly had (and still has) market domination, then I would argue that they really were not entrepreneurs

You're right about that too, though again, wrong about the bigger picture. Hackers aren't motivated mainly by money. When the only businesses you can start are boring or evil, they don't start businesses. But when they do start businesses, the fact that they're driven by curiosity and hope, rather than the mere desire to make money, causes them to create the fastest growing companies of all.
Do you have any suggestion on a free control panel to try on SliceHost?
*winners. Rather. Does anyone else make wordos? Type the wrong word entirely?
Posterous is a great tool. I don't think Arrington went into enough detail about how well it organizes content you send via email-- you can pretty much send any combination of things, and it automatically turns it into beautifully presented content. The photo viewer for multiple photos, the audio player, etc, are very well thought out.

From the few awesome features they have now, it's obvious these guys "get it;" I can't wait to see what they add next.

Posterous has replaced my Tumblr.
Virtualmin! ;) http://www.virtualmin.com/download.html
and then people have the gall to ask why the worldwide rating of U.S. schools has been falling
Thank you! I didn't realize that virtualmin has an opensource mode
I love that the broken window fallacy is being applied to windows.
get out.
BBC Removing Microformat Support
Love it: http://ivankirigin.posterous.com
Ask HN: Importance of Easy Sign up?
So Posterous just got featured on TechCrunch, the easy sell being that you dont have to make an account you can just send an email and have an account. Its an amazing feature that every site should offer.

That being said not every site offers the same service, so of course the requirements for creating an account will vary.

My question is how easy do you make it for people to create an account?

Do you see this as a barrier to getting new signups? How much information are you requesting at sign up?
I would refine your statement, by observing that Bill Gates was the only son of one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the country. He simply never had that much to lose in the first place.
Well, for starters, don't patronize me: most importantly, how many beers is considered fair compensation for pulling a late night to hit a tight deadline?

most importantly: don't talk down to me with cutesy phrases.

how many beers: don't manage me with a system of rewards like a laboratory rat. And please don't concoct "fun" activities. If we're not having fun working together, maybe you should think about that.

is considered: you sound like an anthropologist asking about the ways of the natives. Or a high school teacher who wants to build rapport with the kids... you know, speak the "lingo" of their "subculture".

fair compensation: what you're talking about is not "fair", it's irrelevant. If I want to have a beer with you it's because I like you, not because you're a project manager and I did something you wanted. If there are problems, don't compensate for them, address them.

pulling a late night to hit a tight deadline: if you're such a "manager" why is your team in this position to begin with?

I hasten to add that if we were working together, I wouldn't talk like this! I'm exaggerating to make a point, which is that I would be sensitive to indications that you are acting like a boss. If I noticed that, I would lose respect for you. Partly because I don't want a boss, but mostly because it would mean that you don't get something fundamental.

The most intelligent people I've met as project managers are the ones who instinctively understand that the higher status assigned to their (largely clerical) role is an irrational artifact and don't identify with it. Rather they identify as a teammate whose role is facilitator for the team.
Post text, photos, MP3s, or videos (if you have Vimeo enabled) directly from your mobile phone. You can use the Subject line to attach a caption to photos.

- http://www.tumblr.com/goodies

Tumblr does need a solution for multiple photos though. Joining a whole new service is probably not the solution, for me at least.

Also, when I used the audio player on the TechCrunch post the interface was pretty unintuitive. There is a huge play button that remains as a play button. To pause it you press the pause or stop buttons, which are available when its not even playing. Generally, the pause button replaces the play button once it is playing. The play button isn't even a toggle, despite the fact it stays pressed in you can't press it press to toggle it back up?
I'll have to look into virtumart- I have heard about it, and I have worked with Joomla in the past. Might be a good fit.

Thanks!
horrible name

posterior
While we're sharing, here's mine. Add me, add me! =)

http://garry.posterous.com
Yes. Although if you're still learning regexes, I'd suggest staying away from the emacs implementation. It's different from perl's (or pcre, which is the library that everything not perl actually uses) syntax, which is the one you really want to know. There are a bunch of annoying incompatibilities.
Perhaps it's because I just don't "get it" but what's all the hubub about twitters downtime? You're not paying for the service, so you really have no expectation of service, hence I just don't get why people make such a big deal about twitter 'letting them down.' I guess what I mean is, it's not a big deal, and complaining about it isn't going to get them to fix it any faster than what they're trying to now.
The linked article isn't about HTTP at all. It's about the use of unencrypted, proxyable internet protocols in general. It lists a few classes of security vulnerabilities that result from too much trust of unsecured content, and recommends the use of TLS ("SSL", in the article).

Meh.
In all seriousness, that's retarded.

If you honestly want to be "green" you can make changes to your personal behaviour (such as using CFLs, recycled packaging etc.) and not rely on some company to hold your hand and make you feel like you're making a difference for a little extra cash.

I personally tend to lose respect for companies that try to upsell their "green" options, much in the same way I am dubious of extended warranties.

I also hope you realise that even if they were to offer a "green" option it probably wouldn't mean they're going to stick a windmill on top of their colo, they'd just use your extra cash to offset the environmental cost of the electricity you used, much in the same way you can.

Don't get me wrong, I a happy Slichost customer and have made efforts to recycle and use public transport for the environment's sake since I was a child, but this recent rash of "green" buzzwording really ires me as it seems to be used in a most insincere and vapid manner, instead of people actually taking a rational, pragmatic approach to environmental efficiency.
Analysis Paralysis ==> Not Having Fun + Having too many expectations
Prediction makes us feel safe and it is that very safety that gets in the way of letting go of what is familiar even though the familiar is holding us back.

We stay in familiar jobs we hate. We stay in abusive relationships. We keep lousy friends. We live in places that have no jobs or future.

Because....it is predictable.
Facebook phases out singular "they"
I've been using Vim for about a year and a half now and actively trying to learn it well, and I think I am somewhere near knowing most of what it can do. Not all, of course, but definitely most. However, I've been thinking about trying Emacs as well, because unlike Vim (it seems) it has a [more] complete scripting language and a few other neat things. On the other hand, it's hard to give up a year's worth of experience of learning one editor, just to stop using it and go to another one.

Does anyone have significant experience in both, enough to know the peculiarities and such of each editor? I'd love to hear what you have to say on how they compare. Is learning Emacs worth it any more than learning everything Vim has to offer? Since I plan on using this for many years, I'd like to choose the optimal tool, even if it means wasting a year of experience.
Noun noun noun noun noun verb
> It can OFTEN be in BOTH your AND your client's best interest to lie.

Hmmm... this sounds like a slippery slope to me.
And what happens if you use gmail or any other large email host?
I'd like it better if this post on HN had some commentary as to why it's relevant to startups. I don't hear of too many startups having to rely on Diabolo 3 coming out to make or break them.
"When someone throws you a tough interview question, be sure to keep attacking the problem as vigorously as you can"

I've seen people give up on tough interview questions and I wonder if they realize it's simulated software combat - how they reaaaact - not the answer that is important..
On the Hunt for a New Programmling Language
These are mostly disadvantages of software development.
Cobra Programming Language
One example: Diablo's culture is like a startup...and they "make something people want"

"Another gigantic reason for our success is our open development process. We strive to hire people who love games, and we make games that we want to play. Every member of the team has input into all aspects of the game. Discussions around the halls and at lunch become the big ideas that shape the game. A programmer suggested to a designer the concept of gem-socketed, upgradeable weapons, which turned out to be a huge crowd-pleaser. A musician's dislike for the old frog-demon's animation inspired us to redo it. As a team, we don't have to wonder what our audience wants, because we are our audience. If we like the game we are making - especially if, after two years of playing it, we are not bored to death - the game is clearly going to be a winner."

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3124/postmortem_blizza...
convenient?

if someone is not already logged in their email, they have to type an address and then login. Is that easier from having a simple username/password signup page?
Mind-scratching and motivating. Examples like @lowflyingrocks is giving me ideas for simple twitter micro-apps - surfacing information from interesting news sources
The Google Way of Science - The Growing Importance of Data
Wealth can and (usually) goes the other way - since they have inherited enough of a rich-kid pension that they don't need to work, progeny of rich kids can choose to not work (or maybe be an average writer). I can't think of many examples of rich kids starting successful companies.
is there an archive of the talk?
+1 for slicehost. Simple, easy VPS, just works, plenty of very handy tools. Upside of any VPS, you get to manage the whole server. Downside, you have to actually manage your server.

I've used DreamHost, but their crap up-time and extra crap support drove me out. I still use them for domain registration, but that's about the same anywhere, and transferring registrars is a little bit of a pain. If you just want an easy plug-and-play test server or a personal blog, they're cheap and not completely terrible.
We changed the name from "startup news" to "hacker news" over 10 months ago.
Dark Launches, Gradual Ramps and Isolation: Testing the Scalability of New Features on your Web Site
ASmallOrange - Absolutely excellenct customer support with great prices. Go shared, then jump up to VPS/dedicated if you need to scale.