skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
Let me ask you a question in return: I'd like you to understand somebody's personality. You have a choice between a) looking at their signature, or b) spending a few hours with them in face-to-face conversation. Which would you choose?
It really depends on the "feel" of the application. For instance, Outlook and Twitter are productivity/communications applications to me. Therefore, I feel as if flagging is an action whereas starring is favoriting/liking an item.

Other sites, like digg, are just community dumping grounds in which moderation is necessary. There, flagging is a notification to an admin and starring would be more appropriate for a positive response (for action, favoriting, etc).

I guess, what I am trying to say is - if moderation is necessary, if there is the need for a negative connotation, then the flag feels that way. But, if there is no need for a negative connotation (like my email or Twitter, which don't require moderation) then a flag doesn't feel bad at all, it just feels important.
I can't find it in myself to get worked up about straight-up product placement. In some ways it's less disconcerting to see a guy drinking a Coke than drinking Unspecified-Beverage-In-A-Vaguely-Red-Can-With-Electrical-Tape. I also have a hard time imagining that even a quite popular show could survive having the characters in the show repeatedly directly shill for a product, long before we even approach the level of ads television or radio used to carry directly. While I've used television terminology, I think this carries across all media.

Any sort of recurring program (TV-like video, blog, newspaper, etc) spend credibility when they do that, unless they are very carefully ensuring that they only talk about products they care about personally, which only works for things that are personal productions. (One clue I use is that a normal person should often get excited about a product that has been out for months or years, rather than one that just came out. Nobody gets everything brand new every day.) Who will read something that is just shilling, over and over again? Perhaps not nobody, but I won't be forced to read it, so I guess I'm still not worried about it.
I switched to wetshaving with badger hair and a safety razor because of irritation from cartridge razors. A few months later I was in a mad rush and used my cartridge razor with a new cartridge -- it felt like it was ripping my face off. I hadn't realized just how bad the cartridges were till then.
I actually love the way Outlook 2007 does it - flags for time periods (i.e. priority) and color-coding for categorization. The previous colored-flags system in Outlook was alright, but this update really hit it on the nose for me.

I kind of use stars in Gmail, but I don't find them nearly as useful as the "For Follow Up" and "Categorized Mail" folders in Outlook.

Having said that, just about everything else Gmail does is better, IMHO
This is exactly how I use it as well. I share items I like and want others to see and star items for future action (Youtube videos I can't view at work, article I want to read, SmashingMagazine's excellent graphics/icons that I want to refer to later).
Seriously: any CTO/CIO who makes his organization use Microsoft web stuff, be it Sharepoint or Outlook Web Access or ASP.NET, it doesn't matter, should be fired and be registered on a worldwide "IT offender registry" so we can look up the name and not hire them ever again.
> I agree with the edited versions.

yeh sorry. this was why I edited it. Both as I dug out some reference to the event I read about and your reply highlighted areas of confusion.
Inflation and the Fall of the Roman Empire
Google Website Optimizer Case Study: Daily Burn, 20%+ Improvement
I have some insight into the FDA's submission system.

There are some inconsistencies in what the commenter here is claiming, and the experience of my company submitting software to the FDA for approval. I would not call their new system streamlined, and as I have been told from time to time that their database is down I am curious how it could be using XML on the backend. Is XML over HTTP part of their patent? If the patent is for XML in Word, well, Word is not even in that web-based workflow. Further, and this is just a nit-pick I realize that the guy may have misspoken. That said, assuming there is XML on the backend, and it is using an "open standard chiefly developed from . . ." i4i's tech, then it is not really an open standard is it?

In short, based on my knowledge, derived from extensive involvement in regulatory affairs in the medical imaging field, the second paragraph in that comment is highly suspect.
Another suggestion: don't make the patent office budget dependent on the number of patents they process. Or have them hire people more experienced than just-graduated undergrads.
"over the lifetime of the Aeron chair, it costs less than toilet paper"

But which would you rather do without?
Dear God! I saw this: http://google-opensource.blogspot.com/2009/07/programming-ma...

Anyone proposing to use a BASIC dialect should be banned from computerdom forever. Teaching it to kids is akin to child abuse.
> Hysteria is common to all cultures.

yes. I have never suggested otherwise!

My point is reaction to that hysteria is very different!
>I think it's interesting how different cultures react to situations.

The UK of course took the much more sensible course of setting up a website and phone line where people could just be handed out one of the few wide spectrum oral antivirals like candies.

Good job that antibiotic resistant bacteria aren't already a problem, killing more people in hospitals each year than die on the roads.
We have turned a million people (none of whom will complete the course once they feel a bit better) into incubators for Tamiflu resistant viruses.
You said that when you were 15, school was a good place for you. But you are talking about your 15-year-old self who had just spent 10-ish years in school; at this point I'm assuming that if that weren't entirely true you would have said. Since the discussion is about the hypothesis that school is an infantalizing place to be, saying that when you were 15 school was the right place to be is begging the question. If you had been in a hypothetical better environment, your 15-year-old self might have been much more capable of dealing with real challenges.

You don't "say" it. The idea that school is the only way a childhood can be is so deeply ingrained in your argument you can't even perceive it. It's such a given that you consider it a logical axiom, and you end up arguing circularly without even realizing it, you and about half the other posters in this discussion.

Your last sentence would seem to me to reinforce the point. Maybe school can be "improved", but the idea that it is potentially fundamentally flawed doesn't seem to be thinkable. Mind you, I'm not saying that you (and others) think the idea, then reject it (which if done properly would be perfectly valid); people don't seem to be even capable of thinking the idea.

Your picture of maturity is shaped by the system under question.

Again, I'm not actually attacking or defending the schools here. It's the logic I'm talking about. You can't justify the current system by using the current system; it's circular.
You mean like with SQL Server Reporting Service, Outlook Web Access, Sharepoint Portal Services, MSN, Hotmail, Live.com and numerous other web-based software and services they have?

I'm pretty sure internally the MS developers have been cursing IE6 for a long time, and that they have finally gotten the approval for ditching support.
War In The Valley: Apple vs. Google
Based on my own experience with running, this doesn't surprise me. I've been a runner for about 5 years and am currently running about 40 miles a week. I actually find that I'm in better health now (e.g. fewer injuries, better mood, don't get sick) than before I started running.

As long as you do are disciplined with your training, your body can adapt to handle the stresses of running:

- Increase your mileage gradually. Most experts agree no more than 10% increase per week.

- Get adequate nutrition, hydration, sleep. Runners need a little extra calcium and iron than non-runners. Also, you can expect to burn about 100-125 calories per mile, so you want to make sure you are eating enough.

- Wear shoes that fit. Your feet actually swell a little bit as you run, so you generally need to buy running shoes that are one size bigger than your normal shoes. Your shoes should feel comfortable - it's ok to be picky and try on a lot of pairs before you find ones you like. Also some people need to buy gel insoles or arch supports to get a better fit. If you're not sure, you can go to a running store and ask for help.

- Run with proper form. The way I describe it to new runners is that proper foot strike feels a lot like jumping rope. You want to be light on your feet, hit the ground mid foot and be springy (not stiff) in your legs, and kick back. If you're not sure, try running barefoot somewhere safe like on a grass soccer field - this will force you to run properly.

- Allow for some rest days in your schedule, and take a few days off if you find yourself having pain that doesn't go away, or if you have pain that affects your running form. Don't run if you have a chest cold or fever. Be smart and go easy if you have other conditions like asthma or allergies. If you're not sure, see a doctor.

Many people now believe that humans are specifically evolved for distance running: http://www.philly.com/philly/health_and_science/20090720_Bar...
Interview with John Carmack (on Rage, id Software) [video]
Indeed. It's interested me how the panic here manifested and now has died off. I wonder if we will see a resurgance at the end of the summer (seeing as it is India's flu season now and ours a little later it could turn out the same reaction).

Since the phone line / website things seem to have even gone quiet in the media which is intruiging.

And yes, it was a poor reaction; I could quite believe they actually did it. Though my doctor (when visiting him on an unrelated point) said there was no physical way they can test every valid complainant so they were handing it out anyway simply for safety)
The analogy is a bit flawed, it's more like:

An underpaid and overworked journalists is sent to report on this new "Elephant" animal that's been the discovered.

Being overworked and underpaid all the journalist can muster is a quick look at the back side of the animal over the shoulders of the crowd. Then the journalist quickly has to get back to writing his story, because he gets paid by the word and the deadline is looming.

Having glanced the elephant's back side, the reporter knows it's sort of like a giant gray pig. But he also knows that's not interesting enough and he thinks his readers are a lot stupider then him. So he writes the story about a giant gray man eating pig.

And that's Journalism!
Depends on your definition of "programming language" as well as "markup language". One could argue that XML isn't anything but a specification of a syntax (Similar to s-expressions). But then "markup language" is an imprecise term (regardless of what the abbreviation stands for). It's a "syntax".

So, if by "markup language" you mean "syntax", then I'll give that they are different categories, but then I would also argue that you're using the wrong word.
Anecdotal evidence--after a childhood bout of rheumatoid arthritis (or rheumatic fever, perhaps), one or the other knee would hurt all day roughly once a month--a deep and tiring pain. After I took up running in college, this went away. Post hoc, propter hoc? Dunno; I run because I enjoy it.
Ah, OK. I do see what you're saying. At the same time, it's not really possible to come with an example that everyone's going to agree with. The author's point should still stand - regardless of how you feel about GIMP specifically, surely you've felt the same about some other app before.
and a sandwich to your office at 1pm?

http://twitter.com/deliciouslunch did that for a few weeks, on a local scale. Tweet to them in the morning, have a sandwich delivered same day.

They stopped pretty quickly - but it looks like they might have plans to resume one day.
"Prolog is similar to Lisp on the main points." --Norvig, 1992
Electroadhesive Robotic Climbers
Am I missing something?

They all seem about the same to me: It was a friendly crowd. At one point the President specifically sought tough questions. What's the beef?

What is it about the Huff Post that makes it seem the "most accurate" portrayal? Especially since neither of us were there.

If I were writing a story, I definitely would have included that people chanted "Yes we can!". Sure, it's a bit anecdotal and may not be representative of everyone or the rest of the event, but it's such a stark contrast to recent Congressional town halls and such a vivid image. That's what struck me watching it on TV.
Possibly the openmicroblogging protocol behind laconia or pubsubhubbub. Hopefully we can move away from platforms and instead have easy interoperability for a variety of apps.
CA eTrust antivirus destroys things, then commits suicide.
Despite the many problems with Big Pharma, the EU's action seems reasonable to me... If you want to ship something that is illegal in the EU, there's no reason to expect it to pass through EU ports unimpeded.
The DTD is part of the 1.0 spec.

The DTD is just a regular expression, and your document as a string to match. The validator is the interpreter that gives you a yes/no answer for any problem you can represent in those terms.

Actually... hmm. If you look closely at the entity replacement rules, the conditional inclusion entities, and the ability to include external dtd references, you may well be able to get full turing completeness.
Lies, Damn Lies and File System Benchmarks
"No," says the man in Washington.
"No," says the man in the Vatican.
"No," says the man in Moscow.

Those men are correct.
I live in Needham, just down the street from where you'll be (Hi Neighbor ;-). If you can get a parking spot on campus, I'd be sure to have a car. Boston is a much more interesting town than Needham, and you'll want to be able to explore. (If not, you'll be taking the commuter rail.)

Secondly, why don't you take a class at Wellesley College? Our babysitter just graduated from Wellesley, and she took classes at Olin. It seems like a good idea to do the reverse.

Olin sounds like a great school. I think I would have gone there if it has existed in my day. Just go with the program. Lots of these comments apply more to people going to large, state schools. You'll be having a much nicer experience.
1. Easy on the alcohol. You can waste great quantities of time that way.

2. Learn at least one foreign language well.
I am working for a company that uses Microsoft stuff exclusively and it's not half bad. Sometimes I may have to fire up IE to open a page or two.
Also on HN this morning: "The career choice that delivers", about a postman.

It's not unusual that I see articles here both on how some new device is going to save us from physical labor, and right next to that an article about how somebody discovered that they're happier when doing more physical activity.

I don't think I want a tiny subway to deliver my groceries. What's the point?
Good point; I just edited the form. I don't think I can change the title here on HN, though.
Asperger's Syndrome on Screen and Life
True, but I wish someone would write a guide for people like me to avoid conversation with strangers when I don't want to have one.

If I'm in an elevator, what's the quickest way to make someone stop talking to me about my bike? If I'm waiting for a bus, what's the quickest way to get a stranger to stop talking to me about his life? If I'm reading a book, what's a polite and effective way of saying "Sorry if you're illiterate, but I actually do read for pleasure"?
World population projected to reach 7 billion next year
Summary: some guy made a speech in 1984 that aims to convince you that the United States, err, ancient Rome, screwed up by going off the gold/silver standard. (Note that it's from mises.org)
If you hate all of the unoriginal design blogs, this post is for you
This is a mock post. While there is a place for all of these posts, I’m trying to make a point that original blogs are being shut out by formulaic blogs.
Bilski?
Check out darkxanthos' crazy social desensitization exercise.. He talked to a stranger every day for 30 days and it became so much more:

"Social Skydiving with a Code Monkey: Day 15 Halfway There"

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=693981

I know your comment above was sarcastic but..

Think about how you talk with your good friends.

How it just flows. The idea behind leapfrogging small talk is to talk like you're friends already.

It's a bit of a Jedi mind trick but the basic idea is to prime the pump. When you walk up to someone point blank (especially a stranger, especially a pretty girl) - 'What are you up to?' - you're putting all the onus on them to carry the conversation, believe it or not. Because you didn't have the courage to actually start a conversation. They don't know you - so of course they'll say 'nothing' or 'errands. bye!' to politely blow you off. You didn't invest much so they won't invest much back. And the conversation will die.

Commitment is everything! Asking someone a question is not starting a conversation. Tell them something about themselves.

How to start a conversation? Practice. Compliments are great. If you notice something interesting about someone, instead of just keeping it in your head. Just walk over confidently and say it. "I like how you are so engrossed in that book in the midst of the craziness here".

Never state a fact without a feeling. Facts are boring.
Man allegedly rapes woman after meeting on CouchSurfing.com
> Tilleman acknowledges the idea sounds like a Tomorrowland attraction from 1965, but says it’s completely feasible with enough funding.

Really, most projects tend to be feasible with enough funding. Actually, the word feasible seems to be somewhat linked to whether or the idea would work with reasonable funding.

I think a system where packages are delivered via small, electrical driver-less trucks is much more feasible, since roads already exist.
I could write programs in XML and write a machine to run them.

<function name="main"><call function="print"><arg>Hello, World</arg></call></function>

XML isn't a programming language in the same way ASCII isn't a programming language -- in the same way CSV isn't a programming language. Not because of turing completeness, but because they are a completely different thing.
I built a predictive model for finding the maximum temperatures of the core components of heavy-duty alternators, which cut the alternator testing cycle for the biggest Tier 1 automotive supplier in the world down from 3 months to about a day and a half. Two PhD's had been trying for 2 years before me to accomplish this. It was meant to be an educational exercise, but last I heard, they were still using it to get new business.
Facebook Lite: What Facebook actually was 4-5 years ago.
W3 Counter: Analytics With Instant Gratification (useful tools review)
Easing the pain of developing Rails applications that use subdomains
IView: The Latest LCD Technology Concept That Apple Should Adopt
NetFlix for iPhone?
Boxee Watches $6 Million More In Funding Stream In
The author primarily struck me as shy and/or socially anxious. I am an introvert in that I have VERY little interest in people and feel mentally drained after even the most fun and relaxing parties, but feel energized after isolation.

And yet I have no problem initiating conversation or small talk or meeting new people or anything like that. In fact one of my pet peeves is when people confuse introversion for social anxiety, they are not the same thing.
Is this from that "plaintiff friendly" court in Texas? http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2009/01/21/ed-texas-no-longer-pate...
dupe
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=756048
Video: Hands-on with Sprint’s eco-friendly Samsung Reclaim
Some people you just can't shut up. But the wast majority of humanity will take a serious face and terse answer as a clear sign you have no desire to chat.
This is great. I have already setup my couple-page-long capistrano scripts to setup my slices, but this would have definitely prevented me from needing to do that.

I'd also like to see a munin package install (with Rails-specific plugins). Does this use Passenger for Rails installation?
You do know, of course, it's devilishly hard to bend an LCD, right?
Fulltext search your CouchDB in Ruby
People like Roy are half the reason why guys like that act like they do.

I whole-heartedly believe in Roy's thesis.

This is the last guy who should have been offered a 50% discount.

EDIT: removed a sentence and rearranged.
What I want is my prius key as a front door key. Basically it can tell that you're within some very short distance, and opens. It can use strong cryptography instead of using a mechanical setup, and still have a physical "key" that denotes permission (allowing you to give & take permission to others).
Silverlight: Good for Adobe, Bad for Microsoft
but it is really draining when it shouldn't be.

Nope it is draining for introverts.

Your definition of introvert is a bit off too. Introverts ARE mentally drained by social interaction. I am. And I am invigorated by alone time. I am an introvert, but me and all my introvert friends don't have any trouble talking to people, starting conversations, small talk, parties, even public speaking.

In fact the people I know that do have trouble with those things strike me as shy and socially anxious extroverts.
People do reply to email spam
It really doesn't matter if you're an I or an E. Or switch between I/E. As long as you can accept yourself. The rule of thumb I use for I/E orientation is does that person get energized around other people...

Reposting this but: We had a team bonding day in which we were split up randomly into small groups. Random or not, the group I was put on was all introverts. We were given a problem [a clever problem-solving exercise] and the observer (who was an extrovert) noted that (to him) 'it was like they were all just staring at the puzzle for 5 minutes. They were just sitting there thinking. No one in the group said much of anything until they arrived at a silent consensus.' Contrast that to other groups where members debated the relative merits of their solutions. We won the game.

In another company exercise, done after a Myers-Briggs session, they split the I's and E's into groups. And then they said (hypothetically) 'You have the day off. What do you guys want to do with the day? You have $100 each'. The I's were like - I'm gonna read a book, run errands etc. And the E's were like - 'Who's going to Vegas? Party at our house.' The E's were planning parties while the I's were planning alone time.
It seems like it would be easier to use tiny robot zepplins instead. Much more CPU power would be required to control the robots, but that seems like it would be cheaper than setting up a nationwide network of tunnels.

Or in cities with footpaths, what about strapping a GPS and AI to a segway-like robot and sending that on its way?
Will Silicon Valley Run Out of Data Center Space?
I'm all for patient heal thyself. But, I think you should tone down the conspiracy theory style of your site. Doctors aren't all bad - far from it. The medical profession is trying to help, but in an evidence based way. You may not agree, but that's what the status quo is. It's not evil - it's the only sane way to progress.

If you think you know better than the current literature, get someone to research it. Go talk to your local university, get someone excited. Or do it yourself during a summer scholarship. If you are right and can prove it you'll help a lot more people.