skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
Clearly you did not understand what you where reading but felt the need to attack it anyway. Anyway, Thar is a word in common usage in a different language. He attempts to translate it at "blood vengeance" but it is already a world which you could look up if you felt like it. He then uses the term "thar mentality" to talk about the systems where "blood vengeance" are part of their system.

"The thar mentality can be said to include these features. They vary in degree from person to person and place to place but if we find all or most of them in a society we can justly apply the label thar.

Extreme importance of personal status and sensitivity to insult
Acceptance of personal revenge including retaliatory killing
Obsessive male dominance
Paranoia over female sexual infidelity
Primacy of family rights over individual rights"

2nd:

"While we can find this attitude in Spanish cultures, it's much more virulent, destructive and unmoderated by humor and common sense in other parts of the world."

AKA Spanish cultures do a weak version of X but if you want a real example look at Y and Z cultures.
5 ways to break past the San Francisco echo-chamber
If you're a clothing manufacturer or a restaurant, photo sharing might serve you better than blogging. Or maybe you want something in between. My site, ourdoings.com, bridges the gap between blogging and photo sharing better than anything else out there.
I'd trust the Real Estate agent to not kill me... but I certainly think the random person at the market's interests are more aligned with my own than any real estate agent's interests are.

Real estate agents want the house to sell quickly at the highest price possible (to increase both their deal throughput and commission). This serves neither the buyer (who should be looking for lowest price of whatever it is he wants) nor the seller (who gets to pay an absurd commission for what amounts to secretarial work).

So yeah, this is completely off topic, but at least the person in the open air market just wants to sell something, and by being there you must want to buy it, so I don't see the swindle.
Maybe off-topic, but interesting, at least to me.

So the person in the market is unknown to you. He has something, you have something. You trade, life is good.

But how do you know when you give your money you'll get something? How do you know it's the thing you asked for? How can you be sure the trader isn't just trying to lure you back to some back room where you can be mugged or worse? While haggling at a bazaar can be great fun, there's a lot of risk involved. Financial transactions do not like risk. That's why we don't sell houses using the bazaar format.

I'd like to point out that houses sell and are bought for all kinds of reasons aside from price. So I believe your reply to be a little weak in that regard. Whatever the case, the position of "real estate agent" in our society confers all kinds of things. If the house is not the seller's, then you are covered. If the agent runs off with your down-payment, you are covered. If the agent knowingly misrepresents the house, you are covered. In fact, the idea is that the risk is reduced to simply: is it worth what I am paying for it? Financial markets like this.

There's no problem with multiple parties all having somewhat conflicting interests. Financial transactions occur when parties find some subset of aligning interests in which to trade around. Not total alignment -- that doesn't exist. Once you have enough alignment for a trade, you've got to reduce risk. Some of these cultures, for instance, refuse to use a banking system, believing it to be immoral. While I deeply respect the right of any individual to believe any dang thing he wants, cultures that do things like ban banking, private property rights, etc. greatly increase the risk during financial transactions. That's why I'd never get involved in Russia, for instance -- never can tell when the ruling party might decide just to take over your entire business. You can't have a highly-functioning society like that.
Yeah, the whole cult around some of those authors is laughable; reminds of the Gilderoy Lockehart character from Harry Potter - those who can't do, write - and "teach".

I did like the XP books by Kent Beck, though, because I thought they captured what for me is the most important aspect: you start with a simple process that seems reasonable, based in the values that are important to your organization. And then you adapt the process as you move along, without worrying about what some dude in a book said to do.
upmodded the post - but I can't help thinking that this is mainly a China PR piece
Yes, I can:

01001000100001...

Guess what? There are uncountable ones.
>I was short on SCO something like three years ago, and the end really hasn't come yet)

Nasdaq delisted them this morning.
> There are an uncountably many number of non-normal real numbers like this, even though the infinite amount of normal real numbers is bigger.

How sure are you with that one? Mind to supply a proof?
China Buys Wall Street
Since pi is not random, we cannot say that every finite string is in it. (If it was, the probability P[s in binary representation] would be 1 for every finite s)

Actually, there is no proof and no counter proof that every finite string comes up in pi. (...that I know of)
Good Math, Bad Math : The Total Stupidity of Crowds: Bad Mortgages and Circular Solutions
EETimes.com - Intel builds 80-core chip
Applied note-taking taken to a whole new level
I think these guys have their heart in the right place, no doubt. I think what I see that is missing is organizational agility. There is a lot of organizational risk that just goes unanswered, and once the questions begin, these guys start sounding awful prescriptive. It's almost like they expect large organizations to run completely from a focus of one team, and one developer, instead of the entire structure. That might sell a lot of books to frustrated programmers on teams, but it kind of side-steps the whole issue of "how do we pick what to use or not use in a dynamic fashion? How dynamic can an organization be, anyway? Could you deploy to production different ways for different teams? Should project chartering be done with information that is also valuable to the team, like a business model? If you have running code and not enough people know what you are doing, do you stamp your feet and keep saying "integrated team of generalists" or do you acknowledge the fact that written communication is the only way your are going to reach some very important people?, etc." I don't see a lot of that type of thinking going on.

I too do the coach thing, usually for big organizations. I also do the startup thing (which I love) with small teams. Care to guess which one I like more? (grin)
Grip warmers for various motorized vehicles have been around for quite a while and are standard equipment on most snowmobiles. They're rare on bicycles because there's usually no electrical system to power them. They're also less necessary since riding a bike produces more than a little bit of body heat.
I should have said "All the drugs that they're talking about are some form of stimulant". Sorry, I was tired when I wrote my post.

Just FYI. I'm an ER nurse with 15 years of critical care experience. I do know a couple of things about pharmacology.

But, the idea that caffeine is not a stimulant is simply absurd and wrong. Stimulants tend to be in the same family of drugs. They are chemical cousins and have similar effects.

You don't get that big of a buzz when you drink a cup of coffee because the concentration of caffeine isn't that high. If you were to snort a couple of grams of powdered caffeine, I'm sure that you might change your mind about it being a stimulant. Caffeine is a stimulant alkaloid just like Cocaine. Look it up on Wikipedia if you wish.

Provigil or modafinil is a stimulant, just like caffeine, amphetamines, cocaine and certain over the counter cold medications (ephedrine and pseudephedrine). The difference between these drugs is in the concentration, strength, side effects and duration.

About the two other non-stimulant drugs briefly mentioned in the article:

Donepezil or Arricept is a drug that's used for Alzheimer's patients. I've never heard of it being used on a non-demented patient, although it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't study it on healthy people, too. If it improves your memory loss... you might want to talk to a neurologist anyway, you might have something else going on.

Beta blockers are primarily cardiac drugs and used for blood pressure and heart rate control. If classical musicians are using it to take the edge off the jitters... there's much better ways of doing that other than messing with your cardio-vascular system. It's called valium or ativan. I've taken care of a few too many people who've passed out from unintentionally OD-ing on Beta blockers to think that taking them for nerves is a good idea.

Perhaps I'm a bit jaded, but this article sounded to me a bit like a PR piece for the Pharmaceutical Association of America. "New brain drugs are in and more are coming soon!"
I would say, rather, use the language with the most libraries in the area of your startup. Code you don't have to write beats ease of reinventing everything, any day. I say this as someone who has reinvented some things over and over during the last seven years.
Introduction to Concurrent Programming with Stackless Python
Quantcast Web Site Rankings | You'll be suprised at some of the sites on this list
Stalkeo
I think we're in agreement. We're just using slightly different definitions of the word "micromanage".

Here's what I'd say:

A system which keeps track of all the gifts that you've given friends/coworkers? Great! That system is helping you to manage the gifts, but you are still in control.

A system in which the gifts get chosen and sent automatically? Not so great. What's the algorithm? If it's "give everyone fruitcake", why do I need a computer to figure that out? If it's "spy on their gmail accounts to figure out what they like"... well, that's pure evil. Your co-workers will be completely creeped out by your eerily specific gifts... Christmas will feel like the Twilight Zone. And I'm not convinced there's much middle ground between these two models. After all, if you find it hard to be thoughtful, how on earth do you expect the Googlebot to find it easy? The Googlebot may cost more than you, but it is not remotely as thoughtful.

Meanwhile, I too long for the day when my iPhone will remember the names of everyone I meet. I just don't think that it should be put in charge of answering my mail, or writing my dialogue. And I seriously doubt that it will be any good at telling the difference between my first meeting with the new mailman, my first meeting with an annoying traveling salesman, my first meeting with my future wife, and my first meeting with Linus Torvalds. That will still be my job.
"The telling point would be to find a non-Arabian culture that encourages 'thar'. Unfortunately, I have not yet thought of an example off the top of my head involving an non-Arabian culture."

American urban hip-hop culture.
Talent imitates, but genius steals. - T.S. Elliott.
"How can you be sure the trader isn't just trying to lure you back to some back room where you can be mugged or worse?"

Like I said, I'd trust a Realtor more to not kill me (or perpetrate some other act of violence). Was just saying Realtor has much more financial incentive to screw me over in a legal, but still unkind, way.

"I'd like to point out that houses sell and are bought for all kinds of reasons aside from price. So I believe your reply to be a little weak in that regard. ... In fact, the idea is that the risk is reduced to simply: is it worth what I am paying for it?"

I totally agree that houses are bought for a number of reasons, but I was discussing the dimension involving getting the best price. If you love a house because it has fluffy pink toilet seats and are willing to pay any amount of money for that comfort, then you aren't getting screwed. On the other hand, if you live in the real world and have a maximum budget for a house, the realtor will always show you things just above your range, in the hopes you will splurge on it. Sure, you can find another realtor that won't do this, but most people won't. It's not illegal, and only slightly immoral, so I can't say I blame the realtor. They are just working within the system they are given to maximize personal gain, like anyone else. The problem I was pointing out is that the system is not well aligned with the needs of either the buyer or seller.

"Some of these cultures, for instance, refuse to use a banking system, believing it to be immoral. While I deeply respect the right of any individual to believe any dang thing he wants, cultures that do things like ban banking, private property rights, etc. greatly increase the risk during financial transactions. That's why I'd never get involved in Russia, for instance -- never can tell when the ruling party might decide just to take over your entire business. You can't have a highly-functioning society like that."

I totally agree there.
Digg CEO says selling out would be easier than an IPO
Community CEO Calacanis Is Seeking Advertising Help With Mahalo
Just when I thought it couldn't get any creepier...
"Like I said, I'd trust a Realtor more to not kill me (or perpetrate some other act of violence). Was just saying Realtor has much more financial incentive to screw me over in a legal, but still unkind, way."

I'd rather have an equal playing field and do my own worrying about the realtor screwing me over than about my physical safety. The economy works great with people looking after their own financial interests, but not so well when things like contracts, personal safety, banking, or insurance bonds are non-existent.

Still like that idea of a bazaar being better than dealing with a professional in a western culture? From where I'm sitting it's not looking so hot. Remember -- the guy in the bazaar can still screw you the ways professionals in the west can -- but he can screw you in a lot more ways, too.
Everyone can think, but most people choose not to. It seems like the only exception is someone with a mental disability.
How to hit the enterprise 2.0 Bullseye
some interesting tips, but not too sure about the PR section specially hiring a PR firm, you might be able to get more creative than that and waste less money on these sort of expenses
I don't think its necessarily a bad service, but it should have some sort of approval system.
"The Spokeo process begins with providing your address book; your name and password at social-networking sites; or the URL of your friends' profile, photo album, website, or blog."

OMG !
I consider the way of life Macedon constructed -- allowing superior funding and training of armies -- a technological/logistical advantage accompanied with more rapidly-evolving tactics. You call it just 'social'. It is a minor disagreement.

I agree: For most of history battles were not based on technological advantage against superior numbers, but were simple wars of attrition between increasingly equal opponents in numbers and technology. (That mindset culminated in WWI.) Warrior aristocracies did control territories out of proportion of their numbers. Especially in times of peace, when subjugating their own populations.

Being more steadfast can't defeat 10-1 odds (that requires significant technological advantage), but it was still worth a lot.

---

I wasn't sure how to talk about cohesiveness. Cohesive can be just stubborn persistence, or it can be more harmonious tactics.

Technology always has a social component. For the macedonian pike to arise you needed the social infrastructure around it that allowed Philip to train soldiers, then send them out to become battle-hardened defending trading routes from pirates. (That's a pretty common pattern, and explains why islands often grow into great powers; the right social infrastructure for warlike technology often arises after trade for several generations.)

But by no means is it so simple a matter as just being more steadfast. I can't think of a single battle that was won against 10-1 odds in numbers without technological advantage (including dramatically superior generalship and training). In fact, it's battles like in WWI or involving General Marlborough that relied on steadfastness and attrition because there was no other advantage, of technology or of generalship or of numbers.
Predator : Stalk, Yo!

Prey : Stalk, eee oh!
I would call these ways to understand that you need to break past the echo chamber. They might open your eyes to the idea that people are different. To actually break past the echo chamber you need extensive interaction with other people.
It shouldn't if said language wants to stay popular. Community will always trump any flaw.
Apple's new laptops: confirmed
ASP.NET on Rails
I originally enjoyed this little essay, but the more I thought about it, the more certain things bothered me:

1. The word Thar: He doesn't want to saddle the Spanish, but is more than happy to saddle the Arabs. This is bad form and almost racist. Every culture in the world practices "Thar", why the disdain for Arabs?

2. Ignoring European "Thar" - With the exception of the Former Yugoslavia (Muslims - interesting), the author basically ignores the many examples of this in European societies, from Italian, Greek, Spanish, Russian. Hell, the Mafia is basically built on this, and last time I checked it's alive and well - but it doesn't even get mentioned. (FYI, I'm southern Italian... my grandparents are as "backwards" as can be sometimes.)

3. The real reason the west no longer follows "Thar" is because of the Age of Enlightenment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment).

Because it's only a few generations old (having happened in the 1800's) and was centered in Europe - by extension North America - it has simply taken time to reach other parts of the world. Namely, the mid east and Africa.

This is the reason that Thar - which enlightenment rejects - is still so prevalent in these societies.

4. The Bushido code IS "Thar". The fact is that Japan up until the end of WWII embodied "Thar" to a degree of perfection seen nowhere else on the planet cannot be excused away by a "remorse shine" in a doctor's office.

In fact, had the doctor been a true practitioner of Bushido, he would have killed himself long ago. The remorse shrine is a symbol of cowardice consistent with reason - imported from North America after WWII. (I'm not suggesting either one is correct) This shows more than anything that the doctor is conflicted between the notion of an insult to his honor, and the understanding that real sacrifice should not be required.

This is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt at pinning Arabs and Muslims with the moniker of backwards-stone age people that need "educating". If this is what qualifies for advanced cultural thinking in the US, its no wonder you're losing in Iraq.

>"It's considered bad form in many circles to criticize another culture's values. "

Perhaps the author would do well to follow the advice of his peers.
It's impressive how good that image looks. Every atom in the graph is just a translucent blue circle.

I wonder what effects you could achieve with more exotic coloring rules. Not complicated rules, just interlocking ones, like in the Game of Life.
>The telling point would be to find a non-Arabian culture that encourages 'thar'. Unfortunately, I have not yet thought of an example off the top of my head involving an non-Arabian culture.

Try looking a little:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrior#Warrior_cultures
This month I just finished my BS in CS. I set out to complete it over 11 years ago, in 1996. In 1997 I started working full time and have accrued over 10 years experience in qa, operations and sysadmin, software development, software engineering, management, and more. The CS classes I'd taken along the way each contributed to my abilities, but out of context I can certainly see how if I had waited to finish my degree to enter the work force, I'd have been at a serious disadvantage. Along the way, I never encountered a significant roadblock finding a job because I didn't have my degree - most employers never asked because I had enough experience after 2 years or so full time.
>Yet if warrior societies are so bad, why are they so common?

Because they aren't "bad". They seem foreign to our intellectual understanding, but they are a successful way to run a culture.

For an example, witness the current US practice of "Thar" after 9/11. Honour is an effective device when moving a society into action.
There should be a "techcrunch" that reviews sites with numbers/features that speak for themselves instead of the bull* publicity process that now occurs.
you do know that chances are that some of us may actually have experience with these massive organizations, right?
There's no new privacy intrusion going on here. This service is simply an aggregator for data you could find on your own with a little effort. If anything, this will help people to think twice about what information they're making available on all the services it aggregates.
Its a veiled attack at cultures not based on modern western values as being not only inferior, but despicable and immoral.

It is racism in its purest form.
Here's how joining an ancient army is like joining a contemporary startup: your goal is to compete with more numerous enemies by means of superior technology. You mobilize a group of people with promises of loot, rape and pillage, a share of the profits. The people around you take on risk for a chance to make it big. It's not as volatile as before, of course. Instead of losing your life you take a paycut, a hit in opportunity cost.

Here's how joining an ancient army is not like joining a contemporary startup: then your goal was to destroy and assimilate the enemy. Now it is to be happily assimilated.

---

People tend to consider the feudal system a step back from the glorious states that were ancient Greece and ancient Rome. In reality it's a step forward, employing standing armies in a decentralized 'p2p' organization rather than mobilizing armies for specific invasions.

Taking away loot as the primary incentive makes becoming a soldier more of a 'normal' career and less of a risk, more stable and less reliant on big payouts. This in turn gives a society as a whole less incentive to go marauding against its neighbors. The stability we have today in the west began then, with the barbarian Germanic tribes that later came to have knights and chivalry. Before we could have stock markets and acquisitions we had to stop fighting among ourselves.

:) Happy holidays everyone!