skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
And yet people are voting it up. It would be nice if HN's "vote up" and "save for later" functions weren't conflated, although I suppose that would make the interface more complex.
Leaving. As would be my friend.
using fewer words is not the same as optimizing for the fewest words possible.
It's little tid-bits like these that make Hacker News so great. My boys and I use Kongregate for family fun time since I'm in grad school and flash games are the right price for our budget (Although I put in a request with Santa for World of Goo and a $10 registration for Incredible Machines) having founders turn up to comment on articles is just cool.

I also like the think about how much better a place the world is now that thousands of people everyday get pointed to the best new games, rewarding quality, generating revenue for good developers. That's a whole lot of utility generated in a very "sustainable" way. All from one apartment.
The buddahnet.net looks like it has some pretty good information.

For a different take, check out Anne Wise's "High Performance Mind" http://www.amazon.com/High-Performance-Mind-Anna-Wise/dp/087...

The former focuses on a form of meditation called mindfulness. It lets you be more present without the distractions of the monkey mind. It means that when you start coding, you don't easily follow the distractions that keep you from coding.

The latter focuses on the different states of mind, running the gamut from wakefulness all the way to deep sleep. You learn how to access each of those states at-will. There is a bigger emphasis on guided meditation (as opposed to mindfulness) and includes techniques on dealing with what comes up from the subconscious. The book includes both theory and practices, and is definitely hackable.

Both approaches complement each other, though both will require practice. If one doesn't work initially, I recommend trying the other. The resulting skill is worth the effort.

Whether you are practicing mindfulness or using guided meditation, I recommend timeboxing your meditation, either by getting a kitchen timer or using incense. Without timeboxing, it is unlikely you will be able to relax deeply enough -- some part of you will keep thinking there is something else to do. If you've never done this before, I'd start with 5 mins a day, work your way up to 10, then 30 mins. 5 mins of mindfulness practice is a very long time for someone conditioned to 30 second attention spans. The key is daily practice.
The reasons: The process involves so much physical manipulation of the computer that it interferes with our ability to focus on and appreciate what we're reading; online text moves up and down the screen and lacks physical dimension, robbing us of a feeling of completeness; and multimedia features, such as links to videos and animations, leave little room for imagination, limiting our ability to form our own mental pictures to illustrate what we're reading.

They acknowledge later in the article that the findings about PC manipulation might be different for people who were raised in a different time, and I definitely agree -- a blank browser tab with focus on the URL bar is about as calming as possible for me. I definitely get annoyed when I'm reading a paper news article and I want to research a reference, doubly so when online at a paper news site when they don't link to things they obviously would if they were true online sources.

While I agree that the second half holds merit, I think it's wrong to hang that on the internet itself. I definitely "watch" reddit sometimes, just clicking pics links and skimming programming articles without really soaking anything in.

I think that being online doesn't change the need for discretion when choosing your information sources when you're attempting to do more than be passively entertained.
there's really only two realistic avenues -- charge for the services you provide or sell advertising in some form.
Is less choice a good thing?
Elements of Style teaches you how to write clearly and concisely. It doesn't teach you how to write a novel.
Interesting strategy... It's something like asking "What's the number one reason I shouldn't hire you?"

I can't see a benefit to asking it, as it would only favor dishonest applicants while irritating others, but it would be interesting to hear the answers.
"We were like totally amazed says de Gelder" ... and then I suspect she added "but lulz aside I was like wtf, dude ?" but that got edited out.
I sure wish I had paid less attention in school.

I attended college prep high schools and was a 3.9+ GPA student, took many AP courses, etc. I ate the dog food. But at the end of the 11th grade I decided I was through, and left early for college en route to a PhD in CS. Looking back, I am disappointed at myself for being so focused on the main curriculum -- the only activities that I am proud of now were ones done outside of it.

I think the flaw in your argument is that you assume that ignoring school yields narrow mindedness. It does not have to be so. For example, in my spare time I developed a web site of a well-known physicist that was eventually reviewed by the Scientific American. I can understand how someone would consider that narrow, but it required me not only to read physics and hack HTML (this was the mid-90s), but also to write essays, develop design skills, and become comfortable holding my ground in discussions with people far my senior who wanted the site changed in one way or another. These were all invaluable skills that I learned, really internalized, only because I pursued something that I considered important. With the exception of one class, that never happened at school.

That being said, I agree that in order to get a PhD one needs a certain level of tolerance of inane work. But that tolerance should be extended only to activities that stand in the way of accomplishing some goal that is important to you. To people reading this board a high school diploma is irrelevant, so I think most schoolwork does not achieve any particular goal for them.
He brings up a good point though. I'm guessing if he posted something along the lines of "I am impressed with your usage of the word "thusly"" rather than "+1 for "thusly"" he would not have been downvoted, even though they're approximately equivalent and neither adds much to the conversation.
Well, I guess they are not Indie anymore!
I love this. I was just torn about learning Merb and worried about how the Rails community was slowing down. This should inject some much needed energy as well as introduce some of Merb's awesome features into Rails. Great move.
My brain knows it's the middle of December, but I had to check to make sure it wasn't April 1st. This is exactly the type of headline we see every year on April 1st. Crazy that it's real.
It's open source... fork it. I'm sure someone will.
KPSS TERCiH KILAVUZU
KHTML and WebKit (though I'm not sure what the status of the "unforking" is): http://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2007/07/23/the-unf...
It looks like it really is a HuffPo article/blog post as opposed to a teaser link to WSJ, NYTimes, etc. It'd be nice if there was a bit more citation of quotes, numbers, etc.

And of course it's not just Harvard that's hit with losing nearly a quarter of it's value: Yale had announced it lost 25% [http://seekingalpha.com/article/111196-yale-endowment-down-2...] and if you do a news search on "college endowment" you'll see similar losses.

It'll be interesting to see how colleges cope with budget shortfalls especially with the initiatives that they've made on the financial aid front.

There's also the fallout from the Madoff debacle that hasn't yet been factored in: http://www.usnews.com/blogs/paper-trail/2008/12/22/tufts-yes...
I think he is a spam bot that uses Markov chains.
Thanks. I bought this book a while back after reading a portion of it online. I didn't manage to get through because of what I perceived as flowery, tad-excessively metaphorical description. I guess I should try it again.
WebWork and Struts merged to become Struts 2...
The information as stated makes me a bit wary, but I have a lot of respect for and trust in the Merb team with Yehuda and Ezra in particular. In speaking with them in #merb, they seemed very excited about this, so I cannot help but be optimistic.

That said, the wording of things currently is unsettling. This happened because Merb is considered technically better, more sophisticated, and Rails has the backing and the momentum. They merge so that both have both. I have some qualms with the fact that Merb seems to be taking a back-seat in titles like Merb is being merged into Rails.

I worry that Merb will feel like Rails when it really should be the opposite. This has been mentioned in #merb and, again, Yehuda assures us we will be happy. I believe that, even though it's all a bit hard to digest.
Thank you; installed.
They all have good points and perspectives from different individuals involved in the merger.
Hacker News could use a merge too. So we can merge together multiple topics like this.
Is Merb Rails?
Shame it's massively overpriced for what it is. The only reason I bought it was it was sub-£20 from Amazon at the time, and even that's pretty steep unless they're planning some epic free expansions for it.
In the case you didn't get it, it is a java applet game (using Processing). Here is a description:

"Thinking Machine 4 explores the invisible, elusive nature of thought. Play chess against a transparent intelligence, its evolving thought process visible on the board before you.

The artwork is an artificial intelligence program, ready to play chess with the viewer. If the viewer confronts the program, the computer’s thought process is sketched on screen as it plays."
Merb and Rails Sitting in a Tree
It's also a matter of timing: If you've already got a functioning toilet odds are you're never even going to think about replacing it out. If you're in the middle of putting together your dream bathroom you might consider it.

Otherwise you could say the same thing for bathtubs (Jacuzzi anyone?) and showers (rain heads, dual heads, full-body nozzles, etc.). And yes, there's a market for cheap add-ons/replacements that work with your existing setup. But they haven't driven the high-end out of business.
Of 'the' living room? I don't think that's the case. I'd wager there are more wii's in living rooms than xboxes.
The xbox is first and foremost a teenage hardcore gamer boys game system, not a family games console.

Also, working off all losses 'in a few years' is great, if things stay the same for those next 5-10 years. But these things can change over night. Some new device on the scene.

Being back to square one in 5-10 years isn't a resounding success though, considering the massive profits Nintendo is making.
The title is "Why X makes you a worse progarmmer"

Then his conclusion: "I have no doubt that in general I am a better programmer for learning these languages..."

Um, hello?
How to get 3 free months of XM/Sirius Radio (for current subscribers)
Well, there are already over 400 Rails forks on github. ;-)
Nokia 3610 fold Unlocked
Nokia 3610 Fold is designed with usability in mind. Its ergonomic shape provides a natural alignment to the face. Spacious keys allow for comfortable text messaging, while smooth back offers an understated elegance.
Zeldman: Presentation from Gain 2008: Understanding Web Design (empathize with your users)
It will likely depend on the nature of the app, the targeted end user and the type of data that would be stored within the app.

Many businesses of all sizes are very comfortable with SaaS thanks to apps like Saleforce.com. Also, it sounds like you would prefer developing for the web anyway. So, that may be your answer right there.
A peek at Extra Extra, an internal 37signals app
DB2 on Mac officially released
I like to think about our public schools as... a lucrative enterprise?
The first toilet I had in Japan was just a plain toilet but one thing about it was that it had a little wash basin over the tank where you could wash your hands as the tank was re-filling. Logically I could see it as being efficient and environmentally friendly but I just never could get over the idea of using toilet water to wash my hands so I never used it (i did wash my hands, just not with the toilet water).

Another takeaway - the bath that fills itself up at the exact temperature you specify and calls out to you when it is ready.
For almost a decade 18 to 28ish (early 30s now) I dealt with obsessive thoughts and in turn anxiety that stifled me being myself around others/enjoying myself. 18 to 24 before I went out of state to finish my studies I had a ton of friends. We did stuff day in and day out, but i could never enjoy those times as I was filled with anxiety and could never be myself.

Fortunately I talked about my problems a lot. My mom went thru the same thing and said that I would grow out of it, which I did after many years.

I tried various anti-depressants and stuff, but for me they never helped me ... time did though, as well as talking about it(this made me realize Im not crazy/not the only one)!
Moving to Argentina
I'm an entrepreneur, moving to Argentina.

Anyone know builders, developers, entrepreneurs, or innovative companies hiring in Argentina?
I once heard someone suggest that the "Rails" architecture should just be a standard that could be implemented for any language. This seems to be a step in that direction. Sounds pretty good to me.
Yes, but someone needs to step up and build a community for it to be a viable fork.

There's a difference between someone forking Rails on GitHub so they can say "look at me, I maintain my own fork of Rails" (like 99% of those Rails "forks") and a legitimate open source project.
The Firefox plugin at addons.mozilla.org is messed up (I looked at the contents and found it's an html document). However, the "Benefit right away by installing the firefox plugin" link has a working xpi. Just a heads-up for anyone wondering why they can't install the plugin. :-)

EDIT: Oh, and the statusbar icon is utterly pointless.
Design Fast Websites (Don't Blame the Rounded Corners)
A similar story concerning the external view of a company:

http://www.solipsys.co.uk/new/TheUserInterface.html?YC

And then a follow-up that is even more apposite:

http://www.solipsys.co.uk/new/GrumpyOldMenOnTheTrains.html?Y...

First impressions, then one's response to a problem. Get them both right and it's priceless.
NASA Taps SpaceX, Orbital Sciences to Haul Cargo to Space Station
Happy Holidays HN: our new web app for easy sharing with your family
Update: Dec 23rd - He he, I rest my case ;)

http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2008/12/23/merb-gets-merged-in...

http://yehudakatz.com/2008/12/23/rails-and-merb-merge/

http://brainspl.at/articles/2008/12/23/merb-is-rails

http://rubyonrails.org/merb
We're just sharing the app right now with close friends and family. Mark and I spend a ton of time on HN, and consider you guys family, so we wanted to share it here. We'll do the whole press, launch,etc. thing in mid january.
Maybe this is an opportunity for someone to protect what Merb has achieved by branching off the project at its current stage and insisting on its distinct identity from Rails. Don't know if there would be any value in this but at least it might avoid the dilution of features that seems possible once it gets merged with Rails.
Ask HN: Why no search bar?
When I first wondered why there was no search bar, I went to go find it to see if this had been asked already.
How about this?

myList collect(description) select(!="") join("\n")

http://www.iolanguage.com/scm/git/checkout/Io/docs/IoGuide.h...
"He prefers to read books written by people that have actual experience doing something, rather than theoretical extrapolations"

i also find that books written from author's experience superior

examples: pg's essays, htgr by felix dennis, ferris among others

actually pretty much everything else (author who sings own song, cook who eats own food, etc)
this is cool. nice work.
Nintendo has been successful, especially in terms of sales and profits, no doubt. And yes, there are more Wiis in living rooms and 360s and PS3s combined.

However, success is not only measured in short term profits. When Netflix was support was added to the Xbox Dashboard software a few weeks ago, it became the number one delivery vehicle for instant watch videos overnight. To scoff at that level of influence over the entertainment space is shortsighted.

Additionally, the sales trends of every console in recorded gaming history shows 80% of the console sales occurred when the price was below $200. The 360 just recently dipped into that range this holiday season.
I like the python version: it is the densest, and most similar to set notation. It is done similarly in Fortress.
I've been enjoying the Knuth series over the past year or so. Almost done now.
My main problem has been that after I say everything that I want to say I still have several pages to fill. I imagine this would be like asking a programmer to deliver a 2000 line program that the programmer can write in 200. It could be a psychological revulsion to waste (using more words/lines than are needed) or it could be that I don't have sufficient depth in my thinking to produce the volume of content needed to explore the topic. Either way, I think that I've probably seen the last of my mandatory minimum page lengths, so I'm not particularly worried about it. Still, it would have been a nice skill to have back in high school.
google for "site:news.ycombinator.com [query]" or http://www.searchyc.com/
gcc forked at one point, and was subsequently merged back into the main branch. Still, though, it's not an everyday thing.
what do i share with them?

it wasn't obvious what the app does, so i left.
Hacking an OpenSearch plugin to sync with your Adsense Account
You'll have lots of fun, regardless. :)

Send me an email (in my profile) and I'll check around. I know a few people in Brasil and Venezuela.

Maciej Ceglowski of Yahoo Pipes fame spent a year in Argentina, maybe you can ask him?
http://www.idlewords.com/2006/04/argentina_on_two_steaks_a_d...
Here's a decent article on Gabler from back in the day: http://www.virginia.edu/insideuva/2003/11/gabler_kyle.html
although it doesn't display any of his work. My roommate was managing editor last year for the CD and he likes to brag about the new site they have, but apparently it's not working at the moment.
Because people have no sense of humor? Beats the hell out of me, and I wrote it. They're debating it on the comments of the post itself, too. I thought it was pretty obviously tongue-in-cheek, but maybe I should have suggested that Markus was secretly an alien or something.
Ioke 0 released
...and it was awesome!
In the Beginning was the Command Line, by Neal Stephenson
Um like have you already made any choices re: what technology you are developing on? Is this a web product?
I think it's better to give an answer directly related to your skills in your field. None of us is perfect, and we should all have some particular things we are working on. If you get the job, your actual weaknesses will become apparent soon enough. I could say, for example, that I tend to focus on functionality vs readability in code, but after a few years in commercial software development I see that maintainability of the code is of paramount importance so I am working to better present my code so that others can use it.
Knewton Takes Adaptive Learning To The Next Level
I agree but consolidation of all this information in an easy to follow thread a good thing, hence the few comments.
I track my book list on Bookhuddle; here is one list that might be of interest to others http://www.bookhuddle.com/list/491/Recommended-Technical-and...

You can also form book clubs there and manage multiple group lists.
For what it's worth, "Every employee has his own office" doesn't always apply anymore, since hiring has outpaced capacity over the past few years.
I'm a merbist and think this will be good for both the Merb and Rails communities.

That said, I'm a little afraid it will shaft the other Ruby frameworks (Sinatra, Camping). People might make interesting things only compatible with Rails.

When Merb was a pretty big, active minority, it was more compelling to go out of one's way to make interesting libraries (ORMs, gems, etc.) easily compatible with anything ruby.

Rails is gaining modularity, but I fear Ruby overall might lose it. Even after Rails and Merb merge, rails!=ruby.
Washington is killing Silicon Valley
drool and other work of his: http://kylegabler.com/oldsite/contents/art/index.html
I am a perfectionist. I always meet deadlines, but that is because I am willing to work many extra hours to satisfy my need to be perfect. It's good for the company, but bad for me.
I'm pretty sure he would rejected that answer...
Often, yes:

http://www.squeezedbooks.com/book/show/19/the-paradox-of-cho...

http://journal.dedasys.com/2006/02/18/maximizers-satisficers...
Direi dal tuo nome che sei italiano... o sbaglio? In any case, good luck, but IMO there are better places to go if you want to avoid some of what's wrong with Italy. Just guessing, though:-)
Muad'Dib saw through prescience applied to the present.
Speaker Listing for TED 2009
Mystery Christmas Gift
Weird.
Is there a mailing list for Linux users who want to be updated when a linux version comes out?

Edit: Nevermind, kind of found it http://2dboy.com/mailman/listinfo/announce_2dboy.com
Yeah, it's sort of unclear from the article if they have sold or not. But until you sell losses are just as imaginary as gains. The short term reduction in interest, dividend, and similar income sounds like it's gonna hurt them though.
If you're on OS X and like Vera, you might take a look a Panic Sans, included in the app bundle of Coda. It's a tweaked version Vera Sans Mono. I can't put my finger on what they tweaked, but it's been my preference for some time now.
um...bad ideas isn't one big contiguous space. there are good bad ideas and bad bad ideas.
good bad ideas are those where you are trying to solve a problem or do something fun, but your execution isn't that great.
bad bad ideas are those that invent a problem that doesn't exist and then solve it (watch infomercials).
I like this. I am curious about privacy. robots.txt seems to allow everything at the moment. When I tried to go to the page I created for my family I get:

"We're sorry, but something went wrong."

Tell me more.
C# was, to me, the best available language in TopCoder competitions. Once I had more than a passing acquaintance with Python, Lisp, Ruby and Haskell, it was annoying to compete in it. I spent a bunch of time trying to imagine a way to write in a language of my choice using code generation. Eventually I just gave up, and stopped playing (though this was one of many contributing factors)
The feeling I've gotten, which is certainly not original, is that the Rails people are much happier about this than the Merb people.
My greatest weakness is that I'm old, experienced and been around enough that I'm unwilling to put up with bullshit such as clueless interviewers and usually lack the tact to hide it. It's very liberating once you realize the company needs you more than you need them.
hey were on it now, it's an isolated issue which is good. email me: j@ramamia.com , ill personally email you when resolved.

Let us know what you'd like us to do regarding robots.txt . We'll get that done asap. thanks!
Just fixed that. Thanks for letting us know.

WRT privacy, I'm working on getting the pages and content protected. It's difficult to find a balance between allowing people to email page links, and security.
Hacker News goes Christmas
I just had my color scheme change to red & green. Let's crack out the egg nog and celebrate!
Eggnog + Cognac = happy Tipjoy household
Alan Cox is moving on from Red Hat