skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
My next stop was lighttpd. A fine piece of software, with a persistent bug that caused it to drop into a 500 state if FastCGI instances were ever unavailable.

It is not a bug, it is a feature. lighttpd used to wait 60s before checking the backend again. Nowadays the default is 1s. Set disable-time to 0 if you don't like it (it should be the default IMHO.)

http://redmine.lighttpd.net/projects/lighttpd/wiki/Docs_ModF...
Gen Y = Go Nowhere generation??
Sure is. Though result presentation and interpretation seem abysmal.
Why is this being posted on Attendly's blog? This seems suited for a personal blog, I don't think a startup's product blog is really an appropriate place to lambast another product/startup/project.

Not to say the opinions expressed are wrong, just that this stuff shouldn't be mixed with your startup's product blog.
I wonder what the results of this experiment would be: wait a week, then downgrade those users back to iOS 5. Are they happier, or even more dissatisfied? (Are they taking little things for granted?)

Hell, just tell them you fixed their phone but don't do anything at all. People told the iPhone 4 was really the 5 thought it was better. Trick probably works in reverse now that everybody knows they're not supposed to like iOS 6.
What's Percona's role in this environment?
Bing is also available on Android. I don't know how they implemented the UI but it also has a "glitchy" feel to it with lots of animation. I tried the routing and often to had to click on things twice for them to have an effect.

But it did fundamentally work.
Radio Shack's loss of CEO is it's biggest opportunity
Is "free music" really a selling point anymore?

Between grooveshark, youtube, a dozen "youtube frontends" and a dozen streaming services that will fill you up for $10/month it seems very much like a strawman.
When you sit back and look at it web application development is a total disaster. If you tried to conceive of the "ideal" UI platform (or even a "good" one) you would never, in a million years, come up with what we've got now. It is a testament to the skills of everyone in the industry that things like google maps, Gmail etc. can be built on this sky-scraper of bananas. No wonder it is hard to learn.
And slow and really really buggy (and ugly, but that doesn't matter as much). I love Ubuntu but this is one thing that always require me to switch to Windows on a dual boot machine.
How are these services too similar? One gives me my music, the other is an "Oops! Google Chrome could not connect to ilike.com."
From running a team here is my 2 cents:

Transparency, Empowerment, Challenges and provide Leadership

Transparency: This doesn't mean provide lip service to being transparent or saying you have an open door. It means truly being transparent and sharing the good and bad, helping the team see why both are normal. Shared pains and shared wins make the team feel involved and appreciated, and will endear them to the leadership and the goals of the team.

Empowerment: Empower the team and each individual to solve problems and don't force decisions down their throat. To many people say empowerment but than dictate to the team what they want or interfere by trying to directly micromanage the project. Requirements are great, if there are specific non-negotables share them, but get out of the way of your team. If you hired the right people this will pay off in spades, if you didn't, it won't take long to figure it out.

Leadership: Notice I said leadership and not management. The difference is drastic and a leader has a team that is focused and performing at their best, meaning they will almost always stick around. Managers, not so much. I could write a whole post on just the insanity I have seen around this one point alone. Here is something I always tell my team: my job is to support you and remove roadblocks for you, your job is to get stuff done and tell me when you have a need.

Challenge is a no brainer, smart people want to use their talents, your job is to help them do that.

One last point on my own teams, I refuse to ever ask them to do something I won't do. Of course, I am not always qualified, but I use it as a compass, if I am asking them to do something I won't or wouldn't do than something is wrong and they will know it and I will lose their respect.

For why I have left a team:

First, I always like to give it time to see how teams gel, cause nothing happens overnight. This could mean a 6 months on the low side to a couple of years on the high side. It is tough call to pull the trigger and bail for me when I have great teammates but poor leadership (read managers) above me. BTW: I have found getting the team together outside of work, usually for a few beers, helps speed the gel process regardless of what my role on the team is.

Poor leadership: or more directly, a manager. I am a smart guy, I don't need you micromanaging my work, if you want to micromanage me, then do the damn stuff yourself. You hired me to do a job, support me and get out of the way.

At the same time, I want feedback and preferrably often and regular. If I am going off track, show me where and teach me why you made that call, don't bitch, don't just say "cause", teach and inform.

Ok, I have rambled too much. Can you tell I care deeply about this? lol
Also not mentioned is that metformin can severely reduce B12 uptake. Lack of B12 can result in nervous system issues, and is very similar to neuropathy.

You have a store of several years of B12 so it can take quite a while before depletion sets in.
Throw away your Social Slavery Card and forget the number.
I find that article scarier than any horror movie.
Bing app not available in Singapore store.
RSA dissects VOHO attack campaign
From 7.75 to 7.65 could even be statistical noise.
Much as they've made other mistakes, lingering WiFi issues are not necessarily Apple's fault. There are all sorts of things that can go wrong.

For example, I've had routers be unstable with some particular devices because of specific encryption settings. Ironically, I learned about that chipset problem while I was getting ready to throw dd-wrt on the offending router in frustration. I've had access points give super-slow connections to new devices until the AP was rebooted. And on and on.

WiFi works most of the time, but when it doesn't it usually isn't easy to figure out what (or even where) the problem really is.
Codecrap.com - where developers go to laugh and cry
For Explorence, All the World’s a Fitness Game
Tip: As others mentioned, you can switch to a ghost by clicking on yourself, allowing you to pass through solid objects. Once you are in front of a solid object, you can click on yourself again to return to your normal self and travel more quickly through the solid object.
On the Timing of Apple’s Map Switch
My BS meter goes off as I read this story.

"Google maps does not have turn by turn... How do we fix it? I know! Let's build our own maps from scratch to get this vital feature in!"

Mind, you, this is not a simple thing to write. This is a major, major, multi-year undertaking that you do not embark upon lightly.

Makes no sense. But whatever... I'm not even an Apple user, so whatever.
I don't think that Bret is advocating that this is the way all programming should be. That would be strictly impossible, as some functions have totally non-linear effects on their output, so you couldn't easily connect one to the other with handy arrows and highlighted stuff.

The geometry example is chosen because it's easy to make a mapping between the space of function inputs and visual outputs. And each parameter is independent of each other.

Khan Academy has already implemented some of this for JavaScript, running right in the browser.

http://www.khanacademy.org/cs/drawing-bonus-rotation/9064481...

Try clicking on the coloration functions to see previews, or sweeping with the mouse to change the values.

As for the more advanced features, many languages exist today which make this quite possible, at least for teaching tools. Even well-commented Java has the kind of typing and documentation culture that would allow you to implement a lot of this today.
My understanding is that a significant number of quants use Haskell.
We currently use zendesk but our reseller model and everyone-does-support culture makes zd stupidly expensive for our company as we scale. We will definitely be checking you guys out!
I have used codecademy to teach my gf's brother (12) who is a computer n00b that wants to make computer games, I'm tutoring him while he's using the computer. We hit a brick wall at assignments. He could not understand why `a=a+1` is okay, he could not under stand how `x=1` is okay and `1=x` is bad syntax. Codecademy does not explain how programming is different from algebra. Codecademy test if basic concepts are understood, eg. difference between `hello`, hello and hello() I think n00bs w/o tutoring wouldn't even get past further stuff.
Ask HN: Any startups in need of awesome support?
Hi HN,

TL; DR - Can anyone suggest any startups that are hiring for apps support roles?

Or even not openly hiring but are growing so fast they might be receptive.

I'm genuinely looking for a problem solving, people-facing/supporting role with an interesting startup.

I'm tired of supporting 50+ legacy applications with no room for growth, I want to focus on a single cutting edge product & know it inside out, as part of a fresh team.

Remote, UK or relocation is fine, I'm mostly just interested in providing amazing support.

Info & background - CS grad, female, UK, 5 years in high demand support environments, love of stats, data & improving process efficiency. HTML/CSS, Python, some PHP & MySQL & a little RoR.

Feel like I have covered many technologies on the surface level, happy to master a subset & improve full stack knowledge.

Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks!
I'm surprised no one has already done this for regular web advertising or am I just not looking hard enough?
I would rather be lost via Apple Maps than have to use the Bing iPhone app. awful
Go vs. Java:

* Go makes it a lot easier to interface with native libraries than Java ever will. I think anyone who has ever written JNI can confirm that it is a nightmarish interface. JNI also has performance problems, to the point where using an optimized C implementation through JNI is often slower than writing the same thing in Java.

* Java definitely has more libraries available. However, partly because of point #1, Go is catching up quickly. It's very easy to wrap C libraries in a Go interface with cgo.

Also, a lot of the old Java code and frameworks smell kind of funny. Do you want to write a new AWT application in 2012? Really? Yeah, Java has more stuff, but... is it kind of stuff you actually want to use, or the kind of stuff you find at the thrift store?

* Go exposes more OS-level features than Java. For example, Java didn't get a way to create softlinks until JDK7.

* Java does not provide a built-in solution to dependency management. The CLASSPATH mechanism essentially punts the problem to the individual developer. It seems easy enough to dump all your jars in a folder and call it a day, but eventually you end up in a situation where library X depends on library Y, which depends on library Z, which depends on a different version of library X. Hmm. Guess you are in trouble! With Go, this problem does not exist because things are compiled statically, and Go has standardized library paths.

Maven and OSGi were both attempts to solve the dependency problem in Java-land. However, since they weren't standard parts of the language, they felt clunky and bolted-on. Maven also combines the functionality of apt-get, Makefiles, and distcc in one giant monolith, which can make debugging... interesting.

* Partly because of the complexity of Java classloaders, a number of security vulnerabilities have been discovered recently.

* Go programs have a miniscule startup time, whereas the JVM takes a lot of time to start. This seems like a very minor point, until you realize that for things like command-line utilities, it makes Java a real performance-killer. This is one often-overlooked reason why Java fizzled in the browser but succeeded on the server.

polymorphism AND sane error handling [elude Go]

Go has polymorphism. I like Go's error handling a lot-- but this topic has been discussed elsewhere.
Article didn't mention that they also use a CDN (EdgeCast). Helps make the 70k requests/second a lot more bearable.
Flaw in iPhone 5 camera reveals purple haze
You're ignoring demand - at $10,000/hour there wouldn't be a shortage because demand would dry up.

Please try to be more considerate, especially given that there's always a non-trivial probability that you're mistaken as well.
Sugar intake is not listed amongst the environmental risk factors for Insulin Resistance:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_resistance#Associated_R...

The biggest controllable risk factor for Type II Diabetes is obesity. This finding has been confirmed by numerous studies.
Hey, money is more important than ethics or morals to some people. You got a problem with that?
But what is their actual profit?
US calls Assange 'enemy of state'
Why do Nigerian Scammers Say They are from Nigeria? [pdf]
Is anyone actually using Perl 6 in production, or planning to? (Serious question, not a troll.)
"-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased" stopped working in Chrome 22.0.1229.79
Er, instead of banning laptops, why not address the actual problem, and just ban noisy keyboards...?

Some keyboards are very soft and basically silent. I'm sure they'd quickly identify suitable models which people could use.

Given that they allow tablets, it's clear they don't really care very much about people goofing off with social networking and games...
I really love the satellite view in Bing maps. Clearly shows details, and the color is just right. But it seems outside US it lacks road information. If you look at China, even for a provincial capital city with over 10 M population, there doesn't seem to be many roads on the map:

http://www.bing.com/maps/#JnE9Lld1aGFuJTI1MmMlMmJDaGluYSU3ZX...
AirBnB can reasonably generate profits of $4/night with their current model. A $2B valuation makes sense if they do 30M nights in a year. They did 8M in Jun 11-Jun 12, with 5M of that in the last 4.5 months. My guess is their current run rate is in the neighborhood of 18M nights/year.

The valuation is high, but it isn't unreasonable. Also I view AirBnB as having a low risk of falling out of fashion, unlike Zynga or Facebook.
See Harvard Graduate School of Education report "Pathways to Prosperity: http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news_events/features/2011/Pathway...

Some interesting strides have been made by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills in changing how we learn and also how we measure learning success:

http://www.p21.org/

Even Apple threw its hat in the ring with Challenge Based Learning:

http://www.apple.com/education/challenge-based-learning/

Without doubt the current models being used in the US don't work. We aren't teaching the right skills, we aren't measuring skills the right way (uniform class-wide tests EOY) and the funding structure for schools encourages bureaucracy and corruption at times.

However, the problems are all tightly intertwined in one ball. I would caution against thinking that 'modern tech' is a cure all. Going from paper to iPads won't solve all of the issues in a day. That said, some really cool companies are killing it. Take a look at Edmodo.

Wish I had more time to get into this, alas, back to my code cave.
Beta Late Than Never (Steam Linux Beta)
For sure, lots and lots of hard work went into this win.

Telecom is a huge market, and a global one at that. I think it's fair to say that Twilio is probably the best Developer Evangelism team on the planet. Kudos for doing it with class.

//Sidenote
I can't remember the password for the josh2600hz login, but it's still logged in on my iPad. First World Problems.
They should use that money to buy blockchain.info - i've used both and blockchain.info really knows their stuff
App engine is great, especially for small teams. I personally like webapp2 and click to deploy.

It's important to note the various limitations(file size,writes to file system,etc).
I think the problem goes far deeper than this. Apple has never had good search and discovery technology across it's products. Searching using iTunes on the desktop isn't any better. I won't get into the details. I'm sure a lot of you share my sentiments.

In many ways it is a parallel with Maps. Google has great search and great maps. Apple has bad search and now less-than-stellar maps. Trend?
I have no idea where you live or what your skills are but lsc pn this board (Luke Crawford of prgrm.com fame) talks a lot about hiring people who know what they're doing but interview badly. If you are either in San Francisco or can dp sysadmin there are worse ideas. He has remote positions at least sometimes.
I thought Airbnb sounded silly when I first heard about it, but I've spent the last month in the caribbean staying exclusively at apartments booked there. The UX is awesome, there's a huge discovery value to people with vacation rentals, and it's way cheaper than staying at hotels. Not to mention the money that I save because I have a kitchen to cook in. You can usually find a monthly price only a few hundred dollars more than what you would pay for an unfurnished rental with a lease. I've also been shocked at the explosive growth outside the US. When I checked the listings about six months ago I didn't see much in southern Brazil, but now there are ~500 listings. I don't know about $2B, but I've been very impressed with everything they've done so far.
Looking for the 'Next Big Thing'? Ranking the Top 50 Start-Ups
It is very old news that any iPhone app can be cracked easily. This article has no information at all related to the amount of actual piracy going on.

'99% of all apps have been cracked!' != '99% of all app downloads are theft'
isn't being operated by people who understand the risks

This is the key point as far as I'm concerned. In what other profession am I allowed to use X-ray machines on the general public without any training whatsoever?
I dont get why Maps releases are tied to OS releases. If the Maps api to other apps doesn't change, why can't maps be updated as other apps are?
“iCloud Backup”
No, Python will not be "taking over the broader programming world", nor will any other language. Of course Python will go on, hopefully, being used only where appropriate.

As for your n = "?" (your ex=colleagues) anecdote, it is laughable, ignorant, and insulting to the intelligence. Are you not aware of "heavy-duty corporate stuff" such as Google, or Youtube, let alone the massive scientific ecosystem built around Python, or do you consider such things "personal hobby programming"?

Python has not been "oversold", as it has never been sold at all. Perhaps you should ask yourself why MIT has converted its courses to Python.
Maker of Smart-Grid Control Software Hacked
We might need some of that, email eric at getfwd.com
I reiterate, the usage was off. I could give a fuck, honestly, about bad language. But when I cuss, it is for a fucking reason.

Get it? I didn't mask anything above with "*" . I fucking committed to it. Swear like you got a pair, or don't bother.
Any big feature change makes for a good slide or two in the keynotes. They get once or twice a year to make a big impression on the press - dribbling out updates to core apps in the meantime would remove the buzz.
If I'm reading this right, does that mean when the contract expires, Google stops serving map tiles to iOS clients using the Google Maps client?

That would mean the iPhone, the iPhone 3G, and the original iPad (none of which support iOS 6) will lose all mapping ability starting next year. Unless, of course, Apple backports their maps app to iOS 5 (and even that wouldn't help original iPhone users--if there are any left).
Ask HN: What's the best PaaS provider?
Hey everyone,

I'm researching the PaaS marketplace (Heroku, Azure, GAE, Cloud Foundry, Engine Yard, AppFog, etc.) and trying to understand it a little bit better. Not trying to discern anything too specific, but I'm interested in knowing which PaaS provider is your favorite and why.

Thanks!
Someone ought to mention the similarities between Rust and Scala. These are two really great languages, IMHO.
Yep, also Github fan and user here, but truth be told, it felt like reading a corporate advertisement on an in-flight magazine.
As they said, at least it was short.
Dear Silicon Alley, Let’s Get Earnest and Unsexy
Hi! I am Shalin Shah. I am a 13 year old Web Designer, Mobile Developer, and Graphic Designer. Although, I do not live in the Bay Area, I would like to keep in touch with you. My site is http://www.shalinvs.tk!
The problem to solve isn't a nice UI for managing bitcoins... it's how to buy bitcoin with my VISA without it being treated as a trade on an exchange.
How is that brilliant?
I don't really care about sponsors, but for those who do, Splenda and Equal both sponsor the American Diabetes Association as well.

I'd say that those two companies would much prefer for the ADA to declare sugar a cause of Type II Diabetes.
There's an inaccuracy - Dead Trigger was hit hard by piracy on Android, not on iOS. I think Lifehacker publicized it after the creator made it free on Android - "buy it on iOS to show support!"

Edit: I wasn't fully informed. They first made it free on Android, but they made it free on iOS a week later, giving the same reason. From Daring Fireball: http://daringfireball.net/linked/2012/07/23/dead-trigger
true. it's a shame.
I have uptime of weeks with APC opcode cache without problems on very heavy loaded servers.

You can also run a script to watch for PHP/APC segfaults and just restart the the cache.

I cannot imagine running PHP without an opcode cache, you are losing a speedup of 300% to 500%
The problem was not that lighty gave a 500 error for transient unavailability.

It's that it got stuck in 500. I would have to log in every week or so and restart it when this happened.
It's slightly nicer than stock MySQL and I can more easily get Percona to help me if it goes bang (it has far more stats available than stock MySQL, for instance).

Some of my sites have sufficient write activity that using XtraDB (basically a slightly souped-up InnoDB) is a smarter option than MyISAM. For searching people can just use Google, it does a much better job than MySQL's inbuilt fulltext search.

I don't know if they've fixed it, but AFAIK tables with full text fields used to cause MyISAM joins to go to disk, even if the full text field isn't included in the query. As you can imagine, this sucks. Maybe that's been fixed.
http://manmeng.net/fun/androidreset/
Would be great if can compile a list of affected phone (tested via safe version).
> You can also run a script to watch for PHP/APC segfaults and just restart the the cache.

... wat

> I cannot imagine running PHP without an opcode cache, you are losing a speedup of 300% to 500%

That's just not what my profiling showed.
Airbnb is the ebay of housing, creating liquid markets for unused or unwanted goods without taking on any inventory, risk or capital. This is a service that literally prints money - and so long as they don't get Meg Whitman as their CEO - they won't fuck up.

I wouldn't be surprised if they surpassed eBay within the decade in terms of net profit. Next up on the liquid market list should be cars.

Any other markets out there that need liquidity? Goods that aren't used or assets that lay dormant? I'm all ears.
The internet is a social network. HTTP is the API/protocol.
Related, but a different aspect of product design:
http://www.quirky.com/