skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
Some of the many mistakes I have made are that of being " lazy" and instead of creating some tables and some schema structure and all the related code I just serialized the stuff and stored it as a string in the database. A few month later or less a very simple be requirement arise and I have to filter by a thing inside the serialization string. Then I say ok, let's index separately the thing, or store it independently, or do two pass filtering, but none of these beats the very simple query I could have done if I had done the right thing in the first place. I hid the complexity away but it came back to me weeks later and then it really stunk: the choice is between many evils, migrate existing data, duplicate the thing, select by regexp, etc.
Client Side Library Tradeoffs
Very timely read for me. I work in a successful company with lots of challenges and room for expansion, I am a key member of the team and work very long hours (which would be better spent on my own side project).

My current manager has done all of the listed reasons-for-leaving in the article at one point or another - I'm not the only one this happens to; it happens to all who work with him, however I'm the only one who has to report directly to him.

It's a sad situation because the guy is a good guy, he's just difficult to work with and as a result I'm currently looking at my options - if I can help it, I would prefer to stay at the company.

I understand it can be difficult for a manager to be direct with their team, but it's something I know a lot of good people appreciate - honest, direct feedback. You don't want to feel like you're being "handled" or used as a crutch for the manager's own self-actualisation. It's the whole golden-goose scenario - you don't want to kill it.

edit: typos :)
Clearly the lives you describe are interesting. And probably happy. Many middle-class-and-upper people strive for such a life. But these lives also seem quite photoshopped, like a packaged tour version of life. Not judging or anything, but i'm wondering if, given its utmost uniqueness, a life should be lived on a predefined plan.
Novel Designs Are Taking Wind Power to the Next Level
Microsoft appears to have some interest in a long term smart phone strategy which entails treating it as a general computing device - e.g. TouchDevelop. Currently, Google appears to be moving in a different direction centered around online services.

Because Microsoft sells its OS it can make money when hardware is sold. Google cannot do that with its current offerings.
Seinfeld advice:

GEORGE: They always make me take stock of my life. And how I’ve pretty much wasted all of it, and how I plan to continue wasting it.

JERRY: I know, and then you say to yourself, “From this moment on, I’m not gonna waste any more of it.” But then you go, “How? What can I do that’s not wasting it?”

ELAINE: Is this a waste of time? What should we be doing? Can’t you have coffee with people?
Give the man who saved Timbuktu's manuscripts the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Slidify: Stunning presentation from Markdown
I sent all my mail to Earth Class Mail (by using one of their mail centers as an address for basically everything except legally-required residence address). They scan the covers of your mail by default. You don't actually need to have them open and scan the contents, so if you're afraid of identity theft, just scanning covers isn't any worse than someone with access to your (unlocked) mailbox.

They also have pretty good internal procedures to keep your mail safe. Top Secret paper shredders, employee background investigations, video monitoring, etc. I'm fairly paranoid, and I consider them safe enough for all of my personal mail. I wouldn't send root passwords for them to scan, but really, there's nothing in the banking system which lacks an audit trail and is irreversible, and they're a US company which could be sued if they did anything improper, so it seems like a safe risk to take.

The only complaints I have are that their costs have steadily creeped up over the years, and I've had to change one of my addresses twice in 5 years (first time, they had a horrible local UPS driver who kept misdelivering packages; the second time, Nike bought their building when their lease was up for renewal. They have a 7y lease on the new place, though.)
> It'd be nice if there was a way to create a local distribution point

There should be. Choclatey "uses the NuGet packaging infrastructure" and NuGet has that.
I would appreciate if you did not judge my opinion.

I already said that I am not suggesting that everyone in africa is starving. At HN of all places I would expect people to RTFM... All I said is that I can not overlook a few hundreds/thousands/millions (the exact number are not really important) of people starving so easily as you (or others) and focus on getting a cheap smart phone. I will say again that this is text book hybris.

I am only pointing out my perspective without judging those who do not share my view, please try and do the same without jumping to conclusions.
Ya, but at what cost?
Simple answer: they would lose money from the junk mailers. It's a sizable part of their revenue, possibly more than half.
Analyzing MOOCs - A SWOT Analysis
I am 32 so it might be easy for me to give advice to you as a 42 year old but here it goes. You seem to have a good personal life and a decent professional life even though "boring" as you put it. It seems like the boredom and the desire to do something new/exciting has hit you which has already hit me by the way :). The real question is: Have you considered the risk factor ? You may not realize but you have a lot to lose if you do take the risk and try something new.I am in no way suggesting that you should not do it. I just want you to assess the following:

How bad do you want this ? Are you just bored and want to try something new for a change OR do you actually want to pursue a whole new career path/entrepreneurship etc. Big difference b/w the 2. A lot more at risk if you go for the second one but hopefully a lot more reward as well.

P.S: Your English seems pretty good to me.
Myths of Weight Loss Are Plentiful, Researcher Says
Here's a Lazyboy song that has most of Desiderata's principles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLncHifCu1w
Ruby 1.9.3-p385 is released
This is a rather lengthy interview from 2011, but if you search for the word pension, you can find some relevant information:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/45049636/Fixing_the_US_Postal_Service...
"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot- proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning."

The machine is fine. Your users are broken. Make the person that destroyed the machine pay for it.
Dear Apple, move the damn scrollbar in Eclipse.
I did it, too. I used TinyOS and Intelmote2 and designed a interface board to integrate Intelmote2 devices with SRV-1 tank robots. nesC has some learning curve, but it was fun experience :)
I don't understand this: "Typical coffee machines have two user-accessible compartments - one for water and one for coffee beans".

No they do not. Most "Typical coffee machines" require ground beans in a basket. The coffee maker described as typical is actually something I have never seen before.

Try a Kuerig if you want a cool coffee maker! But they again are not "typical coffee machines".
'Just do stuff' (or, more specifically, 'take more risks') is my one resolution for 2013. I'm meeting new people through online meetups, CouchSurfing, Twitter, and just randomly chatting up strangers (a skill I'm trying to actively develop). It's a fun ride.

Thanks for the advice! If you're ever in London, let me buy you a beer.
Instagram and Gradual Iteration
3 Ways to work smarter not harder
The number of delivery days will have no impact on the number of junk mail senders. The two are not coupled in any way.
Google can't make money in places where people are less likely to use online services. Pushing Android in the bush, doesn't do anything for them. On the other hand, because Microsoft earns revenue when phones are sold, they have an interest in encouraging sales in places with low penetration of wireless data services.
You might be interested in this similar concept:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/360-degree_feedback
Yea, try putting a mail slot on your door in an apartment complex, or one of the many neighborhoods which now use 'central' mail boxes.
Not All Entrepreneurs are Cut From the Same Cloth
I wonder if Netflix DVDs are considered packages or mail? Saturday delivery worked really well for Netflix. If we dropped our Netflix disk at the main Post Office by Thursday @ 2PM, we could expect a disk on Saturday.
I have an RT with the touch cover and haven't used it yet, since I never have a table to put it on. The air doesn't need a table to use its keyboard so is much more usable for me. I use the iPad in bed since it has a better screen, I'm having trouble finding a use for the RT yet.

But I think my habits are unique, not representive of th typical consumer.
The text is from a marketeer, and it shows. I hit buzzword bingo in a couple of paragraphs. They're not hackers, they're not ninjas. They are marketeers of the big data generation. Nothing new here, move along.

On a side note: average age of 23??? What's with this concept that people in their 40s, 50s or 60s can't be as/more driven than youngsters?
One less day I won't receive kindling. Good riddance.
I think in many cases people over-estimate their worth. Where I work I am the only real developer. I wrote and maintain all the products.

This makes me pretty indispensable. It also helps that before I arrived the guy in charge of the company had a bad time with at least 3 developers. If there is something I cannot do he tasks me to find someone and manage them so you know...

Obviously, guy could find someone else. Someone else could take the reigns of what I am doing. However transition time and the guys past experience with developers makes this very unlikely.
Interesting the use of "stealing" in the article.

Anonymous "stolen" information on 4000 executives... Well, it is more like spying, but alright.

But then Swartz "stole" JSTOR articles too...

I wonder if one day, we will ever have people stop use words in that broken way, "steal" to mean so many different things.

The whole point of languages, is facilitate communication, even if you think it is helping you to communicate when you use a "simplified" version of the language, if you slowly erode the meaning of the words, it makes communication ultimately, harder.
Relevant? http://www.howwesavedthepostoffice.com/
Goedkoop winkelen met kortingscodes en cashback acties - Plazilla.com
I have a Yoga and I love it. I find myself using it in tablet mode quite a bit (though never on the train like I might a Nexus 7) for things like reading, watching video, or keeping up recipes while I cook.

For all of the criticism on notebook touchscreens--namely, that people don't want to touch an upright screen--I find that I am using the touchscreen when in "notebook mode." It's never tiring and it usually just makes sense. For example, I use it when I'm plugged into an external monitor a lot and I don't want to move my mouse all the way over to what's on the screen of the Yoga. My only complaint is that I find myself going to touch other screens and get disappointed that I can't.
Since the people responsible for the requirement have said explicitly that it's an attempt to kill the USPS and privatize mail entirely, you don't really have to wonder.

Congressman Issa, who is leading this charge, sees the USPS as a giant union that needs breaking, regardless of the damage to the United States from losing what is currently the world's fastest and cheapest postal system.
That makes one wonder what is the outcome of a dogfight where you only have aces. Clusterfuck?

Somehow that reminds me of the smart asses of Enron...
http://www.gladwell.com/2002/2002_07_22_a_talent.htm
I hesitate to share the code for this as it could change the nature of HN if it became widespread. (It would also take more time to convert it to an extension that anyone could use than I have available right now.)
Totally feel you on the PostreSQL comment. I am very impressed by the dedication that's apparent in that process.
Smartphone users in India: They Prefer Android
Interesting.

When was it delivered more than once a day? Everywhere, or in limited areas?
As an anecdote to disprove that, I know of a number of small businesses that were doing decently that tanked shortly after a key employee resigned. It happens fairly often in small companies, especially in the case of a sales manager who maintains most of the personal relationships with clients.
I particularly like "no code snippet, usage is not to blame."
Many think Netflix is receiving special treatment from USPS: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2011/03/the-cost-difference-in...
Well, I'm only 24, but my life seems to be taking a pretty similar route already :)

Mind if I ask where this beautiful bouldering near Paris is? Are you referring to Fontainebleau? I've really been meaning to take advantage of being in Europe and heading down there but haven't had the chance to yet. Perhaps this summer.
A Six Second Blog Post Using Vine App
Completely wrong. The requirement is to pre-fund their unique retiree health care benefit, not their pensions. (Everyone has to pre-fund pensions.) This special health care benefit was "pay-as-you-go" and has over $40 billion in unfunded liabilities. Without pre-funding, these costs will fall on the taxpayer as USPS goes bust in the next decade or two
c:\Program Files, like every other program since Windows 95.
Um, with (2) you're kind of supporting Jamie's point because PostgreSQL's bug system has plenty of drawbacks. While yes there is an outstanding and responsive community, its cultural bug knowledge is stored in a mailing list here: http://www.postgresql.org/support.

Greg at End Point thrashed this system better than I can, two years ago: http://blog.endpoint.com/2011/05/postgres-bug-tracking-help-... (TLDR: no metadata, no workflows)
It’s here. Introducing Readmill for iPhone
I don't have Eclipse installed to verify, but normally if you wait a second the scrollbars disappear. Is that not happening?
You lost me at buzzword strategy growth buzzword overhypedbuzzword hacker.
The funding requirements became law in 2006 because the Post Office was not properly funding them and many in Congress didn't want another problem festering. The USPS major expense is its employee's, nearly eighty percent of its operating costs.

It has two problems that are both nearly insurmountable.
1) Congress, which likes to prevent the USPS from closing facilities, think of this as being similar to the dance that goes on when closing military bases comes up but with far more points of interest.
2) Unions. Rules prevent the arbiters from even considering the financial health of the USPS when negotiating contracts. Contracts also make it difficult to hire part time workers. On average their benefits are amongst the highest in the Federal workforce.
> well… can't you try to find an other job for that? While working for the company? If he's the owner, I don't see why you'd care for being indispensable, it's not a case of an asshole manager in a great company it's a broken company.

I am not leaving for 3 reasons.

1. I support my family with two young children. Partner doesn't work. As depressing as the job is I know it is secure for at least the next year if I want it.

2. I am concerned about the duration of any new job I take, especially in the current climate. I have friends who have lost their houses. If things were a bit rosier I would have gone already.

3. I am working on my own little side project which I hope to nurture into a full-time income. Trouble is work gets me so down I can barely look at a computer at the end of the day to push it along further.

> Also, you probably aren't indispensable.

I am currently essential to the smooth running of the companies products and systems. In my opinion that is as close as anyone can get to indispensable.
No. The USPS has to prefund the next 75 years' worth of estimated healthcare expenses. If they estimate that someone will need healthcare in the year 2088, they have to put money aside for it today.

That bullshit requirement which no other company or institution in the world labors under is creating an artificial cashflow crisis at the USPS.
I looked around for a succinct article that reported on my assertion to include with my original comment, but was unable to find one. There are a number of articles on the USPS that deal with this topic somewhere in the body though.

Just search for 'usps pension congress' and you should see articles from Reuters, The Guardian, Forbes, and others that back up this assertion.
I'm nearly done with my thirties - a time when many of us start to feel uncomfortable about how much time we have left to make our mark.

I didn't make a ton of money or change the whole world in my twenties, but I did marry a great woman early (at 20), and begin to raise 3 great kids. I feel good about those decisions, but won't settle, I still feel that I've more growing up to do and greater days are ahead.
Torque 2D released under MIT
As far as I know he's very fair; he shared work out between himself and others evenly, trusted them to do the work, and made sure everyone was doing their share. He always tried to shield his team from the managerial crap from above. He also never got involved in office politics, and is generally quiet and softly spoken (I differ a little from him there).

I think a lot of people resent managers because they seem to do less of the actual work than those they manage. My dad always works hard at whatever he does, and he expected the same of his team. Now he's retired, part of me really wants to try doing some projects with him. He has a real interest in building web apps that I'd love to collaborate on.
I guess that's what you get with pseudo native interface toolkits. Honestly, I can't stand using it, not because it doesn't work, but because it's so inconsistent with everything else I use.
Especially dislike when the only point-of-contact is twitter.
Tom Lane writes a lot of emails

For reference:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5171284
I could put a monkey in someone's chair with the same job responsibilities. Doesn't mean I've replaced that person; I've simply found a way to occupy their space and assign their tasks.
If you choose to air your opinion in a discussion forum like HN, you ought to expect it to be judged.

Supporting the introduction of more affordable technology into African countries is not hubris, of the text book type or any other, it's pragmatism. As we have seen in country after country poverty is permanently alleviated not by aid but by development. Affordable technology is a key driver of that.

I have seen first-hand what a transformative technology mobile phones has been for people stuck in poverty, allowing them to trade with others, receive critical medical information, form more protective societal bonds and reduce the danger of frequent migrations to find employment to list just a few. M-Pesa's benefits were mainly not to the wealthy of Kenya, but to its unbanked poor to whom it gave new abilities and protection.

You cannot look at Africa merely as a problem to be solved by charitable means, because those countries that are struggling need capacity-building, not a permanent reliance on aid.

I've travelled the world enough to realise that people are the same the world over. Imagine how you'd feel if you were denied affordable technology on the basis that many Americans are living below the poverty line and you'll begin to understand why Africans might find your assertions absurd.
Do read beyond the comma: "whatever that means to you".
Stop wishing, start contributing!

http://www.mozilla.org/en-GB/firefoxos/
Hey - great way to make sure nobody can afford to deliver rural mail. That ought to work great. "Let the market take care of the issue" really isn't always the best policy.
Colorful geometry
> He replies that scientists have an ethical duty to make clear what is established and what is speculation.

He is absolutely right!
You're correct in that it was healthcare, not pension. No wonder I was having trouble finding articles that I was sure I'd read on this.

That said, the requirement, which seems to be that the USPS must fund healthcare benefits 75 years in advance, is still patently ridiculous. It is a manufactured crisis, in part.
I think there is a tidal change in software at the moment - imagine the Venn diagram of remote working technologies, continuous integration technologies and a willingness to shed middle manager white collar jobs like never before.

As we can enable people to work from home, because we can see the code they wrote today up and working on the CI server, we can do away with needing a boss to telll them what to do and watch if they do it - in fact we can pass the autonomy many bosses have down the line - and I hope see a world where the developer says - I have done this cool thing and it has improved our bottom line because I measured this change.

A culture of Continuous Integration, testing changes for business KPIs allows us to let go of the middle rank of supervision, and allows us to change the working conditions now the supervision is unnecessary
Is the joke here that Apple would fix a problem in open source software? The headline should be "Dear Eclipse Foundation, please insert an extra row in the directory view".
god damn stop it with these articles! they are based on pointless and handpicked quips, and frankly they just drop my brain chemical levels and depress me until i go out to lunch for tasty burritos in 3 hours.

and the god damn brain formation things PLEASE neuroscience is at the most 10 years old we have no idea what the brain is doing and won't until we monitor brains the way we do now for a generation.
Elegant structure.
Appticles
I really don't understand this sort of thinking. Sure, it's a large union, but if it is providing benefits for employees while enabling an efficient postal system that delivers to everyone — even those who live in places that private services may consider unprofitable to deliver to — then what's the problem?
Creating Linux applications with Visual Studio
This certainly does feel like an elaborate parody.
Maybe just in cities, this was the late 1800s, when postcards were essentially email.
any tips on finding parking? I might decide to come up from Providence.
Pay Day Loan Rankings: The shady tale of Joomla hacks and Drupal leaks
Reminds me a lot of Baz Luhrmann's "Sunscreen" (or rather, Baz Luhrmann's "Sunscreen" reminds me a lot of this)
Please do not believe he is unaware of this situation and is not made nervous by it. Unless he is a fool - which he cannot be so much because he trusts you to get the job done :-)

He operates in a market for lemons, but one day it may be more comfortable for him to risk getting a Lemon Consulting firm than live with the stress of one guy who might leave and take the whole thing down with him.
Jawbone UP is Back
To go into more detail, I believe CSS animations will be faster because they are built into the browser, as opposed to calculating animation effects in a Javascript interval.
Google acquires Channel Intelligence for $125 million to improve Google Shopping
Yay more KDE!!!

I only wish making a startup had meant I would have my computer nearby instead of only Android devices...

Can I get KDE into Android???

No?

Well, I have then to somehow get sufficient money to rent my own place, so I can bring my own computer, and finally update my Fedora 12.
How about volunteering to run the bug tracking for the project?