skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
I'm a lisper and I prefer the macro. I have no idea if I'm in the minority or the majority. I have to admit that I've written more clojure than any other lisp, but I learned other lisps before I ever learned clojure.
It depends how you define better I suppose. I think they're both very readable, but I'm very willing to give up a little terseness for the benefits of a simpler syntax, immutable datastructures, and the kind of flexibility that lets you write things like -> to invert your control flow.
What I learned from time away from the Internet and email
The failure to mention SodaStream's higher consumer cost and silly attitude really just made me wonder if the writer had an ulterior motive.
I would have liked to have seen what the end result looked like. I see the mess, now sell me the clean.
A Realistic Way to Eliminate the Federal Income Tax
In the US, you don't have to do any sort of spins all the way up until your CFI. All you have to know about (and be able to explain to your examiner) is "spin awareness" - essentially how it happens, what causes it, and how to get out of it.
If you're stuck because you typed this and now your app is automatically crashing itself all the time, go to System Preferences, under Language & Text, Text, uncheck "Correct spelling automatically" _and_ "Use symbol and text substitution". Both need to be unchecked.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned this:

Author: Jordan Koschei
Designer, developer, writer, founder. Follower of Christ. You can follow him on Twitter here.

No, I'm not implying religious belief means that the OP is dumb. I'm saying that Christ-centered theology argues for a fallen world based on immutable characteristics of mankind's nature. Given this, I can see why the OP is inclined to think that no real change will come from "your app" or any other man-made thing.
Ask HN: How do you work faster?
Lately I have been doing some side projects as well as contract work and it seems I'm not really producing code at an efficient rate. For one project I estimated that I could wrap it up in about three weeks, but it ended up taking nearly five.

Although my code is "good" (my employers tell me as much), I just wish it didn't take so long. It was the same with mathematics homework in school. I remember doing well in my Theory of Computation class but I always took so long on the homeworks and for one exam I had to request extra time to finish the last problem.

I feel like being able to efficiently craft code in a reasonable time would be a major breakthrough.
Listen to your body at a deeper level. It tells you when you're tired. Do not let your mind tell you that you have to keep working/thinking or... some bad thing will happen. That's what the mind will always tell you. What does your body tell you? The only way to know is to stop, take a few deep breaths, and check in. If you're really tired, listen to that. Sleep is more important than that last line of code. Your body has an incredible intelligence that our culture no longer honors.

If you're a night person, honor that by setting the expectation at work that you'll come in later and stay later. My mind is completely foggy in the morning, and completely clear in the evening/night. My natural rhythm (when I get to do it) is to be awake until about 4:00 AM and sleep until around 12:00 PM. I let the first part of the day go by, and then work in the second part when my mind is far more clear, right until before I sleep. My best work frequently happens between 10:00 PM and 3:00 AM. When I hear about people waking up at 4:00 AM, I think, good for you, but that's not a universal prescription (look up the word "chronotype").
San Francisco, SFBA, REMOTE, INTERNS(too)

Munchery is changing something so fundamental as your nightly dinner, and giving local food entrepreneurs the economic freedom to fully leverage their skill, passion and creativity.

We're looking for software engineers, senior designers, senior front-end. Hacker, designer & data interns. Operations roles, city management roles, and more postings soon.

Only apply if you like zero bureaucracy and tons of empowerment.

Working on awesome stuff is only limited by how much you can get done.

email me at michael@munchery.com if interested.
The maximum sentence is not the target sentence. The target sentences are given by the federal sentencing guidelines. Judges have the discretion to give lower sentences in situations that warrant them, and have the discretion to go up to the maximums in situations that warrant them. But by and large they hew pretty closely to the sentencing guidelines.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Federal_Sentencin...
Remember, there are multiple ways to accomplish things, and some are more suitable for some than others.

1. Some people learn theory first, and from this discover more advanced theory that helps them eventually apply knowledge.

2. Some people learn applications first, and learn theory as necessary.

In the software industry, it's very easy to fall into the trap of #2. I mean... it's way more fun to build something that people can use, than read a textbook and hear a professor talk.

However, you should keep in mind that if you choose this path, you are starting at the same starting line as everyone else. Learning the theory behind applications gives u the advantage of having a starting line that is ahead of most people.

Consider this scenario:
You are an incandescent lightbulb assembler. When you first started, you did not make them very well. Some of them didn't light up, some of them were dimmer than others. However, as time went on, you made better and better lightbulbs. Soon, you become the world's best incandescent lightbulb assembler.
But, someone invented LEDs. You don't know what's wrong with your bulbs, since there is nothing inherently ~wrong~ about incandescent bulbs. But you know nothing about why it works, only how to assemble it.
But, to respond to the original question...
Carnegie Mellon is pretty cool :)
From an economics standpoint, I'm curious why education has been skyrocketing in price? Is it primarily due to demand, and universities are just jacking up tuition because they can? Or are there other factors at play?
Just about any school of any sort with a CS program is good enough. The point of all this writing on college not being worth it is that the expected value of a $200K education is not much higher than a $50K one, or maybe even $10K.

>"Are there still places out there that offer a diverse undergraduate Computer Science program that goes beyond teaching Java and C++ and focuses on the application of these technologies to create things?"

You won't find much of this taught in the classroom. Seek out schools with strong co-op or intern programs. Many community colleges even have co-op programs. Co-ops are basically forced internships and the college does a lot to get you hired. But it's really not much different than spending your summers interning.
Yes, this is it exactly. I have never even bothered to price it out per liter, even if it cost a bit more it would be worth not having to lug bottles of carbonated water home.
I wish I knew how to get hired remotely. I'm an experienced programmer, but I happen to also be a security paranoid, so not only I have not bothered building an online persona, I have also removed every trace of myself on the internet. I can prove my experience, but not to an HR guy. I also think I have good written English, and yet I haven't even had a response to any emails I've sent for remote work in other countries (I don't want to work for my country, for several reasons). Any thoughts?
Beautiful! You wouldn't happen to know if it supports "smart" quotes would you? Been meaning to find one that does support those.

Also auto-id-ing heading elements so they can be hash-linked to? That's another of my marked requests.
my main problem is with copy, pase, and cut. For dvorak they seam to be scattered and in inconvenient places; I have to use both my hands to copy, e.g.
I came here to mention this.

A common principle in Christianity is that the world is broken beyond repair. Generalised from the principle that everyone is a sinner.

That's why signing up for redemption is such a Big Deal. Either you are on the Christ bus or you're stuffed.

(The exact reasoning varies from church to church, sometimes a lot).

It might or might not be relevant, though. The linked article actually (sorta[1]) suffers from another common problem, which is that the world is a rational machine that can be "fixed" with a few architectural changes. It's very common for intelligent people to think that way.

Complex systems don't work that way. In fact, the best we can do is intelligent trial and error. Treating people as a physics problem or an architecture assignment tends to end in tears.

[1] Another way to look at is that the author has restated the old observation that technological solutions can't solve social problems.
New Open Source Backend as a Services Platform for Game Developers
This is the sort of thing that makes me wish I had the login details for shit_hn_says.
As is usually the case with these types of settlements, the lawyers (on both sides) win and the defendants (facebook) win.
SEEKING WORK - Remote

I am from Pakistan and posses 10+ years of professional experience in software development. I have developed apps for corporate sector, enterprise and for consumers.

I have working experience on PHP, Java and Python but not limited to these languages. Technically I can work on any language when needed. I am a self-learner, passionate and a curious individual.

I have worked on high volume websites and involved in optimization of system where needed. Beside RDBMS systems I have working knowledge of NoSQL Databases like MongoDB. I have worked on cache mechanisms like Memcache and Queue systems like BeanstalkD.

Beside engineering I also have interest and inclination towards business side and have worked on projects from inception of idea till deployment. I often work on different applications on my own to solve my own problems and eventually for others. In 2006 I created a PHP Class that converts MySQL data into JSON. I got 3rd prize by PHPClasses and was featured on Ajaxian.com. I also created a Quran MSN bot that used to get 30k looksup/month. In 2010 I applied in Dubai SeedStartup Incubator program and got selected in Top 25 candidates.

My Profile: http://pk.linkedin.com/in/kadnan. Beside my additional work can be seen in below URLs

- http://www.freelancer.com/u/kadnan.html
- Github: https://github.com/kadnan/ <Though it's not so attractive>
- My first WP plugin: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/twerrific-lite/

- My GreaseMonkey based script: http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/112365

I also worked on iPhone apps for self and client. Self are taken off due to expiration. Following is the App I made for client:

http://humanappeal.org.uk/zakat/app/

My Profile and CV on LinkedIn: http://pk.linkedin.com/in/kadnan
I wouldn't be surprised if LinkedIn shut this service down due to the high probability of adverse publicity. This kind of stuff doesn't really fit in with their branding as a social network for professional networking, job hunting, etc.
There are downsides to this if you're in STEM: less preparation and rigor.
They are a private network running on public airwaves. That spends millions on trying to buy legislation, including things like SOPA and PIPA. They are showing the Superbowl, and the NFL has a special antitrust exemption.

Given all that, I don't have any particular problem mandating that they run a fair advertising market.
The Humble Craftsman
> Beautiful! You wouldn't happen to know if it supports "smart" quotes would you?

Marked has a pretty big todo list right now. Those are on it somewhere.

> Also auto-id-ing heading elements so they can be hash-linked to?

This is actually requested less than I expected it to be, but I think I do want to add something for it in the future.
Unsemantic: successor to 960.gs
I think the concept of FairTax is interesting, but the application through a lottery system is a gamble at best (har). Because it is working for Taiwan does not mean that it would be transferable: if a tax-system is holding an economy together, it might be quite a jump to say that applying it somewhere else would have same results
His book _The Outlaw Sea_ was extremely good -- going into some depth about the ways that government try but have not succeeded in regulating the ocean in the ways that they control law on land.
The only thing PIZZA and SEX have in common is that you want to get to 'em when they're still hot.
Facing 100 years so that he'll waive his constitutional right to a trial (undoubtedly before jury entirely incompetent in the matter) and accept a mere 10 years in a plea bargain.
It's customary.
I'm a bit scared of this myself. I forward the syslog messages on my Mac to another host (a Linux system) and I've found that /usr/libexec/taskgated logs (at level 'debug') "no system signature for unsigned /Users/spc/source/sysloginter/syslogintr[181]" (a program I wrote). It also logs that message for some other programs I've compiled (like Synergy [1]) and others I've downloaded (like Firefox).

In fact, I've seen that message now for the past few years. I'm still awaiting the day when I can no longer run my own software. I hope it doesn't come to pass.

[1] http://synergy-foss.org/
The assumption behind all the "college is a waste of time" advice is that you're smart enough, and willing enough to teach yourself. I am like that, and I'll assume you are too. Being smart enough isn't enough, you have to expose yourself to a variety of ideas.

I started programming in basic in 3rd grade. I graduated high school in 1996, spent three years in tech support and started programming professionally in 1999. According to my salary I never missed anything by skipping college, but I always felt like I missed out. Two years ago, while working as a telecommuter, I decided to pursue a degree and started taking classes at community college. The math and physics courses opened my mind to ideas that I never really put much thought into. College opened my eyes to ideas that I never would have studied on my own. I quit my job and enrolled at University of Illinois this spring.

While I have not yet pursued research, I know that there are many opportunities for undergraduates to research in computer science. Professors typically want junior or senior undergrads because they have enough coursework in the fundamentals to be useful. Right now there is a huge push from the school to get experienced freshman and sophomores into research. They have a funded mentorship program that pays graduate students to work with one or two undergrads on their research. The problem is that they can't get enough underclassmen to apply to the program.

Many of the people that post on Hacker News that post a low opinion of the college education were educated in college themselves. Only a very small minority of posters have seen both sides of the coin. I have become a completely different person in the last two years since I started college. This experience has been far more costly for me, at 35, than it is for a typical college-age student. If I add my tuition, fees, and expenses to the opportunity cost, due to lost salary, I am paying $140k a year to go to college. I have no regrets; this has been the best experience of my life.

You've probably heard the old saying that youth is wasted on the young. I think college is also wasted on the young. Those that denigrate college were not yet self-aware enough to realize the benefit they gained from that experience.
It's been done on a few cars. The MCC Smart car is mid-engined, so it features s "service flap" where the hood would be for things like fluid reservoirs. The engine bay is accessible by lifting a flap in the trunk. The Audi A2 was front-engined, but used a service hatch arrangement as a weight-saving measure - the hood was designed to lift off completely and had no hinges or prop.

A service hatch would be a fairly substantial design problem on a performance car. It means that the manufacturer is forced to locate the various fluid bottles close together, most likely near the very front of the car. This is prime real-estate for air intakes and radiators, because taking air from the high-pressure region at the nose has double benefit - more airflow where you want it, less drag where you don't. Elaborate routing of fluid hoses and reservoirs would mean extra weight, which is generally anathema in the car industry.
Looking for Ruby Co-founder for art education start-up
KnoFolio is an art & design portfolio-building platform that offers online courses, critique, and connection to the top art colleges.

http://knofolio.net

I am the founder and UX designer. My developer has constraints that limit his ability to relocate to the Bay Area. I am looking for a Ruby developer that I can partner with going forward.

Learn more about KnoFolio:
http://www.crunchbase.com/company/knofolio

https://angel.co/knofolio

http://www.andrewcoyle.com/blog/2012/12/21/introducing-knofolio/

http://marketingstartups.com/2013/01/25/an-early-look-at-knofolio/
Forbes.com is essentially all crowd sourced 'contributors' at this point, each running their own separate blog. There's very little oversight/screening of contributors. There's been a pretty noticeable drop in quality since they started doing this, I'm curious how long they have before the brand is entirely diluted.

Source: http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/top-stories/173743/what-t...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahljacobs/2012/10/06/how-to...
Quick, someone write a site that indexes all of the most enduringly informative posts to HN, and include this pls.
Good plan, but becoming increasingly difficult to accomplish.

It used to be extremely common in the Seattle area for locals to spend 2 years at Bellevue Community College (now just Bellevue College) and then transfer to the University of Washington. Each year UW it's harder to transfer as the school prefers 4 year students ($). Even worse they prefer out of state students ($$). Even more worse they prefer international students ($$$)!

It is in the schools financial interest to accept non-local students who will pay more for the same education. And it gets worse every year. It's a seriously messed up issue.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm all for dissing Obama and his party at almost any defensible juncture. But, as the Libertarians would be glad to tell you, asset forfeiture and overzealous prosecutions are a larger problem than the Obama administration, and come from both sides (a "tough on white-collar criminals" policy push from the left, because businesspeople and executives are evil dontchaknow, and a "war on drugs" policy push from the right, because drug use is a threat to society and immoral dontchaknow.)

See? Bipartisanship in action!

(Disclaimer about how I don't roll with the Libertarians and have my own mockery for certain Libertarian policy positions which are not relevant to this conversation.)
> #1a: You don’t lose people to silly things like their significant other going to medical school.

I really don't like the attitude here. Your significant other moving, is _not a silly thing_.

> I’ll let you in on a secret: most of our remote developers work longer hours than our in-office devs.

Yet another reason not to work remotely -- to maintain your work-life balance. Home is a place you spend with family and/or significant other, and doing non-work related stuff.

> it forces me to look at what they’ve done

This is something you should always look at. Measuring someone's performance by the number of hours they've spent in the office is _never_ a good idea; some people are just productive than others.

I stopped reading at this point. The author is quite selfish/insensitive to employee needs (since your significant other moving is "silly"), and he objectifies employees and doesn't treat them humanely (anyone who is happy with their employees working like 14 hours a day truly doesn't care about the employees' holistic well-being.)
Oracle Responds to Java Security Flaws with 50 Fixes
I'm calling this statement out as nonsense. The fact that this woman or that woman participates in it does not mean it's wrong to call it out. If you don't call it out 999 times in a row, it does not mean you have abrogated your right to call it out the 1,000th time.

There were black slave owners. Did that suddenly make it wrong to call slavery out? many whites said nothing for a century. When they spoke up, should they have remained silent for another century?

This thing can be judged on its own merits without resorting to Ad Hominem Tu Quoque. This statement feels an awful lot like cross-examining a rape victim about her sexual past in an attempt to discredit her as a witness and intimidate other women so they won't speak up in the future.
As people require a license and training to drive a car, I feel that people should require training (free of course) to use a computer. The whole problem with computers is that they are tools for consumption AND creation. While these new tablets and phones are heavily consumption only. The problem with computers is not that they are complicated, but because most of society has zero competency in using these powerful tools. It is a failure of education.

So we end up with shitty phones and tablets that try to make consuming old media easier, instead of users making their own media and applications.
We've had this discussion before. The maximum sentence available under law is not a good guide to the maximum likely sentence. Think about the fact that murder can get the death penalty of life in prison with no parole, but the mean sentence is about 20 years and the median about 24 (from which you can infer that quite a few people get short sentences in the 6-10 year bracket).

you can't talk about the disproportionality of the sentence because none has been handed down yet. It's meaningless to talk about the disproportionality of the maximum sentence when the law is designed to accommodate offences from the trivial to the truly egregious.

You think this allows too much discretion to prosecutors and courts, OK, so did a lot of other people at one point, and that's how we wound up with standardized sentencing guidelines and mandatory minimums. Typical sentence lengths went up, because the sentencing guidelines are so exhaustive that prosecutors pile on obscure enhancements. Mandatory minimums were recently found to be unconstitutional, in US v. Booker. Federal sentencing guidelines were put in place in 1984. It's not a coincidence that the US incarceration rate took off for the stratosphere around the same time. Sentencing was more lenient, albeit less consistent, when it was left to the discretion of the courts.

You don't lose any of your constitutional rights when you accept a plea bargain. The reality is that people take them because they don't expect to win in court. The standard of proof in criminal trials is very high, so defense lawyers have little incentive to accept a plea bargain unless the evidence overwhelmingly points to guilt.
Not true, and I'm not a fan boy either. Did you read the security section of the guide? The edge one is more up to date (not just because its edge- the 3.x one needs love). Are you subscribed to the Rails security mailing list and core list?

There is plenty to security that is not in the Rails documentation, though, and it is by no means bulletproof by any stretch of the imagination. If you don't take security seriously, then you increase the chance of getting stung. From exploits that you have to watch out for in your code, to setting up the server(s) and infrastructure in the most secure way that makes sense, it is a lot of work.
On Rick Steeve's travel show on PBS it was interesting to see in Nordic countries the biggest buildings were city halls but in Europe it is pretty much always a church.

That really shows you how even hundreds of years ago how different the culture is in Nordic countries.
At least in the US, you don't need to be 18 to buy condoms. A 5 year old could walk in and buy some. This is by design.