skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
Look at the debt list of the world. Very few countries in the world are seriously in debt, only about 15 or so. The rest have positive cash balances.

What I know is that the age of Gold was the age of aristocracy. The age of paper money was the age of democracy. I prefer to learn from history than believe what some guy on a message board tells me.
How will the current market crisis affect Startups?
I was just wondering what startup investors out there think about if/how the current market crisis will affect new startups' funding. I think this is especially relevant now, considering that YCombinator submissions will deadline in a week. Anyone?
Can we leave the batty economics discussions to other forums? This one is about hacking and startups.

jmtame, perhaps besides taking "Money, Media and Power" classes (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=317659) you should consider taking some actual economics courses.
What does the SLA say?
Agree completely that its all about depth of content. What's your startup? Don't see it mentioned in your profile!
Have you seen the US debt lately?
Right, it's not counting food, water, tent. When we were hiking / camping in NZ, we carried that additional gear and it was much heavier. I personally have a pretty light build so 20 lbs felt very heavy after awhile, even when I was in good shape.
the handwriting suggests that the author spends much
more time with a keyboard than a pen.

Really? It looks rather neat to me. If that handwriting looks bad, the writer should visit my doctor sometime!
One's beliefs about whether intelligence is fixed or malleable is a factor that affects how much effort one makes, according to these studies:

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-secret-to-raising-sm...
Reactions:

Seeing YC tag: "Ohh, I wonder how they're going to get free soda? It better not be something dumb like 'bring a Nalgene, get a large soda, and share!' Might almost maybe (but probably not) justify going to the theater."

Seeing Wired title: "Ohh, I bet theaters are finally providing 'frozen soda' as ice cubes, so the drink doesn't dilute. Or maybe someone brought in soda-cubes for their favorite flavor? But that would probably melt...this should be interesting."

Reading article: "Stupid."

After writing comment: "You know, there's more 'theater soda hacking' in that comment than there was in that entire article."
Surely the fix:
Change the button so it says "Allow users to view my cam" instead of "click here", and disallow anything from changing the style of it.

Doesn't seem like a big threat to me. Any evidence it's a threat for anything other than flash settings?
Sure, it'd be better than witch hunting (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=305192)
GIMP 2.6 Release Rocks And Better Then Adobe Photoshop
I guess he doesn't considers people who have a hard time interviewing as "excellent" as he said.
Opera 9.6 Launches, Now Includes Magazine-Style RSS...Sort Of
See, there's one thing I don't really understand about the "fund good teams, ignore the business plan" strategy: can you ever consider a team to be "good" if they can't present you with at least a plausible business plan? Yes, the business plan will likely change, and being adaptable enough is important, but can a team be "good" without demonstrating the most basic ability to plan ahead?
I've only had three shots of Espresso this morning, so let me see if I understand: This is a video made by Microsoft making fun of the idea that they might make a terrible video. Ah. It's meant to be ironic, and presumably it tells us they know the difference between good taste and bad taste.

I think this is isomorphic to a Bond Villain pointing out all of his expensive and tasteful possessions. We all know that if the villain really had taste, it is not necessary to tell us he has taste, merely for him to live a tasteful life and we will observe his taste directly.

My suggestion to Microsoft (just in case they're trolling HN for ideas): Do good work and make good promotional videos. We will gladly forget the past without you telling us that you are beyond making bad videos about products that used to be questionable.
I'm not sure how I feel about this. It does get kids to learn the material and makes it fun for them by adding competition and entertainment but I'm not sure this is good for the long term.

This is just addressing the wrong problem. These kids won't be interested in math for math's sake but are just doing to play a game - isn't it much better to get them interested in math without a need for games?
MPAA/RIAA always bullshits their numbers. Nothing new
Thanks, glad you like it :D
You're right, it's nice (if at all) from the point of view of anyone else. But I find it amazing that someone did this with our service. I guess I got too excited, and I apologize if this seemed like link bait or spam, and I wasted anyone's time.
Ah thanks, schoolboy error. We talked by email a couple of weeks ago... now updated ; )
Well, for some people it is the case that choosing the personally optimal product configuration from the set of options provided by a vendor is considered hacking, even if it does not present a new phenomenon nor does it represent an unexpected benefit.

Personally, I think that anyone over the age of seven has figured out that there is a lot more soda in the cup if you skip the ice, but it is colder if you include some ice.

I'm more surprised at Wired than I am at this getting posted here. When did Wired become this Tired?
What's actually more important, and more apropos, is whether you have an internal or external locus of control. Attributing outcomes to intelligence is just one factor that tends to externalize that locus.
Apple Sues Canadian School for Similar Logo
There are simply too many people deeply in debt, and for the majority of them there's no possibility to balance their financial situation -- and their number is increasing continuously...
Vista Following the Footsteps of Windows ME
Pulse Interview: Chris, Photographer
Social Media ABC's - R is for Remixing
It should focus minds on business models, that's for sure. There's nothing wrong with bootstrapping or having a point to doing what you're doing (ie, making profits). Do you REALLY need the funding?

I think the smaller investors will want to be sure about the team running these startups. And disruptive tech, however cool, isn't going to cut it. Jam today will beat ham tomorrow.

VCs invest in 10 companies and expect 8 or 9 failures, and 1 big winner. In that sense nothing will change.

Also, a recession is a sure-fire opportunity to launch a company, no doubt about it. Better deals and other companies cut the chaff. If you can help another firm improve efficiency, or optimise what they're doing, then you will be well placed.
if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and "hack" my morning coffee, by asking for a cappucino sans live skunk.

I do recall an interesting post making the rounds a while back about hacking Starbucks' cappuccino. The premise was this: Starbucks has tall, grande, and venti sizes posted on its menus, but if you ask for a short dry cappuccino, you save money and get a better drink.

That seems to fit the spirit of hacking a cappuccino :-)
Ad recessions past and present
The Fifteen Greatest Hacking Exploits : The Birth Of Hacking
Ludwig Enterprises, Inc. (Pink Sheets: LUDW) | TheSubway - Stock Trader Blog
I must say that it's the first time I see a funder not really worried about the business plan. And I must agree 100% with what he says; If the team is excellent and passionate with what they are building, then there is a good chance that something great will come out of it. How you will make money from it becomes almost secondary, since it will show itself during development.
If anyone at Zuora is listening...

I just had to submit my full name, company name, title, location, email and phone number, all just to get to your data sheet, which turned out to be nothing more than a 2-page press release with no information whatsoever. No pricing to be found anywhere on your website either.

What are you hiding?
Or a shill. This is chessy1984's sole comment.
These books are only slightly better than telling someone to read Who Moved My Cheese or Good to Great.

You should read great books because you want a different perspective and will hopefully be entertained; don't read a book because you think it will make you a better entrepreneur.
ah ... blow jobs again :) ... yes suck my karma.
Websites that encourage business networking are thriving
Sorry, I meant "interviewing" from the perspective of the interviewer. Reliably selecting good people to join your company is often thought of as a difficult task.

He's trying an analogous evaluation of the founder - and giving it more weight than the paper plan. Possibly quite reasonably, but it seems the success of the approach relies heavily on something people seem to find difficult.
Sites with ad-based business models: Get ready to make some changes
That's a great point, regarding improvements on already existing services/companies; they will welcome any ways to decrease their costs or increase their revenues. But do you think that a recession is also good for starting a company with a brand new product/service?
Website of the future: what does it look like?
I am looking for examples that illustrate cutting edge innovation in the following areas:
website navigation
content
community
customization
commerce
support

thanks!
So in which ways is it better than IBM X series?
Audio shows of finance guy who predicted recession 2 years ago
Archived audio shows of Peter Schiff - who predicted the current economic mess. He also provides sensible explanations of the current headlines. This might help to protect your assets.

Here is a clip of him from 2006 predicting the current mess - http://www.webtvhub.com/watch-2006-news-video-peter-schiff-predicting-coming-recession-two-years-ago/
Sorry if I dampened your enthusiasm; I remember finding it amazing when someone in Japan reviewed a game I'd made.

Maybe I'm oversensitive to the risk of Redditisation here.
Just to be clear, I have no idea who this person is (and is of course therefore not me).
The debt became that way when the U.S switched to a father-son, husband-wife presidential system.
Perhaps if they have a good track record, e.g. past exits.
It's not my country - harr harr! The U.S may not produce as much money as it produces value, but it still produces more value than any country in the world! That value is not going anywhere.

Seriously, don't be afraid. This is a media recession. If this were a real economic problem, companies would be tightening their belts, buying shares, merging, selling off stuff, and the vultures would be there pecking at carcasses. It's not happening. The papers make things sound bad, but imagine you didn't read the papers. When you go out, things are pretty much the way they always where.
Basically, don't create a logo that has the generic shape of an apple in it. Also, if you're naming a Web site or product, and don't have six figures with which to validly defend nominative trademark use, don't use the words 'iPhone', 'Mac', or 'Apple' in anything you make or produce.

It's fine teaching our kids to stand up to bullies in school, but in the real world, if you haven't got the money to waste on a defense, just let the bullies win.
Please don't apologize. You were right: the title of the post should be the same as the blog post's, and any (minimal) editorialization should be in the interest of HN readers. I completely violated that in my excitement; won't happen again :). Cheers!
Surprisingly, this is actually a pretty good article. I like is little 120 minute idea.
It depends on the market you're aiming at. Some market sectors are recession-proof, others less so. Holidays in Hawaii / Bali might be downgraded, but people will still want to go on holiday.

Also, it is competitive out there, but if you are in a niche then go for it. If you have a lot of competition then do it better.

I personally believe that the companies of the future that will do best will listen and learn from their customers. They'll engage with customers. They will let their customers tell them what they want.

We already know what works on the internet in terms of usability / user experience / product page design / checkout process, etc, so don't go reinventing the wheel. Many large companies still suck at this stuff (just look at the Gap.com website if you don't believe me).

Be the best. Understand the mindset of your customers. Make sense of your data. Iterate as often as is practical. And market the shit out of your product (don't forget to sell it to Google via a blog...).

What area are you boxing in?
Killer site
Well, this sucks for all the shy guys here. Guess we'll have to go to Diana King for our funding.
Be aware of a problem here. If you go back several years and look at sites people defined as "cutting edge" or "futuristic", they were mostly gawdy Flash-ridden wastes of space that were certainly unique, but ultimately unusable and hard on the eyes. Even if you go back just a year, Adobe's Flex was being touted by many as a way of the future - especially in e-commerce - yet take a look at Amazon now. It's evolved, but not in that way.

Looking at the high-end fashion catwalks to predict consumer fashions for the next decade doesn't work. So it goes with Web design. Remember that the future is made of lots of tiny changes compounded - not large sweeping innovations.
Examples of New-school Online Retailers?
Retailers like woot.com, 200 nipples, and Threadless are changing the way that online retail works; instead of focusing strictly on a store of items, they use time sensitivity to drive sales.

While sitting in jury duty yesterday, I had an idea that might be amenable to a similar style of online retail store.

Before I dive in though, I'd like to look at more examples of this style of retail and hear what the community here thinks of it. My questions are two:

1) What stores are changing the way retail is done on the internet via limited edition, time-sensitive sales?

and

2) What do you think about this model of retail sales?
so true. But still, I feel that with a big enough sample you can make some assumptions about what people feel is emerging. And I trust that the audience of this blog are more likely to have an interesting point of view...
Get ready for mass business failures : Texas Startup Blog
apple.com (navigation, commerce)

amazon (especially for nagivation, also commerce)

facebook (for community)

nytimes (for content)

backpack
Mufin: An Automated Music Recommendation Engine That Actually Works
Rate My Startup - Dawdle.com Is A "Moronically Easy" Online Marketplace For Gamers
My generation was no different, only we called it Number Munchers.

I'm more concerned that they're pretending to be futuristic soldiers and shooting at each other. That would not have been my first choice of game mechanic, and I'm not sure I'd want my kid spending hours a day doing that.

Anyway, these look good for drills, but where's the Robot Odyssey for this generation?
the website of the future will be a wiki. Simple navigation, lots of content, but based on real impressions of your company by customers, partners etc. instead of propaganda from the company.
This is a hack? Seriously, why don't we as a community distance ourselves from this crap?
SomethingAwful did an image version of this (I assume it influenced this video) called "Porn Not Porn" about a year ago - sadly it's SA member only to view now, but you can find some examples by doing a Google Images search for "porn not porn" (as a phrase)

For those into porn but not porn, don't forget to check out Furniture Porn: http://furnitureporn.com/
Honestly, I thought the outline looked a lot like Apple's logo. I don't expect Apple to sue them, but a sending a letter seems reasonable to me. If they are going to use an apple try adding a stem and branch or something in the background. The way things are if you want to keep a trademark you need to defend it and this was fairly close IMO.
I'm guessing they're actually doing pretty well in this situation. I'd hazard to guess that a lot of their revenue comes from subs in the US and Europe (aka dollars and euros). As inflation goes crazy on Icelandic krona, you figure the salaries they're paying to their people takes up less and less of the cash they pull in each month.
Microsoft, Universities Launch Game Institute
isn't it much better to get them interested in math without a need for games?

The problem is: a lot of mathematics at this level is actually pretty boring but needs to be mastered anyway. The fun stuff doesn't come until late high school at the earliest, and mostly happens at the university level.
Google takes the "Doh" out of drunken emailing
Wouldn't it just be easier to do `svn add --force .` ?
20 Excellent AJAX Effects You Should Know
I hacked my mornings by making sure that the bed gets lots of early sunshine.

I hacked my grocery shopping by buying stuff that's on sale.

I hack my gas mileage by coasting down hills. (Truck has a clutch.)

...Ugh. I'm getting sick to my stomach just writing this.

Every moronic, mundane use of the word diminishes the artistry that it used to represent.
I'm not the expert on this among us, but from what I understand there are situations where changing one thing causes something else to change and so forth. The specific operations we coalesce are appending nodes, removing nodes, setting the position and setting the size.

Are you changing the position of the divs multiple times per "event" (i.e. mouse/keyboard event, etc) or just very frequently on separate events?

No idea how well this would work, but maybe you could have a timeout fire N times per second (5, 10, 15, 30?) and update the DOM positions then? Though with thousands of divs I don't know if that will help.

What are all these divs? Are they simple enough they could be drawn with Canvas?
Do you honestly think that's not a terrible idea? Replacing your company website with a wiki?

Maybe there's a tiny minority of companies for which that would work -- they'd be small, obscure, have a loyal fanbase, and almost never piss anyone off. For anyone else it's a disaster -- all you need is one disgruntled customer (or fanboy for the competition) with too much time on his hands.
LightBot - Flash game teaches procedural programming in face of memory constraints
Daring Fireball: The iPhone 3G
I've got some innovation going at http://www.nestedguis.com. (update: previous link was wrong)

Louis Gray blogged about it..
http://www.louisgray.com/live/2008/09/will-future-informatio...
It gets more interesting after you pass a few easy levels.
Sir James Dyson abandons plans for £50m design school
It's not a bad list, but IMO it's still missing the point. I was just promoted to "Senior Consultant" not because I worked really hard, instead I worked 40 hours a week and focused on doing the kinds of things they cared about. 4 years ago I was making a lot less money and working a lot harder and longer, because I failed to work hard on the right sorts of things. I think maximizing the return on effort is something few geeks do and while it can be fun to pull an allnighter fixing buggy networking code, it's not going to help the rest of your life because chances are nobody at the next job is going to care. Go home, get some sleep, tomorrow you can become the well rested hero.

"Luck" is often more about noticing opportunity than anything else. The are probably millions of ways you could get enough money to retire in 7 years, but noticing them requires an open mind.

PS: When your 4x as productive as the next guy you don't need to stay up late to get ahead. It's still an option if your trying to become rich but there is little value in doing that for someone else.
I'm a PC, and I'm still running XP
Very well designed. Clean and easy to navigate. Who's your designer?
Wow.

It just occurred to me that folks here younger than 28 have never seen an actual recession (I'm assuming that under-12s could not care less about business news and missed the early 90s bust). It's just been one long boom for you, right?

I suspect the world is about to surprise you in a very unpleasant way.
I think he does not mean don't build a business plan. The process of building a business plan is a great exercise for any startup. It helps them figure out a lot of holes in their plan or lack thereof.

In a startup things are constantly changing so having a good team means they will do anything to overcome any obstacle. It is a quality that far exceeds any business plan.
I don't expect Apple to sue them, but a sending a letter seems reasonable to me.

Well, if they send a cease and desist, and the other party doesn't cease and desist, they won't have much choice other than to sue them. Nobody wants to develop a reputation for failing to follow through on threats.

Missing from article: how long has this school been using this logo? It looks like a fairly recent logo, almost certainly postdating the original "stripey" Apple logo, but does it postdate the "non-stripy" Apple logo design?
Design looks great in general. I clicked on Xbox360. Suggestions:

1. Don't show an item in the results if there are no sellers. Or at least say "None available" on the results page.

2. For items that have multiple sellers, indicate the price range (rather than just the lowest price) as well as # of sellers. Similar to how the Amazon.com marketplace does it.

General Q: how will you compete against entrenched players like Amazon.com and Half.com? There's a couple of benefits on your about page (shipping included in price, ability to filter by seller rating + price), but just those probably won't be enough.
It's not necessarily illegal to sell shares in a private company, but you're right that the manner in which you do it is highly regulated. See "Rule 502", in particular clause C.
http://www.law.uc.edu/CCL/33ActRls/rule502.html

This summary addresses your question directly (albeit in a footnote):
http://www.icemiller.com/enewsletter/Bulletins/PEN/5Gen_Soli...

"Issuers are not permitted to solicit ... investors where it is not known whether or not they are accredited -- even if only accredited investors are actually allowed to invest."

Seems that going "door to door" would violate that rule.
You want to bet? I say there will be no recession, you say there will be a recession.

Sure, I've never seen a recession, but that does not mean that I am unable to differenciate a real problem from a manageable problem.

McCain was right - the fundamentals of the economy ARE strong. A recession starts at the bottom - it starts when people stop spending. It does not start at the top. What is happening right now is just a restructuring. A flesh wound, one could say.
It makes sense if you're looking for a "smart money" situation where, beyond the investment, you want the experience, guidance, and contacts that the investor has to offer.
Nice doesn't exclude shy. I know lots of shy people that are really nice. Usually you just have to get them one-on-one and spend five minutes talking about something they find interesting and poof the shyness is gone.
Believe whatever you want. It doesn't make it true.

Do you know that Detroit was once one of the wealthiest cities in the United States? Things change.

What you're seeing now is a period of dramatic change. Approach it as you'd like.
using a proxy to block ads is still the way to go, far better than adblock. i use privoxy for this.

the big win is that every browser on your system now gets the same level of adblocking.
The problem is that if you take a sample of people (even smart ones) and ask them what they think the future holds they will almost certainly be wrong.