skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
Do you have stats to back this up?

of course! go look at any pivotal event in a stock to the upside or downside...look at the huge trading blocks that take place just before the huge swings (in either direction) just prior...do you think those people are just speculating? do you think you compete with elite trading firms on a level playing field???
Sounds pretty open and shut to me. It'll be interesting to see how this turns out. Given this happened 4 years ago, they probably spent a good amount of time investigating just how he found out.

There's a big difference in "was in a position to know" and "did/a reasonable person would have known".
I recently read about a guy who developed an iPhone game in Visual Studio, but even there he had parts of the job (such as compilation) that had to be done on a Mac, so I'm going to join the others here and say you'll have to bite the bullet.
My experience has been the opposite. Usually people are so tight lipped about things because they fear prosecution.

Honestly, it's not really worth it.
As a tool for very specific projects - projects which are generally web projects that will never go beyond a front-end layer and require much complexity in the backend pieces. However you have to know in advance that you are writing a project that is specifically like that - or you can write zend extensions in C or use something like Thrift to talk to non-PHP back-end pieces.

(My own preference is not to use PHP whenever possible for personal projects - but I run my own servers and am fairly familiar with mod_perl, FastCGI and Apache internals).
but going back to a point i make...there are also lots of people are indeed trading on insider information but don't even know it, because they don't know the full spectrum of SEC insider rules.

there are millions of trades every day, by individuals, funds, even computers trading on behalf of people. its simply impossible for the SEC to know what each party understands or should understand before they transact. the antidote to this is near-full transparency in financial reporting...instead of trying to keep track of who knows what secrets, the SEC errs on the side of no one having secrets for long (disclosure)
Calculus is a pretty general term; the study of rates of change is a particular calculus. It's certainly the most common one, and so it is properly referred to as The Calculus.

All the numbers I reported are from papers on pubmed and stuff, most of which are linked to from the wikipedia article. I spent several hours reading and re-reading papers; I didn't cite them because my normal blog audience doesn't care. But yeah, you can verify everything by starting out on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine

Attention fluctuation -- look up biphasic sleep, or studies on the effectiveness of napping.
In Slavic languages yes, but in Spanish it has indeed negative connotations:

http://www.google.com/dictionary?langpair=es|en&q=malo
I see the point. It's a loaded statement though.

I can agree that those who believe they are above everyone else are more than likely to be bigger fools than those around them. But I find it hard to believe that essentially giving everyone the benefit of the doubt is the most "intelligent" thing to do.

Not trusting every one to have competency doesn't equate to being "dumb," in my opinion. If so, then why do companies give competency tests? Why don't they just assume anyone applying for a job "gets it."

Maybe I'm missing something here. I sure hope not, for the sake of being pegged the fool.
How can a troll get work as a Newsweek reporter?

You can start complaining when Tesla starts begging for a government bailout after producing shitty products for 20 years. In fact, Detroit does so badly that just about any advice would be an improvement. Developing a car like this would have cost them a billion dollars with the same number of delays, except they wouldn't have come up with the idea in the first place.

Let's not forget all the other projects that are "late and over budget, has gone through loads of redesigns, still has bugs". Just about any big project these days are. Construction projects, government restructurings, industrial design projects..it just happens that very much of what happens today is related to software.

Best of all, the conclusion doesn't match the derisive tone of the article. It actually sounds like he's praising the project in the last sentence.
Huh. In "The World is Flat", Friedman laments the fact that leaders in the US are usually lawyers, whereas in Europe and Asia, they often have engineering and science backgrounds. I don't have a copy on hand... and I don't think he gets into any detail about specific leaders and countries.

There are always counter examples anyway. Much of it comes down to what people think of as "general education" - ie., when people say "you can do anything with a degree in X".

In the US, people tend to say this about humanities followed by law. So, you can do anything after studying Emily Dickenson's poetry followed by three years of learning about non-compete agreements, determining jurisdiction, learning about court procedures, and determining who owns intellectual property. Whereas in Asia, they'd probably figure you can do anything after studying ordinary differential equations and optimization science.

I actually think that the more general educational approach of the US system combined with a substantial background in science and engineering would be an incredible background for a leader, but in general, we get lawyers who have not studied science.

Which isn't necessarily a problem... wo much of it comes down to the individual anyway...
Interesting ... thanks for posting.

I think it's safe to say that Ford/GM's lack of profitability has little to do with executive pay and much more to do with labor costs, efficiency, and product demand.
I hate your attitude if that's the case... lawlessness is not something i'll tolerate, no one should.

don't confuse my post with advocation.

if insider trading pisses you off, do a little research into corporate taxation...you'll be amazed to know many of the banks getting in line for $700 billion in cash also pay little to no taxes, and some of them indeed exploit loopholes to get tax REBATES in the hundreds of millions. wachovia is one for sure that got hundreds of millions in tax credits.

let me break it down for you:

- poor people pay no taxes

- corporations pay few taxes (via loopholes)

- the rich pay few taxes (via offshoring and loopholes)

- you and i pay all the tax
What? Pseudoscience is junk that claims to be science. If I claimed that were science, I would have tried to get it published instead of writing a blog post.

I wrote the article a year and a half ago, and I've been living by it for 3-4 years now. It's worked out amazingly well. I wrote it in order to share my experience and thinking with other people.

Got a problem with that?

As for references, see my comment above.
>..That rule is always have a definite knowledge advantage..

>..to not get caught with your better-than-average information..

The difference between information and knowledge is crucial here, though I think the word 'knowledge' is slightly misleading. If we assume that by 'knowledge' he meant 'something that is more than merely a function of information', i.e. belief/ wisdom then his statement holds. I think most traders would like to think that this is the case (whether the are right or not), because it justifies their existence / management fees. If you read it as 'information = knowledge' then it looks very suspicious. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, because if he had meant 'information' then his post would have been unfeasibly implicating.
Apologies for the short notice. I wasn't sure of the best way to strike a balance between "Whoa, too short of notice" and "Oh crap, I totally forgot that one guy wanted to have some geek meeting at some bar somewhere last night".

I suppose enough people put things in calendar applications these days, it would have been more beneficial to post this last week. My apologies.
Full complaint: http://sec.gov/litigation/complaints/2008/comp20810.pdf
This isn't as uncommon as people might think. A number of fairly well known people come to mind: Karl Popper, Marcel Proust.
I'm very ignorant when it comes to things like this. So Mark invested in a company? He heard they were going to do a PIPE, he sold his shares, and the next day they fell 10%?

How did he break the law?

Def. Insider Trading:
"Illegal trading by anyone considered an insider who has access to non-public information, and who attempts to profit from that knowledge."

I understand that sentence, it makes sense to me, but I don't see how this is unlawful? What if you're working for a company that you're also a shareholder of and you get the "feeling" that the company is going to tank, so you sell... Is that illegal? Or are these different things.
well we can talk about our personal experiences all day long, wikipedia cites show 70% of college students have cheated at least once

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_dishonesty
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempest_in_a_teapot
wicked,evil lol . It is better not to translate in Spanish :)
I imagine that the optimal level of confidence would require us to over-estimate. What possible advantage could one gain by being very realistic about one's own skills?
In a zero-sum game of two equally capable players, will over-estimation of skills enable a beneficially higher appetite for risk and exploration?

Of two independently tested players with one's "IQ" higher than the other, will the "dumb" one calibrate his skill level improperly after the same amount of exposure in a game where a player is pitted against AI with different skill levels?

It seems to me that people who spend more time validating their smarts or questioning it more would naturally arrive at more fine grained understanding of their ability.

Also, what does the inter-country variation suggest? http://www.google.com/trends?q=am+i+smart%2C+am+i+dumb&c...

That may mean nothing, but google trend speculation is fun :)
Google [tempest in a teapot] or see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempest_in_a_teapot
Didn't know that. Good point.
This seems like thinly veiled spam to me.
I think more surprising is how easy it is to be Geographically ignorant. I have been to roughly 20 different countries and would be hard pressed to locate some of them on a map. Honestly, who cares where Kyrgyzstan is? ;)
MS explains 7-year patch delay
I remember the day before the stock tanked. The volume vs. open interest on way OTM puts was absurd. Traders made several thousand percentages on their positions.

Edit: picked up some historical data. 40k volume on front month 25 puts for .275 a contract. Finished next day at 4.25, and the day after (Monday) at 20.30. This one gives you about a 7400% gain.
Just to clarify for everyone's benefit - guy rants about Natural Language Processing, and not Neuro Linguistic Programming, which is what NLP acronym is commonly used for and which is incidentally also quite relevant to the field of press release crafting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuro-linguistic_programming
I've never understood this. You don't like something because too many other people also like it?

You thought well enough of it to mention it by name; I don't see a ton of difference between you mentioning it and someone else saying it's good.

I can't really say I've seen anything bad coming from Clojure's community either; it's not anything like the old C.L.L flame-fests from the 90's.
My understanding of the SEC has evolved since I just finished the Snowball Warren Buffet book (http://www.amazon.com/Snowball-Warren-Buffett-Business-Life/...). There is a section that discusses his run in with the SEC and there is a behind the scenes discussion before charges are pressed (in WB's case, not pressed). I think Cuban has already had a chance to defend himself behind the scenes, and despite this the SEC is still deciding to prosecute. This has example written all over it.

Read the statement of facts in the PDF as well:
(http://sec.gov/litigation/complaints/2008/comp20810.pdf).
After reading it, chances seem slim that he's innocent.
I can't help but wonder if his sound advice for the average Joe not to play the market attracted the ire of the Wall Street dons who need the ponzi machine to keep running.
Those aren't so easy or worthwhile to enforce. Plus, something like a couple that doesn't want children doesn't rule out the option of having children.
MiningCo and NewHoo sound a bit like Mahalo... so what's Mahalo doing differently that makes them think they'll be successful this time?
Saving mankind from new ice age by building up greenhouse gases?
Hulu already making more money than YouTube
Wait... you're saying... people can not be pure good or pure evil?
Transmitting data in the light emitted by brake lights, head lights, and traffic signals? Now that is cool.
The Top Nine "Top 10" Lists on How Startups Should Handle the Downturn
Thanks, that's more helpful. I can see I wasn't as informed as I should be, but none of the previous arguments seemed so convincing.

But still, does a gay relationship need all the same rights as a marriage? I don't know the details of the law, but I suspect that many of the rights civil unions do not have are in reference to providing a good environment for families.

So, I still stand by my original thesis, that the intent of marriage as an institution is primarily for reproduction, so a gay relationship doesn't require the same rights. I'll do more research to determine whether I'm right, but if you happen to have any info that can help I'd appreciate it.

Also, in response to matt and unalone's point, yes they are not equal and should not be because they are not functionall equal. Your position just begs the question when it comes to the crux of the debate. If marriage is functionally defined, then relationships that don't accomplish the same function shouldn't have the same rights and societal support. Really, how difficult is this for people to understand? Show me anything else with the same level of institutional support for something as ephemeral as "love," and I'll buy the argument that marriage is essentially about love.
How does that respond to what I said? I said nothing about outlawing homosexuality. My argument was very straightforward and you haven't taken the time to understand it.

Besides, you can't tell something to evolve. You can tell someone to intelligently design something, though. Is that what you mean?
Why developers prefer Macs
I hope this isn't the start of a new trend…
StarOffice gains native Mac support
As the instigator of the offending post, I am delighted to see the discussion. I am down at Supercomputing 08 with Tom and others and we will be discussing this topic on a panel this evening,. The discussants include NVIDIA and Intel (and SUN and IBM and AMD) so clearly this is an issue of concern to ALL computer manufacturers. If you are in Austin - come to room 10B this evening (Monday, Nov 17). If you are not, we are doing a live webcast on the subject http://is.gd/7Rvz on Thursday Nov 20.
I would love to be able to carry discussion on this topic further. One idea would be an open forum using some kind of internet voice/text app. Not sure which yet. I know I could drag some Intel folks and I'm pretty sure I could get a few folks from elsewhere in the industry and acacdemia to join in. Maybe we could even make this a semi-regular and continuing discussion on broader topics – you guys clearly have both the opinions and the savvy. So let me know -post something on my blog if you like the idea http://is.gd/7RyX and we'll figure out how to make it happen.
.
"Worst kept secret" approximates "public information" at the limit.
SCHWEEEET! so how many is this? can we get a head count thru alternate email addresses?
here i am: where.charlie.routes.accounts [at] gmail [dot] com
comments related: http://thedailywtf.com/Comments/Keep-it-Simple-and-Stupid.as...
He commented on his blog: http://blogmaverick.com/2008/11/17/the-sec/
His blog is about making money. I haven't heard him say anything about ethics. How is he a hypocrite?
Cuban responds to the SEC Insider Trading complaint
Thank you for pointing that out. He had lost me long before that part of the post.
knowing for a fact that the stocks will fall is different from a vague feeling. There's nothing wrong if he had based his decision solely on publicly available information, but if he knew more than the next guy, he's got an unfair advantage.
10 contenders (and one real long shot) for Obama's CTO
I don't want to get political here, but I would think Joe would want to get a license to be a plumber, or have his own business, or the means to buy one, before he started advertising.

Joe's a crummy example, in other words.
More sympathy for a guy who allegedly screwed the rest of the shareholders and broke the law?
As soon as I saw the article on another website, I ran to Hacker News...just to read the comments.
The best economic indicator you've never heard of
Why the hell did he would invest in mamamamia is mind boggling.
Angela Merkel, the chancellor in Germany is a physicist.
I just checked your point about the equal protection clause. So, explain to me how homosexual marriage is fundamental to our very existence and survival in the way that heterosexual marriage is.

Everyones' counter arguments here have only further supported my points. I still don't understand why people are so convinced that gay marriage is a good idea.
You're happy about the anonymous downmodding? If I were merely ranting I'd understand. But, I'm presenting cogent arguments that no one here has refuted, yet they get downmodded and the counters get upmodded. What definition of groupthink does that not fit?
Agreed. Poor article, with a deliberately trolling headline and lead paragraph.
Annotated Clojure links - part 1
What happened to Alaska!?
Take a Look Into Our Crystal Ball
Might be you don't know you misinterpret.
This posting reminds me a lot of http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=366532
... Identical name, less than a day apart, linking to the same article. Just this one doesn't have the RSS feed's ? params.
Not all that surprising if you think about it, a lot of people assume eyeballs = money, but the quality of the eyeballs is more important than the quantity. What are you going to sell to a bunch of kids watching videos of backyard wrestling? Hulu has quality TV shows, which attract a better audience. Considering some of the biggest show on Hulu are SNL, the Daily Show, Colbert, etc the audience has a pretty well educated lean.

This is Facebook's underlying problem. All the network effects in the world just aren't as valuable as Facebook would like you to believe when the site is nearly all broke college students wasting time.
You think higher appetite for risk is universally beneficial? I'd submit that the current economic situation shows otherwise. I see nothing beneficial if your overconfidence causes you to incorrectly estimate your risk exposure.
It just requires good engineers, and there is a distribution in the quality of engineers just like every other profession.
Interesting quote from Cuban's blog a few years ago (also noted by TC):

"I had purchased stock in Mamma.com in hope that it could be an up and coming search engine. I thought I had done some level of due diligence. Talked to the company management. Talked to some employees who worked in sales. Read the SEC Filings. I knew that they had a checkered past and had been linked to stock promoter Irving Kott, and that their law firm still handled some of Kotts business, but the CEO, Chairman, lawyers all said that things were reformed and the company was focused on its business.

Then the company did a PIPE financing. Im [sic] not going to discuss the good or bad of PIPE financing other than to say that to me its a huge red flag and I dont [sic] want to own stock in companies that use this method of financing .

Why? Because I dont [sic] like the idea of selling in a private placement, stock for less than the market price, and then to make matters worse, pushing the price lower with the issuance of warrants.So I sold the stock."

My take is that the company was about to do some bush league shit (which is what PIPE financings often are) and he didn't like it. Because he didn't like it, he sold his shares and wasn't very secret about it. Seems reasonable to me. Regardless, I'd like to read more facts.

Unfortunately, "law" isn't always about "right" or "wrong".
Taking leverage makes sense only if the expected value is positive.

If you don't know it, only if marginal utility of potential loss is either smaller or equal to potential gain.

It is important, though, to not confuse potential loss with volatility. :-)
They could've done both...
I think the group is larger than just engineers. There are technical people and non-technical people. I would say an economist is a lot closer to an engineer than a lawyer.

Both are necessary, but right now it seems that the elected officials are non-technical. A balance would be a lot better.
85 percent of enterprises using open source
Back in the old days, there was some honor in doing the "right thing". Not just the thing that was most beneficial to self at the cost of everyone else.
Hulu is piracy-free, high-quality, and has real commercials. That gives it three pretty distinct advantages over youtube.
Cue obligatory reference to the famous Simpsons episode where mensa takes control of Springfield:

Comic Book Guy: Inspired by the most logical race in the galaxy, the Vulcans, breeding will be permitted once every seven years. For many of you this will mean much less breeding, for me, much much more.
Cheers to Cuban for responding so quickly. I wish the media would stop hyping this (front page news at CNN, ESPN, Yahoo, etc) until he's proven innocent or guilty. Unfortunately they make their money on pageviews not in depth reporting.

If he's guilty, I wonder if sharesleuth.com will cover it.
Back when I was working for a search website, I remember Mamma was in talks to buy us out. I always thought that (a few things aside), the site was a slapdash, poorly thought-out website with no vision. I can't understand, to this day, why they wasted valuable corporate time meeting with our company's CEO. To be honest, it probably was because they too were an aimless "Quebec Inc" startup with too much money and no idea on how to use it.

All that to say, anyone with even the smallest background on Mamma would never put their money in it. Mark Cuban strikes out again.
I'm looking through the sources and can't find a paper on tolerance buildup times nor rebound effects after abstinence. Alas, I only have access to abstracts right now :(

As for polyphasic sleep and napping, it is known that energy levels fluctuate cyclically throughout the day with two peaks, but I'm surprised that you plotted it with a sinusoidal curve that would suggest constant periods and surprisingly, constant amplitudes... of course, without axes the graphs don't say much of anything, but it's still a surprising presentation. You could justify it as being for a general audience, but it has significant risk of creating misconceptions, and weakens this article quite a bit.

By the way, one of the papers finds "Caffeine consumption for 4 weeks also significantly reduced hippocampal neurogenesis compared to controls." Which is not happy news for me.
That's not surprising at all, all Hulu content has advertising. It tilts long-form too, so there are more ads you can watch in a 20 minute TV show or 2 hour movie than 20-seconds of a panda sneezing.