skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
Good point.

I think they were more concerned with preserving certain frameworks and their time-to-market given iOS & Android's market dominance.

Honestly, I don't have much confidence that Microsoft will get it right, in the long run.

I'm not a fan/foe of Microsoft, merely an observer, but I think their days of greatness are long past.
Startups Compete for Silicon Valley Elites at Y Combinator Demo Days
GDC Vault - Classic Game Postmortem - Doom
True, so we really shouldn't limit it then since it is the public's best interests. We should stop all motorists periodically and check them for warrants, license, insurance, impairment level, maybe take a DNA sample in case they have committed a crime but haven't been caught yet. Probably should also allow searches of people's home and property in case there is criminal activity going on too. Probable cause is very overrated.
I don't think this is a good measure of how "progessive" a tax system is, at least when a progressive tax structure means that those in higher income brackets pay a higher percentage of their individual incomes in taxes.

A higher ratio doesn't indicate that a country's tax structure is more progressive; it indicates that a country has greater income inequality.

Why? Because the wealthiest 10% paying a larger share of the total taxes is compatible with each of those wealthy individuals paying a relatively small individual percentage of their income in taxes (compared to their peers in other countries). This happens precisely when a country has a high level of income inequality and a relatively less progressive tax structure. In such countries, the richest own more of the wealth, giving a higher numerator; they pay a larger share of total taxes due to the fact that (in comparison to more equal countries) their incomes are much higher compared to the incomes of the other 90%; yet the richest 10% pay a lower percentage of their income relative to their peers in other countries because the tax system is less progressive than in other countries.

So it's not correct to say that Sweden and Norway do not have progressive tax structures with respect to the richest 10%, while the U.S. does. Norway's top tax rate is 47%; Sweden's is 59%; the U.S.'s is 35%, plus up to 10% in state income tax, for a max of 45%. [1]

> Me - I don't care what someone else has, aka envy. I care what I have, aka greed.

This attitude strikes me as naive. Much of "what you have" is only valuable relative to what others have. This is especially true of cash, but also true of illiquid goods that you value at least partly for their social function or status. Would driving a Porsche (say) be exactly as valuable to you whether or not everyone else had one? And if so, can you say that about everything you have and value?

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_rates_around_the_world
A guy living next door to the victim, possessing his laptop, is not a thief, but rather got it off Cragilist.. mm.

Possible? Yes.

Likely? No.
Paul Graham spills: Why some companies get his cash and others don't
Even if they sign it, I wouldn't expect most sellers there to honor it. When I last looked at flippa many of the sites were obvious clones of each other.

1. Build a template of a simple site

2. Create 10000 instances of it & SEO them one at a time

3. Resell to suckers with too much money.

4. Profit!
It's different in the UK but it's even worse for mainland Europe. Many subscription billing services don't support businesses that don't have a registered bank account or address in the US or UK. Many payment gateways won't work with you unless you're located in the US or UK, especially the larger American ones like Braintree or Authorize.net. And unfortunately, it's these larger ones that have solved most of the integration and vertical problems that you end up still having to face in Europe. So you end up having to settle for a second-rate, customer-unfriendly, enterprise-oriented, backwards payment gateway like Ogone or Atos Worldline (both of which we had to settle for). The only reason these guys are still in business is because the American services haven't spread to Europe yet.

Thankfully, Spreedly does support European payment gateways, and that's why Spreedly kicks ass.

I remain stunned that neither Google, Amazon, or PayPal have brought serviceable solutions to the continent yet. It's 2011, for Christ's sake!
Don’t Steal A Computer From a Nerd & Record Yourself Making it Rain
Ask HN: What's the HN of Excel Spreadsheet Power Users?
Or closest equivalent(s)? (Maybe top 3?)
UK Paid Apps Generated £280m in 2010
The Hipmunk & Reddit formula: minimalist design; cute logo.
At least the one they've got got pretty disconnected from the developer's point of view.

When I want to build my project I do not want to press a play button.
A "desktop replacement" laptop is my solution to wanting the flexibility to work remotely on occasion.

My current setup: Dell 27" (2560x1440) + 17" Dell M6500 (1920x1200) running Ubuntu.

I can unplug the laptop and work pretty well on it. But yeah, there's no comparison to the filco majestouch keyboard + mouse + big monitor.
We also don't know the circumstances of the "theft", very possible he left it unattended in a public space, and it was more or less found. Plus how was the guy powering it, did he get the charger too? If he happened to have a charger already (highly unlikely) I doubt he would be making films in photobooth, on something he stole when he has a similar if not identical device... Personally I would peg Bao as a guy to have a password on his device too. Obviously the HD wasn't purged if Backblaze was still running.

This whole story screams promotion for Backblaze, it is also the first tag of the article.
Toronto tech-whiz controls Times Square screen from cellphone
It'd just be better if he turned the guy in to the police and let them deal with it. The article and some comments make it sound like he's toying with the guy a bit, which just doesn't seem right. If the guy is indeed the thief, as it seems, he should get punished by the law.
Would you downvote me if i used the bad wordplay of saying that i'm ...... sucked away ? :)

It's really pretty amazing. But the very sad thing is that the kidney printing (http://www.shockmd.com/2011/03/10/printing-a-human-kidney/) would get less funding than a mainstream application of what you've done.
Hacker vs. Hacker
I only have 0.07 left, but you can have them (minus the 0.01 transaction fee). :)
Ask HN: How do you handle beta testing agreements with enterprise? 
Background: We are developing a cloud-based application intended for consumers, but at the same time would be useful for enterprise. Thus, we have begun talking with enterprises to hear thoughts on the application. In doing this process, we have been pleasantly surprised to hear interest in beta testing the application. In exchange for beta testing we offered the application for free (or little cost). A particular enterprise has agreed in principle, but now we must work out the logistics of the agreement. As this is our first potential customer, we want to the beta testing agreement to go as smoothly as possible.

How has everyone handled beta testing agreements with enterprises in the past? Do you charge a small amount for the application or give it away for free? Do you give lifetime licenses or do they expire? Any successful or failed models?
Have you tried Google Earth? You can create a KML file with hundreds of place-markers or routes connecting points. I've had good experience with this on the desktop.

Don't have a suggestion for mobile, I'm afraid.
One of the key frameworks I use as a business coach analyses the Stages of a business' development. Startup is the first stage in that lifecycle.

It is possible to "have been around for five years, generate millions in revenue, and have fifty employees" and still be in the startup stage, especially if your vision is to generate billions and have thousands of employees; conversely, some businesses in an Advanced Growth stage would not have those numbers (except, probably, the time in business).

To take those differences into account, our Stages framework relies on the changing feelings that occur within an organisation, rather than things like turnover and profit (which are easily compared, but not necessarily comparable). Loosely, I define a business as moving out of Startup when it begins to 'invest with confidence' rather than 'investing with hope'.

That business you have in the garage making no money? You're probably investing your time and some cash with the hope it will succeed. Google? They're investing with confidence, because they've demonstrated their business model. Twitter? Is a good question - are they feeling hopeful and frantic, or confident?
clickable: http://hubski.com
Pick a language with a REPL. More than anything else, this really really helped me. I would just type in quick experiments and be done with it. No setting up files. No overhead of printing results. Get it wrong? Want to further explore the results? No problem, do it now in real time. Reloading a file is too slow for such learning.

Heck, I really shouldn't be talking past tense on this, I still learn REPL style frequently, and more, I still "experimentally code". Just double checking that my basic premise works makes the entire coding experience faster, easier and more fun.

Further, with decent editor/REPL combos you can turn experimental code into real code in just a few easy steps.

Also, more generally, just code. Under no circumstances should learning to code not involve lots and lots of "face" time with the computer. I find one of the best ways to learn is to do it wrong over and over until I finally get how to do it right.
Elizabeth Taylor: Fallece por insuficiencia cardiaca
For instance, you can have a test result of 100% line coverage but if you have composed conditionals and you only check the first part of them... you are NOT checking all the paths of your code.
MetaFilter Stops Sex Slavery
That's where you're wrong. Population of the greater Detroit metropolitan area is 5.4 million and people forget that when they talk about what's happening in the city of Detroit.

The talent is there and there's a large number of people who have left and would return in a heartbeat if the jobs were there.

Michigan's new governor is a former VC and the state is staking their future on startups and entrepreneurs. He's trying to lower taxes, smaller companies will pay zero taxes under his plan.

However Michigan's unions are fighting him tooth and nail even though he is not challenging their power directly like the governors in Wisconsin and Ohio. So despite the voters giving him a majority in both legislatures he may not achieve everything he wants. What there won't be are the huge government handouts to favored companies that the previous governor was fond of using.
Thanks for your interest, excellent comments and support! We're still giving quick access to HN users - append +hn when you signup (ex: user+hn@domain.com)
Measuring the Popularity of Data Analysis Software
Actually, that's not really possible because most people who do this chose simple passwords under 8 characters. SwiftLogin requires much more complex passwords to even create an account.
My shell doesn't support color ;-)
Also - I'm open to discussing extending your interim status, as you might imagine...:-) The pro-bono status would change, of course.
fair enough. i just know some people who migrated away from detroit and took their stories as an indicator.
Open (Data) For Business
It's also the OpenID motto. That is the whole point of SSO. You can also use multiple emails if you want multiple accounts.
True:
"If you really understand something, you can say it in the fewest words, instead of thrashing about."
I don't think either of those are worth very much. They're cool for sure, but unlikely to get the kind of buyer that would pay a lot.

Put a price on the front page of each of them and wait. Someone might give you a few hundred each, but I doubt much more.
This is the perfect situation where Prey (open source), would have come in handy: http://preyproject.com/
I've read your post recently, it is pure gold. I wish there were more resources for EU startups, including handling VAT issues/invoicing/taxes. If you have any insights for those areas, please, do share!
> I could care less, ...

I don't want to be "that guy" and I'm not trying to be a grammar Nazi. I know this is now an idiom in the USA, and therefore it doesn't have to make sense.

However ...

I've now heard it said, in four different countries, that this phrase makes the speaker sound like an idiot. I know it's now just "the norm" in the USA, but I wanted to let people here know that saying this makes a bad impression.

If you don't care how you sound to non USAians then don't bother. But if you're wondering what I'm talking about, David Mitchell does an excellent job of explaining "I couldn't care less"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7O0MFkmpw#t=0m56s

I now return you to your normal programming.
Apple complying with their request and passing legislation have the same outcome.
I disagree with this article for several reasons:

1) Cleaning up code adds 0 value to the customer today. It may add value for the customer down the road, but see #3

2) Most engineers underestimate the time & effort to clean up code without altering it's behavior, and any alteration of its behavior is almost certain to introduce regressions and/or bugs

3) If you knew for certain that your code was still going to be used and hacked on 5-10 years from now, then it would probably be a net positive, but you can't predict that. If you think you can predict that, you're wrong.
I have just started working on a mobile component and experimented a bit with jquery mobile this week.

The good: syncing an experience cross mobile browser is difficult, and jquery mobile gives you a nice framework to do it.

The bad: The framework is somewhat prescriptive/heavy weight. It's not super easy to style, and it's not super easy to go outside it's boundaries.

The ugly: while I doubt many people will have this issue, I simply could not get it to work at all (obscure jquery bug).

My overall read of it was the same as you: very nice but not ready for prime time.
I have no idea what the GP meant, but here's my take:

Set a minimal threshold of cyclomatic complexity. Below this threshold, function are assumed "so simple there are obviously no defects". Above this threshold you need tests, roughly prioritized in order of descending complexity.

It's not a bad idea, but that assumption of simplicity is a doozy. Also, figuring out cyclomatic complexity in Ruby (especially Rails apps) is ... hard. Especially if you want the computer to do it for you.
I'm also from Detroit and this is really tough to read about.

Detroit does have a great opportunity in all this though - there are a lot of talented people still living in and around the city. It would seem like the ideal location for some truly innovative automotive advancements and with the push for more green and eco-friendly cars, I'm surprised there aren't a few startup communities designed to engage this currently dormant group of potential hackers.
Ten Entrepreneurship Rules for Building Massive Companies
Or some guy who lives in the same building as Bao (his friend) was used as an actor in a viral promotional video for Backblaze. Mark Bao goes to Bentley College, chances are most of the residents of his building do to, probably even the "thief". Waltham Mass isn't exactly Compton.
I'm obviously biased by visiting HN, but buying any computer used that has not been wiped is a sure indication that it is stolen. I'd like to give the guy the benefit of the doubt as well, but there is ample indication in this article alone that he either has no clue about technology and the responsibility of buying one used or was the one that stole it.

If it turns out he bought it legitimately without knowledge of it being stolen that's fine, but he still should have been turned on to the fact it's filled with someone else's crap and the username is not his. Ignorance is no excuse, even though it may be commonplace.
He seemed pretty proud of malloc being around for forty years!

Bertrand Serlet on private API's
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd97us27eSg
Innocent until proven guilty, no?
Maybe it's European banking regulations and laws that are the reason for a) the current sad state of affairs and b) the inability for Google and others to enter the marketplace? I don't know much about the situation, but given the size of the market, I wouldn't be surprised if that's what's getting in the way.

The fact that there's such trouble in handling something as fundamental as getting payments from customers really imposes a significant impedance on tech startups in the region. I can see why some Euro companies are compelled to relocate when they want to seek significant, unimpeded growth.

We techies live in a borderless world, but alas, the rest of the world doesn't. Sigh.
Most times the police won't pursue crimes this small, it's just not worth their time. He might have better luck with campus security.
Simple Rules for Better Sleep
To be honest I was surprised you couldn't bind, trigger, or unbind on a function this way already. I guess I never came across a specific need for it.
Thanks for pointing this out. Your "attention to detail" is noteworthy ! We will rectify this soon.
DUI checkpoints are used as a convenient way to peek inside cars the police would have no cause to pull over under normal circumstances. Then, if they don't like your attitude, they can make up an excuse to turn your car inside out looking for something incriminating.
To each their own. Some people love the social aspect of their profession, and possibly earn less than if they spent more time in sales than in shmoozing with peers, but isn't that the point of working for yourself, doing what you want/having fun/earning a living?

Every profession has people who profess to be successful w/o a track record, and sell themselves more than they sell anything of value. This certainly is annoying, but its their life.
It seems a lot of money goes into massive school complexes. In a more free education market, I think you'd see smaller neighborhood schools, which would make school switching much less costly.

A teacher needs a single room, which can be in a community center, a small office, or their home. If the licensing requirements for teachers and schools were removed it would be easy to setup. Parents could decide who qualified to teach, instead of bureaucrats.
Thank you! - I think Google earth would have been my next best bet, but the site I mentioned earlier worked out fine.
Clicky : http://www.streamshq.com/
Looks very nice. I'd also like a demo to try.

Pricing seems way out of whack IMO. I wouldn't try it because I don't think your pricing model is sustainable. What if a 1000-person company comes to you and signs up? You'll instantly be in the red from a usage/cost standpoint (i.e. what you pay for storage/servers). What if you sign up 100 10-person teams and all 100 use 10GB of storage? You'll go bankrupt paying the usage/meter fees and there goes all of our bug reports/tracking.

I think it's fine to promote simple but "one size fits all" doesn't seem viable to me.

And why reinvent the wheel ("no credit card required")? There's a reason that 100,000 other web startups require a credit card to start the free trial. Why would you buck the trend? I guess another way to say it is, "What is it that those other companies have learned in the past 10+ years of marketing apps on the web that you think is wrong?"
I agree that producing clean code is part of our charter, but sometimes we're put in situations with close deadlines and a boss with no understanding of the importance of clean, organized and sustainable code. For example, I had a boss which would regularly check on my progress and wanted to see what I was working on and he'd say "that looks good, let's wrap it up by today", my typical response would be "it's not done, still a lot of rewriting a clean up to do" to which he'd respond "does it work? I don't want to spend much more time on this". I would then try to work really fast to clean up my code and finish up the functionality. I was forced to push through stuff that wasn't on par with my standards.

I learned how to deal with this by hiding my process. I wouldn't show all of what I had. This made things easier. I still met deadlines and I felt much better about the code.
Dueling algorithms
I read a great definition the other day by Steve Blank:

"a startup is a temporary organization designed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model."

source: http://steveblank.com/2011/03/18/new-rules-for-the-new-bubbl...
You can make a rule to send Twilio's emails to spamn or trash, and still forge ahead with project. Can't let small stuff scuttle your goals or your in for big trouble.
Maybe that could be a map of bars outside of which they could wait for drunks to get into their cars. More efficient, less intrusive.
It actually happened immediately. I only have one real competitor, and my product is superior, and I still haven't overtaken them. That's part of what I learned from this. They were making enough that if I just took 5% of their income I could still make a lot of money. Sometimes being #2 is OK.
What kind of button would you want to press?
Thanks. There's a lot of useful stuff that the tool does:

- When you've added a discussion once to GrexIt, it will automatically keep track of any follow-up emails that you might receive on the discussion after you added it to GrexIt, and pulls them in automatically.

- If two people in your company are discussing something, GrexIt will not allow BOTH of you to add the discussion to GrexIt - so it takes care of duplication of content.

- Controlling access is very easy. Its closely tied to to our content organization feature and is very intuitive.

Would be great if you can try it out if you're on Google Apps.
Why didn't they just get the location data from the geo-load balancers?
Unusual Ways Steve Jobs Made Apple The World's Most Admired Tech Company
The Redesign Disease
If every single american made exactly $50k/year, then the bottom 50% would have zero percent of the wealth (spend everything they make), and the top 10% would consist of frugal people, who save 60% of their income every year and have 70% of the total wealth. In this world where everyone has exactly the same income, there would still be a wealth disparity far more than the estimate and ideal cases. The chart proves that people are bad estimators, and has no basis in actual human behavior.
Yes. This is exactly what I did. Seems to be a common formula.
I want this to hit the main branch before it goes beta:

http://jquerymobile.com/test/experiments/scrollview/

Without it, you can't have static header and footer bars (the fading ones currently implemented by the framework are crap compared to Sencha and GMail's nice navbars).

I noticed that Khan Academy's mobile app (http://khanapp.com) uses the exerimental ScrollView component with jQuery Mobile. I'm currently trying to get it working myself, with somewhat mixed results (expect to do quite a bit of hackery).
Apologies, I stand corrected.

But people used to work 6 days a week with no paid vacation time. What about all the slaves who worked 16 hour days. All those children in factories or down mines, are all those hours being factored in?
At Berkeley, the BA and the BS degrees have the same associated CS classes--the BS just requires you to take physics and electrical engineering.