skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
Am I just being idealistic or is this an tremendous opportunity? What is better for owner than his employees to want to take on challenges, by themselves even, assuming they have the chops to pull it off? Employees showing ambition seems like just as good a reason to expand as demand picking up, again assuming that the market is there.

I reckon that the founder/manager/owner is not the only one that deserves a career path (he went from running a one man band to actually managing people). And someone coming to you and saying - I want to do your work has to be the most awesome thing an entrepreneur could get to hear. You have a willing replacement so you can move to something even cooler - now that is some sweet burden.

What seems like a more interesting question to me is how can I get people to want to take my job consistently?
Here's a nice argument tree to play with: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1686176

Scroll quickly and you can see context bouncing around in waves.
Just when I thought your guys' site couldn't be more innovative and easy to use, you sprang this Isotope awesomeness on us...bravo gentleman!
Couldn't agree more. I know plenty of people that do masonry, electrical work, etc.. and they're busier than ever.
Getting started with Android and Scala
NO IT'S NOT
Sorry, guys, but there really ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

Eventually we'll all be paying metered fees, broadband or wireless. It's really the only fair way, the same as we pay for water or electricity. Data is just another pipe/wire.
I'm not sure these four "elements" address all performance concerns: do they?
I'd be interested in this--I tried building something like it a long time ago, but it's a very difficult problem.
I give them a warning.

"Do x, y, z or else you're going to be fired."

It's effective because - as it just happens to turn out - nobody ever wants to be fired.
I just remembered another trick you can use when someone is arguing one tack; get them to commit to the ultimate deliverable. i.e. "So you say we should do XYZ using PDQ, so will you be able to demo it for the customer next Tuesday?" Now to be right they have to get it done on time, and if they waffle you can assert your decision.
Yes, I remember it well. It's next to the Pantheon. I remember getting those ancient, priceless books that couldn't be found anywhere else.
Yep, this is why I always buy Lenovo notebooks. Great customer service, no bloat added on (except Thinkpad line), and I can diddle around quite easily with out any gotchas like other manufacturers.

They run Linux and FreeBSD kernels really well with all hardware components working out of the box as well. Compared to my last experiences with Dell and HP, I'm sticking with Lenovo and Apple for good.
We use Google Apps (Premier) for our work. It still boggles my mind that Google hasn't even bothered applying a thin layer of enterprise social to the Tasks list. It would be a killer feature (up there with group calendaring).

EDIT: Hmm. I see this integrates with Google Apps. Would be interested in an invite code for our domain if you're giving them out.
The article isn't "Want to be a CEO, Was the Dishes..."

Leadership is facilitation, and being a leader ain't the same as being the boss. If dirty dishes are dragging on the team, taking care of them is just being part of the team. People respect supervisors when they believe the supervisor won't ask anyone to do something they wouldn't do themselves.
Okay - it's there...

Is it your site? Are you going to add yield curves?
This article seems overly biased.

> But above all, Verizon’s data throttling is shady in areas where even AT&T can’t compete. Even when AT&T had unlimited data, the company did not practice throttling, and an independent test showed its unlimited data was truly unlimited.

So AT&T couldn't keep offering unlimited data and went to a 2GB/mo plan. Is the author really faulting Verizon for not keeping up with a plan that AT&T doesn't offer anymore?
Note however that UTF-8 did not exist in the early days and UTF-1 sucked.
A year just isn't that much experience in many fields. You'll be competing with people who are 90% as good as you but cost infinitely less (as in, nothing).
Few Geeky ways to propose, this Valentine
Without an invite code, this is indistinguishable from vaporware.
"it comes down to a question of whether I'd rather be distracted by a cute girl or an old man getting reprimanded for looking at dirty pictures" : exactly my experience in SF public library vs a cafe in Mission.
NASA Detects 1,200 Potential 'Habitable Zone' Planets
Membase and CouchOne merge into Couchbase
You mean some sort of administration that would give people money to work on projects? Like a Work Projects Administration?

Sorry, Roosevelt did that, but nowadays I am pretty sure it would be called socialism.
"Instead of emotionally arguing with someone, you should rationally consider how to persuade the person,"

What is your evidence that this works any better than raw applications of social power (which is the failure state described in the article)?
Well you're right in a sense that Netflix probably pays the appropriate amount purely for what's outbound from their servers, but that last cost does count and the cost will be borne by someone - either by what Netflix pays the ISP for its data in particular, or by the users that use it. The problem with Net Neutrality is that you're basically saying "everyone should pay for what some content providers provide to some users." Either ISPs "discriminate" against the content provider or the end users, or everyone ends up paying more. Currently IMO, the best world would be to allow the ISPs to charge Netflix properly for the total cost of providing it, which would build in to Netflix's subscription price and properly reflect to end users the true cost of Netflix's services.
we conduct our monthly usability studies at the library in two adjacent study rooms. quiet and no bullshit internet, skype screen sharing is no problem :)
tweet us @taskforce and we'll get one over. Thanks!
It's free at all Starbucks now. Makes for a much laggier experience though, since everyone is up on that bandwidth
Echo Launches ‘Stream Server’, An AWS For Real-Time Social Content
Please don't be a smartass. It was a real job as a software engineer at a DARPA research lab. Like I said, he was good.
Right. Reminds me of the old joke, "what do you call the person who graduated last in med school?" Doctor.
Scala Code For Reading File
GroupMe HQ office photo tour
Awesome, so good SEO and a platform where people are _looking_ for this type of thing.

Thanks a ton for the tips Matt!
My simple solution: Insert Ubuntu CD and format the drive. Still bloatware is a practice that should just stop. It's like you would buy a car and everything is packed with cheap toys and IKEA furnitures.
What if it isn't anyone's job to do the dishes? Early on in a startup there are a million things that don't fit under anyone's job description, but simply have to get done.
I don't personally know anyone who dislikes Skype 5 for Mac. I love it. There are complainers in this world, but indeed as most have described this is a drop in the ocean of Mac Skype users. I can count at least 4 people who love it, and no one has told me they dislike it.
I'm actually kind of excited for real page numbers, and not because I want to cross-reference with paper books. It's easier for me to remember something like "there was an interesting idea on page 165" instead of "there was an interesting idea between locations 7434-7470".

(Granted I could use Kindle's bookmarking or some other on-device method, but I still find the Kindle's interface clunky and often would rather just make a mental note.)
Computer pioneer Ken Olsen dies at age 84
Wow, thanks. That's encouraging. If you don't mind me asking, how unrelated was your bachelor's? And from what school? What sort of references did you provide? And did you get in right after your undergrad, did you have applicable industry experience, etc?
I think a few years at $500k cleaning toilets and you'd have enough money in the bank to think about a career change. Even if it was

a. Running your own toilet cleaning business.

or

b. Retirement.
Looking for a developer
I'm looking for a developer for a project I'm working on with anticipation of submitting it to YC. I'd like to work with a developer recommended by YC. I was wondering if you have a list of site developers/coders similar to the list you are creating for your Designer Directory.

Thanks!
I don't know about "preferring", but anyone manipulating strings in JavaScript is effectively using UTF-16 (or more precisely is using arrays of 16-bit integers which a web browser will interpret as UTF-16-encoded Unicode if you tell it that the array contains text).

As a consequence at least Gecko and Webkit both use UTF-16 for their string classes, though there has been talk of trying to switch Gecko over to UTF-8. The problem then would be implementing the JS string APIs on top of UTF-8 strings efficiently.
I would really like to see the feature to convert any texts or pdfs into Kindle format. The converters I have tried so far are terrible with pdf books.
0. Reformatting takes all of fifteen minutes.
It is also much easier to complain about Facebook in Facebook that to find the right forum in skype.com and post something there.
Echo Launches "Real-Time As A Service" [Live Video]
One of the most compelling reasons to do a startup: "You Have The Power To Create Something From Nothing"
I still go to my University library. It was a fantastic place to work when I was there, and has only gotten better. There's a nice atmosphere - people are generally working, but having a laugh and enjoying being together too. There's no music but my own headphones, and the WiFi is free. I'm surrounded by books on any subject I may need through the day.

My local library however, is drab, too quiet and I feel out of place with my lap top working there. Like I'm being watched for doing something odd. I get more distractions as the noise level is less consistent.
We think we have 'the solution'. Please sign up for beta. Invites will be going out soon.
Kyocera Introduces The First Dual-Screen Phone In the US For The Sprint Network
EFF's 21st Birthday Party
Big day for Nosql news. First Couchone + Membase = Couchbase and now Basho get some big bucks. Just shows that there are real companies out there making real money on alternate database technologies. Congrats to Basho.
Understanding currying in javascript
AccessDeniedRequest has expired
Uh, just get a Mac. As a bonus, you will receive an OS which actually works.
Not only they open late and closed early, they are not a good alternative for consistent work particularly if you require your phones to be on. However, libraries are generally better and spacious than coffee shops. mcDonalds is another alternative if you find chairs that are not hard.
Therapy can assist with relationship problems as well as anger management issues.
We're hoping for this to be the first of many hipmunk infographics...

You're obviously doing great work with your graphics, but you still have work to do...

On the main page, the letters and numbers are impossibly small to read.

On the "high-rez goodness", too much horizontal and vertical scrolling are needed.

The "SUPER high-rez version" is the worst of both worlds, too small to read when within a single window and to much to scroll when magnified.

Here's my challenge to your own resident Chief Scientist:

Give me the same easily discernible information that uses my screen, my whole screen, and nothing but my screen, so help me Tufte.
One Christmas, at Mom's house, I walked by the Christmas tree, and--MEOOWRAAWR--her monster of a cat jumps out from under the tree and claws my foot! At this point, the reflex is to kick the cat, out of self-defense instinct.

TIMEOUT!

if i kick the cat, the cat will hate me, it will be a problem in the future as he feels defensive, and my poor mother will expel me from the house. So i swallowed my reflex, put neosporin and slippers on, then nicely petted the darn cat.

My personal relationships sure got a lot better after realizing this.
Will TechCrunch write about a site that already has users? I thought they just wanted exclusive scoops on brand new stuff.
"Load the desktop"? How quaint. I reboot my Mac about 3-4 times a year, almost always for major OS upgrades.
Redesigning the Netflix API
Then it's -everyone's- job. And he still failed to get them to do it.
The Computer Moves In (1983)
The sooner the better, because .Net along with most Microsoft technologies are a dead-end.

As opposed to Java, which has a bright future with Oracle?
I'd be on your side, except that I've never been to a library that kept copies of every promotional sheet, advertisement, review, etc. for every book that they had.

Curation implies some degree of selectivity to the process.
Google's logo dives 20.000 leagues under the sea
How about a startup service that only moves baggage?
Aww, you're no fun. The point of the metaphor is how different and crazy the school environment is, after all. So let's just add your argument in!

- The customers are given personal gift cards to purchase products, yet few are motivated in doing so, so they just let them expire. These cards are not valid at any other store, though, and similarly cannot be used for any other merchandise than the store offers, even if the store's products aren't very good.

Good point!
Update on Virtacore vCloud Express Beta
As someone who worked in a lot of environment (factory manual labor, meat packaging, tech), I find that good employers are those who care for the growth of the employees as much as they do the company growth. Even a perception of "care" really goes a long way to create employees' loyalty.
I think this video says a lot about this point: http://www.thersa.org/events/vision/animate/rsa-animate-driv....
I take your point -- especially in today's market -- but those are selective examples.

We don't by and large pay for metered roads or sidewalks or bike paths, for example. There are plenty of other unmetered public services -- and whether you like that or not, there's no inherent reason bandwidth couldn't be one of them.
He's also demonstrating that 'your job' is getting done what needs to get done regardless of 'your title/position'
I agree. Read the book eBoys-The First Inside Account of Venture Capitalists at Work . The first few chapters reflect this message and may amaze you.
I'm pretty convinced this is the case, actually. AT&T's data service has always been faster than Verizon's, even with the staggering traffic increase from iPhone. Move a few customers to another network, and AT&T will probably get even faster.

Color me extremely unimpressed that Verizon is already throttling "heavy" data users and imposing bandwidth limits before serving Customer #1 from the iPhone onslaught they are about to experience.
I can't seem to find the study at the moment, but I recall reading one that found that, indeed, never firing people can have a detrimental effect on morale, and firing long-term poor performers can improve it. However, they found that this was basically a one-time "cleanup" effect, and that attempting to make it recurring via a regular, institutionalized system of firing poor performers (e.g. based on annual performance reviews) had the opposite effect, lowering morale as everyone was constantly worried about the next review, including people who objectively had almost no chance of falling below the threshhold.
It's more like the car has a bunch of stickers inside/outside for car accessories stuck on everything and you have to remove them.
The good thing with catholicism is that there is always forgiveness for those who repent.
Congratulations. As a developer, I am still a bit skeptical about writing codes online. Still I will take a look. Again, congratulations.

Oh btw, have you ever written about your experience (lessons learned) from launching with sites like Reddit?

Thanks
Digital Humanities: A Multiple Choice Test
Google should buy these guys and integrate their stuff into google docs.
What made you decide to use Django?
Excited to see your concept, but if you want to appeal to the HN crowd, don't store/email me my plaintext password.
AT&T actually could and did keep offering unlimited data, if you had it originally. I know, cause I kept the unlimited service for quite a while.

Also, recently, they have re-instituted the unlimited option, if you ever had it before.

And you are blatantly ignoring the throttling, which is the really offensive part of what Verizon is doing. Why are you doing that?
> ...using it to do the things I can do on my phone, on my way to the well-paying job

You really shouldn't watch porn on your phone while you drive. ;-)
Bonaparte had to clean artillery pieces in 1793 and 1796 on his way to Emperor.
Marcin Wichary Interview
It still makes calls right? It's not like the software doesn't work; It does and better than most solutions.

I like multi-video-chat so I can bare with the ugly interface.
If you go to confession, you should come prepared.
Is this where I complain that my Strida folding bicycle costs $200 to check, but a golf bag of the same size (and twice the weight) flies free?

It seems like a textbook example of executives, more inclined to travel with golf bags, exempting themselves from the rules.
Yes, many carriers will allow you to re-up your contract if you are a good customer and ask nicely. I've done this about 3 times in the past, twice with AT&T for new iPhones, a full year early in each case, and once with Sprint.
There's a big difference between working with employees, something I know very little about, and working with contractors, which I have much more experience with.

In the case of a contractor, it's possible to simply end the engagement without the same burden of evidence or due diligence.
No, arguing is not pointless. But the point of arguing is rarely to convince someone of anything. The point of arguing is learning the other persons arguments and the flaws in your own. Arguing is platonic dialectic.
The author gets very close to the point of argumentation, and then misses it.
No problem - happy to help.

My bachelor's degree was in Latin, my master's was in Computer Science. I took a bit of a dive in terms of prestige, though. I went to Wake Forest University on a full academic scholarship for college, and went to UNC-Greensboro (an offshoot of the UNC you've probably heard of) for grad school. Like I said, it's a bit of a dive but I didn't exactly have the sort of application necessary to storm the gates at a first rate institution. I just wanted something that said "computer science" on it to stop the weird ?'s about my Latin degree.

My references were a couple of managers from a software internship as well as one of my favorite professors from Wake for academic chops. I didn't take any computer science at Wake, so there weren't any relevant profs I could have pinged.

I didn't get in right after my undergrad degree - I graduated college in '05 and didn't start grad school until '07. I had about 15 months experience as a software developer when I applied - one year as an intern and then roughly three months with another company. I'm not sure whether that helped sway the admissions committee, but it did paint a sign on my back with the other students as the guy who could always help if they had a programming or systems ?.
I remember reading the Slate article you're citing when it first came out. It's a fairly amusing one, which can be summarized as: "Wealthy person without a lick of business sense opens the 'café' of his dreams, declines to do any work himself, and goes out of business." It's entirely irrelevant to the economics of the average coffee shop.

First off, it's not clear to me whether the establishment the author opened was a coffee shop or a restaurant. The subtitle says "coffee shop", but the article then talks about finding someone to "whip up pretty crepes". I recognize that the dividing line between restaurant and coffee shop can be a bit fuzzy on occasion, but it's there and relevant. Most restaurants fail.

The really notable part of the article comes at the end, however: "There was, of course, one way to make the cafe viable: It was written into the Golden Rule itself. My wife Lily and I could work there, full-time, save on the payroll, and gerrymander the rest of the budget to allow for lower sales."

Yes, Mr. Michael Idov, you could have done that. You should have done that, from the start. That's what small business owners do: They work. That's what your competitors were doing. The goal may be to eventually make enough money to hire people to do all the work, but that's not where you start. You start by busting your ass.

That's the story of a dilettante who opened a restaurant as a fashion statement and went the way of all such fools.

Anyway, back to coffee shops. I don't know if Mintel's stats include the chains. They probably do. You might note, however, that the article I referenced is entirely dedicated to the proposition that Starbucks's presence in the market has been good for small, independently-owned coffee shops. Furthermore, even if we assume that no chain stores fail at all, a 10% industry failure rate would still have independent coffee shops doing pretty well. (Back of the envelope calculation: 14,000 independent coffee houses in the US in 2005, 11,000 Starbucks in the US in 2010, so let's say indies are only 25% of the total. If 10% of the total fail and all failures are indies, then 40% of indies fail. 60% success rate isn't bad for small businesses.)

And, finally, you're right that the margin on coffee beans doesn't determine the margin of a coffee house. That's what happens when your cost of goods is effectively zero, and I assure you that any restaurant or retail outlet would love for their margin to be solely determined by wages and rent.
A fiber-optic line connected to a cell-phone tower costs pretty much the same amount to maintain, regardless of how many bits happen to be flowing through it. By contrast, water and power companies actually have expenses that scale according to customers’ day-by-day usage.

On the one hand, I understand that a plan that gives everyone a free lunch can lead to overconsumption by a few, and once they use up the pipe that they share with me, my performance suffers. On the other hand, I wouldn’t want to have to think before opening every YouTube video, “hmm, is this going to put me over the limit?”
Is that what they're doing, though? It would be fantastic if they were, but I'm slightly sceptical...
Agreed. It's easy to get worked up about paying for nothing, but the potential downside is often greater.
>The Columbia U. library is notorious for being stingy with access.

$500/year is generous? It would probably be cheaper to formally enroll and take no classes.
I've been experiencing this problem over the past few weeks.

I've been working to find jobs that meet my fit (fairly high education and experience in a specific field) but many of these position take a week or two in order to schedule a full day of interviews.

Yet, in order to get any sort of benefits (I'm in MA so, I can't drop off health insurance even for a short time) I need to send out resumes for obviously bs jobs.
PhD or Masters? For PhD, finding some way to get the attention of a specific professor can help a lot at some institutions. It varies, but many do a two-tier admission system, where first they basically rubber-stamp the admission of students who a prof has said they want to supervise, and then in a second round the usual admissions committee admits a general pool of students who aren't attached to a specific advisor yet.

One way to do that is to look at research group webpages; some actively say that they're looking for PhD students in a specific area (usually because they just got a big grant).
When was this? I purchased an iBook in like 2000, a Macbook in 2006, an iMac in 2008, a MBA in 2009 and I've never had Quicken or OmniOutliner. The iBook came with a few games, but it wasn't what I'd consider bloatware at all.
The History of "Debugging" Computers