skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
Static photorealistic scenes are still a pretty hard problem. If it was just "ray tracing and you're done" it'd be a different story. You have complex lighting interactions (best modelled using the radiosity technique) and you have complex sub-surface light interactions which are a prominent compnent to making ordinary human skin appear real. These aren't even completely solved problems in the state of the art today.

Now, all of that is just square zero. A mere preface to the real problems: realistic animation and realistic interactivity. You can make a pretty decent photorealistic world with current technology but it would have to be an untouchable, unmoving, unrealistic frozen world. Adding in animations is a problem at the same computational intensity as the rendering problem. And making the world capable of being interacted with a level of fidelity approaching the quality of the rendering and animation is a problem so lacking in proposed solutions that it doesn't even have a sound theoretical underpinning yet.
This doesn't make sense to me. Having a lot of files stored on behalf of individuals does not translate into having a lot of files that users want shared or published. My DropBox account has several gigs of files but there aren't any in there that I'd opt to share publicly if they suddenly offered some kind of publishing platform.

Similar to email vs. Facebook, while there are lots of files people want to share, the reality is that _most_ content individual to users (i.e. not music downloads or software packages) is fairly private stuff.
There is no link. Yet.
Kyro - I think it's ridiculous that people are so possessive of free design concepts, but one cool blog post to take a look at is Metalab's theoretical redesign of the Zappos homepage few year's back: http://metalabdesign.com/zappos/

They do a pretty nice job of explaining why and what they did - might be a nice framework if you're planning on justifying your decisions.

I personally find these designs more "fun to look at" than anything - it's always cool to see what and how someone who isn't a part of the day to day sees a product as. To me, these designs are just a super detailed pieces of user feedback. Keep going at it!
The revenue tsunami was a strange one for me as well. What exactly is he referring to? There are many things I could point out about the good financial aspects of seed fund startups but a current revenue tsunami is not something that personally comes to mind.
Great idea. Am not really opinionated nor a native English speaker, but couldn't wait to be a keen listener to the podcast if this take off :-)
With great power comes great responsibility. Sure, read the source. But don't think that because you followed some internal code path and figured out that it's "safe" to pass `null` to a function that it will always be safe. If the docs for a project don't say it's safe, ask them to clarify.
This is how I would design linkedIn...
Instagram-scam?
I've found that when it doesn't make sense to keep everything in .Net, it's great to break things out into independent services. If there's something awesome you want to use in Java, like Lucene, expose it as a service and consume it from .Net.

In fact, if you do this right, you end up with a bunch of clearly separated re-usable services like in AWS. It also helps prevent the "giant ball of spaghetti" architecture by making it impossible.
No, but it's what the order basically prevented them from doing.

Don't do illegal sh*t and your company won't suffer.
Yes, there's a social media bubble, but we're not at 1999 levels. Yet.
Thanks for the insight anigbrowl, I'm a 21 year old film student, so I'm definitely still learning all of this. I didn't truly expect a 7.5% reward returning the gear, I returned it to do the right thing. It was a far shot, but with a three thousand dollar budget for the project when he offered me compensation and asked what I hoped for, I thought why not, $600 isn't a huge amount to ask. After all it's rental of two lesnes and a microphone for three days. They might not even have orders for them the weekend I requested...

I still truly believe that being called a liar and hung up on trying to explain my position was an unnecessary line to cross when dealing with someone who had been consistently renting from them withut issue and had returned their lost gear notifying them within 24 hours of receiving it. But then again, that may just be me. :/
from someone who had to go through consent decree training; yes it was.

they could not leverage windows use base for a competitive advantage in any other product/service.
> "They only see the present."

That's a symptom of bad management. If they assume presence == productivity, it will be just one of many flawed assumptions and bad practices that will result in a pretty lousy workplace for knowledge workers.
What they're actually doing is conflating programmer and sysadmin here; the tasks they're assigning to the 'on-call programmer' are very similar to the ones I would expect as a sysadmin to get. Things like monitor the service, act as first responder, coordinate fixes; there's precious little that is actual programming there until you get into fixing it, and even there the goal is minimizing downtime, not debugging the change into working on the live system; typically "revert whatever changed" is one of the first tools for this work.

An actual need to do programming instantly and with no warning is quite a different proposition, not one that I'm aware of having ever been needed in any of the companies I've worked for.
Feds shutter online narcotics store that used TOR to hide its tracks
What exactly is the power of Unix vs. say 64-bit Win2008 R2? The file system? I'll buy that, and that matters if you have a shitload of files. Anything else?
I couldn't agree more. Apple, Google and Microsoft are revenue tsunamis. Instagram, Uber, Airbnb etc. may as well be operating in a different universe in comparison.
That runs you into pathological customer territory. People who care about the difference between $20/year and $40/year are not going to be sources of any significant profit, and statistically are the sort that will consume customer service resources for help with trivial issues. Remember that if just one out of five folks who would sign up at $20/year convinces themselves to spend $100/year, you come out ahead.
"Instagram, but for _________"

Four words. Took me all day to come up with.
The problem is that there does still exist a whole lot of jobs that require people to do them that are not easy to motivate people to do. Some of these jobs are required so that we can house, clothe, and feed them.

If nobody actually had to work, would we really have enough people building homes, farming food, and making, and distributing food such that we could continue to feed, clothe and house everbody? I don't know what the answer is, but you must admit that there is a serious possibility that the answer is No. I agree everybody should have the right to food, clothes, and shelter, but I'm not sure that the approach of giving it to everybody for free will actually be sustainable, at least not without some additional thought into the infrastructure.
Ask HN: Why wasn't Rapportive ever sued by Google?
Their plugin replaces the Google Adwords ads with their own content. Google released a competing widget; why not just sue? Wouldn't Google have a case for they are directly interfering with their revenue stream? I am interested in creating my own Gmail plugin but would like to know the legalities behind this first.
Following Your Instincts: Developing Darksiders II
I'd love to ignore it but the Gov unilaterally deciding to spend £10 billion of public money entertaining rich people for a week or two in the midst of a recession when there's rampant unemployment, an ever widening poverty gap and cuts on all but essential public services ... sorry can't ignore that.
"Tube" Blender-animated film launches fundraising campaign
Bassam Kurdali's free culture 3D animation, "Tube" is nearing the final stages of production. After directing the first of the Blender Institutes "Open Movie Projects", Elephants Dream, Bassam wanted to prove that free software like Blender and PiTiVi are usable for independent filmmakers and that producing free cultural works can be a sustainable living too. The team has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the project and if the goal is met then we should see the final release in 7 months!
This is a missing feature of Google Apps. The microsoft model is shared network drives that support any file type plus office. Google Apps can't currently compete with the shared network drive because it is limited to only documents.
it's certainly a gigantic bubble, from what I can tell.
Maybe I'm unique, but this is regularly my MO in my own work or projects. Feel like a bug in django, or an edge case isn't documented, I do two things: ask if anyone knows off the top of their head in an IRC channel and then go and read the source while I wait to see if anyone has any sagely advice.

Sure beats trying to post an unformatable block of text into an MSDN forum and then well, nothing happens after that.

I also agree with the other comment here's implication, reading source code from others is a great way to get insight on how to use APIs, how to write idiomatic code and ways to avoid pitfalls.
There are many registered trademarks in the open source world, including Linux, Ubuntu, and Wikipedia among others. OpenStack is also a registered trademark. I don't see any irony at all. Registering a trademark is a way to protect an open source project from abuse by people who would take advantage of the name to endorse their own unrelated product. Try getting the source code for aws and try getting the source code for open stack, and then tell me which one you think is more open.
Totally. Right on the money. And the irony is that most people do work better during the day usually having 1 peak in the morning and one in the afternoon. I used to work long hours and spend hours past midnight on problems I could have solved in half an hour after rest. This is something that should stop.
> It actually would be really cool if Google Drive was the ultimate data liberation tool...even if your account is closed, you already have all of your google account data (emails, docs, etc) backed up in your Drive folder locally.

This is a fantastic idea! I would love to see more people clamor for this.
Except it's not just a job, in all likelihood they get a payout from being acquired as well.
Totally agree. Way too much people thinks changes happen instantly. Nokia did not adapt to the iPhone-Android boom, and it's paying it now. Any movement they do now will be reflected in performance in the next quarters, as that lack of adaptation is reflecting now in their performance.

I think Nokia will improve significantly in terms of revenue. The new Lumias are pretty good and are selling really well. Also, don't forget that behind this stands Microsoft, which still has an enormous dominance in the enterprise business, and who could push Windows Phone as the perfect complement for all the enterprise software it is already selling (Office, Outlook, Exchange, Lync, Windows, Windows Server...)
Thanks for the reply. I was told by twitter that this is similar to the kernel perceptron which I don't know well either. There is a good introduction with python code snippet here:

http://www.mblondel.org/journal/2010/10/31/kernel-perceptron...

However it seems that you need to compute the kernel expansion on the full set of samples (or maybe just the accumulated past samples?): this does not sound very online to me...
I understand the frustration. I've run into from a few of my students on the FTC teams that I mentor in my neighborhood. I think that this can be attributed to a lack of really great educational material (there is good stuff out there, but it can be hard to find when the build season really picks up), but on the flip side, I've seen kids in elementary school pick up the basics of dataflow programming, especially when working with the NXT-G software that comes with the Mindstorms NXT.

It's definitely a tool and one should always use the best tool for the job. Sometimes the best tool is not necessarily the one with the most suited features, but the one that you're most adept at using. Either way, thanks for the input, really. It helps a lot to understand what people walk away with when they use a product you've been a part of, and I love that HN users are honest and gracious in their feedback. Cheers.
Agreed - the future of gaming should be in gaming.

One of my favourite games is The Witcher 2 because it explores player choice with branching story lines. A lot of things you do in the game change things later on in ways that few other games do.
Where is the kill file when you need it?
First of all, I totally agree with this and I too have been very disappointed by how the EFF, DemandProgress, and others have run their campaigns.

> It reflects already- in- place common industry practice: providers are already sharing often-detailed information about attacks.

I'm not surprised to hear that ISPs share info, but what about in the corporate space? Say, between JP Morgan Chase and Google, or between Facebook and Apple. My (limited) experience is that the broad sharing of detailed threat data are limited by fears of competitive intelligence and legal liability. Which would be why CISPA limits liability and puts the government in the role of a central clearinghouse.
It might be OK in the company policy, but where it counts is co-worker and manager opinion. I personally have found that coming into work at 7am and working til 4pm just doesn't fly with other co-workers. They get the opinion that I didn't have to work as much as everyone else. Productivity can be hard to judge, so it's easy to revert back to time in the office.

I believe there was a study at Google that had similar results as what I experienced as well.
That example is definitely looks great.

... and yes, as a Java developer, I use Guava once in a while and I do JavaScript as part of my job as well and I do appreciate first-class function.

Typically the problems that functional features solve are filtering and transformation and yet most often than not I happen to solve them at the SQL layer (be it JPQL or straight up SQL).
Can Women Startups Level the Playing Field?
>'My favourite replacement term is "Summer Games 2012"'

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/12/schedule/4

See Section 3. That's a non-allowed term for anyone not paid up as part of the LOAR. Indeed it appears that "Summer 2012" is also not allowed.
Or even better, they better start coughing up more $$$. As in substantially more. I think software companies should hire full time but pay by the hour. Overtime will disappear or be required rarely. Employees will be happier.

Of course, bad managers, to make themselves look good will assign 1 weeks worth of work for every hour at first. Till they all lose their jobs.
Opposing your assertion, I will note I went to a VC party two weeks ago and I did not see a single ice sculpture. They did however have popcorn infused with truffle oil.
I think Google's ultimate endgame is a post-scarcity world. Where creators just create.
Great effect but how did they get the footage of pac so clean? is it a 3d model?
Germany’s economic model - What Germany offers the world
IDrive Releases Open API Platform
Exactly. Expecting more, should come with recompense. You want 10 hour days, ok then Fridays are off. Or every week I get one PTO day.
Google Drive Lives: Google Drive App Found
Related reading: Taste for Makers by PG http://www.paulgraham.com/taste.html
If you're using an Android device. Use the "Hacker's Keyboard" app. It's the only way to go. It makes having a touchscreen irrelevant. If you're on iOS you may be out of luck.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.pocketwork...
Personify launches new platform for global ondamand volunteering
What if the stuff you want is too small to break out into separate service? e.g. some little util library or even a something like a driver

Also if you use a lot of libraries / apps from a specific language, doesn't it make more sense just to transition to that language instead, or does what .NET buy your team worth it to stay?
Space is really big
If you wouldn't mind me (your friendly, neighborhood National Instruments programmer browsing HN) asking, could you expound a little more on other things you've found horrible with LabVIEW?

I completely understand your sentiment on debugging and maintainability. I've done my fair share of quick-and-dirty apps that did one little thing wrong and a million highlighted executions and five years later, I've finally got a handle on what's wrong (mind you, I'm nowhere near a LabVIEW expert).

I love our documentation tool as well. We call it Context Help, and as you highlight over different parts of your code diagram, it's handy to see a quick, readable summary with links to full documentation for every single node and system available in LabVIEW.

If only all IDEs had the same functionality and it's the reason why I'm super psyched to see Light Table come out. Ready to be blown away.
14 Tech-Forward Concepts Reshaping Our Future
I wish I had more diverse friends

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/01/21/14-having-black-f...
Don't be too quick to condemn 37signals for needing on-call programmers. For many startups, the process goes like this: all devs are always on-call. It seems that 37signals at least makes the requirements of the job clear. The fact is, running a live service almost always requires some degree of live support. (Even the most robust production software will experience the occasional hiccup.)

But it does seem like they're throwing money at the band-aids. Would love to see an article addressing how to fix the root of these sorts of problems, instead of just outlining how they put out all of their fires.
'Drive' is kind of a backward-looking name – the evolution of both appliance devices and the cloud means people have less reason to think of 'floppy drives', 'hard drives' and 'flash drives' than ever before.

Also, the Google self-driving cars have had more popular attention lately than their cloud storage feints... so many people seeing "Google Drive coming soon" are going to think it's the computer-driver.
Google wants people to Login. And remain Logged in. Gathering data about people is more valuable when it's tied to an individual.

(I'm very restrictive when i do have to login. I do what i'm there for. Nothing else. Then quickly logout.)
Tax Deductions in Plain English
Could have made that point more clearly I guess. Zynga, Airbnb, Dropbox and OMGPop all have massive revenue growth. Instagram could have easily had massive revenue, they just--wisely it seems--decided to make filters free. Hipstamatic charged for filters, had a fraction of the user base and never hit real scale. If Hipstamatic makes $5,000 a day / $2M a year (which it might), then they made $2M a year on tens of thousands of users vs. Instagram's $0.00 a year on tens of millions of users.

Of course the best thing to have is tens of millions of users and revenue (Zynga, OMGPOP).
Dear Windows Phone: Get Your Shit Together
But even then, it depends on the library. For the most part .NET assemblies are so easy to decompile that even when you don't have the source that doesn't end up being much of an impediment. (The only thing you really don't get is comments.) There are some vendors who insist on obfuscating their assemblies, but they're easy enough to avoid.
The magic behind Meteor: Declarative Programming and Autosubscribe
Honda debuts ASIMO-based Segway-style unicycle: U3-X Personal Mobility Concept
The basic idea being discussed is very close to a "Guarunteed Minimum Income" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guaranteed_minimum_income ). Essentially, everyone regardless of work is supplied with a certain minimum, but with enough work they can earn far more than that minimum.

I do not believe it has ever been fully tried in practice (though a strong social safety net comes somewhat close in a piecemeal fashion). But there is no reason in principle it cannot work and some respected thinkers such as Thomas Paine have advocated it. There would be enough people motivated by a combination of the love of the job and the desire to earn more than the low-guarunteed minimum to ensure necessary societal functioned.

It may have some undesirable side effects, but in principle it could be made to work.

Edit: Slight edit for clarity.
For the biggest acts it feels like the solution was already found (for the most part) by Twitter with their fancy verified checkmarks.
How to Multitask in the Linux Terminal: 3 Ways to Use Multiple Shells at Once
Thanks for the fact check. When folks raise their angel rounds they have 18 months or runway, so I could see the 6 turning in 20. Which might be 1/3rd. Raising an A-Round is HARD because VCs only do 1.5 deals a year each individually (10 boards/investments over the lift of a 7-10 year fund).
Entire books have been published that consist of annotated source code, the least famous probably being Lions' Commentary on Unix and Knuth's "TeX: The Program", since they are pretty much the only widely distributed books consisting primarily of annotated source.
Someone made this point in a direct response to the post, and was quickly dismissed as a troll (as well as being treated to a particularly snarky response from DHH).

While I certainly have to think that 37signals knows what they are doing, the need for a 24/7 programmer does sound a little strange. Perhaps it's just a question of semantics, as the post describes dev/ops duties more than anything else.
It's a good question, but I believe airlines would be classified either as monopolistic competition, or a non-collusive oligopoly. There's an identifiable difference between a flight on Virgin America and one on American Airlines, so at least some of the competition occurs on a dimension other than price.

There's a model called 'Porter's five forces' that is often used to evaluate the strength of business models, and Thiel's choice of language seems to indicate that he's familiar with and supports at least some aspects of this model. It looks at five major factors:

1) threat of new competition (new airlines)
2) threat of substitutes (WebEx, high-speed rail)
3) bargaining power of buyers (you and me)
4) bargaining power of suppliers (Airbus, Sysco Foods, Airports, Labor, Fuel)
5) Intensity of competition

Thinking quickly about airlines, my thought is that items 2 and 5 are the largest problem areas. Item 2 because if prices rise too much, businesses can shift some travel to email/webex/conference call, and pleasure travelers can pick alternate destinations either on lower-priced (likely less profitable) routes, or can simply not fly to their destination.

Item 5 because if A creates a profitable flight, there's a fairly strong incentive for B to start offering a very similar flight and competing (in part) on price. This is likely to eventually drive the profit generated from that flight down to zero. After all, even if A and B managed to reach a profitable equilibrium, C is likely to notice and compete on that flight, and this is likely to continue until everyone's revenues are just meeting their expenses.
If you're paying your VCs legal fees you're making a mistake. You don't need to do that any more. :-) You can also cap it (i.e. $10k of your legal fees). Fight for this point by saying "you want as much money in the company as possible").

$25k is fairly standard on a $4M raise.
"Exiting times we live in."

Almost fits better... as in we're leaving the past, or era of emacs/vim.

Still, I remain curious if this was deliberate or typo?