skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
I once started developing such a tool, but abandoned it when I understood the web browser is not a safe environment.

You can't trust the javascript you execute: http://www.matasano.com/articles/javascript-cryptography/

For another example, imagine a security breach on the server, some malicious javascript code injected server side, and your passwords get leaked, without you noticing.

If you think that you don't have to use SSL because you encrypt client side, think again. Without SSL a simple proxy can inject javascript in the page and get all your passwords.

The best solution I think, which I haven't had the time to implement yet, is a native app, retrieving only encrypted and signed data from the server.
"Item #8: Larger Fonts".

Please, please, please!
How to make a note-taking application for Windows 8 using C#
There were certainly some issues early on (the thing with list MPs leaving their party but keeping their seat, for example) but I think those have been ironed out now?

I feel like maybe there is too much power given to kingmakers, like the anti-smacking bill for example - the vast majority of the population didn't want it, neither National nor Labour really wanted it, but it got rammed through by the Greens because Labour needed their support to govern. But overall, I think it's still better than the arrangement here (the UK) where the Lib Dems got piles of popular support at the last election but retained relatively little power from it.
Aaron Swartz is what I wish I was.

Please don't compare yourself to anyone else. It's pointless, disempowering, and generally a waste of time. Your "best you" is what I wish you wished you were.

I am a bright technologist...

You are not alone. There are many of us here, like you and like Aaron.

...but I've never built anything of note.

The things you build do not have to be famous to be "anything of note". Do people use the software you have written? Do they benefit from it? If yes, then it is most certainly "of note".

I have strong opinions about how to improve this world, but I've never acted to bring them to pass.

That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you. That means you're normal. 99% of us are in exactly the same boat. We go about our daily business, taking care of ourselves and those close to us, making the world a better place in a thousand little ways.

Think of it this way. We're all just one great big football team. The Aaron Swartzs and Steve Jobs of the world are the quarterbacks and ball carriers whose names are in the press all the time. But they would accomplish little if it wasn't for those of us around them who block and tackle all day long. Don't be upset that, up to this point, you've been a blocker or tackler. Be proud. And realize that your turn to carry the ball has yet to come.

I have thoughts every day that I would share with the world, but I allow my fears to convince me to keep them to myself.

Congratulations. You have just taken the first step toward addressing that issue with that statement here on Hacker News. Now please take Step 2. Start a blog. If it's anything like this post, then I want to read it. And others, I'm sure, will want to also.

If I were able to stop being afraid of what the world would think of me, I could see myself making every decision that Aaron made that ultimately led to his untimely death.

You don't know what really led to Aaron's untimely death. No one does. The decisions you make are just one input to a complex process we still don't understand. So go easy on yourself and don't jump to unnecessary conclusions.

I am upset that we have a justice system that would persecute me the way it did Aaron.

Many of us are upset about this and a lot of other things too. But we won't allow any of them to stop us from living our lives fully. You can be upset about things in background and still have a wonderful happy life in foreground. Give it a try.

I am upset that I have spent 27 years of my life having made no discernible difference to the world around me.

I bet if I asked those close to you if the felt they same way, I'd get a resounding "No!" Maybe you should, too.

Most of all I am upset that Aaron's work here is done when there is so much more he could have accomplished.

Agreed. I guess that means that each of us now has a few more things to add to our own To Do Lists.

Thanks, John, for the great post. Best wishes for feeling better and getting on with it. Ultimately, that's what we hackers always do.
Javascript is overall cleaner than Obj-C. Both languages can of course be used and abused in many ways. Javascript is going to require less code in general. On the flipside, larger projects are harder to keep maintainable.

There are some trivial gotchas in Javascript, but same can be said for most languages. Most importantly weird type promotion system, variable & function hoisting and prototypal inheritance can cause some gray hairs. All those can be lived with, and prototypes are in some ways superior to "classical" inheritance.

C, C++, Java, Javascript, Lua(JIT), Perl and ObjC are languages I normally use.
There is also strong lobbying in the USA from the industries that grew around the prohibition - namely private prisions and the DEA.
We're upset because Aaron was an activist while many of us capable of doing what he did, just sit on our couches or comfy chairs.

We're upset because the full legal power of the government was used as a weapon against him almost as if he was mass murderer instead of his "crime" being just setting information that was technically free in the first place, actually free.

We're upset because instead of waiting pensively for what his sentence would be and protesting what would undoubtedly be unjust, all we can do is remember who he was and triumph his cause in the hope that this won't happen again.

He didn't deserve to feel this was his only way out and he had so much more to contribute based on his past accomplishments.

I guess the problem with us identifying with Bradley Manning in comparison is he didn't do things like contribute to RSS and Markdown. But the information he set free is just as important.
It's not the language, it's the people, the community.
"While heroin is illegal people prostitute or burgle to get money"

The legality of an addictive substance doesn't make much difference to whether someone will commit a crime to get their fix.

Consider: people commit crimes to get money to buy alcohol. People also steal other legal goods they want e.g. TVs, laptops.
"VC thinks I need an app for my tits" (probably not a direct quote).
Check out http://stylate.com/. They've done the work for you.
I've been following all of this information about decriminalisation closely, including what the results from Portugal, which I found really interesting.

I don't get David Cameron at all. This may be due to my upbringing, which is working class where Tories are generally hated, sometimes irrationally, but I don't think my confusion is irrational.

He seems very ignorant, down to the core. This is a man who hasn't lived the working class life, hasn't come close to touching it. He is even descends from royalty.

He says his policies are beneficial to the majority of the UK, which simply isn't true. The increase on VAT hit the poorest families hard. The rejig on child support hit the families hard.

The problem is that it doesn't seem like he's even aware of these effects and it seems true here too.

He says that their current policies are working fine and that it's the right way forward yet "over-crowded prisons" have become a meme.

It's costing us money to house people in prisons for these crimes. It's costing us money when these people cannot contribute to society, which some may actually would have done if they weren't in prison.

I see kids influenced by drug dealers into trying things out. I know this, I was one of them (stupid, I admit). Once they've become accustomed to one thing, something harder is introduced.

It just seems extremely ignorant to me.
And what about the happy times of FidoNet and GoldEd and the dreaded FOSSIL drivers...
I've read the piece carefully and the thing that stands out for me most is the bit about the data being 'property'.

It is argued that since JSTOR claims property rights with a tangential link to another case where someone downloaded a chunk of software that was in wide distribution and used that to their defense which was invalidated is reason enough to establish that this data was the property of JSTOR and that any unauthorized download is therefore a breach of the law.

This is interesting because as far as I can see the whole of Aaron's argument revolved around this data being public property all along by virtue of the research being publicly funded and the fact that many authors of these papers can't legally distribute their own work.

If the law can't distinguish between unjust claims of property and a complete lack of public interest on the one side and the good intentions of an individual on the other then you can stick to the 'letter of the law' but that means the law is no longer functional.

I also keep reading about 13 counts, and here there are only 4, is there any reason for the discrepancy or is this commentary based on the pre-September expansion of the charges?
What my high school chemistry class taught me about startups
Who is your target audience?
About the landing page, the link to the github is quite hard to find. Initially I didn't find it, and it was only after reading your comment about installing it on ones own server that I made a second more closer search and found it.

Adding a download link in the footer would make finding that link much much easier.
How to Create a Membership Site on WordPress, Best Plugins
Even though WordPress is a great platform in itself, capable of running many different projects, I'm sure that it's still not the first choice for people.
Breakpoints and Quality.
Baidu nets France Telecom browser deal
Since you already linked to Cindy Gallop, there is also the associated website: http://makelovenotporn.com/
Excuse me, Firstly entrepreneurs travel to California because that is where they need to be. Secondly, I am allowed to conduct business and meetings on a Visa Waiver. As long as it is not gainful employment (which it isn't). Thirdly, 51% of all the founders and CEO's in Silicon Valley are foreign born. We come to build jobs and pay taxes to your government. Not to steal your jobs.
MongoDB 2.3.2 Released featuring Text Search
I have not been there illegally nor overstayed my time. Nothing prevents me from reapplying to get a visa.
The White House refuses to build the Death Star
CMS for your homepage
Create your own homepage with Zeta Producer. Start now.
I don't think he is ignorant at all - he knows fine well that the "traditonal" Conservative voter would never back a party that supported greater freedom (and commonsense) around drugs.
Firstly I'm British, so I'm not talking about having my jobs stolen.

Secondly, Google for "B1 visa". Take the first result. Read down to "The following activities require a working visa, and may not be carried out by business visitors".

It clearly says that you may not run a business. If you founded a startup, that sounds like you ran a business.
It's quite easy to calculate the likely sentence. The Federal Sentencing Guidelines provide for a base level of 6, plus an 18 step increase for fraud between $2,500,000 and $7,000,000. The sentencing range at this level assuming no criminal history is 57-71 months. Expect supervised release (no computers) for three years. The fine would be up to the sentencing judge within statutory limits. The government estimated the value of the JStor documents at $5 million. Even if the government's estimate was exaggerated, the documents were worth something--and this figure would drive the sentence to be imposed. The judge could also depart upward based on aggravating factors such as PACER and a lack of remorse. Swartz faced with no good choices. When he did not take the offered plea, they superseded and racheted up the counts. The number of counts doesn't really matter for Guidelines purposes but there is always the risk that the sentencing judge could impose the sentences for each count consecutively.

My guess is that Heyman/Ortiz really didn't want to prosecute the case, afraid that it would become a political hot potato and controversial. They made him what they considered a reasonable offer in September--7 to 8 months federal prison, a fine (amount unknown) and two-three years of supervised release. The kicker is that he could not use computers until supervised release was finished. So for a decade or so, he would be cut off from the digital world entirely.

(There are various reports about these negotiations but I have not seen an offer letter.)

We know that Swartz did not accept the offer. What happened next is what prosecutors do in all sorts of cases: they superseded, that is, replaced the indictment with a new one, adding new charges and new counts. Perhaps they withdrew their plea offer as well, or put a deadline on acceptance.

With a trial date of this week, and advice from his lawyers that he very well could lose (whatever the facts, the hiding his face with a mask would be a prominent feature of the trial, and mummery by the prosecutors just as the glove in the OJ case).

I do not know what his attorneys told him; but from their pleadings they seem to be competent, professional federal defense attorneys, so they would have told him realistically what his chances were. Criminal defendants in these circumstances often take very drastic action.

Someone was pressing this case. It could have been Ortiz. It could have been the case agent. It could have been Heyman. In state court a case like this would almost certainly have resulted in probation. Someone, somewhere wanted Swartz' head on their pike.
The Hackers Crackdown?
Appears down for me as well.
"An Unsuccessful Web Entrepreneur" was my title! I've been working since 8 years ago, and I'm busy now too! Among all my 10 startups there are only two successful and the rest is completely defeated. Just wanted to say: do not despair!

Because of the problems with funding and lack of promotion strategy all start-ups failed!

1. Founder of Onlines.ir (2005) — my first startup,with 300,000hits in first 48 hours / Dead
— http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://onlines.ir

2. Founder of Zaxino(2006) — miniblog service / Dead
— http://www.killerstartups.com/Web20/zaxino-com-get-a-mini-bl...

3. Founder of LandZo(2007) — a photosharing network / Dead

4. Founder of HostFinder.ir(2008) — the first hosting directory in Iran / Dead

5. Founder of Zajet(2009) — a social network to share anything / Dead
— http://www.killerstartups.com/Web20/zajet-com-sharing-made-s...
— http://www.startupwizz.com/2009/06/zajet-what-are-you-sharin...
— http://www.webdevtwopointzero.com/sites/zajetcom/
— http://www.listio.com/web20/app/Zajet-1/

6. Founder of LifeDesktop(2010) — the first web-based life organizer
— http://www.lifedesktop.com
— http://www.killerstartups.com/Web-App-Tools/lifedesktop-com-...
— http://www.webdevtwopointzero.com/sites/lifedesktop/
— http://sigalonwebapps.soup.io/post/116420479/LifeDesktop-com...
— http://slydnet.com/web/lifedesktop-organiser-sa-vie-en-ligne...

7. Founder of Noolt(2012) — the mix of DMoz, Stackoverflow, Wiki and Digg / Dead
I was speaking with a colleague about Node and he suggested using Coffeescript instead of JS directly for the exact reasons you mentioned.

I'm also coming from Obj-C, C and Ruby background and recently read "Javascript: The Good Parts". I'm still looking for the good parts promised in the title and introduction.
The NRA launches a target-practice shooting app on iOS…for ages 4+
This Wikipedia entry is oddly sparse.
The site itself is a huge time sink. I've spent days in the music section as a teenager.
El Arte de la Seducción | Seducción 16, Sexo y Seducción
Show HN: Regex101 - Interactive regular expression learning tool and builder
Hello!

I have long been at work with my site which purpose is to provide a free of charge service where you can learn and create your regular expressions. I have pretty much just thought to myself "What would I like?" and then implemented that.

What do you guys think? All form of feedback is appreciated.

Note: For those who are familiar with the service 'rubular' will see that my front page has some similarities. I just want you all to know that I have spoken with the author of rubular and told him if there ever is any problem I will fix it accordingly. I have also included him in the credits and linked to his site. I don't want you to think that any of my hard work is plagiarism.

Thanks in advance!
The current state of the law aside, I think there is only one justification for federal involvement in states business.
That is if states violate fundamental rights of their people (Even the I would rather propose to cut them loose than to stage an intervention.)
Enforcement of victimless crimes is something that congress should not have the power to mandate and the executive branch should not be allowed to do.
what's different about node community from ruby community? are you sure that's not confirmation bias?
Hello!

I have long been at work with my site which purpose is to provide a free of charge service where you can learn and create your regular expressions. I have pretty much just thought to myself "What would I like?" and then implemented that.

What do you guys think? All form of feedback is appreciated.

Note: For those who are familiar with the service 'rubular' will see that my front page has some similarities. I just want you all to know that I have spoken with the author of rubular and told him if there ever is any problem I will fix it accordingly. I have also included him in the credits and linked to his site. I don't want you to think that any of my hard work is plagiarism.

Thanks in advance!
I like this, but I think the author or contributor of the alias should be made public (like next to the vote/score buttons)
I second this. And if you enjoy The Hacker Crackdown you should also read The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stole, and Do It! by Jerry Rubin, which are also non-fiction. The latter one is only a little related to the hacker subculture since it happens just before it existed but there are strong links between the Yippie movement and the phreaker scene which is the predecessor of the hacker scene.

I think that those three are my most favorite books of all time.
> ... live by the wisdom of Strunk: "Use less words."

If paraphrasing Strunk he deserves a grammatically correct quote: "Use fewer words."

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/less-versus-fewer.aspx

// As noted in a sibling comment, the actual quote is "Omit needless words."

http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk5.html
Which is ironic considering letting people do what they want with their own bodies is pretty conservative.
Getting your life back
Cybersleuths Uncover 5-Year-Old Spy Operation Targeting Governments
The quiz shows how much you really know about regex and also can point out better ways of doing the same thing, I like..
Show HN: Notecards Access your index cards from anywhere
notecard.herokuapp.com

Even with the takeover of technology, I still found most of my college/school enrolled friends using notecards as study aids.

After watching them carry around hundreds of notecards, I created this app to give them access to their notecards anywhere.

You are able to sort your notecards by Semester and then Section - think Winter 2013 and Section 1, etc. Then you can sort the actual notecards into two piles - Known and Unknown, allowing you to continue going over what you are struggling with while still being able to access the cards you are comfortable with - pretty much what you would do with physical notecards when sitting at the kitchen table.

This is built with Python/Django and hosted on Heroku, obviously. It's design is pretty standard Twitter Bootstrap, and definitely has much room for improvement.

The project is hosted on Github at https://github.com/DanHoerst/notecard if anyone is interested in forking/contributing.

Hope you like it.
Maps To Tell a Story - Amazing cartography by Denis Wood
Why Aaron Swartz is becoming a martyr, and why you should care
We can, however, blame Obamacare.

To be clear, I do actually support universal health care. The Obama administration, however, made a deal with the pharmaceutical company to win their support for the law, one that involved increased crackdowns on medical marijuana and illegal drug imports, and various other moves that benefited the pharmaceutical industry.
The Project Saboteur’s Handbook
I had a completely different view, and will give an anecdote.

I was feeling awful about not being able to stop looking at porn after figuring out how to masturbate when I was in my mid-twenties. Two years after I had started I tried to kill myself, unfortunately it was very clumsy.

A few days after the suicide event I got very sick, vomiting for days, and since I was worried about being in pain for the rest of my life, I told someone. This ended up with me going to the psychologist and then a mental ward after he got worried about me. This led to me seeing a psychologist who specialized in sexuality.

Here is the gist of what he told me:
* Something made me lose my trust in people.
* My childhood was totally fucked up.
* That there was no problem in looking at porn
* That masturbating to porn made me feel alive after being dead or something to that effect

He also gave me the assignment to masturbate every day. He did say it would be a problem if that was all or most of what I did.

It seems to me that it wasn't the porn that was the problem but the guilt I had associated with it, which lead me to remove myself from groups I was involved with then, because I thought I was "too crap" and that I was somehow destroying the groups I was in because of subtle differences in my behaviour from masturbating to porn.

Another huge problem was that I had made a New Year's resolution which was: get a girlfriend inclusive-or get happy inclusive-or die. With that I spent some time over the two years before the attempt looking at ways to suicide. I don't make New Year's resolutions any more.

The suicide attempt changed me for life, in that I feel worse, and have no desire to do anything after that, like create music, social things. Going out to public events just made me angry. I get angry much more easily now, and have a bit of a facial tick, and are somewhat sexually dysfunctional compared to before.

Anyway, it's my opinion that, porn is not a large problem but worrying about it is. But, that depends, I guess.

Note: I created this account just to reply to this. I haven't posted before, because I have felt too unqualified. The main point of the post is what the psychologist told me.
Top two are wrong… Not a good thing.
It's always the same badly written snippets that get copy-pasted across websites without anyone really understanding what it does (hence the copy/paste).

> alias servethis="python -c 'import SimpleHTTPServer; SimpleHTTPServer.test()'"

python -m SimpleHTTPServer # python 3
python -m http.server # Python 3

> extract () { /* useless stuff */ }

tar xf
I did not know that, but I'm not overly surprised as legalisation chops the legs off their business model. Thankfully we don't have quite the same problems in the UK, but the government is so desperate to appeal to the groups that make the most noise by appearing 'tough' on crime, including personal drug use.
Interesting. I hadn't connected those exact dots. Reading Hayek has definitely made me more skeptical of designed systems -- and so has my experience in the software profession (second system effect).
I really like the idea, but I'd do even more so if I could install a cronjob to automatically download a file with all aliases I previously added to my online profile. Of course this comes with security implications you'd have to sort out. Please do this (or let me help you with it).

Edit: I just found the feature on the site and am happy now. (: