skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
How many social chat rooms can exist simultaneously? World of Warcraft, Second Life, Everquest, Facebook, Google Hangouts, Shaker, etc. Their success basically depends on marketing to individuals who are further from the neurotypical end of the autistic disorder spectrum.
What amazes me is that Shaker is almost a clone of Habbo Hotel, similar virtual hangout, which was started in 90's by a Finnish company Sulake and it's still going strong. While Habbo has been wildly successful it has always been a place for kids and teens and never attracted more mature audience. In 2009 Sulake tried to replicate the same concept for adults (with virtual bars and drinks) with Bobba Bar (http://www.bobba.com/), but this attempt has failed to gain traction . The major difference was that Bobba was aimed for mobile but it's hard not to see similarities. Call me a sceptic but I still have a hard time believing that Shaker will succeed as the whole concept of hanging out in a virtual world just feels weird to me. But then again some people seem to like Second Life.

Arctic Startup has few articles of Bobba in case someone is interested: http://www.arcticstartup.com/tag/bobba
The Curving Path of the Design Process
Kindle Fire Will Expire
Les Messages Viennent des Acheteurs de Carte R4i Gold
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On your first point, I totally agree. It reminds me of the Civilization game series, where cities often go into civil unrest for no apparent reason other than population growth. These Wall Street protests have no real objective except for expressing anger at the current economic situation.

It's ironic in my opinion because most of these people have 1080p televisions, iPhones, cars, shelter, Internet, and an indefinite supply of food. We don't have oppressive dictators suppressing our freedoms like in Egypt and Libya. I mean obviously things could be improved with more people employed, but their anger seems disproportional and misdirected. It amuses me to think that even if employment levels become good again, 10 years down the road people will become angry for whatever reason. Nothing is ever good enough, and the grass is always greener.

On your second point, I also agree that they have no place here, although this link doesn't have a political agenda. It surprises me actually that there aren't more political posts, considering what the frontpage of Reddit has looked like recently.
As someone who is very conflicted about the IP laws in the US, it is interesting how many of the comments focus on the problems no IP protection causes.
Maximizing windows a certain way and tiling windows is something only very few people need. You're presuming they're problems because you have expectations that the software behaves in ways that it does not.

People without any expectations do not have the same problems.

So many technical people see the "App Store" as something that limits choice. Consumers see it as freedom, since they are free to install anything they find without fear that it will wreck their system or actually be a trojan.

Just as you'd see using a wheel-chair as something that's severely limiting, the same thing for someone with no legs it's freedom to get around independently.

What Apple's products tend to do is trade one kind of freedom for another. They don't eliminate or reduce freedom, they transform the essential nature of it.

Some people might be justified in complaining about how it limits the freedom they need, but they're probably trying to use a product for a purpose it was not intended for.
Occupy is about an end to corruption and getting money out of politics. There's no irony in using Facebook to organize these events... unless you believe Facebook is bribing our governments?
Yep. YC Mafia :) Airbnb has a rudimentary (MVP) referral api that we've got access to.
Well there's subtle but important differences between patents in general, and patents as they have been abused regarding software.

There's also copyright and trade secrets. Namely, if someone swipes your code here in the US, and you can prove it, it's considered pretty trivial to bring them to court. This apparently not the case in China.

My take on software patents is that they aren't analogous to real-world engineering patents, for, say, a BMW engine. The analogy from BMW engine patents to software is more like copyright on the code itself. Software patents as they are now seem more like business process patents.
Good point. If variables can be functions and functions can be represented by variables, variable naming rules would to apply to functions both declared and assigned. Which is to say all functions. The $sigil would have to melt away or be everywhere.
Interesting to see that UPS stand out from the crowd. They chose that color because it looks professional and dignified, but I'm sure there is some benefit from not looking like the rest of the blue corporations.
As a Seattleite who has spent time out that way, I'm curious where on the island you are? A beautiful place!
How so? The phone is largely someone else's device and as such not as trusted as your own PC.

Also, phone taps record what you say in one particular case versus PC trojans which could record everything you do or say near the computer, and everything you do on it. Trojans also put your whole computer under the attackers control and makes can make it appear, forensically, that you were doing things. If they download porn, it appears that you downloaded porn. If they send spam, it appears that you sent spam...

If sinister means dangerous, then I think trojans win hands down.
These are great! Very useful and well-organized.
Moe, my takeaway from this was.... roll your own :)

In all seriousness (kinda), many thanks for the great write up on the current state of provisioning tools.
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." -Mahatma Gandhi

If you are interested in Steve Job's philosophy of life, you may find value in learning about Stoicism.

> Montaigne was fond of an ancient drinking game where the members took turns holding up a painting of a corpse inside a coffin and cheered “Drink and be merry for when you’re dead you will look like this.”

Emotions like anxiety and fear have their roots in uncertainty and rarely in experience. Anyone who has made a big bet on themselves knows how much energy both states can consume. The solution is to do something about that ignorance. Make yourself familiar with the things, the worst-case scenarios, that you’re afraid of.

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/04/13/stoicism-101...
I thought they were going to be posting videos of the lectures... but when I logged in today and couldn't see the it anywhere. Did I misunderstand something? Is it posted? If yes, where?
The Most Important Leadership Lesson I Ever Learned
Of course you can't apply anyone's personal philosophy 100% to your own life.

>> But is that practical? Not for most people.

But I think that particular part can be practical for many. E.g. when studying.

Here's the particular situation you were talking about:

You're in debt & working in a large company with lots of legacy stuff, you feel you could do better.

What to do:
In a large company, what you really want to do isn't to make a great product, create very compatible software or anything. It is to do what your manager or what your manager's manager wants you to do. Listen to what they want and fulfil it as well as possible. If you are going to be a cog in a machine, then you strive to be the best cog in the machine you're going to be! If not, then read below.

This isn't a job you like. You're in debt so you need the job. First thing you do would then be remove the debt! In a mortgage? Move out and lease the house or sell it and rent, which ever saves more money. Don't go out every week, go out every month. Delay that macbook pro upgrade for another year. See a big discount on shoes? Buy a couple, but don't wear them yet. Eat the generic brand cereal. Cook yourself, don't eat out. If you don't have time, eat only fruit, vegetables and rice. They are cheap and easy to prepare. If you're going to save money, you do it the best you can. Once you get out of debt and getting some savings, you can refocus on getting another job. If many companies deal with legacy shit, then focus on getting a job at Apple. :)

So you don't really want to start another career at 45. Plus you have kids to take care of. You're a father/mother after all. Ahh, so you're a parent, and you rather spend time with your kids. Then spend your time with your kids! Be the best parent you can be!

Disclaimer: I'm still in university.
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Managing the smartest people isn't impossible "cat herding" and it's not some obscure science. The trick is to realize how they got smart: by fighting the system to learn more than they should. They're rule-breakers but they also have a deep respect for learning, courage, and effort.

Such people need to be mentored, and they need to feel favored (which is politically messy). If they feel like the people "in charge" are looking out for them and moving political obstacles out of their way, they'll be loyal. If they don't feel that way, they'll do what they think will teach them. Remember how they got smart: fighting the system, breaking rules. Getting an education by "stealing" it from a boss is natural to them.
Is it time for blinds for bay windows
Very cool! Great to see a pattern site that's actually clean and usable.
It seems like everyone is converging on 2.7. The commercial distributions from ActiveState and Enthought are at 2.7. Apple's OS/X Lion ships 2.7. The major linux distros are there. PyPy is at 2.7. Jython and IronPython are mostly 2.7 capable. And my understanding is the Google's AppEngine will be at 2.7 soon enough.

This is the Long Term Support version of Python, the one that is currently getting bug fixes and will continue to get bug fixes long into the future.

AFAICT, there are very few reasons to be using an older version of Python. By now, most of major third-party modules are working with 2.7 so there shouldn't be much holding you back.
"Superstition is a credulous belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge."

It would be superstition if I've done it without seeing the problems other people have. Those two articles, actually describe real experiences. Experience defeats anything else.

I choose to believe those two articles, and not because I read them on here, because they are not the only bad experiences I have heard regarding PayPal. In fact I have never heard a good review of their service.
These are actually fantastic ZBrush patterns, as well.

I just wish they weren't so... well, subtle. On my laptop, "Dark Leather" and "Triangles" both look exactly the same: a black rectangle.
I understand your specific security concerns, but the whole line is offensive. Certainly not the fault of the Chocolatey authors, but this is what I'd call a massively over-engineered shell:

iex ((new-object net.webclient).DownloadString("http://bit.ly/psChocInstall"))
Haha. Oops! How'd that happen...?
Friend of mine (and very successful entrepreneur, so he is not really nobody) said: the end of recession will be when you stop seeing banks renting the most expensive real-estate available (important intersections, downtown, etc.) for their offices.
Chicago, IL - Rockstar Front & Backend Developer - TrainSignal

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> trying to use a product for a purpose it was not intended for

Good for them. Using things in novel unanticipated ways is toolmaking, quite literally what makes us human. I suspect people who surround themselves with appliances which resist tinkering are harming themselves through learned helplessness.
The article is based on a compelling premise, but the analysis is often generic enough to be meaningless and leaves much to be desired.

Most of the do's and don't infographic were either false or obvious. Example, Do: 'Talk Straight'. Don't: 'Use bull or deceive'. Really? I'm pretty sure this advice applies to every management position in existence outside of politics.

I'd like to see an in-depth analysis of why the best engineers go to Google, but not AOL. I'd like to see more empirical based analysis on how to keep incredibly smart people to stay at your organization even though they're sharp enough and confident enough to go out on their own.

It seems he's pushing a book about 'Clever Management'. I haven't read the book but if this article is any indication it will be one of those 80% filler business books that you read and walk away feeling like you didn't really learn anything new or non-obvious.
They're on the left sidebar. Click 'Welcome to AI' and you'll see the videos. :)
If true, this would completely change the balance-of-power in the Apple-Samsung legal battles. To date, Samsung's response has been weakened because the patents they've been asserting have generally been ones Samsung has agreed to license as essential technology they've contributed to various mobile standards. Apple has made the apparently odd mistake of not actually licensing the patents in question (I'd have thought that would have been part of the pre-lawsuit due diligence), but while Samsung might play some games on the price of licensing, they aren't in a position to refuse to license them entirely.

The new patents would be a very different kettle of fish. Using two antennas is pretty clearly not essential technology (plenty of phones don't), so Samsung would have a direct line of attack on the iPhone 4S. And since Apple has demonstrated exactly how to get preliminary injunctions to keep your competitors off of the market, it could get very interesting.
Designers as Pawns and Useful Idiots
This article doesn't even mention Wang Chuanfu (王传福)?

Owner/Founder of BYD which is a pioneer in battery technology, expanding into cars and electronics, it's is not too disimilar from Apple (in a business sense, different industry).
SEEKING FREELANCER(WRITING) - WORK REMOTELY

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You'll be a ghostwriting and will be posting editorial/opinion based pieces 1-2 times a week.

Topics might include: new vc investments, lean startup methodology, SaaS and company culture

Contact me: iman@trainsignal.com
The exception to the rule.
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They are? That's why they are the ones holding all the money while the "non-conformers" drown in debt.
Am I to understand that you're ok with you and others in your position not being bailed out, but do think that the big banks should be bailed out?

Don't you think the same yardstick that you apply to yourself and others like you should also be used for the big banks.

FWIW, my two cents is that neither individuals nor big banks should be bailed out.

Sorry about the late response. :) Maybe you'll see this.
Dancing = exercising as far as I'm concerned. Walking too. Being jittery I'm not so sure.
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Wow. That'd be fun to mix with labrea: http://dustin.github.com/2010/12/03/labrea.html
I'm confused, are you proposing using Javascript instead of a DSL with a system like Chef or Puppet?

That's a separate issue from what the system itself is written in...

The downvoting is probably over confusion, shared by myself, about what the language used to write the system itself has to do with the merits of the system.
> If I decided my dream was to be a movie star, I'd be out of luck.

Steve Jobs specifically advised people to do what they love. If your dream were to be a movie star, it would follow that you love to act.

There are myriad opportunities for actors to practice acting. So I don't see how you couldn't follow your dreams, i.e. do what you love.

> He did something really smart. He started working (for fun, as you said) before he had to.

I don't understand how someone's age precludes them from following their dreams.

I'm sensing a defeatist attitude. If you are convinced that it's impossible to follow your own dreams, it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If, instead, you believe that you can follow your dreams, you will look for opportunities to spend your time (even 10 minutes a day at first) following that dream.

Perhaps you can respond with the specifics of your personal dream and how it is not possible to follow it so we can steer this discussion in a productive direction.
If they're dominating, and you're just getting started, maybe you should do something else.

If you're both early then it's mostly irrelevant that they exist.
But what is 'actual business value'?
Lets say we are considering an oil company, which makes a profit from drilling oil. If oil rises in price, the company makes more profit. Surely, in a very real sense, the 'actual business value' of this company, depends on the price of oil?

Lets talk about PepsiCo.
The weather service detects a new hurricane forming off the coast of Florida, sending orange juice futures up.
At some discrete point in time, the weather forecast computer model spits out its results, and that information is on its way to becoming public, and there's going to be a fast change in the price of oranges, and hence the value of PepsiCo.

Here is an article, describing just such an event:

"
Orange juice futures hit a three-year high on Tuesday as speculators eyed the development of a Caribbean storm that meteorologists said had a chance of moving towards Florida.
Orange juice is a $20bn industry with prices affecting farmers in Florida and Brazil, processors, trading houses and bottlers such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.
"
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/1831a65c-c5a8-11df-ab48-00144...

Now, lets look at Google. Lets say Google does better in a more buoyant economy, because they get more ads (maybe the opposite happens in real life; but its just an example). And the drop in the price of oil has given me information that others think the economy is tanking. Hasn't the 'actual business value' of Google changed, in a very real sense? And quickly?

You might argue, if you believed in a deterministic universe, that the value of Google hasn't changed - the economy was always going to tank, because the universe only plays out one way. But that's irrelevant, because we don't have access to such a model of the universe. What we have to make decisions on is the information we have access to, which can change suddenly, and which the markets do a good job of aggregating.

I'm not trying to argue for front running the trades in the market or anything like that. I'm just trying to argue that business value can change rapidly.

I think the reason prices change so quickly is because aggregated belief about the value of companies changes so quickly, and because our markets allow that change in aggregated belief to be quickly expressed.

If you slowed trading down, so that it happened hourly, as you might propose, what this would mean is that the price of PepsiCo is essentially out-of-date for an hour. I could no longer look at the price of PepsiCo on the market, and assume it was doing a reasonable job of aggregating the public information about the future prospects of PepsiCo - I'd have to imagine it was an hour out of date.
This would probably make the market less useful.
LV包包批发
Disclaimer: I'm still in university.

I can tell. I would have written what you did at that age. Now I'm older and jaded I don't know if that makes me wiser or stupider.

In school, you can actually ace every course. In fact, it's structured so that if you have a good work ethic, above-average talent, and a little bit of luck, getting a 4.00 GPA is possible. It's not easy (I didn't) but certainly within striking distance.

In the "real world" of work, you can't actually ace everything and please everyone while developing your career at the same time. It's not humanly possible to do everything that you "should" do. If you're trying to do five different things, you're probably doing none of them well. If you're trying to "be the best cog you can be", you won't have any energy left for the side projects that might lead to liberation from your boring corporate job. That might be the right approach; maybe your boring corporate job is one rung below a very interesting job in the same company. (Not all corporate jobs suck.) It might not be. But you have to pick and choose. What are you going to do a great job of, what are you going to get by on "good enough", and what can you cut (perhaps an unfruitful side project) for the time being?

Being "the best cog in the machine" doesn't provide much reward over being a marginally acceptable cog. You might get a 8% raise instead of 5%. Big whoop; not worth the extra hours and sweat. On the other hand, if someone in the company (possibly your manager, possibly someone else) decides to take you on in a mentor/protege role and look out for your career, then it makes sense for you to put your all into that work.

In school, you can get the sense that hard work is always rewarding and virtuous. In real life, sometimes hard work is just wasted effort. You have to discriminate.

What is very unpleasant is dealing with the aftermath of people who took "working strategically" too far and edged into the unethical: people who wrote garbage code fast, were promoted away from maintenance, and left an albatross for their juniors. That happens a lot in software. It sucks.
Cool. But I cannot figure out what to do. Its like Color.
I think it really just exemplifies the fact that marketing is king. Finding a job at Atari or amazing the world with the iPhone is the exact same skill. A skill that Jobs was very good at.
> Just getting a business license in China takes a bribe and months of red stamping.

Do you have any evidence of this? From my time in china, I see a massive entrepreneur spirit. In fact everyone I spoke to was starting a business of some kind.

What colour stamps do you use in the U.S? Are they somehow superior to red ones?

> Innovation is crushed in China mainly because of the IP laws (or ignoring thereof.)

Any evidence of that as well? I would 'guess' that it is more related to the fact that there is so much low hanging fruit in the chinese economy right now, that innovation just isn't required to run a successful business.
Note this is also Arrington's CrunchFund, in the previous round and again this one.

I was surprised no-one really pushed them at Disrupt to explain how it's different from lively, habbo etc.
Oh, agreed. And the newer ultrabooks make the portability vs usability tradeoff much much smaller.

And maybe open/closed OSs will eventually converge. Look at Lion and Windows 8... I just hope they remain open!!!
SEEKING FREELANCER - VIRAL LAUNCH PAGE ROCKSTAR

Looking for someone who has experience in designing/developing launch pages using LaunchRock or Kickofflabs.

Let's see some of your designs or favorite launch pages. We're looking to test a few different ideas and want someone who can quickly mockup wireframes, design them and then launch them.

This will be a fun project!

E-mail me at iman@trainsignal.com
Let's be clear: the multi-billion dollar financial corporations didn't shut you down. The state did. They're the ones with the guns.
Easy User Authentication For Mobile Developers