skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
"... Water tanks and solar hot water seem quite prevalent in Melb - what's the cost/experience gap that you're referring to? ..."

If you want re-cycled water with minimal waste. Solar power hooked into the grid selling back to the power companies. Houses re-fitted with better insulation, access to high efficiency white-goods. Proper citing of properties with north facing aspects. This all takes money.

To get the desired outcome, you have to think decentralised rather than the centralised reliance we have now. Adding tanks & restricted showers is a 1950's solution to a much bigger problem. Btw where I grew up ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/sets/72157612299413869... a large portion of my school mates lived on tank-water and generators for backup ~ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootload/245135326 So water tanks are nothing new.

What I'm suggesting is a more radical thinking of dwellings, having the capacity to capture and store drinking water. Installations of solar heating and electricity. Power that feeds back to the grid during the day & pulled off during the night. There is no effort like this being undertaken in Melbourne save a few enviro-houses. This kind of redesign cannot happen without the combined work of architects, local planners and local government. It's not an easy task because

"... But yeah, I broadly see your point - the two construction issues that get to me are (1) no verandas and (2) no trees ..."

That is a problem. I think there is a definite disadvantage living where you cannot add trees or verandas. The other is water. My current geo location gets on average 20% more than the rest of Melbourne.
> "To many, Vista was 99% visual changes and 1% detrimental functional changes. But at least it brought the unwashed masses a calc.exe that had shaded buttons and a translucent title bar!

Conversely, a lot of the excitement about Windows 7, relative to Vista, is that it fixes stuff "under the hood" (better, strong, faster.)"

In reality, it's almost completely the opposite. Vista had a lot of under-the-hood tweaks. I've installed the Win7 beta, and most of the noticeable changes are in the interface.
I think the best line is this one:
Step One: stop pretending we're all on the same staircase.
Casino bonus Bagging.com
then java is for you. good luck.
Don't seem to be. I just paid $9.99 and am wreaking havoc.
My mob code is 100119202. The more mob members you have, the more powerful your mob, of course... so lets team up. ;-)
There was always addslashes there, but I decided to filter out everything else too since I didn't quite know what kind of shell features there are. I know this is not the proper way to pipe input to the say command, but best coding practices weren't exactly on my mind when doing a thing in 5 minutes I didn't know if anyone would even check out =)
I just found my new job on CL.
Google video still exists and can be used there can just be nothing new added. Although I'll miss new content coming up.
Are you guys updating things on the fly? The minimum bank balance seems to have just changed from 2,000 to 1,000. (And it still says 2,000 in the FAQ.)

Also, how does one gain mobsters? The FAQ seems to suggest it is by inviting friends, but I see some level five characters with dozens of mobsters. I don't even know that many people with iPhones. Are these just NPCs or what?
This source is a little less sensational: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/science/scie...
I think there is a counterpoint to that - in that there are a lot of artistic communities that spring up in unexpected (often rural) areas.

I think the issue really is critical mass - Access to the city is great, but I think what is required most of all is access to like-minded people. If you get enough of that going, then the rest will (generally) come.

... All that said - I get your point - even these areas had something going for them (e.g. the environment, surrounds, etc, etc).
6 digits and still using it: 666778 ;-P
switching the art is easy (for us) making the thing in the first place is the hard part.
there are issues for sure. the bank seems like something we should look at. the forums are mentioning this too
"The World Bank caused shockwaves with a warning last month that global trade may decline this year for the first time since the Second World War. This appears increasingly certain with each new batch of data.

"Mr de Trenck predicts Asian trade to the US will fall 7pc this year. To Europe he estimates a drop of 9pc -- possibly 12pc. Trade flows grow 8pc in an average year."
That's certainly what most people on CNBC were pulling for tonight.
One more to the list: The tyranny of testing.

http://www.amazon.com/Tyranny-Testing-Banesh-Hoffman/dp/0486...
There's something I find morally and intellectually dishonest about this article. Although Joel ultimately decided Noah deserved a bonus in this case, he never outright rejects the argument that bonuses aren't deserved for such cases in general. Rather, he argues that a software company is an idea factory, therefore he was already paying Noah for his ideas.

That is patently absurd. He was most definitely NOT paying Noah to come up with ideas for new business opportunities. To the extent he was paying Noah for his ideas, it was with regard to their existing products and the work he was assigned to. Noah went above and beyond his duties, and fairly compensating him for that is not the act of benevolence that Joel makes it sound like.

There's also some shocking cognitive dissonance on display here. On one hand, Joel repeatedly refers to Noah's contribution as a million-dollar business. On the other, he wonders what an appropriate bonus would be and even contemplates giving Noah a video game console worth a few hundred dollars.

The elephant in the room is that Noah deserved a fair portion of the new-found profit. Now, this compensation may well be unsavory for any number of reasons, not the least of which are Joel's business concerns. But shouldn't that argument be made, rather than pretending that an idea literally worth a million dollars is hard to quantify?
That's a lot of praise for a knockoff idea.
If you want re-cycled water with minimal waste. Solar power hooked into the grid selling back to the power companies. Houses re-fitted with better insulation, access to high efficiency white-goods. Proper citing of properties with north facing aspects. This all takes money.

Yup agreed - tanks and solar hot water are still a good idea, although I'll agree they are only a step towards.

It's not an easy task because

Not sure what you were going to say there :) .. What's the best mechanism for this? Is water and energy just too cheap? Bump up the cost of both (with a safety net) and put it into subsidies?
It's nice of Matt to find counterexamples to your arguments. But you should know that pointing out that you use circular logic is enough to show that your argument is not valid (in other words, no counterexample is really needed). Now, this doesn't necessarily say anything about whether this company is Amazon or not, but it does show that your proof, that there is no way this is Amazon, does not hold water.

(The first two quoted lines are my own interpretation, others are quotes.)

"Amazon is a big company. Big companies don't make amateur mistakes. That's why they're big."

"Therefore, Amazon doesn't make amateur mistakes."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begging_the_question

(Repeating this type of logic over and over is...)

http://atheism.about.com/od/logicalflawsinreasoning/a/repeti...

"The checkout path is the most important part of a site that sells consumer products, the people you lose here are ready to buy: If you lose them during the process it's money right out the window. For this reason it's the most optimised part of any serious retail site."

http://www.csun.edu/~dgw61315/fallacies.html#Red%20herring

"This is a pretty standard trap, and any usability professional will know this."

http://www.csun.edu/~dgw61315/fallacies.html#Argumentum%20ad...

(Continuing to post more arguments feeling you must be right since no evidence has been provided to the contrary, is...)

http://philosophy.lander.edu/logic/ignorance.html

"The thought that they somehow didn't do so on the checkout path, the most important part of the site, is pretty far fetched."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man (nobody said they thought Amazon absolutely decided to skip usability testing of checkout functionality. Also, for example, they could have tried but did not think of changing it, or ran out of good subjects who hadn't already used Amazon's checkout page, bad selection of candidates, poor interpretation of results from the split tests, or had lots of bureaucracy or competing work or designs of checkout incompatible with such changes, human error, that this looks easy in retrospect but not something they thought of at the time, person in charge of that being complacent, etc.)
Form-Finding and Structural Optimization: Gaudi Workshop
I agree. I first felt bad for him and bad for the world getting ever closer to losing his creativity and vision. It's sad.

I bought some Apple in 2008 when it dipped to about $88, but dropped out around $97 when I made my target profit on it. I do think the stock price is a proxy for "How will Apple do without Jobs", which many are curious about.
The Heidelberg School was one such example, albeit from a somewhat different time.
agreed. I think it works so well because they didn't try to beat the system with crazy advanced prediction algorithms but instead just harnessed the listening habits and preferences of people who use the service. That's why I really want to work on a mashup of Last.fm, probably Seeqpod, and a link to a place to buy tracks if someone has that desire, all wrapped in a design I've thought of that I think would be pretty cool to use
No kidding, world’s first flying car a reality soon
No offence but I'm not even going to read a scientific news story on The Sun :)
For those of us who are out of the loop, what was todays supreme court decision?
You can avoid funds. You can even get out the stock market altogether. But you can't get out of the global economy... (unless you have a spaceship, or go live in the woods)
You made me realize there is a problem with this guy's wording when he says "try to ignore the content of the complaint". That's an overstatement. I would put it this way: try to address not only the explicit content of the complaint, but also the emotion behind it.

Why is that good advice? Because people often don't say, and perhaps sometimes don't even know, what their concern really is. They simply feel it. And until they feel that a problem is resolved, it isn't resolved. So it simply isn't possible to resolve things without addressing the emotions. Sometimes people try that, of course. And that's when you find yourself in the same argument all over again, saying: "But we already resolved this!"
Also - there is something to be said for consistency... If you had an Operating System where every app had a different L&F, and a different UI metaphor - that would be a pain to use.

OS X is pretty good on this count (even for non OS apps). (To grossly generalise,) Linux does well in some areas, very poorly in others. W7 bringing it's UI into line seems like a good win.
how about an operating system (house) a window manager (xmonad) and fully featured dvcs (darcs) or another (camp)?

is there as much haskell out there as c, perl, python? no. but if you want to be a pioneer you have to drive on a little dirt. but don't worry, we'll keep plugging away and in no time at all the haskell highway will be lined with HoJos and rest stops and miles of flat-top...we'll send you a postcard.
So NASA is hinting at life on Mars because they may have discovered the presence of alien farts?

A big win for science.
Retarded? Really?

I guess that you don't know that generics in Java were derived from Haskell type classes and designed by the same man who added monads to Haskell.
Google to enlist army of SaaS resellers for Google Apps
I agree: solve the problem- if there is a problem. But don't work on the problem of why people are complaining pointlessly.

I think what the author meant was: don't get shaken or upset by peoples' seemingly pointless and illogical complaints. You can, most likely, defuse the situation with a bit of empathy and acknowledgment.
Video Gaming Gods
I'm going down the list reading a lot of the comments and there doesn't seem to be too many wanting Steve to get well soon.

So from 1 hacker to Steve, we wish you get better soon mate.
Despite their currently low numbers, green homes typically re-sell for more money than their conventional counterparts.

Until there's a way to measure it I certainly wouldn't get my hopes up. To illustrate the issue, go to http://www.zillow.com/ and try to select a house for sale that you believe would be efficient or otherwise more suitable for the "new future" -- it's basically impossible. It's not Zillow's fault either, generally MLS services have such awful data that it's hard to trust anything beyond the number of bedrooms. Until there's a way to look up your rating and look down at your neighbor's, I wouldn't expect the people who currently inhabit suburbs to make it a priority.

Furthermore, except for a few localized situations I believe that the suburbs are safe for the forseeable future. There has long been the assumption that fuel costs are inelastic, but 2008 has shown that to be untrue. America is, for all intents and purposes, treating oil as if it's free -- the suburbs drive to work one person per vehicle in passenger cars in the midst of a horsepower war (Cadillac has a 550hp product in the "compact sedan" segment and BMW's smallest cars, the "1-series", are available with a 300+hp engine!), or trucks that make the commercial trucks of the 70s (not to mention the 40s!) look downright weak. The 2009 F-150 (at one time called a "half-ton" pickup) has a 1.5 ton payload capacity and can tow almost six tons. This vehicle is routinely ignored by construction contractors and macho wanna-be alpha-males who go straight to the "Super-Duty" models, capable of hauling three tons and towing ten tons!

For all of the wankery we've heard recently about the end of life as we know it, we've yet to begin to even try. There's a lot of easy belt-tightening to do before people have to give up on their version of the American Dream.

On the flip side, all of the attention toward green living should hopefully generally raise awareness and stimulate development of greener products, definitely a win for everyone. We've needed a shock like 2008 for about 20 years now.
In Rare Move, Microsoft Is Exploring Job Cuts
Thanks. I swapped it in. That Sun story was ridiculous.
Web Design Trends For 2009
Anyone using Javascript on server side?
I see plenty of frameworks try to promote Javascript to be used on server-side:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Server-side_JavaScript
http://www.joyeur.com/2009/01/14/joyent-acquires-reasonably-smart

I seriously doubt exiting server-side developers would use Javascript for server-side programming.

It doesn't make much sense to me as there are plenty of mature languages for server-side.

so is it just for front-end developers to apply their Javascript magic on server-side?
Identi.ca gets fresh aid in quest to out-message Twitter
The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that evidence obtained from an unlawful arrest based on careless record keeping by the police may be used against a criminal defendant.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/washington/15scotus.html?h...
You're still covered, but you're paying a cost (missing work, being sick) and so is the insurance provider/govt, that you wouldn't otherwise have paid, and it's the non-vaccinator's fault, and they aren't paying for that damage under your system.

Not really a flaw in your system as much as just something interesting to think about.
> how about an operating system (house) a window manager (xmonad) and fully featured dvcs (darcs) or another (camp)?

How about not.

Languages get adopted because they make new things possible/easier, not because they're good for re-inventing the wheel.
Maybe. Actually, I don't disagree with you, Jobs is good at what he does. Very good.

But I think things like how their strategy interacted with the timing, stages of maturity in markets, technology & such, they played a role.

At the moment, Apple has a range of potential, growing or existing product classes that they are ideally positioned to take advantage of: netbooks, tablets, whatever else becomes the next computer.The only worry is spreading too thin.

What I am saying is that the world really did come back to them to an extent. It's not just Ninja leadership & it's hard to tell what is responsible for what exactly.
a) They were first to market with a great game of this type on the iPhone.
b) The realtime mobile nature of this game transcends knockoff status. Try it.
> Being able to search for functions/libraries by type signatures is very, very useful.

I can't remember the last time that I wanted to find a function that took two ints and returned a function.

I can remember the last time I wanted a function that did a particular operation.
I like Steve. I hope he's OK.
Someone attacked me right as I was putting all my money into the bank, and now I have $-100,000.

Then I turned around and deposited my -$100,000 into the bank, so now my bank balance reads $-184,000.

update: I quit the app and opened it again and now my bank balance is positive. And somehow it has jumped to $171335824. Sweet.

update 2: The fact that you can gain XP by winning a fight on defense seemingly makes the game unbalanced. You can just put all your points into defense and none into attack, and then wait until other people attack you so you can win the fight.
Some interesting URLs I've just found:

Gaudi’s method for designing the Sagrada Familia cathedral
http://www.math.upenn.edu/~ted/114F08/ExtraCredit/Problem3.p...

A different kind of string theory: Antoni Gaudi
http://memetician.livejournal.com/201202.html
> Indeed. Type signatures mean that the code is naturally self-documenting.

Really? Knowing that a function takes two ints and returns a function is documentation?

And to think that I spend my time worrying about what a function does.
Taking another look at the now and then pictures, I'm inclined to believe the worst. It's a feeling based on a personal experience.

Extended weight loss isn't something that just happens. Granted with the surgery he's had, you do expect some effects as the GI system probably isn't as efficient as it once was. But given the care he's probably receiving, any minor issue should have been resolved. And for any workaholic to have to take time off means that it's probably something serious.

Even with the best care, you can only make a diagnosis based on what you know to test for. You can treat the symptoms but if the underlying cause isn't detected, the best you can do is prolong the inevitable.

Hope I'm wrong cause it's not anything I'd wish on anyone.
Been there. A number of years ago, I worked for a largeish company as a contractor, supplementing their full-time staff. We all did the exact same job, doing second/third level helpdesk stuff. Kind of mindless, but it was the best work I could get at the time.

After a massive desktop upgrade project, we had a little "awards ceremony" for all the people involved. The full-time employees got $500 checks. I got two movie tickets, not good for new releases or special engagements. When I think about it, I can still feel the rage.

The money wasn't important, although it would have been nice. What burned me was the message that my contribution would NEVER be valued as equal, no matter what I did. It was an insult, plain and simple. Employers need to remember that their employees, contractors, and interns are human beings, who want to feel like their contribution is properly appreciated. "Properly appreciated" means a lot of different things to different people, but there's some sure-fire ways to screw it up.
The Bailout Game (Flash)
Nearly every big company uses a/b splits extensively.

Also, by your logic, every time a big revenue increasing optimization is found, one could say "if this were true, (that company) would have already found it had it existed."
Actually, the health of a CEO is very much the business of the stockholders of his company.
FWIW, the NYT is now reporting that inside sources are confirming that Jobs' problem has to do with nutrient absorption, not cancer.
> I think that is a fair system, and could be applied in this case also. If you choose to vaccinate, you are covered, and if you do not, you pay out of pocket.

Hold it. If you're going to deny them govt-paid healthcare, how do you justify taxing them to pay for govt-paid healthcare?
I fully expect us to find organic life on another planets sooner or later. However, I have my doubts about intelligent life. They could very well be less technologically sophisticated, in which case it might do more harm than good to interact with them (cf. Prime Directive).
Trip.com founder gives advice on fundraising
Anyone remember Firefly from the late 90's?
I got some great suggestions that I'm still listening to - B-Tribe I believe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_(website)
Haskell has algebraic data types, which are much more expressive than conventional types. You can see that from his example. Of course, the types don't define the functionality, but they narrow it down much more quickly than the ints of C and Java (similar to google ranking of search results).

Python documentation, in contrast, seems to downplay (read: hide) the return type! It's not helpful to me (maybe I'm doing it wrong, or just not used to it). For example: http://docs.python.org/library/httplib.html#httplib.HTTPConn...
Looks like these folks will just go to a different department, so it doesn't look like they'll be losing their jobs
Yep. Why does it seem like most new sites still roll their own reg? OpenID/Facebook Connect/etc all seem like better choices.
The title may look smarmy, but this is worth the read.
Great article...its really something people need to remember. You may want the PERFECT website, but all the "perfect" websites that you are comparing yourself to, have spent close to a decade progressing to the current status. So its better to launch early, even if it looks like crap, just to see what people say.

If "crappy design" is the only negative comment your site gets, you know you are on your way to big bucks. Because you can always update the design at a later time
Bankruptcy Resource Group
Can't live without this business? Or is there something they could do better? Let people know about your personal experience by writing a review. The more information you provide will make your review more valuable to others, so don't forget to mention what makes this business stand out.
I think the correct title should be:

Down to 0 issues on Coverity Scan

https://blog.torproject.org/blog/down-0-issues-coverity-scan.

It's probably worth mentioning the classic fastcompany article on software development which minimizes bugs, i.e. writing software for the space shuttle.

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/06/writestuff.html
More chip cores can mean slower supercomputing, Sandia simulation shows
Apple confronts Wired over Mac OS X netbook hacking tutorial
This is good advice. Implement it in the spirit of being true to yourself. Don't hold it against her that she's unconsciously testing you. Relatively few of us have something approaching a perfect self awareness, so it's not improbable that you've done something comparable to her.

The 6 word version: be genuinely willing to move on.
Is it sad that I've played two of those games and recognized the names?