skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
Our company interviewed for W13 and was not accepted. Some thoughts:

If you want to make important changes that could affect a startup's interest in accepting YC (financial terms) or make it much harder to get in (even at the interview stage) than it has been in the past you have a duty to do so before you hook hundreds of entrepreneurs into committing to sit with you for 10 minutes.

It was a good experience to prepare for and attend YC's interviews. However, it took valuable time away from the most important people in our company, both from a preparation standpoint and a distraction from execution.

Our company is based on the west coast, and the $800 in travel reimbursement did not cover our costs to attend (we went ~$200 over and were very lean. You upped the criteria, lowered the reward and didn't completely cover the cost to try out. Small dollars and a few days matter a lot to a company at our stage.

It is one thing to tweak your program and make it harder to get in. It is another to do so in secret or after you've gotten entrepreneurs' hopes, dollars and time committed to trying.

I hung out at the YC office before and after our interview, and the environment is not like you project: http://static.picwing.com/18075/e_106219_t540.jpg It is actually pretty ruthless, and I picked up a sense of realized power and eliteness.

As an example, YC put a really nice selection of organic-looking food right next to entrepreneur registration table. This food was not for the entrepreneurs, yet it was on full display. I approached this food by accident and was actually told by a YC staff member (in a tone that suggested a silly mistake) that there were "bits and scraps" available on the other table for us.

That is kind of what it felt like in this process. A bounty of food that is kept within sight, but actually quietly kept quite far out of reach. It ended up feeling not that much different from pitching a traditional VC.
A good way to find out if an idea is useful is to charge money for it.

People come up with elaborate schemes to avoid doing that because asking for money and being turned down is a form of rejection, and rejection stings. I'll tell you from 15 years in startups, including long stints in companies I didn't run that weren't even part of my identity with customer prospects I didn't even care about: rejection always stings, will probably always sting, and you will subconsciously (to your great detriment) always avoid situations with potential reject even though you know you need to not do that.

The result is a system that converges on stories that can pick up 6-18 months of funding runway without ever demonstrating value from real customers.

There are businesses that need to boot up without asking for money from customers, but they're not common, and when you find one, it will be very clear why you'd defer revenue, and the answer won't have anything to do with monetizing eyeballs.
We do all kinds of screencasts - I'm editing one about ActiveAdmin on Rails right now, and we also have many other formats (.NET, some Rails) - not all just Javascript.

That said - Destroy All Screencasts is great (https://www.destroyallsoftware.com/screencasts), and PeepCode has terrific Play by Play stuff with Gary Bernhardt which I can't recommend enough: https://peepcode.com/products/play-by-play-bernhardt.

He also has Ryan Singer and Yehuda Katz doing their thing... great stuff.
This overlooks there was good hard technology behind Google in the first place. PageRank was not trivial to devise and implement, it was measurably better than anything on the market already, and it provided value, well, to pretty much everyone in the world.

There is no original technology behind much of the startups. Not calling any names, but a glorified mailing list or a shopping cart is not original technology, not in 2012. Facebook seems to do interesting stuff with social graph, but I can't help the feeling whatever value they have there goes to relatively tiny set of paying customers (advertisers) rather than to end-users.
To be fair to Ruby, it releases the GVL when a thread is blocked on IO; so for this kind of task it wouldn't be an issue, probably.
I can't help but think about Peter Thiel encouraging people to drop out and start companies. But then I saw that it was Dan Lyons that wrote it.

Two people's opinions, in my mind, not to heed.. So, somewhere in the middle should be about right.
Emulating the Gamecube audio processing in Dolphin
No bug-eyed monsters: After hype, NASA finds carbon, chlorine on Mars
You have good points. Them leaving after lot of training/mistakes is not something we can afford at this stage.

We have already worked with a few interns. The time and money we invested into this effort didn't really pay off and we ended up letting them go.
He's referencing the Austrian Business Cycle theory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrian_business_cycle_theory

The argument is that inflationary spending is what causes the boom bust cycle. Inflation creates an initial perspective of prosperity and causes an increase and shift in investment from capital goods to consumer goods. This leads to a self reinforcing bubble which eventually drains the economy and leads to a bust.

Trotsky is effectively saying that the bubble was due to interest rates and Dan Lyons is wrong to attribute it primarily to a character flaw of the persons involved. I don't wholly agree with that, but I think the ABCT does have merit.
As recaptcha.net says: stop TC, read books.
With all due respect PG, I'm not sure there's precedence for you "killing" articles like this but I don't think that's a good idea.

This article has a lot of people talking and trying to figure out what works and what doesn't.
Self hosted comments don't have to ask for your email, and, they can use whichever authentication system you like, so you could log with FB, Google, Persona, you name it. They have open authentication protocols.

The only difference is that host controls &store the comments, and the host isn't disqus or what not, but the guy owning the blog instead.

But psst... following that logic you must hate hackernews commenting system :p
Plingm does have an Android app, I wonder why the press release would hinder the network effect by saying it's iPhone-only.
They also get paid for answering the requests:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/07/19/cellphone...
Thank you for this. I've spent so many hours of my life listening to these songs, it's good to hear them again.
While I don't want to second-guess your judgement, I've seen many other articles that are just as much rehashes and not shut down as dupes. Why does this article deserve the axe so quickly? Indeed, if it is saying something different from the other articles (as odious as it might be), wouldn't that indicate it is not a dupe?
That is… weird. Investigating now.
I can't upvote this comment enough.
Your explanation reminds me of why people hate lawyers so much. For every 1 good lawyer I meet, I meet 5 truly horrible ones.
The same is true of startup founders i've met.

The responses you usually see to pointing out someone's idea is horrible is "well, it's hard to predict what ideas will be big, so you don't really know it's horrible. You may be wrong".

Given most ideas are horrible, and most startups fail, the onus is on the guy telling you how "rottenfood.com: Rotten food shipped same-day to your door!" will be the next big thing to provide evidence his idea is not horrible.
Usually this "evidence" is in the form of talking points: "Rotten Food is a 500 million dollar industry just ripe for disruption".
Then when it fails "the idea was good, but the time wasn't right, but it was a valuable learning experience".

No! The idea was not good. It was horrible. The fact that you think otherwise tells me it was not a valuable learning experience, because you didn't learn the most important thing.

I can't even write up this comment without it turning into all snark, so i'm just going to leave it to the tech journalists :)
A lot of people probably don't even realize they have an issue, but that doesn't mean there isn't one.

I'm constantly amazed when I go to a friend or family member's house and they are watching SD television content scaled up on their HDTV and the aspect ratio is all fucked and they don't even notice, or worse after you show them how to fix it they want it back the old way because they don't want to "waste" parts of their screen with black bars.

Or they are running high gamut monitors uncalibrated with an obvious red-shift that is fucking up everything they are viewing and they don't even see it. Etc, etc.

Most people just aren't that perceptive about these sorts of details, but that's no reason to excuse real problems for people that are perceptive about them, especially when you're supposedly a "premium brand".
My Wife has my old MBP circa 2008. Its still runs surprisingly well - outside the new trackpad and larger size, I don't notice a difference using that compared to my current. While I like the T61 (alot), when I left my previous job I was given the choice of keeping either it or the MBP (both with similar specs). I chose the MBP and haven't regretted it once.
New Training Website for Design Engineers: TechOnline.com
Want to make MDN better but not much of a writer?
Ask HN: Floodgate Capital reputation and exits?
I'm considering joining a relatively early stage start up in the bay area which has received an A round from Floodgate capital (previously Maples Investments). I'm working on my due diligence for the company, and thought I'd ask if anyone on HN has experience with Floodgate.

I know that they were part of the series A round with Digg, but don't know much beyond that, other than what I can get from their website.
Assange "Cypherpunks" new book on the Pirate Bay
For cases like this where the article is fluff but the comments are substantial, we have a way of killing articles that doesn't turn off new comments, and that is what I used.
There's also real people behind shows like Jerry Springer and Honey Boo Boo. Doesn't man they're not crappy.
Division by zero shows infinity in Android calculator
How I made money with TeeSpring
Agreed. I was wondering how the post would change if it was emotionally neutral and took a serious, objective look at the subject rather than the "these people are dumb and should feel dumb" attitude.

Criticism is necessary, but I think this kind of cynicism is mostly counterproductive. I think it takes more courage and intelligence to figure out how to make a blogger-turned-vc effective or find that diamond in the rough that no one expected to go anywhere than it does to say they're stupid.
A technique to drastically extend Flash memory lifecycles
To "two finger" it all you have to do is rotate your hand slightly and swipe with finger and thumb. This gesture becomes effortless once you internalize it.

The problem with the "stick" is that, like a game-pad controller, it operates like a steering wheel. It doesn't move the mouse directly, but it changes the rate at which the mouse is moving. This is a degree removed from actually steering the mouse and it's why it frustrates a lot of people.

If you're a "home row" person that's fine, we all have our preferences, but you're probably in the minority and the appeal of that feature is more limited than a responsive track-pad.
Is this aimed at consumers or manufacturers/creators?

As a consumer, this doesn't strike me as something I would want to browse, which probably means a lot of people only post there if they want to vent about something.

It could be an interesting alternative to a GitHub Issues/Pull Request system if it's easy for creators to subscribe to requests for their brand or products, though.

But I still am not sure what the incentive for consumers to post this would be. Maybe some sort of reward structure should be in place for the first few months to give it traction. Just gamified badges and stuff to kick things off.
You need the smell of rotten eggs to know there's a gas leak.
Private By Default
The next step will be to use f instead of s
The day Steve Jobs passed the entire front page was filled with dupes.
I wouldn't be surprised if that quickly changes, since the ad placeholders (center right of page) have recently become revenue-generating ads.
* They're simply helping those drivers fill their excess capacity. Limo drivers have been driving legally, under as much or more regulation than taxi drivers for years. *

Not all Uber drivers are licensed limo drivers or hold taxicab medallions. Moreover, there is a substantial difference between limosuine and taxicab services: by definition, limosuines are reserved in advance (and are thus not subject to fee caps), while taxicabs are hired on the spot (so the fees they may charge are stricly regulated to protect consumers).

Why is national regulation being pushed now, to require (among other things) towncars to be booked at least 30 minutes in advance? It certainly smacks of "big bad entrenched regulators" trying to fuck over a sprightly new startup.

It's not. You need to learn the difference between a national regulation and a bunch of major cities and metropolitan areas coming together to decide on a set of common rules that they will all agree to adopt. Here's a hint: a national regulation applies everywhere. A voluntary set of common rules applies only to those jurisdictions which agree to adopt the common rules. This is a good thing; it means that future market entrants will have an easier time figuring out the rules.

Maybe you can explain how advanced booking regulations for an already regulated industry that didn't need them ever before helps benefit the public good.

Booking regulations already exist in every major taxicab market. These regulations predate WWII.

Most of these drivers don't own their own vehicles, they work for someone else, and are just trying to make a living. Requiring those hard-working drivers to have people schedule 30+ minutes in advance is taking money out of their pockets.

If these drivers are working for someone else and using that company's cars, then they are generally required to book all trips through that company's systems. If they aren't, they are basically stiffing the company providing their car out of a portion of some of their fees. If that's true, then Uber could be liable for tortious interference with contracts (between the drivers and their cab companies), which is also crime in some states.

I can't see how any of the proposed regulation benefits the public, and I certainly can't see how it offsets the benefits of what Uber brings.

No, but plenty of other people can. Regulations exist to protect the common good, not to maximize the benefit of specific individuals (though in the course of protecting the common good many regulations will increase benefits to participants in affected markets).
Someone want to add a [video] tag to the title?
Last month I posted this message: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4729612 and from that I got two emails. Talked to both of the potential customers but none of them was interested in paying more than $25 an hour.

Since I've only posted once I don't know if it had something to do with my post or if that's the common occurrence.
I agree, but I don't think it matters too much. He has reported it responsibly. Now, if he had come out with a "zero-day" report, then his competing status would be highly germane.

It was probably because of this competing (experimenting with feature sets, etc) that he found the issue in the first place.
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SEEKING FUN PROJECTS (work) - Remote, On-Site, San Francisco Bay Area

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I get shit done.

- 5 years Ruby on Rails.

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Looking for long-term or short-term Rails consulting work.
I love working on-site and work just as well remotely.

I'm a friendly guy with good communication skills.

I'm looking for projects solving real problems. My belief
is that the product (features) reach customers ASAP and
that's what ultimately matters. Testing is good, but not
the end-all be-all. Iterate on what works and make it
better.

I'm tapped into the community and can draw many resources
into projects as needed. Marketing, advertising, SEO,
design, UX, more programming and even funding.

You name it, I can find it for you.

Have built new, and worked on existing, Rails applications
including (but not limited to) a permission based
advertising platform, an up-sell marketing platform, a
social media platform and most recently one of the largest
e-commerce flash sales sites.

- I get shit done.

- I'm not cheap.

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Please look for your bargain basement engineering needs
somewhere else =)

Contact me, below, to have your problems solved.

Cheers!

For pure awesomeness contact: http://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=coffee

============================================================
Social Engagement – The Search for Answers
My two year old £200 24" LCD showed no signs of ghosting at all.
This article is dupe + linkbait. Most mere dupes don't get upvoted, so there's no need to kill them.
The issue is, and this going to be a huge tug of war for a long time to come, is the role of ISPs; either as 'content providers' or as merely a utility provider. One provides huge profits, one is a low margin business.

Well then the answer is clear, the market has spoken: they are utilities. That's how they were setup, that's the bargain they made with We the People, and quite frankly, they don't offer content anyone wants (they aren't Netflix).

"Ooh, I want pay per view and Mediacom/Cox/Comcast digital movies", said no one ever. If they want to provide content, they should not be allowed to anti-competitively discriminate against other content providers. This is exactly what Network Neutrality is about.
The entirety of the startup "industry" is about exemplars and outliers. If we went by the typical outcome of a startup (or any new business, tech or otherwise) we'd never start anything.

Everyone is in it to try and become an outlier.

The theory is that we would be willing to invest in 1000 non-Googles and non-Facebooks if it means we can have a shot at having a single Google or Facebook. The "crunch", as it were, seems to be arising from the fact that there seem to be a lot more than 1000 non-Googles for every Google, and even the successful don't seem to be as successful as tech companies in previous generations - which leads to an adjustment in the ratio of failures/successes that you're willing to accept.

That in and of itself is unsurprising, but the natural concern is whether or not we've figured out, even roughly, what predicts success, and if the "crunch" correctly targets clearly bullshit companies, or if it's a general contraction that will eliminate good companies as well as bad.

I don't think anyone is lamenting the loss of bullshit businesses with no plan. The more concerning question is: are we any better at determining future success, on day 1, than we used to be?
What can I say? They're the worst laptops, except for all the others.

Seriously though, the second one has been a champion and I've used it for four years straight without a hiccup. It's a wash--I don't recommend Apple hardware for everyone, but I still prefer it myself.
Microsoft did, sure, but I'm referring more to application and game developers. The OS features are nice-to-haves to be sure, but if your applications are outpacing your hardware...
Fexl progress report 2012-12-03
Somewhat less anecdotally, I worked Helpdesk at a company ~3 yrs ago, and most of our employees had either Lenovo's (T61's, T400s) or MBP's. I didn't notice a significant difference in the failure rate between the two.
I completely agree with the point about eating but I opted to focus on drinking behavior and interactions with the hope that people are smart enough to eat, or not show up dressed like a hobo for that matter. One could argue that the entire piece is mute because a person should not feel obligated to drink. In fact there are several celebrities that don't drink at all - Donald Trump, David Beckham, and Jennifer Lopez to name a few, but that's a conversation for another time. I merely wanted to draw attention to the fact that alcohol consumption plays a pivotal role in many business interactions and you rarely hear anyone emphasize how important it is that a person representing a company understands how to properly approach these scenarios.
You forgot iPod batteries that die after (warrantly length+1) months.
Ugh, another ranting raving Charlie Demerjian hitpiece on Microsoft(other candidates include Nvidia and Intel) low on facts and analysis and high on hyperbole and juvenile language. I regret clicking on the link, just like always. I don't want to even bother wasting my time on debunking this crap. The only redeeming factor in his blog is that he sometimes gets a few good leaks from industry sources on graphics cards, CPUs etc. Other than that it's just a pathetic tabloid.
Who cares about the quality or the skill it took? If it's an unskilled attack, it's even worse. If script kiddies can break into your site, your security is alarmingly poor.

The things that matter during an attack: how much damage was caused, what kind of data was compromised, and how much it will cost to get things fixed. The quality of the attack is only a factor when it comes to cost/benefit of fixing the vulnerability.
Actually, it's not that uncommon a problem.

I had a user in there mid 50 who kept complaining about the fonts in a custom application. Turns out he was having vision issues and after getting some reading glasses he stopped having any issues.

PS: I have a high resolution screen and changed my default zoom the make the vast majority of websites readable. True, it would be nice if websites stuck with readable percentage based fonts, but until then it's an easy change. And, IMO far more productive than complaining on HN which the author might not even read.
Movie Studios Ask Google To Censor Their Own Films, Facebook and Wikipedia
Well, what about synchronizing with the local bookmarks manager?
We can simplify it and just say - get some carbs in your stomach before you take a sip!
Others have mentioned that the answer should look like "charging more to those who use more".

But I see it differently the relevant scarcity is over bandwidth: total data transfer at any moment in time. That is, downloading when everyone else is "hurts" the network a lot more than when you download when it's below capacity.

So why not just throttle heavy users when at full capacity, and only then?

I know a lot of people here don't like anything involving throttling, but it only seems fair that (if you don't want metered usage), then people who put less load on the network should get priority when there's only a scarce amount to go around. (It should be weighted, of course, by how much of your usage was on or close to peak hours so that you're punished less if you schedule your torrenting for off-peak.)

What am I missing?
Is this Mike Maples' fund? If so, yes, they are well known and Mike is a great guy.

Raj
CEO, Viralheat Inc.
That's simply not true. The odds of my own actions being able to prevent or interrupt a common criminal are vastly higher than the odds of a single vote affecting the outcome of any but the smallest local election.

Again, proportions simply do not matter to the victim of violence. Like I said, if DEA agent busts down my door and shoots me, it is absolutely no consolation or justification that >50% of voters approve of drug prohibition. If you propose the question "is it okay for a robber to take 30% of my paycheck as long as 51% of my community is okay with it?" most people will say "of course not!," but if you propose the exact same question, but with "a robber" to "the government," most people will say "yes of course that's okay."