skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
I've always felt you could do the most good by funding a good chain of community colleges. One of the big causes of the explosion in for profit colleges is that in many areas have more students that want to enroll in community college than they have the ability to provide. For-profit schools fill the gap.

Community college has the stigma of "not real college," and I think they tend to get short shrift on funding because of that. What, you don't want everyone to go to a four year school?

There's a great article in the Atlantic[1] that makes the case that the way work used to be structured meant a more consistent learning curve - you got better at working one machine, you could transfer those skills to the next and learn on the job - whereas now there tends to be an initial barrier you have to clear before you can learn anything. You can't get a job programming machines until you know the languages and have the math skills, but there's no way to get there through another job. You have to put your life on hold before you can get to an advancement path. That's the main hurdle - once you're past that point you're on the more experience/better skills track again.

Community college shouldn't the focus so much because it'll reach nontraditional students and save money for students who want to transfer to four year schools but because the separation between no college and a good two-year degree is the biggest, hardest gap to cross and once you get people across it they're already most of the way to accomplishing whatever they want to next.

[1] http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/01/making-i...
Except the hurricane is done. Uber is taking advantage of the fact that lower Manhattan is pretty inaccessible via public transportation.
Cabbies can also get paid more if Uber takes a smaller cut for the time being. That would have been a good PR move too.
This is a bit of a wasted opportunity to get good PR.
FinTech Innovation Lab: Start-ups Defining the Financial Future
Do you think that mega ran into trouble the first time because it was lacking substance in some way?
dlDaily cancer destruction is quackery. Even if ultrasound kills cancer cells selectively (which is very questionable), it also kills health cells. Health cells don't grow and thus the cancer quickly takes its place. Prolonged treatment causes a feedback scheme which quickly leaves cancer.
We make Code Hero, a game that teaches how to make games and that teach everything else.

http://www.primerlabs.com

The open alpha is desktop Mac/Win/Linux only for now as we use dynamic compilation tricks not available in the mobile build targets till we do workarounds or modify Unity's source code. We're going to release the beta on Steam.

We need coders with C# and Unityscript skills sufficient for turning the Unity runtime into an MMO IDE. We're at 4 coders right now plus 3 volunteers.

I'm as much interested in having the community highlight Unity game programmers for other Unity game developers with similar hiring needs as I am for our own.
"...Uber finally backed down and agreed to pay drivers an increased rate but keep fares at their normal leves"

The outrage here stems from the fact that people do not perceive Uber as the corner grocery store, or some guy on the corner selling umbrellas at twice their cost when its raining. Uber is perceived, as most startups are, as a "good guy," an entity who would try first and foremost to help during a crisis before trying to make a profit.
If they had done this (eat the losses) from the beginning not only could they have avoided the bad press but probably gotten enough good pr to increase their customer base.
Move biology ahead a bit and maybe we could grow these. Way past current tech but I'm sure we will get that point within the next 100 years
yeah, it's a bit silly and I'm not sure how long until they fix it, but at the moment it points to a page selling Windows 7
This kind of dynamic pricing is precisely what we do via our REST API[0] for ecommerce shops and event providers. I can assure you that there is nothing evil about this kind of activity - it's all mathematics and economics.

No one at Über is looking at this and saying, "lets up our rates to make money on those hurricane victims." Some where, in some Uber server there is an algorithm that is suggesting a high multiple to keep their supply in line. I wouldn't think anything more of it than that.

In fact, last New Years Eve, Über reportedly capped their dynamic pricing in Washington D.C. Even though their numbers were telling them they could charge more they felt an ethical obligation to cap at 6x.

[0]https://github.com/Ventata/API
I lean very heavily socialist, but I can't see how anyone would benefit from there being no cars available.

Actually, I recall just such an occasion, in Dublin at 4am New Years eve when there was a surprise snowfall. Tens of thousands of people in the city center, taxis weren't running, buses weren't running, and there was no way for many to get home. The worst I saw was girls in skimpy dresses holding their heels in their hands as they walked a few miles home in the snow and ice. They would have been glad to be "gouged" for a taxi.
Defense Department drops exclusive contract for BlackBerry
When I needed to eat, all the bread in the grocery store was gone. But they were only a penny a loaf! I starved, but seriously, what a good grocery store! Only a penny!

Is that your alternative?
But there is still a transportation shortage. This provides an accessible option for those who are willing to pay. The alternative for most people is not finding a car at all.
Some other posters have mentioned that you can't raise rates in the time of an emergency. I don't know how valid this is, or what constitutes an emergency.

Irrespective of the majority of cab money going to the corporate apparatus and not the drivers in plenty of cases, it still seems unfair to expect drivers not to raise their rates somehow just for the increased danger.
Ask HN: I am going to quit college. Any advice?
I study Maths but it is really hard for me. I have tried but it seems I can't keep going forward on it.

I work as a web developer, I have experience in coding in difs languages, for example: PHP, Pyhton, MatLab, etc.

My plan is to start to work as a web developer.

What's your advice? How is the market for developers? Will be required to have a degree to get a job in the future?
Doing the math, Lifx is on the hook for 23,680 bulbs. They raised 1.315M$ in their Kickstarter. If they could get Phillips to cut them a deal on the bulbs to get them under $55/bulb, they could write Phillips a check, transship the bulbs, and everyone would win :-).
I suspect he has heard of it, he just doesn't like it and expects companies to operate as though it does not exist.
Well the restaurant owner would either have to "eat" the loss by taking what they can pay, or allow the table to run a "deficit" by providing credit on the promise that they will pay it back the next week, or provide them with a smaller meal the next time going forward.

These pretty much describe the current world situation.
I would like to hear more about this rich/poor divide and how Uber takes us there?
Discussion apart, seriously slick landing page IMHO.
ahh AdBrite. I remember trading ad impressions with your nextwork. ad tech was hot during those times!
This is especially annoying at live events like concerts when the person in front of you is holding up a smartphone to record the concert and they're watching it on the tiny screen instead of focusing on the person standing in front of them. I'm completely distracted by their recording and yet at the same time I feel immense pity for them.
ahh AdBrite. I remember trading ad impressions with your nextwork. around the right media exchange days.. ad tech was hot during those times!
I'm not going to type much here because I don't want to rant, but articles like these are why I quit reading TechCrunch and have never thought to read Pandodaily or any other recent startup-focused journalism site. They all just seem to prey on the stories that they can twist in whichever direction causes drama. As somebody just wanting to read about what other entrepreneurs, your average hackers, thought leaders in my areas of interest, etc are doing, I tend to just stick with HN and Twitter. I'll let the Paul Carrs of the world live out their own reality show. I mean, look at the slug in the URL of his article, even. sigh
They utilize surge pricing during many holidays, or when big events are happening (like a music festival or a tech conference). This is no more "gouging" than any of those.
To be honest this comes across a little defensive and a bit elitist.

It is irrelevant if someone is paying customer or not, as you have no idea how much future business they will do with your company, or what blogger or friend of the press she or he talks to at social gathering etc etc.

A simple "Yup you're right privacy is important. Thanks for the headsup, we are gonna work on it!" would be a more effective response (assuming it's true).

Or if that's not true then:

"Well, we not sure if it's important but lets see if more users request it and if they pay us, then will probably look into it! :)"
It means "he's a self-made man" is a claim which needs to be shot down, and that's the claim that was being shot down.
Kiwi here and the rumour is that this new venture breaks his parole so back to the little jail cell with a mouldy mattress for him. We're not fans of people that try and bribe/blackmail our politicians here.
I like how everything here is using the word "lost."

Well, they weren't gained, but they certainly weren't lost. I somehow doubt that people decided against downloading Firefox because it wasn't in the browser ballot.
All the responses about supply and demand aren't accounting for the fact that taxi drivers are a protected industry in New York.

You are unionized, have benefits, and have protections preventing any ol' person from starting a taxi service that are VERY COSTLY to NY residents. But it ensures a safe and mutually beneficial industry.

So a big fuck you to anyone who price gouges. I hope you lose the medallion, lose your job, and lose your benefits.

Cheers.
What is legal and what is ethical are two different questions. I was only speaking about what's ethical (in my view).
Mysterious spots on photos taken in hotel where the Shining was written
As a laissez faire capitalist, I say "bill 'em all and let god sort it out".
You are absolutely correct. Controlling supply is almost always the reason for raising prices and there are some benefits to it.

Imagine a hacker news post that says, "Über isn't picking me up to take me to safety." Neither headlines are enjoyable but higher prices are better than, Über is putting my safety at risk by missing their target times.
How Hurricane Sandy Slapped the Sarcasm Out of Twitter
He's been indicted a boatload of times.
I applaud the idea, however vague it may be, but there really isn't anything to see yet. The "application" process seems to be limited to gathering Github usernames with no feedback about what happens afterwards (I assume: nothing). There is no UI, not even a demo or some screenshots, no concept of how this is going to work at all except that it's going to be a marketplace somehow based on reputation. A little more detail and some form of presentation would have been nice.

As a rule I try to be nice and constructive when people show their projects, so don't get me wrong: there is a need for a better freelancing portal and it's great you guys are on it. I'm just not sure how I can give any meaningful feedback based on what you're showing us today.
I don't disagree that people are not doing it to brag but perhaps as someone else mentioned the memory that has been captured is now not as fulfilling or vivid or "memorable" as it should have been if the phone wasn't such a distraction.

Going back 25 years, I think you'll find that people rarely connected in as wide of a network but the circle of friends they did connect with was possibly on a much more fulfilling and deeper level and they got significantly more out of it than a shallow network of thousands of "friends".

I too feel that it's easier than ever to connect with friends on Facebook but somehow the convenience has also made the friendship feel more superficial. Whereas before I had to make an effort to write a birthday card or give someone a call, today, I simply click and write "have a great birthday". Engaging with Facebook has almost become like tending a farm in Farmville, I see alerts, I do routine actions that keep up the appearances of being "social" and that's it. It's sad that I think back now and I don't even remember how my friends sound because we interact in person and on the phone so much less.
I can refer to my business coach if you guys want (based in Australia)

My email address is in my profile.
I hope the dev team at Jetbrains are looking at these features for future integration into PyCharm :)

Good job PTVS team :) You're making me envious!
Well, no. I hate it when I look back on an experience and realize it's been complex, or, worse yet, imaginary...
Presidential Campaign Makes 4-Year-Old Cry
Halo 4 Will Be First Major Game Backed by Windows Azure
Big Data Rookie
On the rare occasions when my five-year-old son gets his hands on my Macbook, he frequently tries to interact with it by tapping and swiping the screen. Growing up with tablets around, this is natural to him. I know that's just one anecdote, but it's enough to make me think that the OP is right that regular, non-tablet computers will commonly have touch screens.
That's exactly what they did after the flood of negative press. I live in the Lower East Side and even without the stoplights there are traffic cops directing and it is generally safe walking and driving downtown with no water and debris in the streets.
Yellow cabs and black cabs are already hiking up their prices and "negotiating" with passengers so it would have been nice to see Uber step up in this case.
My understanding is that Uber drivers don't have medalions. They compete with the protected taxis.
It looks freaking awesome. I will definitely try it out! Thanks!
> I'd say end users would notice and care about the difference between those two scenarios.

You haven't met very many end users, have you?
Aargh. It's some bug with the new Skitch. Is everyone getting the same error?
Hey since you seem to know some more about this than I do, can we have an email conversation about it before you take any action? I certainly don't want to be breaking the law in any way and am happy to make changes to bring my product into compliance. I have many people that have been very happy to use these templates in the way that I've described -- I'm just trying to provide a valuable service to other hackers, this is not a huge money maker for me.
You know what the irony of the situation is? Cabbies have argued against companies like Uber and advocated the more regulated method of doing business because they say that cabs can be ordered into service in times of emergency. Not sure if NYC has that power or not.
Dear Mark Zuckerberg, Here's How You Double Facebook's Share Price
Visi.io - revolutionizing building tablet apps
I think that's actually an issue with 64bit pointers :/
Why would any sane manager take the risk:

- for a bunch of employees to start filling up 55-gallon drums of easily-ignited fuel

- hustle the 55-gallon barrels over to somewhere else in a datacenter

- then hook it up to a generator and restart that.

- under an evacuation warning before any of this happened
Uber isn't a taxi company. The supply being talked about isn't necessarily about the limited number of taxi medallions issued. Instead, it's about how private car operators don't want to work in NYC right now but might be induced to work if they were payed more.

I'm not sure what you're getting at in your comment.
Are you complaining about Uber raising their prices, or about Uber existing at all?
Yup! We're big fans of IPython. So much so that we collaborated with them on two front2: IPython on Azure (w a Linux or Windows backend): https://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/develop/python/tutorials/... and directly incorporating its REPL into PTVS (right window): http://i.imgur.com/tyvjN.png

With the IPython notebook on Azure you can basically use Linux/Mac with Chrome, FF, Safari, ... and have a nice browser based Python IDE and completely cut Windows & IE out of the picture :).
Apple facing FaceTime patent suit
Damn you Airbnb! You should learn from Uber raise your rates!

http://blog.airbnb.com/waiving-fees-for-hurricane-sandyaffec...
In a War of Attrition, Microsoft Will Beat Apple
He goes overboard by the end, but: http://pandodaily.com/2012/10/24/travis-shrugged/
As Dino said it's not trivial, but one of the reasons we fought hard for open sourcing it was to make PTVS a Real World sample in case someone else wants to do a plug-in for their language. We know of at least two major companies that are checking it out for that purpose.
it's a shame to see the headline right below this thread is "Airbnb waives fees for Hurricane Sandy affected area."
I played with 3 Win8 touchscreen computers at a store the other day. The big 'all in one' one - from HP I think - was just not good. You might get used to it, but I didn't like it. The dragging - which you end up having to do a lot of - was pretty slow, and no amount of poking around in the system settings showed a way to change the responsiveness. Secondly, it doesn't seem that there's any sort of speed sensitivity - flicking an ipad screen fast or slow changes the speed of the scrolling; that didn't seem to be the case on the systems I used (nor on my win8 system here, but it's not touch).

The two touch-enabled laptops I tested were more responsive and a better experience, although the speed of scrolling issue was still there. I suspect hardcore geeks may not adapt to these for some time - they're very 'eye candy' focused, and reduce your ability to do things with keystrokes. For the crowd that still meticulously watches their hand move to the mouse, then moves the eyes back to the screen to watch the mouse move, slowly, up to a menu, then click, then wait, then select an option, when just hitting 'ctrl-s' would do the trick, I suspect they'll like touchscreens for more of their daily work. Me? For now it'll be a niche thing.
I am. Not an evernote user.
What a contrast from Uber.
LESS than 1% efficiency?

Might want to hold off on press releases until it hits double digits.
Aha, I got you now :-)
Hmmm... have you filed a bug on this? We're generally pretty responsive (you'll be talking directly to the dev team, not msft support). If you could include a repro that'll be perfect. thx.
The real problem that Uber has to deal with is whether the increased supply (and marginal uptick in revenue) is worth the ensuing PR nightmare.

Uber already does this for days of heightened demand like NYE and Halloween. People get irritated, some enough so to blog about it (http://techcrunch.com/2012/08/19/uber-screwed-me-but-at-leas...).

But in the wake of Sandy, this pricing comes across as far more unscrupulous. I'd guess they didn't consider it.
The Myth of the A Player
You feel entitled to a cab at the same price even though it's a disaster and everyone needs a cab.

Drivers feel entitled not to have to drive into a disaster zone for the same price and would rather stay home.

So either way, whether or not prices are raised or prices stayed the same, the result to you and everyone who feels similarly entitled, would be the same - walk home.

At least by raising prices, those who are willing to pay the higher price will be able to get a cab.
First car only went ~4 miles an hour. Everything's gotta start somewhere.
I read that, overboard is quite the understatement. To spare me rereading the whole thing, are there specific parts that point to a rich/poor divide?
I can't throw out a fixed number if you're asking for yourself as everyone's number will vary greatly depending on their existing cost of living (debt, loans, children, location, etc etc etc...). I won't answer in my personal context either.

However, as a general rule of thumb, if you have 12 months runway base on your current cost of living AND you make enough to cover your current monthly run rate, and your projects are potentially growing or you want to free up time for working on other things or things in general, that would be a good rule of thumb.
Uber isn't a taxi company and doesn't have the protected industry status.
Thanks! Would love to get your feedback. Note that you can use PTVS for Django development/debugging & then push to a cloud of your choice (ie, not Azure) as well. See this link for some info: https://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/develop/python/tutorials/...
Yes, its illegal here too unless he filed a registered prospectus somehow.
> The outrage here stems from the fact

Or more likely, it stems from the fact that some people understand economics and some don't.

You want prices to go up in an emergency, because it creates incentives to go beyond usual measures to provide supply. Anti-gouging laws are not just useless, they are mindbogglingly harmful. There's a good reason you don't set ceilings on prices during usual times: If the cost of supply goes above set price, there is no supply and people have to go without. The pricing mechanism still works and is even more important when there is an emergency. If conditions make providing supply hard and legislation limits the prices to a set ceiling, retailers aren't going to eat the cost of providing supply, they are just going to say that it's too hard and close up for the duration. If prices are allowed to rise naturally, it incentivizes not just going above and beyond to get goods where they need to be, but also stockpiling supplies before the disaster.

Price gouging is a good thing, because the choice is not between very expensive bread and non-gouged bread, but between very expensive bread and no bread. If there was enough supply to provide for all demand during the crisis, prices wouldn't go up.
There are other issues: Go has stuff like slice for efficiently allocating array data more finely than a Java array, perl has autovivication.
No, because rule of law is important even when you're dealing with criminals.

I'm not quite sure of the point you're trying to make?
> I somehow doubt that people decided against downloading Firefox because it wasn't in the browser ballot.

Did you read the article?

>Daily downloads of Firefox fell by 63% to a low of 20,000 before the ballot was reinstated, Harvey Anderson, vice president of business affairs and general counsel at Mozilla, said in a post on his personal blog.

>After the fix, downloads jumped by 150% to 50,000 a day, he said - estimating that between six and nine million downloads were "lost" during the 18 months the browser ballot was missing.
Eventually you'll grow out of this fear of death. If you are so obsessed with focus ultrasound, invest in it yourself.
Thanks that was great. Looks very promising. Will try it out.
Most CEOs are also career criminals :p
can you shoot me an email neil at reelsurfer.com
I am picturing Python drowning in isinstance checks to avoid constant crashing every time a new function is added.
Rounding from 8.7 to 9 is perfectly acceptable, especially with something that's an estimate to begin with.
Devastation has hit NYC in zones that were not forecast to deem mandatory evacuation. As it turns out, the hurricane had caused greater devastation than expected and many people are unexpectedly experiencing loss of water and power and some loss of life. So in response to your first statement, no, most people did not know their areas would be in the path of danger. They are traveling now because where they are now is not habitable.

In response to the concept of supply and demand, yes, that is generally how the economy works. If NYC is in a higher demand for private car service, then it will likely cost more to get more drivers on the road.

I don't think the question at this point is why people are looking for relief via traveling - it should be why are they seeking help and how can we help.