skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
I just transferred 20 general TLDs from GoDaddy to Namecheap. I did so based on the positive reviews here on HN, but also because Namecheap has been very verbal during this SOPA ordeal. The SOPAsucks coupon was a nice perk. Too bad Namecheap doesn't do transfers for ccTLDs like .nl and .es.

Can anyone suggest a good, affordable registrar with broad ccTLD support and a decent mobile site/app? Preferably an independent company with phone support in the US. (I looked into Hover, but they're owned by Tucows. I also looked into Gandi, but they're based in France.)
That's because it really shouldn't be there. This article is kind of amusing, but intellectually quite fluffy.
Some people like to employ con artists, hoping that at least they will be on your side. Unless they are on a well structured commission, they probably aren't.
DoD makes move toward Android
I felt similarly dismayed about a machine learning course which doesn't demand knowledge of calculus.
Minicabs in tooting
0208 672 7272 Min£5 Gatwick fr£29 Heathrow fr£27 City Airport fr£29 Luton fr£54 Stansted fr£54 Kings Cross fr£21 Victoria fr£15 TOOTING Taxi Minicab Car service
"If you run something like Pax and people don't want to come because you have a reputation for having a bunch of arrogant a-holes, you will not have a viable business model for long."

So, if I start a restaurant and decide that only Christians can eat here, would that be okay with you? After all, non-Christians may tarnish the quality of the restaurant.

If I decide to not hire people with earrings, are ugly (let's say I have a hooters), or I just don't like, I would either get lawsuits for discrimination or from the ACLU.

How is this any different? and why shouldn't I also be able to choose whom I do business with?
Exactly. I know everything this is to know about a product, its business practices and its principals and I don't even game. Well done, Mr. Christoforo.
Uncommon Interview: Finding Fulfillment with Good Company
My bad - "the world has moved on" was too strong.

I meant something like: other languages have risen in popularity because they are better than C++ for many types of projects.
It is a solvable problem. The biggest problem I see with every single site out there, especially those in Seller's markets, is that they cater to the buyer first. The only apartment guide that will every work in a major city will target the person who owns the apartment and it will help that person (1) maximize revenue per month && (2) make sure the person doing the renting is trustworthy and will always be able to pay rent on time.
This kind of article is always a minefield and a huge bait for debates, even more when it's part of the advocacy for some new programming language (who doesn't love language fights?). It's important to be very precise, adhere to standard and well-known terminology, be very clear about the scope of each claim, have necessary disclaimers about benchmarks etc. or you are just asking for trouble. :) Your (kkowalczyk's) reply has some good points ("...if your feature set fits x86" indeed Charles was tired or something to write that), but it does have several flaws too. You get the concept of "backwards compatibily" completely wrong: adding a new feature like invokedynamic that prevents NEW code to run on OLD runtimes does not break BW compat. Java's track record in BW compat is almost perfect (modulo bugs). JRuby's results in the language shootout are produced with HotSpot Client, that's why they are so bad, JRuby depends massively on HotSpot Server. For benchmarks that critically depend on certain features like fixnums, a VM like YARV will certainly beat JRuby easily; but this doesn't mean "general-purpose VM cannot compete with specialized VM", it only means "VM without special support for feature X may not compete with VM that has X, in a benchmark that stresses X".

The real discussion in the performance aspect of "bytecode VM" vs. "language VM" is much more subtle. A "language VM" will not convert source code directly to native code either; it will use one or more Intermediary Representations, from ASTs to classic SSA LIR/HIR. So it's easy to argue that these are equivalent to bytecodes; and one can just design some bytecode format that is basically an externalized form of your IR, then there's no disadvantage of performance or limitation for two-stage compilation with a JIT. But now the discussion moves to evolution and flexibility. IR forms can be completely changed in new releases of the compiler/VM, because they are internal. But as soon as you're tied to an external representation, you're stuck to evolving that much more conservatively, or with much extra effort, not only for the VM but for the entire third-party toolchain ecosystem that targets the bytecode. This is the major problem that the Dart article should have raised. There's still the possibility of creating some truly universal bytecode - LLVM's bitcode may fill these shoes for unmanaged languages; and something similar could be designed for managed languages although that's harder because a managed heap and memory model necessarily means some set of restrictions that will get in the way of some languages, at least the very lowest-level ones. Dart is Google's attempt to provide a better managed language for the web (without bytecode), while NaCl is their attempt to provide a better support for unmanaged languages (with either native code / NaCl or LLVM bitcode / PNaCl], so they're trying to cover all corners and it will be very interesting to see how each of these developments work out.
Depends on which part GoDaddy is responsible for.

Hacking a server is a very specific act, different from hacking a website. One exploits weaknesses in the underlying OS - the other exploits weaknesses in the publicly exposed software running on the server. To the end viewer, there may be no difference, but the "how they got in" would determine the liability.

If anon breached the OS, then common sense would say GoDaddy is somewhat responsible. Otherwise, it pretty much falls on the client. All the hardening in the world can't patch for stupid.
I'm actually going to bring it up now.
I am disappointed. I was hoping this was a news item indicating Epic's "Cliffy B" had fallen into an open manhole or something.
Futures Contracts
What exactly did N-Control need a PR firm? Maybe I'm a control freak, but it seems risky to trust your image and communication to someone external to your company, when this gives them the power to alienate a sizable chunk of your customer base with a single email.
Show HN: HTML5 canvas + Nokia-like snake game that follows you wherever you go
My son, a true nerd, used to take pride in mismatched socks. It was proof he had better things to worry about.

Then he went one step further - he takes 2 socks from the drawer, and wears them EVEN IF THEY MATCH!
Seagate wipes the drives they get returned [1]. I imagine other companies have similar processes.

[1]http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.jsp?locale=en-US&name=...
"direct competition with a corporation like Facebook or Google is virtually impossible..."

Even if that's true, it doesn't follow that those corporations MUST do what we want. I can't realistically build my own car, but it doesn't follow that Toyota has to build the kind of car I'd like to build. They'll do it if, and only if, there is enough market incentive to do so.

"and even the choice of opting out is becoming impossible; e.g. Spotify won't be the last company to require a Facebook for access to their services."

So? I have quit Facebook. If Spotify doesn't want to bother to give me a way to sign in, I won't bother to sign in. See? Opting out is easy. Either someone will offer me a service at a tradeoff I can accept, or they won't get my business.
Doesn't look good. I have decided to move prior to any mishap like this. What alternatives are you guys moving to?
The iPad 2's onboard camera and microphone make it perfect for personalized flashcards. Aeir Talk, while built for special-needs kids, could be used as a flashcard app for any child.

My 3 year old uses it and loves it. Instead of simple clip art of a cat and a robotic reading of the word, we're able to take a picture of our cat Tobi accompanied with mom's voice.
> "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

Hanlon's Razor - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlons_razor
Free Lumina for registered devs? I'm sure there's a few people here, myself included, that would appreciate more info on that.
To filter the list, just click on "Broken" in the "Link Status" box on the right.
A draft of a short introduction to topology
Exotic creatures discovered living at deep-sea vent in Indian Ocean
"It depends how unpopular that opinion is. If you choose to exclude someone who's a vocal Nazi, it'd probably be smart move to publicly distance yourself. If it's someone who just disagrees with you on tax policy, it'd probably do you more harm than good to try to exclude them on those grounds."

I don't think you could even get away with it. If there were a large enough group of people that were excluded, you would have enough lawsuits in court to put you out of business.

Hooters has had lawsuits due to only hiring "attactive people". There as a guy that sued a bunch of night clubs in New York city due to "free drink ladies night"..and he won.
The truth is, Apple does what it does for good reasons and most people are on-board with that logic. So companies like Google will try and mimic Apple's policies and how they stand behind them.

Says who?
Windows Phone 2012 Roadmap
HelpBrite is more about the social interaction between people that you know or have a link through someone on Facebook. It's only for Facebook users and we let the community drive/manage the system, where as TaskRabbit is a sort of consulting company for simple tasks.

With TaskRabbit you have to apply and get approved to become a helper. With HelpBrite all users of Facebook are already approved.

Also HelpBrite promotes volunteerism and community building. Organizations and non-profits can use the system to get help with tasks and there is no monetary benefit to either party. The helpers get points that can be redeemed for local deals and discounts.

Only after you try it will you be able to see the benefits, so signup for the invite. http://www.helpbrite.com
Sure, outside of some small information gain about which hashing/salting algorithm you're using-- which is usually known to the attacker anyway-- there is no real risk to the rest of the users.

I just disagree that each user should be responsible for their own security on sites that store critical information but are used by technologically naive customers. There are better rules that can be enforced than just password minimums, and they will make it harder to crack the password. Even if they continue to choose a relatively weak password, given a decent creation rule set (e.g., 8 characters, an uppercase, a digit, and a special character) it will at least make the attacker go from milliseconds to hours. If you have a large enough userbase, and each account is salted, then you may actually have herd immunity for those weaker passwords, since the attacker now has to spend hours per account.
Excellent points. There is a place for laws to prevent discrimination. Just like a restaurant can't refuse me service because of my race, a registrar shouldn't be able to refuse me a domain name because of my political views.

We need laws like that to protect free speech.
The traceroute has to finish before PHP is able to display the content, hopefully I can use Ajax to make it more realistic. Thanks for the comments!
Huh? Have you forgotten the GoDaddy shit-stirring that dominated the front page for a week with everyone under the Sun vowing to switch domains? So long ago, I know, but when the internet nerds focus their rage on a particular person or brand, one would be remiss not to pile on.

On the other hand, Mr. Christoforo and by extent Mr. Krahulik have set up what could be the best even at the next PAX East: Paul Christoforo as a dunk-tank clown. Not only would nerds be able to have a go at a real, live villain, but it would also serve to provide the required kiss and make up portion of any public blowout.
I know this is pretty funny, but would anyone here honestly describe this as "intellectually gratifying"? There are other places to read stories like this. Please flag fluff pieces — even entertaining ones — on HN, to keep the signal-to-noise ratio high.
rolling..rolling.rolling..my free speech is gone.
Adtiya, great post and thanks for sharing. Good luck with your venture..Radbox seems like a good idea and I see myself using it. Any plans to launch Android version?
nothing but an ego trip. You walk around like the cock of the walk. Nobody gives a shit. Your opinions aren't interesting, and nobody cares. your precious little opinions, and your "honesty," will simply show the world that you're an arrested child in an adult body, crying out for attention.

Pot, meet kettle.
Exactly. Reading this book looking for those answers or looking for validation of notions you already hold is just going to lead to frustration.
I dig this concept, and using things like QR codes for none traditional uses.

I'd prefer to scan a QR code on a page then enter a capatcha. I think for things even simpler then logging in, QR codes could be a reasonable alternative to difficult web forms, id verification, etc.
> Not to mention that Apple makes and markets their own accessories.

It's interesting to me that you cannot, and never could, buy an Apple case[1] for your iPhone. Also interesting how quickly Apple killed their Bluetooth earpiece.

Seems like if you want to make accessories, making them for Apple's devices means you don't have to worry about competing with the device maker.

- - -

1. Where "case" is defined as a container to protect the device from both screen damage and drops. Apple does sell two items that protect the iPhone from one or the other, but not both:

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_iphone/iphone_acc...

Apple also sells the non-drop-protecting case for original iPad, but it's so unattractive that its purpose seems to have been to have a cover at launch without leaking device specs, rather than to take advantage of the case market. iPad 2's "Smart Cover" also isn't a case, so seems to be Apple's way of carrying the iPod color choice concept over to the iPad line.
"I am not a coder."

Yes, you're wrong. LAMP is excellent, and your co-founders chose it and continue to use it for a reason. If it's that important that you avoid LAMP, you need different co-founders because you clearly don't trust them, their skills and their judgement on the issue.
Hasn't education always been about providing systems that encourage people to challenge themselves and learn difficult things (and signalling)? I am sure that it has always been possible to go to the library and learn almost anything you might to. And, the internet has built upon that capability. So, its legitimate to criticise a class for not challenging you or not supporting you.
Using Facebook Ads to Increase Email Subscribers
Customized Programming Key to Apple Television's Success
Ammar covered it pretty much, also there are no big/major players in this area yet, plus TaskRabbit is only available in certain cities...
Interesting! Reminds me of the criticism leveled against Freakonomics, and it's genuinely the first time I've heard it applied to GEB. What you're saying is obvious and makes perfect sense, I wonder if we're both missing something, or if Hofstader was playing a little too merrily outside his domain of expertise.

Edit: first time until I got lower down this thread, wow!
Was he ever charged/convicted? Seems kind of specious to even bring up a police report with nothing else. What happened to "innocent until proven guilty"?
Then it seems like there isn't so much a problem and the course is plausibly performing its intended function. Obviously the course was designed by Stanford to fill some role; unless you think that the course had a design flaw only detectable once it got rolling, then the best assumption would be that your expectations were wrong.

Of course, you could certainly have asked, as a Stanford student, what drove the design of the course and how the professor actually felt about the execution. That would have been an interesting follow up.
"Huh? Have you forgotten the GoDaddy shit-stirring that dominated the front page for a week with everyone under the Sun vowing to switch domains?"

Yes, I remember the Godaddy witch hunt, the people jumping to conclusions, and the list of businesses that "support sopa".

It was only supported because you were on the side against sopa. If there was a witch hunt for something you didn't support, you would be against it.

I just wish more people would do the right thing, even if it is against their ideals.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muphrys_law
Looks neat. But where this can be used for?
Despite what I’ve read in other comments here I think you’re right. Programmers will always want to stick with what they’re familiar with because it’s easy (I’ve been trying for a year to pull myself away from C# and work more in Python yet I still gravitate back to C# for my “serious” projects). I don’t consider the “we have experience in this” argument as terribly valid (why ever move to something new if experience means that much to you).

More to the point if you’re starting a new company you have to plan for success. Success means hiring more programmers and picking a language that’s fallen out of favor will inhibit every programmer who comes after your co-founders. Assuming you’ll be hiring junior programmers it makes a lot more sense for your experienced co-founders to learn something new then trying to teach your junior programmers something old.

(Look at any programming language that's fallen out of favor in the past and you'll see the salary of coders in that language goes up as the language's popularity goes down)

The problem you have is you, as an outsider, can see their problem but you don’t have the knowledge or experience to suggest a solution (“cooler than php” is not a good argument). If I were you I’d seek out PHP programmers who made the switch to either Rails or Python. Invite them to a lunch with your co-founders and let them talk through the issues. PHP has some significant advantages over Ruby and Python yet people are still gravitating away from it. Getting them in the room with people who are part of that movement is your best bet at convincing them
What? Google is one of the few companies that's actually come out swinging against SOPA. I would wager they've done more to defeat it than any other company or individual with a presence on HN.
I really don't understand what all the whinging is about, here. The policy says "don't do X", you do "X" anyways, and then get an overly-inflated sense of entitlement because the policy was enforced?

This seems perfectly reasonable to me. I must be in the minority.
Very useful little tool. Now find a way to monetize it :)
Bold 2012 Tech Startup predictions
First, if you only allow christians into your public[1] restaurant that would be illegal. But no one would come because they found out you were an ass and the government would take you to court for violating the Civil rights act.

Second, you are in your rights to do those things. You can't discriminate based on race, age, gender or religion; tats, piercings and ugliness are fair game.

If you are in the US, CA or EU you should read up on what the local human rights/civil rights laws entail.

Edit:
There are exemptions for "members only" places, which is different than public restaurants. but then you would no longer be a restaurant but considered a club. For example, the gym, curves, is members only. One of the membership requirements is being a woman. If they decide to open a coffeeshop on the side they wouldn't be allowed to have it open to the public. It's either fully open or mostly closed, now in between.
Anything that I already know very well (and like, of course). What that is will depend on the day/mood.

The main thing is that I find I work better with music already known over silence or new music. My brain can kind of just go along with it without any extra work since the patterns are familiar and it seems to help thought flow.

There are times when I prefer no music though, if it's involved research or something I really need to think over or internally debate.
I believe (some of) their 1 TB models were known to suffer from what became known as "the click of death" -- the problem was that prominent.
I have a hard time believing that kids or old people have never seen ads online before, and would be so easily confused. Even so, it is a problem that could be well addressed by the design of the ad space.

It's much more difficult to detect and evaluate bias within the text of an article. There is plenty of this on Wikipedia now, usually because of partisan or ideological edit wars on lightly read articles. And it's getting worse as more and more barriers are erected to casual or first-time editors.

It is almost impossible right now for someone viewing an article for the first time to improve it, even with cited sources. Regardless of quality, the changes are frequently reverted quickly by a bot or someone squatting the article. To get a significant addition or change to "stick" requires a large time investment and knowledge of the arcane rules of appeal within the growing Wikipedia bureaucracy. Result: most people don't bother.

This, to me, is a much larger problem of bias than what you describe. I actually think ads could help this problem by decoupling the content from the money. Right now a relatively small group of people are the most powerful editors AND the largest donors. Wikipedia is at risk of becoming captive to a set of people who think it is "theirs."
Mobile Morning Coffee Today: iPhone 4S, holiday winners, AT&T
"I think it's entirely appropriate to determine that you do not want to have a _terrible_ business person occupying an official booth, as long as that determination is based on decisions and actions that person made in a business setting."

I believe there was an article awhile back about employers looking at Facebook profiles when hiring. I find this perfectly acceptable.

However, many people here in the HN community felt it was a "violation" (even though Facebook is a public place).

"It's not "one bad email," it is a series of emails demonstrating a pattern of ridiculous and entirely unacceptable behavior. Behavior that is unbecoming of any businessperson, and not someone I personally would associate myself with if possible."

My problem is that if you did this in any other sort of setting, there would be lawsuits about discrimination.
Replying to myself: 193 link checks in the last 30 minutes, and the servers are still up.
This is invaluable for anyone trying to raise a bilingual child. Big, big thanks to the developers!
Interesting - thank you! And Happy New Year to you all!
2. oh yeah, my bad.

3. frankly I don't know why you insist on copying this file with the installer. can't the user copy it themselves? if they want to use your app in shell terminal, it means they heavily use shell terminal, which means they know how to cp file /usr/local/bin or set a link. it's not a case of alternative to sudo, it's a matter of gaining permission to access write to /, Ubuntu (and some other) just has sudo set up out of the box, and a lot of Linux users do it anyway, but it's not required to use or even have sudo. you can also try to add an alias to ~/.bashrc, user has access to that file, but I doubt anyone will like you more for overriding their bashrc ;) (and it also assumes user uses bash, which also isn't required :))
When Less Means More
Amoco Oil Company Looked at Cold Fusion, Confirmed Energy Gains
There's also the possibility that you're biased towards uncomfortable "truths", and that what you are saying is not what everyone is thinking. In this case, instead of admiring your courage and forthrightness, people just don't like you very much.
Yahoo Bets Future on InfoNow